Traditional Family Wicca vs Self-Discovery Wicca - A Response

As part of the PBP I have been reading a lot about a variety of subjects. Most of which I get and agree with, others I don't get at all and others I find narrow minded and perhaps a little judgemental...

One such (which I won't name...) was basically saying that people who claim to be part of a family of witches... Well I'm not sure what it was saying really... The post seemed to be full of jealous rage at the fact that others get born into a pagan family, with all the secrets us 'plebs' are fighting to uncover. I definitely get the jealous part, I would love to have an inherited belief system from which to base my current studies on! (although I am well aware of the pitfalls such a life would undoubtedly bring with it... so my jealousy is only in part...) How much time could be saved if I already had the basics under control!! Which herb should be used for which spell, what charm is needed for what situation, what chant or incantation is best and how to write a good one - the mind boggles!! I would be able to really think about the big issues!! That would be nice...

But the truth is, I wasn't born with such a heritage, as far as I know I am the only decidedly pagan person in my family. Sure, my Aunty is great with plants and uses herbs in her cooking all the time and has heaps of crystals that she instinctively knows what to do with, but she would never come out and claim she is pagan nor do the leg work involved!! And I am completely aware that there is a reason for my current family status, if I ever find out what it is, I'll let you know for sure! Just as I am sure there is a reason these people are born into a position of 15th generation witch who survived the inquisition, or the witch trials, or the reformation, or whichever narrow minded event caused persecution to witch and non-witch alike! There is a reason they have access to this level of knowledge and who are we to judge it or rage at it? Be jealous, fine - one can't help that emotion sometimes - but acting upon this emotion and raging about it will only make you look a fool!! So get over it! Or perhaps, befriend them and share your knowledge... If they are not sworn to secrecy that is!!!

The other point I remember this particular blogger making was about the person 'born to the family by luck'. I am sorry, but luck had nothing to so with it... Pagans, Wicca and Witches believe in a thing called reincarnation right? As part of this, my belief is that we choose the family we will be born into. This choice is based on a particular need or lesson the individual soul needs at that time. Then there is no luck at all, only the need of the individual soul to be a part of such a heritage! I would now love to be have been born as a 15th generation witch, but I wasn't and I have to trust that this is for a reason... It's probably cause my Mum is the coolest Mum on the planet, and I wouldn't exchange her for anything... (secret brownie points!! lol)

Anyway, the inevitable digression out of the way, I just think that if someone wants to claim such a heritage, and boast about it, then it's their lessons that need learning and we should let them, encourage them and aid them perhaps? Not judge them...

I also think the other thing the blogger had issues with is the ridiculous nature of the names given to some of the traditions... If a family wants to base their faith on unicorns, then who are we to judge? Especially those of us who have never seen one and dispute their existence! I have never seen an alien, but I don't believe they can't exist somewhere... Unicorns are the same. And quite frankly a world with unicorns would be cool, right? So if these people live in such a world, then who am I to argue? Whether their tradition is 1, 5 or 15 generations in the making, it's based on a person's truth and no one knows their truth better than the person believing in it right?? If we start (or continue in some cases) judging people for their beliefs then we become like those people this community professes not to be. We are here to find our truth, not THE truth after all... Besides, the historian in me is well aware there is no such thing as THE truth, as there are always perceptions clouding our view of events... I could list examples, but I am sure you are smart or experienced enough to come up with your own...

The point is, if a person claims heritage to a tradition, follows it faithfully and with love and trust, and is doing harm to none, then who are we to criticise?? Everyone's path is their own, feelings of jealousy, rage, shame, ridicule or whatever negativity you have towards them are all well and good - we are human after all! - but it is what you do with these feelings that causes problems...

This world needs less judgement and intolerance and more love and compassion... Just saying... xx

The Importance of Indigo - Pagan Blog Project

I am not sure if you are aware, but apparently scientists have taken Indigo out of the colour spectrum as it is not a definable colour between the blue and purple (this is only rumour for me, but considering the fate of Pluto, I am assuming the worst!). It got me thinking about the impact of this on the chakras and other aspects of paganism, spirituality and life in general.

Also, the Pagan Blog Project focus this week is 'I' and it seems 'coincidental' to me now that I should choose this week to think about colour therapy and my relationship with indigo in general... so here goes!!

For me, it appeared at first to have little impact as my brow chakra had always appeared as purple anyway, and my crown white, so I was not really used to working with indigo for this. So I forgot about it and got on with my life.

Lapis Lazuli, what I affectionately call my 'Atlantis Temple'

Then, very recently, I started to look at the meanings of particular colours, their vibrationary meanings, healing ability etc etc and stumbled upon an important personal truth. Even though I do not work with indigo, and very rarely have I since seen my brow chakra appear this colour (it has happened once or twice), it has it's own merits in the world and should be included and honoured among the basic colours used in healing, magick and other aspects of life. It is used to increase spiritual knowledge and awareness, intuition, inspiration and imagination and also has been said to soothe physical pain (through visualisation and intent of course!). And although it is a tertiary colour and I usually only work with primary and secondary ones, I still feel it has it's place in our lives. To me, colours like violet, turquoise and to come degree pink (although I do like to use this to differentiate between the types of love you would want to encourage) just seem to be watered down versions of their primary or secondary counterparts. Yet,  indigo seems to have its own specific vibration and magickal use, separate to the others. It just 'feels' as if it is important enough to include in my 'colour chart'! 

Perhaps this will lead me to further explore tertiary colours on a larger scale in time, but for now I'm taking a 'keep is simple stupid' attitude... I'll revisit the tertiary colours issue when and if it arises.

For now I am happy with my inclusion of Indigo in my work, and I hope you all do too, no matter what 'scientists' say!!!

This little light of mine, I'm (someday) gonna let it shine......

Inspired by Ms Moonlilly - http://wiccanwonderland.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/h-is-for-holding-it-in/

This blog entry is inspired by Ms Moonlilly's H is for Holding it in discovered most 'coincidentally' through the PBP... again... Read this one first, then come back to me!! xx

I have been a part of something wonderful this past week. Someone who I love very much has finally accepted all of herself and is allowing her true self to be seen by the world! She has accepted that she is a spiritual being and that she just might be able to do the things we have hitherto only 'played' at doing. It was a wonderful thing to see the light bulb moment, be with her the moment she stopped fighting it and embraced it all, and for that I thank her and the universe for putting me in the room with her!

It is not surprising that I myself have been going through this same thing for much of my life. I always knew I was destined for something 'more' or 'greater' than the mundane, but my teenage mind decided that was fame and fortune. My adult brain now realises that this may perhaps be the embracing of my own spiritual self and allowing this part of me to shine to the world. Accepting that I have a gift or talent for helping people is hard. As Ms Williamson says 'our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure' and I can definitely relate to this.

Who am I to be so 'gifted'? Anyway, I am not really, it's only tarot I read and it's not even information from me, its from my guides and my client's guides. I don't really do anything but sit there and listen, what's so special in that??

This makes me laugh now though, because I know there are so many people out there who don't listen, who don't know what I/we know. They just live their lives based on YOLO or some other gimmick and hope for the best! In some cases they use YOLO as an excuse to be an arsehole, a fact I have made very clear to any teenager I can (and I am a High School Teacher by trade!) that it is not... There are no excuses for being an arsehole... ever... Especially when you are aware you are being such...

Anyway, as usual I digress (hoping said teenagers will read this blog eventually... :))...

I think this fear has extended to my ritual observance. For a while now I have been drawn to being more active in my spiritual life, for myself not for others. I have been getting 'flashes' of an offering bowl on my altar, me sitting in front of it meditating and connecting to the God and Goddess, perhaps doing a pathworking to find my God (I have found my Goddess, and she does need a named counterpart!! Well, not really, but it would make me feel better!). But something is stopping me... It is fear. Well, DER right? But not so much fear that nothing at all will happen, cause there is always that, but fear of what other's will say if they find out I pray and meditate to a Hindu Goddess and which ever God I am to work with now? I am an Australian living in Mine Country (not Wine Country... lol). You don't sit at home and pray to Indian Gods!! Gee, I don't think many people in this area even think about the concept of God in any form, let alone pray to one!! What would they think if they found out??

I think for me the truth is that most people who know me (students especially!) already know me as 'weird', so it would only be another notch in that belt anyway... I also have to realise that I should not fear them finding out, I should embrace the idea. What I could share with them should they but ask?!

There is another quote that fits nicely here - those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

Perhaps I should use this as a mantra for a few days and see if it helps any??

I think the real trouble isn't what other people will think; a colleague pointed out to me once that people don't very much anyway. The real problem is accepting the real me and letting the old one go in favour of her. That is scary on a 'better the devil you know' level... I know who I am now, and she has gotten me this far in life, what will the new one do? No one can tell me, but I just have to have trust in the Gods and the universe that they know better than me and allow her to shine through right?? Easier said than done, I know, but it seems to be a running theme in client's readings of late, so perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me 'others are dealing with this same issue, how can you tell them to do something that you are unwilling to do yourself?' Which is true on many levels... a healer that can not heal themselves is no real healer at all right??

I know I have to embrace my true, spiritual self. It doesn't have to, and probably wont, happen overnight, so I guess I have time to take it slow. But I think I deserve to be the real me, to let my own light shine upon the world because 'as we light our own light shine, we unconsciously give permission for other people to do the same'. To me, that would be the ultimate gift to anyone. Not that anyone really needs permission from me to do anything, but perhaps if I lead by example, then others will start to believe it is OK and they can be who they were put here to be. That's gotta be for the greatest good of the world right??

Thoughts about Karma and Reincarnation

Someone wrote a post on Facebook the other day about karma, I can't remember who it was. It said basically that karma may not ever arrive to a person who has done wrong by you as they may never have actually done anything wrong.

It got me thinking that life is truly all about perception. One person's idea of 'bad' is different to another's. In a situation where there is an argument of some kind, inevitably both parties feel as if they have been wronged and wait for karma to exact revenge or rectify the situation in some way. But the truth may be that neither is in the wrong or that both are and karma should be 'dealing' with them both!

If this is the case, then who decides what karma does? Who decides who should receive punishment or reward? What if both have done wrong and are deserving of punishment? What is the truth about a situation is that it was you who did the wrong and the other person was in the right, would you accept your 'punishment'? Would you forgive them and let them off the proverbial hook?

Maybe their is no right and wrong really, just choices and consequences... if you make a mistake and own up to it and learn from it, then fine, all is well with the world. But if you make a mistake and don't own up to it or learn from it then you are doomed to make the same mistake/s over and over again. Or is this what karma is all about, living negatively until you realise your lessons and learn them? Is this what karma actually is? There is no external force or deity or angel or guide or ascended master deciding who gets punished or rewarded like St Peter at the Gate, it's all based upon your own choices and actions? If you stuff up, realise, apologise and learn, your reward is simply that you don't have to go through that situation again, you have learnt and can move on to the next lesson. If you don't learn then it'll keep happening until you do, thus creating what people would term negative karma.

So then, if you keep blaming others for what happens to you, then your karma is to always be affected by the actions of others until you realise your own power in the situation. It's more of a 'law of attraction' thing then really, isn't it? Some people have just termed this karma and personified it to the point that it gets blamed for everything, people began to use it as an excuse to get out of their own personal growth. "I don't have to deal with this situation directly, as karma will teach them!" Kinda gives people a 'get out of gaol free' card in relation to their personal growth I think......

So, I guess to the point of this whole blog - the need for me to finally come to terms with K/karma. This has definitely been a long time coming. I have had many conversations about this subject and still not discovered my truth. But here it is - to me karma is:

1. not an indiscriminate force or being punishing and rewarding for behaviours,
2. not a separate entity, with it's own code of conduct and laws, but a part of the law of attraction, if not completely bound up in it. 


3. not an excuse to get out of dealing with situations you need to personally, for your own growth and maturation. 
4. entirely based upon the morals and values of the individual.

this got me thinking about reincarnation and stuff, who is in charge of the big issues? After consideration, I have conclude that karma is:

1. inseparable from the soul/spirit.
2. not in charge of reincarnation
3. based upon our own ability to learn from our mistakes and forgive others.

But this brings me to another interesting point. Who decides what you do in each life, the lessons you will need to learn and who you will need to meet etc etc? 

Well, my simple truth is - YOU DO! You choose which family you will be born in to, what lessons you will learn from which sacrifices and losses you'll experience, what your life purpose will be and so on and so on...... And even who your children will be!! (Well, this you decide together. As for your grandchildren, there is also a level of discussion about this, but I feel that the ultimate choice lies within the soul themselves as they have to be born to your child in order to be your grandchild and whether they want to do that is up to them!!) Before you are reincarnated you make this 'soul contract' based upon your own needs as a soul in order to evolve. This is what drives circumstances, events and situations in your life, this innate need to experience in order to grow and evolve, not some separate entity doling out punishment and reward indiscriminately! It is entirely up to you whether you honour your own contract and fulfill your life purpose. You can opt out at any time, and this is what people who live negatively have chosen to do - they have decided it is all in fact too hard and they can never overcome their current situation. There is no judgement here, as I have done the same on occasion. Besides, it is their life to live and their choices are their own. As are mine. 

So I guess what I am saying really (and please, don't hang me for this!) is that there is no such thing as karma. It is merely your willingness to learn your 'contracted' lessons and evolve past your current circumstances. You have chosen these circumstances for yourself, now are you going to whinge and lay blame or are you going to take responsibility for your life and move on with love????

Chakra Fundamentals: Heart Chakra - H is for Heart Chakra

If the other weeks brought confusion or indecision about what topic to write for the Pagan Blog Project, this week was easy! I am working on going through all the chakras eventually, but will wait til the appropriate letter to submit something (obviously...lol). I have also worked on its western name, for ease of access more than anything else... So, here goes......

The Heart chakra, also known as Anahata (usually pronounced anna-hat), is located in the centre of the chest, vibrates green, sometimes with pink flecks, and its symbol is the 12 petalled lotus flower. On a physical level, it is responsible for the heart, ribs, chest, upper back, circulatory system, lungs, immune system, the respiratory system and thymus. Emotionally, it governs all matters concerning love, including unconditional love, forgiveness, relationships, compassion and tolerance, however, negative emotions such as anger and hate can dwell here as well. Any imbalances in the heart chakra are indicated by physical pain or illness in these areas as well as feelings of being unloved or unlovable, issues with hate, forgiveness and compassion.

As with the other chakras, there are a few very simple ways you can balance this chakra. Possibly the easiest is to wear green, such as but not limited to a t-shirt or bra as it sits directly over the chakra, with the intention of balancing Anahata. Crystals, such as rose quartz and malachite (among many others) will also help to balance this chakra. I have also had some success with Tiger’s Eye. Specifically used for the Solar Plexus, I find that whenever I wear Tiger’s Eye I laugh a lot more, and that has got to do something for my heart as well right?? Play around with a few other crystals and see what ones make you happy or more prone to laughter and use these in conjunction with other heart chakra methods, after all, isn’t happiness the key to love? Or one of them anyway...

You can also balance Anahata through the food you eat. Eating green food with the intention of it balancing your chakra will be of great use, however, what might work more is to have an appreciation and love for the food you are eating. Take a few seconds to thank the universe, or the tree or animal themselves for providing the sustenance for you. This prayer is about giving gratitude for what you have and being more aware of the good in your life. This will also lead to feelings of happiness and love which will open your chakra more!

Here is a list of a few other easy ways to balance your chakra:    

• Breathe into the heart chakra
• Hug people. You will need to be IN the hug. Some people just put their arms around others and hope for the best. The next time you hug someone, be in the moment and feel the love inherent in the hug! Open yourself up and allow yourself to feel and be love!! 
• Write letters of appreciation to those who have helped you
• Apologise to those you have hurt
• Offer to help people
• Tell loved ones that you love them
• Own a pet and play and pat them
• Own plants and water them with love
• Be willing to forgive

Another interesting issue with the heart chakra is receiving love. It is all well and good to give it to others, but in order to have a properly balanced chakra you need to be ready to receive love. This has been an issue for me my whole life it seems, especially self-love in a culture that frowns upon people who ‘love themselves’ as ‘stuck up’. Love of self does not mean you think you are any better than anyone else, it just means (among other things) you have self-respect and understand your own worth. I have recently discovered that love of self gives you a deeper understanding and appreciation of love when you experience it for yourself from yourself. It helps you to better understand what it means to love and what your own expectations are concerning receiving love from others. Through the self-acceptance that comes from self-love, you can more easily accept others for who they are (tolerance and acceptance) which increases your capacity for unconditional love on a much larger scale.

But how to rectify these issues? There are a few easy ways, some may seem weird, difficult or unnatural but start small and work your way from there. 

1.  Look in the mirror and find one thing that you like (at first, later turn it to love) about yourself and focus on that aspect for a few minutes. If you can find more than one, then by all means honour them all! If not, after a week, make it two things, then three etc etc.
2. Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself, that you feel are flattering for your figure or emphasises your assets. Include any make-up or particularly flattering hair styles.
3. Stand naked in front of a mirror and admire your body for what it is, lumps, bumps and all. Remember, you are the God or Goddess manifest! Loving yourself and accepting yourself for who and as you are allows you to accept them on such terms and gives you a closer relationship with them. 
4. Number 3 also works in a bath or shower situation, and may be a better first step for you if you particularly loathe mirrors. As you wash yourself, note your body shape and tone, any blemishes you have, honour any scars you have and just feel the love and acceptance wash over you as the water falls over your skin. You must, however, graduate to the mirror scenario eventually!!
5. Write down a list of your characteristics, flaws and all. Do not categorise or judge them, just write the list down. When you are done, read over them and send love to each of them. They all make up who you are and you must honour them. The one/s you do not like, you can work on (or may be at this very moment!), but in the meantime they are who you are, they make up a part of you, so honour them all and accept them. 
6. Put on your favourite music and dance around the house. Do not judge yourself, just feel the movement of your body and let the love flow!
7. Record your voice and play it back to you. This will need to serve a purpose though... it would seem silly just to record a random conversation and play that back!! I remember reading in one of her books that Doreen Virtue learnt to love her voice, and herself more, by recording and listening to a list of affirmations every day! This may work, but if affirmations are not your thing, then why would you start now? So, the next time you find a meditation in written form, instead of memorising it and doing it this way, record yourself saying it over nice music. Do the meditation to your own voice and remember to give your voice and yourself love as you hear it! If there is a ritual or anything else that you could record and complete in this same way, then do so! I am sure the added love you feel will serve to empower your ritual.
8. I recently read a book called Unleashing the Sex Goddess in Every Woman by Olivia St Claire. It was very confronting to me, whose own views on sex and masturbation have been in conflict throughout my life. The one thing I learned from this book is that love of the physical self is important for loving and accepting yourself and who you are (it will also help you to understand how your body works so you can tell your partner and make your love making all the more exciting! Anyway, back to the issue at hand... ) So, the next time you take some time out to pleasure yourself, instead of seeing your favourite movie star in your mind’s eye (although this can be very fun!), just be with yourself and feel what you are doing to yourself. Be in the moment and feel the love as you bring yourself to climax. This brings your spiritual and physical self closer together, giving you a better understanding of how the two are actually one, inseparable. A lot of people honour their spiritual selves and neglect their physical body (or vice versa), which to me now is an example of gross misconduct! OK, so I over exaggerate... again... But there is still truth in what I say. You can’t have one without the other in this life, so acknowledge, honour and love both!!
9. Do #8 in front of a mirror... Send yourself love and acceptance as you watch your body and facial expressions. This is not for the faint-hearted, so be sure that you are comfortable looking at yourself in the mirror before doing this. Remember, the goal is to increase your feelings of self-love. Do not do this if you feel it will shatter everything you have worked for... It can wait until you are ready!
10. This may be the most important one… Sit in a quiet place, where you will not be interrupted and put yourself into a meditative state. Play your favourite meditation music, burn incense (possibly rose for love!), light a candle (again, rose or a red one!) and wear or have on your person one of the aforementioned crystals. When you are ready, send the love out of your heart chakra into the universe or to a person, animal, place or situation that inspires love for you. Just send it out there for a few minutes. Then, draw it back into yourself. You can do this by seeing Anahata's green and pink flecked colour circling to the object or situation and back into yourself (through your back may help if you are particularly visual). Also, breathing out the love and then back in can help if you are not particularly visual. The how does not really matter, what is important is that you send it out and also RECEIVE IT BACK free of judgement or category, just allow it to come back. Sit in this energy of love for as long as you feel the need then bring yourself back. Thank the universe and deity for the experience and whenever you are feeling a bit down or overly negative about yourself, remember this moment and allow the familiar feelings to wash back over you. For a particularly fun twist, combine this with #7 and do the meditation this way! 

This one was longer than I thought it would be, but in writing it I realise the heart chakra is about more than just giving love, but also receiving it. The two aspects work hand in hand to promote love on a daily basis. It has definitely opened my eyes to the true nature of Anahata and love in general, as I hope it does for you. So a big THANK YOU to the PBP for allowing this to happen! 

If you have any other ways of balancing Anahata, please feel free to include them in the comments below.

Blessed be and Love to all!! 

(Most information is gathered from personal experience and discussions with teachers and like minded people, however, a good book to read to get an overall idea of the chakras is Janet Boyer’s ‘The Chakras’. Also, the following website is also of great use - Chakra Balancing - Heart Chakra Anahata) 

F is for THE FLU!!

Ok, so I had committed myself to the Pagan Blog Project and was all set to start researching something for the letter F and the disaster struck! I got the FLU!! da da daaaaaa!!!! 

Anyway, I woke up that morning with a sore throat and a little tickle in my nose and thought to myself, 'self, I think you have the flu?! This is the universe telling you to slow down and take some time out!' So, I did - I cancelled all my appointments for the day and stayed in bed. After a few episodes of I cannot now remember what, I fell asleep. For 4 hours!! I woke up wondering if this was just the flu or something more serious. 

I am a firm believer that any illness, sickness, injury or disease is emotionally based, it is your body telling you something that you are not hearing any other way. It has been proven to me time and time again! I get ulcers in my mouth when I have not said something I need to and it is eating away at me, I break my index finger when I am letting fear and ego rule me, my mother hurts her back when she is not getting support from someone and needs it, and I get the flu when I am doing too much or have massive inner conflict about something! (Read Inna Segal's 'The Secret Language of Your Body' for more details!! it will change your life!!) So, I was also wondering what inner conflict I was having at this time, but knew mostly that it was the universe telling me to slow down!! For the millionth time in my life, mind you… I just can’t help it, there is so much to do, learn and see and I want to do it all, NOW!! Anyway, I decided to take a day off and see how I felt the next day.

Well, my condition only got worse. And the worst part? I had to go in to work because in recent years I have been so flippant with my money I now have very little! Even though I have had a well paying job for almost three years, I had managed to, at the end of the contract, have saved around $300!! Very bad finance!! Anyway, so I have recently learnt the need to be more frugal and have just started to become that way when I got sick – not having enough in my account as yet to be able to afford to take time off (as I am now back to casual and do not get sick leave etc!) I had to go in to work!

Luckily though, by Friday I was feeling a bit better and was able to go in to my Saturday Tarot Reading job, which I love because I get to help people in a more personal way than I do as a teacher. Well, apparently I was not in fact well again and the universe appeared to have more lessons in store for me. By Monday I could barely speak! Some things happened over the weekend, which I will not get into here, but suffice it to say I fought the inevitable, tried to control things and prevent having to have ‘the conversation’ with a male friend of mine and it manifested in a small dose of laryngitis!! Well, according to Inna Segal in her aforementioned book, laryngitis is about holding back (among other things, which are not that relevant, but everything on the list doesn’t have to fit!). I was trying to prevent something from happening, that may not need to happen, through my actions, when if I had just spoken my truth it would be over with by now! Well, it has been a week and I have finally just this morning been able to belt out a few notes of one of my favourite songs, so it seems I am on the mend and the lesson has been learnt! For now… Here’s hoping I don’t forget it and have to go through it all again!!! 

Available through innasegal.com

G is for Gossip

I have looked through the prompts for this fortnight's Pagan Blog Project and most, if not all, seemed alien or personally uninteresting to me. (no offence intended!!) Probably more to the point, I harboured an assumption that they would all be addressed elsewhere in due course. So I got to thinking about 'G' words and what I could write about, what was most interesting to me. Then it hit me - Gossip.

Now I do not want you to think that I like gossip or that the act of gossiping is among my hobbies, because this is far from the truth! I have an intense dislike for gossip, mostly as it seems to me a sign of an uninteresting life. If someone has to talk about other people's lives, then to me it is a sign of an unhappy life! They are probably a) bored with their own lives or b) need to deflect attention off of themselves and what they are doing, which may be against their outward morals!!

Most people avoid gossip out of some sense of superiority or as a part of an unwritten code to which they only half heatedly adhere. Others choose to live by the code 'do unto others...' And in my first draft I counted myself among them. Upon further reflection I realise that I don't care if people gossip about me, which in my mind invalidates the saying all together! If what I do is so interesting to others they want to spend their valuable time gossiping about me, so be it!! I send them all love and compassion and hope to the Gods they will find their way! 

For me, gossip avoidance is about two main personal needs. Firstly, I think not is as simple as not having enough time to worry about what others are doing! Time spent gossiping is time better spent talking about something of worth to me, i.e. what we will do on our next Sabbat, what awesome meditation experiences we have had or helping someone gain clarity in some area of their life. 

Secondly, and to me most interesting, I can actually feel the energies in the room plummet when people start to gossip. I have recently become aware of the energetic value of gossip and choose to participate in something a little more UP! 

I understand people need help with some things that often involve other people, and as long as the conversation remains solely on you and how you will fix the situation, then vent away! A lot of people, myself included, gain great clarity from discussing their feelings about situations with others. My line is usually drawn when people start discussing things that have nothing to do with them! There is a difference between gossiping and seeking guidance in a situation, and energetically you can feel it!!! 

So next time you are around people who gossip, be aware of the energy in the room and feel it shift with the change in topic!! Try your best to bring it back up and remember, you have a right not to be involved in the conversation!! :)