Autumn Quarter, 2009
September to November
Special Event
This quarter we get the wonderful pleasure of being able to celebrate our Pagan Pride with the annual Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day! Pagan Pride will take place on Saturday, September 12th from 10am to 6pm. It will be held at the same location as last year, which is Murray Park, Pavillions 1, 2, and 3. For those of you who didn't make it last year, Murray Park is located off 5300 s. and between State St. and Vine St.
For more information regarding Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day you can visit their official website. Salt Lake Pagan Pride Day 2009
About Utah Pagans Unite!
This newsletter has been created with the specific intention of educating the people of Utah about the ways of Pagans, and to provide popular information to current Pagans that can sometimes take a little while to research.
Sabbats and Gods and Goddesses, as well as the phases of the moon, are the most common things that Pagans want more information about, or an easy way to get this information. It’s not always easy to find out more about different deities or the moon phases.
We are more than willing to hear from you about this newsletter as well as to accept articles that you would like to see published in the Utah Pagans Unite! Be proud in your faith and spirituality! There is absolutely nothing shameful about being a Pagan, Witch, or other practitioner of the “Old Ways.”
Sabbats For The Quarter
By, Keary
Mabon - the first Sabbat we’ll see this quarter is going be that of Mabon. This year Mabon will fall on Monday, September 21st.
Mabon is a sabbat that celebrates multiple important occassions. Probably the most notable thing that we celebrate about Mabon is that it's the Autumnal Equinox. The Autumnal Equinox is where day and night are equal once again. The days have been getting progressively shorter, but on this sabbat they are perfectly matched with night, signaling the height of Autumn.
The other, older, term for Mabon is the Second Harvest Festival, or the Wine Harvest. The reason for these names, was that this is when all of the later harvest fruits, wines, etc. would be gathered, signalling, usually, the end of the harvest season. It is important to celebrate Mabon as a time of cycles and renewal. Through every ending there is a new beginning. Celebrate that which has passed and plan for the future. This is a time to come together and celebrate that which life has brought us, and count our blessings.
Samhain - the second Sabbat we'll see this quarter is going be that of Samhain (sow-in) or modernly, Halloween. This year Samhain will fall on Saturday, October 31st/Sunday, November 1st.
Samhain is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.
This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built -- originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year -- and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fires, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year.
The custom of wearing costumes on Halloween is thought to derive from the Celts disguising themselves at Samhain, so the spirits would think that they belonged to their own company. They could then communicate with the spirit world, which was known as 'Souling'.
God Of The Quarter
By, Aislin & Keary
This Quarter I’ll be covering Pan. Pan seems to me to be a jealous, spiteful, lustful, over-indulgent God. He looked very much like a faun, complete with horns. He would chase women that did not want him, inspiring them to turn into trees to escape him, though he didn’t always fail, and is said to have borne a daughter with Echo, named Lambe. He used his music to incite lust, inspiration, and fear.
He is a God of shepherds, and vineyards, and is said to have taught the shepherds how to masturbate. He is Greek in origin, but beyond that there are so many different stories as to how he was conceived. One thing that seems to run along the same thread is that he is befriended by Dionysus and loves chasing and seducing nymphs and other females.
Here is where we find ourselves in a sticky situation, because of the temptation, be forewarned I have no desire to fight it and thus will not resist it, to go into the rant of how Christians misperceived this Pagan God.
In the Christian Bible, Lucifer, the fallen angel, becomes the devil reigning in the Hell they’ve created. In an attempt to convert as many Pagans as possible, they made their devil out to be a cloven-footed, horned creature. In the likeness of our Pan, unless of course you go off of the version in Legend. In reality, if the Bible is to be believed, then Satan/the Devil is a fallen angel, beautiful.
If you are a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, you believe Angels were made in His image, as were we all, and that when the angel Moroni appears to Joseph Smith he appears looking like a man, and so would Lucifer then, as he was once angel himself, indeed, the most beautiful man, since he was the Angel of Light, the most beautiful and prideful.
In their defense, Pan, the god of Lust, self-indulgence, and harvest/fruit/fertility might seem very much like their devil, in his seeming self-indulgence?? *This I don’t understand either, since all he did was challenge Jesus, who was Not at the time his only begotten.*
Anyways, my rant is over. I know that didn’t talk very much about Pan, and I’m sorry. In summary, he is a Hedonistic God, who enjoys orgies and parties, and music. Do you blame him? I don’t.
Goddess Of The Quarter
By, Aislin
Lilith is who I have chosen this quarter’s article on, as she is my Matron Deity. There are literally thousands of different tales of Lilith, and so I will focus on the one I am most familiar with.
Lilith, or Lilitu, was originally created from dust of the earth, as was Adam, and so was his equal, and his wife, before Eve was ever thought of. Upon being commanded to lie beneath him, she rejected him. Adam, in his temper tantrum, ran to God and begged him for another wife. God took a rib of Adam and from it formed Eve. Because she was alive only because of him, made of him, she was to serve him, and to belong to him.
Lilith during this time was said to have been lying in caves with demons, or perhaps fallen angels, and creating new life, bringing into existence the first incubi and succubi. She was said to have slept with the lion, the eagle, the fish, creating things such as the mermaids, the centaur, and other half-human creatures. During this time Adam whines to God and begs him for Lilith back. God sends his angel who threatens her, saying he will kill 100 of her children for every day she is away from Adam. She counters this saying that for each of her children that die, she will kill one of Adam and Eve’s. (Perhaps this is where people get the idea she is a child killer, though they still make pendants and use wards to guard children against her, so maybe there is serious truth to it.)
At one point she is said to have gone to the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and sat beneath it, and had the fruit drop to the ground, and she gathered this and ate it. When God discovered what she’d done, and in his fury, he asked why, and she’d said she thought they were gifts from him, because they fell from the tree, but that she had not picked any he had not given. He was charmed by her, and took her up to be his consort. When she asked if she could share in his power, though, he was full of pride, and cast her aside.
Because she left the garden willingly, she was not cursed as Adam and Eve were to live as mortals, to age and die. Being the consort of the God had added to her immortality. She leaves Eden to try to create her own gardens, and while she succeeds in growing fruit, she cannot replicate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. She returns to the garden and God has sent Lucifer to guard it, and she charms him into letting her pass. After several times, Lucifer falls deeply in love with her, and gives her a gift, a cloak of night, and stars.
She is credited in some versions as being the snake who tempts Eve into picking the fruit of the tree, not out of malice, but in communion with her sister and from her prior experiences.
Throughout the time since, she is said to have come to men in their beds and seduced them, and if you dream of her in the night, and wake to make love to your wife, that you are instead giving yourself to the demoness you dreamed of.
She is an excellent mother, and lover, a misunderstood and cast aside wife and Goddess of sorts. She is to be respected, as she is dangerous, but also she can be admired for all her wonderful traits.
Animal Of The Quarter
By, Aislin
The Owl - This quarter I want to go into the Owl a little bit, probably because my desire for Samhain to get here is eating away at me. Carving pumpkins, spiced cider, corn mazes, costumes, cauldrons and leaving gifts for the spirits have my spirits soaring.
Now, everyone seems to be familiar with the owl being Athena’s companion. She believes he is the wisest of creatures. For some people, seeing one flying above battle means victory. (How does this work if both sides see it, I wonder??) Anyone who has ever seen Clash of the Titans can get a glimpse into how she may feel about the owl. For many peoples of the world, the owl is considered very wise, and you can almost get a deep feeling of otherworldliness if you get the opportunity to glance into their eyes. I do not, for one moment, doubt the wisdom of this great bird.
In other places and amongst other people, the look of the owl itself, with its curved beak, wide eyes and feathered head that looks like it has horns, combined with it’s nocturnal nature and predatory habits, have combined to set the hearts racing, and the mind on fire.
It is said that the presence of an owl can indicate a ghost being nearby, death (particularly if you hear it hoot,) and even that the owl itself is a witch. (I have yet to accomplish this feat.)
I’ve even read some odd ones online, eating salted owl clears gout, cooking the eyes to ash and eating it can cure blindness, and that its cry can tell the gender and happiness of a babe. The Irish believe you must kill an owl that flies into your house, if you don’t, it will leave with your luck. The early Romans apparently believed that nailing a dead owl to your door, you would have luck, or perhaps forestall death.
I realize this article hasn’t gone into too much depth into the lore of the different God/Goddess associations *cough, Lilith, cough* and for this, I apologize. I think, perhaps, this is one creature you should follow your intuition on and make your own judgments about. Personally, I feel as though it is a messenger from the Gods themselves, and if you see one it is not necessarily a bad omen. I will treat them with respect, politely bow my head, and be on my way, and pray that they do not hoot at me, or perhaps that if they do, it implies only that they need to know who set all the mouse-traps that have been snaring their prey.
Tarot Card Of The Quarter
By, Keary
The Tarot Card this quarter is XIII: Death. Death, unlike most people suspect, does not symbolize your death, or even the death of someone you know. It can represent these things, based on how it is aspected in a reading, however, alone Death does not represent these things. Death symbolizes the ending of one phase of life to make way for a new one. It represents major change and transformation.
The Death card can give us release from that which is no longer necessary, but that we still hang on to for fear of change. By holding onto that which we don't need we are hindering ourselves, and denying new opportunities.
In order to benefit from change we need to open ourselves to it. It's only through recognizing that every life's experience gives us the ability to grow and learn on some level. Take this card to heart with the change of seasons, from Day to Night. If there is something that has been holding you back, now is the time to let go and embrace the new, whatever it may be. But, do not be hasty in your decisions, or simply throw something away, or cast someone aside, just because you feel they are unnecessary. Look at all angels of the situation before jumping to conclusions. Take this card to heart, but do not decide solely upon it's messages.