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(460) Wed 10 Aug 88 22:51
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part i
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab664
Someone asked about child abuse in the contemporary
churches. This
is what I typed in for another network...
In File 18 many accusations and allegations are made. These
allegations are quasi-legal in nature. I think we need to ask
some
quasi-legal questions in return.
Is there any evidence?
Have there been or are there any current investigations by
local
authorities? Sometimes authorities will say that an
investigation is on
going but won't comment.
Have there been any indictments?
Have their been any arrests?
Have there been any confessions?
Has there been any convictions?
Has there been an sentencing?
Now for some evidence, investigations, indictments, arrests
confessions, convictions, and sentencing... These are highly
abbreviated articles compiled by the Freedom From Religion
Foundation
and reprinted in "Freethought Today". The Freedom From Religion
Foundation has written a book, "Betrayal of Trust, Clergy Abuse
of
Children", that addresses this topic.
Idaho Statesman 4/21/88...
Father Mel Baltazar, notorious for molesting a boy hooked
up to a
kidney dialysis machine at a Napa, Calif. hospital and another
boy in
double-leg traction at a Boise hospital wll be paroled from his
7 year
prison term. A 20-year history of unprosecuted abuse was
unraveled
during his trail in 1984.
No source listed...
Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland claimed, in
writing about
molesting priests, that "Sometimes not all adolescent victims
are so
"innocent"; some can be sexually very active and aggressive and
often
quite street wise."
The Specator 5/9/88 and Amherst Daily News (Novia Scotia)...
A clergy seminar of child sexual abuse and incest at Brock
University, Ontario, Canada, concluded that the church is
implicated in
such abuse. Vince Pinpura, a social worker at St. Catharines
General
Hospital, said 8 of 10 members of an incest counseling group
connected
the church with incest; one was abused by a father who was a
minister... Another woman told of the anguish of being sexually
abused
by her clergy father from the age of two., the congregation
blind to
her pain, and another preacher telling her "just to forgive." A
nun
warned of misusing "bogus spirituality."
In June, a Canadian women's inter-church group released a
study.
Hands to End Violence Against Women, sying male-dominated
churches,
Christian theology and selective interpretation of scripture
are at
least partly to blame for violence against women.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(461) Wed 10 Aug 88 22:53
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part ii
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab6a1
Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88
The clergy is required to report suspected sexual abuse of
children
in only 5 states, Miss., Ore., New Hamp., Conn. and Nev.
However 16
other states implicitly require clergy reporting.
Yet there is no known case of a district attorney
prosecuting a
minsister for failutre to abide by mandatory child abuse
reporting
laws.
Several prosecutors have considered prosecution of
non-reporting
clergy, including DeKalb County District Attorney Robert
Wilson. The
R.C.C. in in the eastern Atlanta suburb is accused of a coverup
for not
reporting suspected molestation by Rev. Anton Mowat, even after
victims' parents alerted them to the abuse last fall, and two
priests
had conveyed similar suspicions a year earlier. {The loop hole
is that
if the priest or minister is teaching or counseling they are
obliged to
report. If the child simply reveals sexual abuse to ministers ie.
confessions, they are not obliged.}
Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88
Former priest turned psychologist A.W. Richard Sipe,
Baltimore,
said a 25 year study he conducted shows that about 2% of all
priests
"show sexual excitment by fantasizing about or engaging in sexual
activity with children." (Rev Thomas Doyle has projected that the
figure may be as high as 3,000--one out of 18 priests or 16 per
diocese--which is closer to 6%.)
Catholic apologists deny any complicity in covering up
illegal
activities.
Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88
Being a Catholic priest is "one of the best positions you
can be go
into [if you are a pedophile]. What better position could you
be in to
win peoples trust?" says Sharon Moody, commanding officer of
the Crimes
Against Children Unit for the Cobb County Police Department,
Georgia.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 5/28/88
Rev. Tony ("Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no
harm")
Levya, a southern revivalists investigated by the FBI for
heading a
3-man ring prostituting young boys, has used Christian radio
station
WEAM in Columbus, Ga. to raise funds for his defense. Rev.
Levya asks
his followers to "sacrifice $100, $500, $1,000, $8,000 , even
more, if
God speaks to you" for his defence.
Federal authorities allege that his crusades gave him and
fellow
abusers Rias E. Morris, organist, and Rev. Freddie M. Herring
oppurtunity to sexually abuse numerous boys in Virginia, Georgia,
Florida, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ohio
and
Indiana. He faces up to 65 years in prison and $550,000 in fines.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/23/88
The notorious Community Chapel & Bible Training Center, a
sect
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(462) Wed 10 Aug 88 22:54
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part iii
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab6d4
based in Burien, Wash. near suburban Seattle, not only mentally
abused
children with doctrines of demonology and stunted education in
their
backward and repressive classrooms, but involved children in
sexual
abuse, according to reporter Mary Rothchild. The Center,
beseiged by
civil suites by ex-members claiming abuse, including women
charging
sexual exploitation, recently deposed it founder Rev. Donald Lee
Barnett on charges of promiscuous adultry.
In 1986, after followers complained, Child Protective
Services met
with Burien officials, spelling out guidlines, for example,
that the
church policy condoning French kissing of children was
unacceptable.
Three counselors were convicted of failing to report child
sexual abuse
in 1987.
New York Times 5/23/88, New York Daily News 5/27/88, Newsweek
5/30/88, Denver Post 5/20/88, Newsday 6/11/88
Rev. Thoma Streitferdt, 59, a white Pastor in charge of the
mostly
black 700-member True Church of God in Harlem, was charged with
rape
and sodomy of two young sisters (ages 14 and 16) in his
congregation.
Law enforcement officials charge that Streitferdt told
females
worshippers that they could end up in hell if they refused his
sexual
advances, and raped at least one woman during premaritial
counseling.
Although his congregation was working class, Streidtferdt
lived in
a 1.4 million waterfront estate on Long Island, and owned
property
financed by contributions illegally coereced from church-goers.
He and
his family had exclusive rights to drive three church-owned
Mercedex-Benz autos. Yet his tax returns in 1987 listed income
of just
several thousand dollars.
The church required members to turn over tax records, and
to tithe
10 percent as a condition of membership, increasing that tithe
to 30
percent every third year. He also controller the finances of
many of
his members by keeping their savings at a bank set up through his
church. Members were told that if they were not buried under
church
auspices at an additional fee in the church cemetary that "they
would
not go to heaven."
San Gabriel Valley Tribune 6/18/88
Rev. Randall Wayne Brewer, a youth minister of Faith
Community
Church in West Covina, Calif., is charged with 3 counts of oral
copulation with a Redlands teenager who said he was bribed and
molested
after being befriended at home Bible studies in 1985. The
youth, now
17, testified that Brewer gave him $200 from a church checking
account
for running naked across an empty church hallway in a game called
chicken. "I was told to tell everyone that I got the money for
doing
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(463) Wed 10 Aug 88 22:56
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part iv
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab71b
work at the church."
Embarrassment prevented the boy from reporting the
incidents, but
he finally confided in his girlfriend and his mother. A trial is
scheduled in mid-June.
In May the family filed a multi-milion dollar suit against
Brewer
and the chruch for failure to tell new members that others had
been
previously abused. Brewer had previously plead no contest to
"sexually
annoying" another boy and had been placed on probation.
Washington Post 5/13/88
U.S. Rep. Floyd Flake, pastor of Allen Africian Methodist
Episcopal
Church in New York, and a first term Democrat, is accused of
harassing
a church assistant into leaving her job because she ended a
sexual
affair with her.
Thelma M. Singleton-Scott complained that a panel of
"elders" at
the 4,000-member church held a "kangaroo court" review of the
charges
in January. She is now demanding back wages and Flake's ouster as
pastor. She said that the church bishop was involved in
offering her
hush money.
Amherst Daily News (Novia Scotia) 6/16/88, The [Hamilton]
Spectator
6/14,16/88
Msgr. John Monagahan, 80, of Nelson, B.C., was sentenced to
4 years
in prison after pleading guilty to fondling 17 girls and young
women
from 1959 to 1987, ranging in age from 6 to 21, usually in
hospitals or
private homes. Many of the victims said they had told their
parents of
the assualts but were not believed because Monagahan was
considered a
"near saint."
Nelson police say they have identified more than 50 victims.
Florida Times-Union 5/13/88 and 6/9/88
Rev. Joe Marino, host of Christian talkshow "Inner Visions"
in
Jacksonville, Fla., and youth minister/counselor at Beaches
Chapel in
Neptune Beach, plead no contest to custodial sexual battery and
soliciting sex from a 16 year old member of his church. Other
charges
were dropped. The abuse was disclosed after a victim from the
church
had attempted suicide.
Marino was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be suspended
after 5
years.
A second Duval county minister, Rev. Roy Lynn Gaskins of
Edgewood
Heights Baptist Church, was accused of forcing a 13 year old
boy at
gunpoint to have sex.
New York Times 6/10/88
Former Mormon missionary Arthur Gary Bishop, 36, was
executed on
June 10th in Utah for killing 5 boys (ages 4-13) for sexual
gratification, saying he was "misled by Satan."
New York Times 5/14/88
Rev. Bernard Lynch, 41, and Brother Timothy Brady, 41, are
indicted
for sexually abusing students at a Catholic preparatory school
in the
Bronx, Mount St. Michael Academy. Lynch, a former campus
chaplain, is
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(464) Wed 10 Aug 88 22:58
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part v
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab751
believed to be in Ireland. Brady "was removed last summer" to a
Marist
retreat in Arizona, according to the Bronz D.A.'s office.
Kansas City Times 6/1/88
Barry L. Deaton was charged with taking indecent liberties
with a
child for abducting a 14 year old girl from a gathering of
Youth for
Christ of Greater Kansas City.
[Little Rock Arkansas] Gazette 6/10/88
Rev. J.D. Henderson, 51, of Russellville, Ark., was
convicted of
molesting twin 6 year old girls, and sentenced to 4 years in
prison.
Henderson is an ordained Free will Baptist minister.
Daily Camera, [Boulder, Co.] 5/21/88
Former Sister Mary Kregar and the Catholic Diocese of
Brownsville,
Col. were sued by a man who claimed his marriage was destroyed
by the
lesbian nun who seduced his wife while church officials did
nothing to
prevent it. A jury ordered the diocese to pay 1.5 million to
Steve
Voolverton on May 20.
Tampa Tribune 5/31/88
Rev. Clevand "Rapper" Mack, 24, of Tampa. Fla., was charged
with
sexually abusing 2 young boys during "Bible lessons", including a
charge of sexual battery which carries a possible death
sentence. He
struch a boy in the face when he tried to flee.
[Rome] Daily Sentinel 5/28/88
Rev. Leon Dupree, 47, pastor of Lily of the Valley Church
of God in
Christ in Rochester, NY, is charged with first degree sexual
assualt
and first degree burglary of a 26 year old woman. She said he
was armed
with a hammer and struck her with a screwdriver. Dupree was
convicted
of second degree manslaughter in a 1978 drunken driving
fatality and
served time in state prison.
Sunday Messenger [Athen, Ohio] 3/6/88
In 1978, Bessie Turner had $18,000 in the bank, $3,000 in
cash at
home, her house in Murry City, Ohio, a life insurance policy
and a
monthly income of $654. After 10 years of answering the pleas
for money
from evangelists Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Whittington, Jim Bakker, Don
Stewart and others, she had exuasted her savings account,
cashed in her
life policy, gone hungry to send her grocery allowence to the
hungry
children invoked by the evangelests, and has nothing lest but her
monthy income from renting her home. She was forced to move in
with
her step grandson and wife. "I was trying to feed the children.
That's
what Jimmy [Swaggart] said. Them poor little babies. Too see
how they
looked--I could hardly take it." Now Ms. Turner, although still
a frim
believer, says: "I won't have anything to do with any of them
again. I
think they are all alike. I think they are all thieves."
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(465) Wed 10 Aug 88 23:00
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part vi
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab813
"Ammond, you should try to locate copies of the December
30th and
31st San Jose Mercury-News from last year. I have been told
that it
contains a most impressive expose on the subject -- thirty-five
court
cases in the last five years, and a number of attempted
cover-ups.
Perhaps somebody in San Francisco can do a library search for
you --
some libraries keep microfiche of the local papers."
Anyone on the left coast want to look these articles up?
There seems to be many more cases than are reported.
Victims try to
bring the various organizations round but generally get
stiffed. That
is until the victims go public.
There is of course the ripple effect to consider also. In a
recent
tv talk show in Seattle on KING-TV, while talking about abuse by
priests in the Seattle diosece, hosts Susan Michaels and Cliff
Lenz got
a shocker. A woman in the audience reported that she had been
abused
not by a priest but by her brother, who was abused by a priest
IN THE
SEATTLE DIOSECE. After investigation it was revealed that the
priest
was an abuse victim himself.
Maryalyce Elbert was the victim of the victim. After this
public
expose' the diocese finally gave the name of the priest as Rev.
James
McGreal, age 65, whose criminal conduct was well known, having
worked
at 10 parishes and 2 hospitals. One ironic mistake leads to
another
with the priest being sent to treatment in the late 70's, after
which
he was sent to a hospital to abuse again. The priest was sent
to a
"Catholic program in New Mexico". He was then placed in another
parish
with several other priests aware of his condition. In four
months he
was suspected of grooming another boy for victimiziation. It is
rather
ironic that he was at Queen of Angeles Church in Port Angeles,
under the
supervision of one Rev. Conn, now facing charges himself for
sexual
abuse of altar boys. Rev. James McGreal abused people with
impunity for
30 years.
Continuing on with the show. Sherry Matulis spoke about
being raped
at the age of 5 by a church deacon; and narrowly escaping another
attack at the age of 12.
A shakey woman in the audience told of being continuily
incestuoulsy abuse by her father, a souther preacher who
attacked her
on saturdays nights. She had to sit in a pew and watch him
preach on
sundays. Her efforts to expose and depose her father have as
yet been
unsuccessful.
Rev. Paul Conn, mentioned previously, is accused of molesting
multiple altar boys under the ages of 14. The Church responded by
offering counseling to the victims BY OTHER PRIESTS in the
parish.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(466) Wed 10 Aug 88 23:02
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part vii
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:50e7 110ab84a
The Seattle archdiocese has admitted to a third
unprosecuted and
unnammed pedophilic priest now under treatment for his condition.
I would like to point out that all these victims spent many
painful
years trying to correct the problem. They were all stonewalled
with the
only success coming after public exposure.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He
does!) (Opus 1:
128/23)
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(467) Thu 5 May 88 9:52
By: Brad Hicks
To: All
Re: MagickNet Echos
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0 2303c362
This message will appear in all of the MagickNet echos.
There has obviously been some misunderstanding, both among sysops
and among new users, about the MagickNet echos. For sysops, this
is unforgiveable, as ALL sysops were required to read and agree to
MAG-POL.TXT, which outlines the guidelines in great detail. Users
who are in doubt are also referred to that document, but let me
summarize some points that have been ignored or violated recently:
TOPICS OF THE ECHOS:
The topic of all three echos is Neopaganism, Witchcraft, and
Magick. However, the three echos differ as follows:
MAGICKNET - General discussion
MUNDANE - Off-topic chatter by participants in MAGICKNET
METAPHYSICAL - Magazine-article-quality posts
This is the METAPHYSICAL echo.
ACCESS TO THE ECHOS:
This is NOT a backbone or general distribution echo. It may ONLY
be distributed locally and even then notification of new nodes MUST
be sent to the coordinator, myself, at 1:100/523. Out-of-town
connections MUST be cleared in advance. All three echos MUST be
distributed together.
Finally, sysops are REQUIRED to ensure that only persons who will
properly use it may post to the Metaphysical echo. Any mechanism
which works is fine, but the recommended one is to make it
read-only and have people upload text files for the sysop to
convert into messages. Sufficiently high validation will also work.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should first-time callers be permitted to
post to Metaphysical.
I hope that this message will clarify things for all of you.
Systems which violate these guidelines, or any others in
MAG-POL.TXT, repeatedly will be evicted from the echo. Thank you
for your compliance.
- Brad Hicks, MagickNet Echo Coordinator
P.S. I =hate= playing the hard guy, but somebody's got to maintain
order here. Please don't make me do this again soon.
--- Sirius 0.50
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis * 1-314-741-2231 * (Opus 1:100/523)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(468) Fri 12 Aug 88 18:29
By: Brad Hicks
To: All
Re: THE CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS IS LYING (Reposted By Request)
St:
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@EID:0 2303c364
THE CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS IS LYING
J. Brad "Talespinner" Hicks
[Please distribute this information to all applicable media, as it
concerns a matter of no small importance to the Pagan/Magickal
community. - JBH]
The following material has been sent out by Ayisha Homolka of the
Church of All Worlds. For the sake of reference (and honesty) I
quote the xeroxed cover letter and the entire document below:
_________________________________________________________
dear friends,
If this resolution is adopted by any Pagan ecumenical
conferences/festivals, ect [sic].... or by any
Pagan/Wiccan organizations/churches that have legal
status--
please send confirmation to the following address, so you
can be added to the list.
Thanks much
Blessed Be
Ayisha Homolka
Church of All Worlds
Box 1542
Ukiah, CA. 95482
_________________________________________________________
Resolution to be circulated for adoption by Pagan and
Craft groups, and subsequently to be issued to the media,
police, and the Cult Crime Impact Network:
We, as practitioners of Pagan and Neo-Pagan religions,
including Wicca (also known as Witchcraft) practise [sic]
a positive, life-affirming faith that is dedicated towards
healing, both of ourselves and others, and of the Earth.
As such, we do not advocate or condone criminal
activities. We absolutely condemn the practises [sic] of
child abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and any other
abuse that does harm to the bodies, minds or spirits of
individuals. We offer prayers and support for the healing
of the victims of such abuses. We recognize the divinity
of Nature in our Mother the Earth, and practise [sic] our
rites of worship in a manner that is ethical, legal and
safe. We will not tolerate slander or libel against our
churches, clergy, or congregations, and are prepared to
defend our civil rights with such legal action as we deem
necessary and appropriate.
This resolution adopted unanimously at the following Pagan
ecumenical conferences:
Ancient Ways
Heartland Pagan Festival
Pagan Spirit Gathering
Approved by the following Pagan and Wiccan organizations:
Covenant of the Goddess
Church of All Worlds
United Wiccan Church
_________________________________________________________
This document contains AT LEAST one lie that I know of my own
witness: this resolution was NOT adopted unanimously at the Pagan
Spirit Gathering. This resolution was presented there first to the
Pagan Ministers' Seminar, at which it was agreed that discussion
would be postponed until the entire resolution had been posted on
the bulletin board where it could be read at leisure and
considered. This never happened. At the Saturday Village Meeting,
Ayisha Homolka stood up again, read a document to the crowd, and
called for a vote.
This was the first time most people there had heard of the
resolution. It was read out loud once. Virtually no time was
permitted for discussion; only one person got away with speaking
against it (me), and that only by jumping up and shouting. Selena
Fox and Ayisha Homolka did everything possible to ram-rod this
through as fast as possible, calling for a vote before any real
debate could occur. Considering that it had Selena's public
support and boasted the signature of the Covenant of the Goddess,
it should come as no particular surprise that it passed. It passed
overwhelmingly. It did =NOT= pass unanimously!
I am not even prepared to testify that the resolution above was the
document read out loud at the Pagan Spirit Gathering. I distinctly
recall at least one sentence that is not there now; perhaps it was
only in Ayisha's personal remarks but I recall a sentence after
"... healing of the victims of such abuses" that continued on to
say that we, the (alleged) signatories would do "everything within
our power" to assist the police in hunting down the actual
perpetrators of these crimes.
I objected to that clause, and I objected loudly. In this, I had
the backing of Frank Medina, from Wisconsin Governor's Task Force
on Gang and Occult Crime, who pointed out the futility of swearing
to hunt down those accused of a crime when there is only the
flimsiest evidence that the crime even exists! Now that clause
appears to be gone. It is possible that my memory is wrong, since
I was never permitted to see a written copy until now ... but could
it be that the Church of All Worlds decided that they could get
away with claiming "unanimous" support by editing it afterwards to
accomodate the spoken disagreements? If so, then they are
demonstrating a sad lack of understanding of what it means to agree
to a document!
Even if they were able to somehow rewrite the document to remove
that particular clause, there is much here that I oppose. Do not
make the mistake of thinking that I might ever have voted for
anything like this document! I will object to any attempt to let
the State decide what is and isn't a legitimate part of the Craft!
Many misguided self-proclaimed "leaders" of the Craft have gone on
television over and over again to proclaim that the Real Craft
doesn't do anything illegal. Does that mean that if someone (like
Z. Budapest) gets arrested for giving tarot readings, these people
want to throw her to the wolves? The State can point to documents
like this and say, "See, it obviously isn't part of your religion
because your own leaders say you're not into anything illegal."
And then you can say good bye to ALL of the Constitutional freedom
that we've fought side-by-side for almost three years to preserve.
And of course, reading a document from the group founded by Tim and
Morning Glory Zell that condemns substance abuse is like hearing
Jim Bakker denounce people who are rich, or hearing Jimmy Swaggart
preach against lust.
I have it on very good authority that this document contains at
least one other direct lie. Jim Crowley, a member of the board of
directors of the United Wiccan Church, has assured me that not only
has the United Wiccan Church not approved this document, but that
=no meeting has been held to even consider the subject=. This is a
total fabrication.
There may be yet a third direct lie in this. Michael Fix, who was
at the Heartland Pagan Festival, called this report "absolute
poppycock." He and his wife (former CAW member Carolyn Clark)
arrived on Friday evening and he said that nothing of the sort
happened, to his knowledge. How can this have been adopted
=unanimously= at a gathering where two fairly prominent Witches
from this region never even heard of it? Was it even =discussed=
at the Heartland Pagan Festival? Or is this another whole-cloth
fabrication?
All I know that as far as this writer is concerned, the credibility
of Ayisha Homolka and the organization currently using the name
"Church of All Worlds" has no more credibility left than John W.
Todd, or any other proven liar.
[Electronic mail replies to this file will be replied to; some
postal replies will be replied to if a stamped, pre-addressed
envelope is included and I can make time. I can be reached via the
FidoNet at 1:100/523; via UseNet/uucp at
decvax!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!100!523!Brad_Hicks; via CompuServe at
[76012,300]; via modem (up to 2400 bps) at 1-314-741-2231; or via
U.S. Mail to 11215 Sugartrail Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63136.]
--- Sirius 0.50
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis * 1-314-741-2231 * (Opus 1:100/523)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(469) Tue 16 Aug 88 12:03
By: Farrell Mcgovern
To: Ammond Shadowcraft
Re: Re: Clergy Abuse of Children, part vii
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:292f 11106076
AS> The Seattle archdiocese has admitted to a third
unprosecuted
AS>and unnammed pedophilic priest now under treatment for his
condition.
AS>
AS> I would like to point out that all these victims spent
AS>many painful years trying to correct the problem. They
were all
AS>stonewalled with the only success coming after public exposure.
If I don't post it here, please remind me...Here in Ottawa we
had a
very public case about a Father Dale Crampton who would
take young altarboys out to a cottage the church owned and
sexually abuse them. I will have to look up the dates, the
"newspaper" (if one could call the local rag that, it being a good
example of "Disco-Journalism") here is called "The Citizen",
there is a chance that you local libarary might have a copy/back
issues since Ottawa is the capital of Canada...The Parish's that he
served at were St. Elisabeth and St. Maurice. He was given a
suspened sentance, and the Church has him in "seclusion". But
please bash me on the head
(metaphorically speaking) if I forget to post a transcription
of the
article(s) here.
ttyl
Farrell
---
* Origin: Solsbury Hill:Home of ?ristic Computer Consultants (Opus
1:163/523)
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(470) Thu 18 Aug 88 21:43
By: David Rice
To: All
Re: When Will I Die? Astrology Article
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3002 1112ad7b
"Please, come in," you say with warmth and a smile,
standing up to greet your client. This morning you find it
particularly difficult to smile, what with the rent past due
and the bills piling up. but you manage. Your prefabricated
smile turns genuine when your client looks up and smiles
gamely back. You take her by the elbow and guide her to the
plush vinyl chair. Taking a seat yourself, you say "Thank
you very much for coming today. I've been working on your
chart, and I feel we have much to share this morning." You
offer her coffee or tea. She declines.
You get two sentences into your carefully rehearsed
allocution before she interrupts.
"Excuse me, there was something else I wanted to talk
about." You pause while she looks at her right shoe. "Ah,
I'd like to, ahum," she begins, switching her gaze to the
left foot, about where her second toe from the right would
be, as if she could see through the leather. She crosses
her arms. "I want to know when I'm going to die."
You have been asked this question many times before,
and know what to say. You wait a moment to collect your
thoughts, and give her your answer.
What will your answer be?
"To Tell Or Not To Tell?" has long been a favorite
subject for Astrologers who love to argue. Often one will
find an astrologer who loves to switch sides just to be The
Pain in the Ass at the annual astrology convention. Other
astrologers, who have learned to shut up and sit quietly at
parties, will just smile inertly at you if you ask this
question, with a superior grin on their ugly mugs. This
last mutation is usually the most annoying.
Still, the debate is a valid one. One astrologer will
tell you that to tell a person when she or he will die is
often the catalyst to making it happen. Another will say
that the astrologer has the responsibility to answer the
client's questions truthfully and honestly. And another
will argue that it isn't possible to note one's death in
one's chart. And yet a fourth will choose any combination
of these scenarios, based in direct proportion to the amount
of alcohol consumed at the Johndro Award Dinner an hour ago.
Perhaps the worse advice I've ever heard an astrologer
tell his client when asked the question "When will I die?"
was: "When you wish to," then going on to offer unearthly,
immaterial, bodiless, incorporeal, insubstantial, spiritual,
preternatural, "New Age" metaphysical pabulum. How inane!
How utterly, abysmally worthless advice when one is living
here in the Real World! Many astrologers feel a person
chooses when to be born, die, and every event in between
before the person incarnates. But your client didn't ask
"What's your opinion on why a person dies?" Your client has
asked a very personal question, the answer which you offer
may be vitally important to her or him.
Another way of answering this question is the "Judo"
approach. That is, taking the energy embodied in the
question and deflecting it away from you, thus freeing you
from answering. The format of the answer could be: "We
can't see death in a chart. That's strictly Hollywood-movie
astrology," and continuing with the session. Or perhaps "My
teacher doesn't believe it's possible, so we never discuss
it."
There are many schools of astrology that teach that
one's death is very much possible to discover in one's
chart. Indian astrologers using the Novian chart look for
death of the native out of hand: If they didn't, the client
would look elsewhere for an astrologer (their most asked
question is "When will my children be born," followed by
"When will I die." See Warren Murphy's "Indian Astrology").
And then there is the view that one's chart will only
show the deaths of those around one (parents, siblings,
friends). Using this train of thought, the astrologer can
answer the question "When will I die?" by examining the
charts of those around the client. I feel this is valid, as
I've seen charts of widows who had "dying" issues and
adjustment concerns in their charts at the time of their
husbands deaths, but their husbands charts often showing
little more than periods of leisure and learning! [Since I
feel that Jupiter will trigger my own death, I find that
Jupiter triggers the deaths of those charts I examine. A
classic case of drawing like charts to oneself.]
Or, if you prefer using just the client's radix, there
are many astrologers who put in the Part of Death, Part of
Suicide, Part of Poison, Part of Peril, and Part of
Misfortune in the chart. Directing these to the angles, the
argument goes, times those periods when the client must be
on guard for mayhem, adversity, and tragedy. I enjoy using
the Uranian Placement Hades, as he worsen every thing he
touches [personal observation- for medical astrologers, please
look over the Uranians: They were postulated in the trenches
of World War I, and are excellent for personal mishaps].
Given the belief that the astrologer can determine a
client's death, should the astrologer tell the client? That
depends on how much responsibility the astrologer wishes to
take upon herself / himself. Putting aside such thought of
incurring "bad Karma" at causing the client to bring about
her / his own death, think about the possibility that you,
the astrologer, could be wrong!
A scenario: The client is 35 years old, and, though you
don't know it, will live to be a ripe old 70. He comes to
you and asks the question "When, kind sir, will I die?" and
being the hard working, much experienced astrologer that you
are, you say back to him "Well, now. You'll drop dead
January 17, 1992. That gives you another 7 years. You'll
die at age 56. Was their anything else?" For the next
seven years, below conscious thought, the client is getting
ready to die. When January rolls around he will 1) Drop
dead, or 2) Get Horribly sick and almost die, 3) Send you a
post card saying "Ha, ha, ha, fooled you!", or perhaps 4)
Kill YOU out of general principles.
Suppose it was number 1? You told him to die and he
did. Is that the reason you've worked so hard to determine
one's death? This extreme case could be considered murder.
Why not be a liar and just say "You'll live to be 110," and
let the client die at 70? That way the client is not around
to demand his money back, and your ass is covered.
Well, OK. You don't wish to lie to your clients, and I
hope you don't. Here's what * I * would do, as I find it
works. Make a list of no less that 20 periods when the
client should be extra careful. Include the period you
believe the client will die. Then throw in five or six
"easy" periods as well. Tell the client that these dates
are those she or he should watch out for her / himself. Be
damn sure you include time periods beyond a reasonable time
that one may expect to live (that is, list a time span or
two where the client is 110 or 120 years old). It is very
important to ask the client to call you back (or visit you)
after these periods and get her / his input on how things
are going.
"But," you say, and rightly so, "that could cause the
client to have hardship she or he may not have been 'meant'
to have!" Being forewarned, I reply, is better than getting
one's teeth kicked in. Make a list of safety practices, and
list the periods extra care must be taken on top of this
list.
". . . You wait a moment to collect your thoughts, and
give her your answer."
"The best I can do," you truthfully say, "is to give
you periods where you must be extra careful. I feel, and
past experience has born me out, that one may step aside
when harm approaches. This is a list of precautions I would
like you to take." You hand over a list, keeping a copy for
yourself. "At the top," you continue, "is things I think you
must do a few weeks before these periods. Make sure your
car's breaks are in order, have a doctor look you over,
etc." You pause. "The second part of this list are things
to do during these time spans. Always wear a seat belt,
take extra care in the bathroom, etc." You quickly go over
the list, and make sure the client understand.
Be sure the client knows that she or he may bring the
subject of death up again at any time in the future, and
continue the session.
You close the door after showing your client out. The
familiar warmth inside comes to you, as it does after many
successful sessions. Such potential in that chart, in your
client! What a horrible disservice, you think, it would
have been to answer her question "When will I die?" with a
number and a date.
---
* Origin: Astro-Net 714 662-2294 Not For Pagans Only! (Opus
1:103/503)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(471) Sat 13 Aug 88 22:17
By: Edd Cates
To: All
Re: Welcome to Metaphysical
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:8d04 b220110d
ATTENTION: If you are new to the MagickNet echos, please read this
entire
message before proceding.
SYSOPS: If you are using ConfMail or another echomail processor
which
allows you to skip messages at the beginning of an echo (perhaps by
adjusting the date of this message to something outrageously far in
the
future), let me encourage you to make this message #2 in all three
of the
MagickNet echos. If you need help figuring out how to do that,
drop a net-
mail message to any of the hubs.
MAG-POL.TXT version 1.0 Effective Date: 01 Mar 88
Introduction to the
NEOPAGANISM, WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK
Echo Conference Network
1. Overview
In November of 1985, Senator Jesse Helms and Representative Robert
Walker
each introduced legislation that would have prohibited tax-exempt
status
for any church or religious organization that practiced "sorcery"
or "had a
substantial interest ... in the promotion of witchcraft."
The affect that these bills had on the magickal community was
electrifying.
Groups and traditions that otherwise hated or distrusted each other
banded
together into one large network, bound together by the telephone
and by
U.S. Mail, to block their passage. It took over a year, but
finally both
bills were dead. They seem unlikely to return soon.
In early 1986, a programmer named Jeff Rush wrote a FidoNet extension
called EchoMail. It electrified and revolutionized the FidoNet
community
every bit as much as the Helms Amendment and Walker Bill did the
magickal
community.
In the very earliest days of EchoMail, Brad Hicks, sysop of
WeirdBase, a
Discordio-Pagan bulletin board on the FidoNet in St. Louis, Missouri
(1:100/523) came up with the idea of finding every possible Pagan and
magickal contact person who could dial into the FidoNet, and
connect them
all together, ideally via an EchoMail conference. So he advertised
quietly
for such people in several articles in FidoNews.
Initially, three other systems replied. In Berkeley, California,
Josh
Gordon was operating a bulletin board for the Ordo Templar Orientis
called
ThelemNet (125/93 then, 1:161/93 now). In Gardner, Massachusetts,
a local
astrologer named MizMoon had a horoscope area on Dave's Fido
(1:101/27).
And on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, a hippy named Gene Clayton
replied
that he didn't know much about the subject but surely was interested.
<Continued In Next Message>
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: Dragon's Bane(1st QuickBBS/Netmail -
Evansville)812-428-4985 (1:11/21
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(472) Sat 13 Aug 88 22:21
By: Edd Cates
To: All
Re: Welcome to Metaphysical (Continued)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:8d04 b2a0110d
From these four systems was formed the very first EchoMail
conference set
up to discuss a specific, non-technical subject: the MAGICK EchoMail
Conference. In its first month, it garnered only a few dozen
messages. It
has since grown beyond belief, to 40 or more systems and dozens of
messages per night. To accomodate the increase in traffic (and the
continuous stream of the new and curious), the Neopaganism, Withcraft
and Magick conference was separated into its three current components
(MAGICKNET, METAPHYSICAL, and MUNDANE) in March of 1988, almost
exactly
two years after it was founded.
2. Content of the Neopaganism, Witchcraft and Magick Conferences
2.1 MAGICKNET...... Neopaganism, Witchcraft & Magick
This remains the normal Neopaganism, Witchcraft & Magick echo.
Newcomers
and the casually curious are welcome. As an aid to such folks, we
will
compile a few messages' worth of standard questions and answers
which will
be automatically re-posted to the echo every month. However,
discussions of
only marginal relevance to the topic(s) will be strongly encouraged
to move
to MUNDANE.
2.2 METAPHYSICAL... Neopaganism, Witchcraft & Magick (formal)
This portion of the echo is intended to encourage members of the
magickal
community to discuss points in common and points of difference in
detail;
to promote scholarship and depth of thought in the magickal
community. Only
serious discussions are permitted here; casual questions and
discussions
should be moved to MAGICKNET, and discussions of marginal relevence
should
be moved to MUNDANE.
2.3 MUNDANE........ Neopaganism, Witchcraft & Magick (chatter)
Many members of the original Magick echo derived great pleasure and
satisfaction from being able to discuss mundane and political
matters with
other members of the magickal community. Unfortunately, left
unchecked
such discussions can tend to crowd serious magickal discussions.
To allow
both types of dialog to exist side-by-side, the MUNDANE echo was
formed.
If a discussion starts in either the MAGICKNET or the METAPHYSICAL
echo
that is irrelevant to their topics, the parties to that discussion
will be
=strongly= encouraged to move the discussion over to MUNDANE (if not
completely away from the Neopaganism, Witchcraft and Magick
Conference).
This should not be confused with a wide-open general chatter echo.
While
the topics may range freely, only members of the magickal community
or
those with interests in magickal topics are encouraged to post here.
<Continued In Next Message>
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: Dragon's Bane(1st QuickBBS/Netmail -
Evansville)812-428-4985 (1:11/21
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(473) Sat 13 Aug 88 22:23
By: Edd Cates
To: All
Re: Welcome to Metaphysical (Continued)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:8d04 b2e0110d
3. Rules of the Neopaganism, Witchcraft & Magick Conference
3.1 Nodes Required to Provide All Three Echos
All systems which distribute this conference or make it available
to the
public are required to carry all three echos. Mail-only and/or point
systems which do not distribute the Neopaganism, Witchcraft and
Magick
conferences or make them publically available are exempted from
this rule
but are strongly encouraged to carry all three echos in order to be
able to
follow discussions which are moved to other tracks.
3.2 Notify Coordinator of Local Distribution
Any system carrying all of the MagickNet echos may further
distribute them
to any private or FidoNet node within their local calling area.
However,
they are required to notify the coordinator of this hookup at once,
and to
distribute to that node or point the current version of this
document.
3.3 Request Permission for Non-Local Distribution
No system except the main hubs (1:100/523, 1:161/93, 1:282/341) may
distribute all or part of the MagickNet echos to a node or point
outside
their local calling area without first securing permission from the
coordinator. (The other two hubs may do so, but should notify the
coordinator soon as possible.)
3.4 No Illegal Messages
No message which is blatantly illegal in content shall be entered
into the
MagickNet echos. The only exception will be for messages regarding
legitimate religious practices or beliefs which are or may be made
illegal,
in violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and
the U.N.
Statement on Human Rights.
3.5 No Harrassing Messages
No message which is intended to harrass someone because of their
religious
beliefs, or to convert them to another religion, shall be entered
into any
of the MagickNet echos. No exceptions will be made to this rule,
even in
the MUNDANE echo.
3.6 No Irrelevant Messages
No message which is irrelevant to the topics of Neopaganism,
Witchcraft,
and Magick shall be entered into MAGICKNET or into METAPHYSICAL.
For this
rule, a warning will be issued, and in general the conversation
will be
permitted to continue in the MUNDANE echo.
<Continued In Next Message>
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: Dragon's Bane(1st QuickBBS/Netmail -
Evansville)812-428-4985 (1:11/21
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(474) Sat 13 Aug 88 22:28
By: Edd Cates
To: All
Re: Welcome to Metaphysical (Continued - Final)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:8d04 b380110d
3.7 No Personal Insults
No message which contains unnecessary profanity or personal insults
shall
be entered into any of the MagickNet echos. Only one warning will be
issued to any violator. (If you wish to continue to insult each
other,
please use personal FidoNet mail.) This includes messages in the
MUNDANE
echo.
4. Enforcement
If a user of any bulletin board system or point operator under a
Fidonet
node naively violates one of these rules, it is the responsibility
of the
local sysop to take whatever action is necessary to prevent it from
happening again. In the event the local sysop is unaware of the
violation,
the coordinator will notify him or her.
If the sysop of the local node does NOT take such action, or is the
person
responsible for the violation, then the coordinator will request that
system to leave the MagickNet echos at once. If it does not, then
the co-
ordinator will request the system by which it is linked into the
MagickNet
echos that they cease to deliver messages to or accept messages
from that
system, and it will be forcibly exiled from the echos. Anyone who
knowingly
provides a "feed" to a sysop who has been exiled from the MagickNet
echos
will suffer a like fate. Likewise, if the exiled system's feed
refuses
to cut the link, the link above the feed will be cut - as high up
as is
necessary to successfully exile the offending node.
In all but the most obvious and gross of cases, the coordinator
will seek a
consensus, or at least an overwhelming majority, of the sysops and
contributing users in the MagickNet echos before taking drastic
action.
If this seems harsh, it needs to be pointed out that the until and
unless
the International FidoNet Association and/or the FidoNet Coordinators
change the rules, this is the ONLY means available to keep order
within an
echo conference.
5. The Coordinator
From its earliest beginnings, the Magick Conference has been
coordinated
and moderated by Brad Hicks from his BBS, WeirdBase at 1:100/523
(314-741-2231). As of this date, Brad still coordinates all three
echos,
although this may be subject to change in the future.
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: Dragon's Bane(1st QuickBBS/Netmail -
Evansville)812-428-4985 (1:11/21
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(475) Sat 20 Aug 88 18:51
By: Anne Niven
To: All
Re: animal allies
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e6c5 1114967d
To: MagicEcho Users From: Anne Newkirk Niven Re: This Article
This article will be appearing soon in SageWoman Magazine, and I
wanted to share it with y'all on the MagicEcho. Hope that you
enjoy it and that Metaphysical was the correct place to put it.
Blessed Insect, Anne
Power from the Earth:
My Experience with Animal Allies
The first animal ally to make himself known to me was the
unicorn. As it happened, I was a child when Galadrial arrived, and
had no experience which could give me an understanding of the
being who kept me company on my long, lonely walks back and forth
to school. Especially since my companion wasn't visible. But I
knew, even then (I must have been about 10 or 11) several things:
that Galadrial was real, that he was my friend, and that my
relationship with him was a special one that not a lot of people
would understand. I was an archetypal bookworm in those days, from
a very stress-filled home, and an incurable romantic. And I was
horse-crazy. (Like a great many girls my age.) As I look back, it
seems little wonder that the being who took a friendly interest in
me, gave me encouragement and love, and a sense of personal worth,
chose to show himself as a unicorn.
It was not until many years later, in my mid-twenties, that I
first heard about totems or power-animals or animal allies. By
then I was in my first year of a Master's program at a Bay Area
Christian seminary, taking a class from a wonderful United
Methodist shaman. (I don't think "shaman" is title she uses in her
professional life as a lay minister in the church. But, as far as
I'm concerned, the title fits.) Somehow, my class project came to
be that of finding my animal totems. Somehow, I never doubted that
I had animal allies - I just didn't consciously know who they
were.
The process of discovering my animal allies took many weeks.
During the process of meeting each ally, I spent a good deal of
time getting to know them. In each case, I had a plaster life cast
of my face made while comming with my ally. I listened to music,
used incense and scented oils, and generally tried to immerse
myself in the essence of the ally. Once the mask was done, I
further molded, painted and formed the mask into a likeness of the
animal - so that I now have masks which I can wear which fit my
face on the inside, and reflect my allies on the outside.
---
* Origin: PostBoard- Your source for quality printing on RECYCLED
papers. (Opus
1:125/77)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(476) Sat 20 Aug 88 18:52
By: Anne Niven
To: All
Re: animals, contiued (2 of 5)
St:
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@EID:e6c5 1114969d
One good example of an initial meeting with an ally was the time
I recognized the Hawk of the East. One good example was how I
recognized the Hawk of the East.(Certain of my allies are more
private than others, and do not wish their personal names
published. As with any valued friend who might make such a
request, I am honoring this one.) He came to me as I was waiting
for a streetcar in San Francisco, out by Ocean Beach. One moment,
I was searching the East for my guardian there; the next I felt
his wings overshadow my soul, and his name was ringing in my ears.
The Hawk's power is awesome, fierce, and directed. It is the power
of thought; undisturbed by emotion, will, or physical concerns -
like the light of a laser or the blade of a sharp knife. Hawk
rules the East, the realm of the mind, the element of Air and the
dawning glory of morning. When I cannot think clearly, I call upon
him, and his advice is always right to the point. He is also a bit
cynical and predatory - but nobody can see farther or fly higher.
Firecat was the next ally to make herself known to me, and
she remains one of my strongest allies. Her power can rip through
my life in unpredictable ways, yet she is my most powerful
physical protector. Her form is that of a leopard, with fiery eyes
and razor sharp claws. Hers is the power of the will, of the
inborn desire to survive, to master any circumstance. When I lived
in Berkeley and had to walk at night in neighborhoods where I did
not feel safe, I called on all my allies - but Firecat was the one
whose prowling presence most strengthened my courage. She rules
the South, the realm of passion and will, the element of Fire, and
the burning heat of noontime.
Deepwave and Greatsong are whales. What more can I say? A
mated pair, deeply in love with each other and with the entire
planet, their watery passion swirls through my life like the tides
of the ocean in which they make their home. Presiding over the
West, the realm of emotion, the element of water and the long
hours of afternoon and sunset, their presence helps me to live
with my emotions rather than be overcome by them. I have a
tendency to ride my feelings like a rollercoaster - but Deepwave
and Greatsong help me to experience a sense of joy and peace
underlying the waves of emotion.
---
* Origin: PostBoard- Your source for quality printing on RECYCLED
papers. (Opus
1:125/77)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(477) Sat 20 Aug 88 18:54
By: Anne Niven
To: All
Re: animals, continued (3 of 5)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e6c5 111496c3
She Who Roars rules the North, the element of Earth, the
realm of the physical, and the time of midnight. In a way
unlike any of the others, She is the Goddess in my life. The best
way for me to describe my reaction to Her is awe. It is rare for
me to call upon her, perhaps because I am still afraid of her, for
her presence makes clear to me that I will someday die. Yet, at
certain times, it is only She who can comfort me. Her form is that
of a great She-Bear; and while I hesitate to approach her immense
body, powerful claws and threatening teeth, I find when I lay down
in her embrace that she is the most tender and loving of all my
guardians. I devoutly hope that when I approach Her for the last
time in this life, I will be granted the opportunity to
consciously give myself into her care.
Always the outsider, Shadowsinger the Wolf prowls the
perimeter of my being. She dwells primarily in the underworld of
dream, fantasy and nightmare, where she roams as a sentry,
offering early warnings when there is danger to me or those I
love. She is of no one element, direction, or time - but her dark
and beautiful presence is a part of all of them.
The center of my circle of allies is held by the Unicorn,
whose name has changed since I first met him. Filled with a clear
light that includes the darkness and colors of the other allies,
he stands at the center of my psyche like a large, brilliant
crystal, concentrating and balancing their energies, helping me to
maintain my balance and centeredness among all the varying
influences on my life.
My most recently discovered ally is very timid. This one (who
changes gender from time to time) is a small animal, whose only
defense against predators is to run away and hide. I was unaware
of this deeply hidden ally until a vision journey in which I
prepared to face that part of myself which most deeply terrified
me. I sat calmly, waiting for some terrible beast, an enormous
monster - and out into the middle of the sacred circle hopped a
tiny baby rabbit. I was very surprised. I couldn't believe that
this little, nameless one was my shadow ally, the one whom I most
greatly feared.
But then the depth of its fear struck me. Having called on my
other allies to protect me, I was at the center of a circle
surrounded by fierce beasts - a sharp-taloned hawk, a hungry
leopard, enormous whales, a great she-bear, a prowling, circling
wolf. No wonder my rabbit ally was terrified! It struck me then,
how very frightened I was of being small, helpless, and alone -
just like a tiny baby rabbit.
---
* Origin: PostBoard- Your source for quality printing on RECYCLED
papers. (Opus
1:125/77)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(478) Sat 20 Aug 88 18:55
By: Anne Niven
To: All
Re: animals continued (4 of 5)
St:
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@EID:e6c5 111496e4
The unicorn was nowhere in sight - having abruptly
disappeared when the rabbit arrived. This struck me as odd at the
time, but I didn't understand the significance of this fact until
writing this account. The Unicorn is the center of power and
energy in my center - but hidden beneath that gleaming light is my
deepest, smallest self, the one who fears being abandoned and
helpless and powerless. The two are intrinsicly the same, two
faces of the one Being at my center.
As I cradled my shadow self, still quivering with fear in the
center of the circle, I had an idea. Carefully, I carried the
rabbit over to the East, where the Hawk sat, watching intensely.
Then, drawing my hands over her body, I cast a glamour upon the
tiny rabbit so that, to the hawk, it appeared that a baby hawk lay
before him. Immedietely, his eyes lit up and he covered the
fledgling with his wings, welcoming her to the circle. Around the
circle I went, letting each of my allies welcome and nurture the
tiny, frightened one as their own child. When I was finished, I
held her in her own form as I dissolved the circle and bid each of
my allies farewell. Finally, the tiny rabbit hopped back into the
shadows from which she had appeared, and the vision was ended.
It may be obvious by now that I experience my animal allies
as actual beings. I also understand them to be the embodiment or
personification of different aspects of my Self. These two
different understandings of their nature are not contradictory,
but complementary, similar to my understanding of the Goddess and
God. They are part of us - and we are part of them. So, too, with
animal allies. Whether I view them as aspects of my psyche or as
beings whose reality is different than mine, I treat them as
respected elders.
There are several ways in which I experience my allies.
First, at times, they act as if they were physically present. For
example, when I'm walking alone (perhaps in an unfamiliar place)
and feel in need of protection, I call my allies to my aid. They
appear, each from their own direction, consult with me, and then
fan out as scouts or guardians to protect me from whatever danger
may be lurking in their direction. Although I never see them with
my five senses, their presence is very apparent to me as a
physical one, if not entirely on this plane of existence;
surrounded by the Hawk, Firecat, the Whales, and Bear, with Wolf
prowling the perimeter and the Unicorn (and Rabbit) at my center,
I feel much more protected and able to move ahead. (I might add
that my five senses seem somewhat heightened with my allies
present, and I have never yet been harmed in any way while under
their protection.)
---
* Origin: PostBoard- Your source for quality printing on RECYCLED
papers. (Opus
1:125/77)
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(479) Sat 20 Aug 88 19:05
By: Anne Niven
To: All
Re: animals, final (5 of 5)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e6c5 111498a4
The second way I experience my allies is when one of them
inhabits my physical body for a short period of time. This occurs
with my consent, in a kind of exhilerated or altered state,
usually brought on by drumming and dancing. Occasionally, it can
have unexpected results. I remember one time at a reggae dance in
a club, when I allowed Firecat to take over during one
particularly powerful song. When the song ended, She didn't want
to leave - she wanted to dance some more! My body, however, was
exhausted, and I had quite an internal struggle. When my lover
intervened, and took me outside for some air, I bit him. (Not
hard, fortunately!) That was the last straw, and I rather firmly
banished Firecat for the remainder of the evening. These sorts of
experiences are rare, but powerful; I still remember that dance
with excitment, even if I feel a bit chargrined about the
aftermath!
I also experience the presence of my allies when I am on a
vision journey or dream quest. At times they act simply as
guardians, as I described in my account of my first meeting with
my rabbit ally. At other times, they allow me to take their shape
while on a vision journey; as the time when I flew over San
Francisco in the Hawk's form.
Finally, there are times when my allies seem to be internal
beings, reflecting different aspects of my Self with whom I
consult when making decisions or am in need of advice. Whom I call
upon depends on the circumstances and my moods - for example, when
overwhelmed with emotions I often ask Greatwave and Deepsong for
help - but if I am trying to make a rational decision and feel
panicked, the Hawk of the East usually comes to my aid. And so it
goes - different allies filling different functions, but each a
respected and honored companion - even friend.
I feel closer to some allies than others at different times;
and there are times when some of them even go away for a while -
but, like true friends, we always seem to get together again.
I've read in some books on Shamanism that it's not possible to
have more than one ally at a time, or that one must constantly
guard against losing one's allies; but this hasn't been my
experience. I feel very fortunate to have met these special
beings, who have taught me so much about myself and this planet,
and I hope that my introduction of them to a wider group of people
will help spread the blessings they have brought to my life.
---
* Origin: PostBoard- Your source for quality printing on RECYCLED
papers. (Opus
1:125/77)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(480) Mon 22 Aug 88 18:46
By: Rowan Moonstone
To: All
Re: Halloween pamphlet
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:524a 111695cf
The Origins of Halloween
In recent years, I have seen a number of pamphlets put out by
various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of modern
day Halloween customs. Being a Witch myself, and a student of the
ancient Celts, from whom we get this holiday, I have found these
pamphlets woefully inaccurate and poorly researched. In an effort
to correct some of this erroneous information, I have spent several
months researching the religious life of the ancient Celtic peoples
and the survivals of that religious life in modern day times.
Listed below are some of the most commonly asked questions
concerning the origins and customs of Halloween. Following the
questions is a lengthy bibliography where the curious reader can go
to learn more about this holiday than space in this small pamphlet
permits.
1. Where does Halloween come from?
Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the
ancient Celtic fire festival called "Samhain". The word is
pronounced sow in, with "sow" rhyming with cow.
2. What does "Samhain" mean?
The Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts
Society defines the word as follows :" Samhain, All Hallowtide, the
feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the
close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting
till May, during which troops( esp. the Fiann) were quartered.
Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From
it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne( Snow
Goddess)(1) . The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as
"Hallowtide. The Feast of All So.Sam+Fuin=
end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many
organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to
indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were
Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish
did not have a "lord of death" as such.
3. Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts?
The Celts were a pastoral people as opposed to an agricultural
people. The end of summer was significant to them because it meant
the time of year when the structure of their lives changed
radically. The cattle were brought down from the summer pastures in
the hills and the people were gathered into the houses for the long
winter nights of storytelling and handicrafts.
4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead?
The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land
of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not have
the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later
brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed to be
dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds or
sidhe( pron. "shee") that dotted the Irish and Scottish
countryside. Samhain was the new year to the Celts. In the Celtic
belief system, turning points, such as the time between one day and
the next, the meeting of sea and shore, or the turning of one year
into the next were seen as magickal times. The turning of the year
was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the
"veil between the worlds" was at its thinnest, and the living could
communicate with their beloved dead in Tir nan Og.
5. What about the aspects of "evil" that we associate with the
night today?
The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief
system. The fairies , however, were often considered hostile and
dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of
men taking over their lands. On this night, they would sometimes
trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they
would be trapped forever. After the coming of the Christians to the
Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw the fairies as those angels
who had sided neither with Gor or with Lucifer in
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(481) Mon 22 Aug 88 19:01
By: Rowan Moonstone
To: All
Re: Halloween, pt. 2
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:524a 11169836
their dispute, and thus, were condemned to walk the earth until
judgment day.(3)
In addition to the fairies, many humans were abroad on this
night, causing mischief. since this night belonged neither to one
year or the other, Celtic folk believed that chaos reigned and the
people would engage in "horseplay and practical jokes"(4)This
served also as a final outlet for high spirits before the gloom of
winter set in.
6. What about "trick or treat"?
During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would
imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for treats.
Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical
jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies
were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was
frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the
homeowner could gain the blessings of the "good folk" for the
coming year. Many of th households would also leave out a "dumb
supper" for the spirits of the departed(5) The folks who were
abroad in the night imitating the fairies would sometimes carry
turnips carved to represent faces. This is the origin of our modern
Jack-o-lantern.
7. Was this also a religious festival?
Yes. Celtic religion was very closely tied to the Earth. Their
great legends are concerned with momentous happenings which took
place around the time of Samhain. many of the great battles and
legends of kings and heroes center on this night. Many of the
legends concern the promotion of fertility of the earth and the
insurance of the continuance of the lives of the people through the
dark winter season.
8. How was the religious festival observed?
Unfortunately, we know very little about that. W.G.
Wood-Martin, in his book"Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland"
states,"There is comparitively little trace of the religion of the
Druids now discoverable , saye in the folklore of the peasantry,
and the references relative to it that occur in ancient and
authentic Irish manuscripts are, as far as present appearances go,
meagre and insufficient to support anything like a sound theory for
full development of the ancient religion."(6)The Druids were the
priests of the Celtic peoples. They passed on their teachings by
oral tradition instead of committing them to writing, so when they
perished, most of their religious teachings were lost. we DO kn ow
that this festival was characterized as one of the four great "Fire
Festivals" of the Celts. Legends tell us that on this night, all
the hearth fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re-lit from
the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the royal
hill of Tara. This fire was kindled from 'need fire" which had been
generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks together as opposed
to more conventional methods common in those days. (7) The
extinguishing of the fires symbolized the "dark half" of the year,
and the re-kindling from the Druidic fires was symbolic of the
returning life hoped for, and brought about through the
ministrations of the priesthood.
9. What about sacrifices?
Animals were certainly killed at this time of year. This was
the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not
desired for breeding purposes for the next year. Most certainly,
some of these would have been done in a ritualistic manner for the
use of the priesthood.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(482) Mon 22 Aug 88 19:15
By: Rowan Moonstone
To: All
Re: Halloween, pt. 3
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:524a 111699e3
10. Were humans sacrificed?
Scholars are sharply divided on this account, with about hald
believing that it took place and half doubting its veracity. Caesar
and Tac itus ceratinly tell tales of the human sacrifices of the
Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her book" The Celts" that"it
is not without interest that the Romans themselves had abolished
human sacrifices not long before Caesar's time, and references to
the practice among various barbarian peoples have certain overtones
of self righteousness. There is little direct archaeological
evidcence relevant to Celtic sacrifice."(8)
Indeed, there is little reference to this practice in Celtic
literature either. The only surviving story echoes the story of the
Minotaur in Greek legend. The Fomorians, a race of evil giants said
to inhabit portions of Ireland before the coming of the Tuatha de
Danaan, or 'people of the Goddess Danu", demanded the sacrifice of
2/3 of the corn, milk, and first born children of the Fir Bolg, or
human inhabitants of Ireland. The De Danaan ended this practice in
the second battle of Moy Tura, which incidentally took place on
Samhain.
11. What other practices were associated with this season?
Folk tradition tells us of many divination practices
associated with Samhain. Among tyhe most common were divinations
dealing with marriage, weather, and teh coming fortunes for the
year. lThese were performed via such methods as ducking for apples,
and apple peeling. lDucking for apples was a marriage divination.
The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in
the coming year. apple peeling was a divination to see how long
your life would be. The longer the umbroken apple peel, the longer
your life was destined to be.(9) In Scotland, people would place
stones in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night.
Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to
be destined to die during the coming year.
12. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America?
When the potatoe crop in Ireland failed, many of the Irish
people , modern day descendents of the Celts, immigrated to
america, bringing with them their folk practices, which are the
remnants of the Celtic festival observances.
13.We in America view this as a harvest festival. Did the Celts
also view it as such?
Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests. Aug 1, or Lammas, was the first
harvest, when the first fruits were offered to the Gods in thanks.
The Fall equinox was the true harvest. This was when the bulk of
the crops would be brought in. Samhain was the final harvest of the
year. Anything left on the vines or in the fields after this date
was considered blasted by the fairies, or pu'ka, and unfit for
human consumption.
14.Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance?
Yes. many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids
and Wiccans observe this day as a religious festival. They view it
as a memorial day for their dead friends and
does the national holiday of Memorial Day in May.It is still a
night to practice various forms of divination concerning future
events. Also, it is considered a time to wrap up old projects, take
stock of ones life, and initiate new projects for the coming year.
As the winter season is approaching, it is a good time to do
studying on research projects and also a goot time to begin hand
work such as sewing, leather working, woodworking, etc. for Yule
gifts later in the year.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(483) Mon 22 Aug 88 19:28
By: Rowan Moonstone
To: All
Re: Halloween, conclusion
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:524a 11169b89
15. Does this involve human or animal sacrifice?
Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to the contraty, bolld sacrific is
not practiced by modern day followers of Wicca or Druidism. There
may be some people who THINK they are practicing Wicca by
performing blood sacrifices, but this is NOT condoned by reputable
practitioners of the modern day Neo Pagan religions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-
FOOTNOTES
(1) Rev. Patrick Dineen," An Irish English Dictionary"(Dublin,
1927),p937
(2)Malcolm MacLennan,"A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionaty
oif the Gaelic Language"(Aberdeen, 1979),p279
(3)W.G. Wood-Martin,"Traces of the Elder Faiths of I
Port Washington, 1902, p5.
(4)Kevin Danaher,"The Year in Irela",(Cork,1972),p.214
(5)Alwyn& Brinley Rees,"Celtic Heritage"(New York,1961),p90
(6)Wood-Martin,p249
(7)Rees& Rees,p90
(8) Nora Chadwick,"The Celts"(Harmondsworth,1982),p151
(9)Madeleine Pelner Cosman,"Medieval Holidays and Festivals,"(New
York,
1981),p.81
-------------------------------------------------------------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bord, Janet & Colin,"The Secret Country", London:Paladin Books, 1978
Chadwick, Nora,"The Celts", Harmondsworth:Penguin Books, 1982
Coglan, Ronan,"A Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend,"Dublin,1979
Cosman, Madeleine Pelner,"Medieval Holidays and Festivals,"New
York:Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981
Danaher, Kevin,"The Year in Ireland," Cork: The Mercier Press,1972
Dineen, Rev. Patrick,S,,M.A,"An Irish English Dictionary", Dublin:
The Irish texts Society,1927
MacCana, Proinsias,"Celtic Mythology", London:The Hamlyn
Publishing Group Limited, 1970
MacLennan, Malcolm,"A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of
the Gaelic Language", aberdeen: Acair and Aberdeen University
Press,1979
MacNeill, Maire',"The Festival of Lughnasa",Dublin"Comhairle
Bhealoideas Eireann,1982
Powell,T.G.,E."The Celts",New York:Thanes & Hudson,1980
Rees, Alwyn and Brinley,"Celtic Heritage, Ancient Traditions in
Ireland and Wales,"New York:Thanes & Hudson,1961
Sharkey, John,"Celtic Mysteries",N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1975
Spence, Lewis,"jBritish Fairy Origins", Wellingborough:Aquarian
Press, 1946
Squire,Charles,"Celtic Myth & Legend, Poetry & Romance,"New
York:Newcastle Publishing co, Inc. 1975
Toulson, shirley,"The Winter Solstice",London:Jill Norman&
Hobhouse, Ltd, 1981
Wood Martin,W.G.,"Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vols I &
II,
Port Washington:Kennikat Press, 1902
(c) copywrite 1988, Rowan Moonstone
P O Box 21058
OKC. OK 73120
Permission is granted for use by pagan groups and on pagan BBS
systems.All
others must contact the author prior to use.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(484) Sat 3 Sep 88 0:34
By: Rob Lea
To: Rowan Moonstone
Re: you don't know what you're talking about
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:de40 11230457
1. Do you know Patrick Ford?
2. A very close family member of mine is working on her Ph.D. in
Celtic Studies at Harvard.
Sahmain is really pronounced "saw when". Sidhe is pronounced
"sheeth", with the "th" as in "then". It also means "truth".
Arawn is not a god of the dead. He is a minor character in the
Mabinogi who comes from Annwfyn and befriends Pwyll. British
language evolved into the Welsh language. Sahmain is the Irish
name for this festival. The Welsh name differs.
(CONTINUED)
---
* Origin: IBM_Tech_Fido (Opus 1:322/1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(485) Sat 3 Sep 88 0:42
By: Rob Lea
To: Rowan Moonstone
Re: (Continued)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:de40 1123055a
Fianna were outlaws. Read "The Wisdom of the Outlaw" by Nagy.
Finn MacCumail was the leader of a fiann. Gwynn ap Nudd is the
Welsh cognate of Finn, which means "bright and shining". He is not
a Celtic god of the dead. He was a figure in early Welsh
literature who closelfy resembles Finn.
---
* Origin: IBM_Tech_Fido (Opus 1:322/1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(486) Wed 7 Sep 88 7:21
By: David Rice
To: All
Re: Patter Of Tiny Feet
St: Pvt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3002 11273aa3
- Nightmare On Baker Street.
Yes, there IS a devil. Just like Billy said. An
evil so hostile, so inimical, so putrid and vile it is
unmistakable. The stench of it's perversity so wretched
as to be indefinable. I know this for fact, as I've been
sorely afflicted by this demon, learning it's foulness
firsthand. This is My Story.
It all began with the patter of tiny, teeny,
eenie-weenie Army boots. Laying alone and cold one night
(as every night for the past 28 years), the noise of
their passing waifed lightly, almost like the sound a
rose petal might make falling onto a plush cotton bed
cover, to come to rest, subliminal in it's
perfidiousness, in my left ear drum.
"Hark," I said. I speak like this when sleeping
alone. "Pray, tell. What's this I doth hear?" I sat up
from my mat, deliberately, almost dilatorily, pulling
back the sheet from my naked body (I sleep like this when
sleeping alone). Hands shaking ever so tenuously, I
gained my feet, determined to investigate.
Head cocked slightly to catch the faint sound, I
made my way, bare of body and unarmed, into the living
room. The microcosmic Army utterances got faintly
louder. I was on the right track. Cautiously,
circumspectly, warily, I made my way to the kitchen. I
snapped on the light.
Oh, the horror of that moment! It will haunt me
like a vision of damnation, a specter of abhorrence, the
very definition of repugnance, for the rest of my days!
"Ants!" I cried. "Woe! I've got ants!" I cried and
cried again.
Thus began the wretched exploit, a mere ten days
ago. As you no doubt know, my Creed charges me that I
"Harm none," which I comprehend to include animals (even
demonic ones such as fleas, roaches, termites,
Christians, and yes, even ants). This is the major
reason I circumnavigate flesh as food. Once one has a
bevy of ants, how does one go about, well, exorcizing
them without harming them in the process?
I could call in a team of hit men to do the
dastardly dead in my stead. Or my Dad, who enjoys such
work as decimating living, breathing, happy creatures. I
have visions of the spray can vomiting virulent, toxic,
clouds of death at the inhabitants of my kitchen counter,
with hordes of screaming, terrified denizens of the night
yelling out "Save the women and larva first!" in their
tiny little throats. Yes, Dad would like that.
A second method could be, perhaps, the dreaded
Localized Flooding Of The Masses Technique. This is one
I abhor almost as much as gassing them to death. You
know the trick. Taking a coffee mug, filling it with
water, and roaming the kitchen, eyes at floor level,
looking for a tiny victim to do in. When one presents
itself, you hit it with well over three billion times its
body weight in H^2O. The little devil kicks its little
paws (er, do ants have paws?) to no avail, going down for
the third, and final, count. Perhaps you smile at this
point. (Pop would.) The main attraction of this system is
that there aren't any vile chemicals to mop up
afterwards. Just decaying carcasses by the hundreds. If
you have a wet / dry vacuum, give it a spin around the
counter top. I personally hate having to deal with a
pool of ants floating calmly, placidly, belly up, feet
dangling in the air, pain-twisted fingers pointing
incriminatingly at me. I can just see the wee devil's
family tossing a wreath into the pool of water, to watch
it float out with the tide.
There are many more popular methods. The Zippo
Lighter Fiasco, the Big Thumb Dance Of Death, the
Offering Of Dissolution (a variation of the Spray Can
system, where a pile of choice, hearty, tasty,
nutritious, violently deadly food is left as an
Offering), and Rolled Newspaper Delivery System just to
name a few.
Is the an end to this sad tale? Well, all that
could be done to combat this wickedness has been done.
The trash bag is outside at the curb, waiting to not only
pollute some distant, remote toxic waste dump, but to
attract a larger following of demon spawned, militant
ants and other hellish beasts. And I've stopped eating,
in the hopes that once the present ants finish carting
off all the spilled leftovers on the floor (and whatever
was left for them in the fridge), they will grow hungry
once again and haunt someone else for a while.
David Rice
(1:103/503.0)
---
* Origin: Astro-Net 714 662-2294 Not For Pagans Only! (Opus
1:103/503)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(487) Thu 13 Oct 88 0:28
By: David Rice
To: All
Re: ISAR Part One
St: Pvt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:a5d6 114d0380
David Rice
(1:103/503.0)
I peered through the dirty window, trying to gauge what
awaited me inside. The summons mentioned something about a
"refund" and gave an address on the lower end of seventeenth
street, Falwellvill. I'd been eating canned soup for dinner the
past few months, and could not afford to pass up any offer which
would help me make it from one pay check to the next. My intent
gaze could not penetrate the foggy haze which covered the plane
glass; My trepidation grew. I glanced again at my watch, and
discovered I was over a minute late. Clutching my courage with
one hand, and tightening my resolve with the other, I opened the
door and went in.
The waiting room was small. Perhaps fifteen feet square,
with four dirty chairs placed contumeliously around an equally
filthy card table. The closed door against the far wall had no
knob that I could discover with my cursory glance. The thick
window, imbedded in the plaster next to the door like a cyst on
an old man's butt, appeared bullet proof; A young, harried,
tight-lipped woman stared fearfully through it's wavy entrails,
no doubt making me look as innocuous, as shapeless as she.
"Name!" the shape demanded through the three-inch diameter
wire mesh placed squarely in the center of the vacuous surface.
The sound might have reminded one of a stifled fart. I leaned
forward to the wire port hole to speak my name; Ms. Shapeless
jerked back sharply, as if I had attempted to bite her. "Rice,
David M.," I screamed into the orifice, articulating precisely.
She took another step back, paused to digest this new
information, stepped forward. With a long stretching reach,
loathing to get any closer to me despite the barrier between us,
she pressed a button under the window. A loud buzzing issued
from the door. "Go in!" the shapeless shape demanded.
I pressed against the door, opening it slowly, wondering if
whatever Ms. Shapeless was afraid of might get me, too. The
door opened into a short, empty, expressionless, blank hall, with
yet another door at the very end. How Ms. Shapeless got into
her cage was a mystery, as there seemed to be no door leading her
way. Cautiously I walked down the hall and opened the door.
This room was slightly larger than the waiting room.
Furniture included one desk, two chairs, a computer. At the
computer sat a man wearing nylon pants (the legs came up almost
to his knees), nylon socks (which were limp around his ankles),
and a nylon shirt (open at the neck, buttoned tightly around his
paunch waist). His shoes were missing.
He jumped to his feet, as if caught at some misdemeanor.
Striding up to him with my hand out, I smiled warmly at him. He
stared at my hand as if it were a snake, snatching his behind his
back out of reach. Putting the desk between us, he motioned to
the far chair. Shrugging to myself, I sat down. Mr. Nylon sat
as well. I waited. I couldn't catch his eyes.
Mr. Nylon pushed a few papers around his desk, twitched his
right cheek spasmodically a few time, and shoved a paper over the
desk's surface at me like a threat. "Sign at the bottom," he
intoned, in a stressed voice. I tried to catch his eyes again,
and failed.
Having nothing to lose, I assumed, I picked up the paper and
examined it.
United Farmers Of Ohio $35.00
Childless Parents Of Utah $25.00
Animal Liberation Organization $175.00
Save The Parrots League $16.00
. . . . The list began.
"What?" I muttered more to myself than to the "gentleman"
across the desk. "Just sign it," he groaned, his tone sounding
like "Are you gonna give us trouble too?!" His tonicity,
intending to demean, humiliate, and shame, ground into my nerves,
causing rebellion to swell up in my veins. I started to scan the
list from the top again, reading as slowly as possible,
determined to look for any reason at all not to sign.
Black Hockey Players Dental Alliance $83.00
Republican Party $0.23
Richard Nixon Acquittal Confederacy $10.00
Horseless Carriage Restoration Coalition $15.00
. . . . The list continued.
"What?" I muttered again.
"It's your refund!" Mr. Nylon snarled. "Every damn penny!
And 8 percent interest. Just sign there at the bottom." Making
as if to lean across the desk to point to where I should sign, he
jerked to a stop half out of his chair. The action was curiously
like a person who dropped a quarter in the outhouse and decided
he didn't want to retrieve it that badly. The thought that he
could have gotten close enough to touch me seemed to make him
shiver ever so slightly.
Clown Union March For Independence $65.80
Tammy Bakker Plastic Surgery Fund $0.02
Second House Neptune Endowment $32.00
Dolly Parton Back Brace Support Group $45.00
. . . . The list yet continued. At the bottom of the paper
was a sub-total, what I had to assume was 8 percent of it (being
somewhat poor in the art of mathematics), and a grand total.
"My refund?" I asked. "Refund? This is a list of every
charity I've ever given time or money to in the past 25 years.
Why a refund?"
---
* Origin: Astro-Net 714 662-2294 Melenkurion abatha! (Opus
1:103/503)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(488) Thu 13 Oct 88 0:28
By: David Rice
To: All
Re: ISAR Part Two
St: Pvt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:a5d6 114d0387
The paunchy pile of nylon snorted angrily. "You know why!"
His piggie, watery eyes flitted across my forehead, and scurried
away again, not quite making eye contact. His hands made
wringing motions. I took a deep breath.
"No. Why?" I demanded. I considered the possibility of
leaving, but curiosity sometimes pays for the cat food. Mr.
Nylon grimaced, winced his eyes insolently. "Because your a Your
Type!" he snapped. This time he did manage to look at my eyes,
defiantly, hostilely, just a second, before snatching his gaze
away again. "It's obvious!" Another deep breath. "A what type?
I'm a what?" I wanted to get to the bottom of the issue quickly.
I'm not one to call a harlot a "social worker" if "whore" would
suffice.
"A Your Type! You and Your Kind! The gall you've got,
giving money to these fine, lawful, NORMAL people! How dare
you?!" This time he stared directly into my eyes, hotly, with a
gaze full of blistering hate and detestation, demanding with
speechless violence an answer to why I choose to be a "Your
Type," whatever that was. I was still ignorant to what we were
talking about.
"What do you mean about being 'My Type'?" I wanted to leave
now, but anger started to replace the rebellion in my blood.
"You're a. . . " he paused. "You're a =Witch=!" He
ejaculated finally, defiantly, accusingly. "You ride a
motorcycle! You live in a house full of subversive books!
You've been seen talking to. . ." he shuddered ". . . lesbians!"
His pallid, flaccid, doughy face was turning red. "You sleep in
your back yard instead of inside! Like an animal! You drive an
MG, for God's sake! What the hell do you mean, 'What do you mean
"My Type"'?!"
"Auhh. . . ." I began, mind reeling. But he wasn't
through.
"You voted against Brother Robertson! You don't eat meat!
You and Your Type don't conform! You're an Anarchist, a
throwback to evolution! You don't belong here, we don't want you
here, and we sure as hell don't want your money!" I was
beginning to get the picture, slowly. "You're an Astrologer! A
godless heathen! You protested the draft! You listen to Country
and Western music! You talk to your vegetables before you eat
them! God only knows what else you do to your vegetables. . . .!
"You don't want my money? These charities don't want my
money? Because I'm a Pagan? Because I'm a vegetarian? Because
I like the stars? Because Falwellian Politics makes me throw
up?"
"Yess!" he hissed through clenched cuspids. "These fine,
respectable, normal, =conforming= charities don't want to be
connected to a Your Type in any way, shape, or form. They don't
want any kind of support from a Your Type at all! How dare you
offer them your money and time?! YOUR money! YOURS!?"
"So they're sending me back my contributions. . . . " This I
couldn't conceive. "With interest. . . ."
"Yesssss!" he hissed again.
"Because my girl friends are gay? Because I like British
cars?"
"Yesss, yesss!"
"Because I apologize to apples for biting them, telling them
to take a deep breath and close their eyes first. . . ." He
flinched and seethed at this, blowing hot air through his flaccid
lips. ". . . and yell at people who deliberately stomp on
snails?"
"Yesss, yesss, all that! A freak! An insult against God
and nature! You haven't been to church, a =real=, =normal=
church =ever=! Not only that, you've started your OWN church!
You worship a Supervisor at your work, for god's sake, as a
goddess!" My eyes narrowed dangerously. That was going too far.
"You leave Cezanne out of this! She's perfection
personified, and worthy of worship. . . ."
"See?! You admit to being a Your Type!" He threw his
weight into his chair, leaned back, and glared at me. I stared
at him speechlessly.
"Sign the paper, take the money, and get out!" he demanded.
I didn't even hesitate.
"No."
"What!"
"I said, 'No.'" I got up to leave.
"You have to! You will! It's yours! We won't take it!
Give it to some damn perverted Your Type group!"
I walked to the door. A poster was taped to the back, which
I had missed when entering the room. "America: Love It Or Fuck
You!" it said, with the Statue Of Liberty standing proudly in it.
Her middle finger was raised in traditional "Giving Them The
Bird" posture. They had gotten to her, too.
"Use the money to buy yourself some shoes," I said, closing
the door after stepping through. As I passed Ms. Shapeless she
glared at me hatefully, but I hardly noticed. "Sad fools," I
added, stepping out into the street. I felt dirtied, in need of a
shower.
---
* Origin: Astro-Net 714 662-2294 Melenkurion abatha! (Opus
1:103/503)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(489) Wed 19 Oct 88 17:38
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Vatican Burns Starhawk (1 of 4)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 11538cd2
VATICAN GAGS NEW-AGE PRIEST FROM OAKLAND
By Don Lattin
Chronicle Religion Writer
(from the San Francisco Chronicle, page A1, Tuesday, October 18,
1988)
The Rev. Matthew Fox, an avant-garde Oakland priest who has
blended New
Age philosophy with Roman Catholic teachings, has been sentenced
by the
Vatican to a year of public silence, according to a published
report.
National Catholic Reporter, a liberal weekly newspaper, reports in
its
current edition that -- effective December 15 -- Fox has been
ordered
not to speak publicly or to publish his writings for a year.
Fox, the founder of the Institute in Culture and Creation
Spirituality
at Holy Names College in Oakland, was out of town and could not be
reached for comment. He has scheduled a press conference for
Thursday
in San Francisco.
In 1985, when news of a possible Vatican investigation surfaced, Fox
said he was "not upset if people call me a heretic".
"Joan of Arc was condemned, burned at the stake and then declared a
saint", the popular Dominican priest said at the time.
Fox, 47, has upset conservative Catholics by hiring as faculty
members
a certified masseuse, a yoga teacher, a Zen Buddhist and a
self-described
witch named Starhawk.
His writings, including a popular book entitled "Original
Blessing," have
criticized traditional Roman Catholic doctrine for its
"overemphasis" on
sin and redemption.
Mysticism and Feminism
----------------------
Fox has forged a curriculum with a heavy emphasis on Christian
mysticism,
feminism and environmentalism. His writings have been under
review by
the Vatican's powerful Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith ordered the Rev. Charles Curran
dismissed
in 1986 from the faculty of Catholic University in Washington,
D.C., for
doctrinal liberalism.
Ratzinger's action against Fox could revive tensions between the
Vatican
and the U.S. church -- conflicts that made headlines during the
Curran
controversy and after Rome took disciplinary action against liberal
Seattle Archbishop Raymond Huntshausen.
According to the report in the Register, a nationally distributed
independent Catholic news magazine, Fox will partially defy the
Vatican
order by taking a one-semester sabbatical rather than a yearlong
leave.
"This work is just too pressing to be postponed until a neurotic
papal
regime dies out", Fox is quoted as saying.
Fox added that the Vatican action is "a compliment. It shows that
our
influence is growing so much that they feel threatened."
(more)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(490) Wed 19 Oct 88 17:39
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Vatican Burns Starhawk (2 of 4)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 11538cec
Negotiations with the Vatican
-----------------------------
Officials with the Diocese of Oakland referred questions about Fox's
sentence to the Rev. Donald Goergen, the Dominican's provincial
superior in Chicago, who oversees Fox's work. Goergen could not be
reached for comment.
Dominican officials have been negotiating with Ratzinger's office --
which was once called the "Holy Inquisition" -- for at least three
years.
According to the Register, the Vatican has ordered Holy Names
College
to sever its ties with Fox's institute. Officials at the school,
founded
in 1868 by the Sisters of the Holy Names, said they will issue a
statement
after Fox's press conference on Thursday.
Fox's ideas draw heavily on the ideas of Meister Eckhart, a German
Dominican mystic who died in 1327 -- and who had his own problems
with
Vatican officials. Two years after his death, many of Eckhart's
writings
were condemned as heretical by Pope John XXII.
Fox has denied that his idea about "creation spirituality" is the
same
as pantheism -- the idea that "everything is God and God is
everything."
Pantheism, a major component of much of the so-called New Age
thinking,
is considered a heresy by the Catholic church because it denies
God's
transcendence.
Scores of Catholic priests and nuns have attended classes and
seminars
at Fox's institute, which awards master's degrees in spirituality.
Fox,
who founded his institute in 1978 at Mundelhein College in Chicago
before moving here in 1983, has also become a popular speaker on the
New Age lecture-workshop circuit.
(here endeth the lesson)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(491) Wed 19 Oct 88 17:40
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Vatican Burns Starhawk (3 of 4)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 11538d00
SHOWDOWN BETWEEN VATICAN AND PRIEST
By Don Lattin
Chronicle Religious Writer
(from the San Francisco Chronicle, Wed. October 19, 1988, page A6)
In one corner is the Rev. Matthew Fox, the upbeat Oakland priest
whose
unorthodox ideas about sin and spirtuality have made him the self-
appointed Roman Catholic emissary to the New-Age movement.
In the other corner is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's
doctrinal watchdog and commanding general of the pope's campaign to
purge liberals, Marxists, and other "heretics" from Roman Catholic
schools and seminaries.
Church officials yesterday confirmed reports that Ratzinger's
office,
the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has ordered
the avant-garde Oakland Dominican to cease his writings and public
speaking on "creation spirituality".
According to the Rev. John Gerlock, the vicar provincial of the
Dominican office in Chicago, Ratzinger's office has also demanded
that
Fox sever his ties with the Institute in Culture and Creation
Sprituality, which Fox founded in Chicago in 1978, and moved to Holy
Names College in Oakland in 1983.
Despite Rome's concerns, Gerlock said an internal review by the
Dominican order has "concluded on the whole and on balance that
there
is not sufficient reason to condemn the work or silence the writer."
Gerlock said Fox -- who is scheduled to respond to the Vatican
charges
at a press conference in San Francisco tomorrow -- has merely
agreed to
take a "sabbatical" beginning this December, but will not recant his
ideas or cut his ties with the Institute.
Rome vs. New-Age
----------------
His showdown with Rome promises to put the spotlight on a subtle,
but
nevertheless significant, trend in North American Christianity -- an
opening up by some churches to the Eastern mysticism and modern
paganism of the New-Age movement.
"When Vatican officials think of ecumenicism," Gerlock said, "they
think
of groups like Lutherans and Methodists -- not witchcraft and other
archaic spiritualities."
Fox's writings, including his 1983 "Original Blessing", have
sought to
draw connections between medieval Christian mystics and such
seemingly
diverse philosophies as prehistoric shamanism and modern feminism.
Gerlock said Vatican officials specifically ordered Fox to
"dissociate
himself from wicca, the ideology of Starhawk, a self-described
witch."
Starhawk, who has served as a part-time faculty member at Fox's
institute,
is a popular speaker, workshop leader and author of several books,
including "The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of
the
Great Goddess."
(more)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(492) Wed 19 Oct 88 17:40
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Vatican Burns Starhawk (4 of 4)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 11538d12
Vatican Action
--------------
Gerlock said the Vatican action against Fox began with a letter from
Ratzinger in September to the Rev. Damian Byrne, the international
superior of the Dominican order in Rome.
Beside mentioning Starhawk, Ratzinger also questioned Fox's
denunciation
in "Original Blessing" of the church's "overemphasis" on the
doctrine of
original sin and redemption.
"Matt has a large appeal because he's taking a more positive
approach to
the Christian tradition," said one leading Dominican theologian in
the
East Bay, who asked to remain anonymous. "He doesn't emphasize the
negative aspects of the faith, but stresses the goodness of creation
and God's graciousness."
Sister Lois MacGillivray, president of Holy Names College, said in a
statement released yesterday that Fox "has asked for and received a
sabbatical leave for the spring semester."
(here endeth the lesson)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(493) Tue 18 Oct 88 19:31
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (1 of ?)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cdf 11529bee
THE MURDERED MAGICIANS: THE TEMPLARS AND THEIR MYTH
by Peter Partner
(Great Britain, 1987, The Aquarian Press)
The library of the occult gets fatter every day. Here in the
belly of the
New Age, the average bookstore carries "ancient secrets" and
"hidden wisdom"
by the metric ton. But literature ABOUT the occult, of the
history of
occult ideas and their influence on important people, is skimpy
and often
unreliable. It's hard to find an honest scholar among the
mystagogues and
Fundamentalists. We have Dame Francis Yates, a gem of a historian
who cares
about things that would make most academics turn up their noses.
And now we
have Dr. Peter Partner. As we bow three times in the direction of
Dame
Frances, it must be said that Dr. Partner is a better writer. An
alchemist
would envy his ability to turn the junk of history into gold.
THE MURDERED MAGICIANS starts off on familiar ground. We meet the
historical Templars themselves, fresh from the Crusades, returning
to
France, getting rich in the Church market and drawing the wrath of
the
odious Philip the Fair. There is the famous midnight arrest and the
subsequent "trial". There are the usual confessions of heresy and
sodomy
extracted under torture. Then there is the stake, where most
accounts of
the Templars end. In Dr. Partner's history of ideas, though, the
stake was
just the beginning.
Jacques de Molay and his cohorts did not rest easily in their
graves. As
the years passed, Templar stories and rumors became grander with
each
telling. Finally, these illiterate Crusaders from the lowest
ranks of the
aristocracy emerged as powerful sorcerers who used ancient magical
secrets
for their own mysterious ends. At least that's what everybody
thought.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(494) Tue 18 Oct 88 19:34
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 11529c44
There had been charges of black magic from the start. In the
"trial" itself, the Templars were accused of worshipping an idol
called "Baphomet"
-- a French corruption of "Muhammad" -- which they supposedly
picked up from
the Muslim conquerors of the Holy Land. (Of course, the idea that
ANY Muslim would worship an image of Muhammad says more about the
parochial mentality of the European Church than anything else.)
In the 1500's, the magical fame of the Templars spread from the
pen of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, a sort of Renaissance Shirley
McClaine whose works were highly popular and influential. In DE
OCCULTA PHILOSOPHIA, Agrippa set about classifying the "good" and
"bad" schools of magic. He placed the Templars in the latter
category, along with the Gnostics and folk witches.
The Templar myth did not attain its full potency until the
eighteenth century. If it seems odd that occult gossip would
thrive in the Age of Enlightenment, it must be remembered that
Reason was just one part of the Enlightenment hodge-podge. Alchemy
and Cabala seemed just as important to the educated minds of the
day. Also, the new liberal climate produced a lot of nostalgia for
the good old days of noble status and "chivalry". Thus we see
Elias Ashmole, chemist, bibliographer, and one of the founders of
the Royal Society of London, writing sentimentally of the Templars.
At this stage, the Templar myth gets mixed up with Freemasonry.
Masons of the period traced their heritage back to the Crusaders
who, they supposed, were privy to the mystical knowledge of Egypt
and Greece. It seems inevitable that they would bring in de Molay
and company.
According to Dr. Partner, "The birthplace of Templarism was
Germany, where the egalitarian and rationalist thrust of
Freemasonry was resisted by an old-fashioned and rank-dominated
society, and there was a demand for a version of the Masonic craft
acceptable to conservative doctrine and Gothic taste."
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(495) Tue 18 Oct 88 19:37
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (3)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 11529ca1
Under the tutelage of such Masters as Samuel Rosa and George
Frederick Johnson, "Provost-General of the Templar Order of the
Scottish Lords", Templarism went far beyond the relatively simple
edifice of traditional Masonry.
"The invention of the Templar myths amounted to a patent to create
new noble
titles. ... Johnson and Rosa, as 'Heads' of their Orders, created
elaborate hierarchies with hundreds of such knightly titles." And,
incidentally, earned a tidy living in the process. By the last
decades of the century, Europe was dotted with competing Templar
lodges, each claiming to possess the True Secret.
The end came with both a bang and a whimper. For one thing, the
Templarist Masons were afflicted by the stagnancy that is the
hallmark of the occult:
"The successively unveiled mysteries of the Order had yielded
nothing but
boring ritual; the alchemists had made no discoveries; the Templar
lands would never be returned. No one expected to identify the
long-concealed Unknown Superiors. The thirst for mystical
illumination remained, but hope of quenching it at the Templar
spring was over."
Furthermore, there was the spectacular scandal of the "Bavarian
Illuminati", the pet conspiracy of that Jesuit-haunted secular
humanist, Adam Weishaupt. Dr. Partner dispels any notions of
co-fraternity between the Illuminati and the Templarists. True,
Weishaupt had recruited some members from the crumbling Templar
lodges, but otherwise the two groups had opposing styles and aims.
"There was no direct continuity between the Strict Templar
Observance and
the Bavarian Illuminati at all. The aristocratic mumbo-jumbo of
the Templar lodges pandered to the confused conservatism of the
German nobles and had a great deal in common with the mumbo-jumbo
of the Rosicrucians, to whose ideas the Illuminati were absolutely
opposed."
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(496) Tue 18 Oct 88 20:04
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (4)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 1152a088
Such nit-picking hardly mattered, though, especially after the
French Revolution when all secret societies seemed to be part of a
single gargantuan evil. Those days saw the beginning of modern
conspiracy theory. Pamphleteers such as Friedreich Nicolai and
Augustine de Barruel offered lurid exposes of the secret societies.
For these zealots, "it all connects": Templars, Illuminati,
Masons, Gnostics, Cathars, Manicheans, and the other enemies of
normalcy and the status quo. The gaps in logic never seemed
important; it was all grist for the mill as one pamphleteer
reprinted the wooly ideas of another. The tradition continues to
this day with the intellectual descendants of Nicolai and Barruel
advertising in THE SPOTLIGHT and other right-wing tabloids.
With the suppression of the Illuminati, German Templarism
slumbered for a hundred years. There was a flurry of Templar
activity in France under Napoleon and in the United States with the
Civil War general Albert Pike. But, for the most part, nineteenth
century Templarism thrived in its rightful soil: the land of
literature and myth.
The Templar myth could have been made for the Romantic period. It
had everything a Romantic could want: the middle ages, chivalry,
pre-Christian wisdom, wicked clergymen, sex, and plenty of Gothic
shudders. Indeed, the list of nineteenth century artists who
contributed to the Templar myth or were influenced by it reads like
a "Who's Who": Balzac, Walter Scott, Disraeli, Wagner, Edward
Bulwer-Lytton, and Gabriel Rosetti, of whom Partner says "He knew
hardly anything of the heresies which had in fact existed in the
middle ages, but he made up for this by inventing new ones on a
generous scale." When Templarism revived in Germany at the end of
the century it had come a long way from the humble actuality of
Jacques de Molay.
The modern Templar revival was largely the work of a journalist
named Theodore Reuss and, later on, the British occultist Aleister
Crowley. Their Order of the Temple of the Orient (O.T.O.)
continues to this day with chapters in most of the United States
and several European countries. O.T.O. literature claims a
connection with the medieval Order of de Molay and it emphasizes
the "sexual magic" that the Templars supposedly picked up from the
Gnostics or Indian Yogis or whomever. In any case, the popularity
of the O.T.O. seems to be growing, which demonstrates once again
the hardiness of this remarkable myth.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(497) Tue 18 Oct 88 20:05
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (5)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 1152a0a2
Aside from its durability, the Templar myth has been astonishingly
adaptable. Where one group hates and fears the Templars for their
purported demonology and unusual sexual practices, another group
rallies to their defense for the same reasons. (Of course, few
people question whether demonology and unusual sexual practices
ever happened.) To quote Dr. Partner:
"The shifting history of Templarism, with its movements from one
interpretation of the Templar story to another, reflects the
original Masonic confusion between the parable and the truth the
parable was supposed to represent. But it also reveals the way in
which men fulfill their spiritual needs in a way which broadly
corresponds to an earlier pattern, but which is nevertheless made
in their own image. Nothing is more misleading than the claim that
there is an immemorial esoteric tradition which places antique and
prehistoric wisdom at the disposal of the adept. It is true that
some esoteric principles derive from a philosophical tradition of
great antiquity. But students of the supposed hidden truths are
also men of their times, and they have employed esoteric ideas in
the service of interests and concepts which have changed from one
generation to another. The tradition as applied to the Templar
myth has proved to be Protean in its mutability. The Templars have
been benign, rational sages for one generation, demonic Satanists
for another, wise, wealthy technocrats for a third."
In other words, a Rorschach blot.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(498) Tue 18 Oct 88 20:05
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (6)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 1152a0b6
Does it matter if the Templar myth is true or false, profound or
silly? Apparently not. What matters is that people believe. And
the Templar myth has attracted some very influential believers,
often with unpleasant results.
"Secret society myths are usually concerned to suggest the
influence of
small, powerful groups which work invisibly. But the political
importance of such myths is their effect on the general currents
and atmosphere of public opinion. It can be shown from the history
of Templarism that small, private groups of people who profess
esoteric doctrines with a political flavour, and sometimes practice
eccentric rituals, do from time to time exist. So far as
Templarism is concerned, the political and social effect of such
groups has been negligible. What matters to society is the vague,
disquieting effects either of propagandists who spread alarming
reports of secret society conspiracies, or of esoteric publicists
who diffuse ideas of the miraculous and the marvelous, and give the
impression that social change can easily be accomplished by the
workers of wonders."
The fate of the original Templars may be history's best argument
against secrecy. On the other side of the myth, those "who spread
alarming reports of secret society conspiracies" seem doomed to
their own sad fate. The moral might be "Choose well your myths."
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(499) Tue 18 Oct 88 20:06
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Book Review (7 of 7)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0e53 1152a0dd
In all the hub-bub, it's easy to misplace the historical Knights
of the Temple. When he returns to Jacques de Molay and company,
Dr. Partner is as eloquent as he is sane:
"The unromantic truth is that the Templars of the Middle Ages made
not the
slightest attempt to build the Temple of Wisdom, unless that
Temple is defined as that of the Catholic Church. The end of the
Templars arose not from the operation of demonic forces but as a
result of their own mediocrity and lack of nerve. A handful of
them measured up to the terrible challenge which confronted them,
but most, including their leaders, at the moment of trial proved to
have nothing much to say. In the Holy Land the Templars had been
brave soldiers but rather short-sighted politicians, who in no way
conformed to the high standards which their nineteenth-century
admirers ascribed to them. The most striking characteristic of the
medieval Templars was their ordinariness; they represented the
common man, and not the uncommon visionary. Mozart's noble Masonic
opera, THE MAGIC FLUTE, holds out the vision of a Temple of Reason
and Nature presided over by a ruler- seer, Serastro. If the Temple
of Serastro is ever to be built, and if man is to live in some
state of Mozartian harmony, it may be on principles in which the
Freemason ideal has had a part, but it will not be based on the
ideals of the medieval Templars."
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139
/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(500) Sat 22 Oct 88 21:16
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Starhawk's New Power Animal -- The Fox (1 of 3)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 1156aa18
OAKLAND PRIEST TO DEFY VATICAN
By Don Lattin
Chronicle Religion Writer
(From the San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Oct 88, page A3)
Accusing the Vatican of "spiritual sloth" and "creeping fascism",
the Rev.
Matthew Fox said yesterday that he will defy Rome's demand that he
recant
his unorthodox views on "creation spirituality."
At a packed press conference in San Francisco, the avant-garde
Oakland
theologian said he also will defy the Vatican's order that he fire
Starhawk, a self-proclaimed witch and "goddess movement" leader,
from
the faculty of his Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality.
Fox -- a feminist, mystic, and outspoken environmentalist -- has
agreed,
however, to a request from his Dominican superiors that he refrain
from
preaching, teaching, and public speaking during a sabbatical
beginning
December 15.
It appears unlikely, however, that Fox's temporary silencing will
satisfy
the demands of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's chief
doctrinal
watchdog and prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine
of the
Faith.
"I believe that power, rather than theology, is the real issue in
this
case," Fox said. "The very act of silencing theologians instead of
engaging them in dialogue is a sign of institutional violence."
'Dangerous and Deviant'
-----------------------
At yesterday's press conference, Fox released a number of documents
related to the Vatican's four-year probe into his writings and the
institute, located in Oakland's Holy Names College.
Among the documents is a Sept. 17, 1987, letter from Ratzinger to
the
Rev. Damian Byrne, the international superior of the Dominican
order,
in which Ratzinger calls Fox's ideas "dangerous and deviant".
Ratzinger calls Fox's 1983 book "Original Blessing" an "altogether
personal, gratuitous and subjective interpretation of Christian
spitituality."
Ratzinger accuses Fox of "citing what he likes in the Bible and
interpreting it in his own way."
Fox, a witty iconoclast and author of 11 books, is a popular speaker
at open-minded Christian churches, seminaries and eceumenical
organizations. His blending of medieval Christian mysticism, Native
American spirituality, transpersonal psychology and other techniques
of the "human potential movement" has made him popular on the New
Age
lecture circuit.
In his criticism of Fox's work, Ratzinger said, "It is
characteristic
of his approach to marshal a broadly diverse group of spiritual
writers
to advance his own brand of spirituality over and against that of
original sin and redemption."
Ratzinger also said Fox's sympathetic views about homosexuality are
"neither inspired by the Scriptures, nor by the doctrine of the
Church."
(more)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(501) Sat 22 Oct 88 21:17
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Crazy Like a Fox (2 of 3)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 1156aa35
'Spiritual Sloth'
-----------------
In a lengthy repsonse to Ratzinger written on August 8, Fox said the
cardinal's congregation "has not done either its intellectual
homework
or its inner work."
"I detect a kind of intellectual sloth in those who condemn without
studying and a spiritual sloth in those who accuse without feeling,"
Fox wrote.
"The Vatican -- like any organization -- is not God, cannot be
God, and
will ultimately fail in its attempts to be God," Fox told Ratzinger.
Fox released a letter showing that a group of conservative
Catholics in
Seattle -- a chapter of an organization called Catholics United
for the
Faith -- had notified the Vatican of Fox's unorthodox work.
The Seattle CUFF chapter is the group whose successful campaign
led to
the Vatican's unprecedented 1986 disciplinary action against liberal
Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle.
Vatican Policy Questioned
-------------------------
In his letter to Ratzinger, Fox questioned why the vatican
"ignores the
advice of its most pastoral bishops and leaders of religious
orders."
"Instead," he wrote, "it listens to theologically illiterate
fanatics
who behave like religious thugs."
In defending his hiring of Starhawk, Fox told Ratzinger that he
finds
"the rancor toward witches to be unbelievable -- as if Christians,
in
killing anywhere from 300,000 to 3 million through the centuries,
have
not had enough of witch hunts."
Fox cited a Second Vatican Council declaration that it is "foreign
to
the mind of Christ to discriminate or harass persons because of
their
religion," saying the church fathers "did not make an exception of
the
native European religion of Wicca (witchcraft)."
"When it (the Second Vatican Council) acknowledges that 'from
ancient
times down to the present there has existed among diverse peoples a
certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course
of things', it does not make an exception to the Wicca tradition,"
Fox wrote.
(more)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(502) Sat 22 Oct 88 21:18
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: A Fox in the Chicken Coop (3 of 3)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 1156aa4a
Other Outcasts
--------------
At his press conference, Fox said he is "honored" to be in the
company
of other theologians whom the Vatican has tried to silence. He
mentioned
the Rev. Charles Curran, who was fired from the faculty of Catholic
University in Washington, D.C., for his liberal views on birth
control,
homosexuality and other church teachings, and the Rev. Leonardo
Boff,
of Brazil, who was put under one year of public silence for his
writings on "liberation theology."
During his sabbatical of public silence, Fox said he plans to
travel,
"get a lot of sleep," write and visit sympathetic church thinkers in
Africa and Latin America.
"Maybe Father Boff and I will have a party where no one speaks," Fox
joked.
No Sufficient Reason
--------------------
In another statement released yesterday, the Rev. Donald Goergen,
the
Chicago-based provincial superior overseeing Fox's work, said he and
several other Dominican theologians have exmained Fox's writings and
"do not think there is sufficient reason to prohibit him from
speaking
and writing."
Nevertheless, they and Fox have agreed to a request by the Rev.
Byrne,
the worldwide Dominican leader, that Fox "take a year's sabbatical
to
reflect on his work and to consider the full efefct of his work on
the
church."
Fox predicted that Rome's attempt to eradicate his teachings will
backfire.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(503) Sat 22 Oct 88 22:23
By: Tim Maroney
To: All Psi-Believers
Re: The Randi Challenge (1 of 2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 1156b2f2
This statement outlines the general rules covering my offer
concerning
psychic, supernatural, or paranormal claims. Since claims will vary
greatly in character and scope, specific rules must be formulated
for
each claimant. However, _claimants_ must agree to the rules set
forth
here before any formal agreement is entered into. A claimant will
declare agreement by signing this form before a notary public and
returning the form to me at 12000 NW 8th Street, Plantation, FL
33313-1406. The eventual test procedure must be agreed upon by both
parties before any testing will take place. I do _not_ act as a
judge.
I do _not_ design the protocol independently of the claimant.
Claimants
_must_ identify themselves properly before any discussion takes
place.
_All correspondence must include a stamped, self-addressed
envelope_.
I, James Randi, will pay $10,000 (U.S.) to any person or persons who
demonstrate any psychic, supernatural, or paranormal activity of any
kind under satisfactory observing conditions. The demonstration
must
take place under these rules and limitations:
(1) Claimant must state clearly in advance just what powers
or
abilities will be demonstrated, the limits of the proposed
demonstration (so far as time, location, and other variables
are concerned), and what will constitute both a positive and
a negative result.
(2) Only an actual performance of the stated nature and
scope,
within the agreed limits, is acceptable.
(3) Claimant agrees that all data (photographic, recorded,
written) of any sort gathered as a result of the testing may
be used freely by me in any way I choose.
(4) Tests will be designed in such a way that no judging
procedure is required. Results will be self-evident to any
observer, in accordance with the rules agreed upon by all
parties in advance of any formal testing procedure.
(5) I may ask the claimant to perform informally before an
appointed representative, if distance and time dictate, for
purposes of determining if the claimant is likely to perform
as promised in the formal test.
(continued)
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(504) Sat 22 Oct 88 22:27
By: Tim Maroney
To: All Psi-Believers
Re: The Randi Challenge (2 of 2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:954a 1156b360
(6) I will not pay for any expenses incurred, such as
transportation, accomodation, or other costs.
(7) Entering into this challenge, claimant surrenders any
and all rights to legal action against me, as far as this may
be done by existing statutes. This applies to injury,
accident,
or any other damage -- physical, emotional, and/or financial
or professional -- of any kind.
(8) Prior to the commencement of the formal testing
procedure,
I will give my check for the full amount of the award into
the keeping of an independent person chosen by the claimant.
In the event that the claimant is successful under the agreed
terms and conditions, that check for $10,000 (U.S.) shall be
_immediately_ surrendered to the claimant, in full
settlement.
(9) A copy of this document is available free of charge to
any
person who sends the required stamped, self-addressed
envelope
to me requesting it.
(10) This offer is made by me personally and not on behalf of
any other person, agency, or organization, although others
may
become involved in the examination of claims and others may
add
their reward money to mine in certain circumstances.
(11) This offer is open to any and all person in any part
of the
world, regardless of sex, race, educational background,
etc., and
will continue in effect until the prize is awarded, or
until my
death. My will states that, upon my death, the award
amount will
be held in escrow and in charge of the Committee for the
Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, in
Buffalo,
New York, which is then empowered to continue the offer for a
period of ten years after my demise, after which time the
award amount can be used for whatever purposes it desires.
(12) Claimant must agree upon what will constitute a
conclusion
that he or she does _not_ possess the claimed ability or
power.
This rule _must_ be accepted by the claimant without
reservation.
___________________________
___________________________
Notary Public Signature
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(505) Sun 30 Oct 88 15:48
By: Estrose Maiesa
To: Tim Maroney
Re: Re: The Randi Challenge (2 of 2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:c3d1 115e7e11
Tim, well, I have a rather simeple question to ask you.
Let's say that there is no magic, or psychic abilities as you or
anyone else here knows it.Rather, the science of Bhera existed long
before any life in this slice existed.When I say slice, just
associate it with the word demension, that's the closest English
word to describe it. Now, $10,000 is not enough, not even
close...But it sounds as if you would give anything in order to
have proof...If it's not important to you to share you knowledge
with other people and gain fame, than continue reading...
I can take you to slice one, two, or four...Three is what you
are currently occupying... In order to take you there, you must
agree to be a follower of Ghirma...Which means you will be a sort
of slave for about 50 years, but your life expectancy will be
increased to about four or five centuries depending on your health
and age....Now, there is more payment than that, you will NEVER
return to your origin, and you must sacrifice your 'fire'.When I
say 'fire', I mean it's like the force that drives you on to exceed
your normal capabilities which is essential in the afterlife...You
will lose this when you die, so you really have nothing to worry
about...I came into this world as a fetis, and have grown... Soon I
will return to my home and regain the powers and substance that
were taken from me by Ghirma....I can not promise you that you
won't be born with the same color, race, or handicapps if any...But
you will end up there....There must be no one else around when I
take you, for they will be eternally doomed with us...I must sneak
you in sort of, and a great disturbance would disrupt the balance
and the out come could allert the King which would be
devestating...If you simply want to see if I'm telling the
truth....follow these instructions to the utmost... Go into a room
with ONE mirror....It must be pitch black in the room...No lights
at all....No other people...no cameras....Put your back to the
miiror and say "I love Ghirma" ten times and then immediately after
say "I hate Ghirma" ten times, and the scream "I rule you, my blood
flows thicker" and then turn around and put your hand through the
mirror... Warning- everything must be followed precisely and any
injuries you happen to come across, I am not responsible for...
---
* Origin: IBM_Tech_Fido (Opus 1:322/1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(506) Wed 2 Nov 88 9:44
By: David Rice
To: All
Re: The Dark's Post
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6c59 11624d8a
Here's the post from "The Dark," posted as requested. --DMR
TO: David Rice
FROM: The Dark
SUBJECT: The Laws Of Evil Concerning The Prctices Therin.
The Laws Of Evil:
The First Law: The forces in all
things must balance,therefore
for all Good Things there is an
oppisite Evil.
The Second Law: Evil is the
motivating force of man and in
being is also the most powerful.
It dominates all Things
perverting what is Good Through
Her mediums when the occasion
arises.
The Third Law: There is no
Devil!This term is only used to
represent a great force of evil.
Contrary wise there is no God.
The Fourth Law: Evil is aslo
known as Chaos. Chaos reigns as
the most powerful force.It is
from Chaos that ALL things are
born. If you can control Chaos
you can control ALL things.
These are The Laws Governing
the primal forces. These are the
strictures. If these strictures
be made known the the control
for them shall be made known.
David, Please read over this
and post this view. Please make
any editing choices you feel
need to be made and please
notify me of them.
Thanx,
The Dark One
P.S. Why Are you pissed?
---
* Origin: Astro-Net 714 662-2294 Melenkurion abatha! (Opus
1:103/503)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(507) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:31
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, a Pagan religious system
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:87fa 116ab3e2
What follows is a document sent to me by J. Santiago. It is on
Santeria and may be a good example of a pagan religion as opposed
to neo-paganism.
The number of followers of these systems is rather large. In Rio
there is an estimated 40,000 centers alone. A center fairly equates
to a Coven.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(508) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:33
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria. part 1 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab42d
"The Afro-Antillian Religion of the Lucumis..."
by JSR:.
On the history of Santeria...
It was in the days of the conquest...manpower was needed to
cultivate the land and to work hard, very hard. The native
inhabitants of this newly discovered land enslaved by the
conquerors were dying by the hundreds every day. The solution, to
bring slaves from Africa...it was the XVI century. Slaves were
brought by the thousands during the XVI-XIX centuries to the new
world, to what is today Central and south America, the Caribbean
and the southern portion of North America. These slaves came
mainly from the south western coastal region of Africa, region
in were the nations of the Yorubas, Arara and Lucumi dwelled.
These Africans were strong, clever, highly independent hard
working beings who were also very religious. Among the many
brought to the new world there were artisans, musicians and most
important: priests, doctors and sorcerers who were three
independent classes often confused as being the same thing.
Priests were in charge of the religious life of the members of
his nation or tribe; doctors took care of the physical health and
sorcerers were a kind of "outlaw priests" who almost invariably
lived outside of the villages. Doctors and priests worked in
common accord: the doctor took care of the physical while the
priest took care of the spiritual. Many times however, both
functions were performed by the priest but not the other way
around. The sorcerer offered his services for any purpose; that
is, to perform good or evil, being to perform evil that his
services were most often sought.
Secret societies or Brotherhoods formed a very important
part of the communal life. Men formed artisans brotherhoods,
hunting and fishing brotherhoods in were the art of each was
taught. Women also had their own "Sisterhoods" in were the arts
and skills of becoming a good wife were taught. There were also
religion oriented brotherhoods whose members had to belong to the
"clergy". Even the sorcerers belonged and promoted their own
versions of these brotherhoods.
These nations lived very close to the coast, for fishing and
hunting game was ample and also because they felt protected from
the attacks of several other warrior nations that lived
inland. As a matter of fact many of the slaves who were
eventually brought to the new world were prisoners of war
belonging to defeated tribes on wars with other African nations
who sold them to the slave traders. But their security was short
lived...because the white men came.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(509) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:34
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 2 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab44c
The Africans who were brought to (what is now) the
Caribbean, Central and South America were in a sense, lucky.
Here they found almost an identical weather, flora and similar
fauna that enabled them to quickly adapt to their own ways of
"thinking" and to some extent, of living. And it is at this point
that the history of modern day "Cult of the Orichas" (cult of the
saints) begins...
Customs and traditions of the white men were forced on the
new inhabitants; particularly, religious ones: Catholicism. They
had no choice, it was submission or to face certain death...so
they yielded...aparently, for the similarities among the catholic
way of worship and their own became quite obvious. When the
catholic priest spoke of Jesus they saw "Olofin"; when they spoke
of God they saw "Olordumare"; when they spoke of the Holy Spirit
they saw "Baba Nkua" and so it was with the rest of the Catholic
Saints... So it was that under a disguise of conversion they were
able to sustain and even promote their ancestral religion:"The
religion of the Orichas (Saints)".
Another factor that contributed to the proliferation of
their religious practise was that of "sympathetic" masters. These
usually were slaves masters who owned their health (or the health
of any other family member) to a "local" Santeria priest (they
were expert herbalists). On other occasions, African sorcerers
helped some of these owners get out of embarrassing situations
with the help of their "magic" (namely, manufacturing of potions
for poisoning, for inducing sleep, as stimulants, for inducing
abortions, etc. etc.). These particular type of help was only
given when the sorcerer was certain that the master who requested
his services (Thru the intervention of a friendly slave who was
the link between the sorcerer and the master) could be trusted;
sorcerers didn't dare to take the initiative of using their magic
against any of the white men, for the price if known was
severely high: Death by torture; sometimes, "Blanching", that is,
taking the skin off the live slave exposing the white portion
underneath. In any case it was complete annihilation of his
family, himself and any other slaves suspected of helping him.
In Cuba and some portions of the Caribbean this religion is
known as "Santeria" or The religion of the Saints. In Haiti it is
known as "VooDoo", in Brazil is "Macumba" and in some portions of
the lesser antilles "Candomble". The differences in naming this
religion has its roots in history itself...
Spain, Portugal and France were the commanding colonizing
nations of these portions of the new world. Spain colonized
Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Cuba, Mexico and some other countries
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(510) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:35
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 3 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab47c
in central and south America. Portugal did the same with Brazil
and some portions of the lesser antilles. France colonized Haiti,
Guyana and also some of the Lesser Antilles.
The "slave hunting grounds" for Spanish, french and
Portuguese slave traders as mentioned before was the south western
coast of Africa. However, they avoided as much as possible each
other, so they not only "captured" African slaves who belonged to
different African nations, but after their capture and in order
to survive the slaves learned and adapted the languages and
cultures of their captors.
Spanish colonies slaves came mostly from the Yoruba and
Lucumi nations, as well as the slaves of Portuguese colonies.
French colonies received a high influx of slaves belonging to the
Arara nation; however, these groups were not culturally or
linguistically entirely homogeneous. Yoruba was the name of a
language spoken by many small kingdoms who collectively then were
referred as the Yoruba nation. Lucumi is a compound word of the
Bantu dialect: luku- many, mi- a suffix to indicate a town, people
together, so "Lucumi" means many people. Arara was also a
language spoken by many kingdoms and those kingdoms were
referred to as the Arara nation. Slaves learned the languages
and dialects of other slaves and of course, the language of their
captors. Thru this interaction the different names for the
religion of the Orichas developed, and also many of the
ritualistic and dogmatic differences of this religious system of
today has its roots in that same inter-cultural exchange.
Santeria, VooDoo, Macumba and Candomble are just different
names for the "same" religious practice, that is, "the cult of
the Saints" which is also called "The Lucumi Religion" or "Yoruba
religion". There is also another name by which Santeria is
referred to: "The Society of Ocha" (the society of the saint) but
this name is not widely used.
While developing in the grounds of the new world, the Lucumi
religion acquired the "flavors" imparted by their mixed African
practitioners of each particular area. In Cuba it developed as
Santeria, in Haiti as VooDoo and in Brazil as Macumba. Not only
the names are different; but some of the ceremonials, rituals
and general religious practices differ. Santeria is a word in
Spanish which means "the religion of the Saints", and saints in
Yoruba is "Orichas" or "Ocha"; Voo-Doo is accepted as meaning
Voo- "introspection", Doo- "into the unknown". Although
Catholicism influence can be strongly felt in todays Afro-
antillian religions, they still conserve, to a high degree, their
original African ritualistic and ceremonial practices. This is
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(511) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:36
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 4 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab498
particularly true when speaking on the rituals of VooDoo.
Today, Nigeria occupies the original territory of the
Lucumis and Yorubas, and there is the sacred city of Ife, the
holy city of all practitioners of the religion of the Orichas
(Saints). Ife is considered by the adepts as the original
dwelling of the saints of the religion; there they can not only
find several holy places but also trace descendants of great
Babalochas (High priests) and even descendants of Ochas (saints).
***
On the "Theology" of the Lucumi Religion.
The Lucumi religion has dozens of entities called "Saints",
and are these saints the deities of the religion. Each saint has a
domain of power and spheres of influence, which the santero
shares thru his interaction with them.
In the Yoruba religion "saints" have a more diverse and
broader meaning than the Christian use of the term. Orichas are
treated and considered "gods" by the adepts of Santeria. In
Santeria orichas "work" to cure the sick, to foretell the future,
solve conflicts, remedy tough situation, join marriages and to
reconcile enemies; that is, to establish harmony and provide
advise. They perform "miracles" which are very hard to explain
but whose effects are undeniable. So the true Santero "works"
only for good...but what about those who call themselves Santeros
and perform evil?...Well, lets go back to history...
Among the slaves brought to the new world there were some
African sorcerers who found an excellent ground amidst the
thousands of slaves in the colonies in were to exploit their
abilities and recruit adepts. They were feared in their homeland
and they also became feared in the new world. It was very easy
for them to find followers and recruit pupils among these oppressed
people. These "Kimbiambus-Sua Musu" and "Kimbiambu-Sua Kai" (male
and female sorcerers) formed secret societies or brotherhoods who
evolved parallel to Santeria and eventually some of these
societies "blended", giving birth to a perverted, desecrated
version of "Santeria". Regretfully many of todays' so called
"Santeros" belong to this variation of the Lucumi religion...
Some of the Orichas in Santeria were the souls of those
who died who by their merits were granted "power" to become
"Saints". However, the majority of them have become such by their
direct blood link with the original or first orichas created
by Olordumare (God).
Africans believed in immortality; but in a very peculiar
way...According to Lucumi tradition, when a man died, he first
went to see Olofin (Jesus) who after weighting his acts on earth
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(512) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:37
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, aprt 5 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab4b4
rewarded him with eternal life in the following way:
1- He was transformed into rain, and in this way he
returned to earth looking for a river and then
flowing to the bottom he transformed himself into a
"rock".
2- After a period of time (usually three months) his
family went to the river accompanied by the
Babalocha. His closest relative and the Babalocha
get into the river (all this forming part of a
sacred ceremony).
3- Once in the water (all dressed in white) and with
the permission of Babalocha who assists him, his
relative closing his eyes, introduced his right hand
into it until he touch a "rock"; his relative had to
"feel" the "spirit" living in it.
4- This rock was immediately covered with a piece of
cloth of the favorite color of the deceased, and
after returning, it was received with great
enthusiasm by those present.
5- They carried it back to their house and with great
reverence it was deposited in a container. This
container represented the "room" or "body" in where
the spirit lived.
These "rocks" where called "Otanes". And it is because of
this that the saints are not worshiped in the form of statues,
they are worshiped in the form of "rocks". A variation exists in
Voodoo in where saints can live in trees, and such are highly
respected and worshiped. The trees that serve for this purpose
are called "Arbresrepoisors", and there is usually a pedestal or
basin encircling the foot of the tree. Square or triangular
niches are recessed into the pedestal and in them lighted candles
are often placed, surrounded by consecrated food offered in
sacrifice. These trees are decorated and even painted with the
favorite colors of the gods to whom they belong.
These Otanes were the property of the family of the
deceased, and they took care and worshiped them by bringing
offerings and food to them. It was the belief that they could
help and sometimes intercede with the Orichas in favor of the
family. Sometimes it happened that "miracles" began to occur, and
then these Otanes became "famous" and highly esteemed by the
people. With time myths began to surround the properties of
these Otanes, and from those myths legends developed.
In Voodoo, the belief is somewhat different. According to
its tradition, the soul of the death reascends to heaven and then
becomes a star. If, for whatever reason, the soul of the death
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(513) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:38
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 6 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab4d1
becomes canonized, he becomes a "Saint", thus eventually becoming
part of the "Pantheon of the Saints".
In Haitian VooDoo saint is "Loa" and in Brasil is "Macun".
The interaction of the Adept with the Ocha (or Loa) is the basic
unit of Santeria. It is thru this interaction that the santero is
able to work. As a general rule, the "Illaguao" (or novice,
apprentice) only "makes" one Ocha as his principal deity of
action during the initiatory ritual. This happens after the
Orichas are consulted by the "Babalao" (High priest) as to whom
is the Ocha that this Illaguao is entitled to. Later, after the
Illaguao becomes a santero he may request permission from his
Ocha to "make" more Orichas.
The personal power a Santero develops (thru his ritual work)
is known as "Ache" and in order to develop it he must follow all
ceremonial and ritualistic rules and guidelines belonging to his
Ocha, and of any other Oricha he may be working with. Every Ocha
has its rules; rules and attributes that touches almost every
aspect of life. He has his own colors, foods, beverages, animals,
utensils, etc.. Also, when performing ritualistic work, close
attention has to be paid for following the hierarchical order of
the orichas; that is, the santero, or Omoricha (priest) has to
begin any work by doing those rituals belonging to the most
important of the orichas he is working with and proceeded following
their hierarchy as related to one another. In VooDoo the
religious leader or priest is called "Houn'gan" if male or
"Mam'bo" if female and in santeria "Omoricha" or "Olouboricha".
To give you an idea lets see this hierarchical diagram of a
yoruba pantheon:
Olordumare
(Supreme God)
^
. .
. .
. .
. .
Obatala Oduduwa
(The most pure creator) ( First king of the earth,
. Ile Ife)
Yemaya Argayu
(Mother of 16 Orichas) ( Husband of Yemaya)
. .
Orumila Chango
(Fortuneteller son of ( Fourth king of the Yoruba
Yemaya) . Nation, master of fire,
. son of Yemaya)
. .
Ogun Osun
(master of iron, laborious ( Guardian, son of Yemaya)
son of Yemaya) . .
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(514) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:39
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 7 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab4ed
. .
Oshosi Ochun
(Hunter son of Yemaya) ( Master of the river and
. of money, Daughter of
. Yemaya)
. .
Oya Olokun
(Master of storm) ( Goddess of the sea,
. Daughter of Yemaya)
. .
. .
. .
. .
Iku
(Death)
Note: The above chart is not a fixed one; it will vary
depending on the ritual of santeria practised.
"Olordumare Nzame" is the principal deity of santeria, which
represents God; in Voodoo, is called "Legba Ati-Bon" which means
"wood of justice" and is represented in the "Oum'phor" (Voodoo
temple) as a wooden center-post, "Poteau-mitan". The potaeu-mitan
is located exactly in the middle of the "peristyle" (inside area
of the temple) whose entire length is decorated by a spiral
design representing two serpent-gods: "Danbhalah Wedo"
(representing perfection) and "Aida Wedo" (representing all the
knowledge of the gods). Also inside the oum'phor (temple) we
could find the "Pe" or stone-altar and on the floor of the temple
the "Veves", which are designs traced upon the ground whose
purpose are to attract the loas to descend to earth.
The orichas use various methods for manifesting themselves
to the santero. The most important being by "riding" him
during the ceremonials and rituals. Other methods at hand are the
use of sea shells and four pieces of coconut.
The "riding" method is one in which the Loa (in VooDoo) or
Ocha (in santeria) takes possession of the adept. The personality
of the host changes to that of the Ocha "riding" him; the orichas
all have their own personality and particular traits which
becomes manifested thru the Santero during the periods were the
ocha is possessing him.
The other methods of communication are the use of shells,
"Medilogun" and four pieces of coconut, "Obi". After complying
with the necessary rituals the Santero rolls the shells and their
resulting positions are "interpreted". The four pieces of coconut
are used in the same way as the shells. These methods can be used
for divination as another one rather unknown: the use of
dominoes. In Africa they had a game which played a lot like
dominoes called "Quenken", and the numbered pieces were used
for divination by interpreting the numbers that came up with the
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(515) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:40
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, part 8 of 9
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116ab509
meaning attributed to each one.
For effective oral communication the santero must speak to
the Ocha in his vernacular: Yoruba or Lucumi. He can speak to the
Ocha in another language if he doesn't know well yoruba or
lucumi, but this will diminish the Ache (power) in the work.
The adept of santeria has also to pay close attention to
some particular details such as the way he dresses and the food
he eats. For example the santero may be called to refrain from
eating certain types of food belonging to the orichas; this is to
show respect and to demonstrate his devotion for them Also
clothing becomes affected; the santero should dress according to
the rules of his principal ocha or the orichas he may be working
with. In addition, the santero must take good care of his
ritualistic necklaces or "Elekes", whose colored beads are
representative of the colors of the ocha. Some of these elekes
may be carried on all the time, while some others are to be worn
only when performing ritualistic work. Thru all of this
interaction the Ocha and the santero develops a Father-son type
of relationship.
When an "Illawao", apprentice in santeria or "Mam'bo Caille"
in VooDoo is initiated, the one who has directed the ceremonial,
usually the Omoricha (priest) or Babalocha (high priest) becomes
the godfather of the new adept. That is if he doesn't already has a
"sponsor" who has agreed beforehand to become his godfather. His
duties are those of a counselor and guide helping him in his
journey.
Sometimes ceremonials calls for offerings of various kinds,
including animal sacrifices. These offerings are just a
demonstration of respect, recognition, and sometimes for payment
(for a favor) to the orichas or Ocha in question. Drum music also
plays a very important part on the ceremonials. These drums are
consecrated and only played during ritual work; they may have
different physical dimensions. In Santeria they are known as
"akonko" (big drum) and "itole" (small drum), in Voodoo ritual
thy are known as "Manman" (largest drum), "Grondez" (middle sized
drum) and "Ka-Tha-Bou" (small drum). The large or small drums are
played depending on the ceremony or ritual performed.
When dogmatic differences or complaints happen between
omorichas (priests), a "Cabildo" (meeting, gathering of a
council) is called by the omorichas or Babalaos (high priests).
These are presided by the older babalochas. All differences are
settled there.
All of the organized religions have some type of sacred
writings, and the religion of the lucumis is no exception. Their
tales or "Patakies" are writings that illustrate all of the
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(516) Thu 10 Nov 88 22:41
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Santeria, by J. Santiago, part 9 of 9
St:
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@EID:71f9 116ab526
different aspects of the Yoruba religion. The un-written compendium
of this patakies is known as "Ifa". So this patakies are stories
with a moral-spiritual message or lesson.
Modern day santeria has its adepts spread all over north,
central and south America. It is no longer an isolated religious
phenomena of the Antilles. Florida, Cuba, Haiti, Brazil and to
some extent Puerto Rico are, however, the most active posts of
Santeria. But true Santeros are scarce; for santeria has not only
suffered the fusion with such un-welcomed guests, "The societies
of the sorcerers", but also it has suffered the influx of un-
worthy people in its ranks. Santeria today is not only a
religion; its a brotherhood with a rich legacy of myths and
legends as the teaching media for its adepts. A legacy left from
the slaves of yesterday to the free men of their tomorrow...
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(517) Sun 13 Nov 88 0:56
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Update of Handling the media, part 1 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d0701
_REACTIVE_RESPONSE_AND_PROACTIVE_ENCOUNTER_
_Dealing_with_the_Media_
This is a description of what WindFire Coven does to attract
positive media coverage:
During the latest period of Satanism hysteria the energies
were flowing in a negative direction as far as Wicca is
concerned.
The media loves controversy and knows that to have controversy
they must present more than one side of any given issue.
Consequently when planning some report that may be negative in
context they will go out of their way to present another view of
that same issue.
Reactive Response
This, of course, is reactive not pro-active in nature. This
is
how WindFire got the media exposure the last two times. I'll
start
with the Denver channel first.
It was a few weeks after File 18 was given to each member of
WindFire that we dedicated a full moon ritual for magickal work
toward a solution. WindFire is not structured so every member
got
to focus their power in their own way toward the solution. The
solution was to promote a positive understanding of Wicca in the
local mundane communities.
The very next day, not 24 hours after the ritual, we got a
call from channel 7, Denver. They were in the Springs and wanted
to talk to some witches about ley lines and power spots. The
two person crew was at Celebration Book Store but the attendant
didn't
want to be on. Fortunately the store attendant had our number
and called us. We talked with the camera crew and arranged an
immediate interview.
Two considerations are important here. The first is that
just like any other form of magickal work the magick takes it's
own
form. So be ready for anything. And two, when the media calls
they usually will not wait around for interviewees. Be prepared
for anything, at any moment. When the lightning strikes...
Channel 7 told us that they were doing the interview to
balance out some of the reporting on Satanism, but they didn't
stress the fact that the report was about Satanism. Further we
didn't know enough to ask what the focus and content was for the
report. Always ask what the focus of the report is. You may
find
yourself, just like WindFire, shocked that we are being
visually, if not verbally, associated with Satanism.
For the interview, be positive. I can't stress that enough.
Smile and let them see that you are sincere in your faith in the
Goddess. Laugh. All the reporters see in Satanism is somber
faces,
confessing their sins. Let them know that you are happy with
your path. Stress the difference between patriarchal monotheism
and
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(518) Sun 13 Nov 88 0:57
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Update of Handling the Media, part 2 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d0738
pre-Christian, pre-Hebrew Goddess religion. Have your resources
ready for the reporter to look at if they need a quote for
something. Trot out your tools and instruments if you feel
comfortable with that. They love to see the various tools. You
don't have to show them all or any of your tools but it sure
helps
them get a picture of what is going on.
The media people like robes so wear your best. Covert groups
that have fears about discovery of illegal activities will not
don
their robes or show their tools. By doing so you show that you
are
not aligned with covert, illegal, fearful groups. And by
disassociation you show that you are doing nothing illegal or
dangerous.
There are three parts of the interview: the preview, the
personal interviews and the ritual. In some or perhaps most
cases,
the ritual can be left out. [Please note that these terms are
descriptive of their function, not their technical names. The
reporters may have a different technical name for them.]
The preview is a time for the reporter to get to know the
members of the group, circle or coven. They will talk to you for
a
period of time. For WindFire that was about an hour for each
camera crew. Please remember to be civil as a group and not
blurt things out all at once. Believe me it's hard not to do
that in the
excitement. During the preview the reporter will select who they
want to interview.
Personal interviews last about 10 minutes. The reporter will
generally select different questions for each interviewee. Be
prepared for some hard and personal questions. At the end of the
personal interview the reporter will sometimes ask if you have
anything particular to say to the public. Please don't waste
this
opportunity. Have a personal message ready for the public.
The ritual can be anything you feel comfortable with. We
generally choose a related focus such as increasing
understanding in the mundane public. The camera crews seem to
like this. Be
patient, they may want you to duplicate some particular action
for
different camera angle. Accommodate them when you can. We got
through a partial ritual before the second camera crew ran out
of tape. Don't forget to complete the ritual before them before
you
let them leave. Be complete.
Remember that there are generally two people in a camera
crew,
the reporter and the camera operator. When the reporter is
previewing the coven have another witch talk to the camera
operator, telling them what the tools are for and what incenses
and crystals are used. Be discrete but talk to each and every
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(519) Sun 13 Nov 88 0:59
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Update of Handling the Media, part 3 of 7
St:
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@EID:71f9 116d0767
camera crew member because they all have input into the editing
of
the tape. If the reporter has a good feeling about the coven but
the camera person thinks you stink you may have visual problems
later. Make sure each and every camera crew member goes away
with a warm fuzzy feeling.
Offer them refreshments. They will generally refuse alcohol
but water, sodas, coffee and fruit juices are welcomed. Help
the crew as much as they will let you. If they need cables or
furniture moved, do so.
Now for Channel 13 in Colorado Springs. This reporter was
doing a report on Satanism alone. Unfortunately the ONLY
resource she had was James McCarthy in Boulder. The reporter
used the "S"
word, the "W" word and the "P" word all in the same sentence
without differentiating between the three. Admittedly the
context of the sentence was ritual. Still no differentiation
was made. We
started a telephone campaign and had about 15 people call the
newsroom at the station and complain.
Here it is especially good to not bitch unless you have a
solution. If you complain to a reporter do not leave them
hanging with no way to clean up the mess. Talk to them, give
them your
phone number so they can call you back later. They are busy
people. Try to make sure they can successfully reach you, not
your
children, not your message machine, not your dog. If you give
them
your number and they don't call you back, call them. Find out
what
the problem is.
During the phone campaign we left the reporter numerous ways
to contact us. She did and we scheduled a time for the
interviews. We scheduled it for our regular weekly meeting time
so
that all the members could be there and a generic ritual could
be filmed. Members who didn't want to be on film were situated
so
that their faces were not on camera. The camera crew will do
this for you. They don't want to inadvertently expose unwilling
and
innocent people to possible harassment.
On the appointed day the camera crew showed up fashionably
late. We went through our usually horror story about being
butchered by the media in the past and they (both crews) were
sympathetic to our concerns. Don't be afraid to stress how
badly the media has treated witches, but don't bore them;
everyone has a
story to tell but boredom is out these days.
Let them see a generic ritual with a generic focus. The
immediate focus was understanding in the local community. That
works well so you might want to try that with your group or
coven.
It impresses the camera crew so that they will be a little more
interested.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(520) Sun 13 Nov 88 1:00
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Handling the Media, part 4 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d080a
Proactive Encounter
Proactive means acting before something happens and puts you
in reactive response mode.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to put together a packet
that you can send to your local media: Tv. stations, radio
stations,
and newspapers, which also include your local neighborhood
weeklies if you're brave enough.
Send a well put together packet to these medias and be sure
they can get in touch with you on a few days notice. You might
have more than one contact for your group, circle or coven.
WindFire has three or four.
I suggest for this packet that you include three or four
brief
statements from willing coven members, a longer essay on Wicca
with resources, the New Woman article, some artwork and poetry.
Include also a reading list of your favorite Wiccan authors. Be
sure to include names and numbers to call back. While the
reporters won't read everything they will probably read the
brief statements from your coven members and look at the
reading list.
You might suggest book stores the reporters can find the reading
list books at.
The main time of the year for reactive procedures is
Halloween. Funnymentalist just love to hammer us during Samhain.
So be proactive and let the media know how you view Samhain.
Send the media an article about Samhain about two weeks before.
Let
them know that there are other views and that the funnymentalist
are slandering a perfectly good holiday.
In fact you could emphasize any holiday/s that seems
appropriate for your area or group. Include your resources
and/or xerox copies of other articles you may find, with
copyright if
needed, on any holiday you deem appropriate.
Reactive Response Summary
Be prepared to act at any moment if they should call you. Be
positive, smile and laugh a lot. Talk to all the camera crew
members. Let them know your concerns, stress the problems of the
past but don't offend the media people. Make it a magickal time
for all the people involved including the camera crews. Remember
to augment your mundane activity (interviews) before hand with
magickal work.
Proactive Encounter Summary
Prepare a good information packet. Sound like you know what
you are talking about. Don't be mousey. Be aggressive and call
them if you feel the need. Make sure they can return a call to
you successfully. If you get an interview be positive and firm.
Media people are strong people, they like other strong people.
Be prepared to act at any moment when they call you. Devote
some
personal and collective magickal time for magickal work to
attract
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(521) Sun 13 Nov 88 1:01
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Updated Handling the Media, part 5 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d082b
positive media attention.
I'm sure that you will be challenged by the opportunities
your
magick will bring you. The Goddess will bring your efforts to
full fruit if you are ready to support Her when the time comes.
It's not an overused saying to state that we should be prepared
for the effects of our own magick.
AN UPDATE OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN
Just before Halloween Channels 5/30 in Colorado Springs
interviewed WindFire Coven in the pro-active mode. The reporter
was concerned that her boss wanted a sensationalized segment on
witches to go with segments on Satanism and various local New
Age groups and psychics. She told us that she would try to talk
her
boss out of sensationalizing the segment. No guarantees were
given
and we accepted her word that she would try her best to
represent us fairly. WindFire Coven was filmed for four or five
hours for
the 3 minute segment and some promotional footage.
Some problems arose in the promotionals and broadcast that
we didn't anticipate.
In the promotionals various members were visually associated
with Satanism by default, that is, Wiccans and Satanists were
shown together in the same promo without distinction. This
caused quite a lot of concern when clients and associates of
those
involved either refused to speak to the involved or blamed them
for some unspecified hardship in their lives. To complicate the
matter one members face was overdubbed with a hags cackling.
This
hurt the member greatly as she is nothing like the voice
indicated.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PROMO IS YOUR OWN WITH NO VISUAL
ASSOCIATION TO ANY OTHER SEGMENT WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND
PERMISSION. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR MEMBERS FACES AND VOICES REMAIN
INTACT THROUGH THE PROMO AND BROADCAST. GET IT IN WRITING UNLESS
YOU ARE WILLING TO SEE THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR COVEN. REFUSE THE
INTERVIEW IF NECESSARY.
During the broadcast and promos various tools, icons and
artifacts, including a piece of copyrighted artwork, were used
in others segments without our permission.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR TOOLS, ICONS, ARTIFACTS AND ARTWORK ARE
NOT USED IN ANOTHER CONTEXT WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND
PERMISSION.
GET IT IN WRITING UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO SEE YOUR TOOLS,
ICONS,
ARTIFACTS AND ARTWORK PROFANED BY USE IN AN INAPPROPRIATE
CONTEXT.
Another problem arose when the editors inserted a Christian
into our segment who said that Wicca was inappropriate because
it is not Christian. When asked why such was done the reporter
replied that it is good journalistic practice to offer two sides
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(522) Sun 13 Nov 88 1:02
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Update of Handling the Media, part 6 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d084b
of an issue. WindFire Coven feels that should a contemporary
religion be represented, such as the Jewish or the Mormon faith,
the station would not be as quick to put in dissenting views. We
feel that Channels 5/30 leaned toward promoting the
stereotypical image of witches by having a Christian define
what we are and are
not. Such cannot be allowed to continue any longer.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SEGMENT IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE. DO NOT
ALLOW THE EDITORS TO INSERT DISSENTING VIEWS IN YOUR SEGMENT.
DISSENTING VIEWS CAN BE PRESENTED IN ANOTHER SEGMENT DEDICATED
ENTIRELY FOR DISCUSSION OF DIFFERENCES. MAKE SURE THAT WICCA IS
REPRESENTED BY WICCANS, NOT BY CHRISTIANS, NOT BY NEW AGERS, NOT
BY LOCAL PSYCHICS. TAKE CONTROL OF THE INTERVIEW BEFORE IT TAKES
CONTROL OF YOUR COVEN.
Blessed Be!
Copyright (c) Ammond Shadowcraft Oct. 1988
--------
This is an sample form to be used when reporters come to
your home to interview your circle or coven.
--------
WRITTEN AGREEMENTS AND GUARANTEES FOR INTERVIEW WITH WINDFIRE
COVEN
Dated: ________________________
Note: For the purpose of this Agreement WindFire Coven is
termed the Interviewee and ______________________ is termed the
Interviewer.
The Interviewee agrees to accept reporters from the
Interviewer into their homes and/or sacred space to witness and
report seasonal and/or generic rituals, to photograph and film
tools, icons, artifacts, artwork, poetry and songs, to interview
the Coven and individual members, for a period not to exceed 24
hours, providing that the following agreements are made:
The Interviewer will employ the usable or airable video
footage filmed, photographs and/or recordings of/during this
interview for any segment and/or report as a singular complete
segment and/or report and in such a way as to retain the
original context and atmosphere intended by the Interviewee.
No other
individuals, religious faiths and/or religious groups will be
included in this segment/report without the express permission
of the Interviewee.
The Interviewer will employ the usable or airable video
footage filmed, photographs and/or recordings of/during this
interview for any promotion as a singular complete promotion and
in such a way as to retain the original context and atmosphere
intended by the Interviewee. No other individuals, religious
faiths and/or religious groups will be included in this
promotion without the express permission of the Interviewee.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
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(523) Sun 13 Nov 88 1:03
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Update of handling the Media, part 7 of 7
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:71f9 116d0869
The Interviewer will treat all persons, tools, icons,
artifacts, artwork, poetry and music filmed, photographed or
recorded as integral parts of the interview and will not use any
cassette, video or photographic representations of these
persons/items in any other context or external segment, report
or promotion without the express permission of the Interviewee.
____________________________________________________
For WINDFIRE COVEN (Interviewee)
____________________________________________________
For __________________________________ (Interviewer)
____________________________________________________
Witness
____________________________________________________
Witness
____________________________________________________
Witness
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
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(524) Sat 19 Nov 88 13:47
By: Oz Tech
To: All
Re: Set in Egyptian Theology
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:077f 11736df0
Set was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, a god of the night
identified with the northern stars. In the earliest ages of
Egypt this Prince of Darkness was well regarded. One persistant
token of this regard is the Tcham scepter, having the stylized
head and tail of Set. The Tcham scepter is frequently found
in portraits of other other gods as a symbol of magical power.
In some texts he is hailed as a source of strength, and in
early paintings he is portrayed as bearer of a harpoon at the
prow of the boat of Ra, warding off the serpent Apep. Yet the
warlike and resolute nature of Set seems to have been regarded
with ambivalence in Egyptian theology, and the portrayal of this
Neter went through many changes over a period of nearly three
thousand years. Pictures of a god bearing two heads, that of
Set and his daylight brother Horus the Elder, may be compared to
the oriental Yin/Yang symbol as a representation of the union
of polarities. In time, the conflict between these two abstract
principles came to be emphasized rather than their primal union.
Set's battle with Horus the Elder grew from being a statement of
the duality of day and night into an expression of the political
conflict among the polytheistic priesthoods for control of the
Egyptian theocracy. This was rewritten as a battle between Good
and Evil after Egypt expelled the Hyskos in the 18th Dynasty.
Some say the Hyskos were Asiatic invaders, and others say they
were an indigenous minority that seized control of the nation.
This tribe ruled Egypt for a time and happened to favor the Set
cult, seeing a resemblence to a storm-god of their own pantheon
The Set cult never recovered from this identification with the
Hyskos. Images of Set were destroyed or defaced. By the time
Greek historians visited Egypt, wild asses, pigs, and other beasts
identified with the Set cult were driven off cliffs, hacked into
pieces or otherwise slaughtered at annual celebrations in a spirit
akin to the driving out of the Biblical scapegoat. The report
of these historians is often thought to be a valid account of a
a timeless and immutable theocracy , but just looking at the
frequency with which the ruling capital moved to different
cities (each being a cult-center) is enough to dispel this idea.
One controversial Egyptologist has suggested that the worship
of Set might have predated the concept of paternity. Later cults
incorporating a father god would reject this fatherless son.
This introduces another bizarre factor in the transformation of the
Night/Day battle between brothers into an inheritance dispute
between Set and Horus the Younger. Any book on Egyptian myth you
pick up contains the gory details of this cosmic lawsuit, which
includes things that make DYNASTY look like a prayer breakfast.
I have always been intrigued, though, that while all books affirm
that Set tore Osiris to pieces, everybody knows about Osiris, and it
is quite hard to collect the pieces of the puzzle that is Set.
Egyptologists have never agreed what the animal used to symbolize
Set actually is. Since the sages of ancient Egypt did not use an
unrecognizable creature to represent any other major deity, we
may guess that this is intentional, and points, like the Tcham
sceptre, to an esoteric meaning.
Oz Tech
---
* Origin: IBM_Tech_Fido (Opus 1:322/1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(525) Sat 19 Nov 88 18:43
By: Oz Tech
To: All
Re: Set in Egyptian Theology - References
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1a18 11739561
Budge, E.A. Wallis. THE GODS OF THE EGYPTIANS.
Grant, Kenneth. CULTS OF THE SHADOW.
Graves, Robert. THE WHITE GODDESS.
Ions, Veronica. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY.
Massey, Gerald. THE NATURAL GENESIS.
Russell, Jeffrey Burton. THE DEVIL.
Oz Tech
---
* Origin: IBM_Tech_Fido (Opus 1:322/1)
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(526) Wed 23 Nov 88 15:38
By: Martha Brummett
To: All
Re: Crystal Bawl (1/3)
St:
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@EID:5dbb 7cd81177
from Volume 12, #11 of "Westword - Denver's News & Arts Weekly"
CRYSTAL BAWLS
by Nancy Clegg
The path to new-age enlightenment leaves no stone--or
profit--
unturned.
Last month, several hundred people each gave up $300 ($325 at
the
door) and a weekend to attend "Into the Crystal
Dreamtime", an
"initiation workshop" presented by best-selling new-age author
Lynn
Andrews at the Tech Center Hyatt Regency. Some came from as far
away as
Columbia, Florida, and Canada in their search for meaning.
Beginning with her 1981 book, _Medicine Woman_, Andrews has
carved
out a hefty portion of the female spirituality field. She
regales
readers with her sojourns into Canada, Mexico, and Australia to
study
with native medicine women. While the adventures often have the
surreal
quality of Carlos Castenada's "Don Juan" books, Andrews insists
her
adventures truly took place. These include such
credibility-stretchers
as a ritual evisceration by Aussie sky deity Oruncha, who made
meaning-
ful designs on the ground with Andrews' intestines before placing
both
her innards and several healing crystals back inside her body.
Fortunately for Andrews, most of her initiates were
concentrating
on larger truths rather than a few petty details. Though she's
lectured
occasionally, this four-city (Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco,
and
New York City) tour is Andrews' first foray into the serious
business of
teaching revelations to large groups.
She read slightly reworked sections of her fifth and most
recent
book, _Crystal Woman_, detailing her studies with Australian
aboriginal
"Clever Women", the shamanic healers in that culture, while
participants
in the pricy workshop lay in the dark as Andrews directed
them to
imagine aboriginal sandpaintings, Oruncha and the Goowawa (small
fairy-
like people).
When Andrews dispensed with the imaginary and re-entered
the
material world, she ran into trouble. "Throughout the weekend
initiates
will be placing their experiences inside crystals to have as
powerful
tools of remembering," the seminar information had
announced,
instructing participants to bring five of the clear quartz
rocks. A
basic tenet of new-age thinking is that rocks can store
information
that's mentally projected into them, just as minute crystal chips
store
information inside computers.
The stones are also used by some alternative healers to
focus
energy and move it through the body. Sure enough, "learning
how to
prepare your body and energy field to work with crystals"
was on
Andrews' agenda.
--- TBBS v2.0
* Origin: The Phoenix * Multi-User TBBS * Parker, CO (303)
841-9570 (104/739)
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(527) Wed 23 Nov 88 15:39
By: Martha Brummett
To: All
Re: Crystal Bawl (2/3)
St:
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@EID:5dbb 7cfd1177
But no one would have needed more than the required
quintet of
crystals if Andrews' exercises hadn't gone through rocks like
tissues at
an allergy-sufferers convention. In one designed to rid
participants of
negative thoughts, they were urged to concentrate on their
unwanted
psychic debris, "picturing it as dirty, murky, brown sludge," and
then
breathe the image of this glop into the crystal, which would
shoot it
into the earth to be neutralized.
Everyone breathed. "After doing this," Andrews continued,
"you
should always cleanse the crystal by soaking it for at least four
days
in salt water."
Scratch one crystal.
Another exercise called for people to scrub down their
partner's
bad vibes with a rock.
Soon participants were in dire need of a fresh supply of
crystals.
Coincidentally, early in the initiation a spokeswoman had told
everyone
about the handy "gift shop" next door, where they could purchase
not
only crystals, but shamanistic drums, rattles, tapes, and jewelry.
She
warned them to stay away from another crystal concession off the
hotel
lobby. The shop wasn't authorized, she said, and its stones
weren't,
either. "This isn't connected with us, they're here over
our
objections, *very much* over our objections," she told the initiates.
The four vendors that travel with us have Lynn's approval,"
says
Paul Andrews (no relation), whose Whole Life Promotions organized
the
tour. "We know what they're selling and these are products
connected
with the seminar...If other people suddenly show up later, they
can
misrepresent themselves as being officially connected to Lynn,
as if
she's vouching for their products."
So it must have been to protect the purity of the initiation
that
Paul Andrews went downstairs and started shouting at Sylvia
Osgood,
longtime Denver teacher, healer, and crystal dealer, who'd
rented a
small hotel conference room from which to peddle her pebbles.
"I'm
still so upset just thinking about it I'm almost shaking again,"
Osgood
says. "They were very threatening."
"He (Andrews) kept saying, "I want you out of here," and he
was
really yelling," she remembers. Osgood says she told Andrews
she'd
written Whole Life weeks before to arrange her shop, but had
never
received a reply.
Next came Delia, the woman in charge of the seminar's
official
vendors. Though she kept the volume lower than Paul Andrews had,
her
message was the same. "She said, 'We really have a problem
here,'"
Osgood recalls. "I offered to move upstairs and pay them a
commission
as soon as I'd cleared enough to cover the rent on this room, but
they
absolutely refused to even discuss that." Instead, "when I
wouldn't
leave, they went to the hotel management and tried to get me thrown
out."
--- TBBS v2.0
* Origin: The Phoenix * Multi-User TBBS * Parker, CO (303)
841-9570 (104/739)
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(528) Wed 23 Nov 88 15:41
By: Martha Brummett
To: All
Re: Crystal Bawl (3/3)
St:
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@EID:5dbb 7d261177
The hotel stuck up for Osgood. "If, say, an oil company
does a
convention here, they may ask that no competitors run opposing
events at
the same time. They have to let us know their wishes on that
well in
advance," says the Hyatt's Sara Smith. "Then, if we have to turn
down
business by honoring their request, the original company is
contracted
to pay us the rental on the space the other group wanted to take.
Whole
Life never mentioned that they didn't want other groups in here,
so we
rented space to Osgood. Of course we didn't ask her to leave. She
had
a legal right to be here."
Osgood says the animosity surprised her, particularly since
she's
received better vibrations at other new-age events. "I went in
with a
few local vendors to rent space last year when Shirley MacLaine
was
here. She doesn't travel with a big group of people and she was
happy
to have us here at the site," she says.
"Nancy, Nancy, Nancy, why on earth are you dwelling on
this
negative aspect?" sighs Paul Andrews when told of Osgood's
complaint.
"I don't want to give it that kind of energy or focus any more
of MY
time on this kind of negativity." (Translation from new age
buzz-speak:
Nancy, I don't like that question.)
He continues: "We have no letter from that woman in our files
and
what she says or doesn't say at this point doesn't really
matter...We
made it clear to her that we didn't want her there. I felt it was
just
so incredibly rude of her to set up her stuff."
Particularly when it was cutting into Andrews' business.
Official
salespeople as dense as the official products they were
hawking
frequently quoted prices three to ten times what the same stone
might
cost in area metaphysical/new age shops.
A few days before, I'd seen a little girl purchase a hefty
chunk of
calcite for $2.50 at one of those shops. At Andrews'
concessions,
calcite a fraction of that size was going for $21.
You weren't paying for service, either. "What's citrine used
for?"
I asked one salesman, a big, curly-headed guy with a turquoise
ring as
big as my VW.
"I can't really remember all its attributes," he said.
Actually,
he couldn't remember any of them. "I usually look 'em up in my
book."
"Got a book handy?" I queried.
He didn't. "Really, any of these stones--or any stones--will
have
different properties depending on the person using it. That's all
very
flexible and spontaneous and any rock you use will change as you
work
with it. Any rock can stand for anything, you know."
Just as any part of a new-age seminar, however mundane, can
have a
hidden meaning. "Everything that happens was meant to happen,"
said
Lynn Andrews several times during the initiation. "We are
responsible
for *everything* that happens to us."
And let the chips fall where they may.
--- TBBS v2.0
* Origin: The Phoenix * Multi-User TBBS * Parker, CO (303)
841-9570 (104/739)
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(529) Mon 31 Oct 88 21:29
By: Dick Sells
To: All
Re: Meta-physical/Magick
St:
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@EID:b116 115fabb4
Could Meta-Physical possibly be what some folks would describe as
magick with a 'K' without being D&D??? If so, speak (type) up!
---
* Origin: SHOWBOAT! Where the Grown Folks Play (404) 861-3498
(Opus 1:362/703)
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(530) Fri 9 Dec 88 23:57
By: Inanna Seastar
To: All
Re: Dianism (1 of 3)
St:
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@EID:187c bf391189
This is an article I wrote for PROTEAN SYNTHESIS, a semi-private
newsletter after it was solicited by the editor:
DIANISM IN A NUIT-SHELL
Recently, I got back in touch with my teacher after nearly two
years and
dropped a couple of bombshells on her: I had changed gender
identity and had
come together with two other women to form a Dianic coven. When
the initial
shock wore off, Rita sent me a complete run of Protean Synthesis
and a
solicitation for this article.
Several years ago I subscribed to several stereotypes
regarding "those
peculiar Dianics". They were thealogically unbalanced, they hated
men, they
denied that men had souls, they were all lesbians, they couldn't
spell (in the
orthographic sense; no one has yet accused Dianics of inability to
work
magick), etc. etc. When I came together with my covensisters, I
realized that
these notions were at most partially true and some cases were
patently false.
I believe there are only three valid generalizations that can
be made
about Dianics: 1) We are all feminists. 2) We all look to the
Goddess(es)
far more than to the God(s). 3) We are all eclectics. Note well
that there
are plenty of non-Dianic feminist Witches, non-Dianic eclectics,
and non-
Dianics who are primarily Goddess-oriented. There are also
doubtless a good
many feminist, Goddess-oriented eclectics who do not choose to call
themselves
Dianic. In my own case I use the "If it quacks like a duck, it
probably is a
duck" argument, as well as the fact that my HPS learned the Craft
as a Dianic
and runs Dianic rituals.
Some of the stereotypical generalizations I can dismiss out of
hand. I
don't know of a single Dianic who denies that men have souls. Even
Z Budapest
doesn't believe that piece of tripe anymore! It is true that
Dianism is
particularly attractive to separatists, and many separatists
actually hate
men. Many Dianics are lesbians. Some misspell words like "woman",
women",
"egalitarian", and "holistic" on purpose. Not all fit these,
however, and I
think that Z Budapest in her younger, or spiritual bomb-throwing,
days
represents an extreme and a small minority. There are a number of
males
involved in Dianism, and some of those are men [NB: I use the
terms "man" and
"woman" to indicate gender identity, that is, how one's heart,
mind, and/or
soul are configured. I use "male" and "female" to indicate
physical sex, that
is, how one's plumbing is configured. I hope this dispels
confusion.].
(continued)
--- Gnome v1.20
* Origin: The Lizard King--Inanna Seastar's Place (1:104/45.5)
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(531) Fri 9 Dec 88 0:01
By: Inanna Seastar
To: All
Re: Dianism (2 of 3)
St:
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@EID:187c 291189
Thealogical and magickal imbalance is not so easily dismissed
and needs
to be addressed further, as that is the most valid objection that
thoughtful
Witches have to Dianism. The apparent imbalance comes from the
Dianic
emphasis on Goddess-worship, often to the complete exclusion of
God-worship.
This upsets many Witches' sense of polarity balance. The
resolution of this
apparent imbalance lies in the consideration of other polarities
than
sexual and/or gender as the primary polarity. There are indeed
many other
polarities to consider: true-false, life-death, dark-light,
rational-
mystical, creation-destruction, order-chaos, and good-evil, to name
but a few.
One problem with the masculine-feminine polarity is that there is a
strong
tendency to express all other polarities in terms of it. The
Chinese were
particularly fond of this, and mapped everything they liked into
the yang
side, and everything they disliked or feared into the yin side, the
patriarchal no-accounts!
One thing I have discovered is that if you look hard enough,
you can find
goddesses to fit both ends of most polarities. Some even occupy
both ends
simultaneously. Inanna, my matron goddess, is a good case in
point. She is
the Sumerian goddess of love, war, wisdom (which she won in a
drinking bout!),
adventure, the heavens, the earth, and even of death (in the guise
of her dark
aspect, Ereshkigal). A very busy lady indeed is Inanna. At this
point it
becomes largely a matter of personal preference rather than of
polarity,
whether one chooses a god or a goddess to occupy a particular place
in a
ritual.
No Dianic I know of denies the existence of the God. Indeed,
He gets
mentioned as the consort of the Goddess with some frequency in Z
Budapest's
HOLY BOOK OF WOMEN'S MYSTERIES, which is close a thing as there is
to a Dianic
version of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. He is there, and
sometimes we will
invoke Him, when it is appropriate. He makes His own path, and we
follow our
own, and when they cross naturally we honor Him and do not avoid
Him. We also
do not force the paths to cross simply to lend an artificial
balance to a
ritual where none is really needed.
(continued)
--- Gnome v1.20
* Origin: The Lizard King--Inanna Seastar's Place (1:104/45.5)
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(532) Fri 9 Dec 88 0:02
By: Inanna Seastar
To: All
Re: Dianism (3 of 3)
St:
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@EID:187c 5b1189
Now that I have spilled a good deal of ink over what Dianism is
not, I
should now say a few words about what it is: a movement of
feminist,
eclectic, Goddess-oriented Witches.
Feminism: This covers a vast multitude of virtues and sins.
I do not
think the stereotypical radical lesbian separatist is as common as
is
believed. Moderate to liberal feminism is probably far more
common, even
among Dianics. Certainly my own coven contains no separatists!
There are too
many nice men out there, even though surveys have shown that 70% or
more of
all men are potential rapists. The nice ones are found among those
who are
not in that repulsive majority; you just have to look to find them.
One of
the places you might find such nice men is in Dianic covens! Some
are mixed
groups, at least some of those of the branch founded by Morgan
McFarland. My
own is something of a mixed up group, I suppose. While we do not
currently
have any men in the coven, two of the three of us were born male
and still
have original-equipment plumbing. The Goddess and our HPS accept us
unreservedly as women.
Eclecticism: If there is one dictum of Z Budapest's that
bears repeating
to everyone in the Craft, and which gets followed by many, it is
"When in
doubt, invent." Dianics tend toward creative ritual, drawing from
any and all
possible sources. I have yet to see a Dianic equivalent of the
Gardnerian
Book of Shadows, nor do I ever hope to see one.
Goddess Orientation: I've discussed this at some length while
talking
about polarity. There are some wags who have said that Dianics are
nothing
but matriarchal monotheists. I tell you three times: The Dianic
Goddess is
NOT Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag!
The Dianic
Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! A much closer analogy would be
that Dianics
have taken the Classical pantheon and reclaimed most of the roles.
This,
too, is oversimplifying, but it is not nearly as wide of the mark
as the usual
criticism. At some point I may write up a long exegesis on the
Dianic
Goddess, but not here. My own personal involvement with Her comes
from a
great feeling of comfort I do not find elsewhere. She feels right.
I have a
great deal of difficulty accepting known rapists (most of the
Olympian males
are this, especially Zeus, Hades, and Pan!) into my personal
pantheon. I also
feel a personal vocation from the Mother; it is rather incongruous
to me to
embrace a male deity wholeheartedly when the Goddess comes to me
and calls me
Her daughter. This goes doubled, redoubled, in pentacles, and
vulnerable for
lovers of women.
I hope this little discussion of Dianism-in-a-Nuitshell has
proved
enlightening to you. It is not a path for everyone, but it is a
valid path
for some, and in considering it I hope that you can now ignore the
garbage
that has been put forth in the past as "data" regarding it.
Inanna Seastar
Birdsnest Coven
--- Gnome v1.20
* Origin: The Lizard King--Inanna Seastar's Place (1:104/45.5)
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(533) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:36
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (1)
St:
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@EID:9cdf 118b548d
Donald Triumph and the Eye of Osiris
or
The Man With Nice Hair
It is said that all shopping malls are but aspects of the
One True Mall. This old myth gives comfort to the shopper.
Yes, they say, we shop on the material plane... but those
numerous East Townes, Parkways, Ridgeviews, and Valley Fairs are
just entry points, gates to the Other Mall that lies beyond.
The Alhazred brothers never believed this story. The owners
of Shambala Plaza, "The World's Largest Shopping Mall and
Recreation Bunker", were merchants, which is to say that they
were realists.
Still, as befitted the twin sons of a pre-OPEC rug merchant,
the Alhazred brothers never fully abandoned the old ways. They
were romantic and even superstitious in their own mercenary
fashion. The djinn of commerce could be appeased, certainly.
And, if the Promised Mall was only a metaphor, then let the
splendor of Shambala Plaza be the promise fulfilled on earth: a
mansion of many levels where an endless procession of fashion-
conscious houris come to shop for bodies of saffron and perfume,
houris who never perspire and who have unlimited credit. With
Allah as their venture capitalist, Shambala Plaza would become
the Mall To Be.
On a crisp day in October, Bob and Frank Alhazred toured the
aisles of their kingdom in a sedan chair borne by artificial
eunuchs. They paused to admire the intricate mosaic patterns on
the chute of the giant water slide. Largesse poured from the
automated teller machines. Justice reigned.
One by one, the shopkeepers of Shambala, who had travelled
from many lands to pitch their storefronts in the oasis of
dreams, came out to make obeisance to their passing landlords.
The Wazir of Wal-Mart bowed low, a flame bristling around his
fez. It was said that he secretly practiced Lutheranism, but
what did that matter if he paid his rent on time?
As Bob and Frank left the crowds and headed for the harem in
the third sub-cellar under the racquetball courts, Frank (or Bob)
cast an uneasy glance at the entrance to the newest anchor, the
Department Store of Forbidden Things, and wondered if it had been
wise to let space to the smooth American with the unpleasant
smile.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
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(534) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:39
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (2)
St:
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@EID:9cdf 118b54e7
* * *
The world knew that Donald Triumph had two passions in life:
making love to his splendid wife Margo and naming things after
himself. His autobiography, The Triumphs of Triumph, hints at
nothing deeper than a taste for middle-period Barry Manilow
records. It does not speak of the master plan to replace all
heads of state with clones of Margo; of the scheme to route all
international electronic funds transfer through the behemoth
computer, the Donald 2000; of the Department Store of Forbidden
Things; or of Triumph's final exaltation, through a very
expensive process of akashic fluoridation, into an Avatar of
Godhead.
In their sumptuous boudoir in the penthouse of Donald Tower,
Margo gazed at her Avatar through adoring, Spaniel-like eyes. He
was so handsome, so profound, so mystical, so rich, so... so
Triumphant!
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
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(535) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:41
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (3)
St:
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@EID:9cdf 118b5525
* * *
"Would whoever left a camel in the men's room at Burger King
please come to the hospitality vault?"
"Rosicrucians to the initiatory chamber! Rosicrucians to
the initiatory chamber!"
"Attention Forbidden shoppers, we have a blue light special
on Eyes of Osiris in Sundries."
How to explain the popularity of the Eye of Osiris? It was
bigger than Rubik's Cube, bigger than TM, bigger than Elton John.
The Eye had two obvious attractions for teenage consumers: it was
cheap and it gave visions. The adolescent patrons of Shambala
Plaza made their opinions on the subject quite plain:
"So this really gross guy asks me out and I'm going like 'No
way!' but then I saw this really awesome Eye on his dashboard and
he saw me looking at it and he goes 'Wanna look at my Eye?" and
I'm like, 'Okay', so we drove out to the parking lot behind
Wendy's and looked at his Eye all night."
Parents hated the Eye. A grassroots organization called
Mothers Against Mysticism ("Teach your kids to say 'Yes,
M.A.M.'") tried to have the Eye banned, claiming that the visions
it offered were of a suggestive nature. This attempt failed,
although they did manage to force the 7-11 chain stores in
several Southern states to distribute the Eye with the following
sticker:
WARNING: The hallucinations produced
by this product may not be in
accordance with community standards.
Parents may wish to substitute other,
more wholesome hallucinations.
Owners and managers were delighted with the increase in sales,
and began placing warning stickers on snack foods and magazines.
Profits in the rest of Shambala Plaza were down. Tourists
ignored the underwater mosque and the giant water slide. They
came in greater and greater numbers, only to stay in their hotel
rooms, locked in with the trinkets they purchased at the
Department Store of Forbidden Things. The shopkeepers spoke of a
jihad. There was confusion and despair among the aisles of
Shambala.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
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(536) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:43
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (4)
St:
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@EID:9cdf 118b557c
* * *
Dreams had been of little concern to fourteen year-old Sammy
Van Wonk. As a young child, he had had his share of running in
place while perused by Hollywood movie monsters. But his
adolescent dreams were mostly pleasant, wish-fulfilling material.
He would make a dozen touchdowns, drive a Trans-Am, or beat up
his ten year-old brother "Nerd Face".
Now, though, when Sammy got under the blankets and closed
his eyes, he prayed that he would be spared another visit from
The Man With Nice Hair.
The horror had begun with the first dream. In it, Sammy lay
paralyzed in bed, his eyes fixed on the door that led to the
hallway, knowing with cold certainty that HE was about to open
the door and come in.
The next night, the door was open. The hallway was empty,
but Sammy knew that he was not alone in his bedroom.
The next night, the source of Sammy's fear was standing in
the corner of the room: a tall stranger in an expensive suit with
well-kept teeth and flawlessly styled hair. He was grinning.
The next night, he was standing at the foot of the bed. The
next, he was beside Sammy, leaning over and whispering something
that Sammy couldn't make out. He understood the point, though;
the stranger wanted him to look at something, something that
Sammy knew he didn't want to see.
He wanted to tell somebody about the dreams, but how could
he? His parents would just ground him and the counselor at
school would finally have a reason for keeping him back a grade.
He decided to risk telling his idol: Bud Rump, the star athlete
of the ninth grade.
He found Bud in the hall between classes, talking to a small
group of younger boys. Their big eyes and slack jaws showed that
Bud had found something especially morbid to tell them. Sammy
wandered past them nonchalantly.
"... and on the next night, the Grinning Guy is in your
room, and on the next night he's by your bed..."
It was all over school: "The Grinning Guy, The Icky Dream
Guy, The Creep Who Wants To Show You Something." Truth has many
names, even in Junior High School.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
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(537) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:46
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (5)
St:
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@EID:9cdf 118b55c5
* * *
Bob and Frank Alhazred sat in the dimly lit, mahogany-
paneled luxury of their office, contemplating the balance sheets
in silence. Finally, Bob or Frank spoke.
"My brother, I do not trust the Donald one with his
Forbidden Department. He is the bad apple that makes the money
turn into the leavings of goats. We must cast him from our
pleasant oasis into the desolation of his sorry fate."
"But how, my brother? He has the favor of the demons of the
media."
"We have favor ourselves."
"But to invoke the Most High in such a way would be an
offense to the Prophet."
"My brother, I do not mean the Most Merciful... I mean the
other one."
"My brother, that is blasphemy!"
"My brother, that is the bottom line!"
This appeal to the realities of the market brought a long
pause. Finally, the brother who had spoken last opened a large
cabinet made of a wood darker than the mahogany gloom of their
office. He removed a small statue, an archeological curiosity of
great age. It had very long teeth and claws.
The origin of this object was obscure. However, throughout
the centuries, verbal tradition had always connected it with one
of the stranger tales of the Prophet Mohammed.
As the story goes, upon his triumphant conquest of the city
of Mecca, the Prophet went to the Mosque of the Kaaba where he
found the Black Stone surrounded by a circle of 360 pagan idols.
In his fury he raised his staff and pointed it at the nearest
statue. The idol vanished. One by one, Mohammed turned the
graven images to air.
The legend goes on to say that the Prophet spared only two
of the 360 statues: an image of the Virgin Mary and one of her
son the Christ.
For most of the Faithful, the story ends there. But for the
heirs of the Alhazred family, and for countless unfortunates
before them, the legend was extended to include a third idol
spared from the staff of Mohammed, an image of a deity so
terrible that even the Blessed Prophet himself was frightened of
it. This was the statue that now occupied the attention of the
twin owners of Shambala Plaza.
"If you will speak the words, my brother," said Bob or
Frank.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(538) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:49
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (6)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cdf 118b5629
* * *
Sammy Van Wonk needed a weapon, a weapon that would work in
dreams, a magical weapon. He remembered something he had seen at
Forbidden: the Genuine Ceremonial Dagger with the molded head of
Bela Lugosi. It was $4.98. Perfect. But that meant getting out
to Shambala Plaza, which is the only reason that he agreed to go
shopping with his mom Cookie and his brother Nerd Face.
Riding in the back seat of the family Toyota, Sammy glowered
at Nerd Face and half-consciously fumbled with the amulet that he
wore under his sweatshirt. The amulet itched. Then it got warm.
Then it spoke:
"Gaze into the Eye of Osiris!"
Funny, it had never done that before.
"What was that, Sammy?" his mother asked.
"Just my Walkman, mom."
"No it isn't mom," taunted Nerd Face. "He's got an Eye!
He's got an Eye under his shirt!"
"GAZE INTO THE EYE OF OSIRIS!"
"Mom! It's telling him to gaze into Osiris!"
Sammy gripped the chain and pulled the amulet out of his
shirt. It was glowing! He looked into it and saw dollar bills
whirling in a black wind.
"Mom! Mom! He's doing it! He's gazing into Osiris!"
His brother's voice faded in the whirlwind and the Toyota
grew dim as Sammy looked up at a huge black skyscraper crowned
with lightning. At the summit stood The Man With Nice Hair. He
seemed very pleased to see the thousands of youngsters milling
around the foot of the tower, each wearing an Eye on a necklace
or bracelet or headband. It was time for the apotheosis.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(539) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:51
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (7)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cdf 118b566c
Sammy felt the strength drain from his arms and knees. As
he fell to the pavement, with the others crumbling beside him, he
watched his life flow out of the Eye on his chest. All the
things and memories -- his collection of Batman comics, the
skinned elbow that he got from falling out of a tree, the endless
hours of color television, the face of his teacher demanding to
see his homework -- gushed out of the Eye and spiraled up into
the air towards the man on the tower, who seemed to grow larger
and larger.
"Ha ha HA!" thundered the Man With Nice Hair.
Then... something else: voices chanting in a funny accent.
Sammy looked up, beyond the tower, into the blue that
deepened into dark violet. The stars came out, remote and aloof,
twinkling into being one by one as they had always done. But
something was different this time; the stars were moving. Sammy
watched, his eyes frozen in place, as the stars shifted and
regrouped, coming together like billiard balls in a film played
backwards. The stars coalesced into a sky-spanning, gibbering,
demonic grin.
Then... something more: a woman in a long black dress,
standing on a balcony near the top of the building, waving her
arms and yelling something at the man at the summit.
"Loook behiiiind youuuu!"
"Huh?" said the man, pausing at the threshold of divinity.
He turned around to see the maw of stars close on him. His brief
scream was cut short.
Lightning hit the skyscraper. The upper floors exploded.
The woman in the black dress blew into the night and tumbled
howling to earth, followed closely by the charred body of the man
who would never be a god.
Then:
"BRRRRAAAAAPPP!"
Across countless dimensions, an archetype of primordial evil
belched.
Sammy opened his eyes in the Toyota. Nerd Face was shaking
him and his mom was yelling.
"Samuel Van Wonk! If your father ever finds out that you
were gazing into Osiris... "
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(540) Sun 11 Dec 88 10:52
By: Geoff Gilpin
To: All
Re: Donald Triumph (8 of 8)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cdf 118b5698
* * *
The Brothers Alhazred were pleased with their work. After
sealing the doors of their former anchor with steel bolts and an
odd star, they retired to their office to enjoy a special reward.
True, alcohol was forbidden by the Prophet, but this was a day
among days, and, after such achievement, Mohammed himself would
hesitate to deny Bob his Gallo Chablis and Frank his Harvey
Wallbanger.
They toasted the demise of Donald Triumph. They toasted
their tenants, a servile lot once more. They toasted the
computer printout that showed the cash flow rising to Heaven.
They toasted the American state of Minnesota, which would soon be
covered by their newest mall. After the third drink, they
invented "The Great Alhazred Plan for the Transformation of
Nature" and toasted it with a fourth. They toasted the ancient
idol, which seemed to wear an unusually contented expression.
Perhaps it was Kismet, or perhaps it was their differing
tastes in the forbidden liquor. In any case, in their last
moments of existence, Bob and Frank Alhazred attained
Individuation.
"My brother," said Bob, "was your face always so... so
luminous?"
"My brother, my face is the same as my face has always been,
but surely your teeth were never so... so long and pointed."
Bob spilled his wine as he watched his brother transform
into the Angel of the Lord. Frank put down his Harvey Wallbanger
and raised his arms to protect himself from Bob, who was now the
grinning mouth of stars that had devoured a would-be Avatar.
They flew at each other's throats.
The brothers fell to the floor, wrestling and pummeling each
other with their fists. First Bob was on top, then Frank, then
Bob again...
They fought for the rest of the day and on into the evening
and the next morning. They battled long after the electricity
went out, long after the shopkeepers folded their storefronts to
depart for foreign lands. It is said they battle there still,
far beneath the ground in a darkened office, way below the daylit
world where busy shoppers pause to whisper of the ruins at the
edge of town, of the silent, decaying halls that had been the
splendor of Shambala Plaza and the glory of the Department Store
of Forbidden Things.
---
* Origin: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI (414)
735-2513 (Opus 1:139/640)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(541) Fri 9 Dec 88 0:02
By: Inanna Seastar Of 282/341
To: All
Re: Dianism (3 of 3)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0 23a62215
Now that I have spilled a good deal of ink over what Dianism is
not, I
should now say a few words about what it is: a movement of
feminist,
eclectic, Goddess-oriented Witches.
Feminism: This covers a vast multitude of virtues and sins. I
do not
think the stereotypical radical lesbian separatist is as common as
is
believed. Moderate to liberal feminism is probably far more
common, even
among Dianics. Certainly my own coven contains no separatists!
There are too
many nice men out there, even though surveys have shown that 70% or
more of
all men are potential rapists. The nice ones are found among those
who are
not in that repulsive majority; you just have to look to find them.
One of
the places you might find such nice men is in Dianic covens! Some
are mixed
groups, at least some of those of the branch founded by Morgan
McFarland. My
own is something of a mixed up group, I suppose. While we do not
currently
have any men in the coven, two of the three of us were born male
and still
have original-equipment plumbing. The Goddess and our HPS accept
us unreservedly as women.
Eclecticism: If there is one dictum of Z Budapest's that bears
repeating
to everyone in the Craft, and which gets followed by many, it is
"When in
doubt, invent." Dianics tend toward creative ritual, drawing from
any and all
possible sources. I have yet to see a Dianic equivalent of the
Gardnerian
Book of Shadows, nor do I ever hope to see one.
Goddess Orientation: I've discussed this at some length while
talking
about polarity. There are some wags who have said that Dianics are
nothing
but matriarchal monotheists. I tell you three times: The Dianic
Goddess is
NOT Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag!
The Dianic
Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! A much closer analogy would be
that Dianics
have taken the Classical pantheon and reclaimed most of the roles.
This,
too, is oversimplifying, but it is not nearly as wide of the mark
as the usual
criticism. At some point I may write up a long exegesis on the
Dianic
Goddess, but not here. My own personal involvement with Her comes
from a
great feeling of comfort I do not find elsewhere. She feels right.
I have a
great deal of difficulty accepting known rapists (most of the
Olympian males
are this, especially Zeus, Hades, and Pan
--- ConfMail V3.31
- Origin: The Diplomat: Marooned in Realtime (1:124/109)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(542) Tue 13 Dec 88 0:05
By: The Magician
To: All
Re: thanks
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:434a 118d00a5
A while back I requested input of a nature , that would by its very
nature cause the person or persons to expose them selves to scrutiny
of the public in general. Needless to say the response was very
encouraging
and the police department has made their selection. In the Pitsburg
area at this time we have two of the craft working to enlighten the
police on matters dealing with the white and black arts, also
providing
information to the authorities on matters of the occult.
The information being rendered is positive and supporting of
those in the craft, the fact that the wiccans providing the
information
are prominent in the community is very encouraging.
I thank all of you for your response and mat the lady bless
you for your responses. I thank you for your civic responsibility,
and your generosity. *************** THE MAGICIAN ************
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(543) Thu 22 Dec 88 21:59
By: Jack Ofshadows
To: All
Re: Ghosts (1 of 2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:d9cb 1196af67
Ghosts are imprints,on the enviroment
or objects,that have an effect on the
nervous system of people near
them.Each person percieves the same
"ghost" differently.Some people SEE
them,Some people FEEL them, and some
people Hear sounds,and others are not
aware that a ghost is present but feel
a general emotional uneasyness.
Ghosts may be associated with a dead
body or strong emotional scene in a
certain place,but they are not
conscious,and have nothing to do with
the afterlife,or souls of the
departed.
Another kind of ghost is,what
magicians call,an astral body.These
are a rarified aspect of the human
body,a sort of etheric sheath
sourounding the body,there is
literaly tons of information about
these things,the best sources of
information about astral bodies are
on the
Theosophical movement.They say many
attributes, but mix it up with a lot
of neocristian superstition,if you can
get through the crap.What is
important,for this msg,is that people
unconsciously project their astral
bodies while sleeping,and trained
magicians can project theirs at
will.If you walk through the astral
body of another person,you may feel a
tingle in your extremities,and get a
mild electric shocK.Astrals of
sleeping people are not aware of
you,but the astrals of projecting
magicians ARE aware of you,and can
carry on conversations if you can
percieve them clearly.
In addition,a trained magician can
form his asral to look like anything
he wants it to,and can decrease its
browning motion frequency so that
ANYONE can see it-great for scaring
the s**t out of someone.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(544) Thu 22 Dec 88 22:03
By: Jack Ofshadows
To: All
Re: Ghosts (2 of 2)
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:d9cb 1196b06f
Ghosts have two universal aspects.All
types produce an electric kind of
feeling in the body of the
person(living) near them.I have a
theory that they are composed of
elecro magnetic energy. Just before
they become perceptable,if you listen
for it,they are preceeded by a high
pitched audio tone which magicians
call the Astral Bell.
Because of my years of carefull
training,and my years of experience,I
am senitive to the energy of All
psychicly charged objects,and can
easily percieve astral bodies.
So it is easy for me to find the object
that the energy is attached to.The
"charge is disapated by heating the
object,or consuming it by fire,or
dropping it into a running stream,or
by a technique that I use.The latter
technique is VERY exausting,so I use
it as a last resort.
I can set up a shield perimeter to keep
out astral bodies,and when
neccessary,do damage to them.I try
not to have to do this last thing,as
it is VERY hazzardous to piss off a
magician of this sort,they may not be
able to do anything to me,but in the
past this kind of person has terrified
the people closest to me.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(545) Fri 6 Jan 89 10:05
By: Sean Mccullough
To: All
Re: Preamble of the IWW
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6e52 122650af
Dear People,
Due to certain requests,I am posting the Preamble of the
Industrial
Workers of the World. (IWW)
The working class and the employing class have nothing in
common!!
There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among
millions of working people and the few,who make up the employing
class,have all the good things of life.
Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the
workers
of the world organize as a class,take posession of the earth and
the machinery of production,and abolish the wage system.
We find that the centering of the management of industries into
fewer and fewer hands makes the TRADE UNIONS unable to cope with
the ever growing power of the employing class. The TRADE UNIONS
foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be
pitted aganst another set of workers in the same industry,thereby
helping defeat each other in wage wars. Moreover,the TRADE UNIONS
aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that
the working class have interests in common with their employers.
These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working
class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all
its members in any one industry,or in all industries if necessary,
cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department
thereof, thus making....................
AN INJURY TO ONE AN INJURY TO ALL.
Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a
fair day's work", we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary
watchword:
"ABOLITION OF THE WAGE SYSTEM!!"
It is the historical mission of the working class to do away
with
capitalism.
The army of production must be organized,not only for the
every-day
struggle with capitalists,but also to carry on production when
capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially
we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of
the old.
---Taken from the May 1986 issue of _Industrial_Worker_, the
official
organ of the IWW. 3435 N.Sheffield Suite 202,Chicago,IL 60657.
---
* Origin: SMARTNet - Who says OPUS can't Fly? (Opus 1:128/23)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(546) Mon 16 Jan 89 14:20
By: Steve Earl Of 141/222 Of 141/222
To: All
Re: Poem
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5dc9 728e1230
Here is a little something I did after enjoying some gentle snow
recently. I submit it for your approval. It may be distributed
(with credits, of course).
SNOW
Goddess is beautiful dressed in white
The tiny white crystals that fall through the night
They fall so gentle, don't make a sound
As they drift to Earth and lay on the ground
Looking up, snow melts on my face
as I leave behind the hectic pace
I'm in another world, one of love
communing with the Goddess above
Drawing the power from all around me
one with Her, I truely wish to be
This is the quest for which I strive
It is my reason for being alive
Standing alone, staring at the sky
I feel a tear coming to my eye
The feeling of peace is awesome you see
I feel the Goddess surrounding me
(C) 1989 - Steve Earl
--- AIBBS v2.25
--- ConfMail V3.31
* Origin: Excelsior AIBBS - Monroe CT 203-268-1222 [300/1200/2400]
(1:141/222)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(547) Fri 17 Feb 89 23:09
By: Geoff Beneze
To: All
Re: Mindwash #1
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1044 b9201251
Title: Everyday Brainwashing Pt1 (14/18)
From: Tom Betz (ID=70)
Date: Tue Apr 07 09:02:08 1987
Dick Sutphen is a professional hypnotist who makes a good
portion of his living training other professional hypnotists...
and another good portion selling tapes of his lectures and
"subliminal learning" tapes to help people with their problems.
This file is a transcript of a taped lecture with information he
felt was important enough that he asked for it to be as widely
disseminated as possible, at NO CHARGE. I found it on Illumi-Net
in Decatur GA, and it hit me where I live, so I ask that all who
read it pass it along as widely as possible. I have broken it
up into four parts... please be sure that all four are printed,
uploaded, etc. together, so that none of the information is
lost, for it is all VITAL!
It could mean the return of free thought to this nation, or
the end of it.
THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND, by Dick Sutphen -- 22.2 KB Persuasion
& Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: The Mountain Oracle (1:301/9) (1:301/9)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(548) Fri 17 Feb 89 23:26
By: Geoff Beneze
To: All
Re: mindwash #1
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1044 bb401251
Title: Everyday Brainwashing Pt1 (14/18) From: Tom Betz (ID=70)
Date: Tue Apr 07 09:02:08 1987 Dick Sutphen is a
professional hypnotist who makes a good portion of his living
training other professional hypnotists... and another good portion
selling tapes of his lectures and "subliminal learning" tapes to
help people with their problems. This file is a transcript of a
taped lecture with information he felt was important enough that he
asked for it to be as widely disseminated as possible, at NO
CHARGE. I found it on Illumi-Net in Decatur GA, and it hit me where
I live, so I ask that all who read it pass it along as widely as
possible. I have broken it up into four parts... please be sure
that all four are printed, uploaded, etc. together, so that none of
the information is lost, for it is all VITAL! It could mean
the return of free thought to this nation, or the end of it.
THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND, by Dick Sutphen -- 22.2 KB Persuasion &
Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
The Birth of Conversion/Brainwashing in Christian
Revivalism in 1735. The Pavlovian explanation of the three
brain phases. Born-again preachers: Step-by-Step, how they
conduct a revival and the expected physiological results. The
"voice roll" technique used by preachers, lawyers and
hypnotists. New trance-inducing churches. The 6 steps to
conversion. The decognition process. Thought-stopping
techniques. The "sell it by zealot" technique. True believers
and mass movements. Persuasion techniques: "Yes set," "Imbedded
Commands," "Shock and Confusion," and the "Interspersal
Technique." Subliminals. Vibrato and ELF waves. Inducing
trance with vibrational sound. Even professional observers will
be "possessed" at charismatic gatherings. The "only hope"
technique to attend and not be converted. Non-detectable
Neurophone programming through the skin. The medium for mass
take-over.
I'm Dick Sutphen and this tape is a studio-recorded,
expanded version of a talk I delivered at the World Congress of
Professional Hypnotists Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although the tape carries a copyright to protect it from
unlawful duplication for sale by other companies, in this case,
I invite individuals to make copies and give them to friends or
anyone in a position to communicate this information.
Although I've been interviewed about the subject on many
local and regional radio and TV talk shows, large-scale mass
communication appears to be blocked, since it could result in
suspicion or investigation of the very media presenting it or
the sponsors that support the media. Some government agencies
do not want this information generally known. Nor do the
Born-Again Christian movement, cults, and many human-potential
trainings.
Everything I will relate only exposes the surface of the
problem. I don't know how the misuse of these techniques can be
stopped. I don't think it is possible to legislate against that
which often cannot be detected; and if those who legislate are
using these techniques, there is little hope of affecting laws
to govern usage. I do know that the first step to initiate
change is to generate interest. In this case, that will
probably only result from an underground effort.
In talking about this subject, I am talking about my own
business. I know it, and I know how effective it can be. I
produce hypnosis and subliminal tapes and, in some of my
seminars, I use conversion tactics to assist participants to
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: The Mountain Oracle (1:301/9) (1:301/9)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(549) Fri 17 Feb 89 23:27
By: Geoff Beneze
To: All
Re: mindwash #2
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1044 bb601251
become independent and self-sufficient. But, anytime I use these
techniques, I point out that I am using them, and those attending
have a choice to participate or not. They also know what the
desired result of participation will be. So, to begin, I
want to state the most basic of all facts about brainwashing: IN
THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MAN, NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN BRAINWASHED AND
REALIZED, OR BELIEVED, THAT HE HAD BEEN BRAINWASHED. Those who have
been brainwashed will usually passionately defend their
manipulators, claiming they have simply been "shown the light" . .
. or have been transformed in miraculous ways. THE
BIRTH OF CONVERSION CONVERSION is a "nice" word for
BRAINWASHING . . . and any study of brainwashing has to begin with
a study of Christian revivalism in eighteenth century America.
Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally discovered the techniques
during a religious crusade in 1735 in Northampton, Massachusetts.
By inducing guilt and acute apprehension and by increasing the
tension, the "sinners" attending his revival meetings would
break down and completely submit. Technically, what Edwards was
doing was creating conditions that wipe the brain slate clean so
that the mind accepts new programming. The problem was that the
new input was negative. He would tell them, "You're a sinner!
You're destined for hell!"
As a result, one person committed suicide and another
attempted suicide. And the neighbors of the suicidal converts
related that they, too, were affected so deeply that, although
they had found "eternal salvation," they were obsessed with a
diabolical temptation to end their own lives.
Once a preacher, cult leader, manipulator or authority
figure creates the brain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean,
his subjects are wide open. New input, in the form of
suggestion, can be substituted for their previous ideas.
Because Edwards didn't turn his message positive until the end
of the revival, many accepted the negative suggestions and
acted, or desired to act, upon them.
Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who used
the same techniques four years later in mass religious
conversions in New York. The techniques are still being used
today by Christian revivalists, cults, human-potential
trainings, some business rallies, and the United States Armed
Services . . . to name just a few.
Let me point out here that I don't think most revivalist
preachers realize or know they are using brainwashing
techniques. Edwards simply stumbled upon a technique that
really worked, and others copied it and have continued to copy
it for over two hundred years. And the more sophisticated our
knowledge and technology become, the more effective the
conversion. I feel strongly that this is one of the major
reasons for the increasing rise in Christian fundamentalism,
especially the televised variety, while most of the orthodox
religions are declining.
THE THREE BRAIN PHASES
The Christians may have been the first to successfully
formulate brainwashing, but we have to look to Pavlov, the
Russian scientist, for a technical explanation. In the early
1900s, his work with animals opened the door to further
investigations with humans. After the revolution in Russia,
Lenin was quick to see the potential of applying Pavlov's
research to his own ends.
Three distinct and progressive states of transmarginal
inhibition were identified by Pavlov. The first is the
EQUIVALENT phase, in which the brain gives the same response to
both strong and weak stimuli. The second is the PARADOXICAL
--- QuickBBS v2.03
* Origin: The Mountain Oracle (1:301/9) (1:301/9)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(550) Fri 17 Feb 89 23:29
By: Geoff Beneze
To: All
Re: mindwash #3
St:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1044 bba01251
phase, in which the brain responds more actively to weak stimuli
than to strong. And the third is the ULTRA-PARADOXICAL phase, in
which conditioned responses and behavior patterns turn from
positive to negative or from negative to positive. With the
progression through each phase, the degree of conversion becomes
more effective and complete. The way to achieve conversion are many
and varied, but the usual first step in religious or political
brainwashing is to work on the emotions of an individual or group
until they reach an abnormal level of anger, fear, exitement, or
nervous tension. The progressive result of this mental
condition is to impair judgement and increase suggestibility. The
more this condition can be maintained or intensified, the more it
compounds. Once catharsis, or the first brain phase, is reached,
the complete mental takeover becomes easier. Existing mental
programming can be replaced with new patterns of thinking and
behavior. Other often-used physiological weapons to modify
normal brain functions are fasting, radical or high sugar diets,
physical discomforts, regulation of breathing, mantra chanting
in meditation, the disclosure of awesome mysteries, special
lighting and sound effects, programmed response to incense, or
intoxicating drugs.
The same results can be obtained in contemporary
psychiatric treatment by electric shock treatments and even by
purposely lowering a person's blood sugar level with insulin
injections.
Before I talk about exactly how some of the techniques are
applied, I want to point out that hypnosis and conversion
tactics are two distinctly different things--and that conversion
techniques are far more powerful. However, the two are often
mixed . . . with powerful results.
HOW REVIVALIST PREACHERS WORK
If you'd like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there
are probably several in your city. Go to the church or tent
early and sit in the rear, about three-quarters of the way back.
Most likely repetitive music will be played while the people
come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally ranging
from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of
the human heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open
altered state of consciousness in a very high percentage of
people. And, once you are in an alpha state, you are at least
25 times as suggestible as you would be in full beta
consciousness. The music is probably the same for every
service, or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people
will go into an altered state almost immediately upon entering
the sanctuary. Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind
from previous services and respond according to the
post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many
will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and
slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth
with their hands in the air while sitting in their chairs.
Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out. He usually
speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."
VOICE ROLL TECHNIQUE
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by
hypnotists when inducing a trance. It is also used by many
lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotists, when
they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds of the
jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were talking
to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were
emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The
words will usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats
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per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect. Now the
assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He induces an
altered state of consciousness and/or begins to generate the
excitement and the expectations of the audience. Next, a group of
young women in "sweet and pure" chiffon dresses might come out to
sing a song. Gospel songs are great for building excitement and
INVOLVEMENT. In the middle of the song, one of the girls might be
"smitten by the spirit" and fall down or react as if possessed by
the Holy Spirit. This very effectively increases the intensity in
the room. At this point, hypnosis and conversion tactics are being
mixed. And the result is the audience's attention span is now
totally focused upon the communication while the environment
becomes more exciting or tense. Right about this time, when
an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state has been achieved,
they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In the
background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant
preacher might exhort, "Give to God . . . Give to God . . . Give to
God . . ." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but
his already wealthy representative will.
Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He
induces fear and increases the tension by talking about "the
devil," "going to hell," or the forthcoming Armegeddon.
In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked
about the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet
in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God,"
which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit the previous
week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the power of
suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that
at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they
see.
In most revivalist gatherings, "testifying" or "witnessing"
usually follows the fear-based sermon. People from the audience
come up on stage and relate their stories. "I was crippled and
now I can walk!" "I had arthritis and now it's gone!" It is a
psychological manipulation that works. After listening to
numerous case histories of miraculous healings, the average guy
in the audience with a minor problem is sure he can be healed.
The room is charged with fear, guilt, intense excitement, and
expectations.
Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up
around the edge of the room, or they are told to come down to
the front. The preacher might touch them on the head firmly and
scream, "Be healed!" This releases the psychic energy and, for
many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of repressed
emotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into
spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they stand a chance of
being healed. In catharsis (one of the three brain phases
mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean
and the new suggestion is accepted.
For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it will
last four days to a week, which is, incidentally, how long a
hypnotic suggestion given to a somnambulistic subject will
usually last. Even if the healing doesn't last, if they come
back every week, the power of suggestion may continually
override the problem . . . or sometimes, sadly, it can mask a
physical problem which could prove to be very detrimental to the
individule in the long run.
I'm not saying that legitimate healings do not take place.
They do. Maybe the individual was ready to let go of the
negativity that caused the problem in the first place; maybe it
was the work of God. Yet I contend that it can be explained
with existing knowledge of brain/mind function.
The techniques and staging will vary from church to church.
Many use "speaking in tongues" to generate catharsis in some
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while the spectacle creates intense excitement in the observers.
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated,
and professionals are assuring that they become even more
effective. A man in Los Angeles is designing, building, and
reworking a lot of churches around the country. He tells ministers
what they need and how to use it. This man's track record indicates
that the congregation and the monetary income will double if the
minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80 percent
of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting.
Powerful sound and the proper use of lighting are of primary
importance in inducing an altered state of consciousnes--I've been
using them for years in my own seminars. However, my participants
are fully aware of the process and what they can expect as a result
of their participation. SIX CONVERSION TECHNIQUES
Cults and humanpotential organizations are always looking
for new converts. To attain them, they must also create a
brain-phase. And they often need to do it within a short space
of time--a weekend, or maybe even a day. The following are the
six primary techniques used to generate the conversion.
The meeting or training takes place in an area where
participants are cut off from the outside world. This may be
any place: a private home, a remote or rural setting, or even a
hotel ballroom where the participants are allowed only limited
bathroom usage. In human-potential trainings, the controllers
will give a lengthy talk about the importance of "keeping
agreements" in life. The participants are told that if they
don't keep agreements, their life will never work. It's a good
idea to keep agreements, but the controllers are subverting a
positive human value for selfish purposes. The participants vow
to themselves and their trainer that they will keep their
agreements. Anyone who does not will be intimidated into
agreement or forced to leave. The next step is to agree to
complete training, thus assuring a high percentage of
conversions for the organizations. They will USUALLY have to
agree not to take drugs, smoke, and sometimes not to eat . . .
or they are given such short meal breaks that it creates
tension. The real reason for the agreements is to alter
internal chemistry, which generates anxiety and hopefully causes
at least a slight malfunction of the nervous system, which in
turn increases the conversion potential.
Before the gathering is complete, the agreements will be
used to ensure that the new converts go out and find new
participants. They are intimidated into agreeing to do so
before they leave. Since the importance of keeping agreements
is so high on their priority list, the converts will twist the
arms of everyone they know, attempting to talk them into
attending a free introductory session offered at a future date
by the organization. The new converts are zealots. In fact,
the inside term for merchandising the largest and most
successful human-potential training is, "sell it by zealot!"
At least a million people are graduates and a good
percentage have been left with a mental activation button that
assures their future loyalty and assistance if the guru figure
or organization calls. Think about the potential political
implications of hundreds of thousands of zealots programmed to
campaign for their guru.
Be wary of an organization of this type that offers
follow-up sessions after the seminar. Follow-up sessions might
be weekly meetings or inexpensive seminars given on a regular
basis which the organization will attempt to talk you into
taking--or any regularly scheduled event used to maintain
control. As the early Christian revivalists found, long-term
control is dependent upon a good follow-up system.
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Alright. Now, let's look at the second tip-off that
indicates conversion tactics are being used. A schedule is
maintained that causes physical and mental fatigue. This is
primarily accomplished by long hours in which the participants are
given no opportunity for relaxation or reflection. The
third tip-off: techniques used to increase the tension in the room
or environment. Number four: Uncertainty. I could spend
hours relating various techniques to increase tension and generate
uncertainty. Basically, the participants are concerned about being
"put on the spot" or encountered by the trainers, guilt feelings
are played upon, participants are tempted to verbally relate their
innermost secrets to the other participants or forced to take part
in activities that emphasize removing their masks. One of the most
successful human-potential seminars forces the participants to
stand on a stage in front of the entire audience while being
verbally attacked by the trainers. A public opinion poll, conducted
a few years ago, showed that the number one most-fearful situation
an individual could encounter is to speak to an audience. It ranked
above window washing outside the 85th
floor of an office building. So you can imagine the fear and
tension this situation generates within the participants. Many
faint, but most cope with the stress by mentally going away.
They literally go into an alpha state, which automatically makes
them many times as suggestible as they normally are. And
another loop of the downward spiral into conversion is
successfully effected.
The fifth clue that conversion tactics are being used is
the introduction of jargon--new terms that have meaning only to
the "insiders" who participate. Vicious language is also
frequently used, purposely, to make participants uncomfortable.
The final tip-off is that there is no humor in the
communications . . . at least until the participants are
converted. Then, merry-making and humor are highly desirable as
symbols of the new joy the participants have supposedly "found."
I'm not saying that good does not result from participation
in such gatherings. It can and does. But I contend it is
important for people to know what has happened and to be aware
that continual involvement may not be in their best interest.
Over the years, I've conducted professional seminars to
teach people to be hypnotists, trainers, and counselors. I've
had many of those who conduct trainings and rallies come to me
and say, "I'm here because I know that what I'm doing works, but
I don't know why." After showing them how and why, many have
gotten out of the business or have decided to approach it
differently or in a much more loving and supportive manner.
Many of these trainers have become personal friends, and it
scares us all to have experienced the power of one person with a
microphone and a room full of people. Add a little charisma and
you can count on a high percentage of conversions. The sad
truth is that a high percentage of people want to give away
their power--they are true "believers"!
Cult gatherings or human-potential trainings are an ideal
environment to observe first-hand what is technically called the
"Stockholm Syndrome." This is a situation in which those who
are intimidated, controlled, or made to suffer, begin to love,
admire, and even sometimes sexually desire their controllers or
captors.
But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you
can attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably
wrong. A perfect example is the case of a woman who went to
Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship to study Haitian Voodoo. In
her report, she related how the music eventually induced
uncontrollable bodily movement and an altered state of
consciousness. Although she understood the process and thought
herself above it, when she began to feel herself become
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vulnerable to the music, she attempted to fight it and turned away.
Anger or resistance almost always assures conversion. A few moments
later she was possessed by the music and began dancing in a trance
around the Voodoo meeting house. A brain phase had been induced by
the music and excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn. The only
hope of attending such gatherings without being affected is to be a
Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to surface. Few
people are capable of such detachment. Before I go on,
let's go back to the six tip-offs to conversion. I want to mention
the United States Government and military boot camp. The Marine
Corps talks about breaking men down before "rebuilding" them as new
men--as marines! Well, that is exactly what they do, the same way a
cult breaks its people down and rebuilds them as happy flower
sellers on your local street corner. Every one of the six
conversion techniques are used in boot camp. Considering the needs
of the military, I'm not making a judgement as to whether that is
good or bad. IT IS A FACT that the men are effectively brainwashed.
Those who won't submit must be discharged or spend much of their time
in the brig.
DECOGNITION PROCESS
Once the initial conversion is effected, cults, armed
services, and similar groups cannot have cynicism among their
members. Members must respond to commands and do as they are
told, otherwise they are dangerous to the organizational
control. This is normally accomplished as a three-step
Decognition Process.
Step One is ALERTNESS REDUCTION: The controllers cause the
nervous system to malfunction, making it difficult to
distinguish between fantasy and reality. This can be
accomplished in several ways. POOR DIET is one; watch out for
Brownies and Koolaid. The sugar throws the nervous system off.
More subtle is the "SPIRITUAL DIET" used by many cults. They
eat only vegetables and fruits; without the grounding of grains,
nuts, seeds, dairy products, fish or meat, an individual becomes
mentally "spacey." INADEQUATE SLEEP is another primary way to
reduce alertness, especially when combined with long hours of
work or intense physical activity. Also, being bombarded with
intense and unique experiences achieves the same result.
Step Two is PROGRAMMED CONFUSION: You are mentally
assaulted while your alertness is being reduced as in Step One.
This is accomplished with a deluge of new information, lectures,
discussion groups, encounters or one-to-one processing, which
usually amounts to the controller bombarding the individual with
questions. During this phase of decognition, reality and
illusion often merge and perverted logic is likely to be
accepted.
Step Three is THOUGHT STOPPING: Techniques are used to
cause the mind to go "flat." These are
altered-state-of-consciousness techniques that initially induce
calmness by giving the mind something simple to deal with and
focusing awareness. The continued use brings on a feeling of
elation and eventually hallucination. The result is the
reduction of thought and eventually, if used long enough, the
cessation of all thought and withdrawal from everyone and
everything except that which the controllers direct. The
takeover is then complete. It is important to be aware that
when members or participants are instructed to use
"thought-stopping" techniques, they are told that they will
benefit by so doing: they will become "better soldiers" or "find
enlightenment."
There are three primary techniques used for thought
stopping. The first is MARCHING: the thump, thump, thump beat
literally generates self-hypnosis and thus great susceptibility
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to suggestion. The second thought stopping technique is
MEDITATION. If you spend an hour to an hour and a half a day in
meditation, after a few weeks, there is a great probability that
you will not return to full beta consciousness. You will remain in
a fixed state of alpha for as long as you continue to meditate. I'm
not saying this is bad--if you do it yourself. It may be very
beneficial. But it is a fact that you are causing your mind to go
flat. I've worked with meditators on an EEG machine and the results
are conclusive: the more you meditate, the flatter your mind
becomes until, eventually and especially if used to excess or in
combination with decognition, all thought ceases. Some spiritual
groups see this as nirvana--which is bullshit. It is simply a
predictable physiological result. And if heaven on earth is
non-thinking and non-involvement, I really question why we are
here. The third thought-stopping technique is CHANTING, and
often chanting in meditation. "Speaking in tongues" could also be
included in this category. All three stopping techniques
produce an altered state of
consciousness. This may be very good if YOU are controlling the
process, for you also control the input. I personally use at
least one self-hypnosis programming session every day and I know
how beneficial it is for me. But you need to know if you use
these techniques to the degree of remaining continually in alpha
that, although you'll be very mellow, you'll also be more
suggestible.
TRUE BELIEVERS & MASS MOVEMENTS
Before ending this section on conversion, I want to talk
about the people who are most susceptible to it and about Mass
Movements. I am convinced that at least a third of the
population is what Eric Hoffer calls "true believers." They are
joiners and followers . . . people who want to give away their
power. They look for answers, meaning, and enlightenment
outside themselves.
Hoffer, who wrote THE TRUE BELIEVER, a classic on mass
movements, says, "true believers are not intent on bolstering
and advancing a cherished self, but are those craving to be rid
of unwanted self. They are followers, not because of a desire
for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy their passion
for self-renunciation!" Hoffer also says that true believers
"are eternally incomplete and eternally insecure"!
I know this from my own experience. In my years of
communicating concepts and conducting trainings, I have run into
them again and again. All I can do is attempt to show them that
the only thing to seek is the True Self within. Their personal
answers are to be found there and there alone. I communicate
that the basics of spirituality are self-responsibility and
self-actualization. But most of the true believers just tell me
that I'm not spiritual and go looking for someone who will give
them the dogma and structure they desire.
Never underestimate the potential danger of these people.
They can easily be molded into fanatics who will gladly work and
die for their holy cause. It is a substitute for their lost
faith in themselves and offers them as a substitute for
individual hope. The Moral Majority is made up of true
believers. All cults are composed of true believers. You'll
find them in politics, churches, businesses, and social cause
groups. They are the fanatics in these organizations.
Mass Movements will usually have a charismatic leader. The
followers want to convert others to their way of living or
impose a new way of life--if necessary, by legislating laws
forcing others to their view, as evidenced by the activities of
the Moral Majority. This means enforcement by guns or
punishment, for that is the bottomline in law enforcement.
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A common hatred, enemy, or devil is essential to the success
of a mass movement. The Born-Again Christians have Satan himself,
but that isn't enough--they've added the occult, the New Age
thinkers and, lately, all those who oppose their integration of
church and politics, as evidenced in their political reelection
campaigns against those who oppose their views. In revolutions, the
devil is usually the ruling power or aristocracy. Some
human-potential movements are far too clever to ask their graduates
to join anything, thus labeling themselves as a cult--but, if you
look closely, you'll find that their devil is anyone and everyone
who hasn't taken their training. There are mass movements
without devils but they seldom attain major status. The True
Believers are mentally unbalanced or insecure people, or those
without hope or friends. People don't look for allies when they
love, but they do when they hate or become obsessed with a cause.
And those who desire a new life and a new order feel the old ways
must be eliminated before the new order can be built.
PERSUASION TECHNIQUES
Persuasion isn't technically brainwashing but it is the
manipulation of the human mind by another individual, without
the manipulated party being aware what caused his opinion shift.
I only have time to very basically introduce you to a few of the
thousands of techniques in use today, but the basis of
persuasion is always to access your RIGHT BRAIN. The left half
of your brain is analytical and rational. The right side is
creative and imaginative. That is overly simplified but it
makes my point. So, the idea is to distract the left brain and
keep it busy. Ideally, the persuader generates an eyes-open
altered state of consciousness, causing you to shift from beta
awareness into alpha; this can be measured on an EEG machine.
First, let me give you an example of distracting the left
brain. Politicians use these powerful techniques all the time;
lawyers use many variations which, I've been told, they call
"tightening the noose."
Assume for a moment that you are watching a politician give
a speech. First, he might generate what is called a "YES SET."
These are statements that will cause listeners to agree; they
might even unknowingly nod their heads in agreement. Next come
the TRUISMS. These are usually facts that could be debated but,
once the politician has his audience agreeing, the odds are in
the politician's favor that the audience won't stop to think for
themselves, thus continuing to agree. Last comes the
SUGGESTION. This is what the politician wants you to do and,
since you have been agreeing all along, you could be persuaded
to accept the suggestion. Now, if you'll listen closely to my
political speech, you'll find that the first three are the "yes
set," the next three are truisms and the last is the suggestion.
"Ladies and gentlemen: are you angry about high food
prices? Are you tired of astronomical gas prices? Are you sick
of out-of-control inflation? Well, you know the Other Party
allowed 18 percent inflation last year; you know crime has
increased 50 percent nationwide in the last 12 months, and you
know your paycheck hardly covers your expenses any more. Well,
the answer to resolving these problems is to elect me, John
Jones, to the U.S. Senate."
And I think you've heard all that before. But you might
also watch for what are called Imbedded Commands. As an
example: On key words, the speaker would make a gesture with his
left hand, which research has shown is more apt to access your
right brain. Today's media-oriented politicians and
spellbinders are often carefully trained by a whole new breed of
specialist who are using every trick in the book--both old and
new--to manipulate you into accepting their candidate.
--- QuickBBS v2.03
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The concepts and techniques of Neuro-Linguistics are so
heavily protected that I found out the hard way that to even talk
about them publicly or in print results in threatened legal action.
Yet Neuro-Linguistic training is readily available to anyone
willing to devote the time and pay the price. It is some of the
most subtle and powerful manipulation I have yet been exposed to. A
good friend who recently attended a two-week seminar on
Neuro-Linguistics found that many of those she talked to during the
breaks were government people. Another technique that I'm
just learning about is unbelievably slippery; it is called an
INTERSPERSAL TECHNIQUE and the idea is to say one thing with words
but plant a subconscious impression of something else in the minds
of the listeners and/or watchers. Let me give you an
example: Assume you are watching a television commentator make the
following statement: SENATOR JOHNSON is assisting local authorities
to clear up the stupid mistakes of companies contributing to the
nuclear waste problems." It sounds like a statement of fact, but,
if the speaker emphasizes the right word, and especially if he makes
the proper hand gestures on the key words, you could be left
with the subconscious impression that Senator Johnson is stupid.
That was the subliminal goal of the statement and the speaker
cannot be called to account for anything.
Persuasion techniques are also frequently used on a much
smaller scale with just as much effectiveness. The insurance
salesman knows his pitch is likely to be much more effective if
he can get you to visualize something in your mind. This is
right-brain communication. For instance, he might pause in his
conversation, look slowly around your livingroom and say, "Can
you just imagine this beautiful home burning to the ground?" Of
course you can! It is one of your unconscious fears and, when
he forces you to visualize it, you are more likely to be
manipulated into signing his insurance policy.
The Hare Krishnas, operating in every airport, use what I
call SHOCK AND CONFUSION techniques to distract the left brain
and communicate directly with the right brain. While waiting
for a plane, I once watched one operate for over an hour. He
had a technique of almost jumping in front of someone.
Initially, his voice was loud then dropped as he made his pitch
to take a book and contribute money to the cause. Usually, when
people are shocked, they immediately withdraw. In this case
they were shocked by the strange appearance, sudden
materialization and loud voice of the Hare Krishna devotee. In
other words, the people went into an alpha state for security
because they didn't want to confront the reality before them.
In alpha, they were highly suggestible so they responded to the
suggestion of taking the book; the moment they took the book,
they felt guilty and responded to the second suggestion: give
money. We are all conditioned that if someone gives us
something, we have to give them something in return--in that
case, it was money. While watching this hustler, I was close
enough to notice that many of the people he stopped exhibited an
outward sign of alpha--their eyes were actually dilated.
SUBLIMINAL PROGRAMMING
Subliminals are hidden suggestions that only your
subconscious perceives. They can be audio, hidden behind music,
or visual, airbrushed into a picture, flashed on a screen so
fast that you don't consciously see them, or cleverly
incorporated into a picture or design.
Most audio subliminal reprogramming tapes offer verbal
suggestions recorded at a low volume. I question the efficacy
of this technique--if subliminals are not perceptible, they
cannot be effective, and subliminals recorded below the audible
threshold are therefore useless. The oldest audio subliminal
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technique uses a voice that follows the volume of the music so
subliminals are impossible to detect without a parametric
equalizer. But this technique is patented and, when I wanted to
develop my own line of subliminal audiocassettes, negotiations with
the patent holder proved to be unsatisfactory. My attorney obtained
copies of the patents which I gave to some talented Hollywood sound
engineers, asking them to create a new technique. They found a way
to psycho-acoustically modify and synthesize the suggestions so
that they are projected in the same chord and frequency as the
music, thus giving them the effect of being part of the music. But
we found that in using this technique, there is no way to reduce
various frequencies to detect the subliminals. In other words,
although the suggestions are being heard by the subconscious mind,
they cannot be monitored with even the most sophisticated
equipment. If we were able to come up with this technique
as easily as we did, I can only imagine how sophisticated the
technology has become, with unlimited government or advertising
funding. And I shudder to think about the propaganda and commercial
manipulation that we are exposed to on a daily basis. There is
simply no way to know what is behind the music you hear. It may
even be possible to hide a second voice behind the voice to
which you are listening.
The series by Wilson Bryan Key, Ph.D., on subliminals in
advertising and political campaigns well documents the misuse in
many areas, especially printed advertising in newspapers,
magazines, and posters.
The big question about subliminals is: do they work? And I
guarantee you they do. Not only from the response of those who
have used my tapes, but from the results of such programs as the
subliminals behind the music in department stores. Supposedly,
the only message is instructions to not steal: one East Coast
department store chain reported a 37 percent reduction in thefts
in the first nine months of testing.
A 1984 article in the technical newsletter, "Brain-Mind
Bulletin," states that as much as 99 percent of our cognitive
activity may be "non-conscious," according to the director of
the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychophysiology at the University
of Illinois. The lengthy report ends with the statement, "these
findings support the use of subliminal approaches such as taped
suggestions for weight loss and the therapeutic use of hypnosis
and Neuro-Linguistic Programming."
MASS MISUSE
I could relate many stories that support subliminal
programming, but I'd rather use my time to make you aware of
even more subtle uses of such programming.
I have personally experienced sitting in a Los Angeles
auditorium with over ten thousand people who were gathered to
listen to a current charismatic figure. Twenty minutes after
entering the auditorium, I became aware that I was going in and
out of an altered state. Those accompanying me experienced the
same thing. Since it is our business, we were aware of what was
happening, but those around us were not. By careful
observation, what appeared to be spontaneous demonstrations
were, in fact, artful manipulations. The only way I could
figure that the eyes-open trance had been induced was that a 6-
to 7-cycle-per-second vibration was being piped into the room
behind the air conditioner sound. That particular vibration
generates alpha, which would render the audience highly
susceptible. Ten to 25 percent of the population is capable of
a somnambulistic level of altered states of consciousness; for
these people, the suggestions of the speaker, if
non-threatening, could potentially be accepted as "commands."
VIBRATO
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This leads to the mention of VIBRATO. Vibrato is the
tremulous effect imparted in some vocal or instrumental music, and
the cyle-per-second range causes people to go into an altered state
of consciousness. At one period of English history, singers whose
voices contained pronounced vibrato were not allowed to perform
publicly because listeners would go into an altered state and have
fantasies, often sexual in nature. People who attend opera
or enjoy listening to singers like Mario Lanza are familiar with
this altered state induced by the performers. ELFs
Now, let's carry this awareness a little farther. There are
also inaudible ELFs (extra-low frequency waves). These are
electromagnetic in nature. One of the primary uses of ELFs is to
communicate with our submarines. Dr. Andrija Puharich, a highly
respected researcher, in an attempt to warn U.S. officials about
Russian use of ELFs, set up an experiment. Volunteers were wired so
their brain waves could be measured on an EEG. They were sealed in
a metal room that could not be
penetrated by a normal signal.
Puharich then beamed ELF waves at the volunteers. ELFs go
right through the earth and, of course, right through metal
walls. Those inside couldn't know if the signal was or was not
being sent. And Puharich watched the reactions on the technical
equipment: 30 percent of those inside the room were taken over
by the ELF signal in six to ten seconds.
When I say "taken over," I mean that their behavior
followed the changes anticipated at very precise frequencies.
Waves below 6 cycles per second caused the subjects to become
very emotionally upset, and even disrupted bodily functions. At
8.2 cycles, they felt very high . . . an elevated feeling, as
though they had been in masterful meditation, learned over a
period of years. Eleven to 11.3 cycles induced waves of
depressed agitation leading to riotous behavior.
THE NEUROPHONE
Dr. Patrick Flanagan is a personal friend of mine. In the
early 1960s, as a teenager, Pat was listed as one of the top
scientists in the world by "Life" magazine. Among his many
inventions was a device he called the Neurophone--an electronic
instrument that can successfully programm suggestions directly
through contact with the skin. When he attempted to patent the
device, the government demanded that he prove it worked. When
he did, the National Security Agency confiscated the neurophone.
It took Pat two years of legal battle to get his invention back.
In using the device, you don't hear or see a thing; it is
applied to the skin, which Pat claims is the source of special
senses. The skin contains more sensors for heat, touch, pain,
vibration, and electrical fields than any other part of the
human anatomy.
In one of his recent tests, Pat conducted two identical
seminars for a military audience--one seminar one night and one
the next night, because the size of the room was not large
enough to accommodate all of them at one time. When the first
group proved to be very cool and unwilling to respond, Patrick
spent the next day making a special tape to play at the second
seminar. The tape instructed the audience to be extremely warm
and responsive and for their hands to become "tingly." The tape
was played through the neurophone, which was connected to a wire
he placed along the ceiling of the room. There were no
speakers, so no sound could be heard, yet the message was
successfully transmitted from that wire directly into the brains
of the audience. They were warm and receptive, their hands
tingled and they responded, according to programming, in other
ways that I cannot mention here.
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* Origin: The Mountain Oracle (1:301/9) (1:301/9)
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(560) Fri 17 Feb 89 23:44
By: Geoff Beneze
To: All
Re: mindwash #13
St:
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@EID:1044 bd801251
The more we find out about how human beings work through
today's highly advanced technological research, the more we learn
to control human beings. And what probably scares me the most is
that the medium for takeover is already in place! The television
set in your livingroom and bedroom is doing a lot more than just
entertaining you. Before I continue, let me point out
something else about an altered state of consciousness. When you go
into an altered state, you transfer into right brain, which results
in the internal release of the body's own opiates: enkephalins and
Beta-endorphins, chemically almost identical to opium. In other
words, it feels good . . . and you want to come back for more.
Recent tests by researcher Herbert Krugman showed that, while
viewers were watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered
left-brain activity by a ratio of two to one. Put more simply, the
viewers were in an altered state . . . in trance more often than
not. They were getting their Beta-endorphin "fix." To
measure attention spans, psychophysiologist Thomas Mulholland of
the Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts, attached young
viewers to an EEG machine that was wired to shut the TV set off
whenever the children's brains produced a majority of alpha waves.
Although the children were told to concentrate, only a few could
keep the set on for more than 30 seconds! Most viewers are
already hypnotized. To deepen the trance is easy. One simple way is
to place a blank, black frame every 32 frames in the film that is
being projected. This creates a 45-beat-per-minute pulsation
perceived only by the subconscious mind--the ideal pace to generate
deep hypnosis. The commercials or suggestions presented
following this alpha-inducing broadcast are much more likely to be
accepted by the viewer. The high percentage of the viewing audience
that has somnambulistic-depth ability could very well accept the
suggestions as commands--as long as those commands did not ask the
viewer to do something contrary to his morals, religion, or
self-preservation. The medium for takeover is here. By the
age of 16, children have spent 10,000 to 15,000 hours watching
television--that is more time than they spend in school! In the
average home, the TV set is on for six hours and 44 minutes per
day--an increase of nine minutes from last year and three times the
average rate of increase during the 1970s. It obviously
isn't getting better . . . we are rapidly moving into an
alpha-level world--very possibly the Orwellian world of
"1984"--placid, glassy-eyed, and responding obediently to
instructions. A research project by Jacob Jacoby, a Purdue
University psychologist, found that of 2,700 people tested, 90
percent misunderstood even such simple viewing fare as commercials
and "Barnaby Jones." Only minutes after watching, the typical
viewer missed 23 to 36 percent of the questions about what he or
she had seen. Of course they did--they were going in and out of
trance! If you go into a deep trance, you must be instructed to
remember--otherwise you automatically forget.
I have just touched the tip of the iceberg. When you start
to combine subliminal messages behind the music, subliminal
visuals projected on the screen, hypnotically produced visual
effects, sustained musical beats at a trance-inducing pace . . .
you have extremely effective brainwashing. Every hour that you
spend watching the TV set you become more conditioned. And, in
case you thought there was a law against any of these things,
guess again. There isn't! There are a lot of powerful people
who obviously prefer things exactly the way they are. Maybe
they have plans for?
<<End of Article>>
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* Origin: The Mountain Oracle (1:301/9) (1:301/9)