Perseid Meteor Shower

From Spaceweather.com:

...The Perseid meteor shower has begun. Although the display will not peak until August 12th and 13th, sky watchers are already counting as many as a dozen meteors per hour (including some nice fireballs) during the darkest hours before dawn. Rates could increase 5- to 10-fold when the shower reaches maximum on Sunday night and Monday morning. Advice: Get away from city lights. While many Perseids will be bright enough to see from light-polluted urban areas, the shower's full grandeur is reserved for places with dark and starry skies. This is a good weekend to go camping...

For skymaps and observing hints, go to spaceweather.com for all the info.

Angel releases album

Sinead O’Connor releases ’Theology’ album 15 years after tearing pope photo

The always fascinating Sinead O'Conner has released a new album, titled 'Theology', inspired by religion and Biblical scripture:

"...There’s a lot that’s beautiful about religion," she said. "It’s just you get some ... nutters that misinterpret it..." Islam "essentially at its core is a very beautiful religion," she said. "You’ve got a very small bunch of fruitcakes bringing that religion into disrepute. Same in the States, you’ve got people like George Bush bringing Christianity into disrepute..."

It figures that a woman with the vocal cords of an angel would come up with something like this. I've always been mesmerized by her voice. I think she'd reduce me to a quivering blob of jelly, just reading the lunch specials in some greasy spoon diner.

Witch's Broom studied by Hubble

Veil Nebula Pierced by Hubble's Gaze

Saw a post about this over at toomanytribbles. The Veil Nebula (aka: 'The Witch's Broom') has been studied in detail by the Hubble Space telescope:

...The Hubble close-ups reveal the rope-like filaments of gas in the nebula, which resulted from enormous amounts of dusty debris plowing into gaseous surroundings. Thicker filaments of material result from viewing the supernova's shock wave edge-on, while more wispy and diffuse views correspond to a face-on view of other parts of the shock wave from Earth...

Check out the link for a number of great photos.

A great Lugh/Lammas

Just wanted to say what a great Lugh/Lammas/MidSummer I had! Spent the evening of the Aug 28th at the festival held at the Center for Symbolic Studies. They did a great job this year, and the Wicker Man they built was impressive. I was asked to call the North Quarter this year, which was a real honor. Congrats to Hrana and all the rest for making this Sabbat memorable.

The next evening was spent with my fellow coveners at a BBQ & ritual hosted at the home of our High Priestess. It was a fun ritual and the food was great. I got to crack my whips a bit, doing a 'black lite' routine under ultra-violet lights using my fluorescent whips. Although the day started out rainy, by evening we were welcomed by the stars and bright Moon.

(I want to thank Moya and Jess for the pics of the Wicker Man.)

Barnabas Collins no longer chained in his coffin!

Depp lights up 'Dark Shadows'

I use to love the horror soap opera "Dark Shadows" as a kid. I'd race home from school to see it. Frid's portrayal of the vampire Barnabas Collins rates up there with Lugosi and Lee. Now, it looks like it's Johnny Depp's turn:

...Warner Bros. is teaming with Depp's Infinitum-Nihil and Graham King's GK Films to develop a feature based on the '60s daytime supernatural sudser "Dark Shadows...Depp has said in interviews that he has always been obsessed with "Dark Shadows" and had, as a child, wanted to be Barnabas Collins, the vampire patriarch of the series...

...Over 1,225 episodes, "Dark Shadows" was a highly atmospheric, spooky soap that featured gothic horror staples like vampires, monsters, witches, werewolves, ghosts and zombies. The show has a continuing rabid fan base that populates Dark Shadows Festival conventions...

Yup, one of my childhood influences.

Thank you, Harry

My Debt to J.K. Rowling

I know many of us have been saturated with the media machine that is Harry Potter. But Byron Ballard's post at DeafPagan hit's the nail on the head. The books have been an incredible boon to tolerance and understanding of Wicca and NeoPaganism, even if not an accurate portrayal:

...As a Wiccan, I have watched with interest the attempts to ban the Potter books from school libraries...I’ve listened to the pronouncements from several religious leaders in this country and abroad who are concerned about the effects of Rowling’s work on the more impressionable members of their flocks. This foray into young adult literature has distressed people who haven’t even read them but certainly have an opinion of what witchcraft is, what Wicca is and how Rowling conflated the two to create the world of Muggles and Hogwarts that have taken the reading world by storm...

What really impresses me, is how this wonderful storm has completely drowned out the book burners such as Laura Mallory, making them look silly and ridiculous. But most importantly (emphasis mine):

...Rowling’s work has allowed an important dialogue to begin. When I am asked if witchcraft Hogwarts-style is what Wiccans and Pagans do, it is a starting point for genuine discussion...Adults who have either read the books or seen the movies now have a language in which they can talk about one of the fastest-growing and least understood religions. It has been easy to talk about the obvious differences between what we do and what Rowling has written and a challenge for Pagan leaders to dig into the aspects of Harry’s world that do reflect the work we do as Earth religionists. Though the series is ending, the conversation will continue, to the advantage of all concerned...

Now, I have to get going on planning that wand making workshop with my coven! :)

Happy Lammas

For Lammas/Midsummer, here's a stunning shot of the Moon:

Moon Pic

The photo was taken by amateur astronomer Bart Declercq, using a "...mosaic of 20 movies using a DMK31AF, C9.25, ATIK, 0.5x focal reducer and IR-pass filter...The moon was a mere 11° above the horizon at the time, just above the rooftops." Awesome!

We need more like this!

‘NOT SO DISTANT,’ WICCA IS STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Here's an excellent article, by Steve Matrazzo for the Dundalk Eagle, in Dundalk, Md. You don't expect fair and open-minded articles like this, coming from small home town papers. This is certainly is a refreshing change from the "Something Wicca this way comes..." pieces we see spun from the school of bad writing. It helps that the writer focused on a High Priestess, Rev. Pami Griffith, who is funny and plain-spoken. When speaking about going skyclade in rituals:

“...Sexual morality is man-made. We celebrate our bodies,” she says. Still, she doesn’t practice what Wiccans call “sky-clad,” or nude, worship. “Trust me, you don’t want to see me naked!” jokes the zaftig 50-ish priestess...

When explaining how spells are utilized:

“...It’s not turning stuff into other stuff or putting curses on people. It’s influencing the universe to bring about things we hope for,” she says. “It’s just prayer.” She says people cast spells without knowing. “Ever sing, ‘Rain, rain, go away,’ or make a wish when blowing out candles?” she asks. “Know it or not, you’re casting a spell, or trying to....”

Wow! I'm putting that "Rain, Rain..." spell in my Mirror Book! Heh!

We also get a brief walk-through of a Wiccan ritual, which will be good for those who are curious. This piece is well rounded, brief, humorous and informative. It's a great read for anyone wondering what Wicca is about. Why not write the editor, and let him or her know that you liked the article:

editor@dundalkeagle.net

You can also address 'letters to the editor' at that addy.

Pope: We must listen to the voice of the Earth

Pope: Creation vs. evolution clash an ‘absurdity’

Pope Benedict XVI has pointed up the obvious:

...Pope Benedict XVI said the debate raging in some countries — particularly the United States and his native Germany — between creationism and evolution was an “absurdity,” saying that evolution can coexist with faith...“They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such...

He goes on to state, however, that science and evolution do not answer all life's challenges, and religion and philosophy can fill that void. But most remarkably, he makes a number of very environmentally positive statements, some them sounding very Wiccan! He states that we should listen to the voice of the Earth:

“...We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive...This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive,” he said...

Some rather remarkable statements. Against my better judgement, I like some things about this Pope.

Monkey Girl: The Movie

NOVA to air show on ID trial

The PBS science show NOVA has produced a two hour special on the Dover ruling on ID:

...In November, members of the public will be able to see what went on in the courtroom - or at least a detailed re-enactment of it. On Nov. 13, the PBS science program NOVA will air a two-hour special devoted to the topic called "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial...

The show will feature interviews with people who participated, as well as actors re-enacting events of the trial.