Time for thoughts and revelations

I'm only about half awake, and have had very little coffee, but here goes:

My kids are nearly grown now. My oldest will be eighteen in January, and my youngest will be sixteen in May. I've been pretty much relegated to the roll of maid and ATM, but at least they do still talk to me from time to time and tell me about their days at school and how their band is progressing (rockin', by the way!) So it's time for me to quit fiddle-farting around and do those things I want to do. After all, I'm not getting younger, and the further I progress into my forties, the more I realize time is getting away from me and I have yet to do even a fraction of what I hope to accomplish.

A new non-profit is being organized with an eye towards obtaining a building. I've decided that even if this doesn't happen in its current state, I will find a way to make it happen. As Pagans, we deserve just as much as any other religion. I'm starting to see a definite goal and a way to reach it.

There's much else, but I must go and work within the mundane world for a bit.

There is something rather strange going on.

Besides being Pagan, I'm also a musician. I play bass guitar and do some back-up singing in a couple of different bands. My brother and my children, along with many of their friends, are also musicians. Something we noticed a couple of years ago was that the entire music community for our city seemed to splinter pretty badly. There were several factors - the city had decided that anyone under the age of eighteen was not allowed to enter a business whose primary source of income was from alcohol, and that stopped about half of the local bands from being able to play gigs anymore. About the same time, several of the more popular local acts headed out west to try and get that "big break," - they all came back home, wiser and probably a little more jaded (if you're wondering who they were, it was Pillbox, happyendings, and Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin. SSLYBY is still out there, working hard to make a name for themselves).

Well, yesterday in my daily cruising of the 'net, I ran across a series of posts on one of the local boards about band ettiquette. Besides being a really good discussion about what's expected when you play a gig, it was civil and somewhat reminescent of "the good ol' days," which are approximately five to ten years ago. I thought, "how odd - pretty much the same time our Pagan community started drifting apart."

That's got me wondering now. Was the whole "splintering" effect a city-wide phemomenon? Maybe across the nation? What happened in that time frame that would have caused an entire region to start backing away from each other, no matter what their affilliation?According to people who study these things, there are two occurrences that bring people together - a common enemy or a common goal. I know in the past when the Pagan community has had the ability to focus on a common goal, we have achieved great things. I know that focusing on a common enemy brings a lot of anger and discourse into a group, and while it may unite people for a short time, eventually all that anger starts getting turned into the group, and that's never a good thing. So here's my theory:

I believe that the events that occurred on 9/11 created an atmosphere of "us against them." War mongers and demagogues have been riding that wave for the last seven years. We as a nation are getting really tired of feeling like we have to be on guard all the time and angry with the world. For crying out loud, we all have to live here - we might as well get along with each other! Anyway, every medical study in the world can tell you that living under large amounts of stress on a constant basis is bad for your health. I think we've finally begun to realize that and slowly - VERY slowly - we are starting to come back together, not just as one group or another, but as people seeking other people's company and support. We're tired of being alone. We're tired of looking for the boogey man behind every corner.

If we can reunite under a common goal (not succumbing to the horrendous economy and surviving these hard times) and rise above the hate-mongering, I believe we will be a stronger people for it. Not just as a community, but as a nation as well.

It's time, folks.

Thoughts on the election

Yesterday was a rather momentous day - no matter who you were voting for. Granted, I am a "tree-hugging liberal," and yes, my candidate won, but either way, we were going to see history made. But now that it's over, it's time to get down to the real work at hand.

We all know our nation has been splintered for years by the whole "we're right, you're wrong" mentality that's been permeating not only our government, but our communities. I've seen in our own backyard, within the Pagan community. How sad is that? Here we are, supposedly standing up for each other and trying to protect our family, our friends, our neighbors from the attacks we've faced for years, and we've been so busy telling each other how wrong we are that we've lost most of our cohesion. Why are we doing this? Have we become so complacent that we just don't care about community anymore? Can we truly afford to be so divided?

I'm thinking "no," folks.

If anything, these past few years would have been a really good time for us to pull together and show true unity, not turn on each other and try to prove how superior this bunch is compared to that bunch. I know, I know, there are quite a few places in the world where there hasn't been any in-fighting and their sense of community is stronger now that it ever was, but all I've got to deal with is my own little corner of the world right now. If you are a p and live in the Southwest corner of Missouri, then you know it's not exactly all warm and fuzzy around here, and that's coming from our own people.

For the past couple of years, I've been trying to think of some way to see this part of world come back together like it used to be. Is that possible, or are we screwed? Have we destroyed our respect for each other so much that we will never be able to see a sense of community like we used to? I'd like to think we are more mature than that.There are some fresh faces locally, folks that have been seeking, but have not found their path yet. Folks that want to be a part of the greater good. That gives me a great deal of hope. I am actually seeing movement forward. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad to see it's finally happening.

The next step is going to be getting those of us that have been around for a while to stand up and be willing to help guide these new people. I know, times have been tough lately, but we are seeing the dawn of a new day and I don't want to get left behind, stuck in the same ruts we've been in for that last few years. I know that I can feel hope again. I can see possibility again. We need to move forward and capture some of this momentum for ourselves.I am also seeing a change for Pagans and Wiccans in general. For many, many years we have taught and worshipped in a rather haphazard manner, each of us doing our own thing and not being concerned with it. That's fine - I honestly have no problem with that - but I also believe that it will be our demise if we continue to ignore the fact that we are growing, and sometimes it's good to have a little organization.

Yes, that's right! I said it! ORGANIZATION!!!

Seriously, though, if you look at some of the bigger groups across the country, how do you think they got where they are? Circle Sanctuary, Aquarian Tabernacle, Reclaiming - it didn't "just happen." They put effort into creating what they have, and I believe that if the Pagans in this area want to see something similar, we are going to have to put forth the effort with more than just lip service. We have a lot of intelligent and talented people around here - I don't want to see that go to waste.

So - let's do this. It's a new day - Carpe Diem!

Playing Catch-up

I have been lax in my writings as of late.

It's been a rough few months. I lost my job and I'm just now getting to a point again where I can say I'm getting back on my feet. No sooner did I lose my job then I found out a young man I had dated for a couple of years had decided to take his own life. That was - tough. He was young and pretty, and he had a daughter that at one time I believed gave him hope for his future.

I thought that would be the end of my bad news, but this morning I have learned that yet another friend has developed a potentially debilitating disease - counting my father, that makes four people in the last year that I know who have either developed or are on the verge of developing diabetes. Two of those people are younger than me.

I feel I have spent entirely too much time sitting idly by while my friends die or commit gruesome crimes or become horribly ill. What the hell is going on? It's almost as if our entire Pagan community has been cursed, and we are all doomed. I cannot help but feel there is something very wrong with all of this. We need to do something. We need to quit walking around with our noses in the air, pretending we don't see each other and get everyone going in a good direction. But I feel so powerless to do anything. I have zero support from the people around me. Something has to be done, though. Somehow, . . . .

The Difference Between Charity and Hypocrisy

I live in a mobile home park. It's a nice one, outside of town, quiet, in a great school district. Within a one-mile radius of my home are four different churches - one Baptist, one Church of Christ and two Assemblies of God. Three of the four churches are in the middle of or have just finished expanding. Jesus is booming, folks.

For the most part, I have no problem with living in the midst of these churches, except for one. These people irritate the living crap out of me, and for a variety of reasons.

First off, this church has gotten so big so fast that they have three services on Sunday morning. They have mounted an outdoor PA system in their parking lot, and anytime they have services, they play Christian music through the PA. Eight o'clock service? Time to play music! And that wouldn't be so bad except that it's loud enough to hear at my house at eight o'clock in the morning on a Sunday.

Second, the traffic on our little country road has increased significantly. Now typically on a Sunday, I don't care so much. But on Wednesday nights, it's insane. And of course, they do all sorts of special events for the kids on Saturdays, and there's Bible camp in the summer, and all manner of other things they do that I have no clue what they are or why they are clogging up my road!

Anyway, that's all fairly insignificant. It probably wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't for their egotistical practice of advertising every time they do a big charity project. I mean, I always thought that charity was working for the sake of others, not making yourself look good. And these people are the worst about it. Every time they go out and do something to help underpriviledged kids or the elderly or a food bank, they make sure to contact the local news so they can show everyone what great people they are. It would help if the local news would quit covering this crap, but if it's a slow day, hey, what are you gonna do?

This particular church has been bugging for a while, but this latest thing made me even angrier, because I know it's going to make the news tomorrow, and it's going to create havoc on one of our major city streets, too. See, they've decided to sponsor a gas station here in town and sell gas cheaper than what it's been going for. And while I understand advertising something like is necessary, I might not have been so irritated if the first line did NOT say "Northpoint Helps!" It's as if the church wouldn't have been doing this if the gas station hadn't put that up.

But then, in my experiences, Northpoint doesn't help at all. When my neighbor's house burned down, did anyone from Northpoint come over to help clean up or see if there was anything they could do? During the ice storms, did anyone from Northpoint come over - to their neighbors! - and see if everyone was alright? When there are threats of tornados, do they open their doors and let those of us in the mobile home park take shelter?

NO!

But for the record, none of the churches bothered to do any of that, either.

Charity, my ass.

The Seventh Incarnation of the Mother

There is currently a series on the Science Channel that is exploring the birth, life, death and rebirth of our planet, as well as the emergence of life during these times. According what scientists have been able to determine, the cycle goes like this:

Earth is hit by an asteroid that creates a catastrophic chain reaction. First, everything is super-heated and essentially sterilized by fire. Then, a cooling begins, creating what becomes a giant snowball in space. Eventually the ice begins to melt and forms of life begin to appear. Plants grow, animals evolve and all is happy for a few million years. Until Earth is hit again.

This has happened six times.

According to what the scientists can figure out, each time the Earth dies and is reborn, life returns as well. That would mean the Earth manages to keep the keys to creating life deep within Herself, even though the surface has been cleansed by fire and ice.

The Earth truly is our Mother.

And now we have scientific proof!

On another subject, I would like for everyone out there to think about this for a minute - why are you a Pagan? Why do you stand beneath the moon and call to the God and Goddess? What is it about this spirituality that "does it" for you?

I have recently been on a very intimate quest to understand - for myself - the reasons for being Pagan. I know that I chose this path when I was younger because I felt this was the best way to honor the Mother and the Father and to celebrate my own life as a child of the Gods. But recently, it seems I've forgotten that. I started worrying about what other people might think if I actually enjoyed myself in public and had a good time wherever I was. I got so wrapped up in the "what will they think" mentality that I forgot to be myself and became very depressed.

Then one day, my friend Nova pointed me to this strange person who was also incredibly wrapped up in the "what will they think" mentality. I spent countless hours looking over this person's blogs and writings, and determined this person was some sort of fundamentalist nutcase, too busy casting stones at others to pay much attention to his own household. Yeah, you know, . . .

Anyway, I realized I was in danger of becoming just like that. No fun in that! So for the past few months I've been doing a lot of introspection and self-examination. I feel like I owe all of my friends and family a huge apology for becoming a lame-ass drag.

And with that, I would just like to say that changes can be expected! Beltane is coming up very quickly, and I'm glad to say that this year's celebration will indeed be a celebration!

I am a Child of Gods, divine and divinely inspired.

The Purpose of Religion

I have recently found myself wondering why religion is so important to people. If you follow a Christian ideology, then there are the threats of damnation and the promise of an everlasting life filled with bliss and happiness. I believe all the book religions make a promise of eternal life and joy. I've seen many indigenous religions that feel the need to appease the Gods so there is less pain and strife, but is there a reward for them at the end of their lives? Generally, there is reincarnation into a life that is easier as reward for those that have lived a good life, and something harsher for those that did not.

But what of the Pagan? We believe in Gods and Goddesses and we believe in reincarnation. Is there a reward for us at the end of our lives? If we live a good life, if we are kind to others and do what we can to help our fellow human, what happens when we die?

I was taught early on that as we reincarnate through all our lives, we accumulate knowledge which is then taken back to the source that is God. As I've gotten older, I've run into a problem with that - why would God need that knowledge if God created all that we are? So that belief changed into this: we need the experiences so WE can grow and become more compassionate, which in turn is supposed to bring us closer to understanding what it means to be as God/dess. But then I started seeing all these natural disasters and wars, and it seemed as if God/dess had lost all sense of compassion. And I lost all faith.

I believe there is God/dess. I don't believe any of us really know what God/dess is, but I do believe in the existence of Deity. I don't know if all of our bowing and scraping is really necessary to them. It is necessary for us, because we need to know we can connect to Deity in some way, and we need to know they hear us. But do the Gods need us? Do the Gods need our worship and prayer?

"You have no need of prayer, yet we offer these, our prayers.
You have no need for worship, yet we worship you here.
You have no need for sacrifice, yet we offer you sacrifice."

So what's the point?

Some religions would have us believe our immorality is what's creating all these natural disasters and wars. I believe it's man's inhumanity to man - "my dick's bigger than your dick" syndrome. Rather than reaching out to our brothers and sisters and trying to make this a place where we can live in peace, we are creating our own hell on Earth by poisoning the waters and the atmosphere and trying to kill each other. Sadly, much of it has been (and is still being) done in the name of religion. One group of people does not worship like another group of people, so the first group is blasphemous and must be punished. There are so many different kinds of people on this planet, yet we cannot celebrate our differences - we must pound the shit out of anybody that's even slightly different.

Maybe the point of being a Pagan is to learn tolerance and compassion. Historically speaking, the Gods and Goddesses of my ancestors weren't exactly kind individuals - they were warriors and kings and queens, but I believe even Gods and Goddesses learn over time. They may not walk the Earth with us in physical form, but they are here, and - I believe - they do hear us. It's not just elementals or Earth energy or beings from different planes of existence. They are Gods and Goddesses and they are a part of who and what we are. We should honor them and respect them, not because we have to or because we're afraid of them, but simply because they are. Just as we are one with the Earth, we are one with the Gods.

Sometimes I forget.

Getting rid of the Poor?

I'm sure you've noticed the price of groceries going up over the past year. For me, it's getting harder and harder to feed my family - I currently have three teenagers in my home, as well as my husband and myself. Well, last night, this little story caught my eye. Seems higher food prices have become a global issue, and it's really got me wondering, . . . .

In the past couple of years, it's become very evident there are two classes of people in this world - the rich and everyone else. We've all heard how ten percent of the population control ninety percent of the wealth or something like that. Now that the rest of us can barely afford food, what happens next? Do we start living in caves, slowly starving to death, because we can't afford our homes anymore? No so much a problem for me, maybe, but what is going on in the larger cities, like New York or Houston? There are people in those areas that have never seen a cow, have no clue about gardening, don't know how to butcher a chicken or even start a fire. What happens to them?

I'm not saying situations will ever get so bad that we end up resorting to anarchy, but in my adult life I have to say I've never really considered it a real possibility before. People are being killed in food riots in industrialized nations because there's not enough to go around. That's a little scary. Basic commodities like wheat and dairy are becoming scarcer. No one really seems to have an answer for it, thus my suspicion.

For myself and my family, I've taken a second job to help make ends meet. We'll be planting a garden this year and eating a lot of fresh veggies. Hey, not only will we save money, we'll be a lot healthier!!!

I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Planet

I owe an apology to anyone that actually reads this blog on any sort of regular basis. February has been a tough month for me mentally.

I have clinical depression, and it kicked my ass this month. I'm not offering this as an excuse - I've been living with this for most of my life, and ordinarily I can function at least halfway reasonably. But there's been very little sunlight lately, and I imagine that has had something to do with it. That compounded with some personal issues has just made my life feel even harder than normal.

For instance, I thought getting my income tax refund and getting everything caught up would help. Not so much. I thought getting a scooter would cheer me up. It has somewhat, but not like I had hoped.

I know one of the things that's really eating at me is the loss of my friends. Some dying, others deciding they're pissed at me and cutting off all communication - what the hell? What did I do?

The only thing I know for sure is some of this stems from an incident last year in which I felt like a pariah to everyone I know. I secluded myself for several months and didn't really talk with anyone because it was brought to my attention that I'm not as nice a person as I would like to think and I have caused the people I care about more pain that I was aware. I figured there was no reason to inflict myself upon anyone, and spent a lot of time in a rather dark place. I had hoped the people that have dumped me would be at least a little understanding, but evidently there was more to it than I thought. And now I have very few people that still want to talk with me or hang out with me. Perhaps I'm still a pariah.

Anyway, I'm hoping that this darkness will lift soon. Riding the scooter exposes me to a lot more sunlight, and I know that will help. I will work to make sure there are more entries on here as well.

Blessed Be, Gene

Well, we’ve lost another friend. Gene Lynch passed away Wednesday morning. This was not entirely unexpected as he had been in poor health for some years, but it’s never something you really anticipate. You’re never really prepared when you get the news.

Gene was a character. He came to our Wicca 101 classes to study and learn, and he even initiated after his studies. I was proud of that. He was a retired Navy man, a former Boy Scout leader, author of several books geared towards camping and an opinionated loudmouth. Believe me, if you knew Gene then you know he would appreciate that!

He always astonished me with his tenacity. There were times when I thought, “well, he’s too sick now and he won’t make it to such-and-such event,” but I’ll be damned if he didn’t show up anyway. If he wanted to do something, he did it. He wasn’t going to just lie down and die, despite the diabetes and leukemia or even the amputations. He lived his life for as long as he was able.

Towards the end, I know things got bad for his family. He wasn’t able to recognize his friends anymore, and he became difficult for his wife to care for. We knew that when she finally agreed to hospice care, it wouldn’t be much longer. I also knew that Gene wouldn’t have wanted us to remember him as being sick, so out of respect for him and his family, we offered to help where we could, but didn’t push matters.

I’ve lost two friends in the space of a month and a half. It bothers me because neither of these men was at an age one would consider “old.” I don’t feel they had the opportunities to live completed lives. It has really caused me to take a very hard look at my life and decide whether or not I’m living a life that will be considered “complete” when I reach the end. Am I living for me or for someone else? Am I taking care of my own happiness or have I pushed it aside?

It’s been nearly fourteen years since I lost a very close friend from high school. I just about lost my mind when he died. I’m older and more mature now, but I still feel the effects of losing these two men now in such a short amount of time.
To hell with living a safe life

Writing the passing over

Ok, I had promised to post this up a couple of weeks ago, but I've been putting it off. I know, I know - bad Pagan, . . . .

Anyway, here is what I wrote for Raven's passing over. We didn't do a circle because this wasn't a ritual. It was a passing over, a memorial for our friend. I had white roses and white candles on the altar, and I had everyone light one candle and if they wanted, they could talk about Raven for a moment.

Here's the written text:

To the East, we celebrate the joy Raven brought into our lives. He always had a smile and a hug for us. He had no enemies among us.

To the South, we celebrate the passion with which Raven lived his life and the love he gave to those around him. He never asked or expected a return, but we couldn’t help but love him back.

To the West, we acknowledge that Raven kept secrets. There was pain in his life, but it was his to share or not, and most often he chose not to burden us with it.

To the North we celebrate the hugeness of Raven’s heart. He was proud to be who he was and expressed his individuality at every opportunity.

Below us, the Earth, which has accepted Raven’s body back into her bosom.

Above us, the Sky, which gives Raven’s spirit freedom to soar.

Within and without, there is Spirit - eternal and without limit. Raven will be with us always.

Until we meet again on the Other Side, peace be with you, Raven. Blessed be.

Westboro Baptist Strikes Again

Are you familiar with Westboro Baptist? They have a delightful website called "God Hates Fags." Fair warning - if it doesn't take much conservative right-wing garbage to piss you off, then you do not want to go there!

This "church" was founded by Fred Phelps, and anyone that's ever read his bio can tell he's a closet case. Somehow, in his warped and twisted little mind, he decided that since he can't come to terms with his own sexuality, then all things even remotely gay must be evil. He and his congregation (which mostly consists of his family members) started out protesting the funerals of any openly gay people they could find, carrying signs that say "God Hates Fags," and "Burn In Hell." Real loving, right? Then they started protesting the funerals of soldiers killed in action over in Iraq and Afganistan, saying their deaths were God's punishment on the United States because the U.S. has allowed such a moral decline within our country - things like civil unions and same-sex marriages. After all, the only reason for marriage is to procreate. Couldn't possibly be for anything like, oh, government reasons - insurance, lower taxes, better chances for credit - or maybe just love.

Anyway, now Mr Phelps' congregation, which is now led by his daughter, has decided to protest the memorial service of Heath Ledger because of his role in "Brokeback Mountain." It makes me so angry I could spit nails! Any opportunity to keep pushing their screwed-up agenda, get publicity and condemn those around them - these people are sick.

Please understand, I'm not a huge Heath Ledger fan. I have grudgingly admitted that, yes, he was a talented actor, but I just couldn't get past "A Knight's Tale." Bleh. However, I've been following Westboro Baptist for many years, and these people are not only delusional and extremely narrow-minded, I believe they have the potential to be dangerous. All it takes is one nut-job lunatic to decide that yes, this is the right thing to do, and then take a few automatic weapons to a protest so they can wipe out the evil of man all by themselves. I believe that it will happen.

When Fred Phelps dies, I'm going to his funeral.

Hillary Clinton and the Curse of Being a Woman

Oooh, two posts in one day!

Yesterday, the results of the New Hampshire primaries were released. The winners were John McCain for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.

I tend to vote Democrat. I am at heart an anarchist, and I get pretty pissed at anyone that tries to tell me how I should be living and worshipping. At least with Dems I feel I can be myself and not worry about a lynch mob showing up in my yard one day. And yes, I know there are other political parties in this country, but let’s face it – we are pretty much stuck with the lesser of two evils when it comes to politicians.

Anyway, when it comes to policy, I don’t really care for Clinton’s stand on a lot of different issues. I think it’s awesome that she’s running for president, but I’m not going to make my decision based on gender, race, religion, etc. I want to know that our next president will be able to restore our rights and make friends with the rest of the world again.

I would hope that the rest of this country would also make their votes based on how their candidate addresses issues that concern them. I would hope that, as a country, we are able to see past gender and race, and be able to truly focus on what’s important to all of us, not just the top ten percent of rich fat cats. I would hope that we would be happy to see a human side to any and all candidates and not instantly assumed it was staged.

You see, the night before the primaries in New Hampshire, Clinton got a little emotional. It happens. Immediately, every right-wing conservative that could get to a blog or a news outlet accused her of setting it up, staging her tears, acting her way through a meeting. After the final results of the primaries came out, the accusations got worse. Oh, she acted like she really cared, just so she could win. Oh, she’s playing on people’s feelings, pretending like she’s really human, just like everyone else. And according to some, it’s the only reason she won the primaries.

Why? Because she’s a woman?

For the first time in a very long time, I feel compelled to say something about treating someone differently because of gender. So she got a little teary-eyed. So what? She’s certainly not the first candidate to get a little emotional during their campaign, but I do believe she may be the first to be accused of attempting to garner sympathy that way. Is it because people think she’s so cold? Or is she supposed to be stronger than anyone else?

Funny thing about strong women – they are often personified as “bitches,” “ball-busters,” and yes, even cold. It’s ok for a guy to be strong and show little emotion in the face of a stressful situation, but a woman – well, there’s something wrong with her if she’s strong with little emotion. But then, if she breaks down into tears, she’s weak. So which is it?

What made me even angrier was a post I saw from another Pagan woman saying that Clinton must have been acting and that was how she won the New Hampshire primaries. It’s not that I think all Pagan women should be supporting Clinton, but don’t you think we should at least be giving her the benefit of the doubt? Pagan women are supposed to be strong women. I know I’ve been accused of being cold and harsh, and I know what it’s like to stand in the spotlight and have people say horrible things about me. So if another woman comes under attack for being human, I have to come to her defense.

Here’s a great article by Erica Jong about Clinton and the N. H. primaries. I thought it was a good observation of the whole thing. I invite you to read it, think about it, and truly look into your soul and decide if sexism will be a factor in this presidential election and how much it affects your own decisions. Not just for president, but in all aspects of your life.

We're alive!

Well! Here it is, January, and evidently it’s time for yet another natural disaster. This time we had tornadoes. Yay! Monday night, we spent several hours over at my mother’s house, just in case all hell decided to break loose and destroy my little box-on-wheels. Thankfully, we had no damage, nor did my mother. There was, however, damage from tornadoes all around us to the west, south and east. I believe that areas to the north did not receive any damage. There are great pics of the local Lowe’s store with large twisted pieces of metal in the front and we also learned that the raceway by the airport was torn up. All locations that are pretty durn close to us and enough to scare me pretty good! I tend to think that because our home is in a depression we have a little more protection.

My boys asked what would be in store for next year. Earthquake, maybe? We are past due.
So yes, if you saw it on national news, my family and I were in the big middle of the whole thing. Funny how Springfield never makes the news unless there’s a natural disaster. You know, tornadoes, . . . ice storms, . . . Brad Pitt, . . . .

Happy New Year, and some bits and pieces

Ok, I haven’t been doing much of anything lately, and I apologize for not keeping up with my entries here. Holidays, family, blah, blah, blah.

We are holding a formal passing-over ritual for my friend Raven on January 8th in the mouth of a cave. It’ll be dark of the moon, and the cave is a great place for death and rebirth. I did edit some film from when we held our wake for Raven and I plan on getting that online in the next couple of days.

There’s a fantastic entry over at The Wild Hunt concerning Paganism and sermons. There’s been several discussions everywhere lately about the “watering down” of Paganism, and the idea of what I’ve considered congregational Paganism – one person stands up in front of everyone else and pretty much does all the talking and any performing of ritual that might occur, although the trend in recent years seems to be less ritual and more lecturing. Granted, if you’re not Wiccan or even necessarily Pagan, then it’s not going to affect you unless you are looking to get away from that sheep-type mentality of “this is how I think and this is how you should think, too.” But a big part of the appeal of Paganism for me has always been being able to think for oneself without having another’s dogma shoved down one’s throat.

Finally, I’d just like to say I hate the post office. I went to buy a stamp last night – one flippin’ stamp! – and I found it nearly impossible to do so. At one time, there were at least six machines in the lobby of the post office in which you could drop coins and they would spit out a stamp at you. Last night, there were only three machines in the lobby – one was turned off, one was malfunctioning, and the third one did not take real money, only credit cards. I looked at the line waiting to speak with actual postal employees, but it would have taken me at least half an hour to get up to the front of the line. I did not have half an hour.

I ended up buying my stamp at Dillon’s.

How ‘bout them modern conveniences???