Yame “…and today my sisters walk with me”

Yame   (Yah-may) – definition:  ..and today my sisters walk with me.

Today I take the name ‘Yame’ and give it an official definition. Yame came about while I was soaking in the bathtub, reading an initiation rite in the book “Earth Magic”.  As I was reading along, I noticed that was silently saying Yame in my mind every time there was a blank space for the witches name.  After I recognized that I was doing it, I took a bar of soap, since I didn’t have a pen & paper, and wrote Yame Yahmay on my shower wall.

For the first time since I began studying the craft, I began to feel lonely as a solitary witch during Beltain of this year.  I watched videos of other witches enjoying their celebrations and gatherings on the computer.

While lost in thought, I realized that I am not alone.  I have coven sisters who can be with me all the time.  The following passage from the book “Earth Magic” by Marion Weinstein is what made me realize this:

Whenever you mark a holiday, you are working with, and tuning into (if you want to) an infinate number of other Witches, Pagans, Priestesses, Priests, Magicians, and Wizards, in all time and all space, from many lifetimes past and present.  You may be solitary, but you are never alone.

This problem of being a solitary comes about when you can’t seem to find others who are like you – or you just haven’t found them yet; or maybe the one you connected to moved far away.

My sisters may be pulled from the past or even imagined, but they are with me, wearing whatever they choose……most likely black hooded capes.  They follow behind me or are in circle around me – smiling, laughing, loving as no earthly sister can.

The Moonstone

The Moonstone

The purpose behind The Moonstone is to provide an entertaining as well as informative approach to the subject of spirituality, paganism, and New Age thought.  The Moonstone covers topics such as witchcraft, Wicca, healing, crystals, divination, & mythology, while providing a community for learning & promoting respect for all pathways….

The Wolf & The Raven

This is for the free-spirit’s out there.  I want to call your attention to a cause that I deem worthy of our attention.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Moon-Farm-Wolfdog-Sanctuary/208635945835968?sk=wall#!/pages/Full-Moon-Farm-Wolfdog-Sanctuary/208635945835968?sk=wall a non-profit organization for abused and refused wolfdogs who find themselves in need of love, shelter, and care.

I was inspired to make “The Wolf & The Raven Dreamcatcher” by my friends who feel a kinship with wolves.  I will be donating $10.00 to Full Moon Farm Wolfdog Santuary upon the sale of this item.  You can see more photos and details, and it is available for purchase through my Etsy Shoppe:   http://www.etsy.com/listing/95066273/the-wolf-the-raven-dreamcatcher

Or you may contact me directly through https://www.facebook.com/EarthMother195

Contest Winner!

Congratulations Lauren! Lauren is the winner of EarthMother195′s free t-shirt giveaway for February 2, 2012.

All that Glitters….

ALL THAT IS GOLD DOES NOT GLITTER

All that is gold does not glitter,                                                                                    Not all those who wander are lost;                                                                            The old that is strong does not wither,                                                                   Deep roots are not reached by the frost.                                                                    From the ashes a fire shall be woken,                                                                           A light from the shadows shall spring;                                                                  Renewed shall be blade that was broken,                                                                 The crownless again shall be king.

This is a poem written by JRR Tolkien.  I have seen many times the line “Not all who wander are lost”.  Have you really looked at this poem in depth and felt what he is trying to say?  The meaning is deep.  From my own point of view, this is what I take as the meaning of it: 

All that is gold does not glitter.  I feel like he is talking here about finding someone who may not look so fancy all the time or even may not be perfect or handsome, but they love you with all their heart and for all their lives.  Someone once told me that they ‘love me from afar’.  Nowadays, I know what they meant.  We were not good for each other, nor good to each other, therefore we were not meant to be together, but, we both keep love in our hearts for one another, though, wishing the other happiness and peace.  

My take on the next line may be different, but, Not all those who wander are lost, reminds me of the hobo or bag lady type.  Not all, but some, are out there because they choose to be.  They may not agree with society or it’s ways.  They probably think that aquiring possessions is not more important than doing what they love or going where ever they choose to go.  They are very likely smarter than most people give them credit for.  They may not wish to be a strain on their family when they are old or sick with a costly or deadly disease.  They may wish to wander around in a warmer climate rather than cause embarrassment to their family because society often judges people. 

The old that is strong does not wither.  Deep roots are not reached by the frost.     The deep roots represent to me your own spiritual beliefs.  You can not give in to what others want if it goes against what you believe in.  I cannot and will not change my spiritual thinking just because someone wants me to.  Believe me, they have tried.  People in my family do not agree with my spirituality.  They do not want to learn anything about it and I don’t push it on them.  I don’t understand how they can judge me when they don’t know what they are talking about.  My sister has seen the sticker on my door that says “Protected by Witchcraft” and will not come inside.  She is afraid to learn anything about my religion, yet she thinks that because her religion tells her so, it is bad.  How is it bad to try to help the earth?

From the ashes a fire shall be woken.  A light from the shadows shall spring.  The ashes and shadows reminds me of really bad times in my life that I lived through.  Do I regret it?  Yes, in some ways I do.  But I would not change it for it has made me who I am today.   I love who I am.

Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless, again, shall be king.  There were times in my life when I felt broken, but I managed to live through it.  Nobody has kept me down, although some have tried very hard.  I live the life that I want to, and you should, too. 

This is my band

So, this is my band, or is it?

The answer to that question has varied alot over the last year.  Why?  Mostly because being in a group depends on other people’s attitudes, opinions and feelings.

If you are late for a practice, other people may make remarks behind your back, like they have to wait on the person who thinks they are the star.  If they should be late for a practice, they think it’s no big deal. Same thing with missing a practice.

Some people who are in bands are just waiting for the next golden ticket to come along.  They are so afraid that they will miss the boat that they just follow behind anyone who talks a good game, instead of being loyal to one band.

Drugs and alcohol and girlfriends also play a part in a band.  Girlfriends get jealous.  There’s no way to politely step around that.  They tend to get jealous of time spent with other people that doesn’t necessarily include them.  They get jealous because you are having fun without them.  If they are not included, you may be tortured during practice  with listening to the telephone ring off the hook all night long because they are mad, then they want to hang up on you just to show how “mad” they are after you finally decide to talk to them.

If you are a female singer, it doesn’t matter how hard you try to be nice and include them, the bandmember’s girlfriends will get jealous of you.  They will try to cut you down around their boyfriend, and if he should take up for you, they accuse him of …… well, all kinds of things.

It just feels so “on again, off again” that it’s like being in a relationship.  You would think we could just have a sheduled time for practice and shows, meet up, and play our music.

People don’t think it is an intrusion when they get drunk and decide they are a rock star, walking up and messing with your expensive gear and equiptment, & standing there trying to sing when if they were sober, they would be the first to admit that they are completely tone deaf.

Drugs & alcohol’s role in a band is usually played up.  Song after song has been written about drugs and alcohol.  People usually consume large amounts of alcohol when they are listening to a band play.  But when band members use, they go off in their own little world somewhere and forget how the song goes.  That messes up the other members and makes everyone look bad as a group.  They take off on a 10 minute solo when it was supposed to be about a minute long.  Alcohol usually makes people argumentative, too.  You can’t talk sense into someone whose had way too many.  At some point in their life, you would think that they would wake up and see that it isn’t cute anymore.

Singers get jealous of other singers.  They get mad because one singer has more songs than the other one.  They get mad because the band gives more attention to one over the other.  They get mad because one gets to call the shots.

It is sometimes hard to get people to agree on what new songs to learn, and even what kind of music to do, such as country or rock.

So my hat goes off to those bands that have managed to stay together.  I know it’s not easy.

WIN A FREE T-SHIRT FROM EARTHMOTHER195

Hi Everyone! You can win a free, size large, T-shirt from EarthMother195! To enter the contest, go to https://www.facebook.com/EarthMother195 and LIKE the page, then email your name & phone number OR your name & email address to www.angelagaledavenport@yahoo.com. The drawing will take place on February 2nd, 2012. Telephone numbers and email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are the winner, to get mailing information.