This is why I don't like Missionaries

I was tuning into my blogger reading list today, and again, the topic of children accused of practicing witchcraft in Africa took center stage.

Witch-hunts and killings have been rampant in certain parts of Africa due to many local evangelists and preachers (some posing to be such) using their power to provoke. This is apparently a tactic used by these evangelists for monetary gains, and not out of a real need for spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ.

According to Christianity Today online, the increasing numbers of accused children, and others, as so-called "witches" are not only stemming from these zealot evangelists, but also from Christian missionaries, who are, to be blunt, just fanning the fire. Aptly named Mr. Robert Priest states in the article that, "Missionaries have commonly responded in two ways... The power of witches to harm others is dismissed as superstition, but this seldom persuades local Christians to abandon the concept; or the reality of witchcraft is endorsed by missionaries not wanting to be "post-Enlightenment rationalists" with a non-biblical skepticism of spiritual warfare."

With that statement as a springboard, I want to discuss (i.e. rant), about missionaries and their practices.

Now, as a lover of anthropology and foreign cultures (its a sort of hobby), I have never liked the concept of people going abroad with the sole purpose of converting others to their religion. Proselytizing, in my humble opinion, is a one-sided conversation no one can pull off.

So, yes, in a word, I abhor missionaries. Note, I do not think missionaries are bad people. Missionaries have, at times, done many an isolated population great favours. They have been the first chroniclers of foreign peoples and lands, and they have saved (literally) many lives, perhaps even brought comfort in the word of God to people in need.

But...and there anyways is one...there is a dark side to having missionaries hanging around. They have brought disease, like small-pox, and in some areas they wiped out the entire indigenous religious practice through their very thorough Christian conversion practices.

Yes, people sometimes need to be shown the way; but I emphasize the word "shown". From what I have experienced, many missionaries tend to "shove" people in that direction, saying God will 'save' them.

People living in poverty, that face starvation, disease, and dying everyday are in need of salvation, but not the kind that God can provide. They need medical care, clean water, love, and respect. God may be able to give them peace in the afterlife, but their daily suffering cannot be soothed over with whatever they are told about God or quoted Bible passages.

If you are a missionary reading this, then I apologize. I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you really need to get with modernity and tell people like it is. Tell them the scientific facts. Christianity and Science can coexist, but only if we use our brains to make it possible.

Think about it. There are children in Africa at this very moment, being beaten, tortured, burned, killed, or abandoned by their families because they have been accused of "witchcraft". Little children, some only 3 or 4 years old, told that they have killed others through spells, curses, and the evil eye.

Is this not insanity? Is this not injustice? How can a person accuse children of these practices when a child is not even aware of the existence of witchcraft? It is completely and utterly disgusting.

I am not a malicious person, but I hope that these evangelical preachers in Africa suffer all the wrath God has to give, because they deserve all of it and more.

I hope all the missionaries in Africa  can work together and help these suffering children. Save the children with spreading the true message of God. Use the teachings of Jesus to teach adults to love their children, and not listen to accusations that are blatant lies.

Do it for the children.

Readers: If you want to learn more about this awful situation and help out, click on this link:

http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2011/06/helping-witches-of-africa.html

Another New(ish) Start

I revamped my blog today.

There were a few reasons for me to do so, but it was mainly because I have been going in many different directions lately.

Guanyin and Buddha always have a place in my heart, but as of now...so many more deities and cultures are tugging (hard!) on my heart strings. So in the spirit of change, and the turning of the year, I took stock of where I am at right now- spiritually speaking.

I think this new found yearning for change has stemmed from my recent readings on Hermeticism and a few books on traditional and European witchcraft by Raven Grimassi.
Europe is, of course, the heartland of the witchcraft tradition, and with Mr. Grimassi being a practitioner of Stregheria himself, my readings have been slightly skewed towards the original practices of witchcraft. Ancient Greece and Italy are historically linked with the first occurrences of the craft. In the days of Homer and Pythagoras, mystery religions dedicated to the Gods thrived; the cult of Mithras and the Hermes Trismegistus were part of the ancient Greek culture, and they influence our modern learnings in Hermeticism and parts of Neo-Pagan practice.

And so in learning more about these traditions, my views of the craft have deepened and my focus is changing.

There are things I will always love through having them as part of my life for so long, like an old, inseparable, friend. They will always be there for me.
But there comes a time when the new must be embraced; there is no other way than moving forward and forging a new turn in the meandering path of my witchy life.

Midsummer has arrived!

This message is a tad belated, but life is moving fast.

I hope everyone had a very fruitful and blessed Litha/Summer Solstice celebration with lots of good cheer and joy!

The Holly King has now won the battle against the Oak King, and the Wheel of the Year is turning towards the wane.

Summer's fruits will soon be jam, and preparations for harvesting and preserving for the winter will be taking place in the months to come.

So get out there and enjoy the full strength of the Lord Sun at his peak, and the beauty of the mysterious Green man of the forests and fields.

Blessed be!

Symbols In Crystal

For the last 3 days I have been in a metaphysical pickle. I did a crystal gazing session the other night and received an image that I do not know how to interpret.

The image was of a boy, maybe 12 or 13 years old, riding a bicycle. He was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans; his hair was a light brown colour, straight, and in a sort of shaggy cut. Longer than the average boys hair, but very neat. His skin was a bit on the light side, but tanned. I did not see his face.

I have no idea how this image relates to me or what it represents in my life. Perhaps I saw the image somewhere and it reappeared in my mind during my gazing because my mind was clear and focused, but I don't know what it means to me.

Using my dream dictionary, I looked up the meaning of a bicycle. Yes, I did not receive this image in a dream, but symbolism is symbolism, is it not?
According to my dictionary, a bicycle is representative of being solitary and doing things by yourself, or pushing yourself to reach goals. These interpretations may be true, but my gut feeling is saying 'no'. When thinking hard about this image, I actually felt as though I knew this boy, although he does not match any boys I've ever known from his outward appearance. That being said, I also did not see his face in the image.

He was a lone, downward-looking boy, riding a bicycle.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what I can decipher from my next crystal gazing experience.
Do you know what it means?

Sexy Men from Canada

I just finished watching the entire first season of The Borgias.

Cesare Borgia is the sexist character ever. And the actor who plays him comes from Montreal.

Who ever said French Canadian men aren't sexy?

Can't wait till next season!!!

Updates and Crystal Balls

So, I kind of promised to start posting more often and that didn't really happen these past few weeks. The time just flew by in the blink of an eye. I just don't understand how time is moving so fast right now. Perhaps the heat of June and the past rains of May just made my days feel like a foggy exercise, clouded over with tired haze. Yes, I've been really tired for quite a while, and a bit apathetic, too. But despite all that, I am still very much immersed in my craft and my continuous learning.

I recently got into crystallomancy, which is also known as "crystal gazing". I've had only one session so far with my crystal, but so far so good. I do feel, sometimes, that playing with the ball in my hands is more fun than trying to scry with it, as terribly child-like as that sounds. It is a new method of divination for me so I suppose subconsciously I might be trying to create a bond with my crystal by holding it. The subconscious works in wondrous ways.
Now from the many sources I have researched crystallomancy from, there is the standard procedure of naming your crystal ball. So his name is Geoffrey. And, no, I have absolutely no idea why. The name just appeared in my mind, so I just went with it. As I am always interested in meaning and symbolism, especially in names, I looked up the meaning of Geoffrey as a name and it apparently means "God’s peace", or in some sources, such as Wikipedia, "place of peace"…my interest was caught with the latter meaning. A ‘place of peace’ is a very fitting name I think, and I will be using Geoffrey for mediation purposes as well.  

As a constant and seasoned user of the tarot, scrying has been a tad difficult for me to break into. With the Tarot, images are presented in front of you to decipher; in scrying, images either come to you within your mind or actually materialize in front of your eyes within the crystal ball. Scrying takes much more concentration that tarot reading, so a 10 minute session really left me drained. I can usually go for nearly an hour doing a tarot reading! So that's a big change of pace for me. I'm sure with more practice I'll get used to it.

In addition to expending my divination capabilities, I am also beginning to explore the history of witchcraft and modern paganism. I found and bought a few used books on Amazon for my summer 'light' reading (not!), two of them are by Raven Grimassi, whom I am familiar with only by name with the exception of the few short articles written by him in my annual Spell-a-Day Almanac book by Llewellyn. I might give a review of that annual series in another post.

Anyways, I'm very excited to be reading this book because it is more on the academic/historical side of the witchy equation. As much as I love to be engaged in reading about rituals and goddesses, it a nice change of pace to read about the historical aspect of the basis of Witchcraft/Wicca and how it is entwined with Italian paganism, Freemasonry, and religious cults of Greco-Roman antiquity.

When I am done reading I’ll do my best to post a review.

Blessed be and namaste.