"The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.

In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing."

Questions...

SO HOW MANY ARE THERE OF YOU?
WHAT TO YOU DO ACTUALLY?

New prospective members always ask the above mentioned questions...

So I thought I might as well put it out there for everyone to read...

WHO WE ARE (so far...)
We are a small group. It is me, my partner (though he is more of an Agnostic Deist), Mark (the philosopher), Gabriel (spiritual teacher) and then we have two or three rotating members.
I have advertised, but the response is minimal... We all have an interest in Paganism and the growth and healing that it can provide.



WHAT DO WE DO?

We meet now at the Hout Bay Buddhist centre that has a huge garden. Usually Sundays at 4PM nearest the relevant Sabbath. Sept 19th or 26th we will meet again for Eostre / Spring equinox...


On the give day we meet, usually catch up whith each other, then start to talk about the themes of the ritual, the changes symbolized in nature, then we have an activity, meditate a bit, before we lay out an altar, and then start a candle magick ritual honoring a god and goddess to invoke those certain strengths in ourselves. We focus on what we want to achieve/ get rid off...


Afterwards we have snacks talk about the ritual, the next phase of the year... and set a date for the next Sabbath meeting..
We are all in our early to late 30's, and open to any sincere spirit to join us and widen our circle...

We are hoping to help others set up a spiritual practice and to develop themselves through this spiritual path...

If you go to our blog, you will find a lot of info
http://gay-pagans-cape-town.blogspot.com/

Blessed Be

Green Phoenix

Eish! It's ESHU!

GOD OF THE WEEK:

ESHU: Very popular Trickster God. Particularly keen on Opportunity, Communication and Instant Messaging.


ESHU directs traffic along the Road of Life from his abode at the Crossroads of Fortune. If you're faced with an important choice or a powerful opportunity, ESHU can offer advice to help swing things your way.

A super-speedy go-between, he can carry complaints to the Gods, questions to the spirit world, and messages to any living thing.
With his connections, ESHU can be a powerful ally. But he's also a God with a sense of humor and will often throw a spanner in the works to keep life interesting. This could explain why we don't always get what we want.

Be careful — this God of crossroads is also a master of cross-purposes.

SEX KITTEN

BAST: Daughter of RA, BAST is the cat-headed Goddess of Fertility, Sensuality and Fire Prevention. She also has a flair for avenging wrongs and is feisty enough for the Greeks to have identifed her with ARTEMIS.

Her official headquarters appears to have been at Bubastis on the Nile Delta, where she had an annual festival. A lot of water has flowed down the Nile since then and festivals are few and far between. Why not hold your own cat festival? It may do you and your cats the power of good.

BAST was a very useful Goddess who performed a vital public service. In the event of fire, her cat servants would run into the flames to draw out the power. These were the original fire extinguishers.

Sadly this practise did lead to a few charred cats. However, cats were revered in Egypt and we're sure there was no deliberate cruelty involved. After all, with nine lives, they might come back, albeit slightly singed. The Egyptians must have been very grateful for these fire-fighting services, as dead cats were mummified and sent to join BAST in the spirit world.

There's a tendency nowadays to regard BAST as the Goddess of Sex and Lesbians, but that has more to do with modern sex-kittens. Cats are very sensual animals but you don't want to get scratched.

We feel sure it is due to BAST's powers that we now have smoke alarms and catflaps, so never underestimate the power of the original cat-woman. Be kind to cats. And remember, kind to cats means tough on icky rats.

Blessed Be,

GReen Phoenix.

IMBOLC RITUAL!!!

So tomorrow is our IMBOLC RITUAL...

What will it entail... pretty much gathering round... chatting and then magick time...

PAGAN RITUAL - Druidic - Imbolc/Brigid

(can be easily adapted to group ritual or just a ritual for brigid herself to be used anytime)

Midnight Altar - Incense

Urn of water as a healing well

Quill or artist’s brush to represent poetry or art

Wand or staff (rowan preferred)

3 white candles and 1 red candle

PINK CANDLE


Open ritual in your usual way, then recite the druid’s prayer:
*
All: Grant us Spirit, your protection
and in protection, strength
and in strength, understanding
and in understanding, knowledge
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it
and in the love of it, the love of all existences
and in the love of all existences,
the love of Spirit and of all goodness.
*
Light incense and red candle:
*
“I call upon the ancients:
The wise ones now deified, bear me up
The ancestors bearing witness, record
The dragons here gathered, recognize”
*
Invocation of Brigid:
*
Brigid, beloved, hear my prayer
I tend your flame in adoration
O fire of service, flame of peace
*
Brigid, beloved, fire my forge
Fan my flames of creativity
Thru words and art the world may heal
*
Brigid, beloved, inspire me
May your own flame always ignite mine
As I endeavor to serve the world
*
Lift the urn of water:
*
“As winter melts into spring, may the earth bring forth her healing waters.”
*
Dip a finger into the urn and touch it to your forehead:
*
“May this year find me healthier than last.”
*
Return the urn to the altar.
*
SINGING BRIGID HOME
Lift the quill or artists brush and pass it thru the smoke of the incense three times:
*
“Come Brigid, maiden fair,
Lady of glorious flame
Poet and muse
Incite within me
Most passionate art
Bless-ed fire my own
Fevered, my soul expressed (return quill to altar)
*
Pick up the wand or staff, tapping the ground three times:
*
“Come Brigid, maiden fair
Lady of glorious flame
Rowan wand or staff
Tap the earth to warm her
Dark, icy snows melt
Filling healing wells
Our suffering dissipates (return wand or staff to altar)
*
Pick up the red candle and light the three white ones:
*
“Come Brigid, maiden fair
Lady of glorious flame
Purveyor most divine
Fresh inspiration
Throughout all the earth
One flame lights the next
Enrichment sung full flourish (return red candle to altar)
*
LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE:
*
“Come Brigid, maiden fair
Lady of glorious flame
Goddess or Saint
Ancient path or new
Kiss now EROS THE GOD OF LOVE
LET HIM IGNITE OUR PASSIONS
AND SET OUR HEARTS AND BODIES ALIGHT!
*
Face altar:
*
CLOSE QUARTERS!!!
*
Imbolc is a good time for many tasks:
· transplanting indoor plants to larger pots
· cleansing and consecrating ritual tools and garb
· cleansing one’s home or office
Imbolc activities might include making a Brigid doll or likeness; or making a Brigid’s cross:

BLESSED BE

GREEN PHOENIX...

DEITY of the WEEK! - MARS

MARS!!!

Mars is the Roman god of WAR, but also associated with vegetation, fertility and spring... so quite befitting for the next phase of IMBOLC we will be moving into.

MARS visited farms and battlefields.

HE WAS THE MOST WORSHIPPED ROMAN GOD. More than his Greek counterpart ARES who was just a bloodlusting jock.

Also Mars had two sons REMUS AND ROMULUS... the twins were left to die out in nature due to some twists of fate but a she-wolf nursed them to adulthood. And from their playground ROME arose in all it's mights, hence MARS being venerated with Roman legions conquering all of the old world and the gladiators in the Colosseum.

ROME's symbol till today are two baby boys drinking from a she-wolf. Gross, but true..
.

Also worth noting, Mars's symbol is the male symbol...

Blessed Be,

Green Phoenix...

Hotties!

REMEMBER IMBOLC

4PM, AUG 1ST - HOUTBAY BUDDHIST CENTRE

(ON CIRCLE ON MAINROAD)

CALL HUGE --> 082 534 8100