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3/21/12

Thank you to everyone for making a wonderful Tequesta Drum Circle. We had 300+ paying people and everyone appeared to behave. The weather was wonderful, the drums were pulsing, the fire was glorious, and the bugs did not stay long.

This Thursday in Study Group, we hear from Ranger Mark about "Florida's Wheel of the Year / Ecosystem Sanctuaries for the Florida Witch to Know." Yet, we have marvelous Nature all around us and it does not look the same from what we might remember up North.

The following Thursday, we anticipate, "The Return of the Bunny." We who see ourselves as serious Witches know that we must have our Dark side as well as the light. Stay tuned as we perform a communal shunning is things too chipper to be healthy.

Did I say thanks for a wonderful Ostara to Shaper and MoonDay? There is nothing like getting back from one's Honey Moon and Launching into a Grand Sabbat!

Saturday marks the seventh anniversary gathering of the Broward Drum Circle. Didn't they just start up a few months ago?

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3/13/12

This Thursday at Study Group, we will share stories of Ostara and Saint Patrick's Day. Then we will plan our Ostara Ritual for Saturday, do a final casting call, and then rehearse. If you agree to fill a part and then do not show up, it is considered very bad manners.

This weekend we also have our monthly Pagan Picnic, and the Hatsume Faire at the Morikami, and then a labyrinth walk Monday at the Duncan Center in Delray Beach. Meanwhile, we have re-mulched our own labyrinth at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale. There is still some raking to be done plus some stones have yet to be lifted up and placed on top of the new mulch.

I was thinking about coven secrets. There is so much published in books and the Internet. Who is to say that it all looks that different from what is practiced in private? Think of receiving Coven Secrets as you being given a very large and heavy bowl filled with water. This water is blessed with magickal powers and your assignment is to carry it from here to way over there, without spilling any.

If you let any of this water spill, probably no outside person would take notice. Everyone has seen water. But your Craft assignment is to carry this bowl of water from your teachers way over to your future students, and to not spill any of it. This all takes practice and is an acquired skill, and here is what the Craft is about.

B*B, Spel

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3/6/12

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Candle Magick with Skybear. Candles have been around since they edged out oil lamps. Perhaps the end of the lamp ear put a lot of genies out of work. They had to hang out in woods and ponds which wasn't quite the same.

Anyway, there is much you can do with a candle. After choosing its color and composition, you an carve on it, anoint it, march about with it, and stick it various places. One can still do magick without a genie.

Did you notice the Witchie TV ads? There's one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHpqCNMUlWs and yet another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=UZFlffnP1wE&feature=endscreen all on YouTube. Do these ads exploit our religion or are they just good clean fun?

New Moon Books in Pompano Beach is hiring. Are you magickal and looking for people-related work that won't make you rich. See www.creativemedicineonline.com and then ask for Lawren.

CUUPS Pagan Survey: The UUs are putting together a pamphlet and seek your input. See the note below and contribute your story.

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2/29/12

This Thursday Lady Nightshade will share with us thoughts and traditions on Reincarnation. Reincarnation is a popular belief in Pagan circles. What goes around, comes around.

Congratulations to SophiaLunus. She is now a Great Grandmother. We did once do a croning for her, didn't we?

This weekend we have Scottish and Asian Festivals going on. Yes, there will be drumming going on too.

Are you into dolphins? Next weekend our Episcopalian neighbors in Boca will be hosting a free lecture by Dr. Diana Reiss, one of the world's leading experts on dolphin intelligence and producer of the documentary, "The Cove." Remember, when visiting Episcopalians, it is considered good manners to nor wear your largest pentacle. The movie is the same Sunday we remulch our Labyrinth. Busy day.

I updated my Spelcastor Archive over at www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/archive.htm. Here is where I post all the pithy things I say each week. Some weeks are better than others, and they go back to 1997. If you enjoy me being pithy, here is more than you will ever want to unearth.

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2/21/12

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Lillith. Within the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Creation legends, Lillith was the first wife of Adam. She was the woman who would not submit and stomped off into the dessert. She is associated with the screech owl. and the Babylonian Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal. She has been accused of being rather harsh towards Adam's children with her.

Looking ahead on the calendar, we have an educational opportunity coming up at New Age Books & Things and a later one in Miami offered by Sandra Richardson. These events cost money. These people do these things for a living. There are those who will gain from attending.

And then there is drumming going on. The following week, we have doings by both Asians and Scotts.

We have much diversity along our Pagan path.

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2/15/12

This Thursday in Study Group we reconsider what our magickal workings brought us on Valentine's Day and maybe do a little damage control.

Otherwise this weekend, we have drumming, the Pagan Picnic, and the 14th Annual Medical Marijuana Benefit Concert. Do people still do that sort of thing? What with all the good mead in the world?

Have a magickal day.

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2/8/12

Here we come up upon St Valentine's Day. Time to practice our spell work.

That is what we will talk about this Thursday in Study Group. There is more to love spells than meets the eye. Meets the eye? We're talking about glamour. But there are other facets too that might not be obvious to the average Muggle. Ethics? Do we really want to cloud the season with that? And the following week, we'll move on to banishings.

What else is going on? Drum Circles, a sweat lodge in Homestead, dead poets singing, Ren Faire is cranking up, and then there's a gay men's Pagan study group. Wonder why I never see a gay woman's Pagan study group?

Now, back to the spells,

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1/31/12

Thank you to everyone for making our Imbolc Ritual wonderful. Thank you to Sandra, James, and Ana for leading us and everyone else participating. Everything went well, even cleanup. And there were dollars in the cauldron when we were done. The church folk do not charge us rent for our use of the property for sabbats so these donations help pay for the A/C and create good will.

Want to see a really bad movie? Get together some Pagan friends, medicate your minds and go see The Wicker Tree. I hear it is like the remake of The Wicker Man but even worse. No effort was wasted on research.

Thursday is Bridget's Day. Whether you know her as a Celtic Goddess or a Roman Catholic Saint, now is her time and the time of the Maiden. She will be celebrated in St Petersburg, FL, for those of you who like to travel.

This Thursday in Study Group, we shall learn about Tribal Belly Dance. This should be inspirational and educational. Dance has been a part of worship and religion since the beginnings of time.

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1/25/12

This Thursday at Study Group, we swap stories on Imbolc and then plan our Saturday Ritual. We will be joined by James R. Jones and Ana Easton of the Circle of Isis Rising. Sandra will be here Saturday.

I was thinking about the myths and legends we gather on our pagan path. The same story may have been around for a thousand years and would have many variations. It is part of our modern culture to look for the one true story. Also, there may be parts of the story that made sense to the people of antiquity that we would miss.

Take the story of Little Red Riding Hood. She carried a basket of goodies through the forest to grandmother's house. There the wolf was hiding in bed pretending to be grandmother whom he had eaten. A nearby woodsman hears Red's cries, bursts in, and kills the wolf with his axe.

OK, now wolves are a beloved and endangered species that are being restored to Yellowstone National Park. In mediaeval times they were quite a nuisance, what with carrying off farm animals and small children, In the Middle Ages, there were no police and the sheriff was off chasing Robin Hood. Who else would save Red but a woodsman?

It our times, it would have been the militia. If the guy shows up with an H&K assault rifle, he would be recognized as part of some European elite force. If he showed up with an AK-47, he would be a third world revolutionary.

And does the story have a metaphor, like Red is a priestess carrying an offering through the mundane world of the forest to the temple of her grandmother the Goddess. The wolf is a male usurper taking over with his new religion. And what f instead the militia man kills Red and runs off with the wolf amid rumors that they are gay?

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1/17/12

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Death Ministries from Spelcastor.

We are seen as clergy by our Pagan community and they will call upon us in such time of passage. It is helpful if we have thought through before hand how we might best serve them. There are needs leading up to this event, then surrounding the event, and more long after the event. It is helpful if we are not doing on-the-job learning when others are in need. And let us not imagine we will know everything ourselves.

Come share your experiences in this guided discussion.

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1/13/12

This Thursday at Study Group, we recharge our egregore. Don't know what that is. Come on by.

Then Friday is the 13th. Stroke your black cat and walk under a ladder. It's time to make the superstitious people crazy. We witches aren't superstitious, we just know what works.

There's lot's of drumming this weekend, plus the Pagan Picnic. It's a time to be magickal.

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1/3/12

This week in Study Group we celebrate our 13th anniversary. We'll swap stories of events long gone and the many people who have passed thru. If you are one of those, come on back and tell us your tale. Or email me, if you are on another plane.

This Ayllu thing Wednesday looks interesting. It's from the Andes and pre-Incan cultures. Sounds Pagan to me. I wonder what they are doing at the Duncan Center in Deerfield Beach?

I was thinking about the Goddess and wondering how she came to fall from grace. There was a Goddess aspect to the early Hebrew culture. Some scholars suggest that there was more to it than the occasional male back-sliding to Canaanite women who met up on the hill in a grove. Perhaps the Hebrew prophets, with all their finger pointing were standing on the side-lines line of the times like Fox News. And then everyone got carried off to Babylon and The Captivity. That would have been very traumatic.

What if we woke up one morning and found we were all working for Bolivians? That would traumatic too. Maybe we would start thinking that Fox News was right? Maybe we would change and do things the Fox way. Perhaps the Children of Israel were so traumatized that they tossed out their Goddess, edited her out of her sacred texts, and added the Fox crowd as their Books of the Prophets. This all-male monotheism became such a popular invention among males that....well, take a look around.

The Prophets have always been my least favorite books in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic scriptures.

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12/27/11

This Thursday in Study Group we celebrate a "Fire & Ice Ritual, Chaos Magick Style." It's still that time of year, so why stop with the magick.

We are coming up upon the Gregorian New Year, the time on the Gregorian calendar when the year changes. This had to do with the civil calendar. The Christian church and the Celts both started their new year the beginning of November. Other start their year earlier or later.

This calendar was degreed by Pope Gregory VIII in 1582. What else was going on at that time? The Protestant Reformation. No way were any good Protestants going to be so papist as to adopt that new calendar. It took the American colonies 200 years to get around to it.

Beyond that, there are Sky Gods and Earth Mothers. The Mother Goddess does circular time like a wheel. There is much going out, coming back, and going 'round again. In contrast, Sky Gods do linear time, like a arrow. They are big on a beginning and an end. The Judeo-Christian-Islamic gods are sky gods.

But however you spin it, December 31st is a reminder to us all that time is moving on. Whether you journey towards the grave, a heavenly reward, or to a return to the Mother Goddess, at the stroke of midnight, it is difficult to deny that the wheel has turned.

Blessed be.

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12/20/11

Wednesday night we celebrate the Winter Solstice with the Tequesta Drum Circle over at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. There was some earlier publicity with a different date, but the solstice really is this Wednesday and that is when we celebrate. 'Tis the reason....

This Thursday in Study Group, we will do still more ceremony for the darkness of this time of year. We will act out and probably burn some stuff.

Sunday our Christian friends will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity. This used to be something only Papists would do while Protestants waited twelve more days for Epiphany, another light festival. Not to be out done, are Roman Catholic friends south of our Anglo Border call that Three Kings Day and crank up yet another celebration.

All the while, the candles of Hanukah and Kwanzaa are burning brightly. Somewhere in all of this Scandinavian maidens are wondering about with wreaths of burning candles in their hair. Hopefully, it's not hair and maidens burning.

So this a big time on the Wheel of the Year for Fire Festivals and, always a favorite with us, burning stuff.

So enjoy this festive season and please don't exhale into the fire.

B*B, Spel

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12/14/11

This Thursday in Study Group we swap stories of Yule and then plan our Yule Sabat.

Max will be leading us in a Slavic tradition with real live Slavic folk included. We will have a casting call for ritual parts. Come join the fun. Slavic folk really understand this thing about long nights and increasing cold. Expect colorful costumes and special effects. Max & Marcus lead us in quite a show.

This Sunday we have Pagan Picnic for a laid-back moment in the midst of the holiday rush. And if your pet is stressed, then see the Pet Psychic below. Why might your favorite critter be barking up the wrong astral plane? OK, this is not for everyone, but these resources do exist for those looking to take advantage of them.

Wednesday, we come upon the Tequesta Drum Circle celebrating the Winter Solstice. Feel the magick in the drums and the dancing. 'Tis the season.

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12/7/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we hear from Karina, our Brazilian Witch.

What has been Karina's journey? How goes her magick and her music? We shall see and hear.

One of the many high lights of the Turning the Tides Festival was the Yule Pagan Caroling. Laertius put together a song book of carols from the Internet. See PaganYuleSing-a-longBook.pdf.  This is a lovely gift to any Wiccans you know who are currently serving time in prison. They can carol their Christian friends.

There is drumming this weekend and a Full Moon Ritual in Miami. There's also animal counseling, if your pooch or kitty is nursing a trauma that they won't share.

Another great stocking stuffer for the family.

B*B, Spel

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11/29/11

It must be the end of the year.

I have added the major events from 2012 to my online calendar. Weekly events I add as we get close to them, just to reduce clutter. Each year I think of the turning of the Wheel and how circular time is Goddess Time.

'Tis the season of Yule. let it snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPOujpp1QKY

We are still not done with festivals. There still might be time to get into Turning the Tides this weekend. Next weekend, there is the 11th Annual Yulefest Gathering at All World Acres. We will be doing our own Yule Saturday December 17th.

This Thursday in Study group, we do a Spontaneous Ritual. Anything but a script is OK. What shall we conjure? Come and see.

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11/22/12

In 1987 NoraLee, the founder of our CUUPS chapter found us the story of the MoonPath:

"When you look out across the water at night, after the sun has set and the moon has risen high enough to become bright, then you see a long, glimmering moonpath reaching away into the distance. There it lies, stretching from the moon to the earth, and from the earth to the moon, as bright as silver and gold, and as straight and smooth as a turnpike road..."

The words are from a book published in 1895, The Garden Behind the Moon, by Howard Pyle. He was an illustrator and author, and the book is not quite about witches. The rest of the quote is online at www.moonpathcuups.org/moonpath.htm along with the book. These are magickal words. Thank you NoraLee for finding them.

There is no Study Group next Thursday. It's Turkey Day. Stay home and celebrate this secular harvest festival that was born during the Civil War to promote unity.

December brings us Turning the Tides, Yule, a Tequesta Drum Circle, and a full schedule of Study Groups.

B*B, Spel

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11/16/11 'Tis the season! Perhaps you have seen on the Internet the words to "Walking in a Wiccan Wonderland." For a very professional arrangement of it, check out our friend Karina on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dvxoirbvTk&feature=autoshare

Camelot Days was fun Saturday. I wandered about and accosted the Ale Ladies. There were street performers and shows, pageantry and bellydancers, and a very cheerful atmosphere. It's on again this weekend.

There is still time to sign up to attend Turning the Tides the first weekend in December. The price has gone up to $65 but registration has not closed yet.

This Thursday in Study Group we learn "More About Dragons." The Panda will be back with more research and stories.

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11/11/11

So Starhawk came to the Youth camp at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

She is a big name in the Pagan community and she spoke about reclaiming old values and old ways. I did not recognize most of the people who showed up. MoonPath contributed $300 for snacks between the afternoon and evening programs.

We meditated and walked about the park, smelling all the aromas around us. A woman's drumming and dance troupe showed us traditions from Brazil to Jamaica. Then the folks walked 20 minutes under the moonlight through the darkened mangroves to the Primitive Area for fire and ritual. The quarter calls of these Earth People were answered by mosquitoes the size of turkey vultures. It was a magickal time for all.

Other news: Rel Davis has passed to the Summerland. He was one of my teachers as I was spiraling into the Craft in the late 80's. Rel was a "solitary by personality" who had a gift for research and story telling. We who learned from him later figured out that we were part of the tradition of second generation Rellians. Rellians can be recognized by 1) their distrust of anyone else's authority and 2) the fervor with which they proclaim, "As I will it, so mote it be!"

This is the first weekend of Camelot Days in TY Park, Hollywood. Here is a fun community in which to dress up in our favorite fantasy garb and act out. See www.CamelotDays.com

November 15, Registration closes for Turning the Tides. See www.emlc.net/joomla/

The Wheel of the Year is turning on, and it is time for me to start posting next year's events.

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11/1/11

Thank you to everyone who made our 14th Annual Witches Ball a success.

What with the rain and threats of serious weather, we had light attendance and did everything indoors. Yes, we are Earth people, but witches melt.

Our wonderful Druid's Ritual is online at http://moonpathcuups.org/rituals/druid11.htm So is our Midnight Ritual at http://moonpathcuups.org/rituals/sam11.htm. Now when Googling the Internet for Hypatia of Alexandria, you will find our contribution. Over the years, we have planned many creative Rituals. I recall Ostara of 2009 we did Theseus and the Minotaur.

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Past Life Regressions from MoonDay. Florida Pagan Gathering is this weekend. Next Tuesday, Starhawk comes to town. Looking ahead, Camelot Days is now a two-weekend event and it's plenty of fun. The first weekend in December is the Turning of the Tides Festival.

Busy little witches are we.

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10/24/11

This Thursday we share our stories of Samhain and the Final Harvest. These go on all around the world at this time in the Northern hemisphere. We finish our casting call and do some rehearsing. Rehearsals are good.

This Saturday is our Fourteenth Annual Witches Ball. The doors open at 7:30 PM. There will be DeeJay music by Izfrafel and then live music by Witchs Mark. At 9 PM there will me a Attunement with the Dead in our Memorial Garden, at 10:15 PM our Druid's Ritual, and at Midnight we honor Hypatia of Alexandria. See www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/hypatia/ All for $15 admission. Do come out and play and dress for the season.

Hey Spel, It's Lauren, one of the readers@ New Age Books and Things in Fort Lauderdale. I am having an event on Nov.18th called the Crystal Ball at Capones NightClub in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale, and would like to welcome whomever would like to display their talents, Runes Readers, tarot, fire breathing etc. they can charge what they'd like. If you could put this on Spelcastor's broadcast, I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Lauren Quinn

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10/18/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Arianrhod, Celtic Goddess of the Moon, Sky, and Stars. Lady Nightshade will share her studies and experience.

We will also do a casting call for our Samhain rituals. We need players and bad acting is appreciated. The Midnight Ritual honors Hypatia of Alexandria. See www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/hypatia/

This weekend, it's Howlin' Hammock time at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. This will be spooktacular fun for the whole family. See www.FriendsOfBirchStatePark.org/hammock

The commercial Halloween is the biggest money making holiday after Christmas. There's all those fancy costumes, party, party, party, and don't forget to practice safe hex. For us it's Witch Awareness Week. Muggles take brief interest in us until the Wheel of the Year moves on again.

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10/10/11

On the Island of Kauaii, there is a magical bay called Hanalei. I could imagine this is where Puff the Magick Dragon lives? On the other side of the island is the waterfall shown in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park. The Hollywood folk had to clean up when they were done, and I guess they took their T-Rex home with them. Jackie Paper was off surfing some place. Remember that she is a SHE and her orientation is not obvious.

So this place Hawaii is very Pagan. The old ways are being restored. The missionaries of the 1800s were a temporary nuisance who stole the government and banned the hula. The old stories are retold in chants. There are goddesses and gods, kings and invasions. Being accustomed to crafty ways, it is easier to recognize what is going on beneath the surface..

I now have a draft of the Samhain Ritual and we can do a casting call a week from Thursday. This year we will be honoring Hypatia of Alexandria. See www.MoonpathCUUPS.org/hypatia

This Thursday in Study Group we learn about the Slavic pantheon from Max. Max always tells good stories, so we should learn something.

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10/3/11

Greetings from Kauai, Hawaii. Spelcastor is on vacation.

I was struck with all the local language place names and the reverence for indigenous culture. It reminded me of Ireland. I went to Witchvox.org and looked up pagan groups. The few are mostly around the main island associated with the military. So is the only UU congregation. Who needs Celtic when they have a perfectly good local Earth Religion?

I see many churches scattered about, a Jewish Temple and A Buddhist Center. There is some resentment among the locals, so I looked it up on Google. In 1893, Queen Liliuokalalani was deposed in a coup de estat that was later deemed to be illegal, but the queen was not restored. On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed, and it's first president was Sandord P. Dole, a name to become well-known in American politics and the international pineapple business. And to think that there are people who complain about Iraq.

This Thursday in Study Group we do a spontaneous ritual. Anything but a script is OK. This teaches us toto roll with the flow. This week end, I see drumming opportunities but no open rituals.

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9/27/11

We had a wonderful Tequesta Drum Circle last Monday on the Equinox. The weather and everyone else behaved. Attendance was good and we broke even, pretty close, so we expect to be able to do Tequesta again at the Winter Solstice.

This Thursday in Study Group, Barlowe tells us about the use of Kava in ceremony and ritual. Barlowe has built up quite a following with his herbal business, www.barlowesherbalelixirs.com So we have an opportunity to learn new things about old ways.

We have a quiet weekend ahead of us with more drumming opportunities.

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9/21/11

This Thursday in Study Group, Spelcastor tells us about Hypatia of Alexandria. She was a philosopher, mathematician and astronomer who was done in by a "Christian" mob." We will also learn a bit about analytical geometry and the math of 400 CE. We will honor Hypatia at our Witches Ball. See more at www.moonpathcuups.org/hypatia/

Friday is the Tequesta Drum Circle. See www.tequestadrum.com. It's $10 at the gate and the gates close at 10 PM. Come early.

This Saturday, there is EarthDance in Miami and more drumming in Fort Lauderdale. Also, this Saturday there will be a memorial for Merlin Stone at the Clearwater UU Congregation. Merlin is a Big name Pagan who wrote "When God Was a Woman."

This will be a busy weekend. Friday a 300 pound blob of space junk will come hurtling out of orbit. It is unlikely that you will notice.

Now for a message on a more personal note: My name is Olga Gonzalez, DeepC Star. I have been diagnosed with epilepsy and will be unable to care for my cats for a few months and am in need of some members to care for them until I am able to take them back. My home is located in Lauderdale Lakes, Fl. My cell phone number is 954-830-7787. Thank you so much, Deep C Star, deepcstar at yahoo.com

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9/14/11

This Thursday in Study Group we plan for Pagan Pride and our Mabon Ritual. We will do a casting call and a rehearsal.

Saturday noon til 7 PM we celebrate Pagan Pride Day with vendors, workshops, music and ritual.

Looking down our calendar, we have the Tequesta Drum Circle coming up a week from Friday. The next day there is EarthDance Miami. Later on we have Orion Foxwood and then later Starhawk coming to town.

We have many witching opportunities ahead of us.

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9/7/11

This Thursday we hear from Wooga Mann telling us about the Sixteen Element Square of Fate. Bring pens and markers because there will be some drawing. You will learn more when you participate.

This Monday is the last class at with Lord Cuchulain at New Age Books and Things. He will be leading a Full Moon Ritual for Change. Our drummers will be out on the beach under the Full Moon.

We are coming up on our own Pagan Pride Day. That will be the following weekend. From noon til 7 PM we will be at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale. There will be vendors, food, workshops and such. At 5:30 PM, we will celebrate the Second Harvets with an open Ritual.

Some of our Pagan folk discovered the Free Thinkers AA that meets here Thursday nights. AA can be a successful path to recovery. They call upon a higher power. Many groups are intensely Christian, which can be distracting to Pagans. These folks will not insist that you claim a particular deity. Recovery is a good thing, and here is a group that is welcoming of Pagans.

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8/31/11

This Thursday we hear from Lady Nightshade about the Goddess Hygeneia. Hygeneia hails from the Greek pantheon of deities. There are no doubt similar deities within other traditions. We did not meet the previous week because the weather looked so threatening. As soon as we called off the meeting, the sun came out and the birds starting singing.

We are approaching the time of Second Harvest. Next month we will celebrate Pagan Pride Day. Further down the calendar the 10th Annual Harvest Rhythm Festival will be held at All World Acres in the Tampa Bay area. Festivals will be popping up all over for the season.

It's nice that the storm did not get us. Well wishes to those it did. Meanwhile, we get back to our lives and whatever it was we were doing.

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8/25/11

Let us admit that the weather is nasty and stay home tonight

B*B, Spel

Yes is a good idea. I would love that many members could benefit from the ritual and most likely people would like to be safe and with their loved ones today. See you next week!

Thanks,
Lady Nightshade

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8/23/11

It looks like our Weather Witches have been on the job and Hurricane Irene is passing us by. If the weather gets really nasty Thursday night, stay home and we will reschedule for the following week.

Meanwhile, this Thursday we expect to hear from Lady Nightshade about the Goddess Hygeneia. Hygeneia hails from the Greek pantheon of deities. There are no doubt similar deities within other traditions..

We are approaching the time of Second Harvest. Next month we will celebrate Pagan Pride Day. Further down the calendar the 10th Annual Harvest Rhythm Festival will be held at All World Acres in the Tampa Bay area. Festivals will be popping up all over for the season.

We still have high hopes that the Tequesta Drum Circle will happen at the fall equinox. We are awaiting formal approval by park management to the north before we order insurance and porta-potties. We will place our notice online at www.moonpathcircle.org/tequesta.htm and do an email broadcast when we get the word.

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8/16/11

This Thursday in Study Group we learn about Kali. Kali is a very complex Hindu Goddess who has to do with more than just death and destruction. Come hear what Kalimir has to say.

This Thursday we have drum circles, a Pagan picnic and doings at Crystal Fantasy. Looking down the calendar further, the resident apothecary of the Florida Renaissance Festival will be offering a series of classes on medicinal plants. Over at New Age Books, Lord Cuchulain continues his weekly classes on the Craft and Living Wicca..

We will have much to do between dodging thunderstorms.

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8/10/11

This Thursday in Study Group we celebrate dragnfli's 10 years with MoonPath CUUPS. This lady has done more than CUUPS, she is a founder of the Sisterhood of the Temple of Ahel Adom. See www.thesisterhoodofaheladom.org. It's not a coven, it's a... Well, ask her. dragnfli is also a student of the late Lady Demeter. For years she ran a shop, Under the Stars, HPS'd a coven and was a teacher to other local leaders like Lady Bridget. See www.ladybridget.com. Don't know these folks? They have been part of our local community and perhaps a bit secretive.

I you everyone noticed at our Corn Festival Pot Luck, there was real buffalo stew. Buffalo are not endangered and were at an honored place on our table. There was also Fry Bread. This is on no one's healthy diet, but it is regular native fair.

Traditional people look to do traditional things. Like in the North West, Native Americans revived the puberty rite of whale hunting from war canoes. It's exciting, dangerous, and distressing to the tree huggers, but living without tradition is as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.

Here comes another Full Moon. Perhaps our Weather Witches will part the dark rain clouds long enough for us to get some drumming in.

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8/3/11

Thank you Black Diamond for leading us in the wonderful native American Corn Ritual. Thanks to everyone who participated and cleaned up. Everything was how we left it.

This Thursday we hear from Debe Dark Moon about "Sea Wisdom." That gets me thinking about Dion Fortune's classic book, "The Sea Priestess." I have no idea if there is a connection.

We are in the season of the First Harvest, typically called Lammas, or Loaf Mass. Grain from the First Harvest is baked into bread for a celebratory mass. Sounds Christian! The other name for the season is Lughnasadh, The Day of Lugh is more difficult to pronounce. Lug was a Celtic hero who grew in legend and grew into a god, a god of many talents. Sounds more Pagan to me.

Have you heard about Interfaith Clergy? I think of a priestess as having a patron god/dess. It reminds me of a similar industry: insurance. A State Farm or Allstate agent will sell you anything his company provides. If they don't offer home insurance in Florida, he doesn't sell it. I think of an Interfaith Priestess saying, "Would you care for eternal salvation or would you like something more in the line of Nirvana?"

We live in strange times.

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7/19/11

This Thursday in Study Group we learn about the Birth of Lady Nightshade. The call of the darkening felt by this magickal person among us and how she got to where she is today.

This weekend we have drumming and more drumming. Monday there is Half Quarter Drumming at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale.

There has been much tree trimming going on at the Fort Lauderdale UU. There is now an abundance of logs discreetly stacked about the property that we can move to the fence-line beside our fire circle. We won't be scrounging for wood for a while yet. We still have pallets left over from the labyrinth re-mulching that are ready for a firey end.

Next week Black Diamond leads us in a Native American Corn Dance for our celebration of Lammas. This is the sabbat we do in traditions other than those that come from Europe, Our indigenous people had their own wheel of the year and did quite well with it. You will be hearing more about this sabbat this Thursday and next.

B*B, Spel

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7/13/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we celebrate our annual Chocolate Ritual. All aspects of chocolate will be honored, in it's solid, liquid, and dusty vapor aspects. This deeply spiritual event attracts many women, even some from outside our Pagan community.

Come and bring your favorite form of chocolate to share. Wear ritual garb, the color of the night is brown. This is an event to share with a friend.

Then later that night at 12:01 am, the final Harry Potter movie debuts. Be a part of history. If you weren't around for the first showing of Starwars or Windows95, here is an opportunity to take part in the history of your times. Dress up. Weird is good and you probably have all that stuff in your closet already.

And then Friday night, Full Moon Drumming. Dressing up is not as important as bringing Sacred Bug Spray, but here is another special gathering for our community. Saturday and Sunday, there are more gatherings going on.

Have a blessed weekend!

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7/5/11

This Thursday in Study Group we learn about Magickal Art Drawing from Sue. Many of us know Sue from drumming circles.

What else, Happy Birthday today to me, Spelcastor. Yes, let us all celebrate, and I am available for breakfast dates.

There is a Psychic Faire this Saturday at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale. Drop by and see what the future holds. Not sure if you should go? Ask a psychic.

There is more happening online. Take a look at Writings and Images from the hands of Black Diamond at http://www.t4studios.net/ I particularly like her story of the Witch and the Tax Man. Black Diamond will be leading our Native American Lammas ritual once again.

For those of you who wanted more on the Slavic Zodiac, see Celestial Palaces of the KOL'YADOW DAR (Swarog Circle) excerpts from "The Quest for the Swarga Grimoire" by our own Max DarkStorm at www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/Celestial_Palaces.pdf

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6/28/11

This Thursday in Study Group, there just may be Dragons. That is our topic and the Panda will be presenting.

I came across a site on Norse Mythology http://www.viking-mythology.com/ for you Asatru and Druid folk out there

If you are looking about for formal coven involvement, Traditional Gardnerian Covens in the State of Florida opening up their groups for training. If you are interested you can email Lady Cara at yamaya6663@aol.com and your information will be forwarded on to a High Priestess in your area.

And if you are interested in doing a workshop at Samhain FPG, Florida Pagan Gathering in Ocala, go to this site and sign up. Please do it soon as the good spots go fast. http://www.flapagan.org. Thanks, Arachne, FPG Workshop Lugal & FPG Elder.

There are opportunities for involvement for those who are looking.

I have been encouraged that we may get to resume the Tequesta Drum Circle. We will be required to pay more fees and have more security, but Tequesta is worth it and so we will raise the rates at our gate. Yes, we are worth it.

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6/15/11

Tomorrow we have Full Moon Drumming on the Beach. On Thursday in Study Group, we share stories of MidSummers and plan our Saturday Sabbat. To get into the mood, go rent a video of MidSummer Night's Dream. Any version will do, but Calista Flockhart does neurotic so well and Carmen Diaz is so sultry as Faerie Queen Titania.

This Saturday, along with our Sabat, there is a Mind-Body-Spirit Fair at Crystal Fantasy and Tribal Solstice V at the Lotus Dance Studio. On Sunday there is the Pagan Picnic and Green Gay Men.

Looking at our calendar, notice we have rescheduled our July Chocolate Ritual two week earlier to accommodate preparations for our Lammas Sabat. We have heard no news on Tequesta Drum Circle yet. We always have hope.

Remember this Saturday at our sabbat, we feast first at 7: 30 PM and do our Midsummer's Ritual at 8:45 pm.

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6/7/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn more about the Slavic Zodiac and Old Religion.

The Slavic countries are where the Vikings and Roman captured their involuntary workers. Hence the word slave is derived from Slavic. Such low status did not make the Slavic religions interesting to those who were carrying them off. Only later and in more modern cultures did these enlightened ways become a focus of attention. We have witnessed a similar pattern in White American culture. Can you say Injun? Come learn and enjoy.

The Tequesta Drum Circle is still shut down. We have written up proposals to park upper management demonstrating our long safety record and the popularity of these events. If we succeed in getting turned back on, we will quickly get the word out.

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5/31/11

This Thursday at Study Group, we will learn something of the Dynamics of Drum Circles and then raise some energy to make our Tequesta Fire Drum Circles happen once again. These were recently shut down by park district management over safety concerns about our fire.

Along with our magick, we are working on a proposal documenting our safety record and community support while we look around for more specific fire insurance. Working in the mundane world is good too when you have a need.

Last Saturday, Spelcastor was at a church workshop on "Money Matters." Representatives from area UU congregations to hear from our state leader on how we show our values and how other people see us showing them. I did not push this workshop to the Pagan community, but these factors are the same ones we encounter in our own doings.

I did get to bond with UU leaders around SE Florida. It is good to be personally know within communities where I may show up wanting something.

Meanwhile, there is drumming this weekend. I will be at a Toastmasters gathering. This is another Muggle group of folks honing their speaking and presentation skills. May I should push that to my Pagan friends too.

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5/24/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about the Egyptian Lion Goddess Sehkmet. Kalimir will present and she's been doing good research for a long time. Remember, everything came from Egypt.

Here is a Reading opportunity I heard about: "HI Spel, my name is Lauren I'm a new reader at New Age, but I also coordinate events at Capone's Nightclub in Ft. Laud. I need someone to do mini Tarot readings for an event June 17th at 7 p.m. They can charge what they'd like table is free. Give out my number to who may like to do it: 561-350-7756."

Well, the world did not end last Saturday afternoon. I was at a trade show and forgot to keep track of the time. Who would have guessed? There were Fundies outside of this particular show protesting, and they were still there too after 5 PM. Sometimes the magick doesn't work at all.

Sad news: the Tequesta Fire/Drum Circle has been shut down by park upper management, not the local guys we all know. Something about adequate fire insurance. Here is another opportunity for magick. Me, I am conjuring insurance agents.

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5/17/11

This Thursday in Study Group, Spelcastor will present on the 12 elements of ritual. These are the things you might include and where they come from.

Sometimes you would leave a few of these steps out. The bigger your circle, the more theater becomes important and the technical reasons for your motions become less obvious. Other folks will have opinions on this too, so we will share ideas with no need to agree.;

Perhaps in your tradition, you will omit some steps and have others to add. It's your ritual and between just you and your deity.

And speaking of ritual, Hollywood CUUPS will invoke the Goddess Caffeina this Wednesday in there own reverence to the Full Moon.

Tonight is the Full Moon for most folks. Me, I see it as a three night event. There will be drumming on the beach and other places too.

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5/10/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we will share experiences from Pagan Festivals. I am just back from Florida Pagan Gathering. There were Big Name Pagan authors, many Druids, and another extravagant ritual.

Other have been to Beltainia or All World Acres. Some go to Pagan Spirit Gathering in the mid-west. Do see how some Scotts do it up, see the Beltane Celebration this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, by the Beltaine Fire Society http://www.flickr.com/photos/beltanefiresociety/5683513864/in/photostream/

Looking at the calendar, locally we have Pagan Picnic and some more drumming opportunities plus the Green Man Gay Pagan Gathering.

For more Pagan resources and networking, check out www.thewitchesweb.net sponsored by the www.childrenoftheoldways.org There just seems to be pagan stuff popping up all over.

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5/5/11

This Thursday, some of us are off north to Florida Pagan gathering in Ocala, Florida. We might be labeled solitaries but we attend gatherings such as these which connect us to Pagans beyond those we know in Southeast Florida. The pagan world is build upon such gatherings and well as covens and local communities.

At CUUPS this Thursday we shall celebrate the Ritual of Diana's Bow. The New Moon is but a sliver in the sky and here is a time when we celebrate new beginnings. We will be outside doing ceremony and fire.

Did I say thanks to everyone for making our Beltaine another success? We started slow, but by ritual many familiar faces had appeared. Such sabbats are a time for us to get together.

Last Saturday we did our memorial for Deep Sea Storm. Ash and Spel dressed up really respectably, just in case any Muggle family showed up. Memorials are a time to be inclusive, even if just us pagan folk were there.

Now it is time to prepare for FPG. I am presenting on Amulets & Talismen and I have many props to pack together.

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4/26/11

Re-read the Iliad, the story of the Greek's war against the Trojans, and realize it is from a different culture in which the gods meddled daily in the affairs of humans. Note also that this was a very male dominated and patriarchal culture in which the aspiration of males was either to die gloriously in battle or to make sure a worthy adversary died gloriously in battle. Our modern culture is tamer, at least where I hang out, and the males are not constantly dreaming of ripping each other's entrails out.

In Study group we shall hear about the Tengir from the Wooga Mann and then go outside to the fire and do some chest beating and meat eating. It is a part of our human culture, even if it is not popular in politically correct gatherings.

Saturday, it's Earth day at John U Lloyd State Park in on Dania Beach. We get to do some planting and gathering.

Saturday at 2 at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale, there will be a memorial service for the late Stormy. I suspect the style will be predominantly Pagan, but I am not in charge of this one. Come and remember stormy with us.

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4/19/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we share stories of Beltaine and the plan our Festival and May Day Ritual.

Saturday we will have vendors and food and live music by Witchs Mark, May Pole Dancing, and Ritual. Come dressed in your Spring garb. Bring picnic, blankets, and chairs and meet others in the Pagan community. See www.MoonpathCUUPS.org/beltain11.htm.

There are other events going around town. There is Earth Day at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. The John U Lloyd Earth Day is moved down a week. I've been publishing a date for Florida Pagan gathering that was a week early too. Plan on May 5-8.

This Sunday if you want to see big-budget Pagan activity, show up at any Roman Catholic or Episcopal church. They will be gathering at dawn, lighting bon fires, traipsing around in dark buildings carrying candles, reading their creation texts, lighting many other candles, waving smoky incense, ringing bells, and hanging up flowers everywhere. It's their Ostara, I mean Easter. It's OK is you can't follow what they are doing. Some of their own people show up only once a year for this sort of thing too.

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4/12/11

This Thursday in Study Group we learn about Earth Day. This event was begun back in 1962 by people wearing suits and ties and not tie-dyes. It has grown into an awareness of our planet and what is going on with it. There will be several celebrations in our locality this month.

This Thursday before Study Group the Church Folk will be doing their Empty Bowls Fundraiser. $10 gets you a bowl of soup and more soup. Then are raising money for LifeNet4Families, a local group that his helping not just street people but others who have fallen upon hard times. Yes, there are hard times out there.

This Saturday in Miami the Circle of Isis Rising is doing a Lunar Ritual. The Full Moon falls on Sunday so there will be drumming on the beach. This Sunday at the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale at 11 am, they will be doing a Service on the "Green Economy with Spirit." This one may be of more interest to our Pagans. Also, Elaine Silver will be there to perform.

Following that, there is the Pagan picnic at Snyder Park. We shall have plenty to do this weekend.

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4/5/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we do our Annual Banish the Fuzzy Bunny Ritual.

It is said of some in the Craft that they are all sweetness and light, would not harm a fly, and spend most of their time singing Kumbiya.

Well, a Witch who cannot kill, cannot cure. One skill is on the opposite side of the same coin from the other. And so we proclaim our balance by banishing the Fuzzy Bunny. We are having a stuffed Fuzzie Bunny procured. This process in itself is magickal. We shall place this bunny on trial, and, should its defense fail, its fate will be the fire.

We have done this before. See www.moonpathcuups.org/rituals/bunny.htm Yes, there is quite a bit of humor, but the underlying message remains present. We do not operate in an either/or world. There are shades of gray along with the light and dark. Come join us and be creative. We shall have some fun, and something is going to get burnt.

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3/29/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about the Folk Magick of Eggs. Do bring an egg shell that has been in your house for at least three days. Blow out the egg so you half al least half of a full shell. You know how to do that!

Thus weekend there is a Turkish Festival in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Come learn about this culture and make friends with a Muslim.

As the disaster in Japan continues to unfold, there are ways to give money for aid. The first link is from Pagans and the second link is from UUs. These look like they will get to real people:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Pagan-Community/doctors-without-borders?utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share&utm_source=at-facebook&utm_content=mainpage&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d857e9b37ed18a8,1

https://www.kintera.org/site/c.kkLRJ7MQKtH/b.5338473/k.9E4C/UUA__UUSC_Japan_Relief_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=kkLRJ7MQKtH&b=5338473&en=aiLRL1OCJlJQJUNHLgKJJUOGKmL2JfOQLnKSL2PPIlIQJ1OIKmK7H

Otherwise, there is drumming around town and more festivals coming up in April.

Today, Wicked comes to town. I have been twice and plan to go again. It's the story as seen by the "Wicked Witch of the West." This is a "chick play" and date-approved. See the YouTube link below. Please take off your pointy hat before taking your seat.

Enjoy,
Spel

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3/22/11

This Thursday in Study Group, we learn about Dhumavati, on of the ten Tantric Goddesses.

Friday there is a program on the impact of the corporate monopoly in the broadcast industry. Learn some news about your news.

Look aroad to April and you will see many festivals on our calendar. Beltaines, Turks, Wise Women. It's all there along with more drumming opportunities. Inanna has been freed from the Underworld tomb of Erishkagal, Spring is upon us and Mother Earth is blossoming into life.

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3/15/11

This Thursday in Study Group we swap stories of Ostara and then plan and rehearse our Ostara Ritual. The theme is butterflies. Spelcastor will get there after camping out for the afternoon at McGuire's Hill 16 at 535 N. Andrews Ave in Fort Lauderdale. Take the bus and avoid a DUI.

Saturday we gather at 7:00 pm for our Ostara Ritual. Wear your butterfly wings. faerie wings will do. You do have butterfly wings, don't you? Moonday and Shaper will lead us in this celebration of the Spring Equinox.

Meanwhile, over on the beach, it's Full Moon, and there will be drummers out there communing with the Goddess at the usual secret location. Then Sunday, the Tequesta Fire/Drum Circle will celebrate the real Equinox. Prior to that, the Pagan Picnic will also be at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, so come early and bring a picnic. Don't forget water, bug spray, and a lawn chair is useful.

If you still have open time, the 32nd Annual Hatsume Faire at the Morikami is going on Saturday and Sunday. Also Sunday there is a new Green Man Gay Pagan Spiritual Study Group.

We have such a busy weekend ahead of us!

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3/9/11

This Thursday we learn about and make Pagan Prayer Beads with Kalliope. Every tradition has prayer beads. They are a tool for focus and to quiet the monkey mind.

This is the last weekend of the Ren-Faire. It's an Irish Weekend so play appropriately.

In Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, we will be re-mulching the labyrinth. This is an annual event where we restore the pathways on our Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is another meditation tool. If you attend a Labyrinth Retreat put on by our Christian neighbors, you will find a strong influence of the Blessed Mother and the Goddess.

Looking at other people's spiritual journeys, there is much more similarity than either/or. What with us all being human, many things start looking the same.

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3/2/11

This Thursday in Study Group, Ash the Silent will present on Potions. How these things are conjured up, what they might be used for, and how you might do it. This is a workshop she has previously presented with great success in area metaphysical shops.

For those who want to make this more than a "Show & Tell", we will have bottles and droppers available for an extra $1. This is beyond the $1 we ask for room-rent. Hopefully there will not be many who will complain that this is an oppressive financial burden.

Going on this weekend, there is the Ren-Faire, plus the Annual Asian Cultural Festival in Homestead, FL. Remember, Asians include folks from India as well as China. There will be Buddhist and Hindu things going on as well regional foods. Monday, Living Wicca continues at New Age Books & Things.

Lat week's Pagan Happy Trails workshop was well received. I will plan to offer it at Florida Pagan Gathering next Samhain. This Beltaine, I will present Amulets & Talismen. Pagan ministry to the grieving and dying is more appropriate at the darker time of year.

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