Pagan Centered Podcast

This week we take a request from Peter Dybing of Covenant of the Goddess and talk about building communities. Regular Hosts:Amber of Red Tail Arts, Ashlee, Branden of Pagan Men, Dave of Pagans promoting Healthy Active Tendencies (PHAT), Joe of Pagan Roadtrip Guest Hosts: Amanda, Barrett of Pagan Men, Nick, NRia of Anonymous 00:27Let's think about why people started communities way back in history. It provided for all of us! 01:06As it is right now, it seems we need to find "interesting" ways to approach people 01:21Community is like hippies with food, they don't want to go too far to get it. 01:38It's part of the reason there are tons of PPD's instead of just one or two in a year 02:14This episode is about starting when your area doesn't even have a pagan pride day 02:21Scurv says find a book based on your interest and read it in a public place. That may work in other areas of interest, but pagans are just mental people that tend to judge by the book you have rather than approach. 03:03There's no happy equillibrium in the community, we can just put on a nice face 03:18Try doing an even that doesn't scream I'M PAGAN, like an herbal class 04:18Code words really don't work well...fishy fishy... 04:33If you're looking to start a group. GET THE WORD OUT. And do it physically, not just on WitchVox. On actual bulletin boards. 05:09Don't be anti-christian...don't even have a giant pentacle...tone it down 05:40Talk to the members in your community! 06:04There are other pagans out there...GO FIND THEM 06:17Get the support of the elders in your area. They have more experience than you, and often more insight. It may also bring people that they know to your gathering. 07:21If you're worried that people are going to kill you...do some press related things! Get your name out there! 07:35Ah...memory lane 08:11The press...do stuff that reaches the GENERAL public. Keep it simple and do it slowly. You don't want a huge front page article right off the bat. Do it slowly 09:03Get in touch with the local press so you can have a face to the public so they can get to know you as a person rather than a huge focus on the image of your organization 09:31Do the obligitory Samhain article. We may make fun of it, but it is easy and keeps people informed. 09:51Sign it, give ways of contacting you, DO NOT USE FAKE NAMES OR MAGICKAL NAMES. You want to make yourself availible rather than look like you're trying to hide something 10:31Try to talk respectively when you talk to the press. Talk about what you are and what your'e doing, don't try to automatically defend yourself against your potential readers 11:07Don't make inside jokes, you're trying to inform people that may not be comfortable. Don't give them ammunition to make it a sensational story that puts you in a poor light. 11:58Try to just be professional. Not suit and tie, but you have to present yourself as honestly as you want to be percieved. 12:37Don't walk around Wal-Mart in a traditional ritual robe and then complain when you get bad press about it 13:01Don't forget the Pagan Press! See if you have a close PNC! Or volunteer to help them out! 13:33Prime the press basically. Don't do it because you want attention, but do it as an information campaign 14:00Read the paper you want to send an article to, know who you're sending your words to 14:12Don't let yourself slip under the pressure of running a group. Decide what you're going to do if you don't get anyone for your first meeting. You have to be who you are and be confident as you're running things. 15:00You need to plan when you're first meeting, and be prepared for both ends of extremems of everyone, or nobody, showing up 15:30Remember to plan the second meeting... 15:39Don't worry about a regular schedule right off, and don't do anything that will take votes right away so you have a more precise group. 16:03Introduce the purpose of the organization.

This week we descend into madness as we discuss a healthy disrespect for the Gods. Regular Hosts:Amber of Red Tail Arts, Ashlee, Branden of Pagan Men Dave of Pagans promoting Healthy Active Tendencies (PHAT), Joe of Pagan Roadtrip Guest H...

This week we continue our discussion on UPGs. Regular Hosts:Amber of Red Tail Arts, Branden of Pagan Men Dave of Pagans promoting Healthy Active Tendencies (PHAT), Joe of Pagan Roadtrip Guest Hosts: Adam, Amanda, Barrett of Pagan Men, Dave Carron of Ravencast, Miles author of Teaching Witchcraft: A Guide for Teachers and Students of the Old Religion, Sandi Carron of Ravencast, Snooze of Portable Weirdness 01:09UPG not necessarily for your benefit 01:36Coyote loves the Dead Kennedys 01:45Dave Carron's fun UPG 02:20Dave Carron: Christian Hell may in fact be Valhallah 02:54Sandi takes a look at Niflheim - the Goddess Hel's domain 04:02Christianity is a death cult 04:36Miles channels the comedian Sam Kinison 05:54Common sense is a superpower 07:07Burning Man festival is actually Hell 07:18Inverse Hell 07:46Amish afterlife - its okay, they don't have computers to hear this 09:12Traditions that embrace UPGs 09:27What does "embrace" mean? 10:06UPG disclaimer 10:54Miles channels They Might Be Giants 11:08Trads based mostly on UPGs 11:26UPGs in Native Tradition 12:20Christian UPGs 12:48All religions based on UPGs 12:55UPGs that get people the ban hammer 13:09Magical underpants 13:18UPGs and the birth of new religions 15:15When UPG goes too far 15:26Going beyond the lore 16:58Sandi's breaking point on UPGs 17:32Dave Carron on "beyond the lore" 18:56Compartmentalizing the Gods 20:09Fact and belief 22:59Does it inhibit your function in society? 24:12Dealing with cult leaders and crazy people 25:15How to define a healthy UPG 25:52Isaac Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame 27:04Look to the "wholeness" of the person 28:43Helping people think for themselves 29:21How Snooze evaluates people 31:07Broken people with broken guts 32:58A Scurvy heuristic 33:44Amber clarifies her earlier point 35:58Dividing line - beyond acceptable risk 36:55Scurvy's intuition heuristic 38:11Dangers of too many UPGs 38:54Dave and Amber talk about a certain someone from Clarion who also liked to throw shoes 40:54Don't click the links 43:11NAPPA has incompetence 44:37Suggested listening: Secrets in Plain Sight ep 252 Credits Post-produced by: Ashlee List of resources used or mentioned: Isaac Bonewits' Advanced Cult Danger Evaluation Frame Secrets in Plain Sight podcast PCP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 US License. Season 22 Credits:

This week we begin our discussion of UPGs or Unverified Personal Gnosis! Regular Hosts:Amber of Red Tail Arts, Branden of Pagan Men Dave of Pagans promoting Healthy Active Tendencies (PHAT), Joe of Pagan Roadtrip Guest Hosts: Adam, Amanda, Barrett of Pagan Men, Dave Carron of Ravencast, Miles author of Teaching Witchcraft: A Guide for Teachers and Students of the Old Religion, Sandi Carron of Ravencast, Snooze of Portable Weirdness 01:54Snooze defines UPG 02:59Assumption of lore 03:40Moving the subjective to the non subjective 03:53Snoozes UPG lab rat tests 04:09UPGs and religious faith changing experiences 04:48Importance of common reference 05:05Why Snooze created her UPG tests 06:11Recons and UPGs 07:00Snooze wants to turn Sandi into a lab rat 08:46Snooze's relationship with Recons 09:37Getting to the "unusual" 10:00Working with animal spirits/ wights 11:14Snooze's homework 12:04Miles' example of a non-religious UPG 12:51Ghost avatar 13:59Sandi's example of a mundane UPG 14:59UPGs and walking the "crazy plank" 16:38material interface point/ "anchor" 17:00Scurvy and Miles' PSAs 17:23It's "w-i-g-h-t" not "w-h-i-t-e" 17:32Dave Carron and verifying Personal Gnosises - Frejya's cats 20:35Where is your input coming from? More misadventures from Snooze's UPG class 21:26Snooze's experience with animal spirits 22:51Another PSA - Amber and jewelery 23:08Dave Carron on "verification process" 24:04Importance of "keeping it small" 25:50Importance of keep groups small 26:40Importance of evidence and "realness" 27:39Selfishness vs practical 27:58Giving validation of another's UPG 28:34Reality testing 28:49the "laugh test" 29:22No room for "weak point of view" 29:57Extrodinary claims - Extraordinary proof 30:16UPGs, who gets em? 30:32UPGs treated like a venarial disease in some parts of the Pagan community 31:11The GOPs and their UPGs 31:55Scurvy gives Dave Carron a headache 32:02Universe is just doin' it for the lulz 32:11Scurvy's side subject on intuition 32:30Sandi's experience with Norse spiritual work 34:09Scurvy's UPG experiment 35:56Barrett's UPG 36:36Sandi's UPG 39:47Drawbacks to having a "baseline" with lore 41:08Dave Carron on "Elves, wights, and trolls" by Kveldulf Gundarsson 42:04UPGs and regional perceptions of divinity 43:01Non affirmation of the Pagan deity (Gods created by man) 43:19Similar region leads to similar UPGs? 43:48When Birgit met Pele 44:40Iceland loves their Landvættirs 44:51Long distance worshipping 45:07Answer: adapt 45:25Amber's UPG experience 46:30Scurvy on the motives of dieties 46:40Goes back to DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!11! 47:15When does Unverified become Verified? 48:52Dave Carron and Sandi on "messages from the Gods" 49:38Scurvy plays devil's advocate 49:52Dave Carron's prerequistes on being married to a God 50:18More Scurvy troubleshooting 51:01Dave Carron denies the existance of "uber special snowflakes" 51:34Assertion of UPGs on others Credits Post-produced by: Ashlee List of resources used or mentioned: PCP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 US License. Season 22 Credits:

This week the crew gives some tips and tricks on Tarot Readings. Regular Hosts:Amber of Red Tail Arts, Branden of Pagan Men, Joe of Pagan Roadtrip, Sam Guest Hosts: Amanda, Barrett of Pagan Men, Miles author of Teaching Witchcraft: A Guide for Teachers and Students of the Old Religion, NRia of Anonymous Snooze of Portable Weirdness 01:22Why we need to provide a Tarot Disclaimer! 01:35So you're considering a Tarot Card Reading? 01:51Discouraging undesired situations/repetitions. 02:04Secrets! 02:27Don't bring your partner with you to a tarot reading if you're cheating on them! 03:46People that get a reading but do not want insight 04:33If you want something positive, go read fortune cookies. 04:3661-card reading reference. 04:43Some want readings just for validation 05:01The threat of an impending reading can help people sort things out in their lives. 05:25Not all readings are doom, gloom and painful. 05:39Card readings can be inaccurate, but generally don't work to accommodate your ego. 05:58When thinking of questions, remember the cards may not reply in any expected manner - may even answer a different question or refuse any response. 06:49Cards can reply to belligerance with an insult. 07:36Cards sometimes take queries in a completely different direction, sometimes more important/pertinent stuff. But some people just horribly mis-interpret readings. 08:13Cards have a habit of telling you what you NEED to hear. 08:30Different decks behave differently 09:14Tarot readings to understand what piece of the puzzle you are missing. 09:59Amber's deck has the ability to be sarcastic. 10:15Don't expect a 2 card answer to a complex problem 10:31Proper conduct during a Tarot reading. 10:52Eliminate distractions. 11:23Don't interrupt or spy on someone else's reading. 12:20Readers requesting readings when they have a huge ego and an axe to grind. 12:52Moral support and your responsibility for your cheerleaders. 14:06Tarot readings are not like fortune cookie readings! 14:36Let people enjoy their reading regardless if they believe in it or not - don't be an ass. 14:57Beligerance and questioning are different things. 15:54Jenga! Jenga! Jenga! 16:07Announcer voices during Tarot readings. 16:29Tarot doesn't need to be totally serious, but you should be aware of professional courtersy. 16:54Why do people not show common courtersy during tarot readings? 18:00The cards don't bite? 18:05Fortune Tellers and "For Entertainment Purposes Only" signs 19:09Should confessionals have this same sign? 19:41People using Tarot Readings as a replacement for confessionals. 20:38Every deck is different! So don't assume you can assume someone else's deck. 21:30Card IDs, rather than pictures, are needed for some. 22:07The symbology in color and artwork as it is interpreted by the reader. 22:54The meanings of individual cards can shift reading to reading to highlight details of what the querant needs to be aware of. 23:22Decks are well aware of what they're doing in terms of swapping meanings. 23:34Decks will adapt to individuals they read for. 27:36Everyone does spreads differently 24:22Don't let preconceptions limit what you can do. 24:36Is a deck alive and aware, or is it just ink on paper and the talent in the reader. 25:56Using cards as a filter or to avoid directly being mean to someone when you have foresight. 26:48Tarot central repository? 27:03Waking up a deck 27:36Everyone does spreads differently 28:08One card spread is not better than any other. 29:24Ford-Chevy Debate 30:20Right vs. right for you vs. right for the situation 31:22Caving into the cards' demands. 32:47Feel welcome to ask the reader what they are doing. 33:32Explicit details and generalities can arise for multiple reasons. 34:04Tarot is for insight, not to make decisions for you 35:06Nothing about a reading is guaranteed 35:50Don't ask the cards what to ask for!