About Paganism / Wiccan

Reader FAQ: College and Magic

2009-11-23T16:44:50Z

A blog reader writes in asking, "I live in a traditional dorm on campus. The rules are that there can be no candles or burning of anything that would produce smoke... I still want to hold a circle in my room, but I've been having trouble trying to figure out how to create the same focus without the candles. I have ADD tendencies, so I have to have an object of some sort to focus on or I cannot focus. Do you have any ideas as to how I could adjust things without the use of candles? Unlit candles are also prohibited."

One of the most valuable skills you can ever learn as a witch or Pagan is that of improvising and making do with what you have. If you're not allowed to use candles, but you feel like you need something tangible to focus on, you'll need to figure out what else can hold your attention. One option might be to use a bowl of water, or perhaps a stone held in your hand. I have a friend who has a lovely labyrinth plaque that she traces with her finger as a way to focus herself prior to a working. There are any number of things you can try -- and they may not all work for you. Particularly if you have ADD, you probably know that what works for other people might not work for you, so experiment a bit to figure out what's best for you personally.

A dorm situation is a unique set of issues, anyway. Especially if you're living with a non-Pagan roommate, it can be a challenge to find ways to practice magical living in a dorm room. Even if you're in an apartment, if you're stuck in a smaller living space, there are always potential issues at play. Here are some tips on practicing magic in a smaller space: Celebrate Rituals with Limited Space.

Readers, do you have any suggestions or tips for our college-age practitioners?

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Reader FAQ: College and Magic originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 16:44:50.

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Pagans and Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T12:22:45Z

If you live in the United States, you can't avoid the fact that Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. I've gotten a few emails from folks who are wondering if -- given the often Christianized context of Thanksgiving and blessings -- it's okay for Pagans to celebrate this holiday. Also, there's the issue of whether or not Thanksgiving is in fact glorifying the obliteration of Native American culture by Europeans.

First, it's important to recognize that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. It's a secular one. Also, for many people, it may be more of a family custom than anything else. Here are some tips on how to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, despite any spiritual differences you many have with them: How Can Pagans Celebrate Thanksgiving. Also, be sure to read Ten Ways To Show You're Thankful for some more ideas.

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Pagans and Thanksgiving originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 12:22:45.

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Should City Pay for Nativity Scene?

2009-11-23T09:54:16Z

It's almost December, which means it's time for the annual War on the War on Christmas, in which our fundamentalist friends get their panties in a bigger twist than normal over those pesky church-and-state-separation rules. This bit of news comes to us from Clarksville, Tennessee, a lovely city which has a yearly "Christmas on the Cumberland" display. Clarksville's Grace Church of the Nazarene presents a live Nativity scene, and the city paid $200 for animals to be used in the display.

As you may well imagine, this does not sit well with the folks at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). They've sent a letter to City Attorney Lance Baker earlier this month, saying that the city's involvement in the event "violated the First Amendment in an apparent promotion and endorsement of Christianity."

Well, yeah. If the city is spending public money to rent goats and sheep for the annual manger scene, it's certainly a promotion of one religion over the others. Now, if they also wanted to pitch in a few bucks for a giant menorah or a big statue of Mithras, that might be fair enough, but really, the city doesn't have any business paying for religious displays. Mayor Johnny Piper, who was out of town when the ACLU's letter arrived, told a spokesperson that he "was "very confident" the city and ACLU could come to a resolution that would allow the nativity scene to be displayed."

Maybe they'll come to one of those neat "you can all display stuff here" sorts of agreements, like we saw in Green Bay last year. If that's the case, Clarksville Pagans, now might be your chance to display something really nifty representing your beliefs!

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Should City Pay for Nativity Scene? originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 09:54:16.

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College Football as Religious Experience

2009-11-23T09:44:30Z

Thanks to my mom for sending me this op-ed piece from the St. Petersburg Times, in which columnist Robyn Blumner takes on the notion that God Loves Football. Not only does he really love it, but he loves certain teams more than others. How else, indeed, can one explain the fact that someone wins each game... and someone must lose?

Seriously, though, Blumner looks at the increasing tradition of prayer before games, thanking the Lord for a win (although never blaming him for a loss), and coaches who are sending the message that being a good Christian is the key to having a successful career as an athlete. She points out that, particularly in state-run schools, this is all pretty much illegal, so coaches and administrators are doing their best to step around the little loopholes that might land them on the receiving end of a lawsuit.

Blumner says, "More than likely, a majority of players don't mind their football mixed with Christian ritual. But that's not the point. These coaches are sending the message that the Christian faith is key to being a great athlete and an upstanding person, a notion that is not only demonstrably false, it is highly intolerant. What if the coach were a Muslim and Islam was being ingrained?"

What if, indeed?

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College Football as Religious Experience originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 09:44:30.

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UNL Settles Lawsuit

2009-11-20T18:31:13Z

About a year ago, we saw the case of Jane Doe, the University of Nebraska employee who claimed she was fired for being a witch. The woman, who was hired in February 2007, received satisfactory performance reviews at work. When her employer found out she was a member of the Reclaiming tradition of witchcraft, she was fired and replaced. She originally filed a complaint with the Nebraska Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which "found reasonable cause to believe religious discrimination had taken place."

Now, the university has settled out of court for $40,000. Attorney David Buntain said the university made the offer "solely to compromise the claim ... without admitting the validity of plaintiff's contention or any allegations of wrongdoing by the defendants." The plaintiff's attorneys will take a quarter of her settlement. The article does not state whether or not Jane Doe will be reinstated at her job, which was one of the requests in the original suit.

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UNL Settles Lawsuit originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 18:31:13.

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"Agora" Finds US Distributor

2009-11-20T17:55:21Z

The film Agora, starring sci-fi darling Rachel Weisz, has finally found a distrubutor in the United States. The movie tells the story of Hypatia, an enlightened philosopher who lives in Roman-governed Alexandria. As Christianity moves in, shoving the old Pagan ways aside, Hypatia faces the violence of her own world, and the powerlessness of human reason in the face of political change.

Agora, directed by Alejandro Amenabar, has been breaking box-office records in Spain, but American companies were reluctant to stake their claims on something so intellectual and heavy. After all, there are no sparkly vampires or car chases, so despite a good showing in Cannes, the movie basically sat on a shelf for several months. Now Newmarket Films has picked up the U.S. rights, and hopefully it should be available for American viewers some time early next year.

This is one of those movies that I'll probably have to go see alone, because none of my friends are likely to sit through a 2 1/2 hour drama about religion, history, reason, politics, and an intellectual woman who is passionate about both astronomy and the two men in her life. But I'm looking forward to it, and I hear that Weisz' performance is just stunning. Here's hoping Newmarket follows through!

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"Agora" Finds US Distributor originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 17:55:21.

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Should Public School Use Church Facility?

2009-11-20T09:25:38Z

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently filed a complaint against a high school in Enfield, Connecticut, because the district uses local churches for graduation ceremonies. Instead, the ACLU wants the schools to hold the events at a secular location, and they're threatening to file a lawsuit if that doesn't happen.

The group says that "graduating students, their families and other guests are unconstitutionally and "coercively subjected to religious messages as the price of attending high school commencement," and that "students and family members of minority religions, as well as those who do not subscribe to any religion at all, are immersed in a religious environment of a faith not their own."

This is an ongoing issue in many parts of the United States. Churches typically have large facilities, and can accomodate more people that the standard high school gym or auditorium setting. My teenage daughter will be graduating in 2010, and there are approximately 800 kids walking the stage that day to collect diplomas. Factor in the notion that each will invite five to ten parents, siblings, and grandparents. Our school district doesn't have a facility that can accomodate that capacity, so guess where our graduation ceremony is held each year?

The uber-fundamentalist World Harvest Baptist Church, home of evangelist Rod Parsley (and yes, he lives about five minutes away from me in a heavily gated compound).

Now, I live just outside a major metropolitan area with several universities and event centers. I find it hard to believe that no one could come up with a better location that World Harvest -- then again, it's a whole lot closer than anything else. Do I feel like my religious rights will be infringed upon next June when I have to walk into WHBC to watch my kid graduate? Not particularly, truth be told, because I know that even though there will be religious iconography all over the place, I'm there for a graduation ceremony, not a church service. Do I think it would be better to have it in a secular location? Absolutely, but logistically speaking, in my community, I don't know if it's possible.

What about the rest of you folks? Does your local high school have graduation ceremonies in a church or other relgious facility because of space constraints? Is it possible for them to hold it elsewhere, or are you in a community in which the church is the biggest place around?

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Should Public School Use Church Facility? originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 09:25:38.

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Wild Hunt Winter Pledge Drive

2009-11-18T09:43:31Z

It's no secret that About.com is owned by the New York Times Company, which is why we have advertisers all over the place. Their money helps keep the site free for readers (yes, Virginia, that's why you keep seeing those ads for the Mormon Church). However, the Wild Hunt, which is one of the best resources on the Internet for Pagan news, runs strictly on donations. Jason Pitzl-Waters has put out a call for pledges, and I strongly encourage everyone to go help him out. Even if all you can spare is $5, every little bit helps keep the Wild Hunt ad-free and running daily: The Wild Hunt Winter Pledge Drive

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Wild Hunt Winter Pledge Drive originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 09:43:31.

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ACLU: Bibles Passed Out in Schools

2009-11-18T09:34:40Z

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says that school officials in Cheatham County, Tennessee, have not only encouraged prayer at school events, but they've also deliberately tried to promote their own religious beliefs. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of four anonymous students, stating that "a planned prayer took place at graduation; that the Gideons International were allowed to speak to classes and distribute Bibles; that a cross hangs in a classroom; and that a history teacher" was permitted to teach that America is a "Christian nation."

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the schools to prevent them from continuing these activities. Attorney George Barrett says that the schools' actions discourage students who may have "divergent views." School board attorneys say they have not yet looked into the allegations that the board endorsed or approved the religious actions by schools.

You can read the full text of the complaint here: Doe v. Cheatham County BOE

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ACLU: Bibles Passed Out in Schools originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 09:34:40.

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Group Boycotts Gap Over Inclusive Ad

2009-11-16T19:46:15Z

So the other day we talked about the Liberty Counsel's increasingly ridiculous "Naughty or Nice" list, which encourages the faithful to boycott retailers who use the generic word "holidays" in their December advertising, rather than the more demonination-specific "Christmas." Now, the American Family Association is going after the Gap. Why?

Because Gap's super-annoying-yet-still-marginally-cute, Glee-inspired holiday commercial, Happy Whateveryouwannakah, features the line "Go Christmas, Go Hannukah, Go Kwanzaa, Go Solstice!" AFA representative Randy Sharp says the line is just plain offensive.

A Gap rep says their brand "is and has always been an inclusive, accessible brand in which everyone can participate and we embrace diversity across all of our customers, and more importantly respect their beliefs as individuals."

You know, I'm not sure how exactly one can come to the conclusion that inclusiveness is offensive. Really, AFA guys, you're not the only ones who have a December holiday. Even kindergarteners know how to share. Then again, when you're looking at things through the Dominant Religion Lens Filter, I suppose it's really easy to play the victim card. And seriously, is there anyone who's forgotten that Christmas falls on the 25th?

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Group Boycotts Gap Over Inclusive Ad originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 19:46:15.

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