I recently read your article on Way back when I was a Wiccan. I am almost speechless. I myself am not a Wiccan but am a Pagan and do follow the earth bound religion. Your article has nothing to do at all with Wicca but rather of a girl's lifestyle and trials.
Being Wiccan is not about not having rules and we do have a God but also a Goddess. Adding the wiccan part in my opinion was your way to draw in readers. Pagans believe all things are sacred including oneself...the abuse this girl brought upon herself was not self respecting. Trying to say the Wiccan lifestyle made this as such and the Christian faith saved her is pure filth. This story is about a young misguided girl who made some wrong decisions...SHE made these decisions NOT the Wiccan faith. This would have happened whether she was worshipping the purple mushrooms in the sky.
The amount of drugs she was taking had nothing to do with her lack of judgement either I suppose? I know many Christians that abuse not only themselves but people, substances and the earth.
That article is very insulting to say the least and I believe it should not have been published as such. Trying to blame the Wiccan faith for her {READ FULL STORY}
Polls indicate that the vast majority of Americans wouldn't vote for a presidential candidate who's an atheist or a member of a fringe religion, like a Pagan or Wiccan.
"Many current pagans in industrial societies base their beliefs and practices on a connection to Nature, and a divinity within all living things." Quotation from Wikipedia
What is so threatening about this peaceful ideology that would disqualify an individual from being the President of the United States?
Pagans perceive a touch of divinity within all living things, and atheists see all human beings as equal under the law. Pagans and atheists/freethinkers aren't burdened with the sinner/saint dichotomy. We don't obsess on the differences that divide us; we focus on the similarities that unite us.
But Americans have no problem casting a ballot for a mainstream Christian who doesn't follow the precepts of his faith. Bill Clinton is a {READ FULL STORY}
COLUMBIA --- Faith in the public square would have a high profile in South Carolina as three bills move closer to becoming law.
One creates license tags with "I Believe" in front of a cross, a second makes clear prayers can be offered before public meetings and a third allows set public displays of key historical legal foundation documents that would include the Ten Commandments.
They're all beginning to raise questions about whether the state is taking a role in promoting faith. "The South Carolina Legislature should not be in the business of telling people how or when to pray, whether to pray or to whom to pray," said Jeremy Gunn, the director of the American Civil Liberty Union's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Washington.
State Sen. Yancey McGill, a Kingstree Democrat, got the car tag bill passed without even having a public hearing or debate.
"It's a great idea," he said Tuesday. "People don't have to buy them. But it affords them that opportunity. I welcome any religion tags."
What about Wicca, commonly referred to as witchcraft? "Well, that's not what I consider to be a religion," Mr. McGill said. And Buddhism? "I'd have to look at the {READ FULL STORY}
I was actually having as nice a day as is ever possible in a fascist police state when I happened to notice the headline:
"Bob Barr To Run For President As Libertarian"
That's just what we need, folks.
I'm done. I've finally had enough. I've been careful and cautious since I've been living in Kansas, which can otherwise be described as "Fundie Paradise." Pagans don't have martyrs, just idiots who should have known better than to shoot off their mouths when they did. But I am through now. Bring on your burning crosses. I am out of the closet.
I am an honest-to-Goddess Witch, a Wiccan. I admit that I am not your typical fluffy bunny Pagan. I dress like an ordinary human being, usually carry a Kimber .45 that I actually know how to use, and I am technically savvy. The version of the Rede I was taught - and try to practice - has a specific exemption to the "harm none" statement: "Lest in thy self defense it be . . ." - and I take that very much to heart. I have no interest in Goth clothing or makeup. I rarely see a reason to mention my religion in my mundane day-to-day life. Politically, I describe myself as a libertarian and a rabid Second Amendment advocate. So you would think I would be a member of the Libertarian Party, wouldn't you?
You would be wrong.
It is quite true that I once was a card carrying member of that party. It is also true that I once believed that the Libertarian Party was the last, best hope for a troubled America. It is true that I saw - and still see - a powerful parallel between the Wiccan "harm none" and the libertarian non-iniation of force. However, {READ FULL STORY}
Prison bosses have been instructed to let pagan inmates keep twigs in their cells...to use as wands.
Officers have been told to allow prisoners to collect and decorate the twigs which they need for their rituals.
It is the latest in a series of rulings to protect convicts' rights and ensure equality among different faiths.
Followers of other faiths are allowed items such as a prayer mat to allow them to worship.
The policy regarding pagans was announced by Justice Reform Minister Maria Eagle in a parliamentary answer.
She said: "Prison service policy is to enable prisoners of different faith traditions, including paganism, to practise their religion.
"Religious artefacts are allowed for relevant faiths within the constraints of good order and discipline. The religious artefacts for pagan prisoners include a flexible twig for a wand."
Tory prisons spokesman Edward Garnier said: "This sounds like an April Fool's Day joke. But there's genuine concern prisoners are taking the system for a ride."
Conservative MP Andrew Turner, who uncovered the new ruling, added: "This strikes me as bizarre. A lot of people would be worried about equating paganism with Christianity." {SOURCE}
Contrary to many people's beliefs, spell casting is not strictly for witches with broomsticks and sorcerers with magical potions. Anyone who has an open mind and access to a quiet space can perform a spell, be it at home or in the great outdoors. However, to ensure an effective spell, follow the few simple steps below in order to prepare your mind and your space.
1. Choose your spell:
You will need to decide what exactly it is that you want to transpire as a result of your spell. Be clear and concise regarding your goals; do not allow yourself to be vague or equivocal about what you want.
2. Create a space:
Possibly, the most important step in casting a spell is to find a quiet space or room that will allow you roughly 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to meditate and to channel your energies into the spell you are about to create. Concentration and focus are a fundamental rule in learning how to cast a spell.
3. Gather your tools:
Foods are not a requirement for spell casting, but many people use them as they greatly aide in {READ FULL STORY}
Eighteen year-old Samantha was like any other person, and her life was far from perfect.
Her parents divorced when she was 3-years-old. Finding God three
years after the divorce, Samantha's father became very strict and
legalistic.
"We weren't allowed to go out with our friends very often. We never
went to the movies," Samantha remembers. "Everything had to be
monitored."
Even her dad's church seemed "cult-like" to her with their
regulations. In her eyes, Samantha's father lived as a hypocrite and
she began to resent Christianity as a whole.
Wanting a religion with fewer rules than the legalistic Christianity
she had been exposed to, Samantha discovered Wicca at age 12 when
introduced to the religion by a friend.
The main rule of the Wicca faith is "Do as thou will, and it harm
none," Samantha says. So as long as she did not hurt anyone else,
Samantha could virtually do whatever it was that she wanted.
As a nature-based religion, the foundation of Wicca is the gathering
of power from the main elements- Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit.
"I loved it," Samantha says, "When I physically gathered the Elements' energy, I felt powerful and calm."
But even with that power she claimed to experience and although she loved being a part of this {READ FULL STORY}
BERKELEY - People from all walks of life joined in the fun Saturday at the 7th Annual Pagan Festival and Parade.
It was a showing of acceptance and celebration across all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and faith traditions at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. The event, organized by the Pagan Alliance, brought out a large crowd under this year's theme, "We are Change." The mission of the Pagan Alliance is to promote acceptance of faith and to work for justice.
The aim of the event was to foster change, connect communities and promote spiritual diversity. Organizers said they also wanted to dispel common misconceptions that paganism is about devil worship.
Paganism is an Earth-centered religion that includes practices such as Wicca, Shamanism, witchcraft, Druidism, and Native American spirituality.
"Paganism is a time-honored tradition,'' said Pat Kavena Fili, a spokesperson for the Pagan Alliance. "We suffer discrimination and we want to educate people so we can overcome that. We want to create an atmosphere of change.''
The festival was filled with Druid storytelling, arts and crafts and witches dancing with broomsticks. Other activites incuded a procession and interfaith ritual, an authors circle and community altars.
Brett Shulls, 30, of Berkeley, came to the festival with {READ FULL STORY}
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