An Interview with Mother Moon - Part Two

Q: How have Celtic Tree Lore come to interest you? When we first moved to where we live now, at the bottom of our yard was a small straggly oak tree. It was no more than a twig sticking out of the ground. I tended it, gave it water and pruned it each year so that as it grew a pleasant shape would take form. The first witch bottle I ever created I buried beneath the slight shade of it. The spot where I buried it remained bare for three years. After that time the grass finally grew. The tree has grown through the years and now I can no longer reach to the top of him to trim him if needed. It has become a friend to me.  It is a place I go to at times of contemplation and pondering. It is this relationship with this small oak as well as with the many willows that encircle my pond that brought me to look more into Celtic Tree Lore. I developed a respect and love  for trees that before I did realize was possible. I realize and acknowledged them as living beings and I look at them and behave differently with them than before.

 

Q: What exactly is Celtic Tree Lore? Celtic Tree Lore encompasses a wide variety of subjects. Some examples are as follows:

 

* Following the Celtic tree calendar which is similar to that of the zodiac yet the signs are represented by trees.

 

* Following or using the Ogham . It is believed that Oghan was first started by Ogma the Celtic father figure and Sun God while others think it is a making of the druids. It is an ancient Celtic alphabet that is still used by some today. Each symbol is made up of straight lines and represents a particular letter. It is written vertically and read from left to right. The Ogham can also be used as a form of divination. In this case some take a small stick from each tree represented and carve its symbol onto it. To read the Ogham in this manner one would pull sticks from a bag or toss them from the bag and then read. Much like that of reading tea leaves. I myself have a tarot deck of Ogham. It is much more intricate than the average set of oracle cards and the readings are usually over a broader spectrum of time.

 

* Although not necessarily connected the reading of Runes is part of Tree Lore at least for me. Runes, like the Ogham is not a spoken language but a set of symbols which represent letters and/or sounds. I create my own runes from the willows that I have on my property. It is with the working of the wood and the concentration of the creation of each rune/symbol that has brought me much insight.

 

* Then there is the simple admiration and conservation of the tree itself. Each tree has a personality of its own. Each one is characteristic of specific attributes and abilities for various things. Such as in medicinal manners, magical manners and creative manners. Studying the many qualities that each tree has and learning how to use them to their largest benefit is probably the largest part of Tree Lore.

 

Q: What is your favorite? My favorite if you are speaking of Tree Lore is the study of trees in general. It has fascinated me to learn the many helpful traits that trees have. As I said earlier, technology has rendered man somewhat ignorant when it comes to sustaining himself if by chance he was found to be without his "iphone" I myself am guilty of this. Yet I also have the added ammunition of my knowledge of trees and plant life in regards to how each can assist me with various things that may befall me if I was to find myself in a situation.

 

Q: Has it influenced the way you think? Very much so. I have learned that being still can lend itself to teaching one a great amount of things. A simple slow walk around my yard can bring me so much knowledge. I have learned to read the weather, the seasons as they are coming or going and more. It has influenced me to respect myself and not necessarily feel that I have to rely on the synthetics that man makes to replace the natural things we already have.

 

Q: Has Celtic Lore in general inspired you? There was a time when I was fearful of allowing the questions and thoughts that circled my head to be spoken or known by those around me. I felt as if I would be shunned or laughed at. Although that outcome is still possible today I do not fear it as I did. I have learned through example where the truth really lies and it is not necessarily where some may think. People of older times took heed to the signs that nature and those leading it attempted to show them. They were blessed for doing so. Man today attempts to manipulate the world around him.  He attempts to do as he feels that it should be, forgetting that it was here long before he was. So yes, I think Celtic Lore has greatly inspired me or at least made me realize my place.

 

Join me tomorrow for the conclusion of my interview. Blessings

An Interview With Mother Moon

Recently I was asked to help out with a senior thesis paper that a friend was working on. She was writing on Celtic tradition and influence and she wondered if I could help her out. At first I was not sure if I was the right person to request help from yet it sounded like it would be fun so I agreed. The help she requested was really quite simple. She only asked that I respond to a questionnaire that she had designed. Set up in somewhat of an interview form, I received the questionnaire a few days back.

When I first saw the questions once again I worried. (You know me, thinking too much). But I began at the top and commenced to answer each one. As I finished I was quite glad that I had accepted. Not only did the questions make me think about what it is that I believe and stand for, they also gave me more confidence in that stance. I decided to share the questions and answers with all of you as a means to let you see once more another side of me. A deeper side of what I believe and also what it is that has brought me to this place. This is somewhat long so I will be breaking it up over the next few days. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed completing it. I also hope that sparks a bit of a fire in you to re-examine your beliefs and teachings. 

Q: What is your name?
Janie Sheik

Q: Can you tell me a little about yourself?
I am a woman of middle age, I live in rural Oklahoma and have done so all my life. I am a mother of three plus one step daughter. I also have the privilege of being a grandmother of three with another on the way.

Growing up in Oklahoma ie: the Bible Belt had an interesting effect on my spiritual upbringing. My mother was a native German with a spiritual background of strict Lutheran mixed with folk beliefs. My father grew up in a home which observed the Jehovah Witness religion (something I did not learn until I was much older). We were not regular church goers however I enjoyed my early experiences in the "Christian" churches.

I enjoy the out of doors and anything to do with nature. My favorite past time is tending my yard. Gardening is in my blood and its skills were handed down to me from my grandmother and father on my paternal side. They taught me the lessons of tending the earth and giving homage to her for what she returned. I also love to grow and harvest my own herbs and wild flowers. I try to propagate from my already established garden, others gardens, or the wild itself. I find peace in the quiet of nature and it has become my favorite place to go to when it seems that life is going too fast.

Q: What is "Mother Moon's Message" (ei. It's concept and how it came to be)? For as long as I can remember, I have loved to write. The number of journals I have accumulated over the years can attest to this. I have written poetry, short stories, children stories, as well as I aspire to one day write a trilogy. I have always wanted to attempt to publish some of my work yet my timid ways have kept me from doing so. Someone suggested that I start a blog as a means to work on my writing as well as to express myself in an outward manner. I started Mother Moon in July of 2009 and it grew into a love. It was a manner to express many of my beliefs and opinions that before I was unable to do as the audience was more vast than a mere rural country town. It has given me confidence and allowed me to be more firm in my spiritual stance. It has also led me to some wonderful people from all over the world whom I would not have met otherwise. It has helped my mind and views to expand to a much broader prospective allowing me to become what I believe to be a much better person.

As for the name of Mother Moon, I have always been quite fond of the moon especially when she is full. When I was a little girl I had a memory of sitting on the kitchen cabinet, my feet in the sink and gazing out the window at the moon. As I did so, a woman (who for many years I thought to be my mother) would tell me stories about the moon and her cycles and the power and magic she held. As I grew older and I related the story to my older sister she told me such things never happened. I went to my mother and she agreed that she had never stood beside me in the darkness of nighttime and tell me stories of the moon. She did however verify that on many occasions she would find me asleep on the kitchen cabinet in the mornings when she would awake. The moon still calls to me and her glow has comforted me many a time. The stories I remember, still aid me today in life. It seemed only fitting that if I was to start a blog in regards to myself and my writings that it should include Luna, as she has influenced me in so many ways.

Q: How have you come to be interested in the Celtic Culture? The Celtic culture has been a fascination of mine since I was young. It probably began with the kinship to the earth that I was taught by my grandparents, especially my grandma. Yet as I grew, I loved reading the stories of King Arthur and always felt drawn to their lore. It was not until much later in life that I searched deeper into the culture and such.

Q: Have you learned anything that is particularly interesting? If I was to say one thing that stood out particularly interesting to me it was the connection to nature and the effects that it has on everyday life. I think that we as people have become blind to the abilities that were given to us when we embarked on this journey of life and evolution. There was a time when man acknowledged what the earth could do for him, mainly because it was a necessity to prosper. Yet in today's world and with the advancement of technology such ways and things have been lost or even forgotten. Stories and tricks of the trade that were passed down within family and such is no longer as important as it was in years past. It is something that I fear if man does not take heed to soon that there could be many that could suffer due simply to their complacency.

Q: How has Celtic Mythology influenced you? As I said before Arthur and the tales of Excalibur have always been dear to me. I have also always had a fondness for Avalon and the stories of its existence. I liken it to the draw that modern day Christians have to the garden of Eden. It resembles somewhat a place of paradise to me.

As for the many Celtic gods and goddesses I have not felt the draw to follow into more detail on them, that is to the point that I would say I worship any of them individually. There are a few though that I tend to associate with more than others. Brigid, for example. She is the associated most with home and its upkeep. She also has influence in healing, druidic activity, wisdom and so on. She is also a Tuatha De Danann.

The Tuatha De Dananm is  referred to as the fairy folk or the Sidhe. The manner and existence of the fae has influenced me greatly and has much to do with my ability as well as progress in regards to my tending of the earth. It is not something I openly speak of often as it brings about odd looks by many yet if asked if I believe in fairies, I would have to say of course.

Ceridwen, the Welsh goddess of rebirth and inspiration also is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Viewed by many as a darker goddess I find her to be a woman with a fierce motherly instinct which lends her to do what she must to protect and further her children. She may not always do what is the best method to eventually come to such conclusions yet her intentions are good. Something I think any mother can relate with in some form.

Q: Are there any stories or themes that stand out? As stated earlier , The fairy folk have greatly influenced me, especially in recent years. It is a relationship that calls for patience and time, something that many people to not have these days or do not make time for. Yet the rewards that one can glean from such activity is beyond what they could imagine. One has to allow themselves to go to a place where most do not believe of its existence.   This in itself can be most difficult as what we are thought of by others these days is so very important to some.

I have tended garden alongside the fairies that reside in my area. It has been quite the honor to be allowed to share in their presence. I have received small trinkets as gifts from them as well. Tiny bobbles that I hold quite precious.

Return tomorrow for Part Two of my Interview.  Blessings

Justice – Is it Always the Same?

What is justice? I ask myself this question at times when I see the court system come to a conclusion that by the facts that I see does not sound rightfully fair. The only encounters I have personally had with the court system are that of my divorce experience in 1997. It was not a good experience. But honestly divorce is something that is not a good gage to use when one is judging the accuracy of the system. It is too easy to come out with "bad" feelings.

Yet when it comes to the criminal system sometimes I wonder. Recently a case was tried in the state of Oklahoma that drew much attention. A local pharmacy was burglarized by two young boys. In the encounter one of the young men was shot and later died. The pharmacist, the one who shot the 16 year old was charged with murder and last week his trial finally was held.

Now to hear this story one would say that it is an open and shut case. The pharmacist was obviously shooting in self defense and of course should not be charged with murder. Yet when you hear all the details, and in turn really listen and watch all the details it is hard to not understand why he was charged in the manner he was.

The boy who was shot was 16 year old Antiwun Parker; A young black boy who participated in the attempted robbery with another young man. They entered the pharmacy as the other young man had his weapon drawn and Parker attempted to pull a mask over his head. At this time the pharmacist 57 year old Jermone Ersland pulled out the weapon he kept behind the counter and shot at the two young men. A bullet struck Parker in the head. He fell to the floor unconscious as the other boy ran out the door. All of this was caught on surveillance video so it cannot be disputed.

If this had been the story's end still I would see how a self defense verdict would be the obvious outcome. He was only protecting his store and himself. How could anyone think otherwise. Yet the story does not stop here.

After shooting Parker, Ersland comes out from behind the counter and walks out the front door. He attempts to follow the man who had been armed and ran from the store. At this time he shoots his weapon two more times. He then returns to his store walking past Parker who is lying motionless on the floor from the gunshot wound he received in the head earlier. Ersland then goes behind the counter and retrieves a second gun. He walks up to Parker who still is lying on the floor and commences to shoot him five additional times in the abdomen.

As the trial began to get underway, many people were outraged at the fact that he was being tried at all. Even after the surveillance video was shown over and over on the evening news many still defended his actions. When the trial drew to a close and the guilty verdict was read, the same outrage came once more. They called him hero, protector, and so on.

For the last two years as this trial has went down its rocky road of stories being changed, judges being dismissed and all the other issues that befell it in an attempt to draw the final outcome out, the evidence was obvious. Protecting ones home, work, or self is one thing. Intentionally shooting someone an additional 5 times after they were initially shot and stopped with a head wound, lying on the ground unconscious and not threatening in any way is a totally different story. But then that is my own opinion. I have attached the surveillance video so that you can watch it yourself and make your own conclusion.

For once I agree with the conclusion that the court came to. For once it appears that justice really was fair and just despite the pressure from some to steer it in other ways. Then why are so many outraged at this? And why do so many feel that he was justified in the actions that he took. Some may say race played a part, perhaps I am not sure. Yet I would have the same feelings regardless if the boy was black, white, red, yellow, or green. Why is it so easy for so many to feel otherwise. I guess I am just looking for some sort of explanation.

I promise to be back soon with my more upbeat bright sunny stories. This was just something that was heavy on my heart and mind and I felt I needed to share.

Early Sunday Mornings

As Human beings,

Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world

as it is in being able to recreate ourselves.

Mahatma Gandhi