General

by Adam Sartwell

Gateways Through Stone and Circle is an interesting book that details a magician’s work with the magical methods and practices of the grimoire traditions. It focuses on the evocation and invocation methods described in the art of drawing spirits into crystals. It is clear from reading the text that author Ashen Chassan has a deep respect for the grimoire tradition of evocation and the magical experiments of that era. The book is well-researched and presents a modern person’s attempts to recreate what is detailed in the grimoire texts. Detailed in the book are his creation of the sacred tools and instruments of this complex art. [continue reading…]

by Adam Sartwell

Secret of the Rose by Ellen Dugan was darker then her first novel, Legacy of Magick. Family secrets, new ghosts, new family members, and hexing poppets combine to make this book more intense than the first. Autumn, the main character, has to come to terms with changes in the way she sees her family as secrets come out. Her family is in shock from some of the revelations that come to light throughout the book. [continue reading…]

There is no doubt that Fall has arrived here in New England. The energy of the Sun has shifted as it pulls away from us. There is a silver grey hue to the sky. The wind’s kiss has a crisp bite to it, and the Standing Ones are covered in an array of autumnal color that has begun to blanket the ground around us. For many of us, October is one of the busiest times of the year. With Samhain almost here, the month is strewn with fairs and celebrations, and Witches are at our most popular.

Realizing that we are all on the run, I thought I would share two super easy and very tasty fall recipes with you—Baked Apples and Red Lentil & Pumpkin Chili. The first is one of my favorite autumn desserts that I originally learned to make while camping when I was a Scout. As for the chili, I thought I would share a savory preparation for pumpkin. Most of us associate pumpkin with lattes and pies, but they are a squash and can be very versatile.

Baked Apples

Ingredients:

• 6 Large Baking Apples
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Clove
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• A dash of Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
• 6 tablespoons Butter (room temperature)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• With a spoon, remove the center core of the apple, leaving a half-inch to inch of flesh at the bottom (you don’t want to go completely through the apple).
• Place 6 apples side by side in a baking dish.
• In a small bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with the remaining spices and salt until just incorporated. Make sure not to overwork or melt the butter.
• Evenly distribute the butter mixture inside the cored centers of the apples
• Cover with foil.
• Bake for 45 minutes to a hour. Remove when the apples’ flesh is easily pierced with a toothpick or knife.

The beauty of this traditional autumn dessert is that it’s easy to assemble and cook, plus the serving size is simple to change. You can wrap just one in foil for a single serving or make several sheets of them for larger gatherings. A more adult version can be made by adding rum or even a hazelnut liquor to the center of the apples along with thebutter mixture.

Red Lentil & Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 15-ounce cans Kidney Beans, drained
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 15-ounce cans Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup dry Red Lentils
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup Pumpkin, medium cubes
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 medium Jalapeno, minced (Chilies can be altered to suit your taste)
• 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 2 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 3 teaspoons Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-cracked Black Pepper
• Optional toppings (Pumpkin Seeds, Sour Cream, Cilantro)

Method:

• Add all ingredients to your Crock Pot and stir.
• Cook on high for 4-5 hours (low for 8-10 hours) until lentils are tender and chili is thick.
• Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Doesn’t it make your mouth water just thinking about it? What an array of spices and veggies that are symbolic of Samhain and this time of year: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg—all fiery spices to warm the cold nights—plus apples that house the five-pointed star, and pumpkins, a veggie linked closely with All Hallows Eve.

I hope you enjoy these recipes, and I encourage you to play around with them and make them your own. I also encourage you to take a look at the list of ingredients, and if you don’t already know the correspondence for each, look them up. Better yet, sit with them. Speak to them, and share their stories as you share your meal.

What magick your cooking spice cabinet holds. If you are interested in learning the magickal uses for each of the culinary herbs you use every day, an effortless way to do so is to add a small sticker with key words to the outside of the spice container. That way, as you grab them and add them to your food, a simple glance will remind you of the power in the plant you have added to your meal, the energy you are taking in.

Samhain Blessings!

Ryan is an ordained Minister, Seminary Graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft & Deputy Minister of the Cancer Ministry. Ryan is passionate about Kitchen Witchery, the creatures of the Green World, working with Plant Spirits, & making magick in daily life. Crafting herbal infusions, candles, and sacred tools, Ryan is co-creator of Drops of Three. Visit his website at www.dropsofthree.storenvy.com.

Hello fellow Temple members and witches,

Let me introduce myself. I am Gwen Owen, a Ministerial Temple member, and I am working towards helping the Syrian refugees.

Recently, one morning I was sitting with my Partner Tom having breakfast in my pajamas on my comfy couch watching television. When I saw the peice on the Syrian crisis. Of course this was not the first time I had been introduced to this issue, as I think most of us have seen the picture of the little boy washed up on the beach who fell off the escape boat he was in. These are all moving sights. Well, there I sat crying in my breakfast and stating that I wish I could help, I wish I could do something!

Tom said, in his on special way, “Why don’t you get your friends to do a spell?” Wow, that’s great, I thought! So I contacted the Temple and off I went. So below is a simple spell I crafted. I would like us all to start this on September 29th, 2015. I’d like to have us all do this once a day for 40 days before we go to bed at night, and meditate on sending them safe passage for 10 mins. then put the candle out and go to sleep. That way we can take the spell to the astral as we sleep.

If you are able to offer assistance financially there is a website that my very cool hippie cousin Gail Owen Jordon found for me, something she uses a lot: www.charitynavigator.org. Once you visit the site go to the human serices button and click. Then search “Syrian refugees.” There is one I have have in mind that I will use. You should see that in the search. There are others too, feel free to pick one that interests you.

Thanks so much for you support!

Blessed Be,
Gwen Owen

Spell for Syrian Refugees

Red candle for strength, courage and protection. Start on this on Tuesday for Mars protection. Call to Brigid goddess of fire, protection and healing.

Call:

Great Goddess Brigid.
Goddess of fire
Goddess of healing
Goddess of protection

We call to you and ask that you give safe passage to the Syrian refugees.

Watch over them, guide and guard them as they flee from the evil that haunts them. Give them strength, protection, and a safe place to land on their journey.

Repeat call x3 every evening before bed for 40 days.

Blessed Beltane everyone! The ancient Celts believed that Beltane was the beginning of summer and after the record breaking winter of this year it is a season we sorely deserve! So Ravenwanderingdragon has compiled a list of festivals for the Temple Bell that begin in summer and run right through to fall. Take a look, celebrate, and enjoy the warmth as we revel in the light half of the year.

Summer 2015

Celebrate Juno
June 2, 2015
Concord, California
http://www.daughtersofthegoddess.com/

Where Womyn Gather
June 4-7, 2015
Northeast Pennsylvania
http://wherewomyngather.com/

Gypsy Goddess Summer Festival
June 6-7, 2015
Chesaning, Michigan
http://www.gypsymamastarot.com

St. Louis Pagan Picnic
June 6-7, 2015
Tower Grove Park, Grand & Magnolia, St. Louis, MO
10 am- 5 pm daily
http://www.paganpicnic.org/

Welcome Summer Festival
June 6, 2015
Barneveld, Wisconsin
www.circlesanctuary.org

Psychic Fair
June 6, 2015
Akron, Ohio
http://www.dragonsmantle.webs.com/

Prometheus  Rising Festival
June 10-14, 2015
Oneida Campground, New Milford, PA
http://www.prometheusrising.org/

Wic-Can Festival
June 11-15 2015
Mansfield Ontario Canada
http://www.wiccanfest.com/

25th Annual Fort Ancient Celebration
June 13-15,2015
Oregonia, Ohio
http://www.fortancient.org/

Pagan Spirit Gathering
June 14-21, 2015
Sponsored by: Circle Sanctuary
Stonehouse Farm, Earlville, IL
https://www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/pagan-spirit-gathering/pagan-spirit-gathering

Free Spirit Gathering
June 16-21, 2015
Camp Ramblewood, Darlington, MD
http://www.freespiritgathering.org/

Pacific Circle Revival Summer Solstice Campout
June 19-22, 2015
Pearblossom, California
http://www.pacific-circle-revival.com/

Celebrate Summer Solstice & Sekhmet
June 20, 2015
Concord, California
http://www.daughtersofthegoddess.com/

Litha Festival and Psychic Fair
June 20, 2015
Sanford,Florida
http://www.lunasolesoterica.com/

Pangaia Festival
June 20-21, 2015
VFW Grounds, Fair Oaks, CA
http://pangaiafestival.com/

Pagan Federation Summer Solstice Festival 2015
June 20-21, 2015
Moonhenge, Woodwalton, Cambridgeshire, UK
http://www.paganfed.org

2015 Heritage Port Summer Solstice Celebration
June 21st, 2015
Wheeling, West Virginia
http://www.thenoblesource.org

SunFest 2015
June 25-June 28, 2015
Vernonia, Oregon
http://www.owow.org/

Michigan Pagan Festival
June 26-28, 2015
Wayne County Fairgrounds, Belleville, MI
http://www.mipaganfest.com/

Denver Tarot Convention
June 26-28, 2015
Denver, Colorado
http://denvertarotconvention.com/

California Witchcamp
June 28-July 5, 2015
Mendocino, California
http://www.californiawitchcamop.org/

Sankofa Festival
July 6-12, 2015
Brushwood, Sherman, NY
http://www.brushwood.com/sankofa/

Starwood 35
July7-13,2015
Pomeroy, Ohio
http://www.rosencomet.com/starwood/2015/

Chrysalis Moon! Festival
July 8-12, 2015
Tippicanoe River State Park, Knox, Indiana
http://www.chrysalismoon.com

Summerland Spirit Festival
July 11-19, 2015
Turtle Lake, WI
http://www.summerlandfest.com/

2015 Holistic & Wellness Faire
July 18th, 2015
Westport, Massachusetts
http://www.carnivaleofthearcane.com/#!productions/c1me6

Spirits of the Earth Festival
July 21 -July 26, 2015
Malahide, Ontario
http://www.spiritsfest.com/

Kaleidoscope Gathering
July 30- August 4 2015
Eganville, Ontario Canada
http://ravensknoll.net/

Templefest
July 31 – August 2, 2015
South Hampton, NH
http://www.templefest.com

Glenwood Metaphysical Fair
August 1, 2015
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
http://glenwoodmetaphysical.weebly.com/

Sacred Harvest Festival 2015: Tribal Evolution
August 3-9, 2015
Finlayson, Minnesota
http://harmonytribe.org

Coph Nia: Mystical Gathering for Gay and Bi Men
August 5-9, 2015
Artemas, PA
http://www.cophnia.org

Kids Psychic Fair
August 8, 2015
West Haven, Connecticut
(203) 932-1193

CWPN Harvest Gathering
August 13-16, 2015
Orange, CT
http://hg.cwpn.org/

Fall 2015

Pagan Pride Project
List of 2015 Pagan Pride Festivals
http://www.paganpride.org/where

Festival of the Midnight Flame
September 10-13, 2015
Bellaire, MI
http://www.grovemidnightsun.org/midnight_flame_festival.html

Welcoming the Second Harvest
September 11-13, 2015
Paragould, Arkansas
http://www.freemansanctuary.com/

32nd Annual Wild Magick Gathering
September 17-20, 2015
Bedford, Indiana
http://elvinhome.org

14th Annual Autumn Moon Festival
September 26, 2015
Virginia Beach, VA
http://www.mysticmoonevents.com/

Wisteria Autumn Fires
October 8-11, 2015
Wisteria Event Site, near Athens, OH
https://www.wisteria.org/events/autumn-fires/

Portland 1st Annual Celtic Faire
October 10,2015
Portland, Oregon
http://blessedhalos.vpweb.com/

Fall Fling
October 15-18, 2015
Roxanna, Auburn, AL
http://www.faeriefaith.net/FallFling.shtml

2nd Annual Sleepy Hollow Psychic Fair
October 24-25, 2015
Tarrytown, New York
http://festivalofwitches.com/

Forest Song Group Cruise
Cruise to the Bahamas
October 27-November 1, 2015
Lewes, Delaware
[email protected]

Samhain Festival & Psychic Fair
October 31, 2015
Sanford, Florida
http://www.lunasolesoterica.com/

Hallowed Homecoming Samhain Retreat
November 6-8, 2015
Triangle, Virginia
http://www.hallowedhomecoming.com/

Walking with the Merlin
November 13, 2015
St. Louis, Missouri
http://www.pathwaysstl.com/

Ravenwonderingdragon has been a practicing Witch for several years, and lives with her family that includes some furry cats in the Southeastern U. S. She is a published author, aspiring screenwriter, Certified Tarot Consultant, and avid Tarot deck collector. She does professional Tarot and Dream interpretation readings at her website: http://www.readingsbyravenwonderingdragon.com/

 

Temple High Priestess Rachael Mueller will be offering in-person year-long Witchcraft I, II & III apprenticeships for the Temple Mystery School in St Louis, MO, beginning in September 2015. Classes will be held at Pathways, 1419 Concord Village Ave, St. Louis, MO 63123 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. once each month. For class dates and full details, see the Witchcraft I, Witchcraft II, and Witchcraft III class pages or email Rachael directly at [email protected].

Registration for this year’s Witchcraft I: Building the Inner Temple online class is closed and the Temple Mystery School is no longer accepting applications. We’ll announce on this site and via our mailing list and social media when registration is open for the next class. Blessings and best wishes to all of the new Witchcraft I students with their class!

by Tim Johnston

Editors’ Note: This article deals with an often controversial topic – cultural appropriation. Readers who wish to offer an alternative perspective are invited to submit their pieces to the Temple Bell. If you are interested in writing a response , please contact editors-in-chief Tina Whittle and Raye Snover at [email protected] to be added to the Yahoo group – this group is where you will find our submission guidelines. Thank you.

In an increasingly connected and interdependent society, the word “appropriation” has become nothing short of dirty. It incites rage from those who feel something has been appropriated from them, and defensiveness and ex post facto justification from groups or individuals accused of this act. The loosely related but often communally associated pagan/ heathen/ occult communities (henceforth referred to as “pagan” for simplicity) are no different from the warring subcultures of larger society and rise to the occasion of solving this issue about as poorly. Property lines between traditions are drawn and fought over and social contracts are settled in an attempt to determine what is material from “my” tradition and what remains in “your” providence. Yet a fatal flaw in this line of thought rapidly presents itself. Appropriation is a natural human phenomena and is as preventable as the retracing of nations’ border along local topography. Cultures adapt to new ways of living with constantly changing resources, new social practices find footholds from the movement of peoples, and new forms of religion, politics, and art flourish as ideas meet and intermingle. Appropriation is the way of growth ,and consciously directed, it can be a force of positive evolution and new understanding in the pagan community. Understanding how to guide this growth first requires a common agreement on the shape of the community.

The pagan community is too large and multifaceted to be accurately described with a single unifying belief in Deity or code of conduct. However, most of us can agree on the importance of recognizing the Earth as sacred in some sense and usually find ourselves celebrating the seasons in a spiritual or religious context. This is the closest common core we have and forms the hub of the wheel of the community. Travel along the wheel to any specific flavor of paganism and you will likely find some recognition of these tenets, even if the specifics vary. From this inner spoke, we can find an outer core of basic values such as honoring of self, honoring of nature, and seeking to live by ethical behavior. The further out we go, the less commonalities we find, to the point that we leave the common hub of the wheel and develop into discrete practices/ traditions that do not have common ground with other spokes along the wheel. Beautiful and novel ways of understanding the world develop, and with them, practices that are elegantly suited to engage with the world in ways otherwise impossible. Elements of practice such as climbing the Tree of Life would have baffled the shamans of prehistory with the intricacies of ceremonial magick. The profound efficacy of Vodoun practice might have inspired and reshaped Enochian wisdom had Dr. Dee or Kelly been able to witness such rituals. Each system possesses unique qualities that engage the world in different ways. The Tree of Life provides a practical and useful roadmap of spirituality that has been refined by the work of many magicians, but this does not discount the sacred work done around the campfires of our ancestors. In the same way the inner changes that come by seeking the Divine are no less meaningful in our lives than the outer changes we tweak with spellcraft.

The question that arises from this point, then, is why appropriation has been found reprehensible within the community. It’s a fair point, and frankly, one whose discussion is long overdue in American culture. It is most evident with the rise of a majority-minority, where the unfair advantage of a massive and homogeneous majority must recognize valid worth outside of itself in the minority. As the nation moves from a collection of straight white men dominating social conversation to an increasingly diverse group of nationalities, races, sexualities, religions, and forms of gender having a say, the unique qualities of each group need to be acknowledged and celebrated before meaningful dialogue can occur. In this developing pagan community with a growing sensitivity to Wiccanate privilege, it is crucial to consider the discrete identities and needs of the members of our community and honor their differences. We would do well to celebrate our Reconstructionist, Asatru, Druidic, Egyptian, and BTW brothers and sisters as well as those not covered by these labels. Often they are robbed of the context of their sacred traditions and their practices are absorbed and subsequently bastardized by an insensitive majority, ignorant of the roots of the belief or practice– in this way beautiful and meaningful tenets of a tradition become shells of themselves at the hands of an unappreciative culture lacking the necessary skills or perspectives to handle delicate and precise beliefs and practices. This is appropriation at its worst and needs to be stopped.

That is, however, not the full story. The simple and unavoidable truth is that no matter how esoteric a tradition or group becomes, they are undeniably co-conspirators in another layer of appropriation from someone else. Contemporary Wiccans must see that the heart of their tradition comes from Gardner’s work, even if only as a reaction to it. Even traditional Gardnerians should be able to see that some of the material from the New Forest Coven was at least inspired by Crowley. In the same way, Crowley’s work is descended from and related to the theosophists that predated him. The spiritual ancestry of a group or movement may not always be directly obvious but what remains clear is that roots exist somewhere. Fortunately, we are not the only community where this phenomena can be seen since it has been shown that the ancients are culpable as well. The god Jupiter is a direct relation to the earlier form of Zeus. Zeus likewise seems to be related to the “sky father” of proto-Indo-European religion. Appropriation is accepted here and remains unperturbed by any sense of moral discomfort. It is simply a fact of history. Even more confusing is the delight that many in our community take in reminding Christians that their savior is a conglomeration of ancient deities that modern pagans themselves have appropriated from said parent religions. Why is the appropriation of Osiris into the Christ figure wrong or worth ridicule, but the whole cloth appropriation of Osiris into modern Wiccan context perfectly acceptable? Why do we get away with it? Frankly, it is because there are no ancient Egyptians to raise a stink on our blogs or at our festivals.

Since it is a clearly unavoidable human practice with often damaging results, our aim as individuals and as a community needs to be careful and beneficial direction of who, what, how, and why we appropriate. There needs to be common ground between those who take and those who are taken from to prevent imbalance of power and potential abuse of others in our community. First and foremost, those that borrow from others carry the heavy burden of responsibility in what should be a twofold approach. They are firstly responsible for actually understanding what they take as their own. This cannot occur without a large dedication of time to reach substantial understanding of a practice or belief from the eyes of the culture where it resides. It is not enough to like Thor’s hammer and begin to worship him for that reason; that ignorance is a disservice to any serious practitioner and disrespectful of the culture and identity of Thor. Instead they would be wise to speak at length with Asatru practitioners to learn more from their eyes, then move backwards and seek to understand the cultural roots of Thor before he came to reside with Asatru. Read his written mythology. After this, seek personal experience. It is possible that one may be called to work with him outside of the typical cultural framework in which he appears, but if all that is known about him is that he has killer abs, then disaster looms for all involved.

The other portion of responsibility that borrowers carry is the maintenance of what is borrowed. The more a practice or a belief is changed or warped, the more significantly it is destroyed within its original context. Let us consider the metaphorical repository of pagan knowledge and thought as a library for a moment. The larger it grows with time, the more librarians are needed to preserve the information correctly. Though our own repositories are living and dynamically changing, they are also fragments of reclaimed ancient knowledge that we are duty bound to preserve. Yes, they are fragments muddled by modern thought. Yes, they cannot reflect actual ancient sentiment, but only the modern understanding of the former. And yes, we reformat our own beliefs from time to time, some more often than others. These are all true, but that does not nullify the fact that though our records and knowledge are imperfect, they are all that we have to give to the next generation. That is something sacred and holy.

We are responsible for the transmission of what we know, and by that virtue, correct preservation of what we possess becomes a sacred act of respect and wisdom. This burden is even heavier for those that borrow from others. Not only are they responsible for preservation of their own knowledge but they become responsible for someone else’s as well, in the event that the original source fades from history’s eye. The more that it is changed, the less they fulfill this second duty. That is not to say that some adaptation cannot take place. Translations must occur; things have to be tweaked for them to be successfully transplantable in different contextual practices. But one must ask this question: if a practice or belief needs to be radically changed for it to be personally useful, should it be included in this new context? Wouldn’t generation of something new be a wiser choice than the stripping of something old?

Those borrowed from do not walk away from this exchange without some responsibility, however. They, likewise, have two core duties: acceptance and diligence. Appropriation must cease to be a dirty word or morally faulty practice. We as a community must let go of the mindset of personal ownership of information. We are stewards at best. Further, it is arrogant to have something beautiful and life-changing and not share it with fellow brothers and sisters when such sharing harms neither you nor your beautiful thing. Like a candle flame, yours is no dimmer for lighting your neighbors’ candles. Acceptance of your responsibility to the community and of the unavoidable reality of appropriation will go a long way in fostering healthy and beneficial soil in which a large community can flourish.

The other duty, however, runs counter to this. Diligence in the preservation of knowledge is necessary. Just as we must learn to let go of our wisdom for it to find purchase in the world at large, so too must we understand that perfect dissemination is not even possible, much less preferable. Growth must be preceded by change or death of something else and that is true in this case as well. It should not be necessary, however, to radically alter knowledge or tradition to make it palatable for the masses. Therefore those who share their wisdom with the world must be prepared to interject when the spirit of that wisdom has been corrupted. Not for the sake of ego but in the service of preventing misinformation and the deafening din of plurality. It is up to us to ensure that practices do not become unrecognizable by the clumsy hands of others. Being a steward includes both the ability to release the throne and the ability to defend it from harm. In this way, we become advocates for the next generation by insisting they receive the very best from us and for ourselves by insisting we receive the best from each other.

Appropriation can be a beautiful, affirming, and sacred process. Or it can be ugly, disrespectful, and clumsy. It can’t be stopped any more than we can prevent the tides upon the shore. We can, however, use that inevitable force to radically redefine the structure and coherence of our community as well as create a living gift for the next generation. Appropriation must cease being a force to fight against. We have the chance to transform it into one of the most useful tools available.

Tim Johnston is a longtime resident of Texas and lifetime seeker of the truth (whatever that is). He is currently enrolled in the Temple of Witchcraft as a student and has pursued a solitary path prior to his involvement in the Temple Tradition.