Happy Valentine's Day!
Monday February 13, 2012
OK, so it may be a holiday named for a Christian saint, but it's still a fun day to show the people you love (and lust after) just how much you care about them. This entire month has long been associated with love and romance, going back to the days of early Rome. Back then, February was the month in which people celebrated Lupercalia, a festival honoring the birth of Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of the city. Part of the fun included a "love lottery". Although contemporary historians have questioned the existence of such activities, it's still a fascinating legend.
After Christianity moved in, the Pope Gelasius did away with Lupercalia around 500 c.e., denouncing it as an immoral Pagan practice -- go figure. However, love and romance couldn't be stopped, and so the pope declared St. Valentine to be the patron saint of lovers. Learn more about the legend of St. Valentine, and how he became famous here: Valentine's Day.
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After Christianity moved in, the Pope Gelasius did away with Lupercalia around 500 c.e., denouncing it as an immoral Pagan practice -- go figure. However, love and romance couldn't be stopped, and so the pope declared St. Valentine to be the patron saint of lovers. Learn more about the legend of St. Valentine, and how he became famous here: Valentine's Day.
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Feb. 15: The Festival of Lupercalia
Monday February 13, 2012
In addition to being the month of Valentine's Day and Imbolc, February is the time of the annual Roman festival of Lupercalia. Started back when Rome was just a bunch of shepherds in huts on a hillside, Lupercalia became a fertility celebration that welcomed Spring each year, much like Imbolc does for us today. The festivities included animal sacrifice, running through the streets, and being whipped with blood-soaked hides. All of this was topped off with a love lottery, in which young men drew the names of ladies out of a jar. You can read more about this early version of Valentine's Day here: Lupercalia.
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Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup Feb 6 - 12
Monday February 13, 2012
Wondering what you might have missed this week at About Pagan/Wiccan? Well, there's all kinds of new content, a bunch of blog posts, updates to older articles, and tons of new reader submissions! Here's your round-up of everything from the past week in About Pagan/Wiccan:
New and Updated Articles and Features
How to Make Pagan Prayer Beads
Making Your Own Magical Tools
Celebrating Ritual in Limited Space
How to Dispose of Magical Tools
Blog Posts
Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story
Ireland's Saintly Women
Love Magic and Folklore
Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County
The Religious Right and the Battle for Public Schools
New Reader Submissions
Energy and Prayer Requests
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New and Updated Articles and Features
How to Make Pagan Prayer Beads
Making Your Own Magical Tools
Celebrating Ritual in Limited Space
How to Dispose of Magical Tools
Blog Posts
Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story
Ireland's Saintly Women
Love Magic and Folklore
Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County
The Religious Right and the Battle for Public Schools
New Reader Submissions
Energy and Prayer Requests
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Depp Options Film Rights on WM3 Story
Saturday February 11, 2012
Depp to produce film about
the West Memphis Three
Image © Charlie Gallay/Getty Images
Depp has been a longtime supporter of Echols and the other two men known as the West Memphis Three, and a press release says he "will develop the narrative as a feature film with Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who will be executive producers."
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Ireland's Saintly Women
Saturday February 11, 2012
There's a fascinating piece over at National Geographic about Celeste Ray, who has spent a significant amount of time studying Ireland's female saints, many of whom stem from early pre-Christian traditions. A year-long expedition allowed her to visit about 250 holy wells and sacred springs, places at which these women are still worshiped today.
While the saints themselves are Catholic today, their rituals have a decidedly Pagan flair. Offerings are left by devotees, and the entire process has a mystical quality about it.
Ray's project also focused on how these early saints fared during the Protestant reformation and earlier Anglo-Norman efforts to replace all female saints with the Virgin Mary. It's an interesting look at how traditions have managed to survive, albeit in different forms, throughout the centuries.
Like all NatGeo articles, the photos are spectacular as well, so be sure to scroll through the image wheel at the top of the article.
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While the saints themselves are Catholic today, their rituals have a decidedly Pagan flair. Offerings are left by devotees, and the entire process has a mystical quality about it.
Ray's project also focused on how these early saints fared during the Protestant reformation and earlier Anglo-Norman efforts to replace all female saints with the Virgin Mary. It's an interesting look at how traditions have managed to survive, albeit in different forms, throughout the centuries.
Like all NatGeo articles, the photos are spectacular as well, so be sure to scroll through the image wheel at the top of the article.
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Love Magic and Folklore
Saturday February 11, 2012
Valentine's Day is approaching, which means I get to eat a bucketload of candy hearts, but it also means my email box is flooding with "Help I need a luv spell" notes. While there are some magical traditions today that frown upon the use of any sort of romantic spellwork shenanigans, there are others that don't really have any rules against it. If you've decided your love life needs a little magical boost, be sure to read about the ethics of casting a love spell before you get started.
So, how does love magic work? There are a variety of methods, from poppets to herbs to crystals, and even deities who can be invoked for assistance. It's important to note that love magic is hardly new - in fact, it's been around for ages. Read about some of the best-known love magic folklore here.
Need to know more about the mechanics of love magic? Be sure to read All About Love Magic.
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So, how does love magic work? There are a variety of methods, from poppets to herbs to crystals, and even deities who can be invoked for assistance. It's important to note that love magic is hardly new - in fact, it's been around for ages. Read about some of the best-known love magic folklore here.
Need to know more about the mechanics of love magic? Be sure to read All About Love Magic.
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Fear and Loathing in Buncombe County
Monday February 6, 2012
Just a quick update on the case of Ginger Strivelli, the Pagan mom who took on the Buncombe County School Board, after she challenged her son's school for passing out Bibles to students. You'll recall that Strivelli was told the school's policy allowed literature from any religion to be distributed, but when she showed up with a box of Pagan stuff, she was told that the policy was now "under review."
At any rate, a few nights ago Strivelli attended a school board meeting to share her input on the policy review procedure, and she was accompanied by the awesome Angela Pippinger of The Pagan Mom Blog. Angela live-Tweeted the whole thing, as well as blogging about it once she got home. Angela says, "I have often mentioned that I have not been subject to religious discrimination. Tonight I get to join the ranks of the many who have. And to be honest, I am glad I did. Sadistic? Yea. But I think that it's a learning lesson for me so that I can better help my community grow in interfaith. I have now experienced both sides."
Like Angela, and many of the readers here on this site, I've never experienced discrimination as a Pagan, even after ten years of living in the Bible Belt. And yet, reading Angela's account of that meeting, I could practically feel the hatred that must have been palpable in the room. I encourage all of you to read her narrative, to get an idea of what it was like for her, Ginger Strivelli, and Byron Ballard that night.
The Board of Education will meet again on March 1 to vote on the policy revisions.
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At any rate, a few nights ago Strivelli attended a school board meeting to share her input on the policy review procedure, and she was accompanied by the awesome Angela Pippinger of The Pagan Mom Blog. Angela live-Tweeted the whole thing, as well as blogging about it once she got home. Angela says, "I have often mentioned that I have not been subject to religious discrimination. Tonight I get to join the ranks of the many who have. And to be honest, I am glad I did. Sadistic? Yea. But I think that it's a learning lesson for me so that I can better help my community grow in interfaith. I have now experienced both sides."
Like Angela, and many of the readers here on this site, I've never experienced discrimination as a Pagan, even after ten years of living in the Bible Belt. And yet, reading Angela's account of that meeting, I could practically feel the hatred that must have been palpable in the room. I encourage all of you to read her narrative, to get an idea of what it was like for her, Ginger Strivelli, and Byron Ballard that night.
The Board of Education will meet again on March 1 to vote on the policy revisions.
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The Religious Right & The Battle for Public Schools
Monday February 6, 2012
There's a great piece over at Patheos by Roy Speckhardt, focusing on the ever-increasing influence that the religious right has in pushing legislation that will impact America's public schools. Speckhardt cites an article from Religion News Service which reminds us that "a number of state legislators are now pushing some legislation that would introduce studying the Bible as a choice in their state's public schools, and other legislation that would teach creationism as valid."
What does this mean for those of us who are part of minority religions, or of no religious preference at all? Well, it means your kids and mine could find themselves at the center of a battle between those who support the Constitution as being definitive of the separation between church and state, and those who would claim that it is in fact the Bible and God's law which is the basis for American government.
Groups like the National Council on Bible Curriculum and the Bible Literacy Project say they just want to educate students, but their message is pretty clearly one of indoctrinating future generations into their belief system. Which, theoretically, would be fine if they were in a private school setting. However, these groups are actively promoting legislation which would require public schools to offer the option of teaching Bible studies in classrooms, as well as presenting creationism as a valid theory in contrast to evolution.
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What does this mean for those of us who are part of minority religions, or of no religious preference at all? Well, it means your kids and mine could find themselves at the center of a battle between those who support the Constitution as being definitive of the separation between church and state, and those who would claim that it is in fact the Bible and God's law which is the basis for American government.
Groups like the National Council on Bible Curriculum and the Bible Literacy Project say they just want to educate students, but their message is pretty clearly one of indoctrinating future generations into their belief system. Which, theoretically, would be fine if they were in a private school setting. However, these groups are actively promoting legislation which would require public schools to offer the option of teaching Bible studies in classrooms, as well as presenting creationism as a valid theory in contrast to evolution.
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Quickening Moon Feb. 7
Sunday February 5, 2012
Winter is still pounding away at many of us, and this month's full moon is known as the Quickening Moon. It's the time of year when new life may be beginning, but it still lies dormant. Pregnant animals, due in the spring, begin to feel the quickening of their unborn young. The earth itself is coming back to life as seeds beneath the soil begin their journey towards the sun. We know these things are coming -- and we know also that this is a good month to make plans for the future.
Correspondences for the Quickening Moon include crystals such as rose quartz, amethyst, and jasper, and the deities Brighid and Aphrodite. Magical workings this month should focus on personal achievements and advancement, new beginnings, and new relationships.
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Correspondences for the Quickening Moon include crystals such as rose quartz, amethyst, and jasper, and the deities Brighid and Aphrodite. Magical workings this month should focus on personal achievements and advancement, new beginnings, and new relationships.
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FL Senate Passes School Prayer Bill
Saturday February 4, 2012
On Wednesday, the Florida Senate passed a controversial bill that would allow student-led prayer at public school functions, as long as staff and other adults stay out of the process. The bill must go to the state House before it becomes actual law, but it is expected to pass.
The bill, sponsored by a senator from Orlando, would permit students "to lead prayers or give inspirational messages, and under the proposal, there would be virtually no limit to what can be said." This means that if a group of student athletes wants to bow their heads and invite others to pray with them before a football game they can do so - the only stipulation is that adults may not lead prayers.
Supposedly, the right to deliver "inspirational messages," which are not actually defined in the language of the bill, would be available to students of all different religious backgrounds. When asked who would be determining the content of inspirational message, the bill's sponsor, Senator Gary Siplin, said it would be up to students delivering the messages.
Sen. Maria Sachs asked what she should do if "she doesn't want her children to hear any "inspirational messages" at school functions." Siplin responded, "Since school boards are elected you can vote against them next time."
Sen. Ronda Storms took the passive-aggressive route, and said she "couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want students to hear inspirational messages at the start of an assembly. "Do you suppose opponents want, instead of to inspire little first graders, maybe they want to demoralize them?" asked Storms.
Because apparently, if you don't want nice little prayers delivered to your darlings, the only alternative is to demoralize them.
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The bill, sponsored by a senator from Orlando, would permit students "to lead prayers or give inspirational messages, and under the proposal, there would be virtually no limit to what can be said." This means that if a group of student athletes wants to bow their heads and invite others to pray with them before a football game they can do so - the only stipulation is that adults may not lead prayers.
Supposedly, the right to deliver "inspirational messages," which are not actually defined in the language of the bill, would be available to students of all different religious backgrounds. When asked who would be determining the content of inspirational message, the bill's sponsor, Senator Gary Siplin, said it would be up to students delivering the messages.
Sen. Maria Sachs asked what she should do if "she doesn't want her children to hear any "inspirational messages" at school functions." Siplin responded, "Since school boards are elected you can vote against them next time."
Sen. Ronda Storms took the passive-aggressive route, and said she "couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want students to hear inspirational messages at the start of an assembly. "Do you suppose opponents want, instead of to inspire little first graders, maybe they want to demoralize them?" asked Storms.
Because apparently, if you don't want nice little prayers delivered to your darlings, the only alternative is to demoralize them.
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