Updated article

So I have my first article on paganism being published. It is a redone version of Skip the Cow. I am very excited and in fact am posting the new one here...

You see them in every book stores New Age section. We call them Wicca 101 books. And they line shelf after shelf all promising the same thing; to teach you the craft the fast and easy way. Sometimes you even find some that proclaim to go beyond the witchcraft basics and delve deep into the mysteries of the Gods. In this witch's experience they don't live up to those proclamations.

When I first felt the voice of the Goddess calling me home I will admit I ran for those fast and easy ways books. I read them, I self initiated and thought myself quite the priestess... for about 20 minutes until I realized that faith of any kind should not be fast and easy. The dictionary definition of faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something as well as Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. How does that happen after reading a 200 page book. It doesn't.

So then how does faith happen? Faith happens through mindful contemplation and a journey to discover how you connect with Divinity. For me that journey began by studying the religious history of my ancestors as well as the history of the craft itself. In reading the history of the craft, of my ancestors the Goddess revealed herself to me in a way I believe I would not have gotten through reading generic how to book designed to play up the magick of the Gods and not the faith.

Studying our history helps us connect to it, connect to those who have gone before us in a meaningful and kinesthetic way. It helps us develop our faith as well. Knowing the rituals and beliefs of our ancestors strengthens our own. We can look to them and know that we are not traveling this road alone. I know that starting down that road may seem daunting but trust me it can be as easy as stepping into your local library. Go there and read about your culture, ancient Goddess worship anything you can get your hands on, not only will you get a more through education but you will save yourself some money as well.

There is another benefit to studying history as way of connecting to faith and Divinity. In this day and age we are raising another generation of wiccans. By learning history from history itself we are helping to create a sense of lineage for our children and their children to come. We can impart to them the wisdom of our culture, of our ancestors, of the Gods themselves. We instill in them a desire to keep that connection alive. They see faith as a deep spiritual connection to the Divine not just a ritual we do on Sabbats or Full Moons. In fact studying your history together is a great Family Coven bonding activity. Having each member of your Family Coven do some research on the cultural history of their choice and share it with everyone. Making history apart of your everyday life will ensure a connectedness to the ways of the Wise Ones themselves.


When I was much younger than I am now I had a friend who was a vegetarian. I asked him once why he chose that lifestyle. His response to me still resonates today. He said “I used to eat meat and then one day I saw a cow and you know what they were eating grass, and it made me think. All this time I have been getting my nutrients from a secondary source, why not go straight to the source. Skip the cow, eat the grass”
What does that mean for the pagan person? It means that we want to have a deeply meaningful spiritual connection to the Gods we need to to skip the cow and eat the grass.

I know if we do our faith will thank us.

2nd meeting

Yesterday the Laughing Coyote Hearth had its second meeting. We created our Circle Banner and painted our element stones. It was very productive and the scouts enjoyed it very much. We decided that our banner will have people dancing around a fire in merriment with the image of a coyote in the fire and the Full Moon as a backdrop.

Bear is working on his Recycling Award and is now the Recycle Captain in our house for the next 3 months. Usagi is working on her gardening badge and Rontu is working on Ecology. Bug is still thinking on what he wants to work on first

Next week we start planning for the year to come.