War On Minority Religions

י"ז בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 18

Involved in a California case seeking to gain equal standing for Pagan chaplains in the California prison system, Pagan Chaplain Patrick McCollum informs us of the active movement to limit First Amendment protections only to Christianity at best (other monotheistic faiths if they must, and non-monotheistic faiths not at all). In that case:

In an amicus brief filed in the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the CDCR and the other defendants, an organization called Wall Builders,Inc, which is represented by the National Legal Foundation, has argued that Christianity is the only religion that should be protected under the Constitution or at the very most other monotheistic religions might also be included. They also argue that the term religion only applies to Christianity or monotheistic faiths, and that anyone else, including the Pagans, are not really a religion for the purpose of Constitutional protections.

Read the entire article - Is Your Religion About To Be Demoted?

Pharaoh The Jewitch

ט"ו בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 16

Commentary on Beshalach from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - Pharaoh The Jewitch.

Stunning Gemstones!

ט' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 10

I'm really excited about my new artisan jewelry making venture. I've purchased some really exquisite gemstones, including AAA blue fire rainbow moonstone briolettes, blue fire labradorite faceted ovals, ice in the sky blue topaz briolettes, apatite and (really stunning!) neon apatite briolettes, swiss blue topaz briolettes, jade briolettes, lemon quartz briolettes, natural freshwater pearls, coral, garnets, natural jet and dark amber. I've also purchased some handcrafted beads and findings.

After my first experiments practicing some techniques of jewelry making and working with lower cost beads and metals, I'll be working with vermeil (24 carat gold over sterling silver) and sterling silver to make my genuine gemstone creations.

I'm really excited - I hope I am good at it! Goddess bless my hands as I create! I may need to make some money doing this.

Artisan Jewelry Making

ח' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 9

While I'm looking for other employment (see my resume, and may some of the recruiters I turned down over the past several months because I decided that I was thankful for the job I already had, please call me back), hopefully locally, I've taken up artisan jewelry making.

Look for my unique and magical jewelry designs coming soon to WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu.

The Office Vacuum

ח' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 9

While I was writing my Torah commentary on Bo (The Witch's Circle) this afternoon, the thought came to me about my former witchy office at work. The Light of my witch's circle has been removed from it, and now all that remains is a vacuum, a lightless corpse of space and time.

The Witch's Circle

ח' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 9

Commentary on Bo from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - The Witch's Circle.

Consolation

ו' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 7

In today's healthcare environment, what hope is there for a long term care organization that penalizes competence among its employees, rewards appearances and rewards controlling employees over maximizing their abilities to do their jobs with efficiency and excellence?

The silver lining to getting fired is that I will not be there when this organization bites the dust.

Related -

Of Deeds and Dark Knots the Land Teaches

Of Deeds And Dark Knots The Land Teaches

ו' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 7

Last night I dreamt.

Time was ancient, but as one among a small tribe, I was living on the same land I am living on currently. On the far left horizon, an approaching sound could be heard coming from among the trees of the ancient forest. It sounded and was seen to be like the Langoliers and a gathering of smoke monsters (like in Lost) before being seen, "uprooting huge trees with enormous force". My tribe and I knew they were dangerous, and we moved beyond the fence on our right which separated our camp in that time from a different time. Beyond the fence, on the right of it, we moved into a different time and beyond the reach of the Langolier-like creatures which were fast approaching. We had escaped safely into another time and the land upon we stood was an open field.

I woke up. Then I went back to sleep and dreamt again.

This time, I was a teenage girl among a medieval tribe. We lived on the far right horizon and had been driven out of our ancient homeland in the middle by another ancient tribe on the far left. My tribe was preparing to return to our ancient homeland and our menfolk were preparing for battle. I had a teenage boyfriend who was also preparing for the battle to reclaim our ancient homeland in the middle (by heading toward the left as the Langoliers had approached us from the left and forced us to retreat to the far right). I had gotten into trouble (in the sense that they were mad at me) with the elders of the tribe for being an outspoken tart of a girl somehow and was sent "to the side and out of the way." But, being an outspoken tart of a girl, I snuck back in among the soldiers to also go into battle, and came to the side of my boyfriend as all were preparing to advance to the battlefront. My boyfriend sent me on an important errand - it was away from battlefront, but I understood that it needed to be done for the battle's ultimate success and I was the only one who could do it. Reluctantly, I disengaged from being among the troops and went off to do the important errand that only I could do.

I woke up.

And today, wasting no time, I did what I had to do - I asked uncomfortable questions and advocated for other MDS Coordinators in the organization. Then, after lunch, I got fired for "making me (my Administrator) look like I (she) can't control my (her) employees."

Of course, she is right. She can't control me.

Related -

Earth Light Witch's Ladder
Knotty Control Of Light

Knotty Control Of Light

ד' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 5

In follow-up to the flurry of knotted witch's ladders I've created for WITCHCRAFTS by Liorah Lleucu within the past week or so and my Torah commentary for this past Shabbat (Mind Magic and the Art of Control), this interesting synchronous news article is reported today by Foxnews:

Twisted physics, scientists create knots of light
By Jeanna Bryner - LiveScience

Like your shoelaces or electrical cords, light can get twisted into knots. Now, scientists have used a computer-controlled hologram and theoretical physics to turn a light beam into pretzel-like shapes.

The twisted feat not only led to some pretty cool images, but the results have implications for future laser devices, the researchers say.

"In a light beam, the flow of light through space is similar to water flowing in a river," said lead researcher Mark Dennis of the University of Bristol in England. Even though the light from something like a laser pointer travels in a straight line, it can also flow in whirls and eddies, Dennis explained.

These swirls of light are called optical vortices. Along the vortices the intensity of light reaches zero, or no light.

"The light all around us is filled with these dark lines, even though we can't see them," Dennis said. "Our work actually twists dark filaments within the light beam into knots."

The researchers knew these optical vortices could be created with holograms, which direct the flow of light. By using so-called fibered knot theory, a branch of abstract mathematics inspired by everyday knots, Dennis and his colleagues created customized holograms and reflected a regular laser beam from them.

Each point on the hologram changes the point of the wave's cycle in that part of the light beam. They created a hologram that would change the phase of light so that it flowed around a dark knot.

Their results, detailed online Jan. 17 in the journal Nature Physics, are "firsts" for a couple of reasons. While so-called knot theorists have studied mathematical equations similar to dark knots, the new research created these knots with math functions that followed rules of propagating light. In addition, unlike other dark knots created that have been tangled up with other knots, Dennis and his colleagues produced isolated dark knots within the light beam, he said.

"For me, it shows how physicists can adapt existing pure mathematics, such as knot theory, and find it manifest in physical phenomena," Dennis said. "It also shows how finely we can control the flow and propagation of laser light using holograms. This degree of control is likely to find applications in future laser devices."

Read the entire article at the link above.

The seven knotty witch's ladders I've created recently, from Manifestation to Earth Light:

Earth Light Witch's Ladder - created 1/17
Earth Goddess Witch's Ladder - created 1/17
Sea Faery Witch's Ladder - created 1/16
Witching Hour Witch's Ladder - created 1/15
Dragon Faery Witch's Altar Ladder - created 1/9 - SOLD
Mysteries of the Flame Witch's Ladder - created 1/6 - SOLD
Manifestation Witch's Ladder - created 1/6

Mind Magic And The Art Of Control

א' בשבט תש"ע
Imbolgen 2

Commentary on Vaera from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - Mind Magic and the Art of Control.

Sufficient To Do It

כ"ג בטבת תש"ע
Grael 25

Commentary on Shemot from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - Sufficient To Do It.

Heroic Achdut

כ"ב בטבת תש"ע
Grael 24

My Hebrew Birthday

כ"א בטבת תש"ע
Grael 23

Today, Tevet 21, is my Hebrew birthday (born on כ״א בְּטֵבֵת תשכ״א). I'm 49 Hebrew years old, but I won't be officially 49 years old on the civil calendar until after sundown January 8th.

Wow, I'm almost half a century old now.

New Witchy Hairstyle

י"ז בטבת תש"ע
Grael 19

Like all women, after awhile I like to change my hairstyle. Well, I experimented and changed mine. My new hairstyle looks something like the hairstyle of this model, only my hair is a tad bit darker ash blonde with lighter blonde highlights:



It's wild and witchy, but not so wild that it's unprofessional. I just love my new hairstyle!

It's so much fun being a witchy woman.

Crown Jewel

י"ו בטבת תש"ע
Grael 18

Yesterday I braided a witch ladder while listening to Legends of the Goddess III. This witch ladder is made of earth tones yarn, dark brown hemp cord, nine wooden beads and a spiral Goddess charm. After completing it, I explored several places in my bedroom from which to suspend it for the night. I finally curled it up in a few circles around my fingers and placed it upon a golden hook on the wall over my bed. The Goddess charm was suspended upright upon my witch ladder, her feet pointed toward my bed.

Last night I dreamt.

I was in a public place with several people. A woman was sitting beside an open Torah. The open Torah scroll was sitting in a Torah holder. It was not on the bimah and neither was the woman. It was off the bimah, near the front but among the chairs where the congregation sits. The open Torah was not facing the the congregation or me, it was open toward the side, toward the woman.

With a look of disdain, the woman expressed to me in the presence of those gathered that "you think you know, but you don't know anything." With the Torah open, it was clear that her intention was to show me and everyone gathered that I didn't know anything, and that I wasn't as special as some people thought I was. She didn't like me, that was clear. I didn't respond.

I noted that both the woman and I were set apart somewhat from the congregation - but my separation was a separation within the gathering of the congregation - a small clear space circled around me even as I was among the congregation. We were all standing.

Her separation was different than mine - she was not placed among the congregation, she sat up in front of us, near the bimah. We were all standing up in the back of the room. She was sitting down in a folding chair at the front of the room.

As I began to wake up, but was as yet unawake, I saw that the woman had with magical intention tied my hands and feet together and hung me upside down from a rope. She wanted me to die. She felt I would indeed die. No one was going to help me and, in her mind, I didn't know anything and wouldn't be able to escape her black magic against me.

But, like my witch ladder the evening before (even with my hands and feet still tied), I curled the rope up and around in circles, throwing my body upwards with the process like doing a sommersault in midair. I landed crouched on my feet in the velvety deep garnet middle of a huge royal crown. The perimeter of the crown was like a circle around me. From within the circle of the crown, I easily untied my hands and feet. Then I stood up, straight and tall. I felt like a crown jewel.

A masculine Voice spoke in my mind, telling me that I was standing "like Kaman (כמן)", and "not Haman (המן)."

I woke up.

Images of my Goddess witch ladder (and magical staff) ...