2009 In Review, Part 4

Patti Wigington

A lot of people had things to say about some of the stories here on About Pagan/Wiccan in 2009. Many people thought that the group boycotting the Gap because of an inclusive ad was being pretty Grinchy, but a few folks called for a boycott of Bath and Body Works when a Wiccan employee was fired. Finally, I wrote a number of blog entries following the case of Rifqa Bary — despite the fact that the story concerned Muslims and Christians, lots of Pagans and Wiccans had comments and concerns.

Then there was the case of a couple in a condo association that didn’t allow gargoyles as outdoor décor, and many readers thought they should probably have read the COA’s rules before moving in. Likewise, people had plenty to say about a group protesting statues of Ganesh at a zoo in Canada, and a group of witches who were upset when they got banned from a church social club.

Not all of the most-commented on stories had to do with news – many were in response to reader questions posted here on the blog. For example, the notion of whether or not to emerge from the broom closet was a popular topic. One of the biggest collection of comments came when a reader wrote in that she was offended by the notion of “warrior Pagans.” Likewise, hundreds of readers took the poll about whether it’s appropriate to have kids at Pagan events.

Also, readers stepped up and offered advice on a lot of questions, such as when a reader had questions about sexuality and purity rings, and when another one asked why her spell wasn’t working. Many empathized with someone whose sister wouldn’t stop preaching at her.

After all of these stories — and a thousand or so blog entries later — I can honestly look back at this year and say it’s been an amazing one. No matter what the story is, I’ve found that this place has become a great little corner of the Pagan community, and I’m honored to be part of it, and more honored to be able to share it with all of you. I hope you’ll all continue to participate as you’ve done this past year. May all of you have a wonderful and blessed 2010.

2009 In Review, Part 4 originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 19:32:48.

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2009 In Review, Part 3

This year was an interesting one for the changing ways that people view religion. A number of surveys and studies revealed some results that were significant to people in minority faiths.

One survey indicated that a lot of people have never even heard of Wicca — although since the survey is from the Barna Group, it may have been a bit skewed. Meanwhile, the ARIS study was released, and indicated that a lot of the mainstream religious groups are losing members, and a lot of formerly religious people now self-identify as having no religion at all.

In a few cases, religious groups came under fire because people around them really just didn’t get was going on. An Odinist group celebrated a rite in a public park, and the next thing you know, the rangers are showing up and asking people to leave. Also, Santeria made headlines in the case of Jose Merced, who was arrested and charged with animal cruelty following ritual sacrifice of a goat. Merced sued the city and won, and his attorney called the decision a victory for religious liberty.

In a disturbing trend, it appears that religious persecution continues to exist globally. The plight of Tanzania’s albinos is heartbreaking, when you consider that they are murdered regularly to provide body parts for local healers. In Nigeria, extremist groups continue to prey on children, accusing them of being possessed by demons and charging families a fortune for “exorcisms.”

It’s not all bad news, though. Some places really are trying to help out those who are not one of the Really Big Religious Groups. Airports in particular are trying to be more accommodating when it comes to spiritual needs. Even the Air Force Academy — once a notorious bastion of Christian fundamentalism — has come around, and it appears that the religious climate has improved by leaps and bounds.

In an epic step at increasing the awareness of Paganism in the world today, the Pagan community had significant representation at the recent Parliament of World Religions. It was a chance for people from a variety of Pagan paths to not only network with each other, but establish dialogues with folks from non-Pagan religions.

In our next recap, we’ll take a look at some of the most commented-on stories of the year 2009.

2009 In Review, Part 3 originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 16:00:54.

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2009 In Review, Part 2

The year 2009 had its share of stories covering the legal battles between the boundaries of religion and government. A number of lawsuits were filed and resolved, and many of them were significant to people who follow the matter of religious freedom in the news.

A Sikh woman sued her employer, the Internal Revenue Service, for discrimination after she was prohibited from wearing her ceremonial kirpan at work. Google faced a lawsuit filed by a former employee who claimed not only religious but sexual harassment, and Bath and Body Works was the target of discrimination charges when a Wiccan employee was fired by a manager who disapproved of her religious beliefs.

School districts seemed to be popular when it came to religious freedom legal action this year. In Vermont, a district was sued when middle school teacher Wally Rogers handed out pamphlets about Why Jesus Is Better Than Santa. A Kentucky high school faced complaints when a group of football players on a field trip got baptized, and the American Civil Liberties Union stepped in when Tennessee kids were being preached at in class. See You At the Pole continued to be controversial, and one school district decided to solve the church/state problem by giving religious signs their very own special place at football games. Ohio’s John Freshwater made headlines again when he sued the school board for discrimination – this was the school board that fired him for burning a student, and decades of proselytizing in class.

Several of 2009’s prominent cases related to prayer and religion crossing the line into the realm of government. Florida decided it would be nice to offer a religious specialty license plate with “I Believe” on it, and South Carolina played along too. In SC, the plate was stopped by a court injunction, but private parties may still be able to get it if they fund the production themselves. Zoning changes effected psychics and soothsayers in Illinois and St. Petersburg, Florida. On the opposite side of the coin, a Christian evangelist claimed he was being unfairly persecuted when he tried to spread the word of god.

In our next recap post, we’ll look at some of the year’s stories about how people view religion and religious freedoms.

2009 In Review, Part 2 originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 15:27:55.

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Paulo Coelho

Saw this item on Paulo Coelho’s blog – although not directly written about Wicca, in Wiccan tradition of knowing, researching, and respecting other traditions I post this.  I really enjoyed and like the messages here, I hope you do too…

Arabs and Jews

In light & blessings,
Mat

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The reasons are simple, one that like any faith it is about our own personal development, faith and betterment. Two, the Goddess and God are accessible, I relate better to this concept – rather than the Catholic concept of God. Thirdly, Wicca is a natural faith, there are a few basic tenants (including the Rede) but the rest is up to you and what you are taught/read/invest in.

I imagine that my journey into Wicca is similar to many, once the decision was made there appeared to be more questions than answers. Questions like, “where do I start?” “Where can I find a coven or teacher?” (both books I had read to this point spoke of coven initiation – see part 1 for titles), “what should I be doing, where do I get my Wiccan Supplies, such as altar tools – oh wait; how do you create an altar, should it be in a private place or where people congregate in my home? Oh shit – where do I start?”

I started looking for advice on the web, reading the often conflicting information that was there. More confusion.

Whilst the Witches House is not “wiccan” many of the themes, practices and beliefs were aligned. This wonderful place was somewhere I could go to talk to “like minded” people and discovered that much of what was discussed served as the answers to many of the questions. Lessons such as – if you are open, teachers are all around you, in nature, in the general trials and tribulations of life. That Wicca is not an escape from life, rather an integrated every moment part of it and as with any religion the primary theme is to improve oneself.

The greatest learning specific to Wicca came from books. Two I used and still reference for reminders and as references that would not hesitate to recommend are:
“Solitary Witch” by Silver RavenWolf
“Wicca – a guide for the solitary practitioner” by Scott Cunningham

Either of these two wonderful books will greatly assist you, if you choose Cunningham, I recommend investing in his follow up book “Living Wicca”.

I am a self initiated Witch, and following the advice of Scott Cunningham, have invested in the evolution of my faith within a tradition that is my own (selecting what feels and is natural for me) and living the faith. The practice of magick (or magic – whatever takes your fancy) is not core to the faith, yet the idea of not utilising something that is naturally within you seems to me like owning an expensive car and never driving it – kinda pointless.

I will finish on the point that, if Wicca is something that is of interest to you, invest in it, at very least be educated in your decision. Evaluate if this faith feels right, if it doesn’t – great at least you will be one of the educated amongst us with your selected faith. If it does, don’t just read about it – do it.

In light and blessings, Mat.