All Quiet On The Eastern Front

*Religious Content - Don't Like It? Turn Back NOW* Thank goodness that's over. Yes, that baseball game. I spent most of late yesterday evening re-freshing my computer screen, aggravating my carpal tunnel syndrome and that bruise I got on my wrist yesterday. I was riveted because I thought maybe the Yankees would pull it out of their ass in the bottom of the 9th and I didn't want to miss it. It would have been better to have watched it on TV but... oh well. Chandra over at JP's blog said that it would cool if the Astros and the Red Sox were in the World Series since that's where Bush and Kerry are from. I think it would be funny but seriously, I'm sick of the election and just wish it were tomorrow. I love the fact that West Virginia was a swing state, but now we're not, but we might be tomorrow. Pfffffffffft!!! I know a couple of swingers in WV, just not along the political lines. I'm feeling better today since my bout of honesty. This too shall pass. Life cycles... everything cycles. Warning: Wiccan Ideology Ahead. Halloween approaches, which is the beginning of the year for us. Halloween is a time to remember those who have passed before us in the previous year. Its actually a fairly somber occasion. Because peeps don't like us, we had to relegate ourselves to the UU in town last year. We used to hold services at a park outside of the city but the Christians got upset that we were on "their" hallowed premises after dark and near their Haunted Trail. Yeah, they can have a haunted trail but we can't hold a religious service. Eh. The joke's on them. We couldn't use wine in the park but we did in the church... so, nyah. We could have used wine in the park and gotten into some boosh-boosh about it being for a religious service blah, blah, blah, blah but that's the Wiccan's who want to piss off the establishment and further their own agenda. I'm all for religious freedom but I feel no need to buck any and every thing out there. Besides, it was feckin' 20 degrees outside!!! I bet the cops miss us though, we used to give them warm spiced cider. Digression again. Anyway, the Wiccan Calendar begins on October 31st with Halloween. Its followed by Yule on the Winter Solstice, then Imbolc on February 2nd, Ostara, which falls on the Spring Equinox, normally around March 21st, Beltane, which is either celebrated on April 30th or May 1st, followed by Litha on the Summer Soltice in June, Lughnasadh on July 31st and Mabon on the Autumn Equinox. So cycles the seasons, so cycles the Earth, so cycles life. I see the Canadian Christians are a might bit concerned at Halloween being on Sunday. The article is here. Notice that we witches aren't the least bit concerned that those Christians are going to have Sabbath on OUR holiest day. *Rolls eyes* I hope you weren't expecting me to be PC about this whole thing. If you hit The Witches Voice, there is a neat article on courting the religious vote. Someone actually made up a spell to assist John Kerry. Hmmmmm.... If you want to read something really funny about Christians and Halloween, its here. Here's a preview: Thou Shall Not Change Halloween for "Christian" Reasons Why in God's name are people trying to move Halloween this year to October 30? By Matt Hutaff Oct 19, 2004 "[Sunday is] a day for the good Lord, not for the devil," Barbara Braswell of Newnan, Georgia exclaimed last Friday. Oh, really? I love the audacity and ignorance of the typical churchgoer, in particular brain-dead rednecks who actually think that God prefers which day of the week one prays to Him. You'd think that the sincerity of the prayer would overshadow what calendar day it was e-mailed to Heaven, but then thinking enters the equation, a step most fundamentalists bypass when it comes to their faith. Matt goes on to explain that he was previously a... FUNDAMENTALIST!! If you want to argue religion with a Wiccan make sure they are NOT a reformed fundamentalist. You. Will. Lose. Its actually quite hilarious. I've seen this happen. Although my friend D. was not a fundie, he was a staunch, staunch member of the church and knows his shit. I watched him leave the mother-in-law of my nabes with her mouth hanging open as they traded scriptures as to who was right and who was wrong. We're all right peeps. I have no desire to trade scriptures, barbs or otherwise about religious principles and I figure if you give them enough rope they'll hang themselves. I don't owe anyone an explanation as to why I believe the way I do. I do. That's it. When D. and I were having a, I believe, Litha ritual in my front yard, the mother-in-law of the nabes showed up and her husband had to drag her away as she kept inquiring what we were doing. I told her we were in the middle of a religious ceremony and could she please go away for a bit. I think it was pretty evident something was going on since I had half a dozen candles lit, my alter smack dab in the middle of the yard and oh, yeah, that robe thing miiiight have given it away. Or was I wearing blue? D. had the robe, I normally wear blue, except at Halloween. Thereafter I cleaned up as she and D. discussed religion. UGH! The part that made me turn and take notice was when she said, "Well, you all can't hurt me! I'm washed in the blood of the lamb of Jesus Christ." This is when D. stepped aside and allowed the Goddess of the house to take over. I calmly and politely informed her that I had no idea who she was, what she was about or otherwise had any intentions of doing any harm to her as it was AGAINST MY RELIGION!!! But, I will guarantee you this... if I wanted to, if I really wanted to... I could. If I wanted to accept the consequences of my actions threefold, I most certainly could. Yeah, I can be that mean. Don't think the thought doesn't go through my head. Actually I heard from a very good source that her husband was asked to leave their last church for, ahem, sexual indiscretions. *Raised eyebrow, knowing smirk/sneer which someone would probably love to wipe off my face* She also tried to draw me into a religious discussion later which I promptly halted by telling her that I was not D. and I felt no need to explain nor justify my religion to her or anyone else. Given the nasty look she got I'm surprised she didn't cross herself or something. She may be "washed in the blood of the lamb of Jeeesus Christ!" but I stand in the light of the Goddess and it means as much to me as her lamb's blood does to her. Here's an article about the Tulsa Pagan Pride Day. The PPD that almost wasn't. It was the first PPD to have an injunction filed against it to prevent it from occuring. If you don't feel like reading all the legal mumbo-jumbo, long story short is: They moved it to a different location, had 10 vendors and donated approximately 200 POUNDS OF FOOD TO THE TULSACARES FOOD BANK. Peeps who try to stand in the way of good works should be doused with boogers and snot. I was going to say pig's blood but I felt sorry for the pigs. There was enough bloodshed above with the lambs. Here's the song of the day: Witchy Woman - The Eagles (from Eagles - Released 1972) Well I know you want a lover, let me tell your brother, she's been sleeping in the Devil's bed. And there's some rumors going round someone's underground she can rock you in the nighttime 'til your skin turns red woo hoo witchy woman see how high she flies woo hoo witchy woman she got the moon in her eye *Wink*