Tarot Tuesday: Is Tarot a Sin?

This is a recent question I received at the psychic expo where I taught and did readings over this past weekend. 

So...this is more of a spirituality question than a tarot question, but I answered it anyway.

To me, no, tarot is not a sin. No form of divination is a sin. But that's because I don't believe in the concept of sin. 

There's a deeper question here, however, and it's about what a person was raised to believe. The person who asked me the question had come to the expo because after 52 years of believing tarot, astrology, and other forms of divination are a sin, she's starting to open her mind up to other spiritual possibilities and beliefs. 

I look at this as a good thing, as I've dealt with my share of ignorance and openness is definitely better. 

Book Review: Paganism 101: An Introduction to Paganism by 101 Pagans

When someone asks me “What’s a Pagan?”, it can be a very hard question to answer. Like Christianity, which has many different sects, Paganism has a number of important religious traditions under its “umbrella”, including druidry, heathenry, Wicca, Witchcraft, and a number of others. And if you ask any one Pagan what their religion is about, you are going to receive answers that vary wildly from person to person.

Paganism 101 is a collection of articles from different Pagan traditions organized by theme. It’s divided into three main parts: “Who We Are”, “What We Believe”, and “What We Do”. It’s further separated into different categories with an introduction of a number of the different Pagan “paths”, and specific chapters on nature, the afterlife, and various aspects of spellwork such as herbalism, ritual, and healing.

One section of the book that took me by surprise addressed “Christo-Pagans”, a term that encompasses those who choose Jesus as a God and Mary as a Goddess, generally speaking. I’ve met quite a number of folks who follow it, and it appears to be becoming quite popular. Both Pagans and Christians say that you cannot be both Pagan and Christian, a number of stories in this book would show you that this is not the case.

As I looked through the table of contents, the Ethics portion of Part 2 jumped out at me immediately. This is often a very interesting area to look at, as each different path or tradition in the umbrella could have its own moral code. Some of the more universal themes include belief in the threefold law—both good and bad are returned to you three times as good or bad—respect for the earth, and openness toward human sexuality in whatever form it takes.

Of all of the ethics articles, Mary Caelsto wrote the one I liked the most and it really resonated with me. Having different moral codes does not absolve us from personal responsibility, and to allow bad behavior to occur without consequence means that we are not following our own code. We must accept the consequences our actions have not only on ourselves, but also on those around us. It’s a simple and profound message that modern Pagans need to hear.

One of the things I like most about this book is that it welcomed all paths and put them on an equal footing. I’ll say right now that as I read through this book, there were things I didn’t agree with. If you are a practicing Pagan and you read this book, you are going to have the same thing happen. I look at that as a good thing. You don’t have to agree with every practice of another Pagan path; you just have to respect that what they are doing is every bit as valid as what you are doing.

Overall, I liked this book and think it makes a great reference, especially for those who are considering different Pagan traditions. But reading this book really showed how similar many of the paths truly are.

Editor: Trevor Greenfield

Moon Books, 2014

$18.95

Book Review: "In the Company of Sages: The Journey of the Spiritual Seeker" by Greg Bogart

Spiritual enlightenment is something that many of us seek, and throughout our lives we are looking to others to help us along the way. If one of my clients asked me, “How do I find a spiritual teacher or guide?” I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin. Luckily, Greg Bogart’s book, In the Company of Sages: The Journey of a Spiritual Seeker, can help people find the right teacher.

This process is much more complicated than it seems, however, and Bogart does a great job of bringing his own experiences on his personal journey into the entire work. He draws from many different spiritual paths of both Eastern and Western spirituality and mysticism, so you don’t necessarily have to be familiar with one particular way of doing things.

One of the challenges of reading this book for me was its length. At 280 pages, not including the glossary, extensive bibliography—the entire book is thoroughly sourced—and an index, it can seem rather intimidating. The author uses plenty of stories and details to paint an extremely vivid picture of his own search for a guru. While autobiographical, the book is very objective and is far more than just a collection of spiritual stories.

Bogart has compiled a cogent work that delineates this entire process into nine distinct stages, from choosing a teacher, through the process of learning from one, testing, awakening, separating from the teacher, and then becoming a teacher to others.

One portion of the book that I didn’t necessarily agree with was the secrecy of the initiation process in Stage Two. Bogart points out that in many cultures, initiation rites were secret to protect them and to make the experience more meaningful. While I can understand and appreciate these points, I think a lot of folks from the west would have difficulty with the idea of a secret initiation ceremony considering the many wrongs that have been done and kept secret by members of the clergy over the years. A ceremony can be meaningful without being secret, and while initiations are not something that just anyone should be able to come and watch, there must be safeguards in place to protect the physical safety and dignity of the seeker.

As a spiritual teacher myself, I found the portions on when to leave a teacher—“Stage Seven: Separating from a Spiritual Teacher”—to be interesting and valuable. Bogart correctly points out that separation from a teacher is inevitable, that the status quo cannot be forever maintained in the relationship. This is actually a good thing, because the student is evolving. Bogart also suggests that those teachers who are most “enlightened” will not attempt to keep their students from leaving. I definitely agree with this last point. When a student is wise enough to decide for himself or herself that it’s time to move on, getting in the way is counterproductive.

This book may not appeal to a lot of people because it is highly specialized, but if you are looking for a book on finding a spiritual teacher, I highly recommend this one. It reminded me of the Nikos Kazantzakis quote: “True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.”

Good Clergy, Part 7: "She Might Have Been Drunk When She Was Consecrated As a Bishop"

You ever wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes? That's what I'm wondering about the case on Heather Elizabeth Cook. 

I'm also wondering how many times I'll have to say "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" when blogging about this story for someone to say, "Yeah, John. We're just fucking with you. No religious organization worth their salt would allow a person with this kind of history to hold a high office."

I wish I was wrong. 

So NOW it comes out that after the DUI arrest in 2010, during which she did several different kinds of therapy, Ms. Cook was recommended "without hesitation" by the Episcopal Church in Easton to the post of Suffragan. 

Then there was the 2014 meeting in which council participants were "unaware" of Ms. Cook having a DUI or a drinking problem. 

According to the official timeline that came out Monday, Bishop Eugene Sutton now says that he suspected Ms. Cook might have been drunk at her installation festivities last September. This was the party to celebrate her becoming a bishop, and well...she was likely drunk at it. IMAGINE THAT. 

In many organizations, being drunk for a work function would have been an immediate termination, or at the very least a suspension, but not a promotion.

The Washington Post article says that Bishop Sutton conveyed his concerns to the presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, who in turn tells Sutton she's going to meet with Cook. A meeting did occur between them in October, but of course, the details are confidential. I don't have a problem with that; if I had a drinking problem I wouldn't want the world to know by googling it. Ms. Cook certainly has a right to her privacy.

But I'll be honest: I'm trying to wrap my head around this one, folks. I really am. And I'm not calling out the people involved because they're Episcopal, of course. This could and does happen to people of any faith or spiritual path. But it makes the Episcopal Church look pretty bad. 

The signs were ALL THERE, and people who could do something about the problem did NOTHING. You have TONS of evidence to work with, and despite the fact that she has a DUI and has been treated for alcoholism, and four years later is drunk at her installation festivities, Bishop Schori STILL decides it's a good idea to consecrate Heather Elizabeth Cook as a bishop.

Ms. Cook was likely very good at her job. Now I'm all for second chances and forgiveness, but she's no good to anyone as a drunk. The staggering lapses in judgment on the part of Ms. Cook may have been due to her alcoholism, but when all the "leaders" around her look out for themselves and their organization by assuming everything will be fine and not monitoring a recovering alcoholic, they're no longer fit leaders. 

I mean...did you just not SEE it? Or did you choose not to see it? 

Bishop Sutton's revelation--pun intended--pretty much destroys any credibility that the Episcopal Church of Maryland had left. None of Ms. Cook's empty promises in 2010 that her arrest was a major wake-up call or the hollow words of sorrow of Bishop Sutton can bring back Thomas Palermo.

Pray for them all, especially members of the Episcopal Church of Maryland, because they're being led by people who put the Church and their own convenience before the personal safety of others.

Good Clergy, Part 5: Baltimore Sun Reader Calls Out Heather Elizabeth Cook

This letter to the Baltimore Sun sums up perfectly how I feel about this case. A huge kudos to Ms. MacCuaig for having the courage to write it. I've included it here in its entirety.

Episcopal Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook and the tragedy of bicyclist Tom Palermo's accidental death at her hands are the subject of daily news articles, yet the incident has been conspicuously absent from The Sun's letters column ("Bishop Cook posts $2.5M bond, to be released," Jan. 15).

Perhaps there has been a desire, albeit misguided, to protect Ms. Cook given the agony we must assume she is in.

Nevertheless, the news that Judge Nicole Pastore Klein will not reduce her $2.5 million bail at least feels something like justice. The fact that Ms. Cook put herself in treatment at Father Martin's Ashley after the accident is unimpressive.

Ask anyone who has ever had a DUI or other drug offense and you'll find that such a ploy for clemency after the fact is just that — a ploy.

Ms. Cook should have put herself back into rehab years ago.

Instead, she has led what could be called a double, even duplicitous, life: On the one hand preaching and leading within the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and on the other indulging alcohol abuse that resulted in extraordinary recklessness and the death of a man who, by all rights, should be alive today.

The carelessness and hypocrisy is overwhelming, and overwhelmingly discouraging. Jail is the appropriate place for her.

Myra MacCuaig, Towson

Good Clergy, Part 4: Heather Elizabeth Cook Posts Bail; Episcopal Church Considers Punishment and Election Process

I'm disappointed to report that Ms. Cook was released from jail on Thursday the 15th. Somehow she actually posted the $2.5 million bond and is on her way to a treatment facility. Luckily for all of us, part of the court's order was that she not drive while she is free, assuming she choose to abide by it. She'll be at a treatment facility and hopefully won't need to drive anywhere.

I disagree with the judge's decision...if it had been her 1st DUI maybe I could see letting her post bail. But for a second involving a fatality? She was also in a position of trust, and to me that merits a stronger punishment.

The Baltimore Sun also reports that the Episcopal Church is considering what punishment to hand down to Ms. Cook. To me this is a no-brainer: She should be defrocked. She killed an innocent person, for fuck's sake. She gave up her right to perform her duties as a member of clergy when she ran into a cyclist and left him at the scene to die. 

To me there's no "deliberation" required. I don't care if she was somehow found innocent of this crime in court, which isn't going to happen anyway; she's done enough damage to her own reputation and that of the Episcopal Church that she can no longer carry out her duties. She's unfit for the clergy. At least 7 people, half of them priests or deacons, will make a recommendation to a board of review, who will hand down the punishment. But honestly, any punishment less than "get the fuck out" is a slap on the wrist for me.

Finally, it appears that the Episcopal Church is looking into the election process. According to the Baltimore Sun, "Church officials say Cook disclosed the charges to a search committee. But they say delegates who voted in the election knew nothing of the charges." The same group that is investigating Cook's case will also be undertaking the review of her election. They will be doing interviews with those who took part in the election, and establish what they knew, as well as with people who worked with Ms. Cook during her time as a priest.

There needs to be complete transparency for there to be healing in this case. I wouldn't be surprised to hear the Episcopal Church put new standards in place to ensure that elections are not only done fairly, but that everyone involved has full knowledge of the facts, especially about the candidates.

Positive thoughts and prayers to them. This is going to be ugly no matter how you slice it. As long as they're open about what they find, and as long as they don't allow Heather Elizabeth Cook to minister to anyone ever again, I think they can be successful.

Good Clergy, Part 3: "...Reckless and Careless Indifference to Life."

More information surfaced yesterday about the case against Heather Elizabeth Cook. Judge Nicole Pastore Klein found a nice balance between the prosecution's request to deny Ms. Cook bail and the defense's request that it be lowered: She kept it at $2.5 million. Her reasoning: That the alleged crimes show a "reckless and careless indifference to life", and that Klein "cannot trust her [Cook's] judgment if released."

I am thrilled to see that Heather Elizabeth Cook will not be seeing the light of day before her trial. Her defense attorney wasn't pleased that his client will be staying in jail, but I'm sure that the family of Thomas Palermo and Maryland drivers are pleased with that at least.

Ms. Cook is most assuredly an addict. She spent six months in an alcohol abuse program after her 2010 arrest. The National Institutes of Health states that there is a high rate of relapse for those suffering from alcoholism. She went into another program after the accident, before her recent arrest. At least she sought treatment the first time.

Now I'm even more angry that Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton, the head of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and Cook's boss, continues to defend not disclosing Ms. Cook's condition to the council that chose Ms. Cook as the suffragan bishop. I know people make mistakes, and I know that her treatment for alcoholism is medical information, which should be handled sensitively. But she was in line for a very high post, one that likely has a higher level of stress and public scrutiny. I think that was not the right call. Aware of the initial arrest, Bishop Sutton could have said to Ms. Cook, "I have some serious concerns about you for this position, and if you're interested, you can apply. But I want you to disclose your arrest and subsequent treatment to the council."

One other not-so-nice scenario comes to mind. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but my Scorpio Machiavellian brain went in this direction. Ms. Cook, as the suffragan bishop, would be working directly for Bishop Sutton. With the understanding that I have no idea how much influence, if any, Bishop Sutton had over the process of selecting Ms. Cook, it would be easy to throw out the "forgiveness" argument so the Bishop could rationalize not mentioning Ms. Cook's addiction. Think about it: If the Bishop wanted Cook working for him, he could have easily made this argument to ensure that his preferred candidate didn't have any black marks on her record for the rest of the voting members to consider. As I've stated earlier, if Cook's addiction had been disclosed and I was voting, I'd pick someone else without an addiction because this person would be under a lot more stress and in a public position in the church. What easier way to make sure that didn't happen than to convince himself, and others around him, that they were acting as the Lord says they should and doing this candidate a major favor at the same time.

I hope they'll consider all four other candidates for the job now; if I had been one, I'd be really pissed off. Why do I think the council picking the next suffragan will give some thought to asking more pointed about other candidates? I certainly hope so.

Bishop Sutton made the wrong call on this one. Did he cause this accident to happen? Of course not. But is it possible that his choice of Heather Cook made her relapse more likely due to the additional pressure of being the #2 bishop, which may have caused this accident. We'll never know the answer to that, and we don't know how long ago Cook's relapse began. It might have happened in any case, but that's not going to give any comfort to Thomas Palermo's widow and children who are looking for answers.

No one who shows a "reckless and careless indifference to life" should be a member of clergy.

What is sadly incredibly ironic is that the video on the Baltimore Sun story shows Ms. Cook presiding over a service where at least 10 carafes of liquid--presumably wine, but that's not confirmed--are sitting on the altar. Well done, Baltimore Sun. Oh well...in vino veritas, right?

Good Clergy, Part 2

Ok, so there's been an update on the story involving Rev. Heather Elizabeth Cook, suffragan of the Episcopal Church in Maryland. She was allegedly involved in the hit and run death of cyclist Thomas Palermo on December 27th in Baltimore. It took quite some time, but the police have charged Cook with vehicular manslaughter, texting while driving, and…wait for it…driving under the influence of alcohol.  

You may recall from my earlier blog on this story that Rev. Cook was arrested in 2010 for driving while intoxicated. At that time, she was given a $300 fine and "probation before judgment". She never served any jail time, nor did she lose her driver's license.  

So we now have reports that confirm much of what was in newspaper accounts earlier, and more information, including:

• Rev. Cook hit Mr. Palermo from behind, causing damage to her passenger side windshield. Her blood alcohol level at the time of the collision was .22, nearly three times Maryland's legal limit. (The Episcopal Church of MD knew that she had been drinking before this incident but police asked them to withhold that information.)
• She left the scene and returned more than 30 minutes later. A cyclist did follow her until she arrived at a gated community. 
• A NFL reporter, Jason La Canfora, called 911 when he found Palermo. He did not see the police administer any sort of breathalyzer to Cook at that time.
• In addition to the charges listed above, Cook faces several others. They're listed at the end of the article linked above.  

All I have to say is, "Are you fucking kidding me?" You didn't think that God was trying to speak to you the first time when you got barely a wrist slap the last time you got caught for a DUI? That wasn't enough of a message?

I'm truly saddened by this revelation, but I shouldn't be surprised. We can't assume that Heather Cook is an alcoholic, nor do we know if she spent any time in treatment for alcohol addiction. It's exceptionally hard to break any addiction, and alcohol is, as I understand it, one of the most challenging to overcome. 

Whether or not she was an addict, she should NOT have been driving. There's no way to know if things would have been different if she had received a stiffer penalty for her first DUI. But I'm of the opinion that she really got away with one there. She was lucky she didn't hurt or kill herself or someone else the last time. 

Yes, members of the clergy are human beings who struggle with things every other human does, like alcoholism or taking responsibility for his or her actions. Yes, she did everything she was required to do last time. And yes, Heather Cook has done a lot of good for a lot of people. But she is not above the law. If she knew she had a problem with alcohol, she should have done the best thing for everyone and not gotten behind the wheel of that 2001 Subaru. But because of her irresponsible actions, she has caused the death of an innocent person. 

Honestly, Ms. Cook is not worthy of any religious title anymore. She was looked upon with respect because of her titles, but in my opinion they should be stripped from her immediately upon conviction. She has no right to call herself a member of the clergy anymore. 

I pray for the family of Thomas Palermo, who is understandably grieving and angry that he was taken from them so senselessly. I send positive thoughts to the people of the Episcopal Church of Maryland, at having lost someone who was by all accounts a good leader. And despite my anger, I pray for Heather Cook, who will have to live with what she's done for her rest of her days, hopefully in prison as a guest of the state of Maryland.

Causing a preventable death due to your own negligence is probably one of worst things I can think of. Karmically, I'm very glad I'm not in Heather Cook's shoes. 

Good clergy starts with good people. While Heather Cook is likely a good person, she's shown through her poor judgment that she's not good enough to be clergy anymore. 

Good Clergy Starts and Ends With Good Human Beings

I was saddened to read this news story in the Washington Post about an Episcopal bishop in Maryland who hit and killed a cyclist in Baltimore last weekend. Part of the title of an associated story really hit home for me: "Who's qualified to be clergy?"

With the understanding that we only have what's been reported in the media so far to go on, here's what we know about the driver of the automobile, Rev. Heather Elizabeth Cook, the 2nd in command or "suffragan" of the Episcopal Church in Maryland. 

• Rev. Cook was arrested in 2010 for DUI while assigned to Maryland's Eastern Shore. According to reports, she was so drunk she couldn't even complete field sobriety tests and had thrown up on herself when pulled over driving a car that was rolling on three wheels and one tire rim. She admitted drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel. Her blood alcohol was .27, three times MD's .08 limit. (I remember learning in school that .25 is the point at which people become unconscious from drinking, so she must have been extremely impaired!) . She received "probation before judgment" and completed her probation. 

• She was placed on the short list for suffragan with four other women. While church leaders were aware of the 2010 incident, the larger group voting to install her as a bishop were unaware of it. Ultimately, she was selected this past spring after undergoing a psychological evaluation and background check. 

• Rev. Cook struck cyclist Thomas Palermo, 41, and left the scene, only to return "20 minutes" later. Unconfirmed reports on cyclist Web sites say that the only reason Cook returned to the scene was because she was being chased by cyclists. Palermo died. 

• Cook was placed on administrative leave, and the Diocese admits that she was involved in the accident, but no charges have been filed at this time. There is no mention of alcohol or drug involvement in this crash. 

This is a tough one. It's very easy to say "They never should have picked her for the job with her DUI," but I'm not sure that's realistic. Should that one mistake ensure that you rise no higher in your profession, despite your excellent qualifications? DUI is nothing to be trifled with. But Rev. Cook admitted her guilt and received punishment, whether you agree that it was too lenient or not. 

I will say, however, that there should have been full disclosure about her previous arrest so people could judge her fairly. Now it looks like the church was hiding something when likely they didn't mean to, but if I had been part of the convention that voted for the suffragan position, I'd ask what prompted church leaders to omit those details. Press reports indicate the leaders determined that "this one mistake shouldn't bar her as leader", but you do a disservice to your flock by not being up front about it.

Every person is different and every case is different. Based on what I've read, if I had been told about her arrest I don't think I'd have voted for her if other candidates were just as qualified. With that said, I don't think that the arrest alone should have prevented her from helping lead her church. We are all humans and have lapses in judgment, and unless there was a greater pattern of alcohol or drug abuse that the church discovered about Rev. Cook and did nothing to remedy, I don't think a reasonable person could have expected this.

What bothered me more than anything in this case was the apparent lack of compassion on the bishop's part. As I've said many times, spiritual leaders should be held to a higher standard, but to me, to just leave someone there dying after you hit them without trying to help is completely unconscionable. That's not even basic human decency, much less what we expect of a spiritual leader. It takes on an even greater significance when this person is not just any leader, but the #2 in the church in Maryland. What does it look like then?

My Scorpio senses are really heightened on this one. Why would you choose to leave a person there when you didn't know how injured they were, and with a heavily damaged windshield, as it said in the report? I'd expect a spiritual leader to stop and do everything they could to help that person, whether they were the one who hit them or not. She should have been on the phone to 911 immediately to get EMS rolling, even if it appeared the cyclist had suffered fatal injuries. (Full disclosure: I don't know that she didn't call 911; that wasn't included in the report, but I'd have thought if she had done something the Post would have included it.)

You know what? That last paragraph was incorrect. The third sentence should have read, "I'd expect any decent human being to stop and do everything they could to help that person." Hell, these days we all have cell phones and we routinely call in traffic accidents and aggressive drivers. Even people who don't normally call in accidents and other road incidents likely would have been moved to see a cyclist on the ground in need of medical treatment to call 911 or get out and see if the person was OK.

I'll be very interested to see what happens. I'll take a moment to repeat that we don't have the whole story on this one, but if it turns out that Rev. Cook hit this cyclist and left the scene without intervening in some way, she should go to jail for vehicular manslaughter and be removed from her position. If evidence comes to light that she was somehow impaired, the book needs to be thrown at her.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Thomas Palermo's family, especially his wife and two young children, as well as to Rev. Cook and the Episcopal Church of MD. This is an ugly situation and only with a strong faith and a desire to heal will they get through it.

As you go out this New Years' Eve, please party responsibly and be aware and safe. You don't want to be the next statistic. And let's be honest...I don't want to lose any readers. :)

Book Review: Llewellyn's 2015 Magical Almanac

Llwellyn’s 2015 Magical Almanac

ISBN 978-0-7387-2685-4

Llewellyn, 2014

$11.99

Reviewing this work is almost a no-brainer. I say that because there are very few magical books that so many people have to own year after year that are more popular than Llewellyn’s annual magical almanac. I can’t think of one I’ve ever read when I didn’t find at least one of two articles that resonated well with me. I’m happy to report that this year’s was no exception, but let’s take things one step at a time, shall we?

There are those who buy it only for its “informational” value, and if it’s unclear, I’m talking about that section in the middle with the gray pages. Llewellyn calls it the “Almanac Section” in the table of contents. It’s an entire calendar for the year with moon phases and their respective dates, good days for communing with the earth, and the dates for festivals and holidays. I also like the little reminders, like giving a list of astrological correspondences for the days of the week. Sometimes you forget that Friday is Venus’ day, for example.

If you’re only in it for the information in the gray pages, you won’t be disappointed, but I’m not being honest with you if I don’t tell you that you’re missing out on quite a bit if that’s its only purpose on your bookshelf. There are some fantastic articles in here that you won’t want to pass up.

The table of contents is set up by elemental magical themes: Earth magic, air magic, fire magic, and water magic, in that order. In each section, I found at least one article that I really enjoyed.

The earth section’s highlight for me was “The Lure and Lore of the Graveyard” by Susan Pesznecker. As a sun sign Scorpio, graveyards have always been interesting to me, and the Paris catacombs fascinate me. The article gives us an interesting historical perspective on graveyards, catacombs, and mausoleums.

In air magic, I couldn’t choose one; there were two that really hit home for me. The first one was, “Conflict Resolution for a Magickal Community” by Emily Carlin. She presents some practical solutions for spiritual communities when conflict arises. You’ll note that I didn’t say “if” but when; this is a must-read for anyone in a Pagan or Wiccan community. As a professional tarot reader, “The To-Go Tarot Kit” by Deanna Anderson was wonderful as well.

For fire magic, even though I am myself melissophobic—afraid of bees—I really loved the article by Natalie Zaman entitled “The Blessed Bee”. I’m not in a position to create a spirit hive for them in my current living situation, but it’s a great reminder of how important bees are to us. Given the colony collapse syndrome that honeybees are facing now, building a hive like Zaman describes is a fantastic way to address an important environmental need as well as a spiritual one. If you work with the Goddess, you will definitely want to check out this article.

Finally, in the water realm, I have to give major kudos to Lisa McSherry, as both her articles were the tops in my book. “Wedding as Ritual” is an excellent primer for people trying to create their own wedding or handfasting, with plenty of her own experiences woven throughout. As an interfaith minister, I plan to recommend the article to couples I marry, especially the part about creating your own vows. This is definitely a delicate dance, and couples should heed McSherry’s practical advice on the topic.

McSherry’s other article about Brighid’s Well was a great travel story that discusses sacred wells, and gives their locations throughout Ireland. Warning: Do not read this article if you’ve always wanted to go. It will just make you want to go that much more. You have been warned. :)

A close second for me in the water realm was “Tarot’s Crystal Allies” by Lunaea Weatherstone, and explores correspondences between tarot and gemstones. I work with a gemstone altar in my professional tarot practice and understand the powerful link that can be created between these two disciplines. No matter what your experience level with either, I’m sure you’ll find something to take away from this article.

Speaking personally, I’d love to see a similar offering by Llewellyn on spirit magic. But the Magical Almanac’s byline is “Practical Magic for Everyday Living”. While I believe that spirit is an important part of everyday life, that’s not really the purpose of this particular guide.

One final important note: Many of these articles are sourced, either in the article, in a list at the end, or both. Honestly, that’s one of the ways that the Magical Almanac keeps on giving: If you want more information, the authors have graciously provided you the opportunity to find it.

I’m going to be keeping my copy of the Almanac handy, for many reasons. This one is definitely a big winner.

Tolerance Vs. Acceptance: "That Man's God Isn't My God!"

So this story came out recently about a High Priest in Beebe, Arkansas, who was trying establish a temple and shop in his community. Everything seemed to be going along swimmingly for HP Bertram Dahl until the town found out he wanted to open a place for Pagans, and then he was given an abrupt "cease and desist" order by the town. He hadn't even opened yet.

You can see the story and local television coverage of it here.

I can see the town's point of view on some things here, but frankly, the town's on dangerous ground on this one, in my humble opinion. Sure, you can say that the area that Dahl wants to open the temple is zoned "medium residential" and as such he can't open a "shop" there.

Anyway, according to the local zoning laws, he could be granted an exception for the temple, as it is a church, but no one will give him the paperwork to file. If he did file it, he was told it would be denied. You'll see in the video that the town lawyer gets on and says something ridiculous like "If it's not in the code you can't do it." Sounds like someone needs another class on dealing with the media; he didn't make a great impression during the interview, though admittedly, we didn't see the entirety of it.

Honestly, however, any town employee who is an any way involved in this situation is in a bad spot, because of remarks by Beebe's mayor, Mike Robertson, and Dahl's alderman, to whom Dahl had turned for assistance.

Mayor Mike Robertson told Dahl he "would not be opening a Pagan anything" in the town. Robertson is a "staunch defender of Christianity", according the Huffington Post, and in a 2010 Beebe city newsletter, he wrote, in part:

It is my opinion and the Beebe City Council's that government leaders must pray to God as the true leader of the nation and that a nation cannot exist if they are not one nation under God trusting in God as the leader. It is my opinion government has allowed non-believers far too many liberties taking God out of our daily lives. As mayor of this city I will continue to open our meeting with a prayer and a pledge to our country – one nation under God.

Please remember in the coming November election for leaders of this nation to elect only those who will stand firm doing the will of God and not their will. If placing God or the simple mentioning of his holy name in this newsletter is offensive to some; so be it. I do not and will not apologize, ever, for giving him the praise he is due for all that he has done for our blessed country. Not now, not ever in the future, should we turn our backs to our creator.

And yes, seriously, this is an excerpt from a public document. 

Mayor Robertson is entitled to his opinions, no matter how closed-minded I believe they are. But as far as I'm concerned, he crossed over the line into bigotry with these remarks. In addition, these are his personal views that are in a public document produced by him in his role as the Mayor. To exhort people to vote in only Christians in an election, too, is way beyond the pale. 

I mean, come on now. "Non-believers"? Um, dude, you just bashed every single citizen of your town who isn't Christian, and essentially you called them "infidels". I hope there aren't many non-Christians who live there, and if you are, I'd stay hidden and then try to get the fuck out of town ASAP.

Bottom line: If you want to be discriminatory as a private citizen, that's your right, but when you do it as a public official, that's totally unacceptable. 

I'd tell the citizens of the town to vote him out, but that letter came out in 2010 and the Mayor is still in his job, so I'm guessing there was little or no public outcry. Likely it's just business as usual for Beebe.

Then there is the alderman, who is unnamed and would probably like to stay that way at this point. He went so far as to say "That man's God isn't my God." Are you kidding? Do you really think that God--you know, the merciful, accepting, forgiving God that I used to know as a Christian--would want you to have this attitude, alderman? Who cares if he doesn't worship the same God as you do? In a very real sense, since we're all going for the same thing, the God the Pagans worship is likely the same anyway. But his intolerance is likely preventing him from seeing it that way. 

Once again, as a representative of the people, you're being paid to speak for them, not to judge them and send them packing because YOU don't like their beliefs. If you are not prepared to faithfully execute the duties of your office for every single person in your jurisdiction, well...then it's time to resign. 

The actions and attitudes of these town officials shame every single amazing Christian person in Beebe. This is exactly the kind of intolerance that just breeds MORE intolerance as the other side--Pagans, in this case--feels like they have been unjustly slighted. Do you think the Pagans in the town are going to take the high road? I can only hope they will. Fight the good fight, but don't stoop to that level, or you have just become what you condemned. You know...hypocrisy. 

I think HP Dahl and his group is largely in the right on this one, but I'm skeptical that they will see justice. 

Truly, I do feel badly for how the Pagans were treated, but you know what? I feel even worse for Christians, because they have these two men in the public eye who are making all Christians out to be intolerant bigots.

What is my final word to these two city officials? "Namaste." I accept them for the place they are in spiritually, and hope that one day people of all faiths will have equal representation and total acceptance in Beebe. While I may not practice your beliefs or agree with them, I accept them.

Thanks as always for stopping by. Blessings and Namaste to all of you. 

Shame on You, Franklin County, Virginia!

I am a resident of this great Commonwealth, but there are very few things that make me more angry than when people in power deny rights to others because of their own biases. 

This is one of a number of articles on this topic, but here is the bottom line: A couple in Franklin County, VA, went to the county courthouse to be married, only to be told by a court-appointed officiant--yes, someone paid by the county to marry people--that he wouldn't marry them because neither of them believe in God. 

You'd think with a plot line like this one, it would have appeared in the Onion, right? WRONG. 

Sadly, this really happened. A county official denied the right of marriage to two people who legally have the right to do so because of the official's religious beliefs. What makes it worse is that the officiant originally agreed to marry them, but only at his church and not in the courthouse. And then he refused to marry them. SUCH BULLSHIT! 

The couple contacted the county clerk, who was stunned, and the clerk asked the couple to contact the judge who appointed said officiant. The judge did not see any problem with the officiant's behavior. Luckily, the county courthouse has a second officiant who has no hangups with agnostics, and the couple will be married in the next few weeks. 

What is scary about this whole incident is the simple fact that the officiant said the couple "did not have the right" to be married because they did not believe in God. The couple recorded the officiant saying it, so while not everything you read on the Internet is true, they've got this on tape. Smart move on the part of the couple, actually. 

Every person has a right to marry if they choose. Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, homosexuals hopefully will be able to marry soon, but it is not legal yet. That aside, however, if you are unmarried, divorced, or widowed, and you want to marry someone, and obtain a license to marry that person, then the county should have no trouble performing a civil ceremony. 

What does this mean for non-Christians? Well, I would be hesitant working with the Franklin County Courthouse on anything, and I'm very glad I don't live there, because I wouldn't want to face the discrimination that this couple had to deal with. And we're not just talking about Witches or Wiccans, folks, or even Pagans of any kind. There are plenty of non-Christians out there. 

I had the same reaction to this story as I did when I heard that pharmacists can choose to not fill prescriptions for  birth control or the morning-after pill. If that's how you feel, then perhaps this isn't the right career for you. It's easy to say "find another officiant" or "find another pharmacist", but if people don't speak up, then these people will continue to get away with bigotry. 

And what about the judge, who believes this kind of behavior should be tolerated? Would anyone who is not Christian want to go before his court and trust that they would not be discriminated against? We don't have any evidence of bigotry on his part, of course. But could you trust his judgment if he allows discrimination to occur in his jurisdiction? I don't think I would. 

There is a simple solution to this problem: Both the officiant and the judge should be removed. There's no place for bigotry in any government--municipal, county, state, or Federal. 

I hope the citizens of Franklin County send a strong message by not re-electing this particular judge, and by firing this officiant. 

The Witch Doctor Who Felled a Soccer Idol

Ok, so many of you who read this blog are NOT soccer fans, while those of us who are...well, we're pretty excited because the World Cup began today! 

If soccer's not your thing, please don't leave! I promise to make it worth your while. 

This article from The Guardian was not something that came across my personal radar. I was too busy reading the articles about world cup teams who are being required to abstain from sex during the Cup tournament. (No, this last article was not from the Onion. SERIOUSLY. Click the link and be prepared to laugh your ass off! And this is not the only article on this topic. You're welcome!)

Anyway, a friend at work (thanks Rita!) sent me a great article about witch doctor from Ghana who claims responsibility for the knee problems of Cristiano Ronaldo, an extremely talented soccer player. Ronaldo, the witch doctor alleges, will have problems that "no doctor can cure" and may prevent him from playing in one of the sporting world's most prestigious competitions. 

What makes this more interesting is that Ghana also has a team in the World Cup, and that Ghana is playing in the same opening group as the United States, Germany, and Portugal, the team that Ronaldo plays for. That group is one of the toughest in the tournament, called the "Group of Death". 

So essentially, what we're saying is that the aforementioned Ghanian witch doctor, whose name translates as "Devil of Wednesday", cursed a very talented player on a team that could cause Ghana problems in this tournament. 

I'll admit here that I don't know what religion or spiritual path this witch doctor practices. If he was Wiccan or a Witch, I could tell you that he'd karmically get his ass kicked. If you deliberately cause harm to another person, that's horrible, but then to do it because of a soccer game? I don't care that this is the world's biggest soccer stage. In the end, it's still a fucking game, people. And this is what you turn your energy toward, really? (For the record, some other spiritual paths are OK with this sort of magickal work.)

Of course, this is assuming that the witch doctor's claims are true, that he really did "curse" Ronaldo. As I've said before, hexes and curses are real, but do you know how many times people wish for bad things to happen to others when they want their team to win? As a Patriots fan, I'm sure that lots of our opponents would hope Tom Brady would get knocked out of a game so their team would have a better chance of winning. It's not meant maliciously per se but when you want your team to win, people do some crazy things. 

So do I really think that some Ghanian witch doctor caused one of the world's most talented soccer players to have knee problems? Likely not. It's like my other posts on curses. I'm guessing Ronaldo is going to try to rehab his knee, assuming that there are physical causes for it and not metaphysical ones. But I'll be interested to see if Ronaldo plays in the Cup, and if so, how he does. Of course, it may or may not help Ghana, who is a good team in their own right. 

If you think this blog sucked because you're not a soccer fan, my sincere apologies. Please blame Rita. If this was some of the best writing I've ever done, I'll thank her for inspiring me with this article. 

And if you couldn't care less about the World Cup, at least go read the articles about teams who think their players will perform better abstaining from sexual activity. It will just amuse you to no end that people care about sports that much that they want to control the sex lives of their players. 

I'll just say this: You can bet your ass that if someone gets laid and goes out and has the game of their life, they're going to re-think that strategy. 

And wouldn't "Devil of Monday" sound a lot more menacing? Everybody hates Mondays...maybe that guy's curse would have had Ronaldo's leg fall off instead. Just sayin'. 

K is for Kapaun

Hi everyone! Today's blog is about a man whose incredible spiritual leadership helped many soldiers survive in a very difficult situation. 

Anonymous photo of Fr. Kapaun

(Anonymous/Associated Press)

Try to imagine yourself in this scenario: You're taken prisoner by enemy forces and forced to walk 80 miles to a prison camp at the beginning of winter. You don't have cold-weather gear and when you get to your final destination, you're fed barely enough food to survive. You watch helplessly as your fellow soldiers die around you each day. I think anyone will agree that's a horrific situation.

Now imagine the same scenario, only this time, you're the chaplain of your fellow prisoners. In a life-or-death situation like this one was, it would have been very easy for the chaplain to worry about keeping himself alive and letting the rest fend for themselves.

Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Catholic priest from Kansas, was a chaplain in the Korean War in late 1950 and found himself in this very situation. But instead of trying to keep himself alive, he rose above the conditions and continued to support his troops. He traded his watch for a blanket and cut it into socks for the soldiers. He gave away his food, and stole food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. He could have escaped with the able-bodied soldiers before he was captured, but chose to stay with the wounded. He never returned from the POW camp, but his actions and leadership helped keep many alive.

Yesterday, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. I encourage you to read the entire story from the Washington Post. It's truly amazing. I've also included the link to the book written about him; I plan to buy it myself.

These days it's way too easy to villify spiritual leaders of every faith. With all of the negative things you can find about them to look at on the Internet, I feel like Fr. Kapaun deserves a moment of your precious time. He's the kind of spiritual leader that all of us should expect, and those of us who are spiritual leaders can learn a lot from his example of sacrifice and selfless service. I truly hope the Catholic church decides to make him a saint one day.

Thanks for tuning in! Come back tomorrow for my "L" post!

Stomping on Jesus: Truly a Classroom WTF Moment

Some of you may have seen this article online in the past week or so. A college student was nearly suspended for refusing to do a class exercise in which he was required to write "Jesus" on a piece of paper and stomp on it. 

As a teacher, I understand the point the professor was trying to make. If you take a word, phrase, or symbol that is sacred to someone, have them write it on a piece of paper, and stomp on it, you will indeed see the power that words and symbols have in our daily lives. The teacher apologized, but he seemed pleased that he had made his point. I wonder if he thought he'd get more of a response if he did it right before Easter. 

It doesn't matter whose religion it is; the exercise is just plain wrong. And what about non-Christians, atheists and agnostics? Wouldn't they have also had a problem with the activity? Yes, but for a different reason: If the word means nothing to you, then stomping on it shouldn't be hard for you, and the point of the lesson is once again lost. 

To me this ranks right up there with the high school teacher in France who had students write their own suicide note: An assignment that never should have happened.  

I know how I would have felt if it had been "God and Goddess" on that piece of paper, a pentacle, a crescent moon, or a bunch of other symbols I consider important to my spiritual life. 

If I was a college administrator, I'd have hard time explaining why I retain this person at all. At the very least, I'd consider suspending the teacher for a while. 

I applaud and respect the student for standing up for his beliefs and refusing to do the activity. I hope each and every one of us would have the balls to do likewise. 

Book Review: Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom

Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom

Lesley Jackson

Avalonia Books, www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

$24.99

Thoth is a god that I’ve worked with from time to time in my spiritual practice, so when the opportunity came to review this book, I was totally thrilled.

When you do Internet research on a god or goddess, what you get is a hodgepodge of information coming from sources that may be questionable, and often comes out as “what [god or goddess] means to me”. Spiritually, that isn’t totally lacking in value, of course, but from a historical perspective it’s a letdown. Secretly, I was hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed with the book for that reason.

Luckily, that feeling was dispelled about 30 seconds after I opened the book. I was very impressed with the scholarly nature of this work. Jackson does a fantastic job of sourcing and footnoting the heck out of this topic, and includes an awesome bibliography and index to boot.  This author has done her research, and it made you feel confident as you progressed through the work that you had made a good choice. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth here.

While the book is well documented, I found it to be a lot less dry than most history books I have read. Part of it, I think, is that Jackson doesn’t focus on the life of Thoth, but starts from the beginning and breaks up the topics nicely. After the introduction, the first chapter is on “The Names of Thoth”, which I found totally fascinating. You may have heard of “Golden One”, but I must admit that “Counter of the Stars”, “Master of Papyrus”, and “Expert One” were new for me.

Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the god, and while many might sit down and read this cover-to-cover, I definitely skipped around to parts that interested me first and foremost. I started with Chapter 3 on “Symbolism”, which includes a brief introduction to iconography, a topic that may be new to many readers. My next stop, and the place where I lingered the most, was Chapter 11 on relationships. Thoth’s consorts and interactions with the various members of the Egyptian pantheon are detailed here.

If you have a short attention span—in this day and age of the Internet, tablet computers, text messaging and videoconferencing, many of us suffer from it, at least from time to time—you have nothing to worry about. Not only will the book keep your attention, but it has frequent breaks and paragraph titles to remind you of where you are and where you’re going.

In addition to lightening the tone of the book, the other advantage of the breaks is that you can easily find information you are looking for. If I’m doing a spell or ritual, for example, and I want to know how Isis and Thoth interacted, I just look in the index for “Isis”, and there is a list of page numbers.

One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was the comparison between Thoth and the Greek god Hermes, who was their god of wisdom. I would have never considered the two equivalents, so that will definitely help me spiritually moving forward as I work with both of them.

The inclusion of “Hymns and Prayers to Thoth” in the appendix was another fantastic find. These are translations and were included from J.L. Foster’s book, Hymns, Prayers, and Songs, which of course I’ll now have to pick up as well. I would strongly urge readers to keep your notepad or computer “wish list” handy when reading through this book; there are a few more books you’ll likely want to buy.

If you are at all interested in Thoth in particular or in the history of ancient Egypt, I’d definitely pick this book up. I highly recommend it. 

O is for Occult

Occult is a word that I don't hear much anymore, and to be honest, I'm kind of glad. Here's the definition from www.merriam-webster.com:

Noun and adjective: Matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them

A lot of people who do not take the metaphysical and nature-based religions seriously use this term to describe us and our spiritual activities. Well, here's why that's not true. 

The definition talks about the "influence of the supernatural or supernormal powers." Unless you've been watching way too much television or far too many movies, the abilities that we possess are neither supernatural nor supernormal; they're just part of our spiritual paths. If you think we can summon demons or stop time, for example, that's Hollywood talking. While it would be pretty cool, that's not what it's all about. 

For us, use of the metaphysical--spells, astrology, herbalism, divination--is normal. And it is powerful, I'll grant you that, but it is no more powerful than the spiritual activities of any other person--prayer, chanting, communion with the Divine, etc.

Let's take the other part, the "secret knowledge". Ummm, it's really not. I went to a school for my training, the Tradition of the Witches Circle. We're not a secret. We offer classes to all. Witchcraft. Psychic development. Herbalism. Astrology. Tarot. And then some. We have a website...www.themagickshop.com. So I mean, how truly secret are we? We're not keeping secrets...this knowledge has been around for many years. 

I think that the word resonates with many people because it is a putdown, whether people want to realize it or not. It's like saying that I "delve into the Dark Arts" because of what I do for a living. BULLSHIT. You should probably see for yourself before you open up your mouth. I doubt that any of my clients would say the same. 

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion and your lexical choices. But I'd suggest taking "occult" out of your vocabulary. Those of us who find it offensive thank you in advance; we know enough people who won't bother to do a little digging. :)

Thanks as always for tuning in...see you tomorrow for my "P" post! 

I trust you...unless you're an atheist?

A recent article appeared in the Washington Post recently about anti-athiesm. Here's the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-atheists-distrusted-as-much-as-rapists/2011/12/09/gIQAfYUiiO_story.html

Basically, the data indicated that we--and I say "we" meaning the 770 American adults and Canadian college students who participated in this survey--trust rapists to do the right thing more than atheists.

Granted, this is an extremely small sampling of North Americans. But read that last sentence again, please, and let it sink in. Now let's look at the definition of "atheist" from merriam-webster.com: "One who believes there is no deity."

So if we put two and two together, we get "Those who believe there is no higher power are untrustworthy." Seriously...are you kidding me?

Part of it is likely that when people hear "athiest", they think that because a person doesn't believe in a higher power, and, therefore, has no moral code to speak of. Atheists are not AMORAL; they do have a code, but it is one of their own making, and may or may not be based on a particular spiritual or religious belief. Just because it does not come from a "spiritual" place doesn't make it any less valid than our own.

Also, keep in mind that many atheists were once practitioners of a religion, likely one that they were raised with, and that background along with their life experiences has led them to choose atheism.

As a spiritual person, I choose what spiritual path I follow and how much that path influences my own choices. For example, when I was a practicing Catholic, the moral code of that religion is pro-life in all circumstances. I have been pro-choice since I knew about the issue, so that particular precept of Catholicism didn't sway me simply because that was the path I was on. Many Wiccans believe that being vegetarian or vegan is the way to go, but I don't choose to live my life that way. So like atheists, our code is our own individually. If you've heard the term "cafeteria Catholic", for example, you know what I'm talking about. It may sound like a derogatory term, but it's not to me; it showcases what all of us do on an individual spiritual level, in my humble opinion.

Just like we choose what will and will not affect our beliefs, atheists CHOOSE to not believe in any higher power. Again, that doesn't mean that they don't know right from wrong, or that they are inherently untrustworthy because they choose not to believe in a higher power.  I love spiritual people, but I don't love or trust people any less who choose atheism. I have one atheist in my life and if it came down to it, I'd trust him with my life. He's one of the most trustworthy people I know and always has been. The idea that he or any other atheist is less than trustworthy or somehow immoral is patently ridiculous.

And don't even get me started on the incredibly awful, immoral, unconscionable choices made over the years by people who believe in a higher power. Let me throw out the Crusades, the Salem Witch Trials, thousands of wars, and centuries of religious discrimination as just a few examples. Being "spiritual" or "religious" doesn't necessarily mean "trustworthy" either, folks.

Spirituality is a choice. Not being spiritual is a choice. Being someplace in the middle is a choice. And they are all valid choices for each person. The moment that we start to discriminate based on lack of belief is the moment we put ourselves in the same category as bigots. Tolerance is not just for those who believe.

What this all comes down to is ego. Take away the words, what it says is, "I'm better than you are because I believe in [INSERT DEITY OR SPIRITUAL PATH HERE], and you believe in nothing. So obviously you are somehow defective." Bullshit!

With the holiday season coming, respect everyone's choices and check your ego. If you won't bash another religion but you somehow find yourself looking down on atheists, then know that you've become part of the intolerance that makes life difficult for both believers and atheists alike.

If you'd rather trust a rapist, that's up to you. But I'll take anyone--atheist or no--over violent sexual offender any day of the week.