Letting the witch out of the bottle... a load of tosh!

Today I awake and flick on the laptop to once again be greeted by a "journalist" full of steam, bluster and wholly inaccurate facts. Todays buffoon is Christopher Howse, and it's his article "Letting the witch out of the bottle" that has led to the annoyance of myself, and so many others.

Well the few paragraphs arn't even worth responding to as they are just cut and paste quotes taken from other poorly researched articles written by people as bigoted and prejudice as he is.

He goes on...
"So it seems there are now two kinds of witchcraft: the bad kind that black people believe in, and the kind that should be celebrated because it is believed in by Cornish people" 

No, there is one type of witchcraft, that is celebrated and practised as a folk custom by some and as part of a spiritual path -(often Paganism)- by others. Unfortunately some people take the term "Witchcraft" and apply it to horrific atrocities as some sort of self justification. The same way the good name of many religions are dragged through the mud by certain individuals and minority groups that either take some of it's beliefs and twist them beyond recognition, or simply think "that looks like a good label to justify our actions".

"The other problem is that if paganism is taught alongside the religion that children’s parents practise at home, it implies that paganism is a religion just as well-founded as Presbyterianism or Islam." 

I think a Christian arguing that a pre-Christian religion is less well founded is hilarious. In the 2001 census 30,569 people listed their faith as Pagan, a further 7,227 as Wiccan, and a further 1,657 as Druid. Not only are the numbers expected to have increased significantly since then, but the original figures are thought to under estimate the actual numbers of Pagans in the UK. On the 2001 census many Pagans listed their individual pagan path rather than "Pagan" as a representation of their faith group. The Pagan Federation got behind the Pagan Dash campaign to address this issue, so all in all the latest census results are expected to show much higher figures.

Christianity is indeed still shown as the biggest religion in the UK, however although in the 2001 census 72% of the population listed themselves as Christian, British Social Attitude results show that around half of these people do not actually practise the faith, and it is simply what they write on forms.

"But nobody knows what standing stones represent. The astronomical, social, ritual, pacific or bloody uses they might have had are lost in prehistory. They might have been linked with spring flowers or with human sacrifice. No one knows.
What we do know is that there is no continuity between pre-Christian religions in Britain and the various branches of modern paganism."

Erm, again, no. Nobody knows the exact practises surrounding a lot of ancient sites, that is very, very true. But the investment of time and resources studying pre-christian culture in the UK certainly seems to be on the rise... my "to read" pile of books on pre-christian religious practises is certainly on the rise. As these are not un-substantiated books written by "Princess Rainbow Moondove" these are textbooks written by historians.Of course eradicating Paganism from the education of future generations will help to slow that, and might help keep your collection plates topped up, wouldn't it?

All in all the article is just another ill informed rant by a bigot in the guise of an actual journalist.

Head-F*ck Love

I'm a busy, busy woman,
With lots & lots to do,
So how is it I spend all day doing naught but think of you?

I'm a very busy woman,
I have lots of things to do,
But my ever working mind is halted, reminiscing about you.

You're not ever here right now,

It really is absurd,

My industrious little conscience is going totally unheard.

I try to be so logical,
I really, really do,
But every time I turn around there’s some reminder there of you.

I'm a clever, clever woman,
And of one fact I am sure,
This just isn't normal I should surely seek a cure.

I'm a busy, busy woman,
With lots of  things to do,
But all I want, from everyday, is to have spent it all with you.

Double Edged Love

Like footsteps growing heavier, as they come down the hall,
You're ever nearing presence, causes my emotional freefall,
I know I shouldn't want you, that my loyalty is misplaced,
But my resolve will disappear, the second I see your face,

You said my place was in your heart, and always on your mind,
But I was just a convenient bed, a way to pass the time,
A loving little rest stop, whilst you had nothing better to do,
I don't know why you  make-believe, that I was anything more to you,

You didn’t have to lie to me, we could have just had fun,
You didn’t have to kill me, with a promise loaded gun,
As your footsteps get louder, I wait to see if they stop at my door,
Both dreading & craving, the sight of you once more.

Book Review: The Book of Mirrors, by Luthaneal Adams

Ok, I don't normally do book reviews for people I know. This is because I take books very seriously and I would never give a bad book a good review. I'm also a very loyal friend and would never want to do anything that would not be 100% supportive. As you can see how these two things might conflict with each other, I decided "I will not review friend's books" was a good general rule to live by. 

However, when one of your closest friends, who you love dearly plays an absolute blinder and writes an absolute frickin' "must read" as their debut book, you kind of feel the need to shout about it... So on with the review...

***

‘The Book of Mirrors’ is quite a unique book… actually it’s a very unique book, the likes of which I've never read before. The market for Wiccan books is huge, as is the shear number of titles out there, so for Luthaneal Adams to pull out this absolute gem as his debut is astounding.

The book blurb gives potential readers an insight into what sets this book apart from the rest of it’s genre:

“The aim of this book is to help people who find themselves training with a witch coven or just considering it. The author concentrates on his experiences, rather than trying to pad out those experiences with a lot of general information on Wicca. There are already enough books on the market that provide the basics of Wiccan belief. This book opens a window into the process of training with a coven, both for the prospective trainees and for all those covens out there who may benefit from seeing things from the other side.”

My main concern when reading the above text on the back cover of a book would be that I was about to invest in reading page after page of dramatic emotional self exploration, which although interesting would offer little in the way of practical advice to anyone. However nothing could be further from the truth.

What ‘The Book of Mirrors’ actually does is present the road to initiation in a very honest, relatable way. This book is not preachy on any level, in fact it devotes as much time to the doubts, reservations and disappointments of the author, as it does the rewards and spiritual benefits.

In the interests of giving a balanced review I always try and give some criticism of books, but in this case the only one I can honestly give is that it occasionally makes the reader feel slightly guilty. The type of guilt you feel when encroaching on someone’s privacy, looking at them a little too intensely, or reading their diary. In reality, this is something that the author should receive absolute praise for.

‘The Book of Mirrors’ is written entirely without ego, it is honest and it wholly endears the reader to the author.


I honestly can't see a way in which 'The Book of Mirrors', won't become essential reading for every would-be initiate and coven leader. If you are interested in Wicca, read this book. If you are part of a coven, read this book. If you have Wiccan friends/family, read this book.

Catch up...

Hello,
        Thought I'd put up a quick post as it's been a hectic time lately and I've been unusually quiet on here!
Well, on a personal level we had a car crash and a house move to contend with just before Yule, and although things are pretty much settled down now, things are still as busy as ever!

       I'm just about keeping www.Hedge-Witchery.com up to date, and am in the process of bringing back the "Rocemmended Books" page. Hedge Witchery Books, is growing, we've got some fantastic new titles and some new writer coming on board, and even with Ricky joining the team things are mega busy, expect a website over-haul and some great new titles soon.

      Hedge Witchery Tarot, launched last month and we - (ok Ricky) - is in the process of making contact with all the psychics who've expressed an interest in joining the team. We're still looking for webcam psychics but expect to see the cool wall of live video streams - (and yes you can chat to them all at once... for free, lol) - to be growing soon.

     The follow up the Elemental Guided Meditation I released last summer is well in the works and should be being released around the end of February. The next handy little guide I'm writing, on divination using symbols through medative states, will land around June.

     We're hitting as many events as we can this Summer, there's an events page on Hedge-Witchery.com that they'll all get put on, and I'm hoping to catch up with as many people as possible. However, in order to do that the next few months will have to be spent firmly behind my computer desk... although I'm not complaining, the manuscripts I have the great pleasure of publishing are fantastic, and working with the writers who created them is an absolute pleasure.

    If I'm off facebook for more than 3 days, send caffiene!

Lily x

Is there such a thing as a Pagan Atheist?

First of all we should establish what the term “Pagan Atheist” means. Let's break down that title into it's respective components, and look at their definitions in modern English:

“pa·gan
n.
1. An adherent of a polytheistic religion in antiquity, especially when viewed in contrast to an adherent of a monotheistic religion.
2. A Neopagan.

3. Offensive
a. One who has no religion.
b. An adherent of a religion other than Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
4. A hedonist.”

“a·the·ist
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.”

(definitions take from www.thefreedictionary.com)

Looking at the information above we can ration that Pagan Atheist may indeed be an accurate description of someone who holds hedonistic values and believes in no god(s). However, as this term seems to be appearing more and more this is often not the way in which it is used.

If you run the term “pagan atheist” through a search engine you'll find many different definitions and views.

One of the common ones is that it describes people who view pagan gods as metaphors for the different forces of nature that they do worship. Although they very much atheist, in so much that they do not worship a god or gods. But, are they Pagan? Well if we look at the top two definitions above then, no they aren't. The worship of nature as the divine is not Paganism, it's a belief system called Pantheism, however some people shy away from this term as some sources define it as meaning “worshipping all gods” rather than “worshipping the god in all”. Some people also dislike the term because in most definitions the term “god” is used, however it does not imply a “creator god” or powerful beings, it refers to a divine force. A similar belief system is Animism which although doesn’t denote the belief in a god figure, but refers to the belief that all things in nature have a spiritual side and all have a “soul”.

Another common view is that “Pagan Atheist” refers to someone who although doesn’t believe in Pagan god(s), classes themselves as Pagan on a cultural level, and lives there life in a way that holds to Pagan ideals. Although this doesn't strictly fit with a dictionary definition, to me this makes sense. Many people will describe themselves as Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, etc. Not as a way of identifying their beliefs, but as a way of describing their heritage. With the rise in Paganism, and more children being brought up in Pagan families, this is a use of the term I feel we will see more of in years to come.

What these two examples illustrate is that “Pagan Atheist” is a perfectly suitable term for describing someone’s culture, heritage and values. However, it is not - (in my humble opinion) - an accurate description of a spiritual path or religion.