Poobahs and Ridiculous Rules

In this episode, I will talk about poobahs and ridiculous rules, tell you the story of one of my Tarot readings, and I’m going to give you a prompt, as usual, to get some magic into your day.

Caution and Disclaimer

A small caution. If you’re sensitive to language, I must warn you that the occasional swear word might slip through the cracks when I edit.

I do not give medical advice
I am not promising a cure for any illness
I am not telling you to replace conventional medication. Remember
that this is about magic and not physics, chemistry or something similar.
Any and all parts that contain information about herbs and remedies is only of historical interest.
Any use of this information is entirely your own responsibility and at your own risk.
I do not guarantee the function of any of the recipes or instructions.

Show Notes

I decided to talk about poobahs and rules this time because I don’t enjoy being told what to do. Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion, but so am I. This is not directed at a single person, but a kind of person.

What is a Poohbah?

A poohbah is someone who sits on their high horse and thinks they can dictate what other people should or shouldn’t do or think. A pompous, self-important person who thinks their way is the only way.

There’s more about poobahs, and a lot of humor in the Margarita Midnight episode I’m going to link to at the bottom of the page.

About those rules

I use my tools the way I choose. I practice my spirituality the way it suits me. If it’s needed, and within my own moral boundaries, I’ll do it, thank you very much!

I hate being told to follow the Wiccan Rede, or the (so called) law of threefold return, as I’m not Wiccan.
I don’t like being told to live by the Nine Noble Virtues either, as those were invented by the Troth and aren’t mine.
I don’t like being told I have to cast a circle, or it won’t work. I know it does anyway!
I don’t particularly enjoy being told I have to call the Norns, or Odin for that matter when doing readings with runes, or I’m doing it wrong.
I don’t like when people say I have to use a certain material for my runes either. I’ve got experience that says it works even if they’re on paper.
Of course, I don’t enjoy being told fold my clothes a certain way or walk a certain way or dress a certain way either, who does?

Do you have similar problems?

Why do these people think they know so much better?
What makes them think they have the right to tell us we’re wrong?

It’s one thing when it’s coming from someone experienced, but when you know it’s a newbie, it’s that much more annoying.

“The ancient ones did it this way”, bullshit I say. We don’t have enough sources to say what they did and didn’t do when it comes to readings and magic. I bet they used what was available to them, and did what was needed without a lot of fluff.

Another thing is that the world has changed, society has changed. So we can’t keep doing things the same way. A loaf of bread doesn’t hold the same value anymore, we use money these days. And most of us no longer believe that the life of an animal or human is ours to give.

I’m not saying I am the foremost expert at anything, but I have the right to do things my way. I’ve done this for over 20 years, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what to do and what works for me.

I do, of course, have my own set of values, moral code or whatever you call it. I haven’t written them down, as that would be a very long list. It’s stored in my gut feeling, so to speak.

Some poobahs within the Pagan community have accused me of being a fraud for using magical terms for business. One of the people who did this is a respected Pagan blogger, which I never thought had such opinions. It took about an hour before I was booted from one of the larger Pagan groups on facebook for this.

I’m choosing to ignore them, and their rules. I’m doing things my way because it’s true to who I am.

A rune reading

Three years ago I did a rune reading for a woman. Her question for these runes was:

“My husband and I are trying to have another child. I had a miscarriage in February and we have been trying since then. I was wondering if you could see if it will happen soon and go smoothly? “

I pulled three runes for her and my interpretation was:

It probably won’t happen right away. Everything’s stagnated a bit because of what’s happened. You need to get back into balance, so take a moment to cleanse, to relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t bottle up emotions, you need to let them out to move on. You’re going to need your strength, so I don’t think I can say it’ll go perfectly smoothly. And all this goes for both of you.

Judging by her pictures on facebook, she now has a child that’s about 6 months old

Tarot forecast week 33

Herb of the week: Chamomile

Today’s prompt: It’s time to start your harvest if you plan to gather herbs this year. Find out what properties you need, medicinal or magical, and make sure it’s not toxic. Learn about the herb, make sure you can identify it 100%, and then go out and pick it in a location free from pesticides and exhausts. I have instructions for harvesting, drying and storing herbs on the Witch’s library.

That’s it for me for today. Thanks for listening to the Witch in the Valley Podcast. The next episode will, among other things, be about why you should let your children touch your stuff. If you have any questions, just reach out to me at linda@lindaursin.net Remeber to rate and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.