Bulls.  Big, strong, temperamental creatures that have had loomed large in man’s past.  Bull jumping, bull baiting, bull fights and running of the bulls are events where they were, and in some cases still are, featured.  They were used in the form of oxen to pull plows and carts.  Their virility kept up herds, generating wealth for their owners. In some areas, placing a bull head above a door gives protection and luck much like the horse shoe.  As sacrifices, few animals were more costly.  From them we get the terms ‘seeing red’ and ‘bull-headed’.  A lot of myths feature bulls, even modern myths like Paul Bunyan and his blue ox.  In some cultures, earthquakes are blamed on a rowdy celestial bull believed to have the world upon its horns.  A lot of masculine divinities, particularly those of the sun and the sky, are associated with bulls.

I should say at the beginning that this is specifically not an entry in the whole polytheist vs. atheist Pagan debate. Rather, I think that the polytheist side of the debate has been poorly represented until now, and I would like to take the opportunity to ruminate on that failure of my side of the argument to present a more balanced picture. 

One thing that has been lost in the din of recent days is the voice of those polytheists—among whom I count myself—who believe in the literal existence of the Gods and Goddesses, spirits of the land, shades of my ancestors, etc. but who do not have the intense “devotion is everything” attitude towards Them that some do.

It is a misnomer (an understandable one, given the participants on that side of the discussion) that all polytheists must by their nature be God-spouses, engage in ritual “horsing” (possession by spirits, including one or more Gods), consult with Them multiple times every day on even the most trivial matters, and, most important, insist that anyone who does not indulge in such über-piety (or—Gods forbid!—deny Their existence) is somehow less of a “real” Pagan/Heathen than they are.

The politics of witchcraft in the Muslim world (Middle East Quarterly)

"...the majority of news accounts implied that the woman was a victim of persecution by the Saudi government ... No Western reporters seemed to consider that the victim was actually practicing witchcraft, or why witchcraft is considered by the desert kingdom a crime punishable by death. ... magical beliefs can constitute an existential and political threat to Islamic religious leaders, provoking severe punishments and strict prohibitions of any practice not sanctioned by their authority. ... There is no doubt that clerics believe in the powers of jinn; they would no more question the existence of jinn than they would the Qur'an."

New Zealand rape trial invokes fear of witchcraft (3News)

Step Two- We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity

The First Step leaves us in a terrible position.  We are utterly beyond human assistance. Our lives are unmanageable no matter what we do.  We will never be able to control our drinking.  Certainly this is a stance of hopelessness. 

Many alcoholics or addicts will say “I worked the First Step long before I came into the program.”  This means that they spent many years well aware of the hopelessness of their situations while still in active addiction. This was my experience as well.  I was in terrible pain, and knew my lifestyle was unbearable and untenable, but I could not envision a way to live that did not include alcohol and drugs to numb the anxiety and panic that swelled up to swallow me whenever I was sober.  I had to stop, but how?

I am learning about using energy in ritual and magic. What is energy supposed to feel like? How do I know I’m doing it right?

Wiccans and Pagans often use the word “energy” to mean the power that emanates from living things, deity, the earth, or all three. Geek that I am, I have likened it more than once to the Force from Star Wars, “It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” I have also likened it to the “qi” or “chi,” the core principle of tai chi and Chinese medicine.

Beginner Wicca and Paganism books—including mine—often include exercises for working with energy. Some of the benefits of doing this are to align with the natural world, to become more attuned to one’s own body, and, eventually, to work magic. It’s also extremely useful for stress management.

GOP Virginia Lt. Governor candidate walks back link between yoga and Satanism (Huffington Post)

""I do not believe that yoga leads to Satanism. One of my ministers is a yoga instructor. What I said was that Christian meditation does not involve emptying oneself but filling oneself ... with the spirit of God. That is classic biblical Christianity," he said..."

Profile of classes in Wicca in Manhattan (NY Times)

The festive war-on-Christmas season just seems to come earlier every year, doesn’t it? Over at Daily Kos, Jack Ryan has a tongue-in-cheek reaction to the news that Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed into law what is referred to as the “Merry Christmas Bill”. Turning the intent of the law on its end, Mr. Ryan posits that there could now be a spike in “Pagan Christmas Kits”, used to educate Texas school kids about the Pagan origins of holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Clever as the idea is, it does cause me to wonder if, in the interests of the Christian-inspired doctrine of “equal access” (thank you, ACLJ), the bill might just give Pagans and Heathens a foot in the door of Texas schools. 

The question hinges, of course, on both the text of the law itself and the relevant section of the Texas State Constitution. 

June’s shadow card is the 8 of Cups, shown here from the new Tarot Illuminati by Erik C. Dunne and Kim Huggens.  Here we have a figure, cloaked in red, with his back to us walking away from 8 cups stacked behind him.  Red is the color of passion indicating that this person is passionate about their pursuits.  There are 5 cups on the left and 3 on the right and it appears as though the cups are empty but in truth we do not know if they are or if they have something in them.  If they are full, perhaps he is leaving them behind because they no longer work for him, if they are empty he may be feeling that his life is empty and he is leaving them in search of fulfillment.  He uses a cane to assist him as he walks in a wintry scene though a doorway between very large rocks towards what appears to be a stairway to the moon.  

The 8 of Cups is about going on a quest in some form or another, walking away from a job, a relationship, a belief system, or any other situation, positive or negative, and is often about leaving something good in order to find something even better.  Sometimes the quest is about finding yourself, of looking deep inside to discover those hidden things that you are finally ready to face.  A quest can be about leaving the past behind you so you can move on to better things, or leaving behind emotions that no longer serve you.  

Some of my readers know that I play music for a good deal of my living, and have been playing music for Pagans for the last 30 years. I have an awesome new Pagan band called FishBird. I have a Kickstarter up, where I am asking for help to take the band on tour and record our concerts this summer. Please visit the Kickstarter, repost its URL, and spread the word. Thank you! Visit our Kickstarter here.

Here is some video of the band. Enjoy!

Churches need to handle problem of child witchcraft accusations (Huffington Post)

"...it seems that today many of those accused of being witches are children, while in the past older women were more likely to be the targets. ... A network based in the United Kingdom with a strong Christian focus, Stop Child Witch Accusations (SCWA) is seeking to enlist the active support of a coalition of churches. The first goal is to publicize what is happening, the second to make clear that it has no place in a civilized, Christian community."

Pagan and pagan-friendly happenings featured in Winnepeg "faith briefs" (Winnepeg Free Press)

A few days ago, my friend Lykeia posted a brief guide to setting up a Hellenic altar for the fledgeling polytheist, demonstrating how easy it can be to start practicing even for the brand new devotee on a budget. For the new heathen, whether devoted to Odin or another god in the pantheon, it's even easier: because of the simplicity of heathen ritual, we have even less essential paraphernalia for you to collect. (Which leaves more money for tattoos, valknut and Thor's hammer jewelry, and homebrewed mead!) Because people often ask me how they should start out with worshiping Odin, what offerings they should make, and what the structure of heathen ritual is, I thought it might be useful to post this beginner's guide.  This will consist of a series of three posts, the first one dealing with the basic assumptions and underpinnings of Heathen ritual. More advanced readers, please keep in mind that this is not intended to be a comprehensive treatment, but a very simple and accessible starting place for beginners.

Dark and silent, Choron the apotropaic mage shrouds himself in secrecy. This chthonic god heals and harms, shields and strikes.  His name is transliterated into English a number of ways: Choron, Ḥoranu, Horon, and sometimes Hauron. The ch or ḥ sound is pronounced like the ch in Chanukah or Bach. This god was worshiped in both Bronze Age Canaan as well as New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty Egypt where he was connected with the sphinx as Horemakhet-Hauron; however the best information we have on Choron comes from Canaanite incantations. Three thousand year old cuneiform tablets originating in city of Ugarit—now the Syrian city of Ras Shamra—tell of Choron as an underworld god, an exorcist, and a protector.

As a dark lord in the underworld,¹ he bears both beneficial and baneful attributes.  Snakes are his favored creatures.  His face becomes shadowed—perhaps in anger—when snakes are disrespected.

I am posting about this here because I would genuinely love to receive submissions from across the entire spectrum of paganism for this, so please don't hesitate to send something just because your approach or path may differ from mine; my only requirement (in addition to the specifics below) is that you love Odin, and/or want to honor Him or reach out to Him through imagery, ritual, song, or prayer.

I am currently accepting submissions for Prayers to the Allfather, a collection of prayers, rituals, chants, invocations and artwork for Odin.  This book is not going to be a traditional devotional anthology and I do not want to receive any articles, personal essays, or literary devotional poetry.  This will be strictly a book of liturgy for Him which I hope can serve as a resource for His devotees (meaning, everyone who loves and reveres Him) regardless of their specific belief system or approach to Him.  Please see below for more details of the type of content desired.

Last time we covered cleansing and charging. We talked about discussing clearing and programming next. However, because programming is a bit more detailed, we’ll save that for a post all on its own. This time we’ll talk about choosing your crystal and clearing. Then we will be ready to learn about programming.

CHOOSING YOUR CRYSTAL
The first step is deciding what kind of assistance you would like from your crystal friend. The next step is choosing which crystal wants to partner with you toward that end. So how do you choose?

Zambia chief wants outdated witchcraft law repealed, replaced with tougher law (UK Zambians)

"The chief said people were taking advantage of the current laws on witchcraft to practise sorcery. “People are so bold now that they even threaten others during the day that they will bewitch them. A person with a gun is better than a wizard because you can dodge a bullet but you can’t escape witchcraft. “Even chiefs are not spared. We are appealing to Government to solidify the Act on witchcraft and those convicted should be jailed,” Chief Nkole Mfumu said."

Pilgrimage for Peace includes Druid ceremony (Hemel Today)

For those in need of a little lighthearted fun after all the Big Serious Talk lately...

"Oh What a Beautiful Solstice, Oh What a Beautiful Day…"

These are the strains I remember waking to coming from an enthusiastic fellow Pagan Spirit Gathering camper some years back, on the day of the summer solstice. It stuck with me, and I have very fond memories of the experience. The gathering has gotten quite large and sadly, I have not been able to return– but the spirit of PSG stays with me. Drawing on some of that energy and a few of my own Litha gatherings since, here is my idea of the perfect Midsummer camping trip, on a much smaller scale.

I find that state parks have a lot to offer in the way of ample space, good upkeep and natural beauty. I cannot sing the praises enough of my own Wisconsin State Park System! Of course, if you know someone with access to private grounds, by all means, take advantage of that first. But when reserving at a public place, always be sure to request a woodsy, secluded spot, preferably on an end of the campground. You don't want to be sandwiched between others and most park administrative staff that you talk to can tell you of just such a site at their facility. If you find a park with a lake, there are usually the added benefits of a boat or canoe rental opportunity, swimming, and the soothing sounds of the water at night when you are drifting off to sleep.

...When honoring the dead makes your skin crawl

"Every man is a quotion from all his ancestors." ----Ralph Waldo Emerson

I just wanted to post a quick update!

Last night Kenny Klein and I had a great time as guests on the Pagan Warrior Radio Program. We talked about fairy tales and our new book. If you want to hear what we had to say, check it out here!