Paganism & Pornography

At times my political views seem to lead me into contradictions. Last month saw me writing a furious letter to Penthouse magazine concerning their misinformed story on Witchcraft. Within two weeks I was writing to the head of the QuickTrip Corporation protesting the removal of Penthouse from their stores. You'd think I would have been happy at a blow struck against a magazine that maligned my religion. Not so. At stake is the free expression of ideas. Misinformation and censorship are both threats to that freedom. Of the two, I judge censorship to be the greater threat. As long as publishing continues unimpeded, retraction of misinformation is possible. When publishing is censored, even that becomes impossible.

Read more here: » Paganism: Paganism Pornography

THE PENTAGRAM

The pentagram, or five-pointed star, may be the most misunderstood religious symbol around these days. Being the most common symbol of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, it has nevertheless been denigrated by movie and publishing industries which seem 'hell-bent' on connecting it with Satanism and other malevolent practices. However, like the Roman Cross or Crucifix, it is only when the symbol is INVERTED that it alludes to negativity. And even then, there are exceptions, as we shall see.

Read more here: » Paganism: THE PENTAGRAM

Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa),  but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans.

Read more here: » Wicca and Celtic Paganism: Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and is one of the original Celtic festivals.

7 recipies for Beltane including MEADE, FARLS, BELTANE CREAM PIE, OATCAKES - IRISH, OATCAKES - SCOTS, IRISH SODA BREAD, SAND TARTS (OLD GERMAN STYLE)

Read more here: » Beltane: Beltane - May Day Recipes

Ritual:

Any ordered sequence of events, actions and/or directed thoughts, especially one that is repeated in the “same” manner each time, that is designed to produce a predictable altered state of consciousness within which certain magical or religious (or artistic or scientific?) results may be obtained.

(See also: Ritual , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Paganism Dictionary

Celtic Marriage

This article is not just for those interested in the traditions of Celtic Marriage, it is also a look into the complex body of law that governed the ancient Celts.

For the ancient Celts, marriage was a very different thing than what we conceive of as "marriage" today. For them, marriage or handfasting as some know it was a form of contract that had several purposes. These included the protection of property rights, the care of progeny (children), and the rights of the individuals involved in the relationships themselves.

Read more here: » Ancient Celts: Celtic Marriage

SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

Like many another Neo-Pagan, I began life under the heavy indoctrination of Christian precepts. Like many others, I found this upbringing to be not only painful, but psychologically damaging, as well. It has taken years of disciplined work to shrug off the feelings of guilt and self-recrimination foisted upon me during those years. Especially, I remember the pain of being taught to feel shame and remorse over each and every thought I had of a sexual nature. And any overt sexual act (other than narrowly defined exceptions) was anathema -- a cause for eternal damnation. 

Read more here: » Paganism: SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A "spirit night," as they say in Wales.

Read more here: » Halloween: All Hallow's Eve

Alexandrian Witchcraft:

A variety of Gardnerian Witchcraft founded by British magician Alex Sanders.

(See also: Alexandrian Witchcraft , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Paganism Dictionary

Reflections on OLD GUARD PAGANISM

'Old Guard Paganism'. The phrase started out as a joke, but then caught on. This tells us something. It tells us there is a NEED for such a term. It also implies its own antithesis, 'New Guard Paganism'. And it indicates that there is some difference between the two -- a 'difference that makes a difference' -- and thus requires differentiating labels. (It should perhaps be noted that the word 'Paganism' is used in the present context -- however inaccurately -- to refer to modern Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, or Wicca. With grave misgivings, I have adopted this usage here.)

Read more here: » Paganism: Reflections on OLD GUARD PAGANISM

The first time I noticed conflicting ritual elements was when I was invited as a guest to attend another Coven's esbat celebration. When the time came to 'invoke the Watchtowers' (a ritual salutation to the four directions), I was amazed to learn that this group associated the element of Earth with the North. My own Coven equated North with Air. How odd, I thought. Where'd they get that? The High Priestess told me it had been copied out of a number of published sources. Further, she said she had never seen it listed any other way. I raced home and began tearing books from my own library shelves. And sure enough! Practically every book I consulted gave the following assoications as standard: North = Earth, East = Air, South = Fire, West = Water.

Then where the heck did I get the idea that Air belonged in the North?

Read more here: » Paganism: RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or 13 Reasons Air Should Be In The North

Warlock:

(1) One who bends (or bends with) words, a magician and/or liar.

(2) Used by some to refer to male witches.

(See also: Warlock , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Paganism Dictionary

Creating Sacred Space In Your Home

Many modern Celtic pagans today are faced with a difficult question: how can I bring my religion into my home? Whether we live in a dormitory, an apartment, a duplex or a mansion, most of us like to have our homes reflect our personalities and the things we are interested in, and that includes our spiritual practices, but many of us don't have back yards in which to practice and set up more permanent shrines, or 24/7 access to our favorite places in nature. For some, just setting up an altar somewhere in the home is either undesirable, unachievable or just not enough.

Read more here: » SacredSpace: Creating Sacred Space In Your Home

Toward a Celtic Numerology

What's in a word? Or a name? What special power resides in a word, connecting it so intimately to the very thing it symbolizes? Does each word or name have its own 'vibration', as is generally believed by those of us who follow the Western occult tradition? And if so, how do we begin to unravel its meaning? Just what, exactly, is in a word? Well, LETTERS are in a word. In fact, letters COMPRISE the word. Which is why Taliesyn's remark had always puzzled me. Why didn't he say he had been a 'letter among words'? That, at least, would seem to make more logical sense than saying he had been a 'word among letters', which seems backwards. Unless...  

Read more here: » Paganism: Toward a Celtic Numerology

Wicca or Witchcraft: Definitions of terms in Witchcraft

Including: Occult, Earth, Pagan, Neo-Paganism, Witchcraft, The Craft, Coven, Witch, Magic, Sabbat, Esbat

Read more here: » Wicca or Witchcraft: Definitions of terms in Witchcraft

Wicca and Witchcraft: Holidays in Wicca and Witchcraft

Includes:

October 31 - November Eve - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice - Yule

January 31 - February Eve - Imbolc

March 21 - Vernal Equinox - Lady Day

April 30 - May Eve - Beltaine

June 21 - Summer Solstice - Litha

July 31 - August Eve - Lughnassad

September 21 - Autumnal Equinox - Harvest Home

Read more here: » Wicca and Witchcraft: Holidays in Wicca and Witchcraft

Love Spells: The Ethics of Love Spells

Why so many books containing so many love spells? Why such an emphasis on a kind of magic that I, personally, have always considered very negative? And to make matters even more confusing, the books that do take the trouble of dividing spells between 'positve' and 'negative' magic invariably list love spells under the first heading. After all, they would argue, love is a good thing. There can never be too much of it. Therefore, any spell that brings about love must be a GOOD spell. Never mind that the spell puts a straightjacket on another's free will, and then drops it in cement for good measure. 

Read more here: » Love Spells: The Ethics of Love Spells

A Welsh Myth Concordance

The following concordance is based on the four branches of the Welsh "Mabinogi", as retold in the four books by Evangeline Walton: "Prince of Annwn", "The Children of Llyr", "The Song of Rhiannon", and "The Island of the Mighty".

For more dictionary entries, see » Paganism Dictionary

A Celebration of MAY DAY

There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witch's calendar as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas -- notably Wales -- it is considered the great holiday.

Read more here: » May Day: A Celebration of MAY DAY

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and is one of the original Celtic festivals. Beltane or May Day is also known as the Lover's holiday. Beltane is one of the four Celtic Fire festivals, and is probably the second most important festival next to Samhain. Beltane is primarily a sun festival and was performed during the day. The most important part of Beltane was the kindling of the fires. The Irish Celts would extinguish their fires the night before and would eat a cold meal to insure that all fires were out. Then they would attend the ceremony, returning with an ember to once more start their fires.

Read more here: » Beltane: Beltane - May 1 or May Day

An Irish Myth Concordance

The following concordance is based on 'Gods and Fighting Men' by Lady Augusta Gregory, first published in 1904. Page number references are to the 1976 trade paperback edition published by the MacMillan Company of Canada Limited. Breif supplimentary material is taken from 'Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend' by Ronan Coghlan, published in 1979 by Donard Publishing Comapany, and referenced as 'DIM' in the following text.

For more dictionary entries, see » Paganism Dictionary