Pagan Coffee Talk

Family, Wealth and Witchcraft Reimagined

Life Temple and Seminary Season 3 Episode 3

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Unlock the true essence of 'craft' as we redefine its meaning beyond tangible creations. We challenge the stereotype of crafty witches and their spell jars, and invite you to see the artistry in our daily interactions and application of pagan values. Curious about the parallels with Christianity? You'll be surprised. 

We also venture into the realm of self-reliance, envisioning a family farm model that's far from being a simple commune. Picture a co-operative where family members unite, the elders lead, and benefits are shared across the clan. Money, as we know it, takes a backseat as we explore the power of bartering and resource exchange. If you've ever questioned the true value of money, you'll find our discussion on wealth and resources compelling. All of this and more in an episode that promises to redefine craftiness, family, and wealth.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Peg and Coffee Talk. Here are your hosts, azwan and Lord Knight. So today's topic is should we be crafty people as witches? Should we be crafting? Do we have to be crafty? If we're not crafty, does that not make us witches?

Speaker 2:

Well, I mean, this is just asking what that craft part is of craft, Are we not? Yeah, pretty much, you know. Is the craft part the making of the bottles or the flower arrangements?

Speaker 2:

or do you see what I'm saying, right? What is craft? Because you get to a craft fair you see handmade this and handmade that and that still leans back to our traditions of, you know, blacksmiths and jewelry makers and stuff like that being part of that culture, right In that. So what is this craft part? Is the craft part? Is the craft part forming? Well? I mean, I'm thinking versus forming is, is, is craft, you know turning up your automobile.

Speaker 1:

Right? Well, I was going to say I'm not the craftiest person. Can I do a few things here and there? Am I? Am I a jack of many trades and master of none? Yes, do I prefer to do them? No, I don't. Does that make me any less of a witch, because I'm not doing a craft? Well, or or is what is my craft? Can my craft be my particular practice?

Speaker 2:

Or is craft, when we talk about craft like this, or is it that ability to create something new, something different, even if it is, you know, a twist on an old song, or you know what I'm talking about?

Speaker 1:

right.

Speaker 2:

Is that craft, not necessarily what's being done, but that how it's being done that inspiration. You know those people, those people everybody hates, that can see an old shoe and take it out back and do some stuff and then suddenly oh, look it's a planter. You're like fuck.

Speaker 1:

Well, kind of like we had an insurance agent who dropped off some wall sconces for candles and she's like here I can't do nothing with them, and all we did was paint them a different color, hanging them on the wall. And she came over one day and she was like oh, I hate you.

Speaker 2:

What? All we did was repaint it. So I mean, is craft an actual thing, an actual activity like knitting or crochet? But is it the activity itself or is it the creativity?

Speaker 1:

I think it's the creativity, because, I mean, honestly, there's so many different things that can be done in so many different ways.

Speaker 2:

Exactly.

Speaker 1:

And just because I don't knit or just because I don't do spell jars or because I don't make incense or anything like that doesn't make me any less crafty, because I do have my own ideas about things and how they can be done. So I think it's the creativity, the inspiration that makes it craft.

Speaker 2:

That makes it craft. So do you see what I'm?

Speaker 1:

asking Is that creativity.

Speaker 2:

I agree with you. I think that's what we're really talking about, that inspiration of seeing something in a different way in a different light than somebody else and then trying to make it happen Right.

Speaker 1:

I mean because I still like the whole.

Speaker 2:

who was it Michelangelo that said? You know that the statues were already there in the rock he just removed.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

He just removed the unnecessary parts out of the way, so you could see it. Right, you know. This to me is that crafty thing. Hence the reason why anything can be linked to craft to a certain extent.

Speaker 1:

Which makes sense.

Speaker 2:

As sad. And all this is for somebody to say, yes, craft could be woven into accounting bookkeeping the most boring, mundane things we have.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, I think it can run into anything.

Speaker 2:

I mean, you know, I mean because for accounting you can always put in some numerology in there and Right take on a different point of view.

Speaker 1:

Right. Well, and even in my particular job, there's nothing pagan related Really to my job. But my attitude, my pagan values, all of that is getting transferred into what I do every day.

Speaker 2:

And how you interact with other people and stuff like that. I mean, just like you know, being a priestess and a nurse, there's probably certain attributes and chews and stuff you're going to pick up on faster than.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Other people? Yeah, because you're, you're, you're sort of been trained up to look for them things. So then your craft starts to bleed into this Exactly. So, you know, this is why I think it's that creativity, that that inspiration.

Speaker 1:

Does that?

Speaker 2:

do I know? Do I think that makes nursing, or what you do or what somebody does, as part of my religion? No, it's part of life.

Speaker 1:

Right and life is our religion, so so in a way, yes, but not really.

Speaker 2:

Not really, it's really strange.

Speaker 1:

Clear as mud right.

Speaker 2:

You know what you know. I have to admit, the Christians got a little leg up on us on doing this.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

What was that saying that Christ told everybody you know work as if you're working for me.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And workers. You should work as if you're working for me. Right, so again it is that you know, respect down.

Speaker 1:

So I think, I think it's. I just think it's important to realize that Craft, the craftiness of what we do, doesn't necessarily have to be the spell jars and all the other stuff and you know not making this or making that it can spill over into your occupation.

Speaker 2:

It can spill over into your interactions with other people in the way you cook your food and preparation, and hence the reason we get this as much, as it rubs me wrong kitchen, which we and stuff. I mean, yeah, it's cute and all this, but it's just an extension of our lives, it's. I mean, I don't know how else to say that.

Speaker 1:

All right and that's well. I mean, and that's one thing that we we teach at Life Temple is, I mean, we we teach that this is not just a way of life, it is our life.

Speaker 2:

Well, I mean, it's like we talk about apothecaries and stuff like this yes, there are magical sides to these herbs, but there are also compounds in these herbs. Right that actually affect your body. All right, they are. They were the original. You know pharmacists.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

This is where in the world people get confused A lot of things when we talk about witchcraft and what is craft and what's not. You know in how in the world craft just sort of becomes your life.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Because that's how we worship is through living All right, not through playing video games, not through armchair, going out and doing to gain those experience.

Speaker 1:

Right, because that's that's where we gain our wisdom from.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, I completely agree with that.

Speaker 2:

It's it is it's.

Speaker 1:

It's so interwoven into what we do and who we are at this point.

Speaker 2:

And to and to try to get people to understand that the craft part of witchcraft is more of a mindset, Then it is just actually doing something. Again, it doesn't matter if you're knitting, cross-stitching, making a rug or jumping out of an airplane. Right, I can see where in the world craft can be weaved into all of it. Sure Because again it's not the end of our lives, it's the beginning.

Speaker 1:

Here's the topic you wanted to revisit Uh-oh, pagan family values.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

I did. We threw this topic back into the hat and it's finally come back up.

Speaker 2:

Well, there seem to be a few problems there. Right, because we were sitting there and I was talking along the lines of. One of the problems that kept, okay, coming up is somebody actually says something to me to the effect of I could not tell my kids what in the world to do like that or live it, and I'm like that ain't quite what we were saying, because we were talking about, basically, if me and you had enough money, we would buy so many acres of land right, build a house, have kids, and as we had kids boys we would plan on staying on the land. Any girls would be married to go off to live with someone else.

Speaker 2:

Now, let's say, one of our kids started to show and because we would be homeschooling, in this scenario because again, I still think it's best for what in the world we got going on here is that at some point or another, if you happen to know your kid happened to be really good with medical stuff and animals, when they're like five or six, or when not five or six or ten or eleven or something, you would basically go out to your vet and go, hey, look, let them, let them come here and clean up or whatever for an hour and then you give them some specific classes on how to take care of animals for a little while.

Speaker 1:

Hmm.

Speaker 2:

Okay To encourage them so they can get more knowledge on if they even want to do this Right Maybe pique their interest a little bit more. Exactly, and if it does, you keep on doing this and encourage them to wear in the world. Eventually they go to college, become a vet and then come back home and open up their own veterinarian there.

Speaker 1:

Right On the premises.

Speaker 2:

On the premises. Now again, the idea here is is that this person doing the vet stuff might start a business, but they don't have to worry about a power bill and electric you know utilities, a house payment or anything like that. Right, they don't even have to worry about food. But the price for that is is that if any of the animals on the family farm needs medical assistance, you're going to be the first one there.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And you're probably going to do it for free because again you're going to be looking at this. Hey, one day this is going to be my meal.

Speaker 1:

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2:

So that's the idea there, not that they can't go out and become a vet to other people in the community. It's just the ideas in your family that's your vet now.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

That makes sense. So again, if you start to break it down, like if you have anybody that's a doctor or nurses and stuff like this, the same thing will be going on there. You would encourage people to become, you would encourage members of your families to become teachers and stuff like that. So you have them on premises.

Speaker 1:

Well now, what was? What was the comment about telling kids?

Speaker 2:

Well, I can expect my kids just to buy the house next to me and live there. Yeah, you can.

Speaker 1:

That's how this works If you've got a big enough property and you're running a farm.

Speaker 2:

Well and your family's connected and has that growth, why would your kids won't believe hope Again? We're having this same problem now, it's just they're not living in other houses, they're living all living in the same house.

Speaker 1:

Right Now. These kids never leave home.

Speaker 2:

Right, I don't have a problem with that. It's just that these kids should be running farms and doing things for the family. You with me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, now that's an unpopular opinion.

Speaker 2:

That's an unpopular opinion.

Speaker 1:

But I think it could really work. If you bring up your kids in a proper way Not saying that they're obligated to do this, but if you bring your kids up to the point where you do have that family connection, it'll be easier for the kids to say you know what? I'd really love to stay here and just help out around the place. I'm going into this business, I'll help out here, I will do this for you.

Speaker 2:

Right. I don't understand people's problems with this concept of living this type of life. It baffles my mind.

Speaker 1:

Well, I think part of it is that whole commune mentality, because people hear stuff like this and they think, well, it's a commune, right. Well, in a way it is, but it's not like a cult.

Speaker 2:

No, no, we're not talking about You're not abusing your people.

Speaker 1:

You're not abusing your family members. No, everybody's cooperating. It's a co-op.

Speaker 2:

It's a co-op.

Speaker 1:

You are actually working together.

Speaker 2:

The only difference is is that your leaders are typically the elders of the family.

Speaker 1:

Right, they'll be your parents or grandparents, and parents and stuff like that.

Speaker 2:

They're going to be sitting there going okay, no, uncle Bob only farms, he never leaves the land, so we're going to put them here, right. All right, so that might mean that that guy that is your vet or your doctor or has a business outside goes. Well, we're going to say he works for us and we're going to give him insurance. He's going to get insurance from us, or we're going to pay for his insurance, so he's got some Right. But then, on the other hand, part of that about having the doctors and stuff there is you won't need insurance because if you have a nurse or somebody in the family, they're going to be the ones going over there. Okay, what's going on? Right, what can I do for you? It's the idea that family should be self-reliant. Okay, that you grow your own food. You're not sitting there wondering if you know, walmart getting a truck, you know?

Speaker 2:

or if you have the money for it, it's there.

Speaker 2:

Family has a fallback point your pets business goes under because the economy goes to hell. All they'll do. All that that will do is just like, okay, I want to close down the business and stuff and just work here, right, and start helping out on the farm instead and still keep up with the animals. I just won't do it for anybody else, unless it's under the table or something, or if we're doing some bartering with another local farm family. This is why I like about it, because again it gives the family a fallback point. It gives somewhere for them to rattle, where they're not worried about paying bills or if they're going to be able to feed their family.

Speaker 1:

Right, you know, that's what I was going to say is, I mean, with the way, with the way prices are just continually going up, it seems like anyway, and how expensive things are, this, I think it's a pretty good fallback plan.

Speaker 2:

I think it is too. It makes it makes more sense than the giving money to certain pagan podcast. So they can buy more alcohol to do dumb podcast with.

Speaker 1:

Oh no.

Speaker 2:

Oh, we need three dollars. You know you need to donate, you know what?

Speaker 1:

I can go out and buy my own one. We can do this.

Speaker 2:

You know, screw that. We're country. We know how to make our own wine.

Speaker 1:

Oh, true yeah.

Speaker 2:

Again. No, it might not be as nice as what in the world you get from the grocery store.

Speaker 1:

But it'll get you there. It gets you there. I mean, it's like again, we're country people.

Speaker 2:

I'm not being mean or anything like that. We know how to make moonshine.

Speaker 1:

We understand how the world is processed works.

Speaker 2:

I also understand how dangerous it is and how in the world the ship blows up on people.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

You know, we know how to make beer. We know how to make me. Again, why do we need your money to buy? You know, why aren't you just making it yourself?

Speaker 1:

Well, that's true.

Speaker 2:

You know, I'm be honest with you, had the wine that we use for ritual the majority times in temple is made by the wife of one of our members.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So again we're, we make our own line. So this whole entire money thing, all right, this is what I'm trying to get you away from. I'm trying to get you to understand money is nothing more than a way to get resources.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Money is not that valuable until you get something with it. It's kind of like the whole thing with tradeables is only worth that much if somebody's willing to pay it.

Speaker 1:

Exactly yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know these antique people and stuff. They'll sit there and tell you the same thing hey, this might be worth you know 30 million, whatever, but it's only worth that much if somebody's willing to pay it.

Speaker 1:

Right, if you can find a buyer, then that's what it's worth.

Speaker 2:

That's what it's worth. All right, people don't seem to understand that that's what money's for. That's what it represents. It doesn't represent, you know, wealth or anything like that. It represents the food in your, in your house your house your car, stuff like that's where your money is, Again as a co-op, and we're not talking about, like you're saying, a, a compound or our stuff, yeah, commune. We're not talking about people that are separate from reality or the real world Right.

Speaker 1:

No, no, no, no, no. Still interacting with everybody else and going out and doing we're taking care of our own, we're taking care of our own.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that might mean yes, that we might have relatives that might move to go get a job at a car factory in another state To either send back money or to build up enough money to where they can come back and add so we can buy more land.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Or just happen for insurance or tax. You see what I'm saying. These people are not going to these jobs and stuff as a loan. This is not a long term solution, you know right.

Speaker 1:

It's sort of like the means to an end.

Speaker 2:

It's sort of like some of the migrants we have from other countries here who keep on sending money back to their country for their families, right.

Speaker 1:

They're doing the same thing.

Speaker 2:

We're doing the same thing, you know, and eventually they might even go back to that country themselves, because they can get more in their country with that money than because the cost of living here Right, because the cost of living is better there than it is here, right.

Speaker 1:

So I think that's about it.

Speaker 3:

And as we pass by, a sea of blazing fires, and so it is the end of our days. So walk with me till morning breaks and so it is the end of our days. So walk with me till morning breaks.

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