The Soccer Moms'
Guide To Wicca

The History Channel ran a show called “Quest for Dragons”, that included the history of the Dragon, which dates back to 4000 BC. While watching this show with Aidan, I had an Aha! moment about why Paganism and Satanism are so intertwined in western culture. Here’s a quote from the show:

“I think now we live in a time when we think that there has to be a world of difference between what is Christian and what is Pagan, but it wasn’t at all what it was like in the time of Anglo-Saxon England. Religion was something that would move into a new area, and hybridize what was already there, that is you’d find a mixture of what was Christian and what was Pagan, and the two things would be together simultaneously.”  [narrator:] And so, the fire-breathing dragon becomes the embodiment of everything evil, and the Church the embodiment of everything good. “The Church was a very powerful force, in medieval times, and they did…try to teach people good behavior. And they did put fear in people, if they did do something evil, that they may suffer later on…” [narrator:] But the Church’s dragon isn’t merely evil, it’s the ultimate embodiment of evil, the Devil himself… “  

And so Christianity moves in, Paganism goes underground, and Paganism and the Devil become synonymous. This is the first time I’ve seen such a direct example of how the two were connected, and why. This association might be common knowledge, but I’ve never researched it, so it is new to me.

This dovetails with what I wrote last night about the West Memphis Three, and it especially brings great clarity for me to one of my first posts on this blog, about why people are so threatened by Paganism. Our family has discussed in the past how this has happened, and now I can help them by illustrating the transition more succinctly.

I’m so glad I watch educational television with my kids:)

I’ve noticed that the struggle for religious freedom has become a theme in my life.You’d never know it if you read our blog:) Years ago, I saw an HBO special called “Paradise Lost”, a documentary about three 8-year-old boys who were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas.  I subsequently read the book “Devils Knot”, by Mara Leveritt, a more in-depth look into the case.

The “West Memphis Three” are men who have been incarcerated for these multiple murders. The prosecutors presented no credible physical evidence that these men - who were only boys at the time - were involved in this crime. They were convicted because they were young and rebellious, on the grounds that they were Satan worshippers, which was not correct. Damien Echols, one of the three, is sitting on death row for these crimes.

Aidan, my eleven-year-old son, was looking over my shoulder when I was updating myself on where their case stands at their website -WM3.ORG , and we watched a video on the site together. In the last year or so, their organization has raised enough money to have DNA testing performed on the physical evidence that exists from the crime scene. Not one trace of DNA from any of these three was found. As a matter of fact, DNA from one of the victim’s step-fathers and his friend were found, but nothing of the men sitting in jail. I explained to Aidan that the courts will now look again at the case. They need to decide if they would have found the men guilty had this DNA evidence been entered at the time of the trial. There is a very good chance that they will be set free.

Aidan and I talked about the First Amendment, and how it is supposed to protect freedom of religion.  We talked about how a witch hunt could take place in our century, in our lifetime. We talked about small-town mentalities, and fear. We talked about teenage rebellion, and how it could be misconstrued and taken out of context.

Aidan decided he wanted to be an advocate for religious tolerance, and that he wanted to help get the word out about the West Memphis Three. I got him a T-shirt through the site, with the First Amendment on the back and “Free the West Memphis Three” on the front. I loved and was inspired by his desire for activism, and got him the shirt.

He wore it to a friends’ house last night, and ended up in a conversation about Satanism.  Aidan made a point that religous freedom was protected by the government, and that as long as they aren’t hurting anyone, they should have the right to believe what they want.  Our friend argued that Satanism was evil. Aidan responded with an interesting slant - he said that to Satanists, evil is good, and so to them they were practicing good in their minds (I thought that argument was actually sound).

Here’s my issue…
We’re having enough problems attempting to come out as Wiccans in our society, to people who equate Wiccanism with Satanism. These two religions actually have almost nothing in common…Satanism isn’t even Pagan, it’s a monotheistic religion, the opposite of Christianity. (see more in this post, “Why do People Find Paganism So Threatening?”) Anyway, we’ve got enough challenges without putting Aidan in a position where he has to defend Satanism. I think it’s actually counterproductive to what we’re trying to do. Unfortunately, because the West Memphis Three case is so closely linked with the idea of Satanism, I can’t think of a way to separate the religious tolerance aspect of it, especially for someone his age.

I’ve asked him not to wear the t-shirt until I can think this through. I can certainly begin to introduce him to different avenues down which to pursue the cause of religious freedom, but I’d like to spread awareness of this case, and he would too. I’d love advice, if anyone has any.

After we got the kids down last night, I decided to keep the cats in the bedroom with Matt and I. My sister-in-law was very concerned about the cats getting in bed with her, and I knew they’d be playing.  I didn’t want my nieces to come across my 16 pound hissing cat who protects the upstairs hall bathroom from visitors. I also wanted to be a good hostess, and let my sister-in-law get some rest. I didn’t know that it would be at the expense of my own. At 3:30, after 4 hours of crying, meowing and door-scratching,  I gave up and let the cats out.  

We had the three of them overnight last night, and in the morning my in-laws are coming to stay overnight tomorrow. I do love the company - I wouldn’t have houseguests as often as I do if I didn’t enjoy it -  but I get overwhelmed with it at the same time.

I’m running on 4 hours of sleep, and I can’t see straight, so I’m going to try to write tomorrow about the perils of putting a West Memphis Three t-shirt on an 11-year-old.

I went to work today. Big news, right? Well, things in my life have been hectic and topsy-turvy in several ways lately, so something as mundane as going to work has become something of a rare occurrence. Luckily, my job gives me the flexibility to come and go as I need.

That’s about all it gives me. The pay is crap, and the job is boring as hell. Not just boring — repetitive until I wanna pull my hair out. It is an editing job, which should be right up my alley. But I’m editing the same damn things everyday, twenty or more times a day. Mystery shopper surveys all look the same after a couple of hours, no matter what store they’re reporting on. By the end of my four-hour day, I can’t feel my eyes.

I’m desperate for work that’s fulfilling and exciting. I know that very few people are fortunate enough to earn a living and love what they do at the same time. I want to be one of those people. I need intellectual and creative stimulation. I could do with a bigger paycheck, too, but one thing at a time.

So what am I doing to find this fabulous job? Not a whole hell of a lot. I feel like I’m waiting for something to happen, but I don’t know what that is. Maybe I’m just waiting for me to get off my ass and make something happen. Who knows?

The thing is, I feel this way spiritually, too, like I’m waiting for something to happen that will wow me back into feeling connected and “witchy” again. And I know — or know of — a bunch of other Pagan women who have been feeling spiritual malaise. Check out Dianne Sylvan’s blog, or 2 Witches Blog, and read back through some of the recent posts. Not to mention our very own Fae, who’s swimming up toward the top of her pool of depression as I write. I’m not sure what’s causing this mass melancholy — planet alignment, oppressive heat, something in the water — and I find it odd, yet oddly comforting.

Now, I’m not in a full-blown depression, but it does help to realize I’m not alone in this state of ennui. It’s a little overwhelming, though, to contemplate making sweeping changes in my life. I recognize that there’s a bit of comfort in this zone, and I’m reluctant to leave it, as much as I want something more out of life. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

OK, I’m not sure I have enough energy at the moment to start making any grand plans, but I do know that waiting won’t bring about any changes. I’m going to have to invest my energy into my life, just like I have to invest it into my magic.

8:00 pm

Tonight is the first night in some time I’ve sat down, frowned, and said; “I don’t have anything to blog about.”  Then it occurred to me, that this day was remarkable because it was unremarkable, in a stress-related way.

Our house rose fairly early today, as my sister-in-law was bringing our two nieces out from Long Island. They got here before eleven. Because Matt was working from home, we needed to get out of the house, so she and I took the four kids to the pool after eating a quick lunch. Alumah brought Sandy and Sunny as well, and we sat all day and did nothing. We watched the kids swim, and sat and talked, and dozed in the sun for hours. And ate chips. A lot of chips.

About dinnertime, Alumah and I ran off to the grocery store for some extra supplies, and returned home to make a quick and easy dinner. We all ate, cleaned up, and now we’re settled in for the evening. Alumah and the kids headed home, and everyone else is downstairs watching “So You Think You Can Dance” in the living room. I”ve escaped up to my room to blog.

I’m experiencing a strange satisfaction from having a lazy day. Usually lazy has a very negative connotation to me, and it’s something I don’t like being. Today, it was good. ..

10:00 pm

…until 10:00, when we tried to get them to sleep. Have you ever seen the movie “Eric the Viking”? Think of the scene in the boat, when Eric’s trying to get everyone seated correctly. The two young ones were going to sleep in Gillian’s room, and the two older in Aidan’s room. But Gillian sleeps in the dark, and her little cousin was scared, so she came downstairs to sleep with her mom, leaving Gillian alone with no ’sleepover’. Then my older niece came down because Aidan’s room is too light - he sleeps with his light on (we’re working on that). So the younger one who is afraid of the dark went to sleep with Aidan, and the older cousin went to bunk in Gillian’s dark bedroom. I think those two are asleep. At this point, my young niece has gone up and down at least five times, and is crying and whining because she’s exhausted and can’t sleep. My husband is in my son’s bedroom trying to get him to sleep. My sister-in-law, who is dying to curl up with a book in an empty bed, is trying to console her younger daughter, and get her to the point where she can sleep. I thought we were good, but then I was called to get both cats up to our bedroom, because they were playing with each other downstairs, and keeping the child awake. 

It is now 11 pm. This has been going on for an hour. I am now alone in my bedroom with two cats. I think I’ll stay here until the house calms down for the night.