Rev. Crystal's Full Moon Blessings

I think of the rain this year as a welcomed cleansing of the year so far.  So much pain and sadness this year that the mother is crying for the pain of her children.  And in her pain, her tears have the power to wash away the hurt.... to see to a renewed spring that is to come.  

Call for Writers– Shades of Faith; minority voices within Paganism

Email for inquiries and submissions: 

Megalithica Books, an imprint of Immanion Press (Stafford, U.K./Portland, OR, U.S.A) is seeking submissions for an anthology on people of color working in magical communities.  This anthology will be an opportunity to get the voices and experiences of minorities within the Pagan community out to the world and address some of the challenges, stereotyping, frustrations and the beauty of being different within the racial construct of typical Pagan or Wiccan groups. These communities include (but are not limited to) groups and individuals working in Wicca, Voodoo, Umbanda, Shaman, and other Pagan paths.

Many of the roots of Paganism have come from the lands of people of color yet the mainstreaming of Wicca has elevated images of worship and deity that connect with Celtic, Greek or Roman cultures.  This can have an exclusive effect on those who's culture or ancestry fall outside of those categories.  Interestingly enough people of color within Paganism are often walking between the worlds of their birth ancestry and culture and that of their spiritual culture.  This anthology is an opportunity to share your stories and experiences with others around being a minority in our spiritual community.

Here are some suggested topics to give you an idea of the focus of this anthology.

Your experience of integration into the Pagan community

Magical work 

Ancestor work

Integrating your birth culture with your spiritual workings

Personal experiences and thoughts around how being of color within the Pagan community was significant.
What magical work are you doing now? How do you describe it? Do you work alone, in a group, or in several settings? 

Your birth culture and spiritual workings

Stereotypes and prejudice
Being the only person of color in a coven, group or community

Sharing your culture and history with other Pagans

Cultural history

Sub-culture of African Americans, Hispanics or other minority groups within Wicca or Paganism.

Is there a sense of acceptance within the magical community you work in? Do you encounter resistance in your magical community or acceptance? 

What do you feel is needed to be more inclusive of racial diversity in Pagan communities

Rough drafts are due July 15, 2010. These drafts will be edited in a back-and-forth process with the editor. Essays should be 1500-4000 words, although if your work falls outside those limits, do submit it – we can discuss this during the editing process. Drop us an email if you are unsure whether your idea fits into the content. The sooner you start the communication process the better, as after the deadline we won't be considering additional ideas.

Essay requirements:
• Citations for all quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise unoriginal material
• Bibliography of works cited
• Prefer APA format

Do write in your voice! If you're academically inclined or trained, feel free to be as intelligent and technical as you like. If your work entirely talks in the first person about your own experience, please include this also. There is a wide range of voices, and we are interested in being as inclusive of style as possible.

Accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the anthology when it is published and additional copies sold at 40% off the cover price to contributors. All contributors will be provided with a contract upon final acceptance of their essays, not when they are accepted for editing. If your essay is not accepted for the anthology, we will tell you after the first round of edits.

The anthology will be edited by Crystal Blanton. She is the author of an upcoming pagan/occult nonfiction book called Bridging the Gap; Working Within the Dynamics of Pagan Groups and Society. She may be found online at http://www.crystalblanton.org and her email address for this anthology is crystal@crystalblanton.com .

Immanion Press is a small independent press based in the United Kingdom. Founded by author Storm Constantine, it expanded into occult nonfiction in 2004 with the publication of Taylor Ellwood's Pop Culture Magick. Today, Immanion's nonfiction line, under the Megalithica Books imprint, has a growing reputation for edgy, experimental texts on primarily intermediate and advanced pagan and occult topics. Find out more at http://www.immanion-press.com.

I am reading a book right now called Pop Culture Magick by Taylor Ellwood and there have been some interesting thoughts that I have had in this journey.  For those who do not know, my mom and I watched all the seasons of Buffy together in a short period of time.  I had always avoided watching Buffy because it seemed cheesy but one day I thought...... I wanna see.

It is so interesting how words can be the catalyst to connection or the hammer of destruction.  It is so much easier to find the words to express anger than to express fear, concern, sadness, confusion or any other emotion that can feel so vulnerable.  I am sure there are many reasons why this is like this but I think one of the main reasons from a spiritual sense is that anger responses are reactionary in nature.  When we are angry we are not filtering other information, we are responding to the anger.

So often we get into the habit of wanting things from the God and Goddess.  Things come up, a need or desire, and it is almost automatic that a call goes out to the Gods and the Universe.  It is not as automatic to think about what we are doing in exchange for the support and blessings in which we are asking for.  As we are considering all the blessings that come our way, we need to remember that the connection of all things will dictate that something else sacrifices in order to fulfill our desires.  Honoring that sacrifice can be just as important as honoring the things that we receive. 

I am in the process of grieving and needing divine support to enhance the support I am getting from my loved ones.  I have not always thought about the shifting of balance that happens when I am asking for my needs to be met by the universe.  As things continue to occur I am reminded of this factor in the balance of life and remembering that those things are just as important to me as the things I need.  The exchange that happens in the ultimate balance is praise worthy.  Our relationships with Deity are like those we have with our family and friends.  It is an exchange and nothing is free.... nothing is without sacrifice.

When we honor the Gods, lets honor the totality of the things that they encompass.  We cannot have one side without the other.  Honor the giving as you are taking and support the continuous shift within the universe.  Say a prayer for those things that are without so that you can be with.

It is important to acknowledge the feelings that you have, it is the energy that you are radiating to the universe whether you acknowledge that or not.  Going into the spring is a perfect time to pay attention to what is coming up for you and find ways to cope with those things we cannot control.  Many of us are coming out of the dark half of this past year with scars and bruises.