The Barbed Pentacle

• Yes, despite the nature of my blog, I do have ethics, values, and virtues that I live by and that I expect other people to live by too.
• Despite what many people may think, I'm very old fashioned and in some ways quite conservative.
  
  
  
• I don't necessarily have problems with folks who are fluffy bunny Pagans in general, I have a big problem with fluffy bunnies who are narrow minded. Part of why I started this blog was to broaden the horizons of those fluffy bunnies who think ideas such as mine have no place in modern Paganism.
• Pagans need to fully embrace that sex and procreation are part of nature based religions, but that while everyone should fully embrace this, it's not appropriate to have literal representations at all events. It's OK to have family rituals and adult rituals, but please make sure that it's not for some lame fluffy bunny reason like "the intensity of the power raised in circle will be too much for children" or "the deep personal journey of the guided meditation is not appropriate for the child." Please, those are bullshit reasons not to have children at ritual. Be an adult and say you don't like children because you think they're disruptive.
  
  
  
• It's alright if the grittier side of Paganism is not for you--and please feel free to judge away because I've already judged you--but stab me in the chest instead of the back. Pagans seem to think that back stabbing, bickering, and witch wars are perfectly acceptable. It's not acceptable. We shouldn't be fighting more than the Baptists. If you can't say something to someone in person because you don't have the balls, then you shouldn't say it online. Electronic testicles don't count in the real world. They only count in your false reality.
• Sacrifice is important. The aversion to all manners of sacrifice is the reason why America and Pagans often fail. Submission, Perseverance, and Endurance is the path to Deity. Think of the Chinese Kung Fu master in the Kill Bill movies. He is Deity and Bea Kiddo is on the path to enlightenment.
  
  
  
• There's a time for modesty and a time nudity. Sometimes your blouse needs a safety pin and you need to wear a sweater.
• Be authentic or you'll never truly be able to interact with Deity.
• If there's going to be a viable Pagan community that is going to be taken seriously, then people need to be active and involved. The includes charity and volunteerism. While Pagan clergy should not be paid for their services, especially if they don't hold a divinity degree, Pagans should be the ones to fund their covens and groups. This world no longer works on the bartering system. Dig in your pocket and find a dollar. That being said, clergy and others should not live off their groups. Religious education should be free, and the only people who should be allowed to make a living from holding a Pagan event is somebody who is honest enough to bill themselves as a promoter instead of hiding being a clergy title and a group affiliation.

What do fancy dinners, Wiccan rituals, Ernest Hemingway, and my favorite punch all have in common? Wine! Pagans and yuppies in particular seem to be fond of wine. For some reason, and I suspect that it goes back to mistaken thoughts about ancients and carry overs from Christian communion, many Pagans feel that they can only use wine for cakes and ale. This of course is ridiculous, but wine is still the most popular beverage in circle. Wine is incredibly easy to make, which probably explains why most of the world's cultures have some version of it. Kordwainer, who has been Wiccan for 20 years, makes wine at home.

Several years ago he was looking for a new project to take on. " A friend of mine suggested that I look into wine making. It was good timing too, because there were a couple of learning opportunities right around the bend. I ended up attending a workshop by the agricultural extension service and enrolling in a short class at a local farm just a month or so later. " Since learning about wine making, Kordwainer has made several batches of wine, from both kits (like making a cake from cake mix) and crushed fruit (like making a cake from scratch), some of which have been used in rituals for cakes and ale and libation.

Wine holds a sacred spot in Kordwainer's religious beliefs. "I am, in particular, a devotee of Dionysos, God of wine (among other things). He is the Divine aspect that resonates most deeply with me and I see His story played out in the actual wine making process itself," explains Kordwainer. "In a body of Myth associated with Orphic cults, we are taught that humanity was originally made partly of the remains of the infant Dionysos and partly of the Titans who kidnapped and dismembered Him. When Zeus discovered that the Titans had killed the child and were preparing to make a meal of him, He showered the entire scene with His lightning, destroying both the attackers and the victim. Hermes swooped in and carried away Dionysos's still beating heart, from which He was later reborn. The soot and ash that was left over served as the raw material from which Zeus formed mankind. The material was a mix of the remains of the baby and His murderers, therefore each of us has something of the God in us as well as more base and wicked impulses.

"Dionysos's bodily destruction at the hands of the Titans is mirrored in the crushing of the grape, and the gradual separation of the new wine from the must and lees reflects His role in elevating our own spirits, drawing out more of our Divine nature and leaving behind our titanic influences.

 "What I've enjoyed more than anything else has been muscadine wine. I love the flavor, and the grapes themselves have an untamed quality that I admire. I think of them as embodying more of the wild Dionysian spirit."

 As I stated above, wine is really easy to make. It is also completely legal to make at home, as long as you don't sell your wine or make more than around 100 gallons. Of course, like anything, there's always somebody willing to sell their sqeezings regardless of the law.Kordwainer said that his initial investment was about $200, which included yeast and fruit for his first batch and a bundled kit from a wine shop. The typical kit includes a primary fermenter, two secondary fermenters, a hydrometer (a tool that measures sugar/alcohol levels), and some tubing for racking. With this set up, you're ready to start making your first batch.


According to Kordwainer, "You basically start with some sweet liquid, like fruit juice, and place it in a controlled environment where you can manage things like temperature and exposure to oxygen. Fruit pulp or whole crushed fruit is often left in the juice to help provide aroma and color. This juice/fruit combo is called "must". Into your must, you introduce some yeast and give it time to convert the sugar into alcohol, making sure to keep an eye on the process. 


 "At some point you'll have to separate the wine from the sediment (called the "lees") or the wine will take on some unpleasant flavors or odors. The separation is accomplished by draining the wine into a new container, leaving the lees behind (this is called "racking"). You'll probably have to rack a batch of wine at least twice before you get an acceptable level of clarity. 
"When the wine is clear, and the fermentation process is complete, you'll hopefully have a very dry wine. Any sweetness left at this point means that the fermentation process was halted before the yeast could eat all the sugar, and that can be a bad sign. Most winemakers will sweeten their wine at least a little after the fermentation process is done and before final bottling, but for fans of dry wines, it's not strictly necessary. It is important to stabilize the wine (kill any remaining yeast) before bottling, though. If fermentation restarts after the wine is bottled, it can have explosive results (literally). 


"You have to make sure the sugar level in your juice is high enough to get the potency you want in your wine, and you have to be careful about what strains of yeast you use and make sure that the risk of contamination from other bacteria is minimized. My best tip is Sanitation is king. Keep everything sanitized; even the slightest contamination can ruin a batch of wine. Next, I'd advise you to do your homework. Read some books, take a class or attend a workshop if you're able to. Try to at least partially understand what you're trying to accomplish on a chemical level. I'm no chemist, but the little bit I learned has really help immeasurably. Finally, I'd say to be prepared to exercise some patience. Wine takes a long time to mature. You're looking at 3 or 4 months at least before a batch is drinkable, and letting it mature longer after bottling greatly improves its quality." 


Just as wine and ritual seem to be a natural pairing, food and wine seem to be quite natural as well. While many wine aficionados spend endless hours biting their nails over pairing just the right wine with their food, Kordwainer says that it's not a big deal. "It's a bit like magick, actually. In a way, wine/food pairing follows the law of attraction. Like calls to like. Red meats go with red wines; and white meats like poultry or fish go with white wines. Rich foods pair nicely with more robust wines, and milder food match with lighter wines. Of course, the most important rule is to drink wine you enjoy with food you enjoy, preferably in enjoyable company. " 


Just as pairing the right wine to the right cuisine is important, pouring wine properly is also important. "There are differing opinions about that. There are a LOT of variables, honestly: the exact temperature at which to serve the wine, the shape of the glass, how long to let it breathe before pouring, whether or not to use a decanter, etc. Pouring a glass of wine can be an art, or even a science. To add to the confusion, it can all change for different varieties of wine. You pour a still wine into the center of the glass, but you pour a sparkling wine against the edge to keep it bubbly. White wines are more commonly served chilled than reds, although sweeter red wines sometimes break this rule.


 "My own favorite serving method is highly unorthodox, but it does have some historical justification. The Greeks, in accordance with the edicts of Dionysos, always mixed their wine with water. To them, the drinking of unmixed wine was a sign of barbarism. I prefer to mix my wine with club soda and serve it over ice. I also favor sweet, full bodied wines which work out well with this method. I know that there are some cultured wine buffs who would have my head, but I pour it to drink and enjoy, and I think that's the real secret to the perfect glass of wine." 


With that said, imbibe some wine and try not to act like a maenad (at least not too much!).

"There is something so amazing about a sexual climax, where you are so engulfed by the sensations, that I think you actually transcend your own self and ego ... and all that you identify with at that point, and [you] achieve a new level or consciousness that is totally pure." --Martina


There's tons of books and websites and workshops out there about sex magic and tantric sex.  That's not what this entry is about.

Intercourse in ritual is a natural extension of Hieros Gamos, the sacred marriage and union of the God and Goddess.  There are many different ways that sex can be used in ritual to enhance the ritual and magic.  And sex, as it's being used here, means with two or more people or solitary.  Masturbation works just as well as partnered sex.  Here's a short, short run down of some different ideas to get you into the Beltane spirit.

Sex to call the quarters
Consider using different positions, toys, or acts to call in the elements and quarters.

Sex to Invoke the Lord and Lady
Consider using different positions or toys to invoke the God and Goddess.  If you're having sex with a partner of the opposite sex/gender affiliation, when invoking the Goddess, the girl can be on top.  When invoking the God, guy on top.




Sex to raise energy
In many different sex magic traditions, sex is used to generate the energy behind the magic, with the spell being completed upon climax.

Literal Hieros Gamos
Instead of an athame and chalice, use your body as it was meant to be used!

Libation
If your tradition calls for libations to be poured during ritual, sexual fluids are a wonderful libation liquid and are much more meaningful than cheap wine.

Sex to ground
While sex can be used to raise energy, sex can also be used to dissipate energy.  As you climax, feel all that extra energy from ritual seep into the ground and leave your body.



Sex as the whole ritual
For those with stamina and creativity, sex can be the whole ritual act.  Foreplay can be used to call in the elements and invoke the Lord and Lady, food can be added in for cakes and ale, and climax after climax can be added in for magical acts, libations, and grounding.

Remember:
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.


With the Lady's words in mind, outdoor sex should be done on private property, no underage participants should be present at rituals that involve sex or sexual acts, and all sexual acts should be consensual.


These folks have sex in ritual:
Erotic Sensations:  http://eroticsensations.us/
Tonia Brown: www.thebackseatwriter.com

Photo by Nobuyoshi Araki

When most people hear the word "homesteader", an image of Laura Ingalls Wilder or some similar personage pops into their head.

 Some people may be a little more hip, and conjure up an image of a Mother Eather living in a sod house run by solar energy. While the first image was valid in the 1870's, and the second in the 1970's, neither image is a very valid representation of the urban and suburban homesteaders of today.
Urban/suburban homesteading is the keeping of animals and gardening for self-sufficiency in an urban or suburban environment. What most urban homesteaders do today, three to four generations ago would have been considered matter-of-fact. It was not unusual then for even the most urban of dwellers to have two or three chickens caged up waiting to go into the pot. Everybody grew something, even if it was only tomatoes in pots on the fire escape.
Urban homesteading is often called "micro-farming" because it uses minuscule plots of land to their fullest. Homesteaders do this by utilizing miniature, pygmy, and bantam breeds, raising livestock that require little space, gardening in raised beds, using the square foot method of organization, and employing companion planting. Chickens, rabbits, and bees are popular species that are kept on urban homesteads due to their minimal space requirements and the farm products that are produced from them.

Make sure when you start planning your back yard or rooftop homestead to research your area's laws and ordinances regarding livestock in the city limits. While more and more cities and towns are recognizing the importance of backyard livestock, there are still many areas that don't allow chickens, much less larger animals like goats, and some of these municipalities even have bee bans.  If you slaughter your own livestock, which in keeping with Pagan ideals, I highly suggest you do, you should also research your area's ordinances about disposal of dead animal parts.  Some areas want you to bury the remains, while other areas want you to incinerate them or take them to a special landfill.  Most cities will not allow you to set up a bone project in your back yard.  They frown on charnel houses.
Bees are incredibly easy to keep in an urban environment, and they add an interesting element to many Pagans' spirituality.  The insects have traditionally been viewed as messengers, but I stated above, some places do not allow bees.  For more information on starting your own urban hive, click here.   Urban bees tend to have an easier time surviving since so many gardens are planted with early and late blooming exotics and there are numerous water sources from fountains to sprinklers.

So, this all sounds vaguely interesting?  Call upon your favorite pastoral deities, and head to the feed store and live stock auctions!
Check out the eggs laid by these chickens:
Erotic Sensations:  http://eroticsensations.us/
Tonia Brown: www.thebackseatwriter.com
CoverYouHair.com:  http://www.coveryourhair.com/index.php?&aff_id=137&banner_id=3

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