Monday, July 6, 2009
The Grigori, The Watchers
I was doing some websurfing today and ran across this very interesting rumination on another blog. The author has some interesting insights into the Grigori based on his readings in Journey of Souls, by Michael Newton. His insights are in keeping with my own personal experiences with the Grigori.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Words of Aradia: Concerning Freedom
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
We have been enslaved. We are persecuted, hunted,and murdered by the Christian Church.
We are outlaws.
Because of our plight we have come to know the meaning of Freedom. To be free is the essense of life.
Freedom allows the minds, body,and spirit to be rid of shame, guilt and restriction (which the Christians teach).
The freedom to act as you desire, harming no one by your deeds, is the gift of Freedom. The Old Ways free us from the restrictions of society and the expectations of other people.
Therefore you shall be free. And as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in the your rites. And you shall sing, dance and make love.
We have been enslaved. We are persecuted, hunted,and murdered by the Christian Church.
We are outlaws.
Because of our plight we have come to know the meaning of Freedom. To be free is the essense of life.
Freedom allows the minds, body,and spirit to be rid of shame, guilt and restriction (which the Christians teach).
The freedom to act as you desire, harming no one by your deeds, is the gift of Freedom. The Old Ways free us from the restrictions of society and the expectations of other people.
Therefore you shall be free. And as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in the your rites. And you shall sing, dance and make love.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Why Stregheria is for Heterosexual Pagan Men
Wierd title huh? I'm actually counting on the power of google and the Gods to get heterosexual men to take a look at Stregheria as a potential pagan tradition. So I intentionally crafted the title and lit a candle.
First let me make one thing perfectly clear: Stregheria isn't only for Heterosexuals. Please take some time to look at and think about Aradia's Words concerning sexuality.
But this is a tradition that works best when there are an equal number of heterosexual men and women in a group. From Shadowfest until May Day the God rules and the High Priest leads the rituals. In our rituals men and women often come together to honor and bless each other. Sexual energy and tension is a part of our worship and the power we raise. Our initiations require males initiate females and females initiate males. We understand the wholeness of Deity but because we are human we conceive of Deity as both male and female, God and Goddess.
Without few good pagan men, Stregheria as I have been taught it will fall deep into the hidden shadows. I don't want that.
Take a look at an interview I did with Christopher Blackwell in the Fall of 2008 and if you are interested dig around this website a little.
First let me make one thing perfectly clear: Stregheria isn't only for Heterosexuals. Please take some time to look at and think about Aradia's Words concerning sexuality.
But this is a tradition that works best when there are an equal number of heterosexual men and women in a group. From Shadowfest until May Day the God rules and the High Priest leads the rituals. In our rituals men and women often come together to honor and bless each other. Sexual energy and tension is a part of our worship and the power we raise. Our initiations require males initiate females and females initiate males. We understand the wholeness of Deity but because we are human we conceive of Deity as both male and female, God and Goddess.
Without few good pagan men, Stregheria as I have been taught it will fall deep into the hidden shadows. I don't want that.
Take a look at an interview I did with Christopher Blackwell in the Fall of 2008 and if you are interested dig around this website a little.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Hot times in the City
It's has been a while since I last posted on this blog. I am also a neighborhood activist in the PostKatrina World, wife, mom, fulltime professional for a big corporation and sometimes pagan blogging has to take a back seat.
We had a marvelously cool spring and early summer. This is practically miraculous.
The school year is out and my husband and daughter are both home from school, him from teaching and her from 7th grade. We are thankful for friends with swimming pools and for dark cool theatres. I've always thought that our theatre season should be the summer because of the appeal of dark, cool theatres. This weekend we went to 2 plays (a premier & Shakespeare), as well as seeing the classic CasaBlanca on the big screen at a 1915 movie theatre. It's important to teach the kid "cultural literacy". We also saw CarrotBlanca with Bug's Bunny and a cast of old Looney Tunes characters, which made me think about how much of my own cultural literacy can be attributed to Loony Tunes & the creative genius of Mel Blanc & Warner Bros. But I digress.
Summer is our harsh season. In other parts of the country and world the winter season is the harshest season, the season where folks prepare to go outside and say WHEW! when they finally get inside. In New Orleans we prepare for a summer's day the way folks in Maine prepare for a walk in the woods in January. If there are outside chores it is best to do these before 10AM. You want to be inside, cooled off, showered and with a cold drink by 10:30AM. Then you wait out the heat of the day, until the evening. The evening is that short time between when the heat has begun to dissipate and before the mosquitoes come out to carry you away.
Because of how my house sits on its lot, I need to be out working in the front yard at daybreak and done as early as possible. I can then move to my back yard where the house shields the back patio for an hour or so more. Then I have to hide out in the shade or indoors until later in the evening. If I absolutely HAVE to do front yard work in the summer, then sometimes I can get a hour in after 5PM when the front yard is mostly shaded.
We don't live in the desert BUT, in New Orleans, we do completely respect the sun's power. This is why music gigs in New Orleans rarely start before 10PM. It is just too hot to go out before then! I'm also a believer in early rising and after lunch naps whenever possible in the summer. Siesta time makes a large amount of sense in the heat. And summer is when I remember that shade trees are a true gift from the Gods!
It has always bugged me that the Summer Solstice is called by many "the first day of Summer" when in reality it is "MidSummer", or Summer's turning point, well for most places. In New Orleans it is officially summer on the first day that the temperature hits 90 degrees. This happened this year in early May but then we got another reprieve of days that were in the 70s & 80s. So we are practically spoiled now that it hits 90 degrees or better everyday and probably will until September or October. The Autumn Equinox is a marker that allows us to hope that the heat will break but it doesn't typically mark any true change in the basic summer weather patterns. This is also why the hurricane season doesn't end until November.
How many people do you know who consider Air Conditioning as a productivity tool? It is here. It can also cut people off from the seasons and the earth. When you are cocooned inside your totally climate controlled house & car you can definitely loose connection to the greater world. Sometimes I think if there were no A/C that a lot more people would be taking climate change seriously. When you step out on to your porch and the heat and humidity punch you in the nose, you learn to respect it.
So if Summer is not your harsh season be thankful and get out and appreciate it!
We had a marvelously cool spring and early summer. This is practically miraculous.
The school year is out and my husband and daughter are both home from school, him from teaching and her from 7th grade. We are thankful for friends with swimming pools and for dark cool theatres. I've always thought that our theatre season should be the summer because of the appeal of dark, cool theatres. This weekend we went to 2 plays (a premier & Shakespeare), as well as seeing the classic CasaBlanca on the big screen at a 1915 movie theatre. It's important to teach the kid "cultural literacy". We also saw CarrotBlanca with Bug's Bunny and a cast of old Looney Tunes characters, which made me think about how much of my own cultural literacy can be attributed to Loony Tunes & the creative genius of Mel Blanc & Warner Bros. But I digress.
Summer is our harsh season. In other parts of the country and world the winter season is the harshest season, the season where folks prepare to go outside and say WHEW! when they finally get inside. In New Orleans we prepare for a summer's day the way folks in Maine prepare for a walk in the woods in January. If there are outside chores it is best to do these before 10AM. You want to be inside, cooled off, showered and with a cold drink by 10:30AM. Then you wait out the heat of the day, until the evening. The evening is that short time between when the heat has begun to dissipate and before the mosquitoes come out to carry you away.
Because of how my house sits on its lot, I need to be out working in the front yard at daybreak and done as early as possible. I can then move to my back yard where the house shields the back patio for an hour or so more. Then I have to hide out in the shade or indoors until later in the evening. If I absolutely HAVE to do front yard work in the summer, then sometimes I can get a hour in after 5PM when the front yard is mostly shaded.
We don't live in the desert BUT, in New Orleans, we do completely respect the sun's power. This is why music gigs in New Orleans rarely start before 10PM. It is just too hot to go out before then! I'm also a believer in early rising and after lunch naps whenever possible in the summer. Siesta time makes a large amount of sense in the heat. And summer is when I remember that shade trees are a true gift from the Gods!
It has always bugged me that the Summer Solstice is called by many "the first day of Summer" when in reality it is "MidSummer", or Summer's turning point, well for most places. In New Orleans it is officially summer on the first day that the temperature hits 90 degrees. This happened this year in early May but then we got another reprieve of days that were in the 70s & 80s. So we are practically spoiled now that it hits 90 degrees or better everyday and probably will until September or October. The Autumn Equinox is a marker that allows us to hope that the heat will break but it doesn't typically mark any true change in the basic summer weather patterns. This is also why the hurricane season doesn't end until November.
How many people do you know who consider Air Conditioning as a productivity tool? It is here. It can also cut people off from the seasons and the earth. When you are cocooned inside your totally climate controlled house & car you can definitely loose connection to the greater world. Sometimes I think if there were no A/C that a lot more people would be taking climate change seriously. When you step out on to your porch and the heat and humidity punch you in the nose, you learn to respect it.
So if Summer is not your harsh season be thankful and get out and appreciate it!
Friday, May 1, 2009
What a Wonderful World
Listen to native New Orleanian Louis Armstrong sing
Then sit outside today and think to yourself.
I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
(instrumental break)
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin...*spoken*(I ....love....you).
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I'll never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.
Lyrics provided by LyricsFreak
Shadow Working is said to be a part of magic working in Stregheria.
Watch as the aritist works his magic and the audience goes from laughing to inspired.
Then sit outside today and think to yourself.
I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
(instrumental break)
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin...*spoken*(I ....love....you).
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I'll never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.
Lyrics provided by LyricsFreak
Shadow Working is said to be a part of magic working in Stregheria.
Watch as the aritist works his magic and the audience goes from laughing to inspired.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Christian Mystics, please not Christian Witches
This is my point of view in response to an article recently published in PanGaia under "Point of View: A Mystical Witch: My Journey to Spiritual Harmony".
I can respect and understand what Wood Stone relates in her article. But I wish that she would choose a different way to say it. Pagans and others, mostly non-Christians, have worked hard to reclaim positive associations with the word Witch. Now that Witch has these positive connotations Christians who like certain aspects of Paganism are willing to share these associations. If Wood Stone wishes to see additional dimensions to Christianity, I'm all for that. If Wood Stone and others like her (because I am sure there are others like her) does not wish to give up the title Christian, because of the value and worth they place on the teachings of Christ, then I wish that she could be satisfied with calling herself a Mystical Christian or a Christian Mystic, instead of (and this may be perceived as a harsh word) usurping the title of Witch.
This is essentially the same as having the opinion of NO, Satanists are not Pagan. Mark Foley and Ed Mayberry's responses in PanGaia 50th issue were perfect. There is no Satan or devil in Paganism. Satanism is so linked to Christianity that it can not be said to be Pagan. Pagans have had to work long and hard to get to a place where the first thing someone thinks when we say Witch or Pagan is NOT that we worship Satan. So much of what we do when we build community is to have to say what we are not. So those who blur the lines, like those who want to call themselves Christian Witches or who are willing to call Satanists Pagans, only serve to make the rest of a very large and already diverse community work harder. Is the discussion healthy? Absolutely. But my hope would be that just as we can respect the rights of others to follow the path they choose, that we can also begin to be consistent with how we view the labels we use to communicate who we are.
Those who follow the path of Stregheria have the Words of Aradia to guide them and there are specific Words Concerning Christianity. As a teaching priestess of Stregheria I have had to have many conversations regarding how we as Pagans can relate and communicate with Christians. The number of times I've had this conversation has caused me to try to capture my starting point for coexisting with those of the Christian faith.
I can respect and understand what Wood Stone relates in her article. But I wish that she would choose a different way to say it. Pagans and others, mostly non-Christians, have worked hard to reclaim positive associations with the word Witch. Now that Witch has these positive connotations Christians who like certain aspects of Paganism are willing to share these associations. If Wood Stone wishes to see additional dimensions to Christianity, I'm all for that. If Wood Stone and others like her (because I am sure there are others like her) does not wish to give up the title Christian, because of the value and worth they place on the teachings of Christ, then I wish that she could be satisfied with calling herself a Mystical Christian or a Christian Mystic, instead of (and this may be perceived as a harsh word) usurping the title of Witch.
This is essentially the same as having the opinion of NO, Satanists are not Pagan. Mark Foley and Ed Mayberry's responses in PanGaia 50th issue were perfect. There is no Satan or devil in Paganism. Satanism is so linked to Christianity that it can not be said to be Pagan. Pagans have had to work long and hard to get to a place where the first thing someone thinks when we say Witch or Pagan is NOT that we worship Satan. So much of what we do when we build community is to have to say what we are not. So those who blur the lines, like those who want to call themselves Christian Witches or who are willing to call Satanists Pagans, only serve to make the rest of a very large and already diverse community work harder. Is the discussion healthy? Absolutely. But my hope would be that just as we can respect the rights of others to follow the path they choose, that we can also begin to be consistent with how we view the labels we use to communicate who we are.
Those who follow the path of Stregheria have the Words of Aradia to guide them and there are specific Words Concerning Christianity. As a teaching priestess of Stregheria I have had to have many conversations regarding how we as Pagans can relate and communicate with Christians. The number of times I've had this conversation has caused me to try to capture my starting point for coexisting with those of the Christian faith.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
College of the Crossroads
A Course of Study in which you get "one-on-one" time with Raven Grimassi as well as community through a "membership only" Group list is available via "The College of the Crossroads".
Here is the link to the info if you want to check it out.
Here is the link to the info if you want to check it out.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A Priestess View of Aradia's Words Concerning Christianity
Concerning Christianity
“You have heard the Christians say that only through Jesus Christ can you enter into the Great Realm. So I tell you that Jesus was the spirit of love, and only by love may you enter in.”
I think it is important that Aradia starts with this sentence. It should color everything that follows. Only through love can you enter the Great Realm.... or touch the Divine. This means love and acceptance of self, warts and all as well as love and acceptance of others....warts and all. I have found that first you have to love, accept and be able to laugh at yourself, only then can you truly approach others or any problems with an open mind and a loving heart.
“You have heard the Christians say much concerning the teachings of Jesus, but how many have you seen follow them? So I say to you that Christianity, as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross. Even his own disciples were more concerned with their self-images and self-importance.”
I was raised Christian. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. German-Americans. Maybe this means something to you. Maybe it doesn't. Of all the Christian religions, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is the absolute farthest from anything close to paganism. When I was young, which I freely admit was a while ago, these Lutherans considered the Catholic Church's use of saints, pagan. Yep. Really. "There is one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ." Praying to saints may as well have been praying to Diana. I attended Lutheran Grade School with an hour of religion every day. I attended Sunday School. I attended catechism for 2 hours every Saturday for the year before my 14th birthday. I attended a Lutheran High School with an hour of religion every day. I know my bible. I know all the bible stories. I love learning. I liked religion class. I made my teachers and pastors crazy with probing questions that even they knew they weren't able to really answer the way the Church wanted them to answer. The only time I was ever kicked out of class was a religion class where I kept hammering a teacher when he knew that every time I asked him a question he was digging his hole even deeper. And he knew that I knew. I took a course called “The Bible as Literature” in college, figuring it for any easy class with my background, but also hoping for another way to view the "good book". It was an excellent class.
So, with all that, here is what I know. If you really look at ONLY the teachings of Jesus there is very little in conflict with most pagan religions. It is only when the Old Testament and the New Testament teachings of Paul get mixed in that the real problems begin. And the longer there is Christianity the more mixed in and mixed up it all gets then the worse it seems to be able to get. When I first read this section of Aradia’s words, I totally got what Aradia was saying. What I thought was: "You go Aradia". Finally some pagan said what needed to be said about how many Pagans feel regarding the effects of organized Christianity. But now that I am 15 years a strega and have the strength of my own path to lean on, I am willing to say that "Christianity as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross" is no longer, in my experience, completely accurate. I've known Christians who followed Jesus teachings, who could be open and respectful. Sadly not many, but enough.
“The Christians say that we are evil and dangerous, but who is more so? “
Look at all the harm that the Catholic Church did to indigenous peoples of the New World. Look seriously at the history of the Church Catholic and then Protestants in the Old World. There are many abuses, much which was/is political and power-based in nature and that has absolutely nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Look at the damage done because of the insistence, driven by "Christian morals" on abstinence only approach to pregnancy and AIDS prevention. Look at the damage done to women by the Adam and Eve story and the Old Testament teachings that women are evil and how sin came into the world and for which they are destined to suffer. I could go on, but won’t because it still can raise my blood pressure.
“They believe the world will end and teach others concerning this, speaking of destruction which their God will bring. The mind has great power, and many minds of one belief have much power (even to accomplish great destruction). So I say to you that there shall indeed be a time of sorrow.”
Aradia acknowledges the power of "prayer" and common vision. And shows us that it can be dangerous and will lead to problems and that we should acknowledge and respect this and be prepared for this.
“But out of the ashes shall arise the new World of Reason. For the Great Ones shall use this to fulfill the Plan, through the teachings of the Daughter.”
Paganism, Stregheria teaches balance and the wheel always turns. So Aradia indicates that we should have hope. Some might say that she foretells of a backlash against Christianity. Are we finally beginning to see this? I think we should hope for and strive for a better future based on ways different from those we have seen the masses, Christians and others, follow. As Aradia says: "the mind has great power and many minds of one belief have much power". This is true for Pagans as well as for Christians.
“There shall never be peace between our religions, for they ever strive against us. “
Christians are charged with proselytizing. It is their duty to try to convert others to their way, the one true way. This more than any other belief is what will always cause them to "strive against us" and this more that any other Christian idea is what prevents peace. We, as Pagans, must simply understand this, accept this and be true to our own beliefs. I have found that if I go out of my way not to use specific pagan terms, but instead respond truthfully and generically that many times Christians will actually agree with me. Do I believe in the power of prayer (the mind has great power)? You bet. Do I believe in original sin? No, I don't. Having looked down on my newborn daughter it is impossible to believe that she was born sinful and in need of cleansing. The newly born are as close to perfection as physical human beings get. They can talk until they are blue in the face. I let them. But when I comment on how I felt about my newborn, what can they say? Children are born evil!?!! Please. If they insist and get worked up most folks will think them the ones who are a little off. I don't fight back. I just agree to disagree and smile. Do you believe in God? Sure. I don't need to elaborate. They believe in a deity. I believe in deity. Unlike Christians I do not think there is only one way to connect with deity. The key is to avoid giving them any hook, handle or solid footing with which to work on converting you. Find the places you can agree. Especially when you will probably never see them again. If you will see them again, for instance they are family, then it is even more important to find the places you can agree. Once you establish where you are the same... and you are the same in many places if you look at it the right way, then you build a foundation to maybe, one day, have a conversation about the more challenging stuff. Pagans have no need to "convert" anyone to our beliefs. So when Christians push, the key is NOT to push back.
“It is useless to attempt to reason with them, for they have never been know or their ability to reason. They choose to have faith in place of understanding.”
Now either Aradia got a really good dig in here (and I must say 15 years ago this line really made me smile and say "Yes!") or she is trying to get us to see that a Christian's approach to things spiritual is different. As Streghe we believe that "Nature is the Great Teacher". This causes us to be open, to really look at things, to ask questions, to wonder, to seek. This is very different from the Christian approach that you "must have faith" and "believe". These approaches are opposite ends of the spectrum and that is what makes "reasoning" with Christians difficult. These are the same reasons why Christians can find it difficult to find agreement and alignment with science.
“Therefore it is best to avoid them so as not to anger them. For anger always follows lack of understanding. “
For folks raised as Christians who have found Paganism to be their true home, this is really healthy advice. I remember being angry with what I was taught and how it caused me to live my life and how judged and harmed by these approaches I felt I had been. I didn't understand how “they” could be "that way". This made me angry. Because I was angry, and because I knew so much scripture that I could throw back at them, I could very easily make them angry. And to what end? What good would it really do anyone? Avoidance was easier. Avoidance allowed me to grow in my new path and heal from my early indoctrination. Not everyone is in a position to really avoid all Christians. My advice instead is to avoid the confrontation, avoid the topics that will cause the confrontation and focus on finding the places where you can agree whenever possible. Another option when pressed on your feelings or faith is to say thoughtfully, that you've thought about it but you are not sure. Sometimes this is difficult. Especially when you are sure of your beliefs. But remember where we started this post: "only by love".
“Remember also the time of persecution to come and reveal nothing to them that shall harm our people or our ways.”
And the always available option is to say nothing. Don't cop to being pagan with a Christian. What good does it really do for you or for them or for the relationship you may need to have with them? Our ways are different. Period. Look to nature and see all the different things that share the world. Christians and Pagans can as well.
“It is sad that our ways of spirit cannot extend to, nor be shared with the Christians.”
Yes it is sad that our ways of spirit can not be shared openly with Christians. But I have found that we can, for the most part, peacefully coexist. Until the wheel turns.
“You have heard the Christians say that only through Jesus Christ can you enter into the Great Realm. So I tell you that Jesus was the spirit of love, and only by love may you enter in.”
I think it is important that Aradia starts with this sentence. It should color everything that follows. Only through love can you enter the Great Realm.... or touch the Divine. This means love and acceptance of self, warts and all as well as love and acceptance of others....warts and all. I have found that first you have to love, accept and be able to laugh at yourself, only then can you truly approach others or any problems with an open mind and a loving heart.
“You have heard the Christians say much concerning the teachings of Jesus, but how many have you seen follow them? So I say to you that Christianity, as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross. Even his own disciples were more concerned with their self-images and self-importance.”
I was raised Christian. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. German-Americans. Maybe this means something to you. Maybe it doesn't. Of all the Christian religions, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is the absolute farthest from anything close to paganism. When I was young, which I freely admit was a while ago, these Lutherans considered the Catholic Church's use of saints, pagan. Yep. Really. "There is one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ." Praying to saints may as well have been praying to Diana. I attended Lutheran Grade School with an hour of religion every day. I attended Sunday School. I attended catechism for 2 hours every Saturday for the year before my 14th birthday. I attended a Lutheran High School with an hour of religion every day. I know my bible. I know all the bible stories. I love learning. I liked religion class. I made my teachers and pastors crazy with probing questions that even they knew they weren't able to really answer the way the Church wanted them to answer. The only time I was ever kicked out of class was a religion class where I kept hammering a teacher when he knew that every time I asked him a question he was digging his hole even deeper. And he knew that I knew. I took a course called “The Bible as Literature” in college, figuring it for any easy class with my background, but also hoping for another way to view the "good book". It was an excellent class.
So, with all that, here is what I know. If you really look at ONLY the teachings of Jesus there is very little in conflict with most pagan religions. It is only when the Old Testament and the New Testament teachings of Paul get mixed in that the real problems begin. And the longer there is Christianity the more mixed in and mixed up it all gets then the worse it seems to be able to get. When I first read this section of Aradia’s words, I totally got what Aradia was saying. What I thought was: "You go Aradia". Finally some pagan said what needed to be said about how many Pagans feel regarding the effects of organized Christianity. But now that I am 15 years a strega and have the strength of my own path to lean on, I am willing to say that "Christianity as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross" is no longer, in my experience, completely accurate. I've known Christians who followed Jesus teachings, who could be open and respectful. Sadly not many, but enough.
“The Christians say that we are evil and dangerous, but who is more so? “
Look at all the harm that the Catholic Church did to indigenous peoples of the New World. Look seriously at the history of the Church Catholic and then Protestants in the Old World. There are many abuses, much which was/is political and power-based in nature and that has absolutely nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Look at the damage done because of the insistence, driven by "Christian morals" on abstinence only approach to pregnancy and AIDS prevention. Look at the damage done to women by the Adam and Eve story and the Old Testament teachings that women are evil and how sin came into the world and for which they are destined to suffer. I could go on, but won’t because it still can raise my blood pressure.
“They believe the world will end and teach others concerning this, speaking of destruction which their God will bring. The mind has great power, and many minds of one belief have much power (even to accomplish great destruction). So I say to you that there shall indeed be a time of sorrow.”
Aradia acknowledges the power of "prayer" and common vision. And shows us that it can be dangerous and will lead to problems and that we should acknowledge and respect this and be prepared for this.
“But out of the ashes shall arise the new World of Reason. For the Great Ones shall use this to fulfill the Plan, through the teachings of the Daughter.”
Paganism, Stregheria teaches balance and the wheel always turns. So Aradia indicates that we should have hope. Some might say that she foretells of a backlash against Christianity. Are we finally beginning to see this? I think we should hope for and strive for a better future based on ways different from those we have seen the masses, Christians and others, follow. As Aradia says: "the mind has great power and many minds of one belief have much power". This is true for Pagans as well as for Christians.
“There shall never be peace between our religions, for they ever strive against us. “
Christians are charged with proselytizing. It is their duty to try to convert others to their way, the one true way. This more than any other belief is what will always cause them to "strive against us" and this more that any other Christian idea is what prevents peace. We, as Pagans, must simply understand this, accept this and be true to our own beliefs. I have found that if I go out of my way not to use specific pagan terms, but instead respond truthfully and generically that many times Christians will actually agree with me. Do I believe in the power of prayer (the mind has great power)? You bet. Do I believe in original sin? No, I don't. Having looked down on my newborn daughter it is impossible to believe that she was born sinful and in need of cleansing. The newly born are as close to perfection as physical human beings get. They can talk until they are blue in the face. I let them. But when I comment on how I felt about my newborn, what can they say? Children are born evil!?!! Please. If they insist and get worked up most folks will think them the ones who are a little off. I don't fight back. I just agree to disagree and smile. Do you believe in God? Sure. I don't need to elaborate. They believe in a deity. I believe in deity. Unlike Christians I do not think there is only one way to connect with deity. The key is to avoid giving them any hook, handle or solid footing with which to work on converting you. Find the places you can agree. Especially when you will probably never see them again. If you will see them again, for instance they are family, then it is even more important to find the places you can agree. Once you establish where you are the same... and you are the same in many places if you look at it the right way, then you build a foundation to maybe, one day, have a conversation about the more challenging stuff. Pagans have no need to "convert" anyone to our beliefs. So when Christians push, the key is NOT to push back.
“It is useless to attempt to reason with them, for they have never been know or their ability to reason. They choose to have faith in place of understanding.”
Now either Aradia got a really good dig in here (and I must say 15 years ago this line really made me smile and say "Yes!") or she is trying to get us to see that a Christian's approach to things spiritual is different. As Streghe we believe that "Nature is the Great Teacher". This causes us to be open, to really look at things, to ask questions, to wonder, to seek. This is very different from the Christian approach that you "must have faith" and "believe". These approaches are opposite ends of the spectrum and that is what makes "reasoning" with Christians difficult. These are the same reasons why Christians can find it difficult to find agreement and alignment with science.
“Therefore it is best to avoid them so as not to anger them. For anger always follows lack of understanding. “
For folks raised as Christians who have found Paganism to be their true home, this is really healthy advice. I remember being angry with what I was taught and how it caused me to live my life and how judged and harmed by these approaches I felt I had been. I didn't understand how “they” could be "that way". This made me angry. Because I was angry, and because I knew so much scripture that I could throw back at them, I could very easily make them angry. And to what end? What good would it really do anyone? Avoidance was easier. Avoidance allowed me to grow in my new path and heal from my early indoctrination. Not everyone is in a position to really avoid all Christians. My advice instead is to avoid the confrontation, avoid the topics that will cause the confrontation and focus on finding the places where you can agree whenever possible. Another option when pressed on your feelings or faith is to say thoughtfully, that you've thought about it but you are not sure. Sometimes this is difficult. Especially when you are sure of your beliefs. But remember where we started this post: "only by love".
“Remember also the time of persecution to come and reveal nothing to them that shall harm our people or our ways.”
And the always available option is to say nothing. Don't cop to being pagan with a Christian. What good does it really do for you or for them or for the relationship you may need to have with them? Our ways are different. Period. Look to nature and see all the different things that share the world. Christians and Pagans can as well.
“It is sad that our ways of spirit cannot extend to, nor be shared with the Christians.”
Yes it is sad that our ways of spirit can not be shared openly with Christians. But I have found that we can, for the most part, peacefully coexist. Until the wheel turns.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Black Madonnas, Starbird & our prophecies
I've been reading Black Madonnas: Feminism, Religion and Politics in Italy and it is interesting and I am not finished but I reached a point where the author was talking about black and the goddess and ancient civilizations and the soil and I well I had to stop because it irritated me that after 5 chapters that not once had the author mentioned anything about one of the significant theories regarding Black Madonnas - the possibility that these Madonnas are associated with a historical remembrance of Mary Magdalen's escaped to Europe with her female child. Ms Birnbaum has apparently started with an assumption and began weaving Italian tendencies (which I believe do stem from a connection to our ancient more balanced God/Goddess past) but it in a bit of a wild and reaching way. I'm not saying that she is all wrong. But I don't think her basic starting premise of ancient earth goddesses from Africa, India, etc are the primary reason behind all Black Madonnas.
Reading Black Madonnas by Lucia Chaivalo Birnbaum made me think about another book I'd seen and now have just completely finished reading, one by Margaret Starbird. "Woman with the Alabaster Jar". I think this woman has captured the truth. If you read or saw the DaVinci Code you know what she's talking about. BUT she is a Christian and where she ended up isn't where she started. She had to fight her way to the truth. She has a section on Tarot Cards (and an expanded book on Tarot that I have not read) that is the absolutely bar none BEST explanation for how Tarot came about. There are links to the pagan past in the existence of the Black Madonnas, but the pagan past is not the primary reason for black madonnas.
In 1989 I went to France and visited a lot of paleolithic sites including Lascaux and Les Eyzies, my primary reason for going. But while there I also visited Rocamadour and was drawn while there to light a candle at the Black Madonna shrine asking specifically to be reunited with the man who is now my husband. This was before I "found" Stregheria. After reading Margaret Starbird's book it seems I couldn't have asked for a better intercessor than the Black Madonna, who is not the Virgin Mary but Mary Magdalen, Jesus' lost bride. What I like about this book is that the author didn't start with a premise and fit the facts around it (like Birnbaum), she actually started looking for ways to reject a premise only to have many things weave together in a such a way that she had to end up where she did.
I've also read a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman who was incredibly ahead of her time. Eleanor was from that part of France that had a strong link to the feminine and females with more power than anyone else anywhere in Europe at the time. Starbird's book provides a historical background for why things where like they were in this part of France and the history all fits together quite nicely.
I'm going to go back and finish Birnbaum's book, but I don't think that I will put it on my recommended reading list. Starbird, on the other hand, even with her essentially Christian bent, is VERY aligned with our prophecies. If Christians start thinking like she does we may have to place an addendum on Aradia's Words Concerning Christianity.
Reading Black Madonnas by Lucia Chaivalo Birnbaum made me think about another book I'd seen and now have just completely finished reading, one by Margaret Starbird. "Woman with the Alabaster Jar". I think this woman has captured the truth. If you read or saw the DaVinci Code you know what she's talking about. BUT she is a Christian and where she ended up isn't where she started. She had to fight her way to the truth. She has a section on Tarot Cards (and an expanded book on Tarot that I have not read) that is the absolutely bar none BEST explanation for how Tarot came about. There are links to the pagan past in the existence of the Black Madonnas, but the pagan past is not the primary reason for black madonnas.
In 1989 I went to France and visited a lot of paleolithic sites including Lascaux and Les Eyzies, my primary reason for going. But while there I also visited Rocamadour and was drawn while there to light a candle at the Black Madonna shrine asking specifically to be reunited with the man who is now my husband. This was before I "found" Stregheria. After reading Margaret Starbird's book it seems I couldn't have asked for a better intercessor than the Black Madonna, who is not the Virgin Mary but Mary Magdalen, Jesus' lost bride. What I like about this book is that the author didn't start with a premise and fit the facts around it (like Birnbaum), she actually started looking for ways to reject a premise only to have many things weave together in a such a way that she had to end up where she did.
I've also read a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman who was incredibly ahead of her time. Eleanor was from that part of France that had a strong link to the feminine and females with more power than anyone else anywhere in Europe at the time. Starbird's book provides a historical background for why things where like they were in this part of France and the history all fits together quite nicely.
I'm going to go back and finish Birnbaum's book, but I don't think that I will put it on my recommended reading list. Starbird, on the other hand, even with her essentially Christian bent, is VERY aligned with our prophecies. If Christians start thinking like she does we may have to place an addendum on Aradia's Words Concerning Christianity.
Words of Aradia: Concerning the Prophecies
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
Now it shall come to pass that our ways will no longer be mere heresy in the eyes of the Church. But they shall make our practices an evil things, and they shall seek to destroy us. So shall they steal independence from the people, and make them dependent upon the Church and its priests.
When the Pope shall come again into Rome and establish his power anew, then shall you know the first of all sorrows. With this shall the eyes and ears of all the Churches be upon our ways. And they shall make strict laws against us. Then shall come great sorrows, for they will openly hunt us down and slay us. In their prisons shall they torture us and create all manners of lies, forcing us to bear witness to all they say.
Not shall this time pass quickly, for the Church shall grow in power. But their time of power shall not last, for the Age of the Son will pass away and the Age of the Daughter shall come upon the world in all its glory.
Now when the Age of the Daughter shall come, then shall reason be restored and the world shall be complete.
To herald the coming of the Daughter, and to keep it remembered upon the Earth there shall arise a prophet. And a prophet shall come among the people every two hundred years, that our ways shall not be forgotten.
Then when the Age is near there shall be an awakening in the awareness of women, and their wills shall be asserted. Laws will then change and women shall walk in the ways of men. And the followers of the Old Religion shall receive a sign, for the last of the laws which persecute us shall vanish. In that year my prophet will be born, and will prepare the way for She is will come. This prophet shall be a teacher of the Old Ways whom many will call the Silent Prophet.
When the Age of the Daughter replaces that of the Son, then shall the Daughter appear and establish her power. And she shall be thirty-six at this time. Such changes will occur in the Earth, which the people of that time have never seen before. And there shall be upheaval and renewal. Out of the ashes shall arise the new world of reason.
People shall no longer be ruled by governments. Nor shall one people oppress another. There shall be no rulers, but only teachers and counselors. No one shall possess power over another, not shall anyone restrict or control any other person.
The Earth shall be of one people, and they shall all live under the emanating rays of love, peace, and reason.
Now it shall come to pass that our ways will no longer be mere heresy in the eyes of the Church. But they shall make our practices an evil things, and they shall seek to destroy us. So shall they steal independence from the people, and make them dependent upon the Church and its priests.
When the Pope shall come again into Rome and establish his power anew, then shall you know the first of all sorrows. With this shall the eyes and ears of all the Churches be upon our ways. And they shall make strict laws against us. Then shall come great sorrows, for they will openly hunt us down and slay us. In their prisons shall they torture us and create all manners of lies, forcing us to bear witness to all they say.
Not shall this time pass quickly, for the Church shall grow in power. But their time of power shall not last, for the Age of the Son will pass away and the Age of the Daughter shall come upon the world in all its glory.
Now when the Age of the Daughter shall come, then shall reason be restored and the world shall be complete.
To herald the coming of the Daughter, and to keep it remembered upon the Earth there shall arise a prophet. And a prophet shall come among the people every two hundred years, that our ways shall not be forgotten.
Then when the Age is near there shall be an awakening in the awareness of women, and their wills shall be asserted. Laws will then change and women shall walk in the ways of men. And the followers of the Old Religion shall receive a sign, for the last of the laws which persecute us shall vanish. In that year my prophet will be born, and will prepare the way for She is will come. This prophet shall be a teacher of the Old Ways whom many will call the Silent Prophet.
When the Age of the Daughter replaces that of the Son, then shall the Daughter appear and establish her power. And she shall be thirty-six at this time. Such changes will occur in the Earth, which the people of that time have never seen before. And there shall be upheaval and renewal. Out of the ashes shall arise the new world of reason.
People shall no longer be ruled by governments. Nor shall one people oppress another. There shall be no rulers, but only teachers and counselors. No one shall possess power over another, not shall anyone restrict or control any other person.
The Earth shall be of one people, and they shall all live under the emanating rays of love, peace, and reason.
Words of Aradia: Concerning Christianity
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
You have heard the Christians say that only through Jesus Christ can you enter into the Great Realm. So I tell you that Jesus was the spirit of love, and only by love may you enter in.
You have heard the Christians say much concerning the teachings of Jesus, but how many have you seen follow them? So I say to you that Christianity, as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross. Even his own disciples were more concerned with their self-images and self importance.
The Christians say that we are evil and dangerous, but who is more so? They believe the world will end, and teach others concerning this, speaking of the destruction which their god will bring. The mind has great power, and many minds of one belief have much power (even to accomplish a great destruction). So I say to you that there shall indeed be this time of sorrow. But out of the ashes shall arise the new World of Reason. For the Great Ones shall use this to fulfill the plan, through the teachings of the Daughter.
There shall never be peach between our religions, for they ever strive against us. It is useless to attempt to reason with them, for they have never been known for their ability to reason. They choose to have faith in place of understanding.
Therefore it is best to avoid them so as not to anger them. For anger always follows lack of understanding. Remember also the time of persecution to come, and reveal nothing to them that shall harm our people or our ways.
It is sad that our ways of spirit cannot be extended to, nor shared with, the Christians.
You have heard the Christians say that only through Jesus Christ can you enter into the Great Realm. So I tell you that Jesus was the spirit of love, and only by love may you enter in.
You have heard the Christians say much concerning the teachings of Jesus, but how many have you seen follow them? So I say to you that Christianity, as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross. Even his own disciples were more concerned with their self-images and self importance.
The Christians say that we are evil and dangerous, but who is more so? They believe the world will end, and teach others concerning this, speaking of the destruction which their god will bring. The mind has great power, and many minds of one belief have much power (even to accomplish a great destruction). So I say to you that there shall indeed be this time of sorrow. But out of the ashes shall arise the new World of Reason. For the Great Ones shall use this to fulfill the plan, through the teachings of the Daughter.
There shall never be peach between our religions, for they ever strive against us. It is useless to attempt to reason with them, for they have never been known for their ability to reason. They choose to have faith in place of understanding.
Therefore it is best to avoid them so as not to anger them. For anger always follows lack of understanding. Remember also the time of persecution to come, and reveal nothing to them that shall harm our people or our ways.
It is sad that our ways of spirit cannot be extended to, nor shared with, the Christians.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Nose Twitching @ Spring Equinox
For Streghe the Spring Equinox is one of the points on the Wheel of the Year where your magic can get an extra boost. Magical seeds planted at the Spring Equinox come to fruition by the Fall Equinox.
Part of the ritual calls for a blessing of the seeds. A pouch can be created combining soil, blessed seeds and wine. After the pouch is created it can be hung from a tree for a good hunt or planted in the ground for a good harvest. Or create 2 pouches and do both.
Streghe also have a tradition of doing no more than 3 works of magic at a Treguenda or Veglione.
I did my 3 works of magic for the Spring Equinox and also planted one pouch and hung another from a tree in my backyard to better empower the magical workings.
One of the works of magic was associated with giving us the strength to only use the credit card for those things we NEED and to successfully and quickly pay off the balance.
For anyone who has kids that you will one day want to send to college (or even if you want to go yourself) I highly recommend a UPromise Credit Card. I have one. With all the country's financial crisis mess my current UPromise card is switching from being a Citibank Credit Card to a Bank of America Credit Card. The change over date is March 31. So we got new cards to replace the old ones. I used these new cards in my magic work.
The old card stopped working the day after my magical workings and the new card won't work until March 31st. This meant 2 days without being able to use the card. No big deal really, except that because of how the Upromise Card works (the more you spend on it AND PAY OFF the more money goes in your 529 Account) we got used to using it for the basics like gas for the vehicles and groceries. I think the Gods are telling us we may have gotten a little too used to it.
It seems as if the Gods would prefer for us to use the Debit Card for more purchases. So now that's what we'll do. Since 2 days have already made me more aware of patterns and assumptions, I'm thinking we need at least 6 months.
Extra boost indeed.
As with all magic, be careful what you ask for.
Part of the ritual calls for a blessing of the seeds. A pouch can be created combining soil, blessed seeds and wine. After the pouch is created it can be hung from a tree for a good hunt or planted in the ground for a good harvest. Or create 2 pouches and do both.
Streghe also have a tradition of doing no more than 3 works of magic at a Treguenda or Veglione.
I did my 3 works of magic for the Spring Equinox and also planted one pouch and hung another from a tree in my backyard to better empower the magical workings.
One of the works of magic was associated with giving us the strength to only use the credit card for those things we NEED and to successfully and quickly pay off the balance.
For anyone who has kids that you will one day want to send to college (or even if you want to go yourself) I highly recommend a UPromise Credit Card. I have one. With all the country's financial crisis mess my current UPromise card is switching from being a Citibank Credit Card to a Bank of America Credit Card. The change over date is March 31. So we got new cards to replace the old ones. I used these new cards in my magic work.
The old card stopped working the day after my magical workings and the new card won't work until March 31st. This meant 2 days without being able to use the card. No big deal really, except that because of how the Upromise Card works (the more you spend on it AND PAY OFF the more money goes in your 529 Account) we got used to using it for the basics like gas for the vehicles and groceries. I think the Gods are telling us we may have gotten a little too used to it.
It seems as if the Gods would prefer for us to use the Debit Card for more purchases. So now that's what we'll do. Since 2 days have already made me more aware of patterns and assumptions, I'm thinking we need at least 6 months.
Extra boost indeed.
As with all magic, be careful what you ask for.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Psychics and learning to listen
Apparently the recession is good for psychics.
The article was published in the Boston Globe March 1st, but didn't make it to the Times Picayune until March 29th.
Not everyone is a believer.
But if you are reading this blog you probably have some personal experience with the psychic. You may have even worked with Tarot Cards yourself or had a reading.
One of the things I had to learn as I began to walk the path of a Witch and a Strega, was to listen to more than just the vibrations my ears can pick up. Since I started this blog it looks like I've posted at least twice on picking up a psychic message; Once last Fall and once this Spring.
Learning how to listen is not easy. As moderns we are trained to look for answers from outside of ourselves. If we want to know what the weather will be like today we turn on the weather channel. It's pretty rare these days for folks to wonder about the weather and then open the door step out and feel the actual the weather. We are inundated with information from the radio and the TV and the newspaper and the Internet. But this is only data folks. This is not knowledge. Not "knowing".
One of the things that Tarot Cards do for us is help us to stop and focus on what is right in front of us. Part of this is the actual the cards themselves and their symbology, but this can also be a way to learn to listen. Listen to the question. Look at the Cards and listen for the answer. Pulling out the cards, shuffling them, turning them over and reading them creates a mini-ritual that can set you up to Be Still and Listen. Tarot can be a training tool but only if we don't work the process too hard. In the end it is the listening that will matter most.
You can only learn how to listen AFTER you have learned how to be still. Meditation is a simple ritualized way to learn how to be still. But Ritual, Veglione & Treguenda, also provide you with a tried and true way to Be Still and Listen. It can be hard in the modern world to set aside time to actually do all the smells and bells associated with a ritual. But it has been my experience that doing the actual ritual at the appointed times helps mightily with learning how to be still and listen. The rituals open the pathways for the psychic messages to come through even when you aren't in circle. For Streghe, the Lasa/Lare Shrine is another way to regularly be still and listen.
It is Spring and the world is waking up. Step outside. Be Still and Listen. Be your own psychic.
The article was published in the Boston Globe March 1st, but didn't make it to the Times Picayune until March 29th.
Not everyone is a believer.
But if you are reading this blog you probably have some personal experience with the psychic. You may have even worked with Tarot Cards yourself or had a reading.
One of the things I had to learn as I began to walk the path of a Witch and a Strega, was to listen to more than just the vibrations my ears can pick up. Since I started this blog it looks like I've posted at least twice on picking up a psychic message; Once last Fall and once this Spring.
Learning how to listen is not easy. As moderns we are trained to look for answers from outside of ourselves. If we want to know what the weather will be like today we turn on the weather channel. It's pretty rare these days for folks to wonder about the weather and then open the door step out and feel the actual the weather. We are inundated with information from the radio and the TV and the newspaper and the Internet. But this is only data folks. This is not knowledge. Not "knowing".
One of the things that Tarot Cards do for us is help us to stop and focus on what is right in front of us. Part of this is the actual the cards themselves and their symbology, but this can also be a way to learn to listen. Listen to the question. Look at the Cards and listen for the answer. Pulling out the cards, shuffling them, turning them over and reading them creates a mini-ritual that can set you up to Be Still and Listen. Tarot can be a training tool but only if we don't work the process too hard. In the end it is the listening that will matter most.
You can only learn how to listen AFTER you have learned how to be still. Meditation is a simple ritualized way to learn how to be still. But Ritual, Veglione & Treguenda, also provide you with a tried and true way to Be Still and Listen. It can be hard in the modern world to set aside time to actually do all the smells and bells associated with a ritual. But it has been my experience that doing the actual ritual at the appointed times helps mightily with learning how to be still and listen. The rituals open the pathways for the psychic messages to come through even when you aren't in circle. For Streghe, the Lasa/Lare Shrine is another way to regularly be still and listen.
It is Spring and the world is waking up. Step outside. Be Still and Listen. Be your own psychic.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pagan links to Easter
If you are a Pagan with children it is very hard to argue with the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. I don't try. As a scientist I made absolutely certain that my daughter understood, as early as 5, the physical science aspects of Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice, Spring Equinox & Fall Equinox. But we always have a "Christmas" Tree and the Easter Bunny always comes to our house. When children are very young, spring is about simple things like flowers blooming or stinging catepillars on oak trees. But we swim in a cultural stream that is affected by history: hidden (and not so hidden) Pagan history, Christian history, Jewish history, so the Easter Basket and the Easter Bunny is part of what we do.
The Christian celebration of Easter is a "moveable feast". A moveable feast is a religious holiday that falls on different dates in different years. Full Moon rituals.... moveable feasts. Not that the kids will get these off as religious holidays. Well you could try but, me personally, I am not willing to stick my neck out quite that far. Children to protect.
Easter is officially the first Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox. Unless the first Sunday falls on a Full Moon, then it is the following Sunday.
No, I am not making this up. There are a couple of great articles explaining the detail in the reasoning for setting the date of Easter. Also check out this link. Even when the Christians agree about celebrating Easter they continue to quibble about the exact date. New Orleanians don't quibble because Easter sets the date for the more important moveable feast of Mardi Gras.
So as a pagan parent my recommendation is to teach your children about the science behind the Solstices & the Equinoxes. Make sure that you mark these days as special. Then don't fight the Easter Bunny but use the Spring Equinox as the time to when we should start appreciating the signs of Spring and keep look out for the Easter Bunny.
The Christian celebration of Easter is a "moveable feast". A moveable feast is a religious holiday that falls on different dates in different years. Full Moon rituals.... moveable feasts. Not that the kids will get these off as religious holidays. Well you could try but, me personally, I am not willing to stick my neck out quite that far. Children to protect.
Easter is officially the first Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox. Unless the first Sunday falls on a Full Moon, then it is the following Sunday.
No, I am not making this up. There are a couple of great articles explaining the detail in the reasoning for setting the date of Easter. Also check out this link. Even when the Christians agree about celebrating Easter they continue to quibble about the exact date. New Orleanians don't quibble because Easter sets the date for the more important moveable feast of Mardi Gras.
So as a pagan parent my recommendation is to teach your children about the science behind the Solstices & the Equinoxes. Make sure that you mark these days as special. Then don't fight the Easter Bunny but use the Spring Equinox as the time to when we should start appreciating the signs of Spring and keep look out for the Easter Bunny.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Basic Tenants of Belief
The tenants below are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
We believe that the Source of All Things (The Great Spirit) is both masculine and feminine in nature.
We beleive that humans bear the Divine Spark of their Creator within themselves (soul/spirit) and that we are actually spiritual beings who are temporarily encased in physical matter.
We believe in reincarnation and view it as a process for spiritual liberation from the physical dimension.
We believe in psychic ablities and the supernatural as normal conditions which have been supressed by Judaic/Christian Culture, but can be restored through practice of the Old Ways.
We beleive in Magick as a manifestation of energy that is directed by the mind through various ancient techniques.
We believe in spiritual worlds and spirit beings.
We believe in the Law of Action and Reaction, and that what we do affects others, and what others do affects us. Therefore we strive to live in peace with those around us.
We believe in karma, meaning we believe in responsibility and consequences.
We believe in love, life and harmony as the spiritual foundation of our ways.
We believe in the expression of religious beliefs through rituals and festivals.
We believe in Earth Energy, meaning we acknowledge places of natural power existing upon the planet. We hold that the same is true for other natural objects.
We believe in a positive Afterlife and a successful spiritual evolution.
We believe that everything in Nature is of equal importance. Everything is linked and entwined beyond separation.
We believe that the Source of All Things (The Great Spirit) is both masculine and feminine in nature.
We beleive that humans bear the Divine Spark of their Creator within themselves (soul/spirit) and that we are actually spiritual beings who are temporarily encased in physical matter.
We believe in reincarnation and view it as a process for spiritual liberation from the physical dimension.
We believe in psychic ablities and the supernatural as normal conditions which have been supressed by Judaic/Christian Culture, but can be restored through practice of the Old Ways.
We beleive in Magick as a manifestation of energy that is directed by the mind through various ancient techniques.
We believe in spiritual worlds and spirit beings.
We believe in the Law of Action and Reaction, and that what we do affects others, and what others do affects us. Therefore we strive to live in peace with those around us.
We believe in karma, meaning we believe in responsibility and consequences.
We believe in love, life and harmony as the spiritual foundation of our ways.
We believe in the expression of religious beliefs through rituals and festivals.
We believe in Earth Energy, meaning we acknowledge places of natural power existing upon the planet. We hold that the same is true for other natural objects.
We believe in a positive Afterlife and a successful spiritual evolution.
We believe that everything in Nature is of equal importance. Everything is linked and entwined beyond separation.
Words of Aradia: Concerning the Gods
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
Know that the Gods need our worship even as we need food and drink. Do not think that they serve us, for we are their servants. Therefore do not bargain or demand through prayer or ritual. The gods shall provide that which is needed.
Do not blame the sorrows of life upon the gods. For it is humankind which creates the despair on Earth.
Do not doubt the reality of the gods, for they do exist and are many. They have been since long before people walked upon the Earth. Yet as we are capable of understanding them, they are no older than we. For they are not the personifications, nor the images we establish. But the gods do respond to us through these things. We are linked to them by virtue of our yearning toward a higher nature.
The gods are attracted to our rituals because of the sacred signs that we use, and because of our worship which is vitality. They are attracted by the ritual fires and incense and by the purity of our naked bodies. They give and take the vital essences that we both need, through the power that we raise.
Each god is like us for our ways are but reflections of theirs. Each god has likes and dislikes and must be approached in accordance. Each god is linked to the culture of the people who give worship to it and must be called by appropriate ties.
Yet beyond all this are the God and the Goddess who together are the One; herein does the true worship belong.
Know that the Gods need our worship even as we need food and drink. Do not think that they serve us, for we are their servants. Therefore do not bargain or demand through prayer or ritual. The gods shall provide that which is needed.
Do not blame the sorrows of life upon the gods. For it is humankind which creates the despair on Earth.
Do not doubt the reality of the gods, for they do exist and are many. They have been since long before people walked upon the Earth. Yet as we are capable of understanding them, they are no older than we. For they are not the personifications, nor the images we establish. But the gods do respond to us through these things. We are linked to them by virtue of our yearning toward a higher nature.
The gods are attracted to our rituals because of the sacred signs that we use, and because of our worship which is vitality. They are attracted by the ritual fires and incense and by the purity of our naked bodies. They give and take the vital essences that we both need, through the power that we raise.
Each god is like us for our ways are but reflections of theirs. Each god has likes and dislikes and must be approached in accordance. Each god is linked to the culture of the people who give worship to it and must be called by appropriate ties.
Yet beyond all this are the God and the Goddess who together are the One; herein does the true worship belong.
Words of Aradia: Concerning the Goddess
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
The Goddess is the life force in as much as she is the fertility in all things. It is through Her activity that we are born and that seeds push up through the Earth and grow into plants. She moves the God to create through His desire for Her.
The Goddess is the joy of life. She is the passion to live. Compassion, love, gentleness and kindness are the essence of Her spirit. All women carry the Goddess within them in various aspects and degrees.
Yet there is duality in all things, and the Goddess can manifest as sterility, vengeance and destruction. She is the Soul of Nature.
The Goddess rules the night and the Moon is Her symbol. All women are linked to Her through the Moon, which influences the flow of blood. The night is the essence of the mystery which all women possess. This is the elusive quality which all women bear, but which can never be known or touched upon.
The desire of men for women is the desire of the God for the Goddess. It is the attraction of the life force.
The Goddess is known as the Queen of Heaven. She is clothed in stars and wears a silver crown adorned with a crescent moon. She is the Earth Mother, clothed in green and endowed with large breasts the rise as rounded hills rise beyond the lush green meadows. She is pregnant with the Child of Life, which She bears each year. She is the Virgin Maiden, naked and beautiful. She is youth and lust for life. She is the Enchantress and Temptress. She is all women.
The Goddess does not accept live sacrifices as were given in ancient times. She is the Goddess of life and all living things. She demands respect for life. If you give offerings in Her honor, then better it be of fruits and grains, or things of beauty.
The Goddess is the Queen of all Strega, which She calls Her Hidden Children. We are Her servants; She is not ours. She gives us life and receives us in the Afterworld. She teaches us the ways of Nature and Spirit. She gives us power and magick. She reveals all mysteries and gives light unto the night. And to the wise She imparts Her sacred name.
The Goddess is the life force in as much as she is the fertility in all things. It is through Her activity that we are born and that seeds push up through the Earth and grow into plants. She moves the God to create through His desire for Her.
The Goddess is the joy of life. She is the passion to live. Compassion, love, gentleness and kindness are the essence of Her spirit. All women carry the Goddess within them in various aspects and degrees.
Yet there is duality in all things, and the Goddess can manifest as sterility, vengeance and destruction. She is the Soul of Nature.
The Goddess rules the night and the Moon is Her symbol. All women are linked to Her through the Moon, which influences the flow of blood. The night is the essence of the mystery which all women possess. This is the elusive quality which all women bear, but which can never be known or touched upon.
The desire of men for women is the desire of the God for the Goddess. It is the attraction of the life force.
The Goddess is known as the Queen of Heaven. She is clothed in stars and wears a silver crown adorned with a crescent moon. She is the Earth Mother, clothed in green and endowed with large breasts the rise as rounded hills rise beyond the lush green meadows. She is pregnant with the Child of Life, which She bears each year. She is the Virgin Maiden, naked and beautiful. She is youth and lust for life. She is the Enchantress and Temptress. She is all women.
The Goddess does not accept live sacrifices as were given in ancient times. She is the Goddess of life and all living things. She demands respect for life. If you give offerings in Her honor, then better it be of fruits and grains, or things of beauty.
The Goddess is the Queen of all Strega, which She calls Her Hidden Children. We are Her servants; She is not ours. She gives us life and receives us in the Afterworld. She teaches us the ways of Nature and Spirit. She gives us power and magick. She reveals all mysteries and gives light unto the night. And to the wise She imparts Her sacred name.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Words of Aradia: Concerning Nature
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
Nature is the Great Teacher. In Her are all things revealed. Nature reflects the Higher Ways of Spirit. The Creators established the Laws of Nature so that through them we might come to know the laws of the Great Ones. Therefore observe the ways of Nature around you both great and small. Everything has a purpose and reason. Be not confused by its seeming cruelty, for there is a duality in all things.
Respect Nature in all ways. Take only that which you must from Her, and remember nothing can be taken except that something be given. This is law for all Strega.
Know that the wind speaks of the knowledge of the Earth and the spirit of the kindrdeness of all living things emanates from everywhere.
Nature teaches all living things all that must be known. She teaches birds to make their nests, animals to hunt and survive, children to crawl and walk. She teaches life. Once She taught all people of Her ways, but they chose to go their own way. They chose to oppose and to control Her. But for Strega there can be no other way than Nature. A Strega must live in harmony with the Forces of Nature.
Nature is the Great Teacher. In Her are all things revealed. Nature reflects the Higher Ways of Spirit. The Creators established the Laws of Nature so that through them we might come to know the laws of the Great Ones. Therefore observe the ways of Nature around you both great and small. Everything has a purpose and reason. Be not confused by its seeming cruelty, for there is a duality in all things.
Respect Nature in all ways. Take only that which you must from Her, and remember nothing can be taken except that something be given. This is law for all Strega.
Know that the wind speaks of the knowledge of the Earth and the spirit of the kindrdeness of all living things emanates from everywhere.
Nature teaches all living things all that must be known. She teaches birds to make their nests, animals to hunt and survive, children to crawl and walk. She teaches life. Once She taught all people of Her ways, but they chose to go their own way. They chose to oppose and to control Her. But for Strega there can be no other way than Nature. A Strega must live in harmony with the Forces of Nature.
Covenant of Aradia
The Covenant of Aradia below is taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
The Covenant of Aradia
Observe the times of the sacred gatherings, for therein is the foundation of the powers of Stregheria.
When good is done to you, then do good to another. If someone wishes to repay you for a kindness, then bind them to go out of their way to help three others, then this shall clear the debt.
Do not use the arts of Stregheria to appear powerful among others. Do not lower the standards of the Art and thereby bring contempt upon the Old ways.
Do not take the life of anything unless it is to preserve life, yours or another's.
Do not give your word of honour lightly, for you are bound by your words and by your oaths.
Do not accept any authority over you unless it is of the Gods. Instead, cooperate with others but do not be a slave and always preserve your honour. Give respect to others and expect respect in return.
Teach all who appear worthy and aid the continuance of the Old Religion.
Do not belittle another's religious beliefs, but simply state your own truths. Strive to be at peace with those who differ.
Do not purposely cause harm to another, unless it is to prevent true harm to yourself or another.
Strive to be compassionate to others, and to be aware of the hearts and minds of those around you.
Be true to your own understanding and turn away from those things which oppose the good in you, or are harmful to you. Hold reverence to all within Nature. Destroy nothing, scar nothing, waste nothing, live in harmony with Nature, for the ways of Nature are our own ways.
Remain open in your heart and in your mind to the Great Ones who created all that is, and to your brothers and sisters alike.
The Covenant of Aradia
Observe the times of the sacred gatherings, for therein is the foundation of the powers of Stregheria.
When good is done to you, then do good to another. If someone wishes to repay you for a kindness, then bind them to go out of their way to help three others, then this shall clear the debt.
Do not use the arts of Stregheria to appear powerful among others. Do not lower the standards of the Art and thereby bring contempt upon the Old ways.
Do not take the life of anything unless it is to preserve life, yours or another's.
Do not give your word of honour lightly, for you are bound by your words and by your oaths.
Do not accept any authority over you unless it is of the Gods. Instead, cooperate with others but do not be a slave and always preserve your honour. Give respect to others and expect respect in return.
Teach all who appear worthy and aid the continuance of the Old Religion.
Do not belittle another's religious beliefs, but simply state your own truths. Strive to be at peace with those who differ.
Do not purposely cause harm to another, unless it is to prevent true harm to yourself or another.
Strive to be compassionate to others, and to be aware of the hearts and minds of those around you.
Be true to your own understanding and turn away from those things which oppose the good in you, or are harmful to you. Hold reverence to all within Nature. Destroy nothing, scar nothing, waste nothing, live in harmony with Nature, for the ways of Nature are our own ways.
Remain open in your heart and in your mind to the Great Ones who created all that is, and to your brothers and sisters alike.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Words of Aradia: Concerning Love
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
Love is the gift of the spirit's blessings. It is the emanation of spirit within. Love is the Great Attainment.
Receive love when it is offered, and offer love regardless. Yet do not allow the duality of love to cause you despair. For love can lift up you heart and it can likewise drag it down.
Accept love in the manner in which is comes to you. Do not possess it, or attempt to control it or shape it. For love is free and shall come or go in its manner.
Love is the gift of the spirit's blessings. It is the emanation of spirit within. Love is the Great Attainment.
Receive love when it is offered, and offer love regardless. Yet do not allow the duality of love to cause you despair. For love can lift up you heart and it can likewise drag it down.
Accept love in the manner in which is comes to you. Do not possess it, or attempt to control it or shape it. For love is free and shall come or go in its manner.
Words of Aradia: Concerning Sexuality
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
The sexual power of a man or a woman is the strongest power that may be raised from the body. The Christians teach that sexuality must be repressed, and thereby rob people of their personal power.
Do not be confused by the duality of sex, for it can be physical alone or it can be spiritual alone. It can also be both together.
Share your sexuality with whomever you may, in whatever manner you may. For all acts of love and pleasure are rituals to the Goddess and to the God.
It has been written that you shall be free, and so shall you be free in body, and mind and spirit.
Be not like the Christians who teach shame and modesty and false morality. Blessed are the free.
You have heard it said that homosexuality is unnatural, yet I say to you that heterosexuality is likewise unbalanced. Everything is masculine and feminine in essence, and all bear the divine spark of the God and Goddess within them. Realize this, and do not exalt the one above the other. A Strega must live with inner and outer harmony.
You have heard the Christians condemn adultery, and say that the spouse is the property of the other. Yet no one may rightly dictate the will of another. Do not confuse love with sex or sex with love.
Remember that pleasure belongs to everyone, and rightly so. Therefore harm no one through you own will, nor place you will above another's.
The sexual power of a man or a woman is the strongest power that may be raised from the body. The Christians teach that sexuality must be repressed, and thereby rob people of their personal power.
Do not be confused by the duality of sex, for it can be physical alone or it can be spiritual alone. It can also be both together.
Share your sexuality with whomever you may, in whatever manner you may. For all acts of love and pleasure are rituals to the Goddess and to the God.
It has been written that you shall be free, and so shall you be free in body, and mind and spirit.
Be not like the Christians who teach shame and modesty and false morality. Blessed are the free.
You have heard it said that homosexuality is unnatural, yet I say to you that heterosexuality is likewise unbalanced. Everything is masculine and feminine in essence, and all bear the divine spark of the God and Goddess within them. Realize this, and do not exalt the one above the other. A Strega must live with inner and outer harmony.
You have heard the Christians condemn adultery, and say that the spouse is the property of the other. Yet no one may rightly dictate the will of another. Do not confuse love with sex or sex with love.
Remember that pleasure belongs to everyone, and rightly so. Therefore harm no one through you own will, nor place you will above another's.
Words of Aradia: Concerning Marriage
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
When a man and a woman join their lives together through ritual, and the love which they share, then they are linked to each other in another life to come.
Yet being together, know that each of you must be alone. Understand that even though you are bound together, let this not be as captives.
There shall always be others with who each of you may desire to share a closeness, either physical or spiritual. This is as it should be. Let your love desire fullness of life for each other and also pleasure for each other. Honor each other with openness and honesty.
Because you have joined you lives together, you are sanctuary and comfort for each other. Together shall you stand in all things, for you are true friends.
You are together because of your love, and you remain for this reason. Yet if this reason for coming together is forgotten, or fades, then it is well to part if needs be such. You do not honor the joining by remaining without love. Neither do you honor each other.
When a man and a woman join their lives together through ritual, and the love which they share, then they are linked to each other in another life to come.
Yet being together, know that each of you must be alone. Understand that even though you are bound together, let this not be as captives.
There shall always be others with who each of you may desire to share a closeness, either physical or spiritual. This is as it should be. Let your love desire fullness of life for each other and also pleasure for each other. Honor each other with openness and honesty.
Because you have joined you lives together, you are sanctuary and comfort for each other. Together shall you stand in all things, for you are true friends.
You are together because of your love, and you remain for this reason. Yet if this reason for coming together is forgotten, or fades, then it is well to part if needs be such. You do not honor the joining by remaining without love. Neither do you honor each other.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Words of Aradia: Concerning the Earth
These words are taken from Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi:
The Earth is the nurturing power of the Mother. She nourishes us and from the soil She returns that which we sow. She gives us healing herbs and herbs by which we work our magick. The very Earth gives us life, without which we would perish.
There is a healing power in the Earth and a vital force. We know that a wounded animal will lay against the Earth to heal its wounds. They understand, and we are one with them through our religion.
I have taught you the secrets of the circle, for therein is the secret of the power of the Earth. Everything that the world does it does in a circle. The Earth teaches us the doctrine of Cycles. The Sun, the Moon, and the seasons come and go and return again and again. Even so it is with the cycles of our own lives. The Earth teaches us just as Nature does for they are one. Earth is the body and Nature is the Spirit.
We must live in harmony with the Earth and with Nature. To do otherwise is to court disaster. The forces of the Earth are greater than any power we can safely master. To strive against these forces is foolish.
Do nothing to the Earth that shall take away from the purpose it serves in Nature, for this is the natural balance. And the Earth shall always move against us to restore itself.
Is the tiller greater than the soil he till? Is the family greater than the crops they help grow? Is not the life within the soil, and within the crops, our own? How shall we be without them? What you do to the Earth you do to yourself.
Do not think that we are greater than the Earth, or than Nature. For surely they shall both crumble and dissolve all that we shall erect. And there shall be floods and earthquakes, and hostile weather to show us our errors and teach us perspective.
The Earth is the nurturing power of the Mother. She nourishes us and from the soil She returns that which we sow. She gives us healing herbs and herbs by which we work our magick. The very Earth gives us life, without which we would perish.
There is a healing power in the Earth and a vital force. We know that a wounded animal will lay against the Earth to heal its wounds. They understand, and we are one with them through our religion.
I have taught you the secrets of the circle, for therein is the secret of the power of the Earth. Everything that the world does it does in a circle. The Earth teaches us the doctrine of Cycles. The Sun, the Moon, and the seasons come and go and return again and again. Even so it is with the cycles of our own lives. The Earth teaches us just as Nature does for they are one. Earth is the body and Nature is the Spirit.
We must live in harmony with the Earth and with Nature. To do otherwise is to court disaster. The forces of the Earth are greater than any power we can safely master. To strive against these forces is foolish.
Do nothing to the Earth that shall take away from the purpose it serves in Nature, for this is the natural balance. And the Earth shall always move against us to restore itself.
Is the tiller greater than the soil he till? Is the family greater than the crops they help grow? Is not the life within the soil, and within the crops, our own? How shall we be without them? What you do to the Earth you do to yourself.
Do not think that we are greater than the Earth, or than Nature. For surely they shall both crumble and dissolve all that we shall erect. And there shall be floods and earthquakes, and hostile weather to show us our errors and teach us perspective.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Learning from other paths and finding truth
Last fall 2008, I gave an interview to Christopher Blackwell, the moderator of the Paganmen list. Christopher's next newsletter was mostly one on Heathenry or about those I have refered to as Norse Practioners. They have a list called HeathenNation. This list is a bit like our LaVecchia *was*. It is composed of many members who, while praticing the "same" tradition, may not think or do all the same things. Raven Grimassi gave an interview in Christopher's next newsletter.
Why am I on the Paganmen list? Because we are looking for Paganmen (and women) and a way to grow our tradition.
Why am I on the HeathenNation list? Because they are looking to create a common area for practitioners and advance their tradition.
Maybe some of you out there remember what those eMail lists of the early 90s were like. Maybe you all remember what the lists were like before the American Tanaric Clan united under Umbrea & after. Maybe you don't. But what I see on HeathenNation is the same type of stuff that "we" (either members on those first lists of the 90s or as a Clan or as members of LaVecchia who were sharing with a large Pagan/Streghe audience) went through. They are in a period of intense activity and development. The discussions on HeathenNation are as detailed and passionate as ours were. There are obviously groups of individuals who are more alike and aligned with each other than others. There are those who have "special interests" (carving or a facination with a "Russian" heathen, or scientific studies in archeaology or DNA) and there are those who are mythos maniacs - I love those folks. And sometimes the variety of folks on the list butt heads. But they talk. It looks like they mostly use their own secular names and not just pagan names, which I find facinating. They disagree, sometimes vehemently but usually in a detailed and respectful way. I watch them and I can see them learning and I remember what it was like for us... What to say? How to say it? How much of it to say to those who are not "your people". The difference I think is that their Way places critical importance on "troth". Truth, honesty, fortrightness. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Respectfully. Doing honor to the Gods and to yourself and your "friends" (and this word is not used lightly). Any "Agendas" in these groups tend not to be hidden. The issues ... all of any of the issues... get placed on the table, discussed, worked out and through. These "Ways" (of interacting, of troth) are the ways that my birth family taught me. HeathenNation is definately NOT lacking in activity. But I ask myself will it last? Will they burn themselves out or will the activity rate continue? I think they will continue. I think this because they are composed of groups of larger groups (essentially their organizational approach is different than Clan but like LaVecchia without the malicious infighting). I think this because it seems that each group's link to their larger history seems stronger than what I saw on LaVecchia. I think their percieved strength of this link to their history is what allows them to feel strong enough not to *need* to take someone else (who's opinion may differ) "down". They do not seem to suffer from if "yours" is good then it diminishes "mine". Which was a lot of what seemed to go on, on LaVecchia. They are also more focused. They are not watered down by neoWiccans looking for Italian seasoning, all the while not sure how good the basil bush really is. They are fully commited to Heathenry, which while Pagan, is so very NOT Wicca. And this NOTWicca, aspect of Heathenry is what draws me to watch and learn. Again I think they will last. BUT only time will tell. What I want is to find a way to "get some of what they have" for US.
LaVecchia is quiet. Is it dead? Is Stregheria going to become either an underground pagan tradition or watered down Italian Wicca? I don't know. What I do know is that the lack of activity on LaVecchia makes me think that Raven's books on Italian Witchcraft created a pool of energy for people who were/are seeking. What I fear is that rather than finding a way to be true to "our" history, mythos, WAYS, that we have/are being drowned in a sea of watered down neoWicca. NeoWiccan for me is both a blessing and a curse. Did anyone see The Good Witch or The Good Witch's Garden on Hallmark this weekend? NeoWicca/NeoPaganism is a blessing because it brings our values into the mainstream and I think the mainstream needs MORE "Pagan" values. It is a curse because it waters down who and what we are so that the masses can understand and not be fearful. I think more and more that the key to our survival is to be unique, be specific, be who we are, right out there for everyone and anyone (Wiccan, neoWiccan, Pagan, Chritian, non-believer...) to see and let the cards fall where they may.
And this is why I have this blog. Because it is in this space that I can be WHO I am as a Strega. This is where I can put out the foundational tenants of our Ways. If others find this and are interested, Fine. If it is not for them, that is fine too. I am not looking to be popular, but true to what I know is true. How very "german/norse/heathen" of me. My maternal grandmother is probalby both proud of me and rolling in her Christian/Germanic grave.
Why am I on the Paganmen list? Because we are looking for Paganmen (and women) and a way to grow our tradition.
Why am I on the HeathenNation list? Because they are looking to create a common area for practitioners and advance their tradition.
Maybe some of you out there remember what those eMail lists of the early 90s were like. Maybe you all remember what the lists were like before the American Tanaric Clan united under Umbrea & after. Maybe you don't. But what I see on HeathenNation is the same type of stuff that "we" (either members on those first lists of the 90s or as a Clan or as members of LaVecchia who were sharing with a large Pagan/Streghe audience) went through. They are in a period of intense activity and development. The discussions on HeathenNation are as detailed and passionate as ours were. There are obviously groups of individuals who are more alike and aligned with each other than others. There are those who have "special interests" (carving or a facination with a "Russian" heathen, or scientific studies in archeaology or DNA) and there are those who are mythos maniacs - I love those folks. And sometimes the variety of folks on the list butt heads. But they talk. It looks like they mostly use their own secular names and not just pagan names, which I find facinating. They disagree, sometimes vehemently but usually in a detailed and respectful way. I watch them and I can see them learning and I remember what it was like for us... What to say? How to say it? How much of it to say to those who are not "your people". The difference I think is that their Way places critical importance on "troth". Truth, honesty, fortrightness. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Respectfully. Doing honor to the Gods and to yourself and your "friends" (and this word is not used lightly). Any "Agendas" in these groups tend not to be hidden. The issues ... all of any of the issues... get placed on the table, discussed, worked out and through. These "Ways" (of interacting, of troth) are the ways that my birth family taught me. HeathenNation is definately NOT lacking in activity. But I ask myself will it last? Will they burn themselves out or will the activity rate continue? I think they will continue. I think this because they are composed of groups of larger groups (essentially their organizational approach is different than Clan but like LaVecchia without the malicious infighting). I think this because it seems that each group's link to their larger history seems stronger than what I saw on LaVecchia. I think their percieved strength of this link to their history is what allows them to feel strong enough not to *need* to take someone else (who's opinion may differ) "down". They do not seem to suffer from if "yours" is good then it diminishes "mine". Which was a lot of what seemed to go on, on LaVecchia. They are also more focused. They are not watered down by neoWiccans looking for Italian seasoning, all the while not sure how good the basil bush really is. They are fully commited to Heathenry, which while Pagan, is so very NOT Wicca. And this NOTWicca, aspect of Heathenry is what draws me to watch and learn. Again I think they will last. BUT only time will tell. What I want is to find a way to "get some of what they have" for US.
LaVecchia is quiet. Is it dead? Is Stregheria going to become either an underground pagan tradition or watered down Italian Wicca? I don't know. What I do know is that the lack of activity on LaVecchia makes me think that Raven's books on Italian Witchcraft created a pool of energy for people who were/are seeking. What I fear is that rather than finding a way to be true to "our" history, mythos, WAYS, that we have/are being drowned in a sea of watered down neoWicca. NeoWiccan for me is both a blessing and a curse. Did anyone see The Good Witch or The Good Witch's Garden on Hallmark this weekend? NeoWicca/NeoPaganism is a blessing because it brings our values into the mainstream and I think the mainstream needs MORE "Pagan" values. It is a curse because it waters down who and what we are so that the masses can understand and not be fearful. I think more and more that the key to our survival is to be unique, be specific, be who we are, right out there for everyone and anyone (Wiccan, neoWiccan, Pagan, Chritian, non-believer...) to see and let the cards fall where they may.
And this is why I have this blog. Because it is in this space that I can be WHO I am as a Strega. This is where I can put out the foundational tenants of our Ways. If others find this and are interested, Fine. If it is not for them, that is fine too. I am not looking to be popular, but true to what I know is true. How very "german/norse/heathen" of me. My maternal grandmother is probalby both proud of me and rolling in her Christian/Germanic grave.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
GenJones
For YEARS I've been saying, "I'm not a Boomer." only to be told (usually smuggly) "Yes you are." And then I'd have to agree that technically I was born in what HAD been defined as the Baby Boom Generation.
It seems, now that we have president who is also "not a Boomer", that my plea not to be lumped in with Boomers and my opinion that in many ways I have more in commmon with GenXers finally has company.
There was a recent article in USToday (which I don't usually read, except when out of town on business trips because the hotel literally puts it on my doorstep) by Jonathan Pontell who indicates that I am Generation Jones. Who knew our Generation has its own website? This website claims, with much supporting data, that we aren't Boomers and we know we aren't GenXers
Pontell's USAToday article says that for GenJones "idealism trumps ideology" and "pragmatism is the guiding light". Wow. I would not said it that way but, once said, describing myself as a Pratical Idealist, is dead on. I am idealist. Painfully so. There is right, there is wrong, there is the way it is and the way it should be. But I am also a pragmatist. If I am going to argue my idealist point, I am going to do it with supporting data and a willingness to say that this is how *I* interpret the data. I am so GenJones.
Jonathan Pontell says:
"While the Boomers were out changing the world, Jonesers were still in elementary school — wide-eyed, not tie-dyed. That intense love-peace-change-the-world zeitgeist stirred our impressionable hearts. We yearned to express our own voice. By the time we came of age and could take the stage, though, a decade of convulsions had left the nation fatigued. During the game we'd been forced to watch from the sidelines, and passage into college and careers came only after the final gun had long since sounded."
and
"Our practical idealism was created by witnessing the often-unrealistic idealism of the 1960s. And we weren't engaged in that era's ideological battles; we were children playing with toys while Boomers argued about Vietnam. Our non-ideological pragmatism allows us to resolve intra-Boomer skirmishes and to bridge that volatile Boomer-GenXer divide."
and
"We can lead."
I'd say rather, now that we have kicked the last Boomer President out of the White House, we ARE leading.
As Pontell says: "Obama has The Jones. It permeates his biography and his philosophy. It's a crucial piece of his identity. His message and approach reverberate with GenJones themes."
But Obama didn't get there on his own, it was a large contingent of "practical idealists" who are also optimists, who helped put him there. Finally, GenJones has someone who really speaks their language.
In Stregheria, Aradia is an avatar an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person. Aradia, could be thought of as a flower child, protester, who belived in free love, kind of like a Boomer.
But Aradia's Words Concerning Life say: "We live upon the Earth because we are not prepared to live in the ways of spirit. We are not physical beings and this is why physical life is often difficult. It is not our way to disregard the physical, for we dwell within it. So it is best to live in harmony with the world. But for us to become involved in the physical as to disregard the spirit is likewise harmful. This binds us to rebirth and unhappiness."
Sounds like a practical idealist approach to me. Maybe Stregheria could have an appeal with other GenJones out there and a few practical idealistic Boomers & GenXers too.
It seems, now that we have president who is also "not a Boomer", that my plea not to be lumped in with Boomers and my opinion that in many ways I have more in commmon with GenXers finally has company.
There was a recent article in USToday (which I don't usually read, except when out of town on business trips because the hotel literally puts it on my doorstep) by Jonathan Pontell who indicates that I am Generation Jones. Who knew our Generation has its own website? This website claims, with much supporting data, that we aren't Boomers and we know we aren't GenXers
Pontell's USAToday article says that for GenJones "idealism trumps ideology" and "pragmatism is the guiding light". Wow. I would not said it that way but, once said, describing myself as a Pratical Idealist, is dead on. I am idealist. Painfully so. There is right, there is wrong, there is the way it is and the way it should be. But I am also a pragmatist. If I am going to argue my idealist point, I am going to do it with supporting data and a willingness to say that this is how *I* interpret the data. I am so GenJones.
Jonathan Pontell says:
"While the Boomers were out changing the world, Jonesers were still in elementary school — wide-eyed, not tie-dyed. That intense love-peace-change-the-world zeitgeist stirred our impressionable hearts. We yearned to express our own voice. By the time we came of age and could take the stage, though, a decade of convulsions had left the nation fatigued. During the game we'd been forced to watch from the sidelines, and passage into college and careers came only after the final gun had long since sounded."
and
"Our practical idealism was created by witnessing the often-unrealistic idealism of the 1960s. And we weren't engaged in that era's ideological battles; we were children playing with toys while Boomers argued about Vietnam. Our non-ideological pragmatism allows us to resolve intra-Boomer skirmishes and to bridge that volatile Boomer-GenXer divide."
and
"We can lead."
I'd say rather, now that we have kicked the last Boomer President out of the White House, we ARE leading.
As Pontell says: "Obama has The Jones. It permeates his biography and his philosophy. It's a crucial piece of his identity. His message and approach reverberate with GenJones themes."
But Obama didn't get there on his own, it was a large contingent of "practical idealists" who are also optimists, who helped put him there. Finally, GenJones has someone who really speaks their language.
In Stregheria, Aradia is an avatar an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person. Aradia, could be thought of as a flower child, protester, who belived in free love, kind of like a Boomer.
But Aradia's Words Concerning Life say: "We live upon the Earth because we are not prepared to live in the ways of spirit. We are not physical beings and this is why physical life is often difficult. It is not our way to disregard the physical, for we dwell within it. So it is best to live in harmony with the world. But for us to become involved in the physical as to disregard the spirit is likewise harmful. This binds us to rebirth and unhappiness."
Sounds like a practical idealist approach to me. Maybe Stregheria could have an appeal with other GenJones out there and a few practical idealistic Boomers & GenXers too.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Happy Howling - Lupercus
Early February, specifically Febuary 2nd, is time of Lupercus, when the Streghe (Pagan Tradition that has its origins in Italy) celebrate the Young God, the Golden Wolf. The days are getting longer, the light renews our hope of the coming rebirth, but chill air still bites and the earth remains in deep slumber.
I would have thought that Lupercus would have been one of the more complex ideas to breakdown into something understandable for a 5 year old. After all, Lupercus is a ritual that is quite unlike most Pagan rituals that fall at this point in the wheel of the year. Lupercus is the young adolescent: untamable, "immortal", bulletproof. He is powerful, wild, a little out of control and totally natural all at the same time, just like any hormone ridden young man. The image of this Great Golden Wolf, who is beneficial to humans, is a bit of a dichotomy even for adults to wrap their minds around. The wolf is something wild that humans feared in days past. The Wolf is after all a predator.
But opportunities arise when you least expect them.
My 5 year old daughter is a bit of a Sarah Heartburn/Drama Queen. One day, in an attempt to get both of us ready quickly for some event, we were taking a shower together. As in most rushed events, things went wrong and the water got a bit too hot then, over correcting, too cold and she went right over the top. She was whining and crying and screaming and well, Howling! Without conscious thought, out of my mouth comes: "My goodness that's a lot of noise for a little girl. You sound like a howling wolf. Does it make you feel better to howl?" and then I howled like a wolf.
Remember we are in the shower and you all know how the shower amplifies and improves the sound. So I howled while she continued to whine and cry until she finally tried it and, the sound reverberated off walls, driving all sense of troubleand pain from us and we were howling and laughing. There was a sense of primal joy that bubbled up from the depths of our souls as we let loose AAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO! The world was a much better place. Everything after that was lighter, looser, fun and we made it where we needed to be on time.
So here we take the shock of the hot then cold water, the rush of panic, of upset and anger and tension; relieved and released by Howling. Amazing and it works on adults too! In thinking about it later with my conscious mind, I saw the similarities to the Lupercus ritual.
Weeks later I am combing my daughter's hair after her bath. She has straight fine, easily tangled hair and even with "No More Tangles" to spray in it. As I comb Sarah Heartburn kicks in and: "OW! Mommie you're are pulling my hair!" and "That hurts!" I don't say anything. I too have fine straight hair and remember giving my Mom hell when she combed my hair. So I just stop, spray some more "No More Tangles" and then my daughter turns to me and says "Let's howl like wolves!"
So we do. No more whining and crying about her hair instead we are smiling and laughing and all the troubles of the world just evaporate into the sound of howling. The strangest thing was that I had had a horrid day at work. I was emotionally exhausted, and taking comfort in doing domestic, Mommie things. But after the howling session I was feeling light and free and happy. Rather than just taking comfort in the evening domestic ritual I was able to enjoy it, savor it, because the weight of the world was gone and I felt alive, refreshed, renewed.
And this is exactly what celebrating Lupercus can teaach us.
A few days ago and at bathtime again we had let the dog in because it was cold outside. After her bath and while she is brushing her teeth, my daughter says: "Let's howl like wolves." By now she and I *know* that this is fun, it's a release from how the world usually works, it's powerful stuff. But we've never howled *with the dog* in the bathroom before. Well we start howling and smiling and howling. The dog is looking at us like we are stupid humans then, because we don't stop, she decides to howl with us. She is part Basset Hound and so she gets that low, rolling howl going and then releases it into the higher howl and my daughter and I just about loose it! This is GREAT stuff. So here we are 3 "girls" in the bathroom howling to beat the band.
Our howling allowed us to experience Lupercus as the God of the wild, untamable, primitive and primal part of us that we hold deep inside, hidden under our veneer of civilization. This is something with which our ancestors, who lived much closer to the wild, had a deep connection. It is something that is critical for us, as modern humans to be able to reconnect with, to regain. Look around at the modern world, look at the violence, the intensity, the extreme sports, the yearning to take SUVs to the mountain top and see that we as a society keenly feel the lack and are searching for that ancient, critical, wild, primal connection. Look at the enduring appeal of the Tarzan story and the power of Tarzan's "howl". I've always wondered if Disney knew what they were tapping into when they released Tarzan on video, February 2, 2000.
There is really something to this howling, this connecting with the primal in ourselves. This is what Lupercus celebrates.
We've been held down by the darkness of winter, or the weight of the world and howling enlivens us and pushes the weight of the world farther away. And folks, the wolves got it right because howling works best when you have friends!!!!!! I highly recommend it.
Happy Howling.
First Published in Raven's Call February-April 2001.
I would have thought that Lupercus would have been one of the more complex ideas to breakdown into something understandable for a 5 year old. After all, Lupercus is a ritual that is quite unlike most Pagan rituals that fall at this point in the wheel of the year. Lupercus is the young adolescent: untamable, "immortal", bulletproof. He is powerful, wild, a little out of control and totally natural all at the same time, just like any hormone ridden young man. The image of this Great Golden Wolf, who is beneficial to humans, is a bit of a dichotomy even for adults to wrap their minds around. The wolf is something wild that humans feared in days past. The Wolf is after all a predator.
But opportunities arise when you least expect them.
My 5 year old daughter is a bit of a Sarah Heartburn/Drama Queen. One day, in an attempt to get both of us ready quickly for some event, we were taking a shower together. As in most rushed events, things went wrong and the water got a bit too hot then, over correcting, too cold and she went right over the top. She was whining and crying and screaming and well, Howling! Without conscious thought, out of my mouth comes: "My goodness that's a lot of noise for a little girl. You sound like a howling wolf. Does it make you feel better to howl?" and then I howled like a wolf.
Remember we are in the shower and you all know how the shower amplifies and improves the sound. So I howled while she continued to whine and cry until she finally tried it and, the sound reverberated off walls, driving all sense of troubleand pain from us and we were howling and laughing. There was a sense of primal joy that bubbled up from the depths of our souls as we let loose AAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO! The world was a much better place. Everything after that was lighter, looser, fun and we made it where we needed to be on time.
So here we take the shock of the hot then cold water, the rush of panic, of upset and anger and tension; relieved and released by Howling. Amazing and it works on adults too! In thinking about it later with my conscious mind, I saw the similarities to the Lupercus ritual.
Weeks later I am combing my daughter's hair after her bath. She has straight fine, easily tangled hair and even with "No More Tangles" to spray in it. As I comb Sarah Heartburn kicks in and: "OW! Mommie you're are pulling my hair!" and "That hurts!" I don't say anything. I too have fine straight hair and remember giving my Mom hell when she combed my hair. So I just stop, spray some more "No More Tangles" and then my daughter turns to me and says "Let's howl like wolves!"
So we do. No more whining and crying about her hair instead we are smiling and laughing and all the troubles of the world just evaporate into the sound of howling. The strangest thing was that I had had a horrid day at work. I was emotionally exhausted, and taking comfort in doing domestic, Mommie things. But after the howling session I was feeling light and free and happy. Rather than just taking comfort in the evening domestic ritual I was able to enjoy it, savor it, because the weight of the world was gone and I felt alive, refreshed, renewed.
And this is exactly what celebrating Lupercus can teaach us.
A few days ago and at bathtime again we had let the dog in because it was cold outside. After her bath and while she is brushing her teeth, my daughter says: "Let's howl like wolves." By now she and I *know* that this is fun, it's a release from how the world usually works, it's powerful stuff. But we've never howled *with the dog* in the bathroom before. Well we start howling and smiling and howling. The dog is looking at us like we are stupid humans then, because we don't stop, she decides to howl with us. She is part Basset Hound and so she gets that low, rolling howl going and then releases it into the higher howl and my daughter and I just about loose it! This is GREAT stuff. So here we are 3 "girls" in the bathroom howling to beat the band.
Our howling allowed us to experience Lupercus as the God of the wild, untamable, primitive and primal part of us that we hold deep inside, hidden under our veneer of civilization. This is something with which our ancestors, who lived much closer to the wild, had a deep connection. It is something that is critical for us, as modern humans to be able to reconnect with, to regain. Look around at the modern world, look at the violence, the intensity, the extreme sports, the yearning to take SUVs to the mountain top and see that we as a society keenly feel the lack and are searching for that ancient, critical, wild, primal connection. Look at the enduring appeal of the Tarzan story and the power of Tarzan's "howl". I've always wondered if Disney knew what they were tapping into when they released Tarzan on video, February 2, 2000.
There is really something to this howling, this connecting with the primal in ourselves. This is what Lupercus celebrates.
We've been held down by the darkness of winter, or the weight of the world and howling enlivens us and pushes the weight of the world farther away. And folks, the wolves got it right because howling works best when you have friends!!!!!! I highly recommend it.
Happy Howling.
First Published in Raven's Call February-April 2001.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Year of the Golden Ox
Yes, I know Chinese Astrology isn't Streghe. But I find it interesting.
Take a look at what Chinese Astrology says about the coming year and President Obama.
Take a look at what Chinese Astrology says about the coming year and President Obama.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Listening to the Soil
The soil has been calling to me. It’s probably been calling to me in my sleep because a few days ago when went for a run to Lowe’s to pick up supplies for our interior home improvements I also grabbed packets of vegetable seeds. This evening after all the other painting and scraping and interior work was done for the day and I was outside cleaning brushes I walked over to sad and empty vegetable garden area and the soil whispered loudly: “You MUST plant something in me. TODAY!”
I love playing in the dirt. For me it is a religious experience. I also find it calming and healing. I was a mess from the other work I had done that day. I had packets of seeds. I had daylight left, which was a miracle in its own right because lately my interior home improvements have gone on deep into the night. I had more than 20 large black garbage bags of sandy top soil that my singer, actor, husband salvaged from the set of a play, Macbeth at the Gate, in which the entire set was made of top soil, mixed with hay. I had bags of bald cypress mulch that were raked from a friend’s yard. So I thought : “Why not?”
I scrounged up all the seed packs, the new, the old, the saved from previous seasons, grabbed the amazing tool I recently found that is perfect for digging in my heavy clay soil. It’s not a shovel but more like a claw that you twist to break up the dirt. The vegetable garden area has been fallow since late summer. There is usually no excuse for letting a New Orleans’ garden lie fallow in the fall. This is a great time for planting. But the exterior of our house was being sanded and painted in September and October and then once the outside was done, we had work to do on the inside that kept us inside. So the only thing I got around to doing in the garden was pulling down and mulching the plants that were played out and had died. I’ve been doing what I call “growing dirt” for about 5 years. Now the very heavy clay soil is lighter and easier to work. But the combination of additional FREE and perfectly sandy soil and the right tool, made me more hopeful that these seeds would end up a happy harvest. I was also hoping that I could get the seeds into the ground before it got dark on me and that maybe I could sleep at night because the soil would stop calling to me.
I planted Dill, Fennel, a Mesclun mix, Radishes, Onions, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Cucumber, Snow Peas, Banana (or Hungarian) & Bell Peppers. I twisted the claw and planted Snow Peas along the sides in the back half of the garden with Radishes as an edge covering them with a new layer of the sandy soil. I mulched the walkway with the cypress mulch so that later when it gets mucky from watering I don’t come in with an inch of clay on my clogs. I twisted the claw and barely worked the dirt in the back center and dropped in cantaloupe seeds so that they can have a large area to spread and play as they grow. I lightly covered this with some left pine needle mulch my mom brought with her from the NorthShore. The pine needle mulch arrived the same time she brought the rampantly growing Blackberries she had dug up and stuck in pots hoping they would take. For years I have been trying to grow thornless blackberries from shoots purchased online, with no luck. I finally gave up and set aside a larger section of the vegetable garden for blackberries, figuring anyone who loves roses can deal with thorns. I have had little to no luck with tomatoes planted in the ground. So this time took 3 black plastic pots (left over from the blackberries) and sunk them into my clay soil and filled them with only the good sandy soil and planted Romas and Creoles. I twisted the claw and planted yellow bell peppers in one section and banana peppers in another. I worked from the back of the garden, where my blackberries are up against the back wall, forward planting and sprinkling cypress mulch to mark the walkways. The radishes, onions, dill and fennel are at the front of the garden. When I got to the gate, I realized that I didn’t have room for the honeydew, so I worked the area just outside the back of the fence where the blackberries are and planted the honeydew outside the fence, using 2 bags of dirt on them to make up for the fact that they weren’t being planted in an optimal location. I sprinkled some cypress mulch on them and hoped that they would grow strong before the fig tree fully leafs out.
I’m giving the fig tree once last chance before I get rid of it. It is an LSU Purple, supposedly bred to do well in our area. But while the tree has grown, and what fruit we get is large and delicious, and the tree actually has an early summer and early fall season, the harvests have been small. Last fall, partially to help make room for the ladders needed to sand and paint the house and partially to see if I could get the tree to send out branches where we could actually reach what fruit it produced, I cut the fig tree back hard. It has branch sprouts waiting to explode and I am hopeful, now that it knows this is its last chance, that this year will be bountiful.
It was just past dusk, a little before 6PM, when I finished planting. I had been at it for about 2 hours. The bags of cypress mulch were gone. Most of the seeds in the seed packets were planted. There was no room left to plant anything inside the fence. I had started out tired from a day of working inside and was physically tired but also rejuvenated from working in the soil. ("There is a healing power in the Earth and a vital force.") As I walked back and forth picking up bags and paper from the seed packets and putting the tool away I realized that it was very close to the dark of the moon. So I said a little prayer to the Dark Goddess and asked her to bless the seeds and make them strong and healthy and productive. I went inside to take the shower I had earned.
Later that beautiful, slightly cool evening, I went back outside to stand at the garden gate and look and listen. Even in the dark it was easy to tell the dark planted areas from the lighter mulched areas. The soil with the seeds tucked in was humming, happy and contented. I slept soundly.
I love playing in the dirt. For me it is a religious experience. I also find it calming and healing. I was a mess from the other work I had done that day. I had packets of seeds. I had daylight left, which was a miracle in its own right because lately my interior home improvements have gone on deep into the night. I had more than 20 large black garbage bags of sandy top soil that my singer, actor, husband salvaged from the set of a play, Macbeth at the Gate, in which the entire set was made of top soil, mixed with hay. I had bags of bald cypress mulch that were raked from a friend’s yard. So I thought : “Why not?”
I scrounged up all the seed packs, the new, the old, the saved from previous seasons, grabbed the amazing tool I recently found that is perfect for digging in my heavy clay soil. It’s not a shovel but more like a claw that you twist to break up the dirt. The vegetable garden area has been fallow since late summer. There is usually no excuse for letting a New Orleans’ garden lie fallow in the fall. This is a great time for planting. But the exterior of our house was being sanded and painted in September and October and then once the outside was done, we had work to do on the inside that kept us inside. So the only thing I got around to doing in the garden was pulling down and mulching the plants that were played out and had died. I’ve been doing what I call “growing dirt” for about 5 years. Now the very heavy clay soil is lighter and easier to work. But the combination of additional FREE and perfectly sandy soil and the right tool, made me more hopeful that these seeds would end up a happy harvest. I was also hoping that I could get the seeds into the ground before it got dark on me and that maybe I could sleep at night because the soil would stop calling to me.
I planted Dill, Fennel, a Mesclun mix, Radishes, Onions, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Cucumber, Snow Peas, Banana (or Hungarian) & Bell Peppers. I twisted the claw and planted Snow Peas along the sides in the back half of the garden with Radishes as an edge covering them with a new layer of the sandy soil. I mulched the walkway with the cypress mulch so that later when it gets mucky from watering I don’t come in with an inch of clay on my clogs. I twisted the claw and barely worked the dirt in the back center and dropped in cantaloupe seeds so that they can have a large area to spread and play as they grow. I lightly covered this with some left pine needle mulch my mom brought with her from the NorthShore. The pine needle mulch arrived the same time she brought the rampantly growing Blackberries she had dug up and stuck in pots hoping they would take. For years I have been trying to grow thornless blackberries from shoots purchased online, with no luck. I finally gave up and set aside a larger section of the vegetable garden for blackberries, figuring anyone who loves roses can deal with thorns. I have had little to no luck with tomatoes planted in the ground. So this time took 3 black plastic pots (left over from the blackberries) and sunk them into my clay soil and filled them with only the good sandy soil and planted Romas and Creoles. I twisted the claw and planted yellow bell peppers in one section and banana peppers in another. I worked from the back of the garden, where my blackberries are up against the back wall, forward planting and sprinkling cypress mulch to mark the walkways. The radishes, onions, dill and fennel are at the front of the garden. When I got to the gate, I realized that I didn’t have room for the honeydew, so I worked the area just outside the back of the fence where the blackberries are and planted the honeydew outside the fence, using 2 bags of dirt on them to make up for the fact that they weren’t being planted in an optimal location. I sprinkled some cypress mulch on them and hoped that they would grow strong before the fig tree fully leafs out.
I’m giving the fig tree once last chance before I get rid of it. It is an LSU Purple, supposedly bred to do well in our area. But while the tree has grown, and what fruit we get is large and delicious, and the tree actually has an early summer and early fall season, the harvests have been small. Last fall, partially to help make room for the ladders needed to sand and paint the house and partially to see if I could get the tree to send out branches where we could actually reach what fruit it produced, I cut the fig tree back hard. It has branch sprouts waiting to explode and I am hopeful, now that it knows this is its last chance, that this year will be bountiful.
It was just past dusk, a little before 6PM, when I finished planting. I had been at it for about 2 hours. The bags of cypress mulch were gone. Most of the seeds in the seed packets were planted. There was no room left to plant anything inside the fence. I had started out tired from a day of working inside and was physically tired but also rejuvenated from working in the soil. ("There is a healing power in the Earth and a vital force.") As I walked back and forth picking up bags and paper from the seed packets and putting the tool away I realized that it was very close to the dark of the moon. So I said a little prayer to the Dark Goddess and asked her to bless the seeds and make them strong and healthy and productive. I went inside to take the shower I had earned.
Later that beautiful, slightly cool evening, I went back outside to stand at the garden gate and look and listen. Even in the dark it was easy to tell the dark planted areas from the lighter mulched areas. The soil with the seeds tucked in was humming, happy and contented. I slept soundly.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama's Mama
My first husband was black. That's what his birth certificate said. His older brother was, again according to his birth certificate , black. His older sister was white. His younger brother white as well. His parents were of notable Free People of Color families from Natchitoches (Nack-a-tish was how they said it), LA. They came to New Orleans in their 20s. To look at any of them you would probably think Hispanic before you'd think black. Thick wavy black hair was a primary and beautiful family trait. But line their family up with other branches of the family tree and their history was easily deducible.
Obama's Mama was white. His father was a black African. So I wondered what does his birth certificate actually say? In Louisiana it would have said White or Black. In Hawaii it appears that it doesn't say either. It says his Mother was Caucasian and his Father was African.
If you ran into Obama, before he became famous, you'd probably say he was black. His family looks black. Michelle Robinson Obama's family looks black. I do not doubt, that despite his unusual upbringing by his interesting mother and amazing grandparents, he has had a African American experience in America. There is little anyone who appears black can do to avoid this not usually all good experience.
I am pleased and proud that Black Americans have Obama to look up to and inspire them. But I am also pleased and proud, as a white woman, that Obama's mama did the job she did raising him. It is my fervent hope that this unique cross cultural man and his family can bridge gaps and heal some of the wounds of history.
Obama's Mama was white. His father was a black African. So I wondered what does his birth certificate actually say? In Louisiana it would have said White or Black. In Hawaii it appears that it doesn't say either. It says his Mother was Caucasian and his Father was African.
If you ran into Obama, before he became famous, you'd probably say he was black. His family looks black. Michelle Robinson Obama's family looks black. I do not doubt, that despite his unusual upbringing by his interesting mother and amazing grandparents, he has had a African American experience in America. There is little anyone who appears black can do to avoid this not usually all good experience.
I am pleased and proud that Black Americans have Obama to look up to and inspire them. But I am also pleased and proud, as a white woman, that Obama's mama did the job she did raising him. It is my fervent hope that this unique cross cultural man and his family can bridge gaps and heal some of the wounds of history.
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Strangest Secret
You will, your thoughts, create your reality. This is the essence of magic. The rest are trappings. Oh the trappings are helpful. But You, your thoughts, are the key.
The following quotes are from The StrangestSecret by Earl Nightgale
Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman Emperor, said: "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."
Disraeli said this: "Everything comes if a man will only wait ... a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfillment."
William James said: "We need only in cold blood act as if the thing in question were real, and it will become infallibly real by growing into such a connection with our life that it will become real. It will become so knit with habit and emotion that our interests in it will be those which characterize belief." He continues, " ... only you must, then, really wish these things, and wish them exclusively, and not wish at the same time a hundred other incompatible things just as strongly."
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale put it this way: "If you think in negative terms, you will get negative results. If you think in positive terms, you will achieve positive results."
George Bernard Shaw said: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
The Bible - Job 4:8, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
And
The Roman statesman, philosopher, orator Cicero: "As you have sown, so shall you reap.'
Dorothea Brande said: "Act as though it were impossible to fail,"
The following quotes are from The StrangestSecret by Earl Nightgale
Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman Emperor, said: "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."
Disraeli said this: "Everything comes if a man will only wait ... a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfillment."
William James said: "We need only in cold blood act as if the thing in question were real, and it will become infallibly real by growing into such a connection with our life that it will become real. It will become so knit with habit and emotion that our interests in it will be those which characterize belief." He continues, " ... only you must, then, really wish these things, and wish them exclusively, and not wish at the same time a hundred other incompatible things just as strongly."
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale put it this way: "If you think in negative terms, you will get negative results. If you think in positive terms, you will achieve positive results."
George Bernard Shaw said: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
The Bible - Job 4:8, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
And
The Roman statesman, philosopher, orator Cicero: "As you have sown, so shall you reap.'
Dorothea Brande said: "Act as though it were impossible to fail,"
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