Little Witch
Summer 2013
Hellenismos Margaret Murray Practicing Apart Together The Pagan Garden: Part 2 Magickal Places in The Netherlands
Magazine
I have wished a bird would fly away, And not sing by my house all day; Have clapped my hands at him from the door When it seemed as if I could bear no more. The fault must partly have been in me. The bird was not to blame for his key. And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.
Robert Frost-A Minor Bird
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This Little Witch T
he sun! It took a while, and when the previous magazine came out ‘I was seriously wondering if it would ever happen, but I am typing this introduction in a lazy chair outside, on the lawn, with my cat next to me and the warm sun shining down on my head. Wonderful! The seasons have finally turned to Summer here, and I can hardly believe it. The sun is making it hard to con centrate on work, as I can attest, but honestly, is there anything better than walking barefoot through the grass, with a gentle breeze playing with your hair, and the sun on your face? I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth, because before long, it will be too hot for me. I’m not really a worshiper of the sun. Helios, on the other hand…
For everyone who would rather stay indoors to read, I present you with a brand new issue of Little Witch magazine, and I’m excited about it. For those who started on their garden when the previous issue came out (like me), we have part two of the series in this issue. Lunadea and I discuss cooperation and interfaith dialog within paganism—very relevant at the start of the festival season—and for those living or vacationing in the Netherlands, Linda wrote about magickal places in my beautiful country. We have a Japanese myth, my good friend Robert Clark discussed Hellenismos as a Tradition, and there is much more neo-Pagan goodness within these pages. We wish you a wonderful read, and a beautiful Summer season. Enjoy your holidays, the sun, and nature, but don’t forget to wear sunscreen. Brightest Blessings, Elani Temperance
In this issue: 4 5 6 8 9 10 12 14 15 18
The Goodie Bag Magickal Places in The Netherlands Examining the season The Warmth of Summer Pagan world The Pagan Garden: Part 2 Witchy Things The Four Elements Merry Meet Margaret Murray The feasts Discussion Interfaith Branching out Hellenismos By the firelight Lessons of the Sparrow Practical Pagan Practicing Apart Together
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The Goodie Bag
Magickal places in The Netherlands - By Linda Zoet
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reat Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, and many other countries have special, magickal, places. Places where you can feel history weighing down on you, and where you can see it laid out in front of your eyes. Places where you are inspired to perform rituals or meditate silently in the landscape like many before you. The Netherlands has many of these places, a few of which we will discuss in this issue. The Netherlands has a good few spots that meet the characteristics laid out above. They are not only very beautiful but filled to the brim with history and energy. Most of them require a sturdy bit of walking; not great distances but these spots are generally smack in the middle of nowhere. A relatively easy to reach spot is the ‘Tafelberg’, or ‘Table Mountain’, which is not a mountain at all but a hill positioned 36.4 meters above the Amsterdam Ordnance Datum. The
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Tafelberg resembles an artificially shaped cone from which the top was taken off. Its location was determined by ancient Druids who used the hill as a ritual site. The Tafelberg is one of the few hills of this type still in existence in The Netherlands. Those that remain are considered sacred. The Tafelberg is located near Blaricum, a small town in the center of the Netherlands. The view from the Tafelberg is quite beautiful as it looks out over a heath. North east of Blaricum is the province of Drenthe. It houses a tourist attraction of equal fame to wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware: our dolmen. Dolmen are a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, and many of them were built in The Netherlands. Those that remained are in clustered in Drenthe. The province itself is a beautiful vacation spot. It’s quiet, quaint and sports some of The Netherlands’ most beautiful nature. The dolmen were used not only as toms, but also as ritual locations, including the use
as a wedding location. Through The Netherlands also runs a Leyline. This is a trackway of energy which flows though nature; not though the earth itself but on top of it. On nodes where Laylines meet, nd even on spots on the line itself, power centers inspied churches, altars, temples, stone circles and settlements. These locations were usually discovered and agreed upon by Druids, priests and healers. The town of Schoonoord in Drenthe is the starting point for a tour of a portion of these energetic hot spots. Enjoy your visit to this beautiful country’s most special spots.
Other Countries? Would you like to write about magickal places in your area? We would love to feature your aticle! Submit your article or request information at: contact@littlewitchmagazine. com
Examining the season the warmth of the summer - By Aurelia Bellis
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ust do it. Take the step. The cold, long, Spring has made room for Summer. That step? That is the step out the door, the step outside where the warm wind welcomes you with a soft and gentile embrace. The scent of freshly mowed grass and blossoming flowers reaches your nose instantly. You can feel and smell Summer in the air. Rain and thunderstorms are a natural part of the Summer season, because the Summer is not only hot, but in a lot of places, the season is also wet. Flora and fauna need the water to gather the strength needed to grow into
maturity. A good downpour is often the start of a growth spurt. Outside, it’s a fresh new world, teeming with life and overflowing with the smell of wet earth and young grasses. The sound of rain dripping into pots and pans littering the garden fills the warming sky. Cats and squirrels emerge from their hiding places to drink from the pooling water. Yes, every downpour in the Summer season is the start of a new phase of life. Summer, known for the sun, the heat, its many scents and beautiful colors. They range from deep purple to bright red and warm yellow. Summer also brings with it unique animals, like the Swallow who dances though the
air, hunting for insects, or the late May bug who clumsily navigates the air in search for a bush to land on, gripping tightly with its barbed feet to keep from falling off. The breeze makes young shoots dance and sends ripples across the surface of the water. Large Rhododendron shrubs carry the weight of soft purple or bright pink flowers. You can smell the Hawthorn on the air, despite coming to the end of its blossom. Bumblebees fill the air with their tell-tale sound while gorging on Rose hip blossoms. It’s clear: Summer is back, and with it comes the sun and beautiful nature.
Activities for Summertime Go out with friends or family and have pick nick. Don’t forget your trash! This is also a wonder-
ful season for water sports. If you are a fan of alcoholic refreshments, making your own
liqueur from your favorite type of fruit or herb is a perfect summer activity.
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t first, it seems like nothing happens for the longest time, but as soon as the weather turns warmer and the sun starts shining, the first shoots emerge. Hopefully, you have seen this happening in your garden as well. The lush beauty of lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, herbs and in the meantime also juicy grapes, cherries and kiwis can be found in the garden again. Those of you who sowed in lines as tipped in the previous edition of Little Witch magazine will be able to tell weed from young sprout easily, making the job of keeping the garden neat by weekly removing the plants that don’t belong much easier. This provides valuable light for the plants that you do want to nurture in your garden. After the seedlings come up from the earth, you might notice they are placed very close together. Especially with plants grown from seeds, this happens often, because you tend to sow them too close together, or more seeds
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catch on than expected. When you spot sprouts battling each other for sunlight, you can see they are often paler than the other seedlings, and they tend to shoot up to reach the light. To prevent losing both shoots, you can thin the crop. You thin a crop anywhere in the line where you find crowded plants. With thinning, you take out half to two third of the shoots, leaving the biggest and strongest looking seedlings and replanting the others, or removing them from the garden altogether. You can eat vegetables like spinach and lettuce when they are very young, so you can harvest your first crop very early—about two to three weeks after the seedlings first come up. As many crops can be harvested in the coming season, here are a couple of tips to maximize the yield and everything from the garden that it has to offer you. To start, many crops, especially lettuce, spinach and many herbs like lemon balm, thyme, rosemary, sage, can be harvested in portions. To do this, you simply take as much as you need, and
use it. Then you do it again. This way, you can take from the garden what you need, and the crop continues to grow throughout the season, meaning you get the most out of the plant. On top of that, harvesting during the growth process makes sure the rest of the crow receives enough light to grow into healthy and happy plants, and if you cut the plant right above where it branches, the branch will continue to bud and grow. Vegetables like carrots, unions, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and herbs once the season passes are harvested whole. Winter hardy herbs, however, will regrow in the next year if you cut them down to about five centimeters off of the ground instead of pulling them out. Because harvesting is quite the job, it’s recommended to harvest herbs in weekly intervals; one species per week, for example. This way, you have a week to make tinctures, oils or ointment bases out of them. Especially for individuals or small families, this method of harvesting is also recommended, because you could
Pagan World
The pAGAN Garden: Part 2 - By Calandriel an Cuiileur
run the risk of wasting perfectly good food. When you don’t manage to harvest all your herbs and vegetables it’s recommended to let plants (or even parts of plants) grow out until they produce seed. This seed will fall on the ground, or can be harvested to spread out at a later date. The perfect time for harvesting seed is when the seedpods have shriveled and pop. The seeds will then have pre-dried some in the pod itself, and harvesting comes easy.
Once your plants produce seed and you have harvested it, you can dry it in a shed or inside the house. Make sure to store it in an airtight container until he next spring. By harvesting seeds for next year’s crop, you are not only saving the money you would have had to invest in the garden, you can also enjoy the flowers many vegetables and herbs produce. On top of that, flowers attract birds, bees, and butterflies who will pollinate your plant and
help seed production without any help from you. This will assure a strong crop in the coming year. In the next edition, we will discuss how to make tinctures and oils from the herbs you have harvested, and we also discuss how to prepare your garden for next year’s crop. Until that time, enjoy the simple but rewarding job working your garden, as well as the spoils of your labor.
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Witchy Things The Four Elements - By Linda Zoet
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ost people are aware of the four elements: water, fire, earth, and sky. There are many ways to work with the elements; you can use them in magick or invent them into your rituals or ceremonies. The elements are the cornerstones of the natural world. Try coming up with a product which does not contain or was made with at least one of the elements. As we are part of nature, we all have the four elements inside of us. Inside of us, every element is represented with a variety of characteristics. A possible distribution can be found below.
Characteristics of the Elements: Earth: Growth, grounding Air: Intellect, reasoning Water: Emotion, movement Fire: Transformation, creation
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Everyone recognizes it, a period where your thoughts will not settle. This could be an overabundance of air. A period where you can’t settle down and you feel the need to move all the time might be a period where you have an overabundance of fire. A period where you are looking for quiet and warmth is a period where your earth element thrives, and a period where you hop from emotion to emotion is a period where you have to deal with too much elemental water. There are times that one element rules our lives. There is nothing wrong with that. A continual balance between all four elements is nearly impossible. Besides, we need an overabundance of certain elements in certain situations. Depending on our job, we might need more of either fire, air or earth while performing it, an when we get home, we generally display more characteristics connected to the water element. We rarely have full control over the situation we are in and the people we live with, and so we shift between the
elements continually, depending on the situation. It can happen that we get stuck in a certain element, which can become a hindrance. In case this happens, it can help to become aware of which element you are currently stuck in. You can then try to lessen the influence of the element by offsetting it with an activity linked to the opposing element. Is worrying the only thing you can do? Worrying is an air characteristic, and it can be offset with an earth-related activity like gardening. This will help restore the balance. Recognizing the element which you are stuck in is an activity that will help you get to know yourself. One way to facilitate this process is to make a word web. Take four sheets of paper. Write down one element per paper. Start with one of the elements and write down what you think is connected to it. Do this for all four elements and you will be able to locate the element you are struggling with. An example of earth: mountains, fertility, grounded, caring, cave, stable, happy. Enjoy!
Merry Meet
Margaret Murray - By Elani Temperance
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argaret Alice Murray was born on 13 July, 1863 in Calcutta, India. She studied linguistics and anthropology at the University College of London and became one of the premiere Egyptologists of the world, working alongside renowned Egyptologist Sir William Flinders Petrie, who helped her secure employment at University College as a junior lecturer. Murray’s work on ancient Egyptian mummies was groundbreaking, and has led to many advances in the field. Many in the field of NeoPaganism will recognize Murray’s name not from her work on mummies, but from two standard works she wrote on the proposed witch-cult that has allegedly survived into at least the early modern period. During the First World War, the Egyptology department at University College was temporarily closed, and Murray used the break to conduct research for her most important books: The Witch-Cult In Western Europe and its follow up,
The God of Witches. In the books, Murray posited that that there was an underground nature religion in Europe which originated in the Neolithic and survived well into the 18th Century. This cult had a cell structure like most underground movements and worshipped a Horned God, and the lead priest or priestess dressed up at this God in ritual. Murray stated that the women tortured during the witch trials were, indeed, in large part witches, and that the Devil they spoke of was the priest who had dressed up as the Horned God, and not a supernatural entity. The Witch-Cult In western Europe and The God of Witches became a standard work for modern Paganism, and influenced writers like Robert Graves and Charles Leland, who became influential in the Neo-Pagan movement in their own right, influencing especially Wicca and Witchcraft movements. Murray’s work, however, is today widely disputed and discredited by historians and scholars in many fields; criticism
that began even during Murray’s life. Murray died at the admirable age of a hundred years old, and spent most of her life writing papers, researching the history of witchcraft and Egypt, and chairing the Folklore Society, a society founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts and crafts, customs and belief. Murray was, and remained, an avid feminist throughout her life, and a public practitioner of witchcraft—most notably placing curses on those who she deemed deserved it. Murray’s legacy lives on in NeoPaganism despite criticism on her theories, and both The Witch-Cult in Western Europe and The God of Witches are a must-read for any Neo-Pagan or Wiccan.
Books: Witch-Cult in Western Europe http://tinyurl.com/murraywc The God of Witches http://tinyurl.com/murraygow
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une: 22: Bouphonia & Dipolieia, Greek festival of Zeus, King of the Gods 24: Roman festival of Fata, Goddesses of fate and chance 25, 26: Ludi Taurei Quinquennales, Roman games in honor of the Underworld deities (held every five years) 26: Festival of Asatru, Norse festival of Odin 27: Roman festival of Jupiter Stator, who aids warriors 29: Roman festival of Hercules Musarum, Hercules of the Muses 29: Yoruba and Santeria festival of Orisha Eleggua, revealer of the destiny of souls 31: Norse festival of Loki and Sigyn, His wife
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uly: 7: Nonae Caprotinae, Roman festival of Juno, Goddess of marriage 7: Egyptian festival of Ptah, Egyptian God of craftsmen and
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architects 11: Egyptian festival of Min, Goddess of love 13: Advent of Ra, Egyptian God of the sun 14: Advent of Oiris, Egyptian God of the Dead 14: Norse festival of Rowana, Goddess of the Rowan tree and runes 15: Advent of Horus, Egyptian God of the sun 16: Advent of Set, Egyptian God of chaos and destruction 17: Advent of Isis, Egyptian Goddess of female fertility 18: Advent of Nephthys, keeper of secrets, Egyptian Goddess of love 19-Aug 1: Egyptian festival of the marriage of Isis and Osiris 20: Kronia, Greek festival of Kronos, Greek Titan God 23: Neptunalia, Roman festival of Neptune, God of the sea 31-Sep 7: Panathanaia ta mikra, Greek festival of Athena
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ugust: 1: Midsummer northern hemisphere /
Midwinter southern hemisphere 4: Egyptian festival of the Dead 6: Egyptian festival of Nut, Goddess of the sky 6: Egyptian festival of Ra 7: Egyptian festival of Thoth, God of wisdom and magic 7: Niketeria, Greek festival of NikĂŠ, Goddess of victory 9: Roman festival of Sol Indigis, God of the sun 12: Feast of Lights, Egyptian festival of Isis 12-14: Egyptian mysteries of Osiris 13: Vertumnalia, Roman festival of Vertumnus, God of seasons,
The Feasts By Elani Temperance
gardens and orchards 13: Ritual battle between Horus and Set 14: Day of reconciliation between Horus and Set 17: Portunalia, Romsn festival of Portunes, God of gates, doors and harbours 17: Egyptian rituals celebrating orderly balance among the male principles of the Sun (Ra), the Sky (Horus) and the Earth (Set). 18-27: Norse festival remembering how Odin hung from the world ash tree Yggdrasil 19: Vinalia, Roman festival of
Jupiter, the chief Roman God 20-27: Eleusinian Mysteries, Greek festival of Demeter and Persephone 21: Roman festival of Consus, God of good council 22: Feast of Montu, Egyptian festival of Montu, Egyptian God of war 23: Volcanalia, Roman festival of Vulcan, God of fire 25: Opiconsivia, Roman festival of Ops, Goddess of harvest 27: Advent of Nut 29: Advent of Hathor, Egyptian Goddess of motherhood
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eptember: 1-11: Opet festival, Egyptian festival of Amun, His consort Mut and Their son Khonsu 2: Feast of Osiris, Egyptian festival of Osiris 5: Feast of Khnum and Anuqet, Egyptian festival of Khnum and Anuqet, God of rebirth, creation and the evening sun, and Goddess of the Nile river, respectively 13: Egyptian festival of Neith Fires, God of smiting 14: Egyptian festival of Montu 15: Egyptian festival of Satet and Anuqet, Goddess of floods of the Nile River, and Goddess of the Nile river, respectively 16: Egyptian festival of Horus 16: Egyptian festival of Osiris 16: Egyptian festival of Ra 17: Egyptian festival of Mut 17: Egyptian festival of Ptah 17: Feast of Hathor, Egyptian festival of Hathor 21: Mabon northern hemisphere / Ostara suther hemisphere
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ith the super moon last month, another one this month, a multitude of planets in retrograde, and this year it’s the promised 2013—the year in which the world will focus more on consciousness—it’s becoming clearer and clearer that things are changing. The atmosphere is charged with opportunities ready to be acted upon if you dare. There is definitely something in the air. Our heads are filling with plans that we would execute as soon as possible if we could— and all at once. Look around you: the feeling is everywhere. These aren’t ordinary plans, like planning that one vacation you still wanted to take, but plans with a higher purpose. Plans to start classes, o start your own company in coaching and meditation, plans for a Pagan village, plans to connect. Connection and cooperation are key word that keep coming back. Out of this desire to connect, a Dutch forum came into existence, ‘Luna’s heksenketel’, ‘Luna’s
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cauldron’, a forum for Pagans, Witches, shamanists, and anyone else with an open mind. Within a day, the forum had over a hundred members, and people were already discussing meeting up. In that same line, there are now monthly meetings and café meet-ups. The success of the forum lies in providing a connecting element for others who view life in the same manner, and who are looking to discuss these views with others. This shows that it is time to unite, to come together and learn from each other. To realize that what we do is perhaps not as far removed from what others are doing. The difference that are there serve as lessons. Working together accomplishes much more than competing with each other and making life miserable. When you are competing with someone, you’re battling them instead of learning from them, and you miss a lot because of this. You don’t miss an access to another’s knowledge, you also miss the friendships that could form, the
discussion that gives you more insight into yourself and your practice, and the fulfillment cooperation can provide. Still, cooperating with each other and opening yourself up to a person with another view is no easy. Between the many branches of Neo-Paganism are major differences over important issues. For example, the attitude of ‘working with’ Gods in Neo-Wicca is considered impious by Recons, while Reconstructionists themselves are often seen as boring and elitist. Those who worship the Fae are perceived as gullible hippies, witches have questionable morals, and those who believe Murray’s theories about the witch trials are in desperate need of a history lesson (see page 9). And we’re not even talking about the chaos magicians, the white supremacists in Asatru and the Loki fan girls whose knowledge of Norse mythology reaches only as far as the Avenger movie franchise. We are a varied people. Just coming together is hardly
Discussion
Interfaith - By Lunadea and Elani Temperance
ever enough to start an interfaith conversation: it’s much easier to talk to people who are on the same path as you are. With people who are part of your own Tradition, it’s easier to reach a deeper level of conversation, and you don’t encounter your personal pet-peeves as often. It also saves you from having to explain your practice again and again. On top of that, not everyone wants to hear what others are doing: for many, Neo-Paganism is a solitary path, and they have their hands full with the gods, nature spirits, ancestors or dearly departed they deal with. Discussing matters outside of their sphere of interest is not desired at all. Besides, NeoPaganism is often not only a solitary path, but also a deeply personal one; dealings with supernatural entities is often enlightening and enriching, but also very private. While others might love to hear about a conversation you had with your deceased grandmother or the Greek God Apollon, chances
are slim to none that you will be sharing them with a complete stranger. Many experiences within Neo-Paganism are considered eccentric or fraudulent by those not in Neo-Paganism, but even within it, there are issues with credibility. This means that sharing your highly personal stories takes a fair bit of courage, and the issue hampers the dialogue considerably. One of the key characteristics of a good interfaith worker is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of the other person and understand where they are coming from. To understand why they feel the way they feel. To have done the research and get the basics of their faith and how it relates to yours. As an interfaith worker, you build bridges and one way to do that is to provide anchor points for conversation. Even if you are ready, the other person might not be so the motto is to persist and not get discouraged: the other person might come around eventually. Now the energy around us is
changing the way it is. An new era is emerging. Let us use its momentum to look critically at ourselves and those around us and realize that differences are there to learn from, and to help us realize that cooperation beats competition any time. There are enough faiths in this world divided from within. Let us set the right example and show that Paganism in its many guises—be it Witchcraft, Wicca, shamanism, sanitaria, hoodoo, Druidism, the Reconstruction Traditions or any other—can form a united whole. We all pride ourselves on being open-minded, and we all respect each other in some way, so lets show ourselves and others we can do this.
More Information: Luna’s Heksenketel (NL): http://tinyurl.com/fbluna Overview of upcoming Pagan café meet-ups (NL): http://tinyurl.com/pmcafe
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Branching Out Hellenismos - By Robert A. Clark
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ntroductions to the ancient Hellenic religion would likely vary considerably depending on one’s background and perspective. Hellenismos, Dodekatheism, Hellenic Reconstructionism, Hellenic religion are all names people use to describe the practice of the religion of ancient Greece. A description of the ancient religion by one of the leading scholars in recent times, the late Christiane SourvinouInwood: “Greek religion is, above all, a way of articulating the world, of structuring chaos and making it intelligible: it is a model articulating a cosmic order guaranteed by a divine order which also (in complex ways) grounds human order, perceived to be incarnated above all in the properly ordered and pious polis, and providing certain rules and prescription of behavior, especially towards the divine through cult, but also towards the human world – prescribing, for example, that one must not break
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one’s oath, or that one must respect strangers and suppliants who have the special protection of the gods, especially Zeus, precisely because they are the most vulnerable.” She also writes that it “...was not a dogmatic schema demanding faith, but an open system proposing certain articulations of the world and transversed by the fundamental Greek category of unknowability.” The practice today, just as with the ancient Greeks, incorporates an understanding that religion is not otherworldly but integral to life in all its aspects. It is a world view and relationship that emphasizes human values and modes of conduct. It is not a belief system but one of understanding one’s relationship to the real world which integrates both the tangible and the spiritual. The ancients wrote of honoring the Gods and of serving the Gods. Joan Breton Connelly writes in Portrait of a Priestess: “The Greeks developed a religious system based on the human experience and so it both reflected and sustained the
human condition in its fullest realization of sexuality, gender, and the life cycle It was and is a practice that connects one to the real world and helps one to live in harmony with it. It is all about living a life of virtue and not believing in a promise in the hereafter. The polytheistic view of spirituality, to use an analogy, is like a most beautiful tapestry − the tapestry of the spiritual essence of life and all that is − where each entity interacts to make the whole. The Gods and Goddesses are integral to this tapestry with Zeus and Hera at its center. You can call the tapestry “God”, but that diminishes the understanding, interaction, and beauty of the entities that comprise the whole. The Gods are not separate from the real world, the tangible world; the spiritual world and the tangible world are the same. Clark has been a practitioner of Hellenismos for over thirty years and is one of the founding members of Elaion.
By the firelight
Lessons of the Sparrow - By Ragnild
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he fire crackles merrily as the rain pours from the heavens and the night’s evening air is cool, but they are dry under shelter and warm from the fire. Bear watches as the last few of the soon to be listeners gather around the fire and under the shelter and he smiles; it is always pleasing that so many come out to enjoy his tales. He waits for the last person to settle down before he starts to speak, the fire popping again in the silence just before he does so. “When I was young there were many travelers that came through this town. We were along the route to the Old Capital and because of this there were always many foreigners traveling through these parts. I remember it being an extremely hot summer, very much unlike this one. A man walked up to me then and asked me if I minded sharing the shade of my tree for a bit, as it was too hot to be out in the sun. I told him I did not mind. He was an interesting looking man; his
skin was tanned from traveling and he wore clothes that almost looked like robes. He spoke with a strange accent and he told me that he was from the East. I have never been to the East myself, and said as much. He smiled and then told me a story, which I will now share with you.” Bear smiles slightly at the distant memory. He had liked the story though. Collecting stories and sharing them is one of his favorite things. “A very long time ago there was a swallow. She was a happy little thing, and she used to live in a bamboo grove. I know that most of you have never seen bamboo before,” he says, and passes out a brush drawing of a bamboo grove, “it looks like this. It can grow very tall, and these groves are the favored places of swallows to nest. Our little swallow did not nest there though. She became friends with an old man. He was very kind and everybody loved him very much. He fed her and taught her how to do little tricks, gave her treats, let her ride his shoulder when she grew tired and they
got along splendidly.” One of the young women is making the shape of a bird with her hands and the shadow of it dances along the wall of the shelter, making the children that are listening squeal in delight. “Now, the old man also had a wife. You would think that such a kindly old man would be married to an equally kind old lady, but this was not the case at all. The old man’s wife was very mean. She would complain and grumble all day long Every time the old man would do something for her, she would chastise him that he was not doing it right, even though he had been working hard the whole day. Over the many years of their marriage he had gotten used to this however, and he did not really notice her sharp words anymore. This did not mean that the others did not notice it, and she was not at all liked. She called the little sparrow a disgusting bird and often complained at her husband that he kept the bird around. One day the old woman was about to do their washing.
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This was one of the things that made her complain even more than usual, because it hurt her knees and back, and made her joints ache. The day before she had made a bowl of starch out of rice, something she needed for this chore, but the little swallow had seen it standing outside, and she had thought that it was a treat for her. It had not been however, and when the old woman found out about it the little swallow apologized profusely. The old woman would not have it though; she was so angry she punished the swallow by cutting out her tongue. The little swallow wept and flew off bleeding as the old woman yelled at her. When her husband came home that day, his wife told him that his bird had flown away and he could hardly believe it. It seemed to be true though, and when his wife had gone to bed, he wept at the disappearance of his friend. They had no children and the little swallow was the only thing that gave him joy anymore. The next morning he got up very early and decided that he would
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look for his friend, because she could not simply have run off like that; they had lived together for years now. He dressed and made his way into the nearby bamboo groves, because he knew this was where swallows liked to nest. He walked all day, not even stopping to eat a meal. He grew tired and was afraid that he would not find his friend again. He walked on, now starting to reach the heart of the grove. Here his swallow was sitting on a rock, waiting for him to appear. He greeted her happily and asked her what had happened. ‘I ate a bowl of starch, thinking it was a snack left for me,’ she told him sadly, ‘and as a punishment your wife cut out my tongue’. He asked her how she could speak to him now then – it is clear that his friend is not just a sparrow, oh no, she is a fairy – and because of this she was able to grow a new tongue. She tells him not to worry about his wife’s horrible deed and invites him into her home; after all, he had treated her with kindness and respect all these years.
He meets her family – two daughters and a husband, after which they make merry and the old man is offered refreshments. He ends up staying for a few days, but then he truly must return to his old wife, who will be angry now. This saddens the sparrow, and so she offers him a parting gift. Two boxes are set before the old man – one large and one small – and he chooses the small one, because he truly cannot make up for his wife’s actions. He thanks her, and her family, and takes it home with him. At first his wife is terribly angry, but then he shows her the gift and together they open the box. It is filled with riches beyond their wildest dreams, but instead of being pleased, his wife gets angry again. Why had he not taken the big box instead? It would have undoubtedly carried more riches than this! She goes to bed angry, and the old man follows sadly. The very next morning the wife puts on her straw sandals, takes a cane and goes to the sparrow’s house, wanting to charm her into
giving the big box. The sparrow had not expected the old woman to visitbut because she is kind, she lets the old woman in. She is offered tea, but there is no merry making or any other sort of refreshment handed out. The old woman does not apologize and she demands the large box from the sparrow, saying that unlike her husband she could carry it. The sparrow shakes her head sadly, but gives the mean old woman what she wants. The box is large and heavy, and the old woman cannot walk quickly. Not being able to contain her curiosity she puts the box down
along the way home and opens it. What she finds inside however are no riches; angry looking demons with horrible eyes, mouths and claws fly out of the box scaring her almost to death. A giant snake with an angry flicking tongue tries to choke her to death, and when she returns home she is so frightened that from that day onward she betters her life. The woman becomes kindly like her husband and they live off of their riches, having more than they can ever spend. Together they adopt a boy and they live happily for quite some time yet. Bear stretches his weary legs and looks at the children listening with rapt attention. �So children, be nice to those around you, because you do not want to live like the mean old woman had. If you are good to others, they will be good to you. Now, off to bed with you all,� Bear ends the tale, and shoos them all away, smiling after another lesson taught.
Pagan agenda Activities by the Silver Circle (NL) http://tiny.cc/SilverCircle Activities by the Cirkel van de Godin (NL) http://tiny.cc/CirkelvandeGodin Festivals and fairs (NL) http://tiny.cc/MagicalFeeling Castlefest 2 - 5 August http://tinyurl.com/castlefest1 Litha celebration 24 June http://tiny.cc/lithafb
(Your Neopagan schedule or acti-vity here? Contact us!)
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Practical Pagan
Practicing Apart Together - By Elani Temperance
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specially for those of us not living the United Kingdom or the United States, finding other practitioners of our Tradition can be a mighty challenge. Of course, with modern technology, nothing is preventing us from overcoming this distance with a little help. This issue of Little Witch, we discuss some possibilities of starting an e-group and Practicing Apart Together—like a LAT relationship but for religion. The internet—and especially e-mail, Yahoo groups, and social media—have made it possible to connect to anyone, anywhere, anytime. There are forums, groups, and lists aplenty where one can find modern practitioners of any Tradition. Yet, talking with someone is not the same as worshipping with someone, even if the discussions you are having are very in-depth and religious. Religious discussion is generally part of communal worship, as is shared
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ritual—something also at the basis of shared non-religious Traditions. There are various ways to go about establishing shared experiences. The simplest way is to find people you connect with spiritually and decide on a date, a time, a purpose and perhaps a deity to honor in your own way. It is also possible to match time tables so all participants are executing the ritual at the exact same time. A step slightly more involved than that is to write the ritual with the group, or taking turns writing the ritual. This ritual can then be performed individually. This requires a bit more shared practice—but also gives a greater sense of community. Logistically, you would all be doing the same thing after the same starting time, but it’s still impossible to line the worship up exactly, or to take up a specific role in the ritual, although opinions may vary on that. Beyond this option, there is the option of shared audio/video ritual. Anyone with a laptop,
tablet, smart phone or even a PC with a webcam and microphone can start a Google Hangout or other type of video sharing session and point the camera at what they’re doing. This interaction will allow roles to be integrated into the ritual; members call their own quarters, one member performs the sacrifice, etc. It’s not exactly traditional, but it sure helps you to feel included in a group. You might want to announce to the Gods or other entities who, exactly, is taking part in this ritual, and practice a couple of times to get the weight of technology off of you, but for many of us, this kind of elaborate set-up might be the only way in which we can take part in regular group worship. One suggestion: stick to a single continent because it might be harder to plan daytime or night time specific rituals if the time zones are too far apart. Good luck in setting up your e-group, and don’t forget to announce its existence on the Internet where seekers can find it!
Next in LWM colophon Little Witch magazine was launched in November 2010 as an initiative to bring a personal and universally Neopagan magazine to Neopagans and those interested in the Neopagan paths in both the Dutch and English language. Little Witch magazine intends to be a grounded, modern take on a life with Neopaganism and hopes to inspire and enlighten. Feel free to contact us with any questions, tips, remarks, or to just let us know what you think. CONTACT US AT: www.littlewitchmagazine.com Twitter.com/LWMag Contact@littlewitchmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elani Temperance (Elani@littlewitchmagazine.com) Art DIRECTION: Elani Temperance ARTWORK: Maaike Kramer (www.maaikekramer.nl) All images copyrighted WRITERS: Calandriel an Cuiileur (Calandriel@littlewitchmagazine.com) Ragnild (Ragnild@littlewitchmagazine.com) Aurelia Bellis (Aurelia@Littlewitchmagazine.com)
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nd thus we reach the end of another Little Witch magazine. We have discussed everything from interfaith work to mythology, and from Hellenismos to witchcraft. As always, we have tried to bridge the divide between the many Neo-Pagan Traditions. It is something we love to do. If you are a writer and you would be interested in helping us bridge the divide in the next issue, we would love to have you for a guest post or recurring spot. All you have to do is send a sample of your work—preferably non-fiction—to contact@littlewitchmagzine.com. We will getting contact with you about joining the team.
For inspiration, and for those of you who are simply here to read: in the next issue, Calandriel continues her series on the Pagan garden by discussing tinctures and soil preparation, we discuss edible mushrooms which you can pick in the Fall, and we have a Celtic mythology inspired myth for you to enjoy. Of course, our regular columns like the feasts and an introduction to Autumn will be back. We hope you join us again in three month’s time. Until we meet again, we wish you a wonderful summer, a good holiday, as little burned skin as possible and some great fun a Pagan festivals around the globe.
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