Justification by Conflation

 I posed the following request on the Facebook group:

We celebrate Diana's feast on the ides of August (13 - 15). There is evidence in the historical record of this observance- the festival of Diana Nemorensis. I've seen others celebrate this date as Hecate's feast. Why? We celebrate Hecate's feast in November. With no sarcasm intended, will someone please refer me to evidence in the historical record of the ides of August being celebrated as Hecate's feast? I would like to have actual references. Thanks!

I also sent the request to a friend who is celebrating a feast of Hekate on the ides of August, and his response was a Sorita d'este video on the justification for the idea of celebrating Hekate on that date.

In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVGjZwSgP5Q)  she talks almost exclusively about the Italian Nemoralia and says that since Diana, Artemis and Hekate had similar attributes she assumes that one may also honor Hekate on this date. This video is justification by conflation. Sorita assumes that because Hekate and Diana share attributes that it's ok to call it a festival of Hekate when it's actually a festival of Diana. But then she goes on to say that each deity is distinct... So how can this be justified?

You don't call on the Maiden at a festival of the Crone. You don't call the Mother at the festival of the Maiden. We call Diana, Hecate and Proserpine, but not interchangeably- each has different aspects and a different function. Each has their own festival and their own place in the cycle of the year. In my Nemoralia celebration a token is given to Hekate and to Proserpine, but the focus is on Diana. Just as at the feast of Hekate, Proserpine and Diana are given tokens and at the feast of Proserpine, Diana and Hekate are recognized. Again, the focus stays where it should be.

Conflation and assumption that Italic practices are all Greek in origin are two of my biggest pet-peeves. The Nemoralia is a pre-Roman Italic festival, not a Greek festival. It is tied to the location. It's not like every lake in Italy or Greece was circled by women who left offerings. It's a festival of place. The only reason the date was later adopted at Rome was political- Aricia was a competitor politically and financially.

Sorita also assumes that the torches are the main aspect of the festival and that because Hecate is depicted with torches that this is justification for her to be celebrated as well. The torches were not the focus of this festival, the torches were the means by which people left the city and went to the lake at night. The offerings were mostly votive or perishable in nature. There is no evidence that anything was floated on the lake until Nero put a ship on it. 

If there is historical evidence of Hekate being celebrated on this date, I'd be glad to know it. So far, I have seen no evidence that this was ever an historical practice- not in the Chaldean Oracles, or even the Hellenic recon calendars. The closest is the _monthly_ honoring or kourotrophos on the 16th, which was done every month, not just in August. 

This video really struck a nerve with me. It's rare enough to have a pre-Roman Italic feast make it past Roman syncretism and Greek syncretism, but again as this is a Festival specific to a place, it is not Greek in origin or Roman in origin. And here comes someone who ignores all but one aspect of Hekate, ignores her historical times of worship, has said Hekate is all the Goddess you need, and then proceeds to interject Her where She never was in the first place.

I am more than willing to say "I'm wrong, thanks for the info." I love new info, especially when it broadens my understanding, not only when it matches my currently held beliefs. I don't think people believe that others are capable of this. I'm a Libra who loves debate, who loves to learn. If you have facts, please present them!

The best source of fact based information I have seen about this feast is Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia. I've talked about it on the blog before. It's expensive, but google books has a nice preview of it.

Twelfth Night, or What you Will

Yes! More Shakespeare! This one involves more of the cross dressing, gender swapping, servant mischief, weddings, parties, and fun that we've come to expect from Edward DeVere's comedies. The story was based in part on an Italian tale, Ingannati (The Deceived/The Deception). The Italian play was hosted on the last day of Carnival in February, 1532. And here's where we get back into our year long theme of how calendars are much more fluid than we like to believe, or at least were more fluid than they are today! Speaking of fluid, this blog entry is not; It looks like I'll be jumping back and forth. I hope you can keep up with my bizarre train of thought because we'll be switching tracks often!

The debate about the birthday of baby Jesus includes January 6th as a potential date, 12 nights after the old solstice night of December 25th. The "epiphany" is said to refer to the birth of Jesus.

I've posted before about the feast of Lucia on December 13th being the 12 days before old solstice. December 25th was the old solstice date. Thanks to earth's strange tilt and wobble action on its axis, past and present astronomical timing varies. Thanks to the many varied changes in the calendar system, things are much further off than in ancient days! AKA: Ow, headache looking at the old and new calendars and the changes they went through!

Januarius was not always the first month of the year. Earlier it had begun, perhaps more sensibly, in March (Martius) with the onset of Spring. Januarius and Februarius were added by Numa Pompilius, one of Rome's kings in the pre-Republic days. He also moved the beginning of the year to Januarius and set the number of days equal to 29 because Romans considered odd numbers lucky. Notice that all of the festivals are held on odd-numbered days. Centuries later Julius Caesar set the length to 31, as well as adding days elsewhere to fix the problem of the months no longer corresponding to the seasons, a result of the fact that the Roman year was shorter than the actual solar year. 

So we have: A festival of the divine midwife 12 days before old solstice, the current celebration of the old solstice as birthday and a celebration 12 days after the old solstice. One month after that, we have the Parentalia Novindialia, a nine day festival honoring ancestors and Lares. The Celts had the Imbolc festival where we once again find a maiden wearing a crown of candles. The church then baptized the festival and called it candlemas. There's also a whole host of other Italian festivals throughout the remainder of January, including the Compitalia which moved every year, between December and January and was thought to be part of the continuation of the Saturnalia feast. And don't forget La Befana! The elder woman who brings gifts at the hearth for the children! I still believe her to be an aspect of Vesta or the Elder midwife, whereas Lucina is the younger aspect, She is the elder, sort of a reversal from Saturn's Old Man Winter and transformation into Baby New Year. I've never liked the story about "the wise men" asking La Befa for directions. Why? Men never ask for directions! ;) La Befana might well be derrived from L'epifania, the epiphany. Is She the personification of Light born into the world? Another case of the Man bringing down and covering up the Matriarchy? Turning Her into a crone who is forever chasing after the men? Yes! I knew I could work a conspiracy theory into this!

Just some fun confusion when trying to untangle the thread of past practices and their influence on what we do today. I find it interesting that Twelfth Night was first performed on what is considered the end of the carnival season which started on Hallow's Eve and ends with Candlemas. There was a superstition that your decorations had to be taken down by February 2nd. That has been changed to taken down on January 6th. I personally play it close to the later and take it down before the Festival of Janus on January 9th. Can't exactly make with the new year when you have decorations up for the old year.

Speaking of New Year... January was NOT the start of the year, it used to be March! We started, back in the day, with Spring and Mars, the Ram, as the dawn of the new year. However, the Roman calendar was shorter than the actual path of the earth around the sun, and so January and February were added to the calendar and January made the start of the year with honors due him, then to Februus, the month of cleansing, and then we came to March and the proper start of the year, or at least the start of the military campaign season. There's another example of the old calendar no longer matching up thanks to the tilt-a-whirl of a planet we're on: The Precession of the equinoxes! The Ram hasn't been on the horizon in 2,000 years. It's been the fish!

Let's add the next layer! Carnival! ok, wait lets not and say we didn't. Between all of this calendrical fun and my continued reading of Macrobius, I'm getting a thick headache. I have, however, been given a ritual for the new year. I've been contemplating which date to do it: Should it be on the first? On the 9th, which is the festival of Janus and the Full Moon? Both? ;)

The ritual involves the icon of Janus as the joining of Diana and Apollo. An ancient scholar, Nigidius, was a senator who was also "a Pythagorean and a Mage," is quoted by Macrobius as assuring us that Diana = Jana and Janus = Apollo, or Dianus with Apollo being an imported name and Dianus being a local name. This was the topic of one of my early posts, I just didn't have Macrobius and Nigidius on hand to back me up ;)

To review: Janus and Jana were most often spelled as Iana and Ianus. The names Jupiter and Juno were the same as well: Iuno and Iupiter. (Was it just easier to chisel an I than a J or was the J not in the Italic alphabet?)

The word "of" is rendered many different ways in Italian, including d'

Why is that interesting? Because now we have D'Iana and D'Ianus, or, Diana and Dianus.

This means that the symbolism of Janus is the creation of the universe. Diana divided Herself and created her brother. The Deus Biceps represents that moment of creation. That is why Janus is honored at all beginnings. Last night I said that Janus is potential energy itself. I will refine that: The symbolism represents Beginnings, both primal and mundane- the move from chaos to order, the original begetting of creation. For the kabalists out there, I'd say it represents the moment when Keter splits into Binah and Chokmah. Keter also has the title: The Primordial point. So am I rockin with the spheres now? Must ask the Evil Twin- it might be time to finish our Muppet Tree of Life! Ha!

Sincere apologies for switching tracks tonight. Looks like last night's post on Janus wasn't complete. I'm still not done with Macrobius, you'll be seeing more from there. Let's close with some famous words from Twelfth Night:

But be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Let's make it a Great year!

Happy Birthday, (insert Solar Diety here)!

"It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnized on that day."

- -Bishop Bar-Salibi, 1150's

I promised a post about Dies Natalis Solis Invicti so here it is!

This is a cult from the later days of the Roman Empire. There are arguments about which deities from which regions were conflated into the figure of Sol, including Helios, Apollo, Mithras, El-Gabal and Jupiter.  Jesus was even given the title "Sun of Justice" in the early days. Sol Invictus was paired with a Eagle who acted as a psychopomp to unite souls with Sol. Not surprising as the eagle is associated with several father figure deities.

Constantine, allegedly the first emperor to convert to Christianity, was of the cult of Sol Invictus. They are pictured on coins together, he had his triumphal arch built to align with the massive statue of Sol.  Constantine also declared Sunday as a Roman day of rest. He ordered all businesses to close but exempted farmers in case a Sunday was the best day to work the land.

What I find interesting about Constantine and Sol Invictus is that, combined with the cult of Mithras, we have almost the whole of modern Christianity. I suggest at least perusing The Cult of Sol Invictus by Gaston Halsberghe and The mysteries of Mithras: the Pagan belief that shaped the Christian world  by Payam Nabarz.

In the later book, the author describes the two cults as inexorably linked, with Sol as either the father of Mithras, or bowing to Mithras, with the lather placing the Phrygian cap on his head. Many of the customs and traditions, and even philosophies of the cult of Mithras can also be found in the cult of Christ.

As much upheaval as there was when Christianity became the dominant religion, the idea of a single deity with an avatar (son) on earth was very familiar. I've talked about how there was nothing new in christianity and I've found the exception that proves the rule: While the cult of Mithras and the cult of Sol Invictus were not only accepted but quite popular, they did not try to suppress the other cults. They did not try to obliterate the other deities. That was something new christianity brought to the table. Yes, Rome suppressed cults and killed magnetic cult leaders, but that was to quash political uprisings, not because they particularly cared what people worshiped. There is evidence in Libya that while Rome brought their holy triad to the land after conquering it, the local deities were never suppressed and in fact pictured along with the triad in reliefs. If anything, examples such as moving the bones of Orestes and bringing the cult of Diana from Aricia to Rome show that while they wanted Rome to be the center of power, they did it in a way which didn't try to change the beliefs of the people, just the way they tithed. The rituals of the state were transferred to Rome, but relatively unchanged. The rituals of the home remained untouched because they didn't effect public life. Something to chew on for a while.

There is a nifty theory on the symbolism of Mithras and the Bull and the precession of the equinoxes and the Ages. When Taurus was on the horizon at the Spring equinox, it was the Age of the Bull. Does Mithras killing the bull imply he ended the Taurean age and began the Age of Ares? The Age of the Ram? The symbolism of the fish may be tied to earlier Goddess imagery, but it could be as simple as representing the Age of Pisces. Info on the Age of Ares from the holy wiki:

Aries represents a Fire symbol as well as bold actions, a lot of these behaviors can be seen during any age. However, the themes emphasised during this age relate to courage, initiative, war & adventure. Nations during this age such as the expanding empires of China, Persia, Greece and Rome, are often cited as examples of the archetypes of Aries in action.

Aries is associated with the metal iron, and iron ore was for the first time smelted and worked into iron swords in Anatolia during the early phase of this era, replacing the heavier, softer-metalled, duller-edged bronze swords of the previous Taurus Age.

Let's conclude tonight with one of my favorite hymns to Apollo (or to your solar deity of choice!) on the occasion of his (re)birth. Sing along with me!

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing. 

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

The real Santa of the season: Santa Lucia!

Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing

Through darkest winter night, comfort is bestowing.

Dreams float on dreams tonight,

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Lucia, or Lucina, is an epithet of the Goddess, used in reference to both Diana and Juno. She protected the people of Sicily. Her "origin" is in Syracuse, part of Sicily and the territory known as Magna Graecia. She is the Goddess of birth and of light. I mentioned this somewhere in my rant last night:

Santa Lucia, allegedly an early church martyr, but previously celebrated as the Goddess who midwifes the about-to-be-reborn sun into the world. The feast is a reminder that it is She who guides us through the darkness with her flaming crown of stars.

I was reminded of the following during my meditations today: Beyond the role of "midwife" or Patroness of pregnant women and childbirth, She is The Starry Night personified. She isn't just our guide through the darkness, she IS the darkness, she IS night. She is the one dividing herself and giving birth.

The Goddess Lucia is about bringing forth into the light- she brings children into the light, she brings The Sun into being and therefore brings all of us into the light. We can now see because of Her efforts. The Saint Lucy story which developed is about a young woman whose eyes were cut out when she wouldn't renounce christianity. Love how the sight thing still plays into it. I also love (in that sarcastic kind of way) that the continued tradition of a young woman wearing a crown of candles was written into the new version as how she protected people. Really? By wearing dripping flaming candles on your head? Right.

I think it's lovely that Her fest begins 12 days before Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. It's the 12 days of ;) She is the "Bringer of Light" and the patron saint of vision, including psychic vision. This is an excellent night for divination!


Here is a song sung as part of a modern catholic celebration. Quite the Pagan ditty:

Hark! through the darksome night
Sounds come a winging:
Lo! 'tis the Queen of Light
Joyfully singing.
Welcome thou vision rare,
Lights glowing in thy hair.
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Santa Lucia,
Thy light is glowing
Through darkest winter night,
Comfort bestowing.
Dreams float on dreams tonight,
Comes then the morning light,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
Deep in the northern sky
Bright stars are beaming;
Christmas is drawing nigh
Candles are gleaming (Repeat x6)
Clad i n her garment white,
Wearing her crown of light,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia. (Repeat)

Wiki has some nifty information on midwinter Goddess centered celebrations which all seem to tie together in the figure of Santa Lucia. Is this another case of Mother Goddess celebration or sites being taken over by male cults? More to ponder!


Until tomorrow, Loyal Horde! Blessings of Lucia on you: May your vision be clear, may your vision be true. Blessings of light in darkest night!

Reverse Guest Blog!

A few fine folks have been guest bloggers here. Tonight I'm doing a reverse guest blog! I'm currently reading the blog Diana's Mirror. Arianna posted something today (yay!). I thought it was going to be brief, but to my delight it's quite lengthy and touches on many different subjects and issues! All of which needs to be read by everyone. It's the common Pagan sense stuff which isn't all that common anymore amongst Pagans.


So tonight, please surf on over to Diana's Mirror and join in the conversation!

You should also check out her blog entry: Strega, Who are We?

Hekate's Night

Goddess Hecate of the triple road

Protect my family and abode

Lead me through darkest night

Grace my journey with your light

Saffron clad with serpent coils

Bring fruition to my toils

As canines bark and silence rend

Your holy feast I will attend

Garlic, poppies, sweets and grain

Tonight with you I'll dance again. 

-SoD original

A few words I was inspired to write now for Hecate's night. She is described as "saffron cloaked" which always made me think of the sun and how She is seen with Apollo in the typical tale of the Eleusinian Mysteries. I nearly smacked my head and said "duh!" when I realized that saffron is sacred to Mercury, with whom I believe She is a divine pair. He is the essence of Saffron and She is Saffron cloaked? Sounds like a euphemism! Also, the two appear together in the same tale as the Psychopomps who return Persephone to Demeter.

I'm off to celebrate Her tonight!

Now it is the time of night
That the graves all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite,
In the church-way paths to glide:
And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team,
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic: not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallow'd house:
I am sent with broom before,
To sweep the dust behind the door.

- A Midsummer Night's Dream

Those Magic Changes

With the first signs of Winter cropping up, including the winter holiday decorations in every store (and the catalogs beginning their yearly mailbox deluge), I've been thinking about this blog and what happens next. I'm a Libra- a planner and a ponderer. I've been meditating on this over the past week and the answer came to me in the silence (You have to stop asking the question to hear the answer!):


This blog has mostly been about the topics I've been researching or books I've been reading, or something congruent with the date or month or season. I practice my practice in reality, not just theory, but I don't always share that here. Next year I will be taking my practical work and discussing it here, likely on a weekly basis, with other posts added as the mood strikes.

I thought I should share this now. It feels right to put this energy out here and share the news with the Loyal Hoard. Speaking of, Thanks to all 20 of you who hit the reload button 1,000 times... We've reached 20,000 hits!

In the interest of sharing, here's a bit about my workings tonight: Earlier today I raked and bagged all of the leaves which were in my grove area and did some pruning. When I stepped outside tonight to check the weather, it was very cloudy and I pondered waiting. I got my answer to that rather quickly in the form of a very insistent sounding dog barking somewhere nearby lol I threw up my hands and said "ok ok! Out I go!" I grabbed my supplies, donned my lunar talismans, and went outside to work.

I found tonight's ritual structure very interesting. Does that sound odd? That I found my own ritual interesting? I don't script these things, I intuit a general plan and that plan often changes in the moment, depending on the forces who join in the rite. Things often come through that I wasn't entirely expecting.

Tonight I felt especially called to invoke the Archangels at the quarters. I don't often do that. I will leave this generally vague as to who comes in keeping the intention of calling in those who will help me- wether its Archangels or Watchers or the essence of the direction/element, or deities connected with the directions, I don't often decide before hand. Tonight it HAD TO BE the Archangels. I felt their presence keenly. Their entrances were grand. I could not see all of them, but the ones I didn't see specifically were manifested as fluctuating changes in energy which were suspended about 6 or 7 feet in the air.

Inspired words from tonight:

Ave Diana, Regina delle Streghe
Dacci tua luce, la nostra Madre.

Trova la nostra debolezza,
Fanno di questa la nostra forza.

Diana, Diana, fa di me degni a te,
Diana, Diana, il tuo votiva è fedele

Hail Diana, Queen of Witches
Give us your light, Mother of all

Take our weakness
Turn it into strength

Diana, Diana, find me (make me) worthy of you,
Diana, Diana, your votary is true (loyal)

Full moon in Aries

I was going to post this yesterday, but was asked to post The Halloween Witch, so here it is!

I was born as the moon waxed full in Aries. This is my favorite moon of the year! This year the full moon is within a few degrees of my natal full moon which makes it conjunct, so double yay! This is a tiny bit of a brain dump because I am high on energy and haven't properly grounded yet.

I was typing out a prayer I used as a toast during ritual tonight and three things happened at the same time: As I typed Diana's name, the clock struck midnight and a dog outside somewhere started barking! I'm still giggling about that.

Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana hail! Deck'd with a graceful robe and shining veil; Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright, come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light,
Shine on these sacred rites with prosp'rous rays, and pleas'd accept thy suppliant's mystic praise.

 –Orphic Hymn to Diana.

Speaking of giggling... Ever since I began working with Mercury in earnest, my flow in ritual has changed, especially when I'm working with others, and especially when I'm working with others who are being too serious. It's like my goofball factor is proportionally inverse to the others' stick-in-the-mud factor.

This is not to say I can't be serious. When the work is important, the work gets done. But quite often, people need to lighten the fuck up. When I'm working on my own, there's no goofing around. Laughing at myself, perhaps, but it's not quite so mischievous. That is one aspect of Mercury which isn't routinely called upon: The Trickster!

Those who resist will be pursued! Can't find the funny? It will find you! Best to embrace it, to have a release for it. I was recently reminded of the old axiom "be careful what you wish for:" I was musing that I want to work on a show. I used to work in theatre but I left it many years ago for several reasons. However, it's not something you can really get over- it's like that ex boyfriend you hook up with occasionally long after you've broken up. I had really only mused that I'm in the mood to do a show. I didn't really refine that idea out loud. I talked about this with a friend, wondering where the feeling was coming from and how I could scratch this itch. I received an email the next day offering me a job on a show. Which show? Hansel and Gretel! Ummmmm erf... headdesk. Do I really want to do a show about a Witch who tries to eat children? Especially when it was changed from the original version where the parents were the real bad guys? At least the libretto includes fairies who protect the children. I suppose it all depends on the concept of the production. So I get something I wanted... kinda... Love you, Mercury. You are full of awesome ;)

The value of nothing

No food, no sound, no light, no talking, no sight... Sensory deprivation is an excellent way to go within and prepare for ritual experience, or trance.

A dumb supper is held in silence because it forces the focus to your other senses so that you may commune with the dead. Fasting from food was recommended by many, including the Neo-Platonists, and even the Catholic Church. Part of it is the sacrifice involved, but it's really a matter of having your body attuned to the energy of ritual instead of busily digesting whatever it was you scarfed for breakfast.

Tonight is the first dark moon of autumn. Today I have fasted. Tonight I will shower off the day and go into my temple space where there will be no light and no sound. In the darkness I will journey. Tonight I will commune with the spirits of this land and with whichever deity wishes to communicate tonight.


This seems to be the week for inside info, so here is a song for when you are ready to break the silence. I've translated it into english. There's a specific rhythm for it, but if you just let it come to you with the intention of hearing through the noise it will work for you.

Lady of darkness
Lady of song
Lady to whom I belong
Help me hear
Help me see
Keep your presence close to me
Through the din, the dark, the bright
Guide my hand with your might
Touch my mind
Touch my heart
The center of your sacred art

If done slowly, it's a devotional, a staccato invokes Her aid in extrasensory perception.

Welcome to all of the folks who have recently found my blog. If you've come looking for the list of classes and workshops and open rituals, that will be up next week!

Thanks :)

Thank you to Diana. Thank you to Apollo. Thank you to Mercury. Thank you to Hecate. Thank you to Ganesh. Thank you to My Ancestors. Thank you to The Spirits of the Land. Thank you to Ra. Thank you to everyone who worked weather magic to make NYC Pagan Pride Day happen.

It went by so fast! Almost a year of planning and now it's done. Tonight is partly a brain dump and that's because my brain is fried. I was up at 6 am and at the park before 8 to get everything set up. The vendors and info groups were amazing- the old hands knew just what to do and the new folks were pretty on the ball as well. The belly dancers were SO AWESOME! I need to find video of the Isis snake dance they did. Jihan Arts and the Belly Dance Raks Stars.. Wow... I need to post about belly dance and Middle Eastern Goddesses at some point. There were raves about the workshops and the opening ritual and the closing ritual that Society of Diana hosted with our sister group, Hounds of Artemis. We invoked the Statue of Liberty and reclaimed her as a talisman for, well, liberty lol And protection.

I made an offering to my Patrons for their help and I'm gonna get to that now then go pass out. Back to our regularly scheduled epic posts tomorrow!

A Devotional Spell

Dusio and I have once again been conspiring. He's trying to inspire me to post more "low" magic. The blog takes me where it takes me. Tonight tho, I'm starting to get into that groove. So thanks, Dusio. This dovetails nicely with his latest post on devotion and why, I think, I was moved to post it.

While I am not at liberty to post the entire ritual here, I have been given the go ahead to post this part of it; a devotional prayer, invoking Diana as Queen of Witches. It can be used as a novena, it can be used to invoke Her presence and aid in spellwork, to bring Her power in the heavens down into the materials, and to carry the intention of the materials into all realms where they can take effect. You can use this for most work, including healing, revealing, and appealing.*

If it fits your fancy, you can change the first line to Ave Madonna (My Lady). It's important to keep the rhyme, otherwise I'd say use whichever title or name you're most comfortable with. I've posted it in Italian because that's how it was given. If you want a pronunciation guide I suggest translate.google.com. You'll be able to click an icon and have a listen.

Ave Diana!
Angeli si corona.
I tuoi figli ti adoro.
Dammi quello che chiedo.
(your request goes here)
Ti offro fiori,
rose e gigli,
Sotto la luna
le stelle ei pianeti.
Con la mia volontà e il tuo
Questo sarà il mio!


Hail Diana!
Angels crown you,
Your children adore you.
Give me what I ask.
(insert request here)
I offer you flowers,
roses and lilies,
Under the moon,
the stars and the planets.
By my will and thine
This will be mine!


*(revealing = divination, appealing = love or glamor)

Other fun things

I did some really wonderful, necessary, Mercury-is-direct-and-we're-retreading-ground type work tonight for the new moon, and I'm just wiped out from the energetic output. I'm going to take a mulligan on this post and hope to be up n at em again tomorrow! In the meanwhile, here are some fun articles to read and videos to watch:

An article by James Jacob Pierri on Hypatia of Alexandria and Aradia. A good, quick read!

Nemesis is recommending Tubelo's Green Fire by Shani Oates. I've always had an interest in the Clan of Tubal Cain and the way Nemesis is gushing about this book, I plan to read it too. Bibliophiles unite!!!

The movie Anonymous, about Edward De Vere as the real writer behind "Shakespeare." Why do I care so much? Because I love a good conspiracy, Shakespeare moves me, and Edward De Vere was a contemporary of Giordano Bruno and John Dee and wrote about both in Hamlet and The Tempest respectively. He also included Pagan deities in every play, including Diana, Apollo, Mercury, and Hecate. Also, everything in the plays matches up to events in De Vere's life. I also love a well costumed period piece and I need folks to go see this with with me. Check out the trailer!

Kindred Spirits

I've been having the best time catching up on the blog Wandering Woman Wandering. I first came across the blog when searching for a picture of Mercury to use on here. I found one of her posts about Mercury and I loved the way she described him as The God of Exchange. Perfect! I've been going back through her previous posts and between that and our limited email conversations with each other, I have realized something- Not only are we are both devotees of the same deity, but we have had similar experiences with Him. She and I share many of the same opinions on several topics, and gravitate towards similar deities aside from Mercury. I haven't seen a picture yet, but I'm betting that she has a mischievious grin and sparkle in her eyes!

I've taken a look tonight, and an informal poll about the qualities of the followers of different deities. Shall we start with Mercury? I've already mentioned the smile and sparkle, but right there on a devotee's brow, you'll find the trace of his sigil- that is just a little more angular than the crescent moon, tho both dovetail nicely together. You might be marked by Mercury if...

...you are are quick-witted, investigative, snarky, sarcastic, and at times irreverent.
...you ten to ask why and don't just take an answer at face value
 ...you vacillate between order and disorder

...you feel called to several other deities at once! I don't think he minds sharing, as long as he gets his due.

Don't mistake being called by/to several deities at once for indecision. Mercury is The Opener of The Ways and when He opens things for you, they can be Wide open. You get attention from others. I think Mercury calls those who can multitask on many levels!

The children of Apollo, for another example, are sun-kissed, or just sunburned. They play with fire, literally, and are golden in some way physically, be it their hair or skin or a physical warmth which radiates from them.

Those stamped by The Queens of Heaven - Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna, Hera and others, share a quality of carriage- these are women and men who stand straight. There is a regal posture, a sense of dignity which flows from them. This dignity isn't about being better than, or stuck up, or overconfident, it's literally about having The Goddess inside of you and walking with you. Why would The Regal Queen of Heaven ever slouch? ;)

These are just a few scant examples and involve the Deities and Devotees I work with most often. I really would appreciate community feedback on this one!

I really like this topic. It's something to research and pursue! More questions keep coming up: Would the Mercury traits apply to devotees of Hermes? Or to any of the other deities He is syncretized with? We can also get into the chicken or the egg debate: Is the Deity attracted because the devotee already has the qualities, or does the devotee develop the qualities after they are "stamped" by the Deity?

While you're thinking about that, I recommend you surf over to Wandering Woman Wandering to read the advice on working with multiple deities!

Frustration

I've heard from other Witches who have called on Diana this weekend. The message is much the same:

She is frustrated. It's time to stop hating on each other and stand up, together, as Her children. Here is what came through for my cousin:

"It is time to join together and be whole in these times. It is up to us to be leaders and have faith in each other and for the goodness of mankind, because something is about to change."

Mio fratello had a more severe warning: Step up or be cut off. He was much more eloquent than that but I don't feel at liberty to share the words, just the basic sentiment. I had a similar feeling. I was told I didn't speak at all during the surprise trance portion of yesterday's ritual, that it was all movement. I'm remembering more now that a day has passed, and I hope to remember even more in another day. I remember bits and pieces, but they're only visuals- snapshots of what happened. Except for one thing:


At one point, I felt a wave of anger wash over Her/me. The anger was born of Her frustration at people hiding their gifts, afraid to use them and be out there shining their light- Her light. Knowing you have power and not using it is as bad as misusing that power.


And so we're not all maudlin here in this quickie post, I want to share that yesterday, Apollo made his presence known and he was amused! Since I don't write a script and just let things flow, he stepped in during my circle casting and I was speaking in rhyming couplets the whole way round. I couldn't stop talking like that and had to shut him out! I've talked in iambic pentameter in the past too. The cagey Apollo! heehee

Nemoralia!

Today we walked the labyrinth, learned some basic tarantella, invoked the land, called the guardians, invoked our Patrons and had a wonderful Feast of Diana. She appeared as well. We tarantella'd as a group, went into our own spinning dance, I went towards the North where I hailed Mercury, and the next thing I knew I was looking up at the sky over in the south and wondering what happened to my thumb.

Apparently I tranced, fell back into the altar (which was a vortex of energy the entire time), did some work on everyone there, walked off towards the south and came to with someone spraying Florida Water over me. I shook it off with some help, we toasted, gave thanks and everyone had a part in dismissing the circle (as well as had a part in creating and cleansing it at the top). There was no script. There was just a general plan. Everyone who attended was wonderful, they rolled with it and brought serious energy to bear. Sometimes too serious! I tried to remind everyone of what Diana has told me time and again: Find the JOY in the work! It's not all serious and severe! Don't just come crying when you're in need, also share the love and the joy and the celebration. I laughed, I played and others followed suit. I had a great time.

Dusio is here right now (I just waved at him across the room). He invoked Diana today and when he did... woosh! There she was! I saw her face and she was wearing her diadem. <3 <3 <3 Now? We're plotting. And conjuring the forces. >;) Signing off!

Buon Ferragosto!

"In the Arician valley, there is a lake surrounded by shady forests,
Held sacred by a religion from the olden times.
On a long fence hang many pieces of woven thread,
and many tablets are placed there as grateful gifts to the Goddess.
Often does a woman whose prayers Diana answered,
With a wreath of flowers crowning her head, Walk from Rome carrying a burning torch.
There a stream flows down gurgling from its rocky bed..." --Ovid


This weekend is the Feast of Diana, Queen of Heaven! (Which Ovid was calling ancient in his day!)

And the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of Mary where she is raised bodily into the sky where she becomes... guess... that's right! Queen of Heaven!


And it was recently the Birthday of Isis...


Busy weekend, huh?


Ferragosto, what this weekend is called in Italy, is bigger than christmas- Rome is practically deserted, its residents staying down by the sea. Here's a nifty article about Ferragosto. Here's an interesting quote:

The modern dogma that the Virgin Mary was transported to Heaven on Ferragosto arose in the 18th century and was formally proclaimed by Pope Pius XII only in 1950.

Know your history or someone will try to rewrite it!


What is it about this time of year that lead people to set it aside for The Goddess? The Sun is in Leo, the Moon in Aquarius, as my evil twin pointed out earlier. This is also the time of the Perseid meteor shower! It will be hard to see because of the full moon. The peak of the Perseids is tomorrow night. I was reading about the event, which I like to observe every year, and the holy wiki and other sources believe that "most of the dust in the cloud today is around a thousand years old," with some younger bits from 1862. Wow.


Tomorrow I will be hosting a Nemoralia celebration. Tonight I was out under the Moon doing personal work and charging items for tomorrow. I was literally amazed by the Moon and connected with Diana once again, but in a different way than I'm used to. She gave me Her sign. She gave me a personal message and helped to set me back on my proper path. Ave Diana!


Have a Blessed Weekend of The Mother, by whichever name you know Her!

Road Rage

Don't worry, not a rant! A story came out this weekend that the NY/NJ Port Authority wants to raise tolls by 50% The toll to get across the George Washington Bridge is already $8.00. They propose raising it to $12. WTF!!!! Happily, the Governors of both NY and NJ reject the proposal. Yay for bipartisanship.

Unfortunately, tolls are nothing new. In fact, they're downright ancient. Romans were the best at road building. They created the first paved roads. They were even smart enough to raise it in the middle so water would flow away from the road and even built gutters to carry it away. There are roads which were so well built they still serve as thoroughfares today. In reading about these marvels, I wondered how quickly folks were charged to use these roads. Apparently it was right from the start. Quoth the holy wiki:

Tolls abounded, especially at bridges. Often they were collected at the city gate. Freight costs were made heavier still by import and export taxes. 

Go figure.  There are also mentions of private citizens having to pay for, or supply labor for the maintenance of a road that crossed or bordered their property. Nice. Guess we still do that today through taxes, another ancient tradition.

Today the family went for a walk down a new trail which had just been paved, connecting an already existing trail with a huge dirt hill and footpath. It was cleared out a bit, graded slightly, and paved over. As we walked along, we passed by another path which hadn't been paved. I stopped while they went on, and found myself standing at a new crossroad. Well, it wasn't exactly new, but with the road freshly graded and paved, it felt newer. The energy was different, as if it hadn't really been imprinted yet. I said a quick prayer to Hecate and Mercury and caught up to the others. I want to go back there and explore the space again and make proper offerings, perhaps on the next dark moon.

Tonight, a Mommy deer and baby deer walked up my driveway and onto my property. Hubby came to get me when he saw them and I went outside. I saw the baby and knelt down with my hands in prayer pose, mostly praying that Diana would give me the Deer equivalent of Parseltongue. Mama deer had jumped over a fence that baby couldn't clear. I waited patiently and the baby deer started to walk over to me. It made me think of a puppy. Then kiddo moved and that was it, the baby deer was back to racing around. Ah well, can't blame a kid for being curious! For all I know, hubby could have scared it. We opened another gate and it went out.

I headed to the back where the Mommy deer was and did the same thing as with the baby. She came out from her hiding place and went towards the open gate but hubby was walking around and he scared her. She ran back to her hiding place and eventually jumped over the back fence. I heard her make the Mama call 3 times, then heard rustling. I will happily believe the two dashed back home together via the path we walked today. Can't wait to see them again, nibbling the grass by my labyrinth!

Were they a response to my prayers at the crossroads? I find it odd that they picked this exact night to walk up my paved driveway instead of their usual route across the grassy front lawn and each of them take an interest in me and only back off when one of the others made a move. I've always taken a keen interest in the animals who inhabit this land (including the bunnies, raccoon and hedgehog!) and am glad it feels like they know me too. I wonder if the bear will stop by for a visit too! ;)

Blah blah blah blah blah (aka Word to your Great Mother)

I posted a rant a while back about the 5-fold Kiss. The crux of the rant is that the language is sexist ("breast formed in beauty" for a woman vs "formed in strength" for a man). Janet Farrar pointed out that Doreen Valiente wrote it. My first thought was that I was right, someone who never thought of a woman's breasts as anything but "beautiful" wrote the language. Next thought: She wrote it in a time when women were thought of as sluts for wearing pants and smoking cigarettes and were expected to be at home with the children and not have a career. I don't know how correct the second thought is, but if she was writing in the late 1950s - early 1960's, I might be in the ballpark. To differentiate between "beauty" and "strength" like that is sexism plain and simple. Tonight I was treated to a wonderful rant by Deborah Lipp who was responding to a Huffington Post article about a survey reporting 50% of men saying they would leave their wife if she gained weight:

"In the patriarchy, we women are the "sex class;" we are the object, not the subject, of desire. No matter how aware or how feminist a person is, we've still internalized the values of the patriarchy, and that means both men and women care about women maintaining our appearance (and therefore our value as sex objects) but neither men nor women care as much about men maintaining their appearance (because they are the consumers of, not the objects of, sexuality).

Quick quiz: In your mind's eye, illustrate the word "sexy." Most of the time, even a straight woman is going to see a sexy woman, not a sexy man. Because women are the "sexy" thing, men are the "aroused" thing.

The patriarchy: You're soaking in it."

So when do we say "these words no longer reflect our values" and move on to language which fits the current zeitgeist, or at least the one we want? Why is it that when someone objects to certain language used the response is "it's only words" and therefore shouldn't matter? Well, if it's "only words" then why are they clinging so hard to the old words? Most no longer use animal sacrifice. Most only use a symbolic Great Rite. If those things are taboo, why can't sexism be taboo too? Is it because sexism is still rampant in society at large? Are you defining or restricting your Pagan practice according to the judeo-christian mores of your family? Heh, the later is something Gavin Bone mentioned at the Trance workshop. 

Since repetition is invocation, when is it ok to change the words? It's ok when you understand and have experienced the concept behind it. Intention, I believe, is more important than the words used. Yes, words have vibration and energy, but your voice, which gives birth to those words, is the source of that energy. The voice demands, the voice supplicates. The word is the body of the intent, but the tone is the mind and the voice is the soul. If you can embody the spirit of the intention in a different word, if different words will get you there, go ahead. However, if you're just starting out, or have never done a certain spell or rite, do it as written, even if the words written bother you, and do it with an open mind and heart. This will give you the information you need to make it your own. I titled this post "blah blah blah blah" because I believe you can do an effective ritual or spell just with the word "Blah" because it's all about how you intone it.

There are spells and incantations and rites which require precise words to access their power. Grimoires do because you're tapping in to a specific stream of energy and the words are keys to that energy. Novenas mostly do, if you want them to work quickly, and for the same reason. You can also create your own novena prayer to an entity/saint but when you do that you're almost starting from scratch with building a relationship. That's perfectly valid, but perhaps not as quick as another set of words or recognized method. As with anything, you have to find the balance. Don't go throwing out the spell book because you've written everything from scratch yourself!

We should honor those who have helped to revive The Craft including Doreen Valiente who is falsely credited with writing The Charge of the Goddess. She just turned the information Leland received from Italian Witch Maddalena into a poem. She changed the words. What? Uh huh. She took something that actually had been handed down and changed the words! So if anyone takes issue with my changing her words to better fit the current zeitgeist, I will point you to the original Italian Charge of the Goddess and her english alterations!

I started this post in regard to a comment from Jannet Farrar, so let's conclude with one from Stewart Farrar. He wrote the forward for Mario Pazzaglini's Aradia or the Gospel of Witches A New Translation (which corrects Leland's translations of the Italian from the original papers):

"The Book of Shadows, which every Gardnerian copies out by hand, was alleged to have been thus passed down over the centuries; but although it certainly includes ancient traditional material, only the most naive would deny that in its present form it was compiled by Gardner himself. Proof that it is a recent compilation can be drawn from the fact that it includes at least one passage from Aleister Crowley's Gnostic Mass, a slightly altered Kipling poem, some identifiable Masonic phraseology, and elements from Aradia, Gospel of Witches.

The most clear example of this is the Charge, a beautiful and moving declamation by the High Priestess as representative of the Goddess, which is used by every Gardnerian and Gardnerian-derived coven, and which begins: "Whenever you are in need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place, and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witches..."

This, and about the first third of the Charge, is almost a literal translation of the passage... in chapter 1 of Aradia...

Leland's gifted research into a "dying" tradition has made a significant contribution to a living and growing one... the particular forms he discovered were part local, part universal. They expressed something that is as old as humanity itself. Something, in his own words, of "a kind of vitality and of independence which indicated great power." Otherwise they would not have survived the Etruscan, Roman and Christian times. If some of their seeds have taken healthy root in British and American soil, it is because they find an echo there, merging naturally with the native stream because that stream ultimately has the same source.

So a Witch in London or New York or Yorkshire or Idaho can use without strangeness the words which Maddalena learned from her Tuscan forebears: "Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month and better it be when the moon is full..."

So there we have Stewart Farrar not only acknowledging the origins of The Charge, we have him lauding the survival of La Vecchia in Italy. It survived for thousands of years, from the Etruscans through the 1890's when Leland wrote about it, but didn't manage to make it through those that last 65 years before Gardner came along and used material from it? Or the 60 years since? I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you...

I started out with a mature rebuttal to an emotional rant, and found myself in the middle of new emotional rant. Two for the price of one. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say I'm up on my favorite soap box (I didn't copy and paste the quote, I typed it while reading it out of my Pazzaglini book. That's dedication!) So let's bring this back around to the start with another quote from Stewart Farrar's forward in the Pazzaglini book:

"[No coven] but the most unimaginative (and therefore most sterile) confine themselves to the Book of Shadows as though it were holy writ."

Word.

Streghe video summary

Luce di Strega is a Streghe summary video. I find it to be a proud piece for all of us of the blood. I know Beth finds it a bit tedious due to the many flashing images, but if you can get past that aspect, I think there is still quite some value to any followers of Stregheria. Especially to some of the newer folk just beginning your journey.

The background music is by German composer Carl Orff in which he took a medieval Latin poem written in the early 13th century named: "O Fortuna". It is part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana. It is a complaint about fate, and the Roman Goddess Fortuna. I also have an awesome video of "O Fortuna" which I would glady post if anyone is interested.

I truly hope that at least some of you enjoy this short journey.

Blessings all around,
Dusio

The Tragic Women of the Greco-Roman world...

I hate the term Greco-Roman, but alas, that pretty much describes what we have here. Tonight, Nemesis and I were talking about Dido's lament (aka her suicide speech). I remarked about that being the moment opera was born. We waxed poetic once again about Medea and Jason and how Medea has been much maligned over the years. This lead to a chat about Jeff Mach's play, Seeds, a bdsm take on the relationship between Hades and Persephone. I think fans of Ann Rice's The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty‎ will like it. It's slated to premiere at The Geeky Kink event in NJ, Nov 4th - 6th. This got me to thinking about all of the "wronged women" in Greek and Roman lore:

Ariadne: Abandoned by Theseus, "rescued" by Dionysus.
Demeter: Daughter stolen, gets to see her for half the year..
Hera: Cheated on left n right by Zeus.
Diana: Tricked into killing her lover, Orion!
Medussa: Get's it on with Neptune on Aphrodite's altar and is turned into a stone-turning, snake headed monster. And what happens to Neptune? Jack and shit. Nice.
Khione: Date-raped by two Gods, gives birth to their twins.
Helen: The face that launched a thousand ships. Nevermind that it was her husband who went after her when he could have just given her a divorce. Sheesh.
Pasiphaë: Minos' wife who winds up mating with a bull because Minos wouldn't sacrifice the best one to Neptune. That's where we got the minataur! She was an innocent bystander, yet she's the one who's blamed for doing it with a bull! And check out Neptune's involvement in yet another debasing of a Goddess... how did he come to be associated with these stories?
Athena: Hephaestus tries to rape her and his spunk lands on the earth which impregnates Gaia who then gives birth to Erichthonius!

I'm writing the Wronged Goddess version of the Vagina Monologues. What should I call it?

I don't take these stories literally, but I, and I'm sure many of you who bother to read this blog have looked beyond the surface of the stories and into the deeper themes. There is some evidence that Hephaestus and Athena were considered a divine pair and that Erichthonius is their son (Shhh! Don't tell Marguerite Rigoglioso!)

Likewise, Pasiphaë, Europa and Ariadne are linked with the Moon Goddess in ancient Crete, the theory being that "Ariadne" is a Greek epithet for the Goddess the same way "Lucina" is in Italy. I also like to note that Pasiphaë is the sister of Circe, Aunt of Medea and both are from Thessaly. I don't always appreciate wiki articles, but this one is a wonderful starting place. Note the mention of Pasiphaë as an oracular Goddess!


That's all for tonight. Tomorrow, something practical!