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On October 30th, 2011, a group of pagans gathered in Lafayette Square in front of the White House to honor the feminine divine and support religious freedom. We were motivated partially by the malefic prayers of NAR, but mostly out of our love for the goddesses of our various traditions. Here is my speech, my invocation and my prayer from the ceremony.
_ _ _
In September of 2001, many of us felt overwhelmed and filled with emotions from fear to rage, from shock to grief, and from numbness to action.
For those of us who study mythology, we too felt all those same feeling, but we felt something else at work beneath the surface. And here I must quote the late Dr Maggie Macary in her inaugural blog of November of 2001.
“I felt paralyzed along with the rest of the world, wondering how to move forward in life in the face of so much death and destruction. In the days that followed, further news of terrorist acts and death confounded me, leaving me at a loss for words. I have felt locked in a liminal, in-between state since September, betwixt and between what once was and what will soon be. Now, during the darkest days between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, I feel lost in the Underworld, trying to remember: how does life go on in the face of death?
As always, I return to my solace: the myths of life, death and rebirth, those timeless stories of darkness and light, despair and hope. ... In studying these stories of death and descent, I am reminded what the ancients knew so wisely: that all transformation, all initiatory experiences, must first begin with a death. The ancients understood this instinctively, basing their rituals, the same rituals that appear disguised over and over again in our own modern lives, on a cosmogonic cycle in which a retreat to Chaos is required before a new world can be created. This Chaos is the end of a “mode of being,” a death to the old life in preparation for the new. In our modern lives, we forget that death is the beginning of renewal, a time to dismantle the old in preparation for the new.
It is this forgetting of the old patterns, the loss of our retelling the old tales, the forgotten reenactments of initiatory and cosmogonic rituals, that causes us to feel despair at so much death and destruction. In these tales and rituals humans have found a spiritual comfort that transcends the literal tragic events of life. These tales and rituals allowed people to experience the rebirth that comes from the darkest places of death. Without the retelling, life begins to lose its sense of spiritual meaning and the unconscious steps forward to create its own destructive patterns. ...
It is conscious re-mythologizing of the old tales that becomes important for healing to occur.
... We are not the authors of the stories, we are the re-tellers, the ones who once more take up the ancient myths and through our imaginations, make these stories our own. In the process, we will find a healing that revitalizes our lives.
...Let us rekindle the hearth fires and gather around to re-tell the old stories. Let us hold tight to one another through the long dark nights ahead, and remember that, as always, the light will soon return.”
I savor her precious wisdom, but unlike Dr Macary, I am not only a mythologist, I am also a pagan priestess. So I do not just retell the old stories, I honor the gods within these precious remnants of our ancient human heritage.
And for me, the stories of descent not only lead me toward healing and transformation, they bring me into the presence of many of the old gods. And it is important to honor them all, but today we are here to honor especially Inanna, the Queen of Heaven.
And it is during times of darkness, despair and confusion, that many shrink from the transformative work, clinging instead to forms and structures that are falling apart, creating orthodoxy from past nostalgias and even resisting the turning of the great wheel.
It is at times like these that folks clinging to the status quo demonize the old gods. It seems far easier to denigrate the Queen of Heaven than to follow in her footsteps.
And so the New Apostolic Reformationist have deliberately focused on demonizing the Queen of Heaven. Even today as we gather to hold up Columbia, herself a very American goddess, they seek to dislodge her from her perch because in their eyes, she is an aspect of the Queen of Heaven.
But I am here to say that if our American Goddess, Columbia is an aspect of Inanna, then we will hold them both up for devotion, honor and worship. Because that means that Columbia, like Inanna has the power to transform, the power to heal and the power to guide us towards the new world that is coming into being all around us.
And so today, we honor Inanna, Columbia, and a host other goddesses with prayers and songs.
And in the words of Doctor Macary ...
“Let us rekindle the hearth fires and gather around to re-tell the old stories. Let us hold tight to one another through the long dark nights ahead, and remember that, as always, the light will soon return.”
So mode it Be!
_ _ _
Invocation
*Our Lady of the Morning is Radiant
She looks down upon us from Heaven
We sing your praises, Holy Inanna
Radiant on the horizon (2x)
We call to Inanna
Queen of Heaven & Earth
Daughter of the Moon
Procurer of the Me
Keeper of the laws
Earning the right through ordeal
to rule all she surveys
We call to Inanna
Queen of Heaven & Earth
Daughter of the Moon
Admirer of her own sexuality
Taking what is hers to receive
Lover of Men and
The Giver of Pleasure
We call to Inanna
Queen of Heaven & Earth
Daughter of the Moon
Journeys under her own authority
Knocks on the gates of the darkness
Enters to face the dark Queen
And dies to be reborn
We call to Inanna
Queen of Heaven & Earth
Daughter of the Moon
Guide us in our journey
Show us the way
Help us face the darkness
of our own transformation
We call to Inanna
Queen of Heaven & Earth
Daughter of the Moon
*Our Lady of the Morning is Radiant
She looks down upon us from Heaven
We sing your praises, Holy Inanna
Radiant on the horizon (2x)
*Original song written by Katrina Messenger
_ _ _
Prayer
Hail Inanna, Queen of Heaven & Earth
I am your daughter and priestess
I who bow in your presence and revel in your love
pray that you bless this work and these people
gathered in your honor.
We greet you as our queen, our guide and our mother
We ask that you bless this work and hear our prayers
Teach us how to reach outside of our comfort
for the work that is ours and true
Give us courage to take what is ours by birth
and defend these traditions and mysteries
against the tyranny of fear
Delight in our beauty and innocence
while gently nudging us forward on our path
Help us to hear the call to healing
and step on the journey of transformation
Open our hands so we can let go of what is non essential
Hold us close when despair takes hold
Revive us with the waters of life
and guide us back into the living light
Hail Inanna, Queen of Heaven & Earth
We who are your children, please protect us with your love.
_ _ _
Copyright 2011 Katrina Messenger
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 4:45pm.
For Immediate Release
DC Pagans to Hold Halloween Ceremony Countering the New Apostolic Reformation Cursing Prayer Campaign On October 30th in Lafayette Square Park
Priestesses and priests from the Washington, DC Pagan community will hold a Celebration of the Divine Feminine and Religious Freedom in Lafayette Square Park across from the White House on Sunday, October 30th, 2011, as a protest to the New Apostolic Reformation’s 51-day prayer campaign targeting Pagans, Wiccans, Witches, Druids, Heathens, and other Goddess-worshipers nationwide.
The New Apostolic Reformation is a Dominionist group of Christians preaching that all feminine forms of deity are demonic. The NAR is engaged in a 51-day campaign of imprecatory prayer to create a fundamentalist Christian theocracy in the USA. Republican presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are influenced by the NAR agenda.
Reverend Barry Lynn, United Church of Christ minister and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said, “Some people think the Dominionists and the New Apostolic Reformation are a newfangled movement. I call them what they are: the Religious Right in a new gown. They're not fooling anyone. This is the same old bunch of theocrats we've been dealing with for more than 40 years. It's the same crew that believes only its narrow version of Christianity is acceptable and pleasing to God. It's the same collection of people who believe their religion gives them the right to run everyone else's lives.”
Rev. Lynn went on to say, “I have news for them: Wiccans and Pagans are part of the American religious mosaic, and they're here to stay. Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison gave us religious liberty - and that means religious liberty for everyone. The followers of nature-based faiths are going to use it because they don't want to lose it. What could be more in keeping with the great American tradition?”
Katrina Messenger, a writer, teacher, blogger, poet and Washington, DC native, will be the main celebrant in Lafayette Square Park. Ms. Messenger said, "The methods used by the NAR and other Dominionists are founded upon hate, fear, and ignorance. Their demonization of our Gods and Goddesses uses inflammatory language that can lead to violence and discrimination against followers of minority religions. We have choices in how to respond to this threat to our freedom and our faiths. Many are resorting to prayer, some to writing letters, and some to defensive strategies. We decided to honor the Queen of Heaven, the Goddess Inanna, in a public space, and demonstrate the very freedoms the Dominionists seek to destroy." Ms. Messenger is the founder of Connect DC and the Reflections Mystery School in Petworth.
Event organizer Caroline Kenner is a Washington, DC-born shamanic healer and teacher who now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. “Nationally, many in our community are appalled by the scurrilous lies about our Goddesses spread by the New Apostolic Reformation. We Pagans are proud American citizens entitled to all the religious freedom granted by the Founders of this country in our Constitution. We are dismayed by the hate-filled rhetoric the New Apostolic Reformation uses, and we wish to show the public that our Goddesses are beneficent and peaceful deities.”
The event in Lafayette Square Park begins at noon and ends at 5pm on Sunday, October 30th, Samhain eve to many Pagans, leading into one of the most holy days of the Pagan year. “Samhain, or Halloween, is the Feast of the Ancestors in some of our Pagan religions. We will invoke the Founding Fathers and Mothers of our nation during our ceremony, along with a multitude of Goddesses from pantheons both ancient and modern. Among our Goddesses will be Lady Liberty and Columbia, the Goddess who stands guard atop the Capitol Building,” said Ms. Kenner. “The New Apostolic Reformation people would topple Columbia from Her pinnacle, and rename DC the District of Christ.”
There will be a number of people offering prayers during the ritual, including a Unitarian Universalist minister and celebrants from several Pagan faiths. After the religious ceremony, there will be drumming, dancing, chanting and energy raising designed to protect people in all fifty states and DC who support freedom of religious belief and practice for everyone. People of all faiths or none are welcome to join the event.
Sacred Space, an annual conference on metaphysics, mysticism and magick, now in its 22nd year, is the sponsor of the celebration in Lafayette Square Park on October 30th. Supporting organizations include Connect DC, Reflections Mystery School and Gryphons Grove School of Shamanism. Individual supporters include Washington, DC Pagan bloggers Hecate Demeter, Literata and David Salisbury.
For more information or to read the NAR curse against Pagans, visit: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/09/the-new-apostolic-reformat...
CONTACT:
Caroline Kenner
301-384-8455
301-412-1760
mythkenner@aol.com
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 1:29pm.
Reflections is accepting applications for 2012 school year till Samhain, October 31st.
Every year we post the Reflections application for admissions and every year we hear the stories people make up within their minds about how difficult the application is or the fear it generates in some folks. I have received a great deal of push back about our admissions process. And every year like clockwork, the brave and the determined seem to submit the application just fine even with more than a little trepidation and every year they make it through the admissions process mostly unscathed.
And here we are again, another year of trepidation, nervous questions and more push back.
So this year like in previous years, I thought I would tackle another one of those “questions” we get at Reflections on a regular basis.
Why do we require folks to apply to Reflections instead of just admitting everyone who signs up?
I will answer the question, but first I need to tell you a couple of stories. (And I apologize for the length, but it could not be helped.)
Story #1: Witchcamp “Advanced” Paths
At Reclaiming witchcamps, we teach via a selection of paths. Each path meets daily at the same time, and each path will generally cover a different topic for the week. So in selecting a path, you were selecting your work for the week. You do not wander from path to path, you have to commit to a path for the week from day one. This works pretty well for the most part and the paths were usually advertised ahead of time and right after dinner on the first night, the path teachers describe their paths and the following morning, you have to pick which one to take.
However if you wanted to offer an advanced offering that required folks to be at a similar level of training, we found it helpful to require students to register for the path before camp. We would usually set a cut-off date in the camp brochure and require folks to send in letters directly to one of the teachers. So that once camp started, these students already knew what path they were in and had already completed some preparatory work.
And each year, there would be a couple of students who would request entry at camp, and each year, we would say no. Why? Because each of the students had committed to work ahead of time and as a result had already begun the work of the path. It was both a respect for their prior commitment and a guard against the new students starting up already behind the rest of the class.
Story #2: Michael Conforti, Ph.D and the Assisi Institute
Dr. Conforti founded the Assisi Institute a couple of decades ago. He began his work not knowing how it would turn out or that he would invent a new discipline in Jungian Psychology, Pattern Analysis. But one thing he learned long ago is the need to be selective in bringing in new teachers AND new students.
He shared recently that he interviews every prospective student before the application process because he wants to make sure that they are a right fit for the program. Why? Because he has worked so hard to build the learning environment (i.e. container), he wants to make sure that everyone who enters it can not only thrive, but contribute to its strength.
Dr. Conforti is not a pagan, but his attention to the learning container he has created should be familiar to any High Priest/ess worthy of the title. We try to learn as much as we can about anyone coming into our covens, lodges, circles and groups because we are guardians of the group boundaries.
The Admissions Process
And so I am determined to preserve the level of scholarship, the level of commitment and the level of maturity found within the mix of our student body. There are no perfect candidates, but I needed a way to tell if someone was capable of thriving in our school AND contributing to its overall strength.
The tool I use in addition to interviews is our application. It has twelve questions -- seven collect information such as your name, birthday, address, etc. The remaining five questions asks the candidate about their life, spiritual state, practices, references and what they seek from Reflections. Additionally we have them take a freely available Myers-Briggs test, and list classes that have taken or taught over the last 3 to 5 years.
When I wrote the application, I intended it as a way for folks to demonstrate their accomplishments, commitment, experience and depth. I had never even imagined that it would discourage good folks from applying.
And so recently I was advised to drop the application, and maybe just have interviews.
I thought long and hard about this issue and I decided to keep the application. Why? Well because interviews take up a great deal of my time, energy and attention. And if I am willing to talk to anyone who fills in an application, the least they could do is give me some information about themselves ahead of time. And the application provides me with just the information I need to conduct an interview.
And at the same time, I understand that the application may seem like an impersonal data gathering device. So here is my compromise.
I will explain what I am looking for in each question.
Questions 1 though 7 are pretty self explanatory. Here we get your names, info to pull your astrological information and ways of contacting you.
Starting at question 8 however is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak.
8 - Please explain briefly how you have demonstrated any three of the following; sustainability, willingness, self-care, humility, service and discipline.
So where did this list of qualities come from anyway. Well if you had taken the hint to read the website over carefully, it would have jumped out as the six vows of the Order of the Elemental Mysteries, The underlying spiritual tradition that supports Reflections.
And also notice what word is not listed in this question -- spiritual. This question is not about your spiritual life, it is a question whose sole purpose is to get you to talk about how these qualities already express themselves in your life, your entire life. It is an opportunity for you share your accomplishments in the world.
Did you train for a marathon, or work as a Peace corp volunteer? Did you serve in the military or help plant community gardens? Did you care for a sick relative or persevere in the face of great odds? Here is your chance to share it with us.
It is not an essay question on a college exam. We are not testing to see if you know what the words mean. We are simply giving you a chance to tell us something amazing about yourself.
9 - Please describe briefly your present sense of your spiritual strengths, abilities, challenges, and growing edges.
Now this is where we finally begin asking about your spiritual life. And again, it would help if you read the section on admissions on the website.
“Applicants are expected to have taken our foundation course Elemental Mysteries or its equivalent, participated in group ritual, and have taken steps on their own to deepen and expand their knowledge, skills and experience as a spiritual seeker
Acceptance into Reflections is based on a variety of factors including: experience, skill, knowledge, talent (latent as well as learned), maturity, self-awareness, appropriate uses of power & influence, stability, leadership and level of commitment. Special consideration is given for candidates who have tested themselves via initiation, long-term study, challenging leadership roles, or have faced difficult life challenges.
Although Reflections does not currently accept beginners in the craft, we do offer public foundations courses, such as Elemental Mysteries and the Language of Magick. Reflections however is a place for folks who have already begun the work of personal transformative change.”
So this section is asking that you demonstrate how you meet our expectations for admissions.
What are your skills, talent, knowledge, experience, etc. and what areas do you believe could be improved
10 - Please describe your current personal spiritual practice. How does this help you personally, in service, in leadership, and in community?
I always thought this was an easy question. What do you do and how does it help you. If you are a solitaire, fine. But how does your spiritual life impact the rest of your life? That is all we are looking for here. If you are not sure, say so. You cannot get this question wrong. There is no right answer. Really.
11 – Please list two people who can affirm the level of your magical/spiritual experience, ability and training. Please include either an evening phone number or email address for each. Listing their organizational affiliation is also helpful.
I have only contacted one reference ever and that was because the person misread the application, so I had to make sure it was just nervousness. That person is now one of my top students.
So please do not fret about this too much. I understand every one can have a bad breakup with former teachers or coven mates. But surely you know someone who will vouchsafe for you?
Because if you cannot get along with anyone, why on earth do you want to join a community of committed spiritual seekers?
12 – What do you seek to accomplish within Reflections? What are your hopes and aspirations? What are you fears and concerns?
Okay, this should be a straightforward question. Moving on ...
So now to the section that gives everyone a fright.
- Please provide a list of all your magical/spiritual trainings over the last 3 to 5 years, including names of teachers and/or mentors. You can summarize as needed.
- Please provide a list of all magical/spiritual classes you have offered over the last 3 to 5 years, including names of co-teachers and/or mentors. You can summarize as needed.
Everyone frets over these questions. So here is a hint. I am not using the answers to this question to determine if you get into Reflections. So relax. There is no wrong answer here. Just tell us what training you have had or provided. And “None” is a valid answer to either question.
And that is it, the entire application explained in detail. The only thing I did not discuss is the Myers Briggs test scores. And frankly, just attach the score sheet and forget about it.
So now, what else are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Apply! The deadline is Samhain. I look forward to reading your application!
Blessings,
Katrina Messenger
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 3:56pm.
Where to begin. There is so much swirling around me and within me at the moment, that I seem to fade into the background noise.
Who in their right mind would want be front and center to all of this ... madness and chaos?
I want to hide. I want to run away. Surely there is a place free from this ... storm.
But I have no place to hide, no where to run. It is too wide, too deep ... can’t get over it, around it or through.
So now what?
When I look around at the outer world I see signs of structural and ecological decay. I see our cultures carrying the contagions of neglect, abuse and alienation. Where there should be guilt, I see conceit. Where there should be accountability, I see a deficiency of outrage or shock.
But I also see signs of wellness, the evolution of holistic systems, and the reconnection of mind, body and soul. Where there is pain and conflict, I see attempts at reconciliation. Where there is fear and loneliness, I see signs of cooperation and connection. Where there is hunger and spiritual thirst, I see nurturance and spiritual depth.
So life is not without its salves.
But it is turbulent nonetheless. For every Apostolic reformationist, there is a Pagan permaculturist -- or at least I hope so. But the storm itself never recedes.
And so I retreat. Into the private world of my own makings. And here too, the storm rages.
My home is falling apart around me, my medical bills are piling up, my finances are dire and my schedule is too full given all the physical limits I have to endure.
But still ... for every sorrow, there is hope. For every pain, there is laughter. For every worry there is joy. But the storm still rages.
So I retreat into the work. And here finally there is calm. There is silence. There is softness, a place to rest. And here within my work, I breathe ... shallowly at first, then deeper as I return to grace.
But then I am conflicted. Why does peace for me exist only in the places between? Why can’t I bring this peace with me? What use is this bliss if I cannot bring it to bear within the worlds, the people, the pain, the decay and the fear. What use is my serenity if it is outside of the very worlds I occupy.
So I surge forward into life bringing with me all the bliss, peace, silence, softness and generosity I can muster.
And yes, I still stand in the midst of the madness, but I am not afraid. I rest within the swirls of chaos and I surrender to it.
I am one with the pain, the loneliness, the decay and the conceit ... and I am filled with peace, outrage and compassion. I am angry and I am delighted, I am grieving and filled with hope, and I am silent and screaming.
It is so easy to retreat from it all. It takes a bit of madness to face the abyss .... and smile. And I am grinning like a Cheshire cat as I surf the currents spilling tears over all I see and sense.
I am crying for all the pain and I am crying for all the beauty. May my tears bring moisture to the thirsty. And may my ramblings bring nurturance to anyone suffering in the storm’s wake. Let us join hands and ride this wave together. For in all of this chaos, remember that you are not alone.
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 6:20pm.
Wish I could be there. Very well spoken.
Katrina,
I wish you all the blessings and power you need on your journey. Thank you for these words. It is good to remember that returning to work (and thus returning to grace) bring a chance for us all to rest and have joy.
Wishing you joy in the Work.
David
Dear Katrina- Thorn reposted your blog and happy am I. Your passion, always so immense, comes blowing out in these words. So akin to my own heart and soul that it makes me have a bittersweet smile.
The Storm is only now coming to the edges of our universe and yet it will sweep and consume all that is. In the end, our beautiful universe will be so much...more? Different? Complete? Who knows?
All I do know is my soul came here to witness and be part in this period. I cannot shrink from the work. I am here with you, fae sister!
Thought-provoking piece, Katrina. Thanks.
I don't know what to call myself either. In Pagandom, I've taken to referring to myself as a Witch at Large. In the interfaith world where I'm active, I call myself a Pagan. Sometimes I call myself an uppity woman or a Second Wave Feminist. I've never really thought to publicly identify myself by my sexuality, het woman, which is very "white bread" and old-fashioned. Not only het, but serially monogamous for the most part. It seems almost a liability these days to say you're het, but I am proudly and happily so. I tend towards intellectualism but only have a BA, which doesn't carry much weight, at least in public and professional worlds, no matter how much you've studied, trained, and can articulate, even teach.
My biological heritage is Irish, Dutch, French Huguenot, Euro-mongrel. My social heritage is Roman Catholic on one side and conservative Methodist, temperance-crusading, women's rights and education on the other, with distinct East Coast sensibilities, now mellowed by more than half a century living on the Left Coast. My maternal political heritage is conservative Republican (altho what my relatives might think of current trends in the GOP I cannot imagine, since they did have brains and they did think and they did have a social conscience), yet I am much farther left in my outlook than any elected official I know. My paternal political heritage is blue collar Democratic, except that my dad broke with his family on politics and allied with my mother's family's conservatism.
I'm a former hippie, a home-birth advocate, a home death and green burial advocate, an opponent of capital punishment and resorting to warfare to resolve humankind's differences. I support the right to conscious self-deliverance. I rejoice in any and all consensual expressions of love and eros. I'm a lover and a mom.
I have never missed voting in an election and I disrespect those who don't avail themselves of this hard-won right. (I have ancestors who fought the Brits in the American Revolution.) I support workers' rights. I recognize our interdependence on this planet, so could be called a greenie. I'm a committed environmentalist in my day-to-day life (in terms of eating locally grown food, expanding public transit, recycling, preserving open space and wildlife, opposing exploitation of natural resources [strip mining, oil-drilling, nuclear facilities, agribusiness, monocultures, clear-cutting timber, overuse of pesticides, genetic modification, etc.]) I want to make the city streets "safe for dancing," as my old friend Tony Serra said when he ran for mayor of SF on the Platypus Party ticket.
Well, you got me going there, my friend. Thought-provoking read, as I said. ;-)
xo,
Macha
Lovely azaleas!
[cough][gag][snort][sneeze]
Just lovely...
I know what you mean.
I feel you. There is too much bs- particularly when people decide that their temperament is tantamount to truthful and ignore everyone else.
I get irked by immature extroverts or closet introverts who ignore you REPEATEDLY and then pretend you're out of line for being upset by the time they can't pretend you didn't say anything anymore. I find that the same people will ignore you if you blow up right away, too, and that it's because they just don't think that honoring what you value is important to maintaining a relationship, or even worse: that you don't know what you value at all and that it's all a mind game for their pleasure or annoyance. Then they call you passive-aggressive, aggressive, moody, touchy and temperamental. I call them "not listening".