Pagan Night
For the, Phoenix Phire Family April 2007

Souls journey from beyond the miles,
Hearts seeking unto familiar smiles.
Within the pines the energy now awakes,
Here we find blessings none shall forsake.

Together we are drawn to the rhythmic sounds,
As unseen forces make our hearts beat and pound.
By the wisdom of the ancients we do aspire,
To summon the flames, the Lord of the Fire.

Our family united as one spirit in light,
Celebrating together on this Pagan night.
The drums echoing hidden memories past,
As we dance within our circle of energy cast.

With blessings and honor we summon in dreams,
Through stories of magick and life to be gleamed.
Lord of fire, give unto us thy magickal sight,
To see beyond the veils of this Pagan night.

Lanterns and candles dance to give light,
Calling unto our spirits now to take flight.
Smokey images float on the fragrant air,
Now is the time for our hearts soar without care.

In the veils before our eyes, in the darkness we see,
Visions of people and places in this world unseen.
Circling together in a spell beckoning trance,
Smiling like shadows they join in our dance.

The wind sings in a thousand voices strong,
Spirits of those now past joining in our song.
Distance veils unlocked to all that seek within,
Hearts forever opened by the love of a friend.

Around and around the drums move us on,
Beckoning to the light of the breaking dawn.
Flames leaping high in the dark Pagan night,
Soon we must end our mystical flight.

Bonfires now burning to an amber glow,
Echoes of darkness give way to mornings flow.
Now we see the blush, of the morning light,
Bringing the end, to this Pagan night.


By; Lady Abigail
Copyright © 15042007

Magick in Winter

Winter brings with it the secret emotions held in time by each of us. Even now, when standing beneath the twinkling stars, the crisp, clear night sky is like a blanket over me. It envelops me like a child in a mother's love. The sweet aroma of smoke drifting on the cold night air gently carries my spirit. This is when I remember my childhood and those magickal times I spent with my Great Grandmother.

I put my hand upon her knee
And she said - do you want to see?

I put my hand upon her brest
And she said - do you want to kiss?

Gently gently johnny
Gently johnny, my jingle
(repeat)

I put my hand upoon her thigh
And she said - would you like to try?

I put my hand upon her belly
And she said - do you want to feel me?

Gently gently gently johnny
Gently johnny my jingle...
(repeat)

I put my hand upon her knee
And she said - do you want to see?

I put my hand upon her brest
And she said - do you want to kiss?

Gently gently gently johnny
Gently johnny my jingle

CHORUS:
There's frigging on the rigging;
Wanking on the planking,
Tossing on the crossing,
There was ***** all else to do.

or repeat First Verse as Chorus:

Twas on the good ship Venus,
By God you should have seen us,
The figurehead was a whore in bed
And the mast the Captain's penis.

The captain of this lugger,
He was a dirty bugger,
He wasn't fit to shove shit
From one place to another.

The captain's wife was Mabel.
Whenever she was able,
She'd fornicate the second mate
Upon the galley table.

Oh, the summertime is comin',
And the trees are sweetly blooming,
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather

Chorus
Will ye go, lassie, will ye go?
And we'll all go together to pick wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather.
Will ye go, lassie, will ye go?

A piece of wood,
some rope and skin,
heart and hand,
bring out the life within.

Be you dancer or drummer,
or just passing by
the rhythm gets to you
and you just have to try.

It’s a spiritual journey
like no other
it calls to everyone,
both sister and brother.

It’s the heartbeat of the Mother
that creep’s into your soul,
the rhythm of life,
keeps the community whole

David Griffin

...On my journey of "forgotten things" I set out to find that horned beast with wings. A mystical creature that you well know, only appears with the first winter snow.I searched the north, south and west, but in the east I took a rest.

Drifted lazily from this body of mine and almost as though I fell through time, I awoke to a sound, like wind in trees. I looked and a lady was standing before me. A fair sweet lady, she reached for my hand....

Was the the Qween of the land. "You have reached Avalon" with such saddness she said reaching and taking the crown off her head. She handed to me the silver-jeweld crown, as the crown touched my hand she fell to the ground. "I have faild" said the queen, "I must now go away, all have forgotten the ancient old ways,I am but a dream a myth in lore and all have forgotten the key to my door.

Minds have all chainged since the christ has been here, that those dont remember the Goddess for fear. They've told us we're sinners for loving the lands, they've burnt us to ash or tied both our hands. Now that the Goddess has given way for the Son, the fear of their hell is in everyone....So now I hand my crown to you, hoping you'll find a mind or two. Hoping that one day you will find hearts where Goddesses and dragons hide...........


written by Lylywings

The fire crackles and sparks
The drums tap and boom and thump
The dancers spin and whirl and step
to the rhythm of the drums.

A tiny child ventures into the firelight
Spinning and whirling and learning to step
to the rhythm of the drums.

Older, taller dancers step around the child,
Or pause to dance with the child for a few
beats of the rhythm of the drums.

Older eyes, taller dancers, keep watch and gently
turn the whirling child away from the edge of the fire,
and the child learns the rhythm of the drums.

An aged dancer ventures into the firelight
Slowly spinning, slowly whirling, slowly stepping
to the rhythm of the drums.

Younger dancers see the slower steps and dance
aside so as not to bump a shaky balance;
Extend a hand to steady a hesitant step . . .
A step that moves to every third beat of the
drums . . . but a step that has not forgotten
the rhythm of the drums.

We are family......................
Ardy

Dancer and Drumman
by Avandrah

Sunrise
juh-juh ga-dung BOP
The fire still burns in my eyes
Bi-gee-di-gee-dung
I danced ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta
frap-tap-tap the drumman played,
and I danced, I tranced...
did-lee-tah
Frap-tap-tap juh-juh
I followed his yellow brick road and visited the place where rhythm lives.
Bi-gee di-gee-dung wuh-ga-duh-ga
dun-dah
He sang my heart's song
Frat-atat-tat tap..... tap.....
fire-dancer juh-ga....
smoke-song rak-rak-kathaah
drumman-rhythm frat-a-tat-tat
wrapped in the spiral....

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, A beautiful, independent, self assured princess, happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the Princess' lap and said: Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome Prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me.

One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young Prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my Mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.

That night, on a repast of lightly sautéed frogs legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought:

I don't freaking think so.

I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes
Not all of them with you
Been family or lovers
Or enemies its true

I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes
I hope this one’s the last
Some I lived so slowly
The others went too fast

If all you feel is hunger
and all you know is pain
you will not see the sunshine
you'll only know the rain

You will not see the sky above
if only you look down
and never feel the heat of love
just hatred's sullen frown

You've closed your ears to hearing
you will not smell a rose
and slammed the door on knowing
a kiss and loved one's prose

There is no need for you to see
the landscape's always bleak
I hope this song, my plea to be
will help you to speak

A smile is gone
Early spring a smile came
into this world full of sadness.
It played in the spring and all
through the summer I
watched it grow. I watched it play
rollicking in the afternoon glow.
It was a good smile and a
happy one but sadness
hung over its little head.
No one wanted it. It lived
outside in the wild. In the morning
I would see this smile come from
the woods and greet me with all the
joy it could give. Then one
dark night the smile
was gone now my little corner
of this world is sad and morns
the passing of this little smile.

Child, maiden, mother, warrior, crone
To all these guises I will own
My eyes are dim but my sight is clear
With the Goddess help, I wlli not fear

Breath Again
Open the floodgates and release the emotions bottled away
Bring Back the pain and free it from the bottoms of your souls

Breath and live again, don't stop, Breath and live again

Running scared, but there is no place to hide.
The bitter cold of fear haunts your soul,
It asks to be released and cleansed

Breath and live again, Don't stop, Breathe and live again

Where is the escape?
Where is the answer?
Drowning, it is too much and consumes you.

Breath and live again, don't stop, breath and live again

Time is wasting, time to begin
Don't let time pass, before the consumption begins
Bring in the pain, and deal with what is at hand
Show yourself that there is a life to be had
Don't throw it away there is more to be understood
Stand up and face reality that is there for you.

Breath and live again, don't stop , breath and live again

Linda M. Gillis

Whole
Today I sat and missed you.
The craving for your warm touch is strong.
I ache for your love.
How can I satify this desire?

Will you promise to be with me forever?
Will you hold me close?
And make me feel whole..
I want to feel whole.

Walking down the street images remind me of days of fun.
I smile as I walk.
When I am with you I feel complete
I need to control this desire..
This obsession before I lose control.

I need you by my side for fear
I might die
Is this love or insanity?

Will you promise to stay by my side?
Will you make me whole?
Don't leave me.
I am scared to be alone.

Linda M. Gillis

Here is one of ours so everyone can sing along whenever they see us play.


Hatred is a crime
No more burning times
The reason's in the rhyme
No more burning times
Goddess so sublime
No more burning times
She's back for good this time
No more burning times
wo wo wo wo wo wo wo yeah

I thought I saw your face
but my eyes were closed
in a trance to your dance
I moved to the dream of you
never wanting to awake.

I hear your voice
whispering in my head
caressing me
tormenting me
releasing me
back into the void

for those of you who saw Troy
this is my uptake on some of the other mytholgy involved

The House of Atreus

part one- Clyteminestra

Once upon a time, Agamemnon, the great king of Macedonia, really needed to hedge his bets so that he could win a war. He had three children, two of which were girls. In those days, girls were pretty expendable, so he offered up one of his daughters to the goddess Artemis in sacrifice.
His wife, Clyteminestra was outraged. She could not believe that men would go to war because her dumb sister had run away with a Trojan. Now her brother in law was collecting troops to avenge his honor. Not only did she feel the war was a waste of time, as a mother she never could agree that a child of hers was expendable for such a thing.
The war lasted ten long years, and ten long years, Clyteminestra nursed her hatred for her husband. Ten long years, she mourned her daughter and ten long years she plotted her revenge.

I saw you there
On the field of red flowers
Tall and strong and terrible
A bolt of lightening
In your hand.

I saw you strike and strike again
I heard the wind roar
I heard it scream
I heard the earth roar
I heard it scream, too.

I felt it quiver and heave
And I saw you no more
Not ever again
On the field of red flowers.

A Poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 1843

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

By the margin, willow veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?

By Alfred Noyes copyright ©1913

Part One
I
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-
Riding-riding-
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

II
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

Oh that the blood of the noble man
be the cause of his nobility
that from his father's loins leap forth
more than mere virility
that sired within his mother's womb
and housed there until ready
enter into this world with a passioned cry
his noble heart beat steady

By yon bonnie banks And by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright On Loch Lomond
Where me and my true love where ever want to be
On the bonnie, bonnie banks O' Loch Lomond.

-- Chorus
Oh ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak' the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland before you,
But me and my ture love shall never meet again
by the Bonnie, bonnie banks O' Loch Lomond.

'twas there that we parted In yon shady glen
On the steep, steep side O' Ben Lomon'
Where in purple hue The highland hills we view
And the morn shines out Frae the gloamin'

My name is Enigma Enigma;
I’m all that you think and see.
All that I am and all that I’m not
Is all that I can be.

I’m the dawn, the mountains, a baby;
I love battles just for the game;
A barroom, a church, a fight, a kiss….
To me it’s all the same.

Smeagolian Rhapsody by Precioussss

Isss this the real life?
Isss this just fantasy?
Caught in my dark cave
No escape from reality
Open our eyes
Look up to the caves and see
I'm just a poor Smeagol, we needs no sympathy
Because we's easy comes, easy goes
A little high, little low, gollum
Anyway the stream flows, doesn't really matter to us, to us

tune: "Volga Boatmen"

Happy Birthday! (UHH!) Happy Birthday! (UHH!)
Death and gloom and black despair
People dying everywhere
Happy Birthday! (UHH!) Happy Birthday! (UHH!)

Now you are the age you are
Your demise cannot be far

May the candles on your cake
burn like cities in your wake

When I was a young girl I used to like boys,
I fondled their tights and played with their toys,
But me boy friend ran off with a salesman named Bruce,
You'd never get treatment like that from a Moose!

CHORUS: So it's Moose, Moose, I like a Moose,
I've never had anything quite like a Moose,
I've had many lovers, my life has been loose,
But I've never had anything quite like a Moose!

The Irish peasants left to fend for themselves in a world dominated by a corrupted church, oppressive landlords and an absence of local government and medicine turned to their own imaginations to understand and order the world around them-to make their peasant culture work. Stories like Nera and the Dead Man helped children to remember rules for staying healthy and safe and to maintain sanitation. Images from the ancient tales combined with observations -the wind in the winter forest-the Banshee- helped them to explain natural occurrences. You too should know them when you meet them!!

One of the tales of Hathor was how she was originally a goddess of destruction (Hathor-Sekhmet), and how she came to be the goddess of happier things:

Then Ra took on the shape of a man and became the first Pharaoh, ruling over the whole country for thousands and thousands of years, and giving such harvests that for ever afterwards the Egyptians spoke of the good things "which happened in the time of Ra".

But, being in the form of a man, Ra grew old. In time men no longer feared him or obeyed his laws. They laughed at him, saying: "Look at Ra! His bones are like silver, his flesh like gold, his hair is the colour of lapis lazuli!"

Ra was angry when he heard this, and he was more angry still at the evil deeds which men were doing in disobedience to his laws. So he called together the gods whom he had made - Shu and Tefnut and Geb and Nut - and he also summoned Nun. Soon the gods gathered about Ra in his Secret Place, and the goddesses also. But mankind knew nothing of what was happening, and continued to jeer at Ra and to break his commandments. Then Ra spoke to Nun before the assembled gods: "Eldest of the gods, you who made me; and you gods whom I have made: look upon mankind who came into being at a glance of my Eye. See how men plot against me; hear what they say of me; tell me what I should do to them. For I will not destroy mankind until I have heard what you advise."

The Phoenix is a Greek name, for a mythical bird which originated in Ancient Egypt mythology.

The best description of the Phoenix is in Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by Rundle Clark:
"The Phoenix, known to the Egyptians as the Benu Bird, was one of the primeval forms of the High God. One has to imagine a perch extending out of the waters of the Abyss. On it rests a grey heron, the herald of all things to come. It opens its beak and breaks the silence of the primeval night with the call of life and destiny, which 'determines what is and what is not to be'. The Phoenix embodies the original Logos, the Word or declaration of destiny which mediates between the divine mind and created things. It is an aspect of God, self-created. But the heron form is not to be taken too literally; it is a way of expressing one of the basic activities of God rather than a naturalistic figure. It is the first and deepest manifestation of the soul of the High God.

The Egyptians had two ideas about the origin of life. The first was that it emerged in God out of the Primeval Waters; the other was, that the vital essence - Hike - was brought hither from a distant, magical source. The latter was the 'the Isle of Fire' - the place of everlasting light beyond the limits of the world, where the gods were revived and whence they were sent into the world. The Phoenix is the chief messenger from this inaccessible land of divinity".


This is from the entry for Benu Bird from the British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt:
"The sacred bird of Heliopolis, closely associated with the benben stone, the obelisk, and the cult of the sun-gods Atum and Ra. Its name probably derived from the Egyptian verb weben, to rise, and it was the protype for the Greek phoenix. There well may be an etymological connection between the two birds’ names, and certainly there are distinct similarities in their respective links with the sun and rebirth, although a number of the other aspects of the phoenix legend are quite distinct.

The benu-bird appears in the Pyramid Texts as a yellow wagtail, serving as a manifestation of Atum. Later in the Book of the Dead, the bird was depicted as a grey heron, with a long straight beak, and a two-feathered crest, the physical manifestation of both Ra and Osiris".


Writing some 2,000 years later, the story was imaginatively retold by the Greek writer Herodotus:
"They have also another sacred bird called the phoenix which I myself have never seen, except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there (according to the accounts of the people of Heliopolis) once in five hundred years, when the old phoenix dies. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follow:- The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make and size are almost exactly that of the eagle. They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not seem to me to be credible: that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of the Sun, and there buries the body. In order to bring him, they say, he first forms a ball of myrrh as big as he finds that he can carry; then he hollows out the ball, and puts his parent inside, after which he covers over the opening with fresh myrrh, and the ball is then of exactly the same weight as at first; so he brings it to Egypt, plastered over as I have said, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun. Such is the story they tell of the doings of this bird".

Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair
and one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share.
He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet
and he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.


Ring di-didle-idle-a-di-oh,
Ring di-diddly-i-oh,
ah he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.


About that time 2 young and lovely girls just happened by,
and one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye,
"See yon sleeping Scotsman, so strong and handsome built,
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt."


Ring di-didle-idle-a-di-oh,
Ring di-diddly-i-oh,
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt.

Oh gimme that Ol' time religion,
Gimme that Ol' Time religion,
Gimme that Ol' Time religion,
It's good enough for me.

Oh, we'll worship like the Druids,
Drinking strange fermented fluids,
And run naked through the woods;
It's good enough for me.

There'll be lots of pagan lovin'
When we're meeting in our coven.
Quit your pushin' and your shovin
And leave room enough for me!

Leonard Rosenburg (1988)
We all come from the Horned God.
And to Him we shall return.
Like a spark of fire.
Leaping to the Heavens.

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right.

When She danced on the water and the wind was Her horn
The Lady laughed and everything was born
And when She lit the sun and the light gave Him birth
The Lord of the Dance first appeared on the Earth.

Chorus:
Dance, dance, where ever you may be
For I am the Lord of the Dance," said He
and I'll live in you, if you live in me
And I'll lead you all in the Dance," said He

We had a chicken, no eggs would it lay.
We had a chicken, no eggs would it lay.
My wife said, "Honey, we're losing money, And that ain't funny." No eggs would it lay.
One day a rooster came in our yard
And caught that chicken right off its guard.

It's laying eggs now, just like it used to
Ever since that rooster came in our yard.
It's laying eggs now, just like it used to
Ever since that rooster came in our yard.

Bring me some whiskey, mother
I'm feeling frisky, mother
I need a sheep to keep me warm through the night!
I need a lover, mother
No, not my brother, mother
I need a sheep to keep me warm through the night!

Gerbils don't make it, mother
They just can't take it, mother
I need a sheep to keep me warm through the night!
Owls, bats and other critters
Just tend to give me jitters
I need a sheep to keep me warm through the night!

In the cool of the evening, they used to gather, 'neath stars in the meadow, circled near an old oak tree.
At the times appointed by the seasons of the Earth, and the phases of the moon.
In the center of them stood a woman, equal with the others, and respected for her worth.
One of the many we call the Witches, the teachers and the keepers of the wisdom of the Earth
The people grew through the knowledge she gave them, herbs to heal their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole.
Hear them chanting healing incantations, calling forth the Wise Ones, celebrating in dance and song

We all come from the Goddess
And to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain
Flowing to the ocean.

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali- Inanna!
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali- Inanna!

Moon, moon, Mother moon,
Mother, mother, Moo-oon!
Moon, moon, Mother moon,
Mother, mother, Moo-oon! .

(sung to the tune of "Chatanooga Choo-Choo")
Anon

Pardon me boy -
Is this the lair of Great Cthulu?
In the city of slime,
Where it is night all the time.

Bob Hope never went
Along the road to Great Cthulu
And Triple-A has no maps,
And all the Tcho-tchos lay traps.