"The Challenge" - Some Food for Thought

In October, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet an Elder from my Pagan community, Elspeth Odbert; known to many as Grandmother Elspeth. Just a week prior to meeting her, I had been shopping in our state's only metaphysical shop and had come across a beautiful piece of prose titled, "The Challenge." It was written by Grandmother Elspeth in 2004. It hangs in the entryway of my living room.

Not just a beautiful piece of prose, it truly is a "I'm throwing down the gauntlet. Will you pick it up?" challenge. While I feel it would be a complete injustice to Grandmother Elspeth to reprint the entire prose right here on my blog, I will post snippets though, to give some food for thought and to share the power behind the words.

"I challenge you, by Mystery and by Majick, to become the person you were meant to be..."

And so begins Grandmother Elspeth of Haven's challenge to all who dare to accept the challenge.

"I challenge you to live Life more fully... to know that you are the only limiting factor in your life"

The above statement, though I have it abbreviated, is HUGE! How many times do we honestly think about the limits we put on ourselves as people? While limits and bounds may be necessary for some things, there are many times when you need to become "the one who rocks the boat" in order to effectuate change. As a Witch, as a Pagan, I know that complacency can not take up residence in my home. There is no place for complacency in my life. Everything in life moves forward, even though at times one might wish it didn't. And since time stops for no man or thing, we must each learn to embrace that and stop limiting ourselves because we believe we can't change the outcome of things.

"...to know that war is not the answer."

In the thousands of years that we have been around, we haven't managed to figure out the above yet. We continue to wage war on each other, whether it's with knives, bows, guns, bombs, or even our words. We have yet to realize our connection to each other as people. When you look at your neighbor, do you see "the old black man that lives next door" or do you see the friendly face of a man who, now in his retirement and elder years, shares stories of his youth with your child that sits wild-eyed and listening intently? When do we break beyond seeing people by their nation, race, or even their disability and just start seeing them as people?

"I challenge you to continue in your chosen path, living joyously."

I stick to my claim that not everyone has the same path; we must each choose our own. The statement in this prose also states the same. It's the person's chosen path. No one said we all need to believe one way or the other. While there are those that try to push the envelope on that one, wanting to force people to believe how they believe to the letter, we grow so much better as a people that choose the path that fits each of us, yet allow ourselves to be open enough to listen and be accepting of another's path. My truths aren't necessarily the same as someone else's, but you will never hear me degrade another because they have a different set of truths.

I will leave it at this. I wanted only to share a bit of this thought-provoking prose with all of you. Hopefully, some of these sentiments make you think. For those who wish to seek the full prose or see what else Grandmother Elspeth offers, you can go directly to her site: www.grandmotherelspeth.com.

The words in "The Challenge" have been truly inspirational for me, pushing me forward, reminding me to think outside the box. Meeting Grandmother Elspeth in person after reading her prose was just as wonderful a thing. There is much that can be learned from our elders, if only we open ourselves to listen.

Holy Cow! It's March already?!

So the new year has been quite abuzz for me with some awesome things going on. Apart from my main computer crashing which wreaked major havoc for me, things have been good.

I have writing/research going on for both of my shows of Cauldron FM, Raven's Circle and The Nest. Cauldron FM is about ready to make the leap to 24/7 broadcasting, which is a major feat for us! The Nest will be broadcasting on CauldronTV as well, as soon as I get my act together (please be patient with me on that). Working with this radio station and the media company, as a whole, has just been a tremendously wonderful experience and really lifted me. I am excited for the future of Moonshadow Media Productions and my future with this company!

I have several book reviews coming up both for radio and my blog. Only one is not a Pagan book review, and I will also have some interviews happening! Stay tuned for details on all of those as they are coming down the pike rather soon! And be looking for me to make an announcement about a giveaway here on my blog. Yay, fun stuff!

Last year as I was trying to come up with gifts for Yule, I discovered a great love and knack for making things from wood and wood-burning as well. I have made pendulum boards, wands, hair-sticks, candle holders, and coasters. In doing so, I decided to open a shop on Etsy called The Well & the Flame. You can find it here. I even made a rune set. I have also got the kids crafting away. They are each making their own wands. My oldest made and wood-burned several pieces herself over the holidays.

I also recently was interviewed for a book being written about women/mothers and the way they worship. The author is an awesome person to talk to and the interview was a lot of fun, the questions really thought provoking. I'm really excited to see this book once it goes to print. :)

Daily I work on keeping complacency out of the home and away from our lives. There is definitely nothing worse than just allowing life to happen and not realizing the impact and change that you can make as just one person.

While things are still brimming and bustling, hopefully they have reached a certain plateau to allow for a more "normal for my family" routine to set back in again.

Until the next time, may you all be reminded that the Divine (however you define that) dwells within each of us and we are all connected.

Blessings!

Bridget

The 13 Nights of Yule

Here on the East Coast of the United States, December marks a time of great excitement in our home, and homes everywhere around us. The children get excited as they count down the days until we celebrate the Solstice, especially because Solstice Eve marks the start of our Yule celebration. In honor of the way the Solstice was celebrated a long time ago with the Yule fires burning for 13 nights, our family celebrates in a similar manner.

Now it isn’t quite feasible for us to keep a fire going over 13 nights, but candles are lit every night beginning on Solstice Eve. On the morning of the Solstice, we are up to watch the Sun’s return to the sky, bringing with it longer days. In the evenings, we gather in the room of our house that my children have dubbed “The Witch Room,” it is the room where the altar is set and our Yule tree is set. There we sit and tell Yule stories (a different one for each night), sing songs, light the candles on the altar and the candles on the Yule log (also on our altar), open gifts, and really cherish the time we have as a family. This is a time of togetherness with a lot of happiness and laughter. Like many other celebrations this time of year, we acknowledge and celebrate the light. We also take the time to recognize those other celebrations and talk about how they are similar to Yule, and how they differ. Imbuing a sense of understanding of other religions celebrations helps our children appreciate the interconnectedness of us all.

I mentioned gifts before. Yes, we do gifts and they sit under the tree. (Amazingly, we are ahead this year as the gifts are already wrapped!) Each night, the children receive a different gift. We spread this out for a few reasons; appreciation for what they receive, the ability to remember what they opened so they can thank the person that gave them the gift, and it cuts down on the chaos. This also gives us the ability to keep things simple. Too often, commercialism and materialism rule this time of year and children get so caught up in the shuffle of rush, rush, rush from house to house opening gifts and unable to remember what they received or where. It causes so much stress and the true meaning of this season is lost. So, when we say “a gift each night” there are different gifts. As a standard, the first night is a magickal gift (for example, a crystal), and then we go from there. We usually try to do a night of homemade items, a night where we give the gift of reading (a new book or each), something they need, something they want, sibling exchange night, etc. These nights also include a trip to visit grandma & grandpa. Some nights aren’t even gifts we open, but rather the “gift” of extra time together to play and do things we don’t typically get to do together as schedules are always hectic.

Since the 13 nights take us through New Year’s Day, we get to end our celebrations with as much fervor and excitement as we started them. The children are as excited to count down the hours to the New Year as they are to count the days until the Solstice. We spend a lot of time feasting, celebrating and baking. This year is especially exciting for our family, as the children know I saved the trunk of the Yule tree from last year to cut and make the Yule log for this year. This is the first year that we were able to do this, so the Yule log has an extra-special magickal meaning for our household.

While this is just a bit of insight into how our family celebrates, we know everyone has a different way of celebrating. So let the festivities begin and may the wonder and magick of the season be upon us! Have a very Blessed Solstice, Happy Yule, and Happy New Year!

BOOK REVIEW - The Organic Family Cookbook

Anni Daulter has done it again with her third book, "The Organic Family Cookbook!" Filled to the brim with 176 pages of yummy goodness, personal stories, inspiration and awesome ways to bring the family together. This book is truly unique.

Not only does Anni offer up incredible recipes, but she also discusses doing things like "greening" together ~ wherein you are basically teaching your children about being more eco-conscious and how to be more gentle on the earth. This is a very fresh and refreshing view on life which can bring you and your children to a heightened awareness and higher consciousness.

Once again Ms. Daulter brings forth the wonderful magic of organics and how much better locally grown, organically grown, and even self-grown are better for you. What better reward to your own cooking than getting to enjoy what you've cooked knowing that you have either grown it yourself or supported someone locally whose has ethically grown the food? I will admit that I do not always buy organic due to the sheer size of my large family, but I do find ways to bring in organics as we are able to do so. Working with the recipes inside this, and Ms. Daulter's other two books, "Ice Pop Joy" and "Organically Raised," I've been able to find ways to replace certain food items with an organic version or change up other dishes to make them more healthy.

There is quite more of an intimateness to this book than the previous two in that it truly is a "family" cookbook and brings in the experiences of the Daulter household. My own personal copy of this book has been flagged and tagged by my own children with recipes that they love, want to make, and want to eat again. I have found my own personal favorites. For nearly a week I found myself making and eating nothing but "Austin and Cameron's Pastrami Bleu Cheese Melt" for lunch. I think my husband thought I had rather lost my mind. But then again his favorites come in things like french onion soup and anything with pumpkin (these can be found in the book too!).

As I said this book is chock full of amazing yummy goodness. There are recipes that you may have never heard of with ingredients you hadn't thought to combine and there are super healthy twists on old favorites. Late last night, after a long day spent at the children's hospital with our youngest son, as much as I knew I should be sleeping, I couldn't help but make the banana bread recipe. It had been on my mind all day. The recipe was simple, quick and seriously yummy.

I highly recommend "The Organic Family Cookbook" to anyone and everyone who wants to break free of the mundane style of cooking and discover just how much fun you can have in the kitchen.

"One Nation, Under God..." Wait! Whose God is It Anyways?!

There are people out there whom would like to have us believe that the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. It wasn't. John Adams was quoted as saying, "The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." In 1813, Thomas Jefferson said, "History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. There are other notable quotables, but I find no reason to make this blog entry nothing short of a bunch of quotes.

There are people out there knocking on doors of all faiths, trying to spread "the word" and asking others to see things as they see them. For some, the idea may be tantalizing; for others, not so much. Every few weeks there are Jehova's Witnesses that stand on my doorstep asking for me by name. Every few weeks, I stand out there and talk to them. Why, you ask? Because my mother raised me better than to slam the door in someone's face because their faith is different from my own. Make no mistake, they know well my stance on religion. They don't cross that line, but we have a pleasant conversation for a few minutes and they ask me what I think about certain passages. They get an honest opinion. There are no terse words or lashing out with verbal swords; only good general conversation.

There are some real extremists out there who seem to think that Christianity is the only way and while they are going to their own "heaven," those of us of different faith should come out of the dark and into the light to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts. These are the same people that are out there trying to push an initiative called DC-40. They would want everyone to be just like them, a Christian nation. Unfortunately for them, there has been, and, in my opinion, will always be, a war among the Christian faiths. All Christian faiths verbally bash each other. One religion berates another to give the appearance of being the better and "correct" Christian faith. There are so many different versions of the Bible out there that it's dizzying. The Catholic Bible has seven extra books in it, called the Apocrypha. Apparently, the other Christian religions didn't necessarily care for them, so their versions of the Bible don't include them. And, what about the King James version. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Well, King James had that phrase added due to a personal fear. Umm, hello? Really? Yes, really. In the news recently, you may have read about the evangelical pastor, Rev. Jeffress, who is urging people to vote for Christians, not Mormons. Last time I checked, Mormons were Christian. And so the bashing, and lashing out, continues.

Of course, one would think that all of the bickering among the Christians to claim the "top spot" in the Kingdom of Heaven as the "almighty religion" would cause people to ignore them, right? WRONG! Like I said, there is a movement out there, an initiative, called the DC-40. They would have everyone pray ONE WAY, believe ONE WAY, and be ONE WAY. Are they aware of the 1st Amendment right that guarantees Americans the FREEDOM of Religion? Sure. They're aware. But hey, for them, you can be whichever faith you like, so long as it's Christian. These people won't go away. They are everywhere. They vote. They go out and talk to other people garnering support. They lobby for support. And just because you close you're eyes, they're not disappearing. This isn't a kid's game where you can close your eyes and believe that if you can't see it, it doesn't exist.

So, what does one do? A few months ago, a project was started by Pagans, called Hail Columbia, to remind America that our country was built on religious freedom. Their mission is to distribute information and coordinate events throughout the US to re-affirm our First Amendment rights for ALL PEOPLE. This isn't about looking out for Pagans, it's about looking out for the rights of all faiths, and doing what's right. I joined as a co-ordinator for the State of Delaware. I am happy to be a part of this group. While the project may be young, I see great things happening and greater awareness forming. On October 30, from noon until 5pm, there will be a ritual in Lafayette Square Park, Washington, D.C. to Celebrate the Divine Feminine and Religious Freedom as a protest to the DC-40 movement. While there are those of us who may not be able to attend, we can still join them through Spirit. Although I will not be in attendance, you can bet I will be invoking the Goddess during that time to assist in the efforts.

So, "One Nation, Under God..." Whose God? Whichever God, Goddess, or Divine Spirit makes the most sense for YOU, regardless of anyone else. The way I look at it, the use of the word "God" in this sense is like being pregnant going for an ultra-sound (or whatever else). The tech generally uses the word "he" just because.