[Cauldron and Candle Illo]

Cauldron and Candle
Cauldron News -- Mid-October 2000

A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
mailing list/board: http://www.ecauldron.com/fregmb.php

With a little help from The Witches' Thicket
website: http://www.cros.net/soraya/
message board: http://forums.delphiforums.com/thicket/start


Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive

CAULDRON NEWS -- Mid-October 2000 (SAMHAIN ISSUE)

Web Page: http://www.ecauldron.com/
      or: http://cauldron.cjb.net/
Mailing List Home: http://www.ecauldron.com/freggroup.html

               +*+*+ VERY IMPORTANT NOTE +*+*+
            WE MOVED FROM DELPHI TO YAHOO/EGROUPS
       Our new ecauldron mailing list has now REPLACED
       our Delphi message board. See the first article
       below for more info or just join by visiting:
            http://www.ecauldron.com/fregsub.html
               +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

In this Issue:

 * Move to Mailing List Update
 + All Hallow's Eve
 * New Articles on our Web Site
 + A Healing Ritual
 * New Web Poll
 + A Solitary Samhain
 * Support The Cauldron When You Buy at Amazon.com
 + Book Review: Stealing Jesus
 * Send A Pagan Postcard
 + To Be A Witch
 * Cauldron Chats: Tuesdays, 10-11pm CDT
 + Books on the Fair Folk
 * Please Invite Your Friends
 * Link To The Cauldron
 * Subscribe/Unsubscribe
 * Suggestions Are Always Welcome


MOVE TO MAILING LIST UPDATE

We officially moved from our Delphi message board to an Egroups
mailing list on October 1st.  The move to our new home has gone
"most excellently." We have over 180 members on our new mailing
list and discussions are fairly active. If you've been waiting to
see how the move went before signing up, there's no need to wait
any longer.  It's working great! Here's the full information on
our new home one final time.

To sign up you can either send an email message to:

    ecauldron-subscribe@egroups.com

or visit the mailing list's subscription page at:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fregsub.html

You can also read messages without joining from the ecauldron's
message board interface.  You will not be able to post unless you
join the list, however.

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fregmb.html

Remember, although this is a mailing list, you need not clutter
up your email box with lots of messages if you don't want to. For
example, there is a message board version of the mailing list
which many members use.  You can participate at our new home of
three ways:

 * INDIVIDUAL MAILINGS: Each message is sent from the list to you
   as it is received.  If the list gets 45 messages a day, you'll
   get 45 messages from the list in your inbox. This is the
   probably best way to get any mailing list if you intend to
   participate regularly by posting and replying to messages. All
   you have to do it press reply in your mail client to post.
   With modern email programs, getting lots of messages really
   isn't that bad as one can make a new mail folder for them and
   create a rule which sends all messages with "[ecauldron]" in
   the subject line directly to that folder as they are received.
   One can then read them at one's leisure.


 * DIGEST: Egroups sends out bundles of messages to you in a
   single large message, generally 20 messages in a bundle. It
   sends you at least one bundle of messages a day if less than
   20 messages are received, however. Receiving the list in
   digest form is good if you are mainly going to lurk, because
   replying is a bit harder than with individual emails.  You
   still just hit reply in your mail client, but you have try to
   remember to change the subject line AND you have to check to
   be sure your email program does not include a quote of all 20
   messages in the digest at the end of your reply.  You can also
   post from the POST option of the web site, giving you messages
   delivered in handy packets to your email box, and a very easy
   way to occasionally post.

 * WEB ONLY: Selecting Web-Only means that you will NOT receive
   emails from the mailing list.  Instead you'll read them from
   Egroups' somewhat featureless web board.  It's fast, but it's
   a single message at a time. Unlike Delphi, the board does not
   send out notifications of new messages, but Firefly reports
   that contrary to what we've said before, it apparently does
   track what messages you've read if you have cookies enabled --
   or at least it does on her Mac. Replying and posting is very
   easy, however. You just press the button and use a reply form
   similar to what you are used to at Delphi. Many people who use
   "webmail" accounts for email prefer to use this interface as
   it is faster than many web mail interfaces. You can also set
   your account to this option when you go on vacation to avoid
   having messages delivered to (and filling up) your mailbox
   while you are away.

You can change between these different options as often as you
wish by returning to http://www.ecauldron.com/fregsub.html -- you
are not stuck with your first choice if it does not work out.

IMHO, you'll probably get the best "mailing list experience" by
signing up for individual messages or digests and using a POP3
style mailing account instead of a web mail account. Using a POP3
style account will allow you to use a real email client (like the
free Outlook Express or Eudora Pro) to manage, read, and reply to
email messages.  You can get free POP3-capable email accounts
just as easily as you can get free web mail accounts.  This site
tests free POP3 accounts and lists its top five:

    http://www.iopus.com/guides/bestpopsmtp.htm

(Note: From reports, none of these free POP providers work as
reliably as POP mail from the average ISP. Don't use Crosswinds
as according to it's News page it is has been blocking mail from
egroups.)

Note that almost all messages from this mailing list will have
"[ecauldron]" (without the quotes) in the subject line. This will
allow you to create (in your email program) a mail folder for
this mailing list and create a rule that will toss all messages
with "[ecauldron]" in their subject line into that folder. That
way all ecauldron mailing list messages will be in one place and
not cluttering up your main inbox.

Egroups combines a proven and reliable mailing list with a number
of features which make management easy with a single message at a
time web message board version of the list for those who want to
participate without a flood of email. Egroups also provides us a
calendar, a links list, polls, a database, member profiles and a
file area.

For more information on mailing lists and how to use Egroups'
many features, check out egroups Help and FAQ page:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fregfaq.html

If you miss all the fun and interesting discussions on our old
Delphi message board, PLEASE JOIN US on our new ecauldron mailing
list TODAY:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fregsub.html


ALL HALLOW'S EVE
by Mike Nichols

     Halloween.  Sly does it.  Tiptoe catspaw.  Slide and
     creep. But why?  What for?  How?  Who?  When!  Where
     did it all begin? 'You don't know, do you?' asks
     Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing out under the
     pile of leaves under the Halloween Tree. "You don't
     REALLY know!"
                 --Ray Bradbury from "The Halloween Tree"

Samhain.  All Hallows.  All Hallow's Eve.  Hallow E'en.
Halloween.  The most magical night of the year.  Exactly opposite
Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark
twin.  A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples,
tricks or treats, and dressing in costume.  A night of ghost
stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with
mirrors.  A night of power, when the veil that separates our
world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest.  A 'spirit night',
as they say in Wales.

All Hallow's Eve is the eve of All Hallow's Day (November 1st).
And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the Eve is
more important than the Day itself, the traditional celebration
focusing on October 31st, beginning at sundown.  And this seems
only fitting for the great Celtic New Year's festival.  Not that
the holiday was Celtic only.  In fact, it is startling how many
ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish
Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead.
But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the
British Isles.

The Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's end',
according to their ancient two-fold division of the year, when
summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to
Beltane. (Some modern Covens echo this structure by letting the
High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership
returned to the High Priestess at Beltane.)  According to the
later four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen as
'autumn's end' and the beginning of winter.  Samhain is
pronounced (depending on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in
Ireland), or 'sow-een' (in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or
(inevitably) 'sam-hane' (in the U.S., where we don't speak
Gaelic).

Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more
importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the
new. Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with the
onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins
at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic gods with
two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway
over Samhain.  Like his Greek counterpart Janus, he would
straddle the threshold, one face turned toward the past in
commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one
face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting
to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These
two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are
inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in
any New Year's celebration.

As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they
wished, return to the land of the living for this one night, to
celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan.  And so the great
burial mounds of Ireland (sidh mounds) were opened up, with
lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their
way.  Extra places were set at the table and food set out for any
who had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of
Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates of
faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed
places by cock-crow.

As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for
peering into the future.  The reason for this has to do with the
Celtic view of time.  In a culture that uses a linear concept of
time, like our modern one, New Year's Eve is simply a milestone
on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth
to death. Thus, the New Year's festival is a part of time.  The
ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical.  And in this
framework, New Year's Eve represents a point outside of time,
when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into
primordial chaos, preparatory to re- establishing itself in a new
order.  Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and
hence it may be used to view any other point in time.  At no
other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or
tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed.

The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the 'historical'
Christ and his act of redemption 2000 years ago, is forced into a
linear view of time, where 'seeing the future' is an illogical
proposition.  In fact, from the Christian perspective, any
attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil.  This did not keep
the medieval Church from co-opting Samhain's other motif,
commemoration of the dead.  To the Church, however, it could
never be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all
those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All
Hallow's, or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls.

There are so many types of divination that are traditional to
Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few.  Girls were
told to place hazel nuts along the front of the firegrate, each
one to symbolize one of her suitors.  She could then divine her
future husband by chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you
hate me, burn and die.'  Several methods used the apple, that
most popular of Halloween fruits.  You should slice an apple
through the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and
then eat it by candlelight before a mirror.  Your future spouse
will then appear over your shoulder.  Or, peel an apple, making
sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I pare
this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart's name to
flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o'er my
head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.' Or, you
might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your hearth. The
considerate little creature will then spell out the initial
letter as it moves.

Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the
jack-o-lantern.  Various authorities attribute it to either
Scottish or Irish origin.  However, it seems clear that it was
used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the
scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might
otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they
cast the same spell of protection over the household.  (The
American pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European
gourd as the jack-o-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may
well represent the remnants of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a
'seining', according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a
latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head
is immersed.  The fact that the participant in this folk game was
usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one
in mind of a traditional Craft initiation ceremony.

The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of
Celtic origin with survivals particularly strong in Scotland.
However, there are some important differences from the modern
version. In the first place, the custom was not relegated to
children, but was actively indulged in by adults as well.  Also,
the 'treat' which was required was often one of spirits (the
liquid variety).  This has recently been revived by college
students who go 'trick-or-drinking'. And in ancient times, the
roving bands would sing seasonal carols from house to house,
making the tradition very similar to Yuletide wassailing.  In
fact, the custom known as 'caroling', now connected exclusively
with mid-winter, was once practiced at all the major holidays.
Finally, in Scotland at least, the tradition of dressing in
costume consisted almost exclusively of cross-dressing (i.e., men
dressing as women, and women as men).  It seems as though ancient
societies provided an opportunity for people to 'try on' the role
of the opposite gender for one night of the year.  (Although in
Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic - but more confusing -
since men were in the habit of wearing skirt-like kilts anyway.
Oh well...)

To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or
Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days.  Because it is the most
important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called 'THE Great
Sabbat.'  It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created
Covens tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which
they have discovered through modern research.  While the older
hereditary and traditional Covens often use the newer name,
Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition
within their Coven.  (This is often holds true for the names of
the other holidays, as well.  One may often get an indication of
a Coven's antiquity by noting what names it uses for the
holidays.)

With such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct
celebrations.  First, a large Halloween party for non-Craft
friends, often held on the previous weekend.  And second, a Coven
ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to
be interrupted by trick-or-treaters.  If the rituals are
performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible
friends taking part in the rites. Another date which may be
utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter
day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style).  This
occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio, an
astrological 'power point' symbolized by the Eagle.  This year
(1988), the date is November 6th at 10:55 pm CST, with the
celebration beginning at sunset.  Interestingly, this date (Old
Halloween) was also appropriated by the Church as the holiday of
Martinmas.

Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that
still boasts anything near to popular celebration.  Even though
it is typically relegated to children (and the young-at-heart)
and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions
are firmly rooted in Paganism.  Interestingly, some schools have
recently attempted to abolish Halloween parties on the grounds
that it violates the separation of state and religion.  Speaking
as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the success of this move, but
as a supporter of the concept of religion-free public education,
I fear I must concede the point.  Nonetheless, it seems only
right that there SHOULD be one night of the year when our minds
are turned toward thoughts of the supernatural.  A night when
both Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the
Otherworld and its inhabitants.  And if you are one of them, may
all your jack-o'lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve.

(This file contains eight seasonal articles by Mike Nichols. They
may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions
are met: (1) No fee is charged for their use and distribution and
no commercial use is made of them; (2) These files are not
changed or edited in any way without the author's permission; (3)
This notice is not removed. An article may be distributed as a
separate file, provided that this notice is repeated at the
beginning of each such file. These articles are periodically
updated by the author; this version is current as of 9/28/88.)


NEW ARTICLES ON OUR WEB SITE

Since our first October issue, we've added a few new articles:

 * Most Pagans have been involved in some type of dialogue with
   Christians (and not just pointless arguments with Fundies). If
   you have, you know that it's not always easy as there is lots
   of room for misunderstanding. If you've ever wondered what it
   is like from "the other side" you'll find Koi's new editorial,
   "Seeking the Other: Christian-Pagan Dialogue," fascinating
   reading.

   http://www.ecauldron.com/christianpagandialog.html

 * Deirdre has reviewed Lyn Webster Wilde's book "On the Trail of
   the Women Warriors"

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bkwomenwar.html

 * A new article in our special Samhain section:

   + Samhain fiction for children: The Troll-Wife's Story

     http://www.ecauldron.com/samhaintroll.html


A HEALING RITUAL

Materials Needed:
- 4 white candles
- A photograph of the person you are helping.

Advice:
- This ritual works best while facing east.
- If you feel better asking for permission if you're going to
work this ritual on someone else, go ahead.

Altar Setup:

         white candle
white candle PHOTO white candle
         white candle

Procedure:

1. Invoke guardians; welcome the Lord and Lady.

2. Concentrate on the subject receiving these magickal healings.
   Identify the problem that needs correcting.

3. Light the candle facing east. As you do this, say:

   Candle burn,
   shine your light.
   Take what's wrong
   and make it right.

4. Repeat with candle facing south.

5. Repeat with candle facing west.

6. Repeat with candle facing north.

7. Take time now to imagine the healing powers generated by these
   candles flowing into the subject of the ritual.

8. Chant:

   Dispel the agony,
   let these wounds heal.
   Banish the suffering,
   no suffering to feel.

   As you say this, imagine your subject surrounded by a healing,
   protective light that shines brighter each time you repeat the
   chant.

9. Thank the guardians and the Lord and Lady. Either extinguish
   the candles or allow them to burn out.

10. Dispose of the candle remnants. It works best if you throw
    them into a river or bury them near a healthy tree, plant, or
    flower.


NEW WEB POLL

Our new polls are working nicely and without all the problems we
had when they were hosted offsite. You'll find them on their own
web page at:

   http://www.ecauldron.com/pollindex.php

Our newest poll, opened October 16th, asks:

 * How long have you been a practicing Pagan?

   http://www.ecauldron.com/cldpoll8.php

Make your opinion known, take this poll today!


A SOLITARY SAMHAIN
(Author Unknown)

Many covens and circles celebrate this most sacred of pagan
holidays as groups, often opening their circles to non-initiates
and others who wish to participate. I find myself preferring a
solitary ritual, perhaps with some socializing earlier or later
in the evening. For me, much of the meaning of Samhain suggests
such a practice, though traditionally it is a communal
celebration.

Samhain is pronounced as sow-in (in Ireland), sow-een (in Wales),
and sav-en (in Scotland). It marks the end of the harvest, the
end of the year, and the death of the god. Self-reflection
becomes not simply a custom, but a necessity. One cannot (or at
least should not) allow the Wheel of the Year to turn without
some kind of examination of what has occurred. How have I spent
the last year? Did I grow or remain stagnant? Did I live
according to the values I claim to embrace? These are questions
which must be addressed in solitude and solemnity.

Just as Samhain ends the old year, it must begin the new, though
many witches do not celebrate the New Year until Yule. Reflection
should continue during this dark time, but reflection should be
accompanied by a growing sense of the changes to be made and the
light to be sought. I sometimes make many lists during this time
-- lists of what I have accomplished and what I still want to
accomplish, things I have neglected and those I have tended, and
other similar lists. Samhain symbolizes both the past and the
future, illuminated by the cycle of the seasons, forever linked
as steps on the journey we must all make.

The Goddess tells us: "And you who seek to know Me, know that
your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the
Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within
yourself, you will never find it without." We must look inside
ourselves for self-knowledge and for the spirit that will sustain
us in life's trials. Silence is one of the keys to seeking truth,
for we cannot hear the answers in the midst of this noisy world
in which we walk every day, nor in the noise of holiday
celebrations however joyous.

Samhain is also said to be the time when the veil between the
living and te dead is thinnest, allowing us some communication
with those who have departed. How befitting this is for such a
time of endings and beginnings. Reflections on death can be as
instructive as the self-examinations just mentioned. When we
think of those who have died, it reminds us of time passing by
and of things we could have or should have done. These reminders,
coupled with our lists of past and future actions, encourages us
to take our New Year's resolutions far more seriously. We know
our time is limited, and most of us have much to do in our
allotted time. Most of us have to make a living somehow, but
death reminds us that we had better spend some of that time in
pursuit of our other dreams lest they be lost in the struggle
merely to survive.

+ Samhain Ritual

The Samhain rituals I follow change a little from year to year. I
don't like to have a set of mandatory words or actions that might
prevent me from exploring new possibilities in meaning. However,
I do include the traditional Samhain rituals of sharing a feast
(even if I am alone) and some form of divination. Since it is
best that you write/say your own words in performing rituals, I
will only include an outline here.

Prepare your house or room

Use black and orange candles, pumpkins (carved or not) and other
traditional "Halloween" items if you wish (most are actually
traditional for Samhain).

Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered
with a black table cloth and set with black dishes (black paper
plates will do just fine). Place a chair at the head of the
table, draped in black cloth, to represent the spirit. The
spirit's place is set with a plate with a white votive candle on
it. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you.,
and place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the
living (in my solitary ritual, just one) are empty, of course,
awaiting the feast food to be served.

Food preparation

My feast is usually very simple: bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or
wine. If you've invited living guests, it is common to make the
feast potluck. However, since the actual feast will take place in
silence, try not to have too many things that would have to be
passed or requested.

Light the candles and turn out the lights

Call the quarters (ask the Guardians of the Watchtowers to
witness and protect your circle).

Cast a circle (use whatever method you've been taught).

Invite the deities

There are certain Goddesses that I always invite to my rituals.
It seems especially important to invite them on Samhain, as I
will want to thank them for their help during the past year, and
of course, ask that they continue to help me in the coming year.
If the departed loved ones were especially close to any deities,
I invite them as well.

Feast of the Dead

Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit. The
feast should take place in silence so that you can think about
your departed friends and relatives. Think of their passing and
your hopes for their joyous return. If someone is recently
departed, try to put aside your sadness and think of that soul as
well and happy in the presence of the Goddess.

Speak in silence an invitation to these loved ones, asking them
to join in your feast. Use your own words for this. You know
these individuals and can speak to them in a way to which they
are likely to respond.

Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel
the presence of those who have joined you and rejoice in their
presence. Allow them to speak to you of whatever they want to
communicate. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to
those you have invited and speaking to them in silence.

When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid
them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave
the table.

Banishings and Resolutions

Now is the time to bring out one of those lists! Before Samhain,
write a list of things from the last year that you want to
banish: bad habits and addictions, unkind feelings toward others,
unkind feelings toward yourself .... anything you do not want to
carry over to the New Year. Light a black candle and burn the
list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and
all negative things in your life. If you prefer, you can put
about 1/4 cup of alcohol in a cauldron, light it, and burn the
paper there. Speak to the deities (you can speak aloud now) about
your sincere wish to remove these things from your life. Use a
banishing chant, if you wish.

Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want
to bring into your life in the New Year. I do these things rather
informally, but there are many poems and prose pieces in books
that you might want to use. Asking the deities for future rewards
must be accompanied by resolutions as to how you will accomplish
your goals. They will help you if you are sincere in your efforts
to help yourself.

Divination

Because the two worlds are so close at Samhain, it is the perfect
time for divination. I prefer to use a cauldron of water for
scrying, since the cauldron seems to fit the mood of Samhain (not
to mention Halloween tradition). You may prefer Tarot cards, a
pendulum, or runes....whatever method works best for you.
Obviously, the goal of this divination is to see what lies ahead
in the next year.

Meditation

All of my rituals include some form of meditation. This is when I
ask my personal Goddesses to guide me, advise me, and generally
keep me on the right path. I also use this time to thank them in
a more personal way than by reciting a poem of thanksgiving. At
Samhain, I thank them for all their gifts in the last year and
ask them to continue helping me in the New Year.

Sometimes this part of the ritual takes the form of a shamanic
journey in which I am taken to a far away place (sometimes
familiar, sometimes not) and where I may be given signs that will
help me know what I should do (either in general or in specific
situations). Take as long with your meditation as you need.

Thank the Deities

Give thanks to the deities you have invited by offering them
food. I usually say something like "all things come from the
Earth and to the Earth they must return." Whatever food and drink
I offer (usually bread and wine), I eat a little and save the
rest to place or pour on the Earth later.

Open the circle

Thank and dismiss the Guardians

Blessed Be!

+ A word about invitations to the dead

For my solitary Samhain Feast of the Dead, I invite not only
departed humans but special animals as well. I doubt that this is
customary since the feast is usually for one's ancestors.
However, when one of my beloved pets has passed away, his or her
passing leaves an empty place in my household and in my life,
just as the passing of a person would. I choose to believe that
the Goddess takes these creatures and cares for them as She would
any human. They are far purer in heart than any human could be,
and their love is perfect and unconditional. Surely their spirits
deserve whatever rewards await the rest of us. So, at Samhain, I
invite these loving creatures to join in my feast where I can
once again feel their presence and their uncomplicated devotion
to those they love. In their honor, I also invite either Bast,
the Egyptian Cat Goddess, or Diana, Goddess of the hunt and
mistress of dogs, both wild and tame.


SUPPORT THE CAULDRON WHEN YOU BUY BOOKS AT AMAZON.COM

If you wish to purchase books or other items at Amazon.com, you
can help fund The Cauldron's web site by using this link to
access Amazon.com when you make your purchases:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fradambooks.html

Just use this link to go to Amazon.com via our web site and
almost every purchase you make that visit will earn The Cauldron
a small amount to help pay for our web page -- at no extra charge
to you. You can also use the Amazon link on the menu of every
Cauldron web page and not have to remember this long link.

Unlike the Amazon link listed in some prior issues of this
newsletter, you can simply visit this site and save the link in
your bookmark list.  If you then use this bookmarked link every
time you wish to visit Amazon.com, any purchases you make while
there will help fund The Cauldron's web site.


BOOK REVIEW: STEALING JESUS
Reviewed by Randall

Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity
Author: Bruce Bawer
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Publication Date: November 1998
ISBN: 0609802224
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609802224/thecauldron

If you've never understood how anyone could think of themselves
as both a Christian and a Pagan, you may be a victim of
Fundamentalism's co-opting of the term "Christian" in America. If
you think most Christians believe that the Bible is literally
true or that they believe all other religions are just Satan
trying fool mankind into a literal hell, then you also may be a
victim of Fundamentalism's co-opting of the the term "Christian."

In Stealing Jesus, Bruce Bawer traces the relatively recent
origin of Christian Fundamentalism in America. He does an
excellent job of comparing the beliefs of Fundamentalist
Christianity with the beliefs of "mainline" Protestantism.  He
explodes the myth that the American Founding Fathers were
legalistic Christians with the same religious and political
beliefs as the Religious Right of the 1990s.

This book is a must-read for any Pagan who has to deal with
Fundamentalist Christians.  By reading it, you will learn to
understand where Fundamentalist beliefs come from and how they
differ in most important respects from the beliefs of traditional
American Christianity.  More importantly, you will learn what the
silent majority of American Christians, the non-Fundamentalists,
believe. You will probably come away with a much better opinion
of Christianity as a whole for the experience.  Just because
Fundamentalists are very loud and claim that all true Christians
believe that Pagans really follow Satan and are damned to
hellfire if they don't say a few magic words accepting Jesus
Christ and strictly follow laws and prophecies plucked almost at
random from the Bible, does not mean that this is what mainstream
Protestantism in America really believes.

Stealing Jesus, however, is not perfect.  The chapters on the
religious right as a political movement leave quite a bit to be
desired in the area of documentation.  Bawer tosses around quotes
from James Dobson, Ralph Reed, and Pat Robertson without a single
footnote that would allow you to check context or even know what
the quote is taken from.  However, the rest of the book is
excellent, particularly the first and last chapters.  The entire
first chapter (which summarizes the differences between
Fundamentalist Protestantism and mainstream American
Protestantism) is sometimes available online from Amazon.com's
web page for this book. This chapter is worth reading even if you
have no desire to buy the book.

           This review is available on our web site at
              http://www.ecauldron.com/bkstealj.html


SEND A PAGAN POSTCARD

We reactivated the postcards on our site in April when our
postcard provider apparently fixed the problem with their servers
which kept erasing our postcards. We've recently added two new
Pagan Postcard categories: "Samhain and Halloween" and "Wolves"
and we've enabled a much larger number of regular (non-Pagan)
postcard categories. These non-Pagan categories are available for
selection near the bottom of most of the pages in our Postcard
section.

You can send a Pagan Postcard from the menu of any of our web
pages at http://www.ecauldron.com/.  If you haven't tried our
postcard site, give it a try.  It has quite a few nice features.


TO BE A WITCH
(Author Unknown)

To be a witch is to love and be loved.

To be a witch is to know everything, and nothing at all.

To be a witch is to change the world around you and yourself.

To be a witch is to share and give, while receiving all the
while.

To be a witch is to dance and sing, and hold hands with the
universe.

To be a witch is to honor the gods, and yourself.

To be a witch it to BE magick, not just perform it.

To be a witch is to be honorable, or nothing at all.

To be a witch is to accept others who are not.

To be a witch is to know what you feel is right and good.

To be a witch is to harm none.

To be a witch is to know the ways of the old.

To be a witch is to see beyond the barriers.

To be a witch is to follow the moon.

To be a witch is to be one with the gods.

To be a witch is to study and to learn.

To be a witch is to be the teacher and the student.

To be a witch is to acknowledge the truth.

To be a witch is to live with the Earth, not just in it.

To be a witch is to be truly free!


CAULDRON CHATS: TUESDAYS, 10-11PM CDT

Cauldron Co-Host Randall Sapphire hosts a one hour general chat
almost every Tuesday evening from 10pm to 11pm Central (Daylight)
Time in our channel (#thecauldron) on the PaganPaths IRC server.
We usually have a pretty good turnout.  Discussions cover a wide
range of topics, depending on what the folks present want to
discuss.

You'll find all the information you need to connect to our chats
either with your own IRC client or via the Java IRC client
(including images of the various Java windows which pop up) on our
Chats web page at:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/cmchats.html

You can open a Java chat client directly to #thecauldron by
clicking on the "IRC Chat" link in the menu of any of our web
pages, but we strongly suggest you visit the above page first and
read a few paragraphs on how to use it.  This page is also
available from the "[Info]" link right next to the "IRC Chat"
link on our web page menus.  If you have your own IRC client
program, the address of the main PaganPaths server is:

    madison.wi.us.paganpaths.org  (port 6667)

If you'd like to host a chat for members of The Cauldron: A Pagan
Forum on a regular, weekly schedule, please let us know.

If "Central Time" doesn't mean anything to you, this an online
time converter at http://sandbox.xerox.com/stewart/tzconvert.cgi
might help.  I think Central Time is listed as something like "US
- Central" in the drop down box.


BOOKS ON THE FAIR FOLK

In a recent message on our mailing list, Catja suggested the
following books on fairies:

Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katharine Briggs
  (Unfortunately out-of-print)

Strange and Secret Peoples by Carole Silver
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195121996/thecauldron

Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes, and Goblins:
  An Encyclopedia of the Little People by Carol Rose
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874368111/thecauldron

Irish Folk and Fairy Tales by W.B. Yeats
  (Unfortunately out-of-print)

Irish Folk Tales by Henry Glassie
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679774122/thecauldron

The Erotic World of Faery by Maureen Duffy
  (Unfortunately out-of-print)

Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0873328892/thecauldron

Catja says "The last book is one of the most valuable that any
Pagan can own; Russian society is, even today, basically a veneer
of Christianity over a more-or-less pagan worldview -- far more
so than anything in Western Europe -- and you can can study the
dynamics of a society that operates under a system of
'dvoeverie,' or 'double faith.'  The chapter on fairies is
fantastic."


PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

If you have Pagan friends who you believe would be interested in
The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum, please invite them to our forum. You
can either drop them a note yourself or -- better yet -- send
them one of our email postcards with the information.


LINK TO THE CAULDRON

If you like The Cauldron and have a web page, we'd really
appreciate it if you put a link to The Cauldron's web site on
your web pages.  If you'd like some graphic buttons to use to
link to our web site, check the following URL:

http://www.ecauldron.com/linktous.html

Thanks in advance.


SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter and read
previous issues at:

http://cauldronnews.listbot.com/


SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

Don't forget that your suggestions for the forum are always
welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to
Elspeth Sapphire (asapphire@aol.com) or Randall Sapphire
(rssapphire@ecauldron.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the
Goddess Eris.

Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet again!
Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive


Top | Home | Message Board | Site Info & Rules | Report Site Problems
Thanks to Cauldron Sponsors
(Sponsor The Cauldron!)

Cheap Web Hosting Report | Pagan & Magick Supplies
Witchcraft Course
Download Hundreds of Magic Spells