Pisces is, to put it bluntly, the wet time of year. The weather is soggy and we begin to wonder whether Spring will ever arrive. We tell ourselves that the showers bring Spring flowers but we can't see them yet so we need to trust that it is happening. Pisces exemplifies faith in the Universe, Transcendence, God or Goddess. Without Pisces we would all be outside in the mud pulling up the tulips to see if they are growing.

A Pisces person is an imaginative and serene individual with a need to express their fantasies and imagination. On the negative side, they can be ungrounded dreamers who seldom complete anything. Pisces is a mutable and feminine water sign.

Read The Dome for a great telling of a myth involving Pisces. 

Sorry about the Aquarius issue. Just so you know I wasn’t snoozing, I attended a seminar in Oregon on Hypnobirthing and got certified as a practitioner of this beautiful method of natural childbirth. I also had a great time skiing in Breckenridge with Scott’s Aunt and Uncle, brother and niece. Scott almost didn’t get to come out due to work but he was able to come for a couple of days after all.

Feb 18^th Sun enters Pisces. This is the time of year when the faith of non-skiers is tested. Will Spring ever come? I know it will because the crocuses are already up and blooming! We are so lucky here in Seattle; the crocuses didn’t bloom for at least another month in Chicago. 

Feb 27^th celebrates the discovery of Uranus in 1781 and a Full Moon. The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity and consecration. To learn more, click here to read Moon Phases and the Moon Through the Signs.

To read more about Uranus, click here to see Encarta’s article.

Friday, March 1^st is Inga & Scott’s Monthly Get-Together . Click here to learn more.

March 13^th is a New Moon. The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual involving a new project, to ask for new vision or inspiration.

March 17th is Saint Patrick's Day. It is not about beer. Well, okay, it's not just about beer. Kristen E. White's "Guide to the Saints" says, "This most popular Irish saint was born in Scotland, of British origin... At sixteen, Patrick was captured by pirates and became a slave in Ireland. He worked as a shepherd. After six years, he was told in a dream that he should be ready for a courageous effort that would take him back to his homeland. He ran away from his owner and traveled 200 miles to the coast. His initial request for free passage on a ship was turned down, but he prayed, and the sailors called him back. After a long journey, Patrick, then twenty-two or twenty-three, returned to his family."

Patrick returned to Ireland and spent the next 29 years traveling as a missionary. There are many legends of his work but little reliable accounting. He evidently preached and taught and opened monasteries, schools and churches. Legend has him describing the trinity to his followers by referring to the clover or shamrock. This was a sacred plant to the Celts so using it as his analogy helped to create a bridge from the ancient to the new religion and contributed to his many "conversions." This is the origin of the shamrock emblem we still associate with him. The legend that has him driving the snakes from Ireland is probably a metaphor for driving the druids underground. The leprechaun, also associated with St. Patrick's Day, is an obvious reference to the elementals of Pagan Ireland.

Click here to read writings by and about St. Patrick at IrishChristian.com.

March 20^th is Oestara, the Spring Equinox and the day that the Sun enters Aries.

In ancient times, amethyst was said to prevent poisoning and inebriation. In fact, amethysios is a Greek word meaning "not drunk". This relates to a legend about Bacchus. The word is, Bacchus was riding along drunk and stewing over some slight from a mortal peasant. He boasted to his entourage that he would have the next mortal he saw torn apart by his tigers. As fate would have it, the next mortal he saw was a young maiden on her way to a shrine of the Goddess Diana. As the tigers leaped toward her, she cried out to Diana to save her and was immediately turned into a shaft of clear quartz. Bacchus, sober now and unwilling to risk further offense to Diana, ceremoniously poured a glass of wine over the maiden turning the quartz into purple amethyst.

Click here to learn more about purchasing Inga's Earth Magic Jewelry.

Jim asks: How do I make an altar?

I am going to answer this question over a couple of months because I want to give everyone a chance to add their input. The word Altar refers to a “high place” because this is where ancient people gathered to worship. The altar was originally the stone platform where sacrifices were left for the god or goddess. The modern altar is generally a place for prayer, for giving thanks and invoking divine guidance. Creating your own altar can add a sense of sacred space to your life and home. An altar can commemorate an event or being like a shrine to Buddha or to Jesus or to the Goddess, or can be set up with a single goal in mind as a “spell” to draw energies like protection, love or prosperity. Many of us have a place where we sit and meditate or pray with a meaningful picture, book, statue, and vase of flowers or candle. Any ritual space or group of objects where you meditate or otherwise concentrate your energy on a regular basis becomes very powerful on its own.

I chose to represent the Elements for my altar set up: chalice for Water, censer for Air, stone bowl for Earth, candle for Fire. We don’t have space to keep it permanently set up so these items all fit nicely in a case with a beautiful gold silk altar cloth from Sangeeta and Charanjit. If we are doing specific ritual or spell work, then we may choose the appropriate statue or stones for the intention or sometimes we’ll make offerings of flowers or leaves from the garden. 

Here are some traditional ideas for items to place on your altar:

• A blank book of shadows: This is book with blank pages. It is used to keep your recipes, spells, dreams, etc.

• Sea salt: Used to cleanse, represent the Element of Earth, and purify crystals.

• Stones: Used to represent the Earth Element or to correspond to an intention.

• Wand: Used for cleansing, healing, rituals, spells and to project and receive energies.

• Sage: This herb is used in Native American traditions to banish unwanted energies and spirits, to cleanse new houses, to create sacred space and for healing rituals.

• Silver Chalice: Used on the altar or in ritual to hold the Element of Water, to represent the Goddess, used to hold ritual drink and used in casting spells.

• Rosemary: Herb used ritually for healing, purification and protection.

• Dragon's Blood Resin: Used for adding power to a spell and protection. 

• Runes or Tarot cards: Divination tools to guide your way. They are used in spell work as well as meditation symbols.

• Pentacle: Used to represent the body and spirit of Earth, protection and Nature.

• Incense: Used on the altar and in ritual to represent the Element of Air.

• Cast Iron Cauldron: Represents the goddess, for scrying work or for burning powdered incense.

• Charcoal Tablets: Used with powdered incense.

• Candles: Used to represent the Element Fire and can be used in colors corresponding to the spell work.

• Candle Holders: Used to hold your candles.

• Candle Snuffer: Used to snuff your candles. Blowing out candles is said to be an insult to the Element.

• Bells: Can be used for ritually invoking the Spirit or the Goddess, or to represent the Air Element.

• Ritual knife or athame: Used to project energy, open and close a circle, in spell casting or to ritually cut cord or herbs.

Also see our Library for the “Table of Intentions” and “What Gemstones Should I Wear?”

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Survey on altars – Mail or email your responses. Send a picture of your altar and I will include it in the next issue.

• Do you use an altar?

• Is it a permanent or temporary space?

• Do you use it for ritual, meditation or both?

• How does your altar change, or does it change?

• What do you have on your altar? 

• May I have a picture for the IEM website?

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions!

This was sent in by Stephanie:

The British medical magazine, Lancet, gives credence to reports of near death experiences (NDEs). They include a quote from Seattle’s own Joyce Hawkes. Some of you will remember her. Click here to read about it at ABC News’ website. 

Kim & Kevin have made a beautiful memorial web page for their cat, Gary. Click here to see some great pictures.

Anna sent this in:

Words from Mother Teresa:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

This was sent in by Ginny: LIFE
 
On the first day, God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's a kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty years and I'll give back the other forty."

And God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give back the other ten."

So God agreed.

On the third day, God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty year life span."

Monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy. Do nothing, just enjoy. I'll give you twenty years."

Man said, "What? Only twenty years? No way, man! Tell you what. I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the dog gave back and the ten the monkey gave back. That makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You've got a deal."

So that is why for the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy, and do nothing; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren; and for the last ten years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody.

From Diane:

I have recently been diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D.  (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder). This is how it goes: I decide to wash the car; I start toward the garage and notice the mail on the table. Ok, I'm going to wash the car. But first I'm going to go through the mail. I lay the car keys down on the desk, discard the junk mail and I notice the trashcan is full.

Ok, I'll just put the bills on my desk and take the trashcan out, but since I'm going to be near the mailbox anyway, I'll pay these few bills first. Now, where is my checkbook? Oops, there's only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk. Oh, there's the coke I was drinking. I'm going to look for those checks.

But first I need to put my coke further away from the computer, oh maybe I'll pop it into the fridge to keep it cold for a while.

I head towards the kitchen and my flowers catch my eye, they need some water. I set the coke on the counter and uh oh!

There are my glasses. I was looking for them all morning! I'd better put them away first. I fill a container with water and head for the flowerpots - -Aaaaaagh!

Someone left the TV remote in the kitchen. We'll never think to look in the kitchen tonight when we want to watch television so I'd better put it back in the family room where it belongs.

I splash some water into the pots and onto the floor, I throw the remote onto a soft cushion on the sofa and I head back down the hall trying to figure out what it was I was going to do?

End of Day: The car isn't washed, the bills are unpaid, the coke is sitting on the kitchen counter, the flowers are half watered, the checkbook still only has one check in it and I can't seem to find my car keys! When I try to figure out how come nothing got done today, I'm baffled because I KNOW I WAS BUSY ALL DAY LONG!!!

I realize this is a serious condition and I'll get help, BUT FIRST I think I'll check my e-mail...

We've always wondered what would happen if we got the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic (IEM) into a room together. Why? Because every one of us has a unique gift to offer to the world. And if we get enough of us in one place at the same time, something magical is bound to occur.

• When: The 1st Friday of every month. Please join us for dinner. We start eating around 6:30 PM. Or join us for dessert later on!
• Where: Our place (click on LIBRARY in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then MAP ROOM for directions)
• What to bring: Just your enthusiasm and love! There's a big pot of pasta on the stove, salad, bread and plenty of microbrews and red wine. If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the good conversation ends! If you'd like, you can spend the night on one of the couches with the kitties or bring your sleeping bag and mat and camp out on the floor of Inga's office.
• RSVP: Just let us know in advance via e-mail or phone if you are coming and if you are bringing guests so we don't run out of food or beer!

A dear friend asked me the other day if I am a shaman. I almost jumped out of my skin as I wonder about that quite a bit these days and I felt a higher consciousness challenging me, through my friend, to take a stand on the matter. So I took a deep breath and answered him with as much conviction as I could muster. “I’m training to be one." Then I added hopefully, "I'd like to be a shaman.”

I take my apprenticeship with White Elk, my spiritual teacher, very seriously and I spend a lot of time pondering the implications of it:

q       What does it mean to be a shaman or healer, someone who can align his or her body, mind and spirit to bridge the physical, astral and spirit worlds and create a sacred space?

q       What role can a Native American/Celtic shaman play in a Western society that values logic and male, or warrior, energies over intuition and female, or Goddess, energies?

q       How can I best use my shamanic skills to accelerate my personal, and therefore planetary, transformation?

q       How do I remove blockages in my ability to experience a profound faith in my abilities and destiny?

Becoming a shaman: From an early age, I always somehow knew that there were other realities than the physical world and that they were magical and fantastical. Fear stemming from a troubled childhood kept me from exploring that sense to any great extent. It was not until I underwent a near-death-experience when I was 17 that I began my journey in earnest. I remember reading accounts of out-of-body journeys into the astral realm and I really craved such an experience as I used to really not enjoy being a physical being. The thought of escaping my body really appealed to me. As hard as I would try though, I could not ditch my body and I now understand why.

All of my astral experiences and training have been based on my body being actively involved as a vessel to hold the combination of physical, astral and spiritual energy. When this energy blending exercise is done with loving intent, the body becomes the center of a sacred space. Within this space, we can tap into infinite mind, explore other realities or past lives, communicate with non-corporeal entities and best of all, healing can take place. Inga and I believe this to be a useful skill for every one of us to have, shaman or not. As I learn to be a shaman, I see my role as that of spiritual facilitator, teacher, coach, collaborator and healer.

Shamans in a Western society: Inga and I have no shortage of “clients” who seek the above-mentioned shamanic services so there is definitely a place for shamans in our society. As many of you know, Inga has been working full-time in this role for going on four years. I, on the other hand, work full time in the business world. My first instinct is to learn my shamanic craft and leave that world for a job like Inga’s. I would love to do just that but a number of factors have kept me right where I’m at:

q       The 10^th house in my natal astrological chart is designed to enable me to bring expansive, spiritual energy into the work environment in a harmonious and balanced way. (Jupiter and Neptune in the 10^th house, ruled by Libra)

q       I am an Information Technology Manager and it is my job to enable people to access the information they need and facilitate the collaborative efforts of diverse groups to create harmonious, sustainable methods of communicating and sharing knowledge.

q       My spiritual mentors, White Elk and Jesus, actively led me to my current and prior job to actively practice my shamanic craft in a constantly changing, demanding environment. I asked to be guided to where I could best be utilized and this is where they placed me. I often struggle with this as I think I could do more elsewhere but time and time again, they show me how I am in the best possible place and time to serve Infinite Mind.

I am told over and over that my primary role is to build and maintain a sacred space, as described above, in the work environment. My ego craves a much more visible, active role but my heart agrees with my mentors that this is the optimal role for me to play. Secondly, I am to respond to requests from individuals and groups for coaching, facilitation and collaboration. I am often told that meetings just go better due to my mere presence. Is that validation of my primary function or what? So, clearly, there is an evolving role for a shaman in the business world.

Accelerating personal and planetary transformation: Some of you have heard me describe our personal fears as road signs that lead us down the path of spiritual growth. Why? Because these fears are precise indicators of where our physical and emotional blockages are located. These fearful blockages are impediments to the full flow and alignment of physical, astral and spiritual energy required to create a sacred space. Many of us have been guided by Inga to communicate with and heal those fears. We are all amazed at how easy this is to accomplish and at the healing outcome. I know I marvel at how my personal power exponentially increases as I heal and remove these blockages to my energy flow. I also realize that I’m operating at a mere fraction of my full potential. Our society has done little to prepare us for the implications of bringing such divine personal power online in our daily lives.

Developing a profound faith in my personal power: When Jesus showed up during one of my guided meditation sessions with Inga and announced that I was now one of his apprentices, he told me to not worry any more as I now belonged to him. This occurred back in the fall of 2000. So, have I stopped worrying in the face of such divine reassurance? Have I found comfort in knowing that I am exactly where I need to be to best achieve personal and planetary transformation? (Place your bets now!) Nope! Why? I must have an energy blockage that I have not yet sought out and dealt with. (Duh!!) I certainly have fears around being good, or worthy, enough to be a shaman so there's the road sign. I've just been ignoring it. 

I said above how easy it is to journey mentally into those realms that I sensed as a child. People come see Inga and with her assistance, discover truly amazing things about themselves, the lives they have led and the role they are here to play. So what’s the catch? It’s wanting to face those fears and actually taking effective measures to remove them! I honestly don’t think we are afraid to face those fears. The demons we carry around are never as powerful as we thought. I think we are not sure we want to accept responsibility for being so divinely authorized to wield such personal power to heal and transform ourselves and the world around us. – Scott Bruce Duncan */:-) (Questions, thoughts, comments, ideas? Please drop me a line!)

• The IEM website Search Page! Finally! An easier way to find material on our website. Where's that article Scott wrote about his trip to the Little Bighorn Battlefield? What is Kwanzaa? Where's that book review Inga wrote about the Magi? Check it out!
•  

Click on this link to visit the Amazon home page. If you buy a product through this link, Amazon will pay Inga's Earth Magic a referral fee that we'll use to help offset the cost of our web page. Thanks in advance!

Distribution via e-mail is free of charge. We feel the Internet is a great way to share knowledge and information and very compatible with the environment.

Distribution via US mail is also free but if you'd like to help offset the paper, postage and envelope costs, please send $12. That pays for 12 issues for one year. Please send a check and your name and address to the address listed below. Thanks!

We certainly hope you enjoyed our newsletter. If you are not interested in this information and would like to be removed from this mailing list, please click the e-mail link below and place the word "REMOVE" in the subject line of your message. This message is being sent to you in compliance with the Federal legislation for commercial e-mail (H.R.4176 - Section 101, Paragraph (e)(1)(a)) and Bill s.1618 Title III passed by the 105th US Congress.