I was planning on watching the recent “The Witch in the Wardrobe” episode of Bones and writing a long and drawn out response to and analysis of it.  But Jason over at The Wild Hunt summed it up so well that instead I will simply share my thoughts and feelings.

My family and I love the show Bones.  I love the characters, I love the whole crime drama aspect, I love the comedic moments. Despite this, I knew based on the previews that odds were I was not going to enjoy the episode very much.  I knew going in that I was either going to be annoyed at the portrayal of Paganism or downright furious.

Allow me to say simply that the show lived up to my low expectations.  Considering the cast of characters are supposed to (for the most part) be intelligent, educated, and worldly I found myself amazed at how often the Wiccans were mocked or made fun of.

Aside from that though I was disappointed that once again Wiccan practice was portrayed as something totally “out there.”  While I understand the need for shock value as a marketing tool or as a ratings booster I am frankly tired, after all this time, that we have yet to see Wicca treated with the same respect afforded other faiths.

I came to Wicca at the age of 18 and have been following the path for over two decades.  Don’t get me wrong, I accept that some aspects of Wiccan practice can be construed as odd or even strange.  Circling skyclad beneath the full moon is not something that most people do.  But, never in the past 22 years did I come to use bat bones as a regular part of my practice.  And while I did once cast a circle by sprinkling cornmeal I cannot say that rye flour, or any other grain, has been “often used” in my rites.

Aside from Bones failing to portray my faith in other than the Hollywood version, I have a bone to pick with them about the science behind the solution to the crime itself.  In the end of the episode it is revealed that the entire Wiccan coven fell victim to ergotism when they attempted to cast a binding spell on an evil witch in their community.  Now since the rye flour was used to draw a circle around the “evil one’s” abode one can assume that they contracted it via inhalation.  Since the entire coven was revealed to have murdered the evil witch while all under the delusion that she was a demon this would mean that the entire coven inhaled the same dosage.  However, despite the fact that ergot poisoning causes a whole host of other symptoms including cramping, nausea, and muscle spasms the only affect seen was the group hallucination they experienced.

All in all not one of my favorite episodes and probably one that I will skip on watching again in the re-runs.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:Bones, wicca, witchcraft

I have been a bit remiss in my blog posting as well as my blog reading.  My laptop is sick and wont be repaired for a couple of weeks.  Right now we are waiting for the girls’ computer to get out of the shop and I’ll wait a couple of weeks before putting mine in to save us the sticker shock.

My time on the one remaining computer in the house is limited as I am sharing it with 3 other people and I am generally not able to get on it in the evenings very much and can’t get on it at all in the morning.  I do plan to work my way back to your regularly scheduled programming soon though – one way or another.

For this week’s Pagan Video Tuesday I share a piece I found on Hecate’s blog a couple of days ago.  While I watched it my heart swelled and my eyes filled with tears.  Yes because it was beautiful and moving and touching in so many ways but also because I long so much to be part of a Pagan community again.

I miss having a group of people to grapevine about the circle with.

I miss having people to sit and toast the Gods and Goddesses with.

I miss having no excuses when it came to honoring the Esbats and Sabbats.

I miss not being a Witch alone.

I spent a few moments on Samhain evening listening to the wind rushing through the dying leaves and whispered my wishes to my ancestors.  I asked them to pull some strings for me.  Desires that revolve around hearth and finances and a home of our own, one day, in the country.

I forgot to ask for this one thing for myself and so I whisper it here in cyberspace and pray that my ancestors don’t mind pulling another string or two that will bring some likeminded folk my way.

I have family.

I have friends.

But, frankly, I’m still feeling a bit lonely.

In any case – may the dance spiral on – may the circle never be broken – may we each find renewal and healing and hope.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:pagan, pagan video tuesday, paganism, video, wicca, witchcraft, youtube

Want some more advice aside from the videos? Check out sites like these:

How to Make a Book of Shadows – from About.com

How to Create a Book of Shadows – by Deanna Anderson

The Book of Shadows – from collegewicca.com

Written by Mama KellyTags:wicca, witchcraft

This is a particularly loose ritual format.  It is meant to be customized to the needs of your life and your family.  It is meant to allow you to call upon whatever pantheon you usually work with.

It is split over two days because I know that my own energy and time constraints would not allow me to do everything this ritual would require with only one day to do it in.  You may even spread “day 1″ over the course of a week (or longer).  If clutter has really gotten out of control, or your time/energy/health is significantly limited feel free to take as much time as you need to get rid of the clutter, then spend a day getting the house company clean, then another day to do the house warding/blessing.

Day One

Clean your home, top to bottom.  Open the windows and let the house air out.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Do what your time and health allow.  But do pay attention to major piles of clutter and clean the important items, trying to clean/declutter something in each room. You want each room to be noticeably different in appearance and “feel.”

While you are cleaning chant something along the lines of:

Dirt be gone
and clutter too
May this home be filled
with troubles few

Day Two

Take blessed salt water and spurge (sprinkle) each room.  A little goes a long way.

Take incense that you enjoy and go through each room, hitting every corner, even inside closets.

Using your athame, a crystal point, or your dominant hand draw either a pentacle or a rune of protection over every entry into your home. This includes every window, every door, every skylight, every drain, every electrical outlet, etc.

If you live in a detached house you can also go outside and draw a protective circle about your residence, walking deosil/sunwise/clockwise, again using your athame, a crystal point, or your dominant hand.

Once your home is completed cleansed and warded it is time to bless it.

Carry a lit candle into each room and call upon the Divine to fill it with love and light and whatever blessings you feel the need for.  You may use the same words in each room along the lines of

God and Goddess hear my call
Touch each floor and touch each wall
Touch each table and touch each chair
Fill each room with blessings fair

God and Goddess hear my cry
Bless each hello and each goodbye
May each guest be trebly blessed
with peace with joy and with rest

Bless each room, bless each bed
Touch each heart and touch each head
God and Goddess hear my plea
Bless my family and bless me

Or you can offer up a customized request for each area of your home.

• You can bless the kitchen by asking that may all who enter it be nourished in body and spirit.
• You can bless the children’s room by asking that it be filled with peaceful sleep and idyllic dreams.
• You can bless the master bedroom by asking for love and passion.
• You can bless the office/art area etc. by asking for focus and creativity.

Written by Mama KellyTags:pagan, paganism, ritual, verse, wicca, wiccan, witchcraft

A woman was killed this week and burned at the stake because others accussed her of being a witch. A harsh reality that is a reminder to all of us that women around the world are in danger.

I think it is important to be aware that even today people are still killed and burned at the stake for being a witch. They are innocent women who are not witches, (and even if they were they should not be killed because of it).

We should never take our freedom for granted or the plight of women worldwide no matter what their religion. It is important that all of us work toward educating others, eliminating the lies, misinformation and fears that exist, but even more importantly fight to establish women’s rights and protection world wide.

Reported in the NY Daily News, earlier this week, according to Simon Kauba, assistant commissioner of police and commander, the police in a remote rural area of Papua New Guinea are investigating the killing of a woman who was bound and gagged, then tied to a wooden pole set up at a rubbish heap, surrounded by rubber tires and set on fire.  Rumors that the woman was killed because she was suspected of witchcraft have spread through the South Pacific island nation, but the case is still being investigated and they are also still trying to find out her identity. 

In rural Papua New Guinea, witchcraft is often blamed for unexplained misfortunes.  For example in, in 2007, two men in the country’s Milne Bay province were sentenced to death by hanging after beheading a woman they believed had killed their fathers with a spell.

Even though in our country something like this would most likely never happen, there is still a lot of misunderstanding and fear about witchcraft, wicca, and pagans in general. We can never forget how easy it could be to lose our rights to practice our faith, our freedoms, our jobs, or how easy it would be for property to damaged, or harm to come to ourselves or our families because of we chose to follow a wiccan or pagan path.

Written by Lady RoseTags:witch burnings, witchcraft