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    • Crossed Quarters – Guest Editorial by Lisa Spiral

    Posted on January 30, 2013 by Nels Linde

    Photo: http://www.pagangrove.com

    Most Pagans are aware that the eight sabbats of Wicca are an artificial construction. They combine festivals of hunter/gatherer peoples with festivals of agriculture and animal husbandry. When you add to that an international following and crazy modern scheduling you have a practice of worship that is truly Neo-Pagan.

    Our quarter celebrations, the solstices and equinoxes, come to us from people’s who understood astronomy. These are real and measurable events in time and space. The tools and precision of measuring when these sabbats occur have changed over time. The events that they celebrate are fixed.

    The cross quarters, however, are seasonal celebrations. They mark events of weather and harvest that happen when they happen in the local area. We know from the names we call them by: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasad, and Samhein that these are sabbats from more northern climates. These are celebrations of a people who were dependent on an unpredictable weather.

    They may have marked migration cycles. They may have marked the end of a harvest season. They may have marked blooming plants. They may have marked fertility of farm animals. But these kind of events occur at different times in different places in different years.

    Our calendars come to us from the Romans and the Roman Catholic Church. When these local festivals were assigned patron saints and attributed to saints days on the calendar they became more fixed in time. Of course the church calendar has changed once or twice over the last several thousand years and saints come and go. (more…)

    Filed under: Editorial, Human Interest | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

    In Syria and Egypt, Pagan voices fall silent

    Posted on January 17, 2013 by caraschulz

    Areas where there is political turmoil or fighting are often difficult places for even those in the mainstream of a culture to live in.  It’s even harder for people on the fringe of society as they face confusion, uncertainty, deteriorating living conditions, and daily fear for personal safety.  Those set apart by ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, political views, or religion are the most vulnerable to loss of property or even loss of life.  In Syria and Egypt, two countries currently experiencing political turmoil or civil war, one by one Pagan voices have fallen silent.

    There are eight Pagans, three in Egypt and five in Syria, that I have regular contact with online.  They had always been cautious about revealing their religion to people within their country and expressed dismay over their isolation, but they were happy to talk online and wanted to know what American Pagans, especially those who practice Mesopotamian or Kemetic religions, were doing.

    Egypt
    The Egyptian Pagans, who were elated at the fall of Muburak, expressed hope that a truly democratic government would emerge in Egypt.  Then,  concerns crept in at the increasing power of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Karim saw the Brotherhood as a threat to both his country and to him, as a Pagan, personally.  Over the past seven months, the lag in communication grew as he became more politically involved and went to rallies and protests.  He expressed fear that pagans and other religious minorities were in increasing danger and that the Christians would sacrifice people like him to the Brotherhood to appease them.  The other two Pagans I communicate with followed a similar pattern.  Elation, followed by concern, followed by fear and determination.  Then silence.  I have no way of finding out if they are simply too involved with the political turmoil in Egypt to respond, if they are keeping quiet to avoid suspicion, or anything else.  It’s been three months since I have heard from any of them.

    .
    Syria
    The situation in Syria appears to be more grave, according to the last messages I received from the five Pagans I chat with regularly.  They spoke of the fighting and how places looked like Beirut,  buildings just shells of themselves, rubble blocking the streets.  They detailed neighbors going missing.  Islamic fundamentalist patrols that monitor behavior and took violent action against people who violated rules and customs. They debated fleeing, worried about being outed as a Pagan, and started destroying or burying altars.  Three began attending local mosques to show their devotion to Islam.

    email for article

    Last email received from Yana.

    Yana dropped off first.  I last heard from her in June of 2012.  Bayan, another Syrian Pagan, also hadn’t heard from her but said fighting in her area was intense.  He said he had seen patrols targeting young women and men, beating them and he said it was rumored they were raping them.  He thought perhaps she fled to a safer area or was silent to avoid detection.

    That was the last email I received from Bayan.  Like dominoes the other Syrian Pagans went silent.  No emails or texts.  No word on their safety.  I keep hoping I will hear something, but it’s been several months and still no word.

    I reached out to a Pagan in Lebanon, Adon, to see what he has heard about his coreligionists in Syria and Egypt.  Although he’s not in the same country, he’s much closer than I am.  I asked Adon if he had heard from Pagans in Egypt and Syria.

    I haven’t heard of my pagan friends in Syria for a while too now, i know at least three of them who moved to other countries, especially Algeria, and United Arab emirates, but i have lost their contact in the process. The others are still silent, so they’re either disconnected, moved from the country, or worse. It’s hard to tell at the moment, pagans in the Near East were already several secluded clusters of individuals who don’t have a lot of contact with each other before everything started to happen. This is the case even in Lebanon where it’s relatively easier to be open about one’s religious identity.

    I didn’t had any contact previously with Egyptian pagans, but they’re probably fine, but everyone in Egypt is too distracted to think about anything but politics and survival at the moment, i’ve had trouble having a decent conversation even with non-pagan egyptian friends in the past few months.

    Anyway, you’re right that the atmosphere is getting a lot less safer for non-muslims in general and even for less devoted muslims. It’s very risky to even discuss religion in Syria at the moment, whether we were in the areas controlled by the regime or by the rebels. In Egypt the situation is a bit brighter since there’s a larger civil society and minorities in general and things are still relatively peaceful. However, the general feeling here is that this is temporary, the Islamists are taking the lead now after being in the shadows for decades, and all this will catalyze the process of getting over fundamental Islamism faster.  - Adon

    My hope is that peace and liberty come to this region of the world.  I hope my friends are safe and that someday soon, they can live without fear.  That their voices are once again heard and this terrible silence ends.  May Anu and Horus watch over them.

    Filed under: Editorial, Human Interest | 20 Comments »

    Gifts and Thank You’s – Editorial

    Posted on December 20, 2012 by Nels Linde

    Photo: vec.ca

    Gifts, they are on most of our minds this time of year.  We anguish over giving them and receiving them, who needs one, who might give us one, why we give them.  It is residue from that dominant holiday in our culture, at least the anguish is.  Most of the gifts we really appreciate are the ones given from the heart, and specific to ourselves and the receiver.  There is a strong alternative movement against all the commercialism.  Give some cookies, or a hand-made necklace, a poem, hand-made card, or a special artifact of nature.  Give something really personal, these things often have more meaning.

    Thank you.  Our thank you conversations are the flip side of gifts.  We always say thank you, but we can’t help but betray what we feel most often.  The enlightened honor that old saying, “It’s the thought that counts.” and really endeavor to feel it.  It doesn’t matter if we already have two, or don’t need want or like it.  It may even feel like an obligation or burden.  Why did we not think of them and have a gift?  Whatever we feel, as we accept it, we also know most times the giver instinctively senses our reaction, and it falls into a couple of categories.  We loved it and appreciate it, we are ambivalent and it is a little awkward, or they sense our subtle dread at the responsibility of accepting it.  However it takes place, we complete the gift-thank you ritual and keep moving, it is that busy time of year.

    Twin Cities Pagans

    How can we avoid the stress of this time of gifts and thank you’s?   What got me thinking about this was the ending of the Paganistan weekly. What a gift.  JRob took the task of building a network of people, and a place to share personal and community events, applied his love and vision of a better community, and just ran with it.  The list, Twin Cities Pagans had been around since year 2000.  I found the post when JRob got involved , message # 649, Aug 18th, 2008:

    Blessings All,
    I couldn’t find a place which listed the area Pagan events in one calendar, so I asked Robin and he said I could use the calendar from this group to keep track of events.  So if you want to keep up on local Pagan events, check this group’s calendar.  I’m on a bunch of local groups and I continually add things as I find them.
    Oh, and I also updated the links section. But I’m not calling dibs.  I hope that other people also feel free to add things.

    Many Blessings, Jrob

    (more…)

    Filed under: Editorial, Human Interest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

    We deify killers, not heroes

    Posted on December 17, 2012 by caraschulz

    The tragedy in Connecticut raises many of the same questions we’ve argued about for decades.  Mostly we talk about guns, violence in our entertainment and society, school safety, and increasingly, mental health.  However, one area Pagans can add a unique and valuable viewpoint is how our culture has stood deification on its head.  We deify killers, not heroes.

    In some ancient Pagan cultures, persons who did magnificent deeds or were founders of cities were honored after death as divine beings.  Their names were known to all, their likeness spread, and every tidbit of their lives were told and retold.  They became immortal.  Persons who did unthinkable acts, on the other hand, were erased.  Their name was no longer spoken.  Their name was stricken from all official record.  All images of them were destroyed.  When they died, they ceased to exist.

    This is how it should be and yet, we do the exact opposite.  We have wall to wall coverage of the shooter, his photo is on every tv, phone, and computer.  Most every person in our country, and many outside of it, will know his name.  We will learn every detail of his life and all of that information is passed along on social media and discussed in person among friends, family, and co-workers.  There will be books about him and generations from now, people will retell his story. They’ll be on the TV 24 hours a day.  That is a powerful honor to bestow.

    Psychologists note that persons who do mass killings, such as what happened last week, crave the attention even though they may choose not to be alive to experience the attention after the act.  They fantasize about being on the news, knowing their name will live on long after their death.  They know this because they see how we glorify past mass murderers.  In fact, we usually surpass their wildest dreams.  Each new killer receives greater and longer attention.

    I don’t advocate legislation to make it illegal to speak mass murderers’ names or display their photos, but I do believe if we voluntarily adopt the ethics of our religious and cultural ancestors, we will have fewer of some types mass murders.  It will not be so attractive to those focused on writing their name in the sky.  If the media, as they do with a few other specific types of criminal cases, stopped publishing their name and photo, that would help.  If we placed our focus on the victims and heroes, passing along their photos and stories and saying their name aloud, that would help.  If we deified heroes, not killers, that would help.

    Filed under: Editorial | 8 Comments »

    Killing, Death, Hunting, and Pagans – Editorial

    Posted on December 4, 2012 by Nels Linde

    death_tree

    I just finished a week of hunting deer in Wisconsin, and am a Pagan. Most Pagans don’t have a deep connection to hunting, I guess their demographic is more urban than many religious groups. Hunting is not a big Pagan topic of conversation unless you are from, or live in, a rural area.

    A recent blog post by author Stifyn Emtys caught my attention. He wrote questioning hunting, well really questioning it as if hunting is essentially “enjoying killing”. The post goes on to conclude that some,  “people don’t kill because they have to. They kill because they want to. And that, my friends, isn’t just scary. It’s horrifying.“ Another, commenting on social media about that post, took it a step further with, “Hunting, when one has access to vegetation and other food sources is just cold-blooded murder, no way around it. “ 

    Murder is killing a person with malice a forethought, quite a stretch to classify hunting with this term.

    What offends me is that the post’s author admits that hunting experience is an area of limited personal contact and understanding, but still concludes, “ people who kill animals in the name of sport or spirituality …. reveal something starkly horrific about the human condition.” The author equates hunting with “enjoying killing”.  I don’t hunt because I enjoy killing. I accept that many things in life involve death, and yes, sometimes killing.

    As a Pagan and a hunter, I don’t feel compelled to proselytize about either activity. There are plenty of horror stories about both designations, there are plenty of reason to be neither, it is a personal choice.  The blog post did get me to think about killing, death, and particularly our relationship as Pagans to it.

    Where is the Pagan experience with death in this intellectual argument? It seemed lacking. My spirituality and experience has changed how I look at death, and at killing. I don’t see it as a punishment, an act of fate or karma, even something to fear. I see it all around me, everyday.

    (more…)

    Filed under: Editorial, Human Interest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 19 Comments »

    Standing Stones Mabon – Interview

    Posted on October 3, 2012 by Nels Linde

    I had the honor to attend the Coven of the Standing Stones community Mabon celebration last weekend. This is a private, by invitation event, but those for whom it is needed, or appropriate for, always seem to find an invitation (or you can ask for one). If you ask; “What is this coven known for?” , most would say they excel in the ‘craft’ of the Craft, they put together a solid ritual experience. They are the most welcoming group you will find, and take pride in their diversity and inclusiveness.  Standing Stones has been supportive of many community groups and events over the years, particularly helping the local Covenant of the Goddess raise needed funds for survival a few years back, and ongoing help cleaning the highway with the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) and raising funds for that group. If you can’t find them at Magus Books offering free classes, look wherever you see Pagan community growing and they are likely somewhere involved!

    Standing Stones is a coven of leaders.  I got a chance to corner three of the most visible. Don, John, and Tamara, and ask some questions.

    How long have you been doing a community Mabon?
    John: This is the eighth year we have held this event as a community Mabon.

    How many folks do you have attending?
    John:  By our count, close to 120. A pretty good turnout! It’s a large family.

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    Why do you hold this event?
    John:  It is a way we give back to our community. By giving back some of our bounty, we help build our community. Our community gives to us and we have to give something back.

    We started inviting our community to celebrate Mabon with us about eight years ago. About 70 people attended. Some in our community have been at every one. We feel honored by that. We used to hold both a community Ostara and a Mabon, because we liked honoring the balance of light and dark at both times of the year. But they got so large and came up so quickly that we decided it was best to just offer one. We picked Mabon because it is a time of abundance. We thought, let’s feed everybody and pick a time when we can all be outside and enjoy some great weather.

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    Filed under: Editorial, Happenings, Interview | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

    Coldwater Spring – The New History

    Posted on September 28, 2012 by Nels Linde

    Coldwater Spring is being replanted tomorrow (see Paganistan Weekly below), and how can restoration not be a great thing?  How this sacred place has gotten to its current condition, a bulldozed and denuded site, ready for the National Park Service (NPS), to “restore” is a very long story.  Susu Jeffrey tells it better than most anyone, and her recent article in the  “Southside Pride” community newspaper gives you an update (reprinted in full at bottom). There remains an ongoing struggle to have this site declared, as the Minnesota Historical Society supports, a Dakota traditional sacred site,  a “Traditional Cultural Property (TCP)”.
    About Saturday’s NPS restoration event. Susu adds:

    The National Park Service told the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community that they could not hold a pipe ceremony on opening day at Coldwater Park, Saturday, September 1, 2012. The community held a pipe ceremony anyway while the National Park Service brought in an armed man in a bullet proof vest. People considered this disrespectful at a sacred site. The park service refuses to honor the Traditional Cultural Property/sacred designation at Coldwater.The National Park Service clearcut most of Coldwater and now wants volunteers to plant toothpick trees where NPS wants new trees. NPS has solicited donations for new trees: $1,000 for a dozen; $100 for one tree. It’s an extremely dry year for new trees.  Survival is iffy.

    Other Coldwater Spring events:

    Offerings for the Sacred Spring on the Harvest Full Moon, Saturday, September 29, 2012

    Gather at the entrance to Coldwater Springs, 7 PM – This is a crafty, child friendly gathering.

    Native elders have asked people to leave offerings  “for the ancestors” at Coldwater. We will make natural offerings from the beautiful “weeds” around the front gates. The federally recognized Lower Sioux Indian Community Council declared Coldwater a Traditional Cultural Property and “sacred” in 2006. Unfortunately the National Park Service refuses to acknowledge Coldwater Springs as a sacred site for Native Americans and others.

    Traditional group howl!  Full Moon celebrations at Coldwater have been observed every month since 2000.

    Sunset 6:56 PM (55-minutes earlier than last full moon) Moonrise 6:27 PM (1-hour, 6-minutes earlier)

    Solstice 2003 at Coldwater Spring

    DIRECTIONS: Coldwater Springs is between Minnehaha Park & Fort Snelling, in Minneapolis, just North of the Hwy 55/62 interchange. From Hwy 55/Hiawatha, turn East (toward the Mississippi) at 54th Street, take an immediate right, & drive South on the frontage road for ½-mile past the parking meters, through the cul-de-sac and into Coldwater to park free.

    This gathering is free and open to all. Note: This is not a “special event” since the National Park Service is not issuing any special use permits for Coldwater Springs until late spring of 2013. Info: http://www.friendsofcoldwater.org

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    Filed under: Editorial, Happenings, Political Opinion | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

    MMR to play at Presidential candidate’s rally at Macalester on Friday

    Posted on September 20, 2012 by caraschulz
     Gary Johnson is speaking to needs and changes that affect Pagans and sub-cultures that are related to it. Because the more we stand up and address those needed changes, the more will get done. Because it’s time for us all to get up off the couch and stop barking at the TV. – Brad Murphey, Murphey’s Midnight Rounders
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    Murphey’s Midnight Rounders are performing at a rally for Libertarian Presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson on Friday.  The rally is part of Gov. Johnson’s nationwide tour of colleges.  The event takes place at Hill Ballroom starting at 12:30 pm.  PNC-Minnesota will have coverage of the event and was able to catch up with Brad Murphey, of MMR, about how he feels about performing at a rally for a Presidential candidate and why Third Parties are worth taking a look at by Pagans.  The following is the full statement:

    .

    Murphey’s Midnight Rounders

    For me, this election is going to be decided by the issues. Yes, important issues come up in EVERY presidential election. But this time, there are issues that are important to the Pagan Community. There is a movement in this country, to marginalize Pagan thought, beliefs and practices. That, alone, tells me that we are making an impact. If we were not, there wouldn’t be such vocal resistance to it.

     
    The Wiccan Rede tells us “An ye harm none, do what thou wilt.” Whether one is Wiccan or not is not my point. It’s still a good philosophy. Paganism tends to embrace and defend many sub-cultures that have been marginalized by (dare I say it?) mainstream thought. “If it’s not hurting anyone, why not live the way you want to live?” It’s not an entitlement, it’s a right. There should be NO REASON why someone should not be allowed to live the way they want to, if it’s not hurting anyone. Who is it hurting if two men or two women (or more, for that matter) want to bond together as mates? According to the laws in this country, there are rights and privileges that are afforded them for this commitment.
     
    There are many who believe that any Pagan philosophy or religion should be, at best, a second-class belief system and therefore the First Amendment to the Constitution does not apply to them. There is no such classification in the Constitution. But, instead of accepting it verbatim, they want to CHANGE the wording so that Pagans are…again…marginalized. Acceptance is not taught or encouraged…let alone, defended. Instead, too many of the people who believe in this marginalization are our lawmakers and judges who were brought up to fear that which they refuse to understand. There’s an old song from the musical, ‘South Pacific’ that goes like this: “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught from year to year, It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear, You’ve got to be carefully taught.”
    We, as Pagans, tend to profess acceptance (or at least tolerance) of individuality and lifestyles that we may not subscribe to. Those lawmakers, judges, priests and ministers, politicians and just plain everyday folk who are so vocally resistant are really saying, “We will not tolerate acceptance. We will not embrace any who do not live like us. We would rather re-write law and society in our image than allow change and evolution of that same society.”
     
    There is a war on drugs that has been actively waged in this country for many decades. It’s been waged on legal grounds, economic grounds, social grounds, medical grounds and religious grounds. The trend in this war has been to pick on Marijuana as the leading culprit and responsible for all the societal ills we can name; addiction, divorce, educational dropout rates, homelessness, joblessness, laziness and anything else you can think of. This war on marijuana has been based on four things: misinformation, outright lie, ‘power over’ and greed.
    .
    We have pumped TRILLIONS into this war when there’s no way to win it. When I say trillions, I’m not exaggerating. 25% of this country’s population is currently or has been incarcerated. A HUGE percentage of that population is there on drug-related convictions. I’m not talking about the heroin addict who robs someone to pay for his habit; I’m talking about someone who was arrested with an ounce of pot in his pocket. Our taxes go to law makers, law enforcement, prisons, court personnel, attorneys, medical labs and more, just to pay for this war. But substance prohibition does not work. That was proven in the US in the 1930’s.  To make matters worse, the health and economic benefits of marijuana HAVE been studied and proven. Now, we can bandy all day about who is to blame for the war; who benefits from the war and the prohibition…big pharma, the cotton industry, myopic religious leaders, whatever. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the American people have been lied to for generations about marijuana and only a relative few benefit from this war. It hasn’t stopped people from smoking it…just like Prohibition didn’t stop people from drinking. I could go on and on. But, legalizing it and federally taxing it would help the economy to the tune of BILLIONS every year. And that’s just ONE of the benefits.
     
    The two-party system is broken. That is proven every time a candidate other than a Republican or Democrat is elected into any office. People vote for whomever they believe will defend their needs and rights as citizens. That has been proven by the fact that there are more than two political parties. Period. Having more than the two ‘major’ parties is proof that democracy CAN work…as long as we stop trying to break it. If we are to evolve, as a civilization, we must have a government that evolves with us. But what seems to happen is that the two-party system is more concerned about keeping the status quo, rather than changing to meet the needs of the people. What worked 50 or 100 years ago only continues to work through more stringent regulations and formidable resistance. But if we have a Constitution that says we have an effective voice, it’s time to use it. Sitting at home and barking at the TV set does not bring change. Getting on Facebook and barking about politics does not bring change. Historically, the only way change has been effected in this country is to get out in public and change it. When enough people stand up and say, “we demand change,” government will listen. The stronger that voice; a) the more initial resistance there will be to change and b) EVENTUALLY, those who govern will listen and change with those needs.
    .
    So, why did I agree to play for the Gary Johnson Rally? Because Gary Johnson is speaking to needs and changes that affect Pagans and sub-cultures that are related to it. Because the more we stand up and address those needed changes, the more will get done. Because it’s time for us all to get up off the couch and stop barking at the TV.
     
    Murphey’s Midnight Rounders is not a Pagan Band, per se. We are a Folk Band (we like to call it ‘Power Folk’). Our music addresses what we feel and who we are. At the same time, all of us in the band are Pagan, so a big percentage of our music speaks to that subject: honoring Deity, tradition, and approaching the goddess with mirth and reverence. That being said, for a band that is all Pagan and sings about Pagan issues, it was an honor to be asked to sing at a rally for a presidential candidate. It says a lot about him, that, as a candidate, he is more open and supportive of the Pagan religions.
    Rally for Jobs, Opportunity, and Diversity
    Featured Speaker:  Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gov. Gary Johnson
    Macalester College, Hill Ballroom, Kagin Commons
    12:30pm to 3pm
    The event is free and open to the public
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    Editor’s note:  PNC-Minnesota Co-Editor Cara Schulz is a Johnson volunteer for this event.

    Filed under: Arts & Entertainment, Editorial | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

    Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids East Coast Gathering 2012

    Posted on September 19, 2012 by caraschulz

    This article is reprinted, with permission, by John Beckett.  The event was attended by several Midwest Druids, including the Crescent Birch Grove in southeast Michigan.

    Now that I’ve told my big story I want to share my impressions of the rest of this year’s Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids East Coast Gathering. This was the third year for this event and the second year for me attending.

    The big difference this year was the size: 103 people were registered and I think actual attendance wasn’t much less. Word is getting around the OBOD community that this is a good event and the presence of two “Big Name Druids” was an added attraction. There were people from all over the East Coast (as far south as Florida), the Midwest, Louisiana, Texas, and California, plus one from the Netherlands. And of course, two from England.

    Philip Carr-Gomm gives the Chosen Chief’s address

    Philip Carr-Gomm gave a Chosen Chief’s address that was more conversation than lecture. Many people expressed the intuition that “something big is coming” – being a UU Pagan as well as a Druid, I added “yes, and it’s our job to help create it!” Philip talked about the major crises of our world and how Druidry is a response many people are finding helpful. He also emphasized OBOD’s religious inclusiveness: there are Pagan Druids, Christian Druids, Buddhist Druids, atheist Druids, and the growing Spiritual But Not Religious Druids. I am undeniably a Pagan Druid and my primary interests are religious, but I agree we should keep our tent as big and as open as possible.

    Filed under: Editorial, Festivals | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

    Editorial: Stop petting the dog

    Posted on August 28, 2012 by caraschulz

    In my religion, Hellenismos, my ancient coreligionists used to practice expiation by scapegoating. Expiation is the act of atoning for wrongdoing so you are back in kharis (grace) with a divine being.  Think of it as a special type of purification.  How it combined with scapegoating is best seen at the Deipnon, Hekate’s Supper.  Once a lunar month, along with all the other observances, the household is purified with incense.  Sometimes, because of the immoral actions a family member committed, this isn’t enough.  In those cases the family would buy a dog.  The entire family would pet the dog which transferred their guilt onto the animal.  The dog was then killed and burned in sacrifice to Hekate.  Expiation.  Scapegoat (or scapedog)

    Christianity has this concept central to their religion, but they most certainly didn’t come up with it.  Jesus was their scapegoat and method of expiation.  I’m sure many Pagans, Heathens, and polytheists reading this are as horrified about what the Greek polytheists did all those hundreds of years ago as they are repelled by Christians bathing in Jesus’ blood today.  Yet we Pagans do it all the time in our communities.

    We get our tail caught in the wringer and instead of focusing on making the situation better, we place all our embarrassment and anger on the person who pointed it out.  ”They’re trying to destroy us,” or my personal favorite, “They’re making us look bad.”  We, none too gently, pet them over and over hoping we can rub our mistakes off onto them.  We encourage others to do the same.  And then we try to kill them in some way.  Make them go away, get them out of our site.  We want them to sink under the burden of our misdirected shame and disappear.

    We do it.  You’ve all seen it and can point to examples large and small, public and private.

    The roommate who is treated poorly and later kicked out because he won’t overlook the growing chemical addiction and mental health issues of one of his fellow roomies.  They know there’s a problem and they feel guilty and scared and ashamed for not facing it.  So they turn all that into anger and they heap it onto the one willing to speak up.  They pet the dog and then kill it.

    The community member who notices a problem with an organization or a group.  Suddenly she is the bad person trying to tear down community.  Why can’t she just shut up?  It must be because she has evil motivations.  We have to isolate her, trash her and try to ruin her reputation.  She is bad and if she would just go away, everything would be fine again.  The problem wasn’t anything to do with us, it was her.  Pet the dog and kill it.

    We do this instead of having a difficult conversation with our roommate about getting help and staying on prescribed medication.  We do this instead of making uncomfortable changes within our groups to make them better and stronger.  We would rather harm someone else than acknowledge our own failures.  This hurts us.  When we do this, we are the ones destroying our community.  We are the ones with bad and self motivations.  We are the problem, not the person we wounded and drove away.

    We need to stop petting, and then killing, the dog.

    Editor’s note:  We have not published several comments from people across the country assuming this editorial was written about a specific person or situation in their community.  This shows the universal and pervasive nature of scapegoating with expiation in Pagan, Heathen, and polytheistic communities across the country. 

    Filed under: Editorial | 7 Comments »

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