I just recently finished a CFFN lesson on magic where I wrote about how I thought magic works and also about how I saw the Wiccan perception of magic change through the years. (You can read a version of these two essays here: Why Magic Works and Changing Views of Magic. In response to my essays, a fellow student said that she felt Wiccan religion could not be separated from magic, even if that is the way the trend seems to be going. (Heavy paraphrasing here.) I said that I felt that magic is now more associated with spells and…
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Lan Tsai-Ho is the mountebank of the Chinese Eight Immortals. She poses as a wandering singer, denouncing this fleeting life and its delusive pleasures1. The basket of flowers she carries is full of plants associated with longevity—chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, pine, bamboo, etc. Lan Tsai-Ho is sometimes represented as a woman and sometimes as a young, male child; she may also be presented as a hermaphrodite. She is often drunk, or pretends to be, and gathers a group of followers while singing and capering through towns. When she has money, she usually throws it on the ground for poor. In the…
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The commonly accepted names for the Wiccan Sabbats are: Yule (approx. December 21st) Imbloc/Imbolg (February 1st) Ostara (approx. March 21st) Beltane (May 1st) Midsummer (approx. June 21st) Lammas/Lughnasadh (August 1st) Mabon (approx. September 21st) Samhain (October 31st) Most of these names come from Celtic festivals, and in some case, the Wiccan celebration supposedly vaguely resembles these original festivals. But, as well all know, Wicca is not Celtic. In the tradition I belong to, Universal Eclectic Wicca, there has been a move to change the Sabbat names to the following, with the idea of the celebration/rite occurring the evening before for…
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I am seriously thinking about never leaving the house again! It seems to me that people are getting ruder. If I want to be treated poorly or ignored, I can stay home and be abused by my cat. I’m beginning to think that all the rudeness comes from a sense of entitlement. People cut into line, take up multiple seats on public transportation, and cut off others when getting onto escalators and elevators because they truly believe they are better and more deserving then everyone else. They may have had a bad day (or not), but they need to remember…
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Blessed Samhain! This is probably my favourite Sabbat. The weather is beatiful–crisp and clear; the leaves are wonderful shades of yellow, orange and read; and ghosts and witches abound. Samhain (or November Eve) is a mirror of my other favourite Sabbat – Beltane (May Eve). While one celebrates fertility and action, the other focuses on fallowness and reflection. For me, Samhain is also a wonderful time to perform divination and to take stock of the past year. These are activities I also like to do on my birthday, which is nearly six months from Samhain. I hope you have enjoyed…
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I’d like to think that I am an ethical person. I try to do the right thing in any given situation, but I also occasionally do unethical like taking mild revenge at people who annoy me. (One co-worker drives me nuts sometimes, and I’ve gotten my revenge once or twice.) I also take advantage of grey areas in the law, and do things like download television documentaries. So, does this make me unethical? I think it does to a certain extent. Does this make me a bad Wiccan? Yes, I think it does to a certain extent as well. It can…
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I mentioned back in August that I had signed up for a meditation class. I’m about a month and a half into the class now, and while I’m still not meditating every day, I am really benefiting from the meditation I am doing. Sitting for meditation is very difficult for me. My daily to-do list, which is full of things that are only marginally important, runs through my head whenever I try to sit. So, I tell myself that I will do the vacuuming, or write that email, or take care of that project for work, or do just a few…
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Blessed Autumn Equinox! Fall is here, the leaves are turning, and the nights are now longer then the days. In Wicca, this Sabbat similar to the secular Thanksgiving holidays (which is less then a month away in Canada, but about two months away in the United States). Wiccans take time to appreciate the foods that are being harvested, and to honour the Lord, the male divine, who has given up His life so that we might be able to harvest these items. (There is another myth cycle that gives this Sabbat a different meaning, but I do not follow the…
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Blessed Lammas to everyone. I actually celebrate this Sabbat as August Eve, which means my celebrations should have been last night. Notice I say should. The heat here in Southern Ontario has been horrific, and yesterday evening I was in no shape to bake bread. Today the heat is even worse, possibly reaching a high of 36°C (99°F) with a humidex of over 45°C (113°F). But, thankfully I am feeling much better today. (I thank all the gods that have every been and ever will be for air conditioning! And that is hardly an exaggeration.) August Eve/Lammas/Lughnasadh is the first…
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Several years ago I took some courses through Witch School. To say I was unimpressed is an understatement. Although I have had trouble articulating what it is that bothers me about Witch School and the Correllian tradition, someone else has explained it quite well: Nonfluffy Pagans – Why not WitchSchool? (Use the green arrows above the entry to read the next two parts of this essay.) The author of this piece has many valid points. The tests for lessons are laughable easy, and the Correllians seem to becoming more and more commerical as the years go by. I am a…