My Top Ten Favorite Cauldrons... Part 1

I think everyone has a favorite magical tool, I have a friend who can never pass up an interesting Athame, another friend of mine collects candle holders and incense holders. I have read of broom and wand collectors, Chalice lovers and multiple different Books of Shadows. (Hmmm… actually I might fall into all of these categories… good thing I clean out my house annually!) But the big one for me, the item I am always drawn too is the Cauldron! It doesn’t matter that I have a great Cauldron… or four! Anytime I go to a Pagan, Witch and New Age shop I am drawn to the Cauldrons. I even check out the Cast Iron Dutch Ovens in sporting goods shops (yes I visit those, often actually, I am a Redneck after all!) And when I am not using or playing with my “Magical” Cauldrons then I am using one that some would consider to be more mundane! So for your entertainment (or boredom) here are my favorite cauldrons!

10 Coffee Pot: my husband will agree with me 100% on this and depending on the day he might even score it higher than I would. I know it is bad but I am totally addicted to coffee! I have usually two to three cups a day (always in the morning) and if my friends and I get together for coffee I come home so wired that I actually will start scrubbing floors at One AM. But why do I consider this a cauldron?
Well the essential power of the cauldron is transformation right? The mixing of ingredients to make something new! Cauldrons play a huge part in many Pagan traditions and Myths. And in a coffee pot you take coffee beans and water, filter and voila! A hot, brown brew that takes a person who will literally growl at anything that moves first thing in the morning to a functioning member of society who is able to verbally express herself!

There is also something about gathering friends together and sharing a cup of coffee. At the youth group I work with we often have early morning activities. We of the adult staff will often meet before the activity over a “Timmies” (or for you non Canadians our there: a cup of Tim Hortons Coffee). We stand together, talking, sharing until the kids start showing up. I have had some of my best conversations this way and it strengthens our bonds of teamwork and friendship. (and for those of you who say that the coffee is delivered to us via a cup and so that would be a Chalice… don’t worry the coffee cup is on my top ten favorite chalices for the same reasons above!)

9 Dutch Oven: Ok so I really should not call this one my cauldron since it technically is my husband’s cauldron, but I will count it on this list anyway! When he gets his own blog he can claim it then! Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, why is it on this list? Well how many of you camp? Actually let me back up for a second, you see my husband and I are epic campers! We did not get out much last year but we plan to rectify that situation this year. We usually like to be out for four days, at least. A weekend just isn’t enough for us. Now we do the weekend camp thing in a small tent, but we are looking at purchasing a nice big canvas outfitters tent, one that can take a stove (hello year round camping!!!!)

While we are camping our resources are obviously different. Food has to be kept in coolers rather than a refrigerator, or it has to be canned as food poisoning is not on my agenda. So what my husband will do is cook up some hamburger and throw it in a container. We put it in the cooler with a ton of ice and frozen veggies. With the amount of ice he uses the cooler stays cold for three days… easily. On the second day of camping he will throw the hamburger, the frozen veggies, a bit of beef stock and some spices into that Dutch Oven and then sit it in the campfire. He lets it cook over the day and by night we have a great one pot meal.

We have used it in the house with the BBQ and once in the regular oven but it is not the same. There is something magical about sitting at the campfire, watching the sun creep its way under the horizon, and eating our dinner as our ancestors once did. I also treasure these moments because my Husband and I are very busy people, we both work full time and work with the youth group. We often are at one form of a work or another, even at home. The moments that we have to camp, to gather around the fire together, share a meal, just us and the pooches, that is magic at its finest!

8 Crock Pot: My reason for loving this invention is sheer laziness. I throw something in, next day at supper I have food! SIMPLE! But the simplicity of it does not negate the power it has. First of all, like any cauldron there is the essence of transformation. A chunk of raw beef is slapped down, some broth poured over it and in a day you have a tender roast that fills the stomach and makes you feel at home (I grew up in Alberta, roast beef is a staple in our households). The convenience of this is magical not only in that it feeds us, but in the time it saves.

You see our work at the youth group gives us some late nights, especially Tuesday. On a Tuesday we can expect it to be midnight before we even get home, and living out of town from where we work means getting up at six in the morning. Wednesday is BRUTAL! Working on minimum sleep we somehow find the strength to slug our way through the day. By the time we get home we are mentally and physically exhausted, not always thinking clearly and often a tad on the grumpy side (more me than my Husband). Having a hot meal ready as soon as we walk in the door is a blessing! We get well fed in a snap, without having to resort to fast food restaurants that often have the nutritional equivalent to a catcher’s mitt. We also get to sit together, share a moment and some light conversation.

When supper is over, the leftovers are super easy to deal with. I put the leftovers back into the pot, lift it out of the heating unit and place it in the fridge. The dishes go in the dishwasher and we both get to sit back, relax and go to bed early! The internet has allowed me the opportunity to explore multiple recipes to use in the Crock Pot and they have come in handy on other occasions. I throw everything in the pot the night before, have supper and still have time to perform my rituals and spells, while feeding my body well, and ensuring I can still get to bed at a decent time. My husband has also loved the experimentations of soups and stews during our long winter nights. A good stew warms you up, and fills you up for those wonderful moments of shoveling 3 feet of snow off the driveway.

Stay tuned for part two!

The Pagan and the Papacy

Many years ago I was introduced to Catholicism, partially from my Catholic Grandmother, and partially from spending a few years in the only French Immersion school in our city that was a Catholic school. I am afraid I have no horror stories to share with you on this topic. I have a lot of respect for 99% of the Catholics. There are still a few of them that I am not very fond of, but such is human nature. In any group there are going to be good people, people who fall a little short of the mark, and absolutely reprehensible individuals. I do not blame religion or culture for them, I blame the individual and those who enabled them. But that is not the point of this conversation today, I will tackle that landmine at a later date.

One of the things that my time in Catholic School taught me was the structure and history of the Church, including the Papacy. I learned about Priests and Nuns, Bishops and Cardinals, about living a life of service to God. There was something about this idea of service that struck a cord with me, I did my best to be a good Christian, but my heart was not in it. I felt my feet were destined to walk another path, so I moved away from Christianity. But I never put down the idea of service to others, nor did I loose my interest in the history and Traditions of the Church. Then a pope died.

When Pope John Paul II passed away I learned a bit more about the way that the College of Cardinals passes on the power from one pope to another, and I watched with interest as the Conclave progressed, until the day the white smoke was seen above the Sistine Chapel. I was introduced to Pope Benedict XVI (now Pope Emeritus). I watched the announcement and part of his speech. A few days later I looked up pictures of his inauguration. After that I have to be honest, I did not really follow his career much. I was too busy learning about the Pagan Path and exploring my Irish roots. My interest was slightly rekindled with the release of the Davinci Code movie and Angels and Demons movie.

I watched them from time to time, but still did not really follow the news of the Papacy, until one day I heard that a Pope was retiring. My first thought was “WTF kind of prank is that, Popes die, they don’t retire” but further research confirmed that the Pope was retiring. So I followed this news with interest, the first time in 600 years this has happened, it was fascinating to me. I watched the reporting at St Pater’s Basilica and was very excited to see the white smoke again. Eventually I saw the announcement of Pope Francis.

Over the next few days I pondered about my interest in the Papacy (after all, I walked away from this faith years ago, and have devoted myself to a faith that often seems to react to Catholicism like Oil and Water). I also took some time to reflect on the three Popes I have seen in my lifetime. I came to the conclusion, a rather startling conclusion for many Pagans; I realized that I have learned a great deal from each of these men.

Pope John Paul II was the first introduction to a life of service I had really had. I did not understand how so many clergy, across the world, devote themselves to the betterment of humanity, that spend their lives in service to that which is greater than themselves. I had never really connected the idea of Priests, Rabbi’s, Shamen, Medicine Men and Women, Reverend's, Mullah’s, Monk’s, Nun’s (or any other religious person whom I have forgotten), and the lives they live, until I learned about the life of Pope John Paul II. This then led me to my second revelation: Tolerance.

Pope John Paul II was a Catholic man, he had spent his entire life in service to the Catholic Church, it’s members and it’s God. Here was a man who truly believed in the tenets of his faith, and yet he met with many religious leaders across the span of his time as Pope. His example by praying in a Synagogue, and removing his shoes to pray in a Mosque, was an example of understanding and respect that any member of any faith can learn from. He taught me to respect those who are different from me, while remaining true to my own heart and conscious. I was genuinely sad to hear of his passing.

The next Pope, Benedict XVI was a much different Pope. Being a man that was far more interested in preserving the Doctrine of the Church than building bridges the way his predecessor did. He also was considered a very flashy Pope, wearing designer shoes, golden crosses and big on pomp and circumstance. I have to admit, I did not cast favorable eyes in his direction. I heard a bit about the Church Sex Scandals and my opinion of the man fell lower than I had thought possible. Until the day he announced his retirement. I saw a frail, old man declaring to the world he no longer had the strength to carry on his work. From him I learned the value of tradition, and learning and accepting limitations.

Now I do not want to get into an argument about how awful he was, or about everything he did wrong. I acknowledge he made many mistakes and there was much he could have and probably should have changed. Having said that, I am not him, I was not in that position. While I would have done things differently, I cannot promise I would have done any better. I will leave his judgment in the hands of those he led, those who were wronged by his decisions, and the God he prays to. I do not have that right. And as I said, his example taught me some things. Ceremony and tradition is an important part of our lives, it gives continuity from one generation to the next. It gives us the framework in our lives, from which we are able to fill with meaning. Without this framework we would wander, no past to give us roots, and no way to envision a future to fly to. While I do not agree with many of their traditions, I respect it, and the right of people to follow it.

As to limitations, it must have been very hard for him to admit to the world at large that he was too weak to lead the Church. He acknowledged the decline of his physical state, admitting his body was failing. He also admitted to the strain psychologically, a man who prided himself on the power of his mind, admitted to the world that it too was failing him. I am not sure I would have been strong enough to admit this to the world, even when it was blatantly obvious. I also know that I struggle immensely with knowing my limits. I often work myself to exhaustion without resting, or admitting that I need rest. This old man, who I though was a jerk, taught me to care for myself.

Then came along Pope Francis. I have to admit, I rather liked him from when they first announced him as Pope. He presented himself to his followers in the plain white clothes of the pope, as simple Iron crucifix around his neck. No grand displays of wealth and power, he showed himself to the world as a simple man. Over the next few days my like turned to respect. After being elected he was offered the choice to take a limousine from the Sistine Chapel. He refused, instead telling the Cardinals that he rode with them to Conclave on the bus, and he will ride back with them. The man is well known for his frugality, cooking his own meals, using public transport and care for the poor and the homeless.

In the days that followed his election he greeted many of his followers, walking amongst them, touching their hands and blessing them. His inauguration speech had him reminding people to care for the poor, being compassionate towards each other and caring for the environment. From him I am learning humility and care for those around me. I was reminded of how sacred service to others is, how caring for those around me lifts us all, and brings us closer to the divine within and around us. His teachings have reminded me that every person around me is my brother and sister, and that kindness, compassion take more strength than my snarky and sarcastic impulses.

So there you have it, who would have thought that a Pagan would have every learned anything from the Catholic Church, and from three Popes! But the reality of it is when I set aside my arrogance, my ego fueled need to be right and them wrong, and opened my heart, I learned. Rather than being blinded by my own bigotry I allowed myself the gift of opening my eyes and hearing the words of another. I leave you now with a quote I stumbled upon recently, and a prayer that we, as human beings, work to listen, learn and respect each other.:

“I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit. ”
       - Kahlil Gibran

Lessons from Babysitting

I just recently spent two days babysitting for my baby sister (she is just over six months old)! She is the cutest baby in the world and when my dad asked me if I would be willing to babysit for two days while he and his wife (who is a wonderful lady and an amazing mother!) was at a conference I jumped on the opportunity to have two days off and spend them with my sister! I have had the chance to babysit her a time or two before during the evening, but she usually was only up for an hour or two and then was she was asleep. So not much time to play with the baby!

In anticipation for the two days ahead I made sure I packed some fun music for us to listen to, a big picture book I had from when I was a kid and a few things for me to amuse myself with. I also swung over the night before and spent an hour visiting her so that I wasn’t a stranger in the morning. I got my instructions from dad regarding her schedule and got myself set up. Within an hour she was awake! The next two days flew by and taught me a heck of a lot, not only about babies, but about life in general.

One of the first things I found out about a baby is playtime! I had her in this saucer thing, the baby basically sits in it, with the supports going to her chest, leaving her arms free. Along the saucer are toys and bobbles she can pull at, chew on, spin around and push on. From the moment I put her in it she had to play with each and everyone of them, pulling on the plastic flower for a good chew (for babies everything goes in their mouths!). She then would spin the piece that spun around and made noise! She was constantly playing and laughing, having a great time!

When I got home I couldn’t help reflect on how much fun I had! It was so much fun to sit down beside her, making animal noises as I handed her soft plastic toys, making them dance around just to hear her laugh! So often in my life it is about deadlines, reports, balancing the household budget, cleaning the house, cooking, getting lesson plans for the youth group ready, discussing rules and regulations. It is very easy to get caught up in the details of day to day living. The two days with my baby sister gave me a chance to let loose and just play. To let my imagination take a run and to delight in the simplicity of a stuffed lion and making lion noises for her. Thanks to her I remembered the sheer joy of being alive, and what a blessing each day is!

The next thing I noticed is babies are busy! And my sister is no exception! She would wake up, have a bottle then a diaper change. From there we were ready to go! Often we were ready to go before slowpoke sister had finished changing the diaper. I had to figure out how to pin her with my arm long enough to get the diaper securely on (as it was the first time when I picked her up off the change table to dress her the diaper fell off and landed at my feet. Thank goodness she did not need to use it at that moment in time!) She would wiggle and kick and squirm about, and then giggle at me trying to keep up!

 After the diaper change and the challenging task of getting stocking on her (she has figured out how to pull socks off) I finished dressing and then we had play time. And she was not the kind to play with just one thing for hours on end. Nope, we had multiple things to play at, kind of like stations in Kindergarten. We would sit on the sofa, her propped up in the corner and me in front of her playing with all kinds of different toys. Then we would move onto the saucer,  and I would often hand her toys to play with. Around then it was bottle and change time, then we might then play with this cool little device that played sounds and music when you pushed different buttons (not sure if the baby or I had more fun with it), sometimes she would playing the jolly jumper, and other times I would dance around the kitchen with her in my arms, singing silly songs! Eventually she would just crash and have an hour long nap.

She never could seem to stay in the same place for long, she had to keep moving, keep busy. I thought of myself over the past winter. How many nice winter days I could have gone outside for a walk, or even tried an exercise video inside during the rough days. How many opportunities have I missed just by sitting on my derrière watching television (and DVD’s that I can watch anytime for that matter). She taught me the importance of staying busy and staying active, since those two days I am trying to get up and moving at least a few times a week, and rather than plunking my butt down to watch television I try to do something active, even if it’s just trying a new recipe, cleaning something or doing a craft of some kind.

The third thing I learned is that babies are curious! From the moment she woke up she had to watch, listen and touch everything. I was sitting with her on the couch, after feeding her I decided to have a banana. She was playing with some toys on the couch, watching me eat the banana. After I finished eating it I put the peel down on the table in front of me. I picked her up onto my lap and we began to make faces at each other. Suddenly *SPLAT* something slimy and banana smelling hit the side of my face! There was an eruption of laughter and another *SPLAT* to the side of my face. She laughed some more and I took the banana peel away from her. She held onto it and was trying to inspect it as I took it away from her.

Every new item I handed her had to be examined; she looked at it from all angles first, turning it around in her hand, dropping it and picking it back up. She would then give it a couple of ferocious shakes to see what it would do. Then she will put it in her mouth, and move it around, so that she could sample all edges. Anything that made noise received special attention, and had to be examined multiple times! She would do this without fail every time! If you handed her something twice she would examine it just as thoroughly, but at the third time she would put it down faster and reach for something new.

She seemed to always be looking for new experiences, new things to try. That made me think a lot about myself, in my Witchcraft Practices, and my everyday life. In my day to day life I tend to be far less adventurous! I often have my rut, I go to work, do my job, come home, cook dinner, clean a little, surf some of the same websites and go to bed, get up the next morning and do it again. She taught me to take the time to learn new things, to examine the world around me. I have decided to start saving some money and look into taking some interest courses. I have also bought a nice book on trees and plan on learning about the trees that grow in Central Alberta. I have also swallowed my fear and have applied for a new job!

The same runs in my witchcraft practices, I read the same authors, try the same variations of spells. Being with my sister for those two days taught me the importance of trying new things and not letting yourself stagnate! I am now currently going to try and learn the Tarot, I was gifted a deck year ago but never really took the time to study it! I am looking at perhaps learning two cards a week. If I get busy I can cut it down to a card a week and that should be manageable for me. This will give me a chance to expand my practice, and hopefully inspire me to pick up books that I normally would not read.

There were also lots of little, less earth shattering lessons I learned. For example I learned that if you put a baby in the center of a crib facing north, by the time you hear her wake up she will be facing south and be pressed right up against the bars. I learned that when dressing her you will get one leg into the stocking or pants, but by time you get the other leg in, the first one is out. I learned that if you have long hair with a baby you really need to keep it tied back, otherwise they will try to pull it out of your scalp to examine it. I also learned that a baby can fill a diaper to an extent that I did not even think was humanly possible, and will laugh almost manically when you go “OH MY GODS” at the sight before you.

 

All in all it was a very enriching two days. I was far busier than I had imagined I would be, had a ton of fun playing with her, and learned a lot about babies. I realized how blessed I am to have her in my life, and while I can't wait for her to grow a bit more and teach her some fun stuff, she is already teaching me more than I fathomed possible. I realized just how much courage and strength it takes to raise a child, and how blessed I was to have my parents. I realized how blessed she is to have our awsome dad, and a mother who is so kind, loving, creative and strong (and an amazing cook)!  I also realized that while I am nowhere near ready to have a child (I need a few more years to grow up), I will still babysit every chance I am offered!

Yours Humbly

The Redneck Pagan