BROOMSTICK  TO  THE     EMERALD  CITY   
            

                                                                                         


YOU HAD THE POWER ALL ALONG



       Pagans are purposeful and passionate with their motivations in life, and harmoniously allied with the true American ideals of freedom and liberty. So why are most of them trying to be invisible?

          There has been a negative and reactionary force trying to hijack this country since it's European settling. The spirit of America is not about restrictions and punishment as right wing revisionists insist, but a pursuit of happiness that was for the most part, obliging, gentle and kind. Let's not forget half the population  were women and their stories are rarely in history books and men are responsible for nearly all atrocities.

       Why call this Broomstick to the Emerald City? Recall Glinda, the good witch, and  remember when she asked if Dorothy had brought her broomstick, it was a long way to see the Wizard in the Emerald City. It has not been an easy way  for witches, even in the 21^st century. Witches are the heirs to the spirit of the American Constitution, so why can't they be open about it? Hide your passion at work and in social groups.  "Black hats in disguise, very wise."

America needs to accept witches as they once accepted women voters in 1920 and blacks having the complete right to vote with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.  The general population accepts marriage equality but will still be shocked to find out that pagans still exist. This will not be an easy ride for many people, and your Harry Potter racing broom won't be of any help. 
You see, Witches primarily have settled on a goddess as their primary deity, and so have I, and this doesn't sit well with many people. I don’t belong to any coven or have had any kind of training at all in witchcraft, and at best I am an alternative, amateur historian. Just because I don't practice, doesn't mean I don't understand the craft.  I know that magic is everywhere and magic is not what most people think it is. Magic is also hidden in powerful places.
I don't have to be initiated or take courses with certifications to call myself a witch, and neither should anyone else. See rule #8  below, with an emphasis on the harmony with nature. Not a weekend gardener, I'm a 24/7 garden green, and I made up a new cateory--a Tree Witch..

      Sure, witches may be a little edgy and mysterious, but paganism allows for a wider range of expression, and an abundantly wide variety of people practice witchcraft in many forms, and it's a good thing. After all, this is the USA where personal expression should be at its zenith. Instead, lurid sex and spectacular violence from Hollywood overwhelms the creativity that could otherwise issue forth from our culture.

It seems to me witches have been doing what they have always done. They are wise in the use of herbal remedies, they use intensity and inspiration to achieve ideals and  influence a positive outcome in their endeavors. Yet they are still viewed as demonic which must frustrate witches and Wiccans to no end. Rolling our eyes and shaking our head can't be enough anymore. Full tolerance is necessary and acceptance is coming around the bend. But it will require casting out the evil in Christianity.  

Till all discrimination ends, and there is a massive Christian apology , Pagans will have to wait to exhale. If it wasn't for priests, pastors and preachers trying to fill seats, none of the incredibly inhumane tortures and cruel deaths would have been applied to heretics and witches. Many who were killed were not even practicing the craft, but collateral damage during the Inquisition.

               You had the power all along

I have looked into what wiccans or witches write in various forums and observe their comments. I call myself a Progressive Eclectic and randomly adopt deities from many different religions and some people aren't crazy for that, but wiccans and witches are always kind and knowledgeable. 
Trust me, if a person calls themselves a witch, there is not a reason to fear if they are a neighbor or co-worker. Like pagans in general, witches are passionate and sensitive and in many cases, wise in the ways of the world.  I wish I had more Pagan and Witch neighbors, it would be a friendlier world.                                Pagans have American Freedoms embedded in our genes. But we live amongst people who believe Halloween is "the devils birthday. He is the father of lies". Well we know who the father of lies really is. See # 10 below. Vikings Druids Darwin and worst of all...the Masons. All have suffered from whisper campaigns instigated by Reverend Redscare and others from the pulpits of hate, a brainwashing that makes people hate gays and Muslims and witches.

     

         Guess what bible thumpers, the Masons were very much behind our constitution and bill of rights. Make sure you cast a skeptical eye when you see Youtube videos calling Masons evil. It's all part of the Christian Coup they are planning and 1600 years of  these whisper campaigns bearing false witness have taken their toll. and outright murder of heretics and non-believers has given them authority, but unearned and illegitimate.  The light of Liberty becomes a candle in a dungeon of an Oligarchs Dream.

         Why are the streets around the white house arranged in a triangle, oh wait…a pyramid! Now I get it, that Egyptian pagan religion; like the Washington Monument in D.C., that’s a coincidence, right? No, many obelisks erected by Masons around the world were purposefully set up like the pyramids so the sun shone precisely on the top on certain days. Pagan roots from the early days with the Freemen Masons as they were initially called. 
            The sun first shone on America, once upon a time, at the top of the 555 foot Washington Monument, capped on top with a small pyramid. In the late 1800's, it was the tallest structure ever built; up till that time.

      During the Burning Years, those accused of witchcraft were taking the heat for the Masons and other secret societies that had similar beliefs, but kept them hidden. Witches can be very ordinary people and here is where the last hurdle to freedom lies. They may cast spells, but they know the consequences of wishing harm to another person.  In ten years of communicating with those in the craft, I really can't point to a single example of what could be considered evil. More like do-gooders to me with their empathy and compassion. Important also, was to be careful, because you really can get what you wish for. 

Witches are generally thoughtful, right thinking and kind people, which is more than I can say for snarky and successful. Christian Republicans. They muddy the waters so we don't see how shallow they are. I’m of the opinion that witches and pagans would fundamentally be better citizens than these authoritarian loving, blowhard republicans, because we seek the American ideals, and we are stricter constitutionalists. We are enthusiastic purveyors of the ‘pursuit of happiness’ , not bobble heads believing the hackneyed harangues of hate. 

Then don’t forget Pagans are also, hands down, the best sociological demographic to steward the environment, although it's true that many Pagans even don't have a clue about ecosystems and wild life. In general though, Pagans and other earth lovers are feeling the pain of a water boarded Earth and the fracking nightmare. Todays news is that corporations are dumping their nuclear waste into the earth via fracking. Goddess help us!

        Remember pagans aren’t witches but witches are primarily pagan. As an aside here, there is every range of belief with some witches, some even having Christian saints in their pantheon of gods and goddesses, and there are  Pagans who have very high regard for the teaching of Jesus. He is one of the 23 gods in my pantheon. So toss all the pagan baggage aside and open your heart to the key to our peaceful future. Tolerance: then acceptance. Womens creativity and intuition, along with their nurturing nature, will create a purifying flame to the dead wood in our culture.

    

      Witches may not be subject to being dragged down to the town square and burned anymore,  or need to worry about being beheaded and having their skulls placed on spikes to scare other pagans into converting to the one true religion; but we can easily lose our jobs or leadership positions in volunteer organizations such as the cub scouts should we be outed. 
        How Un-American can you be and why are witches still subject to severe discrimination such as this? They invented something called Freedom of Expression, but most cannot have a booth at a fair without some kind of virulent discrimination. The Last Repressed Minority must have full American freedoms.

        This is why so many pagans have to stay in the broom closet. Police authorities cast a wary eye on any pagan activity, even charitable volunteer work completely devoid of religion. Unbelievably, pagans are subject to unconstitutional harassment and when this issue concerning pagan civil rights becomes better known, it will completely overshadow gay rights. You will see, it's coming. Libertas holds the lamp of liberty aloft to see us through the darkness.

        

       To praise the Goddess out loud is an act of bravery even in 21^st century America. I know there are people that conclude I am completely nuts just to even consider that the Supreme being or beings are Female. Patriarchy has been fighting for your mind for many centuries. Treating Nature as something to cut down, bulldoze, catch and sell, dig out or destroy. 
          The American Constitution is not based on the Bible or some warrior code. It couldn't be! Thomas Jefferson for one, discussed what he called  his “God of Nature”  and One of his favorite sayings regarding religion is one of indifference, “Why should I care about my neighbors religion,” he asks, “it neither picks my pocket….nor breaks my leg.”  

        Jefferson was only too aware of the Church and it’s agenda for control. The Spanish Inquisition was still fresh in his 18^th century mind.   "Divine Authority" was a joke to intelligent people, yet the result was illegitimate power to those steeped in the religious bugaboo that contaminates our culture with coercive, forced conversion. Preachers priests and pastors;  have wreaked havoc to the spirit of freedom in our American hearts in the last 30 years, and have kicked the crazy up a notch during the Obama administration. 

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         Jefferson was very determined not to let any religion become dominant in this country. Our revolutionary founders looked decades and centuries into the future, and they envisioned a nation of law, with this experiment in freedom. They were Enlightenment Era visionaries and our political discourse has fallen considerably since then.   

           Phyllis Curott has something interesting to say about the founding of our country.  She was a person with many skills and was climbing the corporate ladder and making her way through the world. Her feeling of incompleteness in the business atmosphere led her to a coven that saw her great potential. Like most, she had maintained society's negative and nefarious views about witches, but eventually, she saw the personally empowering effect of witchcraft and embraced it all, eventually becoming one of the most prominent witches of our modern era. Here is a quote from her book, "  The Masons arose from this magical and intellectual lineage and it was their revolutionary brotherhood that founded the United States. They believed in the brotherhood of man, the existence of a divinity, and the immortality of the soul. Many of the treasured secret rituals of the Masons reflected those of the Goddesses at Eleusis and Delphi, and the most overt symbols of those beliefs decorate our flag, dollar bills and seals of high office. So often these days, as right-wing politicians and conservative Christians appropriate history for their own exclusionary political ends, they assert that we were founded as a Christian country. In fact, we were founded by magicians as an astounding political experiment, reflecting their equally insurgent, and ancient, spirituality.

          As the boomer generation reached school age, many of us were puzzled and disgusted that a race of people had to use separate facilities, and were treated as less than equal. It also seemed dumb and unnatural, that females were somehow not equal to males.  We didn't GET IT.  The bigotry and sexism of the greatest generation was put to the test in the 60’s and failed as cultural norms. The Old Order was about to be stood on its head!

          We can’t just get on our broomstick and fly to the Emerald City, but we may realize we had the power all along to change the wicked course the warrior elite and this cabal of cruelty are on. War mongering, tree cutting, animal experimenting and many other atrocities perpetuated by the Tree Cutting Culture needs to end.  
          Funny though, how the Statue of Liberty is actually the Goddess Libertas(Liberty). Funny how Goddess Temples abound in Washington, D.C. Funny how there is not a single quote from the Bible or Koran in our Constitution and other Founding Documents.   
           Many of the slaves that built Washington brought their triple goddess from Africa and integrated her within the facade of Christianity they were forced to adopt. White Indentured servants came from the forests and back woods of Europe where the fairies and gnomes lived. Ancient pagan traditions found a way to survive the centuries in the hinterlands of Europe, then came to America and created, as one example, Appalachian Granny Magic.

              Remember one day that the meek will inherit the earth. Now, who would that be? The conquered people, the Pagans perhaps.  Bring passion and compassion to Washington this year  and the Goddess will listen.The discontent of the disenfranchised begins to focus on solutions at rallies there. There IS magic there, find it and try it. Remember the Folk Magic. There is power in secret places.
          Cast the evil out of Washington and conjure up a culture of Love. It's all we need.  We can understand each other and help the lowest among us, because, in the future others will have their rough times and bad spells  in life butwill be able to stand up again with a helpful hand and with loving hearts. There is a a tremendous vacuum of leadership and inspiration in Washington, and in this country.  Pagans are poised to put passion and compassion back into the leadership/                             
             Unfortunately, it will be a long journey to peace, passion and prosperity, and we will need a lot of magic. Not paved in gold any longer, the path to the Emerald City is filled with hazards. Our broomstick may help with a few shortcuts, but the road is going to be long no matter what.
 But we ride.

First are the eight directions of Druddism, and then the 13 principles of witchcraft.

The Eight Directions of Druddism

    "1……Encode Liberty ….2……Embed equality…3…. Ostracize criminality  …..4… vanquish cruelty….5….humble the mighty …6  …, cultivate opportunity….7….    invalidate injustice and …..8…..initiate "Unity Without hierarchy"  

                   Paganism has inspired me to learn so much more and now everything I have experienced in life has an odd synchronistic feel to it. I try to put a comic spin on issues, but I am really serious about the Goddess. 
......Her name is Zemyna, the life of the living earth. The Mother Earth ,Diety of the Romuvans. The moist mother earth of the Lithuanians, Poles and Latvians. To be cherished as she feeds us all. A simple wish to treat her gently. . . . . . . .
          John Lennon is famous for having said "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." I have updated that by saying, "The Goddess is a concept by which we measure our joy."

 

       As outlined by the Council of American Witches:

                  The 13 Principles of Witchcraft
1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural," but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity-- as masculine and feminine-- and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.(continued below)  

 "The wars in Iraq .and Afghanistan have nothing in common with what we suffered for in Valley Forge"

                                        

                       

                      "May the Force Be With You Dorothy." In the Wizard of Oz, the Ruby Slippers worn by Dorothy were actually silver slippers in the book written in 1908 by Frank L. Baum. In his world they symbolized the need  to have a bi-cameral currency. Gold for the wealthy and Silver for the common man but by the end of the 1800's, the fight was lost. The Silver Movement was dead. That is the secret of which we do not speak. It is not paranoid to think the world is run by basically 500 people. JFK was shot, some supposed, when he wanted silver currency along with gold with his Executive Order 11110. Lincolns attempt to initiate silver currency soon led to his demise, as the "civil" war ended and he was finally going to be able to rest. This is why I think Obama is Lincoln re-incarnated and determined to finish a second term. There is some strange synchronicity there with 4's and our 44th President.

                                               

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds-- sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc.-- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
                                             
  6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it-- a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way. 
8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch-- but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature.     
 9    We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within.it.
10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
12. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil," nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another. 
13. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.