wicca » The Juggler

Craigslist Joe: The Online Aquarian

Feb 242013

I’ve never spent much time on Craigslist. It became popular at a time when I was much more interested in finding cheap textbooks for grad school, so my early online shopping was focused more on half.com and Amazon. I thought I could get all the information and products I could ever want on these two sites, plus a few others for travel, information, and social connections. I had what I needed, I thought. Why should I get caught up in yet another website that buys and sells other people’s junk? I had no idea there was so much more to Craigslist.

I really had no idea of the entire world that lived within Craigslist until I watched the 2012 documentary Craigslist Joe. The premise of the film is much like a cross between Morgan Spurlock’s projects Super Size Me and 30 Days. Joseph Garner resolves to live one entire month with no money, home, or contacts. His only source for food, shelter, income, and transportation is Craigslist. Armed with only the clothes on his back, a laptop, and a cell phone, Joe sets out to live for a month off the kindness off those he meets on Craigslist, the site he describes as “the 21^st century’s new town square.”

Joe’s motivations are very Aquarian: he explains at the beginning that 21^st century America has a love/hate relationship with their technology. Many, he says, bemoan the fact that our devices bring us closer together through the Internet at the cost of having any real face-to-face interaction. Human relationships, IRL, have suffered as people know each other merely as a Facebook status or an emotionally ambiguous text message. The driving force behind Joe’s experiment is to test this hypothesis and see if real human relationships still exist.

They do. In his month living off the dole of Craigslist, Joe meets new people who offer him kindness in a way that my introverted mind can only barely comprehend. Every night, he finds someone to offer free lodging. He travels across the country bumming rides using the virtual thumb that is Craigslist, and never fails to obtain a ride when he needs one. He visits with a Muslim family, a dominatrix, and a severely ill hoarder. He travels to San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, and even Juarez, Mexico meeting fascinating people and living off of their dimes. He even gets the chance to meet with Craigslist’s founder, Craig Newmark, who seems like a pretty cool guy. Along the way, he proves that, while our connections methods have changed and we don’t all share the same values, Americans still care for one another.

I still had this inspiring little movie in my head when I went to Pantheacon last weekend. What I witnessed there continued to prove the film’s sunny thesis. It seems that every year something happens Pantheacon weekend that challenges the Pagan community. Over the last few years, it has been a discussion over transgender rights and their conflict with groups that define themselves as exclusive to cis-females. It has been a painful, emotional battle on both sides, but progress has been made and many of the groups involved are beginning to move forward in the spirit of the conventions 2013 theme: “cooperation, tolerance, and love.”

Nowhere was this more evident than in the Rite of 1,000 Crowns, an ecstatic ritual led by a joint effort of the Come as you Are Coven’s Bloodroot Honey Priestess Tribe and Green Men, along with The Living Temple of Diana. In that beautiful ritual we honored the Goddess in all her forms, Masculine, Feminine, and Transgender, while also honoring ourselves in whatever gender we identify. We are all sovereigns. Can you get more Craigslisty-Aquarian than that?

Then, just as Pantheacon was ending, another challenge came our way. Now infamous, we were not even out of San Jose yet when we saw the Fox and Friends video that featured Tucker Carlson deriding Wiccans as “compulsive Dungeons and Dragons players” and “Middle-aged, twice divorced older” women “working as a midwife.” That wasn’t so much the problem for me as the factual errors; the piece discusses some strange idea of Wiccans celebrating 20 holidays and wanting to get all of them off work. What?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlXEGy20yTc

There has been a lot of discussion over Pagan blogs and podcasts over who IS and IS NOT Pagan. Non-Wiccan Pagans seek to distinguish themselves as their own traditions and no longer wish to be lumped in with a system they are not a part of. Reconstructionists, Druids, and others have been questioning their identification with the “Pagan” label. Non-Wiccan witches also have been carving their own niche in the world of Witchcraft. Some have even claimed that there is an “Anything But Wiccan” movement afoot.

And yet, when a piece makes it onto mainstream media that distorts and derides Wicca in particular, Pagans across multiple traditions came to Wicca’s defense. The Covenant of the Goddess released a statement demanding an apology, and so did Circle Sanctuary’s Lady Liberty League. Then The Lady Yeshe Rabbit of the Bloodroot Honey Priestess Tribe, acted in solidarity. On Facebook, I saw multiple statements of support from Pagan individuals across the spectrum of traditions. Thousands of people signed two online petitions. In our online community, labels don’t matter; people do.

And it worked. Tucker Carlson issued two apologies on Twitter, then issued another on-air apology in the same forum as the original comments. Yes, they were half-hearted and a little snarky. Yes, they still did not address the completely inept factual errors that were blasted about in the original piece, but it was a start. Given Fox’s viewer base, Carlson really didn’t have to do anything. The fact that he changed his tune and acknowledged that his conservative philosophy demands a “live and let live” attitude, shows the power we have working together in our community of religious ideas.

Then, less than a week later I watched our community really come together. The Temple of Witchcraft (of which I am a member) is in the process of creating a physical space for education, healing work, and public rituals. To do so, town codes require that they build a parking lot at the cost of $68,000. The Temple initiated an indiegogo campaign to raise the funds, and last week a donor offered to match any funds that were given within a 48-hour period.

The response from the Pagan community was huge. I saw the post shared on many Pagan Facebook pages from people of various traditions. In 48 hours, the Temple received $10,335 in donations, and the matching donation brought the total amount to $20,670. Just like Craigslist, Pagans come together to help each other yet again.

During the course of his documentary, Joe meets up with some very strange characters. Free spirits give him rides across the rolling miles of the United States and nice people who others would see as freaks share their stories of pain with him. He learns not only the sacredness of every human being, but also that – deep within that covering of cynicism- people will give of themselves to help others.

Joe runs across many people who are not like him at all, but who help, and that is probably the most inspiring part of this film. For him, Craigslist become the hub of an Aquarian world where people pitch in to help each other simply because they are human. In the end, he learns a lesson that echoes blogger Erik Scott’s reaction to the convention:

“These folks were almost nothing like me. And that, oddly enough, made me all the more fond of them.”

Craigslist Joe proves that, despite our differences, we can indeed work together in Pantheacon’s ideal of “cooperation, tolerance, and love.” Even if Tucker Carlson still doesn’t get our “20 holidays.”

Documentary Focus: A&E’s Witches

culture, tv 3 Responses »

Jun 032012

A quick look at Netflix reveals a large variety of documentaries of interest to Witches and Pagans. They range from scientific features on the solar system to “historical” explorations of famous myths and legends. Cut to accommodate commercials and still fit into a one-hour time slot, these features tend to blaze over large territories of history and make connections among events that strict academics would blush at. But we should still pay attention to them because they represent how the outside world sees us and, more importantly, how popular media represents us to the mainstream, which in turn affects how non-Pagans treat us. We have a stake in how others see us. For this reason, I’d like to explore the various documentaries of interest to modern Pagans to find how they define us, how they depict us, and how they explain us.

The first one I came across was A&E’s Ancient Mysteries: Witches. This short documentary takes on a daunting task that even experienced Witches would have trouble with: explaining the development of Witchcraft from the Stone Age, through the Burning Times, and into its modern expression, all the while appeasing historians and modern Pagans, avoiding offending Christians, and entertaining mainstream viewers. This is a really narrow road to follow, one that does not allow for too many large claims to be made, but, if you take these obstacles into account, it’s a pretty good introduction to Witchcraft.

Not surprisingly, the documentary begins with the ancient goddess-worshipping cultures. While it tends to conflate the practices of early female “priests” with the modern ceremonial aspects of Wicca, the tone is sympathetic and reasonable. We are told of how the tribal people of the time lived dependent upon the cycles of nature, and how the magic workers of the time took care of their people. This nicely sets up the later accusation of midwives and herbalists during the inquisition as well as the modern return to a reverence for nature’s patterns.

The coming of warrior tribes with masculine battle gods who gradually demote the goddesses to inferior positions is then covered. This is a somewhat simplistic storyline that is well known to many of us, but from the outsider’s perspective, it helps explain the coming of monotheism and the transformation of the powerful woman into the hideous baby-eating witch. Conjectures about the origins of many of the stereotypes of the witch, from flying on broomsticks to midnight orgies with Satan, are discussed during this section. Again, the strict historian may have bones to pick with some of the material, but the nature of the discussion makes the topic approachable to the mainstream viewer.

This section naturally leads into the inquisition and the Burning Times, focusing, of course, on the infamous Malleus Maleficarum. It links the Bubonic Plague with the epidemic of seeking, torturing, and murdering “witches,” explaining that the people of the time had only supernatural explanations for the death that surrounded them in its ever-tightening grip. The particular role of the Malleus, according to A&E, was to single out women as the source of all of these supernatural attacks, as Kramer and Sprenger definitely seemed to have had a severely twisted hatred of all things feminine.

While a large amount of time is spent on the Burning Times and the Salem trials, the estimates of the number of victims is conservative. The range tops out at 600,000. The documentary moves on to explain that the mechanistic view of science put a stop to the inquisition.

To me, it’s the explanation of the modern revival that brings up the most questions. Margaret Murray is prominently featured, and the narrative jumps directly from the academic discrediting of her work to the “thousands of people” who practice Wicca despite Murray’s flaws. The tone is not cynical. Wiccans are equated more with ancient followers of nature’s cycles than with Murray’s universal goddess witch cult, but there are nuances of steps between the two that are not given due consideration.

Prominent figures in the development of Wicca are not even mentioned. Gerald Gardner’s name is never spoken. This is extremely odd given one of the documentary’s other flaws: Wicca is the only modern expression of Witchcraft that is mentioned. If today’s Witchcraft is exclusively Wicca, as A&E would have viewers believe, then shouldn’t Wicca’s creator, his companions, and his influences be at least mentioned? How can you discuss the 20^th century revival of the Craft without paying at least a little attention to Gardner, Crowley, Valiente, or Sanders? Janet Farrar and other modern practitioners are interviewed, which redeems the storyline a little bit, but it is in this section which presents the most incomplete picture of the development of Witchcraft. The documentary and its mainstream viewers would have benefited from a little less detail on the tortures of the Burning Times and a little more on how Wicca and Witchcraft came to be a part of the modern religious landscape.

Still, given its limitations, Ancient Mysteries: Witches is an even-handed introduction to a topic that is usually met with cynicism, disbelief, and mockery. It has to walk a very thin line, and for the most part it succeeds. A new Pagan, seeking some basic information, could get a good foundation out of this brief narrative. It also has a lot to offer to the parent or friend of someone who has recently come out of the broom closet. Since the central story is the vilification of Witches over the century and a positive spin on modern practice, this little discussion could put to ease a lot of the common fears held by the loved ones seeking to understand what Paganism and Witchcraft are all about. Witches are explained to the casual viewer, not mocked or sensationalized, and perhaps that single fact makes this documentary a valuable part of the modern discourse on Witchcraft.

Striving Toward the Highest Ideals: The Wigglian Way reaches 100 episodes.

Internet Media, News 6 Responses »

May 272012

Last week, Mojo and Sparrow at The Wigglian Way Pagan Podcast released their 100^th episode. This is a huge milestone in the land of podcasting, as very few shows are able to make it to 100 episodes. Beyond that, The Wigglian Way has remained interesting, topical, timely, and entertaining the whole time, another rare achievement over a span of so many installments. The show retains a five-star rating on iTunes, yet another testament to its quality and durability.

But there is even more to this achievement than the obvious accolades that Mojo and Sparrow deserve for their accomplishment. The 100^th episode of The Wigglian Way is full of recorded messages from all around the Pagan community. These well-wishes cross traditions, borders, beliefs, and experience levels. They come from fellow Wiccans, Heathens, ceremonial magicians, and seekers. They come from the Wigglian backyard of British Columbia, Canada and range as far as Texas, New Jersey, California, Georgia, and Scotland.Messages of congratulations even come in from other Pagan podcasters, people who, in some genres, would be viewed as competitors.

And that’s the greater point of this milestone. From the very beginning, The Wigglian Way has been “all about the love.” In a minority faith, it is so easy to use the platform of a popular podcast to rail against the oppressions of the majority faith. In a community plagued by witch wars, it can be so tempting to use your public persona to undermine whatever side you disagree with. But the Wigglians avoid those temptations. Instead, they broadcast love and inclusion, and the messages they received from all across the Pagan world clearly demonstrate that their love has returned to them more than threefold.

In Epsiode 100 of The Wigglian Way, we clearly see the results of striving toward our ideals. We are part of a complicated web of faith traditions, and sometimes the differences between us can be difficult to navigate. Mojo and Sparrow, however, bridge all the gaps among us effortlessly, keeping us moving toward the highest expression of what we are as a community. In this way, their podcast is more than a show. It is a service to the Goddess, part of Her Charge, and it stands as a testament to Her presence in this world. Congratulations Mojo and Sparrow!

The Gates of Witchcraft: An interview with Christopher Penczak

books 3 Responses »

Apr 282012

Christopher Penczak may be the most prolific contemporary Pagan author. With almost 20 books to his credit, Penczak has published texts that cover a wide range of topics from gay witchcraft to Reiki to establishing a relationship with plant spirits. Of course, he is best known for the Temple of Witchcraft series, which presents the training system for the tradition of the same name that he co-founded.

One of Penczak’s talents is to synthesize a wealth of information from a wide variety of esoteric sources into a unified, coherent system. This is exactly what he does in his newest book, The Gates of Witchcraft: Twelve Paths of Power, Trance, and Gnosis. Starting with a foundation in British Traditional Wicca, indeed in Gardner’s Book of Shadows, Pencak fleshes out Gardner’s original list of consciousness-changing techniques and adds new paths, all the while folding in techniques with roots in everything from the Northern Seidr to entheogens to sacred sexuality.

As a member of the Temple of Witchcraft, I don’t usually review Penczak’s books. However, this book is a fantastic foundational book for Pagans of all paths and experience levels, that I felt it was important to discuss it here. So rather than review the book, I thought I’d let the author speak for himself. Last week, I interviewed Christopher about his new offering. His thoughts tell the story of his book better than I ever could:

Q: What was your inspiration for The Gates of Witchcraft?

CP: The core of the idea comes from the British Traditional Wicca Book of Shadows, a section known as the Eight Ways of Raising Power, or Eight Ways to the Center. It is a section on different methods of entering trance and/or raising power for rituals. I was fascinated by the list, but found some of the groupings confusing. I reworked in specifically focusing upon trance, and added four more paths, making twelve in all.

Q: Could you describe the book in your own words and give us a basic overview of the 12 paths?

CP: The Gates of Witchcraft is a manual for magically oriented people to explore many different methods of trance, from the exhibitory and exciting methods that raise our body’s systems to the more inhibitory techniques that lower our bodily systems and relax us. The techniques include meditation, breath work, sound, movement, isolation, plant substances, sexuality, ordeals, ritual clothing, sacred space, sacred time and dreams.

Q: Our readers are on a variety of paths and may not identify as Witches, How can your book be an aid to Pagans and magick workers of other paths other than Witchcraft?

CP: While its drawn from the traditions of British Traditional Wicca, and my own experience and work is oriented towards teaching those who identify as Witches, it might be more suited for those who identify as practicing a magickal spirituality. I think anyone on a Pagan, Ceremonial Magician, or Shamanic Path might benefit from it. In fact, I think even those in other more broad traditions, practicing martial arts, yoga, tantra, herbalism and even other communities not specifically metaphysical, such as the BDSM, might find it interesting.

Q: Meditation and breath both hold a strong place in your work. Which of the techniques were more out of your comfort zone?

CP: I think the isolation and ordeal paths were more out of my comfort zone at least in terms of writing. I’ve done some isolation rituals for my own personal practice and helped others with them, but haven’t written much or done any formal teaching on them. I am not a British Traditional Wicca initiate, and while I think the “properly prepared” section of ritual binding and scourging in initiation was important to include, it is not my own initiatory experience.

Q: In the book you present a large selection of techniques. It can be hard to know where to start. How would you suggest that people begin to explore the 12 Gates?

CP: I wrote them starting with the most simple and most safe, and progressed to the more difficulty and potentially dangerous, at least for the first few. I suggest meditation, breath work, sound and movement as the starting places. Each chapter ,too, starts with more basic exercises and becomes more complex by the end of the chapter.

Q: You quote Gardner’s book of shadows, which proclaims “the more the better.” How would you suggest incorporating multiple paths into one ritual without losing focus.

CP: The very last chapter gives some creative examples of uniting several paths in one working. I think if you focus on your intention in the ritual, and then think which of these paths support that overall vision, you’ll be doing great. Avoid the “Everything but the kitchen sink mentality.” Every ritual doesn’t need every path. I think determining if it is inhibitory or exhibitory is the first step, then which paths will help in that method?

Q: How do you utilize the 12 Gates in your own practice? Which are more foundational for you? Are there any that you choose not to enter?

CP: Many of them are a fundamental part of my daily meditation practice, or monthly ritual practice. Meditation, breath work, sound and movement/posture or staples for my solitary work. I am a big believer in plant magick and plant trance, but don’t use that path daily, with perhaps the exception of incense for meditation and ritual. Entheogenic rituals are used to punctuate important workings, not a regular practice for me. As a Witch, Sacred space and sacred time are an important part of my ritual practice. Sexuality is a part of my spirituality, but not always in a ritualized way. Like plant trance, it is for a special occasion ritually. I am also very fond of dream magick and trance as of late. I don’t use the isolation or ordeal paths that often, but its nice to know how to play that card when I need it.

The Gates of Witchcraft truly presents a dizzying array of trance and consciousness changing techniques. It can be so easy to get stuck with just a few ritual favorites, but this book offers a wide variety of new paths to experiment with in order to perfectly fit the work you are doing. It is now available on Amazon or on the author’s own site. Whichever Gate you prefer, Penczak’s new book can help you find your key.

Wicca Club on Glee?

tv 16 Responses »

Nov 112011

Has anyone noticed the “Wicca Club” posters that have been popping up on Glee?

I first noticed it this week, in the episode called “The First Time.” If you watch the episode, you will notice a scene in which Rachel and Finn are talking next to the school bulletin board. Behind them, to the left, there is a small red and black poster that says “Wicca Club.”

At least two other bloggers also caught the poster on the episode “Asian F.”

It looks something like this, only more blood-red and gothic in style:

Of course, the immediate question that comes to mind is, Why is the pentagram upside down? Someone had to make that choice, and with the faux-scary, gothic look of the actual poster, I have a bad feeling about the real message here. You could argue that the upside down star is stylized as an M for McKinley High School, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch, especially since the huge pentagram on the poster doesn’t appear to connect to the rest of the school’s name.

Glee has dealt with the issue of religion in the past, but it has done so either through Mercedes convincing Kurt that church ain’t so bad or the situational irony of a pregnant Celibacy Club president who always wears a cross around her neck. For diversity’s sake, they made Puck Jewish and he mentions it now and then.

What, if anything, will the show do with a Wicca Club? The season has hit the middle of sweeps and there is a constant need to find new controversy to fuel the plots. One of the show’s challenges is to remain light and funny while tackling some important issues like homophobia, bullying, and physical/mental disability. Could Wicca be next?

I tend to doubt it will become a running storyline. I can see it driving one episode where, perhaps, Santana turns witchy and conflict with the rest of the group ensues. Throw in a performance of “Dear Mr. Crowley” and “Witchy Woman” and you have an episode in the box. What more could they do with it? Any ideas?

Two Strange Journeys: Mary Poppins and Rocky Horror

culture, film, music, Stage 3 Responses »

Aug 012011

Broaden your Horizon

Open different doors

You may find a you there that you never knew was yours

Last Saturday was a strange day for me. In the afternoon, I took my mother and in-laws to see the stage version of Mary Poppins at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, our most upscale local theater venue. That night, I collected my toast and toilet paper for a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at our local Unitarian Universalist church. I rocketed from “A Spoonful of Sugar” to a “Sweet Transvestite” in just a few hours.

It seemed at the time that these two were so different. One is an elaborate retelling of a children’s classic with extremely talented performers and stunning special effects; the other is Rocky Horror. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that these two pieces really aren’t all that different. The storyline is basically the same- two naïve souls get taken into another world by a strange but charming guide in a dress. They meet some odd characters, confront some difficult things about themselves, learn about the world outside their comfort zones, and emerge from the experience forever changed.

Both stories are guided, almost shamanic journeys into the depths of the underworld. They have very different conclusions, which can be blamed on the guides in each story.

Mary Poppins is a much darker story than many people realize. If you are unfamiliar with the stage version, think for a moment about the film. We all remember the animated sequences of Dick van Dyke and Julie Andrews dancing with cheerful penguins and riding detached carousel horses through Hyde Park. But many of us forget little Michael Banks’ confrontation with the transient bird lady, where he is forced to see the pain and deprivation that some of his fellow humans suffer every day.

Fresh from his dark realizations, Michael is forced to go to his father’s bank and start and sensible, interest-bearing account by depositing his precious sixpence coin. His resistance starts a chain reaction during which the little boy runs loose through industrial age London, his father loses his job, and the whole family seems on the brink of ruin. Yet, George Banks learns that his family is truly important to him and the entire family becomes closer and happier than they ever were before. They emerge from the darkness cleared of what no longer serves and ready to live happier lives thanks to the difficult lesson.

The stage version is similar, except that the children and their father learn separate lessons. Jane and Michael, the children, are guided by their “practically perfect” nanny, Mary Poppins, into wonderful worlds that they never new existed. Escaping dreary London, they dance with animated statues, cavort with chimney sweeps, and learn the usefulness of the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” in magical candy shop.

However, the end of the first act brings with it a much more difficult experience, which they must face themselves. It was all fun and games until their previous behavior comes back to haunt them, and they are forced to account for their actions before they can go back to playing their games. Unfortunately, the original musical number for this section, “Temper, Temper,” is no longer in the show and has been replaced by the milder “Playing the Game.” “Temper, Temper” features the children’s toys trying Jane and Michael for cruelty. It is far more dark and disturbing than the current song. Here’s the original, scarier version:

George and Jane, the children’s parents, are taken on a journey into their own darkness. George is forced to confront the main source of pain in his life, enabling his wife to understand her husband’s cold, demanding personality. The two grow closer through this darkness and, like in the film, George learns what truly makes him happy.

Brad and Janet, Rocky Horror’s protagonists, don’t fare as well as any member of the Banks family. These “young ordinary, healthy kids” are sidetracked by a flat tire while (perhaps foolishly) driving through a rainstorm in a dark forest. Most Juggler readers probably know what happens next: after going to a castle to use the phone, the hapless Brad and Janet get stripped, humiliated, and seduced by the master of the house, a cross-dressing alien scientist known as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

OK, so it’s not as deep as Mary Poppins, but it is still a trip into the otherworld. Brad and Janet, like the Banks family, emerge from the experience forever changed. However, their experiences involve recklessly embracing all parts of their shadows instead of removing what they don’t need and allying with the rest. After being convinced to “swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh,” they give themselves completely over to Frank’s unmediated hedonism. They leave his castle in much worse shape than when they arrived.

Both stories involve a journey into the underworld. The difference between them is the guide. Mary Poppins guides Jane and Michael, and even their parents to some extent, through their experiences. True, they have to face the worst part alone, but she has properly armed them for the challenge. In an echo of Wiccan cosmology, you could even argue that finding a balance is so vital that the Banks family gets both Mary Poppins and Bert to guide them, a man and a woman providing an energetic balance.

Mary Poppins is no pushover. She and Bert teach fun and enjoyment, but the nanny also is quite strict in teaching Jane and Michael to follow the rules. Balanced guidance.

Frank-N-Furter, on the other hand, is a mockery of proper guidance. As the butler, Riff Raff, says, his “lifestyle’s too extreme.” Like George Banks’ ultra-strict life, Frank’s was too unbalanced to be sustainable. He is all mirth and no reverence, and Brad and Janet suffer the consequences.

So perhaps it wasn’t so odd to see both musicals in one day. As we move into the dark time of the year, it reminded me that we all have a dark side that we must face. We all have our own descents to undergo and those who will guide us along the way. Those guides can make or break the journey.

Confessions of a Pagan Geek: Has True Blood Lost Its Charm?

tv 6 Responses »

Jul 122011

I sat down on Sunday night to watch True Blood Season 4, Episode 3 and realized I wasn’t so sure I cared any more. Americans, myself included, have such a short attention span that perhaps the series has run its course.

There are some things I like about this story. Most of these things are what I liked about this books as well. Among the better subplots is the captivity of Jason Stackhouse. Having read the books, I always hoped they would explore his experience with the were-panthers. As television is likely to do, some parts of the tale have changed a bit but I am still interested in seeing how it goes.

But, on to the witches…after the cut.

Confessions of a Pagan Geek: That was much better…

tv No Responses »

Jul 052011

I actually watched the second episode of True Blood season 4 on Thursday night through HBO Go. I had just arrived at our mountain in North Carolina to prepare for an annual Independence Day camp out. I wanted to watch the episode before the festivities of the weekend began and we weren’t coming back to Atlanta until Monday.

I must say, I very much enjoyed the second episode. I understand that the first episode must have contained very important information that I assume we will learn more about as the season progresses, but as of right now it feels like a bit of a throw away. Episode 2, however, brought the primary story to life for me – the Witches.

Linking to the Voices of the Elders Part II: Voices of the departed

culture, film, Internet Media 4 Responses »

Oct 292010

As the veil gets thinner, the voices of our ancestors get stronger and stronger. Now is a good time to remember and honor our spiritual ancestors, those who blazed the trail we currently walk. They were teachers, guides, and innovators. A few were charming eccentrics. Some were all of these things and more.

In this second part of a series, I offer links to a collection of pagan podcasts that bring you the wisdom, and sometimes the voices, of those who have crossed over. May their wisdom continue to blossom within us.

Isaac Bonewits passed away only recently, and his voice is available on two podcasts that I am aware of. You can hear him discuss ritual structure on Druidcast’s Episode 20.

Bonewits was a lively speaker and a creative nonconformist. He was, for example, probably the only person who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in magick from an accredited university. His wily, humorous nature is on full display in Episode 18 of Standing Stone and Garden Gate, where he gives a detailed, entertaining talk on magickal ethics – and it may have been the last lecture he ever gave.

Velma Nightshade also paid tribute to Bonewits in Episode 24 of her excellent show, Witchesbrewhaha. Also in that episode, Velma takes on the topic of dying responsibly – an appropriate topic for this time of year.

Episodes 6 and 7 of Druidcast feature OBOD’s chief, Philip Carr-Gomm, discussing the life of his friend and mentor, OBOD founder and neo-pagan pioneer Ross Nichols. Also on Druidcast, host Damh the Bard reads his unofficial biography of the Horned God in Episode 28. This may not count as a departed ancestor, but the biography does explore the legend of the God’s suppression and slandering by the Church, so I’ll call that a kind of death.

The best resource for a detailed education on our spiritual ancestors is The Infinite and the Beyond, hosted by Christopher Orapello. One of the regular features on the show is a segment called “A Corner in the Occult.” In this segment, Orapello presents detailed research into a leading figure in occult history. The segments are scholarly in nature, presenting as many facts as possible without analysis.

Orapello does an excellent job linking together the various facets of each individual’s life from a large number of (probably spotty) sources. Some are household names, others are mostly known for their Chocolate Frog cards in Harry Potter. The Infinite and the Beyond is, without a doubt, the best place for a quick education on the men and women who laid the groundwork for modern paganism.

The occult figures who have been featured so far are:

Episode 1: Aleister Crowley

Episode 2: Baphomet

Episode 3: Eliphas Levi

Episode 5: Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers

Episode 6: The Golden Dawn

Episode 7: Hermes Trismegistus

Episode 9: Gerald Gardner

Episode 10: Dr. John Dee and Sir Edward Kelley (the topic of Episode 10 is “Death and Necromancy”- another good reason to listen to it this time of year)

Episode 11: Carl Jung

Episode 12: Madame Helena Blavatsky

Episode 13: Dion Fortune

Episode 14: Nicolas Flamel

Episode 15: Cornelius Agrippa

Episode 16: Father Giordano Bruno

Also in Episode 16 is an interesting audio montage featuring the recorded voices of occult figures, including Crowley and Gardner.

May the voices of the ancestors bless you this Samhain.

Linking to the Voices of the Elders Part I: Voices of the living

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Oct 242010

Samhain is such a reflective time of year. As the days darken and the weather chills, we often look back with fondness on the summer that has passed. Just as the secular new year brings a measure of wistfulness as we look back at all we have gained and lost, so the witch’s new year brings a sense of pensiveness even in the midst of celebration.

At this time we honor our elders, both those who have passed on and those who remain with us as teachers, guides, and friends. Whether they are still with us or not, their wisdom lives on within all who are inspired by their works.

For such a new form of religion, modern paganism benefits from an impressive wealth of elders. The world of pagan podcasting has amassed an extremely impressive collection of interviews with living elders as well as detailed lessons about those who have crossed the veil. Listening to them is a wonderful way to reconnect with the experience of those so valuable to our community.

In this spirit, I offer this first (longer) installment 0f links to pagan podcasts that feature the teachings of our living elders. Part II will offer links to those who have passed on.

Elemental Castings, hosted by well known Pagan author and teacher T. Thorn Coyle, is a gold mine of the wisdom of living elders. Most episodes, especially the early ones, are interviews with important people within the modern pagan movement. She also records and broadcasts panel discussions in which star-studded lineups discuss challenging topics together. Here are some of her best offerings:

Episode 4: A conversation with author Ellen Dugan on magickal gardening.

Episode 10: A panel discussion on duality and polytheism with Diana Paxson, Lon Milo Duquette, Christopher Penczak, and Ivo Dominguez, Jr.

Episode 12: R.J. Stewart discusses inspiration and the Bardic path.

Episode 15: J0hn Michael Greer on the Earth and geomancy.

Episode 16: M. Macha NightMare on community and spirit.

Episode 17: Selena Fox discusses civil liberties.

Episode 19: A panel discussion featuring Margot Adler, Chas Clifton, Gavin and Yvonne Frost, and Lydia Crabtree.

Episode 27: Patrick McCollum talks about community, learning, and teaching.

Episode 29: An excellent round table discussion entitled “Earth Based: Are we really?” with Diana Paxson, Z. Budapest, Orion Foxwood, and Lon Milo Duquette.

Episode 33: Another round table, this time on pagan leadership. The participants are: Patrick McCollum, Cynthea Jones, Selena Fox, and River Higginbotham.

Episode 34: Ivo Dominguez, Jr. on discarnate entities and spirituality.

The Wigglian Way has recently begun interviewing notable elders.

Episode 64 includes valuable advice on practicing a mature spiritual path form elder Fritz Muntean while Episode 65 includes both “Uncle Fritz “and Louise Bunn discussing suggested advanced reading for “Wicca 202.”

Episode 70 includes a wonderful interview with the extremely knowledgeable author, elder, and coven leader Judy Harrow.

In Episode 73, Mojo interviews Alexandrian elder Jimahl DiFiosa, author of a number of books, including one that describes his experiences channeling the spirit of Alex Sanders.

In Episode 15 of Standing Stone and Garden Gate, Brendan and Juni have a long discussion with new Archdruid of ADF, Rev. Kirk Thomas while Episode 19 includes a wonderful and frank talk with Gavin and Yvonne Frost.

Druidcast, the podcast of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids includes multiple episodes in which the Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order, offers detailed discussions on a wealth of magickal and spiritual topics. For a special treat, check out historian Ronald Hutton’s lecture on the history of the Horned God in Episode 4, if only for the distinguished professor’s impassioned, homoerotic reading of Crowley’s “Hymn to Pan.”

If your path includes a left-handed angle, or you have an open mind to explore the darker side of magick and religion, you will be fascinated by KHPR’s interview with Temple of Set founder Dr. Michael Aquino in Episode 3.

Finally, Episode 2 of CUUPs Bulletin, the podcast arm of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, offers a long talk given by Drawing Down the Moon author and NPR correspondent Margot Adler.

As Samhan approaches, may you seek and learn from the woderful living teachers we have available to us. In the next part, we will focus on elders who have joined the mighty dead.

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