The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at
the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his youngexecutives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!" When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. "How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. Think about this for a minute....
If I happened to show up on your door step crying, would you care?

If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something happened, would you come?
If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of that last day?

If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?

This is a test to see who your real friends are or if you are just someone to talk to you when they are bored.

Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?  They blink together, they move together,
they cry together, they see things together, and they sleep together, but they never see each other;
....that's what friendship is.. Your aspiration is your motivation, your motivation is your belief, your belief is your peace, your peace is your target, your target is heaven, and life is like hard core torture without it!

Brightest blessings to all.

Amulets & Talismans.

Many times, I am questioned about this subject. (One that is very dear to my heart). So let me go ahead and answer a few of the questions.

All throughout history, on every continent and in almost every culture, it has been held in high regards that amulets have offered protection against negative forces. In addition to providing a physical enhancement, magical jewelry helps us to heighten our focus, encourage healing, and amplify and focus spells and personal energy. The dictionary defines an amulet as "an object that protects a person from trouble."
Amulets were originally objects worn or adorned about the neck or other parts of the body to prevent or cure diseases and they were believed to be either naturally imbued with powers or they were given powers by spiritual leaders. Closely related to the amulet is the talisman which is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.

Egyptians believed that amulets had powers not only during life, but also in the afterlife. The Egyptians used frog symbols for fertility; ankhs to symbolize everlasting life, and the scarab was used for resurrection and protection against evil magic. One of the best known amulets of ancient Egypt is the Eye of Horus. Horus was an Egyptian deity who wore the head of a falcon, and was god of the Sky, god of War and god of Protection. The amulet consisted of an image of an eye and eyebrow, along with a stylized beard, the symbol of divine kingship.

In Asia, figures of elephants such as the God Ganesh are said to attract good luck and money. For the ancient Norse people, the runes, and symbols such as Thor's Hammer provided protection. The Celtic people, believed the clover, if it had four leaves, would bring good luck. The ancient Celts also used complicated Celtic Knots, the Triquetra, the Tree of Life, and many other symbols which have migrated their way into both modern Christian and Pagan religions.

In ancient African culture, the carrying of an animal's foot, or other parts of a swift creature, was supposed to help a person escape or flee with the speed of the animal. This lucky rabbits foot charm was handed down and assimilated into modern western culture by the enslaved Africans who were brought to the New World. African culture also provided many of the animal totems still used today.

Amulets also permeated almost every aspect of the Native American culture. Any small object could function as an amulet, but they all symbolized the power of a certain spirit. Amulets were given especially to children because they were considered to be the most vulnerable to the bad/negative forces of the universe. An amulet might relate to a specific god - placing the wearer under the protection of that god - or to an animal, in which case a special quality of the animal would become helpful to the wearer. Native American's would use every part of an animal-fur, teeth, claws. They also ate every part believing the heart and certain organs were extremely powerful.

Modern day pagans and Wiccans also wear amulets as protection against evil. Magical jewelry takes its power from several directions...first, the symbolism and materials used in the piece, and the spell or prayer infused into it. While "pre-spelled" jewelry can be highly effective, I hightly recommend that you personally charge your amulets or talismans yourself as an addition to the charging they may have received by the creators. It adds quite the extra punch when you add your own personal energy to your talisman. And besides you never know how many have handled it and put their own vibrations into it. Example, who packages the piece, the mail sorter, the mail carrier....someone may be having a not so good day so the piece can put up those vibrations. Also, keep in mind the metals that the piece is detailed into. Silver, gold, pewter, brass, steel.....these all have vibrations of their own and magical purposes and powers.

Some people have symbols that are considered sacred to them and they have them tattoo'd on their body. One of my favorite sayings is: The body is our temple, it's up to us to wallpaper it.

Brightest blessings to all and I hope this helps to answer some of your questions.

Pentagram Night is February 26.

Pentagram Night is coming up! Mark your calendars for February 26th.

The Pentagram symbol is one that is near and dear to my heart. And surprisingly, many people do not understand it's true meaning. Some find it a sign of evil and others a very treasured and sacred symbol. To me, it is a very sacred and powerful symbol. The pentagram, throughout history, has long been believed to be a potent protection against evil, a symbol of conflict that shields the wearer and the home. The pentagram has five spiked wards and a womb shaped defensive, protective pentagon at the center. The pentagram (amulet/talisman) can be made of nearly anything - stone, metal, wood, or even a combination of them. Just choose something that appeals to you.

The Pentagram is a symbol of a star and at times, it's encased within a circle. A pentigram has five points and each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit/self. The other four will  represent a specific element - earth, air, fire, water. All these things contribute to life and are a part of each of us. (For example, your astrology sign can tell you what element you are closely related to). To wear a pentagram necklace or other form of jewelry, is to say you feel the connection with the elements and respect our Mother Earth.

A pentagram may be open (no circle). This is the 'active' form symbolizing an outgoing of oneself, prepared for conflict, aware, active. One wearing an open pentagram must be physically aware of the danger of sharp points sticking in their skin from time to time because it does poke you at times. As a Pagan religious symbol, the open pentagram represents an open, active approach.
A circle around the pentagram protects. The circle symbolizes eternity (infinity) and the cycles of life and nature. The circle touches all five points indicating that the spirit, earth, air, water and fire are all connected and is the passive form implying spiritual containment of the magic circle. This ties in and keeps with the traditional secrecy of witchcraft, and not to mention the personal, individual nature of the Pagan religious path.

Up until medieval times, the five points of the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ on the Cross. It was a symbol of Christ the Saviour. Today, the pentagram is criticized by modern Fundamentalist Christians, as being a symbol of evil. The church eventually chose the cross as a more significant symbol for Christianity and the use of the pentagram as a Christian symbol gradually ceased

The pentagram may be inverted with one point down. The implication is of spirit subservient to matter, of man subservient to his carnal desires. The inverted pentagram has come to be seen by many pagans as representing the dark side and it is abhorred as an evil symbol. Fundamental Christians, indeed, see any form of pentagram as such. However, these are recent developments and the inverted pentagram is the symbol of Gardnerian second degree initiation, representing the need of the witch to learn to face the darkness within so that it may not later rise up to take control. The center of a pentagram implies a sixth formative element - love/will which controls from within, ruling matter and spirit by Will and the controlled magickal direction of sexual energies. This is another lesson of initiation.

Now let's talk about the number five. The number five has always been regarded as mystical and magical, yet essentially 'human.' We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity as well as five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We perceive five stages or initiations in our lives - eg. birth, adolescence, coitus, parenthood and death. The number five is associated with Mars, representing and signifying persuasiveness, spontaneity, daring/bold nature, action or a change in course. In Christianity, five were the wounds of Christ on the cross. There are five pillars of the Muslim faith and five daily times of prayer. Five also represented the virtues of the medieval knight - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety as symbolized in the pentagram device of Sir Gawain. The Wiccan Kiss is Fivefold - feet, knees, womb/abdomen, breasts/chest, lips/mouth.

So, as you can see, wearing the pentagram as a pendant is a great way to express your faith, but also to wear your protective talisman any where you go. I hope this helps to dispell the negative stories that the pentagram has so underserving received.

On Pentagram Night, it is a symbolic gesture to reaffirm your dedication to the craft of Wicca and The Old Ones. Most who celebrate this night, will do a dedication and make offerings-which is the norm.

Blessed Be/Brightest Blessings to all. In light and love.

Your thought system. Can your really have it all?

The power of thoughts. Now I have posted this before too, on my blog in the past. However, again, this is another reminder on just how powerful you are. The potential is there, but you, you hold the key to unlocking the potential.

Thoughts really play a huge role in our everyday lives. Many of the problems encountered is due to the way we think. It's time to reprogram our minds. Try it for a week and see what the outcome is.

A reason, a season, a lifetime.

People come into your life for a reason and a purpose. I have posted this before, but it's time to do it again and give you a reminder of how the universe works, and why people are brought to you and why they may leave.

Wonderful wisdom. There are times when you can find the answers you seek by listening and observing others.