Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Send Healing to Vic Wright

Please send healing & support to Circle Sanctuary minister Vic Wright of
Kentucky.

She is having stomach surgery today. Please send blessings for a successful
surgery & speedy & thorough recovery.

Well wishes can be sent by email to her: labrysamazon@gmail.com


Healing Circle: Monday, September 27, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Comment

This is very true. We've made great headway in the last couple of years, but apparently more work is needed.

BB
Laura

Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Mostly a boring clip with nothing new to offer.

However, I was somewhat pleased to hear him mention the Wiccan community's
view about Satan and such near the end...

...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/39278842#39278842
See More
Countdown with Keith Olbermann Countdown with Keith Olbermann
www.msnbc.msn.com
In A Special Comment, Countdown’s Keith Olbermann explains the misnomer and dang...er in calling it “The Ground Zero Mosque.” Olbermann clarifies the misconceptions around the community center
However, I was somewhat pleased to hear him mention the Wiccan community's
view about Satan and such near the end...

Comment

Now, if she were today go out on the campaign trail and attempt to spread inaccurate information on earth based religions, then I'll be the first one out there makeing noise. I've not heard anything current that merits attention from us. We need to stop letting these selective "sound bites" get us distracted from the mission at hand. And that is to find a candidate that can best represent us and this country. This was a short clip taken from an old show of a silly schoolgirl thoughts. Please, we have more important issues to pay attention to. BBLaura

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Question

Would you elect a witch into office?
Sure, as long as I felt that the person was qualified.
No way.

Interesting Article

When clips of Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell telling "Politically Incorrect" host Bill Maher that she once dabbled in witchcraft surfaced, we wondered, can a politician be a witch?

Lillitu Shahar Kunning, blogger at Witch Mom, doesn't see a problem with it. The Feri witch sheds some moonlight on her religion, and says society's understanding of her life is akin to believing the word "yellow" simply means the color of the brick road, a definition as narrow as the point on a witch's hat.

ParentDish spoke with Shahar Kunning, mother to son Rowan, 6 months, about what it's like to be a witch and a mom. We assume that's pretty close to being a witch and a politician. An edited version of our interview with her follows.

ParentDish: So witches are in the news at the moment. What do you think about the Christine O'Donnell uproar? Is it possible to be a politician and a witch?
Lillitu Shahar Kunning: Oy! I don't want to claim Christine O'Donnell. It's kind of like when Sen. Larry Craig was caught in that airport bathroom. No gay person wanted to claim him, either. Actually, I haven't seen the old footage from Bill Maher, but from what I understand, she was a dabbler, not an actual witch with religious principles.

PD: Yeah, she's not a mom, either, so we can't help her. Speaking of which, congratulations on the birth of your son, Rowan. We read on your blog that he was born on the auspicious night of the Wolf Moon.
LSK: He was conceived on Beltaine, which is May Day, aka May 1st, the previous year, in a ritual setting. So we hyper-planned for Rowan to come and he came on the Wolf Moon, which is appropriate because one of the Gods we invoked while we were conceiving him was the Lord of Wolves. When he was born, we found it really funny because he had gray fur all over his back and on his legs. We were like, "Oh, he's a little wolf cub!"

PD: The conception doesn't sound particularly romantic.
LSK: Actually, it was thrilling, especially at that moment when we both knew that it had worked. Witches' rituals are very sexy in general, and this one was especially so!

PD: So how does Joe Average Guy define "witch?"
LSK: The average person probably thinks that there's no such thing in real life and that it's sort of a storybook idea. You know, the caricature that you see at Halloween, with the green skin, bump in the nose -- the old hag. Or if they are part of particular religions that do believe that we're real, they believe that we're evil or something to be feared.

PD: So, any truth to that?
LSK: Witch is a term that encompasses several different religious traditions. People call themselves witches whether they are men or women or transgender. We believe in certain precepts. Witches believe that everyone is connected. And not just people, but everything on the planet; that everything is part of nature. The connection itself is Divine and we're connected to the Divine.

PD: Divine, like God?
LSK: Some witches believe in a couple of deities, some believe in many deities. We don't just believe in the one male deity. It's sort of an earth-based religion. We believe that the earth is sacred and that we need to take care of it. These are the commonalities that witches share.

PD: What is Feri witchcraft?
LSK: My religious tradition is an American witchcraft tradition that, just like America, is influenced by a lot of different populations coming into the United States. It has influences in Appalachian folk magic, Mexican folk magic and Hawaiian folk magic. Hoodoo, which is also something I practice, is an African American spell work tradition. There are many people in the South who practice Hoodoo and a lot people mix up the word Hoodoo and Voodoo. Voodoo is a religion. Hoodoo is a set of magic spells that anyone can do.

PD: I've seen magic spelled with a "k," as in m.a.g.i.c.k. Is this a witch thing?
LSK: You could spell it magic, with no "k," but that term is used by illusionists like Criss Angel and authors like J.K. Rowling, so its real and original meaning got convoluted and diluted. It was Aleister Crowley, I believe, who started calling what we mean magick, with a "k." What he meant is the art and science of knowing your true will -- your real purpose here on earth -- and enacting it in the world. Spells and such are ritualized actions using a symbol language, which speak to the unconscious mind, to make these things happen, but they don't work like on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."

PD: Is Rowan's dad a witch?
LSK: My partner is also a witch and he's a priest in the Feri tradition. I'm not a priest yet. Our tradition is a mystery initiatory tradition and I have not yet been initiated. I'm studying with my teacher and she says initiation is coming soon. I've been studying for about six years, but I have not yet been initiated. So she holds mysteries that I don't have yet.

PD: So, how is a witch family structured?
LSK: We're fairly progressive as a family. We believe in equal parenting. My partner does just as much child care as I do. We both equally split bread-winning. It could be because we're witches, but pretty much everything we do is because we're witches. It's a cultural thing.

PD: How do you raise a baby witch?
LSK: He's going to be raised with a witch's mindset, but we're not going to force anything on him. Our religious tradition, as I've said, is an initiatory one, and he will have to be initiated before he can be a full member of the religious community, and he can actively choose that.

But he's also going to learn about all the other religions and what they mean, and not in a biased way. I'm actually in seminary right now, the Unitarian Universalist Seminary, getting my Masters of Divinity, and it's a multi-religious education. I'm taking classes on Islam, I'm taking classes on Christianity, on Judaism, on a lot of different religious traditions and I'm learning it from religious practitioners. It's an unbiased environment. I feel really strongly that my child should know about the people of the world and their cultures. And he should be free to learn what we believe, and when the time comes he will decide what he believes.

PD: Do Mom and Dad do the initiating?
LSK: People initiate their lovers, people initiate their children ... but in our tradition, it's frowned upon to teach those whom you are intimately connected to. You can initiate your lover or child, but you usually send them off to get their education from someone else and that person determines when they're ready for initiation. So, we're going to be raising him as a witch, and if he decides to pursue Feri witchcraft, he will find a specific teacher, besides his father and I, to learn from. And when he's ready, they will initiate him or we will, if he asks for that.

PD: What are some of the rituals that you'll teach him?
LSK: Ritual, to me means casting circle and working between the worlds. This is the closest witches have to attending church, which, of course, I will teach Rowan to do. But witches make magic every day, regardless of whether they have done all the circle-casting and whatnot. Think about it. Are Christians only being Christian when they attend church on Sunday? Not really, right? I will teach Rowan to listen to all living things: people, animals, plants and rocks. I will teach him to be ethical and discerning and realize that his words and deeds have impact on this and other worlds. I will teach him how to manifest his will and make stuff happen. As for actual rituals, we observe the eight sabbats, which are holy days, on the wheel of the year, and we also do esbats, which is a meeting on new and full moons, from time to time. We also sometimes perform rituals for specific purposes, like spellwork, at these esbats.

PD: Halloween is coming up. Will Rowan wear a costume and go trick-or-treating? Do witch kids go trick-or-treating?
LSK: Halloween, as it is represented in mainstream American culture, is not something witches celebrate as a religious holiday, but many celebrate it as a secular one, like a Labor Day or Thanksgiving. It is not the same religious holiday as Samhain, where Halloween has its origins, but it is fun. Trick-or-treating is a part of mainstream culture and I see nothing wrong with having some fun and doing Halloween up for kids. I had a blast as a kid playing pranks, trick-or-treating, dressing up and going to parties. I hope that Rowan has just as much fun with his friends. He already has several costumes -- a bee, a dragon, a fairy, a firefighter, a skeleton -- that he wears to the supermarket and other mundane places.

PD: Where do witches go to school? Do you plan on homeschooling?
LSK: I'm not quite sure if he's going to go to a public school, a private school, if he's going to be home-schooled or group-schooled. I'd like to find like-minded parents who want open-minded, free-thinking children, so that we could all be responsible for the curriculum together. And so that the kids will actually get socialization together, which I think is the main thing at school. I'm doing a lot of research right now. He's only 6 months old, so I have some time to make a decision.

Related: Build a Wiccan Altar? Not in My Shop Class, Teacher Says

Saturday, September 18, 2010

[Pagan News] Patrick McCollum receives interfaith advancement award

For immediate release

On Tuesday, September 14, 2010, Wiccan minister Rev Patrick McCollum
...received the Mahatma Ghandi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism
from the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). The award was presented during
the seventh annual Capitol Hill reception sponsored by HAF. This year's
reception was held in the Gold Room of the US Congress Rayburn Building.

Patrick was one of four award recipients. Neal Katyal, Acting Solicitor
General of the United States received the Pride of Community Award.
Community activist Vishal Agarwal received the Dharma Seva Award. US
Congressman Edward R. Royce (Republican, Orange, California) received the
Friend of the Community Award.

"Patrick is not only the first Pagan to receive this award, but the first
Pagan to receive an international interfaith advancement award. This is an
important milestone in Pagan interfaith relations," said Rev. Selena Fox,
Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary. "I am glad that Patrick and his work to
build bridges of understanding and collaboration among those of many faiths
was honored."

In his remarks upon receiving the award, Patrick expressed appreciation for
this recognition, and also spoke about the importance of respecting
diversity and sacredness of human beings. "We are all part of the human
family and we must learn to respect each other and live in harmony."

About 150 attended the reception, including Hindu American Foundation
members, Americans United for Separation of Church and State staff, and
several US Congressmen and Congressional staffers. Also among those
attending this interfaith reception were Pagans from the Patrick McCollum
Foundation, the Lady Liberty League, Cherry Hill Seminary, and Circle
Sanctuary.

A couple photos from the reception are online: http://tiny/. cc/gxqkt

Patrick's international interfaith work also will be honored during the Lady
Liberty League 25th Anniversary Reception taking place in Washington, DC on
Wednesday, September 15, from 7-9 pm EDT. Selena, Patrick, and a variety of
Pagan and interfaith leaders will be speaking. Reception is free and open
to the public. More details are on-line:
http://www.circlesa/ nctuary.org/ liberty/3Sep10Ci rcleTimes. htm. A video of
the reception will be streamed live on the internet - tune in!

Pagan News Media: Wednesday, September 15, 2010See More
http://www.circlesa/
www.circlesa

Lady Sintana Passes

Lady Sintana, founder of Ravenwood Church & Seminary of Wicca, Inc. passed away
last night after a brief struggle with a very aggressive form of lung cancer.
She was responsible in no small measure for making the Atlanta Pagan community
what it is today. No matter our differences, we still had respect for each
other. Goodbye lady.Lord Rhuddlwm Gawr

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

C-Span2

Greetings,
Just wanting to know if any one else saw the program on C-Span2 a few days ago, that had to do with a panel of speakers talking on role of Spirituality in our lives. I came upon the program really late, so did not hear all of it.
The Title of the Program was, 2010 Harlem Book Fair Religion Panel. Three of the Four speakers were, Mata MorenoVea: author of "The Altar of My Soul", ( a book on Santeria Spiritualism); Sarah Sayeed - Women In Islam, Inc. - President; Obrey Hendricks: author of "The Politics of Jesus", (Don't be put off by the title !); Bishop Carlton Pearson: author of " God is NOT a Christian, Nor a Jew, Muslim, Hindu...".
What all of these speakers had to say, what I heard of them, were very relevant with what is going on at this present moment, and were very inspiring, and insightful.
Also, (guess I have been as ostrich with my head in the sand), but I have just recently heard of "The National Religious Freedom Day - October 27(?). Has any one else, heard of this ? I think it needs to be celebrated NOW ! (ha!)
Have a Great Day !
Shining Wolf

Monday, September 13, 2010

Thoughts

Ask, Believe, Receive - just three simple steps to create what you want.
However, very often the second step, believe, can be the most difficult
one. And yet it is the greatest step you will ever take. When you master
believing, you have mastered your life. ~Michael Blue Eagle

Thoughts

Right now, my first option is to increase the size of my library so I will have something to read that I can trust to be accurate and listen to the radio, they still play music I like, and get some Cd's of groups I like. All this satellite and cable TV is really a bunch of "B.S.". I remember when there was only 2-4 hours of TV available and the rest of the time it was blank. I think that would be a great improvement.
David Wade

Thoughts

Today I will not think wrongly of another. No matter who they are, no matter what class of people they are from. What matters is this. I will love myself and this will reflect as a sky reflects off the still lakes. As the bright fall colored trees reflect off the lakes. And as my reflection falls upon all things, so will my love for you.

Affirmation:

I will love myself and this will reflect as a sky reflects off the still lakes. As the bright fall colored trees reflect off the lakes. And as my reflection falls upon all things, so will my love for you.

Blessed Be, Rain Feather

Shameless Promotional Video

Greetings All and Brightest of Blessings

I am using this as a self-promotion for anyone out there who may wish to have Website advertising or promotion film clips made. Remembering that I am a pensioner .. I need some extra money and need to do some creative part time work. Please consider hiring me to make a promotional video for you. I have Graphic design qualifications as well and also am an experience illustration ... as Ellen Weston and some other can attest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzDmdD51Qyk

Michael Lee-Price

~ The Wayfinder ~

(A Spiritual Guru who needs some work)

Quote of the Day

When we come into this world we come in as a completely open trusting souls. We are then taught to "trust" and believe our parents, friends, authority figures, church etc. Especially in some of us older folks generation, we were taught to do this unconditionally.

Many bought into the fairy tell. Many of us have suffered deeply for it. Many of us have made mistakes in our lives, and many of us have hurt others as well.

However, I believe this quote is still valid. Because now that we are awake, we have a choice in life. We can continue to let the past hold us prisoner and make us bitter. Or we can CHOOSE to accept this part of our lives as our particular life's lesson that we needed to go through in order to make us stronger and more aware. After all if you have never known pain, how does one know when they are not in pain.

What is the hardest thing to do for a good many people is to accept and let go those things that have harmed them in the past. It took me a long time to learn that lesson myself. Now I've learned that these things made me the person I am today. I had to go through all those experiences, both good and bad, in order to be stronger.

It may sound strange, but what we should be doing is thanking those people that have caused you pain. Thank them for waking you up so that you could see. And then let all the past go. Release all that bad energy and ground yourself to the here and now.

By releasing all that, you can move forward and then that quote will aid you on your journey forward. Its never too late to start living.

911 Rememberance

http://www.examiner.com/pagan-in-phoenix/laura-roberts

"All Gave Some,,, Some Gave all, and for those who have fought for it,, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm!"
~ George Orwell


Feel free to drop by these sites:

Phoenix-Pagan-Examiner
Pagans United Blog
Pagans United Website

Founder/President Pagans United
Mentor VBOC Open Circle, Iraq

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Facebook

Wisconsin Pagan Trader is now on Facebook, So join and keep up with the articles
and Ads. I hope this will work just as well as the other sites.
Get it quicker here.
Soon will be on Twitter.

Send Healing to Sun Kat and Bella

Please send healing to Sun Kat & Bella of Ohio that their extreme abdominal
distress and related problems be correctly diagnosed, treated, and cured. Both
have been members of the Pagan Spirit Gathering community for many years and
Bella is a Circle Sanctuary minister.

Sun Kat & Bella have been in the hospital several times over the past couple of
weeks. Medical testing is still underway. Please also send support to the
medical team working with them.

Email well wishes to Sun Kat and Bella via Bella's email address:
revbellamahri@hotmail.com