A Personal Dilemma

A personal dilemma has come up for me in the last 24 hours.  And since it concerns religion, I figure the blog might be the perfect place to explain and ask for advice.  (Since this concerns family, no names or identifying characteristics have been used.)

I got a letter yesterday from my family.  The letter turned out to be from my younger brother (allegedly from him–I’m thinking it’s probably my very religious, evangelical stepmother who really wrote it) asking for money for a trip to Peru this summer.

Normally, I’m all for supporting travel.  I think it’s important to travel around the world and see different cultures and places.  It’s a very eye-opening experience.  However, this trip my brother is planning is not a fun lets-learn-about-culture kind of trip.  No no, this trip is a missionary trip organized, I assume, through their church.

Here’s my problem: I want to support my brother.  If it weren’t a missionary trip, I would have forked over money without hesitation.  But it is a missionary trip, and spreading the word of God is the main focus.  He says in the letter that the group will take part in serving a needy community and reaching out to children in need by providing children’s programs the kids can attend.  But he also says that they will organize and fund a group of local students to travel through the mountains to spread the word of God with them.  “I’m very excited to be able to help children far less privileged than me by spreading the word of God.”

And that is the crux of my problem. How can I support something I very much disagree with, even when it’s my own brother?  I don’t agree with missionary organizations or people, and I cannot agree with or support their goals of spreading the word of God, especially when they do so while ostensibly giving aid to others.  In my opinion/belief, aid to these communities should be offered freely and from all for all, without any strings attached.  I believe it is the duty of all to help those in need, not for ulterior financial or religious motives, but from the goodness of our hearts and because it is the right thing to do.  It shouldn’t be a requirement or hurdle that in order to receive aid, you also have to put up with preaching and proselytizing.  And to proselytize to children strikes me as reprehensible and shudder-worthy.

I admit that not all missionaries are bad.  Some are very good people who genuinely want to help others.  They can bring much needed aid, supplies, and so forth to poorer communities, and not all of them inject extraordinary amounts of religion into their interactions with the communities.  But others are rather despicable and withhold aid unless the people convert or otherwise express a religious affiliation with the missionary.  Some missionaries take pains to turn a community against the non-believers in their midst in order to gain more followers.

It is possible that I’m being too close-minded about this.  I don’t have a very good opinion of missionaries, and I freely acknowledge that.  The idea that my brother might be turning into that type of person makes me cringe.  But I don’t think my brother is really into this.  I think he just wants to go to Peru, and is doing the church trip because it makes his mother happy and gives him the opportunity to travel.  Still, I have a serious personal conflict with giving money in support of such a trip with the goals that it has.

And I don’t know what to do about it.  Not contributing something means likely causing a family uproar once my stepmother finds out I didn’t send something. She will hold it against me and use it against me at some point.  She is that vindictive (some Christian she is).  I thought about writing to my brother and explaining why I won’t contribute toward the trip, but I don’t have his number or email, and he doesn’t have Facebook–so my only option is mail, and I don’t want his mother to open the letter, which she might very well do.  But saying nothing seems wrong; I don’t want him to think I don’t care or something like that.

And now I’m doing that Virgo thing where I over think things and look at all the different possibilities…

What do you all think?  What would you do in a situation like this?

Question of the Week: Questions About Paganism

I’m a bit late in posting the question this week, but I hadn’t come up with a good one until this morning after I read yesterday’s Wild Hunt article on the Pagan bubble. (It’s a very interesting and thought-provoking read, I suggest checking it out.)  So this week’s question is geared for those people who have questions about Paganism in general.  You don’t have to be Pagan, or a certain subset of Pagan, to ask questions and receive an answer here.  Although my blog is written primarily for those who are involved with some kind of Pagan or metaphysical path, I encourage interfaith involvement and activity here as well.

Do you have any questions about Paganism?  What about a subset of Paganism, such as Wicca or Asatru? 

Post your questions in the comments section below!

(Or, if you’re shy and would rather ask a question privately, email awitchylife@gmail.com)

Color Series: Yellow

Some of the attributes of orange overlap with yellow, because orange is a result of red mixed with yellow.  However, yellow has more associations with the mind and with intellect than orange does.  While red and orange are stimulating to the body, yellow is stimulating to the emotions and the mind.  It’s a very visible color and grabs the attention as much as or more than red and orange do.  Yellow is a color of joy, optimism, and happiness.  It often is uplifting and inspiring to those who see it, although yellow is a love/hate color.  Like orange, many people either love yellow or hate it.  Different shades of yellow may be more appealing than others to different people, and different shades can have different effects.  Pale yellow is softer, gentler, and less overwhelming while deeper shades can become overpowering.

Although red is the main color for fire, yellow is often associated with fire as well.  The coolest-temperature fires are yellow–just look at a candle flame–and the sun appears to us to be yellow rather than red because of the earth’s atmosphere.  And what is the sun but a gigantic ball of burning gases?  Yellow is the color of light and illumination, most likely because of the color of the sun’s light.  Even though it is often placed with fire, yellow is more commonly equated with air and mental faculties.

Various religions use yellow as part of a belief system.  In traditional Christian variants, yellow is the color for Greed, one of the seven deadly sins.  During the medieval period of Western Europe, and so a part of medieval Christianity, there were thought to be four humours used in medicine.  The humours were main bodily fluids, and were thought to have an effect on the body and personality.  Changes in humour were thought to be the source of sickness.  The humour associated with yellow was yellow bile, which was thought to cause bad temper and a touchy temper when out of balance. The theory of humours has now been discredited by  modern medicine, but it was very important to medieval and ancient medicine.

In many different variations of Paganism, Wicca among them, yellow is the color of the East quarter and Spring.  This color is generally thought to be the color of childhood and youthfulness.  Yellow is often associated with the Maiden Goddess and the Litha and Imbolc holidays.  For ancient Greeks, many goddesses were described as having golden hair, probably because it gave the goddesses a distinct look different from the typical physical characteristics of a Grecian.  Buddhist monks wear saffron yellow robes, and yellow is a sacred color for Hindus.  In Islam, yellow is the color of wisdom.

In the United States, yellow is used for school buses.  The particular shade of yellow used on school buses was proven to be the most visible color to the human eye compared to all over colors in the visible spectrum.  Since we want kids to be safe, it makes sense to use the most visible color to paint their transportation.  This color may also be associated with monetary wealth since gold is a shade of yellow.  For the Aztecs, yellow was the color for food since their most abundant food source was corn, which is yellow. Yellow is historically a very important color in China.  It corresponded with the earth and was the color of Ming and Qing dynasty emperors.  One emperor, Huangdi, is also called the Yellow Emperor and is commonly considered the founder of modern Chinese civilization due to the large number of inventions and technological advancements made during his reign.

For Greeks, yellow signifies sadness, while in France yellow is the color for jealousy.  In India, yellow is the color of spring and is worn during the Festival of Spring.  It is also the color of the Vaisya caste, which includes farmers and traders.  During 1930s and 1940s Germany, the Star of David on armbands and labels given to Jews was yellow.

Of the chakras, yellow is the color for the third chakra, the solar plexus.  The solar plexus is located at the midsection above the navel.  This chakra is commonly thought to govern willpower, self-esteem, and self-worth.  If the solar plexus chakra is closed, it probably means you feel a lot of fear, anxiety, and negativity toward yourself.  People with a closed or insufficiently clear solar plexus chakra tend to be passive, somewhat timid, and indecisive.  When it’s balanced, this chakra indicates a high self-esteem and a high regard for the self.  You are in control of yourself and your actions, and you are able to have confidence and appropriate assertiveness in group situations.  Too much of this chakra (meaning when it’s overactive) can result in aggressive and domineering behaviors.  Also associated with the stomach, liver, small intestine, and pancreas.

Uses

Like red and orange, yellow is not generally the best color to use for healing.  It excites the mind especially, and many people need rest and quiet in order to heal.  So I would not recommend the use of yellow for any healing purposes.  However, a touch of yellow in a room can help to lift a person’s mood and make them happier.  Taking yellow flowers to someone in a hospital, for instance, can help them heal by lifting their mood.  Yellow used in small doses can help a person to heal, but too much can be overwhelming.

Yellow can be used to enhance or activate memory.  Looking at the color yellow while studying could aid memorization and learning.  It can also spark creativity and raise self-esteem.  Yellow is associated with feelings of self-worth and high self-esteem.  This color can help to raise one’s self-esteem levels and improve a person’s opinion of themselves.

Yellow is an energizing color, so wearing a yellow shirt or jacket can help improve one’s energy level.  Yellow also works well as a compliment with other colors.  It can tone down overwhelming reds and oranges, and can add energy to the effects of blue, purple, green, and other cool shades.

Too much yellow can cause irritability, fear, depression, cowardice, and irrational thoughts or behavior.  Like the other warm colors, red and orange, too much yellow can overwhelm a person and cause anxiety or fear.

Associations
Element: Air, Fire
Emotions: joy, optimism, happiness, warmth, confidence, anxiety, fear, cowardice, deviousness
Animals: cheetah, canary, chickadee, golden retriever, (baby) ducks, bees
Astrology: Taurus, Air signs
Chakra: solar plexus
Flowers: yellow tulips, yellow roses, buttercups, sunflowers, black-eyes susan, daylily, coreopsis, yarrow, daffodil, marigold
Foods: bananas, lemons, corn, squash, curry, saffron rice, pineapple, apple, pepper, honey
Metals: gold
Stones: amber, citrine, flourite, topaz, cat’s eye, calcite
Season: Spring, Autumn

Resources About Yellow
http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-yellow.html
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/introduction.php
http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour/yellow.php
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/yellow.htm
http://www.color-wheel-artist.com/meanings-of-yellow.html

A Response to Fox News’ Story on Wiccans

For a video and partial transcript of Fox News’ broadcast about the University of Missouri allowing Wiccan and Pagan holidays, click this link: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/02/17/fox-news-attacks-wiccans/192713

There is also a text article on the same subject, but which does not feature any quotes by the news anchors who broadcast the subject on Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/17/university-missouri-guide-asks-professors-to-accommodate-wiccan-pagan-holidays/

What follows is the letter I sent in to the show.  I don’t know if it will have any effect, but I figure it is better to speak up and not be heard than to not speak up at all.

UPDATE: The original link seems to no longer work. You can find a new posting of the video here: http://wiccanink.tumblr.com/post/43397679203/apparently-the-link-i-posted-up-earlier-doesnt

UPDATE 2/19: Well, Tucker Carlson sort of apologized.  Emphasize the “sort of”.  https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/303998789834903552
______________________________________________________

Dear Fox News,

I have a few comments in response to the story about the University of Missouri including Wiccan and Pagan holidays in the school’s holiday list that aired on February 17, 2013:

From the very beginning of the segment, it is clear that the subject is only brought up in order to 1) boost ratings and viewership and 2) degrade and belittle a minority group.  The only one of the three anchors to treat the subject with a bare sliver of dignity is Clayton Morris, while Tucker Carlson and Anna Kooiman immediately begin cracking jokes and belittling the beliefs and traditions of a subset of the American people.  However, I say that with a grain of salt, as Morris also later treated the subject with as little respect or seriousness as the other two.

There are a number of inaccuracies and falsehoods in your telecast.  What follows is a list of what was incorrect and why.

1.) “Wiccanism” is not a word.

2.) The “bad side of Wiccanism is, obviously, that it’s a form of witchcraft.”  This is incorrect.  Wicca is a religion.  Witchcraft, sometimes known as magic among Pagans and Wiccans, is not a part of the religion unless the practitioner wishes to practice magic.  Witchcraft can be practiced by any number of people, including, but not limited to, Wiccans, Asatru, atheists, Christians, and Jews.  Wicca is the belief system while witchcraft (i.e., magic) is a practice or set of actions, such as casting spells.

3.) “But the upside is, you get a ton of holidays, 20% of all school holidays … are Wiccan holidays.”  So the anchor is saying the only upside to Wicca is the holidays, yes?  Not only is he incorrect in stating that 20% of the holidays are Wiccan holidays, but he is incorrect in stating that the holidays are the only upside.  Is the only upside to Christianity the holidays, which the federal government gives preferential treatment?  To my knowledge, every other religious group must take personal time off in order to take a religious holiday, unless they are lucky enough to live in a county that allows for those days.  Are you saying then that Christians are the only group to whom holidays off should be given?

4.) Morris states that Wiccans get 20 holidays because we have 20 holidays.  This is very incorrect.  Wiccans do not have twenty holidays, but a mere 8: the solstices, the equinoxes, and what are called the cross-quarter holidays of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.  And some holidays are more important than others, just as some holy days are more important to Christians, Jews, and Muslims than other holy days.  It should also be noted that these eight holidays are not exclusive to Wicca, but to many other Pagan groups as well.  You see, Wicca is a subset of Paganism.  Not all Pagans are Wiccans. So, based on this, there could be more people than just Wiccans who may require these days off for their religious practices.

5.) “If you’re going to pick one, go with the one with the most holidays.”  Technically speaking, if a person is choosing a religion based on number of holidays (or holy days), then they should go with some version of orthodoxy, as orthodox faiths tend to keep more holy days than others.  This sentence also ignores the fact that people who follow Wicca and other Pagan paths have genuine religious feeling for their practices.  To say that we only belong to this religion because the perks are better than what other religions offer is ignorant and depreciating.

6.) The most sacred holiday is not Halloween.  Halloween is a secular holiday that grew out of the traditions of many religions that celebrate a holiday around this time, including the traditions of Day of the Dead, All Saints’ Day, and All Soul’s Day, as well as the Pagan holiday of Samhain.

7.) A Wiccan or Pagan certainly has the capacity to name all eight holidays.

8.) Tammy Bruce is incorrect as well, as there are schools in the United Kingdom that have allowed for Wiccan and Pagan holidays.

9.) And, finally, the final statement that puts the icing on the cake: “Every Wiccan I’ve ever known is either a compulsive Dungeons & Dragons player or is a middle-aged, twice-divorced older woman living in a rural area who works as a midwife. And likes a lot of incense.”  Clearly, these people have met very few Pagans and Wiccans.  We come in all shapes and sizes, just like in any other religious path.  If you want a better idea of what an average Wiccan is, I’ll list myself as an example.  I am an average Wiccan, although I better identify as just Pagan.  I graduated from high school with honors and among the top of my class.  I was active in my school’s orchestra, SADD club, Natural Helpers, and Key club, I rode horses for years, and was a Girl Scout for ten years.  I also earned my Girl Scout Silver Award.  I have never played Dungeons and Dragons, although I do play video games sometimes.  I graduated from the University of Maryland with two degrees and now work as an editor and project manager for a respected institution—you’ll understand, I’m sure, if I decline to name where I work.  I am in my mid-twenties, have never been married, and live in an urban area.  I have never worked as a midwife.  In fact, I wouldn’t know the first thing about that respected job.   I burn candles, but usually not incense because of my allergies.  I wear jeans and t-shirts most of the time, or business casual when at work.  I drive a truck.  I do have a cat, but she’s not black.  I am an average Pagan and an average Wiccan.  The only time I might dress up in what is now considered stereotypical dress for a Pagan is if I were attending a festival, or if I wanted to.  But it’s certainly not how I dress every day, or even frequently, as it’s entirely impractical.

I hope this clears up the gross factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations of your broadcast.  I also hope the anchors will take the time to read this response to their highly bigoted and prejudicial remarks.

It would also behoove the station to issue an apology.  A sincere apology.  This “news report”, in my mind, was clearly aired in order to stir up a segment of the population and to incite outrage, which it certainly has.  However, this is not news at its finest, nor would I even call it news, and all persons involved should be ashamed of mocking peoples’ beliefs in order to boost their ratings.  It is despicable behavior not suited for any true journalist or news outlet.

Sincerely,

Sita

Question of the Week: Pagan Authors and Books

So I’m on a reading kick this week.  I got into a good book and now I just don’t want to stop.  This post will be short, sweet, and to the point so I can return to my book!

Do you have any favorite Pagan/New Age/metaphysical books or authors?  Why are they your favorite?

Share your response below!