Healing List for 6/23/11

Please send Reiki, prayers, or simply positive and healing thoughts to this list.

To include yourself or others on the list, simply post the names in the comments.

*****
Hunter the cocker spaniel diagnosed with detatched retina

Gavi

The Monument Fire Pets and the efforts of volunteers to reunite pets and parents

Chris P. in Indiana, recovering from Spinal surgery 

Serena Weicht, Dorothy Heard, and family

Lauren Spierer, family, and all those searching for her

special note for the horses and dogs being used in the search

Tom, Joyce, Doris, Alverita, Chuy, Rose, and Bob and all those affected by the southern Arizona wildfires

 US "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and have lost 9 Marines in 4 days. 

Camp Chesterfield turns 125!

This past weekend was the 125th Opening Day of Camp Chesterfield Spiritualist Center of Light. There were activities all weekend, but I only got to attend the All Message service on Sunday afternoon, due to scheduling and the price of gas! However, Sunday after making the Hubs his favorite Sunday brunch (french toast and maple sausage) I headed over to Chesterfield and rolled on to the grounds of the Camp to a light drizzle.

That did not keep me from taking a short walk around the grounds. It is truly a deeply peaceful and spiritual place. 

I walked down the stone path to the Garden of Prayer grotto, which although it is a shrine to Jesus Christ, I have always been drawn to.

then on to the Trail of Religion, which has busts of gods and icons from several pantheons, including Buddhism, Tao, and Greek.

and then through the grounds at large...

to the Mary shrine, which again I love. I consider her a Mother God, as those in the Spiritualist Camp do.

then back to the Chapel

Then I went in for the service, and was gifted a Healing stone from Rev. Wahna  Irvine featuring "Grandmother Spider" who is weaving a healing web around me!

After the service, which always amazes me, and I wish I could get over there more often, I went over to the Labyrinth, which is a new addition to the Camp, but I have walked it everytime I have gone since they installed it, and that meditation only compounded the message of healing I received from Rev. Wahna.

I am so glad I could participate in the Opening Weekend of Camp Chesterfield this historic year, and maybe this year I will actually sign up for the classes I have been talking about for years!

H.W.

Crochet Tally 6/21/11

So this week I made the Hubs a "Jayne Cobb" hat, but in camo at his request.

That was stolen by the Bug for a little bit.

And I made the girls matching Summer Beanies

I am now working on an afghan for myself, because my comforter has a rip that is growing every night.

This will be a Twin size afghan, even though we have a King size bed. The Hubs and I gave up trying to share blankets long ago, and we each have our own blankie that we cover with a Duvet when we make the bed. I have no idea how long this will take, I will keep you updated!

H.W.

Crock-Pot Pulled Pork

Here is our recipe for easy, Pulled Pork Barbecue in the crock pot. It's not very exact, but I tend to be a "that looks about right" kind of cook! Crock pots are very forgiving, anyway...

One pork roast

1/2-1 cup orange juice

(amount depends on the size of the roast) 

2 big pinches of salt

4 big pinches black pepper

1/2-1 cup barbecue sauce

(again, depends on size of roast)

Place roast in crock pot, pour juice over then salt and pepper

cook on low heat 6-8 hrs

pull meat apart with forks, pour in sauce and serve

I made this Saturday because we had a BIG honey-do day, and dinner tends to sneak up on me when we get busy. I served it on home-baked bread I made and fried red-skin potatoes. Yum! This leaves enough for 3 big, hungry adults plus leftovers with a medium sized roast.
H.W.

My Big Fat Gypsy Obsession

I rejoiced the day TLC began airing "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding". I have always been very interested in the mysterious culture of Gypsies. I have a few books about Roma Gypsies, and have included some of their magick into my own magickal practice, especially my Divination. I must say, I have learned more about Roma Gypsies and Irish Travellers from this show than I did in the books I have read. 

It is fascinating, and I can't look away.

I am at once in awe of the outrageous spectacle of the Gypsy and Traveller weddings and especially the 1st communions, and surprised at the cultural shortcomings.. It was hysterical to see the little Catholic girls in their lovely white Communion gowns, then Gypsy girl rolls up in a limo with a replica of the wedding gown from "Coming to America". 

Then, on another episode a group of Travellers went to play paintball for a girls 16th birthday and only 1 teenager out of 17 could read and write. The girls are raised to be sheltered housewives and mothers, and the boys are let to run wild. Yet there is a strong and rich culture which is anchored on family. They allow even the youngest of girls dress in ridiculously revealing and sexy outfits, yet have, as a community, a strict moral code of conduct between women and men.

I have watched every episode, some a few times, so far and can't wait to see more. Check out the show site to learn more from Gypsy 101 and if you haven't seen it...enjoy!

Monday Message 6/20/11

The Master Maker

UnDressing of a Salad

Epona's Wild Daughter

We have skills, and the power of invention lives within us all. Do you know what we have to do in order to achieve the impossible? We only have to focus our mighty talents on a single goal, and we can make the fantastic into reality. 

So why don't we? The inner shadows, the nightmares which cling to us after waking, and putting too much stock in whispered doubts until it is a shouting in our heads that we will fail.

Look up. Look out. Look around. reach for the stars, and if you leave those dark shadows at your feet, they will fall away as you lift up to the next level.

Brightest Blessings

H.W.

Witch, please

Dry Erase Crayons FTW!

We are still on 'Summer Vacation' but when I bought supplies a few weeks ago we got some Dry Erase crayons. I had never seen them before, and they were kind of an impulse.

We do a lot of Ladybugs schoolwork on Dry Erase boards. We have the 'workbook' type ones, blank ones, and ones with lines for writing. I even found a cool one that's clear with a removable back so I can put workbook pages in it and reuse them. Dry Erase boards are my friends, Dry Erase markers are not. They get left out without caps and dry up. Mojo likes to draw on the furniture with them. they don't work as well on a vertical surface, like the peel and stick board on the fridge. 

The crayons (the kind we got are Crayola) are smooth, bright, and erase easily. They have the same issue as the markers in that if you wait a while they get harder to erase, but just color over the old writing and then erase.

I'm really glad I bought them, not just because I think we will use the hell out of them, but because when I went on the Crayola site to find out more about them for this post I saw that Crayola has lesson plans on their site. So not only do I have new awesome stuff, I have new awesome resource for home school lesson plans!! The projects I looked at were really cute. Ladybug really likes creative, visual projects, so I think this will be a good match for out schoolwork. There was one for a diorama of Amish quilters that we will probably be making after our next trip to Northern Indiana.

Rule 32

When the Hubs and I moved back to Indiana we wanted very much to have one of us home full time and do home school instead of sending them to public school. We have worked hard and sacrificed to make that happen, even going so far as to flip roles and last year the Hubs was a stay at home Dad and I worked 4 days out of the house and 3 days here in my grooming salon. We have flipped it back now, and I am here everyday with our girls. I have my salon open 6 days, although I strictly limit the number of dogs I take in a day, and do direct sales jewelry shows. I have also decided to become active on Keen again, although I only have an hour or two in the evening for this and it has been a slow start. It sounds more hectic than it is, but not by much. 

One of the things that makes things hard for me, personally, is my kitchen. It's microscopic, seriously.I had a studio apartment in my early 20's with about the same size kitchen, and this is a 3 bedroom house. There is limited cabinet space, so way too much stuff is crammed on the tiny counters and on the too-big kitchen table. (We gave up the dining room when we made it the grooming salon, and although we traded tables with my oldest sister to downsize it's still too big) What does this all mean? It means that if more than 4 dishes are dirty it looks like I haven't cleaned in a week. In addition, being home all the time, and relatively poor since we are a 1 1/2 income household means I cook or prepare maybe 80%-90% of what we eat and that makes dishes for 3 meals a day plus snacks and drinks. This leaves me 2 choices, deal with it because I know I just cleaned the kitchen and it's clean under those dishes or do dishes a minimum of 3 times a day. This is on top of the fact the heating element for my dryer is STILL on backorder after 9 weeks and I have laundry hanging everywhere, but that's another story.

The sink is ancient stainless steel, scarred by limescale and hard water deposits that a jackhammer wouldn't break off. Above it is an ugly metal window that looks out onto our carport and our neighbors boat parked between the houses. I would hate to calculate how many hours a week I am standing in this spot. So I have tried to make this little corner as nice as possible for myself.

I have a spider plant instead of curtains to let in light. (it looks sad in the pic, but I just swapped it out for one that was too full and was poking me in the eye when I did dishes) I have a wind chime there because that window is usually open, even if it's raining, because it's covered by the carport and I like the sound. I have a few utensils hanging on the sides of the cabinets as both decor and a storage option. On the right you can see my little Raggedy Anne boxes, my kitchen is decorated with all my Raggedy Anne stuff from my college sorority days. (Go Alpha Sigma Alpha!) The main thing I want to show you is the left hand corner of the sink.

This is my little Rule 32 corner of the house. If you've seen Zombieland, you know what I mean. If not, rule 32 is 'Enjoy the little things'. I have to stand there and do like a million little loads of dishes everyday, do I have made myself a pretty little view. I have a stained glass angel that was my Mother in Laws, a plant I am saving from death in an earthenware pitcher that has been hanging around the house since I was a kid, the Hubs and my engagement picture in a little plastic frame, and a little poodle figurine my Mom got me the year I was a grooming apprentice.

Today, before 1pm I was washing the 3rd sink full of dishes, and I noticed the little jar left from the strawberries I used last week for strawberry-banana bread on the windowsill. I went outside and clipped some flowers for it and set them on the breadbox/charging station next to my little doggie. Did it make me hate doing dishes any less? No, not really, because I really, really, REALLY hate dishes, but it made me smile, and I know it will make me smile tonight when I do yet another sink of dishes after supper. I am enjoying that little thing, and a hundred other little things in my life. I may have to look hard from them, but that's ok too, because it doesn't leave me much time for bitching and feeling sorry for myself. Don't get me wrong, a little wine and whine is good for the soul, but for the moment I would rather do dishes and look at my strawberry jar full of flowers.

H.W.

Last Night

I spent a quiet Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius last night. I spent it with my Faery Oracle cards. About 8pm last night the Hubs took over the Witchlings and I locked myself back in our bedroom, which luckily for us is oddly soundproof , and took out my deck. I cleansed it, charged it with positive energy, and then snuggled in to have a chat with my Faery Guides. 

Let me just say to start, I have a real problem with negative self-talk. It is something you would not guess if you know me. because I am a "fake it till you feel it" kind of person and tend to just power through. I have been a Reader since shortly after I began my Path, about 1998 by my calculations. I have Read Tarot in various forms, Gypsy Witch cards (which were given to me as a joke and I ended up LOVING them) and then about 4 years ago a dear friend gave me the Faery Oracle cards. Reading has always been a part of my Faith and Craft, and I have always read for friends. My "professional" Reading career has been hit or miss, because I talk myself out of it. This is, admittedly, kinda stupid. I have always had great, positive experiences at Psychic fairs, and later on Keen. I enjoy it immensely both the Reading itself, and the connection to the people I Read for. I like the work, and I like to help people find their answers.

 Then life steps in, I get too busy to do Readings, and time passes. This somehow unravels all the positive, and doubt in myself as a Reader creeps in. Believe me, I'm working on it. So last night I centered myself, got a pen, shuffled the deck, and took a moment with each card. 

I turned each card over, took a moment with it, and made a little note along the border about what it means to me. Just keywords, really, but just a little something to assure my neurotic self that I would not "blank out" on the card if it came up in a Reading, which has never happened, and I don't know why I get so worked up over it, but there it is. I don't know if this is a common thing, but I got the idea from a 3rd hand Tarot deck a friend gave me long ago that a Reader had given her to learn Tarot with. (You might notice I get a lot of decks as gifts, I'm a lucky girl!)

Anyway, I happily played, talked, and reconnected with the deck, and when the Hubs came back to go to bed, I thought maybe 15-30 minutes had passed. It was after 10pm. I had a some cards left, but I will finish up with them later today. I thanked my Guides for a wonderful time, tucked the 'finished' ones in their pouch, and the ones yet to be done into the book for later.  I grounded myself, and snuggled in with the Hubs to sleep.

All in all, it was a great night. Once again, there does not need to be High Ritual to make Magick. It's about your connection to the Magick all around you. 

Brightest Blessings!

H.W.

Monon Bob

This makes me SMILE!!!! Happy Thursday!

SOURCE: WTHR.com

INDIANAPOLIS - It's not everyday you see a birthday party on the Monon, but it's not everyday Monon Bob turns ninety.

Friends of Robert E. Lee, better known as Monon Bob, threw a surprise party for him Saturday. Bob is a fixture on the trail. He's been walking it every morning since the trail opened 10 years ago.

During that time he has made hundreds of friends, their names written in little notebooks he carries.

"He's turned this into a community. Everyone knows Bob and when you get to know Bob, you get to know each other," said another trail user.

Bob often stops for hellos and hugs.

"We expect to see him. He always has a great attitude and he's our inspiration," said one person on the trail.

His message for his friends:

"Just thanks for being my friend, that's the best thing I can think of, but the other thing is I'm a hugger. I get to steal hugs from all the pretty girls, so that's a highlight," he said.

Bob says seeing friends on the trail also keeps him going.

"I lost my wife five-and-a-half years ago and they've just fulfilled what I needed, I guess. I would give up if it wasn't for the Monon and my family," he said.

Bob's daughter, Diane Scott, says he isn't always aware of the impact he has on the community.

"He doesn't realize what he does. What he knows is what people do for him," she said. "He just has an aura of goodness. There's no one more trustworthy, honest or hard working than dad and people recognize that."

Besides his smile, Bob always wears a special bracelet, which pretty much sums it up.

"It says my daughter's phone number and the last part is 'Luckiest Guy in the World,' one of them, anyway," he said.

Healing List for 6/16/11

Please send Reiki, prayers, or simply positive and healing thoughts to this list.

To include yourself or others on the list, simply post the names in the comments.

*****

Serena Weicht, Dorothy Heard, and family

Lauren Spierer, family, and all those searching for her

special note for the horses and dogs being used in the search

Tom, Joyce, Doris, Alverita, Chuy, Rose, and Bob and all those affected by the southern Arizona wildfires


 US "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and have lost 9 Marines in 4 days. 

Serena Update, this is strange

I posted last night for Reiki and prayers for a missing 10 yr old girl, who was thankfully found late last evening. In a bizarre twist of events, my local news is today reporting that the girl's great-grandmother was reported missing at 2am Wednesday. Here is the story from the WTHR website...

********

TIPTON - Police have found a 10-year-old Tipton girl who went missing Tuesday evening.

Police say she was taken by a man she describes as "tall," white, about 40 years old and thin with short brown hair. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and gray shorts. He was wearing Nike tennis shoes.

Police quote the child as saying the man drove a newer, smaller silver four-door car. She told them the pair "drove around" from the time of her disappearance until she was dropped off at the Wendy's restaurant at 151st and U. S. 31 in Westfield.

She was found by Westfield police just before 11:00pm.

Tipton police had mobilized a broad search in her hometown and countywide, even using the Hamilton County sheriff's department's bloodhound search team.

Neighbors stood on street corners handing out homemade flyers with Serena Weicht's photo. Some students heading out the flyers cried when they learned she was safe and sound.

Just before 2 o'clock Wednesday morning, Noblesville police reported Weicht's great grandmother was missing. They report they were called to 74-year-old Dorothy M. Heard's Noblesville home Tuesday afternoon. At that time, they say, they were told by family members that she had been missing since Monday evening.

Family members say disappearance is uncharacteristic of Ms. Heard. They say her car was left at her home.

Dorothy Heard is a white female, 5'2' tall, weighing 137 pounds. She has gray hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Ms. Heard is urged to contact the Noblesville Police Department at (317) 776-6371.

********

The police agencies involved are saying that the two cases seem unrelated, other than the girl and the woman being family. I will be including this on my Reiki list tomorrow. This story was on fire on my Facebook network last night, and I know Tipton as a community mobilized instantly to find this child, and is still wondering where Dorothy is. I will post another update as this develops.

H.W.

Strawberry Moon

 Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! source The Farmers Almanac

In Magickal work, strawberries are ruled by the planet Venus, are associated with Fairies, Frigga, and Mary, and can be used for love, luck, passion, and abundance.
The full moon in Sagittarius, coupled with the Lunar eclipse,  will heat all of these strong emotions until they bubble over. Look above and beyond this fray to seek and find your goals. They may be new, or you may find a new way to reach them if you let go of what is not working and learn the lessons of your past. These lessons are the wisdom that will lead you through your future.
Let this wisdom from Sagittarius expand your Faith and Consciousnesses. Keep what is working, abandon what is not, no matter how attached you are to it. Center and resolve what conflicts you can within yourself, and leave those you cannot resolve alone until you can continue that work. Love yourself, make your own luck, build a passion for your goals, and you will walk forward into abundance!  
H.W.

Watering the "Sprouts"

Prayers please

My Facebook is blowing up tonight with the story of a 10 yr old girl abducted while riding her bike in the next little town over from me. Please send thoughts, prayers, Reiki, and any other good JuJu to help police find Serena. She has been gone almost 5 hours now. What little info there is can be found on HERE. If you live in this area and have ANY information please call the Tipton police Dept, (765) 675-2111.
EDIT: shortly after posting this, Tipton police confirmed that Serena has been found safe. I would, however, ask you continue to send prayer to this poor child and her family.

I made a hat!!

Sorry, I am just REALLY excited about my crochet success after years of knitting failure! I finished off the skein of yarn from my Tarot Bag project by making a hat. Because I am a visual learner, and have no one in my area to learn crochet from, I followed along with this great video on YouTube.

It turned out great!

I wanted to try to put a visor on it, but I messed it up somehow and it became a ruffle. I kinda like it, so now that is the back of the hat! I also found a place in the next little town to buy yarn, so I don't have to drive 30minutes to get it, so hopefully more crochet goodness to come, I know you can't wait!

H.W.

Global Warming

Minty Peas

I said last year we should plant more peas...but forgot and still only planted four. I just cleaned out the peas in our box and we got about one cup of peas. Not to be discouraged, the girls and I shelled them and cooked them up for the Hubs, who loves peas and has been known to open a can of them and eat them directly out, cold. So our measly little cup 'o peas became Minty Peas with Onions!

Here is the recipe for a normal amount of peas.

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 Tbl butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 tsp mint

(if using frozen peas, thaw or blanch first)

melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, toss in onions and peas

saute over low heat until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes

toss in mint and cook an additional minute, serve.

These are a big hit at our place, the Hubs only got about half of them before the girls jacked them, and they have become an official Thanksgiving side dish.

In other news, I finally pulled the radishes which had bolted like mutants. Again, a meager harvest, but I am still feeling out what we will actually EAT out of the garden with what I would like to grow.

The lettuce is still grooving along, but the spinach bolted and will probably be pulled up this week. I need to get going on what to plant in the new empty spots!

H.W.

Monday Message

Today it's playtime...with a purpose. Mikle a Muckle bids you play with him. Seek within him, and within yourself, a child's wisdom and pure truth. Open yourself to everyday blessings and you will let Ekstasis flow through. This card fills you with the power of growth and change. Play, laugh, sing and build that extasy into healing within yourself. The gods help those who help themselves and so do faeries.  Just as you look for blessings and joys this week, look for opportunities to pass help and healing on. Let Lys of the Shadows work through your heart and hands and bring light to others shadows.
H. W.

Happy Birthday Mojo!

My little Mojo is 2 years old today!

It has been a hard but wonderful 2 years. Hard because of a lot of stupid life stuff that had nothing to do with my sweet, sweet girl, and wonderful because in the middle of all that crazy I had a little Mini-Me to raise.

When we had Ladybug in 2004 it took us a year and a half to get pregnant. I had a difficult pregnancy, followed by an induced labor that resulted in an emergency c-section. We decided not to have any more children, because it was just too much. Flash forward to 2008. Both the Hubs and I were feeling strongly that we were meant to have another child, but neither wanted to say it to the other. When I finally broached the subject, the Hubs jumped right on board. I prayed and meditated, at one point getting a clear message that there was a child waiting, quite impatiently, for us to have.

 We made an appointment with the OB/Gyn to see if I would be taking too much of a risk, given my history with my 1st pregnancy and got medical clearance to go forward. That was a Monday. I stopped taking my  birth control pills that day, and literally got pregnant that weekend. That's why we call her Mojo, we had the baby mojo workin'! The pregnancy was even harder. I bled a lot just like the first time, afraid every month I was going to lose her and ended up on full bed rest, with the Hubs having to take a lay off to take care of me and Bug. The birth was better, since we just scheduled a c-section, but was followed with severe postpartum  depression, but that's a whole other story. 

No matter the tough pregnancy, no matter the months of darkness that followed, Mojo is a gift that the Universe handed right to us from the Lord and Lady. I would go through it all again to have her, a baby I didn't even think I wanted a few years ago, and then suddenly I opened my heart and she came pouring into me. Now, two years later, I feel as if we are walking out of a dark patch in our lives where she and Bug were 2twoof the few points of light, and into a place as bright and beautiful as they are. Happy Birthday to my Magickal girl.

H.W. 

Home School Round-up 6/10/11

So we finished up our 180 days the end of May, and are taking June to relax, regroup, and goof off. Well, I guess that's relative. Jilly is goofing off, Mama is scouring the webternets to get the materials together and start the new school year in July. We have a great Family Tree project I downloaded FREE from CurrClick and I have several other projects I downloaded for the future. They have a lot of cheap and free books and projects for all grade levels. There are, as expected if you have spent any time cruising for homeschool materials, a lot of Bible based materials, but much more secular stuff. The only issue is I used up all my ink printing the Family Tree project, and have to go get some more to print the other projects! I have most of the summer mapped out, as much as I ever do. We are "structured unschoolers" and so I mostly plan one project a week and we do what Ladybug wants to do the rest of the week. Speaking of Bug, she has been busy teaching her baby sister, Mojo (who is turning 2 tomorrow!) to count! I have heard them get up to 13 before Mojo loses interest, and she can count on her fingers to 5 on her own. I have been telling Bug she will be one of her baby sisters greatest teachers, and she apparently took that right to heart. Although we will not be schooling for the next few weeks, I will keep you posted on anything I find in my preparation.

H.W.

Daily Prayer

Lord and Lady, Moon and Star

fill our day with Blessings.

Fill our eyes with beauty.

Fill our arms with embraces.

Fill our ears with music.

Fill our mouths with praises.

Fill our noses with perfume.

Fill our minds with inspiration.

Fill our hearts with gratitude.

Fill our time with joy.

Fill our house with love.

Fill our lives with Magick, 

as we fill our sacred spaces with praises.

So mote it be.

H.W.

Congratz Mrs. B!

I just saw over on Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom that not only did Mrs. B WIN the top 25 Faith Blogs but there were 12 Pagan blogs in the final top 25! I think that's tremendous! There was a lot of drama about Pagan blogs even being "allowed" in the Faith category of the Top 25, so I am very proud that the Pagan blogoshere stood up for out choice to be Pagan and to want to blab about it on the internets. So take a minute and swing by CPSM and congratulate her, and check out some of the other great blogs that are in the Top 25, both Pagan and "mainstream".

H.W.

Healing List

I would like very much to restart the Reiki and healing list on Thursdays! Please leave any request for healing and prayers in the comments to be included on the list and on my Reiki grid. You don't need to be specific, about yourself or your situation, just let us know if you need a little extra love, and we will send it your way! I would also eventually like to make it a Blog Hop, so if you have a blog and want to feature a Healing List on Thursday let me know and we can get that rolling as well. Brightest Blessings.

H.W.

WTF?

Wiccan Chaplains Won't Get Paid to Serve State's Practicing Inmates, Court Rules

By Erin Sherbert, Thu., Jun. 2 2011 at 2:10 PM

Comments (4) 

Categories: WTF?

Share97

0digg

Wicca is supposed to be about harmony!

​Bring out the wand and chalice. Despite the fact that more than 500 of California prisoners practice Wicca, the state is not required to have Wiccan chaplains on staff, a San Francisco judge has ruled.

Patrick McCollum, a Wiccan chaplain who volunteers in prisons, and a group of inmates sued the state because it would not pay Wiccanchaplains to serve the 598 prisoners who practice the craft. Since 1957, the state has paid clergy of various faiths to provide religious services to inmates, including Jewish, Muslim, and Native American.

Before adding any new paid clergy, the stateDepartment of Corrections and Rehabilitationconsiders the size of the inmate population served, the cost, existing alternative means to accommodate inmates of that faith, and security. Using those criteria, the state concluded that a Wiccan chaplain wasn't needed, according to the lawsuit.
In 2006, McCollum filed a lawsuit claiming the state is discriminating by denying Wiccans access to places of worship and sacred items.

He noted in the suit that one of the San Quentin inmates was hospitalized, yet his Wiccan chaplain was not allowed to visit him because his chaplain wasn't a paid staff member. Yet the courts decided this was an isolated incident and was not a "continuing violation."

On Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit Court sided with the lower courts' ruling against McCollum, stating that he pursued litigation for his own interests. Essentially, he was asking the state to pay him for his volunteer service, the ruling stated.

"The added wrinkle in this suit is that the chaplain is pursuing constitutional claims that are derivative of the inmates' claims rather than his own," the court wrote. "McCollum attempts to transform his employment discrimination action into an effort to vindicate the inmates' First Amendment rights.

Follow us on Twitter at @SFWeekly and @TheSnitchSF