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  I have been in love with Wafa Sultan for several years now, ever since I watched a video of her speaking out against Sharia law and the repression of Muslim women. She is my original warrior woman. She inspires me and gives me the little push I need every once in a while, to stop whining and get on with life. Ms Sultan was born in Syria in 1958. She studied at university to become a doctor and later, with her husband and children, emigrated from her homeland to the U.S. When I sat down to research this warrior woman, I discovered there is not a great deal of…

Love Revolution   I have been a fan of Madonna’s since the release of her first album back in 1983. I resonate with many of the traits and characteristics that I perceive her to possess: confidence, motivation, intelligence and a keen business sense. I also find it endearing that though she may be surrounded by fame and fortune she still has many insecurities and fears that can be found in her music. I was aware that she was working on a project and couldn’t wait to find out what it was.   On the morning of October 9th I was thrilled to find that Madonna’s secretproject was available for viewing.…

Japanese Ghost Lore        Japanese culture is rich in tradition and lore.  There are many known ghost stories that are passed down from generation to generation.  Some of these stories may have been created to ensure proper curfew or to teach respect but there is always the question, how many of these tales are rooted in truth?      The Japanese Shinto believe that after death a human becomes a spirit with two sides, one good and one evil.  These spirits are believed to be everywhere, water, trees, mountains, and wind.  Buddhists believe the way a person behaves while living would determine how they will spend the afterlife.  They would…

The Hearth Growing up, the hearth played an important role in our lives. When we couldn’t work under the big oak or wander the hills, we gathered around the hearth for lessons and magic. We told stories and fire gazed. Where my grandma’s place was the Homestead, where major workings were performed and our family place of power was, our individual homes were called Heathsteads. The hearth has always been a gathering place for families and friends; be it the hearths of our ancestors or our modern day kitchens. The hearth is warm and welcoming. It is where food is prepared & preserved for the winter months and where brews…

November’s Cornucopia   According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a cornucopia is a goat horn overflowing with fruit and grain as a symbol of abundance: an inexhaustible source.   I automatically think of baskets woven as “horns of plenty” on tables and store displays as the American Thanksgiving holiday approaches.  I have to admit that as a pagan I love the idea of a goat horn being the symbol: a symbol that Gaia provides abundantly and unceasingly.  We know that in our heads and sometimes struggle to remember that in our hearts as the reality of day to day living unfolds.   Our affirmation is   I am part of Gaia’s…

It is November, and I’ve just about hit the halfway point of my planned journey. But, like most things in life, it isn’t turning out like I expected. For instance, I’ve hardly read any of the books that were on my original list, nor have I developed that meditation practice I keep talking about. And rather than finding a spiritual path that makes me feel at home and welcome, I continue to feel out of place no matter where I turn.   Take, for example, mommy blogs. I’m a stay-at-home mommy of a kindergartener, and it is important to me to spend time teaching my son, even though we don’t…

Nergal   Nergal is a Mesopotamian God of the underworld. He’s known to be associated with mass destruction, plague, warfare and pestilence. He is a pre-Judaic Arabian God who was worshipped throughout Mesopotamia (Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia), and is the son of Enlil and Ninlil   This deity of the desert is connected to Bulls and Lions. He represents the sun of noontime and of the summer solstice, as the high summer is the dead season in the Mesopotamian cycle.   Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth and there is evidence of his cult in Canaan and Athens. As a God…

Yesterday I did it. After meticulous examination, logistical speculation, scenario determination, and plain old wishful thinking, I put a bird feeder on my second floor window pane. Of course, it’s a bird feeder in name only. In a matter of weeks, perhaps even days, the pretty little feeding station will garner the attention of the resident squirrel population. Then it will become either a squirrel feeder or a wreck on the concrete below from which squirrels will eat the contents through shards of shattered plastic. I had a pole feeder with a squirrel baffle in my back yard when I first moved in, but when I saw the neighbor’s cat…

Welcome to the October/Samhain Issue of PaganPages!       Have a happy and healthy holiday!!!