Hawks Cry, The Voice of a Witch

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On Motherhood
2008-05-11 23:28:00
My wife, Rev. Lady Bella Sundancer, wrote a deep, insightful guest post for Hawk’s Cry on motherhood as a counterpart to my previous post On Fatherhood. Consider it her Mother’s Day present to Pagan families. I trust you will find it as enlightening as I have. My three children test me in ways I never thought ...
More About: Parenting , Motherhood

On Fatherhood
2008-04-27 11:25:00
I am a father of three. As such, I struggle with the role I play in their lives and our relationship. Our society today does not understand the father. The “ideal” father today is sensitive and encouraging, we are told. He is not punishing or demanding, as fathers were portrayed prior to the 1960s. The ...
More About: Fatherhood

Your Calling vs. Your Job
2008-04-21 21:18:00
I read Gary North, an economist of the Austrian School of Economics. He has a useful site where he discusses many aspects of economics, job, life, etc. in a newsletter and forum. One thing he illustrates well is the difference between a calling, a job and a career.
More About: Ministry , Calling

Poop Mural and the Gods Said ?HONK!?
2008-04-15 23:54:00
Our children offer us the most interesting perspectives on spirituality. The Diva and the Warrior gave us such insights lately that my wife, Bella, and I had to stop and think. Poop Mural Our five-year-old Diva has complained at various times about monsters in her bedroom closet, which we believe. There is a negative energy that resides ...
More About: Gods

Hymn to Apollo
2008-04-06 19:41:00
Hail Apollo , Lord of Light Blessed are you among gods Not Lord of Light alone But of Dark, Sun and Moon Lord of Music, Lord of Dance The Muses are your faithful companions And generous daughters Your mighty steeds paw the rim of the sky As clouds and winds pass stately by Lord of Harmonics, sound is no stranger Hermes knew you best when The Lyre ...
More About: Hymn , Gods

Healing Children
2008-03-31 07:38:00
Our son, the Warrior, injured himself when he was seventeen months old. He reached up to a kitchen counter and pulled a cup of hot tea onto himself, causing second-degree burns. It caused a great deal of trauma. The burn itself, the ride in the ambulance to the hospital, the hospital treatment, and the constant changing of bandages when he got home. Since he was a young child, he had to endure the stress of the Child "Protection" Service interrogations with all of us as well, even though they found no abuse occurred. It was a significant event that changed him on many levels.
More About: Parenting , Children , Healing

Storms of Balance: Part II
2008-03-21 20:59:00
Yesterday was Ostara, the Vernal Equinox. It was a very strange and eventful day, reminding me of a previous article I wrote last year about the Equinox, “Storms of Balance “. It was a day of 7-9 inches of wet snowfall here in Aberdeen (after many days with the temperature in the 40s and 50s). The weather ...
More About: Theology , Part

Blog Review Meme
2008-03-16 21:53:00
Diana Luciano Grayfox tagged me with this meme. Here are the rules: Once tagged, write up short review for 5 blogs that you read regularly, including the blog of the person that tagged you. Leave a comment tagging the blogs you?ve reviewed, telling them to continue the meme. If someone writes a review of your blog, you must respond ...
More About: Meme , Review , Blog

Children and Past Lives
2008-03-09 22:16:00
Freud said that babies are born with minds of a blank slate, or tabula rasa. This is the predominant belief in our society, along with the belief that a person only lives a single life. In contrast, most Pagans believe that we live many lives and that the experiences in our past lives affect our current life. A lot of questions still exist on how past lives affect us, especially as children. What determines how a child will act or feel as they grow up? How will they develop into adults?
More About: Children , Past , Past Lives , Lives

Hymn to Hermes
2008-03-03 22:18:00
Hail Hermes , full of grace Your lily white hands wave wantonly in the wild wind Your caduceus with its snakes entwined Loops with easy movement by your side Lithe limber lord we look to you as guide To the Underworld and its fright Yet trickster and fool find you welcome Criminal and businessman are your bedfellows Your mind races on flights of ...
More About: Hymn , Gods

Anniversary and The Divine Cheese
2008-02-23 09:39:00
My one-year anniversary with the Hawk's Cry, the receiving of divine cheese, and wisdom gained.
More About: Anniversary , Cheese , Divine , Gods

Using Pagan Hymns (and a Hymn to Hestia)
2008-02-17 03:45:00
Hymns serve an important role in religion and spirituality. They are prayers of adoration, welcoming, giving praise and thanking the Gods. Many think of hymns as belonging only to the Christian religion, but they are a part of all religions. Early Pagan ism has a strong tradition of hymnody, with the earliest hymns still available being from Homer. There are many ways you can use hymns, a few of which are discussed.
More About: Hymn , Hymns

Path of Spiritual Progression
2008-02-10 06:00:00
Many interpretations of the pentacle are used by different people. The points can represent the five elements, wind, fire, water, earth and spirit. It can represent the Goddess with her arms and legs outstretched. It is also the head of the Horned God. It also shows the steps of spiritual progression. Those steps are Will, Hope, Faith, Peace and Love. It is the process that souls go through in their path of enlightenment and reunion with the divine.
More About: Spiritual , Path

Hymn to Zeus
2008-02-07 05:47:00
My wife, Rev. Lady Bella Sundancer, is a bard among her other magical roles. She's written a series of hymns to the Hellenic Gods in the Orphic style. Here is her Hymn to Zeus .

Lasting Pagan Communities
2008-01-27 23:53:00
Ian, from Dreaming the Future Closer, wrote a thought-provoking article on different types of religious engagement. He proposed that there are three kinds of approaches to religion that people can have, the “Problem Solver” (whom for now I prefer to call the “Occultist”), the “Traditionalist” (whom I prefer to call “Communitarian”) and the “Grappler ...
More About: Community , Ministry , Pagan , Communities

Pagan/Wiccan Prayer Basket
2008-01-19 22:33:00
People across the ages have prayed to the Gods using many tools. Some focus on a symbolic image such as a pentacle, a cross or a book. Others close their eyes and fold their hands. Some pray with beads or a rosary. And some people use prayer baskets. There are many ways a prayer basket can be made. The most common way, which I have seen on Christian sites, are essentially mini-shrines with representations of things the owner wishes to pray for. The Pagan prayer basket, as I have been taught, is a bit different as you will see.
More About: Prayer , Basket , Wiccan

Daily Devotionals
2008-01-14 23:51:00
Connecting intimately with the divine is the primary focus of religion, regardless of how each religion views divinity. There are many ways to build and reinforce this connection, with the simple daily devotional being one of the most effective. No matter the religion, the daily devotional is an important reminder of your connection to the divine and the gifts you receive from the divine.
More About: Daily

Wiccan Ordination and Ministry
2008-01-06 09:43:00
Wiccan ministry is a controversial subject. It is expected to be so in non-Wiccan circles, where long-established religions prefer to maintain their oligopoly on the Divine. Unfortunately, the controversy also rages within the Wiccan community. Hopefully, this article can shed a different light on the nature of ordained ministry, along with information about becoming an ordained Wiccan minister.
More About: Ministry , Wiccan

3 Legs of Enlightenment
2007-12-30 23:51:00
There are three parts involved in the journey toward enlightenment, our mind, heart and spirit. All three must develop in order for us to advance. Enlightenment is a three-legged stool. One leg is the mind, the second is the heart and the third is the spirit or soul.
More About: Legs

Wheel Begins Anew
2007-12-22 07:08:00
The newborn sun has arrived! Now is the time to stop introspecting and start putting energy and action toward your goals. In my previous article on the Dark Night of the Year, I mentioned using that time for looking within yourself and evaluating what you've done during the previous year. I also talked about developing your resolutions for the next year. Now is the time to make those resolutions final and start acting on them.
More About: Wheel

Loyalty and the Pagan Community
2007-12-17 18:39:00
Over the years, many Pagan s have talked about and worked toward a "Pagan Community ." They saw a need for us to work together. Many groups, covens, teaching circles and other organizations have been started. Many have died. Many are struggling for survival. A few are thriving. Has this created a Pagan Community? I see that there are some signs of community in some areas. Unfortunately, these areas are few and far between. Also unfortunate is how incohesive these "communities" are. There is a significant piece missing from nearly all groups. The groups that have it have too little.
More About: Loyalty , Unit

Serving the Gods
2007-12-08 07:08:00
In Neo-Pagan religions, the divine law is to follow your own free will, not the will of another person or God. As a result, sin in Pagan religions is to act in a way that is not in accordance with your will. Cosette, from Pandora’s Bazaar wrote an interesting post about some Pagan practitioners’ ...
More About: Gods , The G

Pagan Sin
2007-12-01 07:00:00
I’ve noticed that many Pagan s avoid the word “sin” and deny that it exists in a Pagan context. Many say that it is an Abrahamic term that only applies to followers of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. On the contrary, sin is a universal concept that applies to all religions, including the Pagan religions. Dictionary.com defines “sin” ...

Dark Night of the Year
2007-11-24 19:54:00
This time of year, between Samhain and Yule, is a difficult time. It is a time when most plants (at least in the north) have died, animals are hunkering down for winter, and the universe looks inward. It is the dark night of the year.
More About: Night , Dark , Year , Dark Night

Spiritual Seeking and Promiscuity
2007-11-20 04:06:00
Everyone who changes their religion goes through a period of spiritual seeking. It is a time of discovery and experimentation to see which spiritual tradition speaks most to their calling. There is a dark aspect to this, though, which is quite prevalent in the Pagan community?Spiritual Promiscuity . Ian, over at Dreaming the Future Closer, wrote a ...
More About: Seeking

Do the Gods Know Everything?
2007-11-11 15:14:00
Many believe that the Gods are omniscient and omnipotent. While I agree that together, the Gods know and control everything, each God as an individual does not. Instead, each God has a domain They control.
More About: The Go , The G

Discover Your Will
2007-11-05 01:46:00
Will is the fourth pillar of the Witches Square. Learn techniques for discovering your true will and see how its power will add to your life.
More About: Discover

Developing Discipline
2007-10-31 19:21:00
This article is the eighth in a series on the Witches Square. The first article in the series introduces four pillars of the Witches Square, Perfect Love, Perfect Trust, Discipline and Will. Your true potential as a Witch will be achieved when you live your life in harmony with these four principles in equal proportion. ...

4 Steps to Faith
2007-10-22 02:46:00
This article is the seventh in a series on the Witches Square. The first article in the series introduces the four corners of the Witches Square, Perfect Love, Perfect Trust, Discipline and Will. Your true potential as a Witch will be achieved when you live your life in harmony with these four principles in equal ...
More About: Faith , Steps

9 Ways to Trust Those Around You
2007-10-14 04:32:00
This article is the sixth in a series on the Witches Square. The first article in the series introduces the four corners of the Witches Square, Perfect Love, Perfect Trust , Discipline and Will. Your true potential as a Witch will be achieved when you live your life in harmony with these four principles in equal ...