I will be delivering a course on Pagan leadership with the Raven Academy of Mystical Arts.
community
BIPOC Pagan Reading List
A reading list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) authors covering Paganism, the occult, astrology, Tarot, and Indigenous spirituality.
Note that the deities of African diaspora religions can only be contacted through those religions and not via other religions. And that Indigenous life ways and spiritual practices are specific to their cultures and should not be culturally appropriated.
I’ve put out a call on Twitter and Instagram for more books to add to this list, and I will post updates (as I do with the Queer Pagan Reading List).
Black Lives Matter, Revolution, and the Tower
Reflections on systemic racism and how to deal with it, with reference to Tarot imagery. A powerful, must-read article.
I don’t really know how to write this post. The conversation about Black Lives Matter (hint: they do), about police violence against Black civilians,…
Frederic Lamond, 1931 – 2020
Frederic Lamond, 1931 — 24 May 2020.
Very sad news. I first met Fred in the 1990s and I have many happy memories of him. I also have all of his books. We had great conversations about Wicca and other things and he told me stories about the early days of Wicca. Usually this was around the campfire. I have lit a candle for him. I was also on several mailing lists with him (in the era before Facebook). We wrote a piece together on secrecy in the Craft, which is included in my book (with credit to him).
He will be warmly greeted in the Summerlands by those who are already there. Condolences to Hildegard and the coven. Blessed be.
Theatres are sacred
Theatres are sacred. They were first formalized in Ancient Greece, but doubtless sacred drama is as old as ritual. It’s from the ancient polytheistic Greeks that we have written dramas, comedy, tragedy, and theatrical concepts like the chorus, catharsis and the deus ex machina.
So the loss of places to perform live theatre should be of concern to Pagans. It’s just come to my attention that the theatre in the city where I grew up is closing because of the pandemic. And there’s a petition to save it.
Happy Beltane
Happy Beltane everyone. Up the May!
Idylwild Morris performing Bonny Green Garters for your viewing pleasure!
My first “public” Morris dance
UPDATE: and here we are performing Hal-an-Tow, a traditional May Morning song from Padstow, Cornwall.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like my new book, Dark Mirror: the Inner Work of Witchcraft.
Using the inclusive Wicca symbol
The inclusive Wicca symbol was devised by me, but other people are welcome, and encouraged, to use it. I would prefer it if people used it to represent genuinely inclusive Wicca. To that end, I am licensing it under Creative Commons.
Folklore Against Fascism
One of the highlights of my week is the Folklore Thursday hashtag on Twitter. I’ve not had time to look at it for a few weeks though, so it seems I missed the occasion when some völkisch fascists tried to hijack it, much to the horror of the regular participants.
One of them accordingly started a second hashtag, Folklore Against Fascism, and several participants tweeted about their opposition to fascism and commitment to inclusive folklore.
A Witches’ Toast
Wherever the Wica may be
In air, on land or sea,
May the Wica blessed be!
WASSAIL!!!
Notable and quotable: coronavirus (3)
As coronavirus lockdown continues and the case count spirals upwards, people are getting more anxious and in need of community support. Here’s another roundup of coronavirus posts.
