Future Jaguar Inductee: Ryan Reynolds

I think that it goes without saying that Ryan Reynolds is potentially one of the hottest men on the planet. He's beautiful, hilarious, self-effacing, and, hello, he dated Alanis Morissette. While only at the young, vital age of 32, Ryan may have a ways to go before anyone can consider him a true jaguar, but I don't think anyone would have a problem adding him to the list after a recent magazine cover.

Welcome to the club, Mr. Reynolds. May your abs forever be a reminder to us that no matter how many crunches we do, you will always look better. (Probably because you're Canadian.)

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Oh...what...you thought I'd forget pictures?! Please...

Ganesh(a)

I've been increasingly intrigued by the great elephant-headed God Ganesh - or Ganesha, depending on your spelling. I decided to do a bit of research, and am starting to really have a god-crush. I really like the different aspects of Ganesh's being. He is the son of Lord Shiva - most high Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation - and the Goddess Parvati - a peaceful mother goddess of whom all other deities were born. He is both a destroyer and peace bringer, wise and graceful. I like him. So, here is the page that I created for my personal BOS on Ganesh, followed by the official prayers - translated into English - for invoking this particular deity.

Love and Lyte

Fire Lyte

Lord Ganesh

Remover of Obstacles

Lord Ganesh is revered as the Lord of Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles. Likewise, he is the Remover of Obstacles. It is said that Ganesh may place obstacles in the path of a person to check them, and may be swayed to remove obstacles as well. He is always honored at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters during writing sessions. These are all honors bestowed upon him by his parents, Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati. He is chief of all Lords under Shiva, and in addition to obstacles, he is the Lord of Learning. All intellect, intelligence, or wisdom is his to bestow. It is thought that Ganesh is the personification of the primal Om sound. Lord Ganesh presides over the Muladhara Chakra, or base chakra. Ganesh holds, supports, and guides all other chakras, thereby governing the forces that propel the wheel of life. His parents are Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati. Shiva is Lord of destruction and rejuvenation, as well as the most high god. Parvati is seen as a peaceful mother goddess, though like the mother tigress she can be a fierce and powerful protector when necessary. Ganesh is a deity invoked at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies, especially at the beginning of a new business venture.

Prayers to Ganesh

Invocation

Hail to the Supreme Lord Ganesh, whose curved trunk and massive body shine like a million suns, who showers his blessings on everyone. Oh my Lord of Lords Ganesh, may you remove all obstacles, always and forever, from all my activities and endeavors.

Prosperity

I ask for good fortune and many blessings and wishes for my current and future lifetimes. I bow in homage to Lord Ganesh who protects me with long lives of health and happiness.

This is the Om symbol. Ganesh is said to reign over this basic, primal sound. You may wish to inscribe this symbol on an invocation candle, or onto any prayers you write down and leave for him.

Fundies Strike in Illinois!

It's good to see that Fundie is alive and well. I thought we'd lost him.

My fellow Barista, Cecilia, and I were making polite conversation with a couple while we made their drinks. The gentleman brought up that he had heard that the sales of Michael Jackson's Thriller alone had grossed over $4 billion. I then commented how strange and sad it was that he'd ended up nearly penniless - as he was recently going to sell off most of his personal possessions to pay debts. Then the man said, "Well that's what happens when you allow sin to get into your life." I gave the guy a ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS look. I felt it appropriate. He then went on, "That man allowed the sin of the Devil to enter into his life and corrupt him; that's why he ended up the way he did."

Immediately, I walked away. I just knew that the following conversation would be nothing I needed to be involved with. The guy then proceeded to have a very uncomfortable conversation with Cecilia that went a little something like this:

Him: Do you know Jesus Christ?

Her: Yes, of course.

Him: Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal savior?

Her: Yes, sir...... *perplexed look*

Him: Good, because Jesus told me he knows you, too.

Her: ..... *runs for life*

I'd just like to say that if what this guy is saying is true, that is freaking creepy! Though, I believe it about as much as I believe some dead guy 2000 years ago wants this guy to impose himself on the barista making his Latte. I thought I'd left this kind of in-your-face fundamentalism behind in Texas. At least, I can thank the Goddess that I've finally learned to just walk away.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Not to be insensitive

But must we have a 24 hour continuous Michael Jackson tribute on every single radio station? It's sad when someone dies, but 24 hours of Michael?! Really?

Blessings to his family, though. I'm not a fan and like everyone made fun at his expense on occasion, but I truly hope his spirit has finally found peace and rest.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Yeah Organic!!! Boo Weirdness!!!

I've been working at the cafe of Barnes and Noble for a few weeks now, sadly enough. Though it's been an interesting experience, I don't know that there's been anything more disturbing than the package the Horizon brand organic milk comes in. In large bold letters it states that the milk does NOT need to be refrigerated.

I mean, yeah for us selling organic milk, but shouldn't milk spoil? Like, very soon after it comes out of the cow? Shouldn't milk, you know, not have anything in it that would keep it lasting that long? The Horizon website states that the reason it can keep the milk at room temperature is "special packaging." Yep, I'm still disturbed.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Never Another Politician!

I never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER want to hear another politician - Republican, Democrat, blue, red, purple, or beige - use any sort of moral, sanctity of marriage, religious, bigoted, ill-educated stance against gay marriage. Every 3 months or so it seems we have yet another batch of politicians in heat with their wives for shtupping some other woman, or man, and dragging it out into public. Oddly enough, it is more often than not the very same politicians that are the most vocal about denouncing other politicians who have sex scandals or standing up for traditional marriage and family values.

I swear, upon all that is holy, that if one more politician yells "traditional marriage" or "family values" at gay rights legislation in an attempt to halt said legislation, I will flip a lid. (As well as start a fun blog counter, counting down until their own sex scandal.)

Originally, this post was going to be directed at Republicans, but I have to remember that as recently as last week the Obama administration used examples of incest, child endangerment, and a host of other despicable things to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. Boo. So, I realize that neither party is really the party of gay rights.

This is a call to arms, a prayer, a sending of energy, a blessing, a screaming at the top of my lungs that I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!

Write, call, fax, email, text message, twitter, myspace, facebook, blog, or telepathically contact your Representative, your Senator, your Governor, the President, and anyone else you can think of. Tell them that morality can no longer be used as a political weapon against equality, especially if politicians truly value the sanctity of marriage. There is no more sanctimonious action I can think of, other than dedicating oneself to the Gods, than to commit your mind, body, and soul to the one person in the world you love above all things.

Bless you and your families, whatever they look like, and however you make them your family.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

P.S. This message is brought to you by the 2012 campaigns of Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Mark Foley, Eliot Spitzer, David Vitter, Larry Craig, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Henry Hyde, Barney Frank, Neal Horsley, and every other fucking hypocritical politician or activist that has used morality against gay citizens and the rights we have been long-waiting for.

My kids!

Witchy Must-have

Hello from a bright, sun-filled day in Chicagoland! I was just out poking in my little garden, and I thought, "Hey! Everyone should know about herb gardens!"

I began this little garden almost 2 years ago with a few plants from the local Lowe's store. I started off with Lavender, Rosemary, Oregano, and Peppermint. Though, the peppermint did not fair well and died quickly, as did my first Rosemary plant. This taught me that you should NEVER plant anything in late February or early March, especially if there is a chance of frost afterwards. Rapidly changing temperatures are killer for nearly any plant, despite its tolerance level. Over the years, I've grown the garden to include Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Basil, Thyme, Lemon Balm, Citronella Geranium, Catnip, a Juniper Bonsai tree, Cactus, Oregano, and a sweet little Habanero Pepper plant.

I think herb gardens, especially for any crafty, witchy person - or anyone that just loves fresh kitchen ingredients - should always be grown in pots. A container garden can be quite beautiful, especially if you take a bit of time and care in selecting your pots. Also, with all the poisons that most people spray or sprinkle on their lawns to get rid of pests and weeds, a container garden ensures that you're not eating those poisons by eliminating runoff from the rest of the lawn. I like to have fresh ingredients year round, and when the Wheel turns to late Fall and Winter, I can just bring my garden inside. Sure, it doesn't grow as quickly, but it beats watching all your hard work die back, hoping that your little herbs will come back next year.

To make your indoor container garden a bit more comfortable through the winter, you can buy what's known as a green light or a grow light. If you clicked the links, you know that grow lights can range from a $5 bulb to a rather expensive stand-alone fixture. I use a bulb and stick the plants either in the storage shed or in my altar room. Watering goes down to maybe once a week, sometimes twice if your indoor air is really dry.

Selecting herbs is REALLY easy, but a lot of people stress out when they get to the gardening center of their local home superstore. If you're like me, most of your herbs will serve double-duty. Like, for example, I love to have my Rosemary at the ready for when I'm making fish or a nice roast, but I also like to have some fresh Rosemary whenever I'm blessing something with loving energy, or any of Rosemary's other myriad uses. For this reason, I recommend purchasing hardy, multipurpose herbs. Sure, you could grow Blood Root for healing, but how often are you really going to use it? (And it's poisonous.....so....yeah) Instead, grow some nice, hot peppers. Peppers improve circulation, and add some spice to spellcraft as well (especially when working with curandero-craft). They can incite passion and lust just as easily as cinnamon, but are much easier to grow. Downside, they're not really a plant you want/can keep year round. Some questions to consider: What flavors do you like? What is your area's growing season? What plants are native to your area, or similar areas? What craft herbs would you honestly use the most of?

Two resources I use every single time I'm selecting new herbs for the garden are Bonnie Plants website and Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. The Bonnie company distributes plants in peat pots with can be planted in the ground, and make the plant's transition much easier (as well as add some yummy food for the plant as it's broken down). They have a section on each of the herbs and vegetables they sell identifying all the problems you could run into with that plant, tips and tricks for growing, watering recommendations, and a host of other things. I always keep a copy of each of these pages, along with the Cunningham information, in my BOS' herb section.

I hope you visit your local home store and select your first, or next, herb! If you have any questions about growing, I'd love to try and answer them! Garden Blessings!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Coupon Debacle

My partner and I went to that one particular grocery superstore that my father is convinced is trying to take over the world, and I came away with a beef. Really, it's not a new beef, but more of a reiteration of one of my constant PSA's.

Please, in the name of all that is sacred, have your FREAKING coupons ready when you get to the checkout counter! There were these two women in front of us at lane 6 that were very obviously destroying the last vestiges of the poor cashier's patience by forcing her to stand there for at least an hour while these two women went over their 10 sales papers to make sure that every item in their overflowing buggy had every coupon possible applied to each of them. It was dreadful, and was rather difficult to keep quiet and not say "Look, why don't you go sit over on the bench next to that vile bathroom to pour over your trivial sales ads so that you can make damn sure you're saving your $3.57!!!"

Sigh. Instead, I just quietly went to another lane...and gave a mean glare at lane 6.

Love and Lyte (and Patience),

Fire Lyte

Blessed Midsummer!

This is the Midsummer Blessing that my family says over whatever we have planned as a ritual. Typically, I just take a nice glass of milk and honey, bless it, and pour it into the earth with a little bit going in each of my potted plants. It's not very elaborate, but I've never been able to keep up with performing really elaborate rituals.

Blessings from my family to yours on this day of Midsummer!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Midsummer Blessing

Blessed be this season of Midsummer, the time of the Sun God’s greatest power and the pregnancy of the Goddess.

Now is the time of fertility, growth, and anticipation of the coming harvest.

The fields are ripe with fruits and vegetables, our animals are nursing their young, and from now on the daylight hours will begin to wane.

The Holly King has triumphed over the Oak King and will reign for the rest of this year.

Oh Blessed Goddess, heavy with the pregnancy of the coming harvest, praise and thanks be to you at this time of Midsummer.

Oh mighty Lord, whose power is greatest at this time, praise and thanks be to you for the blessing of your light at this time of Midsummer.

Bless our home and family with a great bounty this year.

Bless and protect our home and loved ones.

Blessed Be!

Tragedy!

I'm stuck inside at work on this gorgeous day!!! Though I must remember to be grateful to be employed. I just hope this beautiful sky sticks around until tomorrow when I'm actually free to enjoy it.

What does the sky around YOU look like? Go take a look. Thank the Divine for the air that breezes through your garden or the rain that gives it life. It's hard to be happy with the weather when it's not your ideal day.

Oh! Good question! What is your ideal day, and what makes it different from just another pretty sky?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Quick Ditch Effort?

As I recently reported, the Justice Department of President Obama's administration recently argued that allowing same-sex marriage is akin to condoning incest, among other attestations.

Well, now, under pressure from gay rights groups across the country the administration has extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. The big question here is, is this a positive sign of things to come? Many critics believe that Obama will still do great things for gay rights, yet I think he's still got miles to go before we concur with his statement of being a fierce advocate for gay and lesbian Americans.

However, yeah for small victories, right? And, now, for a sensible voice in the matter, let's go over to Pat Robinson with the Religious Fucktards Society:

1-2% of the population?

I won't even comment.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Why Wicca Works.

I've been considering the maxim "all paths are valid." This is an idea that most, if not all, of self-described pagans use to say that we should not criticize someone else's beliefs, as long as those beliefs 'work' for that person. This is possibly the most generic way of looking at religion/spirituality in the modern day.

It is really easy to criticize these maxims. What if someone finds God in the joy and exuberance of bloodshed? Is this path valid? What if someone believes they are God? Not an idea that they have a divine spark, but that they, themselves, should be worshipped as a deity? Certainly that can't be valid, right?

But, then I thought about one of the basic tenets of Wicca, or neo-paganism in general that comes, originally, from the Latin writer Apuleius' work The Metamorphoses:

All gods are one God, all goddesses are one Goddess, and there is one Initiator.

When I first began to seriously study the neo-pagan/Wiccan path, this concept was a bit foreign, and originally didn't sink in. It wasn't until the last 3-4 years that I really began to understand what this means. If you trace the origin of any deity, you see that He/She evolved from some various incarnation of one God or Goddess or another from any given region going all the way back to the Fertile Crescent and those lovely little Goddess figurines early peoples carved in veneration.

For example: The same Goddess we know as love personified, Aphrodite, has evolved from the Sumerian Inanna (who was over warfare), the Phoenician Astarte (fertility, sexuality, and war), the Etruscan Turan (vitality), and the Roman Venus. She also has much older correlations to various goddesses of the dawn, and others. Yet, we think of her as the silly Goddess who flippantly fixes people up for fun, flies around naked on a seashell, and screws whatever hot boytoy of the week she feels like. This oversimplified version of this aspect of the Divine works for some people, and not for others.

The wonderful point is that aspects of the Lord and Lady are not set in stone. This is why neopaganism/Wicca works. I do not have to worry about my God(dess) being only one particular way all of the time. Women going through childbirth are not condemned to look to the heavens and pray to a male deity known for vengeance to aide in the easing of her labor pains. We can speak to whatever aspect of the Divine we need to for whatever given purpose under the sun, or moon. There is a Divine force, an Initiator, a primal energy that binds and pushes the actions of the universe, and this force, I believe, is split into two aspects, as is all of creation. Just as everything has its opposite, it only makes sense that the Divine would be a duality. Thus, rather than being limited to one concept of deity, we are allowed to ebb and flow into all aspects of the divine. I can say a prayer to Ganesh just as easily as to Hermes, the Great Spirit, Kali, Bast, or Brigid.

This is why the statement "all paths are valid" works better than I originally thought it did. Though, I would like to make a small addendum, and say that "all deities are valid." While I may not believe that someone worshipping a rock is exactly right in the head, I believe that someone that speaks to the spirit of a mountain for guidance might just be onto something. The God and Goddess are in everything and have an endless number of faces. They are brilliant, and ugly, and fat, and thin, and every color under the rainbow, and gay, and bisexual, and have wings or fishtails or are simply the air around us, the earth beneath us, the fire that warms us, and the water that makes us. They are purely pure. There are criticisms that this path, and its followers, simply attach themselves to the neopagan/Wiccan logo as a way of not really believing in anything solid, but I firmly believe this path is astoundingly profound in its simplicity, and that uniqueness just can't quite be found in any other path.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

A Bad Call on Gay Rights

THIS ARTICLE BY THE NEW YORK TIMES IS MOST EXCELLENT!!!

The administration has had its hands full with the financial crisis, health care, Guantánamo Bay and other pressing matters. In times like these, issues like repealing the marriage act can seem like a distraction — or a political liability. But busy calendars and political expediency are no excuse for making one group of Americans wait any longer for equal rights.

Maybe this public outcry will finally garner some change for a social group that just desperately wants to be treated as equals. Also, I realize it's still early in President Obama's term as Grand Poobah in Chief, but I think it's high time he be held accountable for the campaign promises he's shirking off. I want to believe this man will do great things for our country, but I also want my basic, intrinsic rights. My civil liberties.

Love and Lyte (especially to our President and the gay community),

Fire Lyte

Thanks Wigglian Way!

One of the best pagan podcasts around, The Wigglian Way, has listed the blog of yours truly under their friends section. I'm really proud of this little blog, and am thankful they like my musings.

Show them some love by subscribing!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Midsummertime!

This is one of my favorite times of the year, probably because my element is fire and this is the time when that element reigns supreme... for a day. Below is the text from part of the Midsummer entry I have in my personal BOS. Some of the specifics were gleaned from Sabbats by Edain McCoy.

Midsummer

Date: June 20th-25th (Date of Summer Solstice)

Also Called: Litha, Summer Solstice

Related Holidays: Litha/Vestalia (Rome), Gathering Day (Wales), Feill-Sheathain (Scotland), Alban Heflin (Anglo-Saxon), All-Couple’s Day (Greece), Feast of Epona (Gaul), Thing-Tide (Scandinavia)

Midsummer marks the time of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the height of the sun’s power. Each day forward, the days will wane in length as the sun begins to recede from the sky. At Midsummer the Goddess is heavy with pregnancy, just as the earth is pregnant with the coming harvest. Fertility rites are still carried out at this time so as to insure the growing crop came to fruition, as livestock and fields could be blighted. The Sun God should not be forgotten, though, and his fatherhood should be celebrated as well.

Fire is a part of nearly every Sabbat celebration, but it is most prominent at Midsummer. The balefire can be used to bless protective amulets – such as God’s Eyes. Herbs are typically ready to harvest by Midsummer, and are cut and stored for winter’s use at this time. Various cultures have also used this time to gather sticks that were then turned into staffs or walking sticks. Wood can also be gathered to create wands. Of all the Sabbats this is one that is most often celebrated during daylight hours. Traditionally, festivities began early with a greeting of the rising sun and lasted throughout the hours of the year’s longest day. Many cultures bless the land and trees at this time. These blessings are a magical ward against withering in the summer heat.

Just like at Beltane, Faery folk are quite active at this time. Folklore says that the fae are at the height of their power on Midsummer. Tales of their mischief effecting animals caused people to hang herbs and other charms out to ward off the pesky faeries. Contrarily, this time can be used to make friends with the fae around your property by leaving out food for them such as dairy products, honey, wine, or bread.

Animals are blessed, and it is customary to bring pets or familiars into a sacred circle to bestow a blessing upon them. Likewise, protective talismans can be easily made and slipped onto their collars. Milk can be substituted for wine at this time as a tribute to the continued lactation of mothering goats and cattle. Fertility magic, as always, is a part of this celebration, and women used to walk in the fields to promote conception. This is also a traditional time for marriage.

It is also said that the Oak King and Holly King battle again on Midsummer, just as they do on Yule, but it is the Oak King who is slain and the Holly King who takes reign. This is a perfect opportunity to have an outdoor summer celebration with the family complete with food, fun, and family

New Entertainment Recommendations

First off, I'd like to recommend you watch a 30-minute Mike Judge (of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-Head fame) show called The Goode Family. It's on Wednesday nights on ABC 9/8c. It's cute and a good laugh, especially for those of us that are trying to go green and save the world one swirly lightbulb at a time.

The next bit is another good laugh, albeit one with a less than righteous ambition. It's called The Hangover, and it's been the number one movie in America two weeks in a row. Get to the theaters to see it.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is the first novel from Katherine Howe. Its Amazon.com bookpreview is below:

Harvard graduate student Connie Godwin is determination personified. She will get her doctorate and find success as a historian, whether her aura-reading mother understands her bookishness or not. But first she has to contend with her tweedy adviser’s oddly urgent demands and her late grandmother’s incredibly old, long-abandoned house in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The house is cloaked in vines and stuffed with dusty old bottles and books, but its clutter yields a tantalizing scrap of paper carrying the words “Deliverance Dane.” Connie hasn’t a clue, but the reader knows, thanks to alternating chapters set in the late-seventeenth century, that Deliverance was a good woman accused of being a witch during the infamous Salem witch hysteria. Soon Connie, admirably sensible in the face of mystifying, even terrifying occurrences, zealously searches archives and libraries for healer Deliverance’s “shadow book,” while struggling to understand her own weird, new powers. Historian Howe’s spellbinding, vividly detailed, witty, and astutely plotted debut is deeply rooted in her family connection to accused seventeenth-century witches Elizabeth Howe and Elizabeth Proctor and propelled by an illuminating view of witchcraft. In all a keen and magical historical mystery laced with romance and sly digs at society’s persistent underestimation of women. --Donna Seaman

I just bought it and plan on reading it just as soon as I finish The Mists of Avalon. The classic novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Its Amazon.com book review is below:

"There is no such thing as a true tale. Truth has many faces and the truth is like to the old road to Avalon; it depends on your own will and your own thoughts, whither the road will take you." The Mists of Avalon is a story of another time and place. It's the legendary saga of King Arthur and his companions at Camelot, their battles, love, and devotion, told this time from the perspective of the women involved. Viviane is "The Lady of the Lake," the magical priestess of the Isle of Avalon, a special mist-shrouded place which becomes more difficult to reach as people turn away from its nature- and Goddess-oriented religion. Viviane's quest is to find a king who will be loyal to Avalon as well as to Christianity. This king will be Arthur. Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen, is an overly pious, fearful woman who successfully sways her husband into betraying his allegiance to Avalon. Set against her is Morgaine of the Fairies, Arthur's sister, love, and enemy - and the most powerfully believable person in the book - who manipulates the characters like threads in a tapestry to achieve her tragic and heroic goals. The Mists of Avalon becomes a legend seen through new eyes, with details, majestic language, and haunting foreshadowing that hold the reader through its more than 800 pages.

Enjoy!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

New Painting

Ok not that new. I call this one "Lord and Lady." I hope you all like
it. I know the photo quality isn't that great. I took it with my
iPhone. You get the idea though. Let me know what you think.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Loopholes, Assholes, and Holes with Various Purposes

Ok, there are a few things that, singularly, I can live with, but when put together have pissed me off. So as not to make this post go into several pages of a rant, I'm going to list the 3 pieces of news that have made headlines this week which have turned me into a ranting activist:

1. President Obama. I'm a big fan. Really. I swear. However, I'm starting to become slightly disillusioned with a few things. Namely, I am rather pissed that his administration has taken a stance of not only non-involvement in the gay rights movement, but has now taken a stand against gay rights by speaking out in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (or DOMA). Now, I get that the administration has to defend laws on the books. As an officer, I have to defend laws I don't necessarily agree with, but I am obligated because it's the law. However, didn't Candidate Obama promise a full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act? As of March 2008, his campaign website's PRIDE section promised a full repeal. As of today, however, his website's Civil Rights section (under the ISSUES heading) has conspicuously deleted the part about gay rights, specifically.
2. Thomas Beatie. Oh. My. GODDESS!!!! The man/woman had another baby. Now, I say man/woman, and you'll all hate my liberal, homosexual butt for saying this, but I'm just not sure which...he...is. Ok, I can get behind transgender people. I reason it that with all the rebirth of souls out there, it is a possibility that a female was a male in her immediate past life and does not feel he fits in a female body. I can get that on a very basic spiritual level. However, transgender men and women typically want to be the opposite sex. I CANNOT fathom a woman wanting to be a man, but remaining a woman in every way except facial hair and a flat chest. Not only that, but having TWO children. But the kicker is in number 3.
3. Chastity Bono. Or... Umm... Chaz Bono. The daughter/soon-to-be-son of Cher and Sonny Bono is making the switch to become a legal man. This means she/soon-to-be-he will be able to marry her/his girlfriend of 20 years, thanks to the loophole of marriage being totally fine for a legal man and a legal woman. Now, I'm all for equal rights and your desire to be your correct gender, but I am unfathomably confused as to how the religious right can defend "traditional marriage" when 2 biological women can get married as long as one of them legally changes over to a woman. Are. You. Kidding?! I mean, yeah for Chaz Bono finding himself - and I'm actually happy that he's choosing to become a full man instead of cheating by remaining a woman - but come ON!
4. I know I said there were 3, but I am too lazy to edit it to 4, but there's a fourth. JOHN AND KATE PLUS 8. PLEASE, OH DEAR GODS PLEASE, GET THESE PEOPLE OFF OF EVERY SINGLE TABLOID IN AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This whole debacle epitomizes the triviality of heterosexual marriage in America today. This family with its own veritable sports team of children is being broken apart on television, but wait (!!!) if you tune in every week you can see the parents work their problems out on national television in their "private" marriage counseling sessions. People buy and sell relationships for fame on reality television so much these days, I cannot understand how the traditional marriage camp can find any basis for an argument. Exactly what are they preserving? What is being saved? What is this sanctity of marriage?

Ok, to review: The President who promised change with the flick of a pen apparently can't find a pen. There are two cases of transgender individuals finding legal loopholes to get around biological boundaries in the governmental institution of marriage. John and Kate disgust me.

My point: What in the HELL is keeping us from opening up marriage to gays and lesbians?

Seriously?! Write your Congressman. Tell them to get off their asses and stop defending a broken institution and start fixing it by evolving it. Allow two loving, caring, committed adults to have the same rights regardless of gender.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Pagan Moving

I've been wanting to put this up for a bit. The show The Wigglian Way recently took on a letter I'd written them back in March. It had to do with my then-upcoming feelings about moving. More specifically, it had to do with ways to keep myself from conking out spiritually.

When I moved to West Virginia after high school, the entire year was spent without the ability to do much beyond saying, "I heart the Goddess!" I felt no connection to the land; I had very little spiritual energy, and I found it difficult to do even the most basic of card readings. I didn't want the same thing to happen when I moved here to Chicago. Well, it's been almost a month, fellow travelers, and I'm happy to say that I think I've gotten the energy beast in check. I feel up, happy, and have experienced absolutely no decrease in spiritual energy. This is what I did. I hope you can use some of it:

• I had an herb garden back in Texas. Since I lived in an apartment, the vast majority of the plants were in individual pots. These herbs were used for both cooking and magical workings. Instead of giving them away, planting them in the woods, or tossing them, I brought them along. They're now on the front porch and get a heck of a lot more sunshine during the day than on my covered apartment porch. This has helped me stay connected to nature and to feel more comfortable in this new space. My practice isn't interrupted because an herb that I used to have handy isn't around. It's right there, still.
• It was really important to me to make sure my altar tools were wrapped up snugly in their own box, and that my altar was set up within the first day or two that I moved in. I actually made sure this was up before I ever saged or did any sort of cleansing ritual. I said prayers of thanks to the Lord and Lady for my safe travel and asked for a smooth transition to this new place. Also, if I wanted to do any sort of ritual or working, my altar was all nice and ready for me. Granted, it's now off to the side of my bedroom and kind of squished in with everything else, but it's there, and is a comforting presence in my daily routine.
• Within my first 2 days at the new house, I found an excellent pagan book and supply store. I made sure to note what they kept in stock, what they could order, and what they just didn't carry. Like, my old store had a lot of gemstones, no books, some statues of a wiccan and buddhist variety, and a nice selection of herbs. This store had an ENORMOUS book selection, oils, some herbs, statues for any religion I could think of, and a small selection of gemstones. Nice.
• I bought the fattest bundle of sage/lavender that my new store sold and saged absolutely every square inch of my new home. The lavender gave the place a peaceful quality. Sometimes just plain white sage can leave a home feeling...blank. The lavender adds an element of easy peace to the place. It's nice.

This is just what I did. It's really helped, and if you have any ways to get over the moving spiritual hump, let me know!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Twitter

I'd like to know the point of Twitter. It seems like the modern definition of the word superfluous.

su⋅per⋅flu⋅ous  [soo-pur-floo-uhs] Show IPA
–adjective
1. being more than is sufficient or required; excessive.
2. unnecessary or needless.
3. Obsolete. possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant.

The idea is that you tell everyone that wants to follow you everything that you're doing. You tell people that you're down at the coffee shop on the corner studying French. You Twitter about the house cleaning you're currently putting off in favor of watching a Buffy marathon. And on, and on, and on. My question is WHY?!

Here's my problem with Twitter. People seem to take it as a pseudo-invitation to come join you in the things you're doing. What if I want to watch the Buffy marathon alone? Or, what if I Twitter how great a party that I put on was last night, and then there's the drama of, "Why wasn't I invited?" Well, you weren't invited, because I didn't invite you.

I enjoy my blog. I'm not addicted to posting, and I feel I put up semi-pseudo-quasi quality opinions and information, but I don't feel I need everyone in the world to know about my daily routine.

Oh well, I suppose it's like gay marriage. If I don't want to Twitter, I shouldn't get an account.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

...with people that want to kill you.

The Rachel Maddow show - as well as very nearly every other media outlet in the nation - recently covered the story of Dr. George Tiller. He is a doctor that was recently assassinated by a man named Scott Roeder. I'm sure I could never cover all the points, and I'll let you read up on the story yourself. (The above video does a good job with the high notes.)

The thing that jogged me is what a colleague of the doctor's said, "There's no reasoning with people that want to kill you." He was talking about the protestors that exist and subsist outside of nearly every public abortion clinic in America - the world. However, this statement, this simple truth is true for a myriad of groups. There is no reasoning with the cowards that wanted Matthew Shepard dead. There is no reasoning with terrorist groups, or hate groups, or the dregs of society that would rather slaughter an entire segment of the population without even really knowing them or having a real reason as to why.

So, what do we do with this? If we know there are people out there that want to kill you, and will, without any substantial cause, what in the hell do we do with that knowledge? This is possibly one of the few situations in which you cannot act proactively, or, at least, not in the same vein of proactive. You can't go off killing those that would kill you, just so they don't.

Unfortunately, my 23 year old brain has no insightful solutions. I just light a blue candle, say a few words of peace, a prayer for the man's soul, and hope for some proverbial bright future.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

New Hampshire

Legislature legalized same sex marriage today!!!

6 states have legislated gay marriage.

This.

Is.

Awesome!!!

Illinois! Where are you?!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Steroids, Viagra, and Multi-Vitamins

I realize that this topic is not new, but for one reason or another the topic has come up in conversations with family and friends. Professional athletes and steroids. Most people feel that steroids are these horrible chemicals that give some players an unfair advantage when playing their sport of choice. Yes, that's true.

As always, I'd like to discuss the flip-side. While steroids can provide a physical advantage over other athletes, are they not just the next step in the advantages athletes have been given over the last 150 years? I mean, the earliest athletes didn't have access to basic healthcare, many times. They couldn't afford it. They didn't have big gyms with personal trainers. Nutritionists watching every morsel of food ingested weren't around to make sure your body got the perfect blend of protein, fat, fiber, and other good stuff. Doctors weren't at the ready with the latest technology to repair nearly anything you could do to your body.

Unfair advantage? I'd be willing to say that Babe Ruth, were he to be around today, wouldn't even make the team.

On an even different side of things, I find it highly odd that we are so quick to condemn athletes for putting chemicals in their body to improve performance, but the same lawmakers preaching against such use are lining up by the thousands to improve their own performance. Viagra. Cialis. ExtenZe. Whether you're wanting to pop a pill and screw your post-menopausal spouse's brains out immediately, have a long weekend of retiree sex-fun, or make that "certain area of a man's body" bigger, modern science has you covered. Geriatrics can fuck like 18 year olds on prom night, as long as their prescription is filled.

Human growth hormone is in everything we eat. Our children are giants that are getting dumber by the day. Yet, somehow, a chemical to make you react faster to stimuli and make your muscles more powerful is evil.

I say bunk. This sounds to me like sour grapes emanating from the athletes and supporters out there who've lost games to big guys on a roid rage that decided to make the opposing team members their bitch. Get over it. Steroids are just the next step. Now, I don't like the idea of putting any chemical in your body, obviously, but I think this kind of hypocrisy is ludicrous.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte