Copper Moon E-zine

Imbolc for Two

By Steel Witch

At Imbolc we celebrate the coming of spring and the end of winter. Most pagans celebrate the goddess Brighid during this holiday, while others prefer Punxsutawney Phil. While not the longest night of the year, it is generally the coldest. I went camping on Imbolc once and I'm pretty much never going to do that again. Try to feel the cold a bit before this ritual so you can better appreciate the spring you are summoning in.

 This ritual is designed for two participants but will work perfectly well for one. If you are solo you will have to read both parts. You'll need a candle to represent the god, a candle to represent the goddess, and a large candle to represent the holiday in either white or red. You'll also want several smaller candles―this is a fire festival, after all! Tealights will work nicely. If you would like to decorate your altar/temple/house/pet, the colors of the holiday are red and white. Okay, so, the colors vary depending on which source you consult, so feel free to change them if you feel they should be different.

Teens Breeding Love

By Melissa Fae

Time passes. It flows, like water, and slips through our fingers. We find ourselves looking down and staring at our hands, wondering where it went. Where did the young years go, when you were at knee height? When 'challenging other's belief systems' meant telling them you said 'Bloody Mary' in the school bathroom mirror and nothing appeared. When, no matter what religion you belonged to, you could talk, if only to complain about having to sit through some sort of worship.

It's almost funny, how the look of shock on their faces mirrors what happens to certain people when I tell them I'm a Witch. Actually, I used to say Wiccan, but they never understood what I meant, and explaining over and over gets tedious. I have a friend or two who says “Wiccan, ” and just doesn't explain what the term means. Partially obscured in the broom closet, while I am most decidedly... not.

I am proud of my religion. I have no qualms about that initial horror. Time always passes, and the times have changed. It is my constitutional right to be clear about my religion, wear that pentacle on my neck, and say “Goddess” instead of “God.” We are living in a country where we can do this freely, and although I respect the decisions of all broom closeted Witches, I would feel like a personal failure if I didn't parade proudly through my school halls.

The Plight of Wiccans in the Military

by Lorelle 

In 1999, Governor George W. Bush was asked on ABC America what he felt about Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., submitting a statement decrying Wicca, a nature-based faith, as irreligious and saying it should not be accommodated by the military,

"I do not dispute that individuals may believe what they wish, and they can practice their religion in private life," Thurmond told the committee. "However, limits can and should be placed on the exercise of those views, especially in the military. I do not believe that the Armed Forces should accommodate the practice of witchcraft at military facilities. The same applies to the practices of other groups such as Satanists and cultists. For the sake of the honor and prestige of our military, there should be no obligation to permit such activity. This is an example of going too far to accommodate the practice of one's views in the name of religion."

In reply, George W. Bush said that, " I don't think that witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision [to recognize Wicca]."

Later he was asked whether he agreed with the recent U.S. House of Representatives' vote that said states have the constitutional power to place the Ten Commandments in public buildings, including public schools. "He said that he had no problem with the religious codes being placed in every public building."

Since then, Wicca has been recognized as a "non-traditional" faith in the U.S. army.