Paganfm 050213

Musical SelectionsDamh the Bard, Green and Grey, The Caldron BornLisa Thiel, Beltane (Lord and Lady), Circle of the SeasonsSpiral Dance, Beltaine Waltz, The QuickeningOMNIA, Love in the Forest, Wolf LoveCelia, Bridget's Song, Bridget Cernunnos Rising, Blessings of Beltane, Wild Soul.Jenna Greene, Mating Dance - BeltaineCelia, Beltane Song, Dance the Night AwayMothertongue, Burn Fire, The WeavingLaura Powers, Beltane Fires, Beyond the PaleDamh the Bard, Hal An Tow, Tales From the Crow ManHu Dost, In an Eastern Rose Garden, In an Eastern Rose GardenMagicksinger, GreenmanMichelle Mays, The Green man, The Golden SectionCrow /women, Song of Beltane Crow Goddess PaganFM prayer listForrest and Joann, Gary and Danielle, Nora, Raymond My take on gun violenceSome people, when looking at statistics, dismiss individual accounts of violence. The claim is that anecdotal evidence is insufficient for decision-making because the anecdotes, or individual tales of tragic events are insignificant in the larger statistical samples. When we are looking at statistics, that's absolutely true. For example, the number of people who are killed by somebody under the age of 5 is almost negligible when we look at the overall statistics for gun violence; the chance of being killed by a toddler is so slight as to be barely a blip on the larger body of gun violence. But anecdote is important. Statistics are impersonal - we don't relate to abstract numbers; anecdote brings things home - it makes them real, we can relate to them. So here are some anecdotes from last month.Rekia Kid was sleeping with her 2-year old and her 3-week old baby in her Lavinia TN home. Apparently, for safety, she had a Glock 9mm pistol that she kept under her pillow. Her 2 year old son found it, and playing with it, he shot Rekia in the stomach. She made it down her steps and to a neighbor's house, where she was found bleeding and screaming by a 4-year old. She was saying she didn't think she would make it, and asked her neighbor to take care of her children. Some of her neighbors applied pressure to the wound, while another called 911. Yet another went to check on her children, not knowing whether the 2-year old still had a gun. Upon calling 911, it was discovered that it would take quite a while for an ambulance to get there, so her neighbors took her in a car while still applying pressure to the wound. She survived, and physicians credit her neighbor's first aid for saving her life. Daniel Fanning, a Sheriff's deputy has a number of weapons in his home, locked in a safe. While going to retrieve one weapon, he left another, just for a moment, on the bed. A 4-year old boy found it, and shot Fanning's wife, Josephine, killing her. 6 year old Brandon Holt was playing, when his 4-year old playmate found a loaded.22 caliber rifle. Brandon was shot in the head and succumbed to his wound later on. So that's four people shot, one week, last month, by children between 2 and 4 years old. Again, this is anecdotal evidence - it's individual stories. And they aren't "statistically significant", but that doesn't mean they aren't significant at all. We think we're refined when we make decisions based on actual statistics, but most of us ignore statistics when they might inform us in areas other than accidental shootings. Take, for example, the lottery. We all know that our chances of winning the lottery are miniscule. In fact, our chances of winning the lottery are far lower than they are of being shot. But somehow, many of us will buy a ticket, just in case we might win the lottery - but we do very little when it comes to gun control or saving our lives or those of our children. Now please remember - I'm not anti-gun - not at all. I believe in the right to keep and bear arms - it's an important right. But like any right, it needs to be respected, and, when and where necessary, regulated. Common law says that we have the right to travel - this is protected in the 5th amendment of our constitution. But we still license automobiles and drivers. I'm not suggesting that we should license every gun owner - but to ignore the fact that anyone can go to a gun show, and purchase just about anything from a private individual selling there, without a background check - is insane. Some say that it's easy for criminals to get guns - it is - they can buy whatever they want at gun shows. They say that if we make it harder to get one at a gun show, they'll get them somewhere else. Here's the deal with that: if you have fewer places to get something, that means it's more difficult to get. If criminals can't get guns on the Internet or at gun shows or via private sales, then it's by definition more difficult to get a gun. Some say that requiring background checks will be onerous for those who wish to sell guns. Here is one possible solution: let's have a solution where anyone who wants to buy guns gets a background check. The government could easily set up a system where all anyone has to do is to dial a telephone number or visit a web site. They type in the purchaser's Social Security number, and the system instantly reports whether that individual is okay to purchase a weapon. The problem is solved without any significant difficulty to anyone who wishes to sell a gun. This is by no means the only solution, but it's just presented here to show that if we want to do something, it's within our ability, and it doesn't have to be onerous. We don't even have to keep track of the purchase - but we can insure that purchasers are letitimate. NEWS:The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions issued a statement earlier this week, reading as follows:Thanks to the overwhelming support of so many individuals, groups and faith traditions, the Parliament of Religions paid off the contested court judgment from the 2004 Barcelona Parliament this week. We celebrate this amazing three week achievement and again say our heartfelt thanks to each one of you. The donations, small and large, came from 765 individuals and religious groups. Each donation helped meet the goal; this settlement made a major impact in the financial health of the Parliament and relieves us of this threat so we can deal with other challenges. We are moved and encouraged by these expressions of support. Here are just a few: "The Parliament is such an important vehicle for peace in the world...We need the Parliament now more than ever.....May the Creator continue to strengthen the Parliament for the sake of His people....Go! We are behind you.....The world needs you CPWR.....Blessings on the work of the Parliament! May we work side by side to understand each other and grow in our compassionate service to our neighbors!" We are now ignited to move forward in the important work of convening, connecting and equipping people and groups for action towards a just, peaceful and sustainable world. We are planning the next Parliament, publishing bi-weekly newsletters of interfaith news and views, conducting the Campaign Against Hate webinars and workshops, and connecting people globally and locally through the Ambassadors and other Initiatives. We want to stay in touch to strengthen the local and global interfaith network. Watch for announcements of upcoming events, especially the mid-November 2013 120th/20th Year Celebration in Chicago. Contact us at info@parliamentofreligions.org with any exciting ideas you might have. Here are some other ways: Kyrja Withers, the author of Rupert's Tales announced a fund-raiser earlier this week for a security system for her home, which has been the focus of a number of attacks recently. The Pagan community stepped up quite quickly, and fully funded the 1100 necessary for that system within 48 hours. As soon as the goal was reached, Kyrja made the announcement that the goal had been reached and asked individuals to stop donating for that system. Those who have been listening to PaganFM will know that her home has been shot at, it's had firecrackers tossed at it, and in the latest incident, was attacked with bottle-bombs, which are chemical bombs constructed using soda bottles aluminum foil and chemicals. While some young people find bottle bombs amusing, creating a loud explosion sound, the chemicals can be quite toxic and can cause injury to anyone nearby. PAGANFM ALMANACPlease note that all moon void of course data is courtesy of www.drstandley.com Today is May 2, 2013. It's the 122nd day of the year. The last quarter moon is currently in Aquarius. The Sun is in Aries. Tomorrow, Friday, May 3, the moon will be void at 9:07 am, and will enter Pisces at 7:47 pm. On Sunday, May 5, the moon will be void at 3:29 pm.On Monday, May 6, the moon enters Aries at 2:40 am. The Moon will be void on Wednesday, May 7, at 12:21 am and will enter Taurus at 12:00 pm.May 7 is also the anniversary of the Death of Sir James George Frazer. He was born on January 1, 1854 and died on May 7, 1941 anthropologist and author of the Golden Bough. The Golden Bough is one text that is referenced, likely more than any other, by those who seek to understand our earliest religions. Frazer's thesis is that religion grows in stages, based on man's understanding of the environment, and magic, and the "revealed religions" are but rungs on the same ladder. In his exploration of religious beliefs, Frazer follows man's belief systems from the earliest practitioners of sympathetic magic, all the way to Christianity. Events Pagan Pizza Party at La Festa Brick and Brew, Thursday, May 9, 7:00 to 9:00 If you're in the Denver, Colorado area, mark your books and get your tickets for Beltania, a weekend camping and festival event will be taking place May 9-12. Musical artists include S J Tucker, Tuatha, Wendy Rule, Pandora Celtica, Forests of Azure, Skean Dubh, Heartbeat, Orpheus Pagan Chamber Choir, Djembe Cowboys, Rain in the Face, Land of the Blind and Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus. Events include workshops, sweat lodges, May Pole Dance and many others. One special guest this year will be Christopher Penczak who will be hosting the main ritual on Friday evening. More information is available at http://www.beltania.org/ Nemos Ognios (ADF) will be having their Beltane ritual on May 5, at 2:00 in Durham. We'll be celebrating going from winter to summer, from inside time to outside time, making nice with the Land Spirits as we return to their area of control. We'll also be burning away impurities we've picked up over winter. Songs, fire, feast - a good day. More info at CeiSerith@aol.com The Houston Pagan Conference will be held on May 18, 2013 at the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands. The theme will be Magic and the Divine. Topics to be addressed will include: ~ Divinity's place in magic~ Magic and its relationship to religion (various or single religion)~ Magic as a conduit to the Divine~ History of Magic~ Foundations of Magic This 2013 Pagan Conference is for those interested in the pagan approach to magic as an integral path to the divine. This will be the first pagan conference in the Gulf Coast area in over 30 years and is sponsored by Blackberry Circle, an eclectic Wiccan teaching coven located in Southeast Texas. More information can be found at www.houstonpaganconference.com RDNA reunion The Reformed Druids of North America or RDNA is celebrating 50 years of open-source spirituality this Beltane! The main event will be at noon on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 on the "Hill of Three Oaks" at the Arboretum of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and is free. This event also spans the entire weekend of May 3rd through 5th with numerous activities planned. Details can be found at www.rdna.info/reunion A Facebook search with keywords "RDNA" & "Beltane," with an Events search filter will also reveal a listing for the 50th Anniversary shindig with more information. Any questions can be posted there, and they will be answered relatively promptly. (http://www.facebook.com/events/531484026897262/) The RDNA was founded at Carleton College in 1963 as a semi-serious protest to mandatory chapel attendance for credit. The founders described themselves as Reformed in that they condemned the sacrifice of animals, and because they initially had little knowledge of the practices of the ancient druids. It has since evolved into a meaningful open-source spirituality that has drawn seekers from a diverse range of faiths and philosophical backgrounds. Cherry Hill Seminary's Summer Learning Series, Foundations, Certificate and Master's Level Courses will be offered from May 20 to August 25. Courses include Contemporary Global Paganisms, Goddess: Prehistory to Present, Introduction to Fundraising, Paganism 101, Goddess '>