2010-07-31T06:42:57-04:00

Tonight I watched the new “Clash of the Titans” movie. Growing up in the eighties, the original had been something of a cult classic and had made an impression on me as a child. Sadly, the remake while boasting better special effects is nowhere nearly as good in story line and acting as the original. That however, is not why I am writing about it here. I came away from watching this movie filled with immense ambivalence and a disquiet... Read more

2010-07-30T12:53:17-04:00

Next week we’re taking a look at theology from a Pagan perspective and as a result I’ve been wading through the classics. I’m finding it a bit frustrating, not because I have problems understanding the philosophers and theologians of ancient times, but because the translations seem off. While reading through Sallust’s On The Gods And The World, I found the perspective was constantly shifting between a polytheistic and monotheistic viewpoint. While grappling with this it occurred to me that I... Read more

2010-07-29T08:57:47-04:00

I am a Modern Pagan. A champion of tolerance, acceptance and religious freedom. To paraphrase Voltaire: though I may disapprove of your faith I will die for your right to practice it. Sure, somewhere down in my pea-pickin’ heart I’m sure I feel very smug and superior in my tolerance. Until the assumptions and context of that attitude was shattered. Like many Pagans, my extended family is multi-faith. I have a cousin who is a Southern Baptist minister going for... Read more

2010-07-29T06:48:23-04:00

Witches can’t proselytize. We know that the path of witchcraft is not for everyone, and we like it that way. We are much more selective than most religions. Many coven leaders hold all coven events in their own homes, so they are understandably picky about whom to accept for training. Each witch in my tradition has had to seek out a coven to train with. During this phase of a witch’s life, he or she is called a seeker. I... Read more

2010-07-28T16:13:22-04:00

If you’re like me you’re getting ready for the first of the harvest festivals. As I gather my recipes for blackberries, squash and cider this has been the song running through my head. There are many versions of this song, but I’ve got mad love for anyone who has a guitar, a bass and two dulcimers under a single roof. May your feast preparations go pleasantly and smoothly! John Barleycorn Must Die: Read more

2010-07-26T23:42:15-04:00

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a weeper. I can squeeze out a tear, maybe two in a sad movie, but crying isn’t something I do often or easily. I wept softly all through Agora. *There may be spoilers ahead.* I’d been waiting to see Agora for months. Finally the little art-house cinema in midtown decided to show it for a week, and some friends of mine decided to make an urban adventure of it. The nature of... Read more

2010-07-25T10:27:14-04:00

I got some interesting feedback the other day on my musings on deepening my Craft. I’m going to touch quickly on some of that before I move on to talk about the Three-Fold Law. One person mentioned that Wicca was most definitely not a revealed religion. Which is fine. I happen to be fine with leaving our origins shrouded in mystery. Be it 50 or 5,000 years old, it still has depth, magic and meaning. One of the oldest branches... Read more

2010-07-24T07:27:14-04:00

A circle. Four quarters. Candles, incense, water and salt. After years of practice it can become rote. You can get lazy. I look at my altar and although it’s a sacred, evolving space in my life, it’s also the same old thing. I feel a need to refresh the feelings and visualizations I used when I first began practicing, and taking the basic elements of my Craft deeper. The tradition I study in has a really cool way to do... Read more

2010-07-23T10:08:18-04:00

Witch hunts still exist and pagans and anyone outside the dominant religious paradigm are still fair game. This lesson has hit home harder than ever this week for me. I am being tested. Like most others, I was raised in a religious, monotheist household. Like most others, I tried like mad to be the person that my parents needed me to be. I also tried to do this for my husband and his family. Thus I found myself caught between... Read more

2010-07-22T07:49:46-04:00

I recently reread The Way of Four Spellbook by fellow Gardnerian Deborah Lipp. One of our coven’s Gardlings (that’s what we call our outer grove members) recently read it as part of her required reading. It’s an excellent introduction to practical spellwork. It is firmly grounded in the modern age (although she does assume that people still go to physical stores for supplies, when most of us nowadays would just Google them). Interestingly, the Gardling was frustrated by the book.... Read more


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