Online Pagans Magazine - Issue 1 - 2010 06

Online
June Solstice 2010

onlinepagans.com
Pagans
M A G A Z I N E
Premiere Issue!
Morris dancers at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
Photo by B. Gruagach.
Bast photo courtesy B. Gruagach
Contents
4 Editor’s Note
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June 2010 Online Pagans Magazine 3

Editor’s Note
by Ben Gruagach
Ganesha photo by B. Gruagach

elcome to the premiere
issue of Online Pagans
Magazine! Our hard-
working band of contributors has
been conspiring for months to put
together a quality publication for all
types of Pagans from all around this
magnificent world we share.
As a gift to the Pagan community

this issue is free. Everything was
done on a volunteer basis because
we wanted to give something back
to our community. Online and elec-
tronic versions of the magazine will
cost nothing and printed versions
will be available for the cost of pro-
duction and shipping using print-on-
demand technology.
In this issue you’ll find articles on:
d the Solstice covering both the

northern and southern hemisphere d a thought-provoking article
We would love to showcase the
about the problems with preconcep- work of even more Pagan authors,
d parenting from a Pagan per- tions and cultural blinders when fol-
poets, photographers, musicians,
spective lowing “traditional” Pagan paths and artists regardless of what
media you employ. If you have
d a selection of touching po- d observations of how the wor- something to contribute for a fu-
ems written by a modern American ship of Brigid has changed over the ture issue please send an email to
Hindu years submissions@onlinepagans.com
d a bit of history and theory d a straightforward explana-

about the Wiccan threefold return tion of a blended spiritual path that
concept is becoming more popular: Christo-
Paganism
d notes from a paranormal in- All content is copyrighted by the authors
vestigation conducted in North Da- d book recommendations, or artists identified with each piece.
kota USA photos, and more! Please support our contributors!
4 Online Pagans Magazine June 2010

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Solstice! June 21 2010
by Granny Theresa
S
olstice is upon us! A wonderful we want to use silver to honor the green. In the summer the branches
day - one of only two that come moon and warm golds to remind used are instead for protection and
each year: the first in June and the sun to come back, and to honor Rowan branches are often the ones
the second coming in the month of the promise of longer days ahead. It we choose.
December. is more of a holiday of looking for
and soaking in some warmth from a Herbs are also an important part of
In June solstice in the northern fire and more layers in clothing, and a solstice holiday! In the summer the
hemisphere shows us the longest day decorations and the colors tend to herbs are abundant and we are gath-
of the year, and it shows us summer, lean more to the darker hues of the ering them and using them fresh; but
sunshine and warmth. In the south- greens and reds. hopefully we are also drying them for
ern hemisphere it is the shortest day use throughout the year including at
of the year and brings with it the At the cold winter solstice there the winter solstice when we are mak-
promise of the sun coming back, the is more of a focus on bringing our ing our soups and stews savory and
days starting to get longer and the mind and body into harmony, gain- reminding us of the warmth of sum-
promise of spring to come. ing peace and balance. Summer sol- mer. In the winter months we may
stice instead is often focused toward be harvesting roots, but in the sum-
There are many ways to celebrate a going, being, and outside activities mer months we are able to harvest
holiday and it is often easy in the and of course the time of many mar- the buds, flowers, leaves and stems!
northern hemisphere to forget that riages.
there are a lot of folks celebrating the The solstice holiday reminds us well
same day but in a different way with Regardless of when you are getting of the wheel of life and how we go
the sun still as a focus. In the north married you can trace many of those from the darkness of the winter sol-
we are celebrating the abundance of wedding traditions back to old pa- stice, all the way to the brightness
sun, and in the south we are encour- gan ways, from tossing the garter to and longest day of the summer sol-
aging it to come back. wearing rings to confirm the mar- stice and then we are headed back
riage. The flowers that are carried again to the shortening of the days
Let’s talk a little bit about some of and then tossed are a phallic symbol leading us back to the winter.
the colors that are traditionally used - promising the girl that catches them
with the holiday. Colors to celebrate that a man is coming and she is the At summer solstice we want to en-
the sun include golden yellows, next to find a mate. The garter is a courage time outside, dining out-
bright scarlet reds, white, pink and circle representing a woman, and to side, lounging on the porch, the pa-
even violet. As the longest day of the man that catches it a promise of tio, your yard or a local park - outside
the year the summer solstice is a bit a maiden that will come to him. with family and friends is the key!
more of a sexy holiday where we can Bike, walk, hike and swim, camp;
wear fresh flowers in our hair and Both the winter and the summer sol- just get outside into nature and into
celebrate the brightness of the sun stice include the old religion practice the sun. Go on a nature walk and
and the full life around us. of hanging a branch or wreath over learn to identify herbs, flowers, trees
the doorway. In winter the evergreen - you can even look for stones and
For a winter solstice, with it be- is there to remind us that life is ever shells near a water source.
ing the shortest day of the year, present, ever renewable and ever

Winter solstice is more about time and then give your crystal away. If ture. The game can continue as long
inside, near a fire, close to our you give the crystal away with a hap- as you wish - and some families even
friends and family. It’s all centered py heart your wish is said to come leave a bell out for an entire gather-
more around the home and being true; if not then the wish is probably ing allowing anyone to ring the bell,
in the home. You can even play the not going to come back to you! and give you the opportunity to
crystal wish game. Everyone is given make a wish.
a wrapped crystal, some are beautiful It is funny to watch how even grown
and some are not so much to look at; ups have been taught to hang on to Regardless of where you are on June
each person unwraps theirs and sees what they have, and do not want 21st, embrace the solstice energy;
what they have been given. Then to hand away a beautiful crystal or embrace the wheel of life and make
someone rings a silver bell. When stone. We forget the truth that all some time to just soak it in and en-
the bell rings you must make a wish, of them are all perfect gifts from na- joy!

Sacrifice of the Heart
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Follow That Feeling In
Your Tummy!
by Granny Theresa
W
e all know the idea of What if instead you are headed to thing that is over-reactive or can be
“follow your inner voice” Aunt Lilly’s house and you have the ignored with a stronger will.
or “well what does your talk on the way - it is ok, you do not
tummy say” after all that is advice have to go and hug her, just be po- So what kind of tips will assist you
that is passed down again and again lite and use your manners. But once on your path, and as an example to
in families. BUT what about when you get in the door Aunt Lilly scoops youth and others? One is to be au-
that inner voice tells you that Uncle up the child and takes her off to the thentic with your feelings, honor
Bob is not someone that you should kitchen to give her a present. them and explain that is your reason
hug? Followed immediately with for a decision.
your mom saying “Don’t be shy! Go It is complicated isn’t it; trying to
think of all the different places in An example could be - I am just not
over there and hug your Uncle Bob.” feeling comfortable about this camp-
When it comes to teaching youth to your life where you need to balance
trust, love, lessons, manners, safety ing trip over the 4th of July, so no I
follow their inner voice, we often cut am not going to come. I do hope you
that message short or ignore it all and so much more. Trying to set an
example and do it right while leaving have a good time though. Then fol-
together in an effort to be polite or low through on honoring that voice
nice. the space for another to walk their
own path. and the choice that you have made.
What message are we then teaching When it comes to children often it
the little ones? Trust your inner voice What we do know is that when it
comes to children that are sexually is best to talk to the other adults in
unless it will make someone uncom- their life and let them know what
fortable or unless it is impolite - is abused approximately 30% of the
perpetrators are relatives of the child your parenting goal is and how they
that really the message we want to be can HELP you to make sure that the
sending? After all in life often stand- and around 60% are “friends” of
the family, babysitters, or neighbors. child will have all the tools they need
ing in our own truth is not always later in life to stay safe and honest
comfortable. Only about 10% of the cases are
from offenders that are strangers. (1) with themselves.
As a child gets older there will be Once you get started you will see it
many times that peer pressure alone So we know for a fact, that in the
case of child sexual abuse, the ma- is actually easier then it first seems
will encourage them to ignore their and you will probably be pleasantly
inner voice. Perhaps the child knows jority of threat comes from a person
you know, and allow to spend time surprised at the support you do have
the rule of never getting in the car available from the other adults in
with a driver that is drinking, and with your child.
your life.
maybe the inner voice is screaming Now that we have a very real threat
NO! - but all the friends are saying in mind, do you look differently at References
come on don’t be rude, don’t make the idea of listening to that inner
a scene; just come on! So when we (1) Julia Whealin, PhD - National
voice? Your voice or the voice of your Center for Post Traumatic Stress
want to teach a united message of liv- child - the actions and the words and
ing authentically and listening to our Disorder, US Department of Veter-
even the body signals. ans Affairs.
heart, or our tummy or ... do we re-
ally want it diluted with polite, nice We often think that listening to our Yield sign photo CC courtesy http://www.
and well behaved? inner voice is a valuable tool, and at flickr.com/photos/tillwe/38356334/
the same time we treat it like some-

The Brigid Brand
by Nuadu of Kildare
Now after the spear had been given to it with some fun handicrafts associ- Alternatively since marketing and
him, Ruadan turned and wounded Goi- ated with her, become a cool Pagan consumer culture are modern things,
bniu. But he plucked out the spear and goddess. are we projecting our modern lives
cast it at Ruadan, so that it went through onto the past in assuming that the
him, and he died in the presence of his When we as Neopagans look to le- Brig, a Pagan deity, is cognate with
father in the assembly of the Fomorians. gitimize our beliefs we tends to look the Christian intercessor, Saint Bri-
The Brig came and bewailed her son. She towards history, to a time before our git? In that case we as Neopagans in
shrieked at first, she cried at last. own. Maybe without considering it modern consumer cultures would be
we hold a belief that older is more sa- rebranding the Saint using an under-
So that then for the first time crying and cred - it is certainly a trait of ‘Celtic’ standing gained from life in our era.
shrieking were heard in Erin. Now it was religion in Ireland. Here the vast ma-
that Brig who invented a whistle for sig- jority of the traditionally sacred sites The Brigit’s Cross is one sedate ver-
naling at night. or fairy forts are usually antique me- sion of many Piseogs in Irish culture,
dieval farms. But in many ways times certainly it has a non-Christian ele-
- The Second Battle of Moytura. before our own may not be devoid of ment to it but far less then a Piseog
In the modern western world the ma- many of the things we associate with bag filled with carefully chosen feath-
jority of us live in consumer oriented our modern era. An example may be ers, animal parts and stones that
societies where ‘new’ products are marketing where the pagan goddess may be hung from a tree by someone
constantly appearing to enrich our and Saint Brigit are concerned, we wanting to curse you. It may just be
lives and longstanding brands seem may find that the Christian church as common an expression of Irish
to change to suit ‘new’ markets. The of the early medieval employed very culture as preventing bad luck by say-
thatched cottages and wind blasted modern methods to win over our ing ‘god bless the work,’ no more Pa-
landscape aside, as a youth I inhab- people towards a new religion. gan than a hurling match or visiting
ited a world shaped by markets and a friend to play cards at night.
When we look at the Saint and the
the ‘latest’ products. famous Piseog - Saint Brigit’s Cross If that is the case rather than Chris-
During my youth I noticed three - as a form of non christian secular tians rebranding a Pagan loosely it
defining brand changes, or changes or pagan belief that survived at- would be we who are rebranding a
that at least meant something to my tached to Christianity, it may be the Christian saint as loosely Pagan and
juvenile mind. Two of those changes case that the church took the Pagan we who preserve Christian traditions
were the names of chocolate bars. goddess and very loosely rebranded in our NeoPaganism.
Marathon took on the cool Ameri- her as a Christian to help convert
can name Snickers; Opal fruits, the people. Marketing under the circum- A great portion of being Neopagan
multi coloured super sugared toffee stances may not be the modern thing is educating ourselves so when we
textured fruity greatness, became we imagine it to be. Marathon bars are faced with many choices we can
Starburst. The two products basically were mundane and local but when make informed decisions. The issue
remained the same but regional mar- they were renamed Snickers they of whether a saint is Pagan or not is
keting was swapped for a more uni- became cool to a younger audience one of those times when we all have
form global brand model. The third while keeping them to the same ba- to choose for ourselves. Without
thing that changed was something I sic recipe kept the loyalty built up placing a value judgment on either
considered far less important than among older consumers. Maybe the view I think its interesting that a Pa-
chocolate; as I looked at spirituality Brig became Saint Brigit in the same gan goddess, whether in the past or
for myself I noticed how something way. A Christian rebranding of a de- the modern world, became a popular
that to me had always been a boring ity that kept some old traits so she brand name.
bog standard Christian saint, all be would still be familiar enough to at-
tract Pagans.

St Brigid shrine photo CC courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishfireside/196492935/

St. Brigid’s Well petitions CC courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/markwaters/3243989698/
Walking a Blended Path:
A Brief Overview of
Christo-Paganism
by VJ Raven
W
e who walk a blended Christian Wicca is different from Spell casting is a common practice
path combine two or Christian Witchcraft. Christian Wic- among many on a Christo-Pagan
more aspects of religious ca follows the tenets of the Wicca path… Some spells that are used are
beliefs into one. Sometimes the two path while following the Ten Com- specifically designed for those on a
are very different and unusual paths. mandments in the Christian Bible Christo Pagan path and others have
and praying to the Christian Holy been adapted from Wicca or Witch-
Christo-Paganism is defined as blend- Trinity. Christian Witchcraft does craft to make the spell specific to
ing Christianity with some form not generally follow the tenets of the the Christian Holy Trinity or even
of Paganism, which encompasses a Wicca path but some elements are one of the Christian Saints, who are
wide range of blended paths. Under the same — the use of spells, prayers classed as “messengers” between the
the umbrella of Christo-Paganism and the energy surrounding all of us mortal and their God. Spells used by
are paths such as Christian Wicca, and that flows throughout the uni- a Christo-Pagan encompass a wide
Christian Mysticism and Christian verse. variety of uses, from healing to find-
Witchcraft for example, and under ing something lost…. From finding a
each of those paths are various sub- The use of an altar is a common new home to creating Holy Water….
paths, encompassing different beliefs theme. Generally a Christo-Pagan From ending negativity/binding
and different rituals. has some representation(s) of Chris- spells to fertility and welcoming a
tianity on their altar—a cross for ex- new child.
The Christian Holy Trinity is rep- ample—and some representation of
resented in some form or another. the four elements of earth, air, fire It is a common misconception that
God (The Father), Jesus (The Son) and water. The tools of a Christo- Christo-Pagans use only light magick
and the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) Pagan are similar to those on a Wic- and wish no one else any harm. In
are represented. Some see this trin- can or Witchcraft path. An incense some cases, yes, that is true. How-
ity as completely male while others burner/censure, bottles of Holy Wa- ever, there are some Christo-Pagans
see The Father and Son as the Male ter, anointing oils, candles (both al- who believe in balancing light and
aspects and the Holy Spirit as the tar and candles specific to the ritual darkness, and yet others who walk
Female aspect of the triple God, the being performed) and salt are quite only in shadows. It depends on the
Mother of the Son. common items on a Christo-Pagan’s person’s beliefs and how they view
altar. Other items may include items the world around them.
that are personal to the Christo-Pa-
The symbol to represent Christo-Pa- gan to personalize and enhance their
ganism can either be a cross, a pen- rituals/magick. Some have images of
tagram or a cross-pentagram, which the Virgin Mary, others use a penta-
is a Latin cross with the image of a cle, some have pentagrams represent-
pentagram either etched or mounted ed on theirs and others have images
on the front of it. of their patron Saint(s).

Walking a Celtic Path
With Two Broken Legs
by Nuadu of Kildare
T
here are two crippling points problem is the mistaken assump-
for the average person walk- tions people have.
ing a Celtic Pagan path in
my opinion: preconceptions and A while back on an internet poetry
mistaken assumptions. They make it forum the subject of duotheism with-
as difficult to walk a Celtic path as in Celtic Paganism came up. Specifi-
two broken legs make walking up the cally, someone wanted to know the
street. For example the average per- names of ‘the god and goddess’ in
son interested in forms of Tradition- the Irish Culture. When an elderly
al Irish Religion really doesn’t know person, a man whose family may have
much about them. He does not un- ca, Celtic Shamanism, Druidry etc. practiced a form of Celtic Paganism
derstand how groups are structured We assume that people practicing in Ireland long before Gardner made
or how it’s propagated. That’s OK Traditional Irish Religions are orga- his efforts public, responded by say-
- any kind of Native Paganism is an nized into similar groups too and are ing the concept of a God and God-
obscure subject. We only hit the taught about it in the same way as in dess didn’t exist in his tradition - the
stumbling block when we don’t rec- those popular forms of Celtic Pagan- forum became a battle field. There
ognize that lack of knowledge. ism. We might be very disappointed was outrage, he was called so many
when we see groups of people at sa- big words by way of insults there must
In most cases in my country, by dint cred sites seemingly walking around have been a sale on insult-word-a-day
of living in Ireland, we are convinced instead of performing group rituals. toilet paper or something. The main
that we do know quite a bit about We might suspect Traditional Irish gist of the complaints seemed to me
the subject. Given that Traditional Religions aren’t religions at all be- to be that he was being insensitive in
Irish Religion is a minority religion cause no one is loudly invoking a de- the format of his reply and he was
within Celtic Paganism, itself a mi- ity. We are used to things from more behind the times. What’s comment
nority religion in Ireland, never popular forms of Celtic Paganism worthy in my opinion is not one of
mind the scarcity of Traditional Irish and can assume they are universal in the critics had even a fraction of his
Religion outside Ireland, most of Celtic Paganism. When Traditional experience and none of them both-
the knowledge we acquire is almost Irish Religions do not meet our pre- ered to ask why he didn’t believe in
never through personal exposure to conceived expectations rather than duotheism.
actual native forms of paganism. considering the possibility that those
expectations might be misplaced or
Those people were incensed by a
in error, we can become frustrated.
On top of books, films and other simple response in text on an inter-
similar sources, we primarily base net forum because of the mistaken
our knowledge about Traditional In my experience approaching any assumption that Traditional Irish
Irish Religion on what we already neopagan path with preconceptions Religions have to meet the same
know from more popular forms of is one of the greatest hobbling posts standard formula as popular forms
Celtic Paganism. From Celtic Wic- to neopagans today. Nearly as big a of Celtic Paganism. That it had to

be sensitive to individual tastes and
needs and had to be democratic and
fair. Whether or not I agree that
duotheism is absent from Tradition-
al Irish Religions, it is based on a cul-
tural tradition, and because of that,
and maybe to its detriment in a mod-
ernist society it’s not something that
can be altered to suit the situation.
It’s validated not by its mass appeal
but by its relationship to our culture.
It’s not for everyone, it’s not even for
everyone in Ireland. It wont suit ev-
eryone’s tastes but instead of using
the opportunity to ask why someone
of such vast experience held a per-
sonal belief they hammered away at
the hobbling post with their mistak-
en assumption.
No one enjoys being told that they

don’t know what they’re talking
about. Even if we suspect it’s true, we
resent having it pushed in our face.
It’s even worse when we have devot-
ed ourselves to reading and talking
with other people about the subject
at hand. We hate thinking that all
that effort has gone to waste. If you
have the inclination this anonymous
typer has a piece of advice. When
you’re tempted to be angry at your
preconceived notions or mistaken
assumptions being held up to you,
think less about the irritation of hav-
ing your ideas attacked and more
about the opportunity to expose
yourself to new and wider experienc-
es. It isn’t always pleasant. It might
even be something you don’t want to
hear but in my experience it’s easier
to walk a Celtic Pagan path without
the hindrance of two broken legs.

Pagan Bookshelf:
Pagan Poetry
by Ben Gruagach
P
oetry has been part of Pagan poetry. Look for Diane Wolkstein the style of a scholarly text it was
spirituality since the beginning & Samuel Noah Kramer’s “Inanna: actually a poetic whole that sprang
of religion, the beginning of Queen of Heaven and Earth” for from his heart and soul over a three
poetry, and likely the beginning of another good example of ancient week period in January 1944. While
spoken language. There is some- poems and hymns from Sumer. the history it contains is more specu-
thing truly holy about words that Another really old surviving Divine lative than scholarly it still serves as
are offered in honour of the Divine. poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh writ- an amazing poetic Pagan bible.
Many spell-workers have also found ten around 700 BCE.
that words have extra effect when Since then all sorts of overtly Pagan
selected to produce rhythms and In more modern times practicing oc- poetry has been published. Among
rhymes. cultists such as William Bulter Yeats my favourite collections are “Life
and Aleister Crowley expressed their Prayers” and “Earth Prayers” edited
Poetry was an important way of spiritual ideas through poetry. Yeats’ by Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Ami-
passing on knowledge in the times work is examined in relation to his don, “Earth Poems” edited by Ivo
before written language. In Celtic occult practice in “W. B. Yeats - 20th Mosley, “The Pagan’s Muse” edited
culture Druids spent years memoriz- Century Magus” by Susan Johnston by Jane Raeburn, and the recently
ing long poems as part of their ba- Graf. You can also read more about published “Datura” edited by Ruby
sic training. We see this even today Yeats’ life and work at sites such as Sara. Some books present primar-
-- William Dalrymple’s book “Nine http://www.online-literature.com/ ily the work of a single poet. I really
Lives” documents examples such yeats/ Crowley’s work is similarly like “Charge of the Goddess” by Do-
as illiterate healers near Pabusar in examined in Charles Richard Cam- reen Valiente, “Thorns of the Blood
northern India who recite the four- mell’s “Aleister Crowley: The Man, Rose” by Victor Anderson and
thousand-line Epic of Pabuji from The Mage, The Poet” and on web- Gwydion Pendderwen, “Dewdrops
memory. Even when poetry becomes sites such as http://www.poemhunt- in the Moonlight” by Shanddara-
formalized through writing it can er.com/aleister-crowley/ mon, and for a more Crowleyite feel
become the core way of transmitting try “Qutub” by Andrew Chumbley.
myth and religion. Greek religion Poetry has had an important role
for instance was passed on through in the history of modern Paganism If you are interested in trying your
the generations through the written in the English speaking world. In hand at writing Pagan or magickal
poetic works of literate scholars such 1948 the poet Robert Graves pub- poetry you can’t go wrong with the
as Homer, Sappho, and Euripides. lished his inspired book “The White helpful guidebook “Composing
The oldest known written poetry is Goddess” and it hit the occult and Magic” by Elizabeth Barrette. And
likely the work of Enheduanna, who alternative spirituality community if you want to go the extra step and
lived around 2300 to 2225 BCE. like a bombshell. That one book en- pursue becoming a holy poet or bard,
Betty De Shong Meador’s book couraged countless seekers to turn look for “The Bardic Handbook” by
“Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart” is to their roots and embrace ancient Kevan Manwaring. They will really
probably the best book out currently Pagan deities in a way that few other inspire you.
on the topic of Enheduanna and her books have. Graves has admitted
that while the book was written in

Notes From A
Paranormal Investigation:
Case #1
by Fyrsweord
I
belong to a group called tested the electro-
Dakota Paranormal Investigators magnetic fields
http://dakotaparanormal.com/ with the EMF
The following is what I experienced and KII meters,
on my first case with them. making note of
any unusual fluc- The investigation site - from historical files.
Case #1 Investigation 1 tuations.
What happened to me after this first
Small town ND I was most drawn to this old mirror in investigation is what threw me, and
the garage. It reminded me of some- lead to the second investigation.
12 July 2008 thing one would see on a washstand
with a basin. The mirrored glass was However, I will say, I knew leaving
We were called in to conduct an old, cracked and dis-colored in ar- that it had never been a mortuary.
investigation at a small town local eas. The woodwork though was still
business. Employees had been lovely with dovetails, and no nails. POST INVESTIGATION
complaining of being afraid in the There was a noticeable energy about
basement, feeling like they were be- it, and I found myself thinking that One of the first things an investiga-
ing watched and occasionally feeling if I were to touch it would my hand tor does is crash and burn as soon
as if they were touched. go through that glass. For some rea- as they can. It can be rather hard to
son I felt like it would. do so right away if one is all pumped
The building that this business was with what occurred during the inves-
in had been built a bit over 100 years We never really caught anything tigation or itching to go thru their
ago and abutted an opera house that substantial that first investigation. evidence.
burned in the early 20th century. There were surely some unusual oc-
Local legend has it that this was once currences but they were all more of a What follows are the raw notes I
a mortuary. This was fueled by the personal nature. took on what happened to me after.
fact that there is a lift type mecha-
nism in the basement that would Though two of us could swear we 13 July 2008
allow items to be brought up to the heard ragtime music on a gramo-
first floor. phone in the kitchen. It was not Slept from 4-9 am. Dreamed of a
caught on any of our recording tools. WWI doughboy. Not enough to
We focused on three areas that night; recognize a person but flashes of
the basement, kitchen area and ga- uniform, military life, a weapon dis-
rage. On our initial walk-through we

charging, screaming, smoke fear and ing though I cannot hear what is be- screams. His hands are bloodied and
writing letters. ing said. Somewhat surreal as I feel someone is calling his name C? or C?
like I am part of the action but am He died but not right away. Not dur-
Noon – 3:00 pm. not. Chest feels heavy and I feel like ing the time I dreamed. Maybe from
I am moving in slow motion or try- his wounds later? I hurt all over like
The dream happened again. Same ing to walk thru a river of black tar. I have been ripped apart and I want
soldier. Strongly feel he is American. to puke.
Ragtime music. Sometimes I am ‘in’ the soldier then
standing outside. Wake up and I feel 8:20 pm
Emailed Marie* to find out if there is like I lost something.
any tie to this small town and WWI. Marie found something that listed
20 July 2008 WWI casualties for the state. There
16 July 2008 @ 6:39 am is a list and pictures. Too afraid to
Still dreaming of him – definitely look.
The dream came again. Vague im- feel he was in the war. Still snippets
pressions. Definitely WWI, prob- of information though. Combat 13 July 2008
ably the Western Front. He’s Ameri- had to cause his death. Though he
can; the glimpses of the weapons and will not show me. Why can’t I see his I looked at the list and there is one
uniform are consistent with WWI face? Seems wrong to just give me C name that matches what I heard in
and the USA. He is early to mid bits and pieces. Makes me feel like I my dream. I am not ready to look at
20’s. Hair color is light. Perhaps a am crazy. the pictures.
sandy blonde. At least medium
height, decent build, though a bit on 27 July 2008 15 August 2008
the leaner side.
Dreamed about him again. Same He was back again up to the wound-
The view is like ‘live’ shots like in an snippets of information. He is stat- ing. I looked at the pictures and it is
old, scratchy black and white movie ing to feel like an old friend. him. CJH. We need to go back.
with no sound. There is some action
– in brief spurts. Feel percussion. 01 August 2008 Note: CJ was born in Blufton, MN
Smell and see haze of smoke. Chow 14 March 1892. He was a grain buy-
time. Bunking down.. A dirty hand Still the dreams. Did I tap into some- er up until he enlisted in the Army
writing a letter though I cannot read thing or did he find me? I know I July of 1917. He served in Battery
it. Gentlemen hanging around talk- am right about the time period and A, Field Artillery i.e. the Rainbow
his death due to com- Division. Offensive Engagements
bat. he fought were: Auisne-Marne, St.
Mihiel, and Muese-Argonne. Defen-
On a side note: the sive engagements were: Champagne-
site was never a mortu- Marne, defensive sectors of Lunev-
ary. It has been a lum- ille, Baccarat, Lorraine, Esperance,
ber yard, hardware/ Souain, and Champagne. Death was
feed/grocery store but due to wounds received in battle and
never a mortuary. occurred approximately 26 October
1918. He was 26 when he passed.
12 August 2008 @ That same year his mother lost her
3:15 am husband, and one of his elder sisters
to the influenza.
He died. Snippets
The investigation site as it is today. again followed by chaos, and the
stench of combat, and pain, and

In addition, Thoughts and Afterwards
four people saw,
what appeared 16 August 2008 @ 8:33 pm
to be a face try-
ing to form in The dream started as it always does. I
the kitchen. It am not going to reiterate or describe
was at the same those images again. This one went
time and I do beyond his ‘wounding’. I felt CJ slip
not feel it was a away – which tells me he did not die
figment of our immediately after his wounding but
collective imagi- probably, lingered.
nations.
In this dream I felt him leaving his
When this hap- body. Tendrils of him disconnecting
pened I could and floating upwards staring down.
not move. First It sounds like a rehash of every near
I felt chok- death experience related but in the
ing sorrow. I dream it felt real, and right. And
wanted to go to wrenching. The struggle at first to
my knees and hang on and then just a gentle easing
just cry. Then as one reaches the realization that
there was a pres- this was it. There is no more CJ in
sure around my the physical sense. Stillness.
waist, as if some-
one had slung Then the dream skipped even fur-
an arm around ther forward to the kitchen of this
me, and I then business. I was not there but he was
found myself watching the others. He tried to
leaning against make them see him but they cannot.
CJ - the man from the dreams.
the sink coun- He reaches out to touch them and
ter. The entire he is not sure if they can feel him.
Case #1 Investigation #2 area looked hazy He won’t go to the basement as he
to me and I f lashed in and out. Then does not like it there. He avoided
15 August 2008 I felt happiness. It was not coming us the first time but when I asked,
from me. I think he is happy some- “Were you in the military?” he be-
We went back armed with a name to one finally sees him. came interested.
see what would happen.
We did catch one quite intriguing He wants Ned* to call me up from
Things happened. Increased activity evp at the end. We were packing the basement. He knows he can
included the sounds of boxes falling up our equipment when a member reach me. He tries to show us his
when none had, unexplained cold of the team felt something definitely face so we will know him. But he
spots, electromagnetic jumps on the tug at his shirt. He, unfortunately, cannot seem to make it work and
KII, a shirt tail being lifted and the cursed. What followed was another feels badly that he has upset me.
sensations of being touched. Three member making ribald remarks that So he slowly withdraws back to just
EVPS were caught. Multiple people were equally politically incorrect. watching and hovering.
saw a dense shadow the shape of a When listening to the playback there
person walking when there were no was the sound of someone whistling The problem with dreams is the fact
car lights etcetera to explain that. a catchy ragtime tune. that they are dreams. They cannot
be proven as viable contact. A per-

son can say, “I dreamed the towers What is it about a pizza place that
would come down” and be lying would hold this energy there? The
through their teeth after the fact. town itself is quite a rich history and
perhaps the land itself holds energy
Dreams are also very subjective. Was that brings things forward. I believe
I ‘seeing and feeling” what I wanted the past does not merely imprint
to in that building? Was it pulling itself on the human psyche but on
from my sub-conscious desire to com- what surrounds us as well.
municate with a perceived anomaly?
Or did I really touch another being He was a grain buyer before the war
that others cannot see? with family living in that area. This
building was a hardware and grain
If one follows the theory that dreams store during that time. There is a
are subjective, and manifestations of possible tie.
sub-conscious wishes, or needs, then
how do I reconcile this with the fact The mirror. That mirror is what
I started dreaming about a WWI sol- started it, and I keep thinking he
dier out of the blue? I can honestly looked into it once or twice or more
say that, though I often ‘dream’ of before he left the states. The first
soldiers and war, WWI has never fea- dream started with a hazy face in that
tured in any of them. mirror.
How do I factor in the repetitive na- Maybe there is some kind of portal.
ture of these ‘dreams’? How I felt
like I had been active and not actu- I know that what I experienced was
ally sleeping? A dream that shows real. I know that what I dreamed re-
the wounding and the knowledge ally happened.
that this lead to his death? If these
dreams are a product of imagination I know that CJ visits me sometimes.
how could I flesh him out as a per-
son with a face towards the end and It does not matter to me what others
THEN find a face that matches? The think. This was real.
face of a young man who died almost
fifty years prior to my birth. I have
never seen this picture before. Or
were the images in my dreams more
general then I thought and I filled in
the lines?
But why would I hear that specific

name in my dreams?
However, if one discards the series

of dreams, then one would have to
discard the identification. Which
would then beg the question, “Why
The mirror.
did this name provoke activity on 15
August?”

Yearning of the Night
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I Will Stay With You
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Ritual, Pattern, Time &
Perception
by Ben Gruagach
W
iccans often describe the
sequence of annual cel-
ebrations or sabbats as the
Wheel of the Year. This imagery is
very apt. It illustrates the cyclical na-
ture of reality: what we celebrate now
will come around again in due time.
It also helps us see the sabbats as
part of a greater whole. Each sabbat
is a spoke on the great Wheel. As
the Wheel turns, the seasons turn,
and as the seasons come and go our
lives progress through a repeating
sequence of celebrations, times of
work and times of rest.
We humans have a tendency to spi-
ral our attention down to focus on
the small details of our lives. There
is great beauty in the smallest detail
just as there is magnificence in the
larger patterns. Unfortunately, fo-
cusing on the small details often re-
sults in losing sight of the larger pat-
tern. We sometimes gain a skewed
sense of proportion and importance
from paying too much attention to
the small details at the expense of
keeping the larger picture in mind.
Balance is important.
When you perform a ritual do you
worry and fuss over every little de-
tail? Do you feel your ritual is a fail-
ure if you stumble over a word or ges-
ture or cue? Do you worry that your
ritual tools are not quite perfect? Do
Celebrating fire at Midsummer. Photo by B. Gruagach.
you obsess over having just the right
people in the right places at the right
times for your rituals?
Relax!
Rituals are a dance: even if a specific
step is missed, the overall feeling and

pattern is more important. Rituals like the ventilation system in the product. They are both, process and
are a work of art: even if a particular building where you are now? Do you product, part of the whole.
brushstroke in one spot isn’t quite hear traffic, people, birds or animals
right, the overall balance of colour, nearby? Can you hear the wind? Do During my coven’s recent Midsum-
form, expression, and subject mat- your clothes make sounds as you mer celebrations, as the sultry night
ter is more important. Rituals are a shift and move? embraced us at the end of the day
song: we might miss a note, but what we decided to dance on the lawn in
is in our hearts and how much effort As you focus your attention it’s com- honor of the faeries while holding
we put into the song, and whether mon for awareness of time to shift sparklers and glow sticks. I brought
we enjoy ourselves in the process, is as well. Time can appear to stretch my digital camera along and snapped
much more important. out or to compact itself so that an some amazing photos using the low-
hour can seem like just a few min- light mode. While we were caught
Try and see your rituals as a whole. utes. During ritual it often happens up in dancing around with our spar-
What is the overall pattern of the rit- that time just slips by unnoticed. Yet klers, waving them around in pat-
ual? Does it express the intent, the if we focus on the small details, wor- terns both random and purposeful,
emotion, the central idea you have in rying and obsessing about whether the camera was able to capture some
your heart? How does the ritual fit we did a gesture just right, time can of the magick in slices of time that
in to a larger pattern of days, weeks, crawl. are not visible to the human eye.
months, years, and even generations? And as if to illustrate the time-aware-
Does the ritual help you feel more in One way to balance out our percep- ness effect even more, we had to wait
tune with the Divine? tions to go into a ritual with a healthy each time a picture was taken before
outlook is to ground first. Ground- we could see what it looked like on
In “The Charge of the Goddess” ing puts us in contact with our foun- the camera’s little screen. When
the Great Lady tells us: “All acts of dation, Mother Earth. It gives us a making a purposeful design with a
love and pleasure are My rituals.” moment to calm down, smooth out sparkler we had to just trust in the
She doesn’t say that rituals must be our perhaps conflicting emotions, process and let the details take care
precise in order to please Her. She and find a still peace from which of themselves. And the results were
doesn’t say that mistakes in wording, to flow into the dance that is ritual. amazing.
gesture, or sequence will disappoint You can’t ground too much before a
Her. Her words leave it all very open ritual (unless it puts you to sleep!) but Spiritual ritual is the same. We might
for us to decide how we will express it is possible to not ground enough not have the ability, right now, to see
those acts of love and pleasure. She before a ritual. When we go into a the larger picture. All we might have
might actually like our mistakes in ritual without sufficient grounding visible to us at the moment are the
ritual if we laugh at ourselves when we increase the risk of getting side- small details that drive us crazy be-
they happen. tracked by the details. cause they seem so nit-picky. If we
can trust in ourselves, in the Divine,
Perception is an amazing thing. We Slowing down, breathing deeply in and in the process of the ritual then
are blessed with an amazing flexibili- a slow measured pace, and touching we might find that the larger pattern
ty in our senses and ability to process inner stillness if only for a moment does come together.
information. When we focus our at- is probably the most basic way to
tention we can become oblivious to ground. Feel the Earth beneath you And that is when real magick touch-
the things that rage around us. For and know in your heart that She is es our lives.
instance, when you are watching a there to hold you up. When you feel
good movie how often do you fail to at ease you are ready to proceed. *** This article was originally published
notice the people who might be sit- in Circle Magazine issue 94, Summer
ting around you, the traffic outside, Grounded perceptions help us to 2005. ***
what the weather is like, how your grasp the larger significance of our
clothes feel on your body? When rituals. We can throw ourselves
you get wrapped up in a good book wholeheartedly into the perfor-
isn’t it amazing how time can just fly mance of the ritual, mistakes and all,
by? and see the end result of the ritual as
just a closing bar in the song rather
We can stretch our senses the other than mistaking results for the whole
way too and notice things that we thing. Artists often describe their
often overlook if we just turn our art as a process as much as a fin-
awareness in the right direction. ished product. The creation of the
Can you hear things around you, product is as important as the final

The Wiccan Rede and the
Law of Threefold Return
by Ben Gruagach
S
ome modern Wiccans have de- is no punishment implied for a Wic- decisions about how we will live and
cided to not include the Wiccan can who fails to live up to the advice. act.
Rede and the Law of Threefold
Return in their philosophy. Some The essential lesson of the Rede is The Threefold Law (or idea that “for
even argue that statements like the all about being responsible for your every action there is a reaction”) is
Threefold Law aren’t Wiccan at all1. own actions or lack of actions. Yes, not the same thing as the Wiccan
The usual arguments are that the choosing to not act is an action too! Rede, but the two ideas are closely
Wiccan Rede, “An’ it harm none, do It means that we should take respon- intertwined. The Threefold Law is
what you will” is too simplistic and sibility for what we do in our lives as a variation of the scientific law “for
is impossible to follow, and the Law much as possible, and accept respon- every action there is an equal and
of Threefold Return is a Christian sibility for the consequences of what opposite reaction,” or the ecologi-
concept that is punishing in essence. we do or through inaction fail to do. cal understanding that everything
is connected. When we act the im-
Both of these arguments are based That means that when we act in a pact of our actions will come back
on rather shallow interpretations mundane or magickal way we have to us somehow. We can’t do things
and aren’t supported by historical to think about what it is we’re doing maliciously towards others (like
documentation about Wicca, at and how it affects the web of every- magickal cursing) and expect to not
least as Gerald Gardner promoted it. thing that is touched by our actions. suffer some fallout from our actions.
Modern Wiccans are free to aban- Everything is connected so what we While it’s not necessarily possible to
don or adopt philosophies into their do affects all sorts of things. Acting quantify what is sent out comes back
practice as they see fit, but should mindlessly is irresponsible by the three times or more, the ecological
take responsibility for these choices standard of the Rede as acting mind- understanding that all is connected
rather than trying to justify them lessly means we haven’t considered ensures the results do most definitely
based on weak arguments. the harm that could be involved. come back to affect the originator in
some form.
The word “rede” means “advice” - Just being alive means we’re doing
it’s not a commandment like the harm to something, as many critics Both the Wiccan Rede and the
Christian ten commandments are of the Rede have noted. Microbes Threefold Law are attributed in
supposed to be absolute. It’s a guide- die as we breathe, and as our bod- some form back to Gardner. As the
line, a suggestion, about how a Wic- ies’ white blood cells attack other founder and initial popularizer of
can can try and live their life. There microscopic life forms that are invad- what we know today as Wicca, to say
ing our bodies. Insects die when we that the Wiccan Rede or Threefold
1. Phyllis Curott in an excerpt from chap- walk around. Plants and animals die Law is not Wiccan is to betray a lack
ter seven of her book “Witch Crafting,” so we might eat. It’s all about try- of historical knowledge.
on the web at http://www.randomhouse.
com/features/witchcrafting/witchcraft.
ing to be conscious of the impact we
html have on everything else, and making

Waterfall at the Min-
nesota Landscape Ar-
boretum, MN USA.
Photo by B. Gruagach
Gerald Gardner
mentions the
idea of the Wic-
can Rede (“harm
none” and “do
what you will”) in
his book “Witch-
craft Today.” Do-
reen Valiente, one
of Gardner’s early
High Priestesses,
discusses the ori-
gins and develop-
ment of the Rede it is explained to the initiate that ev- pectation is that peace and love will
at some length in the chapter “Witch erything returns threefold, and as a come back in some form.
Ethics” of her book “Witchcraft for symbol of this, the initiate scourges
Tomorrow.” Janet and Stewart Far- their initiator three times the num- The Wiccan Rede and Threefold
rar also discuss the Rede at some ber of strokes administered in the Law can be a sophisticated basis for
length in their chapter on ethics in first degree initiation. The one who a religious philosophy for those who
“A Witches Bible.” Raymond Buck- administered the first degree scourg- examine it in some depth. It is not
land, who was initiated by Gardner’s ing therefore receives it back three- necessarily a philosophy for every-
High Priestess Monique Wilson fold. one. One of the greatest strengths
(“Lady Olwen”) also insists that the of the modern pagan community is
Wiccan Rede is a central point of The Threefold Law isn’t a Christian that there is room for lots of variety
Gardnerian philosophy in his “The philosophy, but more likely bor- and difference. While the Wiccan
Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of rowed from Hinduism where it is Rede and Threefold Law do not have
Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-pagan- usually known as the Law of Karma. to be part of all Wiccans’ philosophy,
ism.” Despite the claim that it is a punish- they are very much part of historical
ment and therefore a philosophy of Wicca despite claims to the contrary.
The Threefold Law is also identi- deterrence, it is described more in
fied as a Gardnerian teaching by terms of ecological unity – every-
Raymond Buckland in “The Witch thing is connected, so what is sent
Book.” There is clear evidence of out will undoubtedly come back in
this in the second degree initiation some form. This is not a philosophy
ceremony from the core Gardnerian of punishment but one of unity. If
Book of Shadows. In this ceremony, one sends out peace and love, the ex-

Pagan Destinations:
Temple of Sekhmet,
Indian Springs NV USA
by Ben Gruagach
The Temple of Sekhmet is a Goddess-worship site dedicated by Genevieve Vaughan in 1993. It is located just out-
side Indian Springs Nevada, about fifty minutes by car north west of Las Vegas. Set in a breathtaking desert land-
scape one truly feels humbled and in the presence of the Divine.
These photos were taken during a vacation in 2005. You can see more photos, and learn more about the temple
and events held there, by visiting http://www.sekhmettemple.com/

The stunning landscape where the Temple is located outside Indian Springs, Nevada USA.

The Temple of Sekhmet as you approach from the parking area.

A few of the shrines set aside for specific goddesses within the temple.

The impressive Earth Mother within the temple.

The temple’s central fire pit, with the Earth Mother in the background.

Sekhmet, the lion-headed tutelary Goddess of the temple.

The Peace Pole erected on the Temple grounds.
(Note the clumps of vegetation growing in the branches of the tree -- that’s mistletoe!)

The roof of the Temple of Sekhmet is open to the sky.

Online Pagans Magazine - Issue 1 - 2010 06

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Ganesha photo by B. Gruagach

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