Anyone have plans for Beltane?

[Tricky]

My wife (a pagan) and I plan to go on a big group campout with a lot of drinking, music and public nudity. Since Beltane is the fertility festival, debauchery is also encouraged.

That's a religion I can get into.

 

[Craig]

...a big group campout with a lot of drinking, music and public nudity...

That's my current plan for my 18th birthday.



No, really...

 

[Dancing David]

Careful jumping over the fire!

 

[Tricky]

Careful jumping over the fire!

Being an athiest, I stay away from the ritualistic stuff (especially anything with the potential for scorching my cajones). These folks are truly a bunch of woo woos, but they are fun woo woos who have the ability to laugh at themselves.

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

Being an athiest, I stay away from the ritualistic stuff (especially anything with the potential for scorching my cajones). These folks are truly a bunch of woo woos, but they are fun woo woos who have the ability to laugh at themselves.

Do as you will and all that, but watch out for these guys if they show up. Their cuteness is a mere come-on. They are space aliens hostile to human existence.

 

[Oleron]

My wife (a pagan) and I plan to go on a big group campout with a lot of drinking, music and public nudity. Since Beltane is the fertility festival, debauchery is also encouraged.

That's a religion I can get into.

My wife would describe herself as a wiccan. If it weren't for having our hands full with a new baby, we'd probably be joining in the revellry.

She is much more into the social side of wicca than the wand-waving. I've got to admit that most of the pagan-types I have met are really generous, tolerant people. They just can't help using the word 'vibration' in every sentence.

Any excuse for a knees-up!

 

[Tricky]

Re: Re: Anyone have plans for Beltane?

My wife would describe herself as a wiccan. If it weren't for having our hands full with a new baby, we'd probably be joining in the revelry.

Really, Ms. Tricky is a Wiccan too. I avoided mentioning that since many people don't know what that means.

And congrats on the new baby! (Though I'm curious. How new? Three months? Is this a Beltane Baby? Them fertility festivals work purty dang good.)

She is much more into the social side of wicca than the wand-waving.

Same is true of my beloved, although she loves burning candles for every damn thing in the world. If our house ever catches fire, it will burn for three days.

I've got to admit that most of the pagan-types I have met are really generous, tolerant people.

I agree completely. Plus they care deeply about the environment, which is another reason why Wicca/Paganism is my favorite religion.

They just can't help using the word 'vibration' in every sentence.

And 'energy'. Mustn't forget 'energy'. The other point that sticks in my craw is that they are deeply into supernatural reward and punishment (which they call "the threefold law", meaning that anything you do comes back to you threefold. If not in this lifetime, then another. The mechanism is poorly described.)

Any excuse for a knees-up!

That was almost enough to convert me!

 

[Iacchus]

What are you a hedonist Tricky?

 

[Tricky]

What are you a hedonist Tricky?

I admit to being somewhat hedonistic, but a true hedonist would say something to the effect of "Forget about tomorrow! Have fun now." I like having fun, but I always think about tomorrow. Also, true hedonists tend to die young from STDs.

 

[Dancing David]

Yeah for pagans, for a long time I was reluctant to describe myself as a wiccan.

They can be tolerant but be careful around those personal beliefs, as a glloping sceptic I have offended many a witch buddy.

Tricky, if you jump over the fire it will cleanse you for the rest of the year and charge your spirit with vibrational energy!

 

[KS_SKEPTIC]

Yeah for pagans, for a long time I was reluctant to describe myself as a wiccan.

They can be tolerant but be careful around those personal beliefs, as a glloping sceptic I have offended many a witch buddy.

Tricky, if you jump over the fire it will cleanse you for the rest of the year and charge your spirit with vibrational energy!

In my travels I have found Pagans to be a heck of a lot more tolerant and fun to be around!
I have also found them to be more honest and trustworthy than most Christians!

The Pagan motto is: "An it harm none, do what you will."

The Christian motto is: "Do as I say not as I do."

 

[Oleron]

Tricky,

What is it about these wiccan's that we skeptics fall for?!

Little baby daughter is now 11 weeks old. Wifey would say that she is the result of the entire UK wiccan population lighting candles. I prefer to believe it was modern fertility treatment but I'm just happy she's alive and well.

Best wishes to you and yours. Or 'Blessed be' as her indoors would say.

 

[Tricky]

Tricky,

What is it about these wiccan's that we skeptics fall for?!

Indeed. It's almost magickal!

Little baby daughter is now 11 weeks old. Wifey would say that she is the result of the entire UK wiccan population lighting candles. I prefer to believe it was modern fertility treatment but I'm just happy she's alive and well.

Interesting that she didn't believe the candle-lighting by itself was enough. But if you were undergoing fertility treatments, then that obviously means you wanted the child very much. Such a child is lucky indeed.

Best wishes to you and yours. Or 'Blessed be' as her indoors would say.

Thank you so much, and the same to yours.

BTW, the festival was great, apart from the all-night drumming. One of the funny things was at the exit gate where they have a sign to keep people from leaving without remembering to put their clothes back on.

Dresséd Be

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

I'm an atheist. I don't participate in religious rituals, nor observe holidays unless they're federally recognized or I have a friend who is a member of said religion.

 

[Oleron]

I'm an atheist. I don't participate in religious rituals, nor observe holidays unless they're federally recognized or I have a friend who is a member of said religion.

I'm an atheist too but I can live and let live.

But it's got to be said, Pagans have better parties than atheists!
Maybe we should have a national 'atheist festival day'. We could make it April 1st.
Any suggestions as to what we could do to celebrate our atheism?
Anything that involves drumming is out. Tricky needs his sleep.

 

[Tricky]

I'm an atheist too but I can live and let live.

A good attitude for anybody. ("An thou harm none," ya know.)

But it's got to be said, Pagans have better parties than atheists!
Maybe we should have a national 'atheist festival day'. We could make it April 1st.
Any suggestions as to what we could do to celebrate our atheism?
Anything that involves drumming is out. Tricky needs his sleep.

I think Randi linked some sites once about Friday the 13th parties. On this date, skeptics (I'm guessing many are also atheists) do things like breaking mirrors, walking under ladders and all that superstitious crap. I did this the last time we had a Friday the thirteenth, much to the horror of my wife. Okay, I admit this hardly qualifies as a wild time, so you might have to adjust some of the superstitions to be more exciting. You could make magaritas and spill the salt every time. Also, I think that some people consider it bad luck to put shoes on the bed. You could do that... with people still in them.

Drumming would be okay if you just add a little guitar and bass.