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I spent fifteen days walking the sands of another continent this year. Fifteen days eating the fruits of another land, looking into the eyes of people I had never met, and marveling at the infinite beauty and potential of the human spirit. The cultural immersion trip I participated in was sponsored by my school, Iliff School of Theology, and led by two of my professors who are originally from Harare Zimbabwe. 

During the course of those fifteen days we interfaced with universities, non-profit organizations, orphanages, climbed the rocks of Great Zimbabwe, witnessed the power of Victoria Falls, toured the Apartheid museum, and walked the halls of the prison on Robben Island. The trip was simultaneously amazing, exciting, and excruciating. In other words I will never forget it.

My spiritual journey, as a South African born Pagan, began at the age of six. Both my parents worked full time and I was raised by a Zulu nanny in their absence. Virginia would walk me home from school in the afternoons. One afternoon as I was about to walk into the kitchen, Virginia shouted to me to stand still. She had never before raised her voice at anyone. I froze. Seconds later a lightning bolt struck the top of the metal door frame, slid down and up the doorway, and disappeared. I remember the smell of pure electricity. She took me by the hand and sat me down at the kitchen table. While she poured a cup of tea and placed the sugar bowl in front of me, I wondered how she had known about the lightning strike before it happened.

This memory has remained vivid for me to this day. It served as the first small awakening for what has become a life-long quest to know more about and understand the occult - the hidden. Over the last 40 or more years I have explored and studied Shamanism, Traditional African religions, Druidry, western and eastern magical traditions, occultism, divinations, medicinal and magical herbalism, folk-lore, mythology, European 'pagan' religions and Witchcraft. I consciously identified as a Witch by the age of 20. As I near my fiftieth birthday, it's become easier to quantify my personal belief system as a combination of animism and pantheism.

An art contest opens to celebrate Midwinter. We're reminded of all we have to be thankful for. And we take a look at Paganism in South Africa. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Living in the semiarid places of southern Africa, Cape Ground Squirrel (Xerus inauris) shades Herself with her tail from the hot sun. Active during the day, She likes to eat in the morning. Afternoons are for socializing and grooming. During other times of the day, Cape Ground Squirrel will sunbathe if the weather turns chilly.

Cape Ground Squirrel will share her burrow with Meerkats and Yellow Mongooses. In gratitude, Meerkats will call alarms to warn Her. The two mammal species will live in a mutual relationship.

Cape Ground Squirrel lives with other Female Squirrels in large underground burrows. She usually feeds on seeds, leaves, and roots. However, Cape Ground Squirrel is not above acting cute and begging from people. Her favorite haunts are the rest camps of the governmental parks in South Africa.

I recently asked several of the musicians and artists that I play on my show to tell me some things about themselves that most people don't know about them. I intend to do this as am ongoing feature of the blog.

My first responder was Lindie Lila. Lila was a finalist in The Magick Jukebox's 30 best Pagan Albums project, coming in at #4 with Return of the Goddess. Her music is hauntingly beautiful and genuinely comes from the heart.

South Africa has come a long way in the last twenty years. In 1994 we had our first free elections, and from it we left Apartheid where it belonged- in the past. Then in 1996 we adopted a new Constitution; one which is heralded by many first world countries as being progressive. However, as liberal as our Constitution may be, South Africa is still a very conservative nation; especially when it comes to the topic of religion.