My Take on the Smearing of the Pagan Lifestyle as Propagated by Fox News

I have been a practicing Pagan my whole life. I come from long and religiously diverse lines of clerics, empaths and healers on both sides of my family. I came across this story this morning and, I must admit, my reaction was less than positive. I have long held tolerance for the religious contradictions in beliefs that American society is famous for because tolerance and positive perception is what I was taught from a young age, particularly as a follower of this Pagan lifestyle. After all, fanatical persecution has long been a bed of brambles along the sides of the enlightened path, has it not? That being said, as a mother who kept her girls home for these "religious holidays", how do we teach our own students and children to positively react to this type of public propagation of ignorance? IS there a positive reaction to be had?

Even with my years of practice at stoicism in the face of religious debate, I found this public newscast to be appalling. I have contacted several of the Pagan and Wiccan communities that I subscribe to to get other more diverse reactions to this startling blast of close-mindedness. Most of the feedback has been outrage.  I would be EXTREMELY interested in hearing what other intelligent pagans feel as a reaction to this blatantly downgrading newscast. Is there a way to properly defend against this type of shallowness which is based on rampant misinformation and half-knowledge? What are others' thoughts on this as teachers and educators? It seems that we need, as a community, to stimulate intelligent conversation on some possible POSITIVE ways to handle this type of absurdity. What have others said in public situations that arise such as this? I know I have had several rather testy conversations over the years concerning my wearing of a pentacle. However, a part of me has always believed that society as a whole would evolve and move past the propaganda and half-truths, not DEVOLVE into publicly televised expressions of said ignorance. 

How can we, as a collective society, ever hope to advance to the next level of consciousness when we are tearing down and  belittling the very religious freedoms which formed the core of the foundation of this country? The answer is: we can't...and not many people care. We have degenerated into a society primarily composed of  shortsighted, unenlightened fanatical followers who tunnel-vision one belief system or another. Most have no clear knowledge of other religions or spiritual paths, nor are they interested in learning about them. Teachings of mental discipline in schools and homes has severely declined. Our children rarely attend church or religious services anymore, and those who are curious learn about religion through(yup, you guessed it) the internet, social media and You-Tube videos of public newscasts.

Just as we, the United States of America, were built on ethnic diversity (meaning people of different cultures and languages), we were also built on the core idea of freedom from religious persecution. Or so our forefathers decreed. Nowadays, we have grown so full of ourselves that we forget these ideals and foolishly demand that all citizens ONLY speak American English(bastardized English mixed with stolen and mis-spelled words from other languages) and follow only Christian(whatever branch, just pick one) ideals. How is this progression? It's not. I, personally feel that it is regression at its worst and creates a potentially explosive situation. So how do we positively combat such blatant displays of philistinism and unenlightenment? What do you think? Is it possible to have a positive outcome to this public display of ignorance? Check out the video and let me know.

 Here is the link which I am referring to: http://www.causes.com/actions/1733105-demand-fox-news-apologize-to-pagans-and-wiccans

Let’s Eat! Honey Coconut Quinoa with Pomegranate Seeds

Let’s Eat! Honey Coconut Quinoa with Pomegranate Seeds

Cancer Drug: The Other Use for Mistletoe 

 Here is a link to an interesting article on the medicinal uses of mistletoe. Recently, there has been a marked surge of homeopathic websites encouraging the use of mistletoe extract as a treatment for cancer. The original thinking on this is based on the fact that, like cancer, mistletoe is a parasitic growth that eventually kills its host. By following the “like cures like” principle, many herbalists believe that an extract of mistletoe has the potential to reduce or cure cancer in some patients. Thousands of recent in-vitro studies have indeed shown that mistletoe extracts, or rather the main constituents (namely alkaloids, lectins, and viscotoxins) actually do have anti-carcinogenic properties.

Mistletoe As a Magickal Herb

With the fast approaching Holiday season, I thought I would give some information about some of the common evergreens used to decorate homes around this time of year. Mistletoe and holly are the two most popular and recognizable so I would like to start with them. First, the mistletoe.
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Mistletoe has always been regarded as something of an enigma. Throughout history, it has had mysterious connotations and magickal properties associated with it. The word “mistletoe” is originally derived from two Anglo-Saxon words: “mistel” which means dung, and “tan”  which means twig. Misteltan is the Old English version of mistletoe. It is thought that the plant is named after bird droppings on a branch, because of the white berries. In actuality, Mistletoe is often spread in the fecal matter of birds as they move from tree to tree.
Arborists and tree surgeons dread seeing this leafy evergreen. It is something of a parasitic plant that derives its nutrients and moisture from a host plant. Mistletoe is most often seen in large bushy bunches near the conjunction of branches on a host tree.  Following are some more interesting facts about mistletoe.
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Mistletoe was held sacred by the Norse, the Celtic Druids and the North American Indians. The Druid priests would cut mistletoe from an oak tree with a golden sickle. The branches had to be caught before they touched the ground. They then divided the branches into many sprigs and distributed them to the people, who hung them over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils. The folklore continued over the centuries. It was believed that a sprig placed in a baby’s cradle would protect the child from goblins. Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect the entire herd.
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Mistletoe is a symbol for peace and joy. The idea originated in the ancient times of the Druids. Whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this comes the custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill.

In the 18th Century, the exchanging of kisses between a man and a woman was adopted as a promise to marry. At Christmas a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe cannot refuse to be kissed. The kiss could mean deep romance, lasting friendship and goodwill. It was believed that if the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect to marry the following year.

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Mistletoe is an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and lives off the tree that it attaches itself to. Without that tree it would die. Mistletoe was thought to be sacred by ancient Europeans. Druid priests employed it in their sacrifices to the gods while Celtic people felt it possessed miraculous healing powers. In fact, in the Celtic language mistletoe means “all-heal.” It not only cured diseases, but could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolific, keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even make them speak. With all of this, it was thought to bring good luck to anyone privileged to have it. ***
Norsemen offer us a beautiful symbolic myth about mistletoe. The story goes that Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream of death, which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would end. In an attempt to keep this from happening, Frigga went at once to air, fire, water, earth, and every animal and plant seeking a promise that no harm would come to her son. Balder now could not be hurt by anything on earth or under the earth. But Balder had one enemy, Loki, god of evil and he knew of one plant that Frigga had overlooked in her quest to keep her son safe. It grew neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees. It was lowly mistletoe. So Loki made an arrow tip of the mistletoe, gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder, who shot it, striking Balder dead. The sky paled and all things in earth and heaven wept for the sun god. For three days each element tried to bring Balder back to life. Frigga, the goddess and his mother finally restored him. It is said the tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and in her joy Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them… only a kiss… a token of love.

What could be more natural than to translate the spirit of this old myth into a Christian way of thinking and accept the mistletoe as the emblem of that Love which conquers Death? Its medicinal properties, whether real or imaginary, make it a just emblematic of that Tree of Life, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations thus paralleling it to the Virgin Birth of Christ.

Later, the eighteenth-century English credited mistletoe not with miraculous healing powers, but with a certain magical appeal called a kissing ball. At Christmas time, a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect not to marry the following year. Whether we believe it or not, it always makes for fun and frolic at Christmas celebrations.


source - thehistoryofchristmas.com

I Saw You

I have this posted on my other blog site at http://bashfuldragon.tumblr.com/ , so I thought it would be a good opener here. Blessed Be!