Modern Witchhunt

Shocking and unbelievable, but sadly true...

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May 10, 2005 Girl, 8, 'was tortured for being witch'
By Nicola Woolcock

A Girl aged 8 was stuffed into a bag after being denounced as a witch and was moments from being drowned in a canal by her family, a court was told yesterday. She had been starved, beaten, cut with a knife and had chilli peppers rubbed in her eyes in the plot to kill her, it was said. The girl had been accused of being a witch by a boy, also 8, who was a member of her extended family in Hackney, East London.
Her ordeal went unnoticed by teachers, social workers and neighbours for 15 months, during which the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was abused almost daily, the Old Bailey was told.
Read more

Religion Quiz

You scored as Paganism. Your beliefs are most closely aligned with those of paganism, Wicca, or a similar earth-based religion. You may also follow a Native American religion.

Paganism 88%
Buddhism 71%
Hinduism 58%
Satanism 54%
Judaism 46%
Islam 46%
agnosticism 46%
Christianity 21%
atheism 17%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

Why.......?

This is Ukkie, our youngest cat. During the weekend she got ill, very ill. She lost her balance, didn't eat. She only wanted to be close to me, on my chest. I didn't sleep much, I wanted to be with her too. Yesterday I had to leave her with the vet for tests and observation. This afternoon I got the verdict: due to liver faillure she suffered from brain damage and there wasn't anything we could do to save her. She was lapsing into a coma, only just reacted to my voice and touch. She knew I was there and died in my arms.......

Ukkie
May 29, 1996 - †April 12, 2005

I'll never forget you, sweetie. You're in my heart forever...

May Bastet take pity on her and take care of her in the Summerlands...

Reiki II

Last Saturday Joke and I had the first day of our Reiki II course by Percy. There were two other girls, also sisters. One of the women we met at the practising afternoon in January was present to help Percy and as a preparation for her third degree.
After a chat and some general information we got the symbols of the second degree; they are used to send Reiki to situations (past, present or future, Reiki doesn't know time) or persons. Not easy to draw or pronounce!! It's an unwritten law not to tell or show the symbols. I know everything can be found on the internet, but I'll honour that rule in my log. While we were practising the symbols each of us was taken aside to receive our attunements. In the coming weeks we'll try and see what it does. On April 16 we'll have the second day to exchange experiences, ask questions, practise if we want. Afterwards we'll get our certificate.

Happy Ostara!!!

This image is made by Cynthia Rudzis. Her website is currently under construction, but her art is worth waiting for. The Ostara image is one of a series of eight: "Cats of the Wheel".

This weekend I celebrated Ostara with a group of online pagan friends. I had a great time. We made our own relic and talisman to use in a beautiful ritual which was all about respect and letting things go. In the evening there was a drum circle around the fire outdoors. It was very powerful!
Unfortunately I couldn't sleep, but instead I had a wonderful conversation with a friend I hadn't spoken for a long time. So it turned out to be time well spent! We have promised each other to stay in contact this time and we will.
Sunday morning very early we did a lovely little ritual to greet the sun and welcome spring. After breakfast several people sat around the large table and did readings for each other: runes, tarot, inner child, channelling, etc. Even though it wasn't for me personally this time, I picked up a lot to remember!
Before we went home there was a show with birds of prey: snow owl, uhu (big owl), buzzard and... a raven! They were all great, but I couldn't keep my eyes of that last one! I was allowed to have it on my arm for a while (wearing a leather glove of course) and I was speechless. Quite the experience!!!

Bon Appetit

I came across a fun website. Did you know the botanical name for chocolate is theobroma, which means food of the gods?? So why not make Chocolate Deities!?

Quotes from the website:

"Some folks say- But we can't eat the Deity! So they choose to place it on their altars as an offering. Others transmute it into another form: melt it to make excellent hot chocolate or sauce for a Sun Day. Most of the world over, however, after a food offering is made to the Deity, it is taken from the altar and consumed in a blessed repast."

"It all started nearly ten years ago when Jeanne Fleming and Jessica Bard were asked to make the hors d’oeuvres for an opening at a local art gallery. The show was entitled: Shrines and Altars. So, they decided to make a goddess entirely out of food, wine flowing freely from her breasts, and providing everything from nibbles to dessert." Read more...

Snow fun

We had a lot of fun in the snow today!! I hasn't been snowing like this for years. Ron has some days off and that was perfect timing. We had a snow fight with the neigbours, played in the snow with the dogs, just enjoyed this rare opportunity. I'm exhausted, but it was very much worth it.

Who knows... perhaps we'll finally have another Elfstedentocht!

Pathways

I was just surfing the WWW when I found a story called Pathways. It touched me, because this is almost exactly the way I see the divine. It is not in any way meant to hurt or insult other religions, on the contrary! Just read it here and let me know what you think of it. Is this how you look at the divine?? I'd like to hear your opinion on the subject.

Online Imbolc Ritual

Last Wednesday I took part in an online Imbolc ritual announced on Pagan@OSN. I was curious and a bit sceptical before, but it was a very special experience. We met through Yahoo Messenger in a chatroom with audio. Glad I bought a headset some months ago! I didn't know how to use the mike, but I do now! I was nervous to speak English, but I did!
There was an audio guided meditation, which was beautiful. The circle was cast in written words; I spoke them out loud for myself. I was so far away from the rest, but felt really close! It was early in the evening for them, but 1am for me. After the ritual the energy was still whirling inside me, so I couldn't go to bed immediately. I got little sleep that night, but it was more than worth it!
Next time I'll make sure to be there again!

Belated Season's Greetings!

I finally have the card that Unicef Great Britain made last year with Rob's handwritten lyrics of "Angels"!! Unicef made it very difficult for foreigners outside GB. Only people from GB were able to order. If you paid with a credit card, the address of the owner AND the address to deliver the cards had to be in GB. Rob's fans worldwide were (are) eager to get hold of a pack. They could have made a lot of money for their good cause, but refused to be flexible about it. I wonder what Rob thinks about that...
A friend I know from the official forum had some spare packs and offered to sell one to me. Yayyyyyy, thanks sweetie! Here's a pic of the inside, with a little pic of Rob and the front (not made by him and I don't particularly like it).
I love "Angels"!!! Rob deserves to win the Brits 25 years Best Song Award with it. It's a pity a lot of people in the US only know the horrible version in which Jessica Simpson butchers the song. I can send you Rob's version, or better yet: buy his Greatest Hits album! Follow that link also to hear a sample of the best, one and only original of Angels (and samples of all the other songs on the album).

Reiki

First of all:
Happy & Healthy 2005 for everyone!!!

Last Saturday I had a Reiki practising afternoon. My Reiki master Percy offers those afternoons from time to time to practise on each other, talk about experiences, etc. My sister Joke and I did Reiki I in November 2003. We'll do Reiki II in March / April 2005. I'm looking forward to it, I feel I'm ready to take the next step. I feel at ease with Percy as my Reiki master; she's good and down-to-earth, not "woolly". This is her website (the English version).

I know Reiki works. I use it on myself, others and pets. I don't see it as a replacement for medical treatment, but it certainly is a great and healing addition. It also works very good to relax.

Do you know Reiki? What's your opinion / experience?

Blessed Yule

Busy Bee

I have been busy lately, still am actually.

The rebuilding downstairs makes progress again, finally. The walls are plastered in soft yellow, Havana Nuance Yellow to be precise. I love it! It looks great. Wanna see? (page 42/43, click under pic).

In the meantime a nasty flu got the better of me. I felt awful, tired, really sick. Last week I finally got well again, although I'm not too fit yet. A lot of people were surprised by this flu; Ron was, my mum and several others.

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Like I wrote before the busier time in the spiritual sphere has come too.

On November 6th I had a Samhain meeting with several witches from a pagan e-mail list. I was a bit nervous, hadn't met any of them before. No need though, it was a very nice group of people and we had a great day. We visited the Melchizedek Global Healing Circle that was nearby. I had a special sensation between two trees there; I could talk to my dad, who deceased in 1996, and I heard him answer. He is always with me (one of my spiritual guides), but this time it felt more deeply. I had to cry, out of happiness... I still miss my dad every day.

On November 7th we celebrated the first anniversary of the Witches Of The Rose. We went for a walk in the dunes and found a lovely place for our ritual. One of the girls shared some joyful news: she is pregnant! She did a fertility ritual several months ago. It worked super: she is expecting twins! We have adapted our Midwinter plans and celebrate Yule this coming weekend at her place.

On a shopping spree I found my pendulum! I used a copper one before, but it never really felt good enough. Now I have one of silver and hematite with an engraved pentagram. I have worn it in my bra for a few days to give my personal energy to it. I don't use a pendulum very often, but I'm happy to have found the right one for me. I also bought a new date book for 2005. This year I used Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook, for next year I have the We'Moon Sacred Paths Datebook.

November 27th there was a Full Moon meeting of Merry Meet (who also organize the witches' cafe) in Amsterdam. I attended a workshop on Druidism that was given by Torc (Dutch/English weblog). It was very interesting! After he told us about Druidism and the OBOD, we did a beautiful meditation. Afterwards we held hands and passed the energy. I picked up some energy and it made me feel better. In the evening we did a ritual in the Westerpark. Another wonderful experience!

Wow

I rarely post quizzes in this journal, but this one fits right in...

You Are From the Moon

You can vibe with the steady rhythms of the Moon. You're in touch with your emotions and intuition. You possess a great, unmatched imagination - and an infinite memory. Ultra-sensitive, you feel at home anywhere (or with anyone). A total healer, you light the way in the dark for many.

What Planet Are You From?

Religion & Murder

I'm shocked... A Dutch film director is killed because of his opinion about religions.

He wasn't my favourite, I didn't even like him or his opinions.
But this is the limit... beyond the limit and beyond me...
Murder and religion shouldn't go together like this...

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Gunman kills Dutch film director
Van Gogh directed TV series and wrote newspaper columns

Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who made a controversial film about Islamic culture, has been stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam, Dutch police say. Police arrested a man in a nearby park after an exchange of gunfire.

Van Gogh, 47, had received death threats after his film Submission, on violence against women in Islamic societies, was shown on Dutch TV.
The film was made with liberal Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee who fled an arranged marriage. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been under police protection since the film was aired. She has also received death threats and has renounced the Islamic faith. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an outspoken critic of Islam.

Eyewitnesses quoted by Radio Netherlands said Van Gogh was attacked while cycling by a man dressed in a traditional Moroccan jallaba.

Both the suspect and a policeman suffered bullet wounds and are now in hospital.

Van Gogh - who was related to the famous Dutch painter - had also been making a film about Pim Fortuyn, the populist right-wing, anti-immigration politician assassinated in May 2002.

source: BBC website
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