Spirit Writer

The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse  [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons I've recently joined the Crystal Silence League (CSL for short) sponsored by the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church, aka The World's Smallest Church.  The CSL is based on the teachings of C. Alexander, a sort of positive thinking guru from the early 20th century.  He was the original founder of the CSL but when he died the League pretty much stopped operating. The church is affiliated with Lucky Mojo Curio Company run by Catherine Yronwode and her husband Nagasiva.  From what I gather, it's been Yronwode's dedication along with members of the church and affiliated churches to restart the CSL. The goal is to be a place where people can request prayers and pray for others through the League's website.  The main tool used to focus prayers and thoughts is a crystal or glass ball.  You don't have to be a member to enter a prayer request or pray for others. If you do jo

I've seen some controversy from both sides regarding the question of whether one can be a Christian and a witch.  I believe you can, but I do understand why some Christians and some neo-pagans who can't see past their own way of thinking may believe it's impossible. Adelina St. Clair, author of The Path of the Christian Witch , shares in memoir form how she went from traditional Catholic to a Catholic witch who honors the feminine face of God.  She guides the reader from her childhood with strict yet loving Catholic parents to her questioning college years where she struggled with combining her passion for her new path of witchcraft while not wanting to let go of her deeply loved Catholicism. We get to see the struggle some feel not just in coming out to their Christian family but also to their Pagan friends when their paths don't fit neatly into either paradigm.  I think anyone new to witchcraft who has come up against extremely anti-Christian Pagans will be able t

Here are the latest in my crystal articles at HubPages which is part of my self-challenge to complete 30 articles in 30 days.  I'm a little behind, so am not sure if I'll make it with other plans I have coming up but this sort of challenge is always worth the effort to get creative juices flowing.  It's also a bonus to get me working with crystals again. Metaphysical and healing properties of: Amber Amethyst Sugilite My goal is to write a couple more articles about purple stones and then write a combination purple stone directory and informational article on the purple ray and it's properties. © Trish Deneen

I'm still plugging away at my personal writing challenge at HubPages.  I looked back at my past work with Reiki and decided to write articles on an experiment I tried when I was younger and how I incorporated Reiki into other bodywork.  I also share one way I clear crystals.  None of these are written in stone but are shared as guidelines for people to develop their own practice. Here are the Reiki articles I've written so far: A Reiki Experiment to Send Healing to Your Past Self How to Use Reiki to Clear and Program Crystals How to Add Reiki to a Massage Therapy Session © Trish Deneen

I've given myself a challenge of completing 30 articles in 30 days at HubPages on the topics of metaphysical and healing properties of crystals and energy work.  In my search for a more personally authentic spirituality, I've gone back to my roots you might say, no not to my evangelical Christian background (sorry mom) but to some of what I explored early on in my spiritual path. Along the way, I let some of this go as new-age woo woo stuff, but sometimes, the things that you're drawn to early on as a seeker come back into your life for a reason.  During our seeking, many of us discover we have certain gifts.  The ones that came naturally to me were healing and sensing vibrations of objects, mainly stones.  I spent 10 years as a massage therapist but I was attuned to Reiki before I went to massage school.  Even with powerful healers telling me I had a gift, my low self-esteem at the time resulted in me keeping energy work a hush-hush part of my practice and something I di

A few years ago I came across a beautiful art video from Duirwaigh  Studios called A Knock at the Door.  It was such a surprising success for the husband and wife owners of Duirwaigh that it spawned a book.  Though  Angi Sullins and Silas Toball  began their online art business in 1999, I assume the video which was released in 2004 helped propel their business forward.  It's an inspirational video that urges you never to give up on the possibility of magic. According to the artists on their website, they have " a belief in the infinite possibilities of the human psyche, with feet on the ground and heads in the stars, we endeavor to knock at the door of the human heart, re-minding ourselves and each other that once upon a time is really here and now." With their films and beautiful art, they are definitely an inspiration in how to ignite your creativity while living day to day.  Along with offering their art for sale on the Duirwaigh Studios website , they also have i

I've noticed increased interest, at least online, in biblical magic, especially that of psalm magic.  Possibly, this is due to a larger understanding (if not complete acceptance) of Christian and Jewish paganism by some pagans.  It could just be my own interest and developing personal practice, but I don't think that's all it is.  Psalm magic can be a deeply rewarding magical path to explore for those who are drawn to it. Psalm Authorship and History Illustration of Psalm 23 from The Sunday at Home The biblical Book of Psalms, also known as the Tehillim in Hebrew, are a collection of poems or songs often attributed to King David.  There is no agreement to the authorship or history of the psalms however.  One theory that makes the most sense to me is that much like the bible itself the psalms were written by several authors spanning centuries, King David being the most prolific and celebrated. Psalm and Candle Magic in Hoodoo Hoodoo, also known as African-America

Why Grounding and Centering are Important The process of relaxing and making yourself receptive and effective for any ritual, magical or devotional activity is called grounding and centering.  This isn't just a religious practice but can be used as a general spiritual and non-religious meditation technique. Grounding literally means visualizing yourself connected to the earth. Once you are grounded, you then visualize yourself centered in the present instead of constantly thinking of the past or the future. This is called being in the here and now. The reasoning behind this is that you do not want to enter into ritual in your everyday state of mind with all of your stresses. It is best to let your daily disturbances fall by the wayside even if it is only for the short period of your intended ritual. With a clear mind you will be better able to perform the ritual or magical working and also reap the most benefit. Grounding and Centering Exercise One way to ground and cente

Greetings and welcome to my new spiritual blog home.  I'm Trish Deneen, the former editor for the Pagan site at BellaOnline.com - The Voice of Women.  I have two main reasons for creating this blog.  The first is as a place to post my thoughts on different aspects of spirituality.  I expect it for the most part to take more of a personal diary tone but one which may find like minds who find value in it. I have found over the years that I despise labels, and I no longer try to define myself in those terms.  This is a place to explore my spiritual evolution.  Some of the older articles I post are likely to be glimpses of a point in time rather than represent my current practices or beliefs which don't necessarily follow any particular party line as far as Pagans or Christians are concerned.  I've always seemed to live my life in the mid way.  I can stand in a circle and see many points therein, but I still stand in my own place.  I hope my writings will inspire or give sola