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Welcome
Welcome to the personal web
site of Starweaver, Wiccan priest, tarot and
astrology practitioner, and dabbler in the visual
arts. This site is an expression of my own
personality: sometimes focused, sometimes fanciful,
always fluid. I hope you find this a place of
beauty, wisdom, and warmth.
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Feature
Article
 The
First Door: Beliefs Are Tools
For some
people, the first barrier to setting foot on a
spiritual path is being confronted with new beliefs
one does not understand or accept. Must one accept
a bunch of "crazy ideas" to become a spiritual
person?
I
have always had an active imagination. As a child,
I read science fiction and fantasy voraciously. I
created my own stories, too, and created whole
worlds for my stories to take place in. There was,
I am sure, an element of escapism in this. The
imaginary worlds had vividness and meaning lacking
in my own life, and I had a sense of control over
what those worlds contained and what happened
within them.
But
these imaginary excursions were also educational.
It is remarkable what one can learn about geography
while mapping an imaginary world, or what can be
learned about language by inventing the names of
alien characters. I pursued a career in astronomy,
motivated at least partly by a fascination with
worlds orbiting distant stars...
Read
More
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Subscribing to
Starweaver's Gems from Earth and
Sky
If you enjoy the material
presented here and would like to receive each new
issue as it becomes available, you are invited to
subscribe to Gems from Earth and Sky. There
are three formats available:
- email
notice: you will
receive a short text-only email eight times a
year to let you know that a new issue has been
posted on this website (no charge)
- email
newsletter: you will
receive a condensed version of each issue,
including graphics, one or two articles, and
summaries with links to full articles on this
site (no charge)
- print
edition: you will
receive a print copy of the entire issue by
mail. The cost is $20 per year (eight issues) or
$10 for four issues.
To subscribe, send email to
starweaver at thekashi dot net, indicating which
option you would prefer. If subscribing to the
print edition, also include your mailing address
and send payment to
Tom Waters
P O Box 201
Tesuque, NM 87574-0201
USA
Of course, your contact
information will not be shared with
anyone.
If you
intend to read this website regularly, please do
sign up for the email notice - it's simple, free,
and gives me important information about the level
of interest in this project. Thanks!
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Pilfered
Wisdom
Alice
laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one
can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay
you haven't had much practice," said the Queen.
"When I was younger, I always did it for half an
hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as
six impossible things before breakfast."
-
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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In the next
issue...
The next
issue of Gems from Earth and Sky will be
published on Samhain, November 7. Look for a
Seasons of the Goddess story, a run-down of the
magical energies available for upcoming full moons
and dark moons, a bit of runelore, an article on
creating sacred space for ritual, the magical
powers of lavender, and more.
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Starweaver's
Gems
from Earth and Sky
Mabon
2007 Issue
Welcome to
the first ever issue of Gems from Earth and Sky.
Have a look around; there's a little something
of everything here! This issue features the
launch of four major regular features: Seven
Doors, Celestial Gossip, Tarot Wisdom, and Seasons
of the Goddess / Seasons of the God. You'll also
find tidbits from my garden and kitchen!
There is
something of a theme to this issue: the masculine
pole of spirit, the energy of the God in both his
Apollonian and Dionysian aspects: lawgiver and
reveler. Many of the articles in this issue, in
various ways, explore the questions of how we
balance the needs of our reasoning, structuring
minds with our needs for freedom, creativity, and
spontaneity.
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 Mabon: The
Victory of Darkness
At this time of autumn
equinox, the labors of summer wind down and harvest
brings many pleasures. In this parable of autumn,
Hollyhorn, grown to manhood, defeats the aging
tyrant Goldhelm, ushering in an age of revelry and
feasting.
It
had been a hot, relentless summer, and all the
people of the land were weary. King Goldhelm, whose
reign had begun with such promise, was now old and
brittle in his ways. He tolerated no violation of
his law, however minor. Food and drink were hoarded
in his castle, and the people subsisted on rations
of bread and water...
Read
More
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 The
Emperor
In
the tarot, the Emperor card is typically associated
with rulership, power, control, authority, and the
imposition of law and structure. It tends to be
viewed in a skeptical or negative light by many
modern Pagans, being a symbol of patriarchy and its
rigidity.
As
an archetype, the Emperor is a father figure.
Real-life fathers, of course, come in all the great
variety that humanity exhibits. The father
archetype, however, speaks to our earliest
interactions with adult authority and the
boundaries imposed on our imaginations and
impulses...
Read
More
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Celestial
Gossip for October, November, and
December
Starweaver's
down-to-earth look at the doings of the heavenly
gods and goddesses in the months
ahead.
Saturn
moved into Virgo on September 2 and will remain
there for the next two years. He's relatively
comfortable here, a capable task master teaching us
how to stay organized and produce tangible results
for our labors. Picture him as the chief butler for
a well-to-do Victorian family, determined to keep
everything running without disruption or flights of
fancy...
Read
More
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Upcoming
Events
Ardantane
Samhain Ritual
Friday, November 2,
7 pm
at Ardantane near Jemez Springs
All things have
roots. All things grow from what has come and
gone before. At Samhain, we mark the beginning
of a new cycle of darkness and light as the
earth plunges into winter. At this time, ancient
traditions hold, the veil between the Living and
the Dead, between the Seen and the Unseen, is
thin and tenuous, and our spirits may pass
between the worlds. Join us for this ritual to
commune with those who came before us and to
celebrate and honor the deepest of Pagan sacred
days, the sabbat of Samhain.
This ritual is open to the
public and free of charge. If you plan to come,
please email starweaver at thekashi dot net so that
we will know to expect you.
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From
the Hearth: Overgrown Zucchini with Tempeh
Barbeque
The
Imaginarium: A Walk in Hendir