It's a confusing time to be a witch. Culturally, I mean.

On the one hand, recent polls suggest that alternative forms of spirituality are appealing to an ever widening group of people, numbers of self-identified modern Pagans and Wiccans are growing worldwide, the US government has acknowledged Wicca as a formal religion, and, whether you like them personally or not, highly visible people like Laurie Cabot and Starhawk have worked to elevate the public profile of witches in this country.

Then there is that other hand. The one where organized groups of evangelical preachers are chomping at the bit to challenge the law that says they can't remain tax exempt while they use their pulpits to tell people how to vote, public cases of people losing jobs and custody of children demonstrate how misunderstood and reviled we still can be, movements to ban the most popular children's story of all time proliferate because people believe the books are teaching their children how to be Wiccan, and the Republican party not only is trying its damnedest to turn our government into a Christian theocracy but also scaring the beejeezus out of thinking and rational people everywhere by choosing the most anti-feminist, anti-environment, anti-science, anti-religous-freedom candidate they could find to be their Vice Presidential nominee.

In the fantasy where a witch is standing on the steps of the US capital, one has to wonder whether she will be adding a Pagan voice to a pan-spiritual inaugural benediction or whether she will have a proverbial noose around her neck as the victim of a modern-day witch trial. Both scenarios are possible to imagine, even if they represent the two extremes on either end of the spectrum of possibilities. What is there to make us believe that reality will look more like one than the other? Hope comes in many forms.

This morning I stumbled across the article A New Generation, Poised to Reinvent, in which The New York Times interviews author Patricia Martin about her book RenGen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer - and What It Means to Your Business. Bizarrely placed in the shifting careers section, the article presumes to be about how a new generation of Americans can best be managed in the business world. But what they're really talking about is a dawning renaissance of American culture, ushered in by a whole generation of idealistic young people with a "growing interest in cultural pursuits, diversity, authenticity and social responsibility."

The cultural consumer isn't really a new concept, introduced as we know it in 2001 by Paul H. Phd Ray in his book The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World and reinforced in 2003 by Richard Florida in his book The Rise of the Creative Class. Of the RenGen persona, Martin says it's more of a psychographic than a demographic, characterized as follows:

. . . they are eco-conscious; they take their cues from nature so they are willing to accept products that are flawed but authentic rather than slickly produced and inauthentic. Dove figured this out with the real-women campaign. They want to make a difference. They want to live many lives. They don’t want to be told, “You can’t be an architect and a poet.” They are sensualists. Because they are both idealistic and cynical at the same time, they have learned to trust what they experience rather than what experts tell them. That is why design and aesthetics are so elevated right now.

Does any of this sound familiar?

The contrast between the RenGen world view and that of an outmoded 20th-century mindset sounds remarkably like the way modern Pagan spirituality distinguishes itself from the more dogmatic religious traditions with which our culture is more familiar. Just as many people are no longer content to follow an outdated monotheism that fails to serve their spiritual needs, turning in unprecedented numbers to more fulfilling alternatives, so is the culture at large ready for a profound change.

Civilizations end, and not for reasons people often think, like military overreaching or corruption. What happens is that so much change occurs right before a civilization reaches a mature point that all the values, institutions and beliefs that give meaning to our lives are no longer as relevant. So we shed them.

As witches we know very well that moments of great personal transformation are often precipitated, if not directly caused, by a significant crisis. In the US we have arguably been facing one of the darkest nights of our collective soul and whether or not we arrive on the other side to a bright, sunshiny day depends on what we do with the opportunity we've been given to reinvent the American culture. Again, I turn to Patricia Martin:

There is one worry. It is possible if we mismanage this period we could fall into a dark age, so who is in charge will be a pivot point.

So, what will it be? Another dark age or the Age of Aquarius? What do YOU think Martin was talking about?

Coming up next, Changing the World Part Two: A Spell for Sarah Palin.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:47 PM | Comments (3)

It's official. Google said so.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:41 PM | Comments (1)

Sink Showering Monkey

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 12:02 PM | Comments (1)

It definitely feels Autmnal in Boston today. The air is cold, the sky is grey, last night's rain has strewn the first fallen leaves. I definitely feel a shift in energy and agree with those of my witchy sisters who say that for a while now they have been feeling an early rush to Autumn. Hecate calls it:

An early thinning of the veil. A fast-forward shift to the dark. A desire to begin early the communication with the dead, the descent into the underworld, the movement from South to North.

It's as if there is some reason that the Universe has been rushing us toward this moment. Perhaps there's something very important she wants us to see or needs us to do. Perhaps she is as eager as we are to usher in some change in the world. In this liminal time between Mabon and Samhain, I'm eager to go beyond the veil to see what's on the other side.

Around the witchy blogosphere as we celebrate Mabon and the Autumnal Equinox today:

Mabon, Hecate

Mabon & Equinox: Rituals, Recipes, Essays and Links, Full Circle

Happy Autumnal Equinox, The Wild Hunt

Going With the Floe, Blog o'Gnosis

Wishing you all Autumnal blessings.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)

Posted here at the Daily Kos.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 4:56 PM | Comments (0)

Some of you may remember that back in March I was crowing about the witchy frocks that had made their debut at Fashion Week. Well, Fall is nearly upon us now and so, too, is my Luella coat:

Every once in a while a singular piece like this comes along and a girl just can't help herself. My coat should arrive early next week and I am over the moon with excitement and anticipation! NET-A-PORTER.COM is our friend. Now I'm off to find orange tights.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)

Thank you Dooce. I'm laughing my ass off. And the BF will SO not get it.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)

It's been a devastating news weekend. One of the greatest talents of my generation, David Foster Wallace, hanged himself in his home on Friday. After two major hurricanes hit Texas back to back, reports of extensive damage and human suffering, with hints this morning that FEMA has dropped the ball again. The bankruptcy of one of the country's oldest financial institutions, the sale of another, and ripples of panic through the American financial industry as everyone waits to see how this will shake out. Rumblings from the leader of Venezuela about withholding sales of his country's oil to ours - 20% of our annual consumption - because he hates the policies of the Bush administration. You thought gas prices were high before?

We hold our breath, just waiting for a sense that something will shift back in the direction of sanity. And then something small happens, bringing with it the tiniest sigh of relief and a glimmer of hope that things can and just might get better.

That small something was a series of photographs posted on the internet taken by someone who had attended Barack Obama's address in Manchester, New Hampshire on Saturday. Young and old, people of every color, men and women, all coming out to hear from and support Barack Obama. And on every face a smile. It's a testament to the skills of the photographer that even though these are just still images we can help but feel the energy and excitement in that crowd. The smiles and energy are infectious, and just what I needed this Monday morning.

See them all here.

Would you like to see photos like this at the inauguration of President Obama? Then donate, if you can, to his campaign so that he can continue to strike back against the lies of his opponent. Get on the phone to let people know where Obama stands on the issues and how an Obama administration will actually address the problems that average American's face today. The Obama campaign has made it very easy for anyone to get involved. All you have to do is go to the BarackObama.com Action Center.

It can be a happy Monday after all.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:33 AM | Comments (1)

Tomorrow morning at 5:13 am EDT the Moon will be Full in the loverly, watery sign of Pisces. As Cafe Astrology tells us: "The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time—a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships." This Full Moon is also the Harvest Moon, so called because it is the closest Full Moon to the Autumnal Equinox, a time of harvest, of laying in stores of the things we have prepared to get us through the long winter and of offering thanks for their abundance. How can we help but be struck by the powerful confluence of energy this particular Moon brings us? Certainly, this is a moment of very powerful symbolism for me, for I am reaping an abundant harvest of love and professional success that have been a long time coming.

Blogickal was down at Lughnasadh, the first of our harvest festivals and lately I have been more focused on other things (relationship, job, POLITICS) than on my spiritual life. Yet right around Lughnasadh, the one dahlia bloom that I was to see from the planting I had done this Spring was beautiful and especially resplendent for it's singularity and I did pause to reflect on the metaphor of one perfect blossom as the harvest from my efforts. I wrote this:

"We know we have to assess where and what we are, what we have accomplished this year in the garden, in the land, and just generally in our lives"

This weekend I got to see the one and only dahlia blossom from the bulbs that I planted this past Spring. My boyfriend made the comment that I had done a lot of work for one little blossom. And he was right. I told him that better to have one blossom than nothing. And it wasn't until I read Luna's post that I realized just how profound that one not-quite-so-little flower is.

What is my one flower?

"The time of assessment is really always upon us as we work and play and love. The need for self-knowledge is never greater than during these times of pause and sacrifice."

Luna and I could just as easily have written those words today and they would be just as applicable.

What I know is I am at the point in my career when I can get a new job because of the experience I have gathered and the relationships I have built. For these things I am both gratified and grateful. I also know that true love, a connection of the soul, is a rare and special thing worthy of patience and careful tending. I may have sacrificed certain things along the way, but if I can go into this winter knowing that the love I have so patiently tended can now nourish me in its abundance, then was it not worth my efforts?

So I find that I actually have many flowers, much abundance to harvest this Autumn.

While our community's celebration of this Harvest Moon was curtailed due to weather, the woman who brings us together spoke beautifully when she said:

This lunation is a powerful time to dream, to meditate and psychically tune in to your deepest emotional connections. Look at the sacrifices that you have made in order to achieve your goals and fulfill your dreams. This is also a time to say farewell to the tides of Summer and make offerings in gratitude and in hope for continued blessings as we prepare to turn the Wheel and welcome the Autumnal Equinox.

The Piscean energy invites us to dream but is balanced by the solar energy in Virgo - a sensible counterpoint that reminds us that we must not become lost at sea - that the Neptunian tides that rule Pisces can be overwhelming at times and we are wise to remember the firm ground upon which we truly live. We are given an opportunity to further intentions that are grounded in both heart and mind, those that require thought out, calculated risks and yet engage our faith and intuition.
  
May you find that you are well grounded in your efforts to manifest your dreams and may your dreams inspire your reality as well.

Indeed, my friend. Blessed be.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)

A bit of Friday frivolity. Hahahahahahaha!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:34 AM | Comments (2)

This is one of the most thoughtful calls to remembrance I've ever seen on the topic of "September 11." Rather than rant about my own point of view, I'll just share it with you. It comes from this diary at the Daily Kos.

On this, the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, all kinds of things will be published and spoken about what the day means. Some will be eloquent, poignant, provocative. Some will be superficial, supercilious, even repulsive. Many will exhibit a political edge, even seek partisan advantage.

No surprise. After the initial shock which unified Americans in grief and rage, September 11 has come to mean so many different things to different people. For some, calling it Patriot Day was the proper way to commemorate it. Others see that as just one more attempt to gin up nationalistic fervor.

I'd like to suggest that wherever we are at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Kossacks set aside three minutes of silence today to remember those whose lives were lost in 2001. For some, that will mean remembering friends or kin who died in New York, Washington, D.C., or Pennsylvania. For others, the thoughts will hit less close to the bone.

The consequences that emerged from September 11, including two wars in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, the ascendance of a berserk administration of liars and criminals intent on demolishing the Constitution, and the intensification of top-down class warfare by old and new plutocrats under the guise of national security, must not be forgotten, of course. But these we think of and discuss every day.

Today, for just three minutes, I hope others will join me in remembering with silence the 3000, Americans and others, who were killed that day.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 6:47 AM | Comments (0)

I meant to write something longer and pithy, waxing eloquent and nostalgic about the joys of being a freelancer since my days were numbered. I've been too busy celebrating to write this weekend. Well, you know, because besides congratulatory toasts from friends, a girl in my position needs new stuff. Because I have a new JOB! Yes, a real, go-to-the office job. No more working in my pajamas. No more reading the Daily Kos all day. I actually have to accessorize and get myself out the door by 8:15 or so every morning. The hardest part is going to be remembering to set the alarm!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:35 AM | Comments (3)

more animals

How to read LOLtarotz:

In kitteh taroh, deze ar teh majur arkana an wat dey meenz:

Teh ful: U ar ful for nawt feed teh kitteh

Teh majishun: U maks fud apeer

Teh hai preestess: U prayz fur moar fud

Teh empres: U decreez dat I gets fud

Teh empror: U lissen to teh empres

Teh heerophant: I dunno wat dis is. Gib me fud.

Teh luvrs: I luv u if u giv me fud

Teh chariot: U gets me draiv-thru fud

Strenf: I needz fud to get it

Teh Hermit: I go haid alown until I getz fud

Teh Weel of 4tune: Go on stoopy sho an winz muneys so I can has fud

Justis: Is me getting fud

Teh Hangd Man: Is wat u be if I dun get fud

Def: Wat happenz wif no fud

Temprans: I help u be temprant by eetin ur fud 4 u

Teh Devl: Dun gib me fud an u meet hims.

Teh Towr: Meens teh pantree

Teh Star: Go se astologur; she sez gimme fud

Teh Moon: Luks laik cookee; gimme cookee

Teh Sun: Luks laik cheez fur cheezburger; gimme cheezburger

Judgmint: I judg u gimme fud

Teh World: I ownz it; brings al teh fud to me.

Nao, pik a kard.

Thanks to steroid, in Comments.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:04 AM | Comments (1)

You know, the one that rhymes with voice.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:20 AM | Comments (1)

It's been a long and busy day, which I'll explain later. For now, my I offer you a bit of partisan playfulness:

My Liberal Identity:

You are an Eco-Avenger, also known as an environmentalist or tree hugger. You believe in saving the planet from the clutches of air-fouling, oil-drilling, earth-raping conservative fossil fools.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:27 PM | Comments (1)

What a fun party!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:42 AM | Comments (2)

Evn, The Lover of Strife, nominated me for the "I heart your blog" award. Resisting the temptation to take a Sally Field moment, I'll just say Thanks, Evn!

I can't remember when I first discovered The Lover of Strife, but I was hooked immediately by Evn's irreverent sense of humor and great storytelling. He's also been a loyal reader of Blogickal, and for that I am very grateful indeed. One day, I'm going to beg him to teach me his parking trick.

The "I heart your blog" award comes with the following rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.



2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.



3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links to those blogs on yours.



5. Leave a message on the blogs nominated.


And so, without further dew, here are my award picks:

Dancing Down the Moon

Dianne Sylvan's book The Circle Within was one of the first books I read that discussed witchcraft in spiritual rather than purely practical terms. It was a great inspiration. While Sylvan is taking something of a hiatus from book-writing, she is pouring her creative energy into her website, which I find to be a great mix of philosophical musings and practice-deepening discussions. Dianne, I heart your blog!

Dooce

Yes, I realize that I'm late to this party, and when you get interviewed by the Today Show and The New York Times writes about how you can support your family with the ad revenue your site has earned, you certainly don't need little ol' me to pimp your blog. But damn if Heather B. Armstrong doesn't make me laugh pee-my-pants out loud. No, I'm not a mom, but you don't have to be to appreciate some of the best comic writing I've ever read. Heather, I heart your blog!

The Gods Are Bored

Anne Johnson is another great storyteller. She can make you laugh and stomp your feet with rage in the same blog post. Whether she's writing about saving the environment and scandalizing fundamentalists (not necessarily at the same time), or interviewing Satan to abate his boredom, Anne has a singular voice and a praise-worthy way with words. While Anne is away having surgery - healing energy to Anne, everyone - her friend, Muin, and her daughter, The Spare, will be guest-blogging. Anne, I heart your blog!

Hecate

If I had to pick a roll model, this witchy woman would be it. She is professionally successful, has a great home and garden and a wonderful, loving family, belongs to a devoted coven, and embodies what it is to be a modern witch. Ever the political watchful eye, Hecate writes about feminist politics and can be counted on for insight into important issues that should concern all of us. And she posts a lot of poetry. Hecate, I heart your blog!

Spiritual Cowgirl

Sera Beak is a Harvard-trained scholar of comparative religion and mysticism, author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark, and San Francisco party girl. After discovering her blog, I read Sera's book and it has become to closest thing to a gospel I have found. On this site, Sera shares her observations of Red at work in the world and other divine musings. She also wins my vote for best blog name. Sera, I heart your blog!

Cute Overload and icanhascheezburger

Okay, so these are two blogs, but I list them together because they're essentially two branches from the same tree. When my blood pressure is through the roof after a session at the Daily Kos, then I turn to these two blogs as an antidote. Seriously, folks. If you need a laugh LOLcats will cheer you right up right and who can stay angry/stressed/upset-in-any-way when you are looking at cute pictures of puppehs and kittehs and monkehs and whatever other animule they can come up with? I ask you. Meg et al, I heart your blog!

Anybody know a good fashion blog?

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 1:37 AM | Comments (2)