Is That a Magic Wand in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy to See me?

In the wake of Fox News’ comments regarding Pagans and Wiccans – well – you just don’t know who might be a practitioner…could be a writer, producer, tech person, doctor, lawyer or library worker... we look like everybody else.

I’ve told this to the Sound Shore Review, in 2002 & 2005 (see “Force of Nature, 10/28/05) and the Rye Record (see “Out of the Broom Closet”, 10/20/05).  Wiccans and Pagans are everywhere.  According to USA Today, approximately 2.8 million people refer to themselves as Wiccan, Pagan or Spiritualists, as of 2009.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-03-09-american-religion-ARIS_N.htm

Now I know that in the real world relatively intelligent people are paid tidy sums to appear ignorant.  It’s all for the ratings.  I don’t believe we set out to intentionally piss off a particular group of people…unless it’s a slow news day, and we need negative attention and reaction.  Which is what Fox News got, along with a demand for an apology from their spokesperson.  Tucker Carlson issued an interesting turn of phrase, leading one to believe he’s truly contrite.

And on that note, I wish to express my heartfelt wishes to all for a Healthy and Prosperous Ostara, Wednesday, March 20.  The Vernal Equinox is the Wiccan/Pagan celebration of the first day of Spring.  We welcome the growing season and the return of the Green Man.  He is an iconic Celtic character.  He represents the continuation of life.  To the Celts, he is Cernunnos, the Horned God, and he invites us to dance in the “Rites of Spring”.  (hehe)  He is Pan to the Greeks, god of all nature, the countryside and woods.  In Greek mythology, Persephone returns from her six month stay with Hades.  Her mother, Earth Goddess Demeter, celebrates by allowing the growth of vegetation.  To the Germanic country folk, she is Eostre and she is the goddess of fertility, agriculture and spring.  Please do Google and Wikipedia – it will be faster than going into a history here.

Yet, history is what it’s all about.  History is written by the winners of wars, and the ones who held the quills.  It takes a little research and digging to find what happened before.  To make a broad statement:  Paganism is what was until the fall of Rome and the subsequent development of a more organized belief system.

Although there is no secular holiday for the celebration of the Vernal Equinox, we manage to mark the calendar for St. Patrick’s Day.  Some Catholics will go to church, and most other people will have parades, show some Irish pride, have parties and generally revel that winter is finally over.  It’s no coincidence that St. Patrick’s day falls so close to Ostara.  Well played, calendar makers, well played.

Our spring holidays are scheduled around the first full moon after the Equinox.  That’s why Passover and Easter are not on the same day every year.  Passover begins at sundown on the 25th of March, the full moon.

My intent here is to educate, inform and shed a little light on who we are.  And where we are.  We’re right in your own backyard.  And you in ours.  So, we can see through our modern calendar that traditions can be blended successfully, with reverence and mirth, just the way the Goddess intended.  Blessed be!