This graphic on Facebook has been driving me crazy all week – thanks to The Belle Jar for putting this together to address the mis- and disinformation being put out there that has absolutely no scholarly evidence or lore to back those claims up.  I also found this on the Suppressed History Archives Facebook page: “A real connection, not linguistic or diffusionist, can be found in the spring festival of eggs, whether Pesach or Easter. Pesach (Passover) has been shown to incorporate Babylonian cultural elements (from the Jewish Babylonian) – beyond the egg and greenery on the plate, it incorporates the names Esther (Ishtar) and Mordechai (Marduk). Still today Iranians play games with painted eggs for Nowruz (Persian New Year, coinciding with Spring Equinox). Dunno if this is allowed now in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but looky here:” History of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.  Also this from the Northern Grove, Cultural Appropriation, Ishtar, Eostre, and Easter.  Good stuff to read!

The Belle Jar

If there is one thing that drives me absolutely bananas, it’s people spreading misinformation via social media under the guise of “educating”. I’ve seen this happen in several ways – through infographics that twist data in ways that support a conclusion that is ultimately false, or else through “meaningful” quotes falsely attributed to various celebrities, or by cobbling together a few actual facts with statements that are patently untrue to create something that seems plausible on the surface but is, in fact, full of crap.

Yesterday, the official Facebook page of (noted misogynistandeugenicsenthusiast) Richard Dawkins’ Foundation for Reason and Science shared the following image to their 637,000 fans:

Naturally, their fans lapped this shit up; after all, this is the kind of thing they absolutely live for. Religious people! Being hypocritical! And crazy! And wrong! The 2,000+ comments were chock-full of smug remarks…

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I Hear You Calling…

Happy Full Moon Blessings!

 

“I Hear You Calling” by  Chalice and Blade.  Another video I had put together last year – a creative dedication to the Goddess. Enjoy and Brightest of Blessings! )O(

 

 

Lyrics

Once in a month, when the moon is full
Some secret place shall ye gather.
Adore the spirit of me who is
Queen of all of the wise.

And I hear you calling (2x)

Sing and dance
Feast and make love
All in my name
For mine is the spirit in ecstasy
Mine is joy on Earth

And I hear you calling (2x)

Mine is the secret that opens the door
Unto the land of youth.
Mine is the cup of wine, of life.
Cauldron of Cerridwen.

And I hear you calling (2x)

I give freedom and I give peace
Reunion with those gone before.
I am the mother of all that lives.
My love is poured on the Earth.

And I hear you calling (2x)

I am the beauty of the green Earth
White moon among the stars.
I am the mystery of the waters.
Desire in the hearts of man.

And I hear you calling. (2x)

I call to Soul
Arise, come to me.
For I am the heart of nature.
And I give life to the universe.
For I am she.

And I hear you calling. (2x)

From me all things do proceed.
To me they must return.
May your divine, innermost infinite soul
Enrapture be embraced.

And I hear you calling. (2x)

Let my worship be in your heart and rejoice.
All acts of love are mine.
Let there be beauty, strength, and pleasure
All are my rites.

And I hear you calling. (2x)

And you who think to seek for me
Know that it avails ye not.
Unless you know the mystery
Look deep within.
And I hear you calling. (2x)

For the hunt
I have been with thee
Since the beginning of time.
And I am that which ye shall attain.
The end of desire.
And I hear you calling. (6x)

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 12

“Great sun, wheel of fire, Ra in your glory,
hear me as I honor you
on this, the shortest day of the year.
Summer has gone, passed us by,
the fields are dead and cold,
all of earth sleeps in your absence.
Even in the darkest times,
you light the way for those who would need a beacon,
of hope, of brightness,
shining in the night.
Winter is here, and colder days coming,
the fields are bare and the livestock thin.
We light these candles in your honor,
that you might gather your strength
and bring life back to the world.
O Ra, mighty sun above us,
we ask you to return, to bring back to us
the light and the warmth of your fire.
Bring life back to earth,
Bring light back to earth.
Hail Ra! Ruler of the sun!” ~ Patti Wigington

 

 

 

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/qt/SunGodYule.htm

Happy New Year!

May the Goddess bless you with love & laughter to lighten your days,
and warm your heart & home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.

May the Goddess bless you with peace and plenty and bless your world
with joy that long endures.

May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well, there you have it – 365 Goddesses 🙂  Wow, have I really researched and completed that many Goddess entries??  Well, kind of…I plan to go through and “clean-up” some of the earlier entries (primarily Jan 2012 – March 2012) because I wasn’t using the same techniques or format back then when I first started that I’ve been using now – it just kind of evolved and progressed as we made our way through this journey.  I’ll also be checking for broken links and adding additional “Suggested Links” as I come across new information and plan to reorganize the Goddess entries into different categories (i.e. by culture, etc.).  If there is a Goddess that you’d like to see researched, let me know as I have a few of my own that weren’t covered this year (the Morrigan and Demeter for example).

This however will be my last post for awhile.  We will be in the process of actually packing and moving starting tomorrow and I’m not sure when we’ll be settled into our new home in Georgia or when we’ll be back online.  Till then, I’ll check in when I can from my iPhone.

Goddess Bless!!!

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 11

“In the middle of winter, it’s hard to remember sometimes that light is coming back to earth. However, despite the gray, cloudy days, we know that soon, the sun will return. Keep this in mind during those dreary days when it seems winter will never end, by invoking the four classical elements.

“Solstice Eve” by Willow Arlenea

As the earth grows colder,
the winds blow faster,
the fire dwindles smaller,
and the rains fall harder,
let the light of the sun
find its way home.” ~ Patti Wigington

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuleprayers/qt/ElementPrayer.htm

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 10

The Celtic people knew the importance of the solstice. Although the Yule season marks the middle of winter, colder times were still to come. It was important to put aside staple foods for the coming months, because it would be many months before anything fresh grew again. Consider, as you think on this devotional, what your family has put aside — both material goods and things on the spiritual plane.

A flock of sheep grazing in the snow on the hills outside Doagh, County Antrim.

The food is put away for the winter,
the crops are set aside to feed us,
the cattle are come down from their fields,
and the sheep are in from the pasture.
The land is cold, the sea is stormy, the sky is gray.
The nights are dark, but we have our family,
kin and clan around the hearth,
staying warm in the midst of darkness,
our spirit and love a flame
a beacon burning brightly
in the night.

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuleprayers/qt/CeltYulePrayer.htm

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 9

“Oak King” by Tara Upchurch

“The Holly King is gone, and the Oak King reigns –
Yule is the time of the old winter gods!
Hail to Baldr! To Saturn! To Odin!
Hail to Amaterasu! To Demeter!
Hail to Ra! To Horus!
Hail to Frigga, Minerva, Sulis and Cailleach Bheur!
It is their season, and high in the heavens,
may they grant us their blessings this winter day.” ~ Patti Wigington

“Winter’s goddess” by *frenchfox

 

 

 

 

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/qt/YuleOldGodsPray.htm

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 8

“Depending on where you live, you may be seeing snowfall long before Yule arrives. Take a moment to appreciate its beauty, both as it falls and once it covers the ground.

From the reaches of the north,
a place of cold blue beauty,
comes to us the first winter storm.
Wind whipping, flakes flying,
the snow has fallen upon the earth,
keeping us close,
keeping us together,
wrapped up as everything sleeps
beneath a blanket of white.” ~ Patti Wigington

 

 

 

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuleprayers/qt/SnowPrayer.htm

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 7

“Gathering Mistletoe” by Briar

“Yule is a time to set aside animosity between yourself and people who would normally antagonize you. The Norsemen had a tradition that enemies who met under a bough of mistletoe were obligated to lay down their arms. Set aside your differences, and think about that as you ponder this devotional.

“Lady of the Lights” by Briar

Beneath the tree of light and life,
a blessing at this season of Jul!
To all that sit at my hearth,
today we are brothers, we are family,
and I drink to your health!
Today is a day to offer hospitality
to all that cross my threshold
in the name of the season.” ~ Patti Wigington

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuleprayers/qt/NordicYule.htm

12 Days of Yule Devotionals – Day 6

Colorado winter landscape at night by SILBECL

“The longest night has come once more,
the sun has set, and darkness fallen.
The trees are bare, the earth asleep,
and the skies are cold and black.
Yet tonight we rejoice, in this longest night,
embracing the darkness that enfolds us.
We welcome the night and all that it holds,
as the light of the stars shines down.” ~ Patti Wigington

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/qt/SunsetYulePraye.htm