tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17806290134284445722012-02-14T14:54:38.764ZStasa Morgan-Appel<br> thoughts on life as a Pagan Friend (Pagan Quaker)staśanoreply@blogger.comBlogger4481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-45449020449893254722012-02-14T14:48:00.007Z2012-02-14T14:54:38.778Z

This article first appeared in the January, 2012 issue of Friends Journal. - sm Accessibility, Handwork, and Ministry in Meeting for Worship Staśa Morgan-Appel In the summer of 2000, I was in a car accident with multiple impacts. I walked away from it, but for months afterward, I couldn’t sit still for more than 20 minutes because of the pain. This was a problem in many areas of my life—work,

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-18983502810758577352012-02-10T15:57:00.000Z2012-02-10T15:57:58.974Z

Ever wonder what those Winter Solstice Celebrations based on A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual that I'm always talking about are like?   Well, I can give you a little window into part of one of them: here are two videos from the 2011 Winter Solstice Celebration at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis! The first video includes parts of "Imani," by Rachael A. K. Hazen, and "We've Got

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-52506264288585916362012-02-07T17:00:00.000Z2012-02-07T17:01:40.785Z

The third weekend of December -- the velvet night of the darkest time of the year -- was for me filled with light, laughter, absurdity, and magic. The magic of Winter Solstice That Saturday night was my first Winter Solstice Celebration in Edinburgh, which I posted about here. When it was over, and we had finished cleaning up, we caught a cab home. And such a cab ride it was.  Through the

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-64975779057810218552012-02-02T16:01:00.000Z2012-02-02T16:01:34.065Z

Please check out this wonderful poem by Judith Laura!  There's also a great video following, from the weekly contra in Glen Echo, near DC, with the amazing Cis Hinkle calling and music by the fabulous Moving Violations.  (I have danced to Cis' calling, and she rocks.) Many of you may find Judith Laura's name familiar from her poem "Hear Our Great Mother," used with permission as the invocation

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-72200357838902211182012-02-02T15:38:00.000Z2012-02-02T15:38:11.671Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-79763689865101166252012-02-01T00:40:00.001Z2012-02-07T17:01:20.652Z

The third weekend of December -- the velvet night of the darkest time of the year -- was for me filled with light, laughter, absurdity, and magic.  The magic of Winter Solstice That Saturday night was my first Winter Solstice Celebration in Edinburgh.  As as I do pretty much every year -- even when I also do something else for Solstice, and even when I work with it by myself -- I worked

staśanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-58197542527023113352012-01-27T15:12:00.004Z2012-01-27T15:14:13.660Z

Or, as Anne says: "Got poetry?  Let the wild rumpus begin!" From Anne Hill at the Blog o' Gnosis: It is that time of year again, when bloggers around the world post a favorite poem in honor of Brigid, the Irish goddess and patron saint of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. Brigid’s feast day is February 1st, so between now and then is the perfect time to publish a poem to celebrate. This is

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-46365209121353036612012-01-26T15:20:00.001Z2012-01-26T15:20:51.208Z

Are you a Pagan parent, or someone who teaches Pagan young people, or teaches non-Pagan young people about Paganism/s? What are some of your favorite resources?  (Books, websites, magazines?) I'm asking because I not-infrequently receive requests about this, and I'd like to point parents, especially, at resources that have worked for other Pagan parents and adults working with kids.  And I

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-54116826392211001212012-01-19T13:42:00.000Z2012-01-19T13:42:59.593Z

The windows of the Meetingroom where I now attend face south.  In Meeting for Worship this First Day, the angle of the Sun was just enough different from the last time I was there, in December, to be noticeable. I've been noticing this difference in the angle of the Sun in daily life recently, too, and that sunrise and sunset times are now noticeably different, too. It's nearly a month since

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-25094930040514213552012-01-16T13:25:00.000Z2012-01-16T13:25:40.149Z

Back in October, a Girl Scout troop leader in CO refused to admit a transgender girl into her troop.  The Girl Scouts of Colorado said the troop leader was unaware of Girl Scout policy, and issued this statement:    Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members.  If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-51649460679131645012012-01-12T15:46:00.000Z2012-01-12T15:46:42.026Z

I have an article published in the January 2012 issue of Friends Journal!  It's about some of the reasons people do "unacceptable" things in Meeting for Worship, and how those reasons relate to accessibility and ministry.  The piece appears on page 13 of the print edition (how appropriate!) and is titled, "Accessibility, Handwork, and Ministry in Meeting for Worship."  (The January issue is not

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-91060370733600058852011-12-21T11:39:00.002Z2011-12-21T11:43:41.741Z

I didn't speak up. And now I have that same feeling I do when I was led to speak in Meeting for Worship, or Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, but didn't.  Or when someone has insulted me, or someone else in my hearing, based on religion, gender, class, or something similar, and I didn't speak up. My conscience is ruffled, like the surface of a body of water is ruffled when it is

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-24428323161018732962011-12-11T17:04:00.000Z2011-12-11T17:04:32.524Z

bread and roses spiritual nurture presents The 2011 Winter Solstice Celebration Celebrate the Darkness and the Light with Songs and Stories Saturday, 17th December, 7:00-8:45 pm doors open 6:45 pm celebration 7:00-8:45 pm; social time following St. John's Church Halll Princes Street & Lothian Road Songs, stories, candle-lighting, silent meditation, singing, and more   Suitable for

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-37720660493906368132011-12-01T15:07:00.000Z2011-12-01T15:07:12.074Z

Without the context of a political movement, it has never been possible to advance the study of psychological trauma. The fate of this field of knowledge depends on the fate of the same political movement that has inspired and sustained it over the last century. In the late nineteenth century the goal of that movement was the establishment of secular democracy. In the early twentieth

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-58660669266364274572011-11-15T13:44:00.003Z2011-12-21T11:44:28.155Z

For a handful of reasons, I have been thinking again about forgiveness, reconciliation, and healthy limits.  And about responsibility and justice, as well. My dear f/Friend Peterson Toscano wrote this insightful piece recently: "Some Thoughts on Forgiveness"  http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/some-thoughts-on-forgiveness/ What Peterson wrote resonated with me, and intertwined

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-20717978023448916192011-11-14T17:24:00.002Z2011-12-21T11:37:26.077Z

I attended my first Residential General Meeting for Scotland this weekend.  Our morning business session opened with this quote (23.46) from Britain Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice.  It spoke deeply to me and to my condition: I have been greatly exercised for some time by the image we like to present of ourselves (albeit with beating of breasts) as a white, middle-class, well-educated

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-64975379414567220912011-10-31T20:39:00.000Z2011-10-31T20:39:20.672Z

Who are you thinking of tonight?  Who are you remembering?  Who are your beloved dead whom you honor?  Who are your not-so-beloved dead you wish to let go?  Who are those who have gone before?  Who are the babies born this last year whom you welcome? 

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-18309903121219943772011-10-11T16:14:00.000+01:002011-10-11T16:14:57.627+01:00

Two years ago, I posted this article about the National Coming Out Day conversation I'd had:  "Not the National Coming Out Day conversation I expected" What really blew my mind, in that on-line conversation two years ago, was how the person involved just plain didn't believe me, and kept insisting I was wrong about my experience -- the taxes I pay that they don't, my legal situation, etc. How

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-92136719674103825002011-10-07T21:06:00.000+01:002011-10-07T21:06:59.740+01:00

The second in Rifkin's Pagan Kosher series.   Pagan Kosher: Eating Local http://selinarifkin.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/pagan-kosher-eating-local For Pagans, the place where we live provides for our shelter, and perhaps our spiritual needs. But when we connect with our local food-shed, we have far more opportunities to revel in our sense of place. We honor relationship, not just with the land

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-4721565599608248172011-10-02T22:49:00.000+01:002011-10-02T22:49:08.087+01:00

I believe I have tracked down and resolved the email subscription bug.  If you tried to subscribe before and had difficulty, try it now.  Thanks!

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-27569907345215099712011-09-30T15:08:00.000+01:002011-09-30T15:08:02.739+01:00

1in3Campaign.org: Deb from Advocates for Youth on Vimeo. Did you know that 1 in 3 women in the US has had an abortion? Think of nine of your female friends, especially if you're a woman.  How likely are you to know which three among them has had an abortion?  Perhaps not very, because of how we've stigmatized abortion in the US. The 1 in 3 Campaign (http://1in3campaign.org/) is working to

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-5280060034794885812011-09-30T13:10:00.001+01:002011-09-30T13:10:38.725+01:00

I was thinking about one of the queries in my recent post about Fall Equinox, What local foods are coming into season now where I live? And so I found myself taking notes as I walked around my local farmers' market on Saturday. I do realize there's some difference between "what's available" and "what's in season." :)   Here's what was available: Produce:  raspberries, blueberries,

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-60534179737054483012011-09-23T11:48:00.001+01:002011-09-23T11:53:21.042+01:00

We go down as She goes down We follow Her underground Hail to Inanna Who dies to become whole And deep calls to deep Deep calls to deep And deep calls to deep Deep calls to deep The veils drop by on our way As we pass through the gates With Inanna as our guide We find truth in deepest night And deep calls to deep Deep calls to deep And deep calls to deep Deep calls to deep We go down as She

staśanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86012377814549802972011-09-22T12:55:00.000+01:002011-09-22T12:55:40.134+01:00

I am trying to help two colleagues of mine at Cherry Hill Seminary find Pagan groups for a project of theirs in their graduate-level Contemporary Global Paganisms class.  (Click here for description of course.)  They would, of course, be willing to put any group(s) in touch with the professor supervising the research.  They are looking for groups in western Arkansas/eastern Oklahoma and in

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-43731807222957622922011-09-21T14:10:00.000+01:002011-09-21T14:10:16.739+01:00

I've written before about how the prevention of violence is rooted in recognizing and honoring the humanity in other people.  Lucy Duncan has a piece over at the American Friends Service Committee blog which very much resonates with my experience in peace witness and humanitarian work, the research I did as an undergrad, and further research in the field of both political violence and other forms

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-77397025545597276382011-09-18T21:11:00.007+01:002011-09-18T21:12:57.138+01:00

BBC News, A Point of View: Can Religion Tell Us More Than Science?  Too many atheists miss the point of religion, it's about how we live and not what we believe, writes John Gray. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14944470 I don't belong to any religion, but the idea that religion is a relic of primitive thinking strikes me as itself incredibly primitive. In most religions - polytheism,

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-1085438605084402352011-09-18T15:43:00.000+01:002011-09-18T15:43:36.361+01:00

At Central Edinburgh Meeting, where I now attend, at the end of Meeting for Worship, we have notices/announcements, a reading from Britain Yearly Meeting Advices and Queries, and then a few moments of worship before going downstairs for coffee/tea/fellowship and simple lunch.  Today's advice and query, #27, has particular resonance for our family, and I thought I would share it.  (Click here for

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-76957604862833983912011-09-17T08:43:00.002+01:002011-09-17T08:43:30.595+01:00

As I wrote earlier, there have been some glitches with some of the subscription feeds since I updated the template.  Here's a test post to see if folks this post matches what folks are getting in their subscription feeds...

staśanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-22504241155647975282011-09-09T22:54:00.000+01:002011-09-09T22:54:45.116+01:00

In a recent post, I had mentioned both Threshold Choirs and that there are other groups that do bedside singing and different kinds of healing music ministry and outreach.  Some of the ones I know are Unitarian Universalist groups, some are Quaker groups (such as Nightingales in Northern Yearly Meeting), and I'm sure there are plenty of others I don't know about yet. When I attended the

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86071274956570108232011-09-07T13:56:00.001+01:002011-09-21T14:14:52.438+01:00

I have been thinking again about inconsolable grief.  About how some deaths make sense, some deaths we can eventually make sense out of, and some we don't necessarily ever make sense of.  We live with them as the edges wear to somewhat less sharpness.  Beloved Wife and I are going through a death in our family that doesn't make sense. It has a narrative which either of us can tell you.  That

staśanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-74332601441877891582011-09-05T11:17:00.001+01:002011-09-05T12:07:18.475+01:00

At FGC Gathering this summer, Mark Helpsmeet of Northern Spirit Radio interviewed me for the program Song of the Soul.  Three members of my Gathering workshop, Singing the Goddess -- Denise Madland, Peggy Bright, and Sandy Moon -- joined me. Northern Spirit Radio Click here for more information and to listen to the interview: Singing the Goddess: Stasa Morgan-Appel  The whole interview

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86308368783734123072011-09-01T22:11:00.001+01:002011-09-01T22:11:32.345+01:00

I am updating my blog's template, etc.  Please be patient while it's under construction.  Thanks!

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-3660051586842397772011-08-29T17:28:00.000+01:002011-09-09T22:57:20.388+01:00

BBC Radio's Twenty Minutes: Quakers Don't Singhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013xq72/Twenty_Minutes_Quakers_Dont_Sing/ This was announced at the rise of Meeting for Worship yesterday, and we made sure to listen when it was broadcast last night.  Some F/friends in the States also heard it and passed the link on to the Quaker Pagans email list.  It's both fun and deeply moving.  Many

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-49418875305496790052011-08-26T12:59:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

This is the first in a series where Rifkin explores the idea of "Pagan 'kosher'."  I've followed the beginnings of this exploration in other communications with Rifkin, and I'm looking forward to seeing how her ideas develop further of how we, as Pagans, can approach being in right relation with our food, with what we choose to eat, and with what food options are available to us given our life

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86288900957821949092011-08-24T16:32:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

Here are links to the three interviews -- two with Feminist Hulk and zir "literary life partner," J, one with J alone -- at Ms. Magazine Blog.  I found that while reading these, I laughed uproariously, nodded, winced, and felt often like I'd found two like-minded souls. Enjoy!FEMINIST HULK SMASH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MS.!http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/06/07/

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-54124501886173287032011-08-24T16:24:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

You can take that any way you want; but what I'm talking about is, I love this quote: It’s important to remember that Republican doesn’t have to equal conservative. Palin is an embarrassment for the many intelligent and dedicated Republicans who are tired of their party’s dependence on the far right. In a year when so much of the GOP’s agenda has appealed to conservatives by stomping on women (

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-78811606935465504582011-08-08T12:00:00.001+01:002011-09-09T22:59:07.607+01:00

I recently found an old draft of this post and decided to share it.  - sm Where do I even start this story? It was last July (2010).  I was standing in the entryway to the airplane, watching my soon-to-be seatmate in the first class cabin put lotion on her hands, and I had a bad feeling about this. I was on my way back to NJ from Spokane, WA and North Pacific Yearly Meeting in Missoula, MT. 

staśanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-65386804955112545742011-06-18T16:35:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

Friends who are attending this summer's Friends General Conference Gathering -- I still have space available in the workshop I'm leading, "Singing the Goddess." Here's the short description: From simple chants and rounds to more complicated songs; music that honors the Earth, the Goddess, nature, the seasons, silliness and each other. Come as you are, whether or

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-89519216236538822482011-06-09T19:35:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

Quote of the day, from Ta-Nehisi Coates (emphasis mine):I think that when you are lucky enough to write in a prominent place, there's some sense that you must not just represent your own views, but those of your comrades in struggle...But the salient point, for me, is to always write first, and represent second. To do it in reverse, would result in a poorly written mush of liberal complaint

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-33500339373531617422011-05-31T20:55:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.271+01:00

June 2011 is the third International Pagan Values Blogging Month!  I've participated in this project in the past, and have found it really interesting, as well as helpful in my own spiritual growth and my own ministry.  This year, I hope to write something again myself and to explore this topic further.  But I also find myself wondering:Are there folks -- Pagans, Pagan Quakers, or Quaker Pagans -

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-91727085371308116102011-05-25T23:12:00.002+01:002011-09-01T22:06:38.450+01:00

Are you married? If so, when's the last time you had to get divorced and remarried just because you moved within the United States? If you're in an opposite-sex couple and you're married, chances are you got married, and no matter where in the US you've moved, you've stayed married.  It's probably never occurred to you to get divorced and remarried just because you were moving to another city

staśanoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86123049222739217342011-05-19T20:49:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.272+01:00

The deadline to request travel assistance from FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns) for the 2011 FGC Gathering is May 20th.   Clerks are requesting help in getting the word out, since the newsletter will not be out before the deadline.If you need the contact information, please let me know.

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-63256656871536466802011-05-06T21:10:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.272+01:00

From a conversation in another on-line venue.  Thoughts?   So, here's a question: I came to my understanding of dominant culture/minority oppression, connected oppressions, and power systems in society through learning feminist analysis. I know other people have come to similar understandings through other avenues, as well. Is there a quick way to communicate basic, essential information

staśanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-70817377152635244682011-05-06T14:00:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.272+01:00

So, May 2nd is Pagan Coming Out Day.I know very little about the International Pagan Coming Out Day organization (http://pagancomingoutday.com/), so I don't really know how I feel about yet another Pagan holiday / movement borrowing words from / being named from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer movement.I am familiar, though, with the International Pagan Pride Project (http://

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-79828415488981483082011-05-05T20:39:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.272+01:00

Tape Flags and First Thoughts: Red Cedar's Experiment with Fragrance-Free SeatingSu PennMy Quaker meeting is working on accessibility issues related to fragrances, which some people (like me) have sensitivities to and which can also trigger or exacerbate migraines and asthma. It's been a surprisingly vexed conversation over the last six to nine months, and there are a lot of tender feelings..

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-19716066633232144962011-05-05T19:47:00.001+01:002011-09-09T23:08:37.796+01:00

When I first read about Blogging Against Disablism/Ablism Day, I knew I wanted to write something for it. I finally had some time to sit down and write this week, and I spent a little while sitting quietly, not thinking about much, not writing, just being. Letting my mind go out of focus, then bringing it back to my experience… what really comes to the forefront is just how tired I am.

staśanoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-43874669527739275782011-05-03T01:06:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.272+01:00

Recommended article: Blogging Against Disablism Day: The political and the deeply personalhttp://blobolobolob.blogspot.com/2011/05/blogging-against-disablism-day.htmlOne Blogging Against Disablism Day, I was struggling to update the archive page. When overwhelmed, cognitive dysfunction can deny me access to very basic bits of information – I have forgotten my own name before, let alone my

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-15806690877603158272011-04-25T23:13:00.003+01:002011-09-21T14:18:47.567+01:00

Tax time is interesting in our household. My wife and I are not married as far as the federal government is concerned.  Because we're a same-sex couple.  We're married as far as our religion is concerned. We're everything-but-married as far as the state we live in is concerned -- our state has a civil union law, court-mandated to be everything but marriage in name.  This has some

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-18980909798948009072011-04-12T20:34:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

Pax over at Chrysalis is organizing the Third Annual International Pagan Values Blogging and Podcasting Month, in June 2011. I've participated in this in the past, and I encourage other Pagan writers, bloggers, and podcasters to do so.  Not only have I appreciated the chance to examine my own Pagan values, I've appreciated reading about other Pagans' explicitly Pagan values.  If you don't have

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-32679515688844082332011-04-01T01:56:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

Closing Minute of Midwinter Gathering 2011 As F/friends arrived at Summit Conference Center in Haw Rivers State Park near Greensboro, NC for the annual Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns Midwinter Gathering of Friends 2011, there were warm greetings and welcome hugs for both long-time and first-time attenders. Friends looked forward to exploring together the

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-51266216284322758202011-03-31T20:55:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

Short version:  Please read this article.  It will take you two minutes, and it will help you understand the reality of my life, and the lives of many other ordinary Pagans, a lot better.  Explanation: I've written here, and spoken on many other occasions, about the discrimination many Pagans face in daily life.  What always gets me is when non-Pagans just plain don't believe me.  It's as if some

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-79620958859172454452011-03-31T19:51:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

I recently received this letter from the Washington State Parks Foundation (http://washingtonstateparksfoundation.org/).  I've camped in WA State Parks, have visited them for other reasons, and in general think they're wonderful. Having no revenue for the State Parks System in the State budget is a BIG problem for WA State Parks.  Please consider a way you can help -- especially time or money,

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-68191870316915801552011-03-28T03:43:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

Please share the Epistle!  It's vitally important to get the word out that there are communities of faith that are affirming of lesbians, bisexual people, gay men, transgender people, and queer people.  Please help spread that word.If you are a Friend, please share FLGBTQC's Epistle with any Quaker groups with which you have a relationship -- your Monthly Meeting, Yearly Meeting, (Quarterly or

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-60517545617486292532011-03-28T03:05:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

An Epistle from Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer ConcernsMidwinter Gathering 2011To All Friends Everywhere, We send you love from Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns Midwinter Gathering, held from February 18-21st, 2011 in Browns Summit, North Carolina. There was a time when we could not say our name. We dared not say our name -- even in

staśanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-56970784851755720352011-03-25T02:21:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

Beloved Quaker historian/herstorian Margaret Hope Bacon recently died.I knew Margaret from the Meeting where I first came to Quakerism.  She was an amazing woman as well as a wonderful historian.  She also told women's untold herstories. I believe every modern Goddess worshiper, Pagan, Witch, Feminist Witch, and feminist should read Mothers of Feminism... at least once. :) Margaret's

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-45058299811892137192011-03-24T18:43:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.273+01:00

CPTnet19 March 2011*CPT INTERNATIONAL: Walk the walk—CPT seeks applicants for Peacemaker Corps*CPT Announces Summer 2011 Peacemaker Corps Training in Chicago, IL USA, 15 July through 15 August 2011.  Applicants must have participated in a CPT delegation or equivalent CPT experience before June 2011.Full-time, and part-time positions with stipends are available, especially for the Palestine

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-70822773200026152172011-03-24T01:30:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

notes from my Book of Shadows (spiritual notebook) from the 2011 Mid-Winter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns.  As soon as our Epistle is available, I will post it here.  - sm Meeting for Worship Sunday the idea that one "ought" to write, blog, etc., from love rather than from anger--> anger springs from love, is a sign that something needs to change

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-29631009129466889072011-03-21T01:18:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

Happy Spring Equinox!So here we are, on the balance point between Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice.  We are half-way between the longest night of the year and the longest day of the year -- between the day with the most hours of darkness and the day with the most hours of light; between the day with the fewest hours of light and the day with the fewest hours of darkness.  Between the shortest

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-88438355264346719742011-03-08T19:20:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

I first heard Sarah Leuze's poem "In Wildness" read aloud at this year's Mid-Winter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns.  Read out loud in a powerful voice by someone who loved and loves her very much.  It blew me away.  My breath caught.  Tears came to my eyes.  I knew right away this was the poem I'd been waiting for, for this year's on-line Brigid

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-2290588757083948892011-03-08T19:13:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

In WildnessYou do not have to suffer.You do not have to mimic the great martyrs.You do not even have to know who you are.You only have to be happy in the wild beauty of the world;You only have to love what you love, unfettered and unfurled.Let the untamed call of the loons come to you from across the lake in the afternoon;Hear the thrilling rush of wings overhead as the wild swans head home to

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-61879046527342544132011-03-07T01:42:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

I know there's some renewed attention right now to the issue of cisgender-women-only space/the exclusion of transgender women in certain kinds of Paganism.(Please note that I am not following, or interested in, that debate, and please don't ask me for information about it.)   A number of people have spoken to me quietly about the issue -- because they're hurt or just plain puzzled by the fuss, or

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-41756717335504425642011-03-07T00:20:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

T. Thorn Coyle's "Duality and Diversity: Gender at Pantheacon"The theme of gender at Pantheacon started for me on Friday afternoon, when I was able to catch most of Dr. Charlie Glickman's presentation on "The Mystery and the Masculine." I walked into a lively discussion about stereotypes, gender, and where we might find a place inside or outside of the box, and how breaking out of the box

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-4033965683065631842011-03-04T00:48:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

A F/friend of mine brought this excellent article to my attention a few weeks ago.  (I know I saw it when it first came out, but because of other things going on in my life that month, it didn't really sink in.)  Then, at FLGBTQC Mid-Winter recently, one of the many things we were talking about was how to make worship accessible to different people -- children, people with different neurological

staśanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-13101154293240144472011-03-02T01:27:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.274+01:00

How do we bear witness to, and support each other through, griefs which society doesn't usually recognize or honor?What are some examples of these kinds of grief?

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-70915931566045367112011-02-24T19:18:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

At a Quaker retreat last weekend, during the introductory announcements about the site, the schedule, etc., a member of the Planning Committee made some announcements about accessibility, including an announcement about the fragrance-free nature of the gathering. I was grumpy and overwhelmed at that point.  I felt that fragrance issues hadn't quite been handled adequately so far, in a community

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-54777768197267955042011-02-04T19:48:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

I don't have the brain right now to digest and analyze this fully, but I find it really interesting.  - Stasafrom http://www.sourcememory.net/veleda/?p=39 Here is an excerpt: This is a review of Ben Whitmore’s Trials of the Moon: Reopening the Case for Historical Witchcraft. A Critique of Ronald Hutton’s Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Auckland: Aotearoa / New Zealand,

staśanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-19922634874370162742011-02-04T16:05:00.000Z2011-12-21T11:36:39.864Z

I was thinking recently about a conflict in the Meeting where I'm sojourning.  And then I found myself thinking back on conflicts -- and potential conflicts that never were -- in other Meetings and Quaker organizations I am or have been part of.I posted the following to Facebook:  ...reflecting today that whenever I've been really angry over, disturbed about, or hurt by a conflict in a Quaker

staśanoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-35396934061340566592011-02-03T19:27:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

It's the 6th annual Brigid Poetry Festival! All over the internet!  I found out about this a few years ago through Deborah Oak Cooper, Reya Mellicker, and Anne Hill.  A quick web search of Brigid poetry brings all sorts of results for this year's festival.   Enjoy!

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-51029828160224458642011-02-01T19:33:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

A happy and blessed Brigid to you!Brigid is the Goddess of smithcraft, healing, and poetry. How is She moving in your life today? If this is Imbolc, Candlemas, or Brigid, to you, what does the holiday mean to you?

staśanoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-35075006114368180482011-01-25T21:40:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

Here's an opportunity for peace witness work here in North America.  - smhttp://cpt.org/cptnet/2011/01/25/cpt-international-christian-peacemaker-teams-announces-aboriginal-justice-delegatiCPTnet 25 January 2011CPT INTERNATIONAL: Christian Peacemaker Teams announces Aboriginal Justice Delegations to Treaty #3 Territory (Northwestern Ontario) March 31-April 11, August 12-22 and September 24-October

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-10589096704168515342011-01-06T18:38:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

What are your favorite feminist blogs?Some suggestions I've received so far, some of which I've known about, some of which are new to me:from Amy S:  I Blame the Patriarchy, http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/ Fugitivus, http://www.fugitivus.net/ Yes Means Yes, http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com(sometimes) Shakesville, http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/ (sometimes) Tiger Beatdown, http://

staśanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-70846019624650207202011-01-05T15:17:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

from Christian Peacemaker TeamsABORIGINAL JUSTICE: USA and Canada sign UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Christian Peacemaker TeamsCPTnet 5 January 2011ABORIGINAL JUSTICE: USA and Canada sign UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoplesby Peter Haresnape“We owe a very great debt of gratitude to those who remember the old ways to live and honor the earth. And yet, we have

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-82919830095133410682011-01-04T23:34:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.275+01:00

In my Tradition's Winter Solstice ritual, we spiral into the Darkness, spend some time there, discover a number of gifts in the Darkness, and then spiral back out into the Light.Several pieces of music have stuck with me from circle this year. Lorna Kohler's "Spiraling into the Center"  Spiraling into the centerThe center of the WheelSpiraling into the centerThe center of the WheelI am the weaver

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-6090388471517853732010-12-17T19:54:00.000Z2011-08-31T21:58:39.276+01:00

The Pagan Arts Initiative(a project of the Delaware Valley Pagan Network)presents the14th Annual Winter Solstice CelebrationCelebrate the Darkness and the Lightwith Songs and StoriesfeaturingSpiralSongFeminist Spirituality Vocal EnsembleSaturday, December 18, 20107:00 pmco-sponsored by Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship3424 Ridge PikeCollegeville, PA, 19426directions at http://

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-22057464238997774052010-10-29T19:19:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.276+01:00

I have been thinking a lot over the last few weeks about Samhain ("Saw-wen"), which is also known in different traditions as Hallowe'en or Hallowmas. In my tradition of Feminist Witchcraft, Samhain is the Third Harvest, the Witches' New Year, and the Feast of the Beloved Dead.  This is the time when we honor those who have gone before, our literal ancestors and our spiritual ancestors, those

staśanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-11562332366273318322010-10-23T14:42:00.000+01:002011-09-21T13:59:02.279+01:00

I just found out that last week was a week of open houses at many mosques and Islamic centers in the US.  I wish I'd realized; I would have gladly visited our local Islamic center... 

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-50582905342125450632010-10-19T22:53:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.276+01:00

The Ministry and Counsel Committee at the Meeting where I am sojourning, New Brunswick, has brought forward a minute to Monthly Meeting for Business recommending that the Meeting become fragrance-free, as a matter of accessibility.Meeting for Worship for Business is not yet in unity with the principle of becoming a fragrance-free Meeting.  The matter has been referred back to Ministry and Counsel

staśanoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-40530794405102277442010-10-12T14:59:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.276+01:00

I am beginning to write on this blog about my experiences in high school.  I've received some gentle, powerful, thoughtful responses, both in comments and privately.  Thank you.  It's helping me do more work on this. Before reading this post, I invite you to read the two I've written so far.  While you can absolutely read this one free-standing, the prior two provide some good background: Another

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-5514048372647655142010-10-12T01:19:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.276+01:00

Two good videos, with some thought-provoking perspective on Columbus Day."Happy Columbus Day"(via Native Appropriations)And "Reconsider Columbus Day"Enjoy... both the funny bits, and the uncomfortable, thought-provoking bits.

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-71385854362577884322010-10-11T16:49:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

I wanted to share again my post from last year for National Coming Out Day....I'm always surprised when people who know me at all well are surprised to find out I'm a lesbian. It's less startling, but still frustrating, when people are surprised I'm bi, because there's still an assumption of monosexuality in this culture: either you're homosexual or you're heterosexual. Folks who are

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-82262308860199554522010-10-11T16:37:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

So, today's National Coming Out Day. What does that mean?  For me, that meaning has evolved over the years.  I wrote a little last year about how that's changed -- how my conversations have changed from stark conversations about existence ("I didn't know you're bisexual/a lesbian") to more nuanced conversations about the day-to-day reality of my life and the legal realities of second-class

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-88176548653310071282010-10-08T04:13:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

staśanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-8838066721264933012010-10-07T20:49:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

The Pagan Newswire Collective is, well, collecting "I'm a Witch - I'm You" response videos (like the one I posted here yesterday) on their You Tube Channel.Thanks, PNC!Check out the playlist here (especially as new ones may have been uploaded since I posted this)!In the meantime, here are some more:

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-90531293568073052952010-10-07T19:08:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

Even though all US citizens, regardless of religion or lack of religion, are supposedly equal under US law, non-Christians face several interesting forms of discrimination. I wrote about some of the specifics in my post Difference and Discrimination in the US and the Religious Society of Friends.  One of the situations I wrote about was not being allowed to work as a chaplain in the prison system

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-80234931397657684872010-10-06T20:46:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

What a lovely response, not only to a certain DE political candidate, but to the media coverage surrounding the whole thing.  Star Foster, this rocks. 

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-73312187136842165192010-09-23T19:40:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

Earlier this week, Jason Pitzl-Waters posted a warning to Facebook about a Facebook group called Blackraven Coven, whose creator and main author/poster, Bram Darkraven, who says she's from Wiltshire, UK, was stealing Pagan authors' copyrighted material and posting it as her own, with her own copyright and copyright date.  T. Thorn Coyle soon followed with a similar warning. In case you've ever

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-41789033182210447542010-09-23T19:05:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.278+01:00

Don't do it.   And if it happens to you, talk about it.  

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-6078130552786032662010-09-23T15:22:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

Victoria Janssen pointed this out to me, and I was impressed by both the research and the analysis. My intent in this project was to examine the labeling of female-oriented geek spaces on the internet. What I found was that self-labeling of geek women often defeats the potentially subversive act of creating a female-oriented geek community.I would argue that the mere creation or and

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-62880719159578686292010-09-23T03:42:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

Day and night are in balance; Fall Equinox is the door to the dark time of the year.This is the second harvest festival. What are we storing away for the winter? What foods don’t store well, and so we eat them now?Some trees are already beginning to shed their leaves. What do we shed with the coming of winter, so that we don’t waste energy bringing it through the cold, and so we have

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-90693343585713674612010-09-22T02:17:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

I've agreed to give a talk and discussion on Feminist Witchcraft at an upcoming Pagan Pride Day. So, what should I talk about? Pagan Pride Day events tend to draw people from different traditions with Paganism, and non-Pagans as well. What would you want to know if you went to a Pagan Pride Day event, saw someone was doing a talk and discussion on Feminist Witchcraft, and went to it? 

staśanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-42788493987428649032010-09-21T15:39:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

When the video first broke of a certain DE Senate candidate supposedly admitting back in the 90s that she'd "dabbled into Witchcraft" (yes, ladies and gentlemen, those were her exact words), I admit I went and watched it, and even shared it in a certain social networking forum... because at the time, I thought it was ridiculous, and even a little funny.   I also made comments about how in talking

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-88724021207212063792010-09-21T04:18:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

A friend of mine passed this article on to me: City Critic - Commitment, the Best a Lesbian Couple Could Do - NYTimes.comIt hit home, kind of hard.   Six months after Beloved Wife and I started dating, we got hit with heavy-duty medical shit.  We waited four years to get married (religiously, not civilly).  Then last fall, when one of us was getting ready for major surgery, we did the civil

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-83972632718231409352010-09-18T22:46:00.000+01:002011-09-21T13:59:02.280+01:00

From the Washington Post, "Jim Wallis on the story behind pastor Terry Jones' change of heart" is an informative and inspirational article in both a practical and heart-warming way.  A few days ago, Stone told me, he got a call from a group of Muslims in a small town in Kashmir, Pakistan. They said they had been watching CNN when the segment on Heartsong Church aired. Afterward, one of the

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-67975178567216950682010-09-18T17:06:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

There's been some buzz recently about the Pagan Newswire Collective.  What is that, you ask?The Pagan Newswire Collective is an open collective of Pagan journalists, newsmakers, media liaisons, and writers who are interested in sharing and promoting primary-source reporting from within our interconnected communities. The idea is simple: a pool of journalists and writers within the collective

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-25214013608792126892010-09-16T15:08:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.279+01:00

Friends Journal has two upcoming special issues: "Pendle Hill After 80 Years" (June/July 2011) and "The Ministry of Quaker Women" (October 2011). Submission guidelines are available at http://www.friendsjournal.org/submissions/special-issues. 

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-56571436943214479972010-09-10T04:05:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:58:39.280+01:00

Speaking of other facets of my ministry: music.  And one aspect of my music ministry is that every year since 1997, I've been part of a community-wide Winter Solstice Celebration in the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area, which then eventually became a book and compact disc, and has spread to other parts of the US (and maybe other countries, who knows?).  When Julie (my co-author) and I put

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-60837850227632832832010-09-09T21:18:00.002+01:002011-11-13T18:02:49.256Z

(This is the full text of a post previously published as three separate posts. - sm) I've had a piece of writing brewing for a looong time -- for more than two years, when I go back and look at scraps and drafts of things -- about this fallacy in both American society, and the Religious Society of Friends, that equates naming or identifying something with actually creating it.  I witness,

staśanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-67030072457970830822010-09-08T20:27:00.001+01:002011-11-13T18:00:09.768Z

(continued from part II: Pagan Friends and Pagan Quakerism) Pagan Quakerism? So, we've talked about whether or not I, by myself, bring Pagan Quakers into existence.  Now, let's talk about Pagan Quakerism. I could be wrong, but I don't think it exists.  Except maybe in "The Princess Bride" alternate universe. In all seriousness, I have no idea what anybody is talking about when

staśanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-44634437454829342072010-09-08T20:25:00.001+01:002011-11-13T18:01:02.891Z

(continued from part I) Sweeping Pagan Friends and discrimination against Pagan Friends under the Meetinghouse rug No one has actually sat down to have a real conversation with me about this next issue, which I find interesting.  And I have had lots, and I do means lots, of long and chewy conversations with other people -- in person, over email, on blogs, on Facebook, and on email

staśanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-59360737791024589142010-09-08T20:23:00.001+01:002011-11-13T18:01:32.334Z

I've had a piece of writing brewing for a looong time -- for more than two years, when I go back and look at scraps and drafts of things -- about this fallacy in both American society, and the Religious Society of Friends, that equates naming or identifying something with actually creating it.  I witness, and experience, how this inhibits discussion in two areas in particular: difference and

staśanoreply@blogger.com1