Happy Blue Moon Eclipse New Year!

Today at 12:13 pm Mountain Standard Time, the moon was at it's fullest, and all the way around the world in the darkness of night, it was eclipsed over much of Europe, Africa and Asia. Of course, today is also New Year's Eve, and the occurrence of a full moon on New Year's Eve hasn't happened since 1990. According to Spaceweather.com, an eclipsed Blue Moon on New Year's happens only once every 91 years! So this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence!

So to recap, we have Mercury (and Mars) in Retrograde right now, adding to the energies of the Full Moon, which is falling on the global holiday of New Year's Eve, which is wrapping up the '00 decade, and then all of those factors are being amplified by the power of an extremely rare eclipse. Wow!

We know that Mercury is Retrograde in Capricorn, and this full moon is in its natural home of Cancer. The sign of Cancer is one of emotional lability, mood swings and loopy, fun hysteria. It's also the sign of the Mother, of nurturing and care and concern. Cancer is also one of the most and empathetic signs of the Zodiac, being of the Water elemental. In fact all of the Water signs, including Pisces and Scorpio will feel the effects of this moon more than others. If you are of a different solar sign but have significant water in your chart, you may also feel this one more.

Eclipses are strong generators of energy and lunar ones in particular tend to affect our emotional side much more than solar eclipses, and with this eclipse in tender, emotional Cancer, this effect will be much more pronounced. Eclipses are like a spotlight, shining into our psyches and illuminating our shadow so that we can see what needs to be released. They are also generally seen as transformational events, marking the end of one phase and the beginning of the next. Since this eclipse is at the New Year, the transformational power will be very much intensified. You can expect a lot more emotion to be on display tonight than usual, and it will run the gamut from anger to delirium to relief.

Tonight and for the next two days, until we leave the influence of the full moon's three day shadow, we have a unique and rare opportunity to harness these powerful forces to make changes in our lives. This year, don't just sit down and make a list of New Year's resolutions. This is the time to go deeper, to look inside ourselves and be truly honest about what we need in our lives to make us happy. We can call upon the Divine Feminine, the Great Goddess to walk with us through the next year and help us through the sometimes painful process of transformation.

One of the most powerful Goddesses celebrated on this day is the Yoruban deity Yemaja (pronounced yeh-mah-ZHA and also called Yemaya or Yemoja) the Star of the Sea. Millions of people will go to the ocean tonight to give offerings to her and ask for her help. With all of the watery elements present in the energies today, she is the perfect goddess to help us through this time.

Yemaya by Sandra Stanton

The ritual herbal bath is a central component of Yoruban and Santeria worship, so it is perfectly appropriate for a night like tonight. If you have never done a ritual bath, tonight would be a great time to learn how to do one. If you cannot do it tonight, any time within the next 48 hours will be just as powerful.

You can also craft an altar to Her, with blue and white candles and any of her symbols such as six-pointed stars, moons, seashells, photos or images of marine animals, particularly dolphins or sea turtles. You can also add other things with blue and white or silver colors such as pretty jewelry, stones, crystals, or other small trinkets you may have around your home.


To be said during a purification bath.

Oh Great and beautiful Yemaya,
Mother of the Seven Seas, Mother of all Orishas.

I call on you to bless this water and make it holy
so that I may be blessed and made holy.

Oh Most Holy Mother, hear my concerns.
I ask that you wash away my problems with
the essence of the most pure water.

Thank you, Most Holy Mother, for taking
my concerns and washing them away.

Iyá eyá ayaba okun omá iré gbogbo awani Iyá

(eye-yah ee-yah aye-ah-bah oh-koon oh-mah ee-ray zuh-bozh-bo ah-wan-ee eye-yah)

The Year Spell

In preparation for our upcoming Year Spell Mooncraft on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 - we thought that it would be good to repeat some thoughts and advice that we have collected from prior years, with a few new things added in for this year. Our Year Spell is the one MoonCraft which is held every year on the full moon closest to the beginning of January. You can get more info, including the address to the Temple on our Facebook page. (Have you fanned us on Facebook yet? Because why not? You should do it now!)

What exactly is a Year Spell?
In the tradition of Sacred Circle, what we call a year spell is something that is known by many names. A treasure map is the most common name, but sometimes it can be called a wishing picture, or a dream collage. A Year Spell is basically a visual collage which contains images, words and ideas that you wish to come true within the year.

So, how does it work?
The basic technique is that within a set time frame, you look through magazines, catalogs and other paper items such as journals or newspapers, and cut out things which grab your attention and which you think best represent your goals and dreams for the year. You then paste these items onto a collage and then hang it in your home where you can see it on a daily basis. There are a lot of articles and self-help books that promote different ways to do this. Our tradition is a little specific in the way that the year spell is created, which is what makes it such a powerful ritual!

Our year spell differs from many of these other techniques in a few important ways which you should know about. Firstly, our year spell has a time limit on it. It is crafted specifically for the year in which it is created, and the goals and images captured on it are visualized to happen within that time frame. Now this does NOT mean that if you put something on the year spell that does not come true within the year, that it will never happen! You may have to add some goals year after year until they finally manifest. However, keeping your goals firmly in mind will definitely help with the manifestation process! Coming back to your goals and dreams on a yearly basis can also be a great way to check in on yourself and your own personal progress.

Second, we highly recommend that you bring a photo of yourself to cut out and attach to your year spell! Some websites and books say that this is not as necessary, but we have found that putting your own image into the representation of your goals and dreams is a very strong bit of magic (and there's also some other magic to do with this part that is given out only through oral tradition!) Couples can craft independent spells, or if married or committed to one another, can craft a joint spell. Families can craft one spell for their family group. Children are encouraged to think about their own hopes and dreams, and very often become immersed in the creative process of cutting and pasting images for their own collages. You may also wish to consider what the content of the photos that you bring to the spell are, since you are setting the tone for your year, and should probably choose a recent photo where your emotional state is one of peace, happiness or contentment. If you don't want to cut up a favorite photo, you may wish to consider a simple color photocopy of it as an inexpensive alternative.

Finally, doing such a ritual with the support of a group and being able to access the shared energy, power and intention of the group makes for a very strong vibratory message that is sent to the universe. Petitions are always more powerful when they have more signatures, right? Well this is the same principle. More energy + more intention + more voices = more powerful manifestations. This is "the secret" behind coven and closed-group workings, only this time, there is no initiation required.

What do I need for a Year Spell?
As mentioned above, one of the most important items is a recent photograph of yourself, your family or you and your children. Besides this, you will want to bring your own pair of scissors, and it may sound strange, but if you have any magazines laying around your house, bring a few along. We have found that if your goals are in specific areas, you probably have some representations of these goals in magazine, journal or catalog form. For instance, if one of your dreams is to travel to a tropical paradise on vacation, you may already have purchased an "Islands" magazine or something similar, just on a whim. Or if you are interested, for instance, in buying new equipment for your photography hobby, it's common to have one or more gear catalogs handy. These items can make it much easier to represent your goals and dreams in pictorial format. Glue sticks and 12" x 12" cardstock will be provided. If you would like to, you may also bring a snack or beverage to share during this very social ritual.

Please plan for at least a three hour or longer ritual. This event often goes much longer than our average MoonCraft event, so we advise that you don't plan on rushing off somewhere else until well after 7 pm. Good magick takes time to craft, so give yourself enough time to finish your year spell completely.

What about bringing children? Children are welcome to come to this circle! We do try to provide some entertainment in the form of DVD's to watch or coloring pages for the younger set, but you will need to watch after your children, as we do not provide babysitting . If you feel that a multi-hour event in a confined space would be too much for your younger kids to handle, you might want to consider a babysitter or caretaker so that you can focus and enjoy the circle more. That being said, most children enjoy the cutting and pasting of the collage and can be encouraged to set goals for themselves on their year spells. If you want your child to create a year spell, you may want to remember to bring a photo of them that they can put on their own collage.

Here's a question we've been hearing a lot about this year's event - "Why did you change this MoonCraft to a Saturday instead of having it on a Sunday like normal?" The answer is simple. Because the Full Moon falls directly on New Year's Eve (it's at 12:13 pm on Thursday, Dec. 31st) holding our event on Sunday would put the Year Spell MoonCraft outside of that powerful three-day window around the full moon. Holding it on Saturday puts us just over 48 hours after the full moon, allowing us to take advantage of that wonderful full moon energy.

New advice for this year - bring a chair! We've been growing so quickly that we are often short of chairs. We plan to buy some more soon, but we may not have enough on hand just yet, so if you have a favorite folding chair, you might want to bring it along.



By way of mental preparation, if you have done a year spell in the past, please spend some time with it, see what came true, what did not, and what you'd like to carry over into the new year. If you haven't ever done a year spell before, do a mental review of your year behind, and then look ahead a little and see what you might want to manifest in the coming months.

What Would Buddha Do?

Rev. Heron was interviewed by Randy Harward for the Salt Lake Weekly magazine's feature about alternative holidays during December, What Would Buddha Do? - it's out today.

A Very Mercury Retro Holiday

It's that time again! The planet Mercury appears to go backward, or retrograde in comparison with the Earth's movement roughly three to four times every year. We are already in the shadow of this retrograde, which starts about three weeks before the moment of retrograde which will happen later this week on Dec. 26th. We entered this shadow period on the 9th of December, so if things have already started to seem a little squirrely, this is probably why!

The planet Mercury rules all things concerning thought, speech, trade and communication, which can be everything from computers to shopping to conversations, and also can affect short-distance travel (long distance travel, such as overseas, is generally thought to be under the realm of Jupiter instead of Mercury) and has been known to wreak havoc with all things electronic and mechanical, including cell phones and cars.

(If you don't know what it means to be in the shadow of Mercury, here's a great graphical representation of that concept from Cafe Astrology.)

Beginning of Mercury's Shadow - Dec. 9th, 7:38 am - Mercury at 5 degrees Capricorn

Mercury goes Retrograde - Dec. 26th 9:32 am - Mercury at 21 degrees Capricorn

Mercury turns Direct - Jan. 15th, 9:48 am - Mercury at 5 degrees Capricorn

End of Mercury's Shadow - Feb. 4th, 12:04 am - Mercury at 21 degrees Capricorn

This retrograde comes to us in the already-stressful holiday season, piling on additional tension and difficulty, so it is good to remind ourselves to slow down, decompress and be extra extra patient with ourselves and the things and the people around us. In fact, since communication flare-ups can be so devastating during a retrograde, it is critical to our mental health that we keep in mind the external influences on our thought patterns right now! Communication with those we consider to be authorities or father figures, whether they are our blood relations or not, could be a little bit difficult this season, so be extra aware of the influence in that area when you are interacting with these types of people in your life. These could be parents, in laws, grandparents, supervisors or managers at work, policemen, judges, teachers, or anyone else of either sex who has authority over any part of our life.

The retrograde is happening with Mercury in the solid and stable Earth sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is the ultimate sign of doing one's duty, no matter what, so this retrograde may bring us things to deal with that we have been putting off. In fact, many people will be forced to deal with the things that they would rather not deal with, many times through the pressure of an external authority or governmental department. In other words, if you have been trying to avoid things such as unpaid parking tickets or un-filed tax returns, you may have little choice but to face them during this retrograde cycle. Capricorn is the stern taskmaster of the Zodiac and during this time he will be bringing out all those unpleasant but necessary duties that we have been trying so hard to put off. Since both Mercury and Capricorn influence our money and how we spend it, we may find ourselves having to pay for things we don't necessarily want to pay for, instead of using our extra cash for entertainment or fun. Capricorn commands us to set aside money for a rainy day, and this lesson may be driven home during the retrograde.

This retrograde doesn't have to be all hard work and negativity though, as retrogrades can bring us the opportunity to review our obligations, renew our commitment to our goals, and refresh our knowledge of subjects we have studied before. In fact, with this retrograde in the capable, organized sign of Capricorn and the upcoming full moon in Cancer at the New Year we have a great window of possibility to recommit ourselves to things we want to accomplish in the year ahead. This is a great time to review our lives and make note of the things we would like to change about it, and then to follow through to make some solid and concrete plans to help those things happen, so of course it is a great energy to have for our annual Year Spell gathering! It's also a great time to get in touch with people from our past, from old school friends to relatives that we haven't been in contact with, reconnection with things and people that have gone before is a natural energy of a Mercury retrograde. Many times we can even find things that have gone missing during a retrograde period, and mementos and other items will often turn up as well. In a nod to the strict financial demands of Capricorn, this would also be a very good time to start a savings or investment account.

In order to make this retrograde easier on you, here are some areas to keep a close eye on:

1. Computers and important data should be backed up frequently and protected with a strong firewall and antivirus set of programs. Hard drives do wear out, even external ones, so you may wish to review the ages of your hard drives, they only last between 3-5 years on average.

2. Get your car tuned up and your oil and filters checked. Check on your tires for wear and if you don't have one, get your AAA card in case of breakdowns. Keep a heavy coat and boots in your car in case you get stuck in the cold.

3. Double-and triple-check any and all travel plans, and make sure to bring a change of clothes and important medications in your carry-on in case of delays or changes in schedules when flying.

4. Delay signing legal contracts, buying a home or purchasing expensive electronics, at the very least until Mercury goes direct on January 15th, and if possible, until after the shadow period has passed on February 4th.

5. Keep a close eye on your financial transactions during this time. Review your bank or credit accounts often, even daily, and keep track of all of your receipts for purchases and bank deposits.

Finally, during the next few weeks, try to approach any snafus, delays or frustrations with patience and tranquility. Cultivate and practice a "go with the flow" attitude. It can't hurt you and it might even help get you through this cycle with your sanity intact! This would be a perfect time to get yourself a set of meditation beads and learn how to use them. Remember to breathe and if it gets too much, you can always throw your hands up, embrace the chaos and say "Hail Eris!".

Sacred Circle Yule

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti!
(the birthday of the unconquered Sun)

Today we celebrate the return of the Sun and the end of the longest, darkest night of the year.

In Celtic lands, the dark and light half of the year are personified as the Oak King who rules from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly King, who reigns from the Summer to Winter Solstice. We see the echoes of the Holly King in some older depictions of Santa Claus, with his staff or his hat decorated with holly. Within Sacred Circle, we celebrate many traditions that are sacred to this season, and this year we honored the Holly King in his traditional mantle of red and white, as the holder of the last warmth of the sun before the longest night sets.

Sing we of a mystery, now as long ago
Blood red holly berries, red upon the snow
The Oak King shall rise, the waxing year to bring
Therefore bid we farewell to the Holly King

Now in deep midwinter all seems in a trance
Comes the golden Oak King in His age old dance
Comes He to slay, yet honor He does bring
To His fallen brother the darksome Holly King

Soon will be midsummer, the year's wheel turned around
Then shall be the Oak King there upon the ground
Ever it comes, once more the years waning
Then shall be victorious the Darksome Holly King

Sing we of the Mystery now as long ago
Blood red holly berries, red upon the snow
The Oak King shall rise waxing year to bring
Therefore bid we farewell to the Holly King

Thank you to all of the wonderful members of our community, friends we have known long and friends we have only just met, for bringing your warmth, love and light to the Temple. We thank the Goddess and God for your friendship, and cherish all of you who come to share your light with us. Thank you to all of our younger members for helping us to call on the Holly King!

We were blessed tonight to witness the joining of two lovers for a year and a day handfast, and we congratulate Elena and Kevin and wish them well on their journey together.

As the wheel turns once more, we send our love to all those who could not join us tonight for our Yule celebration, and hope that they will return to our circle soon. Don't forget to mark our next circle, the 6th Annual MoonCraft Year Spell on Saturday, Jan. 2nd on your calendar!

You can see all of our photos from Yule in the slideshow below, enjoy and keep with you our blessings for the Return of the Light!

SunStave Yule was great! Thanks to OOLS for the wonderful experience and for the community for the amazing warmth and love you all brought!

Yo-Yo for Yule!

You are invited to attend a special night of Community!

Sacred Circle is sponsoring a fundraising event to help a local Pagan family in need have a merrier Yule. All monies above and beyond the cost of the food will be given to the family in
need to help them out this holiday season.

We will also have several Raffle Baskets available and our special healing Aromatherapy Neck Pillows for sale.

*Wrapped gifts also will be accepted for the family. Please contact Avalon ~ Office of Fire at fire at sacredcirclechurch dot com or by phone at 801-661-1710 for a copy of the family's wish list, needs and children's ages etc.*

What: Yo - Yo for Yule ~ Annual Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner

When: December 4, 2009 6:00 PM

Where:
Sacred Circle Temple
3464 W 3800 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84119

Cost : $6 Per Person , $3 per child under 10 yrs old.

On the Menu : Spaghetti with meat or vegetarian sauce, sautéed vegetables, garlic bread, and organic greens salad with your choice of dressing.

Please bring a dessert to share!

*Please Contact Avalon if you would like to bring any additional items or would like to help with preparations*

Public welcome!

Healing Aromatherapy Neck Pillows for Stress Relief!

If you missed our MoonCraft circle this weekend, where we made our own healing aromatherapy neck pillows, don't fret! Once the circle was over, we finished up the rest of the extras, and we will have them available at our upcoming events for purchase.

Each one is crafted in soft 100% cotton fabric, and stuffed with rice and aromatic healing herbs such as lavender and lemon balm to soothe and relieve stress. They were then blessed and infused with healing energy and love. Some of the pillows also have an extra healing spell attached which includes a specially blended healing incense and essential oil which were also hand-crafted by us within a sacred circle of intention.

They are large enough to cover your neck and shoulder area or to be wrapped around an area in need of warm or cool comfort. They can be carefully heated in a microwave or placed in the freezer to deliver renewable soothing to your body and soul.

All proceeds from the sale of the extra pillows will go toward our Yo-Yo for Yule fundraiser, so come on down and get yourself one or pick up a gift for a friend. These are great inexpensive gifts, starting at only $5 for a plain neck pillow, one of these would be an awesome holiday stocking stuffer! There is a limited supply available, so you should come down and get yours soon!

If you can't get out to buy one and want to make one at home, here are the directions!

Cut a 10" x 18" strip of cotton fabric and fold lengthwise so the design is on the inside.
Sew 2 sides to make a long sack of fabric, turn inside out. Add your favorite dried healing herbs like lavender, rosemary or lemon balm. Fill 2/3 of the way up with rice or a combination of your favorite legumes such as rice, beans, lentils. Fold over and sew the open end to seal in the ingredients. Bless or infuse with your own healing energy or with the elementals. Heat in your microwave for 1-2 minutes, checking every 30-45 seconds so you don't overheat. This will depend on your microwave's power. Wrap on your body and enjoy the healing warmth!

Crystal Healing Circle

Did you know? We are changing both the name and focus of Crystal Well Circle to include healing work with crystals. We will still work with our crystal singing bowls, but from now on we will also start to learn about how to work with the energies of our crystal allies. Don't miss this unique opportunity to heal and balance your energy centers and fields.

You may wish to bring a pillow or blanket to sit or lie down on. Be aware of heavy construction around the Temple area, you may wish to approach from 3600 W. and Bangerter or from 4100 South and 3200 West.

Friday, Nov. 20th

7:30 pm

2010 Calendar now available for ordering!

Featuring over 150 photos of the rituals, ceremonies and parties that we've enjoyed together over the past year or so, this 11" x 17" full color calendar also lists the time and date of the solar and lunar holidays in our time zone.

Each month contains a themed collage of photos relevant to the month and is supplemented by several smaller photos in the calendar portion. The calendar also shows the Open Circle and MoonCraft dates, the date and time of the full and new moons, the dates of the sabbats, solstices and equinox times and also the start and end dates of the Mercury Retrogrades. Each month also has a poem, prayer or blessing related to the month at the top of the calendar page.

You can preview the entire calendar here, it is a small preview, sorry.

A sample of the calendar will be available at the next several events for you to see. Orders are due no later than 12/13 and may be paid for in person at the Temple via cash or check.

The calendar price is $25 each.

Please note that $20 goes directly to MyCanvas for the production of the calendar, Sacred Circle will only receive $2-3 per calendar after shipping costs. This is not a fundraiser for the church, it is a memento of our time together.

Note: Updated on 12/2 to reflect the current information.

Calendars are expected to be delivered some time before January 1, 2010.

Happy Friday the 13th! May the blessings of Frigga follow you on your journeys today! http://ping.fm/N7ZXD

Blessed Samhain

We wish all of our wonderful community members and families a blessed, safe and sacred Samhain! On this eve when the veil thins, may you be visited by your beloved dead and may the wisdom of the Ancients follow you into the New Year.

We would like to thank our Teen Grove leaders for putting on a wonderful Samhain Carnival for our younger members and for the families who came to enjoy the party! The Teen Grove did an amazing job with decorating, preparing and running the Carnival for another successful year!

Here is a slideshow of some of last week's festivities for you to enjoy!

Just a small reminder, the final events in our October calendar are this weekend!

Join Rev. Heron as she hosts the SunStave Samhain ritual on Saturday, Oct. 31st at the Church Fork picnic area in Millcreek Canyon, and then party down after dark at the Sacred Circle After-Samhain party. Finally, remember to bring your potluck dishes for our Feast of the Ancestors on the Day of the Dead at our monthly full moon circle MoonCraft at 3 pm on Sunday, Nov. 1st.

The Road Home needs your Halloween Costumes

The Road Home has many families with children who are struggling with homelessness and has put out a plea for donations of gently used Halloween
costumes.

If you have any costumes that you would like to donate, will be collecting these at our Sunday, Oct. 18th Open Circle, and we will deliver them to the Road Home on Monday the 19th.

If you are in or near the downtown area, you can also donate them directly to the organization if you cannot make it to Open Circle.

Finding your spiritual guides and teachers - safely!

The recent deaths at a pricey "spiritual resort" in Arizona have had me thinking about how to help more people find their guides and teachers in a safe and sane way. There are many, many abuses which can and do happen in a spiritual context, from sexual and emotional abuse to outright physical danger such as what happened in Sedona. It makes me wonder why people are so willing to place their well-being in the hands of those they barely know in the name of spiritual growth and enlightenment, but it is also a question which has few satisfactory answers.

With October's "Witchy Madness" here, many people will see new articles and interviews about witches and pagans and druids, oh my! Because of this media exposure, every year there is a fresh influx of people who are seeking information about these new spiritual paths. It is my hope that some of them will find this guide and gain more information about some of the things that they may come across in their search for the perfect teacher/priestess/coven etcetera.

One of the final things which I lecture on in my "Paganism & Wicca 101" classes is this very topic. It is so hard to find a safe and supportive environment in which to grow spiritually, primarily because so many people are willing to give up their critical thinking skills as soon as they find someone that they consider to be a high priest/priestess, teacher or guru. The priestess, guru, guide or teacher immediately becomes an all-knowing authority who is rarely questioned and often explicitly obeyed. Indeed, many teachers rely on the unthinking obedience of their students in order to exploit them for money, sex, power, social prestige and other things.

It is a problem which encompasses social groups large and small, and from true cult behavior to the well known "mob mentality", it has roots in some very simple psychological tricks and means of manipulation. Bullying behavior, both online and off, also has roots in these same manipulations of the mind and psyche. The problem lies in the matter of degree. Some groups may have only a few of these tricks employed, and others may have all or most of them in play at any given moment. It can be difficult to tell a more simple social "clique" from a more dangerous environment, for many of the psychological manipulations can be employed very subtly and the emotional and mental effects can be built up over time.

Recognizing these techniques and manipulations can be difficult at best, but it can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. As an outsider to the events in Sedona, I can only speculate why someone in that large group did not question the wisdom of shoving so many people into such a small, confined and ultimately lethal environment. I only wish that at least one person had.

Here are some links that I have found to be very good resources for helping to evaluate groups and teachers for negative behaviors and cult-like tendencies. Many of these are resources that I use every time I teach a class, but the ultimate wisdom that I have to offer anyone is this:

Just because someone has been lauded as a spiritual leader, or is in a position of authority, does not mean that they are always making correct decisions or are right in what they do. Never assume that just because someone is a pagan/wiccan/new age/buddhist/etc. that they have your best interests at heart. If you cannot question them in their decisions or if you feel unsafe doing what they tell you to do, use your heart and gut as a guide. If your gut says get the hell out, you should do it. If you feel uneasy, unsettled, or frightened, heed your best instincts and don't try to talk yourself out of removing yourself from a place where you do not feel safe at all times. The Buddha himself said (I'm paraphrasing) "Don't trust what I tell you. Check it out for yourself, and if it works for you, then great!" And finally and most importantly for those exploring explicitly Wiccan paths, the ideal of "In perfect love and perfect trust" should not be expected from the "get go" at any group, and anyone who says otherwise should probably be evaluated with some of these tools.

The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame - This is the classic evaluation tool for use with any group and should be kept at hand whenever you are searching for a new group or teacher.

Teachers, Good and Bad (Part 1) - Wren Walker from the Witches' Voice nails some of the commonsense things to watch for when you are approaching a new teacher for the first time.

Recognizing Propaganda - A quick run-down of the many techniques used to manipulate people and the way that they think and feel. Also check out the same site's info on Evaluating Information and other great articles.

Herd Mentality, Herd Behavior - Good resource on "mob mentality" behavior.

Cyberbullying - Not just for kids.


"Thus the wise man residing in the Tao
sets an example for all beings.
Because he does not display himself,
people can see his light.

Because he has nothing to prove,
people can trust his words.
Because he doesn't know who he is,*
people recognize themselves in him.

Because he has no goal (secret personal agenda) in mind,
everything he does succeeds."

*(meaning he does not set him/herself above anyone.)

-Tao te Ching

October Happenings

There are some terrific events coming up in October, both within Sacred Circle and in other groups around the valley, so here's a handy printable list of times, dates and details for you to hang up on your refrigerator or office wall. Click on the links for more details and RSVP information. Sacred Circle Events are noted in purple text

Monday, Oct 12th

OOLS Goddess Circle - 7:30 pm
SVUUS - 6876 S 2000 E, SLC


Saturday, Oct. 17th

4th Annual Witches High Tea at the Grand America - 2:30 pm
Grand America Lobby Lounge 555 S. Main St., SLC
(be sure to RSVP for this event so you have a guaranteed seat at the table)

Witches' Night Out @ Gardner Village - 6 pm
1100 W 7800 S, West Jordan, UT 84088

Sunday, Oct. 18th

Open Circle - 3 pm
Sacred Circle Temple

Friday, Oct. 23rd

Crystal Well Circle - 7:30 pm
Sacred Circle Temple

Saturday, Oct. 24th

All Hallows' Eve Carnival and Boutique - 1 pm
SVUUS - 6876 S 2000 E, SLC

Samhain / Halloween Kids Carnival - 4:30 pm
Sacred Circle Temple

Saturday, Oct. 31st

SunStave Samhain - 7 pm
Church Fork Picnic Area, Millcreek Canyon

All Souls' Night Party - 10:30 pm
Sacred Circle Temple

Sunday, Nov. 1st

MoonCraft Full Moon - 3 pm
Sacred Circle Temple

Avalon featured on Residual Hauntings Podcast

Local Paranormal Investigators Tom and Russ speak with Avalon, Office of Fire of the Church of the Sacred Circle about Witchcraft, our group and many other topics! Click now to listen to the Residual Hauntings podcast

(Fast forward 24 minutes if you want to hear just Avalon's interview)


Congratulations to Avalon for being such a great representative for our group!

Interview on ReAwaken with Vickie Parker

Listen to an interview of Rev. Heron on the ReAwaken internet radio show on Sunday, July 19th, 2009

ReAwaken is produced by Mike and Vickie Parker of the Windswept Center in Salt Lake City, you can listen to their great show every Sunday at 6:30 pm.

Thanks again to Vickie and Mike for this great opportunity to answer questions about Sacred Circle!

Hogwarts Charter Academy - Psychic Faire

Come ye, witches, wizards, muggles and mundanes to the Hogwarts Charter Academy, manifesting this one day only at the Temple of the Church of the Sacred Circle!

All manner of Card Reading, Oracles, Mediums and Soothsaying will be present, for your entertainment and pleasure!

This Psychic Faire will begin on Saturday, July 18th at the
enchanted hour of 13:00 (1 pm) and entrance admission is FREE! Readings may be obtained for a mere $15

Location - 3464 W. 3800 South - (see alternate routes here)

For more information you may Summon Avalon at 801...

Come ye, witches, wizards, muggles and mundanes to the Hogwarts Charter Academy Psychic Faire - Saturday July 18th 1 pm http://ping.fm/hC5Hz

Temple blessing and elemental cleansing today @ 3 pm! Potluck dinner & full moon circle. Alternate routes here http://ping.fm/Nq9AF

Reminder: Tonight @ 7 pm - Crystal Well Circle - We will be doing a special prayer / candle circle for the protestors & those killed in Iran

June Open Circle - Summer Solstice!

This month we are blessed to have our Open Circle ceremony for June fall squarely on the day of the Summer Solstice! Coincidentally, this is also the day of Father's Day!

This great synchronicity gives us the chance to honor the God energy of the summer solstice and the energies of the Fathers in our lives, all at once! Please join us for this special ritual to honor the male divine. Please bring a snack or potluck item to share, we will feast prior to starting our Circle. Bringing your own drums, camp chairs and eating utensils will help make this event a fun and celebratory time for all!

Please note that for this event only, our normal circle starting time of 3 pm has been changed to 6 pm! There is some road construction going on near the temple, you may wish to find an alternate route.

Open Circle
Sunday, June 21st
6 pm

You may also wish to attend the SunStave Summer Solstice event happening on Saturday night!

HYMN TO APOLLO

SING to Apollo, god of day,
Whose golden beams with morning play,
And make her eyes as brightly shine,
Aurora's face is called divine ;
Sing to Phoebus and that throne
Of diamonds which he sits upon.
Io pæans let us sing
To physic's and to poesy's king !

Crown all his altars with bright fire,
Laurels bind about his lyre,
A Daphnean coronet for his head,
The Muses dance about his bed ;
When on his ravishing lute he plays,
Strew his temple round with bays.
Io pæans let us sing
To the glittering Delian king !

by JOHN LYLY
from the play Midas, pub. 1592; acted 1590.

June MoonCraft Full Moon Circle

The Gothi and Gythia of the Northern Wisdom Kindred performed the rite of profession of faith in the Ásatrú tradition for Hunter, one of Sacred Circle's young members. There were also a sacred feast, a Blot and a Sumbel in honor of the occasion. We thank the members of Northern Wisdom Kindred for their help in doing this rite and also thank everyone who attended the very full house in our Temple on Sunday for their patience and beautiful energy.

See more images from this event and our other events here:

Alternate routes to the Temple

Heavy weekend construction on 3500 South will make it difficult to take the "normal" route to the Temple and so we recommend that you check the map below and consider an alternate route to get to us. Please note that the freeway exit on to 3500 south from I-215 may be closed or re-routed. Some alternate routes would include heading north on 3600 West from 4700 South or coming in from Bangerter and 4100 South.


View Larger Map

We've been Twitter-fied!

We have twittered to announce this blog post announcing our Twitter account! It's all very circular and meta, however the upshot of it is that if you want to be notified of events, announcements or happenings on your phone, you should really follow us on Twitter! We know how busy and preoccupied all of our modern lives are, and so we have created this account to help people keep up with all of our goings-on. We promise not to send a million announcements, for the most part, we expect the tweets to be at the rate of one or two per week. So what are you waiting for? FOLLOW #sacredcircleut today! Psst: Don't have a Twitter account yet? Get one here! Or are you just wondering what the heck Twitter is?

Twitter users to test ESP

Just in time for our own Twitter announcement, this news article came in announcing the use of Twitter to test ESP. This would be a great way to introduce yourselves to Twitter if you are a new user, although, if enough of us Witches, Pagans and Shamans etc. choose to participate, we may bias the results! :D

From Livescience:

A novel experiment using Twitter by British psychology professor Richard Wiseman, in conjunction with "New Scientist" magazine, is set to be the largest ESP ("remote viewing") experiment in history.

According to Wiseman, this is how it works:

"At 3 PM (GMT) each day, I will travel to a randomly selected location. Once there, I will send a Tweet, asking everyone to Tweet about their thoughts concerning the nature of my location. Thirty minutes later, I will send another Tweet linking to a Web site that will allow everyone to view photographs of five locations (the actual location and four decoys), think about the thoughts and images that came to them in the 30 minutes before, and vote on which of the five they believe to be the actual target location. If the majority of people select the correct target, then the trial will count as a hit."

The trials will be held this Tuesday through Friday, and Twitterers can participate here.

Read the full article here...

Afternoon with the Goddesses

Silver Shining Wheel

Holy maiden huntress, Artemis, Artemis,
Maiden, come to us.

Silver shining wheel of radiance, radiance,
Mother, come to us.

Ancient queen of wisdom, Hecate, Cerridwen,
Old one, come to us.

Holy shining sunlight, radiant, radiant,
Brother, come to us.

© Peter Soderberg

Blessings of the Great Mother

Merciful Kwan Yin
She who hears the cries of the world
May you lift up all those who suffer
May you soothe all those who are in pain
and May you illuminate all those
who seek your divine knowledge.

Namo Kwan Shih Yin Pu Sa!

Beltane Blessings!

It's that time of year again, when the snows on the valley floor have melted away, when the grass is greening and the trees are blooming in preparation for the long, hot summer ahead. The quickening stir that began at the Spring Equinox has developed into the full-fledged celebratory dance of Beltane. However you spell it (and there are several variations) the most common versions of the rites of Beltane are a hodgepodge of cultures in the finest modern Pagan tradition. The word Bealtaine itself is given to us from the Irish people, who still use it as their name for the month of May. Thought by some to derive from the name of the Fire God, Bel, the traditional Celtic celebration is all about fire and it's cleansing and transformational properties, with bonfires lit and the smoke and heat used to cleanse people and cattle of impurities and illness.

So where does the iconic Maypole fit into all of this? The traditions surrounding the Maypole derive from celebrations associated with many Germanic countries of the northern and central European continent, and were imported to England sometime after the 1500's. The Maypole celebrations in these countries do not generally include the later English custom of entwining it with ribbons, and in the far northern latitudes, the Maypole is called the Midsummer pole and the celebrations are held at Midsummer in June instead of on or near the first of May. The modern customs surrounding the Maypole today in the US and the UK derive mainly from the 19th century revivals of May Day customs in England that were imported during the mass emigrations to the US and are kept alive in many smaller towns throughout the United States, mainly in the form of May Day celebrations in schools. Here in Utah, the town of Mendon is noted for it's elaborate May Day pageant which still takes place every year in the town square, with the election of a May Queen and her Consort.

Which brings us to the next question - What's Beltane all about? What do flowers and ribbons and a big pole have to do with Pagans? The poetic answer is that it is all about the union of the masculine and the feminine, when the God and Goddess join together to ensure the fertility of the crops, the earth and the people who celebrate them. The pragmatic answer is that it's all about sex. Either way, the symbolism resonates the same way, with the obviously phallic symbol penetrating a wreath and being wrapped in a sheath of ribbons... well, you get the point. But literally, when we dance the Maypole we are participating in an act of magic, whereby we energize these symbols with our own hopes and wishes, and create our own energies of fertility and abundance for our own lives. Very often, couples utilize the magic of the Maypole in order to create real fertility for themselves. I'm pleased to have a Beltane baby of our own, in our little boy. Yes it can actually be used for literal fertility! However, the energies of dancing the Maypole are also great for generating abundance in our lives, sparking creativity, and in general, suffusing our spirits with a great big dose of hope and joy. Any way you cut it, Beltane is a great day for letting your spirit run free, so come on out to SunStave Circle tomorrow, weave some flowers into your hair (men too!) and celebrate the promise of the warm summertime to come!

Rites of Spring

I was contacted this week by Nicole Warburton from the Deseret News about an article that was published today, Saturday, March 7th covering different faith traditions practices surrounding the spring equinox. I'm pleased to say that the Utah media continues to treat Pagans and earth based faith traditions with genuine respect and fairness.
Thanks to Nicole for representing my remarks accurately and for the chance to express some of our traditions within this article.

What is a Year Spell?

In preparation for our upcoming Year Spell Mooncraft, I thought that it would be good to put down some thoughts regarding the year spell, including questions that we get asked every year, and advice for creating an effective spell for your year.

What exactly is a Year Spell?
In the tradition of Sacred Circle, what we call a year spell is something that is known by many names. Treasure map is the most common name, but sometimes it can be called a wishing picture, or a dream collage. I have been told that the technique is included in the book "The Secret" but I have not read it myself. Our Year spell is basically a visual collage which contains images, words and ideas that you wish to come true within the year.

So, how does it work?
The basic technique is that within a set timeframe, you look through magazines, catalogs and other paper items such as journals or newspapers, and cut out things which grab your attention and which you think best represent your goals and dreams for the year. You then paste these items onto a collage and then hang it in your home where you can see it on a daily basis. There are a lot of articles and self-help books that promote different ways to do this. Our tradition is a little specific in the way that the year spell is created, which is what makes it such a powerful ritual!

Our year spell differs from many of these other techniques in a few important ways which you should know about. Firstly, our year spell has a time limit on it. It is crafted specifically for the year in which it is created, and the goals and images captured on it are visualized to happen within that time frame. Now this does NOT mean that if you put something on the year spell that does not come true within the year, that it will never happen! You may have to add some goals year after year until they finally manifest. However, keeping your goals firmly in mind will definitely help with the manifestation process! Coming back to your goals and dreams on a yearly basis can also be a great way to check in on yourself and your own personal progress.

Second, we highly recommend that you bring a photo of yourself to cut out and attach to your year spell! Some websites and books say that this is not as necessary, but we have found that putting your own image into the representation of your goals and dreams is a very strong bit of magic (and there's also some other magic to do with this part that is given out only through oral tradition!) Couples can craft independent spells, or if married or committed to one another, can craft a joint spell. Families can craft one spell for their family group. Children are encouraged to think about their own hopes and dreams, and very often become immersed in the creative process of cutting and pasting images for their own collages. You may also wish to consider what the content of the photos that you bring to the spell are, since you are setting the tone for your year, and should probably choose a recent photo where your emotional state is one of peace, happiness or contentment. If you don't want to cut up a favorite photo, you may wish to consider a simple color photocopy of it as an inexpensive alternative.

Finally, doing such a ritual with the support of a group and being able to access the shared energy, power and intention of the group makes for a very strong vibratory message that is sent to the universe. Petitions are always more powerful when they have more signatures, right? Well this is the same principle. More energy + more intention + more voices = more powerful manifestations. This is "the secret" behind coven and closed-group workings, only this time there is no initiation required.

What do I need for a Year Spell?

As mentioned above, one of the most important items is a recent photograph of yourself, your family and your children. Besides this, you will want to bring your own pair of scissors, and it may sound strange, but if you have any magazines laying around your house, bring a few along. We have found that if your goals are in specific areas, you probably have some representations of these goals in magazine, journal or catalog form. For instance, if one of your dreams is to travel to a tropical paradise on vacation, you may already have purchased an "Islands" magazine or something similar, just on a whim. Or if you are interested, for instance, in buying new equipment for your photography hobby, it's common to have one or more gear catalogs handy. These items can make it much easier to represent your goals and dreams in pictoral format. Glue sticks and 12" x 12" cardstock posterboards will be provided. If you would like, you may also bring a snack or beverage to share during this very social ritual.

By way of mental preparation, if you have done a year spell in the past, please spend some time with it, see what came true, what did not, and what you'd like to carry over into the new year. If you haven't ever done a year spell before, do a mental review of your year behind, and then look ahead a little and see what you might want to manifest in 2009.


New Year
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

New Year, I look straight in your eyes -
Our ways and our interests blend;
You may be a foe in disguise,
But I shall believe you a friend.
We get what we give in our measure,
We cannot give pain and get pleasure;
I give you good will and good cheer,
And you must return it, New Year.

We get what we give in this life,
Though often the giver indeed
Waits long upon doubting and strife
Ere proving the truth of my creed.
But somewhere, some way, and forever
Reward is the meed of endeavour;
And if I am really worth while,
New Year, you will give me your smile.

You hide in your mystical hand
No “luck” that I cannot control,
If I trust my own courage and stand
On the Infinite strength of my soul.
Man holds in his brain and his spirit
A power that is God-like, or near it,
And he who has measured his force
Can govern events and their course.

You come with a crown on your brow,
New Year, without blemish or spot;
Yet you, and not I, sir, must bow,
For time is the servant of thought
Whatever you bring me of trouble
Shall turn into good, and then double,
If my spirit looks up without fear
To the Source that you came from, New Year.