Silver Chalice Wiccan 'Zine

A Sweet Taste of Death

and

Memes for Earth & Centre Elements

and

My Parents Found Out I'm Wiccan

Spring 2018
Feb, March, April

SABBATS:
Imbolc / Brighid
Eostara / Lady Day / Spring (Vernal) Equinox

Editor's Note

Have you ever come close to death? How did it feel for you?

You've been with me through this long journey of illness, and it almost came to an end recently, so I'd like to let you in on my recent experience.

Knocking on Death's Door

A couple months ago, I was skating right on the edge... knocking on Death's door, as it were. I was barely alive; no one expected I could make it back to life. I was getting my affairs in order and mentally saying goodbye to all the things I wouldn't be able to do again.

But you know, it wasn't so bad!

Granted, I come with an ancestral programme of wishing to die. That's part of what I had to heal, in these years of declining health. That's not why I didn't mind the idea of dying, though — I'd cleared that pattern.

What really happened was, well, frankly I was so enervated, so worn down from years of unrelenting work, trying so hard to try to heal, the idea of just letting go of that effort came as something of a relief.

This may be familiar to you, if you've been extremely sick for long periods of time.

I've come to understand in a very visceral way that that's what illness and aging is for. As we get more tired, it's easier to see moving on to the next stage as a welcome event rather than something to be feared and avoided.

I have an advantage over many people though — I know absolutely and incontrovertibly that life doesn't end at death. I have too much experience with the spirits of my family and loved ones to ever doubt.

As Woody Allen said: "I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."

In many ways, I look forward to going Home. I eagerly anticipate the next phase.

Yet still, it's easy to fall into the body's habit of fearing death and clinging to life.

That's okay; that's healthy! Up to a point, at least. That's what motivates us to take our best care of ourselves, honouring the temple of the body.

Living on the Earth is an amazing privilege, though it may not seem like it while we're here. It's built to be incredibly challenging in every way... but for the very best of reasons:

There's no other world or dimension that allows for such
lightning-fast evolution of consciousness.

And when all's said and done,
the Earth offers unparalleled sweetness as well

... when we remember to savour it!

When Death Takes a Holiday

I'd done my honest best, and a LOT more than I could really manage, for years, but still couldn't find the key to returning health. But when I knocked on Death's door, luckily he wasn't home so I got a reprieve.

With the support of some wonderful, lovely people, including some Silver Chalice subscribers, I tried a few desperate last-ditch treatments... and lo and behold, they worked!

I believe I've turned the corner now, and others are seeing the change in me so I trust that it's true.

I bring forward the gift of that brush with death, though. It's an appreciation for how sweet life is — how sweet my life is!

Despite all the challenges and problems, all the failed dreams and unfulfilled desires, life is delicious.

It took a close call to make that breakthrough, to rip off the metaphorical blinders that made life generally seem to be unbearably painful, difficult, and depressing.

Now I look around myself and say, "This is worth living for!" Not just for grand or wonderful things, but simple and even "unpleasant" ones:

• Watching snow fall
• Being drenched in a sudden downpour
• The delicate taste of pine needles in tea
• Steamed peas as the dietary highlight of the year
• The sound of my spouse clattering and singing off-key in the kitchen
• My cuddling Familiar keeping me awake in the night with his dreams
• Struggling to fulfill my daily obligations
• Opening my eyes in the morning to a new day, regardless of any circumstances...

It's all part of the joy of being alive!

Anyway, this experience brought me a great blessing, so I wanted to share it with you.

The Earth's Near Death Experience

There's another aspect to this: I often find that whatever I'm going through is a mirror of what's going on with the Earth (or is it the other way around? ). And as I was reflecting on my experience, I realised that this gives me hope for the future of our planet.

Mother Earth, too, seems to be facing mortality. She's on the edge of catastrophic life-support failure for so many species, including our own. Those of us who are perceptive can see the undeniable cliff edge humanity is racing towards.

HOWEVER... just like walking any Labyrinth, what seems like a dead-end can turn out to be, instead, a corner we never anticipated.

In my situation, I'd tried everything I could find or imagine, but nothing really made the difference... until at the last moment a few new options appeared, and changed everything.

The same is, I'm certain, true for the Earth as well.

Person by person, we are finding new ways and shifting our energies. Bit by bit, we are contributing to the healing of the Earth... and more than healing: transformation!

Just as I have created and discovered the sweetness of life for myself, so are we all doing for Mother Earth. We are recreating the world, drop by drop, and my how those drops are adding up.

On to Practical Matters...

My health is taking tiny steps toward improvement, however it's a slow process and I'd fallen so far into debility that it's going to take some time to crawl out.

So I'm afraid there's not a lot going on in this issue of the Silver Chalice Wiccan 'Zine... or my website, social media, etc. Few new articles, no new courses, despite my eagerness to share with you some great stuff the Goddess has been sending me lately.

(I have high hopes for the next issue, though!)

Still, we have a new set of memes, and check out the question for the Priestess (below) as well!

And in particular, here are a few things you might want to know about...

Facebook Alert  

Facebook has once again tightened its hold on newsfeeds. Its goal — according to insiders — is to eliminate posts from organisations and businesses, to force payment for each post.

What this means is you're likely to see a lot less from pages you follow... like Wicca Spirituality.

What you can do is to keep tabs open to the pages you most want to follow (I hope Wicca Spirituality is one of them! ), or set your FB settings to show our posts:

1. Click "Follow" near the cover photo
2. Hover over "Following" or "Liked" near their cover photo
3. Select "See First"

OR...

1. Click "Follow" on our page
2. Click "edit notification settings"
3. Then select "posts"

This isn't foolproof though — some people will see all our posts (probably by sharing and commenting often), while for others our posts may appear sporadically if at all.

So the best option is to keep checking in with our FB page directly.

Also you should know... What FB will show is going to be based very much on what people share a LOT.

Goddess Awareness Week

I am doing my darn'dest to make Goddess Awareness Week 2018 happen, so keep an eye out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+
... or easiest of all, on just Goddess Awareness Week page of Wicca-Spirituality.com itself!

This year we'll meet more ancient goddesses (not quite so primaeval as last year's) like Astarte, Ishtar, and — my favourite — Tiamat, the original Dragon Goddess!

Goddess Awareness Week begins Feb 13, 2018.

Please check it out and, if you like what you see, be sure to Share it!

A Year & A Day 2018

The 2018 class of the Wicca School's A Year & A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan has begun — the first official lesson comes out now, in time for Imbolc.

It's not too late to join!

You can rush through the prep. lessons and catch up with the rest of the class if you join today.

Even if you miss Imbolc itself, there's time to catch up by mid- or even late-February, if you don't mind going quickly.

I hope you can join us on this amazing, transformative spiritual adventure!

With Bright Blessings,

Contact Us

Ask The Priestess:

My Parents Found Out I'm Wiccan

Dear Priestess,

I love your site, and I hope I can ask you something. My very religious parents found some books I have and now they know I'm Wiccan. They took all my books and won't allow me to get more. They said they want to talk about it later, but they haven't yet and I'm really getting anxious.

Should I say something? Or hope they'll forget about it?

I want to be honest about who I am and I don't want to go to their church anymore because I don't believe in that. But I'm 16 years old and they make me go.

Can I be Wiccan if I go to another church? Can I do Wicca somehow that my parents won't know?? Or do I need to give up Wicca like they say??

Please help me, I don't know what to do!! Thanks!!

K. in USA

This must be very scary for you. Without knowing more about your parents, it's very hard to know what to say. Are they likely to kick you out of the house if you don't follow their religion? Beat you? "Exorcise" you in their church?

What was their reaction when they found it? Why, did they say, they wanted to discuss it again later? Were they looking for more info in the meantime? or wanting to cool down first? or wanting to get their church buddies' support?

Best Way to Approach this Discussion

What will probably help you most, in any circumstance, is being able to clearly say what draws you to Wicca, and why you are convinced it's an honourable spiritual path.

You might start with reading the articles I've written about Wicca, Jesus, and Christianity. Start here, and keep going: From Christian to Wicca: What You Need To Know

Write out the key points. And also write down how you'd like to express them, so it'll be easier to explain to your parents in person.

Remember that remaining calm will help get your point across much better than emotionality.

Ask the Goddess to come and stand with you, and help you. When you start to get flustered or frightened, rest back in Her arms and know you are safe with Her.

What you need to say will depend greatly on the source of your parents' fear or resistance. Is it simply misunderstanding what Wicca is about? You might want to read, or get them to read, Misconceptions about Wicca.

It becomes more difficult if they are opposed because their religion tells them to be. If that's the case, they may fear for your very soul, and perhaps their own, and nothing you can say will change that. In time, if they are open-minded, they may shift their position, but you can't do that for them.

First and Foremost, Keep Yourself Safe

If they are adamant against Wicca, you need to consider that your own safety has priority. You need a home, and you need support until you have acquired the skills, and age, to be able to support yourself.

If you need to "give up Wicca" in that case, I would probably recommend you do it. At least on the surface. What lives in your heart is between you and the Divine, and is no other human being's business. No one can know what's in your heart unless you tell them.

You can honour the Divine in whatever form you want, in whatever manner, but don't bring home books etc. (You can always read the website )

The Goddess will wait for you! In the meantime, if your well-being is on the line, don't even talk about Wicca.

I know it can be incredibly frustrating, even heartbreaking, when your loved ones refuse to love and accept you for who you are. But that day can come!

You have a long life ahead of you, Goddess grant, and though this may seem forever, you will be on your own very quickly. You can try to bring your parents around to acceptance then, if you choose.

For now, you need to take care of yourself. Ideally that means being able to be you, completely and openly. But if you don't have that option, know that you are in very good company: the best people often had repressive childhoods!

Quietly Learning Wicca

You don't need to worry about learning Wicca from a book, either. You can learn from our original teachers: the Earth, the Moon, Nature, Animals, etc. That's where Wicca comes from, and that's still its spiritual and practical roots. Pay attention to nature. Pay attention to what your body tells you — your greatest teacher!

Keep focused on the Divine, in the temple of your heart, and you can't really go wrong.

Remember, if you must pay lip service to their church for a while, that the root of all Christian sacraments and teachings is Pagan in origin. Look for the Truth hidden in all teachings. Dig through the translations for what Jesus was really teaching: he offered a Mystery religion that is nothing like today's christianism, but quite a bit like Wicca.

This exploration can be a powerful spiritual practice and journey, if you choose for it to be. Maybe that's the Divine's purpose in setting you with a family that blocks your choice of religion?

You can even begin to work with Angels and Archangels — that is likely within Christian bounds. Of course, the angels aren't Christian, or even Christian discoveries, but ancient Light Beings who exist to (or choose to) help us humans. It's amazing what happens, for instance, when you tell Archangel Michael what you want, and ask him firmly but politely to do that for you! (And then, of course, remember to thank him!)

I wish you all the best, K. Know that the Goddess is with you, no matter what, loving you and holding your hand, and guiding you if you choose to listen.

Thanks for asking. Bright Blessings to you!

Do you have a question you'd like answered? Email the Priestess and your question could be answered in a future issue.

(Note: questions may be edited for brevity or clarity. No real names will be disclosed. For reasons of legality, all questions become the property of Wicca-Spirituality.com.)

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© erin Dragonsong 2018. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprinting any of this is forbidden unless you obtain my written permission: karma and the law agree on this one. And Copyscape is keeping an eye on these things.