Author Michael Furie
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Reflections on PantheaCon 2018

2/21/2018

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Well, now that PCon has come to a close (and everything is unpacked) I have time to process all of the magic, friendship, wonder, chaos, and connection that this amazing conference/convention/festival/phenomenon means, is, and brings...

PantheaCon is a gathering that takes place over the President's Day weekend each year in San Jose, California in a large Doubletree Hotel.

This has a special significance for me as I was born in that city and every chance I have to return there is a bittersweet emotional recharge for my spirit.

This year's PantheaCon marks my first as a presenter on the main program schedule. I have given presentations and workshops before but never as part of the main program and never to an audience that size. I was an equal mix of excited and nervous.

Most of my work as a writer has had, as an underlying motivation, the drive to show that there are practical, affordable, workable, effective, and magical ways to achieve our goals, work our crafts, and celebrate our spiritualities without having to "make do" or feel lesser because exotic ingredients or expensive tools are unobtainable. This being the case, I gave a presentation on "Supermarket Witch Crafts" to show how to make custom, expensive-looking, homemade blank books, magnets, and spell bottles using everyday materials.

Overall, I think my presentation went well and I had a great time conversing with people after it was over. For me, the best part of PCon is connecting with people.

​Kristoffer Hughes, Melanie Marquis, Tiffany Lazic, and John Beckett gave great presentations that I was able to attend. There is always so much going on that no one person can go to everything that they want to, but I managed to see my favorites.

Aside from the main program, different organizations host hospitality rooms throughout the hotel on the 2nd, 9th, and 10th floors. My favorites were the OBOD room run by the East Bay Druids, the Sisterhood of Avalon room, and of course, the Llewellyn room. Each are run by wonderful people that create such an atmosphere of welcome and fun.

​Reconnecting with friends from all over is as vital a component of PantheaCon as the presentations. James, Erin, Thea, Elysia, Kat, Tiffany, Kristoffer and Ian, Melanie, & Motherbear; many thanks for your friendship. I was also so happy to formally meet Jhenah and Starhawk, and to meet Bill K in person. Wonderful people all. You're all fabulous and it is a blessing to know you.

The vendor area was fantastic with the Milk & Honey store's booth being my favorite.

Overall, this PantheaCon was a spiritual hug that bolstered my resolve to continue trying to give as much back to the Witch and Pagan community as I can whether it be through writing, teaching or other means.

Huge thank yous to all who came to my presentation, bought books, and talked with me in the halls, suites and everywhere. I am humbled by your kindness and I hope that you enjoy my books.

May the magic always bring blessings.

Blessed Be,

​Michael Furie
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The All-New “Furie-Us Witch Shoppe”

10/26/2016

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The Furie-Us Witch Shoppe
I am excited to announce the unveiling of a project that I have been working on for many months now; a completely redesigned “Furie-Us Witch Shoppe” featuring all new products created with a cutting edge technique, the 3D printing process! I am working with the Shapeways company to create a variety of magical goodies: jewelry; talismans; mini apothecary pots and more, each one a specially designed item that is made when ordered.
 
3D printing actually forms the item as designed and it can create in a wide range of materials from plastic to stainless steel and even in precious metals.

I invite you to see what my shoppe offers in the way of Witchy and magical jewelry and wares. The inventory will grow with time and new and unique products shall continue to be added; from pentagrams to faery stars, skeleton keys to Aztec symbols, with prices starting at $6.00 the Furie-Us Witch Shoppe will bring magic to you with every order.

Just click on the link above or go to the following address:

  https://www.shapeways.com/shops/the-furie-us-witch-shoppe



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Twitter Book Giveaway

4/19/2016

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Spellcasting : Beyond the Basics
My twitter account (@FurieMichael) currently has 99 followers so, as a promotion, I have decided to give away a free autographed copy of my latest book, Spellcasting: Beyond the Basics to my 100th follower and to my 120th follower. Good luck and thanks for following.
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Spellcasting: Beyond the Basics Giveaway

2/11/2016

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From now until February 16th, I am running a giveaway on Goodreads.com. Enter to win one of four autographed copies of Spellcasting: Beyond the Basics.

You can click the link below. Good luck and blessed be. <|:)


Giveaway on Goodreads.com
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The Danger Of The Comfort Zone

4/16/2015

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I've noticed that it seems people use the term "comfort zone" to mean being in a place or situation where they can turn off their critical thinking or questioning mind. This can be a very dangerous practice.

How many people have been harmed by "trusted" religious figures, school officials, family members, police officers, celebrities, etc. where the common underlying theme was that something seemed off but they didn't bother to question it until it was too late?

It baffles me how many people seem to turn off all critical thought when it comes to authority figures. Even cynical people sometimes just blindly follow others to their own detriment.

Just because someone asks you a question, doesn't mean you have to answer it, or give a complete (or even honest) answer. People have been so conditioned into compliance that many don't stand up against prying people asking what is none of their business.

The bottom line in EVERY situation, if it feels wrong don't do it. If the book says so, if the priest says so, if the boss says so, its all irrelevant if it feels wrong.

Please understand that it might not actually be wrong (just wrong for you) and you may just need a different path.

Independent thought is becoming an increasingly rare trait in this homogenized world but independent thought is a hallmark of a true Witch. Within your own mind,  question everything. One need not become a combative, argumentative person outwardly however; knowing more than you speak tends to be a hallmark of the Witch as well. ;)

Living solely in the 'comfort zone' keeps one from personal growth and spiritual advancement.... again, I'm not advocating becoming a combative person; I'm advocating keeping oneself aware and constantly evolving as a person. What other people do is not the point; your own power, growth and maturity is.

Keep your independence, your critical thought, your shrewd, discerning nature and you will always have contact with your inner power.

Blessed Be.
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The Tale Of The Teacher And The Student

1/11/2015

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Student: Why are some people so divisive and cruel?

Teacher: Well young one, there are two major reasons.

The first is that some people are victims of an increasingly prevalent societal compulsion to gain alleged superiority by degrading, exploiting, subjugating or marginalizing others. The people with this tendency are usually taught to think this way from an early age and their main fault (aside from their actions) is that they have never had the drive to question what they were taught, expand their worldview and move beyond their ignorance.

Student: Oh..... What's the second reason?

Teacher: Well, some people are just assholes.

Student: Oh.


The moral of this tale is that uncovering the reasons why a perpetrator does what they do must be secondary to minimizing their damage since, sometimes, there is no real reason and even when there is a cause for the problem, it may be virtually unsolvable.

Apply as needed.

Blessed Be.
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Hateful Posts on Social Media

1/9/2015

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There have been so many things lately that underscore how far we as a nation still need to go in regards to issues of sex and gender, race and ethnicity, sexuality, religion and so forth; so much overwhelming turmoil, so much pain and fear. Since Facebook and other social media have wedged themselves into our culture as the unofficial town square, all of the frustration, pain and anger of the real world events naturally spill over onto these forums.

Curiously, despite the fact that social media is literally designed to connect people together, there are a great many divisive, prejudiced, sexist, racist, homophobic, anti-everything postings shared by people that obviously have friends who would be offended by such statements (not to mention the inherent cruelty of the statements themselves) without any regard for the feelings of others.

Lately, there have been two factions of people forming amongst those of us who aren’t sexist, racist, homophobic and anti-everything people; those who immediately block and/or “unfriend” people when they make inflammatory prejudiced posts and those who keep the people on their friends list so as to engage with them and attempt to alter their views.

I am of the first type; as soon as I see an ignorant, hateful post, I unfriend, unfollow, block or otherwise disconnect from that person. The reason I do this is very specific and pointed. I do understand that the idea behind the “keep them and engage” method is that one cannot educate and change people if you keep yourself in a bubble; an echo chamber of exclusively like-minded people, but there are some flaws in this approach. Prejudice is an inherently right-brained phenomenon; illogical, irrational, belief and emotion-based, so when a person with this, let’s say affliction is confronted by truth and facts and reality and the need for an end to their twisted philosophies, the tendency is to hold fast to the prejudice and even for it to grow. This being the case, it feels to me a waste of time, effort, life-force, joy, hope and sanity to attempt to redirect hateful people to a higher viewpoint. How often does that work? Ever? I don’t know. Maybe it works for some people, but it hasn’t ever worked for me. In my case all that resulted were higher blood pressure, headaches and an increased desire to disconnect from social media completely, which I did for several months last year. I completely shut down my original twitter and facebook accounts and gave up on social media.

In the long run, this became impractical as I really do have a desire to connect with friends, colleagues, readers and other like-minded people so I returned to the cyber world. Upon my return, I made the decision to change my own behavior in the dynamic. Apparently, my personality is not built for aggressive conflict; I don’t seek it, I don’t enjoy it, I don’t tolerate it well, so in order to keep my desire for social media (and lower my blood pressure) I had to approach dealing with oppositional and confrontational people and groups differently. Aggressive conflict of course, is distinctly different from constructive criticism, different styles and viewpoints, disagreements, etc. which are fine and sometimes necessary but rather, the conflicts become hateful and petty arguments and often descend into chaos.

My approach to things now is a conscious marginalization of the opposition. If you refuse to allow the ridiculous insanity to become something you live with, then it loses some of its power. The reason that the wrong people have power, that corporations have billions of dollars and prejudice has any type of platform is because these things are supported. If no one shops at the big evil W, then it loses all its power, money and influence; if people don’t elect the politicians that want to limit our rights, then they wouldn’t have the authority to do so, etc.

The more thinking people refuse to tolerate the ignorance that seems so prolific, the less power it will have. This is not turning a blind eye or refusing to see the truth; I’m not advocating abstaining from being aware of what goes on in the world. I am just saying that social media is a construct and as such only has the power we choose to give it. It is very important to make a clear statement of how you feel; what your position is on an issue so that you can show support to those suffering while at the same time condemning those who perpetuate injustice. It is important to be a positive addition to the struggle against injustice as opposed to contributing to the chaos.

To spend my life seeking confrontation in order to educate the perpetrators is nothing short of martyrdom which only hurts me in the long run. The perpetrators are not going to change and will not care about the people they’ve hurt. Perpetrators of any type must be isolated from society otherwise their poison spreads like a virus. The only way to isolate a perpetrator on social media is to limit their influence. Since we do not have control over anyone other than ourselves, the best action to limit their influence is to block them from influencing us. I would much rather know who the awful people are and remove them from my life than have them lurking quietly in the background.

The more people that refuse to tolerate the perpetrators, the less power they will have. Bullies have victims because the system supports the behavior. If enough people join together against the bully, their power is neutralized. Real world actions are what are needed to combat real world problems. Social media is merely an overflow of what goes on in the real world, not the world itself. To sacrifice oneself in a battle of wills, opinions and feelings on the internet while real people are being hurt and killed in the outside world is not a worthy use of an activist heart in my opinion. The zeitgeist of our era needn’t be argumentative frenzy but rather could be progressive social reform, if we consciously choose to move forward and marginalize the regressive, oppressive, depressive individuals that hold us all back.

The way I see it, social media time is better spent connecting with like-minded individuals as a predominantly enjoyable experience which enriches our lives instead of diminishing our happiness and also in order to build a network of progressive people who can then go out into the world and accomplish actual change. If we give ourselves a clear focus and a solid foundation from which to act rather than being worn down and scattered due to the harshness of others, then our real world actions are far more powerful and effective.

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Acknowledging and Releasing the Old Year

12/31/2014

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It has been a challenging year for so many of us. Looking to astrology, we find a major configuration of planets occurring last April (the grand cardinal cross) which shifted the lives of many people in deep and fundamental ways.

Regardless of whether 2014 has been joyous, difficult or a combination of both, it is sensible to use this moment to take stock of what the past year has meant to you; what you've learned, what you've lost and what you've gained, both good and bad.

Remember and give meaning to your experiences over the year. It is so important to live consciously and acknowledging your past is a good way to avoid being in denial or lacking gratitude. Spiritually speaking, giving proper thanks for blessings received and goals acheived helps to pave the way for future rewards.

The last day of the calendar year offers a wonderful opportunity to take stock, to let go of what no longer serves your life and to give thanks for what does.

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A simple ritual to accomplish both uses 2 pieces of paper, a white charm bag and a pen, a cauldron, a black candle and a white candle.

Release and Renewal Spell

On your working table, place the cauldron in the center. Facing north, set the black candle behind the cauldron to the left and the white candle behind the cauldron to the right (both unlit).

On one paper write down what you are grateful for; any major blessings, achievements or events that brought you joy in 2014. Fold this paper into a little packet making each fold toward you and set it in front of the white candle.

On the other paper, write down what you wish to be free of in the new year; specific obstacles that you feel are holding you back. Fold this paper away from you and set it in front of the black candle.

Cast a circle and/or anoint with oil if desired and light the candles (first black then white).

Holding the obstacle paper in hand say,

"Remove the chains, these ties that bind; free me from what holds me down. Dissolved, discarded, left behind; I now move forward, blessed and unbound."

Ignite the paper in the light of the black candle and drop it in the cauldron to burn away.

Moving toward your list of blessings, place this in the white charm bag and drip a few drops of wax from the white candle into the pouch then say,

"Blessings given and goals acheived,
I acknowledge and thank those who've helped me succeed.
I work to preserve what has been earned, and seek to build on what I have learned.
To increase the bounty, encouraging growth; joy and prosperity, shining forth."

Tie the bag shut, extinguish the candles and end the ritual. After the rite, bury the ashes (or cast them to the winds) and keep the charm bag in a safe place with items you treasure.
The charm bag can be buried at the end of each year and a new one made if desired.

Blessed Be and Happy New Year

<|:)


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Combatting Commercialism

12/26/2014

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Today, December 26th, I was in the checkout line at a local supermarket when I noticed an odd sight; a display of Valentine's candy conversation hearts.... already.

It's bad enough when Xmas decorations and displays are set up in stores in October which pulls focus from Halloween and almost completely suppresses Thanksgiving, but now we're subjected to constant bombardment of holiday commercialism?

Very often people bemoan how commercial holidays have become (Xmas in particular) and yet they continue to buy the merchandise as soon as it is available, no matter how early.

The primary power that we as consumers possess is whether or not to buy. If people don't like being inundated with merchandise months in advance the only sensible action is to refrain from buying any of it until it is closer to the holiday.

To see people buy Xmas decorations in mid October and then complain about how commercial it has become is a laughable (and hypocritical) paradox.

Thinking and feeling have little power without the disciplined will to act. If no one is buying Valentine's Day candy in late December, eventually the stores will stop putting it out so early since it will be an unprofitable waste of valuable shelf space until late January or so.

A step in the right direction, no matter how small is always better than no action at all ..... or worse, endless complaining while actually adding to the problem.
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Book Lists

10/30/2014

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I'm not sure if many people do this, but I have kept a detailed list of every Witchcraft-related book that I have ever gotten. The idea for the list began when I was a teenager and couldn't remember which books I had and what order they were acquired.

I decided to create a list chronicling the order obtained, date received, the book title and author. As soon as I get a new book, I always record it on my list to keep it up to date.

The list makes a handy reference not only for what books I own and in what order they were purchased but also can be used to help keep track when you lend someone a book.

Having a list like this can be nostalgic as looking over it and reminiscing about when you were finally able to get a special book or realizing how your knowledge base has evolved been partially shaped by your book collection can be comforting pastime.

Blessed be and Happy Samhain,

Michael Furie
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