Page of Pentacles

Congregationalist Wiccan Association of BC 5196 Moscrop Street Burnaby, British Columbia V5G 2G4 www.cwabc.org

C.C.C.C.C.W.W.W.W.W.A.A.A.A.A.B. C.B. C.B. C.B. C.B. C.

#25 May 2007 c.e.

$12/yr, included with membership.

Recently a discussion started about this topic onone of the many Pagan email lists I’m part of. Ithought it was timely, considering that I am hearingthat all Temples except Vancouver are struggling withfinancial woes. I can hear the sound of impendingburnout in Sally’s voice, and I know I’ve been there afew times myself. So let’s discuss this issue. I’m nothere to spark guilt – that’s a path for some otherreligions – but neither does Wicca ignore the elephantin the living room. I intend to confront this issue in afriendly, honest, and direct manner.The issue of money is not unique to the CWA. It isa part of Pagan culture, at least if the discussions I’vebeen involved in recently are any indication. Paganorganizations, artists, service providers and teachersseem to struggle perpetually with funds. We all seemto be able to find the cash for “Pagan bling” (gottahave one more wand!) but are always turning out ourpockets when admission is charged.We seem to have a perception that “stuff” shouldcost money, but services should be provided free-of-charge to one’s fellow Pagans. Never mind howmuch it cost to learn those skills in the first place, orhow much time it took. Never mind the time taken toprepare the lecture/class/service/whatever, or thetime required for the function itself. Never mind thecost of materials (even handouts cost money tophotocopy) or travel expenses or cost of booking thespace (which is almost never free, even for non-profitgroups.)Why do we have this perception? Certainly wedon’t learn it from the world around us. Everything inthe non-Pagan world costs money and we know it. If we go to school, we expect to pay for it. Even publicschools – largely funded by our tax dollars – haveadditional service fees for supplies, field trips, andmusical instrument rentals, and we don’t seem tohave a problem with that.I believe the uneasy relationship that Pagans havewith money stems from three major sources. The firstis that most of us are uncomfortable with moneyWritten by Diane Morrison (Sable)

Pagans and Money

Special General Meeting results

On April 28th there was a Special GeneralMeeting of the members. It was held at 5196Moscrop Street in Burnaby, at 1 pm. The only itemson the agenda were a group of amendments to theConstitution and Bylaws of CWA-BC. Theseamendments were intended to satisfy concerns of theCharities Directorate of Canada Revenue Agencyand move us closer toward successfully registering asa religious charity.Five members showed up in person (quorum wasfive) and one member sent in a proxy vote. Themeeting unanimously adopted the package of amendments and so we are one step closer to thisgoal. The changes in wording, which were circulatedin the March

Page of Pentacles

, do not change theway that we function or the type of service which weoffer.Respectfully submitted,Sam Wagar, Secretary

Treasurer’s Report - January- March 2007

Let me begin by thanking all of the TemplePursewardens for reporting to me. I now have whatlook like a reasonable set of books to present (still notCA quality, but let’s not quibble).For the quarter ending March 31st the church as awhole posted a surplus of $103.00. Our collectiveincome was $1540.66 and expenditures were1437.66.Provincial central posted a surplus of $228.44(523.07 income - 294.63 out), somewhat less than the$260 donated by one wedding to the CWA.Vancouver-Burnaby posted a surplus of $20.72

2being linked to religion. We have been disillusioned bythe many examples of people using religion forpersonal gain and we tend to hold ourselves to ahigher ethic. For many of us, this may have been partof why we chose to seek alternative spiritualities inthe first place.A second source may be our independent (read:rebel) spirits. It has been my experience that most of us are reluctant to commit to any “official” groupinvolvement. Pagan spirituality tends to be veryindividualized and we like it that way. We don’t trustauthority and we don’t trust groups, and making afinancial contribution to anything is like admitting thatwe consider ourselves a part of the group we’recontributing to. Gods forbid that we should have toadmit that we’re all unique – just like everyone else!A third source comes from the very roots of modern Wicca – Gerald Gardner and the Ardaynes,which are supposed to be the ancient laws of theCraft. They state that we should not charge moneyfor use of the Art. There are many interpretations of what this means. It seems clear from the context1that this was intended as an admonition against usingmagick and the Craft to take advantage of people.But many Witches take it even further and choose notto charge for anything at all. Others ignore it entirelyand actively market themselves in ways that drawscathing criticism from the rest of the Pagancommunity.Now, I’m not advocating religion for profit, ordemanding that people must shell out cash in order toaccess knowledge. I am a believer in the ideal thatknowledge should be available to all and not just tothe wealthy. I don’t think initiations, or any othersignificant passage rite, should be limited by theAlmighty Dollar, and there will never be an admissionfee for our rituals. But neither do I believe it right thatthose who give generously of their time, skills, andtalent, should be paying the community out of theirown pockets for the privilege of doing so.The fact is that in order for these services/arts/ skills to continue to exist, the community must supportthem. If the community will not support them, theywill not continue to exist. Eventually, the peopleoffering them will run out of the time and money –and heart! – to do so.I’m not saying you should pay for anything youdon’t want, or give money to anything you don’tbelieve in. But if you like a particular Pagan band –hey, why not buy their CD instead of downloading iton LimeWire? If you want someone to keep doingTarot reading workshops, then try to show up at thefirst one and see that the fee is covered in full and ontime. And if you enjoy your local CWA, why not stick $5 or $10 bucks into the donation can at the nextritual?Food for thought – Goddess bless.

1”And strictly keep to the Old Law, never acceptmoney for the use of the art. It is Christian priests andsorcerers who accept money for the use of their Arts, andthey sell Dwale and evil love spells and pardons to let menscape from their sins. [75] Be not as these. Be not as these.If you accept not money, you will be free of temptation touse the Art for evil causes.” – Source: Gardnerian Book of Shadows, “The Old Laws,” Sacred Texts.com website,accessed April 16, 2007, URL http://www.sacred-texts.com/ pag/gbos/gbos38.htm.

(83.72 income - 63.00 expenses)North Okanagan posted a surplus of $79.73!(562.64 income - 482.91 expenses)South Okanagan posted a deficit of $70.10($125.40 income - 195.50 expenses)Nanaimo / Green Cauldron posted a deficit of $155.79 (245.83 income, 401.62 expenses)This simple cash flow account doesn’t includedebt, which varies between Temples, and theobligations of the provincial centre to publish thenewsletter and file reports with the government. Itindicates some motion in the right direction-toward financial stability.Respectfully submitted,Sam Wagar, Treasurer

Pacifism vs Defence,Belief and Reality

By Angela GallantI think taking the stance of “I am right and you arewrong,” is not going to work here. Saying pacifismdoes not work because then one would loseeverything nor would one defend one’s loved ones isstill saying that someone must subscribe to another’sbelief and world view. Saying all violence is wrongand should not be acted upon is also saying thatsomeone must subscribe to another’s belief and worldview.As many a pacifist has said, they accept thatviolence can happen to them, that things might bestolen from them. It is part of their spiritual belief thatthey take no violent action. Who are we to say theyare wrong? What if everyone was a pacifist? Thenwe would not need war since no one would actagainst another (in human terms, I am not going to get

3into food issues). Would not that be a fantastic Ideal?A Utopia.But since reality dictates we can not reach utopiaat this time, most of us who support soldiers andpolice and other violent careers understand that it isour job to defend those who can not defendthemselves. Whether by physical, mental, emotionalor spiritual obstacles, people have, through the ages,been unable to defend themselves.Some say it is selfish for someone with spiritualconvictions to not help defend, but what if by doing sothey harm themselves irreparably? What if they endup an emotional and mental vegetable because theywent against their spiritual beliefs. Is it our right tosay they MUST sacrifice themselves for us? Is notthe reason people become soldiers, police officers,etc. to defend the rights of the people who can notdefend themselves?How is it any different if someone is physicallyincapable vs someone being spiritually incapable? Isthe physically incapable person any less a person?No. So is the spiritually incapable person any less aperson? Again, no. In the Wheel that many peopleapply to their lives, all aspects of life are equal. If youneglect or abuse one aspect of your wheel (life) thenyour wheel will stop turning. You will be incapable of continuing to move forward and develop any further.Your wheel needs to be mended. If the damage issevere enough, the wheel will never turn again and bestuck in a rut until it withers away and falls apart. Dowe wish that on anyone?It is not our right to say, if you are physically,emotionally, mentally capable, then you must fight.People who choose their path and stand by theirconvictions are to be commended, particularly if itdoes not hurt others. It shows that violence is notalways the way. Sometimes, we need that reminder.Does any given situation really need violence? In aviolent world, we can too easily get into the thoughtpatterns of violence, even if we do not intend to. APacifist in our midst may give us the pause we needto re-evaluate our actions and thoughts. It may not beour path, but it does stand up as an example to remindus of an ideal, a philosophy that is a choice. We allhave choices, and it is good to have examples of thedifferent ideals to remind us of what those choicesare. We could be as the soldier, defender, protector.We could be as the pacifist, calm, peaceful and usewords to discuss differences. It is a choice we makemany times a day, every day.I commend pacifists as I commend Sam for hiswork to bring wicca specifically and paganismgenerally into the public eye as nothing to be afraid of and worthy of the same rights, privileges andresponsibilities of other beliefs. I commend all soldiersand police officers for their choices to help defend, tostand up as the Hero of our tales...unfortunately, weall know, most Heroes die young, but is the choiceand the sacrifice they make. I honour the likes of Mother Theresa and the Dalai Llama. Just because apacifist is not famous does not mean that the path isinvalid. There is some sacrifice in that path as well. Itis hard chosen, but worth the effort in the long run.I will note, I would chose to be a soldier or apolice officer if I felt I had the physical capability.Instead, I am a nurse, in an elder care facility, takingcare of the heroes that were left behind. Theirmemories are faded, and I would say that is good.They have been in enough pain. I have chosen toease it to the best of my ability.Love and blessings

Temple News

Vancouver-Burnaby Temple

We are busy preparing for Beltaine – writingritual, constructing an indoor Maypole and makinghead wreaths of artificial flowers and ivy. TheBeltaine open circle/public ritual will be held onTuesday, May 1 at 7 pm. The new community roomwe are now using at Burnaby’s Metrotown is locatedabove Sears. To reach it take the rainbow elevatorfrom any level in the Grand Court, get out at the toplevel (the office galleria or OG) and follow the sign onthe left to the Community Room.Four newcomers and five regulars attended thecoffee meet on Friday, April 27. Conversation centredaround manifestations of divinity in monotheism andpolytheism, thoughts on reincarnation, and thediscussion of Hecate based on

The Rotting Goddess

by Jacob Rabinowitz. This informal gathering occurson the last Friday of every month, 7 pm at SacredSpace bookstore/café at 29 West Pender. (StadiumSkytrain Station near Tinseltown.)We hosted the Special General Meeting of thechurch on April 28th and we sincerely hope that thiswill bring us closer to charitable status.The 16th annual Gathering for Life on Earth iscoming up over the August long weekend and the twoof us are going again this year. The event is “neutral”territory and a great place to meet people from anumber of groups in the BC Pagan communities,participate in a range of rituals and workshops, andhave a great time with your family for little expense.But it fills up very quickly - www.gatheringforlife.org.