The Barbed Pentacle

Nyx Oracle Ritual

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.

Timing:  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.

Materials: 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: http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/), and pieces of rope to bind "Nyx" with that will represent her children.

The Ritual: 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.

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.

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.

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."

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.  

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.

"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.

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.

These folks know Nyx too:

Quadrivium Supplies  http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com

Erotic Sensations http://eroticsensations.us/

Tonia Brown www.thebackseatwriter.com

Quadrivium Supplies  http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com

Erotic Sensations http://eroticsensations.us/

Tonia Brown www.thebackseatwriter.com

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.

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).

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. "

Even though Hawthorne describes himself as Wiccan, he keeps his brewing life and Pagan life separate--or at least so far.    

While witch's brews may not always be simple, brewing beer is more simple than a lot of people realize.

"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.

" 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."

Like anything dealing with alcohol, there are legalities. "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."

Brewing can also be a fairly cheap hobby.  "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."

 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.  "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!)
So, crack open a beer, sit out under the stars, and have your own private esbat tonight.  Don't forget to libate!

Magaly's having another party!  Come see who all is attending: http://pagan-culture.blogspot.com/2012/06/art-passion-and-heart-told-tales.html.

Click here for my contribution, "Mattress Burn."  Have fun!

These folks know all about some mattress burns!

Quadrivium Supplies  http://www.quadrivium-supplies.com

Erotic Sensations http://eroticsensations.us/

Tonia Brown www.thebackseatwriter.com

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. 

 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.

Polyamory, and other such free love concepts like open relationships and swinging, also entail a great deal of responsibility. The lovers involved have the responsibility of fidelity, emotional support and integrity, 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). 

 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. 

 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 every time 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 dumbasses! I've heard that excuse too!) if not morning after pills as well.

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!

I don't believe that Wiccan 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 exorbitant, it's acceptable to ask for a little bit of money for gas if you have to drive farther than 30 miles or so.

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 abhorrent. 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.

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.

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.

As a priestess, the most common form of disrespect that I've encountered is people contacting me for services--usually a handfasting--and then jilting me at the altar after I've done a lot of work on their behalves. Sometimes I've already gotten handfasting 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 handfasting ceremony.

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!  

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.  Tsk tsk.  But that's ok.  Good or bad, you all really boosted my stats.  Thanks!  My sponsors are thrilled.

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.

Please note: When I use the word "Ivy" in this post, I'm am speaking of English or Boston Ivy, not poison ivy.

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).

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.

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.

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!