Archive for the ‘Rantings & Ravings’ Category

The Crooked Path website and Podcast have reached an end.

To quote Peter Paddon “I find that the politics, fundamentalism and downright ugliness that is so vocal within the Pagan community right now has sucked the joy from this project.”

Like many endeavors started by eager pagans and witches seeking to share, learn, teach, help and heal, it seems that even the Crooked Path could not escape the ugliness and in-fighting of our community.

I will truly miss the wonderful and informative podcasts and lurking on your forum Peter, I also have enjoyed reading the Crooked Path Journal.

Thank you to Peter, Raven and everyone at the Crooked Path for your hard work and service to the community.

I do hope that Pendraig Publishing continues and I pledge to keep on supporting (already over $100 in books bought!)

As for the rest of us … SHAME, SHAME and DOUBLE SHAME.

Pagans suck and witches are bitches.

What the fuck do we think we are doing here?

We have been seeing more and more pets being abandoned with the bad economy.

Most of these people have not cut down their weekend beer fund, but they are getting rid of the kids dog.

For shame.

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
No, not even
When I rise with the dawn
And greet signing birds
And walk my hounds upon the mountainside

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
Not even when I speak to the land
Not even when I listen to the wind
Nor when I watch the Sun cross southern skies
And mark the Moon’s fall and rise

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
No, not even when I praise the thunder
Or dance with the ebb and flow
Of many tides

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
Not when spirits follow my steps
Through summer woodlands
Or brush my heels on moonlit trails

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
Not even when gods answer my call
For I have answered theirs
Not when I farm my land
Or lend an animal a helping hand

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
You see
Because I have no initiation to speak of
No puppy papers to prove my lineage
No formal training to brag about

I am not a real witch
I am not a proper pagan
No, not even
When I rise with the dawn

I was recently asked why my recent Witchvox article did not discuss any of the currently living Leaders and Elders? Actually, I’ve been asked this a few times. So before I head out to the pasture to check on the new fillies (pics coming soon) I thought I’d toss an answer out there.

There are a couple of reasons why (in no particular order)

1) I was playing devils advocate and responding to the attitude and growing complaint (especially amongst younger newbies) that there are NO “good” elders out there. And thus, I was responding as if there really are no good elders anymore. EDITED TO ADD: I was also responding to the attitude that there is no hope for the younger generations, that we are all Charmed and Buffy junkies.

2) I didn’t want to enter into a debate or discussion about who are our current “good” or “bad” elders and who was worthy of that title or not etc etc etc

3) Not all pagans live in the city. There are many of us who live in Bumhole Nebraska, or Middle-o-Nowhere Alberta. Plenty of us have to drive 2 or 6 or 16 hours to get to the nearest open Circle, or workshop or Wicca 101 class.

For many of us, there are no Elders where we live. The only Elders are the ones in the books we order online and pay high shipping costs to get, or on web pages we must look at using slow speed dail-up. And this makes these elders and teachers barely tangible.

Many pagans, heathens and witches are struggling with the fact that there is no one else with more experience in the faith or Craft than themselves in their hometowns. Or if there is one or two, they are busy with their group (etc).

Plenty of us are dealing with the reality that these great elders and teachers do exist, but they are so far away they might as well not.

You have no idea how frustrating it is to put together a little workshop, sharing what you have learned with the handful of peers you have in your small town (because there is no one else to teach and you guys need to learn from each other then), and along comes some big city witch ranting and raving at you that “how dare any non-elder teach!”

Well, there might not be any elders where I live!

Cheers folks!

Paganism is growing like one of my hometowns.

Kelowna is a beautiful mountain town on a big lake (complete with lake monster) that grew up really, really fast, as did the surrounding areas.

And the people didn’t plan for it.

So now that this valley city has sometimes a million cars passing through and around it a day during the peak summer months, they need to completely rebuild their infrastructure.

They are tearing the whole damned city apart, some of it the oldest and prettiest parts of town, to build hiways and sewers and sidewalks and bridges.

Paganism is growing this way.

We are growing very, very fast and we are not planning for it or laying down the infrastructure to support this growth.

We are screwing ourselves, and our children, over.

also

The armchair pagans on today will be congregations of tomorrow.

The hard workers, the elders, the clann-makers will be the clergy.

We need to face this.

Ouch

Oh, and….

“It isn’t easy being a pink monkey in a society that DEMANDS brown ones” ~ ADHDTigger

How I practice and express my paganism reflects my personality. I am a zany,
often silly, fun loving and cheerful gal.

Yes, I take my faith and my Craft very seriously, but that does not mean I am
going to act like a totally different person in ritual, I am still going to be
myself.
And the sort of person that I am, is the sort of person who likes to play dress
up. Just because I show up in a robe or an outfit that might belong at a SCA
event does not mean I am not dedicated to my spirituality, it means I am also
dedicated to my individuality.

How can one stand “in perfect love and perfect trust” before their gods dressed
in someone else’s idea of what is appropriate for them to wear? I must be me, I
am the woman who at nearly 29 years of age still wears striped socks that don’t
match.

You can ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you there are few “bland,
boring, normal” folks out there who are as dedicated to their spirituality than
I am.

I have the right to dress up in any manner I choose, even in a silly manner.
I have the right to dress like my ancestors as a way to honor them if I choose.
You have the right to be embarrassed if you see me walking by in my “silly”
clothes if you so choose.

It takes all kinds.

Cheers,

Juniper

First up in the News

I soapbox rant of mine made it on Witchvox last week. No great surprise there right? Another rant on the Vox.
What was surprising was is it actually lit a fire in the online pagan community at large, albeit a very small one.
I am no psychologist nor sociologist so I will not hazard a guess as to why this article, of all articles would catch on so well myself. Well I will but I’m not sharing them with ya…
Anyways I thought I’d share some of the responses I’ve gotten from folks. Interestingly enough, most positive responses came via email, comments here, or through the Vox. While the less than positive comments were never directly sent to me, but posted on other folks blogs and such. Once again , I am no sociologist…
For those of you wondering were said rant came from, if you go through the Vox’s archives back to last October/September sometimes, there was a series of articles of (mostly young) newbies complaining that there “Aren’t any good Elders, they’ve all abandoned us, people are obligated to teach us” etc etc. One article in fact was call something along the lines of “Where have all the Gardner’s Gone?” or something along those lines. Actually there may have been more than one titled like that. Anyhow…
I could try to clarify what I was trying to say, I could defend it. But I wont.
I will say this though:

Whether you liked my article or not. I’m glad I got you all TALKING.

Of all the emails here is an excerpt of my favourite:
“Do want to be, a Garderian High Priestess?

I read your acrticle and i sort of got the idea that, you might be intersted in takeing on a Garderian Linage, iam Garderian and i can pass this on to you if you like.”
I won’t share any other emails, as I will respect that they were sent privatley and not posted publicly. But I did get more than a few offers from folks to stand with their shield beside me, and I thank you all for that!!

Here are a few links to other blogs and such who commented on the article. Including the Wild Hunt (I feel special!)

http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/03/happy-st-patricks-day.html

http://dubhlainn.livejournal.com/246368.html

http://johnfranc.blogspot.com/2009/03/where-have-all-gardners-and-crowleys.html

http://northwestpass.livejournal.com/78166.html   http://northwestpass.livejournal.com/78412.html

In other news

I have actually taken much of the week off to get caught up with various Hedge related projects and more…

The Hearth Craft Class on the forum will finish off (Its DYI you can take it any time)

The Calendar project is winding up on the Forum, we are making our calendar, likely to wind up self published yay to free press!

The Cafepress shop will get updated and so will preparations for Beltaine, which I’m hosting a (quite) small gathering on my land for. Check out the forum for updates and discussion on those as well.

And if any Hedge members or friends want the link to their website or blog moved to the Friends of the Hedge link category, just let me know.

Cheers Folks!