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The Long and the Short of the Solstice

Mat — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:15:59 +0000

Is Witchcraft Shamanism?

Mat — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:44:41 +0000

I discovered Sarah through the Wigglian Way podcast. This post on “is Witchcraft Shamanism” is really informative, as are many of her posts.

Sarah runs a blog titled “The Witch of Forest Grove”

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Happy New Year

Mat — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:48:42 +0000

Wishing all a Happy and Safe New Year!

BB.

2009 In Review, Part 4

Mat — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:28:04 +0000

2009 In Review, Part 4

via About.com Paganism / Wiccan on 12/30/09

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

Mat — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:09:25 +0000

2009 In Review, Part 3

via About.com Paganism / Wiccan on 12/30/09

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

Mat — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:16:49 +0000

2009 In Review, Part 2

via About.com Paganism / Wiccan on 12/30/09

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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2009 In Review, Part 1

Mat — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:53:07 +0000

As the count down begins to the end of the first decade of the new millennium and the birth of a new decade, I recount this infantile blog (started this year) and choose to solicit assistance in revising this year and what amazing (both fantastic and terrible) things have happened. Over the course of the new few hours I will post a four part review conducted by Patti Wigington: Here is part 1, enjoy.

2009 In Review, Part 1

via About.com Paganism / Wiccan on 12/29/09

It’s that time of year again, when bloggers around the globe are recapping their favorite stories of 2009. This year, in looking back, it seems that some of our biggest news stories focused on religious freedoms and discrimination. We also saw a lot of shifts in how people viewed religion as a whole. Finally, there were a number of issues surrounding the separation of church and state, particularly when it came to religion in public schools. This year, to start off the recap, I’m going to focus on something a little lighter — some of the absolutely amazing archaeological discoveries that were revealed this year. All were of significance in that they helped to educate us about how our ancestors lived hundreds – and even thousands – of years ago.

This year was an important one in the world of history and archaeological research. In January, a Catholic church in Italy revealed that it was also the home of a large Pagan mosaic. Researchers were digging around under the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia when they found the mosaic, which measures about 140 square feet, and was probably part of the home of a wealthy Roman citizen. Also in Italy, a large statue of Mithras was found in Rome, when smugglers were attempting to get it out of the city for sale on the black market.

In the United Kingdom, there were a number of amazing discoveries this year as well. Iron Age butter was discovered in an Irish peat bog — still in its original packaging — and a record-setting hoard of gold was found under a Staffordshire farmer’s field. It was a good year for sacred circles and tombs, too… archaeologists located the remains of a 4,500-year-old wooden structure at the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, and a pair of previously unknown burial sites were found near a car park in Hampshire. A site called Bluehenge was located in Wiltshire, not far from Stonehenge, and the Isle of Skye presented us with a half dozen slab-lined graves.

Also this year, we learned about the grave of the Middle East’s oldest shaman, who was buried in a mountainside cave in northern Israel. Hidden goddess statues were found in the city of Hippos, and are believed to represent Aphrodite. Medieval dog sacrifices taught us a bit about the practices of Eastern European Pagans from the Middle Ages, and similar seventeenth-century witch bottles were found in both Greenwich, England, and under a car park in Staffordshire.

We’ll talk more about some of the most interesting stories of 2009 in the next post, where we’ll look at some of the legal cases that made headlines in the world of religious news.

2009 In Review, Part 1 originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 09:49:13.

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Yule Countdown: Magical Mistletoe

Mat — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:54:15 +0000

It’s small, it’s cute, and if you’re really lucky, you might get a lip lock from someone special when you stand underneath it. Any plant that gets me a kiss is okay in my book — but there’s a lot more to mistletoe than this. Over the centuries, it’s been known as a cure for tumors and boils (decidedly unromantic), a call to lay down one’s arms, and the center of ancient agricultural rituals. No matter how you look at it, there’s far more to this botanical parasite than meets the eye: Mistletoe: Myths, Mysteries and Medicine

http://paganwiccan.about.com/b/2009/12/15/yule-countdown-magical-mistletoe.htm

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Arabs and Jews

Mat — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:47:29 +0000

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 Pagan Origins of Christmas Decorations

Mat — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:11:16 +0000

With Yule rapidly approaching and the Christian celebration of Christmas, here is an interesting article on the Pagan origins of Christmas decorations. It makes interesting reading for the seeker, or initiate in terms of understanding much of what is common within Christian celebrations actually stems from much older traditions.

Point in case the weath that so many Christians place on the front doors, over their hearths or smaller wreaths on their trees, the wreath is a Celtic Yule symbol for the Wheel of the Year, the same Wheel of the Year that Pagan’s and Wiccan’s hold very dear. Enjoy.

http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_pagan_origins_of_christmas_decorations

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