The Threads That Bind Us

Hey there folks! Just a quick line to let you know what's happening over the next month or so.

The Medium, the Witch & the Shaman drop in days are no more; neither is the Discussion Night. However, we are all still available by appointment, and the Messages from Spirit event remains; though it will be a larger event that will be happening a couple of times a year. Stay tuned for dates, times & locations.

We are having a Winter Psychic Fair in conjunction with the Winter Carnival on Friday, Feb. 10 from 2 pm to 7 pm. Admission is a non-perishable food donation or $2 for the Food Bank, and it will cost you our excellent promotional price of $10 for a 15 minute reading or service.

To celebrate the fact that we won the Best Overall Entry Not a Float in the Winter Carnival Parade with our "Quidditch Team" in the theme of "Sporting with Carnival," we had 100 coupons to give out that offer great savings and promotions in the store, and we will continue to offer one per purchase throughout the month while supplies last. Come and get yours!

Last chance to get your calendars and datebooks is now; after February, they will be gone.

My first Eight Paths of Power class for the year is being offered Sunday, Feb. 19 at 11 am to 5 pm. The first class is on Intent. Cost is $50 per person and PRE-REGISTRATION (and payment) is required. If there are less than 3 people registered I will not run the class.

The more advanced classes (6 through will be offered as part of a special Retreat Weekend in July. You MUST have completed the other classes 1 through 5 to qualify for this one. More information about price and times will follow over the next few weeks.

See you soon!

Blessed be,

Hey, have you noticed that it's getting cold out there? Leaf raking party at my place this weekend! You bring the rakes and your back muscle and I'll bring the beer and pizza.

The construction is almost done! Yay!

I have a couple of cool announcements for November and December.

First, starting this Saturday and continuing through the month of November, we are having a red tag clearance sale to make way for new inventory! All red tagged items will be 25% to 50% off! This is *only* for November; on December 1st, the red tags come off and all items are restored to regular price. Let us reward you for doing your Yuletide shopping ahead of the game.

All those orders I have been waiting for will be arriving during November. Speaking of which, it's time once again to pre-order your 2012 calendars. Witches' Calendar, WeMoon Datebook, Astrological Calendar, Faeries, Goddesses, and more available! Come in and browse from the catalogue to place your order! Special orders are guarenteed to receive what they have requested, while others will have to choose from between a couple of our more popular options, while supplies last.

On Saturday November 19th, 10 am to 1 pm, the Medium, the Witch and the Shaman will be offering a class on "Crystal Healing for All Paths." Cost is $66; please preregister! Minimum class size: 3 students or we will not run the class.

We have a new practitioner! Please welcome Lida, who will be in for drop ins on Thursdays. She will be offering Craniosacral Therapy, Raindrop Therapy, Massage and Amethyst Bio-Matt Treatments. If you have not experienced the Amethyst Bio-Matt, let me personally recommend it! It is a slightly heated matt made of crushed amethyst, which produces negative ions like a salt lamp, and aids your body's natural healing processes. During a Body and Soul Wellness Fair, Erin, who suffers from chronic nerve pain, had a half-hour long treatment and said that he felt no pain for three full days, and was in considerably less pain for a month afterwards. I have also had very positive experiences with the Bio-Matt. Lida's services will be available at the standard shop rates and she may also be available by appointment.

The Medium, the Witch and the Shaman are returning to the store on Wednesdays for drop-ins, except that we will be available from 1 pm to 5 pm (not 11 am to 3 pm,) and we will be there on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, but not the second or fourth. We will continue to do our discussion group and podcast on the first Wednesday of every month at 6 pm, but Messages from Spirit will be on the third Wednesday of the month instead of the last Friday, again at 6 pm when the store closes. All other aspects of the Messages from Spirit event remain the same; you need to register in advance if possible because we will take a maximum of a dozen people, the fee is $10 and every attendee gets a personal message! Erin and I will be available in the store for drop ins Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and Rowean will be available Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Our last Discussion Group for the year will be on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6 pm, and the topic will be "Ascension and the Mind/Spirit Connection" - how the energy changes affect your mood and thinking process (it might not be menopause!) We will not be doing a Messages from Spirit event in December or January, and there will be no Discussion Group in January either, nor Medium, Witch, Shaman drop in days, though all will be available by appointment. All of these things will resume in February.

The first of the Heart of Wicca Discussion Groups with Mystara Loughnah, 2nd degree High Priestess in the Star Sapphire tradition, happened on the first of November. Several people came out and we welcome you! The second one will be at 6 pm on the evening of December 6th. Donations welcome but it is free to attend.

There are plans in the works to create an online Webinar variation of the Eight Paths of Power for those of you who are interested in learning at a distance; please stay tuned for more information!

The Elder Futhark Runes class has been cancelled until further notice, and we will be closed on Remembrance Day (of course). PLEASE NOTE our December schedule! Last year I warned people a month in advance that we would be CLOSED over the SOLSTICE, and people still complained about us not being open when they wanted to do last minute shopping. We *will* be open on the 23rd and Christmas Eve this year, but not on the 21st and 22nd. Consult the December events or Calendar page for more details. We hope you have a happy holiday, whichever one you choose to celebrate! Also, please note that our winter hours begin Jan. 1 and last until the Spring Equinox, meaning that we will be closing at 5 pm daily during that time.

Don't forget that gift certificates are available for products or services, and they make a great stocking stuffer!

Very exciting news; my friend Shadowcat, a Reiki Master-Teacher only four initiations removed in direct lineage from Dr. Usui, Reiki's founder, is willing to come to the Threads to teach and initiate! Please contact me if you are interested so that we can set the date. Costs to be determined by numbers of registrants (the more people, the less expensive it will be) and should range in the neighbourhood of $100 to $150 each.

Please sign up as site members to receive our newsletters and announcements!

See you soon!

Blessed be,

The Threads That Bind Us

3004 B 31st Street

Vernon, BC CANADA

V1T 5H7

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Check out the new events added to the store calendar for October and November, including a Hallowe'en Psychic Fair on Friday the 28th and a class on Crystal Healing for All Paths with the Medium, the Witch & the Shaman on Nov. 19!

Blessed be,

Please note that this year's Witches' Ball has been cancelled due to insufficient ticket sales. We are sorry for the inconvenience and we hope to reintroduce the event next year! Ticket refunds, for those who have purchased one, are available at The Threads That Bind Us.

Blessed be,

Sable

When I went to the Deepak Chopra event in Penticton in the fall, I was struck by this story, and it really stuck with me:

He said that one of the things that he is involved with is a project called "Sages and Scientists," where philosophers, spiritualists and religious leaders get together with scientists of a variety of disciplines and discuss life, the universe and everything. He said that when the Dalai Lama came to visit, they were delighted to tell him that they had discovered the secrets of what causes stress. The Dalai Lama then pointed out that everyone dwells on the negative all the time, and that it would be of much greater value in the world if they were to discover the secrets of what causes happiness.

Well, they took this under advisement, and the next time they encountered the Dalai Lama, they told him that they had found it.

"Oh, really?" said His Holiness with a raised eyebrow.

So what they said was that happiness can be directly corrolated to a formula, which was invented by a man named Martin Seligman. And the formula is this:

(S)et point + (C)onditions of living + (V)oluntary choices = (H)appiness

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? But what is most interesting is the percentages that each one of these factors occupies.

Your Set Point (S) represents the perspective that you begin with. In simplest terms, are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is the glass half full, or half empty? Or as Deepak Chopra puts it, "do you see problems, or do you see opportunities?" We learn this perspective from our upbringing. If our parents are negative people, always looking on the bad side, always talking about the worst case scenario, expecting ill fortune and getting it, then so do we. Our Set Point makes up 50% of our Happiness (S=50%).

This sounds like bad news! Are we doomed to always be negative if our parents are negative people? The answer is NO. There are two ways in which you can actively change your Set Point.

The first is Cognitive Therapy. Change your thoughts, change your expectations and your actions and emotions will follow. People who have been in Anger Management classes or therapy for Addictions or Neuroses know all about this, but it is easy enough to do it on our own. Every time you think something negative, examine that belief and ask yourself why it is that you have it! For instance, you may have picked up the belief somewhere that people who are wealthy are jerks. This could be blocking you from prosperity, because on some level, you don't want to be a jerk! Why would you have this belief? For me, it was a belief that my parents passed on to me. It, of course, does not necessarily hold true. Another thing you can do is practice the art of affirmation. You need to understand that your subconscious does not understand negatives or sarcasm. So if your friend repeatedly tells you, "You're such a dumb blonde!" for example, even if you know they are joking, it will begin to have an effect on you and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you say, "I am not stupid," then your brain will not hear the "not". Say instead, "I am smart!" It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy too.

I know this is possible because I learned to be very negative from my parents growing up; but I like to joke that I spent my twenties getting my mom's voice out of my head telling me why everything wouldn't work. And in my thirties, I have been gradually more and more successful at everything I do.

The second method is Meditation. Changing your consciousness levels, and learning to relax your mind, rewires your brain to feel less stress and to think more positive thoughts. It improves your ability to produce beta brain waves overall, and people who produce more beta waves are not only "smarter" than others, they think more positive thoughts too.

Now, as you might expect, your Conditions of Living (C) also affect your overall Happiness. Whether you are wealthy or poor, what kind of condition your health is in, whether or not you suffer from pain, whether or not you are in a good marriage or an unhappy one, and whether or not you hate your job or have one, all do have an influence. What will surprise you is the percentage. Only 10% of your total Happiness is at all affected by these things! (C=10%)

It amazes us in the Western World that we can look at films of children in Third World slums and wonder how they can laugh and play and enjoy themselves, even with swollen bellies from malnutrition, playing in mud and sewage. Or to put it another way, people are often amazed at the fact that Erin can joke and laugh and smile when he has so many challenges facing him. Well, Conditions of Living only make up 10% of your Happiness. So change them if you can, but it really isn't that important. (This has another side to it too: those of you who think your life will instantly be perfect if you win the lottery - hah! think again! Money will not guarentee your Happiness; only YOU can do that!)

The remaining percentage, fully 40% of your Happiness, is a result of your Voluntary Choices (V=40%). So, aside from your innate perspective, the greatest bulk of your Happiness depends upon what it is that you do. What's interesting is that this works sort of like eating! You can choose to do things to make yourself happy; Retail Therapy, eating chocolate, taking a hot bath, or other simple, selfish pleasures, and they will make you happy for a while - like eating a chocolate bar will fill the hunger gap for a while. Or, you can choose to do things that either make other people happy, or that have long-reaching effects in which you are making a difference in the world, like become a parent, working for a cause you believe in, exercising your creativity, doing important scientific work, being a listening ear when your friend is going through a tough time, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or counselling, and these things will make you happy for much longer periods - like sitting down to a nutritious meal will ease hunger for several hours, if not all day.

So if you are in a job in which you feel curtailed or unfulfilled, the best thing you can do for yourself is to find a job in which you feel that what you do matters, whether that is being a stay-at-home-mom or working on the Nobel Prize. And instead of seeing problems that stop you from pursuing these dreams, see challenges that you must rise to face with courage!

Also, practice compassion whenever possible. Love others, even when they hurt you, and try to practice acceptance and understanding. Just remember that loving them can sometimes mean tough love, and so you need to set boundaries and not be an enabler for negative behaviour. On the other hand, hating others, and holding grudges, teaches them nothing and just brings you harm. Learn to let things go and practice forgiveness.

What can we learn from all this? It really is very simple: Happiness is a choice. "Your living is determined by not so much what life brings you as by the attitude that you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." (Lewis L. Dunnington). Or, as the Dalai Lama says, "What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful."

Come and join The Medium, the Witch & the Shaman for our workshop on March 19, 10 am to 1 pm, "The Keys to Happiness" to learn more!

Blessed be,

Video from Deepak Chopra's video blog at YouTube:

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Discussion Group will be postponed to the following week because Lois is busy with her wedding plans!  We will be meeting again on the second of February at 6 pm instead, and so the Podcast will also be delayed to the following weekend.  Thanks for your understanding and we'll see you soon!

Blessed be,

Starting in February, I will be offering my "Eight Paths of Power" series once again. These classes have been well received by people in the community and I think they have something valuable to offer any Pagan, Witch or practitioner of magickal arts. I have been actively practicing magick for a long time and this is the result of my work. I will be offering this series in Vernon, Kelowna, and Nanaimo; please contact me for details about the Nanaimo dates.

Here's my write-up that I have put in my brochure:

The Eight Paths of Power:

Also known as the "Eightfold Way," are a series of 8 different techniques used in Wicca to perform magick. As detailed in Gardner's Book of Shadows, they are:

• Meditation or Concentration. Called for short, "Intent".

• Trance, projection of the Astral.

• Rites, Chants, Spells, Runes, Charms, etc.

• Incense, Drugs, Wine, etc. "Intoxicants".

• The Dance, and kindred practices.

• Blood control (the Cords), Breath Control, and kindred practices.

• The Scourge.

• The Great Rite.

Each of the 8 Paths will be instructed in a 6 hour intensive workshop.

Intent

The first and most important element in creating magick is forming your Intent. This clearly focuses your magickal efforts towards a specific goal. All magick (Power of Intention, Law of Attraction, or whatever name you want to call it) flows from the essential ability to focus your Intent. This intensive workshop will include:

• Visualization skills

• Concentration exercises

• Meditation exercises

• How to learn your True Will

• How to beat the “I Can’ts” and “That’s Impossibles!”

• How to clearly request what you actually want from the Universe - and get it!

~ February 6 (Vernon,) February 13 (Kelowna) ~

Trance

Inducing a trance state, an altered state of consciousness, is where most major experiences of magick, mysticism, and psychic ability begin. T intensive workshop in Trance, including:

• Definition of a trance state and how it works

• Examination of altered states of consciousness

• Examination of levels of trance

• How to induce trance states

• How to access psychic ability from a trance state

• Lucid dreaming and shamanic work

• Preparation for mediumship and Drawing Down the Moon or Sun

• Accessing different levels of reality and astral projection

~ March 13 (Vernon,) March 27 (Kelowna) ~

Rites, Chants, Spells, Runes & Charms

This is the most familiar form of Witch’s magick; what people usually think of when they hear the word “Witchcraft.” This intensive workshop in The Craft will include:

• Basic elements of ritual writing

• The art of spell construction

• The Witches’ Rune and its meaning

• Magickal correspondence tables to aid in your spellcraft

• How to use time to aid your magickal Work

• Commonly used chants in group ritual

• The bardic art of memorization

• Archetypes and their relevance to magick

• A study of symbolism and metaphor

• Accessing your creative abilities to create rituals, chants, songs, charms and spells

~ May 7 (Vernon,) May 29 (Kelowna) ~

Intoxicants

Intoxicants have been used throughout history to induce trance and create magick. This intensive workshop in the safe use of these substances will include:

• The safe use of incense in magick

• Particular uses for particular incenses

• The safe use of herbs and spices to induce altered states, psychic abilities, and certain physical effects (such as aphrodisiacs)

• The effect of various commonly-used drugs (marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine) on your spirit, aura, and psychic senses

• The effect of various prescription drugs on magick

• Safe recipes for magickally-oriented Intoxicants

~ June 12 (Vernon,) June 26 (Kelowna) ~

Dance & Sacred Movement

Dancing is among the most ancient methods by which power was raised and gods were worshipped. This intensive workshop in Dance and Sacred Movement will include:

• Basic yoga poses and movements for meditation

• The Five Tibetans or Five Rites

• How to use dancing to raise and direct energy

• Symbolic dance to represent forces of nature, totems and spirits

• Basic belly dancing as sacred art

• Ecstatic dance as worship of the Divine

• Circle dances commonly used in Wiccan ritual

• How to perform (and lead) a Spiral Dance

All levels of physical ability are welcome! Please wear loose and comfortable clothing.

~ July 17 (Vernon,) July 24 (Kelowna) ~

Blood and Breath Control

Mystics from ancient times have used the breath and blood flow to induce meditative states. Lady Sable Aradia will instruct you in an intensive workshop in the use of these techniques, including:

• The importance of proper breathing

• Basic Pranayama and Yogic Breathing

• Introduction to the chakras and chakra breathing exercises

• Postures to alter blood flow

• Basic biofeedback techniques

• Binding and sensory deprivation as meditation methods

• The Breath of Fire to raise energy

No one will be asked to participate in anything that makes her uncomfortable or puts her at risk.

 ~ September 11 (Vernon,) October 9 (Kelowna) ~

The Scourge

The Scourge is the most misunderstood and controversial magickal technique used in Wicca. More than just a tool, it is a symbol of suffering as a path to enlightenment. This workshop will include:

• A discussion and debate as to the necessity of pain and suffering

• A discussion of near death experiences, disability and Rites of Passage, and how they awaken shamanic power

• Examining how your times of suffering have improved your character and personal power

• Ritual to release limiting attachments

• Guided meditation to meet and come to terms with your Shadow Self

• Creating minor discomfort to induce trance states

• The traditional, proper technique of Scourging in Wicca and why it works.

~ October 16 (Vernon,) October 23 (Kelowna) ~

The Great Rite

The Great Rite, or Sacred Marriage, is an ancient and powerful magickal technique to commune with the Divine. Lady Sable Aradia will instruct you in an intensive workshop on all aspects of the Great Rite, including:

• The theory behind the Great Rite

• Balancing polarities of yin and yang energy

• Sex magick theory and a discussion of how to practice it

• A moving meditation to honour the Divine forces of Creation

• Tantric breathing exercises

• Drawing Down the Moon and Sun

• Performing a Symbolic Great Rite and how to perform an actual Great Rite

~ November 27 (Vernon,) December 4 (Kelowna) ~

I am offering these classes to CWABC members at $25 each; $50 each for non-CWABC members. If you register for all the classes by January 31st, you will get all eight classes at $150 (members) or $300 (non-members,) which is basically getting two free classes! I hope you will consider checking them out. Vernon classes will be here at the shop, and the Kelowna classes will likely be at Quality Greens or Alternative Pathways. I will have more information closer to the date. Please email me for details using the Contact Me button or page.

Blessed be,

What a great time we had yesterday with Natasha J. Rosewood!  Thanks, Natasha, for coming by our little shop!  We had a few readings with her (I got one myself; she was amazing!) and a very inspiring talk about reaching our full potential and pursuing our life purpose, guided by some psychic advice.  It was a lot of fun and I really hope we can do it again sometime!  Natasha was talking about coming back to the Okanagan in the fall, so here's hoping!

I don't know if you know this, but really, it was Natasha's book that inspired our little triumvirate, "The Medium, the Witch and the Shaman," to get our crap together, start writing, start teaching more workshops, start our Discussion Panel, get to some of the local fairs and festivals . . . and we're working!  We hope to be at the Wise Woman festival in Naramata this fall, and Victoria is offering more EFT workshops, starting with "Tapping Your Way to Abundance" on May 15.

This weekend I'm heading down to Vancouver for our Lower Mainland Beltane Fair, which was highly successful and a lot of fun near Yule.  I've been looking forward to it all winter and I'm especially looking forward to seeing my friends in the Lower Mainland again!  We will be featuring the finest Pagan merchants and crafters, as well as some live entertainment with CJ Jackman, Angelica Gallant, and me, and we will be selling muffins and putting out the hat for Pirates for the Cure, our Run for the Cure team to raise money to fight breast cancer.  There will be Vernon and Vancouver team members there!

April 21 is our next MWS Discussion Panel; this time the topic will be "Opening to Channel."  By donation, come on out!  Also available by Skype!  Starts at 6 pm.

April 22 we will be having our THIRD annual "Reduce/Reuse/Recycle Sale" for Earth Day!  Don't miss the great savings!  Make sure you bring in some plastic shopping bags and/or pop cans and bottles to benefit from the savings!

My next "Eight Paths of Power" Workshop, this one on "Trance," will be offered on Saturday April 24, and please note that the store will be CLOSED that day to further the class!  $25 per person, CWABC members free.  I will teach you all about how to achieve a trance state, and how to use that to create magick.

Thanks for your support and hope to see you soon!

At this special time and place, deep in the woods of British Columbia, celebrants call the gods to join them in their festivities here on earth . . . and the gods answer!

The CWABC invites you to join us their first Pagan festival, Starfall PaganFest! This event will happen on the Canada Day weekend in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in Cherryville, the perfect place to bring together Northern and Southern BC, the Interior and the Coast, the Kootenays and even Alberta. The site is 45 minutes from Vernon along Highway 6, in the woods along a winding road; there is no cell phone service and not even any internet access; imagine that! The scenic terrain lends itself to lovely hikes, beautiful camping, and clear mountain views.

The site can accommodate about 30-40 people in indoor spaces, and the rest will be tenting space; priority on indoor spaces given to those with disabilities and families with small children. Overall capacity is 60.

Priority registration will be offered to CWABC and CWAA members, starting immediately at $125. Early bird registration opens May 1 at $150 per person; last minute registration starts June 1 at more or less $200 and will be on a first postmarked, first served basis. Children 6 and under free; children 7 - 15 and elders over 65 will be offered a discounted rate.

In the model of the Gathering, each person will be expected to volunteer for one 1-2 hour duty over the course of the weekend, setup and/or takedown.  Details on the registration sheet.

Participants are invited to contribute workshop ideas with registration.

Site is discreetly wet; it is also used as a treatment centre.

Please make cheques out to the "Congregationalist Wiccan Association of BC."

Event Location: 63 Begbie Rd. in Cherryville

Event TIME Details: site opens 2 pm Fri., closes 2 pm Sun.

Phone: (250) 540-0341 (Business Phone for The Threads That Bind Us)

Mailing Address: Starfall Pagan Festival, 5583 Silver Star Rd. Vernon, BC V1B 3P7

Website: http://starfallpaganfest.webs.com

Just a heads-up on some upcoming shop events and related:

Tomorrow (March 17, St. Paddy's Day,) I'll be offering a Practical Magick class in the basics of Numerology.  Then on Saturday we're hosting the first of a series of 8 workshops in the Eight Paths of Power or the Eightfold Way of Wiccan magick.   The first is on "Intent," concentration, visualization, meditation and focus.  Cost of the workshop is $25 for non CWABC members, and members get it for free!  The CWABC Ostara Ritual will follow.  The second issue of our newsletter, "The Tapestry" will also be available on that date!

Next Wednesday the 24th we're having our second "The Witch, the Medium and the Shaman" discussion panel.  The topic this time will be "Walking Between Worlds: Incorporating Metaphysical Ability and Spirituality in Everyday Life."  These discussion groups then proceed from there as directed by the participants.  All are welcome; by donation.

Then on Saturday the 27th we're having our next Mini-Metaphysical Fair!  Noon to 5 pm, come and check out psychics and practitioners for a discounted rate!  This time we also welcome Astrologer Gayle Hunter to the team!  $2 door fee (donated to the Horse Rescue Society) and $5 for about 15 minute sample services!

On the 31st of April we'll be doing our last Practical Magick class in May, this one in "Directing Energy."

In April we have more Practical Magick, another Meditation Night, another Medium, Witch and Shaman Discussion Panel, and a couple of unique events; April 14 at 7 pm we welcome author and psychic Natasha J. Rosewood for a Soul Talk, some short readings for people and some book signings; $20 per person, all welcome!  And also, on the 17th of April we'll be organizing our Lower Mainland Beltane Fair to showcase the works of Pagan crafters in the community!  Vendors, your table will cost somewhere between $20 and $25 if you are interested.

Blessed be!