Episode 50: Inciting Christian Day's Riot

Episode 50 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast. A milestone, to be sure, and no greater topic - nor guest - could I think of for this occasion than the man, the warlock, the pagan dividing line himself: Christian Day.

I sat down for an in-depth interview with Christian to discuss the Charlie Sheen debacle, the pagan community, the use of labels, the importance of salem, and the nature of self-promotion. It's an interview the pagan community has been asking for, and I am pleased he agreed to do it.

Should you have any feedback, you can always tweet me @IncitingARiot (Twitter.com/IncitingARiot), head over to the blog at IncitingARiot.com, or email IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com.

Was the interview what you expected? Do you have a new or different view of Day after this? Or, possibly, do you hate me just a little more for continuing to talk about this whole situation. I'd love to hear all opinions from you, the Rioters. Go download the show now, or you can stream it live through the player on the Show page of this site.

Thank you for 50 WONDERFUL episodes. Here's to 50 more!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

A Mural in Maine: Unions as the New Scapegoat

Within the last week news has broken that the Republican Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, ordered the removal of a mural from the state's Labor Department building's lobby. Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary for the governor, said that the mural was in storage awaiting a more appropriate venue for it to be displayed. But, what's the problem with a mural in a building? Lots of big government buildings have art in them by artists from that state. It's great for state pride, morale, and it helps support the arts. All good things, right?

Well, if you haven't noticed recently the Republican party seems to be waging a war against organized labor - or unions. Right now a simple Google News search for the word 'Union' will pop up nearly 39,000 articles on the subject. Sure, they're not all current and relevant, but it's major news and has been for the past couple of months. In states where Republican legislatures seem to rule (like Ohio, Idaho, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Michigan, just to name a few), those governments have decided - arbitrarily it seems - that 2011 is the year of the Great Union Bust. State and local governments are running out of scapegoats for reasons why the economies of their respective areas of rule are still in disrepair, so they're turning to a tried and true Republican talking point.

Now, both on the blog and on the show, I have made it clear that my views on Unions range from neutral to slightly negative. However, I can say with pretty much no level of uncertainty that unions are not the cause for states verging on bankruptcy. (To learn a bit about Unions in America, click here. I warn you: there are numbers and math and charts and other tools of torture.) Union workers make up only 12.4% of the total workforce. While I am sure we could pull our Economic Disparity charts out and show the unfair distribution of wealth between rich folks and the rest of us, most folks in a union aren't rich. They're teachers and plumbers and police officers and firefighters and manual laborers and folks working in jobs that are so low on the totem pole they wouldn't normally make very much money at all if not for labor unions. They're workers. Sure, there are problems with unions - like keeping bad employees far too long once they've received membership - but the folks in these unions do hard work and deserve better than we give.

Let's take Wisconsin for example. The big battle up there is over teacher's union rights. The governor made demands, saying he wouldn't proceed with union busting legislation if the unions agreed to lower fees, lower wages, lower a whole bunch of stuff. The union did, and the governor just said, "Never mind. Screw you," and decided to proceed anyways. That's not fair play in my book. It's also kind of exposing the truth behind much of this union busting ideology: it's not about the economy. If it were, then lowering all those fees and costs and wages and things would be the big bartering chip. Apparently, they're not.

This is not a case of economic collapse caused by unions that if they would just lower their fees and rates and other financials would be solved. If it were, then the governor of Wisconsin wouldn't have backed out of his deal with the unions and proceeded with his cause. If it were, then we would be seeing officials and union representatives meeting to discuss these matters and come to some sort of arrangement. When the infrastructure is in disrepair and costing too much money, you don't just blow up the roads and go back to wagons. You find a way to fix the problem. So...I'm having a hard time believing that, with all the faults of unions, they are the evil scapegoat.

And that brings us back to Maine, just the most recent state to grab headlines for their administration's ridiculous ideas about unions. So ludicrous that merely having a mural in their Labor Department depicting organized labor is salacious enough to have the entire thing removed. This is at best censorship and at worse it's an attempt at psychological warfare by removing images of the enemy idea.

What do you think of this Union Busting business? Sure, there are pro's and cons about unions, but how do you feel about the manner various state governments are going about addressing these issues? Do you agree that the mural should have been taken down?

Administration officials in Maine said the change was needed to reflect a new image for the department, one not tilted toward organized labor. They said visitors to the lobby had complained that the mural is anti-business. Because, you know, if labor unionizes and asks to be paid fairly...that's bad for business.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Do The Stuff Challenge: Ostara

It's been a week since Ostara, and I meant to give my report on my Ostara ritual experience, but life, work, and a juicy bit of news kept me from writing. (Hope you enjoyed the last article.) But, here it is!

I set up my Ostara altar on my fire place. 2 reasons: 1) I wanted a change of scenery, and 2) my fireplace is big and pretty and could accommodate all of my goodies. It looked a little something like this:

I had 4 elemental candles, my 5 eggs, and some other candles for scent and decor. Also, I had bunnies and other springtime/Ostara/Easter decorations adorning my mantle.

Again, I didn't cast circle in a typical fashion, but I did feel the tingly sensation of being "in circle." This was a sensation that, prior to ritual taking a backseat in my life, I had never really noticed before. I wonder if it was always there, or if I'm just trying to notice something, trying to 'get something' out of ritual. Thus, I'm making more of the mystical significance of ritual than there is.

Or, perhaps, it's as real as the feeling of eating too much food. You don't feel it everyday or all the time, but under the right conditions it's there.

Anyways, I gave an impromptu invitation to the God and Goddess after inviting the elements to regard and attend my circle. I then did my blessing and asked for various things I'd like in my life. Balance, wisdom, etc. Mundane things like enough money to have some left over after bills, and bigger things like deeper peace and lasting love in my relationship with Partner. You know, all those things you ask the gods for.

In all, I'd say it was a rather lovely, rewarding experience. I painted 5 eggs with colors and symbols of each element. I do that each year by Ostara, keep them on my altar or mantle until Easter, and then bury them in fertile soil with a nice plant or something to help the energies grow. I think this year they'll help to fertilize a small outdoor herb garden that's actually in the ground - as opposed to a pot like I normally have.

Hope it's nice. Below are some other pictures of the little bit of spring decor from my house. How did YOU spend your Ostara?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Spirit Candle

Earth Candle

Water Candle

Fire Candle

Air Candle

The Double-Sided Nature of a Society that Has It All

David Michael Conner, contributor to the Advocate magazine, published an article entitled 'The Trouble with Happy Endings' on the LGBT magazine's website. Now, I'd like you to please go read the article first - don't worry, it's short - and then come back and read my response. I think you'll be surprised at my stance.

When I began reading the article, I knew I wanted to comment. However, as I read on, what I wanted to comment on changed. On the one hand, I agree, and on the other I don't. Though, both ideas are quite relevant topics. Thus, you get both Riots.

The First (in which I agree): When Lady Gaga came out with her single 'Born This Way,' the gay community gave up a resounding "Yeehaw, Amen, and All That Jazz." They rejoiced, mostly. It was a song by a legitimate pop star with worldwide fame singing specifically about the need for equality and embracing individuality. In short, it was a song that spoke to the collective 'Snowflake' mentality that has come up in the past few years. P!nk did a couple of songs on her recent album ('Fuckin Perfect' and 'Raise Your Glass') about how we're all just so wonderfully unique and that we should embrace that. Christina Aguilera led the charge on 'song as equality anthem' in the mid-2000s with 'Beautiful,' and it goes on from there. But, I think we can all agree that in the past year or two, songs such as these have become excessively prevalent. 'Firework' by Katy Perry. 'Who Says' is the latest from Disney queen Selena Gomez. (What is it with gorgeous female pop stars wanting to let everyone know life is just dandy, despite appearances?)

Back to Lady Gaga. So, we have this trend of equality anthems stemming back to the disco era that seems to have culminated in the past year's teen queen success stories on the music charts. We also have this buzz around Gaga's new sound, new song, new anthem that everyone from uberfan Elton John to producer RedOne said was going to be the biggest thing...well...ever. And then the song came out, and for all intents and purposes it looked like it was going to be the biggest thing ever. The song went platinum in a week, became #1 in over a dozen countries, and played every other minute on the radio. It. Was. Huge. And the gay community loved her for it.

Until they didn't.

Yes, folks, reading the gay blogs and listening to some of the podcasts opened my eyes to a second wave of attention on this song by the gay community. It was quite negative. The outcry was that she was pandering to an audience. She was using the gay community's causes and tribulations to sell records to that community and to all those that can identify with the fight for equality.

I'd like to transition to this article in particular. The author references the most trivial, superfluous, disgraceful, and supercilious tendencies of the gay community at large. The author is over 30 (33), claims to be less than average looking, and is - according to his own recounting - kind of a bitch. (To put it bluntly) In a subculture that is so youth-obsessed and oriented, where wealth and status are necessary if one does not possess an under 21 driver's license or has a set of abs you could grate cheese on, this guy laments that he just can't find a date or a circle of friends. And, I empathize with that. Now, what grounds do I have? I'm 24 (25 next month). I'm tall, blonde, work out regularly, eat healthy, am in a long-term relationship with my partner of nearly 5 years (in May), and I can't really complain about my job or living situation. My life is most definitely not perfect, but I shouldn't have too much to gripe about personally. Right?

But, I can see what is happening to our community as a whole. The author is right to look at the images portrayed by those older, wiser gay men and women and say, "Is that really a representation of the rest of us?" More on this later.

What more could we ask for? What more do we require? These are my questions to cultures and subcultures that feel as though they are on the outs from society. Whether you're gay, black, pagan, or from the planet Vishnu 7, I must ask you what else could you possibly want or expect from the mainstream community? What else is it that you're asking of your specific subculture or local community?

In this specific case, I must ask the gay community what else could we have asked for, and why in the world are we spitting in the face of the woman who gave us what we thought we wanted? A major pop song that got major sales and major radio play specifically talking about how great it is to be gay. And, yet, we find something wrong with it. We say, "Ok, sure, she put it out, but she didn't put it out in the right way. It's too this and it's too that." But...we wanted mainstream recognition, right? We wanted major actors and actresses and singers and politician singing the praises of the gay community. When it happens, however, we are quick to let those same people know they did not do it correctly.

This is an issue directly relating to the pagan community. Recently, we had our own 4 seconds in the media spotlight with the Christian Day debacle. Someone got up the gumption to get in front of the media and sing the praises of the pagan community - or, at least, that is one side's interpretation of events. We all (including me) got very up in arms over the portrayal of the pagan community by Day and his cohorts. However, if, say, I were to get in front of the camera with my Colgate Whitestrips smile and my blonde hair and exercised physique; if I were to get in front of the camera with my J. Crew wardrobe and Brooks Brothers haircut; if I were to get in front of the camera with my nice, safe pagan practice and my college degree and my articulate, verbose speech...if it were me getting in front of the camera, I doubt things would have been too different. Because for as much as we hated on Christian Day's ethics and definition of witch (or warlock) and manner of dress and way he went about the whole ordeal, we don't really want anyone representing us. We're pagans, a mostly solitary religious group - which is an oxymoron by definition.

The gay community is the perfect example of a people on the verge of acceptance. We are (forgive me) the black population in the 50s and 60s. We are fighting for equality, and we have some big named heavy hitters on our side. We are winning more battles than we are losing, and the latest statistics say that the country is ready to concede the war and give us the right to marry. But, with all of this equality and coming out and being loud and proud...we have begun to injure our own. With our ever-increasing ability to seek out other gay people, first with gay clubs and then via the internet, we first became enveloped in this community, and then we started creating a caste system within it.

The gay community - much like the pagan community - has segmented itself based on wealth, power, position, and physical appearance. If you don't have the right look or the right amount of success or the right lineage; if you don't know the right people or otherwise aren't 'in', then you might as well be dead, because the community wants nothing to do with you. There is a not-so-funny joke about the gay community that 30 is your Deathday. You are dead to the gay community at 30, because you are now too old for this youth-obsessed culture. Contrariwise, the pagan community seems to be age-obsessed in reverse. We despise the young, the new, the inexperienced. Instead of taking them under our wings, we smack their hands and tell them to wait in the corner while the grown-ups talk.

It is 2011, and we have the world at our fingertips. Are you lonely tonight? Well, thanks to online hook-up dating sites, you won't be for long! In fact, if you log on now, you might have a date for both lunch and dinner! Hungry? You can order your dinner from your smartphone while surfing for the next impulse buy on your laptop.

We, as a people, are beginning to believe that we are much more entitled and deserving than we actually are. We bought our press, believing that since we have conquered the world each of us deserves the hottest sex partner, the best face and body plastic surgery (or Photoshop) that money can buy, and that if someone we're talking to doesn't peak our instant interest, then we click 'Next'. And it sucks. It's bullshit. I know what I look like. I know that on a scale from 1-10 that I probably won't ever get past 7, and that most days I hover around 4-5. That's ok. I'm fine with that. Ok...you know what...no I'm not, but I accept it. I know it to be true, and I don't whine that I didn't get born with Tom Welling's DNA.

So, in this instance, I agree. We expect more than we should. We are appalled when others tell us that we aren't worthy of their time, their bed, their friendship, etc., because we know we are the greatest Snowflake to ever fall from Heaven.

The Second (in which I vehemently disagree): About halfway through the 3 page article, however, I notice a change in tone. The author is not writing merely about the superfluous nature of a culture and subculture that has it all and feels entitled to more, but, rather, about the 'It Gets Better' campaign. For those who aren't familiar, this campaign is aimed at GLBT youth, letting them know not to get down, depressed, or suicidal about how they are treated in high school, because eventually they will not be tormented on a regular basis. In essence, life will eventually get better.

The author is focused on the physical appearance of some of the men in the videos, spotlighting the muscular physiques of those on camera. He discusses the way they speak, the types of drinks they have, etc. He basically labels them as the 'hot, in-crowd' type of gays. Whereas, apparently, this author is not one of those. In fact, when you read the article, you'll notice how every gay man he talks about looks like a model or has muscles bulging out of his t-shirt. I suppose Conner is lamenting his own lack of musculature.

He is representing the opposite of the silly, superfluous, muscled, wealthy gay man. He is the slim, average, self-loathing gay man. He wasn't born with the right DNA, so he's an outcast even from his own community. Or, at least, he seems to think so. When he looks in the mirror he sees pock marks that cover his face and all of his areas that are lacking. I guess he must have Photoshopped them all away, because they don't seem to appear in his dreary self-portrait that accompanies the article.

But the 'It Gets Better' campaign doesn't say that the day you graduate high school life is roses and someone waves a wand and you get 6-pack abs, a killer tan, and the ability to bed anybody you choose. All it is saying is that, eventually, once the high school bullies are gone and you're off in college or a job, you get the opportunity to remake your life. You don't have to let it be dictated by bullies or high school hierarchies. Adults - probably - aren't going to call you terrible names to your face or throw things at you or stuff you in a locker or drop a bucket of corn syrup on your head in the middle of prom right before you kill them all with your pyrokinesis. (Hmm...I seem to have gone on another Carrie tangent.)

There is no guarantee to life, and I don't believe this article is representing the hard truth that Conner thinks it is. All it's showing is a depressed, bitter, self-loathing gay man in his early 30's that seriously needs therapy and medication, which, thankfully, he's getting. Here's the harsh reality about life: it's harsh. There are ups and there are downs, but - unlike high school - there are a lot less downs. I suppose it depends on your perspective, however. My perspective is that high school was hell and, while my life is far from perfect, the real world holds a lot more promise and opportunity for happiness.

But, that's the key to both of my points: we are only promised the 'pursuit of happiness.' We are only promised that we get to try. If you don't try. If you let your community, your country, your society, or yourself tell you that you don't deserve happiness, that you aren't worthy, then you're fucked. Plain and simple. You'll end up like Conner, who doesn't understand why - given his severe depression, loathing of the gay community, and all around pleasant demeanor - Abercrombie models aren't just beating down his door begging him to screw them senseless.

We also need to get over this whole idea that when our causes are championed, that they need to be championed exactly how we decide they should be. Until you are the one grabbing the microphone, shut up, sit down, and celebrate the fact that the world is celebrating YOU.

In short, we need to get over ourselves. We should take the recent disasters in Japan, Haiti, and the southeast coastline of the US as a reminder that we are only human. Flesh and blood and a will to survive without equal. But, despite how easily it is to create your own online pagan community of which you are the Grand Pooba, despite how easy it is to get easy sex via the internet, despite how quickly and easily each of us can obtain things, we absolutely must remember that when we are denied...there's more to life than the carrot dangling in front that we can't have. You can just get off the track and let the rest of your community run that ridiculous race around and around. Sure, they might run faster at times, but they're still going in circles of convention and expectance and dogma.

And, we're not so bad after all. Life only gets better if you decide, truly, that you want it to.

The pagan community will only move forward when we get the broomstick out of our collective asses and progress. The gay community will only move forward when we come back down from the pride parade float and deal with real issues. The various racial minorities will only further their causes by policing their own, saying "Screw the stereotype. We are individuals and we have voices and brains and beliefs." We will only be a people united when we stop trying to tell everyone they are a snowflake and then berating them for that same acknowledgment.

Seriously, what more could we ask for?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Do the Stuff Challenge: SuperMoon Rite and Ostara

Blessed Ostara Rioters! Today is a day of much celebration, as it is not only Ostara and a Full Moon (third day of the Full Moon), but it is also Partner's birthday! Today is also the second day of my Do the Stuff Challenge. If you'll recall, this challenge is my pledge to celebrate, decorate, and worshipate every Full & Dark Moon and Sabbat. Well, I get to kick it off in a big way this weekend, as two of those three things happened. Now, for an update (just to keep it fair and me accountable).

For the Full Moon: I went and purchased some white votive candles. Not full size votives, but smaller ones. Maybe...2 1/2 times the size of a tea light. Small, white, and perfect to keep out on an altar for an evening. They came in a package of 8, unscented. With one for each Full Moon, these should last me a while. I cleaned up the room that houses my altar - the telltale dust and detritus reminding me how long it's been since I've taking ritual seriously - and burned a bit of sage to cleanse my space. Partner wanted to watch, but since it had been a while since I had properly constructed a circle, and I knew that I would need all the concentration I could muster,  so I kicked both him and the kids out.

I lit my four elemental candles that I've had for quite some time and I summoned up a circle. Now, when I summon a circle, I don't cast in the four directions. As the correspondences of elements and directions and such tends to be one of those things not everyone agrees upon, I just speak to each element and ask that It enter, guard, and contribute to my circle. Once my circle was up, I began to ground and center.

Side Note: Grounding and Centering is VERY difficult to do with a house full of house guests on an upper level that are walking around directly above your altar room.

Now, when I began to speak to the Goddess...something happened. I had felt it when I first cast the circle, but when I began to draw upon the Moon and call on the Goddess, my skin felt tingly. My movements felt as though I were under water or as though there were some great pull of gravity affecting me. Interesting thing that I noticed was that this gravity felt like it were equally pulling me up and pushing me down. My upraised arms took no effort whatsoever to keep aloft.

I asked for forgiveness for being away, for a blessing upon myself and my household, and to simply hear and feel the Goddess in my daily life. I know the Super Moon is a rare occurrence to be taken advantage of, but I felt as though I had been away so long from proper practice that I needed to ride its wave of power to get myself right with the divine and open up my own inner core of power.

Once I had finished my rite and released the circle, I did notice some things... The pull and push I'd felt was gone. My movements were free and light, not heavy like they were in circle. Also, in circle I had this sensation of being covered in light - after being in circle a while - and that instantly was gone. Afterwards I toasted the Goddess with a very small bit of white wine and a leftover crust of bread.

All in all I will say that my first Full Moon of the Do The Stuff Challenge went swimmingly.

I'm quite looking forward to my Ostara Ritual this evening. I've already decorated my home (pictures later).

How was YOUR first Do the Stuff Challenge Full Moon?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Pagan Music: The Obnoxious Sweaty Uncle of Paganism

For a while -  a while meaning the amount of time I have been participating in online message boards, listening to podcasts, and reading blogs (not to mention my creation of the latter two) - I have heard a rather serious accusation. Three words that blindly and blithely eliminate an entire genre of music, three words that I have, admittedly, said time and time again.

Pagan. Music. Sucks.

In what seems to be a large portion of the pagan community, pagan music has become a laughing stock, the obnoxious sweaty uncle that we put up with as part of the family feast. The obnoxious sweaty uncle is loved by all (come on...he's your uncle, after all), but we really wish he wouldn't sit so close to us at dinner. When we're at the mall with our friends or out to eat at a nice restaurant and we see the obnoxious sweaty uncle, we are inclined to pretend we don't know the guy, because the minute he sees us he makes big, obnoxious, sweaty hand gestures, and loudly calls our name, and comes over and makes a big scene about how much he misses us and wishes we would come around more even though today is Monday and we just saw him at the family dinner on Sunday. We defend him to non-family, laugh at his jokes (because he can be pretty funny sometimes), and all around enjoy him...from a distance and in the proper amounts. (Gosh that guy can induce some kind of headache after a while...a while being 30-45 minutes of straight conversation.)

You get the picture.

I feel the same way about pagan music. A lot of people say, "Pagan music sucks," but they don't give the reason why. Or they do, but it's basically a take on, "Well, it just sounds kind of like 'wah wahh wahhh' and there's lots of acoustic music and people that can't sing." But, this argument isn't a very good one. Enya, for one, makes a VERY good living off music that sounds like 'wah wahh wahhh.' A lot of artists, very big names, do acoustic music - or, at least, acoustic versions of their songs (like John Mayer, Lady Gaga just released an acoustic of Born This Way, Alanis Morissette did several albums of acoustic music, etc.) And exactly how many times have you heard the complaint that multi-platinum recording artists these days can't actually sing? (Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Justin Bieber...oh wait...that last one's just me.) 

Those qualifications don't hold a lot of water, because a lot of people make a lot of money doing at least one if not all three of those things simultaneously in a recording studio. So, what makes Pagan music so different? Well, your mileage may vary, but here is my list, my reasons for disliking much of pagan music:

• Production: On a lot of pagan music, music by musicians and bands that are just supposed to be so amazing, the production value is deplorable, dreadful, and downright bad. (Side note: I like alliteration.) Now, I used to not know the proper names for a lot of these qualities, but as I've progressed in my podcasting I've realized very basic concepts like normalizing, ducking, and simple vocal volume are exceedingly important to a quality end product. Many times it feels like perhaps the singer knows he or she or they are not very good, or they have a weak (read: thin or not loud) voice and don't correct the equalizer to make the voice the center of the song. Granted, in some spiritual music, the words matter very little, and it is the tone of the song or the instrumentation that is meant to sweep the person into a state of religious bliss. I doubt this is the reason for much of these issues, however.
• Variety: This is sort of where the "Well it all sounds like bad singers going 'wah wahh wahhh' on acoustic guitars and drums they made out of spare tires" argument comes in. The vast majority of pagan music seems to be of the coffee shop, easy listening, sentimental, straight from a diary vein of music. A lot of it has a very similar beat, and much of it is produced via a combination of hand drums, guitar, tambourine, and other tactile, one-handed instruments. It's slow to mid-tempo, and the lyrics are invariably similar (which is the next point). That's fine...if you like, or are in the mood for, that style of music. Personally, I love that style of music, but not all the time. Sometimes I want to dance, listen to lyrics that are just on the edge of inappropriate, talk about some cheating fucker that is getting someone's named carved into the side of his pretty little souped up 4-wheel drive (thank you Carrie Underwood), and otherwise have fun with the music. It's not that there aren't pagan musicians or songs that don't have this quality, it's that they are few and far between and do not represent any sort of large portion.
• Lyrics: There seem to be some rules about pagan music. You must mention 'the Goddess' at least 17 times in your 8 verse song. You must talk about how amazing the moon is, and how it is the Goddess. You must talk about how the Goddess has your back and makes your garden grow and blesses your glittery, fluffy, peachy keen life. Sensing a theme here? It reflects a lot of the pagan community in the sense of single-mindedly focusing upon The Goddess, the sanctity of the earth, or the same exact set of 10-15 chants that everybody already knows. There isn't a lot of ingenuity when it comes to pagan music - though, arguably, the same could be said for much of the entertainment industry right now. Now, I realize that the reason for this is that we like the Goddess. I mean, "Rah Rah Goddess!" and all, but is that all we are? Is that all we deal with on a daily basis? There are a lot of Christians that sing songs about a whole heck of a lot of things other than God, Jesus, and getting to heaven. What makes us so special, so different? 
• Mood: Sure, when I want to feel musically spiritual I might want a lyric or melody that fits that mold, but what is spiritual? Does it have to be slow and introspective and incessantly remind me of the amazing wonders of the planet and the amazing amazingness of the God & Goddess - when the Guy is even mentioned? Personally, when it's a fire festival like Beltane or Midsummer and I want to raise fertile, sexual, powerful energy...pagan music is the last thing I turn to. I put on a mix of killer dance beats with a bass that pounds a loud, percussive beat and fluttery violins or computer generated instruments that envelope me as the singer just about blows me over with just how sexy I really am or how great this feels to dance or just celebrating being young and alive. It's raw and passionate and kind of dirty, but that's ok, because I'm alive and dancing and able to tap into something primal and infinitely more powerful than I could ever be alone. Each season, each sabbat, has a different mood. It's not always going to be sick, slick dance music that helps to elevate your energy levels. It might be classical music to herald the end of summer or cheery singers with lots of jingling bells for midwinter or wind instruments for the beginning of spring. 
• The Singer: Oh buddy...boy you give a person a microphone and they will believe they are a rock star. I hear a lot of people go on and on about how this guy or that girl or this band has such an amazing voice...and I'm wondering if we're tone deaf. I don't know. Maybe I'm a snob because I grew up in a musical family, and maybe this goes back to production value being rather poor on many of these albums, but a lot of these singers are quite pitchy and cannot seem to sustain too many notes above middle C for very long. (Again, there are exceptions.) They have small ranges and little actual talent. There's no finesse, no coaching, no proper instruction. It's just that somebody somewhere told them they could sing, and they ran with it. Got news for you! My mother told me I could sing, too, but that doesn't mean I get a recording contract! It's like pagan musicians are broken down into 3 big groups: the girl who sits at a coffee shop, the guy who can't sing but just basically talks his song, or the person somewhere in between who wouldn't know pitch, melody, or harmony if it grew fangs and bit them in the ass. (Though, that jolt to the system might help them hit that high note! That's called Optimism, folks.)

Long story short: It's a lot of the same thing, and it's been that way for a good long while. As progressive of a community as we are, we seem to hold on to our pagan style of music for dear life. It can't change. It can't modernize, because (and this is just my pontification) then we'd be one step closer to being like everybody else, and that would simply be a crime. But, I've got news for the pagan community. We're growing. We're getting new members. Young. Old. Black. Asian. Latino. Gay. Bi. Transgender. Rich. Poor. Middle Class. Every color of the rainbow. Every socio-economic background. People from all walks of life are flocking to paganism, and they have a lot of different tastes in music. 

This, I believe, is where pagan music is going wrong in 2011. If you'll indulge me for just a moment, I'd like to talk about Christian music. I actually enjoy a lot of Christian music. Some of it can be exceedingly joyous and put one in a reverent, happy, or all around good mood without actually talking about obvious Christian topics. Why? Well, about 20-30 years ago, Christian radio stations began piping out music that sounded more and more like what was playing on the Top 40, R&B, Rap, and Adult Contemporary stations. There were good singers who weren't singing the standard hymns and spirituals anymore, though those certainly existed. There were as many flavors of Christian music as there were Christians. Some of it was annoying. Some of it was in the good-ol-boy-that-works-at-an-Abercrombie-store-but-is-still-a-wholesome-Christian-that-plays-his-guitar-for-his-church-youth-group style - these days called by many churches "praise & worship" music. Some of it covered old stand-bys with an added guitar riff, but then there were the stand outs. A lot of Christian bands and singers have become major mainstream stars. 

MercyMe became fairly big in 2001 with their hit "I can only imagine." Following their crossover success, the singer Stacie Orrico in 2003 had several number one singles (Stuck, There's Gotta Be More to Life, and I Promise) off her self-titled album that was actually nominated for a Grammy in 2004. The band Switchfoot was an extremely popular Christian band that had insane success with their 2003/2004 album 'The Beautiful Letdown' (which is one of my personal favorites) that produced the hit singles "Meant to Live" and "Dare you to move". This band actually did win a Grammy, sold millions of records, and is still played on mainstream radio stations. The list goes on. Several Christian singers since then have become Disney stars, actors/actresses, made a lot of money and had a lot of success all without ever compromising the quality of their music or their message. Sure, there have been a lot of folks that claim to be Christian that do all kinds of crazy shit, but they typically are not put into the genre of "Christian singers".

The point is that it's possible. There are Christian rappers (DC Talk, TobyMac, etc.) and R&B singers and acoustic singer/songwriters and techno artists, and the list runs the gamut of musical styles. The singers sing about God and Jesus and Getting To Heaven, but they also sing about sticking to your beliefs, believing in yourself, the importance of having fun, how to deal with shitty times, relationships, etc. Basically, all the things people typically sing about. Life. Living. The Human Condition. One doesn't have to limit themselves to one style or one message to still be considered a 'Pagan singer'.

Now, when I say that pagan music sucks, it is a misnomer. There are some quality musicians out there putting out good quality music. Just like our obnoxious sweaty uncle (didn't forget about him, did you?), we love pagan music. It speaks to who we are as a community, as a people, and as individuals on a spiritual level more than any other genre. But, we need some variety. I get a lot of people saying, "No it doesn't. That's not a rule. When did that become the way things are?" Well, those people tend to like the genre of music that pervades the pagan music scene these days. A lot of us, however, don't. Of course, then you get the guy who's like, "Sure they can't sing or play instruments or keep a beat, but they're really into it and it's more important to feel the Goddess working through you than to be musically pleasing. I mean...it's like...a spiritual experience, man..."

To each their own, I suppose. It is not a hard and fast rule that pagan music sucks, but for the droves of those turning to paganism that desire to incorporate it into more areas of their lives than just their altars, it is disappointing to see the lack of individuality, originality, and style.

You have to think of it like organic food at the supermarket. Supermarkets used to never carry organic food. Then, at one point due to demand, they began carrying things like organic milk and juice. When demand for that was at a certain level, they offered more organic products, but the prices were still expensive. Eventually, and this is still in progress, more stores offered more variety at values pennies above, at, or sometimes below the average price of the non-organic competitor. If we want better pagan music, we need to support the artists we feel are good. We need to buy their music that is readily available on iTunes or on their websites. We need to show the few artists that are good that we appreciate good and reward it with money. That way, being a pagan musician is a much more attractive and lucrative career option for an aspiring musician.

Who knows, maybe one day we'll have a pagan Stacie Orrico or Switchfoot of our own winning Grammy's and topping the charts. For now, we have our obnoxious sweaty uncle that everyone abides, most love, and everyone wishes would just go take a shower, get cleaned up, and come back out with a different outfit for once.

What do YOU think? Let me know who your favorite pagan artists are. Do you disagree that most/all pagan music sucks? Let me know why with a comment below! 

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

The Japanese Earthquake - The Crazy Perspective

I have not covered the Japanese earthquake on the blog, yet, though I do plan on covering it in episode 50 of the podcast. It is a horrible, terrible, exceedingly sad tragedy that, if one thinks about too much, you can kind of get depressed pondering the 'Why's and 'How's.

That being said, if you would like the best, most unbiased view of the how's, the why's, and exactly what all of this is about, please head over to Kathleen Borealis' podcast, Borealis Meditation. She did a phenomenal job explaining earthquakes, the difference between the magnitudes, and answers listener questions.

As with any tragedy, the Nutjob Fringe is more than willing to find the nearest camera - whether attached to your own computer or held by a cameraman - and let us all know why 'God' is royally pissed off now. Because, you know, all of those other earthquakes that happen several times a day are just him having a hissy fit? (USGS averages that nearly 1.5 million earthquakes happen every year, though the magnitudes on most are so low we don't tend to feel them.)

In initial fame-whore, opportunist news: The first major upset came from this girl who said that God was trying to get rid of all the atheists, and furthered that by saying that Europe and North America were next. She later - right before taking her YouTube account down - said that she was just joking, and trying deliberately to piss people off. I suppose one can say she succeeded.

In the same vein of idiots just trying to say things for attention: Gilbert Gottfried, most famous for his voice-over work in films like Aladdin and (most recently) as the duck in the Aflac commercials. Well, except that he's now been fired from doing those Aflac commercials after tweeting some of the following statements:

• Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach goes to them.
• I split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, "They'll be another one floating by any minute now."

Gottfried made around a dozen of these kinds of statements, several much more salacious, and was promptly fired by the insurance company that does around 75% of their business in Japan. 

In God Hates...Someone...Not Gonna Say Whom, but it probably rhymes with Japan news: Glenn Beck... Gosh, I could almost just say, "Hey, Glenn Beck said something awful," and not only would you assume I'm not lying, but you'd probably also assume it was ridiculous and overtly fundie. Well, Mr. Beck said that, naturally, God caused the Japanese earthquake. In a nutshell he also - without taking too many liberties with his actual statements - said that if we don't want the same thing to happen to us, we should follow the ten commandments. He alluded to this being a sign of the end times, a sentiment echoed around the religious interwebs. In fact, if you Google Japanese Earthquake some of the first results have headlines like, "Did God cause the Japanese Earthquake?" and "Japanese Earthquake a sign of the end times!"

I think it goes without saying that the least that we should be focusing on is a few fame-whores. I will never understand why someone, even if they had these kinds of insensitive, hurtful, fundamentalist, outrageous ideas, would publicize them. Talk about hitching your wagon to anything just for a moment of being in the spotlight. 

Turn your thoughts from these folks, please. Simply focus on sending your positive thoughts, prayers, and energy to those that are suffering in Japan and around the world (Haiti is still a disaster zone, the Middle East is still at war, genocide still ravages countries in Africa, etc.). Or, just focus on making someone in your life, who might be suffering in their own, personal way, smile. However we help to improve the human condition, it can only improve the general positive nature of the planet. 

May each of you Rioters be infinitely blessed.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

6 Months to a More Magical Me! (The 'Do The Stuff' Challenge)

Magic. Faith. Religion. Spiritual Practice. From time to time, my opinion on each waxes and wanes. In the past...oh...year, I seem to have been in a progressively waning phase. Not that I disbelieve in magic, my faith, my spiritual beliefs, etc., but I sometimes feel as though I have lost something. Possibly that urge, that desire to please the gods. 

I remember that I used to always buy a bouquet of flowers appropriate to the season for each sabbat. It sat on my altar during the day, and then would sit in my living room until they faded. Now, I still try and make one or two special foods for the occasion, but if I were being very honest with myself, I haven't made the effort since Samhain. (and even then...it wasn't much)

I want to be excited again. I want to actively engage with the divine and enrich my daily life with a little more magic. I had considered, at the beginning of the year, making a New Year's Resolution to do all the 'stuff' for the entire year, but I know better than to make a spur of the moment vow. They tend to be made with the best of intentions and disappear as quickly as they were made. No... I needed accountability and a realistic goal. 

Enter Velma Nightshade. Velma has become a very good friend of mine over the past year, and when she heard about my desire, she made a pact with me. If I 'Do the Stuff' for the next 6 months, she, in turn, would begin exercising 3 times a week. (Her idea, not mine.) So...this is my Do the Stuff challenge: 

• I will perform ritual for every Full and Dark Moon. 
• I will perform ritual for every Sabbat for the next 6 months.
• I will overall celebrate each Sabbat with a special meal and by decorating my house in at least some small way.

I am hoping you'll join me. Take this next 6 months to get reacquainted with the religious, spiritual aspects of paganism if you - like me - have gotten a bit lazy about doing the stuff. I would go further and hope that this renewal of practice will filter into my daily life, but that is - perhaps - where my level of realism will interject. 

So, here we go. My second challenge for the year. My Real Food Challenge is going quite well. I've lost weight. I feel better. And, by now, my kitchen is stocked with healthy, whole foods. Let's hope this Do the Stuff challenge is just as successful, feeding not just the body but the mind and soul. Won't you take this 'Do the Stuff' challenge with me?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Thanks Christian Day! (And screw you, too!)

Recently, a couple of pagans have been attempting to full-on football tackle the nearest news camera/reporter for an opportunity to glean some semblance of fame. Z. Budapest was the first of the two, and on Episode 49 of the podcast Cory and I do a fine job of properly applying both torch and pitchfork (as well as his interesting collection of roots, stones, and bones) to her story of disallowing transgendered women to participate in a Dianic ceremony at this year's Pantheacon. However, since her original outlandish statement was made public, it has been reported that both sides of that debate have sat down and attempted to apologize and find common ground.

So... No further Riot aimed at Z. Budapest. (yet!)

However, the second pagan media whore, Christian Day, has no such luck. In case you don't know who he is (don't worry...you shouldn't), Day is a podcaster, a shop owner, and all around Laurie Cabot groupie. If you'll recall, Cabot was a media grabber herself beginning in the 1970s and running almost three decades, causing mayhem and grabbing newscasters' attention until the mid-90s. Though, arguably, she's still at it, as she was a part of that famous Biography channel special on witches that made us all look like either devil worshipping baby killers or opium addicted special ed students.

Christian Day has apparently been trying to reclaim the word 'warlock.' Warlock either is derived from a middle English word meaning 'oath-breaker' or an Old Norse term meaning 'caller of spirits.' (However, just so you know, the Oxford English Dictionary denies the second derivation, as do most philologists.) Of course, when pagans get pissed off about something, they must go to an extreme, so when Charlie Sheen (of all people) went on one of his recent coked out rants and called himself a "Vatican Assassin Warlock," Christian Day took some offense. Not about wanting to kill everyone at the Vatican, but about the fact that Sheen said the word warlock. Because, you know, Day now has copyright on the term oh wait...no he doesn't...he's just crazy.

Well, good ol' Mr. Day decided that he and his cabal of followers were going to bind Charlie Sheen, but they couldn't just decide - like all other nut jobs with a pentacle and access to too much patchouli - to do it in the privacy of one of their fairy glend. No...that would be too decent. Day had to first publicly make sure that every media outlet available (a small list of them includes, but is most definitely not limited to: CNN, PerezHilton.com, TMZ, the Boston Globe, Fox News, Entertainment Weekly, the Guardian, and a host of other blogs, radio shows, and cable news talking heads) would cover the fact that a few folks were going to dress in cheap halloween costumes and bind Charlie Sheen.

Naturally, being a media whore, Day couldn't stop at merely saying he was going to do this ridiculous publicity stunt. He then had to film it for all the internet to see. (Video, of course, is below.) Which they now have. This has gone viral. And, I don't mean viral in an 'every teeny tiny pagan blogger with a few hundred followers is talking about it' kind of way. I mean this video is being played on major news networks, streamed online, tweeted and re-tweeted, and posted on hundreds of blogs. It is a virus, and it shows the worst of the pagan community.

Did he have to shake a dog-headed rattle at a skull? I mean, really, did he have to dress in a Count Dracula style cape with a visible cross? (Not a crucifix, but do YOU think the average Christian is going to tell the difference between an equal armed cross and a perversion of their sacred symbol? Methinks not, and methinks, also, that Day is probably counting on that.) Did they have to break out a machete sized athame? Did he have to have several news agencies there to videotape and photograph the event?

Answer: Of course he did. He is a media whore, dear Rioter, and this is what they do.

However, I would like to use Day as an example. An example of all those times when podcasters/bloggers say they hate when folks get in front of the camera with their fairy wings or goth get-up, spouting off all sorts of bullshit about the right way to use terms like 'warlock,' 'goddess,' and 'high priest.' For, dear Rioter, I know that I - and several other podkin and bloggers - have gotten much criticism and hate mail for saying that I'd rather normal, functioning adults be put in front of the camera, should the need allow.

I never mean that we cannot dress how we want when we go to parties, functions, conventions, gatherings, etc. We should have a time of play and frivolity. But to purposely seek out the media, and then to go in front of the world dressed up like he is and saying what he says, he sets our entire community and cause back generations. Goodness gracious! He put the video of his poorly put together and rather sad ritual under the Entertainment category on YouTube! This calls into serious question the reason why he would make such a video or launch such a media campaign.

Yes, there are plenty of folks in the media (mostly fictional) who come off as nice, normal people that just happen to be witches. But, given that our community is quite small by comparison, and given that we are such a solitary and secretive people, the greater community is rarely given a glimpse into the lives of real pagans. Of the folks next door. And, we can say to one another all day long, "Pagans are the lawyers, teachers, retail workers, cops, doctors, etc. in your community. They're normal, average, everyday people just like you and me," but if that message is only reaching a mostly pagan ear, then it is moot. It is meaningless.

What upsets me is that a resounding cry has gone out all across the internet by pagans against Day. But, none of those voices are being heard, at least, not on the level Day has reached thus far. There is not an equal and opposite voice in the mainstream media, welcoming cameras and newscasters into their living rooms. There is no soccer mom witch who is on CNN saying, "Look! See! I am a normal, functioning member of society that looks and acts and dreams just like you. I just happen to be pagan."

And I realize that most of the time when I (or those like me) say these kinds of things, we are met with extreme amounts of criticism. How dare you say I have to be normal! How dare you tell me I have to act or dress a certain way. How dare you act like you're better than me! None of those are the case, unless you also happen to be a Pagan Media Whore. If you are not actively seeking out cameras, reporters, or general fame by being an outrageous, ludicrous, incorrect stereotype, then let your freak flag fly! I say do what you want in the privacy of your home or your community. But, if you are choosing to put yourself out there as the face of the pagan community, which is exactly what Day is attempting to do, then you should have the decency to not make us look like stark raving mad D&D playing, LARPer wannabe, costumed social rejects who cast spells on sitcom actors!

Christian Day is the exception in the pagan community. Not all of us are like that. We know this, but the rest of the population does not. He gives those of us that hold down good jobs and don't dress like everyday is Halloween a very, very bad name. Honestly, I have to say, I pity him.

However, Rioters, Day might make you $1,000 richer! This is what all those Word of the Day segments have been for! Recently, on Day's Facebook page, he offered a $1,000 reward to anyone that can prove to him that 'warlock' doesn't mean 'oath-breaker.' Of course, he puts several caveats in there in order to make sure you cannot claim the prize. Such as, one must take into historical context 'why' the word means 'oath-breaker,' and not merely that the word means what it means. BUT!!! I feel we Rioters should take this as a challenge! If we win the money, I say we put it towards a feast at the Supermoot for all podkin and listeners who can attend - on Day, of course.

Quick question: Do you feel Christian Day falls into the category of legitimate pagan, or does he fall into the 'playgan' category? I'm not sure where I stand right now. He certainly looks one way, but he has definitely dedicated himself to another. Just curious...

If you can stomach watching them, the videos are below - both by Day and the edited version the rest of the world saw.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Episode 49: Inciting A Diasporic Riot

Episode 49 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting A Diasporic Riot. Special guest, Cory from the New World Witchery podcast, stops by to comment on the news, the word of the day, the gripe department, and then lends his expertise to our continuing religions series with his take on Diaspora - specifically, African Diasporic traditions in the New World. Luckily, this means Fire Lyte gets to second fiddle this Riot.

News: Westboro Baptist Church wins in court, Georgia tries to usurp Roe v. Wade, and Cory weighs in on a strange reason why Mazda is recalling 52,000 cars.

Word of the Day: cockalorum

Gripe Department: Z. Budapest, Christian Day, and when pagan media whores go a-whorin’.

Spirituality: Diaspora

Please continue to vote for the show on Podcast Alley, vote, subscribe to, and rate the show on iTunes, join the TwitterRiot by following me @IncitingARiot, enter the Swag Contest through a donation or purchase of swag through the CafePress.com swag shop, and send your questions, comments, gripes, or complaints to IncitingARiotPodcast@gmail.com

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

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The Evil, Evil Eye: A quick and dirty history of that most wicked of stares.

When people say “Hallmark holiday,” the holiday they are most likely talking about is Valentine’s Day. However it began it has surely come a long way and taken several left turns. This day has devolved into a disgusting barrage of pink paper cutouts and overpriced flowers, couples that are huddled up close enough that those on the outside are trying to figure out if their skin is grafted together. Both those in and out of love seem to loathe this day with an unparalleled disgust, yet we cling to it.

Many of us sit at home seething throughout the day, throwing bile-filled looks at anyone who dares pass us a candy heart or a Garfield Valentine. But, we can all be found later on in the evening cuddled up with our cats watching terrible romantic comedies and dreaming about Robert Pattinson. Or…you know…whomever.

Either way, that look we give is pretty powerful. So powerful, in fact, that cultures around the world fear it. That look, that glare, that envious stare that wishes ill upon its target is called the Evil Eye. But, what makes it so evil? And what separates it from any other stare? What fuels the power behind the Eye that cultures for generations have feared and sought protection against? Well, there are a few ways to think of the Evil Eye. Before we examine those, however, we might want to take a quick look at what the Evil Eye is supposed to be and do.

Basically the Evil Eye is a look, a glance, sometimes brief, sometimes staring for long periods of time. It is a look that can be given to a person - young or old, a place (especially to a field of crops), livestock, or possessions. When this look is given, a curse is placed upon that which is looked upon. The person becomes ill, perhaps even dies. The livestock or crop also fails to produce and finally withers to become unusable or dies as well. Possessions that are given the look can vary in effect. They can either become lost to their owner or curse their owner when worn or used. However you slice it, the Eye is something to be avoided.

Now, for some history. The idea of the Evil Eye has been around for at least a few thousand years. It makes its earliest appearances in the Middle East and is mentioned in several ancient texts. One rather famous book that mentions the Eye multiple times is the Bible. Sir Frances Bacon once said, “There be none of the affections which have been noted to fascinate or to bewitch, but love and envy; they both have vehement wishes, they frame themselves readily into imaginations and suggestions, and they come easily into the eye, especially upon the presence of the objects which are the points that conduce to fascination, if any such there be. We see likewise the Scripture calleth envy an evil eye.”

Bacon was, presumably, referring to a couple of passages in Proverbs (23:6 and 28:22) that speak of possessing or bestowing an ‘evil eye.’ Translations of this passage outside of the King James version use the terms ‘miserly’ or ‘stingy’ instead of referring to the eye. Interestingly, the curse of the Eye is bestowed upon the greedy person who does not share his bread or his wealth with those in need of it. Saying one had an ‘evil eye’ in this context seems to say something about their character, for the eyes are the windows to the soul, right?

We must remember the context of the Old Testament scriptures, however. The Jewish people were outcasts of society, enslaved by the Egyptians and were the target of malice by pretty much every society they seemed to come in contact with. In reading the Old Testament, one finds many references to those that are wealthy, powerful, or otherwise socially well-off as getting rather nasty just desserts, either in this world or the next. It should come as little surprise that these passages target wealthy, well-fed individuals as deserving of a curse (or…I suppose, Yahweh’s mighty Smite button).

Elsewhere, we find the Evil Eye actually called the Evil Eye, and spoken of as something one can possess. You might have heard of a collection of stories called the 1,001 Nights. In these stories the king Shahryar executes his unfaithful wife and then proceeds to marry a series of virgins, only to kill them in the morning before they can be unfaithful. Until he met Scheherazade. This crafty little virgin told him stories each night, for 1,001 nights, beginning - but not ending - one story each night with the promise of its end the next day.

One of those stories specifically sites a sorcerer with an Evil Eye. It begins like this, “It is related, O auspicious one, that there lived in the city of Bagdad, after the reign of many Khalifahs and before the reign of many others, a wicked and vile sorcerer with an 'Evil Eye'.” The story goes on to tell of how a sorcerer stares at his victims, mutters incantations, and proceeds to curse them “[by] the powers of darkness, demons, [and] devouring beasts...” An evil thing indeed.

So…it’s old. Perhaps, one might say based solely on the age of the texts it can be found, it is one of the oldest and most feared types of curses. It does not need special words, nor does it require magic ingredients or secrets locked in obscure texts. It merely needs one person to look at another.

What, then, is behind that look? Jealousy, according to the Mishnah - a collection of Jewish oral laws, is the power behind the Evil Eye. Or, to look back at the quote by Bacon, love might also be a source of power for the Eye. Either way, these are two exceedingly strong emotions. There should be no wonder that one who is in the throes of extreme jealousy, envy, love, lust, etc. would have the internal energy built up to project a curse without the need for anything other than a look. But is it just run of the mill jealousy? No. According to the Mishnah, the Eye is fueled by jealousy that has turned to hate. It is an emotion corrupted, blinded by desire or greed.

You’ve heard the famous movie line, “If I can’t have him/it, then nobody will!” right before the villain or crazy ex-lover tries to blow off the protagonist’s head. That’s the state of mind one must be in to use the Evil Eye. At least, according to these accounts.

In more benign methods, the Evil Eye is bestowed with a compliment. The Greeks and Italians - as well as most of the Mediterranean peoples - are famous for their belief in the Evil Eye. Here, it is thought to come when someone gives any look whatsoever, especially when it is accompanied by praise or positive thoughts. The idea here is one of fear or piety, depending on your source or viewpoint.

On the one hand, some fear the compliment as a mask for envy, whether the person giving the compliment intends envy or not. The fear is that, eventually, that person’s praise or compliment of the object will eventually turn to desire, which will later turn into jealousy and then hate. Thus, even the slightest glance at one’s possessions, good looks, healthy livestock, or thriving crops is met with immediate refute. Some will threaten the looker - called the Jettitore - with physical force in order to get him or her to spit, which is said to negate the effects of the Eye. The person offended by the look will then make a hand gesture known as the ‘mano’ or ‘figa,’ known colloquially as the Rock On symbol, with index finger and pinkie sticking up. In Greek and Roman thought, the Evil Eye will be thwarted, because this symbol is a crude gesture for sex and the Eye will be lured away by temptation rather than meet its intended target.

On the other hand, there is the fear of God’s Mighty Smite Button. If an innocent look or compliment is given towards that same person, good looks, livestock, or crop, then one might incur the wrath of God. Going back to Jewish thought, it is said that if someone praises your possessions that you must say something to the effect of, “As God wills” or “God bless it.” This shows that you are not being prideful of your belongings and are grateful to God for them. We wouldn’t want to be proud of what we’ve earned or made, because that might mean that we’re a little more independent of that higher power than some religions might have us believe. And we all know what Yahweh thinks about people taking credit for absolutely anything. If you don’t give Him credit for absolutely everything you own, make, or possess, He might just yank it away from you.

That’s why particularly beautiful children are given marks on their faces to ward off the Evil Eye when they are praised for their good looks. Wouldn’t want them getting uglified so early in life before they have a chance to catch a man.

Now, let’s look at this from a practical perspective. Remove our pagan, witchy notions that everyone is blessed with magical energy, so much so that our very glance can blight an entire field of crops. What else might be going on here? We’ve talked a lot about jealousy, but did you know that the origin of this word also shares its root with the word ‘zealot’? Zealot being a fanatic or extremist. Jealousy is also called the ‘green-eyed monster,’ yet again a reference to the eyes.

Evolutionary psychologists believe that jealousy as an emotion evolved in order to maximize the success of our genes. For example, jealous men are that way at their very core, because they want to avoid sexual betrayal, especially the consequence of such betrayal: wasting their own time and resources to raise someone else’s children. A similar line of thought goes that jealousy is fueled greatly by the imagination, the perception that something is unattainable, unfaithful, or otherwise potentially out of your reach. It is a perception, most of the time, rarely based on fact or any evidence. We’re paranoid - or become zealots - about our partner’s potential cheating, so we go through their phone, email, computer, possibly even follow them to try and catch them in the act. Despite our findings, a level of distrust is wedged between the two people, potentially ruining the relationship all over imagination. Was this the Evil Eye at work? Or was this merely biology?

Dr. Sybil Hart, a Ph.D. at Texas Tech University, says that children as young as six months old can feel and display jealousy. After all, that bastard Billy has no right to have a Tickle Me Elmo. Who does he think he is? Children and teenagers with low self-esteem seem to exhibit the emotion of jealousy more often than others. We desire and covet the cheerleader’s good looks or the rich kid’s nice car or the football captain’s athleticism, because if we just had one of those things we, too, could be popular.

This might be hitting closer to that Evil Eye belief. We become focused on one thing possessed by someone else, someone that we believe is better than us in some way, that we become a bit crazy over attaining it. The type of jealousy found in those with low self-esteem is also found to lead to aggressive reactions or outbursts. Back to that “if I can’t have it…” mentality. But who is really the cursed individual here? The one who possesses the desired object, or the one who becomes obsessed with it?

Going back to Mediterranean society, many believe that strange, old, or ugly women possess the Evil Eye. Likewise, those that believe in the power of the Eye claim that is a curse both upon the looker and the lookee. Perhaps this is how those old, ugly folks with the crazy eyes got that way?

There are a myriad of ways one can counteract the Evil Eye’s effects. They differ from herbal remedies to hand gestures to complicated spells or rituals to the creation of talismans. In some countries, Brazil for instance, the “olho gordo” (or fat eye) doesn’t seem to have a cure. You just have to hope that if someone compliments your nice things that they mean it sincerely, otherwise they are doomed. Spitting on the ground seems to be a fairly universal way of redirecting the Evil Eye. Also, one exceedingly popular method is to wear or hang a symbol of the Eye to ward off its power. You can find these almost anywhere these days, as it has become quite fashionable to wear a Hamsa symbol (an open hand with an eye in the middle). Other interesting methods involve spitting into burning chiles, rubbing oneself with an egg, wearing various beads, or just praying like mad that you won’t be cursed.

So what is the Evil Eye? Is it an expression of the power we all possess? Is it the ability to level crops or herds of livestock with a single glance, because their owner wronged you? (The ‘just desserts’ type of Evil Eye first mentioned.) Is it a powerful method of attaining something you want that someone else possesses or else destroy it? (the second type) Is it the more subtle desire to please the divine by not being too prideful of one’s looks or possessions? (the third) Or is it merely psychological, the jealousy evolved to keep our resources to ourselves amplified by low self-esteem and the modern internet age? (the fourth)

Before you make your decision, an interesting article by Norman Rubin said that Russian scientists have found that the eyes project a powerful physical energy and creates a wavelength of around 80 micrometers. This is greater than the heat given off by the human body and greater than the wavelengths of the colors of the rainbow. However, just to be fair, there are many in the scientific community that refute the idea that we can shoot real, measurable energy beams from our eyes.

I suppose the question is, which do you believe? Either way, if you’re single and bitter, I ask that you wear sunglasses next Valentine’s Day.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Shout Outs: Kakophonos, The Pagan Homesteader, The Witches' View

I have been derelict in my search for fresh, new podcasts. But, with my fervor over getting the Pagan Podkin Supermoot ready with Velma Nightshade, I have been relishing in discovering some new and new-to-me shows. Below is a list of some of my new favorites. For a complete list of everything I'm listening to, check out my Podcast page.

Kakophonos Internet Radio. This absolutely delightful show is hosted by a guy named Rikki Lacoste. It's got interviews. It's got great music. It's got Vikings! Okay, well, it's got one viking named Wolfgang. But really, this show reminds me of the Infinite and the Beyond with Chris Orapello, except with skits.

The Pagan Homesteader - Rianna Stone, the hostess, gives a smart look at ecological news, tips on homesteading, and how to live a greener life. You've heard me talk about some of her views on the podcast. Now, subscribe to her show!

The Witches' View Podcast - A quirky, topical show hosted by a lovely coven of six witches. I suppose it's what the View would be like if it were hosted by foul-mouthed pagans. Perfection.

Please, subscribe to each of these shows. I have a feeling they're going to be around for a long time to come. I can honestly say that I am a big fan of each.

What are YOUR favorite new podcasts?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

A Discussion of Nationality and Stigma: part 3 (Fire Lyte)

The following is a brief response to Scarlet's original post on this blog concerning the idea of nationality.

The original post came from a misunderstanding about the definition of the word 'nationality.' Now, Scarlet is absolutely correct that the definition of the term nationality, at its base, is 'someone belonging to a particular political nation.' Basically, the country of one's residence and where one legally has citizenship.

Thus, one can say, "I am an American," if they have that citizenship, or German, Ethiopian, etc.

So, definitively, Scarlet is absolutely correct. It's not a point I particularly contend, except in a legal sense. In colloquial and, often, legal terminology, the term is interchangeable with 'nation of origin.' Or, in other words, "the nation or country that most of your ancestors came from." This is where you get people saying they are 'Scotch-Irish' or (in my case) a mix of "French, Native American, and the standard white boy mix of European countries. Mostly the first two." Honestly, though, being French, Native American, or any amount of European affects me not.

I speak from a legal perspective, because that is my employment and educational background. Also, in a list of the types of hate crimes, those based on nationality are considered to be crimes against those who are culturally identified with a particular nation. Sometimes one does not have to personally identify with being of a particular nationality, but perhaps their parents do. In this instance, nationality has less to do with one's personal identification than that which others perceive to be your nation of origin. In this colloquial understanding of nationality, it seems to be where the folks in your family that came to this country, came to this country from.

Because, when one gets hung up on ideas of origins and semantics it can invariably lead to the idea that, "Well, we're really all Mesopotamian," as that is - supposedly - where we all came from. It's a label, like pretty much everything else we call ourselves and each other. So, I get that sometimes we want to play semantics and twist language so that we can question, or accuse, the 'nativeness' of Native Americans or why some of the Irish folks in certain parts of Chicago still call themselves Irish, despite the fact that it's been at least 100 years since one of their relatives saw the Emerald Isle. But, that takes the conversation to an extreme.

We just crossed a threshold in the last few decades. People used to want, to need, to cling to labels. They wanted to say, "I'm a ______, and you're a ______." It's sort of how language and society function. That's how we get silly things like nouns. But, we're beginning to get into a time when more and more people get upset, sometimes militant, with the idea of 'You can't label me! I'm so beyond labels! I'm special and a snowflake and different and more unique than anyone that has ever walked the earth. Thus, I am label-less.' Funny, though, that those same people still use labels to identify other groups and cultures and things.

Not to say that Scarlet is one of those people. Seriously. However, I am noticing more and more this Snowflake Culture of people bubbling up in the west who so vehemently want to argue that they don't fit into any category. But, what, then, is to become of our nouns? Just because the fork has no voice to argue he is not of the silverware nation, does that make the label any more or less correct? Why are people so different? Bears don't get to say they just don't feel like they're part of the Grizzly tribe, because they hang out more with Black bears and identify with that culture. When did we get so special?

I'm not saying that people's labels cannot change and cannot be fluid, and labels themselves can be dangerous things, but they're kind of useful things.

But, in summation to the topic of nationality. Scarlet is absolutely correct, unless you're talking legalese. Look forward to the real riot, which is the discussion on the American stereotype.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte