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Imbolc • Emotional Habits & Emotional Maturity ✦ [Silver Chalice Wiccan 'Zine]
February 02, 2019

Table of Contents

Editor's Note

Energy Fields & Astrology -- February Energies

Wicca Students Speak Out

New Article - Emotional Habits & Emotional Maturity

Sabbats & Esbats & Other Wiccan Rituals - Imbolc

Quotes - on Staying True, Evolving, & Interconnection

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Editor's Note

Merry Meet!

Welcome back to the Silver Chalice! It might seem soon to be receiving this email — for 2019 we've decided to send out this 'Zine in alignment with the Sabbats, so rest assured the next 'Zine will be coming out in mid-March (not every few weeks!).

As Winter starts to consider wrapping up (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), the forward motion of the year is upon us. Today is Imbolc, Bridgid's Day, and this Sabbat is the "official start date" of the online course A Year & A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan. If you've been thinking about joining this widely acclaimed Wicca school, now is the best time because you can take the course in sync with the Sabbats and the seasons. (Click here to learn more & enrol.)

It came to my awareness recently how, umm, insufficiently this course might be described on its webpage. While students of course learn all the foundations of Wicca (which, theoretically, you could learn in a book — or, at least, a small library of Wiccan books… if they wrote to you every week with encouragement to continue 😉 ), this course offers more about the spiritual side of Wicca, and hands-on, practical exercises to increase your ability to channel energy, work magick, meditate, create shields, and just a ton of information.

Which is why we've dubbed it, as one student hailed it, "the ultimate Wiccan skill-building course" — because when you do the exercises, you find yourself becoming more grounded, self-aware, energetically empowered, strongly connected to the Divine, among the dozens of benefits the students have written to share that they’ve seen in their lives.

And if you don't know - students who pay the full price of the course ($70/month) receive:

  • Downloadable audio recordings (mp3) of visualisations, meditations, and exercises (e.g. casting a circle, meeting the element of Fire, how to do the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, running the iron pentacle, shielding techniques, etc.)

  • PDF files of the weekly exercises (Wiccan Adventure of the Week), for you to have the option to print them and refer to a paper copy while doing the exercises

  • PDF files of the weekly information-based questions (A Wiccan Initiate Needs to Know...), so you can fill out the PDF digitally or print it out and write the answers by hand

  • PDF files of the weekly reflection questions (The Inner Adventure), so you can fill out the PDF digitally or print it out and write the answers by hand

  • A Reference Guide (PDF) upon graduation, so you have the key information to refer to about sabbats, ritual ideas, how to power up their magick, meditation practices, etc., which is formatted such that it is printer-friendly.


    • We’re also in process of arranging live Q&A webinars!

    The Scientific Power of Intention

    Aside from the Wicca school, I want to share with you some of what I've learned about the power of Intention. Most significantly, the work of Lynne McTaggart.

    As you might recall, I went to a conference last year that featured Gregg Braden, Lynne McTaggart, Bruce Lipton, and others. And while I've studied their work for many years, to actually meet them and participate in an intensive 7-day event with 3000 other light workers has been life-changing.

    I was so inspired, I no sooner returned home than I signed on to take an online course with Lynne. If you haven't heard of Lynne McTaggart, she has written about the zero-point field, the power of intention, and many other seemingly supernatural things, all based on reputable studies at the cutting edge of science. This isn't a new-agey belief; it's science-backed proof that human consciousness can — and does — affect change in the physical world.

    After I think 2 decades of studies in concert with renowned scientists on the power of intention, she wrote her latest book, called The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World. It details what they’ve been able to prove as effective in manifesting our desires.

    As a hard-nosed journalist, Lynne still shies away from the metaphysical implications of what she’s studying. But the thing she says intrigues her most is what she calls the rebound effect: the fact that when we do intentions for other people, we find our own lives improving as well!

    Here's a quote from the book:
    "The rebound effect on participants mirrored the intention itself. If they prayed for peace, their lives became more peaceful. if they tried to heal someone else, they experienced a healing in their own lives. focusing on healing someone else brings on a mirrored healing."

    Since I read the book and took an online class (and now I’m participating in her year-long masterclass), I've been engaged in several "power of eight" groups through online video call, and the energy on these calls is fascinating. Really, truly, life-changing. During the calls each person puts forth an intention, and we take turns focusing on and visualising that intention becoming a reality. It's like a souped-up version of visualization, because there are other people also calling forth that version of reality.

    I’ve been investigating, and experimenting, with my own version of this work, incorporating the latest in manifestation studies as well as my own decades of magick- and energy-working and -teaching. (At some point, you’ll see this being offered in a magick masterclass I’m developing. 😊)

    If you have an opportunity to join or form your own "power of eight" group, I highly, highly recommend it. Especially with the knowledge and skills you’ve gained if you’re taking my Year & A Day course, you’ll find it truly changes your life.

    I could go on (and on, and on!) about Lynne McTaggart's work, but with awareness that maybe these 'Zines shouldn't be as long as the used to be in previous years, I'll leave it at that.

    Wishing you brightest blessings for your Imbolc/Bridgid, and always,

    dragonsong signature; click to write to erin

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    Energy Fields & Astrology:

    February Energies

    After the 2 eclipses in January, the primary energies of this month are beginnings and activation. That might seem obvious, with the sabbat Imbolc/Bridgid, the Chinese New Year on Tuesday February 5th, and the coming of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere), but it's more than that.

    According to Chani Nicholas:

    "The new moon in Aquarius arrives on February 4th at 1:04 PM PT. This new moon is situated in a sweet cosmic spot. In a sextile to Jupiter, this new moon is encouraging, supportive of our efforts, and a perfect new beginning for us to work with in any way we need to. The first new moon after eclipse season, we are free and clear to get on with our own agenda.

    The new moon in Aquarius is followed by a full moon in the earthy, detail-oriented Virgo. This full moon comes in with a bang and leaves with a detail-oriented plan for our lives. A full moon in Virgo is always encouraging us to clear a little space for more magic to naturally occur."


    This is an excellent time to start taking action on our goals and desires. Also, if you feel friction or conflict with your loved ones, now is the time to re-consider relationships, stay grounded in your Truth and use this time to observe what's been happening and create new patterns. Friction can cause a spark and a new creation or a new way of being, so focus on the positive aspects of your experience.

    You may feel some old energy come up around self-deprecation and unfulfilled dreams. This is a month where you are supported with activating your dreams and reconnecting with your passions. It's also a great opportunity to forgive (yourself or others) and move forward.

    With all this energy moving around, activating you and giving you a boost on your path, it might be emotional turbulent at times. Stay steady with practices that support you, and remember to take time for self-care. You may feel overwhelmed with the options at hand, especially later in the month after the full moon, so consider taking time to reflect on your priorities and ensure you are in alignment and on a path you want to be on.

    New Moon this month: Monday February 4th @ 1:03pm PST, 4:03pm EST, 9:03PM GMT

    Full Moon (+ super moon!) this month: Tuesday February 19th @ 7:53am PST, 10:53am EST, and 3:53pm GMT

    Sources used for this article:

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    Wicca Students Speak Out:

    "This is a great foundation for anyone beginning their journey in the Wiccan ways. The lessons were very information packed, and the fact that they come once a week keep you on track and keep you interested on your ultimate goal. It was a very well put together course.

    I'm really hoping that there is a second year course that is offered. I would take it in a heartbeat if it was an extension of the material that was presented in the first course.

    Utmost thanks and appreciation to Erin for the time and effort it took in creating and presenting such an informative an interactive course. It truly is a life changing experience."

    - Steve Townsend, Westerville

    "Your course has brought an awareness that resonates very strongly with me. I have a relationship with the Divine, a reverence, that I didn't have before. I have more room for others' beliefs, however, I'm open about my own convictions about how Love and Power (not force) can move mountains. The message isn't new, and is carried on many winds, but I feel that I'm part of the current, and can help the Divine by being a conduit of that love, without being preachy or self-righteousness.

    I believe the Path you have set forth with your course has given me hope, and a way to find and express that Love and Hope to others.

    I will continue to go through the course following the lessons, although I'm working full time and going to school, as well as I'm a single mom (with a beautiful daughter who watches me carefully). I'm looking forward to your more advanced courses when they come along."

    - E.W., USA



    2019 class starting now. Click here to learn more about A Year & A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan


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    New Article:

    Emotional Habits & Emotional Maturity

    Every emotion you feel creates a habit, so that the more you feel something, the more you will continue to feel that same thing.

    When we’re young, we think that emotions happen to us. We’re not yet aware that we create them. It happens so fast, it really seems that they hit us out of the blue, without our participation. But as long as we believe this, we can be nothing more than victims.

    Even if an emotion overwhelms you, you have the choice of whether to indulge in it, or transcend it. Allowing yourself to believe in and stay in an emotion IS a sinful indulgence: it feeds disharmony and disunion, and it makes it easier to feel the same emotion over and over in the future.

    So when you feel an emotion, you have a choice to make: will you indulge it, and the illusion that you are a victim of life, a speck of matter floating lost in the universe; or will you use it as the powerful tool it is, to increase your freedom, joy, peace, and empowerment?

    If it makes the decision easier, it might help to know that you are also choosing your future emotions: do you want to feel this way again and again? Or would you rather feel better than this?

    That’s the real question to ask, when you’re feeling any emotion... not whether it’s justified or real or beyond your control, but whether you want more of it.

    You DO have a choice. Eventually, you can bypass the emotions before they start, but even before that you can purify them once they have appeared.

    There is one point that must be clear: emotions are not evil, or bad, or wrong of themselves. They are information and energy. The energy is the part you feel as pleasant or unpleasant; it is this which can be transformed and released. The information is vital, though, and needs to be accessed.

    On a primitive level, we believe the information is about other people and events: "this must be bad, because I feel so bad," or "she must be mean, because I feel so hurt," etc. If you have been divorced from your emotional compass as a child, you will need to learn this first. These are steps to emotional maturity, and you can’t really skip ahead.

    1. Emotional Recognition – I feel anger.

    2. Stimulus Identification – Because she did _______ to me.

    3. Inner Awareness – She has violated a boundary or I feel unsafe.

    4. Responsibility Action – What can I do to rectify this or stay safe?

    5. What subconscious mindsets do I hold that draw these events to me?

    6. What beliefs of powerlessness/self worth do I hold that lead to me feel this? Pointing out the weak spots or flaws in ego that bind you to unsacredness in these events

    7. This unpleasant emotion is just energy. I can observe it going through without getting attached to it (thinking it’s mind, or it’s real, or it’s important, or it’s eternal)

    8. This pleasant emotion is just energy. I can observe it going through without… (wishing it would last, thinking it’s evidence of anything)

    9. All that is, is Bliss.

    There are 2 basic stimuli: pleasure and pain. We can also call them comfort and discomfort, love and fear. (Although technically the latter is our emotional response to the two stimuli—we love what is pleasurable and fear what is painful.)

    Think of life as a road, with pleasure on one side and pain on the other. People generally want to drive only on the pleasure side, and avoid the pain side.

    If you want to understand the state of human relationships, imagine what happens when EVERYONE in the world is trying to drive on the Pleasure side of the road, all at the same time.

    If you want to understand the state of the world, imagine the additional chaos that ensues as everyone swerves to avoid pains. This is exactly what’s happening out there! And everyone gets mad at the other drivers (or themselves) when they bump into the pain.

    Here’s the real kicker: the road isn’t straight. It’s all bent and loopy and zigzaggy. And your car has only minimal steering. You’re going to end up in Pleasure sometimes and in Pain other times. This is inevitable. The only way you can avoid it is to get off the road entirely, and float above it. Or to decide that pain is just as good as pleasure!

    Most of us don’t want to do that. We want to stay on the road, but we want the road to conform to our wishes: 100% pleasure, 0% pain. The more we want to enforce this on the road, the more we want to stay in only pleasure, the more rigid our steering becomes, and the more we end up in places we don’t want.

    That is when pain becomes suffering.

  • Pain isn’t suffering. Pain is just intense discomfort. Suffering is the emotional reaction that says "this discomfort shouldn’t be here; I don’t want it; why must I hurt?; why can’t I change it?"

  • Pain is a fact of life. It’s part and parcel of being mortal. Suffering, though, is a choice. When you accept pain as a temporary and necessary discomfort, it loses all power to make you suffer.

  • In other words, pain happens, but suffering is optional. In fact, if you resist and resent ANYTHING, you create your own suffering. Suffering is another word for resistance and resentment.

  • Pain is physical, but suffering is psychological. Even emotional pain is felt in the body: that is why we register it as pain. Suffering comes when we tell ourselves stories about the pain, and think that we should be free of it. It is the contrast between reality and our beliefs that creates suffering.



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    Sabbats, Esbats, & Other Wiccan Rituals:

    Imbolc

    Astrologically speaking, Imbolc occurs at 15° of Aquarius, and it marks the beginning of Spring and a new agrarian cycle. Movement tips toward expansion, even if it's not very visible yet — requiring us to trust, and to stay alert to subtle signs.

    This is the phase of the Wheel where Spirit directly influences what will be planted and brought to fruition.

    Brighid, the Goddess in whose honour this Sabbat is named and often celebrated, is a Goddess of beginnings, inspiration, insight, creativity, self-expression, craft (especially smithing), all learned skills, healing, poetry, and all the arts. She is the keeper of the Sacred Well and Eternal Flame.

    Brighid signifies the fire and moisture that dwell within — vitality, inspiration, healing, caring, etc. — hidden at times but always living. Brighid, as the particular Goddess of this season, is a Maiden Goddess — Goddess of dawn, Spring, youthfulness, and returning life. Imbolc is considered the time when the Crone Goddess is transformed back into a Maiden. The Crone aspect of Brighid is called the Cailleach, the sacred Hag as the Goddess of Winter.

    On Imbolc, so the legend goes, the Cailleach may wake up and create a bright clear day so that She can bring in a lot more firewood. If She does, then you know She's ready to make the Winter last a good long time yet. But if She sleeps through the day or leaves the weather unpleasant, it's a sign that She'll have to bring Winter to an end soon, because She'll run out of firewood and need the warmth.

    This tradition of weather divination on Imbolc is carried forward even in North America today as Groundhog Day, with the same indication that a sunny day (i.e., the groundhog can see its shadow) means there'll be six more weeks of Winter.

    Imbolc/Brighid is a rebirth of flowers and greens, as well as the seeds and foetuses growing unseen in the sacred hidden womb of the Earth. It's more a time of planning for growth, than seeing actual growth. the primary Energies of Imbolc are...

    • Inspiration
    • Gestation
    • Preparation
    • Renewal
    • A Fresh Start


    This is the season of great inspiration. As the Energy of the Earth begins to increase and move forward, we're motivated to move forward and create as well.

    Imbolc is another Fire festival, especially in honour of the Goddess Brighid's eternal flame and the returning Sun. Candles and lights are a big part of most Imbolc celebrations.

    Purification has always been a big part of this celebration as well. The very act of cleansing yourself, your home, and your ritual tools will lift the weight of the dark season from you.

    With Brighid being the Goddess of smithcraft and all crafts, poetry, and healing, these are good focal points for Imbolc rituals. Her association with holy wells also make any water rituals or magick appropriate.

    Imbolc is a time of youthful exuberance, fresh starts, and creation. The Intentions set at Yule are growing, some still underground, unseen, some sending their first tender shoots out into the physical world. This is why we celebrate Dedication and Initiation on this Sabbat — it's the first manifestation of our lives as Wiccans.

    Imbolc expresses the Energy of something new wanting to be born. And we are, each of us, the gateway — the Creatrix/Creator, the artist, the mother of this new creation.

    This information about Imbolc is from parts of the ten pages of Lesson #52, "Imbolc: The First Spring Sabbat" in A Year & A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan.


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    Quotes:

    on Staying True, Evolving, & Interconnection


    "Thoughts are global: we are leaky buckets, sending and receiving thoughts every moment. Your messages are being heard... and replied to! Your thoughts, even when you think you're not thinking, are highly contagious."
    - Lynne McTaggart

    "In order to change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one's mind and psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use."
    - Anaïs Nin

    The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other. ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

    If you've lost focus, just sit down and be still. Take the idea and rock it to and fro. Keep some of it and throw some away, and it will renew itself. You need do no more. - Clarissa Pinkola Estes

    One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am. - Michelle Obama
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