This Saturday, June 26th the Capricorn moon will undergo a partial eclipse beginning at 4:55am EST and ending 10:22am EST. This eclipse will be visible in the Pacific and parts of Australia, but those of us in the United States would be lucky to catch a glimpse as the moon goes down (get more details at http://www.astrologycom.com/partialeclipseJun26.pdf) . However, you can still make use of the energy of the lunar eclipse.

Throughout history, lunar eclipses have foretold change. This is an excellent time to perform a spell for change, or to do some divination. This eclipse combines the energy of the full moon in Capricorn and the sun in Cancer with the Earth's constant energy suggests that this is a good time to focus your magical energy on bringing about positive change related to the family, especially male family members or matters relating to the family business or any business proposition that will benefit the family unit. I will personally be working to help my husband find a better job, with better hours that will allow him to spend more time with the family (and more time jamming with our son!).

Just how does a lunar eclipse affect your magical workings? First, understand that lunar eclipses always take place during a full moon, so you are working with strong full moon energy. The lunar eclipse mimics a lunar cycle, what usually takes nearly a few months in just a few hours. This increases the power of your work by magnifying the energy of the full moon by the energy of the rest of a lunar cycle and can speed up the manifestations of your desires.

When I was an Anthropology major in college I wanted to be a Forensic Anthropologist, just like Bones! This show has been recommended to me for years, but I haven't got a TV. Recently I started checking out various TV shows on Hulu and I have discovered such wonders as Lost, Dead Like Me, and... when I found out May 6th's episode of Bones was all about Witchcraft I thought I'd check that out too.

Did I like it? Well... it was entertaining. It was friggin' weird and predictably made witches seem, well, wacky. There's some wacky witches out there, some of them are my dear friends and one of them is myself, but we don't mess with dead cats or have dead bodies in our closets and I've yet to meet one who claimed to make someone's hair fall out (cool trick though). I was actually more insulted as an Anthropologist than a witch. I was appalled by the idea of an Anthropologist "observing" a Wiccan ritual without them knowing they were being observed. Very unethical... Of course it all wrapped up with a pat outcome as series's do which is one of the many reasons I gave up TV all those years ago in the first place.

Anyway. You can check it out yourself.

A New Jersey evangelical Fed Ex driver left a Chick Tract with the wrong witch in New Jersey according to an article in the Mount Olive Chronicle. Trish Reynolds, a Pagan author (of such books as The Demons of Drey (Seeker's Quest) and A Question of Balance ) looked out her window one day to see a Fed Ex Driver do a double take at her "Goddess Bless America" and pentagram bumper sticker, return to his truck and come back to put a Chick Tract on her window. If you've ever read one of those rags you know how offensive they are. The list of ridiculous claims made by these is huge (and Wikipedia has such a huge discussion on this subject) She could have just thrown it out, but she's not that kind of witch. She complained and insisted on action. My kind of woman.
More info about Trish Reynolds and her projects can be found at her website http://www.zyalia.com/

I am a firm believer that garb has its place, and jeans have theirs. I admit it I'm a closet fashion junky (you'd never know it meeting me, I know) If you're a fan of reality TV you might be interested in checking out What Not to Wear on TLC this Friday as it features a Salem witch whose witchy wardrobe is put on "trial" (Salem witch trial style) by other members of the Pagan and psychic community, including Christian Day one of the voices of the Hex Education podcast the driving force behind Salem's annual Festival of the Dead before she is whisked off to New York for the usual makeover business. You can find all the dirt at the Glouster Times website.

According to HeraldNet, A missing woman in Washington is believed to have been murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend, who happens to be Wiccan, apparently. I don't want to comment on this much more because it is unpleasant, but I will say this- If you read the article, you will find that neighbors upon questioning admitted to hearing a "loud and violent confrontation between a man and a woman" in her apartment FOUR DAYS before she was reported missing by her employers because she show up for work!! WTF people? Why do people not call the cops when this shit goes down? WTF I say.

I often complain about the sad state our society is in that people don't know their neighbors, don't check up on their neighbors, don't show any concern for their neighbors. It's amazing to me that up north where there are acres, and sometimes miles between houses people know more about their neighbors than in places where we're practically on top of each other in apartments and McMansions and trailers. Remember this poor woman the next time you ignore the screams from the apartment upstairs.

It's common knowledge that animal adoption agencies change their adoption policies for black cats near Halloween due to fears that they will be sacrificed or tortured in Halloween pranks. The most disturbing rumor I've heard about it is the idea that some folks will get a black cat to go with a costume and return it later on. That's twisted. As far as sacrifice goes though, it makes no sense.

I am aware of the story that Samhain is the celebration of a Celtic God named Samhain who demanded sacrifice of animals on His special day in order to release the spirits of the sinful dead or some nonsense. The only problem with that is that Samhain isn't the name of any God, it's the name of a festival; it means "summer's end" and the ancient Celts conception of sin wasn't as developed as those who came later.

Modern Druids know all this and therefore find no place for this sort of sacrifice in their rituals.

Looking back in history, I can only think of two instances where cats were sacrificed. In ancient Egypt they were sacrificed to Bast, and during the European Witch Hunts they were occasionally burned along with their owners in case they were familiar spirits- dogs, fowl and other pets as well. The sacrifice of animals that weren't traditionally eaten by the people was very rare in the ancient world as sacrifice often meant a feast for the people. These were folks who didn't dare eat meat too often for fear their meat supply would disappear so when they butchered their animals it was a big deal, a religious event. A sacrificial feast.

It is somewhat logical that modern Bast worshippers would sacrifice cats, but they don't. They generally revere them and display replicas of sacrificial statues as if they were statues of the Goddess Herself. Cats have ceased to be objects of sacrifice to Her and are instead living representations of Her. You don't go around stabbing your Goddess, it's rude.

While Satanists get most of the credit for cat sacrifice, it's highly illogical. According to the offending folklore, black cats contain demonic spirits, that is, they are of Satan, so assuming there was any truth behind that logic; why would Satanists kill them exactly? You don't go around stabbing your God's minions. Anyway, modern Satanism isn't about all that despite what you may have learned in the 80s.

I'm not saying crazy stuff doesn't happen. In 2004 a black cat was found duct taped to a cross in front of an animal shelter. Yea, maybe it looks Satanic at first glance, but a little thought will tell you it was more likely a prank meant to shock folks than to honor Gods.

Who else is there then? Wiccans? A more harmless bunch of tree huggers you'll never find. Some of them don't even squish bugs. Other Witches; maybe we squish bugs, but we generally like our cats too much to stick them. Heathens? Again, if they're not going to eat them, I can't see them killing them.

How about... crazy people?

Yes, crazy people (*cough*andteenagers*cough* ). It seems more logical to me though that this sort of behavior would be more prevalent in the long hot school-less summers when the poor miscreants have nothing better to occupy their time than Halo III, Grand Theft Auto and the random abuse of stray animals. There is such an incident involving a frog in my childhood that I'm not proud of... But the media doesn't report random animal torture unless there's something particularly and delightfully gruesome about it. That's not nearly as exciting as Halloween animal torture. And where did those kids get the idea anyway? (In my case it was from a Biology text book belonging to my friend's mom.) You don't think maybe the media insisting that Halloween is the time to torture black cats might give some mentally unstable or immature people the idea that... Halloween is the time to torture black cats, do you?

I'm not going to sit here and say that there aren't people out there playing at being Witches and Satanists who might misguidedly torture a cat, but I do think the whole thing is overblown. Drunken rowdies showing off for their friends are far more dangerous than Witches, which makes it a good idea to keep your cat inside at night, but not a good idea to refuse to adopt them out.

Have you ever adopted a pet from an animal shelter where you weren't already well known? You have to provide references (and good shelters check them) and there's usually a waiting period of a few days from the time you apply for the animal before they let you take it home and they generally charge between $60 and $80 or more. And so I must ask... What sort of person would go through all that trouble to adopt a cat just so they could torture it, or use it as a prop? Don't you think if someone really wanted to torture a cat, they'd just scoop up one wandering around the neighborhood? Most cats have a few. Or steal one from a neighbor? Because if you'll torture an animal, stealing is nothing. The best defense against this sort of abuse is good adoption policies. Refusing to adopt out a cat on Halloween just because it's black (or white) is just silly. Our shelters are overcrowded. Trust me, the greatest danger of a cat being adopted by an occultist on Halloween or any other time is that it might end up with a stupid name like Aliester or Satan.

Do you know how many cats there are in shelters these days? The one my mom works at has cages stacked three high in the lobby and she's got 15 in her garage and they are begging for foster homes! They just had an event where they gave cats away for free, despite the fact that almost all of them needed sterilization. These cats need to be adopted out. Why pull them off the shelf just because it's Halloween? That's like pulling them off on the Fourth of July in case someone decides to tie fireworks to their tails.

Luckily there are some shelters who don't buy this misguided nonsense and continue to offer their black cats on Halloween. Some even actively promote them. Sanity is rearing its head in some places where officials are recognizing that the whole Pagan/Satanic black cat torture at Halloween thing is a load of rubbish. The cruelty database at http://www.pet-abuse.com clearly demonstrates that cruelty knows no season.

Many Pagan spiritual retreats feature sweat lodges. Indeed they seem to have become quite fashionable in the past few years outside of Pagan circles as well. With the recent sweat lodge tragedy at the Spiritual Warrior self help retreat in Arizona, it may be prudent to take a look at sweat lodges and safety issues associated with them. (We can talk about paying $10,000 for a spiritual retreat in some other blog...)

A sweat lodge is a Native American tradition. It is much like a sauna and uses hot rocks and steam inside an tent-like structure to cause the air to heat up which opens up the participants' pores and helps to purify their bodies while inducing a mild trance-like or deeply relaxed state, useful for meditation, group journey and other spiritual applications. It is generally used in preparation for some other ritual. The sweat lodge ceremony is a purification ceremony that helps build a profound connection toward the other participants through shared spiritual experience.

Here are a few simple rules that can be applied to the sweat lodge as well as many other spiritual activities to ensure your safety and enjoyment.

Know Your Body
If you have a heart problem, if you are pregnant, if you have anything weird going on with you- don't do it. Talk to your doctor about your condition and how a sweat will affect it. If your doctor just doesn't get it, use comparisons, like- "what if I spent an extended period of time in a sauna?

Build it Right
Your sweat lodge should be built using natural materials, skins, canvas, blankets, etc. Not plastic. This allows for natural airflow and absorption of excess moisture. Besides, the jury is still out on what sort of toxins drip off warm plastic. Rocks should be heated outside the lodge, not inside.

Never Do it Alone
Use the buddy system. It is difficult to think clearly when one is mentally disengaged. There should always be someone willing to refrain from whatever the activity is to make sure everything goes smoothly. In fact...

Always Have an Experienced Facilitator
The first several times you sweat, you should do so under the guidance not just of someone who has done it before, but of someone who has done it many times and who knows what to expect and watch for and what precautions to take.

Drink Lots of Water
Fasting is often part of the sweat lodge ceremony and indeed can enhance any spiritual experience. However, many people neglect water while fasting. This is very dangerous and pointless. The point of fasting is to purification. You cannot purify yourself without water to flush out the old impurities. And if you go into a sweat without adequate fluids in your system, you run a very real risk of dehydration or heat stroke. Fast or no fast, drink lots of water. Not alcohol. Water.

Don't Overcrowd the Lodge
Sweat lodges generally hold up to a dozen people. You should be able to sit comfortably in the lodge without crowding. Remember the lodge is near air tight. Suffocation is a very real possibility if you overcrowd it. Besides, your facilitator will have a very hard time monitoring more than a dozen people at a time. If you have a large number of of people, have one group watch the fire and heat the rocks while the other group sweats and then switch.

Don't be Afraid to Wuss Out
If your facilitator tells you to leave, do it. Don't fight it. If you start to feel faint, breathless or otherwise uncomfortable, seriously consider leading. You will probably be able to stay longer next time around and your facilitator will likely comfort you with stories of other wusses later. Never EVER give someone a hard time if they need to leave. If you do that, you're an asshole.

If Other People Get Sick - Call it Off
You should not feel sick in a sweat lodge. If other people are feeling ill, besides what can be expected- feeling overheated, claustrophobic, needing to step out for air - call it off. This is a sign that something is wrong. If someone loses consciousness, this is a sign that something is very wrong.

Don't Overdo It
An hour is plenty long for a beginner's sweat lodge ceremony. Test your limits carefully and go for a longer ceremony later if you find an hour is easy for you.

Most of these are very common sense and you may be insulted I bothered to mention them, but the tragedy at the Spiritual Warrior's retreat illustrates that sometimes even the obvious needs to be pointed out. As more details about the event emerge, it seems more and more as if the cause of death here was carelessness and failure to follow the most basic of safety rules. The motive, of course, was greed. What else would have prompted someone to stuff 60 some odd people into a sweat lodge!

I hope that those events don't cast a bad light on sweat lodges (which are really quite safe) and lead to extra scrutiny of other events that feature sweat lodge ceremonies.

I am sure there is more to be said about being safe in the sweat lodge and I welcome comments from others on the subject.