RogueBelle

exploringpaganism:

thewitchblog:

There is no such thing as christian witchcraft! There is only one Witchcraft and that is Witchcraft the Old Religion!

Witchcraft is not a religion. Witchcraft is a secular practice that can be added to a religion, or stand alone by itself.

You are the weakest link.

Whenever I see someone talk about the “Old Religion”, I just want to flip a table. Actually I feel that way about pretty much anyone who says “I get to define what this religion is and everyone else is wrong by reason of being not me”. I can’t even with OP any time I see her reblogged; her utter lack of comprehension offends me not only as a pagan but as a historian. She’s pretty much 100% wrong on everything she says about both ancient conceptions of religion and about Christianity. Not just interpretation, though she’s wrong about that too, but just plain factually incorrect.

For instance: While the Bible has many proscriptions against things we would now consider “witchcraft”, most of those are in the Old Testament law codes, and have no more relevance following the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth than do the proscriptions about, say, shellfish or homosexuality. The few references in the New Testament are about necromancy, so, a certain type of black magic which I gather Christian witches abjure?, and a very few are about seeking advice from mediums or fortune-telling, but only when used in place of seeking guidance from God. If you’re still talking to your God and putting your trust in him, you’re cool so far as the New Testament is concerned. Christian Witchcraft is not a paradox.

I’m not even going to begin on how pretty much any conception that someone in the modern day can be practicing a form of paleolithic religion is just completely impossible, because that is so absurd archaeologically, sociologically, psychologically, and frankly physiologically, that I would not even know where to start.

paganmoma:

I think this is witchcraft in a nutshell.

(via moreinsanerer)

witchqueen:

wheel of the year | Beltane (April 30 - May 1)

Beltane is a joyful festival of growth and fecundity that heralds the arrival of summer. It is the festival of the ‘Good Fire’ or ‘Bel-fire’, named after the solar deity Bel. Bel was also known as Beli or Bile in Ireland, with Bile meaning ‘tree’, so Beltane may also mean ‘Tree-fire’. Beltane is the counterpart of Samhain (and is sometimes referred to as Cetsamhain, the ‘first Samhain’), and these two important festivals divide the year into summer and winter halves, just as the two equinoctial celebrations, Ostara and Mabon, divide the year into light and dark halves.

Lighting fires was customary at Beltane, and traditionally a Beltane fire was composed of the nine sacred woods of the Celts. All hearth fires were extinguished on Beltane Eve and then kindled again from the sacred “need fires” lit on Beltane. People would leap through the smoke and flames of Beltane fires and cattle were driven through them for purification, fertility, prosperity and protection.

In terms of the God and Goddess cycle, Beltane marks the union of the two deities, bringing new life to the earth. It is a traditional time for Handfastings (marriages), and was a time for couples to make love outside to bless the crops and the earth. Maypoles were often danced around at Beltane to bring fertility and good fortune. The later addition of ribbons which were wrapped around the pole by the dancers brought a further sense of the integration of male and female archetypes, mirroring the union between the God and the Goddess. Beltane lore also includes washing in May-day dew for beauty and health, and scrying in sacred waters, such as ponds or springs. (x)

Broadway and West End star Sierra Boggess, alongside John Wilson and his orchestra, perform the song “The Lusty Month of May”, from Lerner and Loewe’s CAMELOT, live the 2012 BBC PROMS concert.

Le Morte d’Arthur, Thomas Malory (Book XVIII, Chapter XXV: How True Love is Likened to Summer)

maureengianinio:

The leaves are budding across the land
 on the ash and oak and hawthorn trees.
Magic rises around us in the forest
and the hedges are filled with laughter and love.

 Blessed Beltane and Merry May Day!
May you feel Love, Joy and youthful exuberance!
 Dance..Sing….Be Merry!!

Happy Beltane!

May it be the last one I have to observe alone. :/ But! I am wearing my traditional red-and-white Beltane outfit, even though the weather is really not justifying it (Virginia climate, please get your shit together, it is now the beginning of summer so far as I am concerned), and tonight I have my first run at the new murder mystery, Once Upon a Crime (where I do, incidentally, play a witch). If I go up on any lines, I may just cover it by cracking a joke about Beltane. ;)

And, hopefully, I will not be totally exhausted when I get home tonight, and I’ll be able to do at least a little ritual. This is the start of my favourite time of year, and it is the season which is headiest for my particular inclinations — so I would like to be able to take a few minutes to talk to my ladies as we launch into it.

In the meantime, you should all brace yourselves for my typical inundation of holiday posts.

carousing-in-sin:

lethal-lovesick:

Walpurgisnacht

I will light a fire tonight but not as large as I would like it to be. 

exploringpaganism:

balrogtheherbasaurusrex:

arcadiaoccult:

If we Witches the whole race of Witches are wrong and paranoid then why is the “pagan” community so die set against Witchcraft being sovereign Religion and culture? If we Witches are paranoid then why doe’s the labels Old Religion, Witch and Witchcraft piss off the “pagan” community so much and why is the “pagan” community re-writing history? Statements from self pro-claimed “pagans and wicca’s”

“we don’t use the word Witch any more”

“No male god existed in human history til Christianity came along”

“the practice of Witchcraft came from druidism”

“the practice of Witchcraft came from wicca”

“the practice of Witchcraft is only 50 years old”

“Witchcraft is not a religion but a magical practice, wicca is the Religion”

the race of the Witches has not survived 750,000 years on this spinning ball of dirt be being stupid!

…… What bullshit did I even just read?

i dont know… this is… wow…

Yeah, I can’t even address the issue at hand because my eye is twitching over the total butchery of the English language.

natural-magics:

The ancient Celtic fire festival of Beltane traditionally takes place on or around May 1st. Celebration may begin at sunset on April 30th until sunset on May 1st, though the traditional date varies, as it occurs when the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus (May 5th, 2013). Beltane is a celebration of fertility, life, new beginnings, and awakening after a long winter. Beltane is the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Like Samhain, Beltane is considered to be an especially magical time of the year! Read more about the history of Beltane, here. 

Animals: doves, swans, felines, bees, rabbits, cattle, goats

Colors: green, yellow, pink, brown, red, white

Crystals and Stones: emerald, malachite, green aventurine, citrine, carnelian, white agate, moonstone, amber, yellow jasper, red jasper, ruby, fire agate, fire opal, rose quartz, watermelon tourmaline, bloodstone, green apatite, green moss agate

Herbs, Incense and Flowers: honeysuckle, ylang ylang, jasmine, lilac, musk, vanilla, rowan, rosemary, passionflower, peach, ash, broom, cinquefoil, clover, elder, red sandalwood, patchouli, lavender, foxglove, frankincense, sorrel, hawthorn, ivy, lily of the valley, marigold, meadowsweet, mint, thyme, woodruff, angelica, bluebells, daisy, primrose, yarrow, cedar, apple, basil, birch, grape vine, yew, willow

Symbols and Decorations: candles, torches, lanterns, fire, garlands of beads and/or flowers, ribbons, fresh spring flowers, symbols of fertility, eggs, cauldrons, baskets, wreaths

Food and Beverage: dairy, honey, leafy salads, bread, cereals, cakes, cherries, strawberries, seasonal fruits and vegetables, wine, iced tea, mead, ale, lemonade

Activities and Rituals: the Maypole dance (traditional focal point during festivals), music, bonfires, bonfire leaping, spending time in nature, gathering wildflowers, making flower crowns, making flower wreaths, making garlands, jumping the cauldron (for couples wishing to conceive), handfasting, the marriage/union of the May Queen and Green Man, fertilizing plants, nurturing goals, merriment, love-making (preferably outdoors), courtship, games, picnics, activities of pleasure, planting seeds, feasting, scrying with water, braiding hair, fertility and prosperity spellwork, rituals and spellwork associated with the Fae and other elemental entities

Deities: fertility deities, young male and female deities, Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Artemis, Astarte, Andarta,  Damona, Bres, Boann, Danu, Brighid, Rosmerta, Epona, Renenutet, Tefnut, Tawaret, Angus Og, Venus, Diana, Bel, Flora, Freyja, Rhiannon, Apollo, Dionysus, Oshun, Maia, Cernunnos, Pan, Faunus, Cupid/Eros, Odin, Frey. In some traditions, the Goddess is in her maiden aspect and the God matures to become the Horned God (Lord of the Hunt, the Oak King). The God courts the Goddess and the two become lovers.

Other names and similar celebrations: May Day, Bealtaine, Bealltainn, Beltaine, Beltain, Shenn de Boaldyn, Walpurgisnacht, Calan Mai / Source 1, Source 2, Source 3 / Decoration Guide