I Believe...

Posting about fluffy bunnies and the comments I have received has made me think about beliefs. One of the things that people throw out the fluffy bunny phrase over is belief. Either you believe too much, or not enough. As in, those who believe in pixies, unicorns and instant karma verses those who don't really believe in spirits as entities with their own personalities and who scoff at the idea that your magical actions can come back to bite you in the ass. Either one of these can be labeled fluffy bunny and the two of them might just point fingers at each other.

Which leads me to the question, what do I believe?

And, of course, that answer isn't simple.

You see, I haven't led the most traditional life as an adult. I was already divorced with kids when I started college and graduated at the age of 30. I had already experienced my fluffy bunny days and had thought a lot about my beliefs and values and was somewhat set in my ways. I majored in Anthropology and minored in Biology. If you have ever spent any time in academia, especially in the sciences, you know that the cattiness of that community makes witch wars look like the Three Stooges. One thing I had a problem with was belief. That is, what you were expected to believe if you were a scientist and the idea that if you did not believe appropriately, you could not be objective.

In the Social Sciences, the idea is that if you believe too strongly in your religion, your beliefs will cloud your view of the culture you are studying. (Never mind that we've got a ton of really good information about pre-conversion cultures from the Jesuits.) This idea has given license to your various rabid atheists to tear into anyone who is anything but contemptuous of any and all of what they call "superstition".

(The Biology corner had its own annoying rules about beliefs, but it doesn't really come to bear on this discussion so I won't go into it at this time. )

So the time came came that I felt I needed to make a decision. If I was going to pursue a career in science, could I be an atheist? There was no way. I simply did not want to live in a world without magic. I can't believe that all of it doesn't exist. After all belief has a profound effect on societies and the way they interact with the world. To say that people are only affected psychologically- that it is the fear of a spell is the only reason for its effectiveness, for example, that causes its effects, seems awfully disrespectful to me and ignores evidence to the  contrary. After all, haven't I cast spells on people without telling them and haven't those spells been effective?

As a student of science I was taught to base my view of the world on evidence. So how does dismissing things out of hand fit in with the scientific method? And so I decided I would believe in everything, unless I encountered proof that it wasn't real.

So do I believe in Gods? Sure. There's lots of evidence that Gods exist. How bout the Christian God, Jehovah? Sure there's at least as much evidence for him as the rest. I don't think anybody's got it right. Spells? Yep, lots of evidence.

One day my daughter asked me if pixies were real. The very idea of believing in pixies seems incredibly fluffy to me. But was a scientist, right? So I said, "I have never seen a pixie, but I have no reason to believe they aren't real."

Yea. Total cop out. But those four years of college had to count for something, right?

I didn't become a scientist. I became a dog trainer. But my kids might, and I'd like to see the next generation of scientists have minds a little more open then some of the last.

F is for Fluffy Bunny

Fluffy bunny is a derogatory phrase I have heard as long as I've been a part of the Pagan community. I believe it refers to those bright eyed and bushy tailed young witches eager to believe everything they're handed and take it all to extremes. The problem I have with it, besides the fact that it's derogatory, is that I believe we are all fluffy bunnies at some point.

I have been a witch and a Pagan just about all of my life. When I was about 24, newly divorced and newly moved to a new neighborhood, I decided to reach out to the local Pagan community and see if I could make some connections. I answered an ad and joined a Wiccan coven. Understand that I had zero experience with Wicca at this point and really didn't know what it was. As it was explained to me at first, I thought it was what I was. After a few Circles with my new coven I realized that I was not, in fact, Wiccan already. But I was willing to make a go of it, I just needed a little guidance. My questions got on their nerves and I soon learned a new word, Fluffy Bunny. Now I had more experience with herbal magic, kitchen witchery and spell casting than any of them, but I

I see fluffy  bunny trouble in our future

didn't know how to call quarters, was completely mystified by their concept of deity and needed more clarification on the rede. They considered me naive and immature and perhaps it was true when it came to their religion. They confused me, embarrassed me, and made me feel stupid and that was a fluffy bunny mistake I would make over and over. For a time I went by the policy that if you were Pagan, I would be your friend and I got burned by it until I finally got over it.


Spotted a whole busload in Baltimore!

My daughter was raised Pagan and was doing her first spells in kindergarten. My children ate empowered breakfasts over which we discussed the symbolism of their dreams, kept magic charms in their rooms, celebrated every Sabbat at home if not with a group and basically lived as out Pagan as one can. She's 19 now and she is a Fluffy Bunny, stumbling through the challenging task of integrating the beliefs she was raised with with the beliefs of the other Pagans she's gotten to know of her own generation. I cringe just a bit, but what can you do? There really are no two family traditions alike and the established traditions aren't like any of them. So whenever a Pagan child goes out into the world, she's going to experience a little friction with the other Pagans until she finds those few she can comfortably Circle with.

This fluffy bunny terrorist infiltrated
our Lammas celebration in '07

The funny thing is, although we are "out" Pagans and have been my children's whole lives, I can only remember one incident where another child teased my oldest son about being Pagan. The teacher put a stop to it and the principal asked if we couldn't call ourselves something other than Pagan. I laughed and told him we are actually Neo-Hellenic Polytheists following a self-defined family tradition that was hard to define and had no official name. He paled and said Pagan was fine. There was one incident in Girl Scouts when my daughter called another girl stupid for saying that all witches could fly, but that blew over. We have faced very little, if any, discrimination from the general community but from within the Pagan community we have been called fluffy bunnies, puritanical, fake Pagans, posers, etc. In my case it's been more than 10 years since I've had to deal with it and I thought it was dead, but there it is again.

No wonder the economy
is in the toilet

Why is it that those most eager to learn and discuss those things that most conflict with what we already believe suffer the most derision? It's as if disagreeing or questioning the status quo is heretical. I have been told that fluffy bunny is applied only to those who hold tight to those beliefs when they are wrong. Without getting into the discussion of whether anyone knows who is right or who is wrong, I can't help but point out that sharing your conflicting opinion does not constitute holding tight to it. Sometimes discussing different viewpoints can lead to a change of viewpoint, but it doesn't happen all at once. It shouldn't. If you're going to flop your opinion from one short conversation then your opinion isn't worth much in the first place.

Our family, and some of our friends, have embraced the term "fluffy bunny". We have quite a few stuffed bunnies that we take with us to Pagan gatherings and announce that the fluffy bunnies have invaded. These bunnies have had their pictures taken all over the place and sent home with messages like "As expected, the fluffy bunnies are all over Salem" and "uh oh, it seems the fluffy bunnies are attempting to take over the capital". They've become something like a "flat Stanley". We have had so much fun with it that I've been thinking of setting up a website to share our pictures on, but I lost interest when my camera broke. Perhaps it's time I got around to it.

Addendum: I added some of our fluffy bunny pictures, at least the ones I could easily find.

Hello Gaia

Before you continue, I am going to drop a SPOILER ALERT for Rick Riordan's The Son of Neptune, though if you read The Lost Hero, I don't think I've revealed anything you didn't get from that book.

As I was reading The Son of Neptune to my infant son (he's not into pictures yet, so he's just as happy to hear my voice go on about Percy Jackson as the Runaway Bunny) my husband asked me "Wow, is Gaia really that mean?" and it got me thinking about the nature of Gaia.

First let me say that I've never been 100% happy with the way Rick Riordan portrays the Gods in his books, but hey, it's fiction and I'm not going to gripe. But back to Gaia.

Mr. Riordan has a few things right, or at least we agree on a few things. Gaia is a sleeping Goddess. She is not a Goddess who spends time worrying about what mortals are doing. Gaia is a primordial Goddess, born of Chaos. The children she created are forces of Nature. She had her husband castrated in order to release them. Then the second generation, the Gods of Civilization, rose up and subjugated them and She created more children to defeat them, and they failed. Then Gaia slept. Meanwhile, civilization grew under the Gods of Olympus.

So, if Mr. Riordan wants to portray her as vengeful, releasing primordial forces in an effort to destroy Civilization and the Olympians, well, I don't see that as so far fetched. Is She evil? No, of course not. She's just Nature and, frankly, Nature would be a lot better off without humans and civilization.

I do, however, think it's kind of far fetched that Gaia would open the gates of Death. (Although I realize it was necessary to release Her children trapped in Tartarus.) Death is necessary to maintain the balance of Nature and I would think that bringing and end to Death would only make matters worse.

So... the answer to my husband's question (from my point of view) is Yes and No. If Gaia awoke, people would die, hell yea. But I don't think Gaia would take a personal interest in who was dying and she likely wouldn't try to use any individuals to accomplish her goals. No, I think she'd simply shake us off like so many fleas and whoever managed to hold on would hold on and whoever didn't, well, that would be it.

Celebrating the Spring Equinox

News from the Hearth

I am not sure why but tax season always seems to catch me off guard. It seems no matter how much we prepare ahead of time we never seem to get it right so this time of year I am working my butt off to make extra money to meet that tax shortfall and, inevitably, my immune system collapses and I end up sick and missing work. What was it I said a few issues ago about getting organized? I have decided that more than what you eat or how much you exercise and certainly more than washing your hands, the key to staying stress-free. Whenever I am overworked or stressed out about things I shoulda coulda woulda done I get sick. The rest of the year I am healthy, even during the busy season when I am on the road 12 hours a day and most of my calories come from McD's and Slimfast. If that didn't tarnish someone's impression of this Kitchen Witch I don't know what would...

The point is, staying stress free is all about planning ahead, organizing and knowing that you are in control of your own future. When you get swept up in the undertow of life, sniffles, sore throats and tummy aches are sure to follow. Not to mention heart attacks.

And while this time of year always seems to have me frayed at the ends, it's also full of excitement and the feeling that the worst will soon be over and new fun and exciting things will begin. It's the magic of the equinox!


In the Kitchen

If you're like me, you can't wait for the holidays to roll around so you can use them as an excuse to try out new recipes and feed people. For me, planning and preparing the meal is the best part. This year, I thought I'd share some of my favorite kitchen witch recipe my and activity ideas with you for the Spring Equinox. Whether you are having a whole crew over or just entertaining the family, these are sure to please.

For a tasty brunch try my Springtime Quiche with Beet and Orange Salad and Hot Cross Buns. All of these travel well and are suitable served at room temperature so their great to take with you to someone else's party too. Add cold or hot sliced ham if you're a meat eater and you've got a light but complete meal.


Making Family Traditions

To me, Eostre is all about honoring one of my favorite Goddesses, Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. So I like to begin the festivities with a dawn rite for Eos that, if you can get them up early enough, the kids will enjoy too. Follow that with a egg hunt and that is how fun family traditions are made! I like to fill plastic eggs with such trinkets as money, jewelry, hair ties and barrettes, yoyos, bouncy balls and even some runes to practice a little divination. If your kids have special pets, you can hide catnip balls and dog biscuits in the eggs too!


Once the eggs are all gathered (make sure you count how many you hide so you know when they are all gathered!) your little ones can settle down with Pooka Pages while you get a delicious brunch ready!

Magical Springtime

Springtime is the best time to cast spells for new beginnings; to bring new things into your life that will take time and work to manifest. Remember as you work toward these goals to give thanks for those blessings you've already received and to pat yourself on the back for goals you've already acheived.

The full moon in Virgo occurs at 2:10pm on March 19th (here in Detroit, check http://www.lunarium.co.uk for dates and times specific to your locality) and this is a good time to focus on getting rid of the clutter in your life just in time to begin new projects. Check out http://flylady.net/ for help getting organized and consider building a bonfire in the backyard (or firing up the old BBQ grill) to throw things that symbolize old junk you don't need into. Looking for a new job? Toss in those annoying memos from your current, or past, overbearing boss. A new boyfriend? You knew you were saving every flower the last one gave you for a reason. Into the fire it goes. New car? How about copies of that giant stack of repair receipts from the old one? Out with the old, in with the new. Since the weather's so nice, I'll be dancing around barefoot too!

The equinox, on the 20th is all about balance. The equinox, like the dawn, is an in-between time. Neither summer nor winter, light nor dark, fair nor foul. Since we'll still be under the influence of Libra (the moon enters Libra on Saturday at 4:03pm) at this time and there's plenty of residual full mon energy left over, it is a wonderful time to focus on making sure that everyone involved in a partnership or group is putting their fair share in and getting equal benefit out.

Full Moon, Eclipse, Solstice... Oh My

Tuesday, December 21st is to be an eventful twenty-four hours, astrologically speaking. It all begins shortly after midnight EST with the commencement of a full lunar eclipse. Unlike the last few, this lunar eclipse will, cloud-cover permitting, be entirely visible from all of North America and Central America. The eclipse will peak with the moment of the Full Cold Moon in Gemini at 3:14am so rest up and make sure you have plenty of hot cocoa on hand. The moon will enter Cancer soon after at 4:22am. Meanwhile, the sun will enter Capricorn at 6:38pm and the winter solstice will also take place at the same moment. The last time a lunar eclipse took place on the same day as the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) was in 1638, the same year Louis XIV of France was born.

With so much going on, what to celebrate? The full moon in Gemini is all about communication and Cancer right on its heels encourages us to enjoy the closeness of the ones we love and appreciate the security of the home. So does the winter solstice! With all that love going around what's not to celebrate? And if you're wondering about Capricorn, it may seem like an uptight sign, but there's nothing Capricorn loves more than curling up by a warm fire on a cold evening with a steaming hot cup of something yummy.

So gather your friends, build a fire, enjoy the eclipse. This is a time for giving and sharing and for loving. If you're in the mood for magic, consider spells to encourage understanding, harmony and communication within your household and among your family and friends. There won't be a better time for another few hundred years.

Yule blessings everyone. I hope the season is full of love and joy for all.

So Many Babies

All of a sudden it seems like everyone is having babies and I'm called upon to attand more showers than I've ever experienced. I've even got a new neice on the way, which is particularly exciting since my kids, now teenagers, were the only grandkids up till now. I may be more excited about being an auntie than I was about being a mother. But its also sort of awkward because it's been about 10 years since I've interacted with a baby in any way besides performing the occasional naming ritual. I imagine it's much like riding a bike. Anyway, in the spirit of celebration of my impending auntie-ness I would like to share some of my infant blessing ritual and my child naming ceremony, both of which I have written for friends in my Circle whose babies are not babies anymore!

As far as baby gifts go On the Day You Were Born: Book and Musical CD is my favorite. But if you're looking for something more practical. Judging from the number of dog carrying purses my sister has in her wardrobe, I a fashionable diaper bag like this JJ Cole Mode Diaper Tote Bag, Cocoa Tree and because the one thing I remember the most about being pregnant is the itchy belly, I'll toss in Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm. I'll probably be writing more about babies as my impending auntie status progresses.

If you are expecting a new baby, you may want to check out the Pagan Name Database.

New Moon in Sagittarius

The moon will be in Sagittarius from Saturday, December 4th at 12:59pm EST to Monday, December 6th at 4:46pm. The new moon begins the first lunar day on Sunday, December 5th at 12:36pm EST.

This weekend I invite you to try my Get Noticed at Work Spell. It's the perfect time for it. If you are a student, this is also a great time to get to work sending out those college applications or just work on your final papers.

When the new moon is in Sagittarius, the sun is also in Sagittarius and that means Sagittarians all around are celebrating birthdays. If you're helping a Sagittarian celebrate his or her birthday, consider treating them to a night... or a whole weekend... at the casino. If you can't swing that, take them to a comedy club. Also consider slipping a scratch off lottery ticket or two into your Sagittarian's birthday card. If you want to give your Sagittarian something to unwrap, consider a desk globe or a book or video about travel. A Primate's Memoir is a fun book your Sagittarian might appreciate about a primatologist who goes to Africa to study baboons, loses his funding and spends most of the rest of his trip wandering Africa and studying the people instead.