koshii's advice column

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Q: Is it neccesary, in Witchcraft,or Wicca, To cast a cirlce even while doing a simple spell??Please answer, i need help.

Casting a circle is a rather advanced way to raise energy and protection, and when doing simple spells such as candle spells, which are really more of a prayer (vs. a focusing of a large amount of energy--see?) it's not necessary to have a whole circle.
if you still feel you need protection from other energies, ask your spirit guardian or patron god to extend their protection to you. You should feel this immediately and then proceed when you're comfortable. In cases of doing magick in public, it's not practical to walk out a 30-foot circle, of course, so a silent request for protection is just fine.

Q: Whoa, you're back. You've been in absentia for quite sometime, and my heart was beginning to ache. Never test our love like that again!

Ok, I'll stop being creepy now. - K'

Yes, K', I'm back, I'm well, I'm tearing my shelves apart looking for my coffee filters, and all is back to a semblance of normality.
Be not faint of heart, for, behold, our love DID stand the strain!

Q: Is it instinct for animals to die facing east? I read it in a non-fiction novel, and my pet that just died happened to be facing east....

I, too, have heard this. It's very possible that animals, which obviously have innate senses of direction and time, could align themselves to a certain direction any time they wished. Whether they do this upon their death is something I'm not sure about. I have read literature of various Native American tribes, such as the Seminole, who say that animals die facing east so that when the sun rises, they will be facing the dawn--and their new lives.
Many things die during the night because it is a natural time for temperature and biorhythms to slow, so as their bodies relax for sleep, they just let go their hold on life. I suppose it's possible animals could sleep facing east so the first rays of the sun wake them and let them know when dawn has come; time to wake and find food.
I do believe animals know when they are dying (among other things--they know much more than we give them credit for), and there could be something here that humans who are attuned to the earth would notice.
In any case, spiritually speaking, it is a peaceful omen to die facing east, receptive to the new "dawn" of the next life for that soul.

Q: could any of you tell me what the different colored ribbons mean?
thanks.
ill rate.

somebody forgot to mention that violet is occasionally for religious tolerance and freedom. I have also seen red for anti-drug. And let's not forget that anyone can grab any color they want and say it's for anything they want so it's really almost a moot question.

Q: what should i say during an akward or scilent moment

say loudly, "I cnat type!"

Q: I just recently moved out of my house and into my uncles house and he is a hardcore Christian man and believes that anything not christian is "of the devil", I myself am a follower of the old pagan type religions and he kind of found out and alwayz makes little jabs at me for not believing in god and tells me im going to hell and i dont know how to deal with it..if i tell him that i dont believe in god, he might kick me out of his house....what should i do...pretend not to believe what i do or tell him to stop?

The most honorable thing to do would be to never, never deny what you believe. Of course. But I'm assuming you're a minor, and even though he is harassing you and your faith, there is little you can do about it. If he kicks you out of his house, do you have anywhere to go? If he is your sole guardian, or if you have no ability to live anywhere else, it's illegal to throw a minor out of your house.
I know that won't make things any easier.

In a practical way, it may be best to do the following:
Speak to your god and Goddess. Speak to or call them quietly, and explain your situation. They will understand. Ask them if they will be ok with you renouncing Them aloud, and tell Them that you will never deny them in your heart. It is likely that They know this already, but it'll feel good to hear it from Them.
You should do anything you can to live more or less peacefully with your uncle. Keep your faith a silent one. Hide your tools and books, if you have some, or make them look innocent: put a candle on the bookshelf, put flowers in your cauldron or bowl, etc. Tell him exactly what he wants to hear.
There is no shame in telling him that you don't believe what you do, so long as you feel the fire in your heart of your faith. Standing before him and saying "Of course I accept Jesus as my personal savior," and thinking, "I love the Goddess! I love the Ancient Path! I walk in the starlight and magick!" is perfectly acceptable.
If you have the strength, your life will change at some point and you will no longer have to hide your religion.

Q: I am a 17/m and i have problems talking to girls. There i admited it. Now i need help. Please give me some advice.
P.S. I will rate good for HELPFUL advice

Considering the replies you've already received, I wouldn't blame you. Most girls are absymal and only partially conscious.
Since you WANT to talk to girls and are trying to fix your problem, you probably aren't the source of the difficulty.
The best advice I can give you is to look for girls that aren't mainstream. The ones that look available, perky, always around and surrounded by other girls are the WORST ones to try to talk to. They have their own agendas, and accosting a girl surrounded by a hundred clones will never get results.
Look in the art room, the library, the dark corners and the edges of the crowd. The girls who have a mismatch group of friends are the ones who have conversational skills and diverse interests. The more artistic or unique they seem, the more self-educated and creative they are. These girls are usually approachable. Walk up and ask if you can sit with her, or say hello and ask her what her sign is, whether she thinks it'll rain, or any random thing you want to know. Picking your target is the most important step, believe me. Go with your instinct, if you have good ones.

Q: Ok when I was little I used to ride a bike ALOT but now im 15 and I havent wrode a bike in like 3 years. I had "hurt" myself and I seen a little blood does that mean I broke my hymen? And I also want to know if it is true that after you have your period it will desinegrate after age 15?

I suppose that's possible that you broke it, or you could have just plain hurt yourself and bled. There is no reason that once you turn 15, you magically lose your hymen. That's just incredibly bizarre. The hymen grows back constantly, because it's a bit of skin, and a period can pass through without disturbing it.
I don't know where people come up with this shit.

Q: I wanted to know is it okay to go out with your best friends Ex boifriend?? I knida wawnt to go out with him. But she says it is okay and totally fine with her but i am afraid that might do something to our relationship? Should I go with him or say no because of my friend???...

There's a reason CarFacts exists--it's extremely useful to know just where something's been and WHY it got rid of.
The old wisdom reads "never date the ex of your friend", but you have to decide which of them is more important to you.
From your friend, you can find out just why she (or he) ended the relationship, and how he acts in a relationship, what his moods are, etc. Remember you're getting this from someone who doesn't want him, so take her emotions into account. She could be lying or cranky or what have you.
Do you really like him that much, or do you just want to because you've seen him around more often than a stranger? It's common to want a friend's ex because you've been jealous of their happiness and seen him near you and want your turn at it.
But don't be too hasty. He might not be as good as you think he is.

Q: Oh help me Koshii! I don't know what to do! (sorry it's so long!) ((I'm 14/f))

I was going out with "Josh" for a month or two. I've gone out with him before, but we broke up because he was cheating on me. But that was a long time ago and when he asked me back out I said yes.
Everything was going absolutly fine. Until New Years Day, when mine and Josh's mutual friend, "Matt" talked to me and said that Josh had met a girl that was a drummer (Josh is a drummer) and he quote, fell in love. I dissmissed this, because Matt likes me and has gone out with me before, and is notorious for trying to break up me and Josh.
A few days after that, I was talking to a friend of Matt and Josh's, "Lacy", online, and she said, 'I'm so sorry about what happened between you and Josh.'
I didn't know anything had happened between us, so of course I was like, WTF??
It took me awhile, but I finally got out of her that Josh had called one of her friends and said that he had broken up with me. This was not true, as far as I knew.
After that, I called Matt, and he told me that Josh wanted to break up with me because he thought I liked one of his friends. This also was very not true.
So I called Josh and confronted him. He admitted to what he had done, and apologized, and he asked for a second chance. After a bit of thought, I said ok. And so I thought the whole incident was smoothed over.....
I later talked to Lacy and found out that Josh had been cheating on me with another friend of Lacy, Matt, and Josh.
And so then Josh and I had quite an interesting conversation/fight.......He still wants to go out with me, and I kind of do...he doesn't deserve a second chance, I know that, but I still like him! All my friends say that I should not go out with him. I should so kick his ass and be done with him for good! (But also, none of them like him at all, so they're no help) So, after much thought, I came to the conclusion that I hate-to-love him.
Should I give him a third chance??
(again, sorry so long)

I know it's nigh impossible to just turn off your feelings of affection for someone, and you've been in the good-karma box for trusting and forgiving him. However a relationship with no proper communication, and one that involves cheating, is rarely satisfying.
If you don't want a deep and longlasting relationship with this guy, and that's not always bad... some people just want casual relationships... then make that clear and probably things will progress as they have so far. If you want something more, he's not the guy to get it from. I think you're aware of that. Decide what you need in your life and then make that choice.

Q: can i tell when my period will come by when my ovulation is? or does that only have to deal with post-period?
~thanks

No, you can usually expect your period to come about 14 days after ovulation. Some women are *lucky* enough to feel baby-cramps or hormone surges on Happy Ovulation Day. It's pretty handy.

Q: my other half left his email on one day recently and on the screen was this weird message. Is it some kind of code? how or where can i decipher it or find out more info?? Please help if you can, its sending me over the edge.this is what it looked like:
develop XP Pro $50, Ms 0ffice XP $1OO, AD0BE Illustrator $80, Ms 0ffice 2OO3 $8O & more S0ftwares, all countries shiiping going turned they
http://thoughts%2echoosequiet%2Eorg%2emk%2Ewwww.xls%2dc%6C%75%62%2Ene%74

bird first read occasion affection? her before meeting tea played, turned wrote loss complete.
got trying leaving felt history mile cheat case feelings. progress had opportunity nothing possible twenty discussion boys leave climbed, find happen bird hair. free settled physical article on carrying certain save considered died.
enough maybe mine forget back such thinking" planning same deceive made! table social chose friend parallel see.
have weak measure among other! addition each minute gotten we deep magazine moving smooth" whos could bicycle miserable" nervous edge drew clear! evil sale language social few carry secret arctic listen watched!

Draak is right--I've often gotten spam with such random things in it. It's trying to make you buy pirated software, but between there and your computer, the html got really fragmented.
Don't you think it's like poetry? If you don't mind, I'm taking those random words to make some poetry out of it. :)

Q: dear dr
hi
i m 26 female
dr i have a seriouse problem which is concerned with my marriage
r u can say with my life.
a year ago when i watch a sex movie.i aroused and i start masturbation.
i insert my midlle finger into my vagina.it was 4rth day of my periods.
when i saw my finger there was blood on it.now i want to know,
1......was my hymen damage at that moment or the blood of my periods?
2.....can a hymen tear by inserting just one finger?
3......is the hymen outside the vagina or inside?some people says that it is
deep inside the vagina.how much it is deep?can 3 inch of a finger
damge it?
dr actullay i cant go to gynecologist coz i cant share it with my mother.
plz replay me coz on ur responce i will deside to marry.
in our society if the girl with torn hymen get married.she get divorced
next day. so plz help me.
a needy girl....... sara...... from pakistan

Fascinating. In the very off chance that you really want to know,
1. the second possibility
2. yes or no, depending
3. inside. not deep. yes or no, depending.
In many societies a non-virgin girl was unsellable, that is to say, unable to be sold off by her father to a husband. In desperate cases the man may take her with a large dowry. Secondly, most men are too drunk on their wedding nights to notice if their brides are virgins, and it was the practice of many women in the times of early Rome to take a chicken's bladder filled with blood to their marriage bed, to stain their sheets.
Thirdly the hymen grows back.
Fourthly this is such a bs question. People for whom English is not a first language almost never use "r" and "u" and "coz"...ever. If you can't approach me directly, either STFU or go find someone who can't tell the difference.

Q: Okay I asked the question about being 13/f and my breasts hurting size 38c. Well today i was noticing that my right breast kinda feels like it has lumps in it. I think I might have breast cancer. But I am confused. If I do I don't know how to ask my mom to take me to the doctor to find out or even tell her that I think I do.

At 13 it is highly unlikely that you have cancer--more likely you are feeling the glands that would later produce milk. When you are pubertizing (that's not a word...) the glands are overly active, growing, and often are hard as if they are lumpy.
This is often a genetic condition--called fibroid glands. If they're all over, or if they feel bigger or tender during ovulation (2 weeks after your period), that is a huge sign that it's fibroid glands.
They are not dangerous and are a natural condition. The glands get filled with fluid, for pretty much no reason. In fact it's pretty common. Keep an eye and a hand on it, and if it changes over the month, that's pretty much your answer.

Q: well, my dog(german shepherd) just had 5 puppies(sadly 1 died) anyways, three of them are totally black and only one of them looks like her mother(black and tan). i was wondering if anybody could come up with some cool and unique names for my puppies, i have some ideas already, but i want more. thanx alot!!

Try looking at www.behindthename.com ... Names of gods and goddesses are always good for animals.

Q: my plant, gromie, just winked at me. it kidna scares me. i am really upset with his behaviors! what should i say to my naughty naughty venus fly trap? should i tell him to be a good boy, or just ignore the cute little guy?

When this behavior occurs in male venus flytraps, it is often an attempt in communication with a different species--namely, you--in order to attract their attention to a plight they feel is necessary.
Examine Gromie's planting material and make sure he has enough moisture to keep his cells taut with water. His leaves should be erect and bright, free of dust and not scarred by mistreatment. Be certain there are no parasitic insects harming his planty flesh.
Increase Gromie's ultraviolet-light intake by opening a window or moving him close to a natural light source. Brush him gently with a soft paintbrush to make him feel pretty.
If you feel he may be hungry, find a small child whose parents dislike it and marinate it with lemon and cilantro, and feed it to Gromie. He may take some time to digest it due to difficult materials such as polyester and teeth.

Care of Venus Flytraps is based on careful communication between you and your plant. Because Gromie has no vocal cords, pay attention to his body language to determine his needs and his emotions. Do not speak sharply to him unless he severely oversteps his boundaries (such as attempting to digest your flesh instead of that of his accepted food). With time and gentleness you may find that he will give you love and affection.

Q: i personally dont think it matters what people rate me because i think what i gave is good advice, plus i dont care if people have high ratings or not if i ask a question

so what is your opinion?

note: im not gonna rate you if you post here.

omg thx for rating mee for this answur!!!!11one

Q: im 18/m. I had a gay realtionship about a year ago, and it went on for about 6 months. Im now tired of guys and im with my girlfriend. I really should tell her that i was with this guy, she has no idea that i was. She even knows the guy. How can i tell her w/o her finding out who it was, and will she leave me if she finds out?

Ask yourself--
Do you want to tell her because she NEEDS to know for the sake of the relationship, or do you want to tell her because you feel guilty and can't forgive yourself and want to have her forgive you?
Admitting up to something like that can be an act of absolution if you aren't happy with it yourself. Do you need to make peace with that, or is it vital that you tell her this?
How does she respond to news that most people would find shocking?
How much do you need to tell her? It could be that all you have to do is say "I had relationships with guys in the past, but now I want to be with you".
And of course, remember, you can always just keep your mouth shut and avoid all this.

Q: i saw that you answered my badger question. i have the Dress to Kill DVD and laughed my butt off at the whole confession scene, but if that was where it originates from then wouldn't that mean that it basically...doesn't mean anything? since he made it up on the spot? i dunno but that's the impression i get

I think he made it up on the spot--he's really creatively chaotic that way, and the tour has been around for a few years, so that's enough time for the phrase to get around. I'm almost sure it's meaningless.

On Adult Swim on cartoon network one night they had Haiku night, and someone wrote a haiku about poking a badger with a spoon.

Adult Swim wrote back,

"We dare you to find

A transvestite funnier

Than Eddie Izzard."

Which I found just as hilarious as Eddie himself. But if it had a deeper meaning, they would have said something about it. Eddie's a pretty weird bloke.

Q: I asked this question before but I guess it never came through...it's kind of stupid but I really want to know: what's with the expression 'poke a badger with a spoon'???? Can somebody please tell me what it means and where it comes from? Thank you!

HAHA! Incredible, it's great I'm seeing this move around.
I don't know how accurate what's-his-face's answer is down there, but it comes from standup comedian Eddie Izzard's "Dress To Kill" tour.

He's making fun of catholicism, as he makes fun of almost everything, and talks about original sin.
"Original sin. What a hellish idea that is!
Oh, bless me father, for I have sinned. I, ah... slept with my neighbor's wife.
Ah, heard it! I asked for ORIGINAL sin! Ten Our Fathers and ten Hello Dollys.
Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I poked a badger with a spoon.
Oh, now that IS an original sin! Never heard that one!
Well, what should I do?
Well, drink ten Bloody Marys... and... you won't remember."

Eddie Izzard is a fantastic comedian and I highly recommend you get ahold of a DVD of "Dress to Kill" or the "Circle" tour. It really is great.

bio

People have been coming to me for advice so long, I might as well do this all in one spot. I watch a lot of unfathomable Japanese TV and drink a lot of coffee. I'm a freshly-hatched Illustration major, formerly trapped & dying in the American South, now busily teaching phrases to all of Nagoya Japan. I'm always on the lookout for more video games and sushi.
I have lots of interesting pets. Wanna see my beetle?