I'm not sure if by strict definition the craft I know and love is a religion or a way of life. I have been shown that if you are following your true will in accordance to craft law, (a daily goal) your religion is your way of life. Not just something you do on this day or that Holiday. The daily affirmation of deity is not something I plan or make time for. It is the birds in the sky, the smile on the face of the store clerk or the pain of lost love. My craft beliefs determine the way I go through and see daily events, which is totally different from that of a cowan. My craft is alive and to be found in the transitions of the worlds around and in each of us. In the craft I know, there are teachings of interactions, of cycles, of balance, of shadows and of spiritual growth. It is the study and use of these that bring the love the Goddess for her hidden children into focus for me. When I am "in the groove" the synchronously of life is just amazing. The pure simple elegance of nature at work is truly magical. My craft is one of developing my abilities to work in harmony with the natural energies both heavy and light within the rhythms that form the worlds. For some this is seen as being 'Green^', a Tree Hugger. In my world view, to do otherwise is to fight the universe (Not a battle your likely to win). The goal of my craft is the same as all who are life affirming, to better the life of the individual thus improving the community which in turn raises it's level of spiritually with the ultimate goal of returning to or connecting with deity. In my craft, magick is the tool of choice to achieve this goal. By the art of using but not abusing the talents and resources in our lives. Guided by good common sense and working through and between the worlds with a proper intent your spirituality will grow, causing your magical craft to improve, which in turn increases the connection with true will. And the wheel goes round! This is my craft, in dark or light, nothing given, nothing gained, for even the flowers need the rain.

While these may not be traditional craft views or totally Wiccan. They fit my taste and temperament at this point in my craft.

Your craft is probably different from mine. For the Goddess is all things to all beings. Deity seems to manifest to each in the way best to teach the lessons on their path. Not so much as we want but truly as we need. I live my craft and you will live yours. In the hope that they both honor the Goddess eat, drink, fight the good fight and be happy!

 The Gods are watching!

Alron

Once upon a time there was an intellectual dragon. He lived in a cozy cave halfway up a nicely wooded hill. The top of his cave was covered with shelves holding esoteric dragon scrolls & scholarly human books. The bottom half was, of course, paved with diamonds to avoid scorch marks if he sneezed or snored, which he often did, having allergies.

It was the dragon's ambition to become the world's leading expert on dragon-human relation-ships. The dragon had studied this subject for many years but, as he read more & more books, he became more & more annoyed at the misconceptions that humankind had about dragons. He was quite young, as dragons go, being only a few hundred years old and he had the intolerance of the young.

"It is just not true," the dragon mumbled to himself as he read, "that dragons are greedy about gold & jewels and always seeking more! I, for example, only want enough diamonds to avoid scorching my books & scrolls and, of course, enough gold to pad the cave edges comfortably. I think conspicuous consumption is vulgar.

"And why, I'd like to know," he grumbled, "do these books all insist that dragons are set on devouring young maidens? I mean, if a women is plump enough, I certainly don't care about her age & marital status & I am very fond of children, especially steamed or barbecued..."

Finally, one day he decided to DO something about all -this nonsense. "After all," he thought, "if I am to be an authority on dragon-human relationships, it's time I started relating to humans."

So the dragon crusaded forth to enlighten mankind. After a short fight, he spotted a village and landed in the town square. "People." he began, letting out a few puffs of smoke. The people ran from him, screaming. "Come back here!" he bellowed, "I have something to say." The people ran even faster. "Craven bunch," he grumped. "No intellectual curiosity. Well, this is only a small country hamlet, perhaps I can find humans of greater character in some larger more progressive town."

Taking to the air again, the dragon searched until he found a more ambitious looking town. This time he approached the main square quietly from a small side street. "People," he began, sliding into view, "Do

not be afraid..." but, before he could finish his sentence, the shrieking populace was out of earshot. The dragon did not know what to do. "Perhaps," he decided, "if I wait, these peasants will fetch someone with authority to listen to me." The scholarly dragon waited patiently and eventually, a knight in armor rode into the square. The dragon was delighted. "Sir," the dragon began politely, "I am an authority on dragon/human relations and I have come to correct some misconceptions mankind has about dragons.

The knight, instead of listening, charged, yelling something about St. George and attempted to skewer the dragon upon his lance. The startled dragon slid nimbly aside. "Wait!" he squealed "Listen to me! It is untrue dragons are greedy. We only want enough diamonds to pave our caves and.." The knight stabbed at the dragon's snout with his lance. "Would you stop that?" roared the dragon, ducking out of reach, "I just want to talk with you!"

The dragon stepped backward and made another attempt to gain the knight's wayward attention. "Listen I just want to say that it is false that dragons yearn only to devour young maidens.. a plump housewife, a chubby young man, even a fat sheep are perfectly satisfactory. I say! Would you stop with the lance?"

The knight dismounted and swung his sword at the dragon's tender underbelly. The dragon, with the single-mindedness of the scholar, continued to plead as he sucked his belly in and out of reach, "would you please, stop that and listen? I'm trying to explain something. I...Quit that! You hurt me!"

The knight swung his sword again, The dragon, finally losing patience, blew out a solid stream of fire and incinerated the knight, putting a definite end to the conversation. He took to the air. "It is, however," he mused pensively, as he flew away "perfectly true that dragons breathe fire."

The dragon returned to his pleasant cave and his studies and, thereafter, when he disagreed with an author, he wrote a scholarly monograph and had it published.

THE END

Written & Posted with permission by Elaine Fontaine

MATHEMATICALLY CORRECT And JUST FOR FUN

 Sacred space is any place or space that is consecrated to the service of or blessed by deity. In my mind there are a few types of sacred spaces which are determined more by origin than by use.

  Since early times natural places of power such as springs, caves, isolated grottos or a single tree atop a hill served well as they do today the need to commune with deity. Many of these sites have remained over thousands of years being respected and seen as sacred by different cultures of several pantheons. To me this attests to the fact that these are sacred spaces not because of the will of man but because of the special feel or energies deity has placed within them. This type of space is sacred by its very nature and the deity that created it. Making it a Naturally Sacred Space.

It wasn't long before people felt the need to have access to deity without traveling long distances to the naturally sacred sites. Many slowly moved away from using the natural sites sacred to their ancestors to erect home shrines dedicated to family guardians and buildings to service the community. As civilizations grew their focus changed from rural to more urban concerns. Churches and Temples where placed on some naturally sacred sites but more for often than not convenience determined their locations. Spaces that have been choose by man and consecrated like Sabbath circles, grave yards or the above churches of convenience are termed as Assigned Sacred Spaces.

Most all humans at some time in their life will define a space as sacred. It might be an old rocking chair that no one is allowed to sit in, because it belonged to a favor relative who has recently pasted. It could be the family camping spot full of the fond memories or that safe quiet place you go went the world just seems too much. Any one of these could be sacred to you and no one else, making them Personal Sacred Space.

The divisions between these types of spaces can be very vague at best. Any give space can be in combination with another. Many are the methods and practices used to consecrated a space.   The important aspect of each of these is not their dissimilarities but the truly universal human desire or need to have them. Sacred space above all else is for man not the gods.  Most, if not all people need help from time to time with the process of getting and/or staying in tuned with their deity or using the energies of the world around them. To this end deity has instilled in mankind the concept of sacred space. The only requirements are the needs of the individual.  For some, all it takes is a still spot in their mind for a moment of prayer. Others may commune with nature. And let's not forget the folks with the grand halls and stained glass windows. The bottom line is that the reason for sacred space is the same no matter how or by whom it was designed.  Humanity cannot agree on many things including religion. But all cultures have recognized the sacred space of others. Sacred spaces are a gift from the God/dess to be found in all paths. Whichever type or style you choose,

  Go with the Gods and Blessed Be!

Words Have Power, How Do You Use Yours

Toads & Diamonds

 Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was just like her mother in the face and in manner, and both were so disagreeable and so rude that there was no living with them. The younger took after her father, who had been kind and sweet-tempered, and she was very beautiful as well. As people naturally love those in whom they see themselves, this mother was foolishly fond of her elder daughter, and at the same time had a deep dislike of the younger. She made her eat in the kitchen and work from daylight till dark.

Among the other tasks, the child was forced to go twice a day to a spring over a mile and a half from the house and bring home a heavy clay pitcher full of water. One morning as she stood resting by the fountain, an old woman hobbled up to her and begged for a drink. "Oh yes, with all my heath, ma'am," said the kind girl, and rinsing out her pitcher, caught the clear, cool water as it bubbled forth from the rock and gave it to her, holding up the pitcher all the while that the woman might drink more easily.

Refreshed by the sweet water, the beggar leaned on her staff and said "You are so good and thoughtful, my dear, that I will reward you." For this was a fairy who had taken on the form of a shabby old cripple to see whether the girl was as sweet as she looked. "I will give you for gift" continued the fairy, "at every word you speak there shall come out of your mouth either a flower or a jewel."

When the girl reached home her mother scolded her for staying so long at the fountain. "Please forgive me, mother," pleaded the child. As she spoke there fell from her lips a rose, two pears, and a sparking diamond. "What is this I see?" cried the mother, quite astonished. "Am I bewitched or did I really see pears and a diamond fall from your mouth? What does it mean, my child?" This was the first time she ever spoken to her younger daughter so tenderly.

The girl told her all that had happen, and at every word a ruby, an emerald, a sapphire, or a lovely flower fell from her lips. "This is wonderful!" declared the mother. "I must send your sister to the fountain. Fanny, come here! See, my precious, what comes out of your sister's mouth when she speaks. Would you like to have the same gift given to you? You need only go to the fountain, and when a poor old

woman asks you for a drink; give it to her very politely. "Do I look like a servant?" asked the rude girl. "Why should I carry a heavy pitcher to the spring for water?" "You should go, you bold child," snapped her mother, "at once."

So away she went, grumbling all the way, carrying the best silver tankard in the house. As she stood by the fountain she was coming out of the woods a splendidly dressed woman, who approached her and gently asked for a drink. This was, you must know, the very same fairy who had appeared to her sister, but had now taken on the form and dress of a lady, to see just how far this young woman's rudeness would go. "And why should I draw water for you?" was the girls saucy reply. "Here is the pitcher, you can stoop down and draw the water for yourself, if you so choose." "Your manners leave much to be desired," said the fairy in a quiet voice. "Well, then, since you are so insolent and unkind, I give you the gift, that at every word you speak shall come out of your mouth a snake or a toad."

As soon as her mother saw her favorite coming, she held out her hands to catch the jewels, crying speak." "Speak what?" answered the girl. And with those words there dropped from her mouth a toad and a viper. "Oh mercy on us," gasped the mother, "it is that wretch, your sister, who caused this." And seizing a stick, she ran to beat her. Hearing this, the poor child fled into the forest to hide.

The king's son, riding through the woods, heard sobbing and found her crying in a hawthorn thicket. "My pretty maid." he said, leaning from his saddle, "why are you here alone with night coming on?" "Oh sir," replied the girl, "my mother had me turned out." And as she told the whole story the prince, who had already fallen in love with her beauty, saw all manner of flowers and jewels slip from her lips. Considering with himself that such a gift was far greater than any marriage portion he might receive from a princess, he lifted her onto his horse and took her to the royal palace. There they were married amid great rejoicing.

As for the sister, she was so hateful that her own mother finally turned her out. The miserable girl wandered about for a while without finding any one willing to take her in. At last retreated to a corner of the woods, and there died.

 This tale, it is part of the collection of French folklore published

by Charles Perrault in 1697