Waning Moon a Time to Relax

I've been working so hard lately between 'real' work and my projects I really needed some time to relax. Not that I don't enjoy working on my school and my artwork, in fact I love it, but I need to remember to step back from all of it and take some time just to be. So today my husband and I started the day with breakfast at mission beach. After eating way to much food that someone else cooked for me, we sat on the beach watching dolphins swim by. I even contemplated learning to surf. Not that I actually want to surf, I've been beat up enough just swimming in the waves I don't want to add getting hit by a surf board into the mix. I just want to learn how to sit on a board so I can get closer to the dolphins.

Next we went to Balboa Park for the annual dance festival and for course some people watching. Ending the day at the Tea Pavilion and then home to nap on the couch, what else could I ask for.

Honey Jar Spell

I think this is my new favorite spell. I learned it from San Diego's 'crafts of the craft' Goddess Diana from Tree of Life Metaphysical Store

This comes from Hoodoo which is a form of predominantly African-American folk magik  that developed from the syncretism of a number of separate cultures and magical traditions.

Honey is the primary ingredient in this spell because it is an attractant. So use this spell when you want to bring something to yourself, like love, money, health what ever you need.

In a glass jar (that you have cleared with sage smoke) place herbs and stones that represent what you are trying to attract. You may also place a piece of paper with your intent written on it. Next pour honey in the jar. Remember as you place each item in the jar charge it with your intent- this is the most important part of any spell. Finally charge a candle with your intent- natural bees wax ones work great for this spell. Place the candle on top of the jar and light it a little everyday, replacing candles as they burn out. The candle is what will send your intent out to the universe. Once you feel the spell has done its work you may open the jar and eat your honey. Bet remember this, like honey, is slow magik so don't rush it.

Wisdom a Learned Skill

I attended a lecture today titled the Neurobiology of Wisdom by Dr. Dilip V. Jeste.

He defined wisdom as having:

Pragmatic knowledge of life and social decision-making

Emotional regulation

Pro-social attitudes and behavior (empathy)

Reflection and self-understanding

Ability to deal with uncertainty

Value Relativism and tolerance towards different values

Brain scans have shown that the pre frontal cortex (intellect) and the limbic striatum (emotion) are involved I these traits. Wisdom comes about when we have a healthy balance between these new and old parts of our brains.

But these are not inherit traits they are traits that come out of experience. If you teach a person a mental skill and have them practice it you will see ‘brain growth’ (increased cells, synapses, and blood flow), but if they stop practicing the ‘new growth’ will disappear. Our brains are continually growing and changing based on our experiences. As a result the wisest people in our sociality are not necessarily the oldest by the ones with the most life experiences.

This is especially true in the pagan community. I have meet many elders who are in there 50’s and 60’s but I have met and learned much from many Priestesses who are younger them me. It is our experience not our age that makes us an elder in the pagan/Goddess community.

Goddesses of Change

I seem to be attracted to Goddesses who represent change lately. In particular Pele and Oya. One the goddess of fire and the other of storms and lightning.

Like a volcano's lava that creates new land, Pele reminds us that, even fiery eruptions and emotional upheaval are followed by new life and change.

Oya tells us that what her storms destroy we no longer needed. By removing the old we are making room for the new.

This makes me wonder what change the Goddess has in store for me. Hopefully I don't have to much destruction coming my way before the new growth starts.

Is God or the Goddess Just in our head? The Case of the God Helmet

Dr Michael Persinger has been experimenting with ways to replicate religious experiences. He uses a device called a koren Helmet or as the media has named it the 'God Helmet'. This helmet places solenoids over the temporal lobes and delivers weak but complex magnetic fields. During the experiment many subjects have reported the feeling of a presence in the room with them and about 1% reported seeing God.

Persinger believes that religious experiences are a biological responses to stress. In particular stress caused by our understanding that we will eventually die. From a scientific point of view Persinger has more work to do before he can 'prove' his theory. And though other labs have yet to be able to replicate his work it still raises some interesting questions.

What would it mean if science was able to prove our brains are causing the experiences we feel when praying or meditating? Would this make the experience any less valid? For modern pagans I don't believe it would pose a problem at all. For we do not blindly believe in a supreme being in heaven. Many of us find that it is the personal connection with Goddess or God that is important. I believe that I am a reflection of the Goddess and she is a reflection of me. The thought, that when I meditate, I cause chemical reactions in my brain that create the euphoria I feel does not make it any less magikal. In fact it only supports my belief that we all create our own reality.

Welcome

At first glance it might seem that the topics I've chosen to discuss here are unrelated. After all what do Art, Science and the Goddess have to do with each other. Put simply they are ways in which we attempt to understand ourselves and this world we live in.

The moon for example has been studied for centuries through all three of these topics. Science has learned how the moon affects the planet and our lives in many ways. Without the moon we would not have tides or even the seasons as we know them because it's gravitational pull creates our stable axial tilt. Women who follow the Goddess saw a reflection of themselves in the moon. Through observation ancient women realized the moon not only created tides in the ocean but also within their wombs. They also noticed how it's waxing and waning in the night sky reflected their life cycle of maiden, mother, and crone. Finally both what science and Goddess women have learned about the moon has been, and continues to be, paralleled in art. As humans we are curious creatures who are driven to learn and share what we have learned. Through art we pass on own knowledge to the next generation.