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The Shiva Lingam
The Shiva Lingam is a stone that is found in many aspects of Hindu belief and folklore. A symbol of the god Shiva, the stone itself is sometimes simply called the Lingam. It’s shaped a bit like an elongated egg, but it also has a good deal of phallic symbolism attached to it. Because of its shape, it is connected with both the male and female aspects of life creation. In some of the metaphysical disciplines, the Shiva Lingam is tied to all of the different Chakras, and can be used in healing and energy work. In particular, it is associated with sexual fertility and potency – men who are…
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Don’t Be the Asshole Who Makes a Cashier Cry
So, this is something I wrote a few years ago when I worked at the Big Chain Bookstore that rhymes with Yarns and Boble, but because I’ve already seen so many examples of horrible shopping behavior this year, I wanted to share it again. I realize we’re already post-Black Friday, but that’s okay. Rules of engagement still apply. Here you go, gentle readers. Ten ways to be a good holiday shopper… and not act like a dick to the retail peeps. ——————————————— The December holidays are nearly upon us, and even though Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Solstice are still a good six weeks away, many of my friends are gleefully rubbing their hands together…
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Chocolate Santa Magic
Everyone loves Santa Claus, and everyone loves chocolate. Put them together, and you’ve got a delicious holiday treat. But what inspired this idea in the first place? Who came up with the idea of chocolate Santas? And is it really nothing more than ritualized cannibalism? Chocolate is known as an aphrodisiac the world over today, but until fairly recently, it was mostly the domain of the Aztecs, the Mayans, and European royalty. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Industrial revolution brought equipment that mixed dried cocoa powder with cocoa butter. This resulted in a form of chocolate that was not only pourable, but easy to mold. Most likely, the Germans can…
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Charging for Spiritual Services
One issue of spirited debate in the Pagan and Wiccan communities is that of whether or not it’s acceptable to charge for teaching classes or performing other spiritual services – spellwork, divination, and so forth. One school of thought says it’s never okay — after all, knowledge is something that should be shared freely, at no charge to a student, because you can’t put a price on spirituality. This seems to tie in to a popular New Age mentality that any spiritual abilities are a gift, and as a gift, they should be passed along to others freely. Another group argues that of course it’s fine to charge — after…
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Covens, New People, and Group Dynamics
So you’re part of a Pagan group that already has a really good feel to it – maybe it’s a small group of only a few people, or perhaps there are dozens of you. Anyway, at some point, you open up your membership to new folks, and as you’re vetting potential candidates… well. That’s when it hits. You’ve got concerns about one of the individuals who wants to join up and be part of the group, because you know them and they’re chronically negative and needy. You find yourself asking if you should talk to the other members about your concerns, but don’t want to cause unnecessary drama. What do…
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Why Words Matter in Spellwork
One of the things I always try to stress to people when they’re working magic is that words matter – and by this, I mean you’ve got to be REALLY specific. As an illustration, let me share with you a story from my own checkered magical history. I like to tell this story in some of my workshops, because it feels like it really drives the point home. Plus it’s a great example of how stupid I was when I was a n00b witch, and I like to remind people that while it’s great to learn from your own mistakes, it’s also helpful to learn from OTHER people’s mistakes. Teenage…
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Navigating the Role of Pagan Clergy
A reader asks, “What guidelines are there in Pagan religions for clergy in matters of confidentiality? I am an ordained Pagan priest, and a member of the community has come to me with a problem. If I get involved, someone will end up in jail. However, if I don’t speak out, someone else will continue to be victimized. I don’t want to violate anyone’s trust, but I can’t stand by and see someone hurt. How do you think I should proceed?” You know, this is a slippery slope that clergy of all religions have walked for centuries. There is certainly a need for confidentiality with any religious leader. After all,…
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Mistletoe Myths and Mysteries
Mistletoe as Medicine In 50 C.E., the Greek physician Dioscorides wrote his Materia Medica, establishing himself a place in medical history. As one of the ancient world’s most knowledgeable herbalists, Dioscorides found that mistletoe helped cure his patients of external tumors. He wrote that it “has the power to disperse, soften, drawing and assisting tumors of the parotid gland and other lesions…” Some forty or so years later, Pliny the Elder wrote of the treatment of sores and epilepsy with mistletoe in his Natural History. He also described its use in magic and ritual. Pliny wrote that Druid elders performed rituals in which they harvested mistletoe — a botanical parasite — from oak…
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Witches, Green Skin, and Why it Doesn’t Bother Me Much
From the magical mailbag, a reader asks, “I’m not sure if I’m overreacting or not. Every year at Halloween, there are green, ugly, warty witches everywhere and my son keeps asking me to buy one. I don’t want him to think that witches are ugly – after all, his mommy is a witch – but it seems like it’s all over the place at Halloween. On the other hand, I know it’s meant in the spirit of fun and silliness, and I don’t want to make a big deal out of something that’s small. How can I figure out a way to talk to my son about the stereotypes of…
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Why Trick or Treat? Why the Heck Not?
While many of us Pagans celebrate the holiday called Samhain, for some of us, it’s also the secular event of Halloween. I don’t care what anyone says, eating a full-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is a pretty damn spiritual experience. The tradition of trick-or-treating isn’t quite as old as the holiday itself, but it’s certainly been around for a while. Let’s look at how this unique custom evolved. All Soul’s Night: In Britain, people celebrated All Soul’s Day for many years. Poor people went begging, and the middle-class wives handed out special treats known as Soul Cakes. When a beggar was given a Soul Cake, he promised to say a…
