blessed be

a happy birthday to marcia ellen, aka the happy chica.  i envy her this wondrous birthday.  to the rest of us, blessed samhain. hallowe'en has always been my favorite holiday. as a child i could hardly hold still in school all day long, waiting for time to rush home, carve pumpkins, and disguise myself in some dark way.  witches were my favorite, with pirates a close second. i grew up in a time when trick or treating (in the neighborhood) by ourselves without parents lurking at the edge of the porch was still a safe possiblity.  skulking thru the dark in the company of other mysterious beings was the biggest thrill of the year, better than christmas or birthday.

aol has a puffy piece on the welcome page, with the "news" that witches are still among us.  this comes as no surprise to many of us, especially women who came of age during the feminist days of the 70's, when wicca was the feminist religion of choice.  you might be surprised at the witches among us.  NPR fans may not know that margot adler is a witch, and an author of some good books on the subject.  wicca is an ancient earth religion that has gone thru many transformations, whose adherents have suffered greatly at the hands of established religions and governments. this is a site to comb for history, contemporary practice, materials, etc. beliefnet, that general store of religion, has a section on pagan/earth religions with information, chats, columnists - one of whom is perhaps my favorite witch, starhawk.  she has linked her devotion to the earth with serious political activism, and her websites will take you off in many directions if you have the time.  if i could belong to a "religion" this would probably be my choice.  i've actually tried joining wiccan groups a couple of times, but i get the giggles in inappropriate places, i just can't be serious about some of the silly stuff....and, it starts smacking of Organized Religion.  so, i howl at the moon in my own way, i honor the earth and all Being (except, maybe, the current administration and fred phelps), i try to walk lightly.