Wiccan Wisdom

[HairyHeretic]

Not that freaky. Picking up your friends emotions from thousands of miles away, that's freaky. Not to mention confusing *grins*

But that's a story for another night  :-)

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Can keep the psychic stuff.  Have something like that would just stress me out and I dunno..be too off for me.

[Raine]

     Oddly enough, I've felt kind of a similar thing; and oddly enough in a similar place. I was visiting my grandmas house in Jersey, on a place called long beach island; and I was walking on the beach. It was entirely deserted because it was winter. I decided to walk out onto the jetty and started to get this really eerie feeling. Like you said, it wasn't hostile, but it still managed to make me feel really uncomfortable. I got a feeling like I was trespassing where I shouldn't be. So I turned and after stepping off the jetty the feeling immediately went away. I never felt the feeling before or after that. This must have been a three or four years ago... My grandma has long since passed.

[Mnemaxa]

Feelings such as Hairy Heretic and Raine described are often the result of 'dragons being aware of you'. 

Dragons can mean or be many things, spirits or other presences not usual.  And usually, it's just the awareness of something not you, not human that is strong enough to make you aware of it.  The number of explanations is immense, but in my experience, it is usually a case of being made aware of the awareness outside yourself; the attention of something greater than just you, be it your own soul, the presence of something such as an elemental (as in the traditional spirits, not the earth-fire-water-air beasts of roleplaying game fame), or simply something old and natural such as a whale or tree.

[Oniya]

Sometimes I've heard it described as 'the spirit of a place'.  Sometimes it's cautiously curious to find someone aware of it, sometimes it's welcoming, and sometimes it's an old grump.

[HairyHeretic]

Much like the rest of us really :)

An ex flatmate of mine, who grew up around here, said that she thought there was a very strong water spirit there, in the bay.

[Avis habilis]

Sometimes I've heard it described as 'the spirit of a place'.

That's an old, old concept. The Romans referred to it as the 'genius loci'. I've read that some researchers believe that in earliest times, even divinities were localized. This god ruled that river, this goddess ruled that forest, & so on.

[Downfall347]

Its weird. before my accident I couldn't see anything, couldn't sense anything, nothing. But after my car wreak I started seeing things, and not just anything, I saw things that a few other people could see too, but most people still couldn't. That kinda what got me into all this stuff. I'm currently working on totemic use of energy in shielding and defense

[Mnemaxa]

Its weird. before my accident I couldn't see anything, couldn't sense anything, nothing. But after my car wreak I started seeing things, and not just anything, I saw things that a few other people could see too, but most people still couldn't.

There are a lot of people who have suffered trauma and discovered a penchant for that.  Most people I know who have been clinically dead for longer than two minutes also have augmentation to their senses or to their awareness, as well as having odd little 'quirks', such as being unable to wear watches since the batteries go dead after a few minutes, or begin able to tell when something inconsequential such as a phone ringing or a knock at the door will occur. 

It is somewhat odd that almsot 3/4 of the people I know HAVE been clinically dead for various reasons, which may say something about me.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I think it's interesting that those who think they died and had a near-death-expierence describe something differently than those that were actually dead.  I read an article once about how they compared the testimonies of those that were actually fine, but thought they saw all these things to those that were clinically dead.  Apparently the two do not correlate at all except for superficial statements. 

[Downfall347]

See, in my accident, I never died. But I can too close for comfort. I had six inches of my arm bone below the wrist broken into powder, snapped my collar bone in half, broke my shoulder blade in three places, and got burst fractures on two vertebrate in my upper back. (The bone was exploded into dozens of pieces). I lost 40% of my blood, yet oddly never lost consciousness. The docs said I should have went into a coma with the trauma but I never fell asleep.

But after the accident I wanted to learn about the things I was seeing and the spirits that would come to talk to me. So I turned to paganism. I was already experienced in shamanic practices but not patchwork paganism until after the accident. I am also very good at geomancy, or magic done with stones.

[Oniya]

To quote Ludo - "Rocks friends."  My mother and I operate on conflicting wavelengths - She's one of those people that when they aren't happy, no-one is happy.  She's also solidly Catholic, which isn't a problem except for the fact that she has blinders on about certain things.  (I can't say 'Mom, will you try not to broadcast so strongly?  I can feel you from three streets away.')

So, I made her a rosary.  Hematite beads for the decades, rose quartz for the ones in between, malachite for the center bead, and a knotwork cross for the bottom.

O:) 'You gotta - ac-cen -- tchuate the positive... e-lim-inate the negative.  Latch on to the affirmative -Don't mess with Mister In-Between...

[Downfall347]

Hehehehehe, good one. Yeah, I had to have that nice sit down with my parents and tell them what I am doing. They thought I had joined a cult or something. But, I think I got them to understand. Ok, now, which stone is screaming at me. My rock bag is vibrating cause something wants out... Ah ha! My smoky quartz! I got a nice piece of it

[Oniya]

My initial explanation was 'I'm doing research for a book.'  Which I promptly wrote, and have had rejected twice.  Mom liked it, though.   :o  I think they got the hint - and the realization that it wasn't some kind of creepy cult - when we called quarters at our wedding.

[Downfall347]

Hehe, I wrote it off as learning for future short story ideas. See, I was kinda freaked out at first, because I thought I would be alone by practicing this stuff. But I am slowly realizing that is most certainly not the case, practicing pagans are everywhere!  ;D

Personally I am rather pleased because a story I wrote got some good reviews from the editors who rejected it. He said he loved it, it just wasn't what they needed right now. He has asked me to send him more work ^^. Sorry about your book though! Best of luck to a fellow author!

[Oracle]

Still trying to write mine. IT'll be an interesting project, of that I'm sure.

Where as you, DF, are a geomancer, I am okay with recalling 'useless' metaphysical stone properties. But reading the stone energies themselves is... a little more difficult. I can tell you though that your smokey isn't the only one demanding attention. Might want to take out Red Calcite and set him up as well.... Or is it the Geodes next to it that are yelling now?

[Downfall347]

MY SMOKY IS MISSING!

-runs in mad scramble to search for it!-


Its the key stone in almost all my work!

[Oracle]

MY SMOKY IS MISSING!

-runs in mad scramble to search for it!-


Its the key stone in almost all my work!

<< Then that's why Red Calcite and the Geodes were havin' a canniption. But... horray's you've found it.. it's all good. :P

[Downfall347]

In case no one guessed it, I know Oracle in real world, hehehe.

So, I practice Geomancy, what do all of you practice?

[Oniya]

My Path is the bastard child of at least seven 'fathers'.  Things I work with include - Tarot, sigil magic (typically with personally designed sigils), stones (for things that need to stay in place for a while), herbalism/herbal medicine, otherkin, some Native American influences (from people, not books), and something I call C/crafting, where I'll construct 'something' based on what 'sings' to me.

I am also followed around by crows. Not ravens, crows.

[Downfall347]

Lets see, beyond Geomancy I practice many other meta-physical or mystic arts.

I am a very good tarot reader, and I don't say I'm good at something unless I know I am.
I work with spirit summonings and spirit confrontations
I work with energy flowing and energy grounding
I work with Shamanic Totems (mine are Bear, Buffalo, Otter, Coyote, Penguin)
I work with Daemons
And I see and hear things on the other side of the viel.
Also, I ward places and can cast up protection charms well.

[HairyHeretic]

I'm asatruar, specifically I'd call myself a Tyr's-man.
My reading with the futhark runes has been called 'scarily accurate' (which amuses me no end).
I'd done a little work with shamanic type journeying, but I'd hardly even call myself a beginner there.
My fylgja is Raven.
I also have an erratic empathic ability, which means I can pick up on friends under stress from literally halfway around the world.

[Oracle]

....
I work with Shamanic Totems (mine are Bear, Buffalo, Otter, Coyote, Penguin)
...

*snickers* I wasn't expecting you to put him up... :P

And yes, we know each other in real life.

As for me, I read Tarot cards (Egyptian, Ibis, and standard card decks).
I work with the 'known' (as In-the-books-I-read) metaphysical properties of Stones.
I can see most creatures around someone, whether they are your totem, daemon (as DF puts it), or just some one attached to you is for you and them to talk and meditate about.
I can also do a tiny bit of Astral Travel, but I have to have the name of a person in order to visit them. Speaking of which, DF, do you remember comin' in on for a Sekhmet assist? Had an invasion last night. I ask cause Bear and Coyote both made an appearance.

As for hearing and seeing, it depends on who I'm with. I tend to piggy-back. If I'm with DF, I hear more then when I'm alone. But, when I'm with a group I hear everybody! >< Which is a pain, because your focus changes from one person, to a daemon, to a creature, to a Beast (spirit not so friendly, nor in a recognized form), to another person's thought... It's a mess. And I need to keep a smokey with me... Or steal DF's.... I'm joking, don't auraflare me.
Oh yeah, I can read Aura's sometimes too.
I don't seem to specialize in any one thing. But the stuff I know, I know because it comes from my heart.

[Zeitgeist]

My interest in delving into Wicca has come and gone over the past couple years. Lately my interest has been reinvigorated, partly due to a roleplay story I've started. About a year and half ago I began seeker classes but never finished them. I had found a local group that took me in and I even participated in a circle once.

I think the best thing for me would be to initially follow an eclectic solo path until I can prove to myself it is something I'll stick to, and isn't just a passing fancy. I find a lot of positive and interesting elements in Wicca, and I like how it is perfectly acceptable to add/remove elements of it to fit your needs and interests.

I think having some sort of belief system is part of being a whole person and I continually find myself looking for that part of my life.

Anyhow, I don't have a question and am just sharing my thoughts off the top of my head.

[Mnemaxa]

I'm a taoist, who follows a number of enterprising leads and studies.  It's not really possible to define what I believe unless I wanted to write a small book. ^_^  But I've experienced enough to understand more than is perhaps good for me. :P