tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053167687182917082024-03-12T21:07:50.234-07:00Pagan Witchraft Anthropology of ConsciousnessPaganism and Witchcraft as Anthorpology of Consciousness are explored by independent researcher, Leslie McQuade, in the "Whispers from Shadow Mountain" blog.Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-2695930058337600222013-07-17T12:51:00.001-07:002013-07-17T13:06:48.477-07:00Alpha Omega: Our Struggle to Survive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">by Anthropologist and AΩ High Priestess</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Leslie McQuade</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s High Priestess of the Alpha Omega's new Egyptian section, the Egyptian College of Isis, my duties are primarily of a spiritual nature. I constantly tend the fires in our Isis Mother temple, performing the Alpha Omega's Egyptian Pagan rites on a daily basis.<br />
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Thus I try my best to stay out of the mundane affairs of our order. If I write on the Internet, it is on my little blog, <i>Whispers from Shadow Mountain, </i>that you can find <a href="http://pagan-witchcraft-anthropology.blogspot.com/">here</a>, where I am today originally publishing this article that will also be reblogged on The Golden Dawn Blog <a href="http://hermetic-golden-dawn.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br />
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Our Lady Isis is a loving and gentle Mother, yet when her child is threatened Isis reminds us that she is also Lady of Magick and keeper of the words of power which command even great Ra by his secret name.<br />
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This morning I was saddenned when, on the blog of a man who leads a Golden Dawn order and claims to be a spiritual leader, I read vile personal attacks not only calling our AΩ Imperator a "tin-foil hat wearing loon" and a "muggle nutter," but calling the Alpha Omega itself "spiritually bankrupt" and our thousands of AΩ members across the globe just a "few lunatic followers."<br />
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By attacking each of you hard working, magick practicing, book buying members of our beloved Alpha Omega, those who have tried to destroy the AΩ for two decades now this time gone have too far!<br />
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I know that many of you, dear readers, are not particularly interested in the ongoing struggle for AΩ survival, freedom, and our independence from SRIA tyranny.</div>
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When I first became a member of the Alpha Omega, I too, was not particularly interested in this, as I was so busy learning, practicing and internalizing all the new material to which I had just gained access. </div>
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It wasn’t until the recent Independence Day celebrations that it came home to me exactly WHY the aggressive defense of our Order is so important.</div>
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Just like the founding fathers, who fought for the independence of all Americans, whether they were interested in independence or not, and despite the huge army SRIA fielded to destroy the Alpha Omega and its leaders' reputation on the Internet, our Imperator has led us to survive against all odds through two full decades of attacks.<br />
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When they attacked AΩ in court, we defeated them, and preserved our right to call ourselves Golden Dawn, despite SRIA's huge financial war chest (which they continue to rebuild today!). Wherever and whenever they attacked AΩ on the Internet, we drove them back. Time and time again, we faced down an army of SRIA "researchers" falsifying our history.</div>
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Like many others, at first I did not believe the SRIA was actively and aggressively working towards monopolizing the Golden Dawn, and limiting access to certain materials based not on grade and ability as is traditional, but on other factors like religious affiliation. I most emphatically do not want to be forced into a mystical Christian mold, but if the SRIA had its way, that is exactly how things would be.<br />
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Our struggle is simple. AΩ must survive! We have sought peace over and over, extending an olive branch time and time again, only to have it roughly slapped away. We remain ever vigilant, faced with a ruthless and unrelenting enemy that will not rest until they destroy or seize control of the AΩ.</div>
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I love the freedom I have in the AΩ to study magick. I think it is absolutely beautiful that even Neophytes have immediate access to magick. I mean, really! Isn’t that a big part of why we all decided to become Ceremonial MAGICIANS in the first place? To practice Magick? I am quite a patient person, as any archaeologist must be, but I don’t think I could stomach waiting until 5=6 to practice magick, and I certainly wouldn’t continue with an Order that insisted I change my fundamental belief paradigm from Pagan to Trinitarian Christian to do it.</div>
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I guess what I really want to explain to those of you who are not interested, is that while it is your own business to be interested or not, know that you would not be able to study the materials you study, to practice the magick that you do, or to be the Ceremonial Magicians you aspire to be, were not for the tireless efforts of our Imperator. Let us recall that British tyrants also once called General Washington a "tin-foil hat wearing loon" leading a "few lunatic followers."<br />
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There are countless others who, like me, today stand beside our Imperator in defense of the AΩ. I do it because I value my own freedom and the freedom of the Fraters and Sorores in our Order. I love you all very much, and like the soldiers who fought the Revolutionary war to free our great nation from the yoke of British tyranny, I fight for your freedom from another group of British Tyrants.</div>
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How could I do otherwise? How could I stand idly by and watch as these thugs destroy our Rose? The Initiatic Secrets our Order has carefully preserved for the spiritual development of its members is so sacred, so fragile and beautiful … To think of that a "men's only club" of SRIA Christian segregationist leaders are deliberately trying to break down our fences to stomp it into oblivion just breaks my heart. How can they be so obviously malicious? They are vandals in the worst sense of the word!</div>
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May we always remember that, first and foremost, we are MAGICIANS!</div>
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In the Alpha Omega, we struggle magically for a future world that will be equilibrated and where nature is decontaminated. We work magically to reawaken the sleeping powers inside man and womankind into full contact with the magical forces of nature, returning to the authentic, natural human being that existed prior to religious deformation and who is therefore incapable of harming the Earth. </div>
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This will automatically result in the elevation of consciousness to its fullest spiritual potential.</div>
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In the AΩ, our Mission is to improve the human Soul, reveal to women and men their dormant powers, and to reveal the full power of love that completely transforms the mind and destroys egoism.</div>
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Our desire is to see free women and men living in harmony with the natural world, being active in society, and using magick to serve the entire Earth.</div>
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Our desire is to reveal to everyone the source of their hidden powers; to give them the true and complete key to the power of the human spirit.</div>
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Others build physical technologies. In the AΩ we specialize in spiritual technologies.<br />
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We desire that every woman and every man may always have the internal resources that can be used through magick to affront every type of problem that afflicts humanity.<br />
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So let the vulgar ruffians call us names and flame us on the Internet!<br />
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OUR magick creates smiles and joy, not fear and hatred.<br />
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Let the SRIA tyrants and their GD spies spread lies that the Alpha Omega is "spiritually bankrupt" and we are but a "few lunatic followers."<br />
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In truth we are legion, and struggle for the spiritual liberation of every woman and every man!</div>
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The British tyrants are desperately trying to draw attention away from their own inadequacies.<br />
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This is why they are spitting venom and bile, and calling every AΩ member names.<br />
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But, despite all this, I for one will NOT stoop to the level of the tyrants.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I for one will NOT flame them back and I urge each and every one of you to show the same restraint.</span><br />
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The SRIA tyrants and their GD spies will not succeed to start a flame war. They merely expose THEMSELVES as vulgar bullies.<br />
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This does not mean, however, that I will also allow ANYONE to defile that which I hold sacred. I may not have been interested in the beginning, but by Goddess I am now!<br />
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Our attackers have awakened in me a determination, a side of myself that I have never before given permission to act. I feel as any mother must when their child is threatened by anyone or anything.</div>
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And this maternal instinct will not be silenced for expediency. It will not be silenced simply because there are others who find it “distasteful." How can anyone who truly loves the AΩ, the Order that teaches the magicks to give you everlasting life, not be enraged by the SRIA tyrants' and their spies' unrelenting attempts to kill it?</div>
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I will not allow that to happen. Neither will my sisters and brothers of the AΩ! </div>
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The Golden Dawn may be a path of initiation, but the Alpha Omega is also a path of spiritual liberation!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>hen I am in need of strength, I turn to great women of the past for inspiration. Here are some of the women who inspire me most in our fight for survival as the free and independent AΩ we all know and love:</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mercy Otis Warren</span></div>
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<b>Mercy Otis Warren:</b> Mercy wrote the first history of the Revolutionary War, and she had first person experience! Mercy got her start before the War officially began by spreading revolutionary ideas to the people. John Adams was impressed with Mercy's writing. Many of her stories/plays made fun of the British. One of her plays was titled "The Blockheads". With her husband gone off to fight, Mercy decided to write the history of the American Revolution using her notes from meetings and conversations. Her notes were published in 1805 under the title <i>History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution</i>. </div>
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<b>Abigail Smith</b>: Abigail, John's wife, was a very well educated woman who often wrote letters to her friends, speaking of revolution and liberty. As John served in the First Continental Congress, she stayed home and tended to the farm, occasionally sending messages to her husband. Much of what she had to say made its way into our founding documents. When John and others were considering a declaration of independence, Abigail reminded him to take care of the women, who would not hold themselves bound by laws in which they had no voice. She was often called Mrs. President for her contribution to shaping our country.</div>
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<b>Catherine Moore Barry</b>: A battle that occurred in Cowpens, South Carolina, was Catherine's chance to use her extensive knowledge of the area to help the Patriots. The British, under command of General Cornwallis was out to crush a group of Patriots commanded by General Morgan. Realizing how out-manned he was, Morgan turned to Catherine for help. Catherine single-handedly rounded up an impressive amount of local Patriots to join Morgan's cause. With Catherine's help, General Morgan laid a trap for General Corwallis and his men. After the trap proved as a success, Cornwallis retreated right into the hands of George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia. With his surrender there, the colonies won their independence from Britain.</div>
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<b>Margaret Corbin</b>: When Fort Washington was attacked, instead of running home, Margaret Corbin stayed and fought beside her husband. She took over her husband's job as matross, (the person who loaded the cannon) when the gunner was killed. Her husband was also lost in the battle. She was hit and left to die, but a passing doctor tended to her wounds. Margaret's wounds left her permanently disabled, thus making her the first woman to receive a lifetime pension for her service in a battle. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Penelope Barker</span></div>
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<b>Penelope Barker</b>: Penelope led the Edenton Tea Party. Unlike the better known Boston Tea Party, Penelope and the other 50 or so women in her group wrote a declaration to the British. The British, of course, laughed at the attempt, seeing that the group was made up entirely of females. The women then joined the boycott of British goods and the British no longer made fun of their attempts, now that their actions were actually effecting the British.</div>
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<b>Nancy Hart</b>: When British soldiers came to question her about helping out a Patriot soldier, she brazenly admitted to it. Forced to cook the British a meal, she killed two of them. Not by poisoning the food, but rather by shooting them with their own muskets! On another date, when Patriots needed to steal British plans, she disguised herself as a man and went to a British camp to collect information. Nancy is honored in Georgia with a county named after her, called War Woman Creek.</div>
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<b>Molly McCauley</b>: "Molly, bring me a pitcher." Shortened, this became "Molly, pitcher". Molly was the "water boy" of her time for the Patriots. One day while on duty near Monmouth, New Jersey, she saw her husband shot in the arm. After rushing to his side and tending to his wound, she manned the cannon, firing several rounds at the British forces. Her bravery and good aim earned the respect of other soldiers. They fought on and eventually the British retreated. Her action impressed General Washington, who later commissioned her as "Sergeant Molly Pitcher". </div>
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<b>Grace and Rachel Martin</b>: These women took action because they could no longer tolerate the way British soldiers treated women and children. Disguised as men, the two sisters ambushed British officers carrying important documents one night. Returning home, they were surprised to see the same British officers enjoying a meal at their dinner table. Luckily, the British did not recognize them outside of their disguises. The documents were turned in to the Patriots, and Grace and Rachel's actions helped in the colonist victory.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Esther Reed</span></span></div>
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<b>Esther Reed</b>: Esther Reed was used to a comfortable life in Britain, but after the war's fifth year, she decided to take a stand. Along with other women in Philadelphia, Esther and the others left their warm, cozy lives to go out and raise money for the Patriots. General Washington was opposed to this plan and so they instead agreed to have the Association make warm shirts for the troops. Each woman stitched their names on the clothing's collars to help raise each individual soldier's spirit.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nancy Ward</span></div>
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<b>Nancy Ward</b>: Nancy Ward, or Nanye'hi, saw her husband die in a battle with Creek Indians. She used her husband's bow to lead her tribe to victory. Nancy was named "Beloved Woman" of her tribe and became a member of the Women's Council and the Council of Chiefs. She was an important voice in the treaty between her Cherokee tribe and the Patriots.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Phillis Wheatly</span></span></div>
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<b>Phillis Wheatly</b>: Phillis Wheatley was America's first published black author. She was a patriot and symbol for abolitionists. At the age of 7, Phillis was bought as a slave. The children in the family that purchased her took it upon themselves to teach Phillis how to read and write. She become a local celebrity, reading her poems aloud to crowds. She wrote many poems about patriotism and freedom. She even wrote a poem about George Washington that she got to read to him in person. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnAZiK4sZgc/Udthf4Z6VDI/AAAAAAAAL0M/lHQsNp4Jj5g/s1600/hannah_arnett.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnAZiK4sZgc/Udthf4Z6VDI/AAAAAAAAL0M/lHQsNp4Jj5g/s1600/hannah_arnett.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hannah Arnett</span></span></div>
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<b>Hannah Arnett</b>: Hannah Arnett butted into a meeting to which she was not invited, and changed the minds of all the men in attendance. The men had gathered to speak of the Patriots persistent failures. They were thinking about giving up and returning to the British side by signing a Proclamation of loyalty to Britain. Hannah called them cowards, insisting that they should not give up. The meeting ended with the men deciding to continue the fight. Hannah helped to continue the move towards independence. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Martha Bratton</span></span></div>
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<b>Martha Bratton</b>: Martha and her husband sold and kept something that was vital in their times - gun powder. With her husband away, Martha was left in charge. Hearing that the British were planning to steal the gun powder, Martha set a trap, blowing up the building as the British soldiers arrived. She even admitted to her actions when captured. She was let go, and when she was later question about her husband's location, a British officer spared her. She repaid the debt when the same officer was captured by Patriots and scheduled for hanging. Realizing the cruelty of war, Martha set up a hospital open to both British and American soldiers.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lydia Darragh</span></span></div>
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<b>Lydia Darragh</b>: Lydia was a Quaker. The British, seeing that she probably wouldn't be one to fight or turn on them, used her house for meetings. At one such meeting, Lydia overheard the British planning an attack on General George Washington and his men nearby. She personally delivered the information to Washington's troops, turning a British victory into disappointment. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sybil Ludington</span></span></div>
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<b>Sybil Ludington</b>: Often called the female Paul Revere, Sybil made a trip twice as long as Paul's when British forces captured Danbury, Connecticut. Danbury was a Patriot supply center. Colonel Ludington was in charge of commanding local Patriots, but needed more soldiers. Sybil took the job, riding into nearby towns and gathering up Patriots. The battle was a Patriot victory, and the British retreated back to Long Island Sound. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Patience Wright</span></span></div>
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<b>Patience Wright:</b> Patience was an American woman who later took a boat to England, but she didn't leave her strong love for the Patriots behind. She was talented in the art of making wax figures. When war broke out in America, she stayed in England, sending bits of information to the colonists that were hidden in her wax sculptures! When American prisoners were taken to England, Patience helped many escape.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rebecca Motte</span></span></div>
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<b>Rebecca Motte</b>: Rebecca's home was ideal for a British fort, so they moved her out and took it over. Patriots planned to burn down the house. She may not have created the plan, but she provided the items necessary. She gave the Patriots fire arrows, the Patriots then used said arrows to burn down Rebecca's home. The British retreated and Rebecca even got her house back before too much of it had been damaged.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Betsy Ross</span></div>
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<b>Betsy Ross</b>: Sound familiar? She made the first American flag! Her real name was Elizabeth Griscom. Betsy left her Quaker society to marry John Ross. The couple set up a business. Her husband died in an explosion while guarding ammunition. Later that year, she met with George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris. This meeting led to the sewing of the first American flag.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Mary Murray</span> </span> </div>
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<b>Mary Murray</b>: Mary used her brains instead of her brawn to help the Patriots. Mary was a conflicted woman, being a Patriot married to a man loyal to the British. Knowing that the British planned to attack Patriot soldiers passing through, she invited the Redcoats to a dinner party, stalling them long enough for the Patriots to pass through safely.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Leslie McQuade</span></div>
<b>AΩ High Priestess Leslie McQuade</b>: "In moments of uncertainty or doubt, or when I need strength and hope, I draw inspiration from these women who helped forge our great nation. What inspires me is that these women were, like the women of the AΩ today, not only clever and resourceful, but also willing to make the necessary sacrifices for liberty, freedom, and independence.<br />
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It is for these values that I continue to hold my head high, shoulder to shoulder with my AΩ sisters and brothers to face down the tyrants time and time again, as we proclaim together with one united voice:<br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">For the Rose!"</span></b></div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-999620353293670552013-07-16T19:26:00.005-07:002013-07-16T19:30:44.929-07:00Planting the Date Palm Grove at Isis Temple<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoy building and beautifying the Temple. A few days ago, this meant planting ten Khadrawi Date palms. There are eight females and two males. I planted them along the front property line. There is a clump of six females and a male (planted upwind), and then the last three are planted decoratively a little further west of the others. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8naJRiQ-6po/UeX-kJU385I/AAAAAAAAAYg/hiPjrxHjG6A/s1600/Planting+Palm+Trees+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8naJRiQ-6po/UeX-kJU385I/AAAAAAAAAYg/hiPjrxHjG6A/s320/Planting+Palm+Trees+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Putting one of the females into the mud.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of the "poof-dirt" we have here in Pahrump, I needed to excavate rather large holes and refill them with a mixture of potting soil, pea gravel and compost, all turned into a slurry with water. This created a mud bowl perfect for planting. Date palm roots cannot tolerate any airspaces around the roots because our air here is nearly always below 25% humidity, even a few hours of exposure can mean certain death for young trees. Planting directly into the mud eliminates this problem. And as the water is absorbed by the tree and surrounding soil, the soil packs in around the root ball, making a perfect seal. I learned this technique first when replanting roses in Omaha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I purchased the trees from China Ranch Date Farm. <span style="background-color: white;">China Ranch is a family owned and operated small farm. </span><span style="background-color: white;">According to available sources, a Chinese man named either Quon Sing or Ah Foo came to this canyon after many years of work in the Death Valley borax mines. He developed the water, planted fruits and vegetables, and raised meat for the local mining camps. It became known as Chinaman's Ranch. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmWMvoBwqrQ/UeX-A_jSdZI/AAAAAAAAAYU/xXWO_yeD2tQ/s1600/China+Date+Ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmWMvoBwqrQ/UeX-A_jSdZI/AAAAAAAAAYU/xXWO_yeD2tQ/s320/China+Date+Ranch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometime in 1900, a man named Morrison appeared, and, as the story goes, he ran the Chinese farmer off at gun point and claimed the Ranch for his own. Morrison eventually sold out, but the name had stuck. Since then the canyon has had many owners and worn many different faces, including a fig farm, cattle ranch, hog farm, alfalfa farm, and others. In 1970, the property was purchased by Charles Brown Jr. and Bernice Sorrells, the son and daughter of area pioneer and long time State Senator Charles Brown of Shoshone. It remains in these families today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The date grove was planted from seed in the early 1920's by Vonola Modine, youngest daughter of Death valley area pioneer RJ Fairbanks. Approximately half of the trees are male and produce only pollen. The females bear in the fall, yielding from 100 to 300 pounds of dates per tree in a season.</span></span><br />
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The Khadrawi variety that I bought are classified as a soft date, and is considered by many in the Middle East to be the best date for eating fresh. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">Dates have been a staple food</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">of the Middle East </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">and the</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Indus Valley">I</a>ndus Valley<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around Iraq, and have been cultivated since ancient times from</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Mesopotamia">M</a>essopotamia<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">to prehistoric</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Egypt">Egypt</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, possibly as early as 4000 BCE. The Ancient Egyptians used the fruits to make date</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Wine">w</a>ine<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, and ate them fresh at harvest. The earliest archaeological evidence of date cultivation comes from western Pakistan, from about 9,000 years ago in a Neolithic civilization known as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehrgarh" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Mehrgarh">Mehrgarh</a><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g5VlYY43AgE/UeX-l4D7RrI/AAAAAAAAAYk/kk1czQcpmGc/s1600/5999470047_4a8bfcdcdb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g5VlYY43AgE/UeX-l4D7RrI/AAAAAAAAAYk/kk1czQcpmGc/s320/5999470047_4a8bfcdcdb_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">We will probably have dates in just three years. And the AΩ should get ready for a lot of new recipes including dates. With each tree producing up to 100 pounds of fruit per year, I'll have to be creative, or buy more freezers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;" /></span>Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-85768084093262294142013-06-08T14:46:00.000-07:002013-06-08T19:57:18.678-07:00Why We Read Fiction<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wM4AtGmY3iE/UbOhwXY5ChI/AAAAAAAAAWM/uDyZBM5JX2w/s1600/407821_320060631433097_598920672_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wM4AtGmY3iE/UbOhwXY5ChI/AAAAAAAAAWM/uDyZBM5JX2w/s320/407821_320060631433097_598920672_n.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E. M. Forster</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>iction has a way of teaching us about the world that is simply not possible through non-fiction. Science fiction, in particular, can offer alternate perspectives on technologies and cultural trends that would be impossible in any other way, due to the fact that the very technologies being explored might not yet have been developed. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>ake E. M. Forster's <i>The Machine Stops</i> (1909) for example. Written in Victorian England, it explores a world in which people fear first-hand experience, preferring instead to live through their connection to The Machine. They live underground, not because the Earth is damaged, but because they no longer have the ability to live outside the machine. It takes care of them in every way, attending to all their needs from physical to mental, emotional and even spiritual. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he protagonist is one who questions the validity of this kind of life, and seeks something more, something different. I'll not tell you more, as you can easily learn it on Wikipedia or elsewhere. I do recommend, however, that you forgo the spoiler and instead choose to either <span style="color: red;">read the story in its entirety</span> <a href="http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/prajlich/forster.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>, or have it read to you in its entirety <a href="http://archive.org/details/machine_stops_0904_librivox" target="_blank">HERE</a>, or watch the BBC television adaptation <a href="http://veehd.com/video/4703448_Out-of-the-Unknown-E-M-Forster-The-Machine-Stops-flv" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7AaCCYvvdE/UbOlnPig8_I/AAAAAAAAAWk/eFjZ6_9if5w/s1600/Machine_Stops_TV_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7AaCCYvvdE/UbOlnPig8_I/AAAAAAAAAWk/eFjZ6_9if5w/s320/Machine_Stops_TV_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A still from the BBC Television adaptation of <i>The Machine Stops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span>nce you have experienced the story, make some comments. Then let the story percolate. Watch the world around you. Think about what you see in reference to the story. I am confident you will have new insights as time passes, and I encourage you to share them here. As with any bit of fiction, the true power of the teaching isn't always immediately apparent. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, fantasy;"><span style="line-height: 24.953125px;"><a href="http://www.online-literature.com/forster/" target="_blank">HERE</a> is a link to a short biography of Forster. Other well known works include <i>A Room With A View </i>(1908), <i>Where Angels Fear To Tread </i>(1905), and <i>A Passage to India </i>(1924).</span></span>Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-72252998433587231352013-06-07T10:07:00.002-07:002013-06-09T00:07:50.441-07:00NASA Confirms -Super Human Abilities Gained<br />
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<a href="http://guardianlv.com/2013/05/sun-solar-flares-sheds-light-on-masculine-and-feminine-behavior/" style="border: 0px; color: #cd1713; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="sungazing1" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-63959" height="450" src="http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sungazing1-370x450.jpg" style="border: none; clear: both; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px auto 8px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="370" /></a></div>
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Ever wanted to bilocate? Live without eating? Achieve perfect memory? That’s right, I’m talking about the super-human abilities that can be gained by those who follow the protocol for what’s known as sun-gazing, a valid practice recently confirmed by NASA. Many proponents of this ancient technique, used by many cultures such as Mayan, Egyptian, Aztec, Tibetian and Indian yoga, report not only healing benefits to common illnesses, but obtaining super-human abilities such as advanced telepathy and going completely without the need for food.</div>
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<strong>What is Sun Gazing?</strong></div>
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Sun gazing (also known as sun-eating) is a strict practice of gradually introducing sunlight into your eyes at the lowest ultraviolet-index times of day – sunrise and sunset. Those who teach the practice say there are several rules to the practice. First, it must be done within the hour after sunrise or before sunset to avoid damaging the eyes. Second, you must be barefoot, in contact with the actual earth – sand, dirt or mud; and finally, you must begin with only 10 seconds the first day, increasing by 10 second intervals each day you practice. Following these rules make the practice safe, says sources.</div>
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Nikolai Dolgoruky of the Ukraine calls himself a ‘sun-eater’. He has been practicing sun gazing for the past 12 years and has largely subsisted off solar energy since he began. Others have reported losing the need for food after only 9 months of sun gazing (by which time the practitioner has worked up to a maximum of 44 minutes). After 9 months of practice, you need only walk barefoot on the earth for 45 minutes per day, 6 days in a row to further the process of what has been initiated by sun gazing.</div>
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Sun-gazing is a practice also called the HRM phenomenom, coined as such after Hira Ratan Manek, the man who submitted himself to NASA for scientific testing to confirm that he does indeed possess the almost ‘super-human’ ability of not eating, gained through his dedication to this interesting marvel. Funded by NASA, a team of medical doctors at the University of Pennsylvania observed Hira 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 100 days. NASA confirmed that he was indeed able to survive largely on light with occasionally a small amount of buttermilk or water during this time.</div>
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<strong>What happens to the body during Sun Gazing?</strong></div>
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During your first 3 months of practice, the suns energy is moving through the eyes and charging the hypothalamus tract, says those who have studied this technique and used it. The hypothalamus tract is the pathway to the rear of the retina which leads to the brain. The brain then, over time, becomes activated by the energy supply being received by the sun. You will first experience a relief of mental tension and worry, since most worry is fueled by the energy received by the foods we eat. Since food gets it’s energy from the sun, it is said to be readily available to sun-eaters without the trouble of digestion. Though hunger is said to eventually cease, it is fine to continue eating regularly during initial stages, until appetite disappears naturally.</div>
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Another benefit early on is said to be an increase in confidence and an ability to easily solve your problems, as you are without tension. Everyone has at least a bit of psychosis, but during the first few months of sun gazing practice, it is reported that these attitudes go away and a positive nature gracefully replaces the old persona full of fears. By the end of 3 months, the gazing time will have increased to 15 minutes per day.</div>
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Reports on sun gazing say that the bad qualities normally associated with any person will gradually disappear and good qualities will remain, explaining that ‘bad qualities’ only develop in the absence of sunlight. Bad qualities like anger, fear, jealousy, lust – are said to disappear – and be replaced by a certain confidence and ‘spiritual knowing’ that senses more purely the heart of an issue.</div>
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At 3-6 months of gazing, the studies show that physical diseases start to disappear. They say that by the time one is gazing 30 minutes per day (building up 10 seconds per day) all the colors of the sun will have reached the brain. Color therapists attribute their healing of certain diseases to flooding the body and brain with the particular color that is lacking – depending on the ailment. For example, in liver disease, the color green is deficient. The kidneys need red, and the heart, yellow. All of the organs and all of the systems are said to respond to different colors of the rainbow, which is why it is also recommended to eat a diet rich in a variety of colors. It is recommended during the 3-4 month period that you use autosuggestion to see your body already healed of any perceived weakness or disease. This action will facilitate the process of returning to wholeness.</div>
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As you continue the process, it is reported that after 6 months, the energy stored from the technique is no longer being used for repairing the body or the mind and can move now into supporting you in gaining more super-human abilities.</div>
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<strong>What’s Beyond Healing?</strong></div>
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By seven and a half months of gazing, now at 35 minutes, need and desire for food is dwindling. According to sun gazing experts, food is not actually needed to maintain the body, only energy – and ‘sun-eating’ provides that energy. By 9 months, all taste for food, including aroma, all hunger pains and cravings disappear. Those who make it this far say that they report a noticeable ’change’ in the way their brain feels – like it’s “charged up.” After 9 months of sun-gazing – reaching a maximum of 44 minutes – it is advised that you give up sun-gazing and redirect your attention now to the Earth.</div>
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For 6 days straight, one is to walk barefoot on the earth, 45 minutes per day. During this barefoot walking, the pineal gland is said to become activated. Professional sun gazers and those researching the science say that each toe is connected to a specific gland, and by walking barefoot on the Earth, you activate these glands. The big toe is thought to be aligned with the pineal gland, the second toe with the pituitary, then the hypothalamus, thalamus and finally the pinky toe correlates to the amygdala. Walking barefoot, with the sun now falling on the top of your head, practitioners claim to create a sort of magnetic field in and around your body that recharges you and your brain.</div>
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Apparently this walking barefoot part is the most important aspect of the practice. As you continue walking on the Earth, this is when the magic really begins. The pineal gland is activated more and more by this walking procedure. Intellect is said to increase, along with memory. The pineal gland has navigational and psychic capabilities, meaning telepathy, the possibility of flight… now we are getting somewhere! Have you ever thought you would like to have your body in more than one place at a time? Well, sun-gazing is said to be the magical key to such abilities.</div>
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If you can barefoot walk 45 minutes every day for a year – you are golden. At that point, only a maintenance of 3-4 days a week is necessary to maintain the capabilities you have acquired.</div>
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<strong>Are there any dangers?</strong></div>
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Doctors and eye care professionals caution against looking directly at the sun, saying that it will damage the retina. However, if done correctly, sun-gazing at the correct times of day, studies show there is no risk of damaging the eyes. Those who have been sun gazing for many years have had their eyes checked to show no damage, though it is advised that you have your eyes checked in the first few weeks of your practice, so you can know for yourself.</div>
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<strong>To sum it all up…</strong></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino linotype, palatino, times new roman, times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Remember, it’s 10 seconds the first day, at sunrise or sunset, adding 10 seconds per day each day there after. After 9 months of accumulative gazing equaling 44 minutes, you cease the gazing and start the barefoot walking 45 minutes per day for 365 days. At this point, I could imagine, hey – if you made it this far, what’s a year of barefoot walking for less than an hour a day to keep it all? You will have to try it out and see for yourself. </span></span></div>
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If you are really interested in gaining super-human abilities, confirmed by reputable organizations like NASA, as the ones mentioned above, sun gazing sounds like a fairly straightforward path to enlightenment. To find out more about sun-gazing and how others have done it, visit the website on <a href="http://www.in5d.com/sun-gazing.html" style="border: 0px; color: #cd1713; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Sun-Gazing.</a> For part one of the amazing Sun-Gazing documentary, check out the video below.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m60latH_UFc" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="640"></iframe></div>
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Written by: Stasia Bliss<br />
Edited by: Leslie McQuade</div>
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Sources: <a href="http://english.pravda.ru/science/mysteries/28-08-2006/84110-sunlight-0/" style="border: 0px; color: #cd1713; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Man lives 11 years on sun</a>; <a href="http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165420?t=165420" style="border: 0px; color: #cd1713; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">David Icke</a>; <a href="http://www.sungazing101.com/?hop=occultop" style="border: 0px; color: #cd1713; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Sungazing 101</a></div>
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YOU CAN find the original <a href="http://guardianlv.com/2013/05/nasa-confirms-super-human-abilities-gained/">HERE</a>.</div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-56268425695175654352013-05-22T23:02:00.000-07:002013-05-22T23:02:13.224-07:00 “THINGS AS THEY ARE”<span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s an anthropologist, it is important for me to understand
THINGS AS THEY ARE, and to compare it with “Things As Others <i>Say</i> They Are”. In the spirit of this, let us look at a few
things, and think critically about them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>irst, there is there is blogger guy that says Christians
are black magicians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never considered it before, but I
decided to See What Is There.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to look at this as
if I have never before in my life looked at these symbols or heard anything
about Christianity beside what I can observe from one visit to a typical church
on the East Coast, and a few quick looks at the literature provided, and maybe
a question or two of people I see in the parking lot. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span>ere is what I see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fGyArF22xw/UZ2W3lUzyqI/AAAAAAAAAUM/gBebWg27Uk4/s1600/6216623862_e033c9995b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fGyArF22xw/UZ2W3lUzyqI/AAAAAAAAAUM/gBebWg27Uk4/s400/6216623862_e033c9995b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>irst, the location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lots of churches are surrounded by graveyards, aka dead people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skulls in fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never really thought about it much before, but don’t you think it is
strange to have a place of worship surrounded by rotting corpses?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, if it was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">castle</i> on a hill surrounded by graves, you would be terrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But somehow a church on the same hill
surrounded by the same graves <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doesn’t</i>
terrify you? <o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span>ext, the symbol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is this fella nailed to some sticks prominently displayed at the
front of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is skinny,
bleeding and looks like he is in quite a lot of pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strange symbol for a religion professing
life, love and gentleness, don’t you think?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>o.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tortured guy to
look at while you pray on your knees and dead people surrounding the building
you worship in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span>ow about their practices? -- the most revealing of all, in my opinion.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span> fella in a black dress says some words and transforms wine
and bread into the literal body and blood of Christ. “Is that really blood and
muscles?” I ask the woman beside me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Yes, it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It might not taste
that way, but you really are eating those things.” “And why do you do this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It’s important if you want to go to Heaven.”
Wow! Now, I’m working hard to be a good anthropologist, but honest to God this
is the explanation I was given by a priest to whom I posed this question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m thinking I’d really rather sit down to a
squirming bowl of wichity-grubs right about now. I saw everyone line up for the
event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Is this</span> who Heaven is filled
with?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>n short, these guys are telling me that in order to live
forever in the presence of elevated beings, a place of love and forgiveness I
have to kneel in a building surrounded by dead bodies and pray to a suffering,
nay, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dying</i> guy while eating human
flesh and drinking blood I’d tell you -- you are absolutely and with out a
doubt completely insane.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span>ou know, our language has words for people who eat other
people and for people who drink blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
who eats human flesh and drinks blood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zombies and Vampires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yikes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Zombie-Vampires?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or Vampire-Zombies? This isn’t scary?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> am afraid of cannibals, and those who would drink the
blood of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, aren’t these
some of the most damning accusations leveled at witches and the magical practitioners
of non-western societies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many
horror stories are there about Cannibals in the Pacific?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tribal people with bones in their nose
waiting to barbecue people or drink their blood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet every day, in Catholic churches
across the world, people line up ON THEIR KNEES LIKE PRISONERS in a building
surrounded by corpses to have some guy in a black dress shove human flesh
dipped in blood in their mouths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Egad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it any wonder tribal
people thought missionaries were insane?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> am really surprised that these realizations of THINGS AS
THEY ARE haven’t occurred to more people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I mean, aren’t these the things that Christians are so fond of accusing
others of?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And telling us over and over
how evil these practices are?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this
another case of “the one who smelt it dealt it”?<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>cientists in general and Anthropologists in particular put
aside their pre-conceived notions about the could’s, should’s, oughta’s and
used-to’s of the world to look at what is happening around them as though they
were seeing it for the very first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While difficult, it is absolutely necessary if one is to truly
understand the world in which you live.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> am sure there are those who will call me a
Reductionist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will say I’m Flaming,
or a Liar, or many other Such Names as one calls those who point out Uncomfortable
Truths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But really…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Don’t you </i>see</span><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> it?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-52711382010417305412013-01-04T15:32:00.002-08:002013-01-07T18:17:30.458-08:00Upcoming Events<br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Calendar of Events</b></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>2013</b><br />
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These three events all occur at Well of the Moon, <a href="http://www.wellofthemoon.com/">http://www.wellofthemoon.com/</a>. This little gem of a Pagan shop is located at:<br />
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2650 S. Decatur Blvd. Suite A02, Las Vegas NV 89102 </h3>
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(702) 666-7200</h3>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;"> JANUARY</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 12 </span>SHAMANISM 101 -- NEW MOON WORK</span></div>
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Join Anthropologist Leslie McQuade for fascinating and informative evenings of Practical Shamanic work related to first the New Moon and then the Full Moon. Her extensive international experience as a field archaeologist and ethnographer blends the best of academic discoveries in the field of Shamanism with down-to-earth practical applications learned from native practitioners all over the world. </div>
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Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes, bring a blanket, journal or notebook and advanced practitioners are encouraged to bring their working tools. Free-will donations are accepted and will become part of the Isis Temple Educational Outreach Fund. </div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"> JANUARY</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 26 </span>SHAMANISM 101 -- FULL MOON WORK</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">SATURDAY</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">FEBRUARY</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 2 </span>CANDELORA / IMBOLGC / CANDELMAS </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">SATURDAY </span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"> 7-8pm </span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-51012304985938683822012-12-10T14:45:00.000-08:002012-12-10T14:45:07.046-08:00The Dark Days of Winter<br />
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"The period between the first week in December and the first week in January could well be called the "dark days" for the mid-northern latitudes. At latitude 40 degrees north, earliest sunset occurs around 8 December each year, and latest sunrise occurs around 5 January. The day with the least amount of daylight is the winter solstice, the first day of winter, around 21 December. Why are not all these dates the same? The answer is not simple. There are two effects which, together, determine the local time of Sun phenomena, such as sunrise, sunset, and transit. One is called the Equation of Time; the other is the Sun's declination.</div>
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The Equation of Time is a way of describing the variation in the time of Sun-related phenomena within our standard 24-hour timekeeping system. In any time zone, the Equation of Time is simply the difference between 12:00 noon on a clock and the actual time of the Sun's transit (sundial noon) across the central meridian of the time zone. The time between successive transits of the Sun - the length of the solar day - varies considerably over the year. It is determined by two factors, both dependent on the position of the Earth in its orbit. Suffice it to say that f<b>rom mid-November to early February these two factors work together to make the solar day longer than 24 hours: in late December, as much as 30 seconds longer than 24 hours. Since we don't adjust our clocks for this effect, the Sun's transit moves later and later each day during this period.</b></div>
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All other things being equal, the times of all Sun phenomena are tied directly to the time of transit. But all other things are not equal. The Sun's declination, its angular distance above or below the equator, changes on a yearly cycle, causing our seasons. </div>
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The Sun's declination determines the maximum height of the Sun in the sky on any given day; hence, it also determines the azimuth of the sunrise and sunset points and the length of time the Sun is above the horizon. Most of us know the Sun is at its "lowest point in the sky" on the first day of winter, so we expect the Sun to be above the horizon the least amount of time that day.</div>
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So two effects determine the times of sunrise and sunset: the Equation of Time and the Sun's declination. But their relative magnitudes vary. In late December, <b>the <em>daily rate of change</em> of the Sun's declination is quite small and is, of course, zero at the December solstice; "solstice" means "Sun stationary". </b>However, the <em>daily rate of change</em> of the Equation of Time reaches a maximum just a few days later. Thus in late December it is the Equation of Time that has the dominant influence over the changes in sunrise and sunset times from one day to the next. In fact, the Equation of Time dominates, at latitude 40 degrees north, from about 8 December to 5 January. Outside of these few weeks, the Sun's declination changes are dominant. These two dates represent the dates on which the magnitudes of the two effects "cross over" at this latitude. (At higher latitudes, the crossover dates are closer to the solstice since the declination effect is greater there.)</div>
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The <b>8 December crossover day is the date of earliest sunset</b>. Why? In the weeks before solstice, the two effects act in opposite directions on the time of sunset: the declination effect pulling it earlier and the Equation of Time pushing it later. On 8 December the Equation of Time begins to dominate and sunset begins to move later. Meanwhile both effects are pushing sunrise later and later. After solstice, the situation reverses. Both effects push sunset later. But for sunrise, the declination effect now pulls it earlier while the Equation of Time effect continues to push it later. The Equation of Time prevails until 5 January, when the declination effect takes over and sunrises begin to move earlier. So <b>5 January is the date of latest sunrise.</b></div>
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A similar situation occurs at the summer solstice, although the effect is not as extreme. Solstice occurs around 21 June, but at latitude 40 degrees north the earliest sunrise occurs around 14 June and the latest sunset around 28 June."</div>
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original text can be found here: <a href="http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/dark_days.php">http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/dark_days.php</a>.</div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-8725025809673457542012-11-24T15:12:00.000-08:002012-11-24T15:12:28.080-08:00ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may have noticed there have been a few changes around here. What began as but a blog to promote Pagan Pride, especcially in Las Vegas, has now become "Whispers from Shadow Mountain."</div>
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Why the change?</div>
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Well, Pagan Pride certainly is enormously important. There are so many Pagans that are still in the closet, even wanting to keep public rituals secert our of fear they might lose their jobs, etc. I feel we as Pagans have a lot to learn from the LGBT community when it comes to standing up for who we are as Pagans. You may want to read my previous article about this HERE. Feeling so strongly as I do about our Pagan identity, I will certainly continue to do my part to promote Pagan Pride.</div>
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However, the fact remains that there are so many more aspects of Paganism that also need to be adderessed. And since my status as an independent Anthropologifcal researcher of Paganism and Witchcraft gives me a uniquely academic perspective, my blog clearly needed a wider scope. </div>
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So, without further ado, welcome to:</div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>"Whispers from Shadow Mountain"</b></i></span></div>
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<br />Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-12428202044507645832012-09-22T10:45:00.001-07:002012-09-22T10:45:21.269-07:00Happy Autumnal Equinox!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This time of year, always brings my thoughts closer to home...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May all those you love, share in the Joy and Bounty this season of harvest represents.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hCCwMi1wrc/UF34sd4bgeI/AAAAAAAAAPY/I0awgwoQVCE/s1600/GladeCrkMillFall_sjs_wvtsm.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hCCwMi1wrc/UF34sd4bgeI/AAAAAAAAAPY/I0awgwoQVCE/s640/GladeCrkMillFall_sjs_wvtsm.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mill Creek Falls, West Virginia</td></tr>
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<br />Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-32105694353937136942012-09-03T14:27:00.002-07:002012-09-05T10:35:13.140-07:00CORE MAGICK -- an introduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>featuring Leslie</b></span><b style="color: #b45f06;"> </b><b style="color: #b45f06;">McQuade </b><b style="color: #b45f06;">Griffin</b></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">"I'm not a McGregor - I'm a McQuade!"</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">INTRODUCTION</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">H</span>i! It is nice to meet you. I am Leslie. I think most of you are familiar with my husband, David Griffin (Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Alpha et Omega Temple), who has been encouraging me to share with you some of the magickal gems I picked up my adventures as an archeologiogist and anthropologist. </div>
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As an archeologist, I have had the great fortune to work in some pretty amazing places, from the English Heritage, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxgrove_Quarry" target="_blank">Eartham Pit dig</a> in West Sussex where <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelbergensis" target="_blank">Homo heidelbergensis</a> </i>was discovered, to the <a href="http://www.carnegiemnh.org/anthro/olsen-botai.html" target="_blank">Botai</a> dig in Kazakhstan for the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History, where I was told to cover up the discovery of artifacts made of bone which bore a striking resemblance to screw drivers, which would be astonishing for the time period - to the <a href="http://williamsem.tripod.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Chatan-cho</a> dig Okinawa where we were ordered to conceal our discoveries by the Japanese government since they didn't like that we found Korean burials rather than Japanese cremation jars.<br />
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I left archeology when the sanctity of scientific data was was repeatedly sacrificed for political expedience. As a scientist, I wanted no part in such hypocricy.<br />
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<i style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Take your falsified data and..."</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>ubsequently, as an anthropologist, I have been more fortunate. I am also an initiated witch of the Sacred Forest of Nemi (del Bosco Sacro) ancient Pagan tradition in Italy, which gives me access to the sort of informants and data of which other anthropologists can only dream. Being married to David Griffin doesn't hurt either, as this gives me access to the Secret Chiefs of the of the Golden Dawn's Third Order.</div>
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But let me tell you why I am here today ...</div>
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As you likely know the Alpha Omega and the Sacred Forest Shamanic Pagan Tradition are initiatic, oath-bound traditions, which limits what I can share with you about them. I have, however, managed to amass a great deal of magickal knowledge from other traditions around the world I am completely free to share with you.</div>
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You may have heard of the work in the field of Shamanism of anthropologist, Michael J. Harner, who studied many different Shamanic traditions around the world, then attempted to distill the common core underlying all of them. Harner's groundbreaking work has resulted in a growing Neo-Shamanic tradition around the world. He calls this tradition Core Shamanism.</div>
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Inspired by Harner's work, I have been gathering magical techniques from many different traditions around the world, some of which I will be sharing with you here in this series on The Golden Dawn Blog. In recognition of my deep and abiding respect for Dr. Harner's work, I call this tradition I am about to share with you, Core Magick.</div>
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Core Magick and Core Magickal techniques, as we know them today, represent a huge tool kit; a vast collection of practices, beliefs, spells, deities, experiments, tools, rituals, ideas and ideals. The material I am presenting to you spans both time and space, so don’t be surprised to see eastern practices beside western practices, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming inside Shamanic rituals presented in a Neo-Pagan format. </div>
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I have collected, tested and used each and every one of the practices and techniques I share. I give you only the best of the best. The years of scientific experimentation and ethnographic research have resulted in the simplest and most effective way to alter physical reality in ways that match your desires. There are no initiations, no fees, and no “busy work”. This is the cream of what our planet has to offer.</div>
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These practices are stripped of all the cultural baggage that prevents many people from considering magic at all. Core Magick represents the synthesis of practices I learned during my travels and research as an anthropologist. Because I worked as an experimental and ethnographic archaeologist, I had numerous opportunities to study the esoteric traditions of the various geographic regions in which I found myself. This is the Core Magickal practice I myself use on a daily basis. Because this information is available for the non-initiate, I have been careful to build in some safety nets to insure that as you work your way through the lessons and experiments, you don’t accidentally “blow up your lab”. </div>
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I have taken great pains to remember the source of the things I use. This is perhaps the most interesting part of Core Magick, and one of its greatest strengths. As we move closer and closer to a truly global culture, Core Magick represents a way to tap into the power of the magickal traditions of the planet as a whole. Unlike other traditions that take their authority from the geographic region in which their methodology is culturally cloaked. <b>Core Magick removes the cultural assumptions, contstraints and expectations from these powerful magickal practices and puts their methods in plain language, so that it may be grasped easily, understood accurately and practiced effortlessly. </b>Begin living the life you have always wanted. It is time for you to claim your birthright and become a co-creator with DEITY.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">BEFORE YOU BEGIN</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I</span>n my experience, Core Magick is in many ways most similar to chemistry. In chemistry, you must be exact in your measurements, your timing, in every detail of how the experiment is performed. Core Magick is much the same. In order to have repeatable results, you must have <i>repeatable actions</i>. Be attentive to what you are THINKING most of all as you begin working Core Magick. </div>
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I will be teaching you the same way I learned, although you won’t have the same opportunities I had, simply as a function of time and location. If you don’t already, I advise you to, take a moment now and find a new notebook or journal. It is important that you keep a journal of not only your daily Core Magickal practices and results, but also what you read, odd things you notice, inexplicable feelings that may bubble to the surface. This is a watershed moment. You are moving from a life in which things happen to you, to one in which you make things happen. Through careful study of your Core Magickal journal, your research notes as it were, you can easily see what works for you and what does not. You will also be able to track the success or failure of your spells/experiments.</div>
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Everything you will learn, you learn in layers, like an onion. Just like you first learned in kindegarten that Columbus discovered America, only to be told it was Vespucci in high school, so will you learn Core Magick. Skipping steps will lead to an incomplete understanding of the material. You must you take the time to fully digest and understand the “vocabulary” and methodology of Core Magick in order to do it well, so remember the age-old saying:<br />
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<i>”The ox is slow, but the Earth is patient.”</i></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he first thing I want you write in your Core Magickal Journal is an essay. In the essay, include answers to the following questions, in whatever order feels most natural to you.</div>
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1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Why do you want to learn Core Magick? What will you see in your life that will show you your Magick is working?</div>
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2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>What things are you already doing that you consider to be magickal?</div>
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3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Do you believe in God/dess? How does this belief effect your decisions?</div>
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4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>What are your favorite subjects or activities? What types of things are you not good at or interested in?</div>
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5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Are you right or left handed?</div>
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6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>What is your birth information? [Date, time, location] Ask your mother to tell you the story of the day you were born. Be sure to write down what she says, and ask her to clarify any details.</div>
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Write as much as you think is necessary to answer the questions. Include extra information if it seems<i>relevant</i>. You may even want to break up these six questions into separate, shorter essays.</div>
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I am, with these questions, asking you teach yourself who you ARE. No one will see these essays. Your Core Magickal Journal is solely for your use. In order for you to make this world what you want it to be, you must understand who you are. My perspective as an archaeologist has taught me that <b><i>it is only through a thourough understanding of who you ARE that you can become the best of who you want to be.</i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">THE FIRST PRACTICE</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>e will begin with meditation. Whether you meditate now or not, I want you to use the following method. This is not simply capriciousness on my part. If a meditation is successful, there should be PHYSICAL sensations, and real, tangible, repeatable results. The following is what I have found to be the simplest, fastest and most effective way to reach very deep states of meditation in a short amount of time.</div>
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1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Do some sort of physical exercise immediately before you begin. It can be anything from Yoga to Boxing. You want your heart to be beating fast, to be breathing hard, and just a little sweaty when you sit down to meditate. The pace of your breathing is VERY important.</div>
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2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Sit COMFORTABLY facing a clean, empty, undecorated, white (or other pale color) wall.</div>
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3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Sit with the base of your spine supported on a cushion to help keep your spine straight.</div>
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4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Stick out your chest, and tuck in your chin just a bit. This will take the last remaining curves out of your spine. It is important to keep your spine STRAIGHT.</div>
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5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>You can look either at the floor in front of you, or at the wall. The important thing here is to keep your eyes open, and that they are <u>slightly</u> crossed (like when you try to look at the end of your nose).</div>
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6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Other than blinking your eyes, and the paced rise and fall of your chest and stomach, you should endeavor to remain motionless. If your leg falls asleep, ignore it. If you itch, put your attention back on your glabella or your breathing. Your body intends to work against you, so ignore it as if it were just another street vendor, barking for your attention.</div>
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<b>7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b>Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and no matter how badly you may itch, DO NOT SCRATCH. Do not scratch, do not move. Be VERY strict with youself on this one. The itching sensation is a chakra point opening. Most people are familiar with the seven basic chakra points. These points are the same in every culture. When the point is open, it feels like a tingling, or an itching, coolness or tickling. <b>To induce this feeling, take a single hair and gently draw a circle in the center of your forehead, on the glabella, or a little above it.</b></div>
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8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>As you breathe, breathe also through your glabella. Understand that your glabella is very similar to the blowhole of a whale or dolphin. To accomplish this, as you inhale, become aware of cool air rushing into and out of your glabella, just as you feel the air moving through your nose and lungs. </div>
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9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Make sure that when you feel your breathing start to slow, or get shallow, you pick up the pace. By now your heart rate should be slowing down, and also your breath rate. It is important however, to keep breathing deep and full. You are going to hyper oxygenate your blood. This will release certain chemicals into your blood that will make it possible for you to reach deeper states of meditation. </div>
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10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>As you are concentrating on all these things, feel yourself getting lighter and lighter, floating up out of your body. Remember, your body has an autopilot function. It’s called sleep. You can trust your body to take care of itself while you “go out and have a look”.</div>
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11.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Pass through the roof, into the sky, through the clouds, through the atmosphere into space. Fly past the moon, out towards the stars. </div>
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<b>Travel as far as you like and stay as long as you like. Rather than set a specific amount of time for meditation, <u>we are setting a goal. I want you to be able to see all the stars in the blackness of the universe with your eyes open</u> and pointed at the wall or floor. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This method is a combination of things I learned in Kundalini Yoga, Zen Walking Meditation, Rolfing and Shamanic Journeying.</div>
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Plan on spending at least 15 minutes for exercise, and 15 minutes for meditation for your first experiment. Gradually increase the time for both in increments of 1:1; i.e. for each minute of exercise, do a minute of meditation. If you want to do more the first time, that is fine, but what I’m looking for in this practice exercise are the following things:</div>
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1.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"> </span></span><b><u>Consistency</u></b> – Do it EVERY DAY for one lunar cycle. This experiment should be repeatedly tested, because science is above all else a method of predicting what comes next. If you do the same methods twice and get the same results twice, you have shown something interesting. Do it 20 or 30 times, and you have really learned a powerful technique for self-transformation. You need only dedicate 28 days to this experiment after which you may choose to either continue (which I <b><i><u>HIGHLY</u></i></b> recommend) or not. Remember, the benefits of meditation are cumulative, like physical exercise.</div>
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2.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"> </span></span><b><u>Set and Setting</u></b> – Where do you meditate? Do you use incense or candles? How do you feel? Before you begin were you distracted, tired, happy, in a hurry, etc.?</div>
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3.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"> </span></span><b><u>Results</u></b> – Can you get out of the Earth’s atmosphere into space? Can you feel your glabella? Can you breathe with your glabella? Do you feel like you are floating? Are you able to ignore your Meatsuit (physical body)? Compare this meditation to others you have had in the past. What seems different about this method? What happened during the meditation that could be improved upon?</div>
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4. <b><u>Documentation</u></b> – Each meditation is a scientific experiment. Use the following form for Documenting the Results of your Procedure and Consistency with this Practice.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Meditation Documentation (example)</span></b></div>
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<b>Date:</b> 2012 Apr 20 Tue 9pm</div>
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<b>Practice:</b> DAILY MEDITATION</div>
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<b>Goal:</b> To be able to meditate anywhere, anytime.</div>
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<b>Set and Setting:</b> Today I decided to meditate outside. I sat in a couple of spots to find the best view of the sky, with no mountains or power lines in the way. I also looked around to be sure no one would interrupt me. I didn’t bring any incense, because the air here smells so good. I did bring a blanket, pillow and bug spray. I also brought food and water for afterwards. I had a hassle getting out of the house, because my roommate thinks it’s dangerous to meditate outside in the dark.</div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;"><b>Procedure:</b> I did my usual routine, but a little faster today, since it now takes more to get my breathing faster. I also did 25 bodyweight squats and 10 pushups. Then, I lay down, covered up (because it’s cold), put my tongue up and started.</b></div>
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<b>Results:</b> It was a difficult meditation. I found my mind wandering with lots of thoughts. So I told each thought, as it came up, “Thank you for reminding me of that. I will get to it just as soon as I am finished.” My Kundalini Yoga Guru Paranjothiar taught me that trick. Once each thought had been given some love and dismissed, I was able to go deeply into the stars, turn around and see the Earth. It seemed so small and fragile. I opened my heart and poured love over the whole planet. Then I heard a car come up the road, and it jarred me out of meditation. I had been there for 40 minutes already, so I packed up and walked back to the house.</div>
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<b>Next Time:</b> I will go a little further away from the road. I will leave the food, because I think it attracted bugs. I will also bring my back-jack, because lying down made it hard to stay awake. Also, I couldn’t find my usual internal “landing spot” at the beginning of my meditation, probably because of the new location. </div>
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<b>Other:</b> I really need to get better at letting outside distractions go. I think a lot of that has to do with feeling slightly self-conscious about meditating outside my usual spot in the house. It is important for me to let go both of my self-consciousness, and of my attachment to my usual place of meditation. <br />
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<b>Date:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Practice:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Goal:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Set and Setting:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Procedure:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Results:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Next Time:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Other:</b></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">THE FIRST "SUGGESTED READINGS" LIST</span></div>
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In each reading list I provide you, there will be more than you can read. Choose what looks interesting to you. As you read, write notes in your journal. Your notes might include things like:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Information you think is important to remember for later</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Quotes you want to remember</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Your opinions about what you are reading</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Questions you would like to ask me</div>
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I expect you to pick at least one and finish as much as you can before the next full moon. In fact, the previous work is best completed in one lunar month. So, have a look at what the moon phase is right now. Repeat the meditation experiment every day for one lunar cycle. Be consistent. This is part of what makes meditation hard for most people. Meditation is a way of engendering the self with self-trust. You trust in your decisions and stick by them, like your decision to meditate every day. You trust your body to take care of itself while you while you are meditating.</div>
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All the books I recommend are available for free at the links I have provided for you.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqRn8PHkKug/T67xa9r-HuI/AAAAAAAABo0/2wrhY6s87vk/s1600/image050.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqRn8PHkKug/T67xa9r-HuI/AAAAAAAABo0/2wrhY6s87vk/s320/image050.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/26883393/The-Lazy-Man-s-Guide-to-Enlightenment" target="_blank">The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment</a> by Thaddeous Golas</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/bobo4660/d/82002973-Isaac-Bonewits-Real-Magic" target="_blank">Real Magic</a> by Issaic Bonewits </div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/79850883/Power-of-the-Witch-the-Earth-the-Moon-and-the-Magical-Path-to-Enlightenment-by-Tom-Cowan-In-Praise-of-Laurie-Cabot-Power-of-the-Witch" target="_blank">The Power of the Witch</a> by Laurie Cabot </div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/47097737/Michael-Harner-The-Way-of-the-Shaman" target="_blank">The Way of the Shaman</a> by Michael Harner</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/72876825/Dictionary-of-Symbols" target="_blank">A Dictionary of Symbols</a> by J. E. Cirlot</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60344611/The-Holographic-Universe-Michael-Talbot" target="_blank">The Holographic Universe</a> by Michael Talbot</div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-90696833292401373312012-09-03T10:58:00.001-07:002012-09-03T10:58:50.591-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kc-Q_TImlec/UEPROqFn57I/AAAAAAAAAKI/ORfVrcQ7F3Y/s1600/400505_467241143298069_1541445361_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kc-Q_TImlec/UEPROqFn57I/AAAAAAAAAKI/ORfVrcQ7F3Y/s400/400505_467241143298069_1541445361_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-204312379848644302012-07-30T22:46:00.000-07:002012-07-30T22:46:17.187-07:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">New Look for the Website!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The official website just received </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">a facelift. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Go to </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.lvpaganpride.org/">http://www.lvpaganpride.org/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">to see for yourself!</span></div>
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We Las Vegas Pagans are proud of the
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Red Rock Canyon, 30 min away</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/redrock.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/redrock.html</a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>Lake Mead (30 min away)</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2wU78e6lWE/UBdrA3pc-YI/AAAAAAAAAJE/pkgoBwQkP0s/s1600/lakemead3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2wU78e6lWE/UBdrA3pc-YI/AAAAAAAAAJE/pkgoBwQkP0s/s320/lakemead3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/lakemead.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/lakemead.html</a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>Valley of Fire, 1 hr away</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ89hlfKgm4/UBdotb1oJtI/AAAAAAAAAI0/BfxanKQAchk/s1600/valleyfire1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ89hlfKgm4/UBdotb1oJtI/AAAAAAAAAI0/BfxanKQAchk/s320/valleyfire1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/valleyoffire.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/valleyoffire.html</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Death Valley (2 hrs away)</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qW5MDT7-8Oo/UBdsqxK4zPI/AAAAAAAAAJM/uP1AnFtsyVw/s1600/deathvalley2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qW5MDT7-8Oo/UBdsqxK4zPI/AAAAAAAAAJM/uP1AnFtsyVw/s320/deathvalley2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/deathvalley.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/deathvalley.html</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Grand Canyon (6 hrs away)</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhWhVoZ6nm4/UBdtenWPBpI/AAAAAAAAAJU/nZZ3d3CGRK0/s1600/grandcanyon2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhWhVoZ6nm4/UBdtenWPBpI/AAAAAAAAAJU/nZZ3d3CGRK0/s320/grandcanyon2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/grandcanyon.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/grandcanyon.html</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Area 51 & the Extra-Terrestrial Highway </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">(3 hrs away)</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sw1p0qkvjE/UBdubrum3wI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Pmd1bWbe8LA/s1600/ethighway.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sw1p0qkvjE/UBdubrum3wI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Pmd1bWbe8LA/s1600/ethighway.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/extraterrestrial.html">http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/extraterrestrial.html</a></div>
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Well, I don't know if this last one counts as part of the "natural" beauty of the land surrounding Las Vegas, but it is certainly one of the things that points to the "universal" popularity of Las Vegas. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-24667130836512627722012-07-20T13:57:00.002-07:002012-07-20T13:57:34.114-07:00Important: All Pagans Advised to Attend<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Why should I go?</span></b></h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6T1wUa3rFHw/UAmQ-dIlILI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Y55Yth1Gu-o/s1600/Pagan-Pride-Day-2011.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="205" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6T1wUa3rFHw/UAmQ-dIlILI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Y55Yth1Gu-o/s400/Pagan-Pride-Day-2011.jpeg" title="" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">There are lots of reasons to attend this year's <br />Las Vegas Pagan Pride Event! </span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First of all, <span style="font-size: large;">you don’t need to be Pagan to be welcome at
this event.</span> Friends and family of Pagans, those who believe in equal rights for all persons regardless of their professed faith, and those who are just curious are equally welcome. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The purpose of Pagan
Pride Day is to show, like the Gay Pride Day it is modeled after, residents of
the area the best of what the Pagan sub-culture has to offer. By putting our best foot forward in a
public way, we as a group are educating people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We are PROUD of who we are and what we <span style="background-color: white;">believe!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">We refuse to hide!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kEpR8uxJphM/UAmSN1ZUckI/AAAAAAAAAH0/Ich2M7zh5mM/s1600/pagan6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kEpR8uxJphM/UAmSN1ZUckI/AAAAAAAAAH0/Ich2M7zh5mM/s320/pagan6.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like our GLBT brothers and sisters before us, we are coming out of the broom closet to make our presence known. We Pagans have been maligned for the last two thousand years
or so, and as such, there are a lot of negative stereotypes that continue to be
believed as fact by the American culture at large. Every time we participate in a public event, we are showing
the world we are proud of who we really are.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N9C8TdDA3cs/UAmSCy8WPfI/AAAAAAAAAHs/a-12jrBQWek/s1600/Pagans+neo+Russia_summer_solstice+AP+Sergey+Ponomarev.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N9C8TdDA3cs/UAmSCy8WPfI/AAAAAAAAAHs/a-12jrBQWek/s320/Pagans+neo+Russia_summer_solstice+AP+Sergey+Ponomarev.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you don’t show your face, negative stereotypes will
continue, and you will witness a deterioration of your civil rights because
people from the larger culture will believe that the stereotypes are
archetypes, and by majority vote, limit your freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQQ3oIIxfuE/UAnBpqs0BoI/AAAAAAAAAIM/7LCZ_3MQrA4/s1600/ukraine_hate_attack.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQQ3oIIxfuE/UAnBpqs0BoI/AAAAAAAAAIM/7LCZ_3MQrA4/s320/ukraine_hate_attack.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. If we want to be treated as equals, we
must show non-Pagans that we are equal to them. The greater Las Vegas metro area needs
to see how many of us there are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MfMsZoo-MA/UAnDSBeY3hI/AAAAAAAAAIU/1frZBK5nkVg/s1600/a-girl-in-a-national-dress-prepares-for-the-pagan-ritual-yurya.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9MfMsZoo-MA/UAnDSBeY3hI/AAAAAAAAAIU/1frZBK5nkVg/s320/a-girl-in-a-national-dress-prepares-for-the-pagan-ritual-yurya.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>They need to see our happy, healthy children. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>They need to see that we don’t sacrifice animals in our
rituals. </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEtklMTtxE/UAnDZYbtIII/AAAAAAAAAIc/GuylbxdQ6OU/s1600/Pagan-Pride-2011-003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEtklMTtxE/UAnDZYbtIII/AAAAAAAAAIc/GuylbxdQ6OU/s320/Pagan-Pride-2011-003.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They need to SEE that we
believe in and worship God and Goddess in ways that are not so different from
them. They need to experience the
best of what the Pagan culture has to offer. This can only happen if every person who self-identifies as
Pagan, or Witch, or Druid or Shaman comes to this event. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>But, I’m afraid someone
I work with will recognize me and that as a result I will loose my job.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cjk1mPR1ut0/UAmUTS781gI/AAAAAAAAAH8/qB_2CDgyFh4/s1600/new-wiccan+chapel+airforce.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cjk1mPR1ut0/UAmUTS781gI/AAAAAAAAAH8/qB_2CDgyFh4/s400/new-wiccan+chapel+airforce.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">These Pagans are not afraid. WHY ARE YOU?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Is this fear is proof that we as Pagans,
Witches, and other adherents to minority religions have not escaped the
persecution of the Burning Times? Just like our GLBT brothers and sisters, we face the real possibility that we will be ostracized by our family. What other members of a religious community fear the loss of their livelihood? Do Hindus worry that
if they are seen at a Diwali festival, they will loose their job? Do Jews fear that if they tell their
employer they need time off to attend a Bar Mitzva they will be fired? Why do we live in fear? </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">We live in a free country</span><span style="background-color: white;">, but it is
only as free as we ourselves make it.
If we continue to hide in the shadows and allow ourselves to be marginalized,
the culture at large will believe that the discrimination against Pagans is
acceptable to us. </span></span></div>
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<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Still not convinced?</span></b></h3>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ61I-C-qGo/UAmO0sX9yWI/AAAAAAAAAHU/BVWA69CpaFA/s1600/Masked+Pagan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ61I-C-qGo/UAmO0sX9yWI/AAAAAAAAAHU/BVWA69CpaFA/s320/Masked+Pagan.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Pagan Community needs to </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">take a stand</span>, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">like the GLBT Community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The bigger our event is, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the more anonymity it can afford us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are afraid of being recognized, <span style="background-color: white;">wear a mask, and join us! </span><span style="background-color: white;">There is a long standing tradition of </span><span style="background-color: white;">Masked Shamans, Masked Witches, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Masked Pagans of every stripe. </span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-11198729141895506312012-07-14T11:21:00.002-07:002012-07-14T11:21:55.414-07:00Community Unity -- the theme of this year's event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6I-04px1pkI/UAG3Ook0bVI/AAAAAAAAAHE/oAQyJgmwuMo/s1600/popolo2011-170609_238x238.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6I-04px1pkI/UAG3Ook0bVI/AAAAAAAAAHE/oAQyJgmwuMo/s1600/popolo2011-170609_238x238.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">This
year’s Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day theme is </span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>“Community Unity”</b></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Now, I understand the point the
organizers are trying to make, but perhaps I should clarify for those who may
be new to, or unfamiliar with the Pagan Faith.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">You
see, by “Unity”, what is really being discussed is the idea of Solidarity.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Unity, in its most common usage, means
“the state of being united or joined as a whole, especially in a political
context”, whereas Solidarity means “agreement of feeling or action, especially
among individuals with a common interest; and/or mutual support within a
group”.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">The latter clearly eschews
any political motivation, as does Pagan Pride Day. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Solidarity
also underlines a very important point about Pagan Pride Day.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">We as Pagans have a common interest in
showing our love of our Faith and lifestyle, although we do not necessarily
practice our Faith in the same way.</span><span style="background-color: white;">
</span><span style="background-color: white;">Much like the different denominations of Christianity, there are
different denominations or Paths of Paganism.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">A common way of explaining this is:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“Though there are many paths up the mountain,</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">the view from the top
is the same”.</span><o:p></o:p></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8wRcDwEnMk/UAEEvW8MvbI/AAAAAAAAAGc/iw3Qn3xpC3E/s1600/292427_10150945003551305_525698017_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s8wRcDwEnMk/UAEEvW8MvbI/AAAAAAAAAGc/iw3Qn3xpC3E/s320/292427_10150945003551305_525698017_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That
being said, with all the different Pagan Paths existent in the world today, it
can be somewhat baffling for the newcomer. Even those of us who are considered Old-Tymers see new
groups forming, changing dissolving and reforming, sometimes with new names,
sometimes not. It is all part of
the fluid and dynamic evolution of this beautiful Faith. For all their differences, Pagans as a
whole tend to agree on a few crucial points:</div>
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1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span>NON-INTERFERRENCE. We believe people have the right to believe as they see fit,
without being prosthelized. Simply stated, this is a “live and let live”
attitude that has room for not only all types and expressions of Paganism, but
also of any other religion. <br />
<br />
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2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span>DIVINE FEMININE. We believe in the existence of
not only Masculine, but also Feminine Divinity. Some worship a pantheon of Goddesses and Gods, while others
offer fidelity to only a pair, or to the Goddess alone.</div>
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3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span>SACRED EARTH. We believe the Earth in its entirety is sacred, although it
is agreed that some geographic areas are more so than others.</div>
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4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span>MAGICK. We believe magick is as natural a
phenomenon as rain or the sense of smell.
Furthermore, Pagans believe that, either through initiation or through
epiphany, they are able to effect change in their material environment through
the use of magick. Magick includes
but is not limited to spell-casting, healing, divination, telepathy,
psychokinesis, astral travel and other types of psi phenomona.<br />
<br />
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5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span>DIVINE SPARK. We believe that within us is the
Divine Spark. It is variously
termed soul, spirit and/or astral body.
It is through development of the Divine Spark that skill in magick is
developed. The Divine Spark is
eternal, and whether it is reincarnated or not, continues after death of the
physical body.</div>
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Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-36910607274125036662012-07-03T11:15:00.000-07:002012-07-03T11:37:26.684-07:00<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">
Sun and Moon Data for Pagan Pride Day</span></h2>
<span style="color: purple;">I've taken the time to number the celestial events in the order that they occur.</span><br />
<br />
The following information is provided for Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada (longitude W115.2, latitude N36.2):<br />
<br />
<pre> Saturday
15 September 2012 Pacific Daylight Time
<strong>SUN</strong>
Begin civil twilight 5:58 a.m.
Sunrise 6:24 a.m.
Sun transit 12:36 p.m.
2.<span style="background-color: orange;">Sunset 6:47 p.m.</span>
4.<span style="background-color: magenta;">End civil twilight 7:13 p.m.</span>
<strong>MOON</strong>
Moonset 5:47 p.m. on preceding day
Moonrise 5:59 a.m.
Moon transit 12:14 p.m.
1.<span style="background-color: yellow;">Moonset 6:21 p.m.</span>
Moonrise 7:06 a.m. on following day
</pre>
<span style="background-color: white;">3. </span><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="color: white;">New Moon on 15 September 2012 at 7:11 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.</span></span><br />
<br />
Autumnal Equinox is on 22 September 2012 at 6:49 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.<br />
<br />
There will be a total of 12 hours, 24 minutes of daylight on this day.<br />
<br />
BUT REMEMBER, <span style="color: purple;">PAGAN PRIDE DAY ONLY LASTS FIVE SHORT HOURS (3-8pm)!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">COME EARLY, AND STAY LATE TO GET THE MOST FACE-TO-FACE TIME WITH OUR BELOVED BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE PAGAN COMMUNITY!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-32089065662371591622012-07-01T23:04:00.000-07:002012-07-11T22:47:57.955-07:00<br />
<h2>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">WHAT IS PAGAN PRIDE DAY? </span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KPU5Lsgtafc/T-1M6Yl1JJI/AAAAAAAAACE/fmxmpJnBxZo/s1600/halloween_carnival___t463.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KPU5Lsgtafc/T-1M6Yl1JJI/AAAAAAAAACE/fmxmpJnBxZo/s320/halloween_carnival___t463.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's a lot of different things to different people. According to former </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Local Coordinator Peter "Bear" Beaulieu, it is especially dedicated to inter-community harmony, both within the Greater Las Vegas Metro Area, and the country as a whole.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Pagan Pride Day </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">phenomenon</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is a celebration of diversity, culture, differences and similarities. The community is full of different beliefs and practices and together each one contributes to the whole. Each city or region's observance reinforces the fact that the community respects everyone who choses to self-identify as Pagan, Pagan-friendly, relatives or friends of Pagans, or simply curious. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day, or LVPPD, is an affiliate of The International Pagan Pride Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of prejudice and religious discrimination through education, activism, charity and community. By providing accurate information, and showing the greater community a glimpse into the Pagan culture, there is hope to lessen the view of prejudice. Pagans are business professionals, homemakers, artists and students. Pagans don't always fit the steriotypes given to them. Pagan Pride celebrations are held annually around the world.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Items of non-perishable food will be accepted and donated to 3 Square Food Bank. The food drive provides participants the ability to share with others while making a positive statement about Paganism. Pagans have been wrongly accused of practicing devil-worship and performing "black magic". Most Pagans enjoy a religion emphasizing respect for nature, humanity, and oneself. Modern Paganism is a grorowing religious movement based on combinations of ancient polytheism, modern eco-spirituality, and reverence for the Divine as both masculine and feminine.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The event is sponsored by Agave Spirit Grove, Well of the Moon, Grove of the Sacred Springs, Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the Toteg Tribe. Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day and The International Pagan Pride Project are not affiliated with any specific pagan tradition or religion. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For more information about the event you can visit the website at www.lvpaganpride.org or f</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">or in-depth reports, interviews, tips and suggestions for event participants you can also keep checking back to this blog.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105316768718291708.post-24450866770137487152012-06-29T21:42:00.001-07:002012-06-29T21:42:45.481-07:00<br />
<h2>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">IT'S OFFICIAL...</span></b></h2>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This year's Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day Celebration will be held on</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">Saturday, September 15, 2012</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">at Mountain Crest Park, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">4701 N. Durango Drive</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">3pm to 8pm</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYEAFekr7KQ/T-1L64vYtKI/AAAAAAAAAB8/kMld_AVZtUg/s1600/mountain-crest-park-las-vegas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYEAFekr7KQ/T-1L64vYtKI/AAAAAAAAAB8/kMld_AVZtUg/s1600/mountain-crest-park-las-vegas.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">Mountain Crest is covered in bright green grass littered with people playing frisbee golf or taking long walks on the paths. There are shelters filled with families or large groups grilling out and having a good time. There's a basketball court with tweens battling it out and pretending to be the next Jordarn or Kobe. There are kids climbing up and down the jungle gyms. There are cute little babies screaming in delight as their parents push them higher and higher in the baby swings. Whenever we are here, I forget I'm in Vegas but look out to the west and see Red Rock canyons standing majestically in the bright blue skies. </span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">And then...there are the slides...</span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">Mountain Crest has 3 slides that are about 1 1/2 stories high. You walk up about 20 steps (yes, I've counted) to get to the top and choose between a red, green or blue slide. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VCdLe3OjIg8/T-1NNgUxKOI/AAAAAAAAACM/4a8LoPrQmb4/s1600/mtn-crest-aerial.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VCdLe3OjIg8/T-1NNgUxKOI/AAAAAAAAACM/4a8LoPrQmb4/s320/mtn-crest-aerial.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Artists are welcome to display their “Spirit in Art” and reflect the
individual connection that Art has to Spirit in the Pagan Community. Contact </span><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="mailto:info@lvpaganpride.org">info@lvpaganpride.org</a></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
for the opportunity to showcase your Art.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span id="goog_1073422794"></span><span id="goog_1073422795"></span></span></span></div>Leslie McQuadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656617410256352327noreply@blogger.com0