tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23890147091540771042024-03-14T05:03:55.834-04:00The Barbed PentacleA place to explore the grittier side of Wicca and Paganism.Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-43239676528011660732012-08-03T15:52:00.001-04:002012-08-20T17:13:09.301-04:00We've Moved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ha2MFAq-QNE/UBwqwjFYvHI/AAAAAAAABRQ/q5RVOBsLMWE/s1600/moving-girl-boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ha2MFAq-QNE/UBwqwjFYvHI/AAAAAAAABRQ/q5RVOBsLMWE/s320/moving-girl-boxes.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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We've moved!!!! If you're actually seeing this page, then it means that the redirect link didn't work. We are now at <a href="http://barbedpentacle.com/" target="_blank">http://barbedpentacle.com/</a>. If you are a long time blog follower, please update your blog browser with our new address. As always, we really appreciate our readers!</div>
<br />Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-46650595601979531802012-07-29T14:44:00.006-04:002012-07-29T14:44:52.343-04:00To Hunt the Cunt and Other Country Matters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/_cNtbbxYlRM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_cNtbbxYlRM&fs=1&source=uds" />
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<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_cNtbbxYlRM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
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<i><u>Hamlet</u></i>: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?</div>
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<i>Lying down at Ophelia's feet.</i></div>
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<i><u>Ophelia</u></i>: No, my lord.</div>
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<i><u>Hamlet</u></i>: I mean, my head upon your lap?</div>
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<i><u>Ophelia</u></i>: Ay, my lord.</div>
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<i><u>Hamlet</u></i>: Do you think I meant country matters?</div>
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<i><u>Ophelia</u></i>: I think nothing, my lord.</div>
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<i><u>Hamlet</u></i>: That's a fair thought to lie between maids' legs. (<i>Hamlet </i>III.ii.111-20) </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UGTE-oH6T0o/UBV9PvwyedI/AAAAAAAABPg/mYXBmID28Ps/s1600/cuntcostumes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UGTE-oH6T0o/UBV9PvwyedI/AAAAAAAABPg/mYXBmID28Ps/s320/cuntcostumes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>My Mistress' Cunny</b></div>
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<div id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630443" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
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<center id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630583" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><table id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630582" style="padding: 0px;"><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630594" style="width: 489px;">
<tr id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630593"><td id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630611" nowrap="" style="border-spacing: 2px;" valign="top">1. My mistress is a hive of bees<br />
In yonder flowery Garden:<br />
To her they come with loaden thighs,<br />
To ease them of their burden.<br />
As under the bee-hive lieth the wax,<br />
And under the wax is honey,<br />
So under her waist her belly is placed -<br />
And under that, her cunny.<br />
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<div id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630610">
2. My mistress is a mine of gold,<br />
Would that it were her pleasure<br />
To let me dig within her mould<br />
And roll among her treasure!<br />
As under the moss the mould doth lye,<br />
And under the mould is mony,<br />
So under her waist her belly is placed -<br />
And under that, her cunny.</div>
</td><td id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630592" style="border-spacing: 2px;" width="5"></td><td id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630616" nowrap="" style="border-spacing: 2px;" valign="top">3. My mistress is a morn in May,<br />
Which drops of dew down stilleth:<br />
Where'er she goes to sport and play,<br />
The dew down sweetly trilleth.<br />
As under the sun the mist doth lye,<br />
So under the mist it is sunny,<br />
So under her waist her belly is placed -<br />
And under that, her cunny.<br />
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<div id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630629">
4. My mistress is a pleasant spring,<br />
That yieldeth store of water sweet,<br />
That doth refresh each wither'd thing<br />
Lies trodden under feet.<br />
Her belly is both white and soft,<br />
And downy as any bunny,<br />
That many gallants wish full oft<br />
To play but with her cunny.</div>
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<table id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630589" style="padding: 0px;"><tbody id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630588" style="width: 240px;">
<tr id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630587"><td id="yui_3_2_0_7_1343581051630586" nowrap="" style="border-spacing: 2px;" valign="top">5. My mistress hath the magick sprays,<br />
Of late she takes such wondrous pain<br />
That she can pleasing spirits raise,<br />
And also lay them down again.<br />
Such power hath my tripping doe,<br />
My pretty little bunny,<br />
That many would their lives forego,<br />
To play but with her cunny.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJC7e6wZcdk/UBV03jtr9QI/AAAAAAAABNE/Qlm4Q8VCASk/s1600/Alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJC7e6wZcdk/UBV03jtr9QI/AAAAAAAABNE/Qlm4Q8VCASk/s400/Alice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of men like cunts. Some women like cunts. All women have cunts. A great majority of people came from cunts. Cunts are an important part of Wicca and Paganism. Despite all this, and the literary and musical evidence presented above, cunts and coneys are not linked in the way many people (myself included) think. In college, my history of the English Language professor told us that the word <i>cunt</i> was derived from the word <i>coney</i>, an older word for <i>rabbit</i> or <i>hare, </i>and rabbit words like <i>conejo</i>, that have Latin roots <i>. </i>I believed her. I had no reason not to. In fact, I've propagated that misinformation on many occasions. However, according to Karl Hagen, in his article "The Etymology of 'Cunt'", this is not the case. If you're up for some English geeky reading, check out the article:<span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.polysyllabic.com/?q=node/77" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://www.polysyllabic.com/?q=node/77</span></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQwkAFJbT2g/UBV31JbKz8I/AAAAAAAABOI/QBYnMPSNue8/s1600/hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQwkAFJbT2g/UBV31JbKz8I/AAAAAAAABOI/QBYnMPSNue8/s320/hand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite this, there is a certain fascination with cunts and an unmistakable link to rabbits, cats, beavers, and other animals. Is it just because all of the above are furry unless shaved or that all of the above like to be petted (I don't really know about outside beavers, but my beaver likes to be petted)? It's a curious rabbit hole to go down upon. Perhaps, just like the animals associated with the cunt, the ladies who possess them can be quite fun to "hunt"! </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wT5XWNT5CW8/UBV7AImVofI/AAAAAAAABPQ/phHsL-FpiNo/s1600/roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wT5XWNT5CW8/UBV7AImVofI/AAAAAAAABPQ/phHsL-FpiNo/s320/roses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this new series, we'll be exploring several things: rabbits and hares in nonexistent modern Pagan mythology, hunting/fishing/and trapping and how it fits in with Paganism and the Wiccan Rede, fur fetishes, and PETA. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said above, a great majority of humans originally transitioned from their mother into this world via a cunt, and a great majority of humans were made when their mother's cunt received their father's penis. To the ancients, cunts were something of a mystery. Life sprang from them. They were spots of great pleasure and great pain. They could bleed with out actually being injured. The mysteries behind the cunt were blended with other mysteries of the world, which were attributed to the Goddess--since science wasn't there to explain away everything.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--M1KjsXPzow/UBV9HyTypXI/AAAAAAAABPY/4gXC57kaV2w/s1600/goddessvagina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--M1KjsXPzow/UBV9HyTypXI/AAAAAAAABPY/4gXC57kaV2w/s320/goddessvagina.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exposed cunt became a fertility symbol in many cultures that would be openly displayed and honored along with images of penis. Even today, fertility in one form or another drives everything, just as it did in ancient times.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yr7GhrakLQo/UBV92c3-duI/AAAAAAAABPo/RD9MIKem9Is/s1600/sheilanagig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yr7GhrakLQo/UBV92c3-duI/AAAAAAAABPo/RD9MIKem9Is/s320/sheilanagig.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irish Sheila Na Gig</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in time, science did develop and start to explain away all the mysteries of the cunt, and the Goddesses behind the mystical cunt were gradually forgotten.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zoH61aekDc/UBV-chLyfyI/AAAAAAAABPw/2WdGdZ70BO0/s1600/sexed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zoH61aekDc/UBV-chLyfyI/AAAAAAAABPw/2WdGdZ70BO0/s320/sexed.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scientist even started recording cunt anomalies. The largest cunt thought to exist belonged to Anna Swan, a giant from Scotland. Interestingly enough, she also bore the largest baby ever born.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLy6aZ_WPjU/UBV_XzgVQuI/AAAAAAAABQE/k-Rwew5RHsU/s1600/Anna+Swan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLy6aZ_WPjU/UBV_XzgVQuI/AAAAAAAABQE/k-Rwew5RHsU/s400/Anna+Swan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, if you enjoy simple country pleasures, go hunt a cunt and honor the Goddess in the simplest and purest way possible--fuck her silly!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzBc4CI_Nbo/UBV-z8Uj59I/AAAAAAAABP8/iwBzH5zQQoc/s1600/pussy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzBc4CI_Nbo/UBV-z8Uj59I/AAAAAAAABP8/iwBzH5zQQoc/s1600/pussy.jpg" /></a></div>
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These folks appreciate the mysteries of the cunt:</div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Quadrivium Supplies </span><a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: white;"> h</span><span style="color: red;">ttp://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Erotic Sensations</span> <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Tonia Brown</span> <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Labor Day Libertine</span> <a href="http://registration.ourhaven.info/product_info.php?products_id=48"><span style="color: red;">http://registration.ourhaven.info/product_info.php?products_id=48</span></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zojH1aBIjMM/UBWBUEnpS9I/AAAAAAAABQM/Mp-6mpX209s/s1600/cuntsposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zojH1aBIjMM/UBWBUEnpS9I/AAAAAAAABQM/Mp-6mpX209s/s400/cuntsposter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/GFWzPiGHd_Y/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GFWzPiGHd_Y&fs=1&source=uds"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"></object></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-40971283713313908302012-07-23T12:47:00.001-04:002012-07-29T14:30:07.227-04:00Ode to the Trailer Park Goddess<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RpajaL97vS0/UA14GodRrcI/AAAAAAAABLA/iu6ObwDYvbs/s1600/www.shopnastygal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RpajaL97vS0/UA14GodRrcI/AAAAAAAABLA/iu6ObwDYvbs/s1600/www.shopnastygal1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
sing an ode to you, trailer park goddess!</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You
who are only pretty in summer when you are ripe like the peach
between your legs.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By
winter you will swell with an unwanted child from some
half-forgotten, unprotected encounter that could have occurred with
any guy for twenty miles.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You
are mine, nymphette of Aphrodite!</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
invoke your tight, tank top clad breasts that are just a little more
than a handful, whose pertness needs no bra to contain them.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvrYs9o8ES8/UA19wTcgXFI/AAAAAAAABL4/GF9Oc5zBSYQ/s1600/gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvrYs9o8ES8/UA19wTcgXFI/AAAAAAAABL4/GF9Oc5zBSYQ/s320/gun.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That
beautiful </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">cut</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">-off encased apple ass, legs so short that your
luscious roundness peaks out from the frayed edges of last year's
blue jeans.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cotton
candy intoxicates my senses and heightens my appetite for your
sensuality, as you ride hard the cusp between maidenhood and
motherhood.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ycf9e6a82xE/UA191_5ZtvI/AAAAAAAABMA/vRoJ43IPLFQ/s1600/cotton+candy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ycf9e6a82xE/UA191_5ZtvI/AAAAAAAABMA/vRoJ43IPLFQ/s320/cotton+candy.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You've
perfected the ability to walk fine lines--you're coy, yet easy; you
demand fine smoke, yet ease your munchies with chili cheese fries and
beer from the bar.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7WqFIVi8nI/UA14rnVSMRI/AAAAAAAABLI/M7JPiZOw9fs/s1600/thong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7WqFIVi8nI/UA14rnVSMRI/AAAAAAAABLI/M7JPiZOw9fs/s200/thong.jpg" width="145" /></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">You
ride the back roads with one guy after another--men and boys
alike--too fast for most, fueled by something just short of </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">ethanol</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> from a mason jar.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Your
temple is a single wide, with cable </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">TV</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, and several window units.
You dream of a shrine at the strip joint the next town over, but the
only pole available to you now is the street light by your brother's
pick-up.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oVYgMYsyxWU/UA1-AcfE2nI/AAAAAAAABMI/4jbFQX0rFn8/s1600/tpgoddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oVYgMYsyxWU/UA1-AcfE2nI/AAAAAAAABMI/4jbFQX0rFn8/s320/tpgoddess.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But
like every goddess, you have your dark side. Kali has nothing on
your drunken rages that rend the peace of the trailer park at 3am.
In three years, your smile will be </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">gaped</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> from new habits picked up
from the hook-up of the week; your sagging </span>boobage<span style="line-height: 115%;"> will flop out of
your tube top as you scoop up a dirty baby that's been knocked over
in a fight between your boyfriend and the </span>babydaddy<span style="line-height: 115%;">. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cyV4NcYm-p0/UA1-KZishyI/AAAAAAAABMQ/2elkslmLw3I/s1600/bud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cyV4NcYm-p0/UA1-KZishyI/AAAAAAAABMQ/2elkslmLw3I/s320/bud.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> You'll be a
good goddess and have children stashed all over the place, cared for
by relatives--distant and close--while you spread your legs like
Dukes </span><span style="line-height: 17px;">mayonnaise</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. You'll care more about buying hot fries,
cigarettes, beer, and whiskey than keeping the children still in your
custody fed and clothed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">By
thirty, you might as well be a crone, as your deeply wrinkled face
smiles at the text message that your oldest is going to be a momma
and is awaiting the </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">paternity</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> results from a dozen different dicks.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAgY4YsbeVw/UA149nK6qnI/AAAAAAAABLQ/aoDMuMjKUIE/s1600/Barbed-Wire-Heart-Tattoo-Design-520x693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAgY4YsbeVw/UA149nK6qnI/AAAAAAAABLQ/aoDMuMjKUIE/s200/Barbed-Wire-Heart-Tattoo-Design-520x693.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But
for now, my sparkling trailer park goddess with the raucous laugh,
powder pink finger nails, and fifty dollars from your momma's food
stamps, you are my wet dream of the summer.
</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>These folks always have an offering of beer and cigs waiting</b>:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Quadrivium Supplies </span><a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: white;"> h</span><span style="color: red;">ttp://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Erotic Sensations</span> <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Tonia Brown</span> <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Labor Day Libertine</span> <a href="http://registration.ourhaven.info/product_info.php?products_id=48"><span style="color: red;">http://registration.ourhaven.info/product_info.php?products_id=48</span></a></span></span></div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIJsrPlWFW8/UA1-dQj-75I/AAAAAAAABMY/avXb8cuzYAI/s1600/poster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIJsrPlWFW8/UA1-dQj-75I/AAAAAAAABMY/avXb8cuzYAI/s320/poster.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-31855133308284007572012-07-15T16:35:00.000-04:002012-07-15T16:36:37.489-04:00Post it!<a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/2012/07/get-ready-for-par-tay.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://mbmfiles.com/Jul2012/120715-wmFaTR9l522S.jpg" alt='Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!' border=0 /></a><br>Copy this code to your website to display this banner!<br><textarea cols="40" rows="2"><a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/2012/07/get-ready-for-par-tay.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://mbmfiles.com/Jul2012/120715-wmFaTR9l522S.jpg" alt='Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!' border=0 /></a><br><a href="http://www.mybannermaker.com/">Make your own banner at MyBannerMaker.com!</a></textarea>
<b>Banner giveaway!</b>
From today (July whatever)until August 25, The Barbed Pentacle will be hosting a special banner giveaway! To enter, post this banner on your blog, Facebook page, Google + account, or other social networking site, and email me a link to your work (chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com). The more places you post this, the more entries you'll have. The prizes? Four lucky members of the online street crew (or one really lucky person or any variation thereof) will win a sexy anime pin-up poster! Don't forget to email the link to your posting (chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com)!Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-73837046283085340292012-07-15T02:13:00.000-04:002012-07-23T12:43:14.385-04:00Nails and other detritus: A Pagan Service Announcement<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNZLL-WCrbg/UAJXPlaz1BI/AAAAAAAABGQ/pjUm3uJejSQ/s1600/psa2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNZLL-WCrbg/UAJXPlaz1BI/AAAAAAAABGQ/pjUm3uJejSQ/s640/psa2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The proper disposal of nail clippings and other personal detritus has become a major problem in the Pagan community. Improper disposal of personal detritus can lead to you being placed in a jar on somebody's shelf, having a poppet made of you, or being framed for a crime you didn't commit. You don't want a poppet made of you, do you?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frOtam82Jzg/UAJZjyE1moI/AAAAAAAABGY/E9QqlWQlvqs/s1600/voodoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frOtam82Jzg/UAJZjyE1moI/AAAAAAAABGY/E9QqlWQlvqs/s320/voodoo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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No, I didn't think so, nor do you want to be singing the song, "But that's not really my DNA" to the police. They never believe you. Not only is improper disposal of personal detritus gross, but it's irresponsible. Personal detritus is the easiest way for another magically inclined person to have control over you.<br />
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There are several proper ways to dispose of personal detritus. First of all, make sure to collect all your nail clippings, loose hair (even from shower drains), pieces of dead skin or scabs, and boogers for proper disposal. If you make this a daily habit, then the threat of someone controlling you will be greatly diminished.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naDBHYt5S18/UAJbI6XZ9CI/AAAAAAAABGg/qs0V1fewC9k/s1600/nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naDBHYt5S18/UAJbI6XZ9CI/AAAAAAAABGg/qs0V1fewC9k/s320/nails.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now it's time to dispose of the detritus. You can burn the waste and scatter the ashes. You can bury the waste. You can flush the waste. My favorite is to let it all fly out of the car window as I'm speeding down the road.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ytPml41wE8/UAJd_7QsN6I/AAAAAAAABHI/Sw2iWLdb6tE/s1600/gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ytPml41wE8/UAJd_7QsN6I/AAAAAAAABHI/Sw2iWLdb6tE/s320/gun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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To summarize, get your detritus out of your enemies' hands and back to nature where it can decompose.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qdW3dg_WbXE/UAJTxSzndlI/AAAAAAAABGE/DXjb8-vSKOc/s1600/know.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qdW3dg_WbXE/UAJTxSzndlI/AAAAAAAABGE/DXjb8-vSKOc/s400/know.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLI3_4RuQ3c/UAJewt1SMMI/AAAAAAAABHQ/HzAxgZ2AKSY/s1600/wong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLI3_4RuQ3c/UAJewt1SMMI/AAAAAAAABHQ/HzAxgZ2AKSY/s320/wong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These folks always properly dispose of nail clippings:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>
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</div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-17165196355033989942012-07-10T17:51:00.002-04:002012-07-15T02:11:55.883-04:00May You Never Thirst, Part 5: The Most Interesting Man in the World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the last post in the "May You Never Thirst" series. A new series will be starting soon. Make sure, after you read this post, to scroll down to the bottom of the page for the new giveaway rules and regulations. We've got some really cool prizes this month.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RmVBVfR49HI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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If you do not know who "The Most Interesting Man in the World" is, then please watch the following video. Be warned: by the end of it, you'll want to buy a case of Dos Equis Beer.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vOAMdO5fbJw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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When I first saw these commercials, I became instantly fascinated by the main character. He's who all the men want to be and all the women want to date. He's real enough that his character seems plausible to our sensibilities, but he's fantastic enough that we all want to meet him and be close to him. I suppose it's that magnetic personality that keeps him from owning credit cards. He's daring, debonair, blunt, gentlemanly, cosmopolitan, ruthless but oddly compassionate. He's like sand paper: he has both a rough and a refined side. He's also very much like Ernest Hemingway's public life, minus the alcoholism and complexes.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wCQli_NMTig/T_yVVnHjKXI/AAAAAAAABFg/rjX7EODpsK4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wCQli_NMTig/T_yVVnHjKXI/AAAAAAAABFg/rjX7EODpsK4/s320/1.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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What is it about older men like "The Most Interesting Man in the World" character or Sean Connery that attracts us to them? For some people it's a biological sexual attraction. Females of many species are biologically hardwired to want a mate that is older than them and more experienced. I think it has to do with survival and finding that perfect balance of a mate that's old enough to have experience and resources for support and survival but not so old that they can't mate or do the work required for survival. People of both sexes and all persuasions like to associate with physically attractive people. It's one of those brain chemistry/evolution/science things that make us all appear shallow. </div>
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Psychologically, people of all sexual persuasions are attracted to this type of man because of the perceived experiences that they've had and the supposed wisdom that has been acquired from these experiences. This leads into the sage archetype. Many folks, Pagans include, mistakenly think that the sage represents dried decrepit old men that can barely move around and are certainly not sexually attractive. This is not true! Sages are still virile (and often know a lot more tricks than the youths or the father types) and they can still actively procreate, which is something they have over the crones. Oh, quit your booing, crone fuckers! We all know why old women are best according to Benjamin Franklin, but even he admitted that they didn't swell, and the ability to swell and make others swell is a quality that most cultures still value.</div>
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"The Most Interesting Man in the World" character is a nice face for the sage. He's like a modern Odin with both eyes intact.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dsROloSbraM/T_ybN2LBW4I/AAAAAAAABFs/PK_Zbizxqek/s1600/odin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dsROloSbraM/T_ybN2LBW4I/AAAAAAAABFs/PK_Zbizxqek/s320/odin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you listened to the commercials where "The Most Interesting Man in the World" dispensed advice, although he sounds flippant, most of his advice is sound. You really shouldn't trust a woman who is only around when you're winning. Perhaps, in a divinely comical way, these commercials are a modern oracle for the sage to dispense his wisdom to the masses. Obviously, I don't think the AllFather or any other God-Sage wants us to run out and buy Dos Equis beer, but the modern oracle concept is something to think about. Oracles and other deity mouth pieces are technological items, so it only makes sense that they would change and evolve as the other technologies around them did. Just something to think about.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DTcfOnBhZHw/T_yfOouhlCI/AAAAAAAABF4/3FKnJ4M_32E/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DTcfOnBhZHw/T_yfOouhlCI/AAAAAAAABF4/3FKnJ4M_32E/s320/2.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These folks don't always make love to sages, but when they do, they prefer The Most Interesting Man in the World!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-56949561807152403222012-07-07T14:59:00.000-04:002012-07-07T14:59:13.845-04:00Get ready for a Par-tay!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eiklPj_GaZQ/T_h_-QWZiWI/AAAAAAAABEw/3lSObMxpkwY/s1600/redblack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eiklPj_GaZQ/T_h_-QWZiWI/AAAAAAAABEw/3lSObMxpkwY/s320/redblack.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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Go ahead and mark your calendars folks! "The Barbed Pentacle" will be turning 1 in August, and to celebrate, we will be having a month long party! <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjzH-dcf3jM/T_iC6-HeLiI/AAAAAAAABE8/dRkd-O2EUNo/s1600/party+hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjzH-dcf3jM/T_iC6-HeLiI/AAAAAAAABE8/dRkd-O2EUNo/s320/party+hat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We'll be kicking up our heels, having lots of cool giveaways, guests blogs, and we'll be moving to a brand new Internet location!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4SQ6y5wNog/T_iDU449HdI/AAAAAAAABFE/wQJye5wXurc/s1600/oh_my.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4SQ6y5wNog/T_iDU449HdI/AAAAAAAABFE/wQJye5wXurc/s320/oh_my.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
So folks, here's the deal:<br />
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You're invited to write a guest blog for "The Barbed Pentacle". The blog entry can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, artwork, or music. It can be about pretty much anything as long as it's gritty and Pagan (I'll leave the meaning of those two words up to your interpretation). You can publish under your name or a pen name. There's no word limit, but I do reserve the right to illustrate your blog with pictures that may or may not have anything to do with your blog entry. I will accept entries from today until August 15. Please email your submissions to chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com with "Guest entry" in the subject line. Everybody who sends something in will be entered in one of the birthday giveaways. The more you send in, the more times your name is entered. <br />
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If you own a business, drop me a line. Trading advertising for some of your wonderful goods is an excellent way to get your name out there. The more items that are collected, the more party giveaways we can have during the month of August! If you're interested, email me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com with "Advertising" in the subject line. I'll be more than happy to send you the details of my advertising package.<br />
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These folks are already in line to give birthday spankings!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-88427743499087503542012-07-06T20:08:00.000-04:002012-07-10T17:47:21.648-04:00The Nyx Oracle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nyx is the Greek goddess of the night. In our modern mythology, the character of Elvira is probably the best embodiment of this ancient archetype. Born from Chaos, Nyx is both creatrix and a destroyer. She can bring pain and unhappiness, or she can soothe it all away under the cover of darkness.<br />
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Nyx is the mother of Sleep, Death, Atmosphere, Day, Blame, Doom, Death, Dreams, the Fates, Retribution, Deception, Friendship, Age, Strife, and according to some texts, Love. She was also known to operate as an oracle from the depths of a cave. Outside of the cave, ecstatic dances took place while the petitioners waited for their answers.<br />
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<b>Nyx Oracle Ritual</b></div>
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This ritual can be rewritten for a solitaire or a couple, but it works best in a small to large group. One person needs to volunteer to be Nyx. This position should not be taken lightly. The person doesn't have to be female, but he or she should be very comfortable with a goddess taking over their body, should be at least vaguely familiar with Nyx, and should not be opposed to bondage nor claustrophobic.</div>
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<b>Timing: </b>Obviously, this is a night time ritual. The best time to do it would be the dark of the moon. That way Selene is not competing for attention.</div>
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<b>Materials: </b>Hood (for Nyx), mugwort or other such divinatory incense, pen and paper, drums or other instruments, absinthe (it's worth the time and money to hunt down the real stuff--not the cheap stuff a lot of places sell. For more info on absinthe: <a href="http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/</a>), and pieces of rope to bind "Nyx" with that will represent her children.</div>
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<b>The Ritual</b>: Before the ritual, "Nyx" needs to decide if the oracle will be received after a long ritual or if the oracle will be received during sleep via dreams. If the second option is the case, then a tent needs to be set up for Nyx in the ritual space and a babysitter appointed since Nyx will still be in bondage.</div>
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Set up your outdoor ritual space as you normally would. Light a large censor or several small ones and place the mugwort on it. The smoke should completely fill the ritual space. Now pass the absinthe around several times, including Nyx in the rotation. Don't forget to libate to Nyx as well. Next, bring Nyx forward into the middle of the circle. An invocation to Nyx should be said, either by one person or the group. The invocation can be original or borrowed. As Nyx is invoked, the hood should be placed over Nyx's head and that person should open him or herself up to the Goddess, allowing the Goddess to take over.</div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Now the group needs to decide and settle on three or four of Nyx's children that have been bringing them the most problems. More can be selected, but three or four is a good number.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Now, it's the bondage rigger's turn. The bondage for this ritual can be simple or fancy. For each rope, the rigger should say the following as Nyx is tied up: "Nyx, your child_____________, has been giving us problems. I bind your child ___________to you and ask that you tell us how to deal with the problems caused by your child."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">If Nyx is not going to be sleeping, then he or she needs to be helped to a sitting or lying down position if he or she has been left standing. If Nyx is going to be sleeping, then Nyx needs to be helped into the tent. Either way, the baby sitter should stay close to Nyx with pen and paper to write down the oracle message. As the participants wait for the messages, they should feel free to drink more, dance, and play music. The energy raised from the music and dancing aids "Nyx" to make more of a connection with Nyx. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Once the ritual is over, either because the oracle has spoken or because Nyx has woken up, Nyx and her children need to be released. This can be done in a reverse manner than the children were bound to her.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">"Nyx, thank you for your wisdom. We now release you and and your child_________. We release your child __________ from our lives." As the child is released, the rope for that child is untied.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">After Nyx has been completely unbound, make sure to say a prayer of thanks to Nyx for her presence at the ritual. The person who was Nyx is probably going to need some aftercare, such as food, coffee, and a willing ear to listen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">These folks know Nyx too:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-63090092329342713852012-07-06T15:49:00.000-04:002012-07-07T14:56:20.489-04:00Happy Birthday Frida!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These folks like unibrows too!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-79657913176976610782012-07-05T21:58:00.000-04:002012-07-06T19:49:25.949-04:00May you never thirst, Part 4: Whatdaya mean you didn't bring any beer?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I see a lot of beer in your future. And considering that yesterday was Independence Day in America, I see a lot of beer in your past too! Despite its ancient roots and global appeal, there is nothing more American than beer. Grilling out? You drink a beer. Exploding things? You drink a beer. Going to go open a can of whoop ass on the neighbors? You drink a beer. Going to ritual? Of course, you're going to drink a beer!</span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
love beer. Beer is probably my favorite beverage. In the words of
my partner, beer is perfect because it's liquid bread. That's how
many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians whom some sources claim
invented beer, viewed the mystical liquid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While home brewing beer is not as popular amongst Pagans as making mead or wine, it is incredibly popular all over the United States. Yuppies, in particular, seem obsessed with seeing how many specialty beers they can come up with. Pay attention the next time a Samuel Adams commercial comes on. The ads rarely advertise the same beer twice since they are constantly switching out their seasonal brews (because only poor people drink the same beer all the time).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hawthorne, a Pagan who has been brewing beer at home since 1995, enjoys playing with the wide varieties of beer that can be produced at home. "I tend to brew types/flavors you can't buy in the store. My favorites are an American style brown ale, a spruce beer, and a lemon beer. The lemon beer was an experimental batch last year. This year I made a batch with basil, oregano, and rosemary - people tell me it tastes like pizza. I tend to agree. "</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 100%;">Even though Hawthorne describes himself as Wiccan, he keeps his brewing life and Pagan life </span><span style="line-height: 16px;">separate</span><span style="line-height: 100%;">--or at least so far. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While witch's brews may not always be simple, brewing beer is more simple than a lot of people realize.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 100%;">"</span><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341536566996117">Bring water to a boil, stir in barley malt and hops for bittering. Constantly stirring, boil for a while. During the last 2 - 5 minutes, add more hops for flavor or aroma. Pour into a fermenter with additional water, and seal to prevent bacterial contamination. When it's about room temp, add brewing yeast. Wait 1 - 2 weeks for fermentation to complete, add some boiled water with corn sugar to the fermenter, and bottle. The beer should be carbonated in 3 days - 2 weeks. I tend to wait at least a couple weeks to allow maximum carbonation. If you can, wait a couple months to give the flavor a chance to smooth out.</span></span></div>
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341536566996117"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's the very basic process - you can make it much more complex like the commercial brewers if you have the time and energy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341536566996131">The Internet is a great resource [for more information], but most cities have at least one home brew store. You can also find Zymurgy magazine around - zymurgy is the science of brewing."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like anything dealing with alcohol, there are legalities. "<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1341536566996133" style="background-color: black;">You can legally brew up to 200 gallons per year for personal use, no licensing or permission required, provided you are over 21. To sell any of it, you have to be licensed, but you can purchase a licence to sell up to 500 gallons before you're classified as a commercial operation."</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6irq8WWuj1g/T_Y8iX8qbUI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/lee4i0gzUwI/s1600/babe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6irq8WWuj1g/T_Y8iX8qbUI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/lee4i0gzUwI/s320/babe1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<blockquote class="yiv1219990039gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brewing can also be a fairly cheap hobby. "<span style="background-color: black;">If you're frugal and get a kit, you can get in with an initial investment of $100 or so. The cost to brew a 5 gallon batch (about 2 1/2 cases) is about $40-50 or more, depending on how fancy you want to get."</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2WrkAl-nDo/T_Y9BemT29I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/LADc35k37GI/s1600/48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2WrkAl-nDo/T_Y9BemT29I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/LADc35k37GI/s320/48.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Ever get bitched at for not pouring a beer right? Ever wondered what the fuck did it matter if you were just going to drink it, piss it, and drink another one? Hawthorne has the answer to that. "<span style="background-color: black;">The best way is to get the right beer glass - it usually has a slight bulge that ends just below the lip of the glass. Those you can pour straight in the glass. Otherwise, tilt the glass a bit while pouring the beer in to prevent excessive foaming - too much head makes it harder to drink, or worse, overflows the glass." (Too much head makes everything harder to drink and always overflows the glass!)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, crack open a beer, sit out under the stars, and have your own private esbat tonight. Don't forget to libate!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7jru1xshBcE/T_Y-GiW48tI/AAAAAAAAA_k/-oTSOT-RaEg/s1600/pagan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7jru1xshBcE/T_Y-GiW48tI/AAAAAAAAA_k/-oTSOT-RaEg/s320/pagan.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/x0q8Oho_RjM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x0q8Oho_RjM&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x0q8Oho_RjM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-blx78w0mh0Q/T_Y_cefqmFI/AAAAAAAAA_s/FG-hQqfwz8Q/s1600/beerpong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-blx78w0mh0Q/T_Y_cefqmFI/AAAAAAAAA_s/FG-hQqfwz8Q/s320/beerpong.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />These folks know about getting their balls wet:
</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></div>
<br /></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-74469429626637372942012-07-01T11:34:00.000-04:002012-07-05T21:30:44.071-04:00Art, Passion, and Heart Told Tales<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhGRGnKsffk/T_BsI-fTt6I/AAAAAAAAA9c/3qg68QZzVPU/s1600/Art,+Passion+and+Heart-Told+Tales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhGRGnKsffk/T_BsI-fTt6I/AAAAAAAAA9c/3qg68QZzVPU/s400/Art,+Passion+and+Heart-Told+Tales.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Magaly's having another party! Come see who all is attending:<span style="color: red;"> <span style="background-color: lime; color: red;"><a href="http://pagan-culture.blogspot.com/2012/06/art-passion-and-heart-told-tales.html" target="_blank">http://pagan-culture.blogspot.com/2012/06/art-passion-and-heart-told-tales.html</a>.</span></span></div>
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Click<span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/p/words-to-stroke-to.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a></span> for my contribution, "Mattress Burn." Have fun!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_GpyzEUwb0/T_BtVIPK-OI/AAAAAAAAA9k/aKYo36SitqI/s1600/tumblr_lwthh3fPtt1qzlro6o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_GpyzEUwb0/T_BtVIPK-OI/AAAAAAAAA9k/aKYo36SitqI/s400/tumblr_lwthh3fPtt1qzlro6o1_500.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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These folks know all about some mattress burns!</div>
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Quadrivium Supplies <a href="http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-43576547033839337712012-06-26T10:07:00.000-04:002012-06-26T10:07:00.438-04:00Multiple love, not multiple bastards<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MZNZBVdMubo/T-m_PC6-eQI/AAAAAAAAA6M/HyNCcTix2dM/s1600/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MZNZBVdMubo/T-m_PC6-eQI/AAAAAAAAA6M/HyNCcTix2dM/s320/logo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Polyamory.
I'm sure by just reading that one word you already have an opinion
formed. Monogamy is a much easier relationship arrangement than
polyamory, even if you have trouble being monogamous. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceJoAmXBxog/T-m_YHuageI/AAAAAAAAA6U/9g8RhsBzJU8/s1600/comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceJoAmXBxog/T-m_YHuageI/AAAAAAAAA6U/9g8RhsBzJU8/s320/comp.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span style="color: white;">In a true
polyamorous relationship, all the partners involve have to strive to
make sure that everyone gets equal time and attention with everyone
else involved and that jealousy and strife are kept to a minimum.
From personal experience, I can assure you that giving equal time to
everyone and keeping jealous thoughts and actions at a minimum is
much easier typed than done.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qt23RlCRE8c/T-m_6GKv_QI/AAAAAAAAA6s/Pbqlggy9lN0/s1600/red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qt23RlCRE8c/T-m_6GKv_QI/AAAAAAAAA6s/Pbqlggy9lN0/s320/red.jpg" width="301" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Polyamory<span style="line-height: 115%;">,
and other such free love concepts like open relationships and
swinging, also entail a great deal of responsibility. The lovers
involved have the </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">responsibility</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> of fidelity, emotional support and </span><span style="line-height: 17px;">integrity</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, and contraception--for both the prevention of disease and
children. I've noticed that a lot of Pagans, in particularly men but
not always, think "oh, we're all about nature and such we don't
need condoms" or they leave it all up to the woman (which just
seems to be a universal male tendency). </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKo4jsjvpyA/T-m_jBIKPtI/AAAAAAAAA6c/BcErK04HWr8/s1600/condommouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKo4jsjvpyA/T-m_jBIKPtI/AAAAAAAAA6c/BcErK04HWr8/s1600/condommouth.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span style="color: white;">Or, which is more truthful,
the people involve just don't care. When this happens, you end up
with a lot of unexpected children that often are not financially or
emotionally supported by the father. I've been hearing about this
more and more in the community and it bothers me. Polyamory does not
mean that you can leave a trail of bastards behind you as you bounce
from one festival to another or even one group to another. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DV2U7Z4XHEA/T-m9InGeCDI/AAAAAAAAA6E/F08RaLEGPV4/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DV2U7Z4XHEA/T-m9InGeCDI/AAAAAAAAA6E/F08RaLEGPV4/s320/16.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: white;">It does
not mean that you can sprinkle your seed across the land like
dandelion down, nor does it mean, ladies, that children should pop up
like mushrooms </span></span><span style="color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">every time</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> you spread your legs. It's not that hard to
take 10 minutes to be responsible! If you can't afford children,
then you need to save up for at least condoms and spermicide (and
don't just use the spermicide </span>dumbasses<span style="line-height: 115%;">! I've heard that excuse
too!) if not morning after pills as well.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">I
don't know how the law operates in other states and countries, but in
North Carolina if you don't pay your child support, your ass ends up
in jail. Now, to be fair, the way that the child support rate is
figured is not always just to the paying party (which is not always
the father), and if the paying parent's circumstances change, it's
usually next to impossible to get that rate decreased. However, in
most cases, I have very little sympathy when mommas and daddies end
up in jail for not paying child support, especially when the child
was born completely out of any sort of wedlock or other serious or
religious relationship, and you owe on more than one child by more
than one partner. Suck it up and take your month in jail or go get a
fucking job and stop fucking everything that moves! </span>
</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OFhIsjuquZA/T-m_yaLFZuI/AAAAAAAAA6k/ifBDOpqD-X8/s1600/cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OFhIsjuquZA/T-m_yaLFZuI/AAAAAAAAA6k/ifBDOpqD-X8/s400/cats.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-92194298266570691862012-06-24T23:00:00.000-04:002012-06-24T23:00:14.143-04:00Misdemeanors at the Altar: 2nd blog for The Pagan Values Blogject<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ib3WLdILYV8/T-fOf4Y-BsI/AAAAAAAAA5o/Ccef46R6rbc/s1600/hf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ib3WLdILYV8/T-fOf4Y-BsI/AAAAAAAAA5o/Ccef46R6rbc/s400/hf1.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
don't believe that </span>Wiccan<span style="line-height: 115%;"> clergy in particular, and Pagan clergy in
general, should have set fees for their services. I think love
offerings are wonderful if the person receiving a service wants to
offer one, and I think that within reason now that gas prices are </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">exorbitant</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, it's acceptable to ask for a little bit of money for gas
if you have to drive farther than 30 miles or so.
</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Why
am I opposed to clergy asking for payment? For one thing, being a
priest or a priestess is a calling that should not under any
circumstances hinge on being paid. If you've truly have been called
to be clergy, then the thought of posting a fee schedule is probably </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">abhorrent</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. Religion is not a business. The other reason why I'm very
much opposed to clergy asking for money for their services is that
the vast majority of Pagan clergy do not have any sort of divinity
degree. They're not professionals, although they should always
strive to act in a professional manner. If, for example, a
priest/priestess has a divinity degree from an accredited institution
(which Cherry Hill Seminary, unfortunately, is not yet), then I can
maybe see a small stipend being offered to the person by the
organization that they serve. But the bottom line is that living off
of those that you serve is wrong.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Many
Wiccans, and to a certain extend some Pagans, tend to follow only one
rule when it comes to morals: "'An it harm none, do as thou
will." While this seems like a simple enough thing to
comprehend on the surface, it's an extremely complicated and complex
notion. I've noticed that a lot of Wiccans do not apply the Wiccan
Rede to their treatment of Pagan clergy, and maybe it's because payment is
usually not requested.
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If
a clergy person is down to earth and ethical, I've noticed that many
Pagans feel that they can walk all over them. They treat their
clergy in a way that they would have never treated their Christian
clergy (yes, I did just make that sweeping statement because it's a
statistical fact that a majority of the Pagans in America were
previously Christian). If a clergy person is aloof, haughty, and
unethical, then an undeserved respect seems to be bestowed upon them.
Maybe it's because the person just expects respect instead of
working to deserve it. I guess it works along the lines that if two
items are placed side by side, one of inferior quality and one of
excellent quality, and the inferior one is priced higher than the
good quality one, the inferior product almost always sells out before
the low priced, good quality product does.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As
a priestess, the most common form of disrespect that I've
encountered is people contacting me for services--usually a
</span>handfasting<span style="line-height: 115%;">--and then jilting me at the altar after I've done a lot
of work on their </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">behalves</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. Sometimes I've already gotten </span>handfasting<span style="line-height: 115%;">
cords to them and rearranged my schedule when I'm notified that my
services are no longer needed. The quotes below are from actual
emails that I've received. Unfortunately, the quotes below are only a sampling. I could publish a small book full of the jilted altar emails that I've received. If you see a quote from an email that you've sent me, then I hope you're suitably embarrassed and that
it rained during your </span>handfasting<span style="line-height: 115%;"> ceremony.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before
we continue, I want to make it clear that none of these emails are
from people that are members of my religious organizations. The type
of disrespect that I've received from them is usually more along the
lines of what you expect from rude teenagers whose mommas didn't beat
them enough when they were growing up. It's nothing that half an
hour on my X-beam wouldn't fix! </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gRqRFh6bqtI/T-fOPysxeeI/AAAAAAAAA5g/qhWY75Po4cA/s1600/xbeam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gRqRFh6bqtI/T-fOPysxeeI/AAAAAAAAA5g/qhWY75Po4cA/s320/xbeam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Names have been changed.)<br />
"Hey! I am interested in talking to you about doing a handfasting/wedding type ceremony for us, we live in ++++++ near ++++++ and would come to the mountains preferrably. Please email me back a # or contact me via call or txt at +++++++.<br />
Thank You!!<br />
Tommy"<br />
"Dear Tommy,
What day, time, and location were you thinking about? I'm about 30 minutes from you. Did you want just a priestess or did you want a ceremony with a priest and a priestess.<br />
Chirp,<br />
Sparrow Brown"<br />
"Hey Sparrow! Thank you for getting back with me, i didnt know it but a friend of mine who is Wiccan is ordained and said she would do the ceremony for us. It will be cool having her do it since i've known her for years. We are excited about it too!<br />
Thanks again for getting back to me.<br />
Tommy<span style="background-color: white;">" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">********************************************************************************* "Hello Sparrow, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> My name is Christine. My fiance and I are planning a handfasting ceremony for July 14 in +++++++++. We live in ++++++ and own a piece of property in +++++++ and that is where we are planning on having the ceremony. Do your travel to +++++++ to preform ceremonies and are you available on July 14 of this year?
We have just started looking for someone that would be able to preform the ceremony. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> I look forward to hearing back from you, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Christine" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "Dear Christine
I am available. Do you want just me, or would you like to have a priest present too? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Chirp,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Sparrow Brown" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "Hi Sparrow, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Do you do legally recognized hand fasting ceremonies? We really only wanted to have one officiator present. How much do you charge to preform the ceremony? You are welcome to call me so that we can go over the details, my number is +++++++. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> I look forward to hearing from you, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Christine"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "I am legal in the state of NC. In order to make it legal, you'll need to get a marriage certificate from the county where the "wedding" is going to be held (++++++ Co.). The state doesn't care what form the ceremony takes, as long as all the paper work is filled out and they get their money. I don't charge anything for performing rituals, but if you feel lead to give a love offering, the money will be split between +++++++++ organization and +++++++++ organization. What time of day is good for calling? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Chirp, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Sparrow" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "Hi Sparrow, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> So what you are saying is that I will need to get a marriage license and marriage certificate from +++++++ County? The license is obtained prior to the ceremony and the certificate is filled out after the ceremony and submitted to the County, is that correct?
I am available by phone all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I am available after 6:00 PM. The exception to today is that I have an appointment at 4:00 this afternoon for about an hour.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Blessings, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Christine" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "Yes, that is correct. You and your fiance obtain the paper work from +++++++ County and pay them approximately $60, and then after the ceremony, I'll fill out the paper work and you, your new husband, and two witnesses will sign it. And then you or me (it doesn't matter which one) has about a month to turn it to make it legal. NC doesn't have any waiting periods, so you could get the paper work Friday before the ceremony. I would just call to double check to make sure the county offices are going to be open. I don't know about ++++++ County, but some counties only accept cash. This should help answer some of your questions: http://www.+++++++++
I'll give you a call tomorrow afternoon, and we'll get started hammering out the details. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Chirp, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Sparrow" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "Hi Sparrow,
I just wanted to let tell you a little bit about what is going on on my end. About 4 weeks ago I contacted someone and asked if she would do our handfasting ceremony. She said yes and I reserved the date with her. She said that she would E-mail me some paperwork within a couple of days. After about 10 days she sent me another E-mail saying that she was really busy and would send me the information that afternoon. That was 3 weeks ago and I have not heard from her since. I called and E-mailed her a couple of times with no response.
Last weekend I decided to start looking for someone else and that is when I contacted you. I contacted 10 people in total last weekend. I was a little nervous to put all of my eggs in one basket again and still not have an officiator for our ceremony. I have mailed the invitations, ordered the flowers and the food, so I was getting quite nervous about not having someone confirmed.
So that brings me to now and I sorry to tell you that we have decided to go with someone else as officiator.
Thank you for your responses to me, I really appreciate it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Blessings,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Christine"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> (A side note: I had switched things around in my schedule for this her. I also did call her when I said that I would, and I received her voice mail. This email arrived three days after I called.) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;">*********************************************************************************"Hello Sparrow!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">My fiance and I have been together for 8 years, we are looking to make it official tomorrow.
There is so much more to this story but seeing as we're short on time I have to skip it for
now. It would mean so much to us if we could marry on Halloween.
We're not doing anything fancy, friends will be present, but we could come to you if it
would be easier.
Please let me know if you can help! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Thank you,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> Teagan </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> p.s. we're in ++++++++++ nc, originally from ++++++++, we moved here at the start of the year"
(Because of the Samhain holiday, I did not get this email until 3 days after they wanted their handfasting.)
********************************************************************************* </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">I've talked to clergy people of other faiths, and they report that they do not generally have this problem. The people that I talked to say that it's not uncommon for couples to postpone a ceremony due to cold feet or to completely call off an engagement. Some of these clergy people have a set fee, but most of them don't, but accept love offerings, some of which gets personally pocketed and some of which gets turned in to their religious organization. So, since many of the clergy folks of different faiths I've spoken to do not charge a fee, I'm inclined to think that it's just Pagans behaving badly and being unappreciative and rude. That's really sad and unacceptable if we want to be taken seriously by the rest of the world.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-34282373010085953152012-06-20T18:54:00.000-04:002012-06-20T18:54:37.603-04:00The Holly Boy tied up the Ivy Girl (or maybe it's the other way around)! Happy Litha!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntAI3jgrl0g/T-I2b1Ek2DI/AAAAAAAAA4o/WOj0IRb6AHM/s1600/ivy+girl+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ntAI3jgrl0g/T-I2b1Ek2DI/AAAAAAAAA4o/WOj0IRb6AHM/s320/ivy+girl+5.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I find it really amusing how my last post really upset some folks. However, most people chose to post their complaints on other people's Facebook pages or social media sites instead of having the courage to post on my mine. <i>Tsk tsk</i>. But that's ok. Good or bad, you all really boosted my stats. Thanks! My sponsors are thrilled.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2z7GI9dT7c/T-JRS_Mo__I/AAAAAAAAA5M/7RIWUDlEd-s/s1600/ivy+girl+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m2z7GI9dT7c/T-JRS_Mo__I/AAAAAAAAA5M/7RIWUDlEd-s/s320/ivy+girl+2.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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With that said, Happy Litha! In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the longest day of the year. The long sun filled evening is perfect for outdoor play and ritual if you're lucky to have a private outdoor play space. I debated how to approach Litha, because there's just so many ways to go, but the Ivy Girl has been giving me a "come hither" look for a while, so I decided to follow.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Please note</b>: When I use the word "Ivy" in this post, I'm am speaking of English or Boston Ivy, not poison ivy.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-03SVOtljCIE/T-I3zfGemaI/AAAAAAAAA4w/QtYB3Trd1Uk/s1600/ivy+girl+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-03SVOtljCIE/T-I3zfGemaI/AAAAAAAAA4w/QtYB3Trd1Uk/s1600/ivy+girl+4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? One leaf, not three.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While the standing myth of the Oak King and the Holly King are well known (The Oak King rules from Yule to Litha, and the Holly King rules from Litha to Yule. At each of those sabats, there's a fight, with the victor being the ruler and the slain king's blood acting as sacrifice for the coming season.), many Pagans do not know about the Ivy girl. The Ivy girl has had many shapes, forms, and duties over the years. Some folks see her as the Holly King's helper and connect her with the wren of Cutty Wren fame. Other folks see her as winter and the Holly King or Holly Boy's foe. Other folks see her as a go-between for both the Oak King and the Holly King, neither serving or belonging to either but enjoying and balancing both. This last guise is how I see her. In this form, she can be seen as representing the in-between times of Spring and Fall that tie the time of Plenty and Leisure (Harvest) with the time of Leanness and Perseverance (Winter).</div>
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There are lots of ways to honor the Ivy Girl, Holly King, and Oak King this Litha. The easiest and most passive way is to buy an ivy plant and try to keep it alive. Ivy, which represents fidelity, is a great gift for new couples. If the plant dies, you can always tell them that it means one of them must be cheating (it's doesn't really, but they don't know that!). Ivy vines, because of the plant's meaning, is also very appropriate for a handfasting cord.</div>
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My favorite way to honor the Ivy Girl is with bondage. Ivy, like all vines, are really just Nature's ropes. For light bondage, one strand of ivy can be used. If sturdier bonds are called for, multiple strands of ivy can be twisted into a rope, or a rope and be used for the base bondage with ivy intertwined over top for a nice look. Ivy also makes a nice, sexy outfit, as can be seen in the first photo. If you want to honor all three Solstice players, tie the one you love the best to a strong oak tree with ivy vines and use holly leaves to awaken his or her senses before having your way (consensually, of course). If outdoor play is out of the question, seek out a piece of oak furniture. The wood will still convey the same strong qualities.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">As with any sort of S&M and or sex ritual, be responsible. Use safe words and condoms and respect boundaries. No under aged participants or spectators. Outdoor sex should be on private property. Bondage should allow for blood flow. If you break skin, use first aid to treat it and clean your equipment properly. And for heaven’s sake, avoid the spine and kidney area! </span>
</div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-86475764473818632502012-06-18T23:30:00.000-04:002012-06-18T23:30:40.400-04:00Ruffled Feathers<br />
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Like
a lot of things in my life lately, I'm a little late to the party.
That's </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">OK</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. I'm here now. In support of the</span></span><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="http://paganvalues.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Pagan Values Blogject</span></a> </span><span style="color: white;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">, I've written a short series of what pretty much amount
to rants about the current state of Paganism. I try, for the most
part, to shy away from straight out rants on this blog. Rants just
don't fit into the purpose. Instead, I slip them in to my blogs in </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">insidious</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and </span>snarky<span style="line-height: 115%;"> ways. However, during the month of June, the
Pagan Values Project, invites Pagans to share their ethics, values,
and virtues with the world at large and to rant about the importance
or lack of these things in the Pagan community.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So,
with out further ado, here's my list of rants about the Pagan
community and the things I see as important.</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yes,
despite the nature of my blog, I do have ethics, values, and virtues
that I live by and that I expect other people to live by too.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Despite
what many people may think, I'm very old fashioned and in some ways
quite </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">conservative</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
don't </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">necessarily</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> have problems with folks who are fluffy bunny
Pagans in general, I have a big problem with fluffy bunnies who are
narrow minded. Part of why I started this blog was to broaden the </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">horizons</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> of those fluffy bunnies who think ideas such as mine have
no place in modern Paganism.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pagans
need to fully embrace that sex and procreation are part of nature
based religions, but that while everyone should fully embrace this,
it's not appropriate to have literal representations at all events.
It's OK to have family rituals and adult rituals, but please make
sure that it's not for some lame fluffy bunny reason like "the
intensity of the power raised in circle will be too much for
children" or "the deep personal journey of the guided
meditation is not appropriate for the child." Please, those
are bullshit reasons not to have children at ritual. Be an adult
and say you don't like children because you think they're
disruptive.
</span></div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;">It's
alright if the grittier side of Paganism is not for you--and please
feel free to judge away because I've already judged you--but stab me
in the chest instead of the back. Pagans seem to think that back
stabbing, bickering, and witch wars are perfectly acceptable. It's
not acceptable. We shouldn't be fighting more than the </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Baptists</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. If
you can't say something to someone in person because you don't have
the balls, then you shouldn't say it online. Electronic testicles
don't count in the real world. They only count in your false
reality.</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sacrifice
is important. The aversion to all manners of sacrifice is the
reason why America and Pagans often fail. Submission, </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Perseverance</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">,
and </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Endurance</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> is the path to Deity. Think of the Chinese </span>Kung Fu<span style="line-height: 115%;">
master in the Kill Bill movies. He is Deity and Bea Kiddo is on the
path to enlightenment.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's
a time for modesty and a time nudity. Sometimes your blouse needs a
safety pin and you need to wear a sweater.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Be
authentic or you'll never truly be able to interact with Deity.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">If
there's going to be a viable Pagan community that is going to be
taken seriously, then people need to be active and involved. The
includes charity and volunteerism. While Pagan clergy should not be
paid for their services, especially if they don't hold a divinity
degree, Pagans should be the ones to fund their covens and groups.
This world no longer works on the bartering system. Dig in your
pocket and find a dollar. That being said, clergy and others should
not live off their groups. </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Religious</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> education should be free, and
the only people who should be allowed to make a living from holding
a Pagan event is somebody who is honest enough to bill themselves as
a promoter instead of hiding being a clergy title and a group </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">affiliation</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's
my rant for now. Jilting clergy will be up next, and irresponsible
polyamory will end the series.</span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-28479549457059656322012-06-18T16:56:00.000-04:002012-06-18T16:56:08.702-04:00May you never thirst, part 3: You're a grape because you're full of whine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oIHXAwtZARI/T9-VGyD1rDI/AAAAAAAAA3I/Ybeo72f8nzo/s1600/wine+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oIHXAwtZARI/T9-VGyD1rDI/AAAAAAAAA3I/Ybeo72f8nzo/s1600/wine+3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
What do fancy dinners, Wiccan rituals, Ernest Hemingway, and my favorite punch all have in common? Wine! Pagans and yuppies in particular seem to be fond of wine. For some reason, and I suspect that it goes back to mistaken thoughts about ancients and carry overs from Christian communion, many Pagans feel that they can only use wine for cakes and ale. This of course is ridiculous, but wine is still the most popular beverage in circle.
Wine is incredibly easy to make, which probably explains why most of the world's cultures have some version of it. Kordwainer, who has been Wiccan for 20 years, makes wine at home.<br />
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Several years ago he was looking for a new project to take on.
" A friend of mine suggested that I look into wine making. It was good timing too, because there were a couple of learning opportunities right around the bend. I ended up attending a workshop by the agricultural extension service and enrolling in a short class at a local
farm just a month or so later. " Since learning about wine making, Kordwainer has made several batches of wine, from both kits (like making a cake from cake mix) and crushed fruit (like making a cake from scratch), some of which have been used in rituals for cakes and ale and libation.<br />
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Wine holds a sacred spot in Kordwainer's religious beliefs.
"I am, in particular, a devotee of Dionysos, God of wine (among
other things). He is the Divine aspect that resonates most deeply with me
and I see His story played out in the actual wine making process
itself," explains Kordwainer.
"In a body of Myth associated with Orphic cults, we
are taught that humanity was originally made partly of the
remains of the infant Dionysos and partly of the Titans who kidnapped and
dismembered Him. When Zeus discovered that the Titans had killed the child and
were preparing to make a meal of him, He showered the entire scene with His
lightning, destroying both the attackers and the victim. Hermes swooped in and
carried away Dionysos's still beating heart, from which He was later reborn. The
soot and ash that was left over served as the raw material from which Zeus
formed mankind. The material was a mix of the remains of the baby and His
murderers, therefore each of us has something of the God in us as well
as more base and wicked impulses.<br />
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"Dionysos's bodily destruction at the hands of
the Titans is mirrored in the crushing of the grape, and the gradual
separation of the new wine from the must and lees reflects His role in
elevating our own spirits, drawing out more of our Divine nature and leaving
behind our titanic influences.<br />
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"What I've enjoyed more than anything else has been
muscadine wine. I love the flavor, and the grapes themselves have an untamed quality that I admire. I think of them as embodying more of the wild Dionysian spirit."<br />
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As I stated above, wine is really easy to make. It is also completely legal to make at home, as long as you don't sell your wine or make more than around 100 gallons. Of course, like anything, there's always somebody willing to sell their sqeezings regardless of the law.Kordwainer said that his initial investment was about $200, which included yeast and fruit for his first batch and a bundled kit from a wine shop. The typical kit includes a primary fermenter, two secondary fermenters, a hydrometer (a tool that measures sugar/alcohol levels), and some tubing for racking. With this set up, you're ready to start making your first batch.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">According to Kordwainer, "You basically start with some sweet liquid, like fruit
juice, and place it in a controlled environment where you can manage things like
temperature and exposure to oxygen. Fruit pulp or whole crushed fruit is often
left in the juice to help provide aroma and color. This juice/fruit combo is
called "must". Into your must, you introduce some yeast and give it time
to convert the sugar into alcohol, making sure to keep an eye on the
process. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "At some point you'll have to separate the wine from
the sediment (called the "lees") or the wine will take on some unpleasant
flavors or odors. The separation is accomplished by draining the wine into a new
container, leaving the lees behind (this is called "racking"). You'll
probably have to rack a batch of wine at least twice before you get an
acceptable level of clarity. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;">"When the wine is clear, and the fermentation
process is complete, you'll hopefully have a very dry wine. Any sweetness left
at this point means that the fermentation process was halted before the yeast
could eat all the sugar, and that can be a bad sign. Most winemakers will
sweeten their wine at least a little after the fermentation process is done and
before final bottling, but for fans of dry wines, it's not strictly necessary.
It is important to stabilize the wine (kill any remaining yeast) before
bottling, though. If fermentation restarts after the wine is bottled, it can
have explosive results (literally). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">"You have to make sure the sugar level in your juice is high enough to get
the potency you want in your wine, and you have to be careful about what
strains of yeast you use and make sure that the risk of contamination from other
bacteria is minimized. My best tip is <i>Sanitation is king</i>. Keep
everything sanitized; even the slightest contamination can ruin a batch of wine.
Next, I'd advise you to do your homework. Read some books, take a class or
attend a workshop if you're able to. Try to at least partially
understand what you're trying to accomplish on a chemical level. I'm no
chemist, but the little bit I learned has really help immeasurably. Finally, I'd
say to be prepared to exercise some patience. Wine takes a long time to mature.
You're looking at 3 or 4 months at least before a batch is drinkable, and
letting it mature longer after bottling greatly improves its
quality." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Just as wine and ritual seem to be a natural pairing, food and wine seem to be quite natural as well. While many wine aficionados spend endless hours biting their nails over pairing just the right wine with their food, Kordwainer says that it's not a big deal.
"It's a bit like magick, actually. In a way, wine/food pairing follows the law of attraction. Like calls to like. Red meats go with red wines; and white meats like poultry or fish go with white wines. Rich foods pair nicely with more robust wines, and milder food match with lighter wines. Of course, the most important rule is to drink wine you enjoy with food you enjoy, preferably in enjoyable company. " </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">Just as pairing the right wine to the right cuisine is important, pouring wine properly is also important. "There are differing opinions about that. There are a LOT of variables, honestly: the exact temperature at which to serve the wine, the shape of the glass, how long to let it breathe before pouring, whether or not to use a decanter, etc. Pouring a glass of wine can be an art, or even a science. To add to the confusion, it can all change for different varieties of wine. You pour a still wine into the center of the glass, but you pour a sparkling wine against the edge to keep it bubbly. White wines are more commonly served chilled than reds, although sweeter red wines sometimes break this rule.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"> "My own favorite serving method is highly unorthodox, but it does have some historical justification. The Greeks, in accordance with the edicts of Dionysos, always mixed their wine with water. To them, the drinking of unmixed wine was a sign of barbarism. I prefer to mix my wine with club soda and serve it over ice. I also favor sweet, full bodied wines which work out well with this method. I know that there are some cultured wine buffs who would have my head, but I pour it to drink and enjoy, and I think that's the real secret to the perfect glass of wine." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">With that said, imbibe some wine and try not to act like a maenad (at least not too much!).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-18374067646221692702012-05-22T21:08:00.000-04:002012-05-22T21:09:19.444-04:00All Tied Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been a little tied up lately, suspended between all my different worlds and responsibilities. However, now that May(hem) will be over soon, things should calm down some and my bonds will be loosened.<br />
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The winner of the Erotic Sensations (<a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a>) three candle gift package is Catherine W.! Please email me your mailing address at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com. A big thank you to Erotic Sensations for being a sponsor of the Barbed Pentacle the last couple of weeks and for sponsoring our giveaway.<br />
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The winner of the Barbed Pentacle prize pack is Bones! Please email me your mailing address at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.<br />
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There's lots of fun blogs in store. Just because I've been in bondage, doesn't mean I haven't been busy writing! In the next week or so, we'll finish up the "May You Never Thirst" series. Then, we'll start examining hunting and Paganism. If you hunt, fish, or trap, and you're Pagan, please email at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com. I'd love to interview you. Also, along with the hunting series, look for a review of Tonia Brown's new novel, <i>Skin Trade </i>(<a href="http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/</span></a>)!<br />
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Soon, not too soon, but soon, the Barbed Pentacle will be moving to a new home. Yes, things will be different, and you may not like them at first, but it will be a safer place--with far less censorship--to explore the grittier side of Paganism. Look for more information on the new site address in the coming weeks.<br />
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New drawing items will be posted soon!<br />
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These folks are all tied up too:<br />
Erotic Sensations: <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a><br />
Tonia Brown: <a href="http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/</span></a>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-28460205492221428552012-05-13T17:44:00.000-04:002012-05-13T17:56:47.073-04:00I'll pull your hair and smack your ass!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines , “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the <b>seven</b> braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[c] And his strength left him.</i> (Judges 16,verses 17-19)<br />
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Hair has always had certain superstitions and magic attached to it. Many of us are familiar with Samson's lovely locks and Delilah's sadistic hair fetish.
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However, hair is an under utilized magical tool and vehicle that many Pagans over look or ignore. We all know that hair is often linked to how people perceive us, and many folks go to great lengths and expense to have wonderful hair, so why not use magic in the beauty treatment?<br />
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A good deal of hair magic can take place in the shower. When washing your hair, you can envision all your stress, worry, or things that have been weighing you down or making you greasy wash away and swirl down the drain. If you want to be really witchy, you can seek out hair care products that have herbal/fruit ingredients that would aid in banishing or cleansing. A similar exercise can be done while shaving as well. Not only does your hair hold a history of your drug use, it also holds a history of your health, stress, and success. If you need a new start, shave your hair. You don't have to go to the extreme of shaving your head, since shaving any body hair will sympathetically erase your past so that you have a smooth new slate.<br />
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Once you've gotten rid of the negatives, you need to invite in the positives. For this you can create your own Herbal Essence with hair teas. The word tea in this since is a little misleading. Some hair teas are meant to be ingested like traditional teas, but many of the "teas" are simply meant to be used as a hair rinse at the end of a shower. The easiest one to make is the Scarborough Fair hair rinse.<br />
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Take equal parts (about a teaspoon dried) parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme and add it to 2 cups boiling water. Let the tea steep until cool and then strain. Then use the tea as a rinse at the end of your shower, thoroughly working it into your hair. Besides the magical properties associated with the herbs, the tea is a good tonic for your hair.
Another tea that is easy to make is chamomile and lemon tea. This tea is for blonde hair. Take two teaspoons dried chamomile and one tablespoon lemon juice. Add these items to 2 cups boiling water and let it steep until cool. Strain and use as a rinse. As you pour the rinse into your hair, imagine your hair getting brighter and your disposition becoming sunny.<br />
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Before we get out of the shower, color magic and hair should be explored. If you regularly dye your hair, do some research on the magical meaning of your hair color. If things aren't going the way that you had hoped, consider changing your hair color. Sometimes just changing the shade will help. If you're adventurous, or have a job where you're allowed to have unnaturally colored hair, have fun coordinating your hair color to your magical workings. There's lots of temporary hair dyes on the market (including Kool-Aid from high school), as well as hair mascaras and hair pieces.
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Women for ages have been magically brushing their hair. Ancient magical and cosmetology texts are full of brushing spells. Basically, you are either brushing things magically out of your hair or magically brushing things into your hair. Some folks integrate glamoury into their brushing spells, but others use number magic and numerology. Brushing your hair is something you probably do at least once a day if not more, so just have fun and see what you come up with. Plus, you if you have a partner that is so inclined, your numerology and number magic can be mirrored with smacks from your hair brush. Take care when disposing of the hair from your hair brush. If you're skilled in tedious craft work, a hair talisman based upon Victorian hair jewelry can be made. However, if you're the type that usually just throws away your hair, the hair should either be burned or buried lest it fall into the wrong hands. Not only is it a DNA gold mine, but it's the easiest way for someone to do a spell that involves you (either good or bad).<br />
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Another way to integrate magic into your hair is with twists, braids, and hair accouterments. You can twist your intent into your buns and up-dos, or you can braid your intent. For this method of hair magic, using a magical chant or power word that is recited at each twist or braid lay over works best. Your magic can be strengthened by adding in beads and ribbons with color and number magic, or with feather extensions, which integrates feather and bird correspondences. The metal that hair barrettes are made out of can also be added into the magical mix since many deities have specific metals that are sacred to them, astrological planets are corresponded to metals, and the metals themselves also have certain magical properties.<br />
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Have fun playing beauty shop, and remember that braids makes magical bondage awesome!<br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Porphyria's Lover</span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span class="author" style="display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; text-transform: uppercase;">BY <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-browning" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: none;">ROBERT BROWNING</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">The rain set early in to-night,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> The sullen wind was soon awake,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">It tore the elm-tops down for spite,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And did its worst to vex the lake:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> I listened with heart fit to break.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">When glided in Porphyria; straight</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> She shut the cold out and the storm,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">And kneeled and made the cheerless grate</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Which done, she rose, and from her form</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And laid her soiled gloves by, untied</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Her hat and let the damp hair fall,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And, last, she sat down by my side</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And called me. When no voice replied,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">She put my arm about her waist,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And made her smooth white shoulder bare,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">And all her yellow hair displaced,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Murmuring how she loved me — she</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">To set its struggling passion free</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> From pride, and vainer ties dissever,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And give herself to me for ever.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">But passion sometimes would prevail,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">A sudden thought of one so pale</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> For love of her, and all in vain:</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> So, she was come through wind and rain.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Be sure I looked up at her eyes</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Happy and proud; at last I knew</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Porphyria worshipped me; surprise</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Made my heart swell, and still it grew</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> While I debated what to do.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">That moment she was mine, mine, fair,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Perfectly pure and good: I found</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">A thing to do, and all her hair</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> In one long yellow string I wound</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Three times her little throat around,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">And strangled her. No pain felt she;</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> I am quite sure she felt no pain.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">As a shut bud that holds a bee,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> I warily oped her lids: again</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">And I untightened next the tress</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> About her neck; her cheek once more</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> I propped her head up as before,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Only, this time my shoulder bore</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Her head, which droops upon it still:</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> The smiling rosy little head,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">So glad it has its utmost will,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> That all it scorned at once is fled,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And I, its love, am gained instead!</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Porphyria's love: she guessed not how</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> Her darling one wish would be heard.</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;">And thus we sit together now,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And all night long we have not stirred,</span></span></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: red;"> And yet God has not said a word!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guOxOPt7wTM/T7Ak69sd_KI/AAAAAAAAA2E/PORhjLgHrdA/s1600/ass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guOxOPt7wTM/T7Ak69sd_KI/AAAAAAAAA2E/PORhjLgHrdA/s320/ass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These folks like to smack some ass!<br />
Erotic Sensations: <span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> </span><span style="background-color: lime; color: red;"><a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank">http://eroticsensations</a><a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank">.us</a></span></span><br />
Tonia Brown: <span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/"></a>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-70491389866445990422012-05-05T00:00:00.003-04:002012-05-05T00:00:04.149-04:00World Naked Gardening Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lic0veadKj8/T5jHWzIYUaI/AAAAAAAAAzE/g-tFq965ve0/s1600/naked_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lic0veadKj8/T5jHWzIYUaI/AAAAAAAAAzE/g-tFq965ve0/s1600/naked_1.jpg" /></a></div>
Today, while you're slinging back shots of tequila and tacos in celebration of the Battle of Puebla and Cinco de Mayo, take your clothes off and go dig in the dirt. Not only is today get drunk on Mexican beer day, but it's also World Naked Gardening Day.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXLLW6fcM9o/T5jH4bQXACI/AAAAAAAAAzM/mOI1qZTVeQ8/s1600/article-1269269000819-08D32829000005DC-4939_636x5231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXLLW6fcM9o/T5jH4bQXACI/AAAAAAAAAzM/mOI1qZTVeQ8/s320/article-1269269000819-08D32829000005DC-4939_636x5231.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you may have guessed, skyclad gardening is sponsored and advocated by several naturist societies, including <a href="http://bodyfreedom.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Body Freedom Collaborative</span></a>. For more information on <a href="http://wngd.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">World Naked Gardening Day</span></a>, visit their website naked.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0LTW6_iCoEo/T5jIv1TSKUI/AAAAAAAAAzU/YkqjvXsB7rQ/s1600/6374222557_cec65b2b7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0LTW6_iCoEo/T5jIv1TSKUI/AAAAAAAAAzU/YkqjvXsB7rQ/s320/6374222557_cec65b2b7b.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Happy Gardening! Don't forget the sunscreen in those "special" spots!<br />
<br />
<b>These folks garden naked:</b><br />
<b>Erotic Sensations: <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></b><br />
<b>Tonia Brown:<span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></b>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-55428113920557189042012-04-30T00:00:00.000-04:002012-04-30T00:00:12.101-04:00Dear God, Please Fill My Chalice. Happy Beltane!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">While a lot of modern Pagans tone down Beltane because of families and such and the whole fluffy bunny aspect of the current state of Paganism, Beltane is really all about sex.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mI5xvw009pE/T5jQUxOdc4I/AAAAAAAAAzg/mcUU6nQabNg/s1600/beltane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mI5xvw009pE/T5jQUxOdc4I/AAAAAAAAAzg/mcUU6nQabNg/s320/beltane.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The most obvious representation of the Great Rite, Hieros Gamos, and the importance of ritual mating at Beltane is the Maypole.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZXj8vvzork/T5jQv87hM3I/AAAAAAAAAzo/qDfl-TCRRTM/s1600/hjsgfsdfgasdf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZXj8vvzork/T5jQv87hM3I/AAAAAAAAAzo/qDfl-TCRRTM/s320/hjsgfsdfgasdf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Remember, a May pole without a flowered wreath is just a hand job! I've seen a lot of wreathless May poles in the last few years, and I'm not sure why this trend has developed. Perhaps it is ignorance or perhaps single people are just preparing the poles.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tko8u02ouFw/T5jRLvJpxkI/AAAAAAAAAzw/Ipvuq2-ZTbU/s1600/elves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tko8u02ouFw/T5jRLvJpxkI/AAAAAAAAAzw/Ipvuq2-ZTbU/s320/elves.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Beltane, like Samhain, is a time when the veil is thin. While we typically think about ghosts and spirits coming through the veil at Samhain, Beltane is usually seen as a time for fairies.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3oBHgPkPrI/T5jRtGjUHPI/AAAAAAAAAz4/8d9rzB5hn0o/s1600/sdfgsdfgsdf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3oBHgPkPrI/T5jRtGjUHPI/AAAAAAAAAz4/8d9rzB5hn0o/s320/sdfgsdfgsdf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Beltane also seems to be big with skyclad celebrants. Of course the sexual nature of the holiday has a lot to do with the desire to forget clothing, but it's also (in many areas) the first warm weather holiday. It's nice to feel the sun soaking into your naked skin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Nakedness+Pagans=Body Paint Go for a solid color theme, or explore your creativity and go for designs. <a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/2012/03/ostara-is-like-fresh-laid-egg-sometimes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Here are some body paint ideas.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Beltane, like other cross-quarter holidays, is a fire festival. Traditionally, live stock were driven between fires, and people jumped fires for luck.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F92a1bDqSOw/T5jTZejf6bI/AAAAAAAAA0I/lvg7jJQQ7XU/s1600/sdfadfgfh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F92a1bDqSOw/T5jTZejf6bI/AAAAAAAAA0I/lvg7jJQQ7XU/s320/sdfadfgfh.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At this time of year, you usually see the spinners:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVlhMBhpjIw/T5jTm9VakAI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/mu_7-1cqgTs/s1600/fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVlhMBhpjIw/T5jTm9VakAI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/mu_7-1cqgTs/s320/fire.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And the dancers:</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YnTj_JvuR3M/T5jTvBtuQDI/AAAAAAAAA0c/3WSNppuUbPI/s1600/society.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YnTj_JvuR3M/T5jTvBtuQDI/AAAAAAAAA0c/3WSNppuUbPI/s320/society.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Beltane also seems to be the unofficial start to the festival season. Of course, every poi spinner has to come out to show off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">They annoy me because they all seem to act like they're something special and are really only enjoyable if I'm taking something that accentuation light trails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">While the Lord and Lady hook up during Beltane, many other couples do too. In ancient times, it was customary for the young man to build a brush and flower bower to bed his chosen lady in. This custom is still sweet and timeless today.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gzkFeHjWhlo/T5jU9dPOQbI/AAAAAAAAA0s/lOD0S0wfsoc/s1600/ydgdg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gzkFeHjWhlo/T5jU9dPOQbI/AAAAAAAAA0s/lOD0S0wfsoc/s320/ydgdg.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">While you make love, feel your inner deity come through and connect to your partner's inner deity.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPD_D5M9BLs/T5jVonEhU0I/AAAAAAAAA00/7UbLmYWHhmo/s1600/ghssdfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPD_D5M9BLs/T5jVonEhU0I/AAAAAAAAA00/7UbLmYWHhmo/s400/ghssdfg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">May you experience fire, flowers, and an ecstatic May pole dance!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tklfWVFO0Sc/T5jWBuySBtI/AAAAAAAAA08/mFWnarbBTXY/s1600/spanked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tklfWVFO0Sc/T5jWBuySBtI/AAAAAAAAA08/mFWnarbBTXY/s320/spanked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>These folks like fire in their Beltane:</b></div>
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<b>Erotic Sensations: <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></b></div>
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<b>Tonia Brown: <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-91642375826682935702012-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T00:00:10.350-04:00Intercourse in Ritual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;">"There is something so amazing about a sexual climax, where you are so engulfed by the sensations, that
I think you actually transcend your own self and ego ... and all that you identify with at that point, and [you] achieve a new level or consciousness that is totally pure."
--Martina
</span><span style="color: #7f3f00;"><br /></span><br />
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There's tons of books and websites and workshops out there about sex magic and tantric sex. That's not what this entry is about.<br />
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Intercourse in ritual is a natural extension of Hieros Gamos, the sacred marriage and union of the God and Goddess. There are many different ways that sex can be used in ritual to enhance the ritual and magic. And sex, as it's being used here, means with two or more people or solitary. Masturbation works just as well as partnered sex. Here's a short, short run down of some different ideas to get you into the Beltane spirit.<br />
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<b><u>Sex to call the quarters</u></b><br />
Consider using different positions, toys, or acts to call in the elements and quarters.<br />
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<b><u>Sex to Invoke the Lord and Lady</u></b><br />
Consider using different positions or toys to invoke the God and Goddess. If you're having sex with a partner of the opposite sex/gender affiliation, when invoking the Goddess, the girl can be on top. When invoking the God, guy on top.<br />
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<b><u>Sex to raise energy</u></b><br />
In many different sex magic traditions, sex is used to generate the energy behind the magic, with the spell being completed upon climax. <br />
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<b><u>Literal Hieros Gamos</u></b><br />
Instead of an athame and chalice, use your body as it was meant to be used!<br />
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<b><u>Libation</u></b><br />
If your tradition calls for libations to be poured during ritual, sexual fluids are a wonderful libation liquid and are much more meaningful than cheap wine.<br />
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<b><u>Sex to ground</u></b><br />
While sex can be used to raise energy, sex can also be used to dissipate energy. As you climax, feel all that extra energy from ritual seep into the ground and leave your body.<br />
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<b><u>Sex as the whole ritual</u></b><br />
For those with stamina and creativity, sex can be the whole ritual act. Foreplay can be used to call in the elements and invoke the Lord and Lady, food can be added in for cakes and ale, and climax after climax can be added in for magical acts, libations, and grounding.<br />
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Remember:<br />
<span style="color: red;"><i>Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
</i></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
With the Lady's words in mind, outdoor sex should be done on private property, no underage participants should be present at rituals that involve sex or sexual acts, and all sexual acts should be consensual.<br />
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<br />
<b>These folks have sex in ritual:</b><br />
Erotic Sensations: <span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></span><br />
Tonia Brown: <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-5724490332925930112012-04-19T21:39:00.000-04:002012-04-19T21:39:20.951-04:00May You Never Thirst, Part 2: I'll Bring the Hooch and You Bring the Cooch!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/R0QPvejZLHQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I always wanted a flower making machine! For a lot of folks of a certain generation or folks who grew up in the Carolinas, most of our images of untaxed homemade liquor came from <u>The Andy Griffin Show,</u> old time NASCAR (before it crossed the Mississippi), and our grandparents.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the spirit of full disclosure, my first experiences with moonshine was my grandmother telling me stories about her two older brothers bootlegging in their "peg leg" model T for a family they married into. Evidently, they would come and hide at the house when the law was after them. My grandmother remembered her mother bribing all the children with candy so they would not to talk to the police when they came to the door. Grandma always ended the stories with "But that's not something we tell folks. That poor girl couldn't help her daddy was a bootlegger." Sorry Grandma. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a_irypbppjs/T5Cv8XZIEmI/AAAAAAAAAxs/yzNvUm7LnBY/s1600/j.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a_irypbppjs/T5Cv8XZIEmI/AAAAAAAAAxs/yzNvUm7LnBY/s320/j.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moonshine is not a thing of the past. Any random viewing on cable or satellite TV will offering up several different television shows and documentaries on the practice, especially since the suicide of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Sutton" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Popcorn Sutton</span></a>. Moonshine is still being made by lots of people: young and old; Pagan and Christian. <i>Mr. Mt. Dew</i> is just such a distiller--former distiller. While he started out Christian (like many of us), he's followed a more or less Druidic path for the last four years. He started out learning the family recipe for moonshine from his grandfather when he was a boy. After his grandfather passed, Mr. Mt. Dew continued to distill for the next six years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLvcsG306ek/T5C0z_Fe4UI/AAAAAAAAAx0/uk8fiDrQax4/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLvcsG306ek/T5C0z_Fe4UI/AAAAAAAAAx0/uk8fiDrQax4/s320/f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr. Mt. Dew has made it all, from bath tub gin to fruit brandies (just white liquor made from fruit) to corn liquor to wine and mead. He use to raise some of the corn and fruit himself, but at other times the materials were outsourced. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr. Mt. Dew also incorporates whiskey and distilling into his religious practice. "I fully believe in using spirits in spiritual practice. Whether it be to honor, or show reverence, or to feel 'closer' to them. In almost all branches of religion, Pagan, Christian, etc. some form of wine, beer or other distilled spirit has always been used in ritual or ceremony. And in the process of making the alcohol, I feel an almost divinity, in the sense that it amazes me that I can take something of this earth and create something for pleasure, relaxation, and worship from it."</div><div "ferment"="" "worm"="" 148="" 173="" 212="" a="" active="" added="" after="" alcohol="" allow="" and="" anything="" are="" around="" at="" avoid,="" away,="" back="" basic="" batch,="" be="" because="" blind="" boiled,="" boils="" box="" breaks="" broken="" brought="" called="" can="" chemical="" class="separator" coiled="" cold="" come="" common="" condense="" constantly.="" contains="" contaminants.="" controlling,="" copper="" corn="" cornmeal,="" couple="" depending="" down="" drops="" equal="" ethanol="" few="" filled="" first="" for="" form,="" from.="" general="" generalized,="" has="" have="" ice,="" in="" inside="" into="" is="" it="" large="" likely="" liquid.="" liquid="" made="" make="" mash,="" mash.="" mash="" material.="" meal.="" methanol,="" mixture.="" mixture="" monitoring="" most="" of="" on="" or="" out,="" parts="" period="" pot,="" pour="" practice="" premise="" process,="" raw="" reaction="" really="" selected="" shots="" sit="" size="" so..you="" sour="" specific="" starches="" start="" steam="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" substance="" temperature,="" temperature.="" that="" the="" they="" this:="" this="" through="" throw="" time,="" to="" travels="" tube="" usually="" vapor="" vary,="" vat,="" very="" want,="" want="" watching="" water,="" water="" what="" when="" which="" while="" with="" yeast="" you've="" you="" °f,="" °f.="" °f=""><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciopkVuk-HM/T5C20HqZwxI/AAAAAAAAAx8/ky_4BzVLw-A/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciopkVuk-HM/T5C20HqZwxI/AAAAAAAAAx8/ky_4BzVLw-A/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Distilling involves science, math, and common sense. Without these things, you're making poison. According to Mr. Mt. Dew, "The generalized, most basic premise is this: You have a substance that contains the broken down raw material. This is called mash, or sour mash. It can be of most anything you want, the most common is equal parts of cornmeal, to water, with active yeast added to start a chemical reaction which breaks down the starches in the corn meal. <br />
This mixture has to sit for a selected period of time, which can vary, depending on the size of the batch, and what you've made it from. This is to allow the alcohol to form, and "ferment" the mixture. After this process, the mash is pour into a large vat, or pot, and brought to a very VERY specific temperature. Water boils at around 212 °F, while ethanol boils at around 173 °F. Methanol, that can make you blind and is what you really want to avoid, boils around 148 °F. So, you have to be specific in watching the temperature and controlling and monitoring it constantly.<br />
The liquid is boiled and travels through a copper tube called a "worm", which is usually coiled inside a box filled with ice or very cold water to condense the steam vapor back into liquid. When the first few drops of liquid come out, it is a general practice to throw the first couple shots away because they are the most likely to have contaminants.<span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">"</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uyAwmie_k6I/T5C4mg1ZN-I/AAAAAAAAAyE/MxePHmnzqW0/s1600/k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uyAwmie_k6I/T5C4mg1ZN-I/AAAAAAAAAyE/MxePHmnzqW0/s1600/k.jpg" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"If you want to distill at home, I recommend the stove top method. There are plenty of informative websites now that can tell you how to build your own basic still from a coffee pot and styrofoam cooler. I would recommend you research it very diligently, and make sure you know what you're doing before you start, simply because you can cause yourself, or a loved one to go blind, get nerve damage, and possibly death. It's something I DO NOT recommend anybody doing, simply for the legality and health risk. Having said that, it can be fun and adventurous as you learn more about the craft and begin experimenting with different flavor combinations." A small kitchen batch can be run for about $50.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Distilling alcohol can be illegal, and selling untaxed whiskey is very illegal.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jcBdQ87xizo/T5C5yR20i7I/AAAAAAAAAyM/p4HVg2u9Vz0/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jcBdQ87xizo/T5C5yR20i7I/AAAAAAAAAyM/p4HVg2u9Vz0/s320/g.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who really wants legal whiskey?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While Mr. Mt. Dew has never been caught, he is well aware of some close calls. "There is a United States excise tax of $2.14 for every 750 ml of distilled alcohol, 80 proof or better. Compared to 21 cents for wine, and 5 cents for a can of beer. It is primarily illegal for this reason: lost United States government revenues. The other reasons they have listed are the possibility of contamination, bacterial and otherwise, from the home distilling process. It is legal to own and operate an alcohol still, but only with an ATF permit, and only for fuel. </div>I have never had too much trouble, as I didn't get caught, haha, except for one time when I was 21. I ran the liquor in my van, and it got to a point that there was always a dark blue sedan or SUV following me when I drove that van. If I drove my small sedan, it was never there, but as soon as I hit the road in the van, there they were. So, at that point I quit for a while, and have only recently thought about starting back up."<br />
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Not a big fan of straight white liquor? Make a cordial out of it. The most famous cordial, and maybe the most historic, is Cherry Bounce. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a favorite of George and Martha Washington, and it greatly influenced North Carolina history. While there's tons of recipes, cherry bounce is basically liquor, sugar, and cherries. With this <a href="http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2011/06/cherry-bounce/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">recipe</span></a>, substitute white liquor for bourbon. For a little extra kick, imbue your Bounce with magical intent as you make it and ferment it. Say a chant every time you turn the jar. "Cherries pop, and cherries drop, but I'll always bounce, bounce, bounce!" [My cherry bounce chirp.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1KBUSqV7iq4/T5CiEbH-17I/AAAAAAAAAxU/VUOwnBSrIE4/s1600/y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1KBUSqV7iq4/T5CiEbH-17I/AAAAAAAAAxU/VUOwnBSrIE4/s200/y.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="color: red;">These folks bounce cherries</span>:<br />
<b>Erotic Sensations</b>: <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"> <b><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></b></a><br />
<b>Tonia Brown: <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Mr. Mt. Dew's Drinking Song selections:</b><br />
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</b></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-76482683808430611282012-04-17T17:07:00.001-04:002012-04-17T17:10:06.530-04:00May You Never Thirst, Part 1: Dark, Sweet, and Hot!<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the beginning of a whole new series. The last series was mainly about food; this series is mainly about drinks. If you're a Pagan mead brewer, or just a regular person who makes mead, please email me: chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the way, if you're a photographer, and you're worried about your photos being used without your permission on the Internet, then don't put the fucking picture on the Net or at the very least, water mark the bitch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">**********************************************************************************</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><b>By Mistress Marmot</b> </span></div></div>Espresso, percolators, French presses, K-cups, instant and good ol’ plain drip coffee. Nothing wakes you up like a cup o’ joe. And whether you make it yourself or have a local coffee shop employee to make it for you, it provides a sense of comfort akin to Mom’s chicken soup or warm chocolate chip cookies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OinRljNIbVM/T43UX9lunqI/AAAAAAAAAws/hcFUHCi0Rkc/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OinRljNIbVM/T43UX9lunqI/AAAAAAAAAws/hcFUHCi0Rkc/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a></div><br />
I’m a career barista (as in, yes, I do this for a living) at a major well-known coffee shop chain. I started working with coffee after I developed a severe daily habit for expensive lattes and the sort. Working 80 hours a week means that coffee is with you most of your day. Eventually the people at my local shop offered me a job and as it turned out, the benefits were better than what I was getting as a bank teller. Seven years later I’m still schlepping caffeine and still enjoying it. The term <i>barista</i> is Italian in essence, it basically means “bar person” in reference to the Italian custom of having coffee bars. So, your local coffee shop girl is your all day bartender! I could talk all day about the training, finer points and skill set of a barista, but let’s just cover the basics of brewing a great coffee at home.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIUh7enrSXI/T43Ud3cSvPI/AAAAAAAAAw0/vfkq7mAft9A/s1600/sexy_coffee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIUh7enrSXI/T43Ud3cSvPI/AAAAAAAAAw0/vfkq7mAft9A/s320/sexy_coffee2.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br />
I've got quite a few tips for you in order to perfect your coffee at home. The 4 major aspects of a good cup of coffee are freshness, water, grind and temperature. If you can buy your beans whole and grind at home or grind at the point of purchase, I HIGHLY recommend it. While pre-ground freshness techniques have improved in recent years, grinding as close to the time of brewing is best. And, this will blow your mind: DO NOT PUT YOUR COFFEE IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER. “Why?! My grandma always did!” You might exclaim. Your grandma also thinks that black people belong at the back of the bus, that doesn't mean she’s right. Not only will your coffee absorb odors and pick up unsavory tastes from your fridge, but anytime you open your cold coffee in a warmer room, you invite condensation to accumulate within your coffee container. That moisture settles into the ground coffee and undoes the roasting process. Ideally, put your freshly ground coffee in an airtight container or large Ziploc bag and store in a cupboard. While your prime freshness window is one week from time of grind, you probably won’t notice a severe decline in taste for at least a month. You want your coffee fresh and dry for the next step of brewing.<br />
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As much of a pain in the ass as it seems, use filtered or pre-boiled water whenever possible. Slight minerals that you might be accustomed to in your drinking water can have an adverse affect on the natural oils in your coffee. If you are not using a commercial coffee maker, invest in a candy thermometer and make sure that your water is approximately 180-200 degrees before you introduce it to the coffee. What your preferred brewing method is will also determine how fine of a grind you should have for your coffee. Here is a rough breakdown of how fine or course you should have your beans ground based on your coffee maker.<br />
<b>French Presses and percolators need as coarse of a grind as is possible.</b><br />
<b>A flat bottom metal or paper filter (typical basket style) needs a medium grind. This has the highest surface ratio and therefore it is better if the water passes through the coffee a little bit faster.</b><br />
<b>Cone-shaped filters will take a slightly finer grind than a flat bottom. This is so that the water sits in the cone longer since there is less surface area.</b><br />
<b>Espresso machines require a fine grind so that the machine is able to compress the coffee into pucks for the extraction process. Espresso is a concentrated shot that is force brewed quickly.</b><br />
<b>The finest grind (which may not always be available in some grocery stores) is for Turkish pots. It is extremely fine, almost a powder.</b><br />
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Now that you know how to make a tasty cup, now you can enforce getting it perfectly made everyday! Many BDSM relationships have little customs, rituals or schedules that provide much-needed structure for some submissives. Every person takes their coffee a specific way and nothing says dedication like knowing just how much cream and sugar should go in Master or Mistress’ mug in the morning. And nothing says fun like learning from the mistakes during the process!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8XLgVcyOGc/T43bQt5ksWI/AAAAAAAAAxM/bXU7Hakw3Wk/s1600/tumblr_lz4whwwkUe1rp7nhoo1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8XLgVcyOGc/T43bQt5ksWI/AAAAAAAAAxM/bXU7Hakw3Wk/s200/tumblr_lz4whwwkUe1rp7nhoo1_500.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />
Even spilling on the floor is fine, as long as a bare-ass pointed up in the air being hit with a serving spoon while they clean it up provides enjoyment for the whole gang. Along with that, coffee can be used in sleep deprivation scenes or in coffee enemas. Plus, used grounds can be made into facial masks as part of a beauty regime with pampering. Many stores sell fun accessories like serving trays as well. Imagine having your slave prance into your bedroom, the perfect cup of steaming coffee delicately balanced on it. What a way to start your morning, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Vdgsvu0HCU/T43UDLvtncI/AAAAAAAAAwc/UidRuQneaO4/s1600/ba-wickedgrounds_0500428190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Vdgsvu0HCU/T43UDLvtncI/AAAAAAAAAwc/UidRuQneaO4/s320/ba-wickedgrounds_0500428190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/30/violetblue0730.DTL" target="_blank">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/30/violetblue0730.DTL</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Personally, my favorite aspect of coffee is the serving! I spend all day serving it to the public as my job, and I’ll be damned if I will go home just to do it all again. Nothing says comfort like coming home to some Nina Simone songs, kicking off my shoes, stretching out and having a scantily clad boy bring ME a hot cup of java.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8go0WN6YIA/T43U5Xii1_I/AAAAAAAAAxE/aE9WfUMlIl0/s1600/I_love_coffee_by_KinokoFry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8go0WN6YIA/T43U5Xii1_I/AAAAAAAAAxE/aE9WfUMlIl0/s320/I_love_coffee_by_KinokoFry.png" width="224" /></a></div><b>These folks love coffee too:</b><br />
<b>Erotic Sensations: <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">http://eroticsensations.us/</span></a></b><br />
<b>Tonia Brown: <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></b>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-14183964778831988752012-04-13T10:19:00.000-04:002012-04-13T10:19:28.892-04:00Melt Me!: Hot Wax Rituals, Giveaways, and Product Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tIX89tRoVq4/T4gwl4RK0HI/AAAAAAAAAv0/I4KGO3UtvhA/s1600/4f33c9972b8ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tIX89tRoVq4/T4gwl4RK0HI/AAAAAAAAAv0/I4KGO3UtvhA/s320/4f33c9972b8ee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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It's time for a new round of giveaways and drawings. This time there will be two, yes two, drawings.<br />
<b>First Drawing (April 13-May 13)</b><br />
This drawing is open to anyone who is a PUBLIC follower of "The Barbed Pentacle" by May 13. All of the names of my public followers will be placed into a hat, and someone other than myself will drawing out the lucky name. If your name is drawn, you will win the Barbed Pentacle prize pack that includes a small strap from <a href="http://sub-shop.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sub-shop.com</span></a> (perfect for discretion while traveling), and two wax play pillars, in Barbed Pentacle colors, from <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Erotic Sensations</span></a>.</span><br />
<b>Second Drawing (April 13-May13)</b><br />
This drawing is opened to any who contacts me via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, or who emails me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com. All you have to say is "enter me in the drawing". <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-get-tangled-up-with-barbed.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Click here</span></a> </span>for links. The winner of this drawing will win a fabulous prize pack of hot pink, royal blue, and yellow pillar candles from <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Erotic Sensations</span></a>. <br />
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Erotic Sensations candles are really wonderful. I product tested one, and I have to say, they blow dollar store candles out of the water. The candle melts quickly, the wax is soft and velvety, and they are almost smokeless. There was some slight redness left on my skin after play, but it dissipated with in a minute or two. No burns at all!<br />
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What should you do with the candles that you win? Add them to your rituals! A whole section on <a href="http://barbedpentacle.blogspot.com/p/rituals.html" style="color: red;" target="_blank">Hot Wax Rituals</a> has been added to the BDSM ritual section. Just scroll down until you get to Johnny Cash. Happy waxing!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRRJWDcoCUU/T4gv2dZA6fI/AAAAAAAAAvs/Uh7JkrKXlCU/s1600/2114191141_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRRJWDcoCUU/T4gv2dZA6fI/AAAAAAAAAvs/Uh7JkrKXlCU/s320/2114191141_l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These folks wax before they ride:<br />
Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">eroticsensations.us</span></a><br />
Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2389014709154077104.post-60242294121731689662012-04-13T00:00:00.074-04:002012-04-13T00:00:10.998-04:00My Blogoversary Party Post: Sexy, Dark, and Bloody--Of Wiccan Bondage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1BIxVUIhiA/TznxaGjoi9I/AAAAAAAAAVw/Ub4_kqfuXvg/s1600/Sexy,+Dark+and+Bloody+Fiction+-+Pagan+Culture's+3rd+Blogoversary+Party+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1BIxVUIhiA/TznxaGjoi9I/AAAAAAAAAVw/Ub4_kqfuXvg/s400/Sexy,+Dark+and+Bloody+Fiction+-+Pagan+Culture's+3rd+Blogoversary+Party+Button.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rIYlAdxlIzI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">**********************************************************************************</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Of Wiccan Bondage</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-raFZYS6kt6A/TznxNHvwooI/AAAAAAAAAVo/dfv9BBkIMDw/s1600/Nobuyoshi-Araki-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: red;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-raFZYS6kt6A/TznxNHvwooI/AAAAAAAAAVo/dfv9BBkIMDw/s400/Nobuyoshi-Araki-15.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;">Photo by Nobuyoshi Araki</span></td></tr>
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<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Ever since I've found this photo, I've been fascinated by it. I like pretty Asian women, and I like them even better in shibari or other bondage. I had thought originally that I might write a bit of fiction using this photo as inspiration (because believe it or not I can write some very strokable prose), but my muse has led me in a different direction. </span></span> </span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="line-height: 100%;">I think all religion is bondage. If you're a good and proper adherent to your religion's beliefs, then you're a slave. Even with "free will" and "free choice", if you're a really </span><span style="line-height: 16px;">ardent</span><span style="line-height: 100%;"> believer then you're a slave to the Divine force that you follow. Just as the Nazi's had "</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 100%;">Work brings freedom</span><span style="line-height: 100%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">" over the gates of Auschwitz, I've had riggers whisper, "Bondage brings freedom" before they put the finishing touches on me. They were right.</span></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People who are not into bondage, or any sort of dominant/submissive acts, may not understand what the bondage riggers meant. In voluntary physical bondage, you have willingly given up all control. You can struggle, but there's no reason to because you can't get away. You can scream, but there's no reason to because your words aren't going to change the plan that your Dom(me) has decided upon. There's no reason to do anything but trust and go with the flow, and in that forced helpless state, your mind is set free to discover things about yourself you're normally too busy to notice. Things are quiet enough, finally, for your mind to be free to roam within the depths of itself.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spiritual bondage works the same way. Once you have given your will over to your Deity, and you fully trust your divinely provided intuition, you're free from worry, free from guilt, free from distrusting the way things work, free to embrace happiness. This freedom opens up other freedoms that often merge with the same freedom that physical bondage brings. I know all of this sounds a little like butterflies and ladybugs, but just like everything, there's a spider and scorpion side too.</span></span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wiccans who embrace all aspects of their faith fully are bound by some fairly stout ropes, that if broken by free will, can bring about some pretty powerful strokes from the Cosmic scourge. The main belief that Wiccans (myself included) are bound by is the Wiccan Rede, "'An it harm none, do what thou will." You can ask five people, and each person will give you a different interpretation of it. This is where the freedom of being guided by Divinity comes into play. I believe that the Rede should be interpreted differently by each person because each person engages life differently. However, despite this belief, if I go against what my God and Goddess are leading me to do, if I break my bond not to harm, then there are consequences--just as there are in the play room when you choose not to stay put.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6HvXboiuM5g/T1fenYYGjtI/AAAAAAAAAc8/zolfZmFkN80/s1600/submitbitch.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3V9xRJ1NPg/T1fgwBqEQAI/AAAAAAAAAdE/Jf0bxGrcJ0w/s1600/94222601112422159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3V9xRJ1NPg/T1fgwBqEQAI/AAAAAAAAAdE/Jf0bxGrcJ0w/s320/94222601112422159.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Most Wiccans also follow the Threefold Rule (or Law): What you do, say, and spell, will come back to you threefold. This is where the Cosmic scourge comes into play. Since you have willingly decided to be spiritually bound by Divinity, you have to trust that if you've been "good" that the lash will be soft and playful (and maybe lined with fur!), but feel certain that if you've broken your bonds, the lash will be harsh and bloody. The same is true of being in bondage to Divinity as was true in the Old Testament of being bonded to </span></span><span style="text-align: justify;">Rehoboam</span><span style="line-height: 100%;">, "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." I believe that because most Wiccans have sought out this spiritual bondage and were not forced into it, that the Universe holds us to a higher standard of behavior. Like any good submissive, we need to push ourselves to meet that challenge all the while realizing that we'll never reach perfection.</span></span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="line-height: 100%;">Just as all </span>Wiccans<span style="line-height: 100%;"> have been given different interpretations of the </span>Rede<span style="line-height: 100%;">, </span>Wiccans<span style="line-height: 100%;"> also engage their Deities in a myriad of different ways. While a lot of </span>Wiccans<span style="line-height: 100%;"> like to chase the fluffy bunny aspects of Divinity down the endless rabbit hole, I tend to like to linger in the shadows for a quickie against the wall with my God and Goddess. Sometimes they don't even take my panties off; they just pull them aside. Then we rip the fluffy bunny apart barehanded and enjoy it raw</span><span style="line-height: 100%;">. </span></span></span> </span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My bondage is sexy, dark, and bloody. My bondage has been sealed with sex and blood, just like an "Old Time" Gardnerian handfasting. And that's as it should be. The only key that will unlock my shackles is my trust in my Deities, since my bondage and servitude to them has set me free.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b-28SZu7cK8/T1feWALXBKI/AAAAAAAAAc0/DubhGldTk1Y/s1600/vw_BDSM_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b-28SZu7cK8/T1feWALXBKI/AAAAAAAAAc0/DubhGldTk1Y/s320/vw_BDSM_21.jpg" width="227" /></span></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Check out these Sexy, Dark, and Bloody folks: </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Erotic Sensations <a href="http://eroticsensations.us/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">eroticsensations.us</span></a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Tonia Brown <a href="http://www.thebackseatwriter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">www.thebackseatwriter.com</span></a></span></span></span></div>Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05566013567994661149noreply@blogger.com