Intro to
Paganism
Packet

Materials written by Heather Awen and Mother Earth
Ministries

Compiled by Prison Books Collective Publishing and
Distribution

Contents

Pagan Basics

What IS Your Religion
Neopaganism

Making Pagan Tools

5 Elements in Balance
Yule
Pagan Basics: First Sight & True Will, by Heather Awen, Gullveig Press 2020

Before you pick up the runes or cast that spell, you need the most important training. It may seem boring at first,
but you will sec important changes within 3 weeks. These are the foundational practices and the best teachers
won't teach you unless you're practicing them daily. They are also the skills that will keep you safe during fast
spiritual growth. Ritual, deities, and Magick WILL change YOU, and it's irresponsible to go through that without
support. Psyche means “soul" and anything that changes your spiritual life will affect your psychological stability.
In the same way, the stability and resilience of your mental health will directly impact your spiritual growth. You
cannot separate the two. Much of ritual, meditation, prayer, Energy work and Magick is psychological. You have
to think differently. On the outside Pagans often work with good therapists and attend addiction recovery
programs to handle all that comes up. In Traditional cultures, you would have been raised in a worldview that
supported you. Elders knew the difference between delusions and visions. They kept you grounded in a balanced,
healthy reality. Now you have to do this yourself. Sometimes we can slack on these skills when we're doing well or
when we're NOT doing well. That's when you really need them, so just return to them. The brain is strong muscle
and you are going to get it into shape!

First Sight

Irish Pagan author Lora O'Brien wrote that before you can learn Second Sight, you have to be sure that your First
Sight is accurate. If you are wrong about what is happening in consensual reality (the reality most people share),
‘how will you know if you if the information from your Tarot reading, SeidR, or astral travel was real or imagined?
‘To have psychic clarity, you need clarity about the situations that affect you in ordinary life. Most people either
filter reality through their emotions or logic, but they really need the combination of the two. That place where
rational thinking and deep intuition meet is the sweet spot called Wise Mind. Wicea has been called the Craft of
the Wise and Frey is called the Wise One.

First Sight has become a requirement of many Pagan and oc mazed by its Power the first time
1did it. My anxiety attack ended quickly and I was grounded in reality. If you can't manage anxiety and
depression (something that we know is rampant in prison), it will affect your rituals and Magick. The deities have
aharder time reaching you through a neurological system that i rigid, overwhelmed or shut down. Odin teaches
moderation, the middle way. Here's the actual way to embody

Exercise: First Sight Clarity - CBT

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the most popular and successful skill in the history of psychology. It
is proven to actually physically change how your neurons fire. You have that power. If you choose not to use it,
you're not showing your deities, others or self that you are serious about living Pagan. You deserve the release
Trom depression and anxiety, and instead of complaining that no one is doing anything about it, you are going to
give this gift to yourself and your community.

‘This is literal shape shifting. You don't have to be controlled by your brain; you can reshape it. Shamans and
Magicians always knew that we can change our brain's habits. They also knew the power of belief. Science h
caught up. This is even the main treatment for schizophrenia. This is crucial work for Luciferians and Satanists,
because it is being the Devil's advocate to free yourself. What your early childhood taught you about the world
create interpretations of events and Core Belicfs about yourself and life. Patterns of thinking create patterns of
emotion which create patterns of behavior. This is what you can change. Here I provide basic instructions for
literally changing these permanently.

‘Take a sheet of paper and turn it so it's wider than it is tall. Using a straight edge like a book, draw 4 lines from top
to bottom of the page. They should be equally spaced, giving you 5 columns. Label the top of the columns: A BC D
E. This is your work sheet.

Asstands for Activating Event. It is what happened what activated the rest of what goes on your work sheet. It is
the only objective fact.

B stands for Belief, What do you believe about the Activating Event? Why did it happen? Realize that you are now.
in your Mind. It s all subjecfive. Your body is reacting to your Belief with neurotransmitters and hormones.

Cstands for Consequences, both emotion and behavior, of that Belief. These are neurotransmitters and hormones
and the choices made based on them, NOT the actual Activating Event. On a seale of 1 to 10 you write how strong
the emotion is, with 10 being the strongest.
D stands for Dispute the Belief. Like a lawyer, point out all the other possibilities for what the Activating Event
meant. If you used to try to lie about how things happened, now you can use that skill to find other believable
explanations for events. (Your skills can transfer to new uses.) Prove that there's no hard evidence for the Belief.
(Just saying "I KNOW that's why they are doing it" is not hard evidence.) This way, when you have a really
accurate grievance about something, you'll know. That's important because your belief could be right sometim
But if you are like most of s, it's not

E stands for Evaluated Consequences. It means how you feel and what you do after looking at the other
possibilities.

Le

us

an example. It's loosely based on true events.

Here's our Activating Event: The mail room s suddenly rejecting photos from your wife. She's been sending sexy
pictures since you entered prison. There's no explanation.

‘That's the fact. Everything else takes place in your Mind.

‘The Belief is "The mail room staff are mad at me." Or maybe "Someone is stealing these photos of my wifel" It's
casy to be certain that's what happened. Your past and biggest fears create the Belicf.

‘The Consequences are Anger, 10 on a seale of 1 to 10. Another is suspicion, 8. Self pity is . Frustration is 10.

‘The behavior based on the emations that your Belief caused are 1. Obsessing over the belief for days, unable to
enjoy anything. You also can't focus. 2. You have a short temper with the C.0., thinking, "How much more are you
people going to mess with me for no reason! results in an infraction. 3. You stare at everyone in the day
room. You wonder, “Which one of you scumbags are looking at my wife? Who is the thief, who is has violated my
marriage?” Someone makes a comment that you read something into and explode in anger, accusing them. A fight
could happen.

‘These are pretty miserable consequences for assuming something that may not be true!

Now to Dispute the Belief. It might be hard to shift your point of view, but you can. Just imagine what else may
have happened. 1. There is someone new working in the mail room who has a different opinion of what's against
the rules. 2. The mail room supervisor got in trouble for bending the rules. He could lose his job if he makes any
mistakes 5o he's especially careful now. 3. Your wife got more risque with her selfies. The pictures don't meet the
rules. 4. The state prison rules about photos have changed. Maybe it's about mesh tops showing the side of a

nipple or what a thong covers.

(Rules change a lot in prison and you people who have to live there are often the last to know. It's a very
frustrating situation. It's easier for someone on the outside to call and know what's going on than it is for many
residents. Gossip spreads. It can be very frustrating. Frustration can turn to anger or to hopeless depression. The
U.S. Army Survival Guide warns of frustration, saying that it developa into the main reason people lose the will to
survive. It is important for you to keep your focus on the things that you can do that help you get through the
challenging times.)

‘The final step is Evaluated Consequences. You have evaluated many possibilities, all of which could be true. You
check your emotions. Anger is 5. You are angry that your wife took the time to take those photos and paid to mail
them. But it's over and you'll move on. Your blood pressure lowers and decide to shake the anger Energy out by
dancing to your favorite radio station. Suspicion is 3. You're always little suspicious of the guys around you.
‘That's your normal safety level of caution. But you can joke together or trade books. Self pity is 5, but you realize
that it's now actually sadness. You miss your wife. Sadness and anger give you useful information about what
matters to you. How you choose to act on that information is p to you. You might decide to feel grateful that you
have such a wonderful wife. Frustration is down to 4. You have put things in perspective. There are things that
you don't control and you decide not to waste your Energy on things you cannot change. You choose to practice
Your calligraphy or watch sports in the day room. Your behavior has changed based on the emotional change.

Itis very important that you do the new action. That's what rewires your brain. Without changing behavior, the
brain does not change. When Heathens say "We are our deeds” it's a proven fact. Because it takes 21 days o create
anew habit, practice First Sight every day at least 3 times a day for the first 3 weeks. Keep at it and you will
reprogram your brain to have different patterns permanently.

‘This is the basis of anger management classes. Domestie violence offenders often take TWENTY SIX WEEKS to
finally understand that their Belief that their partner "makes" them violent is wrong. No one can make you act a
certain way. That's handing all your Power over to someone else. An addiction, untreated diabetes and other
unaddressed medical problems may be involved, but it s your responsibility to take care of your health. You are
not a vietim of life. You have Power and CBT is a scientifically proven way to quickly use that Power to impro
yourlife.

‘The key to First Sight is simple: Don't believe everything your Mind tells you!

PTSD recovery is based on applying CBT to the Beliefs people have about the trauma. It is often much e:
someone to blame themselves than admit that the world has horrible, random events. To blame ourselves is to feel
powerful and more in control. Also, we usually take the guilt of the person who harmed us and internalize it as
shame. (Guilt is about doing something bad; shame is about BEING bad.)

You can even have PTSD if your parent or grandparent had PTSD. The earliest part of the brain is the limbic
stem. It started with lizards, so it's sometimes called the lizard brain. It has only 3 reactions to events: fight,
Hlight or freeze. When you have PTSD, this part of your brain is bigger than other people’s. That's why it's so
wonderful that we know that the brain isn't stuck in one way. We can change how the neurons fire and actually
physically heal our brains.

For people who experienced long periods of trauma like spouses/partners and children of violent and/or
emotionally unstable people (like addicts), living in a POW camp, Concentration Camp, prison, dangerous
neighborhood, cult, or as a long-term hostage, it's called Complex PTSD.

PTSD recovery uses CBT to change the beliefs about the traumatic event. Then the emotions and behaviors
change. You don't need to go through every trauma in therapy - the skills like CBT allow you to "rewire” your
brain. PTSD breathing, included in this guide, is once of the first things a PTSD recovery group led by a.
professional will teach you. And we know that yoga helps repair the damage to the brain as well.

‘The organization 1 in 6 which specializes in
people in prison. It is not specifically about
order it.

exualized violence against men recovery has a free book available for
xualized violence. It is about trauma and recovery. Anyone can

1in 6, P.0. Box 71113, Los Angeles, CA 90071, 1.877.6281, https://1in6.org
‘Trust me: You are not alone, you can heal, and you deserve to heal.

Exercise: Name that Belief

Most of our incorrect beliefs are based on a habit. When you have a strong belief that is causing you discomfort,
ask yourself if you are doing any of the following: 1. Mind Reading: This isn't telepathy. It is being certain we
know what someone is thinking. You might think that this happens more with strangers, but we can commonly do
this with our closest loved ones. Sure, you may know your wife will say no to something you've asked her to do 100
times, but you don't necessarily know why (unless she's told you). 2. Negative Filter: You are only noticing the
bad stuff. 3. Minimizing: Instead of paying attention to the good things about yourself, a person or a situation,
youignoré them. 4. Catastrophising. Imagining the worst possible outcome. For a Heathen, this is like acting as if
Ragnarok is going to happen tomorrow. 5. Emotional Reasoning. Yes, Pagans value gut instinct and intuition. W
do not think, "I feel like thi Sun rises because my parents named
me Heather, so it's obviously a fact,” what would you think? I really hope you would not agree. The sword or
Magickal dagger represents the ability to cut the false from the truth. It is discernment and critical thinking skills,
and every Pagan - especially the mystics - need those to be sharp.

‘These are easy traps for Pagans to turn into what they think are psychic abilities. We call that "listening to sock
puppets in your head and thinking it's a Goddess or dead person" and unfortunately a lot of Pagans can make this

is true, so it is.” If 1 said to you, "1 feel like the

disastrous mistake. You have to get your head together before you begin practicing psychic and spirit work skills.
(Hint: If it seems like something you would say, it probably is!)

True Will

If you are Wiccan or practice any Magick, you should have read the word Will a lot. The Wiccan Rede (guideline)

states: An (if) it harms none, do what you Will. This comes directly from Ceremonial Magi

n Aleister Crowley,
the founder of Thelema. He wrote quite a lot about what Do What You Will meant, but unfortunately Wiccans
(and Thelemites) tend to not explain it even though it is the basis of all Wiccan ethi

‘True Willis not whatever desire catches your fancy. It is not the goals your parents had for you or stubborn
adolescent fantasies of revenge. True Will is what Crowley called the High Guardian Angel and many Wicean
teachers call the Higher Self. Luciferians spend an amazing amount of time on this work of self liberation. Very
fow humans figure out what the meaning of lfe is. Well, the meaning of lfe is going to be different for everyorie
because we have different gifts and needs that, like exotic flowers, will bloom when we work with our True Will.
Your needs are as wonderful as the gift you bring the world, because your true, healthy needs help maintain your
loving relationships. Humans have always been a cooperative species. We need each other to survive and feel safe
and loved. Your True Will includes your true needs. The craving for meth is not True Will because it is self
harming and ruins your loving relationships. The need for a therapist or support group to stay sober is True Will
because it allows you to grow into your gifts and have loving relationships.

Crowley wrote that each person is a star, and if we all followed our True Will, we would move according to the Law
of Love. Stars shine in many different ways as they move with the Universe, but they don't smash into cach other
or try to dim another's light. I ke to think of a healthy ecosystem - an ecosystem where the True Will of
carthworms make space in the soil for air, the True Wil of tree roots communicate with chemicals in the Wood

‘Wide Web, and the True Will of vultures is to eat decaying bodies that would otherwise spread disease. Everyones
‘True Will is different but it is very important, valuable and keeps the community healthy and hale, whole and well
We need diversity because no one is good at everything and no one wants to do everything.

‘True Willis the ultimate in self knowledge. It never ends because we are always growing and the situations
around us are always changing. True Will demands that you take responsibility for your beliefs and actions. CBT
gave a tool for questioning your It allows you to make better choices based on
greater knowledge. Hand in hand with CBT is True Will meditation.

“Thelema shouldn't be studied by anyone that has not reached a certain maturity of mind. A certain amount of
self-control is also necessary to stay safe on the path of Thelema," writes Shammash Absu Sin. "Sometimes what
you need to hone the True Will is more freedom. Sometimes it is less. Sometimes restriction. Sometimes relea
The action in itself is not the goal. Getting closer and merging with your True Will is. Remember that each man
and woman is a star and have their own orbits to follow. Find your orbit and know yourself truly. You will learn
this through trial and error yourself, but it s better to learn from mistakes so that you can avoid doing them at all.
As you gain self-knowledge your True Will will shine forth. Magick will become your very being. You will no
longer need rituals to perform magick and it will simply become part of your breath and soul.”

Most Pagans, especially Wiccans and Witches, have a pattern. At first, we're all excited about spells. And why not?
We have success getting things we want (but not our True Will) and are impressed with our power. This
empowerment is especially exciting if we belong to a group of people who are excluded from the rule making,
‘Women for centuries could not own property, get a divorce, and were legally controlled by their fathers, husbands
or brothers. Unfortunately, it hasn't changed alot. Today, a Latina in the same job as a white man earns 55¢ for
every dollar he earns, just because of her genger and ethnicity. 1 in 10 American women are raped by their
husbands and if a woman is murdered, odds are high that it's the man who promised to love, honor and cherish
her for his entire life. For African-Americans, it has been 400 brutal years of survival tactics in a prejudiced
society that still continues. For these reasons, historically we find a rich tradition of female Witches and Magick in
Hoodoo and Voodoo. The LGBTQIA community is often active in the Pagan religions, where people who have
been rejected by monotheist "One Way or the Highway (to Hell)” may find a spiritual home that empowers them.
If you are not safe in society and do not have access to conventional ways to power, Magick is a form of power that
you often need.

Itis little wonder then that people in prison choose Pagan religions in such high numbers. 1% of Americans, more
than any nation, are in prison. 8-12% of Americans in prison are Pagan or Buddhist, plus there are people who do
not list a religion, but merge parts in a New Age way. With so many limitations and 5o few opportunities to grow
into someone with self respect, of course prisoners seek personal power, material solutions, a connection with the
world and some type of real liberation, These are the conditions that ereate Witches and Magicians, or polytheist
devotees of wise, loving, powerful deities, or Luciferians freeing their own Godself. And whatever religion in
Paganism, True Will must be strong, especially in an environment that doesn't support this Great Work of
becoming the gift you can be.

et, 10 or 20 years down the Pagan road, people usually have less need for Magick. True Will aligns us with
our life’s path. Maybe se we've laid down new acts in the Well of Wyrd, so the shape of our own World
‘Tree is better suited to our best self. Through meditation, self reflection and ritual perhaps we fine tune our sense
of the right choices to make for our authentic life. The deities or ancestors may dance with us in response to years
of devotion, opening the doors we used to not notice and bringing us opportunities that we once would have
misunderstood. Or we have moved ourselves to the center of the Kaballah Tree of Life, where the human self
meets with the larger Cosmic forces. Whatever happens, our lives become focused Magick and transform the
world in ways that bring our gifts into being. We understand the meaning of our life, which is different from that
of other lives, and are grateful for the diversity. Druids call life the Song of the World, an old Scottish name for
God. When we sing our real part, the harmonies come together. Both we and the world are changed.

It's important to remember that you are your own star. Even if you are another Vanatrur who has oathed their life
to serving Freyja, your relationship with Freyja will not be mine. She will have other challenges for you than I face
in my initiations. Her holy work for you will not be the ministry She gave me. The skills, experiences and

resources we have are different and so we will naturally do different things. Freyja will teach us different truths
about Her.

‘The O1d English word Wil is one of the most important soul parts in Saxon Heathenry. If you don't have strong
‘Wil, your Wod, the raw power of Odin, will destroy your life and harm others like a beserker. If you have focused,
conscious Wil, Wod is fuel to achieve the world's greatest accomplishments, such as getting the sacred drink of
inspired prophet-poets. Many people are in prison because their Wod rampaged over their Wil. Knowing our Wil
grants us the Power to harness our Wod so we can bring a gift to our greater world community just as Odin did.
We can shine like Balder, Heimdall, Gerda and all the other deities Snorri called "brilliant" and "radiant”, because
we are Their kin.

No star diminishes the light of another star. It's in everyone's best interest that we all shine. Comparing your
s, Magick, weight, health, finances, love life, emotions, knowledge, years Pagan or formal training
of others makes no sense. Your Higher Self has gifts and experiences unique to you! That's what

matters! The proto-Indo-European of root of the word harmony is *-ar, meaning to fit together. It's the basis of all
Indo-European language groups' Traditional religions. How you fit together is unique. What is your harmonious
path might be deadly chaos or a stifling trap to someone else. If we didn't need diversity, the deities would not
have made everything in nature, including humans, different. No two snowflakes are the same, no two deities are
the same, and 1o two people are the same. If you plant one type of seed, it's easy to wipe out your entire monocrop
food supply. Polytheists know that plurality is the safe, sane and secure way for society and ecosystems to flourish.
Eco means home. ALL Traditional peoples care about the health of the systems of their home. It is the foundation
of Traditional religions worldwide.

True Will & Pagan Groups in Prison

Itis especially important to remember the importance of harmony if working with a group of Pagans in prison.
Unlike Wicca on the outside, you did not choose to meet with these people. They did not all agree that you were
the right ft. You might really dislike some of them. It is taught that you should never work with someone who
makes your skin erawl. This is very deep, intimate work on psychological, energetic and physical levels. Wiccan
"perfect love and perfect trust" rarely exists, even if the coven members are long time good friends. In all honesty,
I'think a Wicean group thrown together by cireumstance in prison should not lie about "perfect love and perfect
trust”. It can be an ideal, but it's important to be honest in ritual. This is a semi-public Circle, not a coven.
Personalities clash, someone steals the group's books, and training is usually poor. It's hard (and often dangerous)
to work with Energy if someone is high and someone else stopped a needed psych med, especially cold turkey.

Plus odds are that you will have very different interests from each other - a Wican may want to do a Sabbat ritual
from a book, a Greek polytheist may want to worship with offerings of athletic feats that delight their deities, a
Satanist may want to use a sigil to evoke an archetype of the adversary in themselves, while a Druid may want to
write poetry in trance.

Group is often the choice for all Pagans who don't want to be associated with any white
s hiding behind Odinism. Most Heathens are firmly against the ridiculous idea that your ancestry
determines what deities and rituals someone can do. We are Americans in the 21st century. Belonging toa
‘Traditional culture had nothing to do with your family. Belonging was and is based on sharing a way to
communicate, living in a similar way, and being a good neighbor. Around the world Traditional men married
women from different cultures all the time and adopted the wives' ways, like the Germanic mercenaries in the

Roman military who married Celtic Britons or the Rus who married Slavic women and changed their dress and
language. From the Apache raids for wives to the Norwegian Vikings taking Gaelic names and marrying into
Gaclic noble families, Traditional people always had ever-changing DNA and traditions.

So the Wiccan Group might have Asatrur who don't want the gang polities in the Odinist Group. Of course, not all
Odinists are gang members or exclude other people from their very modern version of Norse and Saxon religi
that bears no resemblance to the ancient ones. Many Odinists know that they are based in American culture and
anyone speaking a Germanic language like English is technically Germanic and thinks in Germanic terms. But
unfortunately some Odinists are fascist oot boys, ruining the chances for other Heathens to meet for religious
purposes. If you want the prison officials to allow Odinist/Asatru group meetings, you must all agree to focus
strictly on the religion with ANYONE who is called to these deities. Why wouldn't Thor call to someone who uses
the word Thursday? If someone wants to plot gang activity, the group must remind them of the purpose for the
religious meeting. This is your best defense against your group being shut down - and maybe shutting down ALL
Odinist/Asatru groups in your state. Do not give them an excuse. Don't serew it up for everyone else!

At the beginning of every meeting, you may want everyone to say "All Pagan, we are also different and that is fine/
‘With some things in common, and some things only the path of mine." This sets the realistic boundaries and
attitude of the group. If something feels wrong for you, do not participate. If the group is well run, everyone has
chances to co-create rituals and teach a skill, myth or part of a Pagan worldview. If someone does not want to be
part of something you organized, it is not personal. They have their path. Remember the animist truth: It's not all
about you! The world s home to thousands of billions aware beings! To slime mold (which is sometimes an
animal and sometimes a plant), the world probably seems to be all about slime mold. CBT should have helped you
get over yourself and realize that very little in life should be taken personally.

are many exe Il Pagans usually learn and practice. This exercise is scientifically proven to benefit
you if done daily. In Thelema it is often called Quiet Awareness. Buddhists may know it as Zen mindfulness
meditation. Crowley was well educated in Eastern mystical practices. Many Thelema teachers believe that Quict
Awareness can connect you to True Will without any complicated ritual work. The goal of Thelema is to merge
with the Higher Self, not perform a bunch of unnecessary rites! If you have a group to meditate with, it may give
you motivation when you don't feel like doing it. (One group in prison unofficially met in the Law Library.

If you have studied the Qabala, you know that the physical world corresponds to the sphere Malkuth, the Earth.
Moving up, we enter the sphere of Yesod (imagination, the Moon, the Astral Plane). Next are the Spheres of Hod
(Thought and Communication, Mercury) and Netzach (Emotion, Venus). These 4 Spheres form the bottom of the
cross of "the human realm". The Sphere of Tiphareth (the Sun) is the cross's top. Tiphareth is your Higher Self.
‘Tiphareth is also the lowest part of the impersonal upper circle, where all the major Energies of the Univers
So, in Tiphareth the mortal meets the immortal. This is closest part of you to the divine.

‘When traveling the path to Tiphareth, we confront the Death Tarot card. That's because we must kill our
automatic patterns of beliefs (Moon), thoughts (Mercury), emotions (Venus) and physical urges (Earth). Only
then we are united with our True Will, Just as thoughts, emotions and physical urges orbit the Higher Self,
Mercury, Venus, and the Earth orbit the Sun. It's important that you identify with the Higher Self, not what is
orbiting around you at the moment. CBT and Quiet Awareness will help you do that.

‘The Yoruban people have a word very similar to Highest Self: Ori. Ori means "head" and it also means your state
of Mind. Cool headed people are in harmony with life. They are wise, patient, dignified, have strong eritical
thinking skills, gather information from their gut instinet, and focus on their integrity and the impact of their
actions on the community. They are noble and courageous enough to apologize and make amends to repair
damages in the community. They also know the importance of being humble and open minded with the Orisha,
ancestors, elders and children. (Elders and children are the closest to the ancestors.) Orisha, the Yoruban
divinities in Lucumi/Santeria, actually has the word O in it. Your Ori s in many ways your personal bit of the
Orisha and is to be honored, cultivated and respected. Mindfulness meditation eventually allows you to separate
the junk in your Mind from your Ori

sort of meditation would have been

If you are Heathen or following any religion based on Traditional people, thi
common in a different context. The focused awareness of hunters, blacksmiths, and weavers kept people in the
here and now. There was no "multitasking”. Life was mindfulness and quiet awareness. Now you have to create
time for it if you want to understand that mentality. In this society, you have to choose to be able to sit with

yoursel. It will create a stable, balanced Self that is not tossed around by life, including the life in your Mind. It
‘takes a lot of courage and strength to sit with yourself. Most people fear the ancient law: "Know thyself.” If you are
using Heathenry to escape into a fictional past, you would not have been able to handle life on a Norse farmstead
in 800 CE. A heroic path demands that the hero or heroine doesn't run from themselves. Whatever avoid in
yourself has more Power over you than prison.

Up to 40% of people in prison may have ADD/ADHD, like I do. Mindfulness meditation helps treat it, but start
with shorter practice time. There are other ways to be mindful we all can practice throughout our day. When you
wash your hands, really notice what you are doing. Listen to the water. Is there a smell? What position are you in?
How does that feel? By noticing all our senses when doing something, we all build a greater ability to focus. For
trance work, ritual, research and Magick, focus is very important. A very fast mindfulness exercise is to look for 5
square things around you. This can be helpful for anyone who feels overwhelmed by an emotion or distracted by
worry or regret.

Exercise: Quiet Awareness Meditation

‘The Higher Self is like the Sun. Your thoughts, emotions and physical urges orbit around it. You can learn to
detach from these constantly changing feelings and beliefs. You can learn who you REALLY are, your True Will.
Most people are tricked into thinking that their True Will is those random thoughts, emotions and physical urges.
‘This meditation will make clear to you that they are not. It is important that you do this meditation every day for
20 minutes, especially on days when you don't want to. Your wants are not your Will. If you have read about
Buddhist mindfulness meditation, this is the same thing. Your Higher Self is the Buddhist Observer of your
thoughts, emotions and physical urges. (The worldview and goals of Buddhism and Paganism differ, but the
practice is the same. Also, many Pagans on the outside attend Buddhist meditation and read Buddhist books.)

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. If you are afraid that you will fall asleep, you may need more sleep. If
that's not the problem, do this meditation sitting up. Many people sit in a chair or on a cushion that raises their
butt to take pressure off of the knees. The goal is not to have an empty Mind. You are going to be aware of what's
happening in your Mind. No judgement, just mild curiosity.

Your breathing does not need to change, but it will be your steady constant. Just focus on your breath as it is. If it
changes, observe that. Feel the air going into your nostrils. Notice where your body moves. Maybe your chest rises
or your belly expands. Feel the air move out of your nostrils. Whenever you find yourself getting caught in a
thought, emotion or physical urge, simply return your awareness to your breath. Your breath will always be there.

‘While you do this, thoughts, emotions and physical urges appear. You will probably forget to concentrate on your
breathing. Instead, you might follow a worry tugging on your consciousness. Or you will feel as though an emotion
totally surrounds you. Maybe the urge to use drugs or cut yourself will grab your attention. It is okay. That is what
Minds do. They have constantly changing thoughts, emotions and physical urges. You never act on most of them.
Action is a choice. A thought, emotion or physical urge cannot force you do something. They're temporary. Your
True Will is constant. The will to breath is constant. Allow your Higher Self to decide what actions, if any, you may
want to take later. For now, just pay attention to the stuff happening inside of you.

‘When you notice that you are not focusing on your breath, just focus on your breath. It may help to simply label
the distraction, such as Thought or Emotion or Urge, and let it go. They do not need any other attention. They are
like weather, témporary. Storms pass, sunlight grows bright and dims, and the temperature changes all the time,
but you always remain. No feeling is final; another one will appear. Stay with your breath.

Some people count their exhales just as a way to focus. If you do, it is fine if you lose count. Just start over with
one. There is no destination in this meditation. If you lose focus and return to One over 100 times, that is fine.
You just have to show up. Nothing else. Just show up every day.

Some people who find visualizing helpful may want to picture thoughts, emotions and urges as clouds drifting
through the Mind. Maybe they are leaves floating down a river. However you imagine them, notice that they
change. They enter your Mind and leave. They are not You. Not your Will, not your Higher Self. Stevie Nicks in
e." You are the sea and no
matter what the day's waves, tides and colors are, your Higher Self is the deep, constant sea.

A thought, emotion or physical urge may repulse you. Maybe you feel shame or anxiety. Again, just notice that.
Label it Emotion if you want. This is a non-judgemental observation. Take comfort in knowing that you NOT just
an emotion or intrusive thought or physical urge. If you feel like running away from an emotion or thought, return
to your breathing. These thoughts, emotions and physical urges are not you.

‘When the 20 minutes are over, bring your attention to your body and the space around you. There's nothing to
analyze. There is nothing for you to bring with you. The moment has changed. You can only do this meditation
right. All that matters is that you do the meditation.

You may observe a pattern after a few months. Perhaps you have a certain thought that you tend to follow. A
“train of thought" you ride which always goes to what I call My Crazy Town. It is basically self torture. There's
never any resolution, just the same pattern of thoughts moving to Crazy Town. Now you know that your Mind
tends to do that, and it never goes anywhere helpful. It s just a story. When it appears, no matter when, you can
just notice it as A Story. Itis not real. It has no power over you. An alcoholic can't risk having the first drink. You
can stop yourself from the first think. It is important to use CBT First Sight as soon as you notice that you've
boarded the train of thought to your personal Crazy Town.

Quiet Awareness is good to do whenever you feel dissociated (disconnected), hyper-vigilant (extremely anxious on
Red Alert), enraged, panicky or are obsessing over something. Here's the fast version: Find 5 things around you
that are square shaped. If you have a friend who wants to remind you to find 5 square things and for you to
remind them to do the same when either of you are not grounded, do it! You can teach this to family on the phone
and calm each other.

Exercise: Make the Emotion Smaller than You

Sometimes you feel like an emotion is bigger than your Higher Self. It may feel as if you are surrounded by the
emotion, like it could control you. As you breathe, o this meditation:

Ask yourself if this emotion has a color. What s it? Where in your body s it? If it was a physical object, what
would it be? How about an animal? Take a piece of paper and draw the emotion, based on your observation. It is
nolonger bigger than you. It is separate from you. You have observed it in different ways. It can not control or be
your Higher Self or True Will because your Higher Self is aware of it as being NOT you.

‘The things you observe, those thoughts, emotions and physical urges, are usually not worth analyzing. Like
everyone clse, you learned them. Even if you figured out where every thought, emotion and physical urge came
from, it would not bring you closer to the Higher Self and True Will. You'd just know more about what's not your
‘True Wll. Of course, some self exploration is healthy and there can be breakthroughs by knowing why we believed
‘harmiful Stories. But that alone does not change your life. People spent lifetimes lying on a couch in
psychoanalysis 5 times a week and only learned more about their issues. They didn't learn skills for change. A
good therapist combines the two so you know how you became who you are AND how to choose and create the life
your Higher Self wills. And you don't have to wait to be "fixed" or "perfect’ before that happens. People who have
PTSD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can still have those diagnoses AND live a life based on their own values.

‘The Mind just tends to be like a radio of your Stories. Arguing with them, trying to ignore them - it is still focusing
on them. Arguing with a radio does not work. It does not hear you. All you end up doing is distracting yourself
from your Higher Self.

‘That's why you just observe. The thoughts, emotions and physical urges may not change right away. You may
always have intrusive thoughts or your Grandfather's cruel words bugging you, but you will not act on them. You
nolonger treat them as your Will. Your situation (like being in prison or chronic pain) may not change, but it
cannot control you. This meditation is not about changing the thoughts, emotions and physical urges; it is about
changing your relationship with the thoughts, emotions and physical urges. Just because the radio in your Mind
babbles about Stories that may be upsetting, it does not mean that you have to act on the Stories. Whether or not a
Story is true is even unimportant. Your Higher Self is far more than Stories in your Mind. You have cho
how you will respond. That is Power and Freedom.

Fear gives you useful information. It tells you to be cautious. Anxiety just is imagining a horrible event that is not
‘happening. (It actually uses a lot of Magickal skills. If you can worry, you can visualize and focus with great
success!) Anxiety steals your present, which is where you have Power. Odin taught that the man who stays awake
worrying just feels worse in the morning. The man who sleeps, knowing he will face tomorrow when it happens,
wakes prepared to meet the day. Easy to say, definitely true, but not always easy to do.

You cannot be anxious (or angry) when you are grateful. The emotions are incompatible. You can stop worrying
by simply writing down or saying 10 things you are grateful for. I am grateful for having a bed. A lot of people with
my immune disease can't afford or find a safe one. Even though I don't get to visit anyone in person, I have a
couple close loved ones I write, email, and sometimes speak with on the phone. I am making a difference by
getting high quality Pagan materials to thousands of Pagans in prison, which amazes me! I didn't vomit today. I
have heat. Terry Gunnell from the University of Iceland has published a paper that is the missing piece for an
article I'm writing. One of the few foods my body doesn't reject arrived in the mail. 1 also no longer attend as many
arguments I'm invited to, because I treasure my Energy.

You see? Gratitude is in the details. People I've known with good marriages, well paying jobs, no health issues
(aside from mental health ones they avoid being responsible for healing) and safe neighborhoods have told me
that they can't get two things on their gratitude list. I say "You're a woman and have the right to own property.
You don't walk 5 miles for water each day. You could afford the dentist last month and there is a dentist office in
your city! You were junkie blowing cab drivers and don't have HIV. Really? No gratitude?” Gratitude is something
You nurture and cultivate, because it makes you sane.

Sometimes gratitude is for what isn't happening. I'm guessing that we all have been in many life and death
Situations. We're still here. That means we have an opportunity for wisdom. We have things to be proud of
overcoming. We have reasons to be grateful. If you know that there are deities, Orisha, ancestors, land spirits, etc,
your first prayer should be thank you. If you know that it was your own Self that got you through those times, your
Tirst prayer should be thank you. I personally believe that in my case both were involved - and for that, I am very
grateful.

Defeat Depression

Studies on anti-depressant medications show that their effects wear off rather quickly. Constant adjustments,
something you are unlikely receive in prison, are often needed. The same studies show that physical exercise is a
long lasting, effective treatment for depression that does not have the failure rates anti-depressant medications
have. I personally love my anti-depressant. It allows me to function in a lot of pain, ambiguity and isolation. But if
there's any other safe way I can take care of my problems, I'l do it! I was probably the only person at the YMCA.
gym for my mental health! Half an hour of brisk walking or jogging in place with stops for crunches, push ups, leg
Tifts, ete keeps the cardiovascular system going while you build muscle. Remember to warm up so you don't injure
yourself and cool down s0 you won't have cramps later. Dancing works, too! Tightening different muscle group:
Something you can do anywhere. If you are talking with someone in the yard, walk laps while speaking. It gives
you more privacy!

Of course, don't do anything that a medical professional says is dangerous. Listen to your body. Pain is not gain. It
could be a hernia or heart attack. Start with a bit more than the lazy part of you thinks you can do, but less than
your most competitive part wants. See how you feel the next day, so you can adjust the level of exertion. Muscles
need a day off to repair from the tearing that happens after a concentrated work out, so focus on upper body one
day and legs the next. Use Quiet Awareness to make sure you are not spacing out and hurting yourself. Stay in
your body and maintain safe form. Yoga builds muscle, balance and flexibility - but get some cardiovascular
exercise by fast walking, shadow boxing, or dancing.

Self Compassion & Resilience

Another necessary skill (and the one most people who have experienced a lot of trauma resist) i self compassion.
High self esteem doesn't last. You have to judge yourself as better than average all the time. That
People with high self esteem have a hard fime from bouncing back after making a mistake or failing at a project.
However, people who have self compassion are very strong and resilient! Self pity blames others, giving your
Power away. Self loathing keeps you stuck in hopelessness. Self compassion allows you to understand that you're
another human being who does the best they can with what they have. Knowing that, you can return to solving a
diffieult problem or try something new with a more peaceful and open attitude.

You're a normal person. You deserve loving kindness just like anyone else and you can provide that for yourself!
Hey, who else is going to do it? After you are a child, it's not the responsibility of anyone else to take care of your
emotional well being. Don't dump that on your wife or daughter. Women are constantly used for unpaid
emotional labor. You have the ability to provide this for yourself. That's emotional self reliance for Heathens!

Self compassion will give you the courage and strength to be accountable for the things you used to ayoid thinking
about (which usually just leads to obsessing on it or getting wasted). Self compassion gives you what it takes to
face yourself and make changes.

Self compassion also stimulates a very important neurotransmitter called oxytocin, which we produce when
having sex and breast feeding. We used to feel a lot more of it when we had communal grooming, combing the
insects out of each other's hair and such. It is the contentment neurotransmitter and gives a peaceful, satisfied
feeling that our society greatly lacks. Gently stroking your arm can stimulate oxytocin, which causes a sense of
being safe and loved. The Chaplain should have one page self compassion meditations.

Sunlight and Concentration

Many people have a vitamin D deficiency. That makes it difficult to concentrate and learn, The natural source of
vitamin D is sunlight. Not a sun burn, but 10-20 minutes with some skin exposed to the sun outside. This can also
help with Seasonal Affect Disorder (depression and fatigue in winter). The sun's rays are stronger at noon, s it's
recommended that people get their sun in the morning or late afternoon. You have to do what the guards say, so
whenever you get a chance in the dog run, try to find a spot in the sun for several minutes. It is an excellent time
to meditate on the meaning of the Sun in your religion or give thanks.

Stop a PTSD Episode by Breathing

You might wonder why this is part of Magickal and ritual training. Well, what do you think all those fancy
breathing techniques are for!? To change your awareness.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is common in both prison residents and guards. PTSD is a physical reaction to
triggers that remind the person of traumatic events. One of the physical responses is in your Power. You can stop
your body from producing adrenaline. 5 minutes of deep breathing affects the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve then
‘ells the body to stop producing adrenaline. The PTSD reaction stops.

‘The proper breathing requires that your abdomen expands like a balloon when you inhale. Do not hold your
breath! Holding your breath sends your brain fear messages. I know that most meditation guides say to hold in
the breath for a bit, but different people need different things. The exhale needs to be long. Let your belly move
towards the spine, like the balloon has deflated. Some psychologists suggest dividing the exhale into 3 short
exhales. This helps you learn to fully exhale and move the vagus nerve. A slow, controlled exhale is what you want.
Don't just blow fast. The exhale is long. Wait a couple seconds before inhaling. Inhale comfortably, letting your
abdomen, chest and shoulders rise. Exhale slowly and let your shoulders, chest and abdomen move down. Pause
and repeat.

Drumming with a pencil on plastic container or with your hands on a pillow is proven to lower blood pressure,
another physical reaction during a PTSD episode. The focus on rhythm soothes the body and changes brainwaves,
Rattles do the same thing and are easy to mak

Another proven treatment for PTSD recovery is yoga and tai chi. They require your Mind and body to work
‘together. PTSD can sever the connection between the body and Mind. By focusing on being on the right position,
remembering to breathe, and noticing how far in a position is best for you, the connection returns. You can write
for a free classic yoga book that costs $16 on Amazon from the Sivananda Yoga Prison Project. Here are some
other free yoga resources. Your Chaplain should also have a 4 page guide to yoga written by a man in solitary
confinement. (The file is "Newsletter Supplement".)

Sivananda Yoga Prison Project. Free copy of Swami Vishnu-devanandaCs The Complete
Illustrated Book of Yoga is sent to inmates upon request. Prisoner Outreach, PO Box 195, Budd Road,
Woodbourne, NY 12788

Prison Yoga Project Free copy of A Path for Healing and Recovery with physical practices, breathing
practices and meditation to improve mental, emotional and physical well-being. PO Box 415, Bolinas, CA 94924

‘The TriYoga Prison Project Upon request will provide instructional videos, meditation music, and
teacher manuals free of charge. Kali Ray TriYoga, PO Box 6367, Malibu CA 90264

10
What IS Your Religion? by Heather Awen, Gullveig Press 2020

Goal: Move beyond your Pagan religion's label to discover what it means to you. Have a deeper, fuller awareness
of what your spiritual beliefs and needs are. Be conscious of why you believe what you believe. Live your
religion. Be able to explain your religion to someone who asks difficult questions about life and death. Discover
what you want to let go of. Define your religion. Move out of your comfort zone and try new ways of doing your
religion. Identify areas that you need to study or think about to be able to answer these questions. To make your
knowledge deeper.

Skills developed: Know Thyself, eritical thinking skills, memory, self reflection, being honest with yourself,
teaching.

Anthropologists have struggled with how to define what i religion and what is Magick. Magick usually ends up.
being called "religious things done by people not authorized by clergy” because clergy also perform Magick.
Witcheraft is usually "folk Magick" (or low Magick) used by people who have litle power in the dominant
culture (traditionally women and African-Americans in the U.S.). However, all religions have Magick in them.
Catholics turn a wafer and wine into the body and blood of a God. Many Southerners claim you have to be
Protestant Christian to do Hoodoo, which uses psalms as spells. Other Protestants will hold a Bible for
protection. The Jewish mezuzah s a little cylinder with a Biblical quote on a tiny parchment paper inside. It is
hung on the front door for protection.

Iam not really concerned about the difference between religion and Magick because it is generally accepted that
Magick is part of religion and only condemned as witcheraft or Magick when it is not performed by the
dominant culture's clergy. In Traditional cultures, witcheraft or sorcery is done to help an individual at the
expense of the community. Religion performs Magick to maintain harmony of the culture, which is the
dominant culture. Traditional people in most places learned English from missionaries, which is why they
consider witches to be bad.

Casting spells or using divination does not make you a Pagan. There are lots of Christians who read Tarot cards.
Many people who claim to be "spiritual, not religious" still maintain the theology of their childhood religion or
the religion of the dominant culture. They may think there's one deity who is all good, a variety of spirits, and
that people have one soul (an unusual idea for many cultures). Their worldview is not Pagan, but they buy
‘gemstones or wear a rune necklace. Catholic churches have candles available to the public to light for the dead.
A humanist atheist at the Unitarian Universalist church might light a candle and ask people to remember that a
friend is having surgery. Christians often have tattoos of their astrological sign. Chinese Confucius Buddhist
businesses may give a Buddha statue oranges to bring them prosperity. Koreans may have a corner shrine to the
ancestors kept by the mother, where incense is burned, but the family might be atheist as far as belief in God
goes. Most Japanese people are atheists, but still enjoy the Traditional Shinto festivals. The heavy metal "sign of
the Devil"is from an Italian Catholic hand symbol to keep the Devil away that Ronnie James Dio's grandmother
made. He made the hand symbol for protection when singing about dangerous things. Italian men might wear
the horn of virility pendant while knowing nothing about Pan or Cernunnos. Most people working in a New Age
store are liberal monotheists, whose customers are often spiritual tourists who collect religious souvenirs from
cultures they do not understand.

Seeing someone dress and burn a candle, chant, or gather some herbs in a bag doesn't tell you anything about
their religion.

So if Magick does not make you Pagan, what does?
Your religion.

Your cosmology (the beautiful way the Universe is organized) has to be Pagan. Pagans are not monotheists, as
those are modern ideas. You may be a monist who believes that All is One, but that One is not a conscious being.

1
You may believe like many African people that there is a Source of All That Is which Christian and Muslim
missionaries call "God". But it has no gender, no interest in humans and possibly left long ago. The Source/
"God" created divine beings like the Orisha who people worship and form relationships with, but no one ever
has rituals for "God". Many British Druids are monists, understanding the Universe to be The Song which has
no Will or Mind other than the combined Wills and Minds of everything that exists. This may include deities
and ancestors and is usually animist: Everything that exists exists for itself, not to be used by humans, and has
its own awareness and Will. The Tao is both nothing and 10,000 things (10,000 meaning infinite). The Tao is in
everything and including humans, and the main belief s that everything works best when it does not go against
nature, including your own true nature,

A'Thelemite or other Ceremonial Magician may spend their lives secking their True Will, believing that when all
‘humans do so, there will be harmony. Each person's True Will is different, but their Highest Self, and when
realized, we become like stars in our natural place in the sky. A Wiccan duotheist believes that the Universe is
based on the birth, death, rebirth fertility cycles of a God and a Goddess who perform certain gender roles. A
Feri Witch believes that the Star Goddess fell in love with Herself and then part of Her moved away becoming
Her sons and lovers, the Twin Gods (who may take any gender). A Luciferian believes that the main goal in life
is to be free of duality and accept the power of the whole self. A sacred materialist believes that there is no
spiritual world better than the divinity of everything our senses say are

An ADF Druid believes in basic Indo-European cosmology: that there s a tree or mountain of Order and a well,
Underworld lake or encircling ocean of Chaos. The role of religion is to be in alignment with the tree while
meditating the watery chaos that keeps the tree or mountain alive but not rotting or submerged, by making fire
sacrifices. A Kemetie polytheist believes that living in ma'at, the rules of harmony, is the purpose of religion. A
Heathen seeks to be honorable, believing that their actions today will positively influence the Wyrd of the future,
honoring the Germanic language deities as Elder Kin who have given much. A Satanist might believe that the
“evil" characters in Jewish and Christian mythology are not real, but empowering symbols of freedom that will
help them become a God.

As you can see, there are many ways to be Pagan. All of us have our own perspectives that, if we are dedicated to
exploring, will change as our experiences as a Pagan teach us more. We do not merely read Paganism; we think
Pagan and act Pagan. We have a worldview that is not from a book but from our own practices of Paganism. We
can answer questions based on a thorough understanding of our cosmology, questions about the Big Issues like
suffering, death, psychic phenomenon, values, ete and really know why we believe these answers. We know our
personal spiritual history and where we picked up all our beliefs - including ones that are subconsciously carried
into our practice and get in the way, such as: misogynist good wife/whore division of women, punishment from
the deities, spirit is better than matter, intellect is smarter than the instinct of the body, we must transcend our
so-called negative emotions, men don't cry, the Universe including every spirit exists to help humans, anything
wholesome must be boring, women are just baby makers, the Universe is divided into constantly good battling
constantly evil things, our deities do not pay attention to us, we need a Priest or guru to do our religion, the
written word is more trustworthy than our own awareness of nature, or we are inherently bad and need savin;

In truth, most people who call themselves Pagans can't explain how or why things happen, the way the Universe
is organized, or the things that they repeat from books. (To be fair, few Christians, Jews and Muslims have
developed critical thinking skills about their religion or understand where their beliefs came from or why they
do what they do at holidays.)

Many Pagans quote terms like "nature worship” but not think about the endangered species of sage brush due to
everyone wanting a smudge stick. They don't question the ecological harm of mining rose quartz. Maybe they
say that they are living the Old Traditions of Scandinavia without researching Snorri and his medieval Christian
beliefs, his family's ambitions, his Norwegian patrons and his lack of knowledge about Sweden. A Wiccan might
explain their tools and how to cast a circle in great detail, but never explain why they need to do each step.
Another might talk about the polarity of the God and Goddess, but mistake polarity for duality. A Druid may

discuss the importance and history of the inspiration of awen, but not have any personal experience with that
inspiration.

Your answers to the following questions are meant to be written down, but you don't need to write sentences.
You might jot down words or phrases. But your answers should be complete enough that if you told them to
someone, they would understand. Spend time with these questions. Until you can answer these questions, you
are not really involved in your religion. Use the questions that you can't easily answer (and there should be
some) to be non judgemental and curious about why you don't have an answer. Contemplate them and focus

your studies, practices and intuition on them. There are no right answers. This is information gathering about
Yourself as a Pagan.

Exercise: My Spiritual History: Take some time each day to write about religious, spiritual, cosmological,
philosophical and psychological beliefs you have had over the years. Look for religious beliefs that were
unspoken but profoundly affected your family. Although I was not raised Christian, I carried a strong sense that
no matter what, I could never be enough. I often sounded someone who was raised Scottish Presbyterian,
hopeless about predetermination, or Dutch Reformist, anxious and ashamed for existing. Yet I never had
attended church. My parents or their parents were raised in these harsh Calvinist churches, and the self

destructive Protestant work ethic and shame for being were passed down to me.

If you believe in deities, how is your relationship with them similar to your childhood relationship with your
adult care providers? I felt like my parents only wanted me if I didn't need anything from them. I was pretty
much left alone to figure out everything. It took 12 years before I finally could go to the deities with real
and say "Please help me". It was hard to trust their competence or consistent interest in me.

sues

Meanwhile, I was raised in a Shakti path of Hinduism, which focuses on the power of the divine feminine that
moves the Gods. I knew about chakras, creative visualization and enjoyed the mystical union of my True Self
with All That Is, the Brahman. My parents were very progressive and I learned much about psychology, the
environment, off the grid living, socialism, mythology, and the arts. I studied astrology and then Witcheraft after
becoming friends with a girl whose lesbian mother was involved with Goddess Spirituality. Everything by
Starhawk and "Evolutionary Witcheraft" by Thorn Coyle were my biggest influences, until 1 learned about
polytheism and felt at home in public ADF rituals. The scholar in me kicked me as I researched history. My most
important practices were picking up trash and foraging, and spending time outside everyday no matter what the
weather, wondering how, what, when, where, and why a Bronze or Iron Age Pagan Gael or Heathen would
worship in the Hudson Valley. Paganism is rooted in place, yet too many of us stay inside reading about rituals

and myths that don't make sense unless you live immersed in that place.

In this exerci

, note all the different influences that have shaped your ideas and feelings about the way the
Universe works, what ritual is for, the role of deities, and why things happen. X-Men comics probably kept me
from killing myself when I was 9-11, giving me a group I felt at home with (mutants), Andre Norton's novel
Moon Called gave me glimpses of Wicea, and the lyries of Blondie constantly referred to love combined with
psychic experiences. Not all our religious beliefs come from religion.

Exercise: How does Magick fit into your cosmology? Define Magick or witcheraft. I it different from ritual? If
s0, how? From religion? If so, how? How does it work? If you practice Magick, you should have an answer based
on those experiences and reasons why you agree or don't agree with the systems or rules you have read about

Magick. Based on your experience, what are the most important things needed for a spel to work? How do you
know when to use Magick? What is the reason why you work Magick? If you don't formally use Magick in your
religion, do you have ways to be protected from bad luck? Why do you do them? Does your Magick involve
deities or other spirits? How does your cosmology explain Magick? Do you keep records of divination and
Magick and check what happened? What have you learned about yourself from the spells that works and those
that didn't? Have you gotten what you wanted, but at a high cost? Or hated it? Did you ever try to manipulate
another person? How did it work out?

How do you DO Pagay ipline of exercises, devotional practices, or
spoken charms or prayers for different actions? Do you know why you do them? I was surprised by how many
armehair Pagans there are, Wiccans who are always reading Witcheraft, Wicea and Ceremonial Magick books
but have never done a ritual, polytheists who study mythology but have never made an offering, prayed or asked
for messages with divination. Pagan religions require doing things that change you and your understanding of
the world. No one knows what your religion is unless you do it.

If you use certain tools, do you know their history? To understand the Wicean tools and elemental
correspondences, read about the Order of the Golden Dawn. (To understand Will, read Crowley.) Are there ways
you "set the mood” to be open to psychic or religious experiences? If you do not feel anything during a sumble,
do you visualize being at the Great Temple in Uppsala, or pray to a homemade statue pole, or write praise
poems to the land wights? Or are you satisfied with rites that don't move you? In what ways do you stay in your
comfort zone? Do you avoid the more analytical, emotional, flamboyant, disciplined, musical, serious, joyful,
devotional, meditative, physical tools, movement oriented, or psychic practices? How do you feel when
considering those different ways of being your religion? Many teachers suggest that we add a new thing that
really seems interesting to us AND a new thing that makes us think "I could never do that! It's not me!” I'n
going to be that teacher and suggest you move out of your well-known comfort zone. Choose a practice that feels
exciting and one that feels stupid or boring. Now actually do them for 28 days and evaluate the results.

Exercise: Your Goals What do you hope to gain from your Pagan religion? Is it meeting those goals? When you
first became interested in Paganism, did you have different hopes about how it would change your life? Have
you even changed by being actively Pagan? If so, in what ways? Did you start on a different Pagan path and
change to another? If so, why? My main reason for being involved with Paganism was to find ways to change
society into something healthier and do them - I stil have that goal and I know it leads me in my spiritual
journey. At one point, I really wanted to use my knowledge of non-profit organization management with a large
Pagan organization. It was traumatizing, because I expected Pagans to be different than other people, to be
better. I learned that I do much better alone or with one or two trusted people. After almost 37 years in
Paganland, I'm often embarrassed to say I'm Pagan due to the behavior and ignorance of a lot of other Pagans. I
never feel alone since I formally gave my life to Freya. I wanted empowerment, and I definitely got that. I
wanted religion my ancestors would understand, which took a long time because my ancestors would not even
understand this culture of fierce individualism. I had to ereate something new that fits the world I ive in, but I
did forge important ancestor connections, mostly from the writing of a woman who is initiated into an Orisha
religion. I wanted to fight off the misogynist, sexist crap trying to infest my teenage girl brain and my spiritual
path really helped me grow as a feminist i.e. a woman who lives on her terms, following her True Will T felt
betrayed when I learned that Gardner made up Wicea from many different sources, many of which were trends
at that time in England. It reinforced that Wicca was not for me. I also felt betrayed when I learned that there
was no Great Goddess society of peaceful equals who lived in harmony with the planet as agriculturalists, but
when I got over it, I understood to be more about a vision for the future. I felt stupid for having insisted, when
16, that 9 million Witches were killed in the Burning Times. (Hutton's ook on the history of Wicea Triumph of
the Moon set me free - it's better to be wrong than not learn and grow.) I share these examples in the hope that
it will remind you of your own embarrassing moments that taught you something important, of expectations
you had that were unrealistic, of passions you may have forgotten, of needs that took you a long time to meet, of
goals you have that you are still trying to find in Paganism, and of what you truly crave and review how you will
getit

Exercise: How do I disagree with my Religion? Pagans tend to be people who don't just believe something
because they read it - It might look too much like Christianity for them. Usually, they are a bit cccentrie, well
read, and interested in rather cutting-edge trends, from unusual music to new technologies, holistic healing to
off the grid homesteading. Or they devour information about history or specialize in Magickal jewelry making.
Obviously we are both cynical AND open minded. Pagans in general tend to not care about fitting in, but more.
about being able to freely express our individuality. This means that very few of us follow our tradition in a

religion 100%. I don'tlike or agree with a lot of the beliefs of behavior of Pagans who have taught me important
spiritual skills, led great rituals, and helped me understand my intuitive cosmology. I probably would be
considered a Heathen or more likely a devotional polytheist. I tend to have little in common with Heathens and
the authors who helped me understand what I have always been experiencing and helped me understand the
most important parts of polytheism are people I really don't trust.

In your religion, are there beliefs that do not make sense based on your experience or gut instinet? How do you
reconcile that? What in your religion is considered taboo - what is not allowed? Why? Do you agree with it?
Why? Do you consciously bring knowledge from other religions or traditions to yours so it works for you? If yes,
how have other Pagans responded? How do you feel when a Pagan is very eclectic and doesn't follow a set
religion? What do you think Pagan Groups should do: stick to the ritual basies of the stated religion while
members explore other things on their own or have a variety of rituals created by different members who study
something else as well? What do you think the limits should be on the types of rituals your group does? Would
your Asatru group allow a blot for Hela? Would it add Baltic, Gaclic, Saami and Slavic elements to rituals? Can
Wiceans and Traditional Witches attend all the same rituals, or should they meet separately for esbats or some
Sabbats? What if you are Wicean in the Wicca Group, but the group is almost all occultists who want the rituals
to be Ceremonial Magick? In prison a lot of different types of Pagans end up in the Wiccan Group!

Exercise My Religion & Science How does science fit into your cosmology? Some Pagans hate everything about
science, believing it took the soul out of how people view the world. Others consider their astrology and alchemy
to be abandoned sciences and that they are scientists. Magick is an art and a science. What is an art, what is
science, and what do they have in common? (I am serious - If you don't know what you mean by art and scienc
how can know you are doing them? Or what you are telling other people when you say that?) Some Pagans feel
validated by quantum physics (which few people understand) or the Gaia Theory. As scientific knowledge

changes, will it affect your religion? How do you fit mythology together with science? Is science a religion?

Exercise: Pagan Solutions What are the three biggest problems humans must solve right now? What does your
religion offer in finding solutions? How does your religion problem solve? How does it get things done? What
perspectives does it bring? How can your religion work with others? What could it teach that would help?
(Actually write down your ideas, especially if you don't know. That often means that you want to get more
information because you seriously want to help.)

: Pagan Religion and Prison How does prison fit in your religion's understanding about how the world
works? If you never thought about it, spend a long time thinking about it. Pagan religions are not based on the
dominant culture that created these prisons, laws, sentences etc. What laws would your religion change? How
could it handle harm in the community besides prison? Are there Pagan practices that you believe would reduce
‘harm? If you are reconstructing an ancient Tradition, what cultural ways of handling rule breaking are outdated
and which ones could work today?

Exercise: You and Your Religion How do you fit into your cosmology? What's your role in the cosmos? What do
you offer your religion? Do you keep strong relationships with deities? Are you an organizer? Do you create
‘great rituals? Do you learn and teach in discussion with a couple people? Is belonging to a religious community
important to you? What do you bring to the community? Are you happiest helping with practical needs, like
cleaning up after Group rituals, and other necessary tasks others may avoid? What in your behavior tells
someone what your religion is? Give examples. How does your religion shape the way you treat others, your
responsibilities, the environment, different genders, free time? How is your relationship with yourself different
because of Paganism?

‘There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. You might want to discuss your answers in a
non-judgemental space with another Pagan. We tend to think people understand (or don't understand) what we
mean by certain words or actions, but we're often wrong. You might be surprised by how different your answers
are to some questions from that of someone else in your religion's group. That's really common - With Pagans

generally being against mindless conformity, we have our own diverse beliefs and practices that meet our
current needs. If you try to control the beliefs of your Pagan group, you won't have any Pagans left in the group!
When I first read the Nine Noble Virtues, I assumed self reliance meant that your bioregion was prepared to not
depend on fossil fuel, water from hundreds of miles away, and imported food. I really think it is important that
the land can sustain the population. I have never read or heard another Heathen state that's what Self Reliance
means to them!

Now that you know your relationship with your religion better, what are your next steps?
Mother Earth

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In addtion to Asatrd, Wicca, and Druidry,
there are large number of loss well-known Neo-Pagan religions,
and quite a few individual forms of Pagan worship.
(Satanism is derived from Christianity, and is not Pagan.)

Wicca, Druidry, and Asatru are all Neo-Pagan religions - though it
should be noted that most Asatri and others practicing Northern Pagan
religions call themselves. and prefer to be called. Heathen.

As shown above, Neo-Paganism is a broad term that covers not only
the organized religions of Wicca, Asatrd, and Druidry. but also applies to a
number of lesser known forms of polstheistic worship (not all of which are
represented in our illustration). These include Goddess-worship and
Neo-Shamanism. along with a variety of sofitary (individual) practices based
on ancient and modern religions.

Even though each is distinct in theology and practice, Wicca. Asatrt
and Druidry have much in common. For instance, each celebrates at least
the eight Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year.

In' more and more communities. Neo-Pagan services are open 0 the
public and attended by members of several Neo-Pagan faiths: sometimes
public rituals combine Wiccan. Druid. Asatru. or other NeoPagan elements,
Generally. these celebrations are in addition to rites held by/for followers of
individual Neo-Pagan faiths.

Most Neo-Pagans would prefer to meet with members of their own
faith. Still. many choose to celebrate a different Tradition's or path's service
rather than celebrating alone or not attending a Sabbat rite at all; and many
appreciate the opportunity to learn how other Neo-Pagans mark a Sabbat or
ite of passage (such as a babynaming or a handfasting - a Pagan wedding).

Not all prisons recognize. understand, or (can) provide meeting time
for every Neo-Pagan faith practiced by inmates. Sometimes followers of a
particular path outnumber the followers of other Neo-Pagan faiths. resulting
in rites that don't satisfy everyone. Some Pagan inmates who might want to
are not permitted 1o attend Neo-Pagan services not specifically intended for
their religion.

There are not very many Neo-Pagan prison ministries. so the current
"norm" is for inmates to have to meet on their own to hold Sabbat rites or
study sessions.

I's appropriate to recognize Neo-Pagan religions individually andas
related. The distinctions justify providing separate worship opportunities,
while the similarities make it reasonable 10 allow Neo-Pagan inmates. when
they wish to. 1o attend services of another Neo-Pagan religion when services
of their own faith are not offered.

With questions about the relationship of Wicca to Asatri and/or
Druidry, or for basic information these religions, please contact Mother
Earth MinistriesATC by mail or through our website. (Our addresses are
listed at eit)

Making Pagan Tools, by Heather Awen, Gullveig Press 2020

‘There are tools used in ritual by Wiccans, Thelemites, and Heathens (Asatrur/Odinist), as well as items for
African Diaspora Religion and polytheist shrines and altars. Although some people don't understand why these
are important for practicing a religion, and although they are not necessary, they matter. You may be able to
order an altar cloth from an approved vendor, but most tools you'l need to make yourself. That's traditional, as
the bloody mess of making my athame with a sawzall on a dock when 16 reminds me. Your own Energy is
important in Magickal tools or offerings. At the end of this guide are some craft supplies that Pagans in prison
have shared, and you probably know of others. You know what is and isn't allowed in the facility in which you
reside, so be smart. Most Pagans on the outside don't have fancy items from oceult shops. My 50¢ wooden letter
opener shaped like a cat with chipped black paint is still my favorite Magickal blade. I've worked in famous
Pagan shops and a lot of it is crap. I'm not joking. I also shopped at the largest wholesale Hoodoo warehouse,
which was depressing: layers of dust, broken lights, plastic junk and stale herbs. So don't worry about not being
able to buy stuffl Trust me, fantastic altar cloths can be handkerchiefs from the Commiss

Athame/Dagger. For Wiccans, this is the dull blade with a black handle used to cast the circle, usually
associated with Air. For Ceremonial Magicians, it is the Weapon of Fire, specifically Tiphareth, symbolic of
death and resurrection. A Wicean will need to dip it into the full chalice for the Great Rite, so it should be
waterproof. An easy way is to use a plastic knife (or use the handle of a plastic spoon as the blade). You can wrap
black fabric or yarn or fold black paper around the handle (which would be the spoon). If you cut or tear the
dagger out of cardboard or thick paper, you might be able to make it waterproof with alurninum foil on the
"blade" and use a black marker or paint on the handle. Tearing the shape out of thick paper like a book cover
and decorating it how you want with a pencil is just fine, too. When you consecrate it, you can visualize its
Magickal form.

Cauldron. The directions for the Chalice apply here, but the color should be black or metallic. You may want to
make flames to fit your cauldron using the torch instructions.

Chalice. The chalice is a Christian Ceremonial Magician's personal Holy Grail. It doesn't need to be like a
Catholic chalice for Communion. You just need something to symbolize the passive, potential of the
womb/Universe. A mug, bottle plastic with a wide mouth, or paper cup will al serve for your purpose. The more
you use it in ritual, the more Energy it holds. On the outside of the cup glue on images you found in magazines
‘or that you drew. Popular ones are red roses, the starry night sky, shells, and the blues, greens and purple of the
ocean or twilight sky. Shiny wrappers give a metal look. Remember when you consecrate the cup that you can
visualize it as exactly what it represents. For Ceremonial Magicians it fits on Netzach.

Drinking Horn. Although we've seen magnificent drinking horns in the burials of Norse and Kelto chieftains,
they're really not very practical. People probably preferred wooden or ceramic mugs. Nobles may have metal or
imported glass cups, but wood was more practical. You can make your own ritual-only mug by following the
instructions for the chalice. You may want to circle the cup with the runes. If so, wrap a strip of paper around
the cup so you know how much space you have. You can write the runes on paper glued to the cup or on the cup
directly. Whichever way you choose, be sure to first draw a dot for each rune, making sure each rune will fit. You
might want to mark the halfway point for Jera first

Ifyou really want a drinking horn, you can use papier-méché on a long funnel shape made of paper. When you
roll the funnel, one corner will stick out. Just fold it down and tuck inside the funnel. Build the layers
n be made by adding more paper to one side in the middle of the funnel. Prison "clay"
s like a ball at the pointed end and lip on the mouth, which will later be painted or covered with metallic
colored paper. Aluminum foil lets you form some shape, too. Or you can make a funnel around a paper cup. The
funnel hides the cup, but you can still drink from it. Instead of papier-méché you can just use thicker paper.
Before you roll it into a funnel shape, color it. (My horns are black with white streaks, muted browns and greys,
and black fading into grey and beige.) The point and mouth can be covered with aluminum foil or white paper
with grey texture. (See textured paper in the crafts below.) Of course, these are just suggestions. Use your
imagination and any art or office supplies you have.

Eshu's Head. At marketplaces and gateways in Yorubaland, rounded red clay represented Eshu's generously
spread ashe. Officials poured palm oil on them to keep Eshu cool headed. Eventually people gave them cowrie
shell (the old Yoruban currency) eyes and mouth. In western Cuba and Brazil the tradition continued, but with
the Ewe influence of building the little clay head emerging from a bowl. In the 1950s they began being made out
1

of cement, often with a nail sticking out the top. This is Eshu the Wonder Worker, who balances a knife on His
head when He's actively working wonders. You can make your Eshu's Head with papier-méché or prison "clay"
oreven a ball of yarn. They are often wider at the bottom so they Il stay upright. The plastic cap to a mayonnai
jar could be your base. You can paint one side of His head red and the other side black or work with His colors.
in another way if you want. There's a lot of room for variety because people had to make this small and easy to
hide in a hurry. Keep Him on the floor by the door. On Mondays share some of your meal with Him or give Him
ahard candy. Its important to feed Eshu. This is an important part of the Orisha religions, such
Santeria/Lucumi. If there's a problem with this at your facility, make an appointment with the Chaplain to
discuss how you can modify this, such as keeping Eshu’s Head in your locker.

Eye Bag. These are common in yoga studios for aiding deep relaxation. A bag about 3x7" with about half a cup.
or less of dry rice in it is laid down over closed eyes. It really does release tension and can help with
pathworking.

Fire Torch. In the Sagas, we read that one new Ieelander carried a torch around the boundary of his land. For
this reason Heathens often hallow ritual space by circling it clockwise while carrying a candle. Even if you don't
have fire, you still make an artistic version of the torch. You will need a toilet paper tube for the "wood” and
orange, yellow and gold paper and/or toilet tissues. You can paint or draw on white paper in flame colors. A
couple of sheets of fiery paper will do. Turn them so they're wider than they are tall. Cut long triangles halfway
down the papers to be flames. They should be different sizes. (If you don't have scissors, fold and tear carefully
along the crease.) Roll the papers together, colored sides facing out. Stick the bottom of the roll into the toilet
paper tube. To make it seem as if the flames are moving, tuck in a few bits of white tissue. Add small shiny
golden candy wrappers, too, if you have any. Arrange until you like how the torch looks. You can paint the t. p.
tube dark brown or wrap it in brown paper, maybe from a lunch bag.

Trance Mask. Siberian shamans and Yoruban Priests and Priestesses cover their eyes with a fringe during
ritual. The Yorubans often have strands of little beads with cowrie shells at the ends that cover the upper face. In
Mongolia it may be a fringe of leather or felt. Your vision is not totally blocked. Read my ideas and the goal and
then figure out the best way to make it for you. Take a bandana or 'do rag and cut a fringe of 7" long and 1" wide
picces on one side of the fabric. You only need your face covered so use the rest to tie it around your head. Or,
braid yarn into the strands, with something like a bead or button on the end to give it weight erough to swing
Make'a headband to tie the braids on. It doesn't matter how it looks. The goal is to have something that swings
before your eyes, letting in the light on and off, blocking distractions. Also, it helps if there are little things
bumping into each other that make a noise. (Nothing that will hurt you when it touches your chin and cheeks, or
will poke an eye out!) The change in sensory experience can aid in achieving an altered state of consciousness.

Oath Ring. The oath ring s used by Heathens when pledging oaths to the deities and others. UIIR's temple in
Sweden has 65 oath rings, s we know He was a God of the oath. Thor is another. Oaths held society together in
aworld without legal documents. When you make an oath holding the ring, you better be sure that you can keep
it. These rings were the size of bracelets or for the upper arm.

If you have access to scissors, cut the ring out of cardboard or two pieces of thick paper cut in an identical way.
Baok covers make good thick paper. The two paper rings can be taped or glued together. You can also use
regular paper and twist it into a stick. Bring together the ends to make a ring and tape or tie them with some
string. (Shoelaces work well for all erafts.) If you have a small plastic ring from the cap of a drink, mayonna
jar, ete, that is good, too. The ring doesn't have to be big enough to wear as a bracelet. Save lots of shiny chips
and candy bar wrappers. (Sometimes the inside of the bags are silver.) Aluminum foil s great, too. Wrap them
around the ring. Use some type of glue if needed. You can also wind fabric or yarn around the ring.

Pentagram. The symbol of Earth, you can draw this on paper. If you want to get creative, go for it! If you don't
have specific colors or symbols, maybe draw the pentagram as green vines. For Ceremonial Magicians this a
defensive Weapon like a shield. Wiccans often serve the cakes on the pentagram, You can put the paper on a
plate or make your actual pentagram from a paper plate. Be careful. It will be ruined by a gooey food, but it is
great for Saltines!

Rattle. Rattles work really well for going into trance or to call spirits. All you need is a container with small
hard items in it, like clean dry plastic bottle with dried beans, dry cereal, or buttons. Mongolian shamans hav
and Swedish Heathen Priests had little bells on their clothing that makes a rhythm when the person dances or
shakes. You can do the same thing with little rattles tied on your wrists or ankles.

Scourge. This Wicean tool is not a whip with which to hurt your back! The gentle, rhythmic taps of the strings
on your bare back stimulate blood flow, which can cause an altered state of consciousness for some people. You
just need several shoelaces tied together on one end. On the other ends of the strings, tie knots. If you use yarn
instead of shoelaces you probably will need to add a little weight to the knots, like little buttons.

Thor's Hammer. Heathens carry this clockwise around the ritual space to hallow it, sometimes stopping at
the 4 cardinal directions. It's not like a modern hammer. It's a mallet with a short handle. You can make the
mallet by flattening a toilet paper tube and then opening it back up. Turn it 90° and flatten it again. Push it open
and the tube is now a box shape. Color it if you want. On one side poke a hole in the center, maybe with a pencil.
You will push the handle in there. The handle can be thick paper rolled or twisted tightly into a solid way to hold
the hammer. Make sure that the hole is filled so the mallet won't fall off the handle. You can also cut or tear a
mallet shape out of cardboard or thick paper. Even though it's two dimensional, as long as you can hold it
without it flopping or going limp, itI work. You may want to make this a rite dedicated to Thor. You can think
about the dwarves who made this weapon after Sif lost Her hair. You may want to say something about that at
the beginning of your work, such as, "Once there was a horrible wrong to Sif, your wonderful wife, which was
made right with the work of willing dwarves." At the end, hold the hammer and chant the rune Thurz 9 times.

‘Wand. If you are Wiccan, the wand is the tool of Fire. If you are a Ceremonial Magician, it is the Weapon of
Hod, Sephirah of Mereury. Magicians often put a erystal point on the end. A Saxon drymann (druid) also use:
wand called a telga. Wands are usually wooden, and because paper comes from trecs, you may be able to tap
into that. The wand directs the Energy flowing from your dominant hand into the world. Twisting or rolling a
tube of paper makes a fine wand. If you don't have any way to tape or glue it in place, you can wrap yarn around
it so it stays in place or tie the ends with part of a shoelace. (Color the paper before you twist or roll it) If you are
in a wood working class, a dowel from the hardware store is actually a common Pagan wand. You may need to
keep it with the Chaplain if it's considered dangerous.

Craft Supplies

Gelatin Glue. This is for gluing pictures onto a shrine or altar items, papier mache, collage, and other crafts. You
need a lid like from a mayonnaise jar, empty capsules of medication or supplements you no longer take (open
them or poke a hole to empty the ¢apsules), and hot water. Fill the lid with hot water. Add the empty capsules.
‘They will dissolve and the fluid will be sticky. Laundry bags that dissolve in the washer also work.

Prison "Clay". This is for shaping small amulets, beads, pendants, altar and shrine decorati
‘There's two ways I know how to make it. You can probably figure out something better. If it
some salt to stop mildew. 1t Way: Mix torn up toilet paper with the glue recipe above. 2nd Way: Tear a toilet
paper tube into tiny pieces and soak in warm or hot water overnight. Mix well so it's like oatmeal. Add the soap
shavings to be the glue.

Both of these take some experimentation. If you are making a bead or pendant, stick something through where
you want the hole. A four leaf clover, snake, an eye, moon, etc are pretty easy to make. Add spell ingredients that
match your goal. Let them dry by a warm air vent, or anywhere warm and dry. After a few days, check that it's
dry. If S0, you can paint or marker them. You can use this to make lttle decorations for bigger projects.

Flour Papier-Maché Glue This is similar to wallpaper glue. It can be used as glue for papier-maché and making
collages, paper beads or decoupage. Mix together 1 part flour to 2 parts water. Pour the flour and water in a
large bowl and stir it well. Keep mixing until there are very few lumps left. You want it to be runny like a white
glue, not thick like paste. Add more water or flour as necessary. If you live in an area with high humidity, add a
few tablespoons of salt to help prevent mold.

‘When using strips of paper in papier-méché it works much better if the edges are torn. It is important that each
strip is saturated for each layer. Smooth the strip of newspaper on your base. Continue doing this until
everything is covered. Crisscross and overlap the newspaper strips. When you have one layer done, let it dry. It
may take up to 24 hours, but it's important that it really dries. Dry papier-maché items on the windowsil f it
has access to sunlight, under a light, on top of a refrigerator or washing machine, or near a heating vent.

Mineral and Egg Paint Mineral pigment paint goes back to at least the first cave paintings. Finely crushed egg
shells make white paint. Soil makes different brown, black, orange and green shades depending on the clay and
mineral content. Remove rocks, sticks, ete. and let the soil dry in the sun. Shift through a strainer and crush
with a mortar and pestle or between two pieces of paper under a rolling pin. (Use what you have that will work.)
Always wear a dust mask or bandana over nose and mouth when making and mixing pigments.

Add egg yolks to your pigment for a permanent, thicker binder to make tempera paint, which became popular in
medieval Europe. Remove the outer skin of the yolk first. The paint may look yellowish, but that goes away
when dry. Or add a whipped egg white to pigments for a weaker binder that works well on paper. This is called
glair and was first used in 5th century manuscripts. Both recipes require 1 part egg to 1 part pigment. Add a bit
of water if needed. Egg whites dry fast, while egg yolks require more time between layers. Always use fresh eggs

Food Coloring and Corn Flour Dye You can dye string using food coloring mixed with corn flour and water. It
will dye other things including your skin so be careful when it's wet. (Eventually it washes off.)

Print Making Use a Styrofoam plate or container for print-making. Carve a design into the Styrofoam with a
pencil. (Remember that letters will be backwards unless you carve them backwards.) Lightly smooth paint on
the carved Styrofoam, mindful that none gets in the carved, hollow lines. (If paint gets in a hollowed-out part,
wipe it out with a Q-tip or a bit of twisted tissue.) Now gently smooth a piece of paper on the painted Styrofoam.
Start with one end if that helps to keep it steady. You don't want the paper to move. Apply even pressure to the
paper by setting a book on it for a moment. Carefully remove the book without moving the paper. Then peel the
paper off. The paper will have a mirror image of what you carved. You can print more images by repeating the
process. (This is good for card making.)

Textured Paper Bricks, cement, metal plaques, and the tread of shoes often have a rough texture that you can
use on paper. Place paper over them and lightly scribble back and forth with a pencil. The paper should have
some blank bits due to the texture. (People often do this on carved or engraved tombstones.) Use the paper as a
stone grey base for other art, or use colored pencil to make collage paper, origami paper and stationary.

Ink Stamps Cut shapes in old potatoes and use them like stamps. You do not need potatoes; anything you can
cut a shape into like an eraser or Styrofoam will work. Apply paint to the stamp and press on paper. Stars,

nt moons, runes - these work well. The treads on the bottom of wheels and old shoes often make cool
designs. Lightly press the shoe into paint, ink, ketchup, ete. and then press it on paper. Ceramic artists
sometimes use these patterns in clay.

Paper Beads Cut paper into long strips, brush them with a glue, and roll around a pencil or toothpick. (The
bead's hole will be as wide as what you wrapped it around. The longer the strip, the thicker the bead. A strip that
stays the same width across will make a cylinder-shaped bead. Half an inch to an inch is a good width. For a
round or oval bead, the strip must be a very long narrow triangle. When your beads are dry, preserve them with
alayer of wax or hair pomade.

Tea Dye When white fabric became stained, people used to soak it in strong tea overnight. They let it dry and
then rinsed it out. The result was a tan beige color that made their clothes and sheets last longer.

Fruit Juice Dye 1 know that you are not going to get grape juice in prison. But I know someone who dyed a white
cloth pink for a shrine using watermelon juice from the annual watermelon desert. The problem with fruit dye is
that it fades in light. You can make it last longer by soaking the white fabric in salt water.
5 Elements in Balance, by Heather Awen, Gullveig Press 2020

‘The Greek concept that the world is made of 5 elements - air, fire, water, earth and acther - has influenced
Western culture for thousands of years. It is found in astrology, Tarot and, until recently, medicine. Western
‘Traditional Medicine, still followed in Western Traditional Herbalism, always had the goal of bringing a
patient back into balance with the elements, often called humors. The importance of the elements in
Ceremonial Magick carried over into Wicca and Traditional Witcheraft.

‘The 5 elements today are usually understood as having these correspondences: Air: Logic, imagination,
communication, abstract ideas, the Mind. Fire: Passion, ambition, creativity, action, the Will. Water: Emotion,
connection, flow, intuition, the Heart. Earth: Structure, stability, form, practicality, the Body. Acther: Deiti
interconnectedness, the Higher/Deeper Self, web of life, vibration, the Tao, the Spirit.

Part of my Pagan training was to make sure that I did something that engaged each element every day. This is
abig challenge, but how can we work with the Elements, often considered to be our first ancestors, if we do
not get involved in their lives? How can we make Magick or cast a cirele without knowing who we are working
with?

Our astrological charts usually have more of one element than others or lack an element, which makes us feel
more at home with certain ways of interacting with the world. We have an easier time with certain people,
work, perspectives, etc. But a whole person, a leader, a teacher, a facilitator, a Magician, a parent, someone
who would know the powers of nature, a wise person has to be able to understand the need for all the
clements. If you don't, you may cut yourself off from important relationships, skills, truths, and opportunities.
Alot of Pagans, like other modern people, live in their heads, and miss out on the pure gut instinet of the
body. They are armchair Magicians, athletes, activists, Pagans, afraid of transformation, who never do the
things they study. Some people become obsessed with owning and controlling things, objects, and people and
are cut off from the flow of interconnection and natural cycles. Many people view the world through their
personal emotional baggage, unable to perceive other, probably more accurate meanings for event
people use being busy mindlessly doing to avoid their feelings, contemplating the big picture, or accepting
what is. These are a few examples of imbalance, all of which block living a full life. As you work with the
elements, you'll probably find many others. Notice where you have resistance and what you easily accept.

Human beings are cooperative pack animals like wolves and dolphins who evolved from wolves. Lone wolves
die quickly. We were never meant to be "the rugged individual, the self-made man". In truth, no one ever has
achieved anything without support. From the messages of socicty to the people around you, you've always
been part of something bigger than yourself. There's also your deep connection to other-than-humans: The air
you breath is the same air that dinosaurs breathed; your blood is just like the ocean with added iron from
‘ancient stars; the way your neurons fire and you think is a learned reaction that you can actually physically
change with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; and your body is made up of the plants, animals and fungi you eat
and everything they ever ate, including sunlight and minerals in the soil. You would die if you didn't have a
few pounds of bacteria in your large intestine digesting your food. Without bees, there would be no food.
Without drinking enough water you become depressed. Without the sun, you would have a vitamin D
deficiency, causing an inability to focus. The moon pulls on the tides in your body. During the full moon,
hospital Emergency Departments see more victims of violence, because many people are not trained to live in
the moon's energies. You are never truly isolated, unaffected or alone,

In any thriving community, there will be a lot of diversity. Human beings only survived because each member
of the band or tribe had different gifts. ADD/ADHD may have helped some hunters hyperfocus. Autism may
have helped us with inventing technology or organizing specific information. Those who are more aware of
physical pain spoke for the children about when the group needed to rest, eat and build a fire, guaranteeing
that the species continued. When an airplane crashes, the survivors do much better if they are very diverse. If
the survivors were only doctors, they would probably die. Just as in a healthy ecosystem, diversity in human

society is very important, and our natural disposition is a unique gift to the community. No one can be

everything.

However, to be well-rounded individuals who can understand and appreciate differences, we need to make the
effort to engage with all the elements. Every day for at least one year, do something that involves all 5
clements. Conscious connection to various elements may last just five minutes on some days. The important
thing is that you are mindfully engaging with the elements and building balance. Below are lists of activities
that you can do each day to connect to each clement, but as you find others, add them!

Air: Mindfulness meditation (focus your attention on your breathing and observe without judgement the
passing thoughts, emotions and urges, but do not attach to them; return to your breathing when you noti
that your mind wandered); study science, history, Magickal theory, astrology, computers, a new language,
systems theory, philosophy; create a "big picture” vision for your life; discern what your values are and if you
are just following taught values or if you really do value these qualities (like responsible, artistic, talkative,
caring, ambitious, generous, honest, hard working, playful, respectful, mindful, funny, pious, intellectual,
loyal, curious, cooperative, competitive, sensitive, protective, nurturing, independent, secure, adventurous)
and when you know the ones that are yours, list ways to act on your values and do them; clearly explain your
cosmology (how the Universe and all that exists is organized); write letters; listen to or read about someone
else's ideas, and think in a non judgemental way about what factors in life may have shaped their perspectiv
or opinions; have a Pagan teaching group in the day room, where ach Pagan has a turn explaining something
that they've learned with a well organized, written outline of their teaching plan; search for patterns in your
thoughts and behavior, in the weather, in history, in animals; chant a word sacred to you, the runes, the
ogham alphabet, ete; write short songs for charms; write invocations to deities you worship, focusing on Their
titles, myths, and how They have helped you; analyze advertising and radio/TV for how they emotionally
manipulate the audience with sounds, colors, language, peer pressure, morality and fear; question where your
beliefs come from.

Fire: Take an empty shiny chips, candy wrapper, or ointment tube and make something for your altar or an
offering out of it; turn a toilet paper tube into a rattle; dance to a song; move as an animal that is important to
you; fix something that you have been complaining about (this can include acceptance of the situation, prayer,
or asking for help); without any preconceived notions, notice how each color affects your energy, mood, body,
and use that in your Magick and energy work; review your life and find what are you passionate about, what
gives you the drive to take action, and find ways to tap into your passion at least three times a week; rub your
‘palms together and hold your open hands several inches apart, moving them closer and farther apart and feel
the energy; facing someone whose energy does not repulse you, both of you quiet yourselves and rub your own
palms together and then hold your hands out to your partner as they do the same while sensing how far away
from each other's hands you can feel the energy between your palms; breathe focusing on gathering energy
into your navel; break a goal into steps and work on it some way, including Magickly or with prayer, step by
step; study tai chi; learn about energy work/ healing; practice meditation where you focus an idea, word,
image; practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and literally rewire your brain; every time you see the sun
welcome its light and warmth into your body; practice ways to raise energy such as rocking back and forth,
sound, movement, orgasm, breathing, drumming (on your thighs and chest works); dance as a flame,
snapping the way a fire may crackle; do something you've been putting off; list the things that motivate you;
use your creative skills to transform something into something else (this is called upcyeling, and on the
outside it can mean turning bottles into chandeliers, row boats into ook cases, or boots into flower pots).

Water: Tell someone how you feel (this can be done looking at your eyes in a mirror); actively listen to
someone who is talking (don't focus on what you will say when they speak); if you are having a disagreement
with someone close to you, repeat what you think they said ("It sounds like you are worried about the property
tax, is that right?") and ask them what they think you are saying (most arguments are people being reactionary
and not aware of the real situation); keep a dream journal and re-read it to discover your personal symbolism;

fll a bowl with water in a room with dim light and let your eyes relax, notice any images that eventually
appear (try this looking at a rough stone, the clouds); keep track of your monthly energy levels, extroverted
times, sexual drive and mood (men have a hormonal cyele, but unlike many women, there is no physical sign
like menstruation) and use this knowledge to plan your activities and rituals; using your non-dominant hand,
doodle or write, which will use the other hemisphere of your brain; everyday ask yourself what emotion you
feel, working on building a large emotional vocabulary; anger is a secondary emotion, coming from pain, fear
or frustration, so when you or someone else is angry ask yourself if the underlying emotion is pain, fear or
frustration and then act from that knowledge; in the shower imagine all your beliefs that block having a
‘harmonious life go down the drain; write poetry; if you can see a tree or shrub, practice sending it the color
green, love, gratitude and/or encouragement; if you feel angry, list everything you are grateful for which can
include your fingers not hurting, that you don't smoke, etc, because sometimes we need to remember what is
not happening; attend a 12 step group to understand better the challenges that addiction causes, the
challenges of sabriety, and know that you are not special or unique in the experience; when you fecl a strong
emotion, ask yourself questions about what color it would be, where in the body you feel it, what it would look
like, how it would sound, and know it as a temporary, passing event that you are bigger than; pay attention to
your intuition about someone or a situation and what happens when you act on it and when you don't

Earth: choose a sound, action, or sight, to be your reminder to check in with how your body feels, for
example, every time you see a clock, sense where your body makes contact with the floor, bed, or chair, how
much tension you have and where, your posture and your breathing; order a free book on yoga and (without
harming yourself) practice maintaining poses and breathing; in the yard pay attention to the direction the
wind comes from, feeling it physically; unless you have health conditions that make this dangerous, engage in
exercise like jogging, basketball, fast walking, dance that makes it difficult to talk because you are breathing
faster; eat a piece of fruit or a nut very slowly, letting your mouth really feel its texture, how it transforms as
you chew, what the taste is; if there is any soil in the yard, put your hands on it and imagine the exchange of
Your energy with it; unstructured free time often causes depression so make a schedule for your day and stick
toit, changing it as opportunities change; in a relaxed state, touch a different texture every day for a week,
such as cement, brick, different fabrics, paper, metals, etc; if you lift weights or do push ups, leg lifts, etc,
really notice which muscles are engaged and if you need to change posture or tighten your abs to protect your
back; lying on a bed or mat, gently tighten one arm, making a fist and then letting it release totally, moving on
to the other arm, each leg, your buttocks, your abdomen, your face and scalp, until you sink down totally
relaxed; if you find you're ruminating, worrying or obsessing, look for 5 circles or squares and ground yourself
in the here and now; learn practical skills like carpentry, budgeting, organizing, cleaning; keep a log of how
you spend your time and money for a month, and when you review it, decide if you are making smart choices;
close your eyes and focus on smell or sound.

Acther: Make a list of things you like about yourself and a list of what you don't like about yourself, and when
you are alone, look in the mirror and say "I love you because you (something you like about yourself).” Next
Say, "Ilove you because (something you don't like about yourself).” Feel what unconditional love and self
compassion and wholeness are; meditate on a deity with whom you have a close relationship and when you
can feel Their presence, inhale Their energy and silently say Their name for at least 10 minutes; imagine
drawing fresh water up from the ground and having it fill a cauldron in your belly, another in your heart, and
one in your head, then imagine a bright star above you and its light filling the cauldron in your head, the
cauldron in your chest, and the cauldron in your belly, allowing time to feel the combination of water and fire,
darkness and light; learn a form of divination and practice it regularly; when looking at people including
photographs choose to find what makes them attractive and overcome your personal judgement; a Tantric
practice to move beyond good and bad is to eat a food you don't like and appreciate it as much as any food you
enjoy; imagine your exhale as your gift to the world and your inhale as the world's gift to you; meditate on the
cycle of water evaporating from the sea due to the heat of the sun, being moved by air to mountains, raining,
being filtered through the ground, and emerging as a stream that joins a river and flows eventually to the
ocean; while doing that meditation drink a glass of water; one of the main symbols in the oldest Pagan

Mystery Tradition is sheaf of wheat or ear of corn, something that was killed and is its own seed to grow again,
s0 spend time with this imagery and how it applies to different aspects of life including your own, such as what
beginnings have been in your endings, like birth, puberty, relationships, jobs, classes, and other experiences;
read hooks about cosmology (the beautiful way a religion or science believes the Universe works); practice
developing psychic abilities; turn a picture upside down and draw it from this new perspective; take a few
minutes to quickly gather 10 items and assign divination meanings to them (on the outside, some Pagan
teachers have students do this on a city sidewalk using found objects); draw only shadows (everything you see
is light and shadow, so do not focus on what you think something is, just the shadows you actually see); use
pathworking to go to your inner temple, nemeton, hof, etc with an intention of learning something (meet with
a person from a dream, perform Magick, create a shrine to a deity, join others in a ritual, ete); practice
divination; meditate on a symbol, word or phrase important to your religion, allowing your mind to
contemplate its meaning freely, let subconscious associations pop into your head.

GOOd Yule from Mother Earth Ministriese ATC

R DEO-PAGADS,
ADO beatbeps

the process is called filking, and ut's hard to be deterred!
The Yule carols you'll read within are filk songs, well and truly
and we hope that all of them leave you fecling Yuley!

But you should know: notall agree that filking'sa good thing
Tt might offend some people;and....shouldn't we write new songs to sing?
Sure, but these are old tunes, rewritten more than once
ne'ertheless, sing carefully,

's not to cause affronts,

These songs express our thril he Sun's on it's way back.
§ to celebrate.
orto attack

B

Mother Earth Ministries ATC

website

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The funny-looking box. sbove?
it called 3 QR code, a
phone bas the right app, king a
picture of it akes you to MEMs

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copyrighted by M
o sing them, but
them out be Sure

pule S8 for Pagans

Oh Come, All Ye Pagans

Oh, come all ye Pagans .... joyful and triumphant.

Oh come ye, oh come ye, to Circle now!

Come and adore Them: Oak and Holly; Goddess Farth.

Oh, come and share the Circle ... oh, come and share the Circle ...
Oh, come and share the Circle of the Lady and the Lord!

Oh, come all ye Pagans, celebrating Yuletide,

Oh come ye, oh come ye to turn the Wheell
Come and adore Them: God reborn and Goddess
Oh, come and share the
Oh, come and share the Ci

rth,
cle .. oh, come and share the Circle ..
cle of the Lady and the Lord!

Pagans from the Country Are We

Pagans from the country are we, bringing home an evergreen treel
Symbolizing ... our Sun’s rising ... re-turning for all to see!

Oh, oh, Sun of wonder, Sun of light, Sun with royal beauty bright —
ever-burning, season-turning, guide us through the longest night!

Pagans from the city we are, celebrating with pine and with firl
Dancing, singing, voices ringing, we greet the returning star!

Oh, oh, Sun of wonder, Sun of light, Sun with royal beauty bright —
ever-burning, season-turning, guide us through the longest night!

Pagan heirs of old mysteries, keeping faith through Winter's dark freeze,
With ale wassailing, our God hailing, we bid the worlds blesséd be!

Oh, oh, Sun of wonder, Sun of light, Sun with royal beauty bright —
ever-burning, season-turning, guide us through the longest night!

Gods Rest Ye Merry, Pagan Folk

Gods rest ye merty, Pagan folk let nothing you dismay!
Remember that the Sun God is reborn on Solstice Da
To keep the Wheel a-turning, night must turn again to d

Oh, oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
oh, oh, tidings of comfort and joy

Gods rest ye merry, Pagan folk — no need to weep or mourn,
For Solstice is the time when light and love shall be reborn!
To keep the Wheel a-turning, we shall sound the Oak King’s horn
Oh, oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
oh, oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

Gaia We Have Heard on High

Gaia we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains;
and the Sun God in reply, echoing Her joyous st
Gl0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0rial Hail the Winter Solstice!

ains!

Gl0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-orial Hail the Winter Solstice!

Pagans, why this jubilee? Why this joyful chorus raise?
The Sun’s reborn for all to see — so sing we all His joyful praise!
Gl0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0rial Hail the Winter Solstice!

Gl0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-orial Hail the Winter Solstice!

Goddess gives the Sun rebirth! Hail Her bright and bouncing boy!
Light's returning, with the Sun; the whole world beams again with joy!
Glo-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-orial Hail the Winter Solsticel

Gl0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-orial Hail the Winter Solstice!

What Child is This? pid

What is His name? How can He claim both of the titles, of Dark and Light?
This, this is our King, the Sun. We follow Him as the seasons run,
This, this is our King, the Sun .... and the Wheel of the Year is turning]

What child is this? He's born so bright, the morning after the longest night! ‘
€

Now who, in truth, and from the Farth, on Solstice moming is reborn?

Whom Pagans greet, with anthems sweet, His hand on the Wheel, the Year to turn?
This, this is our King, the Sun. We follow Him as the seasons run,

This, this is our King, the Sun ... and the Wheel of the Year is turning!

What child is this? He comes alive from Winter's womb of death and fear
What child is this who brings such bliss? What child is this who is reborn here?
This, this is our King, the Sun, We follow Him as the seasons run.

This, this is our King, the Sun .... and the Wheel of the Year is turning!

Hark the Elementals Sing

erth ks e . oghing o e wy! Peac on Earth, our Mother mild;
et o . Goddess'consort, Goddess child
it i o legh s g Joytul, 2 the Sun does ise join the triumph of the skies!
AN With the carthly host proclaim, the Summer King is born againl

Jnglebels.jmge bl Hark! The Elementals sing: glory to the reborn King!
Oh, what fin

Hark! The sylphs and salamanders, zephyrs and undines at hand!
Oh. what fun Peace below and peace above; perfect trust and perfect love!
in cne-hore open sleigh! Joyful as the dark we ban it join the triumph of the planet

All of Nature’s host declare, strengthening sunbeams warm the airl

m’ Hark! The Elementals sing: glory to the reborn King!

Oh, Little Grove Beneath the Moon

Oh, little grove beneath the Moon, how still we see thee lie.
Above thy bones and standing stones, the silent stars go by
And in thy Circle shineth the everlasting light ...

thou art imbued with lfe renewed on this, the Solstice Night.

Oh, little grove beneath the Moon, we gather at thy heart.
The Circle, cast, shall ever last, although we soon depart.

And in thy holy Circle shall shine the Gods own light ...

we are reborn, no more to mourn, on this, the Solstice Night.

Oh, litle grove beneath the Moon, wherever you may lie:

in Nature’s halls or bound by walls, thy purpose is stil high.
For from thy Quarters shineth our life’s most sacred light ...
thy Circle’s call embraces all on this, the Solstice Night.

P ) Let every heart prej

Silent night, holy night . al s calm, al is bright

From the Cauldron of death and rebirth
springs the Sun-child, reborn from the Earth

Ever the Circle shall tum .. ever the Circle shall turn

Silent night, holy night . blesséd be, share the light
Now the Sun will reurn to the Earth
Giving lfe o the Goddess.
who's giving Him birth

Ever the Circle shall um .. ever the Circle shall turn

Joy to the Worlds

Joy to the Worlds! The Sun’s reborn!
The Farth brings forth Her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room,

d all of Nature si
all, and all of Nature sing!

, and all of Nature sing

Joy to the Worlds! The light returns!
The Sun shall warm all things!
e Him room,

Nature sing,
all, and all of Nature sing!

nd all of Nature sing

Joy to the Worlds! The Wheel has turned!

Let every voice take wing!

Let every heart prej
ature sing

all, and all of Nature sing!

e Him room,

nd all of Nature sing

Bule ... Al 102 Hhan Bures

fl

Caroling isn’t all we do at this time of year. There's a lot toasting as well, as in
“Here’s to the God, long may He dance!” It doesn’t matter that you don’t
have champagne. Your own enthusiasm is the key ingredient! Here are some

&

seasonal toa

ts; there are more in MEM’s letters:

Blesséd be from crown to heel all those who come to turn the Wheell

To all those gone to ride with Herne, we bid farewell and safe return!

Bless both the greatest and the least; keep the faith and share the feast!

Good tidings to you, and those you hold dear!
A very merry Yuletide and happy New Year!*

* Wicea's religions new,year is elebrated on October 31 at Sambain [saw-wayne]. But Wicca’s a eelebratory religion, and if's perfctly alight or

15 to celebrate he tuning o the calendar year 1

AULD LANG SYNE

Chorus:

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my friend, for auld lang syne ...

we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for ault lang synel

twa hac roon abooth the bracs and pulled the gowans fine;
We've wandered many a weary foot, sin’ auld lang syne
Chorus

We twa hac paddled in the bun, frac mornin’ sun il dine,
But scas between us braid hae roared, sin’ auld lang syne!
Chorus

Now, here’s a hand, me trusty frien’, and gie us a hand o’ thine;
We'll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang synel
Chorus.

Yes, ivs English .. sort of. I¢s the
Scots version, because this was written in 1788
by Robert Burns, a famous Scortish poet.
(He's pictured below) Traditionally, the
chorus s sung in modern English, and the
verses in dialect; and ar midnight on
December 31, it sung all around the world.

The first verse is about running
around the woods and picking daisies
(seferring to courting fair maidens), and life
taking us far away from those idyllic places.
The second is about paddling in the streams
from morning till dianer dme, and says that
wide seas have separated us from dear friends
since then.

Auld g e teanslates loosely,
ranging in meaning from “the old days” 10
“for old times’ sake.”