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by Dominique

Lets Plot a Fairy Garden

May 17, 2012 in My Spiral Dance

Well its been two weeks since my last column post and I was very excited to hear the comments from the readers here at Pagan Village.  I hope that you and yours are happy, healthy, laughing and loving.  This week has been a busy one at my house, that’s for sure!

I think this week we’re going touch a little on Fairy Gardens.  I’ve always been drawn towards flowers and herbs since I was a kid, and it was actually what caused  me to turn towards my spiraling pagan path…that and my absolute love for astrology and pull of the moon.  When I was small I would spend the majority of my time playing in the woods.  Being an only child helped my imagination on where to find companionship.  The outside provided it all.  I didn’t realize then that it was the beginning of my life as an herbalist *soon to be certified*.  I didn’t always know the name of a flower, what medicinal uses it had, or when the best time to collect its leaves were.  I DID know that the little flower I almost stepped on last week would make a perfect hat for a fairy.   Recently I’ve introduced my nine year old daughter to the idea of planning and plotting her own fairy garden.  So we made a few lists of flowers and herbs that might help you create your very own Fairy Garden.  Some of the plants I sent her to research using books and websites, I also used it for an opportunity to get my daughter into Shakespeare.  I pulled up a few pieces of plays that mentioned faeries and after hearing a few she looked at me and said “Mom, Pucks got some drama!”   *LoL* But most importantly I let her use her imagination.  When we have been walking we keep our eyes out for flowers and items that a fairy might find useful.

  • Primroses are a staple I’ve discovered, we ran across it in every possible place pertaining to fairy gardens.  It’s even nick named the Fairy Flower.  My family and I agree that they are definitely perfect fairy size.
  • Thyme and Blue Bells will help you invite fairies into your garden, and they, like many of the herbs and flowers listed, are mentioned in different fairy lore.
  • Lavender is very soothing.  It helps the fairies keep a relaxed and calm energy while about their daily, and nightly, agendas.  *Adding dried lavender anytime as an incense, pillow, candle, satchel, etc. will fill your home and with the magic of Midsummers Nights Eve for sure.
  • Lilly of the Valley are dainty, and will reflect the light of the moon for those late night fairy dances.  Not to mention the adorable little hats!
  • Forget-Me-Not’s represent youth in many ways, and you can always find them tucked in the lines of books….A fairy leaving them for someone dear to their heart.
  • Rosemary is said to captivate the attention of fairies.
  • Lames Ear *the plant not an animal part keep in mind!*  will make the perfect resting places for your fairies  Soft and fluffy as cotton.
  • Every time I look at a magnolia bloom on the ground my first thought is that if I pick it up and open the blossom I’m going to find a fairy inside, so maybe add the occasionally dropped blooms into your garden.
  • Blue Star Creeper is a great ground cover, growing at about 6 inches high with their  adorable hanging flowers are perfect for fairies to move freely about without  being in the open.

Can you think of flowers in your yard that could be used for something by a fairy?  What about shells or pine come stems for tools and walking sticks?  Let your imagination be the limit.  An age old trick that we use is adding a small saucer of milk and honey to the corner of the garden to attract fairies.  You can do this in your home in front of your hearth or at the door, but be careful to not allow ants to join in that feast!  If it’s possible try planting your fairy garden around or near a tree.  Fairies view Pine Trees as respectful, stable, reliable, and mirror friendship.  Cedar tress hare thought to ward off evil and negativity. And Oaks are majestic and wise.  Don’t forget, there’s no reason at all you have to feel restricted just to this list, or any one else’s.   I look forward to see how everyones gardens turn out, and what flowers and herbs they put together to make the perfect little fairy garden for your home.  Have a wonderful Blessed Day everyone!

The departing thought for the day…”Remember the wind longs to play with your hair, and the earth longs to feel your bare feet.”

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by velody

Flora the Greek Goddess of Spring and Flowers

May 15, 2012 in Crafty Bees

 

Depending where you live in the Northern Hemisphere it’s either at the height of Spring or starting to show that the beginning of Summer is just around the corner.

Even here in sunny hot Florida the flowers are all a bloom. This week we’re going to make some simple tissue paper flowers and talk about the Greek Goddess Flora.

The Goddess Flora

Goddess of Spring FloraFlora is not a major Greek Goddess in the pantheon but her name is known large and wide. Her name is directly derived from the Latin root “Flos” which means Flower. She has a specific set of days dedicated to her also, April 28 to May 3rd is known to some as Floralia.

Many great works of art depict her likeness which allows us to now remember her well.

 

Making Your Own Flowers

Using just tissue paper and pipe cleaners we are going to make some simple flowers to help decorate your home or altar.

Materials

  • tissues paper
  • chenille pipe cleaners
  • ruler
  • scissors

I took 3 sheets of standard 20” x ~24” paper and cut it first into 3 strips about 8” wide x 20” long. Then I folded each strip in half and cut, then folded it again and cut.

This gave me a total of 36 pieces of tissue paper squares.

I used 18 in each flower.
Accordion fold all 18 pieces together, working with the shorter side and about an inch thickness.
Find the midpoint by folding the accordion folded paper in half and wrapping the pipe cleaner around it at the point. Secure by twisting.
I took my scissors and rounded off each end of the paper at this point.
Now carefully pull apart the layers of paper and fluff into a flower!

 

**Warning: This may be a little tough for active little hands to pull a part patiently**

 

Enjoy the last reminants of Spring Everyone!!

Up next week we will be talking about Frigga in more detail and making a simple kid friendly recipe!

 

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As always I’d love if you’d not only follow myself and the other great authors here at The Pagan Village but please drop by my main site, Treegold and Beegold for more content through the week.

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by Meredith Spies

Two techniques for introducing ritual and workings to nonverbal children

May 14, 2012 in Witchtastic

As always, I’m not a doctor or healthcare provider. This is just what’s been working for my SN kiddo and myself so your mileage may vary!

Like many special needs kiddos, my son is nonverbal. Very communicative, but nonverbal save for four words. Something we have done with Spawn (not his real name, I promise!) is working with his speech therapist (he is nonverbal) to introduce the use of pictures to his day. He uses quite a bit of ASL and is still learning and using it, but the use of pictures, or a day book as we’re doing, is often very useful when interacting with friends or family who do not know ASL or when using concepts they do not have ASL for (for my kiddo, that includes some signs that he is just unable to make with his motor skill status at present). We have a basic day book with things like his favorite and most common foods, clothes, the cats, Mama and Dad, other family and friends, his toys, and hygiene. As we’ve started working more with Spawn and ritual and Paganism, we’ve also started creating a Pagan Book and a sensory box for him.

He has a sensory box for every day play. It includes some soft things, a tub of “gack” (cornstarch and water), modeling clay, jacks, a rubber ball, a light and various other sensory input goodies that he plays with and is using to become more comfortable with different textures. I started a Pagan sensory box to supplement the Pagan Book and use for familiarizing himself with different things used in our at-home rituals and workings. He’s far too young to handle blades and herbs but I put dried flowers wrapped in a see-through fabric sack (the kind from bridal supply aisles), incense in a sealed plastic bag (he can touch and feel the shape and smell it, but he can’t get it on his hands or in his mouth), heavy-duty candle holders, and bowls and other items like what we use during our rituals and workings where we would like to involve him. We bring out the sensory box usually a few hours before the ritual itself and include anything that might make noise (bells, drums) for him to play with and hear.

The Pagan Book I mentioned earlier is very similar. We took pictures of all the things we use, including images and items we have around the house, seasonal items (holly, for example, or autumn leaves). The images are very simple and clear, not too layered or complex. For Spawn’s needs, we’ve found this works well because it minimizes confusion about items as well as erases ambiguity when he is trying to use the book to show us something (this goes for his regular day book, too). He uses this a bit less than the sensory box mainly because most of the ritual items are already in the box itself. It is very helpful, though, when signs fail us. Teaching a nonverbal toddler with motor skill issues the sign for “goddess” didn’t work as well as I’d hoped! Being nonverbal is frustrating all around, for both the kid and the parents and other family and friends, but we are finding the books help, especially as we are tailoring them to his needs and life rather than using premade ones or sticking solely to what the speech therapist uses in their visits.

Next time, it’s time to talk about establishing a Pagan presence in your child’s community!

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by Julie

What’s That For? and Whatcha Doin’?

May 11, 2012 in Lagniappe

The ribbons I made for IPCOD.

Two things to cover in this article; International Pagan Coming Out Day and Kids Beltane.

For Pagan Coming Out Day, I did a few things. I printed out the logo a few times. I taped two of them to my car windows and one to the back of my computer screen (which is what people see coming into my office). I changed my profile picture on Facebook, and made a dark green and brown silk ribbon to wear. It may not have been a huge public display, but I wanted to do my part. Oddly enough, I only had one person ask me what the ribbon was for. When I said “Pagan Coming Out Day” she looked puzzled, mostly because she wasn’t exactly sure what a “Pagan” was. So I explained, indicating that a lot of people are afraid to lose their jobs, their homes, their kids just because of what they believe. She thought that was horrible and we talked for a couple of minutes about why I was wearing the ribbons, and that was it. No backlash, no look of terror at the “Pagan” in her office. The rest of the day proceeded as normal.

I found it really funny, as in odd, because if I saw someone wearing a ribbon, I’d ask what it was for. But then again, I’m curious that way. And I figure if they didn’t want people knowing whatever cause they were supporting, they wouldn’t wear it to begin with.  So I was really surprised that only one person asked. And in all honesty, she asked because, as she said “With you, Julie, it could be anything!”

The really cool part of Pagan Coming Out Day? My son wanted a ribbon, too. We talked about it, because while many adults have learned to either ignore or simply look the other way and pretend to ignore, kids have not. So we talked about kids, or teachers, asking and what would he say. We talked about how some people may think it’s bad or wrong. So we had a dialogue sort of planned. He said if anyone told him it was wrong, he would just tell them that they’re welcome to their opinion.

More than anything, that day, I was waiting to hear what he had to say. I was proud of him for wanting to wear it, but I had to admit to being a little worried. Would he be ok? Would anyone really give him a hard time? Would the teachers make him take off the ribbon? What would MY reaction be if any of that happened?

The day wore on. No phone calls from school telling me of any incidents. No phone calls from my sister, who picks him up at after-school, telling me he was in tears because someone picked on him. No text messages, no emails.

When I got home, I saw he was still wearing his ribbon. I asked how his day was. He talked about his homework and how he got all his math questions right. He talked about what they had for lunch. I asked him if anyone wanted to know about his ribbon.

“Oh, yeah.  A few people asked. One girl asked if it was my birthday!”

“What did you say?”

“I told them it’s Pagan Coming Out Day.”

“What did they say?”

“A couple of people just said ‘Oh.’One guy wanted to know WHY I was wearing it. I told him it was cause I’m PAGAN! Duh!”

“Did anybody say anything else?”

“Nope. We just went back to playing ‘Avengers.’”

So all my worries were for nothing, thank the Goddess! I know not everyone has that experience and I am so happy that my son did. And even prouder of him for being willing to wear the ribbon, knowing full well that it could mark him as “different.” I can tell you I said “thank you” to the Goddess several times that night and cried a few tears of joy.

And speaking of kids, we had a great group for a kids Beltane on Sunday, the 6th. My friend graciously opened her home and approximately 7 kids and 4 adults enjoyed a Phineas and Ferb themed Beltane. If you’ve never seen the show, DO! Yes, it’s a kid’s show, but it’s really quite fun! Phineas and Ferb, two brothers, use their summer to create all sorts of inventions, such as the largest roller coaster in the Tri-State Area, a portal to Mars, a time machine, a backyard beach, etc. Their sister, Candace, is constantly trying to “Bust” them, while their pet platypus, Perry, is REALLY Secret Agent P, fighting his nemesis, Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz, an evil scientist bent on controlling the TRI…STATE….AREA! (insert Dr. D theme here). We used the boys, Candace, their friends, and parents to welcome and call the elements and Lord and Lady and talked about how Beltane is all about creation.

A very special thank you to my friend, Thomas Forshaw, for sending me text messages as Major Monogram, Secret Agent P’s contact in the spy organization, OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym), giving me the authority to deputize new agents to help fight evil by creating things for good.

Of course, as one of the adults pointed out, of Dr. D and Agent P, Dr. D is really the agent of creation and Agent P is the agent of destruction, as he thwarts all of Dr. D’s plans and destroys his “inators.” But that’s a topic for a completely different article.

The best part is that the kids really seemed to love it! They loved talking about the characters and using them to call the elements. They loved have mini pumpkin tarts and lemonade for cakes and ale. (“Who wants pie?”) They loved creating stuff before the ritual. And they really loved being involved! I so can’t wait to do more Sabbats with these kids and others. Now we just have to find a “neutral” spot so we can open it up to the public.

Watching my son participating, seeing him stand up for what we believe, watching him raise his little arms in the air to call Fire and welcome all beings of good will into the circle, just made my heart soar.

As much as I love my “grown up” rituals, I honestly can’t remember feeling as thrilled at being Wiccan as I have been having my son share it with me.

 

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by velody

Crafty Bees: May King and Queen of the Day

May 8, 2012 in Crafty Bees

CraftyBeesLogo_thumb1Beltaine has just gone by but that doesn’t mean we still can’t have fun at home!

This week we’re going to be making a simple Mini Maypole (or it could be a Ribbon Wand), along with paper crowns for all your May Kings or Queens.

History of the May Pole

The May Pole is a symbol of Spring fertility. The top of the pole has multiple long strands of ribbon attached to it that go to the ground. A set of dancers of equal number male and female circle the May Pole in opposite directions weaving their ribbons in and out of each other. The last female and last male still holding onto their ribbons are declared the May King & Queen.

Lets Make our Own Mini May Pole

We aren’t going to have any dancing around our May Pole. It’s being made from:IMG_1634

  • a small dowel from a local craft store
  • an assortment of thin 3/8” ribbon
  • a nail
  • a fluffy pom pom
  • hot glue

This is very simple.

We’re going to cut the dowel to 12 inches

We’re going to cut all of our ribbon to 12 inches . I cut 12 pieces.

IMG_1636Put the nail through the ends of all the pieces of ribbon. I left only 1/4 inch of the ribbon on the other side of the nail for stability.

Then carefully drive the nail into the top of the dowel. Be very careful to not split it. Use a small tack nail. I had some laying around from IKEA type furniture.

***Ensure that all the ribbon is distributed around the nail before you fully nail it in. You won’t be able to move the ribbon after it is in.***

Last I hot glued the pom pom on top.

***For children a hair older than mine let them decorate the dowel with markers***

Mini May Pole - Beltaine

King and Queen of the May Crowns

CrownTemplateI’m created a print out for a single King or Queen of the May Crown.

You can find the download link right here for the PDF.

Print as many as you need. The page has the crown and the band separate. That way you can adjust it for each little one’s head.

Have the kids color their crowns and then glue, tape, or paper clip the band to the appropriate size.

If you would like the crown to be a bit more sturdy print it on cardstock paper.

Now let their imaginations run free!

I hope you all enjoyed this weeks craft.

Coming up Next week we are going to be talking about some Spring Goddesses and making Flowers for a cute decoration.

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by Dominique

Taking a Peek at my Spiraling Dance

May 2, 2012 in My Spiral Dance

I’d like to start off by saying thank you to Pagan Village for welcoming me into the family, and I’m very excited to see where this all takes us.  Every day we are given the chance seize something new and make it our very own, let’s all learn a little something from each other.   My names Dominique, and I’ve been practicing my own kind of eclectic path since I was a teenager.  Now I’m a stay at home mom of two great kids.  My daughter’s nine going on nineteen and has recently become very involved in the Craft in our home.  I have been very blessed to have children with such open hearts.  My son is almost six and he has autism.  He’s an amazing character with a personality to light up everything he touches. My husband and I could not have been more different when we met 8 years ago, but today our faith and beliefs run hand in hand.    In my home you will probably trip over the kittens and be sat on by dogs but you will feel the love and acceptance that lives here.    I learned early to be a free thinker, that everything we need is right outside our back door, and above all..listen to your soul.  It has many lifetimes worth of experience and is here to help guide you through this one. For over a decade  I’ve explored many religions, beliefs,traditions, and Faiths.  In turn I’ve kinda picked a little of this and that and discovered I’m extremely earth bound.  Paganism has such a beauty and grace to it that can be hard to find anywhere else.  The simple reason?  You are free.  You are free to feel and practice and celebrate and worship however you see fit AS LONG as it hurts none, including yourself.   Well now you have the frame work of who I am we can move forward with PaganVillage business.

Spring is in full swing in eastern North Carolina.  Flowers are blooming, the ducks have a new set of goslings they are showing off, and the kids have been amping up for summer vacation.  May Day is around the corner and we’ve been looking for larger rocks for the kids to decorate their Garden Goddesses.  My son isn’t interested in it much, but sometimes he surprises us and joins in the fun.  We lay out art supplies…i.e. glue, chalk, paint. Along with supplies the kids gather around the yard  …nutshells, feathers, grass, flowers,etc.  Once everyone has their supplies they decorate them how they see fit. Some times they don’t use rocks and instead will use a coat hanger and paper, beeswax, tissue paper, anything they are drawn to, to make a Garden Goddess.  They are as unique as the person making them!  Afterwards we will sprinkle salt water over our projects to concentrate them and allow the kids to parade their art work to the garden (or maybe the tree they’ll hang them in) –adding a kazoo or two makes the parade much more lively!  Normally we leave little saucers of milk and honey at the edge of the garden to attract fairies, too.

Another favorite I’ve discovered of children of all ages is a May Day *Prince,Princess,Queen,King” Self portrait.  Putting all the crayons,chalk,paint,makers in the middle of the table and giving each participant a sheet of paper.  What do you see?  The Goddess and God have made us exactly perfect in their image, express it! Make sure to add a flower crown before you hang it up for display.

Well I don’t want to wear out my welcome the first week so I will leave you with this in mind…Remember the wind longs to play with your hair, the earth longs to feel your bare feet, the water is eager to wash away your problems, and fires keeping you safe from harm .  Have a Blessed week!

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by velody

Crafty Bees: 3 Goddess Paper Dolls

May 1, 2012 in Crafty Bees

CraftyBeesLogoHi all and welcome to Crafty Bee’s first post over here on The Pagan Village. Since this is the first I’ll take a moment to introduce myself before we jump into our first craft.

First an Introduction

I’m Velody, a married mom of 2 little paganlings. Wee Rose will be 2 in July and Lil’ R will be 4 in June. I run a business and blog called Treegold & Beegold where I blog about crafting, paganism, parenting and my newest items for my Etsy Shop. The focus of the shop is items for Pagan Children and Families.

 

What is Crafty Bees?

This column Crafty Bees is going to specifically be about Pagan themed children’s crafts. Many of these you will recognize but I’ve added some twists to theme them appropriately. Often I will accompany the craft with written literature.

Now onto our project!

 

3 Goddess Paper Dolls

April 30th/May 1st is called by some Walpurgisnacht. It is a spring festival that is large in Central and Northern Europe. For many it is known as a night for the Witches. In Germany it is thought the witches congregate on a specific mountain on this night. Walpurgisnacht has a lot of similarities with the Celtic Beltane. One difference is some see Walpurgisnacht as a time of reverence for 3 of the Norse Goddesses, Freya, Frigga and Hel.

In honor of them today we’re going to make a 3 Goddess Paper Doll that can be cut out and colored by the little ones.

3 Goddess Paper Doll Craft          3 Goddess Paper Doll Craf

  • First grab the PDF document Here.
  • I printed out or copies on colored paper. I had to cut the colored paper to fit in the printer but it works.
  • Fold the paper in thirds and cut out your ladies. Make sure the arms go all the way to the edges and even the skirt if you want another connecting point.
  • Unfold and have the kids color on the backside.
  • Now go have fun!

IMG_1596        IMG_1606

Yes I helped Wee Rose with hers. But you can see her very strong strokes involved.

 

Freyja, Frigga, & Hela

Now that we’ve colored to share a bit of background information that can be shared with the Paganlings about these Goddesses.

Freyja 

A Norse Goddess associated with many things: fertility, love, beauty, war and magic among them. She is always described as a beautiful woman who rides a chariot pulled by 2 cats, has a cloak of falcon feathers, a much coveted gold necklace and a boar by the name of Hildisvini. Her name translates to Lady while her brother Freyr’s name means Lord. She is found in many different stories.

For more on Freyja the wikipedia page has a lot of information and other references. For the Paganlings here is a nice coloring page.

Frigga

 

A Norse Goddess sometimes referred to as Queen of the Asgard. She is the wife of Odin. She is known for her roles as wife and mother and associated with things related to that: motherhood, children, home, hearth are a few.

Hel

The Norse being who presides over Hel, the land of the dead. She was appointed to the role by Odin. She is not a Goddess but the daughter of Loki.

I hope you all enjoyed our first installment of Crafty Bees. Make sure to subscribe to The Pagan Village or keep checking back. Our goal is to have a new children’s craft each week.

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by Meredith Spies

Witchtastic: An intro and a bit about ritual with Special Needs kids

April 30, 2012 in Witchtastic

I suppose I should start with an introduction. Hi! *waves* My name is Meredith and I’m a Pagan witch in Southeast Texas. I’m a mom to a toddler with Special needs and I’m also an advocate for Pagan rights, the rights of people with Special Needs, and, as someone who is poly and bi, am an advocate for GLBTQ Parenting as well as GLBTQ Pagans.

One of the things that is very important to me (and gods, there are so many!) is including my son (and other kids with special needs) in ritual and group activities. I am not a doctor, nurse, therapist or healthcare professional but I have found some things that work for my kid and want to share them as part of this column. Your individual mileage may vary and it’s always best to talk with your child’s healthcare provider before starting a new activity or if you have any questions.

My son has several issues which fall under the Special Needs umbrella so it’s always a bit of an adventure when it comes to ritual. Kids his age have a difficult enough time being still and quiet at the appropriate times, and when you add in something like sensory integration dysfunction to the mix, it becomes even more of an adventure! Sensory integration disorders can take several shapes, including things like tactile defensiveness, vestibular disorders, problems with sound (too much of it can be problematic for kids like my Spawnlet-not in a volume sense but just the sheer amount of sound in the form of voices, music, rustling clothes, etc), visual input, oral-motor issues… Any sense you can imagine or have, people with sensory disorders can have trouble with integrating it into their day. When developing a ritual with a kiddo who has any or all of these issues, I’ve found it best to plan for a much longer chunk of time than you would typically use for a ritual for just yourself, or including typical kids or adults. We’ve yet to hit on the “perfect” ritual formula which can include our kiddo, work with his particular issues, and still work for those involved who are not Special Needs, but we’ve begun including some elements which work for him, and help him to feel less overwhelmed by the entire experience. Below are some ideas we’ve begun incorporating specifically to deal with his sensory issues.

• To cast the circle: We all pick a wall and push as hard as we can against it. Hands, back, tummy, full body—whatever strikes us. Heavy work, or any activity like pushing and pulling or jumping or deep pressure (like with a weighted blanket or really big, squishy hugs) helps some kids with processing disorders and calms their tendencies to seek more input now now now now now! We push out on the walls as hard as we can, opening up the space. Spawnlet is nonverbal but uses sign, so he’s asked to wave “hi” or greet each quarter (we face North, ask him to “say hi to the spirits of the North!”, etc). When that’s done, our circle is cast.

• The Elements Spawnlet has some problems processing tactile sensations. While he loves water, the other elements sometimes upset him to the point he goes into what we call “sensory meltdown” and needs a lot of time to regroup and find his own center. In order to make it less agitating for him, we use Play-Doh, “Floam” or “gack” (cornstarch and water mixture) to represent Earth during ritual, a “push light” nightlight for fire, water goes into a deep bowl that is difficult to overturn, and air is a pinwheel from the dollar store. He will touch the Play-Doh/Floam/Gack using our hands, or sometimes his fingertips. As he has become more comfortable with these textures over the past several months, we may take some time to allow him to play with “earth”. If he gets upset and wants none of it, it’s okay, too. Water is easy enough: he loves water in any form and will splash happily in the bowl until it’s all empty or he is redirected to another activity. Truth be told, most rituals involve us being quite damp and the bowl being quite empty by the time we are ready to move to the next element. The push light for fire is safe, and his love of light and glowing things is met. He will examine the light, can push it on and off, and when we say “now light!” he will clap happily and turn it on for us. The pinwheel for air is also entertaining as he has learned to blow on it, and we tell him “air” and he will make it spin as hard as he can. Each element takes some time, gives him sensory input, and introduces the idea of Element in ritual.

• The altar We don’t actually use an altar with Spawnlet. We set the Element representations spaced out in a circle on the floor and sit down on his level. While he can and does use small tables and can sit at the “big table” for meals, setting up on the floor makes it less stressful for him when we do a ritual and also helps control any messes from spilled water, thrown “Earth”, etc. We put down a sheet and set up that way!

Next column, I’ll discuss some of the seasonal activities we’ve found which work for the Spawnlet and kiddos with his particular issues, as well as introducing a Pagan presence into your local playgroup!

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by Janet (kadiera)

What Are We Doing for Beltane?

April 28, 2012 in Guests

This year I committed to Patrick (and myself) to do a series of posts, one talking about how we planned for each Sabbat, and then a follow-up on how our holiday actually went, which I started over on The Pagan Household. I really want to celebrate the Sabbats with my children, and this was a good way to maintain accountability.

It’s been harder than I expected.

Beltane is a prime example of how things here rarely go according to plan.

A few weeks ago, I’d gone on Witchvox for the first time in ages to see if there were any new local shops, and to find addresses for a couple of shops that I knew had moved. I haven’t been to a Pagan shop in ages, and touring local shops sounded like a good way to spend one of my upcoming free afternoons.

I was quite excited to see that one shop mentioned their Beltane May Pole celebration. “Ah ha!” I thought, “This is something we can go and do as a family! No planning required! Awesome!” I tucked the thought away in my head and went on about my business, until this week when it occurred to me that something about the listing seemed odd…so I went back and checked.

Sure enough, it’s for Beltane. But the date given is not a Saturday this year…it was a Saturday last year.

So, here I am, on Thursday April 26, drafting this post and trying to figure out what to do this coming weekend for Beltane. It’s supposed to freeze tonight, so planting here is still probably out.

I think, though, that we may start work on a fairy house. Last year we cut down an Elm tree that had already been cut down once – branches grew out
of the original stump and became trunks in their own right, long before we lived here, and it left a sheltered little grove of sorts in the middle. In the decade we’ve lived here, I’ve thought several times that we should do *something* with this special little space, and cutting down the tree (which is, again, growing back out of the stumps, rather shrub like right now, but still with that little space in the middle), made me think it was the perfect spot for a fairy house.

So, that’s our plan. With any luck, we’ll have pictures to go with our follow-up post in a week or so.

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Avatar of Julie

by Julie

Well, I’ll be…

April 27, 2012 in Lagniappe

International Pagan Coming Out Day Logo

pagancomingoutday.org

Well, put this in the “I’ll be darned” category.

When I got my new job, a friend asked if I had worn my pentacle to work. It’s my favorite one and I’ve taken to wearing it all the time. As in, I don’t take it off.  So, yes, I’d worn it to work. She wanted to know if anyone had said anything to me about it.

She asked because she’s also from South Louisiana. We’ve both had histories of people making disparaging comments about our religious jewelry. In fact, when I lived here several years ago, I was advised by a co-worker at my previous job that it would be unwise if I were to wear any jewelry that let anyone know I was Wiccan. Didn’t stop me, and yeah, I got funny looks a few snarky comments, but that’s about it.

When I moved to Denver, I almost always wore my pentacles. Even wore one to my interview. It didn’t have a negative impact as far as I could tell. In fact, once I had the job, several people asked about it, not in a negative sense but in a “that’s kind of cool” sense, or at a least a “that’s interesting” sense. I think that’s because Denver, like the rest of the west, with the exception of perhaps Colorado Springs, still has a kind of frontier attitude when it comes to religion. People moved there to get away from expectations “back east” and took an attitude of “do whatever you want, just let me and mine be and I’ll do the same for you.”

Back to Baton Rouge – I expected perhaps the same snarky comments or looks. Oddly enough, I’ve gotten nary a one.  There also hasn’t been the standard barrage of questions about “where do you go to church?” If I didn’t know better, I’d say no one here cares anymore. But I do know better. I’m sure someone does, but I just haven’t run into them yet.

Then I got an even bigger shock from a very unexpected source. The Boy Scouts.

Yes, you read that correctly, the Boy Scouts.

You see, my son wanted to be in the Boy Scouts. I have a whole range of objections to some of the official Boy Scout policies, specifically their stance on openly gay members and leaders, so I wasn’t going to let him do it. But there are a lot more things about the Boy Scouts that I do respect, such as their philosophy of responsibility to self *and* community. That fits right along with what I practice as a Wiccan. So I let him try it. He loved it! We started in Denver and his Pack leader knew I was Pagan (again, not hiding the jewelry was kind of a give-away and she asked). And even though faith is a part of the BSA curriculum, the leaders in the Denver pack considered it a very personal thing. It was each parent’s responsibilities to discuss faith, if any, with their son.

So I was a little concerned when I moved here and he wanted to continue. In Denver, the pack met at a school. Here, they meet at a church. In Denver, they didn’t start each pack meeting or event with a prayer. Here they do.  As I haven’t taken off this pentacle in a few months, they’ve all seen it. I was really surprised when, after speaking with the pack leader for a few moments before one of the events we attended, he started the prayer by looking at my son and me and saying something to the effect of “please join us as your faith would have you pray.” He proceeded to do as generic, as neutral a prayer as possible. Granted, it didn’t include anything to the Goddess, and I doubt everyone would have wanted me to pray as my faith would really have me pray by casting a Circle and calling Quarters, but I could tell he was sincerely trying to be inclusive. And he’s done that at every event we’ve attended since.

So what does all this mean? Has Louisiana suddenly become a place of tolerance? A safe harbor in the rough sea of open hostilities and agendas hidden like rocky shoals, looming just under the surface? Given that the Louisiana Republican Primary went to Rick Santorum, that’s not bloody likely.  But maybe it is a bit of hope.

And I’m going to hang on to that hope for dear life. In fact, I’m going to use it as my anchor for the upcoming International Pagan Coming Out Day (www.pagancomingoutday.org) on May 2nd.

I had grand dreams of setting up a tent in the middle of downtown Baton Rouge with the IPCOD logo on a poster. I just wanted to be a presence in a busy place and be available to answer questions or talk. I knew I wouldn’t have a large group of people with me. The Pagans I know here are “out” in their own circles, but some are, understandably, very concerned about being so publicly “out” of their respective broom closets.

Alas, May 2nd is a work day and I don’t have the hours available to take off. Darn it! The weekend before wouldn’t have been as big a deal because, well, Baton Rouge downtown life isn’t all that vibrant on weekends. I’d get about as much attention then as I would standing in the middle of LSU’s Tiger Stadium when there isn’t a game going on.

Instead, I’m going for a more low key approach and will encourage my friends here to do the same. Here’s some suggestions for May 2nd. Do one or as many of them as you would like!

  1. Print out postcard size pictures of the IPCOD logo (available on their website). Put one on your desk, one in the window of your car, one on your backpack, purse, briefcase, etc.
  2. Change your computer wallpaper to the IPCOD logo.
  3. The logo is green and brown, so make a bow with ribbons of those colors and wear it that day. (You KNOW someone’s going to ask what it’s for!)
  4. Change your voice mail message and email signatures to include “Happy International Pagan Coming Out Day!”

I’m sure there are lots of other little things that can be done. The point is, to do something, anything, that just says “I’m here, I’m Pagan and I’m going to publicly celebrate that fact for one day.”

And maybe, little by little, it won’t be so surprising that Boy Scout Pack Leaders are trying to be inclusive of the Pagans in their midst.

Gaudeum veni incus

 

A note on the column name: When Patrick asked me to name my regular column, I wanted to come up with a name that reflected the culture of South Louisiana. “Lagniappe” (pronounced “lan-yap”) is a word used in South Louisiana to indicate a special gift, or a little something extra you weren’t expecting. I decided that seemed to fit quite nicely. So enjoy the Lagniappe!

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