Spirited Enterprise

Prideful Pagan

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:20:00 +0000

Being an internet dealer for so many years, one sees a lot of things and people come and go. I’ve seen a lot of change, both good and bad.

One of the worst changes, at least to me, is the total lack of pride online pagans put into their work. Now, I’m not saying all pagans, but rather…most.

I get emails all of the time from people asking for custom amulets. A lot of times, that request comes with a link to an ebay listing. It never ceases to amaze me what people will say in order to make a buck.

Every time I read one of these listings, my mind sees this:

I’m the high priestess/priest of a huge coven. I am all powerful. I see all and know all. This offering contains a million spells or a thousand entities and belonged to some long dead billionaire. You will become rich, famous, win the lottery, be an all-powerful psychic and master of witchcraft. All of your dreams will come true.You get all of this contained within this cheap $3 piece of crap, costume jewelry that is guaranteed to fall apart within 30 days and turn your finger green. And the cost is only $19.99!

Sounds like a metaphysical infomercial to me.

Honestly to pete, every time I read one of these listings, I just want to scream. Even if this were all true (which, you know it isn’t), what kind of true Pagan would do this???

There is no way a real witch could re-create something like this for that kind of price. Its absolutely impossible.

I’m sorry, but I put my heart and soul into every magickal I create. When I come up with the right set of castings in order to create an amulet, it takes me days, sometimes even weeks to choose the right piece of jewelry for my magick. I don’t want some cheap, gold plated piece of crap. I want quality and something that can be passed down from generation to generation. I choose my pieces based on, not just quality, but the attributes of the piece itself – I make sure the gemstones and precious metals will mingle and merge well with the castings and/or entity I’ve chosen.

In most cases, the vessels I choose cost around $60 to $90 – and that’s average. Sometimes it’s less, but often times, the cost is even more than that.

Then I choose the herbs and other correspondences that will aid me in boosting my magickal ability and the energy I put forth. On average, the cost for the herbs used in a single spell is around $12.

And then I cast – For a single triple casting, the time I put forth is around an hour.

Most of my basic amulets contain a dozen castings.

So let’s just take a look at the figures.

$75 for the vessel. $144 for the herbs. 12 hours of my time @ minimum wage is $90.

So now you’ve got around $309 into a basic amulet.

Most of the time, I donate the hours that go into an amulet and only charge for the cost of the piece and the materials used as that has become the way of the internet marketplace.

Though I am, in most cases, willing to donate my time, I am not willing to donate the financial means that I’ve put into something. If I did that, I’d be in the poor house.

As it is, 99.9% of the magickals I sell, I barely break even in the monetary sense.

So looking back at that ebay listing for $19.99 – do you really believe that someone is putting any energy or effort into that? I think not. Even if you are getting a “real” magickal, you’re looking at castings done half-ass, at best.

What happened to Pagan pride?? If you’re going to create a magickal, for heavens-sake, do it right.

And if you’re going to buy a magickal, use common sense. You absolutely get what you pay for.

If you want dime-store quality, keep shopping on places like ebay and with sellers who have no pride in what they do.

Binding Spirits & Entities to Your Person...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Just as it is every other sellers right to make believe that soul binding/binding to your person/etc is a great and wonderful thing, it is my right to preach against it.

Take this information with a grain of salt for all I care, but at least I can say that I did my part.

Ok...Soul Binding - what is it?? Its when a practitioner uses magickal bindings to attach an entity or spirit to you. It doesnt matter whether the practitioner claims its a “self” binding, a soul binding, an astral binding, or merely a physical binding, it means the same thing.

In fact, you could chose a part of your physical body to have the entity bound to; like your finger for example; and it would still be classified as soul binding.

WHY?

Because when an entity or spirit is attached to you through magickal means, it still has access to ALL of you regardless of “where” its attached. Its energy intermingles with your energy and essentially, becomes a part of you.

This includes your physical self, your astral self, your emotions, your mental state, your organs, your sexual self, your genetic make up, and every other fiber and aspect of your being. These are all aspects of your “self” - the things that make you YOU.

So why is this such a bad thing?

First, there are intelligent entities and spirits and there are unintelligent spirits.

Unintelligent spirits are spirits of the deceased. They can be human, animal, and insect alike. Not all of them are unintelligent. The unintelligent ones are those that are “stuck” perse. Whether its in a specific area, within a specific moment in time, or something else, there is something that impedes these spirits from growing and maturing on the astral plane.

These are the types of spirits that one sees in a haunting. They are the spirits that cannot leave the graveyard. They are the spirits that walk the same path over and over again at the spot where they were killed or parished.

An intelligent entity is a living entity. An intelligent spirit is a spirit that, after death, obtains an ascention of sorts and still has the ability to learn, grow, and prosper in many aspects.

As such, these intelligent beings are also emotional. They are happy, sad, angry, overbearing, protective, parental-like, etc. They go through the same types of emotions that humans do.

So now that we’ve got that terminology down...

When you make the decision to have an entity attached to you, like I said above, it is attached to and has access to all of you. It becomes a part of you and you become a part of it.

What you feel, it feels. What it feels, you feel. When you’re having a shitty day, your companion has a shitty day as well.

The bond that forms between a companion and entity/spirit using these types of bindings is extremely deep and its extremely hard to undo.

So...lets just say that you’re contemplating having an entity bound to you. What can happen?

In a best case scenerio, you will live happily ever after until your death, upon which your entity is then released ...

that is, if the bindings are done correctly. Some bindings used in very dark magick acutally extinguish (aka KILL) your entity when you die. After all, you are soul mates...and what soul mate would want to live the next ten thousand years alone...right??

Well, that is exactly the approach some of the old school conjurers took and it was a practice that was used for many hundreds of years. In some traditions of magick, this technique is still used.

Worst case scenerio, your companion will have a nervous break down 10 years from now and take you down with it.

You think Im kidding, but Im not. Its a very real possibility and it happens a lot more than you think.

As I said above, these are intelligent beings and though they are extremely powerful, they cannot control nor can they see all that life has in store for them.

They lose loved ones. They have their hearts broken. They get cheated on. They get the crap kicked out of them by the bully down the street. The get married. They have babies. They watch their children grow up. They experience almost everything that life offers us as humans in their very own realms; both the good and the bad.

We’ve all had our hearts broken and stomped on. We’ve all lost someone we loved dearly. We’ve all experienced pain on both the emotional and physical levels.

Think back for a moment...do you remember what that was like??

Now imagine yourself at your worst moment. Would you have taken another life down that path along side you if you had a choice?

Well, now that your entity is bound to you, it doesnt have a choice and neither do you! Once that entity gets on that emotional roller coaster, you’re going to be right there on it with them and there isnt a thing you can do about it.

And it happens SOOO fast! One minute you are living your life and thinking everything is wonderful. The next, you are bawling, throwing hysterical fits, and thinking about killing yourself and you have absolutely no clue as to why this is.

Conventional means arent going to help you either...no counseler will be able to prescribe a drug powerful enough to fix the mess you’re in.

Even practitioners that deal in spirits their whole lives often dont recognize the signs of a binding gone wrong. And lets be honest here, you’re going to be in such an emotional state of turmoil, the last thing on your mind is going to be tracking down the idiot that bound this entity to you.

And even if you do manage to figure out whats going on and you are able to seek help from a practitioner, its a matter of the bindings themselves.

Binding something to your “self” is not like binding it to a vessel. You cant take it off and contain the entity. You’re stuck with it. And the bindings are very deep.

What you’ve done to yourself is a form of possession. And the longer this entity is attached to you, the more embedded it becomes.

So when it comes time to remove this “thing” you’re looking at an exorcism. And its a lot more in depth than the Catholic exorcisms that you’ve seen in the movies or on youtube. Those are unbound entities. Pulling an unbound out of a person is easy compared to what you’ve got going on with this entity bound to you.

Being honest here, it would be a miracle if a practitioner were able to remove the bindings and pull the entity from within you. At that point, both you and your entity will be so mentally disturbed that neither of you will want to leave each other. Working with a pair of unwilling participants, one being entity and one being human, its almost pointless.

BUT...lets just say that after days, maybe even weeks, of emotional, spiritual, and draining work the practitioner is successful in removing said entity...there is a lot of damage that has already been done. You’re never going to be the same.

You’ll be lucky if you can live your life without the help of high dosage psychotropics.

So...while your practitioner may tell you that “its so great and so conveient without a vessel” I think you’d better look at the future before you decide. It might be great for awhile, but one never knows what the future holds and I dont know about you, but my life is a lot more important than worrying about whether or not Im going to have to be responsible enough to maintain and manage a vessel.

And to those of you that have already gone ahead and had things bound to you...do yourself a favor and get them transfered to a real vessel before its too late!! Do it while the work is easy and save yourself the potential of a whole mess of trouble later on.

Black Magick, Demons, and other Maledictions for the greater good?

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:35:00 +0000

The Wiccan motto of “Harm None” sounds great, doesn’t it? It would be a great and moral motto to live by, IF, everyone followed it. But sadly, that is just not the case.

There are situations where abiding by this motto is more detrimental than it is moral.

A better motto for magick, in my opinion, would be, “All is fair in love and war.” Its fitting and definitely applies more to everyday life.

If you hit me, you had better be prepared to be hit back...and probably twice as hard. Why? Its not because Im a bad person or because I want to harm someone else. But if you think for a moment Im going to let someone harm me or someone I love when I am perfectly capable of doing something about it, you're wrong. And in the end...you'll learn a valuable lesson. You cannot go around hitting people...

Life is about lessons.

Lets look at harm, revenge, and paybacks from a different perspective.

When someone intentionally causes you harm; whether physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, magickal or otherwise, are you really supposed to sit back and just…take it??

What does that prove? What good comes out of that??

Lets use a physical example…

Say someone comes up to you, out of the blue, and punches you in the face, kicks the crap out of you and runs off with your purse/wallet.

Ok, so you call the police and file a report, etc. But the thief is never caught. Now what?

Lets say that you were capable of defending yourself and chose not to. Do you honestly think that by laying down and letting this guy kick the snot out of you, simply because you don’t want to hurt a fellow human being, that you are doing something for the greater good of mankind?

For some people, things like this are extremely traumatic and it affects them their entire lives.

At night, they lay in bed wishing things had gone differently. In their mind they conjure up dreams of standing up for themselves, hitting back, and winning. It’s a “good over evil” scenario.

In daily life, they start to lack confidence and eventually, even if only in certain aspects, they become timid and scared.

Did “Harm None” have any benefits when it comes to this situation? I think not.

Now, lets look at the criminal.

By laying down and letting this guy get away with this, what good came of it?

None.

All you did was teach this guy that he can get away with things like this and in the future, he will do it again.

And what if…what if, the next time, he kills someone??

Harm none?? Are you kidding me?

Perhaps, if you had stood up for yourself and hit back, this guy would think twice about doing this again. Perhaps…if you had fought back and gave this guy the ass-whopping he deserved, someone else wouldn’t have to experience what you just did!

Next, lets look a mental example…

Lets say you work with someone who is extremely verbally abusive. When you make a mistake or do something in a way that she doesn’t approve of, she flips out.

She calls you worthless, stupid, etc.

And you know, if this person does it to you, she does it to others.

Lets just say, that you chose not to do anything about it. You’re following the moral code of “harm none” so you don’t say anything at all to this woman. You just let her say whatever she wants.

Deep down, the things she says, really bothers you. It starts to affect your self esteem and your confidence in your work.

Do you see anything good coming from allowing her to act this way?

Now, lets imagine that she has a child and that she treats this kid the same way she treats you.

Harm none?? Really??

Perhaps, if you stood up for yourself and put this woman in her place, she’d learn a lesson. She might learn that she cant talk to people this way. And perhaps...just perhaps, she'd change the way she treats people.

Sometimes, this whole scenario of “harming none” doesn’t work. It doesn’t do anything good for anyone. Not for you. Not for them. And certainly not for the other people in their lives.

Life is about lessons. Sometimes you’re the teacher and other times, you’re the student.

It’s the same with magick.

I’m not saying that you should go and utilize a gaggle of demons or cast a hex of all hexes in order to destroy someone’s entire life. That’s not it at all.

But I don’t think that you or I, or anyone else, as humans, should sit back and do nothing either.

If you can use a little black magick or demonic persuasion to change someone’s behavior for the better, a lot of good comes of it. Not only for the individual themselves, but for everyone they encounter.

Even if you’re simply affecting one individual at a time…think about it.

If you could change the pattern of one school bully, think of how many kids would have a better school experience and in general, a better life. Sure, he might get a good ass kicking but he’d be a better person for it.

If you could persuade one stingy, uppity, old millionaire to donate funds to a good cause…a school playground, a disaster, a church, a charity, etc. Think of all the good that would come of it. And yes, that person would be forced to give up some of their hard earned stash, but, in doing so, that donation would make him a better person.

If you could teach one abusive wife-beater a damn good lesson on what its like to be tormented like he torments. Think of how that would change that person for the better. Think of how much better his families lives would be!

If you were able to teach one thieving, lying, cheating ass man what its like to have his heart broken into a million pieces. Think about how many women (or men) whose hearts you would save from permanent scaring.

If you could use magick to make sure that one child molester or one murder would be put behind bars for the rest of their life, why wouldn’t you do it?? Think about how many children and/or people you would save. Even if it was just a single child or a father or a mother…everyone is someone to somebody.

If you could change any one of these things…wouldn’t you??

If its Karma you’re worried about…

Fine. Believe in Karma.

But if you think for a moment that any karmic relief is going to come because you stood by and did nothing when you saw something or experienced something that was harmful and downright, wrong, you’re mistaken.

Rewards come to those who do good…this is true. But distinguishing what is right and what wrong, what is good and what is evil…there’s a line there. And sometimes that line must be crossed. Sometimes, that line is crossed and the result is something that creates a snowball effect and not just one good thing comes of it...sometimes, the result is many good things.

A Year In The Life of ...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:28:00 +0000

A Year In The Life of A Witch…

Some of the more un-common questions asked of Mother Moon & The Sisters:

Just how many magickals can one witch create??

After 30 years of being a practitioner and over half of those 30 years spent as a dealer, in any given year, I am apt to create roughly 30 amulets, summon 20 entities, and perform actual conjuration only a half a dozen times.

So in a year, I myself, alone, create less than 60 magickals. And let me tell you, that seemingly small amount of completed work takes a huge amount of time and dedication on my part.

Most practitioners, actually complete less than this. The exception in our fold would be Oran & Ian who tend to create a lot more completed works than the average practitioner simply because they work together and dedicate time each night to cast.

How many magickals are consigned to SE each year?

We only accept consignments from practitioners and collectors within our fold.

In the year 2010, we took in in 230 magickals from 14 full time consigners and 312 magickals from our part time consigners.

As of this moment, we have over 60 sources that we acquire from as the need calls for it. Meaning, they are not full time consigners, but rather consign when we have a request that they can fulfill. These individuals and groups have been a part of our SE extended family for at least 10 years and in most cases, closer to 20.

How many “witch estates” do we acquire each year?

In 2010, we acquired 2 entire magickal estates (meaning just the magickals, not the “normal” household stuff), with each estate holding roughly 60 to 70 energy holding artifacts. None of those acquisitions will be for sale until later this year, 2011.

How long do we work with an acquired (not self-created) magickal before it goes up for purchase/adoption?

At the very least, 6 months. In most cases a year or more, goes into researching a magickal acquisition, whether spell-cast or entity, and passes through the hands of several of our members, and sometimes testers, before it is considered for sale.

How many paranormal investigations do we do?

From 2005 to 2010, we’ve conducted 9 paranormal investigations.

Did we acquire any “haunted” artifacts during those investigations?

No, we did not.

The likelihood of an actual haunting being the result of a possessed and/or haunted artifact is extremely slim. 99.999% of all hauntings are the direct result of human spirits, not entities nor constructs.

What is the difference between “summoning” and “conjuring?”

The definition of these terms usually depend upon the practitioner and the type of magickal tradition that they follow.

By our standards, “Summoning” is the act of calling forth spirits/entities that are already residing upon our earth-bound plane. Meaning, that they are already in our realm.

“Conjuration,” whether simple or extremely difficult, is the act of calling forth entities from other planes of existence.

Why don’t you “custom conjure” entities for your clients?

Because its dangerous! There is no way, a practitioner with any kind of morals would simply conjure a spirit/entity and then pass it into the hands of an inexperienced individual. Even the most skilled practitioners are fooled from time to time and we would much rather it be us, than you!

Because of our status within the magical community, we are able to acquire just about anything you could ask for from one of our own trusted suppliers.

We choose to work with our entities and truly get to know them before we pass them on to the public. This is for our own morality and peace of mind, as well as your safety.

Can I become a consigner of magickals for SE?

At this time, we are not accepting consigners due to time constraints. We really do have our hands full with all of the things we’ve got going on now.

The guidelines we have set forth to become a consigner is a 6 month process. Over the course of 6 months, we evaluate, document, and study the magickals brought in by a potential consigner. Each magickal is evaluated by our members separately and then those evaluations are then compared to each other. Our evaluations are based on consistency of energy, focus of energy, level of energy, knowledge of the craft, knowledge of the magickal itself, and the results provided by the said magickals during the evaluation process.

This includes amulets as well as entities. Each evaluated item must meet the standards of our guidelines 20 out of 20 times.

For example: If you, as a potential cosigner bring us a dozen items and only 8 of those 12 items are as accurate as you claim they are, your consigner membership is denied and you can not submit for reevaluation for 16 months.

If accepted into the consigner program, each item consigned is also evaluated by one or more of our experienced energy readers. Not all consigned magickals are accepted.

Do we hold witch / magic classes?

Although teaching is definitely a dream of mine, I don’t know where any of us would find the time. We try hard to add new information to SE as often as we can in order to share our knowledge and for now, that’s about all we can do. Maybe someday…

Do we take on apprentices?

We do, and we don’t.

Currently, membership to SE is generational. Here, we are all either related by blood, or bonded by ancestry. Ancestry meaning that our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc worked and/or practiced together.

This is a guideline set forth by our 1st generation members and one that has been followed throughout the years. We are now in the 3rd and 4th generation of members!

For now, our apprenticeship program is strictly generational.

What does SE think of paranormal ebay?

I feel that ebay is a cesspool of con artists and theives.

That is not to say that there arent some great sellers on ebay, because there are!

The sad thing about ebay is that for every good, honest, hard working metaphysical dealer, there are are least 10 con artists out there making a living off of lies.

Its amazing as, even sellers with years of seemingly reputable feedback, can be dishonest.

~There are those that buy genuine energy-filled artifacts from legit dealers and then try to pass them off as their own.

~There are those that steal the information of others for their own profit simply because they are too lazy to type up their own information or because they have no clue what they're talking about, period.

~There are those sellers that claim to shop every haunted/witch estate within in the US in order to bring you, their clients, the most powerful magickals. Trust me, witches arent out there selling their wares at rummage and estate sales.

~There are sellers that claim to have inherrited a trunk full of magickals from their great grandmothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, mother. The trunk, however, is never-ending. Years later these same sellers are dealing supposedly magickal items from the same trunk.

~There are those sellers that buy jewelry and other things under one id and then a week later pass them off under another username with some concocted story on how they, themselves cast them a year ago at stonehenge. (or some other sacred location)

~There are those sellers that supposedly hold hundreds of magickal artifacts from the Templars, Masons, and other magickal groups.

~There are those sellers that claim to have bought and/or inherrited a house full of magickal hidden rooms. And low and behold, everything in these ficticious rooms is haunted! Seriously, how many hidden rooms do you think one delapted old house can have??

~There are those sellers that steal photos off of the internet and then claim them as their own. (This one really bothers me because, with just a little bit of research, one can easily discover that the photos belong to someone else.)

~ There are those that sell completely empty and un-energized things and claim them as magickals.

~There are those sellers that claim to have "Invented" every type of magickal out there even though those types of magickals have been around for centuries!

These examples are just a few of the stories created by ebayers to pass off their wares as magickals.

For those sellers that create these wonderfully, inviting, completely bullshit stories, I actually applaude you. What creative, diligent individuals you are. Though you all make my job (sharing TRUTH) that much harder, you also provide me with the means of gaining true friendship. Because when one of your clients, beat down and discouraged, comes to SE and discovers real magick, their lives are truly, forever changed.

I come from a long line of practitioners...

and do you know how many hidden rooms we've had in our family? One! One hoodoo room under the stairs, which was never really hidden, but merely locked. And technically, it didnt even belong to anyone in the family, but rather a housekeeper who, with permission, practiced her tradition in my great-grandmothers home.

Do you know how many times myself or one of our many SE members have cast magickals at Stonehenge or some other sacred location? Never! Most of these places are off limits to the public except for tours. And honestly, do you think during a tour, some witchy woman is going to pull out her bag of ritual supplies and throw on her cloak to cast a few hours worth of spells?

How many hidden caves of djinn have we discovered while walking along the beaches of some remote location? None!

How many magickals from the Templars do we have in our collection? Me, personally, NONE! My father, who has been a collector for over 50 years has ONE.

Does creating an obviously ficticious and elaborate story necessairly mean that the metaphysical artifacts these sellers make available are fake? No, not at all.

But these stories are made up. They arent the true history of an item. They're simply a marketing tactic to generate sales.

I dont get it! What is wrong with telling the truth?

What exactly is wrong with saying, "I bought this piece of jewelry on ebay a month ago and over the course of a week, I, MYSELF, cast magick on it."

Whats wrong with saying, "I, MYSELF, conjured this entity."

What makes a magickal special is the heart and energy that someone, the practitioner, puts into it. Its not the story behind it.

Of course, we all like history and the thought of something we now own coming from a long line of magickal lineage.

But the truth is, there are very few of these magickals out there. The story behind some of these things, is simply that, A STORY. A made up fairy tale meant to draw you in.

And honest to Pete, if you think that some ebay seller inherrited a box full of magickals from the templars, and is now selling them on ebay with a starting bid of $9.99, you're just as nuts as the seller sitting behind their computer screen making up this nonsense.

And Ill be damned, if I have some 200 year old amulet that has been secretly creating billionaires for the last 100 or so years, Im not going to sell it to you. Not for $100. Not for a $1000. Not for any money in the world.

Do magickals like these even exist? Of course they do. And is there a possibility that you can acquire one? Absolutely. Ive passed on magickals that have been in my family for many years, even though I never thought I would. But let me tell you, its RARE. Ive only passed on heirlooms a few times in all the years Ive been dealing.

I absolutely do not have a stockpile of them. And after all, I have a family. Many of my inherrited things will be passed on to my children, not put up for auction.

Its truly disheartening when you're faced with this kind of stuff everyday. Do I want to bash ebay sellers? No. Of course Not. I have respect for all moral dealers within the metaphysical trade, whether their venue is ebay, a website, or in person. It takes heart to do what we do. But dang it, when a person (or group) spends a lifetime building a reputation, working hard, and doing what is right, and then some fly-by-night ebayer comes along steals what they've worked so hard to accomplish, its a hard pill to swallow.

My last thought of the day...Use logic and tap into your own intuition. If it seems outlandish, it probably is. Ask questions. Any true metaphysical dealer will have a plethora of details on the items they are offering. Everything from where they got the vessel to personal accounts and actual history.

Dont be afraid that you're going to "piss off a witch." Witches are people too and any true witch / practitioner is not afraid of a few questions;)

A Happier Home?

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:37:00 +0000

I have to admit, there was a time that I was a bit jealous of my neighbor across the street.

Ill call her “Sharon”

Sharon and her husband of 15 years have one child. A boy who is 10, and the same age as my second oldest child. He was a miracle baby as the doctors said that they would never have children of their own. 5 years of fertility treatments finally gifted them with their baby boy.

Our sons play together quite a bit so she and I always have lots to talk about.

She is one of the lucky ones, as my grandmother would say. She hasn’t worked a day since their child was born. She spends all day, every day, at home, primping their home and being the perfect mother.

Everyday, Sharon meets me at the mailbox to tell me all about her day. Her days consist of cleaning and other housework…she cleans one entire room of the house, from top to bottom, every day except Sunday.

Ive been to their home. Its beautiful. Everything is in its place. Ive never seen a dirty dish in their sink or a dirty footprint on their floor. No handprints on the windows or appliances. No dirty laundry stacked up in their laundry room (which is almost as big as a bedroom!).

They also have beautiful things in their home. None of their furniture is scratched or dented. No pen marks on the walls. No spots on their immaculate light gray carpet.

Her words of wisdom to me, mother of 4, is “A Clean Home Is A Happy Home!”

It got me to thinking…is a cleaner home happier??

She has one child and all day, every day to keep up with her house. Me...I dont. With 4 children, a full time career, all of the after school activities, and life in general. I just dont have the time. My house is never entirely clean.

Our sink is always at least half full. The hampers, most times are overflowing. I cant remember the last time I pulled my appliances out to clean under them. Our patio doors are full of finger prints, “blow face” marks, and even smudges of mud at the bottom.

At one point, this all really started to bother me. I got upset with my husband because he wasn’t devoting enough time to helping me keep the house clean. I was angry with the kids that their rooms were always a mess.

And then, I realized something. I didn’t like who I was during these angry moments. I didn’t like hounding my husband and the children over something that seemed so trivial. So I sat down and took a good look at myself and at my life.

I came to the conclusion….my house will never be clean.

As soon as I pick up all of the toys, the kids will only drag them out again. Each time I get caught up on the laundry, Ill realize that, between all of us, we are wearing 2 loads that very day. Every time I get the table cleared of clutter, the kids will bring home a backpack full of papers.

But, you know what?? I don’t care. My house is a happy house. It might be full of clutter, but its also full of love!!

And some of the “things” in my home that some may consider unsightly hold fond memories for me in some way or another. Or, at the very least, they are a reminder of how many blessings I have in my life.

The “mr potato head” drawn on the living room wall behind the recliner (in permanent marker) was one of my youngest sons first drawings of a person with actual arms and legs. I even took pictures of it so, when we do decide to paint over it, that memory will be there for him in his scrapbook.

The baby pink spot on my light blue carpet is a constant reminder of how lucky I am. One afternoon, my 5 year old came running around the corner and smacked right into the 4 year old who was holding a cup of juice. But it could have been worse… they could have knocked a tooth out, needed stitches, or heaven forbid…something worse. Ill take a stain on the carpet anyday over having my children hurt or in pain.

Upstairs in the hallway, there is a fairly large burn in the carpet from an iron falling off the ironing board. Id rather have the burn in the carpet over losing my entire home to a fire.

Its important to remember…

There will always be dishes to do, laundry to fold, and floors to clean.

Housework will always be there.

Today wont. Your kids wont.

Maybe you can do it better than I can. Perhaps your dishes are done and your laundry is folded and put away. My hat is off to those of you who can keep up.

As for me…my house isn’t clean, but we’re all happy anyway :)

13 Goals of a Witch

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:09:00 +0000

1. Know thyself - Figure out who you are. Not only must you figure out what path you want to follow, but one must also figure out who they are, as a person. Know your own likes, dislikes, tollerance levels, achievements, and even your flaws. Be proud of yourself. Accept yourself for who you are and what you will become. Never, ever, put yourself down. Create goals for yourself and strive to meet them...always be moving forward, never backward.

2. Know the craft - Once you figure out what tradition of the craft appeals to you, learn everything you can about it. Read books, look things up on the internet, talk to others, join groups, whether online or in your home town.

3. Learn - Never stop learning. No one individual knows everything there is to know. Knowledge is power.

4. Apply knowledge with wisdom - Take what you learn and use it wisely. And above all else, use common sense.

5. Achieve balance - Balance makes for success. Learn to balance yourself on every level: emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

6.Keep thy words in order - Say what you mean, and mean what you say in both the physical and spiritual aspects. Practice what you preach.

7.Keep thy thoughts in good order - Positive thinking makes for a positive outcome.

8.Celebrate life - Life is short and truly, it is what you make it. Dont sweat the small stuff and take time to smell the roses. Life life with no regrets.

9.Attune with the cycles of the Earth - Becoming in tune with Mother Nature, as well as her elements, makes for a powerful witch. Know the sources of the elements. Gather and utilize their energy, not only in magick, but in day to day life.

10.Breathe and eat correctly

11.Exercise the body

12. Meditate

(10,11,12) - You only have one YOU; mind, body, and soul. Take care of yourself as a whole. One cannot function properly, if a part of us is sick, whether it be a physical, mental, or spiritual illness. Be well, and be healthy.

13.Honor thyself and thy craft - If you're going to be a witch, BE ONE. Don't be afraid to help others. Teach what you know, even if you dont know everything. Pass on your knowledge so that others may also learn. Be good to you & be yourself, as there is no one else in the world like you!

Regardless of the path you take, be true to it, and be true to yourself. Dont do anything on behalf of another, that you, yourself, wouldnt do for you. If it feels wrong, dont do it. Trust in your intuition. Trust in yourself and in your power as a witch. It doesnt matter if you're a "newbie" or an "old timer." We all have power within us...it just takes time to learn exactly what that power is and how to use it. Be patient, yet, be diligent. Never give up on you.

Mother Moon - The Human

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:57:00 +0000

Heading up customer service for SE provides me with insight into all of our client's personal lives.

Its a wonderful thing sometimes as you really get to know people for who they are, the accomplishments they've made, and the obstacles that they've overcome.

I feel as though I've gained an entirely new family here at SE. Every single one of our clients has touched my heart in one way or another. I'm very thankful for that.

I hear extraordinary stories of births, reunions, wedding days, love, progress, and success. These stories absolutely warm my heart and these kinds of stories are the stories that keep me going on the days that Im feeling overwhelmed and second guessing myself, not only as a practitioner, but as a person.

But in the same sense, walking in Mother Moon's shoes can be a very depressing thing. Day in and day out, I hear stories of hardships, illness, loss, grief, and everything in between. Over the years, its definitely taken a toll on me.

Its gotten to the point where I've actually had to seperate Mother Moon from myself. At home, Im me. Mother Moon's shoes and cloak are removed at the door and placed within the closet (picture Mr. Rogers taking off his sweater). It took me a very long time to be able to accomplish this feat as Mother Moon is also ME. MM has been a big part of who I am and who Ive become for as long as I can remember.

5 years ago, I was to the point where the lives of our clients overtook my own. I couldnt seperate my home life from SE. I worried constantly about what our clients would do if I wasnt there, sitting at the computer, every second of every day to hear their worries and give advice. I felt like I was a knight in shinning armor or a savior of sorts and that without my gospel, people just wouldnt be able to go on with their lives.

Its silly, I know. My thought process wasnt based on any one case, but rather hundreds and hundreds of clients and cases, all with their own needs.

I wasnt sleeping, I wasnt eating, my hair was thinning out. I was seeing doctors for nutritional supplements as my stress had gotten so bad that the food I was trying to consume, just wouldn't stay down. At my worst, I weighed less than 85 pounds!

I was literally sick from all of the stress.

But eventually, it was actually a client that helped me start a new beginning of sorts. It was a case where we had been working with this particular client for months. Each day, she told me that she didnt feel like she could face the day without communications from me. One day, though, I confessed to her that I was worried about her well being but that I really needed some time away from the office. So I asked her if she would be OK if I took the weekend off to spend some time with my family. I told her that if she didnt think she would be, then I'd figure something out where my family and I could take a day trip, but then I could be home for her during the evening hours.

She then admitted to me that she was shocked and completely disappointed in herself. She told me that she had gotten so wrapped up in her own situation that she forgot that I was actually a person, outside of SE, with a life. She admitted that she never thought about other clients or me at all. To her, I was a life line and, just as I had grown accustomed to her needing me every day, she had grown accustomed to me being there for her.

She convinced me that she would be fine during my days off and that I deserved to have time away just like any other working citizen.

She and I promised each other that, she would work on being less needy just as I would work on being less "dedicated." lol.

With her help, I was able to start the process of seperating SE from ME.

My point to this blog was simply to let you all know that even though I am not always able to get to your emails in a timely mannor, that doesnt mean Im not thinking of you and wishing you the best.

I work very hard at customer service. Most evenings, I will even answer emails from home after my children are in bed. But even so, 8 or 9 hours of near-constant work, cannot keep up with the mass amout of emails that come in each day. On a good productive day, without too many interruptions, I can get through 60 to 70 emails. The amount of emails that we actually receive each day is 4 to 5 times more than I can answer.

Though Raven does her best to help with customer service from time to time, processing orders, packaging, labling, and shipping is also a full days work.

We've tried adding people to the customer service "department" perse, in the past, and it turned out that most clients just didnt like it. They didnt want to talk to "some other person," they wanted MM. So, here I am. I am human. And Im doing my best.

Thanks to all of you who understand that I have a life outside of SE. Without you all, I dont know what I'd do. I love you all!!

Trying Something New...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:37:00 +0000

I've decided to try something new. I just hope that I can keep up with it;)

Last year, I got the idea to start a more personal type blog, but up until this point, I just have not had the time to sit down and do it! SE keeps me busier than I ever could have thought possible. Add the responsibilities of SE to being a wife & mother of 4, and well, my life is pretty darn full.

One never knows what will come out of my mouth...or rather, my fingertips. But mostly what I hope to gain by having this blog is a sense of self.

Id like you all to know more about me, as a person, not just who I am as "Mother Moon."

Sometimes I start to feel like Im merely the woman behind the computer screen as customer service takes up the majority of my days. And not that I mind. Thats not it at all. I love doing customer service, which is why, when the elders of Spirited Enterprise approached me 12 years ago about coming on board full time (back then, I was a full time coven member, but only a part time supplier of magickals and entities), I jumped at the chance at becoming one of the foremost online magickal entrepreneurs.

So...here I am. I have a feeling that Im going to enjoy this...and I hope you all do too!