Harpers Faery Magic Bible

 

New-Age Testament & Neo-Pagan Scripture

by Drogo Empedocles 2013

Introduction

Multiple religious myths and spiritual magics for polytheistic Neo-Pagans

This book is a modern eclectic Pagan Bible. It is the personal beliefs of Prophet Drogo Empedocles, and his interpretation of world religions, New-Age philosophy, and Neo-Pagan magic. Polytheistic Celtic-Wiccan influence is finally proudly written here, in contrast to many Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim beliefs; because of their doctrines of cultural war against Pagans. As a handbook guide of holy Pagan scripture, this book is meant to be a shield and a sword for our faith, in the hands of the chosen guardians. This Pagan Bible includes stories about the magical town of Harpers Faery, and is a combination of historic-fiction, occult magic, and autobiography.

Eclectic-Pagan Celtic-Wiccan New-Age Bible

The word bible, is from the Greek word biblia, meaning simply books. According to religious tradition a bible is also a canon of holy scripture; an authoritative collection of rule books. The dominant rule of this Neo-Pagan Bible is the proclamation of a new covenant with ancient religions, modern Paganism, culture, and individuals in the form of universal spirituality, and acceptance of unique personal magic, and our diverse environments within the Universe. Most of the major religious rule books are now outdated guides. Please help spread the good news of the Pagan Bible!

The word pagan, from Latin paganus, means “rural country folk”. Paganism usually refers to religions or beliefs which are polytheistic or indigenous (non-Christian). Within Paganism are categories such as polytheism, shamanism, pantheism, or animism. Neo-Paganism is the revival of the ancient old ways, adapted in a new way for our modern times. There are many important reasons for this “New-Age” movement, but perhaps most of all Neo-Paganism exists because Mother Earth deserves some respect again, more than ever before!

In various religious and spiritual writings, we may find some answers; or at least stories we can relate to, and are helpful. We may also become upset or troubled by what we read. One curious pattern to notice about written history and other bibles, is how their texts ignore and degrade goddesses, women, and nature-based faiths in general. While mythical stories may be interesting, it is only through our own self-realized connection to civilization and nature that we may put ourselves in context with the true Universe. Remember we are not alone, even when we feel alone.

My name is Drogo Empedocles, and I am a faery. Well, part faery anyway. It is complicated, so I will explain my blood line later. I call myself a faery because fae magic is in my blood, and most of my friends are faeries of one kind or another. I wrote this as my Bible, and it is based on my beliefs and my home town. I encourage everyone to write their own bible. History happens to real people everyday (before it becomes history). This Bible supports polytheism, faerie equal rights, and bloody swear words; in addition to conventional biblical morality and multicultural ethics. This is my Bible.

– Dr. Rev. Drogo F.H. Empedocles

HFM Chapters

World Religious Mythology

Harpers Faery Creation Myth

Harpers Faery Songs & Poems

New-Age Testament of Drogo

Harpers Faery Spells and Rituals

Images, Bibliography, References

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New-Age Neo-Pagan Holy Glory

New-Age is a modern spiritual movement, influenced by global cultural knowledge and wisdom. New-Age zeitgeist is born from an environmental and social awareness of the need to break from some rigid traditions, while taking what we need from various traditions to evolve towards living in harmony with our World the Earth. New-Age multiculturalism celebrates social and religious diversity, and encourages exchange and adaptation. Enlightened New-Age spirituality runs parallel with advances in science, such as the importance of bio-diversity; and mathematical fractals. Enlightened magical thinking has always run parallel with science, as both have their roots in medieval alchemy and astrology. The term New-Age referred to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius. We are concerned with the relationship between ourselves (mind, body, and spirit), and Universe, and other dimensions (micro-macro cosmos, quantum physics, alternate planes). While we tend to embrace many main-stream trends, we also seek alternative fringe concepts. New-Age refuses to be confined by dogmas, but is often willing to include empowering motivational psychologies, self-help, holistic health, parapsychology, consciousness research, ecological design, and their inter-connectedness.

Polytheist Neo-Paganism is part of the New-Age and one of the best religions the World has. Neo-Paganism embraces the freedom to worship one, none, or many deities. The three main types of Abrahamic Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, & Islam), all have rich and powerful demagogues claiming that they must be obeyed exclusively, based on a “One Way” theory. Neo-Pagan Polytheism has no rich evangelist missionaries, nor the intent to propagate or to proselytise by saying that all other ways are wrong. In fact we see other ways as good, ok, or valid; so long as the faithful are not being told to persecute other faiths. In Paganism there is no eternal punishment doctrine that dictates other religions are doomed to a place like Hell.

In Paganism there is no single leader, scripture or religious philosophy. Most Pagans, however, believe in the divine character of the natural world and Paganism is often described as an “Earth religion”. In Neo-Paganism many of us are both polytheist and pantheist, and are free to worship any gods, even deities that are claimed to be monotheist by their followers (it is not a Sin). While I am advocating the positive aspects of Neo-Paganism beliefs, it really comes down to individual interpretation of scriptures. Neo-Paganism should be proud to be associated with Witchcraft, because the emphasis of that label is on the individual as a natural priest. We have the power within us to commune with Nature, and any other higher powers that we wish to pray to; and reserve the right not to pray.

To be fair it should also be said, that Neo-Pagans often have contemporary liberal values; that are not only at odds with certain understandings of Abrahamic Monotheism, but also ancient Paganism. For example if most ancient Druids were involved with human sacrifice, most modern Neo-Pagan Druids are not involved with human sacrifice, for ethical and legal reasons. Truths or myths of the past are like teachers, they should guide us to find our own ways. It is often very important for new generations to distinguish themselves from their parents. New-Age beliefs embrace this common universal paradigm.

Neo-Pagans believe it is ok to believe in deities your own way. This allows for Agnostic, or even Atheist, interpretation of mythology. Pagans are free to believe in deities that are Jungian archetypes, or just really cool fictional characters; because it is the meaning of myths to the individual that matters most. Witches and warlocks can determine for themselves what it means to believe in the powers of their faith. Human psyche is liberated in the New-Age to be diverse, and in Neo-Paganism we can be united in our diversity. With tolerance, we can coexist, and even harmoniously respect our neighbor’s deities.

Witch Murders

Between 1300-1700, tens-of-thousands of Europeans (mostly women) were executed for “practicing witchcraft”, in a church-government sanctioned mass hysteria academics call the ‘witch craze’. People were burned, drowned, hanged, beaten, and crushed after “trials” in both secular and religious courts; orchestrated or lynched by vigilante mobs. By the most conservative estimate, Dr. Ronald Hutton’s count of execution records, between 35,184 and 63,850 witches were killed (at least 17,000 in Germany). Sociologist Nachman Ben-Yehuda estimates the combined death toll could have been as high as 500,000. The phenomenon of ‘witch hunting’ was a massive concerted prolonged crusade.

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Historic Paganism and Human Sacrifice

Ancient writers were always accusing enemy cultures of evil deeds. This type of propaganda is still used today, as evident with main-stream news networks. While the ancients made many factual detailed accounts, there is no doubt that as humans they were just as fallible to influences as we are today. Historians today seem unable to cite any substantial archeology to defend the Greek, Roman, or Jewish claims that their enemies conducted mass human sacrifices; at least by our traditional literal definition of Satanic ritual human sacrifice. There is no conclusive evidence regarding human sacrifice in Celtic or Canaanite history, anymore than in early Greek, Roman, or Jewish history.

Rumors about enemies executing criminals, assisted suicides, or cremation of dead bodies were easily labeled simply as ‘sacrifice’ because rituals were overseen by priests. These manipulated rumors were spread by a few select literate sources to an already biased audience ignorant about barbarian culture. With no counter-culture period writings, we cannot believe the accusing texts at surface value, despite the appearance of fairness due to some compliments or rhetorical claims.

Sacrificing human lives during a war or battle certainly happened, and continues to happen in military conflicts and secular fights today. There are religious aspects to conflict sacrifices, but are more related to fighting, war, and secular killing in general. Conflict sacrifice deserves its own essay; regarding suicide, decapitation, cannibalism, and other practices before, during, and after fighting or hunting.

The Hebrew Torah references human child sacrifice in ancient Egypt, Israel, & Canaan. When the Torah mentions child sacrifice in terms of the first born sons of Israel, it is considered an acceptable metaphor, or symbolic ritual rite of passage into religious service. Curiously the Torah does not make a detailed account of Hebrew child sacrifice when Moses says “’With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons’.” – Exodus 13:14

I believe by the time of Moses, most cultures that practiced human sacrifice had a concept of sacrifice as a ‘tax payment’ to a higher authority. In Israel they ‘sacrificed’ their first born sons to the higher authority of the Jewish Temple Priests, in the name of God. In Canaan they ‘sacrificed’ their children to the higher authority of the Babylonian Temple Priests of Ba’al. Canaanite rituals probably included rites-of-passage where their youth passed through sacred flames (fire baptism), as existed in many other cultures from Egypt to America. First born sons were sacrificed by parents, meaning they gave them over to the priests in the service of a Temple. In Egypt the lambs’ blood on the doors meant that they had already sacrificed lambs to God, so they did not owe him their sons. This trade of sacrifice is known as Consecrated Redemption, which is described later in the Torah (Numbers 3:49).

In modern times we do use the term ‘sacrifice’ when describing military service, and patriotic parents accept this sacrificial concept of duty to the nation. We also use the word ‘sacrifice’ when following strict religious restrictions; giving up one thing for another higher blessing. My argument is that the origins of our modern definition of ‘sacrifice’ was possibly started during the time of Abraham, when God told him he could sacrifice a lamb instead of his son. By the time of Moses, sacrifice (even human sacrifice), meant trading one valuable asset to an authority, to insure the blessing of another. So when the Torah refers to sacrifice, it is referring to the established traditional ritual metaphor.

The ritual metaphor of human sacrifice relating to death, was often over-emphasized as political propaganda for their intended audience. It is much easier to reject the practices of others, if we believe them to be repulsive. Sacrificing sons (giving money to priests) may have been a tax on the parents for being able to keep their child; as with livestock God demands a sacrifice, but you can exchange one animal for another, or the monetary equivalent. In the New Testament Jesus was worth sacrificing a dove to the Temple. Jesus later became the ultimate human sacrifice when he died for our sins, so that no one needed to give sacrifices to the Temple anymore, because he said through him we can ask God directly for forgiveness, and he paid the price of sin for all. This was very popular with poor people, since they often could not afford the price of sacrifices. Also the sacrifice tax may have been intended as population control.

Another problem with biblical terms, is that Canaanites and Israelites were ethnically similar by the Second Temple period (Job 40:30, Proverbs 31:24). In archaeological and linguistic terms, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were a subset of Canaanite culture. The disdain for Canaanites in the Torah was related to the semantic use of the word Canaanite as a synonym for merchant or trader who does business with Babylon. Clearly the Jewish Temple Priests did not like outside religious influence, as it was threatening their power and diminishing their sacrifice (tax) income.

Regarding literal historical Pagan human sacrifice by American Aztec Priests, and some Native Asian Islander cannibalism, there is more evidence that they actually did kill many humans to appease the gods or gain their powers. Despite this fact, human sacrifice is not mandated by main-stream Neo-Pagans today in any form. Human sacrifice for salvation is generally rejected by New-Age ideology, as salvation typically comes from within and is achieved through self-realization, without the need to contribute to an institution or higher authority. Most people do not like to pay taxes anyway.

Celtic New Age Memoir

My early involvement in the 1990’s Celtic New Age Movement

During Catholic high school (1992), I studied World Religions; and decided that the religion that fit me best was Celtic Wiccan. Before then I had been Methodist – Agnostic. Now I realized how much I loved Nature, and how much flora and fauna were a part of my life. The more I studied literature, art, and architecture my beliefs were confirmed.

When I got home from school, I would go downtown (in Harpers Ferry), and visit the Herb Lady Shop. Often the ladies that worked there would play celtic music, like Clannad and Loreena McKinnett. Well the atmosphere was seducing, and my entire soul told me that the rapture of the “New Age Movement” was paradise on earth.

So together with other local pagans, we formed a coven, founded a circle, and practiced loving magic. Later in times of heart-break, it was Wiccan love magic that helped me survive. The celtic and eclectic new-age love that I found within myself, still survives to this day, and I am always tending its immortal flame.

This path also led me to eventually become an environmental architect, into the 21st Century! I will never stop fighting for what I think is right, and it is still embodied in my faith. Blessed be the gods and goddesses of nature, and all the elements!!!

Celtic Music favorites

– Drogo Firewalker Hawthorn Empedocles III

Greene Lady Music

About Greene Lady Music

Greene Lady Music was founded by husband and wife team Doug and Jenna Greene to produce and promote Jenna’s original music and to teach people the holistic healing power of music.

Jenna Greene

“The Greene Lady”, is a Celtic singer-songwriter and harpist, a weaver of myth and magic. Her songs are inspired by the essence of ancient lore: the quest to follow one’s own dreams and a child-like wonder toward life.Crossroads, Jenna’s debut album, is a collection of original songs. Each one is a journey, inviting the listener to explore the realm of ancient nature mythology, the wisdom of our ancestors, and how that wisdom can heal our planet and ourselves. She is currently working on her second album Wild Earth Child which she describes as an “ecstatic celebration of Nature’s dance.” These new songs explore the broader world of myth, incorporating Celtic, African, Spanish and Middle-Eastern influences.

You can find Jenna performing at holistic healing, eco-spiritual, environmental, faerie and Goddess festivals as well as Celtic and Renaissance faires all over the Northeast US. She interlaces her ethereal ballads, drum-driven songs and powerful chants with funny anecdotes and sing-alongs while accompanying herself on harp and percussion. Her husband Doug joins her on bodhran, Irish whistle and Native American flutes. New England folk guitarists, drummers and didgeridoo players often make guest appearances.

When Jenna isn’t performing or recording, she offers sound healing sessions and teaches workshops utilizing singing bowls, gongs, chanting and affirmations. “Almost all creations myths state that the Creator spoke or sung the world into existence. If we all have the Divine spark within, then these myths make a profound statement about the healing power of our own voices. Joined with the human voice, the bowls and gongs add healing vibrations, while affirmations and visualizations help people to shift their perceptions from worry and fear to love and inner peace.”

A theatrical production is also in development for Jenna and her music. Co-created with other performance artists, she will be part of a show filled with music, rhythm, dance, colorful costumes and dramatic lighting, an experience that entertains as it explores the common ground between cultures and spiritualities.

Doug Greene

is a sound healer and a true Aquarian, ever questing for deeper knowledge. He has intensively studied the works of Dr. Mitch Gaynor and mythologist Joseph Campbell. He brings together the wisdom of these two teachers in a refreshing and thought-provoking way. His recent studies have led him to explore the world of cellular biology and how our minds and music effect our bodies in profound ways. For over 30 years, he has been involved in ritual arts and performance arts including theater, sound and lighting design, orchestra and co-producing Jenna’s debut album Crossroads.

* Visit the Greene Lady Music official Website
To quote Independent Reviewer, Mike Gleason:

“This is a thoroughly enjoyable musical voyage. It is a mixture of hauntingly beautiful songs and the spoken word. These are not “traditional” Celtic songs (i.e., ones which have composed part of the Celtic heritage for generations), but there are strongly Celtic-themed songs. They tell stories which seem comfortingly familiar, even though they are new. They call to a part of the psyche of which we are often reluctant to acknowledge, not because we fear it, but simply because it lives in the background of our daily life. …”

(to read the full review, visit Greene Lady Music Reviews website)

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Here are the songs on Jenna Greene’s album “CROSSROADS“:

(as you can see its all good stuff!)

Harvest
I-Breasil (The Otherworld)
Bard Song
Crossroads
Dance with Me
Herne
Lady Moon
Acceptance
Rise Up Singin’
Spring Love
Legends (The Handfasting Song)
The Mating Dance/Beltane
Soul of Nature
Believe

SCOD Theory Theme Conclusions

SCOD Theory Theme Conclusions

(1) Environmentalism

Ignorance of ecology, dominant bubbles of corporate profit, and popular acceptance of consumer waste all have contributed to an apathy which blocks SCOD development. Even with the 2010 BP Oil Spill environmentalists face a stubborn wall of massive opposition.

(2) Philosophy & Psychology

Philosophy and psychology are both underfunded in our Capitalist society. Communes are difficult to start and maintain due to the tendency for them to be islands in an ocean of currency commuters. Despite haters we continue to value and practice rational thought.

(3) Aesthetics & Linguistics

The War on Terrorism has made us more xenophobic than when SCOD started in the 1990’s. Americans are considered gay when they speak more than one language, and gay is still a popular homophobic insult. Despite this problem, we continue to study languages, travel regularly, and even expand linguistic expression through graffiti on our own property. Travel and styles have been limited however.

(4) History & Politics

Our American Empire has cracked down on liberal protesters continuously reducing our ability to afford to live free. Free thinkers and politicians who did not wear a flag pin were called unpatriotic, and anyone questioning authority were one step away from being reported by Republicans as terrorists. This 8 year atmosphere was not conducive for SCOD development. Despite this, we have published our works and spoke out on the internet using code names. We now have 2 SCOD Constitutions written as a productive of historical and political education.

(5) Spirituality

New Age spirituality has been hated by critics for many of the same reasons that the Hippy movement was disliked, and is still popularly disrespected. Despite closed-minded haters, New Age combines the best aspects of happy hippies and pagan fantasy, which to me is sublime. To judgmental assholes it is false and flakey, many of which are hypocritical nihilists.