Articles and Such

Articles

"So Many Rituals, so Little Time!!"
(730 words) How long should a good Ritual last and what tools should be used?

"Where's the Beef?"
(790 words) Addresses the imbalance in some pagan traditions of female/male.

"Thank the Goddess that paganism is finally coming back into acceptance so that men can find their natural place--supporting and adoring the women who are naturally superior. And the men? Let them feel the truth--that they are less sacred than women, less spiritual. They have so much more to over come to reach the high ideas and lofty position that women naturally hold! We should feel compassion for their incompleteness.

And so, some of us lose our other half. Not only do we exclude half the human species, but also a sacred and wonderful part of ourselves."

"The Physical Side of Ritual"
(700 words) You are channeling a lot of energy when you do Ritual. Be aware of what your body needs.

"So you take part in a really good, deeply moving Pagan Ritual. The next day you are still floating off the ground and in tune with each leaf as it grows. Every breeze that caresses you feels like the Goddess' hand.

The next morning you open your eyes to the wonder of creation and leap joyfully out of bed. Or try to. Your leg muscles scream with pain, your arms feel like lead weights and your back creeks like a rusty door as you listen to your joints crack.

Welcome to the world of the Ritual hangover!"

"Elemental Vacation"
(1670 words) Or, "How Gryphon almost burned down an entire island." How to have a magical vacation and how NOT to have a magical vacation.

"I decided I would consciously commune with the Elements, starting with Air in the East and working my way around to Earth in the North and ending up in the Center with Spirit. The first night I would spend getting grounded and centered. The morning and early afternoon of the next day I would spend with Air, the late afternoon and evening with Fire. Water was scheduled for the morning and afternoon of the second day and Earth for that evening and night. The morning of the third day I would spend with Spirit and regrounding before I made my departure.

The easiest way to make the Goddess laugh? Make a plan."

"Kali Waits... Accepting the Challenge of the Goddess"
(710 words) CTC has a tradition at Imbolc--those who want to can accept their personal "Challenge of the Goddess." I explain my own Challenge, Kali's Path of Fire.

"I have seen trees that have grown up and around barbed wire. The rusty, spiked metal disappears into one side and emerges from the other. The tree is scared where it enters and exits.

The darkness inside me is twisted and curved around many parts of myself. It was forced on me when I was very young, just a little, naive girl; when I trusted what was said and done to me to be right."

"Crowned by the Goddess"
(450 words) I take my HS class out to the Nature Trail at school and a student is crowned by the Goddess--and I am, too!

"As we left the parking lot of the mundane world and stepped into the dappled shade of the living woods, a huge Tulip Poplar leaf floated down and landed right on top of one of my students' heads. She swept it off immediately, but I thought at the time, "She's been crowned by the Goddess."

"Spell Casting 101"
(700 words) The Big Three Rules of Spellcasting, and how I misused my very first spell. Don't let this happen to you!

"Like many people who turn to the Craft, what I wanted was POWER. Power to force another to do my own will. I did not see this as a bad thing. I had no evil intentions. At that time I had no conception that there were ground rules.

For every action you take, there is a reaction. True in physics, true in Witchcraft."

Letters to a Witch Column:

"Power"
What powers do I have and where do they come from?

"Pagan vs. Wiccan"
What's the difference?

"Pagan Motorcycle Gang"
Wherein we try to decide which Pagan Tradition would most readily claim the Pagan Motorcycle Gang.

"Which Witch Teacher?"
How should one go about finding the right Pagan teacher? Here are some tips on how to, and how not to, find a guide (er... a human guide, that lives on this plane of exsistence and is in coporeal form).

"Breaking the Conditioning of your Thoughts"
The woes of forced vacation bible school and how to find the dancing meadow!

"Divinity Within, Dreams and Giving”
Dreams can show you your true path because Divinity has always been an inseparable part of yourself and the more you give others the more you have.

"Initiation"
What should an Initiation Ritual involve and who should do it for you?

"Setting People Straight"
What do you do when you run into a person who means well but spouts all sorts of nonsense at you about your Religion that simply is not the truth? The answer can involve serious risks... Silence IS a valid choice at times.

"Starting a Book of Shadows"
What is it, how do you begin and what should you write it with?

"Magical Names"
How do you find your special, magical name? Why have one?

"Doing it to Others"
Concerns from a Christian about a Pagan High Priestess teaching public school.

”Jewelry Made From Animals: Disrespectful?”
Should we use animal parts for jewelry that may have come from an animal killed just for this purpose? Is this showing disrespect to the animal?

“Candle Ritual Meltdown!”
Or, how to avoid the anvil on the head. Workings are best done when and where they need to be done which may not necessarily be the same as we have assigned them. Be open to plan changes.

I was asked to speak at the "We Still Work Magic" rally in Ashville in September, 2000. It was sponsored by the Appalachian Pagan Alliance and co-sponsored by W.A.R.D. (Witches Against Religious Discimination), A.R.E.N. (Alternative Religious Education Network) and The Witches' Voice (www.witchvox.com.)

I was honored to join several other Pagans to speak out against Christian prayers at school functions. The APA statement sums it up nicely:

"You can have no religion in the schools, or you can have all religions in the schools; but you cannot have just the Christian religion in the schools!"

Photo: Here I am with Diotima Mantineia, who is the Associate Editor of the Witch's Voice. We are going over our speeches one last time. Her's was printed in 16 point type, mine was 14 and bold (I'm sure it was NOT because our eyes are not as sharp as they used to be!)

Here's the speech I gave.

(Walk up to the microphone totally hidden in a black cloak)

Most of you who know me, know me as Gryphon Rosemead.
I teach Agriculture in the public school system in NC.
And I am a Pagan.

I am here because I believe it is time for me to step forward.

If we remain in the shadows, we will always be forced to stay in the shadows. It is time for people to know us for who and what we are; parents and children, business people, rich and poor, loud and quiet, teachers and students.

Those here who know me, know me as Gryphon Rosemead.
Those I work with (throw back hood of cloak) know me as Wendy Thurston.
I teach Agriculture in the NC public school system.
And I am a Pagan.

When I wore my pentacle to school years ago I opened the door to my hidden spiritual life.

When I preformed a Handfasting this spring that was featured on the news I stepped out onto my shady porch.

When I linked my magical webpage with my mundane one, I walked out, blinking, into the bright sunlight.

Speaking at this rally marks the first steps in my dance in the sun.

Equality. Respect. Tolerance.
In our public school system,
In our communities,
In our country and our world.

Seeing a gathering of Pagans here on public school grounds makes my heart sing with joy.

I'm not asking for a Goddess statue in the school lobby or classes dealing with the Elements and Directions--although, personally, I think both are good ideas...

I am only pointing out that ALL of us, pagans and nonpagans alike, are ALL part of the same beautiful sacred web.

Please join me...

We are the flow, and we are the ebb,
We are the weaver, we are the web.

_____________

Here's what Luna had to say about the "We Still Work Magic" rally and my speech (yes, I'm bragging!):

My thanks to everyone that helped make the rally a success. WIth some 450 people present it was a night for education and a step towards equality for pagans!

I have to say, of all the speakers that were present, Gryphon Rosemead was the most compelling. She had everyone's undivided attention and was truly eloquent. Thank you Gryphon for your presence and your wonderful presentation. Hopefully yours and David's pockets will forever be full of that wonderful Asheville soil from Diotima's cauldron.

So when you folks see Gryphon again...be sure to congratulate her on a job well done.

Blessings!
~Luna

Here is a letter I sent to my local newspaper. I sent it in before the war began, but it was published after the troops started coming home. Not exactly timely.

To the Editor;

Just had a visit from one of my former students, Lawrence. He was all neat and impressive in his new Army uniform. He came back to say hello to some of his old teachers. What a difference these few months have made in his appearance and demeanor since graduation last spring.

Daniel has come back a couple of times as well. He is also in the Army now, through with Basic and “waiting to go.” Walt is now in the Navy, and it is so hard to combine the Walt that I knew in the classroom with the young man who is a part of our country’s armed forces.

Each of these visits brings home the impending war. As a teacher, I have seen hundreds of kids pass through my room. These same kids who were awkward 9th graders and talkative 10th graders are adults. As juniors they talked excitedly about the prom and as seniors they worried about SAT’s and looked forward to graduation. Now several of them are either “there” already or “waiting to go.”

I say no to war. I say no to killing our children. They are too precious and it has not been proven that this is the only, or even the best, way.

I put my energy and prayer into this visualization. I have to make one of those not-so-pleasant phone calls many years from now. “I’m sorry, but your son is talking too much, not paying attention and turning in work late,” I’ll say, “All in all, he is acting exactly like you did when you were his age, Lawrence.”

Wendy Thurston
Agriculture Teacher
South Granville High School