Ways to Donate: Limited Time Offers!

*Edit: 10 Dec. These offers have now ended.*
*The link to my Etsy shop is still there, as there are still items for sale. The Readings link has been removed and the page returned to private for the time being. Thank you!*
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Hey, Readers!

As you probably know by now if you watch my channel or Like my page on Facebook, Pentacles of Pride, International has been doing a fundraiser to raise money to reach tax exempt status. The fundraiser is selling t-shirts for $25, and we need to sell 100 minimum in order to meet their goal. Well, the fundraiser ends in eight days, and we've only sold seven shirts. There's still time!

I've come up with two ways for people to help out while spending less money, just in case cost is a factor.

1) Cara's Creations on Etsy
First, for the duration of the fundraiser, 50% of the sale price of pentacle items sold through my Etsy will go toward the fundraiser. I still have to post more items I have, but several have been posted for a little while now, and many people have added them to their favorites. Prices there are a range, all under $25.00. Think of gifts for loved ones this holiday season, as well!

2) Readings
Second, for the final eight/nine days of the fundraiser, I am offering readings for a range of prices ($5, $10, $15, and $20), the full proceeds from which will benefit the organization. The page goes into detail about the decks you can choose from for me to read, and about the spreads. My viewers tend to know that I don't read for other people very often, if at all, so this is a very rare opportunity! That's how important supporting this fundraiser is to me.


Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting--not only Pentacles of Pride, with your donations, but me and all my endeavors, as well.

Blessings~
-C-

Many Blessings

Hi there, Readers,

I don't have time for a full update or topic post right now--as you can imagine, I always have a lot of things to talk about and never know where to start or when to get to what!--but I wanted to take a moment just to share some disparate thoughts and give a brief account of some things that have been going on. Then you know what you can expect in the near (or distant) future.

Reading:
The end of the year approaches, and while I have already smashed my reading goal for the year into pieces (I had much more free time to read this year than previously, I guess!), I'm STILL reading pretty much constantly! Besides the Cassie Rivers series by Cristin Keck, I've been still slowly reading Women Who Run with the Wolves all year long, and I've just gotten some new books from my friend Sheldon when I visited him in Arkansas (more on that in a bit). You can expect another "Books I've Read This Year" post at the end of the year, to accompany the one I already did on everything I read from January-July.


Travel:
As I mentioned, I recently traveled to Conway, Arkansas as a guest of Sheldon Slinkard, President of Pentacles of Pride, International. I was a featured guest for Conway Pagan Pride, the first EVER Pagan Pride event in Arkansas to be affiliated with the international Pagan Pride Project. S. J. Tucker, independent pagan singer/songwriter/storyteller was the other featured guest, and though we only had a few hours with her before her next adventure, we made the most of it.

cutewitch772 and S. J. Tucker at Conway Pagan Pride

I learned so much in that one week in Arkansas, not just in the formal settings of attending a class on mythology, or my semi-formal talk with the UCA pagan student group, but also in the casual interactions with people everywhere we went--we even ran into the mayor at a local coffee shop and chatted with him about religious tolerance. Mayor Townsell came to the event and supported us, even doing an interview with Sheldon for his vlog of the event. My vlog(s) from the event are not posted yet, but you'll know when they are, especially if you're subscribed to my YouTube channel (cutewitch772). The talk I gave at the event was on religious tolerance, prejudice reduction, and so on, and will be posted in full in its own video, as well. (Again, make sure you're subscribed or following and you'll find out right away!)

I had a great time, and I just want to thank everyone that was involved, in every aspect, from Pentacles of Pride to the Conway Pagan Pride committee, The Locals, Cinemark (Fagan, thank you), and even Pizza Hut who offered to put one of our event flyers on every pizza box that went out the day before, to spread last minute awareness of the event. Thank yous also to the Little Rock meet-up group, UUCLR, Shannon, Robin, Ryan, Trent (my SM!), Allison, Tim, now I'm just naming people who aren't inherently included in the aforementioned groups or who spent significant extra time with me at least one day, haha. That's part of the whole thing--there are so many people involved, and the community is larger than I think any of us realize. It's such a great thing they're doing there in Little Rock and Conway, and I'm so glad to have been able to be a part of it.

There will, of course, be more videos and blogs about it later. =)


Samhain:
This Samhain I stayed in and finally did something I've been wanting to do for years--a dumb supper. It was a simple, late dinner (at the witching hour), just me and a place for my ancestors. More on that later, as well!


I think that's enough of an update for now, and time for bed for me anyway.
Thanks for reading. =)

Blessings~
-C-

The Hand of Protection

[A note from 2025: I still own this shirt, but don't wear it much anymore. I still wear specific items when traveling, for protection, but I have different things now that don't require as much cultural research!]

Hey, Readers,

Last week, I recorded my Pagan Perspective video on the topic of Paganism and Eastern philosophies. I then realized that it was subs week, so I had really done THIS week's video, one week early! I will be posting it later today, for tomorrow (Tuesday). In the video, I am wearing one of my new favorite shirts. I got it on sale at a local store, it's incredibly comfortable, and it depicts a symbol of protection that goes by several names. Since this symbol is commonly associated with Islam and Judaism, and has similar links in other religions, I thought I would post about my shirt, the symbol, and why I choose to wear it.

Here is the shirt, right, and this is my favorite picture of me wearing it. Though it is a typical mirror-selfie, I like the angle it results in, showing the curl of my ponytail, my chakra earring (handmade by yours truly), and the general silhouette. I also like the repetitive and swirled pattern of the shower curtain--this was taken in my boyfriend's bathroom. =)

The symbol is known, as I mentioned, by several names: Hamsa, Khamsa, Chamsa, or Hamesh Hand; the Hand of Fatima; and the Hand of Miriam, to name a few.

"Hamsa" comes from the Semitic root that means "five," and the symbol is a human hand, palm-outward, all five "fingers" held up, flat. I put that word in quotation marks because in most versions of this symbol, there are three central fingers and two balanced thumbs, one on each side, with no little finger. The symbol is neither a left hand nor a right hand, and it is both simultaneously. As such this could be seen as a symbol of Balance.

This is also a symbol of protection, the outward facing palm being a universal symbol of the idea "Stop" or "Come no further." A related symbol, the Jain Hand, uses this idea in several ways. First, as the link provided mentions, it represents the Jain doctrine of nonviolence. Second, this hand position (the Jain Hand does have one thumb and four fingers) is the "no fear" mudra, or hand position, shared between Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Finally, the article notes that there is a word written in the center of the Jain Hand: "Ahimsa," which means "Stop." The short article goes on to discuss this word in combination with the wheel symbol, and how these symbolize the "halting" of reincarnation through practicing nonviolence, or avoidance of harm, or as Wiccans and other Pagans might say, "Harm None."

Incorporations / Invocations

Dear Readers,

Earlier this month, I missed a video on the collab channel I co-founded on YouTube, The Pagan Perspective, because I was busy packing for a week-long trip to LA and completely forgot about the video! The following week, I said in my Tuesday video that I would post my answer to the weekly topic that I missed on my blog, and until now I hadn't made time to do that. So before I go on to many other wonderful projects, be they videos, blogs, or other sorts, I wanted to make this post for you. The topic is as follows:

August 4-9, Regina Oliveira - Incorporations / Invocations

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--“Hello Pagan Perspective! My name is Regina and I'm from Brazil, so you please excuse me if I write something wrong. I hope to be clear.

There are cases of incorporations (this is the term in Portuguese not think it's the same in English but what I mean is when an entity is manifested by the body of a witch) in witchcraft?

What do you think about it?

Think are the God and the Goddess there? Or a spirit that is intermediate between?

Could you recommend me books about the subject?I love the channel, keep up the good work. Blessed be!”

Reading in 2014 (Jan.-July)

Hey, Readers,

This year I decided to try and beat the number of books I read last year, setting myself a goal of about 20-25 books this year. It's now July, a little more than halfway through the year, and I'm nearly to that goal now! Last year I had some busy times when I really didn't read much, but this year I've gotten back into the habit (and started visiting the local library on a weekly basis!) and have been reading almost constantly through the hours I'm not working, driving, or sleeping.

Since we're about halfway through the year, I wanted to go back through the things I've read so far in 2014 and just make a few notes about each one. Because I read a lot, I tend to forget details of the things I read once enough time has passed, so this is both a way to touch base with what I've read and to hopefully stir my memory in the future. Without further adieu, here is what I've read so far in 2014 (mostly in order, so you'll see I try to alternate types of books when it makes sense to--but as I'm separating the books and plays, as well as separating the books I've re-read from the new books read, it's not entirely chronological).

A Threshold Path (Poem)

Hey, Readers!

Long time no see, eh? I've been meaning to update, and of course there are several things I could have written about, I just haven't made the time in my busy schedule lately. Tonight, I got online intending to spend an hour or so answering messages and emails, and then watching a few videos. Well, a few hours later, I was still answering messages, and now I have a list of topics to mention next time I do a video.

One thing I will mention is the impetus for this post, which is that I received an email notification of a comment left here on my blog. The comment was letting me know that I have been added to the Pagan Blog Directory! And there is a brand new blog button on the sidebar of my blog to prove it. =) (Shown to the right, here.)

The directory was evidently lost, so it's being redone, so if you know of any blogs that used to be on it, please submit them to the directory so they may be re-added. Likewise, if you know of any that you would like to see on the list that may not have been before (I do not believe I was on it before, or if I was, I wasn't notified then), let them know! There are separate directories for websites and things like Facebook Pages, but this specific one is for blogs. And do use it to find others to follow!

As for the title of this post, I was prodded by the manner in which my blog is listed in the directory. The Witchy Stuff is listed under the category "Wicca." This may seem obvious to those of you who know me as a Wiccan, but it is less so to me, being the one living my path. Now is a good time to put down some thoughts I've been having for a while now, some of which I've expressed in the past, some which have gone unspoken, and some altogether relatively new. And, well, apparently it's going to be in poem form. Enjoy.

~

My path began with a Wiccan tilt, with Cunningham and Ravenwolf,
with mama's Native influence and my own love of this green Earth.
I read and studied, practiced, erred, and kept it secret for a while
Until I felt more comfortable with calling "Wiccan" my own style.
But I was young and all the Wiccans on the internet weren't fond
of my quite broken lineage and lack of ini-ti-a-tion.
They said I wasn't one of them, that my beliefs were not enough,
that I had to be taught, somehow, and if I didn't do that, tough.
But I, resilient, knowledge-lead, had some informants of my own
who gave me confidence to tread, and so I came into my own.
"I am a Wiccan," I would say, "though eclectic and solit'ry"
and over years a Wiccan Witch is how I have come known to be.
Yet over time, from year to year, my knowledge and experience grow
and less often am I comfortable with names by which I used to go.
I still have Wiccan beliefs, yes, and I intend to keep that part
of my young path, wherever I go, because it spoke to my young heart.
But as of late, the general term of "Pagan" more appeals to me.
Yet when I use it, I am sometimes struck by what the others see.
In arguments sometimes, when I attempt to hold a wider view,
speaking from my Universal tendencies and attitudes,
"You're only speaking from a Wiccan point of view," I now am told,
"That's the Wiccan way of things." Thus the verdict they behold.
And yes, I cede, I do come from a Wiccan sort of origin,
But can I never branch back out from somewhere I was not let in?
The traditional Wiccans never claimed me (so I never claimed to be one of them),
and now the general Pagans shame me, too much Wiccan, then again.
Not enough for the one extreme, but too much one for this, the other.
And where exactly does that leave me? On my own path, same as ever.
An in between is where I walk, a balance on the railroad tracks.
Balance is my major goal, and here I walk, a threshold path.
It's neither in nor is without, nor is it perfect dark or light,
it isn't kin or kind to yours, and it contains both "wrong" and "right."
Is it "Wiccan"? Who could know? Some say yes, and others, no.
The thing I'm sure of is that there is always forward left to go.
From one exit, another entrance. Another threshold left to meet.
And lifetimes hence from what's "complete." And miles to go before I sleep.

Blessings~
-C-

Fertility Topic on PaganPerspective

Hey, Readers!

This is a script for today's Pagan Perspective video in which I talk about what fertility, creation, and so on mean to me and my path. I felt as though I didn't have much to say on this topic, having done no work with "fertility magick" as it were, so I decided to script it to make sure I had something set down to say and wouldn't ramble aimlessly! Thus, here is the script, and here is the link to the video. Enjoy!

My Goddess (A Poem, or Prayer)

Hey, Readers,

Most of my rituals and spells are made up in the moment, or improvised from a vocabulary of intent that I have built up over the years. As such, I often create new things on the spot, when needed, and then write them down to use again later. Here is a poem I wrote while making a long drive on dangerously snow-covered roads last week:


"My Goddess rules these valleys
My Goddess rules these hills
My Goddess rules this majesty
Both turbulent and still

My Goddess rules these oceans
My Goddess rules these lakes
My Goddess rules my victories
and She rules my mistakes

My Goddess is all-knowing
My Goddess can see all
My Goddess sees me rising
and She will see me fall

She's seen me through the valleys
She's seen me o'er the hills
She's helped me all throughout  my path
and She will guide me still"


This was in reference to a specific goddess of travel named Elen, to whom I pray often while driving, even in regular weather conditions. But this could also apply to other goddesses, and this very much speaks to me of Mother Earth/Gaia as well. I do not usually share things like this, things that I've written for my own path, but I thought perhaps it might be nice to occasionally share with you the kind of things I write and use in my own practice.

Blessings~
-C-

"Doesn't It Drive You Crazy?!"

Hey, Readers,

At work, I have two bosses. One is Catholic. The other is Agnostic, Pagan-ish but not practicing. They are great friends, and of course, business partners. They are wonderful! I love them both. I do not name their religions for any sort of commentary on their religious identities, merely to identify them apart from one another and give you a basic idea of where they're coming from in that regard.

My co-worker told me shortly after we met and started working together that she is also Pagan, though not practicing and very new to identifying as Pagan at all. She told me this because, she said, she could tell that I was Pagan. I don't know how she could tell this--the only discussions we'd had that were at all relevant were about tasseomancy and tarot, but whatever the reason, she knew and shared this with me.

Eventually, my co-worker told our Catholic boss that we were both Pagan.
The negative reaction from our boss startled my co-worker, who is not out of the broom closet at all and has never experienced the prejudice or discrimination that sometimes comes with being open about a minority identity such as religion.

Right before Halloween, I overheard my bosses discussing religion and why Pagans celebrate Halloween and Christmas, and why they call it Christmas if Christmas is about Christ. This is when I heard my Agnostic boss say that she is not a practicing Pagan and usually just considers herself Agnostic. I took the opportunity to offer some of my views on why Pagans celebrate Christmas (with our Christian families, usually), and to explain the Winter Solstice/Yule and its difference from and similarity to Christmas, and so on. So we've had some discussions at work about religion. Though our Catholic boss was clearly under-informed or misinformed about some things, I was really happy that she was willing to listen and ask questions. So many people will not even do that. I am grateful for those opportunities.

Today, my co-worker said something about her old teacher, who happens to go to my church, as we learned recently. Our Catholic boss looked very confused. I didn't notice this, but my co-worker asked her what was wrong, and our boss asked, "Pagans go to church now?" I laughed and said "Oh, yeah, I go to a Unitarian Universalist church. It's for everyone. You can believe anything. There are several Pagans at my church, and people of many other faiths."

The following conversation ensued:

Inversion Aversion

Hey, Readers,

Today I was at my friend Christine's house, and she was telling me about a picture posted by someone she follows online, which got them a lot of flack from fans/readers. She had posted a picture of a witch wearing an inverted pentacle. As my friend described it to me, it sounded a lot like a painting I really enjoy, so I looked up an image of it and showed my friend. Sure enough, she said, "That's it, but in the version I saw, her eyes were made to look reddish."

Cauldrón by Victoria Francés

Cauldrón is a painting by Spanish illustrator, Victoria Francés. At least, I think it's a painting; I'm not sure what medium she uses. In short, I adore her work, have for years, and my dorm room sported several of her pieces in paper print-out form. In this and a few other of her paintings, Francés depicts the pentacle pendants inverted. Yet, those who know her work will know that in other paintings, pentacles are worn upright. Also, in this very painting, there is an upright pentagram on the cauldron, after which the piece is actually titled. So this is not an instance of the artist not having any knowledge of the symbol, or thinking that it is always inverted, or anything like that. Yet this might beg the question further: If she knows them to be used both ways, why choose to invert them?

Whatever Francés' reasoning, my friend was impressed at how this person handled the negative comments on her page after she posted this picture. The author of the page was able to remain calm and simply inform people that there are many reasons why witches DO use this symbol in its inverted form, including that it may be a Second Degree symbol, or represent matter over spirit. For me, looking at this painting, it strikes me that a person may also wear their pentacle this way so that it is upright to their perspective when they look down at it, or so that it is upright when you hold it up in front of you. I have a long-chained necklace which is a clock designed to look like it rests inside a heart-shaped lock, and the clock hangs up-side down so that it faces upright when I pick it up to check the time. Similarly, my compass has a hanging loop on the "bottom." This could be a very practical reason for wearing a pendant inverted if it is more than just decoration, but in fact something that you work with in a practical way.

The main symbolism, though, for an inverted pentacle, is to me, that it represents Spirit Over Matter when upright and Matter Over Spirit when inverted. This is why it has become associated with Satanism, as Satanists are concerned with matters of matter, rather than with matters of spirit. Whenever someone makes a comment about inverted pentacles being Satanic, I am sure to let them know that Satanists choose to use the symbol that way for a specific purpose. It's not that "we" are "upright" as our pentacles and they want to "invert" everything we stand for, it's just simple symbolism and what they want to represent.

As such, I have also personally considered using the inverted pentagram as a symbol to connect more with the Horned God. The symbol was already used in the past to try and associate the Horned God and Paganism as a whole with Satan--you've likely seen those images of an inverted pentagram with a goat-headed being superimposed onto it--so why not use that in a positive sense, for connection, rather than letting it stay something we shun in an effort to dissociate from it? When I mentioned that idea in Magic Class, I DID get horrified looks... from my fellow practitioners! The fear of being associated with this symbol is really ingrained in some people, not because of what it actually means, but because of what society thinks of us and therefore what we try not to perpetuate. People are so quick to say "I'm not evil because my pentacle is this way. If you turn it around, THAT'S Satanism (and therefore evil)." Not everything is so black and white, up or down.

Could you imagine the reactions if I did start wearing an inverted pentacle? What would the general public think? What would my fellow practitioners think? What would those of you who've read this post think, since you have this information behind it? Would you think twice or more about it before making a judgement? Is there something about it that JUST makes people feel strangely, or have we been taught how to feel about this symbol?

My friend was impressed with someone for being able to explain that this symbol is not, in fact, something that people need to get all riled up over and attack her for posting on a witchy page. I take it just a bit further in letting you know that the image in question is actually a stunning piece of art, done in 2004 by a talented Spanish artist. I encourage you to always think more deeply about things like symbols, to ask why, to wonder, and to imagine yourself in someone else's position, even if that person is in a painting.

Think: "If I were wearing an inverted pentacle, what would be the reason behind it?"

Blessings~
-C-