Category: Interviews

10 Questions about Handfasting

by Administrator, posted in Interviews

1. What is handfasting?
The short answer to this question is: a handfasting is a component of a wedding ceremony which entails gently wrapping cords around the bride and groom’s clasped hands and tying a knot, symbolically binding the couple together in their declaration of unity.

However, the long answer entails a bit of back-story. Today’s modern day handfasting ceremony is a revival – of sorts – of the handfastings of yester yore. The act of handfasting was originally an element to a formal betrothal ceremony (the precursor to today’s engagement) perhaps going as far back as ancient Celtic Scotland, up to the 16th century reformation-era. During the formal betrothal ceremony, in which a couple promises to one another their agreement in future marriage, there was a formal handshake to seal the deal. This was called the handfæstung, meaning, a pledge by the giving of the hand, according to A.E. Anton . The betrothals eventually became so formal that it was an event in and of itself, which eventually lead up to the wedding ceremony. Oh, the drama!

And now for the magical part: take into consideration the strength of intent. Fast forward to modern neo-Paganism and their adaptations of sacred ancient (and not-so-ancient) rituals. Modern day Wiccans and Pagans recognize the power of magic which is essentially focused intent. One of the main reasons for this handfasting renaissance, if you will, is because today’s magical community can identify with the symbolism of an elaborate handshake agreement. To illustrate the imagery and importance of the handshake, the knotting of cords around the hands was eventually incorporated, possibly by today’s neo-Pagans. Magical cord knotting presents an outstanding visual in illustrating intent. The handfasting ritual has been, almost effortlessly, adapted and incorporated into our modern Pagan wedding rituals as the main ceremonial element in addition to – or instead of – the ring exchange. Modern Pagans revived the literal tying of the knot.

2. Is it a legal marriage?
The handfasting ritual can be incorporated into any wedding ceremony, just as can the ring exchange. Whether or not a couple chooses to have a handfasting does not make or break the legality of the marriage. Rather, the couple must take the proper steps to ensure that their marriage is recognized by the government if they do so choose. Making sure one’s wedding is legal and binding and recognized by the state (or other municipal entity) varies from location to location, so check your local laws. Generally, there may have to be an ordained (or legalized) officiant in addition to the couple having filled out the proper paperwork (i.e., a marriage license) prior to the actual ceremony. Anyone can become handfasted if that is their intent; rest assured it will be recognized by the Gods. But it may not be recognized by the government – so do your research!

3. Do you have to be Wiccan to have a handfasting?
No. In fact, the term handfasting arose during the early Christian era, when Paganism had already lost much ground. It’s the symbolism that Wiccans and other neo-Pagans have reclaimed and today embrace. But people from all religious denominations can experience the beautiful handfasting ritual during their wedding ceremony. In practice, Wiccans are taught to place well-thought intention into ritual, and therefore they do so into the knotting of the cords. Because of this, the ritual of the handfasting invites a unique, magical experience between the couple. But you don’t have to be Wiccan to feel the magic if your intentions are true.

4. How do I find someone to perform a handfasting?
Go to Handfastings.org and search for an officiant in your local area. Handfastings.org is the first, and so far only, website dedicated to linking people in the Pagan and Wiccan communities with ordained officiants who perform handfastings, weddings and commitment ceremonies, and other rites of passage and celebrations. While the website itself is a work in progress (as I suspect in perpetuity), it will always be a direct source for those who seek someone to perform their handfasting ceremony. One can also find a wealth of information on a comprehensive website called Witcvox.com, where High Priestesses and High Priests can be found in one’s local area. There is also a handfastings Yahoo!Group (operated independently of Handfastings.org) where brides and grooms-to-be ask questions and share information. Otherwise, you are going to have to do what the founder of Handfastings.org did: I searched forever for a Wiccan High Priestess to perform my handfasting.

5. How can I find out if they are legally registered to perform marriage ceremonies?
“The Marriage License Laws for a man and a woman to marry vary from state to state. Although there are differences between the requirements in the various states, a marriage between a man and a woman performed in one state must be recognized by every other state under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution [U.S. Marriage Laws].”

This is where research comes in handy. If you are serious about getting married and you want your marriage to be recognized by your government, you should be just as serious about making sure the person who performs your ceremony is legal. In addition to finding a legal officiant, the couple getting married may also have to apply for a marriage license. Because laws vary greatly from location to location, a good place to begin your research is at U.S. Marriage Laws: http://usmarriagelaws.com where you can find legal marriage information your local area. For other countries please check your local government.

For same-sex unions to be recognized, this has been an uphill battle for many. While I personally advocate for the legalization and recognition of same-sex marriage, the current reality is that you may have to settle for a commitment ceremony or civil union ceremony for the time being (until the rest of the world comes to its senses). But this does not mean that you cannot have a handfasting. Remember, the Gods do not discriminate – if you take a vow with a loved one to be joined in unity during a handfasting, you most certainly will be married in the eyes of the Gods. Government laws have been slow to catch up. Handfastings.org lists many officiants who will be delighted to perform same-sex marriages and handfasting ceremonies.

Oh and by the way, none of the above is intended to be used as legal advice.

6. Tell us about your favorite handfasting that you attended.
Mine! I’m biased, of course. We had a beautiful Wiccan-inspired wedding ceremony, which incorporated components of our own backgrounds thrown in for good measure. Held just before Samhain, Wiccan High Priestess Lady Chandara Anath of Circle of the Crescent Moon presided over the ceremony. She cast a traditional sacred Circle, under the chuppah, a canopy traditionally used in Jewish weddings. The High Priestess “called the quarters,” honoring the four cardinal directions – East (Air), South (Fire), West (Water), and North (Earth), in addition to honoring Spirit (the Gods). After this, she performed a beautiful wedding ceremony, which included the handfasting of my (now) husband and me.

The cords were blessed and then wrapped around our hands to symbolize the solidarity of our union. The cords were tied into a special infinity knot, which we now keep as a token of our love. Then we said our vows, professing our love to one another in front of all our friends and loved ones, and declared our commitment to each other. Then the High Priestess blessed the rings and we had the traditional ring ceremony. Afterwards, my husband broke the glass, a traditional Jewish gesture that basically symbolizes that there’s no turning back (romantic, no?) – and many of the guests yelled “Mazel tov!” Footnote: my mother told me earlier that we wouldn’t be married unless the groom broke the glass. Oy vey!

After this, we stepped down off the platform where we were greeted by a broom (blessed and consecrated by the High Priestess before the ceremony), which was decorated with flowers and tulle. I have always respected the African-American ceremony of “Jumping the Broom,” where the newly married couple begins their new life by crossing this symbolic threshold and literally jumping over the broom. Many Wiccans believe the broom to be a sacred purification tool; hence the adaptation of the broom ritual by many American Witches. Afterwards, we celebrated with a costumed ball reception. A good time was had by all!

7. Is there one set ceremony for a handfasting, or are there options to help tailor the ceremony for a particular bride and groom?
Well now that you have a better understanding of what a handfasting is, you can see that any ceremony created by a bride and groom can be customized to fit the couple’s wishes. The most important aspect of the handfasting ritual, after the intent of course, is the cords.

Traditionally in much of cord magic (including handfastings), cords may be nine feet in length, with each end knotted or bound with thread to prevent fraying. A natural substance is ideal. In many initiation ceremonies, cords are measured as per the length (height) of the person being initiated; however, the numbers 3 and 9 are very magical and can be incorporated simply by using a cord that is 9 feet or 3 meters long, which is totally acceptable.

In handfasting cords, traditionally, 3 cords are used, each a different color: white for purity (or a “clean slate”), blue for fidelity, and red for passion. However, you may choose other colors that you or the bride & groom feel match their intent. For instance, the bride may love the color pink and be using it as one of her wedding colors. Pink would be a lovely color to use in the cords as well. Magically, pink symbolizes love. Do a search for color correspondences or go to: http://geocities.com/fullmoon_magic/color.html for a variety of references. My husband and I used a purple cord – I love purple, which symbolizes spiritual strength. Not to mention that it was one of our wedding colors!

A great site with an overview on basic cord magic by Estelle Daniels is: http://www.estelledaniels.com/Articles/Cords.html

Some people braid the three cords together, others only use one cord. It’s up to you! The best way to pick out cords is to use your intuition along with your intent. You can never go wrong with that.

8. What would you say is the biggest misconception about handfasting?
Considering handfastings are just now experiencing a revival, not many people have had the chance to create false impressions about the ritual. For those who may have heard of handfastings however, there may be a misconception about the original handfasting, or the betrothal, to have lasted a year and a day. The “year and a day” timeline stems from Wiccan ritual, whereby one cycle of the Wheel of the Year is completed (e.g., from Samhain (Wiccan new year) to the day after Samhain of next year. This somehow may have been incorporated into the subconscious minds of some Wiccans and Pagan folk, and they may have come to the conclusion that the old betrothals, or the promise to marry, were also exactly a year and a day. But to the best of my knowledge there is no definitive proof of the handfastings of old to be exactly a year and a day.

The obscurity of handfastings might invite general misconceptions about Wicca or Paganism itself. After my husband and I got married, one of our wedding guests came up to us during the reception and told us that it was a very interesting ceremony. “But I have one question,” he posed, “am I still Catholic?” We had a good chuckle. I asked him, “Well, were you Catholic before the ceremony?” “Yes,” he answered. I confirmed, “Then you are still Catholic.”

9. Any advice for potential brides out there considering a handfasting ceremony?
I think that most people are concerned about family acceptance of the ceremony. Most people have a very narrow idea of what a wedding ceremony should be, and what exactly constitutes someone to become husband and wife. Because of this I have received several questions from people about how to talk to their parents about having a handfasting, or even more pressing, a Wiccan ceremony. Each family is different so approaches should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. But one should always have respect for and sensitivity towards all love ones involved.

As I said earlier, one can easily incorporate a handfasting ritual into almost any ceremony. The further a bride and groom want to stray from the norm, the more complicated it can get (depending on the families and their religions), so a sensitive and understanding approach is always best. And, like in marriage, you may just have to compromise. The journey of marriage begins with the planning of one’s wedding.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?
Yes, Handfastings.org has a few questions for you – a) Have you ever been to a handfasting? b) Where do you see The Magical Buffet 5 years from now? c) Brittney Spears: tressed to impress or shamefully shaved?

Okay Shira, despite the fact that I said one question, because you are so very cool I will answer all of your questions.
a) I have never been to a handfasting. I suck.
b) Hopefully on a new computer. The one it’s being done on now is pretty crappy.
c) If she shaved her head in an act of liberation, shaved is cool. If it really was just the last straw on the way to rehab, less cool. So probably both.


“Lady Artemisia” Shira G. Tarantino, High Priestess of the Goddess,
Wiccan Minoan Tradition of New York

A Second Degree Witch in the Minoan Tradition, Shira has been a practicing Wiccan for more than a
decade. Shira is the founder of Handfastings.org, whose mission is to link people in the Pagan and
Wiccan communities with ordained officiants who perform wedding ceremonies and other rites of
passage unique to the earth-friendly traditions. Established Beltane 2004, Handfastings.org currently
has listed almost 60 officiants in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia. The website is both a work in
progress and a labor of love.

In her “spare” time, as the director of development for a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to
helping low-income women transition into the workforce, Shira supports the growth and sustainability
of the organization and its affiliates around the globe.

It is Shira’s sincere hope that through all aspects of her work she can continue to make a positive,
magical difference in the lives of others. Shira lives with her loving husband and their two cats in
Westchester, New York. Shira can be reached at shira@handfastings.org.

Handfastings.org
Joining Hearts in Perfect Love™

10 Questions with a Mentalist

by Administrator, posted in Interviews

1. What is a mentalist?
Someone who can create the effect of using mindpower by reading minds, moving objects from a distance, predicting the future, and more.

2. You’re a woman of many talents. When practicing your mentalist arts do you associate it with your stage magic, your fortune telling skills, or your abilities as an empath?
I use all three skills in combination to give a more in depth show.

3. Is mentalism a practice that can be taught?
Anyone can do what I do if they spent the same amount of time studying and practicing that I have. Anyone can do simple mentalism if they have the resources to learn.

4. How could someone learn more about mentalism?
They would need a strong desire to buy a mentalism books and read them until they understand what they are reading, and then finally find an effect that they have the courage enough to do. It’s not easy performing for others. I remember I was completely nervous the first time I read someone’s tarot cards.

5. Who is your favorite mentalist and why?
I LOVE Banachek. He is a great mentalism thinker, performer, and he actually fooled the scientists at Universities into believing his psychic powers when he was only a teenager. Not many teens can perform mentalism. It can be a dry study, but somehow he did it.

6. Zatanna, Samantha Stephens, or Circe?
I guess right now I relate to Zatanna because I’m a young magician in New York City having fun. I think when I’m married I will look forward to the family life of Samantha Stevens and do quiet spells in the suburbs to keep up the household chores and familial responsibilities.

When I’m an old sorceress, I’ll probably move to some chic city or island somewhere in the world, and open up a Tarot reading parlour with a rear secret entrance to my magic den. When I’m not at my Tarot reading parlour, I look forward to enchanting young men to my yacht to swim and then having them for breakfast. But that’s just between you and me.

7. When I checked out Wikipedia to read about mentalism there were over 15 noteworthy mentalists listed, and they were all men! Where are all the female mentalists at?
Mentalism like magic is still a male dominated art and can be intimidating for many women. I’m a pretty brash, loud, strong, opinionated person who had to develop a high tolerance for locker room antics of my colleagues, just to be accepted in the fold. I think that is slowly changing, but that is my explanation for the lack of women in the field at the moment.

8. I’m thinking of a number, what is it?
Would you like fries with that? This is not McDonalds! Mentalists hate being ordered around.

9. Is there anything else about mentalism or being a mentalist that you would like to share with us?
It can be a lonely field with a lot of secrets. I find it’s best to have a close friendship with at least one mentalist who also understands the art of divination and the occult and who has a good sense of humor about it.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question!
What is the top branch of the occult that everyone practices on the Magical Buffet, aka, is it Wicca, nothing in particular, Satan, Misc Goth, fan of occult, Santaria, Voodoo, etc…

It’s an interesting question you pose. I would say that over half of our readers would identify themselves as some variety of Wiccan or Pagan. As for me, I’m a hopeless dabbler, cursed to wander the occult landscape. When it comes to personal practice, I probably fall into line most with the chaos magic movement that is out there, but I have huge amounts of respect for the ceremonial practioners. I wish I had their level of discipline. Of course, now that I said all of THAT, I have to say that the more I learn about witchcraft the more I like it. And Voodoo, I’ve been learning about Voodoo as of late and that kicks butt! I think we’re all figuring out Rebecca’s problem here.

Maritess Zurbano redefines the traditional rabbit-out-of-the-hat magic show with enthralling illusions and play-with-your-mind feats of mentalism. Forget balloon animals, vapid-minded female assistants, bad jokes and showy Vegas acts, The Amazing Maritess tackles the male-dominated world of magical feats and shows what a Filipina-American from the Chicago suburbs can accomplish.
As the only female Asian Mentalist in history, and one of the few professional female magicians in the world, Maritess combines dramatic monologue with internationally award-winning sleight-of-hand, mind reading and illusions.
Maritess Zurbano has performed at every major casino in Las Vegas, and toured with her illusion show throughout Asia and Europe. She was nominated for competition in the Federacion Internacionale Des Societe Magique 2000, considered the Olympics of magic. Jane magazine, NHK Japan, Lifetime Television, VH1, Yolk Magazine, The Philippine News, and NYC Newsday love her show.

"Maritess is urban sophistication with an edge"
…New York Newsday

"With her street-smart stage presence, dazzlingillusions, and great sense of humor, Maritessredefines magic for a hip new multicultural age."
…David Henry Hwang

Visit her Website at www.maritess.com

Ten Questions with a Yoga Instructor

by Administrator, posted in Interviews

1. What is Yoga
Yoga is clean thought, clean action, clean relationship. In my practices I try not to stimulate the mind or get caught up in day dreaming and thought theatre. Yoga can be washing dishes, running, conversing with my four year old son. Yoga can be seated meditation, asana, or giving road directions to a stranger. Yoga is anything and everything that is done with reverence and attention. I use mantra when my mind wants to run. It is wonderful to have the rhythm and beauty of the mantra with me often.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are an amazing source for classical yoga contemplation. The sutras begin by setting the atmosphere and introducing the topic:

atha-yoga-anusasanm And now let us talk about yoga

The second sutra gives the definition of Yoga:

yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind.

The entire rest of the book expounds on this idea. There are tools that help us sync up with the outside world, tools to help us know ourselves and the divine, experiences to note that show us we are getting close or having glimpses of this still state of mind.

I believe we all can live in the state of Yoga day and night. That the attempt purifies itself, and that the extreme of samadhi is as great an achievement as right action based in love.

2. What makes Ashtanga Yoga different from other types of Yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of Krisnamacharia and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois is a lovely and multi-dimensional system designed to bring stillness to the mind and peace to the world. I don’t think it is all that different from other traditions of yoga. It just happens to be what I take to. It is extremely physical, like climbing a mountain. There is a set sequence of postures, so it is like taking
the same trail up the mountain every time I climb it. The trail and the views and the varying terrain become familiar. I become moreadept at climbing through the practice of climbing. It becomes a
moving mediation, I no longer need to think my way through.

Ashtanga Yoga is named after the eight limbed path that is explained in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The name is very clever, serving as a reminder of how to approach the mat, how to attempt this big physical practice, how to be content, how to experience these qualities of life
on the mat and then let them overflow into the rest of the day. The practice purifies quickly and anchors calmness, openness, ease in the world.

The eight limbs are:

Yamas

ahimsa non-harming
satya truthfulness
asteya non-stealing
aparigraha non-accumulation
bramacharya chastity

Yamas are basically all the ways one is respectful to the “outside” world. I think it is interesting that chastity is out of consideration for others, not centered on the self.

Niyamas

saucha purity
santosha contentment
svadhyaya self study
tapas austerity
ishvara pranidana constant devotion to the divine

Asana; postures, the fact that we are mass, or the fact that mass exists
Pranayama; breath regulation, energy regulation, the fact that we are energy, or the fact that energy exists.
Pratyahara; sense withdrawal, change
Dharana; concentration, the ability to focus
Dhyana; meditation, the ability to stay connected, continuous and naturally adjusting focus
Samadhi; absorption, enstasy

3. People tell me “Power Yoga” is the same thing as Ashtanga Yoga. Is that correct?
Power Yoga is the title Beryl Bender Birch, my much loved teacher, choose to name her book that introduced the west to the Ashtanga Yoga System. Power Yoga is written with the average person in mind. Beryl makes the assumption that the dedication required to take on the practice of
Ashtanga Yoga is already alive in each of us and all we need is a little attention to detail. She is really an honest person, always comes back around to the basic good in people.

These days Power Yoga can also refer to practices of Ashtanga like intensity, with out the structure of sequencing.

4. What are the health benefits of Ashtanga Yoga? Everyone wants to know, can you lose weight doing Yoga?
The health benefits of yoga are all encompassing and undefinable. Is it a health benefit if you begin to make decisions more easily? Is it a health benefit if you become part of a community? Even if all
that community does is practice yoga together? Or are health benefits only stronger nails, cleaner teeth and the correct blood pressure? When we start looking at the person as a whole, the community as a whole and the world as a whole then separating things to qualify them doesn’t work so well. It could be a health benefit to my love Scott that I do yoga. Or to my neighbor that my family does yoga.

I teach a class “Yoga for Weigh Loss.” It gets people in the studio, where there is little judgment, where we can love ourselves up in a new way, where we can experiment with movement and contentment and discover who we currently are. The weight loss is a side effect of the
exploration.

It can go the other way too. The same practices, the same system can add weight on someone who needs more. It is a system of study, the experiment is one’s own.

5. What, if any, connection exists between Yoga and spirituality?
Life is sacred. We are taught to separate and look at small pieces, break things down and apart to look closely. Yoga is about looking at the connectedness that makes up all the parts. Yoga is
working spirituality. Practicing yoga and studying yoga allows us to walk in the world with respect and continuously discover that balance of action and acceptance to what is going on.

6. How can I find an Ashtanga Yoga instructor?
In finding any Yoga instructor you need to look for someone you respect, someone you could drive across the country with. Someone that is consistent in and out of the studio. All yoga instructors are spiritual teachers, but not all to the same degree. Shop around if you are not completely satisfied.

Here are some good sites for Ashtanga teachers (alphabetical order):

Ashtanga.com
Ashtanga.net
Ashtangamaui.com
Ashtangayogi.com
Mandala.ashtanga.org
Manjujois.com
Power-Yoga.com

7. What if I don’t live near any instructors?
If you don’t live near any Ashtanga Yoga instructors there are a number of good studios around the world where you could get started. I started practicing six months before I met up with Beryl and Thom. I thought everything was going well, I was happy. Then I heard people practicing and watched people managing their own challenges gracefully, with out goals and realized that I was a very very very beginner. I need a teacher, even if I only see her once a year.

There are good books and videos as well, but nothing is like the personal transmission.

8. What is the funniest name for an Ashtanga Yoga pose? Please describe the pose to us.
I think the funniest name for a pose is Tittibhasana, hilarious. Tittibhasana means firefly, the legs are way up over the shoulders, there are a few versions in Intermediate Series. The name sounds like
titty ba assana. First grade humor.

9. What do you think is the biggest misconception about Yoga?
The biggest misconception is “yoga isn’t for me.” Or maybe the biggest misconception is “I am good at it.”

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question.
What is your favorite yoga posture? And your least favorite?

My least favorite pose is anything involving putting weight on my wrists. My wrists are very weak and fragile, so doing those poses requires a lot of caution and moderation, so they’ve all become my least favorite.
Rebecca, doing the triangle pose.
My favorite pose is triangle pose. I like this pose because it was the first pose that I noticed that my flexibility had increased. Whenever I do it, I feel that same sense of accomplishment each time.


Kathy McNames has been practicing and instructing Yoga for over 20 years. She lives in Burlington Vermont with her husband, Scott York and their son Sabian York. Sabian is currently 4 years old and loves sledding. Kathy co owns Yoga Vermont with Liza Ciano.
Kathy’s passion for life involves community, service and study everyday.

http://yogavermontblog.blogspot.com/
www.yogavermont.com

Ten Questions with a Paranormal Investigator

by Administrator, posted in Interviews, Paranormal

1.  You investigate the paranormal?  What exactly do you mean by paranormal?
Paranormal means anything out of the ordinary.  From ghosts to UFO’s to Cryptozoologly (Champy the Lake Champlain Monster, bigfoot, etc) we investigate and research all aspects of it.

2.  That’s cool.  If I want to do that, what do you recommend?
First is to read as much on the subject as possible.  Start by choosing a specific aspect…ghost, UFO’s etc…..and read a lot on those.  Then, seek out a local group to join.  Always remember, that everyone has varying opinions, and you do not have to agree with everyone.  Glean what you can, what seems truthful to you, and leave the rest.

3.  How does your group determine if a location is haunted?
We are an interesting group.  When you see groups on TV, generally they are all one sided in their investigation philosophy…either all scientific or all metaphysical.  We have a great marriage of the two.  We use scientific tools such as EMF (Electomagnetic Field Detectors), Geiger Counters, cameras (Digital, 35MM, Poloroid, Video), Digital Thermometers, etc.  We also use metaphysical tools…dowsing rods, crystals, pendulums, and we have a very talented resident medium who also holds a Doctorate in Parapsychology.

4.  There seems to be a lot of talk about EVPs.  What the heck is an EVP?
EVP means Electronic Voice Phenomenon.  It is an audio recording of voices not present during the time of taping.  These voices quite often occur in ranges that humans cannot actually speak in.  You have to either slow these voices down or speed them up to actually hear what the voice is saying.  Some believe these are actual spirits talking…some believe they are voices "etched" into the environment, in other words, residual energy.

5.  Sometimes I see photos with spots on them.  Are these orbs?
Orbs are a very debated topic in the paranormal research world.  The vast majority of "orb" pictures you will see are simply dust or moisture particles reflecting the light of the flash.  However, we do believe that some "orbs" caught on film are authentic.  We believe that these "orbs’ are the simplest form of energy a spirit can take.  The more authentic orbs show movement.  This movement shows that the object was moving faster than the shutter speed of the camera.

6.  I think the place I live is haunted.  What do I do now?
The first thing I would do would be to contact a reputable local group to investigate….like NNYPRS…from nnyprs.com  Then, I would start a journal of the activities…time, date, occurrence, weather conditions, persons present, etc., whatever seems important.  Also, begin to research the history of your home.

7.  Do you ever communicate with spirits?
For starters, we do not promote the use of Ouija Boards.  They are tools, not toys, that if used incorrectly can be detrimental to the users.  With that said, we are lucky enough to have one member who is a fantastic psychic medium.  With her, we have been able to name persons who have died in the homes, etc, and more.  She is very gifted.

8.  Peter, Raymond, Egon, or Winston?
Peter…he was the cool one!!!!

9.  Casper, Jacob Marley, or Sam Wheat?
Jacob Marley, a little scary, yet his spirit came back to help a friend find his heart before it was too late.

10.  Parting shot!  Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question!
How do you like your NNYPRS swag?  (Can we see a pic of you or your "boss" modeling it?)
It seems unlikely that I’m going to get a picture of my boss wearing his gift from www.nnyprs.com.  I mean, he hasn’t even received it as a gift yet!  But just to thrill you all, here is this…..








Merrill McKee is the President and Co-Founder of the Northern New York Paranormal Research Society (www.nnyprs.com).  He has been actively researching with the group since 2001, yet has researched on his own since the age of 8, when he began reading a book about Bigfoot.

Ten Questions with a Tarot Reader

by Administrator, posted in Interviews, Magic/Occult, New Age

1. First off, what is Tarot?
Simple answer?  The tarot is a pack of 78 cards broken up in to three groups.  Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and court cards.   These cards are basically images that reflect human life and activity.   The most common uses for the tarot varies person to person but includes the, spiritual purposes such as rituals, mediation and spells,  therapeutic purposes, such as spiritual counseling or even in some cases clinical counseling, and divination/fortune telling.  *Note Divination is about predicting what most likely will happen if you don’t change something.  Fortune telling is about predicting what will happen regardless of what you do.  

2. Tarot seems pretty cool, how do I learn more?  
There are many ways to learn more.  There are thousands of websites about the tarot on the net that have nothing to do with the getting a reading.  There is the Tarot School in New York,  learntarot.com and of course my own website Tarot Traditions.   Then there are Yahoo groups.  I run one of those as well, along with thousands of others used to help bring education about the tarot to other people.   For those getting started there are a lot of good beginner books on the tarot out there.  Or if you need someone to hold your hand there are plenty of people who offer courses as well.   But, all you really need is a good deck, a decent understanding of both personal and global symbolism.  For instance, in a general sense all over the world if a bread maker put a loaf of bread on the sign outside their door anyone regardless of their language would know what they sell.   But, a plantation house evokes different thoughts and feelings for say people who live in the southern US than the do for say people who live in the northern part of the US.   

3. With so many Tarot decks available how do I chose a deck to use?  
That’s the hard part.  Most people will tell you just to feel your way through it.  Most books tell you that.  But, you can’t just feel your way through it.  I have found the best test for the right deck is the following.  Go to an occult shop or some place that sells decks but has a deck you can look at.   Look first at the artwork.  Do you like it?  Would you hang a painting done by this artist in your house?  If yes put it on the consider pile, if no give it back to not be considered.    Once you have all of the ones you like by artwork, then look at the little white book that go with them or bring a book you have bought with a good keywords list.   Look at a few of the cards of the deck, compare the image to the meaning.  Can you see the keyword meaning of the card in the card?  Does it need more detail?  Does it need less detail?   If it doesn’t need any changes and you can see that meaning and you consistently see the keyword meanings in the cards, then you have found your deck.  Be prepared that not all cards of any deck will speak to you and the meanings you give cards will change as you become better at reading, but taking the basic keywords you can find in any little white book or text book for the tarot and comparing them to the cards will make it a lot easier on you to learn key words and a lot easier for you to read the deck.   

4. Everyone knows if the Death card shows up in a reading you’re going to die, right?  
Death rarely if ever means death.  In all my 16 years of reading I have had the death card mean death twice.  Once for an older lady who we all knew wasn’t long for this world and the second time it was for a friend of a cousin who was addicted to drugs and she asked specifically if he would die if he didn’t change what he was doing.   Both, of those times, I also pulled the 4 of swords.  To me for it to mean death you need both of those cards but even then it doesn’t necessarily  mean death.  And the four of swords most often means rest and repose.   Truth is death is about change and on occasion that change is physical death.  But, more often than not, it could be the death of a job, the death of a relationship, the death of a project, death of baggage you have been carrying you don’t need anymore.  All Death is be it physical or otherwise, is a change of current circumstances.  When you understand that, it becomes much less scary and starts taking on a separate life of its own away from the ideas of just physical connections.  

5. What Tarot card would you say best suits you and why?  
There are a couple that fit me.  The Knight of wands because I give Knights an astrological connection of Mutable signs and Wands are fire so that makes for Sagitarian which I am.  Another is the High Priestess because I’m always trying to find what’s hidden underneath,  The Empress, I have 6 kids so that one should be obvious as to why.  <smiles>    But, Mostly I’m the Hermit.  I know, people don’t understand that.  I have 6 kids how can I be a hermit?  I believe in living within society while being separate from it.  We do social activities but, I home school the children so that they will grow up to think for themselves.  I live in the middle of no where surrounded by a wild forest allowed to grow naturally how ever it wishes and though I like individuals, I’m not a people person.   People as a whole I believe in avoiding as much as possible.  But, mostly, I believe that my spiritual/life path is my own and I have to walk it myself.   That  means most of the time I’m alone simply because I don’t want others following behind running the risk of stepping in the pot holes I couldn’t avoid and getting hurt because they couldn’t find their own path.   I don’t participate in organized religion of any sort.  I am who I am plain and simple.   Being that way often leaves you alone even if you’re in a crowd.   So ultimately no matter what else I am, I am still the Hermit.  

6. I’m (insert any religious denomination here).  Can I be a Tarot reader?  
Anyone can read the tarot.  But, you have to follow your own personal belief system.  What I mean and this is just my personal opinion, if your faith says that divination is wrong, then you will either have to find a way to reconcile that with yourself before taking up the tarot or you will have to change your religion.   I am a complete believer that you cannot profess to be of a faith if you do not live by its laws.  There is nothing wrong with the tarot.  Most fear of it comes out of a lack of understanding but that is where reconciling with yourself comes in.   I was raised a member of the Church of Christ.   I let go of that religion because I couldn’t reconcile my talent with the tarot with the spiritual beliefs of the church.   To this day it still surprises me to see Christians who read the tarot.  But, that doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t.  They just have to deal with the issues that come from it, decide what to do and then live by their own conscious.  But, to me the tarot is about Psychology and spiritual health not about predicting the future.  If you use it to improve who you are on a spiritual level then it does not contradict religious teachings of any sect.  It is only when you start trying to predict the future or figure out what someone else thinks, and feels thus invading their personal space do you run into religious issues with Christianity.    There are just as many Christian readers as there are Pagan ones.   So if you can reconcile that with yourself then go for it.  If not, then you will have to decide for yourself which is right for you and live with it.  

7. You’re a Tarot card reader so help me out.  Can you tell me how much longer we have to put up with Kevin Federline before Britney Spears ditches him?  
LOL  I wish I could.  I could even try.  But truth is it wouldn’t be too accurate because it isn’t Britney asking.  

8. What is the most important attribute for a Tarot card reader to possess?   
ewww hard question.  There are two that are equally important.  Compassion and self confidence.  Meaning if you let yourself worry that you can’t do a good job you won’t.  I taught myself the tarot by jumping in doing the readings and never believing it wasn’t real or couldn’t be real.  By the time anyone told me that the tarot was a fraud, I already had proven to myself it wasn’t.  It takes that kind of confidence in yourself and the tool to make it work.   But, compassion is equally important. People come to tarot readers for two reasons, there is something in their life they need to fix or they are curious. Even the curious often prove to have a problem that needs to be fixed.  You’re tampering with people’s self worth, and capacity to grow spiritually.  If you don’t do it compassionately or you let your own issues get in the way of the reading, you will cause more harm than good.  So you have to be able to set self aside and focus on the needs of the client compassionately and with kindness while telling them the honest truth as you have interpreted it.   The temptation to tell them what they want to hear is always strong especially when there is a lot of pain connected to the situation.  But, that does no one any favors so even in that you must realize the most compassionate thing is to simply tell the truth.  

9. Have you heard the one about the guy who played Poker with a Tarot deck?  
I haven’t heard that one no.  But, I have played poker with the minor arcana making the Pages basically be jokers and a game called Tarot with the whole deck that works a lot like Spades.  

10. Parting shot!  Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?    
If you could go back in time and spend one day with someone from the past on an important day in their lives who would it be and what day?  

For me it would be Freida Harris on the day she was painting the last of the Sword cards for the Thoth deck and as she finished it the announcement came over the radio that Russia had just joined in on the war.  I can’t remember if it was WWI or WWII but still, It must have been a very potent moment in her life to finish that particular suite only to hear that announcement be played.  This was a really hard question!  But after a lot of changing my mind I finally decided to commit.  I’m going to say that I would have LOVED to have been at the side of the stage when Johnny Cash performed at Folsom Prison.  It was such a definitive moment for him and the landscape of music.  I’m a big Cash fan, if you haven’t guessed!

  • J. Rebecca Cougill is a Certified Tarot Instructor working on her Grand Master Certificate.  She has been reading Tarot for 16 years.  Cougill also runs an online magazine and Yahoo group both called Tarot Traditions.  She was recently named Executive Director of the Tarot Certification Board of America.  Besides her work with Tarot, Cougill is also a Certified Level III Reiki Master and a Solitary Eclectic Pagan.  She has been following a Shamanistic/Kitchen Witch/Natural Witch path officially for the last 10 years, being a second generation Pagan.  Besides all of that, she also has 6 children and a husband of 15 years.  Much of her time is devoted to the home schooling of her children and doing Tarot readings on Kasamba under the name Lady Becca.  Cougill currently lives in Arkansas on 11 acres of woodlands.   
    You can learn more about Rebecca and what she does at:
    www.tarotcertification.org
    www.tarottrad.com
    www.kasamba.com/Lady-Becca

    • 10 Questions with a Druid

    by Administrator, posted in Interviews, Religion

    James W. Maertens holds a doctorate in English literature from the University of Minnesota. He is a freelance writer of fiction and scholarly musings on the subjects of myth, Druidry, magic, and history. He is also a wandmaker and full-time, at-home Dad. He’s a Druid Companion of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, a member of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, and Chancellor of the Avalon Center for Druidic Studies, which he founded. James’s Druidic name is Alferian and his philosophical interests range from Taoism and neoplatonism to alchemy and ceremonial magic.

    Avalon Center for Druidic Studies (http://www.avaloncollege.org) was founded in 2004 to be a school of higher education offering courses and study programs inspired by the ancient Druids, Bards, and Ovates. It is intended to become a center for the serious scholarly study of Druidic philosophy and ancient Celtic traditions. ACDS presently is developing a curriculum of online college-level courses and working towards establishing a physical campus offering residential study. For more information and to apply as a student or a teacher, please see their web site.

    1. What is a Druid?

    Well, that depends on who you ask. The ancient druids are known to us through the contemporary writings of Classical writers such as Julius Caesar who set out to conquer the Gauls in what is now France and who harassed the British in what is now the British Isles. The Romans tended to describe the old druids as priests of the Gauls and Britons, intellectual leaders, doctors, judges, seers and wizards. We have medieval Irish tales that speak of Druids as cultural and political leaders, advisers to kings, sometimes set in opposition to Christian missionaries such as St. Patrick. Merlin, the wizard of King Arthur in the romances has become a classic image for the Druids of old. Sort of the last survivor of the old class of wizards who advised the Celtic kings.

    Today the term “druid” refers to people who are inspired by the bits and pieces of the pre-Christian Celtic myths and legends and the hints we have from the Classical historians. These folks are usually members of one of the many Druidic orders, some dating back to the 18th century. The Druid Revival that occurred in England and Wales in the 18th and 19th centuries attempted to emulate the ancient “priests of nature” and revere them as the indigenous British sages and wise men of the oak groves who fought against foreign conquerors. Some of the early antiquarians who started the oldest Druidic orders sincerely thought they were preserving an ancient wisdom older than that of the Christian church. They were seeking a spirituality rooted in their own land and its peoples, not in the Middle East and the Biblical history of Israel and the Abrahamic religions. Equally well, they sought a philosophy that was not Greek and Roman, for that was considered equally foreign. However, hardly
    anyone today claims to be preserving the practices and lore of the Iron Age druids. We are all quite interested in the Celts as a kind of silent lost culture from which most Europeans descend one way or another. It is the part of European culture which was largely unknown until the Druid Revival and the Irish Renaissance in the last century because, unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Celts didn’t write down anything and left almost no stone monuments.

    In the middle of the twentieth century, there was another surge of interest in the idea of the Druids both in Britain and in America, spurred partly by the boom in academic study of the ancient Celts. So, now there are several branches of what is sometimes called Druidry or Druidism. I myself categorize modern druids into three types.

    First, there are political druid groups in England who aim to protect the people’s right to access Neolithic stone circles such as Stonehenge.

    Second, there are religious druid groups who pursue Druidism as a Neopagan polytheism. Some of these don’t even focus on Celtic deities but seek to reconstruct a hypothetical Proto-Indo-European religion.

    The third category are philosophical druids, whose organizations operate more like traditional magical orders or lodges, pursuing a particular current of initiation with their own individual ceremonies and approaches to meditation, healing, seership, and magic. The three categories obviously blend and are not meant to be mutually exclusive.

    So, you see, because there is no single thing called “The Druid Path,” there can be no easy definition of what a Druid is – or indeed what they were two thousand years ago. And that’s really the center of the deal: Each person pursing their own inner druid and what it means for them to be a druid. It may mean practicing magic. It may mean worshiping Brighid and Lugh or Cernunnos and Cerridwen. It may mean being an ecologist with spritual leanings, or even an atheist who just feels a deep reverence and respect for Nature (however that is defined). Some druids today pursue what they see as ancient Celtic shamanism, a kind of religion that is like the sages and medicine workers of many tribal peoples around the world. Others are seeking connection to their own family roots in one or more of the Celtic-speaking cultures — often Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Brittany, Cornwall. Still others, myself included, are drawn to Druidry as a deep calling that cannot be readily explained by any obvious family connections. So, in the broadest terms, a modern druid is someone who feels some affinity
    with those ancient wise men of the legends, about whom we know very little for a fact.

    Finally, if that wasn’t complicated enough, the ancient Bards of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and elsewhere are considered to have been a part of the Druid order and the only part of it that survived openly in the medieval feudal courts. The Bards were (and are) storytellers, musicians, keepers of history, flatterers and satirists of the powerful.

    In the broadest terms, the Bards were the creative artists of their times and understood how, for humans, reality is woven of words, images, and feelings. This also made a bard something of an enchanter.

    2. Is being a Druid different from being a Wiccan or a Pagan?

    Some modern Druids are Wiccan or eclectic witches, many consider themselves Pagans, but some are
    Christians and some are atheists, so there is a definite difference. Modern Druidry in Britain was revived in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids around the same time that Gerald Gardner was creating Wicca. Of course, some Wiccans will deny that Gerald Gardner invented Wicca as such, but be that as it may, historically, the Druid orders of the British Druid revival contributed a lot of ritual imagery and structure to Wicca. Gardner was a member of the Ancient Druid Order, and the ADO was itself apparently influenced by the ceremonial magical tradition which draws on medieval and ancient Egyptian sources. So, there is a family resemblance among all these threads of philosophy and practice. And, again, the answer to your question all depends on what sort of Druidry one is practicing. Generalizing is hazardous, but from my experience Druid orders and local groves are
    much less intimate groups than a witch’s coven.

    The object of druid groves is not usually to perform magical rites, however the more polytheistic sort of druids do raise “energy” in group rituals for transformative purposes.

    One generalization that is sometimes made is that druids are more cerebral and witches more ecstatic, but I think it’s very hard to generalize about either movement. For me it is more about quiet meditation and communion with trees and animals and plants and about creative endeavors, such as writing and wood-carving. For other druids, it might be about quite different things, but the desire to commune with nature and sacred places seems very common among druids. In America, I suspect the tendency is to want to commune with and connect to wilderness or places of great natural beauty, while in England and Ireland the desire is to connect to places of particular historical significance or places such as Glastonbury Tor and Stonehenge, which are obviously sacred places in the landscape of our British ancestors, even if we can only guess at the details of their practices and beliefs.

    3. I’m (insert any religious denomination here). Can I be a Druid?

    Yes, as long as your religion is compatible with a philosophy that is completely open to individual conscience, inspiration, and respect for all people and all beings. A lot of Neopagans were raised in Christian or Jewish households and have turned to Neopaganism of one sort or another as a way of finding a religion that was more respectful of Nature, sexuality, women, and which was not steeped in the ideas of sin, punishment, and authoritarianism. Certainly, some ancient European pagan cultures were quite patriarchal and did not take an ecological point of view. But still, the root ideas of these religions of the country folk (the “paganus” in Latin) inspire a religion that returns modern people to a deeper connection with Nature and the cycle of the seasons, instead of the profound alienation that most people experience in modern Western culture.

    One can find similar movements within Christianity certainly. The Traditional British Druid orders were founded as fraternal organizations and, like Freemasonry, did not require a member to renounce his or her religious beliefs, whatever they were. Orders such as OBOD and the AODA (Ancient Order of Druids in America) are not constituted as strictly “pagan” organizations. Avalon Center is the same way. While the study programs we offer are often of particular interest to Neopagans, the Center does not promulgate any particular religion,nor is it a religious organization.

    4. I have horrible allergies. Seriously, I’m allergic to just about anything that grows outside. Is my destiny as a Druid ruined?

    No. While druids do like to carry on outdoors and in the Natural surroundings, there is a side to Druidry,
    especially as expressed in orders like the OBOD, which is mainly contemplative and focused on work in one’s “inner grove” within the imagination that is the doorway to the Otherworld.

    Study of divination, healing, and the bardic arts are all part of OBOD’s Druidry and certainly the Druidry that Avalon Center embraces. And, of course, many if not most druids today live in cities. My own vision of a center for Druidic learning places our campus in a rural setting and has the students working with gardens, animals, and forestry, as well as learning the arts of sustainable living, but there is such a range of interests and ways of pursuing one’s own sacred expression that it is pretty wide open.

    5. If I become a Druid do I get to have some cool magical name?

    You can do that without becoming a Druid. Many druids today follow the tradition of magical lodges and take Druidic names, sometimes at each grade of Druidry (if they have grades in their particular tradition).

    My own Druidic name (Alferian Gwydion MacLir) combines three parts that were bestowed on me by my inner guides at the grades of Bard, Ovate, and Druid within OBOD. The three names are actually from three languages — Elvish, Welsh, and Irish — and that triplicity and interweaving of language influences is part of my own peculiar Druidry. The purpose is not to get a “cool” name but to take a name that signifies your self-transformation into something new. Many druids take names from Celtic mythology or one of the Celtic languages, but many also follow the Native American tradition and chose animal names. A magical name is sometimes kept completely secret, like a secret identity, distinct from one’s public face. Many receive their names from their inner guides during meditation.

    6. Do I have to be British to be a Druid, or does it just help?

    No, you do not have to be British or have Celtic blood ancestry to be a druid in most groups. Very few modern druids consider it to be a matter of nationality. The larger druid organizations draw members from all over the world and the AODA is a specifically American group that has historical connections to the traditional British orders. ADF (Ar n’Draiocht Féin) is a different sort of organization that promulgates religious Druidism and Neopaganism more generally, but has separated itself from the Wiccan traditions. But nevertheless, ADF is primarily an American organization and most of its members are American. Traditional British Druidry does, however, focus a good deal on the sacred landscape of Britain and Ireland and on the languges and concepts of those cultures in their pre-Roman forms. The Arthurian legends also figure prominently in the teachings of orders such as the OBOD. So, if you are an American Anglophile like me its fine, but if you have no interest in the history and culture of Britian and Ireland (or some region of Old Celtic Europe), then your druidry will probably take a somewhat different form. I believe many American druids are influenced strongly by the shamanic spiritual culture and myths of Native American tribal peoples. Indeed, so are many of the British Druids.

    7. Your school talks about the “Bardic tradition”. If you would kindly demonstrate this by writing a poem about The Magical Buffet?

    There once was a girl named Rebecca
    Whose tastes ranged from London to Mecca
    She offered up choices
    From alchemy to oysters
    In a buffet for magical trekkers.

    8. Who is your favorite character from The Lord of the Rings trilogy?

    Oh, that’s a tough one. Galadriel, I’d say. I quite identify with Bilbo, however.

    9. Arthur or Lancelot?

    Arthur.

    10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?

    What is the capital of Assyria?

    (Ahem, cough) Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur. Later, as a nation and Empire, it also came to include roughly the northern half of Mesopotamia (the southern half being Babylonia) the capital being Nineveh. (thank you www.wikipedia.org!)