lughnasadh 2009

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

Lughnasadh 2009

PEn Ways Gateway to the Pagan Communities

Issue 142 Free!

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

Open Ways Gateway to the Pagan Communities

Issue 142—Lughnasadh Open Ways is published eight times a year, on the Quarters and Cross-Quarters, by The Nine Houses of Gaia, Inc. Circulation 3400+.

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Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

OPEN WAYS DEADLINES

This deadline schedule includes all articles, artwork, announcements, events and

Advertisements. Send everything to the Vancouver address for Open Ways on page

2 . Advertising rates are posted on the bottom of page 2.

Open Ways Issue Deadline Available

Fall Equinox 2009 Samhain 2009 Yule 2009 Brigid 2010 Spring Equinox 2010 Beltane 2010 Summer Solstice 2010

July 25 August 25 Oct. 25 Dec. 01 Jan 25 March 31 April 25

Sept. 1 Oct. 10 Dec. 1 Jan. 10 Sept. 1 April 10 June 1

Pagan Family Pik-nik

July 25, 2009 11:00am to dusk

Creston Park 4476 SE Powell blvd. Portland

Ritual at 2pm (Pagan standard time) Come display products and wears, flyers etc. Raffle donations for Fall Eq.

Come see old friends and make new ones. This is a great networking opportunity. Family friendly! We will have games, live music and prizes!

Bring information about your group or organization to share along with a potluck dish, games and musical instruments.

Table of Contents

4 - This and That, 2009 NWFEF

Menu

5 - Ritual Celebrations, Community

events and Announcements

6 - What Laxmi teaches us about

Love, Life and Happiness

by Sienna Newcastle

7 - The 7 Basic Tenets of Shamanism

by Silverstar Red Crow

8 - Advice from the Priesthood

by Sienna

9 - Walking in a Wiccan Wonderland

by Janice VanCleve

11 - The Art and Practice of Tonglen

by Sunnygirlfire

12 - A Magical Place—The Colum-

bia River Gorge

by Ansur

15 - Book Reviews from the Com-

munity

16 - The Power of the Tooth

by Amy K.

17 - Ongoing Activities

19 - Pagan Community Directory

22-23 - NWFEF Registration

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

Thursday: Dinner: Black Bean soup, ? , Manglorian Chicken Cas-serole, Fresh Breads, Fresh Salads and Rice Pudding. Late Night Soup: Black Bean Soup, ?

Friday: Breakfast: Continental Breakfast, Bacon/Sausage, Eggs, Country Fried Potatoes Lunch: Curried Apple Pork Roast, Stir Fried Veggies, In-dian Rice Pudding, Thai Coconut Soup, Fresh Salads Dinner: Potluck Turkey, Tofurky, Sausage and Sage Cornbread, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing, Stir Fry Veg-gies, Brown Rice Honey cake (Being put out at 10pm) Late Night Soup: Thai Coconut Soup, Chilled Spinach and Heb Soup

Saturday: Breakfast: Continental Breakfast, Quiches, Bacon/Sausage, Country Fries Potatoes. Lunch: Indian Wraps with Hummus and Tuna, Chili-yogurt Mushrooms, Vegetable Couscous, Yellow Na’an Dinner: Lamb, Black Bean Chicken Curry, Stir Fry Veg-gies, Yellow Lentil Soup, Fresh Salads, Carrot Halva, In-dian Rice Pudding Late Night Soup: Yellow Lentil, ?

Sunday: Breakfast: Continental Breakfast and Brunch

As always there will be vegetarian and vegan options available at all meals. Cookies, breads, fruit, coffee, tea, cocoa, hot apple cider and fruit will be available between meals and late night as well. Our goal is that everyone is well fed and en-joying the harvest so please, if you are hungry let the kitchen know! Friday Night is potluck night. Please bring a dish to share that requires no preparation other then reheating. Make sure it is labeled with any ingre-dients that someone may be allergic to.

26th Annual Northwest Fall Equinox Festival Menu

This and That After many years of service Paul of Edgewood, our webmaster has retired. He dedicated countless hours of knowledge and time to our 9houses website. I am sure you all join me in expressing gratitude and appre-ciation for all his hard work. Thank you Paul!! On the same note I would like to invite you to visit our new website: www.ninehouses.org. You will find many new and exciting additions on the old format. There is a page for current Ritual Celebra-tions, which will be updated at each Quarter and Cross-Quarter, current events, which will be updated on a monthly basis as well as ongoing events.. There is a Pagan Commu-nity Directory as well, all of which have links available where possible. We are posting the Open Ways on the website along with archived copies to be read at your convenience. There is a section for business to ad-vertise, with links also. So, email if you would like to have an ad on the new website. We now are able to accept paypal for festival tickets. The link is on the website, Thank you all for your ongoing support of the Open Ways. Corrections on the Obamaverse article: 1. Kathleen O’Gaea should have been Ash-leen o’Gaea. 2. The first volume mentioned of the celebrating set is Beltane to Mabon not Beltrane to Mabon. 3. On page 7, the abbreviation ―Trad: … for tradi-tion … came out triad. 4. The name of the coven is Foursight not Fore-sight.

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS AND RITUAL CELEBRATIONS!!! All events on this page are FREE. Event hosts may accept a small donation.

Donations are optional and very much appreciated.

No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

To have your Events listed here, please make sure they fit these criteria:

1) It is offered at no charge.

2) It is within our geographical area, generally, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Western Montana, Northern Califor-

nia, Nevada, Southern BC and Alberta.

Ritual Celebrations Community Events and Announcements

The Sorcerer‟s Apprentice outdoor play : Perform-

ances are being held every Sat. and Sun. from July

11 - August 9 at 5pm in the Volunteer Park Amphi-

theater, 1247 15th Ave E Seattle, WA. The fantastical

story of a young magician with a little bit of knowledge and

ambition that outreach his abilities. Watch the apprentices

brooms come to life on the Volunteer park stage. Free for the

whole family. Play written by Mary Hall Surface, Directed by

Julia Griffin.

Wednesday July 8th - Women's Healing Circle,

7pm. Held at the SisterSpirit office, 3430 SE Bel-

mont #102. Topic: Healing with the energies of Water, as-

trological sign Cancer. All women welcome. Call 503-736-

3297 for info. $5+ donation appreciated.

Tuesday July 14th - Inner Journeys, 7pm. Held at

the SisterSpirit office, 3430 SE Belmont #102. A jour-

nal writing circle for women. Bring your journal or come and

start a new one. Topic: Journal to listen to the wisdom of our

(fifth) throat chakra, heal imbalances, connect with and cele-

brate the power of voice, story, and creativity. Call 503-736-

3297 for info. $5+ donations appreciated.

Wednesday July 15th - Natures Magick, 7:30pm.

Held at the SisterSpirit office, 3430 SE Belmont

#102. All women welcome. Call 503-736-3297 for info. $5+

donation appreciated.

Lughnasadh Ritual celebration August 1, 2009

2-8pm. BBQ Potluck, food drive and drum cir-

cle. Being held at Liberty Hall 311 N Ivy St, Portland.

―To honor the first harvest and vanquish world hunger‖ Come

join Thuri Califia and M.A.G.I.C. in celebrating Lammas.

There will be BBQ and beverages for purchase and potluck to

share. Bring a potluck dish to share, dry goods for donation and

your drum. $5+ donation appreciated but no one turned away.

Being held at Liberty Hall 311 N Ivy St, Portland. For more

info go to www.myspace.com/vancouvermagic.

Public Lughnasadh Ritual August 2, 2009 5pm Being held at 108th Ave SE in Kent This is a potluck event

and open to one and all. We will be gathering at 5pm for crafts

and other activities. Orientation will begin at 5pm and call to

circle will be at 5:55pm. Directions: email [email protected]. More

info at www.coventothebluemoon.org or groups.yahoo.com/

group/bluemooncoven2/.

"Healing the past, by Speaking the Future: The

Power of Sacred Voice" Sat. July 18 2009

6:00 pm Michelle‟s Meadow on NW 53rd Dr. ½ mi. N. of

Cornell Rd. During this ritual we will break the cycle of sub-

mission. We will heal our ancestor's and women's voices that

have been silenced for decades, in turn opening our throat chak-

ras and creating the future of balance that we desire.

Please join us as we share Herstory, Magic, Healing and Re-

newal! Feel free to bring photos of women for the alter that you

would like to send energy to, weather they be in this realm or

another. We will also honor feminist activist and women that

we cherish. Women and children welcome. Please bring a pot-

luck item. Donations are appreciated:)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

What Laxmi teaches us about Love, Life, and Happiness;

By Sienna Newcastle

The Goddess Laxmi is a prosperity Goddess. As such, she

grants us boons, gifts, and good luck in business, home, and

love. But how does she do such magick?

Laxmi begins with the raw materials that are our negative as-

pects: Our fears, our lacks, the things we reject about ourselves.

These things could be as small as the habit of procrastination or

as large as fear of being alone. These are the things we give

over to Laxmi for her to transform into their opposite aspects.

For example, if I tend to be the type of person surrounded by

clutter, I can give up that clutter-creating aspect of myself.

Laxmi will take that habit and transform it into a habit of or-

ganization. If I fear going into business for myself, Laxmi

takes that fear and turns it into the freedom of setting my own

schedule and rules.

How does this happen? Like any Magick, it's kinda tricky. It

takes a surrender to the process, an allowing of Work (capital

W) to be done deep inside your Self (capital S). You must be

willing to sacrifice that security of a cluttered environment.

You must be willing to give up the security of having an em-

ployer. You must make yourself momentarily insecure, step

outside your boundaries, go out on the edge of safety. You

must challenge the very ego that is your personality.

Laxmi is the gentle energy that we must face in order to be

secure enough to let go. She does not scare us into dropping

our resistance, nor does she appear as threatening, even in her

guise as Kali, the destroyer. We know that she is here to help

us destroy that which we do not want, thus we can go willingly

into the sacrifice that she asks from us.

When we open up and surrender our resistant natures to the

Magick of Laxmi, we realize that she is about that genuine

connecting force we call Love. It is love which transforms

these negatives into positive. It is Love that is behind us, ahead

of us, and surrounding us as we step into that which scares us.

It is the great love of all things, knowledge that we are all One,

that pushes us to move forward, to take risks, to make moves

that result in prosperity. Without the promise and heartbreak of

Love we can

not be fully human. Without the sacrifice of our fears of suc-

cess, we can never prosper.

This is why we worship Laxmi in difficult rituals, chant her

name 108 times, and spend a night in total quiet and darkness.

These activities make us face our feers. When forced to face

our fears, we find that Love is supporting us.

Shri Laxmi, allow me to let go of the

negative. Allow me to embrace the Posi-

tive. Shri laxmi, I am ready to be show-

ered with prosperity!

Lughnasadh

Join Thuri Califia and M.A.G.I.C. in celebrating Lammas

BBQ Potluck ∙ Food Drive

Ritual ∙ Drum Circle

To honor the first harvest and vanquish world hunger

Saturday, August 1, 2009 2-8pm Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy St, Portland There will be BBQ and beverages for purchase and potluck to share. Bring: Potluck dish, dry goods to donate, your drum $5+ Suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. Dry & canned goods go to local hunger relief. Monetary proceeds go to Spiral Rhythms Festival www.spiralrhythms.org www.myspace.com/vamcouvermagic 360-693-7349

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

THE 7 BASIC TENETS OF SHAMANISM by Silverstar Red Crow © 1998/2009

1. INTEGRITY CREATES EQUALITY & UNITY OF

ALL WORLDS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

The laws of the three worlds of Shamanic practice and awareness:

The Lower, Middle and Upper Worlds are equal to one another.

No world is more important than another. In modern Western

culture and in Indo-European based religions, we are taught up-

per, higher or ―Air-based‖ life (or consciousness) is preferable.

Even in the myths of these cultures, Olympus for the Greeks, Val-

halla for the Norse, Heaven for Christians, Nirvana for Buddhists,

are located high in the mountains or in the sky itself, The Great

Cosmic All. The way to these mystical and wondrous domains is

through ascension. Shamanism as a religion or worldview differs

because all worlds are equal. Inner-Earth is equal to above

ground, above ground is equal to sky. In the human being, all

parts of the human are equal and important. The body is equal to

the mind, the mind is equal to the soul and the soul is equal to the

body. All parts make up human consciousness and are invaluable

to the whole. Only the whole human can survive, thrive and be

productive for the Self and society. This law of integrity is perti-

nent for the individual, to the society and to altered states of con-

sciousness.

2. INTEGRITY GIVES THE WORLD UNIVERSAL

LIFE, WHICH IS ABSOLUTE, ETERNAL, ENDLESS &

DIVERSE.

This concept of integrity manifests a total view of the importance

and sacredness in all life-forms and stages of life. People are re-

spected for their life journey, regardless if they are newly born or

are old, wise and ready for death. Even after death, life goes on

and is worthy of respect. This integrity instills in the individual and

society a need for perfect harmony; the more important the indi-

vidual, without arrogance, the more valuable the tribe is. All life--

regardless of the species or complexity--serves a greater need for

the workings of life itself.

3. LIFE IS AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF CHANGE. THE

WORLD & INDIVIDUALS FLOW WITH THE CHANGES

OF THE SEASONS, THE PROCESS OF LIFE & DEATH,

CHAOS & ORDER.

Nothing in life is random or coincidental. There is a flow to the

cycles of all life, from the planet itself to every individual life-form

on or in the planet. There is no escape from the cycles of life

(including death, recognizing death is a part of life). For instance,

a believer cannot, nor would try; to leave this existence for a better

life in a different realm like Heaven, fore each individual creates

Heaven here on Earth. This basic commitment to the cycles of the

Natural World gives an inner strength and knowing that all suffer-

ing is transitory and will change, given enough time. With this

view of life, the Natural World is respected greatly for its own

cycles and interference with nature has dyer consequences.

4. THERE IS NO CONCEPT OF SIN, REDEEMED BY

ANOTHER’S GREAT SACRIFICE.

Each individual takes total responsibility for one’s actions, crimes

and the breaking of Spirit Bargains or taboos, both personal and

societal. Natural justice through compensation or deprivation is

the result of one’s deeds. One’s deeds, through thought or action,

reflect on the entire community, society and Natural World, prov-

ing the concept that all life is connected. An individual cannot pray

one’s self out of a tight place; one must take positive action in or-

der to create positive affects. One must be ever vigilant about what

she or he is creating, because negativity can come back on the

individual in the form of disease, bad luck or unhappiness. This I

interpret as the Law of Karma, the law of cause and affect.

5. HARMONY BETWEEN BLOOD TIES THROUGH

FAMILY, CLAN & TRIBE IS VITALLY IMPORTANT ON

ALL LEVELS.

The individual is made up from the blood of her/his Ancestors;

these are the roots of identity, ego and personality. The family unit

holds the history of the society at large and always must be pre-

served. There is no charity between members of a family, because

energy must be put into individuals from the family to preserve

the society. Being responsible for the Self makes us responsible

for our family ties, since we are linked in our destinies through

blood.

6. AN INDIVIDUAL POSSESSES THE POSSIBILITY OF

RETURN TO THIS WORLD REALITY, AS A RESULT OF

REINCARNATION & KARMA. CONSEQUENTLY, THIS

KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO A POSITIVE AND OPTIMIS-

TIC VIEW OF THE WORLD.

Through the process of living one’s life filled with the knowing

that the Self is responsible for her or his behavior patterns and

thoughts and that life is eternal, the individual is left with an over-

whelming optimism. The pressures and dictates of the ―outside‖

world are always present, but stress does not diminish one’s posi-

tive outlook for long. A side affect of this knowing is patience

with life itself, knowing that, eventually, justice will prevail.

7. THE INDIVIDUAL’S POSITIVE PERCEPTION OF

THE WORLD CREATES POSITIVE ACTION.

(Continued on page 12)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

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Advice from the PriesthoodBy Sienna

This column is intended to be a format for the general Pagan population to ask anonymous questions re-garding anything to do with the pagan lifestyle, from spiritual Earth worship to living in our modern-day so-ciety. Questions are answered from the philosophi-cal standpoint of ―Harm none, Do as Ye Will.‖ If you have questions for us, please write to [email protected], or send a letter to the editor of this paper. All questions shall remain anonymous.

Dear Sienna;

I have been to many festivals hosted by diverse groups all

celebrating the same sabbat or equinox. One of the differ-

ences is that some festivals have no registration at the gate

and have closed the gate at a certain point discouraging

entry or leaving the space. I was told this was to hold the

energy and keep it a space outside of space, time etc. I agree

with this. I have been to festivals where people are allowed

to come at any time, even registering at the gate and people

leave to run to town or some only come for the day and do

not stay. My question is, where does the history lie with this

issue, what are the reasons behind it, what are the benefits

of closed space?

Thanks and hugs, Char

Dear Char:

The organizers of the events are the ones who make the

decision whether or not to close the gate. There are many

factors involved in that decision; financial, magickal, and

security, to name a few. When the gates can be closed, it

seems to increase the amount of energy that is raised, which

tends to stay on the property. The benefits of having closed

gates are the same benefits one gets from casting a circle

around one's magick; security, a closed-system to 'crank' the

energy within, and a bonding between members inside the

circle.

When the gates are opened, it tends to increase the number

of participants that can come to the event, because many

times people cannot get enough days free for the entire festi-

val. This has the advantage of raising more funds for the

hosting group.

There are benefits (and disadvantages) to both ways. If you

are more comfortable attending close-gated events, I sug-

gest the Northwest Fall Equinox Festival, and a few of the

others that are advertised here in Open Ways. If you like

the come-and-go free-for-all, I suggest any of the events that

are "no host" events, such as Spiritual Anarchist Beltane

North. Then there are other events, such as Summerstar,

Sunfest, and Spiral Rhythms, where people are able to reg-

ister at the gate, but security and structure is provided to in-

crease the energy.

The choice is up to you, but realize that a close-gated event

is probably going to be more expensive, because it requires

a permanent boundary and some permanent people in

place.

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

WALKING IN A WICCAN WONDERLAND by Janice Van Cleve The market is full of all kinds of books on Wicca. They speak of Sabbats and spells, recipes and charms, and a few even go so far as to address correspondences and history. Yet rarely do they really investigate the deeper religion and mindset of Wicca. It is important, therefore, to touch if ever so briefly, on some basic concepts that under-pin walking in a Wiccan Wonderland. The human species, by its inherent nature, seems to have a proclivity for creating religions. There is something about consciousness that wants to connect to the realm of the spirit. Some say that our consciousness remembers a prior existence in a spiritual realm. Others say that our es-sence is spirit and our consciousness yearns to be freed from its temporary attachment to a material body. Still oth-ers say that our consciousness is aware of a spiritual plane beyond the material and that it seeks connection to it. Whatever is the impulse for creating religions, they gener-ally fall into two groups: the supernatural and the natural. Supernatural religions reach beyond the natural world and fabricate nonsense (literally not of the senses) which can-not be reached by either sensory or rational means. Su-pernatural religions are faith based religions because the doctrines they propose often fly in the face of what our senses and reason tell us. The only way one can follow a supernatural religion is by making a leap of faith to believe in things that cannot be proven by natural means. Super-natural religions often propose a deity and a moral code of behavior. They often attempt to encompass the whole universe to answer questions such as creation, the mean-ing of life, and life after death and base their beliefs on a sacred scripture. Natural religions, on the other hand, remain solidly rooted in the natural world and they are informed completely by the senses and by mental analysis. Natural religions are experience based because they depend on individual and group experiences. For this reason they are often lacking in doctrines, rigid moral codes, and answers to ineffable questions. Practices and concepts that are similar or held in common are most often based upon mutual agreement rather than upon strict hierarchical demands by some au-thority .

Natural religions by and large tolerate diversity because they see diversity all around them in nature and they un-derstand that each person’s experience of nature is differ-ent. Supernatural religions, on the other hand, generally do not tolerate diversity because faith in one belief is by definition ―one size fits all‖. It is for this reason that super-natural religions are driven to proselytize or persecute while natural religions live and let live. The caveat should be made here that assigning specific religions totally to either the supernatural or the natural category from their beginnings to the present day would be stretching the point. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans, and a host of other religions and philoso-phies have displayed aspects of both categories through history, sometimes even simultaneously. However, as a generalization, understanding these two groupings is a helpful heuristic is finding the Wiccan Wonderland. Wicca is a branch of Western European Paganism, which is a natural religion. The word ―Wicca‖ is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning wisdom. Wiccans or witches (both come from the same root) are the wise ones. They study and explore and experience nature to develop their knowledge. They may specialize in herb lore, astrology, spells, coun-seling, science, philosophy, or any other branch of knowl-edge. That is why Wicca is sometimes called ―The Craft.‖ It is a learned body of knowledge and skills. Wiccans do not ―believe‖ in their religion. They work at it and learn it until they know it. The more obscure questions of creation, the meaning of life, etc., are well outside the Wiccan ex-perience and they are generally content to leave them there and not to offer any hypotheses about them. One part, therefore, of walking in a Wiccan Wonderland is the constant thirst for knowledge. For this reason Wiccans are not called ―the chosen people‖, ―the elect‖, or ―the saved‖. Rather they are called ―seekers‖ because they continue to seek for knowledge and to perfect their skills. Some find satisfaction in accumulating this knowledge for its own sake or in teaching it; but for many Wiccans, the purpose of knowledge and skills is to use them. Knowledge helps us make informed choices. Living by choice is a significant part of walking in a Wiccan Wonder- (Continued on page 10)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

(Continued from page 9) land. It is amazing how many things over which we really have a choice once we think about it. For example: No-body makes us happy or makes us sad. These reactions are how we choose to respond to a situation. Likewise we don’t have to go to this meeting or that party, eat up all our food, or send a card for a birthday or buy a gift. We can choose not to do these things. All the social rules of eti-quette and manners, as well as ethics and morals, are cul-turally learned behaviors. A Wiccan’s only guide, besides her own experience, is the Wiccan Law which is variously expressed as ―And ye harm none, do what ye will.‖ This does not, to be sure, give Wiccans free license to run riot. Choice bears consequences. We are free to choose not to go in to the office, but the boss is then empowered by our choice to fire us. We are free to drive over the speed limit, but the officer is then empowered by our choice to pull us over. We learn from our mistakes and add the knowledge gained to our experience. Of course we don’t have to reinvent the wheel by learning everything from personal experience. More often than not, we choose to go along with laws, manners, and other cultur-ally learned behaviors because these are usually the result of the learned experience of others or they make rational sense. As children we are conditioned by parents and peers, pas-tors and professors, to follow a whole laundry list of rules. Later as we grow up and are exposed to a broader set of experiences, we begin to question some of the things we were taught and we begin to make up our own minds. When we decide that something we were taught is not true or no longer serves us, we intentionally get rid of it. Conversely, when we figure out something new that does seem to serve us, we intentionally adopt it. By the same token, when a Wiccan finds a practical application of Wicca in her life that suits her needs, she dumps old mind-sets and habits that get in the way and adopts the new application. One of the basic new applications made by Wiccans is the rearrangement of time. Time is an artificial construct. Hours, days, and months are completely arbitrary. The natural structure of time is the seasons. So another part of walking in a Wiccan Wonderland is structuring our lives around the seasonal calendar. This is a tough one be-cause schools, jobs, and modern social institutions are formed around measuring time by clocks and Gregorian

calendars. But let’s think about it. The most holy Christian holiday is Easter but Roman and Orthodox Catholics cele-brate it on two different days. The Jews have Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Passover and a whole host of other holidays that the mainstream does not. Professions have their own calendars, too. Politicians follow three seasons of the year – legislating, blaming, and fund raising. Accountants have four seasons, which correspond to their quarterly reports. If all these people can rearrange time according to their needs, certainly Wiccans can organize their time around the eight Sabbats of the year. If a Wiccan seriously applies the eight Sabbats to her daily life, she goes a long way toward walking in a Wiccan Won-derland. The eight Sabbats occur in the natural world. We feel the quickening of spring at Candlemas and we see the daffodils at Spring Equinox. We know the warming of Bel-tane in our hearts and all around us. We experience the long light of Summer Solstice, the late summer flowers at Lammas, and the falling leaves at Autumn Equinox. At Samhain we feel the nip and chill of winter and at Winter Solstice we rest in quiet peace – to the degree we can es-cape the commercial madness artificially created by the American material culture around us. The natural seasons reflect the accomplishment of our wills – our intentions. We set our intentions each year at Candlemas. Through the year, we grow in our enjoyment of life, our appreciation of new sensations, filling our seek-ing with new knowledge, and intentionally pursuing our-goals. Then in autumn we take stock, fulfill our debts, for-give our injuries, and look back in satisfaction at what we accomplished even if we did not complete all the grand plans we made. Then at Samhain we release it all. We die. We surrender to the inevitable ending of all things. We close the book. We put away the score sheet. That tally is done. We empty ourselves and become com-pletely free. In winter we lie in quiet and peace, carrying no baggage from the past nor imposing any requirements on the future. We don’t have to. We know - as opposed to having faith – we know as Wiccans that we will be reborn and that new possibilities and opportunities await us when Candlemas comes round again. We know that we will grow in the Craft from new knowledge and new skills. Christians speak of new life, new zest, and new possibili-ties when they are ―born again‖ – and they only get born again once! We Pagans get to do it every year! (continued on page 13)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

SisterSpirit Presents

Lammas Celebration for Women

“Reclaiming the Wisdom of the Ancients”

July 31-August 2, 2009

We‟Moon Land in Estacada, Oregon

Come together for three days and nights of rustic

camping, community building, workshops and relaxation.

Admission is $55 for women, no charge for children under 12.

There are some Scholarships or work-trade

opportunities available.

Please contact Laughingbird at 503-875-5283 or

[email protected] for registration forms.

Registrations must be received and paid in full by July 25, 2009.

Tonglen: The art and practice of by Sunnygirlfire Tonglen is a TIbetan practice of sending and re-ceiving. Tong means to let go, len means to receive or accept. Tonglen is an intense practice of true compas-sion and pure love. I will explain in the following article the basic form of Tonglen, ways it can be used, as well as how to awaken love and compassion in yourself. Before you can truly practice Toglen, you have to be able to evoke compassion in yourself. The following exercises will help to open your heart to love and com-passion. . These methods are a simple, safe place to begin practicing Tonglen. In this first meditation practice, find a comfortable, quiet place to practice. Awaking Love and Compassion 1. Loving Kindness: Unsealing the Spring: This meditation can last for as long as you feel it needs

to. Practice it as often as needed .... it feels wonderful! First begin by taking deep, slow cleansing breaths. Let your breathing find its own natural rhythm. As you breath allow your body to relax and your mind to clear. Once you feel relaxed, and your mind is clear of un-wanted thoughts, focus on your heart. Imagine that there is a door to your heart that is closed. Go back in your mind and recreate, a love that someone gave you that really moved you, perhaps in your childhood, per-haps as an adult. Focus on that feeling, let it fill your heart up. Remember that you are a lovable, and loving person. Open that door to your heart now and let that love flow from it, extend that love first to those closest to you, then to those not so close to you, and finally let that love go to those you may be having difficulties with, may have anger towards, and finally let that love go to the whole universe. Allow this love to be boundless, it is never ending. You will find that this practice opens an unend-ing fountain of love. You will realize that you are a lov-ing, compassionate being. 2. Compassion: Considering yourself the same as others: A powerful way to evoke compas-sion is to think of others as the same as you. If you are having an issue with someone such as your mother, child, friend, etc. Think of them as another you instead of thinking of them in the role you have always seen them in. If you think of those around you as being just the same as you, you will find your perceptions of them shifting and feel more compassion towards them. 3. Compassion: Exchanging Yourself for Others: This is simply the act of putting yourself in someone else's place. We have all heard the saying: "walk a mile in their shoes". That is the basic concept of this. We live in a very ego-based world. To put our-selves truly in someone else's shoes is a powerful ex-perience that leads to greater compassion. If you know of a loved one or even a not so loved one that is suffer-ing physically or emotionally, imagine it being you. How would you feel? What would you want, need, desire? When you practice this you loosen the ego some, and with continued practice you release your ego. (Continued on page 14)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

(Continued from page 7)

Everyone is the embodiment of The Divine (or Creatrix/Creator),

the ―hero‖ and individual savior. Since an individual holds one’s

destiny in her or his hands by living a moral life (positive and

breaking no taboos both individual & societal), one creates posi-

tive reactions to the personal struggle for harmony, on all levels.

SOURCES:

1. ―Renaissance of a Culture: How Khakass Shamanism Sur-

vived and Flourishes Today‖ 1998 by Larissa Anzhiganova, na-

tive Khakass philosopher. Published in Active Voices, The

Online Journal of Cultural Survival. All words and definitions are

created by Silverstar Red Crow, while the form and basic tenets

are the creation of Ms. Anzhiganova’s.

2. Shamanism as a Worldview, Shamanic Syllabus 2007 by

Silverstar Red Crow © 2007

3. The Red Witch Tradition by Silverstar Red Crow ©

1997/1998

A Magical Place: The Columbia River Gorge

By Ansur

My second job after I graduated from High School was driving trucks up and down the Columbia River Gorge—from Portland to points east--and back. The Gorge is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and if you travel it, as I did, at all times of the day and night and in all seasons, you will find that its ever changing per-sonality is not only memorial, but sometimes mysteri-ous, magical and at times, even dangerous. Leading off to the south of the Columbia River, on the Oregon side, are many smaller gorges, most of which have waterfalls and creeks that flow into the Columbia River. There are also many trails and if you are really adventurous you can hike cross-country (this is called ―Scrambling‖ by backpackers) and see things that few if any humans have seen before. In the gorge are Indian Ice Caves, Holey Stones, large rock mounds that look artificial, haunted pioneer cemeteries, and places where a strange silence pervades the immediate area. There are abandoned State parks, overgrown trails that pre-date World War Two, abandoned and cut-off parts of old highways, an 1860 wagon trail, unnamed waterfalls, and enough wilderness to satisfy those of us that love untamed places. Also, you may find larger than human, but human-like footprints left by unknown creatures and Indian Holy places that still retain their power. And at night you may experience the awesome and spine-chilling sound of a cougar screaming or contemplate the echoing howl of a pack of coyotes. Finding a deserted, silent piece of the original old high-way, with its fading but still visible yellow line, gradually being covered with moss, is magical in its own right. I use to tell my children that perhaps, just around the next curve, we might find a rusted-out automobile, with skele-tons inside—the victims of the now cut-off pavement. It was a spooky thing to contemplate and made the hike more interesting for them. Some of the abandoned State Parks still have man-made stone constructions in them. (Continued on page 13)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

(Continued from page 10) Wiccans bring home this cycle of the year with daily prayer. Daily prayer is key to walking in a Wiccan Wonderland. We begin by grounding and centering ourselves in align-ment with the four elementals – Air, Fire, Water, and Earth – and their corresponding directions – East, South, West, and North. This in itself is a powerful renewing and re-warding practice. It is a statement that we are here and we know where we are. It is a statement that we intentionally take a position in the spiritual realm and in that position we claim access to the forces of spirit that operate there. After grounding and centering, it is useful to express first gratitude for the blessings and accomplishments appropri-ate to that direction. For example, I am a writer. I thank the East for any writing I accomplished the day before, for ideas that popped into my head, for emails that I wrote, letters to the editor or to legislatures that I sent. In th South, I express gratitude for the instances in which I showed courage, where I stood my ground, or for journeys I made safely. In the West, I am thankful for friends and relation-ships, for a date the night before, and for nice things people have said to me. In the North, I am thankful for healing of the various aches and pains that my aging body seems to acquire in increasing frequency, for money that has come to me, and for the material things that provide me comfort and enjoyment. Many of these thank you’s are for things I asked for in prayers the day before. After thanking, I ask for things I want this day. Asking – receiving – thanking is a daily loop that helps me remain conscious of the spirit realm while I am working in this material realm. This daily loop also replicates in a micro way the macro pattern of the seasons. In conclusion, walking in a Wiccan Wonderland can be summarized as living intentionally, full in the knowledge of who we are, of what we want, of what we’re doing, and of what is happening around us. Walking in a Wicca Won-derland is making conscious choices and taking full re-sponsibility for them. It is a land of ever renewing seasons – ever knowing, ever growing, ever changing, ever lasting. Blessed Be!

(Continued from page 12) Then there are the deer trails. If you know how to follow these, you may be led into hidden glades and see the deer-folk up close. There are wonderful camping places at the end of long abandoned hiking trails. Most of them are now known only to Forest Service personnel—some of who were quite annoyed that my children and I had located them! But then we were quite annoyed when they reopened the old trails we had re-discovered since we figured they were our own private accesses to prime wilderness areas. . That such a wild and magical place could exist so close to such a major metropolitan areas (Portland/Vancouver/Hood River/The Dallas) is a wonder. But to really become one with Mother Nature, you need to get off the trails and penetrate the brush and places between the trails—without getting lost! If you need to, take a Mountaineering Course in compass use, and buy topographical maps of the area you are exploring. And if you meet an old friend of mine, who is about 8 feet tall and hairy, say, ―Ansur says hello!‖—just before you turn and run!

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

(Continued from page 11) Tonglen The basic principle of Tonglen is to take on the suffering and pain of others, and give them your happi-ness, peace and well-being. Tonglens main medium is of breath. Giving and receiving should be practiced al-ternately. Before practicing Tonglen for others first prac-tice on yourself. Before you can truly practice Tonglen for others you must first heal yourself, rid yourself of any anger, resentment, or pain. Self Tonglen: To practice on yourself find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Imagine yourself as two separate beings. One self (1) is whole, loving and at peace. The other self (2) is the self that has been hurt, feels frustrated, angry, has possibly even been abused as a child or as an adult. As you breathe in, imagine that self 1 is opening his/her heart fully, and compassionately and lovingly accepts all of self 2's suffering, pain and hurt. As you breathe out imagine self 1 sending out to self 2 healing love, peace and joy. Practice this often, daily even. Work on healing yourself, nurturing yourself fully. Once you feel comfortable with this practice, feel full of com-passion and love you can move on to practicing Ton-glen for others, the environment, living situations, any-thing you feel it would benefit. living situations, anything you feel it would benefit. Main Tonglen Practice: In the Tonglen prac-tice of giving and receiving, we take on, through com-passion, all kinds of suffering: pain, fear, anger, guilt, sadness etc. We then give them through love, happi-ness, peace, joy etc. 1.Before beginning, sit quietly and practice your breathing, let your breath find its rhythm, let go, and re-lax. Then use one of the compassion practices ex-plained above or one that you find works well for you. Meditate deeply on compassion. Let compassion be born and bloom in your heart, let it fill you up. 2.Once ready Imagine in front of you, as vividly as possible, someone you care for who is suffering. Try and imagine how they feel, every aspect of their suffer-

ing and pain. As you feel your heart opening in compas-sion toward that person, imagine their pain coming to-gether into a black mass or another image that works for you. 3. As you breathe in, see the black mass dis-solve into your heart. Hold it there surrounding it with love, and compassion until you see and feel it trans-form into a bril l iant white light. 4. As you breathe out, imagine you are sending out that brilliant white light of peace, love and happiness to your friend in pain. As you are sending this light to that person, feel with certainty that they are now free of all suffering. Know that they are left with only joy, peace and happiness. This process can be practiced as stated above for a living situation you may not be happy with, anger towards someone, the environment, just about anything you might think of. In my practice of Tonglen I find that it is very helpful in ridding myself of resentments, anger, envy, and hurt. I am able to see people and situations differently when practicing Tonglen, see them in a much more positive and loving way, see the beauty that is in all of us. I will leave you with the following, it is a simple mantra of sorts that can be practiced anywhere: As I breath in, I am taking on the suffering of my friend or others, and as I breath out, I am giving them happiness and peace. So simple yet so powerful. Sources: 1. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche 2. Word Wide Web

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

The Heretic’s Daughter - Review by Silverstar Red Crow (c) 2009 Kathleen Kent The Heretic’s Daughter, Kathleen Kent’s debut novel, is carefully crafted, sensitive and alive with swirling imagery. Kent bends her words lyrically, reaching for the reader’s ear, gingerly toying with inevitabilities. Set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and greater New England, spanning 100 years of tumultuous history, Kent weaves a story of Puritan subjugation, cruelty and survival. Kent’s own history as a descendant of the unfortunate and brave Martha Carrier, a victim of the Salem Witch Trials, binds both the writer and reader to this tragic tale of reli-gious intolerance, greed and the indisputable lust for power. The Salem Witch Trials continues to be one of the darkest chapters in American history. It is our collective story, one of the reasons why we have separation of church and state in the United States of America at present. Kathleen Kent’s stirring novel reminds us to stay vigilant to inequity as citizens, to never loose our voice, whether independent or collective, and to work for the rights of those more unfor-tunate than ourselves. Don’t miss this book. It is a must read for 2009! Spirit Herbs: Simple Recipes for Hibachi Herbal Magic & Sacred Space - review by Lupa Amy ―Moonlady‖ Martin Moonlady Media eBook (approximately 70 pages printed out) Lots of pagans use smudge wands at the beginning of a ritual to purify participants and the ritual space. However, there’s much, much more you can do than the usual sage bundle. In this creative text, Martin offers a whole new level of smudging with herbs of all sorts–and all you need is a garden (or barbecue) variety hibachi. Although the subtitle of the book mentioned recipes, there’s more to it than that. Martin offers a wealth of practical information to get you started. From the virtues of different sorts of tools for burn-ing herbs, to what part of the plant has what sort of energy, to why trying to burn a pound of resins at once is a bad idea, she gives us everything we’ll need to safely and ef-fectively use the herbs. While she thankfully avoids stuffing the book with a bunch of spells and rituals, she does offer up some of her favorite herbal blends and gives informa-tion for what they’re best used for. She also includes

a helpful dictionary of a good diversity of herbs. I love the author’s writing voice. While she conveys the in-formation clearly and concisely, she simultaneously slips in a good bit of humor. Neither condescending nor airy-fairy, she’s sensible with-out boring her readers senseless. This is exactly the kind of book that I want to see more of–not rehashes of the same old stuff, a bunch of reworked Culpeper and Cunningham. In this book, we get an inno-vative collection of ideas with enough information to effec-tively put them into practice, but without a bunch of fluff and filler. In short–this is an awesome book, and I can’t recom-mend it enough. I know I’ll be keeping it for my own use. Five pawprints out of five

Eyes of Crow - Review by Lupa Jeri Smith-Ready Luna Books, 2006 474 pages I was first introduced to Jeri Smith-Ready’s Wicked Game, one of the most original vampire novels I’ve had the pleas-ure of reading. Unbeknownst to me at the time, her earlier publications included a series of novels based around a fantasy world where people bond with their totems in very dramatic and magical ways. Eyes of Crow is the first in the trilogy. A community of people live by the abilities bestowed upon them by their totem creatures. Some are common, others less so. Rhia, our main character, fears that she may be the first Crow woman in a generation, Crow being the har-binger of death. Amid this set of growing pains, she must also navigate love, a potential war, and the loss of those around her. While I was a little worried that this would end up being a long, dragging novel that I couldn’t wait to have over with, it was actually quite a fast and enjoyable read for its size. Smith-Ready is a talented writer who has a firm grasp of both world building and character development. Both the descriptive parts and the dialogue flow smoothly, and they’re well balanced. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a new fan-tasy series to read. I would also highly suggest that anyone interested in animal totems pick it up, since she does a good job of creating a fictional totemic system. Five paw-prints out of five

BOOK REVIEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

The Power of the Tooth

by Amy K. Life comes with expiration dates for everything. Things end, they wear out, they die, or for whatever rea-son leave our lives. This is one lesson we learn early and often. Pets, friends, relatives, all lost. And inevitably teeth...... We have all experienced the awesome power of these relatively small, but hugely necessary, residents of our mouths. The saga begins in infancy with the pain, slobber, and occasional fever associated with the emer-gence of our first teeth. We spend years acquiring our baby teeth. And then somehow they all seem to fall out in the same week. Suddenly we're back to the same toothless slobbering grin we started with. I remember as a child wiggling my loose teeth unmercifully. My Dad would break out in a devilish grin and offer to pull it out with his pliers. My Mom would al-ways play the conservative, counseling me to leave it alone and let it come out on it's own. A loose tooth never survived long in my mouth, especially with the somewhat sick promise of a fairy that would buy them back from me. My daughter (who's sole goal in life is to be any-thing I'm not!) recently had a loose tooth which she toler-ated for SIX WEEKS, before it fell out in her mashed potatoes this week. Her calm patience was infuriating to me. I found myself pushing and prodding her to "just wiggle it", or "if you twist it while pulling it will come right out!". However, when she looked with her so mature attitude, her gaze heavy with a condescending pity at my neurotic fascination with her tooth, I sheepishly agreed to let her handle it her own way. These experiences all seem part of the natural cycle of gaining and losing our teeth. With each tooth we loose comes a little death of our innocence, and the magical birth of a hole just the right size for a straw. :) Unfortunately, as we grow and mature we have a harder time with loss. We cling to possessions, rou-tines, and relationships long after they have outlived their usefulness. This is reflected in the agony that ac

companies problems with our adult teeth. Their is no pain quite like that of a tooth. The throbbing ache punc-tuated by sharp stabbing pains should anything come in contact with the effected tooth. One morning this week I woke to find that one of my teeth had broken in half and half of it dangling loosely in my mouth. I called around to find a dentist who would see me. Unfortunately, I belong to the major-ity who lacks decent coverage. I only found four dentists who accepted my insurance, and no one could see me for at least four days. Being somewhat neurotic, I yanked the tooth out myself. Well, not the whole tooth, the roots are still in there. That was on Friday, which happened to be the same day Nykole lost her tooth. Nykole being deter-minedly Zen about the whole thing kept telling me to leave my tooth alone. (When did she become my mother?) Tomorrow I will finally see the dentist. At which point I will face the inevitable financial choice: Fix or Yank? Fixing it often requires a second mortgage and a banker standing by with a certified check. On my budget, it's always yank. The vast majority of people has little to no dental cove age .For those people something as small as a tooth can cause considerable concern should it be-come infected. Emergency rooms will treat anyone with a life threatening injury regardless of their ability to pay. However they won't treat an abscessed tooth which left untreated can spread to the brain. Hence ….. The Power of one small Tooth!

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

8 Times a year, each Sabbath —

Mystic Art Gathering & Information Cir-

cle (MAGIC) holds a public ritual and

ceremony for the Solstices, Equinoxes, and

cross-quarters in between. Typically in

Vancouver or North Portland. These gath-

erings are free to the public, although a

donation can will be passed. Families with

kids are welcome. Held on the closest Sat-

urday to the actual Sabbath, 7pm. Loca-

tions announced in advance if possible.

Call 360-693-7349 or see our listing in the

community directory under MAGIC as

well as on MySpace.

SUNDAYS

Non-denominational Sunday service

Integrate light into your being. Come to

receive blessings and an uplifting spiritual

Reading to empower and enlighten your

soul. After the service has ended there is a

guided meditation to bring prosperity into

your life. Held at Crystal Temple 7275

Richmond Ave. For info call 503-249-

0303 or by web at crystaltemple.org.

1st Sunday Sare-apy.

Always the first Sunday (no Sare-apy in

August). Join us each first Sunday of the

month. Activities include silent meditation,

discussion of healing techniques, individual

and group healing sessions and introduc-

tion to healing arts practitioners. Everyone

is welcome, this is a wonderful opportunity

for healing– receiving and giving, and for

making new alliances. Held at Hands of

Freedom Healing 8725 NE Broadway,

Portland OR 97220 from 1-4pm. Dona-

tions appreciated.

1st Sunday Movie Night Featuring a movie or documentary which

cultivates spiritual growth.. Held at Crystal

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Temple 7275 Richmond Ave. For info call

503-249-0303 or by web at crystaltem-

ple.org.

TUESDAYS

Open Reiki and healing circle

Circle held on the 1rst Tuesday of the

month from 9-11am. Held at the Celtic

Circle 3717 NW 25th St. Redmond, OR.

For info call 541-504-4627 or by email

[email protected].

Witches meetup

A social event held on the 4th Tuesday of

every month. At 7PM. We have no set

agenda or format, just talk and have fun.

Held at the Guiding Tree 4831 SE Divi-

sion Street . For more info http://

www.pagan.meetup.com.

Green Tara Sadhana Meditation

Held every Tuesday at 7pm. Green Tara

manifests the female energy of transcen-

dent wisdom and enlightened compassion-

ate activity. Prostrations, mandala offering

and hand madras are taught with this prac-

tice. The practice of Green Tara helps to

overcome fear and anxiety, and also devel-

ops qualities of love, compassion, wisdom

and protection on the path of enlighten-

ment. Held at The Drukpa Mila Center

872 Belmont St. Salem, OR. Info at

www.drukpamilacenter.org.

WEDNESDAYS

Witches Meetup

A social event held on the 1rst Wed. of

every month at 7PM. We have no set

agenda or format, just talk and have fun.

We are a friendly, non-cliquish bunch who

have been meeting for over five years.

Held at the Irishtown Pub, 11600 NE Mill

Plain Blvd. Vancouver WA.

Monthly Pagan Meetup

A social event held on the 2nd Wed of

every month at 7PM. We just get together

to talk and have fun. Held at Old Town

Pizza (between 2nd and 3rd on NW

Davis). For more info go to http://

www.paganmeetup.com.

Monthly Pagan Meetup

A social event held on the 2nd Wed of

every month at 7PM. We just get together

to talk and have fun. Held at Old Town

Pizza (between 2nd and 3rd on NW

Davis). For more info go to http://

www.paganmeetup.com.

Reiki Share Circle

Every 1rst and 3rd Wednesdays at Sell-

wood Spirit Feathers, 7704 SE 13th. For

info call 503-230-0249. All are welcome!

Tarot night

Every 1rst Wednesday. Bring your cards,

practice readings, become more familiar

with your card and discuss Tarot with other

readers. Held at Crystal Temple, 7525 N

Richmond. For info cal 503-249-0303 or

on the web at [email protected].

Reiki Circle

Every 2nd Wednesday come and receive

healing and develop your skills in a sacred

temple surrounded by light beings. Held at

Crystal Temple, 7275 N Richmond. For

info 503-249-0303 or on the web at

[email protected].

Drum circle

Every 1rst and 3rd Wednesday at 7pm.

Lets explore rhythms and escape reality in

a sacred temple. A joyous monthly, multi-

cultural spiritual experience. Using sacred

phrases drawn from the worlds many

(Continued on page 16)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

(Continued from page 15)

religious traditions, with live music and simple devotional move-

ment. Bring an instrument if you have one, if not we can share.

Held at Crystal Temple 7275 N Richmond. For more info

[email protected].

Chenrrezid Sadhana Meditation

Every Wednesday at 7pm. The Buddha of compassion, known

as Chenrezig, manifests as enlightened compassionate activity.

This meditation practice is taught and practiced, using short sad-

hana practice. By learning about the nature of compassion and

learning his mantra ―Om Mani Padme Hum‖, we can actually

become aware of increasing compassion in our own lives. Held

at The Drukpa Mila Center, 872 Belmont St. SE Salem, OR.

Info at www.drukpamilacenter.org.

THURSDAYS

Open Meditation

Held every Thursday and Sunday from 12-2 pm. Open medita-

tion at Crystal Temple 7275 N Richmond. For info 503-249-

0303 or [email protected].

Morris Dancing

Every Thursday join Renegade Rose Morris Dancers, a group

of Portland men and women who perform ancient English folk

dances on May Day and other community events. We’ll teach

you dances. For info call Lev at 971-570-3388 or on the web at

www.renegaderose.org. ☻

The Northwest Fall Equinox Festival Moon Temple of Parvati

will be a sacred space set aside for Meditation, Divination of all sorts, and Dreaming. The Moon Priestesses are

looking for Diviners to read within the Temple. If you are interested in reading as a service to the Gods

and the community, please contact the Moon Priestess, Luna @ 360-576-5315. Please tell her what type of divi-nation you will be doing and what times you would

prefer to work. Space is limited.

Art created by Zack L. Age 10

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

Pagan Community Directory Listing various kinds of resources for the Pagan Community, including circles (both open and closed), church groups, meeting

places, study groups, and event organizers. Please, no retail outlets. A listing here does not necessarily mean a specific group can or

will help you. To be included in this directory, please send information (limit 50 words which includes name and contact

information) to Open Ways, PO Box 6283 Vancouver, WA 98668; or email [email protected].

12 Steps Pagan Style

I am a clean Pagan offering support to as-

sist those on the clean path in Wicca and

Paganism. I have 17 years of recovery. I

am willing to give assistance, support and

counsel to those who are concerned with

these issues.

[email protected] or

http://spiralrhythms.org/p12.

ADF Druids of Portland NEW

Our study group meets on the last Friday

of every month and up to 8 times a year for

Public Ritual. Affiliated with ADF (Ar

nDraoicht Fein), adf.org. We are in pursuit

of authentic scholarship and modern prac-

tices. See our website atpdx-druids.org.

Announcement Board & Community

Directory The Web

―Because folks don't have time to check

every website or subject line for current

events. Come see what your missing.‖

Post: Rituals, classes, workshops …..

http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/The-

Web

The altar of Epona and Herne Healing

Ministry ATC

Our vision is to create a well trained, com-

passionate Priesthood to serve the Pagan

Community. We have an online commu-

nity, monthly distance healing and prayer

request list, and provide free healing to vets

and their families. For more info altar-

[email protected].

The Ancient and Honorable Order of

the Sacred Oaks

A Druidic order in the Arthurian/Celtic

tradition, chartering groves meeting estab-

lished criteria and dedicated to authentic

Druidic principles and traditions. For those

who aspire to the excellence of Druidry,

Inc. in OR and 501(c)3. 503-235-5774

www.sacred-oak-grove.org.

Aquarian Tabernacle Church

Serving the PNW since 1979. An interfaith

church of Wicca and Earth Religions rec-

ognized and accredited worldwide. All

welcome at Open Circles near Seattle at

NM & FM. Info and schedule : 360-793

-1945, classes : 425-821-7246, Pagan

Youth Group: Spiral Scouts Interna-

tional.360-793-9427.

www.spiralscouts.org

Brotherhood of the Wooden Chalice

We are a group of eclectic Wiccans housed

in Oregon State Penitentiary. We gather

once per moon for study, ritual, and mutual

support. We have a priest but could use

volunteers and donations.

[email protected]

Cedar Mountain Coven

We are an eclectic Celtic coven, with some

Native American influences. We meet for

Sabbaths, Esbats, laughter and support

throughout the Portland/Vancouver area.

Closed to new members Samhain to Bel-

tane, we do keep a waiting list for anyone

interested. [email protected]

Www.cedarmountaincoven.com.

Coven Caer Wy‟east

A traditional Gardnerian Coven, sponsors a

non-oath bound, British Traditional Wic-

can Outer Court for seekers of traditional

training.. We prefer to work with seekers

30 years or older. New training cycles usu-

ally begin each spring. usually begin each

spring. For more info contact Steward

Creace 503-622-1381 or stew-

[email protected].

The Earth Gatherings

An eclectic spiritual group with frequent

get - togethers to discuss various spiritual

paths. Sponsors of The Mother Earth Gath-

ering and The Middle Earth Gathering

(June and September), Earth Awareness

Festivals, honoring diversity and creating

balance between wilderness and civiliza-

tion. 503-503-1415 [email protected]

Www.earthgatherings.org PO Box

19655 Portland, OR 97280.

Forces of Nature Metaphysical and

Spiritual Center NEW

Celebration and cultural preservation of

Africana spirituality in the Pacific North-

west! We offer events and a online e-list of

events related to Africana spirituality in the

greater Seattle area. To join visit http://

groups.google.com/forces-of-nature-

metaphysical-and-spiritual-center?

hl=en.

For Info www.fonspiritualcenter.org , or

call 206-781-3565 or ser-

[email protected].

The Hermetic Fellowship

Exploring Western Esoteric Tradition:

Ancient Mysteries, Wicca/NeoPaganism,

Qubalah, Rosicrucianism, Alchemy,

Gnosticism, Theurgy and Grail Quest.

Meets monthly, 3rd Thursday. Informal

presentations, open discussion, rituals and

workshops occasionally. 1st semester of

2009, special focus on Hermeticism. For

more info call 503-255-7910 or by web

(preferred)

[email protected].

Ile LaiLai NEW

A contemplative ifa-centered spiritual

community offering spiritual consultations,

divination, and Orisa and Ifa initiations to

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

sincere seekers in the Pacific Northwest.

www.ilelailai.org or 206-761-3565 or

[email protected].

Indigo Lights Circle online teen group

A place for uniquely gifted teens to cele-

brate and explore the gifts the :Lord and

Lady granted us with. Site address:

www.geocities.com/jinksjustjinks/

M.A.G.I.C.

A Vancouver/Portland based group that

holds four gatherings a year, teaches

classes in metaphysics, and provides or-

daining of clergy, and sponsors the Spiral

Rhythms Festival. Call 360-693-7349

Email [email protected] and

Www.spiralrhythms.org/magic for

more information.

Nine Houses of Gaia (9HOG‟S)

A non-profit organization incorporated to

facilitate networking among pagans in the

Pacific Northwest. Sponsors of Open

Ways Newsletter as well as Northwest

Fall Equinox Festival. The NWFEF cele-

brates the great harvest, begun at Lammus

and ending at Samhain. Contact info for

Open Ways [email protected].

North American Council of Witches

A non-profit organization. Primary goal is

protection under the First Amendment of

the US Constitution; secondary, lobbying

for common power, strength in numbers.

Request membership and general infor-

mation at [email protected] or call

503-228-2192.

Officers of Avalon, Inc

A non-profit benevolent organization

representing Wiccans and other Pagans

who work as police officers and other

professionals in the emergency services.

Membership dues $25/yr for full mem-

bers $15/yr for associate members. News-

letter The Dispatch. Registration forms

available at www.officersofavalon.com.

PO Box 22 Baraboo, WI 53913-0022.

Other Worlds of Wonder (OWOW)

We have gathered around a central pur-

pose, the purchase of land for the local

Pagan community. We honor all positive

traditions, and celebrate diversity at our

festival, Sunfest. Contact info as follows:

14308 SE River Rd. Milwaukie, OR

97267. http://www.owow.org or email

[email protected].

Pacific NW Pagans Yahoo Group An online community for Pagans in the

Pacific Northwest, including Oregon,

Washington, Idaho, Alaska and British

Columbia. When posting announcements

for events in this group, please be sure

t h e y ' r e i n P N W . h t t p : / /

groups.yahoo.com/group/pnwpagans.

PACT

A democratic, eclectic teaching/training

coven in three parts: A semi-private outer

circle - by invitation only, two inner-core

circles for PACT initiated. Lessons, de-

grees, and clergy training by PACT univer-

sity. For info and a waiting list: email —

[email protected]

PDX Pagan Tribe

This tribe is for heathens, pagans and free

thinking individuals residing in or around

Portland, OR, or other metro areas who

want to communicate with other like

minded folk. Please no political rants, there

are other tribes for that. A person has to

sign up with Tribe.net for free in order to

join this tribe. The tribe is moderated in

order to keep out hate mongers and spam-

mers. Web address - http://

tribes.tribe.net/pdxpagans.Portland

Polyamory Circle A gathering for folks exploring options

beyond monogamy. Discussions include

open relationships, extended families, and

intentional communities. Everyone inter-

ested is welcome to join us. For information

and location Laury 503-285-4848.

Red Cedar Circle (Church of Si. Si. Wiss)

Northwest Coast Medicine Johnny Moses

teachings to all. Portland/Vancouver area

meetings. For information and location call

503-245-5660 or [email protected].

Red Cedar Grove

The Vancouver grove is accepting new

members. We are a Celtic group that enjoys

fun, spirituality and fellowship as we move

through the wheel of the year. We have

many years of experience between our five

founding members and meet twice a

month for ritual and tutorial. Come and

grow with us under the Spirit filled Red

Cedar. For information contact Serena at

[email protected] or Macha at 360-936-

3833 or [email protected].

Sacred Oak Grove

A Druid Grove in the Arthurian/Celtic-

Wiccan tradition. For those seeking a true

Druidic path of knowledge, truth, justice,

spiritual fellowship, and community service.

Esbats, Sabbaths and tutorials. Members

commit to both group and individual studies

for spiritual growth. Now offering an outer

circle. For information call 503-235-5774

or [email protected].

The Saint James Project

A Shamanic Arm of the Red Witch Tradi-

tion. Includes Indigenous Shamanic train-

ing, pilgrimages and extensive herstory/

history from the first century CE to the pre-

sent. Prerequisite: Reiki 3 and 3 years

magickal hands-on experience. Meets at

Toad House in McMinnville Oregon.

7 6 y 0 C o n t a c t i n f o w o r l d -

[email protected].

Seattle Goddess Group (Cont. next page)

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

A new site dedicated to worship of the

Seattle based deity (As first seen in the

―Summer of 2008 art book) ―Let your love

grow‖ is her prayer. http://

g ro u p s . y a h o o . co m / g ro u p s /

seattle.godess/ or SeattleGod-

[email protected].

Shadowluz

Eclectic coven that emphasizes increasing

the power of the individual through

strength of our Gestalt, focusing on diver-

sity in beliefs and the practice of Magick.

Members range from Portland to Hood

River and Mt. Hood. Please send letter of

intent to HPS Belle Evergreen at belleev-

[email protected].

Silver Birch Grove, Order of the Sacred

Oaks

If the bardic arts call to you, and your love

of the Goddess and God speaks to you

through Celtic and Arthurian-based my-

thology and lore, come walk our Pagan

path with us as we renew our grove. Now

in Vancouver, WA. Contact silver-

[email protected] or (503) 235-

5774 or (360) 936-1035.

Silver Star Circle

A Celtic Pagan circle meeting for Sabbats,

full and new moons, weekly class and

more. Located in Battle Ground Addi-

tional. Info: email slvrstarcir-

[email protected].

SisterSpirit

Women's spirituality organization honor-

ing the Divine Feminine and celebrating

the Goddess in all Her forms. Featuring on

-going classes, circles, workshops and one

monthly ritual. Presenters of the annual

PaganFaire. Contact information as fol-

lows: PO Box 9246 Portland, OR

97207. 503-736-3297.

www.paganfaire.com. sister-

[email protected].

www.teleport.com/sisterspirit

Sophia Sanctuary Women‟s Temple

We are a circle of women committed to

healing, education ritual and service.

(HERS) We celebrate the eight holy days

of the wheel: Solstices and Equinoxes are

for all genders and families; Cross quarters

are for womyn only. For information:

http://www.sophiasancuary.org or

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/

SophiaSancuary.

The Sorcerers Guild

Dedicated to the enhancement of Magickal

work within its membership. Public meet-

up at the Dancing Beans 1615 SE 12th

Ave Portland, OR held monthly. Email

[email protected] for date and

time. For more information: http://

s o r c e r e r s g u i l d . t r i b e . n e t http:www.sorcerersguild.com, or

http://groups.myspace.com/

sorceryguild.

Spellbound teen online group

An online community for teen Pagans and

Wiccans. Our goal is to offer personal

pages, forums, articles, links, and other

ways of interacting with teens who have

similar interests in Paganism and Wicca.

S i t e a d d r e s s : h t t p : / /

spellboundtpn.ning.com.

Toad House and Peace Garden

Peace Garden open from dawn to dusk for

quiet prayer and meditation. 20’ lavender

peace pole, erected in 2002, PEACE writ-

ten in thirteen languages. Hard working

garden volunteers always needed. Hard

working garden volunteers always needed.

Write for information. Location: McMinn-

ville OR. Www.toadhouse-

peacegarden.org. http://tribes.tribe.net/

toadlovers. Director: Silver Red Crow

[email protected].

(WICCA)

A women’s church dedicated to the God-

dess in Her many forms. Groups, newslet-

ter, retreats, rituals and classes. Contact

info: PO Box 5296 Eugene OR 97405

www.wiccawomen.org, 541-485-3654

Email: [email protected].

Women of African Ceremony

We are women who honor the earth and

our African heritage through ceremony

and ritual. We meet monthly. Location is

Portland, OR. 503-238-1151

Women of the Goddess

Women of the Goddess is a Pagan com-

munity in the Dianic tradition. Member-

ship is open to women over 18 years old of

good intent who sincerely subscribe to our

purpose. Location Seattle, WA. Contacts:

[email protected] or 206-322-2436.

World Tree Prayer Network

Prayer and emergency energy work at no

fee; serving the internet since1994. Post

your own requests. Have permission of the

energy recipient first; then, include full

name, age, basic location including city,

state and country along with basic prob-

lem. PRAY FOR PEACE!

h t t p : / / t r i b e s . t r i b e . n e t /

worldtreeprayernetwork

The Well of Diancecht

Provides free sacred energy healing to vet-

erans, active duty military and their fami-

lies. We also list practitioners offering slid-

ing scale services to service members, vet-

erans and their families. Info at well of di-

[email protected] or altarepona-

[email protected]

Witches of Westwick Paranormal Soci-

ety NEW

Centered in the beautiful foothills of the

Columbia River Gorge. Specializing in

Esoteric research and Theology. Dedicated

to tribal rites of passage as well as the Ma-

jor and Minor Pagan Holidays & Festivals.

We love to explore the enchanted as well

as the chilling. Contact Leanna at devasde-

[email protected] or 541-490-5718 .

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

The Nine Houses of Gaia Presents:

The Twenty-Sixth Annual Northwest Fall Equinox Festival September 3-6, 2009

General Information

REGISTRATION: Space is limited! Your BEST CHANCE TO ATTEND FESTIVAL is to REGISTER EARLY, by

sending a fully paid registration to the address listed. COMPLETED REGISTRATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED NO

LATER THAN MIDNIGHT, SATURDAY 8/16/09! If we are full when we receive your registration, we will return your

check with a letter of apology, hoping to see you next year. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF WE ARE ACTU-

ALLY FULL! PLEASE DO NOT BELIEVE RUMORS, as only the registrar will know that information, and even she

won‟t know the exact status at every moment. If you are accepted, a confirmation email will be sent (NEW!) (or postcard will

be mailed if no email provided) to the Main Registrant soon after receiving the registration. A detailed Festival Program will

be mailed to that same registrant a couple weeks before the Festival.

CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS/EXCHANGE POLICIES: ANY and ALL CHANGES to your registration must be

made through the Registration Goddess! If you need to cancel part or all of your registration, we will issue refunds. Registra-

tions are NOT exchangeable at the gate! Please contact the registrar about ANY changes or questions immediately, and abso-

lutely no later than midnight Monday, 8/25/09 by email, [email protected] or mail, PO Box 14415, Portland, OR 97293.

WORKSHOPS: Please let us know if you would like to conduct a workshop or mini-ritual by attaching a separate, brief de-

scription and appropriate age recommendation with your registration. Impromptu workshops are welcome, but advance

notice will get you into the Festival Program!

VENDORS: Please fill out the space provided on the Registration Form. Be descriptive, as vendors will be listed in the Festi-

val Program! The vending fee is $35.

VOLUNTEERING: We expect the community to help before, during and after the festival. If you are interested in helping

with festival preparations prior to the festival, please contact us via email (above) or PO Box. Everyone will be asked on site to

contribute at least two hours to help with the many tasks, such as ritual site preparation, clean-up, firewood hauling and espe-

cially in the kitchen!

CHILDREN‟S ACTIVITIES: There will be rituals, workshops, and other fun activities for children. Parents are asked to

help out with these events. Ideas and suggestions are welcomed. There will be no child care service provided. Parents are re-

sponsible for making any child care arrangements.

LOCATION: Rustic wooded campsite in the mountains, approximately 1½ hours from Portland. (Specific site information

available only to registrants). Cabins available (sleep 4-8: be prepared to share) with tenting permitted. A few wheelchair ac-

cessible accommodations available. No RV hookup, and space limited to only a few RVs. PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED!

Please do not ask for special exceptions!

PARKING: Due to new site rules, virtually all vehicles are required to park offsite. After unloading your vehicle, you will need

to return to the gate, drive to the offsite parking area, and as quickly as we can we will shuttle you back to the site. On Sunday,

we will shuttle you back to your car so you can return to the site and load your gear. We have been assured that the offsite lot is

secure and patrolled. No RVs permitted onsite! The only exceptions to the parking rule are vendors (1 vehicle per booth) –

please email [email protected] if you are one of these exceptions – bear in mind that space is very limited. And, as always,

we encourage you to carpool to the Festival.

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

Twenty-Sixth Annual Northwest Fall Equinox Festival

September 3-6, 2009

Registration Form

REGISTRATION FEES: 16 years and older $ 120

(INCLUDES ALL MEALS*) 12-15 years $ 60

4-11 years $ 30

0-3 years $ 0

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS ARE WELCOMED & APPRECIATED!

*MEALS: Our Kitchen staff will provide 8 delicious meals, Thursday dinner through Sunday breakfast, in the dining hall. For our Friday

evening potluck. we will provide at least one vegetarian and one meat dish. Please participate in the spirit of harvest by bringing Friday din-

ner potluck food to share (to serve 6-8 people). Beverages, fruit, and other treats will be available throughout festival.

Only the Main Registrant will receive a confirmation email (or card), a Festival Program, and a one-year subscription to Open Ways.

Please fill out separate registrations for adults with different addresses who wish to receive these.

REGISTRANT(S) (Include age if 0-15) Registration Fee Arriving

You: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

Vending? If so .....................................add $35 vending fee $_____________

Name: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

Name: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

Name: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

Name: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

Name: __________________________________________ $_____________ Th_____ Fri______

TOTAL $_____________ Check # _________

Please make payment IN FULL to „Northwest Fall Equinox Festival‟ and mail it to Nine Houses of Gaia, P.O. Box 14415,

Portland, OR 97293-0415. An email (or card if no email provided) will be sent confirming registration ONLY with full pay-

ment.

Please list any food allergies:_________________________________________________________________

Do you need to park on-site due to a medical condition? ____ If so, please state why (subject to verification):

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Vendor Name______________________________________________________________________________

MAILING LABEL - your confirmation card (if no

email provided), Festival Program, and Open Ways

will be sent here:

ELECTRONIC CONTACT - for email confirmation

and in case we need to reach you quickly about your regis-

tration:

Name: ________________________________________

Address:________________________________________

________________________________________

Day Phone: ______________________________

Night Phone: ______________________________

Email: ____________________________________

Open Ways

Lughnasadh 2009

The Nine Houses of Gaia

Open Ways

PO Box 14415

Portland, OR 97293-0415

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

VANCOUVER WA

PERMIT NO. 86

Proceeds from the

Northwest Fall Equinox

Festival go to producing

Open Ways

Thank you for your support!

lughnasadh 2009

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