Morbid Outlook - Questions Answered and A Little Mead

I’m a new pagan and have shared the fact that I am with a few friends. This kid at school saw a pentacle I had drawn and started bad mouthing the religion. I had said a few things that I would rather not repeat, and angered one of my best friends that is a big Christian. Now to the point. Do you have any advice on how I can keep my temper in check? Usually I’m very ok, mostly calm, but when someone says something bad about Paganism or being Wiccan, I lose control. Please help!!!
–Night Walker

Sadly, this has been one of the reasons for the secrecy of the craft, due to persecution from the religious mainstream. When you stop and consider that history was rewritten by the victors of Judeo/Christianity, it makes one pause for a moment. There have been a few thousand years of propaganda to thwart, and you alone won’t be able to make that much of a dent to the brainwashed.

Arguing with a closed mind is pointless as that type simply won’t get it. If you gravitate around like minded individuals, you won’t feel such a need and pressure to validate your beliefs.

Most of the time the ones who are so vehement against your religion are usually what I call “cafeteria Christians.” These are the type of people who pick and choose what works for them out of all the rules like some menu from a Chinese restaurant. If they are as devout as they claim, they would be eating kosher, not eating pork or shellfish, not wearing combined fabrics, not judging another, and a host of other rules which seem to not be a part of their “beliefs” as they claim.

It’s tough to deal with these hardcore fanatics who sometimes have to impose their viewpoints down everyone’s throat. The best bet is to just stear clear of them because a battle of wits is pointless. As the cliché states, “empty barrels make the most noise,” and from the sound of it, there seem to be a few whose “noise of ignorance” can be quite deafening.

For what it is worth, medical science has demonstrated that the largest segment of schizophrenia also manifests itself through religious zealotry. In essence, the person you are arguing with has a 50/50 chance of being a psychotic, so again, it is prudent to just steer clear from these types of individuals.

As for your temper, work on that through meditation. Knowledge is the key to power over the self, so the more you are knowledgeable about the ignorance of mankind, the more tolerant you can ultimately become.

You can make a great tea for reducing stress and calming your temper by mixing equal parts of dried lavender flowers, chamomile flowers and peppermint leaves. Store this mixture in a pretty glass jar and use 1 teaspoon for every cup of boiling water. Steep in a mug or cup for 15 minutes. If you have a tea ball or muslin bag, you can just steep it and remove the leaves, otherwise brew the tea loose, and strain all of the leaves and flowers before drinking. Sweeten with a little bit of honey, if desired. A cup of relaxation tea to unwind at the end of the day, or before meditation can do wonders for your spirit!

This blend also works well as an herbal bath. Put 1/4 of the loose herbs into a muslin bag or a piece of cotton cloth tied with some string and add to a large pot of boiling water and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until you have a strong dark infusion in the pot. Add this (herbal bag and all) to running bath water, but make sure that you check the temperature before getting into the tub to be sure that it isn’t too hot, you don’t want to burn your skin!

Lavender and Ylang Ylang are excellent essential oils for reducing stress and improving your mood. To make a quick portable aroma therapy inhaler, simply place some chunks of rock sea salt into a small glass vial, such as an empty dram bottle and add a few drops of the chosen essential oil to saturate the salts. Carry this with you and open and inhale the essence any time you need a little bit of comfort!

I have many dreams about demons. In one dream I was praying in front of a church and when I looked at the church’s name it just happened to be St. Michele (Michele is my name). Well, I started to pray again and as soon as I did, this horned beast appeared in front of me. He started to roar at me holding his hands above his head and scared me silly. Ever since I was about five have been seeing shadowy figures around me and when I asked someone about this, all they said it was that it sounded like God had a calling out on my life for me to help him point out the demons. I need another person’s opinion. Hope you can help. Thanks, Michele

Michele is also the name for Michael in French, without the “e” on the end. St. Michael has been credited with being the patron saint of fighting the devil. Try as we might, some history of other organized religions will often find their ways in our psyche.

One needs to remember that all characters in our dream state are representations of ourselves. The good and the bad characters. Since you saw demons, this may be indicative that something “uncomfortable” is lurking under the surface for you, seeking to control you or is getting out of control. Our subconscious likes to utilize many forms to make us view things that we may try to avoid in our waking state. Evaluate some of the things going on in your present life to see what “demons” these may be. In some cases it could be overdrinking, overeating, or even drug use. In others, it could merely be overspending or simply a negative attitude that is encroaching.

The shadows that you mention, you didn’t specify if these were seen during the dream state or in the waking state. If in the dream state, this could be indicative of something that the mind is attempting to bring to the forefront of the psyche, but is veiling it in shadow until you are ready. (The mind and body is a wonderful machine that is always on auto pilot.)

If you are seeing shadows of this nature in the waking state, it could be that you are psychically sensitive. Shadows can often indicate a spirit entity coming through and this would make you clairvoyant, meaning “clear seeing” in terms of spirit. Some can hear spirit, while others sense or taste these entities. In your case, if this happens while awake, try to put a circle of protection around you and then meditate to see who or what this is that is trying to make contact with you. If you sense a negative entity, though, simply demand that the entity banish itself from you.

At the risk of putting unnecessary fear into readers, there are a lot of negative entities floating about looking for a “sponsor,” so keeping a circle of protection guarded around you will help to block any unwanted advances.

Do you know anything about depression and how serious it can become?

Depression has different degrees. If it is a periodic bout of the blues that is not lingering, then this isn’t something to worry about. However, when depression becomes overbearing to the point where your daily zest for life has been totally diminished, then it is time to seek help.

In some cases, St. John’s Wort is utilized as a means of combating the blues; however in more severe cases, I recommend seeking out professional treatment immediately. Please do your research and ask a trusted doctor before you begin taking any herbs, especially since some herbs may counteract certain prescription drugs.

Dear Witch Hazel, I saw the mead recipe on Morbid Outlook and, as this is an area of specialty for me, I thought I’d offer some additional info. I’ve seen recipes like this one before and though I like to be left with more product for my efforts I guess this small batch approach is OK for the beginner.

Honey, back in the day, was unfiltered. It is likely that boiling it caused a congealing of certain proteins which were then skimmed off the top. Today’s honey probably doesn’t need as much boiling because its been purified. My other concern is that you could be boiling off some of the herbal flavors. i.e. fruit, clover, wildflower, etc. An hour or so ought to do. There also seems to be some ambiguity about where one ferments this stuff. The original calls for covering it with wool while the translation seems to suggest that you bottle after a day or two and hope they don’t blow! Brewers in antiquity used “open” fermentation. Cheese cloth and a band to secure it to your fermentation vessel should do if you want to use is older method. Homebrewers today use closed vessels with locks which vent CO2, but deny ambient air. Check your local or online homebrew supply shop.