Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive

C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #104 -- December 2009 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.net/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/ social network: http://ecauldron.ning.com/ newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.net/cnc/ Please DONATE to Support our SERVER http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?page=62 In this Issue: [00] Editorial Notes [01] Cauldron News * Message Board Reorganization * TC Online Winter Solstice Celebration: All Night Dec 21st * New Topic Announcements on Twitter * Holiday Shopping At Amazon Helps The Cauldron [02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions * After the thwap...maintaining the faith * Basic Sigil Magick? * Major and Minor Arcana in Tarot Spreads * To What Extent do you Celebrate Christmas? * Energy 101 * Dualism in Pantheons * Gender/Sex Based Mysteries? * Does your Tarot Deck Have a Consciousness? * 2012: Just Hype? * Different genres of music for different Gods? * What role should religion play in a modern life? * Is your Earth-Based Faith Limited to Earth? [03] Phyllis Vega's Tarot Talk: Tarot Exercises & Games [04] Flamekeeping: Demands of Friendship [05] Articles * The Cauldron's Twelfth Anniversary * The Cauldron: Plans (and Questions) For Our Thirteenth Year * Holiday Help The Hosts Drive * Extra Features with Cauldron Donor Memberships [06] Support The Cauldron with Donations [07] Support The Cauldron with Assistance [08] Newsletter Information (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ LOOKING FOR PAGAN SUPPLIES? Visit The Cauldron's Pagan Supply Store http://www.ecauldron.net/esesf.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [00] ========= ========= EDITORIAL NOTES ========= Welcome to the December 2009 issue of Cauldron and Candle. You are receiving this issue because you subscribed. To learn how to unsubscribe, see the last section of this newsletter This month, Cauldron and Candle is mainly devoted to The Cauldron itself as this month is our 12th Anniversary. You will find a number of articles about The Cauldron and future plans for The Cauldron in this issue -- as well as our some of our regular features like Notes for the Seeker, Flamekeeping, and Phyllis Vega's Tarot Talk. As usual, I'd like to invite everyone reading this to come by our message board and help celebrate 12 years of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. You can read our discussions without registering, but if you want to post you will need to register a member id. Those who haven't been by don't really know what they are missing. http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php Randall Sapphire Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum [01] ========= ========= CAULDRON NEWS ========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff ========= ===== ===== MESSAGE BOARD REORGANIZATION ===== The message board reorganization mentioned last issue is complete. Some boards are in new categories and, most importantly, almost all public discussion boards are open to both reading and POSTING by all registered members. Members no longer have to qualify for "full membership" to be able to post in two- thirds of the boards on the forum. ===== ===== TC ONLINE WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION: ALL NIGHT DEC 21ST ===== It's that time of year again, folks--time for some holiday insomnia! For those who don't know, a bunch of Cauldronites stay up all night to celebrate the longest night of the year (the winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere--and we use the Cauldron as a touchstone for the evening, checking in during the long night, sharing our observations/thoughts/hallucinations, and encouraging each other to stay awake! (Those of you in the Southern Hemisphere are welcome too, to give us a taste of your summer solstice warmth) Since the solstice falls on a weekday this year, many will have to work the following day, making a true all-night fest impossible for them (unless they plan to call in sick the next day)...but that doesn't mean that folks can't pop in and out anyway, for the time they are awake. How does one participate? Just visit the thread in the Cauldron forum on the night of Mon., Dec. 21/Tues., Dec. 22 and add your two cents! The thread is very free form, and folks participate in whatever way they like: updates, photos/artwork (within the board's specified limits, of course), poems, links to music, general musings, sleep-deprived ramblings.... We have an unofficial "non-theme" this year ("non-theme" meaning it's one way to participate, but by no means meant to restrict what folks post in the thread). The "non-theme" is the cyberfeast we'll share in the course of the night. In other words: RECIPES! After all, we'll have many hours of darkness in which to put them to the test. So drop by "Up All Night: A Technopagan Winter Solstice 2009" anytime on the night between Mon., Dec. 21, and Tues., Dec. 22, and join the online solstice fest! Details: Altair is your host. He will create the "Up All Night: A Technopagan Winter Solstice 2009" thread in the Holidays and Festivals board early in the day (in the US) on December 21st so that those in Old World time zones where night starts much earlier than in the US can participate. The Chat Room will be available as well. Help plan this event in this topic: * http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10776.0 ===== ===== NEW TOPIC ANNOUNCEMENTS ON TWITTER ===== If you are a Twitter user, we've added a mod to our message board that posts a tweet to Twitter when a new topic is started on the message board. You can see them (and follow them if you wish) at: * http://twitter.com/ecauldronupdate ===== ===== Holiday Shopping At Amazon Helps The Cauldron ===== If you are going to buy any of your holiday gifts at Amazon.com, shopping via the links to Amazon on our main web site (but not for all forum messages, unfortunately) will give TC credit for your purchases. We get from 0-5% of the purchase price for an item when you visit Amazon from one of the links on The Cauldron's web site -- and it doesn't cost you a thing extra! The Amazon.com link in the left menu of most pages (in the Menu block, the Shopping section) will take you to Amazon and give us credit. Most other links to Amazon on the main site (but not in messages on the message board because most posters do not use the special Amazon BBCode needed to generate the affiliate links -- they just paste a link to amazon in) give us credit too. Or you can just use this link: * http://www.ecauldron.net/amazon.php ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN-FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING http://www.ecauldron.net/web/zdreamhost.php Dreamhost offers high-quality, low cost web hosting with a dedication to free speech. Pagan sites are welcome! Read why we used Dreamhost for The Cauldron's web site: http://www.ecauldron.net/web/whydreamhost.php Plan Features * unlimited web space * unlimited bandwidth * unlimited email boxes (POP3/IMAP) * unlimited ftp/shell accounts * host unlimited domains/subdomains * php4, php5, cgi, fastcgi, ssi * zend optimizer, ruby on rails * unlimited MySQL databases * announcement lists * discussion (aka mailing) lists * Jabber server * Crontab and Shell access * Web-based Control Panel * One-Click installs of the Wordpress blog & PhpBB forum * 1 free domain name * helpful tech support * and much more! All for $10.95 a month with a $49.95 setup fee. Pay for a year in advance (only 9.95/month) and there is no setup fee. Pay two years in advance and the price drops to $8.95 a month. (And there is a 97 day money back guarantee!) Visit Dreamhost for Affordable, Pagan-Friendly Hosting http://www.ecauldron.net/web/zdreamhost.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [02] ========= ========= INTERESTING RECENT CAULDRON DISCUSSIONS ========= Recent Discussion Topics on our Message Board ========= In an average month, over 200 new discussion topics are started on The Cauldron's message board. Here are a few of the more interesting recent discussions. It's not too late to join in. Thanks to Feedburner, you can now receive an email every night on days we post new site news items to the main page of The Cauldron's web site. These emails contain a link to the new item and the first couple of lines of the news text. You can sign up for Feedburner's free news delivery via the form at the end of the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web page. ===== ===== After the thwap...maintaining the faith ===== Once you've been thwapped or had some other kind of experience that coalesces and solidifies your faith, how do you keep that faith going? Although there seem to be a high concentration of "thwappees" here on TC, I think we'd probably agree that, even for people who have been thwapped, frequent or constant communication from deity is unusual. So, how do you keep your beliefs strong? How do you deal with the inevitable questioning -- was it really real or did I imagine it? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10797.0 ===== ===== Basic Sigil Magick? ===== I've been looking into basic sigil magick for a long time but have never delved into it. I understand the basic premise, that being write your intent, cross out repetitive letters, build a sigil out of what remains, then meditate on it. Other than that, though, I've heard some conflicting approaches, such as eliminate vowels all together and destroy the sigil after working with it, before it manifests? In my mind I'm not so sure that eliminating the vowels would have much overall use, but I'm wondering about what to do after the sigil is created. I've heard to masturbate and concentrate on the sigil, meditate, store it in the closet out of the way, create 5 separate sigils at a time to lessen my conscious concentration on a particular sigil, etc. What if I create it, meditate, then burn it? What do you have to say about all of this? Thanks again. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10793.0 ===== ===== Major and Minor Arcana in Tarot Spreads ===== When working with tarot cards, how do you read major vs. minor arcana cards? I have worked with tarot cards sporadically and have always had a few problems with this. This issue came up recently for me - using the Celtic cross spread - when most of the cards in the spread were from the major arcana. Would this influence your reading of the question itself - i.e. that the issue in question is more significant that you originally thought or that the question is particularly significant in the subject's life? Would you just assume that the question itself is particularly difficult or contentious for the subject of the reading, but not that it is necessarily excessively important in the subject's life? Do you feel that major arcana cards necessarily have more influence than minor cards, or do you feel that it is simply more important to look at the cards' meanings without giving one more importance than another? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10791.0 ===== ===== To What Extent do you Celebrate Christmas? ===== To what extent do you celebrate the holiday season? I guess for those who celebrate the Germanic or Wiccan version of Yule, most of the traditions don't differ from the traditional Christmas ones, but do any of us, as pagans, do the whole Santa Claus thing or the excessive commercialism thing with all the gift-giving? For those of us who don't celebrate Yule, Christmas is mostly only about family obligation and not so much about religion. Regarding Hellenic polytheism, the Rural Dionysia occurs in late December, but it doesn't have much in common with Christmas. A celebration of wine and phallic objects might not be the best thing to celebrate with one's family. (Interestingly, the Rural Dionysia occurs around Christmas, and the City Dionysia occurs in late March near Easter, and Dionysos is often associated with Jesus, as the son of the heavenly father born of a mortal maiden who is killed and resurrected for the salvation of mankind.) So, do your holiday observances include the typical Christmas traditions, and how do you incorporate them into your religion? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10770.0 ===== ===== Energy 101 ===== I have a few really basic questions about energy. I've been trying a few little energy practices such as creating a "little ball of light", just to get a feel for what this energy business is all about, and I find that I have a few questions that are getting in the way of my practices by confusing me. Is there a finite amount of energy in the universe? That is, does all energy already exist and it just gets moved around? Or can energy be created or raised out of nowhere? When I raise energy, where is it supposed to be coming from? Am I drawing it from within my body, or am I creating it by my will? Or am I drawing it from the air/earth around me? Or do I borrow it or ask it as a gift from other entities/deities around me? Also, I'm a little confused about the idea of negative and positive energy. Instinctively it makes more sense to me that energy just is itself, neither negative nor positive, and the only difference is a lack of energy or an abundance of energy. Another thing: I'm getting the feeling like my energy is "sticky". I have started my little energy exercises by rubbing my hands together, because the physical sensation helps put me in the right mindset, and helps me cease all the usual mental tangents and meanderings. Once I separate my hands to try and form an energy ball between them, I get the feeling that I'm just stretching the energy out between my hands as if the energy is some kind of taffy stuck to my hands. It's hard to get it into a ball when it just wants to stick to my hands. Does anyone have any insight or advice about this? Finally, I also have a few questions about grounding. Grounding feels very natural to me when I'm lying down. Is this unusual, or does anyone know any reason this posture might be unhelpful? It feels good to me, in part because I have slight back pain and the only time I can't feel it is when I'm lying on my back, but also because it just feels right. Also, from what I've read, grounding involves an interaction with the earth's energies (sending negative/excess energies into the earth and/or drawing energy up from the earth). This question might sound weird, but is there anything the earth wants in return for using her energies in this way? I sounds a bit like taking advantage of the earth's energies, and I want to be respectful and have a reciprocate relationship with her. I know this is a lot of random questions, but if anyone has any advice or answers or links to good resources, I would greatly appreciate it! I have pretty good judgment on internet sources in fields I'm familiar with, but this whole pagan/magick/energy realm is still very unfamiliar to me and I don't always know who to believe. Thanks! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10743.0 ===== ===== Dualism in Pantheons? ===== I have been thinking a lot about duality in nature and spirituality. I was wondering if anyone had any examples of dual deities. Of course there is Apollo and Dionysos with their opposite qualities. I am very interested to hear some dualist gods in your pantheons! Also, how do you combine the opposing forces of such pairings in your own life? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10729.0 ===== ===== Gender/Sex Based Mysteries? ===== Do you think that there are different mysteries based on sex? If so, could a male or female understand the mysteries of the other sex? Or possibly the mysteries are accessible for anyone who wishes to understand them? What do you think? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10725.0 ===== ===== Does your Tarot Deck Have a Consciousness? ===== I know this sounds like it should be on the divination board but I'm going to turn it into a philosophical debate I hope. So to all you tarot heads out there, here we go. I went to go ask the question of the tarot, what do you really think of me and at first it just gave me overall advice on my current situation. Then I asked it again and got a little bit more along the lines of my question but still offering advice as if it had occ and couldn't help but give advice. I feel that each deck has it's on style and personality as to how it answers you. When I was asking about my ex situation all of the time a lot of the answers I was getting from the deck was that IT didn't want the info to hurt me. Which shows care and concern and a certain amount of consciousness on the decks part to make that sort of statement. So my questions are of card ethics and this does the tarot deck have a consciousness of it's own? And if it does would you care to share your experiences with it showing it's personality, or consciousness towards you in any way? How many times should on ask the same question of the deck before they should stop? And feel free to share like I said any experiences you've had with questions like what does the deck think of me or anything along the lines of asking the decks opinion of you, your life, or it's personal opinion of the universe. I don't think too many people think to ask so if you haven't try it out and get back to me on it because I will be and am fascinated by the subject! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10716.0 ===== ===== 2012: Just Hype? ===== 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar is all over the net and even print news sources. What do you think: Reality or Hype? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10703.0 ===== ===== Different genres of music for different Gods? ===== For those of us who choose to use music as worship (and of course for those who do not as well!) I have a question. It is a question largely of opinion or maybe UPG so that is expected and welcomed in your answers. Do you think that specific Gods prefer specific and differing genres of music? I have sort of been thinking this for a while because most would agree that they prefer certain herbs, incenses, and foods in their offerings. Beyond that I notice that I feel the presence of different deities when listening to different genres or even different groups. What is your take on this be it philosophy, opinion, or UPG experience? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10679.0 ===== ===== What role should religion play in a modern life? ===== We often have threads here that centre around how people experience their religion. In particular, it is not uncommon to discuss what role religion actually plays in each of our lives. I am interested in seeing if anyone else is up for a discussion on what role religion should play and why? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10684.0 ===== ===== Is your Earth-Based Faith Limited to Earth? ===== This is a sort of off shoot of the thread about whether you practice ritual per the calendar or the local seasons. In light of the recent tourist in space stories, how long will it be before we have pagans in space? How would your religion be practiced in the vacuum of space, or say, on the moon or Mars etc? Do you think there will be xxxxxxx- ians practicing off world, and how will it look different than what is on world today? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10645.0 [03] ========= ========= PHYLLIS VEGA'S TAROT TALK ========= TAROT EXERCISES & GAMES ========= by Phyllis Vega ========= === === Tarot Meditation === The tarot is an extremely useful and effective aid to meditation. You might even say that the tarot and meditation go hand in hand, since tarot imagery is rooted in a symbolic system that automatically resonates with the subconscious mind. If you are just learning the tarot, meditation is an excellent method for discovering the deeper meaning of the cards. However, you don't need to know the history or conventional meanings of tarot in order to use it effectively in your meditation exercises. All you need to do is look at the images, then make them the focal point of your meditations. One of the best ways to understand a tarot card is through meditation. In this trance-like state, you can get "inside" any card and explore its true meaning. Meditating on the cards is also a great way to broaden your understanding of the workings of the tarot archetypes and their relevance to your own life. There are many ways to combine the tarot with meditation. You may choose a card randomly, or you can select a specific card on which to meditate. You can also choose cards which represent specific issues that you wish to contemplate. In addition to providing focus, using the cards in your meditations will enable you to learn a great deal more about the cards themselves. To begin any tarot meditation, find a quiet place, where you will not be disturbed. Examine the card you've chosen. Study it carefully, committing the details to memory. Hold the image of the card your mind. When you are able to picture the scene on the card with your eyes closed, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Tell yourself that you will remember everything you see or hear during the meditation. Concentrate on your breathing, imagine a soft light gently enveloping your body, and let go of all your tensions. Allow yourself to tune into the energy of your chosen card. When you feel ready, visualize yourself entering into the scene pictured on the card. Impressions will begin to come into your mind. Trust the process and don't try to force anything. Just allow the images to flow without resistance, and absorb all the details. After awhile you will realize that the time has come for you to leave. When you feel the meditation ending, take a few deep breaths and open your eyes. Remember to record everything you saw and heard while in the meditative state in your tarot journal. === === Changing Your Future Reality === What the forecaster comes up with when he studies the patterns of the weather, stocks or fashion are possibilities or probabilities. When a psychic or reader tunes into the tarot cards she also sees the future in terms of probabilities. Because of where you are in your life at the time of the reading some probabilities are stronger than others. However, the one that ultimately manifests in your life depends on you. If you don't like a reading you can take positive steps to change the outcome. There are a number of ways to do this. Daily Card: Instead of drawing a card for the day, choose one. Pick the card that comes closest to the energy that you hope to manifest. Put the card where you can see it, on your desk, next to your computer, on the refrigerator. Look at it often and imagine that the positive energy of the card is becoming part of your life. Changing Any Spread: Suppose you ask a question, and you don't like the answer. Instead of assuming that you're somehow stuck with a future that you don't want, think about the answer that you would have preferred. Then pick and choose the cards that will give you the answer you were seeking. Spread them out and study them. Leave the layout where you can see it. Refer to it often. Tell yourself that this is the future that you are creating. === === Changing Limiting Beliefs about Relationships with Tarot === At first glance the following statements may seem like facts. However, if you think about it for a moment you'll realize that they are actually beliefs: "I'll never find the right person for me." "The good ones are all taken." "Marriage is too difficult." "I'm too old for love." "All relationships start out great, but end badly." "Women are gold-diggers." "Men only want one thing." "Women are fickle." "Men are cheats." "Some guys have all the luck." Many of the beliefs upon which we build our lives are readily apparent to us. But in certain areas, we may hold deep-seated core beliefs that sabotage our best efforts to improve our circumstances. These core beliefs often exist in areas of relationships, money, work, health, sex, and romance, and tend to show up in repetitive patterns. If your love life keeps turning sour, perhaps you're projecting energies that attract negative situations. Maybe you're holding onto a belief that you don't deserve to be happy in a relationship, or that you aren't worthy of another person's love. In this exercise you will use tarot images to help identify and change your limiting beliefs about relationships. 1) Study the following list of sample negative/positive pairs of belief statements. Choose one set that contains a negative belief currently affecting your life, or make up one of your own: * Nobody loves me/everybody loves me * I don't deserve to be loved/I do deserve to be loved * I am too old for love/I will never be too old for love * I am afraid to love and be loved/I am not afraid to love and be loved * I am at the mercy of circumstances/I am not at the mercy of circumstances * I'm not attractive to the opposite sex/I am attractive to the opposite sex * I have no right to happiness/I have every right to happiness * I am unlucky in love/I am lucky in love * I never get anything I want/I always get everything I want 2) Pick out a card from your tarot deck as representative of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions with regard to the negative side of your chosen belief statement. Then pick out another card as representative of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions with regard to the positive side of that belief statement. For example, if the negative belief statement is, "I am too old for love," you might select The Hermit. If the positive belief statement is, "I will never be too old for love," you might select the page of cups. 3) Study the card you have chosen to represent the negative belief statement. Think about how it makes you feel. Why do you think you chose this card? How do you usually react when you get this card when reading for yourself? If this card came up in a reading for someone else, how would you interpret it? Return this card to the deck. 4) Study the card that you have chosen to represent the positive belief statement. Think about how it makes you feel. How do you usually react when you get this card when reading for yourself? If this card came up in a reading for someone else, how would you interpret it? Place this card in a prominent place, where you can see it often. Each time you look at the card remind yourself of the positive belief statement that it represents. === === What's Behind the Door? – Remote Viewing Tarot Game === Any number of people can play this remote viewing tarot game. One person is designated as the "Sender" the rest of the group act as "Viewers". The usual time for the game to last is one week. On the first day the sender chooses a tarot card and hangs it up behind a door in his or her home. The Sender then writes the name of the chosen card on a piece of paper and places the paper in a sealed envelope. At designated times during the week the Sender concentrates on "sending" the card to the Viewers who have entered a meditative state and are attempting to receive the images that the sender is projecting. At the end of the appointed period each viewer writes down the impressions he or she received on a piece of paper and puts the paper in a sealed envelop. When the group gets together at the end of the period they open all the envelopes and the number of hits and misses is tallied. === === Who Am I? Who Are You? === This game combines elements of Charades and Role Playing. It has been designed to help you learn more about the way you view yourself and your partner. It will also help you develop a more intimate relationship with the tarot's complex archetypal court figures. Begin by removing all the cards from the deck except the court cards. Who Am I? Pick a court card to represent yourself. Do not reveal the name of the chosen card. Remove it from the pack, and place it face down on the table. Take a moment to imagine yourself as the selected card. Using words, gestures, and props, act out the role as dramatically as you can. The other player tries to guess which card you've chosen to represent yourself. Who Are You? Pick a court card to represent your partner. Do not reveal the name of the chosen card. Remove it from the pack, and place it face down on the table. Take a moment to imagine your partner as the selected card. Using, words, gestures, and props, act out the role as dramatically as you can. The other player tries to guess which card you've chosen to represent him or her. === === About Phyllis Vega === Phyllis Vega is a professional astrologer and tarot reader. She is the author of two popular tarot books, Romancing the Tarot and Power Tarot (with Trish MacGregor), with a third book, TarotCraft: How to Use the Cards for Divination, Creative Visualization, and Meditation currently in the works. Contact Phyllis via email at pvega@bellsouth.net or through her website at http://phyllisvega.geocities.com/. Tarot Tarot columns and other works by Phyllis are archived at http://tarottalk.ecauldron.net/. Phyllis Vega's Tarot Talk copyright (c) 2009 by Phyllis Vega. All rights reserved. [04] ========= ========= FLAMEKEEPING ========= DEMANDS OF FRIENDSHIP ========= by HeartShadow ========= HeartShadow is following her own religious path. She calls it FlameKeeping. This regular column will present articles on FlameKeeping, many taken from HeartShadow's FlameKeeping blog at: http://flamekeeping.blogspot.com/ ===== ===== Demands of Friendship ===== Friendship is a skill that takes work, skill, and determination. It keeps us together, makes us human, gives us comfort and meaning. But what is it, and how do we treat our friends correctly? Friendship is a recognition of commonality, a recognition of some form of sameness between two or more people. This commonality can be, and often is, anything from living nearby to taste in music to hair color, and it can be a recognition of what we are, or what we desire to be, or a mixture of both. When this appreciation is reciprocated, it is a friendship. This appreciation of commonality is what starts a friendship, but it is not enough to sustain it. Whatever the start of the friendship, to maintain it requires a give and take relationship, and understanding of balance between each other. One cannot give or receive exclusively. To give without receipt sets up false expectations as we suffer in silence, and to take simply is not friendship, only using. To treat our friends correctly is, in part, simply what we should do to treat all people correctly. It is easy to "demand" that those close to us accept and understand our anger, our problems. But our friends, too, are of the Divine, and worthy of respect and love both for themselves and their Divine nature. We cannot separate out our friends from that Divine nature and truly consider them friends or ourselves religious people. Of course, our friends are not simply people off the street. Friends are special, different, and to not understand that would be a lie. Friends are people that can make us stronger and better, or casually cruel, or anything in between. We care about how our friends see us, and we should. Of course, we can use that same power of approval over our friends, as well, and we should. Caring for people, and caring for their approval, is part of being human. We need to feel for each other, and we need to be worthy of being cared for. So how should we choose our friends, and then how do we treat them? They are related questions. We should choose to associate as much as we can with people that uphold attitudes we find uplifting and moral, to associate with people we like being associated with. We become like those we associate with, over time, so if we allow ourselves to associate with people that are not as we wish to be, we will become lesser than we were. We need to be the sort of person we would want to be a friend to, willing to share, willing to give, but not being a pushover. ===== ===== Questions: ===== * What do you give to your friends? What do you receive? Does it change by person? Is it, to you, balanced? * Why is it wrong to expect people close to use to "understand"? * Are the people you consider friends "safe", or do they challenge you to be a greater person than you are? [05] ========= ========= ARTICLES ========= ======= ======= THE CAULDRON'S TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY ======= by Randall ======= Twelve years ago (on 13 Dec 1997) -- after three frustrating days when only Elspeth, Ann (Empireone), and myself could post -- The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum opened its doors to the general public on the Delphi online service. This was before it was known as Delphiforums and back when user forums, then known as "Custom Forums" had a presence on both the paid Delphi Online Service (in wonderful a pure text/command line like environment) and on their new free Web forum version. The forum was an instant success with 60 or 70 messages posted that December and hitting 1000 messages within six months or so. That's 1000 messages total, not 1000 messages a month. The Cauldron was started as a Yule gift from me to Elspeth -- you had to pay Delphi for forums back then (six months in advance). It was staffed by Elspeth, Ann, and myself with an able assist from our friends from the dying GEnie Online Service. We started a web site for the forum in the web space I got with my Delphi account in January of 1998, although we did not get domain name for a couple of years. Our forum has done well in the years that followed, although TC has had to move around a lot. From Delphi to a mailing list. Then back to Delphiforums (Delphi's new name). When Delphi's poor service and pricing got to be too much to much in early 2004, Bob offered us server space and we moved to our own site. First with Beehive's Delphiforums-like software (two incarnations), then (very reluctantly) to SMF early in 2007 when it became apparent that Beehive software just could not meet the needs of this forum. Bob's server gave up the ghost in 2008 and we had to move to our own Linode VPS. The first time in our existence that have had to pay a monthly bill for the message board. Fortunately, our members seem to be stepping up and donating every month to make continuing this board possible. It has been a very interesting 12 years. Sometimes it has been interesting in the "may you live in interesting times" sense of "interesting," but mostly it has been interesting in the good sense of the word. Lyricfox and I met through TC and married over four and a half years ago. We all made many new friends via TC. It's also been a lot of work. Work which has been shared with our staff members -- without them, this forum would not be here today. This is especially true this last 2 years as the hosts have been dealing with cancer and have not been nearly as active on the board as we had been in the past. However, the reason The Cauldron's message board is still here isn't the Hosts or the staff, it's our members: the wonderful people reading this message (and now funding the monthly server costs). Without you, this forum would be a ghostly place haunted by memories of discussions past. It's been a great twelve years. In "Internet time" we are as ancient as the dinosaurs, but we are still here, still doing our thing, and still enjoying ourselves doing it. We will be changing The Cauldron's web site and modernizing things a bit (some features of our web site have not be upgraded in 10 years) over the next year as covered in another article in this newsletter. We have great plans for The Cauldron's 13th year and we hope you will join us and help make them happen. ======= ======= THE CAULDRON: PLANS (AND QUESTIONS) ======= FOR OUR THIRTEENTH YEAR ======= by Cauldron Staff ======= The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum celebrates its 12th Anniversary on December 13, 2009 -- and that marks the start of our 13th year of operation. We have some big plans for our 13th year and want to share some of them with you. Of course, we can't promise that all these plans will become reality, but we are planning for them to become reality. === === Web Site Redesign === Our forum has changed greatly over the years as we have moved to different platforms but our web site has not had anything major done to it in about 10 years. While it has received some minor updates over the years (e.g. reorganized left menus, changed from parchment-like background and colors to the current light blue), it hasn't received a complete redesign in a decade. It is badly +in need of a makeover. This will be our major project for 2010. It will be a long term project because over a 1000 pages will need to be converted by hand. Each old page will need to have its content recoded in modern HTML and CSS and placed into our new page template. The new template will be standard across all the pages of our web site. Current plans are for it to have a narrow header bar across the top with a drop down menubar and a "breadcumb line" below that. The dropdown menu will completely replace the current huge left column menu. Just dropping the crowded left side menu will make TC's web site look much cleaner and less "busy". Next will be the content area. Most pages will have a large content area to the left and a right sidebar. A few pages will have both a left and a right sidebar. Other pages -- like the forum -- will not have any sidebars at all. Below the main page content will be the footer area. There probably be a row of three boxes with rss feeds and the like in them, followed by the footer proper with copyright info and the like. Current plans have the entire site more integrated with our forum. For example, pages on magic will display links to current threads in magic oriented boards on the forum. Pages will know whether you are logged into the forum or not, etc. This will make the entire site revolve around our forum instead of the forum and the web site being two more or less separate things as they are now. One thing that will NOT be considered at all: a dark page design. Dark letters on a light-color background are FAR easier to read than light-colored text on a dark background -- especially for our older members. And in spite of at least one joking suggestion, the revolving Cauldron graphic from one of our first web site designs back in 1998 will definitely not be making a comeback. If you'd like to follow progress on the redesign, make suggestions, or even volunteer to help with graphics or the like, you can do so in this thread on our forum: * Cauldron Web Site Redesign Discussion http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10638.0 === === Social Networking === We plan to continue to use and improve TCN (The Cauldron Network), our members only Ning social network. We also plan to create a page for The Cauldron on Facebook (and perhaps on a few other social networks). We have already started to use Twitter to announce new threads. Social networking will probably remain low key, but it now has a definite place in our plans for The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. We have come a long way since our abortive attempt to use kickapps a year ago. Then the Hosts had no idea what social networking was and selected kickapps solely on its ability to let members post unlimited pictures. In other words, we thought of it as little more than a free photo gallery for our members. We soon learned that our members were thinking of it as a social network and found it greatly wanting for that purpose. We switched to Ning midyear and our members love it. The Hosts still don't understand social networking all that well, but we are trying. With a lot of help from our members, we are apparently doing much better. === === SMF 2.0 -- To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade === We use Simple Machines Forum software to run our forum. The current branch of the software is 1.1.x, but the new 2.0 version is at release candidate 2 status now. We expect that the new 2.0 branch will go final sometime in 2010. When it does, we will have to decide whether to stay with our heavily modified version of the 1.1.x branch, try to upgrade our current forum to the 2.0 branch, or just close the current forum and open a new 2.0 one. The easiest thing to do would be to stay with 1.1 -- at least until they stop doing security updates for it. Upgrading the current board and message base to 2.0 would be the best solution, however, it may not be possible as many of the features we use like member blogs come from very old user-written mods that probably will not exist for 2.0 -- ever. I'm not even sure that some of the database changes -- like for the Tinyportal feature or the Donor Subscriptions -- made by mods will carry over to the new 2.0 database if you upgrade it. And this probably will not be known until 2.0 Final comes out. The easiest "upgrade to 2.0" solution would be to make the current read only and start a new board using 2.0 and whatever mods are available for it (as we have done with three previous boards). However, the hosts and staff really do not to lose years of post from the active board yet again. As you can see, we really have no idea of what the best solution will be, let alone what the best solution that works with the current database will be. However, with SMF 2.0 Final on track for a 2010 release, it is a decision we will probably have to face in 2010. === === Do More with CauldronMUX === CauldronMUX is a fun way to chat in a text-based format where you can move around to different rooms, play with items, and even create your own stuff. Unfortunately, we do not do a lot with it. Now that we have a working Java client so that people to not need to download a special client program to use CauldronMUX, we really need to do more with it. === === Getting Member Produced Content on the Web Site === Over the years, we have tried several methods for letting members add content directly to The Cauldron's web site: several wikis, tinyportal, Google Sites as subsites for our SIGs, an article section on the forum, etc. None have worked as members just do not use them. It does not seem to matter how easy (or hard) they are to use, they just do not get used. Unfortunately, we really need to come up with a way that people will use as the TC Webmaster no longer has time to manually add material members write to the web site -- and we really need member-written material to grow the web site. The Hosts aren't sure what the solution is here, but finding one is up there with the site redesign in priority for 2010. We really need more member-produced content -- and members who produce it should not have to wait weeks (or even months) for the Webmaster to find time to manually create a web page for it and link it into the web site. === === Book Reviews === This really ties into the "Getting Member Produced Content on the Web Site" problem. Years ago, one of the Hosts used to review 5 to 10 books and tarot decks a month. Then he got married and no longer had time to write reviews. There haven't been many book reviews posted to our web site in the last five years. We know a lot of our members buy and read new Pagan-oriented books, we just need to get some of those members to write reviews of the books they read and have a way they can put those reviews on our web site. === === Staff Expansion === Most of our active staff members are currently focused on our message board as TC staff has always been. However, as we expand into things like TCN social networking and the like, we really need to find people qualified and active volunteers to act as staff in these new areas of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. We have talked about such an expansion of staff before and never really did anything to implement it. The one time we tried to create some non-board staff positions, no one was capable of actually handling the positions was interested in volunteering. This needs to change in 2010. We either need to find qualified volunteers to staff new features like TCN or we need to shut down the new features before we burn out the current staff. === === The Newsletter === Our newsletter hasn't had a major change in years, either. As its irregular schedule the last two years shows, the Hosts no longer have the time to actually produce it every month, especially given how hard it is to get submissions for this newsletter. Getting articles out of members and newsletter subscribers is harder than pulling hen's teeth. We need to decide on the future of this newsletter in 2010. We have almost shut it down twice before, 2010 may be the year we actually do. === === Summary === There you have it, an outline of some of our major plans for (and questions about) The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum in 2010. We've been around 12 years and we would like to be around another 12. What happens with The Cauldron this year may have a lot to do with deciding if that is even possible. If you have comments or suggestions (other than on the Web Site redesign which has it own thread metioned above), you can post them in this thread: * 2010 - Ideas and Plans for The Cauldron's 13th Year http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10819.0 ======= ======= HOLIDAY HELP THE HOSTS DRIVE ======= As most readers know, the Hosts have been battling Cancer (and cancer bills) for the past two years. See this thread on the message board for more information: * UPDATES: Cancer Surgery and Radiation for LyricFox http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=3961.0 LyricFox just had her 18 month CT Scan in early November and got the results back late last week: She is still cancer-free 18 months after the end of her radiation treatments. That's great news. The bad news is that the bills just keep piling up (and we get further and further behind on other bills by paying the cancer bills. All because we are some of the 40-50 million Americans who do not have haelth insurance -- and would not be able to get it even if we were made of money due to pre-existing conditions. Therefore, we are having a Holiday Cancer Fund Drive this year to help pay our bills and give a a bit of breathing room to actually buy each other a few presents. We are asking everyone reading this who is able to help to donate to our Holiday Cancer Fund via Paypal. * Donate US$25.00 or more and you will get out collection of hundreds of spells. * Donate US$50.00 or more and you will receive the spell collection AND a custom numerology reading with month by month predictions for 2010. Donations in ANY AMOUNT are welcomed, however. You can make a Paypal Donation in ANY AMOUNT vis this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9538636 If the above link will not work for you because your email client wrapped it into two lines, you can go to the message board via the link below and click on the Donate Any Amount link at the end of the first message: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=10633.0 The Hosts thank you from the bottom of their hearts. ======= ======= Extra Features with Cauldron Donor Memberships ======= by Cauldron Staff ======= SPECIAL NOTE: The Cauldron has recently revised its membership benefits for donor members. New benefits include the ability to have a ecauldron email address, moderate a personal Special Interest Group on our board, and the right to have an ad in rotation in the donor ad area of our message board. Yes, commercial interests can sign up as a donor member to get an ad into rotation on our message board. All ads are subject to approval by the hosts. The following gives more detailed information on our BRONZE, SILVER, and GOLD DONOR MEMBERSHIPS as well as our new low-cost and longer term CAULDRON SUPPORTER MEMBERSHIPS. As you know, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum is no longer on a free server and needs monthly donations to pay for our Virtual Private Server. While we will be happy to accept donations in any amount directly through Paypal, we've noticed that many donations are in the amounts of 5, 10, or 15 US dollars. We have therefore created the Cauldron Supporter and the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Donor membership classes with some minor special benefits for people who make these common donations via the "Donation Subscription" feature in the Profile area (go to your Profile and click on the "Donation Subscriptions" link in the Manage Profile menu). === === Donor Members === For those willing to make a monthly donation (or a larger annual donation) we have three levels of "Donor" memberships: Bronze Donor, Silver Donor, and Gold Donor. You have the option to donate once for a month of donor level membership, donate for a full year of donor level membership, or setup an automatic monthly Paypal subscription that will renew your donor status each month in the Donation Subscription area of your profile. Bronze Donors (US$5.00/month donation) currently get the following special benefits: * a Bronze Donor Badge that will appear on your posts * access to our private "Donor Board". * do NOT see see Forum area ads * can see whether their Personal Messages have been read * can use use their own avatars (stored off-board) * can have larger signatures * can have multiple commercial links in their signatures * can have an ecauldron email address (and several other ecauldron google apps) -- created upon request Silver Donors (US$10.00/month donation) currently get the following special benefits: * a Silver Donor Badge that will appear on your posts * access to our private "Donor Board" * do NOT see see Forum area ads * can see whether their Personal Messages have been read * can use use their own avatars (stored off-board) * can have larger signatures * can have multiplecommercial links in their signatures * an have an ecauldron email address (and several other ecauldron google apps) -- created upon request * (available soon) can have a personal Special Interest Board that they moderate (See Personal SIG Rules -- not yet available) on any topic suitable for the board. * can have a text ad that appears in rotation on the message board -- ad subject to host approval. Gold Donors (US$15.00/month donation) currently get the following special benefits: * a Gold Donor Badge that will appear on your posts * access to our private "Donor Board". * do NOT see see Forum area ads * can see whether their Personal Messages have been read * can use use their own avatars (stored off-board) * can upload their avatar to our server * can have larger signatures * can have multiple commercial links in their signatures * can have an ecauldron email address (and several other ecauldron google apps -- including a Google Site web site with a ecauldron subdomain) -- created upon request * (available soon) can have a personal public Special Interest Board (and a personal private Special Interest Board) that they moderate (See Personal SIG Rules -- not yet available.). * can have a text ad that appears in rotation on the message board -- ad subject to host approval. All Donor member benefits last for one month (from the date you donate) -- one year if you elect an annual donation. They can be extended by donating again through the Paid Subscription area of your Profile (or by setting up a monthly donation subscription). === === Cauldron Supporter Member === For those unable to give a monthly donation, but who would like to help, we've created the Cauldron Supporter membership. It lasts lasts for three months ($10 one-time donation), six months ($15 one-time donation), or one year ($25 one-time donation) depending on the amount of your donation. Cauldron Supporter members have all the features of Regular Members plus the following features: * do NOT see see Forum area ads * can see whether their Personal Messages have been read * can use use their own avatars (stored off-board) * can have multiple commercial links in their signatures without meeting the 75 message minimum. [06] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON'S SERVER WITH DONATIONS ========= As mentioned in the October 2008 newsletter, we now need over US$60 in donations every month to keep the server online. No donations, no server. No server, no message board. Well, not really "no message board" as there is always the free backup board, but the limitations of the free backup board drive staff and many members nuts. Your donations are needed to keep The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board up. We now have two ways you can donate. OPTION 1: Make An "Anonymous" Donation in Any Amount If you are not a member of the message board -- or are a member but do not want a donor button to appear on your posts or wish to donate a non-standard amount, you can make an "anonymous" donation (which will not cause any "donor" notation on your posts) in any amount via the Paypal link below. You do NOT need a Paypal account to donate. After Paypal fees, we get 85% to 90% of the money you donate. http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php OPTION 2: Message Board Member? Donate Through Your Profile: Get Bronze/Silver/Gold Donor Levels and Benefits If you are logged into the message board, you can make a donation (via Donation Subscriptions in your Profile) at the Bronze Donor (US$5.00), Silver Donor (US$10.00) or Gold Donor (US$15.00) level and get a special button that will appear on your posts as well have access to our Donor only areas (and more for Silver and Gold Donors, see this post on the board for current information: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7335.0). These special benefits will last for one month (or one year if you elect the annual donation option) and can be renewed by extending your subscription. You can elect to make a one time donation or to set up a Paypal subscription that will automatically renew your donation each month or year until you cancel the subscription at Paypal. You can find the "Donation Subscription" link in the "Manage Profile" menu on your profile. Payments are made via Paypal but you do not need a Paypal account to donate (unless you wish to set up a recurring donation subscription). If you are a member of our message board, this link will take you directly to the Donation Subscription area of your Profile (with a stop to log in if you are not already logged in): http://www.ecauldron.net/profiledonations.php [07] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON BY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP ========= The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum was founded in December 1997 to provide a friendly but serious discussion area for Pagans on the Internet. We've grown a bit over the years. We now have an active message area, a large web site with around 700 pages of information (including over 300 book and divination deck reviews), and a monthly email newsletter. To continue to provide and expand these services, The Cauldron needs lots of volunteer help from our members and supporters. Here are some of the things members and supporters can do to help The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum thrive: ===== ===== Actively Participate In Our Message Board ===== While our new message board welcomes readers, we encourage members to actively participate by posting their comments and views in our discussions. One of the easiest ways to help The Cauldron is to actively participate in our message board. The staff especially appreciates members who start new topics for discussion based on their own questions, opinions, or interests. http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/ ===== ===== Articles! Essays! Tutorials! ===== We are in constant need of original, well-written and accurate articles, essays, tutorials, and other written items for both our web site and for our Cauldron and Candle newsletter. There's no real limit on length for web site articles. Here are a few areas in which we always need articles: * information on the beliefs and theology of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * information on holidays and festivals of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * recipes for oils, incenses, and food for the various Pagan holidays * magick, spells, and ritual information * herbal information * positive articles on dealing with other faiths * information on historical pagan cultures * editorial/opinion pieces Non-Wiccan material is stressed not because we don't want Wiccan material but because good non-Wiccan material has been hard to find. We have a web form you can use to submit an article for consideration: http://www.ecauldron.net/bnbarticleform.php ===== ===== Book Reviews ===== While The Cauldron receives some review copies from a couple of Pagan publishers, there are many books that can only be reviewed on our web site if a member has a copy and writes a good, objective review. The Cauldron is interested in reviews on the more academic books used by reconstructionist Pagan religions as well as on the books one finds on the Pagan/New Age shelf in the bookstore. We have a web form you can use to submit a book review for consideration: http://www.ecauldron.net/bnbbkreviewform.php ===== ===== Graphic Assistance ===== The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum is purposely a low graphics site as we value page download speed over flashy graphics. However, we are always willing to talk with artists who have ideas for well-designed small graphics (small in both physical dimensions and file size) that might enhance a specific article or page. ===== ===== Invite Your Friends ===== If you have friends or acquaintances who you believe would find The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum useful, please tell them about our site. If you are active in our message board and have friends who might enjoy them or have information to contribute, please invite them. ===== ===== Link To The Cauldron ===== If you have a web site where linking to The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum would be appropriate, simply providing a link to this web site is a big help. Our Link to this Site page explains how you can do this if you need help or want some simple graphic buttons to use: http://www.ecauldron.net/linktous.php ===== ===== Amazon Purchases ===== The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum also receives a small percentage (usually 5%) from most items purchased from Amazon.com when you go to Amazon.com from one of the links to Amazon on our web site. If you purchase a lot of books, CDs, and other items from Amazon.com as many members do, going to Amazon.com through one of our links when you are going to make a purchase there is a painless way to help fund this web site. http://www.ecauldron.net/zamazon.php If you are a regular user of the US version of Amazon, you can help The Cauldron by replacing the URL of your ebay bookmark in your browser with the above link so that TC gets credit every time you visit Amazon.com. To do this in Internet Explorer or Firefox, find Amazon in your bookmark list. RIGHT click on it and select Properties from the popup menu which will appear. A dialog box describing your bookmark will appear. You'll see the standard Amazon url -- probably http://www.amazon.com/ -- in an edit box (labeled "Location" in FireFox and "URL" in IE). Erase that url completely and replace with one listed above, then click on OK. If you use Amazon UK, you can use this address http://www.ecauldron.net/zamazonuk.php If you use Amazon Canada, you can use this addess: http://www.ecauldron.net/zamazonca.php ===== ===== Pagan Supplies Purchases ===== You can now order from Meta Pot via our affiliate links and get the items you need while helping to fund TC (at no extra cost to you). You can go to this page -- Buy Pagan Supplies -- to start shopping. If you like Meta Pot, please bookmark our Buy Pagan Supplies page and use it to shop from so we get credit for your purchases. * Buy Pagan Supplies http://www.ecauldron.net/esesf.php They have a wide variety of Pagan Supplies as this list of Meta Pot item categories shows: * 3 x 6.5 Inches Pillar Candles * 7 Knob Candles * Altar Cloths * Amulets & Talismans * Anklets * Anna Riva Oils * Athames * Bags and Boxes * Bath Oils and Salts * Beeswax Candles * Blank Books, Book of Shadows * Bottles and Containers * Bowls and Chalices * Bracelets * Bumper Stickers A-G * Bumper Stickers H-M * Bumper Stickers N-Z * Candle Holders * Candle Snuffers * Cat Candles * Charmed Ritual Candles * Cloaks & Cologne * Crystal Balls and Runes * Dripless Candles * Earrings * Essential Oils * Foxcraft Oils * Gemstones * Head & Hair * Herbal Teas * Herbs and Powders * Human Figure Candles * Incense Burners * Incense Cast Iron Cauldrons & Charcoal * Incense Cone * Incense Granular * Incense Holders * Incense Powder * Incense Sticks by Others * Incense Sticks by Us * Indian Oils * Jar Candles * Mixes & Aids * Mortar And Pestle * Necklaces * Oil Diffusers, Oil Rings * Oil Essences * Original Oils * Other Candles * Other Wiccan Jewelry * Patches * Pendants * Pentagrams * Pins * Posters * Rings * Ritual Kits * Ritual Tools * Scented Votive Candles * Smoking Herbs * Smudge Sticks * Statues * Taper Candles * Tea Bags & Strainers * Unscented Votive Candles * Wands, Brooms, Mirrors * Writing Tools * Ziplock Herbal Storage Bags Remember, click on the "Buy Pagan Supplies" in the left hand menu of any The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum web page to visit Meta Pot and The Cauldron will get credit for any purchases you make. ===== ===== Have Questions or Suggestions? ===== If you have specific questions, proposals or other ideas we haven't mentioned here, please email them to rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFEME.com. (Unfortunately, Randall has to answer general "Tell me more?" type questions with a request for a more specific question. He's not trying to be rude, he just can't think of anything general and useful to say that isn't said here.) [08] ========= ========= NEWSLETTER INFORMATION ========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe) ========= Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. The Cauldron intends to publish this newsletter once a month and often actually succeeds in doing so. We tried to publish it twice a month for a while, but real life interfered too often. This issue of Cauldron and Candle as a whole is copyright (c) 2008 by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. Copyrights on individual items in this newsletter are retained by their author, please contact the editors if you need to contact an author for permission to reprint an article and the editors will do their best to put you in touch with him or her. The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of newsletter, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum, or its staff. Publication of an article in this newsletter is not an endorsement of the authors position or any products and companies mentioned therein. No one involved in producing this newsletter has any money to speak of so suing us if you don't like something we do is a waste of time and money. ===== ===== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE EMAIL ADDRESS ===== You are receiving a copy of this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter via your web browser at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cauldronandcandle/join Or you can unsubscribe via email by sending a blank message to cauldronandcandle-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Be sure to send this message from the email account actually subscribed to the newsletter. If you have trouble unsubscribing by email, please use the web browser method mentioned above. If you need to change your subscription to a new email address, unsubscribe your old email address and subscribe your new email address. Note that you have to make these changes yourself. Yahoo Groups does not allow the list owner to make them for you. ===== ===== NEWSLETTER WEB SITE AND BACK ISSUE ARCHIVE ===== The Cauldron and Candle web site contains information on this newsletter and an archive of back issues. http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/ ===== ===== PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE ===== If you have Pagan friends who you believe would be interested in Cauldron and Candle please invite them to subscribe. You can either drop them a note yourself or -- better yet -- send them one of The Cauldron's email postcards with the information. You are also welcome to forward a copies of this newsletter to interested friends and associates provided you forward the entire newsletter. ===== ===== SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ===== Don't forget that your suggestions for this newsletter are always welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to LyricFox (lyricfox01@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall Sapphire (rssapphire01@.ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive