Good evening, Upper-West Siders,
This week has been such a full week, in the sense that a lot of things happened, and they ranged from the really meaningful and profound to the superficially transient in nature. Firstly, I got over the fact that I screwed up for IOC. I had it coming, anyway, since I didn't really study for it. In fact, the morning before my IOC I was still trying to manage reading the rest of King Lear the reading of which I stopped after Gloucester's 'fall' down a 'cliff' (Cliffs of Dover, anyone?). On top of that, I still found time to play around the day before. Hey, I even spent practically the whole of prep on MSN with Sam Lee (the Year 5 guy, mind you, not my ex-Econs teacher), since he was asking stuff about English EE. Apparently, the Year 5s haven't started on their EEs yet. I was aghast, since he just changed to English EE (not as aghast as I was when Calvin -- oops, I mean, B -- switched to English after last year's final year exams. I practically threw my hands up in horror (like Govinda).
Anyway, I was about to blog yesterday, because I found yesterday a pretty eventful, and meaningful, day due to reasons which I will cover shortly. However, due to the unavailability of time at the end of the day: S insisted that B, Ahim and I go to Dover with him and I was lent a fascinating book on World Mythology, by the person I'd expect least to even have a decent conversation with. The book kept me pretty busy for the most part of last night, as I refreshed my memory on how Zeus came to power. I was mistaken enough to think that Uranus, like Cronus, swallowed his children when he in actuality hid them in the deepest reaches of Gaia, namely in Tartarus. My memory is failing me, although I remember the gist of most of the stories, I found it difficult to mention the details which, according to my brilliant English strand 2 teacher, can completely change one's perception of a character and avoids oversimplification of a literary work with three-dimensional characters who need to be scrutinised with a much more mature mind than one which divides characters into 'good' and 'evil' or 'hero' and 'villain'. (Sorry for digressing, but I find such maturity imperative to analysing even classical literature, because it is interesting to watch the development of the protagonists of the epics, for example Odysseus and Perseus. In the myth of Perseus, which is an older myth than that of Odysseus, Perseus is portrayed as a typically heroic character who has experienced massive trials and tribulations in his life, and he overcomes them with bravery, wit, intellect, yadda, yadda, yadda... Meanwhile, Odysseus comes across as a much more human character, since he is capable of erring, as humans are, a case which is most explicitly shown when he falls into the temptation of the sorceress (I forgot what her name is) who eds up enticing him to eat his own shipmates by glamouring them into cute little piggies.
Anyway, apart from the book on mythology, I was kept from blogging because my alarm refused to ring this morning, for a completely unknown reason. It could be that it's the first of the three-day full moon today or something, which reminds me: it's the seventh month of the Chinese calendar! Usually, I'm not scared of it. In fact, I didn't even know when the seventh month was, until people started telling me. Anyway, this year it frightens me, since the start of it coincides with the dark moon (as it always does due to the dark moon's status as a marker for a new month) AND with the Wiccan Sabbat of Lughnasadh, a Sabbat commemorating the momentary death of the Sun God as the world plunges into the cold and dark of winter. Add the symbolism of the lack of light to the already frightening idea of hungry ghosts, I think that we have a reason to worry here. To top this all off, I did not make my monthly ritual to Hecate on the crossover day, although I bought my athame an that day, because I was getting drunk with the Dance people and was learning how to wave. That's why this full moon will be a very important day for me.
BY the by, I got a haircut yesterday, at Colorbar, YH's mum's place. I arrived at the place expecting a discount cut, since students from my school are given a discount, but when I got there I was charged $30. Ouch. Luckily I had my daddy's credit card to pull me out of trouble. It is only during the actual cut tat I was told that the promotion applies only before 4 p.m. I maintained my cool and checked myself, resolved to my fate. Anyway, I accepted the rate, and the hairdresser asked if I wanted my hair short. I told her that I wanted it within school regulations but still fashionable. Unfortunately, she cut a wee bit too short, so that I would only look decent when I apply some product on my hair. I just sighed and let the stylist style my hair. When he styled it, though, it looked good, but after I showered, I felt like I should have shaved everything and become a Botak Jones or something, in EmoGirl's words. I'll upload the pics next time.
I think this is a really long post. I wouldn't want to burden you any further. Go and do something else... How about http://www.facebook.com/? I actually had more in mind, though ended up digressing, so I didn't get to cover the things I originally wanted, like my current style of music and all that. It's typical of me, really.
You know you love me,
XoXo
Wiccan Wonder
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Finally
Finally, after leaving this blog to die just like that for almost a month, I have decided to appease its now voracious appetite by actually writing something in it. I would like to thank my good friend Liza Tanzil of http://www.lizatanzil.blogspot.com/ for managing to persuade me (through inspiration, mind you) to find again the enjoyment of blogging. Blogging used to be such a cathartic experience for me (YES, Steven and Ahim, CATHARTIC. The word's been written here a gazillion times and you haven't noticed it until I talk about it for IOC?) and still is. I have missed many occasions which are highly bloggable (I know, I made that word up. Hey, Shakespeare coined his own words, and so did Valentino, and I know I shouldn't be comparing myself to them...) many of which I decided to vent by bitching. However, the catharsis is nothing compared to blogging. Anyway, blogging is a more effective way of bitching, I should say, because it allows word to spread faster, although verbal bitching does have its knowledge. By the way, it's interesting to note that the patron animal of Hecate, the Goddess I worship most, is the bitch (as in the FEMALE DOG!). Anyway, anyhow, anywho, I'm back here, ready to spread the wings that I have furled up for such a long, long, long time, all thanks to Liza.
As I have said above, I have missed the blogging of many things, one of these things is the release of exam results. (I KNOW that it's way too late, since it's been more than a month, but I feel that i need to inform the people who have not been in constant contact with me.) Anyway, (has anyone realised how often I use anyway?) I got 33 points. Highly disappointing, since I need 39 to at least be eligible to apply to Oxford Psychology. Though it may seem like an unattainable goal for me, and most of you laugh at my determination to go there, but I feel that I can only go to UK with a scholarship,since my parents probably won't be able to send me to UK without one, and only Oxford offers a scholarship for Psychology. The only other option for me is to either take up engineering (bleah) or go to Australia instead, where my mum would probably coerce me to take engineering anyway. My parents haven't really understood the value of psychology, especially in Western and Southern countries, but they still try to let me study whatever and whenever I want. Anyway, this really means that I have to buck up in my studies, because only my Spanish was a 7, and that's only a borderline 7. The other subjects that I hoped to get a 7 in, namely English and Chemistry, were, to say the least, disappointing, especially Chemistry paper 2 and English paper 1, not like you can study for English paper 1 anyway... In short, I have planned to take my studies more seriously, especially because I'm in the danger zone for Maths, but I still don't listen to that new teacher in class (most of you probably know why).
After the exam results were released, it was tome for more stress as, Festival of Arts (FoA) loomed nearer and was coupled with IOC (Indiuiduale Orale Commentarie, in Elizabethan English) We got through the SYF showcase and FoA pretty well, I must say, but after that I was only left with one week to mug up 12 extracts from Shakespeare's King Lear and 6 different poems, but I really should consider myself lucky, especially because there are those who have it a lot worse than me, most notably Amanda. Her IOC was on the Monday right after her FoA, so she only had one weekend to study. Pity of all pities... And I had the insensitivity to ask her to come for ASEAN dance, which was totally inconsiderate. So, in effect, I shouldn't be rambling so much about it. Anyway, when we were told to select which envelopes we wanted for our IOC, we were given 30 seconds to pray by Merv (By the way, by 'we' I refer to the people who did their IOC with me, i.e. Wing Hing, Richard and Celeste.) It was during this time that I took out my pendulum and tried to dowse for the best extract for me, when I was rudely interrupted by Merv with a shrill 'Excuse me!' Everyone else were reaching into their spiritual guides, why couldn't I? But I didn't decide to make a fuss about it, so I stuffed it back into my pocket with a teeny 'Sorry, madam.' Anyway, afterwards she went and jumbled it up again anyway, so dowsing wouldn't have proven very useful. However, when she wasn't looking, I took out the pendulum agan and held it low, so she couldn't see (Celeste purports that she COULD, but didn't want to make a fuss about it.) and I let it dangle and connected into the One-ness of the room, just long enough for the pendulum to give a little tug to point me in the right direction. t pointed to either envelope 3 or 4, but I didn't have the time to dawdle, so I just went with my intuition this time and asked for 'Envelope 4, please.' When I first got the poem, I thought it was Frost's Wood Pile since the guiding questions asked about the theme of isolation and the use of contrast, but when I finally turned the paper lo and behold, there was Owen's Disabled, one of my earliest-annotated poems, staring me in the face! So I let out a quick 'Blessed be' to the spirits and thanked to Goddess Hecate and the Gods Thoth (a.k.a. Tahuti) and Hermes, but it was a little too soon. Although I had annotated the poem well and thoroughly, even injecting some of my own interpretation, which is usually nigh impossible for Wilfred Owen's poems, into the analysis, I had trouble when I finally had to speak to the Four-Chinned irrevocable stern judge. I stammered almost all my words, although I had read the printed instruction very well. In fact, when we practiced reading it, she told me that I didn't have to sound like a news reporter, but I retorted that I wanted to. After all, this got me an A1 for 'O' levels. But after the very impressive opening introduction to myself, the commentary was followed by a drawn-out 5-second pause as I was thinking up of a good introduction which was followed by an anticlimactic 'Ermmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......' until I finally started talking, no, stuttering about the poem. Hope I get extra marks for trying to sound 'Disabled'. Even before we started, Four-Chins tried to calm my nerves by going on about how good and confident I would be, especially with all the drama I have in class, and that I'm a member of the drama club and all, but it didn't help. In the end, she consoled me by saying that it wasn't 'very bad'. Ouch.
On top of all this, before IOC came and went (sorry for your having to adjust to my streams-of-consciousness) there was quite a dramatic point of time, where a note was involved. It was a highly bloggable moment at that time, and I would really have liked to blog about it to shame my opponent, but I have decided not to, since verbal bitching already did so much damage to him, and I felt sorry for the poor guy. Anyway, this post has been long and dramatic enough even without all this Filipina telenovela. Thanks for having read this post, and I promise I will continue blogging regularly.
Blessed be!
As I have said above, I have missed the blogging of many things, one of these things is the release of exam results. (I KNOW that it's way too late, since it's been more than a month, but I feel that i need to inform the people who have not been in constant contact with me.) Anyway, (has anyone realised how often I use anyway?) I got 33 points. Highly disappointing, since I need 39 to at least be eligible to apply to Oxford Psychology. Though it may seem like an unattainable goal for me, and most of you laugh at my determination to go there, but I feel that I can only go to UK with a scholarship,since my parents probably won't be able to send me to UK without one, and only Oxford offers a scholarship for Psychology. The only other option for me is to either take up engineering (bleah) or go to Australia instead, where my mum would probably coerce me to take engineering anyway. My parents haven't really understood the value of psychology, especially in Western and Southern countries, but they still try to let me study whatever and whenever I want. Anyway, this really means that I have to buck up in my studies, because only my Spanish was a 7, and that's only a borderline 7. The other subjects that I hoped to get a 7 in, namely English and Chemistry, were, to say the least, disappointing, especially Chemistry paper 2 and English paper 1, not like you can study for English paper 1 anyway... In short, I have planned to take my studies more seriously, especially because I'm in the danger zone for Maths, but I still don't listen to that new teacher in class (most of you probably know why).
After the exam results were released, it was tome for more stress as, Festival of Arts (FoA) loomed nearer and was coupled with IOC (Indiuiduale Orale Commentarie, in Elizabethan English) We got through the SYF showcase and FoA pretty well, I must say, but after that I was only left with one week to mug up 12 extracts from Shakespeare's King Lear and 6 different poems, but I really should consider myself lucky, especially because there are those who have it a lot worse than me, most notably Amanda. Her IOC was on the Monday right after her FoA, so she only had one weekend to study. Pity of all pities... And I had the insensitivity to ask her to come for ASEAN dance, which was totally inconsiderate. So, in effect, I shouldn't be rambling so much about it. Anyway, when we were told to select which envelopes we wanted for our IOC, we were given 30 seconds to pray by Merv (By the way, by 'we' I refer to the people who did their IOC with me, i.e. Wing Hing, Richard and Celeste.) It was during this time that I took out my pendulum and tried to dowse for the best extract for me, when I was rudely interrupted by Merv with a shrill 'Excuse me!' Everyone else were reaching into their spiritual guides, why couldn't I? But I didn't decide to make a fuss about it, so I stuffed it back into my pocket with a teeny 'Sorry, madam.' Anyway, afterwards she went and jumbled it up again anyway, so dowsing wouldn't have proven very useful. However, when she wasn't looking, I took out the pendulum agan and held it low, so she couldn't see (Celeste purports that she COULD, but didn't want to make a fuss about it.) and I let it dangle and connected into the One-ness of the room, just long enough for the pendulum to give a little tug to point me in the right direction. t pointed to either envelope 3 or 4, but I didn't have the time to dawdle, so I just went with my intuition this time and asked for 'Envelope 4, please.' When I first got the poem, I thought it was Frost's Wood Pile since the guiding questions asked about the theme of isolation and the use of contrast, but when I finally turned the paper lo and behold, there was Owen's Disabled, one of my earliest-annotated poems, staring me in the face! So I let out a quick 'Blessed be' to the spirits and thanked to Goddess Hecate and the Gods Thoth (a.k.a. Tahuti) and Hermes, but it was a little too soon. Although I had annotated the poem well and thoroughly, even injecting some of my own interpretation, which is usually nigh impossible for Wilfred Owen's poems, into the analysis, I had trouble when I finally had to speak to the Four-Chinned irrevocable stern judge. I stammered almost all my words, although I had read the printed instruction very well. In fact, when we practiced reading it, she told me that I didn't have to sound like a news reporter, but I retorted that I wanted to. After all, this got me an A1 for 'O' levels. But after the very impressive opening introduction to myself, the commentary was followed by a drawn-out 5-second pause as I was thinking up of a good introduction which was followed by an anticlimactic 'Ermmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......' until I finally started talking, no, stuttering about the poem. Hope I get extra marks for trying to sound 'Disabled'. Even before we started, Four-Chins tried to calm my nerves by going on about how good and confident I would be, especially with all the drama I have in class, and that I'm a member of the drama club and all, but it didn't help. In the end, she consoled me by saying that it wasn't 'very bad'. Ouch.
On top of all this, before IOC came and went (sorry for your having to adjust to my streams-of-consciousness) there was quite a dramatic point of time, where a note was involved. It was a highly bloggable moment at that time, and I would really have liked to blog about it to shame my opponent, but I have decided not to, since verbal bitching already did so much damage to him, and I felt sorry for the poor guy. Anyway, this post has been long and dramatic enough even without all this Filipina telenovela. Thanks for having read this post, and I promise I will continue blogging regularly.
Blessed be!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Post after the previous post
So, here goes. The next day, Tuesday, I had the papwer that was set by the Columbian druglord -- Spanish paper! I have no idea why it was so difficult, other than the fact that all of his previous tests (I am really tempted to put an 'i' somewhere in that last word) were indescribably difficult. I mean, doesn't he realise that our predicted grade will most probably come from this exam? It was so bad that everybody complained. And it's not as if he was as nice as my previous teacher either. At least my previous teacher would feel pity for us if she screwed up these exams and give us a 7 if we manage to act sweet and all.
The first papaer, paper 1, was the composition of two letters or messages, one with 60 words and above and the other with 120 words and above. I have no idea why, but he seemed to have a really strange obsession with winning prizes and holidays. Three out of five questions were on winning prizes, either from a magazine or from some lottery crap. Then the magazine or whatnot supposedly interviewed us and we were supposed to write out the interview. There was one about writing a letter to the hotel one stayed at during one's holidays, claiming that one has lost a valuable item within the hotel premises and asks for the hotel to return it (HAH! As if I'd do that question!) and the other was to write a letter to a friend who was coming to Madrid to study Spanish and to persuade him to come to Barcelona (where one supposedly lived) instead claiming that the coures in Barcelona are better and there are more things to do there. (I did this one.) I the got mixed up between Barcelona and Madrid halfway through the 'letter' and ended up crossing out and replacing the cities in their appropriate slots, though I expect that would have cost marks in terms of presentation.
The paper 2, response to passages, was even more of a killer. There were so many words that I didn't know, and the passages were incredibly difficult to understand. In fact, the whole of paper 2 didn't even follow the usual format that it was supposed to. I have never seen such a format in my lofe, especially one with NO MCQs!!!!!!! I gues hewas high when he set the paper. Or maybe it was just the lack of experience. Now, I don't even remember the questions in paper 2: they were that bad.
Don't even get me started on the chemistry paper. I was so lost, I barely knew what I was writing. The only good thing about the exam was that I had an excuse to sleep early. Now, the earliest I can sleep is 12 o'clock, which is starting to compound my serious eyebag problems. Oh well, that's IB for ya. I now have to go and do an Econs presentation for tomorrow morning and some Chemistry questions. I'll continue when I have the time.
The first papaer, paper 1, was the composition of two letters or messages, one with 60 words and above and the other with 120 words and above. I have no idea why, but he seemed to have a really strange obsession with winning prizes and holidays. Three out of five questions were on winning prizes, either from a magazine or from some lottery crap. Then the magazine or whatnot supposedly interviewed us and we were supposed to write out the interview. There was one about writing a letter to the hotel one stayed at during one's holidays, claiming that one has lost a valuable item within the hotel premises and asks for the hotel to return it (HAH! As if I'd do that question!) and the other was to write a letter to a friend who was coming to Madrid to study Spanish and to persuade him to come to Barcelona (where one supposedly lived) instead claiming that the coures in Barcelona are better and there are more things to do there. (I did this one.) I the got mixed up between Barcelona and Madrid halfway through the 'letter' and ended up crossing out and replacing the cities in their appropriate slots, though I expect that would have cost marks in terms of presentation.
The paper 2, response to passages, was even more of a killer. There were so many words that I didn't know, and the passages were incredibly difficult to understand. In fact, the whole of paper 2 didn't even follow the usual format that it was supposed to. I have never seen such a format in my lofe, especially one with NO MCQs!!!!!!! I gues hewas high when he set the paper. Or maybe it was just the lack of experience. Now, I don't even remember the questions in paper 2: they were that bad.
Don't even get me started on the chemistry paper. I was so lost, I barely knew what I was writing. The only good thing about the exam was that I had an excuse to sleep early. Now, the earliest I can sleep is 12 o'clock, which is starting to compound my serious eyebag problems. Oh well, that's IB for ya. I now have to go and do an Econs presentation for tomorrow morning and some Chemistry questions. I'll continue when I have the time.
Exams and such...
Blessed be.
Sorry for being so late in blogging. Firstly, there were a few problems in establishing a decent enough connection to blog with, what with the apparent lagging of most, if not all, of the M1 connections in the boarding school immediately after exams and the fact that I share a connection with four more people. To top that off,I had the unfortunate and unnecessary trouble of exams. Though I would rather not bring them up right now, the catharsis of blogging is drastically reduced if I do not. So, here goes. On Monday (Mind you, this won't be one of the strams-of-consciousness post I am usually so fond of: I am looking at the exam timetable as I speak - or write - or type) I had chapel. It was the usual boring talk by someone who claims to have lost weight but is still far from his ideal weight. (I think everyone knows who that is, unless you're Liza - not that I'm singling you out here: I'll tell you next time we meet) After the long hour-and-a-half of yapping, he dismissed us and gave us the permission to meet our maker(s), English A1. The passage, in my opinion, was difficult. Maybe it's just that I'm bever good with passages that have anything to do with war. Valentino, however, insists that it wasn't as difficult as I made it out to be. Well, I have one word to say to you: ELLIPSIS! ELLIPSIS! ELLIPSIS! (one word repeated multiple times, that is) He also insists that it was a Wiccan passage because fo the full moon and the encounter with spirits. Well, I obviously don't do well on Wiccan passages then.
Anyways, I'll have to continue this post tomorrow, since I am so sleepy that I can barely keep my eyes open. Blessed be.
Sorry for being so late in blogging. Firstly, there were a few problems in establishing a decent enough connection to blog with, what with the apparent lagging of most, if not all, of the M1 connections in the boarding school immediately after exams and the fact that I share a connection with four more people. To top that off,I had the unfortunate and unnecessary trouble of exams. Though I would rather not bring them up right now, the catharsis of blogging is drastically reduced if I do not. So, here goes. On Monday (Mind you, this won't be one of the strams-of-consciousness post I am usually so fond of: I am looking at the exam timetable as I speak - or write - or type) I had chapel. It was the usual boring talk by someone who claims to have lost weight but is still far from his ideal weight. (I think everyone knows who that is, unless you're Liza - not that I'm singling you out here: I'll tell you next time we meet) After the long hour-and-a-half of yapping, he dismissed us and gave us the permission to meet our maker(s), English A1. The passage, in my opinion, was difficult. Maybe it's just that I'm bever good with passages that have anything to do with war. Valentino, however, insists that it wasn't as difficult as I made it out to be. Well, I have one word to say to you: ELLIPSIS! ELLIPSIS! ELLIPSIS! (one word repeated multiple times, that is) He also insists that it was a Wiccan passage because fo the full moon and the encounter with spirits. Well, I obviously don't do well on Wiccan passages then.
Anyways, I'll have to continue this post tomorrow, since I am so sleepy that I can barely keep my eyes open. Blessed be.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday the 13th
Blessed be.
Do you think Friday the 13th is unlucky, or even dangerous? Personally, I find that Friday the 13ths have always been interesting days for me. Once, it was when my family celebrated my mother's birthday. At that time, I didn't know it, but my mother was born on a Friday the 13th. Not that she knows, anyway, since she doesn't really believe in superstitions, or even in witchcraft for that matter -- sadly. Anyways, I'm rambling. Friday the 13th is interesting for me because the things that occur on this sacred (or is it cursed?) day have always been equivocal in nature, in the sense that they are neither good nor bad per se. For example, I'd lose something tangible, like the keys to my house, and gain something intangible, like some wisecrack crap that you probably know but don't practise, like 'Patience is a virtue' yadda yadda yadda, or a near miss from an accident. Maybe this was what aroused my interest in Wicca: I've probably always been a witch in the sense that I had always taken part in 'informal rituals' of sacrificing something that I own to the Goddess or the Spirits and gaining something in return, which is what I do in rituals anyway. Maybe there's another reason that this day is called the Witches' Sabbat than the myth I shall retell in a while -- although no writers I know of have ever written about a Sabbat outside of the Four Greater Sabbats (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltain and Lammas) and the Four Lesser Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Litha and Mabon).
Why is Friday the thirteenth considered unlucky? For those who watch Charmed, I'm sure you know that Friday the thirteenth is a very dangerous day for the sisters, because it is on Friday the thirteenth that the Demon of Fear, Barbas, escapes Purgatory and has until midnight to kill 13 witches inorder to be free from the eternal torture of Purgatory. This demon is extremely dangerous because he manipulates people by manipulating their deepest fears and making them come to life. There is no known way to vanquish him, except in Season 7 when Charmed became really cheapskate and Elders like Leo can kill even upper-level demons by shooting lightning out of their hands (how cheap is that?). One can only banish him temporarily by conquering one's own fear. (See? That's the kind of Charmed I like!) Anyway, for those who do not watch Charmed (I hope the video below will change your mind), there are many other tales of why Friday the thirteenth is considered to be so unlucky, like the story that the Knights of Templar were executed on Friday the Thirteenth. However, the one I will discuss is the one regarding the Norse mythe of Frigg, or Freya.
As you can probably tell, Friday was named after Frigg, the Norse goddess of marriage. Many worshipped her, when the Vikings were still Pagans, at least. Therefore, when they were converted into Christianity, the whle Pagan Pantheon (I know this word is used more appropriately in Greek mythology, but I lack a better word) was cast away and labelled as workers of the Devil and Frigg, escpecially, was known as the Evil Witch who gathers with eleven other witches on Friday the 13th and discuss their evil deeds with the Devil (not that we Wiccan witches believe in the devil, anyway. We don't believe in ultimate good nor ultimate evil. everything consists of both. They are both required for the balance of the Grand Design.) That's why Friday the thirteenth is considerd to be a day of the convergence of evil. That's also one of the reasons why it was considered the Witches' Sabbat, along with the fact that it is a day holy to Frigg.
As for me, I personally feel that Friday the thirteenth is a mix of positive and negative influences, as are most things, but it is more extreme. This is due to the negative influences that the day carries for most people (except those born on Friday the Thirteenth; for them, it's their lucky day, so my mum is probably enjoying her lucky day right now.) and the positive influences bought to me by Venus. After all, Friday is the day sacred to Venus, who rules over my Zodiac sign. That's why I believe in the magick of Friday the thirteenth!
Do you think Friday the 13th is unlucky, or even dangerous? Personally, I find that Friday the 13ths have always been interesting days for me. Once, it was when my family celebrated my mother's birthday. At that time, I didn't know it, but my mother was born on a Friday the 13th. Not that she knows, anyway, since she doesn't really believe in superstitions, or even in witchcraft for that matter -- sadly. Anyways, I'm rambling. Friday the 13th is interesting for me because the things that occur on this sacred (or is it cursed?) day have always been equivocal in nature, in the sense that they are neither good nor bad per se. For example, I'd lose something tangible, like the keys to my house, and gain something intangible, like some wisecrack crap that you probably know but don't practise, like 'Patience is a virtue' yadda yadda yadda, or a near miss from an accident. Maybe this was what aroused my interest in Wicca: I've probably always been a witch in the sense that I had always taken part in 'informal rituals' of sacrificing something that I own to the Goddess or the Spirits and gaining something in return, which is what I do in rituals anyway. Maybe there's another reason that this day is called the Witches' Sabbat than the myth I shall retell in a while -- although no writers I know of have ever written about a Sabbat outside of the Four Greater Sabbats (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltain and Lammas) and the Four Lesser Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Litha and Mabon).
Why is Friday the thirteenth considered unlucky? For those who watch Charmed, I'm sure you know that Friday the thirteenth is a very dangerous day for the sisters, because it is on Friday the thirteenth that the Demon of Fear, Barbas, escapes Purgatory and has until midnight to kill 13 witches inorder to be free from the eternal torture of Purgatory. This demon is extremely dangerous because he manipulates people by manipulating their deepest fears and making them come to life. There is no known way to vanquish him, except in Season 7 when Charmed became really cheapskate and Elders like Leo can kill even upper-level demons by shooting lightning out of their hands (how cheap is that?). One can only banish him temporarily by conquering one's own fear. (See? That's the kind of Charmed I like!) Anyway, for those who do not watch Charmed (I hope the video below will change your mind), there are many other tales of why Friday the thirteenth is considered to be so unlucky, like the story that the Knights of Templar were executed on Friday the Thirteenth. However, the one I will discuss is the one regarding the Norse mythe of Frigg, or Freya.
As you can probably tell, Friday was named after Frigg, the Norse goddess of marriage. Many worshipped her, when the Vikings were still Pagans, at least. Therefore, when they were converted into Christianity, the whle Pagan Pantheon (I know this word is used more appropriately in Greek mythology, but I lack a better word) was cast away and labelled as workers of the Devil and Frigg, escpecially, was known as the Evil Witch who gathers with eleven other witches on Friday the 13th and discuss their evil deeds with the Devil (not that we Wiccan witches believe in the devil, anyway. We don't believe in ultimate good nor ultimate evil. everything consists of both. They are both required for the balance of the Grand Design.) That's why Friday the thirteenth is considerd to be a day of the convergence of evil. That's also one of the reasons why it was considered the Witches' Sabbat, along with the fact that it is a day holy to Frigg.
As for me, I personally feel that Friday the thirteenth is a mix of positive and negative influences, as are most things, but it is more extreme. This is due to the negative influences that the day carries for most people (except those born on Friday the Thirteenth; for them, it's their lucky day, so my mum is probably enjoying her lucky day right now.) and the positive influences bought to me by Venus. After all, Friday is the day sacred to Venus, who rules over my Zodiac sign. That's why I believe in the magick of Friday the thirteenth!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Very Very Very Sorry
Blessed be, my dear coveners...
I am very very very sorry that I haven't posted for some time now. It's this IB thing; it's such a waste of my time. On top of that, a lot of eventful ... well ... events happened this month, most notably, my birthday (YAY!). That's right, I'm now of legal age. It's a completely new feeling altogether. Although on my birthday (and on Vesak Day, the day after) I only stayed in my room, watching Charmed and Desperate Housewives for a substantial portion of the day, I watched with a new vigour, with a feeling, a mindset and a perspective that I've never known myself to have. It's as if I was a new person altogether, and I've achieved it using a ritual that I created and carried out by myself.
Speaking of my birthday ritual, a hilarious incident occurred then. I was mixing my herbs and such in my cauldron (YES, I bought a NEW cauldron. Kinda costly, but it's new and works really well. All this time I've been using a bowl to hold my herbs, until I finally burnt something in it and the bowl never looked the same ever since). Anyway, when I was mixing my s=things in the cauldron, I got a few messages. Most of them were the standard 'Happy Birthday' messages that one would expect, except for two. One was from my friend in my hometown whom one can never expect normal messages from. Another was from *drum roll* Lexito! I had no idea why he messaged me. It turned out that he was coming back late (I mean REALLY late) to the boarding school and needed someone from my wing to open the door for him, since his hall-mistress would find out if he beeped himself in. Fortunately, it didn't interfere much with my ritual, because his arrival wasn't due for some time (although many witches consider electronic devices, especially those that emit radiation, interfere with the Circle's piezo-electrical field. This is a plausible argument, but I see witches in The Craft and Charmed not only casting their spells within the vicinity of mobile phones but also using them as media for spellcraft.) Anyway, I tried to clear up (I REALLY tried as best as I could) but Lex arrived before I managed to finish, so I let him in and continued trying to clear up. It took days for the smell of burnt herbs wafted out of the staircase.
Regarding the cauldron I bought recently, I actually bought it only because I couldn't buy an athame. You see, the guy at the Wiccan shop told me the stock was to arrive in the middle of the month, but when I went there on my birth-eve, it hadn't arrived yet, though I really wanted to consecrate the athame on my birthday. I was in possession of quite a sum of money that I was going to dedicate to the athame, but I couldn't buy what wasn't there, could I? So, I decided that I would buy myself another Wiccan tool that is crucial to the Wiccan altar - the cauldron. I placed the athame at a much higher priority though, since it is very versatile in that it casts and removes circles and is often a more powerful tool for consecration. On top of that, it is used in the vanquishing of demons in Charmed. Unlike Charmed, however, the athame of a good witch must not draw blood, not even demonic blood, because it taints the athame, making most spells go wonky and makes the outcome of the spell lean towards evil. On top of the athame, I would also like to buy a book, preferably made of parchment or natural paper. After all, I'd need it to make a Book of Shadows for myself, wouldn't I? I also bought some herbs to go along with the cauldron that I bought. Speaking of herbs, I was surprised to find that Daiso actually sells essential oils! I bought ylang-ylang essential oils, since the others were much more common. When I got back to the boarding school, however, I was shocked to find that ylang-ylang was used in love potions! I always thought that it was used to clear the obstacles to the circulation of the body's energies. Well, some sources also say that it does that in moderate amounts, but in excessive amounts it can be a powerful aphrodisiac, when mixed with other herbs and oils that unlock its lusty quality. In my repertoire of magickal ingredients, I hold an ingredient that could be against the Wiccan Rede! Imagine my shock!
Anyway, I'd also like to cover the things that have occurred this month. A moment of great euphoria for me was last Thursday, when I found out that me, as in ACSIS, got Gold with Honours for the SYF. It was such a momentous ... well ... moment. Of course, the rest of the club went crazy when they heard this, but I didn't really, because I found that the performance was not the best that the cast has given. One of the rehearsal performances was much better. But, hey, if that's a Gold with Honours standard, I'm not complaining.
Okay, I think it's a very long post. If you've reached this part of the post, I commend you for your perseverance and courage. Now, I'll go back to watching Buffy and you can go back to your daily lives, that is, until the next post comes.
Blessed be...
I am very very very sorry that I haven't posted for some time now. It's this IB thing; it's such a waste of my time. On top of that, a lot of eventful ... well ... events happened this month, most notably, my birthday (YAY!). That's right, I'm now of legal age. It's a completely new feeling altogether. Although on my birthday (and on Vesak Day, the day after) I only stayed in my room, watching Charmed and Desperate Housewives for a substantial portion of the day, I watched with a new vigour, with a feeling, a mindset and a perspective that I've never known myself to have. It's as if I was a new person altogether, and I've achieved it using a ritual that I created and carried out by myself.
Speaking of my birthday ritual, a hilarious incident occurred then. I was mixing my herbs and such in my cauldron (YES, I bought a NEW cauldron. Kinda costly, but it's new and works really well. All this time I've been using a bowl to hold my herbs, until I finally burnt something in it and the bowl never looked the same ever since). Anyway, when I was mixing my s=things in the cauldron, I got a few messages. Most of them were the standard 'Happy Birthday' messages that one would expect, except for two. One was from my friend in my hometown whom one can never expect normal messages from. Another was from *drum roll* Lexito! I had no idea why he messaged me. It turned out that he was coming back late (I mean REALLY late) to the boarding school and needed someone from my wing to open the door for him, since his hall-mistress would find out if he beeped himself in. Fortunately, it didn't interfere much with my ritual, because his arrival wasn't due for some time (although many witches consider electronic devices, especially those that emit radiation, interfere with the Circle's piezo-electrical field. This is a plausible argument, but I see witches in The Craft and Charmed not only casting their spells within the vicinity of mobile phones but also using them as media for spellcraft.) Anyway, I tried to clear up (I REALLY tried as best as I could) but Lex arrived before I managed to finish, so I let him in and continued trying to clear up. It took days for the smell of burnt herbs wafted out of the staircase.
Regarding the cauldron I bought recently, I actually bought it only because I couldn't buy an athame. You see, the guy at the Wiccan shop told me the stock was to arrive in the middle of the month, but when I went there on my birth-eve, it hadn't arrived yet, though I really wanted to consecrate the athame on my birthday. I was in possession of quite a sum of money that I was going to dedicate to the athame, but I couldn't buy what wasn't there, could I? So, I decided that I would buy myself another Wiccan tool that is crucial to the Wiccan altar - the cauldron. I placed the athame at a much higher priority though, since it is very versatile in that it casts and removes circles and is often a more powerful tool for consecration. On top of that, it is used in the vanquishing of demons in Charmed. Unlike Charmed, however, the athame of a good witch must not draw blood, not even demonic blood, because it taints the athame, making most spells go wonky and makes the outcome of the spell lean towards evil. On top of the athame, I would also like to buy a book, preferably made of parchment or natural paper. After all, I'd need it to make a Book of Shadows for myself, wouldn't I? I also bought some herbs to go along with the cauldron that I bought. Speaking of herbs, I was surprised to find that Daiso actually sells essential oils! I bought ylang-ylang essential oils, since the others were much more common. When I got back to the boarding school, however, I was shocked to find that ylang-ylang was used in love potions! I always thought that it was used to clear the obstacles to the circulation of the body's energies. Well, some sources also say that it does that in moderate amounts, but in excessive amounts it can be a powerful aphrodisiac, when mixed with other herbs and oils that unlock its lusty quality. In my repertoire of magickal ingredients, I hold an ingredient that could be against the Wiccan Rede! Imagine my shock!
Anyway, I'd also like to cover the things that have occurred this month. A moment of great euphoria for me was last Thursday, when I found out that me, as in ACSIS, got Gold with Honours for the SYF. It was such a momentous ... well ... moment. Of course, the rest of the club went crazy when they heard this, but I didn't really, because I found that the performance was not the best that the cast has given. One of the rehearsal performances was much better. But, hey, if that's a Gold with Honours standard, I'm not complaining.
Okay, I think it's a very long post. If you've reached this part of the post, I commend you for your perseverance and courage. Now, I'll go back to watching Buffy and you can go back to your daily lives, that is, until the next post comes.
Blessed be...
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Blessed be, my fellow coveners...
I am truly sorry that I haven't been posting regularly lately, but I was overly preoccupied with other matters. That is why I had to wait until today to actually post anything. Although I haven't yet finished my work, especially one due tomorrow, I have decided to honour this day of Beltane, the day when Mother Goddess is pregant. This, obviously, is why the old way of celebrating Beltane, not Labour Day (pssshhh), is to dance around the 20-foot Maypole. An English teacher of mine elaborated the stories regarding "May Day" (as they used to call it) and told us about how the Maypole is a phallic symbol. I was the one who brought up the topic and was the most interested student in the conversation, until everyone heard the words "pahllic symbol", that is. I was the one who brought the name May Day up as well. Little did my teacher know, though, that I am a witch, which is the reason for my extnded knowledge in Celtic celebrations.
Anyway, surprisingly, I have accomplished only a few of the things I wanted to do during Beltane - which, I must reiterate, is NOT schoolwork (I regard this day a Sabbat, and that's enforced by the fact that it's be renamed Labour Day). However, I have managed to cast a spell, though only now. I have called for and honoured the Nature spirits of Beltane and asked to be granted Power. It was my first spell in which I actually performed a blood sacrifice, mine, of course. That's why I find typing hard, seeing as I have one plastered finger. The second blood sacrifice will occur during the consecration of my athame, which I still haven't bought. Apparently, the Wiccan shop will only receive the next stock of athames next week. That's also a reason for my not completing the plethora of things I wanted done on Beltane.
One of the most important reason for my inefficiency today, however, is the fact that I slept over at Iam Goh's room last night. I was just chatting, and then I fell asleep! Fortunately, Kohar was staying out, so I didn't have to go back to my room. When I did go back to my room, however, I found Andreas in my bed and, wait for it, Ahim in his! That's why I was lucky that I didn't have to go back.
Anyway, I have to publish this now, so that it will still be Beltane when I publish it.
Blessed be.
I am truly sorry that I haven't been posting regularly lately, but I was overly preoccupied with other matters. That is why I had to wait until today to actually post anything. Although I haven't yet finished my work, especially one due tomorrow, I have decided to honour this day of Beltane, the day when Mother Goddess is pregant. This, obviously, is why the old way of celebrating Beltane, not Labour Day (pssshhh), is to dance around the 20-foot Maypole. An English teacher of mine elaborated the stories regarding "May Day" (as they used to call it) and told us about how the Maypole is a phallic symbol. I was the one who brought up the topic and was the most interested student in the conversation, until everyone heard the words "pahllic symbol", that is. I was the one who brought the name May Day up as well. Little did my teacher know, though, that I am a witch, which is the reason for my extnded knowledge in Celtic celebrations.
Anyway, surprisingly, I have accomplished only a few of the things I wanted to do during Beltane - which, I must reiterate, is NOT schoolwork (I regard this day a Sabbat, and that's enforced by the fact that it's be renamed Labour Day). However, I have managed to cast a spell, though only now. I have called for and honoured the Nature spirits of Beltane and asked to be granted Power. It was my first spell in which I actually performed a blood sacrifice, mine, of course. That's why I find typing hard, seeing as I have one plastered finger. The second blood sacrifice will occur during the consecration of my athame, which I still haven't bought. Apparently, the Wiccan shop will only receive the next stock of athames next week. That's also a reason for my not completing the plethora of things I wanted done on Beltane.
One of the most important reason for my inefficiency today, however, is the fact that I slept over at Iam Goh's room last night. I was just chatting, and then I fell asleep! Fortunately, Kohar was staying out, so I didn't have to go back to my room. When I did go back to my room, however, I found Andreas in my bed and, wait for it, Ahim in his! That's why I was lucky that I didn't have to go back.
Anyway, I have to publish this now, so that it will still be Beltane when I publish it.
Blessed be.
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