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Karma: Is it Really a Bitch?
Many times, during discussions in the Pagan community – particularly those revolving around perceived negative behavior – you’ll hear someone invoke the idea of Karma, the notion that what goes around comes around. However, the original concept of Karma is far more complex than simply a giant cosmic payback machine. Let’s look at the way some eastern religions view Karma, and how it’s been adapted by the modern Pagan and metaphysical communities. About.com Hinduism Expert, Subhamoy Das, has a great article explaining Karma as a law of cause and effect. In other words, it’s not just bad stuff that comes back on you, but good works and actions as well.…
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Saturday Spellwork: Shiva Stones
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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When I Eat All the Things at Yule
Okay, y’all, I make no secret of the fact that I’ve struggled with my weight all of my adult life. I’m pretty healthy and strong these days, but I know I’ll never be skinny. Regardless, because I love to cook, the holiday season can be a real challenge for me – but I’ve figured out over the years that if I set a few basic rules for myself, I can keep things under control during December. This way I don’t spend January through April hating the way my ass looks in a pair of yoga pants. Watch Your Portions One of the biggest mistakes you can make during Yule is…
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How to Be a Good Holiday Shopper and Not an Asshole
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 seen so many examples of horrible shopping behavior this year, I wanted to share it again. 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 in anticipation of Black Friday shopping. Everyone claims they think Black Friday is an awful…
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Chocolate Santas
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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Hey, Creeper, I Owe You Nothing
So normally I blog about things like magic, the Pagan community, occult history, and other such stuff. It’s my realm of expertise, and I enjoy writing about it, and I don’t normally bother wasting bandwidth with posts about much else. However, lately, there has been a lot of discussion in both the news and on social media about the ongoing harassment of women, and something occurred last night that perfectly illustrates the bullshit that we have to deal with on a daily basis, in every sphere of our lives. The #metoo hashtag has gained a lot of traction in the past few weeks, and millions of us shared our stories.…
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Make a Group of Yard Ghosts
When I moved a year ago, I discovered that while I had about five boxes of Yule decor, I had over two dozen boxes of Halloweenery – it’s my favorite time of year! And this is one of my favorite decorations to put out – every fall, random strangers would stop and take pictures of my front yard, because of all the Halloween nonsense, and this group of ghosts was always a huge hit. Here’s how you can make your own, with about $20 worth of random supplies. For each ghost, you’ll need the following: 1 4-foot length of 2″ PVC pipe, cut with a 45′ angle on one end…
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Saturday Spellwork: Money Magic
For hundreds of years, people have used magic to bring abundance and wealth of one type or another into their lives. Let’s look at some of the various customs involving money around the world. In parts of the Ozarks, it is believed that you’ll soon receive a letter with money in it if a honey bee buzzes around your head, according to Vance Randolph’s Ozark Magic and Folklore. There is also a legend, in some parts of Missouri, that if you see bubbles in your coffee, if you can drink them all before they disappear, a large sum of money is coming your way. There’s a legend in some parts…
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How Many Pagans Are in a Group?
A reader says, I recently talked to a friend of mine who is in a coven – the group is Pagan but I don’t believe they’re specifically Wiccan – and told her I was interested in joining the group. She told me that the high priestess has set a limit that she’ll only have [number] people in the coven, and even if someone new is interested, they won’t take any more than that. Is this a red flag that means I should stay away from this group? Actually, no, it’s really not, as long as all the other aspects of the group are things that work for you. There may…
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Pagan Clergy and Confidentiality
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,…
