A common joke among Pagans is that if you ask four Pagans to define what Paganism is, you will get five answers. 

"Religion," is derived from the Latin root, ligere, which means "to connect."  During my studies of Paganism, one of the most perplexing questions that I have been unable to find a good answer for is what “connects” Pagans?  What is a Pagan?  What common belief do Pagans share that makes them want to self-identify as a Pagan?  How do they define themselves as a group to others? 

During my studies I have heard numerous definitions of Paganism.  Some are very inclusive and include just about any spiritual or religious practice that does not fall under the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.  Others add more precision and state requirements such as a belief in polytheism, the “old” gods or magick. 

The Monkey’s Paw is a 1902 short horror story by author WW Jacobs with the theme that there is always a price to pay when you mess around with magick.  In the story, a paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes.  When Mr. and Mrs. White obtain the paw, they use their first wish to ask for a modest sum of $200.  Unfortunately for them, the wish is seemingly granted when the couple’s son is killed at work and they are awarded a compensation of $200. The story continues as the parents grieve for the son until they decide to use their second wish to ask that their son be brought back to life.  Since he had been buried for ten days, this results in a terrifying, mutilated and decomposed body of their son to arrive on their doorstep that begins knocking on their door to be let in. Finally, the couple uses their last wish to wish their son dead which causes the knocking to finally stop.

The moral: "It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the sergeant-major, a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow."

Mead is a delicious honey drink that is enjoyed at most Pagan events and it is believed to be the oldest of alcoholic beverages known to man. 

Man’s knowledge of Mead can be traced back 20,000 to 40,000 years ago in early Africa where honey and the fermented honey water was gathered from bee’s nests found in hollowed out Baobab and Miombo trees. 

The oldest known meads were created in Europe on the Island of Crete where it was the drink of the Age of Gold.  The ancient Greeks called mead Ambrosia, or Nectar.  It was believed to be the drink of the gods and was thought to descend from the Heavens as dew before being gathered in by the bees.  The Greeks believed that mead would prolong life and bestow health, strength, virility, re-creative powers, wit and poetry.  The Roman Pollio Romulus wrote to Julius Caesar that at 100 years old he attributed his full sex life to drinking copious amounts of a spiced mead. 

Celtic mythology tells of a river of mead running through paradise, while the Anglo-Saxon culture held mead up as the bestower of immortality, poetry and knowledge.  In Norse/Aryan mythology a draught of mead delivered by the beautiful divine maidens, was the reward for warriors that reached Valhalla.  During the Crusades, Polish Prince Leszek I the White explained to the Pope that Polish knights could not participate in the Crusades because there was no mead in Palestine.

Supreme Court Justices wield enormous power over the daily life of Americans. Any one of them can cast the deciding vote on matters of life and death, individual freedoms and government power. Presidents serve four-year terms; Justices have tenure for life.  They wield the power of the Constitution and have chosen to interpret it in different ways.  Some consider themselves "originalists" and try to follow the original intent while others believe in a "living Constitution" and interpret it according to evolving standards and morality. 

Today President Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to become the 112th Justice of the United States Supreme Court to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.  Though Kagan has no experience as a judge, she does have a very illustrious legal career and is considered by most to being more than qualified for the appointment. If confirmed, she will be the fourth female judge in the Supreme Court's history and the third on the current bench.  She will also be the third Jewish Justice along with six Catholics. With Stevens' retirement, the court will have no Protestants, the most prevalent denomination in the United States.