i decided to log back on and cause problems

Hello!

When I first started doing research, the first places I came across were this website, and this one here.

My favorite sources of information pertaining to Mama are books: The Book of the Great Queen by Morpheus Ravenna, and By Blood, Bone, and Blade from Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

There are other books, though. Such as Pagan Portals: The Morrigan, and Pagan Portals: Raven Goddess - Going Deeper with The Morrigan (both by Morgan Daimler). Feast of the Morrighan by Christopher Penczak, Dark Goddess Craft by Stephanie Woodfield. All of these provide insight into the history of Her worship, her mythology, correspondences, as well as various experiences of some whom have worked with Her - as well as some rituals/ meditations to help guide you into learning more from Her directly.

If there's any other suggestions my fellow ravens and crows might have, I do hope they add to this list to assist you in gaining the information you seek. c:

Imagine thinking idolatry is bad

THIS POST MADE BY DOG SAINT GANG

LIKE for ST. GUINEFORT

So, this piece on ABA is written by a dog trainer with a degree in psychology and it’s one of the most devastating take-downs I’ve ever read.

Choice quotes:

Quite commonly on Twitter, I’ve seen people call ABA “dog training for children.”

When I see that, I tend to go on Twitter rants in reply to it, because from everything I have read and seen of ABA, it is NOT “dog training” for children.

…I would never treat a dog that way.

The founder of ABA as it exists today, Ivar Lovaas, who is also the father of gay conversion therapy, derived the principles of his therapies from radical behaviourism.

Radical Behaviourism is considered out-of-date by modern psychologists.

I can understand why Applied Behaviour Analysts decided to rename it as “Behaviour analysis,” but a rose by any other name is still radical behaviourism.

In any case, very few dog trainers use the radical behaviourism that’s employed in ABA.

Most of the dog trainers I know mix and match behaviourism with other cognitive science research and other methods to create a more holistic approach to training their dogs.  This is because dog trainers understand the limits of behaviourism on canines, because it doesn’t address the whole dog.

One of the reasons parents and ABA professionals get so upset when autistic people call ABA “abusive” is the fact that they care deeply.   They genuinely want to improve these children’s lives.  Yet the vast majority of autistic people when polled (typically 97%) oppose ABA including and especially those who went through it as children.

Why is there such a disconnect?

Some of it has to do with a breakdown in the way autism is perceived.  Non-autistic people believe that “normalcy” is a fundamental need; indeed, a stated goal of ABA is to make the autistic child “indistinguishable from [neurotypical] peers.”

They think a child who blends into the crowd is a happy child.

When parents see their child engaging in unusual behaviours such as flapping, or ignoring other children, they see a child who is ill or damaged.  

When they see that child talking and working well at their desk and playing with other children, they see a child who has been healed.   Helped.   Saved.

Flapping and echolalia (repeating words or phrases), similarly, are expressions and often play an important emotional role as well as a developmental role.   Echolalic speech helps autistics, many of whom process language in a different part of the brain, to process the language they have heard and understand the meaning of the words.

Yet, ABA seeks to “extinguish” these things.

A good dog trainer doesn’t extinguish behaviours which improve the dog’s mental health and happiness.  But an ABA practitioner may not think twice before doing this to a human child.

Like all certifying bodies, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board has a professional code of ethics which its certificants must abide by to remain in good standing.

You can read them here.

I was amazed when I read it, because while it goes into great detail regarding what certificants may do with regard to the business aspect of things, right down to detailed guidelines on what you can do and say in the media, there is virtually nothing about the welfare of the therapy’s recipients.

The Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), by contrast, dedicates almost the entirety of its code of conduct to what, when, and how you interact with the animal.  While it also covers ethical business practices, its primary concern is the well-being of the “learner”.

The BACB says nothing about inflicting pain.  There’s nothing in the BACB ethics code says you can’t use electric shock.  In fact, it doesn’t say anything at all about what type of “aversives” are acceptable. 

As long as the aversive procedure is effective and accompanied with training and supervision, under the ABA model you could hypothetically do anything.  

I am very new to all of this. I had a reading done by someone (primarily Norse) and it made a lot of sense what she said, but she pointed me the Celtic (she said The Dagda showed up for the reading and Lugh) when I had been paying attention to what I’d interpreted as Odin, Freya, Fenrir, and Tyr, with some interest in Hel. Last week, I asked someone in a shop I now frequent if they had any books on Freya and they said no, but that if I was interested in knowing who was showing up and where to start, to talk to a particular person (J). When I talked to J, she immediately said The Morrigan and Sif were present but that Sif was indicating I wasn’t ready to work with her yet. But that The Morrigan was right there and wanted my attention. I had seen a random video several months back that indicated Her, which my (now) wife showed me after I had seen it on my own, and books mentioning Her have been drawing me. So I finally got the Celtic Lore and Spellcraft (Stephanie Woodfield) book and have been reading it. J mentioned some other things, some very personal to me, when recommending that book, most of which were things that no one could know unless they knew me. I have no clue where to go from here and have no legit experience with witchcraft or paganism or anything. I grew up conservative (to be mild) and know that may impact how I initially view things so I’ve been trying to be open to wherever this may lead. Once J said Her name, it all fit and made sense. I see crows all the time, I’ve felt drawn to black crystals and amethyst, I’ve always been drawn to wolves and crows and ravens and horses, and etc. But I don’t know what it means to pray or offer a prayer? I also don’t know what to do now that I am reading about Her? I feel like I’m in over my head.

WELL, then. There's a lot uncover here, so let me see if there's anything that I can do that might offer you some decent advice.

Feeling like you're in over your head is actually something that's very respectable, and it's actually more common than you think. Most people I've spoken to, especially in regards to The Morrigan, mention feelings of being overwhelmed and lost. But She's also a very overwhelming deity. Fate. Magic. Death. Love, and sex. Personal sovereignty, and personal power. It's A LOT to take in, especially if we have a history of feeling powerless or out of control of our lives. As a side note, I also am not surprised that you had interest in Odin, Freyja, and Fenrir. I have worked (and still work) with 2 out of 3 of these deities, and in my personal experience they all share a very similar energy to the sort The Morrigan puts out. She is wise, passionate, and can be very savage.

My ultimate advice, if you take nothing else that I say or that my page has to offer in terms of reference, is to try not to think of speaking with The Morrigan as having to throw yourself into witchcraft and paganism. Yes, one of Her pieces is magic - and Fate, which to some people could be interpreted as magic such as divination and the like. HOWEVER, in my personal experience, Mama (The Morrigan) looks for a relationship before anything else. She is someone for you to take. your. time. in getting to know. There is a sh*t ton that you can learn about Her by simply giving Her space in your life - and also just by learning about yourself. Self-reflection is MASSIVE, with Her.

Again, this is all based upon my own experience, and other people might not agree with me. But you asked me, so that's what I have to say about it.

Mama is... well, She's essentially a powerful motherly figure. She will push you to learn about yourself, as you work together to find your strengths, your weaknesses, and the boundaries that you need in your life. I say need, because what we need is not always what we want. And Mama does not give us what we want, unless it aligns with what it is that we need in order to become a more powerful and sovereign version of ourselves. She doesn't coddle. We are Her children, but we are Her battle crows/ravens/wolves. My first few years of working with The Morrigan was mostly about self-reflection, and learning how to divine and discern what I needed to get rid of in order to allow myself to grow into my higher self. Habits that need adding, changing, or removing. People that need adding or subtracting, and the behaviors you tolerate from yourself and others. It is a constant effort, and the work is never over. But it does get easier over time.

The Morrigan chooses Her warriors, because She sees our potential. Sometimes the battle seems impossible, but if we hold true to that knowledge - and have faith in Her guidance - She will not let us hit the ground until it's our time to do so. You say that it felt right, when you heard Her name. So absorb that feeling, and accept it. Use it, and learn as much as you can about who you are. What do you fight for? WHO do you fight for? What do you need to remove from your life that might be keeping you from becoming the person you want to become? As you learn these things about yourself, She will give you whispers and hints in your everyday life that can help you reach those goals. You just have to be willing listen.

One thing I always say is that Mama only shows us the doors to walk through. It's up to us to choose to actually take those steps, and conquer the battlefield. Just remember that you don't have to go through every door all at once. Start small. Go slow. Enjoy the experience, even when it hurts. Because that means you're growing.

As far as prayers go, the easiest advice I can give is to just be open. The Morrigan isn't one to yell at you, especially if you don't have a receiving heart and mind. She whispers, like I said before. But when you hear Her, you just know. So do what you feel drawn to do. Gift Her a stone. Offer Her incense. Give an offering in the form of saying something like "Show me how I can be better today than I was yesterday." As your relationship grows, you'll hear more specific requests, and then you can adjust accordingly.

I don't know if ANY of this is really helpful, but it's what I felt called to say. Please feel free to look at any of the references/correspondences I have on my page, and you're always welcome to message me privately if you need help on anything - or better explanation of anything. I'm not always quick to respond these days, but I will. And don't be scared to check out #caw squad or #the morrigan tags, along with #na morrigna and #na morrigu. Those tags, and the people that use them, are always willing to share their experiences and journeys.