Control of Fear Sage Jimmi Lightwatcher Dgaye@tassie.net.au Mon Jul 5 10:22:40 1999 Bright blessings,*br* As the topic is headed I have a singular fear, but it is a fear that seems to be rife within societies (even our animal friends) that within their own culture, subcultures seem to rise and fall within, not unlike the cauldron within a wiccans spellcasting. I have the fear that seems to plague all these subcultures, the fear of singleness, of being totally alone in one place and one time. I am trying to unsurpe this fear by using an assignment that I have to do for Photography. I am leaving my citybound, feral existance and pushing into the total wilderness of Tasmania's alpine national forests of Mount Field. I am a black and white photographer so as you can expect the pictures will be spooky, dramatic and yet...well... black and white.*br* Guess what the amusing thing is though, I will be doing this escape from modern reality, to a far more basic and beautiful reality, imagine it two weeks of no tv,telephone,radio,cars,buildings,hopefully people, just the three feet of snow,the rain and the earth and all it's environs, and I am so scared that if it was not for the assignment I wouldn't be going. Funnily once upon a time I was a scout, amusingly though none of the 'Be Prepared'info I got badges for has stuck. Too much living in inner-city flats. Anyway I was wondering if anyone, especially any herbalists out there could help me at least knowledge wise in protecting myself from any lingering bad spirits associated with the fear of being away from my fellow humans in such totally isolated spots.*br* Also I have a staff that I will be taking with me, it is made of blackwood with three runes of protection engraved in gold (they are Uruz, Algiz & Eihwaz) on the front and two engraved in silver (they are Raido & Teiwaz) on the back. These rune stones were picked out of my stone bag by my ex-girlfriend Vanessa for the protection rites for the staff. The staff has a steel heel with brass nails holding it on and a large, fractured, smokey quartz crystal (about seven centemeters in lenght and after two years I felt I might name the said staff whilst I was batteling the elements , as it was.*br* I have read certain books on the subject of blessing and sanctifying the staff of power but all seemed just a little too simple and I finally came to the thought that I will Bless it with a ceremony that comes to my own mind instead of doing what most 'trendy' witches do and copy someone elses work , but I have one simple problem can the Alpine water be utilised in stead of true blessed water or do I have to sanctify it first?*p*Bright blessings and Merry moot,*p*Sage Jimmi Lightwatcher *p*(sorry if there is two of these on I was not sure if it went through or not as my computer crashed just after posting)