Re-Re-post after PPD 2015

Re-post from my old Super Duper Social Worker blog, August 2012

I do not identify as Christo-Pagan. In my experience I’m too Christian for the Pagans (this always cracks me up) and I’m way too Pagan for the Christians (not surprising, but disappointing.) 

But, I do identify with those who want to have a relationship with Christ, or those who love aspects of Christianity, church and the bible. My heart breaks with theirs, though, when they go seeking something beyond orthodox and traditional ideas of Christianity and/or Paganism and are only met with rejection and ridicule from other religious communities.

Christianity and Paganism are completely compatible, and there’s no reason that the Christians and the Pagans (and everyone else, for that matter) can’t get together for a meal, a beer, community and prayer.

Christianity has its roots not only in Judaism (which has a rich mystic tradition) but Mediterranean and Egyptian mystery cults. Sure, a literalist interpretation of Christianity has been going strong for two thousand years, but that does not mean that this tradition is void of mysticism or even Paganism - far from it! My advice to those who think that Christianity and Paganism are incompatible – read some history.

Try to understand who the God of the bible is, read his words closely and think about the motives of his commandments. Think about what this would mean to people two thousand years ago, one thousand years ago, and now. Learn the history and the politics of the world two thousand years ago.

Look at the formation of the Catholic church, per-Constantine. Read about the life of Jesus, and then read about the Christ. (Yes, they are different.) Study the creation of the bible as we have it today. Read the Nag Hammadi, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gnostic texts and those other books that were left out of the bible, and study why they were left out of the bible.

Study Judaism, in particular the mystical traditions, the Kabbalah, and the elements of Goddess worship. Read the Old Testament. Read Plato and Neo-Platonist writers, and read The Golden Ass and the Homeric Hymns. Study Egyptian and Hellenistic mystery traditions and life/death cults.

Christianity and Paganism have been growing side-by-side for over two thousand years. This relationship has been… well, you know how it’s been. But it’s still there. After two thousand years of human civilization, you literally cannot separate Christianity from Paganism, or Paganism from Christianity. Sure, we can try, but two thousand years of tradition is hard to deny.

Even if you practice what you consider to be pre-Christian traditions, we’re in a post-Christian world looking at things with Post-Christian eyes. The influence is there. Now, I’m not saying every single Pagan practice is Christian, or that every single Christian practice is Pagan. I’m saying that nothing exists in a vacuum, and these things influence and inspire one another.

But, in the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re Christian or Pagan (or anything else!) If you’re Christian, be Christian. If you’re Pagan, be Pagan. And if you’re neither or both, then, by all means, follow your heart and intuition and worship in the way that works best for you.

It doesn’t matter, really. Just don’t make blanket statements or pre-emptive judgment calls. Read, think, learn, pray. Stop hating and judging. It’s okay if a witch prays to Jesus. It’s okay if a Christian performs a spell. There are no real contradictions - not after you study and build a frame of reference and a context.

And if you happen to find stuff that seems contradictory, well, that’s life and that’s okay, too. We’re modern people trying to interpret an ancient world, trying to put together pieces of a huge puzzle we’ll never really understand.

Life is full of contradictions, why should religion be exempt? That’s just part of the fun, fulfillment and magic.

Mundane Mysticism - only at Pagan Square!

My latest post over at Witches & Pagans/Pagan Square is a post on Mysticism.  Which is to say, this post was incredibly hard to write because, despite spending over a year working on a book about mysticism, I'm convinced that it's truly impossible to write about mysticism.  But, please check it out, and leave your thoughts and comments, too!

And be sure to check out my other posts over at Pagan Square.  I'm really proud of my little space, so I appreciate feedback and love!

Mundane Mysticism

Thank you, friends!

Pagan Health Survey

Self-Care tips from the Space Witch

"Go round and Round, Round and Round..."

Anxiety and the Black God

Melancholia, Moon Dreams, and the Goddess

Space Witch

"The Not-So-Secret Life of a Modern Witch"

You don't want to miss my latest piece over at Paranormal Galaxy Magazine!  "The Not-So-Secret Life of a Modern Witch".


This was a really fun piece for me to write, poking fun at some of the adventures I've had in witchcraft over the years. You don't want to miss it!  And be sure to check back in March and April for my upcoming pieces.  Always always a lot of fun over there!

And for those of you who might have missed them, here are my other posts over at Paranormal Galaxy Magazine:



"Paranormal Galaxy Magazine, the place where the real and the unknown meet. A hub for all things unexplained, haunted and mysterious. We serve as the source for all things paranormal from mediums, haunted history, ghost talks, pop culture and more. Each month we focus on a different aspect of the paranormal. We have something to soothe the soul for any and all paranormal junkies out there!"

Just Dance!

Review of Hidden Wisdom: 

a guide to the Western inner traditions by Jay Kinney

The Gnostics

Laughter 

Let Us Thing of Owl-Eyed Athena

Thanks for checking my stuff out!  And stay tuned for fun stuff that is yet to come!

Wait For Me: Samhain

originally posted in the online religion magazine Creedible, 2012

Like the pages from a Bradbury short story, October sweeps in with cold wind, bright colors and the scents of damp leaves, sugar and candy. The summer has been long and hot, school and work are in full swing and the holidays are right around the corner.

This shift in seasons is called the Wheel of the Year, and as the wheel rolls from the brightness of summer to the darkness of winter, the subtle swing from October to November marks a very important holiday in the Pagan calendar.

Known to most as Halloween (or All Hallows' Eve), Samhain is a favorite holiday among many Pagans. Considered by some to be the Pagan New Year, this holiday rests between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice and is a time of letting go of the old to make room for the new.

Commonly pronounced “Sow-ehn” (though this is debatable!) the observance of this special time of year has roots in ancient Europe, particularly among Gaelic and Celtic tribes. Many modern Halloween festivities observed in the United States come from Irish settlers who brought their folk stories and traditions with them to the new world. Trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins (or other vegetables) and wearing masks and costumes all come from old Samhain customs.

While Halloween may seem spooky to some, Samhain is a time to honor the blessed dead and to pay respect to those who have passed. Many display an “ancestral altar” with photos of friends and family as well as the deceased’s favorite food and trinkets. This isn’t too unlike the Catholic Day of the Dead festivities, where households pay their own respects in a similar fashion. Some Catholics also celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day shortly after Halloween, too, in which the hallowed and the dead are honored in other ways.

For Halloween this year, sit quietly outside. Listen to the leaves as they fall. Hear the kids laughing as they put on costumes and eat candy. Watch a few scary movies and indulge in the shadowy, darker aspects of life. Eat some crisp apples. Think of friends and family who were loved and lost. Celebrate the “Dumb Supper” and set an empty plate out for them at dinner time.

As the wheel turns and the year is new, think about those old, harmful things that no longer serve a purpose. Dismiss them and banish them away. The winter will be hard and cold, and there’s no use in keeping useless things around. As the nights become longer, contemplate on the shadow aspects of life. The wheel turns towards the darkness at Samhain. It will turn once more at Yule and the Solstice when the world will be brighter than ever.

In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

Pagan Blog Project – week 38 – S#2 – Salamander

my mind: ???? (https://lovegodbob.files.wordpress.com)

 

 

Pagan Blog Project – week 38 – S#2 – Salamanders

Salamanders used to confuse me.  I remember being a Baby Pagan and reading about the elemental correspondences to the directions.  I was familiar with the concept of elementalsthrough playing Dungeons and Dragons (true story) and elements and directions are simple enough, but I was confused about the elemental creatures and how they corresponded to the directions and physical elements.  This is especially true with South, fire, and the salamander (and less so with the other three elements, elementals, and directions.)

So, in most traditions, the elemental creature that corresponds to the direction of South and the element of fire is the Salamander.  What confused me was that I associated salamanders, reptiles, amphibians, and lizards with water.  For some reason, lizards and salamanders seemed slimy and moist to me, slippery and fluid, not at all like the fiery, darting, flashing associations of fire.  This really bothered me for a long time.

adorable and moist. My mind: fire??? (http://zolanimals.tumblr.com/)

Throughout this year, one of the Pagan Groups I’m involved in has been teaching workshops and generally focusing on the Spirits of Place.  It was through exploring this topic that I finally began to understand salamanders and their association with fire, and it wasn’t until I did some good old fashioned research that I found out the answer.  (aka Google and Wikipedia).

So, elementals are a common idea found throughout folklore, but it wasn’t until the 16^th century and an alchemist named Paracelsus finally wrote his thoughts down, thus making it “official.”  The reason he and others put salamanders in the south and with fire was because they all thought that salamanders came from fire.  What would happen was that during cold months, salamanders would go and hide in wood piles where things were nice and cozy and protected from the harsh weather.  People would bring the wood in from outside, add the wood to their fires, and then salamanders would go scattering everywhere, as if springing up from the flames themselves.  Because of this, people thought that salamanders came from the fire (rather than coming from the wood that was eventually set on fire) so that is how salamanders become associated with the element of fire, which is associated with the south.

my mind: ah ha! (http://freedomfortooting.files.wordpress.com)

But the more I thought about this, the more I realized how wrong I was about salamanders and lizards and other crawly guys.  I spent my youth in the Southwest, where there are plenty of lizards and not much water.  In addition to having associations with fire and salamanders, many cultures have stories of fire breathing dragons and other majestic, powerful, and fiery creatures. 

The association is simple, really, I just overthink things!  (or don’t  use enough common sense… but the end result is still the same.)  And I’m happy for my new-found knowledge and understanding of South, fire, and the salamander, because finally, the elements are complete to me in a way they were not before!

What’s something really obvious about Pagans that took you a long time to learn or understand that you’re embarrassed to admit?  Don’t hold back!  We’ve all been there!  Share it in the comments and we’ll all laugh together!

Pagan Blog Project – week 33 – Q#1– Quartz

Pagan Blog Project – week 33 – Q#1 – Quartz

For a long time I hated quartz.

I mean, not hate hate.  I just didn’t like it.  I was utterly underwhelmed.  I’m an April baby, which means that my birthstone is the diamond (though sometimes it’s listed as cubic zirconia or quartz.)  That means all of my birthstone jewelry is clear.  That means all of my birthstone jewelry is ugly.  This is especially when compared to beautiful stones like July’s ruby, September’s sapphire, or even November’s topaz. 

Diamonds and quartz and cubic zirconia are just boring.  So when I first started to collect stones I’d reach for the pretty ones – amethyst (of course), fluorite, and citrine.  And then I began to move onto the colorful ones like labradorite, jasper, and moonstone.

As I’ve grown with my relationship with crystals, I’ve come to appreciate them all, including (or especially) the ugly or boring ones.  Sure, I typically still enjoy something shiny and pretty like pyrite or a highly polished geode, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate stones and crystals as not just adornments, but as magical tools.  I can wear a hematite pendant when I want a little extra protection, and no one is going to notice it like they would if I wore an elaborate amulet.  I can slip on a cute onyx ring and no one is going to look at it and know that I’m in need of some grounding and stability in my life.

I’m still not the biggest fan of diamonds (a lot of my issues with diamonds are ethical ones coming from the diamond industry and the wedding-industrial complex) and cubic zirconia (I’m still trying to reconcile my relationship with man-made stones)  But I’ve started to appreciate and even enjoy quartz.

According to Wikipedia, it’s the “second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust.”  This has become abundantly clear when browsing crystals online or in stores or shopping for other magical tools.  Quartz is everywhere.  I’ve also come to realize that many of my more prized crystals are really just different types of quartz, including citrine and amethyst.  Quartz is also found in other stones, like agate, onyx, carnelian, and jasper.  So, it’s pretty hard to get away from it.

But not only is it abundant and permeating, quartz is powerful, too.  I’ve read many places over the years that say that if you don’t have a certain gemstone quartz can stand in for anything that you might need.  It’s an energy amplifier, and pairs well with pretty much everything.  It’s commonly used in the tips of wands or staffs, and it can be a great addition to an altar or other special area as a way to increase the vibrations of that space.  Some special quartz also retains energy, emotions, memories, and data, and these can be accessed through meditations and visualizations.

I’ve also come to realize that quartz is actually very beautiful.  I have a few clear quartz pieces I’ve managed to collect over the years, and I display them proudly with my flashier chunks of pyrite, amethyst, and citrine.  I use them in charms and rituals, and I have a few placed strategically around the house where I think they might enjoy themselves and also direct the energy in a way that is beneficial for everyone.

Just because a crystal isn’t flashy (like labradorite) or pretty (like moonstone) or really cool looking (like jasper) or found in every single new age store across the globe (amethyst), I'm glad I gave quartz a chance.  I stumbled upon a stone that became a favorite, as well as being a versatile, powerhouse of energy.

So, do you have any favorite crystals or gemstones?  What are your least favorite crystals or gemstones?  Do you have anything that it took you a while to work with but once you did you were happy with the results?  Please share your thoughts in the comments!  I’m always trying to learn more things about crystals, and I’d love to hear from you!  In the meantime, clear skies!

Other crystals I've written about:

Amber

Black Apatite

Blue Apatite

Citrine

Geodes

Howlite

Jet

Moldavite

Smoky Citrine

Smoky Quartz

Blessed Dead: Margot Adler

My undergraduate degree is in journalism.  I’d like to say that I studied journalism because I was inspired by Margot Adler, but that wouldn't be true.  I studied journalism because I grew up watching way too many movies that had intrepid war-correspondent-journalists as side characters, and I also wanted to be April O’Neil from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

But my explorations in Paganism came at the same time I was exploring journalism, and I remember this time fondly.  I remember sitting beneath a tree after class, trying the exercises from The Spiral Dance by Starhawk.  I remember sitting in my Principles of Journalism class with my brand-new tote-bag featuring a lovely spiral Goddess, and I’ll never forget the confusion of my well-meaning classmates asking me “is that a chili pepper?”  I remember sitting in the library drawing spirals around the words “I am a witch. I am a witch. I am a witch” because I read somewhere that if you wrote these words or said them three times, then they was true.  After doing this, I remember praying to Odin and Gunlod for inspiration, words, and strength as I walked over to the student newspaper offices to write my first article for the college campus.  I told him that if he could help me get through my anxiety that I’d write to honor Him and other Gods and Goddesses, and these prayers to Odin for inspiration, words, and strength are ones that have never left me and this is the same prayer and promise that I offer to this day.

So as a Pagan and a professional, I’ve always deeply respected Margot Adler.  Wasn't it so cool that she was a Pagan and a Journalist at the same time?  Being a journalist-Witch in West Texas wasn’t very easy, and even though the city paper never ran my story on local Paganism and my classmates thought I just really liked chili-peppers, I managed to survive.  If Margot Adler could survive this world, so could I.

http://wildhunt.org

Drawing Down the Moon is a book that is commonly referenced in other Pagan books, and the Pagan book club I’m part of picked it up a few years ago when we decided to read all of those Pagan books that are referenced in other Pagan books.  Clearly it’s an important title if everyone has read it and references it.  Upon finding out that this prolific Pagan writer was also an NPR correspondent, I was in awe.  Though my background is in print journalism, not broadcast, I still have a deep love and appreciation for NPR.  NPR correspondents in my mind are all cool, hip professionals out there in the trenches getting all the best scoops and presenting them from all of the important angles.  I’ve always been deeply impressed with Margot Adler’s professionalism.  I feel like so many Big Name Pagans look like bone fide nutjobs to the rest of the world, but not Margot Adler.  She was a professional.  She worked for NPR.  She wrote a book.  Woah.

I just loved hearing her stories on the radio.  I’d think “she’s like me!  She’s a journalist… and a witch!”  And I’m not sure if it was her intention, but in my mind she was a real role model, an example that yes, Pagans are just regular people.  Yes, we have jobs and we have hobbies and we have pretty normal lives.  (Well, pretty normal lives that can also be fantastically beautiful and magically spectacular!)  But she didn't own an occult shop or try to run a church or a temple and she didn't make money doing tarot card readings or selling fancy oils or herbs.  She was a journalist.

When I got word that Margot Adler had passed, I was deeply devastated.  Just a few weeks before, one of my study groups had talked about the recent deaths of so many beloved Pagan elders and vanguards.  Margot Adler was someone who I loved and respected very much, so I took a moment to light a candle, offer a prayer, and to cry. 

This blog post is just a tiny, insignificant gesture when compared to the impact and power of Margot Adler's work over the years, both as a Pagan and as a journalist.  So many people have shared loving memorials and memories, and this little post isn't going to do her any justice.  But I can continue to try and live my life as she did – as a proud Pagan, as a talented writer, and as a professional.

Endless blessings to you, Margot Adler, and may your memory continue to inspire in this life and in the next.

Thank you, shining lady. )O(

This is an email shared from one of Margot’s NPR colleagues, Ken Barcus:

Many of you have asked about ways to honor Margot’s memory. After discussions with a few of her closest friends, it’s been decided that collecting donations toward buying a memorial bench in her name in Central Park is the best plan. It’s something she spoke of in her final days. As you know, she lived on the edge of the park nearly her entire life and walked through it daily. She bought a bench for her husband John, when he passed away, and one for her mother years earlier. Both are situated in the park, close to her condo. The cost of doing this through the Central Park Conservancy is $7,000. If we raise more than that, the excess will be put toward planting a tree in Central Park in her name. If anyone wants to donate toward this, I’ll be collecting the money and then forwarding it to the conservancy. Checks should be made out to: Margot Adler Memorial Fund and mailed to this address:

Ken Barcus NPR
3109 Mayfield Rd. #207
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118

Margot traveled in so many different circles, that I’m sure I’ve left many people off this email who would like to know about this effort. Please feel free to forward along this note to them.

Thanks - Ken