Some thought calling attention to book burners was a bad idea. They\u2019d prefer to ignore them and deny them the publicity they want. Jason Mankey asked What Really Matters?<\/a> and he has a point. A few people thought my post was fear mongering, causing people to be afraid of something that can\u2019t really hurt them.<\/p>\n On one hand, I get it. If you\u2019re obsessed with your spiritual and political enemies, you let them dictate the agenda. You\u2019re constantly defining yourself by what you\u2019re not instead of by what you are. I see this with Pagans whose Paganism is more about debunking Christianity than living a full and joyous Pagan life.<\/p>\n On the other hand, there is<\/em> a culture war going on. Progressives \u2013 and I count myself among them \u2013 are trying to expand freedom and acceptance for everyone. Regressives \u2013 I won\u2019t call them conservatives, because they aren\u2019t trying to conserve anything \u2013 are trying to move things back to the 1950s, when straight white Christian men ran the show and everyone else knew their place.<\/p>\n The culture war has been exacerbated by the pandemic and efforts to mitigate it, and especially by conspiracy theories around the 2020 election.<\/p>\n If you live in a progressive bubble it\u2019s easy to assume we\u2019re winning. If you live in a red state the warning signs are impossible to miss. And that\u2019s what Tuesday\u2019s post was all about \u2013 a warning.<\/p>\n Forewarned is forearmed. Now what should we do?<\/p>\n A quote attributed to Napoleon<\/a> says \u201cif your enemy is making an error, don\u2019t interrupt him.\u201d Let the book burning pastor tie himself up with demons. Whether those demons are actual beings or elements of his own psyche is unimportant. There are ways to rid yourself of demons \u2013 burning books is not one of them.<\/p>\n (Demons exist in almost every culture. We need not affirm the Christian mythology around them \u2013 especially the evangelical fundamentalist myths \u2013 to accept that they are persons who generally don\u2019t mean us well, but who can be bargained with, though that is a risky endeavor.)<\/p>\n I feel for the kids who had their Harry Potter books and other possessions confiscated and burned. Hopefully the injustice and the illogic of that stays with them, and they find a new religion<\/a> as soon as they can. But I can\u2019t right every wrong, and in the grand scheme of things there are higher priorities.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not afraid to give this guy more publicity, because the more people who see what he\u2019s doing the more people will get off the fence and decide that whatever side they\u2019re on, it\u2019s not his. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said \u201csunlight is the best disinfectant.\u201d Whatever their faults and shortcomings, the American mainstream doesn\u2019t support burning books. Fundamentalism isn\u2019t going away any time soon, but its popularity is in significant decline \u2013 things like this enhance that decline.<\/p>\n Our movies and TV shows are full of witches, and occasionally, Pagans of one description or another. We\u2019ve had \u201cmeet the Pagans\u201d features for years, but last October we saw serious and positive articles<\/a> on modern witchcraft in USA Today<\/em> and The Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n This is why I encouraged everyone who can to spread the truth about who we are and what we do. Not to proselytize (Pagans don\u2019t proselytize<\/a>) but so we can define ourselves to the public and aren\u2019t defined by our enemies.<\/p>\n If it isn\u2019t safe for you to be \u201cout of the broom closet\u201d or if you\u2019re just not comfortable being public, don\u2019t worry about it. And not all parts of our practices and traditions are suitable for public consumption \u2013 mysteries need to be protected. But if you can, good publicity is always helpful.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve said this over and over again over the past few years, so I\u2019ll be brief here. This means stay informed without becoming obsessed with politics (I know, that\u2019s hard \u2013 but it\u2019s essential). Contact your elected representatives \u2013 let them know when they\u2019re doing well, and let them know when they\u2019re not. Mainly, vote \u2013 for every office in every election.<\/p>\n As the Maus<\/em> book banning shows, local school boards are important offices \u2013 important enough to figure out who\u2019s running and who you should vote for.<\/p>\n This is something else I\u2019ve been harping on for years. And I\u2019ll keep harping on it, because it\u2019s that important. Regular spiritual practice keeps us connected to our Gods and ancestors, to our sacred traditions, and to our highest values.<\/p>\n For me, this starts with my four daily prayers and four weekly offerings. It\u2019s seasonal celebrations and monthly magical workings. It\u2019s reading and study. It\u2019s spending time outdoors, following the sun and the moon across the sky, and following the birds and squirrels and rabbits that share the land with me.<\/p>\n Especially at times like this, regular grounding, centering, and shielding is a necessity.<\/p>\n Want help starting or strengthening your spiritual practice? I\u2019ve got an online class for that<\/a>. It\u2019s on-demand, so you can take it any time you like.<\/p>\n But my goal here isn\u2019t to sell classes. It\u2019s to encourage as many people as possible to build and maintain a spiritual foundation that will get them through difficult times.<\/p>\n I do not recommend hexing the book burning pastor. Not because of the Rule of Three or because \u201charm none\u201d but because hexing public figures is rarely the best use of your time and energy. If you can get a bunch of people doing narrowly focused work together it may help, but in general magical battles and spiritual warfare are best left to fiction.<\/p>\n And also, if your enemy is making an error don\u2019t interrupt him. Let the demons fight this battle so we can do something more productive.<\/p>\n Still, we\u2019re living in interesting times<\/a>, and we need all the tools in our toolbox we can get. Learn some form of operative magic<\/a>. And then practice it on a regular basis. I do workings every full moon, in addition to \u201cwhenever you have need of anything.\u201d Learn divination, so you can have a better idea of what\u2019s coming, and what will happen if you make changes in your life.<\/p>\n I think most of us of a magical persuasion have dreams \u2013 or at least, daydreams \u2013 of disappearing into the forest and becoming the Witch of the Wood. I do not think things will get so bad as to make that necessary. Still, it\u2019s good to have skills.<\/p>\n The time to learn and perfect them is now.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2022\/02\/this-far-and-no-farther.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA counterattack is unnecessary and unwise<\/h2>\n
Keep winning the publicity battles<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Be an engaged citizen<\/h2>\n
Maintain a regular spiritual practice<\/h2>\n
Build magical skills<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n