Pagan Corner

Thought I'd pop in and say hello to the fellow pagans...so 'hello!'

Blessed be

disturbed

After some searching and reading last night and this afternoon, I found some articles about modern day "witch hunts". How disturbing is this??? I knew there were some narrow-minded people in the world but, until now I was unaware of how many there were. Has anyone else read similar articles about these things? Or maybe have first hand dealings with these things and if so how do you deal with it?

Well met Charmed, Curious & Kitten!
And Hail and merry meet again, Rhys... Good questions and good advice given here.

We are all fellow travellors in this universe together. That is how we learn Curious, from each other... Don't be too concerned with what you don't know yet. Flow with it and the truths will reveal themselves when you are ready to hear them. I believe no matter what our individual paths are we can always put to good use the wisdom found in another's.

Like Rhys said, read everything you can find. You will arrive at what feels right to you. And it wont be because someone told you to feel that way. You will have arrived at the choices by your own free will and intuition... It is an exhilarating feeling of freedom! I hope you stick around...

May the Lord & Lady always guide you on your path,
Image

Re: disturbed

charmed1 said:

After some searching and reading last night and this afternoon, I found some articles about modern day "witch hunts". How disturbing is this??? I knew there were some narrow-minded people in the world but, until now I was unaware of how many there were. Has anyone else read similar articles about these things? Or maybe have first hand dealings with these things and if so how do you deal with it?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, religious intolerance is prevalent wherever there is ignorance. Most pagans would agree that we all strive to be tolerant of intolerance, as we strive for tolerance and balance in all things. Christians frequently call this "turning the other cheek". The Rede calls for us to "do as thou wilt but harm none"
Those who think they have a monopoly on God, in truth, are showing their ignorance and their superstition. What can be done? A goodly number of pagans work quietly to educate others to alternative spiritual paths. A fair number are doctors and lawyers who work to change the entrenched belief systems that constrain all of us. If you are confronted with individuals whose ignorance has gotten the better of them (and preferably before you lose all patience with them) it is best to leave them alone and hopefully they will do the same for you.
Now, having said this, its also prudent to know your legal rights and be sure you are within them. Witch hunting today is strongly motivated by well meaning souls, who also happen to be with the local sheriff's department. If you decide to have an outdoor gathering to celebrate Beltaine, then be advised that is a very good idea to have the necessary permits before invading the local park. Common sense should be your guide in all things. If you suspect that you may have a problem, ask around...don't let the narrow minded target you and your gatherings.
Circumspection is also important. If you work a conservative job in a conservative town, wearing your pentacle to work may not advised. Remember that the Goddess works on subtle levels and so should you. As much as we all would like the freedom to wear our robes and pentacles in public (and not look like we were dressed for the Renaissance faire) we have to remember that there are centuries of conditioning yet to be overcome. Witch has not the negative connotation that it used to have, and slowly perceptions do change. We just have to be patient is all.

One of the reasons i am so-o-o disillusioned with the 'mainstream' religions now. they are extremely intolerant of any outside their beliefs. Look around and see and hear.

And yet you find a few that are tremendously compassionate. I knew a chaplain at a hospital in a very conservative state. He told me that "We Christians can learn a lot from Pagans" I was impressed by him. I hope that wherever he is today, that he and his family are doing well and that he is still serving God.

That is true. I plead guilty of lumping everyone into such a general catagory.

Rhys said:

And yet you find a few that are tremendously compassionate. I knew a chaplain at a hospital in a very conservative state. He told me that "We Christians can learn a lot from Pagans" I was impressed by him. I hope that wherever he is today, that he and his family are doing well and that he is still serving God.

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All faiths have their validity. You can see the difference in a person whose religion is working for them (no matter what the religion is) ... True Christians are the ones you describe Rhys. They are far on their way to spiritual evolution...

Thought I would drop in and say hi to all the people of various beliefs here. I also want to say hi to any fellow Asatru that may be lurking around here somewhere.

Happy Holiday, All!

I hope that the seeds you sow tonight for growth and healing bear wonderful fruit!

Question to all

My mother-in-law is very religious and says that pagans/wiccans are all devil-worshippers. As much as she is a kind lady she is very intolerent of any faith that is not her own. She extends this view to other faiths in Christianity that are not her own. I don't agree with her view on pagans/wiccans yet I understand where she stands based on her faith. I have chosen not to tell her about the path I have chose to follow b/c I am aware of the conflict it will cause in the family. Am I not being true to myself by choosing to not reveal my feelings/beliefs?

I would say not. When you study religion..any religion ..you begin to see similarities in all faiths. There is almost across the board a belief in a higher power other than ourselves, a creation myth and a belief in the afterlife. I believe that its not the "religion" per se that defines faith. Faith is the essence of it all. How you believe, whether you get down on your knees in a church and pray or bring an offering to Mother Earth, is a matter of personal choice and an expression of faith. You need not tell her that you worship completely differently than she does. All she need know is that you believe and have faith in a higher power. It takes a strong person to stand up for their beliefs but an even stronger one to walk away from a potential conflict regarding them.

To Charmed....a very helpful article

A Christian Speaks of Wicca and Witchcraft
by James Clement Taylor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I am a Christian and not a Wiccan. A Christian is one who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has made a personal, free-will decision to commit himself and all his or her life to our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Both of these things are true of me. I am a member of St. Mary's Eastern Orthodox Church, Calhan, Colorado. In this paper, I am not speaking as agent for any church, but I am, entirely on my own responsibility, speaking the truth in love, as we Christians are supposed to do.

A Situation of Strife and Shame:

There are many Christians today who believe that anyone who is not a Christian is doomed to an eternity of suffering in hell. Any decent person, believing this, would be compelled to try to save as many people from this fate as possible. But is this belief correct? Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a Pagan, proclaimed:

"Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:10-12)

If we accept these words as true, and surely we should, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, and hell will contain many who are! Clearly, throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ sets forth the criteria for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and those criteria include love, kindness, forgiveness, and a refusal to judge others:

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)

"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:2)

"But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" (Matthew 9:13)

"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:36-38)

Is it not clear? Anyone who fails in these things, will calling himself a Christian save him? Anyone who obeys God in these things, will being unbaptized condemn him? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

Yet it is not by good works that we earn our way into heaven, because there is no way we can earn the free gift of God's mercy and grace, which alone can save us. But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that we are saved, either. The faith which saves us is not faith in the goodness of our works, nor faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather, it is faith in God, and in His mercy:

"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)

But the Wiccans, you will say, do not have faith in God. Yet by their own theology, they certainly do. Those who call them Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. They do not worship Satan, or even believe that Satan exists. Instead, they worship a Goddess and a God whom they understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.

Now if you are a Christian, this will sound familiar to you, and it should. In the Bible we find the following:

"Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, `Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:22-23)

The Wiccans worship the Unknown God, as manifested to them in the form of a Goddess and a God. Therefore, our Bible tells us they worship the same God we do; and if they do not know this, we should know it!

For those of us who are unable to simply stand on God's Word, and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given us the method for doing this. You have only to attend any public Wiccan ceremony, and test the spirits which are there, to see "whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). You will find that, while the power manifested there may be less than what you have experienced as a Christian, that power is clearly the power of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, these people of Wicca have been terribly slandered by us. They have lost jobs, and homes, and places of business because we have assured others that they worship Satan, which they do not. We have persecuted them, and God will hold us accountable for this, you may be sure, for He has said, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)

Let us, from this point onward, repent of our misdeeds and declare that henceforth we shall obey Christ our God, and not judge others or condemn them, so that He will not have to judge and condemn us for our sins.

Thought provoking for sure. I have had those thoughts in my mind for quite some time. Hearing the fire and brimstone preachers in my youth and their condemation of all who do not believe the way they thought. Few exist to be open enough to see the path for one may not be the same as for another.

I have never heard anything like that before. Thank you so much for posting it. My mind is somewhat eased. I will also pass this along to my hubby. Maybe it will help him as well. Thank you again.

Charmed1

Hello all you beautiful witches! I wanted to wish you all a Happy (belated) Ostara and to share with you one of my favorite versions of "The Charge of the Goddess"...It's called "The Mother of Mystery Charge". I don't remember where I got it. It may have come from Starhawk....or possibly Scott Cunningham...I don't remember...I liked it, so it's in my B.O.S.

Mother of Mystery Charge

I am the Mother of mystery
All places, all times, all seasons are alike to me.
You have sought me in the wind amongst the trees,
In the flowers among the grass,
In the streams amongst the hills,
In the waves upon the ocean;
Like unto the sea I am
Gentle and calm,
Fierce like the thunder.
Changing am I but unchanging,
You sought me in a whisper in the shadows,
And I was there.
All the peoples of the ages,
They have sought me,
They have found me,
And ever changing was my face.
In the silence of the night they call me,
And I take them to my embrace

Bright Blessings to you all.

Greetings all you wicked, lusty, beautiful witches! Beltane is just around the corner... Any plans?

In the spirit of the season, here's a song by Jethro Tull ~ "Cup of Wonder"

May I make my fond excuses
for the lateness of the hour,
But we accept your invitation
and we'll bring you Beltane's flower

(Chorus):
For the May Day is the great day
sung along the Old Straight Track
And those whose ancient lines did lay
will heed the song that calls them back

Pass the word, pass the Lady
and pass the plate to all who hunger
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom
Pass the cup of crimson wonder

Ask the Green Man where he comes from,
Ask the cup that fills with red,
Ask the old grey standing stones
who show the sun it's way to bed

Question all as to their ways
and learn the secrets that they hold,
Walk the lines of nature's palm
crossed with silver and with gold

(Chorus)

Join in black December's sadness
Lie in August's welcome corn
Stir the cup that's ever-filling
with the blood of all that's born

(Chorus)


Peace and adventure,
Image

Image said:

Greetings all you wicked, lusty, beautiful witches! Beltane is just around the corner... Any plans?

In the spirit of the season, here's a song by Jethro Tull ~ "Cup of Wonder"

May I make my fond excuses
for the lateness of the hour,
But we accept your invitation
and we'll bring you Beltane's flower

(Chorus):
For the May Day is the great day
sung along the Old Straight Track
And those whose ancient lines did lay
will heed the song that calls them back

Pass the word, pass the Lady
and pass the plate to all who hunger
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom
Pass the cup of crimson wonder

Ask the Green Man where he comes from,
Ask the cup that fills with red,
Ask the old grey standing stones
who show the sun it's way to bed

Question all as to their ways
and learn the secrets that they hold,
Walk the lines of nature's palm
crossed with silver and with gold

(Chorus)

Join in black December's sadness
Lie in August's welcome corn
Stir the cup that's ever-filling
with the blood of all that's born

(Chorus)


Peace and adventure,
Image

Click to expand...

thanks for posting this

There'll be Magick afoot in the forest tonight, to nurture the Sorceress in us all!!!

She is ever triple and ever One...
Her maiden phase passes over to the ripeness of maturity...

A blessed full moon celebration to all my pagan friends tonight!!!

Image )0(

Image said:

A blessed full moon celebration to all my pagan friends tonight!!!

Image )0(

Click to expand...

Hello, Image. The same to you. Blessed Be!

Wondering

What does everyone do for their full moon rite?

The Calling Pipes

Who plays the pipes in this sun-dappled glade?
One note--- then two---do you hear?

It must be great Pan who is drawing you near
to His butterfly meadow... So don't be afraid,
but dance in the arms of your lover the Sun,
surrender your feet to the tune.

Be warmed by the music of Pan's afternoon
Rejoice!
For the Sabbat's begun...


~Oberons Circle~

... to be continued with the rise of the first evening star

What's up for tomorrow Image??

w00t

how come i didn't see this...i guess i was at school or something...

blessed beltane everyone!!!!!

Beltane and a new moon. What're you planning?