The random musings of a witchy mind

Hi to my LJ friends!

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:14:13 GMT

I've had this account for a long time, but since it seems to be the place where folks are setting up side accounts since the LJ Strikeout, figured I'd dust it off again.

So, if you're checking in from LJ, drop me a comment! I also have a community here for just such a purpose, ljrefuge

pagan holiday survey

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 14:39:49 GMT

I was asked the following questions by a young lady on MySpace who's writing a paper. These are my responses.
_________________________

1) Growing up, what religion did your family practice?

I was raised Roman Catholic, but my parents were not very dogmatic. They were more flexible on issues That Pope Fellow was rigid about. I myself stopped going to church at age 14, with their permission. Did not really get back into religion until my first year of college.

2) How did you come to Wicca?

Ironically, through an inner initiatory experience I had as a born-again Christian around age 20. It proved to me without a shadow of a doubt that there was a Divine presence. However, the institution of the church itself was leaving me cold. So, I began to move back into ideas and practices that had always felt comfortable, but were more spiritually oriented. One Hallowe’en around 1988, there was a very long newspaper interview with a local Wiccan priest here in San Antonio. I got in touch with him, we had lunch, and I ended up joining his coven. That was my foot in the door.

After that coven dissolved, I was solitary for a while. Then I met my future husband (another long story), and after examining his Tradition decided to join his group. We married later on, and I have been priestess with him ever since. Initiated into the Lycian Tradition in ’93.

3) Is there a traditional winter holiday celebration in the Wiccan faith? What is your understanding of it?

Different Traditions will celebrate slightly differently. The most common terms used are Yule or Winter Solstice. It is when the Divine son is born of the virgin Goddess.

4) How do YOU celebrate the winter holiday season?

My Tradition (Lycian) does not use cultural names, so it is the Winter Solstice for us. Within the family, we do the standard stuff; put up a tree, exchange gifts, play Christmas (yes, Xmas) carols. In our formal Sabbat, there is a ritual where we have a dirge for the old King and enact the birth of the Sun. Here’s the ritual from our public BoS: http://www.boniface.us/Lycian_Bookshelf/shelf/lyc/L129.HTM

5) What is your opinion of the commercial influence on your community during the Christmas season? ( Santa, snowmen, baby Jesus, Christmas trees...).

Commercially, it begins way too soon, which ruins the anticipation. But I love every overlit, overdone, sparkly moment right after Thanksgiving. You can check out my LiveJournal seasonal layout to see what I mean, http://seshen.livejournal.com

Religiously, as long as it’s not taxpayer property, they can lay out the whole town of Bethlehem on display for all I care. It’s not a threat to my faith that other people like Jesus.

I personally have very happy family memories of this time of year, so I’m less apt than other pagans to say Bah Humbug. Check out my small MySpace rant (“leggo my Christmas carols”) to see more of where I’m coming from. I have less issue with commercialism than I do with the idea that pagans must somehow disassociate themselves with the whole thing in order to be “real pagans.” To that, I blow a big raspberry.

Hekate in Early Greek Religion

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 20:08:34 GMT

Hekate (spelled Hecate in Latin) is probably the most misunderstood deity of ancient Greek religion. Dramatically different views of Her roles and the activities of Her followers exist. For my M.A. thesis in Classics, I analysed all of the earliest evidence of the worship of Hekate in the early Greek world, in an attempt to understand what Her worship really entailed and why the portrayal of Her followers became so complex. A brief summary follows, including some thoughts on why the most common descriptions (both ancient and modern) are so divergent and inaccurate.

so, why AM I a blogging whore?

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 22:32:53 GMT

I was thinking about that while decorating the MySpace account. My main blog is LiveJournal, but I have profiles (connected to blogs) on GJ, MySpace and Yahoo 360. Besides the compulsive need to keep my brain cells from defaulting on a slow day at the office, what is the draw?

From what I can figure, it’s threefold. First, the shallow reason – I love to pretty things up in cyberspace. It’s just a fun hobby. I suck at arts/crafts, don’t do sports, and hate gaming. Second, it gives me an opportunity as a public Wiccan to share experiences, information and conversation with different groups of people.

The third reason kind of ties in with the “defaulting brain cells” comment. I’m 42 years old, married with children. One of them is an adult, and the other about to enter the pre-teen years. Though they will always need their Mommy, as a general rule they are relying on me less; each one has their own sense of independence separate from me. I am not their main focus anymore, and my world is not wrapped up entirely around them. My husband and I have settled into a relatively stable phase of our lives, and what we enjoy together is focused mainly around home and our coven. We’re really not party people, and my dancing days are long past (the spirit is willing, but the hip is weak). It’s not boring, but it’s quiet.

As a tail-end baby boomer, I’m supposed to be concerned mainly with building a retirement account, paying off the mortgage, all those necessary responsible-adult things. And yeah, they take up part of my focus; I have a family to take care of. But I’ve never been about the “act your age” thing. I like to keep track of current events, what’s new with the younger generation, the latest fads – I like to be connected to the world as it unfolds; keep a finger on the pulse of life around me. It invigorates and enlightens me to talk with young people; what the current trend of thought is on Wicca and other subjects that interest me. It is comforting to talk with people of my own generation, with the same basic values and experiences, who understand where I’m coming from.

And, it’s a practical tool for my own aging process. People get in a rut after age 40, for many of the reasons noted in the third paragraph above. And it can narrow their world, narrow their viewpoints, tighten their sphincter on being able to process new ideas and go with the flow of emerging social and technological progress. Slowing down the basic desire to learn, not indulging in the natural curiosity that we had as children that kept us consistently involved and interacting with the world, is scientifically proven to deaden those brain cells; stimulation keeps us mentally alert and slows the onset of mental disorders associated with age. My grandmother, who died 2 months shy of 90, did crossword puzzles every day with my mother. Grandma may have had to think a while on the answers, but keeping the wheels turning is what likely kept her as lucid as she was.

And so, I blog away in various corners of cyberspace, interacting with a wide variety of people, learning new things, passing on what I’ve learned. THAT’s why I’m a blogging whore! May the journey never end.

crossposted, naturally, to all those other blogs.

I am officially a blogging whore

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 21:35:10 GMT

Come visit me at MySpace:

http://blog.myspace.com/seshen

Wicca is not ancient, Take Two

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:05:42 GMT

Ran into another genre on that "Trading Spouses" forum; the “I’ve been pagan for yada-yada decades so I KNOW that Wicca is an ancient religion that’s been around since the Dawn of Time and the Persecution of Women Healers By the Evil Patriachy Must Never Be Forgotten and how dare you challenge me on these points?!"

I’ve personally been pagan since the early ‘80s, Wiccan since ’88. This is my timeframe. Truly, I must weep for those of my generation who are still clueless.

"Wicca is ancient" still rampant. Someone make it stop!

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 21:04:58 GMT

I was browsing the “Trading Spaces” forum on the ~~screaming, foaming at the mouth lunatic~~ Margaret Perrin episode. Searched keywords “Wicca, witches” to see what messages came up.

Ye gods, the amount of people who still subscribe to the “ancient Goddess religion older than Christ,” “patriarchal systematic search/destroy of the peaceful nature healers,”, yada-yada-yada “history” of Wicca. Someone please gift these people with a current academic book, please. Smack them on the nose with the women’s movement books and say, “Old discredited theories! Bad Wiccan! No cookie!”

And I quote, “Please don't use the word Witch in association with words like ignorant and snobby- I take great offense to this as would any Pagan.”

I see someone doesn’t get out of the house much. And thanks SO much for speaking for me. I’ve certainly never met any witch or pagan whom I’d consider ignorant or snobby (excuse me, trying to keep a straight face on this is making my head hurt).

tolerance, schmolerance

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 22:04:10 GMT

Saw this on another forum:

“as a Wiccan, I accept all beliefs and faiths, of all people.”

I wanted to speak from my own Wiccan point of view.

I accept that there are a wide variety of beliefs and faiths. I accept that a wide variety of people practice them. But just because I’m a Wiccan doesn’t mean I accept unconditionally all those beliefs and faiths. Their existence is acknowledged, but I’m going to pick apart and examine things before I “accept” them. Even if I don’t accept it, doesn’t mean I consider it invalid. It just doesn’t make sense to me, and/or it feels like a dangerous, unstable or otherwise undesirable idea.

Regardless of the reason, I cannot in good faith justify doing the “nod and smile” to every notion that crosses my path, especially if it’s attached to a religious stance. Wiccans often mistake “tolerance” for “if I disagree that would be unspeakably disrespectful and invalidating to that person.” Screw validating every person. Let the belief stand on its own, or not. I disrespect the person by NOT giving them my (polite) honesty, if my opinion is asked for. Their reaction to that is under their control.

crossposted to wiccanwitches

pagans and criminal behavior

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:17:01 GMT

Thank you, A.C. Fisher Aldag, for your commentary on Wren's Nest News. The meat of it all :

"Pagans need to develop intolerance for criminal behavior. All the Pagan Pride Day events in the world are not going to negate the harmful, illegal actions of a few sociopathic losers.

So why do we keep tolerating them? Because they are "self proclaimed pagans and witches." We have only ourselves to blame.

Every time anyone calls for some social policing in the pagan community, all the bleeding-hearts set up an outcry about how we should be so tolerant, forgiving, accepting, loving and embrace the individual. No! It’s time to stop enabling the criminal element!"

Lycian Wicca FAQ - draft

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 15:23:20 GMT

Here is the initial draft of the Lycian FAQ I'm building for my personal web site.

Please take a look and let me know if you have any suggestions for additional questions, or if anything needs clarification or expansion. Thanks!

(the look is still basic; going to "pretty it up" later.)

my Hallowe'en guest spot on KTSA's "Chris Duel Show"

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 15:13:14 GMT

I thanked the host & crew in their 55 Underground forum for their warm welcome on Monday’s show. Check out the comments (Chris is the host, Dawn’s the producer. It's a radio talk show.).

I was actually featured in the second segment. The sound guy was picking out appropriate background music (a wolf howl, “Witchy Woman,” “It’s Witchcraft,” etc). Chris emphasized often that there was a “real witch” in the studio, and had fun with that promotion. His questions, however, were not silly sound byte material. Paraphrased, things like “there is a common perception about witches (names some); what are YOU all about rather than that?” “Do you cast spells, and what for?” “Is Hallowe’en a big holiday for witches, and what other holidays do you have?” That sort of thing. We chatted during the commercials, and he told me all about his Burning Man trip (he was very impressed with the event).

Boni taped the show for me, so I got to hear myself on the air. It was really interesting, hearing how it came out vs how things went in the studio. I did notice that my voice has matured somewhat; I always thought I sounded like a little girl speaking. It’s deepened a bit so I sound like a real grown-up now. ;) Not near as many “Uh’s” and “Umm’s” as I’d expected; in fact, seemed to have held myself together pretty well for my first public speaking gig. I did get in that Wicca was a modern faith and NOT some Stone Age religion, we had 8 holy days, there were Wiccan and non-Wiccan witches, defined Traditional and eclectic, and some of the common points that both follow which makes each Wiccan. Yeah me.

There was one caller, who said he’d dated a Wiccan and she told him once as he left, “oh, you’ll be back.” His car broke down soon after so he had to go back, and he wondered if she’d put a spell on him. I said it was possible, but maybe she’d just picked up a general vibe that he would be returning. That’s how many of us got into witchcraft; having these strange feelings and perceptions. After the show was over, one of the reporters came over and said, “I had that happen to me once. It was an old Wiccan spell – sugar in the gas tank.” JT’s a real card.

Overall, a really positive experience.

Weekend Update

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 14:10:30 GMT

Saturday: Girl Scout morning event got cancelled, but it turned out OK because we needed the time to get Alexandria’s face makeup (she was Cassandra from “Cats”). Lackland AFB had their Trick-or-Treat on Saturday evening, which worked out well because it looks like severe weather coming in tonight. Anyhow, she went to her best friend’s birthday party, and had her ears re-pierced for moral support (her friend was practically hyperventilating, and wanted to see how Alexandria handled it first. That’s what friends are for; mutual pain-sharing.)

Boni went to an improvisational workshop done by a priestess just moving here to San Antonio who is going to be part of our Sabbat Theatre group. Report was that the lady has her stuff together, knows how to direct, and a good time was had by all. This bodes well.

Sunday: Skull-painting party with our coven and their kids. N. said she was bringing over “a little something;” (which often translates to a full meal), and we BBQed sausage and chicken. One thing for certain about this coven, we will never starve. Should have pictures of our latest creations later this week.

The Pagan Prattle

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 15:35:36 GMT

Loony Fundie Nonsense for the Masses

Weekend update

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 20:36:37 GMT

Saturday: Had the Pagan Parenting Meetup at a first-time Unitarian Universalist Church fall festival. Met a new member, and had a long chat with some regulars. The weather was absolutely glorious! We ended up being impressed with the place overall (this was Boni’s first chance to really check them out), and are considering joining in order to participate in their pagan-friendly activities, and give Alexandria a regular outlet to met other kids from various and accepting religious backgrounds. They seemed open to hosting our Sabbat Theatre endeavors, so that is also a big point in their favor. This is also the church with the local S.A. CUUPS chapter, and it has a parenting group.

Sunday: Sabbat Theatre meeting; had some new folks attend, including a lady moving here from Miami (she said due to Wilma, probably sooner than later) who has a degree in theater and is very enthusiastic. Came away with a good feeling.

Fed the snakes, went out to lunch, listened to the winds blow as the cold front came in and dramatically dropped our temperatures. Stocked up on Claritin-D. Played with the dog. Ate ice cream for dinner because we were too lazy to go shopping or cook anything.

"Pagan community"

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 17:57:16 GMT

My responses to related questions in an intro for a pagan forum:
______________________

2) Who are we? When you think of Pagan Community who do you think that includes? Who (if anyone) do you think it excludes? I define “community” in the dictionary sense; a group of people living in the same locality, having common interests, that interact with each other through a variety of mediums. This would include geographical location and regular on-line forums, as two main examples. “Community” today can include both local and global.

3) What do we want? Why do we need community? What do we expect to do for it and what do we expect it will do for us? We need community because man is basically a pack animal. Even loners reach out for occasional interaction. We expect, IMHO, mutual support in terms of social acceptance, comfort, guidance and other basic human needs.

4) How do we make it happen? What do we need to create, copy, or steal to build a healthy pagan community? For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack".(Kipling). A healthy community must have healthy individuals. We need to provide support and compassion for wounded spirits while not enabling them to continue being crippled; we must help them overcome what holds them back or weakens them. Let’s get away from the “group therapy” method of tolerance and not be afraid to disagree or make any sort of strong statement or stand. By the “universal acceptance” toted as the pagan standard, we often end up creating infighting instead. This leads to people taking sides, back-biting, separating into little cliques, and much more trouble then if people were encouraged to simply be themselves and be judged on their own merit. It’s divisive under the mask of being “inclusive.”

morning inspiration

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:43:59 GMT

This one speaks to me of the pagan community.

If we divide into two camps--even into violent and the nonviolent--and stand in one camp while attacking the other, the world will never have peace. We will always blame and condemn those we feel are responsible for wars and social injustice, without recognizing the degree of violence within ourselves. We must work on ourselves and also with those we condemn if we want to have a real impact.

-Ayya Khema, "Be An Island"
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This one speaks to me of newbies and the automatic "fluff bunny" label

That people are unknowing does not mean that they are unknowing like cows or goats. Even ignorant people look for a pathway to reality. But, searching for it, they often misunderstand what they encounter. They pursue names and categories instead of going beyond that name to that which is real.

-Digha Nikaya

pagan criticism in general

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 16:02:00 GMT

A continuation of thoughts based on previous post.

What we’ve got here is a subculture within the pagan scene that thinks disagreement is a signpost of automatic intolerance, and if things aren't going exactly the way you want in life that you're being persecuted. Any form of criticism by other pagans equals intolerance, but on the other hand it's perfectly OK to try silencing or blacklisting anyone who dares to point out inconsistencies or disagree with any aspect of another’s practices or beliefs. If someone stands up and says they personally have a problem with such and such, and here's why, that's oppression. Or elitist, or (place "uppity pagan" label here).

For a community that is supposed to pride itself on individuality and breaking away from the "sheeple" mentality, it sure does rear its ugly head a lot. Somehow, any sort of critical thinking that goes into comfort zone territory is perceived as a personal attack, rather than an objective view that might be worth further study. It’s not going against the idea of "pagan unity" to disagree with, or point out a discrepancy in, or downright actively dislike, a person, belief or practice. It seems sometimes that paganism (to use a psychological cliché) enables victimhood. It’s one thing to provide friendship, understanding and support to a wounded person in their recovery. It’s quite another to hinder that recovery by encasing people in a rose-colored bubble of "tolerance and unconditional love," shielding them from any sort of negativity or things that might make them uncomfortable. That’s not healing; that’s crippling.

criticism of pagan authors

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 13:54:02 GMT

The below commentary was found in a Witchvox comments area. It was so on the mark that I had to share.
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"It's incredibly close minded and foolish to say that one cannot or should not be critical of our fellow Pagans, especially Pagan authors. Why should healthy criticism be implicated as traitorous? Are we supposed to sacrifice free speech and free thought for cult-like uniformity?

If someone believes that they are so spiritual that they should write and sell books about their spirituality, they are opening themselves up to review. Some may love Currott and some may hate her. But it's pretty lame for those who like her work to defend her by saying it's WRONG to have an opinion of your own.

Seems to me like a lot of people who follow this line of thinking of lost touch with what really constitutes intololerance. Guess they've conditioned themselves to automatically see intolerance in Christians or conservatives to such a degree that they fail to see where it really lies.

Those who attempt to suppress other people's opinions by atttacking them not on their own merits but the very fact that they ARE opinions that differ from their own...well, those kind of people scare me. That crowd always seems to be the type who Know Better Than Everyone Else and can therefore say who is and who isn't Pagan and other blather. I really hope that expression of thought is kept sacred in the Pagan community and that this growing minority of intolerant people will grow to be more inclusive."

more on that "what it means to be a witch" thingy

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:03:48 GMT

Comments on a Meetup forum, and my responses.
_____________

perhaps this is how the original individual sees their spritual path...as a form of cleansing. I doubt either of us would agree with their interpretation...but to say it's wrong...is to deny them their right to choose their own words for their spiritual pathway.

From what I remember, it started out as a Christian verse that has since been paganized. Not that a lot of pagans would admit to plagiarism of Christian stuff. So I can’t take it as a pagan expressing their spiritual path. The reason it got my goat to begin with was that it’s being passed around during the Hallowe’en season as a "see, witches aren’t bad, we’re harmless and peaceful and would really like you to run with that so I can stay under your radar."

It’s not the words themselves that gall me, but the context in which I have seen it passed around. Which, for me, trivializes the rich and complex nature of not only Wicca, but non-Wiccan witches (by lumping them in with a generic rose-colored image).

I really don't find it worth the hours of flame on it that some folks spent.

I find anything that misrepresents things to the point of being detrimental to how others perceive my faith is worth whatever time it takes to point out.

more on that "what it means to be a witch" thingy

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:01:47 GMT

Comments on a Meetup forum, and my responses.
__________

perhaps this is how the original individual sees their spritual path...as a form of cleansing. I doubt either of us would agree with their interpretation...but to say it's wrong...is to deny them their right to choose their own words for their spiritual pathway.

From what I remember, it started out as a Christian verse that has since been paganized. Not that a lot of pagans would admit to plagiarism of Christian stuff. So I can’t take it as a pagan expressing their spiritual path. The reason it got my goat to begin with was that it’s being passed around during the Hallowe’en season as a "see, witches aren’t bad, we’re harmless and peaceful and would really like you to run with that so I can stay under your radar."

It’s not the words themselves that gall me, but the context in which I have seen it passed around. Which, for me, trivializes the rich and complex nature of not only Wicca, but non-Wiccan witches (by lumping them in with a generic rose-colored image).

I really don't find it worth the hours of flame on it that some folks spent.

I find anything that misrepresents things to the point of being detrimental to how others perceive my faith is worth whatever time it takes to point out.

What is it like to be a witch?

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 14:46:10 GMT

This little gem is currently circulating on the pagan cybercircuit.

A woman was asked by a co-worker, "What is it like to be a witch?"

The co-worker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. The Goddess picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then She cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. She removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then She carves you a new smiling face and puts Her Light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin.

~author unknown~
____________________

Oh, spare me the sparkly pabulum. There’s nothing wrong with looking at one’s relationship with the Divine in a positive light, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for the idea of removing one’s less savory aspects and concentrating on being a better person. But this little ditty is unrealistic to the point of being delusional.

So, the Goddess does all this work, eh? The perfect Mother who wipes the slate clean, takes away all those nasty-bad traits and gives you a brand-new body, with "Her Light inside of you." Sounds more than vaguely….. Abrahamic? The acceptable "we’re really good people, just flawed, and unable to change without Divine intervention" story with the Deity changed out?

I’m sorry, that’s not what I define as being a witch.

A witch is someone who studies and seeks to understand the natural world around them, and manipulates the forces of nature to effect change. And for the record, that doesn’t always involve a Divinity at all. It DOES involve an acceptance of the intricacies of human nature, and that there aspects to that within ourselves that are not just good and compassionate; we all have darker sides which are capable of some crappy actions. But, to gloss over that balance with a “new smiling face” is to create an even greater enemy within. To acknowledge all of our self is to take control of it, to have a deeper well of experience from which to draw when we are faced with life’s sucky moments. To acknowledge that dark twin does NOT mean we will be overcome by it, but it can hit us unawares if we ignore its existence, and its role.

Pagans are fond of saying, "we are all God/desses." But how many of them have you heard say, “I am my own devil?” Not many, I’d venture. But we are. The greatest obstacles we will ever face are the demons of our own creation. I also hear a lot about someone’s “friendly, helpful animal spirit” who guided them gently through an experience. But how many have had that animal spirit turn on them, providing another necessary experience? I doubt most pagans want to relate that, somehow feeling they failed or that it would be interpreted by others as a "psychic attack" or some other such thing. But was that spirit attack "yucky stuff," or a greater good on the spiritual journey? Go ask a shaman. Not a New-Age “I like to drum and work with crystals and happy feelings” shaman. An authentic, "I could die in real life on an astral healing journey, but I accept that risk for you" shaman.

The above ditty, to me, is a singular act of denial of self, a “happy face” mask designed to give a false impression of security and stability. Deity sheltering us from the realities of life. But at what cost? Doubt is an instinct that makes us question what doesn’t make sense, that hones our intuition, that stops us from being sheep. I don’t WANT such a valuable tool removed. The other emotions listed could also be picked apart as to definition and circumstance. But we don’t like to admit that these less-than-pleasant emotions are also part of who we are.

And what exactly is this dirt that needs to be washed off? All the mean, nasty things that other people do to us in the process of living? That “dark night of the soul” triggered by bad, violent and/or otherwise emotionally devastating experiences that drag us down? The difference being, we want someone to take away the fact that it happened, rather than using it to make us more resilient. One cannot stop traumatic things from happening, but we have the power to not let it control the rest of our lives, and our interactions with other people therein. That, in the end, is more debilitating than any singular experience, because it puts barriers in our path against people we connect indirectly to the bad experience. And so, we might end up losing out on an encounter that could truly enrich our life. And then, the negative experience (and whoever did it to you) has truly won.

Rather than face that reality, we instead turn to the illusion of “Goddess will make it all better.” Scoop out all the emotions that make us feel bad; create a hollow waiting to be filled by an outside force. But don’t you see? To create that mask, the living, viable, growing life must die. It is cut from the vine, severed from the life force, and molded to our specifications. And how long will it last without sustenance? Not long. Soon, we will need to create another, and another…. all without serving a useful purpose beyond a momentary illusion. It will never fulfill its function, to sustain others by the sharing of itself entirely, seeds and all. How can that which is emptied of all its flavor and life-sustaining essence possibly ever be truly called whole?

Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul; it’s the transitions based on the rich variety of life experiences that liberate us, define us, and provide the deep, authentic, healthy spirituality that we seek.

This will likely become an Editorial on my web site. See what happens when I imbibe too much AriZona green tea?

help! I'm being oppressed!

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 13:14:11 GMT

Phyllis Curott and other pagan authors are being oppressed by the Christian Dominionists. Please send cash.

Yes, I've always considered that the Christian Dominionists are at fault for the glut of Wicca-lite craptatular books that are the standard fare of our fast-food pagan community. It's certainly not the free market that rewards books with some meat to them on a majority-popular subject that has anything to do with it.

Witches’ Meetup on Tuesday night.

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:25:35 GMT

10 people, great conversation! The only snag was that it was supposed to be a non-live-music night (all Tuesdays are), but a band started setting up and the bartender told me they were an unscheduled act who came around and asked the owner if they could play. We decided to give them a chance if it wasn’t too loud, but as soon as they blared out all 10 of us got right up and left. Maybe that was rude, but a point was made. We were there first, and picked the place because of NO live music.

Anyhow, we ended up on the patio. Quiet out there, but a bit humid. Conversation included discussion of the differences between Wicca, witchcraft and paganism (there were new folks trying to sort things out), how we all got our magickal names, the ethics of spellwork (when a curse is productive, could backlash, that sort of thing), Gnostic Christianity and other related topics.

Got to chat more with "wonderwiccan" (LJ account), and we had a friendly banter over our LJ encounters. She’s really a sweet gal in person. There is a core group beginning to develop that is starting to bond and network. Very cool.

Overall, things went very well, counting out the guy on a bicycle who stopped by the fence and asked us if we wanted to buy some cans of paint. WTF?

Autumn Equinox holy day

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:57:38 GMT

How do you celebrate the upcoming holy day? By what name do you call it?

The Lycian Trad does not use specific cultural names for the holy days, so this upcoming holiday is called simply the Autumnal Equinox. It is the holiday where the God's role becomes passive and the Goddess' active, and where the coven Priest hands over the East to the Priestess. Here is the basic Wheel story (man meets girl, falls in love, has sex and dies.):

At Virgo, the aging King meets the Virgin Goddess. He falls in love with her and her with him. The old God initiates the young Goddess into the world of womanhood by means of the Great Rite. At the Autumnal Equinox the King dies and passes into the underworld. At Libra, and now in the Underworld, the God is judged for all his past deeds as king.

This is our standard Sabbat ritual .

Yahoo 360 profile

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:49:17 GMT

Well, I created a custom, animated avatar for my Yahoo 360 profile, but still haven't figured out how to make this profile come up as the default when people click on my "Yahoo ID" in Yahoo groups, rather than the old basic.

If anyone knows how to accomplish this, let me know.