The Gift of Impermanence

The monks visit, in brief, was an incredibly magickal experience. From the moment the monks donned their masks and began their week-long task of creating the sand mandala, I knew I was in for an inspiring few days. After several attempts at capturing the experience in words, I came across a video by fellow Baltimore Yoga Village staff member Changa Bell and instantly realized the images speak louder than I ever could. Enjoy.

Drepung Gomang Monks Visit Baltimore Yoga Village from C-54 Productions on Vimeo.

As they calmly swept away the beautiful and pain-stakingly crafted sand art, one monk explained the importance of impermanence: acknowledging that all things, however beautiful, come to an end. Impermanence - the virtue the yogis call non-attachment. While I've found the latter challenging to embrace, the former created a sort of bridge between my Wiccan and Yogi worlds: the circle continues. Hoof and horn Hood and horn: All that dies shall be reborn. Corn and grain, corn and grain: All that falls shall rise again.

As Harvest time is upon us, remembering that our gifts are meant to be shared - neither hoarded nor wasted - is our seasonal task. In that sharing we take a leap of faith: trusting in the Goddess that all we consume or give will regrow. It's a difficult time for this spirit of sharing: unemployment and cost of living can prompt panic and the urge to cling deperately to what little material wealth we have. It's a time of self-preservation, tightening our definitions of "family" to blood relatives (sometimes just those in the same zipcode), and demanding our governments stop taxing us into bankruptsy. Entering month six of my own unemployment, I've certainly shared these sentiments on more than one moment of frustration. (And yes. Unemployed people still pay taxes.) But shutting down and blaming out accomplishes nothing but cutting off our lifelines. From social services to the power of the potluck, cultivating a culture of sharing - of harvest - ensures our survival. Or at least gives us a much better chance.

A Christian friend of mine once described church as "where the people who have meet the people who need." Whether its a hot meal, a shoulder to cry on, spiritual guidance, a place to live; religious community (and membership in the greater human community) fosters this connection. When living at an ashram in upstate New York, I was always in awe of how whenever someone needed something - be it gardening gloves or a random herb to heal a wound - it appeared. The value of the collective, albeit a tiny one, was undeniable. Neo-Paganism encourages and values this interdependence, valuing each individual as an equal weaver in the web of life, and encouraging community building through celebration of the sabbats as shared celebrations of life. Even when we have nothing, we have everything.

Trust and B'lieve, hon. May you never hunger. May you never thirst. Happy Lughnassad.

Tibetan Monks Visit Baltimore

Knowing people actually read my bebe blog is motivation to actually post. Who knew! Thanks especially to the solitary who reminded me of the Sacred Space Conference in Timonium - I did indeed attend this year and had an inspiring weekend of workshops ranging from invaluable tips on officiating handfasting ceremonies to an in-depth lecture on the Hermetic Laws. Michael Reeder's class on working with trama survivors in a circle/coven context was especially notable as someone interested in the pastoral counseling aspect of Pagan ministry.

As my spiritual interests & influences stretch beyond the cauldron, I'm spending the week attending workshops and meditation sessions with Tibetan monks at Baltimore Yoga Village in Mt. Washington. The visiting monks are from the Drepung Lineage, the same as the Dalai Lama. Throughout the week the monks will be constructing a colorful sand painting on the floor of the studio, called a Medicine Buddha Mandala. All the events are open to the public and donation based, all proceeds going to the monks directly to fund their institute in Southern India. If you're in the area, drop in for some/all of this week's events - spiritual/magickal/political minded folks should get something out of it, or at the very least get to say you met some refugee Tibetan monks. Free Tibet!

Schedule of Events for the Rest of the Monks' Visit to Baltimore:

Tuesday 7/19 @ 7:30pm: Meditation led by the monks (BYV Mt. Washington - 6080 Falls Rd.)

Wednesday 7/20 @ 7pm: Cultural Dance Performance & Tibetan Ceremony (First Unitarian Church - 12 W. Franklin Street)

Thursday 7/21 @ 6:30pm: Closing Buddhist Healing Ceremony (BYV Mt. Washington)

In addition, the studio is open for meditation with the monks each morning at 8am, with a Q&A session to follow.

I'll be posting experience throughout the week, and hope to see some interfaith-minded Pagans at these events!

Welcome to Charmed City

"My name is Kate and I am a Witch!"

The announcement from the stage stopped me in my tracks as I trekked up the blanket strewn hill towards the food stands in search of vegan-friendly fare. I turned to see Kate, a fellow Charm City Kitty wearing a white ceremonial-esque dress standing beside a man in a minister's stole. She invited same-sex couples to approach the stage for a relationship blessing, explaining the significance of the upcoming Solstice and her own Dianic tradition.

There was a Dianic Witch standing on a stage. In front of a hundred people. In Baltimore City. And I knew her.

Now, I realize finding a Dianic Witch at a (predominantly lesbian) LGBT Pride Festival is about as likely as finding a stoner at a Phish concert, but it reminded me that yes, there are magickal folk in Charm City. They may not be as publicly active and vocal as the pagan communities of DC and New York City, but witchcraft and NeoPaganism is alive and well in the City That Reads. Well, read. ("The Best City in America"? Reeeally?) Since moving here 6 months ago, I've encountered an Interfaith Goddess-worshipping minister, a Witches Meetup group, a Fae-inspired NeoPagan circle, a Pagan tribal-rock band, a lovely Wiccan/Santaria/Hoodoo supply store, and a smattering of "blessed be" bumperstickers. There also appears to be an active New Age and Yoga community, reflected in numerous studios and bookstores in Hampden, Mt. Washington, and various parts of Baltimore County.

The one factor that appears to be lacking in this city is unity. This isn't surprising given the very nature of Baltimore City and its continued tradition of segregation, spanning from race to even sexual orientation. "Smalltimore" seems eerily and ridiculously tiny and incestuous, probably due not to the actual population (which remains one of the 20 highest populated cities in America, and way outnumbers major cities like DC and Boston) but because of the insular nature of its communities. Given this tendency, I expected to find the same true for the Magickal community - I'd been impressed at conferences by the extreme organization of DC pagans, whose presence was represented at DC's Pride events as well as various Maryland faerie & magickal themed summer festivals. But unlike the DC pagans, Baltimore paganism seems to remain fragmented. A trip to local Hampden store Crystals, Candles, & Cauldrons to inquire about open Imbolc rituals revealed little in the way of public circles: the sole suggestion for non-closed/coven ritual attendance was a reportedly welcoming Druid group called CedarLight Grove. Being a new resident Witch far from her beloved NYC circle, I gathered some non-Pagan friends and held a seder-style sabbat dinner of my own. Hopefully the guests weren't too mislead with the use of "dinner party" instead of "Wiccan ritual" in the invitation.

'But KP,' you may ask, 'aren't Witches supposed to meet in secret, autonomous covens?' Traditionally they did. Many traditions, such as the Gardnerians and Alexandrians, still do. But more and more circles are opening their walls up to seekers who may not be interested in joining exclusive covens, or even claiming Wicca as their religious affiliation. The gradual presence of Pagans in the public consciousness (from the political actions of the Reclaiming tradition in the early 80s to authors like Scott Cunningham to the fight for Pagan civil rights led by Selena Fox and the Lady Liberty League) has opened the gates for anyone to find the Craft, or just experience formally secret rites and observances. Like pretty much all aspects of life in the information age, Witchcraft has gone viral.

My training and magickal background reflects this more open, public model. I am a 3rd degree witch & ordained High Priestess of the Wiccan Family Temple, an eclectic Wiccan church based in New York City. Through this affiliation I became a licensed marriage officiant in NYC, registered with the Office of the City Clerk. This certification would be not only impossible without the public and legal standing of my circle, but probably frowned upon in some more traditional covens. Times are changing. Paganism is evolving. And in this evolution, the need to strike a delicate balance between honoring the Old Ways and embracing the modern era is becoming increasingly apparent. In the ever breaking, ever mending city of Baltimore, it will be interesting to see how this balance manifests.

Having lived in the ultimate City of modernity that Never Sleeps, and witnessed the politically charged city of Change, I'm looking forward to experiencing life back in my hometown of Baltimore and the opportunity to witness the path of a magickal community reflective of a growing, changing, and Charmed City.

Bmore magickal, all.

Blessed Be,
KP