Happy Hanukkah

I would like to take a moment to wish all of my Jewish friends (like my brother-in-law and my buddy of the bees- he knows who he is!) a blessed Hanukkah. This day honors a very important period in both Jewish and Pagan history and we Pagans would do well to remember it. You see, about 2200 years ago, Jerusalem was ruled over by Greece. Greece was a Pagan country at the time, of course, and they considered the Jews to be heretics and atheists- and trouble makers. They put severe restrictions on Jewish practice. Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism outright. It is true that this isn't typical of a Pagan society, but Antiochus did it.

Part of this "get rid of Jews" project included the take over the Second Temple in Jerusalem and sacrifice a pig (you know, unclean) on the altar. I have been told by Jewish co-workers that they also installed sacred prostitutes. I am not sure I believe this part either, of it was added later to make it seem worse to modern ears. Sacrificing an unclean animal on an altar of the Jewish God is bad enough. Trust me.

So anyway, the story goes that the Jews rose up against the Greeks and routed them from the temple and basically baracaded themselves inside. There was no getting supplies from outside for awhile because the Greeks were out there and they were pissed. The Jews wasted no time cleansing and reconsecrating the temple, but they found that there wasn't very much consecrated oil available for the eternal flame. Apparently the Greeks had taken or defiled the stores on hand and only one container remained sealed. They lit the menorah anyway. The menorah continued to burn for 8 days while the priests worked busily to prepare more. (My Jewish co-worker, the same one who says there were prostitutes in the temple tells me that the Greeks were outside the temple trying to get in and they were fighting them off for 8 days, which is why they couldn't get more oil. I don't know if this is true or not, but it's certainly more exciting than the Wikipedia version!)

Hanukkah is not the celebration of the battle or the victory. This is an important distinction. It is the celebration of the rededication of the temple and the miracle. It is a time for Jews to celebrate the victory of light (the Torah) over darkness (*cough*Paganism) and a time for us to remember that Pagans weren't always the victims in history that we modern Pagans like to claim them to be!

Of course, I'm not all about my view and being fluffy. Some people don't agree with me, and that's cool. Here is a completely different take of the whole situation, and a few more... http://www.slate.com/id/2179045/

And here's some more history to chew on, for geeks like me http://www.slate.com/id/2133068/
All of this is rather combattive, yes, but I like my history that way.
I want to know how they uncircumsized themselves.

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?

Saving Sherwood Forest

I think it's sad that Sherwood forest of legend has shrunk to a mere fraction of its old size. Down from 100,000 acres to 450. Wow. But, I'm not surprised. It seems these things are inevitable. Lucky for Sherwood forest, 15 organizations in England are banding together to save it and its ancient oak trees.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071104/ap_on_re_eu/shrinking_sherwood

It's good news for Sherwood Forest. It pays to be famous, I suppose. There are many forests shrinking to nothing all over the world. I won't step on my urban sprawl soapbox. I'll just baby the pathetic half acre of woods in suburbia I have been given sacred charge of. Every little bit helps.

So let's raise a glass to Sherwood forest and its caretakers. May the Gods keep them.
And maybe we should get Bunky over there to cast a little lottery spell for 'em.

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

Insanity in Salem

Once upon a time when I had a baby girl in my belly, I visited Salem and I thought- It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here.
Now I say
Thank Goodness I don't live in Salem!!

Here's why

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_284120135

And that's only the latest of the media circus that their witch wars down there have become. What is wrong with those people?
:crazy:

The Real Witches Craft

I just finished reading The Real Witches Craft by Kate West. I tell you, I did not have high hopes for this book. I thought "Real Witches" eh, what an arrogant title. Probably a bunch of Wicca-fluff. And yes, there is fluff. She tells you to research Gods and Goddesses and to look for triple Goddesses in various Pantheons. I hate that. HUGE pet peeve. She also encourages rewriting myths with a feminist bent, insisting that they were rewritten by Christians (I don't think Homer was Christian, but whatever) and presents a decidedly fluffy interpretation of the story of Persephone (You can see my version at http://www.sacredhearth.com/bos/stories/persephone. I'm not saying it's better, but I did try to keep it slightly unfluffy). BUT the rest of the book is absolutely fabulous. I gave it to my daughter. I highly recommend it. It does assume you know a few things and it is decidedly Wiccan (which I am decidedly not, if you hadn't noticed) but if you ignore the dogma and the history, it has good solid information and is definately worth checking out.

Wiccan Wins the Lottery

So I'm a little late in commenting on this, but last week a Wiccan man won the lottery. There's been alot of speculation about his persecution in the forums and talk about religion all over. I say Pah. He won the lottery, and he happens to be Wiccan. I am just glad the money will finally go to something worthwhile. He's going to invest it in his local Pagan community center/shop. Good job. Unfortunately, he says he's going to continue channelling money (more now that he has more) into corporate sharks like McDonald's and Walmart. Ugh. Anyway, here's the article http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_on_re_us/mega_millions_jackpot_1

Of course, this has gotten me thinking about what I would do if I won the lottery. So I must indulge in a bit of fantasy here. First, of course, I would pay off my student loans. And the credit cards (of which I am most ashamed). I figured out the other day that my credit bills (including student loands, credit cards, etc.) come to about $1150 per month. That's $1150 per month I could be doing other things with if I had SAVED ahead of time instead of charging! $1150 I could be saving... instead of charging at the end of the damn month!
But I digress.
Once I've got all those paid, or arranged to be paid, I will call up my landlord and say, "I know you don't want to sell this house, but I really really love it. Assuming you would sell, what would you ask for it?" And then I'd double it, and buy my house.
Then I'd buy the church on my street. It's really quite a lovely bit of property all surrounded by woods. And the manse is cute too. I'd buy them for whatever price was presented. If I couldn't get that one, I have a second choice, the one down by my mom's house. That one is actually set back further from the street and more secluded, so it might actually be better. Anyway, I'd buy one of those. And I'd name it the Church of the Sacred Hearth and make it an all-path church where Pagan groups of any faith could gather. There would be both indoor and outdoor gathering areas, and a marvelous heirloom herb and vegetable garden. We'd have a day care center, and invite the local Spiral Scouts to take up residence, open up a Pagan lending library and establish Youth Groups. We'd have dances, socials, etc. I would hire a caretaker couple to stay in the manse and handle day to day business of the Church.
I would, of course, stay in my beautiful house.
I would quit my job and I would then settle in to be a full time writer and, of course, focus on running the church.
As for the kids, I'd set them up a trust to get them through college. I want them to become strong individuals and I think college is so important. I want PhDs! Whatever happens then depends on the choices they make. If they want to volunteer to travel to Africa to observe Apes, well, I guess I'd have to donate to the expedition.
In my will, I'd leave whatever was left to the Anthropology department. If I've done my job right, the kids won't need it and the church will have a trust set up to run it indefinately, so that should work out.

And now my brief foray into the fantasy realm is over. My co-workers, upon learning that a Wiccan had won the lottery, asked me if I was Wiccan. I attempted to explain the difference, but, for the most part they don't get it. It's fine. But they want me to join their lotto pool now. Haha. I never (or at least very rarely) gamble, which is odd since Hermes is one of my patrons. It's not a moral thing. It's just that I'm too cheap. Not too cheap to buy a book from Amazon.com on credit with 21% interest though!