Pagan Chaplaincy and Pastoral Volunteering

Photo by Thierry Geoffroy,
via Wikimedia Commons

This morning I ran across a small article called The Pagan Community Is Preparing to Aid Members in Health Care Facilities, which led me to another article,  The Pagan Community Isn't Ready to Aid Members in Health Care Facilities. This second article, authored by Masery,  states:

 ".... there are around a million Pagans in the US and only a handful of Pagans who have experience or training for counseling in hospitals or hospice. There are many coven, grove, or circle members who would show up at any time of day or night to be with a fellow member. But are they prepared to speak with hospital staff, understand regulations, or can they prepare a soul for their final journey or conduct a funeral? This is one of the main reasons we need trained Pagan leadership."

These articles really got me thinking about the needs of our growing community and what spiritual support we can obtain when we are in need.  Reading comments to the articles and a comment left on my shared link on Facebook, it seems like many people who would have welcomed a visit by a Pagan spiritual leader during an emergency or lengthy hospital stay have gone without.  

Helping the "Witches" of Africa

False accusations of witchcraft run rampant in Africa right now.  The accusations are based on a variety of things, including everything from  traditional religious practices to jealousy and from babies with colic to children with autism.

You might have read a post or two here about the "witches" of Malawi.  You might skim over the news articles I've posted on the CPSM facebook page.  Now is the time that you can get involved and help get this information out into the world. 


So what can you do to bring awareness of the witch hunts still going on all over the world?  Read about what's going on and educate yourself.  Write a blog and educate others.  Join a campaign, sign a petition, write letters, make a donation.  


As long as there are people in the world who are unsafe from the accusations of witchcraft, none of us are truly safe.


Here are some links for  more information:


Articles (and more) to read: 

A little contest opportunity....

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED TO COMMENTS! 

 Winner to be announced soon!

I happened to be in Michael's yesterday, and came across a bunch of really interesting stuff.  Stuff that made my heart sing and made me laugh out loud.  You may recognize the "person" in the picture: 

I had to buy it all.  Had to.  And then I thought, why not buy two?  So here it is, a little reader appreciation giveaway!  So far it includes a small shopping bag, a travel cup, a set of coasters, a set of wooden spoons, a recipe box, some vintage candy, a spiffy pen and two sets of recipe cards (I'm sure a few more things will land in the box before it's all over).  I'll also be throwing in a Voodude™, yet to be determined, lol.  Annnnnd, one set of recipe cards will hold a few of my personal favorite magical recipes - incense recipes, a few favorite magical symbols, instructions for making your own magical household cleansing products.  Who knows what will end up on them, lol?

This contest is open to anyone, anywhere.  All you have to do to enter is leave one comment  to this post*.  That's it.  Easy Peasy.  


Please note: Comment moderation, as always, is in effect, so your post won't show up right away.  It's there, though.  Swear.


The contest will end July 7th, noon EST with the winner to be chosen by an online random number generator.  In the meantime,  I might throw in some different ways to get extra entries, so keep your eyes peeled!


*If you do not have an open profile, where I can contact you via email or your blog by clicking on your user name, please leave an email address where you can be reached.  If I can't find a way to contact the person who is chosen, I will have to pick an alternate winner.


This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Happy Solstice!

Whether you are celebrating the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, have a wonderful, blessed day!

Litha, Summer and Vacation magic!

The Summer Solstice (Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere) is coming on June 21 at 17:16 UTC (find what time that is in your time zone here).  Here are some recipes, correspondences and ideas to get you started on a wonderful summer vacation!  Check back often for updates!  

•  From canning your own salsas to retro 70's side dishes to quick summer soups, check out Litha/Summer Solstice Recipes to get your summer cooking kicked off right.  Make sure to check out my Summer Solstice Sangria!
• Get your fun on!  Here's a list of activity ideas for you and your friends and family!
• Learn about Solstice celebrations from around the world.
• Summer Solstice Correspondences can help you plan your celebrations!
• Going on vacation?  Here's a list of travel, road and weather deities you might want to research before you hit the road.
• My Artemis acorn spell might be just the thing for your vacation weather needs.
• Traveling by car?  Create a Car protection charm prior to heading out.
• Need a simple ritual?  Check out my simple candle ritual for Summer Solstice, which gives you options for a 5 minute ritual, a longer ritual and options for sharing the ritual with kids!

This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Watch the Moon Eclipse in Real Time!

Watch live streaming video from swansiliguri at livestream.com

Tomorrow is the first of two lunar eclipses happening in 2011 (the next takes place in December).

Unfortunately, it will not be visible in the Northern Hemisphere, so I invite you to watch during the 4 hours of the eclipse here, or go to the host site itself to view: http://www.livestream.com/swansiliguri

The eclipse will happen June 15 at 17.00 -23.00 UTC.  Click here to find out what time that is in your time zone!

You can also view the eclipse here (there's a button for an English translation of the page), along with eclipse experiments to try!





This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Herb Hunting in Your Neighborhood, Part 1: Mugwort

There are several herbs that you can scout out in your own yard and around your neighborhood, if you know how to identify them!  Today we'll be taking a quick look at mugwort.  Mugwort is a very prolific and often invasive weed.  Many states are pulling it up by the roots, trying to get rid of it, so it's likely no one will mind if you take a few clippings off plants in public areas (Always seek permission first before cutting or pulling up any plant - whether it's in your neighbor's yard, a public park or the side of the road).


First up, here's a photo from my garden.  I grew this from seed purchased at a trusted seed company. My mugwort is in a raised bed with a box around it, to keep it from taking over the entire earth.  Because mugwort will do that if you let it just grow all willy-nilly.  This is it's second year (it survived a pretty brutal winter in NJ) and I've had about 3 harvests out of this bunch in total so far.  

Mugwort will reseed itself if it's allowed to flower and go to seed.  Which means you will very likely end up with some mugwort shooting up in odd places around your yard if you choose to grow it intentionally.

My Examiner Article Directory

This directory is something I've been wanting to organize for a bit.  Here is a listing of all my articles on Examiner (minus correspondences for particular dates and such).  

National Domestic Witchery Examiner Articles

101 Information and How To’s

Domestic Witchery: Hestia 101

The Hestia Tapestry "Hestia full of Blessings"

Photo: From 1945 book Documents of Dying Paganism

There are many, many domestic deities from which to choose from when looking for one to invite into your home.  From well known Greek Goddesses to little know Chinese oven Gods to animistic gods of ancient Rome.  One of the most well known and popular is Hestia, Greek Goddess of the hearth, home and domestic duties.

Circle of Moms 25 Top Faith Blogs by Moms Results

Well, the votes are in, and it would appear that CPSM has ended up in the top spot.  It was pretty darn close, and I was on the very edge of my seat until the last minute (which seemed to last a lifetime!).  I've got a whole host of feelings swirling around in my brain and in my heart over this whole thing.  It might take a bit to get it all down.  Meanwhile there's a lot of messages and emails to field - and a promised article for a Pagan magazine that's due today (and it's not quite finished).

So I will just start with a big ol' heaping shovelful (a spoonful just didn't sound like enough) of gratitude.  Gratitude to everyone who spent time and energy casting votes, writing letters of support, who defended the Pagan faith (and me personally) through this whole thing that should have just been a blog popularity contest, but that developed into something so much more than that.

I'd also like to extend a little apology.  An apology to those bloggers who had nothing to do with this whole mess - some of which might not even have known that there was a mess going on - and probably would have had their blogs in the top 25 if it hadn't have happened.  I'm sure they are disappointed.

All in all, there are 12 Pagan blogs in the top 25.  Twelve!!  That's amazing.  It's a show of the strength and unity of the Pagan community and it's supporters.  If we can get together like this for a blog popularity contest?  Think of what we could do with something really, really important.

I'll have more on this later.  Still letting everything sink in and thinking big thoughts.  =)




This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Voting ends tomorrow! Tonight!

Voting ends tonight at 8 pm EST.   The votes between the top few bloggers are very close!  Make sure to vote for your favorites!

This is post copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Lavender Simple Syrup

Recently I visited the local "pick-your-own" lavender farm with my favorite group of Pagan ladies.  Not only did we cut bundles of fresh lavender, but I was also able to get a nice big bag of dried lavender to supplement what I grow and dry myself in the garden.

So what's a girl to do with a bag of lavender that's never been touched by chemicals?  Lavender syrup, that's what!

The Brilliant Words of Rev. Desmond Tutu

Photo credit: Elke Wetzig
Via Wikimedia Commons

Today the Huffington Post shared an article that was excerpted from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's new book, God Is Not A Christian: And Other Provocations.


I was so touched by his words, his example and his beliefs, I had to share some quotes from the book here.

"My first point seems overwhelmingly simple: that the accidents of birth and geography determine to a very large extent to what faith we belong." ....  "You could so easily have been an adherent of the faith that you are now denigrating, but for the fact that you were born here rather than there."

"My second point is this: not to insult the adherents of other faiths by suggesting, as sometimes has happened, that for instance when you are a Christian the adherents of other faiths are really Christians without knowing it. We must acknowledge them for who they are in all their integrity, with their conscientiously held beliefs; we must welcome them and respect them as who they are..." ... "We must be ready to learn from one another, not claiming that we alone possess all truth and that somehow we have a corner on God."

"When we read the classics of the various religions in matters of prayer, meditation, and mysticism, we find substantial convergence, and that is something to rejoice at. We have enough that conspires to separate us; let us celebrate that which unites us, that which we share in common."

"It is often said, half in jest, that God created man in his own image and man has returned the compliment, saddling God with his own narrow prejudices and exclusivity, foibles and temperamental quirks."

"We have claimed to be a fellowship of compassion and caring and sharing, but as Christians we often sanctify sociopolitical systems that belie this, where the rich grow ever richer and the poor grow ever poorer, where we seem to sanctify a furious competitiveness, ruthless as can only be appropriate to the jungle."

And of course you could substitute any religion in the place of "Christians" and this would apply to them just as well.  We could all use more tolerance, more acceptance and less prejudice.  Ignore those who would use words or actions (and backhanded compliments) against us, stand tall and stand strong - and remember that there are still those out there of every faith who are willing to extend their hands in friendship.



This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Pagan Holidays, Days of Note and Moon Phases for June 2011

June 1: New Moon
June 1: Partial Solar Eclipse (visible in most parts eastern Alaska, Asia, Alaska, some of northern Canada, and Greenland)
June 1: Festival Day of Carna
June 3: Festival Day of Bellona
June 7: Vestalia
June 8: First Quarter Moon
June 11: Matralia
June 14: Flag Day
June 15: Full Moon
June 15: Complete Lunar Eclipse (visible throughout most of  Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia)
June 19: Father's Day
June 19: Asatru Alliance Founding Day
June 21: Summer Solstice (Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere)
June 23: Last Quarter Moon

Know of an important Pagan or Pagan-related date that should be here and isn't?  Contact me and let me know!


This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Mrs.B. Reads....... Go the Fuck To Sleep by Adam Mansbach

The minute I heard the name of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy!  What parent, exhausted and bordering on insanity, has not just prayed their kid would just go the (insert whatever word you used) to sleep?  I'm not even going to lie and say that I didn't!

Written in rhyme and with gorgeous illustrations by Ricardo Cortés,  Go The Fuck to Sleep is a parody not meant to be read to your children, but instead is meant to bring laughter to parents who are on their last nerve at yet another request for a glass of water, another story (making it the 375th book read that night), or another trip to the potty.  As a parent of teens and a tween, I'm well past those days, by rolled in laughter at the memories this hilarious book brought back!  I've shared it with several friends who literally laughed out loud at the little gem of a book.

This book isn't due out to the general public until June 14, but it's spent the last 37 days in the Top 100 Bestsellers on amazon.com - some of that time in the #1 spot.  More than 100,000 copies have been pre-ordered.   It's not even out yet, and the film rights have already been sold - pretty nifty stuff for both the author and for Akashic Books, an indie publisher based in Brooklyn, NY.

So what's all the fuss about?  Adam Mansbach, author of several books including the best-selling Angry Black White Boy and winner of several writing awards wrote this book in honor of his struggles getting his adorable daughter, Vivien to sleep.  Apparently Adam knows what most parents eventually learn: you have to have a sense of humor, or you'll end up bald and drooling in the fetal position.   The simple and profane rhymes chronicle a parent's frustration of not only getting your child to sleep, but also trying to sneak out of the room without waking your child up, and that darn microwave beep that never, ever seemed so loud during the day.

And with dreamy illustrations, it's the perfect pee-your-pants laughing  adult bed time story!

"The tiger relines in the simmering jungle.  The sparrow has silenced her cheep.
Fuck your stuffed bear, I'm not getting you shit.  Close your eyes.  Cut the crap. Sleep"

Perfect for any parent of young children, older children or those considering parenthood (I'll certainly be passing this out at every baby shower I'm ever invited to for the rest of my life - they'll thank me one day).   Not only will the book tickle their funny bone, but it will let them know that they are human, that others feel this way, and they are not alone in their frustrations of bedtime routines.

Thank you, Adam Mansbach, for saying what all of us parents have been thinking for years and were too afraid to say!

Disclaimer: I was given a free advanced copy of this book by the publisher for review.  I was not paid for a positive review, the book just deserved one.

This is post copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!