Hearing the One Voice (originally posted at http://www.dailyom.com,reprinted here for not-for-profit educational purposes only.)

Gathering in a circle is the perfect container to hear our truths as there are no hard edges, only endless support.

When we sit in a circle together and share our thoughts and feelings, we participate in a powerful, unifying practice whose origins stem from the very beginning of human time. All early cultures practiced some form of this ritual, which gives each individual in the group a voice, and at the same time reveals the one voice, and the ultimate unity, of the group. This profound and simple way of talking and listening has experienced a modern rebirth in counseling, social work, and spirituality.

Most circles benefit from the presence of a leader who opens the circle by calling in angels, spirit guides, and ancestors—beings of light who will be present with those taking counsel. The leader may announce a theme for the circle, or one may simply evolve from the unstructured expressions of each participant. The circle continues for as long as feels right, at which point the leader may summarize what has been said, perhaps leading everyone in a moment of silence before the circle disbands. One of the most powerful components of this work is the talking stick, which can be any object—a crystal, a flower, or a candle—that is passed around the circle from person to person. The person holding the object speaks until he has fully expressed his feelings, and no one else interjects, interrupts, or even responds until they are holding the stick. This enables people who have a hard time speaking out to express long buried feelings and points of view. This is powerful because in a! community it is often what is not said or acknowledged that causes the most pain and suffering.

The circle, which contains no hard edges or angles, is the ideal container for these difficult truths. As we hear the many perspectives the subject at hand inspires, we begin to see that our individual truth is just one of many. Our own hard edges begin to soften as the circle flows from one person to the next, and each wave of words cleanses us of one more layer of mental and emotional armor, freeing us to be closer to the people around us. Try using counsel during your next family meeting, school class, or any setting where you feel a centering communication method is needed.

Julie Balavia is a great gal to have on your side.  A genuine, in-the-blood strega* (how often have you seen one of them?)  she is an incredibly talented psychic.  I’m willing to place betting-man’s odds the true believers will be impressed and the hardened skeptics will come away shaking their heads and puzzling over how exactly “she does it.”  Simply put, she’s the genuine article: a ruby shining in the modern world’s pile of gravel.

So, why is the Reverend writing about a psychic?  Psychics are a lot like psychiatrists, bartenders, and undertakers: when times are bad, they see a lot of business.

The economy has hit some rough times, and it seems to be on everybody’s mind: from Mr. President during his State of the Union to the neighborhood gossip. At the time of writing this, the latest jobless figures quoted are 1 in 10, but this does not take into account those who have been unemployed so long they have exhausted unemployment, or taken what they could to survive but are “under employed,” meaning they are not really using the full range of skills (ie: a lawyer washing dishes to get by, for example.)

The following interview with Julie by a local Rochester, NY based news team is re-printed for not-for-profit educational purposes only (and with the hope of providing some comfort and hope to the concerned.)

Julie Balavia, Psychic and owner of Mystic Moon

News 8 Reports:
Psychics see Boom in Tough Economy
Reported by: Matt Molloy
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
@09:35pm EST

Julie Baliva is a psychic medium with more than 40 years of experience. In this recession she says clients are more focused on finances than anything else.

“It’s not necessarily are they losing their jobs, they’re all terrified they are going to lose it,” said Baliva. So they come to her for guidance. “I try to tell people don’t be the person who waits until the job is over and it’s the end. Let’s take some action first and get you right into a job somewhere so there is not down time or time for you to worry about things,” said Baliva.

“My business has always been prosperous. Unfortunately, it’s busier when there are times of crisis. It’s simply the way it works,” said Baliva.

Jason Klaum has been a client for the past year. His focus most recently, “Success, my job, how well I’m going to do in the future,” said Klaum.

Klaum hopes future visits won’t focus so much on finances.

“I think if the economy’s better, everybody’s lives improve a little bit more and the outlook might be better as far as what I might find out,” he said.

In the meantime a shaky economy means more concerned customers for psychics like Baliva.

“I give people the faith in knowing that this is going to be very short term. That this isn’t something you need to go into a major panic,” she said.

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*Strega:  The word is simply Italian for “female witch” (male is “Stregone,” plural, “Stregharia.”). This ancient form of Italian witchcraft has been passed for generations through family lines, and I have often heard it is inherited through blood lines, and, unlike other systems of magic, can not simply be taught, despite several attempts to popularize and mass-market it.  Charles Godfrey Leland, an American folklorist from Philadelphia, took an interest in this, claimed to have found a genuine strega, and, in 1899, with Christian bias firmly in hand, wrote Aradia, Gospel of the Witches (available for free to read in its entirety here).  This began popularizing a mythic image of the Stregharia as devil worshiping sex-fiends or curse-casting crones lobing the malocchio at all who crossed their path. Whether her account was true or whether she was having a bit of fun at Leland’s expense is a mystery kept by the Stregharia alone.   I chose this link as it appears closer to  realistic, but can not fully endorse anything.  After all, I am not a Strega. (Julie is a much better resource!)

Imbolc: Festival of the White Candles

To the Scots-Irish traditionalists, today is celebrated as Imbolc (In Irish, Imbolc (pronounced “im’olk”), derives from the Old Irish imbolg – which means ‘in the belly’. This refers to the pregnancy of ewes. Another name is Oimelc – which means ‘ewe’s milk.’ *) Later, this holiday took on a number of names to please the local Christian legates: it became Candlemaas, St. Brigit’s day, and the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. If you’re American, you probably know it as Groundhog Day. No matter, since all came from the same root.

This has always been my favorite holiday, as it is so poignant in such a quiet way. Imagine a world where you and your tribe needed to make whatever you and yours had stored, smoked, and preserved during the autumn season (Lughnasaad for the early harvest, Mabon for the high harvest) and, after that, the cold of Samhein brings the reminder of the cold, dead season to come. Have you harvested enough? Will your tribe survive?

All of this changes on Imbolc, when the ewes begin to give milk and prepare to give birth to their lambs. You’ve made it! Your tribe will not starve! Even if supplies have run dry, you can slaughter a sheep or drink the milk from the other ewes, knowing that there will be more lambs soon! You’ve made it!

Our circle views this holiday as a quiet holiday to spend with close friends and family. It’s other name, “the feast of the White Candles,” plays a large part in how we choose to sanctify our personal space.

However, there are and have been several other Pagan services for Imbolc being offered in the Rochester area. Here is one we can speak for, as we have personally spoken with the woman who will be running the circle:

Psychic’s Thyme
(Priestess: Charlene “Char”)
439 Monroe Ave
Rochester, NY

(585) 473-4230

www.psychicsthyme.com

7:00 pm: (Please call first.)

(*) Chadwick, Nora (1970) The Celts London, Penguin.(p 181) ISBN 0-14-021211-6