Question of the Week: Questions About Paganism

I’m a bit late in posting the question this week, but I hadn’t come up with a good one until this morning after I read yesterday’s Wild Hunt article on the Pagan bubble. (It’s a very interesting and thought-provoking read, I suggest checking it out.)  So this week’s question is geared for those people who have questions about Paganism in general.  You don’t have to be Pagan, or a certain subset of Pagan, to ask questions and receive an answer here.  Although my blog is written primarily for those who are involved with some kind of Pagan or metaphysical path, I encourage interfaith involvement and activity here as well.

Do you have any questions about Paganism?  What about a subset of Paganism, such as Wicca or Asatru? 

Post your questions in the comments section below!

(Or, if you’re shy and would rather ask a question privately, email awitchylife@gmail.com)

Color Series: Yellow

Some of the attributes of orange overlap with yellow, because orange is a result of red mixed with yellow.  However, yellow has more associations with the mind and with intellect than orange does.  While red and orange are stimulating to the body, yellow is stimulating to the emotions and the mind.  It’s a very visible color and grabs the attention as much as or more than red and orange do.  Yellow is a color of joy, optimism, and happiness.  It often is uplifting and inspiring to those who see it, although yellow is a love/hate color.  Like orange, many people either love yellow or hate it.  Different shades of yellow may be more appealing than others to different people, and different shades can have different effects.  Pale yellow is softer, gentler, and less overwhelming while deeper shades can become overpowering.

Although red is the main color for fire, yellow is often associated with fire as well.  The coolest-temperature fires are yellow–just look at a candle flame–and the sun appears to us to be yellow rather than red because of the earth’s atmosphere.  And what is the sun but a gigantic ball of burning gases?  Yellow is the color of light and illumination, most likely because of the color of the sun’s light.  Even though it is often placed with fire, yellow is more commonly equated with air and mental faculties.

Various religions use yellow as part of a belief system.  In traditional Christian variants, yellow is the color for Greed, one of the seven deadly sins.  During the medieval period of Western Europe, and so a part of medieval Christianity, there were thought to be four humours used in medicine.  The humours were main bodily fluids, and were thought to have an effect on the body and personality.  Changes in humour were thought to be the source of sickness.  The humour associated with yellow was yellow bile, which was thought to cause bad temper and a touchy temper when out of balance. The theory of humours has now been discredited by  modern medicine, but it was very important to medieval and ancient medicine.

In many different variations of Paganism, Wicca among them, yellow is the color of the East quarter and Spring.  This color is generally thought to be the color of childhood and youthfulness.  Yellow is often associated with the Maiden Goddess and the Litha and Imbolc holidays.  For ancient Greeks, many goddesses were described as having golden hair, probably because it gave the goddesses a distinct look different from the typical physical characteristics of a Grecian.  Buddhist monks wear saffron yellow robes, and yellow is a sacred color for Hindus.  In Islam, yellow is the color of wisdom.

In the United States, yellow is used for school buses.  The particular shade of yellow used on school buses was proven to be the most visible color to the human eye compared to all over colors in the visible spectrum.  Since we want kids to be safe, it makes sense to use the most visible color to paint their transportation.  This color may also be associated with monetary wealth since gold is a shade of yellow.  For the Aztecs, yellow was the color for food since their most abundant food source was corn, which is yellow. Yellow is historically a very important color in China.  It corresponded with the earth and was the color of Ming and Qing dynasty emperors.  One emperor, Huangdi, is also called the Yellow Emperor and is commonly considered the founder of modern Chinese civilization due to the large number of inventions and technological advancements made during his reign.

For Greeks, yellow signifies sadness, while in France yellow is the color for jealousy.  In India, yellow is the color of spring and is worn during the Festival of Spring.  It is also the color of the Vaisya caste, which includes farmers and traders.  During 1930s and 1940s Germany, the Star of David on armbands and labels given to Jews was yellow.

Of the chakras, yellow is the color for the third chakra, the solar plexus.  The solar plexus is located at the midsection above the navel.  This chakra is commonly thought to govern willpower, self-esteem, and self-worth.  If the solar plexus chakra is closed, it probably means you feel a lot of fear, anxiety, and negativity toward yourself.  People with a closed or insufficiently clear solar plexus chakra tend to be passive, somewhat timid, and indecisive.  When it’s balanced, this chakra indicates a high self-esteem and a high regard for the self.  You are in control of yourself and your actions, and you are able to have confidence and appropriate assertiveness in group situations.  Too much of this chakra (meaning when it’s overactive) can result in aggressive and domineering behaviors.  Also associated with the stomach, liver, small intestine, and pancreas.

Uses

Like red and orange, yellow is not generally the best color to use for healing.  It excites the mind especially, and many people need rest and quiet in order to heal.  So I would not recommend the use of yellow for any healing purposes.  However, a touch of yellow in a room can help to lift a person’s mood and make them happier.  Taking yellow flowers to someone in a hospital, for instance, can help them heal by lifting their mood.  Yellow used in small doses can help a person to heal, but too much can be overwhelming.

Yellow can be used to enhance or activate memory.  Looking at the color yellow while studying could aid memorization and learning.  It can also spark creativity and raise self-esteem.  Yellow is associated with feelings of self-worth and high self-esteem.  This color can help to raise one’s self-esteem levels and improve a person’s opinion of themselves.

Yellow is an energizing color, so wearing a yellow shirt or jacket can help improve one’s energy level.  Yellow also works well as a compliment with other colors.  It can tone down overwhelming reds and oranges, and can add energy to the effects of blue, purple, green, and other cool shades.

Too much yellow can cause irritability, fear, depression, cowardice, and irrational thoughts or behavior.  Like the other warm colors, red and orange, too much yellow can overwhelm a person and cause anxiety or fear.

Associations
Element: Air, Fire
Emotions: joy, optimism, happiness, warmth, confidence, anxiety, fear, cowardice, deviousness
Animals: cheetah, canary, chickadee, golden retriever, (baby) ducks, bees
Astrology: Taurus, Air signs
Chakra: solar plexus
Flowers: yellow tulips, yellow roses, buttercups, sunflowers, black-eyes susan, daylily, coreopsis, yarrow, daffodil, marigold
Foods: bananas, lemons, corn, squash, curry, saffron rice, pineapple, apple, pepper, honey
Metals: gold
Stones: amber, citrine, flourite, topaz, cat’s eye, calcite
Season: Spring, Autumn

Resources About Yellow
http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-yellow.html
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/introduction.php
http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour/yellow.php
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/yellow.htm
http://www.color-wheel-artist.com/meanings-of-yellow.html

It’s OK to be Selfish

You read that right.  Read it again, just to be sure.  Yes, you read that title correctly.  Now, repeat after me:

It’s OK to be selfish.

Read once more.  Say it out loud.  Get the flavor of those words in your mouth and embedded in your mind.  It’s OK to be selfish.

Image found through Google Image search

This is a hard lesson for many people to learn.  We’re told so often that we should think of others, that we should stop being selfish, that what we do or say helps no one but ourselves.

You know what?  Sometimes, it really is OK to be selfish.

This is important not only for mundane life, but for magical practice as well.  In everyday life, most of us are surrounded by people: on our commute, at our jobs, at home with family, etc.  And how many times have you heard “Stop being so selfish” or “you shouldn’t be selfish, you should share,” or any other variation?  My guess is, most of us have heard it many times over the years, and usually when someone wanted something from us, whether that something was our time, our attention, our services, or our toys.  (And don’t even get me started on sharing books . . . that’s another topic entirely.)

It is ingrained into us early on.  Selfishness is bad.  Selfishness on any level is bad.  Being selfish is horrible and negative and ugly.

After 26 years of life, my response is a big “screw that.”  Because I have finally learned it’s OK to be selfish.  It’s OK to take time for myself.  It’s OK to not waste my time and energy helping other people solve their problems when they don’t really want to solve their problems in the first place.  It’s perfectly alright to say no to someone’s request or demand.  It’s OK to not want to share certain things, especially if they’re special to me.  It’s acceptable to be selfish and place my wants and needs first.

Now, I’m not saying we should all turn into selfish brats that never share, never consider other people, and never place others’ needs first.

I am saying that there is a balance.  But first and foremost, you must take care of yourself first.  Otherwise, how can you possibly help anyone else?  If people are asking too much of you and you feel run-down and drained, it’s OK to step back and say you’re not going to help anyone else for a while until you’re back on your own two stable feet.  If people want money from you, but you have bills to pay, it’s OK to say that you have to pay your bills first and don’t have money to spare right now, but that maybe later on you would be able to help.  If people are invading your space and you’re trying to concentrate/study/sleep/relax, it’s OK to request that they leave or quiet down.

Image found through Google Image search

It’s easy to overextend yourself, especially if that’s already in your basic nature.  I used to give so much of myself away to other people without even thinking about what that meant for me.  Then I would feel exhausted and drained and wonder why.  Eventually I figured it out: I was spending so much time and energy focused on others that I had stopped caring about myself.  And that’s when I discovered how pernicious and corrosive the never-be-selfish mindset truly is.

Magically speaking, I think it’s almost necessary to be somewhat selfish.  You have to make sure you’re not too drained, for example, so that you have enough energy to do whatever working or spell you want to do.  Protection spells are all over the place, but some people (myself included) never think to work one even when they need it.  Why?  Because you aren’t necessarily thinking about yourself first, you’re thinking about the other person or people who has posed the threat.  And in much of Paganism, the path is what you make it.  The right path for you is what feels right for you.  No one else.  If that’s not selfish, then what is?  You have to place your feelings and your intuition at the forefront of your mind, because that is what tells you if something is wrong or right.  Someone else could say such-and-such ritual is practiced all the time or so-and-so is a widely respected individual in the community, but if something doesn’t feel right to you, then for you it’s not right.  This idea of going with whatever works best or feels right for the individual is often spoken of in the wider Pagan community, but has anyone stopped to consider how selfish that notion really is?  It’s selfish in that in order for it to be true, each person must put themselves and their feelings first in their world.  And that’s perfectly OK.  You have to know what it is you want for your life in order to go after it, and what you want likely will not mesh with what other people want, or want for you.

It’s OK to put yourself first.  It’s OK to be selfish.  Just don’t get a big head about it!

(PBP) The Letter B: Books

**This post is part of the Pagan Blog Project. Weeks 3 and 4 are the letter B. For more about PBP, check out their website here.**

This week’s post is more of a reflection on how books have played a role in my spirituality.

I adore books.  I always have.  So when I wanted to learn more about Paganism, I went straight to the books.  My first Pagan book was Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.

Books have been instrumental in developing my spirituality.  Without the beginner’s guide Cunningham’s books offered, I don’t know if I would ever have moved forward.  The Internet back then wasn’t very helpful and was still growing as more people gained access, so while it had some resources, I think there were more questionable sites than there are now.  Books were the best resources I had, since I lacked a teacher.

I don’t have many books on Paganism or metaphysics.  I’m very choosy in what I buy.  Some of my favorites have been Cunningham’s various books because they make a great starting point.  I also like Penczak’s books.  I haven’t read any of Buckland’s books yet, but I’ve heard good things about them.

Although I’m a big fan of books, I also realized quite early that books can only take you so far.  Even though the books were very helpful, they couldn’t be everything I needed them to be.  I wish I could have found a teacher sooner, but that was not to be.  I still give book recommendations to people though, because they do make a great starting point for research or study.  It’s wonderful that we can publish and access so many different books on Paganism and witchcraft and all the different traditions now; I mean, just 100 years ago, this would have been unheard of, and 300-400 years ago, this kind of material would have earned you a trial.

Some favorite books/authors:

• Scott Cunningham
• The Witches’ Goddess, by Janet and Stewart Farrar
• Christopher Penczak
• Ellen Dugan
• Psychic Tarot, by Nancy Antenucci and Melanie Howard

Some not-so-favorite books/authors:

• Silver Ravenwolf
• A Witch’s 10 Commandments, by Marian Singer

Changing Paths

I recently gave advice to a Tumblr user who was asking for advice on how to find what path they should follow.  The current religious path was not working for this person, and they knew Paganism was the right direction to go, but was having trouble figuring out which Pagan path worked best for them.  My advice was based off my own experience when discovering Pagansim: research as much as possible about the different paths, run Google searches for Pagan paths to find those they maybe hadn’t heard of before, and as the research progresses, narrow down the options by listening to what feels the most right.

For me, I had been in a similar situation back then.  I knew Paganism was my path, but I wasn’t sure which branch would be best for me.  Would it be Asatru?  Heathenism?  Wicca?  Alexandrian or Gardnerian Wicca?  Eclectic?  Or just general Pagan?  Some of the paths I ruled out pretty quickly after reading up on them, and others I needed to do more in depth research with books and blogs to narrow things down.  Searchers now have a much greater advantage using the Internet than I did in my search.  10 years ago there were so fewer blogs and resources available online than there are now, and fewer books and other resources, especially in my area.

This discussion has gotten me thinking, though.  What if you know you need to change, but you don’t have any idea of which direction to follow?  To use myself as an example, I feel I need a change from my current format, but I don’t know where to change to.  The particular path I’ve followed for two years no longer inspires or excites me, it no longer lights a fire within, and I know I need to leave this path in favor of a new one . . . but what is the new path?  I know for certain it’s still within Paganism, but none of the paths I know of truly call to me.  Once I leave the path I’m on, I feel like I’ll be in limbo, and that’s an uncomfortable thought.  So I’ve been avoiding the decision, but I can avoid it no longer.  I have to change, come what may.

But if the Tumblr user had posed that kind of question instead of the original question, what advice could I have given?  “Follow your intuition” or “follow your heart” sound trite and inadequate.  “Research other paths” doesn’t seem helpful in this situation either.

Nearly everyone is faced with a decision like this at some point or other.  It may be a big decision, it may be a little decision, it may be a monumental decision; but decisions like this are part of life.  In the end, it seems we have to choose the way that gives us the most happiness.  I couldn’t remain on a path that caused me undue pain or hardship, or one which made me unhappy, or which allowed me to coast without being challenged.  So I suppose the advice I would give to myself–and anyone else in this situation–is to find the path that most excites your soul, that makes you feel good about you and your life.  Find a path that makes you happy.  And if one doesn’t present itself, then be patient.  It will find you, or you will find it, eventually.