Workin’ for a Livin’
©2012 photos.com
Workin’ for a Livin’
Five steps to a more magical workplace.
by Deborah Blake
In my view of the perfect world, we would all own Pagan stores, do Tarot readings, create beautiful crafts, or make our living in some other way that satisfies our Pagan inclinations. Alas, for most of us, earning money to put food on the table requires that we spend our days toiling away at more mundane jobs, often under circumstances that are more likely to sap our spirits than to sustain them.
However, that doesn’t mean that we should give up on our dreams. In my experience, magick can find you almost anywhere, if you are willing to look for it. So, until the day when that perfect Pagan world arrives, here are some guidelines to help you survive — even thrive — in the everyday workplace.
I have wanted to be a writer all my life. But in the past I had lots of explanations as to why I couldn’t start writing. Then, two years ago, an idea so possessed me that I had to write it down and share it. I ignored all the reasons that I knew my writing career couldn’t take off, and did it anyway.
Pagans in Prison
©2012 shutterstock.com
“We are called Satanists by other inmates. And we not only have to fight the inmates, we have to fight the administration. We are not anti-Christian. They are anti-pagan.”
— Dave Chamberlain, New Hampshire inmate and leader of Pagan inmates group
“Almost immediately, I found myself under attack for being Wiccan. The police are more than happy to provide you with a Christian Bible and chaplain. The jail has numerous opportunities to get out of your cell, provided you want to hear Christian messages. Other than that, you stew. The guards will send the other inmates that go to church your way. They are usually not pleasant to talk to. Most are recently converted and feel a personal mission to bring you to their God.”
— Cyrus Hensley, Missouri inmate
Pagans in Prison
Our Brothers (and Sisters) Behind Bars
by Kenaz Filan
Creating Beauty with Regan High Priestess
Creating Beauty with Regan High Priestess
interview by Michael Night Sky,
photography by Michael Helms styling by Octavia Moon
Regan High Priestess was looking forward to a comfortable future; well on her way to completing a degree in Computer Information Systems, she could have had her choice of lucrative high-tech jobs. Then, one evening she found herself in the audience of Cirque du Soleil’s Mystére, and her world turned upside-down. As she sat weeping at the beauty of the performance, she realized her true vocation. “I realized that I had to follow my calling — a calling to create beauty in the world.” Returning home, she changed her major to music. At first her parents were alarmed; concerned about Regan forsaking computer science for a career in the arts. But they supported her choice, and later she went on to obtain a graduate degree in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from the University of Southern California.
Regan’s persistence was rewarded: her work has appeared in trailers for films including Team America and The New World, and her powerful stage presence and intense, sensuous music has won rave reviews from both Pagan and non-Pagan audiences at such venues as Burning Man and Pantheacon. We connected with Regan recently to discuss her spirituality, art, and how she connects the two.
Otherkin: Awakening the Nonhuman
©2012 Hartman
Otherkin
Awakening the Nonhuman
by Lupa
The spring I was seventeen years old, eleven years ago now, was one of the most significant of my life. I was a high school junior, anticipating my senior year and preoccupied with mundane matters like taking tests, and applying for college. I had just started a new relationship with a guy who introduced me to the Internet, Paganism and magic. He also introduced me to the concept of Otherkin.
I’d just had my primary totem, Wolf, come back into my life after giving Horse a few years to get me through my awkward junior high years. I didn’t know these entities were totems at the time; I just knew that these animals had very strong influences on me. Wolf had been with me my entire life, and unlike Horse I felt Wolf was not only a guide, who I really was inside. I didn’t have a concept to explain what I felt — until I found out about Otherkin.
Full Tilt Living
Full Tilt Living
by Maureen Smith
Red Wheel/Weiser
Full Tilt Living is a small, sweet book, optimistic and cheerful, intended to be of help to people in living more fully and completely. The author, Maureen Smith, is a hypnotherapist, a trainer, and a newsletter publisher. She has good will and good advice to offer. The book is nicely designed and the information is clearly stated and accessible. I found the illustrations appealing.
