Healing is a psychological journey, not a physiological cure-all - a great video about the money maker called Theta healing

So I'm not really typical as a Wiccan when it comes to these sorts of things.  Sometimes I find there are grey areas, and then there are moments like these where I see things as being much more black and white.

My position on any form of healing is that, whilst it can physically make the endorphins run wild, it is best reserved for psychological work rather than physiological.  Even then, when you feel that unwell by the activity of your mind and you can't bear it any longer, see a psychologist: that is what they are for.  New Age healing, which I have experienced myself, is wonderful for the psychology and can be incredibly uplifting and invigorating, and if you receive images or feelings from it, you still have to be proactive about what you have discovered.  I am saddened to see people attempting to use it to physically heal people with their hands or their minds, particularly when they are terminally ill.  It is sad to see that the potential for healing is abused by people who:

• Charge a lot of money for it 
• Are so convinced that their healing works that they may disregard crucial symptoms of a serious illness (not that they're trained to really detect them)
• Have no actual scientific qualifications of any kind yet charge more than a doctor and probably as much as a psychologist.
• Make claims that HIV can be reversed when it's impossible, which is completely revolting and misguiding and again, draws in people to believe that if they spend their money with these people that they will be healed

This kind of thing racks my brain, like healers who claim that their practice will alter your DNA... which as we all know is impossible.  At this particular event that I went to, it was proposed to me that I would be so fortunate as to have my DNA altered - but what for was not clear.  It was thrown out there just to make the event seem incredible when all we were ultimately doing was allowing ourselves a group psychological healing - is that not enough?  Is it not joyous enough to share that moment with others at the end of a working week by letting go together, singing together and just having a nice time?

Meditation, however, can help to prevent a range of things happening to your body by reducing stress and the chemicals your body then produces which can affect your mind, heart and general wellbeing.  It reduces your risk of heart disease by half if you meditate two times a day for twenty minutes and there is certainly no harm in connecting with your truth.  Go here to read my article on how to achieve a sincere balance from your practice, which is really common sense for any lay person (well, except for the more religious parts anyway!).

It is interesting to see how people cross the line within spirituality like this, like those who practice cold reading if you remember the post I put up about that featuring the fantastic episode of Bullshit by Penn and Teller.  Don't you think it is interesting how when that line is crossed, there is a lot of money to be found on the other side?

)O(
E

video via Derren Brown Blog

Big News: Changes to the Zodiac (Part I) - don't change your astrological tattoos

This news over the past 24 hours has been shaking the world, but it needn't do.  The reason why I'm calling this Part I is because I want to see what my Astrologer Jonathan Cainer has to say about this before I go any further.   The fact that he hasn't posted anything on his main page as yet is very interesting.  Certainly what I have found proves it to be false.

According to this article below, 'The astronomers from the Minnesota Planetarium Society found that because of the moon's gravitational pull on Earth, the alignment of the stars was pushed by about a month.'  That would mean that the following signs have now changed to the list below.

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16. 
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11. 
Pisces: March 11-April 18. 
Aries: April 18-May 13. 
Taurus: May 13-June 21. 
Gemini: June 21-July 20. 
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10. 
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30. 
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.Scorpio: Nov. 23-29. 
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.  (Yep, this one is new — read all about the Ophiuchus way of life here)Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.


This confused me at first because I thought 'If before this change I was born at a certain time and that at that time I was a Taurean, surely it means that only people born from now onwards within these time slots can be regarded as these star signs?'  But some people believe that the signs were out of alignment the whole time.

If this is all true, are the astrologers sweating?  Apparently they are receiving a lot of phone calls from people freaking out, particularly when it comes to their compatible signs for their love life. If this is true, this would mean that my sun, rising and moon signs would be completely different.  I would go from being a Taurean whose favourite colour is green & is in love with luscious smells, food and aesthetics to a fiery Arian!  Does that not feel right for a reason?

CNN says that we have nothing to worry about:

'"This story is born periodically as if someone has discovered some truth. It's not news," said Jeff Jawer, an astrologer with Tarot.com, told CNN's This Just In news blog.

Astrology experts say the shift in zodiac signs does not apply to most Westerners, who follow the tropical zodiac, which is fixed to the seasons. In contrast, the Star Tribune article referred to the sidereal zodiac, which is fixed to constellations and is followed more in the East.'

Having read around, it seems that the astronomer who made this news was making a casual remark about a thirteenth star sign, which all astronomers are aware of and has been left out deliberately because only twelve signs will follow with the seasons.  Some might argue 'Perhaps it follows the 13 moons of the year' but I say: let the astrologers do their work - they would know better than what we would!  Certainly don't go changing your astrological tattoo for a viral uproar.  It certainly hasn't featured in the main newspapers as yet, and it probably won't because it's false.


Sources:
Read the article supporting the new astrology here

Read the full CNN article here

Christian Science article which says 'It's not new news at all' here

A community taught not to be superstitious

This is very interesting.  I take my 'healing' with a grain of salt.  I don't go to a healing session for a sinus infection - I go to the doctor!  What healing I do get done is for psychological benefit, and it's rare that I part with money to receive it, spending $10-$25 at a time for such thing.  If I choose to pay money for someone else to heal me it's more for the learning experience & to see whether something like Reiki really has a different effect to Pranic healing or the Egyptian Emotional Clearing Technique.  It's all relative.

It's hard to see people paying money for this sort of thing when they live in a third world country and I'm glad that there are people actively educating these communities in such a way.

Enjoy, it's quite funny in parts!

Why I'm against 'talking to the dead' psychic readings - cold reading fraud

This is a very contentious subject, especially coming from someone like myself.  I really do feel that it has to be put out there, and some people I know might not like it, but that's life.

There may be some people who can genuinely 'talk to the dead', but if you can tell it's cold reading then you know that they're a fake straight away.  If they don't ask you any questions then they're more believable.  Having said that I love my tarot, I'm free to make whatever I want out of it without someone else pulling at my heartstrings.

Traditionally there are two types of reading: cold reading & hot reading.  Cold reading is where you throw small pieces of information at the participant to 'hook' them in, and they're so enthusiastic to believe that they will start to (unintentionally) give answers from which the psychic can then add more general information to.  They feed each other energy and excitement towards a delusional experience.  Many people come away from the experience days later thinking "But they really weren't that accurate, they had very few hits."  There are usually more misses than hits.  More often than not if they don't have 30 people in a room to choose from they will have one person "I'm sensing someone in your family who's passed away, I see some letters A...N" then the readee jumps in "Allan, my uncle Allan!" then another handful of hooks are put out for the readee to latch onto.

The other type of reading is hot reading.  This is less likely as it relies on the psychic having already had straightforward information from the readee, such as recorded information of the people speaking before they enter another room or, as per an experience of my own, having the reader stand off at a distance before her next reading listening in on our conversations about our beliefs etc... that's when I turned around and saw her standing in the vestibule listening to us talking on the balcony.  I still wanted to believe too - it took me months to admit to my boyfriend that I'd caught her out in the act.

Some of these people might genuinely believe that they are capable and have had people bolster their 'talent' for many years.  One in particular amazed me - a man who met my mother and pointed out some weakness points in her body: a bad knee & shoulder... which could later become sore thanks to the power of suggestion, but I still remain dubious.  He also managed to be able to 'read' everything about her work situation at the time & how she could overcome it.  Sometimes this kind of thing can be helpful, but when it comes to 'talking to the dead' I really draw the line.  Some people are so desperate to be able to have that last chance that they will allow themselves to believe the psychic, then weeks later feel the emptiness of realising the ultimately there was too much cold reading involved for it to have been really that 'amazing.'

It has to be said aswell: why aren't these psychics able to see into the future so that we can help people?  If they're so keen on helping people be at terms with their losses, why aren't they just counsillors?  Why are they only looking back into the past and reading about people who have already gone - or do I not know enough about the nature of these kinds of abilities?

I just feel that I have a responsibility to draw the line with Wicca.  It needs to be more practical & realistic with the most healthy approaches to thinking & practice.  It is so easy for the Wiccan faith to become tied up in the fluffy arena of self help books & spiritual mumbo jumbo which gives it less gravitas.  We are in a faith which since the Pagan Renaissance in the mid 20th century needs to be more grounded.  It's great to be open-minded, to look at the possibilities and allow for the fact that science still has questions to answer as we explore the 'doors of perception' in our minds & work with Nature.

Please, if you have enjoyed what you've read so far, please advocate this cause because it is wasting people's money, time and emotions.  Also, please watch the Penn & Teller episode of 'Bullshit' below which gives you a much more detailed picture than myself & Derren Brown's video also tells you how cold reading works.

Blessed Be,
)O( Elspeth.

Witchdoctors in Africa murdering albinos

I've read a lot of wiccan texts that state - almost every time at the beginning that we do not worship satan and why on earth would anyone think that?  There are plenty of reasons that we become confused for other kinds of worship because of the unfortunate associations which can easily be mistaken.

Take a satanic 'witch' for example - if they go around saying they're witches it's no wonder that non-Wiccans are confused!  Also taking into account the strange history of witchcraft and the accusations of all of the nasty hexing we're apparently constantly doing - which is not true.  The threefold law serves every Wiccan, and if they choose to send out negativity they know that they will get it back threefold.  The Wiccan Rede also states 'do as ye will but harm ye none' so that we are constantly sending out positivity and constructive energy.

I feel terribly sorry for those in Africa whose friends and family members have been taken away from witchdoctors.  Witchdoctors are in no way associated with Wicca... not that I'd need to tell you, but this is another area of confusion.  You may have read recently that a sickening amount of African albinos are being killed by witchdoctors - and by their own hands!  Their body parts are used for black magick, and are reduced to specimens piece by piece.  The truth is that some people choose to take black magick into their own hands.  I personally call myself a White Witch because I am proud to only be producing positive energies and sending out only love and light into the world without working against anyone's will.  As we've discussed before, some people don't want to give themselves a label apart from Witch because that may indicate that every thought and action is completely pure and untainted... though I get angry and cuss people in my head - not without always considering their side and trying to gain the most peaceful, mature and graceful approach that is available: we are always learning and evolving.

I honestly don't know how this could be changed if the government does not do a thing - would human rights organisations be able to jump in - surely if it's so sporadic it would be so hard to control. 

Let us send out our love to those families who are suffering and pray that this will soon end - somehow.

Blessed Be

)O( Elspeth 

Belief in Witchcraft Leads to Murders in Africa

By Benjamin Radford, LiveScience's Bad Science Columnist
posted: 09 December 2009 09:42 am ET

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While many Westerners think of witches and witchcraft as being relics of the Middle Ages (or relegated to modern tourist traps in Salem, Massachusetts), in many countries belief in witches is common, and black magic is considered part of everyday life.

In Africa, witch doctors are consulted not only for healing diseases, but also for placing curses on rivals (or removing curses placed by rivals). Magic (or at least the belief in magic) is used for personal, political and financial gain.

America, of course, has its own version of witch doctors: the thousands of independent fortunetellers and psychic soothsayers with hole-in-the-wall shops occasionally arrested for scamming desperate or gullible customers. (Their victims are often led to believe that a curse has been placed upon them and that it can be removed with a generous "donation.") While fortunetellers usually do only financial and emotional harm, belief in black magic has led to dozens of murders.

In Tanzania, East Africa, at least 50 albinos (people with a rare genetic disorder that leaves the skin, hair, and eyes without pigment) were murdered for their body parts last year, according to the Red Cross. An albino's arms, fingers, genitals, ears, and blood are highly prized on the black market, believed to contain magical powers. People with albinism anywhere often stand out because of their distinctive features; in a continent of dark-skinned Africans, albinos are often the subject of fear, hatred, and ridicule.

The belief and practice of using body parts for magical ritual or benefit is called muti. (Science fiction fans may recall that muti was featured in the hit South African film "District 9," in which the hero's body parts were sought after by a local warlord who believed that the limbs would give him magical powers. That horrific scene was based in fact, not the screenwriter's imagination.)

The muti murders are particularly brutal, with knives and machetes used to cut and hack off limbs, breasts, and other body parts from their screaming victims—including children. Many of the albinos were beheaded, their heads carefully collected and preserved as gruesome good luck charms or for use in rituals.
While many suspects have been arrested for carrying out the albino murders, so far the persons who commissioned the killings (or offered huge sums for human body parts) have not been arrested. Some believe that because belief in witchcraft and muti is so accepted and widespread in East Africa, police, politicians, and judges are hesitant to pursue the criminals too vigorously. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of African albinos live in fear of their lives, shunned and hated because of the color of their skin. To those who believe in science, albinism is merely a rare medical condition; to those who believe in witchcraft and magic, it is a reason to murder and mutilate the innocent.

From LiveScience

Flying witch seen in Mexico, February 2009 - Christian hoax?

Well, THIS is strange!

They even have members of the police talking about the 'humanoid creatures' as they got a close look at them... just wish they had the ability to draw or draw out a camera as quickly as they would do a gun!

It's certainly interesting. I expect that everyone will be sceptical, and of course we have to be, but with police eye witness accounts it does make you wonder what on earth they could have been...

A forum on the matter indicates that the cops were lying and that the 'flying object' was a remote helicopter with some cloth over it... but why would they lie? What kind of propaganda would that be? Mexico is a very Christian and Catholic country so perhaps this was a setup - but what for? To defame paganism? To make people fear witches?

Yes, I do feel gullible! I think a part of me actually wanted to believe that there were ancient, preternatural creatures flying around which were their own species to compare against the New Age Witch... two worlds colliding! What a thought!

I'm sick to death of paranormal videos which are blurry as hell - you can't see anything! How is it that with such good technology of late, so many people can't get it right? And they're not even making any money out of it because all of this stuff ends up on youtube or sites dedicated to the paranormal... why am I so gullible?!

Click here to see the video - I couldn't get it on here.

Old article that I'm UNhappy about

There is the possibility that all of the wrong statements have been taken by this witch, but I don't like what's been published... Perhaps it was actually a long conversation and they've chosen all of the wrong parts for publication, which the media is notorious for. I've highlighted the two statements which misrepresent Wicca ridiculously. It's a badly researched piece and I don't know why on earth this woman is saying that Wicca is 'largely a protest movement' in relation to the environment... since when was spell-casting a form of protest?! Whilst many witches are Green party members, you can hardly confuse religion with protest. That's like saying that my artwork is a form of protest - even though it's not vaguely political in nature!

'Witchcraft is for the weak and oppressed?' Did I actually read that? Let me just do a double take... oh she did too... Witchcraft has a history of oppression but it has never been designed FOR the weak and oppressed. I have never picked up a book and read that anywhere. You could say that it strengthens souls and replenishes our perspective on life... I understand that she is trying to make it sound like a welcoming religion for the oppressed, but I feel that it has the opposite affect and puts down Wicca. Again, she needs to separate the practice from the issues that come with it: protest is separate to religion, as is the statistic of how many weak and oppressed people come into the Wiccan faith is again separate to the practice itself. The entire section on pagans walks around what we do rather than addressing it.

And I can't help but think: does she believe that ALL women are WEAK and OPPRESSED?

Am I alone here? I find this article to be incredibly badly researched and gives the wrong impression on Wicca.

Blessed Be,

)O( Elspeth

HAVING A SPELL WITH WITCHCRAFT PROVES POPULAR FOR WOMEN

The Sun-Herald

0ctober 16 2005

by Barney Zwartz

Witches and charismatic Christians are leading religious growth in Australia with many women turning to witchcraft or paganism as a reaction against the patriarchal nature of traditional Christianity.

Dr Philip Hughes of the Christian Research Association said the numbers of people participating in nature religions - mostly witchcraft and paganism - rose by 140 per cent between 1996 and 2001. Agnostics were on the rise too, he said.

For many, nature religions were seen as environmentally friendly.

But Dr Hughes said their numbers remained small, with fewer than 25,000 adherents in Australia.

"They are never going to be really numerous as it is largely a protest movement."

Leading witch Caroline Tully says witchcraft is a religion for the weak and oppressed, especially women.

"Actually, I'm surprised the guys haven't taken advantage because there are so many single women," she said.

"There aren't many men, and a lot of them aren't particularly appealing."

Dr Hughes said growth among Pentecostals (such as Sydney's Hillsong Church) had been remarkable, along with ethnically based religions. For example, the Coptic Orthodox Church grew by 83 per cent between 1991 and 2001.

"Immigrants head to the churches in large numbers, even if they did not attend in their homelands," Dr Hughes said. However, he said he discounted fears in some church circles of mass conversions to Islam.

"The number of converts is very small, probably in the realm of less than a thousand or two. Only 2.5 per cent of all Muslims in Australia were born of Australian-born parents and some of these would be grandchildren of immigrants."

About 25,000 Australians identified themselves as Buddhist at the last census. Dr Hughes said young people liked its simplicity and ethics.

He said changes in immigration meant religion was now more diverse. Between 1996 and 2001, Buddhist numbers grew by 79 per cent, Hindus by 42 per cent and Muslims 40 per cent.

But all these groups together were still less than 5 per cent of the population.