Showing posts with label environmentalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environmentalism. Show all posts

Thursday, October 16, 2014

New Medicine



I have owl medicine. That is to say, owl and I work together. She has taught me much over the years and I don't know where my work would be without her. Owl Woman is one of my patrons, she is an entry point for many different pathways. Now Owl tells me there is another and I must learn her medicine.

Mama Bear has come to me in dreams over and over again. I want to accept her medicine, but I do not know how. I cannot  go and see Bear in the wild like I did Owl. The last bears in this part of
Texas were killed off in the 1950's. our state had no regulations until 1973, and did not prohibit bear hunting until 1983. There is a glimmer of hope, bears have been spotted in the hill country west of where I live and along the Rio Grande corridor. As of yet these have been isolated incidences of young males wandering during drought, looking for new food opportunities. Still I have hope.

Apex predators are a sign of a healthy and thriving ecosystem, for most of North America historically this was the Black Bear. Bear can thrive in most biomes from mountain to forest to seashore to swamp and even desert. Versatility is always good medicine. There is much for me to learn from Bear, but I still do not know how to proceed.


So I will call upon bear and do ritual to honor her spirit. It is Mama Bear who must return, until cubs are born here there is no established population. I will fight for the right of Bear and will work with groups dedicated to her survival. Meanwhile I will use my medicine to call her back, so that she can teach me her medicine. This is how it always is with spiritual allies, we must develop relationships. 
 
Oracion de Espiritu Osos:
Mama Osa llamo a usted con amor en mi corazon y confianza en mi alma. Puedo estar al servicio de  uste dy su tipo. Duchame con las benidiciones de su medicamento. Honro tu espiritu, y doy gracias por tu existencia.Llego los Personas Osos.Benidiciones y Alabanza a ti.





Saturday, September 13, 2014

Letting Go


Most of the people I know have had to let go of something dear to them this year. Deaths, divorces, and downsizing, whether by choice, illness or just time, have claimed much happiness and left a void in their wake. It is against this backdrop that I have decided to let go, more. Time is precious and the pursuit of stuff is a poor way to spend it, I want more LIFE and less stuff.

This not just a reaction to the losses I and many others have experienced , but rather an exploration of loss and surrender. For one to surrender to the forces around them and give up control is the essence of sacrifice as initiation. The Fool, and The Hanged Man; a leap of faith, a willing sacrifice, an initiation into a different state of being. Notice that I did not say "higher" state of being, such things are greatly overrated, enlightenment is not what most Americans think enlightenment is. I am looking to change my relationship to loss, suffering, and material possession, to reawaken my knowledge of the transitory, numinous nature of existence.

In my last post I made reference to Rhyd Wildermuth's post on Alchemical Capitalism, that article and this post by John Beckett, about the Commodification of Humanity, started mental workings. Then I read Decolonizing Ourselves So We Can Help Others, and remembered Paper Mage which I also recommended in my last post,and enter an Air of Inspiration from the East. Harvest and sacrifice are the same thing. Without sacrifice there is no harvest, and without a harvest there is no sacrifice. That being said, keep in mind that the harvest will never be what you expect. Taking my raw material to the cauldron of inspiration and applying flame something distinct begins to distill.

A small amount of passion goes a long way, and from that initial idea a plan has coalesced, it is time to Let Go. I will be releasing my hold on several material items from now until the Feast of the Ancestors, October 31st. This is sacrifice, ritual, reverence, and initiation all rolled into one. I am seeking to change my relationship to stuff, to embrace Immediacy, to see impermanence as it is; more stuff. So I will be giving away, sticks, stones, roots, bones, shells and feathers. A few books, and perhaps some hand drawn art here and there, will also find Their  way into the mix. I need to lighten my load for the next phase of my work. Water flows in and water flows out, stuff is the same, I'm not wholesale against it, I just need let it flow down the stream again.


Now the fun, interactive part; a veritable Carnival of Delights. Are you brave enough to accept gifts? Dare you receive something for nothing? Is not, Receiver of Generosity, one of your holy names? Can you surrender and accept what fate deals? Did you say yes to one or more of these questions? Then I have a proposition for you. If you said yes to all these questions, seek therapy, just kidding, go take a hike, you deserve a break. Now if you are willing, Friend me on facebook, or just send me a PM with your address and the note "I'm in." Or leave me a comment here. I will contact you with three questions, and then mail you a package based on your answers. Don't worry nothing ominous, just simple things, such as, animal, vegetable, mineral, or fungal. That sort of thing. I just love that Fungi is its own kingdom, now.

Awaiting your responses and then into the realm of Earth, where I manifest that which I have called forth. Letting go is the only way to appreciate what you have. LOVE.



Sunday, September 7, 2014

High Mowing Ritual

The grass is high, about waist deep, the goldenrod is higher, and the ragweed tops out at 12 -15 feet. Time to mow. This is a ritual that must be done right, there are herbal allies to consult, post mowing libations to procure and chill. So I talk to Joe about the bean and then I eat a muffin with Mary Jane. Fully immersed in the world of the herb, das Krautwelt, if you will, I face the south and thank Fire for not ravaging my land, and offer to stand in his stead as the Harvester. I will also be Woodsman as I clear the understory from the wooded parts of my land and as Hunter I will try to create spaces for certain fowl and small game to be taken more easily. Finally the mowing begins in earnest, a dizzying array of light, sound, heat, and humidity, one is never at the finish as one was at the beginning. Plant resins fill the air and are inhaled by the Harvester. Small vines with thorns tear at the flesh of the Woodsman, releasing their resins, some poisonous into his bloodstream. By now the Hunter has begun to fully assimilate with the Land. He sees the contours, places where small pools of water will gather after the rains, protected spots in the grass where one could easily disappear into the wood, watches as Hawk uses this to his advantage. With resins of plants coursing through his veins and affecting his brain, this man, this being who has transformed himself into a stand in for fire, takes on the role and responsibility as Land husband, the Bodenehemann. In this role he must protect the homestead, and the wild, create a buffer space for them both to adjust to one another. It is this in between role that I love so much, neither fully wild nor fully domesticated, but able transverse both realms, this is where I truly thrive. The end of the day leaves tired, bruised, torn, and triumphant and exhilarated. This is my condition as I enter the family home, Friedengut, and am greeted by the elixir of the gods. A cold frosty fermented brew of grains, seeds, herbs, and resins, that with some help from yeast render a concoction that is the essence of the mown land itself. I shower and retire to hearth for the evening.



Sunday, August 31, 2014

Going Feral and Half Earth


It all started when I was eight years old standing in the prairie land of Katy, Texas, just west of Houston. That was 1976, and I was there because my father was building houses on what used to be grazing land next to a rice farm. The rice farms and grazing lands are all gone now, paved over and forgotten by all but a few. It was there and then I decided that I was anti-"progress". My grand vision was to become wealthy and buy all the land I could, tear down anything human on it and let Nature exist uninterrupted by humans. I didn't know it then, but the land was speaking to me, no it was pleading to me to protect her. thirty Eight years later and I still hear her call. That is just one of the many reasons I support the efforts of groups like the Native Prairies Association of Texas.

I never let go of that idea and over the years met others of a like mind, but all we ever did was talk about how grand it would be if everyone shared this idea. Then I read Rewilding Witchcraft by Peter Grey and those old stirrings started to come to the surface again, I even mentioned it in my Savage Sorcery post. Like many different souls within our greater community of witches, I agreed wholeheartedly with Mr. Grey, at least in spirit anyways. Beyond that I have been searching for ways to revive my vision and manifest it, enter this months issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

This months issue is perhaps one of the greatest mainstream media pieces about Pagan topics presented in a non judgmental way I have ever seen. The cover article is about new discoveries at Stonehenge, there is an article about a 9000 year old North American mans remains and the article that captured my heart; a piece about biodiversity expert E.O. Wilson. The article in question is titled "Can The World Really Set Aside Half The Planet For Wildlife?" My resounding answer is YES. In fact, I believe along with many others that if we are to survive we have no choice but to do this. Please read this article and the one on Rewilding Witchcraft, these are the issues of most importance to our ongoing survival.

After reading the Smithsonian article, I was renewed with passion for my old vision. Heartened by the knowledge that others not only shared this vision but were actually working to make Half Earth a reality, I began doing research to discover what I could do to help. Currently financial support is all I can lend but without money nothing happens in our current environment. I found the following groups to contribute to; the Rewilding Institute, the Rewilding Foundation, Rewilding Europe, and Rewilding the World. The last site also has news from all over the world, letting one keep up on progress being made.

Lest one think that I am anti-human or anti-civilization, let me introduce the Rewilding of Humans. The ReWild University and Rewild Portland are two great examples of this ethos. Being both a Green Anarchist, and an Anarcho-Primitivist, I have a more extreme vision than most, but I am cognizant enough to realize that everything starts with baby steps. Although I do feel strongly that Rewilding will lead us to a more anarchistic state of being. I guess I am a bit opposed to "civilization" as it currently exists, in order to be truly civilized the rights of all creatures must be respected.


I would like to introduce you to fellow from my ancestral homeland of Wales, George Monbiot. His Manifesto for Rewilding the World is a must read for anyone interested in the topic. Perhaps not as exciting as Mr. Grey's piece but still essential reading. I would also recommend Mr. Monbiot's book Feral: Searching for Enchantment on the Frontiers of Rewilding, and judging from the essays on his website I am sure this will be a welcome addition to any animist's library.

I am going feral, in the best sense of the word, that of having escaped domestication and going wild. We humans are only domestic primates after all, and not very good at it. I believe that if we can Rewild the world and ourselves with it we will finally be truly civilized, not merely domesticated.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Savage Sorcery

Lapsang Souchong with two fingers of whiskey, the smell of cedar smoke in my nostrils. This is how I wish I had started my day, but instead it was Earl Grey and no incense of any kind. Today I am moving slow, trying to take it easy after psychic drain of the Fourth of July. I was supposed to go to a Family Reunion today, but like so many others of us who do not prescribe to Christo-Judaic beliefs I am a bit estranged from my family proper. So my wife, the Herbwoman, my kids and myself have decided to stay home and relax. Spend some quality time with the family we love and that loves us back.

Been catching up on my reading and there seem to be quite a few good articles about, pertaining to the Rewilding Witchcraft article by Peter Grey, go read it if you haven't. I also highly recommend The Witch and The Wild by Sarah Anne Lawless. While your at it go ahead and read about Dirt Sorcery over at Aidan Wachter's blog Hotel Vast Horizon. Might as well read Annie Sprinkle's Ecosex Manifesto too. These are things I have mulling over as I do my Earth Workings and engage in the rituals of summer (mostly playing in the San Marcos River.) The thoughts, opinions, and feelings expressed in these articles have been opening up a need for savagery in me. Not bloodthirsty, just untamed, wild, FERAL. I have a longing to mergewith the wild wood and lose myself for some time.

More and more it dawns on me that my animistic, pagan, tribalistic beliefs defy definition.I do not have a religion in the strict sense other than my life. I have NO gods or goddesses before me, just spiritual allies, familiars if you will. I commune with the Cosmos, the earth beneath my feet, the spirits of the dead and raw untamed nature. My rites are my own, crafted by me for me. All that I lack is community, and that is my own failing. So now I feel drawn to make bonds, to find links in a physical sense, for the sake of Lover Earth. She needs me more than ever, and I can not satisfy her alone. Only all of us working together can hope to save a sliver of humanity to continue the relationship.It's the least we can do after all she has given us.

All of this leads me to the need to clearly articulate a Savage Sorcery, wild untamed magics to herald not a
return or rewilding, but the beginning of a Wild Way not yet seen. We can not go back, but we can push forward into a different relationship, one that accepts our self imposed mass extinction event. A vision that encompasses toxic environments, urban blight and the few patches of wildness left. We must come together to enact rituals with meaning in public places, rituals that express who we are, what matters most and the way forward. We must not fall into the trap of being nice just to get along, that will only serve those who seek to destroy our life support system. We must confront them head on. Our magics must take on the cause of being advocates for the Wild, they must be wild in and of themselves. Block traffic with tribal dancing. Make music with boneflutes and voices that is both a funerary dirge and a celebration of all that is to come. Be wild, be free and be unafraid. This article, Manifesting An Other World by Rhyd Wildermuth at the Wild Hunt also has much to contemplate.

So I will work on my Savage Sorcery and go wild in the process, I suggest that you do the same.


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Earth Ties



Been coming across many references to the importance of taking care of Spaceship Earth as St. Bucky used to call her, so I thought I would share:

Rewilding Witchcraft-

 How tame we have become. How polite about our witchcraft. In our desire to harm none we have become harmless.
We have bargained to get a seat at the table of the great faiths to whom we remain anathema. How much compromise have we made in our private practice for the mighty freedom of being able to wear pewter pentagrams in public, at school, in our places of employment. How much have the elders sold us out, genuflecting to the academy, the establishment, the tabloid press. In return for this bargain we have gained precisely nothing."

 The Mother Octopus-

"Could it be possible that gaia is the type of organism that gave birth to an offspring that has the ability to reproduce another earth eventually?" 

Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth 

"Because our spontaneous initiative has been frustrated, too often inadvertently, in earliest childhood we do not tend, customarily, to dare to think competently regarding our potentials." 

That is all for now, Enjoy. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Mad World

It is indeed a Mad World. This post is made out of sadness and anger. These are just some of the things we as humans do to each other, please pay attention. Time is running out.

  1. Fukushima is leaking radioactive water into the ocean.
  2. Hydraulic "fracking" is poisoning  our groundwater.
  3. "Global Warming" is changing our world.
  4. The ocean is full of trash.
  5. Even our food is unsafe.
This is by no means a conclusive list, and it is truly tragic what we are doing to ourselves. Tomorrow I will offer some glimpses of hope, and perhaps we can pull it together in time. We need a new way.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/207612_488724457814409_768918903_n.png

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Further Revelations from the Eastern Portal



AIR: To Know, Inspiration, and Wisdom

Thoughts on the Environment, Magick,  and the Immediacy of Experience

This post is a bit long and is broken into different sections. The first will deal with new knowledge of my surrounding countryside and the effect of erroneous environmental policies upon that land. The second topic is my ongoing work with rituals of an elemental nature, which at this time is air. The final area covered is access to new knowledge that has helped me to incorporate the previous two and develop a plan for future workings.

Water Water Everywhere Not a Drop Potable

Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies. - See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies. - See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry allowed by the EPA to inject hazardous chemicals directly into the water supply. In 2005, at the urging of Vice President Dick Cheney, Congress created the so-called "Halliburton loophole" to clean water protections in federal law to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating this process, despite serious concerns that were raised about the chemicals used in the process and its demonstrated spoiling and contamination of drinking water. In 2001, Cheney's "energy task force" had touted the benefits of hydrofracking, while redacting references to human health hazards associated with hydrofracking. Halliburton, which was previously led by Cheney, reportedly earns $1.5 billion a year from its energy operations, which rely substantially on its hydrofracking business.

About two weeks ago while watching a Daily Show episode about the show down at the Texas Capitol, my wife and I saw an interview with director of Gasland. Curious about the movie we found it on the internet and watched it. Realizing that Texas is one of the largest petroleum producing states (Alaska produces more) we did some more research on the internet and found this:
http://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v3/texastribune.map-sit023yd,texastribune.texas-disposal-well-hex/6/14/26.png
This is a map of disposal wells for hydraulic fracturing, I live near the dark spot northeast of San Antonio. These wells are used to dispose of the toxic soup of chemicals used to fracture the rocks during the extraction process. Compare that map with this map of the major aquifers of Texas.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/pics/Major.gif
Take note of the red band, that is the Carrizo - Wilcox Aquifer where my local water comes from. The same area the disposal wells are located. We decided that we should change our water filters and that is when the real horror began.
The filter on the right is brand new, the filter on the left is the old one. Normally these filters last six months and are light gray when I change them. This one is five months old, stinks and is dark brown. We also saved water from the filter housing which has brown particulate matter in it. We will be sending this off for analysis.
Do the research, this is happening everywhere, your water may not be safe.

Connections with the Spirits of Air

On a happier note, my elemental working have been progressing nicely. I have developed a relationship with an air elemental who has presented herself to me. This is an illustration I made of her.
Beautiful isn't she? Since our contact many birds have been presenting themselves to me and communicating. Owls, crows, vultures, hawks and roadrunners have crossed my path many times in the past few weeks, including three owls in one place at the same time during the day. These weekly workings and daily meditations have opened paths of knowledge lead to deeper understandings of herb-lore, native spirits, and atavistic cthonic currents. These currents have shed light on the origins of Tubal Cain, Germanic lore, root-work, Camino Ambre, and the need to construct a new wand. As a practitioner of Traditional Craft and one who walks a crooked path, I can honestly say these last few months have been some of the most amazing in my many years of practice. Many praises to Hekate and Herne,and much thanks to those who give me inspiration, John Halcyon, T Thorn Coyle,Sarah Anne Lawless, and Robert Artisson .


Increasing Knowledge and the Ethics of Responsibility

When one becomes aware of situations that are dangerous to self and community an obligation to reveal this truth is imperative. To do less than this is not only negligent but irresponsible. When that same individual is a practitioner of nature based spiritual systems this becomes a moral imperative. So now I share information with others via the internet, in person, and join campaigns to make petroleum companies better stewards of the planet they exploit for profit. We are all indigenous spirits of Spaceship Earth and as such we  must take care of our home as an extension of our spirituality. Now the earnest work begins, rituals of healing, public workings to draw attention, and dissemination of knowledge. I must engage others and show them why they should care. I plan to use Humor, Magick, and Knowledge to combat my enemy.

This is spiritual warfare on the material plane, clean air, clean water, and clean food are the birthright of every human alive. This about more than my local environs, this is being a voice for my animal allies and plant family, my sustainers, my healers. The aether that flows through us all gives the strength to change our world , but it must be tempered with the knowledge of limits, the passion to do right, the empathic urge to care for nature and the practical skill to responsibly work with nature to ensure the survival of all living things. Everything depends upon it.

Final Thoughts

Take a few moments every day to meditate upon the current condition of our planet, and how you would like to see it improve. Construct rituals of environmental healing, sacred compost piles, volunteer recycle bins at your bus stop, encourage people to test their water. Create sigils that contain links to websites about hydraulic fracturing. Perform theatrical rituals in public to exorcise the demons from the water. These are some the of ideas I have developed, feel free to create your own. We must use everything at our disposal to ensure our mutual existence. Have good cheer and keep up the Great Work.