Tipping Points

Sorry, but I have been away to take my wife to Houston, Texas for surgery on her aortic aneurysm.
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While away, I began to take note of the many Tipping Points being reached around the  globe.

No one listened to what I or anyone else said regarding safe Candu nuclear reactors and now we have had a major meltdown in Japan. Nuclear Power has reached a Tipping Point and may never recover.

Not enough folks listened to me or anyone else when talking about Global Warming. Years back the consensus of a group of respected scientists, was documented as a list to warn of the Tipping Points for Global Warming. The list includes a year with no summer, then floods, drought, and extreme storms. I have added to the list, earthquakes related to High Tides and eruptions of island volcanoes as the earth's plates move under the pressure of Higher High Tides.

Well, we have had two years without a summer in many parts of Central Canada and the North Central United States, island based Volcanoes erupt frequently these days, there is flooding from Central Canada to New Orleans, Mega Tornadoes are striking communities across the country nearly every month, we have Mega Hurricanes and Drought in the Southwest and Texas has reached epic proportions as wildfires rage across grassland and forest.

Friends, it is not going to get any better! We as a people took no steps to avoid this catastrophe and we are harming the world and it's ecosphere every day. Another way to say it is: Humankind has been fracking Mother Nature for a long time. Gaia has reached her Tipping Point and the living earth is changing as a result of our global stupidity. As the earth and it's weather continues to change it will become a less hospitable place for humanity. Many will die!

Our politicians who have sold their votes to corporate interests and who are working to strip us of unions, the right to work, retirements, women's rights, minority rights and so on are against cleaning up our planet and going green because it would rock the boat of those who bought the votes! So, nothing has been or will be done.

Now the easy oil is gone. As each day goes by, oil wells are being dug in more high risk areas, meanwhile, fracking for shale oil is destroying ground water across North America and Canadian oil sands are an environmental nightmare. With the anti-American Muslim Brotherhood taking control of the oil rich nations our supply of middle east oil is in great jeopardy. We have so many alternatives to oil and yet we ignore them and give enormous tax breaks to those who rape the earth for the black gold.

Well folks, the world has Tipped the Hourglass and the sands of time are running out. How much time do we have, I can't say. But I can say, that I am on my way to a place that doesn't have drought, doesn't have island volcanoes, tornadoes, or  hurricanes, and rarely has an earthquake or floods.

This location has a large Wiccan/Pagan/Witch population and is reasonably close to my family. So, I guess you could say that I have found a new home and I am working my arse off to find a new assignment there and get moved. I am looking forward to building a safe harbour for all Wiccans, my family and my Circle.

I recommend that you take similar action and prepare for the changes and dangers to come. I am not saying that this is the end of life as we know it, but I am greatly concerned by the obvious changes taking place which I can see and I don't need a politician or a preacher to tell me about it!

The Tipping Point has silently slipped past us and the Hourglass of Time is running with sand.

Will you finally get up and do something or will you simply do nothing and ultimately go quietly in the night?

I only ask you to think about it my friends!

This is The Way of The Witch.

Brightest Blessings,
Stormy)O(

Common Cause Magick

I enjoy the practice of what I call Common Cause Magick. While this form of Magick is extremely rewarding for me, most people are not familiar with this practice.

In Common Cause Witchcraft a spell is written to address an issue of importance to many people. Then the outreach and coordination with Witches around the world begins. When complete, a date and time is set and Witches around the globe perform the same basic spell at the same time.

Each Circle or Coven is free to adjust the spell to fit their traditions but the intent and the visualizations are the same.

When the BP oil was gushing into the Gulf of Mexico I spellcrafted a spell which was performed at numerous locations around the globe at 12:00 noon Central Time. The spell was cast the Sunday before the flow of oil was stopped. Common Cause Magick works!

I invite you to join a few Wiccan/Pagan/Witchcraft groups and work with them on performing this type of Magick for the Common Good.

Please feel free to send me your questions or comments.

This is the way of the Witch!

Brightest Blessings,

Stormy)O(

Gaia's Garden & Our Economy

The Gods created a system which turns stardust into solar systems and causes life to evolve wherever conditions are right. We call this good earth, Gaia's Garden. The Goddess Gaia is otherwise known as Mother Nature.

As Mr. Spock might say "It is not logical for a people to poison their world for money, while causing mass extinctions." I believe that we who walk the old ways and honour the Rede must strive to Do No Harm to Gaia's Garden.

On these pages I have proposed alternative fuel sources such as Sweet Sorghum butanol which would provide both food (grain) and fuel (butanol) while it cleans our air of excess CO2, provides income to American farmers, makes middle eastern oils a "So What" anecdote in our history, creates jobs and keeps the money in America where it belongs.

Unfortunately for us all, "We The People" fell for the Republican Rope-A-Dope. This yielded a "Contract On The Middle Class of America". The Republicans have gutted the efforts to find alternative fuels by cutting funds for it's development. You see, The Congress of Fools that we have elected has been sold to the highest bidders and big business is running America via the Republican Agenda.

Vice President Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens have been made the brunt of many Republican jokes and have been, to a large extent, pushed aside. Meanwhile, the US is involved in 3 major wars and several smaller wars in the middle east and for which we are paying a hellish price as we bleed jobs to foreign shores.

However, every once in a while a game changer comes along. I am referring to a vehicle available today. This is not some laboratory concept but an actual vehicle on the road in America and around the world today which gets 84 mpg! It's called the Auto Moto and it is a three wheeled semi-enclosed 2 passenger motor scooter. And it is priced at around $3,800.00.

Please check out this link in the links column on the right side of the blog
http://www.theautomoto.com/
and then this video:
http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0oG7l994JdNAHMA1CtXNyoA?ei=UTF-8&p=Xingyue%20Vogue&rd=pref&fr2=tab-web&fr=yfp-t-701

This version is 150cc and is not freeway legal but sure has a place on America's streets. If you want a fun vehicle for pleasure, errands, commuting or for students, which won't kill the planet or your wallet it's here NOW!

There is a rumoured 260cc version with a top speed of 80 mph which will provide 70 mpg and will be freeway legal. I have spoken to Auto Moto and have confirmed that the larger version IS in the works. I am already on the waiting list!!!!

In my house we plan on keeping the VW New Beetle and the Scion but will use the Auto Moto for every day commuting and shopping.

We drive reasonable mpg vehicles, have a vegetable Garden, we have energy efficient lighting, heating & cooling at home, we recycle and buy organic and eco-friendly foods and products. We are doing what we can to protect Gaia's Garden in all that we do.

What are your intentions? Will you join us and help us restore our environment and economy?

Big business is blind to their impact on us all. Their focus is limited to profits and they will, and are, selling their souls and our future in the process.

Please act before it is too late.

Brightest Blessings,

Stormy)O(

New Witch Wiccan Training

I do hope that your Ostara was wondrous and  Magickal!

I have volunteered to provide free Wicca training for new Witches.

I am beginning to receive requests in response to my posting. It seems that I end up repeating the explanation of the "Whats and the Hows". So, I thought that I would speak to this topic here in Wiccan Wynd - The Way of The Witch.

AGE:
I ask all of my students to tell me their age. If they are under 18 years of age, I need to know if there is parental approval for this training. I also will not provide training to anyone under 16 years of age. (This will change after my retirement from my mundane working life as I will be involved with Spiral Scouts and I will expand my teaching at that time.)

PREREQUISITE READING:
I ask that all of my students purchase and read two books before we start the training, namely:

The Wiccan Way by HPS Sally Morningstar

A Year of Ritual by Sandra Kynes

These books provide a solid foundation for questions and exploration. As I will not teach a student Witch unless they will honour the Rede, I need to know that the potential student has read and understands the Rede such that we can have meaningful discussions. The Wican Way is a wonderful book for the new Witch as it is an amazing overview of Wicca. A Year of Ritual provides a deeper immersion into Rituals around the Wheel of the Year. I have provided links on this Blog to the web sites of these two wonderfully Magickal authors.

LENGTH OF TRAINING:
I am often asked "How long is the Training?" I answer " A Year and a Day" but then am asked "How long is that?" In the time before people were forced into Christianity by the conquests of Rome, a year was 13 moons (months) of 28 days each for 364 days. When it was discovered that the Year needed to be 365 days a "Day Out of Time" was added. This 365 day calendar was then known as "A Year and a Day"

TRADITION:
My teaching covers most traditions at a depth which will allow the student to determine and develop their own Tradition as their Book of Shadows is completed.

DEITIES:
My students will study Deities from around the Globe and from every Tradition.

OTHER TOPICS INCLUDED:
Candle Magick, Herbalism, Green Witchery, Kitchen Witchery, Spell Crafting, Rites and Blessings, Ethics of The Wiccan Witch, Astral Travel, Spirits and Guardians, The Elements Esbats, Runes, Tarot, Shielding and Visualization.

GOAL:
After completion of this training the Witch will have documented their individual Book of Shadows describing their Tradition and their version of Wicca well as coverage of everything listed above and much, much more.

Please do let me know if there are questions.

These are The Ways of The Witch...

Brightest Blessings,

Stormy)O(

A Congress of Fools

The Rede says in part "Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give....These eight words the Rede fulfill: An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will."

Question: Just how many clowns does it take to control a Congress? Answer: A Simple Majority!

As Wiccans and as citizens of a Democratic Republic, we deserve a Government which performs it's business in such a fashion that they Fairly Take and Fairly Give and Harm None in the process.

Let me talk from personal experience about what our Congress of Fools has done to the Medical Insurance in this country. As a preface, let me first tell you that I work for a major US manufacturing firm in a salaried professional capacity. My employer provides what I like to refer to as Double Cross - Purple Shaft. My medical insurance is but an example of what has been called Obama Care by the Simple Majority who helped craft it, in our Congress of Fools.

In my case I have seen these results from the improved version of medical insurance:
Cost for Chiropractor or Specialist + 100%
Cost for medications + 45%
Costs for Doctor Visit + 33%
Deductible Costs + 20%
Insurance Premium + 33%
Covered Costs - 10% (Now paid for by patient)
Additionally, waits in queue for surgery (5 to 6 weeks for Thoracic Aorta Aneurysm)

Basically, we are talking about paying much more for less!

I believe that there is an agenda being fulfilled by the Simple Majority in a Contract on America's Middle Class.

We see in the news every day what the Party Members of our Simple Majority are doing to our Rights to Organize Labour Unions, to Teachers, to the unemployed, to women's rights, to discrimination against gays/lesbians, to our environment, to paying corporations with huge tax breaks to ship American jobs over seas, to delay the transition to clean energy & fuels to prop up the oil and coal industries making us dependent on foreign oil and endangered by related terrorism and ever rising costs for gasoline. Now to continue the Contract on America's Middle Class we will be forced to go broke trying to pay our medical bills while the millionaires don't even need to worry about paying income taxes.

Need I remind you that it was the party of the Simple Majority who lied to us and wrongly invaded a sovereign nation for revenge, oil and profits and created the national debt which has crippled our economy.

In all of the above, there is a common denominator, the Simple Majority is making sure that the Middle Class is paying the bills while corporate profits skyrocket.

So I ask you, Is our government and the Congress of Fools Fairly Taking and Fairly Giving and are they Doing No Harm?

But to be fair, we are but a Simple People who deserve a Simple Majority because We The People voted them to our well deserved Congress of Fools.

These are the Ways of the Witch... 

Brighest Blessings,
Stormy)O(

Ostara - The Promise of Spring

According to Sandra Kynes, author of A Year of Ritual, in the old days of Wales, Ostara was called Lady Day and celebrated the return of the Goddess after her winter hibernation. Like the avalanche lilies on Mt. Rainier, which magically appear in all their glory as the snows melt around them. So too the Goddess waits for us as Spring returns, we just need to seek her out.

How does one reach out to the Goddess? You have to find a way to tune out everything and everyone for a short time while you stop the madness, which we call modern life. Turn off the phone, the television and the computer! If possible go to the beach, the forest or the mountain. Get away from the noise, the hustle and the stress. You just need to find a way to stop and be still. Then ground and focus on your Goddess.

You'll know you’re ready when you can hear your heart beating. You are calm and the noise is gone.

I prefer to relax on Mt. Rainier or Baker's Beach in San Francisco or along a beautiful stream or in a forest cabin while I prepare to commune with my Goddess. Once I am calm, centered and focused it's a simple matter of reaching out to The Lady.

There is a trail from Paradise Lodge to Mt. Rainier, which I like to visualize. I come over a rise, there is a rocky outcrop on the right where marmots like to bask in the sun. I feel the warmth of a brilliant spring sun on my back. The marmots scurry away as I walk by. There on the left of the trail is a dark haired beauty who quietly watches my approach. As I near the Lady I am drawn to her eyes. Her eyes are constantly changing shape and colour reflecting every race on the planet. As we talk, I become accustomed to the changes. Stellar Jays interrupt our discussions chasing squirrels from their perch. The Lady is loving, warm and comforting as she answers my questions and provides guidance. The spring breeze brings the heady scent of avalanche lilies. It's absolutely glorious to be in intimate contact with my deity. Two marmots make a raucous noise over a warm place to soak up the sun. I look over my shoulder to see what the noise is all about. When I look back The Lady is gone.

I am warm and serene as I hike back down the trail towards the Lodge at Paradise. I am happy that there is plenty of time on the trail to relive my discussions with The Goddess and try to make sense of what I have learned.

I actually met The Lady at this spot once and it is the remembrance of this visitation, which is the method I use to reach out to her anytime I like. You can try a similar technique based on a favourite place of your own. It helps if you can practice going to your magick place so that you can easily return anytime you like.

This Ostara remember that we have left the darkness of Winter and have returned to the light of Spring. Remember too the promise of Spring and make the most of that promise given to us in Perfect Love and in Perfect Trust. Enjoy the light and life of the day and embrace the promise of the harvests to come. This is a day to show The Goddess your love for her.

This is The Way of The Witch.

Brightest Blessings,
Stormy)O(

A Time to Refocus and Start Fresh!

Wow, time has flown since I have posted on these pages.

I had open heart surgery and have been focused elsewhere since.

I am opening this Blog to folks outside the confines of our Circle.

I will be bringing what I like to call “The Way of The Wiccan Witch” to the forefront of these pages.

Please feel free to post questions, thoughts or topics for discussions.

In The Witchy World we often use the expression “A Year and Day”. I have seen published books in bookstores whose authors did not know what this means or from where it comes. So let’s start here!

In the Pagan world, of Western Europe, the folks were part of an agrarian society. They farmed, and gathered wild herbs, fruits, nuts and vegetables. They raised animals, hunted and fished. Fuel for heating and cooking was gathered and chopped and consisted mainly of wood and peat.

These people where directly connected to the seasons of the year because it meant their survival. They had to know when to plant, when to gather, when to hunt, when the fish would run and so on.

In their calendar there were 13 moons or months, each consisting of 28 days. This provided a year of 364 days. When it was discovered that a day needed to be added to better track the seasons a “Day out of Time” was added to develop the 365-day calendar.

So, when a Handfasting occurred, the couple would live together for “A Year and a Day”. If all went as hoped then they were wed. If things did not work out a Handparting was performed and there was no harm or foul.

Whether Wiccan or Pagan, a Witch’s training takes place over the course of A Year and a Day.

This is the way of the Witch.

Stormy)O(