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This strip is rated PG-13 – for occasionally containing strong language (which may be unsuitable for children); neopagan, magickal, and / or witchcraft topics (which may be unsuitable for fundamentalist christians), and the truth about the origin of wicca (which may be unsuitable for wiccans).
Oh My Gods! © 2002-2008 Shivian Montar Balaris, some rights reserved
*sigh*
If only it were that easy.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Just the intent...
but the Unconcious. You cannot trick yourself that way.
-evil grin-
Yes, it's only the intent that counts... Now, seeing as I was out of my regular teas, enjoy this hemlock brew...
LOL Indeed.
LOL Indeed.
In that case..
What is the intent of a crack user and how well is that going for them?
Usually their intent is to
Usually their intent is to get high... which I think is going pretty well for most.
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Beware all drivers: Eris is my co-pilot!
Ah, the amazing powers of intent!
Only intent that counts...does that mean I can turn in a nursery rhyme for my term paper? "I intended it to be a research thesis..." :P
"As She drifts through our lives, tossing coins into the air..."
Oh, brightest Goddess, I WISH!
I think that the "Jabberwocky" would be FAR more interesting than this stupid, thrice-cursed term paper anyway!!!
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy" ~Hamlet
Don't think so
My husband was actually told that by the owner of one of the Pagan shops around us. Since he's not Native American, it is illegal for him to have owl feathers. She tried to sell him dyed turkey feathers to use in his rites for Athena. Yeah, I can see that going over REAL well!
"I claim for others the freedom to live as they wish, to think and believe as they will. I claim that freedom for myself."
--Avedoi Merek "Curious Lives, by Richard Bach"
what?
thats not true. Eagle feathers yes owl feathers no...
Actually
Actually, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, it is. It is also illegal to buy or sell crow feathers, blackbird feathers, woodpecker feathers, etc. etc. Over 800 species are covered by it. Personally, I feel the law to be similar to the laws regarding fossil collecting and rock hunting. That, however, is a rant for another day.
humor me
So, if you find them (not buy), you're okay?
Not OK
The government has no way of knowing whether the feathers are from roadkill or what, so they have to make pure possession illegal across the board save for people doing wild animal rescue, falconry, or Natives.
Actually, it's a really good
Actually, it's a really good law because before it people killed millions of birds for no real reason. The only way to control it was to make all possession and destruction illegal. This law has saved many species from downward spirals and even extinction. If everyone could just take whatever they wanted (including bird feathers, rocks and fossils) there would be nothing left for anyone else to enjoy. I prefer my birds, rocks and fossils outside, thank you very much.
What the gods abide
Depending on how it's presented, Athena might be OK with the turkey feathers. Consider Her affinity for the law and Her wisdom. Better the intent be there than an item that could land Her priest in Federal jail.
That's funny.....
Athena, being The Goddess of Wisdom, never really struck me as being a diety that couldn't look past substitutions when using the original would likely land a practitioner in jail. That really seems more like like Hera's M.O. but fortunetly for her, Peacock Feathers aren't illegal as far as I know.
In truth, I find it hard to believe that Athena, of all goddesses, would hold it against you if you couldn't legally get ahold of an owl feather for a ritual. The gods are not blind, nor are they stupid. I'm pretty sure that a divine being can look into your heart and see whether or not you are trying your best or just slacking off. Therefor the hang-ups one may feel have to lay with the practitioner, not the diety.
While it may be illegal to sell raptor feathers, it is perfectly legal to possess them if you are a licensed falconer. So if one feels it's so important to have an owl feather for a ritual honoring Athena (which is a pretty cool thing to do), the answer is simple: Become a falconer and raise an owl. I have a friend who is a falconer, and she has her own owl. Cute little thing she named Amber that I got to hold a few months ago.
-Sage-
"Sometimes the way you THINK it is, isn't the way it REALLY is at all." --St. Orin--
"If the world is to be saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs. If the world is to be saved, it will be saved by new minds and no programs at all" --D
Groovy Man *o*
Thanks for the post. Ive been thinking about taking up falconry for a while now. But I didn't know Owls where also on the list of birds. Ive been looking for owl feathers also(as well as raven)So you have just helped me make up my mind. I will do it. If its legal in my state of course.
Oh and peacock feathers are very legal. They are everywhere.I should know, I checked just about everywhere you can get feathers (aside from hunting for them in the wild). Last year I even saw a tabletop Christmas tree made out of them. There was even a matching wreath.
Lots of work, but worth it
Very worth it if you love birds and feel a special connection to them. Amber was just the cutest little critter I've ever gotten to hold. It was about 80 degrees at the time, and the poor thing was panting and trying to cool off. So I sat there on the couch blowing air at the baby owl, trying to cool it off. My friend said I'd make a good falconer. She tells me that owls act kinda like cats, wanting to play and grab things with their talons. Apparently owls are only cute when they're young. Amber's adult feathers have come in and my friend tells me she's turned into an obnoxious little cuss.
One of the problems that they've had to deal with is animal rights groups trying to shut them down. They caught some fallout over a picture on the cover of the California Falconry Association's newsletter that had some sort of white hawk on it. Unfortunetly, when the picture was taken the bird had just finished eating, so it had a drop of blood on it's front. Well, the animal rights people went nuts, and to make a long store short, my friend and her husband had to give up their Golden Eagle that they were taking care of. All in the name of Political Correctness. I still can't figure out what is so offensive about a bird of prey eating what it would normally eat in the wild.
But they also work to rehabilitate injured birds among other things. Right now, food is getting scarce up in Big Bear, CA, because the US Fish and Game Dept. had discovered that the squirrels were carrying Bubonic Plague and they wiped them all out. So now the birds don't have enough to feed on.
As you can see, being a falconer takes alot of hard work and dedication. It's not something to enter into lightly. First you have to find someone who is a falconer to let you apprentice with them for a year or so. At least out here. Good luck Draco'
Sage
"Sometimes the way you THINK it is, isn't the way it REALLY is at all." --St. Orin--
"If the world is to be saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs. If the world is to be saved, it will be saved by new minds and no programs at all" --D
Groovy Man *o*
Thanks for the post. Ive been thinking about taking up falconry for a while now. But I didn't know Owls where also on the list of birds. Ive been looking for owl feathers also(as well as raven)So you have just helped me make up my mind. I will do it. If its legal in my state of course.
Oh and peacock feathers are very legal. They are everywhere.I should know, I checked just about everywhere you can get feathers (aside from hunting for them in the wild). Last year I even saw a tabletop Christmas tree made out of them. There was even a matching wreath.
Owl Feathers
What if you go to an old barn and pick them up off the ground?
Owl Feathers
You still need to be very careful. Its technically illegal to poses any part of many of the birds on those lists. Even found parts like feathers.
I read about a Native man who got into major trouble because someone saw them collecting feathers from an already dead owl at the side of the road. He even showed the owls spirit respect by only taking a few feathers. He then carefully buried its remains and saying some prayers over it. But when the authorizes went to his house it was full of Native American paraphernalia. And many of them contained otherwise illegal parts. He claimed right of religion, him being Native American. But the judge was unsure the last I heard. So I don't know the cases actual outcome.
I found a list of owls that are (or should be) on the ESA list
This is the IUCN Red List as of 2008: http://www.iucn...
From what I've gained, this seems to be a compilation of the ESA list, so I'd look here. It says there are 202 species of owls on the list. Good luck.
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Magic is like weaving a song out of light
Back to the strip
I used to use incense to represent the element of air, but I can't anymore because my mom is severely asthmatic and I may trigger an attack with the stuff. I mentioned to my boyfriend that I was a little stuck on what else to use, and he suggested drawing a picture of bellows or incense or something and asked if that was close enough. I cracked up and said "If you were a witch you'd be a 'it's only the intent that matters' witch."