Tattoos: Skin Pictographs of a Journey – Editorial

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We all have seen them, Pagans sport them as decorative badges. Tattoo, (tatu) indelible ink inserted into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons.

Artist: Megan Wilson - Picture Machine SF

Artist: Megan Wilson - Picture Machine SF

I had always thought of them as simply body adornment, something added as a whim and often regretted later. A few years ago I had a talk with Pagan friend Brett and heard the story of each of his numerous tattoos. I came to realize for many Pagans, they are the story of their spiritual journey. Each ink addition for him represented a step, or event, revelation or accomplishment along his spiritual path. A constant reminder of his journey.

My Tattoo

Recently I got my first tattoo, at age 57. It was an entitlement of initiation within my tradition. As a craftsman and artist, I have imbued my spiritual inspiration into my work. When I heard of Kore, a spiritual tattooist in South Minneapolis, I knew she could offer the experience I wanted.
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Pagan Coming Out Day Set for May 2nd – Editorial

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International Pagan Coming Out Day (IPCOD), a not-for-profit organization, has named May 2nd as Pagan Coming Out Day. The group is organized by an eight person Executive Committee, of which two members are Minnesotans – Old Frisian and archaic Anglo-Saxon language specialist Nick Ritter and PNC’s Cara Schulz. Other committee members include licensed clinical psychologist and a faculty member of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Drake Spaeth, PsyD, The Wild Hunt’s Jason Pitzl-Waters, editor of SageWoman, Witches&Pagans, and Crone magazines Anne Newkirk Niven, writer and blogger Laura M. LaVoie, webmaster David Dashifen Kees, and CUUPS Board Member Emeritus Dave Burwasser.

As Chair of the Executive Committee for IPCOD, I am proud and excited to be part of this project, which I first proposed on the blog Pagan+politics back in June of last year. The goal of Pagan Coming Out Day is to achieve acceptance and equity for Pagans at home, at work, and in every community. We’ll do this by being more visible and standing together. As more of us come out, the less discrimination we all face. May 2nd, is when individuals, deciding on their own terms, take a step that helps foster a society that truly does tolerate all religions. It’s also a day when our religious community comes together to support those Pagans coming out to a person or group and celebrates the more public emergence of their Pagan identity.

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Paganistan Weekly; Jan 31-Feb 6

New this week, there will be asterisks next to events which are not on-going, to make it easier to pick out the new events.
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** EVENTS THIS WEEK **

MONDAY;

  • 6pm weekly Community Potluck at the Sacred Paths Center followed at 7pm by Shamanic Journey Practice for those who know how to journey and want a safe place to practice.
  • 7pm Mindful Mondays (meditation) mvanavery@yahoo. com for details

 

TUESDAY;

 

WEDNESDAY;

  • 6:30pm Coffee Cauldron at the Edge Coffeehouse and around the corner from the Sacred Paths Center (people tend to meander between the two)
  • 6:30pm Minnesota Heathens Moot at 42 Avenue Station
  • 6:30pm Belly Dancing classes at the Sacred Paths Center
  • 7:30pm Twin Cities Witches Meetup at Common Roots Café; http://witches.meetup.com/1387/
  • ** New Moon at 8:31pm
  • 10pm Drum Jam at Twisted Groove

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Paganistan Community Notes; Jan 31-Feb 6

Blessed Imbolc. There are several wonderful celebrations to choose from next weekend.

Moosemas! Next Saturday from 7pm-midnight there will be a Moosemas celebration at the Sacred Paths Center as a fun-draiser for the Earth House project ($10 admission). This celebration is for adults. If you want an adult beverage, bring it. There will be frivolity. Details are available here.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183518558327522
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177252148976677

Our Lady of Celestial Fire Public Brunalia Sabbat: Next Saturday at 7:30 at Larpenteur Estates Community Room: 1276 W. Larptenteur Ave, St. Paul,MN 55113. I just heard some people talking about this ritual with great curiosity, so it’s getting some buzz. http://www.ourladyofcelestialfire.org/

NorDCOG In the Heart of Winter, the Fire of Life Returns: A Rite of Three Bredes: Next Saturday they’ll be reprising last years much talked about ritual. This ritual actually got major press in a national magazine, and it was a beautiful ritual. True artistry. It will be at the Walker Community Church. More details are available at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138705952856904
http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_ev.html?a=usmn&id=74977

Register today if you plan to attend the 13th Annual Imbolc Celebration from Tree and the Well at Powderhorn Park. Registration Deadline: Monday, January 31st. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this celebration, and I’ve never heard anything remotely negative. I want to check it out. http://treeandthewell.org/imbolc11.htm

Local Pagan-owned business, Keys of Paradise LLC, is moving into a larger facility with space for production, meeting room for rent, healing space, classes, and their main offices. To support and celebrate the move to the new location, they are offering 20% off all mystical oils! 10% off all herbs. The new location also offers local customers the option of picking their orders to save on the shipping costs. At the online shop, customers can use a free shipping code (CUSTPICKUP) to pick up the products from the facility. More information is available at http://www.keysofparadise.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keys-of-Paradise-LLC/46524688789 Hooray for the growth of a local Pagan business!

WANTED: Pagans to serve meals at homeless shelter. The Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance and Harmony Tribe are joining up to organize two trial dates; Saturday Feb. 12, 5-7 pm & Saturday March 12, 5-7 pm. If this goes well, it could become a monthly activity. If you wish to volunteer for either of these two dates, or get placed on a call list for a once a month service opportunity, contact UMPA http://www.umpaganalliance.com/contact.shtml

Speaking of UMPA, February 26 they’ll be throwing a 4th anniversary party at the Sacred paths Center from 4-8pm. Music, dancing, joy, and a red sauce cook-off between two beloved local cooks. More information is available at http://www.umpaganalliance.com/schedule.shtml

With all the mention of upcoming festivities, there’s also the annual Bread & Brew competition February 12 at the Sacred Paths Center. Bread! Brew! These are wonderful things. http://sacredpathscenter.com/?page_id=1065

If there’s anyone out there who’s familiar with The Center for Harmonious Living, please join the yahoo group and post the appropriate gatherings on the calendar. I’m on their meet-up group (http://www.meetup.com/twincities-harmoniousliving/) and I’m sure that a lot of it would be of interest to the Pagan community, but a lot of it is more new-age and I just can’t sort through it all. So if someone else wants to figure out the stuff that’s of interest to Pagans and post it in the calendar (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TwinCitiesPagans/cal) then it will greatly increase the chances of it then ending up in this newsletter.

The same is mostly true for Lake Harriet Spiritual Community. I try to pick through their events to pick out the ones which seem the most pagan, but I might miss some simply because I’m not familiar with all that LHSC offers. If I’m missing something, add it to the calendar. This newsletter takes its information directly out of the Yahoo group calendar.

Don’t forget to register for Paganicon: http://tcpaganpride.org/paganicon/registration

Paganistan Weekly – Special Edition

This is the 100th edition of this newsletter. This doesn’t signify anything special. I just happened to notice and thought I’d share.

Hey, our community still has a very unique community center, and it hasn’t been getting nearly enough attention in this newsletter lately. So this section of the newsletter will be dedicated to all the wonderful events coming up at our local Pagan community center.

Sacred Paths Center
777 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114
phone: 651-644-3727
email: info@sacredpathscenter.com
Web: http://sacredpathscenter.com/

  • Every Monday there is a potluck at the SPC from 6-7pm. This is a chance for our community to gather over a meal, which is a true community building activity. Odd Mondays the potluck is followed by a shamanic journey practice group, or a writers group.
  • Every Tuesday from 7-9pm is Laughing Reiki Healing Clinic and Reiki Circle at the SPC.
  • Every Wednesday from 6:30-8pm there are Belly Dancing classes at the SPC. Come learn the fundamentals of Arabic Dance with an emphasis on American Tribal and Tribal Improvisational Belly dance.
  • Tarot 201 begins this Thursday evening at the Sacred Paths Center at 7 PM. There’s still room for more students if you’d like to join this empowering and enlightening class – Thursday night’s class starts with basic Kabbalah and elemental knowledge presents the students with an understanding of the numbered cards of the suits and insight into how the meanings of each card were derived. http://sacredpathscenter.com/?page_id=416
  • Every Thursday at 7pm at the SPC, Mentoring Elders gather to discuss (non-elders are encouraged to join the discussions.) Every forth Thursday of the month, there’s a potluck.

There is so much more coming up at the SPC – click the jump for more events, concerts, and classes!

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