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| Okay, peoples! This is Our soapbox, and Wwe plan to use it! |
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ON THE SUBJECT OF CHATROOM "ELDERS" | |||||
 The term, "Elder" and those who held that position, were once highly respected by me.
However, I have discovered through bitter heartbreak that this should not be so. This
term is too easily applied to those who have had little or NO experience with high magick,
or the daily magickal routine. Magick must be in your heart, in your soul, in your mind, and
not just in the books on your shelves. I have also recently discovered that age is very relative.
It means very little. It's what you've DONE with your years, not how many you've lived, that really
matters. I know a 22 year old who is far more mature than those around him, and indeed, is
considered "odd" by others who are around him because of his inate talents
in the Arts. *just an example* and I'm sure you know of other examples. So to all who would be an "Elder,"
remember that experience and maturity is what will make you such...not age, nor having others CALL you
an Elder. You must exhibit the QUALITIES of an Elder, in order to BE one. Not just have mindless sheep follow
and hang on your every word, thereby giving the ILLUSION that you are knowledgable. Anyone
who is well read can fake it. But with dozens of disillusioned students, and only a scant few who
have pursued the path of the magick user and even they have found another teacher besides you,
I think it's safe to say that you're nothing more than a poser; a wannabe. Take it from me. I've practiced
magick for nearly 40 years. My new love and I ARE magick Uusers, but you will seldom, if ever, find us in chat rooms,
attempting to teach ANYone. My students have all come to Me. We do not "recruit," nor do we preach, except here...but this is Oour
Soapbox, and as I said, we plan to use it!Respect is often mistakenly interpreted by most as a "healthy fear." While respect does incorporate fear, it also has another facet...that of love. The fear is not of that person, but of their rejection of your idea, work, the job done, the way you look, or any other aspect of your relationship with that person. Respect, because of the factor of love being figured into the definition, has to be earned...built, just like love itself, lest it be false and mislaid. Because trust must be the fo0undation for respect, love, and any other relationship, it takes time for it to grow. Those who would lay instant trust in others are considered naive, even foolish, by those of us who realize that trust must be developed over time, and indeed, many have been cautioned..."don't trust him/her...you don't know them..." yet the unfortunate inexperienced will do just that. Trust blindly. Innocence is the reason for this mistake, and maturity will correct it, for broken hearts are what "grows us up," matures us. People you meet in chat rooms throughout the net, should not be instantly trusted. It is far too easy to sit behind a computer and be a god/goddess, when there is no one there to keep you in check; keep you honest, as it were. No one there, reading your body language, facial expressions, nor gauging how long it takes you to think of an answer.
Just remember these words, my fellow pagans and dragon lovers...DO NOT BLINDLY TRUST. Faith is for the gods/goddesses of our lives...not for one another. We are, after all...only human.
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WHAT CONSTITUTES A "FAMILY?" | |||||
 I grew up under many circumstances. When I was young, I was with My mother
and her parents. But soon (some would say too soon), I was out and on My
own. My grandfather died in 1986 and My mom died in 1992. In 2003, My
grandmother died. That leaves only Me and a father I never knew, his bastard
children as My half-brothers and half-sisters, some legitimate, some not; as My
"family."
For Me, these people never have been, nor will ever be, My "family." Family to Me means those you love beyond question, with that same kind of uncompromisable, unconditional love My mother gave Me. There are those left who are related to Me, and then there is My FAMILY. I've had the luxury of picking and choosing My family throughout My entire life, since I left home. I have "brothers," "sisters," "cousins," "aunts," "uncles," "fathers," and such. Funny though...I've never "adopted" a mother. I had a good mother, and I never felt the need to replace her with someone who was still among the living. For those of Uus who live any alternative lifestyle, be it Paganism, or any other form of alternative lifestyle, Wwe should support those who seek to create and be part of any family unit. We, as Pagans, vowed to be open to others and their beliefs, choices, and lifestyles. To condemn another's lifestyle would throw us back in with the xtians who committed genocide upon thousands of cultures for the sake of their way being the only right way. What ever happened to separation of Church and State? Where are our constitutional rights?! A marriage, regardless of those involved, is a SPIRITUAL UNION and the American Government has NO RIGHT to make any determination concerning what constitutes a "family." Again, they overstep their boundaries and break their own rules. WHEN will enough be enough? Perhaps we should remind those sitting in offices paid by our hard work, our blood, sweat and tears...that Americans of "Alternative Lifestyles" VOTE TOO !!! Elswet O'The DragonFyre™ | |||||
RANT, RAVE & RELEASE | |||||
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As most of you know, Wwe live in Pigeon Forge, TN; the valley leading into the
Great Smoky Mountains. It's a beautiful place to live. I'd waited My entire
life to live here, and I still, after four years, take the time to stop and just
... BREATHE, take in the mountains, smell the flowers and enjoy the wildlife.
The ley lines run through these mountains in an almost visible flow past Cumberland Gap. You can stand at any of the fortuitous scenic overlooks and physically see the flow of energies. Unfortunately, another thing you can physically see here, is the arrogance and utter disregard for humanity among the wealthy, self-made business owners. These people have risen from the ashes of their rural mountain upbringing and never let anyone around them forget it. They attempt (in vain) to "buy their way into heaven" by pounding the Bible, while living the lives of the biggest hypocrites I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. I have, thus far, worked for two such miserable beings. Gods deliver Me from ever having to live through these experiences again. May the Goddess save Uus Aall from the Lee brothers, first names being "Ugh." Elswet O'The DragonFyre™ | |||||
CONCERNING MY "OFFICIAL" READING LIST | |||||
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Everyone keeps asking for My Recommended Reading List. I haven't been in any hurry to answer those emails because
frankly, I don't have one. I don't believe that all publications with a crescent moon on the spine
is a reliable source of information. "Those crescent moon people" do publish some excellent
spring-boards for many paths, pantheons and techniques, but just because it's from "those crescent moon people"
doesn't mean a tree hasn't died in vain.
There are elitists on both sides of the "crescent moon" fence. Some say that nothing BUT "those crescent moon people" publications should be read, while the other side says NOTHING they publish should be taken seriously. I don't hold with elitists. They are more concerned with themselves than with the Magick, the God and the Goddess, and are therefore unceremoniously dismissed by Me. Water off a duck's back. That having been said, there are many good books out there which make excellent reference materia concerning herbs and their uses, stones and their properties, colors, candles and just about everything else. I've recommended several books throughout the site and will repeat those recommendations here. This is NOT; however, an endorsement one way or the other, of this ridiculous debate. NO publisher will have only true, reliable information published from its presses, and NO ONE out there should censor what's published, much less, what is read. A Witch (or Magick User, if you prefer) who is well-read will be much better armed for a battle of wits, the defense of the religious stand they choose to take, much more succinct in self-expression and verbalization of those tenets of belief they wish to express, and so on; than one who has succummed to the idiocies of this debate. READ! A book a week. Choose books which are outside your own pantheon/path, as well as those which are within the realms of your own choice. The more you learn, the more you will grow as a person, an individual and a Magick User. I have no truck with those who would claim elitism as a means of projecting the "Big me, little you" phenomena. Again, elitists are in it for SELF and not for the magick, the religion, or the God and Goddess. Elitists want and need to feel superior. That's what makes them elitists. *soft laugh* They care little or nothing about their students. Their primary motivation behind "teaching" is the uplifting of their own egos. Sorry, but to say, "I'm an elitist," is to say, "I'm a sorry, snotty, superficial, one-legged, glass-eyed, acne-scarred prostitute," as far as I'm concerned. I do apologize if I've offended any sorry, snotty, superficial, one-legged, glass-eyed, acne-scarred prostitutes out there. | |||||
RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION IN TODAY'S WORKPLACE | |||||
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On the Advice of our attorney, this section concerning the act(s) of religious discrimination perpetrated against Sylver MoonDragon™ and I (Elswet DragonFyre™) has been removed...temporarily.
Email Me, should you have need and thank Yyou for Yyour understanding, or go HERE, instead. Elswet DragonFyre™, High Priestess and Certified/Ordained Minister and Founder of the Temple of DragonFyre™   Elswet and shingo DragonFyre™ & Sylver MoonDragon™ | |||||
THE WAR IN IRAQ | |||||
 I wasn't going to do this...say anything at all...but the current attitudes of some
movie stars and other performers made My hackles stand up and turn red...white and blue.
Don't worry, this won't be a tyrade against the entertainment "industry." I don't have the
strength.
 I want you to take a look at this photo. I also want you to click it and go read where it
was taken. Are we doing the right thing? Do we, as Americans, have a right to even BE in Iraq?
Should we care about becoming involved? What, if anything, does Iraq have to do with 9/11??If you still have to ask those questions after reading the article,
then I not only don't have the time, but I do not possess the desire to sit here and answer them for you.
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Domestic/Spousal Abuse in the Pagan Home | |||||
 I honestly can't say enough about this sad condition of the state of affairs
inside the Pagan Community.
Before I start My diatribe, let Me begin by telling My own story. The Readers' Digest Condensed Version of it, at any rate. I was with a man who was abusive in every way you can be abusive, and I stayed in it for 13 years. I allowed him to get Me to that point where I believed I deserved the abuse he was giving Me. I allowed him to get Me to the point where I believed his claims; that I was the reason he was hurting Me, that I was the catalyst which caused him to behave the way he did. I simply forgot that I didn't have to live like that. The conditioning was slow and merciless; day by day, he instilled in Me the belief that I made him do these horrible things to Me. It was My fault that he drank because that was the only way he could live with Me. It was My fault that he stayed away from home because he could not bare to be in the house with Me, and when he was home, it was My fault that he was abusive to Me because I deserved no better. His mother was the town slut. She had children by 6 or so different men, and when he began (as an adult) to discover the truth about the parentage of his siblings, he also uncovered that he was at the low end of the gene pool. Well, I couldda told him that! *lol* He wasn't very bright in ways of education, sophistication or what he termed as "citified manners." He was a woodsman, a huntsman, a sportsman, an avid angler and a drunk. And, as with any other victim, I would defend him to the world. "He's not mean, he only did it because I messed up. It was My fault." *shakes My head* I can't believe...sitting here now...that I ever let it go there. But the sad truth is that I did. I was never what you would call "in love" with him, but I did care for him an awful lot. As with all abusers, there is the charm factor; their ability to turn it on and fool the entire town into thinking what a nice guy he is and how "lucky" the victim is for being with him. Sorry, but lucky was certainly NOT how I felt. It started out with petty jealousy. At first it was cute and endearing for him to show his insecurity so blatantly to me. But he soon became dangerously possessive; watching My every move, disapproving of every friend I had, attempting to isolate Me from My family members in a ruthlessly systematic way ... and later, his jealousy grew deadly. He suddenly began accusing Me of things I'd never before contemplated. He would just go OFF about situations I had not ever dreamed of. Then, he began accusing Me of sleeping with specific people, not just an ambiguous "someone," but naming people. I was never unfaithful to My husband. I was never the Person his sickness made him believe I had to be in order to justify his cruelty to Me. The slut in his life was his MOTHER, but there was absolutely no way of making him see that. I never even tried. To do so would have resulted in My death and I knew that. I finally woke up. I waited for him to leave for work and I got the H3LL OUT of there. I did take My magick books with Me. AND, I can honestly say, I never let him control My magick. Not once. He -thought- he did, but he most certainly did NOT. This all having been said, there is an appallingly high number of Pagan women in abusive relationships. They are allowing uninitiated, callous men control over themselves and their powers. Some even allow wannabe Internet Doms control over themselves, and they aren't even in the same CITY as these abusers. To be a responsible Magick user, one must take control over their own life and their circumstances/situations. To be a responsible Magick user, these women must take a stand for themselves, even if that means sneaking out in the dead of the night. Forget the furniture. Forget the -stuff- ! It's only stuff for cryin' out loud, and your life and those of your child(ren) is/are more important than the value of the stuff you are leaving behind. There is a marked difference between the BDSM/Ds Lifestyles and what I am talking about, here. BDSM/Ds is a healthy psycho-sexual relationship between two CONSENTING adults. Spousal abusers have problems which they are NOT attempting to work through. Those who psychologically abuse out of a life-devouring guilt for the heinous things they have done, cannot cope with, and refuse to take responsibility for are the weak b*st*rds to which I refer. I am not referring to those who willingly, lovingly and carefully participate in the healthy ways for working through these issues. "But D/s IS Domination/submission! It IS the same thing!" the lemmings all cry! Perhaps it is. Let us look at it from a "lemming" perspective. D/s is a Lifestyle which incorporates the dynamics of consentual submission. Spousal abuse is also consentual, as the victim is the one who allows the abuser control. Therefore, the "victim" must be there of their own free will. Hmmm....Perhaps the lemmings have it. No. They don't. The practice of a D/s Lifestyle has certain psychological (and physical) safeguards, keywords, and trigger phrases in place which keep the submissive safe while allowing the submissive total control over how deeply they delve into the aspects of pain, humiliation, and servitude. Spousal abuse does not. There IS no control. That is why it is unsafe. Hitting in anger is NOT what D/s is about. And Bondage, Discipline, Sado-Masochism practices also have the same safeguards in place when practiced, so don't go there either. *gets the lemming repellant* Actually, this condition really pisses Me off. I know through first-hand experience that this abuse can be ended as easily as it was begun. Leave. Get out and never look back. Domestic abuse has no place in the Pagan home, and if you live in this mess, and attempt to work Magick, all I can say for you is "Good Luck." *shakes My head* "But ELSWET™! You must HELP THEM!" the lemmings cry in one voice. Just as kidnap victims are likely to defend their kidnappers, so will the abused spouse. They are deluded into believing they are in "love" with the perpetrators of their abuse. They have reasons for not leaving such as embarrassment, humiliation, fear, pride. Whatever the reason, there is nothing anyone can do for these "victims." If you help one, and the abuser wins/scares them back into their lives, then you as a friend will be totally cut off from the "victim." If you call the police, the "victim" will undoubtedly LIE to the officers involved concerning what is happening out of fear and humiliation. If they find out you were the one who called, they will distance themSELVES from you because you pose a threat which could expose their false life for what it is and force them to make a choice. But don't you see, dear lemmings, that they make a choice every single day? They choose to stay there EVERY...SINGLE...DAY that they don't leave, they've chosen to be abused. So no. I do not have to help them. In fact, it's imperative to their spiritual growth that I leave them in their own mess. If they don't do it themselves, they will go right back. I've seen it too many times and I'm not subjecting Myself to the grief. I MADE My choices and I am happy with My life. They have to do the same or suffer the outcome of their own choices. | |||||
Abortion, Yes or No? | |||||
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This is a touchy issue here in the good old US of A. You've got four main schools of thought, each with their righteously indignant statements of intent and purpose; beliefs, philosophies, and indoctrinated dogma. Unfortunately, in listening to these ideals, I've come to realize they're entirely self-aggrandizing and those arrogant, pompous, ill educated windbags are just chocked full of self-righteous indignation that anyone would DARE to disagree with their view points.
"Can't you SEE? The facts are right THERE in front of your FACE!" But what one man sees as folly, another sees as truth. As far as I can deduce from this argument, here are the four houses of contention. THE HOUSES 1. Pro-lifers. They believe the woman's body falls to the control of the government and that the women have no rights over what happens to their bodies. They believe your "choice" is made prior to conception, and once conception has occurred, that is a baby and to abort it would be murder. 2. Pro-choicers. They believe that the woman's body is the woman's sole property to do with as she sees fit, as long as that does not violate any laws. They believe conception does not a "baby" make. In the embryonic state, they are merely matter. They believe that no baby exists until it is physically born. 3. Scientologists. (I don't mean the Church of Scientology). The scientific community tends to view embryos as viable, marketable commodities to be used for research when it does not fill an emotional need of its host (the would-be mother). 4. Apathists. Those who don't care. These are the ones who really p*ss Me off. Those who do not "care" are more responsible than those who do, for society's laws, amendments, and behaviors. More so in that they COULD have done something to change the laws and to change the way things are, but they do nothing but sit and whine, b*tch, p*ss, and moan. They are arm-chair politicians who lack the intestinal fortitude to put down that Budweiser, relinquish control of the remote, brush the potato-chip pieces off their well-invested gut, utilize the energy to stand...and go VOTE! If they care enough to b*tch about how things are, they should be forced by all those around them to either go vote, or STFU! Stem cell research will be the turning point in modern medicine. It will offer the cure for diabetes, many forms of cancer, and possibly even AIDS. Stem cell research is severely hampered here in the Good Old US of A because it can not be done without the creation of what the pro-lifers would term as a "baby." The problem with that is there IS no baby. There are cells, and nothing but cells. When in the early embryonic state, that's all the mother-to-be is carrying; cells and nothing more. Miscarriages happen every day, and many times, the "patient" has no idea she was ever pregnant. She just has a hard cycle that month. Stem cell research is necessary, indeed, it is MANDATORY for the advancement of the human race! Stem cells can become ANY KIND OF CELL they are introduced into. Do they not realize the long term implications of this?! And they let RELIGION stand in the way of making these remarkable advancements. Dogmatic ramblings. Nothing more. But they're backed with billions in christian dollars. Money talks and everything else walks in America. Or weren't you aware of that? The Pro-choicers are usually labelled as "women's libber's" who ought to have a male organ hanging between their legs rather than a baby. I'm not a women's libber. I WANT the door opened for Me. I WANT My husband to earn a living. I WANT My man to BE a man. But I'm also a Domme. *soft laugh* So there is a balance in there, somewhere. The Pro-lifers have been known to stop at nothing to shut down abortion clinics and halt the daily operations of these places. I remember the abortion clinic bombings all over the US. For years, it seemed like there was a new bombing every day. Dozens blown to bits here, fourteen or so burned alive there, and this was every day! I think that was when I chose my side. My reasoning was that if life was sacred, as they claimed it was, they were the biggest hypocrites I'd ever seen. Just the fact that they would kill to stop abortions, meant to Me that they weren't any better than the "baby murderers" they kept spouting off against, assassinating in the streets, burning out of their homes, and persecuting relentlessly. They were killing babies that women WANTED! AND killing the women, the workers, security personnel, and doctors, along with those who were there as moral support for their loved ones. Entire families of doctors were in danger just by walking too close to their own windows in their own homes. I viewed that as completely f*cked up and I never once considered altering My view. I still don't. Me? I'm pro death of all kinds. I'm for assisted suicide; I believe those in advanced years have the right to die with their dignity and sanity intact. I'm for the death penalty. If you kill someone in cold blood, you die. That's it and that's all. I'm for abortion. I'm not one of those Puritains who see a few sparks on a cellular level to be "proof of life" any more than they view a few changes (in My life) for the better after I've done spellwork, as proof that Magick is real. Personally, once a baby's started moving about and the mother feels it's a baby, then it's a baby. If the mother doesn't feel in her heart that it's yet a baby, then it's simply a fetus which fills no emotional need of its host and thereby nothing more at that state than "tissue." After the four month cut off (a condition added to the abortion laws to pacify the Pro-lifers who lost the war to control the rights of a woman over her own body), then it's legally a "baby." I don't have a problem with a woman taking control of her life and/or her body. I firmly believe, as a Pagan, as a High Priestess, and as a Woman, that we have the right to determine what happens with and in our lives and bodies. Neither any government, political group, nor church has the right to remove, govern, or limit that control. That's it and that's all. SUMMATION I believe that everyone has the right to choose. I respect the views of those who see abortion as murder, just as I respect the views of those who do not. I believe this choice is the right of EACH AND EVERY woman to make on her own, if/when that time comes. It's not the government's decision. It's not the church's decision. It's not the husband's decision. It's not the boyfriend's decision. It's no one's decision but the woman's. SHE is the one who will have her life forEVER changed by having a child. For the better, or for the worse, that decision, too, is hers. I respect EVERYONE's right to choose. I vote pro-choice. |
