Some Delays

Hey all you T&T listeners!

I normally get a new episode out on Mondays, but as you can see I haven’t been able to do that. Last week was finals week for me so I’ve been recovering basically. Also there has been an issue with my bandwidth here, but that should be resolved by the end of the week and you can download me again! I’m probably going to get to the next episode by the end of the week and it’s going to be a bit longer than the normal 30 minute shows due to the delay and there’s a lot of really good feedback that I’ve received.

So thanks for your patience! A new show will be here shortly!

Blessings, Petra

Issues with downloading

Hey everyone,

I want to apologize if you've tried to download the podcast in the past few days. Some issues with bandwidth have temporarily removed my mp3's from podbean. I am working to resolve the issue ASAP so please hold tight! They should be back up, along with another episode, next week at the latest. Thanks for you patience!

Blessings,
Petra

2010: Year of the Bible

Ok, I'm sure that this has been done to death already, but I'm finally getting a moment to sit down and get something up about this. A bill has been introduced to the House of Representatives urging President Obama to declare 2010 'Year of the Bible'. I urge you all to go here and read the bill for yourself.

I'm not sure what surprises me more, the fact that something like this is being considered or the fact that it has happened before. "Ronald Reagan, who declared 1983 as ‘The National Year of the Bible’". Actually it doesn't surprise me as much as I would like it to. But if there's a bill for a Year of the Bible, I would like to say that I would love a 'Year of Harry Potter' or a 'Year of The Origin of Man'. Let's see how well those propositions would go over in the House.

The most appalling thing though, in this bill has to be the last paragraph:

Whereas 2010 is an appropriate year to designate as ‘The National Year of the Bible’: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the President is encouraged--

(1) to designate an appropriate year as ‘The National Year of the Bible’; and

(2) to issue a proclamation calling upon citizens of all faiths to rediscover and apply the priceless, timeless message of the Holy Scripture which has profoundly influenced and shaped the United States and its great democratic form of Government, as well as its rich spiritual heritage, and which has unified, healed, and strengthened its people for over 200 years.

While I agree that the messages contained within the Bible still hold true today, i.e. 'love thy neighbour as thyself', ect. The very idea of 'proclaiming' that people of other faiths 'rediscover' what the Bible has to say sickens me. I hope that this bill gets shot down immediantly. If not, I suggest we all get together and demand a 'Year of Harry Potter'!

Episode 3 What is Wicca

Here it is, just as promised, the next episode of T&T! In this episode, we jump right into the topic of Wicca as a religion, as well as hear the debut of my rune segment. Also, a really fun listener appreciation segment will be taking place at the end of each episode. Hope you all enjoy and please keep the comments and feedback coming!

Podcast Promos:

Brooke, The iPod Witch

Get Witchified

GeekWitch

The Dark Side of Fey

Listen to this episode

Download this episode (right click and save)

Blessings,

Petra

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

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

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