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 Radio1 - The Body
Provided By: Akashik
Composer: Akashik
Title: Long Forgotten
Radio2 - The Mind
Radio3 - The Soul
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It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
-- Alan Cohen
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· Using Witchvox – a walkthrough
(Sep 02, 2009)
· Nutritionist Stephen Heuer Arrested in FDA Raid
(Jan 19, 2009)
· Spelling it like it isn't
(Aug 09, 2008)
· Funding the pagans
(Mar 08, 2008)
· Giuliani gets Robertson Endorsement
(Nov 12, 2007)
· The Dangers Of Feminism
(Aug 30, 2007)
· The secrets behind crazy airfare prices
(Aug 27, 2007)
· Petition To Rename Stretch Of 401 'Highway Of Heroes'
(Aug 24, 2007)
· Mummified Toronto child a newborn boy
(Jul 27, 2007)
· Quick Summer Meals without all the heat!
(Jul 18, 2007)
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 Topic: Opinions & Discussions
The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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Thoughts on Pagan Clergy
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Posted by: Makarios on Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 12:00 PM
73 Reads
By Rob Henderson
My views on the role of Pagan clergy have definitely changed since I started down this path twenty years ago. (Egads, that means that next year it will officially have lasted for half of my life.) Back in my early twenties, when I heard the phrase "every Pagan is their own priest", I thought it was totally cool and revolutionary and stuff. Fight the power!
Given how old I am now, I guess a slightly more conservative attitude was inevitable, and if anything I'm a little surprised how much of a "fight the power" kind of guy I still am. But on the clergy thing, I've completely changed. Now I see that "everyone is their own priest" thing as elitist claptrap. Sure, every Pagan *can* act as their own priest, I'm definitely not claiming to have any special relationship with the gods in general, and certainly not with someone else's household gods. I'm definitely a "Protestant Pagan" in that sense. But spending this much time as a Pagan, and as a Senior Druid, and as a Dedicant Clergyperson in ADF, I know all too well that not everyone *wants* to be their own Priest. And further - and here's the bit I know will get some people out there angry with me - not everyone is *good* at it either. Many people through the years have asked me for help creating personal household rituals or ideas for their altars, and I'm not about to tell them to figure it all out for themselves. Nor the folks without the experience or self-confidence to do their own ritual or magical work. Yeah, I suppose I could run a thirteen-week class to teach people everything they need to know (assuming I had the patience to be a teacher), but is that really something most people want to commit to? Sure it would be great if everyone was an expert at household ritual. It would also be great if everyone could sew their own clothing and fix all of their own car problems. Reality doesn't work that way, and I'm happy to share my knowledge and experience - which I've put a lot of my own time and effort into acquiring - with those who hear the call of the old gods but don't necessarily know what to do about it.
Read the complete article: Anas Waters
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Controversy Over Demons
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Posted by: Makarios on Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 08:00 AM
77 Reads
By Frater Barrabbas
Well now that the blogs are all in a tizzy over Goetic evocation and demons in particular, I have decided to state a few of my own opinions on the matter. Over the past few months I have learned a lesson from adherents of the Left Hand Path, that it’s all too easy to judge a group of spirits by their class, even though like human personalities, they are actually unique individuals, and really need to be judged as such. To say that all Goetic demons are of a certain nature is to make a generality that is at best, inaccurate, at worst, a kind of prejudice. I admit that I have fallen into this trap, because magicians tend to categorize classes of spirits in order to place them into a greater context. However, all models and systems of categorization are heuristic devices that help one to understand what actually is a diverse and very loosely organized body of spiritual entities. Knowing a spirit’s alignment and determining its place within a spiritual hierarchy and class is an important tool for understanding and identifying that spirit, but its true identification can only occur when one has actually either invoked or evoked that spirit through some kind of magickal operation. This means that the old grimoires can’t be completely trusted in regards to how they describe and qualify specific demonic entities.
I am not going to name any names from the individual authors of these blogs, of course, since everyone who is commenting on this thread are experienced magicians in their own right. Magick can easily get out of control, but most of the time when this happens the magick just fails to really produce any verifiable effect. It’s also easy to blame magickal operations for being the cause of catastrophes, such as a house catching on fire, having an auto accident, causing the breakup of friendships or love relationships or any manifestation of bad health. Those of us who are committed and consistent workers of ritual or ceremonial magick can tend to paint our realities with too much literal and metaphorical magickal phenomena, since that is what we are particularly focused on.
Read the complete article: Talking About Ritual Magick
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Heathenry and Politics
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Posted by: Makarios on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 04:00 PM
147 Reads
By Jess
I felt that this was a good topic to blog about, given some discussions I've been taking part in recently.
Asatru, Theodish Geleafa, and all the other forms of Heathenry which exist today have members whose political leanings range from the very liberal to the very conservative. You have folks who are very much into environmentalism, committed vegans/vegetarians, pro-gun, pro-life, pro-choice, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, Libertarian, you name it. There is a wide spectrum. Add to this the fact that you have some Heathens who do galdr/seidhr/spae/utiseta/etc., some who don't; some who focus more on the Gods, and some who don't and focus more on landvaettir and ancestors; some who see the various forms of Heathenry as indigenous faiths that are exclusive in terms of who can/can't be Heathen, and some who believe that Heathenry in any form should be open to all, and you have a melting pot of views and ideas.
I could go on, but I think the point is obvious: there are as many different viewpoints on political, cultural, and environmental issues as there are Heathens. Becoming Heathen does not make you a Republican, Democrat, environmentalist, etc. That's like saying that all Neo-Pagans are card-carrying members of PETA and liberal pacifists - which is most definitely not the case.
Read the complete article: The Sane Heathen
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A Pagan, an undercover atheist, and common ground
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 05:00 PM
198 Reads
by Rod Dreher
Franklin Evans passes along this post by Gus diZerega, who writes the Pagan blog on Beliefnet, in which Gus talks about how Pagans find themselves pulled in both directions in the culture war, between the forces of mainstream conservative religion and the secular liberal science-minded folks. Excerpt:
On the one hand we have no choice but to push back on the attempts to demonize us, and entrench their demonization into the law, by many Evangelicals and conservative Christians. Whether in the schools or the prisons or the military, even a single victory to the haters will give them a precedent to push further because there are no logical limits to their creed hold over people until it has come to dominate all of society. It is fundamentally totalitarian in this respect. The Enlightenment brought this totalitarian urge under control. But...
But on the other hand, the secular scientistic world view that sees religion as a atavistic holdover from an earlier time is simply wrong. It's not even close to the truth. I see modern secularism as itself deeply myopic, and when its internal implications have come to fruit, as they are doing today, tending in most of its forms towards nihilism and the worship of power. In this conclusion I find I am often at one with the conservative Christians who denounce us!
Read the complete article: Beliefnet
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Update: Dale Halferty, Dan Halloran, and Watkins Books
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 01:00 PM
174 Reads
by Jason Pitzl-Waters
No Wiccan Altars for Halferty: A few quick notes for you this Saturday, starting with an update on the Iowa industrial arts teacher, Dale Halferty, who was temporarily suspended for prohibiting a student from building a Wiccan altar in shop class. It seems that Halferty, who was supposed to return to work on Monday, isn’t backing down from his discriminatory views concerning a student’s right to religious expression, and is now on indefinite unpaid leave.
“Guthrie Center Superintendent Steve Smith met with Industrial Arts teacher Dale Halferty Tuesday morning. At the end of the meeting, Halferty remained on unpaid leave from the high school for an indefinite period. Superintendent Smith told the Times that all parties are attempting to resolve the conflict. Asked for specifics, Smith declined to comment. Smith did say the resolution process is ongoing and that no specific time has been set for the next meeting between Halferty and himself.”
Read the complete article: Wild Hunt
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The Big Lie About Small Government
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 12:00 PM
173 Reads
By Maelstrom
<snip> I have noticed that many American Pagans of the Asatru/Heathen persuasion but also some following other paths and traditions seem to share a common view of the Pagan past that they then relate to modern-day society. Now, I grant you that all Pagans, and particularly reconstructionist Pagans, tend to take a more or less rosy-tinted view of the past, and to romanticize it some degree as the "good old days" or a "golden age." On the face of it,I see nothing wrong with this, as most if not all religions have some kind of idea of a "golden age" that provides a reference point to life in the present day, which is typically viewed as lacking, inferior, "fallen," in relation to the idealized world of the past. (I will confess to listening to music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and continuing to regret the break-up of the Beatles.) Where I do see a problem is in some Pagans making the Pagan past into their personal or collective conservative paradise of small-scale tribal communities with families living in ecstatic independence, with little or no government getting in the way of their pioneer spirit and tax-free happiness. This strikes me as a very strongly biased interpretation of the past from the political perspective of late-twentieth century, early twenty-first century American conservatism of the anti-government type.
Why is this wrong? Well, it is obviously anyone's right to interpret or construct their mythical "golden age" anyway they like, in accordance with their own current-day political leanings, and to apply it to today's society as they feel the need or desire. It is also very true that our knowledge of the past social and government structures of much of Pagan Europe is incomplete and fragmentary and thus all the more open to interpretation. The thing I object to is the insistence or assumption by conservative Norse Pagans that their way of idealizing the past is the only legitimate view, AND, I object to their denial that their interpretation of Norse paganism is NOT informed by a political viewpoint. It seems to me that when they look at the Pagan past, they are definitely looking at it through highly politicized lenses, and I want to call them on this, not to say that they shouldn't do it, but that they should own up to it.
Read the complete article: The Political Pagan
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A Pagan Physician’s Perspective the Ethics of Healthcare
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 08:00 AM
199 Reads
By Dragonstorm
I was a doctor before I became a Pagan. Or maybe I should say before I KNEW I was a Pagan. In fact I grew up with a Christian upbringing. A beloved family member of mine, also a doctor, asked the question many years ago, “How can one not believe in god knowing how well-organized the human body is?”
I understood this logic very keenly, having marveled at the magic that is the human body, and biology in general. But something over the years nagged at me more and more, and was a big factor in changing my path to Paganism and Druidry. That is the absolute irony behind the IMPERFECTION of the human body when disease sets in. For so many disease processes, including the 2 top killers of adults, cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the 3 top killers in children, cardiovascular disease, cancer and trauma, human behavior (or misbehavior) plays a major role in speeding one to their death.
But what of those many disease processes that are bestowed upon the unwitting, unborn child? Or the infant, the child? As a pediatric specialist who has had the misfortune to see too many children die of heart disease, often genetic or congenital, my perspective on the nature of our origin and biology has changed radically over the years. And moved me to find a spiritual path that understood this imperfection.
Read the complete article: Witchvox
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The origins of religion: evolved adaptation or by-product?
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Posted by: Makarios on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 02:00 PM
217 Reads
By Ilkka Pyysiäinen and Marc Hauser
Considerable debate has surrounded the question of the origins and evolution of religion. One proposal views religion as an adaptation for cooperation, whereas an alternative proposal views religion as a by-product of evolved, non-religious, cognitive functions. We critically evaluate each approach, explore the link between religion and morality in particular, and argue that recent empirical work in moral psychology provides stronger support for the by-product approach. Specifically, despite differences in religious background, individuals show no difference in the pattern of their moral judgments for unfamiliar moral scenarios. These findings suggest that religion evolved from pre-existing cognitive functions, but that it may then have been subject to selection, creating an adaptively designed system for solving the problem of cooperation.
Adaptation or by-product?
Religious beliefs are ubiquitous across cultures and time, and understanding the origins and evolution of religion is a question that has attracted significant attention and debate. Some scholars claim that religion evolved as an adaptation to solve the problem of cooperation among genetically unrelated others. Others propose that religion emerged as a by-product of pre-existing cognitive capacities, but then, through both biological and cultural evolution, might have evolved into a system that is well-designed to solve problems of cooperation. Here, we review these alternative proposals, and then introduce a moral psychological perspective that, we argue, provides novel insight into this debate. Specifically, recent work in moral psychology supports the view that religion evolved as a cognitive by-product of pre-existing capacities that evolved for non-religious functions.
Read the complete article: Trends in Cognitive Sciences
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Regionalism
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Posted by: Makarios on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 10:00 AM
183 Reads
By Swain Wodening
There has been a lot of talk this past year about regionalism. This is nothing new and has been a topic for most of my Heathen life (which is now in its 23rd year). On the surface it sounds well and good. Organize regional gatherings, form a regional thing, and all will be dandy. Folks will communicate, get together, and do things together. The problem is without a guiding national organization it rarely works out that way. I can name several regional organizations that went the way of the buffalo. All organized with the best of intentions. The Great Plains Ring operated in the Midwest for a couple of years before going belly up, as did the Texas Asatru League, and the Indiana Asatru Council, once one of the most active regional organizations has not seen activity in years. The same can be said of regional lists. The Central States Heathen list was once very active, and even hosted a couple of gatherings. It is now lucky to see twenty posts a month. Regionalism, at least up to now has not worked with a very few exceptions.
I have a theory why and it centers on diversity. With a national organization, all the individuals, kindreds, and fellowships generally share a common interest and common goals. Like attracts like. But with a regional organization, the only common denominator is that of proximity. And more is needed than mere physical proximity for an organization to work. That is why in say, a small area like Dallas-Fort Worth you see more than four fellowships. Beliefs, how rituals are done, customs and traditions, and esp. personalities differ from group to group and do not always mix well. An individual regional group is therefore almost doomed from the start.
Read the complete article: Swain Wodenings Blog
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Update: Wiccan altar an opportunity to enlighten
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 09:00 AM
258 Reads
by KAT FATLAND
If Dale Halferty, the Guthrie Center teacher who banned his student from creating a Wiccan altar in shop class, actually believes his own words, that "this witchcraft stuff... is terrible for our kids. It takes kids away from what they know, and leads them to a dark and violent life," then Halferty should not be a teacher.
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. What was he afraid of when he prohibited this student from creating this altar? Was he afraid that other students might be interested? Not only is that a biased response from his own Christian faith, it is an ignorant one as well.
Read the complete article: DesMoines Register
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Death With Dignity
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 08:00 AM
189 Reads
By Laura Anderson
In America, only three states allow physician-assisted suicide: Oregon, Washington and Montana. Keep in mind that physician-assisted suicide is very different from euthanasia. In a physician-assisted suicide, the patient is ultimately responsible for ending his or her own life; the doctor simply gives them the means. In euthanasia, the doctor directly ends the patient’s life. Montana is a recent addition to the list. The ruling came in December of 2009 and was met with mixed feelings. According to USA Today, Steve Johnson, a cancer patient, is glad that suicide is allowed. But organizations such as the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide are protesting.
The British government is altering the laws for Britain and Wales a bit in determining whether a person would face prosecution for assisting a suicide. Currently, it is illegal to assist a person and is punishable by up to 14 years in jail. And the Brits aren’t looking at changing the law; they just want to alter guidelines about whether or not to prosecute.
Read the complete article: Pagan Politics
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An Ecopsychological Alternative to “Maiden, Mother and Crone”
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, March 05, 2010 - 12:00 PM
234 Reads
By Lupa
I’ve always had issues with the “Maiden, Mother and Crone” triad (which shall be referred to as MMC from here on out) in neopaganism. It stems from Robert Graves filtered through Wicca, but seems to have bled over into generic neopagan lore. While originally it was intended to describe certain supposed trinities of goddesses, it has since been applied erroneously to human women as well. Neither deities nor humans seem to do so well when shoved into archetypal pigeonholes–while I may see totems as archetypal in nature, it’s as representations of all qualities and associations of their given species, not as “Brown Bear is the healer, Grey Wolf is the Teacher”, etc.
It’s the humans in specific I’d like to talk about here. As someone who is deliberately childfree, I already have reason to dislike the MMC’s focus on the uterus and its functions as defining characteristics of what it means to be female. I used to subscribe to that whole concept that “fertility” could be symbolic as well, dealing in creative endeavors like artwork as one’s “children”. But that still limits women to “creative”, “fertile” and “nurturing” roles–as I mentioned to someone on my Twitter account, what about “Little Hellion”, “Hostile Corporate Takeover Organizer” and “Crazy Cat Lady With Attack Bengals” as archetypes? These are pretty limiting, too.
Read the complete article: Therioshamanism
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Love the Earth, Respect the Earth
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Thursday, March 04, 2010 - 11:00 AM
225 Reads
by Nancy Vedder-Shults
<snip>We in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) are considering changes in the language of our “Principles and Purposes,” the statements that guide our work together as an association of free, but interdependent congregations. Karen was responding on Sunday to the rewording of the seventh principle, a change that would substitute the word reverence for the word respect in the phrase “we covenant to honor and uphold … respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” She made an effective appeal for retaining the original language –respect — because she believes that to revere something implies a certain passivity — true for our fundamentalist brethren, but not for me and other people on the left hand of God — while respect indicates an active response. Obviously, this is not my experience.
What all Unitarian Universalists want in this rewrite of the seventh principle is language that reflects care for the Earth as a religious imperative, not an optional activity. And for me it’s even more important, because as a Wiccan UU, the seventh principle encapsulates some of the most significant aspects of my combined religion.
Read the complete article: Tikkun Daily
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Thoughts on Pagan Religious Dress
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Posted by: Makarios on Tuesday, March 02, 2010 - 02:00 PM
226 Reads
By Johnny Rapture
Ever since learning about Sailor Mars, I’ve always wanted to be a monk (err, I guess a Nun. . . .). Now, that was at a very impressionable young age, and since then I’ve wanted to be many other things “when I grow up”: Archaeologist, architect, cartoonist, porn star, scholar, revolutionary. But the monastic urge has never left me. Now, I could (and will) write a whole post about what a Pagan monasticism might look like, and what some Pagans have done in order to begin such traditions. All I want to talk about right now, though, is clothing.
You see, one of the aspects of the monastic life that has always appealed to me is the idea of formal dress, dress with a purpose. Dress that comes out of a tradition; dress that others like you have worn before. Dress that is a constant reminder to one’s-self and to one’s community of a commitment to religious life.
Read the complete article: The Great Tininess
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