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<title>Lord Peregrine&#x27;s Musings</title><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/index.php</link><description>Hot News&#x21;</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2008 Andrew Vernon</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-12-14T15:49:47-08:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:53:18 -0800</lastBuildDate><item><title>The Wheel Grinds</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-14T15:49:47-08:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/3f999a1d0f215e826256e3bbbf9d2cc3-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/3f999a1d0f215e826256e3bbbf9d2cc3-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As we look at the world around us, the Goddess principle is going dormant, and the God energy is in decline, and so both Goddess and God can be seen as being in retreat.    Since Hallows, we&rsquo;ve seen an election filled with hope, a worsening financial crisis, we&rsquo;ve seen the surfacing of old hatreds in state elections, terrorist attacks in Mumbai and an unfolding global economic slowdown.   ...  But despite how we perceive the presence of the Gods in the natural world, we must remember that the lesson is that they never leave us for the Gods are part of us.

...Gay Marriage:  Regardless of anyone&rsquo;s views on the religious definition of marriage, the desire to remove rights is the wrong approach to expressing religious beliefs because the motivation is not to stand up for your own beliefs, but to separate and isolate a small group.    Nature teaches that no matter how hard you try to contain the freedom of any being, to put up walls, to separate &ldquo;us&rdquo; from &ldquo;them&rdquo; results in unintended consequences.  

...When a person is trampled to death in a Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving in a shopping frenzy, we must look at the symbolism of this tragedy.  

...This means not trying to set up false separations but embracing the oneness that we are all part of, as a country, a people, a planet, as spiritual beings.  

...Perhaps the lesson of the season is that the God and Goddess are not front-and-center at this time of year precisely so that we can hold them in our hearts and live up to our own divinity by accepting the lessons of the world, learning from them and seeking harmony within our selves and with the world around us &ndash; just as nature teaches.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Summer</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-26T21:33:47-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/490f931dd33e95cca50caf5c931419ea-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/490f931dd33e95cca50caf5c931419ea-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For many of us, summer brings a certain joy of long days, warm nights and memories of the rest and play of our childhood.    Sometimes we forget, as adults who work in the summer, that the delight of the moment can be the deepest magick of this season.    There is magick in noticing the shadowless sunlight at noon on Midsummer Day.    There is magick in staring at a field of sunflowers.  ...  There is magick in the heat of the day.  ...  There is magick in the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine.


Children know and understand this magick and much of our journey as People of the Earth involves reconnecting with the perception of children.  ...  It is in this way that, no matter where we live, we allow ourselves an Eternal Summer that shall not fade.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Peace in the New Year</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-30T19:31:07-08:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/627c235b81c3c8ed3f44ac0c54d9c576-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/627c235b81c3c8ed3f44ac0c54d9c576-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And, we pagans cannot stop and wonder whether it was her gender, as much as her message of democracy, that her assassins found so abhorrent.  


...But, as we approach a new calendar year (our spiritual new year occurred at Hallows), we are reminded that the Universe seeks the balance of all things in nature, of all polarities:  masculine and feminine, dark and light.  ...  Theirs is a world not of resolving and integrating these polarities, but of trying to eliminate one extreme while occupying another.  


...For trying to demonize your opponent, only removes you from compassion, connection and humanity, all things that bring us into harmony with our world, and into happiness.  

...This is because we are connected to those on whom we would perpetrate the revenge and our negative actions will only reverberate back to us in some way, often magnified.


Let us hope, in this new year, that our world will begin to see that harm and malice cannot be dealt with by drawing lines.  ...  But, we must not do so in a way that polarizes, for this will only make things worse. 

I invite you all to raise a glass to a new year filled with understanding, balance and harmony, with a desire to recognize that all people are seeking happiness, regardless of how misguided they might be.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Dark Quest</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-11-25T19:29:59-08:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/46a2a5b9ba8f2a67a506749fbcb5f501-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/46a2a5b9ba8f2a67a506749fbcb5f501-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My friends, after a long period of warmth and tremendous upheaval from the fires here in Southern California, we are all, in the Northern Hemisphere, settling into a time of darkness.  

...The Goddess has gone to sleep and is in her Crone phase:  the time of old age, wisdom, introspection and retreat.


...We sometimes find that this period of time is the busiest of all:  Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season, Yule celebrations, decorations and feasts!     But the inescapable darkness is a reminder to us all that we are on a quest for our own spiritual growth and that means turning inward to experience the true range of our being.    We can use the darkness not only as a reminder to go within, but also, recognize that in so doing, we will not always face aspects of ourselves that we are willing to confront.  

...Facing that side of ourselves is the only way to ensure that it does not take over and emerge in ugly ways.  

...As we approach the festival of Light -- Yule -- we are reminded that in retreating into the darkness, we will re-emerge into the light, with greater awareness of ourselves and an expanded capacity for love of the world. 


It is for this reason that I feel tremendous kinship with our Christian brothers and sisters at this time of the year. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Initiations</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-20T19:29:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/2bbdac1dd17cda24d72590025c7c37c8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/2bbdac1dd17cda24d72590025c7c37c8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Be it Known


Sage Moon Grove 

Honors the following Ravenwood members


On the occasion of their Initiation to the 


First Degree Priest(ess)hood:


Dawn, Amy, Vilandria, Selene and Zale


...Saturday, the 25th of August, 2007 


At Ravenwood Church
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Discord</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-11T19:28:14-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/e70b1ea7cb020af9d27f2898a24bfa38-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/e70b1ea7cb020af9d27f2898a24bfa38-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have heard from many groups, pagan and non-pagan, spiritual and mundane, that we are all at each other&rsquo;s throats.    Perhaps not literally, but all the conflict I hear about seems to have begun around Hallows and has been in crescendo since the summer. ...  They are playing the blame game and, though they are blessed with much, do nothing but complain about what they don&rsquo;t have.  

...I have noticed that more people than usual have frowns on their faces, and for those of us who work with groups, we&rsquo;re seeing white lies, manipulation , intrigue, &ldquo;stirring of the pot&rdquo;, and generally, if you examined people&rsquo;s expressions, they look like they have a large crustacean semi-permanently attached to their posteriors.   

...This law explains why dictators fall, why tyrants are ultimately victims of their own actions and why the blind pursuit of power and money ends in tragedy, war and oppression.  

...I believe that we are all experiencing this conflict and pettiness to prepare ourselves for greater things, to remind us that pettiness and internal conflict is nothing but smallness, to remind us that this kind of power-grabbing doesn&rsquo;t help and doesn&rsquo;t matter.  ...  If you are grabbing for power, you will be reminded at this time, that you have already lost it. 


...Ask yourself if what you want comes truly from love or from the fear of not having (see Witchcraft: Theory and Practice by Ly de Angeles).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Initiations</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-02T19:25:48-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/f8f2917b03503ae2f6e4238e9846cbd7-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/f8f2917b03503ae2f6e4238e9846cbd7-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sage Moon Grove


Congratulates the following Ravenwood Initiates


On the occasion of their Elevation to the


Second Degree and honors them as teachers and leaders of the Old Ways:


Lord Hrafn Sage Leon


...We also congratulate the following Initiates on their Initiation to the First Degree:


...Oswyn of Life Temple


These Initiations were witnessed by elders from Ravenwood, Life Temple, Sage Moon Grove, Myst of the Wildwood and The Sylvan Forest.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blessings of the First Harvest</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-01T19:24:58-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/7aed8cecee41c5aba4e46e055a501fae-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/7aed8cecee41c5aba4e46e055a501fae-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is the sabbat of the harvest and of the willing sacrifice of the Corn King, the life force of the God who gives of himself to save his children.  ...  Most men are not willing to give their lives so that others may live.


...Yes, the archetype of the male savior who comes to &ldquo;free&rdquo; his children from death is found in many cultures.    It is an archetype because it communicates an underlying truth about our existence:  that we cannot have continuity of life without sacrifice.  

...&ldquo;But,&rdquo; you might ask, &rdquo;we should be celebrating the first harvest of grains, shouldn&rsquo;t we?&rdquo;    Yes, and we should also acknowledge with gratitude all the energy and life that went into what we consume to sustain us every day.    The best way to deal with the reality of death is to see it in its larger context:  life.    And we should give gratitude every day for life because for us to live, something must die. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Happy Beltane&#xa;Happy Beltane&#xa;Happy Beltane</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-04-30T19:24:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/61549935dd04b59a09fa16d78c6b66e7-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/61549935dd04b59a09fa16d78c6b66e7-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s opposite on the Wheel of  the Year  is Hallows&mdash;or Samhain (meaning &ldquo;summer&rsquo;s end&rdquo;) which is a time of endings.  


This sacred marriage stuff always causes questions, especially amongst those of us who are not purely heterosexual in our orientation.     It is critical to note, that, in my tradition, as is the case in many traditions that consider themselves Traditional Craft, the outward balance of male and female that we see in our rituals and mythologies are meant to underscore a much deeper truth than the union of Man and Woman.  


The great mystery here is that when we celebrate the Sacred Union, as in during the Great Rite, it is a reminder that we are here to discover what it means to see the Sacred Union within ourselves.     That is, we seek to understand the balance of masculine and feminine aspects of our nature, our Divine nature, which possesses both masculine and feminine aspects.


...We try to avoid looking outward for &ldquo;The Truth&rdquo; because we know that such a fundamentalist approach gets us and society into trouble.  ...  This is the wonderful thing about symbolism and mythology:  while they  may not be &ldquo;true&rdquo; in the factual sense, they communicate underlying deeper truth that is more profound, more pervasive, more enduring. 


Try to seek to see the deeper meaning of all the revelry, the flowers, and yes, even the sex, during this very special time of the year.  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Summertime&#x2c; and the Livn&#x2019; Ain&#x2019;t Easy</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-06-21T19:04:12-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/4995182dc3df91ec219309c49d4e3049-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/4995182dc3df91ec219309c49d4e3049-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Our ancestors knew that once Beltane came and went, once the pinks and violets of the flowers melded into the lush greens of maturing crops, we could now sit back and rest a bit before the harvest.  

...And, while they wait, the Pacific Ocean, still clinging to the chill of winter, casts a gloomy steel-grey sky over the coastal towns, causing us all to sigh to ourselves and turn inward in a very winter-like way.  

...No, my friends, it is not all faeries and unicorns dancing in a springtime glade where it is 72 degrees and the sunlight is delicately dappled through the oak trees.    

...Just because it exists, doesn&rsquo;t mean we have to energize it or twist it or use it to augment our egos, which would just serve to injure ourselves.   

...Ch&ouml;gyam Trungpa Rimpoche, the Tibetan guru famous for bringing Buddhism to the West, stated &ldquo;On this path&hellip;there is no sense that we are going to be saved, that someone is going to keep an eye on us so that if we are just about to make a mistake, someone will fish us out.    If we had that sense, the journey would become a very sloppy one because we could afford to play around&hellip;so this journey has to be a very individual, very personal journey.&rdquo;  


His point, I think, is highly relevant for those of us in the Craft, we have to remember that our journey is our own, and we face our own dangers on the path.  

...It is a resting place, or a temporary refuge from all that so that we can gain perspective, perhaps, but not a hiding place.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Angels&#x2c; the Elementals</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-04-22T19:02:41-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/6254892828f259aa43f2a1f7b2615452-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/6254892828f259aa43f2a1f7b2615452-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The notion is truly wonderful:  beings who are dedicated to helping us in a loving, non-judgmental, pure way.  

...We welcome them as mysterious, but focused, beings of the Air, Fire, Water and Earth, representing those energies and protecting us with their power.    

...However, we of the Craft can actually learn something from the Christian and Hebraic traditions, or at least something from what they have become today.  ...  My mentor and teacher Lord Merlin once shared with me the notion that over time, the elementals become quite close to you and you start to see them as your close friends, even family.  

...We have to remember that one of the most basic mysteries we Wiccans seek to understand is the relationship of everything with everything else, that is, the idea that there is little to separate us from each other, from the Divine, from the Sacred Earth.  ...  And, angels or Elementals&mdash;call them what you will&mdash;will always be attracted to places and people who are open and have &ldquo;perfect love and perfect trust&rdquo; in their hearts.  

...In this vein, we must remember that the Elementals are inseparable from us, they are part of us.   In this way, we don&rsquo;t always have to think of having to &ldquo;call them to us&rdquo; or &ldquo;calling them in&rdquo; to our circles.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Word About Magick</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-04-21T18:59:32-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/e190cbe054961fee54298a46ecab8478-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/e190cbe054961fee54298a46ecab8478-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As a second-degree priest of a Traditional coven (that is, one that relies on a tradition for its inspiration, teachings and rituals, not necessarily a &ldquo;conservative&rdquo; one), I have met numerous seekers who have walked past our Eastern Gate to enter our circle, many with vastly different notions of what magick really is. 


Vivian Crowley, in her erudite book, Wicca, refers to &ldquo;making magick,&rdquo; that is, influencing the outcomes of life events through the use of, ritual, objects and meditation, in short, affecting the macrocosm via the microcosm (by the way, you&rsquo;ll see magick spelled with a &ldquo;k&rdquo; in wiccan and pagan circles in order to distinguish it from the slight of hand of an entertainer who does card tricks, for example).    


...Without getting into a fierce theological (or thealogical) argument here, the link between personal responsibility and spiritual growth has to do with the notion that we are all, each and every one of us, divine.  ...  As my mentor, Lord Merlin, Elder High Priest of my coven, has reminded me on numerous occasions, &ldquo;our gods need us as much as we need them; that is why we do not kneel before them&rdquo;.  

...How it works is still a mystery, but there are things we can do with our own minds that would amaze you, if you chose to spend time to develop the discipline to be able to execute this rarified method of imparting change on your circumstances. 


...If you try to impart your ego on this process, in my experience, the Universe will at best, ignore your intent, but will acknowledge the ball that you&rsquo;ve thrown.  

...And, here&rsquo;s the thing:  the best way to change your environment, you will find, is to focus on changing yourself, for only then can you impart vibrations on the Cosmic Web that will bring about true change.  

...This is, by the way, one of the reasons why witches do not proselytize:  to do so would be to put the focus on the growth of others and undercut one&rsquo;s own ability to recognize where they themselves need to focus on their own growth.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What is New is Old Again.&#xa;</title><dc:creator>ajv@ridgeconsultinggroup.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Musings</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-04-15T18:56:23-07:00</dc:date><link>http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/fffc48483a20cbbfbe432cb36828a337-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://sagemoongrove.org/musings/files/fffc48483a20cbbfbe432cb36828a337-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This process turned out to be not only an opportunity to reconnect with him, but also with the rest of my extended family, almost all of whom live within one or two hours of my home in San Diego county.  


...In all the rush to attend, to connect with family whom I&rsquo;ve not seen in a long time, I forgot that I hadn&rsquo;t attended a Catholic mass since 1991, at my grandmother&rsquo;s funeral.


...And, as such, the challenge for many of us is to embrace other religions, and take an attitude of tolerance, even those that we felt let us down.  ...  Much as the Nazis usurped the swastika, it occurred to me one evening while watching a special on fundamentalist Christians, that in some ways Christianity was usurping and twisting the beautiful, rich symbolism of the cross.


...I almost felt like my still-practicing-Catholic family, who didn&rsquo;t have the benefit of distance that I had, was missing many of the deeper truths contained in this path.


...And, with a smile on my face, I noticed that a statue of Mary was in an alcove to the left of the priest, on the &ldquo;feminine&rdquo; side of the altar.  

...Many of us Wiccans feel the need to reject before we can get to that place of reconciling ourselves to Christianity or whatever the path of our parents may have been.  

...True followers of the Craft let go of the negativity that holds them back and they look for the truth in the old saying that &ldquo;there are many paths up the mountain.&rdquo;  ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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