Topic: The Magickal Web

Dharmic Religions:
Santana Dharma (Most Hinduism)
Buddha Dharma
Jain Dharma
Sikh Dharma
Lingayatism

One of the reasons why Wicca is such an elegant religion is that our guiding metaphors are adaptable. We practice an Earth religion, which means that your first task as a Wiccan is to enter into a relationship with the Earth. That isn’t just an abstract concept. When we call on Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, many of us are thinking of nice poetic ideas: stability, the color green, high mountains and giant redwoods…when in fact, we may live in an environment where the Earth is red-brown, and the tallest mountain in a hundred mile radius is the big pile of dirt in the backyard. Nature is dirty and wet and it gets under our fingernails and it sometimes has thorns. How are we to truly connect with Nature if we are only doing it in our heads?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a heathen as a person "whose religion is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Mohammedan."

Imbolc is one of the so-called "Greater Sabbats" amongst Pagan Witches, such as myself (with the Solstices and Equinoxes being the "Lesser Sabbats"). To my Celtic and Irish ancestors it was a date that was endemically associated with both lactation and motherhood in humans, as well as animals (particularly ewes). The term "imbolc" itself bears apparent denotations with a P-Celtic term for "milk."

The origins of the magic circle lie in ancient history, forms of it were used in old Babylonian magic and many of the Ceremonial Magicians of the Middle Ages and Renaissance used them. In pre-Christian Europe most Pagan religious festivals took place in circles, normally outdoors under the sky and stars at night. There they celebrated the Earth's fertility and worshiped the Sun, Moon and Deities. But with the rise of Christianity and the newly powerful church, most of these pagan rites were outlawed and the oncoming persecution of witches forced the practice underground. The pagans became secretive about their rites and practiced them outside only after dark, lit by fires and torches in far-out the way places. Others brought the practice indoors away from prying eyes. Stone circles such as Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments, sacred groves and revered springs across Europe, are remnants of those ancient days.

On October 18, 2006 at approximately 2 am I was stopped by Deputy Justin Revnell. He claimed that I had been weaving as I drove. He approached my vehicle, but refused to tell me why he stopped me. He asked for my driver’s information. I indicated that it was in my purse, which was in the back seat of my car. He told me to get it. I couldn’t reach my purse from the driver’s seat so I attempted to open my door. Revnell angrily slammed it shut. I tried to explain that getting out was the only way to reach my purse. Revnell opened my car door and ordered me to the back of my car. As I complied with his order, he reached in and took my purse out of the back seat. As he walked around, he was riffling through it. I continued to ask why I was stopped and to talk to his supervisor. He asked if there was anything that could hurt or cut him. I told him about my small athame set in the pocket. Without asking for an explanation of why I had them, he hand cuff me and put me in the back seat of his patrol car. I was very confused and very frightened. I didn’t understand why this was happening to me and they refused to give me any information, nor were my right read to me. Revnell and another officer searched my car. I did not consent to search of my purse or car, nor did the deputies give me a breathalyzer test or any other test for driving under the influence. It was quite apparent that I wasn’t impaired, therefore there was no reason for them to detain me.

The United States of America is a civilization founded on Greco-Roman principles. The concept of democracy was derived from the ancient Greece under Pericles, and its functional republic is the Roman model perfected.

A federal lawsuit filed by Wiccans against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will proceed despite a request by the VA that it be put on hold for perhaps as much as a year.

Charmed is a television series about the three Halliwell sisters, who in their mid-twenties discovered they are witches with magical powers. As an added bonus, they find out that they are good witches and they are supposed to use their powers only for noble altruistic acts. And in no case should they use it for personal gain. In the first season, we learn that they are a staple against evil, and highly covenanted by dark forces. Their powers hold great potential for evil warlocks and demons.

In Wicca, ethics (or valued beliefs) play an important role. One common ethic is The Rede, which states “Harm None.” This means don’t cause (yourself or anyone else) intentional harm in daily life and when utilizing Magick. There is an extension of this rule that suggests that manipulating another person via spells is harmful. Each person has free will to make their own choices and it is not ethical to invade this right. Some love spells are manipulative and go against The Rede, whereas others are okay. So how does one go about deciding what’s ethical and what’s not? Great question.