3rd Yearnings
The right thingamajig for the job
Sunday, 04Jan2009 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ manifest
So does my tool fetish
really qualify as a fetish?
really qualify as a fetish?
Thursday, 18Jun2009 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Tool fetish
Tuesday, 16Jun2009 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ manifest
Practical thingamabobs
Friday, 15Oct2010 Filed in: practicals
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20091015080006
Cross posted at www.teknopagan.com/files/TPY-Thingamabobs091015.html
Pagan stuff you didn't think was Pagan.
Sometimes I think that Crow and Magpie split all the franchises on Pagan shops. There's all the bright shiny things. And the soft silky things. And the exotic strange things. And all the rest that hints at Mysterious Lore Only Revealed to the True Seeker. It's romantic, it's unusual, it's meant to catch our attention and our credit cards.
Today I want to tell you about some useful items that aren't necessarily "Pagan" but that I've found useful.
Once I volunteered to help run a Sunship Earth program. That's when I learned about "hard tools." Hard tool is another name for a Sierra cup, one of those massively useful implements that you'll soon wonder how you did without. Forget finding a "portable cauldron," a good Sierra cup is almost made to order for small scale spellcasting. Just make sure you get at least two, one for "working" and one for you to eat and drink from.
"Soft tools" are another legacy of my experience with Sunship Earth . It's another name for a bandanna. I buy them by the dozen in my favorite colors (I love sweatbands in turquoise) from Trader's International. I give a lot away because I do get unusual colors. Besides wiping up sweat and small spills, in a pinch a bandanna can cover a small unconsecrated work area. And it lets you protect the expensive cloths and weavings.
Many Pagan shop sites have mortar & pestle sets, especially if they sell herbs. I have three, one in laboratory ceramic for salts and minerals, one in marble for organics, and one in stainless steel for consumables. The one in stainless steel is food grade and lives in my kitchen away from the other two. If you haven't found a science supply place, try American Science & Surplus, their prices are great. There's Edmund Scientifics, known to generations of American junior high and high school science students and garage tinkerers, but their prices are higher.
A Leatherman, a Swiss army knife, or a good multitool is an absolute must. It's never the "perfect" tool, but it can substitute for many other tools to get the job done quickly. Some people bless theirs and use it an an athamé, I prefer to keep my ritual tools separate.
Muslin tea bags are incredibly useful for small charms and potpourri. I get mine from a tea speciality place in North Carolina.
Cotton and silk thread can be found almost anywhere that sells sewing supplies. The silk is more expensive, but certainly worth it for some spells. Whatever you do, avoid polyester. it doesn't hold a "zap" as well and it smells terrible when burned.
For more substantial needs, go for the satin cord. It's one of the few things I buy from Azure Green. While the cord also comes in 1 yard lengths, I find it's useful to keep a larger spool on hand, at least at home. It's also useful for amulets and pendents. I used to use leather cord for that, but human sweat is mildly salty and acidic. The combination eats the heck out of leather, especially if it's worn daily. I still keep my grandfather's key on leather, but these days the only thing I use leather cord for is wrapping handles on my staves. Leather and satin both hold a "zap" about equally I've found. I have a homemade tool from satin cord to quickly mark circles, from the end of each end loop it is six and a half feet. There are additional loops to mark one and a half, two and a half, three and a half, four and a half, and five feet.
Parachute cord is cheap and rivals duct tape for sheer usefulness. The best and strongest grade, 550 lb test, is only available in limited colors. You won't be swinging off any buildings with this stuff, but it's great for tying things securely, wrapping tool handles, and at least a hundred and eleven other things. Some people keep about fifteen feet or so woven into a bracelet so it's always handy. I've seen the more wild colors and patterns used as shoelaces and walking stick handles. I've had no luck in getting paracord to hold a "zap" for more than a few hours at best.
I use parchment paper and a little sealing wax for packets of herbs and incense I throw in the fire. I prefer to use parchment stationary cut to size and folded into a packet, but cooking parchment will work in a pinch (and is cheaper too). Commercial candle wax has additives and beeswax burns much too hot. Sealing wax has a lower melting temperature. Some people will tell you that you need a signet, but I've found a little spit and a thumbprint works just as well. Plus, you always know where your thumb is.
For someone who's been known to trip over the edge of sunlight and shadow, small glass bottles aren't always the best idea. Recently I've found these plastic test tubes. These actually are two liter soda bottle blanks before they are heated and vacuum molded to full size. Very durable and waterproof, the test tubes work for keeping supplies sorted as well as sample collecting. My mother wants to use them when she collects wildflower seeds. The neighborhood kids absconded with about 3/4's of my first shipment (I was in a good mood that day). And um, truth to tell, these are the closest practical equivalent I've found to the cylinder things on a certain famous utility belt.
Sometimes you need to poke something without touching it and without discharging the "zap." Wood toothpicks work, but if you really want to get the job done, try bamboo skewers. You can probably find them in your local grocery store
I don't smoke, but a lighter is extremely handy. Of course you can get a cheapo Bic from thousands of stores, but you might think about the classic Zippo. It won't blow out in wind, and it stays lit if you set it down. That's handy when you're sealing the end of your paracord, among other things.
Finally, don't overlook the simple pad of paper and a pencil. Very few things work better to sketch, write, and plan. I prefer graph paper myself, but that's me. Just get something where it's okay to make a mistake and scratch stuff out. Leave the fancy papers and the custom BOS for the final version, after you're tested it.
Today I want to tell you about some useful items that aren't necessarily "Pagan" but that I've found useful.
Once I volunteered to help run a Sunship Earth program. That's when I learned about "hard tools." Hard tool is another name for a Sierra cup, one of those massively useful implements that you'll soon wonder how you did without. Forget finding a "portable cauldron," a good Sierra cup is almost made to order for small scale spellcasting. Just make sure you get at least two, one for "working" and one for you to eat and drink from.
"Soft tools" are another legacy of my experience with Sunship Earth . It's another name for a bandanna. I buy them by the dozen in my favorite colors (I love sweatbands in turquoise) from Trader's International. I give a lot away because I do get unusual colors. Besides wiping up sweat and small spills, in a pinch a bandanna can cover a small unconsecrated work area. And it lets you protect the expensive cloths and weavings.
Many Pagan shop sites have mortar & pestle sets, especially if they sell herbs. I have three, one in laboratory ceramic for salts and minerals, one in marble for organics, and one in stainless steel for consumables. The one in stainless steel is food grade and lives in my kitchen away from the other two. If you haven't found a science supply place, try American Science & Surplus, their prices are great. There's Edmund Scientifics, known to generations of American junior high and high school science students and garage tinkerers, but their prices are higher.
A Leatherman, a Swiss army knife, or a good multitool is an absolute must. It's never the "perfect" tool, but it can substitute for many other tools to get the job done quickly. Some people bless theirs and use it an an athamé, I prefer to keep my ritual tools separate.
Muslin tea bags are incredibly useful for small charms and potpourri. I get mine from a tea speciality place in North Carolina.
Cotton and silk thread can be found almost anywhere that sells sewing supplies. The silk is more expensive, but certainly worth it for some spells. Whatever you do, avoid polyester. it doesn't hold a "zap" as well and it smells terrible when burned.
For more substantial needs, go for the satin cord. It's one of the few things I buy from Azure Green. While the cord also comes in 1 yard lengths, I find it's useful to keep a larger spool on hand, at least at home. It's also useful for amulets and pendents. I used to use leather cord for that, but human sweat is mildly salty and acidic. The combination eats the heck out of leather, especially if it's worn daily. I still keep my grandfather's key on leather, but these days the only thing I use leather cord for is wrapping handles on my staves. Leather and satin both hold a "zap" about equally I've found. I have a homemade tool from satin cord to quickly mark circles, from the end of each end loop it is six and a half feet. There are additional loops to mark one and a half, two and a half, three and a half, four and a half, and five feet.
Parachute cord is cheap and rivals duct tape for sheer usefulness. The best and strongest grade, 550 lb test, is only available in limited colors. You won't be swinging off any buildings with this stuff, but it's great for tying things securely, wrapping tool handles, and at least a hundred and eleven other things. Some people keep about fifteen feet or so woven into a bracelet so it's always handy. I've seen the more wild colors and patterns used as shoelaces and walking stick handles. I've had no luck in getting paracord to hold a "zap" for more than a few hours at best.
I use parchment paper and a little sealing wax for packets of herbs and incense I throw in the fire. I prefer to use parchment stationary cut to size and folded into a packet, but cooking parchment will work in a pinch (and is cheaper too). Commercial candle wax has additives and beeswax burns much too hot. Sealing wax has a lower melting temperature. Some people will tell you that you need a signet, but I've found a little spit and a thumbprint works just as well. Plus, you always know where your thumb is.
For someone who's been known to trip over the edge of sunlight and shadow, small glass bottles aren't always the best idea. Recently I've found these plastic test tubes. These actually are two liter soda bottle blanks before they are heated and vacuum molded to full size. Very durable and waterproof, the test tubes work for keeping supplies sorted as well as sample collecting. My mother wants to use them when she collects wildflower seeds. The neighborhood kids absconded with about 3/4's of my first shipment (I was in a good mood that day). And um, truth to tell, these are the closest practical equivalent I've found to the cylinder things on a certain famous utility belt.
Sometimes you need to poke something without touching it and without discharging the "zap." Wood toothpicks work, but if you really want to get the job done, try bamboo skewers. You can probably find them in your local grocery store
I don't smoke, but a lighter is extremely handy. Of course you can get a cheapo Bic from thousands of stores, but you might think about the classic Zippo. It won't blow out in wind, and it stays lit if you set it down. That's handy when you're sealing the end of your paracord, among other things.
Finally, don't overlook the simple pad of paper and a pencil. Very few things work better to sketch, write, and plan. I prefer graph paper myself, but that's me. Just get something where it's okay to make a mistake and scratch stuff out. Leave the fancy papers and the custom BOS for the final version, after you're tested it.
Technowhizzes I have known
Tuesday, 12May2009 Filed in: practicals
Where did I stick that?
Friday, 05Feb2010 Filed in: practicals
Poking around and organizing
Sunday, 28Feb2010 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Reincarnation Neo style
Friday, 13Jan2006 Filed in: beliefs
h4 class="blurb">Drama kings and queens and their effect on worship Read More...
The "war on Christmas" got me thinking
Wednesday, 04Jan2006 Filed in: beliefs
Elvis has left the building
Friday, 01Feb2008 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ manifest
Attention technopagans
Wednesday, 28Nov2007 Filed in: practicals
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Read More...Looking for good causes
Thursday, 08Nov2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ manifest
“Because there is very little honor left in American life, there is a certain built-in tendency to destroy masculinity in American men.”
Absolutely mythical
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20071009133622
Dualism and modern mythology
From some reason as I write this, I've got the tune to Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible running through my head with new lyrics.
When it comes to modern Pagan philosophers, Isaac Bonewits was one of my earliest influences. His writings on the distortions created by dualistic assumptions were some of the best I had ever read. It was one of those "ton of brick" moments, I was struggling with my identity as a Pagan despite being raised Christian. And Bonewits is absolutely right.
Except when it comes to his own politics.
It's common. Those EITHER/OR blinders are a lot more widespread than we comfortably admit. Especially when it comes to ourselves.
My own blinders include prejudices against "fluffy bunnies" and until quite recently otherkin. Part of that was because I didn't make the effort to dig deeper, but mainly because the "noisiest" examples aren't necessarily the people you'd want around you. There are exceptions, but they are difficult to find.
I absolutely love Wren's Nest, I consider it one of the the best Pagan news sources around. But it doesn't take long before a commenter trots out the anti-Christian bit on almost any thread.
One of my hard won life lessons that I am willing to share is very simple. When you see two and only two alternatives, start looking for the third.
In most situations, either/or choices don't work.
A dualistic mind set is one of those REALLY BAD™ ideas.
It doesn't matter if it's Christian vs. Pagan, Democrat vs. Republican, or Freemasons vs. the Elks.
I made that last one up. And that is my point. The myths we choose to talk about and live are the memes that shape our lives, regardless of their "truth."
I want to talk about one of the best known myths of our time, and how it illustrates the Third Way that overcomes dualism. I'm talking about the Star Wars films.
Specifically, I want to concentrate on the differences between the pre-Empire Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire on the large scale, and between Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker on the small scale.
From the original films, we know that the Galactic Empire is EVIL BAD in capital letters. They destroy entire planets. They make their stormtroopers wear dorky armor that doesn't seem to deflect much blaster fire. They squeeze the economies of their member planets. They send secret operatives to ferret out dissent.
From the prequel films, we know that the Republic are the good guys. They have a democratic tradition which prevents justice and can be manipulated behind the scenes. They make their cloned stormtroopers wear dorky armor that doesn't seem to prevent much blaster fire. They squeeze the economies of their member planets. And they send secret operatives to ferret out dissent.
The Empire has the Death Star, but the Republic is incapable of defending one of it's members from the advances of another. Is it evil to destroy life with the push of a button or with the procedural vote?
Be careful, that is one of those either/or choices I warned you about.
So let's look at how Anakin Skywalker fared under the Galactic Republic.
Time after time, he's told that he has to deny his passions, his connections to other people. It's not pure, it's not the Way of the Jedi. At first, he's even denied the Jedi training. The mighty Jedi Council sits on high, dispassionately evaluating everything and totally blind to the Sith.
The one Jedi Master who thinks outside the box well enough to help Anakin come to terms with his feelings is dead by the end of the first prequel film.
Despite promises of freedom and justice, Anakin's mother remains a slave and is killed without the protection of the Republic. Anakin's visions torment him with visions of his beloved dying in despair. The Jedi Council won't make him a Master, despite his obvious gifts and abilities.
To Anakin, the Republic betrayed him long before he took up the path of a Sith Lord.
Luke Skywalker fared even worse under the Galactic Empire. His guardians were killed by stormtroopers. He knew that Darth Vader had "killed" his father. He watched as Vader sliced his mentor in half. If anyone had a reason for revenge, it was Luke.
As Luke progressed in his training, his teachers stress that he must disassociate his feelings from his actions. Time after time, he is told that only a fully trained Jedi could hope to face Vader and the Emperor.
Yet there was an x-factor, something totally unexpected. Even before Luke knew Leia was his sister, there was a connection that grew only stronger the more time they spent together. Luke could feel how his sister felt about Han Solo, the charming rogue who only became a hero because his friends were in danger.
Anakin didn't have a Han Solo. Luke did.
That's why Luke knew his father could be redeemed. He had already seen Han redeemed.
I'd like to say that the clues were there. Red Flight became Rogue Flight. Han's military and practical experience showed up on Hoth and in the deference that the Rebels gave Han and Chewie. More than anything else, more than the pronouncements of Yoda or the promises of Ben Kenobi, Luke knew that he could count on Han to pull him out of a disaster.
"That's two you owe me, junior."
It was the connection to Leia that let Luke survive his first encounter with Vader. It was Han's willing sacrifice that let Leia, Chewie, Lando, and the droids escape.
Because, you see, even though the good guys won and the Emperor was destroyed, it wasn't done by the way of the Jedi.
It was a man who had mastered the way of the Jedi but chose a path of compassion.
Luke Skywalker looked for the third way beyond either/or. That's what let him win.
That's the real myth of Star Wars. Not good versus evil.
The Sith could only exist because the Jedi were incomplete. And the Sith were doomed because they were the flip side and just as incomplete.
The only lasting solution was to find another way not in the assumptions of either "side." And the man who made it possible wasn't a Jedi, but a good man who chose to be better out of friendship and love.
So how does this relate to us?
Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it is enough to know that there are usually more than two answers. Maybe it is enough to know that sometimes our expectations shape our answers more than any truth.
And maybe it is enough knowing that only two answers mirror each other.
When it comes to modern Pagan philosophers, Isaac Bonewits was one of my earliest influences. His writings on the distortions created by dualistic assumptions were some of the best I had ever read. It was one of those "ton of brick" moments, I was struggling with my identity as a Pagan despite being raised Christian. And Bonewits is absolutely right.
Except when it comes to his own politics.
It's common. Those EITHER/OR blinders are a lot more widespread than we comfortably admit. Especially when it comes to ourselves.
My own blinders include prejudices against "fluffy bunnies" and until quite recently otherkin. Part of that was because I didn't make the effort to dig deeper, but mainly because the "noisiest" examples aren't necessarily the people you'd want around you. There are exceptions, but they are difficult to find.
I absolutely love Wren's Nest, I consider it one of the the best Pagan news sources around. But it doesn't take long before a commenter trots out the anti-Christian bit on almost any thread.
One of my hard won life lessons that I am willing to share is very simple. When you see two and only two alternatives, start looking for the third.
In most situations, either/or choices don't work.
A dualistic mind set is one of those REALLY BAD™ ideas.
It doesn't matter if it's Christian vs. Pagan, Democrat vs. Republican, or Freemasons vs. the Elks.
I made that last one up. And that is my point. The myths we choose to talk about and live are the memes that shape our lives, regardless of their "truth."
I want to talk about one of the best known myths of our time, and how it illustrates the Third Way that overcomes dualism. I'm talking about the Star Wars films.
Specifically, I want to concentrate on the differences between the pre-Empire Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire on the large scale, and between Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker on the small scale.
From the original films, we know that the Galactic Empire is EVIL BAD in capital letters. They destroy entire planets. They make their stormtroopers wear dorky armor that doesn't seem to deflect much blaster fire. They squeeze the economies of their member planets. They send secret operatives to ferret out dissent.
From the prequel films, we know that the Republic are the good guys. They have a democratic tradition which prevents justice and can be manipulated behind the scenes. They make their cloned stormtroopers wear dorky armor that doesn't seem to prevent much blaster fire. They squeeze the economies of their member planets. And they send secret operatives to ferret out dissent.
The Empire has the Death Star, but the Republic is incapable of defending one of it's members from the advances of another. Is it evil to destroy life with the push of a button or with the procedural vote?
Be careful, that is one of those either/or choices I warned you about.
So let's look at how Anakin Skywalker fared under the Galactic Republic.
Time after time, he's told that he has to deny his passions, his connections to other people. It's not pure, it's not the Way of the Jedi. At first, he's even denied the Jedi training. The mighty Jedi Council sits on high, dispassionately evaluating everything and totally blind to the Sith.
The one Jedi Master who thinks outside the box well enough to help Anakin come to terms with his feelings is dead by the end of the first prequel film.
Despite promises of freedom and justice, Anakin's mother remains a slave and is killed without the protection of the Republic. Anakin's visions torment him with visions of his beloved dying in despair. The Jedi Council won't make him a Master, despite his obvious gifts and abilities.
To Anakin, the Republic betrayed him long before he took up the path of a Sith Lord.
Luke Skywalker fared even worse under the Galactic Empire. His guardians were killed by stormtroopers. He knew that Darth Vader had "killed" his father. He watched as Vader sliced his mentor in half. If anyone had a reason for revenge, it was Luke.
As Luke progressed in his training, his teachers stress that he must disassociate his feelings from his actions. Time after time, he is told that only a fully trained Jedi could hope to face Vader and the Emperor.
Yet there was an x-factor, something totally unexpected. Even before Luke knew Leia was his sister, there was a connection that grew only stronger the more time they spent together. Luke could feel how his sister felt about Han Solo, the charming rogue who only became a hero because his friends were in danger.
Anakin didn't have a Han Solo. Luke did.
That's why Luke knew his father could be redeemed. He had already seen Han redeemed.
I'd like to say that the clues were there. Red Flight became Rogue Flight. Han's military and practical experience showed up on Hoth and in the deference that the Rebels gave Han and Chewie. More than anything else, more than the pronouncements of Yoda or the promises of Ben Kenobi, Luke knew that he could count on Han to pull him out of a disaster.
"That's two you owe me, junior."
It was the connection to Leia that let Luke survive his first encounter with Vader. It was Han's willing sacrifice that let Leia, Chewie, Lando, and the droids escape.
Because, you see, even though the good guys won and the Emperor was destroyed, it wasn't done by the way of the Jedi.
It was a man who had mastered the way of the Jedi but chose a path of compassion.
Luke Skywalker looked for the third way beyond either/or. That's what let him win.
That's the real myth of Star Wars. Not good versus evil.
The Sith could only exist because the Jedi were incomplete. And the Sith were doomed because they were the flip side and just as incomplete.
The only lasting solution was to find another way not in the assumptions of either "side." And the man who made it possible wasn't a Jedi, but a good man who chose to be better out of friendship and love.
So how does this relate to us?
Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it is enough to know that there are usually more than two answers. Maybe it is enough to know that sometimes our expectations shape our answers more than any truth.
And maybe it is enough knowing that only two answers mirror each other.
Revived 28Jul2019
Sunday, 28Jul2019 Filed in: site news
“Nudity is a problem for Americans. It disrupts our social exchange.”
Getting my internet fix
Thursday, 08Jun2006 Filed in: site news
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Read More...Thursday will be Friday, and still the world turns
Friday, 17Feb2006 Filed in: site news
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C429302356/E20060217050734
Running late again
Just a quick note to let you know that the Thursday entry got pushed back to Friday.
And if you think this week is bad, don't talk to me about next week. I'm going to be lucky to get one on this blog.
And if you think this week is bad, don't talk to me about next week. I'm going to be lucky to get one on this blog.
Reflections
Sunday, 05Feb2006 Filed in: site news
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C429302356/E20060203234434
I'm really beginning to understand why it is so hard to find good Pagan blogs.
I'll spare you the bit about perspectives from a candle flame and catch you up on what has been happening.
I'm really beginning to understand why it is so hard to find good Pagan blogs.
I mean, Pagan news is covered mostly by Wren's Nest and a few others. And I am personally against the cutesy "these are the eight Pagan holidays" introductory basic web sites. Or the ones that give you steps to "cast your VERY OWN SPELL!!!!"
Which, fortunately, do seem to be dying out.
Since Thursday morning, I have tried to write on four separate topics. One of them was so trite I am ashamed of it, the other three, well, I didn't really feel like sharing. So I am going to do some thinking about what I want this blog to say and how I want to say it. One thing I can tell you, three times a week is just too much. I end up pounding my head against the wall trying to come up with something new on Fridays.
My head can take it, but the wall is beginning to get dented. And the paint and plaster takes extra shampoo to wash out.
Anyway, I am going to switch to Tuesdays and Thursdays for this blog. This thing is supposed to be something I enjoy and not something I have to do. Well, I have to do it but by the gods I am going to have fun with it.
I'm really beginning to understand why it is so hard to find good Pagan blogs.
I mean, Pagan news is covered mostly by Wren's Nest and a few others. And I am personally against the cutesy "these are the eight Pagan holidays" introductory basic web sites. Or the ones that give you steps to "cast your VERY OWN SPELL!!!!"
Which, fortunately, do seem to be dying out.
Since Thursday morning, I have tried to write on four separate topics. One of them was so trite I am ashamed of it, the other three, well, I didn't really feel like sharing. So I am going to do some thinking about what I want this blog to say and how I want to say it. One thing I can tell you, three times a week is just too much. I end up pounding my head against the wall trying to come up with something new on Fridays.
My head can take it, but the wall is beginning to get dented. And the paint and plaster takes extra shampoo to wash out.
Anyway, I am going to switch to Tuesdays and Thursdays for this blog. This thing is supposed to be something I enjoy and not something I have to do. Well, I have to do it but by the gods I am going to have fun with it.
Revived 24May2019
Friday, 24May2019 Filed in: site news
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Read More...No Monday entry
Tuesday, 17Jan2006 Filed in: site news
“In which you are introduced to the life and accomplishments of Alexander the Great, his empire, his horse Bucephalus, the empires that came after him, and the idea of Greatness. Is greatness a question of accomplishment, of impact, or are people great because the rest of us decide they're great?”
Read More...Technopaganism
Friday, 23Dec2005 Filed in: beliefs
Related to who?
Tuesday, 11Oct2005 Filed in: beliefs
Sorry about that. I wasn't going to load the new stuff until I had all the changes made.
Read More...Keeping vigil
Friday, 23Sep2005 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ rite & ritual
No Recent Comments or links here either
Saturday, 17Dec2005 Filed in: site news
Where to find me
Thursday, 10Nov2005 Filed in: site news
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C429302356/E1269497429
Actual web locations and frame pages
Sorry about the lack of updates, my offline life has interfered in my news reading. And I am WAY behind on my email. Some of the things I have managed to sneak in are working on my homepage and some frame pages to drive traffic here.
My new homepage is not only my browser homepage, but it's intended to let interested folks know where I am on the web and some more of the things about me. It's still under construction though, but this is where you can find it. Actual address is in bold, frame pages are in italics.
While I was at it, I did some frame pages for my blogs. This is where you can find Pagan Vigil. Again, actual address is in bold, frame pages are in italics.
Technopagan Yearnings, my Pagan blog, can be found here. Same deal with the addresses.
Anyway, that is where I have been, and I should be catching up with posting tomorrow and the weekend.
My new homepage is not only my browser homepage, but it's intended to let interested folks know where I am on the web and some more of the things about me. It's still under construction though, but this is where you can find it. Actual address is in bold, frame pages are in italics.
http://www.neowayland.net
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/
http://www.geocities.com/neowayland/
http://homepage.mac.com/neowayland/
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/
http://www.geocities.com/neowayland/
http://homepage.mac.com/neowayland/
While I was at it, I did some frame pages for my blogs. This is where you can find Pagan Vigil. Again, actual address is in bold, frame pages are in italics.
http://www.paganvigil.com
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/paganvigil.html
Technopagan Yearnings, my Pagan blog, can be found here. Same deal with the addresses.
http://www.neowayland.com
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/technopagan.html
http://www.geocities.com/neowayland/technopagan.html
http://homepage.mac.com/neowayland/iblog.index
http://members.aol.com/neowayland/technopagan.html
http://www.geocities.com/neowayland/technopagan.html
http://homepage.mac.com/neowayland/iblog.index
Anyway, that is where I have been, and I should be catching up with posting tomorrow and the weekend.
Posted: Thu - November 10, 2005 at 04:51 PM
Cross posted to Pagan•Vigil and Technopagan Yearnings.
Practicals
Tuesday, 04Oct2005 Filed in: site news⭐︎ practicals
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C429302356/E1526042797
Non magickal and non religious tips to make your paganism work better
I've created a new category called Practicals.
Basically it is all the stuff that makes paganism work better without being specific to any one tradition or working.
I've moved my Harassment article there and I will make a couple of more entries tonight.
Basically it is all the stuff that makes paganism work better without being specific to any one tradition or working.
I've moved my Harassment article there and I will make a couple of more entries tonight.
Podcasts in link section
Saturday, 06Aug2005 Filed in: site news
“In which John introduces you to quite a lot of Chinese history by discussing the complicated relationship between the Confucian scholars who wrote Chinese history and the emperors (and empress) who made it. Included is a brief introduction to all the dynasties in Chinese history and an introduction to Confucius and the Confucian emphasis on filial piety, the role the mandate of heaven played in organizing China, and how China became the first modern state.”
Read More...Back again, jiggity jig
Saturday, 04Jun2005 Filed in: site news
“Objects or beings in physical or psychic contact with each other continue to interact after separation.”— Isaac Bonewits, The Laws of Magic, The Law of Contagion
Links - The Wild Hunt Blog
Sunday, 22May2005 Filed in: site news
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C429302356/E4072503
Blog rolls and other creatures
Jason Pitzl-Waters of The WildHunt.org Weblog has been gracious enough to add Technopagan Yearnings to his blog roll.
*mad cackle* My secret plan for domination of the Pagan blogworld is underway!!!
Seriously though, connections to other Pagans is one of our greatest strengths these days, and Mr. Pitzl-Waters writes a prolific and very thought provoking blog. Give him a read, you'll enjoy it.
*mad cackle* My secret plan for domination of the Pagan blogworld is underway!!!
Seriously though, connections to other Pagans is one of our greatest strengths these days, and Mr. Pitzl-Waters writes a prolific and very thought provoking blog. Give him a read, you'll enjoy it.
Redux: Christians & Pagan Tolerance
Thursday, 11Feb2010 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ entertainment
Forget the red pill, go for the green drink
Tuesday, 04Aug2009 Filed in: entertainment⭐︎ philosophy
Solstice snow - updated
Tuesday, 22Dec2009 Filed in: celebrations & passages
Do you believe
Tuesday, 16Mar2010 Filed in: celebrations & passages⭐︎ entertainment
My Earth Day
Thursday, 22Apr2010 Filed in: celebrations & passages
❝Individuals have rights. Groups have power plays.❞— NeoWayland, On Pagan Rights
Yesterday's news…
h4 class="blurb">I don't have a stake in that fight. Or the other three either. Read More...
On Pagan Rights
Thursday, 29Jul2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
I'm going to leave it alone
Monday, 23Aug2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
“Even when we are nude, we hide our bodies in shame. Every minute of every day.”— Why Be Socially Nude? from Family Skinnydippers
On that Pagan community thing
Sunday, 05Sep2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Memorial Day musings
Monday, 30May2005 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Although I feel sex and combining sex with religion can be positive, I can't deny abuse by certain pagans.
Read More...A time for Blessings
Wednesday, 31Aug2005 Filed in: Bless list
A friend in need
Tuesday, 14Jun2005 Filed in: Bless list
Revived - November 23, 2018
Friday, 23Nov2018 Filed in: site news⭐︎ Bless list⭐︎ beliefs⭐︎ modern adult pagans⭐︎ celebrations & passages⭐︎ entertainment
Tools
Thursday, 09Aug2007 Filed in: practicals
Any suggestions?
Tuesday, 07Aug2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Stating the obvious
Sunday, 11Nov2007 Filed in: practicals
Archaeoastronomy
Wednesday, 02May2007 Filed in: practicals
A new balance
❝Evil spelled backwards is live. That's what I do.❞— NeoWayland, October - updated
“We are the Pagans who have moved on”
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Read More...Revived - November 16, 2018
Friday, 16Nov2018 Filed in: site news⭐︎ celebrations & passages⭐︎ modern adult pagans⭐︎ practicals⭐︎ beliefs
Mark time
Tuesday, 27Apr2010 Filed in: celebrations & passages⭐︎ rite & ritual
Meant to be used
Wednesday, 22Sep2010 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C550866538/E20100922133520
Gifts from the gods
❝No matter how beautiful the form, god inspired crafting is meant to be used. It's dishonorable to receive a gift from the gods and put it on a shelf just to look at on special occasions.❞
Okay, so yes, it's self-referential.
Doesn't mean it's not true though.
May you find your own god-gifts this equinox.
Doesn't mean it's not true though.
May you find your own god-gifts this equinox.
“I dare you to do it better!”
orAdventures in Mythmaking
orAdventures in Mythmaking
Wednesday, 03Mar2010 Filed in: entertainment
Isaac Bonewits is calling for spells to change the outcome of the Senate vote on judicial filibusters.
Read More...Revived - November 9, 2018
As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Sometimes the sad songs do help
Spells for Democracy?
Myth ruminations
“I dare you to do it better!”
orAdventures in Mythmaking
Meant to be used
On the Threefold Law of Return
A Rule of Three
Sometimes the sad songs do help
Tuesday, 03Feb2009 Filed in: entertainment
Pagan Films Part II
- Projecting the Horror
- Projecting the Horror
Friday, 28Jul2006 Filed in: entertainment⭐︎ sex
Pagan films part 1 - updated
Wednesday, 01Nov2006 Filed in: entertainment
New Features
Tuesday, 17May2005 Filed in: site news
Haven't quite vanished
Sunday, 15May2005 Filed in: site news
Okay, rain break over
Wednesday, 08Sep2010 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ modern adult pagans
Measure that!
Tuesday, 28Sep2010 Filed in: practicals
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20100928130052
Cool way to measure tablespoons, teaspoons, and ounces.
One site I follow regularly is Cool Tools. I'd call it a must for a technopagan or someone with a tool obsession. Like me on both counts.
So last week I was reading about this Mini Measure Shot Glass. I wasn't driving into Flagstaff, but I knew someone who was and I asked her to pick me up two (one for the kitchen and one for the sanctum) . They cost all of $3.50 each in Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
This is one of the best commercial alternatives I've seen to measuring spoons. My hands aren't quite as steady as I would like them to be sometimes.
So last week I was reading about this Mini Measure Shot Glass. I wasn't driving into Flagstaff, but I knew someone who was and I asked her to pick me up two (one for the kitchen and one for the sanctum) . They cost all of $3.50 each in Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
This is one of the best commercial alternatives I've seen to measuring spoons. My hands aren't quite as steady as I would like them to be sometimes.
Elite witchcraft
Thursday, 12Apr2007 Filed in: practicals
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20070412051550
Reconsidering the answer to an old post
The thing with Witch School reminded me of a comment from Juliaki on this post.
She asked "Why is elitism bad?"
I suppose it comes down to if the elitism is earned or bestowed.
When it comes to titles, Pagan titles in particular, they really don't tell me much.
"Vice President of Marketing." "Lady of the Inner Circle." "Teacher."
These titles tell nothing.
The virtue isn't in the title you see, the virtue is in the individual.
Titles draw their power from the virtue of the individual.
So what makes an elite?
The actions and choices of an individual.
We recognize elitism all the time. You go to your doctor because you trust him, not necessarily because of those initials behind his name. You call the plumber that you know will show up and fix the problem. You don't go to just any restaurant, you carefully choose.
If witchcraft were a profession, people would want to know about the individual reputation.
Not if a person was a witch or not.
If you had an English sports car, would you take it to just any mechanic? If you want a good quality towel, will you go the the closeout bin at the dollar store? If you need your taxes done, will you use your neighbor's sister's friend?
You may get exactly what you want from these places, but you have no way of knowing which will pay off and which will not. And there is no guarantee that it will pay off more than once.
Thinking about it, over the years we've assumed that there is some sort of egalitarianism in witchcraft and Pagan beliefs. There is not. Not all witches are equal. Not all Pagans are equal. Not all Pagans are witches.
Let's put in another word that is supposed to be a no-no.
Discrimination.
Discrimination is not necessarily evil.
I don't want my Baptist relatives telling me how to practice my faith. I don't necessarily want them telling me how to practice magick either, even though some of them do exactly that, all be it in rather limited circumstances. I'm discriminating because I don't think they know enough to tell me what I need to know.
People are not all equally gifted. Certainly Pagans aren't all equally gifted. Should each be given the same consideration?
All I have got to go on is the individual reputation. And once there is someone I can trust, I am more likely to pay attention to THEIR choices than I am someone I do not know.
So should witchcraft be elite?
Why should it be any different?
She asked "Why is elitism bad?"
I suppose it comes down to if the elitism is earned or bestowed.
When it comes to titles, Pagan titles in particular, they really don't tell me much.
"Vice President of Marketing." "Lady of the Inner Circle." "Teacher."
These titles tell nothing.
The virtue isn't in the title you see, the virtue is in the individual.
Titles draw their power from the virtue of the individual.
So what makes an elite?
The actions and choices of an individual.
We recognize elitism all the time. You go to your doctor because you trust him, not necessarily because of those initials behind his name. You call the plumber that you know will show up and fix the problem. You don't go to just any restaurant, you carefully choose.
If witchcraft were a profession, people would want to know about the individual reputation.
Not if a person was a witch or not.
If you had an English sports car, would you take it to just any mechanic? If you want a good quality towel, will you go the the closeout bin at the dollar store? If you need your taxes done, will you use your neighbor's sister's friend?
You may get exactly what you want from these places, but you have no way of knowing which will pay off and which will not. And there is no guarantee that it will pay off more than once.
Thinking about it, over the years we've assumed that there is some sort of egalitarianism in witchcraft and Pagan beliefs. There is not. Not all witches are equal. Not all Pagans are equal. Not all Pagans are witches.
Let's put in another word that is supposed to be a no-no.
Discrimination.
Discrimination is not necessarily evil.
I don't want my Baptist relatives telling me how to practice my faith. I don't necessarily want them telling me how to practice magick either, even though some of them do exactly that, all be it in rather limited circumstances. I'm discriminating because I don't think they know enough to tell me what I need to know.
People are not all equally gifted. Certainly Pagans aren't all equally gifted. Should each be given the same consideration?
All I have got to go on is the individual reputation. And once there is someone I can trust, I am more likely to pay attention to THEIR choices than I am someone I do not know.
So should witchcraft be elite?
Why should it be any different?
Revived - November 2, 2018
“Every person has the right to control their own sexuality, and nobody else’s.”— Maggie McNeill, Standing in the Rain
Scrying with the Dark Moon
Tuesday, 27Jun2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20060627034440
One of my (suitably edited) Dark Moon rites
The Dark Moon is one of my favorite times for reflection.
I'm not particularly gifted in augury, but some methods work to find a meditation focus or settling exercise.
When I can, usually two or three times a year, I like to do a more formal ritual.
I know that the tools aren't strictly necessary, but I find it reassuring to use them when I can.
I start at twilight, when the sun has slipped below the horizon and there is a deep violet at the edge of the horizon. That is when I start cleaning the ritual space. Can't use a circle in this one.
By the time full dark has set in, I am ready. I have a small candle on a small stand at about eye level at about chest height.
My scrying bowl is black with a slightly reflective interior. It sits beside me at first. I put the dry ingredients in a mortar, moon blessed sea salt, cinnamon, a few other things. I grind it into a very small powder. Not much. When the dry has been thoroughly crushed, I put the mortar and pestle down and take up the scyring bowl. Very carefully I hold it up to the stars, letting their light fill it. Then I close my eyes and pour the light into my face.
Very carefully I take a small amount of oil on my finger and draw a quick sign in the bottom of the bowl. I sprinkle the dry ingredients over the sign. Then I breathe on the sign.
Then I light the candle.
Holding the bowl in my lap, I very slowly add water. I crouch over it and look through the candle reflection in the water.
Of course, this description is incomplete. But you can see where it is going.
I'm not particularly gifted in augury, but some methods work to find a meditation focus or settling exercise.
When I can, usually two or three times a year, I like to do a more formal ritual.
I know that the tools aren't strictly necessary, but I find it reassuring to use them when I can.
I start at twilight, when the sun has slipped below the horizon and there is a deep violet at the edge of the horizon. That is when I start cleaning the ritual space. Can't use a circle in this one.
By the time full dark has set in, I am ready. I have a small candle on a small stand at about eye level at about chest height.
My scrying bowl is black with a slightly reflective interior. It sits beside me at first. I put the dry ingredients in a mortar, moon blessed sea salt, cinnamon, a few other things. I grind it into a very small powder. Not much. When the dry has been thoroughly crushed, I put the mortar and pestle down and take up the scyring bowl. Very carefully I hold it up to the stars, letting their light fill it. Then I close my eyes and pour the light into my face.
Very carefully I take a small amount of oil on my finger and draw a quick sign in the bottom of the bowl. I sprinkle the dry ingredients over the sign. Then I breathe on the sign.
Then I light the candle.
Holding the bowl in my lap, I very slowly add water. I crouch over it and look through the candle reflection in the water.
Of course, this description is incomplete. But you can see where it is going.
What's in a word?
“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather just different kinds of good weather.”
Study notes
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”
Tree Of Life
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories.
Read More...The Magick of Food
Faith worthy of freedom
Friday, 27May2005 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
“This week on CC Myth, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about mythical trees. There are lots of trees in myth, and we've touched on some of them before, but today we're going to focus on three trees from three different traditions. We'll talk about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil from the biblical tradition, Yggdrasil from the Norse Tradition, and Ashvattha, which is important in both Hindu and Buddhist tradition.”
Read More...Revived 12Oct2018
As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
A Blast from the Past
Faith worthy of freedom
The Magick of Food
Tree Of Life
The Word is Not the Thing
Basking in the moonlight
Study notes
What's in a word?
Charlie's story
Tuesday, 01Dec2009 Filed in: studies
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Read More...The Red Book - First Impressions
Tuesday, 24Nov2009 Filed in: studies
“Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.”
Relics of faith
Tuesday, 30Jun2009 Filed in: studies
“Our mythical places series continues, and this week Mike Rugnetta is talking about some stories that revolve around mountains. Mountains loom large in human stories, not least because mountains are, well, large. So ascend with us to the lofty peaks of The Ten Thousand Treasure Mountain in China, and Mount Fuji in Japan.”
Read More...Revived 05Oct2018
As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Relics of faith
The Red Book - First Impressions
Charlie's story
Gnosis Journal
On commitment
Revived 06Jan2018
🌖 waning gibbous moon
≠ ✝ Epiphany - Old Christmas - Feast of the Three Kings - Twelfth Tide
≠ ✝ Epiphany - Old Christmas - Feast of the Three Kings - Twelfth Tide
Last night she bet me I wouldn't do it
Monday, 23Aug2010 Filed in: playtime⭐︎ entertainment
Sometimes a certain lady is sneaky
Tuesday, 01Dec2009 Filed in: playtime
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1370303428/E20091201142347
Determined to use my weaknesses against me
As much as I try to avoid the whole group holiday thing, still there are female-type persons my age who know my weaknesses too well.
Like smoked turkey. And sweet potatoes. And fresh cranberry sauce. And fresh baked bread.
Smoked turkey…
Pardon me while I drool a bit.
Like smoked turkey. And sweet potatoes. And fresh cranberry sauce. And fresh baked bread.
Smoked turkey…
Pardon me while I drool a bit.
What's the difference between a ponytail and a beartail?
Thursday, 01Oct2009 Filed in: playtime⭐︎ practicals
These older blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories
Read More...Story from a dream
Part of an IM conversation I had with Juliaki tonight. You might find it interesting.
Read More...Revived 03Jan2018
Wednesday, 03Jan2018 Filed in: site news
❝My faith isn't defined by my politics.❞— NeoWayland, Paganism is not political
A funny
Sunday, 09May2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ playtime
My journey to and from a funeral reminds me of the world outside artificial light
Read More...Paganism is not political
Monday, 02Jan2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C65989237/E20060103044338
Faith is a personal choice. So are politics. One does not define the other.
I'm getting very annoyed with this idea of "political pagans."
If you are lucky enough not to have had this inflicted on you yet, the idea is that all real pagans are naturally progressive and green. And if you are not progressive and green, then you can't possibly be a real pagan.
I was an environmentalist before the global warming movement hijacked environmentalism. Today you can barely mention environmentalism without bowing down before the global warming altar. Everything environmental must give way to the global warming agenda. When is the last time you saw a news story about water pollution or air pollution? But I have lost track of how many stories I have seen about global warming in the last year.
And of course, if you really care about Mother Gaia and Her children (and you can hear the capitalization in their voices) you are against poverty, injustice, and war. Unless the "enemy" is a wealthy Republican, then all bets are off.
What the blazes does ANY of this have to do with Paganism?
If you are a reconstructionist, I'm willing to bet that there are gods in your personal pantheon who were not only responsible for commerce, but probably invented coinage.
And dice games. Don't forget the dice games. VERY important foundation for commerce.
Now I happen to be very political. But my politics don't come because of my faith or my Patrons. Likewise, my faith isn't defined by my politics.
There are people I identify as part-time pagans and fluffy pagans, but not because of their politics. That is because of how they treat their faith.
If you are lucky enough not to have had this inflicted on you yet, the idea is that all real pagans are naturally progressive and green. And if you are not progressive and green, then you can't possibly be a real pagan.
I was an environmentalist before the global warming movement hijacked environmentalism. Today you can barely mention environmentalism without bowing down before the global warming altar. Everything environmental must give way to the global warming agenda. When is the last time you saw a news story about water pollution or air pollution? But I have lost track of how many stories I have seen about global warming in the last year.
And of course, if you really care about Mother Gaia and Her children (and you can hear the capitalization in their voices) you are against poverty, injustice, and war. Unless the "enemy" is a wealthy Republican, then all bets are off.
What the blazes does ANY of this have to do with Paganism?
If you are a reconstructionist, I'm willing to bet that there are gods in your personal pantheon who were not only responsible for commerce, but probably invented coinage.
And dice games. Don't forget the dice games. VERY important foundation for commerce.
Now I happen to be very political. But my politics don't come because of my faith or my Patrons. Likewise, my faith isn't defined by my politics.
There are people I identify as part-time pagans and fluffy pagans, but not because of their politics. That is because of how they treat their faith.
In the still of the night
Thursday, 25May2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ tellus
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C65989237/E20060525233957
My journey to and from a funeral reminds me of the world outside artificial light
I did some driving in rural Arizona and New Mexico this last week.
One of the big differences between urban areas and rural areas is the amount of light at night. Depending on the size of the town or city, even as little as thirty miles is enough to reveal a whole other world.
Headlights are visible for miles if the road is in view. The shadows wrap around you so you feel like you could just reach out the window and gently stroke it. The desert night air has it's own scents and promises. The plants rustle in your side vision which seems a notch or two sharper. The land hints at it's shape rather than revealing.
And then the stars. Oh gods, the stars.
In a city, you see a few twinkles of the stronger stars, but that is nothing compared to what you see when you get away from the city lights. Suddenly the words "Milky Way" make sense. When I have been away from all the stars, my first instinct on a clear night is to strip down and bathe in all that silver starlight.
It's not just lights. In the desert and away from the roads and cars, you swear you can hear every single sound for miles around. Maybe it's just psychological. You're away from the normal stimulus so you pay extra close attention to the ones you do sense.
There are times I am very much in hermit mode and there are reasons for that. I can't tell you the name of the American Idol contestants. I have no idea what the Top 40 is these days. I have no interest in having Dr. Phil solve my problems on national television. More importantly, I've no real desire to think about these subjects. But they wrap themselves around you, insidiously. It's all that most people talk about.
It's the same with religion, at least for the people who want to get noticed. Folks are so busy making noise for their gold stars that they don't pay attention to the "stillness of the soul." The Blessed recognize that as the place where your inner journey begins, the gateway to your higher selves.
So away from the churches every block, the people mouthing the noise they think the Divine wants to hear, the flood of television and radio evangelism, and away from all those bits that we humans like to wrap ourselves in, that is the where the inner soul can wake and the outer soul can sleep.
I need to go camping again soon I think.
One of the big differences between urban areas and rural areas is the amount of light at night. Depending on the size of the town or city, even as little as thirty miles is enough to reveal a whole other world.
Headlights are visible for miles if the road is in view. The shadows wrap around you so you feel like you could just reach out the window and gently stroke it. The desert night air has it's own scents and promises. The plants rustle in your side vision which seems a notch or two sharper. The land hints at it's shape rather than revealing.
And then the stars. Oh gods, the stars.
In a city, you see a few twinkles of the stronger stars, but that is nothing compared to what you see when you get away from the city lights. Suddenly the words "Milky Way" make sense. When I have been away from all the stars, my first instinct on a clear night is to strip down and bathe in all that silver starlight.
It's not just lights. In the desert and away from the roads and cars, you swear you can hear every single sound for miles around. Maybe it's just psychological. You're away from the normal stimulus so you pay extra close attention to the ones you do sense.
There are times I am very much in hermit mode and there are reasons for that. I can't tell you the name of the American Idol contestants. I have no idea what the Top 40 is these days. I have no interest in having Dr. Phil solve my problems on national television. More importantly, I've no real desire to think about these subjects. But they wrap themselves around you, insidiously. It's all that most people talk about.
It's the same with religion, at least for the people who want to get noticed. Folks are so busy making noise for their gold stars that they don't pay attention to the "stillness of the soul." The Blessed recognize that as the place where your inner journey begins, the gateway to your higher selves.
So away from the churches every block, the people mouthing the noise they think the Divine wants to hear, the flood of television and radio evangelism, and away from all those bits that we humans like to wrap ourselves in, that is the where the inner soul can wake and the outer soul can sleep.
I need to go camping again soon I think.
“Here I come to save the Day”
Tuesday, 01Aug2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ tellus
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C65989237/E20060802051541
Why do some Pagans believe they are destined to save the world?
The posts on discipline and Indigo kids got me in the mood to go exploring the Pagan web again, just to see what is happening. It's getting harder and harder to do that anonymously, but I still have a few technopagan tricks up my sleeve.
Much of what I saw hasn't really changed in the last few years. There are still very few experienced Pagans who are willing to go online, at least publicly. There are definite trends towards political correctness and silencing dissent. And the most visible Pagans online aren't necessarily the ones that anyone should be listening to.
Although that doesn't just apply to Pagans. Imagine if Christians only listened to Jesse Jackson or Pat Robertson.
To me at least, the most disturbing thing is the growth of the "Pagans will save the World" theme. Save the world from what, I am not quite sure, but there are some out there who are only a few steps away from conquering in the Name of the Goddess for the Betterment of Humanity. Or at least trying.
It always worries me when I can hear the capitals in what other people say, even if it is only what they are typing on a computer screen.
I am not quite sure where this messiah complex comes from. I only know that it is there. I get frustrated when I deal with newbies. Online, my experience is "one upped" by some kid who read the "right" books and started "practicing" six whole months ago. It's times like that when I understand exactly what Oberon Ravenhart-Zell wants to do with his so-called Grey Council.
Intentionally or not, this "save the world" thing comes across as recycled Christianity. I'm not sure that is what they need, although they believe it's what they want.
*sighs*
And that is the rub, isn't? You can't tell them until they are ready to believe it. Even if I could, I am not sure I should stop them from tripping and falling. Although the gods know I am tempted. I understand now what the Blessed who were around me were saying when I "broke out," although I ignored them then.
I'm pretty sure that the World can take care of Herself, maybe with a little help from her Consort.
It's the rest of us I am not so sure about.
Much of what I saw hasn't really changed in the last few years. There are still very few experienced Pagans who are willing to go online, at least publicly. There are definite trends towards political correctness and silencing dissent. And the most visible Pagans online aren't necessarily the ones that anyone should be listening to.
Although that doesn't just apply to Pagans. Imagine if Christians only listened to Jesse Jackson or Pat Robertson.
To me at least, the most disturbing thing is the growth of the "Pagans will save the World" theme. Save the world from what, I am not quite sure, but there are some out there who are only a few steps away from conquering in the Name of the Goddess for the Betterment of Humanity. Or at least trying.
It always worries me when I can hear the capitals in what other people say, even if it is only what they are typing on a computer screen.
I am not quite sure where this messiah complex comes from. I only know that it is there. I get frustrated when I deal with newbies. Online, my experience is "one upped" by some kid who read the "right" books and started "practicing" six whole months ago. It's times like that when I understand exactly what Oberon Ravenhart-Zell wants to do with his so-called Grey Council.
Intentionally or not, this "save the world" thing comes across as recycled Christianity. I'm not sure that is what they need, although they believe it's what they want.
*sighs*
And that is the rub, isn't? You can't tell them until they are ready to believe it. Even if I could, I am not sure I should stop them from tripping and falling. Although the gods know I am tempted. I understand now what the Blessed who were around me were saying when I "broke out," although I ignored them then.
I'm pretty sure that the World can take care of Herself, maybe with a little help from her Consort.
It's the rest of us I am not so sure about.
Flake off
Tuesday, 21Nov2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ rite & ritual
❝It always worries me when I can hear the capitals in what other people say, even if it is only what they are typing on a computer screen.❞— NeoWayland, "Here I come to save the Day"
Otherkin
Tuesday, 06Dec2005 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ practicals
Why do I do it? Internet debates, emails, and online Pagan groups
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C65989237/E20100218113503
I am what I am - updated
Let's face it, getting involved in these prolonged internet debates isn't exactly the healthiest behavior out there. When it comes to relieving frustration, not only to I have perfectly reasonable poly-resin skull to talk to, I have bed companions who are more than willing to let me indulge my odd tastes. Perhaps not as much as I would like, but certainly more than occasionally.
I wrote about it some in Almost the last advocate at Pagan Vigil.
I won't kid you, there's a part of me that grooves on taking someone down a notch or two using nothing more than logic and their own arguments. I've also been known to go searching, well, not exactly for fights but for places where someone is likely to trip over their own words and pretensions and fights will break out. It's sick, unhealthy, and I try to find other ways to handle frustrations these days.
I also know that it's unhealthy to use kinky sex as a substitute, but them's the breaks.
But when it comes to Pagans and small "L" libertarians, I take it personally. Particularly if I care about the group. If anyone should know about the dangers of scapegoating, it's Pagans. We know that Pagans aren't crouching naked in the bushes, waiting to rape your kids or sacrifice your cat under the next full moon. Or maybe it is the other way around.
But we also know that there are more than enough people who believe that Pagans are there to do exactly that. And it doesn't help that some of us are casual about nudity and sex to begin with.
I don't believe that modern Pagans can let ourselves become that which we might fear. Just because someone calling themselves a Christian did something horrible 1739 years ago doesn't mean we can afford to label someone else a monster today.
The thing is, if we insist that someone is innocent until proven guilty, that's a sword that cuts both ways. It means that we can't allow ourselves the luxury of scapegoats, even in the secret places where they will never know we did it. We'll know, and that will be enough to undo our goals.
I've given up internet debates these days unless it is in a REALLY Good Cause. It's not that I don't want to, the gods know that I want it bad. And I am very very good. My own weird sense of ethics and responsibility insists that I tell my opponents I am good. Or maybe it is just my Coyote-warped sense of humor. Let me share something I wrote in a private email.
I know, it doesn't say much for my character and desires that I indulge in these confrontations, even if it's only occasionally.
But wouldn't you rather me do it in support of honor than wily-nily? It's a tradeoff.
Yes, that is one of mine. Great for last stands or True Beliefs. For maximum effect, plant your feet, flex your knees, and face things head on. Say it out loud.
When all your choices are bad, sometimes the only choice is to listen to your heart and embrace your dream.
_____
Update - Yes, the Otherkin thing is an example of how I didn't follow these principles. It's also a mild example of what happens when things go wrong. Lesson learned.
I wrote about it some in Almost the last advocate at Pagan Vigil.
❝Live and let live works mostly. When that doesn't work, KYFHO comes through. But usually there is no one else willing to make a stand. Unpopular religions? I'll defend them to the end until they impose on someone else. Same with political groups. Or rights groups.
The one thing I insist on is that free choice is a cornerstone. Including the rights of the members to walk away if they choose. As long as they do that and don't force themselves on any others, I believe that they are free to do what they want.
ARE, not should be.
Because that is the right I expect for myself, and it's not a right unless everyone else has it too. Otherwise it's a privilege taken at someone else's expense.
Even though it means that I end up defending ideas and practices that I find questionable at best, I can't do anything else and stay true to myself.❞
I won't kid you, there's a part of me that grooves on taking someone down a notch or two using nothing more than logic and their own arguments. I've also been known to go searching, well, not exactly for fights but for places where someone is likely to trip over their own words and pretensions and fights will break out. It's sick, unhealthy, and I try to find other ways to handle frustrations these days.
I also know that it's unhealthy to use kinky sex as a substitute, but them's the breaks.
But when it comes to Pagans and small "L" libertarians, I take it personally. Particularly if I care about the group. If anyone should know about the dangers of scapegoating, it's Pagans. We know that Pagans aren't crouching naked in the bushes, waiting to rape your kids or sacrifice your cat under the next full moon. Or maybe it is the other way around.
But we also know that there are more than enough people who believe that Pagans are there to do exactly that. And it doesn't help that some of us are casual about nudity and sex to begin with.
I don't believe that modern Pagans can let ourselves become that which we might fear. Just because someone calling themselves a Christian did something horrible 1739 years ago doesn't mean we can afford to label someone else a monster today.
The thing is, if we insist that someone is innocent until proven guilty, that's a sword that cuts both ways. It means that we can't allow ourselves the luxury of scapegoats, even in the secret places where they will never know we did it. We'll know, and that will be enough to undo our goals.
I've given up internet debates these days unless it is in a REALLY Good Cause. It's not that I don't want to, the gods know that I want it bad. And I am very very good. My own weird sense of ethics and responsibility insists that I tell my opponents I am good. Or maybe it is just my Coyote-warped sense of humor. Let me share something I wrote in a private email.
❝By insisting that everyone be judged by their actions, I'm also invoking civilized behavior. If I show fair play and they don't play nice, I'm under no obligation to respect their rules as I deal with them. Civilized means that no one can threaten force or try to intimidate someone. Depending on how mischievous I'm feeling, I might even insist on no insults. If they can't compete under those conditions, that doesn't say much for their opinions or their cause.
I just stacked the odds heavily in my favor. I already know I can probably argue most people under the table and three times on Sunday, and that is at even odds.
If someone doesn't "play nice," they just ceded moral authority and I am justified in my actions. No one watching could say otherwise. After all, I dealt with them fairly at first.
Even then, I probably wouldn't "defeat" them or "destroy" them. I wouldn't want to create martyrs. Instead I would defuse them, defang them, render them harmless.
It's hard to scare someone if they are busy chuckling❞
I know, it doesn't say much for my character and desires that I indulge in these confrontations, even if it's only occasionally.
But wouldn't you rather me do it in support of honor than wily-nily? It's a tradeoff.
I am what I am
And the man that I am
Demands what I dream
I am what I am
And the man that I am
Demands what I dream
I am what I am
Yes, that is one of mine. Great for last stands or True Beliefs. For maximum effect, plant your feet, flex your knees, and face things head on. Say it out loud.
When all your choices are bad, sometimes the only choice is to listen to your heart and embrace your dream.
_____
Update - Yes, the Otherkin thing is an example of how I didn't follow these principles. It's also a mild example of what happens when things go wrong. Lesson learned.
Bonewits update
Wednesday, 28Oct2009 Filed in: celebrations & passages⭐︎ Befores
Avalon Cares redux
Monday, 01Feb2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1939071231/E20100201133009
Corrected web address
I should have double-checked and updated this, but I didn't. I missed updating the web address on my previous entry (fixed now).
Avalon Cares is the ongoing non-profit relief effort organized by the Officers of Avalon. It's a benevolent association of Pagan emergency professionals. They've got an effort going for earthquake relief in Hati.
If you want to support the Pagan community and help others, this is a good way to start.
Avalon Cares is the ongoing non-profit relief effort organized by the Officers of Avalon. It's a benevolent association of Pagan emergency professionals. They've got an effort going for earthquake relief in Hati.
If you want to support the Pagan community and help others, this is a good way to start.
Good Journey Isaac
Thursday, 12Aug2010 Filed in: celebrations & passages⭐︎ Befores
Snap out of it!
❝Master the discipline or be mastered by the victimhood.❞— NeoWayland, Discipline, the Modern Pagan, and power from victimhood
Bittersweet honor
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C550866538/E20090803073939
Unexpected and delightful
I had visitors over the weekend. Unexpected ones, but delightful ones all the same.
An old friend and her husband and her 14 year old son dropped in on Wednesday.
She and I had dated and slept together, well, at least fifteen years ago I guess. Probably closer to eighteen. Guess I am getting older. She has aged remarkably well. Originally from Haiti, her lovely accent and marvelous skin color triggered some great memories. Oh, and her scent, can't forget that. If she hadn't married and promised to be a one-and-only, I might have tried again for old times sake.
Her husband is well educated and knows how to use that brain of his. I heartily approve of her choice.
Their boy shows every sign of being just as smart as his parents. So of course he asked if I used to date his mom.
I told him yes.
Then we wandered into one of those awkward social areas that teens (and especially BRIGHT teens) love to nose out. And I could tell that his dad was laughing at his wife and I.
The kid asked if I wanted to sleep with his mom again. Actually he said fuck his mom, I'm sure he was going for the shock value. It's one of the few times I have seen that particular lady embarrassed, and I had the feeling that I missed the first act in this particular drama.
Deep breath. Only one way through this.
My feelings were irrelevant, I told him. My personal beliefs mean that The Lady Always Chooses. She was in a monogamous marriage to his dad. And that is where it stood. What he suggested wasn't even a possibility because her honor was more important to me than my own.
At that point I looked at her. She winked because she knew me well enough to know what I might do next.
In fact, I told the young man, he should be proud of his mom because she had honor and obviously loved his father. Just because she could be an insatiable fuck didn't mean she would make the Two-Backed Beast with just anyone. She chose to fuck me, but she chose to love her husband. And I told the boy that I thought he dishonored both his parents by trying to put his mom on the spot like that.
That was Friday.
Things went much better after that. I spent much of the time trying my darnedest to bend his brain. But his parents had already made things pretty flexible.
This morning, the young man proved he had honor after all. He apologized to his mother, his father, and then to me (which I didn't expect). And then he cooked breakfast.
A few more like him and this world might have some hope after all.
Thanks to Coyote for the lessons.
Skeins
Thursday, 19Nov2009 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ philosophy
❝There is an old saying that the difficult truths are the only ones that must be told.❞— NeoWayland, Discipline, the Modern Pagan, and power from victimhood
Discipline, the Modern Pagan, and power from victimhood
Friday, 21Jul2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C65989237/E20060722013450
What makes the so many modern pagans fluffy? And why don't they seem to want more?
There is an old saying that the difficult truths are the only ones that must be told.
I've tried several times in the last couple of weeks to write this post. It keeps coming out wrong. So I am going to sit here and hammer this one out once and for all so I can concentrate on other things that I want to say. It's probably going to be shorter than I wanted, but there are only so many times I can rewrite the thing.
Before I get too deep, I want to say that I absolutely despise classifying people, their abilities, and their accomplishments based on membership in some group. I am an individualist. As far as I am concerned, we are human. To understand the poisonous mindset, it's necessary to put that viewpoint aside for a bit and wade into meaningless yet influential group distinctions.
I read Shelby Steele's excellent White Guilt. While not a pagan book, it gave me excellent insight into American life over the last few decades, and helped focus some of my own realizations. Most of it doesn't apply in a pagan context, with one very important exception.
The rise of the popular forms of modern paganism are tied into the rise of the feminist movement that followed the success of the 1960s civil rights movement. Feminism (and paganism through feminism) borrowed some of the best and worst ideas of the civil rights movement for it's own purposes.
One idea was power through victimhood because of past crimes committed against one group by members of another.
Before you tell me that doesn't apply, go find someone talking about "Never again the Burning Times!"
For "power through victimhood" to be successful, it's not enough to have an "oppressed victim," there also has to be a public acknowledgment of guilt by the powerful and a lingering guilt. "PTV" gains it's moral authority only through guilt, otherwise it runs smack dab into the morals and ethics of the majority.
To simplify, American blacks had a legitimate grievance. That isn't necessarily so for American feminists, and it probably isn't so for American pagans. It is the difference between oppression and repression.
Paganism was a good way for repressed women to explore the Sacred Feminine and experience the Divine instead of having it handed to them through a patriarchal framework. Since many pagans celebrate the Female Aspects of Divinity, of course we took joy as the ladies took center stage and found themselves.
But all things have destruction wrapped in creation. The power wasn't in the victimhood. It never was. Overcoming victimhood could be the first gate to power. Some took power from the victimhood itself, never realizing that their "strength" depended entirely on the guilty pity of others. Without that guilt and pity, the "moral authority" collapsed.
This wasn't just in paganism of course. Much of Western culture and society was undergoing the same growing pangs. So to preserve the "power through victimhood" of certain groups, permanent victim groups were enshrined. Blacks first. Then other minority groups. Then women (of course). And finally alternative religions. With a pecking order firmly established, it became the Progressive Thing to make sure that the victim groups and the pecking order were universally established. If some members of the victim groups weren't quite good enough, that was okay, they had been through enough. Allowances would be made.
That in turn introduced our second and third tier problems. Members of the victim groups weren't expect to be "as good" as the majority. Excuses were made for their failures. They were never held personally responsible.
Imagine that. By virtue of victimhood and belonging to a recognized victim group, someone could be excused from being an adult and taking responsibility for themselves.
I want to stress that the victimhood was never universal. Many people soon learned to move beyond victimhood and into individual excellence.
But for those who didn't, they never realized it was a trap. Some of them still don't.
Fast forward a few decades.
Now some areas have schools that cherish victimhood of certain groups before the kids are old enough to understand if they are even victims at all. Being a social victim means that others will look out for you and that you are not fully human.
Nor can you be fully trusted. Even if your victimhood grants you "moral authority" and exceptions from the rules.
Other kids see that being a victim is the easy path. Even if you don't know the answers, they will be provided to you in a timely manner. And if you can't be bothered to learn them this time around, that is okay. You've had a hard victimhood.
The end result are people who not only don't know the answers, but expect those answers to be provided on demand. And they want a second chance to take any tests, only this time with crib sheets.
It's not their fault that this is how they were taught.
It's their fault if they do not change once their path demands more.
Master the discipline or be mastered by the victimhood.
Bright & Dark Blessings, everyone.
I've tried several times in the last couple of weeks to write this post. It keeps coming out wrong. So I am going to sit here and hammer this one out once and for all so I can concentrate on other things that I want to say. It's probably going to be shorter than I wanted, but there are only so many times I can rewrite the thing.
Before I get too deep, I want to say that I absolutely despise classifying people, their abilities, and their accomplishments based on membership in some group. I am an individualist. As far as I am concerned, we are human. To understand the poisonous mindset, it's necessary to put that viewpoint aside for a bit and wade into meaningless yet influential group distinctions.
I read Shelby Steele's excellent White Guilt. While not a pagan book, it gave me excellent insight into American life over the last few decades, and helped focus some of my own realizations. Most of it doesn't apply in a pagan context, with one very important exception.
The rise of the popular forms of modern paganism are tied into the rise of the feminist movement that followed the success of the 1960s civil rights movement. Feminism (and paganism through feminism) borrowed some of the best and worst ideas of the civil rights movement for it's own purposes.
One idea was power through victimhood because of past crimes committed against one group by members of another.
Before you tell me that doesn't apply, go find someone talking about "Never again the Burning Times!"
For "power through victimhood" to be successful, it's not enough to have an "oppressed victim," there also has to be a public acknowledgment of guilt by the powerful and a lingering guilt. "PTV" gains it's moral authority only through guilt, otherwise it runs smack dab into the morals and ethics of the majority.
To simplify, American blacks had a legitimate grievance. That isn't necessarily so for American feminists, and it probably isn't so for American pagans. It is the difference between oppression and repression.
Paganism was a good way for repressed women to explore the Sacred Feminine and experience the Divine instead of having it handed to them through a patriarchal framework. Since many pagans celebrate the Female Aspects of Divinity, of course we took joy as the ladies took center stage and found themselves.
But all things have destruction wrapped in creation. The power wasn't in the victimhood. It never was. Overcoming victimhood could be the first gate to power. Some took power from the victimhood itself, never realizing that their "strength" depended entirely on the guilty pity of others. Without that guilt and pity, the "moral authority" collapsed.
This wasn't just in paganism of course. Much of Western culture and society was undergoing the same growing pangs. So to preserve the "power through victimhood" of certain groups, permanent victim groups were enshrined. Blacks first. Then other minority groups. Then women (of course). And finally alternative religions. With a pecking order firmly established, it became the Progressive Thing to make sure that the victim groups and the pecking order were universally established. If some members of the victim groups weren't quite good enough, that was okay, they had been through enough. Allowances would be made.
That in turn introduced our second and third tier problems. Members of the victim groups weren't expect to be "as good" as the majority. Excuses were made for their failures. They were never held personally responsible.
Imagine that. By virtue of victimhood and belonging to a recognized victim group, someone could be excused from being an adult and taking responsibility for themselves.
I want to stress that the victimhood was never universal. Many people soon learned to move beyond victimhood and into individual excellence.
But for those who didn't, they never realized it was a trap. Some of them still don't.
Fast forward a few decades.
Now some areas have schools that cherish victimhood of certain groups before the kids are old enough to understand if they are even victims at all. Being a social victim means that others will look out for you and that you are not fully human.
Nor can you be fully trusted. Even if your victimhood grants you "moral authority" and exceptions from the rules.
Other kids see that being a victim is the easy path. Even if you don't know the answers, they will be provided to you in a timely manner. And if you can't be bothered to learn them this time around, that is okay. You've had a hard victimhood.
The end result are people who not only don't know the answers, but expect those answers to be provided on demand. And they want a second chance to take any tests, only this time with crib sheets.
It's not their fault that this is how they were taught.
It's their fault if they do not change once their path demands more.
Master the discipline or be mastered by the victimhood.
Bright & Dark Blessings, everyone.
Several rewrites later…
Saturday, 13Feb2010 Filed in: beliefs
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C550866538/E20100213150023
Dealing with life - updated
I can't be politically correct on this one and writing it has been frustrating. I think the only thing that would be more frustrating would be to shelve it.
So here goes.
Back in 2006, I wrote about Pagans and victimhood. Recently online and IRL, I've been talking with Pagans who believe that Christianity* is a Big Bad Evil that must be confronted.
Here's the thing.
Drawing your power from your victimhood depends on the other recognizing the wrong done and expressing guilt. Without the "oppressor" doing both those things, your victimhood has no power. It also only lasts as long as the Big Baddy feels guilty.
Here's the real scary bit.
As long as you embrace victimhood, you can't possibly be as "worthy" as the person who made you a victim. You'll always need "help."
And yes, you should recognize the abuser/abused pattern here.
I put it simply in my Quick notes to a new seeker.
Do you really want to give the Christians that much power over you?
Find yourself. And remember that like calls to like.
_____
*Okay, so I forgot the word Christianity in the original post. Sorry about that.
So here goes.
Back in 2006, I wrote about Pagans and victimhood. Recently online and IRL, I've been talking with Pagans who believe that Christianity* is a Big Bad Evil that must be confronted.
Here's the thing.
Drawing your power from your victimhood depends on the other recognizing the wrong done and expressing guilt. Without the "oppressor" doing both those things, your victimhood has no power. It also only lasts as long as the Big Baddy feels guilty.
Here's the real scary bit.
As long as you embrace victimhood, you can't possibly be as "worthy" as the person who made you a victim. You'll always need "help."
And yes, you should recognize the abuser/abused pattern here.
I put it simply in my Quick notes to a new seeker.
❝Beware of anyone who tells you power comes through victimhood. That power can only be borrowed and only at the sufferance of another.❞But the real power is not in victimhood. Overcoming victimhood can be the first gate to power because that is your power that you discover.
Do you really want to give the Christians that much power over you?
Find yourself. And remember that like calls to like.
_____
*Okay, so I forgot the word Christianity in the original post. Sorry about that.
Magick in the modern world
❝When someone starts talking about THE truth, it's to exclude the thoughts and ideas they find uncomfortable.❞— NeoWayland, Quarter Moons and Semi-Truths
A Blast from the Past
Sunday, 15May2005 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ rite & ritual
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C550866538/E1479161501
A selection from the original version of Technopagan Yearnings - updated
By way of making it up to you, I uploaded converted one of my old pages from the original Technopagan Yearnings site.
Not all the links are active, but here is The Affirmation of NeoWayland.
Enjoy!
Not all the links are active, but here is The Affirmation of NeoWayland.
Enjoy!
Remember this
Friday, 03Sep2010 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ entertainment
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20100903124219
On a quote binge
“Power has to be shared. It is the key to survival.”— Andromeda TV series
Sometimes I shouldn't be allowed in my quote file.
In this context, I meant that the magick should be sent back into the world as soon as possible.
Notice I did not say a thing about the lore…
In this context, I meant that the magick should be sent back into the world as soon as possible.
Notice I did not say a thing about the lore…
Revived 02Dec2017
Saturday, 02Dec2017 Filed in: site news⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
As always, the most recently converted entries are at the top of the list at the 3rd Yearnings tag page.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
The old category page for Quotes & Thinkums now redirects to quotes & thinkums category page in the current directory.
These blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories. Redirect pages have been placed in the old locations.
Look out for the stale jokes
Moody
Briefly, another thinkum
Thinkum-a-giggle
The need for mystery
Coyote
Discussion on initiation
In the moment
Strange Thinkum
Good reasoning
One of my better short efforts I think
Remember this
The old category page for Quotes & Thinkums now redirects to quotes & thinkums category page in the current directory.
One of my better short efforts I think
Monday, 03May2010 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
“Life is just a chain of moments strung together by spirit and will.”— Juliaki, In the moment
Good reasoning
Tuesday, 20Apr2010 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ entertainment
Strange Thinkum
Tuesday, 26Jan2010 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
❝Is he like, a good legend, a bad legend, or legendary in his own mind?❞— NeoWayland, The need for mystery
The need for mystery
Monday, 21Nov2005 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Thinkum-a-giggle
Tuesday, 20Oct2009 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Briefly, another thinkum
Wednesday, 09Sep2009 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Look out for the stale jokes
Thursday, 19Mar2009 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Revisiting your truths
Tuesday, 10Feb2009 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20090210152635
Accepting responsibility and doing the honorable thing
“I would more easily believe that two Yankee professors would lie than that stones would fall from heaven.”
— Thomas Jefferson in an 1808 letter to Daniel Salmon
“We certainly are not to deny whatever we cannot account for. A thousand phenomena present themselves daily which we cannot explain, but where facts are suggested, bearing no analogy with the laws of nature as yet known to us, their verity needs proofs proportioned to their difficulty. A cautious mind will weigh well the opposition of the phenomenon to everything hitherto observed, the strength of the testimony by which it is supported, and the errors and misconceptions to which even our senses are liable. It may be very difficult to explain how the stone you possess came into the position in which it was found. But is it easier to explain how it got into the clouds from whence it is supposed to have fallen? The actual fact however is the thing to be established, and this I hope will be done by those whose situations and qualifications enable them to do it.”There are reasons that TJ is one of my personal heroes.
— Thomas Jefferson in a later letter to Daniel Salmon, admitting that he doesn't have all the answers
And yes, this is a very big hint to a certain reader.
In a hole
Tuesday, 16Dec2008 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ entertainment
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20081216143256
Friends in dark places
“A man walks down the street and falls into a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor walks by. The man calls up "Hey doc, can you help me out?" The doctor writes out a prescription and throws it in the hole. Then the doctor leaves. A priest walks by. The man calls up "Father, can you help me out here?" The priest writes out a prayer and throws it in the hole. Then he walks away. The man's friend walks by. "Hey Joe, can you help me out?" The friend jumps into the hole. "Why did you do that? Now we've both trapped."Don't have much else to say today, just keeping the fire going and watching the snow.
"Yeah, but I've been here before. And I know the way out."”
— From the West Wing episode, "Noel" that first aired December 20, 2000
License to thrill
Wednesday, 03Dec2008 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ entertainment
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20081203160533
Rattling the windows, singing in anticipation
Sometimes I shouldn't play the music too loud...
Jim Steinman is a songmaker, there's no other word for it. He's probably best known for collaborating with Meatloaf, and stars above that man could write.
He is a literate lyricist, and when his songs hit, they hit hard. I still remember my reaction to Making Love out of Nothing at All. Yes, I know I am dating myself, but just because I was one screwed up teen doesn't mean I was passionless.
He wrote a great number called Original Sin, which Taylor Dayne sang for the film The Shadow, a film that almost was. It had all the pieces, but didn't have them put together right. Anyway, this song was the sole reason I sprung for the six bucks when I saw the sound track album in the bargain bin at Wal Mart. When I am really down, it sometimes helps. When I drive at night and I play it, I have to use the cruise control or I go too fast.
Yes, I identify too closely with this song sometimes.
But today I cranked it just because I could. And because my voice was good enough today to sing along and rattle the windows.
I'll never be a first rank singer. But I can be enthusiastic.
I'm meeting someone in a couple hours.
And why am I talking about this on a Pagan blog? Because sometimes raising energy works best the old way, one of the very original ways I'd say. The snake up through each of the chakras. Although those aren't the terms I used when I learned the techniques.
Truthfully I can't think of too much else Pagan related right now. I need an emotional kick in the pants and the lady always chooses.
Jim Steinman is a songmaker, there's no other word for it. He's probably best known for collaborating with Meatloaf, and stars above that man could write.
He is a literate lyricist, and when his songs hit, they hit hard. I still remember my reaction to Making Love out of Nothing at All. Yes, I know I am dating myself, but just because I was one screwed up teen doesn't mean I was passionless.
He wrote a great number called Original Sin, which Taylor Dayne sang for the film The Shadow, a film that almost was. It had all the pieces, but didn't have them put together right. Anyway, this song was the sole reason I sprung for the six bucks when I saw the sound track album in the bargain bin at Wal Mart. When I am really down, it sometimes helps. When I drive at night and I play it, I have to use the cruise control or I go too fast.
Yes, I identify too closely with this song sometimes.
All I wanted was a piece of the night
I never gotta equal share
When the stars are all outside
And the moon is down
The natives are so restless tonight
All I needed was a spot in the light
Never had to get so dark
The natives are so restless tonight
All I needed was a spot in the light…
I’ve been looking for an original sin
One with a twist and a bit of a spin
And since I’ve done all the old ones
Till they’ve all been done in
Now I’m just looking
And I’m gone with the wind
Endlessly searching for an original sin…
But today I cranked it just because I could. And because my voice was good enough today to sing along and rattle the windows.
I'll never be a first rank singer. But I can be enthusiastic.
I’m applying for a license to thrill…
Going out on the edge…
Moving in for the kill
And there’ll be hell to pay someday…
Put it all on the bill…
Cause we’ll always be paying
And paying until…
We're beyond expiration…
With a license to thrill…
I'm meeting someone in a couple hours.
And why am I talking about this on a Pagan blog? Because sometimes raising energy works best the old way, one of the very original ways I'd say. The snake up through each of the chakras. Although those aren't the terms I used when I learned the techniques.
Truthfully I can't think of too much else Pagan related right now. I need an emotional kick in the pants and the lady always chooses.
Original Sin by Jim Steinman
Posted: Wed - December 3, 2008 at 04:05 PM
Flipping through the quote file
Wednesday, 01Oct2008 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ philosophy
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20081001145525
My handy dandy Palm provides a couple of thinkums for the day
“I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand. In the doing is the learning.”
— ancient Chinese proverb
“It is not necessary to know. It is only necessary to try.”That's it for now. After all, philosophy doesn't put OJ and tortillas in the fridge.
— Babylon 5
Been thinking some today
Tuesday, 30Sep2008 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Sometimes we forget the obvious
Monday, 28Jul2008 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20080728070510
A thinkum from times past
“Wisdom is where you find it.”Thanks Angus, where ever you are now. It had slipped my mind.— Angus
I agree entirely with this one
Thursday, 03May2007 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20070503172653
Wise words from a Pagan musician
“We've no problem with Christians, Muslims or any other religious people provided they don't try to force their views on everyone else in the world. We just think there are a lot more gods than just one...”
— Joe Hennon in an interview with Expatica Belgium
Hat tip Wild Hunt Blog
Cross posted to both Technopagan Yearnings & Pagan•Vigil
Posted: Thu - May 3, 2007 at 05:26 PM
Observing what others think of “Pagan Community”
Tuesday, 13Feb2007 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ modern adult pagans
This week's thinkum
Thursday, 23Mar2006 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ philosophy
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1982366546/E20060324050200
Do you live your faith or does your faith live you?
I've been thinking about that a lot this week.
I've been thinking about that a lot this week.
Take it seriously
Thursday, 25Aug2005 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
These older blog entries have been reformatted and entered into the current directories
Read More...Happy Towel Day!
Wednesday, 11May2005 Filed in: quotes & thinkums⭐︎ entertainment
Religious Truth
Monday, 09May2005 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Revived 01Dec2017
Friday, 01Dec2017 Filed in: site news
Religion and popular culture
This is what happens when you hit deadline and you can't think of anything to write. You bring out something from your poetry file. This started as a chant and developed into something else along the way.
Read More...❝Why Coyote doesn't give commandments❞
Tuesday, 06Sep2005 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Revived 28Nov2017
Tuesday, 28Nov2017 Filed in: site news
I do not fear the dark
Friday, 30Dec2005 Filed in: beliefs
Warm Autumn in Arizona
Tuesday, 28Oct2008 Filed in: tellus
Migration noise
Tuesday, 16Sep2008 Filed in: tellus
“Thunder in the vicinity”
Monday, 07Jul2008 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ rite & ritual
Spring meditations and ramble
Thursday, 26Apr2007 Filed in: tellus
Correllian ripples
Saturday, 28Oct2006 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ modern adult pagans
Polyester, Protestant Pagans?
Saturday, 14Oct2006 Filed in: tellus
❝What you think you know is not what you need to know. Where you are is not where you need to be. Who you believe you are is not who you were meant to be.❞— NeoWayland, Systematically
Witchschool.com no longer affiliated with Correllian Nativist Church International
Wednesday, 04Oct2006 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ modern adult pagans
The NeoDen gets a new workroom
Thursday, 01Mar2007 Filed in: practicals
❝Humanity is a colony organism. People cherish their passions. Competition breeds progress and encourages honesty. In the absence of understanding, triviality dominates. Seek paradox for truth. Resist dogma for growth. Beware anyone who offers an absolute.❞Read More...
— NeoWayland, On Humantics
Micro spell kit
I got an email asking why I didn't include Pagan music. Long story short, I think we need to look for connections beyond things that are just "Pagan" or Pagan related. There is meaning and life all around us, we do not need to shut ourselves off from it just because it didn't come from an approved source.
Read More...Move through the anger
Sunday, 28Jan2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
Some songs work amazingly well as meditation aids, IF it's the right music and the right lyrics.
Read More...Humantics
Tuesday, 16Jan2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
Does the origin determine validity?
Wednesday, 13Dec2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ studies
When things are messy, actions and answers aren't clear cut. That is when you need faith in yourself.
Read More...Fire
Here are some physical parts of a spell I improvised last night and used this morning. It's one of the better "booster" spells I've come up with in a while. It takes a bit of prep time and you need to greet the sun, but it works.
Read More...Blessings and ethics
Tuesday, 08Aug2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ manifest
The Focusing Flame
Saturday, 22Jul2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Harvestpoint differs from Lughnasadh, but that is a good place to begin your studies. Read More...
Kissed by the Lady Moon - updated
Saturday, 13Dec2008 Filed in: tellus
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”— John Muir
The roots of the Old Breed
Monday, 08Mar2010 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ modern adult pagans
The Old Breed
Monday, 28May2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ modern adult pagans
Characters
Tuesday, 06Jul2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ sex
Eyes open and watching carefully
Tuesday, 13Jul2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ entertainment
Community and being a Proper Pagan
Tuesday, 20Jul2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ sex
Front door and back door
Thursday, 11Jun2009 Filed in: tellus
Crossing the horizon
Tuesday, 01Sep2009 Filed in: tellus
Quick notes to a new seeker - Updated
Tuesday, 03Nov2009 Filed in: practicals
The Day After Earth Day
Thursday, 23Apr2009 Filed in: tellus
Love
❝You're so determined to struggle nobly against dark forces that you can't see what is casting the shadow.❞— NeoWayland
Lost in the story
Tuesday, 12Jan2010 Filed in: sojourners⭐︎ entertainment
Terms of understanding
Saturday, 26Dec2009 Filed in: sojourners
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C410060794/E20091226123859
I know what to call Book People now
This is one of those months I wish I could rip out and forget. I'm thinking things are going to get better by the 12th, but I am not totally sure.
Anyway, some things did go right. Early this morning while thinking about what may become chapter five, I solved a nagging problem that has been bothering me for months.
So working from "The story is not the journey," I've settled on terms.
You see, almost every word I used to describe the book people sounded pejorative. The one I've settled on isn't perfect, but it's a lot better. Here's what I'm using.
Sojourner - experienced faith, active, focused on their own journey.
Wonderer (not Wanderer) - Seeking, but no clear direction or method. "They hear the call, but they haven't found their path yet.
And finally…
Pilgrim - revealed faith, "the answers could be in the very next book." The fable happens to them as they seek to manifest the story in their own lives.
And no, this isn't necessarily about religion or faith.
This also has application to the profile notes I talked about before. I added the descriptions to =profile5 - special interests to use as I need.
Hmm, while I'm "in the neighborhood," I'd like to make another point. I have the same thing for Religion, Clubs or volunteer efforts, Politics, and Community. Let's look at one.
Clubs or volunteer efforts? -
Official? - Active? -
How? - Importance to person? -
Obviously I copy/paste as need. But what the heck do I mean by "official" and "active?"
Official is what they call themselves. "I'm a Rotarian" (there aren't as many as there used to be). Active is how much they put into it. It's the difference between a benchwarmer who is there for the social stuff and the one who stays late to help clean up. For some, the label is the most important part. Others may not even be "official" but they're more than willing to pitch in.
Anyway, some things did go right. Early this morning while thinking about what may become chapter five, I solved a nagging problem that has been bothering me for months.
So working from "The story is not the journey," I've settled on terms.
You see, almost every word I used to describe the book people sounded pejorative. The one I've settled on isn't perfect, but it's a lot better. Here's what I'm using.
Sojourner - experienced faith, active, focused on their own journey.
Wonderer (not Wanderer) - Seeking, but no clear direction or method. "They hear the call, but they haven't found their path yet.
And finally…
Pilgrim - revealed faith, "the answers could be in the very next book." The fable happens to them as they seek to manifest the story in their own lives.
And no, this isn't necessarily about religion or faith.
This also has application to the profile notes I talked about before. I added the descriptions to =profile5 - special interests to use as I need.
Hmm, while I'm "in the neighborhood," I'd like to make another point. I have the same thing for Religion, Clubs or volunteer efforts, Politics, and Community. Let's look at one.
Clubs or volunteer efforts? -
Official? - Active? -
How? - Importance to person? -
Obviously I copy/paste as need. But what the heck do I mean by "official" and "active?"
Official is what they call themselves. "I'm a Rotarian" (there aren't as many as there used to be). Active is how much they put into it. It's the difference between a benchwarmer who is there for the social stuff and the one who stays late to help clean up. For some, the label is the most important part. Others may not even be "official" but they're more than willing to pitch in.
Journey of a different color
Friday, 26Jan2007 Filed in: sojourners
Do you know what part of the problem is?
Tuesday, 31Aug2010 Filed in: book
Beyond the details
Tuesday, 31Aug2010 Filed in: book⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
A question for those who read this blog
Saturday, 17Jan2009 Filed in: book
Revisiting writing the book
Thursday, 07May2009 Filed in: book
If it’s bad when the People of the Book do it, then why on Earth is it a good idea when neopagans do it?
Read More...Strings of universes that work
Thursday, 20Nov2008 Filed in: studies⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
Mulling over the nature of Deity
Sunday, 01Oct2006 Filed in: studies⭐︎ entertainment
Male or female?
Saturday, 22Jul2006 Filed in: studies
The price
Friday, 27Jan2006 Filed in: studies⭐︎ rite & ritual
Why the internet may suppress thought
Saturday, 27Jan2007 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ studies
Touchstones along the path
Tuesday, 16Jan2007 Filed in: sojourners
“We've got trouble my friends…”
Monday, 30May2005 Filed in: modern adult pagans
I suppose it is an inevitable question
Tuesday, 30Oct2007 Filed in: beliefs
Synchronicity, coincidence, perception, and perspective
Sunday, 28Jan2007 Filed in: beliefs
Eclecticism, Discipline, & Mastery
Tuesday, 04Jul2006 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ practicals
“At the end of the day, some things can't be faked.”— Leverage, “The Corkscrew Job”
Why a Technopagan?
Tuesday, 09Dec2008 Filed in: modern adult pagans
So what's a Technopagan anyway?
And what do they yearn for?
And what do they yearn for?
Tuesday, 24Mar2009 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Lightning and ritual
Friday, 26Jun2009 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ rite & ritual
“Paganism should spread through experience and art, not theology. The theology comes later, if it comes.”Read More...— Chas Clifton, Looking at Your Polis as a Pagan
A little slice of mind
Thursday, 18Jun2009 Filed in: studies
The Authority Problem
Wednesday, 21Apr2010 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ modern adult pagans
On Pagan Leadership
Tuesday, 11May2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Comments on "Teach Me, My Way"
Wednesday, 18May2005 Filed in: beliefs
Progressively regressive
Monday, 05Apr2010 Filed in: modern adult pagans
How to convince me you're a poseur before I've finished the first page of the preface of your book - UPDATED
Wednesday, 14Oct2009 Filed in: studies⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
What is the difference between a crow and a raven?
Tuesday, 18Nov2008 Filed in: tellus
Groups
Tuesday, 02Jun2009 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
Facing the True Believer™
Monday, 12Sep2005 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Why some fail all the time and how they can start to turn it around, with a little help from Stan and Ollie
Read More...Golden, Silver, and Iron Rules
Sunday, 07Aug2005 Filed in: quotes & thinkums
Packing away the memory
Wednesday, 07Oct2009 Filed in: modern adult pagans
The V ritual
Sunday, 22Oct2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Assembly of NeoWayland
Sunday, 17Sep2006 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ practicals
Love on the rocks
Friday, 30Nov2007 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ sex
Is the weirdness really wyrd?
Sunday, 04Nov2007 Filed in: modern adult pagans
Depression and the Modern Pagan
Tuesday, 25Nov2008 Filed in: modern adult pagans
NeoNote — When the universe has it's way with you
Saturday, 10Jan2009 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ NeoNotes
Systematically
Thursday, 08Jan2009 Filed in: practicals
“In the absence of understanding, triviality dominates.” - UPDATED
Rocket in my garden Read More...
“You're not doing what I wanted you to do!”
Thursday, 06Apr2006 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ entertainment
Taproot: Open the Way
“On stage I make love to twenty-five thousand people; and then I go home alone.”Read More...— Janis Joplin
Taproot: Family, Guests, Ancestors, and Gods
Wednesday, 19Nov2008 Filed in: taproots
Left handed wave
Friday, 07Jan2011 Filed in: thinking by blogging⭐︎ site news
Pardon me while I blink in the winter sunlight and get my bearings
Wednesday, 17Nov2010 Filed in: thinking by blogging⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.
A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Solar festival
Monday, 20Mar2006 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ celebrations & passages
What's in a name?
Monday, 24Dec2007 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ celebrations & passages
Something I did not know
Thursday, 01Oct2009 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ celebrations & passages
Evangelism
Tuesday, 25Apr2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ modern adult pagans
Horizons
Thursday, 30Mar2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ celebrations & passages
“ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX IV: I mean what exactly are you doing with your life?Read More...
ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX: I'm being attacked by a Vogon Fleet.
ZB IV: Doesn't surprise me in the least.”—The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio series, Fit the Ninth
Wheel
My response to a question about being skyclad. Taken from Wicca: General Chat from the Timerift Forums
Read More...On Being Not
Friday, 06Jan2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ modern adult pagans
“I'm being attacked!”
I'm going to watch this one a bit before adding it to the blogroll, but I do agree with the idea.
Read More...NeoNote — Skyclad
"all of that sunshine,
all of that sweet golden sunshine,
that thrills me and fills me and…"
Are you paying attention?
Tuesday, 14Sep2010 Filed in: practicals
Craft Check
Friday, 14Oct2005 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
A sun worshiper welcomes summer
"all of that sunshine,
all of that sweet golden sunshine,
that thrills me and fills me and…"
Sex & the Modern Pagan
Sunday, 21Dec2008 Filed in: modern adult pagans⭐︎ sex
I took a couple of days off and went to the Kaibab for some retreat and renewal
Read More...Touch of a Master - Updated
Tuesday, 29Dec2009 Filed in: studies⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
Harassment: Avoidance & Confrontation
Monday, 03Oct2005 Filed in: practicals
Greenwood Beltaine - updated
Wednesday, 02May2007 Filed in: tellus⭐︎ celebrations & passages
Yeah, it got quiet here
Monday, 10May2010 Filed in: site news
Hair of the bear
Thursday, 11May2006 Filed in: practicals⭐︎ rite & ritual
Self-initiation
The next step depends on the focus of your faith and your choices. It's not enough to be just Pagan.
Read More...Why are you Pagan?
Monday, 21Nov2005 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ celebrations & passages
“Follow” is not exactly an accurate term
Monday, 09May2005 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ quotes & thinkums
How to be Pagan for a day
Thursday, 30Apr2009 Filed in: beliefs⭐︎ celebrations & passages
Bone, Heart, Thought, Deed, and Spirit, I choose to honor these people this season
Read More...Bringing it home
Monday, 04May2009 Filed in: beliefs
Bone, Heart, Thought, Deed, and Spirit, I choose to honor those who touched my life
Read More...Before a Winter's Eve
Thursday, 25Oct2007 Filed in: Befores⭐︎ rite & ritual⭐︎ quotes & thinkums⭐︎ beliefs⭐︎ celebrations & passages
