A logo for SCIPA

I was researching lists of totem animals when I came across one that really feels most like the one that should represent this group.

The Dragonfly

No bird or insect has the flight maneuverability of the Dragonfly. They can twist, turn, change directions in an instant, hover, move up or down, and even fly backwards. The power that dragonfly brings to the tapestry of life is skill. They are experts at what they do and do it relentlessly.
Dragonflies spectacular colors sparkle with iridescence in the sunlight. These colors take time to develop reflecting the idea that with maturity our own true colors come forth.
As newly hatched nymphs, dragonflies live on the bottom of ponds and streams. As they mature and go through metamorphosis they move to the realm of air. Since water represents the emotional body and air represents the mental, those with this medicine will often find themselves trying to maintain balance between their thoughts and emotions.
Children with dragonfly medicine are often very emotional. They feel things deeply and respond to situations with great passion. As they reach adulthood, and through experience, they learn how to balance their emotions with greater mental clarity and control. This gives them the compassionate quality necessary for any type of work relating to healing or counseling.
Dragonfly has the ability to reflect and refract light and colors and is often associated with magic and mysticism. Just as light can bend and shift and be adapted in a variety of ways, so can the archetypal forces associated with dragonfly. It conveys the message that life is never what it appears to be.
By helping a person see through illusion dragonfly awakens ones true vision. Flying at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour they can spot movement forty feet away. Flying into and around things from different angles, they challenge rigid awareness and prompt the energy of change for anyone who holds this medicine.

I am currently developing a logo suitable for this site, one that will incorporate a circle with colors representing the elements and the four watchtowers, dragonflies around the circle, perhaps each colored according to element, or maybe just one dragonfly on a pentagram somehow, but I have to take into account that the Pentacle is mainly a symbol of Wiccans, not all Pagans. I might come up with something else entirely, but I think a dragonfly as a symbol of change, of new awakenings, and intelligence.

Wiccans Unite!

This story has appeared numerous times in the last six months, and it's time that it was brought out of the shadows and into the forefront. This is an inexcusable case of religious discrimination and it needs to stop RIGHT NOW! http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/13/widows.suit.ap/index.html There is no reason why the VA should hinder this request for one more second.

Here is a short list of "excuses" they have come up with so far:

1. Wicca has no central headquarters, and no national spokesperson for the faith. The VA cannot be reasonably sure that the pentacle will be acceptable to all Wiccans.
2. The VA has revamped its proceedures for the application process and simply hasn't gotten around to the request yet.
3. Wicca isn't considered to be a religion because their are so many variants Wiccan tradition, it is hard to define what exactly their basic tenets are.
4. (and my personal favorite) Other families of soldiers who have died would be offended at having to see a Wiccan Pentacle on a gravestone next to their loved one.

Ok, here are my answers to each:
1. Athiests have a symbol. It is an atom with a letter A in it. Where exactly is their national headquarters, and who voted in their spokesperson?
2. Other religious organizations have had their symbol approved since the Wiccan request was first received OVER NINE YEARS AGO. They seemed to have made it through the "application process" just fine.
3. Wicca has been a protected and recognized religion since 1985. It has tax-exemption status with the IRS and First Amendment protection. At least a couple thousand soldiers practice Wicca in the armed services, and have it chosen as their religious preference on their dogtags. Many more thousands decline to name themselves as affiliated for fear of persecution and discrimination within the ranks.
4. I'm sure that alot of Christians are buried next to Muslims, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and many various believers of different religious philosophies. Being buried next to someone who is not a fellow believer of your faith doesn't "infect" you with their belief system, and I'm sure the VA isn't going to start segregation based on religious preference within the cemeteries all over the U.S. And, in the CNN poll, a whopping 76% of those voters uphold the rights of Wiccans to have the symbol of their faith on the headstone.

What is the damn problem over there at the VA? Is their a right-wing nut-job at the decision making desk? Is he the guy that admitted Eckankar and some other very little known religious emblems to the list? Did they have to prove to him that they were ligitimate religions first?

Completely infuriating, folks. That's all I have to say about it.

Merry Meet and Welcome

This site shall serve as the forum for Pagans and Witches of South Central Iowa to meet and greet, connect with each other through blogs and comments and maybe, (gasp!) meet in person on occasion(weather permitting of course).
I have jouneyed to DSM for meetings on several occasions in the last couple of years, but I find it difficult to make every meeting or celebrate every Sabbat and Full Moon ritual there. That is why I have decided to go out on a limb and set up a virtual meeting place for Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans in our local area, fanning out from Madison, Warren and Marion Counties southward to the border of Iowa. If we ever do get to the point that there is enough interest, then physical meetings will be announced and moved about from town to town so that travel is dispersed as equally as possible.
There have been no officers appointed to this organization, and I am the only one who knows about it so far. I will consider myself to be the founder, but not President or High Priestess, or any of those uppity titles. I am just interested to find some folks out there who are already calling themselves pagan, or who may be just looking into some other alternative paths besides Christianity.
You can read all about me in my profile, and I am listed on Witchvox under my magical name. If you don't know what I am talking about, then you need to visit a couple of basic Wicca 101 info sites to help you on your way. These are listed on the sidebar under Pagan and Wiccan Sites to Visit. Please leave a comment if you even read any of this, and I promise I won't contact you unless specifically invited to do so. I will honor anyone's request for anonimity, and I wish the same courtesy extended for me.
Basically, the intention of this group will be to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, share with each other elements of our individual paths, and discuss various types of Pagan religions, such as Asatru, Druidism, Hoodoo, Wicca, Gnosticism, and many others yet to be discovered. Anyone with an open mind is invited to participate, and I would strongly urge setting up a site on blogger in order to make communication more productive. All you need is internet access and a yahoo or hotmail account.
This site will be updated almost daily, so keep checking back to see if we have enough interest to set up meetings in person.
Blessed Be.