In Memoriam

With great sadness we honor the passing of our dear friend, Tom Clauser. He was 68 y.o. and as Pagan as they come. He had such a beautiful spirit and loved animals. For the past year and a half, since we began our radio show, he never missed one episode. I always said "Good night Tom and Aubrey" and that was directed at Tom and his beloved Golden Retriever Aubrey, who healed completely from Lyme's Disease after she came to live with him. Tom was Green Eggs official poet laureate and a staunch supporter of Green Egg. Every week, at the end of our radio show, I always said Good night Tom and Aubrey because I knew they were both listening in. He touched many, many lives in deep and profound ways and he is dearly missed, especially by his four children who survive him.

TOM CLAUSER
Official Poet Laureate of Green Egg

If you'd like to know more about Tom, visit his FB page here, its truly a work of art: https://www.facebook.com/tom.claus er.1?ref=ts&fref=ts

Aubry

Missed
By Patty Beltz

What can I say about a man so kind What can I say about a man so giving What can I say about a man so wise ...he will be missed From the forests of Hawk Mountain to the ponds and greenery of Stonehedge To the little shop in Shenandoah, to my table on a Monday nite ...he will be missed He was a businessman, he was a Bard, he was a Bird Enthusiast and an Astronomer he was a proud Pagan and a proud Father he was a dear friend .. .he will be missed He loved Nature and all she held...from trees to stones to lakes and rivers from Earth to Sky to Sun to Moon Tom found in life what very few people do ....he found joy His joy came easy. It was simple things that made Tom happy A lovely statue of Hecate, a piece of crystal to bury in the ground on a mountaintop A lick on the face from his best friend of all...his dog Aubrey ...he will be missed To have known him for me is a gift I am so glad to have received He will stay in my heart always and if I have learned anything at all from him ...may it be to be kind and forgiving and embrace every moment as if it's our last Dear Tom....you will be missed Blessed Be

GREEN EGG

ISSUE No. 159 FEB 2013

Green Egg Magazine

Table of Contents
IN MEMORIAM: TOM CLAUSER A.K.A. RADAGAST THE BARD...2 POETRY: MISSED, A Memorial Prayer for Tom Clauser (Patty Beltz).....3 FEATURES: THE PROBLEM WITH POLYNORMATIVITY (Andrea Zanin)...7 DIALOGICAL GNOSIS (Iona Miller).17 THE YEAR AND A DAY CALENDAR (Link).39 CAN ATHEISTS BE PAGAN? (Stifyn Emrys).55 CREATURE CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE HUMAN POWER ANIMAL (Barry Cottrell)..62 SETTING UP A HENGE OR FAERIE RING (Jo Carson, Feraferia)...69 COLUMNS EDITORS PAGE: Life and Other Wierdnesses (Ariel Monserrat)...5 MUSE REVIEWS: The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen, A Practical Guide (Ellen Evert Hopman)..34 Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth (Trevor Norton)...35 Chasing Doctor Dolittle (Con Slobodchikoff)....37 THE CANTANKEROUS CELT, A Winter Solstice Greeting (Michael R. Gorman).51 CRITTER CORNER Because of Love (Willy Eagle).59 CONTRIBUTORS SHOWCASE.....73 ANNOUNCEMENTS PRESS RELEASE: THE PAGAN VOICE, A Pagan T.V. Weekly News Show(Todd Berntson)..32 Oberon Zell-Ravenhea rt ~ Founder Ariel Monserrat ~ Publisher/ Managing Editor Tom Donohue ~ Science Editor/ Layout and Design

GREEN EGG is the official journal of the Church of All Worlds, whose mission is to evolve a network of information, mythology and experience that provides a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaea, and reuniting her children through tribal community dedicated to responsible stewardship and evolving consciousness. We publish four times per year. Visit the website at: http://www.greeneggzine.com copyright 2012 Church of All Worlds. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed are those of the authors.

EDITORS PAGE

(spring) Critter Corner column, so I wont talk about it here. But even before that, I saw probably the weirdest thing Ive ever seen; mind you, I grew up in the Hollywood Hills (known as Hollyweird, even among the people who live there), and lived in San Francisco and Berkeley for many years. It isnt as if Im exactly immune to weirdness, in fact I love it and thrive on it. It happened in the first half of December, 2011. I was outside with my husband and we were talking. He faced the house and I faced the opposite direction, towards the sky. I was looking at a large tree, watching the birds when I suddenly noticed that the sun was just to the right of the tree, in a location and placement that was completely impossible for both that time of year and day. I was looking at it, trying to figure out what was happening, when it suddenly.MOVED!!! Yep, it moved to the right, northwards, and went behind the tree I was watching. I kept looking for it to come out again on the other side of the tree, but it didnt. Not at all. It was gone and I havent seen it again since. I cant say what it was, but I can say that, because I couldnt identify it, it was definitely an Unidentified Flying Object. To further add to this weirdness, as if that wasnt enough, I had just finished reading a book by the name of High Strangeness by Linda Moulton Howe, an excellent book which examines all things UFO. In that book, I read that one abductee had reported that at some point, the alien ships will be waiting for an appointed time and will pick up the people of earth who are oriented towards Service to Others, not Service to Self; in other words, the ships will take us away during the next 20 years of earth time, a time during which there will be much strife. I know this all sounds very weird but it is an excellent book; Jacques Vallee endorsed it and he doesnt endorse anything shoddy.

LIFE AND OTHER WEIRDNESSES

By Ariel Monserrat
Lately, I have been reflecting quite a bit on this past year, 2012 and comparing it to the present time. 2012 was certainly strange. For starters, we had all the predictions and prophesies from various corners of the earth about December 12, 2012, including our own Terence McKenna. 2012 started out on a sad note for me. Last January 18, I had to put down my beloved horse, Majick. He was only 11 years old but quite ill with, among other health issues, COPD, which pretty much means the end for such a horse. You can read more about that in our next issues

Anyway, by the time I finished reading the book, I was convinced that ANYTHING weird and unexpected could happen. So I mentally sent a little message to the aliens, to ask them to consider taking me aboard, just in case anything happened. (OK, Im a Sagittarius, I LOVE travel and adventure, especially when theyre combined). So, of course, 2 days later when I saw the UFO that looked exactly like the sun but not quite as bright, and movedwell, you can probably figure out that I was pretty stunned. I still dont know what to make of it. Another thing that happened this past year, is that things would disappear. Both Tom and I would be sure we had put something down but when we went there it was gone; only to return there at a later date. This had happened from time to time during the eight years that weve lived here, but suddenly it began to happen regularly. It is very frustrating to spend half your life looking for your reading glasses, phone, book etc. Several months ago, I went to get my key to our truck, which I faithfully keep in a special little jar. When I went to get it, it simply wasnt there, no two ways about it. Well, about a week ago, I went to the jar to look for Something else, and lo and behold, there it was, right on top of the things in the jar. Now, I KNOW I had looked there several months ago and I also KNOW that

it wasnt there. It was so strange that I called my husband in and told him about it. His eyes got big, and he told me that the EXACT SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO HIM!! He, too, had looked in the jar but had not seen the key. We have a neighbor that has had the same kind of thing happen to him a lot lately, as well, so it isnt just us. And then theres this: Once in awhile, we hear some sort of little rodent chewing on the wood inside the closet. We always assumed it was a country rat, since it was pretty loud. But I realized it may have been something quite different last November when I went to the bedroom closet to put on my sheepskin-lined boots. I sat down, picked up a bootand I heard something rattling around inside, like a couple of marbles. I peered inside the boot, tipped it upside down and out came 2 little wild hickory nuts. Do rats eat hickory nuts? If so, do they hide them like squirrels? I dont know but I suspect it may well have been a chipmunk. I felt so badly about taking his winter store of food, that I got some pecans we had and placed them under the 125 foot hickory tree where a lot of squirrels and chipmunks live. I know this isnt a very weird tale, but it sure was unexpected! And rather sweet as well. If anyone has any ideas about the moveable sun UFO, Id love to hear from you. You can email me at: greeneggzine@gmail.com

THE PROBLEM WITH POLYNORMATIVITY By Andrea Zanin

Editors Note: A friend sent this blog to me and I think it is good food for thought for polyamorists. Its from a blog called The Sex Geek. You can find the original here: https://sexgeek.wordpress.com/2013/01/ 24/theproblemwithpolynormativity/ Polyamory is getting a lot of airtime in the media these days. Its quite remarkable, really, and it represents a major shift over the last five to ten years. The problemand its hardly surprisingis that the form of poly thats getting by far the most airtime is the one thats as similar to traditional monogamy as possible, because thats the least threatening to the dominant social order. Ten years ago, I think my position was a lot more live-and-let-live. You know, different strokes for different folks. I do poly my way, you do it your way, and were all doing something nonmonogamous so we can consider ourselves to have something in common thats different from the norm. We share a certain kind of oppression, in that the world doesnt appreciate or value nonmonogamy. We share relationship concerns, like logistics challenges and time management and jealousy. So were all in this together, right? Today, though, Ive come to the conclusion that I have much stronger Feelings about this. I mean Feelings of serious squick, not just of YKINMKBYKIOK*. Feelings of genuine offense, not of comradeship. Fundamentally, I think were doing radically different things. The poly movementif it can even be called that, which is debatable for a number of reasonsis beginning to fracture along precisely the same lines as the gay/lesbian/queer one has. (You could

argue it has been fractured along this fault line forever, but it hasnt always seemed quite as crystal-clear to me as it does right now.) (*Stands for your kink is not my kink but your kink is okay, a common phrase used among perverts to basically say we dont all have to like doing a thing in order for that thing to be acceptable.) At its most basic, Id say some peoples poly looks good to the mainstream, and some peoples doesnt. The mainstream loves to think of itself as edgy, sexy and cool. The mainstream likes to co-opt whatever fresh trendy thing it can in order to convince itself that its doing something new and exciting, because that sells magazines, event tickets, whatever. The mainstream likes to do all this while erecting as many barriers as it can against real, fundamental value shifts that might topple the structure of How the World Works. In this case, that structure is the primacy of the couple. The media presents a clear set of poly norms, and overwhelmingly showcases people who speak about and practice polyamory within those norms. Ill refer to this as polynormativity. (I dont think Im quite coining a term here, but not far off, as most of the paltry seven hundred-ish Google hits I can find for the term are about obscure legalese I dont understand. I kinda wish it was already a thing, frankly. So, uh, my gift to you.) Here are the four norms that make up polynormativity as I see it. 1. Polyamory starts with a couple. The first time I came across the term poly couple I laughed out loud. It seemed to me the most evident of oxymorons jumbo shrimp, friendly fire, firm estimate, poly couple. But lo and behold, its really taken root, and nobody seems to be blinking. Polyamory is presented as a thing that a couple does, as opposed to a relationship philosophy and approach that individual people ascribe to, as a result of which they may end up as part of a couple butbecause poly!may just as well be partnered with six people, or part of a triad, or single, or what have you. With this norm, the whole premise of multiple

relationships is narrowed down to what sounds, essentially, like a hobby that a traditionally committed pair of people decide to do together, like taking up ballroom dancing or learning to ski. So much for a radical re-thinking of human relationships. So much for anyone who doesnt come pre-paired. 2. Polyamory is hierarchical. Following from the norm that poly begins (and presumably ends) with two, we must of course impose a hierarchy on whatever else happens. Else, how would we know who the actual real couple is in all this? If you add more people, it might get blurry and confusing! Thus, the idea of primary relationships and secondary relationships emerges. This is what I call hierarchical poly. Primary implies top-level importance. Secondary implies less importance. Within this model, its completely normal to put one persons feelings ahead of anothers as a matter of course. Let me say this again. Its completely normal, even expected, that one persons feelings, desires and opinions will matter more than anothers. It is normal for one person to be flown in first class and the other in economy as a matter of course, based on their respective status alone. And we think this is progressive? Of course this plays out differently in different situations. This model is more likely to work out relatively well if the people involved are super kind, considerate, consistent, emotionally secure and generous, and less likely to work out happily if the people involved are mean, inconsiderate, inconsistent, insecure or selfish. Its sort of like how youre more likely to keep your job in a recession if your boss is a really nice person than if they really are mostly interested in the bottom line. Either way, this structure ensures that secondaries are dependent on the goodwill of primaries, and that they dont have much say. This is precisely what gives rise to things like Franklin Veauxs controversial (?!) proposed secondary bill of rights or a recent post that went viral outlining how

to treat non-primary partners well (note how these are not mainstream media articles). These posts make me sick to my stomach. Not because theres anything wrong with what theyre saying, but becauseaccording to secondaries, who are exactly the people we should be listening to hereit means that a lot of polynormative people actually need to be told how not to treat other people like complete garbage. These posts are a crash course in basic human decency. That they are even remotely necessary, to say nothing of extremely popular, is really fucking disturbing. Im going to digress into a note about terminology for a moment here. I take serious issue with definitions of primary that go something like the primary relationship is when you live together, have kids, share finances, etc. No. Wrong. Disagree. This is a deeply flawed definition. Any of the elements that go into this type of definition of primary can just as easily be had in a relationship that isnt primary, or, for that matter, that isnt even romantic or sexual. People can live with a roommate, share finances with a platonic life partner, have kids with an ex they never speak to; and on the flip side, a person can consider another person to be a primary partner even without living together, sharing finances or reproducing. Primary and secondary are about a hierarchy-based relationship model, not about specific life circumstances. Primary and secondary are not especially ambiguous as far as terms go. With that in mind, I will add a plea here directed at poly people: if you dont mean to create or imply a hierarchy, dont use primary and secondary as shorthand. Many of you are geeks, so accuracy must be important to you, right? Think of this as sort of like not mixing up Star Trek and Star Wars or Mac and PC. Instead of primary, talk about your domestic partner, your long-term partner, the person you spend most of your time with, your husband or wifewhatever applies. Instead of secondary, talk about your occasional date, your casual lover, your

boyfriend or girlfriend or secret agent lover man, your annual long-distance affair, your new squeeze with whom youre just figuring things out, or whatever other terms explain what youre up to. None of these are about hierarchy. Theyre just relationship descriptors. (Ill postpone my rant about how some people think husband and wife are more real than partner or boyfriend and girlfriend.) On the flip side, dont just drop using the words primary and secondary in order to look less hierarchical while still making relationship decisions in a very firmly hierarchy-based manner. No false advertising in either direction, okay? Let me clarify my position here just in case. There is nothing wrong with serious, long-term, committed domestic partnership. There is also nothing wrong with dating casually, and feeling just fine about hanging out with a sweetie way less often than that sweetie hangs out with their spouse, say. Sometimes, a relationship is just not destined to be long-term, or domestic, or local, or involve meeting each others parents. This is not a bad thing. Its just a thing. Its also not the same thing as being secondary. I am not playing with semantics here. Im talking about frameworks for viewing relationships, making decisions, coming up with rules more on that in the next pointand treating real, live human beings. 3. Polyamory requires a lot of rules. If we start out with a couple, and we want to keep that couple firmly in its place as primary with all others as secondary, well, of course we need to come up with a bunch of rules to make sure it all goes according to plan, right? Right. (And there is most certainly a plan.) This is a control-based approach to polyamory that, while not exclusive to couple-based primary-secondary models, is almost inevitable within them. Rules are implicitly set by the primaries, the poly coupleat least thats how most discussions of rules are presented. Some books and websites will tell you (you presumably being someone whos part of

a currently-monogamous, about-to-bepoly couple) that its really super important not only to have rules, but also to set them out before you go out and do this polyamory thing. If ever you wanted confirmation of the very clearly secondary status of secondary partners, this is it: the rules get set before they even show up, and they have no say in em. Again we think this is progressive? Heres the thing. Rules have an inverse relationship to trust. They are intended to bind someone to someone elses preferences. They are aimed at constraint. I will limit you, and you will limit me, and then well both be safe. When two people are well matched in their values, and have strong mutual trust, they dont need a rule to know how theyll each behave. I mean, how many times do you hear Ill agree not to kill anyone if you agree not to kill anyone, okay? Thatll be our rule. No killing. Of course not. Psychopaths aside, this kind of thing need not be said; we can assume that everyone shares the value of killing people is bad and I will not do it. But its not the least bit uncommon for poly couples to create elaborate sets of rules to keep each other strictly bound to only behave in ways that are not scary, not dangerous, and not threatening to the primary bond. We wont kiss anyone without asking each other first. No overnight dates. If you want to see her more than three times, I have to meet her. If you want to see her more than three times, dont tell me about it, its too much for me to handle. No falling in love (this one cracks me up in its sheer absurdity). Love is okay, but only if you love him less than me. Anal sex only with me. Anal sex only with others. You have to date exactly the same number of people as I date. No going to our favourite restaurant together. No sleeping in our bed. You have to text me by eleven. I have to call you when Im leaving her place. And the crowning glory, the holy grail of poly rules: we have veto power! (Ive got a whole other post about this one, called Against the Veto, in which I lay out exactly why veto rights are a rotten

idea.) The crux: secondaries are secondary, so very secondary that a person theyre not even partnered with can decide if and when theyll get dumped. You know, when true danger is involved, Im all for rules. Rules like, say, you must be at least five feet tall to board this ride you cannot perform neurosurgery without a medical license no unprotected anal sex with strangers (note that this kind of rule isnt about a couple, its about protecting your own precious health!) no fire play at this event as the ceilings are low and hung with paper streamers. But extensive rules around polyamory are essentially the equivalent of saying that love (or sex, or dating) is dangerous and must be severely regulated so as not to harm anyone. To my mind this is a very strange way of approaching the possibility of great joy and human connectionas though it were a bomb that might detonate if not handled by strict protocol. The more rules you put into place, the more you are indicating that you dont trust the person subject to those rules to operate in a considerate fashion with your shared values at heart. Or, on the reverse, you are indicating that you need to be under strict supervision, failing which you will shit all over your partners well-being. If you have to legislate something, its because you dont expect it to happen sans legislation. This is a sad state of affairs in what are ostensibly supposed to be loving, possibly long-term relationships. Are rules never a good thing? I wouldnt go that far. They can be a necessary evil, a temporary measure to get you through a rough time during which you are presumably working on a better solution. Which you are. Like, right now. Right? From a completely different angle, rules can be pleasurable, or erotically (etc.) charged, like in a D/s or M/s relationship although those too, when imposed from a place of fear or agreed to as a way to avoid penalty, can be a form of unethical binding designed to shore up one persons insecurities at another persons expense. But aside from these very specific and

circumscribed instances, rules are best when they are used quite sparingly, and even then, only when other solutions are unavailable. What other solutions am I talking about? Trust. Plain and simple. Trust is the soil in which polyamory should grow, much like any other kind of love. Say what you mean, always, and all of it. Follow through on your commitments. Dont make promises you cant keep. Assume positive intent. Ask questions. Listen, listen, listen. Ask more questions and listen some more. Soothe fears. Work on your own insecurities at the location from which they springinside yourself. Be kind. Be consistent. Be generous. Ask explicitly for what you want. State clearly what you need. Apologize when you fuck up, and try to fix it. Find strategies to compensate for your shortcomings, such as forgetfulness or anxiety or lack of emotional vocabulary or whatever else gets in the way of you being able to do all this stuff skilfully. Yes, this is going to be a lot of work. Do it anyway. Better yet, do it because the work itself brings you joy and makes you feel like you are moving through the world in a way that is profoundly right. If youve messed up on one of these counts, or any other, and it has hurt your partner(s), heal it. Do the work together. Get couples therapy. Practice new communication skills together. Invest your time, energy and effort to make the soil healthy and nourishing rather than in building fences around the garden. From there, you can request all kinds of behaviours without needing them to be rules. You know, like Im really keen to meet your new lover! Can we have tea next week? or Hey, will you text when youre on your way home so I know what time to get dinner ready for? or It would make me feel cherished and special if we had a brand of wine we drink only with each other or even Im terrified Im going to lose you and I need some reassurance. Again, this isnt just semantics. These other ways of relating arent just like rules. They are about generosity and joy and care, not control and limits and fear. Intent counts here.

4. Polyamory is heterosexual(-ish). Also, cute and young and white. Also new and exciting and sexy! This element of polynormativity doesnt relate directly to the other three, but since we are talking about media representation here, its well worth mentioning. Polyamory is resolutely presented in the media as a thing heterosexuals do, except sometimes for bisexual women who have a primary male partner and secondary female partners. It is exceedingly rare for lesbian, gay or queer poly configurations to be included in mainstream representations of polyamory, even though LGBQ circles are absolute hotbeds of polyamorous activity, and LGBQ people have a long and illustrious history of nonmonogamy, recent enthusiasm about marriage notwithstanding. Go to just about any LGBQ gatheringeven the most mainstreamand you cant swing a cat without hitting at least half a dozen people who are doing some sort of nonmonogamy, from regular monogamish bathhouse adventures to full-on poly families. Its so common that it feels (gasp!) normal. But if the mainstream media were to give too many column inches to LGBQ polyamory, then people might think poly is a gay thing, and that wouldnt sell nearly as many magazines. So the typical polynormative hype article goes something like, Meet Bob and Sue. Theyre a poly couple. Theyre primary partners and they date women together. Or they each date women on the side or they have sex parties in their basement or sometimes, though more rarely, Bob dates women and Sue dates men. Mainstream representations rarely break the one penis per party rule, which is exactly as offensive as it sounds. You dont get Bob dating Dave, or Sue dating Tim and Jim and John while Bob stays home with a movie. Because whoa! Thats just going too far. I mean, playing around with women is one thing, but if you bring a second man into the picture, dont the two guys need to, like, duke it out? Prove whos manlier? Because evolutionary psychology! Because nature! Because

when there is a penis (and only one penis) involved it is real sex and that means a real relationship and we must have a real relationship to have a primary-secondary structure and we must have a primarysecondary structure to be a poly couple! (Hmm. So maybe this part does relate to my other three points after all.) All of this creates a situation where polyamory is presented as a hip new trend that edgy straight folks are trying out, and boy, are they ever proud of it. Needless to say this whole framing varies from clueless about queers to downright offensive. Add the mainstream medias desire to show images of poly people who are cute, young and white and we are getting a very narrow picture indeed. The magazines want to showcase people who are as conventionally attractive as possible, aged between 20 and 40, and almost never anything other than Caucasian (unless theyre people of colour who are really, yknow, exotic and sexy, like smoldering black men or gorgeous Asian women). Its a crying shame, because the stories of poly people who are in their sixties and seventies would be amazing to hear. And no, not all poly people are white, but when white is the only image people see of poly, it sure does create a barrier discouraging people of colour from understanding themselves as potentially poly. The media is also mostly interested in the sexy factor. The deep impact that a given persons camera-friendliness has on the medias willingness to showcase them cannot be underestimated. And with that comes the push to sexualize as much as possible. I will never forget, for instance, what happened when I was featured in Chtelaine magazine with a partner about ten years ago. The photographer pushed hard for me to take my top off for the shoot, assuring me it would be tasteful. When I asked him why he wanted to take the showing-skin angle, he said because youre not ugly. Its really hard to photograph people who are ugly. Um, thanks? My blouse stayed on, but apparently young, white and cute were

still the order of the day, because they still had my picture take up way more space than the other people who were featured in the article. You know, the ugly ones. Yechh. Dont get me wrong. Sex and attraction are significant forces in poly relationships. This isnt a bad thing, and I feel no need to get all its not about the sex on you. It is about the sex, at least for most of us. But its not only about the sex. If it were only about the sex, it wouldnt be polyamoryit would be sleeping around, which is awesome, but not usually committed and romantic. If it were never about the sex, it also wouldnt be polyamorywed just be a bunch of friends, which is also awesome, but also not usually romantic, though possibly committed. But the media is really bad at striking that balance. The mainstream is really interested in orgies, and who sleeps with who, and how often, and wow threesomes! And did I mention young, cute and white? These articles are looking to present a fantasy of conventionally good-looking people having delightful transgressive (but not scary transgressive) sex while remaining as firmly within the boundaries of conventional couple-based relationshipbuilding as humanly possible under the circumstances. That fantasy sells things. It does the rest of us no favours. Im adding this section now (a week after the original post) because a few people have now raised the question of why I am using the acronym LGBQ without including the T for transgender/transsexual. In trying to keep a tight focus on the topic of polynormativity as being about media representation of a certain relationship model, and the problems with both the representation and the model with tight already being a bit of a stretch given the length of this post I didnt go into the broader list of ways in which polynormativity supports other kinds of omissions and normativities. In making that editorial choice, I may have perpetuated several of those omissions myself. So, clarification is of course

warranted. (Some of the following appears in the comments section, so you will see it repeated if you read through that too.) So here it is: I am increasingly uncomfortable with the acronym LGBTQ, as the inclusion of a T for transgender (a gender identity) at the end of a list of letters standing for sexual orientations (not genders) bears some implicit inaccuracy. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer people may be trans or non-trans; and transgender people may of course be gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or straight (and beyond) in orientation. Not all trans people feel an affiliation with gay, lesbian, bisexual or queer politics or communities, and not all people with a history of transition feel a need to overtly identify as transgendered, even if they do identify as gay, lesbian, bi or queer. I dont take any issue with using LGBTQ to describe, for instance, a magazine or a group or a committee or what have you, provided the entity actually serves the people represented by that entire acronym and isnt just trying to look extra-progressive. In this post, Im talking about orientation, not gender identity, so it felt (and still feels) inaccurate to throw the T into that specific list. But that doesnt mean trans people have no place in this discussion. Quite the opposite. The polynormative model also perpetuates cisnormativity, in two ways. (Cisnormativity is the idea that all people who are assigned a given sex at birth still identify with that sex and express an appropriate gender identity as a result, and that anything else is weird or bad.) One is the media representation element trans people rarely show up in mainstream media representations of polyamory. So this is cisnormativity by omission. The other, more complex piece becomes evident when we dig a little deeper into the one penis per party rule, and into how we understand sexual orientation. One penis per party relies on the idea that penis can be used as shorthand for man, because men always have penises, and only men have penises. This, of course, erases the experiences of a lot of trans folks for whom genitals and

gender dont match up, whether because they are men who werent born with penises or because theyre women who were (regardless of what a persons genitals look like at this point in their life, or what words they use for them). One penis per party, more broadly, also relies on the idea that men and women are naturally different in some sort of essentialist, fundamental, biology-based way, such that having a (in this case secondary) relationship with a man is going to be substantively different because man than it would be with a woman because woman. This idea ends up pre-determining how people think a relationship is going to go how real the sex is going to be, how intense the emotions are likely to get, and therefore how safe it is to allow ones primary partner to engage in that relationship. This doesnt account for the possible presence of trans people in the equation. But even if thats a non-existent possibility in a given situation for whatever reason, it speaks to a viewpoint in which women and men are naturally like this or like that because of their anatomy. This, as a conceptual model, keeps trans people even if you dont know any (to your knowledge!) and dont have any occasion to meet any in the boxes they were assigned to at birth. It implies that the gender they have moved into is somehow less real or valid. It also keeps the vast spectrum of people who are not trans whether cisgendered, or, like myself, gender-fluid or somewhere else in the non-binary range tethered to the boxes they were assigned at birth, insisting that those boxes determine who we are, who we can be, how we can fuck, and what its like to be romantically involved with us. Ultimately, cisnormativity hurts everyone. The people most egregiously damaged end up being the people who are the most visibly different, which often means trans women. But cisnormativity isnt just a trans issue. This is about creating space for all of us to exist as we wish. Like with any normative model, polynormativity works in concert with a range of other normative models to create

a full, if rarely explicit, picture in peoples minds about How the World Works, about who counts and who doesnt, about whats real and whats not worth considering. As such, in addition to questions of race and age and orientation, as I mentioned earlier, and of gender, as Ive fleshed out here, it holds hands with other problematic ideas. Ideas of what family is or should be, and of how kids can or should work into the equation; questions of illness/health and ability/disability, including STI status; questions of class and economic position; and a range of others. But, as a commenter pointed out, this is a blog post, it isnt a book. Yet End of new section! *** In sum, I have three key problems with polynormativity. First problem: the polynormative model is kinda sucky. Perhaps it might work well, maayyybe, for some peopleI wont go so far as to say it never does. But it comes with a host of problems for everyone involved, most notably for those who are in the least empowered place within the relationship structure, but also in more subtle and insidious ways for those who are in the more privileged place within the structure. Gee, whaddaya know, thats a lot like pretty much every other privilege/oppression system, ever! Im going to stop short of saying to polynormative folks, hey, youre doing it wrong, but, well, honestly? Not far off. Maybe closer to youre missing the point. Because of this stance I suspect I may get irate or defensive comments here from a lot of polynormative folks who feel just great about their model. To them, I will say the following. If you are a member of a primary pair in a polynormative model, and your secondary partner(s) can provide just as spirited a defense of your model as you do, or even more so not a defense of you as individuals, nor of your relationship, but of the polynormative model itselfwithout leaving anything out or fibbing even a little bit so they dont risk creating conflict or possibly losing you as a partner, then

you fall within the minority of polynormative folks for whom the model works really, super well for all concerned. (And I do mean all. If its only working really great for the primary couple, the model isnt working.) If youre one such bunch, theres no need to get defensive Im not really criticizing you anyway. If, however, thats not the case for you, please hold off on your defensiveness and think really seriously about the critiques Im raising instead. When I start seeing a plethora of mainstream media testimonials from happy, fulfilled secondary partners about how awesome the primary-secondary model is when these secondaries start writing the latest hit poly books, giving the advice, having the lead roles in the reality TV shows, and doing all this as secondaries (not as people who happen to be secondary to someone but its all okay and balanced and fair because theyre also primary to someone else) when they show their faces in photos, use their full and real names in articles, and just generally feel not the least bit weird about their position in these poly structures right alongside the primary partners who are showcased this way when this is not an occasional exception, but the main kind of representation I see by and of secondary partners then maybe I will amend my stance here. Im not holding my breath. Second problem: The media presents these poly norms as, well, norms. As The Way to Do Poly. At best, theres a brief mention that some people do some other sorts of poly, over there, and we dont really understand them, or maybe those forms are way too complicated for us to summarize in a 1,000-word article. (Triads! Quads! Families! Ws and Xs and Greek alphabets and constellations and ecosystems! Its all so scary. Also, math is hard.) But most of the time, other (ooh, look at that construction!) kinds of poly arent mentioned at all. There is this one way, and here it is! Isnt it grand? So brave! So unusual! Really quite cutting-edge, dont you think? Well, whether intentionally or otherwise, this approach ends up

flattening the picture of poly, depicting it in its simplest, most dumbed-down terms. Its no coincidence that this version of poly is the one that most closely resembles the one-man, one-woman, marriage-based, nuclear-family kind of relationship were all told were supposed to aspire to. All weve done is relax the rules around sex a bit, and unlike (but not that unlike) swingers ethics, were also allowing the emotional end of things to actually exist, in the sense that we have relationships and are not just schtupping. But not the kind of relationships that actually threaten (?!) the primary couple. Not with people who, God forbid, make demands on one or both of us, or challenge us, or want to have a say in how things go. Then, well, they get the boot, because primary comes first! We can all agree on that, cant we? Of course. Thats the essence of primary relationships. Its pretty clear in the terminology. One person comes first, the others do not. This is why the mainstream can wrap its head around poly at all: because understood this way, its really not that fundamentally different from monogamy. Third problem: This whole state of affairs screws over the newbies. Because of this overwhelming slant in media representation, a lot of folks who are new to poly are operating at a great disadvantage. Im not really much one to idealize the past, but boy, was it different ten or fifteen years ago. Back in my day (ha!), if you wanted to learn about poly, there was one source: The Ethical Slut by Dossie Easton and Catherine A. Liszt (as Janet Hardy was known at the time). It was all right. Not perfect. Heavily slanted toward sex-party-attending Bay Area granola types, and written at such a basic language level that it wouldnt go over anyones head, but overall pretty solid, and nicely thought-provoking. Deborah Anapols Polyamory: The New Love Without Limits was never nearly as popular or sexy, but it did become a quiet classic, and provided another angle. And, well, that was it. Beyond that, there were

a few online discussion forums and potentially, if you lived in a big city, reallife local poly groups. This meant that if you wanted to learn about how to do polyamory, you pretty much had to make it up by yourself (which can be a good thing, though extra-challenging); talk to people in your local community, which was probably relatively small but also probably pretty warm and supportive; or attend a conference somewhere far away that brought together a bunch of people. And those people might be doing poly in any number of ways, primary-secondary being just one. (Even then, it was a pretty darned common one, so Im not saying that polynormativity is entirely a new problemits just worse now than ever.) Right now, though, you can google polyamory and get a whole lot of nearlyidentical polynormative hype articles, and you can meet up with locals whove read the same articles you just did, and you can all get together and do polynormative poly exactly the way the media told you to. And if thats all you ever bother to do then essentially you are selling yourself short. You are trading in the monogamous norm for polynormativity, which relatively speaking isnt all that much of a stretch, and stopping there because you may very well think thats all there is (and you already racked up a whole bunch of cool points anyway). You arent encouraged to really think about this stuff without any imposed models at all, which means you never get to figure out what actually might work best for you. As such, the most fundamental element of polyamory that of rejecting the monogamous standard, and radically rethinking how you understand, make meaning of and practice love, sex, relationships, commitment, communication, and so forthis lost in favour of a cookie-cutter model thats as easy as one, two, three. The deepest and most significant benefit of polyamory has become increasingly obscured by media representation, and as a result, is getting farther and farther out of reach for anyone whos just starting out. ***

I feel the need to reiterate, one last time, that my problem here is with the polynormative model and the mainstream medias insistence on itnot with a specific relationship structure or with any people who happen to practice it. Yes, the polynormative model and the primarysecondary relationship structure do happen to overlap often, but I cant tell by looking at you what process, values or circumstances brought you to your current structure, or why you chose your terminology, so I cant and wont criticize or judge individual people or poly groupings on the sole basis of having a primary-secondary structure. If this post provokes a sense of defensiveness in you, I invite you to sit with that and think about why. The key distinction here is between philosophy and current situation or practice. This is similar to how sexual orientation and current sexual practice are not one and the same. You can, for instance, be gay and currently celibate; or bisexual, but these days having sex with only women; or fundamentally straight, but involved with someone of the same sex (though I know some folks would debate that last one). When it comes to polyamory, sometimes, regardless of your philosophy, you may end up being in one big significant live-together kind of relationship and have one or more lessserious or less-committed or less-intense relationships as well. Its the polynormative mindset I have a problem with, and its prevalencenot the form a given poly relationship constellation may actually take. *** If youd like to expand outside the polynormative model, I have some recommended reading for you. First, read Wendy-O-Matiks Redefining Our Relationships. Then, check out Deborah Anapols new Polyamory in the 21st Century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners. (I havent read it in full yet myself, but the excerpts Ive seen lead me to believe Dr. Anapol has a lot of really wise shit to say about non-polynormative models, though I dont think she uses that

term specifically.) Spend some time reading Franklin Veaux. Read my 10 Rules for Happy Non-Monogamy. If youre doing D/s or M/s relationships, read Raven Kalderas Power Circuits: Polyamory in a Power Dynamic (full disclosure: I contributed an essay to it). Look for

information, ideas, works that challenge you to think hard, build your skills and stretch your heart. Its out there. Your move.

Dreamland

Gustave Courbet

1866

Dialogical Gnosis
Dialoging with Ancestors Using the Intensive Journal Method Holographic Self Exploration through the Ancestors
"One of the most harmful illusions that can beguile us is probably the belief that we are an indivisible, immutable, totally consistent being....Each of us is a crowd. There can be the rebel and the intellectual, the seducer and the housewife, the saboteur and the aesthete, the organizer and the bon vivant--each with its own mythology, and all more or less comfortably crowded into one single person." --Piero Ferrucci, WHAT WE MAY BE "We conceptualize self in terms of dynamic multiplicity of relatively autonomous I positions in an imaginal landscape. The I has the possibility to move, as in a space, from one position to another in accordance with changes in situation and time. The I fluctuates among different and even opposed positions. The I has the capacity to imaginatively endow each position with a voice so that dialogical relations between positions can be established. The voices function like interacting characters in a story." --Hermans, Kempen & van Loon, "The Dialogical Self" There is an infinite reality beyond the material world, a reality that is the basis for all we know and that is beyond what most of us think we can experience, or even imagine. When we begin to experiment and live from this idea of an interactive living universe, very surprising can happen. --Peter Fairfield

"Rather there is the potential for discovering the footprints and patterns of all of the archetypes and more in ones past. Conventionally these have been seen as including good and evil, right and wrong, pure and corrupt and not necessarily in this order. Levy (2012) calls the negative pattern "wetiko", an indigenous North American Indian term for the evil of unconstrained ego. RPs role is to assist one, or a group, to uncover these patterns. However, how best to deal with them, enhance or constrain is a matter of therapy." --Paul Wildman

THE BLOOD & THE BONE

Ancestors Come

Gone

and

Yet

to

Those Who Give Us Faces

"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed overwhelming existence. in that

For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we are still just able to endure, and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying. Voices. Voices. Listen, my heart, as only saints have listened: until the gigantic call lifted them off the ground; yet they kept on, impossibly, kneeling and didn't notice at all: so complete was their listening. Not that you could endure God's voice--far from it.

But listen to the voice of the wind and the ceaseless message that forms itself out of silence". --Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies, The First Elegy, Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1992.

Inherent Wisdom: 'Foresight through Insight on Hindsight!

"We have not understood yet that the discovery of the unconscious means an enormous spiritual task, which must be accomplished if we wish to preserve our civilization." C.G. Jung We all have a need for meaning that drives us to search deeply within and without ourselves for connection and creativity. Meta-meaning pulls us to discover from within, by breaking through old paradigms to discover what is waiting to be born. We can experience a personal archaic renaissance through reflexive practice (RP), turning our attention back toward the deep time of our being and all it contains. The universal field isn't just manifesting itself all around us. The field is coming through us and expressing itself in our inner subjective domain as well. A method helps these deeper underlying patterns to come into focus and be seen, identified, even communicated with and ultimately fitted together like pieces, or shards, of a higher-order jigsaw/mosaic and simultaneously a deeper order grounding/embodying. Not merely the subjects of our inner process, we become the objects of a deeper, mythic, archetypal and divine process that is incarnating through us. We are the conduits through which the universe, in becoming consciously aware of itself, is waking itself up. Self-reflection i.e. reflexion, is therefore the best service we can do for ourselves and the world. Such reflexive practice is self-referential. Retrospectivity is often found at the heart of creativity and poetics. "Reflexivity"

refers to recursion, of referring back to a starting point, an original position, a beginning state. There is a loop in the time course of an action, where that action goes "out" to something, then comes "back" to oneself. Self-reference is the act, let us say, of paying attention being "bent" back towards the self that is paying attention. Self-description is the act of description being directed back toward the person actually doing the description. The "loop" structure is from you, your "self", back into or towards your self. Wildman suggests, "accept the challenge of looking backwards from time to time over the years and let the patterns emerge, to surface the deep structures, patterns, processes, insights and connections. Not only individuals, but also organizations, communities and cultures could well undertake such an approach." It is a response to the need to seek for general explanations. Transcendent research embraces the spiritual, symbolic and physical realities of being fully human.

Internal Encounters
It is through this reflexive - even meditative, poetic, noetic process (one of apperception) that we believe we can gain vital noumenal (understanding, perception, discernment) insights. Out of the spaces can come the patterns and linkages so vital to understanding. Process work helps us uncover these deeper patterns and linkages. It might even be a form of deep futures reverse causation -psychoretrocausality. What might conventionally be seen as an effect that exists in the future could in some way be a causal agent affecting the outcome of events that occurred before it in linear time. Immersion leads to a recognition of intuitive knowledge and tacit understanding (incubation) generating

enhanced awareness and knowledge of (illumination) one's inner world which in turn suggests the validation of this knowledge. Finally, the process concludes with an integration of these illuminations (creative synthesis) into the way the we see the world. We may even be entranced by images, intuitions, and dreams that can connect themselves to our personal quest. An unshakeable connection exists between what is out there, in its appearance and reality, and what is within ua -- the internal world of reflexive thought, tacit knowledge, feeling, and awareness. We are a braided emanation of our ancestral lines. There is a world of characters within us, waiting to share their knowledge and their gnosis with us, if we but ask. We may also explore awakening and finding our divinity within. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis have been used for years if not aeons. for such selfknowledge, therapeutic and healing purposes. Besides our ancestors, we all host an inner healer, a critic or judge, an inner child and a host of other "discarnate" participants in our multimind. The basis of the human psyche seems to be a collective of selves -- a multimind in a multiverse. Independent and autonomous, they relate with one another mostly unknown to the outer awareness. The "multistate paradigm" of human nature extends toward a psychology and spirituality that is polytheistic, even pantheistic. Parapsychology is primarily a social science, though we try to bring in measuring tools of the physical sciences. The best evidence still comes from people who witness the phenomena. The only way to study consciousness, whether of the living or the dead, is through the experiences of people.

Within the fabric of multiple centers or vortices within the psyche, an on-going dialogue emerges which ranges from selftalk (ego to ego), through "group" discussion (ego with subpersonalities), to spiritual dialogue (ego with transpersonal entities), even ancestral spirits. Beyond the dialogical realm lies the unspeakable experience (untranslatable) of the Void or Clear Light, the realm of archetypal light and sound as pure consciousness. The "Word" helps us create and define reality. Conversation as well as observation defines our reality. Dialogue of the self with its various conscious and unconscious forms creates a series of "virtual realities" which form the basis of self-simulation and world-simulation. These forms are limitless in number, far beyond the classic archetypes such as persona, anima/animus, etc., suggesting the notion of "radical pluralism."

Dialogical Gnosis
Gnosis, wisdom from within, can arise in imaginal dialogues with our Ancestors, by adapting Ira Progoff's Intensive Journal technique to the process. Non-literal, imaginal, dialogical "discussions" often turn up material that can be proofed through history, archaeology, genealogy and genetic genealogy. This is yet another special case of "knowing more than we know we know." The simple technique can be used by anyone, virtually anywhere. While not an official part of the the journal process, it can be readily adopted both with or without the rest of the program. Such imaginal conversations give a voice to the deeper constituents of our unconscious psychophysical system, and can even reveal unknown details about the functioning and fate of our physical organism. As such, it is a therapeutic tool which reflexively plumbs the depths of the collective unconscious and personal ancestral base.

Meta-Cognition
Dialogue is a form of imagery which creates and sustains a worldview through the means of imaginal conversations.

The technique functions as a "ghost bridge", but not in the literal way of speaking with the dead used by mentalists and psychics. It is a conscious act, unlike dream contact with deceased or ancient ancestors. The process can be facilitated by pictures and art of the chosen ancestor, and pictures of their ancestral homes and lands that prompt memory and imagination. Dialogue and questions open the way for myriad possibilities. Immersing oneself and trusting the process opens a virtual world, a holographic domain that is multidimensional. It is capable of influencing us by changing our attitudes, which affects our psychophysical, hormonal, and energetic being. It isn't 'real' or 'unreal', but takes place in psychic reality -- that is, the realm of the psyche which is both physical and imaginal. Gestalt theory contends that we are all of the figures within our dreams, and well as the ground underlying them. Jung extended this notion inferring that we each contain and can contact many figures of the collective unconscious "within" us. Today, we speak of the quantum and holographic encoding of our DNA and our holographic memory, which is analogous to the Akashic Field of the East. Dialogue is a social device we can employ in our noetic exploration. When we intentionally enter a conscious dialogue meditation we understand that we are evoking a portion of our self with its inherent wisdom. We may personify and amplify that feeling in numerous ways, including artistic means, or perhaps Tarot cards, and other means of divination. While the process shares some features of automatic writing and channelling, one maintains consciousness and critical thinking, not confusing the planes. It is more a process of "letting go", allowing than dissociating, of associating and amplifying than trance.

Wikipedia

describes

Progoff's

method:

The intensive journal method is a psychotherapeutic technique largely developed in 1966 at Drew University and popularized by Ira Progoff. It consists of a series of writing exercises using loose leaf notebook paper in a simple ring binder, divided into sections to help in accessing various areas of the writer's life. These include a dialogue section for the personification of things, a "depth dimension" to aid in accessing the subconscious and other places for recording remembrances and meditations. The original Intensive Journal contained only 16 sections, but was later expanded to include five additional sections as part of Progoff's "process meditation" method. It has been the inspiration for many other "writing therapies" since then and is used in a variety of settings, including hospitals and prisons, by individuals as an aid to creativity or autobiography, and often as an adjunct to treatment in analytic, humanistic or cognitive therapy. Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more ("dia" means through or across) people or imaginal characters. Its chief historical origins as narrative, philosophical or didactic device are found in classical Greek and Indian literature, in particular in the ancient art of rhetoric. Once you are proficient in the technique it can also be employed as a group discussion, along the lines of NLP's subpersonalities, Boardroom or "part's party" discussions. Another source of therapeutic suggestions is Assagioli's Psychosynthesis, which likewise can employ dialogue. It can be combined with the Gestalt two-chair technique, but with a written record one has the additional benefit of a permanent record, which might yield additional depth over time.

Bohm's Dialogue
Physicist David Bohm proposed a dialogue technique with different aims. He

introduced the concept of a dialogue stating that dialogue can be considered as a free flow of meaning between people

in communication, in the sense of a stream that flows between banks. These banks are understood as representing the various points of view of the participants. In a Bohm dialogue, twenty to forty participants sit in a circle for a few hours during regular meetings, or for a few days in a workshop environment. This is done with no predefined purpose, no agenda, other than that of inquiring into the movement of thought, and exploring the process of "thinking together" collectively. This activity can allow group participants to examine their preconceptions and prejudices, as well as to explore the more general movement of thought. Bohm's intention regarding the suggested minimum number of participants was to replicate a social/cultural dynamic (rather than a family dynamic). This form of dialogue seeks to enable an awareness of why communicating in the verbal sphere is so much more difficult and conflict-

ridden than in all other areas of human activity and endeavor. Participants in the Bohmian form of dialogue "suspend" their beliefs, opinions, impulses, and judgments while speaking together, in order to see the movement of the group's thought processes and what their effects may be. According to Dialogue a Proposal [Bohm, Factor, Garrett], this kind of dialogue should not be confused with discussion or debate, both of which, says Bohm, suggest working towards a goal or reaching a decision, rather than simply exploring and learning. Meeting without an agenda or fixed objective is done to create a "free space" for something new to happen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohm_Dialog ue Bohm claims, "...it may turn out that such a form of free exchange of ideas and information is of fundamental relevance for transforming culture and freeing it of

destructive misinformation, creativity can be liberated."

so

that

Principles

of

Dialogue

"Bohm Dialogue" has been widely used in the field of organizational development, and has evolved beyond what David Bohm intended: rarely is the minimum group size as large as what Bohm originally recommended, and there are often other numerous subtle differences. Specifically, any method of conversation that claims to be based on the "principles of dialogue as established by David Bohm" can be considered to be a form of Bohm Dialogue. Those principles of "Bohm Dialogue" are: 1. The group agrees that no grouplevel decisions will be made in the conversation. "...In the dialogue group we are not going to decide what to do about anything. This is crucial. Otherwise we are not free. We must have an empty space where we are not obliged to anything, nor to come to any conclusions, nor to say anything or not say anything. It's open and free" (Bohm, "On Dialogue", p.1819.)" 2. Each individual agrees to suspend judgement in the conversation. (Specifically, if the individual hears an idea he doesn't like, he does not attack that idea.) "...people in any group will bring to it assumptions, and as the group continues meeting, those assumptions will come up. What is called for is to suspend those assumptions, so that you neither carry them out nor suppress them. You don't believe them, nor do you disbelieve them; you don't judge them as good or bad...(Bohm, "On Dialogue", p. 22.)" 3. As these individuals "suspend judgement" they also simultaneously are as honest and transparent as possible.

(Specifically, if the individual has a "good idea" that he might otherwise hold back from the group because it is too controversial, he will share that idea in this conversation.) 4. Individuals in the conversation try to build on other individuals' ideas in the conversation. (The group often comes up with ideas that are far beyond what any of the individuals thought possible before the conversation began.)

Usually, the goal of the various incarnations of "Bohm Dialogue" is to get the whole group to have a better understanding of itself. In other words, Bohm Dialogue is used to inform all of the participants about the current state of the group they are in.

Preparation
Temple Sleep a traditional way of noninterpretive dream incubation and healing. It also refers to hypnosis, and by extension to self-hypnosis. Egyptian priest, Imhotep. (I-em-hotep, he comes in peace) is the great-grandfather of Hypnosis, or suggestive therapy, which can be traced back over 4000 years to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians used healing sanctuaries for curing all sorts of problems, both physical and mental, most of which today would be classed as psychological problems. Before falling asleep they were influenced by suggestions, in the hope of provoking dreams sent by the gods. These healing sanctuaries were called "Sleep or Dream Temples." In these temples, the sick person was put into a trance like sleep; priests and priestesses then facilitated healing dreams to gain knowledge about the illnesses and to find a cure for the illnesses. Such dreams were themselves epiphanies with the inner

healer. It is that contact, interpretations, that is healing.

not

Healing took place while the person being cured was in a deep trance-like sleep. The god Asklepius could perform miraculous cures in the dreams. The priests used chanting and magical spells to put the

patient into a trance, known as incubation. A person could be kept in this state for up to three days, during which time the priests using suggestions would help the person, through their dreams, to make contact with the god, thus helping them to obtain a cure for their illness. The temples were a place of spirits, and

Hypnos and Thanatos __ John William Waterhouse

mysterious powers, a place to find mental and physical healing. The people looking for a cure or an insight to their problems were called Seekers. The Seeker did not just go in to the temple; they had to wait for the right time to come. A Seeker had something on their mind, an ailment, an issue, and an inner quest to discover themselves. They came on a pilgrimage to seek an insight into their problems, to contact the healing god, to get a new vision that would heal, guide, or provide comfort. They had to cleanse the body, mind and soul. They would meditate, fast, take hot baths, and make a sacrifice to the god. They looked for signs in their dreams. They would dream of the god healing them. A good dream would be one in which the god or a serpent would cure the

wound by touching it. The dreams of the seeker contained the insightful seeds of their own healing. Ritualistic methods include purifying baths, trance-inducing chanting, and symbolic sacrifices, The Greek treatment was referred to as incubation, and focused on prayers to Asklepius for healing. A similar Hebrew treatment was referred to as Kavanah, and involved focusing on letters of the Hebrew alphabet spelling the name of the Hebrew God. Sir Mortimer Wheeler unearthed a Roman Sleep temple at Lydney Park, Gloucestershire in 1928, with the assistance of a young J.R.R. Tolkien. When a candidate for initiation into these mysteries had been prepared through various disciplines, the priest (hierophant) then led the candidate into a cave or tomb where he or she was put to sleep. The priest suggested the etheric body leave the initiate for three and a half days. During this time it was joined to the astral body and received through it impressions from the spiritual world. When the etheric body was brought back into the physical, the initiate was awakened by the priest and remembered what was experienced in the spiritual world. But while the etheric body was out of the physical, the latter would have appeared to an outsider to be dead.

distant event. A total of 130 family histories were constructed and examined using segregation analysis. Second sight seems to be consistent with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, particularly for small family sizes. People with the trait were also evenly distributed with respect to their birth order position, in line with the expectations of a genetic model. It is argued that if other studies find a similar mode of inheritance in other cultures, then second sight could be a creative mental ability where the hereditary aspect lies in the sensitivity of the sensory systems which convey the experiences.

Invoking the Gods

There is nothing to prevent us from including in our dialogues the calling up of godforms, who are found both in Jungian practice as archetypes and within our antic family lines. For example, having Aphrodite, Zeus, or Odin included in your genealogy adds an air of familiarity to the essentially universal phenomenon. What you might ask of a grandparent might be very different than what a mere mortal might request of the gods. One should likely approach this as a ritual activity or at least an exercise in sacred space, which opens the timeless realm to penetration and assimilation of entangled information from the deepest layers of Being. Below is an example of Venus or Aphrodite. Many such dialogue outlines appear in my online book, PANTHEON: ARCHETYPAL GODS IN DAILY LIFE. http://holographicarchetypes.weebly.com/ pantheon.html PANTHEON, as a manual of personal selfdiscovery, is a practical guide to recognizing and realizing the origins and development of our individual characters and characteristics. As such, it leads to a growth of self-knowledge, and gives us insight into the traits and behaviors of our acquaintances and intimates. Pantheon provides not only background knowledge for reference, but also practical

SECOND SIGHT
http://www.scientificexploration.org/journ al/jse_13_3_cohn.pdf Second Sight and Family History: Pedigree and Segregation Analyses This study concerns second sight, a psychic ability that has for centuries been believed, in Scotland and other traditions, to be hereditary. The ability manifests itself through the person having spontaneous vivid imagery through different senses which apparently gives information about a spatially or temporally

psychological technique which we can implement in our journey toward understanding. One can gain access to the deeper psyche, soul, or imagination through both the rational and experiential methods. These are self-analysis and active imagination. Active imagination includes consciousness journeys deep into the psyche, identification, and internal dialogues with personified archetypes. It is the dialogical method. This is a way of building experiential relationships with archetypal forces--harmonizing with them, honoring them. These are "as if" real relationships, not taken literally. These internal dialogues can be useful, revealing the autonomous dynamics and agendas at work in our lives. They reveal things to us we know, but don't know we know. We can use many methods for this communication, such as journal work, hypnosis, or ritual. These are moments where we create and enter sacred space. These relationships reveal the meaningfulness behind the many complications in our modern lives. The more we approach our individual wholeness, through expanding our awareness and experiences, the more we are likely to encounter these divine principles from the realm of imagination.

that particular ancestor. They are with you in a holistic or holographic way, where the part is contained in the whole, and the whole in every part. The same method can be employed with our less-divine ancestors. The content of your inquiry should be matched to the qualities, wisdom and timelines of your respondent. Most people are interested in juicy tidbits, foreknowledge, signs or information about their once and future lovelife. We may be able to extract it, but we may or may not like what we find. If wishful thinking intrudes, the psychological exercise become an elaborately-staged daydream. We need to remain open yet focused, aware at a deeper level than normal.

Background
We all experience the personal aspects of Aphrodite as love and lust, and all forms of sensual pleasure. Neither men, women, nor the gods were immune to the charms of this goddess. In women she appears as the irresistibly attractive "other woman," mistress, flirt, or gold-digger. She creates the Don Juan type of personality. More positively she manifests in the deep physical and spiritual love between spouses, and in the perfect host or hostess, socially. In projection, she appears as that other whom we find irresistibly attractive and sexy, despite social sanctions against such feelings. Or, we can project a magnetic rival. Through invasion or possession, we become that magnetic personality. Those who act out her promiscuity expose themselves to the dangers of various venereal diseases, including aids, legacy of the sexual revolution. By ceasing to identify exclusively with this archetype, we can dialogue with her in active imagination. She can inform us of the subconscious aspects of our relationship to our own sexuality.

DIALOGUE WITH APHRODITE

Suggestions are given to kick-start the process but it can go in any productive direction you wish to follow, based on your own instinct and intuition. The goal as in any discussion is creating rapport with your counterpart -- a resonance or harmonization of essential nature, mood, and being that promotes perhaps even a quantum entanglement. You are already entangled through your genetic heritage, whether or not you express genes from

The Archetype
Aphrodite is one of the most active and pleasantly aggressive of the goddesses, so she is easier to connect with than a remote goddess, like Artemis. When anima is projected in the physical world, Jung claimed she appears in three stages of development: 1) naive or elementary, 2) manipulative flirt, 3) conscious or inspirational. Aphrodite corresponds with the sophisticated manipulator, she uses her sexuality to get what she wants -that is her script and game. She is no innocent thing, unaware of the devastation her charm can wreak. She knows what she has and uses it to her advantage at every chance. She is dark, full-blooded and passionate. When we are unconsciously identified with her we are controlled by her unconscious power motives. Someone may lure us into an enchantment by being very charming at first. Perhaps the aim is

immediate sensual gratification, or worse, aiming to disrupt a marriage. This type then uses seeming indifference to make themselves more desirable. They use wiles and tricks to attract another's attention, gifts, and strokes. They deliberately exploit the anima/animus projections of another onto themselves, using it for personal advantage. This is the motivation of the flirt. In an egotistical identification with Aphrodite, a person becomes a lady-killer or man-killer, the stud, sex kitten, gigolo, whore, or other role-bound image.

Preparation
The strength of the identification depends on what others archetypes are at work in the soul. For example, a strong Hera aspect would constantly be urging toward marriage rather than remaining as mistress or philanderer; Athena would caution consideration of the implications on career of promiscuous behavior or reputation; Artemis would move us to be

more modest and pious if not chaste. On a more pragmatic level, Artemis might say that to steal another's man violates the sisterhood all women share. Considering the various aspects and manifestations of Aphrodite, think back over all the ways she has entered your life over the years, creating pleasure or leaving a trail of pain. Remember your sexual awakening, first love, your rivals, attention-getting gambits. Consider what areas of your life are in disharmony with her principles, or where you may have identified with her too exclusively. Consider how your attitudes toward sexuality may have changed over different periods in your life.

mortal form could never carry all of the archetypal potencies, so it is best to work toward visualizing a traditional forms. You may also use a Tarot card such as THE EMPRESS, which corresponds with her. Greet her and begin discussing those questions that are unresolved regarding your physical and aesthetic passions. Then let her speak about any subconscious patterns she may know about you. Be careful--she may try to seduce you or use her wiles in any number of ways. She will guard any attention you shower on her jealously, unless your inform her about certain aspects of your mortal life. Let her know your human limitations and your ethical standards within which she must learn to operate. She is passion personified.

APHRODITE IN YOUR LIFE

1. What were your emotional reactions to your first sexual experience? 2. Have you ever fallen in love-at-firstsight? Did the other reciprocate? How long did this feeling last? Did it develop into mature, realistic love? 3. Have you ever been addicted to any sensual pleasures? 4. Have you ever felt insecure about your looks or attractiveness and been compulsively driven to prove that you were sexy or desirable ? What effect did this have on those around you?

The Method
Sitting quietly in a dimly lit room with your journal open, visualize any of the familiar images of Aphrodite or Venus from sculpture and paintings of the masters. Alternatively, she may take a modern form as an admired actress or actor who you find irresistible, but this

5. Were you ever the "other woman" or "other man"? How did you feel about it? 6. If you have ever ben "dumped" by a lover for another, what qualities of the goddess did that other embody that you weren't manifesting with your partner? 7. Is there a "lost love" for whom you still yearn or feel nostalgia?

8. Are you considered vain person by friends or foes? How much time and money do you spend keeping yourself attractive? Are you frequently before the mirror, primping and fussing? Do you worry about the physical results of aging? 9. Is courtship or romance an extremely important aspect of love to you. What types of situations do you consider romantic? 10. Describe your romantic ideal: age, style of dress, behavior, education, income bracket, etc. 11. How many times a day do you become conscious of your sexual fantasies? Do you dream about sex frequently? Describe a recent sexual fantasy or dream. 12. How do you feel about pre-marital and extra-marital sex? Have you felt differently about this at other times, depending on your evolving morals or whether you were married or single at the time? Do you feel different about sexual standards for yourself and others? 13. Have you ever had a strong physical attraction for another who was socially forbidden to you--a teacher, doctor, employer, psychotherapist, etc.? 14. Have you ever had to learn how to sublimate sexual feelings into a more platonic type of relationship? or toward a higher ideal than personal desire? 15. Have you experienced the excitement of illicit or secret sexual relations? Were you addicted to this intense feeling of potential danger? What events brought the situation into the light of scrutiny by others? 16. Do you feel guilty over past sexual encounters or experience shame for past sexual adventures you might now consider immoral or ill-advised?

17. What is the balance between power motives and devotional love in your current relationships? Do you try to manipulate your lover(s)? 18. Do you use affairs or sexual fantasies to escape from the pressures of other aspects of life which seek your immediate attention for your development? 19. How are your mothering and nurturing qualities qualities being used right now? What creative prpjects are growing and developing? What are you attracting to you? 20. Who is inspiring and nurturing you? How are you indulging your senses? The dialogue can move from a structured to a less structured form. Such mundane inquiries open up the process to flow where you can ask more personal, less interviewing style questions, letting the responses flow. When you find yourself responding with surprise at the responses of "the other", the process is working, making the psyche fluid and permeable. No one needs to know the content but yourself. It is a message from your deeper self. Such exercises stimulates inspiration and creativity.

Multimind
The dialogical tendency of the psyche has been noticed and used by both mystics and psychologists. Examples include meditative encounters with wise figures, such as Christ, the Beloved, an Inner Healer, guide or shaman figure. The dialogue might even take place with an animal or object. Other pluralistic spiritual constructs include the chakra system and the multiple states of consciousness circuit of the Tree of Life in Qabala. Examples from psychology include "self talk," cognitive restructuring, ego states, psychodrama, "invisible guests." Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and

Psychosynthesis have the technique of the "Parts' Party," round-table discussion, or board meeting, giving voice to the various semi-autonomous subpersonalities. It provides a forum for the airing of conflicting views, empathic alignment, circumspect judgment, and personification of conscience. Transactional Analysis (T.A.) posits three dialogical ego-states-Parent, Adult, and Child. The dialogical content consists of "scripts, games and rackets." Gestalt psychology uses dialogue such as the "two chair technique" to create imaginal spaces for therapeutic process. In these "virtual realities," point-of-view is shifted between the various entities imaginally engaged in the dialogue. The participant becomes the imaginal other, and speaks "as if" that other. The self takes the actual perspective of the other, outside the self. That other may be one or several dream figures, as well as familiar or unfamiliar people, in an imaginary social world. The other is "felt" to be there. Oneself is conceived of as I (self as subject) or Me (self as object, viewed as the main figure in the story of one's life). I is observer; Me is observed. I is an author; Me is an actor in the psychodrama. I construes another person or being as a position I can occupy and this position creates an alternative perspective on the world and self. If that "other" is transpersonal in nature, the engagement becomes one of the ego with the unconscious (I-Thou), emphasizing the bodily nature of thought and imagination. The "I" constructs an analog space and metaphorically moves in this space. I is not a center of "control" but actively engaged with the autonomous flow of primal consciousness. Transpersonal theory is wholly based on the "Dynamic-Dialectical Paradigm," conversations between the ego and the dynamic ground of psyche (Washburn, 1988). Its static representation is the "Structural-Hierarchal Paradigm." In the therapeutic context, Jungians refer to this

dialectical process as "active imagination," engagement of the ego and the unconscious. Active imagination is patterned after the alchemical meditatio, which consisted of an imaginal dialogue between the alchemist and his alchemical process, personified in various forms. Active imagintion is a process in which the imagination and the images it throws up are experienced as something separate from the ego--a "thou" or an "other"--to which the ego can relate, and with which the ego can have a dialogue (Edinger, 1972, Ego and Archetype). It is a dialectic of development, like the Hegelian "thesis, antithesis, and synthesis." Narration (storytelling) puts the general human condition into the particulars of experience. It locates experience in space and time, even imaginal space and time. Imaginal others, despite their invisible quality, are typically perceived as having a spatially separated position. Metaphor -- what the experience is like -is the structure producing coherent, ordered experiences. The metaphors are usually those of physical experience. Creative engagement with chaos means direct experience of self as a changing, pluralistic, multi-dimensional entity. This existential philosophy of "dynamic coconsciousness" is process-oriented, rather than "state-oriented" even though we employ the term state to imply a stableyet-transitory condition. This is not an experience of a static "self" moving through process, but rather existential experience of self as process. Based on a plurality of perspectives, a plurality of consciousness, a plurality of worlds, this notion means giving breath to many voices. Dialogue reveals the essential pristine nature of the character's psyche, and psyche's character. Our consensus consciousness is not our natural condition, but a construction within cultural constraints. This construction is semi-arbitrary. The constructivist approach in psychology

conceives of the self as dialogical, a view that transcends both individualism and rationalism (Hermans, Kempen & van Loon, 1992). It is a concept of self that takes the role of the body, or embodied nature of the self into consideration. It is based in the notion that story telling is cross-cultural. Narration is a root metaphor. These stories help order world and self. We can investigate this dialogical realm which is familiar from mysticism. It creates a mind-space with multiple positions possible for multiple selves. The result is a multiplicity of dialogically interacting selves, in a variety of "as if" (virtual) realities. The free flow of fantasy as internal dialogues with various aspects of the self allows for creative development of higher thought. These fictions, like myth, may not correspond to reality, but they contain "constructs" which are freely fashioned of empirical elements. Constructs are ways in which some things are construed as being alike and yet different from others. Co-consciousness on the individual level means plurality of selves; Plurality of consciousness is available to "both" participants simultaneously, from the

infinite

field

of

possibilities.

REFERENCES
At a Journal Workshop by Ira Progoff, 1975. The Practice of Process Meditation by Ira Progoff, 1980. At a Journal Workshop: Writing to Access the Power of the Unconscious and Evoke Creative Ability by Ira Progoff, 1992. ISBN 0-87477-638-4 Miller, Iona, Pantheon, Archetypal Gods in Daily Life, OAK, 1984. Miller, Iona, THE VARIETIES OF VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE: VIRTUAL REALITIES BEYOND THE DIALOGICAL SELF, Chaosophy 93, Asklepia Foundation. http://holographicarchetypes.weebly.com/ multimind.html Blue skies, Iona Miller, iona_m@yahoo.com http://ionamiller.weebly.com http://ionamillersubjects.weebly.com/ "May Your Lead Turn to Gold"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pagans Break New Ground by Launching a Broadcast News Program SAINT PAUL, MN January 28, 2013 A small group of Minnesota Pagans seek to bring a fresh perspective to the challenges of todays world by launching a weekly television news and commentary show, The Pagan Voice. Whether exploring religious discrimination, gender equality, sustainable living, sexual rights, or profiling extraordinary people, the journalism team seeks to bring a fresh voice to the marketplace of ideas. Pagans have a different way of understanding our relationship with each other and our world says the shows founder Dr. Todd Berntson, it is our hope that by bringing this perspective to bear on some of the most difficult social challenges of our time, we can help make the world a peaceful and humanizing place. The original concept for the show was formed in May, 2012, when Dr. Berntsons cousin died and he was barred from attending the funeral by his family because he was Pagan and not welcome in their church. He recalls, at that moment, I knew that I had to do something to stop the discrimination against Pagans. I thought the best way to do this was to help other people to see the world as we do. The project has not been without its share of challenges. Despite having almost no money and even less experience, says co-anchor Briana Crusan, we have pulled together a team of volunteers who have done what no one else thought we could do. Co-anchor Michelle Ploog adds we are all just committed to the vision of giving the Pagan community a voice. We are like the little show that could. Each 60 minute episode of The Pagan Voice features news headlines, interviews, commentary, and profiles of people who are making a difference in the world. The show was recently picked up by several public television stations around the US, and is currently being considered by one of the satellite stations. The Pagan Voice can be viewed on the Pagan Living TV website at: www.PaganLiving.TV. The website also contains information about how to view the program on your local cable station and how to help support their efforts.

- MORE -

The Pagan Voice has recently launched a major fundraising campaign to purchase needed studio equipment. We have proven that we can do this says Dr. Berntson, but we need the resources to purchase the necessary equipment to sustain our growth. The Pagan Voice is produced by Pagan Living TV a Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation whose mission is to produce educational and news programming from a Pagan perspective. Contact: Todd Berntson 713 Minnehaha Avenue East, Suite 210 Saint Paul, MN 55124 todd.berntson@paganliving.tv 952-607-1450

has an excellent index in case you need to look up a cure for a particular malady. Ms. Hopman includes a list of herbal basics such as how to store and cook herbs, along with precautions. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and worth the price of the book alone. The book includes recipes for how to use every item in the book. Some herbs should be put in bathwater, others served as tea or eaten fresh. Included are priceless bits of information such as for bananas: In Sri Lanka a cup of the sap of the banana tree is given to a person who has been bitten by a venomous snake and always use whole grain barley because it will have all the B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. As well, persons with high blood sugar (diabetes) should either avoid beets or be sure to add lemon juice or vinegar to prevent a blood sugar spike. My husband has diabetes and I never knew that. The nutritional advice is top notch. Ive spent years studying nutrition and what foods contain various nutrients. I also use food to make sure I get all my nutrients and have studied herbs for over 30 years; yet much if not most of the information in this book are things I never knew. For example, bean pods contain silica, which strengthens internal organs. We need silica to stay healthy. Traditional uses of food and herbs are listed, as well as folklore, history and odd bits of information. Garlic, for instance, has anti-viral and antibacterial properties, but few people

THE SECRET MEDICINES OF YOUR KITCHEN: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

By Ellen Evert Hopman

ISBN-978-1-907282-58-4 Copyright 2012 by Ellen Evert Hopman This well-organized little gem of a book is one-of-a-kind. It is more than just a book on nutrition and herbs. It includes valuable information that is hard to find about the healing properties of food and herbs and spices. It gives the Latin name for everything listed and it is in alphabetical order, which makes it very convenient for reference. It also

are aware of that fact. Garlic was used extensively in ancient times to prevent colds and flu. Ive used garlic myself almost daily for the last 20 years. I hardly ever get the flu and it keeps my blood pressure down as well. I first learned about the extremely powerful anti-fungal features of garlic when I had a horrendous case of systemic candidiasis and I used to it help cure myself. Garlic also cures athletes foot, yeast infections and a host of other fungal illnesses within 24 hours or less. Very few people know about that, and in the 20 years that Ive used garlic almost daily, Ive only met one other person who knows about it curing fungus; I never met anyone who knows about the anti-viral properties except for the author of the book; that is to say, Ms. Hopman knows an incredible amount of detailed information about the herbs and foods listed in the book! Another odd bit of information is that Ms. Hopman recommends saving the seeds from your oranges and planting them in a flowerpot. When the trees are about 3 inches high, snip the leaves and add them to salads. Information about when and how to harvest some of the herbs and food mentioned is included such as harvesting peach tree leaves before the Summer Solstice. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to achieve maximum health in natural ways. It is perfect both for the beginner and the advanced nutritionist/herbalist or anyone who would just like to know more about the nutrients in your food and what they do for health. I applaud Ms. Hopmans latest effort, who seems to excel at whatever books

she writes, whether it is fiction, nonfiction, herbs or Druidry. All in all, I recommend this book for everyone; we live in an environment today that is polluted and saps many nutrients from us. This book will go a long way towards helping to keep the reader healthy. You can order the book from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/The-SecretMedicines-YourKitchen/dp/1907282580 - Ariel Monserrat

Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth.

A Celebration of Scientific Eccentricity and Self-experimentation

Trevor Norton ISBN: 978-1-60598-254-0 Copyright 2011 by Trevor Norton

Whoever it was who said, You cant tell a book by looking at its cover, must have been referring to Trevor Nortons Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth. The cover depicts a classic, Henry Jekyll type, mad scientist, complete with disheveled hair, rubber gloves and lab coat, swigging an unidentified fluid straight from the beaker. I assumed that the book would be about scientists who, like some of the psychonauts of the late twentieth century, deserved Darwin Awards for removing themselves from the gene pool. Nothing could be further from the truth. The people the author describes are far more heroic than foolish. Some of them inoculated themselves with disease organisms in order to challenge newly developed vaccines; others tested safety equipment like gas masks before releasing them to the military. One of the greatest biologists of all time, Jack Haldane once said, Never ask anyone to do anything that you wouldnt do yourself. While some scientists experimented upon people who were not capable of informed consent like children in orphanages or institutionalized mental patients, a greater number deemed the practice to be highly immoral. Others considered animal experimentation similarly unethical. The author points out that all test pilots are basically experimenting upon themselves. The same could be said of the first people to ascend in hot air balloons or descend to the ocean depths in submarines or bathyscaphes. Quaker and Mennonite conscientious objectors during World War Two, in both the United States and Great Britain, became voluntary human guinea pigs in studies on the effects of starvation rather than taking the lives of fellow humans as soldiers. Walter Reed would not have been able to prove that yellow fever was spread by mosquitoes without volunteer test subjects. In more recent times, CDC physician, Jack McCormick injected

himself with serum from a survivor of the ebola virus to test its efficacy as a vaccine. A great many gay men volunteered to test any new AIDS vaccines that were developed, willingly risking their own lives to save the lives of others.

The United States government, on the other hand, has continually experimented upon an unsuspecting public. We are all familiar with the Tuskeegee syphilis experiments for which former president Bill Clinton issued an official apology. Less well known government experiments include putting LSD into the drinking water of a small town in Oregon, spraying the city of San Francisco with the bacteria Serratia marcescens and Bacillus subtilis and adding radioactive substances to the food of American servicemen. Now they are spraying chemtrails almost daily, in the sky directly over my home. No one has admitted responsibility for this or informed us as to what it is that they are spraying. The world needs a lot more scientists like those described by Trevor Norton who would rather experiment upon themselves than on an unsuspecting public. Tom Donohue

whines, chirps etc. from one individual can be seen to elicit predictable responses in other individuals of the same species. These signals can be demonstrated to contain a wide variety of very complex sets of information but, more importantly, to include grammar and syntax. All birds and mammals (at least) have circulatory, digestive, nervous and endocrine systems. The author proposes that there is another system that we all share, a discourse system, and he supports this hypothesis with research and reasoning. Whenever possible he has performed non-invasive experiments to confirm his observations. Possibly more important, our domestic animals try to communicate with us. Anyone who shares their life with a dog, horse or cat has experienced this. Most humans figure out whether their animal companions are asking for food, attention or to be let outside. Dogs are able to learn literally thousands of human words. A recent demonstration on a television documentary hosted by Neal DeGrasse Tyson, showed a dog who recognized the names of about one thousand toys and could demonstrate this by picking the requested toy from a pile. Possibly more important, when a new toy was added to the pile (specifically, a doll of Albert Einstein) and the dog was told to get Albert it went to the pile and picked out the only toy with an unfamiliar name. Thereafter this dog identified this toy by the name, Albert. This skill is not limited to nouns. Dogs, gorillas and prairie dogs also understand verbs and adjectives and use them to construct or understand complex sentences. Other dogs have been shown to understand vocabularies of as many as four thousand words. The average American high school graduate can recognize about forty thousand words.

Chasing Doctor Dolittle

Learning the Language of Animals Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D. ISBN 978-0-312-61179-8
Copyright 2012 Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D. Con Slobodchikoffs Chasing Doctor Dolittle is the result of a lifetime of research by a dedicated and erudite Biologist. He has been called the Jane Goodall of prairie dogs but his studies of animal communication extend far beyond this single species. While most people are aware that animals communicate, many doubt that this communication constitutes language. Dr. Slobodchikoff proves, rather conclusively, that it does. We can tell that animals send signals to each other quite simply because barks, whistles, grunts,

The book also includes discussion of nonauditory forms of language like body and facial language, scent signals and tactile communication. Hugs, kisses, licks and nuzzling all communicate something, usually affection. Animals have many ways of saying, I love you. Because these actions tend to feel good animal behaviorists have described them as hedonic displays of status. The anal glands of dogs and wolves have been shown to contain somewhere between 37 and 70 separate compounds which serve no purpose other than olfactory communication.

I cannot conclude this review without quoting Dr. Slobodchikoff himself: the idea that other animals have language is a bridge back to the natural world. We can begin to cross the vast chasm that we have set up between us and them and start to see that we are not very different after all. Tom Donohue

The Year and a Day calendar: A working tool for the next 12 months
(The GBG Year and a Day calendar is a unique tool that marks the feast days of Pagan deities from pantheons around the world, as well as including historic old photos, news clippings and quotes from some of Wiccas early British elders. Since its inception in 2010, the calendar has been hung in Pagan homes all over the United States, as well as 14 other countries around the world.)

Most Pagans celebrate the Wheel of the Year in some way, making the annual cycle a very special part of their religion. Perhaps the most tangible symbol of the Wheel is that simple set of 12 paper sheets, bound together and gently thumb-tacked onto our walls, called the calendar, explains Link, who created the GBG Year and a Day calendar. This helps us to see the calendar in our homes not as just a collection of dates, but as a working tool that we can use all year long, learning from the elders of the Craft, as well from pantheons all around the globe. The Year and a Day calendar includes not only Feast Days from Pagan pantheons from around the globe, but also historical old photos, news clippings and quotes from Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente and other elders of British Traditional Wicca.

The project begins The idea was born just before Samhain, 2010. Link wanted to create a unique new calendar that actually showed Samhain marking what many Witches call the New Year. Since the mundane calendars all start on January 1, I created a Samhain-to-Samhain calendar called A Witchs New Year, Link explains. Like the name says, the Samhain-to-Samhain calendar prototype went from October 31 to October 31. Being a big believer in the value of Craft history, Link researched, collected and incorporated old photos and news clippings of Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente to make the calendar both attractive and educational. But the Samhain-to-Samhain calendar was a dismal flop! laments Link.

While some Pagans might say that Samhain is the Witchs New Year, nearly no one really wants a calendar that leaves them hanging come November 1. In 2011, Link went back to the drawing board and came up with the Year and a Day calendar, which included a special meditation exercise on the 366th day to reflect upon the completion of the annual cycle. There is a valuable connection between a calendar and history, since both concepts deal with the passage of time, says Link. The new Year and a Day calendar kept the old photos and news clippings of Gerald and Doreen, using articles from British newspapers from the 1950s through the 1990s. These old articles were also interviews, with quotes describing the early Craft in England, so they caught my interest immediately.

But Link didnt stop there. each day, he added a

To customize collection of

hundreds of Pagan feast days from pantheons around the world! January 13:

Druid Festival of Brewing. June 11: Greek Feast of Artemis and Apollo. December 16: Egyptian Day of Thoth. He also added artwork depicting some of the deities. We all know Isis, Astarte, Inanna because we sing their names in the popular song, but do we know what they look like? While the image of Isis and others may be very recognizable, the image of Inanna, depicted in her famous pose, may be quite eye-opening to some. The calendar is sold primarily online at www.GBGcalendar.com but this year Link was approached by several Pagan store owners who wanted to share this unique calendar with their patrons. Stores allow people to actually see and thumb through the calendar, Link explains. Once people see the amazing amount of detail, its Love at First Sight! GBG and his High Priestesses The most common question Link gets about the GBG Year and a Day calendar is What does GBG mean? Gerald B. Gardner (whose friends actually called him GBG) was the British author and occultist who, according to Link, published some of the first modern-era books on Witchcraft soon after England repealed the last of its anti-witch laws. This started a chain of events that helped shape much of what Pagans do today, whether people identify with Gardner or not, Link explains. If you practice Wicca (or even use that word to describe what you do), you are probably doing a few things that Gardner described in his books from the 1950s. Link states that casting circles, calling the elements, using a ceremonial dagger called an athame, and phrases like Blessed Be or So Mote it Be are all things described in GBGs books. While Gardner was not the only person to write about these things, his influence certainly helped launch those ideas into modernday Wicca. So, one aim of the calendar is to make people curious about what they do, and to ask where it came from. But Gardner did not do it all alone. He worked with a series of amazingly spiritual

women who became his High Priestesses and who grew spiritually both on their own, as well as with GBG. Link included photos, quotes and interviews of Doreen Valiente, Patricia Crowther, Eleanor Bone and Lois Bourne; where each years calendar honors a different High Priestess. These women were teachers, authors, and they were a precious aspect of the Goddess that is incarnate in every woman. Using quotes or news clippings, you can read how they described the early Craft in their own words, Link says, hoping that these brief quotes can become a gateway for students to learn more by researching their lives and reading the books that some of these priestesses published over the years. For example, Lois Bourne, who gladly gave Link her permission to be included, is featured in November of the 2013 calendar with a quote describing her thankfulness for becoming aware of her own spiritual potential, and for being guided to a teacher and a group which helped her further develop her abilities. The important lesson here is that the proper teacher and group can be important gifts, and that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Whether you work as a solitary or with a coven, Loiss story can remind us to have faith that the right path for us will unfold when the time is right. Link feels that this reassuring message can comfort newcomers to the Craft, who may at times feel lost or alone until they find their own personal niche. Another of Links favorite High Priestess quotes comes from December of the 2013 calendar, featuring a photo of Doreen Valiente with Israel Regardie, the noted ceremonial magician and Golden Dawn author. In a quote added by Link, Doreen explains that she had been a student of the Golden Dawn for years, long before she ever met Gerald Gardner. To me, this recognizes her as an accomplished occultist in her own right, and not merely one of Gardners priestesses, says Link. Doreen, like many influential

women, prove that women can play a very important role in the Craft, and can succeed at just about anything they set their minds to doing! Link feels that the things Doreen and Gerald each brought to the table combined to form a truly magickal partnership that has helped the Craft flourish ever since. The calendar holds an important lesson in synergy, and thus does not just focus on only one person. In the 2013 calendar, Doreen also tells us, via a BBC interview, that we can learn greatly by going outside under the light of the full moon, listening to the wind blowing through the trees. According to Doreen, Theyll learn more about the spirit of witchcraft the true spirit of witchcraft in that way than by reading any amount of books. Through written quotes on the calendar, we can learn from the inspirational Craft teachers who are long gone, separated by the vastness of time and miles of distance, Link explains. Of course, good calendar quotes can come from anywhere, including people like the profound Carl Sagan discussing the cosmos, or the ageless beauty, Sophia Loren commenting on the Fountain of Youth, or the non-conformist inventor Alexander Graham Bell telling us to leave the beaten track and even the insightful George Carlin who said Don't just teach your children to read; teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything. This is good advice for children of all ages! Last year, the 2012 calendar even included quotes from Jean Luc Picard and Deanna Troi! In 2014, look for a special message from Endora, and perhaps Jake Scully! Link hinted. Not familiar with those names? Look them up, and see what philosophy and words of wit they might impart.

The calendars goal Links goal for the GBG Year and a Day calendar is to become a starting point for your own research. My hope is that readers will see a festival or a deity that catches their eye, and begin their own research to learn more. While many of us are familiar with the better-known aspects of Paganism there are hundreds of obscure gods and goddesses that might not be so popular. February 26: Feast of Mihr or Mehr, from whom we get Mithras. May 10: Day of the Tin Hau, Chinese God of the North Star. October 11: Germanic feast of the Old Lady of the Elder Trees. Like the vastly numerous facets of a rare gem, there are countless deities from every culture that ever sprang forth from Mother Earth over the ages, says Link. But not all gems are ancient. Some are fairly new, from this century or even this decade. So as an additional learning tool, Link added the birthdates of important authors, teachers and philosophers with the hope that someone might see their name, and wonder who they were. If the name is already familiar to you, its reference honors that persons memory. But no matter how long you have known and loved authors like Dion Fortune, Joseph Campbell, or Helena Blavatsky there once came a day where you saw their name printed somewhere for the very first time! And that day started a chain reaction that helped you delve deeper. Link hopes that moment arrives for some while flipping through the GBG Year and a Day calendar, sparking their own research to learn more. So, to plant a few seeds who was Gwydion Pendderwen? William Butler Yeats? John Dee? asks Link with a provocative grin. And every American witch should surely be curious to know who Monique Wilson was, right? According to Link, the possibilities for learning are endless, since one name can lead you to dozens more

Whats in a name? Hidden within a simple calendar is a subtle lesson in mythology. We might notice that Sunday and Monday are named for

the sun and the moon, but have you ever noticed those days are right next to each other? On the weekly calendar, the Sun stands just to the left of the Moon. How interesting! comments Link.

Link replaced the mundane day names on the calendar with Pagan deity names. Tiws Day, Wodens Day, Thors Day, Freyas Day, until our week finally comes to a fitting end on the day of Saturn, the God who holds the reapers sickle. Every year Link learns something new with this project, and this year he found that the reason our week has Norse deity names is because the Germanic people eventually threw out the Roman names, replacing them with their own Gods and Goddesses. If you look at the older day names in any Romance language (Spanish, Italian, French, etc) you will clearly find Latin names for Mars, Mercury, Jove and Venus. Link also included some history on the name of the month itself. For example Link explains that SEPTember, OCTober, NOVember and DECember are based on Latin words for seven, eight, nine and ten. This is because the old year originally had only 10 months, until July and August were later added to honor Julius and Augustus Caesar, who were deified and thus joined the ranks of Janus, Maia or Juno for whom we have January, May and June. You will also find the birthstone amulet and flower associated with each month. Try incorporating these timehonored magickal tools into your own celebrations of the season. Ask why each might be associated with that particular month, and begin your own personal twelve-fold journey over the course of the year. You will also see something special about the start of each zodiac sign, where they are not always fixed to begin on the dates people commonly see in newspaper

horoscopes, says Link. Signs shift a day or two, like the way the equinoxes and solstices shift dates each year, falling somewhere between the 19th and 22 of each month. So, if you were born on the cusp, such as December 21, youd need to look up what exact day the solstice occurred in the year you were born to see if you are a Sagittarius or a Capricorn. This is a concept Link learned in studying Chinese astrology. The date for Chinese New Year varies from year to year, so if you are born in or near January like I am, you need to research the actual date for Chinese New Year in the year you were born to see if it was Year of the Dog or Dragon or whatever. Likewise is true for our own zodiac. The calendar also offers another lesson in the history of astrology. Many may not realize that long ago the zodiac had a 13th house, until Ophiuchus The Serpent Bearer was stricken from the books. Link teases What time of year did that 13th sign begin? The GBG Year and a Day calendar will tell you, or better yet, it will arouse your curiosity to learn more on your own! The calendar as a magickal tool We may not realize it, but the calendar any calendar is a unique magickal tool. Calendars celebrate our own personal Rites of Passage through the passage of time. Each day, week, month and year becomes a ritual all its own. Even the monthly act of simply flipping over the page can be a magickal act asking for what we wish that new month to bring. According to Link, The annual act of replacing last years calendar can be very

magickal for the coming New Year. What year? What are our hopes and dreams for the year to come? What things from last year would you like to remove from the walls of your life? Link raises a valid point. When you hang this years calendar, who knows what your life will be like by the time you turn to the last page? The GBG Year and a Day calendar can be your own private 12-month curriculum. Set a goal for yourself to research at least one feast day per month, challenges Link. Glance over the month to see what catches your eye. Dont just limit yourself to doing research by the book. Ask intuitively, why that particular culture in that part of the world might celebrate that specific holiday at that exact time of year?

gifts are we thankful for from last celebrated its New Year in January, with a ceremony called the Feast of Dreams. Another interesting holiday placement is the Death of Balder, which takes place on the summer solstice. Balder, a bright shining solar deity, dies on the day where the sun begins to wane as daylight grows shorter. Balder, whos name means Bright Shining One, was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, an obvious symbol of the winter solstice, Link conveys. The death of Balder may be a tale kindred in meaning to the seasonal battle between the Oak and Holly Kings, symbolically taking place at solstices.

Unique energies of the day Link feels that you can use the calendar to help sense the unique energies of a specific day, similar to the way we read horoscopes or note trines and conjunctions. But horoscopes are very subjective, where an astrologer interprets whether this is a good day for finances, but a bad day for love. So along the same process, how might you interpret whether today is the Feast of Priapus, or the Feast of Fortuna? Link says people can use Pagan feast days help plan magickal events. How might an age-old celebration aid you in your business or personal life? You can choose the date for a specific action; you can bring those energies into the mix. Looking for love? January 17 and 18: Feast of Aphrodite. Looking to conceive something new? February 20: Feast of Magna Mater, the Mother of Creation. In need of protection? September 29: Michaelmas, whos sword is always ready for those who ask. It is also amazing to see the similarities among different cultures. For example, the Native American Iroquois tribe also

Tailoring your own rituals Link reminisces that his own teacher and mentor, Lady Cara, had shared her collection of Pagan feast days which she had used as a teaching tool over the years to help students tailor rituals around a specific deity. That peaked my curiosity, and I began doing my own research for the calendar, finding many additional sources of holidays, adding something special for nearly every day of the year, he explained. After looking up the date for our next circle, myself and a covenmate tailored our ritual to the deity we found for that day in Lady Caras list. To Links joy, it was the Goddess Diana, and as fate would have it, the ritual was being held at the home of Links dear friend, named Lady Diana. A magickal coincidence indeed! We also noted the moon was in Sagittarius, the Archer how perfect for a ritual honoring the Huntress who bears Her crescent-shaped bow and silvery arrows! The moral of this story, as Link tells it, is that you can use the GBG Year and a Day calendar not only as a means to tailor your own rituals, but as a tool to help teach students. Some have told me they assign papers or homework assignments based on topics found in the calendar for that month or day. One

teacher in Pennsylvania leads a 12-month class taking students on a Year and a Day journey through various aspects of the Craft. She saw a good fit between my calendar and her class, and recommended the calendar as a tool for 24 of her students! Of course, you might not want to work with just any deity, especially those you know nothing about. After a bit of research, you might decide that a particular energy is not to your liking. Thats why the research is important, so you can make more informed choices, as well as making your own very personal connections with the deities involved. Photos and News clippings For 2013, the background of each photo is a close-up image of tree roots, as an appreciation of the Earth, as well as an image linking us to those early elders who helped the Craft take root and grow. Paganism holds many beautiful analogies to things found in Nature. Even the term hiving off is an analogy to a very beautiful aspect of nature that will keep you busy as a bee, learning about things as sweet as honey! Link jokes.

Some photos were specially placed to match a particular month. For example, this April shows a quote from Gerald Gardner explaining that Witches are consummate leg-pullers; they are taught it as part of their stock-in-trade. Link paired that quote with photos of Gardner sporting a boyishly mischievous grin. Those who knew him often comment that the Old Boy had quite a sense of humor. What a perfect fit for the leg-pulling of April Fools pranks in this festive month! While the quote itself is rather lighthearted, Link feels the philosophy behind it is truly profound. What Gardner was trying to explain is that if you can make people believe that something is very powerful, then that belief can truly make the action very powerful whether or not the action innately has power on its own. Link believes that this was part of the witchs training GBG was referring to, where an effective leader learned how to inspire the unwavering belief of others as a means to accomplish a magickal task. So if the person truly believes that this spell or that potion can cure their ills, then it truly can! Link reponds.

In the merry month of May, we see a rare photo of Doreen Valiente with her husband Casimero Valiente. What better month to show two lovers than the month that begins with Beltane? This photo, along with a quote from Doreens personal journals, were provided for the calendar project by the Doreen Valiente Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the magickal artifacts and inspirational writings of this truly beloved Craft elder. Among the founders is John Belham Payne, who served as Doreens last High Priest before she died, and to whom she bequeathed her Craft treasures, says Link.

Quotes Each month has a few inspirational quotes; which Link says were often strategically placed in a specific spot. March has a quote about war. Why might that be? March is named for Mars, an agricultural deity who later became the God of War. March also marked the first month of planting crops and also marching off to war. In March we find the zodiac sign of Aries, which sounds a lot like Ares the Greek counterpart of (you guessed it) the Roman God Mars. So, the more you look at the year, the more interesting things you will find.

In April, Links favorite quote from Deepak Chopra says Instead of thinking outside the box, get rid of the box. So, to emphasize the message, and to have some fun, Link, who is an accomplished graphic artist, played with the page layout and truly got rid of the box!

Supporting Craft charities The GBG Year and a Day calendar exists solely because over the years people worked so hard to preserve Pagan history. We owe a debt to all those who kept old photos, or scrap-booked old news clippings, preserving our history and making them available to future generations, he says. Links explains that his calendar honors not only Wiccan elders, but also those historians around the world who documented their cultures old Pagan holidays long after their Gods worship waned. Otherwise how would we ever know that the Birth of the Norse

Goddess Freya was celebrated December 27? Link jests.

on

For each calendar sold, a donation is made to the Doreen Valiente Foundation as well as the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, England. This museum traces its roots back to the museum run by Gerald Gardner on the Isle of Man and it has preserved a wealth of items and documents over the decades, says Link. A subtle lesson here is to remember that history happens every day. So, the next time a friend or covenmate asks you to Say Cheese for a photo of you and your loved ones, give them a pat on the

back. Someday, when that special loved one or honored elder passes on, youll thank the person who snapped a photo or two. One of Links own departed elders, Donjon of Moonrose, used to say A person lives on as long as there are still people who call out their name. This is not a lesson merely for Craft, but for any

elder in your life, whether a grandparent or friend. Try to jot down the memories they share, the things they taught you, the interesting tales they told. Even if its just a cookie recipe, it is their cookie recipe and that makes it irreplaceable! Link reminds us.

The 366th Day Perhaps the most special part of any year and a day, is that last day which completes the cycle and begins anew. The GBG Year and a Day calendar holds a unique meditation exercise to be performed on January 1st as a celebration of the Wheels turn. By the time that day arrives, you have been through an entire year of Pagan feast days, seen and read new things, learned the value of history. So, the 366th day marks your own rite of passage into the new year, and punctuates a new phase of your own life. For January 1, 2013 the meditation honored Janus, whos two heads look simultaneously towards both the past and the future. The meditation looks back at what youve learned during the past year, complemented by a divination exercise looking into the coming year. It reads:

A year and a day brings us full cycle in so many ways, Here, on this 366th day, you've witnessed a full year of Pagan feast days from around the globe. You've read about Gerald Gardner and three High Priestesses who helped build today's Craft. Yet at the same time, you've celebrated your own year, honoring the Old Ones in your own way. Spend some time on this day to review your 2011, and look for what is to come in 2012. Visualize yourself standing in the midst of a long, long road. Look to your left, and cherish the lessons and memories of 2011. Then see a second face appear looking right, like Janus, that looks into the year to come. By month or by season, ask what is in store for you in 2012. And enjoy your year!

Three-Year Collectors Set As Link mentioned, each years calendar features a different set of articles, photos and quotes to honor a different High Priestess. Past calendars featured Monique Wilson, Patricia Crowther, Eleanor Bone and in 2013 Lois Bourne. Normally, I print only enough calendars to fill orders so when theyre gone, theyre gone. But Link kept getting requests for previous years calendars from people who want to see what they missed. While the calendar portion may be outdated, the information resources and photos are still very interesting.

This year, I offered a three-year Collectors Set including 2011, 2012 and 2013. The set was very popular, and emotionally gratifying for Link to know the extent that others are interested in the project. Setting deadlines for people, especially Pagans, is never easy. People often give the calendars as Yule gifts to conveners and friends, and when the calendar gifts get unwrapped, everyone in the room wants one too! So even though I try to set a deadline to order before Yule, I always end up reprinting more. The nature of any calendar is that it hangs

visibly in your home, and visitors naturally see it and become curious. For Links calendar project, that type of viral interest is a true blessing, but it also creates a few

logistical challenges. Every year Link sadly has to tell someone youre too late they are all gone!

Plans for 2014 and beyond Link has already started planning for next year. Of course, the challenge is that there are only a finite number of old photos and articles to go around. As a researcher, Link has dug up a few new items for next year, and with the grace of

his friends and Craft family, others have sent him things that they have found over the years too. I am always interested in additional photos and news clippings of the old Craft elders. If you know of a good source of old photos or news clippings, please contact Link@GBGcalendar.com with more info.

(Editors Note: We had hoped to get this issue of Green Egg out before the Winter Solstice; unfortunately, that was impossible. Im including this article because I think it has a lot to say that is worth thinking about. Ed.) The Winter Solstice arrives in Sacramento at 3:12 am tonight, in just over one hour. This darkness outside my window is the longest night of the year. Western scholars often misinterpret the fires and lights that marked this night among our ancestors, claiming that they were so primitive as to fear that the sun might not come back, and so they lit fires to try to force the sun to return. In reality, our ancestors were so much more connected to the natural world than we are, so they understood intimately the cycles of the year and the relationship between the sun and the earth. Without the air and light pollution that we live beneath, they saw the heavens clearly every night and day of their lives. They lit their

A WINTER SOLSTICE GREETING

from Druid Michael R. Gorman Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012, 2:07 am

fires and candles and hearth fires and Yule logs as a way of acknowledging the turn of the year and the slow return of longer days. In doing so, they reminded themselves that we are not above or apart from the natural world, but an integral and beloved part of it, as all creatures are. It is only in that connection, acknowledged ritually this time of year with lights we light, that we can ever be truly healthy, prosperous, and wise. Any hope in the future must be built, will be built, upon this simple and ancient truth. Modern western culture has set itself adrift from our natural moorings in our crazy belief that we are somehow above our own ecosystem, outside of its natural functioning, its parameters, and its natural laws. (How exactly does one step outside the very thing that every step must land upon?) Since industrialization we have so dirtied our surroundings that we can hardly see the natural world through our car windows and sealed office windows. In our vain attempts to live apart from natural forces, we have wrought such a dangerous warming of the planet that the storms grow more infused with energy every year, creating devastation unrivaled by anything during those recently past ages when more carbon was safely locked away in the trees, the oil deposits, the ice, the soil, the rocks, and the quietude of the deep ocean. Each day we thwart natures balance by releasing ridiculous amounts of the formerly stored carbon into the air. What took millions of years to store in the plants and soil and ice and water in order to create the balanced world in which we thrived for so long, we have released in an historic blink of an eye. We have burned in moments

what took millennia to lock away. But be assured, the earth will not die. She will act according to the natural laws that say more heat, more energy bouncing about, increases the intensity of all molecular movement, which translates into extremes in all the processes of the earth, including weather. That environmental peril we increasingly face is heightened by our own way of interacting with every other species on the planet, especially our own. Every day we refuse to acknowledge our inability to see our destructive obsession with creating cultural dualities at war with each other. We madly insist, against all reason, on seeing all life as an ongoing battle between the good guys and the bad guys. We stubbornly avoid responsibility for the state of our lives by facing the world with a pathological us-versus-them mentality that is creating the same kind of heightened cultural and human storms as our love affair with burning carbon based materials has created in the weather. We approach every problem by trying to delineate who is US and who is THEM, blaming THEM for all of our problems, and then fighting to vanquish THEM in order to protect US. Unfortunately, but expectedly, no one can agree on who the bad guys are, so there is no possible end to the fighting since everyone is someone elses bad guy. In the aftermath of the nightmare massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, (ironically in the area of the state that gave birth to modern gun manufacturing and was once called The Arsenal of America) how have we responded to the tragedy?

The finger pointing was immediate. THEY were to blame: the gun manufacturers, the pro-gun politicians, the rich, the poor, the elites, the uneducated, the soft on crime liberals, the parents, the mental health system, Adam Lanza, Adam Lanzas mother, Adam Lanzas parents divorce, the schools, the Republicans, the Democrats, the gun control advocates, the Congress, the White House......! There are bitter arguments still ongoing tonight over how many victims there were that day. The roll calls of the deaths usually do not include Adam or his mother. Only OUR deaths matter, not THEIRS. Thus do we begin our desperate search for the bad guys to vanquish and so make everything okay again! Them! If we can just stop THEM! Is it any wonder that the innate self preservation of this hierarchical, patriarchal, anthropocentric, dualistic, elitist, unequal, war-based, moneyworshiping system controls us to such a degree? The system doesnt have to enslave us, they just have to encourage us to fight.........whomever........whatever... ......just fight..........doesnt matter to the system that we perpetuate it with our endless animosity toward, well, somebody. Heres a thought. Perhaps each of us who refuses to see our culture clearly and thus perpetuates a failed cultural paradigm is to blame. And perhaps at the same time each of us is so brainwashed by this system that we can rejoice over some deaths and mourn others, we are victims in our inability to see beyond the cultural box in which we live. But what is the system? Who is the system? It is

them. And it is us. The 100%. Who is a victim and who is a perpetrator is not an either/or proposition in this mess. It is a both/and reality. But how do you fight a war when everyone is a perpetrator and everyone is a victim? How do you determine who is us and who is them if we all share the blame and the pain at the same time? Precisely. This new millennium, with all of its former promise, has been born in war after war, death after death, incurable diseases and superbugs, genocides, oppressive regimes, and the diminishment of personal freedom and social justice. We are indeed in the longest night of the cycle that is this generations life. We were promised the Age of Aquarius, and instead we have a world with so many wars and revolutions that it is hard to keep track, and an ecosystem that is itself becoming seemingly inhospitable to our continued existence on the planet. So do I despair? No. Why not? Because I remember what my ancestors understood each year when they lit the candles and fires of Winter Solstice. The moment the longest night arrives, it succumbs to the lengthening of the days. The moment the night is darkest, the wheel of the year turns toward yet another season of warmth and growth and fertility. That too is how this ecosystem, this planet, operates. I believe that we are on the cusp of the greatest change in human culture in two thousand years. Yes the world will end this Winter Solstice. And because, in a circle, every ending is also a beginning, the

world will also be born this Winter Solstice. We have yet another chance to make the coming season better than the last. I believe the age of the Warrior and the King is drawing to a close. How can I be so sure, so optimistic? Simple. We wish to survive as a species. Our sense of selfpreservation is one thing every being on the planet can depend upon and expect from us. Our current cultural paradigm will signal the end of us on the planet if it continues. Our cultural system will be our death. We must change or die, whether in a hurricane or at the end of the barrel of a gun. Our only hope is to reintegrate ourselves into the ecosystem upon which we depend for our lives. That is not a pipe dream or an esoteric philosophy. That is simple science, simple reality. It is those who insanely think we can continue to defy our own membership in the planetary tribe who are living an unrealistic pipe dream that is fast becoming our ultimate nightmare. Change is coming because change must come. We must rediscover how to live in the balance we have shunned for far too long. The earth will allow us to survive only if we step outside of this insane cultural paradigm that no longer serves us, that actually now threatens our very survival. We will find a new way. If we light our candles to the ancestors this Winter Solstice and rediscover what they did right, and then marry it to what is right and good in modern culture, we will create a future more bright with sun and growth than has been seen on this planet for a very long time. We will weave the old wisdom with the new wisdom and create something

better than either former age was alone. How do I know this? It is Winter Solstice. It is the time of the turning of the wheel. New growth out of old decay is simply, scientifically, concretely how the world works. We can no more change that hopeful reality than we can order the earth to stay tilted away from the sun. If you have any doubts, talk to one of our brothers or sisters on the other side of the equator. The sun is high there as it will be again here. The summer is ripening toward the harvest there as it always has done, as it will do here in our hemisphere in time. And we can continue to be a part of that cycle of miracles if when we light our candles or Christmas tree lights or menorahs or bon fires and as we do so, acknowledge the wisdom of the great cycles of our natural home and simply make a vow to pay attention and find our harmony with the inevitable, dependable, unfailing turning of the Great Wheel. To my brothers and sisters in South America and Australia and Africa and the other lands to the Sacred South, I wish you a happy, warm, playful, bountiful Summer Solstice. Keep the sun-hope a reality for we who are in the darkness and the cold. To my brothers and sisters here in the Blessed North --- that would be, well, all of you, all of us --- I wish you, us, a hopeful Winter Solstice, a warm hearth, a hearty meal, a good story, thick blankets, hot chocolate, and loved ones cuddling close. May your candles burn long and celebrate the enlightenment that is to come even now when it seems so far away. The Wheel is turning. Be of good cheer.

Can atheists be Pagans?

To me, the answer to that question seems easy. Of course they can. But when I brought up the subject recently, I realized the answer wasnt nearly so clear-cut for many people ... and that a few objected vehemently to the very suggestion that these two philosophies were compatible. One person even suggested that I was doing Paganism a grave disservice by even suggesting such a notion. This person had spent a good deal of effort convincing some folks who identified themselves as Christians that Pagans werent godless. To say that Pagans could be atheists, she said, was to prove these Christians right! (I found myself wondering why I, or anyone who holds a non-Christian belief, should care about how a Christian might judge that belief.) Certainly, not all Pagans are godless, just as not all Pagans are Wiccans. The majority are, in fact, theists - and the majority of those are polytheists, believers in many gods. But there are some Pagan

pantheists out there, too, along with some monotheists, some agnostics and yes, even some atheists. In fact, a survey I conducted online last summer found that the vast majority of respondents identified the most important element in Paganism as reverence for nature. Given three possible responses, a whopping 87 percent chose this answer. In second place, with just 10 percent of the vote, was worship of the gods. (The third option, practice of magic(k), received a paltry 3 percent. When asked whether worship of the gods was a fundamental component of Paganism, a majority - 53 percent - said it wasnt. While the size of the sample for these questions was significant at more than 600 people, the sampling was not scientific. Nevertheless, it shows clearly that a significant number of people dont think polytheism is essential to Paganism and - even among those who do - most dont think its the defining element. Reverence for nature fills that role.

Sagans example
Few people showed greater reverence for nature than the late Carl Sagan, an agnostic who made a career of exploring and marveling at - the wonders of the universe. In fact, he was so astounded by

the beauty and complexity of the universe itself, that he saw no need to go seeking gods or goddesses to explain it. His philosophy was that no concept of a creator or overseer could possibly match the awe-inspiring grandeur of nature itself.

This is the way the Pagan atheist views the world, and the universe at large. Its not some dry, clinical and bitter philosophy. Its a vibrant, dynamic view of life and the environment that births and sustains it. In fact, many Pagans view the universe as a sort of living organism either metaphorically or in actual terms. The parallels are, indeed, fascinating. And, in fact, many Pagans believe that the distinction between natural and supernatural is a false one - that nature is the totality of all there is, and that its meaningless to speak of anything being somehow outside of nature. How could we even conceive of such a something in any case? Wed have absolutely no frame of reference for either conceptualizing or experiencing it. The role of deities All of which raises the question of gods and goddesses. What, exactly, are they? Are they supernatural entities - beings outside or somehow above nature? This is certainly the Christian worldview - a view that places its deity outside of nature and, in doing so, casts nature itself in a

subordinate role. Nature is but a creation, a tool at the disposal of a superior being who created it either for his own enjoyment or for the purpose of allowing other creations (humanity) to exploit it. I know of very few Pagans who approve of exploiting nature for the sake of human greed and narcissism. Most, in my experience, view humans as part of nature, not separate from it - part of an intricate web of life, not somehow above or beyond it. Gods and goddesses, likewise, are most often viewed as part of the fabric of nature, rather than somehow disconnected from it. On the contrary, they are connected in the most intimate fashion possible. Poseidon is the sea personified. Deities such as Osiris, Aphrodite and Freya exemplify the very principle of fertility. Zeus lightning and Thors thunder are in the storm. The ancients didnt fully comprehend how the forces of nature worked, so they viewed it in terms they did understand anthropomorphic terms. They put a human face on nature, attributing violent storms to an angry god's tantrum or fertile fields to the benevolence of a goddess.

Sacrificial offerings
One difficulty many atheists have with these conceptions is practical. If we believe that we are at the mercy of a deitys emotions, its only human nature that were going to try like hell to influence those emotions. Were going to try to put that deity in a good mood. This is how the concept of sacrifice developed, as an attempt to placate (or bribe) a deity by offering him/her something we ourselves might enjoy - often in the form of food. There were a couple of problems with this assumption. First off, it was arrogant to think the forces behind the elements needed anything from us, and it was presumptuous to assume that - if they did - theyd enjoy the same sorts of things we did. Second, instead of placating the forces of nature, the assumption led us to actually destroy elements of nature itself. We sacrificed things that were never ours to sacrifice. We killed animals and burned them on altars. We even went so far as to kill humans. And if our sacrifices werent accepted (the rains didnt come or the land remained barren), we blamed the priests who conducted the sacrifices and killed them, too.

While we dont conduct human sacrifices today, we still ostracize people who don't believe the way we do on the grounds that they're an offensive to our patron deity or deities. The Christian concept of hell falls into this category, as does the shunning of family members still practiced in some faiths. Indeed, Christian dogma is built on a foundation of the need for sacrifice both homicidal and deicidal, but its hardly alone. Those who practice a variety of other faiths still sacrifice animals in the hope of propitiating or manipulating the gods. Marvels and contradictions These are the kinds of practices that the Pagan atheist finds saddening, because they do unnecessary damage to nature itself - something humanity has done far too often. Indeed, the Judeo-Christian tradition, whose god was originally a storm deity in a polytheistic tradition, often justifies brutalizing nature on the grounds that this god gave human beings the right to do so. It seems contradictory (perhaps even sadomasochistic) that a god of nature should have given humans the right to destroy his creation for their benefit. Or his. Or both. I wrote the book Requiem for a Phantom God to expose just such contradictions in

the dominant form of monotheism practiced today in the West. Although I think polytheism has an ethical advantage on Abrahamic monotheism - as I explain in that work - Id be less than fair or honest if I didnt acknowledge similar contradictions where I see them within Paganism, as well. It is precisely because of a love for nature that a person can identify as a Pagan and an atheist with absolutely no contradiction whatsoever. The Pagan atheist views

nature itself as the magnificent framework of which we all are a part - and has no need to put a human face on it. To do so is to look at it through a clouded lens, rather than taking it at its own marvelous face value. I do not know of any compelling evidence for anthropomorphic patriarchs controlling human destiny from some hidden celestial vantage point, Sagan once remarked, but it would be madness to deny the existence of physical laws.

Misconceptions and metaphors

Perhaps the biggest misconception is that Pagan atheists are just a bunch of bahhumbug types who revel in their own bitterness and adhere to a boring and rigid existence devoid of beauty and reverence. There is, of course, plenty of bitterness and negativity out there - but these attitudes can be found in people of all paths. No faith has a monopoly. In fact, Pagan atheists celebrate nature. Though we don't believe in anthropomorphic deities who stand as guardians to the forces of nature, we revere those forces on their own terms and, when others speak of Isis or Demeter, we respect their right to do so. We may even use such divine names ourselves, not in reference to unseen personalities, but as symbol and metaphor - a rich form of human expression - to characterize nature itself. We dont begrudge others the use of terms like the goddess or the lord and the lady. On the contrary, we see them as a poetic homage to the wonders nature and an acknowledgement of the masculine and feminine principles that are so

prevalent across our natural world. We see no contradiction between such poetic reverence and the scientific assurance that thunderstorms arent the product of a storm gods wrath, but rather the something that occurs when warm, moist air rises rapidly in the atmosphere. When it comes right down to it, arguing that atheists dont belong in the Pagan world is like arguing that Protestants arent real Christians or that Sufis arent true Muslims. Its the opposite side of the coin that argues all Pagans are Wiccan. No, theyre not. You dont have to be Wiccan to be Pagan, but neither do you have to be a theist. Its not a prerequisite. Theres room enough in this vibrant community for a wide array of different expressive forms, including Pagan atheism. Stifyn Emrys

Because of Love
(Please read all the way to the end)

because of the huge pine, which topped the hill behind the farm. Through the years the tree had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside. The young siblings had fond memories of their childhood here, but the city hustle and bustle added more excitement to their lives, and called them away to a different life.

The old folks no longer showed their horses, for the years had taken their toll, and getting out to the barn on those frosty mornings was getting harder, but it gave them a reason to get up in the mornings and a reason to live. They sold a few foals each year, and the horses were their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end. A brother and sister had made their usual hurried, obligatory pre- Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of horses. The farm was where they had grown up and had been named Lone Pine Farm

Angry, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old folks "Why do you not at least dispose of The Old One." She is no longer of use to you.

It's been years since you've had foals from her. You should cut corners and save so you can have more for yourselves. How can this old worn out horse bring you anything but expense and work? Why do you keep her anyway?"

each

other,

they

wept

at

their loss.

The old man looked down at his worn boots, holes in the toes, scuffed at the barn floor and replied, " Yes, I could use a pair of new boots.

His arm slid defensively about the Old Ones neck as he drew her near with gentle caressing he rubbed her softly behind her ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Nothing else, just love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the valley. The old couple shook their heads in sorrow that it had not been a happy visit. A tear fell upon their cheeks. How is it that these young folks do not understand the peace of the love that filled their hearts? So it was, that because of the unhappy leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation smoldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark fall. None but the "Old One".

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife, exhausted from their grief, huddled together before the barn. They were speechless as they rose from the cold snow covered ground. They nodded thanks to the firemen as there was nothing anyone could do now. The old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his shoulders as his shaking old hands clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red bandana. Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas. Let us gather strength and climb the hill to the old pine where we have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give thanks to God that it has been spared and pray for our beloved most precious gifts that have been taken from us. And so, he took her by the hand and slowly helped her up the snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back of his old and withered hand.

The journey up the hill was hard for their old bodies in the steep snow. As they stepped over the little knoll at the crest of the hill, they paused to rest, looking up to the top of the hill the old couple gasped and fell to their knees in amazement at the incredible beauty before them. Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its top most bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas tree such as this. They were breathless as the old man held his wife tighter in his arms. Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of wonder and incredible joy. Amazed and mystified, he took his wife by the hand and pulled her forward. There, beneath

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their beloved horses. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury. His wife back from calling for help cradled him in her arms, clinging to

the tree, in resplendent glory, a mist hovering over and glowing in the darkness was their Christmas gift. Shadows glistening in the night light.

with devotion as she offered her gift--Because of love. Only because of love. Tears flowed as the old couple shouted their praise and joy... And again the peace of love filled their hearts.

Bedded down about the "Old One" close to the trunk of the tree, was the entire herd, safe.

This is a true story.

Willy Eagle

This is an Inspirational message sent to a small group of people. My hope is that it will make your day just a little bit better. Keep reading At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led the horses through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping cautiously through the snow. The foals were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The mares that were in foal with a new years crop of babies, pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now she lay among them and gazed at the faces of the old man and his wife. A small request ! Cancer is a strange cell. Going along for years in remission and then one day it pops its head up again. Pray for the day there will be a permanent cure. A SMALL REQUEST... 93% won't forward, but I'm Sure You Will....... A small request....Just one line Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer. Amen All you are asked to do is keep this circulating. Even if it's only to one more person. In memory of anyone you know who has been struck down by cancer or is still living with it.

Those she loved she had not disappointed. Her body was brittle with years, tired from the climb, but the golden eyes were filled

CREATURE AND THE ANIMAL

CONSCIOUSNESS HUMAN POWER

(Editors Note: I came across this article on a website I just found called Waking Times. It has many articles that are quite good and would be of interest to our readers. This article below is one I thought was exceptionally good. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.)

accelerated maturation toward a renewed vision of the world as a sacred place. Irrevocably, we are crossing a critical threshold into the embrace of a new consciousness and within this crucible of the new, human nature is undergoing a vast and unprecedented metamorphosis. Recovering indigenous mind An important part of this great spiritual watershed is the reawakening of our indigenous sense of belonging to the Earth. It is, literally, a remembering, with the possibility to reconnect in fuller, more mature awareness with our eclipsed primal spirit. The need is being recognized collectively within our culture for a more instinctual approach to spirituality, along with the individual need for self-empowerment. Together these needs have rekindled the embers of shamanic consciousness, left smoldering in the western world from the onslaught of religion, science and the soulless ethos of mass consumerism. Many of us have looked toward tribal spirituality and the practices of shamanism as a way of introducing a more Earth-based, instinctual sense of the sacred back into our lives; and we may have embraced shamanism as a path to re-membering or rediscovering our vital inner connection to the natural universe. However, this embrace needs to be tempered with discernment and awareness, especially when approaching the rituals and traditions of tribal peoples. For San Francisco-based, psychologist, scholar and shamanic practitioner, Jrgen Kremer, the key to our reconnecting with the natural universe is not through appropriating the

January 4, 2013

Barry Cottrell, Waking Times

Guest

Writer

As long as we profess ignorance about our own creature manifestation and do not develop our energetic potentialities, we forget the crux of our astonishing existence. Many people live today with a strong, growing sense of expectation, often laced with apprehension, as if some radical and rapid process of change has been activated, involving a fundamental break with the past which will release us into a new and unknown future. It is as if a fresh wind of the spirit is blowing, drawing us ever more deeply into a whole new uncharted terrain, hurrying us along in a process of

spirituality of tribal peoples but rather through the remembrance in itself of what we are looking for in their traditions through the recovery of indigenous mind. We need to nurture and be nurtured by our own indigenous traditions. As Native American intellectual, John Mohawk, remarked: I do not want people to adopt Indian rituals because I want people to own their own rituals. I want them to come to ownership out of experiences that are real for them. Then Ill come and celebrate it with them.2 We need the medicine of remembrance to remember our own indigenous roots. As Kremer points out: This is the starting point from which all manners of shamanic healing may arise. This then is a healing process on behalf of the individual, family history, history, community; in short, it is the healing of the dissociative split and the recovery of participation in the phenomena.2 Creature consciousness Of all the medicines of remembrance, one of the most fundamental is remembering our very own animal bodies. If we want to save the Earth, the nearest place to begin is with our own vibrant matter, our own piece of the sentient earth through the physicality of our animal and animate body. For the human body is the earth. It is an animal body and as such belongs to the natural world. We are part of Nature. Indigenous peoples have always known this and tribal societies generally embrace the

animistic worldview in which the whole universe is experienced as alive, animated by invisible spiritual forces. We are human animals, just as a cat is a feline animal and a dog is a canine animal. It is this creature consciousness the grassroots awareness of our animal self and its bodily presence that can be a powerful healing force, both individually and collectively. In his landmark book, The Spell of the Sensuous, ecologist and philosopher David Abram reminds us how to experience the animal body: Whenever I quiet the persistent chatter of words within my head, I find this silent or wordless dance always already going on this improvised duet between my animal body and the fluid, breathing landscape that it inhabits.3 Abram eloquently describes how this sensuous awareness of the body is being reborn in our culture after ages of disparagement by religions denigrating our animal physicality in their search for spiritual purity. Beneath the clamor of ideologies and the clashing of civilizations, a fresh perception is slowly shaping itself a clarified encounter between the human animal and its elemental habitat. It is a perception that honors the immeasurable otherness of things, the way that any earthborn presence exceeds the calculations we perform upon it the manner in which each stone, each gust of wind, each termite-ridden log or gliding sea turtle harbors and bodies forth a creativity that resists all definition. As though theres a subtle fire burning within

each sensible presence, a heartbeat unique to each being.4 In the human animal this creature consciousness frequently gets repressed as, for example, in the delayed reaction to a trauma. In her article, Reclaiming our Animal Body, psychologist Tania Dolley recounts a car accident from which she emerged unscathed and calm only later to succumb to classical symptoms of delayed shock. Instead of discharging the adrenaline which is mobilized to deal with the danger, as other animals would do by shivering or shaking, the human animal often overrides its instinctive impulses by means of the rational mind, so that the residual energy gets stored in the body, manifesting as symptoms. For Tania Dolley, becoming aware of her animal body connects her to a tangible felt sense of her embodied self: Reconnecting with a deep sense of acceptance in this way subtly changes my relationship to my inner self or soul. It seems to call my spirit back into my body, eliciting a sense of rightness as I feel an inner shift and the recognition of Ah yes, this is how its meant to feel. 5 Becoming animal makes us more wholly human. Shamanism and survival The psycho-spiritual techniques we now call shamanism were born of the harsh frozen night at the onset of the last ice age when our palaeolithic ancestors faced a crisis of survival. Around 73,500 years ago on the island of Sumatra the supervolcano Toba erupted. It was one of the largest

volcanic explosions ever known to have occurred on Earth. The eruption lasted two weeks with ash and gas reaching 30 miles into the stratosphere, shrouding the entire planet. A volcanic winter lasting six years was followed by the deepest cold bite of the last ice age, when the worldwide human population may have been reduced to as few as 10,000 people, rendering our ancestors an endangered species. The arrival of the ice and night would have had impact upon the human psyche, the effects of which are still with us today. Our experience of being solitary, isolated individuals is very much a legacy of that time. The trauma of the prolonged darkness and the remorselessness of pervasive ice laid down the blueprint, not so much for an evolutionary expansion and unfolding of human consciousness, as for its becoming progressively more tightly bound up within itself. It would mark the onset of a slow spiritual death, or at least an imprisonment, which would continue right up to the present day.6 Before the ice and night set in, the primal human mind would not have been hidden, located privately inside the brain. Its fluid, expanded awareness would have been more pervasive, extending through the whole physical body, and beyond, into each vibrant natural form it encountered, and out into the very aura and consciousness of Earth itself. It would have been truly creature consciousness. But now, with the shock of the ice, came a compression of consciousness, a massive psychic contraction, causing

this natural openness, innocence and fluidity to freeze and shut down. As the cold bit deeper, human consciousness would become progressively cut off from Earths spirit. And within this prolonged absence of warmth lie the origins of shamanism. For it fell to those gifted individuals the shamans with a propensity for trance and vision, both to locate the outer meat and also to provide the inner heat for the survival of the Paleolithic tribe. From then on, it would only be these specialist technicians of transcendence who could use their skills to help the tribe retain its link with that former, all-embracing awareness, lost during those aeons of seemingly endless time when the Sun was banished and the ice held in its grip the very heart of humankind. Through their ability to journey out of the body, the shamans transcended the confines of the ice, bringing back both spiritual warmth and nourishment and also guidance and advice from the worlds of the spirits, needed for the survival of the tribe. The power animal The shaman never journeys alone. One central and essential feature of shamanic practice is the shamans guardian spirit, or ally, who helps and protects the shaman in all of her missions and journeys into the metaphysical realms, where she goes to seek help or healing for members of her community. Usually the shamans ally is an animal their power animal. For the shamanic quest is a quest for power, for a universal potency which the

shaman obtains through their initiation and immersion in the often chaotic and dangerous astral worlds, and which they use to navigate and negotiate within those worlds. Traditionally, the shamans guardian spirit takes the form of an animal with specific, transcendent powers. The Yakuts of Siberia, for example, see this helping spirit both as an animal and also as a fiery force. Every shamanmust have an animalmother or origin-animal. It is usually pictured in the form of an elk, less often as a bear. This animal lives independently, separated from the shaman. Perhaps it can best be imagined as the fiery force of the shaman that flies over the earth.It is the embodiment of the prophetic gift of the shamanit is the shamans visionary power, which is able to penetrate both the past and the future.7 The shamans relationship with their power animal has been central to the survival of the human species. Witness the engravings and paintings of power animals in the cave temples of southern France and northern Spain, celebrating this vital and intimate relationship. Prior to the discovery in 1994 of the monumental Chauvet cave, deep within the limestone gorges of the French Archche, many people viewed the cave paintings and engravings from the Upper Palaeolithic of which the overwhelming majority are animals as nothing more than the sympathetic magic of primitive hunting cultures, directed toward success in the hunt. Occasional examples of mythical, semi-human figures in other caves, such as the sorcerer of Les Trois-

Frres on the edge of the French Pyrenees, had already led bolder commentators, like mythologist Joseph Campbell, to view ice-age cave art as the product of a shamanic culture, in which certain animals are experienced as possessing transcendental qualities in their own right. With the discovery of the Chauvet cave and an abundance of animals hardly renowned for being hunted and eaten as prey, the signs pointed very directly toward their being painted for the qualities they possess as power animals. As archaeologists David LewisWilliams and Thomas Dowson suggest, a significant component of Upper Paleolithic artderives from altered states of consciousness.8 In other words, they are images, not so much of animals hunted in the outside world, but of the animal within. They depict the shamans power animals, invoked during trance. The two animals most frequently depicted in Chauvet are rhinoceroses and lions, dangerous animals that were not on the Paleolithic menu. As guardian spirits they possess strength and courage, essential qualities to assist the shamans in negotiating the rigours of both the visible and the invisible worlds during that harsh epoch. By entering altered states of consciousness, these artist-shamans were able to experience the presence of the spirits, who for most people existed in the worlds beyond. The interior of the caves brought the spiritual dimension so close to the physical that, in the act of painting or engraving, the shamans were simply touching and marking what was already there.9 In making these images, they were externalizing or

fixing the sensed presence of their power animals. In his monumental study of our deep past, Prehistoric Belief, archaeologist and shamanic practitioner, Mike Williams, emphasizes the reality of this experience for our ice-age ancestors: These were no longer images of the spirits people were seeing, but the spirits themselves.10 Perhaps this was the first time in human history that a need of this kind had been felt and expressed, to give permanent form to a spiritual reality that had become inaccessible to normal human consciousness. The shamans of the Upper Paleolithic were reaching out to a dimension of life that had formerly been perceived by their ancient ancestors as inherent within the very substance of Earth itself. Through engaging in the rituals of their cave painting and engraving, they were expressing an urgent religious need, in the truest sense of religion to re-connect with Earths animating spirit that permeates all life. Our most tangible guide In the 21st century we have arrived at a point in our evolution where we no longer have to rely upon elaborate rituals and ceremonies from the past, or heavy astral psychism, to see or move into the worlds beyond. Advances in our understanding from modern physics have already indicated that spirit, matter and consciousness are all forms of energy. Matter is seen as condensed spirit, a denser form of energy on a slower rate of vibration than many other levels of spirit, but it is a spiritual energy all the same. The material

world is seen as but one of the myriad of interpenetrating realms of existence or dimensions of experience within an unbounded, entangled universe. From this perspective, the physical world we see, hear, touch, smell or taste is the world beyond, only perceived strangely through the senses. We do not have to propel ourselves out of the physical body and soar away from Earth in order to sense the centring warmth of our own eternal, living flame or spirit. It is right here. Ken Careys beautiful transmissions of wisdom, Starseed: The Third Millennium, puts out the same message. There is but the finest veil between you and a full-dimensional perception of reality, the filmiest of screens between you and your eternal self. You require no elaborate technique or ritual to release this veil. You need only open to the organic current of awareness that in every moment flows to you from the source of life.11 The power animal is an aspect of this organic current of awareness. It may be understood as Earths spirit configuring itself for the individual. The living, breathing Earth takes on a form and enters our awareness, so that we may relate to it personally and fully experience ourselves as belonging to this planet, so that it is truly our home. In traditional shamanism the power animal does not manifest physically; it may have a strong presence, but it has always remained transcendent a denizen of the worlds beyond. With the transformation in human consciousness taking place today, this relationship may also shift to a new level of manifestation and intimacy,

bringing the spiritual more deeply into the physical. Just as the elephant or giraffe or any other creature carries the majesty and dignity of its species, so, as members of the human species, we can now grow into the dignity and majesty of our own creatureness and embodiment. As we re-discover the sense of rightness of being a human animal, what was once transcendent can draw closer and express itself physically, becoming immanent. Through our very own creature manifestation, our sensuous, animal body can become our most immediate animal ally and our most tangible guide. Our physical body becomes our animal guardian our own true power animal. Understanding this that the human animal can be a power animal becomes part of a new vision, a new mythology, the essential rainbow bridge, which the human tribe needs to cross in order to open its heart, expand its awareness and experience that organic current of awareness flowing into it, bringing a more vital and majestic experience of being alive. ____________________ Barry Cottrell is an artist, writer, researcher living in Oxfordshire, UK. He is the author of The Way Beyond The Shaman Birthing A New Earth Consciousness, O Books, 2008. His current visual arts project, Totem Body, involving up to 15 international artists was exhibited during June 2011 in the Crypt Gallery under St Pancras Church, London. Further details, see www.earthawareness.com. Contact the author: mail@barrycottrell.com.

References 1. Grossinger, R. (2008). The Bardo of Waking Life. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, p. 186. 2. Kremer, J. (1999). Shamanic Inquiry as Recovery of Indigenous Mind. Toward an egalitarian exchange of knowledge. Published in: Schenk & Ch. Rtsch (eds.), What is a shaman? J Ethnomedicine, special volume 13:125-40. Berlin: VWB Verlag fr Wissenschaft und Bildung. 3. Abram, D. (1997). The Spell of the Sensuous. New York: Vintage Books, p. 53. 4. Abram, D. (2010). Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology. New York: Pantheon Books, p. 299. 5. Dolley, T. (2010). Reclaiming Our Animal Body. Published in: Marian Van Eyck McCain (ed), GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness. Winchester, UK & Washington, USA, O Books, pp. 76-84. 6. Cottrell B. (2008). The Way Beyond The Shaman Birthing A New Earth Consciousness. Winchester & Washington: O Books, Ch 1. 7. Campbell J. (1976). The Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology. London, Penguin Books, p. 266. 8. Lewis-Williams, J.D., Dowson TA. (1988). The signs of all times: entopic phenomena in Upper Paleolithic art. Current Anthropology, 29(2), p. 213.

9. Ibid., p. 215. 10. Williams M. (2010). Prehistoric Beliefs: Trance and the Afterlife, Brimscombe Court, Stroud: The History Press, p. 40. 11. Carey K. (1991). Starseed, The Third Millennium: Living In The Posthistoric World. New York: HarperCollins, pp. 3-4. This article was originally published in: Caduceus Journal Summer 2011, and is posted here as part of a partnership with AllThingsHealing.com.

All Things Healing (allthingshealing.com) is an online portal and community dedicated to informing and educating people across the globe about alternative healing of mind, body, spirit and the planet at large. We are committed to bringing together a worldwide community of individuals and organizations who are working to heal themselves, each other, and the world. We offer 39 healing categories, 80 plus editors who are experts in their fields, a forum for each category, and an extensive Find Practitioners listing. Our Costa Rica Learning Center and Spiritual Retreat is coming soon. Join us! This article is offered under Creative Commons license. Its okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.

Setting up a Henge or Faerie Ring

by Jo Carson, Feraferia

A Henge, or Faerie Ring, forms a circular mandala of greater Nature.

Setting up an outdoor Ring can help you connect with the land and stars. It provides a place for rituals, singing, dancing and meditation, and for watching the earth and sky change through the year. It creates links between you and the earth around you, and can bring in the spirits of sacred spaces you know and visit. Find a space big enough for a large circle (at least 9 feet across) to be laid out on the ground. It should be in an area where you can go regularly, and ideally would be open to the sky and horizon. However, dont hesitate to use your own backyard; it is more satisfying to start there than to lose time wishing for a more perfect location.

Start by establishing the center of your circle, the navel or "omphalos"; it should be a place which feels like "center" to you. Spend some time to find the right spot, observing and feeling the land, the larger surround, and less visible parts such as animal paths, nesting trees, underground waterways, and mineral veins beneath your feet. Push a straight wooden stake or staff into the ground at your center spot. A piece of string can be tied to the staff, and the far end of it used to mark a perfect circle on the ground with something harmless like sawdust, flour or cornmeal. Salt, while useful as a barrier in indoor rites, will kill plant life in the outdoors. Next mark the directions, starting with North. True North is often quite different from magnetic North. True North is the point around which Earth revolves, while the magnetic compass points a place

(currently in northern Canada) where the Earth's magnetic field points downward. It forms the Northern end of what is basically a magnetic cylinder close to, but not identical with, the rotational axis of the earth; this magnetic pole actually moves around true North quite a bit over time. The difference between true North and magnetic North for a given area is called its' "declination". Place a standard compass flat on the ground right next to your center marker. Magnetic north will be shown by the compasss red needle, or moving arrow. Put another stake in the ground out at the edge of the circle, directly where this arrow points, to the North of the center stake. This point will be magnetic North. If you know the declination from magnetic North for your area, add or subtract the correct number of degrees to find true North. For example, in Northern California, magnetic North is about 15 to the east of true North. If you dont have a compass, or want to accurately find out where true North is by eye, find true North naturally. Wait until night, and sight from the center staff to the North Star. The North Star is at the end of the Little Dippers handle. The two

end stars on the Big Dippers ladle point to it. Stand so that you are looking over the center staff, with the North Star directly over the top of it. A flashlight beam can help here. Have a partner plant another stake directly below the star, out at the edge of your circle. Now go to the southern edge of the circle, and look to the north. Moving from side to side, find the place where the center staff and the North Stars stake line up, visually. Put a stake in the ground there, too, marking the South. Next mark the East and West. They will be equidistant along the circle between North and South. You can use the compass, keeping the moving arrow pointed to North, and standing on the far side of the circle from the direction you want to establish. You look past center to establish the direction position on the other side of the circle. One trick is to use a piece of string, a bit longer than the one used to mark the circle. Use it to make sure that East and West are the same distance from North and South. Next find positions for the crossquarters (Northeast, Northwest, and so on). Now you have a stake in the center, and at each of the eight directions.

You can mark the solstices and equinoxes, too. As an example, go to the circle at sunrise on Summer Solstice. As you stand in the center of the circle, looking past the center staff right in front of you, and look towards the sun as it rises from the horizon. Have a friend put a stake or stone marker in the ground out past the edge of the circle to mark this point, lined up with the rising sun. The sunrise position will change through the year. It will be the farthest North at Summer Solstice, and farthest South on Winter Solstice. On the Equinoxes, it will be midway between the Solstice points. Standing in the Ring and seeing the position markers for the Solstices gives you a visceral sense of where you are in the passage of the Year. Note where the moon, planets, and stars rise and set also, and mark them, too, if you wish. In time you might replace marking stakes with decorated wood staffs or large stones, as seen in the photos. It is fun to decorate the markers with seasonal flowers, wreathes and fruit for your rituals. When you are ready, replace the center marker with a carefully chosen flat stone to use as an altar. You can connect your Ring to the land around you by seeking out sacred spaces or wild lands in the eight different directions. Visit each direction and bring back a small natural token, such as a rock, twig, or acorn, and place it on or at the base of the appropriate directional marker of your Ring. Blessing and decorating the tokens turns them into "wildercharms", which, for you, embody the feeling of the land they came from. In ritual, you can use your tokens and wildercharms to help you connect to and call in the land spirits from each direction. As you charge up the Ring by circling round it, either alone or in group rites, the Ring will gain a marvelous energy. You

can make a point of noticing the change in your body feeling as you enter and exit the Ring. Especially after a larger working, you can take this streaming, tingling charge out into the surrounding trees and rocks to touch, hug, and caress them, thus spreading the blessings to the land and *** About the author, and What is Feraferia doing these days?: Jo Carson was initiated in Feraferia in 1974. She is a professional filmmaker, and made the short film "A Dance for the Goddess" based on four of the Feraferia Seasonal Festivals, in 1977. Jo started shooting a Feraferia-inspired feature film in 1989, called "Dancing With Gaia - Earth Energy, Sacred Sexuality and the Return of the Goddess", which was completed in 2009. Jo received Feraferia founder Fred Adams' blessing to continue spreading Feraferian ideas just before his death in 2008. She is the president of the Feraferia Board of Directors. In 2012 she led a Feraferia Seasonal Celebration of Oimelc at PantheaCon. Feraferia is planning a Feraferia Beltaine Celebration in Southern California this May, which interested readers are invited to join. (see contact info below) Currently, with help from Feraferia members and friends, Jo is putting together a large reference book called "The Book of Feraferia, Magic, Lore and Rituals". She is also doing a shorter, coffee-table style book called "The Feraferia Path in Pictures", which includes much of the Goddess art of Fred Adams. It will be completed this Spring, Goddess willing! Feraferia is a Love Culture for Wilderness, centered on the Magic Maiden. The great love-play-work of Feraferia is the unification of ecology, art, myth and liturgy to unify our selves and our souls with great Nature, before and after the

transition we call death. Feraferia's Seasonal celebrations form a timeless, initiatic code of yearly renewal. Facebook has a page and timeline of Feraferia's development. Feraferia and Jo can be

reached through the main Feraferia site, feraferia.org , which also has a vast amont of magic, lore, poetry and rituals from Feraferia.

PATTY BELTZ .. .. Well I am about to open a few chapters in the book of my life. I am born and raised in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. I am 53 years old and am extremely happy in a 32 year marriage to my friend, lover, hero and husband Ronnie. I am a proud Mother of 2 terrific kids, both very successful College Grads and the apples of both my eyes. I am a Groomer by trade and run an Exotic Animal Rescue for Primates and Big Birds and Reptiles. I am an Animal Activist in a BIG way. We also have a Life Sharing Home for 2 mentally handicapped people that we love dearly. I am a Cancer Survivor .....I think? I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons for 25 years and as of recent play Runescape too as does Ron my husband. We collect Dragons and Wizards and Faeries. I totally believe in Magick....and why wouldn't you? We have 4 dogs. Two are Hairless Chinese Cresteds named Kreacher and Dobby and a Shihtzu named Hermione and a Great Dane named Narcissa (my daughter has her sister who is named Bellatrix). Also a very old cat by the name of Elminster and an African Grey called Tyler and 2 Bearded Dragons who are Norbert and Fluffy. Do you get the feeling we like Harry Potter? Well that's about it for now...I love life and love to learn. I hate no one and firmly believe in second chances. This is a part of who I am, I do hope something in it interested you. Brightest Blessings!!! JO CARSON was initiated in Feraferia in 1974. She is a professional filmmaker, and made the short film "A Dance for the Goddess" based on four of the Feraferia Seasonal Festivals, in 1977. Jo started shooting a Feraferia-inspired feature film in 1989, called "Dancing With Gaia - Earth Energy, Sacred Sexuality and the Return of the Goddess", which was completed in 2009. Jo received Feraferia founder Fred Adams' blessing to continue spreading Feraferian ideas just before his death in 2008. She is the president of the Feraferia Board of Directors. In 2012 she led a Feraferia Seasonal Celebration of Oimelc at PantheaCon. Feraferia is planning a Feraferia Beltaine Celebration in Southern California this May, which interested readers are invited to join. (see contact info below) Currently, with help from Feraferia members and friends, Jo is putting together a large reference book called "The Book of Feraferia, Magic, Lore and Rituals". She is also doing a shorter, coffee-table style book called "The Feraferia Path in Pictures", which includes much of the Goddess art of Fred Adams. It will be completed this Spring, Goddess willing!

BARRY COTTRELL is an artist, writer, researcher living in Oxfordshire, UK. He is the author of The Way Beyond The Shaman Birthing A New Earth Consciousness, O Books, 2008. His current visual arts project, Totem Body, involving up to 15 international artists was exhibited during June 2011 in the Crypt Gallery under St Pancras Church, London. Further details, see www.earth-awareness.com. Contact the author: mail@barrycottrell.com.
TOM DONOHUE is a recently retired teacher from Lowell High School in San Francisco, where he taught for twenty years. Prior to that, he was a Public Health Microbiologist, first in Bacteriology then in Virology. He has been a researcher on telomerase at the Blackburn Lab, UCSF. under Nobel Laureate, Elizabeth Blackburn. He has been a member of CAW for over 25 years but considers himself to have been Pagan since the age of seven. He has an identical twin brother who is also Pagan.

STIFYN EMRYS is the pen name of a veteran journalist and educator who has written on subjects as diverse as history, religion, politics and language. He has served as an editor for fiction and non-fiction projects, and his first book, The Gospel of the Phoenix, was published in the summer of 2012. This work, based on years of research into the political and Pagan origins of Judeo-Christian thought, follows in the tradition of such writers as Kahlil Gibran, Thomas Jefferson ("The Jefferson Bible") and Robert Graves ("King Jesus"). It examines the life of Jesus in biblical style through the lens of sources including the canonical gospels, the Jesus sutras, the Gnostic gospels and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Stifyn is also the author of Requiem for a Phantom God. The author is the founder of the Facebook group Pagans of California and the Facebook page Pagan News Now. He has lectured occasionally on the pagan origins of Christianity and continues to research the development of religious traditions. He has worked as an editor, columnist, educator and reporter and serves as editor of the soon-to-be-published young adult novel "Epidemic," the first installment of the upcoming "Mad World" series. His personal belief is that the power of the collective unconscious ("The All" or "That Which Is") is the driving force behind the universe. How we interact with it - and find our place within it - determines our role in the grand scheme of things. The source lies within us, and we are an expression of that source. Our task is to cultivate our own awareness of by acknowledging and seeking to understand our self and our surroundings. Stifyn Emrys lives in California with his wife, stepson, one cat and one dog. MICHAEL R. GORMAN is the Chief Druid Emeritus and Founder of the Sacramento Grove of the Oak, Inc., an eclectic Pagan community that gathers regularly in Midtown Sacramento, California. He is the National Lambda Literary Award-winning author of the innovative biography of Jose Sarria called The Empress Is A Man. His writing covers a range of genres; journalism, poetry, lyrics, playwriting, short stories and non-fiction scholarship. He holds a bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degrees from California State University, Sacramento, and has since his formal studies, become a student of Celtic Druids out of Lewes, England, a teacher, and an ordained minister. You can contact Michael at PoetGorman@gmail.com or visit his website: http://groveoftheoak.org/

LINK Originally from New Jersey, Link resides in Miami Beach. He chose the name Link to honor the important lesson of how all things "interconnect" -- like noodles in the same cosmic broth. Link serves as the National Coordinator for the Pagan Federation International in the USA. He is part of Floridas growing Gardnerian community. Link is an honorary member of the Doreen Valiente Foundation, as well as a member of The Friends of the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft in England and the Covenant of the Goddess in the US. Jobwise, Link has worked for large international telecommunications companies most of his life. (Again, a lesson in how things connect...) He holds a Bachelors degree in Communications and Journalism, and a Masters degree in Business and Government Policy. His writing has been published by Pagan publications around the world since the early 1990s, including Llewellyn Worldwide. According to Link, the most important Book we could ever find is written deep within ourselves, and within nature -- and every day we turn a new page!
IONA MILLER is a non-fiction writer for the academic and popular press, hypnotherapist (ACHE) and multimedia artist. She has appeared in Nexus and Paranoia, authored several books and international publications. She is interested in the effects of doctrines from esoterics, religion, science, psychology and the arts. http://ionamiller.weebly.com ARIEL MONSERRAT has been a Pagan since 1996 and was a member of the Church of All Worlds. She and her mate of eight years, Tom Donohue, moved from northern California to the mountains of Tennessee in 2005. After a number of various careers, including that of psychotherapist for 15 years and a flight attendant, she has finally found her calling as editor of Green Egg. You can contact her at: www.greeneggzine.com ANDREA ZANIN , a.k.a. Sex Geek, has been teaching for over a decade about queer sexuality, polyamory and BDSM/leather for universities, colleges, sex shops, community groups and conferences in Canada, the States and internationally, and she brings an awareness of privilege and oppression to all her work. Andrea is pursuing a PhD in womens studies at York University with a focus on Canadian leatherdyke history. She has been blogging at Sex Geek since 2005, usually focusing on the intersection between sex and politics. She also writes a sex column called "Ask the Sex Geek" for In Toronto magazine, and her essays and erotic fiction have appeared in several anthologies. Andrea lives in Toronto and enjoys watching documentaries, doing yoga, paddling... kayaks, cultivating poly M/s relationships with exceptionally high-quality individuals, eating fine dark chocolate and wearing really hot shoes.