The Wolf, the Witch and the Wild
What is wildness? Wildness is the untamed and untamable. Wildness is not domesticated. Wildness is our true nature.
Wildness is what makes life possible. Some call it adaptation, random chance, chaos. But it is wildness. Random evolution and chaos are at the root of life systems, because from this wildness/chaos, potentialities are created that allow species to adapt to change. DNA has wildness in it that cannot be controlled even by genetic manipulation and that is how, in the context of unexpected changes in its environment, it thrives and life continues.
Wildness in a human is often thought to be a person who lives outside of cultural norms and customs. To me a wild human is anyone who is owned and defined by themself, in touch with their inner “daemon,” indwelling spirit or genius, as Mary Daly calls it.
What are Shrines and Why Do We Build and Tend to Them?
A shrine is a place or object that represents, holds and makes a space for a certain entity, abstract concept, idea or belief. At the shrine, offerings are made or prayers are said to and for what is held there. The practice of building shrines has many functions, some of which are psychological in that they allow us to externalize certain ineffable concepts, like the soul, or a relationship to a powerful but unseen being. Externalizing means giving form to something that we only feel, perceive and understand as untouchable, within or numinous. The practice of externalizing helps us to actively work with them, consider, and care for them in a way that is different from when they remain unseen or are internalized only. With the shrine, we are able to take that relationship, being or concept and place it in a concrete form outside of ourselves, look at it and interact with it in a real time, three-dimensional way.
The Evil Eye Is Not What You Think
According to Italian folk belief, il malocchio, the evil eye, can afflict anyone at any time, in any place. One can never be too careful. Believed to be a common cause of distress—physical, spiritual and emotional—it often needs addressing. It is believed to be caused primarily by jealousy which in the Strega tradition is seen to be the root of all trouble: jealousy and envy.