Lately I have been reading A History of the Occult Tarot 1870 – 1970 by R. Decker and M. Dummett. It is an excellent book that is, unfortunately, more of a survey of magical orders then a history of the Tarot. I am stilling finding it to be a worthwhile read, though. And I highly recommened it to anyone interested in the history of the Tarot. Perhaps the most important thing that has come from reading this book is a confirmation of my feelings about Aleister Crowley. I recognize his genius for magic, but I have long felt he was…
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In the past, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the validity of worshiping ancient gods with modern rites. I have wondered if it is right to take Them out of the framework of the culture where They first appeared and import them into a new land and honour Them with new rituals. I have wondered if this appropriation is disrespectful to both the gods and Their original culture. I soon began to realize that often times we don’t have any real say over what gods call to us. And They are very aware that we are (most often) not…
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I am declaring myself a feminist. No, not one of the man hating variety. Rather, I what to support women in anything they want to do. If I woman wants to have a high powered career, more power to her! If she wants to be a stay-at-home mom, I will support her right to that equally as fiercely. I believe men and woman should have equal pay for equal work, just on principle. (Hardly anyone likes working, so we should all be compensated fairly.) I also support maternity leave for both men and women, because not every woman wants to…
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I sometimes wonder about my honesty. I don’t think that I am dishonest, exactly. Rather, I have a very black and white view of the world, and when I’m not completely honest (even if it is in an effort to save someone’s feelings) I feel like I have failed. Strangely enough, I do tell a lot of little while lies, to grease the social wheels as it were. For example, when I went to the doctor last week, I told the people at my job that it was because of some problems with my knees (which I do have) rather…
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I’ve decided to do embrace a bit of a turn-around in my spiritual viewpoint. If you have read some of the articles over on The Lotus Pond, you may know that I don’t generally consider witchcraft (or Witchcraft) and spell casting a part of Wicca. I see Wicca as more of a philosophical and religious point of view, with several holidays celebrating or recreating important religious days. I do see the Circle as a work of magic, but to me it is more enacted prayer then spell casting. Lately I have decided that I would like to explore Witchcraft a…
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My summer cold continues, and since I can hardly stay awake, I didn’t feel much like writing anything witty and/or interesting. It’s been ages since I had an Adopt-a-Deity entry, so I thought it was about time I posted one. (Yes, I am able to do research while sick. It’s a skill that I picked up in university.) Chang-O (also Chang-Er, Chang-e, Hang-O) is the Chinese Goddess of the Moon and sister to the river god He-bo (He-po, Ho-po, Bing-yi, Ping-i) and wife to Yi (Hau-yi, Hou-yi, Shen-yi), the Celestial Archer. She is perhaps best known for stealing a potion…
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I’ve talked quanta into buying me yet another Tarot deck, the Pagan Tarot by Gina M. Pace. Honestly, I think the search for the perfect deck is never ending. Each time I get a deck that I expect to be “The One” I always find something wrong with it. So, I’ve stopped searching for “The One” and started seeing each deck as good for a certain type of reading. Of course, the problem now is that I don’t do reading as often as I’d like. I’m thinking about offering some more free readings on
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Sunfell over at the Juggler has posted an excellent piece about Pagans and Money. She writes about Pagans who can’t pay their bills, but yet must have the newest occult quick fix. I’m glad I’m not the only one to recognize this pattern. I see it in the Tarot community too, where people who are asking for readings about their dismal financial situation are also gushing about the two new decks they just picked up. I shake my head, but what I’d really like to do is give them a good shake. I will admit to being partly guilty of…
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Okay, I know I’ve posted this before, but I’ve been lazy. (See, I’m admitting it.) Does anyone know of any good Wiccan/Pagan forums, Yahoo or MSN groups? I’m hoping for some place with a low amount of fluff and a good amount of posts.
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Lately I’ve been trying to remember what it was that made me decided to looking into other religions. I know it was sometime in middle school (grades 6-8), but I’ve had trouble remembering what the impetus was. But the other day, when watching something on TV, it suddenly came to me–reading Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret told me it was okay to question my relationship with God and to look for a faith and practice that made sense to me. Shortly afterwards I began reading the Bible. Honestly, it is a little bit boring in the…