PaganCentric

By Odhiambo Joseph
BBC News, Kenya

Villagers, many straight from their farms, and armed with machetes, sticks and axes, are shouting and crowding round in a big group in Kenya’s fertile Kisii district. I can’t see clearly what is going on, but heavy smoke is rising from the ground and a horrible stench fills the air. More people are streaming up the hill, some of them with firewood and maize stalks.

Suddenly an old woman breaks from the crowd, screaming for mercy. Three or four people go after her, beat her and drag her back, pushing her onto – what I can now see – is a raging fire.

Burned alive

I was witnessing a horrific practice which appears to be on the increase in Kenya – the lynching of people accused of being witches. I personally saw the burning alive of five elderly men and women in Itii village. I had been visiting relatives in a nearby town, when I heard what was happening. I dashed to the scene, accompanied by a village elder. He reacted as if what we were watching was quite normal, which was shocking for me.

Continue Reading »

I’d like to wish a happy and joyous Easter to our Christian friends today. Our thoughts and well-wished go with you. I always feel compelled to examine the Pagan origins of popular religious holidays because almost all of them have underpinnings from Paganism. I’ve never felt that this negates the Christian meaning for these celebrations. Easter is a good example. While the name “Easter” comes from an ancient Pagan goddess, and the Easter bunny and Easter eggs come Pagan traditions, this is no way contradicts or negates what Christians celebrate on Easter; the resurrection of their lord and savior.

The name “Easter” originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the “Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos.” Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.”

Old English Ēostre (also Ēastre) and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of the putative Germanic goddess eponymous of the the Christian festival of Easter. The goddess is attested by Bede as the namesake of the Anglo-Saxon month Ēostur-monath. Bede solely mentions Eostre in his 8th century work De temporum ratione, where he states that Ēostur-monath was the equivalent to the month of April, and that feasts held her in honor during Ēostur-monath had died out by the time of his writing, replacing the “Paschal month.”

Eostre is attested only by Bede and subsequently scholars have produced theories about whether or not Eostra is an invention of Bede’s, and theories connecting Eostra with records of Germanic Easter customs (including hares and eggs).

In his late 19th century study of the Hare in folk custom and mythology, Charles J. Billson cites numerous incidents of folk custom involving the hare around the period of Easter in Northern Europe. Billson says that “whether there was a goddess named Eostre, or not, and whatever connection the hare may have had with the ritual of Saxon or British worship, there are good grounds for believing that the sacredness of this animal reaches back into an age still more remote, where it is probably a very important part of the great Spring Festival of the prehistoric inhabitants of this island.”

Easter traditions deemed “pagan” by some Reformation leaders, along with Christmas celebrations, were among the first casualties of some areas of the Protestant Reformation. Some Christians (usually, but not always fundamentalists), continue to reject the celebration of Easter (and, often, of Christmas), because they believe them to be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry. Their rejection of these traditions is based partly on their interpretation of 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.

Sources

• ReligiousTolerance.org
• Wikipedia – Easter
• Wikipedia – Eostre

I watched, with sympathy, today the video of the flogging of that young girl in Pakistan at the hands of the Taliban. Not so much that her beating was unspeakably brutal. It was disturbing, to say the least. But when you’re dealing with people who have a fondness for beheading, 34 lashes isn’t as bad as some of the possible alternatives. Wasn’t a girl stoned to death last year for essentially the same offense? What disturbed me most while watching it was thinking about what her life was like leading up to that point, and what the lives of women just like her are like, all over the world, who live under the yoke of this oppressive extremism. While the lashes were no doubt quite painful, what gnaws at my heart is the thought of living in that kind of darkness, trapped in a social structure that is hundreds of years behind the times.

Personally, I believe the Taliban should be destroyed. They’ve proven time and again that the basic tenets of civilization are beyond their grasp, and they’re still culpable in the attacks of September 11th, 2001. They are a serious threat to the civilized world, because as the rest of us try to enlighten ourselves and move forward in the ever-arcing reach for progress, groups like the Taliban are trying to force people to return to a way of living that, quite honestly, has no place in the 21st Century.

This flogging started me wondering if the American Taliban had anything to say about a young girl being beaten, so I started looking to see what was going on in their insular little world. Oddly enough, there was virtually no chatter among Christian Evangelicals about this flogging, though it touched off a firestorm of outrage and criticism in Pakistan and Europe. That was surprising, actually. Usually if Muslims do something wacky, the Christian Right are all over it.

I suppose they have their own problems to worry about. Apparently they’re most upset that Iowa tossed out a ban on same-sex marriage. I couldn’t help thinking about the Taliban and their brutal imposition of religious law. For someone like me, who has faced down the hatred of Christians her entire life, it’s not a great leap of the imagination to envision myself being held to the ground, being beaten because some holy roller had taken offense. I shudder to think what would happen to people like me should American social structures collapse and this country found itself governed by our very own religious extremists. I mean, I’ve not only had carnal relations with women, but I openly practice witchcraft. Somehow I suspect that my punishment at the hands of the American Taliban would be far worse than 34 lashes, had they the same autonomous power that the Taliban enjoys in the Swat region of Pakistan.

My sympathies go out to that girl in Pakistan. I’m all too aware that our positions in life are separated only by the rule of democratic law and the basic decency and fairness of the American character. Any group who would see a country governed by religious doctrine is, in my opinion, little different than the Taliban.  The only differences are in the tactics. The end result is the same. I hope every woman in American watches that video and imagines herself lying face down on that ground, being beaten by a man because she brushed up against the boundaries of religious law.

I keep thinking about something that was said by Iowa’s four Roman Catholic bishops in a joint statement, which stated that the ruling which overturned the ban on same-sex marriage “rejects the wisdom of thousands of years of human history. It implements a novel understanding of marriage, which will grievously harm families and children.”

You may disagree, but as a bi-sexual Pagan woman, that statement sounds vaguely ominous to me. It says that basic human rights should be denied to a segment of the American population based upon nothing more than one group’s religious doctrine. If that doesn’t sound like the Taliban, I don’t know what does. I’m grateful to be an American, because in that flogging of that young girl in Pakistan, I’ve seen what our country could have been had our Founding Fathers not been so suspicious of the rule of religious law.

Ever one to ruin the fun, I couldn’t let today go by without making a few comments about Saint Patrick and the annual holiday that’s held in his honor. Most of the people I know will be wearing green in some form today, thinking of all things Irish, drinking green beer, and possibly honoring that ancient Irish tradition of getting drunk and fighting. In other words, Saint Patrick’s day is a good excuse for partying, and few people will put any more thought into it than that. That’s fine. It’s a secular holiday in the United States, even if the day is named after a Catholic bishop and missionary, and so it should all be taken with a grain of salt.

If most people know anything about Saint Patrick, it’s that his one claim to fame is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. What most people don’t realize is that the snake is a Pagan symbol, and that the snakes referred to in the Saint Patrick mythos are not meant in the literal sense, but refer to Pagans; i.e., Saint Patrick drove the Pagans (specifically, the Druids) out of Ireland. So what is celebrated on Saint Patrick’s Day with drinking and much cavorting is, ironically, the spread of Christianity throughout Ireland and the subjugation and conversion of the Druids.

Continue Reading »

I’m not usually one to help the haters, but an article by a woman named Marsha West keeps coming across my desk. I didn’t give it much attention at first, because the title of the article was “Potions and charms and spells! Oh my!” Any Pagan would immediately recognize that title as just another fluff piece either preaching about the dangers of Wicca and Paganism in a condescending and rude way (us Pagans are all misguided and are only looking for free sex and extra butter on our popcorn), or a piece for the fashionista Pagans I think of as “the fluff bunnies”. Either way, it didn’t immediately seem worthy of my precious time.

Over the course of the week, though, this same article kept popping up. That got my attention. Usually if something keeps popping up, it’s because it’s being published in more than one place. That means it might possibly become a trend or even a movement, which means that someone might be gathering pitchforks and torches. So I finally tracked down and read this article. Given that I’m writing about it here, you can probably guess that I didn’t much like what I found.

Continue Reading »

Given that some of my non-Pagan friends have lately asked me about where witches stand on the idea of Friday the 13th being unlucky, I thought I should post something. I’ve never subscribed to the notion of specific dates, days or times of year being unlucky, but I know people who are incredibly superstitious (who are often surprised that I’m not, being Pagan and all).

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a “Friday the 13th” superstition before the 19th century.  The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.

On the other hand, another theory by author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of “Origins” maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.”

Also, I came across an interesting article on Infoplease.com, which I’ve posted below;

Unlucky No. 13 combines Christian and pagan beliefs
by David Johnson
infoplease.com

Friday the 13th is an unlucky day in much of Western Europe, North America, and Australia. Many people avoid travel and avoid signing contracts on Friday the 13th. Floors in tall buildings often skip from 12 to 14. And while the superstition is believed to be fading, it nonetheless has deep roots in both Christian and pagan culture.

The Day Jesus Was Crucified?

Many Christians have long believed that Friday was unlucky because it was the day of the week when Jesus was crucified. The number 13 was believed to bring bad luck because there were 13 people at The Last Supper. Since there were 12 tribes of Israel, that number was considered lucky.

Roots in Norse Mythology

Thirteen was also a sinister number in Norse mythology. Loki, one of the most evil of the Norse gods, went uninvited to a party for 12 at Valhalla, a banquet hall of the gods. As a result, he caused the death of Balder, the god of light, joy, and reconciliation. Loki tricked Balder’s blind brother, Hod, into throwing a sprig of mistletoe at Balder’s chest. Since mistletoe was the only thing on Earth fatal to Balder, the beloved god fell dead.

Literature and Folk Wisdom

During the Middle Ages, the superstition against Friday the 13th grew. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templars and sixty of his senior knights in Paris. Thousands of others were arrested elsewhere in the country. After employing torture techniques to compel the Templars to “confess” to wrongdoing, most were eventually executed and sympathizers of the Templars condemned Friday the 13th as an evil day. Over time a large body of literature and folk wisdom have reinforced the belief. In the 18th century, the HMS Friday was launched on Friday the 13th. It was never heard from again. Since then, ships are not usually launched on that date. (Click here for other mysterious ship disappearances.)

Dinner With 13

It is considered especially unlucky to have 13 people at the table during a meal, such as in Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Thirteen at Dinner. During the 1880s, a men’s group that felt superstition was an unhealthy influence on public life held Thirteen Club dinners. Those diners would have doubtless deplored Triskaidekaphobia, which is a fear of the number 13. They would also have looked askance at Triskaidekamania, which is an excessive enthusiasm for the number 13.

This is from the Washington Times:

Dear Ms. Vicki,

I was told that you give good advice to military families and others. I’m writing because my children are being discriminated against by their teachers and administrators because we are Wiccans.

It all started when other children at their school found out we are Wiccan. The students now call my children witches and warlocks.

I know my children are being harassed, and this is not fair to them. Their grades are now falling tremendously.

I have complained about this to the teachers, counselors, assistant principal and the principal. They have done nothing about it.

I wanted to use this experience as a learning tool, to teach others about our lifestyle without imposing our views on others. It was my desire to stay calm and educate only to stop the fear and harassment. I asked to do a professional development session for the staff and a presentation to my children’s classrooms. I know this would help others understand, so they would stop judging and name-calling.

The teachers would not hear of this. They all said it would infringe upon the rights of other students who do not want to hear about Wiccans.

Now I don’t know how to help my children and I feel helpless. My husband wants me to keep my mouth shut because it would draw too much attention to our family and may affect him in his Air Force career. He acts like he is scared and doesn’t want to touch this issue. I just don’t think this is fair to my children. It’s not their fault we are Wiccan. What should I do next?

- Concerned Parent

The frustrating part of this letter is that it’s anonymous, so those of us in the Pagan community who might be inclined to reach out to this woman cannot do so. Also, being that it’s a letter from an advice column and not a proper article, there will mostly likely be no follow-up and we’ll never know how this plays out. Regardless, I wanted to post this letter in response to some of the hateful mail I’ve received of late over some recent posts, from people who believe that Pagans’ and Wiccans’ complaints about discrimination are without merit.

Tags: Discrimination

A friend sent me a home-made DVD of a Lifetime movie she’d recorded in 2006 titled Not Like Everyone Else. The movie was based on a true story of events that happened to a girl in Oklahoma named Brandi Blackbear in 1999-2000. I was surprised to get this movie. I’d missed the story the first time around (I was fifteen and in Hell… give me a break). Actually, I vaguely remembered the story, but somehow missed some of the details. I hadn’t thought a thing about it since.

Rather than write a review of the movie, I’ll simply copy some text from Wikipedia which sums it, and the issue that is based upon, rather well.

Shortly after the Columbine High School massacre, Union Intermediate High School (in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) was one of many schools around the country increasing security measures to prevent school shootings. Brandi Blackbear wrote horror stories similar to those of Stephen King, dressed in a slightly Goth-like way, and was not afraid to be herself, or to stand up to bullying by popular kids. Her defiance engendered hostility toward her from certain segments of her school’s culture. False stories of threats of violence were circulated, and the combination of her writing and authorities’ natural hyper-awareness following Columbine led to her being suspended. When some of her fellow students later saw her checking out a book on world religions, including Wicca (as research for her stories), they immediately branded her a witch, and eventually accused her of casting a spell that made a teacher sick. Fear of her spread through much of the school, and she was once again suspended.

Finally, her parents went to the ACLU, where they were told they had a good case against the school for violating her civil rights. The ACLU sued the affluent school for $10 million, even though the Blackbears were not sure they deserved that much based on what Brandi had suffered. Still, the ACLU argued that the school would not take any lesser claim seriously. When the school offered a settlement, the Blackbears refused. They were not interested in the money, despite needing it; what they really wanted was to have their story heard in court to inform the public that the school had mistreated Brandi. The judge ruled to dismiss the charges rather than going to trial, and ordered the Blackbears to pay $6000 in court fees, which they could not afford. Eventually it was agreed to drop the fees if the Blackbears dropped their appeal.

Continue Reading »

Tags: Discrimination

There was a new story in my inbox this morning about a nutjob in Iowa who killed his two step-daughters. My first thought was “why was I sent this?” Then I realized that this bottom-feeder, Lawrence Douglas Harris Sr., told police that he had not, in fact, killed the girls, but instead described what happened as a spell that “had gone bad”. The “witchcraft” part was the reason my filters kicked out the story. Harris spoke extensively to the investigator about witchcraft, saying he was trying to cast a spell to help his 13-year-old stepson straighten out his life, that the spell must have reversed, killing the girls and causing a fire in the family’s basement.

Oh, yeah. That happens to me all the time. Why, the last time I tried to cast a prosperity spell in the hopes of improving my financial fortunes, six people died just in my neighborhod, and it took the fire department a week to get the blazes under control downtown.

Continue Reading »

A few folks have written me and asked why we (well, “I”) haven’t been posting more Wiccan news on the web site. There have also been some pointed reminders that we’re well into January and I’ve yet to post anything here in 2009.

Well, quite frankly, there hasn’t been much going on, whether that be in the larger Wiccan and Pagan communities, or more specific to the Asheville, NC area, or in the PaganCentric communty itself. PaganCentric seems to be enjoying yet another of its rebuilding phases, in which our Principles scatter and our members lose interest (yes, I know. It would probably work if I showed more interest myself, but I never volunteered to be a manifested goddess or anything, so you should understand my reluctance to explain all things). In the larger community, about the only Pagan related news I seem to hear of is the occasional inmate bitching about not being allowed eight hours to honor the Horned God and squaling about religious discrimination.

I promise I’ll get my head out of my job this year, and we’ll make a good go of PaganCentric. Many of you seem fascinated by the idea (though I don’t know why, with all the other Pagan organizations out there). So maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually get a lot more in the way of active content here on the web site during 2009. Also, I rather like the idea of using PaganCentric to stage more Pagan events in the area. The local community (Goddess knows I love you all) can be rather lame in that regard, focusing on coven-specific activities rather than thinking in the larger communal sense. My impression in 2008 was that the most high-profile Pagan events were not “Pagan” at all, but rather someone realizing they could make a quick buck by appealing to all the tree-huggers and “rock-worshippers” out there. Personally, I think Pagans should stop spending their hard-earned money at secular events that have been dressed up with Pagan trappings. But that’s just me, I guess.

Anyway, here, for your perusal, has been a few of my early 2009 ruminations. Make of them what you will. And if you’re so inclined, please write me to complain. I’m always amused by your opinions (please mark that as humor, as it was intented).