The Barbed Pentacle

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Dogs and Bitches: Happy Lupercalia! (oh and that other holiday too......)

As many of you may remember from the Scourge series of blogs, Lupercalia is typically celebrated on February 15th. Lupercalia is all about scourging for fertility, wolves, Pan, and fucking!

"I said bite my neck!"

Many scholars suspect that most of our Valentine's Day traditions are derived from Roman Lupercalia practices. Over the years, the original practices, which included racing around naked, killing dogs and goats, showering in blood, and lots of sex, has been toned down. Thank the Victorians. It's all their fault.

Then there's the St. Valentine issue...........

According to the best source for information on the web, Wikipedia, Valentine "was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner – until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor – whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273."

However, which Valentine was it? There are many different records from that time for many different churchmen named Valentine (and all the different variations) and very little is know about any of them. Why did the Emperor Claudius make it illegal for folks to get married? Because he didn't have saltpeter. He felt that if his soldiers had wives at home, instead of just fun-time girls, that they would be distracted and lose their desire to fight his wars. So, to make sure that this didn't happen, he outlawed marriage. (Evidently, just like always in those early days, the Christians just couldn't follow the rules. No wonder they lost their heads!)

So where does this leave us? Personally, I say fuck Valentine! Headless corpses can't tell you to stop!

The Sacred Marriage

But seriously, as Pagans, Valentine's Day can be turned into a celebration of the Sacred Marriage between the Lord and Lady. At this time in the wheel of the year, the Goddess is about to make her ascent up from the Underworld as the Maiden and the Lord is transforming from a child to a young man--ready to sow his oats! There's no reason why you and your chosen partner shouldn't do the same.

Whether you're bound to someone.....

Or footloose and fancy free to do as you please.
If you have a partner, something fun to do for them is to wrap yourself up as their present.

It lends itself to endless possibilities. Or, if you're solo this year, try reconnecting to the sexual side of your chosen deities.

You could reconnect with your Goddess.....

Your God.....

Or be adventurous and bi-curious and go for a Ménage à trois.

So, what do I want from my partner on Lupercalia/Valentine's Day?

I'm thinking about some knife play.........or maybe a tattoo.......

But most of all, I just want him to

Monday, February 13, 2012

I'm Attending the Party!!!!!!

I'm going to attend!!!! I'm not sure what I'm going write yet, but it's going to be inspired by this photo:

I've been completely fascinated with it since I've come across it. And what is that in her ear? It looks completely awesome. So, on April 13, look for what my dark and kinky muse/Dom(me) whispers in my ear to write. Check out Pagan Culture's blog for more info.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

This and That--A Game Plan

The "Blessed Be Thy Feet" series of blogs will be winding up soon, except for updates soon from the Mormons (hopefully) and the Muslims (definitely). This means that I am currently interviewing folks on the following subjects for upcoming blogs: death and dying, raw foods (yes, that can include sushi), figging, hair rituals, menstrual blood magic, blood bonds, animal sacrifice, legal mind altering substances (mainly looking for recipes here--send yours in!), hunting, fur fetishes, and just some general interviews about stuff. If you're interested in being interviewed, have suggestions or comments, or would like to put your name in for the dress drawing (see the Feb. 4th entry for rules), please email me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com. Please remember that because of the world we live in, interviewees can remain anonymous in this blog if they choose. Don't let your name being published deter you from sharing your thoughts about things. Also, don't forget to vote on what you'd like to see next. The poll is located on the right hand side, next to this blog.
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If you all haven't figured it out already, this blog is now a part of the Pagan Blog Project. Check them out. It's a neat idea, and there's a lot of great blogs listed.
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Pleasing your deities should be the focus of all you do. May your lips always be firmly suctioned around the Lord's cock and your tongue lap luxuriously at the velvet folds of the Lady's cunt, and may their strong thighs always be your earmuffs and pillars to grab in the orgasm of life!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Part 5: Salvation for Your Sole-- Ceromancy, Falaqa, and Bastinado

He, sir, that must marry this woman. Therefore, you
    clown, abandon,--which is in the vulgar leave,--the
    society,--which in the boorish is company,--of this
    female,--which in the common is woman; which
    together is, abandon the society of this female, or,
    clown, thou perishest; or, to thy better
    understanding, diest; or, to wit I kill thee, make
    thee away, translate thy life into death, thy
    liberty into bondage: I will deal in poison with
    thee, or in bastinado, or in steel; I will bandy
    with thee in faction; I will o'errun thee with
    policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways:
    therefore tremble and depart. (As You Like It (1599); Act V, Scene 1, 45-56)

From Merriam Webster's online dictionary:
¹bas·ti·na·do

a blow with a stick or cudgel; a beating especially with a stick; a punishment consisting of beating the soles of the feet with a stick; stick, cudgel

According to the entry, the word is Spanish, but originally from Latin, and it was first used in 1572. I suspect, however, that the date may not be entirely correct. The custom of punishing the soles of a person's feet has been around far longer than that, especially in the Middle East. If bastinado was not in Spain before the Moorish Invasion, it definitely was after 711 AD. The practice is also know as falanga and falaqa (the Persian word for it). Falaqa refers to the board, which looks like an English foot stock, that is often used to immobilize a person's feet for whipping.

Bastinado is a delicate subject, not only because it's administered on a part of the body that is both tough and delicate at the same time, but because most instances of bastinado aren't for "love and pleasure". It often falls into the dark side of the light and dark dichotomy. Historically and in modern times, it was used in religious schools as punishment, by the military as an interrogation and torture method, by governments as a sentence, and in seraglios as a way to keep order.

Bahá'u'lláh of the Baha'i' faith under went Falaqa in Iran.

Political dissidents and religious minorities are often the ones to suffer bastinado. The insidious thing about bastinado is that it's a lot like being beaten by a phone book: it can inflict ungodly pain and physical damage but it doesn't usually leave marks. People tend to fold quicker under bastinado than they do with other types of torture.

So, if there is so much pain and horrid misery associated with bastinado, why am I covering it? For one thing, a reader requested that I cover it. I try to be a pleaser, when I can. For another thing, it's a perfectly valid thing to discuss within the context of this blog. Lots and lots of people have a bastinado fetish: giving, receiving, and watching. More than you might think. Type anything in this blog into You Tube and your mouth will drop and your eyes will bulge.

It has been awhile since I've been around any bastinado, and even then, it wasn't something I was around very much. In doing research for this blog, I came across a series of videos by Barefootcecilia on Youtube, which gave me a lot of ideas. However, just now when I went to link her channel to this blog, I received: "This account has been terminated due to repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines and/or claims of copyright infringement." Sorry, darling. Guess you were just too hot for You Tube (and she was hot!)

Before I go further, the standard warning statement should be made: All things should be safe, sane, and consensual. 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 with foot whipping, don't over do it. The object is to lightly stimulate nerves, not break bones (and break bones you can very easily).

There are several options for integrating bastinado into Pagan worship. Some ideas have been mentioned in the The Many Textures of Deity section and in the Cut Me a Switch, Bitch section that is under BDSM Rituals. Another idea is to have one person offer their feet up as a ritual object. In this case, the person's feet would be used for several different things. Their feet could be used as a drum, an incense holder for stick incense, a candle holder for small tapers, and if they're talented, a flat surface to hold a chalice or a bowl of water. If the person is really good at being still and completely zoning out, their whole body could be used as an altar.
Feet as a drum: Since most people don't regularly undergo bastinado, I would advise only using your hands, like with bongos. If you'd like to use drumsticks but want to play it safe, super thin plastic rulers are good implements for bastinado. They have a loud "slap" but a fleeting sharp sting that won't do any damage.
Feet as an incense holder: Unless the person has extremely calloused feet (which I'm not covering here), only use stick incense tucked in between the toes. For added sound effects that will make the "incense burner" squirm, you can periodically wet the foot down. As the ash drops, it will sizzle.
Feet as a candle holder: You can implement this idea in much the same way you would do with the incense, even down to the water. However, everybody involved should be aware that candle wax will get on the person's soles and aloe should be available for possible burns. After all the wax has dripped, ceromancy can be practiced on the images left on the person's sole. Ceromancy is traditionally the practice of divining meanings from the images of wax dripped into water, it can easily be applied to flesh as well. As with other types of divination that deal with formed images (like tea leaf reading), different shapes mean different things. After becoming familiar with the with the meaning of the shapes, use your own intuition to divine what they really mean to your situation or that of your sub's. This is a well honored method of divination among those of the kinkier sort. According to Jesterbear.com, the Italian courtesan Veronica Franco faced the Inquisition on charges related to ceromancy. I wonder if she underwent bastinado as part of the inquest?

As a nice way to wind down after circle, don't forget to tickle your "altar's" feet. According to Mistress Marmot, who started out as a sub, "When I was a sub, my Doms would tickle my feet, except I wasn't ticklish there. Instead, it would make me want to scratch my feet. It would bother me." So, tickling might not be the pleasure you intended!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Part 4: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem!

For many of us, going barefoot during childhood was a way of life, especially during the summer. Our mothers would admonish us to put on shoes and we'd laugh. Eventually, though, we grew up and donned the footwear that best suited our needs. Tight shoes for formal occasions, rubber shoes for gym, and flip flops for the summer. Some people, however, have reverted back to their childhood ways and go barefoot everywhere. These people, commonly known as barefooters or in some Pagan circles as Earthwalkers, go barefoot a majority of the time: summer, winter, city streets, stores, restaurants, etc. Some of you may laugh, some of you may roll your eyes, but the Barefoot community is growing, not just for humans but for horses as well (I kid you not!).

I got started on this path about feet because a fellow sister-in-arms who reads this blog is a barefooter. I'll share her story and exploits in a future blog. I also heard a Micheal Sandler, who is a barefoot advocate and runner, do an interview on the radio and my interest was piqued. He wasn't Pagan, and he seemed fairly main stream. However, when I requested an interview, I received no response (shame on you, Micheal Sandler!).

Micheal Sandler's site: runbare.com

While there are many sites and researchers who do not promote running or simply going barefoot because "it's dangerous", a fair amount of research has been done that proves that going barefoot and running barefoot is healthier for humans over all. According to the researchers at Harvard's Skeletal Biology Lab, running barefoot tends to make people land on their fore foot to mid foot, which is more natural and healthier for the foot than landing on the the heel.

Just like with any movement, there are lots of groups springing up to meet the demand for education, publicity, and fellowship. One of the many out there is the Society for Barefoot Living. Their site has a lot of good information, but the site hasn't been updated since 2010. Some of the information about laws may be outdated. There are also tons of Yahoo groups for barefooters out there, but I've found that they were either non-active or didn't want me in their group. I was really curious about the group Spiritualbarefootlifestyles, but they seem to be dead. I joined several months ago, and there has been no activity. It's a shame because they taut themselves as for "Pagans, Wiccans, Spiritualist, 'Mystics', and the like who enjoy being barefoot as a lifestyle or as a part of worship."

So where does that leave Pagans in the barefoot movement? Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure. From my brief survey of folks from several different paths in different parts of the United States, there doesn't seem to be a large Pagan presence in the Barefooter movement. In the Southwest, people don't go barefoot much because of scorpions, snakes, and nasty sticker plants. In the Midwest, it's usually too cold. In Hawaii, nobody would respond to my emails. What I have found, though, is that a lot of Pagans will take their shoes off in circle, so that they "can feel the Earth energy and connect" or something like that. I've also had several Pagans tell me that they've noticed that people will go skyclad in circle but still wear shoes. That's a little like wearing utilitarian socks during sex: visually unappealing and just wrong. If you'd like to get started going barefoot slowly, see Christopher Penczak's book The Inner Temple of Witchcraft for a nice Earthwalking meditation.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ascent of the Goddess Dress Drawing

In many Pagan belief systems, the Goddess descended to the Underworld in the Fall of the year. In the Spring, she ascends from the Underworld to bring bounty and goodness to the land. In honor of the Ascent, The Barbed Pentacle will be holding a drawing for a beautiful, vintage white dress. This dress is size 7(according to the tag), white with lace and a small bouquet of embroidered flowers on the bodice, and it is made of polyester and cotton. According to the tag, it is made by Candi Jones California.
Except for a few small moth holes at the hem of the dress and a small rust stain or two at the hem, the dress is in really good shape. The bodice is too small for me and the the dress itself is too long. As is, it is perfect for a thin, tall person, or it can be altered with loops and lacing in the back or be shortened or both. The dress would be ideal as a handfasting dress, a fetish ball dress, an initiation dress, or for use in portrayal of the Maiden goddess or any other white clad goddess.

The photo doesn't do the dress justice.

Rules for the drawing: The drawing will run from February 4th-March 4th. You may enter as many times as you wish. You can enter by emailing me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com with "dress drawing" in the subject line, you can message me (Sparrow Brown) on Google + with the subject of "dress drawing", or you can @barbedpentacle tweet me with the message "#dress entry". I will write all the entries on pieces of paper, and on March 5, a person other than me will draw the winning name. I will post the name here on this blog. You will then have 7 days to email me your mailing address, and I will mail your prize to you. If I do not hear from you within 7 days, I will publicly ridicule you on this blog and another name will be drawn.

Happy Ascent!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Blessed Be Thy Feet, Supplement A: My sole is bound to you

Shibari (and all its bastardize, alternate spellings) is Japanese rope bondage. It is more properly know as kinbaku. The art form is a true discipline, every bit as much as karate, and people who master it are true masters, not just in the S&M sense. It can be done to any part of the body, including hair, and the designs range from simple to a level of complexity that takes hours to create. Most shibari designs appear to be knotted but really are not. That's the beauty of it.

I love having shibari ropes on me. It puts me in a most delicious head space, perfect for play or ritual. Shibari makes me feel special and cherished--one of the nicest feelings you can convey to a partner. While I love having the ropes on me, I, however, make a mess when I try to put the ropes on other people. At the end of this blog, I've included two simple tutorials for foot shibari. Also, if you decide to really get serious about the discipline, check out anything by Two Knotty Boys or try to see Nikki Nefarious.

Foot shibari is ideal in ritual situations because not only does it lend itself to several different uses, but it can be done in solitary, partner, or group ritual. It can be done to help you reach a meditative state. It can also be done to help with prayers in much the same way prayer beads are used. For every knot or special loop, a line from a prayer can be said or a specific deity remembered. The knots and loops can also be used in conjunction with number magic and knot magic. If using knot magic, you may want to cut the ropes off instead of untying them so that the magic is not undone (unless, of course, that's part of the ritual).

Probably the most intimate and meaningful way foot shibari can be used in circle is in binding rituals. Usually when folks say "binding rituals", they mean a ritual to bind someone, thing, or tendency up so that it/they can't do any harm. This isn't that type of ritual. What I mean by binding here is becoming bound to someone, a deity, or a group. Think of it this way, whoever controls your feet controls you. Feet are your mobility and free will. That's why it's worse to have a foot cut off than to have a hand cut off. However, many of us would gladly give up our freewill to a god or goddess, which is why foot shibari makes a good addition to group or self dedication ceremonies. If your deity has a sacred number, make sure to have that many knots or twists in your design. If your deity has a sacred color, get the right color of rope.

As with any bondage, make sure all participants are of age and do consent. Make sure that your bondage is not so tight that you lose blood flow. Numbness isn't really ideal. Also, make sure that safety scissors are handy in case the bondage needs to be cut quickly. Test cutting your rope with your scissors before you start. Have fun being all tied up!

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