Author Archives: Sephira

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About Sephira

Born and raised primarily in Northern Virginia, my family and I moved to North Carolina in 2006. Married for over 20 years, my husband and I have two boys and a gaggle of cats. For me, writing is a great stress reliever. I can let my mind wander and let my emotions run free in a way that is generally not possible in my normal everyday life. My writings run the gamut in terms of style and genre – for instance my first novel is a historical romance set in the Civil War, but some of the other things I have in the works are fantasy or thrillers, among other things. It probably goes without saying, but my poetry is somewhat eclectic in nature, and again while some may feel the need to stick with a particular form, I tend to write just whatever comes to mind. Let the winds of inspiration lead me on… I’m always interested in comments and feedback. So please feel free to share your thoughts with me!

Pagan Insights Project: May Round-Up

Posted by Sephira in Pagan Insights Project and tagged with , ,

We are at the end of the first month of the Pagan Insights Project, and are so excited to welcome everyone who has joined in. We’ve enjoyed reading your posts, and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing yourselves – not only with us, but with the world. By posting your thoughts and experiences… your insights, it gives others a glimpse into the myriad of wonderful things that make Paganism what it is.  It is our continued hope that through this project, we will be able to show off the variety of different paths that the term Paganism encompasses, as well as dispel some of the misconceptions and stereotypes that surround many aspects of Paganism.

If you are just joining us, please check out the main Pagan Insights Project page (linked above), and be sure to add your blog to the list of those who are participating. We also encourage everyone to leave a comment below, letting us know how you are doing with the project. If there is a particular PIP post from May that you feel is particularly worth sharing, please feel free to link it in comments as well.

Can’t wait to see what June has in store for us!!  🙂

When Hiding One’s Beliefs May Be The Better Choice…

Posted by Sephira in Paganism, Reader Question and tagged with , , , , ,

Via our Ask A Pagan page…

Hello there, I’m a young Pagan, being only 16, but I live in a very small very strict Christian town and few here are open minded. Being in high school, and knowing how fast things go around, I try very hard to hide my beliefs which sometimes makes me very sad. My beliefs are me, so I’m hiding myself. Only my closest of friends know my religion, but I still have to hide in a whole. Should I just embrace my religion and not care about my social life as a 16 year old? There are moments here I actually fear for my life because of my religion. I don’t know what to do. Should I continue to hide it until I’m 18 and move out? Please and thank you!

I’ll come straight to the point… if you think that your life would be in danger if you were honest with others about your beliefs, then for now it is better that you keep them to yourself. While clearly it’s not fair to you, to have to keep silent about something that is such a HUGE part of who you are, it’s also not worth putting yourself in danger, at least not while there are still other potential alternatives.

We spoke a bit out Things to Think About, back around International Pagan Coming Out Day, and many of those will serve you now as you are considering what choices you should make. The key here of course is your age, and the fact that you are still living under your parents roof. The truth is that as long as they are the ones providing our food and shelter, then we have to abide by their rules. In most cases, it just isn’t worth the aggravation that it will cause to rock the boat, especially on something that you know they have an absolute fear or hatred of – even if that fear and hatred is unfounded or unreasonable.

The same goes for school. That you have a small core group of friends who know the truth and are ok with it, is truly probably the best you can hope for at this point. Realize too, that since these friends are likely the only ones whose opinions really matter to you, not letting others in on the “secret” isn’t such a bad thing. Even though there are laws against bullying, there is still the potential for the next few years to be a truly miserable experience for you, and it’s just not worth it. Especially when you consider that how you do in the last couple years of school can have a profound effect on your future college plans, and even your life as a whole, it’s better to hold off on anything that would further impact that.

It’s important to remember, that not being out about your beliefs does not mean that you can’t still be practicing and/or studying, and there are plenty of ways to do things (prayer, rituals, meditations, etc…) that aren’t immediately obvious to the rest of the world. While certain traditions do require specific tools or specific ways of doing things, if one is not an initiate of those particular traditions (and odds are at 16, you aren’t), then it really opens up a whole range of creative practices that can be used.  We do not advocate lying to one’s parents, or going against their rules and guidelines for what goes on in their own house. So if they have, in any way, expressly forbidden you to practice under their roof, then you should definitely respect that. It makes things a bit more difficult, but still not impossible. The challenge is to find ways that fit within your daily life, that can be used to honor your path as well.

Keep in mind as well, even the act of taking a walk around the block can be meditation, and rituals can be done in complete silence, while sitting on a park bench, or laying in bed at night. There are also many non-traditional items that can be used to represent elements, or the Gods, etc… if you want to have an altar as well. So while it can take a bit of extra effort, there are still definitely ways of keeping “silent”, but still being true to oneself and one’s beliefs.

Even once you are of age, making the decision to tell others of your beliefs, will still require a lot of careful thought and planning. You will want to make sure that you either have a place of your own and can support yourself, or – if you are still living at home, that you have a safe place to go in case your parents kick you out over it (something that is not entirely unheard of). When you are ready to let them know, be sure that you are prepared to discuss your beliefs with them (calmly), and that you are able to answer any questions that they might have. If they don’t take it well, or the community as a whole doesn’t take it well, you may seriously have to consider moving somewhere else, or at the very least be willing to endure their feelings of ill will. Likely it will get better over time, once they get used to it, but it can really make things uncomfortable for you for quite a while.

Overall though, the most important thing is that you STAY SAFE. While we would all love to be open about our beliefs and practices,  if doing so will put us in danger, then it only makes sense to not to say anything. It often comes down to timing, and if right now isn’t the best time, then it’s just a matter of just waiting until that right time comes. Remember as well, our religious beliefs and practices are very personal parts of us, so just because the rest of the world doesn’t know about them – it doesn’t change who we are inside… and that’s what really matters (not what anyone else thinks or knows).

Resources For Hellenic Paganism…

Posted by Sephira in Hellenic, Paganism, Reader Question, Resources and tagged with , ,

Via our tumblr page…

Anonymous asked: Do you have links for someone interested in Hellenic paganism?

Sure!

This is not a bad little introduction (and I’m pretty sure she’ll be expanding it over time)

Temenos Theon might be the most helpful (and it has a heap of links and resources)

Theoi.com for all the lore on gods, heroes, spirits etc

Of course all the relevant texts on Sacred Texts

and there are organisations like Hellenion.

This book comes highly recommended, and the page has some links and a calendar

and of course Burkert’s Greek Religion is a must-read.

Hope these helped!

Sacred Moments #4

Posted by Sephira in Hellenic, Paganism, Sacred Moments and tagged with , , ,

Ran across this the other day and thought it was worth sharing!

By the Light of Morning…

By the light of morning
In the chill air
We greet you, o Helios, Lord of the Sun

And at this hour
And with all our hopes laid bare
We seek you, o Helios, Lord of the Sun

For when the Sun rises
And the light of day kisses our skins
We will know you, o Helios, Lord of the Sun

So watch us today
As we play, as we toil
Watch and guard over us, o Helios, Lord of the Sun

by Hector Lugo

The Use of Psychoactive Plants in Early Religions

Posted by Sephira in Paganism, Reader Question and tagged with , ,

Hi, I’ve been searching all over the internet for scholarly information on how psychoactive plants were used in early religions, and how they may have shaped the religions as a whole. So far, I haven’t had much luck in my search. Can you help me?

Great question! To be sure, it’s a bit out of  my area of expertise, however I did a bit of digging and came up with some resources that should be helpful. Note though, that many academic publications often require subscriptions or membership, in order to view entire articles. However in any case, several of these also have a wealth of cited resources, so, if for some reason the article itself doesn’t hold all the answers, it should still be a great starting point to getting the information that you are looking for.

  • Bookwise – if you can get a copy of Plants and Society 3rd edition by Estelle Levetin and Karen McMahon, chapter 20 specifically covers psychoactive plants and drugs, along with their history of use. You can find a general outline of the chapter here.

Sacred Moments #3

Posted by Sephira in Kemeticism, Sacred Moments and tagged with , , , , ,

This week we are offering a selection from the Pyramid Texts, which are a collection of religious texts  from Ancient Egypt, that date back to the Old Kingdom period. The following is a hymn to the Goddess Nut…

Utterance 432

782. O Great One, who came into being in the sky, you have achieved power,
you have achieved strength, and have filled every place with your beauty;
the entire land is yours. Take possession of it, for you have enclosed the earth
and all things within your embrace, and you have set this King as an
Imperishable Star who is in you.

source: “The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts” translation by R.O. Faulkner

Pagan Insights Project

Posted by Sephira in Pagan Insights Project and tagged with , ,

The Informed Pagan is excited to announce the “Pagan Insights Project“!!!

Don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes we have the absolute worst time trying to come up with interesting things to write about. So after pondering the issue for a bit, we came up with a few prompts that we thought would make excellent starting points. Then, after mulling it over a bit longer, we thought it would be a great idea to share them with everyone, in an effort to inspire others who may also be struggling for a topic to write about, or just like the idea of adding a bit of structure to their blogs.

It’s a mixed media project – one that is designed to give a bit of insight into one’s own path, as well as general information on Paganism, and the Pagan “lifestyle” (whatever that means XD). There are 5 different prompts to work through, which include writing, images, music and more, and the really great thing about this project, is that you can work at your own pace.  You can do all 5 every week, every other week, once a month, or you can work at a more leisurely rate and simply choose one prompt each week so that you have always have something to post. Or you can really go all out, and post them all in one blog post, as often as you like.  For some it can be a daily or weekly journal for keeping track of progress on one’s path, and for others it might simply be a touchstone to return to once every holiday, or every full moon to see where you are in that moment. Which ever you choose, how you use the Pagan Insights project is entirely up to you!

For more information, and to join in the fun, check out the Pagan Insights Project page. If you’d like to participate, be sure to add your blog to the list, and grab a badge if you’d like. We are looking forward to seeing how this project grows, and really do hope you will share your insights with us along the way!

Pagan Coming Out Day… Things To Think About

Posted by Sephira in Paganism and tagged with , , , , , ,

May 2nd is International Pagan Coming Out Day, a day when all Pagans should band together and joyously shout to the world… “I’m Pagan and Proud!!!” and dare anyone to take issue with it. Ok, not really, however it is an annual “event” that strives to “achieve greater acceptance and equity for Pagans at home, at work, and in every community.”

As mentioned directly on their website, “coming out to someone is a decision only you can make and it’s a decision best made when you are ready to do so“, and there is an absolute truth to that. While it would be very nice if we could all be open about our religious/spiritual choices or practices, in actuality it’s something that we need to think long and hard about. On the one hand we shouldn’t have to hide who we are, on the other, it’s worth noting that there are still plenty of countries that will kill Witches almost on sight, and even in countries where there are laws against that sort of thing, many have very poor opinions of Pagans, or really anyone who has a different religion than what is considered mainstream.

So when considering “coming out of the broom closet” we need to first decide if the benefits of doing so, outweigh any potential negative consequences. Then given that there will likely be at least a few negative consequences – are they manageable, or will having to put up with them make life miserable enough, that staying silent is the wiser course. Some things to think about…

  • First and foremost how will your friends and family react? If you are still living at home, or having to depend on your family for support, this can be a major factor in keeping one’s path to oneself, especially if you think they won’t take it well, and might kick you out. Are you willing to put up with potentially losing friends and/or alienating your family if they don’t understand where you are coming from? Are you willing to gather up relevant information on your path, and have calm, rational (can’t stress those two words enough) discussions, in an attempts to inform others on what your path is about?
  •  How will your employer react? Unless you plan on wearing overt symbols of your faith/practices to work everyday, this may not be a huge issue, but it’s still something to consider. Job security isn’t the best these days, so if there is any possibility that being out will cause you trouble at work, it might be better not to say anything at all. This would still apply if you are in school as well – though they can’t fire you, teachers (and fellow students) can make things difficult for you if they so choose. So it’s something to keep in mind.
  • How will your local neighborhood/community react? If you live in a large city, again this might not be a big deal, but if you are in a smaller town, or a close-knit neighborhood, then outing yourself as a Pagan, could have an impact.
  • For those who are married or in a committed relationship – how will your significant other react? I have this separately, even though it’s technically lumped into friends/family, but it’s a really big one, so it deserves it’s own consideration. If you are in a relationship with someone (or married to them), and they don’t know that you are Pagan, be absolutely sure that they will be ok with it, before saying anything to them. Keep in mind that telling them, can literally be the end-game to your relationship. Things may eventually work out, but you need to be willing to weather the bumpy ride, to get through it, if they are not overly thrilled about your choices.

I know at this point it may seem like I’m against Pagans coming out, and in reality that isn’t true, as I dream of the day that we can all live – if not harmoniously, then at least in perfect apathy to each other’s religious/spiritual choices.  However as we are not yet at that point, “coming out” can be a monumental, life changing event, and I don’t think that mere words can adequately convey the seriousness of the situation. I’d like to think that in this day and age, most people are cool with it, but if I’ve learned anything out of recent “current events” in the US, it’s that we really aren’t as “cool” as we’d like to think we are, if anything we’ve started to backslide quite a bit.

So while I encourage those Pagans who can, to “come out” on May 2nd, I definitely urge everyone to think carefully before jumping right out. Not that we shouldn’t all be proud to be Pagan, but ultimately it’s a question of… is this the right decision for me at this time? If it is… go for it!! If it isn’t, then there is nothing wrong with keeping it to yourself. You’ll know when the timing is right!!

If you are out, or are planning to come out, on the 2nd… feel free to comment and share your story with us. We’d love to hear from you!!

For more information on IPCOD, you can also check out their FB page.

The Origins of Easter

Posted by Sephira in Holidays, Paganism and tagged with , , ,

Something that I’ve noticed at certain times of the year, is the tendency for some Pagans to claim that the Christians stole our holidays. This primarily happens around the Christmas season, but it hops out around Easter as well, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put a little effort into clearing up some misconceptions that might be floating around.

One thing that I like to point out, is that many of the “Pagan” traditions that have eventually become associated with a particular holiday, are generally due to those Pagans who were converted finding ways to keep some of the comforts of their old practices, while still conforming to their new ones as well.

As to the origins of Easter, the approximate dates for it are actually pretty clearly outlined in the Bible, and it was originally celebrated around the same time as the Jewish passover, as that is when the Crucifixion is said to have taken place. In 325 the Council of Nicea decided on a more precise method of calculation, which in essence combined the two primary methods that were currently in practice at that time – calculating it based on moon phases and having a specific set date. From that point forward, the date of Easter would be on a day following the first full moon, after the Spring Equinox, though it took quite a bit longer for the particular day (Sunday) to be solidified across all communities.

What is important to note, is that although there have been references made to Easter being associated with the Goddess Eostre (primarily due to Bede’s work), it is likely that this may have been an error on his part, or at least not something that had any basis in provable fact. While details are rather sketchy on her existence, it is entirely possible that she was simply associated with the dawn, and new beginnings, rather than Spring itself. Also, historically “Eostre-month” was a month long celebration, rather than any one particular day.

I also find it interesting that in almost all other languages, the term for this particular holiday is Pasha/Paschal (in reference to the Jewish Passover) – even the full moon after the equinox is called the Paschal Moon. So it is only in the English language that there is even any association made to the term Eostre.  All of which makes the argument that Easter is an ancient “spring festival” that has been stolen by “teh ebil Xtians”, a less likely version of what really happened.

additional resource – The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain by Ronald Hutton

TIP: Mercury In Retrograde

Posted by Sephira in TIPs and tagged with , ,

It looks like Mercury is going into retrograde yet again, so speak clearly and take time to understand, folks 😉

You may be seeing a lot of these warnings about. For those unfamiliar with the concept, here’s a bit of a low-down:

When a planet is “retrograde”, it appears to move backwards across our sky. This is just because of how that planet is moving relative to how the Earth is moving, and it happens three times a year.

In astrology, the planet Mercury, like its namesake, is related to communication. Thus when Mercury is in retrograde, one might find oneself with a sudden inability to make oneself easily understood, with greater problems in writing or communicating, or continually misinterpreting what others are saying.

I’m not sure how I feel about astrology generally, but I’ve had the retrograde kick me in the arse a few times, so I tend to pay a little more attention to how I’m communicating, and take a second look if I take offence to something, just in case I have misread.