Items in the Circle

[Dreamsinger]

I've read the section in Wicca Plus about tech devices in the circle, and I concur (of course) that tablets/smartphones are just another book and fine there. However...

I travel a LOT and am creating a portable altar I can use in the variety of hotels I occasionally call home. If I pack right, I can take a feather (Athame), small silver chalice, bowl for salt, and an altar cloth. The fun starts when I start thinking about candles and incense.

Every hotel I stay in is non-smoking and has smoke detectors in the room. That means 1-5 candles and incense are most likely a no-no. Is using LED candles pushing it? I have no idea how to replace the incense, but those seem likely replacements for open fire.

Thoughts? Comments?

Dreamsinger

[Violet]

Hi Dreamslinger,

I confess I had never thought of these restrictions before - and it is fascinating now that I am thinking it through!

Thinking about the candles first... candles and fire, fire is the fourth element, aka plasma. Plasma is de-ionized gas. LEDs are nothing like that, BUT fire is also light, and LEDs of course are light. De-ionization is stripping electrons, and LEDs turn electricity to light due to their electro-chemical properties, so... yeah. (Disclaimer, I'm doing a lot of hand-waving as I try and think through it.)

Still, what counts is how you feel. Do electric candles work for you?

I play with electronics a lot so I have a bunch of LEDs around, now I'm tempted to make some LED candles and see how it feels myself.

Incense is another thing entirely. It is both the scent / aroma, and the physical manifestation of the smoke. Elementally, it represents air though... so rather than incense, how about one of those little battery-powered fans, and maybe some perfume, cologne, or even an essential oil?

I think you can get essential oils in 'traditional' incense scents, like patchouli for instance. A little plastic battery-powered fan with a few drops of essential oil on the hub or blades might serve as an incense stand-in.

Having said all that, it's also (IMHO) acceptable to skip a sabbat if it's not practical. Or celebrate it when it is practical. If you find that modern stand-ins don't resonate for you, you could observe the sabbat when it's convenient / when you're back at home.

Or observe it without casting a circle; wherever you are at the time, just try some quiet meditation and be mindful of nature and the world around you.

Still, I am intrigued now on the prospect of using electronic candles and some modern stand-in for incense...

p.s. they make LEDs that have built in "candle-flicker" - if you're inclined to build something yourself, these folks have a good selection of flickering LEDs to choose from. http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/compone...rticle/189

[Dreamsinger]

(2014.07.29, 19.44)Stephanie Wrote: Hi Dreamslinger,

I confess I had never thought of these restrictions before - and it is fascinating now that I am thinking it through!

Thinking about the candles first... candles and fire, fire is the fourth element, aka plasma. Plasma is de-ionized gas. LEDs are nothing like that, BUT fire is also light, and LEDs of course are light. De-ionization is stripping electrons, and LEDs turn electricity to light due to their electro-chemical properties, so... yeah. (Disclaimer, I'm doing a lot of hand-waving as I try and think through it.)

Still, what counts is how you feel. Do electric candles work for you?

I play with electronics a lot so I have a bunch of LEDs around, now I'm tempted to make some LED candles and see how it feels myself.

Incense is another thing entirely. It is both the scent / aroma, and the physical manifestation of the smoke. Elementally, it represents air though... so rather than incense, how about one of those little battery-powered fans, and maybe some perfume, cologne, or even an essential oil?

I think you can get essential oils in 'traditional' incense scents, like patchouli for instance. A little plastic battery-powered fan with a few drops of essential oil on the hub or blades might serve as an incense stand-in.

Having said all that, it's also (IMHO) acceptable to skip a sabbat if it's not practical. Or celebrate it when it is practical. If you find that modern stand-ins don't resonate for you, you could observe the sabbat when it's convenient / when you're back at home.

Or observe it without casting a circle; wherever you are at the time, just try some quiet meditation and be mindful of nature and the world around you.

Still, I am intrigued now on the prospect of using electronic candles and some modern stand-in for incense...

p.s. they make LEDs that have built in "candle-flicker" - if you're inclined to build something yourself, these folks have a good selection of flickering LEDs to choose from. http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/compone...rticle/189

The just went off... Instead of the fan, a small bottle of essential oil and those diffuser sticks. I can pack enough for the longest (so far 2.5 weeks) trip with no problem. I'd probably use lavender, since that helps me sleep at night as well.

I hardly ever skip a sabbat. I build enough time into my schedules to allow an hour or so of meditation that usually involves calling on the Four Directions and the Great Spirit. (Your mileage will vary. ) That is pretty much my daily as well. A few well chose words and recognition of the special energy of the day is added.

In the end, I may forgo the candles and use crystals of the right type and color to represent the Four Elements and Spirit.

This all started when I read about a pocket altar and thought, "Hey! A way to slim things down!" (http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Wiccan-Pocket-Altar/)

Nice to know there's another soldering iron-wielding geek around.

Thank you for the tip, the wonderful app, and this place to chat.

Dreamsinger

[WiccaTodd]

I just saw Dreamsinger's link to the portable altar kit. Fantastic! A thimble for a chalice...nice!

The link is at the bottom of this quote from previous posts...

(2014.07.30, 06.23)Dreamsinger Wrote:

(2014.07.29, 19.44)Stephanie Wrote: Hi Dreamslinger,

I confess I had never thought of these restrictions before - and it is fascinating now that I am thinking it through!

Thinking about the candles first... candles and fire, fire is the fourth element, aka plasma. Plasma is de-ionized gas. LEDs are nothing like that, BUT fire is also light, and LEDs of course are light. De-ionization is stripping electrons, and LEDs turn electricity to light due to their electro-chemical properties, so... yeah. (Disclaimer, I'm doing a lot of hand-waving as I try and think through it.)

Still, what counts is how you feel. Do electric candles work for you?

I play with electronics a lot so I have a bunch of LEDs around, now I'm tempted to make some LED candles and see how it feels myself.

Incense is another thing entirely. It is both the scent / aroma, and the physical manifestation of the smoke. Elementally, it represents air though... so rather than incense, how about one of those little battery-powered fans, and maybe some perfume, cologne, or even an essential oil?

I think you can get essential oils in 'traditional' incense scents, like patchouli for instance. A little plastic battery-powered fan with a few drops of essential oil on the hub or blades might serve as an incense stand-in.

Having said all that, it's also (IMHO) acceptable to skip a sabbat if it's not practical. Or celebrate it when it is practical. If you find that modern stand-ins don't resonate for you, you could observe the sabbat when it's convenient / when you're back at home.

Or observe it without casting a circle; wherever you are at the time, just try some quiet meditation and be mindful of nature and the world around you.

Still, I am intrigued now on the prospect of using electronic candles and some modern stand-in for incense...

p.s. they make LEDs that have built in "candle-flicker" - if you're inclined to build something yourself, these folks have a good selection of flickering LEDs to choose from. http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/compone...rticle/189

The just went off... Instead of the fan, a small bottle of essential oil and those diffuser sticks. I can pack enough for the longest (so far 2.5 weeks) trip with no problem. I'd probably use lavender, since that helps me sleep at night as well.

I hardly ever skip a sabbat. I build enough time into my schedules to allow an hour or so of meditation that usually involves calling on the Four Directions and the Great Spirit. (Your mileage will vary. ) That is pretty much my daily as well. A few well chose words and recognition of the special energy of the day is added.

In the end, I may forgo the candles and use crystals of the right type and color to represent the Four Elements and Spirit.

This all started when I read about a pocket altar and thought, "Hey! A way to slim things down!" (http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Wiccan-Pocket-Altar/)

Nice to know there's another soldering iron-wielding geek around.

Thank you for the tip, the wonderful app, and this place to chat.

Dreamsinger

[Yore Naime]

(2014.07.29, 16.50)Dreamsinger Wrote: I've read the section in Wicca Plus about tech devices in the circle, and I concur (of course) that tablets/smartphones are just another book and fine there. However...

I travel a LOT and am creating a portable altar I can use in the variety of hotels I occasionally call home. If I pack right, I can take a feather (Athame), small silver chalice, bowl for salt, and an altar cloth. The fun starts when I start thinking about candles and incense.

Every hotel I stay in is non-smoking and has smoke detectors in the room. That means 1-5 candles and incense are most likely a no-no. Is using LED candles pushing it? I have no idea how to replace the incense, but those seem likely replacements for open fire.

Thoughts? Comments?

Dreamsinger

In the Golden Dawn, a flower was used as the symbol for Air. You might try that. For travel, you could even bring a fake one and some scented oil to put on it, in case you can't find a real one.

I live in a very dry area where outdoor fires are completely forbidden. I am experimenting with chemical glow lights as an alternative to candles. If I can get the ingredients to make it, I may fill a cauldron with the stuff as an alternative to a bonfire.

But, I avoid using anything electric in Circle. So the App stays outside, along with the phone and even watches.