Growing Closer

by OMS Patriarch
Sybok Pendderwydd

Midwife of Mystery, open the door,
Infant of the Infinite, come you in.
Let there be welcome to the newborn truth,
Let there be welcome to the Spring of the Year.
In cold and darkness you are traveling,
In warmth and brightness you will arrive.
May the blessed time of Imbolc
Kindle the soul of all beings,
Bringing birth to innocence and integrity
From the depths to the heights,
From the heights to the depths,
In the heart of every soul.

~~ Caitlin Matthews ~~
Celtic Devotional

I am older than Brigit of the Mantle,
I put songs and music on the wind
Before ever the bells of the chapels
Were rung in the West
Or heard in the East.

I am Brighid-nam-Bratta:
Brigit of the Mantle,
I am also Brighid-Muirghin-na-tuinne:
Brigit, Conception of the Waves,
And Brighid-sluagh,
Brigit of the Faery Host,
Brighid-nan-sitheachseang,
Brigit of the Slim Faery Folk,
Brigid-Binne-Bheule-
Ihuchd-nan-trusganan-uaine,
Brigit the Melodious Mouthed
Of the Tribe of the Green Mantles.

And I am
older than Aone (Friday)
And as old as Luan (Monday)

And in Tir-na-h’oige
my name is
Suibhal: Mountain Traveler,
And in Tir-fo-thuinn, Country of the Waves,
It is Cu-gorm: Gray Hound,
And in Tir-na-h’oise,
Country of Ancient Years,
It is Sireadh-thall: Seek Beyond.

And I have
been a breath in your heart,
And the day has its feet to it
That will see me coming
Into the hearts of men and women
Like a flame upon dry grass,
Like a flame of wind in a great wood.

~~ Fiona MacLeod ~~

‘In every woman there is a Queen.
Speak to the Queen and the Queen will answer.’
~~ Norwegian proverb ~~

In the wisdom teachings of the Divine Feminine, there are certain earth cycles, which open a gateway between the higher planes of existence and the earth plane. These moments of enhanced connection allow us to view the rhythm and timing of the goddess in her form as mother nature. As the
traditions of the Goddess and Divine Feminine resurge in the light again, it’s time to celebrate. The powerful life-affirming magic of Spring is around the corner. Should you wish to change something in your life, this is the moment to set that intention and ask for your dream to bloom, grow and rejuvenate.

We are experiencing one of these magical moments this week, marked as the mid-way point of the season of Winter around February 2nd. This celebration is most popularly known by the Celtic reference of Imbolc. Imbolc, a gaelic word, means in-milk, derived from the gaelic pronunciation ‘oimelc’, meaning ewe’s milk.

While Imbolc is the most well known celebration of this holiday, its origins stem from a powerful universal wisdom teaching known as – ‘As Within, So Without’.

During the barren frozen winter days of early February in western Europe, the celebration of Imbolc was a symbol of hope and represented the good things to come. When surveying the landscape (without), everything appeared bleak and lifeless, yet (within) hints of Spring were returning as the dairy animals began to lactate
and milk began to flow again.

There is a Goddess assigned to this quickening and universally she symbolizes the seeds of life planted (within) the earth and within each person and how when nurtured and cared for, they blossom (without) producing the life affirming milk and awakening of life and hope.

In the Celtic celebration, the Goddess is known as Brigid, also spelled as Brighid. Brigid is revered as the Goddess of healing, writing and prosperity. As a solar goddess, she represents the fire and light that burns within each living being and how when cared for, this eternal light creates inner healing, restores vital energy and stirs life within. She is also represented in the phases of the Goddess as the maiden and the bride. Wise women around the world work with this goddess energy, helping others to launch new projects and beginnings, to stimulate powerful healing energies within the body and perform weddings, as this is the most advantageous day of the year to be married.

Brigid is referred to as the bride, which in modern times is recognized in the form of a young woman being joined in matrimony. This is but one derivative of the wisdom teaching and rituals.

The Goddess Brigid is recognized as one of the Queens of Heaven who is being transmuted during this time and reborn. The Wise Woman of Winter, who has journeyed deep within herself during the darkest days of winter, is now ready to emerge and be reborn as the Young Maiden. This maiden carries the hope and promise of new life along with the wisdom and discernment of the wise women, giving herself the gift of intuition, healing, abundance and love. She is a bride of the light, participating in her own unification of this energy in a marriage ceremony of the heart and mind.

Would you like to connect with this energy and connect with the loving energy of the light without and stir this energy within your heart and mind?

There are Seven Sacred Ways to Connect with the Energy of Imbolc and the Goddess:

1. On February 2nd, light candles and lamps in the home to welcome the return of the Light. Yellow, white and orange candles are the best colors to use. As you light each candle, focus your energy with the flame and ask that the light burn clear and bright, bringing clarity to the home, burning off any residual gloom or negative energy within the home.

2. White flowers symbolize the purity within and the promise of blooming to come. Place a beautiful bouquet in the heart area of your home and breathe deeply into the flowers, allowing their essence and fragrance to be experienced by all of your senses.

3. Reminiscent of the milk flowing, sharing dairy products is abundant, the most popular choice being milk chocolate. Hot chocolate warms the body and when stirring the chocolate, imbibe the mix with loving thoughts and warmth.

4. Place a silk ribbon or piece of fabric on a window sill, often referred to as Brighid’s Mantle. It is said overnight,
it will be blessed with the healing, intuitive and abundant energy flowing at this time. Use this fabric to wrap your deck of tarot cards, to wrap herbs in or create a special pouch to hold treasured items.

5. Leave an offering outdoors of bread for birds and other small creatures who may be having a difficult time finding sustenance in the barren landscape. While outdoors in the cold, give thanks to the beauty surrounding you. Stand with your feet firmly grounded to the earth and raise your arms in the air, bring the light from above around you and allow it to flow deep within you.

6. Gather the seeds that you will be planting in your Spring garden. Hold your hands over the seeds and ask for the energy of the Goddess within to bless the seeds and nurture them. Take a small quartz crystal and charge this crystal with the same intention. When planting these seeds in the spring, plant the quartz crystal into the earth next to the seeds.

7. Reflect on the seeds of thought you planted in the Fall within yourself and the goals you are affirming in this new year. Ask for the quickening of the seeds within you, that they may blossom and grow. Take a quartz crystal and charge this crystal with the same intention. Keep this crystal on your desk or in a spot where it will remind you of your goals and intentions.

The Goddess in her many forms, teaches by example through nature. Use this time wisely, as it creates a sacred opportunity to plant new seeds of thought in the mind and heart. In the circle of life, there are adversities (within and without), representing a time of darkness and Winter, which are always overcome through the journey. The return to the light in the Spring, offers the opportunity to be reborn and move forward on the path, having learned from the time of adversity. Offerings of gratitude are given at this time to one’s adversaries, as they represent lessons and growth opportunities in disguise.

Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, wisdom teacher, inspirational speaker and host of the
Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in
around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into empowering and
lifestyle enhancing topics.

The sun sets
The river flows
The flowers bloom
The seasons pass
All things reflect your majesty in their time

The green
leaves on the trees dance
Moved by the breath from your lips
As you kiss each one
Each tiny gift of life
All things basks in your love

The rocks
and stones and ancient bones
Return to you once more
For your body is the land
Constant and providing
All things are held in your embrace

Giver of
grain of fruits and of seeds
Our strength, our support, our sustainer
To you we give praise
To you we make offerings from heart and hand
All things we do in your honor

The beautiful
mountains
The shining sea
The endless bounty
All things spring worship unto your name
To your majesty, Earth Mother
To your constancy, All Mother
To your love, Our Mother
All things reflect your beauty in their way

Sparking the Triskele

Gwyl Mair arrives from the depths of winter to our nudge our hearts desire into sparking our intention as the soul shifts us forward by aligning with the energy of the awakening season.

Quert-Apple

As the blossom waits to its arrival, the nectar of life is found within the bud.
Quert brings happiness; it signals that love and joy are traveling through the air intoxicating our minds and hearts with the renewal of life. A new liveliness appears within each gaited step while nature invites us to dance. Is this a yes?

Ohn-Gorse

Peering up to the dark blue sky the rays of the Awen shower down in
cascades of shimmering seeds.

Ohn immerses itself outwards reaching for the light to harness the creative ideas that are constantly pouring in to help with the path we chose on Alban Arthuran. Center the emotions to expose the inspiration.

Beith-Birch
(reversed)

My time is done and I move on, as do all who walk this sacred cycle of life.
Beith in the physical sense, completed her winter healing, it is time to plant feet firmly on ground and take those first steps necessary to bring creative ideas into manifestation upon the earth plane. The Lady of the Woods is urging us to open up and receive the love and beauty this season has to offer.

Contemplation

Meditate with each Ogham individually either as symbol or tree to sense its vibration. When the vibrations are attained, retain them while visualizing/feeling a triskele with all three spirals spinning upon the heart chakra. Quert in the realm of Sky, Ohn in the realm of Sea and Beith in the realm of Land. In the center (sovereignty) of the triskele is the Cauldron of Life (fire). Feel/know the life-force of sovereignty is reaching out and connecting to each of the spirals, sparking each one into life. As the spirals are igniting with energy, place your intention in the cauldron in the center of the triskele then visualize/sense the 3 (three) Ogham sending energy back into the cauldron simultaneously to ignite the intention. Sense its aliveness merging deep within you expanding outwards to your aura and beyond to prepare itself for outward manifestation.

Perform daily, weekly or as needed to keep in alignment with the intention
throughout the Gwyl Mair season.

Green man in the garden
Staring from the tree,
Why do you look so long and hard
Through the pane at me?
Your eyes are dark as holly
Of sycamore your thorns,
Your bones are made of elder branch,
Your teeth are made of thorns.
Your hat is made of ivy-leaf
Of bark your dancing shoes,
And evergreen and green and green
Your jacket and shirt and trews.

Leave your
house and leave your land
And throw away the key,
And never look behind, he creaked
And come and live with me.
I bolted up the window,
I bolted up the door,
I drew the blind that I should find
The green man never more.
But when I softly turned the stair
As I went up to bed,
I saw the green man standing there.
‘Sleep well, my friend,’ he said.

~~ Charles Causley ~~

From independently researched reincarnation cases, the following
principles are observed:

Physical Resemblance from One Lifetime to Another

Facial architecture, the shape and proportions of the face, can be consistent from lifetime to lifetime. Physical habits, such as postures, hand gestures and the type of jewelry worn, can also be consistent from lifetime to lifetime. Even poses struck in portraits and photographs are often uncannily similar
from one lifetime to another.

Ian Stevenson, M.D., who died in 2007, was a psychiatrist at
the University of Virginia. In his life Stevenson compiled and
studied approximately 3000 cases involving children who remember
past lives in detail. Dr. Stevenson traveled to the scenes of
the contemporary and past lifetimes and to verify the details
provided in these past-life accounts.

Two key Ian Stevenson cases with image comparisons, which show
that facial features can remain the same from one lifetime to
another, are those of Suzanne Ghanem and Daniel Jurdi. Place
your cursor on the Monsour | Ghanem image to enlarge it and
your arrow keys to scroll up and down on the image.

Consistent facial features across lifetimes are also observed
in many other Ian Stevenson cases, though image comparisons
are not available. The John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene reincarnation
case also dramatically demonstrates how facial features can
remain the same. Images for the Gordon | Keene case are provided below.

Body types can be consistent from lifetime to lifetime, though
the size of the body can vary. An individual can have a slight
physique in one lifetime and a powerful one in the next. One
can be short in one incarnation and tall in another, though
facial features, postures and gestures, appear to remain the same.

The Soul’s Energy Template or Hologram

How can physical appearance remain the same from one lifetime to another? The answer to this question is unknown, but I hypothesize that the soul projects an energy template or hologram into the developing fetus, which tissue is shape around.

The principle is similar to how orthopedic surgeons use electrical
current to shape bone in severe fractures. This energy structure
not only helps create physical appearance, but it also can be
used to download information and talent into the developing
body and mind, which can explain child prodigies.

Of course genetics does play a part and it is the interaction
of the soul’s energy template with one’s genetic inheritance
which results in appearance. An individual who incarnates into
a different race will have physical features that are consistent
with that race, though proportions of the face will still be
consistent from one incarnation to another. Family resemblances
also occur due to genetics, though the soul’s energy template
can influence facial features.

The existence of an energy or spirit body that reflects our
physical appearance is supported by observations made in the
field of Instrumental Trans-Communication, in which spirit beings
communicate to human beings through electronic devices, such
a televisions, telephones, etc.. When spirit beings have transmitted
images of themselves from the spirit world, they are observed
to have spirit bodies that resemble their physical bodies when
they were alive.

On Beauty

On the subject of beauty, it appears that any particular facial architecture can be perceived as beautiful or handsome. The perception of beauty largely depends on factors such as complexion and physique. For example, a woman in one incarnation may be tall, thin, have wonderful skin, a perfect smile and a toned body. Due to these factors and their effect on her appearance, this woman may become a celebrated fashion model or beauty queen.  In another incarnation, this same woman, with identical facial architecture, may be born with a coarse complexion, a stout body and crooked teeth. This woman would now be considered ordinary appearing, by observers.

The point is that any facial architecture may be perceived as
beautiful or unattractive, based on these variables. I believe
that we can alternate being attractive and ordinary, from lifetime
to lifetime, based on the lessons we are to learn in a particular
incarnation.

Change of Religion, Nationaliy,
Race, Ethnic Affliation and Gender across Incarnations

A very important observation made in reincarnation research is that individuals can can religion, nationality, ethnic affiliation, race and gender from one lifetime to another. Most wars are based in differences in these cultural markers of identity. One of the most powerful reincarnation cases that demonstrates change of religion, nationality and ethnic affiliation from
one incarnation to another is the Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen reincarnation case.

Anne Frank was persecuted and died in a concentration camp as
a Jew, while Barbro was born into a Christian family in Sweden.
If the German people at the time of WW II knew that one could
be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, then
the Holocaust could never have happened.

Similarly, when Jewish Israelis realize they can reincarnate
as Muslim Palestinians and vice versa, Protestants can reincarnate
as Catholics, Islamic terrorists know that they can reincarnate
as Christian Westerners and Shiites know they can return as
Sunnis, then violence based on these different affiliations
will be mitigated.

In addition, reincarnation research shows that in approximately
5-10 percent of cases, a soul changes gender. This percentage
was reported by Ian Stevenson, MD, in his large series of reincarnation
cases in which children had spontaneous past life memories.
This percentage has also observed in a series of approximately
2000 reincarnation cases that I have studied.

Even in these cases where gender changes, facial architecture still can remain the same, as demonstrated in the Louise Vanderbilt | Wayne Peterson and Charles Parkhurst | Penney Peirce reincarnation cases.

Overall, most people maintain the same gender from one lifetime
to another, and it seems that our soul as an innate masculine
or feminine quality. Those who are innately masculine tend to
reincarnate as males. Those who are innately feminine prefer
to return in a female body. We all switch gender periodically,
to learn what it is like to be a different gender. If a soul
changes gender and is not prepared for change, it is possible
that gender disorders, such as transexualism, may occur.

Personality Traits

Personality traits appear to persist from lifetime to lifetime. One’s way of approaching life and the way that others perceive you remains consistent. Some of our personality traits are positive and we carry them with us to our benefit. Other personality traits can be detrimental and can cause suffering
from one lifetime to another. It appears that part of our evolution is to smooth out the rough spots in our dispositions.

As an example, consider a person who is an extremely aggressive
by nature. A benefit of being aggressive is that the person
accomplishes his goals. A negative aspect is that other people
may be hurt by an aggressive approach. The goal for an aggressive
person over the period of one lifetime or more would be to take
in consideration the feelings of others.

Though personality traits remain consistent, physical and mental
illnesses do not seem to persist from one lifetime to another.
Ian Stevenson did note that an individual who dies from a traumatic
wound can have a birthmark or scar at the same location in a
subsequent incarnation.

Penney Peirce noted that in her prior incarnation as Alice Cary,
Cary had died of tuberculosis. In her current lifetime, Penney
had lung problems as a child, which she speculates may be related
to Cary’s illness. Still, Penney did not have TB and specific
illness due not seem to carry on from one incarnation to another.
It may be possible that past life physical and emotional traumas
may have some effect ont he soul’s energy template, which seems
to underlie the physical body.

Individuals who are chemically dependent or have a psychiatric
illness in a previous lifetime do not appear to carry these
disorders over to subsequent ones.

Innate Talent and Child Prodigies

Spiritually and intellectually, we seem to pick up where we have left off. Our hard earned achievements in spiritual, intellectual and artisti pursuits are retained—they are a part of us. As such, efforts in advancing ourselves are never wasted and we build upon our endeavors from lifetime to lifetime. Child prodigies can be explained by reincarnation, as the soul appears to be able to download information and talent into the developing physical body and mind.

An example of how talent and concepts can downloaded from the
soul involves the Paul Gauguin | Peter Teekamp reincarnation
case, as Peter unconsciously replicated sketches done in his
previous incarnation as Gauguin.

Though talents can come through from one lifetime to another,
conversely, if the soul needs to take a different path in a
particular lifetime, talents may at times be blocked.

Though we seem to have a similar level of spiritual maturity
and intellectual advancement across lifetimes, we can trade
off being poor and rich, famous and unknown. We take turns being
placed in and out of the spotlight. Our status in life seems
to be determined by the karma we have created in past lifetimes,
as well as by the lessons our souls have set for ourselves to
learn. Still, there is the pattern that powerful souls come
back as powerful souls, great artists come back as great artists
and those who have made an impact in the past do so again in
subsequent lifetimes.

Writing, Communication Style and Voice

Just as personality traits remain consistent from lifetime to lifetime, a person’s manner of expression seems to be similar from one lifetime to another. In the case of John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene, a formal linguistic analysis by a university professor was done which indeed demonstrated that writing structure can remain the same from one incarnation to another. Some variation in writing style, of course, will be observed due to differing
customs of various eras. Still, consistencies in modes of expression and in content are observed. Just as portraits allow us to see how one’s appearance is the same from lifetime to lifetime, historical documents, diaries and other available documentation allow us to study writing style across incarnations.

It will be interesting to see if qualities of voice remain consistent
from one incarnation to another. In the case of Rosetta Pampanini
| Charity Sunshine, opera singing was a vocation in both lifetimes.
Recordings exist which would allow us to compare voice and singing
style from one incarnation to another. If you have expertise
in opera singing and would left to help us analyse recordings
of Pampanini and Charity Sunshine, please contact IISIS.

Xenoglossy: Knowing an Unlearned Language & Perservation

of the Personality Within the Soul

In the preceding paragraphs, it has been stated that elements of personality, such as character traits, linguistic writing style and talents can be conveyed from one lifetime to another. More extreme examples involve xenoglossy cases, where the past life personality emerges intact in a contemporary incarnation.

Xenoglossy is the ability to understand a foreign language that
has not been learned in the contemporary lifetime. In addition
to the recovery of a language from a past lifetime, in some
xenoglossy cases, the entire past life personality emerges and
essentially takes over the body of the contemporary personality.
These cases demonstrate that the soul can retain past life personalities
intact within it. The xenoglossy case of Sharada | Uttara Huddar
dramatically demonstrates this phenomenon.

One way to image how the personality is preserved is to see
ourselves as a bubble that is a minature version of our soul.
When we incarnate, our bubble is expressed from our soul. Our
bubble contains our soul’s energies, qualities and experience.
After our incarnation is completed, the soul resorbs the bubble
that is us and retains our bubble within itself forever. We
are part of our soul, but we retain our individuality developed
during our life on Earth.

In the cases such as Sharada | Uttara Huddar, the Sharada bubble,
which has resided in the soul since its incarnation ended, emerged
from within the soul to express itself through Uttara, a soul
bubble that has incarnated.

Split Incarnation

Independently researched reincarnation cases, including many studied by Ian Stevenson, MD at the University of Virginia, demonstrate that a soul may animate more than one physical body at a time. I term this phenomenon “split incarnation.” I refer to two people from the same soul, who are incarnated at the same time, as “splits”. A dramatic and compelling
set of cases that illustrate split incarnation involve Penney Peirce. Other cases may be reviewed at the IISIS section entitled, Split Incarnation.

How does split incarnation work? Though we don’t know for sure,
we can imagine split incarnation as similar to how a mirror
can split a beam of light into two or more beams of light. Similarly,
the soul can project more than one beam of light, or more than
one energy template, into physical incarnation at a time. This
idea is illustrated in the Introduction to Split Incarnation.

We can also imagine two splits as two arms of a human being.
Each arm has its separate existance, yet both arms are controlled
by one brain or mind. In split incarnation, we can see splits
as appendages of the soul.

The bubble analogy used above to explain how the soul can retain
past life personalities within it can also be used to better
comprehend split incarnation. We can imagine split incarnation
as the ability of the soul to express more than one bubble of
itself, at a time, into physcial incarnation.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation,
Soul Groups and Your Destiny or Life Plan

People appear to come into life in groups, based on shared karma and emotional attachments. Couples often come back together and entire family units can recur. When an individual reincarnates, other members of that person’s karmic group will be present. Identifying members of the person’s karmic group is another important criterion in establishing a past-life match.

How do we connect with our karmic groups? The answer, it appears,
is destiny. In analyzing past-life cases, it is observed that
we all have a predetermined destiny or life itinerary which
brings us to the people we are supposed to spend time with.

To better understand how destiny works, let us use the analogy
of a journey. Think of your life as an extended vacation that
you plan in advance. You decide who you want and need to see,
where you want to go, and what activities you would like to
participate in. You coordinate your itinerary with the people
you are to rendezvous with. You, your karmic friends, and loved
ones all agree to the plan before you are born. Once you come
into life, destiny ensures that you meet up with your karmic
soul group. The settings for karmic affiliations can be our
families, work life, and recreational pursuits. These settings
are stages on which we play out the karmic dramas of our lives.
This casts a new light on Shakespeare’s phrase, “All
of life is but a stage.”

We meet up with different karmic groups at different points
in life. When we get the urge to take a new job, travel to a
new city, or take up a new recreational pursuit, many times
this is a part of our destiny being played out. New venues bring
us to karmic groups we need to be with.

Free Will

If this is true, one must question whether we have free will. It appears that though we all have a predetermined itinerary that we are committed to honor, we have free will in what we do along the way. Indeed, growth and human evolution could not occur without free will. Some people may have a more structured itinerary that limits diversionary treks, while others may have a less structured game plan. Either way, we have free will along our destined paths.

Deja Vu

Karmic groups provide insights regarding déjà vu experiences. If we meet up with people we have known in past lives, it is not surprising that we may have a spark of recognition when we meet. Since people have consistent patterns of behavior, we may recognize these traits and idiosyncratic reactions when situations recur. Finally, déjà vu may occur if we recognize an event that is part of our itinerary. We may become aware of a road mark along our predetermined path.

Abortion

If reincarnation is accepted, abortion can be viewed in a different way, as reincarnation conveys that the soul exists before conception, rather than being created at the time of conception.

Abortion does remove an opportunity for a soul to incarnate
into a particular family, though the soul can be reunited with
that particular family through other means, such as through
proximity or destiny reincarnation cases.

An very interesting case that relates to the issue of abortion
is the Ian Stevenson reincarnation case of Pertti Haikio | Samuel
Helander. After he died at the age of five, Pertti was able
to contact his surviving sister, Marja, telepathically from
the spirit world. Marja was pregnant and was contemplating having
an abortion. From the spirit world, Pertti told her not to have
an abortion, as he wanted to reincarnate to her. As a result,
Marja continued the pregnancy and it appears that Pertti indeed
was reborn as her son Samuel.

Spirit Being Involvement and Synchronistic Events

In many independently derived reincarnation cases, including cases researched by Ian Stevenson, MD, spirit being involvement is observed in establishing or solving reincarnation cases. Ian Stevenson reported that “Announcing Dreams” often occur in reincarnation cases, where a soul announces or predicts its upcoming incarnation in dreams, conveyed to those who will be friends or family of the soul in its next incarnation.

Another example of a soul planning its next incarnation involves
the reincarnation case of James Huston, Jr. | James Leininger.
In this case, James Leininger as a small child reported to his
parents that he had been watching them before his birth. Little
James told Bruce and Andrea, his parents, that he has observed
them at the pink hotel in Hawaii and determined tha they would
be good parents. Bruce and Andrea indeed had stayed at the pink
Royal Hawaiian hotel several months before James was conceived.
No one had told little James about his parents stay in Hawaii
before his birth.

Spirit beings appear to be involved in solving reincarnation
cases by guiding individuals to locations where past life information
will be found. This occured in the reincarnation case of Carroll
Beckwith | Robert Snow, pictured in the image to the right,
as Police Captain Snow appears to guided to an art gallery in
New Orleans where he discovered an essential clue to his reincarnation
case.

In some cases, what appears to be accurate past life information
is given directly by spirit beings though mediums. A medium
can be defined as a person who has the ability to perceive spirit
beings and can convey information from these spirit beings to
human beings. Well known mediums include James Van Praagh and
John Edward, who have built careers on their ability to contact
deceased relatives for clients. A new medium who I personally
have had very good experiences with is Felix-Lee Lerma. Van
Praagh, Edward and Lerma remain fully conscious when they work
as mediums.

Trance mediums go into a meditative state and allow spirit beings
to take over their bodies so that spirit beings can speak directly
to a client. Trance mediums usually have no memory of what occurs
during sessions. One of the best known trance mediums is Kevin
Ryerson, who has been featured in four of Shirley MacLaine’s
books. Compelling cases solved by a different trance medium
are featured in the reincarnation cases involving Penney Peirce.

Another feature that is observed in past-life research is that
synchronistic events and symbols are observed in contemporary
times which seem to reinforce past life connections. It appears
that spirit beings can communicate with human beings by orchestrating
such symbolic events. Though firm conclusions cannot be based
on such synchronistic events, they do seem to occur in reincarnation
cases.

Attraction to Specific Geographic Locations
& Geographic Memory

Individuals are often attracted to geographic settings of past lives. In many cases, people are observed to gravitate to places where they have lived before. Individuals may reside in these areas or visit old haunts on vacation. In some cases, it appears that the soul is simply nostalgic for familiar settings.

In other cases, the soul may direct the individual to a specific
place to trigger a remembrance of the past lifetime or to facilitate
a spiritual awakening. The cases of Robert Snow and Jeffrey
Keene illustrate how guidance to geographic locations can lead
to revelations regarding past lives.

In addition, when people arrive at past live locations, memories
of how to find specific locations, such as past live homes can
be stimulated. For example, in the Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen
case, at ten years of age, Barbro was able to lead her parents
from their hotel to the Anne Frank House without directions,
even though she had never been to Amsterdam before.

Past Life Memories

Memories of past lives can have a profound effect on the individual who has experienced them. Memories can occur spontaneously or through past-life regressions. In a past life regression, a therapist guides a person into a state of deep relaxation. The subject is coached to go back in time until former lives are experienced or remembered.

Memories, whether spontaneous or experienced through regression,
are subjective. It must be conceded that past life memories
can be inaccurate, which is why so many people believe that
they were someone famous in a past incarnation. This issue is
discussed in the section Introduction to Independently Derived
Reincarnation Cases.

On the other hand, past life memories retrived spontaneously
or through regression can be accurate. Spontaneous past life
memories which appear to be accurate were observed in many Ian
Stevenson reincarnation cases in which children remembered past
lives at an early age. Spontaneous memories which were historically
validated were also observed in the reincarnation cases involving
Wayne Peterson, a retired US Diplomat and Director of the Fulbright
Scholarship Program.

Past Life memories retrived through regressions which appear
to be accurate were observed in the Caroll Beckwith | Robert
Snow reincarnation case, as well as the compelling xenoglossy
case of Gretchen Gottlieb | Dolores Jay, which was researched
by Ian Stevenson, MD.
As such, past life memories should be veiwed with some realistic
skepticism, but past life memories can also convey accurate
reincarnation information.

Summary

In sum, from lifetime to lifetime, individuals seem to have the same facial features, personality traits, talents and even linguistic writing style. People reincarnate in groups, with souls we have known before. Reconnecting with souls we are supposed to share time and experiences with appears to be orchestrated by destiny. Destined events can be facilitated by our own souls
or by the intervention of spirit beings.

An observation that is very important from a societal point
of view is that religion, nationality, race and ethnic affiliation
can change from one incarnation to another. As most wars are
based on differences in these cultural markers of identity,
evidence of reincarnation can help create a more peaceful world,
as we realize that we are all really universal souls.

When we see ourselves as universal souls, we understand that
we are all brothers and sisters who are evolving together through
lifetimes on Earth.

Source: IISIS: Institute for the Integration of Science, Intuition and Spirit
Article by Walter Semkiw, MD, from Born Again and Return of the Revolutionaries

Way back in time, when the world was yet new, the Gods were not as we know them today. Mortals, they were, with immense powers, and death loomed on all of their horizons.

Among the Orchards, there lived a proud family with four beautiful
daughters, three of whom were studying to be Valkyries with
Freyja herself. Idunna, the youngest of these, however, was
not a fighter. Though she watched from her hilltop perch, silently
longing for the camaraderie and fellowship of common interest,
she knew this life was not for her. When she tired of the incessant
swordplay and displays of physical prowess, she wandered off
to the patio alone.

The patio was her domain, and Idunna spent most of her hours
here among her plants. Idunna had a special gift. Every seed
she preciously held in her hand. Every seed she kissed before
laying it in its bed of soil, and every seed she planted grew.

Just as Idunna had watched her sisters, so, too, was Idunna
being watched. A stirring among her bushes, laden with blooms,
alerted her as Jord, an Earth Goddess, stood up in the garden
and met Idunna’s eyes.

“Idunna,” Jord said. “I have been watching you
with great interest as I have been watching many who dwell in
this land. I have been searching for someone, someone extraordinary,
and now I have found you.” Idunna tilted her head to the
side in concentration as she considered Jord’s words.

“Gracious Lady of the Earth,” she began. “I know
not of extraordinary things. To the contrary, I think you will
find I am the absolute of ordinary.”

Jord smiled. “Idunna, not all gifts bring fame and glory.
If you will accept, I have an all important task for you. It
concerns the realm of men. The men grow weak and angry, fighting
amongst themselves and losing their way. As the Aesir and Vanir
age, we are losing our connection to men, and this must not
be allowed to happen lest they destroy themselves. They need
us, Idunna, to inspire them,
to motivate them, to provide order for them.”

“I understand, and I have seen the decay of mankind myself.”
Idunna replied. “But what does this have to do with me?”

Jord took Idunna’s hand and place therein three small seeds.
Apple seeds. “Idunna, I am asking you to take these seeds
and plant them in a secluded spot where no one will stumble
upon their bounty. These seeds hold the key to maintaining balance
and order in the world. Do you accept the care of such a charge?
It will require a long journey and much work on your part, and
you must leave immediately.”

Idunna studied the seeds, but even without her keen sense of
discernment would have been able to feel the pulse of energy
within them. “I accept,” She heard herself say. “Only
I worry about my family. They will surely miss me while I am gone.”

Jord smiled, “Idunna, I know your family is close and loves
you dearly, but this is of the utmost importance, and once you
return, they will understand. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Good. Now, here is what you are to do, and you must follow
these instructions to the letter. Take you these seeds and plant
them in your special way. Once they are in the ground, you must
hold vigil until they sprout. It is absolutely essential that
you never leave them unattended, and you must be present while
they grow.” Idunna nodded in understanding.

“How long will it take?” she asked.

“For three days you must hold vigil. The seeds will know
that you are near.” Jord answered. “Once they sprout,
you must catch their first fruit—do not let it hit the
ground—and plant it among the roots as quickly as you
can and then wait for me there. I shall find you.” And
with that, Jord was gone.

Idunna gathered her provisions, and with one loving glance back
to her home, she walked deep into the Orchards, the bounty of
which was so immense that no one need travel very far into the
trees to obtain more than enough of the fruits. She knew of
a clearing farther back and up a hill, as she had sat there
often, basking in the sunlight while her sisters trained away.

When she reached the clearing, she began to dig. She kissed
the seeds one by one and placed them into the soil, covering
them gently with a blanket of earth and a drink of spring water.
And then, Idunna waited.

Through three long, worrisome nights and tranquil days, she
waited, never straying more than a few feet from her seeds.
And then it happened. She felt it before she saw it, a shift
in the earth around her, and then three seedlings shot forth
from the ground, causing Idunna to step back. They flew high
into the air, growing at an impossible pace, waving in the air.
At once, they twirled around one another to create one massive
trunk from which a thousand tiny arms reached for the stars.

She saw the first fruit form on a low branch and watched as
it grew to full apple-ripeness and just as quickly began to
shrivel and dry. When it fell, she was ready to catch it. It
continued to whither in her hand. As fast as she could, she
kissed her magic into this new seed and placed it into the hole
she dug with her other hand.

When she had finished covering it with soil, a myriad of glittering
lights traveled up the trunk of the tree. The branches sprouted
leaves in waves, followed by beautiful white flowers. The tree
gave a great shake and the flowers exploded, causing a rain
of petals to fill the air. The flowers were replaced by the
most perfect apples Idunna had ever seen.

Idunna stood in awe of what she had just witnessed. As she marveled
at the tree before her, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jord
had returned, and she was smiling. She handed Idunna a wooden box.

“Idunna, this is the Tree of Life. These apples, when eaten daily, shall grant eternal life to those who partake of them. You are now their keeper. You are henceforth to give the apples to the Aesir and Vanir who will remain forever to inspire, to motivate and to maintain order among the cosmos, the shadow
of which is mankind.”

“But how will I know to whom I am to grant this gift of
eternal life?” Idunna asked.

“You shall know in your heart as each comes before you,”
Jord replied. “You will understand as you carry on. Before
you begin, you must partake of the first apple.”

Idunna hesitated for a moment, and then bit into the best tasting
apple she had ever eaten. She felt the power course through
her in that very first bite and knew that her life, her eternal
life, had finally found a purpose. Jord slipped back into her
earthly shadows as a voice called from the front of the orchard.

“Idunna! Idunna!” It was Bragi, blessed of words and music, Bard among the Aesir. Idunna went to meet him.

His frown of deep concern turned to a radiant smile as their
eyes met. “Idunna! Oh, what a relief! We have been searching
for days for you! You look…” He trailed off as he realized
for the first time that he had not the words to describe the
beauty and powerful aura that emanated from the woman before
him.

Idunna smiled at him and felt a stirring in her heart. “Bragi,”
she asked. “Would you like an apple?”

A question I am asked frequently is how to know if you are receiving
guidance or advice from your intuition, your spirit guides, or just your own logic or ego. It can be difficult to discern the difference if you don’t know what signs to look for. Let’s go over the differences between them.

Your Ego

I like to think of the ego as a little imp that sits on your shoulder and whispers in your ear when it has something to say. Usually it’s saying things like, “You’re gonna fail. Who do you think you are?” Or, “He totally hates you, and if you do that he’s going to find out and hate  you more. I’d keep that little indiscretion to yourself!” It’s a little subversive and usually broadcasting on the fear and anxiety channel. On some level it’s trying to
protect you from embarrassment and failure. It has a job to do, it has its place, but you’ve got to learn to recognize it for what it is. It only serves you to the extent that it is trying to keep you safe, it’s looking out for #1 which
is you. It’s only care is to keep you safe and happy and off the front page of the newspaper. Many people find comfort in listening to this little imp and, technically, it’s a valid way to go through life. It’s not out to hurt you,
only to protect you and keep you comfortable.

Logic

Logic is the mental voice that uses past experience, statistics, probability,
and reason to communicate ideas to you. It is based on knowledge and facts, not ethereal hoo-haw. Besides drawing from your own experience you can use logic to draw from other people’s experiences, i.e. “Frank said Costco is always crowded on Sundays at noon so I should probably go on Monday when it opens instead.”

Spirit Guides

Spirit guides are celestial beings who are assigned to you to help guide you through life. They’re very aware of your life plan, which is the plan you concocted for yourself before you incarnated. They are volunteers. Their job is to keep you on track and help guide you through life. Their primary care is
your growth and learning. That sometimes means discomfort for you. For example they might see that the best way to teach you to value money is to send you through a bankruptcy. On the other hand, your ego would never let something like that happen to you if it could help it. Your spirit guides carry the big picture, whereas your ego is involved only in the moment.

Intuition

Your intuition is not a conscious being. I like to think of intuition as a concentrated blast of Source energy designed to help you avoid catastrophe or steer you in a really important direction. It’s more like a message than a messenger. I believe intuition stems from your higher self, angels, and God or Source energy. Intuition is there to guide you in the moment, to help you make decisions that will have a positive impact on your overall human experience. Intuition is connected to spirit guides in the sense that intuitive information usually follows your life plan.

How They All Sound

Here are some examples of how ego, logic, spirit guides, and intuition
sound when they communicate with you. I think you’ll be able to see the differences pretty clearly.

Ego

“Don’t go out with that loser, he’ll ruin your reputation.” “That piece of pie is going straight to your thighs, honey!” “No way we’re taking speech next semester. I’ll find a way to kill us first.” “She doesn’t love you so you might as well cheat on her.”

Logic

“Last time you tried doing that you broke your ankle. Chances are good you’ll hurt it again.” “Speaking in front of 30 people won’t actually kill you, so agree to do the speech and just practice until you can recite it from memory.” “He’s geographically desirable, good looking, and his parents are still together. You should agree to date him.” “There’s a traffic jam coming up ahead. I know a shortcut that will get us there faster.”

Spirit Guides

“You’d be wise to accept the job in Los Angeles. It’s what you’ve been waiting for your whole life.” “Don’t be afraid to do the speech. It’s not
going to be nearly as bad as you fear.” “You know in your heart that he’s not right for you.” “Remember what happened the last time you ate the whole
pizza? Do you want to experience that again?”

Intuition

“Run!”
“Go left, now!”
“He’s the one! Introduce yourself.”
“Stop at the gas station on the way home.”

Do you see the differences? Again, your ego is out to protect you from failure and embarrassment. While it seems like it has your best interest at heart I wouldn’t say it’s the most encouraging growth-oriented voice in your arsenal. Still, it serves its purpose.

Logic is a wonderful tool of information. Developing your logic can certainly help you in life, until you run into something you didn’t see coming or have no information in your mental database to sift through. That’s when you have a failure, er, I mean learning experience, you update your file and move on.

Spirit guides won’t tell you what to do, but they will help you feel and/or understand your choices better. They’re coming from a higher perspective than you are, and they’re following your orders (your higher self’s orders that is). You can trust that your guides have your best interest at heart, but
you can’t trust you’ll be totally comfortable following their guidance. They’re in it for the long run and sometimes see minor setbacks as necessary for your overall success.

Your intuition has but a moment to make an impression. It’s got to get vital, sometimes life-altering, information to you in a split second. Its general goal is to notify you that you are in danger or at a vital decision-making moment in your life. When you become adept at listening to your intuition you’ll start getting information about less life-threatening situations. Until then, you get snippets.

Now sometimes all four of these voices overlap. I can imagine a situation where this is possible. Your ego might say, “Why would that guy be interested in you?” and your logic is saying, “Look, this guy wants you to get in his van parked behind the alley. That is probably not a good idea. The chances of you going home in a body bag are pretty high right now. I
say pass.” At the same time your guides are saying, “Do you really think you can trust this guy?” and your intuition is screaming, “Danger, avoid him!” If you ever get agreement from all four voices, I highly advise you to listen!

Getting to know the voices in your head can really help you manage your
life. Identifying which one is speaking to you can help you determine how much power and credibility you want to give it. I have found that I prefer to listen to my guides and intuition over my logic and ego, but I know people who do quite well listening to their logic and ego so what can I say? It’s a question of where you want to go in life and how comfortably you want
to arrive. In my experience if you opt for a faith, trust, and love strategy in life, you’ll listen to your intuition and guides. If you opt for a control or fear-based strategy in life you’ll probably prefer your ego and logic. There really is no right or wrong choice, just preferences. You might try developing the ability to hear all of them and then decide what works best for you.

The best way to develop the ability to discern them is awareness and practice. Whenever you consult that inner voice try to figure out if it’s a guide, intuition, or your ego or logic talking to you. Or consult all four before you make a decision. You could try 30 days with each as your primary inner voice and see which one gives you the best results.

Now, if you’re hearing other voices in your head like, “She looks tasty, let’s carve her up and eat her,” or “Jump off the barn because you know you can fly,” then you’re listening to something entirely different! Seek professional help immediately.

When did it happen that we became so enamored of our own cleverness,
our own creation? At what point did our eyes turn away from the wonders of the universe and the world around us and gaze almost exclusively upon those things that were built by the hand of man. People ask me… “do you not think that cathedral is awe-inspiring? Look at that bridge is it not magnificent?  Look at these buildings, which seem to touch the heavens themselves… are they not humbling and do they not make you proud?”

My answer must always be: they are fine, to be sure impressive to a degree, as examples of that which man is capable. However, my heart does not leap at the sight of them as it does the sight of water cascading down the mountainside, jumping and leaping joyfully with a roar of pure abandonment. Tears do not form gazing at these examples of man’s achievements as they do at the sight of the morning sun filtering through the mist in the trees of an ancient forest. The sight of the Redwoods, nature’s skyscrapers stir more pride and at the same time humbles me more effectively than anything man made.

I do love music of all kinds, but given the choice I would choose the music of nature, of birds and insects singing, of the wind in the trees and the water of the stream or river or ocean. I enjoy fireworks, but would prefer to spend the evenings gazing at the wonders of the cosmos, the stars and nebulas and the Milky Way spinning overhead, reminding me that I am but a moment, an insignificant part of it all. Yet a part that is connected to the whole and so an all-important part at the same time.

The spoken word of the priests, the gurus the spiritual leaders may impress from time to time when they hit upon a personal truth. But the voice of the mountains, the fields and the Sea speak to me in a way that touches my soul. The wisdom in the eyes of the Stag, the playful nature of the Martin, the devotion of the Wolf to its clan, mate and young, these are my examples
of how to live my life.

The warmth of Fire, the comfort of Earth, the fluidity of Water, the freedom of Wind, these are my guiding forces. They lend me their energy and remind me of my own limitations and the risks we all take in life to reach our goals. The quest to understand, to truly know that which we all yearn to know may be unachievable in this existence, yet to me the understanding of my true place in the world is an important part of that quest.

The Saints and Angels of traditional myth do not stir within me the same reverence as the Sylph, the Salamander, the Dryad, and the Undine. The Dragon holds more awe to me than the Seraphim. The spirits of the Elements provide more inspiration and guidance than any humanoid with wings ever could.

I look to the Earth, to the lessons of Nature, to the Cosmos and beyond for wisdom and truth. For life is not a perfect, sterile existence. Life can be dirty, it can be harsh and unforgiving, and yet at the same time it is glorious, beautiful and joyful.

The creatures of Land, Sea and Sky are innocent and pure of heart in a way that Man can never be, for they concern themselves not with the ideas of “good” and “evil”. They neither shun those of their own kind who are different nor do they agonize over whether their actions in the pursuit of life and love are proper or acceptable. They do not see these things in the sense of good or bad, they simply ARE. Neither do they seek to bring low their fellows or exploit their environment for their own aggrandizement. They use what they need and only what they need and they do not wantonly destroy or disrupt the world around them. For they know that that which causes harm or stress to the creatures or land around them will eventually
come back to make their own lives harder.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, We
borrow it from our Children”
~~ Native American Saying ~~

The idea that the Earth is a living organism makes sense to me. Even within our own bodies we can see how this could be so. Each part that is “us” is made of different yet similar types of cells. There are cells that form skin, organs, blood, bile, bone, sinew etc. Each acts independently of the others and yet at the same time each acts upon the other forming a partnership of interdependence. Just as with the earth where lava, wind, rain and ice all act independent of the other and yet are intimately connected in the whole, one cannot exist without the others.

Then too are the myriad fauna and flora, bacteria and fungi, which live within each of us in a symbiotic state. They use our bodies to survive as we use the Earth. And our bodies use them to aid in digestion, to fight disease and in a myriad of other ways. Just as the Earth uses the creatures upon it, to break down rock and dead material into soil, to create and maintain the
balance of atmospheric gases, to return to the soil the stuff of our physical body thus providing nutrients back into the body of the Mother.

So then what does this mean to me as an integral part of the living Earth? When I act in a manner that is detrimental to the Earth it is detrimental to my own existence, the existence of everything which resides here and more importantly to the existence of a being upon which I and every other creature depends.

I believe that all life uses and creates energy that permeates the world and the cosmos beyond. I believe this energy may be used and manipulated in the form of ritual and meditation known as Magick. I believe Magick can be used to cause real and measurable changes in both the physical and spiritual world.

Thou Art Goddess… I am my own spiritual and moral leader. I take full responsibility for my own actions and for the situations in which I find myself. I do not wish for nor need a nebulous being on which to place blame for my misfortune, mistakes or situations in which I may find myself. I also take full credit for my positive attributes, accomplishments and any blessings I may receive.

I wish to strive to live my life in a way that is in harmony with the living Earth as much as is possible. I wish to be able to be a part of a community that shares these values, needs, and goals. I wish to learn from those who have already achieved these goals or who are also learning to follow this path. I
wish to banish the indoctrinations of Shame and Jealousy which society has forced upon me so that I may learn to accept myself and my fellow man as we are, with no deceptions and no depravations of mind, spirit or body. I wish to be among those who will understand, love and accept me for who I am and respect what I feel and believe without the reservations that societal programming has forced upon most of the people who currently surround me. I wish to share energy with those who will return in kind, and who will help me in my goals and desires and be a positive force in my life. I wish to likewise help others in their quests and goals and to provide support for a larger family of like-minded individuals.

For these reasons and many others I respectfully and humbly wish to join the RDG and the OMS and become a Druid of the Second Order so that I may continue to learn and to live by example and work to change the world for the better of all mankind and for the betterment of Nature, the Earth herself and the Cosmos.

Because no one could ever praise me enough,
because I don’t mean these poems only
but the unseen
unbelievable effort it takes to live
the life that goes on between them,
I think all the time about invisible work.
About the young mother on Welfare
I interviewed years ago,
who said, “It’s hard.
You bring him to the park,
run rings around yourself keeping him safe,
cut hot dogs into bite-sized pieces for dinner,
and there’s no one
to say what a good job you’re doing,
how you were patient and loving
for the thousandth time even though you had a headache.”

And I, who am used to feeling sorry for myself
because I am lonely,
when all the while,
as the Chippewa poem says, I am being carried
by great winds across the sky,
thought of the invisible work that stitches up the world day
and night,
the slow, unglamorous work of healing,
the way worms in the garden
tunnel ceaselessly so the earth can breathe
and bees ransack this world into being,
while owls and poets stalk shadows,
our loneliest labors under the moon.

There are mothers
for everything, and the sea
is a mother too,
whispering and whispering to us
long after we have stopped listening.
I stopped and let myself lean
a moment, against the blue
shoulder of the air. The work
of my heart
is the work of the world’s heart.
There is no other art.

~~ Alison Luterman ~~
(The Largest Possible Life)

With a lot of magical techniques it’s easy to get confused as to whether you are really experiencing any effects or just using your imagination. For instance, after you’ve used and mastered a magical technique for the first time you may feel great. Then, a little voice in your mind may begin to tell you that you aren’t really experiencing anything at all, that you’re just imagining it all.

In doing any kind of magic it’s very important not to introduce doubt into your practice. The more you doubt and second-guess yourself the less effective your magic will be. Here are some simple principles that may help you get around the doubt factor.

First, know that the Universe always responds to your requests for help. If you follow the procedures exactly as they are given you will get the result. If you alter anything about the procedure, though, expect to get different results or no results at all. Magically, we say that “altered procedures produce altered results.”

The second principle is that for many people imagination is the doorway to reality. If you have no experience with magic it can be hard for you to even sense the effects of a magical technique because you aren’t used to looking for it. For many people, using imagination is a way to be open to new experiences. If you can imagine something, such as feeling the effects of a
magical technique, then it opens the door for you to experience it.

In fact, a lot of esoteric teachers use imagination as a tool to help students experience new realities and new worlds. One way to get around the doubt factor in magic is to first write down what you think is going to happen when you do a new technique. Imagine what it will be like in your mind and jot it down on paper. Then, proceed with the technique and experience what
actually happens. Usually, magic doesn’t happen the way we think it will – there will be anomalies that we can’t possibly have imagined and written down beforehand. These anomalies tell us that what we are experiencing is real.

So don’t worry so much about whether what you are experiencing is real or imagined – even if you start out with imagination, if you stay open, it will take you to reality. Good luck!

~~ Source Unknown ~~

Taken from Scott Cunningham’s book The Complete Book of Incense, Oils
& Brews:

Burn during rituals on Ostara (the Spring Equinox, which falls
on Sunday, March 20th this year), or to welcome spring and to
refresh your life.

The materials needed are the following:

*2 parts Frankincense
*1 part Benzion
*1 part Dragon’s Blood
*half part Nutmeg
*half part Violet Flowers (or a few drops – like 3 – of Violet
Oil)
*half part Orange Peel
*half part Rose Petals
*charcoal block/briquette
*fire-safe incense burner, censer or pot.

For best results, grind the materials in a mortar and pestle.
Take a small amount and place on a burning charcoal block in
a fire-safe censer or burner.

Ritual for Ostara/Spring Equinox

Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the circle.

Invoke the Goddess and God in whatever words please you.

Stand before the altar and gaze upon the plant as you say:

“O Great Goddess, you have freed
yourself from the icy prison of winter. Now is the greening,
when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze. This is
the beginning. Life renews itself by Your magick, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises, eager in His youth, and bursting
with the promise of summer.”

Touch the plant. Connect with its energies and, through it,
all nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your
visualization – from the center of your consciousness out through
your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its
inner nature; sense the miraculous processes of life at work within it.

After a time, still touching the plant, say:

“I walk the earth in friendship,
not in dominance. Mother Goddess and Father God, instill within
me through this plant a warmth for all living things. Teach
me to revere the Earth and all its treasures. May I never forget.”

Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the rousing
of energies around you in the Earth.

Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.

Celebrate the Simple Feast.

The circle is released.

Rejuvenation Spell

This spell will help to renew your spiritual self as the Earth does every Spring. You will need the following materials:

*a small black candle and a small white candle
*medium sized yellow or green candle – if you can find one shaped
like an egg, even better!
*a spring wreath to fit around the candle, either hand-made
or bought at a craft store
*sandalwood incense
*your favorite essential oil – a scent that reminds you of Spring
*parchment paper
*a black pen and a gold-ink pen (you can find them at your local
discount or crafts store like Michael’s)
*a cauldron, fire-proof container

First, break the parchment paper in half. Use the black pen
to write on one sheet and title the page “BE GONE.”
With the black pen, write all the habits, feelings, situations,
etc. that you want to get rid of. Use the back if you need more
space. Place this negative list under the candleholder or votive
of the black candle.

Second, take a nice bath or shower and cleanse yourself of any
negative vibrations. Visualize the water washing over your body
and taking away the black cloudy grime that surrounds you to
reveal a brilliant white glow. After the bath or shower, anoint
yourself with the essential oil and dress yourself in white
comfy garments or skyclad if you prefer.

Third, return to your work space and now take the other sheet
of parchment paper and with the gold pen title it “REBIRTH.”
Write all of those things you want to better in yourself, change
for the positive, goals you desire to accomplish, etc. Make
positive, active statements and void comments like I should,
would, wish, hope or anything with negative connotations. This
is your positive list so fill it with vibrant positive energy.
When your list is complete, place it under the candleholder
of the white candle.

Fourth, light the black and white candle and the incense. Take
the incense holder and walk around your space three times clockwise.
Replace the incense holder. Take the negative list from under
the black candle and use its flame to set it afire and throw
it in the cauldron etc. As you do this, say:

What once was will never be.
I’m making room for the new me.
Be gone, Be gone!
So mote it be!

Fifth, after the negative list is burnt to a crisp, take the
positive list from under the white candle. Now here is where
you need to be quick and steady. (If you feel you can’t do this,
that is fine – just work your way around it.) Set the positive
list aflame with the white candle and immediately use the burning
list to light your egg (or yellow, green, etc.) candle and throw
the burning paper in to the cauldron, etc.

Sixth, after this invigorating event, look at your egg candle
and say the following words:

Let me feel, let me see,
Now reborn in positivity.
As I hatch into Spring,
Let all good things now come in.

Lastly, gaze at your candle for a moment and meditate if you
wish. When you’re ready, take the cauldron outside and
throw the ashes to the wind, making sure it doesn’t come back
into your house! After that, make sure to snuff out the candles
when appropriate. Go get something to eat and begin to enjoy
your renewed self!

Sources:
The White Goddess Pagan Portal
Scott Cunningham’s book, The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews
Walter L. Mora

Late September morning was chilly with the temperature down near 45F. It was still dark when I had awakened at 4:30 am and I was in the kitchen sipping a mug of Russian Earl Grey tea and finishing a hearty breakfast of poached eggs and pork shoulder. On the couch in the living room was the gear I would need for the day: my faithful recurve bow with a 60-pound draw, a deep back quiver with four broadhead arrows in it, and a large fanny
pack containing rations, a tiny long-range radio, compass, emergency matches and a few other oddments. I was dressed in a complex pattern of camouflage from cap to boots.

I finished breakfast and slipped the gear on. All in all it weighed only about 10 pounds, pretty light compared to the 70-pound packs I sometimes take to trek into the bush. But I would only be gone the day, no further than five miles from our cottage in the deep Highland forests, and if worse came to worse I could radio the cottage for assistance. I kissed my wife, Daphne,
goodbye and headed out at half past 5:00 a.m. I wanted to be deep in the woods long before the sun rose.

The archers’ deer season had arrived; a special season set aside for those few of us who like to do things the hard way–we of the bent stick. And among archers, I probably do things hardest of all. No ATVs to scoot to my hunting grounds, no compound bows with their mounted pulleys to make the bow’s draw weight lighter. Sometimes I used a horse to chase game and track, but not today. I feel that hunting in this most traditional way
honors the game, and the spirit of the Green Man, whom I follow. Today I was going into the Old Forest, a vast forest of virgin timber that grows north and east of our hollow.

I hiked east, following a barely used dirt road up the shallow mountainside. Our homestead is already near the top of the mountain and I needed only ascend the height of the hollow. About two miles up the road I took a left and crossed a meadow of wild blueberry. There I stopped at a thicket of birch and slipped into the shadow, checking the surrounding meadow for deer that might cross my path. In the dim light every young white spruce
and old stump looked like game but nothing moved and I determined after half an hour, in dawn’s first light, that the meadow was well and truly empty.

I dropped to my right knee. “Green Man, the deer and bears are yours. You know I only hunt for meat and use hide and hair and sinew and nothing goes to waste. And the forest this year holds too many deer and bear. They will starve a slow death if their numbers are not culled. Grant me a deer or send bear my way, as you wish. So mote it be.” I rose and left the birch thicket, taking hidden trails north to the foot of the ancient maples and birches that are the staple trees of the Old Wood.

The sun had barely risen and the forest rose rapidly to my left, blocking any view of it over the horizon. The canopy was thick and except for the whitening sky overhead, I had re-entered the night.

I honor the Green Man with the deeply nature-oriented way I live, and I have found he is often quick to answer me. But he has a sense of humor and often his answers, while beneficial, come in ways I don’t anticipate, and so it was to be this day.

I was yet two hundred yards from where the little used trail entered the dark forest, watching the ground for tracks as I had already come across coyote and fox spoor and the odd deer track, when I glanced upward as I was rounding a thicket of raspberry canes. About 150 yards off was a black bear beating up the path fast in my direction. I was being charged by a bear again, entirely unprovoked, for the fourth time in my life. But this time, unlike
my years in the Alaskan wilderness, I had no gun. In the face of situations I find I become strangely cool. The first thought that passed through my head as I prepared to fight off the bear was, “Hmm, this will be different.”

I am a big guy. I’m tall and built somewhat like a barrel, and living most of my life in the wilderness and on a farm has made me far stronger than the average person. I’m no weightlifter or superman, but I am fast and capable, a lot more so than most. And I’ve spent my whole life with animals–so I am pretty confident around them. Thus, encountering a charging bear was enough to alarm me but nothing like panic. I stepped aside into the thicket
to do what had to be done.

A bear can move fast–up to thirty miles per hour. I knew I had only seconds till it was at my position. I drew an arrow from my back quiver and knocked it to the string. Then I pushed back the flap of my jacket so I could get fast at the 17″ Bowie knife I always carry into the deep woods. I knew it would come down to a hands-to-claw fight even if I could put an arrow into the black.

If what you know of archery you learned from watching Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, it would seem that you shoot something and it goes “Ooomph!” and drops. In reality, arrows kill by bleeding out your target and even a well-placed shot can take half a minute to drop anything substantial. That’s a long time to duke it out with a bear. I am a good shot with a bow, and I figured I’d have time for one good shot then it would be down to holding it off with the Bowie.

I waited. Seconds passed. No bear. This made me more concerned because I’ve been hunted by a bear before–a grizzly in the  Alaskan wilderness. But I’d never heard of such clever hunting behavior among black bears. I listened. A black bear is a big animal and it could not just sneak up on me. I would have heard it crashing through the thicket, but there was nothing. Finally, I stepped from the cover of the thicket and looked up the trail. There was the black bear, standing on his hind legs–a posture a bear does when it knows something is amiss. It was sniffing for me. Then it burst left and took off into the forest.

“What is going on?” I wondered. First it’s charging me then it turns tail and runs? That would be really weird behavior for a black bear. They are far less inclined to charge than grizzlies, but if they do they are far less inclined to stop until something is dead. But this one had senses me, stopped, then lit out.

Cautiously, arrow still knocked, I continued up the trail. A gentle breeze wafted through the air, bearing scents of summer life, of deep living forest and of autumn all at once. I eyed the raspberry thicket carefully but there was no sign of the bear. It had bolted deep into the forest. Stranger and stranger. Another hundred yards and I was satisfied the bear was gone. I dropped the arrow back in the quiver–it’s dangerous to walk with a razor sharp broadhead on your bow–and continued on up the trail. I had not gone another hundred yards and just entered the woods when surprise number two met me as, once again, I was eying the trail for tracks.

Another black bear was on the trail, bent over and eating something. It was so invested in its meal that it had not even noticed me, though I was only about fifty yards from it. But the ground was moist, the breeze from out of the north, so my steps were ghost silent and my scent did not waft over to the bear which was east of me. Now I knew what had happened–the first bear had not really been charging me at all. The first one had been a smallish black, one hundred fifty, maybe two hundred pounds. The bear in front of me now was about twice that. Bears don’t tolerate each other well and the first bear had probably been run off from the food by the bear now in front of me. It had been running up the very trail I was approaching the forest on, saw me, probably thought some dung-related expletive, and
beat it northeast into the Old Wood.

But now there was this second, much bigger bear in front of me. I was really after deer but I had a bear license in case luck brought me across one, and luck–or the Green Man’s pranks–had just done exactly that–twice! Out from my quiver came the arrow and I knocked it to the string. Then began a slow cat-and-mouse game in which, over the space of a half an hour I covered twenty yards, moving so slowly the movement could not be perceived, going silently over the forest duff. Bears have poor eyesight and if it did not see or scent me, I figured I could get within twenty-five yards of it. At twenty-five yards I am deadly with a traditional bow.

At thirty-five yards I espied fresh bear droppings on the ground. I walked intentionally through them in order to increase my bear scent, making me more invisible to the creature. At thirty yards I began to ponder taking the shot, but thirty is a big difference with traditional bows. They don’t have sights–you shoot by instinct, and I go from deadly to hitting my target about 50% of the time in just that five yards difference. So I decided to do the ethical thing and wait. I respect the game by not taking a shot unless I know there will be a quick, nearly painless kill. So, the long minutes passed as I ever-so-slowly closed the distance.

Thirty yards came. I was nearly there. Then the black stood up from where it had been eating fallen apples and scented me. A random shift in the wind had betrayed me. It darted right and lit out south into a raspberry-thick glade that led into the Old Wood beyond. I pondered taking the shot as it ran. My bow is traditional, no sights. Such bows can be aimed fast, and I’m good with it and could have put two arrows in the air in a moment. But I might just have easily only injured the bear. Not today, I decided and lowered the bow.

With a deep sigh, I placed the arrow back in the quiver, leaned against the trunk of a massive maple probably a century old. I had asked the Green Man to show me bear and within ten minutes of that request he had showed me two, and with the first one he made me think we’d be locked in mortal combat, with the second one he let me stumble almost on top of it then have it slip away.

“Another time, brother bear,” I whispered into the forest in the direction the bear had gone, deciding not to track it through the thorny thicket of raspberry. It had earned its escape. Then to the Green Man, I whispered, “Ha, ha, very funny. Now, let’s go find a deer, you prankster.”

click here for part 2