What's on my current plate, you ask...

Basking in the glow of the awesome lunar eclipse I witnessed on Wednesday.
Still proofreading Cairnwood, prettying it up for its May publication.
Trying to come up with marketing stategies for Cairnwood once it is released.
Trying to write three stories at once...while at work...with the phones constantly ringing...
Trying to get Knightshade Studios back up and running.
Longing for a good night's sleep, something that I've not seen since the birth of Connor.
Serving the lord and master every moment that I'm not at work (and loving every minute of it).

Most importantly, trying to find quality time with my wife.

Witches Pardoned in Scotland

Picked this up off the AP:

Dozens of "witches" executed in a Scottish town more than 400 years ago are to be pardoned to mark Halloween. Descendants and namesakes of the 81 people executed are expected to attend Sunday's ceremony. More than 3,500 Scots, mainly women, were executed during the Reformation, for crimes such as owning a black cat and brewing up home-made remedies. The atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion reached its peak under the rule of King James VI - later King James I of England. On Sunday evening, 81 pardons, secured in the Prestoungrange Baronial Court on 27 July this year, will be publicly declared and a wreath laid at a specially-commissioned plaque. Local historian Roy Pugh, who helped secure the pardons by presenting evidence to the court, will make the declaration in what he described as a "simple and solemn" ceremony. He said: "It will recognise the crimes that were perpetrated against these people. "It's too late to apologise but it's a sort of symbolic recognition that these people were put to death for hysterical ignorance and paranoia." Dr Gordon Prestoungrange, the 14th Baron, decided to convene his court to consider the pardon before it was abolished on 28 November under legislation passed by MSPs in 2000 to end Scotland's feudal system. The court also ruled that there should be an annual ceremony, including re-enactments of the "tragic events", in the town. 'Kangaroo courts' Mr Pugh's book, The Deil's Ain, caused controversy in 2001 for its strong criticism of the role played by the Church of Scotland in persecuting supposed witches. He said many of the accused were tried without defence lawyers by "kangaroo courts" - chaired by local lairds with no legal training and assisted by the Kirk. Adele Conn, the Montjoye of the court - the ancient equivalent of a marketing manager - said the pardons were for the convictions under the Witchcraft Act 1735, although only the monarch could pardon them of treason. She said: "A lot of local people are intrigued by what we are doing, so we hope to get a good turnout on Sunday. "There were some concerns that we've got the ceremony on Halloween but we couldn't have a witches remembrance in the middle of March. "People associate Halloween with witches and the ceremony will not be flippant. "It has a serious purpose, we're respecting these unfortunate individuals." One of the area's most notorious episodes was the North Berwick witch-hunt in which Agnes Sampson confessed under torture to leading a coven responsible for a storm allegedly intended to sink King James VI's ship as he returned from Denmark with his fiancée, Anne.

Newsflash!!! Long Lost Ed Wood Film Found!!!

Long-lost final Ed Wood film found
Wednesday, October 27, 2004 Posted: 9:44 AM EDT (1344 GMT)

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Considered the worst filmmaker of all time, Ed Wood won a cult following after his death and now fans can see his long-lost last film "Necromania," a work some say shows he was so bad that he was brilliant.
But it's not for the faint-hearted. The 1971 movie is a porn film documenting the sexual enlightenment of a young couple at the hands of a coven of witches.
The much maligned creator of enduring cult classics such as "Bride of the Monster," Wood was himself the subject of Tim Burton's 1994 biopic, the lead role played by Johnny Depp.
That film shows the making of Wood's most famous film -- "Plan 9 From Outer Space" from 1959 -- in which actors screw up their lines and "special effects" include pie tins for flying saucers.
"Necromania" -- the last film Wood directed -- was filmed over two or three days with a budget of no more than $7,000 and the only copies went missing soon after it was made. The movie tells the story of Danny and Shirley, a young couple who visit the mysterious Madame Heles for help with their flagging sex life. The lessons they are taught involve skulls, spells and sex in a coffin.
Rudolph Grey, author of a biography of the director, and a fellow Ed Wood enthusiast, movie distributor Alexander Kogan, unearthed "Necromania" in a warehouse in Los Angeles after more than 15 years of detective work.
A year ago they contacted the editors of a pornography Web site called Fleshbot, which this week will start selling the DVD by mail order for $19.99.
"I knew of its existence since about 1982 and it intrigued me because it was supposedly one of the last feature movies that Ed Wood did, so naturally I wanted to see it," said Grey.
At one point Grey and Kogan were frustrated to be told the only person who might know the film's whereabouts was in jail -- as a result of a porn bust in Florida.
They waited until he got out and resumed the search, striking gold in 2001.
'Pure genius'
"This is something more than just porn," said Fredrik Carlstrom, executive producer of the DVD featuring two versions of the film, one soft-core, the other more explicit.
"This is an old film. It's in the '70s, they're hairy, they don't look the way we are used to now," Carlstrom said.
"It has a story, it has ambition. ... It's like all his films, like anything that's so bad it becomes good. Or maybe it's pure genius. That's the appeal of Ed Wood."
Struggling to find backers for more mainstream work, Wood turned to smut in the 1960s, making a string of films and "loops" -- short porn flicks shown in coin-operated booths -- up until his death in 1978.
Grey, author of the biography "Nightmare of Ecstasy," said those who dismiss him as naive and talentless are plain wrong.
"These movies seem to exist in another plane of existence where nobody pays any attention to them whatsoever, and that must have been frustrating to Ed Wood," Grey said.
He says "Necromania" displays Wood's wit and style and he points to a scene where the main character Danny is struggling to untangle a pair of red pajama bottoms to put them on.
"The guy's fumbling for about 15 seconds and he's starting to laugh -- the actor, he can't get the pajama bottoms on and he's laughing," Grey says. "He could have cut that out but Ed Wood left that in intentionally. He was having some fun."

Farewell and Godspeed

My sympathies go out to Doug Gentry and Laurell Hamilton on the passing of their Uncle. May his journey to the Summerland be accompanied by joyous rememberance.

For a bit of fun: Gardnerian Halloween Ritual

In my continued honoring of Halloween/Samhain, what follows is the Samhain Rite as writ in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, circa 1949:

Walk or slow dance, Magus leading High Priestess, both carrying Phallic wand or broom, people with torches or candles.
Witch chant or song: "Eko, eko, Azarak Eko, eko, Zomelak Bazabi lacha bachabe Lamac cahi achababe Karrellyos Lamac lamac Bachalyas cabahagy sabalyos Baryolos Lagoz atha cabyolas Samahac atha famolas Hurrahya!"
Form circle.
High Priestess assumes Goddess position.
Magus gives her Fivefold Kiss and is scourged.
All are purified [that is, bound and scourged with forty strokes, as in the initiation rituals].
Magus assumes God position.
High Priestess invokes with Athame: "Dread Lord of the shadows, god of life and the giver of life. Yet is the knowledge of thee the knowledge of death. Open wide, I pray thee, thy gates through which all must pass. Let our dear ones who have gone before, return this night to make merry with us. And when our time comes, as it must, O thou the comforter, the consoler, the giver of peace and rest, we will enter thy realms gladly and unafraid, for we know that when rested and refreshed among our dear ones, we shall be born again by thy grace and the grace of the Great Mother. Let it be in the same place and the same time as our beloved ones, and may we meet and know, and love them again. Descend, we pray thee, upon thy servant and Priest (name)."
High Priestess gives Fivefold Kiss to Magus.
Initiations if any; all others are purified.
(Note: Couples may purify each other if they will.)
Cakes and Wine.
The Great Rite if possible, either in token or truly.
Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] feast and dance.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

I have always had a fascination with the figure of Mary Magdalene. She, of all the characters in the four gospels, spoke to me for some reason. Maybe it was because as a child I was told that she was a repentant whore? She never came off that way to me and I always wondered how the ministers of my upbringing were making this connection? Did they have a "teachers version" of the Bible? You know, the one with the answers in it.

No.

They were just perpetuating the lie.

For your edification, here are some interesting quotes concerning the Magdalena:

"Mary Magdalene was the redeemed sinner who was the first to see Christ after his Resurrection. Through her redemption from sin and her unique knowledge of the Risen Christ, she was regarded by the occult initiates of the Middle Ages as a medium of secret revelation. Those initiates had chosen the planet Venus as her symbol in the cosmos."
- Henry Lincoln, The Holy Place

"...Long ago her name was ISIS, Queen of the benevolent springs, COME TO ME ALL YOU WHO LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Others knew her as MAGDALENE with the celebrated vase full of healing balm. The initiated know her to be NOTRE DAME DES CROSS."
- Le Serpent Rouge

"Mary Magdalene had her surname of Magdala, a castle, and was born of right noble lineage and parents, which were descended of the lineage of kings. And her father was named Cyrus, and her mother Eucharis. She with her brother Lazarus, and her sister Martha, possessed the castle of Magdalo, which is two miles from Nazareth, and Bethany, the castle which is nigh to Jerusalem, and also a great part of Jerusalem, which, all these things they departed among them."
- Legenda Aurea (published in Genoa in 1275)

"In fact, she was also high priestess of the Temple of Ishtar at Magdala, and as such she would have been the keeper of the doves. Furthermore, she was a Benjamite, the tribe which was ostracized because they were of the line of Cain. So too was Hiram Abiff, architect of the Temple of Solomon."
- David Wood, Genisis

"In popular Christian tradition she [Mary Magdalene] is a prostitute who finds redemption by apprenticing herself to Jesus. And she figures most noticeably in the Fourth Gospel, where she is the first person to behold Jesus after the Resurrection. In consequence she is extolled as a saint, especially in France - where, according to medieval legends, she is said to have brought the Holy Grail."
- Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

"The idea that Mary [Jesus' mother] had been an adultress never completely disappeared in Christian mythology. Instead, the character of Mary was split into two: Mary the mother of Jesus, believed to be a virgin, and Mary Magdalene, believed to be a woman of ill repute. The idea that the character of Mary Magdalene is also derived from Miriam the mythical mother of Yeishu, is corroborated by the fact that the strange name 'Magdalene' clearly resembles the Aramaic term mgadla nshaya meaning 'womens' hairdresser'....There was a belief that Yeishu's mother was 'Miriam the women's hairdresser'. Because the Christians did not know what the name 'Magdalene' meant, they later conjectured that it meant that she had come from a place called Magdala on the west of Lake Kinneret. The idea of the two Marys fitted in well with the pagan way of thinking. The image of Jesus being followed by the two Marys is strongly reminiscent of Dionysus being followed by Demeter and Persephone."
- Hayyim ben Yehoshua, "Refuting Missionaries, Part 1: The Myth of the Historical Jesus"

"...The Magdalene is not, at any point in any of the Gospels, said to be a prostitute. When she is first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, she is described as a woman 'out of whom went seven devils'. It is generally assumed that this phrase refers to a species of exorcism on Jesus's part, implying the Magdalene was 'possessed'. But the phrase may equally refer to some sort of conversion and/or ritual initiation. The cult of Ishtar or Astarte - the Mother Goddess and 'Queen of Heaven' - involved, or example, a seven-stage initiation [the seven veils]. Prior to her affiliation with Jesus, the Magdalene may well have been associated with such a cult. Migdal, or Magdala, was the 'Village of Doves', and there is some evidence that sacrificial doves were in fact bred there. And the dove was the sacred symbol of Astarte."
- Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

"As for the Wisdom who is called 'the barren,' she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the Savior is Mary Magdalene. But Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, 'Why do you love her more than all of us?' The Savior answered and said to them, 'Why do I not love you like her?"
- Gospel of Philip

"...The [Gnostic] Gospel of Mary depicts Mary Magdalene (never recognized as an apostle by the orthodox) as the one favored with visions and insight that far surpass Peter's. The Dialogue of the Savior praises her not only as a visionary, but as the apostle who excels all the rest. She is the 'woman who knew the All'."- Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels

Movie Review (Old School): The Dunwich Horror

In the whole range of fantastic literature, H.P. Lovecraft created a new form that is neither pure fantasy nor pure science fiction. He combined a factual and accurate scientific knowledge with its extension to the absolute limit in supernatural bizarrerie. His work defies classification, for it is as much myth as reality -- both lore and legend at their haunting, haunted best, and at the same time science at its most provocative. His tales have been termed the finest weird fantasy ever written, and yet also the most superbly literate science fiction. Lovecraft's work has achieved an honored eminence among the great visionary fiction of the ages precisely because while betraying no trace of the commonplace, his stories are based convincingly in the world of everyday reality, yet lure the mind into the farthest reaches of the imagination, the star-flung spaces of the universe, the cosmic realm of a master mythmaker.

THE DUNWICH HORROR, one of his finest short stories, is done justice here. Lovecraft was a real piece of work and crafted stories that, as a junior high student, required me to sift through with a dictionary readily on hand. He was a master of the English language and had a way of making his very words characters in and of themselves. None of that appears on screen, however, and while the film is dated and suffers from a low budget, the sense of Lovercraftian dread is omnipresent. This is a film that begs to be remade with modern special effects. But that 70's soundtrack is to die for.

The Plot is this:

Two ancient albino women and a fierce-looking bearded man attend at the beside of a young pregnant woman who is in the throes of labor. Her forehead is marked with a cabalistic sign. She is clearly in terrible pain—the labor is not progressing well. However, instead of calling for a doctor, they coax the woman to her feet and walk her out into the night.

Years later, at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts, Professor Henry Armitage (Ed Bagley Sr in his final role) has just concluded a lecture on ancient rites and rituals. He hands a book to two young women, Nancy (the delicious and virginal Sandra Dee) and Elizabeth (Donna Baccala), and asks them to return it to the library for him. It is the Necronomicon, an ancient book filled with arcane secrets. As they are returning the book to its locked case in the library, they are approached by a strangely intense young man who introduces himself as Wilbur Whateley (Dean Stockwell). He asks to see the book for just a few moments, and against the protests of Elizabeth, Nancy agrees to let him take it to the reading room—something about his eyes has convinced her.

Dr. Armitage appears minutes later and is angry at both Wilbur and the girls, declaring the book to be priceless and one of a kind. Wilbur defends himself quietly, stating that there had once been another copy of the book in the country just a few miles away in Dunwich, and that the owner had been none other than his great-grandfather Oliver Whately, who had been hung and burned a century before for the crime of witchcraft. Dr. Armitage is familiar with the name and takes a sudden interest in the young man. The four of them go out for dinner and in the course of the conversation, Wilbur repeatedly asks Dr. Armitage if he can borrow the Necronomicon to study it, a request that Dr. Armitage vehemently denies. The book is too dangerous, he says, and while he does not believe in its purported powers, he does respect it as something not to be handled lightly.

Unfortunately, the evening's conversation has drawn on too long, causing Wilbur to miss the last bus back to Dunwich. Oblivious to what she might be getting herself into, Nancy offers to drive him home. When they arrive at the Whately house, Wilbur invites her in for tea, and too kind to refuse, she takes him up on the offer. What she doesn't know is that while the water for the tea is coming to a boil, Wilbur is busy elsewhere, first disconnecting the distributor to her car and then mixing a powder into her cup. Nancy is fascinated by the bizarre old house she finds herself in, but there is something even stranger here: a gurgling, rushing sound that seems to be coming from behind a locked door—a sound like the wind and the sea...

It's not the best movie ever made and the pacing is odd throughout (not to mention some cheesy special effects), but none the less, this is a popcorn movie and a guilty pleasure that is well worth the hour and a half of time it consumes.

On the bob-o-meter, Dunwich Horror scores a 6.

Re: Laurell K. Hamilton

OK, I've received quite a few emails on this (didn't realize so many people were peeking in) so I thought I would address this en masse.

Yes, I went to high school with Laurell K. Hamilton, she being the class of 1981 whereas I graduated in '84. I met Laurell for the first time at Red Beard Books during the D&D demonstration I mentioned in the previous post. I was invited to join in on their next gaming adventure and did so.

She was bright, funny, and, I might add, attractive...and she played Dungeons and Dragons and read Robert E. Howard!

She and her cousin Doug were close and I have had the pleasure of calling him one of my best friends for more than 20 years. He is on the Knightshade Studios Board of Directors and is currently pencilling issue #4 of Loose Cannons.

I have followed Laurell's career with interest and think that she is a talented writer. I am very proud of her accomplishments and proud to have known her. In truth, I've had very little contact with her since the early 80's, having loss track of her when she quit work at the Marion Waldenbooks, but I do hope to catch up with her the next time she visits home.

I recommend the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series to anyone with an eye for horror veined action/adventure novels. They are a lot of fun.

And no, I can't give you her email or send her a message. You can leave her a message at her weblog at: http://www.eridine.com/blog/

Dungeons and Dragons: 30 Years and Counting

Dungeons and Dragons, the paper-and-dice fantasy role-playing game enjoyed worldwide, turns 30 this year. Gamers across the globe will celebrate Saturday, Oct. 16, with a game day.

Who would have thought this game would go from a fad in the geek subculture to a respected cultural entity in its own right?

The game traces its origins to 1970, when war gamer Dave Arneson created a game with medieval adventurers exploring the dungeons of an old castle. Fellow gamer Gary Gygax played it at a convention and developed a series of supplemental rules to add more fantasy elements, such as dwarves, elves, wizards and monsters. Gygax suggested the two work together and create new rules. The project was called The Fantasy Game. It was published in 1974 under the name Dungeons and Dragons. The entire print run sold out within a year. The following year, TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) Hobbies Inc. was created, publishing not only Dungeons and Dragons, but also various supplements. Over the years, the game spawned new versions, streamlining the original concept.

I began playing in 1978 at the age of 12 and played steadily until the mid-90's. I love the game and credit it with teaching valuable lessons about storytelling. I was introduced to D&D through an article I read in the newspaper inviting people to attend a Dungeons and Dragons gaming session at Red Beard's Books in Marion Indiana. I was captivated. Here I witnessed a demonstration by the Oak Hill Dungeons and Dragons Society as they introduced a world of fantasy and high sorcery that I could enter. The group consisted of kids I knew from school, all 3 to 4 years older than me. I would soon join them and learn the game and it would become a big part of my life for next 15 + years.

Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books, was a member of this group and a skilled Dungeon Master. I have fond memories of her campaigns. I think, like me, she honed her considerable writing talents in those late night gaming sessions.

Congratulations to D&D for having survived 30 years as the premiere role playing game. May it continue its reign long into the future and continue to inspire the young and young at heart.

All Hallow's Eve Fast Approaches

Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. For it was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween.

Samhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer's end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as Oíche Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf, the eve of the winter's calend, or first. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from Oct 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.

In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods in pagan times. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples -- for come November, the faeries would blast every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The endless horizons of summer gave way to a warm, dim and often smoky room; the symphony of summer sounds was replaced by a counterpoint of voices, young and old, human and animal.

In early Ireland, people gathered at the ritual centers of the tribes, for Samhain was the principal calendar feast of the year. The greatest assembly was the 'Feast of Tara,' focusing on the royal seat of the High King as the heart of the sacred land, the point of conception for the new year. In every household throughout the country, hearth-fires were extinguished. All waited for the Druids to light the new fire of the year -- not at Tara, but at Tlachtga, a hill twelve miles to the north-west. It marked the burial-place of Tlachtga, daughter of the great druid Mogh Ruith, who may once have been a goddess in her own right in a former age.
At at all the turning points of the Celtic year, the gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, so many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest. Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire, and at the end of the ceremonies, brands were lit from the great fire of Tara to re-kindle all the home fires of the tribe, as at Beltane. As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come.

The Samhain fires continued to blaze down the centuries. In the 1860s the Halloween bonfires were still so popular in Scotland that one traveler reported seeing thirty fires lighting up the hillsides all on one night, each surrounded by rings of dancing figures, a practice which continued up to the first World War. Young people and servants lit brands from the fire and ran around the fields and hedges of house and farm, while community leaders surrounded parish boundaries with a magic circle of light. Afterwards, ashes from the fires were sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, they also improved the soil. The bonfire provided an island of light within the oncoming tide of winter darkness, keeping away cold, discomfort, and evil spirits long before electricity illumined our nights. When the last flame sank down, it was time to run as fast as you could for home, raising the cry, “The black sow without a tail take the hindmost!”

Happy Birthday Son!

One year ago today my son was born.

Connor Landon Freeman is the living embodiment of all that is right with the world. He is the light in my darkness, the song in my heart. He is my whole world.

I love him so much.

He is bright and funny, sweet and innocent, brave, fearless, and strong. He has a personality and a mind that is all his own, and he is filled with joy and wonderment.

Fitting that he was born on Leif Eriksson Day, for he is curious, and proud, and seeks out answers to the world around him.

I am proud to be his father and I am blessed that he has a good mother. Kim and he have a bond that only a mother and son can share.

Thank you Connor for allowing me to be your father.

I love you.

Happy Birthday, my boy...Happy Birthday.

Hail Connor Landon Freeman!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl

Roger and Alison York are the proud parents of a beautiful little girl named Whitney Lynn, born in the early evening hours of the the 7th.

My own son, who turns 1 tomorrow, will have a playmate! Arranged marriage anyone? :)

I am thrilled for Rog and Ali...Alison and I have been friends for something like 18 years and she is like a sister to me. I love her like family and am overjoyed that she has had another child.

And Tori and Damon get a kid sister too. You two be good to her. There is nothing better than siblings. Help her and nurture her...you guys will have as much of an impact on Whitney as your Mom and Dad...love her and she'll love you back twice as much.

Rog. Alison. I recommend that you both get as much sleep as you can in the next few days, guys, 'cause if Whitney is anything like Connor then you're in for a year of sleepless nights. :)

Hail Whitney Lynn York! Hail the parents who have brought her forth!

Hey Rog, where's my cigar?

October 8 - Erik the Red Day

Erik the Red is probably most known for being the father of Leif Erikson, but there is a lot more to this man than that.

What was so special about Erik?

Besides the passing on of exceptionally fine genes to his sons, he roared through Scandinavia with deeds destined to make his saga a wash of colour and drama. Exiled from land to land for his volatile temper, he had a way of making his neighbours uneasy. This didn't do much for community calm, but it did lead to the settlement of Greenland by the Vikings - and thus set the stage for Leif's spectacular voyage.

Erik was a dedicated follower of Thor. He stayed loyal to his blustery God even when his wife converted to Christianity and wouldn't sleep with him anymore. I don't imagine Erik went without a bedmate - and his wife got a little chapel, built right over the hill where her heathen husband wouldn't have to see it when he looked out of the house.

Let us remember Erik the Red on this day.

Hail Erikr Thorvaldsson! May the wind stay at your back and your blade ever sharp!

Godspeed Gordo!

Wow.

One of my childhood heroes has passed on to the Great Beyond.

Gordon Cooper died today at the age of 77.

As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America's fledgling space program. He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said on the space agency's Web site.

Cooper, an Oklahoma native who entered the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 1945, later became an elite Air Force test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where he became fascinated with the space program.

By April 1959, Cooper was named as one of the Project Mercury astronauts, following grueling physical and mental tests each candidate had to endure. At the news conference naming the future of America's space program, Cooper was joined by Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, M. Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra Jr. and Deke Slayton.

On May 15 and 16, 1963, Cooper piloted the Faith 7 spacecraft on a 22-orbit mission that concluded the operational phase of Project Mercury. A little more than two years later, he would set a new space endurance record, serving as command pilot of the eight-day, 120-revolution Gemini 5 mission, which began August 21, 1965. It was on this flight that he and Charles Conrad traveled a distance of 3,312,993 miles in 190 hours and 56 minutes. Cooper also became the first man to make a second orbital flight.

Later in life, Gordo was a champion of the UFO conspiracy community, believing he in fact witnessed UFO's on one of his orbital missions.

Godspeed Gordo...you will be missed.

Modern Paganism Thoughts continued...

All religions change and evolve over time.

Christianity is a good example of this. By the end of the first century, it had borrowed heavily from Zoroastrianism in terms of the idea of a duality and a battle between light and darkness (Mitra vs Ahriman).

By the fourth century, many popular pagan gods (Thor, Brigid, Cernunnos) had been adopted as Christian Saints (St. Christopher, St. Brigid, St. Korneli). The fundamentalist Protestant version of Christianity practiced so devoutly by "literalists"today has almost nothing to do with the teachings ofJesus (originally Jeshua Ben Josef) and has a lot more to do with the teachings of Paul of Tarses and St. Augustine. Much of what such Christians believe is not even inthe Bible -the varoius mythology that contains their beliefs comes from the Book of Enoch, which was never included in the Scriptures. The King James Bible itself was rewritten to make sure that the bible conformed with the Scottish Kirk.

Most Christians have a hard time dealing with the fact that there was no devil in the original scriptures and that the shadowy figure referred to in modern Bibles was actually the obscure "Tempter" figure from Judaic lore. The devil himself seems to be a medieval amalgamation of Ahriman, Loki, Surtr, Pan and other figures from pagan religions utilized for propaganda purposes by the church. Modern paganism has evolved quite a bit too.

Originally reformed in the forties and fifties by conservative polytheists like Gerald Gardner it has, in some circles, become an almost mindless pantheism practiced by very liberal types who are almost oblivious of the various pre-christian pagan era pantheons of gods in the mistaken belief that ancient folks just believed in a duality of one male and one female diety. Sometimes, when I hear things said by modern neo-pagans, I feel Gardner would be spinning in his grave...

The typical medieval person probably was not aware that there was any difference between the old pagan religion and the new Christian one. You had sacrificed gods who returned to life like Odin and Balder, and would have seemed similar to this new Christ figure. Most common folk of that era were illiterate and did not read the Bible, so to them, Jesus, Mary, and Jehovah would be easy to mistake for Balder, Frigga and Odin, or, if you traveled one island over, Angus Mac Og, Brigid and Dagda.

The Chaos that is Modern Paganism

Modern Paganism and Wicca, have over the last 25 years becomeunfocused in a number of directions and both lack a central theme, ifeither ever had a single focus. Lost is the electricity andexcitement that was evident as recently as the middle 1980's. This may have been a generational rebellion in the form of a renaissanceof the hippie movement 20 years early, or a reaction to thecorporate "me generation" of greed and junk bonds. Lost since that time also has been what they was of a cohesiveness of a single commonbase for all traditions.The older traditions and the more established paths; the Alexandrian, Gardnerian, Welsh and a few other groups have been overwhelmed by an explosion of special interest and special cause groups calling themselves "Wiccans" or "Witches", with their background and tenets not in the least connected with the historical mix of Masonic ritual,Egyptian High Magick, Mystic Theosophy and Kabbalism. Most, if not all traditions originally had some connection with the Order of TheGolden Dawn, if not directly at least in a similarity of practice and ritual.

The confusion in the neo-pagan movement notably the Wiccan traditions and groups of today is not a charge against these traditional groups or covens, or the questioning of their resilience. They have chosen to remain traditional and in many cases to achieve this they must withdraw from the lighter and revisionist views of Paganism and theWicca expansion. It is the explosion of information, misinformation and disinformation available in self-publications and on the Internet that are damaging traditions and weakening the resolve of many people and altering the traditional structure of the older traditions. Newer traditions are promoting and allowing an openness and acceptance of everyone wanting to appear politically correct, whereas older traditional covens,where by invitation only with a selection committee and even membership votes with "blackballing". Now most traditions and groups are so open and bending over backwards to expand membership, that community action groups cannot evenen force the rules of their own charters or ideals at the risk of offending someone. The most traditional groups are not being open,they still exist, but have distanced themselves from the greater number. This is good in the in the respect that they are remaining true and abiding by in their commitments, however the negative side to this is that, this is the time of greatest need for their stewardship. These groups be they; Pagan, Wiccan, Witch or Occult in nature, all face similar criticism if they remain exclusionary and are called aloof or elitist, yet they are the root organizations of all the newer groups. When one of these group opens itself to everyone and reveal their in mysteries and secrets, they are seen as losing both credibility and purpose, and are then criticized for being too accommodating. Some pagan information sources say that paganism and Wicca are two of the fastest growing movements. In America it is second only to Islam in growth. Yet perhaps it is not that there are more people are joining the movement than there was twenty years ago it is more thecase that the umbrella of subgroups under the general label ofpaganism is growing in number and scope. Nor are is the pagan movement of today even similar to the one of that period.

Today there are more diverse groups that are gathering and associating with some form of paganism, and proportional there is an equal number of these groups being wrongly labelled as Wiccans orWitches. With this unparalleled growth, there is a changing and misrepresentation of the ideas and fundamental beliefs of what constitutes a pagan, a wiccan" and a witch. This modification in terms rather than offer an enhancement of quality of what was, is a classic argument of quantity versus quality.The older traditional groups focused on the quality aspect both onthe individual and in a group, both for the solitary practitioners and for group work. This tradition represents a movement against the scattering of direction has allowed many standard pagan and wiccan,and even witchcraft ideas to be diluted by almost every new-age idea, passing fashionable fad or theory of subjects from pre-deluviancultures to UFOS. This dilution seems to be founded and rooted in want to be accommodating of all. Where traditional paganism, back toits Roman roots, Wicca back to Gardener and witchcraft, throughout history in all cultures was standing and representing something distinct. Today it is as if that all the individuals or group are afraid to be different in any real or substantial way. Everyone is altering their standards and opinions to be accommodating to the lowest common denomination as opposed to raising themselves to a higher standard of excellence.

There are two general weaknesses in modern trend of altering tradition Wicca and Witchcraft. The first being that as the number of groups expand and these groups expand their memberships, too many members and adherents of these groups or larger communities have become too introspective and without what could best be described as "an edge". This is common when any movement attempts or begins to move from the fringe towards the mainstream. Yet in paganism, the very essence of the pagan movement itself is to be different, to be radical and to be fringe.This is often reflected in the situation where the majority of the rank and file members feel impotent in dealing with community matters and afraid to voice an opinion that is contrary to the status quo. A great amount of the cause of this problem is that many of the newcomers to whatever group are embraced to quickly. In not wanting to appear to have a hierarchy or have elitist policies, many groups function on the premise that religious groups can function as a democracy. This is rarely a workable situation, as newcomers or recent initiates may feel intimidated by the elders, or they may be simply scared in some cases of those with the actual authority and power, although these individuals will be the first to preach the groups democratic principles.

It is never easy to question the direction of a movement or to see it happening from within. Those who do may feel that if they either offer questions of suggestions or become the voice of a minority they will find themselves at odds with what is often a self-appointed leadership or a leadership based on popularity. Secondly, the other great weakness in much of paganism is the other direction, that of outreach and an extension of being politically attached or becoming politically aligned to what would be on the political spectrum, left of centre causes and the pagan movements adopting of a radicalized politically correct stance to avoid upsetting anyone. Thus shooting themselves in the foot, by virtue of the maxim "if you try and stand for all things, you stand for nothing".

The pagan movement is adapting into a political hypocrisy. On onehand wanting to become more mainstream and hoping to exert some semblance of strength by showing themselves of having or commercial, social or political clout. While on the other hand embracing the political extremes of radical causes, lost causes and what is seen by the mainstream that they so wish to be accepted by, as fringe causes. The idea that of paganism and wicca having a harder leading edge may upset some, those who believe that the path is to be silent and gentle. Part of this silence and gentleness is actively avoiding any centralization, leadership or core that can chart, steer and control the given dynamics of the pagan movement. Unfortunately the world in large part and realistically is not silent and gentle. Those groups without direction and a clearly defined agenda are by-passed, ignored or dismissed. It is that particular mindset against unity and organization that is weakening paganism from within.

It is clear to me that a return to the Folkway is the only hope for survival of the Ancient Gods. The path lies within the Folksoul of our ancestors. We need to build from the family outward. We need to strip away the costumes of SCA and fantasy reenactment and the "Dungeons and Dragons" mentality and send the fluffy-bunnies and the teen witch crowd packing...Let them rebel against their Christian upbringing somewhere else...they are only dragging us down.

For my viewing pleasure...

I do watch television. More than I should, I'm sure. I thought I'd take some time here to point out some of my current favorites...

Reality TV is all the buzz, of course, though I've never gotten wholely sucked into the genre. I am a die-hard Survivor fan and have recently discovered the Surreal Life, which is like a multi-car pileup on the freeway...you just gotta look. I used to be a fan of Trading Spaces, though I have soured on the show of late and don't make it a habit to catch anymore...I guess the cast was a big draw for me and I haven't been taken in by the new designers and craftsmen...oh well.

I am really enjoying both Lost and Desperate Housewives. Lost is very suspenseful and thus far wonderfully acted. What is in the jungle waiting to tear these survivors apart? Enquiring minds want to know. As for Housewives, has anything even remotely this interesting been written for television before? The pilot just blew me and my spouse completely away. Great cast and the writing and direction was superb. I will certainly be back each week to take another peek into this version of Hellish Suburbia.

Smallville is still a show that gets me excited to sit in front of a television set. With superb casting and a familiar mythos, the "boy of steel" has a healthy dose of soap opera and that high octane sci-fi genre action that fuels the blood.

The only other "can't miss" for me this season is an admitedly guilty pleasure. I got hooked on Charmed in syndication and am now caught up to speed and a full-fledged fan of the show. OK, I know its somewhat silly at times, but its fun and harmless entertainment...and since Buffy and Angel have gone to the land of syndicated reruns, well, we fantasy genre junkies must get our fix now, mustn't we...

I still catch a lot on syndication...Star Trek in its various guises, Buffy and Angel, Law and Order, NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, and even ER. Hell, I even forced myself to watch every episode of Dawson's Creek just because they were playing them back to back on the Superstation.

Cartoons aren't what they used to be...I catch Teen Titans and Justice League on occasion, plus reruns of Spider-Man and X-Men on the family channel. I feel sorry for my boy if this doesn't change in the next few years. I remember fondly getting up on Saturday mornings and watching some great cartoons...Flash Gordon, the Lone Ranger, Batman, Tarzan...where have all the good cartoons gone?