Open your minds

This site is extremely informative.  It's about time someone stood up to let people know exactly that Wicca is and to let them know that spirits do walk among us.  It lets people know that just because you believe in something that is not the "norm", you are not a "freak" or someone bad.

U.S. to allow Wiccan symbols on military graves - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

U.S. to allow Wiccan symbols on military graves - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

The Bush administration has agreed to allow Wiccan pentacles in military cemeteries in a court settlement announced yesterday by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The settlement was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to settle a suit filed in November against the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of several families of Wiccan soldiers and Circle Sanctuary, a 200-acre Wiccan nature center 30 miles west of Madison, Wis. The sanctuary holds the remains of two soldiers, one who fought in Vietnam and the other in Korea.
Until now, the U.S. government had refused to issue grave markers, headstones or memorial plaques with the Wiccan symbol to join those of 38 other religions -- or those with none. In addition to the Christian cross, the Jewish six-pointed star and the Islamic crescent, atheists, Hindus, humanists, Sikhs and members of the Eckankar, Serbian Orthodox and United Moravian faiths also have symbols.
The star in Wicca, a nature-based religion, symbolizes earth, wind, fire, spirit and water. Although its followers say it is not related to the occult, they meet in small groups called "covens" that are usually headed a woman called a "high priestess."
VA spokesman Matt Burns said the government "acted to settle in the interest of the families concerned and to spare taxpayers the expense of further litigation."
Wicca has long been an issue for the U.S. military, which does not recognize Wicca as a religion for chaplain purposes.
"It took them long enough," said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar with the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center in Arlington, of the settlement. The U.S. military got burned by critics of Wicca after press reports of soldiers involved in a Wiccan celebration of the vernal equinox at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1999, he said, thus, "The military has been very nervous about Wicca."
In May 1999, then-Rep. Bob Barr, Georgia Republican, demanded that the Wiccan ceremonies be stopped at Fort Hood. That June, then-Texas Gov. George Bush was asked his opinion on the matter by ABC News.
"I don't think witchcraft is a religion," he said. "I wish the military would rethink this decision."
Mr. Haynes called it "sad" that "these people have had to struggle so long for what is their constitutional right."
"It's time people got over their stereotypes of witches and realized Wiccans have the same rights as everyone else," he said.
Mr. Lynn attributed the government's opposition to religious prejudice.
"Many people have asked me why the federal government was so stubborn about recognizing the Wiccan symbol," he said. "I did not want to believe that bias toward Wiccans was the reason, but that appears to have been the case. That's discouraging, but I'm pleased we were able to put a stop to it."
In November, the military newspaper Stars and Stripes cited Department of Defense statistics in estimating there are 1,800 Wiccans active in the U.S. military.
"This settlement has forced the Bush administration into acknowledging that there are no second-class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United.

Need a Rune Reading?

Freya Aswynn, the internationally acclaimed author of "Northern Mysteries and Magick" and "Power and Principles of the Runes" (forthcoming), is an accomplished, compassionate, and empathic reader of the runes. I have had a reading myself, and she is fantastic! She is available for readings via email. Please contact Freya via her web site, http://www.aswynn.co.uk/ .

Nursing Scholarship

PAN 2007 Nursing Scholarship

The Pagan Alliance of Nurses (PAN) is awarding two scholarships for
students enrolled in accredited schools of nursing.

The first scholarship is for active (dues-paying) members of PAN (and
their spouses/children), and is for $250.

The 2nd scholarship is our Spiritual Bridge scholarship that is
available to any nursing student, and is for $150.

Applicants who are not already active members of PAN may remedy that
situation and become eligible for the $250 award by contacting Ron
Kerns.

Applicants for either scholarship must:
Submit proof of enrollment in an accredited school of nursing or
nursing program (letter of acceptance and/or current schedule of
classes)

Complete the application below and submit it with a thoughtful essay
on the importance of respecting the spiritual preferences & needs of
patients and peers. The essay should be no more than 2000 words, and
must be submitted electronically via email message or email
attachment (Microsoft Word or WordPad document).

Deadline for applying for the 2007 scholarship is May 31st.

The recipient of this year's award will be notified by email and
regular mail by June 15th. PAN reserves the right to publish the
recipient's essay in an upcoming issue of our newsletter, Nightingale
Moon.

To learn more about the Pagan Alliance of Nurses, please visit our
websites at the following web addresses:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PaganAllianceofNurses/

http://www.pagan-alliance-of-nurses.org/

Wicca

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

 

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there\'s more to Wicca than you may have first thought. 

Wicca is a religion, and although its adherents often identify as witches, Wicca and witchcraft are not necessarily the same thing. Wiccans worship a goddess and a god; they observe the festivals of the eight Sabbats of the year and the full-moon Esbats; and they have a code of ethics that most live by. Wicca is thus distinct from witchcraft, which does not of itself imply any specific religious, ethical or ritual elements, and is practiced in various forms by people of many religions. Wicca incorporates a specific form of witchcraft, with particular ritual forms, involving the casting of spells, herbalism, divination and other forms of magic. Wiccan ethics require that magical activities be limited to good purposes only.

Now you can understand why there\'s a growing interest in Wiccan. When people start looking for more information about Wiccan, you\'ll be in a position to meet their needs.

Death

When I was 12 I totally understood what death meant but unsure  if  ghosts and demons truly existed.

On my 13 birthday my grandmother passed away .  There were people crying  and children weeping.  But the strangest thing I felt nothing. I was just numb.  I thought there was something wrong with me for not wanting to cry or show any emotion. 

After the funeral we went out for dinner to fancy restaurant, although no one knew that at this restaurant was the one my grandmother used to deliver roses too.  As a matter of fact it was one of the two places my grandmother called her home away from home. The workers took one look at who we were and denied us service.  As I stood up froze I saw a back door.  I screamed as loud as I could  "GRANDMA"