Saturday, April 18, 2009
Nonna! Did You Know???
Son and DiL took G/Son on a hike today on the Rachel Carson Greenway.
My phone rang this afternoon and the most excited little voice said: "Nonna! We're in the WOODS! And, hey, Nonna! Did you know that frogs can SING?"
Swear to Goddess, this grandparent thing is the best thing, EVER!
And, thank you, Ms. Carson, that all these years later, there are still frogs to sing to my G/Son
More info: here and here.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Beltane's Coming
We're just a few weeks away from Beltane. I know that I say this about each of the Eight Pagan Holidays, but Beltane is really my favorite. It's one of the most "pagan" of the Pagan Holidays. For me, it's all about loving early Summer, and lying down in the fields and having sex to encourage everything to grow, be fertile, lay eggs, make babies, . . . GO!
Lately, my own life, especially at work, is going flat out, full of Beltane energy, more abundant than seems possible.
And, so, I do what I always do: I keep my daily practice. I ground. I say the Ha Prayer. I go to my astral temple. I light candles and incense and I remind myself that it's all real, it's all metaphor, there's always more. I record and work with my dreams. I do reiki on my morning cup of coffee, and my afternoon tea, and on the Stoli that I drink at sunset on the porch. I dig in the dirt and handle seeds and keep soil moist and stand, like the angel in the Talmud with the blade of grass, and whisper, "Grow. Grow." I'm always so delighted and surprised when something that I've planted grows. This Spring, in particular, I'm delighting in the 3 Japanese Maples that Landscape Guy and I planted last fall.
And, when I sit at my desk at work, I remind myself of all the women who, from time immemorial, played the glass bead game of the law with the joy and delight that can only come from shuffling precedent, and good prose. and logic, and thought. I open my mind and touch those (to me) silvery blue and green threads and ride them through to the end of my own motion, brief, answer, petition.
In a very few weeks, I'll weave flower crowns and dance with my sisters and, a tradition with us on Beltane, drink pink champagne. And I will be glad to have work in these hard times and grateful for some well-timed wins and hopeful that, come late summer, the harvest will be bountiful.
May it be so for you.
Photo found here
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sinfonian!
Here's my brilliant friend, Sinfonian, taking on the poor, deluded racists in Florida. He rocks like a big rocking rock.
My New Name For A Blog
You should go read all of this. It's all about what it means to be a witch on a day by day by day by day basis.
Cobras? Really? Wow.
Photo found here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I Still Think That "My Love Rode By With Sun-Stained Feet" May Be The Sexiest Thing, Ever
World's Wedding by Emerald Rose
As poppies fired the nut-brown wheat
My love rode by with sun-stained feet
With a longing call and horse hooves fleet
I followed her laughter all a summer morn
But, oh, from a distant palace of shade
I heard the rune of my nature played
I strained to listen and lost the maid
And walked the world forlorn
When the circle green was brown with leaves
My love rode by as one that grieves
I left my stand within the sheaves
And followed her weeping all an autumn noon
From beyond the sunset splashed with red
A circle weighed upon my head
I begged embrace but she had fled
Beyond the dawning moon
When the woods were covered with snow drifts deep
My love passed by as one asleep
I left the earth my horns to keep
And followed her dreaming all a winter's night
And all along the moonlit track
With thorny shadows printed black
I caught a scent and turned my back
And lost my life's delight
Maiden of the secret well
I strain for you, yearning
From upon the oak throne quivering
Mistress of the horned moon
I pain for you, burning
Underneath the blue stone shivering
I need you, I need you, I need you....
When heather primed the morning air
My love arose, and I was there
A thousand flowers in her hair
And in her eyes was the Wheel of Time
Reached for her hand, I did not miss
Combining all this diverse bliss
Forged together in one single kiss
We made the world one in rhyme
Based on the poem by Alfred Noyes
Picture found here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Fuck That Shit
What She Said.
When the church cleans up its own act, it can get back to me about some poor woman in Africa who gives the powerless a charm against the powerful. Until then, the catholic church can eat shit and die.
hat tip: Gus, who is in no way responsible for my nasty attitude.
Picture found here.
You Say That As If Poison Were A Bad Thing
Poison in the garden.
/Requisite disclaimer. I am, of course, kidding. Kinda. And, of course, the presence of small children does change everything.
PIcture found here.
Starhawk To Pope: Say You're Sorry
Starhawk is calling on the Pope to apologize to witches.
An apology is a way to take responsibility, to signal a change, and to assure the world that it won't happen again.
And if apologies are being given out, Witches would like one. It's more than time that the Catholic and Protestant Churches both apologized for centuries of persecution of Witches, Pagans and those they deemed 'heretics' for believing something different than standard dogma. How about an apology for the Papal Bull of Pope Innocent the Eighth, in 1484, that made Witchcraft an heresy and unleashed the Inquisition against traditional healers, midwives, and any woman unpopular with her neighbors for being too uppity? It's high past time to apologize for the Malleus Maleficarum, a vicious document written by two Dominican priests in 1486 that created a whole mythology of Satan worship, attributed it mostly to women, and unleashed a wave of accusations, torture, and judicial murder that have haunted us ever since. An apology won't do much good, now, to those accused, tormented, and destroyed because someone coveted their property or needed a local scapegoat, nor to their children left motherless or fatherless centuries ago. But it might clear some air.
I agree with her, but I hope she's not holding her breath. This pope seems to have gone out of his way to continue to hurl insults at modern Pagans. And others have asked, before.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
How Do We Make A Revolution Happen?
Lierre Keith: That's a huge question. Basically, you're asking: how do we make a revolution happen? Naming the power and the agents of power is the first step, and most people stumble right there. And for a multitude of reasons: personal cowardice, the intellectual pitfalls of liberalism, the tremendous seductions of conformity and privilege, psychological identification with the powerful and their values, and a very real fear of retaliation, to name just a few. This is one of my favorite Andrea Dworkin quotes, "Feminism requires precisely what patriarchy destroys in women: unimpeachable bravery in confronting male power." That bravery is the linchpin of resistance. Without it, there's no possibility of hope.
More here.
Picture found here.
Activist Knitting
Pick up your knitting needles!
A Radical Act of Knitting in honor of Mother's Day!
Calling all CODEPINK knitters! We are creating a beautiful, quilted cozy to cover the fence in front of the White House to honor Mother's Day. The message will be “We will not raise our children to kill another mother’s child”-inspired by Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation. We’ll be piecing it together from individual squares knitted by YOU as part of the 24 hour Mother’s Day vigil for Women who live in War Zones. The best part is you don’t have to be an experienced knitter to help! This is perfect for knitters of all skill levels—and a great opportunity for those who want to learn! Celebrate the time honored tradition of the radical act of knitting. ow-to-knit page here (just in case!)
What we need:
4” x 4” squares, as tightly knit as you can make them, but the stitch of your choice
Yarn in either dark green or a fabulous shade of pink- take a little inspiration from CODEPINK’s signature PINK. Note: We will need a ratio of about 5 pink squares to 1 green square to spell out the message.
We need all pieces by May 4th so get out your needles gals (and guys)!
Please take 1 minute to send us a quick email to tell us how many squares you plan to make and in what colors. We need to know in order to make sure we have enough to spell out our message. Email Janna at codepinkcozy[at]gmail.com
Send your knitted creations to:
CODEPINK House
712 5th Street NE
Washington, D.C.
20002