I had the privilege of being interviewed by author Tony Mierzwicki on his Patheos blog. Tony is the author of “Graeco-Egyptian Magick” and “Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today.” These are excellent books to have in your library. “Graeco-Egyptian Magick” in particular changed my life. The actual Work of aligning oneself to planetary energies and, thusly, the Gods, is rewarding in many ways. Get them for yourself, do the Work, and see the change. Thanks Tony for inviting me to your blog. Below is the link. Peace and Health!
Yes, your witchcraft is political. It always has been. I wrote about Dionysos and Ares here and here, respectively. Many witches look to Aradia for their inspiration of the Craft. In fact, in many circles, when the Circle is cast to establish sacred space, Aradia is called upon to help lend her energy.
Aradia is an important character in witchcraft. Whether she actually lived or was a legend in Italian folklore doesn’t matter. A messianic figure of sorts, she is supposedly the daughter of the Goddess Diana and her brother Lucifer and lived in the 14th century in Tuscany, Italy.
In the High Middle Ages (1000-1250 BCE), the Goddess Diana was touted by papal Rome as the Goddess of the witches, who were able to fly on nocturnal journeys to join the Goddess Diana at her Sabbats (also known as the Tregunda). In some writings at the time, Aradia had another name: Herodias.
Aradia was sent to Earth by her mother Diana as the “first of all witches,” and was to teach the secret art of witchcraft to the poor and downtrodden. In “Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches of Italy,” her story is told. The book tells us that at the time the poor and subjugated were under the cruel heel of their noble masters. Many escaped their lords and hid in the forests, becoming outlaws.
Aradia taught a different religion than that of the corrupt Catholic Church at the time. The church grew fat on the backs of the poor, thus deserving the arts of witchcraft against them. The arts included the classic witches’ arsenal of using poisons. Curses also were thrown at the church and the nobles. Aradia cursed the God of the church as well:
And when the priests or the nobilityShall say to you that you should put your faithIn the Father, Son, and Mary, then reply: ‘Your God, the Father, and Maria areThree devils…For the true God the Father is not yours;For I have come to sweep away the bad,The men of evil, all will I destroy!’
Aradia then went on to teach the Craft of the Witch:
When I shall have departed from this world,Whenever ye have need of anything,Once in the month, and when the moon is full,Ye shall assemble in some desert place, Or in a forest all together join to adore the potent spirit of your Queen – my mother, the great Diana; she who fain would learn all sorcery yet has not won its deepest secrets, them my mother will teach her: the truth all things as yet unknown. And ye shall all be freed from slavery. And as a sign that ye are truly free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and women also. This shall last until the last of your oppressors shall be dead…
To undermine the political narrative of our Craft is to ignore what our deities and daimons are all about. The Craft is not mediocre. The Craft does not sit and wait out the troubles which affect everyone. No, the Craft is about action. Yes, many of us have the ethos of “An it harm none, do what ye will.” But we must remember that is is a rede: advice. A guideline. It is not a commandment. It is not set in stone. We must look to our personal power and conscience to make these decisions. We cannot stand by and do nothing (and that is a political decision as well). What do you stand for?
Aradia was and is the hero of the outlaw, the castaways, the poor, and the oppressed. One cannot worship her without taking all of this into account. The spirit of Aradia should live on in the heart of the witch. It is our voices that cannot be silenced. It is our magics which cannot be stale. We live in a world that cares little-to-nothing for the marginalized. All around the world, regimes stand ready to destroy what little we have when it comes to Climate Change, the stark and unbelievably wide spectrum between the filthy rich and the poor, classism, anti-LGBTQIA decrees, and those escaping the horror of war.
Your witchcraft has always been political. It’s time we invoke the spirit of Aradia in order to free ourselves and others from the yolk of oppression. Remember:
We are Aradia!
Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle
My book is now available for pre-order!
It will be released October 8, 2020!
Thank you for your support.
Ares the God of War, Rebellion, Civil Order, and Anger
Ares is a God who, in some circles, isn’t understood very well. He is viewed mostly as a symbol of pure rage and frenzy, as well as an icon of unbridled toxic masculinity. The latter confuses me, as anyone who worships Ares and does their research will understand that this is far from fact. Ares is a God of Civil Order and Rebellion, and it is this aspect I want to focus on. This is a necessary message for our times.
Civil strife and disobedience is not a very well-known aspect of his. Under his epithet of Laossous, Ares is known as “He who rallies men.” Note that Ares is a God who rallies ALL men, not just a select few because of the color of their skin and sense of superiority over others of a different skin color. ALL MEN. This means that Ares is a God who also transcends societal boundaries, much like Dionysos. In fact in Thrace he was worshiped alongside Dionysos. Herodotus in his “Histories” writes:
They (the Thracians) worship no Gods but Ares, Dionysos, and Artemis.
But if you think that only men are capable of channeling Ares, you’re wrong. Women have had a lot of dealings with Ares as well. ALL WOMEN. In Tegea, one of the most ancient and powerful towns in Arcadia, Ares had an icon in the marketplace. According to Pausanias in his “Description of Greece:”
Carved in relief on a slab [Ares] is called Gynaikothoinas (Feasted by Women). At the time of the Lakonian War, when Kharillos king of Lakadaemon made the first invasion, the women armed themselves and lay in ambush…When the armies met and the men on either side were performing many remarkable exploits the women, they say, came on the scene and put the Lakadaemons to flight. … The story goes on to say…that the women offered to Ares a sacrifice of victory on their own account without the men.
To add, Apollonius Rhodius in his “Argonautica” states that Ares was the God of the Amazons, a group of female warriors. It was said that they founded many temples in his honor. Apollonius calls the Amazons the daughters of Ares. As you can see, Ares does not discriminate, but he is very well-favored by women especially.
Ares, as the God of Civil Unrest as well as Civil Order, is not a contradiction within himself. Ares is glorious in his campaigns to bring Justice to civilization, and to speak up for the downtrodden who are killed beneath the boot of the oppressor. Ares is an ally of Themis, the Goddess of Divine Order, Law, and Right Judgement.
What does all this mean?
Currently with all of the unrest throughout the nation, we are seeing boundaries shift. As a God of all men and women (especially the latter), Ares is the spirit of sedition: destroying the Old Order to make way for the New. When civil order is no longer order but oppression, it takes rebellion to stoke the fires in order to restore real divine law in our land.
Ares stands with the ill-treated. He defends the defenseless. He gives anger to those who have been beaten down and left for dead. Ares is the shout of civil strife. Women are minorities and were subjugated in many periods of history. How much more so in this day and age for any minority?
In StrixCraft as I teach it, there is the lesson of the Doctrine of the Four Elements and their oversight by both Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite (Unity/Love) brings together the Elements for Creation. However, Ares (Strife) separates the Elements for Destruction. By separating them, they return to their natural, pure states. This creates the potential for new beginnings. Expansion and Collapse are the ways of our Cosmos, and follow the natural law of Themis. Ares, as the aforementioned ally of Themis, attempts to bring that pattern to the microcosm so that civil order is always in a state of flux and flow, but the purpose is always Harmony.
As patron of sedition, Ares is there to upend society. Before anyone tries to claim that Ares is for white supremacy and the earlier rebellion of the Confederacy, I remind you that slaves, as the oppressed, are under the oversight of Ares. Violence against their masters is his blessing. Do not try and claim a God who does not side with you.
Violence, Anger, and Rage are found in the uprisings which take place. But I must also remind you that in that anger, Ares also helps us to control that anger. In the Homeric Hymn to Ares it is written:
Ares…Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, o blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.
There is always anger when you have been maltreated by the Powers that Be. There is always going to be pure rage. This is as it should be. But take care to focus that anger upon the Powers, and not be blinded by it to indiscriminately wage a war upon the innocent, who are also under the purview of Ares.
Remember: your uprising is to create a new society. It is to restore what has been lost; or else make what has never been there. It is to fight for your rights. All of this is Ares guiding you. Ares is with you. Do not be afraid to fight for a better day. When all is said and done, a newer society of civil order will be born. May Ares guide you.
Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle
My book is now available for pre-order! It will be released October 8, 2020!
Thank you for your support.
Dionysos is often viewed as simply a wine and party God, but that is not Dionysos. He is a God of Ecstasy, the Wild, Frenzy, Madness, Drama, and a patron of the Queer Communities. He is also the spirit of the downtrodden – those who are cast aside or controlled by a society that attempts to chain people down.
In his entourage, Dionysos had satyrs, leopards, maenads, as well as the daimons Lyssa and Mania. Lyssa is the daimon of mad rage and fury, while Mania is the daimon of ecstasy and divine madness, to an extent. Usually it is Mania who is sent by the Gods to inflict its power upon mortals who dare to defy the Gods, or else need to be awakened to their weaknesses. Often there was more than one daimon of Mania, and together they were called the Maniai.
In ancient Greek tellings, divine madness was often inflicted on certain people by various deities for their own agendas: agendas which demonstrate the glory of the Gods or else expose the individual’s weaknesses, bringing them to a place where they must seek restitution for what they have done under the influence of mania. For example, Herakles was inflicted with madness (mania) by Hera. He ended up killing his family. When he became sober and grieved, he was tasked with penitence and performed his infamous 12 labors.
The question of rage and blind fury among the protesters across the nation for the murder of George Floyd and others have caught my interest; not least because the riots and protests are classic examples of Mania: divine madness. The Powers that Be have controlled every aspect of our lives with fear. Fear is a barrier that keeps boundaries intact, especially with struggles for power. Fear is the shield which Dionysos breaks in order to induce chaos for order to be restored. One of his epithets is Eleutherios, or the Liberator. It is also this name of Dionysos that I serve as devotee.
The question of the Gods and politics is a hotbed in many Neopagan and Witchcraft circles. But what many seem to forget is that the daimons of the Gods are involved in every aspect of our lives. The daimons carry the personifications of what we as a people seek out and experience. Dionysos approached kings to declare his divinity, and when they attacked him, he caused his enemies to be afflicted with his daimons and they would lose themselves to their passions. An example is King Pentheus. The king forbade the worship of Dionysos, not allowing women to participate in his rituals. When Dionysos appeared before the king, Pentheus had him locked up. The chains which bound the God, however, fell off, and the jail doors opened. Disguising himself as a woman, Dionysos led Pentheus to the mountains where his wife and daughter were, joining in the revelries of the God. When Pentheus was spotted (he was hoping to catch a glimpse of an orgy), he was brought down off a tree and ritually dismembered. It was only when Dionysos lifted the mad daimon that Pentheus’ wife and daughter realized what they had done. This rending and tearing of the king was a sign Dionysos was sending: the powerful can be brought low, and dismemberment of the “natural order” of society could easily be toppled by the God in his desire to free the oppressed.
Dionysos as a God is neither all good nor all bad. He is a God, and his domains are concerned with freeing the spirit of humanity in order to demonstrate his power. He empowers the persecuted, and lifts up those who have fallen beneath the boots of powerful government.
Social constraints were his specialty: in some parts of ancient Greece (like Athens), women were chattel. They were under the authority of their father, brothers, and later husbands. They had zero power except at certain festival rites, especially those invoking Dionysos. Unlike some other Mystery cults, foreigners and slaves were liberated in rituals which had spirit possession. Outlaws found a home with his Mysteries as well. Dionysos took the marginalized of society and helped them find liberty. Once their spirits tasted liberation, they knew they could never go back to the status quo ever again.
With everything going on in the country right now, I cannot help but see the beauty of Dionysos’ energy in everything. The downtrodden are angry. Marginalized groups are finding solace in their wrath, tearing down a broken system which – for far too long – has kept them beaten under the heels of their masters.
This type of mania is blessed by Dionysos. The ancestral wounds of many folks in this day and age have festered for far too long. This kind of holy delirium has long been overdue, and the murder of George Floyd is the final act of a drawn out fight between the oppressor and the oppressed.
Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, criticized Athenian democracy and frequently was compared by Plato to a gadfly. Just as a gadfly pricked and annoyed, so, too, was Socrates the “prick” for judging the societal conscientiousness of Athens. He was also in touch with his daimon directly without the interference of the Gods in an act called “nympholepsy,” or possession by the nymphs in order to heighten his spiritual awareness. This caused the Athenians to also accuse Socrates of blasphemy and impiety. Socrates was aware of his inner divinity. For this disruption to the natural order in Athens, he was tried and convicted. He was killed by drinking hemlock. Yet it was this criticism which needs to be channeled, and the people of the Old Order must be challenged.
One of the greatest examples of a slaves’ connections to the cult of Dionysos is Spartacus. He was a Thracian gladiator whose revolt against Rome led to him having tens of thousands of followers. Plutarch, the writer and theurgist who dwelt at the Temple of Apollo, wrote that Spartacus’ wife was a prophetess of the God. She was an initiate of the Thracian cult of Dionysos (he had different manifestations of his cult throughout the Greek world). One morning Spartacus woke with a serpent coiled around his head (the Agathos Daimon?). From this omen, his wife stated that he would become great. Her ecstatic trances, combined with popularity of the cult among slaves and the poor, drew crowds to Spartacus’ cause. His victories against the Romans solidified his memory, and Italy was shaken by his revolts.
In the end, I contemplate this revolutionary style of fighting for justice as the spirit of the God being unleashed upon our society to tear down the broken system that we have. It is imperialistic in its spirit and oligarchic in its manifestation. This must be brought to the ground if a new awakening is to occur. The Gods are calling us; they are moving us to find our spirits and free ourselves.
Your ancestors all fought for a variety of reasons. Somewhere in our past, we were all warriors. It is there. And we must ask ourselves during this time of upheaval whether we shall be a part of the Old Order, or the New? Will we allow ourselves to have him possess us in holy mania so that we experience the Oneness of Enlightenment? Or will we remain purposefully blind to our own shackles? You cannot control Dionysos. He will free us from chains and open up the prison doors of our minds. It is his ecstatic glory that will find its way into our spirits, a serpent coiling above our heads.
Choose wisely.
Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle
My book is now available for pre-order, to be released October 8, 2020!
I often get asked about patron deities a lot. Who has chosen me? How do I start? How can I find out my God and Goddess? What do I do once I know? Allow me to delve into this topic a bit more.
Wicca
In the 1950s a religion cropped up which became known as Wicca, although it was simply known as Witchcraft at the time. It was spearheaded by a man by the name of Gerald Gardner. In his writings (and those of later authors), Wicca as a whole had two patron deities: the Horned God and the Goddess. The Horned God is the embodiment of the Sacred Masculine, an archetype consisting of an amalgamation of Pan, Cernunnos, Gwyn ap Nudd, Donn, among others. The Horned God is a God of the Underworld, the sacred hunt, Nature, Sex, and the Wild, the Sun, and sacrifice.
The Goddess is the other half of the Craft’s deities. She is the embodiment of the Sacred Feminine. She is the Lady who is the Triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She is connected to the green earth, the stars, the Moon, fertility, and the sea.
Both the Horned God and the Goddess are viewed as a pair which invoke the power of polarity; that is, as opposites, the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine come together for the purposes of creation, Magic, death, rebirth, and fertility. Wicca is viewed as being duotheistic: only two deities who embody all of the Gods and Goddesses. Some Wiccans take the occultist Dion Fortune’s words literally:
All of the Gods are one God, and all of the Goddesses, and there is but one Initiator.
This imagery has lasted in Traditional Craft for a very long time. It works for some Wiccans. However, I am a polytheist; I believe in the existence of all individual Gods and Goddesses, each with their own story and personality. They exist outside of ourselves, and so therefore I am not a duotheist.
When Traditional Initiatory Wicca spread here in the States from England in the 1960s, many Wiccans began to create their own covens because the demand for initiations and the eagerness of wanting to join a coven outnumbered how many covens actually existed. Many began to find whatever they could and started to “self-initiate” to the Gods. They started their own covens and sacred Traditions. They copied what they could from existing writings written by Wiccan initiates, and started their spiritual path.
However, this Wicca was do-it-yourself, and as a result the oral lore which was passed down in Traditional Initiatory Wicca was missing. DIY Wiccans took hold of the Horned God and the Goddess and insisted (in a way) that their witches individually had a patron God and a patron Goddess.
Side note: Some today use the word “matron” for the Goddess, but this is incorrect. Use patron, which is equally valid for both deities.
The Rise of Polytheism
Many polytheists then and now feel uncomfortable in Wicca, with its seemingly duotheistic philosophies. They yearn to experience connections with more than one deity. This is where I am at.
Early on in my studies I read the books which informed me of the need to pick a God and Goddess. I tried to think of some, and I couldn’t. When I started learning Druidry, the idea of a patron God and Goddess were foreign; other paths I followed didn’t have this duotheistic concept, such as Sicilian-Continental Craft and StrixCraft.
When I became initiated into Alexandrian Wicca (a “denomination” of Wicca, for lack of a better term), I already had Hekate and Dionysos whom I followed. Hekate was my original Goddess, and it just so happened that she led me to Dionysos, with whom I devoted myself to. So the presentation of being encouraged to have a God and Goddess was not necessary for me. That being said, others were exhorted to do so as a fundamental part of their training. But how would they find out? Some just picked a couple at random who they felt made sense. Others just didn’t have them.
Polytheism in Wicca
I am involved in Hellenic Polytheism as well as Wicca. I have also had the privilege to meet other Wiccan polytheists who didn’t follow the dying-and-rising God mythos. The Sabbats – celebration holidays for Wiccans – are dedicated to multiple deities who represented the cycles of Nature during that time. This contrasts with your average Wiccan Sabbat (whether DIY or Trad Craft), where usually Sabbats are routinely dedicated to a specific God or Goddess, or else follow a story of the God and Goddess throughout the year.
For polytheism, rituals have a different meaning. Sabbats can be for any number of deities and daimons. This isn’t limited to Hellenic Polytheism in Wicca mind you. There are Celtic Polytheists, Norse Polytheists, and Germanic Polytheists in Traditional Initiatory Craft who are changing the face of Wicca from being duotheistic to polytheistic. Duotheism may continue to exist on some level since the Horned God and the Goddess may be viewed as the default patron deities of the Craft itself. Individuals, however, may have their own which aren’t limited to two.
Patron Deities
So how do you find out your patron deities? The answer is that you don’t have to know that. Some witches and other spirit workers stick to working with their ancestors and their daimons, not worrying about deities except MAYBE to worship. I say maybe because I know some people who do not acknowledge deities period.
But if you are so inclined, I’d suggest perhaps looking at what you do and who can become a patron that matches your vocation. For example, artists may turn to Athena; doctors and health professionals to Asklepios or Apollo; metal workers to Hephaistos; sailors to Poseidon or Manannan Mac Lyr; and so forth. When in doubt, I also recommend seeking out a competent diviner who will be able to guide you.
However, do not be surprised if more than one deity or daimon calls you to their attention. While now DIY Wicca is more duotheistic in teaching than Traditional Initiatory Craft, one does not need to approach Wicca as merely a gateway to a God and Goddess. If you are drawn to two patrons, there isn’t anything wrong with that, so don’t feel like you need multiple ones as well. I just want you to know that you never need to limit yourself to be called by one or two deities or daimons. Keep in mind that this is an individual journey, and where you walk may ultimately find you journeying with more than two companions.
Devotions
Once you find out who your patrons are, I suggest beginning to worship them. One can do this by simply talking to them. Pray. If you have the space, build a small altar. You can use a flat surface or a cabinet. Light a candle; write your own poetry or hymns; light some incense; print out imagery if you can’t afford a statue; pray. As you research more, I’m sure your imagination will take over and you’ll be able to add stuff as you wish. These are devotional examples which will draw you closer to your deities.
Conclusion
Discovering your patrons is an individual journey. Some people have only one deity. Others have two or more. That’s fine. But don’t feel pressured that you need to have exactly two to reflect the Masculine and the Feminine. For many, this polarity is outdated as more intersex and transgender folks join our Craft and ways. They, too, are on a path and follow it wherever it may lead. Sacred Androgyny is also paramount. Some traditions of the Craft are reflecting these changes in their philosophies and thealogies as it continues to meet the needs of more people. Some continue the polarity schema, but again it isn’t the end all be all. Just be open to your intuition and research as your walk continues. May the blessings of the Gods be with you.
The Azure Flame is an important component of StrixCraft as I teach it. In my forthcoming book, “StrixCraft: Modern Greek Magic for the Modern Witch,” I introduce the Azure Flame to the reader, and it is a vital link between the individual and their Magic. In a previous post I briefly mention the Azure Flame and the link to daimons. Here I will expound on it just a bit more.
Nyx
In StrixCraft, Nyx is First Mother. She is power incarnate. Nyx is the First Oracle. There is a poem we can use to honor Hir*; it was inspired while meditating on Hir one evening. She is dark and beautiful; sequined and crowned with a over a billion blue stars. She is the Source and Dweller of the Original Fire, the seed of the Cosmos. It all begins and ends with Hir.
That being said, the Flame she possesses (and is) is wild, erratic, dangerous, and overpowering. It is the composition of a million billion suns, and from Hir the Cosmic Flames, in its purest form, is the germination of darkness.
The Cosmic Hearth
Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth Fire, took the wild flames of Nature and domesticated the spirits with her presence and power. She is the overseer of the very fire she is also said to dwell in. Hestia’s name means “hearth,” which is the central flame in an oikos (household); it is a kind of fire pit lined by stone or brick where the central activity of the home is done. In many dwellings it is the mantle fireplace.
However, as below, so above:
According to the Pythagorean Mysteries, Hestia was the Goddess of the Central Fire. It is Fire that is the center of the Cosmos, not Earth. Here Hestia reigns, surrounded by 10 celestial bodies – the dark Earth, Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and the Five Classical Planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), along with the sphere of the fixed stars.
Prometheus
In the mythos I teach, humanity was without the power of Fire for a very long time. Fire was a phenomenon belonging to the Gods only. Nyx foresaw the tool of Fire and how beings would use it, both for creation and destruction.
Passing this oracle to the Titans and then the Gods, Zeus felt it was too early to entrust humanity with this power. We were too selfish, greedy, paranoid, and violent. Zeus felt that the Fire would be granted to us when we were ready, if ever.
Prometheus, however, the Titan of Forethought (for that is his name), was convinced otherwise. He, too, saw humanity’s potential with Fire. But rather than keep it hidden, Prometheus – a trickster who sought to outwit Zeus in this game – decided to steal the Fire, feeling that humanity also deserved this power.
Prometheus sought out the Graiai, the first Strix, to discover how he might steal the sacred flame. So it was that under cloak Prometheus journeyed to the Fields of Fennel, took a fennel’s stalk, and then journeyed to the Cosmic Heavens. Here he took blue flame from Hestia’s hearth, and brought it down to Earth. A woman Strix took the flames; she harnessed the star flames, and she was taught by Prometheus how to harness the cooler fires in the Mysteries.
The Azure Flame was born.
The Good Serpent
In StrixCraft, the Azure Flame can manifest as a serpent. As a result, serpents are sacred in our tradition. This was the first presence of the Agathos Daimon (“Good Spirit”), the dominant life force of humanity and their link to the Starry Body. The Azure Flame is alive in its own right, but it is also tethered by the Starry Body to humanity.
The Agathos Daimon – in Strix Craft – is a quickening energy which keeps alive Awareness, Conscience, Behavior, and Forethought. It is also the key to Magic. In fact, in the old Mysteries, how to make fire was our first Magic as a people.
The Azure Flame
It is seated above the crown of the head, incorporating the “crown chakra” and “third eye.” The Azure Flame is the highest energy center, and locks with the Divine. By worshiping the Azure Flame, meditating on it, and working with it in our growth, we awaken new sensations, thoughts, Magics, and experiences. We may use it to create filters, raise energy, open psychic awareness, gain a better hold on our psychic skills, do trance work, perform healings, and seal our Initiations from life to life. The Azure Flame is a powerful tool, and it has much to offer witches who desire to connect with our Strix current.
*Hir is used by some Strix as a way of communicating the gender neutrality of Nyx, being both male, female, and neither.
It has been awhile since I have posted. I have been very busy with life: I am going to school, publishing a book, lecture frequently, and help take care of my family. Nothing is simple. Yet I have felt the need to return to blogging; sharing my thoughts and aspirations. Helping to demonstrate research on various topics. Also, to transmit oracular knowledge to the communities at large. After all, that is my contract with Hekate and Dionysos: serve the community.
School
I decided to go back to school to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Alternative Medicine. What caught my eye were the nutrition classes I had. I believe that is where I should go. I am planning – when I graduate – to go for my Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Nutrition. I feel that is where I belong. With the encouragement of one of my professors, I will also be looking into Herbology. I have a background in Allopathic (read: Western) Medicine. So I have that knowledge to help me make certain decisions on whether some alternative protocols are called for, or allopathic, or both (complementary medicine). This education provides an excellent opportunity for me, and I feel as though I belong.
Lecture
I lecture frequently at a local Unity church along with making videos and being interviewed by various folks. In upcoming posts, I will link to the videos and see what your feedback is. The way the lecturing works is this: I am part of a interfaith rotation of speakers. We are all given abstract themes (e.g. forgiveness, darkness, faith, etc.), and we can talk about it from our points of view both individually and what our various religious beliefs have to say. Suffice it to say, as a witch I am the odd one out. I do my best to deliver snippets of what I believe in accordance from my faith. However, as in all things Neopagan and witchy, there is no popedom and we are not orthodox. Therefore, only I can speak for myself. I use that disclaimer a lot before I lecture. I also, while at it, oracle people who need healing or prayers for something. As an oracle (not a psychic), I find these opportunities a welcome breath that sets me apart from others.
Book
I’d like to inform you all that I am having a book published via Llewellyn Publications. The title is “StrixCraft: Ancient Greek Magic for the Modern Witch.” I am really excited with this project. It’s been a year and a half in the works. Writing a book is never simple. The editing process is a pain, and the words you want to say almost never come out of right. Thank heavens for editors. The book can be preordered, as it is released on October 8th of this year, 2020. The link is below.
Thank you dear readers for having patience with me as I have not blogged in quite some time. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will work on doing so regularly. There is so much to talk about. Thank you again.
The Cave of Oracle 