Sweat Lodge Safety

Many Pagan spiritual retreats feature sweat lodges. Indeed they seem to have become quite fashionable in the past few years outside of Pagan circles as well. With the recent sweat lodge tragedy at the Spiritual Warrior self help retreat in Arizona, it may be prudent to take a look at sweat lodges and safety issues associated with them. (We can talk about paying $10,000 for a spiritual retreat in some other blog...)

A sweat lodge is a Native American tradition. It is much like a sauna and uses hot rocks and steam inside an tent-like structure to cause the air to heat up which opens up the participants' pores and helps to purify their bodies while inducing a mild trance-like or deeply relaxed state, useful for meditation, group journey and other spiritual applications. It is generally used in preparation for some other ritual. The sweat lodge ceremony is a purification ceremony that helps build a profound connection toward the other participants through shared spiritual experience.

Here are a few simple rules that can be applied to the sweat lodge as well as many other spiritual activities to ensure your safety and enjoyment.

Know Your Body
If you have a heart problem, if you are pregnant, if you have anything weird going on with you- don't do it. Talk to your doctor about your condition and how a sweat will affect it. If your doctor just doesn't get it, use comparisons, like- "what if I spent an extended period of time in a sauna?

Build it Right
Your sweat lodge should be built using natural materials, skins, canvas, blankets, etc. Not plastic. This allows for natural airflow and absorption of excess moisture. Besides, the jury is still out on what sort of toxins drip off warm plastic. Rocks should be heated outside the lodge, not inside.

Never Do it Alone
Use the buddy system. It is difficult to think clearly when one is mentally disengaged. There should always be someone willing to refrain from whatever the activity is to make sure everything goes smoothly. In fact...

Always Have an Experienced Facilitator
The first several times you sweat, you should do so under the guidance not just of someone who has done it before, but of someone who has done it many times and who knows what to expect and watch for and what precautions to take.

Drink Lots of Water
Fasting is often part of the sweat lodge ceremony and indeed can enhance any spiritual experience. However, many people neglect water while fasting. This is very dangerous and pointless. The point of fasting is to purification. You cannot purify yourself without water to flush out the old impurities. And if you go into a sweat without adequate fluids in your system, you run a very real risk of dehydration or heat stroke. Fast or no fast, drink lots of water. Not alcohol. Water.

Don't Overcrowd the Lodge
Sweat lodges generally hold up to a dozen people. You should be able to sit comfortably in the lodge without crowding. Remember the lodge is near air tight. Suffocation is a very real possibility if you overcrowd it. Besides, your facilitator will have a very hard time monitoring more than a dozen people at a time. If you have a large number of of people, have one group watch the fire and heat the rocks while the other group sweats and then switch.

Don't be Afraid to Wuss Out
If your facilitator tells you to leave, do it. Don't fight it. If you start to feel faint, breathless or otherwise uncomfortable, seriously consider leading. You will probably be able to stay longer next time around and your facilitator will likely comfort you with stories of other wusses later. Never EVER give someone a hard time if they need to leave. If you do that, you're an asshole.

If Other People Get Sick - Call it Off
You should not feel sick in a sweat lodge. If other people are feeling ill, besides what can be expected- feeling overheated, claustrophobic, needing to step out for air - call it off. This is a sign that something is wrong. If someone loses consciousness, this is a sign that something is very wrong.

Don't Overdo It
An hour is plenty long for a beginner's sweat lodge ceremony. Test your limits carefully and go for a longer ceremony later if you find an hour is easy for you.

Most of these are very common sense and you may be insulted I bothered to mention them, but the tragedy at the Spiritual Warrior's retreat illustrates that sometimes even the obvious needs to be pointed out. As more details about the event emerge, it seems more and more as if the cause of death here was carelessness and failure to follow the most basic of safety rules. The motive, of course, was greed. What else would have prompted someone to stuff 60 some odd people into a sweat lodge!

I hope that those events don't cast a bad light on sweat lodges (which are really quite safe) and lead to extra scrutiny of other events that feature sweat lodge ceremonies.

I am sure there is more to be said about being safe in the sweat lodge and I welcome comments from others on the subject.

Witch Wanted

Young and gothy? Got some witchy skills? Well there's a guy on Craigslist that has a job for you. For $20 an hour you could be hired by some guy who posted this amusing bit of something:

Looking for talented Witches ages 18 - 25 who like to work in dark, goth type scenarios. It is helpful to be comfortable with the metal music atmosphere.

This will be for work in fortune telling, healing, and magical services of all sorts offered to the public.

In Your Reply PLEASE PROVIDE A FEW PHOTOS and a phone number to reach you for a prompt response.

* Location: Oakland County
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: $20.00 an hour

Assuming this is real, I have no problem with the idea of someone doing readings and offering magical services to the public. However, I am not sure that anyone between the ages of 18 and 25 should really be doing that. Assuming you went to High School and then college, even if you were born to a Momwitch, when exactly is an 18-25 year old supposed to learn the skills of reading, healing (does he mean herblore or energy work?)AND spellcasting well enough to be able to put on a good show of it? I don't know, perhaps it's possible but that's alot of study for someone who is just getting out of college. I doubt my daughter would qualify at the mid range of that in a few years unless she quit school and started studying full time right now. And what teenager would study magick, divination and herb lore if they were given the opportunity to quit school? No, she wouldn't have the focus. I did. I studied herb lore and magick feverishly from the time I was 15 but I'm not sure I would have been comfortable doing it for a living at 25 and I sure couldn't have done readings too.

I know alot of young people who can do great readings OR healings OR spellcasting but to find someone who can do all three, and look good in leather? I'm thinking this guy is going to have to pay more than the $20 an hour he's offering.

What this guy should be looking for is an actress. I am sure that is what he actually wants, but it would be nice if people would be enlightened enough to admit that in their posts. This sort of thing always makes me giggle.

Anyway, I'm not offended, except perhaps by the fact that I'm obviously too old and unattractive to be a suitable witch for whatever it is he's planning. But whatever. I don't work for $20 an hour. I don't know any psychics who do either. If you're unemployed, into the goth scene and young and hot, this could be a golden opportunity to practice your witchy skills on a regular basis. After all, practice makes perfect and this sort of experience can only help one grow and learn. In one way or another.

But I do hope whoever responds is careful. Send pictures and your phone number? Creepy. Is this some guy with a weird fetish trying to get his rocks off? Could be. But isn't $20 an hour as light for a fetish worker as it is for a psychic?

***** Update! ****

So today the guy has posted a new ad. He's expanded his age range and his pay. Did he read my blog, I wonder? He's also offered a little more information about the position. When emailed previously about the position and what it entailed, he replied only with "Send a picture". Clearly skill is secondary to his requirements. Here's the new ad.


Girls needed to model for pagan-witchcraft-themed web-site.

Great for those who find that idea intriguing. We want everyone to have fun with that entire scene and enjoy attention.

Shoots will take place mostly on Sundays.

Depending on interest and aptitude, you might be invited to become one of our full-time staff. See us at darkrebel.com and apply there for staff positions, if you like.

In Your Reply: PROVIDE SOME RECENT PHOTOS and always include a phone number to reach you.

* Location: Oakland County
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: $25.00 an hour

I paid a visit to the website, and you should too. http://www.darkrebel.com has pictures of half naked young girls in lingerie. It looks like the front of a porn or dating site (the part that's PG-13 to get you all excited for the good stuff you have to paypal them to get to). It says that they want to hear from young women because they have some sort of magical advantage. It says that they will teach you to realize your magical potential to get everything you ever wanted. It says ... that they will let you into some secret empire that rules the Earth. (what, us??)

I'm not the only one that's concerned. Our local witch-biddy squad has uncovered additional information using various internet tools, including Whois and others - It's a company called Wild Things Entertainment in Farmington - and the address - a residential neighborhood near a school.

Now, his line is pretty far fetched and the average girl is probably savvy enough to not fall for it. Anyone curious about Wicca, Witchcraft, Paganism, magick or the occult have plenty of opportunity to learn more if they just do a quick search on the internet as they will be certain to stumble upon MotorCityPagans.net, PaganMichigan.org, Witches Of Michigan, Witchvox.com or FOCAS before they come across this guy - I hope. And even if they didn't - well, you'd have to be pretty dumb. But this reflects badly on all of us, and the potential exists for someone to be seriously victimized.

This is some serious shit here folks. This guy has predator written all over him. This witch is at a loss of what to do.

Are We Ready for More Leadership

This summer members of the Pagan community who serve in, or want to serve in leadership positions are invited to the Pagan Leadership Skills Conference in Richmond, VA, July 23rd through the 26th. Circle Sanctuary is also offering a Pagan Leadership Institute during Pagan Spirit Gathering this year (June 14-21 near Salem, MO). The call is there. Leaders step forward! We need you. We want you. Are we ready? I don't know.

I've been saying for years that the Pagan community needs to get more organized. This much creativity and imagination scattered to the winds is just shame. Not to mention the benefits of organization that we just don't have because we just aren't.

But "they" say that you can't organize a group this diverse. Is that so? Do you think Dr. Martin Luther King's followers only consisted of Southern black Christians? And heck, this is America. We're all about diversity here. We have a government, a bureaucracy, don't we? And isn't it built on a model that was developed by... what? Pagans?

Diversity is a strength, not a weakness. A leader whose followers consist of carbon copies of himself has nowhere to go but where he already is. How boring is that? A diverse group will prevent abuse by its leaders and will bring creative and unique solutions to problems and multiple talents to create a firm foundation for whatever project they want to get off the ground.

We have some leaders. Good leaders who have served the community for years, but we need more. Many of these have been active since the 60s and could use some backup from a fresh generation to deal with 21st century issues. We also need leaders to cooperate rather than compete. It seems there's a lot of "I can do it better" among the leadership of different groups, and I have seen more than one embarrassing spat. Leaders accuse others of everything from whoring to being "in it for the money" as if there were money to be made in public service (and as if the quest for money was somehow a bad thing). I have seen promising leaders throw up their hands in defeat after losing huge amounts of time and money on projects that they were promised help on, and that many members of the community swore they wanted, but in the end were only attended by a few, if any.

People complain and even verbally attack organizers because events aren't conveniently located for them (only to not bother to show up when the next event is located near them) or costs too much (but will not help with lowering costs). It is as if many Pagans really want to live in a fantasy world where everything is convenient, free, fun and requires no effort whatsoever. Who are these people? I am sure they aren't the majority, but a loud minority (like the fundies) drowning out the voices of the reasonable.

I have heard the argument that Pagans are, as a group, generally not terribly wealthy. Bull says I. You're telling me that people who can waste their money on jewel encrusted wands, solid gold pentagrams, ungodly velvet cloaks, renfest wear of all sorts, not to mention authentic medieval weapons, statues and more statues, and scads of herbs, oils and incense... can't afford to pay a few dollars a month in dues to an organization that is created for their benefit or shell out a couple hundred a year for fellowship events? I think it's really a matter of trust. And I've always been suspicious of people who didn't trust other people.

There are more and more of us in trouble now due to the economy. We should be able to support each other in times of trouble with networking and maybe even material support. But that can't be done without organization.

I have been involved with the Pagan community for almost 10 years now and in that time I have heard the excuses, the whining and the accusations. I have seen promising leaders give up and promising organizations fold. But I have also seen more positive signs in recent years. More open dialogue, more acceptance of diverse ideas and more people unafraid to call bullshit when they see it. Of course, there are more of us out of the broom closet making ourselves known to each other and many of us are *gasp* normal people and it seems that the loud minority is maybe not quite as loud as it once was. There are more young people in the Pagan community who were raised Pagan and don't see it as a revolutionary thing and those of us approaching middle age who once did have gotten tired of rebellion and are ready for a more pragmatic approach.

We have to take care of each other. It's as simple as that. And someone is going to have to handle the paperwork. Someone is going to have to handle the logistics and legalities and someone is going to have to bring snacks. Those people are our leaders. Let's support them! If you're one of those people THANK YOU! I know how hard it is sometimes. And if you're one of those people on the fence, thinking about jumping into the leadership arena, if you've got a great idea or you think you might know of a better way to do something- speak up. I am not sure that we're ready for you, but we just might be.

Goodbye First Church of Wicca

<a href="http://www.firstchurchofwicca.org/">The First Church of Wicca</a> got media attention when it was featured on <a href="http://tlc.discovery.com/">The Learning Channel</a>'s "My Unique Family" in an episode entitled "<a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2007/02/witches-next-door-are-happy-family.html">The Witches Next Door</a>". At the time I remember wondering why a Wiccan Priestess would want to wear a Catholic Priest's collar. It seems awfully symbolic of a patriarchal system that's not quite what Wicca's about to me, but who am I to judge? I'm not Wiccan, what do I know?

If you go to the First Church of Wicca's website today, you will find the following: (I provide this rather than just a link because I imagine the website will disappear soon.)

<i>Thank you for all of your loving support over the past 5
years and we have enjoyed serving the Wiccan community
and answering all of your questions, comments, and
prayer requests. However, the church will be closing due
to the fact that our minister, the Rev. Dr. Kendra Vaughan
Hovey, will be opening a new church in May of 2009.

Living Waters Community of Hope will focus on helping
people heal from their experiences of inequity from past
religions and religious institutions, using Jesus Christ and
his teachings in the Bible as the foundation of how to have
a meaningful relationship with God, as well as, holistic
health of mind, body, and soul.

If you are interested in receiving more information about
Living Waters Community of Hope please see our website
at www.LivingWatersCH.org for information as it becomes
available </i>

This may come as somewhat of a shock to some. Though we may have somewhat gotten used to the idea that some people "Outgrow" Paganism and evolve into atheists (I know many personally who have and an article at the <a href="http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/01/outgrowing-paganism.html">Wild Hunt</a> expounds on the phenomena) the idea of a Pagan turning Christian is kind of a strange one. After all, most of us came from Christian backgrounds and made a deliberate and conscious choice to embrace a Pagan faith instead. Many of us suffered great heartache and did a lot of soul searching. The idea of just waking up one day and saying "all this is bullshit, I'm totally wrong" just to go back to the thing that didn't satisfy us in the first place is kind of strange.

But if you read the "About Us" page on The First Church of Wicca's website you'll see that it's not much of a stretch. Under "Our Beliefs" you'll find, among other things:
<i>3) We believe in the teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ, and consistently live by His teachings for our spiritual and moral foundation.</i>
And
<i>7) Some of us believe in resurrection and salvation through Jesus Christ.
</i>
It seems that the First Church of Wicca had one foot in the Christian church to begin with.

Under the What We Don't Believe section is:
<i>2) We do not believe in practicing Magick in our church.</i>
And
<i>3) We do not believe in practicing ritual in our church.</i>

Which begs the question: What do they do in their church?
It sounds like the First Church of Wicca wasn't very Wiccan to begin with... Which means we're probably better off without them. There are enough confused newbie Wiccans in the world without people being deliberately confusing. A more suspicious kind of person might wonder if it wasn't some conspiracy afoot. But I'm not a suspicious sort of person so I'll quit that line of thought right now. However, if I were a suspicious sort of person, the letter she sent out to members and supporters of the church would certainly have me speculating.

<i>I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting the First Church of Wicca and its efforts within the Pagan/Wiccan community over the past five years. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving you and answering all of your questions, comments, and prayer requests. However, the church will be closing due to the fact that I will be opening a new church in May of 2009.
Living Waters Community of Hope will focus on helping people heal from their experiences of inequity from past religions and religious institutions, using Jesus Christ and his teachings in the Bible as the foundation of how to have a meaningful relationship with God, as well as how to attain holistic health of mind, body, and soul. If you are interested in receiving more information about Living Waters Community of Hope please see our website at www.LivingWatersCH.org for information as it becomes available or email ReverendKendra@.... Please remember that I am always available to help you with any questions, concerns, or thoughts that you may have about your Wiccan practice.

For those of you who are wondering why I am closing the First Church of Wicca, understand that in my several years of studying Wicca and working as a Wiccan High Priestess, I have come to see the serious failings of the Wiccan faith. A major problem with the faith is that there is no unity among the followers of the faith which makes it very challenging to define exactly what Wiccans do and do not believe in. Wiccans have a very open "do what you will" or "live and let live" perspective in life which very easily can cause harm to oneself and others without one actually knowing it until it is much too late. Additionally, there is no unified moral code of ethics. This puts up huge red flags for society-at-large because no one can really be quite sure of what any group's intentions are. Society would have no way of knowing, for example, if you are a Wiccan that practices the Great Rite or polyamory, to name only two examples. Also, they would have no way of knowing just what "Do what ye will and harm none" means, and quite frankly, neither does each individual Wiccan. We are left to make moral and ethical decisions for ourselves rather than realizing that by human nature we are going to do anything that feels good to us, not what is best for us, and also not necessarily what is best for society as a whole. This makes for a very dangerous and faulty moral code of ethics. In addition, Wicca teaches primarily about how we can change the world and have all that we want. Spells, magick, etc. all prove to cause us to think selfishly instead of putting others before ourselves and more importantly instead of putting God before anyone else, including ourselves. It is very understandable that one would be close to nature and the earth, as well as, feel a need to call "God" the "God and Goddess;" however, the actual rote and complicated spells involved in Wicca can prove to be a huge distraction in one's spiritual growth. We do not need all of the "ritual things" in order to have a relationship with God - all we need is a sincere and thankful heart.

I personally have learned that through a true and deep understanding of Christ and his teachings, I can have the relationship with God that I have always wanted and more importantly, I am better equipped to teach how others can also have that relationship. Leaving Wicca was nothing lost for me, but turning to Christ has been everything gained! If you have any interest in learning more about my relationship with Christ I will be happy to share it with you.

Meanwhile, if you would like to remain on the mailing list for Living Waters Community of Hope, please reply to this email stating just that. Otherwise, I will assume that you do not and you will be permanently removed from our database prior to May 1, 2009.

I wish you many blessings on your spiritual journey!

It's a Good Life!
Rev. Dr. Kendra Vaughan Hovey</i>
(Note: I took out information identifying who the letter was sent to, but did not alter the letter in any other way)

The remarks she makes about the ambiguousness of Wicca are strange. For example, that "An it Harm None Do What you Will" is difficult to understand- is it not the job of the Priestess to help the seeker to understand? Or that there is no way of knowing if the group practices Polyamoury or the Great Rite. Yes there is, you ask. Wicca teaches us to change the world.. no it teaches you to change yourSELF and to take responsibility for yourSELF. Does not that Charge of the Goddess say something about "What you can't find within you will never find without"? Her discussion of our need to have things spelled out for us to keep us from hurting ourselves shows a serious disrespect and lack of faith in humanity as a whole. That's just sad.

She also gives us a hint of explanation to the confusing stuff in her "about" page. She apparently believes that the "God and Goddess" are simply names for "God", Jehovah. Has she been teaching Christianity under the guise of Wicca all along? Is she like those people the Christians scream about teaching Paganism under the guise of Christianity all along by saying that Nature is sacred to God? I sure as heck don't want to be a Pagan screamer. So I'll just stop speculating out loud right now!

But okay I can't. Why does the church have to close just because she left? It sounds like it's not really a church at all but a Cult of Personality. Is SHE the Church? Can't they just get a new Preist/Priestess? If I were a member of the church, I would be pretty damn furious. That's like saying "Hey, First Presbyterian Church is closing because your Minister decided he wants to be Pagan." It wouldn't happen. A church isn't about a minister, it's about the congregation. So... What's up with this lady anyway? How long has she been pretending to be Wiccan, all the while loathing Wicca? Has she been receiving donations from her congregation? I agree that the fact that Pagans and Wiccans would be better served with a little unity, but abandoning your entire congregation for greener pastures without making arrangements for them to be served in your absence is not the way to do it. It's irresponsible, rude and somewhat dishonest. It's even somewhat unethical -particularly if you've been getting donations from your group- to my guidance-less screwed up moral compass.

Okay. I'm done now. For real.

Marshall University Recognizes Pagan Holidays

This is odd to me, actually. I mean it's good, but it's odd. Now, I'm a Pagan and I work at a University. (everyone here knows I'm Pagan) and I went to school at this same University. And I transferred from a two-year college before that. And I never went to class or worked on a Pagan holiday.
Well, maybe that's not exactly true.
Quite often I would, but we had observances planned for the weekend, so the day itself just went by and the weekend was the big deal. But I usually took that Friday off, or at least a half day.
This year I took Halloween off. Sometimes I take the whole week.
I just say, "Hey, it's a holiday in my faith, and I'm taking it off." and they say "Okay."
Nobody has ever argued.
I have never been penalized. But I also volunteer to work on those days that other people don't want to work due to their faith practices.

But now at Marshall University, it's official.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/us/04pagan.html?em&ex=1194325200&en=7566bb98cd0ad34f&ei=5087%0A

I wonder if other schools will follow suit.
I wonder if they should. Why should Pagans be singled out? Why not say "Hey, nobody can be penalized for missing a day for religious observances (Provided of course they make up the work)."

My school.. Now I love my school. Last year we had an irate parent write in about the fact that we're not closed for Good Friday or that Holy Monday or whatever it's called. Sometimes our Spring Break covers it, which I'm sure they're all very happy about, but not always. Our President wrote her back, and I loved him. He said that in order that the University should not show preferential treatment, "We do not close for ANY religious holiday." and it's true. Yes, Christmas happens to fall between semesters, but that's not closing for a holiday. That's a break between semesters. And Yule usually falls into it too, and Kwanzaa, and sometimes Hannukah, or at least a portion of Hannukah.

So yea. Whatever. I think it's great. But I also think it's silly to finger out a single religion and say "We're not going to discriminate against you." Great. Wonderful. You shouldn't discriminate against anyone. And now you've shown us preferential treatment, which is sort of discriminatory in and of itself. Isn't it?

Witch School Under Fire (Again)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/chi-witchesoct28,0,2136716.story

So Witch School has moved again and once again, people don't like them where they landed. I think they need to stop moving and pick a spot. People will get used to them eventually. Well, this town wants them out, big surprise

"Among the tactics that several locals have taken against the school is a anti-Wiccan billboard that reads "Worship the Creator not Creation.""

Everyone has the right to their opinion. Billboards aren't hurting anybody, but what they are do is wasting money that can better be spent elsewhere. If the Christians are so upset that the public schools are closing and a Witch school is opening, why don't they create some private Christian schools instead of wasting money on billboards?

PS The Wiccan God/dess IS the creator, and the created- self-created and exists both within and without of creation. Pretty damn impressive, isn't it? Ya'll need a new slogan.

But they have an excuse. It goes like this: ""Rossville has fallen on hard times," Thomas told the Tribune. "The (public) school closed. This is a popular place for meth. We're like, 'Great, now a witch school.' It feels like we're being attacked.""

How dare they take their meth & education issues on on the Witches -which they aren't really of course, they're just making excuses for their inhospitable behavior- Pagan sin. But that's okay, they aren't Pagan. If anything, they are bringing business into the town, not to mention paying taxes. They should be happy. I assure you, education is esteemed highly by Pagans in general, and Meth isn't. Wine, on the other hand...

Donald Lewis says it simplest ""They're trying to make us scapegoats," he said as he slipped into the meeting unannounced."

""Remember the Salem witch trials?" Marganski said. "That's what is happening here.""

Don't you think that's a little mellowdramatic? Nobody has died yet, and there were no witches at Salem. (Well one, but she didn't get hung- there were certainly no Wiccans there.) The Witch Trials were marked with suspicion, neighbor on neighbor. It seems clear to me that the people of Rossville know who their enemy is.

Not everyone there is being a butt though. Methodist Pastor Keith Micheals took a brave stand when he said ""Leave 'em alone," Michaels said. "They have a right to be here. Do I agree with them? No. But as a Vietnam veteran, I fought for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country."

Gods bless our Veterans.

Another well-meaning individual, Robert Kurka also discouraged the townspeople against open hostilities. "Kurka encouraged the crowd to try to convert the Wiccans rather than drive them away." There's another Pagan sin. Not to mention plain rudeness. But again, he's not Pagan. So we have to put up with it.
Alas

Sanity Reigns in Washington (for now)

Thank goodness. My world can now fall back into an understandable state where Presidents care about their constituents feelings, or at the very least, how their public perceives them.

Although I did not see this particular development anywhere in the public media, it came across on the Circle Sanctuary (http://www.circlesanctuary.org) news group.

President George Bush personally called Roberta Stewart to apologize that she was not invited to the meeting held in Reno, Nevada yesterday for families of fallen soldiers. He also told her that he admired her spirit and thanked her when she accepted the invitation.

Now, you may know that I am not the biggest Bush fan in the world, but I call it like I see it and I see this as a good and noble and right thing to do. Thank you Mr. Bush, sir, for doing the right thing and restoring my faith that there must be a decent human being inside you somewhere. I realize that that sounds as much like an insult as a statement of apprecitation, and I'm sorry for that, but like I said, I'm not a big fan. I wouldn't invite the man out for drinks, but I'd be polite if I encountered him at the bar.

Follows is the entire article sent out to the Circle Sanctuary News Group. In case you can't find it elsewhere:
(Note particularly the highlighted section that brought tears to my eyes. Thank the Gods that I have not had to face the challenges Mrs. Stewart has. I am not sure that I am a strong enough person to go through what she has.)

President Bush Apologizes to Wiccan War Widow Roberta Stewart

At midday today, President George W. Bush met by phone with Roberta
Stewart, a Wiccan from Nevada and member of Circle Sanctuary. The
president apologized to Roberta for her not being invited to the meeting he
held in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday with families of Nevada soldiers killed in
action.

Reports about Roberta not being invited to this meeting began appearing in
the media yesterday and have continued today:
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20070830/News/108300034

In the press articles, both Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, and Rev. Selena Fox, senior
minister of Circle Sanctuary, called for the president to apologize to
Roberta Stewart, and to give equal respect to soldiers and their families
regardless of their religious orientation.

During the phone call, the president said that he admired Roberta for her
spirit and thanked her for accepting his apology. He also offered his
condolences for the loss of her husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was
killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on September
25, 2005.

Following her phone meeting with the president, Roberta told Selena: "I am
thankful that President Bush offered his condolences and his apology. This
has helped bring some much needed closure for me regarding this recent issue
as well as the struggles I have endured in the Veteran Pentacle Quest
seeking to have my husband properly honored."

Both Rev. Fox and Rev. Lynn have expressed their appreciation for the
president's phone meeting with Roberta:

Rev. Fox: "I am glad that President Bush provided this support to Roberta
-- it has helped remedy this recent problem as well as helped heal the
stress that Roberta has endured since her husband was killed in action.
It also is a positive development for Wiccans and other Pagans who are
serving and who have served in the US military and their families in the
quest for equal respect and equal rights in society."

Rev. Lynn: "The president has done the right thing, and his apology to
Stewart should be commended. All veterans of war, regardless of their
faith, should be honored and treated with the utmost respect, especially
from their commander-in-chief. We are pleased the president recognized his
slight of Stewart was wrong."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued a press
release commending President Bush for apologizing to Roberta:
http://www.au.org

Rev. Lynn interviewed Roberta for his Culture Shocks show shortly after the
President apologized to her. The show will broadcast today and will be
archived on-line tomorrow: http://www.cultureshocks.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:

Rev. Selena Fox: 608-924-2216
Executive Director, Lady Liberty League
selena@circlesanctuary.org

Angie Buchanan: 847-456-4833
Public Relations Director, Lady Liberty League
angie@circlesanctuary.org

Paula Johnson: 954-471-1435
Media Relations Coordinator, Lady Liberty League
paula@circlesanctuary.org

Background information on the Veteran Pentacle Quest Success:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle

Pagan Perverts

The need for unity in the Pagan community never hits home so much as when you hear about young people being drawn into dangerous situations by the "lure" of Pagan religions. If every community had a Pagan temple, youth groups and youth outreach programs, I believe we would see a great reduction in victimization of young seekers. The problem, I think, is that Pagan religions are made out to be glamorous and mysterious, providing a power that's difficult to maintain and Pagan groups can be selective and are very much family-like once you're in. Young people, full of hormones and angst, may be willing to do just about anything to gain that sort of acceptance, or to gain mysterious, glamorous secrets in their search for identity, worth, and self esteem.

I do not believe it is the Pagan youths who were raised by Pagan parents who are in the most danger. Instead it seems it is those who are curious, experimenting, digging into something new and exciting. A Pagan temple would provide a safe, welcoming place for young people to learn about Pagan religions. It would be staffed by trained volunteers who would be held accountable for their actions.

But we do not have this. Instead, we have a number of "training" sites on the web that require entrance fees. We have a ton of books to wade through, some of which are pure tripe (have you ever tasted tripe?) and many of which shamelessly play up to the whole glamorous/mysterious thing we could simply do without. And finally, we have people who are willing to train young people, for a price. Or, who brainwash them and use them for their own purposes.

Here in Michigan we had a scandal a few years ago when a teacher married a young student in a Pagan ceremony. Well, you see, Pagan religions allow same-sex marriages. But do they allow underage marriages? I dunno. Maybe some do, but in this case, we were talking about Wicca, and I don't think that's part of the tenets. That all being said, what goes along with marriage is sex- so we're married now, it's okay? No. It's not. Adults should not have sex with children. Period.
Here's an article about that http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41762

Not long ago there was also an issue with a man who was luring young women to a Pagan commune in Africa. I don't think I need to elaborate on how mindnumbingly horrible that scene has a potential to be. Unfortunately, I can't find that article again. Maybe it never really happened.


More recently we have this guy out in Arizona who has recently been arrested for molesting a girl for six years, since she was six years old. (Can you imagine someone having sex with a six year old? It makes my skin crawl!!!) It's speculated, and not unreasonably so, that he may have molested other girls and that he may have used Wicca to spark their interest and lure them into his clutches.
http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=507144

Disgusting.

This, while certainly not being the least of our worries, is not the only danger the new seeker faces. Members of our community are often faced with a confusing variety of conflicting information and many end up paying a bunch of money to charletons. Drugs are also a big problem in the Pagan community. And there are those who claim to be Pagans, witches, etc. who prey on innocent and naive non-Pagans, such as the Salazar brothers http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6018424?source=rss . Some organization of the community would provide training and accountability for people claiming to be working under the auspices of the religion. We could create schools and offer certifications...

Now I don't think that organization and building temples is going to solve all of the problems with the Pagan community. Not by a long shot. The Catholic church has its share of perverts and a long history of cheating people out of their money and they are one of the best organized religions in the world (if not the best period). I'm not a big fan of organized religion. But I am a big fan of accountability. Right now no one in the Pagan community is accountable to anyone. We turn our heads away from those we know are guilty and pretend that they have nothing in common with us, and those who might possibly be innocent, we leap to their defense. We can't do this. There must be accountability and I believe that having multi-faith Pagan temples with council governance will help provide that to a great degree.

Another issue that this would solve is the ever-present issue of intolerance. Now I tend to be skeptical when people come to me whining about intolerance. Oh, I was fired because I'm Pagan, it's not because I was always late, or because I refused to honor the dress code, it's because I'm Pagan. Oh, I was evicted because I'm Pagan, not because I had 57 familiars in my one bedroom apartment.... you understand. But there are some cases of discrimination and intolerance that are very real and true. The Pentacle quest for instance, did not received alot of attention until Circle Sanctuary picked it up and got the ball really rolling. Before that it was just a bunch of muttering in dark corners and on Yahoo groups. Here is a case that is clearly discrimination http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGBNSQUEV1F.html
A temple, a (loosely) unified group, would provide her with backup. Church members could go with her, other people in the community could go to the temple and get more information AND the temple would provide charity services, youth activities, etc. to the community and build a positive reputation giving all of its members a bit more backup.