Ken's Korner

Well, this issue of Witch Way is a little rushed. Part of the reason is because I’ve been really busy on the weekends (See Community Service later, for how I spent part of last weekend) and part of it is because I got a job.

I’d like to thank everyone who wrote to me with encouragement and energy. The current job is temporary, but hopefully by the time this contract is finished, something more permanent will come along.

You may have noticed the facelift that CyberWitchcraft has gone through. As I stated in my blog, I have been planning the facelift from the start.

The original design was just to get the site up and running fast. This new look is easier to read, and gentler on the eyes.

I’ve also added an RSS feed to the site, so that you can find out about new and changed articles without actually going to the site. You can find the RSS subscription, as well as an explanation of what RSS is, on each page, on the left side under the Navbar.

Don’t let the terms RSS and subscription scare you. Take a look at the RSS box, and the link “What is an RSS feed?” on the website. You can even set up the RSS to work with your browser, so that you click on a link, and it’ll tell you if anything has changed.

I’m also taking my camera out to various events in my local Pagan Community. I’ve decided to add a section to the site about Pagan Community. Community is something we all need, and my plan is to provide a sense of Community for those who may not have, or be able to find their own.

I’ve got several ideas on how I can do this. The first is to put up small articles about what happens here, and to give all of you the opportunity to talk about your own community events.

Samhain is fast approaching, and we all know how Witches love to gather at this time of year. My hope is to have something in place in time for Samhain, so grab your cameras, and put on your press hats. Tell us what your Community is doing!

The next few months are going to be exciting. I’ve already added the ability for you to rate pages you like, as well as those you think need work.

I’ve also made it easy for you to share the pages you like with others on faceBook, and several other social sites. Soon you will be able to add your own stories and thoughts to the site.

Tell your friends! The more people who come to CyberWitchcraft, the more diverse the stories you’ll be able to read and share.

Time of The Season

Just as at Ostara, this is a time of balance. The hours of daylight are equal to the hours of dark. Some even say that you can balance a raw egg on its point, this time of year. Try it, especially if you have kids.

Mabon is the second of the three Harvest Festivals.

In times gone past, this was when people started gathering in the grains to store for the long winter that is to come. This is a major source of the food that would keep them alive during the cold dark months.

If you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s Ostara. Spring, not Fall, is upon you. This illustrates very well the circular structure of the Universe. Where we are saying goodbye to the warmth of Summer, those in the South are welcoming the lengthening days of Spring.

Traditionally, this was the time to give thanks for the bountiful fruits and harvests that the Summer has brought. It’s a time to dress up in your finest clothing, and to gather with friends and family to show the Gods how wealthy the Summer season had been.

Mabon is known by many names such as The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding, spans a period of time from the Sabbat to Oct. 15th, Winter's Night, which is the Norse New Year.

Mabon is also the time when the veil between this world and the next begins to thin. It’s a time of Mystery and Death. The plants that have been so alive and green, begin to wither and die. The Earth is (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway) starting to go into hibernation for another dark season.

Death becomes more apparent, as the once green fields turn to brown. The world around us seems to die at once. Soon the snows of Winter will come, and chill us to our very bones, but not yet. There is still a little life in the land that clings hopefully to its former glory.

Mabon rituals are for harvesting what you planted in the Spring. All those thoughts, ideas, and projects that you germinated back at Ostara, have hopefully come to fruition, and can now be harvested. Then again, if you planted nothing in the Spring, you have nothing to harvest now.

This is also a time for separating the wheat from the chaff. Let go of the those things that are no longer of value to you, and keep only the kernel of those things that still work for you.

Just as the tiny wheat kernel is the only part of the whole wheat plant that you can use to make flour, most of us have a large number of things that are no longer of use to us, but we just can’t seem to let go of.

Let go! Those things only hold you back from reaching your full potential. Rid yourself of negative emotions that keep you from reaching out. Look at your life, and you’ll find things about it that you just don’t like. Once you see what they are, change it! Change yourself! You have the power, and you are the only one that does.

Rid yourself of the chaff, keeping only the wheat, so that next Spring, you have something to plant.

Community Service

September 5th was an interesting day. It was Save The Brew Day. We are fortunate enough to have a local coffee shop called The Witches Brew.

As the name implies, it is a Pagan coffee shop, where people from the Denver Community can come and hang out, drink great coffee, and socialize.

We’ve all felt the pressure of higher gas prices lately, but it’s really hurt the merchants we’ve come to rely on. People have stopped going out to the places they used to, because it just costs too much to fill up the tank.

I know I’m guilty of it. I can either go out to the local shops and spend $4.00 for a cup of coffee, or I can have enough gas to go to work all week. It’s hard for all of us. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one deciding between coffee and great conversation, or being able to go to work the entire week. Work usually wins.

So our local Pagan businesses that depend on us to keep them solvent, are losing business. The worst part of it is, they’re competition is a J.O.B.

So, Kantis, the owner of The Witches Brew decided to have an event. Save The Brew Day was a fund raiser for the shop. She got many people to donate items that they no longer used, to be auctioned off. She was able to find someone with a grill, and someone else to provide hamburgers and hotdogs. Sylvan made his World Famous (at least, it will be now) Cheesecake, including a chocolate cheesecake that is worth killing or dying for. (Yes, that’s a personal opinion, and I AM an avowed chocoholic.

The cheesecake, chocolate mini cakes, and scones were sold for anywhere from $1 - $3 a piece (and WELL worth the price). The tenderly used items went up for bid in a silent auction. There was a Witch Trivia game, and face painting. People came out of the woodwork to buy things, and to show off their own products.

The day was capped off by the usual First Saturday Drum Circle at The Brew. There were so many people by that time, that they overflowed out the doors and into the parking lot. For the first time in many weeks, the Brew looked like itself, full of people and laughter.

I showed up early, and stayed all day and into the night. I was there to help in any way I could. I helped set up, and then pointed people in the right direction. I watched over the auction tables, and chatted with friends, some I hadn’t seen in a while. I also took pictures. Lots of pictures.

This is what Community is all about. People showing up to help others out. I know I made a few calls that day, to remind friends of the event. Others I know did the same. We had several hundred people show up throughout the day. I don’t know the exact amount that was brought in, but I do know that Kantis was able to pay her bills, and keep the shop open.

Articles for Witch Way should be around 500 words, and those for CyberWitchcraft.com should be around 2000 words.

Until next month, may you be blessed in all that you do, or as we usually say,

Blessed Be,

Ken Biles