The Invisible Woman

Reblog! How we silence others, even when we believe we’re “doing good”; invisibility of others’ voices and our part in it; a lesson in restraint.

To Be a Better Butch!

It was my thirteenth year when my father realized he did not actually have three sons, but two sons and a daughter. I think he woke up and was like  ” oh shit,  I have a daughter!” And that scared the hell of of him. Not so much because he did not know how to contend with a girl child but because his daughter would one day be an adult woman and he knew what my life could easily look like. From that point on my life lessons became more about independence from men.

My father had an eighth grade education. He was in so many ways a product of the 30’s &  40’s’ but in other ways he was a man beyond his times. He new that as an adult woman I was more likely to be abused or controlled by a man than not. And much like preparing…

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“Some things never change” may be a inescapable mantra

So here’s a thing about me. I don’t particularly care about personal opinions and pet causes (even at times my own) when it comes to trying to figure out how to, and the best course of action to, shift the energy for change.
 
“Who is your audience? Who holds a lot of power for change?” Those are my first questions. Follow up questions surround how to get those folks on board to help shift things. A fast and easy rule for me is to not alienate those people over an opinion I hold that in the grand scheme means not much at all. I realize this is a “how I think about it” thing and not universal by any means.
In the last 24 hours I’ve been in two completely unrelated discussions that show me how clearly I diverge from other passionate people about this perspective. That’s fine, we all have our own filters that drive our actions. Actions being driven from multiple points of view are part of the same whole of the engine that brings change, this is a good thing. I just hadn’t realized that what feels like a yet-again-scenario, is one more point at which I diverge from many folks.
 
Frankly, I’m a bit weary of discovering areas where I’m the odd one out. When I find the rare places where my thoughts don’t put me in that place I am relieved and grateful. Hey Universe! I’d like more of those places, please!

And so it was done, my small part in this collective working against Boko Haram

I arose about a half hour prior to the moon going void of course. I had prepped the space the night before. Candles had been dressed with deity oil blends per Their request, and rolled in a helpful herb. Sigils and words handwritten on rice paper, incense blended. I cast, and called, and Throngs showed up. I felt empowered and deeply humbled.

This morning’s work was interesting and powerful. Lots of chatter, lots of Folks and folks. Two of the dressed candles burned quickly down with the burning of the sigil paper, but not the candle dressed with Odin oil blend. That one was slower. After thrice reading the poem, I burnt those papers and the final candle slipped to a puddle in the sand, burning for a few more minutes. I set the loose incense to smoke until the end of the moon’s VOC and then I released it to the wind. I cleaned up the space, and crawled back into bed to warm back up and sleep. For those who read spell remnants, the photo below is the oil print from the wax and the paper’s ashes.

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Poseidon requested a tall fresh taper, dressed in His oil blend, on His altar. Other altars have candles burning and will continue, until they are done.

May cracks become crevices become chasms become broken pieces of what once was a band of heartless zealots. May peace and healing be found in the wake of their demise. And as We will, it shall be so.

I’m just about ready for the Boko Haram working.

I’m mostly prepped for tomorrow morning. I will be working during the moon VOC, so EST that is 5:32 am – 6:35 am. I have my sigil paper drawn (with additional symbols previously noted) and I hand wrote my poem. Both are written on rice paper to feed the work. I dipped my pencil in my oil blends. A candle will be dressed with oils and herbs, then burnt. The poem will be read while the sigil paper is burnt, then the poem paper will be burnt, also. Medusa will be there with her unflinching gaze and today Hel asked to be invited. I will have four large runes laid out on the floor – Hagalaz, Sowilo, Kenaz, and Tiwaz. I will set the space tonight. I will prep myself both tonight and tomorrow.

Sigil/symbol paper

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Poem

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Guys! Hey, Guys!!!The Boko Haram Working is mentioned in The Wild Hunt!

You can read the write-up HERE on The Wild Hunt, and full details in my previous blog post about the co-created event I am a part of.

AND, serendipity alert – there was a call put out earlier this month by Chiefs from the Eastern regions of Cameroon!! Details of that are in the Wild Hunt piece, so pop on over and take a read, and please boost our working if you are so called!

!! (insert a wee squee for TWH) !!

CALLING ALL MAGIC WORKERS- A GLOBAL WORKING AGAINST BOKO HARAM

This Saturday, February 13th, we are planning a SJWW (Social Justice Witches Working) against Boko Haram. If you are on Facebook the event page is here. Consider yourself invited, whether on Facebook or not, as this is a public event and as many folks as possible are asked to join for the oomph a collective can bring.

DETAILS:

CALLING ALL MAGIC WORKERS- A GLOBAL WORKING AGAINST BOKO HARAM

Invite your friends who would like to support this effort! This event is public. Details are below on the timing and bones of the working. I’ve added a poem I’m going to use (use as desired). I’ll be dressing candles with an herb and oil blend particular to the cause. I personally will be invoking Medusa’s unflinching gaze into the mix as i am working with Her this year. Add your comments, post your outlines, run with it!

BEST UPCOMING WORKING VS. BOKO HARAM BASED ON FOUNDER’S BIRTH: I’m going to call it Saturday, Feb 13, after the moon has gone void of course (look up your local time), during a planetary hour of Saturn (look up local time). The moon is waxing, we can’t help that, but she’s void of course and her last aspect before that is a bad one, so she won’t give any succor to the enemy. Saturday is Saturn’s and working in Saturn’s hour will give it extra oomph: as the founder’s Saturn (great malefic) is in his eighth house (the house of death), we like the reminder of that bit of harrowing doom in the chart. Mars is in Scorpio; invite him to invite more snakes and stingy bugs to the party.

Historical timeline of of BH’s actions and acts of violence.

The reason we’re invoking Mars to invite more snakes and bees is based on this news piece.

Moon void of course chart, adjust for time zone.

Planetary days and hours chart for Saturn, adjust for date of February 13th if necessary and adjust for your local time zone.

Please note that you will have to choose between the Void of Course Moon and having Saturn in his planetary hour. If the VoC is at a time you can manage, that’s best, because Saturn will still rule the day. However, if you can’t hit the VoC, the next best option is a planetary hour of Saturn, so as to maximize his impact. Make sure in that case to avoid using anything you regard as “lunar,” because once the Moon is in Taurus she will be much too nice for what we are doing.

So I wrote a poem/thing that I’ll be using this Saturday in my working. Feel free to use it, too, as many voices build the strength of the Work.

~*The Breaking of Boko Haram*~

We see you Boko Haram,
As you slay women
and burn children alive,
we see you, as you murder and toss bodies
like trash in landfills,
pits of premature death.
We see all of you, in shadow and in light.
We hear your victims cries,
Spirits seeking retribution.

May these spirits come in other forms,
multitudes of snakes and bees,
attacking your ranks,
reminding your henchman
that Forces live longer than the crimes against them.
We call on the gifts of Scorpio’s stinger,
poisoned stab to your ill-gotten power.
We call on the pointed force of Mars,
His spear trembling,
as Nerio stands, valor embodied.
We call on Saturn wielding his scythe of dissolution,
To take you down,
So innocents can rebuild.

We salt the earth beneath your blighted step.
We strew pollen for the bees
to come and feast for strength
then sting you and your ilk.
We call food for the snakes
to grow strong and quick,
then bite your heels and hurry your step out of power.

Mars, Saturn, Scorpio, snakes, bees, and us,
We rise against you.
They and we remove your comfort,
They and we remove your arrogance,
They and we remove the shadows in which you hide;
They and we expose you by your own weaknesses.
As Mars steps and Saturn swings,
as Nerio stands witness,
and creatures rise against you,
We break your matrix of violence.
With our Will,
With our Gods,
we break you!
We break you!
WE BREAK YOU!
~Boneweaver/Pamela V Jones © Feb., 2016

Come to Camp!! You know you want to!

Registration is OPEN for the 2016 Spiralheart Witchcamp 6 day intensive!

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It’s that time again– online registration for this year’s witchcamp is now officially open! Our community has been steadily growing over the past few years and we are hopeful that it will continue to do so. We are hosted at the gorgeous Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary, and space is limited; register soon to reserve your spot!

This year we’re privileged to offer 4 different paths, facilitated by an incredibly talented group of witches. We’re working with the story of Medusa, as Athena’s shadow self. So far, it’s shaping up to be an incredibly powerful year. 

Hope to see you all there!

Silence is Never Consent

REBLOG Silence can be complicity would be an improvement, but the word “can” must be emphasized to not go down the same bullshit road that “silence is consent” does.

Foxglove & Firmitas

We have to be careful about the rhetoric we use, especially in a forum that relies completely on written word.  I saw this this morning, and I decided not to address it on Patheos, because I don’t want to derail the conversation on racism that is happening.  At the same time, I am not okay with this:

A Quote from a Patheos blog reading, "Thank you for all your support in this discussion, but especially for this. It explains in great detail exactly why I wrote what I wrote. Silence is consent, and I do not consent to racism in my community." The identity of the quoted has been blurred out. Identity withheld due to my assumption that the person quoted simply didn’t think this through before saying it since their chances of being raped are statistically less than mine.

By all means, draw lines when you feel they are needed.  Tell me what you don’t consent to even, because that’s really, really important. But silence?  Silence is never consent.  Ever.

I’m not unaware of the necessity for white people speaking out against other white people’s racist BS.  I will even agree that our silence when it comes to issues of white supremacy allows it…

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