“An It Harm None” Why?

August 15, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

“I don’t understand. The Wiccan Rede of ‘An it harm none’ seems almost impossible,” Nadia said.

“Impossible?” I asked.

“Look, I eat fish and chicken. That’s harms something,” Nadia said.

“Okay. I understand what you’re talking about. How about this? When you’re talking to a family member, and he says something in an irritated way, do you try to escalate it? Do you try to say something worse—something mean?”

“You know I don’t. I try to be kind to people,” Nadia said.

“Now, you’re onto something. ‘An it harm none’ is in the same spirit as ‘be kind; be compassionate.’” I replied.

In Wicca, we’re not scrambling for “commandments.” Wicca is a path that asks us to think, not just blindly obey someone else’s orders. This is what attracts many people to Wicca in the first place.

So let’s continue with the Wicca approach of thinking (not blind obedience):

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. Emily’s home is invaded by an attacker. If “An it harm none” was a commandment, do you think Emily would not fight back?

What if the attacker approaches Emily’s nine-year-old son, Joseph?

Many of us would say, go for it Emily and protect your son! And it would work, in a way, with “An it harm none.” How? If Emily does nothing, perhaps, Joseph dies. That is a greater harm.

Many of us would say, fighting back and causing harm to the attacker is correct—to save a life.

Self-defense appears right in line with the Wiccan Rede.

We need to think things through. We know that the world is not simply black and white. We don’t just turn the other cheek. We live in a shades-of-gray universe.

As we walk our sacred path, we make many decisions with each step we take. Each person has his or her own gait and stride. Each of us has our own moral compass, and we must make our own decisions as to where we place our feet.

I invite you to consider some important issues. Where is the larger amount of harm? Is this a situation in which some form of self-defense is appropriate?

Think of “An it harm none” as an invitation for you to live with as much kindness and compassion as possible.

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Experience Freedom Through The Power of Forgiving Yourself

August 8, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

“You need to forgive yourself,” my new therapist says. Nice words, I think. How am I supposed to do that?

I have been through many hours of therapy. I’ve experienced hours of meditation.

Here I’m going to talk about the truth and the reality of Forgiving Yourself.

Why do you need to forgive yourself?

Because feeling guilty and blaming yourself is a damn prison. I know this prison well. At times, I have been mad at myself for somehow allowing others to harm me. How can you hold a 10 year old little girl responsible for being held underwater by her sadistic 13 year old brother?!

Still, in later years, I had an abusive husband who had a hold on me until Wicca saved my life.

I’ve been furious with myself for “being a victim.” I’ve said, “I know it is not my fault.” But deep down I still felt it was my fault. I let it happen. I gave certain people power over me. I did this.

Whenever I go to this dark place, my heart bleeds tears of sorrow.

All of this self-blame and failing to forgive ourselves is a crime we are committing against ourselves.

Before I go further, I need to make something clear. Forgiveness is not pardon. A behavior could have been mean and negative two years ago, and it is still wrong today.

I learned from Dr. Fred Luskin (co-founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project) that “Forgiveness is the end of the cycle of blame and suffering.”

It is time we stop and forgive ourselves for the things we did to ourselves. We may also need to forgive ourselves for what we may have allowed to happen to us.

I’ll now share an exercise that I’ve found to be powerful.

Warning: This is exercise IS powerful. Make sure you have someone to talk to afterwards – a loving friend whom you trust, a counselor or a trusted psychologist. You might just save this exercise for a time when you can do the exercise in the presence of a trusted helper.

Version One:

Have a friend you trust and who loves you sit in front of you. Be close enough to see into his or her eyes.
Get comfortable. Light a candle and some incense. (Place the incense to the side so you avoid the smoke obscuring your view of your friend.)
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Then for 5 minutes, look into each other’s eyes and think about how much you care about the other person.
Do this several times over a month. It may take longer or less time. Your plan is to get to the point where you feel relaxed and accepted.

Version Two:

Sit in front of a mirror and get comfortable. Light a candle and some incense. (Place the incense to the side so you avoid the smoke obscuring your view of your own eyes.)

After setting a timer for 5 minutes, concentrate as you look into your own eyes in the mirror. Now you begin the process of forgiving yourself for all of your past mistakes that caused you to suffer . . .

Say:

I forgive you for ______ and anytime I failed at __________.

I forgive you for ______ and the times I was wrong.

I forgive you for ______ and the times I let things happen to you.

I forgive you for ______ and the times I hurt others.

Do this as many times as you need so you start to relax into your personal forgiveness of yourself.

During the week, if you start to feel fearful or frantic, you likely need another session of self-forgiveness.

(Some traditions refer to this process as “mirror work.” Some people practice saying, “I love you” to themselves as they gaze in a mirror. Many report that it takes about a month of practice until they feel better and a degree of real healing.)

After any session of self-forgiveness, eat something. You’ve used up personal energy. It takes energy to focus during your self-forgiveness session.

And then make sure to talk to someone you trust.

This is a very powerful exercise. Remember there is divinity in you.

As you do this self-forgiveness exercise, you will likely feel the presence of God and Goddess. How will you know this? You’ll experience a degree of peace that is new and different than your regular daily experience of life.

Remember, you are loved by the God and Goddess.

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

BREAKING NEWS!

Moonwater SilverClaw Appears and Speaks At:

YourBodySoulandProsperity.com Arrives in North Hollywood, California – October 14th, 6:45 pm.

Workshop: “Your Body, Soul and Prosperity — 3 Easy Steps to Massively Increase YOUR Health, Happiness and Prosperity”
The Experiential Workshop Wednesday October 14, 6:45-9:45 pm. Share the news with friends. Thank you. Many blessings.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

The Adocentyn Library – Interview with Don Frew

July 7, 2015July 9, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

These are some really great interviews of Don Frew from my good friend Lailoken Scathach. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Protection – House Blessing

July 4, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

“What’s wrong Jessica?” I asked

“We just finished moving into our new home,” she said.

“How great!”

But Jessica’s face told another story. “I don’t feel like my family and I are the only ones there. Something just isn’t right.”

“Have you tried a house blessing?” I asked.

Sometimes moving into a new place doesn’t bring the joy we had hoped for. We may experience a form of uneasiness.

Now, we’ll discuss the process of doing a House Blessing.

What you will need:

Large container of Kosher Sea Salt
One white candle
Spring or purified water (enough to asperge your entire home)
Bowl (small)
Bowl (large)
Pitcher (this holds water for refilling your large bowl)
Incense
Anointing oil
Athame
White altar cloth
Pentacle
Bell

Set up your altar with the white candle (representing Fire) and the other Three Elements (Air, Water, and Earth). Put the white candle in the middle and the other Elements on their sides of the altar. Pour some water into the large bowl. Set the small bowl on the West side.

Section off the house with salt by making boundary lines blocking entryways for each room with the salt. (Set the salt in lines.) This will contain the energy in each room so that you can work on it as an individual space.

Start with blessing and purifying each Element by placing your athame in each Element–and say:

For the white candle: Light the candle, then place athame over it and say:

I CONSECRATE AND BLESS THIS FLAME IN THE NAMES OF THE GREAT LORD OF THE SUN AND GRACIOUS LADY OF THE MOON, THAT THIS FLAME BE THEIR SACRED LIGHT TO CAST OUT ALL DARKNESS WITH ITS USE.

Water Blessing:

I CONSECRATE AND BLESS THIS WATER IN THE NAMES OF THE GREAT LORD OF THE SUN AND THE GRACIOUS LADY ON THE MOON, THAT THIS WATER BE THEIR FERTILE ENERGY TO CREATE NEW BLESSINGS WITH ITS USE.

Salt Blessing:

I CONSECRATE AND BLESS THIS SALT IN THE NAMES OF THE GREAT LORD OF THE SUN AND THE GRACIOUS LADY ON THE MOON, THAT THIS SALT BE THEIR LOVING BODIES TO GROW NEW HOPE WITH ITS USE.

Incense Blessing:

I CONSECRATE AND BLESS THIS INCENSE IN THE NAMES OF THE GREAT LORD OF THE SUN AND THE GRACIOUS LADY ON THE MOON, THAT THIS INCENSE BE THEIR SACRED BREATH TO BREATHE NEW AND POSITIVE STORIES WITH ITS USE.

Take three pinches of salt and mix with the Blessed Water. Place incense on charcoal—or if using stick incense, light the incense-stick using the white candle.

Bless the oil with the Elements saying:

I PURIFY WITH EARTH AND WATER.
I CLEANSE WITH FIRE AND AIR.

Dip the small bowl into the large bowl to scoop up some Blessed Water.

Move around the space first with the water, asperge and say while going in deocil (clockwise):

I PURIFY YOU WITH EARTH AND WATER.

– Ring Bell

Next, move around the space while fanning the smoke of the burning incense and say:

I CLEANSE YOU WITH FIRE AND AIR.

– Ring Bell

If you sense any more negative energy, guide it with your hands. Direct the negative energy to the large bowl of holy water so that it is absorbed and cleansed. Shake the energy off your hands as you place your hands over the water bowl.

After purifying and cleansing the space, take up the athame and go to an entryway and trace a banishing pentagram there and say:

I CAST OUT ALL BANEFUL ENERGIES AND SEAL THIS [DOOR or WINDOW or FIREPLACE]

Then take up the oil and dab on each corner of the door frame/window/fireplace saying:

YOU ARE NOW CLOSED TO ALL NEGATIVE AND BANEFUL ENERGIES.

Once done, move to next room and start all over again.

When you have completed the ritual for the whole house, pour the last batch of the holy water down a sewage drain that goes away from the house.

This will help you clear all the nasties and bad energy from your home. You can also smudge your home afterwards just to make sure.

You deserve to enjoy your home in peace and harmony.

Blessings,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Protection – Sage

June 27, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

“It’s like she’s still here!” Jennifer said.

“Who?” I asked.

“My mother-in-law. I don’t know how Sam could come from that woman. When she’s in the room with you, it’s like being smothered in resentment and broken dreams.”

“And you still feel her energy?” I asked.

“Yeah! How can it be? She finally went back to her home in New Jersey. But it’s like I can’t escape from her.”

“Let me tell you about smudging,” I said. Originally a Native American technique, smudging helps you cleanse a person or space for protection. Here’s how smudging is a protection-technique. Negative energy sometimes gets on a person. Think of dog hair or cat hair. So you need to dispel this negative energy, and smudging does that.

Spiritual cleansing is a good way to protect yourself, just like washing your hands helps you stay healthy.

In smudging you use the sacred herb, sage. One process is to use a bundle of sage. You carefully light the end of the sage bundle, enough so that smoke rises from the end.

When you use sage it acts like a sponge that soaks up the negative energy of a place or a person (the person’s aura).

How Burning Sage Connects with the Four Elements

Use an abalone shell as a holder for the sage bundle or loose leaves. The shell stands for the Element Water in the smudging process. The sage itself represents the Element Earth.

As the sage burns, we honor the Element Fire. The smoke rising from the burning sage represents the Element Air.

How to Use Sage to Cleanse a Space or a Person

You will need:

The bundle method: Gather enough of the herb sage to make a good pile of it. Use some cotton string or any other natural fiber and gather the sage. Bind the herb strands together to make a sage bundle.

Other method. You could place a pile of sage leaves in a fireproof container.

Next bless and consecrate your sage by using blessed holy water and incense from your altar.

When you are ready, light the sacred sage bundle and waft the smoke arising from the sage around the area to be cleansed.

As you waft the sacred sage smoke around the area, chant or say an incantation of healing or clearing. Envision the sage smoke absorbing the negative energy of a space or a person’s aura.

Fan the smoke and envision the negative energy dissolving away as the smoke dissipates. Make sure to open any windows and fan the smoke out of the home or away from the person being cleansed, healed and protected.

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Love is Love – Congratulations to All My Brothers And Sisters

June 26, 2015June 26, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Happy Litha

June 21, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Happy Solstice

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Protection – The Sacred Circle

June 20, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Circle Setup Graphic

Moira started her ritual. On the astral plane, this was like lighting a torch. Some entities were attracted. Fortunately, Moira’s mentor taught her well; Moira made sure to correctly cast her Circle!

Among the reasons to cast a Circle, protection and raising energy are key.

Do you really need protection? Isn’t nature all sacred? The short answer is . . . yes.

However, there are entities in the natural world that get attracted to a cast Circle. In the vastness of the astral plane, by casting a Circle, you have lighted a bright torch. The torch attracts everything. Entities are curious, and they’re attracted to energy. It’s what they feed on. So, in a way, you’re ringing the dinner bell.

Casting a Circle and calling your quarters is how you defend your own energy and space. Casting a Circle creates a boundary that defends you from the little buggers on the astral plane.

When you call the quarters, you are summoning the elementals (a form of entity) that help you defend your Circle. They also donate power to your spiritual working.

Calling the quarters is part of building a fortress against unwanted entities that may try to interfere with you and the energy you are raising.

In essence, when you call the quarters, you are making a temple. A fortified and well-guarded temple.

Blessings,

Moonwater

P.S. Be sure to get your copy of the special e-report “5 Big Mistakes New Practitioners Make—and How to Empower Your Spells” when you sign up for my e-newsletter when you click here before June 24, 2015.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Euthanasia: The Loneliest Decision

June 7, 2015 / Moonwater / 2 Comments

Making a decision about whether or when the time is right for euthanasia is one of the hardest things someone loving a pet will ever go through.

via Euthanasia: The Loneliest Decision.

Meet the Lion — a Spiritual Approach

June 6, 2015June 6, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Imagine a moment of wonder. I’ll now introduce my friend, Reverend Patrick McCollum, a Wiccan Priest, an internationally recognized spiritual leader, and the 2010 recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism.

Below, Rev. Patrick shares with us his current experiences. Imagine a moment when you know your life is on the line and you know that you’re really feeling alive . . .

Reverend Patrick wrote:

“Life is full of amazing experiences. But it is what we make of those moments rather than just the experiences themselves that really count.

I am having one of those special moments myself. I thought I would share it with you—and how it is playing out for me.

The water for my home comes from a tiny mountain spring in a small canyon on my property. I live in the woods in Northern California, and the canyon is heavily wooded with a small trail that leads to the spring. In order to keep my water tank full, I have to periodically walk up there to start my pump.

There is also a tiny rivulet of water that trickles out of the spring.

Starting several weeks ago as I was working my way up to start the pump, I felt a presence sometimes when I would walk to the spring. It was as though something was watching me. I didn’t know what it was, but my senses told me it was important to be aware.

I have long tried to live a life that is in harmony with nature, and in doing so I have come to recognize the beauty of it—and I tried my best not to fear it.

In any case, it turns out that a mountain lion is currently gracing this lovely trail near my spring. The lion has been present several times in the last two weeks.

At first, I moved with great concern every time I had to go to the pump. Many thoughts ran through my mind as to what to do about the lion. It is clear to me that this big cat could easily kill me if it chose to do so. It is incredibly fast and tremendously strong. But then as I went to start my pump a couple of days ago, I realized that the cat and I were there for the same purpose … To get the water, which we both need to live.

Now that California is in a long drought, it is likely that the lion’s regular water sources have dried up. And it has no choice but to come to my spring.

And so, I made the decision to set aside my fears and to choose instead to see the lion as a kindred spirit, from a different tribe sharing a joint experience with me.

In my work, I teach across the world that all of creation is sacred and that we must first see the sacred in the other before we judge our neighbors. It is my fundamental touchstone toward achieving peace in the world. If I cannot learn to see the sacredness of the lion before I move to the place of fearing it, I would be all talk and all of my work would be disingenuous. And so I made the conscious choice to walk my talk.

Now when I go to the spring, I approach by softly calling out to the lion and letting him know that we are both in this venture together. I share with him that I am not there to harm him and that I see the sacredness in him—and that I am hopeful that my small spring is meeting his needs.

One can never know another’s thoughts. But we can observe another’s actions to determine where they stand.

So far, the lion gives me space to get the water I need, and I give him the same. There is a sense of wonder in all of this. If nothing else, the perception of danger between us has been tangibly reduced.

It is not that the lion isn’t dangerous. He can be very dangerous if he chooses to be so. But then so can I, and I often forget that!

It is clear to me that the lion is likely accessing his relationship to me in exactly the same way that I am accessing my relationship to him. And in recognizing our similarities, our differences are becoming more distant for each of us.

It is my hope that the lion and I demonstrate the possibilities for peace and understanding between different peoples and cultures.

It isn’t that everything is perfect, and I am not expecting the lion to eventually come down and sing Kumbaya with me. But it is possible that, through seeing the sacred in the other and recognizing our commonalities, we can generate respect for one another and share common ground—no matter how truly different we are from one another!

My Prayer:
Let us see beauty in one another as we come together. And let us find ways to set fear aside to make room for hope and understanding.

Blessings to all,
Rev. Patrick McCollum of http://www.patrickmccollum.org/

It’s easy for many of us to say, “Well, that may work for him, but I’m not having peak moments in my life.”

Still, doing ritual or a meditation can bring us in connection with the Goddess.

Take a step forward.

Blessings,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter and get your free copy of the e-report “5 Big Mistakes New Practioners Make–And How to Empower Your Spells” click here.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

And

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

And

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace