Be Aware of a Duplicate Account

It has been brought to my attention that there is another Facebook account entitled TEMPLE OF THE DARK MOON that links to this web page. 

Despite duplicating a number of my photographs taken of Temple events, this other Facebook account has a male image as the cover image as well as a number of posts with Arabic looking writing on it.

It is not clear whether this account is a genuine duplicate of name or an attempt to tap into the Temple's identity due to the duplication of photos as well as it linking to this blog account.

Please note that this secondary account is NOT the authentic account for the Temple of the Dark Moon, based in Adelaide, South Australia, established c.1997.

This blog page is NOT IN OPERATION.  The Temple of the Dark Moon's web page can be found here.

Revamped Web Site Up and Running

It has been a long time coming but finally time has been found to revamp the Temple of the Dark Moon's web site.

While there are still a few formatting as well as other minor glitches to iron out over the coming weeks, overall, however, the end result is workable and, I hope, easy to follow.

The revamped web site can be found here.

With the web site now operational, it would be recommended that anyone wishing to receive updates on events and/or my blog posts, to subscribe to the blog on the web page as activity on this blog will no doubt lessen.

Blessings, Frances

Lughnasadh - the Wake of the Lord of the Grain

Lughnasadh / Lammas / Harvest

As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, those of us residing south of the equator find ourselves at the gateway to the Autumn months and the darker months of the year.  Ironically, however, this gateway tends to herald in the hottest weather as if the sun is determined to cleanse and purify the southern lands through the element of fire before its departure is well and truly noticed.

 

Traditionally the Sabbat celebrated is that of the first harvest, Lughnasadh (from the Irish Gaelic Lúnasa) or Lammas (from the Anglo-Saxon hlaf-mas, "loaf-mass") and when "the feast of the first fruits" was observed.  In the agricultural year, Lughnasadh or Lammas also marked the end of the hay making season that had commenced as early as mid Summer.

The Power of Language

At this time of the year, I find it interesting how many people who confess that they are Pagans throughout the year start becoming "Christianised" and celebrate Christmas.  The reasoning behind this personally escapes me as being a Pagan, the only festival I acknowledge is the upcoming Solstice, and being in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the Summer Solstice, unlike my northern counterparts who will soon be celebrating the Winter Solstice, or Yule.

Connection with the Divine

Performing a Hindu puja ritual is a wonderful way to experience

direct communication with the divine.

Forging a spiritual connection with the divine is the ultimate goal of many forms of worship. In our devotions, we transcend the limitations of our humanity using prayers, rituals, and invocations, or we seek the celestial in sacred items such as statuary, imagery, or natural objects. In the Hindu tradition, worshipers bond with the divine through the puja ritual. The purpose of the ritual is to create an atmosphere in which humans and spiritual beings can enjoy communion with one another.

Though participants show reverence for their chosen deities, puja serves to bring the former and the latter together on an energetic level. Performing a puja ritual is thus a wonderful way to experience direct communication with the divine.

Perceiving the Infinite - Using Your Psychic Gifts

People often have difficulty accepting tha

they have been blessed with psychic abilities.

Psychic experiences are a natural part of our everyday lives. People often have difficulty accepting that they have been blessed with psychic abilities because without a frame of reference it is almost impossible to identify an extrasensory experience and to distinguish psychic sights, sounds, and sensations from the projects of the unconscious mind. To some extent, every human being on the planet is clairvoyant, clairaudient, and clairsentient, although most people discover that they are naturally adept at one more than the others.

The Ripple Effect of a Virtuous Cycle

Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread as they move outward.

In a world of six billion people, it is easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward.

Remembrance Day

At 5.00 am on 11 November 1918, three German Government representatives accepted the Armistice terms presented to them by an allied commander, General Foch of the French Army. The demands of the Armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days; immediate cessation of warfare; and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty.

The armistice became effective at 11:00 am the same day, and as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended.

Remembrance Day is observed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. To acknowledge this important anniversary an one minute's silence is held to remember the sacrifice made by all involved, the armed forces as well as civilians in time of war.

An Unwavering Connection to the Infinite

Your worth is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks

or how much you have accomplished.

Though much of who and what we are changes as we journey through life, our inherent worth remains constant. While the term self-worth is often used interchangeably with self-esteem, the two qualities are inherently different. Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself at a given moment in time. Your worth, however, is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks, your good works, or how much you have accomplished. Rather it is immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief.

Conscious Decisions - Going Against What Is Popular

Because an idea or way of doing things is popular

does not mean it is right for everyone.

Just because an idea or way of doing things is popular does not mean it is right for everyone. However, part of the way that something becomes popular is that many of us do not take the time to determine what’s right for us; we simply do what most of the people we know are doing. In this way, our decisions about life are made by default, which means they are not what we call conscious decisions. There may be many other options available, but we do not always take the time to explore them.

This may be the result of feeling overwhelmed or pressured by family, peers, and humanity at large, to do things their way, the way things have always been done.

Regardless of the cause, it is important that, as often as we can, we decide for ourselves what to do with our lives rather than just drift along on the current of popular opinion.

Waves of Healing - Ocean Meditation

There is much we can learn from the ocean

as we have a similar inner landscape within us as well.

Delaware Beach, South Australia

Like us, the sea is ever-changing. And, like us, the earth’s vast oceans appear at a distance to be stable and homogenous. But beneath the mask of solidity that both we and the sea wear, there lies unpredictability, sensitivity, and power. There is much we can learn from the ocean, representative as it is of our inner landscapes.

The rough sounds of the sea’s waves are spiritually soothing, and its salt can purify our physical selves. Yet not everyone has the luxury of living by the shore or even visiting the coastlines where water and land meet. The ocean, however, exists in our conscious minds, put there by images we have seen and descriptions we have read. Wherever we are, we can access that mental image and use it as the starting point from which we can help to heal our emotions by meditating on the sea.

Keeping our Minds Supple - Questioning Everything

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything,

including those things we take for granted.

A lot of people feel threatened if they feel they are being asked to question their cherished beliefs or their perception of reality. Yet questioning is what keeps our minds supple and strong. Simply settling on one way of seeing things and refusing to be open to other possibilities makes the mind rigid and generally creates a restrictive and uncomfortable atmosphere. We all know someone who refuses to budge on one or more issues, and we may have our own sacred cows that could use a little prodding.

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything, including those things we take for granted.

Understanding the Concept of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

One of the central phrases used within Wicca is the axiom of "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust".  The origins of this phase is believed to have come from the Rede of the Wiccae allegedly penned by Lady Gwen Thomson and published in 1975.  In the poem, we find the lines:

"Bide the Wiccan Laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust ..."

The Mystical Phoenix

I thought I would share an article that I wrote for Insight magazine back in October 2005 about  the phoenix ...

"Like a phoenix from the flame, I will rise again …" so yelled Irish songstress Sinead O'Connor in the song "Troy" from her first album "The Lion and the Cobra".

The phoenix, a mystical bird most commonly believed to be of Arabic descent, is often described as being the size of an eagle, with a brilliant scarlet and golden plumage.  A popular medieval legend, which has been passed down to us today, states that after living for several centuries, the phoenix builds its own funeral pyre, and throws itself upon the flames to be burnt up.  Then, after a number of days, the phoenix emerges from the ashes (or flames, depending on the source of the legend).

Affirming an Abundant Future

Squirrel medicine reminds us to set aside a portion of our most precious resources

as an investment in the future.

Native Americans considered all living beings as brothers and sisters that had much to teach including squirrels. These small creatures taught them to work in harmony with the cycles of nature by conserving for the winter months during times when food was plentiful.

Prayer of Awaking

Feeling a bit stressed out? Something just isn't quite right but you can't seem to put your finger on it? Well, Imbolc has passed and we are now moving towards the Spring Equinox.  As we do so, the energies shift around again, it is little wonder that things are feel out of sorts.

As I am finding myself waking earlier (along with the sun and the birds nesting outside my bedroom window), in the early mornings hours while the world still seems very much asleep, I like to spend this time atuning with Deity.

In Line with Spirit - Staying on Track

In a world where we have routines to get everything done,

we rarely have a routine for our spiritual self.

In a world where we have routines for nearly everything - our route to work, our physical fitness regimen, and our weekday schedule - it’s amazing how many people forget to create a routine for meeting their spiritual needs. We run around in an attempt to be at our many appointments on time and meet our many obligations. In our efforts to be as productive as possible, however, our spiritual needs tend to take a backseat. After all, taking care of our spiritual needs doesn’t directly pay the bills or tone our abdominal muscles.

Nine Ways to Help Awaken Consciousness

By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see a living example of consciousness.

1. Living by your values allows you to become a positive source of inspiration for others. Don’t hide – express yourself and embrace life without reservation. By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see how one person can make a difference by being a living example of consciousness.

Making Sense of it all with "Covensense"

It is always a joy to be reading a book that is funny, yet informative, not to mention insightful - and my current reading material, that being "Covensense" by Patricia Crowther (Robert Hale, 2009) is proving to be just that.

Crowther, for those not aware of who she is, was initiated into Wicca in 1960 by Gerald Gardner. Along with the likes of Doreen Valiente, Lois Bourne, and Eleanor Bone, Crowther is often consider to be one of the "early mothers" of Wicca.

Together with her late husband Arnold (who died in 1974), Crowther established what came to be known as the Sheffield Coven in 1961.

The author of many books (including two that have found their way into the Temple's own library "Lid of the Cauldron" and "The Zodiac Experience", this latest book is written along the lines of questions and answers - allowing Crowther's extensive knowledge and personal experience about the Craft to come through.

Things we cannot Control

We develop grace as we learn with the guiding hand of the Universe,

life will unfold exactly the way it should.

      
The idea of trusting the Universe is a popular one these days, but many of us do not know what this really means and we often have a hard time doing it. This is partly because the story of humankind is most often presented as a story about struggle, control, and survival, instead of one of trust and collaboration with the Universe.

Yet, in truth, we need to adhere to both ideas in this life.