In my time on the Internet and dealing with various email groups, I have found that there is a ton of information being disseminated. Looked at objectively, some of it is good, some is bad, but a lot of it seems to be coming from a paltry 20 total sources. Cunningham, Silver Ravenwolf, Buckland, The Witches’ Voice, and Mike Nichols seem to be the most prominent sources, although some information can be traced all the way back to AOL’s Pagan files and Athos’ Pagan Files, the latter which is now sadly gone from the web.

One of the top sources currently appears to be “Witchcraft, The Facts“. The Rev. Norm Vogel seems to feel that his work should be the primary source for what Witchcraft is and that his interpretation is the only interpretation. This despite the fact that this alleged seminal document is a scant one page that he wrote almost 5 years ago, judging by the copyright. Apparently there are many visitors who go to his site and praise him for his work, giving him ego strokes that he apparently must have. It only feeds his incorrect belief that he is correct and speaks for everyone.

Should anyone with any knowledge come to the site and try to offer a view that in any way contradicts the site, they are immediately attacked as idiots who don’t have Rev. Vogel’s alleged years of experience and therefore can’t possibly know anything. He will pull in groups of people who support him and keep attacking with aspersions and insults, as well as gross and disgusting suggestions. I have been a subject of these tactics.

This article will verify the facts and demonstrate the undeniable fallacies inherent in Rev. Vogel’s article. Anyone can come and read them if they choose to, so they can see for themselves that Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism are not just what he espouses.

(Please note, this text is taken verbatim from the site Witchcraft the Facts. I also have the author’s permission to reprint it here.)

1. Witchcraft means “Craft of the Wise Ones” and is also known as the “Old Religion”. Its practices can be traced to Neolithic (“Stone Age”) cave paintings. In early times, the Witch was the local lawyer, psychiatrist, and doctor. The field of modern medicine can trace its origins to the herbal medicines of the Witch.

Witchcraft is a nature religion, not unlike the shamanism of the Native Americans. As the concepts of male and female exist through-out life — indeed, are necessary to create it — most Witches perceive Deity as male and female: the Goddess and the God. Like the concept of the Trinity, these aren’t “many” Gods; they are aspects of the ONE Creator.

The Goddess is seen as Mother Earth and Mother Nature, and is represented by the Moon. She is seen in the fertility of the plant, animal, and human kingdoms. Her power is at a peak in the “fertile half” of the year, from May until October.

The God is seen in the woodlands, the Sun, grain, & the hunt. Because most of the animals that prehistoric humans hunted had horns, He is usually depicted as the “Horned One”. His power is at a peak in the “dark half” of the year, from October to May.

Witchcraft has been called the Craft of the Wise, well only if you have never bothered to check with a dictionary at any rate. I quote from the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (unabridged) copyright 1993:

Witchcraft 1 a: an act or instance of employing sorcery esp. with malevolent intent: a magical rite or technique b: the exercise of supernatural powers: alleged intercourse with the devil or with a familiar 2: an irresistible influence or fascination; CHARM, ENCHANTMENT syn. see MAGIC

Please note, no place in the above dictionary quote does it mention “Craft” or “Wise Ones” or anything about a deity. The trend of equating modern Neopagan witchcraft with the poor and scattered remnants archeologists have been able to piece together started with Gerald Gardner. Since then there has been a popular movement to reclaim the word “witch” from those who have been charged with defilement of the word, i.e., the Christians and the Inquisition.

The tracing of Witchcraft to Neolithic times was a myth started by Dr. Margaret Murray, and perpetuated in current times by Raymond Buckland in his book “Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft“, Scott Cunningham and also Silver Ravenwolf. That Dr. Murray’s theories have been discredited by time and better archeology seems to be immaterial to many trying to reclaim “Witchcraft” from the current dictionary and encyclopedia definitions. Her thesis has been refuted by, among others, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (New York 1971) 514-16, Norman Cohn, Europe’s Inner Demons (London 1975) 107- 25, and most recently by Robin Briggs, Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft (New York 1996) 37f.

From the little we know, Gardner appears to have been trying to align his fledgling tradition into the definition of Witchcraft as it stood at the time he created Wicca. He intended for it to be acknowledged and seen as a magickal tradition, one that could possibly be seen as malevolent and dark.

I can only speculate regarding the motives behind Gardner’s act, but it would appear that he was trying to give Wicca a patina of legitimacy by linking it to ancient times. There was probably little chance that his newly created magickal tradition would be given serious consideration by the then current crop of magickal practitioners without this connection. So, one can assume (and several scholars, among them Isaac Bonewits, have) that this is what prompted the connection to the past, as well as his connection to Margaret Murray’s essay.

What does this have to do with Norm’s first point? Only that Witchcraft and Wicca are used interchangeably, applying statements that only apply to Wicca to all witchcraft, and vice-versa.

There are legitimate witchcraft practices. African Diaspora religions like Voodoo and Strega just to name a couple. There are also many magickal practices that have nothing to do with witchcraft, like OTO, The Golden Dawn, Alchemy and High Magick (out of the Key of Solomon). There are also heathen practices that are not witchcraft, and pagan practices as well, as seen in Druidism, Asatru, Theodic, Kemeticism, and Hellenism. Additionally, there are native practices that could be called Witchcraft, but which violently disassociate themselves with witchcraft as they see these practices as being evil and malevolent, i.e., Aboriginal Australian practices and Native American Medicine practices.

Yet the first statement would make one think that ALL these practices including such groups as Hindus, Buddhists and Shinto are parts of Witchcraft. It makes sweeping statements to include these practices, whether or not they actually fit specific religions.

Modern Witchcraft, which seems to be the point of this website’s so-called facts, as described in this document, is a purely modern construction and part of the Neo-Pagan pathways. This does not denigrate or deny its legitimacy, nor does it invalidate the practice. Far from it, I can honor and support those who only identify as a Witch, at least as long as they are not trying to make all-inclusive and sweeping statements equating witchcraft with all non-Abrahamic descended religions.

Witchcraft, first and foremost, is a craft. It is a set of skills that can be described as a magickal tradition. It does have some of its roots in the past, since herbalism and other “primitive” practices are incorporated into the body of work known as Witchcraft. That’s well and good, but that does not mean that Witchcraft is centuries old because it includes elements that are ancient. If that were so, the Empire State building, in fact any modern skyscraper, in New York City or any other city is ancient since its made up of the element Fe (iron) that was part of the ground for millennia and actually predates life on this planet.

The argument that flows out of attempting to disprove the ancientness of the Empire State building is the same argument that can be applied to disproving the ancientness of Witchcraft and Wicca. Namely when one alters something so much that it becomes an entirely new thing it can no longer be called by an ancient name. Iron is iron and steel, though it is made of iron, is steel. If either are used in a building, the building is still a modern construct.

Most of the legitimate witchcraft traditions that I mentioned earlier are not nature worshiping, per se, or Goddess and God worshiping religions. Voodoo worships spirits or Loa. Strega honors the Goddess Diana and the God Lucifer (here meant as the Son of the Morning), not some amorphous deity that is simply a compilation of all deities into one amorphous blob.

There are strong indications that Witchcraft is not connected to a religion, or even a set of religions at all. It is a skill set, as has been stated many times, many of which are incorporated into other aspects of life as well. Yes, Witchcraft has herbalism incorporated into the practice of Witchcraft. Part of the information discovered by herbalists over time was included in modern medicine, but more than that, Alchemy, The Age of Enlightenment and other scientific processes and discoveries were the actual precursors to modern medicine. It is possible to argue that surgery was part of the herb-wife’s knowledge (the ones who could have been accused as witches in the past) but the discovery of different blood types, how to do transfusions, eye surgery, mapping out the internal structure of the body, discovering tools to help like the X-ray and so on were done by scientists. They used painstaking trial and error and occasionally out and out guesses to base their search for knowledge on. People died to advance their knowledge.

If one reads and studies the journals of the medical profession at the turn of the 20th century, one begins to realize that while herb knowledge may have played a part in their work, it was a very small part. Those who used plants to cure illness were seen as idiots and mavericks and despised and reviled by their peers. The fever-reducing properties of Willow bark were known for centuries by herb-wives, but when a patient had a fever, the doctor usually bled them or gave them doses of opiates, not willow bark.

Truthfully it has only been in recent years that herbal remedies have been looked at as more than just pleasant granny tales.

“Lawyers and Judges”? This statement can be traced to Raymond Buckland, and possibly further back. There is NO credible evidence to either support or refute the idea that the local midwife, herb-witch or Goodwife was responsible for the direction of a community.

While this can be seen to exist in individual places around the world, normally in primitive aboriginal hunter and gatherer cultures in modern times, we cannot assume that this is the correct model for the far distant past. In a primitive society, where wisdom is revered and knowledge of the Gods is seen as a life path rather than held in contempt, a wise leader may consult with those who have memories of other times and other situations. But with the concept of laws and lawyers, most of this respect goes out the window in favor of writing judgments down and following legal precedents to the letter.

A quick look at modern American society will show the fallacy of this argument very quickly. Abigail Adams wrote strongly worded arguments to her husband that women should be given voting rights, for they bore the children and took care of most of the household (meaning they sewed, made herbal remedies and simples, fed livestock and so on) and were intelligent enough to make decisions on who should and should not speak for them in the various forms of government. John Adams rejected this argument completely and helped enact measures to make sure that only property owning white men had the right to vote. Going even further back into history, Lady Godiva (if legends are to be believed) had to humiliate herself to reduce the taxes her husband had levied on the city he was mayor of, and many other examples, some from as far back as the Sumerians and Macedonians. These women and wise people were not consulted in decisions of the rulers, the leaders. It cannot even be argued that Celtic society did this, as the King and Druid (Brehon) were the ones responsible for the laws and judgments.

It is only when one gets back to a tribal society that it can be shown to have happened, and even then it is only progressive and forward looking tribes that this consultation may have happened. Where women are seen as less than men, consultation with these “wise people” cannot occur. One confers with equals and superiors, not inferiors.

If we actually look at a religion that is matrilineal (meaning that inheritance and religious identity come from the female) we still don’t see this. Judaism has a matrilineal line, and the woman of the house is responsible for the household’s spiritual identity as well as the proper prayers and rites of the household. It could strongly be argued that in Judaism that the wife is the “wise woman” that we are referring to in the above passage, holder of the household, mother, priestess (in some lights), judge and lawyer, doctor and financial advisor. But in some traditions of Judaism, a rabbi who is touched by a woman who is not his wife is considered ritually unclean. Women are not allowed to study the Caballah, and are not allowed into the main part of the synagogues but must be confined behind screens, watching but not actively participating in the rites and rituals of their own religion.

I will grant that on a case-by-case basis, all that has been stated by Norm could happen, but the argument is back to the Empire State building again. One small component in a structure that cannot reasonably support it does not make the entire structure that thing.

In short, the first statement, if looked at with provable scientifically validated research on one’s side, does not stand up under its own weight. Witchcraft is NOT nature oriented, since many witches from the past could have cared less about the environment. Witchcraft is NOT centered around the Light-half and Dark-half of the year and is NOT centered on the worship of the God and Goddess. I will grant that WICCA contains all of these elements. Had Vogel said that, I would have few arguments with him and his site.

2. Witches don’t do evil. They believe in the Wiccan Rede, which is “If It Harms None, Do What You Will”. (In other words, “Do whatever you want; just as long as it doesn’t harm anyone — including yourself “). But, Witches DO believe that it is moral to defend yourself against evil or physical (or psychic) attack.

Most Witches also believe in the “Three-Fold Law”, which states that whatever you do — be it good or evil — comes back to you three times over, so (obviously) there is no incentive to do evil.

Here is where the blurring of the line between Witchcraft and Wicca is most evident. The Rede is a statement of WICCA. Not even all Wiccans subscribe to it. The Rede has been traced to one tradition of Wicca and didn’t appear until published in a print journal in the mid 1970′s ( The Wiccan Rede Project ) Gardner did not have it in his book of shadows (as seen in Aidan Kelly’s publication of it at http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gbos/index.htm ).

In point of fact, there are witches that do evil. Remember, witchcraft is defined as being malevolent. Many who identify as witches use magick to gain things for themselves, without regard for whom may get hurt, retribution or anything else; for example, Satanic Witches do this very thing and believe they are fully justified by their religion in doing so.

Please notice that Mr. Vogel does not consider Satanic worshipers to be included as “witches”. Satanic witches consider themselves witches, there is even a whole book written by Anton LaVey about the Satanic Witch.

Please also note that in “Aradia, Gospel of the Witches” by Charles Leland, one of the seminal works of modern NeoPaganism, there is no mention of the concept of the Rede or Retribution or any other structure such as is pointed to in this “fact”.

In fact, “Aradia, Gospel of the Witches” specifically states that you must harm those who have harmed you. To quote:

And when a priest shall do you injury
By his benedictions, ye shall do to him
Double the harm, and do it in the name
Of me, Diana, Queen of witches all!

To me, that says it all right there, Witches harm, and have a mandate from the Goddess to do so.

3. Witches do NOT believe in or worship Satan, and do not perform any sort of human or animal sacrifices. Satan is a relatively new concept that originated with Christianity & Zoroastrianism. Witches put the responsibility for our own actions squarely on whom it belongs: ourselves. Witchcraft teaches us to be responsible people who take responsibility for our own actions.

When the Christian Church decided to obliterate religions that were a threat to its power (including Witchcraft), they decided that their “Satan” had horns and that Witches were actually worshipping the Devil. This became the death warrant for millions of innocent people.

While parts of the above statement are factual, it once again discounts segments of the very witchcraft groups he alleges he is including! In point of fact, some Satanists worship Satan. Satanists are witches by their own declaration and association, and they worship Satan. I mean, one can’t get clearer than that.

Rev. Vogel has stated that Satanists are not witches. It does not seem to matter to him that the people who practice this religion profess to be witches. However, I suspect that if a Roman Catholic Cardinal proposed a definition of Wicca and/or Witchcraft that did not include the “Reverend’s” personal beliefs, he would be highly indignant. In fact I suspect further that he would attempt to raise a howl heard round the world. Were he to modify his declaration that Satanists are not Witches to mean that they are not Wiccan, he would be correct. However, if Norm were to unbend enough to use the standard definition of witches as it appears in the dictionary and in history and practice, he would see that witches, do, in fact, worship Satan and his world would be in danger of ending.

I will grant you that Wiccans do not worship Satan (although if there are “Christian Wiccans” then there can certainly be “Satanic Wiccans” as well), and many Pagan paths also do not worship Satan.

As to the “relatively new concept” clause, I decided to check this statement out online. Taking it as fact, I checked on Zoroastrianism for their concept of good and evil. I referenced this page ( Tenets of Zoroastrianism ) and read that this concept dates from between 8000 and 1500 BCE. I have a serious problem calling a concept that has been around from 3500 to 10,000 years “recent”. That means that the “witchcraft” he is talking about is not older than this, but actually just being born, since it only is about 100 years or so old (dating back to Charles Leland).

I’ll agree that the modern, Western concept of Satan as his own entity may have been created within the last 700 years, which would make that aspect of a 10,000 year old concept “relatively new”. However, to be accurate with Norm’s belief, that would presuppose that Witchcraft is older than Christianity. Otherwise, how could a “relatively modern” religion like Christianity steal the God figure of the Witches to identify it as Satan? Now, while some references to witches DO appear in Roman documents and Greek documents, predating Christianity, once again we are back to The Empire State Building argument. Just because a word is ancient does not mean that anything that identifies with that word is ancient as well.

The second part of this “fact” is problematic. Modern research has revealed that “millions of innocent people” didn’t die in the “Burning Times”. That number was a guess by a scholar in the mid 1800′s and has since been debunked. While the true death toll is not known and probably can never be known, the current estimates range from 1500 to 150,000 over a 900-year period. This is gleaned from trial records, hysteria, journals, and city records over the period spanning from the 1100′s to present day. This number also includes victims like Tempest Smith who committed suicide because of persecution as a Wiccan at her school.

The critical thing to note about the persecution that many Wiccans and Witches point to as proof of their membership in a persecuted minority, is the fact the Inquisition, while horrendous, was not targeting witches. It was targeting heresy in the Roman Catholic Church. The charge of Witchcraft was a convenient blanket charge to begin the process of investigation. Those that pled guilty to the charge of Witchcraft within some Ecclesiastical courts were spared. The Protestants, particularly in Germany, were not as lenient.

Spain was the originator of the Inquisition and this needs to be put into a historical perspective. Ferdinand and Isabella had just reconquered Spain from the Moors. They, and more particularly Isabella, were deeply religious and felt the need to cleanse their country of the influence of the religiously tolerant “infidels”. From there, the hunt spread to Jews, Homosexuals, those with unconventional political beliefs, those who would not agree with the system (like many scientists), and others outside the norms of society. The Inquisition in Rome in 1600 burned Giordano Bruno, the scientific philosopher, to death for his apostasy and heretical views. These are the same targets of Hitler’s pogrom, of the Communists, in fact, the same minorities of humanity that have been stalked by those in power since the world started. Liberals, free thinkers, and humanitarians were specifically targeted for being the beatniks and hippies of their times. Although the charge of witchcraft may have been levied against them that did not make them witches.

It also fails to take into account the Christian belief that if you do not worship the Christian God, then you automatically worship Satan. To see this dogma in action, look at Jack Chick’s publications. In those little pamphlets everyone who is not Mr. (and I use the term lightly) Chick’s brand of Christian identified as Satan worshipers. Chick’s dogma says that anyone who worships strange gods, meaning any ancient deities, YHVH, Allah, Buddha and anyone following other teachers, has been deceived by Satan into falling away from God, and MUST be rescued. Many liberal ministers will agree that other religions have a lot to offer, but when it comes right down to brass tacks, they state that if you don’t worship God, Satan has deceived you. As a result, any non-Christian by definition must be a worshiper of Satan. Some, like Bill Schnoebelen, even go so far as to attempt to prove that ALL religions other than their narrow view of religion are created by Satan to make the elect fall away.

Sorry, Norm, but those who practice African Diaspora religions like Voodoo and several other versions of Pagan religions do have blood sacrifice, and in some cases, animal sacrifice. I hardly think they can be identified as off shoots of Christianity. The rites of animal sacrifice are rigidly defined. They have been handed down for generations in many cases and are designed to insure that the animal is honored, praised for its sacrifice, celebrated, and instead of the remains being disposed of like used toilet paper, it is consumed and celebrated during the consumption.

The comment about human sacrifice is specious and misleading. No modern religion I am aware of has been shown to practice any form of human sacrifice other than self-sacrifice through suicide.  Certainly the Buddhists of the past, the Branch Dividians and the “Heaven’s Gate” cult practiced this form of human sacrifice through suicide.  His statement tries to imply there is a group somewhere practicing “Ritual Satanic Human Sacrifice” on a regular basis, which has been repeatedly proven to be false. It is a straw man set up for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the credulous how evil “they” are, without ever stating who “they” are. For a good set of resources in debunking the straw man of “Ritual Satanic Abuse”, please see Diane Vera’s excellent website and the Satanic Ritual Abuse page.

Surprisingly, Norm does have a point regarding the responsibility clause. Wiccans, Witches and Pagans profess taking responsibility for our own actions, and don’t believe in a scapegoat/redeemer who will rescue us from the consequences of our actions. (As my wife is fond of saying, “You made the mess, you clean it up.”) We also don’t hold that we will get all our rewards after we die, we expect to have good things happen to us during this lifetime, as consequences of our actions. Well done there Norm.

4. The Pentagram (a five-pointed star in an upright, one-point-up position) is the symbol of our religion. The top point symbolizes Spirit (the Creator) being ‘above’, or ruling, the Four Elements of Life — Air, Fire, Water, & Earth — which are the four lower points.

The Circle, being without beginning or end, symbolizes the Deity. It is completely encompassing the Star within it (which represents the out-stretched human body, reaching out in search of its connection with Spirit). Together, they represent the Creator’s Protection & Wisdom.

Inverting the Pentagram, as is done by Satanists, symbolizes that the Elements (the “material world”) are superior to the Creator. Unfortunately, through misunderstandings that have been repeated by the media, the Pentagram — in whatever position — has become wrongly equated with Satanism. (Please note, though, that in England, there are several traditions that use the inverted pentagram as a symbol for a second degree — which obviously has nothing to do with Satanism).

Okay, while this is confusing, obfuscating and misleading, parts of it are accurate. But the question remains, which religion is he talking about when he states “our”? Witchcraft is a skill set, like being a carpenter. It is not a religion. I could claim that the cross is the religion of carpenters, but it would be inaccurate since carpentry is a skill, not a religion. (I know there was one carpenter that became closely associated with crosses, but that is not an automatic assumption that all carpenters worship crosses.)

It is the same situation here. Wicca’s symbol is the Pentagram. The symbology of that is also accurately described. But the inverted pentagram is the symbol of the Church of Satan, the Triskel the symbol of druidism and the hammer the symbol of Asatru. All of these religions (and yes, they are all religions) have different symbols as well as having witches in their ranks.

5. A male Witch is not a “Warlock”. This is a Scottish term, meaning “traitor”, or “oathbreaker”. (A male Witch is a “Witch”).

The actual etymology of “Warlock” is still the subject of heated debate. But the proper term for a male witch is “witch”, just as a female judge is “Judge”. But, and I say this to be totally accurate, there are those who identify themselves with witchcraft who prefer to be called warlocks. I know it seems like an uphill battle, one that is going to go nowhere fast, but that is what these people choose to be called. It is akin to Wiccans trying to rescue the term “witch”. The term witch has had specific meanings for hundreds of years, and so has Warlock. Attempting to sweep centuries of belief aside because a small group is trying to redefine it is silly. It is like trying to redefine the term “chartreuse” to mean “thick headed”. People are still going to mean the color when they say chartreuse. All the polite corrections in the world are not going to change anything nor will it do anything more than irritate people. Pick your battles and ask yourself this, “Do I need to be persecuted to make myself feel special?”

6. Witchcraft is a legal religion protected under the First and Fourteenth amendments. (See the US Army “Chaplain’s Guide to Ministering to Wiccans”. There are 2 references to this guide; please click on each number: 1 , 2 ) .

We are non-proselytizing; we don’t seek to convert anyone . We feel that all religions are equally valid, and that you should be free to choose the one with which you are most comfortable. No religion has the monopoly of God (despite what some may claim).

In our opinion, far too many religions place too much emphasis on the actual religion (or it’s leader), and seem to be worshipping that, instead of God. This, in our opinion, is wrong thinking.

As long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others, we all have a right to our own method of worshipping the Deity.

As much as it pains me to say this, President George W. Bush was actually right when he said, “Witchcraft is not a religion”. I know, I know, I fought against that so long myself, screaming about how he was wrong and so on. Forgive me. Witchcraft is NOT a religion; it is not protected by anything. WICCA is a religion, and THAT RELIGION is protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. And Wicca DOES NOT EQUAL Witchcraft.

Much of the rest of this is accurate, and I will get to my problems with this passage shortly. Wicca incorporates witchcraft into its structure, but Wicca is not Witchcraft. Wicca is a religion; Witchcraft is the skill of magick within Wicca. There are Wiccans who are not Witches, and there are many witches who are not Wiccan.

Ultimately, Norm has simply taken the “history” lesson out of Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, added a few details he thought of on his own, and threw this essay up on the Internet. Given the state of research and knowledge 25 years ago when The Complete Book was first written, this was fine. We have now moved into a new millennium. New facts are being discovered constantly and things are changing. It is critical that anyone claiming leadership stay current with the latest facts and update their information accordingly. Our total body of knowledge has expanded, and neither Buckland nor Norm has changed to fit that new knowledge.

I would point out that this is exactly what the Catholic Church and many fundamental religious groups are infamous for doing. Their stone-set dogma insures their ears are ossified and incapable of learning anything that negates or conflicts with it.

Here is my problem with the passage, to refresh your memory Norm says, “In our opinion, far too many religions place too much emphasis on the actual religion.” My first problem is this; why is Norm speaking with the Royal “we”?  I feel this is just a tad bit arrogant.  And aren’t religions supposed to emphasize religion? If they don’t aren’t they just Rotary Clubs in disguise?

Seriously, I think I understand what he might have been trying to say here (that he objects to religions that place too much emphasis on the trappings of religion or the corporation of religion) but I am not sure he understands that what he said is not what he meant.

There is one basic flaw in this document that drove me to write this article. The continual confusion of Wicca for Witchcraft is wrong. Believe it or not, if Norm would replace every instance of Witchcraft with Wicca, then the majority of my objections with this document would disappear. There are still a few minor historical inaccuracies, but they are minor in comparison to the rest of the article. The continual Wicca/Witchcraft confusion turns what could have been a decent factual document that I could support into a statement of inaccuracy and irrelevance. In either case he needs an editor to clean it up.

Norm has been frequently charged with being “fluffy” in the past. I ask you the reader this, having read the original Norm and refutation in this article, can you doubt it?

A personal cause for my distaste is the specific manner in which the good Rev. handles those who have visited his site and offered corrections to his alleged facts.

My personal feeling is that a leader leads with passionate reason. A true leader does not throw a howling temper tantrum like an ill-bred two year old venting his spleen at being told he is wrong. Rev. Vogel attempts to use the tactics of an outraged water buffalo to humiliate and intimidate his critics into silence with slanderous personal attacks in his guest book. Not satisfied with this he insists on attacking their sites and their forums or guest books, going so far as to publish the source of his ire’s email address on various lists where his supporters lurk. This results in multiple emails from people who have been urged to spam the “heretic” who has displeased their leader. I wonder if his supporters realize they can be reported to their ISP’s for harassment and lose their service.

This kind of behavior simply leads to retaliation from the attacked and their supporters, a normal and very human behavior. I have never had a problem admitting when I have incorrect facts, in fact I ask that people with more knowledge provide me with background information so that my articles, essays and even rants are as accurate as possible. “Attack facts, not people” does not appear to be a lesson our subject has learned. If you wish to see proof of his behavior, please look at http://davensjournal.com/Norm.txt. I would suggest a quick look through his guest book but he has deleted all the inflammatory posts. Unfortunately for him, I saved all the relevant copies.

I’ll admit that there are a lot of reasons to despise Norm Vogel, but ultimately it is not worth it.

One last thing before I close this essay out, at the bottom of his page, Norm has put these statements:

IMPORTANT: Please note that info on the “Fact” & “FAQ” pages does NOT reflect the opinions of ALL Witches; however, it DOES reflect the vast majority. (So, please don’t send me any “bullshit letters” complaining that I’m “wrong” about anything! You are entitled to your perceptions of the Craft, as am I!). I respect YOURS; please respect MINE.

And, if you have a ‘bitch’ about my definitions of “Pagan”, “Witch”, “Wiccan”, I invite you to come up with one that EVERYONE will agree on — If you do, I WILL use it! This subject has been fought over for YEARS, and no one has (or, CAN, imho) come up with one!

Now, I’m going to respond to these statements.

His first paragraph is inaccurate. His page is titled “Witchcraft the Facts” which would seem to purport he is presenting actual facts that can be documented and pointed to by scholars from multiple disciplines. Oh, let me clarify, I mean scientific disciplines like archeology, linguistics, anthropology, ethnography, sociology, statistical analysis and theology, not just anyone’s current favorite Llewellyn author. Being able to bullshit with authority is still lying.

If the majority of witches are holders of the same opinion, then why do so many witches go to his site and try to correct his “facts”?

If these are truly the facts of Witchcraft, how can he then state that all this is the opinion of the majority of Witches. Well, which is it? Fact or opinion? Facts are facts, opinions are opinions and everyone has an opinion. There is only one set of facts. The fact states that what has been put up is not fact at all, but Norm’s personally held beliefs. If that’s the case, fine, well and good, more power to him. But presenting it as fact is just plain wrong.

He goes on to state that his opinion is his opinion and that he respects the opinions of others.  His behavior shows otherwise however, and by making blanket statements as he as done, he does not respect the beliefs and opinions of other religions either.  If he did then he would not dismiss Satanists as Witches so quickly.

In his second paragraph he challenges others to come up with definitions of Pagan, Witch and Wiccan. In the past, better, more accurate definitions have been presented to him. To date, he has not used any of those definitions.

Why? He demands that the definition be one that “everyone can agree on….”. This gives him the ability to say “I don’t believe that” and now “everyone” does not agree with the definitions. As a point of logic, there is absolutely no way to come up with a definition that EVERYBODY in the universe will agree to, the best that can be done is to come up with a definition that most will agree on. With 2,000 years, the Christians haven’t managed to define what is Christian either, cold consolation though that may be.

Here follows an agreed upon new definition of the words. One can hope that the good Rev. will find them acceptable.

Witch (Neopagan definition): A witch is one who practices one of a variety of form of magic derived from the folk practices of previous times. Most often this is denoted by herbalism, midwifery and divination with various tools, but can also include those who cast spells using the natural forces of nature. This differentiates them from Ceremonial Magicians.

Pagan (Neopagan definition): A person who is a member of any of several modern religions that are loosely based on some form of ancient religious practices or based on modern fictional works most often denoted by a polytheistic or duotheistic godhood, research into past practices and a lack of a “holy scripture” in the dogmatic sense. It can also be characterized by most often having been created within the last 100 years. It cannot be classed as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism or Hinduism or other mainstream religions.

Wiccan (Neopagan definition): A member of the religion of Wicca, as created by Gerald Gardner or any of its many subsequent spin-offs. Characterized by having a duotheistic deity structure, adherence to “The Wiccan Rede” and belief in “The Law of Returns” or a similar statement. Please note, Witches can be Wiccan, but not all Witches ARE Wiccan.

Originally posted 2010-12-11 19:15:42.

by Bo Lozoff

Bo wrote the following article for the Human Kindness Foundation newsletter at Christmas-time, 1989. It was then included in his 1990 book Just Another Spiritual Book.

Since then, the essay has been widely circulated, though almost always uncredited. Radio commentator Paul Harvey included the piece in his radio program on two occasions, apparently receiving a deluge of calls, mail, and faxes (we hope mostly positive). Now this piece can be found at numerous websites, often edited, and usually listed as, “author unknown.” The following is the original letter.

Date: Eternity

From: GOD

To: My Children on Earth

re: Idiotic religious rivalries

My Dear Children (and believe me, that’s all of you),

I consider myself a pretty patient Guy. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell and gene by gene. I’ve even been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.

But on this occasion of My Son’s birthday, I want to let you know about some things that are starting to tick me off.

First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough already! Let’s get one thing straight: These are your religions, not Mine. I’m the Whole Enchilada; I’m beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there’s only one of Me (which, by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it’s My favorite one. And each claims its bible was written personally by me, and that all the other bibles are man-made. Oh, Me. How do I even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?

Okay, listen up now: I’m your Father and Mother, and I don’t play favorites among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t write. My longhand is awful, and I’ve always been more of a “doer” anyway. So all your books, including the bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living Heart.

You see, one Human Being to me — even a Bum on the street — is worth more than all the holy books in the world. That’s just the kind of Guy I Am. My Spirit is not an historical thing, It’s alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath.

Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Me.

Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense: You act like I need you and your religions to stick up for Me or “win souls” for My Sake. Please, don’t do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you. I don’t need you to defend Me, and I don’t need constant credit. I just want you to be good to each other.

And another thing: I don’t get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging My name into your dramas. For example, I swear to Me that I never threatened Oral Roberts. I never rode in any of Rajneesh’s Rolls Royces. I never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and I’ve never ever had a conversation with Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgement Day, I certainly intend to…

The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what’s in each of your hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me. That’s what religion is best for.

What you seem to forget is how mysterious I Am. You look at the petty little differences in your scriptures and say, “Well, if this is the Truth, then that can’t be!” But instead of trying to figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature — which, by the way, you never will — why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every religion?

You know what I’m talking about: Love and respect everyone. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I Am always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don’t like to shout). Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My Own Child. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die will surely die, and the parts that can’t, won’t. So don’t worry, be happy (I stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin, but he stole it from Meher Baba in the first place.)

Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It’s like you’re always looking for an excuse to be upset. And I’m very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you call me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakantonka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you feel closest to — Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?

I’m not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I don’t mind that at all. And I don’t want you to combine all the Great Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.

But My Special Children — the ones your religions revolve around — all live in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none.

My Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotry and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me celebrate the birthday of My Son Jesus, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. I’ve given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing together.

Finally, My Children everywhere, remember whose birth is honored on December 25th, and the fearlessness with which He chose to live and die. As I love Him, so do I love each one of you. I’m not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will, so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason, persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy, and I’ll sit in The Dark. I really Am, indeed, I swear, with you always. Always. Trust In Me.

Your One and Only,

God

Originally posted 2009-11-20 08:48:00.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

GET INVOLVED. STOP AT NOTHING. THE WORLD MUST KNOW.

I dare you to stop scrolling through your dashboard. Stop checking your Facebook newsfeed that you’ve already checked two seconds ago. Stop updating your Twitter and seeing what your favorite celebrities are saying. Stop watching funny and nonsense videos on Youtube. Take time to educate yourself to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in this world. This is your chance! WATCH THIS VIDEO.

Let’s make JOSEPH KONY Famous!!

Who is JOSEPH KONY?

He is THE WORST LIVING CRIMINAL. He abducts children and makes them use guns to kill their own parents. He takes girls and forces them to be sex slaves. He calls his abducted children the Lord’s Resistance Army, AKA the LRA. He has abducted over 30,000 children and forced them to be child soldiers in Central Africa. He remains at large because he is INVISIBLE to the world. FEW know his name, even FEWER know his crimes. WE ARE MAKING HIM FAMOUS! Because when he is, the world will unite against him and demand his arrest.

We can help make a change. We can make a difference.

Join the revolution

Originally posted by Elf on her blog at Dreamwidth.

There’s no shortage of blog posts and comments by Christians, saying, “please don’t consider me to be one of those nasty icky bigoted unthinking fundamentalists.”

* “Christianity is much broader, deeper and richer than fundamentalism.”[1]
* “I wish people wouldn’t lump all Christians in the same group”[2]
* “There is a vile strain of Christianity, indeed, but there are caring, thoughtful moderate and progressive Christians out there – millions of them.” [3]
* “I want it to be clear to you and your family that we do not all hate. We are not all bigots.”[4]

I could quote more. (The roundup for this post turned up half a dozen more easily; I’m sure I could find more than that with a bit of work. Just plug “not all christians are” or “all christians aren’t” into Google.)

As if I couldn’t tell them apart; as if I am incapable of noticing the difference between a kind and thoughtful person and one who spouts bigotry and oppression and quotes a book to support it. As if I hadn’t noticed that the majority of Christians, like the majority of people in every other religion, are basically decent folks who want good pay and healthy families and a bit of fun & leisure on the side. As if I can’t tell a mundane from a scholar from a wingnut. (Believe me, I know from wingnuts.)

And on top of the insult to my basic perception abilities, there’s the implication that I’m supposed to care which sub-sect they’re allied with. That I’m supposed to keep track of the myriad varieties of Jesusites and sort out which official doctrines are bugfuck nutso (um, we can agree there are some of those, right?) and which ones are just somewhat pushy and which ones are openly tolerant of real diversity—and among those, which allow how much individual differences within the sect identification.

As if it were my responsibility, as a non-Christian, to sort out which of the followers of J the C are rational and caring human beings, like their scripture tells them to be, and which ones are using the same scripture to justify hatred and slaughter.

They want, they tell me (or my friends, or my allies, or people who share some of my beliefs) to be accepted for who they are. They want to be judged on their own merits, not lumped in with a bunch of bigots who get media attention ‘cos they’re rich and white and male. They want me to understand that they’re “not like that.”

You know what I want?

I want my kids to not be expected to attend school on the days of our religious services. I want strangers not to offer me the blessings of a deity I do not worship. I want members of my religion to be able to meet in public, anywhere in the US, without risking slashed tires, broken windows, and physical attacks. I want the freedom to answer questions about my religion without fear of reprisal, even if those questions come from children. I want judges to stop ruling that non-Christian influences are dangerous for children, and giving custody to the Christian parent. I want my president to stop reminding me that he doesn’t represent my religion’s needs or wants, that he is oblivious to my religion’s truths.

And that’s just the basic, don’t-want-to-live-in-fear wants. I don’t dare let myself have wants that Christians can take for granted… the ability to walk into a random drugstore and find greeting cards with my religious symbols on them, libraries to stock books about my religion and treat them with respect, prayers of my faith offered by public officials in times of disaster, history classes that acknowledge the history and importance of my religion. The ability to move somewhere where all my neighbors will be of my religion, or at least, will not hate it. The ability to hang holiday decorations in my windows, or on my cubicle walls, without facing a barrage of annoying questions, much less vandalism.

The pie-in-the-sky dream? The ability to have a public temple in a city of less than 100,000 people, where the government forms are handed out in seven languages–or in a rural area more than 10 miles from the nearest library. The ability for a dozen neighbors to pool their funds, buy a tiny plot of land, and build a religious services building they’re pretty sure won’t get burned down within a year.

I don’t expect any of those to happen. Not in my lifetime, and maybe not ever. My religion’s weird, and there’s never been a whole lot of public acceptance of weird.

But I’d like to not have to hide my religious symbols under my shirt on the bus. And I’d like my kids to be free to attend our religious services when they’re supposed to happen, not on the nearest JHVH-inspired holy day.

So, umm. The “nice” Christians don’t like getting backlash about fundies. They believe they are persecuted by more restrictive branches of Christianity. Maybe they are. But they’re not lacking privilege because of it—not all persecutions break along privilege lines. They’re not being oppressed even when they’re being hated.

And it is not. my. job. To figure out what kind of Christians are which, to figure out who belongs to what sect and where their individual beliefs lie.

I’m big on individualism. REALLY big on it. Enough to override decades of experience that tells me that anyone wearing a cross is probably a danger to me and my family, or at the very least, a danger to my comfort.

I don’t *mind* the apologetics, exactly. They’re a phase; Christians who are waking up to their privilege usually go through a stage of “OMG, I’m not like those people! I promise!” And what wakes them up, and what exactly they realize, is of interest to their friends. I am *endlessly* fascinated by all sorts of religious discussion, including the eternal “creation vs evolution” debate that I really can’t understand as a dichotomy (I have no problems with both); I just don’t have the energy to keep running on that hamster wheel.

But being interesting & entertaining doesn’t mean something is new and innovative. There’s a good deal of Special Snowflakism in most “All Christians Are Not Like That” posts. And more in most comments on news blogs.

Sometimes I’m amused by it. Sometimes I’m interested in a particular perspective. Sometimes, I seethe at the reminder that they have the safety to speak about their religious beliefs and practices, in public, without fear of reprisal. (Oh, I can speak up. I live in one of those aforementioned cities of over 100k people. Nobody cares what my religion is; I can dye my hair blue and wear black robes in public and nobody blinks. What I can’t do, is safely move to a city ~100-300 miles away where the rent would be 1/3 of what we’re paying, and be just as public.)

I am never happy about the reminder of how *trapped* I am.

Originally posted 2010-08-22 22:41:31.

Okay, let’s be honest here. We need to get rid of the Rede completely.

Yeah, I said it. What’s more I’ll defend it.

The Rede is antiquated. It’s been the source of more than a little confusion to those who are new, and a LOT of confusion to those who aren’t Wiccan. It has come to be a “Pan Pagan” assumed ethic when it is not. It has been taken out of context and translated literally and even worse, translated figuratively for generations of people. And you know what? We still harm each other all the time.

I harm my family when I go to work since I am not there for their emotional support. I harm my family when I come home since I am not at work earning money to fill their bellies. No matter what I do I harm my family. It’s a Catch 22 situation.

There are those who have stated that the Rede is a continuation of the law that Alister Crowley laid down “Do as thy Will shall be the whole of the Law.” But there is a HUGE caveat to this, you have to know what your own Will (in this case being desire) is. You have to know that and do it. But as long as we cling to the antiquated Rede then that Will will never be known. How can it when we have one ethic saying “do what you want to do” and another saying “do what you want but don’t hurt anyone or anything”? That’s contrary to the Rede too.

So my point is this: The Rede has come to a point where it is actually harming us, and according to the Rede it must now be thrown out since it is harming.

Radical? You betcha. But looking at this dispassionately there are MULTITUDES of faiths out there that don’t have the Rede. Druidism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Asatru, Voodoo, Santaria and many others have ethical statements or codes, but have NO Rede that they hang everything on.

Wicca needs to grow up and stop using the Rede as an excuse for everything and redefine their ethics in concrete ways. Just sharing a soundbyte is not enough anymore, because it’s become debased and too simple. And when others use the Rede as an excuse to commit harmful actions (like saying in that oh so pious tone of voice “I won’t heal them because the Rede says I can’t harm others, and it will harm them to be healed since it is their destiny to suffer from this fate.”) or as an excuse to not care, then something is radically wrong.

And yes, I have heard that excuse many times from those who should know better.

Honor, commitment, living a life that you can be proud of, having children who are proud of you, passing on your knowledge and morals to others, THESE are the kinds of things that should be codified into a set of ethics. Even chaing the Rede to “Cause the least harm you can” is SO much better than what is out there now.

Even doctors know that there are times when you have to cause great harm to fix what is wrong, and they don’t let the Hypocratic Oath stop them (which states in the first line “First, cause no harm.”)

I’m tired of this debate in the Wiccan community. I’m tired of having to say the Rede is not a literal statement, I’m tired of being told that I as a Druid and Pagan have to obey the ethics of Wiccans, and I’m tired of seeing this come up all the freaking time on discussion lists. It’s time for a change.

The only thing the Rede gives us that is good is the Sound Byte, and that can be designed into the new Rede easily enough.

Originally posted 2005-10-19 15:52:21.

When the discussion topic of “can I charge for the reading I did” comes up in most forums, it really turns into a free for all fight. There are the proponents of “yes you may” and the opponents who say “no you may not”. I can see both sides of this discussion and I offer my own humble thoughts here.

First, the side that opposes payment.

Most often they point out that you are using a gift from the deities and that, as such, you will “contaminate” it by having money change hands for using it. They point out that since the future is always in flux and you could be wrong, that it is impossible to guarantee that you are accurate or that what you state will happen. They also (if they know their craft history) might point to the “ardanes” and show that Gardner didn’t want the Arte being sold, meaning that by his rules that one could not take money in exchange for the casting of a spell. They also point out that it’s traditional.

Next the side that proposes payment.

The proponents will point out that it’s only fair to exchange money for the work of readings or spells. I mean, they worked for the money; therefore it’s an energy exchange, them giving their energy (money) for yours (spell). That in those who have used their spells or their readings to make a living, that it didn’t corrupt them or make them less of a priest or priestess. There are assertions that you can exchange service for service, mowing a lawn, cooking a meal or what have you.

My opinion?

I will accept money for my service. I may not do it for religious services, like a Handfasting or a Wiccaning, definitely not for a Sabbat or Esbat, but I will take money for a Tarot reading (as shown by the ads I have for just that service). My reasoning is simple.

One goes to a lawyer to have legal documents drafted. It is his skills that create a binding legal document that says what you want done after you die, or that you have now set up a trust fund and so on. You pay him. You go to a doctor for medical treatment. You give your money to him, he gives you medicine and he tells you if you need to lose weight. You take your car to a mechanic. You give them money, they repair your car and give it back to you. You buy food from the grocer who takes your money and gives it to a farmer who gives him the fruits of his land, which the grocer gives to you so you may eat.

Where is it mandated that these professions must give away their skills or their knowledge or their components? Why should the doctor fix you for free? Should the mechanic expend several hours of work on your car and use many, many parts to correct a problem in your car for free?

It would be nice to have a communistic society where that happened, but it’s not reasonable. Greed and sloth, many human failings as well as the need to acquire all conspire to make most communistic groups fall apart fairly quickly. But this is neither here nor there.

Selling professional skills is a normal part of society. An author would count it theft if you took their words and republished them without his permission and without royalties being paid to him, after all, he wrote those words. The Music Industry has a long history of going after people who take their work and who don’t pay for it. So why should I, as a Tarot reader, be expected to give away MY professional skill?

It is a skill. I may have a talent for reading the cards, but there still has to be a connection to the Universe, an intuitive link, that will help me interpret the card correctly when they come up in a reading. I also must study and learn not only surface meaning of cards, but their deeper symbolism, expending my time and energy, something of value to me at least. I have to be aware of the cards, I have to be aware of the client, I have to be aware of the connection to everything, and I have to know when to depart from the “book standard” reading. I also have to supply my cards, replace those cards when necessary and invest in books to give nuances in meaning and so on. This is a pursuit that could take quite some time and significant amounts of energy and money.

Shouldn’t I be reimbursed for all that?

Gypsies certainly were. They would refuse to do a spell or a Tarot reading without an exchange of money first. Temples did this also. There were some temples in the past that would do oracular readings for money (or other service) for the clients. The Witches of the past did this too, taking their “payment” in many forms, just one of them being cash.

It is true that in a village, one can do a reading for someone in need and let the community take care of you in exchange, that the reading would be your contribution to the whole. I can see this happening in a coven situation where there are only a few members and each of them contributes to the health and welfare of the whole. I can see the one who is talented with the Tarot cards giving readings to the rest of the members of the coven, just as the High Priestess gives her home for the Covenstead, the High Priest supplies the candles and other alter items, the Maiden prepares the feast for everyone. I can see that and understand it totally.

I can also see in the “brotherhood of card readers” one that is skilled at doing readings being generous and allowing another who has a similar set of skills to do a reading for them. I exchange my Tarot readings for a rune reading or a dowsing. That is an equal exchange of effort and energy.

Those special cases are fine, but to believe that because I am Wiccan I must give my skills (which have taken me a lifetime to learn) to whoever asks, for nothing more than a smile, is asking me to bastardize my skills as nothing more than a sideshow trick.

Part of human nature is to value little what comes for no cost. The car that Mommy and Daddy gave to their child has little intrinsic value to a teen; therefore it is of no consequence when it is wrecked. But the car you bought for yourself is taken care of, it is pampered, it is treated like it was a one of a kind vehicle. Because YOU paid for it. It was your talents, your skills and labor that gained you the money to purchase that vehicle and therefore you prize it. That is the way it should be.

A reading or a spell is one of the most personal things one can do. A spell to protect, a spell to bring revenge, a spell to help someone over come an inhibition are all very personal and the person requesting them MUST hold them in value, pamper them and so on. But more often than not, if the spell is cast for free without the expectation of return, then they will go “Oh, pretty lights” and do nothing more with it, negating the spell in its entirety and thus “discovering” that magick is nothing more than mystic passes with the hand and chanted phrases.

But if you ask money for it, then they pay attention. They have ritually infused themselves into the spell or the reading. They have taken their labor and their effort, their sweat and blood, made physical by the money, and they are now completely and totally tied into that reading. They pay attention to each word, each hesitation and they hold onto that reading. They invest their soul and their energy into the spell, and by god they want it to WORK, therefore they believe in it. After all, they gave MONEY for that, they can’t buy that carton of cigarettes or that tank of gas. That’s a valuable reading now.

Because of this personality infusion in the process, because of this energy exchange, I believe that more people should charge for readings and spells. That any time a Tarot card is turned or a prophesy is spoken or that a stick of incense is lit, there should be an energy exchange of SOME sort, be it in labor, food, or cash.

If Priests, Monks and ministers in the churches (including Buddhist and Hindu) are willing to take money for prayer (through the medium of tithing or donations, which pay for their upkeep), then why can’t we for the same reason? It doesn’t make sense.

Oh, you can say that it cheapens the gift that by charging and that the person will feel ripped off. To that I say the only person who can cheapen it is the person who refused the money. When you are giving it away, you are inclined to do less than you may normally do, simply because you are getting no reward. So, asking for and receiving money is a way to make you work harder to give good value to others.

I know when I started Tarot readings, I gave them away. I did readings and I didn’t take any money. It was easy for me and my talents to do so. I did the minimum I could to answer the question, never really delving into the problem the person came to me with. And I did regret it.

When I started taking money, I knew the value of a dollar. I know what *I* would expect were it me paying for the reading, and I make sure I give value for that money. One reading I do costs $90 and takes about an hour. I had one lady purchase one from me, and I didn’t feel that I had given her full value for her money since one HUGE question went unanswered in my mind. So I did another reading for her while she sat there, answered that question and did some more explaining. That I felt was good value and I performed to my best. She commented later that she was satisfied with the first reading, and that the rest was icing on the cake, unnecessary but really good.

This philosophy can be applied to any discipline, not just to Tarot or divination or even spells. It can be applied to writing, singing, playing an instrument, teaching, computer work, secretarial work or anything. ANY professional skill and manual skills can be seen in this light. Paying for something makes it valuable, if SOLELY for the fact that one has given money for it. That is the textbook definition of value. That which has value is treated differently and is treasured. That which is free is treated as less and with no value, thus is treated with contempt.

I know that when I get done with a reading, I feel a sense of satisfaction in the reading, that I did my best. I want the other person to value that reading as well since I worked my backside off. To see my effort and energy treated with contempt makes me mad. To see them take what I have said to heart and believe it, to see them put what I advised into practice, well, it makes me very proud.

And if I have to take a few shekels or tuppence for that, so be it. I’ll take it gladly and use that money without shame.

Originally posted 2009-11-11 22:21:07.

I follow a lot of people here (on Tumblr), and most apparently don’t understand that it’s not just the outside package that is beautiful, but the internal personality, attitude, love and joy that shine out that combine to make someone beautiful.

Yes, the outside package is what people react to first.  Yes, it is the one that most will judge you on first.  But just like a Christmas Present, sparkly gold paper and nice ribbons do not make the Popeil Pocket Fisherman any better.  Just like wrapping an iPad in the comic section of the newspaper doesn’t detract from the present.

However, since humans are visual oriented, presenting an attractive outer casing is what seems to be important in the very short term.  Yes, beautiful people are more desirable to be around, they are more envied, but that is ONLY because people who look at them ONLY see them as the outer casing.  Just as if you only saw the gold wrapped package or the comics wrapped package.  The casing would be what you would judge on first.

And we are even warned against this.  ”Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  ”Beauty is only skin deep…” and many other such sayings warn us that it’s not the casing, the package, the wrapping that is important, but the contents of the mind, soul and spirit.

So I see people worried about their appearance to the exclusion of all else, and I get very sad.  I get upset when I see someone who only thinks that attractive appearance is what is important.  Hey, I like looking at pretty things around me too, but to stay around those pretty things there has to be more than just pretty appearance.  Because beauty fades, the nicest flower in the world will whither, and the most gorgeous gown will rot with time.  But the personality and the internal qualities are what will last.

I’ve known many girls in my life.  The beautiful ones are very rarely the ones who stay “beautiful” and “thin” and “tanned” and “fit” and “skinny” three or more years after I come to know them.  There are a few like that, but most understand that while their looks may have initially turned my head and had me look at them, the contents of their character are what kept me around.

And I’ll tell you something else.  It’s the “sad, weird” people I enjoy spending time around.  Cookie cutter personalities like are shown on Mean Girls or Bring it On are not anything that interests me.  But the girl with an armful of books, the one who wears spiked hair or a collar, the girl with the black makeup and the pale complexion, THOSE people are interesting.  They have a persona they want to show, and they apparently are willing to show it and be contrary to society rather than trying to conform and blend in.

Those people are worth the time to get to know.

So, ladies and gentlemen, no matter who you are, please revel in yourself.  Yes, put on an attractive appearance but understand it is not the appearance that will keep someone around.  The gestalt of you is what keeps someone.  And understand that even if this person over here left you, it is their loss due to you being a beautiful creature.  Someone else will be with you and the others, well, they have to content themselves with the Pocket Fisherman.

> I was just wondering has anyone gone to their local churches or
> communities and educated people about the Wiccan religion and the danger
> of doing spells with no knowledge of how and why to do it? Like a goddess
> or god invocation, and what it means to do an invocation. Or the
> unforeseen consensequences that doing spells can cause? The law of
> returns, ending a spell and closing a circle correctly. There are alot of
> young people drawn to doing witchcraft that don’t properly research or
> have the knowledge of what they are setting into motion. I am thinking
> about doing it because there are people who are interested, but want
> privacy, and not getting proper guidance from the massive contradictory
> internet about where they should start. So they jump right in and end up
> doing something unknowingly, like inviting then trapping a spirit in the
> house, without proper knowledge of what they did and how to fix it. And
> how to keep it from happening again.

What makes you think that we have not been doing this all this time? Many of us have been trying to educate the public about the dangers/rewards of magick, it’s just that you fluffy canars don’t seem to get the point. Let me illustrate for a minute…

I’m teaching a class online in magick and part of the course requires the student to be familiar with different schools and philosophies of magick. So far, I have been teaching this class for about 9 months and I’m only half way through it. This is an enormously complex subject and you can’t learn it by sitting in the Circle with your HPS and chanting for a bit. You cannot call yourself a witch because you make one potion of relaxation bath salts successfully ONCE. You don’t know everything when you walk into someone’s home and ask a benevolent ghost to leave. When you have walked into a house and forcibly ejected a malevolent spirit bent on destroying the occupants of the house and you have kept it from coming back, when you have successfully conjured the elemental ruler of Air, made him obey you and had him assign one of his dukes to be your personal servant, when you have cast enough spells to bring money to you that you realize that the Threefold return and the Rede are simply known as “cause and effect” THEN I will let you call yourself a mage and a witch. Until then you are a fluffy canar, and depending on the severity of the affliction you may even be a fluffernutter.

Has it occurred to you that 90% of humanity doesn’t WANT us sticking our nose into their business on a regular basis? Has it occurred to you that a Christian being told that by praying to God that he’s casting a spell doesn’t WANT to know that, even if it is true? Has it occurred to you that you would be so totally insulted and you would go immediately into “persecuted witch” mode if a Jew came in and corrected your pronunciation of the chants Gardner added from the Key of Solomon, and that you would be ready to hit something if a Catholic Priest decided to teach you how to conduct a ritual correctly? Has any of this crossed your puny pea brain? No? Why not?

Could it be that according to you, it’s good and correct for you to stick your nose into everything in the universe, but no one better stick their nose into yours? Guess what…. THAT’S CALLED KETTLEITIS IN MOST PLACES.

Oh, and by the way, can I watch as the Goddess slaps the crap out of you for breaking the Rede? How you may ask? Causing harm to these people by going in and condescendingly telling these people what they are doing wrong with spells and such you are causing so much mental trauma to them that you deserve to be bitch-slapped by Kali or the Morrigon. I want to watch it. After all, this could be their way of learning, through trial and error.

And what makes you think you are qualified to tell them that their spells are wrong in the first place? Don’t you fluffy canar realize that most of the spells you are going to be “correcting” came from the RCC in the first place, or at least from those who were members of the RCC? In fact, there are several Popes and Cardinals who were rumored to be magickians that could blow away those like Crowley. Did you know that Elphias Levi, one of the huge magickal minds of the 19th Century was a Catholic Monk for most of his life? Ever heard of the Grimoire of Pope Honorous III? Do you even know who Elphias Levi was?

In short, fluffy canar, you are doing to them what you have accused them of doing to us for centuries. Besides, if the infestation of the ghost is too severe, they can always call in an exorcist to drive it out. Yep, there is a whole section of the RCC that deals with JUST driving out malignant spirits that infest people and places, the difference is that they actually STUDY the problem before leaping in and deciding that THIS is the problem. Ya know, like they do some experimentation and actually use Occam’s razor to see if there is another explanation before chiding the occupants of the house for summoning a spirit they can’t control.

Ever walked into a chapel? Ever felt their Wards? What?!?!? You don’t even know what a ward is? Then how does that qualify you to chide these people for miscasting spells they don’t know how to control? They seem to be better magickians than you.

In short, silly fluffy canar, back the hell off and cast the beam from YOUR eye before touching the mote in theirs.

Why do people have to endlessly reinvent the wheel?

Is it that there are no original ideas left? Is it that if we stop speaking, the world will cease to function? Is it that we have been so inundated with chatter that we cannot stand to hear silence?

Let me relate this to you in a real life scenario. I do reviews of books. Some of you have seen my reviews, and you may have come to this site because of them. Well, I review a narrow range of books in an attempt to keep my focus on the topics I know and can comment intelligently about. It would do YOU no good for me to comment on a book about quantum physics when I don’t know a thing about the subject in the first place. It would mean that my review was worthless since I have no foundation to base it on.

Because of that I get a selection of books that I understand and most of which relate to the material I have on this site. Books on magick, Wicca, Druidism, Shamanism, healing and ritual are what I keep reading. I do this for several reasons, one of which is to educate myself.

Why then do many authors think that we have to be endlessly, mindlessly reintroduced to Wicca, as if we can’t read one of the hundreds of thousands of books introducing us to Wicca ourselves? Why does everyone who decides to write a book on a topic, like how to write a spell on paper, feel the need to talk endlessly about Wicca and the basics of Wicca? Why can’t they simply refer us to the books they used to gain an understanding of Wicca?

I talk endlessly on this site about things, mostly my spirituality. I have been told that I go on a LONG time in places. However, you will not see me going over the same Wicca 101 information that has been covered in other places. Yes, I have a copy of the Rede here on my site. You will not hear me talking about what it means nor the ethical constraints that bind one if that path is followed. I assume that you are intelligent enough to do a search for the words “Wiccan Rede” if you want to read more about it. Research is a good and necessary thing since it keeps the mind focused.

So, why do certain publishers think that we must be told over and over and over and over that the Rede is THE ethical statement of Wicca? As sure as a clear sky follows the rain, comes the “Threefold law”. It’s like the two are joined at the hip, and we can’t escape them.

Here’s a book dealing with Magick and it’s applications, talking about magickal activities and help for the budding magickian. Throwing out the above statement says to those who are reading it that it’s a rule for magick too, and that means that they can’t use magick to get what they want! What’s the point of the book then?

I would honestly like to see a book, written by someone in which the original sources for THEIR spirituality are referenced not regurgitated intact. That should send the reader to the books the author discovered Wicca from. The book would then fill in the sections between the knowledge contained in those books, like mortar. Ultimately, it leads to the reason that the book was written. That should take about one chapter at the front of the book. Instead, most books these days take up to 8 padded chapters to do this, leaving one or two chapters at the very back for whatever topic the book is suppose to be about.

Why reiterate the same thing others have already written about?

This is my dream. A book, level 201, 301, 401 or higher, in which Wicca is not mentioned anyplace after the first chapter. A book in which a subject is studied in depth without assuming that the reader is too stupid to make a few research material choices that will lead them to this knowledge AGAIN by repeating it AGAIN. I don’t know why this infects Wiccan books and metaphysical books over and over again. You don’t see texts on physics going into the basic laws of gravity and light again and again. They assume that because you purchased that book you already know the basics. Stop haranguing all us with the same material over and over!

Is anybody else as frustrated as I am? Is anybody there?

Time for another rant from yours truly. The theme this time, boys and girls is common courtesy.

Or should I say “Uncommon Courtesy”. I mean, if it were common, everyone would have it right? Everyone would think about other people. Everyone would hold the door open for someone with full arms and let others in front of their car during rush hour. More people would have good days because others would be thinking about how to reduce the stress on them through random acts of kindness, right?

Oh, sorry… < /sarcasm >

I don’t know why this is so extraordinary. My wife thinks I float above the water and earth simply because I went one night at 1 AM to get her Orange Juice when she was sick and this would bring her comfort. Now, it was Winter as well, and pouring rain, but you know what, her comfort and happiness meant more to me than my sleep. But she raves about this act to this day, 11 years later, because I was kind and considerate. (*Wife’s comment in an informal poll for the last 11 years, no one could honestly say their partner be they male or female would do the same thing the Daven did.)

What the hell happened to people saying “Good Morning”? What about “please” and “thank you”? My parents would have flayed me alive if I forgot “Sir” or “Ma’am” when speaking to an adult, and I demand that my daughter is courteous to others herself. Why is it society says casual rudeness is all right?

Think about this for a few moments…. What is your reaction when you are waiting in line at a store and someone cuts in front of you? Why is it okay for you to do the same thing? Why do people with full carts force someone with 2 items to stand there in a long crowded store line? Why can’t those people that are NOT at the cashier say “You only have 2 items, why don’t you jump in front of me.” And why is it such a big deal to say “Thank You” for doing that? Will it take any money from their pockets to do that? Will they become less of a person by doing this act? Will they be diminished by this and belittled, or will those nearby ridicule those who do this?

These are rhetorical questions, I don’t expect answers. I am truly confused by this, and I’m a normal person. But because I’m courteous to others, because I let someone who is trying to merge in traffic get in front of me, there are a lot of people who think I’m great. I got an award once for being the most consistently courteous person at a job I was in. What do you think a commendation for customer service is based around?

The impetus for this rant is my job, again. I had replaced the computer for one of our managers and the computer was pretty important. It had software on it that was necessary to bring cash into the company from a bank (electronic transfer of funds). So, I replaced it, and there was some problems. I had a modem there, but it was the wrong one and the software would not work with it, so I had to look for an older modem to replace this one. Frankly I didn’t think that it would work or that I had one, and I said so to the Manager. But I found one and replaced the newer one. Once I had the older modem in place, things went right and it worked as it should.

I get into work the next morning, there is a message on my phone where the manager called me and made a huge deal of my replacing the modem. He was so appreciative of my doing that, I was actually surprised. I sent him a quick e-mail saying “no problem” and he praised me to my supervisor, my manager and my Vice President in charge of Information Technology. The only person he didn’t mention this to was the owner/CEO. And I thought, “All this for doing my JOB?” This is what I’m paid to do, this is what brings in the money for the company, and ultimately myself. But simply doing my job with a cheerful attitude gets praise from everyone in the chain of command. This is from the one man in the company who always knows the glass is half empty and someone will drink the half that’s there.

So I started thinking about it, and looking for courtesy in life, then I discovered that common courtesy is really uncommon.

So, here’s what I’m going to ask you all. If you gained anything from my site, don’t tell me about it, don’t send me anything (well, okay if you must…). Take the time out to hold a door open for someone with full arms and to say “thank you” to someone who did something for you. That will pay me back.

Who knows, perhaps if this reaches enough people, courtesy will become fashionable again.

The theme of this rant is “the Universe is NOT a friendly place.“

I understand why many people think that the Universal Consciousness is kind and gentle, willing to take care of all of us and make sure that we all have what we want. It’s because we are scared. It’s comforting to think that we have a creator up there that wants the best for us and makes sure that we are completely happy in every aspect of our lives. No matter how adult, we all long for “mommy and daddy” to take care of us, allowing us to continue to play.

Let me tell you now that it just ain’t so.

I’ll illustrate this with a joke I know of….

A good man, who tithed, gave to charity, was humble, honest and kind, a saint of a man prayed every night to God, “Please Lord, I love you so much and I NEED to win the Lottery.” Every day for 50 years, he said this prayer, and every night he didn’t win.

Finally in the latter days of his life, he prayed a mighty prayer, “God, I have asked you and begged you every night to let me win the Lottery. That’s all I ever wanted. Now, I’m in the latter stages of my life, and I’m going to die soon, and I need to win the Lottery to pass this along to my children. Please let me win the Lottery, and I love you.”

That night, he heard the voice of the Lord and it said to him, “So meet me halfway already…. buy a ticket.”

Which illustrates the point, we have to do what we can to help the Universe help us. The Universe does not care that we are here, it does not care that we are on the Earth, it does not even care that the Earth is here. What it cares about is itself. That’s all. So, it behooves us to take care of ourselves, and ONLY when every other option has been used up and discarded should we put our trust in the Universe.

Now, yes, the Universe may be able to take care of us ONCE WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN, and we will actually succeed. At that point, we can and should put our trust in the Universe, God, the IS, whatever to allow the outcome we want to come to pass. That is the essence of every spell, after all. Putting trust in Magick, in ourselves and in the Gods that we have done everything. But, NOTHING will happen unless we have done the preparation work.

Here’s another example:

I have a bowling ball at the top floor of a 50-story building. I have to get this ball from the roof to the ground floor. Now, I have several choices at this point. I could just drop the ball off the roof, trusting the Universe to catch the ball and lower it gently to the ground, but I’m going to be really surprised when it takes a 5 story bounce and kills people at the bottom and destroys cars, so forth and so on. However, if I build a scaffolding, balance ramps and rails to channel the ball in specific directions, and THEN drop the ball into the beginning of the “route” I constructed, it will probably stay in that route and THEN I can trust the Universe to keep it in the channels and that route, and I can see the way it falls. However, I still had to do something in the beginning to have this outcome occur. I had to do a LOT of prep work FIRST in order to get the most out of trusting the Universe.

Can you see what I’m driving at? Can you see what I am trying to point out? It’s fine to trust the Universe and have faith, it’s alright to believe in “invisible men” who care about you and want what is best for you, but you HAVE to do everything you can do to take care of yourself before putting your trust in that universal energy.

I have been messed up in my life, here is a whole essay on that very subject, and I can say that the only times I have been messed up the worst was when I stopped working for myself and trying to do for me, and put all my trust in the Gods to do everything for me. What I don’t say in that essay is that I bought a Lottery ticket and BEGGED the Gods to let me win it, and I didn’t. I came to depend on that money, to the point of spending it before I had the check. I trusted that it would be there, and when it wasn’t, I was devastated in every way imaginable.

However, now that I know better, I put my trust in the Universe and the Gods to take care of me and my needs, and I still do everything I can to take care of myself first, then I am never disappointed. I DO have what I want, and what I need, and I do have a lot of lucky breaks, which I capitalize on quickly. But I do make sure that I have done everything I can to make things better before I put my trust in the Universe.

Mercedes Lackey, in one of her books, makes this point as well.  There was a man who was very lucky, who had come to depend on that luck to keep him alive and prosperous.  One day, his luck deserted him.  He went to the shaman of his tribe and asked if the Goddess would hear his pleas to help him live and prosper.  To which the shaman said “no, you are not dead yet.”  Meaning that he had not done nearly enough to help himself first.

Sometimes I get really frustrated at the level of education that some people exhibit.

I mean, I understand how not everyone can be a computer whiz, and need to be shown just how to turn on a PC, I understand that there being two separate power switches for the computer is confusing (one for the “hard drive” or “cpu” or “that box” and one for the TV screen). I can get behind this and somewhat accept it.

But how can someone who pays attention to the media, watches movies, TV, and other media outlets not know about basic things, like how a nuclear blast happens, why the US is really careful to give other countries an out or why an asteroid 100 miles across is known as a “Planet Killer”.

I mean, these topics have ALL been dealt with in the recent past, the media. Armageddon, the movie with Bruce Willis and the space shuttles, you know that one? It dealt with the concept of a “Planet Killer” asteroid in depth. It was the basis of the entire movie’s plot. There would be no way they could skip over this piece of trivia if someone was paying attention. EVEN CAUSAL ATTENTION WOULD HAVE GIVEN THIS PERSON THE INFORMATION I SPENT 4 HOURS EXPLAINING.

Sorry to be yelling, but I’m frustrated as hell. I have had to explain everything to this person who is supposedly writing an entire movie based on the book of Revelations and the final destruction of the Earth.

He is taking this section of the Bible, and trying to transpose it to a movie which he will make. He does pictures and CGI work, and it’s really good the work he puts out. But he should leave the scriptwriting to someone else. Someone with a brain.

Having to explain spacial mechanics and how centrifugal force and gravity work, how it’s highly unlikely that an asteroid would crash into the Earth, how the Japanese cultural mindset works, how a nuclear bomb will not affect the SUN at all, what a Supernova is, how Chernobyl affected him (and he lived through it) and he didn’t remember Three Mile Island either.

I really wanted to scream.

Since I’m in the office with 5 other people, while I was explaining this to him, they were throwing in their comments as well. All of them showed more knowledge than this idiot. If it were not for the fact that he kisses ass well, he would not be working here.

So, raise your glass to the stupid people of the world, the ones who don’t know who is buried in Grant’s Tomb, the ones who think a Water Closet is another word for a busted pipe, the ones who don’t realize that pantaloons are not filled with helium. Raise your glass for all those poor souls who will spend the majority of their lives going “Huh?” to everything, and most especially raise your glass in toast to those who make the rest of us look smart.

It’s sad sometimes to realize that half of the problems I have on a day to day basis are caused by these people. And my friend, the one I work with who started this diatribe, he screams and yells about stupid drivers on the road. Talk about kettleitis….

Okay, here is something that is hitting my “piss-off” buttons. Not listening.

I recently posted a theory that I have dealing with Druidism and Wicca, stating why I believe that Wicca=Goddess and Druidism=God. Here’s the text in full:

“I have a theory, but absolutely nothing concrete to back it up other than meditation and inspiration. I’ll share it, but can’t do more than share it.

I think that the trend springs from valid sources. Wicca is based on female worship, and in some cases, very few, direct traditions passed on in the form of teachings from mother to daughter, like herbalism.

It is my theory that when Druidism/Feminine worship were common, in the 200′s CE or so, that there were the Male Druids (with some few female practitioners) and the Female Priestesses (with a few male practitioners). That the mysteries of the male were shared among the Druids, and the feminine mysteries were shared among the priestesses. This was not to divide, but what the heck would a male care about the celebration of a young girl’s first menstrual blood?

This can be seen in some native magickal practices, like among the Native Americans, but once again I have no concrete references. I know that this happens, but I can’t cite examples.

Anyhow, when the Romans came in to the Isles, they saw the Druids as the visible representatives, and wiped them out. The female contingent saw what was happening and decided to hide rather than fight, and went underground. The practices and folk practices were passed down, and I have a past life where I saw my wife then continuing those traditions in 850 CE. Once again, subjective.

So, these traditions get mixed up and thrown together and homogenized until we now have superstitions and folk remedies, but enough can be extracted to make Wicca, with anthropological evidences showing a female worship cult and so on, and the records we have of Druidism, we now have Wicca = Female and Druid = Male.

Besides, look at the general gods of the respective practices. How many times does a Druid call upon the Goddess, and how many traditional and hidebound Wiccans credit the God with anything other than being a living dildo for the Goddess?”

Please note that even though I wanted to change this text, it is untouched.

Okay, everyone read that? Read it again. Now, that you have read it twice, can you tell me why anyone would think that I’m saying that Wicca is ancient? I am very clear in my statement that elements of Wicca go back that far, but that only those elements. I am very clear in stating that this is a personal theory, with no proof, so why would people start demanding that I prove it, and dismissing me as a know nothing because I have read the wrong books? What the hell is going on here?

Is it Mercury? I don’t think so, that retrograde action was over Feb 18 and I posted this March 6. Is it that people just aren’t reading what I’m saying? Probably. I have seen multiple emails stating that I’m wrong, that there is no evidences of this, that Wicca is NOT ancient, that there were Female Druids, that dividing spirituality like this did not happen, and so on. That Druids called upon the Goddess too, and still do.

Where the HELL did I say that they didn’t???? Can someone point this out to me?

The point of this rant is PAY ATTENTION. If someone is giving you something, money, their time, the benefit of their thoughts, their opinions, whatever, they are giving you something they have, and you, out of respect, should pay attention back. Make sure that you understand what they are saying, instead of jumping on them for being wrong. Make sure that you have some kind of mutual lexicon of terms so that there are no misunderstandings as to what the other person is trying to say. To do this, you have to pay attention.

Yes, you may still disagree after hearing them out, listening to them and understanding what they are saying, but at least you won’t be jumping to conclusions. Too many times these days, I see a statement posted on a Newsgroup or an email list stating something that can be taken multiple different ways, and it’s ALWAYS taken the worst way by the most people. Stop it. Listen to what the other person is trying to say FIRST, then figure out what they are trying to say in the context of your thoughts and opinions, THEN disagree with them if it is merited.

That’s the problem with the Western World. No one listens to anyone else. We all talk at each other, hardly anyone talks TO each other. We tune too much out as a matter of course. This is a trend that needs to get reversed desperately.

Okay, time for another “duh…”

If you know someone is having a lot of trouble in their personal life, why do you take advice on YOUR life from them?

Example: Don’t take advice on how to diet from someone who is 5 foot nothing and weighs 250 lbs. Obviously they either don’t know or don’t care about weight on them, and they don’t care about the health risks involved with high weight. Why should they care about your weight? If they DO care and know, then they are probably using their own techniques, and you can obviously SEE how much help it’s been to them….

The theme, in case you missed it, is “Don’t take life advice from someone with a messed up life.”

You wouldn’t go to a Doctor who has a reputation for killing all his patients, would you? You wouldn’t go to a “hair stylist” who can’t keep their own hair in any kind of pleasing style. You would not even think of going to a broke banker for financial advice.

So why would you go to a “Spiritual Counselor” who has a completely messed up life?

Point in my argument: “Miss Cleo”. Here is a woman who graces our television sets and harangues us about “love, life and money” and who (according to the ads) has a 100% accuracy rate, even to pulling facts such as “he’s tall and skinny with a wart on his cheek” out of thin air, to the telephoned amazement of callers.

However, this is the same woman who has been charged with violating the “Do not call” list in one state more than 100 times.

One wonders if her tarot cards showed her THAT.

(Details go here: http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/psychic1.htm and do a search on the Web for “Miss Cleo”. You WILL get a lot of hits on this one.)

So, now Miss Cleo has a messed up life. Do we still call her? Not this witch. I didn’t call her in the first place, and one wonders why anyone would.

Taking advice from someone who’s own life is a shambles is like asking Fate to kick you in the head. It’s stepping in front of the Mac Truck of Karma and letting it run all over your Dogma.

In other words, think first. Ask yourself a few questions before you ask everyone in your life for their advice, or listen to their unsolicited advice.

Ask yourself “What makes this person more qualified to run my life than I am?” Ask yourself, “What would I do in this same situation?” Ask yourself “What AM I going to do now?”

Start taking responsibility for your own life, rather than allowing someone else to run it for you. Let yourself be entirely responsible for your decisions as well as your mess ups. Don’t find someone to blame for the problems you are having, if it’s your fault, own up and view it as a learning experience.

And as a corollary to all this, don’t start giving advice that no one asked for either. One of the most irritating habits that some people have is to run around and start telling everyone else what they need to do when they can’t make their bills this month. If your life is in the toilet, you have no right to start telling others how they should be living/doing/being in whatever situation you see them in, even if you know exactly what they should do in this situation.

The only qualification that you have to have to be allowed to give advice to someone else is successfully coming through it yourself. In other words, if you have gone through a divorce, from either side, THEN and only then do you have the right to tell someone who is going through a divorce what worked for you. You do not have the right to tell them what they SHOULD do, but rather what you did.

I honestly believe that if everyone in this world started living their own lives as well and as accurately as they tend to live everyone else’s, then this world would be a much better place.

( 4-2-02) For more information on this scam, please see With Psychic Friends like these…

Okay, the theme today is “Paying for your Education“.

You pay out money to the colleges and Universities for them to teach you their knowledge on whatever topic.  You pay for books, you pay for supplies, you pay for the expertise of the instructor and so on, why don’t those in the Magickal and Pagan Community pay for their education too?

Is it fear?  “If I pay for this, it will cheapen the information”?  If that were true, then all the instruction from educational institutions would be valueless.  Saying that paying for information will invalidate that information is making all the classical instruction from the dawn of time to now worthless.  If this is true, we should only be giving degrees to those who go out and on their own time study Law and Jurisprudence, Anatomy and Physiology, so that they get their degrees sometime in their late 40′s so we have experienced doctors and lawyers getting those degrees, rather than these young pups who only study for 8 years or so to become what they want to become.

But, wait, that doesn’t make sense.  What do they do in the meantime?  How do they make a living?  And how many would fall into the “trap” of “there’s time, I can put off these studies until later” and then later never comes?

So, what then?   We honor the PhD holders because they have devoted themselves to this course of study to the exclusion of all other things, so that they can share their professional expertise with the rest of us.  In fact, most of society looks down upon those who do the same job, but don’t have that degree, and the only way to get the degree is to pay for it.

So, will the information and knowledge disappear when we fork over money to acquire it?  If we are giving money to get information, I don’t think it will ever disappear.  In fact, we are perpetuating it.  Let me make this assumption about you, the reader.

If you spent your time looking up facts and learning those facts, paying out money each time to get those facts, be it a quarter, a dime or whatever, you would value that information more.  This is information you got from another source with your sweat and effort and your means of income.  Because it has the price of giving up something you produced, you will automatically value it more than you will something that was given to you.

Think of the gifts you have gotten over the years to see this point in action.  The super-expensive gifts that you got were not that important to you, but the items you paid for were more important than something you got for free.  Right?

The same process applies to knowledge.  You have to pay for it in some manner in order to value it and cherish it.  If you don’t, then it’s just clutter in the vestibule of your mind.  This is why the teachers and mystical men of the past made their students go to great lengths just to get into their class, so that the student would pay attention and value the information.

Besides, having the dollar to give for information puts the power back into your hands.  If the information has no value to you, don’t pay for it.  This is the same consumer right that has been exercised since the founding of the Consumer mindset.  The quality is worth the cash.

But if you think that the effort of the researcher and teacher is worth it, sending a dollar won’t break you or make you any worse a person.  Mowing their grass won’t invalidate your education, cooking them dinner one night won’t make you teacher’s pet.

I will make this prediction, if people are unwilling to pay for the information they want to have, then there will be little reason for authors to write, researchers to look up facts, scholars to pontificate and teachers to teach.  They have to make a living too, and if no one is willing to pay them for knowledge and learning, then they will find other occupations where they will be paid.

(See the update to this article at the bottom)

I sit here and write this and think “Goddamn lady, just blow your brains out and get it the fuck over with.”

I type this because it is currently 2 AM, and I’m listening to some drunk lady next door crying over how bad her life is, and I’ve been listening to this for the past 6 hours. Every minute, I hear this whine about how no one loves her and blah blah blah….

I can’t tune it out either, it’s one of those cutting, piercing whines that go right through things like earplugs, cotton balls, pillows, music, noise and snores. I want to pound on her door and tell her to shut the fuck up, but you know what, that would only prove to her that her life IS really as bad as she says it is and how everyone is out to get her and no one loves her…

Why am I so pissed that I fervently wish for the death of a fellow human being to stop it? Because I’m sick of listening to her go on and on and on about how SHE is the one being put out and how SHE is the abused one here.

Mind me, I have been living next to her for the last week, and the walls are so thin that I could hear a fly crawling on the wall in the other room. So I have been an inadvertent eavesdropper on everything that has been going on in her room for the past week. I have yet to hear her being sober, I have not heard anyone do anything other than talk to her in a reasonable tone of voice. In short, she’s whining and having a pity party simply because she’s spineless.

Take this past weekend for instance. On Saturdays I get to sleep in for a bit. So, at 11 AM, my wife got me up so we could watch a show that has come to be a pretty good one for us, and a time of bonding. The drapes were closed and we were not partying. Why on a bright Winter day would we have the drapes closed you may ask, because we were all (including my daughter) stark naked.

Who should hear our voices and decide to pay us a visit? Yep. Her. She comes trotting over without so much as a by-your-leave, knocks on our door. I (being the trusting fool I am) step up to the door, pull the drapes back just enough to see who it is that is spoiling my Saturday. She stands there, viewing of booze fumes (I had not opened the door yet, so I can’t say “reeking or smelling”) drunk as a lord, holding a dollar in her hand. In the boozy condition she was in, she asks if she can come in and use our phone.

Okay, let’s back up for a moment here. We are in a hotel room. It has a phone in every room. It costs 35 cents to dial out on a local call. She has a phone in her room, she has a dollar in her hand…. Everyone with me here? Can you see my train of thought yet? Why didn’t she trot down to the front desk and get her own phone turned on?

I know it worked because I had been in that room with other former neighbors and helped them with their computers and hooking them up to the phones. So it’s not something that is wrong with her phone. I KNOW it works.

So, she’s standing there, with me in my skin and only my face visible through the window, and I say “Not right now…” and she wanders off in some sort of boozy haze with this look like I just kicked a crippled puppy because it is in my path. Like I’m abusing her. Let me lay a few facts out for her perusal.

My grandfather died almost two years ago, and we moved out of his house because it was being sold. We moved in here to live and we have been here for about a year and a half now. It sounds horrid, but we decided staying here was in our best interests for several reasons; a) we pay no utilities, b) there is a maid service 3 times a week c) the rent is lower than in most apartments in the area, d) you have bills to pay off, old debts that need to come off your credit report before you can get a house or apartment, e) we are saving money to allow us to get a house.

So, given that, the fact that I work a full time job, my daughter goes to school, my wife just got released from her job because they dissolved the position, I have little pity for her. I dropped the curtain back in place and forgot about her. Until that night when she started going on and on and on about how terrible her life is.

Mark my words, I would help her if she needed it. In my opinion, from what I have heard and overheard she is no where near that point yet. She does not leave her room except to go to the liquor store, she goes no place, has groceries delivered to her and whines. She is drunk 90% of the time. So she obviously has money to afford all this, it’s because she does not want to do and help herself.

It could be that she needs a friend. I will grant that I am not behaving in friendly manner, but I have had a LOT of negative experiences in the past with drunks and lushes, and I will not get into that type of co-dependant relationship again. I’m just getting my life straightened out, I don’t need another leech.

Come back and talk to me when you have been betrayed by everyone you counted as a friend. Come back when you have been sleeping in your car for two weeks along with your spouse and child. Come back when your spouse has lost track of both of her children by her first marriage and is almost frantic with worry because she has no idea if they are even alive anymore. Come back when you had to make the solemn decision whether to eat that day or get a room so you can have a shower for the first time in a week. Come back when you have nothing of value anymore to sell to raise money and you are waiting on your paycheck to try to make it through another week. Talk to me when you have decided to commit suicide simply so the stress and pain will end. THEN I may have some pity for you and help you out.

Until then, either get the balls to do something or stop fucking whining about how horrid your life is. Whining does not solve any situation. The most it will do is drive those away who MAY be in a position to help you.

This rant is dedicated to all those who were in bad situations, and who had the courage to do something about it, rather than sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Some sorrow is natural, good and normal. However, feeling pity for yourself to the exclusion of doing something constructive to get yourself out of this situation is insane.

In short, grow up, get a life, get a clue and start behaving like an adult, rather than a 50 year old child who can’t have the toy they want.

Update Jan 31, 2001 This woman is with us no more.  She was evicted several days after this was written.  There had been multiple complaints against her, and the manager had begged those of us who were complaining (and I was one) to not call the police on this matter (due to there being one too many complaints and her job being on the line).  Probably stupidly, we agreed not to call the cops.

The manager, good as her word, evicted the drunk lady three days later.  The drunk had not been home too often in the ensuing days.

I found out some of the back story in this matter, and it’s not that sympathetic.  She was drying out (supposedly) from Alcohol.  She also had someone with her, either a husband or a lover or someone.  He brought the food and such into the room, but I think he was enabling her to continue to act in the manner she was doing.  I personally don’t know how he stood it.  If someone had been whining at me for that long a time period, I think I would have either killed her or myself just to get it over with.

Anyhow, we moved rooms as well, and so things are going alright now.

One thing that must be stressed, Wicca, Druidism, Celtic Spirituality, and Paganism are NOTHING like each other.  To say that a Wiccan is a Druid and that what the Druids are now is how the Celts believe, is to say that the the sky is purple and pink and yellow.  There are bits and pieces that are correct and accurate between the different groups, but that’s all.  Go here to see an article dealing with this subject of how Celtic Spirituality and Wicca not being the same thing.  And to equate a Pagan with any of the others is to make such a gross understatement that it boggles the mind.  A Pagan is any of many different religions, and individually they are all Pagan, but all Pagans ARE NOT Wiccan.  This is a misconception that has started creeping into common usage, and it must be stopped.

Paganism is “any religion that is not Christianity” to quote many different dictionaries.  That means, if you are Hindu, you are Pagan.  If you are Islamic, you are Pagan, if you are Buddhist, you are Pagan.  None of those religions are Wicca, so to say that ALL Pagans are Wiccan makes me wonder just where the author got their information.  Wicca is a specific religion, usually British Traditional Wicca (see, I’m not even Wiccan anymore), with it’s own set of rites and practices.  While all Wiccans are Pagan, not all Pagans are Wiccan.  All Druids are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Druids.  All Celtic Reconstructionists are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Celtic Reconstructionists.  All Asatru are Pagans but not all Pagans are Asatru.

This misconception needs to be stopped as soon as possible.  It’s a bad trend, and many Elders of the various Wiccan/Pagan communities are getting tired of being equated to something they don’t believe in.  And to be frank, so am I.

Originally posted 2009-11-05 19:23:48.

(Note from Daven:  This is another resource used in a class I was taking at one time, but this touched me enough that I decided to put it here as well.  I hope you all see what I saw in this the first time I read it.)

The Tale of the Seeker and the Crone

From:  The Properties of Life
by Maragano

The Seeker traveled many miles to a temple high in the western mountains.  There, in the outer court, sat a Crone.  The Seeker went up to the Crone and said, “Old Mother, I have come from far to study at this temple.  How may I gain entrance?”

The Crone did not look up from where she sat, but simply said, “You have three questions to ask, Seeker.  If they are the correct questions, you may enter.  If not, you must go elsewhere.”

“i am tired and hungry.  I need sleep and food,” protested the Seeker.

The Crone raised her hand and cut short the Seeker’s protest.  “Your first question, Seeker, or leave now.”

The Seeker sat down and was quiet for a while.  Then the Seeker said, “Old Mother, what would be the three best questions to ask?”

“You have asked your first question, Seeker.”  The Crone nodded.  “The three best questions to ask are:  First – ‘What is our theology?’ – so that you will know what we believe is what you believe as well.  Second – ‘What are your responsibilities to us, and our responsibilities to you?’ – so that you will know what sort of bargain is being made.  Third – ‘How do I know I have been called?’ – so you do not spend your life in illusion.  Now, Seeker, for your second question.”

“Old Mother, what is the answer to those three questions?”

The Old Mother told of the beliefs of the temple.  She told the Seeker the outer names of the Goddess and the God the temple was built to honor.  She told of the rites and the reasons for them.  As day passed into night, robed figures came into the courtyard and lit fires at the four quarters to dispel the darkness.  As the moon boat crested the horizon, the Crone began to answer the Seeker’s second question.  She told of the blessings of the High Ones and all that they had given to us and what they asked in return.  As dawn cleared the darkness from the sky, she looked up for the first time, and looking deep into the Seeker’s eyes, she said, “Seeker, only you know if you come here to run away from a world that has battered you, or because all the world is here.  Now, Seeker, for your third question.”

Mother, I have heard all that you have said.  I have trod many false paths in search of this temple.  I am tired and hungry for all that you have to offer.  I fear that it is too much for me to learn.  But, Old Mother, may I come in and try?”

The Old Mother stood and helped the Seeker to stand, and said, “Come, Seeker.  We will both go in and learn together.”

(from January 1982 Georgian Newsletter)

Originally posted 2009-11-14 23:10:11.

I was thinking about a snark I did yesterday on Persecution, then a friend posted about persecution on her LJ and it got me thinking:

Pagans really don’t have a candle to hold to anyone on the persecution scale.

I heard this piece coming into work this morning on NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6349532

One of the things that struck me is that the fighting between the Suni and Sheite groups is causing diversified communities to be one or the other. Steve Inskeep, the comentator on that piece said “in some communities, the clensing….is complete.” Meaning that one sect KILLED OFF the entirety of the other sect, or forced them out.

Part of the process is to grab people off the street, call their homes and ask relatives to confirm that their loved one is Suni or Sheite. It’s a crap shoot as to whether or not they get home at that point.

Consider this for a moment. You as a pagan are sitting in your house. You get a call. On the other end of the phone you hear a voice you don’t recognize who tells you they are with the “Freedom Feris” and they have your loved one. They then demand that you confirm that your loved one is Black Forest Tradition. You know that if you say the wrong thing, then you are never going to see that loved one again, until you identify the body. What do you say?

You say something and the phone goes dead in your hand. Now comes the worry time. Does your loved one get home, or did you sentance them to being shot in the street like a dog?

And this is not an isolated incident, this HAPPENS EVERY DAY in Iraq. Multiple times a day. AND if they don’t kill the Suni they picked up, they may ransom him back, so now these people are pauperizing themselves to buy the freedom of those they love.

And little playgans are bitching about having “Happy Samhain” erased from the campus whiteboard?

Listening to the stories that came out of WWII and the Jewish Holocaust, listening to these horror stories coming out of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (where the Taliban executed people in the street because they weren’t dressed right) is eye opening.

I read in National Geographic about the Taliban when December rolled around in 2001. I knew nothing about them. This was a philosophical movement among college students to return to some of the roots of Islam. It got so hemmed in with rules that men’s beards were measured for length and they could be jailed if the beard wasn’t long enough. That’s like Fred Phelps having the authority to execute anyone that didn’t have the right brand of hat on.

Stories about a school being on fire, and THE STUDENTS NOT BEING ALLOWED TO ESCAPE BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE THEIR VEILS ON. So those women and girls DIED in screaming, flaming agony while the firefighters forced them back in to either get their veils or die.

But little Wicletts think they are persecuted.

Repost this. As soon as I can I’m going to open this up to the Public, but I want these idiots who think that being Pagan is as hard as it gets to go spend some time as a white person in the Congo, or to have to dress in a burqua and walk the streets of Saudi Arabia to learn what persecution REALLY is.

Originally posted 2006-10-20 08:41:31.