Earth Religions

QuietWOW · January 14th, 2001, 07:34 PM

For a Wiccan there is both a Goddess and a God and Christmas is not the winter festival. Instead, Wiccans celebrate Yule otherwise known as the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It marks the return, or rebirth, of the Sun King.

Ways in which Wiccans celebrate this holiday include: telling stories and singing, putting up a tree, making a yule wreath, decorating, doing things in the community.

Do you know more about the Earth Religions? Or just want to discuss these ideas?

DrHilieWho · February 16th, 2001, 03:20 AM

Interesting announcement along pagan lines...

Although paganism is growing rapidly, the majority of children's organizations maintain a Christian focus. Now there is a scouting program for boys and girls based on Earth religions. Spiral Scouts? was started in 1999, and is just now starting to gain international attention. We are seriously considering joining when our son is old enough. You can find out more about the group at http://www.spiralscouts.org

DrHilieWho · April 15th, 2001, 07:28 PM

I'm having a particularly bad day, and no, it isn't a coincidence that it's Easter Sunday. My husband is not a Christian, I am not a Christian, we're raising our children as Pagans. So why do our kids have Easter baskets and Easter clothes?? Why did we have an Easter Sunday Dinner with my mother in law (who, btw, hasn't been to church since she was married!) ? Why is my husband supporting these gifts at all?

I'm not happy about what's been going on in WS either. I think that is what bothers me the most, this is one problem that I can not go in there and spout about because I would get little support. I would get questions, jokes, people trying to convince me that Jesus is my savior....

Sorry about the vent, but I've had it to HERE!!! Who's ready for May Day?? :-)

kathe nichols · April 16th, 2001, 12:47 PM

DrHilieWho, I hear you about the christian focus of WS. I got really frustrated a few times when someone just offered to do Tarot readings, and people went off the deep end.. we couldn't get the room back OFF the topic of Satanism for nearly a half hour. :::sigh and growl:::

We don't do easter at all, except dinner with my parents (and dinner is traditionally rabbit, so... it's pretty much a joke and an excuse to get together). We DID give the kids "easter" stuff (bunnies, eggs, etc, with a minimum of candy) for the Equinox.

:::another deep sigh::: I will be away from home on Beltane.

In Phoenix, we belonged to a pagan children's group that got together on a regular basis. We did lots of different crafts, worked out a ritual framework simple enough for even the littlest ones, story telling, and basically just a chance to know that there were other kids out there "like them." It was falling apart anyway around the time we moved (have you ever noticed that pagan groups have a limited life span..?) but I sure miss it! Their website doesn't seem to be up any more, either...

anniejoan · April 17th, 2001, 07:31 AM

(((((((( Hilie )))))))))))
I felt sad reading that post because it means that we, as roomies have failed in our reason for being there: support, education etc. I think we need to continue to learn the agree to disagree rule, the respect and support each other rule.
I know I'm not the only roomie who enjoys learning about other religions and would love for you to share your experience with Wicca. I promise I will listen without being judgemental. I am ignorant about it and am curious to understand what it involves.
You had a bad day and the room let you down. That's not ok. We all have to remember that we can express our opinions and we need to remember to not jump down someone's throat if their beliefs don't match ours.
Hilie, you have every right to express your viewpoint in the room and it is up to us, to make sure we listen to, respect and support you...even when we disagree.
anniejoan

DrHilieWho · April 17th, 2001, 12:56 PM

(((((anniejoan))))) Thanks for the support. You have no idea the difference it makes when someone asks what I believe, versus asking why I don't believe in something else. I appreciate it lady :-D

Wicca is a type of Paganism, like a Lutheran would be practicing a particular kind of Christianity. There are also many branches of Wicca. Over time I've found there are a lot of things about Wicca that I don't agree with, and classify my religion very generally as Paganism. This is an ongoing process for me, so in five years I might have narrowed myself down a bit but if I haven't I'll be fine with that.

Our family follows the wheel of the year, and pays attention to what's going on in the world. I can say for certain what they believe or will grow up thinking, but personally I feel like everything is connected. People, animals, trees, flowers, even BUGS LOL What happens to one happens to us all, and it's definitely the hardest part of what I believe to abide by. It's very hard to make sure you are treating everything the way you would want to be treated...especially snerts LOL

What about you kat? You want to add something?

anniejoan · April 17th, 2001, 06:34 PM

(((((( Hilie ))))))) Any time, hon. Thank you so much for the info. I like the idea of connectedness to all things. Respect for everything. It's easier said than done...that's for sure but it doesn't mean we can't keep trying.
I also am curious about astrology,numerology,tarrot cards and on and on. I guess I'm just naturally curious & love to learn. Perhaps too much because I don't have time to research all of it. lol
I'll keep visiting this folder and if I have questions when I've done some research on Wicca, I'll post them here and that'd be great if you or anyone else can answer them.
Thanks Hilie.
anniejoan

kathe nichols · April 20th, 2001, 11:40 AM

I'm not sure what else to add, without becoming confusing... ask any 3 pagans about what their religion is, and you'll get a minimum of 5 answers!

I'm pretty "generic pagan" too. That is, I view it more as how I live my life. Ceremony/ritual is so.. finicky. Even if you don't go for the extreme ceremonial stuff (the right phase of the moon, which god/dess(es) to invoke, what color candles to use...), you still have to have the right mix of people and the right "organization" (which by itself can be a touchy subject among pagans!), and so often it just doesn't "work." I'd rather skip it, impatient person that I am.

If pressed, I would probably describe myself as a "scientific pantheist." For whatever reason (evolution or divine intervention or both...) we have intelligence. We're the part of the Universe that can see and appreciate the whole thing.. it's our job to use this talent to learn and celebrate as much as we can about the Universe!

DrHilieWho · May 2nd, 2001, 09:39 PM

May 1st we celebrated Beltaine. The kids and I got out early and we collected flowers. Nathan, our 2 year old, was so sweet. I told him he had to ask first before he picked the flowers and he made a big production about getting really close and asking each one.

Strata on the other hand kept eating the violets LOL

We made May baskets by wrapping the flowers in wet paper towels, then in tin foil and molded the bottoms so they would stand. Neither of the kids can work scissors, so I cut out a bunch of flower shapes and we pasted them to the outside of the tin foil and delivered them to "The Grandmas." It was a wonderful day!

If you celebrated, what did you do?

LiamFan! · May 2nd, 2001, 10:04 PM

DrHilieWho · July 6th, 2001, 02:27 PM

I ran across this, unfortunately the author's name was not included. I had never thought about it, but sadly it makes a lot of sense.

"Halloween Witch"

Each year they parade her about, the traditional Halloween Witch. Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, a toothless mouth beneath her deformed nose. Gnarled knobby fingers twisted into a claw protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.

Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature.
I disagree, I believe this to be how Witches were really seen.

Consider that most Witches: were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness to be presented by light of day as a confessed Witch.

Few if any saw a frightened normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture, to be questioned until she confessed to anything suggested to her and to give names or whatever would stop the questions.

Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed Witch.

As the Witch was paraded through town enroute to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love, all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body, the jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture.

The face bruised and broken by countless blows bore a hue of sickly green.

The once warm and loving smile gone, replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered disfigured nose.

The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken twisted hands clutched the wagon for support, fractured fingers with nails torn away locked like groping claws to steady her broken body.

All semblence of humanity gone, this was truly a deomn, a bride of Satan, a Witch.

I revere this Halloween Crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of man.

anniejoan · July 7th, 2001, 08:57 AM

{{{{{{{ Hilie }}}}}}}} That's sad. Thank goodness those days are over. I was in the bookstore yesterday and there is a whole shelf filled with books on Wicca, Witchcraft etc. So it seems that many are reading and writing about this. That's a good thing. And, not one of the books displayed the Halloween image on it's cover. I was a little overwhelmed at the number of books and didn't know where to start. Hilie, can you recommend any books or authors? There were tons of them and I didn't know which one to choose as a starting point to learn about this. As I flipped through some of them, it appeared they were not for beginners...there were quite a few terms and names I knew nothing about...but I'm sure would have been familiar to someone more educated on the subject.

DrHilieWho · July 7th, 2001, 10:46 AM

http://www.witchvox.com/basics/books.html

This is a really good listing of books.

MistsOfSpring · July 7th, 2001, 05:54 PM

That's really a sad story, Hilie...

I believe it's also very true. I'm a mixture of Christianity, Paganism and a dash of Buddhism, and it's sooo hard to find a place where I'm accepted in my entirity. If I hide the other parts of myself, I can be accepted in any group, but as soon as I open up about the other beliefs that I hold, I'm an outsider. The Christians say I can't possibly be Christian because I have Pagan beliefs, and they want to convert me or think that I'm Satanic...the Pagans react to my Christian beliefs with fear. Actually, it's fear on both sides. I read a short story once in a book called "A Woman's Journey to God" about Jesus and Mary Magdalene...the gist was that Mary was a Pagan priestess and that she and Jesus were actually married...to me, it was a perfectly beautiful story that expressed very well how Christianity and Paganism are married in my own heart. I wish that people could some how see that it's all about love...the symbols and stories are different, but the idea is the same...to love and be loved and to live your best possible life. We are a lot more the same than different at the core. It sure would be nice to connect with our similarities and appreciate our differences as those things that make life interesting.

DrHilieWho · July 8th, 2001, 08:50 AM

Religion is one of the few areas where we really are unique. You'd think people would celebrate it instead of trying to make people feel ashamed over it. I'm not that comfortable talking about my religion because it is a very personal thing, and most of the people I've talked with want to start a debate. They forget that religion is based on FAITH, which is valid depending on the person feeling it or not.

April 15th, 2001, 07:28 PM	#3
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	I'm having a particularly bad day, and no, it isn't a coincidence that it's Easter Sunday. My husband is not a Christian, I am not a Christian, we're raising our children as Pagans. So why do our kids have Easter baskets and Easter clothes?? Why did we have an Easter Sunday Dinner with my mother in law (who, btw, hasn't been to church since she was married!) ? Why is my husband supporting these gifts at all? I'm not happy about what's been going on in WS either. I think that is what bothers me the most, this is one problem that I can not go in there and spout about because I would get little support. I would get questions, jokes, people trying to convince me that Jesus is my savior.... Sorry about the vent, but I've had it to <font size=7>HERE</font>!!! Who's ready for May Day?? :-) __________________ Visit my husband's new webpage for gameaholics! Timesplitters2 Network!

April 16th, 2001, 12:47 PM	#4
kathe nichols Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 138	DrHilieWho, I hear you about the christian focus of WS. I got really frustrated a few times when someone just <i>offered</i> to do Tarot readings, and people went off the deep end.. we couldn't get the room back OFF the topic of Satanism for nearly a half hour. :::sigh and growl::: We don't do easter at all, except dinner with my parents (and dinner is traditionally rabbit, so... it's pretty much a joke and an excuse to get together). We DID give the kids "easter" stuff (bunnies, eggs, etc, with a minimum of candy) for the Equinox. :::another deep sigh::: I will be away from home on Beltane. In Phoenix, we belonged to a pagan children's group that got together on a regular basis. We did lots of different crafts, worked out a ritual framework simple enough for even the littlest ones, story telling, and basically just a chance to know that there were other kids out there "like them." It was falling apart anyway around the time we moved (have you ever noticed that pagan groups have a limited life span..?) but I sure miss it! Their website doesn't seem to be up any more, either... __________________ "One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say." -- Will Durant

April 17th, 2001, 07:31 AM	#5
anniejoan Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 340	<font color="blue" font size=4> (((((((( Hilie )))))))))))</font> I felt sad reading that post because it means that we, as roomies have failed in our reason for being there: support, education etc. I think we need to continue to learn the agree to disagree rule, the respect and support each other rule. I know I'm not the only roomie who enjoys learning about other religions and would love for you to share your experience with Wicca. I promise I will listen without being judgemental. I am ignorant about it and am curious to understand what it involves. You had a bad day and the room let you down. That's not ok. We all have to remember that we can express our opinions and we need to remember to not jump down someone's throat if their beliefs don't match ours. Hilie, you have every right to express your viewpoint in the room and it is up to us, to make sure we listen to, respect and support you...even when we disagree. anniejoan

April 17th, 2001, 12:56 PM	#6
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	(((((anniejoan))))) Thanks for the support. You have no idea the difference it makes when someone asks what I believe, versus asking why I don't believe in something else. I appreciate it lady :-D Wicca is a type of Paganism, like a Lutheran would be practicing a particular kind of Christianity. There are also many branches of Wicca. Over time I've found there are a lot of things about Wicca that I don't agree with, and classify my religion very generally as Paganism. This is an ongoing process for me, so in five years I might have narrowed myself down a bit but if I haven't I'll be fine with that. Our family follows the wheel of the year, and pays attention to what's going on in the world. I can say for certain what they believe or will grow up thinking, but personally I feel like everything is connected. People, animals, trees, flowers, even BUGS LOL What happens to one happens to us all, and it's definitely the hardest part of what I believe to abide by. It's very hard to make sure you are treating everything the way you would want to be treated...especially snerts LOL What about you kat? You want to add something? __________________ Visit my husband's new webpage for gameaholics! Timesplitters2 Network!

April 20th, 2001, 11:40 AM	#8
kathe nichols Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 138	I'm not sure what else to add, without becoming confusing... ask any 3 pagans about what their religion is, and you'll get a minimum of 5 answers! I'm pretty "generic pagan" too. That is, I view it more as how I live my life. Ceremony/ritual is so.. finicky. Even if you don't go for the extreme ceremonial stuff (the right phase of the moon, which god/dess(es) to invoke, what color candles to use...), you still have to have the right mix of people and the right "organization" (which by itself can be a touchy subject among pagans!), and so often it just doesn't "work." I'd rather skip it, impatient person that I am. If pressed, I would probably describe myself as a "scientific pantheist." For whatever reason (evolution or divine intervention or both...) we have intelligence. We're the part of the Universe that can see and appreciate the whole thing.. it's our job to use this talent to learn and celebrate as much as we can about the Universe! __________________ "One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say." -- Will Durant

January 14th, 2001, 07:34 PM	#1
QuietWOW WOW Host Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: UK Posts: 70	For a Wiccan there is both a Goddess and a God and Christmas is not the winter festival. Instead, Wiccans celebrate Yule otherwise known as the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It marks the return, or rebirth, of the Sun King. Ways in which Wiccans celebrate this holiday include: telling stories and singing, putting up a tree, making a yule wreath, decorating, doing things in the community. Do you know more about the Earth Religions? Or just want to discuss these ideas?

February 16th, 2001, 03:20 AM	#2
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	Interesting announcement along pagan lines... Although paganism is growing rapidly, the majority of children's organizations maintain a Christian focus. Now there is a scouting program for boys and girls based on Earth religions. Spiral Scouts? was started in 1999, and is just now starting to gain international attention. We are seriously considering joining when our son is old enough. You can find out more about the group at http://www.spiralscouts.org

April 17th, 2001, 06:34 PM	#7
anniejoan Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 340	(((((( Hilie ))))))) Any time, hon. Thank you so much for the info. I like the idea of connectedness to all things. Respect for everything. It's easier said than done...that's for sure but it doesn't mean we can't keep trying. I also am curious about astrology,numerology,tarrot cards and on and on. I guess I'm just naturally curious & love to learn. Perhaps too much because I don't have time to research all of it. lol I'll keep visiting this folder and if I have questions when I've done some research on Wicca, I'll post them here and that'd be great if you or anyone else can answer them. Thanks Hilie. anniejoan

May 2nd, 2001, 09:39 PM	#9
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	May 1st we celebrated Beltaine. The kids and I got out early and we collected flowers. Nathan, our 2 year old, was so sweet. I told him he had to ask first before he picked the flowers and he made a big production about getting really close and asking each one. Strata on the other hand kept eating the violets LOL We made May baskets by wrapping the flowers in wet paper towels, then in tin foil and molded the bottoms so they would stand. Neither of the kids can work scissors, so I cut out a bunch of flower shapes and we pasted them to the outside of the tin foil and delivered them to "The Grandmas." It was a wonderful day! If you celebrated, what did you do?

May 2nd, 2001, 10:04 PM	#10
LiamFan! Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 2,048	<IMG SRC="http://www.nwu.edu/image/wdingbat/d-star-red.gif"> __________________ Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it. -- Pope John Paul II

July 6th, 2001, 02:27 PM	#11
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	I ran across this, unfortunately the author's name was not included. I had never thought about it, but sadly it makes a lot of sense. "Halloween Witch" Each year they parade her about, the traditional Halloween Witch. Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, a toothless mouth beneath her deformed nose. Gnarled knobby fingers twisted into a claw protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs. Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature. I disagree, I believe this to be how Witches were really seen. Consider that most Witches: were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness to be presented by light of day as a confessed Witch. Few if any saw a frightened normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture, to be questioned until she confessed to anything suggested to her and to give names or whatever would stop the questions. Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed Witch. As the Witch was paraded through town enroute to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love, all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body, the jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture. The face bruised and broken by countless blows bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone, replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered disfigured nose. The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken twisted hands clutched the wagon for support, fractured fingers with nails torn away locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblence of humanity gone, this was truly a deomn, a bride of Satan, a Witch. I revere this Halloween Crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of man. __________________ Visit my husband's new webpage for gameaholics! Timesplitters2 Network!

July 7th, 2001, 08:57 AM	#12
anniejoan Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 340	{{{{{{{ Hilie }}}}}}}} That's sad. Thank goodness those days are over. I was in the bookstore yesterday and there is a whole shelf filled with books on Wicca, Witchcraft etc. So it seems that many are reading and writing about this. That's a good thing. And, not one of the books displayed the Halloween image on it's cover. I was a little overwhelmed at the number of books and didn't know where to start. Hilie, can you recommend any books or authors? There were tons of them and I didn't know which one to choose as a starting point to learn about this. As I flipped through some of them, it appeared they were not for beginners...there were quite a few terms and names I knew nothing about...but I'm sure would have been familiar to someone more educated on the subject. __________________ Am I a super spammer yet?

July 7th, 2001, 10:46 AM	#13
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	http://www.witchvox.com/basics/books.html This is a really good listing of books. __________________ Visit my husband's new webpage for gameaholics! Timesplitters2 Network!

July 7th, 2001, 05:54 PM	#14
MistsOfSpring Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 6	That's really a sad story, Hilie... I believe it's also very true. I'm a mixture of Christianity, Paganism and a dash of Buddhism, and it's sooo hard to find a place where I'm accepted in my entirity. If I hide the other parts of myself, I can be accepted in any group, but as soon as I open up about the other beliefs that I hold, I'm an outsider. The Christians say I can't possibly be Christian because I have Pagan beliefs, and they want to convert me or think that I'm Satanic...the Pagans react to my Christian beliefs with fear. Actually, it's fear on both sides. I read a short story once in a book called "A Woman's Journey to God" about Jesus and Mary Magdalene...the gist was that Mary was a Pagan priestess and that she and Jesus were actually married...to me, it was a perfectly beautiful story that expressed very well how Christianity and Paganism are married in my own heart. I wish that people could some how see that it's all about love...the symbols and stories are different, but the idea is the same...to love and be loved and to live your best possible life. We are a lot more the same than different at the core. It sure would be nice to connect with our similarities and appreciate our differences as those things that make life interesting.

July 8th, 2001, 08:50 AM	#15
DrHilieWho Registered User Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 244	Religion is one of the few areas where we really are unique. You'd think people would celebrate it instead of trying to make people feel ashamed over it. I'm not that comfortable talking about my religion because it is a very personal thing, and most of the people I've talked with want to start a debate. They forget that religion is based on FAITH, which is valid depending on the person feeling it or not. __________________ Visit my husband's new webpage for gameaholics! Timesplitters2 Network!