Whispers of the Witch Within
- Second Edition!
Page Two
(Page Two)
- By Cheetahcry
- By Ivy
- By Persephone
- By Cathy aka Shewolf Silver Shadows
- Provided by Cheetahcry this issue
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Egyptian God Re
By TranquilStar
"In the beginning, before there was any land of Egypt, all was darkness, and there was nothing but a great waste of water called Nun. The power of Nun was such that there arose out of the darkness a great shining egg, and this was Re."1
Re (or Ra) had 3 main names, Khepri - the rising sun, Re - the midday sun and Atum - the setting sun. He also had a great many other names but we'll just stick to these three for the purposes of this article.
As we have seen in the article regarding Hathor, his beloved child and one of the Eyes of Re, Re is a very powerful ruler of the solar realm. He is the sun, the very light that shines upon the days and helps the plants grow, his is also the destructive and deadly heat of the desert. During the day Re traveled the sky in a solar barge whose course was plotted by Ma' at and Hathor.
During the night, well there are 2 versions of the story, one is that he passes back into Nun to be reborn again at dawn, and another is that he sails through the underworld bringing light to those who live in the dark. This passage through the underworld is a dangerous one as there are demons who would try to keep the sun from rising again, the most notable and strongest of whom is Apep, who is most often depicted as a huge serpent.
Apep is the personification of evil and darkness. When he was successful, dark and stormy weather ensued. A solar eclipse (which to followers of a sun cult must have been frightening) was explained as happening when Apep won the battle and swallowed Re. Most days, though, he was beaten back by either Seth or Thoth and the sun rose again.
There are a few creation myths in Egypt, in "The Story of Re" the creator God is, well, Re, the leader of the Egyptian Pantheon. Re's power resides with his hidden name, now this is a concept that isn't too far removed from many pagans who have names reserved only for use within the circle with their God(s) and/or Goddess(s). There is power in knowing the name of another, and in using this power Re calls all things into being by calling their names! "His power and the secret of it lay in his hidden name; but if he spoke other names; that which he named came into being."1
There is another slightly different version of the creation of the world, after Re created the gods and the rest of the world, save humans, he was so happy with his creation that he began to cry, his tears are what created people, we sprung up from his tears shed by love.
When Egypt was young "Re took on the shape of a man and became the first Pharaoh, ruling over the whole country for thousands and thousands of years, and giving such harvests that for ever afterwards the Egyptians spoke of the good things 'which happened in the time of Re'."1 Osiris next ruled as pharaoh until his death when he in turn went to the Underworld to rule, then the battle between Horus (by this time son of Osiris and Isis) and Set (brother to Osiris and Isis and murderer of Osiris) commenced and with Horus being the victor his was the next seat upon the throne of Egypt and from then on the pharaoh was the incarnation of Horus.
While Re is a very powerful god he is not above some normal
emotions. In one story while Re is still the living pharaoh, and as a
human he grows older and the Egyptians no longer feared him and
disobeyed his laws, they taunted Re as they broke his laws; this
made Re angry, really angry. So he gathered up the pantheon for a
meeting.
Re spoke to Nun before the assembled gods: "Eldest of the gods,
you who made me; and you gods whom I have made: look upon
mankind who came into being at a glance of my Eye. See how men
plot against me; hear what they say of me; tell me what I should do
to them. For I will not destroy mankind until I have heard what you
advise."
Then Nun said: "My son Re, the god greater than he who made him
and mightier than those whom he has created, turn your mighty Eye
upon them and send destruction upon them in the form of your
daughter, the goddess Sekhmet."1
So he let his daughter Sekhmet loose on humanity to destroy it, but as she did as she was told Re looked upon the earth and started to pity humanity, even though they disobeyed him. Unfortunately he could not stop Sekhmet from killing; no one could unless she wanted to stop, so he tricked her by helping humanity. He told the people to flood the fields with red dyed beer. In the morning when Sekhmet awoke she saw the liquid and believed it to be blood and drank until she was drunk. That night she went stumbling back to Re after not having killed a thing that day, since she came back to Re in peace she turned into Hathor and humanity was saved, by Re's cunning.
In another story, during the time of the battle between Horus and Set for the throne of Egypt, Baba appears to the god Re and insults him by saying "your shrine is empty" meaning the god has passed his prime and is no longer worshipped as he used to be. Well this causes Re to storm off and pout (for lack of a better word), leaving the rest of the pantheon stuck and unable to move on this situation. Only his child Hathor can rouse him from his mood and does so by dancing about him and then pulling up her clothing to reveal her genitals. This spontaneous act of a child causes Re to laugh and return to the court of the gods. Laughter is so important even to the Gods, it's an affirmation of life, a happy return to the rest of life from which he had hidden himself away in his bad mood.
Re, in the form of the sun disk, the Aten was perhaps the first god worshipped in a monotheistic way. This happened during the rule of Akhenaten about 1350bc. While I won't delve into detail here it is interesting to note that Re was thought of so highly by this pharaoh that he was placed, not just above other deities in this instance, but in the place of the other deities in the pantheon. "Freud saw Akhenaten as the first monotheist, the mentor of Moses."2 Whether he was the mentor or even the inspiration of Moses isn't really provable but an interesting thought. The Aten was a strong, loving father who resides in the heavens, shining down on his people, deciding the fate of nations and is vengeful when crossed.
Many deities during the course of Egyptian history, to obtain more status, aligned themselves with Re and took his name as part of their own. The best example is Amun-Re, Re was the main creator god of Northern Egypt and Amun was the main creator god in Southern Egypt, this merge created a new version of the creator god.
Re was seen with the body of a man and head of a falcon with the solar disk surrounded by the uraeus upon his head.
Sources:
Hathor Rising: The Power of the Goddess in Ancient Egypt by Alison Roberts
Copyright 1997, Inner Traditions International; Roberts, VT
SnowCat's Cave - http://www.catscave.com
Quotes:
1. From the Story of Re at http://www.catscave.com
2. Hathor Rising p132
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The Journey Into The Animal World
By Cheetahcry
The Wisdom Of The Turtle
The Turtle is known for these attributes:
Symbol of the Earth
Connection with the center
Navigation skills
Patience
Self-Boundaries
Associated with the Feminine
Power to heal female diseases
Respecting the boundaries of others
Developing new ideas
Physically protecting oneself
Self reliance
Tenacity
Non violent defense
Turtles are one of the oldest living vertebrate animals today. Unlike the tortoise the Turtle lives on the land and the water.
A great deal of myth surrounds the turtle. From the Far East we are told that the turtle's Shell is the symbol of the heavens and that the square underside is the symbol for the Earth. The magic that the turtle holds with in itself is said to be able to unite the heaven and the earth together in your life. From Japan we are told of the "Tale of Urashima". About a young man that stops some boys from picking on a turtle. He chases the boys away and helps the turtle to the water. The turtle however, does not swim away, he chooses to stay and say thank you for helping. For the young man's reward the turtle rides the young man on his back to the King of the Ocean. The King gives the young man a bride (a water sprite). Turtles are shore creature's but use the land and the water.
All shore areas are considered door ways to the Faerie Realm, making them the keeper of the doors. Because of this, turtles were often considered as sign from the Faerie Realm.
From Nigeria we are told that the Turtle is the symbol of the female sex organs and sexuality. The Native American's believed that turtles were associated with the Lunar Cycle of the moon, menstruation, and the power of the female energies. To most, the turtle is the symbol of the primal mother.
Its long life span contributes to the longevity that they are associated with. Turtle's do not move fast as we all know, its almost as if they know that they have all the time in the world to get where they are going.
Turtle totems hold the mystery of awakening the senses on both physical and spiritual levels. They stimulate hearing and clairaudience, help with vision and clairvoyance, and heighten the sense of smell. They remind us that the way to heaven is through the earth and that Mother Earth is all that we need to survive.
Research done with Ted Andrews "Animal- speak" & www.animalspirits.com
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By Ivy
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Web Site Review
By Anna Alexander
I do not believe that one size fits all and I don't like books with the word 'complete' in the title. However, I'm going to make an exception when it comes to http://www.realmagick.com.
The best description of the website comes from its mission statement: Realmagick is a resource and library dedicated to fostering research and sharing of knowledge in areas deemed beyond the purview of standard science: i.e. Wicca, Paganism, General Religion, Philosophy, Occult, Parapsychology, and the Paranormal.
It is not easy to tie all of these categories together, but realmagick does a very thorough job it. There are articles and discussions on everything from herbs to dream interpretations to runes and how to develop one's psychic abilities. I clicked on an article on sex magick and found a very well-thought-out and researched article. It emphasized the beauty of the human body and gave some history behind sex magick. To my pleasure, the author did stress that no one should be forced to do sex magick. I also found a wonderful section on Body Mysteries that included articles on Reiki, yoga, and Mugwort.
If the occult or metaphysics isn't your thing, then check out the interviews section. I enjoyed the interview with Dorothy Morrison.
Realmagick.com is easy to navigate and the topics are listed on each page so you can browse through runes topics while reading about herb gardens. There is also a list of popular articles and an excellent site map. The material is for anyone.. beginner or advanced. It has a slight ceremonial theme to it, buy don't let that prevent you from learning.
The Realmagick editors take submissions and there is a strict copyright infringement policy in place if you are concerned about that kind of thing. They also give you full credit for your work and do not distribute it off of the website. In conclusion, I have to say this is one of the better "one size fits all" metaphysical learning I have found in a long time and I will use it as a reference in the future.
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Book Review
By Summer
Angelique's Descent
A Dark Shadows Novel
Author: Lara Parker (actress who played Angelique on the television series)
Published 1998 by
Harper Collins Publishers
515 pages, paperback
The Dark Shadows daytime television series aired from 1966 to 1971 and was a favorite of mine at the time. Recently I have done very little reading for entertainment due to physical limitations. The limitations have eased tremendously and this was the first work of fiction I have read in some time.
It was a delightful escape to the warm sands of Martinique during our recent ice storm. As you may recall, Angelique was a witch. This book details her life from a loving, magical childhood home to being kept prisoner in a tower for years. You first love the child then fell sorry for the child. Later, you cheer her on when she must kill the man she thinks is her father.
She remains the child looking for love without and never within. She is forced to do many things to survive. In the end she is willing to do anything to get what she wants, and the lesson is the same "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it".
A very enjoyable, light read.
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Poem -- The Sun
By Persephone
Your golden rays, your warm embrace,
As you nurture all in Time and Space.
Your light it shines for all to see,
Giving life to you and me.
Your hues of yellow, gold and white,
Shimmer in Summers' sheer delight.
Your golden orange tingling light,
Ripens the fruit for Harvest Night.
Your light shines short at height of Yule,
To be reborn when the Year turns New.
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The Chakra's
Discovering your bodies energies
By Cheetacry
In the coming issues of the newsletter, I will introduce to you the energy that flows in and around your physical body. Starting with a basic background on Chakras and Auras. What they are, where they are located within your body, how to cleanse, use, and balance each of them. For now though here is a little background on the Auras and Chakras.
The Chakras and Auras were being studied as early as the ancient Egyptions, Hindus, Chinese, Mayan, and Inca time lines. In the 16th century, alchemist/ physician Paracelsus wrote about energy fields around our bodies, calling them "liquor vitae." In the 18th century, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a paper on light and color, describing a "electromagnetic light or field." The spectrum is a white light that is made up of different colors. The 7 main colors that are used are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. These are the colors that can be associated with the Chakras and the Auras. You can also use stones with them. Some of the early chemists' and physicists even went as far as making elixirs to help balance the energy fields around them.
Each of us has a rainbow-like energy field around us, which is called an aura. It is a fluctuating, egg-shaped energy field and is made up of different layers. All information from the cosmos or universe passes through the aura before entering the Chakras. There are six layers within the aura.This energy field can be seen by anyone. You do not have to be clairvoyiant to see the aura. The Aura and its counter part are said to look like the rainbow because of the many colors that are seen or "Coat of Many Colors".
Chakras are the personal energy centers that run within your body. They are known as the "Wheel of light" or the "Wheel of life". The Chakras are placed within or throught out your body, with the main Chakra starting at the base of your spine and ending at the crown of your head. There are 7 major Chakra's and 21 minor or second Chakra's. The major Chakra's are what we will be working with in the next issue.
Until the next issue.......
Recommended reading for the Chakra's and Aura's
1.) "Chakra's, Aura's, and the New Spirituality" by Genevieve Lewis Paulson & Stephen J. Paulson
2.) "Your Aura And Chakra's : The Owners Manual" by Karla McLaren
3.) "Layayoga: The Definitive To The Chakra's And Kundalini" By Shyam Sundar Goswami
Bibliography
"Chakra's : Balance Your Body's Energy For Health and Harmony" By Patricia Mercer
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Protect the Planet, Our Magical Earth and all Upon It
By Cathy aka Shewolf Silver Shadows
Protecting our planet starts by learning to protect your own self and loved ones. By creating a safer less toxic, healthier lifestyle and environment for you and your loved ones you are also taking steps to protect this magical Earth we live upon. And each small step towards preserving and protecting our planet is one more step that really can and does make a difference!
Let me ask you a questions, do you think that you could possibly be poisoning your loved ones, your family, yourself? You would never knowingly and willingly try to kill yourself or loved ones would you? No, of course not, but do you know that by not being educated on some of the truly harmful things in your everyday life you could be doing just that, slowly harming and even killing yourself and loved ones. Your home at this very moment is most likely a toxic time bomb just ticking away. Do you have any of these following things in your home right now?
Body or Beauty soaps
Baby Shampoo
Tooth Paste
Laundry detergent
Bleach
Dish Washing detergent
All-Purpose cleaner
Window Cleaner
Disinfectant Spray
Most people have nearly all of the above items in their homes and think nothing about them. Well, lets talk about the toxic chemical hazards you have in your own homes. But first what are chemical hazards? The Environmental Protection Agency defines chemical hazards as "acute" or "chronic:"
Acute hazards, includes highly toxic, or corrosive chemicals which cause an adverse effect to an organ after short-term exposure.
Chronic hazards, includes carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals which cause an adverse effect over a long-term exposure.
According to 'The Federal Code of Regulations' the definition of "Hazardous Chemicals" in Section 1910.1200c Title 29. However, the term "Hazardous" does NOT include hazardous ingredients used in products designed for personal, family, or household use.
Did you know that for some absurd reason The Federal Code of Regulations section 1500.82, EXEMPTS manufacturers from full labeling. This exemption allows manufactures to exclude "Hazardous" chemicals from their labels. Exclude, meaning that they are by law, purposely allowed to NOT place the truth and nothing but the whole truth on their labels of how dangerous, toxic and truly hazardous the chemical make up of their products truly are! This is masking, hiding truly potentially life threatening, dangerous toxins and carcinogens that we as consumers should be told about!
Did you know that it is the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which reports toxic chemicals in our home cleaning and personal care products. And do you know that the EPA states that the toxic chemicals in our home cleaning and personal care products are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outside pollutants. Three times more likely!
Do you realize that even the President's Toxic Substances Strategy Committee warns toxic chemicals in our home environment trigger 90% of all cancers? This to me is a truly unpleasant warning! But one that we should hear more about instead of the behind hand whispers that we are being giving now.
Wait there is more! Do you know that the Consumer Product Safety Commission connects 150 toxic chemicals in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities. Birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities are connected to 150 toxic chemicals in our own homes this is astounding! And I personally as a mother, and a consumer do not for the life of me, understand why the government seems to be protecting the big name manufactures!
Oh, I forgot it is all about money, one big money game. You scratch my back, keep paying us large taxes on all the income you make off of selling these toxic and hazardous chemicals in the guise of cleaning and personal care products, and well we'll just turn the other cheek. Instead of plastering warning labels and telling everyone loudly of these dangers and pulling these hazardous chemicals from the stores, we'll just post a tiny bit here and there about it. And if someone does wind up with cancer, or ADD, or Asthma, or birth defects, any thing and wants to blame the government for allowing this manufactures to sell these toxic and carcinogen filled products. We (the government) can say that if you would have read this article or that article, it would have clearly stated the dangers!
But sad to say, we as consumers are lead to believe that the government is looking out for our best interest. And even sadder to find out is that this is not wholly true.
Please wait, there is even more folks. The EPA warns toxic chemicals in household cleaners cause women working at home to have a 55% HIGHER cancer risk than women working outside the home. They also warn the nation's worst pollution is inside our homes. And that a number of homes tested have toxic chemical levels 70 times higher inside the home than outside. Do you know where the average person spends most of his or her time? Inside!
I could go on and on, and I will share more in each segment of this article, but for now, lets revisit the list above of personal care and cleaning products that you may have agreed that you use in your homes as well.
The following information is from "The Safe Shopper's Bible" by Dr. Samuel Epstein, MD. & David Steinman. Macmillian, 1995. Lysol data from "The Environmental Health Newsletter." And will share some of the hazardous and toxic chemicals found in products that the average person believes to be tested, tried, true and above all safe to use! Think again folk.
1. Dove Beauty Bar has : Quaternium 15: Formaldehyde-Carcinogen. Causes cancer, dermatitis, neurotoxic, sensitizer-poisonious, irritant to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Butylated Hydroxytoluene, (BHT) Carcinogen.
2. Johnson's Baby Shampoo: Quaternium 15: FD&C RED 40: Carcinogen, and causes dermatitis.
3. Crest Tarter Control Toothpaste: Saccharin: Carcinogen, contains Phenol Fluoride: Carcinogen If you accidentally swallow more than a pea-sized amount of this, you must contact the Poison Control Center immediately. This warning does not appear on the tube.
4. Tide & Cheer Detergent: Detergent: Can cause temporary respiratory tract irritation. Symptoms include stinging, swelling, or redness. Sodium Silicate: Can be corrosive. Can cause burns to the eyes and tissue damage to the skin, as well as cause burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach if swallowed. Sodium Sulfate: Corrosive, Severe eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. Can cause asthma attacks. Trisodium Nitrilotriacetate: Carcinogen
5. Clorox: Sodium Hypochlorite: Corrosive. Sensitizer: Can be fatal if swallowed. Eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. Especially hazardous to people with heart conditions or asthma.
6. Cascade: Sodium Hypochlorite Sodium Silicate: Can be corrosive. Can cause burns to the eyes and tissue damage to the skin, as well as cause burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach if swallowed.
7. Fantastic, Formula 409:Butyl Cellosolve: Neurotoxic. Eye and skin irritant. Damages central nervous system, kidney, and liver. Readily absorbed through the skin. Damages blood and body's ability to make blood.
8. Windex Aerosol Glass Cleaner: Butyl Cellosolve (see above) Isobutane: Neurotoxic
9. Lysol Disinfectant: Dioxin; Carcinogen. 500,000 times more deadly than DDT Ethyl Alcohol: Eye, skin, respiratory tract irritant.
Look folks, if you want to start truly protecting your loved ones and precious planet then you need to start demanding the truth from your governments and from the manufactures as well. There are so many hidden dangers in our own homes that we truly are killing ourselves as well as our loved ones by a slow toxic poisoning!
Unless you make the conscious decision to remove these seemingly harmless personal care products and cleaning products from your homes, you will continue to harm not only yourselves but this planet and your loved ones as well.
It is a small start, and each tiny step leads in a better and healthier direction.
If you are like me and just do not heave the time to make your own cleaning products then I would be glad to share with you a way to discover a place you can find safer and less toxic cleaning and personal care products at:
http://www.momsforlife.com/?CJ60092 If you don't mind making your own, make sure you check out this article in each section because I will share with you tips on how to clean your home and take care of some personal care items by making them yourselves!
How to clean your oven - Safely!
Baking Soda: Baking soda is a mineral, made from soda ash, that actually has many cleaning attributes, just remember that it is slightly alkaline (it's pH is around 8.1 {where 7 is neutral}). It neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and is wonderful in adsorbing odors from the air and more.
Suggestions:
If you add up to a cup to your laundry it will eliminate perspiration odors and even neutralize the smell of many chemicals.
By placing some on a damp sponge or cloth, baking soda can be used as a nonabrasive cleanser that is gentle for kitchen counter tops, ovens, sinks, bathtubs, and even fiberglass. It is a natural air freshener, and carpet deodorizer.
But did you know you can clean your oven with backing soda? Here is how.
Take your backing soda and mix it in a large bowl with some water. Make your mixture pasty. Almost like when you make home made biscuits, or how about mud pies. You want the backing soda to be good a wet, but not dripping wet.
Then you spread this mixture around in your oven be generous with it, meaning use a lot! Cover it all good, all the surfaces you want to be cleaned. And then leave it! The secret is, you want to leave this overnight at least, but you also want the backing soda to remain moist. So, if you can do this during the day and let it sit all day it would be great. Just make sure you have a squirt bottle of water and that every now and then you check and make sure the backing soda is still good and moist. If it seems to be getting a bit dry, the squirt it to make it moist again. The longer you can leave this on the cleaner it will make your oven. A good eight to ten hours would be great.
Then you simply wipe the backing soda out and wipe down your oven with a clean moist cloth.
A clean oven with out the truly toxic and hazardous and most likely carcinogen filled oven cleaner!
Happy safe cleaning!
http://www.momsforlife.com/?CJ60092
