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Understanding Wicca: Ask Fyre
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The Midsummer Solstice
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by Fyre |
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Do you hear that? Mother Earth is talking to us again. It's time for yet another celebration. The flowers are in full bloom the birds are singing and it's time to celebrate the Summers Solstice.
This time of the year marks the longest day and shortest night. This holiday stands exactly opposite the Winter Solstice on the Wheel. It marks the turning point from Gemini into Cancer. It is a festival of the God. People are known for dancing around bonfires, singing and of course eating. The Fires themselves were considered lucky this night. The heat and full flowering of Summer is at its peak. This holiday marks the Third Planting.
When I think of Midsummer Solstice, I am drawn to remember the play, "A MIDSUMMERS NIGHT'S DREAM" written by Shakespeare. The characters are alive with passion, sexual liaisons, magic is in air and there is much mischief. Mostly created by the fairies. This is how I like to imagine Summer Solstice to be..
There are many ways to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice: This is a time to nurture yourself, your loved ones. Tend to your gardens, extra attention to those personal matters of the heart. Traditionally it was time to tend to one's personal crops of all kinds -- already sown but not yet harvested, as well as a time to plant new ones. It is a time to make changes, make adjustments and appreciate our accomplishments. In modern gardens, this is still the Third Planting, so it's a good time to plan your fall vegetable gardens. In your celebrations, use seasonal flowers and crystal glasses, and candles.
As always, here are a few recipes, I find not only enjoyable but also easy to prepare to make your holiday an experience you and your guests aren't likely to forget. .
Cucumber Salad
1/2 cup mayo (miracle whip)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
3 small Tomatoes, cubed.
Combine mayo, parsley, and chives.
Gently fold in cucumbers, tomatoes
Cover and chill.
Roasted Chicken
1/2 c Dry white wine
1 Lemon (juice only)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 pounds Chicken breast
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Tomato sauce
1 Onion, minced
1 Green pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
In a shallow dish combine
Wine
lemon juice,
garlic,
1 /4 teaspoon oregano
dash of salt.
Add chicken, turning to coat well and marinate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan combine remaining ingredients and oregano and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Put chicken in a baking dish and top with sauce. Bake for 1-1/2 hours, or until done.
Fruits and Nuts
1 cup diced oranges
1 cup diced bananas
1 cup diced pineapple
Chopped walnuts
Mix the fruits, and season with fruit sauce. Dish up on a lettuce leaf, and sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top.
Goddess Salad
Whip Topping
1 cup seeded cherries
1 cup pineapple cut in large dice
1 cup marshmallows cut into dice
1 cup shredded walnuts
Mix all the ingredients except the walnuts, which should be added just before serving. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Each one of us has a spiritual belief. It's that belief that brings you to a point in your life where you are in search of something. You might not even know what that something is. You just know there is a missing link. A purpose, a path, direction you are being pulled in.
For me it's was more a calling of sorts. I felt somewhat incomplete in my earlier years. There were energies all around me, I wanted to be in control of. I wanted to feel powerful in my own rite. I felt a need to come back to my roots. I knew there was a light inside me I wasn't letting others see. This light revealed the direction towards The Goddess and her traditions.
There are many different traditions within the Wicca/Pagan systems. I feel more connected with the followings and workings, within Diana Tradition. The Covens who work with her are usually all woman and channel towards her power.
We all tend to see the goddess in different ways. Long ago one of my mentors explained to me about my visions of her. He explained " that she comes to us in the light in which we need her to be."
Example of this. A young girl coming into her own. Might see the goddess in her own image. A maiden in search of her own path. Questioning her desires and her own needs.
A mature woman embracing life. A mother and wife. Might see the goddess in the "mother form" Secure and loving. Strong and powerful. Guiding her to success.
An elder woman, past her prime. Yet still vital and in need of wisdom. Would call upon the Crone for guidance.
Goddess is many things to us and she is always with us.
*"The Goddess holds everything in Balance...
Without Her, Destruction and Chaos Prevail
Time to have some fun, testing your knowledge.
What is your goddess IQ.? Are you an expert or just learning? Take the quiz below and rate your Goddess IQ.
1. Julius Caesar caused a scandal in Rome when he built a statue of Queen Cleopatra, dressed as her patron Egyptian Goddess, Isis, in a temple devoted to which Roman Goddess?
A. Venus
B. Juno
C. Ceres
D. Diana
2. The story of Demeter and Persephone represents the sorrow of the mother, expressed as winter and fall, and the return of the daughter, expressed as spring and summer. Hades strikes a deal that Persephone stay with him in the underworld for six months of the year, allowing her to stay with her mother for the other six months, based on the number of seeds she's ingested. What kind of seeds did Persephone eat?
A. Pumpkin
B. Pomegranate
C. Sesame
D. Sunflower
3. Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess and Bodhisattva of Compassion, is known as a deity who heals the suffering of the world and especially one who aids women. She is often seen in sculptures, and sacred art, holding a vase. What does it represent?
A. A vessel to hold and pour out the tears of the world
B. Milk for the babies of the world
C. Love potion
D. Amrita
4. Amaterasu is the Japanese Sun Goddess and she still figures quite prominently in Shinto religion and the Japanese culture. She has a very special relationship to royalty in Japan because:
A. She makes the dreams of princes come true
B. All Japanese Emperors are believed to be of a lineage that originates from her
C. The older Japanese ladies keep her alive
D. She is prayed to in the Japanese tea ceremony
5. Most ancient cultures had temple priestesses who were considered "sacred prostitutes." It was their role to initiate men to the Goddess through lovemaking. This was a fully accepted rite of passage. Who was the ancient Sumerian Goddess the sacred prostitutes worshipped?
A. Inanna
B. Aphrodite
C. Venus
D. All of the above
6. As legend goes, Hawaii's Pele is a fiery, passionate and angry Goddess. She is mad because:
A. All those annoying tourists
B. She doesn't get to spew as much lava as she'd like
C. Her sister had an affair with her husband
D. She is a PMS Goddess
7. Kali, the Hindu Mother Goddess of destruction, transformation and regeneration looks a little scary at first glance. She's pictured as a female with skin that is black or blue, her tongue hanging wildly from her mouth. She carries a lot of serious looking weapons in her four arms, and a garland of men's heads hangs around her neck. She holds one (recently lopped off) head in her hand. Why is she so intense?
A. The Hindu tradition doesn't like beautiful Goddesses
B. She doesn't like men
C. It's her role to go into the darkness, slay the ego and take in our sins
D. She represents women's sins
8. In Hinduism, it is believed the Gods cannot exist without the powers of the Goddesses. Divine feminine energy has a sacred name. What is it called?
A. Gauri
B. Ganga
C. Radha
D. Shakti
9. Shamanic cultures have long honored the divine feminine as "Mother," the earth herself. By what name is she known by Peruvian Shamans?
A. Earth Mother
B. Patchamama
C. Green Woman
D. Woman who is Earth
10. Native American cultures honor all creatures as The Mother's children. There is one four-legged that is especially sacred, as its hardness and softness represent The Mother. Which sacred creature is considered symbolic of the Goddess?
A. Beaver
B. Deer
C. Mama Bear
D. Turtle
11. Using tiny boats launched from the shores, Brazilian women make offerings of food and flowers to a beloved Yoruban ocean Goddess, whom they credit with helping them heal their lives. By what name is she known?
A. Oshun
B. Chang-O
C. Oya
D. Yemaya
12. Maeve is a powerful Celtic Goddess whose legend was transformed in order to keep her alive in the Christian culture. Although the ancients considered her a Goddess, as her story evolved she was referred to as a:
A. Princess
B. Queen
C. Mother of a King
D. Consort to Merlin
The Answers to The Goddess Quiz:
1. A. Venus
2. B. Pomegranate
3. A. The tears of the world
4. B. All Japanese Emperors are
of a lineage that originates from her
5. A. Inanna
6. C. Her sister stole her husband
7. C. It's her role to go into the darkness,
slay the ego and takes in our sins
8. D. Shakti
9. B. Patchamama
10. D Turtle
11. D. Yemaya
12. B Queen
How did you do? Are you a Goddess Expert?
If you got all 15 questions right you are indeed a goddess Expert
If you got up to 10 correct, you have a great awareness
If you got five or fewer questions correct, it's time to read on and expand your goddess consciousness.
Goddess IQ test was borrowed from the following source.
Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway is an interfaith minister, wedding officiant and soulful love columnist. She is author of A Goddess Is A Girl's Best Friend: A Divine Guide To Finding Love, Success and Happiness (Perigee Books, December 2002)
~Fyre
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Fyre,
Wiccan Practitioner
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Practitioner of Wicca
Psychic,
Tarot Reader
Readings by Fyre
A Wiccan, a loving mother and perpetual student of life, Fyre's background is a rich mixture of the Metaphysics, Sociology and Psychology.
You can find Fyre in
The Directory, or by visiting her website:
www.astrofyre.com
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