Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Some updates and revisions

Hey everybody! Here to let you all know how the next episode is coming along. Quite nicely actually! I really think the 'What is Wicca' segment that I'll be doing will cover a couple of episodes, there's just so much out there that it's hard to condense! But never fear, it shall be quite a good time for all of us. Also, I'm going to start the rune segment in episode 3, so if you have a particular rune you'd like me to cover, let me know! It's going to be pretty informal, so don't be afraid to comment! I'm hoping to get the next episode out Monday of next week, so stay tuned!

Another bit of business, I spruced up the podbean site for T&T, it now has all the links and stuff that are here. I did this cause I've been feeling like blogging more here and the episodes are probably going to get lost in the crazy, so the podbean site, http://toilandtrouble.podbean.com/ will be used strictly for the episode postings and any vital information about the show. Don't worry, you'll still get them here, but I will be posting other non-T&T related things as well.

On that note, the fun Holiday updates will be no more. It just got a little much to check everyday and research the festivals then write up a post about them. I wanted to go more indepth, but I was struggling to just get basic info, so I'll update you all about the holidays and festivals via Twitter.

One more business-related item..there is now a donate option on the podbean site for T&T. It's through paypal, so you know it's secure. I'm not asking that people donate, but if you want to, I will forever be grateful! As a college student, I'm trying to keep the podcast on a small budget.

As for the blog, well, expect to see thoughts and feelings of my journey into paganism expressed here. I've noticed that even after two shows that I have more to say on the topics I've covered. So perhaps instead of revisiting ideas, I'll just let you know through a blog post or something. Look for questions on upcoming topics, news stories that interest me, as well as just a look into my brain a bit more often!

A big thanks to everyone who have emailed me or left me comments in various places on the show. It's so nice to know that you're enjoying listening to me as much as I enjoy talking to you all! Get ready for a long listener appreciation monologue in the next episode. And you still have some time to get on the list, so send me your love!

Blessings,
Petra

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Friday, April 24, 2009

A Day Late..Sorry!

Okay folks, I really tried to get this up yesterday, but I forgot. It's not like it's a mountain of a post. But here you are!
St. George's Day is the National Day of England. In myth, St. George was a dragon-slayer, in reality, St. George was a Roman soldier who stood out against the Roman prosecution of Christians and eventually died for his beliefs.

Sigurd's Day is also held on the National Day of England, dedicated to Sigurd, or Sigeweard, who hails from Norse Mythology. Sigurd was a dragonslayer, who becomes a Dragon-lord.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find much info on how Sigurd's Day is celebrated. But St. George's day is mainly just observed as a Bank Holiday now.

Sources:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/stgeorge.html
http://www.wodensfolk.org.uk/ritual.html
Blessings,
Petra

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Parilia

Happy birthday Rome! And to the Queen! Let's celebrate, roman style!

Parillia was a festival in honor of Pales, the god of shepherds. Their was offerings of milk, grain and cakes to the God and it was a festival of protection & fertility. It encompasses both rural and urban celebrations and parts of other rituals.

It originated as a purifying festival, but later was considered the birthday of Rome starting in 753 BCE. The beginnings of this festival are unclear. It is thought to predate the founding of Rome and stem from the early pagan celebrations.

The is some speculation surrounding Pales as well. We don't know if Pales was male or female, whether or not this festival was actually ascribed to Pales as well.

Sources:
http://www.pagancalandar.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parilia
Blessings,
Petra

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Episode 2

Hey everyone!

Here’s the second episode of T&T, fresh from my vocal chords and brain. In this episode, I cover my definition of what paganism is and what drew me to it in the first place. I also give some shout outs to other podcasts that I listen to as well as get some promo’s played! I break down what’s coming up next in the T&T world as well as give you an idea of how my journey is going.

Blessings!

Petra

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sigrblot

Hey guys! Another holiday happening today. There certainly is always something to celebrate, why not have one more?

Sigrblot

First day of summer in the old Icelandic Calandar. Day is sacred to Odin. It's also known as Sumarsdag or Sigrblot Summer's Day. Also celebrated possibly on the April Full Moon. The purpose was to sacrifice to Odin for victory on the sea.

This would be a good time to look at your life choices and new projects.

A 'blot' is a type of ritual from Asatru. Some form liquid, normally mead or ale is offered to the Gods and Goddesses. The intent of these types of rituals is thanking the Gods for gifts and offering to them gifts in return.

Sources:
http://odin.org/faq.html
http://www.heathfrye.com/AsatruCelebrations.html
http://www.destinyslobster.com/asatru/calendar.html
http://pagancalandar.co.uk
Blessings!
Petra

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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Fordicia

Another roman festival! Sorry it's a bit late in the day, but I just haven't had much time to sit down and get some research on it.

On April 15th, every year, the Ancient Romans held the festival of Fordicia, also called Hordicidia. This festival was in honor of Tellus, or Terra Mater, the Roman personification of the earth. She was associated with Ceres in respect to growing crops, also connected with marriage and pregnancy. Her Greek counterpart is Gaia. During the festivities, a pregnant cow was sacrificed and the whole event was governed by the Vestal Virgins and the Pontifex Maximus.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordicia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_(mythology)

and as usual, the Pagan Calandar.

Blessings!
Petra

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Some updates

Alright folks, got some exciting updates in regards to T&T. First off, we are listed on itunes! That's right, you can now subscribe to the show via everyone's favorite music player. Ok, maybe not everyone's but it's mine, so yeah. Just do a search for 'Toil and Trouble' and we'll be on the list! Or you can search for me directly, Petra Taneth, and you should just get the podcast.

If you do subscribe through itunes, please be sure to rate and review the show. It'll help with getting the word out there and bump us up on the podcast list! Also, don't forget to head over to Podcast Alley and place a vote for us. There's two so far, and one of them is from me, so don't leave me hanging guys!

Next, I will have some promo's to play for you on the next episode. Both Tahlea Moonwater from The GeekWitch and Oseaana from Get Witchified have sent me their promo's to play and I want to thank them immensely! Also, I can't believe I forgot to talk about the show's name on the first episode. I had this really fun story about it and I totally forgot to do it. So look for that at the start of the second episode. It should be good times.

Lastly, I want to link to some articles that caught my eye. I found these on witchvox, so you may already know about it, but Starhawk has asked for an apology from the Pope. I thought they were interesting reads and would love to get your opinions about it.

The first one is called Wicca Smackdown: Starhawk calls out the Pope! and if that isn't a catchy title, I don't know what is. It's written by a Catholic blogger, I believe, so it's a bit harsh on Starhawk but he makes some interesting points.

The second one is what Starhawk wrote herself, Time To Apologize to Witches, and you can make what you want out of it. I just wanted to throw these at you and see what thoughts you have on it. Could be a fun segment in the next episode or two.

That's all I have right now, many blessings!
Petra

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Sunday, April 12, 2009

Ludi Cerealis

This is from my paganspace blog, just a little bit about the ancient pagan festival of Cerealis that I researched. I found out about this through the Pagan Calander. It's a really fun resource for all the different pagan holidays and festivals that are celebrated, or rightly, were celebrated throughout ancient history. I also linked a few resources at the bottom where I got some more info on the festival. Enjoy!

Today marks the beginning of a rather popular Roman festival in honor of Ceres, Goddess of grain and agriculture, Ludi Cerealis. While the date is often disputed whether it started on the 12th or ended on the 19th or maybe it started on the ides of April, (the 7th), it is commonly referred to as starting on the 12th or sometimes 13th of April. Women in white carrying torches symbolized Ceres' search for her lost daughter, Prosperpine. It was a seven-day long festival where games were held in Ceres' honor at the Circus Maximus. While the public was in mourning though, the games and celebrations were not held.

The end of the festival marked Prosperpine's return to the earth after her stint in the underworld, no blood sacrifices were allowed during the time of the festival, except of a female pig or sow.

Sources:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Cerealia.html
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:id=cerialia-cn

Blessings,
Petra

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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Where we at, where we at

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you all know that you can find Toil & Trouble on Podcast Alley now!

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-3ffd92342323c3706b07ff1ac750defd}

Please vote for us to get the word out there!

Petra

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Episode 1

This is the inaugural episode of Toil & Trouble: a pagan seeker’s podcast!

Within, I discuss what the show’s about, the direction I’m planning on taking with it, as well as an introduction to myself and my pagan background. I want to invite all the listeners to write in their thoughts and opinions and suggestions to me at petrataneth@gmail.com or send me comments on the show’s blog, www.toilandtroublepodcast.blogspot.com. This podcast, I’m hoping, will prove to be a learning experience for everyone who tunes in, not just for myself! I do want to preface that thoughts and opinions expressed herein are wholly mine, unless stated otherwise.

Thanks for downloading and many blessings to you and yours!

Petra

Download Episode 1

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Saturday, April 4, 2009

Hail and Welcome!

Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on finding your way through cyber space to my little corner of it! You are at the the very first blog post for the Toil & Trouble podcast. A very special occasion for myself. I'd like to tell you a little about what you'll hear and see here at T&T. Oh, my first acronym, yay!

Toil & Trouble, or T&T as I just dubbed it, is a pagan podcast aimed at seekers to all magical paths. I myself, Petra Taneth, am your host and fellow seeker. I've been studying a pagan path for quite some time, but it's all been a very passive sort of study. I read pagan authors, I visit sites like witchvox and paganspace almost daily, I'm an avid podcast listener, but I've hardly ever put what I believe into words or even a daily practice.

It was time to change all that.

Which is what brought about the idea Toil & Trouble, a pagan SEEKER'S podcast. I invite you all to join me as I find my own way on the path and give my own two cents on common practices and ideaologies found within the pagan community. I want to preface that everything on my show, unless stated otherwise, is entirely of my own opinion. I'm doing this as a service to myself and the divine and give it you as listeners as a gift of that service. I'm not here to educate you on how to be a witch, but to give you a look at how one witch is finding her way of being a witch. If you agree with something I say or do, great! Take it and make it your own. If you don't agree with my way, that's great too! You're learning about yourself just as I am. And isn't that a great thing in itself?

I believe strongly in the learning power of books, and will most likely refer to those that I'm reading quite a bit. I feel that even a book that I don't agree with at all I can be a tool for learning and insight into one's self, and due to the fact that I'm started this journey as a solitary, books will prove to be a major learning tool for me. But once again, this is my own opinion about books and you may feel differently.

In the first episode, I plan to go a bit more in depth about myself, what I want this podcast to achieve, topics I plan to discuss and explore, and what first steps I'm taking to forge my own path. There's also probably going to be much more than that in the first episode, but I'm not sure what that is yet, I'll let the muses guide me! I hope to get the episode recorded, edited and uploaded within the next week or so. So stay tuned and keep your ears open for the next big thing to hit pagan podcasting, Toil & Trouble!

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