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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
The State of the Rite

To judge from my own experience and what I've heard from others, the state of pagan ritual is not particularly strong right now.

That's hardly to be wondered at. Ritual is an art, and—as with any art-form—to gain mastery takes time, especially when you mostly have to start from the ground up and teach yourself as you go.

The quality of pagan ritual is decidedly not improved by the custom—I'm almost tempted to call it a recreational sport—of ritual-shredding. How many times have I sat around a campfire after the evening ritual listening to a vicious vivisection of every single thing that went wrong in circle that night?

Enjoyable as it may be at the time, ritual-shredding is a self-indulgence which we cannot permit ourselves. It's pointless to tear down what someone else has built if we ourselves have nothing to put in its place.

For this reason, here in Paganistan the thew (custom) has arisen that No ritual may be criticized until the next day.

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  • Steven Posch
    Steven Posch says #
    Amateurs.
  • Aline "Macha" O'Brien
    Aline "Macha" O'Brien says #
    My sentiments exactly. In the past I've taken the time and trouble to articulate what is successful and what failed in a large pu
Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, November 9

Just how profitable are horror movies? Will e-books ever replace print? And what's the best way to approach controversy in fiction? It's Airy Monday, our weekly take on magic and religion in pop culture. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
The Best Way to Kill Magick

If there is one thing I've learned in the spring season of both this and last year is that for all I can do to grow spiritually and magickally while walking the Winding Path, is that there are some very effective ways to kill that magick, too. If you find yourself less effective than normal when it comes to magick, and you're wondering just what the heck is going on, perhaps you've let these get in the way.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs

(Hee hee.)

Now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you about the time someone criticized my student and I nearly lost my friggin’ mind.

b2ap3_thumbnail_swans.jpgI see my Coven the way most people see swans. Graceful and lovely on the surface; pedaling like mad beneath the surface to keep all things going well. Guests may see them as the calm and friendly people who call the Quarters, take the suggested $10 donations, raise the energy, and don’t let anyone open the wine until Fellowship. What they don’t see are the hours driving to NYC (for those who live in CT or Westchester), or the local members shuffling their shoulder bags full of ritual gear onto the subway, setting the space, performing the rite, cleaning up, and then shuffling everything back onto the subway, but usually with additional baggage in tow: canned food, toys, or clothing for various drives. The life of the Urban Witch often demands long journeys on foot, up and down long flights of stairs while jostling staffs, swords, candles, and goods among drunken strangers on and off of subways. It’s work. It’s a task of the Spirit and one I believe we are all glad to give. But what guests also don’t see is how many hours are spent in Circle outside of Sabbat, working on strengthening their Magickal and Energetic prowess as well as working through and with their Personal Shadows as part of becoming better Practitioners.   

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  • Courtney Weber
    Courtney Weber says #
    Told you.
  • Terence P Ward
    Terence P Ward says #
    See?

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