Festy goodness, and random acts of kindness

[delphipsmith]

Prompting is open at mini_fest! Signups are still open at sshg_giftfest!! hp_goldenage is going to have an anonymous promptfest this fall!!!

So much fun, so little time...

Borrowed from toblass and savine_snape:

After all the recent terrible tragedies that have and are happening it's time for some positivity and kindness to happen.

So, I'm going to grab the pay-it-forward idea and put a little twist on it. The first twelve people to comment will get a surprise from me at some random point during the next twelve months.

All I ask is that in your comment, you share something with me about yourself that I may not know otherwise. This might be a good opportunity for me to get to know my friends better as well.

Ooh, I can't wait to see what I learn ::rubs hands in anticipation::

Comments

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I feel a little guilty at jumping in here, since I have always taken such shameless advantage of your book giveaways.

When I was in my thirties, I went through a very confusing period of my life, where I got heavily into Wiccan rituals. I performed daily spells using candles, herbs, crystals, and oils. I created a range of bath salts during the time, and consecrated a friend's mirror using wiccan rituals.

It got a little tedious and expensive, and I ended up throwing it all away in a fit of Christian-based fear and guilt. I don't miss the mess, but I do miss all my fascinating books on spells and wiccan lore.

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

I, too, used to do the rituals and had a full complement of tools on my altar that I painted myself. After extensive reading on affirmations and the power of thought, I came to realize that the tools were only a focusing device and were completely unnecessary... as were the rituals. It is the thought, held firmly in the mind that creates what appears to be magic. Now my tools are all in the attic, but I do have a cobalt glass bowl filled with various crystals, because they resonate with me more than the wand, athame, and chalice did. Magic for me these days is more of a conglomeration of bits and pieces of various philosophies.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, I kept the crystals as well. I found them to be soothing and compelling to look at and meditate over. I also developed a love for sea glass, which TheHubs™ and I still collect whenever we find it.

I have a beautiful Carol Oster wand I bought at MistiCon, as well as the wand Sempra gave me a long time ago when we were friends. I treasure them as artifacts of my life, but I don't use them. They are more props now than anything else, but it was amazing just how much the Oster wand called out to me, and when I was given her interpretation of the creation of the wand, just how much it matched me.

I also still have my Tarot cards which, as you know, speak very clearly to me. As does my Pendulum board and crystal. I'm a bit out of practice with it, though; the other day poor Dahlra couldn't get through at all- it was all rubbish. I need to work with it more.

[delphipsmith]

It is the thought, held firmly in the mind that creates what appears to be magic.

Yes!! Aleister Crowley said, “Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” Now I don't know if he meant that you can just think something and it will happen, but I interpret it as saying that your will is the most powerful force you have, and that once you have command of that, you can do just about anything. Crowley may have been a bit of a nut, but I think he got that part right. The best thing about that definition is that it puts change within the grasp of anyone. For example, an abused woman finally decides to leave her husband: she finds the will to do it, and the magick that results is a new and healthier life.

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

It takes more than just a passing thought; there has to be emotion behind it... which is probably another reason for all the claptrap of rituals and tools: it stirs the emotions. But again, with sustained thought, heightened emotions concerning it, and the full expectation in achieving the result, the result is assured. I've read that most people say that they tried a ritual for say, more money, and it didn't work. That's because they maybe spent 15 minutes doing the ritual... but they spent the rest of the entire day worrying about the bills coming in and thinking about how they don't have enough money to cover them! It's what you think of consistently that you get. Worrying is praying for what you do not want.

[delphipsmith]

Oh my gosh, don't feel bad! You have no idea how happy it makes me to send my books off to a good home. I find Wicca very interesting -- it appeals to me on a number of levels: personal, spiritual, environmental. Some of the books are terribly cheesy and clearly written only to capitalize on a fad, but some are serious explorations and quite thought-provoking. Starhawk's Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex and Politics and Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America both had quite a big impact on me.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Drawing Down The Moon was one of the ones I had! The other one sounds fascinating!

I had some very serious ones and some very silly ones. I still love the tarot, and have four simply beautiful decks. One of them is the Major Arcana Mimimanderly created for my fic, The Sempra Deck.

[delphipsmith]

Lucky you to have a custom-made Tarot! I bet it works much better for you than a store-bought deck.