Advice

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes May, 2012

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of What To Do

Dear Mama Donna.

The recent state of the financial, political and environmental realms have pushed me to the point of despondency. I am completely crippled with feelings of helplessness and inadequacy. There is so much that I want to see improve in our country and in the world, but I don’t know where or how to begin. What is a girl to do?

Depressed, Frustrated and Disillusioned in Dallas

Dear Depressed, Frustrated and Disillusioned,

First of all, don’t be. Depressed, frustrated and disillusioned, that is. Know that you are doing what you can and that it counts. Every single solitary thing that we each do and say and, especially, think really does count. More than we can ever believe.

Some might argue that we don’t have any choice in this upside down dangerous world and that we can’t effect what will happen. But even if we can’t immediately alter the course of human events on the world stage, we can certainly create change in our own lives and in all of the lives that we touch. And our thoughts are the seeds of that change.

Dr. Christiane Northrup writes, “Use your thoughts wisely. Understand

their power. Thoughts have a tendency to become their physical equivalent. This is one of the fundamental laws of the universe. Another one is the law of attraction, which states that ‘like attracts

like.’ Because it is consciousness that creates reality, the kind of consciousness you hold — your vibration — actually creates the kind of life you’re living.”

So our first order of business must be to stay positive. To entertain only positive possibilities. To imagine only affirmative alternatives. To surround ourselves with wholly uplifting, life-affirming people and influences. To align ourselves solely with the greater good so that our actions will be born of only the finest of our best intentions.

Far away there in the sunshine are my

highest aspirations. I may not reach

them, but I can look up and see their

beauty, believe in them, and try to follow

where they lead.

—Louisa May Alcott

What we all have to do from now on is to stay open, stay alert, stay centered, keep connected and most important of all, keep talking. Talking, writing, protesting keeps the light of truth and tolerance shining upon the hidden agendas of governments, industries, institutions and individuals. Silence, like the dark of night, shelters nefarious deeds. Silence forgives violence.

I have been haunted recently by the words written by a Protestant minister after the downfall of the Nazi regime. “First they came for the gays. I am not gay, so I didn’t say anything. Then they came for the Gypsies. I am not a Gypsy, so I didn’t say anything. Then they came for the Jews. I am not a Jew, so I didn’t say anything. Then they came for the Catholics. I am not a Catholic, so I didn’t say anything. When they finally came for me, there was no one left to say anything.”

Be bold.

Make a statement.

Make a stand.

Make a difference.

In light of the widespread oppression, manipulation, intimidation that surrounds us today, we most certainly need to say something.  We need, in fact, to talk to everyone who we meet, actually engage on a human level with those who we encounter as we make it through our day. Not just our families, friends and colleagues — those of presumed like-minds — but the shoe repair guy, the waitress at the coffee shop, the post office clerk, the bag boy at the super market.

A good example is Dianne, one of the wonderful people who regularly attends my healing circles. She not only prays for the homeless men and women who live on her block, she calls them each by name. I am so impressed and inspired by her personal outreach to the “untouchables.” Everybody is, after all, somebody.

If we ignore, exploit or patronize those people whose lives intersect with ours, how can we expect international relations to be more civilized? We need to walk our talk wherever we go, whatever we do, remembering always, that by doing so we do make a difference. Let us each be a sun, sending our caring energy out into the world, shedding light wherever we go. You never know whom you might touch with the radiance of your warmth.

I have an outgoing message on my answering machine that doesn’t even say, “Hello.” It just starts right in with, “You know there really is still a chance for peace and that chance will definitely increase if we each do our piece. So let’s make peace — in our homes, in our own hearts, in our relationships, in our communities, in all of our dealings and in the world. Peace be with us all.”

Much to my surprise, the very people whom I never would have thought would respond favorably, have. The overwhelmingly positive reactions that I have received from workmen, telephone solicitors and service personnel has been an important lesson about the necessity to reach out beyond the boundaries of our biases, assumptions and expectations.

A few weeks ago, I came home to a message from the plumber who was making an appointment to fix my sink. After listening to my taped pep talk, he answered in his gravely Brooklyn brogue, “Yeah, what is this war all about, anyway? Why are we fighting those people? They never hurt us.” This, from someone I would have assumed to be a proponent of the war.

The electrician, another guy who really shocked me, loves the message and calls in daily just to hear it! Once I was here when he called and when I picked up, he complained. “Let me call back again,” he implored. “I want to hear the message. It makes me feel good.” The reason, he explained, is that it is not political. It is personal. And it touches his heart.

But why was I surprised? People are just people, after all. When you think about it, all people are of a like-mind when it comes to living a life unthreatened by hatred and violence. The urgency for war only seems enticing when it is waged elsewhere. Ask anyone. “Do you want bombs and missiles to blow up your house?”

Every parent has the right to put her/his child to sleep each night without any risk of that child being shot, trapped in the midst of some hostile crossfire — be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ireland, Angola or the South Bronx. No one wants to live and work in a war zone — in Palestine, Bosnia, Zimbabwe, the World Trade Center or East L.A.

So, buck up and say what is on your mind. The more you do so, the more empowered you will feel.

We become just by performing just actions,

temperate by performing temperate actions,

brave by performing brave actions.

—Aristotle

xxMama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

**************************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post, Beliefnet and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_of_My_Self

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Read her on Beliefnet:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/thequeenofmyself/

Tags:

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes March, 2011

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Egg Balancing

Dear Mama Donna,

First let me say that I have great respect and gratitude for the work that you do. As a long time organizer in the neo-pagan community I have followed your activities with pleasure in the media through the years. But there’s one thing that really irks me; this spring equinox egg balancing hoax.

The fact is that it is no easier or harder to balance an egg on its end on any day of the year, and your promotion of such a vacuous myth is impossible for me to understand. This pseudo-science ‘eggsperiment’ is now regularly dis-proven by grade school students to show them the difference between delusion and knowledge. Why is a smart, strong, adult woman doing this?

Please don’t take this as an attack, but seeing you promote such a blatantly untrue and irrational belief as the egg hoax is baffling to me. It robs you and those of us with similar spiritual leanings of credibility.

Practicing Pagan in New York

Dear Practicing,

Well, we could argue about whether or not you can stand an egg up at any time of the day, week, month, year, but this is beside the point of my egg events. What is truly important to me is that thousands of people make it their business year after year to attend to the shift of a season, to actively participate in a planetary rite of passage and to share this cosmic experience in sincere communion.

Standing an egg at other times may work mechanistically, but stood at the first moment of spring, the egg becomes the clear, rightful, recognizable symbol of a new season, the birth of new life. Eggs On End: Standing On Ceremony is every bit a traditional vernal fertility rite. A popular, contemporary celebration of the return of green and growth and light after the dark winter.

The event itself is astonishingly simple. An orange laundry basket that contains 360 eggs is passed among the crowd. We all hold them up in the air together, pledging to walk on the earth as if we were walking on eggs. Promising anew, in honor of the season, to protect our fragile yet resilient planet home.  We count down the minutes to the equinox. And when the time is right, we stand our eggs in unison in salute to spring. No matter how many people attend, the real event is always each single person feeling for themselves what gravity and balance and equilibrium might mean.

Standing an egg on its end, feeling it as the yolk shifts inside to find its perfect point of balance, is like holding the entire universe in the palm of your hand. The excitement is profound and never, it seems, forgotten. I receive notes, clippings, testimonials, feedback and photos from folks from all over, who have attempted to stand up eggs either as a participant at one of my events, or alone, with friends, family, or with the entire television viewing audience. They send pictures of eggs standing on book shelves, kitchen tables, school rooms, driveways, even on a boat in the Caribbean. Eggs with kids, with astronomers, with physicists, with news anchors, with pet cats. This widespread celebration of the equinox, of the earth, of the universe and each other is what really counts.

By noting the especially energetic times of the equinoxes, solstices and other Celestially Auspicious Occasions, we associate ourselves as participants in the planetary cycles of our solar system — the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives. It is immaterial whether or not the egg can stand at any other time. The important thing is to recognize the symbol, the season, the sky, and the kindred souls who surround us.

Yours in the spirit of balance,

xxMama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

**************************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_of_My_Self

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Read her on Beliefnet:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/thequeenofmyself/

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Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes November, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.
*Ask Your Mama™
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™
by
©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman
A Question of Omens
Dear Mama Donna,
Both of my cats are lying at the front entrance of my home in identical positions (stance) facing inward. Is this an omen?
- Puzzled
Dear Puzzled,
The answer here is another question: “Is it?”
Only you know if it (or anything) is an omen for you. Does it feel like an omen? It must, because you thought it might be. An omen is an omen if you think it is an omen.
But an omen of what?
The image in my mind’s eye of your cats lying in alignment like two book ends reminds me of the huge stone lions on the front steps of the New York Public Library, which in turn remind me of Egyptian sphinxes. But you see, it doesn’t matter what they seem like to me. They are your cats in your home and in your psyche.
Our inner thoughts, feelings and reactions to things offer direction and meaning to our lives. When we begin to pay serious, disciplined attention to the inner process of our journey, we start to notice the serendipity, coincidence, and synchronicity that surround us. We become more sensitive to the special, uncanny, lucky surprises that keep popping up in our path. Soon we begin to recognize these personally relevant occurrences as omens, and it behooves us to take very careful note of them. They are the guideposts of our soul’s journey toward itself, the psychic maps that help to show us the way to go and keep us on the right track.
Like divine affirmations, these meaningful signs and signals serve to assure us that we are in the right place at the right time. They are road markers inscribed in our own private language, leading us along our life path. Some people find money wherever they go. Others could walk with their heads down, eyes perpetually scanning, waving around a metal detector, and never find a single penny. Other people find shells or feathers or spiders or sea glass or rainbows or certain number combinations.
Each of these items represents something particular to the people who recognize them. My friend, Dominique, finds heart-shaped stones. To her, they symbolize the mission of the “heartist” which is her life’s chosen work. Each rock she encounters is like a small pat on the back. My dear Kay finds doll arms. Doll arms! They remind her of the little metal Mexican charms called milagros (miracles) that she loves. Whenever I come across a heart stone or doll arm, I know that our paths have crossed that day.
It is easy to recognize our personal omens precisely because they are so personal. Here are some suggestions that will help you to recognize and understand the omens that you encounter:
What colors, numbers, objects hold special meaning for you whenever you come across them? Have you had this sense of connection since childhood or is it recent?
What do these clues mean to you and why? Perhaps they recall a fond memory, a symbolic association, or a fortunate magical significance.
Notice how and when these signs and symbols present themselves to you. Notice how they make you feel. What is the question that they answer?
Make a mental note or journal entry of the occurrence of the omen and its meaning for you. Make special notation of your appreciation of this sign, this clue, this nod of approval.
Keep your eyes and ears open. If you keep looking for omens, directions, connections, synchronicities, messages and miracles, you will certainly find them everywhere.
So, then, what is the difference between a seeker and a seer?
Yours for clear vision,
xxMama Dionna
*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. Send your questions about seasons, cycles, and celebrations to Mama Donna at citshaman@aol.com
*************************************************************
Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for Beliefnet, the Huffington Post and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.
Watch her videos:
Read her on the Huffington Post:
Read her on Beliefnet:
Follow her on Twitter:
Connect with her on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

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Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes September, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Intention

Dear Mama Donna,

I am looking for some information/advice. I consider myself a Goddess Worshiper and don’t really know anything about magic. The little I do know is that it has a lot to do with intention. I like the pentagram design; to me it is a symbol of the order and interconnectedness of the universe.

Recently I bought a walking stick/staff at a craft festival just because it seemed like a neat thing to have. The vendor offered to put a pentagram on the top of the stick I bought after I asked if he had any with one on. He must have known at least a little about such things, because as he was doing it he said something about turning two of the points inward if I wanted to use if for protection and two outward if I wanted to use it for something else (I can’t remember the word he used) He also had a lot of other sticks with Norse runes on them, and said he’s made them for people who use them in rituals.

It occurred to me that I don’t know what intention, if any, this stranger was putting into the staff I purchased. I remembered a conversation I had overheard about exorcisms and evil.

My question is: Is it possible to have brought an evil influence into my life by having made this purchase or to be “evil” unintentionally?

Thank you for taking the time to read my message. Bright Blessings,

-Concerned about Evil Intentions in Minnesota

Dear Concerned,

Don’t be. I wouldn’t worry that he was putting any evil intentions into your staff. Why would he? His intention was probably to make a great staff, to make a great customer and to make money.

But it is always a good idea to cleanse any sort of ritual tool that you purchase in order to remove the energy and influence of anybody else,

which might have been absorbed by the object. In this way you make it truly your own.

Why don’t you smudge it with purifying smoke? Try burning sage, cedar, juniper, copal, frankincense, myrrh or camphor and wash the staff with this holy smoke.

Then when you feel it is clean, put your own best intention into it. After that, you can draw it through the smoke of sweet grass. This invites in the sweet, positive, protective spirits.

It is very common to “dress” ritual objects — that is, to add decorative elements such as glitter, ribbons, flowers, fabric, etc., to enhance their beauty. You can also affix spiritual amulets of personal significance to charge the power of your intention.

Now bless your staff to be a partner to help keep you merrily walking along on your path. For this blessing you can use water or any special oil. Or you can put it outside to be blessed by moonlight or sunlight or whatever feels right to you.

You have thus erased all energy but your own and you have claimed this object as something special and holy. Now it is ready to serve your needs and intentions, whether it be for ceremony or simply to take a walk in the woods.

Blessings along the way,

xxMama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

*************************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_of_My_Self

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Read her on Beliefnet:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/thequeenofmyself/

Tags:

Ask Your Momma

Mama Donna Henes August, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Needing a Catalyst

Dear Mama Donna,

I just came across your photo of standing eggs on end at the art-that-heals.org web site. This was only minutes after I was pondering how to create a certain earth-healing ritual.

There is a creek here in the city of San Jose, California, that no one seems to own. It’s a tributary to the Guadalupe River. This poor creek is suffocating with trash of all kinds. I’ve seen birds and ducks living there — it can’t be easy.

I work in a HUGE corporation that is full of resourceful, talented, caring people. I know that if I provide the framework, they will show up. I’d like to perform a general clean-up, perhaps award a prize for the weirdest trash, and then perform a simple healing ceremony, such as tying strips of cloth/prayers to certain branches, or putting up a sign that defends the creek from future trash. Then I’ll buy the volunteers a round at the bar across the street.

I’ve been wanting to do this for months, but I’ve been missing a catalyst — experiencing paralysis and a lot of guilt for not taking action. Have you done something similar to what I’m proposing, and might you have any words of advice for me?

Hoping to be Helpful in San Jose

Dear Helpful,

First of all let me commend you for your fine feelings and fabulous intentions. Good for you! The urge to do something positive for the earth is most honorable, and, as you have discovered, quite daunting, as well. Nagging doubts often delay and deter our action. What to do? Where to start? How to progress? Who am I to aim so high?

As Marianne Willimson said, “Who are you not to?” You have obviously given this project much thought. If you re-read your letter, you will probably be surprised to see that you have already answered all your own questions. It seems to me that you know exactly what to do and how to do it.

The creek obviously needs a major cleanup and your band of fellow workers seems perfectly suited to the task. Perhaps you could expand your out-reach and involve a local school, day care or senior citizen center, scout troop, or such. And sure, reward them with whatever seems appropriate.

Adopt the creek in a formal ceremony, claiming response-ability for its future care. Post the sign that you envisioned. Continue your efforts on a regular basis with periodic clean-up days and educational events. Have plastic bags (recycled, of course) printed with your logo and slogans and pass them out to encourage on-going trash collection.

I love your idea of a prize for the strangest trash discovery. Why not take it a step further and create sculptural elements from the flotsam that you find and decorate the banks and environs of the creek, creating a sort of whimsical ecology/art park? Host community picnics there and celebrate your surroundings and your own self-involvement.

What a lovely vision you have imagined. I see it all so clearly. A brave and beautiful world where we each take responsibility for righting whatever wrongs we witness and create for ourselves with our own imagination and ingenuity, a brave new, viable, sustainable, magical way of life and living.

So, consider this the catalyst you’ve been needing. Swallow that energy-draining guilt, girlfriend, and go for it! We need you.

xxMama Donna

P.S. For further information and inspiration regarding some of your ideas, you might want to refer to the following:

Re: Cleaning the creek: Heartist, Dominique Mazeaud has made a long-time monthly meditation project of cleaning the Guadalupe River in Santa Fe, New Mexico. http://www.earthheartist.com/

Re: Found junk sculpture: Alice Guffy Miller is the queen of fantastical ecological structures, which she creates with community involvement using trash and recyclables. http://home.comcast.net/~sitron45/pf/alice.html

Re: Tying cloth to branches as a healing ritual: I actually wrote an entire book about just that! Dressing our Wounds in Warm Clothes: Ward’s Island Energy Trance-Mission ( Astro artz, 1982) is available through me,  www.donnahenes.net

Dear Mama Donna,

I so, so appreciate your letter of encouragement and guidance. You were

right on the money. I know the steps, and your energy added the necessary *zing*. The day after I wrote to you, I actually met with the right person to advertise this project within our company, so it has begun to take on a life of its own.

As my request for help churns through the slow bureaucracy, I notice that nature took a hand and flooded the creek with three days’ rain (we need it!) All the trash danced on top. By the time my company can help, the tide should be out enough. I am filled with optimism! It reminds me of how the National Park Service came up with a 30-year plan to demolish many ugly buildings in Yosemite — and within only 3 months 2/3 of the plan had completed — by (El Niño) nature!

I realize now that the branch-wrapping idea must have come from Dressing Our Wounds in Warm Clothes, a copy of which was at my mother’s Manhattan apartment in the eighties. That’s how powerful your book is — to stick under my skin all these years after a single evening looking (mostly) at the pictures. I am so delighted!

I’ll let you know how the cleanup goes. You remind me of a little prayer that starts out: Oh, Great Mother, bless this Earth through our actions.

Best regards,

Helpful

Dear Mama Donna,

Here’s the latest — We are organized and lined up to clean the creek around Earth Day. In an ironic note, the local cops have forbidden us to enter the area that needs the most work. They tell us it is too dangerous (crime, dealers, needles) for the likes of us. Apparently, no one has told the ducks that!!!!!

Blessings from my activist life,

Helpful

Dear Helpful,

Are you ever! Good girl. When the authorities get all hot and bothered, you know you are doing something right. Take it from me. I once went to jail in Los Angeles for chanting for peace on the Autumnal Equinox, charged with “Inciting to Litter!” A few years ago on the Winter Solstice, 33 of us were arrested for chanting, “Reverence to Her” on the beach. This time, the charge was “Unauthorized Presence.” Well, I think so. And that’s just what ruffles them. We are unauthorized and live and act according to our own inner authority based on integrity, respect, reverence, and mutual response-ability.

Carry on in pride,

xxMama Donna

“ can be a form of enlightened behavior                  that is constructive, done out of compassion,                  not only for human beings, but for the                          environment and for the planet itself.”

—Jose Arguelles

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

**************************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post, Beliednet and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_of_My_Self

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Read her on Beliefnet:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/thequeenofmyself/

Tags: ,

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes July, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Claiming Time

Dear Mama Donna,

I think rituals are very important, and I feel their lack in my own life very strongly. But the fact is that I can never seem to find the time to actually plan special ceremonies. I am always too busy, too tired. I would appreciate some advice.

Time Deprived and Pooped in New York City

Dear Typical New Yorker,

In a culture, which defines itself in terms of clocks and dollars, (and the Big Apple is certainly the epicenter of such consciousness) it is difficult to claim the time and mental space to devote to an occupation that results in no visible product. Non-product and nonproductive are definitely not the same thing, however.

We may think of ritual, ceremony, contemplation, and meditation as not doing anything, but down time is not negative, it is not not doing something. What we are doing when we step off of the rat race treadmill is resting, reflecting, ruminating, regenerating, rejoicing, receiving, re-sourcing; re-centering, and renewing our energy, our essential spiritual selves.

Nor is sacred activity a luxury. When we carve out a niche in our busy lives to do the sorts of things that feed our souls; when we establish an integrated, ongoing ritual practice, we produce beauty, order, harmony, reverence, patience, introspection, connection, understanding, and appreciation, which enriches everything else that we do. Ceremonial observance adds lucid layers — depth, dimension, drama, and distinction — to our lives, making the ordinary seem special, and the special, extraordinary.

Perhaps your idea of what a proper ritual should consist of is too daunting. If you imagine that ceremonial practice must be complex, complicated, ornate, and overly organized, you are confusing a ritualistic concept with actual ritual. All that is truly necessary for effective and transformational ritual is a well-conceived, honest, and sincere intention, and the willingness to pay attention to the process.

Even the smallest, most mundane and profane moments of our lives can be potently sacred, if we honor them as such. The trick is to treat dailiness in a consciously celebratory manner. Those precious few quiet minutes in bed before we propel ourselves up and out into the day; the last sleepy moments at night before we fall to sleep; the precious stolen hours of quality time that we share with family and friends; time spent in the bath, in the garden, with a good book, even doing domestic routines; can all feel like holy rituals if you perform them with a concentrated ceremonial intention. Our resolution for sanctity makes it so. Concentration = consecration.

By making the time, by taking the time, by taking our time, and honoring all our times, we bless ourselves and endow ourselves with depth and enduring meaning. We consecrate our very lives, and celebrate the continuously wondrous miracle of our living.

Meals, for instance can certainly be more than the mere rushed intake of calories, nutrients, television news, and bickering. A normal supper on any average evening can be one of life’s most agreeable ceremonies if we establish a comfortable, leisurely, aesthetically pleasing, emotionally safe environment in which to enjoy food and convivial company even — especially — if it is “only” that of our own.

When my mother died, I inherited my grandmother’s set of turn-of-the-century hand-painted china. I have always loved those dishes. They evoke fond memories of Gramma’s excellent Jewish cooking and her unconditional love for me. They recall a complete smorgasbord of rich and heady sensual childhood recollections.

To this day, when I eat from them I can hear my grandfather’s gruff benediction as he swallowed down his customary pre-meal shot of medicinal schnapps. I can see the giant blue spruce outside of her Detroit dining room window, and smell the lilac bushes that surrounded her tiny house. I can feel the fine stitches on her immaculate embroidered table clothes, and my little brother kicking me under the table.

When Gramma died, my mother took the enormous set home with her to Cleveland. She wrapped each piece carefully, lovingly, in tissue paper and put the whole thing, covered in layers of protective plastic, away for use only on special occasions. For a while we enjoyed them at holiday  suppers and other celebratory occasions when they were filled with company-only extravagances like black olives and pickled watermelon rinds.

But as time passed and the family dispersed, special occasions became rare. I didn’t see those dishes for years, and I coveted them. Now that they are mine, I, too, cherish them and use them only for very special occasions. Every Meal. Every Day. I am careful with them, to be sure, but I use them. If I break one occasionally, I feel bad about it for a second, then put the pieces on the soil of my potted plants where their colorful pattern continues to cheer me. If there are none left by the time I die, so be it. One less find for the Antiques Road Show.

The art of approaching all areas of life with the same dedicated, detailed, devotion that one would apply to an important ritual event is endlessly affirming. I think of this mind set as altared sense-ability. The process, the conscious and conscientious practice, of living a seamless ceremonial existence. The finely tuned craft of making every single detail matter and every precious second truly count. It is this constant presence in the present that ultimately nourishes and energizes us.

With ritual in our mind, any time is sacred, and any place, a sanctuary. When we allow ourselves to claim the psychic space and set aside the valuable time for creative ceremony — when we assume the entitlement, the ability, and the authority to do so — we are able to tranceform our perceptions, our perspectives, our passions, our experience, our expectations, and, in the process, our entire reality.

Seize the day!

Mama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

*****************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman,

eco-ceremonialist, award-winning author, syndicated columnist,

popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than

100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD,

an acclaimed quarterly journal and writes columns for The Huffington Post, Beliefnet and UPI (United Press International) Religion and Spirituality Forum.

Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a

ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy

in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups,

institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful

ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

For information about upcoming events and services contact:

Mama Donna’s Tea Garden & Healing Haven

PO Box 380403

Exotic Brooklyn, New York, NY 11238-0403

Phone: 718/857-1343

Email: CityShaman@aol.com

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.MamaDonnasSpiritShop.com/

www.TheQueenofMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

Read her blog at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/ http://blog.beliefnet.com/thequeenofmyself/

Tags:

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes June, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Explaining Death to a Child

Dear Mama Donna,

My daughter Sherry, who is nine, has just broken down four years after her aunt’s death, who was only 40 when she died without any warning. My daughter wants to know why God is so mean to take her aunt away and leave her two daughters struggling. Sherry is full of sadness because of her loss and she blames God. A part of me thanked the universe for allowing her to cry and feel her sadness. I told her God is not mean and it is when we do not have the answers that we must have the most faith. I encouraged her to be grateful for the gifts that her aunt shared with her and the blessing that she was a special part of her life. Of course that is not a satisfying answer to adults, let alone a child. How do I teach what I am still learning? I want my daughter to find peace. I do not want her to wait until she is an adult to awaken. I do not want her heart to be full of sadness. I do not want her to find herself suddenly at 37 trying to release a lifetime of pain. How do I help my nine year old daughter embrace

a spiritual path?  If you have any thoughts I would love to hear them.

Love and peace,

-A Worried Mom in New York

Dear Mom,

Death certainly is the grand mystery, baffling to adults and so much more so to children.

Emphasizing all the blessings of having had her aunt in her life is excellent advice for your daughter, of course. But it places their relationship squarely in the past. And I would guess that Sherry’s grief comes from feeling that she has lost her aunt completely and forever. That the love that they had shared is now irrevocably over. A very sad thought, indeed.

But relationship, connection, love do not end at death.

Perhaps a better tack would be to suggest that love never dies. That her aunt will live in her heart as long as she remembers her. Kids are terrified that they will forget friends and relatives who have passed on. We all are. So encourage Shelly to talk about her memories. Each time she tells a favorite story, her aunt will “come to life” for her.

Some helpful and therapeutic projects might include writing down all the good times that she remembers. Or recommend that she create a scrapbook with photographs of her aunt, pictures that she draws, and any memorable items she has saved, such as greeting cards, letters and souvenirs from outings. This will be both a tribute to the memory of her aunt as well as insurance that she will never forget her.

Dreaming is another way to connect with our loved ones on the other side of the great divide. Urge her to remember her dreams. At breakfast ask her about them. Suggest that she invite her aunt to visit her in her dreams.

Don’t shy away from questions about the nature of death. Explain that death is a normal part of life and that it is about changing form. Everything changes always. When we understand this, we are walking the way of spirit, which is all about change and transformation.

Talk about how the seasons change and how nature seems to die in the winter and be reborn every spring. Talk about how the moon disappears each month and then comes back again. Have her give you examples of natural change.

A few years ago I did a residency in an elementary school where I worked with 4th grade kids on learning about and celebrating holidays and holy days from around the world. One day while I was there, a bird flew into the window and died. The kids were appalled and very upset.

So I took them outside and suggested that we bury the bird. “Oh, gross,” the girls protested. They thought of death as being dirty and scary. But I persisted.

“If you think about it in a certain way, death is magical. This bird will turn into grass and flowers.” I explained that if we put the bird in the ground, Mother Earth will turn it into dirt. And if we plant seeds in that dirt, they will grow right there on top of the bird.

“Cool!” they all exclaimed.

Sherry is lucky to have you be concerned about her spiritual wellbeing. Share with her all that you are learning. Let her in on your process. And if you do, I guarantee that she will not be first waking up at 37, for she will have a marvelous role model.

All blessings of peace of mind,

xxMama Donna

*Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

Tags:

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes May, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Precipitation

Dear Mama Donna,

It is raining again. For months now it has rained just about every day. The entire Northeast is inundated with more rain than we can possibly deal with. This seems like a curse from above. Any thoughts?

Soaked to the Bone in Syracuse

Dear Soaked,

I know what you mean. This late winter and spring have been so incredibly wet. Here in New York City there are mushrooms growing out of the cracks in the sidewalks!

Rain is the vital, vivifying fluid, which flows down from the heavens to recycle and replenish the world’s water stores. To refresh and revitalize the lands and all those species who live upon it. Celestial substance of necessity, rain is absolutely elemental and essential. But it can be quite quirky. You never know with rain. Too much, too little, too late, too soon, too hard, too long. You can’t really depend on it. And yet you have to.

In the best of times, precipitation is seen as beneficent, raining down life-sustaining liquids for our benefit. And then we are grateful, or ought to be. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. We are nearly drowning in the stuff. Saturated, soaked, sogged. Completely waterlogged. Rivers rushing down city streets, the drains overflowing. Towns, fields and highways flooded. Dams, bridges, houses and lives swept irrevocably away. And the predicted storms aren’t over yet.

People have long believed that bad weather is some kind of vengeful divine retribution. Punishment for our earthly misbehavior. Certainly in the face of extreme hardship, this is a tempting response, based, perhaps, on guilt. But, of course, weather is weather, a neutral force. Our perception of whether it is good or bad is based solely and myopically on our own immediate inconvenience. Of course, you can’t take these acts of nature personally.

But maybe this rain is truly aimed at us as a lesson about the cause and effect of our selfish, wasteful, polluting ways.

Maybe Mother Earth is engaged in a deep purification ritual, a much needed purging of Her soiled body and profound pain. Picture Her, like any rape victim standing under a pounding shower for hours, days and weeks, trying to wash away the dirt and degradation that we have heaped upon Her so mercilessly.

Or maybe She is weeping, sobbing, down pouring tears of sad disappointment in us, Her errant, arrogant offspring, so rude and disrespectful. After all, just look at what we gave the Poor Old Dear for Mother’s Day in gratitude for all of Her great gifts to us: greenhouse gases, radiation, drilling, missile tests, oil spills and chemical trails.

The word “precipitation,” is related to “precipitate,” which means impulsive, not thinking, impetuous, rash — perfect descriptions of the way we treat the Earth. Makes you think, eh?

Maybe we should take this deluge is a watery warning. A reminder to appreciate the present and prepare for the future. To re-enforce our roofs, buy Wellington boots and build a safe, waterproof ark where we can collect, preserve and protect, two by two, all of our best intentions and human qualities: hope and love, charity and understanding, forgiveness and peace, compassion and reverence for all life.

Best blessings for keeping dry,

xxMama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

*****************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman,

eco-ceremonialist, award-winning author, syndicated columnist,

popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than

100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD,

an acclaimed quarterly journal and writes a column for UPI

(United Press International) Religion and Spirituality Forum.

Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a

ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy

in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups,

institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful

ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

For information about upcoming events and services contact:

Mama Donna’s Tea Garden & Healing Haven

PO Box 380403

Exotic Brooklyn, New York, NY 11238-0403

Phone: 718/857-1343

Email: CityShaman@aol.com

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.MamaDonnasSpiritShop.com/

www.TheQueenofMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Tags: , ,

Ask Your Mama

Mama Donna Henes April, 2010

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

*Ask Your Mama™

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Egg Balancing

Dear Mama Donna,

First let me say that I have great respect and gratitude for the work

that you do. As a long time organizer in the neo-pagan community I have followed your activities with pleasure in the media through the years. But there’s one thing that really irks me; this spring equinox egg balancing hoax.

The fact is that it is no easier or harder to balance an egg on its end

on any day of the year, and your promotion of such a vacuous myth is

impossible for me to understand. This pseudo-science ‘eggsperiment’ is now regularly dis-proven by grade school students to show them the difference between delusion and knowledge. Why is a smart, strong, adult woman doing this?

Please don’t take this as an attack, but seeing you promote such a blatantly untrue and irrational belief as the egg hoax is baffling to me. It robs you and those of us with similar spiritual leanings of credibility.

Practicing Pagan in New York

Dear Practicing,

Well, we could argue about whether or not you can stand an egg up at any time of the day, week, month, year, but this is beside the point of my egg events. What is truly important to me is that thousands of people make it their business year after year to attend to the shift of a season, to actively participate in a planetary rite of passage and to share this cosmic experience in sincere communion.

Standing an egg at other times may work mechanistically, but stood at the first moment of spring, the egg becomes the clear, rightful, recognizable symbol of a new season, the birth of new life. Eggs On End: Standing On Ceremony is every bit a traditional vernal fertility rite. A popular, contemporary celebration of the return of green and growth and light after the dark winter.

The event itself is astonishingly simple. An orange laundry basket that contains 360 eggs is passed among the crowd. We all hold them up in the air together, pledging to walk on the earth as if we were walking on eggs. Promising anew, in honor of the season, to protect our fragile yet resilient planet home.  We count down the minutes to the equinox. And when the time is right, we stand our eggs in unison in salute to spring. No matter how many people attend, the real event is always each single person feeling for themselves what gravity and balance and equilibrium might mean.

Standing an egg on its end, feeling it as the yolk shifts inside to find its perfect point of balance, is like holding the entire universe in the palm of your hand. The excitement is profound and never, it seems, forgotten. I receive notes, clippings, testimonials, feedback and photos from folks from all over, who have attempted to stand up eggs either as a participant at one of my events, or alone, with friends, family, or with the entire television viewing audience. They send pictures of eggs standing on book shelves, kitchen tables, school rooms, driveways, even on a boat in the Caribbean. Eggs with kids, with astronomers, with physicists, with news anchors, with pet cats. This widespread celebration of the equinox, of the earth, of the universe and each other is what really counts.

By noting the especially energetic times of the equinoxes, solstices and other Celestially Auspicious Occasions, we associate ourselves as participants in the planetary cycles of our solar system — the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives. It is immaterial whether or not the egg can stand at any other time. The important thing is to recognize the symbol, the season, the sky, and the kindred souls who surround us.

Yours in the spirit of balance,

xxMama Donna

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

Watch her videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MamaDonnaHenes

Follow her on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/queenmamadonna

Connect with her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#/donnahenes?ref=profile

Read her on the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/

Tags: , ,

Uncommon Advice

Josh Whitney February, 2010

Rituals Part 1, Ritual Garb

Ritual garments have been worn in almost all traditions from the beginning of time.  We’ve read about this in books, we’ve seen this in movies, and we’ve pictured it when we think about magicians cloaked in blue velvet.  The question that I pose is, “What purpose do these ‘magickal’ clothes have?”  There are a variety of perspectives to look at the purpose in this common tradition, and from these perspectives we can gain an insight into how we can alter and improve upon our current magickal clothing.

Thinking about it from a psychological viewpoint, it is clear that these ritual garments are like any other ritual tool in that they bring about a shift in perception of the world.  When you don your magickal cloak, you are the magician, the witch, the walker between the realms; you are not the accountant that shows up to work every day to do tedious mathematics at a job you hate, you are not the father or mother that has to worry about three children, you do not have bills to pay, you do not have any worries.  As far as this perspective is concerned, the more ‘magickal’ the clothing’s appearance, the better it is at altering the mind state to that of a magickal nature.  This shift in perspectives is key to any magickal working, and if for no other reason, is a valid reason for ritual garb.

Though the previous reasoning seems sufficient, let us delve a little deeper.  Let us again take the ritual garments as yet another tool to the magician, and ask ourselves a few questions about tools in general.  Does a tool you bought yesterday work the same as the tool that you’ve had for 20 years?  Why is it different?  How does it feel when you pick up your trusty athame or wand that you’ve worked with for years and years?  It feels as though it is a part of you, doesn’t it?  That’s because it is.  Think about energy as being similar to electricity.  When you turn off your television, the screen goes black, but is all of the electricity gone from it?  No, there is still residual electricity in the wires and capacitors.  Once something holds energy, it is very difficult to completely rid it of residual energy, and in our case, that energy is our personal energy.  That athame that you’ve had for 20 years is holding residual energy from that entire time, and it resonates with you because of that.  It is not simply a tool that you use, you are a part of it, and it is a part of you because you have drawn energy from it.  For this reason, it is greatly advantageous to use the same tools (including ritual clothes) in all relevant rituals rather than change for new ones on a regular basis.  For this reason, a single set of clothes should be set aside for ritual use only, hence the need for ritual wear.

When looking from these perspectives, I see very little reason to use clothing other than as just another tool, as the purpose behind using ritual clothes is no different than that of any other tool.  Well, let’s delve even deeper.  What do clothes do?  They warm the body.  They protect the body.  And they hide the body.  In essence, they are the body’s defense against the world.  So how does this translate into magickal operation?    They are the shield, the light against the demons of the dark, and the protector of our souls.  How do we make these flimsy cotton and velvet layers into an adequate armor against those that would do us harm?  The same way we would protect our house or turn our athame into more than a pretty steak knife.  Adorn them with runes and glyphs of protective nature, spend time and energy crafting complex (not simple candle magick) spells of protection, but most of all, put your desire, no, put your need for protection and shielding into them.  Remember, they are not separate from yourself in energetic terms.  They are more than simple cotton and velvet layers, they are another extension of yourself, of your soul, in a way that nothing else truly can.

Now let us think about yet another angle on this inadequately discussed topic.  Clothing is not only for the individual, it is a society’s means of identifying individuals.  All people wear different clothes; the clothes represent a person’s personality, their values, and their status.  In the same instance, many people wear uniforms to display that they are a part of something else.  Their personal identity is lost when they wear the uniform; they are simply a piece of the company or business that they work for.  It is almost always in occupations that value company loyalty and hard work over individuality and creativity that a uniform is imposed on the employee.  It is strange in my mind that there is no true representation of this in the magickal community.  In magick, as in everyday life, the design and type of clothing is important mainly for the purpose of a creative outlet for the individual.  The only true exception would be in the community example that simply does not exist currently.

The last piece of this puzzle is centered on the effect other magicians’ and witches’ clothing has on you.  In order to understand this, we must take the previously described perspectives and thoughts and apply them to you, a fellow practitioner, and see what the results are.  What happens when you see other people in cloaks, skyclad, or in that really cool ‘magickal’ tie-dyed t-shirt?  When working in a group atmosphere, it is important, if not necessary for your clothing to have a positive effect on your group.  Do your ritual garments help them to shift into an altered state?  Is your cloak adding energy or taking away energy from the group?  Is it helping to shield you so that the guardian of your group does not have to focus so heavily on protecting you?  Does it help you to share your energy with the group, or does it hinder this?  And most of all, do your ritual garments help to achieve the required group goal?

In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to take the individual garment choices and analyze their effect on the group.  The most commonly referenced ritual garments are in fact none at all.  Being skyclad is the only regularly referenced magickal uniform, but does this truly make sense or was it simply instated due to Gerald Gardner’s perverted desires?  The reasoning given in most circles is so that there are no barriers between the members of the coven, but is it truly beneficial to throw away what appears to be a very helpful tool?  Obviously, this does not matter to the individual.  For solitary practitioners, there are no other coven members to reveal yourself to, as well as no other individuals to share energy with, so let us simply say that it is more advantageous to use some sort of ritual clothing when working alone because there’s no good reason not to.  In a group atmosphere, the first problem with being skyclad is its effect on the mind; the initial fear and uncomfortable feelings that come from being nude around others tend to make it difficult to alter the mental state to that of the magician.  While this can be overcome by exposure, it adds a barrier from the very beginning.  The other problem is that when you work all rituals skyclad, it makes it difficult to shift to an altered state while wearing clothing.  We should be working to remove the barriers between our everyday lives and our magickal lives, and this provides yet another one.  Being skyclad also means that you do not have a protective layer between yourself and those energies that are called during ritual.  It could be reasoned that this also means that there is no filter between yourself and your coven-mates, but that seems to point to a lack of creativity and dedication.  It would not be all that difficult to set up a binding among the ritual clothes themselves to allow them to share energy direction amongst themselves.  This would take some out of the box thinking, but would not be an impossible notion.  Remember again, these garments are not simple cloth, and must be treated as magickal entities in their own right.

The last issue that I have with being skyclad is the individuality that it provides.  In a group ritual, there should be a lack of individuality and a focus on group mentality.  When working as a part of a magickal group, the mental shift should not be the same as when working as a magickal individual.  Being skyclad instantly makes you aware of the differences in the individuals.  You know High Priestess RandomColorAndAnimal and every flaw; you can see if she is faltering.  The High Priestess is a physical piece of the group entity known as a coven.  She is not High Priestess, she is Random Coven; you are not a 2nd Degree witch with experiences in the OTO, you are Random Coven; everyone in attendance is the same being, they do not make up the coven, they simply are Random Coven.  It is this loss of self that is necessary for optimal group magick, and it is in this respect that being skyclad seems to be the most inferior ritual garment choice.

It should be noted that being skyclad has its uses.  It is the optimal choice for magickal practice.  Being skyclad is a way to strip away even the most basic of tools for the magician or witch, and this is a key part of practice.  Athletes train with as many difficulties as possible so that they are as prepared as possible, and it should be the same with magick.  If you only practice with your trusty athame, you will be at a loss should that athame be taken, lost, or Goddess forbid, destroyed.  This should always be remembered, tools should be used to put you at your best, but tools should never become a crutch.  The magick is in the magician, not the tool.

Because skyclad is the most commonly referenced choice for ritual wear, I described it and its problems in greatest detail.  This is not the only choice though, so let us take the next most common (or at least most commonly marketed) choice—the cloak.  The cloak adequately protects the magician, it can be charged with energy, and it can hide the individual if needed (as long as it is a hooded cloak).  It seems as though this would be the optimal choice, but there are subtle problems with it.  The cloak is still an expression of individuality as stated earlier, and though this can be disregarded for the individual practitioner, it should be remembered for group rituals.  This problem could easily be removed by having a standard cloak for the group, but then again, the energetic bonding would not occur as well with having a separate cloak for group rituals.  This could be dealt with by using the group cloak for personal rituals as well as group rituals.

Because there are so many types of cloaks available, it is important to discuss the various types.  First and foremost, if you are going to be using the cloak in a group setting, it would be very useful for it to have a hood so that your identity could be hidden for the reasons stated previously.  It should be warm enough for you to not need any other clothing even on cold winter nights.  It should also be light enough so that you do not feel the weight of it.  The decoration of the cloak should optimally be your own, with your personal glyphs and symbols covering it.  It should be a general use cloak so that your energetic bond is stronger.  Also, the type of cloth’s magickal attributes should be considered.  All of these variables play into the versatility and effectiveness of the cloak.

There are other types of ritual wear that are available to the witch, but they are too numerous to consider individually.  There are considerations to take into account for these as well.  Most of them correspond to the previous considerations for choosing a cloak.  Warmth, weight, decoration, and general usability are all very important.  It is also important to remember that the clothing type should help you, as well as your coven-mates, to enter a magickal state, so it might be best if you didn’t choose your Lynard Skynard t-shirt as your magickal garb (unless you are part of a coven based on Lynard Skynard’s magickal theories of course).  It is also important to remember that you should have clothing that will stand the test of time.  Remember, you don’t want to throw these clothes away next year; you want them to stay with you for the next 20-30 years or more.  So don’t get that super skin-tight outfit just because you’re 19 and haven’t had children yet.  People put on weight, they have children, and their bodies mature.  Also, the more pieces of clothing that you have, the more pieces that you will need to bond with, so less is more in this case.

Though ritual garments are often not discussed when talking about ritual tools, they are a very important piece of the magickal toolbox and should not be disregarded.  They are the primary visual focus for your fellow witches as well as the only tool that covers the entire body.  It is imperative that your ritual wear be given as much attention as an athame or wand would be given, so make your choices wisely.

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