Comments on: Three hours long enough for prisoners’ religious observance http://iowaindependent.com/10388/three-hours-long-enough-for-prisoners-religious-observance Iowa politics, news, and commentary Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:46:10 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: bluefirewitch http://iowaindependent.com/10388/three-hours-long-enough-for-prisoners-religious-observance/comment-page-1#comment-19653 bluefirewitch Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:05:33 +0000 http://iowaindependent.com/?p=10388#comment-19653 I'm Wiccan, we rarely do ceremonies that long. I can do a Samhain celebration in 20 min if I wanted. Wicca isn't about the fanfare, its about your relationship with Deity and Nature. Stepping out into fresh air, recognizing the sun and moon, that should be enough. <br><br>I think these guys are trying to extend it because well, jail sucks. Perhaps they should have thought of that before they did what they did to be there. Karma sucks boys. I'm Wiccan, we rarely do ceremonies that long. I can do a Samhain celebration in 20 min if I wanted. Wicca isn't about the fanfare, its about your relationship with Deity and Nature. Stepping out into fresh air, recognizing the sun and moon, that should be enough.

I think these guys are trying to extend it because well, jail sucks. Perhaps they should have thought of that before they did what they did to be there. Karma sucks boys.

]]> By: bluefirewitch http://iowaindependent.com/10388/three-hours-long-enough-for-prisoners-religious-observance/comment-page-1#comment-15164 bluefirewitch Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:05:33 +0000 http://iowaindependent.com/?p=10388#comment-15164 I'm Wiccan, we rarely do ceremonies that long. I can do a Samhain celebration in 20 min if I wanted. Wicca isn't about the fanfare, its about your relationship with Deity and Nature. Stepping out into fresh air, recognizing the sun and moon, that should be enough. <br><br>I think these guys are trying to extend it because well, jail sucks. Perhaps they should have thought of that before they did what they did to be there. Karma sucks boys. I'm Wiccan, we rarely do ceremonies that long. I can do a Samhain celebration in 20 min if I wanted. Wicca isn't about the fanfare, its about your relationship with Deity and Nature. Stepping out into fresh air, recognizing the sun and moon, that should be enough.

I think these guys are trying to extend it because well, jail sucks. Perhaps they should have thought of that before they did what they did to be there. Karma sucks boys.

]]> By: Snoozepossum http://iowaindependent.com/10388/three-hours-long-enough-for-prisoners-religious-observance/comment-page-1#comment-15090 Snoozepossum Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:44:29 +0000 http://iowaindependent.com/?p=10388#comment-15090 Three hours? We do ours in about two hours, and that includes smudging everyone, lighting the bonfire as a group, acknowledgment of the Crone aspect of the Goddess and the God giving his life energy back to the land, an observance for our beloved dead, ancestors, and unremembered spirits, a meditation on the death of the year and the need for dormancy and rest, and requests for energy or prayers. This is for a group of usually between 25-35 people. We hang around for a potluck afterwards, but that ain't ritual.<br><br>Guys, you're in jail. That means you gotta accept some limitations. This smells more like a "recreational lawsuit" than any real grievance. I'm only sad that people may think all of us are such whiny jerks.<br><br>Thanks to the Iowa Independent for printing an honest assessment of a pagan holiday that is frequently misrepresented and misunderstood! Three hours? We do ours in about two hours, and that includes smudging everyone, lighting the bonfire as a group, acknowledgment of the Crone aspect of the Goddess and the God giving his life energy back to the land, an observance for our beloved dead, ancestors, and unremembered spirits, a meditation on the death of the year and the need for dormancy and rest, and requests for energy or prayers. This is for a group of usually between 25-35 people. We hang around for a potluck afterwards, but that ain't ritual.

Guys, you're in jail. That means you gotta accept some limitations. This smells more like a “recreational lawsuit” than any real grievance. I'm only sad that people may think all of us are such whiny jerks.

Thanks to the Iowa Independent for printing an honest assessment of a pagan holiday that is frequently misrepresented and misunderstood!

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