ABUNDANCE GONG MEDITATION & CACAO CEREMONY, November 14, $50, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.,Center for the Healing Arts & Massage, Spirit Forge Complex - Building E in the back,38245 Mound Road,Sterling Heights,
MI
Belle Isle Holiday Stroll, December 11, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Belle Isle Aquarium, Conservatory, Dossin Great Lakes Museum open 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (free admission), Belle Isle Park, 900 Inselruhe Ave., Detroit, MI (As this is a State Park now, there is a vehicle entrance fee
One of the things that many of the members of the Pagan Societies and Communities in Metro Detroit and elsewhere will be experiencing for the next few months is what we call the Holiday blues. Whether through loneliness, an event, distancing from family, or all kinds of ongoing factors lead to it, this stress can sometimes lead to those dark places that can be fatal for many of us. To end a life, to consider suicide, is the ultimate act of violence and despair. If you are a Pagan community leader in Metro Detroit, there is a resource you can take advantage of by sending yourself, or one of your members to training on suicide awareness this Friday called safeTALK Training.
The
safeTALK (Suicide Alertness for Everyone) training will be held at American
Indian Health and Family Services. A training that is about 3 hours long, it will teach participants
to recognize people who may be at risk of suicide
how to open up discussion
keep them safe
refer them to
appropriate services
There are openings for 30 people for this training. This will not lead to certification, but will prepare folks are are in attendance for situations that they may face. This writer has been through the actual 2 day course and is certified for the next three years as a Gatekeeper, and has found it highly useful.It is being placed in this column in order to plead with the local groups and individuals in our community to take advantage of it.
Over the last year, it has been a very rough time for many in the communities. That 3 a.m. clergy call and text and chat have been hot. And on a personal note, this writer has to say that we have fallen down on the job. Why? Because we are not taking advantage of the resources out here that are available to us.
Repeatedly, I have offered, as have others, to put together resource binders and seminars for the local groups. Whether because of politics, disorganization, or just plain being overwhelmed by a seemingly enormous undertaking, people have not taken what is offered. It does not have to come from me. There are dozens of folks in our community that are here to help and train. And it doesn't take a Masters Degree either. Learn to use the people you have before they walk away. Because knocking your head against a brick wall gives one a headache. Serve your people.
American Indian Health and Family Services has the course scheduled for 1 – 4 p.m. Friday, November 6, 2015.
If you have questions or would like to register, contact Karen Marshall at
KMarshall@AIHFS.org or at (313) 846-6030, ext. 1404. They are located at4880 Lawndale St, Detroit, MI 48210.
While many here in the Land of the Fresh Water Seas are celebrating the various kinds of ceremonies that honor the Beloved and Mighty Dead this season, the emphasis has been primarily placed on the observance of Samhain. The writer will not be discussing the fact that the actual date of this holiday is not on October 31st, that is for another time. However, what is going to be highlighted is that there are other Traditions that are happening that are unique to our climes. In this case, the Ghost Supper that will be held on November 18, 2015 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, is what the readers of this column are encouraged to explore.
At the American Indian Health and Family Services Social Hall, the Systems of Care Grant will be hosting a
traditional Ghost Supper to celebrate the time we’ve had with those we
know and love that have walked on. There will be an opening prayer
followed by a teaching about Ghost Suppers by Frank Ettawageshik. There
will also be song and drum with a sacred fire. A main course will be
provided and you can feel free to bring a sampling of your loved one’s
favorite dish to pass if you like.
For those who are unfamiliar with this observance, it would be appropriate to do some research on what this is and why it is held. In a nutshell, much like many societies' suppers which focus on the remembrance and communing of the discarnate among us, it is a supper attended by community members wherein they celebrate the lives of those who have passed through the Veil.
A Spirit Fire is prepared, therefore it is appropriate and honorable for women to wear skirts if they plan to attend. This is in respect for the cultural practices of the People with which they are participating in this rite. There will be a prayer at the opening. No other formal rites will be performed.
This event is open to all who should wish to attend. Bob Davis, the System of Care Project Director, was very warm and welcoming when this writer spoke with him regarding who was allowed to come. Questions regarding food and servings were patiently answered and assurance was given that no one would be turned away for lack of a food dish being brought.
This event, though a pot luck style, is not one where you are required to bring a massive dish to feed everyone. In actuality, a dish of food that is enough for four or five to share would be fine. Keep in mind that this food should be something that those spirits enjoyed in life. If, as in this writer's case, your Dad enjoyed chocolate cake and coffee, it might be good to bring coffee or cake. If your Aunt enjoyed smoked whiting, that would be nice as well. Sue Franklin perhaps described the concept best, in HOUR Detroit's article by By Jeff Waraniak, when she said
“We try to always bring a favorite food
of a loved one that passed away,” Sue says. “lost my oldest son nine
years ago, and every year I remember him with honor and respect and
love, and to enjoy those memories of him, I’ll eat some of the foods
that I knew were some of his favorites. It’s a way of holding a memory
close to you.”SEMII’s fall feast features traditional foods made
from local ingredients. There’s three sisters soup — a medley of corn,
bean, and squash; stuffed pumpkin with wild rice, venison, cranberries,
and vegetables; and staples like yams, turkey, and the crowd favorite,
frybread. As part of the ghost supper tradition, other specialty foods
are brought to the table."
But this is not about stuffing your face. It is about mindful companionable gathering to with those who are here and those who have moved out of physical manifestation of existence. An extremely helpful exposition in brief in reflection on this supper as to why a person would attend such a meal was given by Winnay Wemigwase, director of archives, records and cultural preservation for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
“Each of those people that show up represents a spirit that came. And
it’s a blessing the more that you have,” explains Wemigwase. “My family
has always taught us that you try to go to as many suppers as you can,
because it’s a way of showing respect to that family and of honoring
them and their relatives.” (read more here)
When attending, please remember that as guests, manners are extremely important. Also, as a reminder, pointing with your hands can be seen as rude, so be mindful of this. Again, if you are not sure of something, it is always good to ask. The event is time fluid. This means that if you just want to pass through for ten minutes, or three hours, one time, or after 6:00 p.m., it is not a problem or a breach of etiquette.
American Indian Health and Family Services is located at 4880 Lawndale, Detroit, Mi. 48210. Parking is in the gated lot across the street. For more information on this event, please contact Bob Davis at 313-846-6030.
For those local Michigan Pagan thespians with stars in their eyes and a passion for performance, Pagan Pathways Temple is doing something fantastic. They are writing a show called "UnVeiled - The Series", and open auditions are coming up November 7, 2015 from noon until 9:00 p.m. at their Madison Heights locations. Even now, script writers are busily composing episodes. Want to be a part of this? Here is how.
Principle casting for lead roles and supporting cast begins on the above mentioned date. A list of roles and prepared material for readings will be available. This series will be based in the Southeast Michigan Pagan Community. All work will be on a volunteer basis, but credit will be given to participants.
The premise is intriguing.
This open call is available to experienced actors as well as those who have never acted before this time. This could be the project that discovers you. Auditioning persons are asked to bring
Valid ID
Headshots (if any, not required)
Acting Resume (if any, not required - there will be a photographer on site)
The event will be immediately followed by a potluck. Pagans and potluck go together like peas and carrots, so if able, bring a dish if you are staying for the meal. Also, bringing a feast bundle is a conscientious touch as well
Pagan Pathways Temple is located at 28736 John R. Road, Madison Heights, MI. They are just a little south of 12 Mile Road. If you have further questions, contact them at 586-275-7641. This is something exciting, so if moved, come be a part of it. Rev. Nashan will put the welcome mat out for you.
This piece was inspired by the conversations that this writer has been having over the last year in the Pagan Communities in Michigan. It comes from all races. Not seeming to understand how much they are feeding that peculiar servitor used against the African diaspora in this nation, many have continued to give it life and energy. Whether through ignorance, wrong headed belief in "passes" because of relationships that have created a "fictive kin" style status, or through flat out thinly veiled opportunistic bigotry hidden in a smile, it continues to arise.
So, let us write the word out, shall we? The word is N.I.G.G.E.R., N.I.G.G.A., and any other of the myriad creative spellings that have popped up. Polite Pagans in Michigan have used the word "N.E.G.R.A." and "Colored" in my presence at gatherings as well. This is 2015 C.E. in Michigan. And yet, I am looking for the rice fields and the hot springs and the cotton plants to simply materialize next to where I stood. They then, without fail, somehow found a way to inject the variations of the N word into the conversation. Usually to distinguish that they would never presume to use it in a derogatory way, and "don't you people use it", "your people use it all the time", "it doesn't have the same meaning when we use it ourselves".
So now, let me clear my throat and skim the froth from my cauldron. Read this very carefully, and with comprehension. Phone a friend if it is not easily understandable.
IT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE TO USE THAT WORD IN THE PRESENCE OF ANYONE OF WITH EVEN THE SLIGHTEST MODICUM OF SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE.
We are magicians. We bend reality to our Will. We make matters alter from the stuff of the ethereal manifest on this plan through ways unseen and unfathomable. AND YET, SOME OF US ARE STILL FEEDING A GODS DAMNED SERVITOR OF HATRED WITH OUR VERY MOUTHS AND SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.
Every time we use that word, we feed it and its history. It does not change its nature because we dress it up and try to use phrases like semantic inversion. It does not change its intent, because that is what gives this energetic creation life - INTENT- (you learned that in the beginning, right?), because we simply wish to use it with impunity and offer petty excuses for it.
This author challenges anyone to show me how using the word "C.U.N.T." or "H.U.M.A.N. G.A.R.B.A.G.E." or any other insult can be inverted into a good thing. How much more vile, then, is the ludicrous assertion by anyone that the word has somehow miraculously come to mean "an ignorant person".
Such a person, or persons, sound like either fools, liars, or mental slaves. It is not, nor has it ever been, acceptable to call anyone of an enlightened mind a racial or ethnic slur as a term of affection. And to do so is to spit into the soul of every ancestor that came before every member of the African diaspora in this United States culture.
Let the lie go. Do not let your former oppressors turn you into your own. Educated people do not use this word. That has nothing to do with formal academia. It has to do with social and spiritual education and maturity. How can you come before your altar with the shadows and stains of speaking this filth upon the same lips and tongue you use to send praises to your Divine?
Do you include this word in your prayers? Is it in the lexicon of chants that you share around the bonfire and the circles? Have you seen a ritual anywhere that celebrates this? IF so, please feel free to comment below with time, place, and purpose of same. We will wait.
How dare you? Substitute that N word for the word child, priest, priestess, or any other term in your rituals and tell me how that works. How does that feel? How about you add a candle with an image of a lynched person on it and tell me how that semantic inversion works when you do a spirit communication with them and attempt to explain how it is acceptable for you to use that word in greeting.
ESPECIALLY IN A SPIRITUAL SETTING. IN ANY SETTING.
And make sure you wait for an answer. Be brave in your assertions. Then see what it gets you. IF you would not use the word in front of your ancestors, then do not use it.
Now, for those folks who use that word who are not of this ancestry, let's have a chat. What is that part of you that thrills to life when you use it that you have not had a chance to do Shadow Work on yet? Because that is what is needed. This is not directed at the openly racist and bigoted. You have no such inclination toward self denial. You live in honest vainglorious bigotry.
But those that lie to themselves and let is spill like poisoned anointing oil from your tongue, what is the purpose of it? Is it to fit in? Is it a feeling of the taste of the forbidden? Really, let's just be honest. And here is a little more honesty:
NO ONE IS FOOLED, OR IS APPROVING, OF YOUR USAGE OF THIS WORD IF THEY HAVE ANY EDUCATION AND ASCENSION OF SPIRIT. YOUR USAGE IS OFFENSIVE AND IS PLAIN OUT DISGUSTING FILTH.
Remember, "as a man thinketh". So what does that make the user, hmmmm? Since some of you are willfully stiff necked, this writer will spell it out. It means that inside, there is a part of you that is filth and should be addressed. Here's the besom and the mirror, get to work. Have a look, if you are so inclined, to pursue some education on the topic.
