The Highs and Lows of Ecstasy

This year's Nemoralia celebration was a fun one. It was a wonderful group of women (it wasn't exclusively female on purpose, it just happened that way), and all were open to working a ritual in a way that was mostly extempore.

Most of the attendees were not used to being without a cheat sheet, so I wrote an outline and printed it. I rarely do the paper-in-ritual thing, but I was honestly inspired to write it down this time. No one brought paper into the ritual and everyone was comfortable enough at that point to roll with whatever came up next.

This is one of the few times I do trance work with an open group of people. Last year's lesson of being sucked into a vortex onto the altar gave me the impetus to better understand how to slip gracefully into that energy, rather than get sucked into it. Then again, I didn't have a reliable person standing watch last year. This year there were more safeguards in place.

Before we continue, here are a few definitions for reference and clarity. These are not the sum total of their meanings, just what we're working with in this post:

• High magic: Ceremonial. Planned, Precision, specificity.
Jumping UP from the ground to get as high into the air as you can.

• Low magic: Folk. Sympathetic. Spontaneous, From the heart/extempore.
Jumping ON the ground to make an impact and send that into the earth as deep as possible.

• Ecstasy: A religious frenzy or trance-like state, involving an experience of mystic self-transcendence.

Note: I use High and Ceremonial interchangeably; I also use Low and Folk interchangeably.

A "low magic" example of ecstasy: When dancing the pizzica tarantata, we jump down onto the ground. We stomp. We pound the ground, we wail, we kick, we scream. The dance of the spider is on the ground, flailing and vocalizing. It is messy, it is loud, it is driven by the forces around you in a prepared space and has given their implicit permission to be "taken" by virtue of their participation, including the musicians. Often the drummers, singers and fiddlers are called into the dance. I've seen those who are protected by the music they play, I've seen those who are drawn in by the music which is being played through them. I have attended conjure dances and rites of other traditions which are incredibly similar.

I've found it to be like small tornados of energy swirling in the space: They float above, they move within the space, they touchdown, and the same force can take more than one person at a time. You can either stay out of it's way, feel the winds generated, be swept up by it, or step into it on purpose. That is why spinning is such an effective way to get there. Spinning takes you out of your every day headspace- it's freeing and it's disorienting in a way that allows you to be oriented otherwise.

An example of the "high magic" path to ecstasy (just one example, your mileage may vary): Person studies the deity they intend to contain/host in advance. They cleanse, energetically align, and otherwise prepare themselves as a host. They go through a quiet, serene process, much like hypnosis, or directly using hypnosis techniques, and embrace, or are embraced by, the deity they have invoked. It is a neat, clean, and quiet process, one meant to be replicated easily, almost scientifically, and on demand.

Is one way better than another? Each has advantages and disadvantages. They are, for the most part, just different paths to the same goal. Preference doesn't equal judgment. Do I personally prefer one way more than the other? I prefer the folk way- I like it loud and messy. However, I'm open to learning all methods and have investigated the differences out of curiosity. Once I found out there was another way, I wanted to learn that way too. Created a new technique? Show me! Deciphered an ancient way from an untranslated text? I'm in! I find it sad that some people choose to cut themselves off from new learning because they think it would diminish what they already know instead of add to it.

One big difference I've noticed is that in the Folk style, one can go into, out of, and back into this state again all within the same event. A person can be taken more than once by the same or different energies. In the ceremonial style trances I've witnessed, once the person is out of trance, they're out for the duration. I have not witnessed someone who genuinely got back into a ceremonial style trance once they were out. I have, however, seen them fake it, using dungeons and dragons references. It's ok to say deity departed; It's not a reflection on the practitioner.

In the many different Folk ways I've experienced, the space is prepared and Deities, Spirits, Ancestors, beings appropriate to whatever the intention of the group/purpose of the ritual, are invited into the space. However, this invocation isn't just with chanting, or names or simple gestures, it is with fierce joy- with the modern/mundane definition of ecstasy. You open yourself physically, vocally, as well as spiritually. In this way, those who haven't been "trained" are also able to participate in the experience, from the newest practitioner to the most experienced one, while those who have training and experience help to set up and to guard the participants.

Is that the real difference? That the folk way doesn't require the same kind of training and preparation to participate? There is a level of equality amongst all who participate which is missing from the ceremonial version. There is "preparation" necessary in both styles: In the Ceremonial version, the preparation is of a single vessel (usually experienced, occasionally not and those who are experienced do the guiding/drawing down), while in the Folk version, it is a preparation of the space wherein anyone might be a vessel, despite their level of previous experience.

I have, and many others I know have, unfortunately, been witness to people who lord this skill over others, who have the temerity to demean and deny the experiences of others; Unless the person had the same kind of, or as much training as they had, the person's experience was dismissed as invalid or merely imagined or hallucinated; As if the notion that others can experience the same thing without the same kind of training diminishes how "special" the skill is and diminishes the accomplishment of those who have been taught one way to do it. These kind of people forget:

A Rising Tide Lifts ALL Boats.

Everyone can get something out of this kind of ritual wether or not they are swept up into it, or feel the winds, or the person next to them is the one to host those who have been called. The only concern participants should have is enjoying the energy of the community, the cooperative effort, the spiritual experience of ecstasy. No one should ever have to worry about being judged. Unfortunately, too many do  (judge others or worry about being judged). This only impedes the work and hurts the community- when people close themselves off with anxiety over how they will appear to others, they aren't free enough to let go and receive.

To be clear: Most of the ceremonial-oriented magicians I have encountered aren't jealous of the talents of others, and are so secure in their own skills that they don't need to be the "best" one in the room, the most experienced, the most well read. They are happy for -and happy to help- those who are experiencing things they don't yet understand but are on the path to discovering. I admire and respect those people and pity the ones who have to surround themselves with others who are not as accomplished so they can feel good about themselves. It is the rare bad apple I am speaking of which ruins it for so many.

There is nothing in the work which makes one person better than another or establishes one's spiritual dominion over another, even between student and teacher. It is a cooperative effort, when we choose to cooperate. There are those who have opened more doors, experienced more, or read more books, but it is not something to be lorded over others; It is something to share. It is a responsibility and a privilege to be such a resource. Too many people forget that. Too many are not satisfied with being called by the gods, they want to be called by man, too. Too many people want a title to puff themselves up.

I haven't had a rant in a while. It didn't start out that way, but it went there. So to bring it back around again I'll share a few key quotes from a post written by someone I admire. It's currently on the front page of Witchvox, and a reminder to us all. Even when we reach for the spiritual, for direct communion with our deities, or ancestors or other beings, it is to better understand our humanity:

Shared humanity is the most important part of this work.
I am a midwife of the Sacred...

But what is the sacred? Is it just a beautiful moonlit night, dancing with my brothers and sisters with our feet bare to the earth as we revel in the rhythms of nature?

A midwife of the Sacred. That is what I strive to be and the kind of people I seek to surround myself with.

Kerfuffle

I subscribe to many communities, and "like" many groups on facebook and belong to many yahoogroups and on-line communities. In addition to my varied interests, I like to know what the folks in the magical community are talking about, what they're up to, and I like to see where various traditions meet/overlap and where they differ.

This past week there was a kerfuffle because a blog author has made claims about channeling and other things tho "untrained." They're apparently getting a lot of hate mail because of it.

WHY?????

There is no need to hate on others. If you don't believe their claims, follow the age old wisdom: If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. If you think someone needs help, share your concern in a kind way and move on.

Here's another great article by Ariana. It wasn't written about this specifically, but it should be read and several quotes are apropos:

As a Strega I respect all faiths for to stick my nose up at one I do the same to my own, to point a finger at another I point that same finger back at me.

The Gods As Above do what is necessary and they give us information and knowledge, they give us hard times to see who and what we are made of, are we worthy to be their Priestesses and Priests this is our test.

What she said.

I don't know why this whole thing bothers me so much; I don't know the people involved, I've just seen blogs and emails and commentaries and the bs that's been going on. I think it's the bile from the community which is so upsetting. Why can't we all just get along? People need to take their baggage and agendas and stuff it. It's a new year! Stop dishing out the same old shit!

That, of course, is not directed at the Loyal Horde. All of you? Hearts as light as a feather ;)

Oops, I forgot to stop blogging daily...

I'm still on His side!

In one of the "warm up" blog entries I wrote last December, I made a practical analogy for Mercury retrograde. Here is an updated version:

So this guy, who is in charge of several major departments and never gets a break, finally pushed away from his desk, stretched a bit, spun his chair around, maybe cricked his neck, maybe even went for coffee...

No work got done for a while, calls weren't returned, messages didn't get through, and in general, everything went wonky without his constant attention. Now, he's finally spun the chair back to the desk and papers are all out of place from the breeze kicked up. He takes a moment to sigh and get back to work. Constant work, except for maybe 3 or 4 times a year when he needs to slow down and catch his breath.

Mercury haz a sad thanks to your bullshit. Nice Going.

I have better analogies, but that's not the point. The point is: Mercury is not deliberately fucking with you! It's not malicious or malevolent on His part. He is doing His job, or at most, taking a break from it. You are feeling the lack of His influence. He is not there taking care of things and that's when shit goes wrong.

So what do many people do? Make offerings to Him? Sing His praises until he returns to right things? No, they complain and talk smack! You want Him to set things right but you trash talk? Are you going to help the people who talk smack about you? Didn't think so.

Yes, Mercury has a reputation as a trickster. He also has the reputation for wisdom and in addition to being called Trickster, He is also called Father.

The next time there's a retrograde and your cell phone goes awry or the important email you're waiting on went into your spam folder, don't whine about or curse Mercury. Stop laying blame and start asking for His help. You'll get much further!

On a related note: Just because Mercury went direct today doesn't mean things are back to normal. When you get home from a vacation, do you jump right back into life right after your plane lands or your car pulls into the parking spot? Not so much. Jet lag, or car lag, or you're generally travel-weary, then you have to unpack and do laundry. It takes a few days to get back into the swing! So back off!

Hiding in plain sight.

I typically enjoy reading Jason Miller's blog posts, but one from the other day has irritated me. This has been my first opportunity to sit down and address it. I would easily shrug off the comment, but besides having heard him say it before in workshop presentations, it reflects part of the inspiration for starting this blog: To counter the disparaging and dismissal of Italic Pagan traditions as nothing more than reinvention as opposed to a continuation, or, as he implied with his comment, a whole other tradition, namely catholicism.

Mr. Miller made the claim, in support of his leanings towards Christianity and magical justification thereof, that "actual Italian Strega [are] (almost all Catholic)." It is more accurate to say, as one of my cohorts put it: Catholics are practicing a modified form of Stregheria. It's even more accurate to say that Catholics took the old religion, edited it, slapped some paint on it, changed the names and called it not just the new way, but the only way.

They commandeered our sacred sites, our statues, our symbols, our tools, our costumes and assimilated our Gods and our festivals, yet the only "actual" practitioners of Italian Witchcraft are Catholic? For years I turned my back on my family tradition because I was angry that they hid behind this more accepted* veneer. I was too young to understand that they were keeping themselves safe. They also had a way to teach the basic tenets and traditions to family members. Those who could handle it were brought into the family proper

*I said "more" accepted because, well, remember the reformation? Catholics were accused of exactly what I've just said- being Roman Pagan Cult: The Next Generation. Even today, some of the best web sites and books out there regarding how very Pagan catholicism is have been written by christians who oppose the Roman catholic church and its Pagan practices.

I decorate an evergreen and exchange gifts beneath it in the name of Nimrud and Saturn and hang stockings on the hearth in honor of La Befana and Vesta and Hestia and Odin. I sing carols and hymns regaling the birth of the savior, the sun, the Lord. So do many Pagans. Are we celebrating christmas? NO! The christians are celebrating the ancient festivals.

Our ways survive today thanks to the fact that our ancestors hid in plain sight throughout the ages and that the festivals and traditions couldn't be suppressed so they were renamed and accepted. They might have succeeded in changing the names, but they did not change the spirit.

Tomorrow is the Feast of Santa Lucia, allegedly an early church martyr, but previously celebrated as the Goddess who midwifes the about-to-be-reborn sun into the world. The feast is a reminder that it is She who guides us through the darkness with her flaming crown of stars. To say that because I celebrate and venerate this feast day with my family under the same of Santa Lucia, or that because I celebrate and venerate the Archangel Michael means I am practicing Catholicism is silly. Each of these beings predates christianity by thousands of years. On the other hand, to say that because we do not go to Church or take communion or call ourselves "catholic" means we're not "actual" Strega is equally silly to the point of being insulting.

Are some Strega Catholic? I'm sure there are some who consider themselves Catholic. We learn what we learn how we learn it. For some people it's easier to speak the language they grew up hearing. However, that it not true for everyone. Here is an excerpt from Leo Martello's Weird Ways of Witchcraft. The quote is from part of a discussion with "Maria," an "actual Strega" whose family posed as catholic. Later in the book she discusses how she still goes to church to keep up appearances:

One of my cousins is an ordained priest. He entered the priesthood to better serve our cause, following the ancient adage: 'If you can't beat an enemy, join him. There are many of us in the underground who are known as practicing Catholics. It's for this reason that my cousin was able to become a priest. He was brought up in parochial schools.
 

They taught him one thing. We taught him the truth.

Truth is, stories like these abound in Italian Witch families. Truth is, I think we're tired of being disparaged.


Tomorrow: The Feast of Lucia!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously?

Apparently as I was writing last night's kick ass blog about acceptance, spin, justifying, dealing with bigotry in a light-hearted way and my personal conflict, there was an article being published in the Village Voice slamming Councilman Dan Halloran for not being Heathen enough.

An offensive cartoon was included as well.

I was going to post something lovely about Hecate's night, but I'm taking a mulligan on this one because instead of sitting here and raging about the discrimination inherent in this culture, I have to be a grown up and write a professional, concise letter to the editor, and press release.

Go check out the article and the conversation on The Wild Hunt.

See you in December!

More calendrical bullshit

Way too many people have been talking about 11/11/11. Facebook has been effing flooded with hippie fluffy crystal bunny new age run amok namby-pamby fluffernutter hooey. Yep, it's rant night. The Etruscans and Romans had their market days, and I have my rant nights.

I don't understand the appeal. Hubby calls it odometer mentality. It's nice to see the numbers roll around and be all symmetrical and what-not. Hmm I disagree with hubby- it's not "odometer mentality." It's Jackpot mentality! Hate to have to be the one to tell you this:

You don't automatically win something just because some numbers matched up!

I've posted here many times on the calendar fuckery from different societies and different cultures and who imposed what on whom. So this is 11/11/11 in the current era Gregorian Calendar which everyone uses so the world can do business. Fanfrickintastic. However, this is not the first calendar, nor is it the last calendar. Nor is it the only calendar.

Today is also 14 Cheshvan, 5772. 
The Assyrian calendar is up to 6761.
It's 12011 in the Holocene calendar, dating from the start of the Human Era.
The Berber calendar is nearly at 3k. Will people go batshit crazy on 03/03/3000? Not likely.

The only thing special about this day is the attention being given to it. Sounds like Snooki. If you can elevate this date in your mind, why not any date? Why not wake up and decide you are more powerful now? Why not cloak yourself in power and become who and what you wish to be? Sounds a little Secret-New-Agey, but the principle is true. You have the ability to take your power up to the next level, you just need the motivation to do it. If you want to call down the choirs of Angels on a special date, or make this the first day of the rest of your life, or step through a new doorway of power and knowledge, then do it. There's no need for you to wait for some magical man-made calendar number to pop up.

Each day is unique! Each moment is unique! You can embrace this at any time. Let me rephrase this: You can embrace any time. Find its special, unique qualities and work with them. You don't need an excuse like a random pretty looking number. Just get to it!

First!

This might just be a quickie post tonight, I don't know. This idea has been in the air for a while now, especially since I have been rereading Dion Fortune. She is the only one of the authors in question that has crossed over, so I will be keeping the names of the other authors out of it and use Ms. Fortune as an example. I posed this as a question in an earlier post, so let's reframe the discussion around a statement:

Just because someone publishes it first, does not mean that they are the best.

It especially doesn't mean that they are right. 

Let's take Dion Fortune for example: Just because she was one of the first to publish such things does not mean she was the best at it. I give her a lot of credit. I never worked with her personally, so I don't know how adept she was. By all accounts she was a gifted mage. That does not make her a gifted writer. I do think that Psychic Self Defense is annoying as written and not the best book on the subject. As a friend said: 'She published what needed to be out there at the time" and yes, times change as well as writing styles and acceptable topics of publication. I can only judge the book by today's standards and compare it to what is out there now. Today's esoteric writers might be all the better for Ms. Fortune's publications, and a great deal of thanks is due to her, but she is not the best writer on the subject and I think we can come up with several books which are better for today's student.

So what makes a book "good?" To me, it doesn't have to be "new" information, but it can't just be a rehashing of what's already out there. I don't want a book where someone had read a bunch and just summed up all of the resources for me- I'm not that lazy! I will go to the direct source myself! I want something that puts forth a new perspective on the information out there. Of course historical research is always helpful as is a modern adaptation of ancient practices, but so much out there is a rehash that I'm loathe to pick up new books at all.

I changed my mind, I'm not going to leave others out of it: I have a problem with the book Evolutionary Witchcraft because when I read it, all I could think was "This is Spiral Dance with some new poetry." It was just repackaged information and added nothing new to the body of work that was already out there. I'm glad it's helped so many people, but if I had to pick? I'll take Spiral Dance any day. Yes, that's just personal preference. Note my Dion Fortune example where I point out that things can be improved upon. I'm sure some people think it's a better rendition of Spiral Dance, but honestly, I don't think half the folks who picked it up ever heard of Spiral Dance. "Zomg I can't be expected to read something old that's not ancient! o0o0o0o!" I got tired of folks thinking ill of me for not liking  this rehash. I don't think there is anything evolutionary about redoing a book I read almost 25 years ago.

What I really hate seeing in our community, as with the mundane community, is this obsession with the next big thing. Ten years ago, it was rare to hear mention made of Hekate and it was always as a "Dark" Goddess, one who was petitioned by Medea, and associated with cemeteries and curses - someone Witches would distance themselves from for fear of being called "evil." Today? Certain authors have somehow made Her palatable to the shiny-happy white-lighters. There are certain books and organizations around this Goddess which have popped up and, while I'm not one to claim to understand the intentions of the Gods, I hate seeing this powerful Titan of Magic stripped of Her power until there's nothing left but the happy shiny Mama Goddess. Seriously, how can you focus on ONE aspect of a Goddess to the complete neglect of the others? Argh! But because it became the flavor of the moment, hundreds of fluffer-nutters just glomped on to this idea. It (obviously) puts a bee in my bonnet because flavors of the month get left behind almost as quickly. Think Hecate will let you leave Her behind unless She's done with you? Can't wait to see the fallout. Grab the popcorn.

My opinions are large and my squirrly wrath can be intimidating (so I've been told) but what people don't often get is that my opinions can change and everything is open to debate. I welcome the bandying about of ideas and opinions, especially those which are in contrast to my own. If you have an opinion on what's written here, or in any of my other posts, please feel free to comment. We don't grow unless we are challenged. However, if you post something, be prepared to back it up with logic, anecdote and proper research or you will be eaten by the dragons which guard this blog :-D

Sidewalk Preachers

It's a rant tonight.

These preacher people with their microphones or megaphones are all over the place right now, believing that their hate-speech is somehow "saving" people. If these assholes really cared about people they wouldn't be spewing such vile hatred from their mouths.

What good does it do to berate people for not living the exact way some random asshole believes they should? Don't like magic? Don't practice it! Think homosexuality is wrong? Don't have sex with others of your gender! Another don't: Don't be a hypocrite!!! These people are representing a religion who has killed and continues to undermine the lives of (when not outright killing) people whose choices they don't agree with! They do things in the name of Jesus and the kj version of the bible when they don't even know the history of either and don't want to know it. They can't answer intelligent questions about their beliefs, they just spew their hatred on all within hearing distance.

No, not every single christian does this, I don't lump them all together the way some do to us, but I have to agree with Dan Savage: if you're one of them and not trying to change things from the inside then you're a bigger part of the problem than the hate mongers.

You can only make choices for yourself, take responsibility for the path you walk with your own feet, and above all else, mind your own business. I think it is offensive to the Gods to kill animals. However, you're not going to find me outside of a steak house standing on a soap box with a bullhorn telling people how horrible they are and that they need to stop how they are living and repent. Why? It's not my business! MY choices are my business. If your way is so great, lead by example and others will see it and follow.

These people must serve some purpose. I suppose it's to remind us that we must be vigilant against the forces of ignorance and bullshit. Yes, I was happy to see the crowd giving this one jack ass with a bullhorn as much shit as he was dishing out. I was even happier at the number of people who just ignored him and went about their business.

That's what I'm about to do now. However, if he's back tomorrow, I reserve the right to cast a circle of silence around him. I will bring chalk with me. Ha! I will post about the circle of silence another time! Off to get some sleep and enjoy Hallows Eve!

Ethics

This has come up a few times lately. I've been asked what "code" I follow. Ummm.... Hammurabi? There is no ethical prescription in La Vecchia. Like most of what we do, the magical is not separate from the mundane. Be a good person. There. A good person has respect for themselves and for others. There. That's it. You don't need all of the "don't lie, cheat steal, etc" because it's included. You also don't let others disrespect you. You especially don't let people get away with the serious stuff. To let evil go unanswered makes you an accomplice. There's no hand-wringing over working magic for yourself or others. You need something done? It gets done. Maybe there's a card reading or omen reading to pick the best course of action, but there's no fretting over whether or not we're interfering with fate or with "karma." THAT'S THE POINT!

Most people don't think to look for a dynamite recipe. Those who do, but don't know where to get the real info, wind up blowing themselves up and saving us the trouble of having to take them out before they hurt others. Same with magic. These days, any jerk can go on the internet and find a ton of spells which could blow some metaphysical shit up. No one is screening who gets the info and no one is taking responsibility for them.come  Unfortunately, we have to watch out for these jokers and handle them as we come across them.

Used to be that the teacher took responsibility for their student. You made damn sure who you were teaching because it's your ass on the line. You screen potential students. You made sure you knew them well before ever teaching them how to make metaphysical dynamite. And it's your responsibility to handle them if their work goes wrong.

That's all I have for tonight. Went to the San Gennaro festival and had a lovely time with the Hounds of Artemis. But now I'm wiped out. I might have to do another post on the magical importance of sleep!

Happy Autumnalia!

I don't know if "autumnalia" is an actual word or if I just made it up. Who cares? "Mabon" is a made up name too, so let's just roll with it.

Tonight I did a simple ritual, nothing pre planned, all from the heart. I made offerings and petitions, and told the story of this time of the year. However, tonight's rendition was a bit different than in times past. I used to romanticize the abduction of Persephone and Demeter's lament, and the wine and grain festivals and a young girl becoming Woman and Queen. Then I grew up, gained some perspective, and did some research.

Also, with what I now understand of this holiday as a time of parthenogenetic Goddess worship and the passing of knowledge, lore and magic from mother to daughter, woman to woman in a community of women, I just get angry. Now I see my once romanticized mystery for what it is- not just an abduction of a daughter, but the abduction of a way of life and a culture. These Mysteries were taken from Sicily to male dominated Athens exactly the same way Persephone was taken from Demeter, and that just frosts my cookies. On top of that, so many people go around calling it "Mabon" that if I rolled my eyes any harder they'd shoot laser beams. Why the rolling?

Well, let's stick some more Male mythology on top of it all, shall we?

For some, this is about a son, Mabon, being taken from his Mother and rescued by King Arthur. So why is it about the son and not the Mother? It's Her lament! And she is given back what she lost by a man. Just sayin. Modron is typically syncretized with Demeter too. Interesting.

Then we have the perpetual battle of the Holly King and Oak King, with one vanquishing the other through the year. All male all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I adore men and am having a red hot love affair with Mercury. But as this is the supposed to be the time of balance (the sun is even in Libra now- the literal sign of balance!), I have to ask: Where is the balance in all of these celebrations?

There is the matriarchal focus which I mentioned earlier, and others who unwittingly celebrate this holiday from an entirely patriarchal point of view. Is there ever any actual balance involved here?

After the Eleusinian Mysteries had concluded, there was a festival of Demeter and Apollo. These two are not often associated with each other. Don't you think they would be? In aspect as Mother Earth and Father Sky? If there is no sun, there is no grain. Apollo is mentioned along with Hekate in the lore of Eleusis, but only in passing (Hekate was hanging out with Apollo in the sky and they saw what had happened to Persephone). So how were Demeter and Apollo celebrated together? Were they? Anything about Demeter having a connection with male deities is either Zeus or Poseidon and remotely, Dionysus. However! There still stands the ruins of a temple dedicated to Demeter and Apollo as a pair on the island of Naxos:

This has been a lot of Greek talk tonight- so what did Italians do? Eat. Drink. Make offerings of bread and wine and fruit. Prep for the winter. There's no time to be high falutin when you're concerned with survival!
No matter which way you look at it, this is not the happiest time of year, a time to bid adieu to the blooming earth for a while, knowing that She will be restored. No wonder so many Pagans skip this holiday or just gloss over it!

No matter how you celebrate, no matter what you call it, I hope you have a good one :)

Everyday Tools

Growing up, the magical tools were everyday things around the house. The "athame" was the old bread knife, which, when you think about it, was perfectly appropriate. It wasn't set aside for "magic" it was there to cut the bread! But it could also cut away The Evil Eye. Scissors? In the crazy drawer of tools and bits n bobs everyone has in their kitchen. No special place, not wrapped in a scented cloth... The mortar and pestle? There on the shelf. Used to grind herbs for cooking as well as for cooking up something or healing. There were things that came out at certain times of year: The New Year's Eve bell to clear the energy from the previous year, the drinking vessels that came out only for certain occasions... the recipes that are made only at certain times of year... So many Italians have this in common: The rhythm of daily magical life.

I've read elsewhere that all tools should be set aside for magic and nothing else. I disagree, at least in part: What gave those items their power and meaning was their daily mundane use- their place as an integral part of daily living. Yes, there were things reserved for certain occasions, but the tools that have been most dear to me are the ones that were just plain ours. The objects I use to connect with my ancestors are the ones said ancestors had on their person the most and aren't necessarily the fanciest. I prize the every day dishes of my family more than "the china" which I've never seen used.

I gave a very rushed, 30 minute presentation today at North Jersey Pagan Pride about Witchcraft in Italy. I talked a bit about the differences between La Vecchia and the typical forms of modern Paganism: In Italian family traditions, the mundane is magical; The two are irrevocably intertwined. Time isn't typically set aside for magic as a separate part of life. You went to make dinner, you lit candles. You made dinner, you offered part of it, and while making it you knew what effect the herbs used would have on the people eating it as well as the words to say to enchant it. After you cleaned up the dinner mess, you cleared out the energy. Any tools that I have set aside for no purpose other than magic are ones which happen to be used in my daily devotions. They are part of my every day life.

Some of this has to do with hiding out from the inquisition; It was necessary to blend in for survival, as Carlo Ginzburg's The Night Battles will attest. Happily, we don't have to do that as much anymore. Some of it is a matter of wealth- unless you're rich you can't afford to have certain things set aside. Most importantly, regular, intimate use means these object are being fed energy and given a purpose.

I believe there is no magical working that can't be done without a tool. However, a tool is supposed to make it easier. How can a tool make it easier if it has no stored energy? Consecrating it isn't enough- one magical zap and it's good to go forever? Not so much. You need to cultivate a relationship with it, and make it part of your flow of energy if you want it to serve you properly. Tools are supposed to be extensions of ourselves and our energy. Setting it aside to deal with it sometimes just doesn't get you there. It's like trying to drive somewhere without putting gas in the car first.

How lucky! A rambling rant! Blame it on the sun. I picked up more today than new students, new clients and raffle prizes, I brought home a sunburn! Working with Apollo is not the same thing as using sunblock.

The Source

Know the source!

I don't mean "The Source Of All Things." Just the source of information you cite. Today on facebook, a friend posted something about a festival of Venus being celebrated tonight and tomorrow, August 9th. He didn't cite his source. He usually doesn't, but most often I recognize the information's source, like a Gardnerian calendar or Dunwich's Wiccan Book of Days. For this post? No clue. I asked for the source of the information, haven't gotten a reply. Will update in comments if/when I do. (I think I found it. I only scanned through a few of the listings on the page, but I noticed at least 5 mistakes.)

The only Venus celebrations I know of in August is on the 19th, the Vinalia Rustica, which celebrates the founding of Her oldest known temple in Rome. She was also honored at a festival of Jupiter in late August. The only Roman celebration I know of tomorrow is the Opalia, in honor of Ops, and even that date is questioned. Let's remember that what is now August used to be sextillus, the sixth month. The ancient calendar was screwed six ways till nones and has been rectified over and over and over again through the ages. We still tinker with the calendar- 2012 is leap year!

"A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." --Mark Twain

Posting misinformation about an ancient festival date isn't immediately or terribly damaging to our society, but in the long run, it undermines who we are and ultimately what we do. There was a huge outcry years ago about how Pagans should "own" that Wicca is made up. Sure it is. But it's made up of pieces of indigenous, pre-christian traditions. Some of the methods are new, but the ideas are the same, ie: We drive cars now instead of use wagons to get around. Several authors and teachers felt the need to make up a lineage and grand claims, so much so that I sometimes get eye rolls when I tell people I practice my family tradition. Because people have made up information in the past, I currently get shit for it, and so do many Strega. It's one of the reasons why I started this blog. So I get sensitive about misinformation. Especially on my home turf.

If there is new information to be had, something I didn't know before, I want to learn it! So please give me the source of your information because if it is true, then I have a new source and reference and I am the better for it. This is why I respect Nova Roma: They do their work and their research and eek out new sources in the ancient record and in current archaeology finds. If it's about Venus and the Nova Roma folks don't know about it and your source isn't new, it's probably not true. This isn't to say I object to people posting information on topics when they aren't experts, just cite your sources, even if it's Personal Gnosis (especially when it's personal gnosis!)

If we are to be taken seriously, and by "we" I mean Pagans, then we have to know from whence we came: including what we celebrate and why we celebrate it, or why we choose to not celebrate something anymore. If you, as a teacher, or initiate, or general disseminator of information are to be taken seriously, you should cite your sources, or at least make them available to others. If you, as a student, take yourself seriously, don't believe everything people say without investigating the sources for yourself.

Just because it's in print doesn't mean it's true! This goes for me too! Call me on my bs if you see any, ask me to cite missing sources if you find any lacking. This just makes me a better blogger, a better expert and a better person.

Reinventing the Wheel of the Year

I've posted on this concept from the learning side of the Pagan spectrum. Tonight I'm going to talk about our political side. I might just get ranty. I know, shock.

About 5 years ago, I was part of a gathering of Pagan groups. I was there on behalf of NYC Pagan Pride. This event was open to the public, but it wound up mostly being a networking session between the groups in the area (which is completely necessary in my opinion). I approached someone I had met before at PPP events and asked him about his group. He started to rattle off his groups mission statement... which I could finish. How did I know it? It was the exact same mission as NYC PPP, with barely a word changed. I was surprised so my first thought was actually spoken aloud: "Why did you start a new group instead of work with us at Pagan Pride?" I wasn't accusatory, I really wanted to know. We've always been in serious need of volunteers to help plan throughout the year and have never been shy in asking. So why the need to start a whole new group when equal say (input? power?) was being offered by an already existing group with the same mission? He stammered and said it was different, that they did different things, but couldn't name a single difference. Um, uh huh. Not so much. I thanked him for his answer and moved on.

Do people automatically think that an organization which is already established must be a large one? That there is an entrenched hierarchy? That they won't have a proverbial seat at the table? Do people just want to be in charge? I don't know. Maybe all of the above.

But that was more than 5 years ago. Something else is happening now and I blame facebook for it. 5 years ago, when an incident came up which required a response, some folks would put up a web page and/or start a mailing list. Then you had to somehow get traffic to the page or people on your list. Now? Takes 5 seconds to throw up a facebook page for a cause.

It takes a whole lot more than "liking" a page to make something happen. Yes, FB is one of the best publicity vehicles on the net, but there's a huge difference between clicking a button on a screen and actually doing something. The Hail Columbia page is interesting, and I see that they are trying to create an organization with state coordinators. Why create a whole new thing? There are organizations already out there working towards the same goals, so why not approach these groups to get together to work on it instead of reinventing the Wheel of the Year?

Covenant of the Goddess first officer, Peter Dybing, called on all Pagans to donate to Doctors without Borders, not just CoG members, and the community exceeded the goal. Why not put out a call to national groups to do something specific. I did, with my Gods Bless America event, but this was before the praying against us began. Without a noticeable threat present, only a handful of groups took up the charge.

Please don't get me wrong, I think the Hail Columbia idea is a really good one (especially since I thought of it 6 months ago, but focused on The Statue of Liberty instead. ;) What can I say, I'm a New Yorker!) What I don't like is the myriad of facebook pages out there that pop up like zits. They get a bunch of "likes" but then the momentum quickly fades when people are expected to do something. I read an article last night about a man who started a Facebook page to bring marriage equality to NY. He updated the page constantly. He would point people towards candidates to call and write and email. They backed up their clicks with real world action. Now that marriage equality has come to NY, the list is gone. He has created a new page for marriage equality across America. I wonder if the rest of the country is as tenacious.


I see many Pagans out there who are willing to take up a cause and who actually get things done burning out from taking on too much of the burden. What do you do when the cause is great but there is no backup? When will people step up? Has this generation become so comfortable in their civil rights that they need them to be stripped away in order to stand up? Is this a different kind of wheel? Do we have to reinvent the wheel of our civil rights? Do they have to first erode before we're willing to stand up for them? At this rate I'm going to sign on to be a Hail Columbia coordinator. ::headdesk::


One last note on facebook groups: Unless publicity is part of your mission, make the group a CLOSED group. Power shared is power halved. If someone knows what you're doing, they can work against you. This might just be a Strega thing, but it frosts my cupcakes to see planning information and action information accessible to someone who isn't part of the group. Take it behind virtual closed doors! Have someone make the commitment to step through your virtual threshold before they have access to who you are and what you do.

Blah blah blah blah blah (aka Word to your Great Mother)

I posted a rant a while back about the 5-fold Kiss. The crux of the rant is that the language is sexist ("breast formed in beauty" for a woman vs "formed in strength" for a man). Janet Farrar pointed out that Doreen Valiente wrote it. My first thought was that I was right, someone who never thought of a woman's breasts as anything but "beautiful" wrote the language. Next thought: She wrote it in a time when women were thought of as sluts for wearing pants and smoking cigarettes and were expected to be at home with the children and not have a career. I don't know how correct the second thought is, but if she was writing in the late 1950s - early 1960's, I might be in the ballpark. To differentiate between "beauty" and "strength" like that is sexism plain and simple. Tonight I was treated to a wonderful rant by Deborah Lipp who was responding to a Huffington Post article about a survey reporting 50% of men saying they would leave their wife if she gained weight:

"In the patriarchy, we women are the "sex class;" we are the object, not the subject, of desire. No matter how aware or how feminist a person is, we've still internalized the values of the patriarchy, and that means both men and women care about women maintaining our appearance (and therefore our value as sex objects) but neither men nor women care as much about men maintaining their appearance (because they are the consumers of, not the objects of, sexuality).

Quick quiz: In your mind's eye, illustrate the word "sexy." Most of the time, even a straight woman is going to see a sexy woman, not a sexy man. Because women are the "sexy" thing, men are the "aroused" thing.

The patriarchy: You're soaking in it."

So when do we say "these words no longer reflect our values" and move on to language which fits the current zeitgeist, or at least the one we want? Why is it that when someone objects to certain language used the response is "it's only words" and therefore shouldn't matter? Well, if it's "only words" then why are they clinging so hard to the old words? Most no longer use animal sacrifice. Most only use a symbolic Great Rite. If those things are taboo, why can't sexism be taboo too? Is it because sexism is still rampant in society at large? Are you defining or restricting your Pagan practice according to the judeo-christian mores of your family? Heh, the later is something Gavin Bone mentioned at the Trance workshop. 

Since repetition is invocation, when is it ok to change the words? It's ok when you understand and have experienced the concept behind it. Intention, I believe, is more important than the words used. Yes, words have vibration and energy, but your voice, which gives birth to those words, is the source of that energy. The voice demands, the voice supplicates. The word is the body of the intent, but the tone is the mind and the voice is the soul. If you can embody the spirit of the intention in a different word, if different words will get you there, go ahead. However, if you're just starting out, or have never done a certain spell or rite, do it as written, even if the words written bother you, and do it with an open mind and heart. This will give you the information you need to make it your own. I titled this post "blah blah blah blah" because I believe you can do an effective ritual or spell just with the word "Blah" because it's all about how you intone it.

There are spells and incantations and rites which require precise words to access their power. Grimoires do because you're tapping in to a specific stream of energy and the words are keys to that energy. Novenas mostly do, if you want them to work quickly, and for the same reason. You can also create your own novena prayer to an entity/saint but when you do that you're almost starting from scratch with building a relationship. That's perfectly valid, but perhaps not as quick as another set of words or recognized method. As with anything, you have to find the balance. Don't go throwing out the spell book because you've written everything from scratch yourself!

We should honor those who have helped to revive The Craft including Doreen Valiente who is falsely credited with writing The Charge of the Goddess. She just turned the information Leland received from Italian Witch Maddalena into a poem. She changed the words. What? Uh huh. She took something that actually had been handed down and changed the words! So if anyone takes issue with my changing her words to better fit the current zeitgeist, I will point you to the original Italian Charge of the Goddess and her english alterations!

I started this post in regard to a comment from Jannet Farrar, so let's conclude with one from Stewart Farrar. He wrote the forward for Mario Pazzaglini's Aradia or the Gospel of Witches A New Translation (which corrects Leland's translations of the Italian from the original papers):

"The Book of Shadows, which every Gardnerian copies out by hand, was alleged to have been thus passed down over the centuries; but although it certainly includes ancient traditional material, only the most naive would deny that in its present form it was compiled by Gardner himself. Proof that it is a recent compilation can be drawn from the fact that it includes at least one passage from Aleister Crowley's Gnostic Mass, a slightly altered Kipling poem, some identifiable Masonic phraseology, and elements from Aradia, Gospel of Witches.

The most clear example of this is the Charge, a beautiful and moving declamation by the High Priestess as representative of the Goddess, which is used by every Gardnerian and Gardnerian-derived coven, and which begins: "Whenever you are in need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place, and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witches..."

This, and about the first third of the Charge, is almost a literal translation of the passage... in chapter 1 of Aradia...

Leland's gifted research into a "dying" tradition has made a significant contribution to a living and growing one... the particular forms he discovered were part local, part universal. They expressed something that is as old as humanity itself. Something, in his own words, of "a kind of vitality and of independence which indicated great power." Otherwise they would not have survived the Etruscan, Roman and Christian times. If some of their seeds have taken healthy root in British and American soil, it is because they find an echo there, merging naturally with the native stream because that stream ultimately has the same source.

So a Witch in London or New York or Yorkshire or Idaho can use without strangeness the words which Maddalena learned from her Tuscan forebears: "Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month and better it be when the moon is full..."

So there we have Stewart Farrar not only acknowledging the origins of The Charge, we have him lauding the survival of La Vecchia in Italy. It survived for thousands of years, from the Etruscans through the 1890's when Leland wrote about it, but didn't manage to make it through those that last 65 years before Gardner came along and used material from it? Or the 60 years since? I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you...

I started out with a mature rebuttal to an emotional rant, and found myself in the middle of new emotional rant. Two for the price of one. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say I'm up on my favorite soap box (I didn't copy and paste the quote, I typed it while reading it out of my Pazzaglini book. That's dedication!) So let's bring this back around to the start with another quote from Stewart Farrar's forward in the Pazzaglini book:

"[No coven] but the most unimaginative (and therefore most sterile) confine themselves to the Book of Shadows as though it were holy writ."

Word.

Darth Strega

Tonight we watched Return of the Jedi. In having to explain to a child what was going on between Darth Vader, Luke and The Emperor, I realized something:

The Jedi are stupid.

Seriously. Don't use your hate or fear or anger? What kind of hippie crap is that? There couldn't be Italian Jedi. We embrace our dark side, we use whatever emotion we need to use to get the job done, or the situation taken care of.

If Luke had been Italian? That Emperor would have been toast AND Luke would have saved his father. Dude is about to kill everyone you love and destroy the rebel alliance, sealing the fate of the universe? Toast. Luke killed a lot of bad guys who were threatening his friends, like Jabba the Hut. I bet there were plenty of innocent creatures in Jabba's place when Luke blew it up. Why didn't that make Luke turn to the dark side? Pft.


Yeah, I know: Vader had to have the opportunity to come back to the good side. I think if Luke had taken on the Emperor and stayed "good" that Vader would have joined him anyway. Then there could be sequels. They could have started a new, more powerful line of those who used The Force, a combination of Jedi and Sith. One that integrated the "good" and "bad."

Why is it an either-or proposition? Why can't you use your "dark" emotions to do what needs to get done without it consuming you? Is it because this movie is a simplistic parable wherein the bad guys are wholly bad and the good guys are wholly good and you can't be a bit of both? Feh.

I will say this: Never underestimate what a parent will do for their child. The Emperor was so overconfident in Vader being completely in his dark side pocket, that he didn't realize that instinct can still take over.

This is a silly rant about a silly movie, but it does lead to a more pertinent topic: Embracing what many have come to think of as "dark" in regards to witchcraft. There's a huge difference in the Strega and Wiccan mindsets, and I've talked a bit about it here before: The Wiccan Reede is just some advice. If you do something and think it will come back, you still do what you have to do. The difference is that you own it.
When you don't know how to swim, it's more dangerous to be near a pool. My evil twin pointed out that if Anakin had been taught to use his dark side, he wouldn't have gotten sucked in by the Emperor in the first place.


In other news, half of the labyrinth has been planted and I hope to have the second half done tomorrow! I have a headache, I think from using neck muscles that haven't been used that way in some time! I'm calling it a night and hope to post a proper post tomorrow! Perhaps some psychopomp and circumstance! I'll leave you with more philosophical debate about the trilogy:

This next one is really funny and really disturbing all at the same time. Too soon? I can't embed it, so you'll have to surf over to college humor yourself!

It's not always a rant.

But sometimes it is.

Motivation. You haz it or you don't. Sometimes you find it, sometimes you lose it. The trick is to keep it once you find it. How to keep it? Momentum. Object in motion stays in motion. You are that object. Whether we're talking about exercise, or studying, or daily practice, or something completely crazy like blogging every day for a year, the more you do, the easier it is to do. The plateau I talked about last night has more to do with the fact that I've surpassed my usual devotional set than me running out of things to write about or motivation to write. I've mentioned before on the blog that I usually choose a daily devotional and keep it up for a turn of the wheel ie Spring Equinox to Floralia. It's typically a 3 month chunk of time. I've done over 130 posts, that's 4.5 months of the same daily devotion. I'm past my set point. Perhaps changing up the other offerings I do will approximate the feeling that I'm shifting seasonal gears. That, or I just have to change my set point and up my range from 3 months to 12. That's only 4 sets of 3! Hopefully my brain is now wrapped around it and there will be no further namby-pamby whining about it again. Hopefully.

So what do you think about Jason Pitzl-Waters from The Wild Hunt campaigning to be on The Daily Show? I think he needs to write a book first. I think he needs to write a book anyway! Here's the link to the facebook campaign.

Speaking of books, it's time to go read Cult of Divine Birth. Nighters!

The 5-fold fuckup. There. I said it.

I was just pondering the Five Fold Kiss. Here's the text:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

Breasts formed in beauty? Are you fucking kidding me? o0o0o0o Bo0o0o0o0o0obies ::dro0o0ol:: Hmph. A man wrote this. There is no way a woman wrote this, and if it was, she was not a Mother. The Path of Motherhood is an initiatory path that not all can or choose to walk. That's fine. It's certainly not for everyone.

Why am I all ranty about this? Breasts are more than ornaments of beauty. Breasts nurture life. Without breasts, YOU wouldn't exist, despite what nestle and the other formula companies and victoria's secret try to tell you. You weren't nursed? So what, my statement still applies: There was a point in history where there was no formula, no bottles. Your ancestors drank from the breasts of their mothers. If a mother couldn't produce enough milk, another woman in the family or community would step in and nurse the baby and she would be treated as a "godmother" to the child.

I think it should be something more along these lines:

Blessed be thy breasts, which nourish life.

Instead of the male version which reads "formed in strength" (which is also ridiculously sexist- let me tell you it takes more strength to nurse a baby than you'd know unless you've done it), it could read something about comfort. Men can comfort nurse. There are tribes out there who still practice this, but I'm sure any male readers I have just freaked out. A man's chest should be a comforting place- ever see one of those pics of a shirtless man holding a baby and just swoon? Yeah, a man's breast can be comforting.

So this is my rant for the evening. Enlighten me, please: How is this not sexist on so many levels? If anyone would like to add to the discussion, especially any Wiccans who actually practice this, please do reply. I might be a curmudgeon at times, but I'm always open to discussion and learning something new. Are you? ;)

Working The Land

I was out there today, doing just that. I was cleaning up whatever leaves were left over from autumn, under shrubs, etc. I was picking up branches, scooping out dandelions (seriously I have a hundred: Anyone want dandelion tea?) and literally saying "hello" and "welcome back" to all of the blooming trees. Pagans, especially urban Pagans, barely have a relationship with their land. I'm trying to cultivate mine.

In working with my family and my ancestors I learned that the actual soil and rocks and trees are important. Talk about earth energy! Where do you think you're calling it up from? Are "earth" "air" "fire" and "water" just abstract concepts to you, or are they a part of your reality? Don't be sarcastic, I know you breathe air. But do you recognize your breath? Do you stop to appreciate it? Does the wind answer your call? Have you connected with the spirits and creatures of this element?

Today I was connecting with earth. Literal and metaphysical earth. I felt the hum of the trees. I knew which ones needed help and where. I felt them shake off the past seasons as I cleaned around them. I communed with nature. As the keeper of this land it's my responsibility and my pleasure to do it.

Stuck in an apartment? I bet there's land somewhere near you: community gardens, public gardens, public parks, nature preserves... You can volunteer to help maintain it. You can help work the land and make more of a connection with the earth. It's one thing to learn about or meditate on the concept of an element, it's another to hold it in your hands, to feel the energy, to exchange energy and become a part of it, and it become a part of you.

No, having a little potted thing in your house doesn't count for this. Sure, it counts in some respects, but dirt in a pot isn't really part of the web of earth in the same way as a tree in the ground. It doesn't renew itself in the same way. Go ahead and keep plants inside, plant familiars are awesome. But go and find land you can connect with.

A valued friend of mine asked if I've read The Earth Path by Starhawk. My response: I can either spend 2 hours reading it, or two hours actually doing it :-)

Reading it, thinking about it, meditating about it, isn't the same thing as going out there and getting your hands dirty. Both literally and metaphysically.

I'm done preaching now lol

Get Bent!

Today it's about the funny. I'm pretty tired today, so I duno if I can bring the funny now, but I did last night. A friend and I were joking around. Some stodgy bloke, as my Brit pals would say, entered the conversation all serious-like and took one of my replies to heart when it wasn't aimed at him, or really at any specific person. We had been talking about giant purple lemuruan chicken ancestors and the admonishment to not eat their barely related modern chicken descendants. Soon after, I was charged with explaining the proper way to eat a chocolate bunny. To wit:

I learned the proper way of eating a chocolate bunny from a vision I had of Madame Blavatsky who knew that the Atlanteans were really ancient aliens. They didn't have to consume food, but they ritually partook of chocolate for the same reasons we do and in fact were actually the Mayans who teleported back to Altantis after seeding their story, and chocolate here. A fragment of one of their ancient tablets, found in Sumeria, speaks to the very subject: "Thou must consume the [bunny] from crown to lucky hoof lest ye be deemed perv and made a [son of] derision."

The folks intended as the recipients of the funny got it. Stodgy bloke told me to not make fun of other people's visions because I wouldn't like it if it was done to me. Srsly? I had to explain, despite Mercury being Direct (Hail Mercury!) that I was making fun of those who claim that every random-ass thought in their head is a "vision" of immense proportions when they couldn't quiet their minds long enough to hear anything besides their own internal money chatter. Nothing I wrote could be remotely taken as serious by anyone with a sense of humor. So that's my theme for tonight: lighten the fuck up! We are supposed to find joy in the Gods and delight in them. There is a time to be serious, sure, but if we take ourselves too seriously we become a mockery of what we want to be.


I ADORE the comic strip Oh My Gods and think he should still be cranking them out! Thankfully, he's published the strips in an anthology and still has the archive up on the website. Why do I adore it? He spears everyone in the Pagan community. Everyone. Equal opportunity, and the muggles too. 







For your further amusement:

How to recognize Humor!

Lightbulb Jokes!
How many Druids does it take to screw in a light bulb?
They don't screw in light bulbs, they screw in stone circles.

How many Witches does it take to change a light bulb?
Depends on what you want to change it into.

How many Gardnerians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Can't say.  It's oathbound.

How many Alexandrians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Same number as Gardnerians.

How many Strega does it take to change a lightbulb???
None -- if a candle was good enough for Gramma it's good enough for me!

How many Dianics does it take to change a lightbulb?
That's not funny!!!!

The Caffinated Cross!

The Charge of the Credit Card Goddess!

He died for our sins. He was reborn for our brains...

I find the whole zombie celebration thing to be silly, but understandable when the muggles or atheists do it. However, I get annoyed when Pagans talk smack about the Christian version of the arisen male deity story. Sure, we did it first with Osiris and Tammuz and Dionysus, and even Apollo and then there's the Oak King and Green Man coming into his own too. So call em on the fact that there's nothing original in Christianity and that they're celebrating a month late too, but talking smack about their version of The Great Mystery is equivalent to crapping on your own.

Christianity is just another in a long line of mystery traditions: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again" (plus the whole drink my blood eat my body thing) is exactly what most Pagans celebrate throughout the year. In the God Cycle: He is born of Goddess, he is grown to manhood, he marries the Goddess, he is sacrificed as the harvest. We eat and drink him. He retreats to the Underworld and is reborn. We know they took the main tenets of The God Cycle, tried to reduce the Goddess cycle to a mere facilitator/vessel role, and celebrate the main mystery weekly. That doesn't change their legitimacy: We know it's legit because we invented it! ("We" meaning ancient Pagans. Sheesh.)

I don't mean to go off on a rant here (thanks Dennis Miller), but I've been thinking about this a lot in the past week: April 21st is celebrated as the birth date of Rome. On facebook I said "celebrate or lament as you wish." I've lamented it. Why? Because they started a city and then went conquering everyone around them until they created an empire. Once Rome was born of strife between brothers (a recurring theme) there was no chance for the world to live in peace. I wonder what would have happened had Remus won the contest. I bet Romulus would have killed him anyway. What if the other tribes in the area, such as the Sabines and Etruscans agreed to mix with them instead of starting a war over it? Would the Romans have been absorbed into the landscape? Into another tribe? Were they always meant to violently dominate the world? They might not do it with brute force anymore, but let's not kid ourselves: The Pope, who is not nor has ever been (to my knowledge) a member of a democracy, was making public statements advising American voters who to vote for and how to vote in our elections. Yes, I know I'm romanticizing the Etruscans and Sabines and it's really easy to root for who you perceive to be the underdog. But really now, it just has to make you think: Would the world have been better off if the wolf just ate the twins? If Queen Dido had seduced Aeneas into being her King and staying in Carthage?



This weekend: underworld encounters and a bit about Tammuz and why they eat ham on this particular Sunday; It's not just to piss off the Jews.