Impressions

It's been a great couple of days. Samhain was great. I was glad that I was able to celebrate with friends. Everyday for a while now, its kind of been on my mind the whole "coming out of the broom closet". I know I mention this a lot, but its constantly being swirled around in my head. I mean I'll have days where I want to just walk out and announce it to the world and other times the cons outweigh the pros and I keep silent. I recently had a situation present itself that stirred this thought in my head once again. I went to talk to my chef instructor about my internship and we were discussing the interview and whatnot. He was talking about presenting myself in a clean way and made a few remarks that sort of took me a bit by surprise. For one, I was wearing my I love boobies rubber bracelet and he told me I should probably remove that and keep it off just in case they get the wrong impression. Well, let me tell you this, if there was any "wrong impression" it would be on my end. The bracelet is more than just a funny/dirty phrase, I wear it in support of breast cancer research. So to anyone who would think I'm some little pervert, they can shove it! Second, he mentioned my pentacle that I proudly wear out. He again said I should probably tuck it in behind my shirt. At this point, both sides of this argument were going on in my head. The one side was arguing my personal morals and reasoning behind the jewerly while the other was arguing political correctness and looking professional to a potential employer. You can only imagine the confusion in my head as I basically argue with myself. I mean both have valid points. One, the necklace is a symbol of my religious practice. If it was a cross or a star of david, no one would bother to question it, but thanks to popular misconceptions, my pentacle and religion are public enemy number one. Second, that would be a violation of my constitutional right to be able to practice my religion openly(in a sense). Third, it would also be religious discrimination if they chose not to hire me because of it. On the other side, he is also correct. Humans are judgmental beings. We constantly do it. Even though the employer has to be unbiased, its human nature, he or she will do it anyway and that will affect their final thoughts. Second, in an interview, you do want to be seen as unique, but some unique traits should not be disclosed. Third, this is basically about political correctness. Society has created this mold for what is acceptable and what is not. The food industry is about pleasing others not so much about expressing yourself. Alright enough about that for tonight...hopefully.

The begining...

After high school, I feel like life completely changed. I mean, things suddenly were going to be different from now on. For one thing, I was out of school, if I wanted to I could have just stayed at home and slept in for a few years. Obviously I didn't. I realized early that I need to learn to basically fend for my self. Other than my parents there really isn't anyone else to be bugging me to do something with my life. So I made a promise to myself that I would try and rely on my parents as little as possible. First, I knew I wanted to go to culinary school, but I didn't have the money just yet so getting a job was first priority. Also, this meant I could pay for things and make purchases. After about six months of hard work, I had put away a good lump of money in the bank. Since culinary school was a bit out of my reach at the moment, I enrolled at GCC just to get the ball rolling. I paid for it myself. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of money, but I had been doing a good deal of purchasing stuff and spending time with my sister who I had kind of ignored for awhile.
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Part 2
They say with age comes wisdom. I thinkthat all depends on what you do within that time period. I mean to say that knowledge and wisdom don't just come to you. You have to get out there and learn and experience. I spent a good portion of my life closed and not really experiencing much of life. After a few years, it got to the point where I became depressed. There would be days where I would literally feel sad and just want to cry. After that period in my life, I came across some things in my life that sort of reopened my eyes. I got to reading a few books some were cultural anthropologies and some were about religion. They really spoke to me and showed me a new path that I could follow and be happy. There were two big influences in my life; one was His Holiness the Dalai Lama(and no I'm not Buddhist) and the other was Wicca. Both of those two things taught me a lot about life and about being happy and making the world a better place.

Blesed be

Back again

Today is Sunday. My parents made it back Friday afternoon. I was the lucky individual to pick them up. The drive to LAX wasn't too bad. I made it there in like 40 minutes. The waiting killed me. I was sitting there from 12 'til 2:30 ish when they finally made it out of the plane.
I honestly couldn't wait for them to get back. One more day with my sister and grandma and I would have exploded. Granted I love them, but too much of one thing never good. The only thing that gave me peace was my practice. I finally had 3 weeks to not have to worry about leaving my altar out, lighting incense and depressing my mom, or candles being knocked over. It gave me a chance to be at one with the universe and really connect spiritually.
Now that they are back, I have to resort to having my mini altar set up. I recently purchased a medium sized book shaped box that I decided I would use to keep my mini altar. It's very simple and fairly inconspicuous. I have two glass bottles one filled with sea salt the other with Rosemary altar oil, a citrine stone to represent the god, a aquamarine stone to represent the goddess, 4 colored marbles to represent the elements, some tea light candles, a small red altar cloth with a pentacle on it, a small notebook and pen and a small box of matches. I definitely feel content with it. I mean all I really would need is a candle and some oil and leave the rest to my visualization, but this mini altar is perfect. It would certainly make it easier when I wish to go out and into nature. I carry carry my box instead of my backpack with my altar supplies in it. D

[Hovik]

Current Events

I love rain. I love listening to the sound of the rain drops hitting my window. I love the cool air that fills me up. The occasional burst of thunder excites my soul. Sitting at my desk with my altar set up and lit. Just taking it all in. My parents are due back on Thursday. My internship is waiting on an interview to get the ball rolling. That's all for current events. On to more...
I got some Samhain cards from the exchange I did with a few people. Looking forward to doing that again. Had a fairly simple dinner; just some elbow macaroni with garlic-parmesan alfredo sauce(unfortunately from a jar) and a panzanella salad on the side all topped with a glass of "wine"(alcohol-free). I don't feel like doing much the next couple days. I'm just waiting on the folks to come home and have life come back to normalcy. This time of year is meant for quiet contemplation. Just looking at the new year coming up and sorting out all that has happened so far. I'm ending this short because my altar is literally calling to me. I need to sit and take in the season.

The spirits

I hear the call. They provide me with comfort; a sense of peace and oneness with the universe. I see the light of the moon goddess as she fills the night sky with her glow. I can hear her comforting whispers in the air as it passes through the leaves.
"Eternal mother and moon goddess of the sky, I hear your call and feel your presence. Your glow fills me up and protects me from the dark." I honor you and thank you for your blessings.
The morning rays awaken my soul. The darkness has past and now there is light. The sun is joy and warmth shining in the clear blue sky. "Eternal father and lord of sun, I hear your call and feel your presence. You solar rays fills my soul and light my path into the world. I honor you and thank you for your blessings.
Seek the wisdom that which is hidden in nature. Speak the the god and goddess and they will answer your call.

[Hovik]

Connections

I am currently out of camera. My parents have borrowed it for their vacation. You'd think that in light of that, I'd update this bloody blog more often. Unfortunately, I've been really busy with work and keeping stuff at home organized. Anyways.... Samhain is coming up in about 2 weeks. As most of you guys know, I've planned an open ritual/celebration for it. I'm super excited about it. I really want to be able to share my spirituality with those who are close to me. Also, I'm using it as an excuse to get everyone together seeing as how we haven't seen much of each other lately. I need face time! lol
Another reason for this open ritual, is because I really want to educate those who lack the knowledge about the Wiccan path. Because of Hollywood and some right-wing religious extremists, Wicca and witches have a negative connotation. Now, I could totally go off on that tangent, but I think I'll save that for another time. I wish to spread the love and light.

Blessings to all!
I hope to see you on Halloween! =-)

Young teens misconceptions on magic/Wicca

I was sitting at my computer today when my sister walked in and told me about something a friend of her's saw. Some girl had taken a Harry potter book and scratched out the title and wrote spell book on it instead. As my sister told me this she looked at me and laughed. She knows I'm a witch so she told me this and was expecting me to laugh with her. I did at first find it a little funny, but then I realized that it's actions like that that give people the wrong idea about something and then they become disappointed later when they discover the truth. Granted, my first exposure to magic and witchcraft wasn't exactly the best. I mean I picked it up from movies like Harry potter. I guess though it was a little different for me. I knew that real magic wasn't like in the movies. I knew there had to be something more. It was then that I began to do research and learn what witchcraft and Wicca were all about. I can only hope that teens and those thinking about witchcraft chose their resources wisely and question everything they read, hear or see. That is what I believe will be the only way that one can truly find knowledge.