There are a lot of things I could write about today. Black Friday. Buy Nothing Day. The 13 Things I LOVE About Pagans post I’m working on. Instead, this cornbred fed and Southern bred Witch would like to say a few words about bad manners. For Thanksgiving I was a guest in a relative’s home. We were sharing holiday hospitality duties, yet still I was a guest in her home. I did my best to do my part and be... Read more
Thanksgiving, when you get past the elementary school fluff, has three things as its focus: an attitude of conscious thankfulness, strengthening familial bonds, and celebrating our citizenship through a shared founding mythos. The Apaturia, a three day festival celebrated by both ancient Greeks and some modern Hellenic Pagans, has the same three elements. Which is why some US Hellenes are not just celebrating the Apaturia in place of Thanksgiving, but see them as essentially the same holiday and have syncretized... Read more
I know Thanksgiving has a rough history but, practically speaking, it’s a much-needed holiday. Mythos aside, it’s a day to share a meal with your family and give thanks for your blessings. Whether that’s with your biological family or chosen family, whether it’s celebrated with the roasted flesh of a bird or with tofurky, it’s a nice idea. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for this year. My family is well, my church is well, and I have enough... Read more
Long before I encountered Thoreau, Whitman or even Teddy Roosevelt, I discovered America’s nature religion tradition in a children’s book. I think I was 11 and my family was in a big toy store. My brother was all excited about some video game or action figure and we had been in the store awhile. I was getting bored and irritated. I was not a fan of shopping even then. In the store we came across this long bin of books... Read more
Many of us are already in holiday mode. Planning our holiday travel route, planning our holiday meals or checking ahead to see the Black Friday sales. I’m wondering what it means to eat turkey. Yes, I know there’s the whole pilgrim mythos, but what do turkey’s really mean? As an omnivore I eat salmon for wisdom, beef for strength, pork for creativity and chicken when I need to feel unemcumbered and clarified. I rarely eat lamb but when I do... Read more
Title: Trials of the Moon: A Critique of Ronald Hutton’s “The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Author: Ben Whitmore Publisher: Briar Books Genre: Religious History Year: 2010 Pages: 100 ISBN13: 9780473174583 Binding: Paperback Price: 11.00 Just as I was planning to sit down with Ginzburg, Frew, Hutton and an array of others over the Thanksgiving holiday, The Wild Hunt announced the publication of Ben Whitmore’s Trials of the Moon: A Critique of Ronald Hutton’s “The... Read more
Sometimes words or concepts get stuck in your brain and rattle around your head until you figure them out. I don’t have these three things figured out but maybe if I try to articulate what I find fascinating about them it will help me get there. Observance We’ve all heard the term “observant Jew.” It refers to the fact that some people of Jewish ancestry do not actively practice Judaism. Saying someone is Jewish does not necessarily mean they practice... Read more
As a girl growing up in the 80’s I was in fantasy genre heaven: She-Ra: Princess of Power, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Willow, The Never Ending Story, Red Sonja, The Princess Bride, Conan, Excalibur, Clash of the Titans, The Beastmaster, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal among many others. Waging epic battle against the tyranny of the annoying, younger brother was easy with such cunning, brave and resourceful role models. Then in the 90’s we had……. Dragonheart and... Read more
Despite the unfortunate acronym that Hermione’s Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.) may possess, in the relationships of people to the house-elves in the Harry Potter Universe we can see examples of HOW TO and HOW NOT TO interact with the wights. (more…) Read more
The Harry Potter books and movies have been so successful precisely because they transcend religion. By drawing upon universal themes and archetypes, J.K. Rowling was able to create a world and a story that could be enjoyed regardless of a reader’s religious point of view. It’s the world of the folk tale, populated by characters we’ve all seen in the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, the Child Ballads. Harry, the orphan foundling. Lily Potter, the mother who sacrifices her own... Read more
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