THAT Book Again

I had quit reading "What's the deal with Wicca?" since there was nothing new or overly interesting in it but since I haven't had to take the library books back yet I was skimming through it again this morning. That's when I ran into the chapter entitled "When a friend is in Wicca" "Warning Signs
How can we recognize if a friend is involved with Wicca and practising witchcraft?"

(Can you see what's coming?!)

1. Withdrawal from routine activities.
2. Obsession with death and suicide. (Apparently Wiccan belief in reincarnation leads to an increased chance of suicide)
3. Fixation with Wicca symbols and Runes.
4. Possession of Wiccan, pagan and shamanistic publications.
5. Excessive fears and anxieties.
6. Fascination with or possession of unique knives.
7. Owning a book of shadows.
8. Altars.

"Remember that your ultimate goal is for your friend to be freed from the spiritual darkness of Wicca."

Says it all I guess....

Anti-Wicca book = nothing new

Ok so as some of my twitter friends know I've been reading one of those anti-wicca books today - I've read several over time and if that's how they feel and they feel strongly enough to not only put it into words but also get it published, then more power to them, in that respect. Sadly, like many of them, this one has little respect for anyone or anything that/who doesn't agree with his way of thinking. Oh and his "facts" leave much to be desired on occasion.

He clearly has issues with girls/women/females wanting to empower themselves and with their taking issue with the male dominated hierarchy of mainstream Christianity - well it IS male dominated and hierarchical. "What's with all this girl-friendly stuff?"

Apparently "Wicca is a fashion-trend statement' - never realized I was a fashion trend setter lol Ok I'd never call myself Wiccan to anyone in the pagan community who understands what Wiccan is or isn't but I get called it a lot by mainstream culture and people and it's not SO far off that it's totally wrong from their perspective. It works as a label and a conversation starter. Although oddly enough most of my on pagan friends just call me the witch anyway. Go figure.

Just so we all know, Wicca is bogus, it's a creation of the devil, it leads to hell and damnation, etc, etc. Same old same old. Although as a Wicca 101 this book has sections that work! For someone denouncing Wicca and witchcraft as false and evil he does a decent job of giving teenagers (his professed intended audience) a basic guide to 101 Wicca.

Ok and now I'm tired of this - there's nothing new, nothing different. He is, like many others, trying to enforce his beliefs on others and to disrespect and denigrate the beliefs of others. I might waste time reading it and possibly even exchanging conversation about it - Mari - but I'm sure not going to lose any sleep over worrying about whether or not I'm being 'deceived by Satan'. And I still care about the earth and environmental concerns even if he sees no need to because his God will take care of everything.

question is, if his faith is as strong as he professes then why is he so threatened by the fastest growing religion in north America? And by women. And by freedom of choice. Suddenly I find myself wondering if he is an advocate of surrendered wives?

Oh and FYI being able to quote the bible means nothing to me, I took 5 years compulsory religious knowledge in school so I know my bible too - maybe not without looking, but well enough ;)

Thursday Stuff

So the seven day forecast Wednesday night predicted a beautiful Thursday and then more showers for the next few days ( altho so far today, Friday, is sunny and bright) so we decided to make the most of Thursday and hit the zoo, especially when I awoke to brilliant sunshine. Picked up a Metro on the C-train that someone had left behind (recycling lol) and found some keys that someone had dropped. Seemed to be a finding day since we also found three sun hats and one pair of shades while walking around the zoo. Not surprising with all the kids there - wee ones with their parents and school/class/group trips. Still have the library card we found on the sidewalk the other day, going to drop that back at the library next time we are there. Actually, once found a well loved stuffie in the zoo, dropped that at their lost and found because we all know small children really hate to lose well loved stuffies! Hopefully that one was reunited with it's owner.

We had a good time at the zoo though, lots of butterflies in the butterfly house now, the flamingos are out, saw the not so baby gorilla and all kinds of other things. Trying to find the energy for anything once we got home though was a struggle for a while lol Also forgot yesterday, just remembering now that I said I'd lend a neighbour my copy of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Don't mind lending to the neighbours because I can just walk over and retrieve if necessary, one still has my Green Egg Omelette. My copy of the Goddess is in the Details on the other hand is probably never coming back :/ Oddly enough that was one of the few pagan books they did have in the library the other day though. It's definitely a very small section - I'll have to check out their catalogue and see what else they have there or in other branches. It's sad when my recreated after coming to Canada bookshelf is about ten times bigger than the section in the library! Did pick up one book, Pagan Every Day, and Barbara Ardinger went up in my estimation (not that she was low, just unknown, judgement reserved) when I hit mid February - it has a page and an essay for every day of the year - and she picked up on, and agreed with, one of my pet peeves about certain segments of Pagan/new age society. (I think that deserves it's own post one day soon though)

See? Nothing interesting to say - trying to get back into the blogging habit :/

BetterYYC, Starhawk, and.... Stuff

To create a #betteryyc we need to engage the next generation, the children. Not just with special one off events - although those are good too - but also on a daily basis, both singly and in groups. Always remembering that they learn by example, by copying what they see us doing and not by what we say if our actions don't match our words. In order to encourage them to help create a #betteryyc we need to let them see us working towards the same goal, no matter on how large or small a scale.

Alone I cannot change the world but I can cast out a stone that will create ripples. (Or something like that!)

@BetterYYC - Do one thing today towards creating a #betteryyc

Reading an anthology recently - Storming Heaven's Gate - I ran into a piece called "Street Trees" by Melody Ermachild Chavis, taken from her book Altars of the Streets. In it, she too talks about involving the children in hopes that they will grow up with a sense of community, of belonging, of being a part of something worth being proud of and taking care of instead growing up apart from their home and community.

Btw insanely jealous of @JacqMulyk not only for attending the City Repair workshop in Portland, but also for meeting Starhawk there! Jealous, much lol. Pretty sure that I've mentioned before the influence that Starhawk's work has had on me, both in life and in my path. And I believe the site in Portland is also the one Starhawk talks about visiting in The Earth Path. Not that I would know what to say if I ever met the lady anyway, except possibly "I'm not worthy!" ;) Side note, no surprise either that Z Budapest ( @zbudapest ) has also been a considerable influence, as has Christopher Penczak ( @Penczak ) to mention a couple.

In the Earth Path it is pointed out that to create community requires a place to congregate. That, at least, we have in my immediate neighbourhood - in my pocket neighbourhood. Yeah I know I'm taken with that phrase, but it sums up our apartment complex perfectly-ish - a cluster of houses or apartments surrounding a central shared space. Not that we can do much with it, don't think the landlords would like it, but at least unlike the complex a block over we ARE allowed to play and congregate here. Not kidding, next complex over has large signs saying No playing, running, balls or games of any kind, please use the public parks provided elsewhere. (Paraphrased sine I forget the exact words - should take a photo lol) Let's see, public park? That would be the park that is now two fenced baseball pitches ;)(yeah I know, bee in my bonnet!)

Seems like every year's crop of children, some the same as previous years, some new faces, are drawn to0 me - probably because if my son is out there I have to be out there too. They know my name, they know we have sidewalk chalk, and bubbles, and whatever else we might have outside that day and we share. they come to me to fix their bikes, their scraped knees and their feuds. And it's good, even if there are some days I'm just not in the mood, in which case Spawn and I go off somewhere else - not because I quit believing in being there for them or in fostering community, just because I'm only human and sometimes I need a day off!

So speaking of a #betteryyc it seems that someone seeded the beds by our rental office with sunflowers - that's sure what they look like to me! And no, this time it wasn't me ;) Here's hoping they're allowed to grow and don't get weeded away - not likely given the incomplete job the guys round here do whether it's clearing snow, picking up litter, weeding or cutting grass. If they did a proper job, I wouldn't be picking up broken glass from the playground as many times as I have done over the years we have been living here. And yes, the playground in the middle of our green space IS part of their area. How do I know it wasn't glass that got broken their after their morning rounds? Because 9 times out of 10 it's alcoholic glass, and even here5,6 and 7 yr olds aren't drinking in the playground and leaving empty beer/cooler/vodka bottles behind. Pet peeve. But since I don't want my kid cutting himself on it, or anyone else's, I pick it up. Found a knife once too - in our playground - not a small one, a large kitchen knife! And people wonder why I say I live in the 'Hood?!

Books and a couple more random-ish thoughts

Hmm... should have been easier to remember my top ten, guess I'm getting old and will have to go check my list lmao Danggit I'm getting senile in my old age!

Top ten book wish list

Pagan Book of Living and Dying
Shamanic Book of Death and Dying
Pocket Neighbourhood
The Great Neighbourhood Book
On Guerilla Gardening
Urban Homestead
Dreaming The Dark (yeah, yeah, I still don't have a copy....)
I was a punk before you were a punk
Dumbing Us Down
The Grandmother of Time:

An eclectic mix, maybe, no more so than me...

Part of me wants to blog about everything that has been going on in the last ten days and part of me says no, not yet, it's not over yet and it's going to be a long and complicated post when I do blog it :/ Family always makes for complicated events and explanations! So more on that later.

I have, however, realized how much I miss blogging and realize that somehow I have to find time for it... somehow. Hard part isn't so much time as, on an average week, time at the computer to type without someone else wanting a turn, helping me, or asking what I'm doing every 2 seconds lol There are a number of things the I keep wanting to share and blog about, just going to have to try harder I guess - back to the old days of writing it by hand and then typing it up since typing it up can be done pretty fast as long as my spell check is on lol

So many things going on, life certainly isn't boring. Oddest thing just now, was thinking about something that happened last night that made me wonder if there's another visitor in our house - we get a few - when something moved by itself one night and Demon said to me "Was that the ghost?" I just asked "which one?" Mostly it's quiet but every now and then it starts to feel like "Which one?" Anyhow, something odd happened last night that makes me think there's another visitor here, and just as I was thinking that the broom fell out of the closet all by itself. Double omen that yeah, company's here. Guessing that doesn't make too much sense to most people if I haven't blogged about Olivia and the visitors she seems to attract - adding to my to do list!

Finally finished reading Ariadne's Thread, may well need a second read, it has a LOT of stuff in it. And provides seemingly random quotes.....
"Our religion is powerful but it must never get too organized, or the magic will be lost."
Guess it's a good thing that corralling witches is often likened to herding cats ;)

"Every voice must be heard before the whole story can be told and ... the truth resides not in one person but in the centre, in the agreed upon truth of all present."

Ok apparently I need to go to bed REAL soon, and, on the plus?? side I have a list of things to blog. Dammit I need more waking hours in the day!!!!!

Random Weekend Thoughts

Been a lot going through my mind this weekend - or not, depending on how you look at it. Demon has been in BC attending a funeral and I've been alone with my thoughts - well as alone as it gets with a 5 yr old, two dogs and a room mate - especially since I woke to pouring rain this morning which killed our original plans for today. Of course, the sun was shining brightly by 4pm but that was too late for any of our plans. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Anyway, firstly I was reading a lot of web pages last night and discovered that there is a name for places such as where I live - 'a cluster of houses/apartments clustered around some sort of shared open space'. Apparently I live in a "pocket neighbourhood". Nice - can ya tell I kinda like that name? lol And I found two new books to add to my MAJOR wish list - Pocket Neighbourhood, and The Great Neighbourhood Book. I think they make my top ten wants, might have to add them as a separate post.

Secondly, found this from @EarthActivists on Twitter - As #EarthGuardian you can help document your city... where are the dangerous places for children?... your mayor should intervene.
The sentiment is certainly one the provides food for thought and only adds to the ongoing thoughts stirring in my brain about talking to neighbours about our neighbourhood, about what they like, don't like and would want to see changed, removed, improved or included.

Also found this, or at least we re-reminded of it.
"The commons is everything that we inherit or create together and must pass on, undiminished, to future generations." the Commons

Thirdly, was reading about the decline in organized religion - and that therefore Canada is becoming a nation of atheists. "Canadians are increasingly identifying as religiously non-affiliated, suggesting that organized religion may be on the decline."

Guess I'm missing something - including the original question as it was phrased - because I don't see that just because increasing numbers of people are no longer affiliated to (I presume) mainstream organized religions, necessarily means that they are all atheists. Or am I missing something? Usually an question of religion considers the mainstream faiths, and the obligatory "other" category. Or I guess in this case "none". Yet I'd have to check "none "if given the choice between mainstream religions and none and yet I most certainly don't consider myself an atheist. Colour me a little confused by the logic applied and the extrapolation that a decline in adherence to mainstream religion equals Canada becoming a nation of atheists. Just seems to me that it's a little too much of a stretch of the data :/

I don't doubt that mainstream and even organized religions may very well be on the decline, we all know minority religions, non mainstream religions and personal spirituality - not sure you can call it "religion" per se when it's a person's personal path - are on the increase. Even here, "census data suggests that organized religion is heading for extinction in nine western democracies." But is that just mainstream religion, organized religion, or religious beliefs of any kind? Damn I hate sweeping statements that bother my warped sense of logic!

Oh and of course now Adobe wants to update my flash player, I swear it did that once already this weekend lol

Now where was I? Thirdly, was just checking some of the blogs on Circle of Moms faith based poll and the centre of their own controversy as to whether or not Pagan blogs count as 'faith' blogs - duh!

According to Dictionary.com
faith
–noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in god or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

And before you ask, Dictionary.com defines god thus
God
–noun
1. the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe.
2. the Supreme Being considered with reference to a particular attribute: the God of Islam.
3. ( lowercase ) one of several deities, especially a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs.

Notably, in the definition of Faith it is "god" lowercase. Anyway, semantics aside, Faith Blog does not mean Christian Blog people, no matter what you might think of those of us other faiths, be they Judaism, Islam, paganism, Hinduism, worship of the great flying spaghetti monster or whatever. Too late on a saturday night to go off on THAT particular tangent.

Ok I got sidetracked - while reading a pagan blog I ran into this

"he stopped my hand and said "Mom, I want to learn to spell my favourite word... Namaste!"

For those who are unfamiliar, 'Namaste' translates to mean that there is a light in you, there is a light in me and we bow in honour of one another's light.

I asked my child why 'Namaste' is his favourite word and he replied "because if everyone has a special light inside, then we are all shiny together." Yes friends, a humble reminder from a preschooler!"

Out of the mouths of babes.....

Ok there's more but let's end that on a happy note :)

5 Books (short version)

So Mari got me onto it yesterday, in an emergency what 5 books would you grab from your bookshelf? So here's my 5 based ONLY on those currently ON my bookshelf, not on my perfect 5.

Z Budapest, Holy Book of Women's Mysteries.
Christopher Penczak, Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft.
Starhawk, the Fifth Sacred Thing.
Starhawk, The Earth Path.
Anne McCaffrey, the Tower and Hive series.

How sad am I? lol