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Firepit Update Letters
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The pace of the season has definitely speeded up with the onset of September. The family calendar has filled, and the round of activities seems almost non-stop at times. With such a pace, I’m surprised that this update of the Firepit is as packed as it is. I have a lot of new material to offer this time around. Here’s a brief rundown:
The biggest addition is that I’ve added a whole new section called “ Flame’s Photos”. Since I doubled the size of the Firepit at the last update, I thought I’d fill some of that extra space with a few photos of interest. So far, I have an album called “ Altars”, which has (yup! you guessed it!) altar photos as it changes through the seasons. I also have an album called “ tools”, which has a few pictures of some of my working magickal items, and a third album called “ Fun” which holds miscellaneous pictures of general interest or amusement.
Someone recently asked about Chakras, and I realized that I had nothing at the Firepit on this topic. I work with chakras so often that I can’t believe this question has never come up before. So now in the FAQ section, I’ve added a new piece that answers some basic questions about what they are and how they’re used.
I’ve added two new pieces to the Philosophy chapter. When it comes to magickal spirituality, we all have wondered at some point“what if I am making all this up?” “ Proof: Trusting the Experience” examines a seekers need for verification before fully accepting their experiences as valid. The next article prepares you to cross the veil this Samhain. “ Lowering the Veil: The Spirit Worlds at Samhain” examines the concept of the “Veil” that separates the World of Form from the World of Spirit.
The Theory chapter now has a brief article called “Past Life Recall: Remembering Our Former Selves” which explores a subject of deep fascination to so many. The Practice chapter has a new how-to article called “The Morning After: How to Encourage and Remember Dreams”. It describes some tried-n’-true techniques for developing a richer dream life. In the Commentary chapter, I’ve added a piece titled “Does Age Matter? Minors, The Craft, and Legal Consent” which discusses the problems associated with minors seeking to learn from an adult spiritual mentor.
The Journeys section of the Sacred Writings chapter now has three new additions. “The Struggle with Shadow-Self” is one of the original journeys written when I first began exploring Shamanism, but the text was somehow lost all these years. It has been found, and is now back in sequence. It describes my second attempt to confront my deepest fears in the Spirit Worlds. “Perspectives” is a recent experience I had in the Spirit Worlds. I met some new spirit animal allies, who helped me gain a new perspective on a few things. “ Star Road Journey” is another recent experience, where I was shown a new path into the World Above. I invite you to share my journeys.
The Links section has now been completely revised and expanded. This has never just been “link exchange” page. I try to keep my list of links short, and include comments for each link so you know what each is about, under the assumption that an endless list of anonymous links isn’t too useful to you. I now have them grouped by category: Community Resources, Community Forums, Inspirational Personal Sites, Pagan Search Engines, Food for the Soul, and Other Sites of Interest. I’ve added a lot of new links this time, and the entire group of personal sites is new. Each link represents a site that I really have visited and found value at. Happy exploring!
Other housekeeping items: I’m proud to announce that I’ve been accepted as a member of the “Phenomenal Women of the Web”. Not an award, it is a network of women on the internet. “Membership is given to women with outstanding pages”. On a related note, I am also now a proud member of the Pagan WebCrafter’s Association, which provides peer support for Pagan Webpage designers. I now carry the seals for both these groups proudly on my front page.
Finally, this is Mabon, the time of giving thanks. Since the last update, I’ve had more mail and guestbook messages from people who have been thanking me, and saying the nicest things about the Firepit. I want to thank them all again, because it really does make my day to hear that someone has found some value in something I’ve shared at the Firepit. It makes all the time I put into it seem worthwhile. I want to thank you all, my guests around the Firepit, for all the many ways you have supported this site, and for recommending it to others. Word of mouth and the goodwill of others is the only advertising I’ll ever do on behalf of the Firepit. I figure if it helps others, they’ll pass it on. It’ll find the people who need it. If it doesn’t help, the fire will go out. From what I see from the visitor counter, I feel the fire is burning brighter than ever. For this, I give you all great thanks. So when you visit, please feel free to visit the Guestbook
and Testimonials to see what others have been saying, and I invite you to contact me at any time with feedback. I truly value your opinions!
So here I end another excessively wordy update letter. I hope this Mabon finds you thankful for a bountiful harvest, and I’ll see you again at Samhain!
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