Me and my husband are facing a financial dilemma. We are both living in a high population area, living off nothing but unemployment with a newborn baby. We find ourselves living paycheck to paycheck, in a motel, because we can't afford a huge deposit on an apartment or house. Thursday, it came to my attention that we hadn't bought enough formula for the baby. I didn't know what to do, as we had spent our last few dollars on diapers at the Dollar General.
My husband kept trying to keep me calm, through my hormonal outbursts of tears on how our baby was going to starve, by saying "It will all work out." But just like every time he says it, I don't listen, and worry myself silly. After a few depressing hours, I decided to stop worrying and put it in the Goddess' hands. She had always helped me before when I was in desperate need, and I knew that if she didn't help me now, there was a good reason. However, she came through with flying colors.
When I was younger, I went on a chat program for fans of the book series Harry Potter. I met a lot of interesting people up there. Even now, eight years later, I still talk to a few of them. One of these people, Rose, randomly messaged me last night, asking how my baby was doing. The baby is great, I let her know. She then asked how I was doing. I told her that I was happy, but financially depressed. She then offered to send money, which I politely declined. However, she wouldn't take no for an answer. "You're taking it whether you like it or not! Consider it Genevieve's birth gift."
Now, I was shocked as it was. How can someone I never met in real life, be so nice? I mean, I bought her something a few years ago, a Harry Potter banner decoration for her room, but I didn't think she still remembered that. "It's the little things that mean so much to me." She informed me. In additon to this, she woke up at 8AM, even though she didn't have to work until 2PM AND she had a seventeen hour shift today, just to send us the money.
So, here I am, shocked beyond belief as it was. She goes offline to send the money, and comes back an hour later. "I sent you 100 dollars."
WAIT, YOU SENT WHAT?
Praise the Goddess... I can't believe how much help someone I've never met in real life could be! I have friends in real life who haven't done anything like that to help! I wish so much good karma on her, and all her dreams to come true. I'm going to praise the Goddess tonight for our stroke of good luck, and may blessings onto Rose for her kindness. If my readers have the time, I would appreciate a prayer for Rose, that many good tidings head her way.
Blessed Be.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Planning a Wiccaning
A Wiccaning is when you present your child to the universe and give them with their first Magical name, that they change once they are old enough to pick their own. It is a right of passage, and is similar to a “christening” in Christianity.
Timing: The timing for the child's Wiccaning is largely influenced by the time of year the child was born. Some people would prefer to have it on a solstice or equinox of the season the child was born, while others wish to present the new addition during a new moon. Our daughter was born on May 11th, so we are planning hers for Thursday, June 2nd on the date of the next new moon. Make sure both parents are well enough to participate (I had a C-section, so we have to wait a bit longer).
Who to invite: Invite family, close friends, maybe even your coven. Since we do not belong to a coven here, and our family lives 600 miles away, we will be doing this ritual by ourselves. Your guests can bring gifts if they choose.
Sometimes your child might cry, especially if they aren't used to a lot of people or noise. Don't worry about this, the child just wants to be apart of the fun! Try to keep calm, and think of the Goddess.
Altar: A standard altar representing all four elements and corners would be a great start, also placing any gifts given to the child on the altar.
Name: Choosing a baby's wiccan name can be as hard as her real name. Try to pick a name everyone agrees with, you might want to ask your coven leaders for suggestions, or friends and family. We haven't come up with a Wiccan name for Genevieve yet. Maybe, you could suggest names to your child and see if they react in some way positively, since they are not speaking age. You might meditate or ask for the Goddess to suggest something in a dream or in a sign.
The Ritual: I don't feel comfortable or experienced enough to write my own Wiccaning ceremony, so we have decided to use the one on this page: http://herbalmusings.com/wiccaning-ritual.htm Remember, pre-written ceremonies aren't mandatory, they are merely guides on a suggested way to perform a ritual. Mix it up with your own things!
Timing: The timing for the child's Wiccaning is largely influenced by the time of year the child was born. Some people would prefer to have it on a solstice or equinox of the season the child was born, while others wish to present the new addition during a new moon. Our daughter was born on May 11th, so we are planning hers for Thursday, June 2nd on the date of the next new moon. Make sure both parents are well enough to participate (I had a C-section, so we have to wait a bit longer).
Who to invite: Invite family, close friends, maybe even your coven. Since we do not belong to a coven here, and our family lives 600 miles away, we will be doing this ritual by ourselves. Your guests can bring gifts if they choose.
Sometimes your child might cry, especially if they aren't used to a lot of people or noise. Don't worry about this, the child just wants to be apart of the fun! Try to keep calm, and think of the Goddess.
Altar: A standard altar representing all four elements and corners would be a great start, also placing any gifts given to the child on the altar.
Name: Choosing a baby's wiccan name can be as hard as her real name. Try to pick a name everyone agrees with, you might want to ask your coven leaders for suggestions, or friends and family. We haven't come up with a Wiccan name for Genevieve yet. Maybe, you could suggest names to your child and see if they react in some way positively, since they are not speaking age. You might meditate or ask for the Goddess to suggest something in a dream or in a sign.
The Ritual: I don't feel comfortable or experienced enough to write my own Wiccaning ceremony, so we have decided to use the one on this page: http://herbalmusings.com/wiccaning-ritual.htm Remember, pre-written ceremonies aren't mandatory, they are merely guides on a suggested way to perform a ritual. Mix it up with your own things!
Honeymoon Over
Not even two weeks after we were married, we had to move out of our house. My husband lost his job and I could not pay the rent and all the bills on my jobs paycheck alone. We ended up moving in with his cousin, her husband and their two children. Big mistake.
Never live with another family, it is doomed to have a negative effect on your own relationship. Soon after moving in with them, my husband got a job with the cousins husband. They worked nightshift, where-as I worked day shift. Our relationship took a downward toll, as our schedules didn't give us any time together, and when it rarely did, it wasn't alone time. The cousin started talking down to me, and saying unkind things about me to my husband while I was asleep or at work.
I got accused of cheating on my husband, and my husband (bless him) believed it. I was kicked out and forced to move in with my parents, my husband asking me for a divorce. I went into a downward spiral of depression, only leaving my room to go to work.
It was this time, that Dr. Possum and his wife started holding Wiccan church ceremonies every month. During one of these meetings, they asked me if I would house sit for them while they went on vacation. I was very happy to do it, their house is so full of wonderful magical energies, and it always smelled amazing.
It was on the last day of house-sitting, that I decided to take the opportunity to absorb some of their houses wonderful aroma and atmosphere. I sat on their couch with their two familiars (two big yellow Labradors) and prayed once again. I asked for a sign from the Goddess. Anything at all, maybe a sign about what I should do with my life from there? We had only been married 2 months before this bomb was dropped on me. I had applied to go back to college, and was waiting for a response back.
I mediated for a half hour, just basking in the ambiance of their amazing home, and then made my way outside. Right outside their back door is a tree. Usually I would go around the right side of the tree to make my way to my car, but one of their cats got my attention, and I walked around the left side of the tree instead to pet the cat. That's when I saw, sticking straight out of the ground, a crows feather. I mean, straight out of the ground, as it's end was stuck in the dirt, with the rest sticking straight up.
The significance of this for me was huge, as my husbands spirit animal is a crow, and we had evoked the spirit of the crow (and the red fox, as that is my spirit animal) at our wedding. I knew at that moment that I had received my sign.
It was a week later that my husband contacted me again (after we had not spoken for a month.) He had moved away from his cousins, and now without their influence, had made his own conclusions about our relationship. We got back together, and then I found out two months later, I had been pregnant the entire time we were split up.
We have never had another issue with our relationship since that point in time.
Our daughter was born on May 11th 2011. Genevieve Kerry-Anne Toler. We plan on raising her Wiccan, until she is old enough to make her own decisions on what path she chooses (whether it's a pagan path or not). My husband is also trying to get a couple of pagan children's books published, as we don't know of any. (We are going through Llewellyn publishing).
We have since moved from our Bible Belt town (and away from our Wiccan church there) and are now residing in Kissimmee Florida. I really do miss our old church, and you can visit their website here: http://www.eternalharvestwicca.org/
Never live with another family, it is doomed to have a negative effect on your own relationship. Soon after moving in with them, my husband got a job with the cousins husband. They worked nightshift, where-as I worked day shift. Our relationship took a downward toll, as our schedules didn't give us any time together, and when it rarely did, it wasn't alone time. The cousin started talking down to me, and saying unkind things about me to my husband while I was asleep or at work.
I got accused of cheating on my husband, and my husband (bless him) believed it. I was kicked out and forced to move in with my parents, my husband asking me for a divorce. I went into a downward spiral of depression, only leaving my room to go to work.
It was this time, that Dr. Possum and his wife started holding Wiccan church ceremonies every month. During one of these meetings, they asked me if I would house sit for them while they went on vacation. I was very happy to do it, their house is so full of wonderful magical energies, and it always smelled amazing.
It was on the last day of house-sitting, that I decided to take the opportunity to absorb some of their houses wonderful aroma and atmosphere. I sat on their couch with their two familiars (two big yellow Labradors) and prayed once again. I asked for a sign from the Goddess. Anything at all, maybe a sign about what I should do with my life from there? We had only been married 2 months before this bomb was dropped on me. I had applied to go back to college, and was waiting for a response back.
I mediated for a half hour, just basking in the ambiance of their amazing home, and then made my way outside. Right outside their back door is a tree. Usually I would go around the right side of the tree to make my way to my car, but one of their cats got my attention, and I walked around the left side of the tree instead to pet the cat. That's when I saw, sticking straight out of the ground, a crows feather. I mean, straight out of the ground, as it's end was stuck in the dirt, with the rest sticking straight up.
The significance of this for me was huge, as my husbands spirit animal is a crow, and we had evoked the spirit of the crow (and the red fox, as that is my spirit animal) at our wedding. I knew at that moment that I had received my sign.
It was a week later that my husband contacted me again (after we had not spoken for a month.) He had moved away from his cousins, and now without their influence, had made his own conclusions about our relationship. We got back together, and then I found out two months later, I had been pregnant the entire time we were split up.
We have never had another issue with our relationship since that point in time.
Our daughter was born on May 11th 2011. Genevieve Kerry-Anne Toler. We plan on raising her Wiccan, until she is old enough to make her own decisions on what path she chooses (whether it's a pagan path or not). My husband is also trying to get a couple of pagan children's books published, as we don't know of any. (We are going through Llewellyn publishing).
We have since moved from our Bible Belt town (and away from our Wiccan church there) and are now residing in Kissimmee Florida. I really do miss our old church, and you can visit their website here: http://www.eternalharvestwicca.org/
A Handfasting
Now that we were engaged, the issue became "How do we find a Wiccan priest/priestess to handfast us, in the Bible belt?" The answer, was quite literally, under my husbands nose. My husband was a waiter at Waffle House, and it turns out one of his regular customers was a Wiccan Priest. His name was Dr. Possum, and he had his own Wiccan store behind his house. (http://drpossumshexhouse.com/index.html) We had no idea that the Wiccan community was more than just us! Him and his wife opened up a whole new world for us, in that we realized we weren't the only Wiccans living in the Bible Belt.
We were married via Wiccan handfasting on June 19th 2010. We tried to have it as close to the summer solstice as possible. Most of my family attended (except I did not invite my intolerant grandfather), and it was medieval themed. The priest and the priestess are both ordained Wiccan ministers, so it was nice and legal.
(From left to right) Dr. Possum, Christopher, myself and Dr. Possums wife
Handfasted
Husband and Wife
We even jumped the broom for fertility ;)
We were married via Wiccan handfasting on June 19th 2010. We tried to have it as close to the summer solstice as possible. Most of my family attended (except I did not invite my intolerant grandfather), and it was medieval themed. The priest and the priestess are both ordained Wiccan ministers, so it was nice and legal.
How it Started
My name is Jessica Toler. I am 24 years old, married to a Mr. Christopher Toler. We have a two week old daughter named Genevieve Kerry-Anne Toler, and we are both Wiccans.
I, personally, have been an eclectic Wiccan since I was in tenth grade. However, at that time, I was not allowed to practice my religion freely, because my parents were both Christians. They weren't terribly strict when it came to teachings of the Bible, they didn't proclaim every little sin would send me to hell, but I was absolutely NOT allowed to practice witchcraft in their house. I respected it, as I knew that to practice it in their house, without their permission, would be inviting bad karma into my life, so I made sure that my religious practices were kept outside of their house. I remember wearing a pentacle necklace one time, and my grandfather freaking out and telling the whole family. My mother made me give it to her, and she says she "got rid of it."
When I graduated high school and started college, I met some friends that followed a solitary path. We ended up getting together and forming a little "coven" of three. We met every Wednesday and in addition to learning more of the craft, it gave us all excellent excuses to hang out and eat junk food. My parents knew of the meetings, and they were fine with me going to them, as long as I didn't bring the materials, books or literature home (I bypassed this by keeping all my supplies in my car).
My second year of college, I starting dating a guy that I had been friends with for sixteen years prior to us dating. He was cynical and mean, but because I had been his friend for so long, for some reason I thought he'd be the perfect boyfriend. He made fun of all religions constantly, including my own, and so I stopped practicing while we were dating (I still regret it). After we broke up, I spent the next two years alone, romantically. I just was not ready to be put through the same heartache my last romance had put me through.
I spent this time to focus on myself, and the craft. Don't get me wrong, I went on a few dates, but they just weren't right for me. It was around this time that I started feeling very lonely. I had been single for two years, and dateless for months. I finally decided to ask the Goddess for something.
You see, before this time, I had never asked for anything. I did rituals for others (with their permission) and rituals of thanks for my family and friends, but had refrained for asking for anything because I didn't want to be greedy. I should mention, that at this time, my mother had become way more open minded. Let me digress for a second.
My aunt Kerry-Anne died in August of 2008. She had sleep apnea, and just stopped breathing in her sleep. She was only 36. My mother was devastated, and it was that day that she lost her religion. Don't get me wrong, she still considers herself Christian, but only as a label. She doesn't go to church, and I don't think she even prays anymore. She still believes in god, but her whole perspective on religion had changed so much, that suddenly I was allowed Wiccan books, an altar, and even supplies. The only rule still in tact, was the "No pentacles" rule. (My mother has an issue with believing the Hollywood portrayal of witches).
Back on topic though. I did a very simple thing. All I did was light a red candle, meditate, and pray to the Goddess that I would find the right one for me sometime soon, but at her leisure. It was the very next day (seriously, the next day) that I met my future husband, Christopher.
It started with a simple message. A "your cute" message via Myspace. I was turned off immediately, mostly because he used terrible grammar and there was nothing else in the message besides that. However, I was bored, so I replied with a "thanks." Things went from simple sentences, to full blown conversations. At this time, I checked his profile and saw that he was friends with one of my friends, and also that he was Wiccan. I was absolutely shocked. A Wiccan living in the Bible Belt was one thing, but to have one be male? That was just too good to pass up! We decided to met, and go on a date.
I was way to cynical to believe in love at first sight, but something told me that day that he was the one. I didn't say this too him of course, didn't want to scare him off, but I believed it. I was totally petrified of this new feeling. We started being exclusively boyfriend and girlfriend, and it was such a weird breath of fresh air since my last failure boyfriend from 2 years prior.
One day, we took a trip to a Spencers Gifts, as they are the only store around our area that sold any kind of Wiccan things. Granted, all they sold was pentacles, but that was better than nothing. We still had to drive 30 minutes away to get there. We each bought a pentacle for the other one, and what was weird was that we each picked out the exact one the other one wanted.
A few months later, he proposed. Down on one knee, outside. He gave me his pentacle necklace.
I, personally, have been an eclectic Wiccan since I was in tenth grade. However, at that time, I was not allowed to practice my religion freely, because my parents were both Christians. They weren't terribly strict when it came to teachings of the Bible, they didn't proclaim every little sin would send me to hell, but I was absolutely NOT allowed to practice witchcraft in their house. I respected it, as I knew that to practice it in their house, without their permission, would be inviting bad karma into my life, so I made sure that my religious practices were kept outside of their house. I remember wearing a pentacle necklace one time, and my grandfather freaking out and telling the whole family. My mother made me give it to her, and she says she "got rid of it."
When I graduated high school and started college, I met some friends that followed a solitary path. We ended up getting together and forming a little "coven" of three. We met every Wednesday and in addition to learning more of the craft, it gave us all excellent excuses to hang out and eat junk food. My parents knew of the meetings, and they were fine with me going to them, as long as I didn't bring the materials, books or literature home (I bypassed this by keeping all my supplies in my car).
My second year of college, I starting dating a guy that I had been friends with for sixteen years prior to us dating. He was cynical and mean, but because I had been his friend for so long, for some reason I thought he'd be the perfect boyfriend. He made fun of all religions constantly, including my own, and so I stopped practicing while we were dating (I still regret it). After we broke up, I spent the next two years alone, romantically. I just was not ready to be put through the same heartache my last romance had put me through.
I spent this time to focus on myself, and the craft. Don't get me wrong, I went on a few dates, but they just weren't right for me. It was around this time that I started feeling very lonely. I had been single for two years, and dateless for months. I finally decided to ask the Goddess for something.
You see, before this time, I had never asked for anything. I did rituals for others (with their permission) and rituals of thanks for my family and friends, but had refrained for asking for anything because I didn't want to be greedy. I should mention, that at this time, my mother had become way more open minded. Let me digress for a second.
My aunt Kerry-Anne died in August of 2008. She had sleep apnea, and just stopped breathing in her sleep. She was only 36. My mother was devastated, and it was that day that she lost her religion. Don't get me wrong, she still considers herself Christian, but only as a label. She doesn't go to church, and I don't think she even prays anymore. She still believes in god, but her whole perspective on religion had changed so much, that suddenly I was allowed Wiccan books, an altar, and even supplies. The only rule still in tact, was the "No pentacles" rule. (My mother has an issue with believing the Hollywood portrayal of witches).
Back on topic though. I did a very simple thing. All I did was light a red candle, meditate, and pray to the Goddess that I would find the right one for me sometime soon, but at her leisure. It was the very next day (seriously, the next day) that I met my future husband, Christopher.
It started with a simple message. A "your cute" message via Myspace. I was turned off immediately, mostly because he used terrible grammar and there was nothing else in the message besides that. However, I was bored, so I replied with a "thanks." Things went from simple sentences, to full blown conversations. At this time, I checked his profile and saw that he was friends with one of my friends, and also that he was Wiccan. I was absolutely shocked. A Wiccan living in the Bible Belt was one thing, but to have one be male? That was just too good to pass up! We decided to met, and go on a date.
I was way to cynical to believe in love at first sight, but something told me that day that he was the one. I didn't say this too him of course, didn't want to scare him off, but I believed it. I was totally petrified of this new feeling. We started being exclusively boyfriend and girlfriend, and it was such a weird breath of fresh air since my last failure boyfriend from 2 years prior.
One day, we took a trip to a Spencers Gifts, as they are the only store around our area that sold any kind of Wiccan things. Granted, all they sold was pentacles, but that was better than nothing. We still had to drive 30 minutes away to get there. We each bought a pentacle for the other one, and what was weird was that we each picked out the exact one the other one wanted.
A few months later, he proposed. Down on one knee, outside. He gave me his pentacle necklace.
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