Over the past few years where I work, I have occasionally done lectures on the Pagan origins of certain holidays. The city I live in is quite liberal but by and large it is a provincial area of the world and anything that broadens the conversation about culture is usually met with great enthusiasm. That is until my most recent talk on the solstice. About a week after the lecture, I received an email from someone who asked whether I would be doing some talks on the Christian holidays as well. A reasonable question we might assume on the surface, however the person who sent the email had worded it in a way that implied there was more to it. I responded pleasantly and noncommittally and moved on with my day. But here I think I would like to share all the things that were problematic with the request. Below is the email I couldn’t write. Dear ___ Thank you for reaching out about the talks (not, as your email stated “trainings”) I have done on various holidays. There are several points I would like to make regarding your question First, the talks you are referring to were intended as cultural explorations of the holidays that we celebrate in the US. I discussed the many influences on these holidays from an interdisciplinary angle which meant exploring religious, sociological, geographical, political and other aspects of the holidays. As a result I discussed Christianity since as you may or may not know, Christian holidays were often a “rebrand” of older Pagan ones. Sadly, since you did not attend any of my talks, you missed this. Second, since Paganism as a historical and cultural phenomenon as well as religious one is marginalized, and since my field of scholarship is Paganism, it made sense that I shared my knowledge and resources about this subject. I would not have arranged talks on Christianity because it is not my field. Is it yours? If so, why not make the effort to do a talk on Christian holidays yourself? Third, we live in the Bible Belt. To put it crudely, one could throw a bible and hit either a practicing Christian or a church. Do you really think we need a workshop on Christianity when it is so easy to find this information? Fourth, get ready now because this is where I really am going to dig a bit deeper. Are you familiar with the terms ‘false equivalency” and “Christian hegemony”. No? Well let’s look at them. The basis of your email, I might suggest, is that you are offended that someone shared a belief system that is not dominant. You have probably seen in the media multiple marginalized groups stand up for themselves and insist on being acknowledged and it makes you uncomfortable. Because of this you have resorted to one of the greatest fallacies of false equivalency, which basically states - if that group gets to do that, why don’t I? More specifically, you are assuming that since Paganism has been given a modicum of attention (I mean a talk at a small college is hardly a rally) then it is my duty to give Christianity attention. Despite the decline in Christianity, it outnumbers the known Pagan community hundreds of times over. Christianity has efficiently converted millions over the centuries. Moreover the influence of this religion is so insidious and far reaching that you probably barely notice how much power it has - a lot like white supremacy and patriarchy. This is known as Christian hegemony. I don’t need to provide a platform for Christianity because it is everywhere. My fifth point requires me to make an assumption which is that you yourself are Christian. If so, it is understandable that you are concerned that I am trying to convert the campus to Paganism. Pagans, unlike Christians, do not proselytize. We have no interest in growing our numbers to satisfy the whim of a capricious and frankly narcissistic god. This is surprising to many Christians because it kind of comes with the territory for them, doesn’t it? Not for Pagans. Finally, I want to recognize that you are scared and I understand that. You are scared maybe because you have been fed propaganda that claims Paganism is evil Satan worship. It’s not. Again my talk would have revealed that but as I mentioned before you did not attend. These days an opinion without information is often presumed to be enough. This is the trap you have fallen into. You never came to my talks - and that is your prerogative. But that means any opinion you might have about it means absolutely nothing. I would however like to thank you for writing your email. It amused me and gave me a chance to write this article. Blessed Be. Generally it had been a witchy sort of a day. We began it by going to friend’s yard sale where I bought some candlesticks I intend to use in ritual. Later I went to get my haircut by yet another friend and fellow occultist. We chatted about all good folk magick things and he gave me advice which I always receive with deep appreciation. I punctuated the day with a brief outing to an art show and marveled at my good fortune to know such interesting people. It had been a long time since I had been to an art show or opening. My companion and I entered the complex where the art space lives and were hit by an intense smell of chocolate from one of the businesses that also is housed there. The effect was sort of an alert, an olfactory signpost as I now see it retrospectively. I’ve been reading the book “Pieces of Light” by Charles Fernyhough, and had got to the chapter on smell memory just that day. A lovely piece of synchronicity. The show was a mix of different artists part of a collective. Using such diverse materials as textiles, latex, paper, human hair, kombucha SCOBYs and more, the work was a tantalizing journey into intimacy and notions of the self. I loved all of it, the esthetic had a creepiness to it that appealed to me. There followed a brief talk by the artists and then a performance piece. In the performance, one of the artists encouraged us to share a secret which she would then read but not reveal and create a sort of memento for whomever shared the secret. The memento itself was a jar into which she placed salvaged and foraged items she had imbued with personal meaning. There were pieces of glass, her own hair, scraps of a nightdress from her grandmother and so on. The performance itself, I did not find very successful. I don’t like to be prompted to intimacy in such a way (though noone was forced to participate), and the artist performing seemed too nervous which made it awkward. But I found the concept behind the performance intriguing. In the occult we often talk about correspondences, These are elements that can come together to create powerful circumstances for ritual or spellwork. We might heed the phases of the moon or planets to determine when best to perform our workings. Added to this could be certain herbs, chrystals etc. all intended to harness the right energies. I have often found the basis of this theory very prescriptive and arbitrary. As someone who is intrigued more with folk magic, I thought the way the artist in the performance I witnessed built a personal lexicon of meaning and therefore power through her own history more interesting and potentially more powerful than something dictated to us from an old grimoire. I don’t know how magick works in a rational sense. I can’t talk about it as if it were a scientific theory because it’s not. Anyone who has cast a spell can agree that sometimes all the conditions are right and still the outcome is not what we wanted. The notion of developing our own personal correspondences is appealing to my folk magic heart but also seems to me essentially egalitarian. It is the practitioner that determines the power of the objects and materials and in the process of determining which items to use, the practitioner can develop a deep relationship with their work. Building Your Folk Correspondences Collecting together elements of personal meaning to you in your magickal practices is something that will take time. You must meditate and think carefully about what you want to include. It’s not something that can be forced. In this way it is a psychological activity and I happen to think much of magick is based in psychology. You might start with thinking about positive attributes you want in your magickal work - strength for example. What means strength to you? Is it a person? Perhaps a herb? Alternatively you might find that you subconsciously have been collecting something. Do you pick up a pebble everytime you visit the beach? What might these mean to you, were you to use them in ritual or spellwork? I was tidying up a bathroom draw yesterday and was surprised at how many bobby pins and buttons I have acquired. The bobby pins reminded me of my childhood, having my hair tied back for school. Sometimes the little rubber tips came off and the hair pins would scratch my scalp. The buttons reminded me of my mother’s sewing. She was an accomplished dressmaker and she died not too long ago so the discovery of them held an odd poignancy. Both items had a potency specific to me and so going forward I will probably use them in my own charm bags and witch bottles. Another suggestion would be to get into the habit of carrying vials so that should something catch your fancy you can carefully and responsibly harvest it. Some dirt from an outdoor concert that you loved, ashes from a fire. You get the idea. You don’t need a massive collection, as space allows. Housing your items in nice jars in a pretty cabinet certainly gives them a wonderful air of mystique but they just as easily can be kept in a cardboard box under your bed. However you approach, provided your intent is clear, there is no wrong way. Honoring the full moon is a wonderful way to begin a practice with your family at a time when there is not always much to look forward to. Since we are schooling virtually with our daughter’s local elementary, many of the events they had are not happening so we have developed our own rituals and cycles that are things in our calendar to create special times outside of the everyday.
The full moon happens on average once a month. Sometimes it can happen twice a month (we have 13 full moons in one calendar year) which means that this is a great place to start providing activities and a regular event that allows children and families to pause and take time to celebrate something together. We don't have to be any particular religion to do this or believe in anything. At the very minimum we can use this time to express gratitude and to notice the world around us and that in itself is special. If you want to honor the full moon and you have younger children as I do, this is an opportunity for them to learn about calendars, months and days of the week. Full Moon Activities. Whatever you choose to do, be sure and do what you can to create a special magical atmosphere with incense, candle light etc. Spell Work and Ritual Make Moon Water Moon water is water (preferably rain water) that has been charged in the light of the moon. Have your children fill a jar with water and set it somewhere outside or on a window sill to absorb the power of the moon. The water can be used to make potions or as an offering. Altars Build an altar to the full moon, focusing on the colors silver, grey, and white. Add a white piece of fabric, offerings of round food and any other associations. It is best to have your children collaborate fully so they are thinking and working with you on spiritual meaning for themselves. Simple Prayers Say a prayer to the moon, do it together by candle light. Journaling If you have older children, have them journal about the full moon how it makes him feel what they love about it how is it different to other times of the month. I think this is an important mindfulness and spiritual practice that makes them aware of how their body is affected by seasons and nature cycles. Story Telling Encourage your children to research mythology and folk stories from different cultures about the full moon in advance. Then on the night of the full moon, have them tell the family the stories and tales they learned. Art Projects Art projects can be anything from stenciling circles all over a piece of paper to painting rocks white and putting them somewhere where the moon shine on them. You can do some cool printing with potatoes that are round. Try using a wax crayon that is white or pale and put it on a white piece of paper and draw a big circle on it. Then put watercolor paint across it in a contrasting color and you will see the resist affect of the wax. For older children how about vision boards? This is similar to the setting of intentions. They can come up with some ideas of what they want to have happen in their lives. You don't have to call it magic but it can be incredibly therapeutic. Camping If weather is still mild you might try camping out. If you have a fenced in yard this is straightforward. Or, if you don’t have a yard, perhaps you have a friend who does? We have done this and it’s really fun and felt like a great party. If camping outside isn’t possible then how about “camping” in your family room? Over the last few months, we have camped in various places in our house when we don’t want to go through the whole putting up a tent thing. Our daughter thinks it’s a great adventure. Staying Up Late If space is really limited then simply staying up late could be fun. We like to light candles as it gets darker. This post first appeared on my site opencove.com the purpose of this blog is to force me to write. Write without a particular agenda about the things that interest and please me. I am not disciplined or driven, but must begrudgingly acknowledge the value in writing as means of expansion mentally and spiritually.
Granted, writing in a time where everyone has something to say feels like shouting into a room of loud chatter. So I do it for myself only. Onward. |
AuthorLiz Watkin writes for The Wild Hunt. All opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect those of any associated organizations. ArchivesCategories |