Why, yes, I did know that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince opens tonight -- and in fact, I do have tickets to go see it at midnight! Someone tell Jason Isaacs that if he needs a date for opening night, I'll be around.



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From the Magical E-mail Bag: "I'm a Wiccan and I believe in the rule of Harming None. However, a lot of times on your blog I see that you include Satanism in with Wicca, Paganism and other faiths. Please stop doing this, because Satanists are a whole different group than Wiccans, and frankly, I don't want to be associated with them."

As we so often see, many people in the public tend to lump all non-mainstream faiths together -- as an example, whenever someone finds a dead animal, the first thing they do is say, "Well, uh, I bet it was them thar Satanists or Pagans." Because of this, I am of the opinion that those non-mainstream faiths should try, when possible, to present a united front. Just because I do not subscribe to the same philosophy as another group does not mean I can't relate to the problems they face in the arena of public opinion.

I'm wondering if it's possible that your apprehension about "being associated with" Satanists is because you're unfamiliar with what they actually believe and do. You may want to read over on Catherine Beyer's AltReligion site, where she goes into depth about why LaVeyan Satanism isn't a cult.

Ultimately, I think it's important that those of us who are part of religions other than The Big Three stand in support of one another. That includes Pagans, Wiccans, Asatru, Satanists, Buddhists, Zooastrians, and followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Why? Because a united group of thousands is far more effective than thousands of people who won't agree simply because of matters of doctrine. So, to the original writer, I am genuinely sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I'll continue to support the rights of any religious group to practice as they see fit, even if it's not a group to which I belong.

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It's interesting, if you ever attend any kind of metaphysical/new age event. You'll find that there are very distinct camps, all of whom feel they belong under the new age/metaphysical heading, but many of whom don't think those other people really belong there. You'll end up with crystal healers, angel readers, folks who are convinced we all came from other planets, Indigo children, 2012 conspiracy theorists, and more. Oh, yeah, and you also end up with those of us who identify as Pagan, because really, sometimes there's no other place for us to hang out.

Twincities.com puts this phenomenon into perspective, in looking at the wide variety of people who are part of the new age movement, and all the potential problems that arise when you've got so many different belief systems coming together. Among those interviewed are Tim Miejan, editor of The Edge, who takes a more holistic approach to things and is trying to avoid the Woo-Woo Sparkles and Light paintbrush, and Kathy McGee, editor of the New Age Retailer, who sees the movement as an "all or nothing" deal. McGee says that if you're going to accept one facet of the new age belief system, you're obligated to accept them all.

I, for one, have found that while I don't necessarily agree with all the different viewpoints in the metaphysical community, I can at least be respectful of others' rights to have those beliefs. I look at it this way - there are plenty of people in the non-metaphysical community who are just looking for a chance to disagree with us, so infighting within the different metaphysical groups just gives them more ammunition.

So, no, we don't have to all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" together, but it would indeed be a good idea to try to find some common ground.

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The realm of the Fae is one that is often up for spirited debate in the Pagan community. On the one hand, we have folks whose tradition works hand in hand with such otherworldly beings, and on the other, we have people who think it's all a load of silliness. Regardless, there's no escaping the fact that some people do take the notion of the Fae as a very important and integral part of their belief system. That's why this article from the Washington Spokesman-Review is so refreshing.

For the last nine years, the annual Fairy and Human Relations Congress has been held in the Cascade mountains. The outdoor metaphysical festival celebrates the fairy realm and those who interact with it. What's nice about this particular piece is that reporter Kevin Graman could have taken the easy route and made a bunch of jokes about Tinkerbell or whatever. Instead, he takes a respectful approach, being sensitive to the fact that a LOT of different belief systems are represented at this event. Kudos to Graman and the paper for putting together an informative article that doesn't make the local metaphysical community look like a bunch of fruitcakes.

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