Candle in my window...

I once read that if you place a candle in your window on Samhain that it keeps the "bad" spirits out and lets the "good" spirits in. For some reason that stuck with me and every Samhain (okay... usually I start at sundown on Oct 30th) I put a candle in the window. When it starts to fade, a new candle is added. When I had a front porch, I put out Jack-o-lanterns.

This year, all I have is the candle in the window but I know that it is enough.

I've changed a lot in the past year. My path is more defined for me and I am stronger in myself and more confident in my beliefs. Last Samhain the candle was in the window to welcome the good spirits and to ward off the bad spirits. This year the candle isn't a ward but a message. It is a message to my beloved dead. It is shining in the darkness to let them know that I remember them and that this day, this time, is for them.

Tonight I honor my ancestors in general but there are a few specific people I will be saying prayers for and honoring.

My Grandpa Frank is honored today/tonight (as he always is). His picture is a permanent fixture on my altar and after the sun comes up I will run to the store and get him orange soda. I have no memories of Grandpa Frank as he died long before I was born (Nov 28th, 1960). The few stories I have heard about him make me smile and one of them involves him walking through a grocery store collecting the things he needed to make a sandwich and then making the sandwich right there in the store. Apparently he did this when my Aunt Rosie (his sister-in-law) was with him and she refused to go to the store with him ever again. My mother used to open bags of chips and bottles of water in the grocery store when she was shopping and it always embarrassed the hell out of me so I can understand my Aunt Rosie's pain here...

My Uncle Terry will be honored today/tonight. Unfortunately I didn't get to know him all that well. He passed away when I was six. I don't remember much about him except that he was just SUPER tall. Granted, when you are six everyone is tall but I think Uncle Terry really was tall. He was a good man. My mother never had an unkind thing to say about him and to this day she speaks of him with a fondness that she rarely shows in regards to my father’s side of the family. He helped my mother write up and file her divorce papers so that she could leave my father (his younger brother). I'm not sure why but I see that as a true act of courage. One of my favorite relatives is his daughter Alicia. She is every bit the good person he was and when she smiles, sometimes I can see him in her face.

My Great Grandma Cole will be honored today/tonight. When my mother was abandoned by her mother and step-father Grandma Cole stood by her side. She loved her unconditionally and when she passed away in February my mother’s heart broke. I didn't feel Grandma's death as deeply but the sadness that still radiates off of my mother when Grandma Cole is brought up speaks to the place she held in my mom’s heart. I am ashamed to admit that I avoided calling her on the phone because she talked to me about people I didn't know and I rarely wrote her letters aside from her yearly Christmas card. As is typical, I wish I had taken the time and gotten to know her better.

My Aunt Rosie will be honored today/tonight. Aunt Rosie also looked after my mom and refused to stop talking to her when mom's parents abandoned her. When Aunt Rosie died mom was upset but she focused on Grandma Cole (Rosie and Grandma Cole lived together and I can't remember a time when they didn't). I called Aunt Rosie 'Mad Madame Mim' because she reminded me of the character Mim from The Sword in the Stone. Aunt Rosie had a garden in her yard and fake plants in her house. If you touched her fake plants she would slap you with a fly swatter. She loved the color orange and the Seattle Mariners. She and Grandma Cole were huge baseball fans and I find it fitting that last night was the last game World Series. Tonight when I light their candles I will tell them all about the series and the BoSox win at home last night.

My husband’s best friend Nick will be honored today/tonight. Nick was a character. Handsome and smart, skinny as a rail with an appetite to rival Loki's (when he battled against fire in Jötunheimr). The first time I met him he threatened to kill me if I broke my husband’s heart. His death left my husband devastated and to this day that pain still shows in his eyes if Nick is mentioned. Nick was the first person I toasted in Sumbel and he is always honored in my home when we honor our beloved dead.

There are others who I will light candles for. Other people who have passed on but still linger in my heart, but those listed above are the people who I will honor not only tonight but also this weekend when my coven gets together.

May your Samhain/WinterNights be blessed and full of good memories of your ancestors and beloved dead. May your Hallowe'en be full of treats, not tricks. May your New Year be full of love, light, laughter, and happiness.

This is all kinds of off the cuff

This is a quick and dirty post.

I came across this gif on tumblr and immediately the word "Hel" came to mind.

So this is for Hel.

Hail Hel
Lady of two faces.
Beauty in life and Beauty in death.
Help me honor my dead.
Teach me the ways of remembrance.
Show me your face, that I might embrace the reality of my own mortality.
Mighty Hel. Mother of Bones.

This is why we can't have nice things...

While putzing around on Pinterest I came across this little gem.

Obviously the best way to get people to take the Pagan community seriously is by boycotting movies that paint witches in a bad light and advocate killing "bad" witches.

You know who else kills children and practices "The Dark Arts"? Lord Voldemort. That's right. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a "bad witch". Obviously his behavior shines a negative light on real life Witches. Time to boycott Harry Potter.

Also, The Sanderson Sisters. Those three meanies are just the worst kind of "bad". Not only are Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy playing ugly witches, they also want to kill ALL the children in Salem. Time to boycott Hocus Pocus. Probably we should take it a step further and boycott Sex In The City (SJP plays Carrie Bradshaw), Sister Act 1 & 2 (KN plays Sister Mary Patrick), and Beaches (Bette is the star of this movie) as well. Oh! We also need to boycott First Wives Club (which has both SJP & Bette).

Obviously we need to boycott The Wizard of Oz as well as the musical Wicked. To be safe lets also boycott Oz, The Great and Powerful. Maybe we should just boycott everything Oz related because of how the franchise portrays witches.

Let us not forget ABC Family, which plays ALL OF THESE MOVIES (okay, maybe not Beaches) through out the year. I mean COME ON! They are not only pushing the Anti-Witch movement, they are pretty much keeping it going through out the year. Soon, they will probably just change their name to: ABC Family - Kill All Witches, because they deserve it!

Probably we should have ourselves a good old fashioned book burning as well because the Harry Potter and Oz franchises both started out as books.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is why no one takes us seriously. By us I mean Pagans in general, not just Pagans who identify as Witches.

There are so many other things to get up in arms about in regards to they way we are treated as a community. If you want to raise awareness of who Pagans are and what they believe in, perhaps you should get involved in your local Pagan community. I bet it would get a lot more done and frankly, it will make you look like less of a fucking asshole.

Boycotting movies and throwing fits about the way the media portrays Witches is a stupid waste of time.
Get off your asses and do something real for a change.

Not just a Heathen problem.

My mother loves Jesus and Elvis. Both of them have churches. Both of them have crazy followers. Both of them speak to her soul.

My five year old niece believes in Buddha, Narasimha Deva and glitter. Her faith has never wavered.

My youngest nephew coined the phrase PaganHinJew. He is excited to light the Shabbat candles with me next week when I visit them, but he flat refuses to give up bacon.

My husband is a Hare Krsna.

Each member of my coven has a Hindu deity that they worship.

My oldest friend just recently embraced Paganism and is on a spiritual high from the Earth Mothers love.

We are more than the blood in our veins or the land that our forefathers came from. Ancestors aren't just family members. The Gods don't give a rusty fuck where your fathers fathers father is from. They care about who you are, and where you are going.

If you have a problem with someone embracing the non-white Gods of their Ancestors, feel free to fuck off.

This brand of racist bull crap is not just a Heathen issue. It is a Pagan issue. We will not be taken seriously if we don't take each other seriously. We will not be shown respect until we respect one another.
We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

Pagans who cover... Yes, this again.

Last year there was a bit of a kerfuffle about Pagans who have chosen to take up wearing the veil, aka cover their hair and/or body. As a Pagan who covers I felt a mild amount of interest in the issue but decided to ignore it because frankly, I didn't really care. There was a big enough issue though that Covered In Light asked that people from all religions cover their hair on Friday September 21st (2012) in a show of support and to raise awareness. My coven and a few of our close friends all covered as did a knitting group I am a part of. It was a fun experience and I ended up covering the entire day in a hijab style, which is a great deal more than I usually do. Here is a picture...I looked super cute, if I do say so myself.

We are about a month out from September 21st again and I am hoping that Covered In Light Day will happen this year as well. Which is why, a year after all the covering butt hurt, I am addressing this subject. Below are a series of questions I have been asked by people in the past few years. If you cover and you want to answer these questions on your blog, please do.

How long have you been covering and why do you do it?

I have been covering my hair for about three years. It all started when I took up the mantle of tending Brigid's flame. I had my first cill for Her on July 4th 2010. About mid September 2010 I started feeling a push to cover my hair when I was tending Her flame or when I was doing anything at my altar. I talked it over with my husband to explain what I was doing and started covering every once in a while, usually with a pashmina scarf draped around my head. At the beginning of December 2010 I decided to cover full time starting January 1st, 2011. My mother, who is amazingly supportive, got me a few pashmina scarves for Yule and I bought a few tichels online.
I don't only cover because of Brigid, though tending her flame was what kick started it, I had been debating covering my hair for a while before that. I am married and while my husband didn't ask me to cover (and REALLY didn't want me to cover when I first started) I felt it was appropriate given the fact that my spiritual path has a lot of Jewish influence. There is a long history of religious people, not to mention married women, covering their hair for one reason or another.

How does it affect your life/how people interact with you?

I don't think it has really changed much. My husband says that people look at me differently but I have never noticed. My relationship with my father was affected by my hair covering, but that is because I have more than a passing interest in Judaism and he saw my head covering as a rejection of my Heathen roots (I am ancestrally Norwegian on his side) for the traditions of a  "genetically inferior" race of people(his words, not mine). His comments caused a rift in my family and my sisters all refuse to deal with him, as do a few of my cousins, based on his comments and behavior in regards to my head scarves. Granted, the head covering was not the only issue between my father and me but it was the beginning of the end. Literally everyone else in my life has been incredibly supportive and amazing, even going so far as to defend me to people who ask why I do it.

Are you always covered? If not, when/where do you cover and why?

I tend to only cover if I am outside my house or the house of one of my coven mates. If I am home but have non-coven guests, or if someone is at my door, I cover my hair as well. I don't usually cover at home because it is my private area where I can be relaxed and comfortable. The same goes for the houses of my coven mates.

As a Pagan, how do you feel your covering reflects on the community at large?

I don't know that it really reflects on the Pagan community at all. If it does, feel free to let me know because I am not aware of it.

What is your take on the view that covering is anti-feminist?

My take on it is that, first and foremost, it isn't anti-feminist because it is my choice. No one is forcing me to cover my hair. Secondly, my body belongs to me. I own my body. My body doesn't belong to anyone else and I don't owe the viewing of my body to a single person. Not even my husband. The sight of my naked skin or hair doesn't belong to anyone but me, and if I chose to hide it and keep it out of view of the world, that is my right. My covering is actually me taking a stand against the bull shit way our society treats women. It is my way of saying that my body belongs to me and that I decide who is worthy of seeing it. My body isn't for the world at large. It is private.

People like to say that covering is a sign of oppression as well. Yes, in parts of the world, it is. However, I live in Brooklyn, New York in the United States of America. In New York City it is legal for a woman to walk around in just a pair of underwear on as long as she isn't making money off of it. That means I can legally walk down the street with my tits hanging out for everyone to see and there is nothing that the government can do about it. It's one of the things I love about my city. I can walk around topless if I want, just like I can walk around fully covered with a veil over my face if I want to. I get to choose what I wear. I get to be who I am. No one is telling me what I have to do. Also, as I mentioned before, there is a long history of people covering their hair for religious reasons and no I am not just talking about women. Men cover their hair as well depending on their faith. Male Sikhs are religiously obligated to keep their hair long and keep a golden comb in their hair. In order to protect the comb (which they are also obligated to do) they  tend to cover their hair in a turban style. Abrahamic faiths (Judaism and Islam) also have head covering traditions for men. This is usually seen in the form of a yarmulke or kufi. We all know that Catholic Nuns cover their hair but bishops, cardinals and The Pope are occasionally required to cover during service as well.

Covering is not anti-feminist, however, telling a woman how she can dress is. Take note y'all because I have no problem telling someone off for giving me shit over my head scarf.

Do you ever get grief from cops or airport security because of your covering?

Nope. For the most part people leave me alone. The only thing that is different now is the fact that airport security asks to pat my head to make sure I am not carrying bombs in my tichel.

What is your favorite covering style?

I prefer a tichel style but if I am pressed for time (or being lazy) I wear my manky green army cap. Here are a few videos that show how to tie a tichel.

Both videos are great, but there are a ton of videos out there so go to Youtube and search for "how to tie a tichel", "how to tie a headscarf", and/or "hijab tutorial".
Personally, I tend to do a layered crown style of tying. Here are two pictures of what I mean:

Where do you buy your scarves?

Kmart, Target and Old Navy have great rectangular scarves that are made of light/thin materials in the spring and summer. If you want to go online take a look at Cover Your Hair and Covered With Style. They are great for square scarves (tichels). If you want more of a hijab style I can recommend Hijab Girl. I haven't looked anywhere else for hijabs but I know that you can find pashmina scarves all over the place and they are a typical scarf used for hijabs. I recommend getting a few hijab caps regardless of they style you are looking at. They come in all sorts of materials but the stretchy cotton tube caps are the best in my opinion.

That is pretty much all I can think of... if you have any questions feel free to comment and ask.

If you are interested in covering, I say go for it. Don't let the opinions of others stop you from doing something that might be right for you.  If you don't try you will never know...
Also, mark your calenders for September 21st and join those of us who DO cover, regardless of faith/religion, for Covered In Light Day!

Guess how much butthurt I have...go on, guess.

I have epic amounts of butthurt in regards to people saying bad shit about Loki. I highly doubt I am alone in this...
The thing that really chaps my ass is when people talk about Loki's crimes against the gods. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? His crimes against Them?

To punish Loki for His crimes Vali was turned into a wolf and was set on Narvi. Vali ripped Narvi apart. While Loki watched... Loki was then bound to boulders with Narvi's entrails.
Sigyn tends to Loki day and night, Her loving hands holding the bowl that catches the snakes venom so that He wont be burned. She stands there and looks at Her beloved, bound by their child's remains, and can do nothing but catch the venom in an attempt to ease His pain.

How in the heck is that fair? What does the killing of children prove besides the fact that the other gods are just as 'cruel' as Loki.

This rant is brought to you by this question over on Grumpy Lokean Elder's blog.
Whenever someone asks me how I can love Him considering His hand in Ragnarok I always respond with this question:

"What would you do if your children were murdered before your eyes?"

I spoke to a Heathen friend about Loki at a recent Pagan festival that I was at. I made a reference to Loki being bound with his child's entrails and she asked me if I was positive that that was fact and not UPG.
It is easy to paint Him with the brush that makes him the villain. It is harder to look at Him and realize that He is also a victim. Sure, He fucked about and caused havoc...but so did They.

It's easy to blame someone when they are too weak to defend themselves.

Lammas ~ Lughnasadh ~ Lùnastal

A dear friend of mine is a devotee of Lugh. When she smiles you can feel His sunshine pouring out of her. It's a wonderful thing to be around.

A few months ago she and I had an in depth conversation about Lugh, boobs and the many meanings of the word dude. I was born and raised on the West Coast and speak Dude fluently. Apparently, so does Lugh. I know, no one here is shocked. Not long after the Lugh-Dude-Boobs conversations I found this picture. 

Now, before anyone out there in Pagan Internetland gets their knickers in a twist, please note that I am NOT calling Lugh a slacker. I just find love this picture as I refer to myself and a Lazy/Slacker Pagan. I also like that I found this picture the same night that I found out that Lugh uses the word dude. My friend I mentioned at the start of this entry and I refer to Him as The Dude from time to time. 

So...basically... this entire post (though really its not that long) was just done in an effort to wish you all a Blessed Lughnasadh. May your lives overflow with joy and laughter this First Harvest and may The Dude shine his brilliant and loving light upon you today.