Updates and Ditherings

Still in Rochester. I will say that Saint Marys Hospital is one of the prettiest hospitals I have ever seen. The history of the place permeates everything. The main chapel is a gorgeous place, a huge ceiling with the titles of Mary in latin inscribed on it, the meditation room, the statues everywhere, it puts to mind a time when religion in the ancient world was tied to religion and faith. When the “Witch Doctor” really was the doctor. Now I see religion tied to the best in cutting edge medical technology, and it is rather inspiring to see and think about.

In other news, Kathryn Joyce from The Revealer points outs an article on a Halloween celebration that was cancelled but not for the usual reasons (ie. Fundie angst over “Satans” holiday).

“Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that,” – Karen Hansen, Puyallup School District

This is something that many Wiccans have been advocating for years, but, in my mind a rather misguided quest. While Wiccans have wanted to seperate themselves from the folkloric impression of Witches, the cancellation of a school event on our behalf just creates a negative feedback loop. This doesn’t mainstream us, it alienates us from the average Joe and Jane who see Halloween as a fun night of candy and costumes. We don’t want to be in the same camp as the Fundies who carp on schools to end Halloween, we want to be out there celebrating, and a few green faces and pointy hats aren’t going to ruin our fun and more than a group of modern pagans honoring their dead and having “dumb suppers” is going to ruin theirs.

Besides, pointy hats are fun!

Tags: Neopaganism