Ah, yes, I know I’ve been gone, but I am going to get back to blogging really soon.  LIke later this week.  Things have been super crazy here lately. 

Witchy Wednesday: My study of Datura

My Datura plant Summer 2012

Last year I said I was going to blog about what’s going on in my garden, but then I got busy with the garden and didn’t get around to talking about it.  The suburban yard has a bunch of herbs that are useful for healing and witchcraft growing every year like a few lavenders, bee balm, Echinacea (native), wild roses, foxglove, angelica, but last year there was a new edition.  A surprise edition to the garden even: not by my doing Datura sprung up.  First it came up underneath the deck with the ferns, then it moved over by the  basement doors into the foxglove and wild roses bed.  Despite the heat and drought, it grew, and grew, and grew: until, it had taken over the foxglove bed and the underside of the deck stairs.
I took the plant’s proliferation in my garden as a sign and began working with it.  Before I talk about this part let me be clear, Datura is dangerous. I don’t recommend messing with it unless you have really done some research.  In other words, don’t try this at home: and if you do, I am not responsible for any illness or death that may occur.  You have been warned.

Now, the first thing I to do when something pops up in the garden and makes me go “What is this?” is identify the invader.  So okay: final growth of about four feet, herbaceous and somewhat woody, large white trumpet flowers, and “pointed” leaves.  I am not a botanist, despite having taken many botany classes while an undergrad, I don’t remember the scientific descriptions of leaves.  At first, I was a little unsure of the plant identification because once, years ago when I was a sophomore in college, I did attempt to grow what were marked “moonflowers.”  My mom had thought that’s what these were (like really, six years later they’re gonna come up?) BUT the “moonflowers” that I had planted were not Daturas and had heart-shaped leaves; these leaves were not heart-shaped.  The original moonflowers I planted were nontoxic, for the safety of the dogs.  I was pretty sure but if I had any doubt in August and September, the spiny “thorn apple” fruits appeared dangling down from the branches.  Once I identified it, I was thrilled.  I began studying the plant, taking pictures, and spending a lot of time just sitting by them and hanging out.  Getting to know plants is a difficult process to describe but, if you just hang out with them, you’ll be able to “know” them.

What is Datura like?  Well, Datura is a pretty mischievous plant.  It can be helpful, it certainly is powerful (Datura is a member of the Solanaceae family like Belladonna), and also somewhat dark.  Now, I am not a fan of saying “dark” is a bad thing but that’s the only way I can describe the plant’s energy.  It was pretty much a powerful, foreboding vibe; not that it did not want to be used but that I think inexperienced herbalists and witches, or those with spiritual struggles, may not want to venture into it.  Additionally, this plant does not want to be ingested, it has a very trickster aspect to it and I don’t get the feeling you should eat it. Traditionally, Datura has been used in love magick and in spirit work.  I can see both of these connections, to me at least, Datura seemed to have somewhat of a moon and otherworldly connection.  Love magick I think is interesting because the plant itself is very attractive, bewitching even – enchanting.  Based on this energy I can see why some would use it in a love spell but also want to point out here that the “dark” energy would make me hesitant to use it in this fashion.  In this case I feel like the plant would be saying “be careful what you wish for.”  I would almost certainly say if I were to use Datura in a love spell, I would utilize the flowers (which are also where highest concentrations of alkaloids are that and in the seeds).  I would also say, this plant is a sexy plant so the kind of “love” one might get from this energy may be more along the lines of obsession and lust than a more spiritual or companionship love.  This plant may be excellent for bewitching.

Native Americans may have used this plant in spiritual rituals to meet spiritual challenges and regarded it as a sacred plant.  It’s said they made a ritual drink from the leaves to give to pre-teen boys to spiritually prepare them for manhood; which is NOT safe and I wouldn’t suggest you, dear reader, try this.  Interesting to note that, I can see how this goes because yes, some boys died and I guess if you can’t take a little poison perhaps you are not spiritually strong enough for manhood.  So, the leaves I would use in spirit work. In this vein, the plant can also aid in shapeshifting as well.  Indeed, I did harvest some leaves and have used in them in incense blends (to be burnt outdoors only) and in worship.  I worship gods who have traditionally been associated with the use of mind altering substances so it seemed fitting to leave the leaves and flowers as offerings for Dionysos and Hecate (and Aphrodite got some too, but I can’t say I thought she cared for them really).  The pods are what I found most intriguing about the plant.  First of all, though the flowers were lovely there was something… magical about the way the heavy fruit hung from the branches.  The fruit’s energy was the “dark” aspect of the plant.  I find them excellent for powerful protective charms.  I also expect they may be wonderful to use in curses as well as they are… spiky.  The fruit are also very toxic so be careful when handling them.  That pretty much sums up my thoughts on my Datura – and I hope they come back this year!

The earth is stirring

I was writing some serious posts about feelings, experiences, and viewpoints and how they intersect with spirituality… and then the weather went and distracted me.  It’s 60 degrees here today.  At the end of January.  I am wearing yoga pants and a tee shirt; about 12 hours ago, my date for the evening was canceled due to freezing rain.  Now, near noon, somewhere near my window a bird sings.  Despite the clouds, the outside is bright, I can put on my shoes and go for my first run of the year.  It has begun.

To me, this is the meaning of Imbolc, or Candlemas as I like to call it because well, that’s easier to say and people don’t look at you funny. (Well, less funny anyway.)  In my opinion, the sabbat has come early this year.  I root my spirituality in the earth, in seasons, in the actual world outside.  I am totally unprepared for this – I will however honor the “early” Imbolc anyway and might take some makeshift altar photos this evening.  For me, Imbolc is a celebration but also a time to begin “planting.”  I don’t usually start my garden this early, but I begin to plant ideas.  This is the time of year for plotting, making progress, cleaning out the old and dead and giving birth to what is new.  It’s hard not to have hope when it’s a beautiful sunny day outside.  Things WILL get better: but you have to work.

This time, I AM ready for spring.

Beauty as a Virtue: tips from a beauty junkie

Pagan Blog Project 2013 Week 4: Beauty as a personal practice.  

So, last week I explored what it means to recognize beauty and hold beauty as a virtue.  Holding beauty as a virtue or something with inherent good means looking for, recognizing, and respecting it in your life and the world.  Beauty can also be a practice: both the practice to look for, see, and create beauty but also a practice to be pleasing to the gods.  For me, a part of worshiping Aphrodite (or really any deity I think this could apply) is taking pride in my appearance.  So, because it’s cold and I’m lacking anything else to talk about this week – and birch tree lore has been done to death it seems – I’m going to talk about simple natural beauty rituals and tricks and some not-so-natural beauty tips I prefer.

I believe that one can be both beautiful and not fit into society’s standard ideas of beauty.  It’s not so much about fitting in with the trends and whatever – I mean, I love a good trend when it suits me.  For example, I am totally rocking this neon color thing until it fades and is incredibly gauche to wear it – and even then, you might still catch me wearing neon pink.  Whatever trend you love, and you feel confident in, go with it.  If you like me are aghast at this resurgence of 80′s fashion and won’t be caught dead wearing a boxy sweater and leggings, awesome – feel free to ignore whatever doesn’t suit you.  Real beauty, and real “style” is about confidence and feeling good about yourself.  If wearing a full face of makeup makes you happy and you like how it looks go for it; and if you hate wearing makeup and can’t think of anything worse than putting on makeup every morning don’t: but please understand both are valid expressions of feminism, beauty, self-esteem, self-love, and fashion.  Taking pride in your appearance is, in my opinion, a virtue and I think important to self-esteem and self-care.  How you manifest the idea of taking pride in your appearance is your own personal choice – as feminists I believe we need to work on respecting all of our peers choices in this area.

One thing though that’s important across the board I think is skin care.  Skin care is the basis of all “beauty” regimes because if you wear makeup, your skin is your canvass.  If you’re against makeup, having “good” skin is important to health – many traditional medicine practitioners judge overall health by observing the skin.  So, skin care is both healthy and a part of taking pride in yourself. Now, I’ll also say that SOME skin care products, especially acne products, while they make be effective at changing tone, texture, and appearance of the skin do not always actually improve skin health they simply mask problems.  So it’s important to read labels and know what the active ingredients actually do, one of the big name acne products’ advertised heavily (and it’s quite expensive) has hydrogen peroxide as the main active ingredient.  Now, if you apply hydrogen peroxide to your face daily yes your acne will dry up and the skin’s appearance will improve BUT it will also dry your skin out excessively and unless one is very young, in the long run this may cause more problems with dryness, premature aging, fine lines, and wrinkles (which in my opinion there really isn’t anything wrong with in due time: your 20s may not be the time for that).  Tips behind the cut.

Learning to Walk in Beauty

Virtues are somewhat personal I think.  Religion and spirituality can guide individuals but I think overall, virtues are something that one decides to make the basis of their own personal philosophy.  In my own personal spirituality, I’m not sure which came first the virtues or the gods because to me, they are so integrated.  My personal virtues certainly are aligned with the gods and goddesses I worship.  One of the most important virtues in my personal philosophy is beauty.  It goes both ways: I value virtue because I am a follower of Aphrodite, I worship Aphrodite because I value beauty.

Now, beauty isn’t just what society wants us to look or be like, true beauty is inherent.  I think part of holding beauty is a virtue certainly is a commitment to looking and doing one’s best to be “beautiful.”  One can wear all the makeup possible, and still not fulfill the virtue to live “beautifully.”  This is to live fully, to make gracefulness a part of your being.  As a kind of daily practice, I go out of my way to make sure people are comfortable and have what they need when I am with them.  This is part of the virtue of beauty – being simply gracious. It’s both difficult and takes discipline and pretty simple because it amounts to doing what your mom always told you to do!  It’s important to look your best and strive to look “beautiful” (though important to always remember to also look like yourself – since you as were made are a distinct reflection of the gods), but also to act beautifully.  Having beauty as a virtue isn’t about sitting around and saying “I’m the fairest of them all” it’s about DOING acts of beauty as well.  Aside from being gracious to others you might create art. I help people decorate their homes to be both functional and beautiful, or just simply create a random fairy house installation in a park.  I’ve had the joy of working with several women’s shelters helping furnish homes for battered women and have been known to donate personal care products to these shelters in the past.  It can be as simple as helping your little sister or niece or nephew recognize their own beauty with a compliment or a little help with overcoming insecurities.  Whatever you do to create beauty, that is in my opinion one of the most worthwhile things you can be doing.

Seeing beauty in all things is another part of the virtue of beauty.  Recognizing and honoring the beauty all around us is a large part of spirituality however you phrase it.  There is something beautiful about everyone, and part of holding the virtue of beauty is learning to see it.  It took me a long time to figure this out so I’ll tell you what I do as simply, clearly, and plainly as I can: just look at what you DO like about someone to see their beauty.  Don’t focus on the negative; ever.  It’s that simple.  When I look outside I don’t focus on the uneven fence lines and rag-tag suburban plant life instead I focus on the greenery, the flowers, and give up feeling sad at that moment about the loss of natural habitat.  I don’t focus on the smallness of the “wildflower” sanctuaries I am simply happy they are there at all.  I’m certainly not going to say forget these things, because I don’t think that’s the solution at all. Those are both things to be very sad or upset about: but when you look outside is not a productive time be sad about those things.  We have to learn to both hear and feel the criticisms without allowing them to destroy the beauty of what is present.  Just as I take a moment to remind sexual assault victims that what happened was not their fault, and it’s so wonderful they are at the hospital getting medical care now, we too have to remind ourselves sometimes it’s so wonderful to be here now.  When you do that you start to see the beauty in the world; first you have to open yourself up to notice it.

Growing a Witches Garden

It’s a Witchy Wednesday post on time – in which I will focus on gardening.  I know, it’s January here in the northern hemisphere the ground is cold and frozen.  Frigid ground aside, January is when I begin to plan and think about my garden. I have all the time now to evaluate what went well last year and plan better for this year.  Anyway, when it’s cold outside doesn’t everyone like to look at flowers and plan for spring?

Gardening isn’t something I do because I enjoy it.  I do it because I’m a witch and frankly, growing and using plants is just a witchy thing to do.  Even though most of my adult life I’ve lived in city apartments and condos, I have always had a few “unusual” plants (and some not so unusual).  One reason I love gardening so much is it keeps me grounded and connected to the natural world.  I can make an effort to eat seasonally and go outside for a little bit everyday and all of that – but it’s nothing like knowing when “harvest” season is because your garden is full of vegetables.  Another reason I like to garden is more practical: in the end, I save money. I sometimes grow food, but mostly I save money because I grow herbs and my magical plants.  Also, most herbs are sold dried, and I grow some to have access to the fresh plant.  Not that dried herbs aren’t useful, if you have a successful garden you’ll want to dry some to use throughout the year, but dried herbs aren’t as lovely and aromatic in most cases as their fresh versions.  Finally, growing your own magical plants opens up many more possibilities.  For instance, you can work a spell by putting a sachet in the bottom of a plant and as the plant grows that energy will also grow and radiate.  So by growing your own witches garden you’ll open yourself up to a whole new kind of magic as well as enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

There’s really no such thing as a “traditional” witches garden, throughout times and cultures the magical lore and plants have changed.  Many people base their “traditional” witches garden off medieval European folklore and stock it with plants like: henbane, wolfsbane, poppy, mandrake, belladonna, lavender, marigolds, and foxglove.  All of these plants are lovely and I have grown most of them at some point or another.  However, a classical Greek witches garden would undoubtedly look different.  You, assuming you are a witch, are also different and your magical garden should reflect your practice.  I have gotten caught up in the “image” of it.  I know it’s just cool to be able to say “oh, you see that plan over there?  Yeah, that’s Belladonna – also known as Deadly Nightshade.”  I get it. As awesome as it that is, unless you are using belladonna regularly it’s not “necessary” to your witches garden now is it?  To start with, first make a good list of the herbs you actually use.  Start with your favorite or “usual” plants and branch out if you want to.

Everytime I see bad news about a hacker, I pray it’s not you

“Back in the day” I used to know some pretty amazing people.  I still know-of them, like in the way everyone does now.  We know their names.  Might recognize their faces.  We use their platforms and software.  The things they create are what we use everyday to share our photos, blogs, ideas, and other articles.  I presented on panels with them, I posed questions at their Q&As, I went to cons, stayed up talking all night in what seems like another lifetime.  I have been online for over half my life.  I remember java chat forms, when AOL was cool, IRC, ICQ, and various online forums and communities.  Some of the best experiences I’ve had offline are products of the internet.  Some of the sweetest memories of youth are with boys who created these things.  I’d never say the tech community is perfect. Yes, they were brilliant boys and yes they were also sometimes misogynist assholes.  It’s sometimes hard to reconcile knowing how brilliant they are and being inspired to be creative in your own way, with their encouragement and support, while also being the chick one of them is planning on taking back to their room.

My own history with the community aside, Aaron Swartz‘s suicide hurts.  Not because he was such a nice guy, or anything, truthfully I’m sure he was and I’m sure we’ve been at the same places with the same people and I don’t remember.  In other places on the internet we have been on opposite and sometimes the same sides in debates and forums.  It hurts because Swartz was taken down, not just by mental illness (though I’ll address that) but by outside forces. Swartz’s suicide was prompted by a federal court cases prosecuted at the federal government’s whim as if this brilliant American kid were an real terrorist.  Swartz faced an insurmountable task and I’m not sure you can call it “mental illness” when realistically, logically: you are sky-high and fucked.  Does that make right to take your own life?  I can’t answer that.  I can say that if you are facing down a federal court trial and you have nothing to do but watch as the government first financially devastates not just you, but then your family, and then go to prison: I can see how you would come of the conclusion to commit suicide and I don’t think it’s crazy.  Abbie Hoffman went underground in the 1970s but in this digital age there’s no such thing as “underground” – and there’s no such thing as a fresh start. Trust me you DON’T want to be labeled a felon.  Not if you want to work again.

We have come a long way since the 1970s both legally and culturally, some ways good and some ways bad.  This is an example of the bad.  We punish vandals and vagrants like murderers: the real murderers and thieves are safe and happy in their homes with their private security around the gates.  Swartz made a logical, if brutal decision faced with this new and brutal world designed to destroy its young to protect the old and dying order. His act of youthful defiance and insistence that we create new and equal world with equal access to information was smashed by the system that benefits from keeping individuals in the United States and entire nations ignorant.  Releasing academic articles to the public while problematic and against the rules, certainly is not a federal crime. It is  definitely not if you didn’t actually release the information but only downloaded it.  Legally downloaded even from a database you had access to.  I won’t tell you how many articles I have downloaded to this hard drive right now.  But that’s not the point is it?  Because someone, somewhere was out to get Aaron maybe for SOPA and maybe because they really thought he was a threat if he would steal JSTOR articles and release them so bloggers like me can quit paying for college classes just to have access to their libraries what next?  Or worse, if the articles were released students in poorer countries might have access to the fountains of knowledge of the Western world. Why would all of that be frightening it? Easy, because information is NOT free in America.

As a disenfranchised Gen Y slacker, it hurt to see one of my peers get taken down by the old system.   As an activist, it hurt to see a cause be effectively silenced, if not defeated.  As a girl who has loved hacker boys – more than programing and computers, I loved the sweet brilliant boys who encouraged my talents – it hurt to think it could have been any one of them.  Those boys who have sent terrifying text messages talking about suicide in the middle of the night.  Those boys who cried themselves to sleep in my dorm room bed after sex.  Those boys who have called from across the country to say they’re tired, cold, stressed out, and all alone: just wanting someone to hear them and CARE. They have been also some of the kindest souls and sweetest guys I’ve known too:  sensitive and fragile even.  One word could literally destroy them, as “that girl they’re seeing” one quickly learns to choose words carefully. The tech world is brutal.  To succeed takes so much focus and effort and while if it works it pays off in the end, when it doesn’t the effects can be devastating.  Swartz was, I’m sure, just as wonderful and invariably as much of a misogynist asshole like those boys.  We lost a wonderful, brilliant mind – I can only hope we can learn from this as a whole society before we lose more.  As I light a candle to remember Swartz, I also pray that the next hacker name in the paper going to jail or committing suicide won’t be one close to my heart.

The Sickness !!

PBP is late again – because I have the plague.  Okay, not really, I have a sore throat and crazy fever.  I know, I said I was sick last weekend too – one might start to wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something huh?

Since moving out my ex’s and back with my parents, all my herbals are packed up, I’m stressed, and everything sucks.  I know this probably is NOT helping my physical health but seriously I am sick.  Like a LOT.  Not even just a general “meh I don’t feel well” but like, I swear Friday morning I fucking hallucinated.  I had a wicked fever all Thursday night but I was too weak to get up and do anything except lay in bed and shiver.  Finally, I called my mom (yeah, we do live in the same house) and she gave me something (truthfully I was out of it to not even care what) but WOAH for like the next 12 hours it as like… one of the worst sick experiences I’ve had since mono lying in bed helpless to do anything except “dream” and occasionally think “I need water – but I can’t go get it because I can’t get up.”  Anyway, the “dreams” were very interesting and I should lay off the fairy tales.  Like seriously.

Anyway, I have antibiotics now so hopefully nothing will stop me from being on time next Friday and I will try to get my Aphrodite post up in the next few days.  In between naps, fluids, and general whining about how much my throat hurts.

Liebster Award 2013

I was nominated for a Liebster Award over at Stay for a Spell.  Thank you so much !  These are super fun and awesome ways to show people you appreciate them.  So thanks  Neferet, much love.

“The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The word “Liebster” comes from German and can mean the sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, most beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”

So, here are the Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you.

When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.

Pass the award onto 11 other blogs (while making sure you notify the blogger that you nominated them!) You write up 11 NEW questions directed towards YOUR nominees.

You are not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated your own blog!

You paste the award picture into your blog. (You can Google the image, there are plenty of them!)

Facts:

1. It’s my goal for 2013 to lose 60lbs by my birthday in September.
2. My typing speed is 70 wpm.
3. My moon sign is pisces.
4. I’m actually really good at interior design.
5. One of my favorite perfumes is Chanel no 19 – it’s my “deep wintertime scent.”
6. I change my perfume with every turn of the wheel, because to me scent is somewhat seasonal.  Chanel no 19 is my Yule-Imbolc scent and Chanel no 5 eau Première  is what I wear from Imbolc-Ostara.  Both melt like heaven into my skin.  For Ostara-Beltane I’m going to try Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent.  My usual other scents are Peace, Love, and Juicy by Juicy Couture (get a lot of compliments with it on me) and Marc Jacobs Daisy - but I switched to the EDP instead of EDT hoping for more lasting power and got a huge soapy note so think I’ll retire the Daisy.  Other past signature scents are Karma by Lush and Lady Vengeance by Juliette Has A Gun (Samhain to Yule of course).
7. I have been practicing yoga since I was 16 years old.
8. I have been dancing since I was 5 – I started with kiddie ballet and tap classes.
9. I have recently returned to vegetarianism.
10. I’m a makeup addict but I’m getting more and more “stuck in my ways” when I find products that really work: my current beauty staples are Urban Decay’s Surreal Skin powder foundation, Clinique’s BB cream, the Naked Palette by Urban Decay, 24/7 eyeliner pencil in zero (black) by Urban Decay, Tarte’s eyeliner pot, and Fresh’s Sugar lip balm in Rose.  I also am in love with Too Faced’s bronzers – especially Snow Bunny.
11. I’m a really good cook – thus how I magically gained 60lbs, and I have thought about starting a food blog.
    
    Questions:

1. What is your favourite colour?
I don’t really have a favorite color but I guess it’s probably a deep violet or limey-yellowy greens.

2. What do you do to get rid of boredom?
Oh, I have the internet for that!  Generally if I’m bored I will pick some random subject to Google.  If I don’t have the internet I’ll pick up some knitting or find someone to talk to.  If all else fails – make something: food, art, knitting whatever …

3. If you had magic powers, would you use them for good or evil?
Oh, probably good.  I mean, I’d be tempted to use them for evil I’m sure but honestly I would probably use any magic powers I had for the betterment of society.

4. Do you have any obsessions?
Of course, yarn, knitting, fibers…  Oh and Pinterest (user: PixiewithSticks).  Fashion – and online style blogs.  Food blogs and food – food and cooking big time, huge foodie.  Design and style, aesthetics in general I think.  I am totally one of those people who notices when the colors somewhere clash, gets anxious around clutter, and really *need* the spaces I live in to be “pretty” or pleasing to me.  If I have to live somewhere that is too messy, cluttered, dark, whatever it seriously drives me crazy – like actually crazy; crushing depression, anxiety issues, panic attacks etc. crazy.  (I realize that I can be that affected by space alone makes me in general kind of crazy.)

5. What is your favourite animal?
I have a few, it’s hard to pick a favorite.  Owls, swans, sparrows, cats, and big cats like leopards.

6. What is your favourite season?
Fall:  nice weather I love the way the air smells… bonfires, apples, berries, pumpkins… I love everything about it.

7. Do you have a favourite TV show?
Oh well… aside from The Rachel Maddow Show probably Downton Abbey.  I go thru TV phases though – and I don’t count news shows I watch like PBS Newshour or Rachel’s show to be “shows” really that’s how I get information – and schedule knitting time.

8. What about favourite movie?
This depends on what I am in the mood for but things I will almost always happily watch are The Beginners (check it out!), The Watchmen, Clerks, The Wicker Man, The Omen (originals or remake), Almost Famous, Trainspotting, Juno, Saved!, Persepolis, RENT, and The Wristcutters.  I admit I am totally a movie snob.

9. If you could be a celebrity for a day, would you do it?
Wear some designer clothes and go to some hotspot nightclub.

10. What is your favourite genre of music?
Indie-dance and indie rock. I hate those terms because it sounds so pretentious, but that would be my most listened to “genre” as non-descriptive about the actual music I like.

11. Do you have any pets?
I have a dog, he’s a crazy cocker spaniel.  His name is Happy.

Blogs:
I’m just inserting this to say I may or may not be breaking the rules on followers.  I don’t check how many followers others blogs have and rarely pay attention to my numbers – I also know that “followers” is not really an accurate measure of your publicity so basically I’m just excluding all the “big” blogs I read.  So that’s subjective but I like these blogs…

1. The Flaming Thyrsos
2. Ozark Pagan Mamma
3. lazyhippiemamma
4. Spider Goddess
5. This Pagan House
6. Ravens and Ivy
7. Dance of the Yoga Witch
8. I Have Seen God
9. The Twisted Rope
10. This Crooked Crown
11. A Changing Altar

Okay there they are, the blogs I look at on a regular basis!  For the most part… I have avoided anyone with a Liebster in the new year so far so Love!

My Questions:

1. What’s your favorite food?
2. What do you do to cheer yourself up when you feel down?
3. Do you have any special talents?
4. What is one thing you wish you could do but can’t or have not yet learned to do?
5. What is your favorite way to be creative?
6. Where is blogging on your list of priorities?
7. What is one piece of advice you would give to bloggers who are just starting?
8. How long have you been “online”?
9. What is your favorite band?
10. What is your favorite book and what do you like about it? (Philosophy, the writing, etc.)
11. If you could meet one fictional character and spend a day in their world with them or bring them to this world: who and what would you be doing?

PBP 2013! A is for Saint Allen Ginsberg

Okay so I’m a Pagan – there aren’t “saints” per say but I incorporate the idea of “saints” into my practice.  That’s what a theology degree will get you I guess – eclecticism and the license to make shit up where it suits you.  Saints in the Christian tradition are people who are held up as especially virtuous and to be emulated in some ways… for me, Allen Ginsberg fills this role.  He is on my ancestors altar.  He is an example to me, both his work and his life.

Ginsberg and the Beats in general are associated with Buddhism mostly.  However, Ginsberg had a spiritual evolution in his lifetime from Judaism to Hinduism and finally to Tibetan Buddhism.  It’s not just his passion and ideas that I admire, it’s his ability to change and shift perspectives, incorporate new practices, and at the same time to maintain his voice over time.  Originally I was going to write a long academic post dissecting the Beat’s views on Buddhism and how they influenced Buddhism in America or a paper dissecting Ginsberg’s poems doing some old school it analysis.  Unfortunately (or fortunately since perhaps those posts are dreadful – someone once said something about analyzing a poem is akin to tying it to a chair and whipping it to death) I have a fever and won’t be doing any of that.  In the place of something vapid, overreaching, and boring I could have written I’m going to simply post some of my favorite and most beautiful (in my humble opinion) Ginsberg lines and poem links.  Get yourself a copy of “Howl” and “Kaddish” and see if you two find it to be one of the most sacred texts you’ll own.

Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!

The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy!

Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an angel!

The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy!

The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy!

Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cassady holy the unknown buggered and suffering beggars holy the hideous human angels!

Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas!

Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana hipsters peace peyote pipes & drums!

Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the mysterious rivers of tears under the streets!

Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the middleclass! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebellion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles!

Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria & Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow Holy Istanbul!

Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch!

Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucinations holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the abyss!

Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours! bodies! suffering! magnanimity!

Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul!

- Footnote to Howl.

That pretty much sums it all up…  anything I could say.  That is the most Pagan thing I have ever read, and pretty much the entire thing that inspired me and has mostly influenced my ideas on spirituality, life, death, poetry, and everything.  So I’m going to eat some more soup and go back to bed!  See you next week PBPers!