Blog: About Pagan / Wiccan Religion
Update: 2010/3/11 5:40:29 (Update)
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Are colored eggs Pagan or Christian?
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While there's a lot of discussion in the Pagan community about where the idea of coloring eggs actually came from, in scholarly circles things seem pretty clear. Despite the image of our pre-Christian European ancestors frolicking on an egg hunt in the forest -- and one well-known Wiccan author's tale about a frisky rabbit and the goddess Eostre -- it looks like in Europe, colored eggs didn't come along until after Christianity moved in. However, in Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year. Learn more about the origins of the Easter egg, and then color your own Ostara eggs with natural dyes!
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Ostara Countdown: Are Easter Eggs Pagan? originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 06:40:29.
For those of you who dig archaeology as much as I do, there's a nifty find from the island of Crete. Last summer's excavation of a tomb at Orthi Petra has revealed, according to experts, the tomb of a high priestess of Zeus and three acolytes. Archaeologist Nicholas Stampolidis and his team date the graves to 2,700 years ago. Eti Bonn-Muller of Archaeology magazines says "People then may have considered them sorceresses, or intermediaries with the gods." What's really interesting, to me at least, is that these four women all appear to be related, and seem to be related to other women whose remains have been found at the site in graves spanning two centuries or more. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "family tradition."
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Priestess' Tomb Unearthed in Crete originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 16:25:03.
Early spring blooms are associated
with rebirth
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
Ostara is the season of rebirth and new life, and in many cultures, a god or goddess is associated with these aspects. In fact, while the story of the resurrection is typically connected with Christianity, other deities such as Mithras and Attis are also tied to the theme of death followed by rebirth. Here are a few of the deities connected with the spring equinox: Deities of Ostara.
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Ostara Countdown: Deities of the Season originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 06:28:16.
Thanks to Rowan for tipping me off to this one. A group of seven Muslim men who stopped to pray in a Henderson, Nevada, parking lot back in December have filed a complaint against the local police. According to reports, a resident called the police to say "seven Middle Eastern males were acting suspiciously by a gray minivan with California license plates." The caller also reported several of the men "were kissing the ground." Shortly afterwards, law enforcement officials showed up to question the men.
If you watch the cell phone video -- which is a bit grainy and blurry -- you can hear the officer saying that police were called because "someone saw you doing your prayers, and they were kind of weirded out by that." The officer makes reference to "indicents in the past," and says, "based on events that have happened around the world... can you fault people who don't understand things for being concerned?" You can also hear one of the Muslim men questioning whether or not just being Muslim is just cause for a police stop. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has filed a formal complaint with the Henderson Police Department for what they believe to be an unlawful stop.
So, here's the big question -- IS it okay for police to question someone just because people think their behavior is a bit weird? What happens if I'm hosting circle in my back yard, and my neighbors peek over the fence to see a half dozen folks in robes, holding athames, and chanting around an altar? Can my local deputy pay a call just because it's odd behavior by suburban standards? Or is it only a problem if I'm a Muslim, rather than a Pagan? Definitely something worth thinking about.
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Complaint Filed in NV Prayer Stop originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:21:14.
Since the January earthquake that struck Haiti, leveling buildings and killing thousands, there has been an emerging battle between Christian groups and the country's many practitioners of Vodoun, or Voodoo. Last month, Vodoun high priest Max Beauvoir accused missionary groups of discriminating against those who practiced his religion, saying, "The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves." He claimed that opponents of Vodoun have deliberately prevented medical assistance and food relief from reaching some of the more remote areas of the country.
In the past few weeks, things have gone from bad to worse, as Christian evangelical groups place the blame for the quake on the sinfulness of Haiti's Vodoun followers. Willer Jassaint, a houngan, or high priest, told reporters, "They say we're the ones who caused the earthquake. But we know ourselves that we didn't cause the quake, because it was a natural catastrophe."
On February 23, things got completely out of control when a group of Protestant evangelicals threw rocks at people holding a Vodoun ceremony. Max Beauvoir has encouraged his people to respond to such acts with aggression, although at this point it doesn't look as though there have been additional violent conflicts. Still, folks in Haiti have it bad enough right now, what with there being no real infrastructure to speak of, a lack of resources, and a crumbling socioeconomic strata. Add to this some violent dissention between religious groups, and you've got the makings of a civil war in an already damaged country.
Meanwhile, the houngans continue to plan ceremonies, so they can lay the dead to rest. They say they "owe the spirits of the dead that release... and they owe themselves that show of defiance."
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Christianity vs Vodoun in Haiti's Streets originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:21:18.
I've always been fascinated by the notion of dowsing, which is a method of locating water sources beneath the ground using sticks and rods for divination. Some might scoff at this, but it's a technique that's been used with some degree of success for hundreds - even thousands - of years in some parts of the world. The Canadian Society of Questers, which is a dowsing group based in Calgary, has planned their spring conference at Olds College from May 14 -17, 2010. If any of you folks up in Calgary get a chance to attend, be sure to stop back in and let us know what you learned!
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Dowsing Workshop Planned in Canada originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:08:48.
Plan your magical herb garden in advance!
Image © Getty Images
If you're planning your spring garden, consider adding some magical herbs into your planting activities. Start off by selecting a few plants you'd like to work with, and grow them yourself instead of buying them from suppliers. Plan ahead, by looking over the list of Magical Herbal Correspondences. Also, be sure to check out our Magical Herbs Image Gallery.
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Ostara Countdown: Hooray for Herbs originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 06:27:22.
If you're in the Central Ohio area, stop in next weekend, March 13 & 14, and visit me at the 8th Annual Gift of Light Expo! It's a great festival that brings the metaphysical community together, and includes all kinds of workshops, lectures, energy workers, readers, vendors and artists. I'll be doing readings and selling books at The Cat & The Cauldron's booth (#308), so if you get a chance, stop in and say hi!
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Join Me for the Gift of Light! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 11:08:05.
Got leftover Peeps? Make dessert!
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Coming on the heels of yesterday's goofy Chocolate Rabbit ritual, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite sugar-coma inducing recipes for Ostara. Got leftover Peeps after your Chocolate Rabbit rite? Never fear -- you can whip them up into a dessert! Marshmellow Peep Ambrosia.
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Ostara Countdown: Peeps Everywhere! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 05:01:54.
Hail, the great chocolate bunny!
Image © Getty Images
A couple of years ago, I saw all the Easter candy in the store a while back, and thought that there had to be a way to incorporate all that sugary goodness into a ritual. Thus was born the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Chocolate Rabbit, which has been an annual favorite here on About Pagan/Wiccan. Feel free not to take it very seriously -- the gods know I don't -- but it's a lot of fun. And there's probably a rule somwhere that candy consumed in a ritual setting has fewer calories.
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Ostara Countdown: Spring Silliness originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 05:55:39.
Moonflowers bloom when the sun
goes down
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
This is the time of year when we're planning our plantings. Have you ever thought about planting flowers that bloom just at night? Yeah, sounds a bit odd, but it's glorious to look at (and smell) when it's done right. Try cultivating a Magical Moon Garden as a way of getting in touch with lunar energies. This not only looks beautiful, it provides a nice backdrop for evening rituals during the summer.
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Ostara Countdown: Moon Gardening originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 05:54:26.
Happy birthday blessings to Laurie Cabot, the Grande Dame of Salem's witchy society! Laurie has practiced witchcraft for over four decades and is the founder of the Cabot Tradition. She has been an outspoken activist on behalf of the rights of witches and Pagans everywhere, and has written a number of books. Happy birthday, Laurie, and may you enjoy many more!
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March 6: Happy Birthday, Laurie Cabot! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 04:17:28.
I had to share this because it just made me giggle. A New Jersey family created a snow version of the Venus de Milo, the famous statue depicting the goddess of love. Neighbors complained that there was a naked snow lady next door, the police arrived, and so the Venus was bedecked in a bikini top and a sarong.
I should add that the snow Venus is really well-done - she looks like marble. The family who built her has since taken her down -- she was getting melty -- but they've got a good sense of humor about the whole thing. "Curvaceous, bodacious and booty-licious," is how Elisa Gonzalez described the snowy goddess she built with her son and daughter.
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Naked Snow Goddess Gets a Cover Up originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 12:51:24.
We've been following the case of Iowa shop teacher Dale Halferty, who received a five-day suspension after forbidding a student to build a Wiccan altar in woodworking class -- there's been some question about the legality of Halferty's actions, so he's getting a few days off work while the school district's attorney's sort things out. Originally, Halferty said, "no religious items can be built at all by anyone," but later added that he was being forced to act against his Christian beliefs, and that Wicca is Really Really Dangerous for kids.
Halferty made it pretty clear from some of his statements that he is, at the very least, not educated about what Wicca and modern Paganism actually entail, although that didn't stop him from making false statements. However, not everyone is willing to remain as unenlightened - today's Des Moines Register runs an editorial from college student Kat Fatland, who is neither Wiccan nor Christian. Fatland points out that "If Halferty thinks that learning about any valid religion is "terrible," he is thus prohibiting entire fields of knowledge from being accessed. If one reflects on reasons why anything should not be talked about in school, the only reason Halferty has is fear - and nothing is more degrading to knowledge than fear of it."
It's a nicely done piece, and one written by someone who doesn't have a dog in this race at all. Kudos to Fatland for being objective and encouraging people to learn about things which are a bit outside their comfort zone.
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Altar Case Could be Education Opportunity originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 11:05:52.
Use a labyrinth as a guidance tool
Image © Patti Wigington 2008
Got a problem you can't quite resolve? This meditation uses one of the most ancient techniques of all -- the walking of a labyrinth. Take advantage of Ostara's season of balance, and set up a labyrinth of your own so you can use it as a tool of introspection and reflection. You might be surprised at what you learn about yourself on the journey! Ostara Labyrinth Meditation
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Ostara Countdown: Labyrinth Meditation originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 05:50:27.