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Weekly Update: 9/22/2003
Author: Witchvox Central
Posted: September 22nd. 2003
Times Viewed: 2,602
Witches, Wiccans, Heathens & Pagans... Oh My!
This week we continue to pass along Pagan Pride Day 2003 news/reviews as they arrive... Dozens of PPD events happend this past week with dozens more scheduled for this coming week. For this update we are honored to feature coverage of the PPD Gathering in Washington DC by Shea Thomas (pictured above) and PPD San Francisco Bay Area by M. Macha Nightmare as well as a dymanic listing of PPD events still to come (also see PPD site).
Also featured are some powerful new essays, a hot new essay topic and (as always) thousands of new and updated listing for your area. Enjoy!.
Third Annual Pagan Pride Day In Washington, D.C.
by Shea Thomas
The weather at this year's DC Pagan Pride Day was certainly varied, running from cold and rainy, to hot and muggy, to (finally) cool and clear. However, as Eric Eldritch, the DC PPD Coordinator, explained to a reporter from The Washington Post, "Being a part of nature's religion, you don't worry much about the rain."
And nobody did. Despite the up and down weather, spirits were consistently high at this year's Washington DC Pagan Pride Day, a harvest celebration that took place Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003 on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
With the Lincoln Memorial to the North, the Jefferson Memorial to the South, the Tidal Basin East, and the Potomac River West, this year's event again took place under a friendly grove of trees in front of the FDR Memorial... [continued...]
|  | Second Annual San Francisco Bay Area Pagan Pride Day
by M. Macha NightMare
Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park, at the end of a week of heat wave. As we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge into the city, we'd hoped, but hadn't really expected, our cooling Summer fog. No trees swayed on the Waldo Grade; funky air lay over the Bay.
We arrive upon a busy scene as carpenters build a stage and sound techies set up the sound system. Colorful vendor tents, banners waving in the breeze, circle the meadow, keeping close to the trees and the blessed shade.
We find our friends Victoria [Link] and her sister Brigit set up with chairs, dembje and baskets of rhythm instruments in the shade of a tree, their Norse banner hanging in its branches. Sue had set up a voter registration table there... [continued...]
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NEW Essay Topic... "Connecting With the Ancestors"
Many -- perhaps most -- Pagan traditions, both ancient and modern, incorporate rituals, stories and guidance for connecting with one's ancestral spirits. This can be either blood ancestry or spiritual ancestry. We'd like to hear about how modern-day Pagans connect and work with their ancestors and how you incorporate this work into daily or seasonal practices.
The deadline for this topic is October 31st., but we will post the essays as we receive them. Please keep in mind that we will not post responses to previously posted essays.
Your voice counts! Please consider adding your thoughts to this collection of essays and join in the exchange of ideas throughout the worldwide Pagan community.
Any thoughtful essays of over 1,000 words will be published. Please read our editorial guidelines first, and send your essay to Diotima |
Wellsprings
by Diotima Mantineia
In Western magical traditions, the Autumn Equinox heralds a time of year ruled by the element of Water. Along with Fire, Air and Earth, it is one of the four building blocks of the material world (not the far-fetched notion it seems at first glance, if you equate the Elements to the four states of matter - gases (Air), liquids (Water) solids (Earth) and plasma (Fire).)
Along with their material manifestations, these building blocks also organize the structure of our mental, emotional and spiritual lives. Each Element has its reflection within us, and the skillful magician is expected to understand, balance and work with the Elements on both an inner and outer level, working first to change their personal inner experience, then observing the concomitant changes in their outer reality.
"You must be what you wish to see in the world," said Mohandas Gandhi. This ability to change what is inside us, to work with our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions, to become the... [continued...]
Real Initiation and Training That Matters
by Mneme
A few years ago, at a Pagan moot on a Wednesday night, I had a chat with one Bard Meg and a Druidess Karin. At some point, we began discussing self- initiation, and it became clear to me rather quickly that they put great stock in traditions, formal group training, and what they called "real" initiation.
"I mean honestly," remarked Meg to me congenially, "What good is a self- initiation? I mean, there's no one there to celebrate with you - it's sad, really."
"Is that the only reason you think that self-initiation isn't valid?" I asked, feeling myself frown.
"Well, it's not that I think that self-initiation isn't valid, but..."
Ah, yes. But. But what?... [continued...]
Sprucing Up Ritual
by Ares Hearthfire
One thing about being in a coven is knowing that you will have many other people involved in your rituals and reading out of the same book. However, this can still be very dry and at times boring or routine. Some groups do not take advantage of the great possibilities that ritual awards them. Ritual is not just a time to honor the Deities, it is a time to be creative and have fun.
In our coven, the Coven of the Sacred Chalice, all rituals in our Book of Shadows are unique works written by coven members. Rituals written by individuals and not copied take a lot of work and time, but they are very rewarding. In addition, this makes your coven different from any other coven on Earth, plus it will make your tradition more varied and ever growing. As long as people have ideas, the Book... [continued...]
What is Practical Magick
by Mobius
I'm not really sure what "Practical Magick" is. About ten or fifteen years ago when I was starting on my path, I was drawn to all aspects of the occult. I just ate up any book I could find on the subject and any related subject. Mythology, divination, spell working were only the beginning subjects that I learned all I could about. I read all about what Christians thought that Witchcraft was, and all the "newer" books by Witches, on what they thought the Craft was.
To be quite honest, it was a very fun and interesting time in my life. It was intriguing to find spells in old books and see if I could get them to work. I only tried a few but my success rate was one hundred percent. I did this one spell to get rid of headaches, and it was really weird. Shortly after that I was plagued with headaches for the next week, then after that no... [continued...]
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