GoAT TRAcks

iTs osTARA seAson! foR some of us

By Caitlin Gleason

Spring 2012 Volume 2, Issue 6

Northeast Wisconsin Pagan Network, PO Box 5601, De Pere, WI 54115 http://www.newpan.net newpagan@gmail.com 920-562-2583

in This issue
Its Ostara Season ...for some of us 1 Deck Review - The Archeon Tarot 1-2 Meet A Member 2 A Pagan Owned Company 3 What Are You Growing on Your Porch This Summer? 3 OSTARA 4 Submission Guidelines 4 just want to get out of the house and be productive. Maybe its time to till all that stocked up compost into the garden between snow showers, or actually help out at library story time instead of dropping the wee ones off and running for Starbucks. Ever have a long term goal that you just never got started on? Maybe you always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument. Check out Craigslist and YouTube; even if youre terrible youll have the satisfaction of crossing something off your bucket list. The beautiful thing about being pagan in America is that its like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. You can be Wiccan, or you can get in touch with your ethnic roots and practice Voodoun, or you can simply go out and hug a tree. However you choose to vent the spring fever energy, do it for the betterment of yourself and your community, and its always the right answer. Experienced readers will be pleased to find that this is more than just an art deck. Each card overflows with details and images which lend themselves very well to interpretation. Just enough traditional ideas are included to keep this deck feeling familiar, and most readers will have no trouble diving right into reading with this deck. Lantzs imagery is emotionally engaging, and takes the reader on an exciting journey. Intuitive readers will have a very enjoyable experience exploring the many levels of meaning each card presents. Readers who are accustomed to more traditional meanings for each card will find the artist has been pleasantly faithful to the established ideas for tarot.

Heres a question for all the free thinkers: Who here really, REALLY wants to go to a public Ostara rite? Hey, wait, someone kept their hand down! Theres nothing wrong with Ostara if thats what resonates with you, but some of us really arent vibing with it this year for any number of reasons. You may not be Wiccan, not feel like separating the spiritual from the mundane, prefer to celebrate in private but carry the intent over to the public, or you may not even have time to get it together until the actual equinox was three days ago. Ostara rites have a much needed and respected place in the community, but heres some musings for the rest of us. There are many ways to celebrate fertility and spring energy without going to a public, pagan celebration. Ever thought about joining the neighborhood watch, becoming a scout leader, volunteering at the Humane Society, or going back to school? Now is the time to get on it! All of these actions celebrate fertility of the mind and fertility in the community. Fertility and renewal arent always about the fertility of the womb or the melting snow, but are often about the generativity of the mind instead. Just because youre not Wiccan doesnt mean you cant get on the wave of spring energy. Days are getting longer, temperatures are rising, and people

Deck Review - The ARcheon TARoT

By Dante

Here Timothy Lantz has built a career out of graphic design, art production and education, and studies in communications. He has also spent most of his life reading tarot. His Archeon Tarot showcases his mastery in all of these skills. This deck is a delightful departure from so many cookie-cutter decks that so often fill the shelves of new age stores. Upon close examination, the reader will find very little imagery copied from the traditional Rider or Thoth decks. Lantz has, instead, used his exceptional skills in photography and graphic design to create something totally unique. His images are deep, vivid, engaging, full of detail, and fill the space well on the cards.

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(Deck Review cont...)

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While this deck has quite a lot to offer any reader, (or any fan of tarot artwork,) this may not be the easiest deck for novice readers to learn with. Because of their artistic departure from traditional Rider imagery, the images may not instantly connect for new readers working with those meanings. It can be done, however, and this may be the deck that speaks to a reader

Meet

MeMber

looking for a deck to call their own. For masters and novices alike, the Archeon Tarot has quite a lot to offer. Lantzs artwork has been called beautiful melancholy, and offers a reading experience that is emotionally and psychologically engaging, as well as visually exciting. A must-have for any collection.

Greetings! My name is Dawn Murray. I am your friendly NEWPaN President and am one of the original founders of this organization. I follow a Hellenic Reconstructionalist path, known commonly as Hellenismos, though there are times when I find myself talking to and libating Loki. I find he is an equal opportunity deity and will take honor where he can get it, regardless of your path of worship. Loki aside, my primary focus is on the Dodekatheon (Twelve Great Greek Olympian Gods) and Hestia. Ares has been my patron for longer than I can remember, having come to me on his own when I was very young. I actually started formally in paganism in a path that is now known at Hellenic Traditionalism, discovered Wicca and dabbled in that for a while before moving for a more eclectic path and finally nestling comfortably back into a slightly more relaxed branch of Hellenic Recon. Im an avid history, philosophy, religion, costume and dance buff. I can frequently be found teaching ballet and belly dance at a local studio. Unless something with family comes up, I can also be found at nearly every NEWPaN event from coffee night to PEDD to our Pagan Days Out to the Picnic and everything in between. I look forward to meeting new people, feel free to say hi! - Xairete!

Timothy Lantzs artwork can be found at http://www.stygiandarkness.com/

Dante has been reading and studying and teaching tarot for over 12 years, and can be found online at www.pageofcards.com and reached at pageofcards@gmail.com

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A PAGAn owneD comPAnY
Spero Publishing is a new publishing company located in Madison, WI. Our goals are pretty simple; we want to provide quality, informative products on a diverse range of topics. While we are at it, we want to donate some money to preserve endangered animals and to support the working classes in Wisconsin. We currently put out several lines of books, one for kids; one is a series of short devotionals; and several individual books on pagan and LBGT topics; including Religion Laid Bear, Honoring Sigyn, A Little Girl Growing and more. The devotional series is written by Alan and Bekki Leddon, dedicated to Deities from around the world. Each devotional offers its reader the opportunity to connect with the Deity in deeper and more profound ways through information, dedication, prayers and invocations. Collect them all or just keep an eye out for the Deities of your choice. Feel free to send us requests for future devotionals.

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The Childs Eye View series is designed to be short introductions to religions and spiritual practices. Written for people between 8 and 12 years old, they are easy to understand and fun for adults as well as teens and older kids. These are perfect short introductions not only for anyone interested in understanding paths other than their own, but also for parents, teachers, friends and others involved with the lives of children who practice these religions and paths. We are offering a proofreading service also. Well take high school or college papers, manuscripts, even tech manuals, and return them proofed by a professional editor, for $1.25 per college page (850 words). Oh, and wed really like to take a look at your manuscripts. So if you have a quality product that youd like to see in print, please send a brief description to us at spiropublishingowner@ gmail.com. We now have a new website! Please keep up to date with us at: https://sites.google.com/site/speropublishing/ and look for us on Facebook too! With enough research, you can find a divine association for most edible plants. For example, rosemary was used as an offering for remembering the dead, and along with other needle-leaved plants is sacred to the underworld gods. Hot peppers are sacred to sun and fire deities. Hops is associated with brewing and vinting gods. Do your neighbors pick the apples from that ancient tree in the back yard? I bet if they dont they would let you do it, if for no reason to keep the wasps away come September. Apples are associated with youth, life, and immortality. All it takes is a little creativity and you can disguise an entire shrine right out in the open, thus making the act of nourishing your family a sacred duty. This is the time of year to keep an eye on Craigslist, FreeCycle, and sale flyers. A little reading can get low cost or free seeds, seedlings, pots, potting soil, chicken wire, tomato cages, compost, other fertilizers, plant racks, window boxes, and hanging baskets. A coat of outdoor paint makes that unused bakers rack a weatherproof plant stand. An empty window box can be filled with herb seedlings instead of pretty but poisinous flowers. Bunny doodoo from the house rabbit can be added to commercial potting soil as free and natural fertilizer on those sagging tomato plants. So Ill ask again. What are you growing on your porch this summer?

whAT ARe You GRowinG on YouR PoRch This summeR?

By Caitlin Gleason

Its coming. Its coming slowly, quietly, and one lonely bird at a time, but summer is going to be here before we know it. Many of us long for this time of year complete with festivals, hot weather, drum circles, and farmers markets. But how many urban pagans put container gardening on that list? I know I do. Its a low cost alternative to the grocery store that gives a grower a sense of pride in a job well done. Other than the obvious mundane payoffs, a container garden also creates a personal altar and green space right outside your door. Generally speaking, unless you plan on tearing up the lawn, you dont even need to ask your land lord if this is okay. You may want to double check your lease but as long as the water from the pots drains into the grass or parking lot and not onto the neighbors heads, you shouldnt have any issues enriching your life with this little project. Heres a brief sampling of things that can be grown in containers: Tomatoes Culinary herbs Cucumbers Strawberries Peppers Spinach Hops

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By Lori Revels 2/21/12

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osTARA

Ostara day is not far away So come on all its time to play Clean your house clean your life Throw away all your toxic strife Learn the old ways become new Cause Ostara is about me and you Winter is over spring is now here Welcome her with love and cheer Warmth and bright colors bring in the day Bon fires and dancing the night away The doubt and long nights have ended Hope has arrived and with us befriended With fresh food and birth in our palm We make love and rejoice with the new dawn

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noRTheAsT wisconsin PAGAn neTwoRk, inc

PO Box 5601 De Pere, WI 54115 Phone: 920-562-4108 Website: www.newpan.net Email: newpagan@gmail.com

submissions
Submission guidelines are as follows
1.Keep it family friendly 2.Avoid negativity toward others through language or art. 3.Articles should be between 200 and 450 words. Longer articles may be edited for space. 4.Be original. No plagiarizing. If we discover plagiarism or are alerted to it by an outside source, you may be banned from future submissions. 5. Artwork or photographs should be high quality. 6.Include how you want yourself credited... legal name or pagan name. Whichever. Send all submissions to newpagan@gmail.com with the subject Newsletter Submission

Submission Ideas:
The next newsletter is going to span from roughly Ostara to Litha. Think of things that remind you of this time of year. We will accept artwork, photographs, poems, short stories, articles and calendar submissions. Submission deadline is June 1st.

Making tracks toward tolerance since 2003.