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The Hats We Wear in Tarot
Looking through a typical tarot deck, you find that human characters in the cards are distinguished by many different kinds of headwear. Tarot artists are limited by how much detail they can fit into such small illustrations, but by drawing people with different hats, crowns, helmets, and other head coverings, they concisely convey information about the individual portrayed. Tied in with the symbolic conflation of hat, head, and mind, headgear says something about different states of consciousness or ego states. Because we use hats metonymically to describe the roles we play, (as when we speak of a person who “is wearing many hats”), if you are doing a tarot spread for yourself, cards portraying a variety of hats can indicate different personas that you’ve been trying on, or your need to be many things to many people. As head coverings also signal social status, the headgear in tarot illustrations can also say something about an individual’s linking to the larger society. In addition, headwear can take on special meaning in certain contexts in a layout. For example, the “crowns you” position in the Celtic Cross layout reveals conscious directions, so a crowned figure is likely to be auspicious in this position. However, in this position, the Tower card, (which often portrays the crown of a tower being struck by lightning and/or crowned figures plunging to doom), could warn of a mindset that leads to danger.
Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses by Carl McColman and Kathryn Hinds
Reviewed by CelticScholar This is not the first time I’ve read this book. There is a lot of thought that went into the organization of the book. I’m going to start from the back then go to the front and then to the middle. The book has three appendices. The first recommends books on the retelling of Celtic myth and lore, translations of tales and poems, interpretations of the traditions, and reference titles. Appendix B is recommended listening and Appendix C is all about the Celtic Fire festivals; the information there is to the point and 99% accurate. The bibliography of the book is an extensive and very impressive one. All the books there are well known for their scholarship. And the index is very good. Now back to the beginning. I found the first chapter to be pleasant if a little flowery. They talk about their sources and how they used them to write the book. I also liked the fact that they say that this is THEIR practice, but that it is based on scholarship in other words UPG. They caution the reader about any book that claims to have all the answer and they answer the question of why anyone should bother studying, let alone honoring or venerating, the old gods and goddesses of the Celtic Tradition.
The Illegal Snail-Drinking Ritual
by Jason Pitzl-Waters I like to think I’m a rather tolerant guy when it comes to religious freedom. I have no trouble with religions that practice humane animal sacrifice, I could care less what consenting adults want to get up to in the privacy of their own homes, and I tend to range from permissive to supportive on the issue of entheogens. All that said, this sicked me out more than a little. I’ll give you all a moment to collect yourselves. OK. So, why (oh dear gods why) am I writing about this? Because the man claims that this snail-drinking ritual is part of his Yoruban faith. “Authorities are investigating a Hialeah man who allegedly smuggled illegal Giant African Snails into Florida and convinced his followers to drink their juices as part of a religious healing ritual. State and federal authorities in January raided the home of Charles L. Stewart after learning he had a large box full of the snails — which grow to be up to 10 inches long — according to a search warrant filed recently in Miami-Dade Circuit Court … One witness told investigators that during the ritual, Stewart grabs a snail from the cage, then would “hold it over the devotee, then cuts the [snail] and pours the raw fluid directly from the still live [snail] into the mouth of the devotee.” Several followers became violently ill, losing weight and developing strange lumps in their bellies…”
Starter Questions
By Uncle Thor The process of spiritual effort begins with a question. The exact nature of that question varies. For instance, a person who cannot intellectually accept the explanations of conventional religion might ask: “Why?” “Why is one man’s life successful and another seems cursed? Why are we here?” The person who is seeking to better himself might ask; “How?” “How do I become a better, more complete person? How might I enjoy a better, more complete life?”
What is Wicca?
With all the debate over a Wiccan altar being built at Guthrie Center High School, one question often heard in town is, "What is Wicca?" The Times does not purport to be an expert on religions, but here is a basic guide to Wicca obtained from online encyclopedias and Wiccan websites. Wicca is a neo-pagan religion based on a modern form of witchcraft. Wiccans believe that a number of gods and goddesses balance the universe. The father of Wicca is generally agreed to be Gerald Gardner of England. His initiation into the witch coven occurred in 1939. He later wrote of the experience, "...I found myself in the Circle, and there took the oath of secrecy, which bound me not to reveal certain things." Gardner published the books "Witchcraft Today" in 1954 and "The Meaning of Witchcraft" in 1959. Although Gardner is considered the father of the religion, he usually did not to use the term "Wicca," instead simply calling it "witchcraft" and the "witch cult."
The Wise Woman Tradition
By LynSusun The Wise Woman Tradition is the oldest known healing tradition on our planet. It offers a unique view of health that is woman-centered and deeply empowering to women. This is in stark contrast to orthodox – and most alternative – healing traditions, which are based on male viewpoints which disempower women. The medicine I learned in school was based on a linear, scientific, male worldview whose truth I did not question. When this medicine failed me, as a woman and a mother, I sought alternatives. Herbs helped me take care of myself and my family, simply and safely, but I questioned the assumptions behind what I was taught. It was clear to me that alternative health care disempowers women as much, or more than, orthodox medicine does. They both actively assume that the norm on which assessment of health is to be based is masculine in gender. Assuming that a healthy male is the definition of health may not seem like much of a problem, unless you are a woman. This core assumption has hurt, and continues to hurt, women in a multitude of direct and indirect ways, from the deeply personal to the widely political. This assumption leads to attempts to “correct” – with drugs and surgery – physical and emotional states that are normal (and healthy) for women, but not for men.
The Leprechaun Watch
Not far from the town of Thurles, in a picturesque part of Tipperary, is nestled the enchanting Glen of Cloongallon. To the north rise the Silvermine Mountains, and on a clear day it is possible to see the fabled seat of the kings of Munster. The mighty Rock of Cashel dominates the surrounding the plain. A fairy ring lies in the heart of the Glen. (view the location...) This prehistoric earthwork, some 500 ft (170m) in diameter and averaging 10 ft (3m) in height, encloses an neolithic dolmen. It is here, following mysterious events on a nearby farm, that irelandseye.com has been invited to establish a live cam Leprechaun Watch. We have set up a video camera connected via a satellite phone to the Internet. The apparatus is located in a 'hide' on the edge of the ring. The area has a reputation as a haunt for supernatural beings of various types. These include leprechauns, sheeries and pookas. They are regarded as being particularly active in the spring.
Sinnsreachd - Gaelic Polytheistic Tribalism
By Dáire Sinnsreachd is a cultural and religious movement that revives the pre-Christian religion, including cultural elements, of the Gaelic peoples of Ireland and Scotland from which it and many of its practitioners are descended. Sinnsreachd is a Gàidhlig (Scots-Gaelic) word that means, in this context, "Customs of the Ancestors", and is a term that truly expresses what it is that we hold dear. Our faith, our culture, our way of life all fall within the bounds of that single word, yet no simple term can ever describe the vastness and complexity that is encompassed in the ways of our people. In simplest terms, Sinnsreachd is a polytheistic folk religion that bases its core cultural, social, and religious doctrine off of the extant customs and superstitions of rural Ireland and Scotland combined with modern restorations of society, culture, and customary law gleaned through research. Sinnsreachd draws on the ancient elements of Gaelic culture and religion as they existed prior to Christianity, but does so in the modern day and age. While the history of the Gael from which Sinnsreachd draws is recorded and quite clear-cut, its direct roots as a modern movement are harder to pinpoint. Though the first vestiges of a resurgence of the faith of the pre-Christian Gael are found in writings from over a century ago, it is hard to determine exactly when academic postulation became faith.
Newest chaplain is a pagan priestess
By Glenn Coin The first pagan chaplain at Syracuse University has a sense of humor about the misperceptions of her faith. "We don't do animal sacrifices," Mary Hudson said, with a slight laugh. "We're not going to steal your babies and make candles out of them. "And godless? Absolutely not. We have more gods and goddesses than most people I know. Some of the most spiritual people I know are pagans." No dark makeup, no Goth clothing here: In her small office in the basement of Hendricks Chapel she shares with the Catholic chaplain, Hudson, 50, wears faded jeans and a powder-blue knit top. Hudson earlier this month became the 11th chaplain on the Hendricks staff, taking her place among representatives of more mainstream faiths like Episcopalianism, Roman Catholicism and Buddhism. "I know that you have to play nice in the sandbox," Hudson said. "You have to understand that everybody has a point of view."
By Chalice and Blade: The Great Rite (part 2)
By Rowan Pendragon The Great Rite, as we have seen, can truly been seen as “great” as it helps us to tap into and unlock some of the Great Mysteries within Wicca. We touch on the power of birth and creation through this ritual act and have the ability to feel the power of the God and Goddess in union when we fully engage ourselves in the rite. A problem that faces many practitioners today, especially those on a solitary path, is understanding the different ways the rite is done and understanding the deeper meanings of the rite itself. In truth, because it’s a key to the Mysteries and the Mysteries cannot be taught and can only be experienced, there is only so much anyone can learn from another, be it from a blog, a book, or even another individual acting as a teacher. This is why it becomes so important to truly live your path if you wish to experience and unlock those deeper spiritual elements that make Wicca what it truly is. This is why it’s important to start with understanding what The Great Rite is (think of it as the “To Know” part of The Witch’s Pyramid in relation to this rite) but then you must come to experience it (“To Dare”) before you can go further. So as we’ve talked about, The Great Rite is the union of the God and Goddess in the sacred marriage. The ritual itself pulls from many ancient cultural and their various acts of sympathetic magick to honor the union of the God and Goddess to ensure fertility. It is an act that can either be done in actuality (also called “in truth”) or in token, and is considered one of the most important and most sacred of Wiccan rituals as it truly does embody the core essence of Wicca, the joining of the God and Goddess. The rite is often performed by the High Priest and High Priestess of the coven, or it can be enacted by another couple deemed fit by the group, and it is also part of the Third Degree initiation in many Wiccan traditions when the initiate is brought into the Mysteries of this degree by participating in this rite. When performed in truth the rite is performed, in private sacred space, by the High Priest and High Priestess, while when done it token it is often performed with all members of the coven participating to lend their energy and blessings as well. This ritual, as we’ll be talking about today, is Wiccan in nature though it is thought its roots can be found in some of the OTO rituals and the Gnostic Mass.
Finding American Mystics
by Jason Pitzl-Waters The Tribeca Film Festival, one of the most prominent independent film festivals in the world, has announced the twelve entries in their World Documentary Feature Competition for 2010, one of which prominently features modern Pagans. That film is “American Mystic”, directed and co-produced by Alex Mar of Empire 8 Productions.The Pagan priestess in question is Morpheus Ravenna, who, along with her husband Shannon, operates the Stone City Pagan Sanctuary in California’s Diablo Range, just outside the San Francisco Bay Area. “Set against a vivid backdrop of American rural landscapes, Alex Mar’s meditative documentary artfully weaves together the stories of three young Americans exploring alternative religion: a pagan priestess in California mining country, a Spiritualist in upstate New York, and a Native American father and sundancer in South Dakota, all yearning for fulfilling spirituality in disparate but often strikingly similar ways.”
A History of Anglo-Saxon Wedding Customs
By Arden Ranger Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence for her shoe. Stag Parties The Stag or Bachelor party had its beginnings with the ancient Spartans. Spartan soldiers would hold a great feast for their comrades who were about to be married the night before the wedding. There he would bid goodbye to his bachelorhood and swear unending allegiance to his comrades in arms. Knowing ancient history, I have to believe that these gatherings, like the ones that every modern bride fears, involved more than a little sex. For to the ancient Greeks, only a man could truly enjoy sex. Women were not capable of the higher emotions involved and were only for providing heirs.
Easter, Ostara and Passover: It Must Be Spring
by Penelope Friday Spring has sprung, and religious festivals abound. Penelope Friday explores the similarities between Easter, Ostara and Passover. Hello! I’m the Easter bunny. Oh wait, no – I’m the Ostara hare. What in God’s name am I talking about? Well, there’s a question… You know, the two festivals have an awful lot in common. It’s important to point out that most of the myths surrounding the (possibly non-existent) goddess Ostara/Eostre are mostly bunkum. Nevertheless, the Pagan idea of a Spring festival, celebrating the planting of seeds which will grow into new life has a lot of similarity with Lent and Easter. Lent is a period of spiritual renewal; Ostara a time to plant new seeds, which may be literal or spiritual in nature. Lent is followed by Easter: the death and resurrection of Jesus; Ostara has also a new life/rebirth theme.
Tyr
By Uncle Thor In the Eddas, Tyr is described as the War god. He is one God among several. Tyr appears to have no special importance. His main events are the capture of a cauldron from his Jotun forbear, and the binding of the Fenris Wolf. The Eddas are a later collection of myths and legends, mainly from Icelandic and Norwegian sources. They represent one region’s beliefs. We know from other sources that Tyr was considered equally important to Odin in some places. For instance, an invocation from a part of Scotland that had been controlled by Vikings invokes Tyr and Odin together. Tyr is called first. On an amulet from Sweden, circa 500 CE, there is reference to Tyr as the “original God and God of War. Tyr means God.” Is Tyr the main God, the first God or just one among several Gods?
Reflections on the existence of CHI
by Gus diZerega A couple of days ago I came across two Youtube videos of Qigong masters using chi to perform extraordinary feats. One, in which I have enormous confidence, is from China, and was linked to by a man I worked with for many years while doing a lot of healing work, Larry Wong. The other was next to it in YouTube, and showed an American with (possibly) even more impressive powers, if they are real. Real or not, when he and his students attempted to perform similar workings on others, they failed. The Fox News team took their failure as evidence chi did not really exist. Having worked with it for over 20 years, and been knocked out of a room by it, I beg to differ. But what, then, did the Fox News team really demonstrate? We have two interesting phenomena to investigate: 1. People who work with chi have long-term personal experience that it is genuine and very powerful. 2. People who do not work with chi very often or at all find they do not feel it, even when "masters" use it on them. For them it either does not exist, or is very weak, and the strong effects seem staged or deluded.

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