The Captain is off duty for the next 2 weeks, as he's getting certified to teach others how to sail (how cool is that?)! Karen has your Pagan Lore, Sosanna has a very poignant piece on the Steubenville Rape Case, and Kathleen's giving some wonderful advice. Of course, Kestril's brought you a great song and the standard Astrology & Tarot are all available. Lorelei's taken over the Shameless Plug this week, and I have a REALLY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT as well! Appetite whetted? Then, let's get to it!
Happy Birthday this week to Lady Morgana Avallone, Brian Belenchia (!!!), Star Firewitch (!!!), Angelique Roland, Rylanna Moonstone, Debra Duff Alexander, Kerry Wooley, and Ariel Marie (!!!). May this be your best birthday ever, and may your next year of life bring you joy, peace, success, good health, happiness and the most wonderful things in abundance!
In the News
Stories of witches haunt England’s enchanted New Forest
Witchcraft law intended to protect people from fraud, drafter claims
Witchcraft: Yesterday and Today
Pagan Lore with Karen Szabo
Sunday, March 24
This is the :Day of Blood", a time of deep mourning in ancient Rome. It was an annual religious custom on this day for people to lacerate themselves with knives and for new priests to castrate themselves and spill their blood on the altar in the temple of the Mother-Goddess Cybele.
Monday, March 25
The Hilaria (Festival of Joy) was celebrated annually on this date in ancient Rome. It was a joyous event which commemorated the triumph of day over night after the Vernal Equinox. The festivities were brought to a close with a "ceremony of washing" which was believed to promote fertility.
Tuesday, March 26
Called "Solitude Day", this is a time for Wiccans and Neo-Pagans to spend the day (or at least part of it) by themselves, meditate in solitude, and reconnect with their "inner-selves." You might take a quiet walk in the woods or stroll down a deserted beach and listen to the music of the sea, or explore an old barn or write a Goddess-inspired poem.
Wednesday, March 27
In ancient Rome, the fertility and wine-god Liber Pater was honored annually on this date (and sometimes on the seventeenth of March). His festival, the Liberalia, was a time of feasting and drinking, and a day when young males entered into their manhood. Gauri, the Goddess of marriage and abundance, is honored on this date in India with an annual women's festival and rituals.
Thursday, March 28
The Eka Dasa Rudra, an eleven-week-long Balinese festival consisting of thirty ceremonies, is held on this date approximately once every one hundred years to restore the balance between the forces of good and evil. The festival, which is ancient in origin, reaches a climax when thousands of pilgrims gather at the volcano temple to observe animal sacrifices made to appease the god Rudra. In Taiwan, the birthday of the Goddess Kwan Yin is celebrated annually on this date.
Friday, March 29
The annual Festival of Ishtar is celebrated by many Wiccans on this day in honor of the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of love, fertility, and battle. As a Triple Goddess, Ishtar represents birth, death, and rebirth. Also on this day, an annual masquerade ritual is held by the Bobo people of Africa to restore the balance of Nature and to ward off evil spirits. Special prayers and offerings are made to the gods of rain and the gods of the harvest.
Saturday, March 30
The annual Iranian New Year celebration begins on this date and continues for thirteen days. Bonfires are lit, and sacred rituals involving eggs and mirrors are performed. A Pagan religious festival was held each year on this day in ancient Mesopotamia to celebrate the sacred union of the God and Goddess, and to give thanks for the creation of the human race.
And there you have the Pagan Lore for the upcoming week! Hope you found something to pique your interest, and I hope you all have a fantastic week. See you next time!
Karen
Sparkle and Shine with Sosanna
(Trigger warning descriptions of surviving rape)
This has been a pretty volatile week. Sunday, a judge handed down the verdict in a case I've been following for a while now, where a 15 year old girl was taken by 16 & 17 year old football players from party to party and raped repeatedly while she was unconscious then subsequently dumped naked in front of her house and urinated on her.
Photos and video were shared over various social media outlets. The town was complicit in protecting the boys from the beginning and even urging the girl’s family not to seek charges. Monday, two more young people have been arrested for making threats to the girl due to the guilty verdict handed down.
Several news outlets have focused on the damage done to these two young men and how their lives are ruined due to this conviction. No one seemed concerned with the effects on this young woman’s life.
Speaking as a rape and incest survivor I can honestly say at the moment of the assault you feel as though your life is over. I was a victim of repeated sexual abuse/incest and rape. I remember laying on the ground and looking up at the stars and wishing I would die. I remember the breath and the hands on me, and then I drifted away. I went away in my head to a faraway place and I, was no longer present in the attack.
Due to the incidents of incest I was not equipped to fully understand that what had happened to me was wrong. I didn't know that men weren't allowed to do that to you. I didn't know that I was allowed to say no.
My aunts and uncles have said to me, “Right after the age of five, you changed. You weren't that same sweet little girl. Your eyes were empty and sad.” “Right after you went to live with your mother.” They were right. I was empty and sad. The light that every other child had was for me no more.
I look back at the last 26 years of my life and think that things could have been very different. Had I not been attacked, maybe I would have been a lawyer. Had I not been attacked maybe I would have been a famous writer or poet. Had I not been attacked I would not have the ability to empathize with so many other victims today. Had I not been attacked I would not have the passion that I have for art. Even though that attack devastated me to my very core, it also empowered me. It created a foundation of pain for me to draw upon and a drive to make my life better.
So many out there believe this young women’s life is over, I offer this. Maybe like a phoenix from the ashes she will rise up and embrace those things that make others believe she is/will be weak. Goddess knows I am sending her strength daily and I do believe it will help. As a society we made it ok for this to happen, and as a society we need to make it ok to have a life after rape.
Lots of women who have been raped have gone on to do great things. Billie Holiday was molested at ten and then raped a few years later. Kelly McGillis and her partner at the time were beaten and raped by male intruders in their home in NY. Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest women in the world was raped at age nine. Renee Olson, wife, Mother, Artist and Witch was raped from age 5 – 15 and then from 15 – 17. We turned out pretty good. Hard life? Yes. Ruined life? No.
Yes, this is a horrific experience for this young woman and her family. She will never be the same. These rapists should be prosecuted for their actions. The town officials should be held accountable. The news industry should be held accountable. But we should not condemn her to a life of shame. We as a society can give back that light in her eyes. We can say this is unacceptable to treat victims this way. We can stop slut shaming and victim blaming.
Every day I live with what happened to me. Some days are great, some days are bad. But I have taken back my life and I am holding my head up high. That little girl lost the light in her eyes, but today just look at her sparkle and shine.
Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
Suggested Reading
This Week in Astrology
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| Josephine Wall |
A Full Moon occurs on Wednesday, March 27th, 2013, at 5:27 AM EDT.
Confrontation Moon: Full Moon in Libra (The Ruby Slipper)
Full Moon March 2013 – Flamboyant (Darkstar Astrology)
*Weekly Horoscopes from Darkstar Astrology*
March VoC Moon Table
Sunshine's Meanderings with Kathleen Lane
Pay it Forward!
In one of his poems for children, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a line that said "The world is so full of a number of things, I am sure we should all be as happy as kings".
I was thinking about that yesterday as I wracked my brain trying to come up with something of an upbeat nature for this weeks blog. It seems as though it gets more and more difficult to find anything truly happy in our world anymore. The news is almost totally negative and decidedly depressing and it is not just in our country that this trend is dominant. I get a lot of my news from Reuters and other agencies and they are as negative as American news.
Anyway, in my long hours last night of not being able to sleep, I remembered the "Worldview" thinking that was so common during my hippy years and the true feeling that "We can change the World". The collective conscious can hopefully change or at least moderate the downward spiral of hope and love. If all groups who join together for whatever reason on this plane of existence would generate their energy in positive and loving ways, maybe we slow the direction we seem to be headed.
Think about your happy times! What were they like? What were you doing and what spawned that happiness? Were you part of an upbeat group? Were you working at something you loved? I used to take my daughter with me to Sufi Dance when she was young and the positive energy raised during those evenings was amazing. You left feeling invigorated and positive and it was wonderful. She went with me to peace vigils and I think she was the only kindergarten aged child there but again there was positive energy being raised during those vigils.
Our gatherings and drum circles during the years when I was part of a large group of pagan people were always positive and invigorating. Is it possible that we can tap that kind of energy to change the worldview? My view of the world is one that believes strongly in the connection of all life with the earth and what we do to our brothers and sisters on this planet changes us along with them. If we project peace and happiness as groups, we will change the world. If we quit sharing all the negative things we hear and see and share nothing but positive and happy things on our electronic media we could influence the thinking of all of us.
My new vow to myself is to quit liking negative posts on Facebook, like and share the positive and optimistic or happy posts and let the news agancies know that I want more upbeat news stories. The news keeps us submerged in negativism and despair and who in the world wants to know why Jodi Arias killed her boyfriend? I want to see positive news and happy stories. I want to know about the fireman who rescued the dog and her puppies from a fire and the teenage boy who saved his father from drowning. I want to know that some countries have decided to get along with each other and that people have decided that their differences are far less important than their similarities.
Life is simply to short to spend it submerged in despair and negative thoughts. It should be full of love and light and the need to share that with others. If we each share nothing but positive with those around us, that will spread just like the "pay it forward" idea that was making the news last winter before the holidays. So let us PAY IT FORWARD with our thoughts and postings and love for all of our fellow passengers in this life.
Peace and Love
Sunshine
Song of the Week with Kestril Trueseeker
Sure, I try to be nice and get along - but sometimes, well, my inner bitch takes over. That's not always a bad thing. Sometimes there's a high price to pay for being nice all the time - the loss of your authentic self. No, it's not a good idea to stir up things just for the sake shock value, but it's no good being a doormat either.
And if that means you gotta be a bitch sometimes, well then...
Keep dancing,
Kestril
Weekly Tarot: The Hierophant
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| Vanessa Tarot Deck |
From Facade.com: "Faith in tradition and the old school. A justified and ancient source of power. Being supportive, sympathetic and loyal. Receiving instructions, learning, guidance or inspiration. The ability to hear a higher or inner voice. May also indicate a religious ritual, such as a marriage or an initiation."
From Learntarot.com: "In readings, the Hierophant often represents learning with experts or knowledgeable teachers. This card also stands for institutions and their values. The Hierophant is a symbol of the need to conform to rules or fixed situations. His appearance in a reading can show that you are struggling with a force that is not innovative, free-spirited or individual. Groups can be enriching or stifling, depending on circumstances. Sometimes we need to follow a program or embrace tradition, other times, we need to trust ourselves."
The Shameless Plug
In this week's Shameless Plug, I'm turning the space over to my beloved friend, Lorelei, who is going to share with you a PHENOMENAL find!
Old Ways
Presented by traditionally trained Shaman, Jeffrey Pierce, Old Ways is dedicated to providing a place for those on a spiritual path to share and learn in an atmosphere of love, and respect.
Visit Old Ways' facebook page at: :https://www.facebook.com/
Or, browse over to the website, www.oldways.com, for the the insight of the "Daily Paganism" article.
Just this past week Jeffrey's book, "Principles of Magick" was published. It is available in paperback or for Kindle at Amazon, http://amzn.to/YwhiBt
From "Principles of Magick", Introduction:
"Your heart is your map and your intuition is your compass. Follow them. They will not lead you astray. They are the only tools with which you can fully evolve your path and allow it to completely unfold. . . Such an approach guarantees that you will always have the potential to grow and experience more than you did the day before."
Ok, this is the most exciting part of The Stew this week for me. Next week (April 1-6), I'm going to begin a week-long series of blog posts dedicated to my favorite author of all time, Ly De Angeles. I'm calling it, "For the Love of Ly Week" and I want all of you to join me! Whenever I've introduced friends to her works, I've been able to read them an excerpt from one or more of her books and they fall in love with her like I did. So, I reached out to her and asked permission to post some excerpts from my favorite books-
AND SHE SAID YES!!!
You are in for SUCH A TREAT!
But wait! There's more!! I'll have a very cool announcement to make during the week as well on her behalf- so, stay tuned!!
That's it for this week's stew. Mull. Digest. Enjoy!