Author Archives: admin

Freedom of Religion?

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I’m going to start this post by stating that I live in the U.S.A..  This is relevant because here we supposedly have freedom of religion.  Basically, The First Amendment to the “United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws which respect an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion….”  There is also a clause preventing workplaces from discriminating on a number of factors, one being religion.  The exception is if the employer is a religious institution. 

Just because the laws say there shouldn’t be any discrimination against religions, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.  It just means that employers can’t mention your religion when they fire you for it.  I’m pretty sure I have been fired for my religion at least twice in my life.  It could have been more than that, but when I get fired because I’m “not a good fit” with a school district, yet they kept a teacher who literally held a student forcibly against a wall and lied about his knowledge of the subject matter he was supposed to be teaching, it’s pretty clear there was something off about their explanation of my firing. 

Why is this coming up now?  I was chatting with my husband the other day.  He couldn’t understand why I enjoyed watching The Good Witch.  I explained that not only is it the most accurate portrayal of Paganism that I’ve seen on TV, but also that I have a dream of one day of moving somewhere and finally being accepted for who I really am, Paganism and all.  My husband flat out told me that it would never happen.  I held back my tears and told him I needed time to myself.  He assumed it was for another reason and I let him.  When I got there, I cried.  I cried for all of the times that I have had to move.  I cried because he had almost dashed my hopes that it was possible to be accepted in a small town for being Pagan. 

While I have gotten good at hiding it from my employers over the past 5 years or so, my son will be starting pre-K in the district I work in before I get tenure.  I had a choice.  I could hide my religion from my son or I can live my truth at home and hope that when the time comes, I will have been there long enough that they will overlook it.  I refuse to hide who I am from my son, so that’s the option I’m going for right now. 

Having to hide who I am in order to get (and keep) a teaching job really hurts.  It’s not like I would ever teach my students about my religion.  I just want to be able to wear a pentacle to work without worrying about being fired.  I want to be able to take my holidays off of work without fearing that I will lose my family’s sole source of income. 

It really pisses me off when I see some of my Christian friends complain that there is a “war on Christmas” because people say “Happy Holidays”.  Really!?  Christmas is a national fucking holiday!  Or when they complain that they’re being discriminated against because they can’t pray in schools.  Uh, actually, the students can.  They just can’t have it be led or required in any way by the school or any adult.  Not to mention if I had a dollar for the number of times someone on the Pagan Parenting group that I’m part of complained about the promotion of religion by someone at their school, I would be rich. 

I’m just sick of feeling like this.  I’m sick of hiding who I am.  I’m sick of worrying about losing my job if I do anything to even hint at being Pagan.  The gays had their chance at rights.  They’re working on transgender rights now.  I just wish there was something that I could do.  But there’s already a law that’s supposedly protecting me.  It just doesn’t.  Please comment and tell me that there’s hope.  I want to know that there are some open Pagans out there — preferably in small towns and teaching positions, that are actually accepted for who they are. 

Santa Claus Alternatives for Pagan Kids

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I have mentioned before that I am working on starting family traditions while my son is still young.  He’s 16 months old, so I figured now is the perfect time to figure all of this out.  My husband and I both want to celebrate Yule, but our families both celebrate Christmas.  In no other religion that I know of do you have to create new traditions when you join.  One of the things I love about being an Eclectic Pagan is is that I take whatever works from whatever religion I like.  I like it because there are so many good things in so many religions worth “stealing”.  However, when it comes to figuring out how to celebrate holidays, it makes things tough.

My husband and I had the “Santa Claus” talk.  I was in favor of telling not telling our son about Santa, he wasn’t.  His argument had nothing to do with “the truth” or getting to participate in the “magic” of it and everything to do with how our son wouldn’t know about Santa when he entered school.  Because of this, I started researching some options for our family. Here are some options of Santa Claus alternatives for Pagan kids.

 A depiction of the Holly King

The Holly King – In Celtic traditions, there is a story of the Oak King and the Holly King. The Holly King rules the cold part of the year with the height of his power being at Yule. At the equinoxes, the power switches hands. The Holly King also looks quite a bit like Santa Claus.

Mother Berchta –  She rides her goat with a sack on her back full of foods.  She goes to houses, roasts the goat and gives the food.  The bones go back in the bag and out jumps the goat good as new!  One time a child purposely broke one of the goat’s bones and she put the child in the bag and took then away.  So now she brings gifts to good kids and takes the bad ones.  

Odin – Odin had a lot of characteristics of what we think of as Santa Claus now. His name in Old Norse even has the first syllable of “Jul” ( pronounced Yule in English).

Odin on Sleipnir

The Yule Lads –  It’s a Scandinavian tradition (in Scandinavia, they still call Christmas, Jul) where the kids leave their shoe on the windowsill for the last 13 nights before Yule.  If they were good, they get a treat. If not, they get a rotten potato. 

A depiction of some of the Yule Lads on a Scandinavian milk carton

This is also a great article about some lesser-known festive traditions!

What does your family do? Tell us in the comments below!


Healthy Living – Day 25

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I spent the better part of this week either traveling or at my in-laws house for Thanksgiving.  Other than a big fast-food meal on the 5-hour drive, I ate pretty responsibly at meals.  In between the meals, however, I have done horrible.  From afar, it would look to my in-laws or my husband like I was being responsible with my eating.  However, I had candy stashed away in my purse.  When I went alone to go buy gas and a few groceries, I bought cookies too and ate them before I returned.  What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I just stop eating them?

I did also get together a shopping list and menu together for my Mediterranean diet and now that I got paid, I can actually go food shopping.  The down-side is that my husband is making me be the one to cook the meals, so that means I have even less time when I get home to get stuff done or spend with my son.  He said it was only for two weeks until he gets an idea of how the diet works.  I have two options for breakfasts and lunches for myself and different dinners every day.   Each week I have fish scheduled once (the husband objected to any fish, so this is a first step for him), chicken scheduled twice, red meat scheduled once, and the remaining three meals were some variety of vegetarian.  I told my husband he is welcome to cook meat for himself on those nights since he is the type to “need” meat at every meal.  For me, it doesn’t matter all that much.  I don’t LOVE meat, it’s just that it’s the most convenient way for me to get my protein.  We’ll see how this goes.

I also did a poor job exercising this week, but it was not for lack of desire or motivation.  I woke up on Monday feeling really “off”.  It turned out that I had a UTI.  Once they treated it, my bladder was in pain for a few days.  I made myself walk when I wanted to do no exercise.  Then on Wednesday, I fell down my stairs and dislocated my tailbone.  It kept popping painfully in and out of place for the rest of the week.  It’s still sore today, but it’s slowly becoming more manageable.  I hope I can get back on track again next week.  Hell, I just want the pain to be gone so I can exercise and at least feel like I’m doing something right with my lifestyle choices.

Also, something odd happened after eating that big fast food meal and after my “cheat day” on Saturday.  I felt “off” again maybe an hour after eating.  I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong.  Maybe it was in my head.  Or maybe it was me feeling the effects of that unhealthy food on my body.  Either way, I need to remember that foods can have real consequences, including the painful abdominal cramps I got while my body was processing the fast food.  There are so many reasons why I shouldn’t be eating these foods and yet I consume them anyway.   I’m starting to wonder if I have a problem with food.  If so, what can I even do about it?  I’m familiar with how OA (Over-eaters Anonymous) and how they handle things.  I’m not terribly interested in following their program.  I wish there were other options.  I haven’t even filled out my food journals.  I need to find a way of being more accountable for what I put into my body.  I don’t need to declare myself powerless over food and as the Goddess to do it for me.  Although asking for help might not be a bad idea….  hmmm…..

Anyway, I’m just feeling frustrated and lost in all of this.  Sigh.


Ways to Practice Paganism Every Day

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With my latest spiritual crisis and in thinking about how I’m not a good Pagan, I asked some advice, did some research, and asked for some guidance.  I don’t have a lot of time, so I had to find some way that I could easily include things in my daily life.  Here is the list of things I came up with. 

  •  Read a bit of a book on Paganism
  • Draw or do other art with Pagan themes
  • Add something from nature to your home decor
  • Practice energy work
  • Meditate
  • Scry
  • Do divination
  • Cook and put energy into the food or bless the food
  • Clean with the intention of cleansing or protecting the home
  • Light a candle
  • Light incense
  • Diffuse essential oils (be careful of this if you have pets)
  • Take a walk in nature
  • Play some Pagany music and sing, play or dance with the music
  • Try something new (i.e. energy work from a book, a craft from an article)
  • Garden
  • Ground
  • Make an offering to a God or Goddess
  • Get to know and leave offerings to the spirits (wights) of the land around you
  • Dress in clothes that you think are Pagany
  • Make a sachel
  • Make ritual jewelry
  • Make ritual foods
  • Tell stories about a God or Goddess
  • Make Pagan crafts

Rituals (How Pagans Worship)

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Just like other forms of worship, there is usually an order in which everything is done.  Because Paganism is a broad term encompassing many different religions, this is just a broad, generalization and may not be true for every tradition. In my experience, the sections with the asterisks next to them are included in just about every ritual.  This can be done alone or in a group.  Advanced practioners can simply sit there and accomplish this all energetically without moving or speaking, but that’s pretty rare.  Most people tend to use movements or words aloud to symbolize what they mean to do.  While there are formal ways to be trained in some traditions of Paganism, some people will also just call themselves a Priest or Priestess without any training, so you have to be wary.  Some traditions have a specific High Priest and High Priestess to lead all rituals, some traditions take turns leading, and yet others have different people do different parts of the ritual.  I know this is very vague, but it’s difficult to make broad generalizations on such a vast array of practices!

Smudging
The participants wave a cleansing incense at each other in turn, often white sage.  If this is done by a solitary practioner, the person smudges themselves.

Grounding
This is a whole other topic unto itself, but it’s the act of taking unnecessary energy and putting it into the ground.  Advanced practioners can do this on their own, but less experienced people may need guided visualization, actually touching the earth, or a grounding tool such as hematite to help them.

Casting the Circle*
This can be done in many ways, but it’s usually done by walking in a circle counter clockwise, either by one person around all of the participants or the whole group (if there is a group).  Sometimes an athame or wand is used (see ritual tools). 

Calling the Elements*
All of the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are called to join the circle.  They can be called by different people or just one.  The wording varies.

Calling the Deities*
Whatever deities are appropriate can be called now.  The wording varies.

The Purpose of the Ritual*
Whatever the purpose of this ritual is completed now.  It could be to celebrate the full moon or a sabbat (holiday).  It could be to get wisdom and guidance for a purpose.  It could be to do energy work or a spell (focused prayer).  There are many many reasons to have a ritual.

Cakes and Ale
Food and drink are consumed for a sacred purpose, which varies depending on the purpose of the ritual.

Releasing of the Deities*
Whatever deities that were called are thanked for attending the ritual (often called Circle) and for helping with the purpose of the ritual.  A common phrase at this point is, “Go if you must, stay if you will.  Hail and farewell.”

Releasing the Elements*
The elements are thanked for attending the ritual and for helping with the purpose of this ritual.

Taking Down the Circle*
Whatever was done to cast the Circle is undone, usually in reverse.



What is Paganism?

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The root of the word “pagan” originally meant to live in the countryside.  Many years ago, when Catholicism was spreading throughout the cities of Europe, those that lived in the countryside still worshiped the “old Gods” because Christianity hadn’t yet spread to the more rural areas yet. 

Today, Paganism is basically the revival of the worship of the old Gods and the traditions that came with them.  However, Paganism is often a modern take on old religions.  While it may have some similarities to some of those old religions, they rarely look to recreate exactly how worship was done originally.  Different traditions may have specific ways of doing things (such as Gardnerian Wicca), but most of their traditions aren’t much more than a century old. 

Because there are so many sects and traditions of Paganism, the only things they really have in common is that they are polytheistic and worship nature.  There are also eclectic Pagans that take what they want from whatever religions they want and call it their own.  I consider myself an eclectic Pagan, but I mostly practice Wicca these days.

The pentacle is often used as a symbol of Pagans.  Contrary to popular opinion and various horror movies, this symbol is not Satanic in nature, not even when it’s upside-down.  In fact, the majority of Pagans don’t believe in Satan, similar to the way that the majority of Christians don’t believe in Thor (as a God, not as a Marvel character).  The points of the pentacle symbolize the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.  The circle represents many different things to different traditions. Two examples are the Wheel of the Year (the fact that the seasons are cyclical) and the Circle that is often created in which  rituals are to be performed.

Many people wonder what sort of moral code of ethics Pagans follow.  I’ve heard someone ask, “Without a Bible or Commandments to follow, how do you know how to be a good person?”  The answer is we don’t need those things for us to be good people.  We don’t need the guilt of sin or the fear of the afterlife to make us into good people.  Most of us (as people, not as Pagans) already know what is right and wrong without a written doctrine.  However, there is a general precept that whatever you do comes back to you times three.  I have an amendment to that notion.  Whatever you do comes back to you as many times as you need to learn your lesson.  Wicca also has the Wiccan Rede which reads, “Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: ‘And harm ye none, do what ye will.'”

Some Pagans believe in reincarnation and others don’t.  There are many Pagan explanations of where we go when we die.  Some believe that we go to the astral plane where our afterlife is what we make of it.  Others believe we get sent back again to live other lives.  The Rainbow Bridge that seems to be a common idea recently for explaining where pets go when they die actually has Pagan roots. 

Healthy Living – Day 18

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Last night I woke up out of a sound sleep at 2am with my heart POUNDING.  It wasn’t like the pounding of anxiety or even being frightened.  It felt like my heart was trying to fly out of my chest — on the right side.  I had to wake up a little bit before I realized that my heart isn’t even on that side of my body, but nonetheless it scared me. 

I haven’t been following my healthy living plan very well this week.  I accidentally bought peach tea on Monday instead of unsweetened and didn’t realize until I had a sip.  After that, it just went downhill.  Sometimes it was little things like eating rigatoni whose sauce was sure to have added sugar in it.  Other times, I just visited my coworkers that give out candy and grabbed some.  I have been working out less this week too.  I had to stay late for a meeting at work on Tuesday and by the time I got home, it was too dark to walk.  On Thursday, the snow was falling so heavily, I figured it would be dangerous to walk on the road.  On Friday morning, I never got my e-mail with my strength training video on it.  To be honest, I have been pretty self-loathing about my inability to follow my diet and exercise plan this week.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me!  All of the pain caused by my weight, needing to lose weight so I can have another baby, and needing to lower my cholesterol should be enough to motivate me to lose weight, exercise, and eat healthy!

When I awoke in the middle of the night with my heart pounding, I immediately felt like I wasn’t doing enough to fix my cholesterol levels.  My sister did some research on diets to reduce cholesterol and it seems that the only one that actually shows anything definitive was the Mediterranean diet, of which I knew very little.  A few internet searches showed me that I wasn’t going to like it much.  One of them had a sample diet.  There was a salad for dinner almost every night.  I’m not a big fan of salads for a multitude of reasons.

I went online and found a few books on the Mediterranean diet.  I looked at the one that was the best seller.  It was even rated for 4.5 stars.  I read the one-star reviews.  They complained that all of the food took a really long time to cook and required ingredients that were not readily available in most grocery stores.  I live in a rural area, so the odds were, the same thing would happen to me.  I found another book instead that has recipes that can be made in 30 minutes. 

I bought and read the book today.  It also had a brief explanation of the diet at the beginning.  It’s pretty simple.  Half of the plate should be vegetables of some sort, a quarter should be protein, a quarter should be whole grains.  Fruit can be for dessert.  They also said fish and seafood should be consumed at least twice per week, beans/legumes should be consumed daily, poultry is fine, and that red meat should be only once a week.  Most of the dairy allowed are eggs, greek yogurt, and goat cheese. Sugars are kept to a minimum and occur only in fruit and honey.  The only bread seems to be pita bread and “crusty whole wheat” bread.  I’m not sure where to find it, but I suppose I could figure out how to bake it if I have the time.  I also put out a Facebook post, announcing to my family that I would be following this diet and to do what they can to help me stick with it. Right now, we’re working with the food we have until I get paid again.  Nonetheless, I did okay for dinner tonight: parmesan encrusted pork chops, balsamic broccoli and mushrooms, and white rice (we don’t have brown). A new week is starting, so I just need to pick myself back up again and keep on going.

Starting weight: 239.0 lbs
Current weight: 237.6 lbs


Ritual Tools

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One thing that I find is that the more experienced I get, the less ritual tools I need.  I will list some of the more commonly used ritual tools in Wicca and their uses.  Also, all tools should be consecrated (cleansed).  Usually this is done by the four elements (passing it through incense, passing it through flame, sprinkling water on it, and sprinkling salt or earth on it). 

This is actually the one I have on my altar

Athame – Pronounced “ah – thah – meh” , this a ritual knife.  Different traditions have different ideas about what this should look like.  Some state what color the handle must be, what it is made of, or whether or not the blade should be double-edged.  It is associated with the element of fire but some traditions believe it is associated with the element of air. It is often used for channeling and directing energy, cutting things for ritual purposes, and sometimes for casting a circle or calling the elements. 

Wand – This is probably the most famous ritual tool and appears in many movies about witches and wizards.  However, magic doesn’t happen like that in real life.  The wand has little to no power of its own.  Like the athame, it is a channel for energy and is also used to direct it.  Unlike the athame, it’s usually made out of wood and is associated with the element of air but some traditions associate it with the element of fire.  There are many traditions that state how long a wand should be or what should or shouldn’t be added to the wood.  It is usually used for casting a circle.

Chalice- This usually represents the element of water.  It can be used to share ritual drinks.  It can also hold liquids that are used as an offering on an altar.  It can represent a womb or a vagina in various workings as well.

Pentacle – This usually represents the element of earth.  It can be made of ceramic, wood, or metal depending on your preferences or that of your tradition.  A pentacle has the symbol of a five pointed star surrounded by a circle.  Contrary to popular belief, it does not have to be ‘point up’ or ‘point down’.  I haven’t seen it used often in rituals and believe that its primary purpose is to help provide grounding and to be a symbol of spirituality.  Sometimes it is kept in the middle of the altar as well.

Incense – Incense varies based on the herbs and the scents.  While it is considered an air element, the uses vary based on what type of incense you are using.  For example, sage is usually used for cleansing and purification. 

Candle – Candles usually represent the element of fire, but their uses can vary depending on their color.  For example, they can be used to represent the four elements if you choose candles with colors representing each element.  They can also represent a God or Goddess.  They can be inscribed with symbols, herbs, or oils for a purpose and burned to achieve that purpose.

Cauldron – These are also often associated with witches.  Cauldrons can be used similar to a chalice to represent a womb. They are associated with the element of water. They can also be used to combine herbs or “potions”.  Mostly, I have seen them used to burn pieces of paper with words written on them.

Salt – Salt is sometimes left as an offering in a dish or used as a cleansing/purifying agent.

Crystals and gemstones- Crystals are often chosen for a purpose (for example amethyst is used to promote the psychic abilities).  Gemstones all have different uses and affiliations, similar to incense.  Clear quartz can be imbibed with power and used for a specific purpose.  They can also be used to represent the different elements or a specific deity.


Book Review: 13 Original Clan Mothers

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Title: 13 Original Clan Mothers

Author: Jamie Sams

Pages: 316

Genre: Spiritual, female empowerment, some Native American influence

This book begins with a note to readers, an introduction, the author’s healing quest vision, and the beginning of the legacy of women.  On page 30, it starts with the first clan mother, Talks With Relation. The book breaks the year into 13 moon cycles, each with a different clan mother with wisdom to tell.  The first section of each chapter explains the wisdom, followed by a story about the clan mother with an example of how to use that wisdom.

It’s difficult to explain, so here is a quote from the story portion of the sixth chapter: ” When Storyteller awoke, she discovered that Grandfather Sun’s light had not yet graced the morning sky and so she lay in silence, reflecting on the Medicine she had received during the night.  Story after story filled her head with new ways to share the wisdom that had been presented to her.  The Clan Mother felt a sense of newness as she smelled the dew-covered plants on the morning breeze.  Storyteller listened to the water song of the river running near her lodge and was content.  The Oral Traditions would continue to live, as long as those who spoke their eternal truths passed them from generation to generation, giving the human children of Earth a way to understand their lives.”

After the chapters of the 13 Clan Mothers, there are some remaining chapters: Gathering the Gifts of Women, the History of the Turtle Council House, and Entering the Council House of the Thirteen Original Clan Mothers.

Verdict: 9/10 – Every year I tell myself I’m going to read a chapter for each moon in the year and every year I forget.  The only reason I took one point off was that it gets a little wordy and there is no real advice on how to use the wisdom of each of the clan mothers, even though the author says it’s intentional. 

I’m A Bad Pagan

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I just read through a very touching blog post at My Wiccan Story.  It was a sweet story of how she prayed to the Goddess in a time of need and how the Goddess helped.  I kind of touched on it in my last post, but I have been spending so much time trying to not appear Pagan, that I have lost a lot of my Pagan-ness. 

I’m a teacher.  While I believe firmly in the separation between church and state, I also believe in freedom of religion.  I have never once preached about Paganism to my students.  I have never even taught them about it.  At my first teaching job, however, I did wear a ring with a pentacle on it.  One of my students made a big deal out of me being “a witch”.  His mother started a “witch hunt” and complained about me constantly.  She even snuck into the school to observe my class to find things to further complain about.  I was asked not to return because I was “a bad fit with the district.”. 

At my next job, I left my overtly religious jewelry at home.  I had a necklace that looked like mother earth and I often wore that or necklaces made of gemstones.  I was asked to return for a second year.  The school had open tennis on their tennis courts certain days after school.  Since I was trying to get into better shape, I would often go out there to play.  I made the mistake of wearing my Pagan Pride Day t-shirt one day.  It was seen by a board member.  I wasn’t even given a reason for being fired.  My principal and superintendent tried to back me up, but the board of education voted me out. 

After that, I was pretty butthurt.  I refused to mention my religion at work.  I was careful where I work my Pagan t-shirts, in case someone saw me.  I made sure not to become close to anyone at work in case they found out and made it public.  Nonetheless, I went through three more schools in three years.  After a time when I couldn’t get a job, I found a job in the most unlikely place — Catholic school.  I applied for a job, not realizing that the name of the school referred to something that was Catholic.  An even bigger surprise, was that I got the job!  I doubled down in my efforts to hide my religion.  My boss knew I wasn’t Catholic, but she definitely didn’t know that I was Pagan.  I had to attend Mass and teach my students Catholic hymns.  Hey, it was a job and I did it well for three years.  They were three miserable years where I worried constantly about being fired if they ever found out I was Pagan.

I found another public school job and was happy to get out.  Unfortunately, that one didn’t work out either and I got my job where I am now.  I work in a small town.  I am again afraid that people will find out and I will lose my job.  Tenure has been raised to four years, so my son is going to be entering Pre-K before I get tenure.  I can teach him absolutely nothing about our beliefs to save my job, but that makes me sad inside.  I want to be able to share my religion with my son. 

I realized that while my religion absolutely needs to stay out of my work, it can absolutely become part of my home life.  The problem is that I spent so long trying to appear normal, to fit in, that I really stuffed all of my Pagan-ness deep down.  I want to start doing some things daily to reaffirm my Pagan-ness and create a culture of Paganism at home, but I don’t know what to do or where to start.  When I’m grateful for something good, I want to remember to thank the Gods.  When things are not going well, I want to think to ask the Gods for help.  My son is 15 months old and my husband is vaguely Pagan-ish who will go along with things so long as they’re not too “out there”. I actually set up my altar again and even decorated it for Samhain.  I don’t know what steps to take next.  How do I start creating a Pagan culture at home?