A personal Rant - If you hate these Dont worry im posting Porperly soon.

I somehow ended up in a discussion the other day with a christian friend about paganism and what it is. Personally i cannot fathom a question that takes as much difficulty to answer as this one. What is paganism. I cannot tell you that without somehow insultiong someone somewhere. I can tell you what i believe but thats it! This unamed person was under the impression i worshipped the devil so i felt i had to clear the situation and tell her the truth. After a 2 and a half hour long discussion, replacing words they were uncomfortable with like "energy" with other words she was comfortable with she was finally satisfied and came to this conclusion; "Oh so your basically christian!"
Can anybody possibly tell me how she got to this point? Anyone? I understand she was probably a bit confused, who isnt when it comes to defining 'paganism' and sure replacing a few words here and there to make it easier for her may have blurred the screen a little bit. But how did she get to that conclusion?
In the end i just gave up. She has this quality where she tries to prove Christianity is FACT and that she is absolutley right and that everybody is either christian or should be christian. Cant wait till she comes over to mine and sees the books on my shelves. She wont be confused then.

My view on Curses.

Been thinking a lot recently (i know, kind of shocking really) about curses and the way they've been viewed in the pagan community, so i thought i would share my opinions.
What i classify as a curse; Bindings, Intentional Harm, Manipulation.

I think curses shouldn't have the big red sign saying "DO NOT CROSS" in front of it, that it currently has. Sometimes, a situation calls for a curse. It is always the last option but if you are in a situation where you have exhausted EVERY other option to get out of this harmful or abusive situation i would turn to a curse and not even second guess myself. And i have gotten a lot of flack for my opinions on this subject.

Bindings in my opinion are the most dangerous curse, disregarding "killing curses" etc, because they usually cause both parties harm. eg, if you bind yourself to another person for relationship purposes, the chances are you weren't meant to be and it will become an abusive, co-dependant relationship that will bring pain to both parties.

I could talk on this subject forever but this is my short, extremely trimmed opinion on curses. Comment, and tell me yours, or pop on by to http://blackcatwiccaforum.co.uk/showthread.php?3144-your-opinion-on-Curses and reply.

Podcast for this episode is WitchesBrewHaHa, Velma is miraculous and i love her views on magic. She has great segments and always picks great topics to discuss!
Book is Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison. Great book on curses. Discusses why you shouldn't be afraid of curses, when they should be used etc. And also gives many different curses, how to perform them and so many other things. My go-to for curses.
Band Is Chalice and Blade. Great band. Lovely Mojo from the Wigglian Way is in this band and they have some great music.

Thanks once again for visiting my blog. If you click that little follow button it would mean the world to me and give me more incentive to REALLY work on this blog. :)

All Blessing Be
Shada x

New Fascinations......

I have recently developed an addiction to tea, so it seemed only fitting to reasearch the area of divination related to tea. Tasseography. This is the study or tea-leaves, coffee grounds or, curiously enough, wine sediments. The technique i used was make a cup of tea with 1 tsp of LOOSE tea leaves in it. Drink it until theres only a little bit of moisture left in the bottom of the cup with the tea leaves. Rotate the cup 3 times clockwise. Tip in upside down on a saucer and leave until all moisture runs out and you think its the right time for you to pick it up. The you observe the patterns in the tea. The patters closer to the outer ridge apparently mean what is going to happen soon. And meanings of sybomls can change depending how deep they are in the cup. I saw a woman howlding a rock or stick, which translated to a woman with a burden. This apparently means an abusive or negative relationship or marriage. A dog in the middle of a cup. I translated the meaning to - Being protective of this women in question but could not be trusted. Then i saw a scorpion which apparently meant, defense and self protection.
Noting that a dog at the rim of the cup meant helpful, trustworthy and loyal, where if it was at the base meant completeley untrustworthy and quite possibly evil.
I was very fascinated with these finding and have been musing over them the last couple of hours. And i will kep you up to date on my current investigation with this branch of divination.

I have also been quite caught up in life in the forums. I have recently joined Pagan Forum and have become more active on Black Cat Wicca. Tried to join Traditional Witch forums but mine has been mucking up. Ill re try again tommorrow, to tired tonight. But Pagan Forum and my friends at BCW, Both lovely forums with amazing people. The people on BCW have been so welcoming and i have made some lovely friends on there. I also have started up a twitter account as my old one was becoming a bit plagued and i felt a need to make a new fresh one. @LittleOwlShada if wishing to follow, would love you forever :)

My Recommendations this posting are
Podcast; Inciting A Riot with FireLyte who is an amazingly funny Guy who talks on some engrossing contreversial topics with a lovely refreshing opinion. He also has a twitter @IncintingARiot.
Band; Emerald Rose who i love at the moment. Amazing Band.
Book; actually a PDA or document downloadable. Cat Yronwode Lucky Mojos Recipes. I can no longer find the link but if you want to check it out, contact me at seanonjj4@hotmail.com and i will send it to you. Don't worry it was free so im not pirating it and if i do find the link i will post it later :)

Next Couple Of Posts i will talk about dealing with ignorant people who don't accept your belief system and probably post about Beltane. This will be my first Beltane and im very excited. Any ritual recommendations would be appreciated. Just contact me as i said, at seanonjj4@hotmail.com.

Bright and Dark Blessings be with you
Shada