Merry Christma-Hanu-Rama-Solsti-Kwanzakkah! Um, Happy Festivous?

Today is an American Sabbat. Whether you celebrate the religious Christian aspect of it or not, today is definitely a holiday. Banks are closed, doesn't that automatically make it a holiday?

So, as an American Sabbat, here is what I perceive Christmas is all about: family, multicultural foods, and commerce.

Family: Everywhere you go, you are offered wishes for "you and yours." At the holidays, you start to hear names of peoples' family members that you never hear mentioned the rest of the year. And this is the most expensive and hectic travel time of the year, yet bazillions of people still make the pilgrimage to see family they may not have seen all year...or for years and years. Lots of forgiveness happens at this time of year in families. AND, sometimes familes choose to utilize this time of year to re-up their negative patterns as well. Nevertheless, however we choose to engage with our families, this is the time of year to do it.

Multicultural foods: At this time of the year, the diverse palate of this nation really shines. I wander down the aisles of any kind of market, big or small, and see delicacies that I never see the rest of the year: plum puddings and stollens and tamales (well, OK, you can get those anytime, but they are really big right now), and sausages of exotic provenance- many of the blood variety. We truly get to see how varied the tastes are among the different cultures that live here. Even as you read this, my family in New York is enjoying pierogies, a Polish dumpling stuffed with little sweet and savory morsels. Each year we get them from St. John's Church, frozen by the dozen. A club of Polish ladies in the church makes them as a fundraiser- about 17,000 of them. It must be an exceedingly lucrative fundraiser. Of course, you have to be picky about your labor. My dad says you have to have the right kind of thumbs to be able to make pierogies- the short and stubby thumbs of Polish women are the only ones that will do the job correctly. My mom says she'll save some in the deep freeze for when I come visit in January. I hope my dad doesn't find them. I told her to mark them "green beans."

Commerce: OK, I have one thing to say here - Christmas is a better stimulus for the economy than any bailout. The sheer shopping-ness of this holiday helps many businesses stay open througout the rest of the year. I saw an article in a newspaper (can't remember which one) that was talking about how this year, due to budgetary constraints, people really wanted to give gifts that were personal and had meaning. Something that maybe cost little but meant a lot. You know what that translated into? Good business for small businesses like ours. Sure, we feel the pinch right now like everyone else, but peoples' committment to meaningful gifts this year drove a lot of traffic through our doors. And we were really happy to oblige with some awesome, handmade, local, unique, and inspiring items. It was fun to help people find that perfect thing on a budget of any size. It was a blessing to see how many people are starting to turn their families and loved ones on to the crystal and stone magic, the tarot cards, and other tools for spiritual work. A Sabbat of commerce, and one that is good for the little guys like us.

So ya know what? These are things to feel good about. They make up an American Sabbat that I can get behind. They are small tokens of esteem for a nation that, despite hardship, is working things out. Whether you're Christian or pagan or anything else, think about the lines from this extremely pagan-sounding carol, from our family at The Sacred Well to yours:

"Through the years we all will be together
if the Fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
and have yourself a Merry little Christmas now."

His name is Theron - a true story experienced by Rha

His name is Theron. In a city where homeless and pan handling is as common as the trash which decorates the streets, he is a soul that often gets over looked and blends into the backdrop of the city. From the time I exited the Powell Bart station the cries and solicitation for change bombarded my ears. I pretended not to hear the pleas for spare change and when they were in my line of sight I turned my head to avoid making contact. I’m a generous person but for some reason I was not compelled to aid any of these souls who populated the streets with near empty cups weighted down by only a few coins. I sympathized with their struggle but felt no desire to help their situation. I kept moving. I was trying to get to Rassella’s in time to see my friend and her Jazz class perform.

I arrived early. I sat quietly at the bar with a black journal filled with my poetry/rhymes and abstract illustrations which have become my signature style. A glass of Anchor Steam Beer and a shot of whiskey with no ice accompanied me as I silently let the black ink of my pen find paths on the blank white page illuminated by the dimly lit atmosphere of the bar. My friend hadn’t expected anyone to show up and was pleasantly surprised to see me sitting at the bar as she rolled in with her classmates. She was even more surprised when my cousin and his finance arrived to support her too. The concert was cool. The class performed Stevie Wonder jams. Everyone loves Stevie!

After the performance I went to the Safeway parking lot and smoked with my home girl and 2 of her friends who I met for the first time that night. We felt close as if we have been homies for years. I commented on how good it felt that I was able to share this time and space with them and how scenes like this are what people go to the movies to see or open books to read. We we’re living what I felt was a scene from a movie only this was no movie. It was a beautiful moment happening in the Now. As I expressed how grateful I was to be a part of it we headed back to Rassella’s. I was in the back of the group and when I turned the corner I heard a voice coming from the street asking for change. This time I heard and listened. I stopped as my companions headed back to the spot. It was at this moment where I felt like I was guided and no longer had control over what was happening to me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocket notebook which serves as my wallet and turned to the page where my money was. There were a bunch of 1 dollar bills but my fingers reached for the five and placed it in his cup.

His eyes lit up and a sound of appreciation and amazement escaped his lips. He stood up and took a few seconds trying to figure out how to express what he was feeling. I could see him searching for words or a response to accurately show his appreciation until he said “thank you” and “God bless you.” I walked towards him and said he was welcome and that “the Universe wants me to tell you that you are loved. You are supported and loved brother.” His eyes opened and the windows into his soul was revealed. I hugged him in a deep embrace and reassured him that he was loved and I placed my hand on his heart to remind him. I asked him his name and he said Theron. I told him that I would not forget him. I told him my name and when I heard him say “Rha” over and over with that glow in his face I felt that sensation of feeling at one with all existence. In his face I saw my reflection, in his face I saw the reflection of my younger brother Tavon and I saw the reflection of that Supreme Being that many call God. We embraced for a while and had a silent communication. Giving and receiving became One. Stranger and friend became One. He and I became One.

When I walked away I felt my spirit slowly trying to integrate back into my body. I was exhausted and my heart was beating fiercely. My hands were shaking. One of the girls walked to me and held my hand. I didn’t recognize her at first because I was still out of body. When I got back to Rassella’s I stood quietly to myself trying to process what just happened. My eyes started to tear as the live music and lounge atmosphere dissolved around me. When we left the joint Theron was gone. At least we thought so until we turned the corner and he was sitting on a bench eating a Subway sandwich. He wasn’t a junkie or trying to get boozes. This brother was just trying to eat. He stood up again and we embraced again. As we parted he said my name over and over with nodding head movements of approval and gratitude. I was grateful to him because I received more from that encounter than the $5 bill I presented him with. Life is amazing. All is full of Love.

Rha

11.17.08

A PR Perfecta Trifecta

Today was a great triple play of PR for The Sacred Well, Rabbit, and Come As You Are Coven. We were all mentioned in a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, here.

I think the reporter, Susan Fornoff, did a great job of capturing the twisting, diverse threads of the pagan mythos in an easy-to-digest format. She weft a web of info that demonstrated both the deep magic and the wry humor of the pagan community. I also appreciated that there was no mention of, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" in this article. That question gets old. Molly Blue Dawn offers my favorite quip, "I am an excellent witch."

Seriously, many thanks to Susan and to the staff and editors of The San Francisco Chronicle for offering the local pagan community such a wonderful opportunity to advance the cultural consciousness around Earth-based traditions.

Praise And Respect

Praise and respect to all my blood ancestors,
my four deceased grandparents...

Praise and respect to my grandfather George,
the sensitive one with the artful precise eye
and the seashell collection...

Praise and respect to my grandmother Libby,
a warrior spirit and careerwoman,
with a commanding presence...

Praise and respect to my grandfather Lester,
a private feeler who put on a happy face for his family
and impressed his only grandson by tying him into a pretzel
and pulling quarters out of his nose...

Praise and respect to my grandmother Harriet,
oldest of 3 daughters who lost their father as children,
with the quickest mind and most voracious appetite for knowledge,
who taught me inquisitiveness and serves as a spiritual touchstone:
Barry, scribe of Harriet...

Praise and respect to the other ancestors in Africa, India, Australia...
the astrologers, seers and speakers of truth...
the sensitive men and overweight lesbians...
trailblazers, drug-takers and witch doctors who instilled in me powers I still don't understand...
to the writers, poets, thinkers and goofy oddballs,
some who were tortured, beheaded or imprisoned for talking too much of the right things at the right times...

I hope to connect with you,
and repay you with my gratitude for making who I am and what I do possible...
by doing it to the best of my ability at any given time
and making you proud of me...

... in praise and respect.

-astrobarry

Election Day Spell

Election Day Spell by Iris and Rabbit

We aren’t going to try to tell you what to choose on Election Day. We hope we don’t need to :)

Instead, we have written a spell that creates intention for the best possible outcome in all initiatives, and the highest possible good for this country, state, county, and city. You may want to use this spell with a seven-day candle, and start it on Tues the 28th, the new moon. Or you may decide to do this spell with a three- or one-day candle, leading up to Election Day. We invite you to snag this and post it on your blog/list/chat as well. Please remember to include a link to this blog, if you don’t mind. And feel free to adapt and add your own magic as well.

You will need:
-a seven-, three-, or one-day blue candle
-a High John the Conqueror root
-a cinnamon stick
-a Justice tarot card from your deck…
…or else a 3 of Diamonds (the hard worker) from a regular deck
-a sample ballot (this is usually available for free at most public libraries and post offices, or you might check your local government website)
-a dollar bill
-a piece of string
-cinnamon, lemon, frankincense, and/or dragon’s blood oils (optional)
-frankincense tears and a charcoal, or else frankincense incense
-a pen

Begin by lighting the incense. Pass the dollar bill through the smoke three times. Then, write on the dollar bill, “This does not determine my vote.” Wrap the bill around the cinnamon stick and tie it with the string, in 9 knots. This will ensure that our voting process is neither bought nor swindled for monetary purposes by any representative of any party or constituency. Keep this bundle near the candle as it’s going.

Fill out the sample ballot with your choices of votes. Think carefully about each vote you place, and after you place your check mark, say out loud, ‘So mote it be.”

When you have finished filling out your sample ballot, place it on your altar. On top of it, place the Justice card or 3 of Diamonds. On top of that, place the candle.

Light the candle, and then anoint your High John the Conqueror root with the oil mixture, or else pass it through the candle flame three times. (Please don’t do both, because the oils are flammable.) Set it on top of the ballot at the base of the candle.

Chant the following daily until Election Day (or make up a suitable chant of your own.)
“By the power of three times three
As I do will, so mote it be,
With good toward all and harm to none
Civic duty will be done.
Transformation, both great and small
With liberty and justice for all.”

On Election Day, take your sample ballot with you to the polls and copy your votes from it. Touch it to whatever paper or screen where you vote to transfer the power of your intention. Tap the table, booth, or floor three times before you leave to seal the deal.

Blessed be!

Jenny's SW art opening

Oh, Yeah... The Money Corner

I hadn’t noticed when the money corner of the store began to pile up with boxes and other crap.

It was only when Iris and I began to grid the store with four vials of alchemical Sacred Salt mix (made my friend Ben Commons, a Santa Barbara-based astrologer, alchemist & energy worker)—and realized we couldn’t reach that last far corner—that we discovered our feng shui gaffe.

Iris, bless her heart, proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes cleaning out our money corner. (She even found broken glass and a long-displaced food container in those hinterlands.) Thank you, Iris, as always.

Store gridded with the salt mix, money corner cleared and rededicated... the next two days were FANTASTIC saleswise.

That first day after the clearing, we even sold that amazing specimen-quality celestite cluster (a big ticket item, to be sure) within only a week of putting it out. I just picked it up at the Denver mineral show I attended last month, and had never seen a celestite cluster quite like it.

Needless to say, it’s only one of MANY goodies I found...