Merry Meet

It’s hard enough being sensitive. I’m not talking paranormal sensitive–I’m talking compassionate to the plight of others. On top of that, I’m sensitive to changes in season, temperature, and even the moods of others. I am apparently affected by fluctuations in EMF and temperature. It’s probably not surprising to find that I am sensitive to paranormal occurrences. Dreams, in particular. This isn’t anything I haven’t touched on before…but I want to throw it out there that when I say I’m ’sensitive’ I mean all of the above.

I’m terribly observant emotionally, though not entirely observant in other ways.

I’ve noticed in the paranormal community and on television, ghost hunters find it strange that some people consider themselves sensitive, or perhaps more attuned to the spirit world because of their spiritual alignment. It’s like the moment someone says ‘I’m Wiccan,’ they are rejected by the community (at times). I think that some Pagans find their spiritual path in part due to sensitivity (paranormal and otherwise) — so instead of taking advantage of this talent to possibly sense or connect with the paranormal, why do some spurn it? (more…)

Nothing in this report is surprising, really. I am sure it happens all the time to people of all backgrounds and religions and spiritualities. That doesn’t make it right, though–so more power to this guy for standing up to it. I am doing everything in my own power to be my own boss, mostly because of potentially craptastic situations like this one.

I find it to be an interesting thing, having my mindset on Halloween. Sometimes it feels like ‘opposite day,’ meaning the things I normally like to do spiritually or for fun are commonly practiced. I remember when I was little and my mother read me a book about aliens who visited Earth–but they happened to visit on Halloween. The thought it was so weird to dress up in costumes and didn’t really understand it.

I guess the message I take from it is this–things are only as weird as you want to think they are. To someone else, it might be normal…even every day kind of normal. I dress up in costumes every month to go LARP. I don’t think that’s normal, but it is fun.

Enjoy your once a year day, everyone!

In Pagan news today, there seems to be an overall theme of acceptance. Could it be that some people no longer balk at someone who lives out of the broom closet?

• Dan Halloran is a Pagan Republican. Yes, even this is apparently possible! Personally, I’m surprised this dude even lived through the Bush Administration, but I’m all for him opening the eyes of his political party.
• Halloween expert Lesley Bannatyne offers some candid insight into Halloween and discusses her research. Bannatyne witnessed rituals from a Pagan group local to her and discusses her views on modern witchcraft.
• Vampires in New Jersey, USA are performing some Pagan rituals involving blood sacrifice. They also happen to sell fangs. While I believe that vampirism may be an actual medical condition and/or state of being, (more…)

Like tarot cards, runes had a practical purpose in addition to being tools of portent. Runes are symbols of an alphabet, just as we use Roman letters.

Runes are often portrayed in a fantasy context as being used as a means of telling the future for stereotypical witches. Like many aspects of original paganism and magic, the historical details are fuzzy and sometimes up to interpretation.

A general interest in mysticism in the late 1800s/early 1900s sparked a cultural interest in the use of runes for divination. Some assign specific meanings to runes and use the original rune meanings/resemblances for the purpose of divination so that they can be used much like a tarot card.

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What did you think of ABC’s Eastwick? Please leave your comments below.

I found the show to be both surprising and disappointing at the same time.

Here’s what I didn’t like:

• Too many characters. We were introduced to too many people at once. I read the online character guide and I was still a bit lost.
• Campy. It was campy, but not in a cool way like Buffy. It was just a bit cheesy when it could have been racy or heartfelt instead.
• No chemistry between the three main witches.
• The archetypes of the three witches were pushed a bit too much; the exaggeration made them seem unreal. Believe me, I practically AM the newspaper chick (Joanna), and even she was exaggerated.
• That guy’s voice. What the hell…they hired Mr. Moviephone?!

Here’s what I adored: (more…)

ABC will air a new TV show tonight: Eastwick. Centered around witches, the show seems to be loosely based on the movie The Witches of Eastwick. The ABC show airing tonight promises to be modern and engaging.

The show is about “three sexy, bewitching women,” according to the description on ABC’s site. The site features a preview in addition to character biographies and forums for visitors.

This seems like an attempt to cash in on the success of the spicier True Blood series with the storyline of much-beloved Charmed.

Generally, commentors seem skeptical about the casting for this show. Others claim that cultural fascinations about the occult are cultural trends. Perhaps it’s just the pictures, but the actors seem to look above ordinary in their bios. (Also, is it a rule that all journalists have glasses?)

Most appealing and relatable of the bunch does seem to be a secondary character called Penny. Savvy and realistic looking, she seems to have some usual gripes concerning friendship.

More than anything, I’m concerned with the show’s treatment of witches. Sure, this is entertainment and it’s for entertainment value…but is this another means of placing standards on society? On one hand, witches are stereotyped as ragged and haggard crones–are we now looking at the new face of witchraft, models only need apply? (more…)

I‘m so grateful to observe that tolerance is on the rise today. Living in the post September 11th world wasn’t easy for anyone ‘different.’ America, for some time, became a Christian fundamentalist zone. Others were not welcome, including those who opposed war and non-Christians. While this doesn’t describe most Christians, there was an alarming number of people who expressed extreme nationalist feelings such as “if you don’t like it here, leave.” (more…)

Being a Joss Whedon fan, I watched some Buffy: the Vampire Slayer last night. I checked out the episode ‘Gingerbread,’ in which parents are brainwashed into hating witches due to the influence of two small children, who are found murdered in a playground at the beginning of the episode.

There was a lot of talk in the episode about ‘is your teen experimenting with witchcraft?’ The parents underestimated the power of what, in the Buffyverse, is real witchcraft. It’s not spoiling the episode to say that the parents team up with Principal Snyder to go through students’ lockers to confiscate occult-related items from students and to identify them.

While the episode was a bit campy (in true Whedon fashion), it was also pretty revolutionary. It showed that the teens practicing witchcraft weren’t necessarily different or possessed by Satan. Willow’s mother even tries to explain away Willow’s fascination with witchcraft with psychological explanations. (more…)