Difficult Times

“There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them.” - Phyllis Bottome, English Writer.

Anyone who read my previous post knows that the recent US election wasn’t what I and many others had hoped for. Because of the results, many people are highly concerned about what the future holds. This concern is understandable, considering the promises (threats) made by the President-elect and his allies before the election.

So, what are we to do now?

 

Job one is self-care.

If you don’t meditate, this would be a good time to start. While the positive claims about meditation have been overblown, meditation has been proven to aid in stress reduction.

In addition, I believe that arcane forces flow through the universe that can aid us and help ease stress. Therefore, I highly recommend including acupuncture and either Tai Chi or yoga.

Exercise and a healthy diet have both proven to be helpful. Like meditation, exercise, and a good diet are also proven to be good for managing stress. 

Connect with loved ones. By “loved ones,” I don’t just mean biological relatives. Loved ones can include close friends. The philosopher Epicurus believed that friendship was essential for human happiness.

Spirituality can be helpful. If you have a spiritual practice that’s still meaningful to you and let it lapse, consider restarting it. Or explore a new path. There are so many good spiritualities right now from which to choose.      

It helps to also keep things in proper perspective. First, remember that people have survived hard times throughout the centuries. We are stronger than we sometimes think we are. Second, nothing is permanent, and the pendulum ultimately swings back the other way. Change is the one constant in the universe. The philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.” 

I’m not going to blow smoke. We should not assume that everything will be ‘okay.’ The right-wing has been emboldened. Economic and social justice are under threat. There will be those, especially those who are not people of privilege, whose rights will be attacked. We need to brace ourselves for this and plan accordingly.

Most importantly, remember to take care of yourself.

Threat to Democracy

“The greatest threat to democracy is indifference.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President

We’re in the last days of an election season here in the United States. On November 5th, Americans will vote to decide who controls our Congress and who will hold the office of President for the next four years. Most political analysts consider this election one of the most important in American history. Our election results will have a global impact.

 

Philosophy and politics are inseparable. According to classic Greek thought, philosophy is more than an intellectual exercise. It’s a way of life. Philosophy is all-encompassing. Because of this, philosophy should determine one’s political views and not the other way around.

Those who have read my blog over the years will probably have an idea of my philosophical views. Humans are a paradox. We are independent individuals, yet we’re dependent upon others from birth. Each person is free, yet no one is an island. Our species is neither collectivist nor rugged individualist. The Self is the highest standard, yet its existence is tied to the welfare of others.

I hold these to be some of the core values of Dark Pagan philosophy.

Applying Dark Pagan philosophy to politics, I find Donald Trump and the Republican Party are not consistent with Dark Pagan values. Dark Paganism stands for freedom of choice and personal autonomy. Trump and other Republican leaders speak of freedom and autonomy yet promote authoritarianism. Trump himself has said on record that he intends to be a dictator on day one. He and the Republican Party leaders speak of supporting the individual, yet they attack diversity. They say they support individual choices yet pass laws restricting choice. In addition, they advocate for laws that cut social safety nets and give increased power to the religious and economic oligarchs who already have special privileges.

By contrast, Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have established records of democratic values. They are certainly not authoritarian. Their record shows that they support freedom of choice and diversity. In addition, Harris and the Democratic leadership have shown support for strengthening the social safety net. Plus, they openly opposed giving more power to the religious and economic oligarchs. While neither Harris nor the  Democratic Party are perfect, they’re far better than Trump and the Republicans.

Therefore, of the two options, I believe that Kamala Harris and the Democratic party best represent Dark Pagan values. 

Obviously, the best action we can take is to vote. For those who say voting doesn’t work, the fact that Trump failed to be reelected in 2020 shows that it does work. Plus, the fact that there is so much effort to make it more and more difficult also shows that voting can make a difference. If voting didn’t work, they wouldn’t try to obstruct it.

Our options for change go beyond the mundane. We have spiritual actions we can take as well.

We can call upon two goddesses for help in political matters: Libertas and Ishtar. 

Libertas was the Roman goddess of Liberty. She became popular during the latter part of the Roman Republic. Libertas was often shown carrying a sword with a Phrygian cap at the end. The Phrygian cap was worn by freed slaves.

There’s a strong connection between the US and both Libertas and the Roman Republic. American Founding Fathers envisioned the young country as being a renewal of the Roman Republic. Plus, the Statue of Liberty is based on the goddess Libertas.

Ishtar (Inanna to the Sumerians) was the goddess of war, sex, and wisdom to the Mesopotamians. She was worshiped from the Near East to Britain under various names. Her worship lasted for over 2,000 years. 

To the Babylonians, Ishtar was a Sovereign Goddess in that the King’s authority was granted by Her. Ishtar is also a strong defender of justice and women. In the myth of Inanna and Su-kale-tuda, Inanna is raped. After finding the offender, before She kills him, She tells him that he will forever be known as a rapist and a coward.

No doubt, as a Sovereign Goddess, Her power would be very helpful in political matters. In addition, considering that Trump has been convicted of sexual assault, Ishtar would be an obvious ally.

Most importantly, you need to get out and vote as if your or a loved one’s life depends on it. 

Because it just might.

Season of the Witch

Over the years, during each October, I’ve written about the Pagan festival of Samhain. I’ve blogged about the festival’s origins, its connection to Halloween, and the different ways one can celebrate it. Because I’ve covered so much, writing something new about the festival was a challenge this year.   

While watching the miniseries Agatha All Along, I got an idea. At the end of the first episode, they played a great cover of Season of the Witch by Donovan. This made me think. While various supernatural creatures, such as ghosts, werewolves, and vampires, haunt pop culture during this time, probably nothing represents October and Samhain/ Halloween more than the Witch.  

But what really is a ‘Witch?’ 

 

The answer isn’t as simple as it might seem. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary illustrates the complexity of defining the term ‘ Witch.’ It provides five possible meanings of the word: 

1.    Fiction and folk traditions,
2.    Adherent to a neopagan tradition,
3.    A mean or ugly old woman,
4.    A charming or alluring girl or woman,
5.    Witch of Agnesi.

It’s tempting to go down the line of these meanings one by one. However, I think taking them out of order might work better. So let me start with the last, the Witch of Agnesi.

The Witch of Agnesi isn’t really a reference to a witch. It’s an algebraic curve. The “Agnesi” comes from the Italian mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi, who published it in 1748. The Italian name la versiera di Agnesi was originally given, which is based on the Latin versoria (sheet of sailing ships) and the sinus versus. This was read by John Colson as l’avversiera di Agnesi, where avversiera is translated as “woman who is against God” and interpreted as “witch.”

Jumping up to the first meaning, the fiction and folk tradition is a reference to classic stories. Think about the Good and Bad witches of The Wizard of Oz. Or the evil cannibalistic Witch in Hansel and Gretel. This includes modern fictional Witches such as Agatha Harkness or Sabrina Spellman.

I find the third and fourth meanings to be examples of the Catch-22 imposed on women by our misogynistic society. A Witch can be “a mean or ugly old woman” or “a charming or alluring girl or woman.” Taken together, it shows the ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ that’s so much a part of misogyny. 

This leaves us with the second meaning, a practitioner of neopaganism. While commonly associated with Gardnerian Wicca, not all neopagans who self-identify as Witches are Wiccan. There are self-identifying Witches found in a variety of neopagan traditions. And there are eclectic neopagans who proudly wear the name ‘Witch.’ 

Witch as a being one who practices neopaganism is better than the other four meanings, but it still falls short. Understanding what it means to be a Witch requires understanding the word’s etymology. Its origins also give us insights into why witches have been historically feared and revered.

According to the Neopagan elder Raymond Buckland,

The actual meaning of the word Witch is linked to “wisdom” and is the same root as “to have wit” and “to know.” It comes from the Anglo-Saxon wicce (f) or wicca (m) meaning “wise one,” witches being both female and male.

Source: Encyclopedia of Witchcraft by Judica Illes, page 3

Witches are those with knowledge. Not just any knowledge but knowledge far beyond everyday matters. This knowledge gives witches the ability to cure and bless. To help their loved ones and the rest of their community. 

As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Witchcraft is a power drawn from an intimate understanding of the occult (i.e., hidden) nature of reality. The power of witchcraft is an egalitarian power available to everyone regardless of wealth, status, gender, or sexual preference. 

This kind of power makes Witches a threat to the establishment.

One way the establishment attempts to counter-act a perceived threat is to demonize it. Hence, witches are shown as evil and dangerous. They’re portrayed as either young and beautiful sorceresses who seduce men or ugly hags who eat babies. 

Thanks to neopagan elders such as Fortune, Gardner, Leek, Buckland, and the many that have come since, the title of ‘Witch’ is being returned to its rightful place of reverence.

Blessed be the Witches.

Gothic Life

October is a magical time. It’s a time when the veil between the world of the living and the dead begins to thin, allowing us greater opportunity to connect with friends and loved ones who have passed beyond to the Otherworld. It’s also a time when society gears up to celebrate Halloween with its dark themes and spooky entertainment. Those of us with a preference for dark aesthetics and the macabre feel at home during this month.

A fantastic new book has been published just in time for this spooky season. Gothic Life: The Essential Guide to Macabre Style by Aurelio Voltaire. 

 

Aurelio Voltaire is a talented Dark Cabaret musician, and host of the YouTube show Gothic Homemaking. His YouTube series earned him the nickname “Martha Stewart for Macabre Homemakers” by the New York Times.

Gothic Life is full of wonderful ideas on how to turn your home or apartment into a gothic lair. You'll learn the best color pallets for a dark aesthetics as well as cool DIY projects. Plus, fun party hosting tips for Halloween or any gothic event.

It’s important to note that Voltaire includes more than just tips on home decor. For example, he gives some important piece of advice for those concerned about what others might think if one chooses to dress in a dark or gothic aesthetic, 

“Know that you have the right to be whoever you want to be. Furthermore, you are not bothering anyone by looking interesting or unique and by living your authentic self. If people have a problem with that, it’s their problem, not yours.”(Page 25)

In these few sentences, Voltaire has captured one of the core beliefs of Dark Paganism. I couldn’t have said it better myself (the gods know that I’ve tried.)

I highly recommend Gothic Life: The Essential Guide to Macabre Style. Also, check out his series Gothic Homemaking on his YouTube channel, The Lair of Voltaire. Click here to visit Aurelio Voltaire’s homepage.

Agatha All Along

This is a great time for movies and television shows about magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. Some great movies are Witches of Eastwick, The Craft, and Doctor Strange. Not to mention excellent television series such as Charmed, The Chilling Tales of Sabrina, and WandaVision, just to name a few. 

We now have a new great witch-themed miniseries titled Agatha All Along.

 

Agatha All Along is a sequel to the Disney + series WandaVision, with a nod to the movie Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Those who haven’t seen either might be a little lost at times since it does take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU. Therefore, while watching WandaVision and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is unnecessary, it can help. 

Although it’s part of the MCU, Agatha All Along isn’t a superhero series. The new miniseries takes place three years after the end of the miniseries WandaVision. Over the last three years, the witch Agatha Harkness had been trapped by a spell from the Scarlet Witch in Westview, New Jersey. In the first episode, Agatha escapes with the help of a goth teen (whom she simply calls Teen because a spell prevents him from saying his name) who wishes to face the trials of the legendary Witches’ Road. Without her magical powers, the two of them form a new coven of witches for their quest.

The new series is a loving tribute to witchcraft. The climactic scene in episode two, where the witches sing the Ballard of the Witches Road while the very frightening Salem Seven assault the house, sent chills up my spine. Not only was the scene scary, but the song was also powerful. Plus, the witchy aesthetics of the ending titles are so good.

The acting is excellent. Kathryn Hahn is a delight. She can alternate from humorous smart-mouth sarcasm to scary and threatening spookiness in a flash. Another great actor in the miniseries is the fantastic Aubrey Plaza.

Agatha All Along is already one of my favorite magic-witchcraft series. I highly recommend it.

Agatha All Along is streaming now on Disney +.

Lilith

Recently I ordered a calendar with artwork of what the publishing house called “Dark Goddesses.” I thought the artwork was nice, and I liked the theme. I showed my wife the ad (after I had placed my order), and she noticed that one of the illustrations was of a goddess named “Lilith.” She said, “But Lilith isn’t a goddess.” 

Her comment got me thinking. Who is Lilith, and is Lilith really a goddess?

Note: The book Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by the scholars Jeremy Black and Anthony Green is my primary source in this post for the demonology of Sumer and Babylonia.

Lilith and Sumerian Demons

Before we study Lilith, we need to understand the Sumerian and Babylonian concepts of demons. The Mesopotamian people saw demons differently than we do. They believed that demons are complex and some are benevolent while still demonic.

One example is the demon Pazuzu. While Pazuzu is a demon, he protects people from pestilent winds. He also protects pregnant women. Therefore, there were numerous amulets of Pazuzu for protection. Interestingly, Black and Green describes Pazuzu as a “demonic god.” 

Another interesting example is the demon Lamastu, who is a threat to pregnant women and infants. Black and Green describes Her as “a type of goddess” (pages 115-116) in that, although a demon, Her name in cuneiform is written in a manner for a goddess. Also, like goddesses, She has her own sacred animal (a donkey) and a boat that She uses to travel through the Underworld. In addition, unlike most demons who are limited to acting upon orders of gods, Lamastu has Her own agency and can act on Her own.

The Mesopotamian demon lilitu is central to the story of Lilith. According to Black and Green, the lilitu “are a family of a sort of demon. They are not gods.” These demons, which can be male or female, roams the desert and are threats to pregnant women and infants. (page 118).

Lilith of Myth and Folklore

Today, when people think of Lilith, we usually think of the Hebrew variant of the lilitu. In some translations of the Hebrew text Isaiah 34.14, the name “Lilith” is used, while “demon” or “night-hag” is used in others. As a demon, Lilith appears in various other ancient Jewish sources, such as the Dead Sea scrolls and Rabbinic writings. Like the Mesopotamian lilitu, the Hebrew Lilith resides in the desert and is a threat primarily to women and infants. 

The most famous Hebrew story of Lilith is that she was Adam’s first wife before Eve. In this story, Lilith was created from the Earth like Adam and was to be his equal. However, she considered herself more than equal to Adam and insisted on having sex on top rather than in the missionary position. When Adam refused, she became frustrated and flew out of the Garden in a rage. Lilith then swore that she would forever kill the children of Adam.

It’s important to note that this story isn’t old and is not in the Bible. The oldest recording of this story is found in the Alphabet of Ben Sira, which dates between 700 – 1000 C.E. A similar story is found in the 13th century C.E. Jewish work Zohar in which Lilith is described as “a hot fiery female who first cohabited with man.” 

There are many other stories of Lilith. A very different story is in the Gnostic-esque Treatise on the Left Emanation, another 13th-century C.E. work in which Lilith was created as one androgynous being with Samael. In this story, not only were Lilith and Samael a singular androgynous being but so were Adam and Eve. 

Lilith Reimagined

It was during the 19th-century Romantic period that we begin to see a reimagining of Lilith. In the 1883 poem Adam, Lilith, and Eve, Victorian poet Robert Browning portrayed Lilith and Eve as friends. Eve admits she never loved Adam, while Lilith says she always had. Nowhere in the poem does he describe Lilith as a demon. In addition, Charles Leland (famous for his book Aradia: Goddess of the Witches) associated Aradia with Lilith.

Lilith became a symbol of modern feminism in the early 1970s. In 1972, the Jewish Feminist Theologian Judith Plaskow wrote The Coming of Lilith. In her story, Lilith is portrayed not as a demon but as a wronged woman who was slandered by Adam and who struggles against sexism and misogyny. 

The reimagined Lilith as a feminist icon is still popular today. It sparked the short-lived music festival Lilith Fair and the still-running magazine Lilith. These, along with numerous film and television productions. 

Lilith Deified

It’s with modern Western Esotericism that Lilith achieved deification. Late 19th and early 20th-century magical orders venerated Lilith and incorporated Her into their rituals. Some early occult writers expressed special reverence for Lilith. Aleister Crowley, for example, included “Lilith” in the many middle names of his first child. 

Several Wiccan elders dramatically reimagined Lilith and turned Her into a goddess. Gerald Gardner claimed that Lilith had been continuously worshiped from ancient times. Another influential Neopagan elder, Raymond Buckland, held that Lilith is a dark moon goddess and equated Her with the Hindu goddess Kali. 

Lilith is popular today among many of the Left-Hand Path (LHP). Of course, there’s a wide variety of views among LHP practitioners about Lilith. Some see Her as a goddess. Some see Her as married to Satan. She’s a mother goddess to some and a sex goddess to others. 

Lilith Conclusion 

There is nothing that I have read to support Leland’s and Gardner’s claim that Lilith has been worshiped since antiquity under any name.

However, while there's no evidence that Lilith was worshiped by ancients, since Lilith is part of the larger Near Eastern culture, it would help to consider their ideas about demons. As we have seen, Mesopotamian demons are much more complex than those in the Abrahamic worldview. We see this in the entities of Pazuzu and Lamastu, who blur the lines between gods and the demons.

Lilith has been reimagined numerous times over the eons. She’s gone from a Near Eastern demon to Adam’s first wife to a feminist icon. When one considers our knowledge of Mesopotamian beliefs about demons and demonic gods, it’s perfectly realistic to consider the possibility of Lilith’s newest incarnation as a goddess.

Regency

My wife and I help care for the local community cats. We and our neighbors provide the cats with food, water, and shelter. We also work with our city to have them spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and get them health care when needed.

Indeed, there are perks to caring for the cats. While some are feral and standoffish, others are loving and allow us the honor of petting them. In some ways, it’s become our own cat café. We’ve even given the cats names.

However, it’s not all fun and games. Providing food, water, and shelter isn’t always enough. Sometimes, we can catch the sick ones for treatment; other times, they elude us. Recently, one became pregnant before we could catch her to have her fixed. This isn’t surprising since many aren’t spayed or neutered.

We have accepted regency for the cats.

In the book Pagan Consent Culture, Druid priest John Beckett wrote about the concept of regency in the context of personal sovereignty. He borrowed from the traditions of Irish kings having the right to rule as long as it’s done justly and fairly. Beckett applies this tradition to individuals who have the right to rule themselves in a way they deem fit.

However, there are exceptions to self-rule. Beckett gives the example of young children who cannot exercise their personal sovereignty. Because of this, parents are responsible for properly caring for their young children. He calls this adult responsibility ‘regency.’

We can expand this to say that we also have regency for non-human animals. This regency isn’t because of the Hebrew creation myth of humans being given dominion. Instead, our regency comes from our relationship with the natural world.

While we might not notice it in our urban living, our existence is tied to the natural world. Nature gives us the food that we eat, the water we drink, and the air that we breathe. We evolved in the natural world. Our fates are one with the Earth and with all other living things. 

However, we’re different from other animals. We crafty apes have broken the natural relations we once had with the Earth and Her inhabitants. The Earth has a fever caused by human-created global warming, which results in climate change. Human activity is causing a mass extinction on a vast scale. And we’ve taken entire species and bred them into something that sometimes barely resembles their ancestors.

This brings me back to the community cats. Domestic cats have a special relationship with humans. While genetically closer to their wild ancestors than dogs are to theirs, cats have been integrated into the human world. Whether in the distant past they chose us or we chose them, humans have regency over the domestic cat.  

Each of us must individually choose whether or not to act upon our regency. There is no divine or universal mandate for us to do so. It’s a choice we each make.

We have made our choice. Our care for the community cats shows that we’ve accepted our regency.

I encourage you to do the same.