January 2007 Archives

John Hainsworth, owner of a witch shop in Lititz Pennsylvania, was arrested for aggravated and indecent assault earlier this month. Apparently, he performed a "spiritual healing" on three different women that turned into something far more personal and totally inappropriate.

Sadly, as much as many Pagans would like to believe we're above this sort of thing, such abuse is all too possible in our community. Truth be told, the lack of central authorities or systematic methods to identify less than honorable individuals who like to depict themselves as spiritual leaders and gurus makes Paganism a perfect outlet for this sort of thing. This is why it is so important that we as individuals need to be vigilant and careful in order to protect ourselves.

To that end, I would like to offer the following advice to people so that they might further protect themselves from incidents like the one that played out in Lancaster County on at least three separate occasions (and personally, I suspect there were more).

1. Be wary of anyone who's quick to offer their services.
In this story, two of the women got into this situation not because they went looking for a "healing session," but because Hainsworth suggested the idea to them. He saw that they had some deep needs and were vulnerable, so he presented himself as the solution to their problems. Unfortunately, this is all too common an approach for predators to take. Their "veil" of helpfulness is appealing and helps create the kind of confusion these women felt when things went wrong. Doubt created by thoughts like "he's just trying to help" are an excellent tool that a predator can use to keep a victim in his clutches. It's far safer to go to someone who waits for you to ask for help rather than someone who takes the initiative.

2. Check people out before you seek out or accept their services.
When seeking out spiritual help of any sort, take the time to make sure the person you're considering going to is on the up-and-up. Whenever possible, ask other trustworthy people about them. Find those who have had experiences with this person and ask them to tell you about those experiences.

3. Interview the individual you are going to about themselves and what they plan on doing.
Eight years ago, when I went to a Reiki practitioner for the first time, we spent half an hour talking before I even got on the table. She was quite open about how long she had been practicing, as well as when and where she received her attunements. She then went on to tell me about Reiki and exactly what would be involved in working on me. This kind of discussion is vital, as it sets expectations and makes boundaries clear. Had that particular practitioner done anything beyond what we had discussed before she started working on me, I would have been gone instantly.

4. Trust your instincts.
One of the things that saddens me about this story is that the third woman felt things had gone wrong, but didn't say anything because she was afraid she was "being stupid." I hope that someone who cares about her has reassured her that she wasn't being stupid. If something in a situation like that makes you feel uncomfortable, it's time to put an end to it. If you feel a boundary has been crossed, it probably has. And you have not only a right to stand up for yourself in such a situation, but an ethical mandate to do so.

5. Always be wary when disrobing (either partially or fully) is involved.
Some may disagree with me on this point, but I feel quite strongly about it. While I have nothing against nudity, I do not feel it is appropriate in a private situation between people who are practically strangers, especially when spiritual healing is involved. Most spiritual healing practices (in fact, I can't think of any where this doesn't apply) do not require it to be effective. And if a particular practice does require it, I think it is important that a stronger bond between healer and client be formed first, preferrably over an extended period of time in which the character of both individuals can be better gauged by the other party.

These are just a few points that I can think of. I would encourage everyone to think about them and the topic in general. Perhaps others around you -- or even you yourself -- might be able to offer more advice on the matter. I can't guarantee that this will keep you completely out of harm's way, but I dare say that it certainly help a great deal.

Today, I started working on a new project. As part of this new project, I will spend a considerable amount of time working at the customer's site. This means that I spent most of today getting set up onsite and going through some training about their processes.

As a part of project kickoff, the customer took the three of us who are coming on board from our company out to lunch. This is a rather common practice in my line of work. But this was a remarkable unusual lunch. (And let's just say that singling out any particular lunch that is attended by a bunch of engineers as unusual is saying a lot!)

Our waiter, for reasons that totally escaped us, decided not to write our orders down. Instead, he decided to keep all eight lunch orders in his head. We found it a strange thing to do and even joked that maybe he had a lapel microphone and was recording our orders as we said them. Naturally, this proved to not be the case, though our waiter thought it was a great idea.

Well, after he left our table, he came back and asked Brian which side he had asked for. Someone else jokingly commented that he hoped this meant that the young man had remembered all of the rest of our sides (and main orders, for that matter) correctly. Those hopes were proven unfounded when he came back again, and asked the four of us on my end of the tabe to repeat what sides we wanted. (Oddly, he didn't write them down this time either.)

Well, when the food came, all four of us on my end of the table indeed got the wrong side. We ended up having to swap sides. By this time, the whole thing had reached the point of farce, and we just got a couple plates, dumped the sides (two orders of steak fries and two orders of sweet potato frieds) into a couple of bowls and just shared them communal-style. Strangely, they got Brian's sandwich order wrong too, so the poor guy had to wait for them to make the right sandwich.

I've never laughed so much at a luncheon (except maybe for the WOTL luncheon). The food was great, but I hope the service doesn't always get confused so easily. And hopefully, someone learns to use that pad he was carrying around.

Deck: Tarot of Transformation
Card: Strength (XI)
Keyphrase: Moving from the Core

A female figure stands in the foreground of the card, towards the right. She wears a patterned skirt and a veil flows across her arms and chest. A vine or branch travels up through her transparent body, suggesting a link to the earth. A bright line begins in a spiral near her feet and also travels up through and aalong side her body, flowing towards her uplifted left arm. Both of her arms are spread wide, transforming into feathered wings as they extend from her shoulders.

The woman looks over her right shoulder, gazing at the pyramids behind her in the scene. Two smaller, solid pyramids are visible a short distance behind her and to the left. A third, large pyramid takes up muc of teh background. It glows with golden light, and an eye floats just above its tip, radiating light on the rest of the card.

This card reminds us that we are at our strongest when we are deeply rooted. When we draw on the traditions of the past and the inner wisdom that lies in our core, we are revitalized. We can draw on these sources of strength and wisdom to aid us in our current growth.

The winged figue reminds us that being rooted in tradition is not as stifling as we might first think. Instead, understanding such tradition enables us to truly find and understand our wings, teaching us to use our uniqueness and freedom wisely.

In a previous post, I wrote about how an understanding of Creation as an ongoing process is a powerful concept in magic. In this post, I wish to look at another powerful concept, the concept of the will.

Most people who work with magic are familiar with the definition of magic offered by Aleister Crowley:

Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.

Despite the fact that I am in no sense a Thelemite (which is one of the reasons I don't add the K to the end of the word "magic"), I find this definition quite useful. Furthermore, it demonstrates that will is central to any magical act. Without will, there is no magic. So this begs the question: What is will?

The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition (as reported by Dictionary.com) includes the following definitions:

1. a. The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action: championed freedom of will against a doctrine of predetermination. b. The act of exercising the will. c. Diligent purposefulness; determination: an athlete with the will to win. d. Self-control; self-discipline: lacked the will to overcome the addiction.

It is clear from these definitions that will is that part of the psyche that initiates action. It is that which takes a desire that we have, and focuses our time and energy to accomplish or manifest that desire.

It is important to note that desire is not the same as will. In my experience, this is an increasingly common misconception in the magical community and our society in general. Far to often, we express our desires thinking that doing this alone (or even having those desires in the first place) is sufficient to have them met. I'm reminded of the joke about the devout Christian who goes to church daily, only to ask God to let him win the lottery. After many weeks of this daily routine, God finally decides to respond to this request in a very personal day. As the petitioner makes his request one day, he hears a rather annoyed voice from heaven proclaim, "You could at least buy the ticket!"

Truly involving one's will in the satisfaction of a desire requires both effort and action. Without this effort, this act of will, the desire never comes more than a vain wish. It is the act of making sure that the "rubber meets the road" that makes magic.

Since Crowley offered his definition of magic(k), some have tried to improve upon his definition. Most notably, people have tried to add such qualifiers to the end of the definition as "by means not understood by ordinary science." This is often done in an attempt to identify the "mystical" aspect of magic and to distinguish it from "mundane" effort. I am convinced that this is a mistake, as it creates an artificial boundary between "mundane" and "magical" effort.

Truth be told, to someone who walks a magical path long enough, every act of will becomes an act of magic. The boundary between the "mundane" and the "magical" dissolves completely, and an individuals conscience efforts blend together seemlessly. The witch who is looking for a new job is working just as magically when she writes her resume as when she is lighting a candle or praying to her gods for their blessing on her search. All of these acts and the power channeled into them work together to accomplish her goal and manifest the job that she needs.

Understanding all conscientious acts as magical acts also explains why so many magical attempts are shipwrecked by "mundane" activities. Consider for example a less experienced witch who does magic to get a new job, but doesn't not pay careful attention to the creation or modification of her resume. Or perhaps she submits her resume haphazzardly, not putting much effort into the seach process. Understanding that these choices are magical acts in themselves demonstrates that her will is not fully behind her stated outcome of finding a job. As such, her efforts and energies become unfocused, scattered, and less effective. Perhaps they become totally ineffective.

A while back, while I was in one of my desparate "I want a boyfriend" states of minds, I created profiles on a couple of online personal sites. One of the sites I joined was not to my liking, and I pretty much gave up on it. This was mainly because while the site catered to gay an bisexual men and women, it seemed like almost every other gay man on there was just interested in sex. Being a hopeless romantic, I decided to quit wasting my time there and looked elsewhere.

Apparently, I forgot to disable email notifications, however. The other day, I got an email from the site to tell me about a potential match. The guy lives in Buffalo, which is a bit far away. But if that had been my only objection, I would've at least considered it. However, the excerpt from his profile that they included was the ultimate deal-breaker. In fact, I found it reprehensible enough that I decided it was worth a bit of a rant on my part. So let's take the sucker point by point.

Almost always have sex on my mind.

Now, I'm not generally one for faulting someone for having sex on their mind a lot. I will be the first to admit that it can consume a large amount of my thoughts, too. But to make such an admission the first thing you tell someone strikes me as insane. This line alone tells me that to this guy, it's all about the sex. If I'm looking for romance, love, emotional intimacy, or anything other than a wild ride in the bedroom, I'm just plain out of luck. So on second thought, maybe I should thank him for letting me know right up front that I'd be wasting my time on him.

I am a spiritual person that sees a real connection to the power of an orgasm and a spiritual experience.

Now, given my patroness, I'm all for seeing sex as a sacred thing. But you know, this doesn't sound like seeing sex as sacred at all. This sounds more like someone mistaking self-gratification and self-serving sex for a spiritual experience. I find myself wondering if this guy even thinks about his partners during the road to his so-called "spiritual experience." I mean, if his spirituality is just about him getting off, that's what his hand is for.

I am always ready to cum.

And entirely too eager, if you ask me.

Wanna cum with me.

To his credit, he actually takes a moment to think of his potential partner's needs here, even if only as an afterthought. But again, I'm interested in more than just getting my rocks off, too. (After all, I have a perfectly working hand as well!) I want someone who's going to be attentive. I want someone who is going to look to share the entire experience with me, not just the "squirt at the end." I want tenderness, strength, and many other qualities that this man just hasn't shown.

All this man has shown is that he's an egomaniac with enough smarts to throw some pseudospiritual comments into a personal site profile.

Earlier in the week, I came across a story about a Wiccan who is suing Starbucks for religious discrimination and wrongful termination. According to the original story, Alicia Hedum was asked to remove her "Wiccan cross." When she refused, she was held back from being promoted or transferred. Her hours were cut, and she was eventually terminated.

I originally didn't post about this matter due to the lack of information. The article was quite brief and details were scarce. And to be honest, I was a bit concerned about the fact that the article mentioned that Starbucks management had "scrutinized her 'minor tardines.'" I will fully admit that I was concerned that this was a case of a rightfully terminated employee crying foul. As such, I decided to see if I could find more details about the situation before offering an opinion.

Today, my choice has paid off both for myself and Ms. Hedum. OregonLive has offered an update to this story, this time including details that has done much to alleviate my doubts about Ms. Hedum's claims. (And on that count, I offer Ms. Hedum my sincerest apologies for ever doubting her.) In this update, the writer reveals that the lawsuit also covers the matter of an improperly handled workers compensation case:

She alleged that after she hurt her wrist at work in August 2005, the store failed to provide a workers' compensation claim form. She alleged she was dismissed after she refused to come into work because a store manager would not assign her to light duty work as recommended by her doctor.

Failure to allow an employee to properly document an injury received at work is a serious matter. As is terminating an employee for absences caused due to such an injury. The complaint that Hedum's lawyers filed with the court alleges that Hedum asked for the paperwork necessary to report her injury on two separate occasions, once to her shift supervisor and once to the store manager. On both occasions, she was informed that either the necessary forms could not be found or that the store was out of said forms.

Now, my question is this: What kind of employer "runs out of" workers compensation forms? I'm certainly no expert on labor laws, certainly not those in Oregon. However, it seems to me that providing an injured employee with such forms in a timely fashion would be a legal requirement. I would also imagine that not having said forms on hand (or at least being able to receive new forms via fax or other method within the hour) must either be a violation or border on it.

Also, the legal document sheds more light on Hedum's injury-related absences. It appears that she contacted the store manager and explained the need for light duty, even describing her doctor's restrictions. When the manager informed her that no position was available that would meet those requirements, Hedum did the only thing she could: She informed the manager immediately that she would be unable to return to work until her doctor changed her restrictions. The manager's choice to hold those absences against Hedum and terminate her employment because of them is against the labor laws of the two states I have lived in (Pennsylvania and New York). I cannot imagine the labor laws in Oregon view the matter any differently.

It will be curious to see how Starbucks chooses to handle this matter. Based on the description that the legal complain gives of Starbucks, it sounds like the corporate office is on the hook for the lawsuit. If that's the case, I suspect that they will probably look for a way to settle out of court. It not only would be the right thing to do, but it would probably save Starbucks from an even bigger blackeye in terms of publicity.

Of course, to me, the bigger question is this: Will store manager Anna Hickey have a job when the dust settles? And if she remains, how will corporate impress upon her the importance that she never pulls a stunt like this again?

I recently discovered Seething Mom's blog. I've enjoyed reading her thoughts, and particularly loved her testimony concerning how she found out her son was gay because of an essay he had written two years earlier. Their stories, both as individuals and as a family, are moving and easy to identify with.

However, this entry is actually inspired by another post Seething Mom wrote, this one about her reaction to hearing Rush Limbaugh point out that a test to determine if an unborn baby was gay might lead parents to have an abortion. Her reaction was quite powerful, heartfelt, and completely understandable. Indeed, the very idea fills me with similar feelings. I've even also considered that even many parents who choose to have the child might take this knowledge as an opportunity to get their child into reparative therapy as soon as possible to overcome their natural sexual orientation, a possibility that I find equally disturbing.

But as I thought about testing fetuses for sexual orientation, I considered a more hopeful possibility, too. I think it stems from spending the last ten (nearly eleven now) years thinking about the difficulties I went through when coming to terms with my sexual orientation and realizing how much of those difficulties were unnecessary, if only I or others around me had made different choices. Because of those thoughts, I find myself thinking of what a parent who is both loving and supportive could accomplish if they knew right from the start that their child would be gay. I find myself thinking of how they could prepare for those challenges that might come up, or even find ways to get around them.

I think of my own experiences when I first started learning about sex. In the time and place I grew up, there was no talk of including "alternative lifestyles" in the sex education curriculum. Sex education consisted of explaining the mechanice of vaginal intercourse and the process of sexual reproduction. That was it. So those of us who were gay were left out in the cold, wondering what we were supposed to do. Indeed, we had to first even learn that there was such a thing as being gay before we could even find out what it meant or what to do about it. Instead, we were left wondering what was wrong with us and why were weren't "normal," like the rest of our classmates.

This is the reason why some schools are updating their curriculum (or why some individuals and groups are trying to convince schools to do so) to at least mention about the other possibilities. But imagine if a child's parent already knows their child will need to know about those alternatives? I can envision a conversation that goes something like this:

Johnny: We talked about sex in school today.

Mom: Really? What did they tell you?

Johnny: Well, they talked about how a boy sticks, well you know, into a girl to make a baby.

Mom: I see. And what do you think of that?

Johnny: Well, I don't know....

Mom: It didn't seem right to you, did it?

Johnny: Well, I don't know. I just can't imagine doing that. I mean, all the other guys seemed to be fascinated by it. But it seemed weird to me, like I wouldn't want to do it.

Mom: Well, you know, not everyone likes that kind of sex.

Johnny: Really?

Mom: Really. Not all guys like to be with a woman. In fact, I think we need to talk more about this. There's something I've been waiting to talk with you about...

Imagine the months or years of confusion and inner turmoil Johnny's mother could spare him. Imagine how well equipped she would be to deal with those times when Johnny's peers teased him for being gay. Rather than wondering why Johnny's having such a hard time in school because he won't tell her what's really going on, her knowledge can prepare her so that already she has a good idea of what might be going on.

The possibilities of how a loving and supportive parent could make a gay child's life that much easier simply by knowing about their child's sexual orientation ahead of time are endless. And while I certainly wouldn't change a thing about my past, even to go back and make them easier (after all, they made me the person I am today), I'm all for making the next kid's journey through the coming out process easier than mine was.

The Human Canvas, an art show directed by Rochester resident Rebecca Coleman and sponsored by Naturist Rochester, took the stage at the Visual Studies Workshop on Sunday, January 21, at 2:00 pm. The show derived its name from the fact that the artwork was painted onto the bodies of seven models by Coleman and a fellow artist who wishes to remain anonymous. The designs ranged from the amorphous and swirling patterns that were painted on the models representing Fire (Cinnamea Sweet) and Water (Joe Piazza), to the intricately detailed patterns that were painted onto Mother Earth (Ginger Wilbert) and Death (Grace Kellie).

The painting was performed in stages, and each model traversed the length of the catwalk after each stage was painted, allowing audience members to view the work as it progressed. Performance art was also incorporated into the show, as each model not only worked to portray the life event or elemental force they represented, but also interacted with the Man (David Burmingham) as the show progressed.

Unlike all other models, the artwork for Man was not painted in stages. This artwork had been completed prior to the beginning of the show, allowing it to be far more detailed and complex. Instead, Man entered into the show clothed and the underlying patterns were revealed in parts as the other models removed parts of his attire throughout the show.

The show moved at a smooth and captivating pace, a tribute to the artist’s talent, as they worked hard to paint each new stage of artistic development quickly enough to keep the show moving. The length of time each model spent traversing the catwalk gave the audience plenty of time to appreciate the patterns while keeping the show moving along. Music, mostly dominated by powerful rhythms and percussion instruments, added to the primal nature the show was designed to convey and helped draw those watching into the experience.

When the final stage of the progression had been completed, the house lights were brought up and Coleman announced each model’s name and presented them with a bouquet. As each model accepted their bouquet, they then made one final traversal of the catwalk, giving everyone an opportunity to see the artwork more clearly under bright lighting conditions.

Models not already mentioned were Birth (Rhoda Brown) and Metal (Micha Callan).

I've been keeping a copy of Harald's Story in a Word document. Tonight, I printed out a copy of it so I could share it with a couple of local friends. I'm amazed at how long it's getting. It already spilled onto page eighteen, and the hero and his associates haven't even set sail yet.

Of course, I also have to admit that I'm a bit nervous. I have no only the vaguest idea of how the story is going to proceed once Harald and company set sail. So I currently feel like I'm glibly writing my way off the edge of a cliff, so to speak. But I do take some comfort in the knowledge that when I originally started thinking about the story, I only had the first couple scenes planned and a very basic premise for the rest of the story. And since I've started writing, I've already developed that kernel into the seven "chapters" I've written so far, and I have a good grasp of the contents of at least three more chapters. So hopefully, the rest will come as I progress just like the current material has slowly developed.

But more importantly, I've rediscovered my love of writing fiction. I haven't felt this excited about a story I was working on since I tried to work on the series of stories surrounding my characters Keylar and Amira. That was back just before Zech and I broke up (the break up that influenced my choice to abandon that story). Here I am, eight years later, and I'm feeling quite accomplished. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually be able to "rediscover" Keylar's story and return to it. I've always felt sad that I could never get myself back to a point where I could continue it. But in the meantime, I'm happy with my current project. Here's to hoping things continue to go in such a positive direction.

Bill Carrico, a state legislator in Virginia, has introduced HJ724, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that is designed to protect religious freedom, particular one's right to express religious those religious views or participate in religious activity on public property. The exact paragraph that would be added to Section 16 of Article 1 is as follows:

To secure further the people's right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience, neither the Commonwealth nor its political subdivisions shall establish any official religion, but the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including public schools, shall not be infringed.

Now personally, I don't care if this resolution ultimately passes or not. However, it does strike me as needless and repetitive, which is apparently the same criticism the ACLU made of this legislation when it was originally introduced in 2005, according to the Galax Gazette. Truth be told, there is already legislation to uphold individual's rights to participate in non-mandatory religious activity on public property. This right has been backed up in several court cases, as well. As such, one must wonder what good adding yet another piece of legislation to protect an already-protected right will do.

Of course, one must wonder about Carrico's reasons for reintroducing this bill, and whether it will accomplish what he proposes. Carrico explained the need for the bill to the Galax Gazette as follows:

The amendment is needed to stem challenges against things like the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance and "in God we trust" on U.S. currency, Carrico said of his renewed efforts.

Now personally, I find the argument over the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency to be rather silly. But I want to specifically look at the matter of the pledge. The challenge to the pledge that I have seen is that students in some schools are expected to recite the pledge every morning. Some people, particularly atheists, have objected to this practice, as it requires them or their children to recite a pledge which currently includes a phrase affirming a certain belief aboout not a Supreme Being's existence, but said Being's relationship with reguards to our country. The challenge is that being required to say this pledge forces students to verbally endorse a particular religious belief -- or even any religious belief.

This is where Carrico's proposed amendment will not sufficiently address that challenge. Notice the last statement in the resolution's summary:

The current constitutional provision parallels the federal free exercise and establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution and provides for the free exercise of religion "according to the dictates of conscience" and prohibits the General Assembly from compelling persons to participate in religious activity.

Noticed the italicized portion. No part of the resolution proposes to change that prohibition. So if requiring a student to say the pledge requires them to affirm a particular belief -- or any belief at all -- then such a requirement can still be challenged as unconstitutional. So Carrico's resolution is not only needlessly redundant, but doesn't even have the effect he intends. One might find oneself wondering what the point is, then.

Of course, to me, I find myself wondering if Virginians have considered that they are yet again opening a Pandora's box. After all, it was only this past December that numerous Christians become upset when they realized that Liberty Counsel opened the door to allow Pagans to distribute invitations to their Yule festivities through the Albemarl County school system's "backpack mail" when they championed the cause of Gabriel and Joshua Rakoski's desire to use the same flier distribution system earlier in the year. I find myself wondering if Carrico has had the foresight to advise his Christian supporters that his amendment will similarly strengthen the (already well defensible) cause of any Wiccan students who wish to hold ritual on school property outside of school hours. After all, it would be quite embarassing for Christians to realize this too late and cry foul after the fact once again.

At some point in the last twenty four hours, one of my favorite liberal Christian bloggers made an update to a post he made about claims that the National Park Service staff were prohibited from giving an answer about the Grand Canyon's age. This claim was made based on a statement issued by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, aka PEER. Bob's update was to let everyone know that these claims appear to be unfounded and to apologize for being duped. He also provided a link to a lengthy explanation and retraction posted by Skeptic Magazine, who had also been duped by the story.

This is a clear case where some relatively simple fact checking (namely calling the National Park Services and asking whoever answers the phone whether they could comment on the age of the grand canyon) could have saved both Bob and the folks at Skeptic Magazine the trouble of wiping a considerable amount of egg off their face. Both parties admit this. But I don't wish to be critical of them, as I can completely empathize with their position. Truth be told, this could have happened to me as easily as it happened to them. I've been known to trust sources without much fact checking as well, and I certainly don't want Bob or the folks at Skeptic Magazine pointing their fingers at me and laughing should our roles ever be reversed.

Instead, I want to focus on the frightening (to me, at least) reality that this could happen to anyone. It's easy to spread information simply because a source we trusted had an off day or otherwise got their information wrong. Perhaps their source was incorrect. After all, misinformation can get spread even when there's no deceitful intent on anyone's part. I'm reminded of Bogaert's statistical study that I blogged about back in August as a prime example of that. An aquaintance had blogged about an LA Times article on the topic. After searching for the original study and reading it, I concluded that the newspaper article was somewhat misleading about the conclusions of the study. Granted, that writer hadn't gone as far as repeating blogus claims, but I feel it's still an issue.

So I find myself wondering what level of responsibility I, both as a conscientious individual and a blogger, need to take on when it comes to verifying my sources? The ultimate solution would obviously involve me checking every fact for myself as directly as possible. Unfortunately, I'm not a paid journalist. I have another full time job. And even my free time is split between multiple projects. So while the ultimate solution is attractive, it's simply not feasible. So what would be a more reasonable solution?

Another obvious albeit vague solution would be to only use reliable sources. But how does one determine what sources are reliable? And don't even reliable sources make mistakes? (I suspect Skeptics Magazine and any other journalistic group whose had to publish a correction or retraction would answer that question with a resounding "yes.")

I don't think I have an answer to my questions. I'm not sure anyone does. (Though I'm more than willing to listen to them if they do). But I suspect I will struggle with those questions for some time now.

Back around Christmas, I read a blog entry by Mark in which he describes the difference between magic and miracle. While he was mainly investigating the topic while examining literature, particularly Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, it got me to thinking about the nature of magic as I understand it. This line of thought was further stimulated this past week while working on my Review of the movie, "The Covenant." As a result I've decided to start a small series of posts on various concepts I consider important to the practice of magic.

For those who find this and any future entries while searching for spells or practical advice on casting spells, I must inform you that you will be severely disappointed. This is not my intent, as I generally do not believe that a public blog (or most other forms of Internet communication, for that matter) is an appropriate medium for disseminating that kind of information. Instead, this and future posts will be theoretical in nature, covering concepts whose understanding will, in my opinion, at least, enhance a witch's ability to ply her magical craft.

The first important concept to understand is that creation is not a "done deal." While many religious traditions teach that God or some other Divine Source created the universe like a "master clockmaker" who assembled everything and wound everything up enough to last for the rest of its existence, a witch understands that the creative forces are still in progress. They see the universe not so much as a mechanical wind-up toy, but as a living thing that has a more organic life. Under such a paradigm, both creation and desctruction are ongoing activities. In Norse mythology, this is represented by Yggdrasil, the world tree which holds up the nine realms. This tree is constantly being nourished so that it grows. That growth is then controlled by the harts which feast on its leaves and the wyrms that gnaw at its roots.

Norse mythology further corroborates that the creation process was not a "one time deal," at least indirectly, when you consider that there is not a single creation myth in the lore, but a series of stories describing different aspects of creation. In one tale you have the uncovering of Ymir and Audhumla when the fires of Muspelheim and icy waters of Nifleheim combine, while in another tale, you have the creation of man and woman from trees by Odin and his brothers. (Indeed, one might go so far to ask who or what created the trees that were turned to human and when they were created.) This all suggests that the universe unfolded over a period of time.

More importantly, it suggests that there were a great number of players in the creation process. Creation was not done by a single Supreme Being all at once, but was a process where many forces and beings built upon one another's part of the process. This brings us to the next part of the creation concept: We are participants in the process of creation as well as part of the outcome.

To underscore this concept, I again draw upon Norse mythology. As I mentioned earlier, Yggdrasil is nourished daily. The task of providing this nourishment is left to three giant maidens known as the Norns. These Norns are the embodiment of the Norse concept of wyrd, which can be roughly described as a hybrid of the more familiar concepts of fate and karma. (This is naturally an oversimplification, but a more careful examination of wyrd deserves its own post, which I hope to offer at a later date.) Upon applying this understanding to the myth, the symbolism becomes clear: The universe itself is propagated and nourished by the actions of all who are a part of it. In effect, the universe and its constituant parts, through their actions, guide its own own development and the creative process that is unfolding.

Magical work involves understanding this basic principle and applying it by acting in ways to influence the continuing process of creation in specific ways. Or as Crowley put it, it's a matter of "effecting change in accordance with will."

An understanding of creation as an ongoing process addresses one of the issues inherent in Mark's characterization of magic. Under a paradigm in which creation is a completed process performed long ago by a single Creator, it's hard not to see any attempt to alter that creation as a "twisting" of said creation. Furthermore, it's inevitable that one sees that "twisting" as a purely negative and evil thing. The perfect clock cannot be enhanced, and therefore any changes are obviously bad.

An organic understanding of a universe that is still going through the creation process, however, allows for a universe that can be changed both for the better and for the worse. In such a system, especially a system which recognizes every individual as a co-creator anyway, influencing the process becomes natural and understandable. The question of whether said influence is negative or positive becomes a matter of further ethical consideration.

Seeing as I'm still only working part time, I had today off. One of the things I did to pass some of my day off was to watch the copy of The Covenant that I had rented. It was an interesting movie, and I mostly enjoyed it. I'm certainly glad that I did not waste the money to see it in the theater, however. It would not have been worth the extra expenditure.

The basic premise of the movie was actually quite good, and the special effects were about what you'd expect in such a supernatural thriller. (Though to be honest, I'm not sure it deserves that designation.) There were certain plot elements that were rather noteworthy, such as the idea of one person being able to will their power to another with the caveat that doing so would mean death for the one giving up their power. Unfortunately, these concepts were underdeveloped in many cases. Also, the concept of a darkling was introduced, but never sufficiently explained. Indeed the appearances of the darkling in the movie served little purpose, other than providing a convenient way to let the main characters know someone was "using."

The other poorly emphasized plot element was at the end where Caleb's mother visits her aged and dying husband. As a result of that meeting, Caleb's father wills his power to the younger man, enabling him to defeat Chase. Such a sacrifice deserved much more attention than the brief blip in the final battle.

Of course, like any good thriller, they left the obligatory opening for a sequel. In the end, no sign of Chase was never found, leaving the characters and moviegoers alike to wonder whether the power-mad youth was truly gone or merely biding his time for another attempt at his goal. To be hoenst, I think that such a movie that shut all the doors on the possibility of a future sequel would be a refreshing change of pace.

When this movie originally came out, several friends in the Pagan community expressed their concern about it. They were concerned that this movie would create an insurge of youths with warped ideas of what real magic and Pagan spirituality was about looking to form "covenants" and gain the kinds of power wielded by the characters in this movie. And this concern is not unfounded. After all, I've fielded my own share of requests for spells to change one's hair color or eye color from girls who had recently watched The Craft.

However, I think that the life-threatening aspect of "the power" in this movie might mitigate the tendency for boys and young men looking for the fast path to power after watching this movie. After all, I don't know of many youths who are prepared to sacrifice their youth, let alone their lives, in the pursuit of power. So as long as said youths don't try to separate that aspect of the movie's premise from the rest, I'm hopeful that we won't see an upsurge of "Covenant wannabes" in the near future. Indeed, in some ways, I'm thankful that Hollywood imposed some "price" on these characters in exchange for their powers, as I'm tired of magic being presented as a "get everyhing for nothing" ventures.

Personally, I think the bigger concern is that too many people will take the cautionary message in this movie too much to heart. I can see this movie reinforcing popular images of magic and the occult arts involving some sort of pact in which a person gives up their lives, youth, soul, or other "thing of value" for power. Unfortunately, this notion is no more realistic than the "something for nothing" concept expressed by other movies.

Of course, the underlying problem behind both concerns is the simple mater that we no longer require our youths to develop the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction, espcially when that fiction is presented to them via a large screen and surround sound.

Over this past weekend, I decided to buy and read a copy of The Saga of the Volsungs. It was a relatively easy read, at only about 109 pages (with 20 of those pages being part of the translator's introduction). I got through it in a couple of days -- and it only took me that long because I was taking my time and taking breaks in between reading.

One of the first things that struck me is just how many themes it has in common with Tolkein's books. The most notable one was the "broken sword reforged" motiff. In the saga, Sigmund's sword (gifted to him by none other than Odin) is broken during the battle in which he falls. The fragments of the sword are then rescued from the battlefield by his wife, who later gives them to their son, Sigurd, so that he can have a new sword forged from them. This new sword is even stronger, and eventually enables Sigurd to kill the dragon, Fafnir. As I read the story, I couldn't help but think of Aragorn's sword the entire time. Of course, Tolkein's tale lacks the whole part of the story where Regin tries unsuccessfully to forge Sigurd a satisfactory blade before the hero asks his mother for the fragments of his father's sword.

The other thing I noted was how the gods and feats of magic were flawlessly weaved into the first half of the saga. Odin makes several appearances, both helping various heros and bringing about the doom of one (Sigmund). sadly, the fact that this saga is about warriors pretty much guarantees a strong presence of Odin rather than appearances of Vanic deities, but enough of my biases. I can at least take comfort in the fact that the mention of the she-wolf who kills Sigmund's brothers being a shape-shifted witch probably shows some Vanic influences in the tale, even if poorly aspected. It made for a rather interesting read.

Reading the saga also reaffirmed just how family-oriented ancient Scandinavian society really was. Seeing how each family was left to seek justice -- or more accurately, vengeance -- for the wrongs done against their kin demonstrated the lack of central authority that historical commentaries can only describe in bland words. Of course, it also demonstrates just how treacherous individuals living in such a society truly can be.

The other thing I noted is that the ancient saga writers were not exactly verbose or descriptive in their tales. Actions are described matter-of-factly, and little attention is given to scenic details, if any attention is given at all. As such, the reading tends to be on the bland side, and doesn't spark the imagination as much as one might hope. But it was well worth reading, for cultural/religious reasons.

According to one Amazon reviewer, another translator has published a copy of this saga with the Icelandic and their translation side-by-side. I may have to see if I can find a copy. It didn't come up on Amazon, unfortunately.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my family suffered a tragedy during the time that my blog was offline. During the early afternoon of December 31, 2006, my Aunt Betty and Uncle Fred were killed in an automobile accident just a few miles from their home in Virginia. The Washington Post has an article which describes the details of the accident fairly well. Since the article was written, I believe that the two surviving victims of the collision (the driver of the van and her 5 year old daughter) have been released from the hospital. The woman, however, did lose a leg.

The whole experience was indescribable. My family first found out about the accident that afternoon when my father's sister, Jennifer, called from York. Apparently, Uncle Fred's daughter, Faith, called her. When Aunt Jennifer got through, she was hysterical. In fact, my mother had to ask her a couple of times who was calling because she couldn't recognize Aunt Jennifer's voice. During that call, we found out that Aunt Betty had died, but Uncle Fred's status was still unknown. Aunt Jennifer called back about an hour later with the rest of the bad news.

Much of the rest of the night was spent relaying details to other members in my father's family, as well as fielding calls from concerned friends who wanted to offer their condolences. we did manage to keep our standard New Year's Eve tradition of getting friends and family together to play cards and eat snacks. And a good time was had by all, even with the underlying sadness and frequent phone interruptions.

One of the things that really struck me was how various people in my family chose to deal with the grieving process. Most notable was my aunt, Marlene, who went into overdrive in her role as the unofficial family historian. She spent much of Sunday and Monday trying to get as much information about Uncle Fred and Aunt Betty and their lives (including the details of Uncle Fred's military service) and writing it all down. You'd have sworn that if she didn't get it all in order right then, the information would be lost forever. But it kept her busy and allowed her to keep them alive in her heart and honor them in her own way.

To be honest, I'm not sure how I've dealt with this loss. I think that writing this blog entry is my way of grieving, in many ways. After all, the best way I can honor my aunt and uncle is to share them with the rest of the world. I just wish I had more memories to share.

One thing that I found surprising is how much it bothered me to not be able to attend the funeral services. Due to being out of work so much, I felt I couldn't afford to give up the hours I was scheduled to work last week. And as the funeral was down in Virginia, I would've had to called off the entire week. And while my boss certainly would have understood if I chose to do so, I doubt my debtors would've been so understanding when I had no money to pay them.

Normally, I don't think much of funeral services. I think they're horribly long and dreadfully dull. And I certainly don't think I get a lot out of them, personally. I'd rather take care of my own grieving and even my own goodbyes (as when I visited my grandfather's grave the weekend after his funeral) more privately. But I realize now that the one thing I do like about attending funerals of loved ones is the communal aspect. While it may not be how I express my grief best, I do like being with my loved ones as they grieve, too.

Uncle Fred and Aunt Betty, you will be missed. May your souls find peace and comfort until they return to this world anew.

I'm pleased to announce that this blog is now back online. I'd like to apologize to my readers for the lengthy delay. The original plan was to move to a new hosting service over the weekend before New Year's Day and be back up in time to celebrate 2007. Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men...

Originally I had everything downloaded from my previous service by December 28. So on December 29, I contacted the new service I had decided to go with. I had some experience with their services, as they currently hose the website for Paths of the Old Ways, and a friend had nothing but wonderful things to say about them. Unfortunately, my experiences were radically different. Let's just say that despite charging my credit card for a two year subscription on December 29, they had not provided me with the details to log into my account and upload my site when I called and demanded a refund this morning. And this was in spite of the fact that I contacted them several times via email and phone to get this information. Each time I talked to them, i was assured that the matter would be taken care of "immediately," only to be forgotten immediately instead.

Fortunately, I spent today finding a much more attentive and responsive company to host this blog and my other sites. Indeed, despite the fact that I only signed on with them today, they've worked with me to get everything set up in under eight hours. So to my new hosting service, I say, "Thank you and may the gods smile upon you always."

Beyond that, I hope everyone had a pleasant New Year. Mine was okay, though somewhat darkened by a family tragedy. But I'll go into more details about that in an upcoming entry.