http://www.wiccanweb.ca/ Canadian Wicca & Pagan community site offering daily updated news, resources, events and information en-ca http://www.wiccanweb.ca/images/logo_transparent.gif http://www.wiccanweb.ca/ achriel@wiccanweb.ca achriel@wiccanweb.ca (Achriel) http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27161 By Frater Barrabbas I have been in communication with a number of individuals who have presented to me their various opinions about my previous article on this subject. I believe that I have presented the truth about these practices, since many have agreed with what I have said. Others in the ceremonial magickal discipline have been surprised, perhaps even shocked, to learn that there are some folks who engage in mediumistic godhead assumptions for their coven-stead congregants, while acting in a leadership role within that group. While these exclamations of surprise only show the differences between a religious and magickal perspective on these practices, those who find it an incorrect application of magickal practice have some basis of truth for their opinions. However, there is a place for this kind of practice in modern pagan organizations, but only as long as certain strictures are followed. An open ended godhead assumption done in a coven setting as a means to obtain communion, healing, blessings and prophecy from the gods is probably not only hazardous to the coven members, but also to the coven leaders as well. This methodology not only goes against many basic teachings in the arena of ritual and ceremonial magick, but it’s not supported by pagan practices in the greater community. Whether one examines practices in antiquity or even in present day heathen rites, such a practice is not found. For a spiritual leader in a small group to also assume a nameless godhead (as The Goddess or The God) in an open ended assumption rite is not only quite wrong, but it also is very likely a source of corruption and the very opposite of a proper godhead alignment. After reflecting on what I have written previously and what others have shared with me, I find the whole proposition somewhat disturbing. I think that this paradigm should be changed, and I have some compelling reasons why it should be changed. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27160 This Satyr is a nasty piece of work :) Enjoy the animation and there's a series of animations if you enjoy this one (see link below) http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27159 By Swain Wodening Not much information survives on birth rituals. Going by Germanic folklore, the father was definitely expected to be present at the birth of a child, and to provide the mother moral support and help ease the pain during the birth its self. This is seen especially in the Scandinavian countries. An old German practice that has been preserved was for the midwife to lay the newborn after birth, on the floor or ground, where upon the father picked it up. This seems to have meant that the father claimed the child and it was not to be exposed. In the Norse areas this seems sometimes to have been incorporated into the naming rite, and done on the ninth day. Within the lore its self, most brith rites deal with the goddesses and Idesa (Disir). Sigrdrífumál verse 9 advises “Biarg-(help-) runes thou must know, if thou wilt help, and loose the child from women. In the palm they must be graven, and round the joints be clasped, and the Dísir prayed for aid. (Thorpe Translation)” And in Óddrúnargrátr verses 7 and 8 we are advised “Then speech the woman so weak began, Nor said she aught ere this she spake: “So may the holy ones thee help, Frigg and Freyja and favoring gods, As thou hast saved me from sorrow now.” (Bellows translation). Modern Heathens therefore should be ready to pray to Frige (Frigga) and Freo (Freya) during the birth, and invoke the Idesa (Disir) prior to it as well. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27158 Reviewed by Marietta Horster The papers in this volume are based on a colloquium organised in Cork in honour of (more or less) 20 years since the publication of Pierre Brulé's "La fille d'Athènes. La religion des filles à Athènes à l'époque classique. Mythes, cultes et société" (Paris 1987). One of the very interesting and innovative aspects of Brulé's publication was the combination of various approaches and views on girls in classical Athens, exploring not only the contexts of cult, religion, myths, and ritual, but also of biology or, for example, physiology. The first section of the conference-volume deals with female divinities and heroines. V. Sebillotte-Cuchet (p. 19-32) focuses on the Carian Artemis of Halicarnassus (Hdt. 6.68, 7.99-8.93) and questions the construction of an 'historic' heroine whose glory and memory was promoted by her fellow-citizens but who received no cult. The second paper deals with Callisto, a nymph of Artemis until she was metamorphosed into a bear and later into the constellation of the 'Great Bear'. Sandra Boehringer (p. 33-50) is mostly interested in one of the variants of the myth of Callisto. It is the one in which Zeus, who raped Callisto, was able to come close to her and kiss her because he had transformed himself into the goddess Artemis. Boehringer argues that, because this female contact (the kiss of 'Artemis' and Callisto) was supposed to create positive feelings and not arouse suspicion, it demonstrates the predominance of a positive or at least neutral vision of female homosexuality in Greek culture. Philippe Monbrun (p. 51-64) compares the discourses on the beauty of the straight and high palm-tree on Delos, the straight and tall beautiful girl Nausikaa, and the parthenos Artemis, and the connections between the 'virginity' of palm trees, girls and goddess. The conclusions are rather weak; however, the connections among the assembled material are evident. Artemis is also one of the main subjects of Pierre Brulé's paper (p. 65-80) in which he pursues Artemis' various epicleses, connecting them with local variants of Iphigenia stories and Artemis myths. Artemis' myths and epicleses are also the focus of Claude Calame's examination of the material, mythological and narrative landscape of the Brauron sanctuary (p.83-92). http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27156 By Joe Bageant To anyone who is paying attention, things look doomed. Fortunately for American capitalism, nobody is paying attention. They never have. As an Anglo European white guy from a very long line of white guys, I want to thank all the brown, black, yellow and red people for a marvelous three-century joy ride. During the past 300 years of the industrial age, as Europeans, and later as Americans, we have managed to consume infinitely more than we ever produced, thanks to colonialism, crooked deals with despotic potentates and good old gunboats and grapeshot. Yes, we have lived, and still live, extravagant lifestyles far above the rest of you. And so, my sincere thanks to all of you folks around the world working in sweatshops, or living on two bucks a day, even though you sit on vast oil deposits. And to those outside my window here in Mexico this morning, the two guys pruning the retired gringo's hedges with what look like pocket knives, I say, keep up the good work. It's the world's cheap labor guys like you -- the black, brown and yellow folks who take it up the shorts -- who make capitalism look like it actually works. So keep on humping. Remember: We've got predator drones. After twelve generations of lavish living at the expense of the rest of the world, it is understandable that citizens of the so-called developed countries have come to consider it quite normal. In fact, Americans expect it to become plusher in the future, increasingly chocked with techno gadgetry, whiz bang processed foodstuffs, automobiles, entertainments, inordinately large living spaces -- forever. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27155 Startling Truths About Cures, Theories, and Inventions 'They' Declared Impossible Reviewed by John Harney The main theme of this book is concerned with how scientific and technological progress has been retarded by authoritative persons who have declared innovations and inventions be either wrong or of no practical use. The authors deal with the emergence of a number of new technologies, most of which, with the benefit of hindsight, one would have thought would have been immediately adopted. Some of the other subjects considered, though, are highly controversial, such as global warming, paraspsychology and UFOs. We are shown how most of the "experts" were wrong about the possibilities of first aviation and then space travel, and other technological developments. We are also told how progress in medicine was hampered by some doctors who just could not grasp the importance of such basic hygienic procedures as hand washing. There is a chapter on the Eugenics Movement in America, inspired by Charles Davenport, of Harvard University, who was "the driving force behind American social Darwinism". The basic idea was that humanity could be improved by selective breeding, like cattle or horses, but of course it only encouraged social divisiveness and racism, and opposition to it grew after initial enthusiasm wore off. However, these ideas took root in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, with disastrous results. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27153 Reviewed by Rebecca Elson Some practitioners love big books of spells to read over and use, some love books of spells for inspiration and innovation in their practice, some think that any spell you cast should be written personally, and many more mix and match on any variation of those themes. I don’t practice any magic myself, so I can’t speak on the topic with authority. What I can tell you is that I love reading spell books! For a person who has never cast a Circle, sparked some sage, or called the Corners, I have a hefty selection of spell books. I find them informative and entertaining. Each author brings a different sensibility to their spell book. Truth be told, I think you can tell a lot about an author by the way they discuss their spell work, and Blake’s “Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook” is no exception. So what do we learn about Deborah Blake when reading “Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook”? Quite a bit. First, as I learned from her book “The Goddess is in the Details”, Blake is not a part-time Witch. There is no halfway, there is no subterfuge, Deborah Blake is a committed Witch and carries her spirituality with her in every thing she does, including in writing this book. How can I tell this from her book? How can you be sure I’m not just saying this because I know her? How many questions will I ask before finally quoting the author? The answer is three, and here’s the quote, “This is a spellbook for the everyday Witch: the one who lives their Pagan beliefs all day, every day, 24/7.” This mission statement guides the selection of spells the book contains. When you live in the spiritual space that Blake does, you find that you need some of the classics, such as spells to open yourself up to finding love, and some more mundane and little discussed ideas such as a spell for easing PMS. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27152 By Lierre Keith I was a vegan for almost 20 years. I know the reasons that compelled me to embrace an extreme diet, and they are honorable — even noble. Reasons such as justice, compassion and a desperate, all-encompassing longing to set the world right. To save the planet — the last trees bearing witness to ages and the scraps of wilderness still nurturing fading species, silent in their fur and feathers. To protect the vulnerable, the voiceless. To feed the hungry. At the very least, to refrain from participating in the horror of factory farming. These political passions are born of a hunger so deep it touches on the spiritual. They were for me, and they still are. I want my life — my body — to be a place where the Earth is cherished, not devoured; where the sadist is granted no quarter; where the violence stops. And I want eating — the first nurturance — to be an act that sustains rather than kills. This is an effort to honor our deepest longings for a just world. And I now believe those longings — for compassion, for sustainability, for an equitable distribution of resources — are not served by the philosophy or practice of vegetarianism. Believing in this vegetarian myth has led us astray. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27151 By Amy Herring The phrase "planetary cycle" refers to a planet’s relationship to itself as it moves from its location at the time of your birth around the entire chart, returning to its original birth placement as it moves across the sky. When comparing transiting planet A to natal planet B, such as transiting Jupiter conjuncting natal Mars, any two people will experience that aspect at completely different times in their life, perhaps one at 3 years old and another at 8 years old. One person may experience Pluto conjunct the Sun at age 21 where another person might never experience that aspect. It all depends on where the differing planets started to begin with. But a planetary cycle, comparing moving planet A to natal planet A (a planet’s relationship to itself) will always happen at roughly the same age for everyone. No one experiences their Saturn return at age 35, for example, because it is the reality of celestial mechanics that Saturn will find itself returning to the place it was twenty-nine and a half years ago regardless of where it started. No matter when we are born, we will experience Saturn’s return at the same age as our parents did, as our grandparents did, and as our neighbor, friend, teacher, child will. Therefore, they are powerful trackers of overall human development. This principle can be taken a step further to compare two planetary cycles to each other and recognize their resonance with each other because of a similar length of cycle. One example is the progressed lunar cycle and the Saturn cycle. The progressed moon takes about twenty-eight years to make it all the way around the natal chart and return to its original location, while transiting Saturn takes about twenty-nine and a half years to return. They pace each other throughout our entire lives and especially closely during the first thirty years of life. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27150 By Martin Evans Researchers exploring the legend of Britain’s most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester. Legend has it that his Knights would gather before battle at a round table where they would receive instructions from their King. But rather than it being a piece of furniture, historians believe it would have been a vast wood and stone structure which would have allowed more than 1,000 of his followers to gather. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27149 By Patti Wigington In many cultures, there are different legends and lore surrounding Lammas (Lughnasadh). Here are a few of the stories about this magical harvest celebration from around the world. • In Israel, the festival of Shavout commemorates the beginning of the harvest, as well as honoring the date that Moses received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. The final sheaf of wheat is brought to the rabbi for a blessing, synagogues and homes are decorated with flower, and a great feast is prepared for all to enjoy. • The festival of Onam is celebrated in India, and people dress up in their finest clothes and give food to the poor. Onam is celebrated in honor of King Mahabali, who was a ruler of Kerala. In one story, the god Vishnu approached Mahabali dressed as a beggar, and asked for land, which Mahabali gave him. Mahabli ended up buried under the earth by Vishnu, but was allowed to return once a year, symbolizing the planting of the seed and the subsequent harvest. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27148 By Phoenix The sun shines bright upon us as it reaches the climactic stage of its progress above us (or we around it, to be more accurate). This will happen at 11:28 GMT on the 21st of this month, and is the longest day of our year. Litha, Midsummers Eve, Summer Solstice, Ukon juhla- No matter what you call it, this day is a catalyst for celebrations everywhere. In honor of it, I have chosen yellow as the subject of this article. Upon Litha, we celebrate the abundance of nature and the joys of summer in full bloom. This is considered an excellent time for divination, handfastings, and speaking with the spirits, as the veils are said to be thinner upon that night. There was a tradition that involved staying awake for a full 24 hours to see the Fae as dusk broke on Solstice Night. Yellow represents the sun’s lifegiving force. Just as the Sun is the center of our solar system, the solar plexus chakra (also yellow or golden) falls directly in the middle of our bodies, right around the navel. This is called the Manipura. It is said to govern the realms of personal power as well as spiritual expansiveness and growth. In older stories of out of body experiences, this chakra (as well as the brow) was said to house the cord connecting one’s soul to their body. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27147 BAKE SOME BREAD There is no activity more suited for Lughnasadh than bread baking. Lughnasadh is the first of the harvest festivals, and the predominant symbol of the season is the ripening grain. Try any basic bread recipe and add your own seeds and dried herbs into the mix, such as sage, sunflower seeds, lavender, thyme, rosemary, and fennel. Everyone should take turns (or take a portion of the dough) and knead it together. As you knead, chant a harvest prayer, such as, “The Sun God is never really dead; he’s always living in our bread.” The kneading and chanting works up a positive energy that will permeate the loaf, and be a powerful blessing upon those who consume it. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27146 By Boudiccaandarta Even if you are not familiar with the Norse Pantheon, most likely you have heard of Odhinn, the All-Father. Odhinn is the Shaman-King that travels through the three worlds on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. These three worlds are known to the Norse and Celts as the Upperworld (Asgard to the Norse and the Sky/Star World to the Celts), the Middleworld (our world that we call Earth; Midgard to the Norse and Surface/Stone World to the Celts) and the Underworld (Utgard to the Norse and the Ocean/Sea World to the Celts). Sleipnir could run on land, sea or air, which are the three worlds or three realms of the Tree of Life or World Tree of the Celts and Norse. The name for the World Tree among the Norse was Yggdrasil; “Yggr” being one of the names for Odhinn and “drassil” meant both “horse” and “gallows”. Sacrifices to Odhinn were hung on gallows, another version of the World Tree. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27145 By Mama Donna Henes Dear Mama Donna, I think rituals are very important, and I feel their lack in my own life very strongly. But the fact is that I can never seem to find the time to actually plan special ceremonies. I am always too busy, too tired. I would appreciate some advice. Time Deprived and Pooped in New York City Dear Typical New Yorker, In a culture, which defines itself in terms of clocks and dollars, (and the Big Apple is certainly the epicenter of such consciousness) it is difficult to claim the time and mental space to devote to an occupation that results in no visible product. Non-product and nonproductive are definitely not the same thing, however. We may think of ritual, ceremony, contemplation, and meditation as not doing anything, but down time is not negative, it is not not doing something. What we are doing when we step off of the rat race treadmill is resting, reflecting, ruminating, regenerating, rejoicing, receiving, re-sourcing; re-centering, and renewing our energy, our essential spiritual selves. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27144 By Henry One of the central elements of spiritual living is the pursuit of self-improvement. Even if one’s goal is simply to be able to accept things precisely as they are, this already constitutes some kind of improvement of oneself. Why? Why should spiritual pursuits encompass the nebulous idea of “self-improvement.” Why does spirituality often imply a journey, a transformative adventure? How can this be distinguished from simple greed for power or the shallow acquisitive lust that is celebrated in mainstream culture? I wouldn’t dare to hazard an answer – all the obvious and/or usual ones are far too glib to be acceptable. Instead I’d like to present three fragmentary sketches of the spiritual journey of this life. There might be others, but these three seem to be reasonably common, and one person can be living out several of these stories simultaneously, though for most people one main theme will dominate at any one time (I suspect). Many of us get stuck somewhere along the way; impotent self-congratulation tends to follow in short order. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27143 By Bronwen Forbes Hollywood has a long illustrious history of not being very kind to us Pagans/Witches. In 1939, The Wizard of Oz gave the world (and the creators of Halloween decorations) the notion that we’re all supposed to have green skin. Later, films like the original Wicker Man, Practical Magic, The Witches of Eastwick and Hocus Pocus gave the movie-going public the impression that we as a people are, in turn, amoral killers, amoral teenagers, amoral housewives and amoral idiots. None of which is true, of course, and not the impression we’d like people to have about our chosen faith! However, despite its best efforts, the film industry has actually managed to produce some movies that, while they don’t specifically mention Pagans or other magical folk, have something of value for us. If you’re looking for a way to enhance your Pagan lessons while consuming mass quantities of salt and greasy butter-flavored corn product, here – in no particular order – are my top ten favorite non-Pagan yet somehow Pagan movies: 1. The Secret of Roan Inish. (1994, directed by John Sayles. Rated PG) An Irish family with purportedly selkie blood loses a child when he and his cradle float out to sea. In their grief and pain, they abandon their cottage on Roan Inish Island and move to a city on the mainland. The child’s older sister tries to bring the family back together by restoring the old cottage on Roan Inish, and in the process finds her baby brother. Irish folk customs and selkie lore – what’s not to love? http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27142 Reviewed by BadWitch Much has been written about the Druids and their place in history and it can be a bit bewildering to know what books to buy if you want to read up about them. Druids: A Very Short Introduction, by Barry Cunliffe would be my recommendation as one good place to start. It is short, succinct, well written and – more to the point – looks at fact rather than fiction. And Barry Cunliffe should know his facts when it comes to Druids, Celts and anything else to do with Ancient Britain. He is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University, Commissioner of English Heritage and has been a Trustee of the British Museum, Governor of the Museum of London and President of the Society of Antiquaries. He has also written numerous other books on that area of history including Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC to AD 1000,The Ancient Celtsand The Celts: A Very Short Introduction. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27141 By Swain Wodening Not much evidence exists on how weddings were performed by any Germanic Heathen folk, much less the Germanic tribes of what is now England. However by borrowing elements from the Icelandic sagas, and incorporating elements that may be Heathen in origin, a reliable marriage ceremony can be reconstructed. The following ritual outline is drawn in part from an article by Gunnora on Viking weddings, an unpublished article by Eric Wodening of the on Anglo-Saxon weddings, and two articles by Winifred Rose Hodge (see the bibliography for details) on weddings within Asatru and Heathenry. Marriage amongst the ancient Heathens was an important institution. It meant a financially stable environment in which children could be raised. And it essentially was thought of as a contract or bargain between two families. Many of the pre marriage rituals were to ensure that the future wife and any children the marriage may produce were cared for. Thus marriages were negotiated by the parties involved. A werman wishing to have a woman in marriage would approach her family with prestigious friends to negotiate it. If an agreement was struck, these friends served to witness on handa sellan the handshake that ended the agreement the couple should be wed. At this time the morning gift was agreed upon as well as the handgeld, and other specifics. The prospective bridegroom had to come up with the brýdcéap paid to her family to completely seal the pledge to marry. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27140 By Frank Lake Archaeologists working for BP have made a startling new find at Stonehenge – oil. Just two days ago, archaeologists found another ceremonial monument only a few hundred yards from the stone circle that makes up Stonehenge. BP sent a crew out to look at the ceremonial monument and once there, they started an exploratory drill. Soon after, they hit oil. “We plan on getting a drilling rig out here in the next two weeks,” said BP CEO Tony Hayward. “I think we’ll be able to get 30,000 barrels a day out of Stonehenge. It couldn’t come at a better time, since we’re losing a lot of production due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27139 By Frater Barrabas In the early 20th century, the notorious arch-magician Aleister Crowley advocated a system of magick where the magician, through deep trance, identified and became the personification of her personal magickal Deity. This was not really a new concept, since there were plenty of religious cults and earth-based spiritual traditions that used this approach to create an immanent experience of the Deity. However, it was a new concept in the tradition of European ceremonial magick, and it radically changed how that system of magick was practiced. We can trace a fracture in the tradition of ceremonial magick to the writings and practices of Aleister Crowley, where ceremonial magick continued on well into the next century, but was gradually overtaken and even replaced by a new methodology. This new methodology required that the magician not only invoke a chosen magickal Deity, but also completely identify with it, so that the magician acted as a personification of that Godhead while practicing magick. Gone from the preparation stage of magickal practices were the extreme strictures of piety and self abasement as well as fasting, ritual flagellation (either real or metaphorical), confession, contrition and all forms of atonement. Instead, the magician created a personal cult of the Godhead, serving as avatar, chief liturgical official, ardent devotee and congregant all in one. The magician used this assumption of the Godhead as the pivotal point to work magick and placed all of the moral justifications for that work, not to mention the authorities and powers of the chosen Deity, directly into the performed rituals or ceremonies. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27138 By Sarah We’ve all heard it: “You can’t use any tool with iron in it to harvest plants. The blade has to be stone, bone, gold, silver or bronze – anything but iron and steel.” We’ve all heard the know-it-alls spouting this proverb, but where did it come from and what is the reasoning behind it? This modern myth originates from two separate, possibly second or third hand, accounts from Pliny the Elder (a Roman author and army commander) of Gallic Druids harvesting plants. The first account is about clubmoss, which, according to folklore, must be harvested with your hands only, with no tools, along with other ritual prescriptions shown in the quote below. As it is moss, this is no great feat to accomplish. The custom could still be found continued in a similar manner by rural folk in Cornwall and other localities until the late 19th century. However, this ritual prescription applies only to club moss and not all plants in general. . . . The second source of the non-ferrous metal myth is Pliny’s famous account of Gallic Druids ritually harvesting mistletoe. Mistletoe was held to be one of the most sacred plants by the Druids and especially rare and potent when found growing on an Oak tree. During the sixth day of the new moon, and at other magical times, the white-robed Druids would sacrifice two bulls and then climb the tree and cut the mistletoe with a “golden” sickle and then wrap the cuttings in a white cloth not letting them touch the ground. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27137 Archaeologists have discovered a second henge at Stonehenge, described as the most exciting find there in 50 years. The circular ditch surrounding a smaller circle of deep pits about a metre (3ft) wide has been unearthed at the world-famous site in Wiltshire. Archaeologists conducting a multi-million pound study believe timber posts were in the pits. Project leader Professor Vince Gaffney, from the University of Birmingham, said the discovery was "exceptional". http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27136 Reviewed by John Dillon The present volume is a revised version of the author's doctoral dissertation completed under the supervision of Prof. Dorothea Frede at the University of Hamburg. It addresses what has in recent times become rather a hot issue in Plotinian studies, pursued e.g. by Andrew Smith in a most useful article, 'The Significance of Practical Ethics for Plotinus' (in John J. Cleary (ed.), Traditions of Platonism, Aldershot 1999), and Alexandrine Schniewind, in L'éthique du sage chez Plotin (Paris 2003), both provoked to some extent by an earlier essay of mine. 'An Ethic for the Late Antique Sage', in The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus (ed. Lloyd P. Gerson, 1996), namely, whether, in face of the firmly, not to say grimly, otherworldly emphasis of Plotinus' overall ethical stance, any place can be found in his thought for care for others, or concern for things of this world. This question Song addresses in the present monograph in a systematic and comprehensive way. After an introductory chapter (pp. 11-35), setting out the issues, the book falls into two broad sections. The first (pp. 37-93) addresses the Aufstieg, or 'ascent', of the soul, the development of its affinity with the intelligible world and the suppression of all impulses tying it to this one. The second (and more significant, from Song's point of view) deals with its Abstieg, or 'descent', the degree of its concern (Sorge) with the circumstances of its life here (pp. 95-162). In this latter part, it must be said, she is not concerned, as was Andrew Smith, with Plotinus' stance on 'practical ethics', so much as with his view of the sage's place in the physical world, and the providential ordering of that world, and I commend her for that. http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27135 By Katrina Manson When Pascal's little brother got sick, his family accused him of witchcraft and took him to a pastor who forced him to drink pigeon's blood and oil. Denied food and beaten for three days, the ten-year-old managed to escape, joining some 250,000 other street children in Congo for three years until he was scooped up by a children's centre in Kinshasa's tough east end. "(The pastor) wouldn't let me eat or drink any water -- he said it would increase the power of the witch," Pascal, not his real name, said in the centre where nearly 100 other children, most accused of witchcraft, have also sought shelter.