Volume: 2 Imbolc Issue: 1 - Websmemberfiles.freewebs.com/94/36/55743694/documents... · Volume: 2...

February 2012

A Multi - Denominational Ezine by Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary

Volume: 2 Issue: 1Imbolc

Wolf Run Wildlife’s

February 2012

2 A Multi - Denominational Ezine by Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary

The Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary, LLC.(WRWSS) is based near Remus, Michigan. WRWSS wasstarted in 2006 as a single event with the idea of bringingpeople of many faiths together in the spirit of acceptance,understanding and cooperation. Our goal is to establish asanctuary capable of servicing the needs of people who be-long to what are considered to be non-Christian spiritualpaths or beliefs by spreading diverse unity among religions.We are continuously endeavoring to work together withinthe community towards Education, Understanding, Accep-tance and Equality for these spiritual paths and to be apositive enduring presence, both locally and globally.

Incorporating in 2009, the organization has grown fromoffering a single event, to offering several activities year-round, to meet its mission and the needs of the community.Each year Wolf Run is visited by hundreds of people fromall over the state during these events.

Volunteers contribute in the planning and carrying out programs and maintainingthe 10 acre farm. Programs include but are not limited to animal rescue, communityeducation, and the Annual Harvest Festival.

WRWSS is a nonprofit organization through the State of Michigan and is Feder-ally recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. Currently WRWSS is governedby a seven-member Board of Directors.

Join us at www.wrwss.org

Who We Are

Our MissionThe Mission of the Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary shall be the advance-

ment of religion and elimination of prejudice and discrimination based on religious be-liefs and to establish a sanctuary for animals, both wild and domestic.

Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary is located at:6879 60th Ave, Remus, MI 49340

February 2012


Board of Directors

Sarah Scram— Secretary,Harvest Fest Event Coordinator

Altona Newcombe— Treasurer

Stan Newcombe—Director,Earth Day Coordinator

Jessica Alman– Youth ActivityCoordinator

Doug Sievers—Co-Director, EzineEditor

Mariah McRoberts—Boardmember, Youth ActivityAssistant

Amy Sampsell—Boardmember,Assistant Event CoordinatorAssistant Ezine Editor

IndexBorad of Directors 3A Word from the Editor 4Willow 4A Witch is… 5Anagram 6Mid-Michigan and Beyond 7To Do List 9Imbolc Oil 9Kitchen Witch 10More Kitchen Witch 12St. Bridget 14Herbal Vinegars 15Ritual Bath 16Imbolc incense 17Crossword 18Word Search 19Full Moons 20Pagan Calendar 22Wolf Pack 26Events 28Moon Cycles 29Friends, Sponsors, Supporters 30Flier 32Parting Thoughts 33

Putting aside our differencesBuilding on our similarities

February 2012


A word from the EditorThis Sabat we have been hard at work

digging through the internet, through ournotes and our minds to put together thevery best Imbolc Ezine that we could.

Articles on flavored vinegar, cleansingbaths and cooking in the kitchen. Alongwith the usual items and we have addedour very own Wolf Pack to the Ezine. Nowwe have things just for those who are kidsat heart.

I want to put out a special thank youto the Board of Directors for working withme on putting out this Ezine and all thework that they each have put into helpingmake it a success.

Once again Thank You.

Dubhghlas

Have an up coming event you want helpadvertising for…. Just send it to us…

[email protected]

WillowsBy Jessie A RobinsonPenned summer 2011

Willows weepingWillow strong

Willows dancing all night longThey speak to meThey always do

Things in my heart, I always knewThey tell me things of long ago

Of things they’ve seenOf things they know

To stand beneath these magical treesTo touch them in the cool night breeze

Brings warmth, love and all things goodTo think that some would call them wood.

February 2012


A Witch Is ...~Author Unknown

a healera walker between the worlds

... a weavera shamana wise one

Witches weave all these thread together.Witchcraft gives you a frame of referenceto experience the world by being open toall possibilities. He or she borrows frommany cultures and is encouraged to findthe path that works for him/her, the indi-

vidual.

A witch is also ...

a therapista priest or priestess

a herbalistan environmentalist

a mother, father, brother, sister, son,daughter, friend

a counselora researcher

a writera psychica teacher

Nothing is prevented or forbidden. Thepath of the witch is the path of knowledgeand wisdom. It changes and adapts as newinformation is discovered. Witchcraft is a

LIVING religion.

February 2012


What is an Anagram?anagram (AN-uh-gram)

NOUN: A word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.

VERB: To rearrange letters in such a way. To anagrammatize.

[From Greek anagrammatismos, ana- (up, again, back, new) + -gram (letter).]

ANAGRAM

1. twiner

2. ice slots

3. go thy lo my

4. ex grin quipson

5. raga rain

6. peeps lo

7. vase lifts

8. cabinet lore

9. scandal me

10. loaded inns

CLUES1. Many persons mark this as an age value; the season between Au-tumn and Spring2. This is an astronomical event that happens twice each year whenthe Sun's apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost /southernmost extremes3. A certain set of stories, beliefs or traditions from persons based onthe histories of cultures and / or religions beliefs4. This is the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth'sequator, making night and day of approximately equal length all overthe earth5. This is a person who favors the equal division of landed propertyand the advancement of agricultural groups.6. An indefinite or a collective; numerable individuals forming agroup7. An approximate date that includes entertainments, revelry, merrymaking and gaiety8. A time that is marked to praise publicly, or to proclaim; associatedwith jubilation, festivity, solemnizations, solemnization9. A church honoring of the presentation of the infant Jesus in theTemple and the purification of the Virgin Mary: candles are blessedon this day; one of the four quarter days in Scotland10. This is a weedy composite plant which in 1513, from M.Fr. dentde lion, lit. "lion's tooth" (from its toothed leaves), transl. of M.L. densleonis. Other folk names, like tell-time refer to the custom of tellingthe time by blowing the white seed (the number of puffs required toblow them all off supposedly being the number of the hour)

February 2012


A brief overview on personal experiences with pagan groups, shops I have found tohelp me in my craft, and yearly events. On this months most talked about list is OpenGrove Society, a wonderful group in Mt Pleasant that is full of open minded individuals,The Mecosta Bookstore, a wonderful place to step into another realm of reality,and Convocation, a huge gathering of Pagans and the likes in Detroit.

First, Open Grove Society. An organization though Central Michigan Universitythat focuses on religious rights be them for us pagans, or any religion. OGS includespeople of diverse religious or non-religious backgrounds. OGS meets to discuss vari-ous topics relevant to spiritual experience. OGS is also a connection to local Pagans aswell as supporting them.

OGS Mission Statement:Open Grove Society seeks to provide Central Michigan University and

the surrounding community with a safe social outlet for members of pagan religions,other diverse beliefs, and their supporters.

Our goals include dispelling negative stereotypes of various religions, providing andeducational resource regarding non-mainstream or alternative religions and beliefs andraising public awareness of non-mainstream religions.

Second, the Mecosta book store. Used books of various kinds, floor to ceiling high.The best place that I have been able to find in the surrounding area for occult books ofall kinds. Shamanism, Maiden Mother and Crone, Fairies, Ghosts, Gardening, andmany other research materials. The best part about this used book store is that all theprices are decent.

Mecosta Bookstore- We Are 10,000 CAREFULLY SELECTED TITLES; NOTPOSTED TO THE INTERNET 28 years buying & selling used, rare & out of printbooks (Hardcover - Soft cover - Hard to Find & Mass Market)

Finally, the third, Convocation. Last year I attended and was blown away by the peo-ple, the rituals, the classes, the knowledge, and the booths to purchase what ever youcould think of witch related and then some. The rooms were filled to overflowing insome cases for classes and everyone, be then the teacher or not, had something worth-while to listen too. There is always something going on, karaoke, shopping, classes, talk-ing, and on Saturday night there is the costume ball. If this doesn't strike your fancythen the people would. There was someone there representing anything you could imag-ine occult wise, and some you wouldn't recognize right off hand. Each year is different,and there is always something old, something new, something borrowed, and many

(Continued on page 8)

Mid-Michigan and BeyondMariah McRoberts

February 2012


things flashy, witchy, glittery and then some!

There are always like minded people around us, and there is always some store, be it anoccult or not, to find our tools, and there is always a gathering somewhere near by, be itsmall or large. The point is to look. Stay tuned for our next sabbat Ezine for informationon Pagan Family and Friends, Rogers Natural Food, and our local Pagan Pride Days.

For more information on OGS, visithttp://www.facebook.com/bookmarks/groups#!/groups/18708588096/on the Mecosta Bookstore,http://www.iswara.com/,and for Convocation,http://www.convocation.org/.

(Continued from page 7)

This Altar is Stan and Toni’s out at WolfRun

February 2012


Removal of sumac from the sides of thewalkway.

Install new fire pit in front of the barnarea

Removal of some rocks from Children’sarea.

Install a hitching post by the southeastend of field.

Build fire pit for cooking in the areawhere we will build the Pavilion.

Fill in pit area.

Finish the peace pole.

We need sign work for the campingarea and roadway back to the campgrounds.

We need a storage shed built to housethe Harvest Festival equipment.

Install new drive at the south end ofthe property.

Wanted:Cheerful smiling faces to help clean upour act. We are in need of volunteersthrough out the year to help with the jobsyou see below. Please contact Stan New-combe at [email protected],or Doug Sievers at [email protected] let us know what you can do, whenyou can do it and any other informationthat you think might be useful

Wolf Run’s To Do List

Imbolc Oil

1/8 cup base oil (extra virgin olive oilworks well)3 drops Ginger2 drops Clove1 drop Rosemary1 drop Cypress

As you blend the oils, visualize yourintent, and take in the aroma. Know thatthis oil is sacred and magical. Label, date,and store in a cool, dark place.

Sun Incense

3 parts Frankincense2 parts Sandalwood1 part Bay1 pinch SaffronA few drops of Olive Oil

Bury to draw the influences of the sunand for spells involving promotions,friendships, healing, energy and magicalpower

The complete book of Incense Oils andBrews by Scott Cunningham pg 94

February 2012


Kitchen WitchBy Sarahwillow

The Sabbat of ImbolcImbolc is a holiday with a variety of names, depending on which culture and location

you’re looking at. In the Irish Gaelic, it’s called Oimelc, which translates to “ewe’s milk.”It’s a precursor to the end of winter when the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs.Spring and the planting season are right around the corner.

The Irish goddess Brighid is the keeper of the sacred flame, the guardian of homeand hearth. To honor her, purification and cleaning are a wonderful way to get ready forthe coming of Spring. In addition to fire, she is a goddess connected to inspiration andcreativity.

Brighid is known as one of the Celtic "triune" goddesses -- meaning that she is oneand three simultaneously.

In modern Wicca and Paganism, Brighid is viewed as the maiden aspect of themaiden/mother/crone cycle. She walks the earth on the eve of her day, and before goingto bed each member of the household should leave a piece of clothing outside for Brighidto bless. Smother your fire as the last thing you do that night, and rake the ashessmooth. When you get up in the morning, look for a mark on the ashes, a sign thatBrighid has passed that way in the night or morning. The clothes are brought inside,

and now have powers of healing and protectionthanks to Brighid.Brighid is my favorite Goddess; she is to me themaiden, the hearth protector and the light of mykitchen. The recipes that follow are tried andtrue, meaning I tested them out as well as myfamily. Yummy and filling…just in time to getoutside and start the tilling out the garden, pon-dering of what to plant this year, and startingour seedlings inside.

Traditional food for the Imbolc celebration in-cludes those that are made with seeds to symbol-ize growth, raisins and milk (ewe’s and lamb forthey are the first born in the Spring.) Imbolc isthe mid-point of the dark half of the year, andthough stored foods are running low, it is a cele-bration of renewal and preparation for Spring.


February 2012


Imbolc Ritual Cake

1 ¾ cup flour¾ cup sugar2 Tablespoons poppy seeds1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt¾ cup milk¼ cup vegetable oil2 Tablespoons lemon juicePowdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a9x9 metal pan. Mix flour, sugar, poppyseeds, soda, and salt with a fork in a me-dium bowl. Add milk, vegetable oil andlemon juice, stir just until all flour ismixed in. Pour in pan. Bake 30-35 min-utes or until bread is brown on top ortoothpick inserted in center of cakecomes out clean. Do not over bake as itwill become dry.

Makes 25 small servings.

Imbolc Feast Beef Stew

3 pounds stew meat1 medium onion1 pound of carrots4 medium potatoes2 ½ cups water1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper1 Tablespoon butter1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped1 Tablespoon chives, chopped

Brown stew meat on med-high heat inlarge dutch oven pot. Scrap bottom ofpan when done browning. Peel, quarter

onion and potatoes. Add into pot alongwith carrots. Add water, salt and pepper.Bring to boil, turn down to simmer andcover. Simmer until meat is cookedabout 2 hours. Add butter, parsley andchives. Continue to simmer for about 10minutes.

Serves 10-12 people medium bowls.

Cheesecake

9 inch graham cracker crust8 ounces cream cheese, room temp.1 can sweeten condensed milk1/3 cup lemon juice1 Tablespoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese until fluffy about2-3 minutes.

Beat in milk.

Beat in lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour in crust and chill at least 3hours.

Garnish with cherries or raspberriesor pecans, caramel and fudge. I love itplain, that way nothing gets between thewonderful creamy yummy goodness. Imake this many times during the year.Not always with friends and coffee but Ithink this makes it taste even better.

Enjoy every time you cook and bake inyour kitchen; remember you are makingmagik for someoneyou love, even if it’sjust for yourself.


February 2012


PANNEKOEKEN (German Pancake)2 Tablespoons butter6 eggs1 cup flour1/2 teaspoons salt2 Tablespoons sugar1 cup milkPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Place

butter in oven pancake pan. Heat for 2minutes or until butter melts. Spreadevenly in pan. In large bowl, beat eggsslightly. Stir in flour, sugar and salt.Gradually add milk, beating untilsmooth. Pour into pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.Reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Bake40 - 45 minutes or until it reaches a deepgolden brown. Remove from oven and im-mediately slide pancake onto a servingplate. Fill with fresh fruit and top withconfectioners sugar. Serves 6.

This recipe is served at The HaddiePierce House Bed & Breakfast.

Next, for Lunch it is time for a bit ofsomething sweet

GRANNY'S IRISH SCONES16 ounces Self-Rising Flour4 ounces Margarine3 ounces SugarMilk2 Eggs5 ounces Raisins or currants1 teaspoon Baking PowderMix flour and margarine together

with your fingers until the mixture isfine; add sugar, raisins and baking pow-der. Beat eggs and add. Pour in enoughmilk to make mixture into a sticky dough(not too wet). Lift out onto a flouredboard and flatten out to 1-1/2" in thick-ness and cut out scones with a biscuitcutter. Place 6 on a greased baking sheetand brush tops with a little beaten egg(this helps them to brown). Bake 15 min-utes in preheated 400~ oven.

Add Jams or Jellies if wished as a top-ping

Source: Granny's Kitchen, St. Pat-rick's Rock, Cashel, County Tipperary,Ireland.


More Kitchen WitchBy Amy Sampsell

There are many recipes that I like to make for Imbolc, but a few of my favorites arelisted below and you can find more at a wonderful website that I use: http://www.unc.edu/~reddeer/recipe/rec_imbolc.html

I like to celebrate Imbolc with as many interesting foods as possible and I alwaysstart the morning of Imbolc off with Pancakes for the whole family, and here is one thatwe all adore!

February 2012


Then for dinner --

IRISH SODA BREAD

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour -- un-bleached, enriched1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour -- stone-ground1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt1/2 teaspoon Baking soda1 1/4 cups ButtermilkSet the baking rack in the center of

the oven and place a baking stone (ifavailable) on the rack.

Preheat the oven to 375.In a mixing bowl, combine the dry in-

gredients. Mix to incorporate. Make awell in the center of the dry ingredientsand add the buttermilk. Mix quickly toincorporate the milk evenly. It may beeasier to mix with the hands than with aspoon. Form the dough into a loaf shapeand place in a nonstick 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 21/2" loaf pan. Place in the preheated ovenand bake for 50-55 minutes, until wellbrowned and a skewer inserted in thecenter comes out dry. Remove from theoven and the baking pan. Place on a wirerack to cool.

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

3 Tablespoons Butter1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil1 large Onion, chopped2 Stalks celery, sliced thinly3 Carrots, diced1 1/2 Tablespoons Curry powder

2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour5 cups Chicken stock2 Tablespoons Long grain white rice2 Tomatoes; peeled & chopped8 ounces Chicken; cooked & diced1 small Apple; cooked, peeled, cored &dicedSalt to tasteFresh celery leaves

Heat butter and oil in a saucepan.Add onion, celery and carrots; cook gently5 minutes. Stir in Curry Powder andflour and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock andbring to a boil; add rice and stir well.Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirringoccasionally. Add tomatoes, chicken, ap-ple and salt. Cover again and simmer 15minutes. Garnish with celery leaves andcarrot strip, if desired, and serve hot.

And desert –

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM TRUF-FLES

1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream1 Tablespoon Butter12 oz semisweet chocolate pieces2 egg yolks1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Melt chocolate pieces, Bailey's andheavy cream together over very low heat.Whisk in yolks, one at a time, mixturewill thicken. Whisk in butter. Refrigerateseveral hours, or overnight until firm.Make small balls with a teaspoon. Roll inpowdered sugar or cocoa.


February 2012


Imbolc would not be the same if onedid not make a Brighid’s Cross – asBrighid is the Goddess most associatedwith this Sabbat

To make your Brighid's Cross, you'llneed the following

Straw, reeds, or construction paper --if you're using plant material like strawor reeds, you'll want to soak it overnightso it's pliable when you go to make yourCross. Your end result will be about thelength of one piece of your material -- inother words, a bundle of 12" reeds willyield a Brighid's Cross just slightly longerthan 12".

** Note: for a super-easy, kid-friendlyedition of this project, use pipe cleaners.

To begin, you'll form a base for yourCross by bending two pieces of straw intheir middles to create a pair of loops -- infact, you'll do this with each piece as youmake your Cross. Link the two pieces to-gether at their centers.

Next, turn these two pieces so they lieflat, and at a right angle to one another.This basic two-piece unit is the base forthe rest of the Cross, and it's the onlytime you'll have two pieces hooked to-gether in the middles like this.

Next, bend a third piece of straw inhalf, and loop it over one of your two basepieces. Both legs of the loop in the newpiece will pass over both legs of the base

piece. Pull this third piece tight to hold itin place.

Take a fourth piece, and bend it in halfas you've done with the others. Loop thisone over the legs of the piece you added inStep 3. You should now have four pieces,each pointing in a different direction.

Finally, you'll continue looping piecesover one another as you did in the laststep, until your cross reaches the size youwant. Each piece loops over the previousone. When you're all done, use a piece ofstring, ribbon, or even another bit ofstraw to secure the four ends. Trim off ex-cess pieces.

Your finished piece should look likethis

Brigit, Brighid, or St. Bridget’s CrossBy Amy

February 2012


Specialty vinegars are becoming evermore popular throughout the country.They are sought after for their culinaryuses and as medicinal aids. For thoselucky enough to have their own herbsavailable, here is a simple recipe andmethod for making your own herb vine-gars. 1 gallon jug of white vinegar assorted fresh herbs 2 Glass Jugs .. 1 gallon size Plastic wrap Sunshine Patience

A good assortment of herbs for vine-gar, are Oregano, Chives, Garlic, Rose-mary, Thyme, Tarragon, and Basil.

Harvest your fresh herbs early in themorning before the sun warms them toomuch. Wash the herbs thoroughly and patdry with paper towels. Do not remove theleaves from the stalks, but do use tender,not woody, stalks.

While the herbs are drying .. Washand sterilize the glass jugs. Fill the jugswith the fresh herbs of your choice .. youmight try combining Oregano, garlic andchives ... or Tarragon, with a few slices oflemon, ... Rosemary & Thyme make a nice

vinegar, and Basil, all by itself is a treat.Fill the jug to the top with the white

vinegar, and cover the jug opening with apiece of plastic wrap, before putting thelid on tightly.

Invert the Jug and place it outsidewhere it will get full sun ... then forgetabout it for the next 4 to 6 weeks ... youcan leave the jugs out longer if you don'thave time to decant them.

When you are ready to decant theherbal vinegar .. wash and sterilizesmaller containers... some people use can-ning jars, some use recycled liquor bot-tles, and some use attractive bottles foundat flea markets or yard sales.

Strain the herbal vinegar twicethrough cheesecloth .. if it still seems a bitcloudy, strain again .. it couldn't hurt(smile). Then simply pour the herbal vine-gar into the prepared containers, cap andlabel them. That's all there is to it. Theyare ready to use, or give as gifts. Have funexperimenting with different flavors. Ilike this "Sun Tea" type of brewing thevinegars because the herbal oils slowlyleech into the vinegar and do not sepa-rate. For those watching their diets, thesevinegars can be used on salads with noneed to add oil.

Herbal Vinegars

“The authors of the gospels were unlettered and ignorant men and the teachings of Je-sus have come to us mutilated, misstated and unintelligible”

Thomas Jefferson quotes (American 3rd US President (1801-09). Author of the Decla-ration of Independence. 1762-1826)

February 2012


How to Take a Cleansing Ritual BathBy Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

Imbolc is known as a time of purification and cleansing. A great way to incorporatethis into your magical practice is to take a ritual cleansing bath. The purpose of a ritualcleansing is to not only clean the body, but also to cleanse the mind and soul. It's achance to meditate and reflect upon the things you wish to wash away -- whether it's abad habit, negative feelings, or anything else. As you bathe, you literally rinse awaywhat you choose to eliminate from your spirit or body.

Difficulty: AverageTime Required: VariedHere's How:To perform a ritual cleansing bath, you'll first want to set the mood. Try to do this

with some semblance of privacy, so you can have peace and quiet. This is supposed to berestful and empowering -- and it's hard to achieve those if you're yelling at the kids tokeep the noise down. If other people live in your home, either send them away whileyou're taking your bath, or ask that you not be disturbed for a while.

You may wish to light some candles. Bathroom lighting tends to be harsh, andthere's something very soothing about bathing by candlelight. Some people prefer toturn off the overhead lighting and just use natural light instead, which is easily done ifyou have a window in your bathroom. You may also want to light some incense, ifthere's a particular scent you find soothing or inspiring.

Finally, some people like to add music. Put in a CD of your favorite instrumentalmusic, or of natural sounds. Noises like whale songs, waterfalls, rainfall or ocean wavesare all appropriate. If you prefer not to have any music, that's fine too - it's really a mat-ter of what relaxes you best.

As you run the bath, you'll want to incorporate herbs that are associated with clean-sing. The best way to do this is to tie herbs into a muslin cloth or bag, and hang it on thefaucet so that the warm bathwater runs through it into the tub. Herbs associated withcleansing and purification include, but are not limited to:

SageChamomileCinnamonLemon BalmSandalwoodLavenderRosemaryHyssopSweetgrass


February 2012


Imbolc incense

This particular recipe is one whichevokes the scents of a chilly winter night,with a hint of spring florals. Use it duringa ritual, if you like, or as a smudging in-cense to purify a sacred space. You canalso toss some into your fire just to makethe house smell like the Imbolc season.

You’ll need: 2 parts cedar 2 parts frankincense 1 part pine resin 1 part cinnamon 1 part orange peel 1/2 part rose petals

Add your ingredients to your mixingbowl one at a time. Measure carefully,and if the leaves or blossoms need to becrushed, use your mortar and pestle to doso. As you blend the herbs together, stateyour intent. You may find it helpful tocharge your incense with an incantationor chant as you blend it. Store your in-cense in a tightly sealed jar. Make sureyou label it with its name and date. Usewithin three months, so that it remainscharged and fresh.

PeppermintOnce you've filled the bath with warm

water, running through the herbal mix,immerse yourself in the tub. Make sureyou're completely relaxed -- for some peo-ple, this may take a few minutes, butthat's okay. Try to clear your mind com-pletely. Focus on the warmth envelopingyour body. Breathe deeply, taking in thescents of the herbal oils in the water. Ifyou've got music playing, allow your mindto wander wherever the music may takeyou -- a sandy beach, a forest glade, wher-ever. Close your eyes, and become attunedto the rhythms of your own body.

Visualize, for a moment, all the nega-tive energy in your body. As you focus onthis, imagine it being swept out of yourbody, bit by bit, one particle at a time,through the pores of your skin. See it be-ing released from your body, and dilutedinto the water. While the negative energyis leaving your body, think about how re-juvenating the bath is. See your body,your spirit, your soul being cleansed andpurified by the herbs and the water.

When you feel ready, stand up and getout of the tub. After you've gotten out ofthe water, release the plug so that all thenegativity absorbed by the water can be

drained away.Important note: if you only have a

shower stall, and not a bathtub -- or if youjust don't have time for a long bath -- youcan do this cleansing rite as a shower.Hang the cloth bag of herbs over theshowerhead, so that the herbal waterruns over your body while you shower.


February 2012


CLUES

Across2. the 'hag' of the Gaelic traditions3. secondary patron of Ireland5. occurs twice a year when the tilt of

the Earth's axis is inclined neitheraway from nor towards the Sun, thecenter of the Sun being in the sameplane as the Earth's equator

6. emergence from the burrow to sig-nify the end of winter

8. irish festival marking the beginningof spring

9. occurs exactly when the axial tilt ofa planet's polar hemisphere is

farthest away from the star that it or-bits

10. another word for divination

Down1. said to bloom at Imbolc4. The precise astrological midpoint in

the Northern hemisphere is when thesun reaches fifteen degrees of this

7. ewe's milk

Imbolc Crossword

February 2012


Imbolc Word Search

n t z g f n s r c d k c s d v m t p m re f t c k e o a w x o a n i m a i r h on a z n w b n i y c m x r x y r g s o jn r e e i d u m t e a g e d r y i o m nm c j v l a t c l a i i v n e x r l a na h p e v z s d z n c v l f i y b s g zk t s b x h n v y j o i t l f w l t e ip i n c l a e j d y z t f k e b d i a cl m q q c i r a b o g y b i y a u c l ih s s n o i t a r b e l e c r l c e f qf e s t i v a l s t u z q n e u m h e is r n w q s e v b n h t n e c i p m e vl r c b c c e o v o o e c q o y m b i ou p j m g l f b f b w z d i h m t o o vh b v f u x o a r r o w s m i l k i l zy s h w g j y b j l q s r r q s w u n yw v l b v d c n m n g l q w e a e v x iv j g s b y s z n i z w z c q x w t c ir m q w p e l a w i f i x o n i u q e ml k e q b p s t s a e f y x v u c i y o

WORD LIST

arrowsbrigitcailleachcandlemascandlescelebrationsequinoxewesfeastsfestivalsfieryhearth

homageimbolcmarymilkoimelcoxenpurificationsaintsmithcraftSolsticevirgin

February 2012


• Full Wolf Moon – January Amid thecold and deep snows of midwinter, thewolf packs howled hungrily outside In-dian villages. Thus, the name for Janu-ary’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also re-ferred to as the Old Moon, or the MoonAfter Yule. Some called it the Full SnowMoon, but most tribes applied that nameto the next Moon.

• Full Snow Moon – February Sincethe heaviest snow usually falls duringthis month, native tribes of the north andeast most often called February’s fullMoon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribesalso referred to this Moon as the FullHunger Moon, since harsh weather condi-tions in their areas made hunting verydifficult.

• Full Worm Moon – March As thetemperature begins to warm and theground begins to thaw, earthworm castsappear, heralding the return of the rob-ins. The more northern tribes knew thisMoon as the Full Crow Moon, when thecawing of crows signaled the end of win-ter; or the Full Crust Moon, because thesnow cover becomes crusted from thawingby day and freezing at night. The Full SapMoon, marking the time of tapping mapletrees, is another variation. To the settlers,it was also known as the Lenten Moon,and was considered to be the last fullMoon of winter.

• Full Pink Moon – April This namecame from the herb moss pink, or wildground phlox, which is one of the earliestwidespread flowers of the spring. Othernames for this month’s celestial body in-clude the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the

Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes theFull Fish Moon, because this was the timethat the shad swam upstream to spawn.

• Full Flower Moon – May In most ar-eas, flowers are abundant everywhereduring this time. Thus, the name of thisMoon. Other names include the Full CornPlanting Moon, or the Milk Moon.

• Full Strawberry Moon – June Thisname was universal to every Algonquintribe. However, in Europe they called itthe Rose Moon. Also because the rela-tively short season for harvesting straw-berries comes each year during the monthof June . . . so the full Moon that occursduring that month was christened for thestrawberry!

• The Full Buck Moon – July July isnormally the month when the new antlersof buck deer push out of their foreheads incoatings of velvety fur. It was also oftencalled the Full Thunder Moon, for the rea-son that thunderstorms are most frequentduring this time. Another name for thismonth’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon.

• Full Sturgeon Moon – August Thefishing tribes are given credit for thenaming of this Moon, since sturgeon, alarge fish of the Great Lakes and othermajor bodies of wa-ter, were most read-ily caught duringthis month. A fewtribes knew it as theFull Red Moon be-cause, as the Moonrises, it appears red-


Full Moons

February 2012


dish through any sultry haze. It was alsocalled the Green Corn Moon or GrainMoon.

• Full Corn Moon or Full HarvestMoon – September This full moon’s nameis attributed to Native Americans becauseit marked when corn was supposed to beharvested. Most often, the September fullmoon is actually the Harvest Moon, whichis the full Moon that occurs closest to theautumn equinox. In two years out ofthree, the Harvest Moon comes in Sep-tember, but in some years it occurs in Oc-tober. At the peak of harvest, farmers canwork late into the night by the light ofthis Moon. Usually the full Moon rises anaverage of 50 minutes later each night,but for the few nights around the HarvestMoon, the Moon seems to rise at nearlythe same time each night: just 25 to 30minutes later across the U.S., and only 10to 20 minutes later for much of Canadaand Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash,beans, and wild rice the chief Indian sta-ples are now ready for gathering.

• Full Hunter’s Moon or Full HarvestMoon – October This full Moon is oftenreferred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon,Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Manymoons ago, Native Americans named thisbright moon for obvious reasons. Theleaves are falling from trees, the deer are

fattened, and it’s time to begin storing upmeat for the long winter ahead. Becausethe fields were traditionally reaped in lateSeptember or early October, hunterscould easily see fox and other animalsthat come out to glean from the fallengrains. Probably because of the threat ofwinter looming close, the Hunter’s Moonis generally accorded with special honor,historically serving as an important feastday in both Western Europe and amongmany Native American tribes.

• Full Beaver Moon – November Thiswas the time to set beaver traps beforethe swamps froze, to ensure a supply ofwarm winter furs. Another interpretationsuggests that the name Full Beaver Mooncomes from the fact that the beavers arenow actively preparing for winter. It issometimes also referred to as the FrostyMoon.

• The Full Cold Moon; or the FullLong Nights Moon – December Duringthis month the winter cold fastens itsgrip, and nights are at their longest anddarkest. It is also sometimes called theMoon before Yule. The term Long NightMoon is a doubly appropriate name be-cause the midwinter night is indeed long,and because the Moon is above the hori-zon for a long time. The midwinter fullMoon has a high trajectory across the skybecause it is opposite a low Sun.


February 2012


January 1: Birthday of folkorist Sir James Frazier,

1854 9: Full moon -- Cold Moon at 2:30 a.m. 13: Last of Austria's witchcraft laws re-

pealed in 1787 19: Birthday of Dorothy Clutterbuck 20: Celtic Tree Month of Birch ends 21: Celtic Tree Month of Rowan begins 23: New Moon

25: Birthday of poet Robert Burns, 1759

30: Birthday of Z Budapest, founder ofDianic Wicca

30 - Feb. 2: Roman celebration of Febru-alia

31: Up Helly Aa celebration, ShetlandIslands, Scotland

February 2: Imbolc 2: Lammas or Lughnasadh (Southern

Hemisphere) 7: Full moon -- Quickening Moon at 4:54

pm 12: Death of Gerald Gardner in 1964 14: Valentine's Day 15: Lupercalia 17: Celtic Tree Month of Rowan ends 18: Celtic Tree Month of Ash begins 21: Birthday of author Patricia Telesco 21: New moon 22: Birthday of author Sybil Leek

March 1: Matronalia, the Festival of Women 6: Birthday of "official witch of Salem"

Laurie Cabot in 1933 8: Full moon Storm Moon at 4:39 am 17: St. Patrick's Day

17: Celtic Tree Month of Ash ends 18: Celtic Tree Month of Alder begins 20: Ostara 20: Mabon (Southern Hemisphere) 22: New moon 26: Birthday of author and folklorist Jo-

seph Campbell 28: Death of author Scott Cunningham in

1993

April 6: National Tartan Day 6: Full moon -- Wind Moon at 3:19 pm 14: Celtic Tree Month of Alder ends 15: Celtic Tree Month of Willow begins 16: Birthday of author Margot Adler 21: New moon 22: Earth Day 23: Wiccan pentacle is officially added to

the list of VA-approved emblems forgravestones, 2007

30:Walpurgisnacht celebrated by Ger-man witches

May 1: Beltane 1: Samhain (Southern Hemisphere) 5: Full moon -- Flower Moon at 11:35 pm 5: Cinco de Mayo 12: Celtic Tree Month of Willow ends 13: Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn begins 13: Mother's Day 20: New moon

June 1: England's Witchcraft Act of 1563 goes

into effect 4: Full moon -- Strong Sun Moon at 7:12

am 4: Lunar eclipse 9: Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn ends


Pagan Calendar at a glance..

February 2012


10: Celtic Tree Month of Oak begins 10: Hanging of Bridget Bishop, first vic-

tim in the Salem Witch Trials 13: Birthday of Gerald Gardner in 1884 17: Father's Day 17: Birthday of Wiccan author Starhawk 19: New moon 20: Litha 20: Yule (Southern Hemisphere) 22: England's last Witchcraft Law is re-

pealed in 1951 27: Birthday of author Scott Cunningham

in 1956

July 3: Full moon -- Blessing Moon at 2:52 pm 4: Independence Day 7: Celtic Tree Month of Oak ends 8: Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins 13: Birthday of Dr. John Dee in 1527 19: Rebecca Nurse is hanged in Salem,

Massachusetts in 1692 19: New moon 31: Birthday of author JK Rowling

August 1: Lammas or Lughnasadh 1: Imbolc (Southern Hemisphere) 1: Full Moon -- Corn Moon at 11:27 pm 1: Birthday of medium Edward Kelley,

1555 3 - 5: Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, OH) 4: Celtic Tree Month of Holly ends 5: Celtic Tree Month of Hazel begins 15: Birthday of Charles Leland, folklorist

and author, 1824 17: New moon 20: Birthday of author Ann Moura in

1947 31: Birthday of author Raymond Buck-

land 31: Full Moon -- Blue Moon at 9:58 am

September

1: Celtic Tree Month of Hazel ends

2: Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins

10: Birthday of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke 14: New moon 14: Birthday of Heinrich Cornelius

Agrippa in 1486 14: Birthday of author Ellen Dugan 17: Television welcomes Bewitched in

1964 21: International Day of Peace 22: Fall Equinox or Mabon 22: Ostara (Southern Hemisphere) 29: Full Moon -- Harvest Moon at 11:19

pm 29: Celtic Tree Month of Vine ends 30: Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins

October 1: Birthday of Isaac Bonewits, founder of

Ár nDraíocht Féin 12: Birthday of occultist Aleister Crowley,

1875 15: New moon 18: Birthday of Nicholas Culpeper, noted

herbalist, in 1616 20: Birthday of Selena Fox of Circle Sanc-

tuary 27: Celtic Tree Month of Ivy ends 28: Celtic Tree Month of Reed begins 29: Full moon -- Blood Moon at 3:49 pm 31: Samhain 31: Beltane (Southern Hemisphere) 31: Covenant of the Goddess formed in

1975

November 1: Mexico's Day of the Dead 2: Birthday of Wiccan author Sirona

Knight 11: Veteran's Day 13: New moon 22: Thanksgiving day (United States) 24: Celtic Tree Month of Reed ends



February 2012


25: Celtic Tree Month of Elder begins 28: Full moon -- Mourning Moon at 8:17

pm 30: Birthday of Oberon Zell-Ravenheart,

founder of Church of All Worlds 30: Festival of Hecate Trivia

December 6: Krampusnacht 13: New moon 17: Beginning of Saturnalia

21: Winter Solstice or Yule 21: Litha (Southern Hemisphere) 22: Celtic Tree Month of Elder ends 20: Celtic Tree Month of Birch begins 25: Christmas Day 25: Feast of Frau Holle, Germanic god-

dess 28: Full moon -- Long Nights Moon at5:21

am 31: Festival of Hogmanay


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This just inAnother great vendor signed in for the 2012 Harvest Festival

February 2012


WHEN : Friday, October 5, 2012

TIME: 8:00am until 4:30pm

DESCRIPTION: This will be an educational event to stimulate interest in stu-dents of all ages in the period of time called the Renaissance. The Midland Acad-emy is a Free to attend public Charter school in Midland Michigan.

This will be a full day of Renaissance Fun including the “Knights of Iron” Joust

WHERE: The Midland Academy of Advanced & Creative Studies, 4653 BaileyBridge Rd, Midland MI

WRWSS ONLINE 555 FUNDRAISING EVENT~ Attention friends and supporters of Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary! Weare kicking off the annual 555 donation drive for 2012. Our goal is to raise $ 3080.25through our yearly 555 drive donations which is just $5.55 which is payable through ourPayPal donation button which is located on our donation page atwww.wrwss.org*Each donation that is paid through the PayPal link will be counted as one (1) donationtowards our goal. We are only asking for $5.55 from each person that is willing and ableto make a donation to help with all of our various programs, projects and events here atWRWSS. This amount is only about the cost of your average fast food meal and is lessthen $.02 a day for the year.As WRWSS is completely staffed by volunteers, and we are a 501(c) 3 Non-Profit PublicCharity, 100 % of all proceeds gathered goe directly to WRWSS for the many programsand events that we host. In the previous year, our goal fell a bit short with less then 30donations for the entire year. This year we know we can do better with your continuedhelp and support. Be the first to help show your support by making a donation today at wrwss.org for wecould not do what we do without you.

Thank you.

Amy Sampsell

The 3rd Midland Academy Renaissance Festival

February 2012


Hello all, my name is Jessica Alman and I am the coordinator of The Wolf Pack, theyouth group here at Wolf Run. I am really excited about taking all of the ideals andhopes of Wolf Run, and translating them into a focus on the youth. You see, I believethat our children are sacred, and we owe it to them to teach them to care for our planetand for each other. I have great plans and high hopes for our youth group! Like WolfRun this is a non-faith based youth group, and has an emphasis on environmentalawareness, and fellowship of humanity. We embrace all paths, and encourage the ex-ploration and curiosity of the world of our children. Some of the programs we are plan-ning are The Kids Castle of the annual Harvest Fest, a Family Enrichment WeekendCampout at Wolf Run, and eventually an official summer camp. I would love to havemuch more happening, but I want to let the voices of our youths ring out and let meknow what they would like to see, and participate in. What do they need? What doestheir heart cry out for? I want to hear their voice, their hearts sing out to us. We haveso much to learn from them!

Here are my official goals for The Wolf Pack:1. To support the individual growth of our youth, spiritually, mentally, and emotion-

ally.2. To celebrate the beautiful diversity that our children bring.3. To teach honor and responsibility, both of self, and others.4. To teach the sacred responsibility we have to care for our Mother Earth, Gaia.5. To bring awareness to the magic inherent in everyone, and the power of manifes-

tation and creation no matter how young.6. To provide a safe haven for the exploration of diverse beliefs, and religions.7. To teach Love, Honor, and Faith no matter the path8. To empower our youth. “A persons a person, no matter how small”9. To embrace the creative beauty of the children10.To lead the youth in exploration of giving back, and caring for community

If there are any questions, input, ideas, and or interest, my E-mail is [email protected]

I can’t wait to meet you!

Jessica AlmanWolf Pack Coordinator

WRWSS Wolf Pack

February 2012


February 2012


Imbolc Ritual and PotluckFebruary 4, 2012 6pm until latePotluck after ritual907 10th Street, Grand Rapids, MI

Sanctuary of the StonesFeast of Vali(Belated)Saturday February 18, 2012 4:00 PM -8:00 PMLocation TBD

ConVocationFebruary 23 - 26DoubleTree by Hilton5801 Southfield ExpresswayDetroit, MI 48228

Sanctuary of the Stones11th annual Ostara Gathering & PotluckSaturday March 24, 2012 4:00 - 10:00 PMLocation: TBD

Open Grove Society (CMU's religious di-versity club)Mid-Michigan Body & Soul FestivalTentative April 14th

Tentative Special Guest Speaker, Rev.Selena Fox

WRWSS Earth Day & Road Clean-upSaturday April 23, 2012 - 9am until dark6879 60th Ave, Remus, MI 49340

Mid Michigan Pagan Council’s PaganPicnicSaturday June 23, 2012Location: TBD

5th annual Newaygo County PaganAwareness DaySaturday July 28, 2012Veteran’s Memorial Park, Fremont MI

Lansing Pagan Pride DaySaturday August 25, 2012Location: TBD

Midnight FlameSeptember 6 at 4 pm – 9 at 11 am, 2012Chain O’ Lakes Campground11th Annual Grand Rapids Pagan PrideDaySat, September 15, 2012 10 am to 6 pmRichmond Hills Park, Grand Rapids, MI

WRWSS Summer Solstice GatheringSaturday 20, 2012 - 4pm until late6879 60th Ave, Remus, MI 49340

Have you got an event you would like toadvertise? Send us the information [email protected] and we will get itout.

Sanctuary of the Winds - Meet & Greet 2nd and 4th Sunday of each monthSchuler's book store on Alpine Ave.Cafe between noon and 2pm.

The 3rd Midland Academy RenaissanceFestivalWHEN : Friday, October 5, 2012TIME: 8:00am until 4:30pmWHERE: The Midland Academy ofAdvanced & Creative Studies, 4653 Bai-ley Bridge Rd, Midland MI

February 2012


1. winter2. solstice3. mythology4. spring equinox5. agrarian6. peoples7. festival8. celebration9. candlemas10. dandelions

IMBOLC ANAGRAM ANSWERS

Imbolc Crossword Answers

Jan 23rd New MoonJan 30th First QuarterFeb 7th Full MoonFeb 14th Last QuarterFeb 21st New MoonFeb 29th First QuarterMar 7th Full MoonMar 14th Last QuarterMar 22nd New MoonMar 29th First QuarterApr 6th Full MoonApr 13th Last QuarterApr 20th New MoonApr 28th First Quarter

Moon Cycles

1. BLACKTHORN2. CAILLEACH3. SAINTBRIGID4. AQUARIUS5. SPRINGEQUINOX6. GROUNDHOGDAY7. OMELIC8. IMBOLC9. WINTERSOLSTICE10. PROGNOSTICATION

Sarah and Doug’s Altar

February 2012


Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary’sFriends, Sponsors and Supporters

Phoenix Rising CovenIn the Midland—Bay City area

Wicca—in a positive lightTeaching both on line and off

Courses are not limited to Wicca

February 2012


Ferris PaganAlliance

sites.google.com/site/ferrispaganalliance/

Grand RapidsPagan Pride Day

www.grandrapidspaganpride.bravehost.com/

Sanctuary of theWindswww.sanctuaryofthewinds.bravehost.com/

Cent$ible CutsGroup Discounts & Senior Citizen Days157 Wheatland Ave - Remus, MI 49340

(989) 967 - 8100

February 2012


Check out our E-Zine where youcan catch up on the latest

Events, relax with great articlesand much more!

You can find us and all that we doon our website at:WRWSS.ORG

Its back! WRWSS HauntedBarn!

Come visit us this Halloween for a tripthrough our Haunted barn, stop at our

Wicked Café for drinks and refreshments,get a Tarot or Palm Reading!

There is Fun for all ages!All donations accepted!

Volunteer Work DaysThroughout the year Volunteers contributein the planning and carrying out programs

and maintaining the 10 acre farm.. They helpwith everything from various projects to

grounds maintenance.If you would like to Volunteer—please go toour website to see how you can help to make

a difference!

Summer Solstice Gathering 6/20/12

A very informal gathering where we gettogether usually around 4 or 5 PM andlast until sunrise as we welcome in the

day. Putting it simply we stay up allnight, playing drums and/or other

instruments around the bonfire and host a community based potluck as well.

WRWSS is a non-profit organization that was established in order to promotetolerance of various religions and promote peace and the elimination of prejudice

and discrimination based on religious beliefs and to establish a sanctuary foranimals, both wild and domestic.

7th Annual Harvest FestivalAug. 10 th thru Aug. 12th 2012

With a Renaissance Theme!Prepare yourself for a magical weekend of on 10 acres! We have various performers lined

up to entertain you, including drumming circles and Belly Dancers! We will be hosting vari-ous classes for those that wish to learn something new! Also Circles and various Vendors!

We also have a Kids area with many activities planned and much more!This is a FREE FAMILY EVENT !

Check out our website for more!

WRWSSEventsFor 2012

Earth Day Tree Planting & Road Cleanup4-23-2012

A day dedicated to helping Mother Earth, com-munity involvement, interaction, and educationabout our environment and our place in it.

Each year around Earth Day Volunteers helpwith cleaning up the trash along our adopted sec-tion of road and help to plant trees or work in thegardens. A potluck lunch is served during the dayand it is finished with drumming

Our $ 5.55 DriveCan you spare $ 5.55 for a good

cause? We accept donations for all ofour community involvement projects

and events!With your donations we are able toplant trees within the Community,Continue the Road Cleanup and

much more!

February 2012


Disclaimer notice….

Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctu-ary is a multi-denominational Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary, it is not theintent to offend anyone. If you find yourself offended by something we sayor do, please contact any of the staff immediately.

Parting ThoughtsImbolc, a time of year that many associate with the beginning growth as spring time

is not far off. A time we can plant the "seeds" of our hopes and dreams for the comingsummer months. With the unusually warm weather we have been having, I had achance to walk around the sanctuary paths and take in some of natures beauty andwonder. While I was walking, I thought back to all those who have walked these paths.I could feel the warmth and love that our friends and family have left behind as theyplanted the "seeds" of our future. A future filled with wondrous and exciting things hereat Wolf Run.

With the upcoming year we are hoping to accomplish so much. Event ideas like theFamily Enrichment Camping Weekend, that our Youth Group Coordinator and I werejust discussing is one of the things we are looking at. We are also looking at things thatwe want to do around the sanctuary. From finishing some of the visitor gardens tobuilding some structures that are badly needed like a storage building. Plans for thisyears Harvest Festival and Psychic Far are already under way and it is looking like itwill be our best one yet. Our Environmental Awareness, Youth Group, Community Edu-cation and Animal Welfare programs are moving along and we hope to expand them allin the coming year as well

I have one last thing to say, we could not do any of what we do without the help andsupport of our friends and family like yourself. We wish to thank every person who hasbeen able to help by making a donation of time, materials, and/or monies through one ofour fund raisers. We could not have grown to what we are today without all of you.

With that, I hope you have enjoyed our latest issue of the WRWSS E-Zine and I wishyou allmany blessings this Imbolc.

Stan E Newcombe II ( Grey Wolf )Director WRWSS

February 2012


Beginning Paganism

Rev. Amy Sampsell

love

L ov e

Beginning Paganism

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OUTLINE of ARTICLE1. What is Paganism?

A. Explain what Paganism isB. Explain the way that Paganism evolved (past to present)C. Explain how Paganism is followed

2. Religious beliefs of PaganismA. .Demographics of Paganism

3. Comparison of Paganism and ChristianityA. Give examples

4. The Rituals of PaganismA. Give informationB. Give Examples

5. ‘New Age’ vs. ‘New Religious Movement’A. What are the differences

6. Symbols of PaganismA. List of various pagan based symbols

7. Contacting other Pagan based GroupsA. Give examples

Beginning Paganism

3

What is ‘Paganism”?The term “Paganism” has evolved over the course of many years, and through

many variations based on what is practiced by modern day Pagans.The dictionary describes the terms “Paganism” and “Pagans’ in terms as

‘country dweller’ and as such:PAGANISM – as a noun

1. Pagan spirit or attitude in religious or moral questions2. The beliefs or practices of pagans3. The state of being a paganFrom the 1400 – 1450 Late Middle English thoughts and beliefs

PAGAN – as a noun1. One of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the an-cient Romans and Greeks.2. A person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.3. An irreligious or hedonistic person.As an adjective4. Pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neitherChristian, Jewish, nor Muslim.5. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans.6. Irreligious or hedonistic.

But Paganism, as well as Pagan(s), are much more than that, with a rich his-tory that is constantly evolving as people evolve within their pagan based paths.

Paganism is a blanket term and its tenets believe it is a religion of ‘place’ andthose that follow a Pagan path are generally characterized with having not only adeep connection and reverence for nature, but also many usually have a polytheis-tic (a belief of / in many Gods / Goddesses) view when it comes to their practice.They are able to have the belief of the divine as the immanent in the whole of lifeand the universe; in every tree, plant, animal and object, man and woman and inthe dark side of life as much as in the light; thus many will live their lives attunedto the cycles of Nature, the seasons, life and death.

Beginning Paganism

4

Paganism has developed alongside mankind for thousands of years; yet it re-mains grounded in the deep rooted genetic memories that go back to Neolithictimes and before.

Paganism has its roots as early as the European Christian explorers that navi-gated and settled across other continents in the Early Modern period. It is herethat they encountered the wide variety of non-monotheistic religious traditions inthese new lands, which they also called "pagan".

It was not until the 19th century however, that a variety of ethnologists beganto reject the term "paganism" for these faiths, instead referring to them as "folk re-ligions", "ethnic religions" or "indigenous religions".

Thus Paganism evolved again in the 19th and 20th centuries when various newreligions were forged that attempted to resurrect the pre-Christian religions ofEurope. And some of these, including Wicca, Thelema, Neo-Druidry and GermanicHeathenry, attempted to recreate extinct religious practices using the availablehistorical and archeological sources of information; and others took an influencedirectly from the European pre-Christian religion itself.

It is these later religions that would then come to be referred under the um-brella tern of contemporary Paganism or Neo-Paganism.

Paganism in the west takes a number of forms including Wicca, Druidism, andShamanism, and many of the so called "revivals", Wicca and Neo-druidism in par-ticular, have their roots in 19th century Romanticism and retain noticeable ele-ments of occultism or theosophy that were current then, setting them apart fromhistorical rural (paganus) folk religion.

The beliefs of Pagans following a Paganistic path will vary depending on whichpath is actually followed (i.e. Wicca, Druidism, etc.) However, again the general be-liefs are that a contemporary Pagan places a great emphasis on polytheism, theacceptance and/or veneration of multiple deities, most of whom are adopted frompre-Christian European pantheons.

Again, as people evolved in their belief systems, Paganism also had to evolveand by doing so, many pagans in today’s society have variations of beliefs such aspolytheism, animism and pantheism.

In the polytheist belief system, many Pagan traditions have the belief that alldeities are not viewed as literal entities, as these entities were / are based in pre-Christian and indigenous spiritualities, thus they are viewed only as symbolic rep-resentations of psychological archetypes based on polytheism due to its greaterfreedom, diversity and tolerance of worship amongst the community that only fol-lowed a monotheistic religion.

Animism was also a concept common to many pre-Christian European religions,and in adopting it, contemporary Pagans are able to allow their participants to be-

Beginning Paganism

5

lieve that all has a soul / spirit in nature with the use of anything that they believewill help to protect them from the evil spirits and placate the good spirits that arefound everywhere in everything.

Pantheism is also a deep rooted belief in the Paganism as this is a belief thatdivinity and the material and/or spiritual universe are one and the same.

To follow a path of Paganism, one must look at the fact that there are many re-ligions under the umbrella, and one generally does not follow a Christian, Jewish,Muslims, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, or as some also state, those with-out a religion.

There are many types of Pagans whom fall under the term ‘Paganism’ and be-low is just a short list

Wicca - in all its many formsNeo-ShamanismNeo-DruidismPaleo-paganismCivilo-paganismMeso-paganismSyncreto-paganismNeopaganism

So, to follow a Pagan path, one must look into which path one wishes to followthat falls under the umbrella term ‘Paganism’ as all pagan paths have evolvedfrom its original roots, and will most likely continue to evolve as the adherents ofthe particular paths also evolve; continuing to add to the rich history of that whichis Paganism.

Beginning Paganism

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The demographics of PaganismPaganism is worldwide, in all forms and in all cities, states and countries and

used in various homes, by various persons that all fall somewhere under the um-brella term ‘Paganism’

As previously stated, Paganism has been defined in a broad sense that encom-passes many, or most, of the faith traditions that are labeled outside the Abra-hamic religions.

The contemporary pagans have a smaller number of Practioners than other re-ligions out there; to give an idea of the number of Pagans, in 2005 an estimate wascreated and according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, adherents of Chinese folkreligion account for only 6.3% of world’s population, while adherents of tribal relig-ions account for only 4.0%.

Neo - paganism is actually very insignificant in comparison to those above asthey account for only 0.02% of entire world’s population, or some 0.4% of the"ethno- religious" population.

So the amount of persons that are Practioners are low, however, please keep inmind that many persons following a pagan based path may have yet to announcethat they are pagan due to on-going discriminations, etc.

Beginning Paganism

7

Comparisons of Paganism and ChristianitySome may feel that there are clear distinctions between Christianity and Pa-

ganism, while others believe that Christianity and Paganism are very closely re-lated; this topic has been debated for hundreds of years and by hundreds of people;and one that still continues on to this day.

Many adherents of both religious paths wish to be distinct from one another,however, there are some historical references that they may be very closely relatedsince early Christianity was developed in an era of the Roman Empire duringwhich many religions were practiced, and were labeled, due to the lack of a betterterm, as ‘Paganism’.

Now remember that the term, ‘Paganism’, in spite of its etymological meaningof ‘rural’, in the context of early Christianity, had a varying number of distinctmeanings. It referred to the Greco-Roman religions of the Roman Em-pire period during that time, including the Roman imperial cult and the variousmystery religions. It also referred to the philosophic monotheistic religions such asNeo- Platonism and Gnosticism as well as the various tribal religions that werepracticed on the fringes of the Empire.

It was not until the Middle Ages that Christianity stood in opposition to the‘pagan’ ethnic religions of the peoples outside the former Roman Empire as Christi-anity has its roots within the matrix of Judaism, which was relatively independentfrom pagan religious beliefs and customs. It was with this missionary commitmentto both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), that Christianity rapidly spread into thegreater Roman Empire and beyond; thus it was here, that Christianity came intoconflict with the dominant Pagan religions.

By the 2nd century, many Christians were converts from Paganism. These con-flicts are recorded in the works of the early Christian writers such as Justin Mar-tyr as well as hostile reports by writers including Tacitus and Seutonius.

It was due to the converts and this spread of Christianity, that the argumentarose that Christianity, in fact, was influenced by many pagan rituals and its vari-ous mystery religions, in numerous ways such as; the influence on Christiandogma, that is, the doctrine of the Christian Church Fathers in the 4th and 5thcentury, the Nicene and Chalcedonian creeds, including the questions of the Trin-ity and Christology. It was ultimately the influence of the Roman imperial cult,

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Hellenistic philosophy, notably Neoplatonism, and Gnosticism that this cameabout.

It is here that the Christological disputes continued to dominate the Christiantheology well into the Early Middle Ages, and down into the Third Council of Con-stantinople of AD 680; just to give a few examples.

It was in the course of the Christianization of Europe in the Early Middle Agesthat the Christian churches adopted many elements of national cult and folk relig-ion, which resulted in national churches and where some of the ‘Pagan’ ceremoniesbecame modern holidays as pagans joined the early church.

It was from here that the persecutions began in Christianity, by Christians toChristians, such as the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire, Nero(from 64-68 A.D.), from the second century to Constantine, from the end of the 3rd

Century to the beginning of the 4th Century. But, the persecutions came to the Pa-gans in AD 313 with the signing of the Edict of Milan. It stated that though Chris-tianity was no longer outlawed in the Roman Empire, and the public pagan prac-tices were tolerated, specific Pagan temples were torn down upon Constantine’sorders and the temple treasures were confiscated. It was in 337, after the death ofConstantine, that two of his sons, Constantius II and Constans took over the lead-ership of the empire. Constans was killed in 350 and it was Constantius II that be-came the sole emperor of the entire empire. However, none of these emperors actu-ally persecuted the pagans; it was actually the lay Christians, then theologiansand prominent ecclesiastics that lay plunder to the temples due to the anti-paganlaws as started by Constantine.

In 379, the situation became worse for the pagans when Theodosius the Greattook over the eastern half of the Roman Empire; as it is known that Theodosiusprohibited all forms of Pagan worship and allowed the temples to be robbed, plun-dered, and ruthlessly destroyed by monks and other enterprising Christians atthat time. From there, Theodosius II passed a law to ban pagans from public em-ployment in 416, in his plan to convert the pagans to Christianity; it was he thatalso persecuted Judaism as well; in order to clear a way to Christianity as he seenfit within his empire at that time.

It was from these early roots that Christianity grew to encompass, and absorb,other cultures and belief systems, thus making Christianity a wide spread andstronger religious path than any other in the world.

Though, in early histories, both Pagans and Christians were persecuted in simi-lar ways, it is this authors belief that it was these key persons, that are present inall of our histories, that pitted a war between these two religious paths, for theirown reasons, and simply put, it was the faster growing Christian belief systemsthat was able to win this war; simply by being so much larger and so muchstronger that the Pagan belief system; and it is sadly a war that continues to thisday.

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The ‘Rituals’ that are present within PaganismFrom the simplest to the most elaborate; Paganism encompasses a wide array

of ritual practices, and many of these practices of ritual will vary depending onwhich area (or path) one is looking at.

However, most Pagan will look at rituals as magical in its origins, which meansthat they will promote the use of individual or communal ritual practices to effectpersonal and environmental change, particularly changes in consciousness.

Many of the pagan based rituals are rooted in the pre-modern magical prac-tices; where rituals were seen as creating direct physical change in the environ-ment; and many Pagans often have a more sophisticated understanding of magicand ritual. It is these ceremonially enacted changes in consciousness that are be-lieved to facilitate further changes in the practitioner's life circumstances and/orrelationship with the gods.

To further understand the ritual aspects, one must first understand the magi-cal aspects as magic can be broken down into two distinct categories which are‘Thaumaturgy’ – or the working of wonders and ‘Theurgy’ which is the divine work.

Thaumaturgical magic tends to be practically oriented: magic with a specificgoal in mind, whether that may be gaining a fortune, losing weight, making thecrops grow, or other issues / concerns that are based on a humanistic relations, andthese practitioners of magic may engage in it for themselves or on behalf of an-other.

Theurgy, by contrast, has a more spiritual and devotional focus as the magicthat is performed is to foster an intimacy with a god or goddess, and to achieve aunion with the deity or deities, or it is used to transform oneself into a more holy orgodlike state.

Many Pagan ceremonies can, and will, incorporate either or both Thaumaturgi-cal and theurgical elements, it is all dependant on the beliefs of the individual orgroup performing the ceremony, as a ritual can be devotionally oriented towardone or more specific deities, toward ancestral or fairy spirits, toward nature in gen-eral (sometimes personified as an Earth Goddess), or toward a generic understand-ing of the god and the goddess. It is also dependant on the beliefs and values of the

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ritual's enactors themselves as the tone of the ceremony may be one that is devo-tional, worshipful, or more explicitly magical.

And finally, the actual rituals themselves can take on an almost infinite varietyof forms, it is again dependant on the given strong ethos that lies within the broadPagan community for following one's own intuition and creating some or all theelements of personal spiritual practice.

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The New Age vs the New Religious MovementTo have a better understanding of these topics, I have broken them down a bit

below.The term NEW AGE refers to the means of or pertaining to a movement es-

pousing a broad range of philosophies and traditional practices.The term NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT refers to a religious community or

ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheralplace within the dominant religious culture. Though they may be novel in origin orthey may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism,in which case they will be distinct from pre-existing denominations. Scholarsstudying the sociology of religion have almost unanimously adopted this term as aneutral alternative to the word "cult".

So the New Age can be seen as a Western spiritual movement that was devel-oped in the second half of the 20th century and its central precepts have been de-scribed as having the ability to draw on both the Eastern and the Western spiri-tual and metaphysical traditions, thus infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational psychology, holistic health, parapsychology, consciousnessresearch and quantum physics. The New Age practice aims to create a spiritualitywithout borders or confining dogmas that is inclusive and pluralistic. Its primarytrait is to hold to a more holistic approach to the world and emphasis’s that themind, body and the spirit are interrelated and that there is a form of unitythroughout the universe; thus it creates a view of incorporating both numerousforms of science and pseudoscience as well as spirituality into its practices.

The New Religious Movement can be seen as one that has a wide range withloose affiliations based on novel approaches to spirituality or religion on to commu-nitarian enterprises that demand a considerable amount of group conformity and asocial identity; all which separates adherents from mainstream society.

Those that follow a New Religious Movement also do not necessarily share a setof particular attributes from other practices, but they do follow an to the fringe ofthe dominant religious culture and exist in a relatively contested space within so-ciety as a whole.

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Although there is no one criterion or set of criteria for describing a group as aNew Religious Movement, the usage of this term usually requires that the groupbe both of recent origin and different from existing religions. Such as some scholarsalso have a more restricted approach to what counts as a difference from the exist-ing religions. For these scholars, the differences applies to a faith that, although itmay be seen as part of an existing religion, will meet or has met with rejectionfrom that particular religion for not sharing the same basic creed or it will declareitself either separate from the existing religion, thus they appear in modified formsfrom their traditional cultural context.

New Religious Movements are structured as both a Church and an organiza-tion, and a person within this movement give over their earthly possessions andthus leaving one can actually cause some psychological trauma to many persons,where as the New Age Movement, though they also live in a communal lifestyle,are less likely to have psychological trauma should they leave, as it is a freedombased lifestyle that lives in harmony with the earth and other persons; is not struc-tured as a church or organization and its adherents are not required to give overall of their earthly possessions.

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The various symbols that are used in PaganismIn modern Paganism, the many traditions that paganism encompasses uses

various symbols as a part of their rituals or in their magic.Some of these symbols are also used to represent the elements while others are

used to represent ideas.Some common symbols and their definitions of usages, of modern paganism in-

cludes:

CROSS - Many people assume that the cross is a Christian symbol.Christians have indeed adopted the cross but its origins date back long be-fore the Messiah was ever born. The cross can be dated back to ancientBabylon and the worship of the sun-gods Mithra and Tammuz. In fact thecross was not used by Christians until the fourth century after EmperorConstantine (a pagan sun-worshipper) had a vision of the cross in front ofthe sun.

TRIQUETRA SYMBOL - Another symbol that was adopted by Chris-tianity. This symbol is used to symbolize the Christian trinity doctrine, how-ever this symbol was originally used to represent the Three-Part Goddess(Maiden, Mother, Crone).

PROTECTION SYMBOL - Also known as the Ritual Circle. In Pa-ganism a circle always represents a boundary of power. If you see a symbolenclosed in a circle, more times than not it is a symbol of one of the adherentof Paganism. It is a common practice for those who claim to have outer bodyexperiences to draw a circle around their bodies before leaving so that noth-

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ing else can enter it while they are away and commonly used to denote sa-cred ritual space as well.

PENTACLE - A real popular symbol used by many in paganism. Manypagans such as those who practice Wicca and other forms of witchcraft wearthe emblem as a pendant. Some even go as far as placing them in all therooms of their homes, especially during pagan holy days such as: Christmas,Easter, Father's Day, Mother's Day, New Years Day, Thanksgiving Day,Valentine's Day, and last but not least, Halloween.

CAULDRON - One of many symbols that may cross traditions. Thecauldron symbolizes the goddess, receptivity, inspiration, and witchcraft.Some traditions hold that the Holy Grail was originally a cauldron that rep-resented the womb of the Goddess.

SPIRAL - An ancient symbol seen in many cultures. Modern Pagansbelieve it represents the continuity of the life cycle and the inter-relationship of all beings. Commonly it is used in those that follow the god-dess spirituality. Sometimes it is seen interposed on goddess images as well.

SUN – Not just used to represent the aspect of the Sun inastrology, it is also used by those that follow a Pagan path as well. There areseveral variations that exist of the ancient sun wheel including the circlewith a dot in the center, a circle divided into six parts and the fylfot alsoknown as the swastika which was distorted by the Nazi Regime for its owndishonorable ends. Equal armed crosses have been found in Celtic artifacts.They are used to represent the sun so important to our agrarian ancestors.It's also used as the medicine wheel in traditions inspired by Native Ameri-can spirituality, each spoke corresponding to the four directions with thecenter being spirit.

TRIPLE GODDESS SYMBOL - Also called the triple moon symbolshowing the waxing, full, and waning moon. It represents the Goddess as

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Mother, Maiden, and Crone honored mainly in Wicca and other Goddessspirituality traditions.

WHEEL OF THE YEAR or WHEEL OF THE SPIRIT - The eight sec-tions of this circle represents the Neopagan calendar of the eight sabbats(celebrations / holidays of Pagan based traditions). It is also a symbol of theelement of spirit which is used in the western magical traditions.

There are many more symbols that those that follow a Pagan path use, it isagain all dependent on which path it is, and those that follow such said path.

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Contacting other Pagan based groupsThough there are many pagan based groups out there in the world, one must

always think before joining one.Some things to think about are:What path do you wish to look into or follow. Many groups are geared towards

specific paths and thinking about this in depth will make your search go muchsmoother.

Time commitments – make sure you able to fulfill the time that it takes to keepup with a group

If there are rules, make sure that you are able to fully follow them, as they areset in place for many reasons

Make sure you are able to get along with everyone in the group. Many personsmay feel that their opinions are higher than others, and all have to be able to beheard and their opinions taken in and respected

You also want to be able to grow in your understanding of the path and havethe ability to do so freely

You must also take in the fact that others in your life may not support you inthe decisions to join a group, this also needs to be examined

What does the group wish from you and make sure you are able, and comfort-able, doing so

These are just a few things one must truly think about, and be absolutely clearabout, prior to going out and joining anything.

However, once you are clear and have a fully understanding of what you want,there are numerous places, both on-line, and physically, where groups can befound.

Here is a short list of various ways to find a group:ON-LINEWitchvox.com – this is a site that solely lists various pagans in the world, both

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physical stores, groups and personsPagan Chat Groups – (Yahoo Groups, Facebook and more) - http://

www.pagan.com/Groups/index.html These groups allow a person to join and dis-cuss anything pagan related

Wicca Online Community - http://www.wiccantogether.com/groups This is an-other online group that is geared more towards the Wiccan aspect of Paganism

Circle Sanctuary – a guide to Pagan resources (gives on-line listings as well asphysical newsletters and magazines delivered to your home for a nominal fee)http://www.circlesanctuary.org/guide/

PHYSICAL GROUPSOf course there is: Wolf Run Wildlife and Spiritual Sanctuary (wrwss.org)

which hosts quite a few pagan (though also non-denominational) eventsMichigan Pagan Coalition – located throughout Michigan - (989) 823-1752 –

this group spreads information and education on paganismThe Midwest Regional Local Council of COG – this group is also located in all of

Michigan, but also serves Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio; they encourage lo-cal networking and community building

The Pagan Center - located in Southwest Michigan this groups mission is tounite Southeast Michigan Pagans and Witches with volunteer and charity work,social activities, educational workshops and youth programs. We strive to bringPagans and Witches together in a fun and friendly atmosphere while improvinginterfaith relations in our communities.

These are just a few places, as well as groups, that can be contacted for furtherunderstanding, as well as enrichment, of what Paganism is.

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I wish you luck on your journey and it is always my hope that you are able toexpand your spirituality, and your heart, to be open to all persons of all faiths; as awhole, we can continue to learn from everyone, if given a chance. We do, after all,come from the same backgrounds, and our journeys are the same – to reach the ul-timate, even if we call it by a different name, we are still on the same path ofenlightenment.

Much Love and BlessingsAmy SampsellWRWSS Board Member

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