Organizations – Page 7

Profile: The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca

June 30, 2007August 25, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Religion

Text provided by The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca Western Washington state’s oldest, friendliest open attendance Interfaith church of Wicca and earth Religions. We are family friendly and welcome seekers on all Pagan paths and people of all orientations, ages and beliefs. We’ve been here for over twenty five years while others have come and gone. We must be doing something right! Come, worship with us, eat with us, meet new friends. Ask us about SpiralScouts, the ATC’s alternative to mainstream scouting programs that has become world-wide in just a few years.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church, the “ATC,’ or sometimes just “The Tab” is the creation of Pete Pathfinder Davis, who serves as Archpriest along with Deborah K. Hudson, who is Archpriestess of the tradition worldwide. ATC is based on English Traditional Wicca, with a focus of serving the larger Pagan communities by providing open worship opportunities to the public, education, interfaith liaison, and in general, providing the infrastructure available to the followers of most faiths, but previously just not available to Wiccans and Pagans. Things like major Sabbat festivals, full and new moon worship, a place to gather, a lending library, and many other services associated with faith communities.

This all started on October 31 of 1979, when Pete and a few friends decided to form a formal church organization, and established the ATC. It was their intention to establish a quiet place in the countryside outside of Seattle where Wiccans and Pagans could gather for worship without being hassled by ignorant neighbors or suspicious authorities who did not understand their benevolent nature worship practices. The “Tab,” where the church facilities are located, is about 50 miles from downtown Seattle, in the Cascade mountains of Washington, on the banks of the Skykomish river, one of the nation’s last “wild rivers.” Less than a mile away, two twin peaks, Mt. Index and Mt. Persis rise 5,000 feet above the river valley floor. Bald eagles and ospreys nest nearby and soar in the rising wind currents from the nearby hills and mountains. It is truly a natural site in every sense. Out to the rear of the main church building that houses the library, office, kitchen and dining areas, is the MoonStone Circle, the actual place of worship.

The MoonStone Circle is a circle of tall standing menhirs or stones, on a small rise within a stand of old stately cedar trees. This circle was constructed by Seattle area Pagans over a period of two years, using slabs of local granite found along an 1,800 foot high cliff that defines the northern edge of the valley. The circle was dedicated in the evening of December 29th, 1984, in a blinding snow storm. The area was blanketed in new snowfall, and illuminated by literally hundreds of candle stubs, set in the snow. The boughs of the cedars were bending low in their white mantle. The circle dedication was performed by 29 Pagans, some of whom had driven from as far away as eastern Washington, Oregon and Canada. Everyone there had a part in the ceremony. It was a memorable occasion on several counts (it was 2 days before the cars could be dug out of the snow and people could make their return trip home!)

With the participation of many like-minded Pagans, the ATC grew and flourished. Most noticeable was the absence of the customary frictions and infighting common to many Pagan enterprises, to the puzzlement of many observers. Later, we discovered it was due to the fact that we did not define ourselves by who we would not let join in. From the very beginning, ATC was an open attendance Pagan group, where anyone who wanted to attend could, without the usual need for someone to “vouch” for them. Everyone was given a chance to have their say, their ten minutes on the soap box to present their ideas. Certainly, not everyone agreed with everything said, but ATC soon became known as a “safe place” for everyone and their ideas, conventional or non conventional. We believe it is that original concept of Pete’s that is the major force in building the resulting community that ATC has become.

The ATC is a hierarchic organization, though you’d seldom notice that from the way things are done. There is a large core group of about 40 people who are deeply immersed in the activities, outreaches and events of the church, and an overall membership in the Pacific Northwest of in excess of 300. The Archpriestess and Archpriest oversee the overall activities of the church, both locally and on an international basis, through Archpriestesses and Archpriests of the church in each foreign nation where ATC has an official presence (ATC has recognition as a legal church tradition from the governments of USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland and South Africa at the moment. France does not recognize any church.). The Archpriesthood works with an advisory group, the Red Cord Council (or just “the Board”) and virtually all decisions are arrived at through discussion and compromise in the best interests of the mission of the church, by consensus. Rarely, if ever, has a vote been taken on anything. The Archpriesthood, however, retains the right of veto if they believe an action is not in the long run going to be in the best interests of the church or Paganism in general.

Annually at the Hekate’s Sickle Festival held each Samh’ain, the efforts of the members of the church are recognized by the awarding of beads for their cords, each bead having a particular significance. While every member is considered a priestess or priest, to be ATC clergy, one must attend a 4 year college level seminary program culminating in the award of a Bachelor of Ministry degree from our own Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, with recognized religious education status by the Higher Education Coordinating Board of state of Washington. The Seminary also has Masters’ and Doctorate programs available. ATC does not intend to try to tell anyone how they should conduct their own clergy training, but we are fully committed to the professionalization of the clergy of our own tradition if they are to undertake matters as serious and delicate as pastoral counseling in the areas of life strategies, marital problems, and psychological and childhood trauma.

This is just a basic outline of the ATC’s history and accomplishments. No less than noted author Raymond Buckland, the man credited with bringing Gardnerian Wicca to the shores of the USA, has said in his encyclopedic Witch Book “…the ATC has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the most respected Wiccan institutions in the country, if not the world.”

A Chronological History of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church (as of March, 2002)

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church was founded by Pierre C. Davis (aka Pete Pathfinder Davis) on Nov. 1, 1979 in Index, Washington. Davis, born in Jersey City, N.J. on March 22nd, 1937, the second son of Joseph A. Davis, a Catholic, and Adele Claveloux Davis, a self-proclaimed Pagan at a time when there was not yet a Pagan movement (1940s) visible in the United States. While “Pete” was and remains the major moving force behind the church, the ATC is not about him personally, but has become something much larger, standing on its own as a leading force in Paganism today. The ATC continues to be based in Index, Washington where ATC erected the MoonStone Circle, an outdoor circle of tall standing stones in a grove of tall old cedar trees behind the church buildings. This worship site was dedicated and consecrated on Dec. 29, 1984 by 29 Wiccans who arrived there for the ceremony from three states, during a blinding blizzard strength snowstorm.

Davis had received his first initiation into the craft on the 14th. of August, 1974, in Patterson, New Jersey, into a small, closed and very secretive tradition known as the Dorpat tradition. He was subsequently initiated into the Kingstone branch of English Traditional Wicca on the 21st. of September, 1983, after relocating to Seattle, Washington. Although it was his intention only to establish a small Wiccan retreat in the mountains near Seattle for local area Pagans to worship unmolested, it quickly became his objective to establish a Wiccan church with the recognition of the federal government, tax exempt status, to gain tolerance if not acceptance by the local mainstream religious bodies. The Goddess, however, had a much larger view and the ATC received governmental recognition in the USA on November 12, 1988 and subsequently gained IRS Group Exemption umbrella recognition as a Wiccan tradition on Dec. 30th., 1991. Any congregation that ATC accepts as an affiliated group in the U.S. receives automatic recognition as a tax exempt church through this Group Exemption.

The ATC went on to receive recognition in Canada Nov. 15th., 1993, and was registered and recognized in 1994 in the country of Australia through its’ affiliate there (which received its original recognition in 1984). The church was established in Ireland by Janet and Stewart Farrar on Feb. 24th., 1999, and subsequently received governmental recognition there as the first (and only) officially Wiccan/Pagan church in Ireland through the efforts of Rev Barbara Lauderdale, presiding elder, in October of 2001. The ATC has also been recognized by the government of South Africa in August of 1998. The ATC maintains a presence in France since April 24, 1999, but France does not officially recognize any church organizations, not even Catholicism, and recently has enacted restrictive laws against all minority religions. Recognition is in process in New Zealand at this writing.

There have been a number of “firsts” in the history of the ATC. In March of 1985, as a result of Davis’ being retained by the Washington State Attorney General as an expert witness to enlighten the Federal Court in Tacoma, WA. about the tenets of the religion of Wicca in a lawsuit brought by a prisoner, Wicca became acknowledged by the Department of Corrections as a religion worthy of recognition for inmates to practice. Shortly thereafter, Wicca appeared in the department’s first edition of “Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices” published for institutional chaplains.

In 1992, the ATC was accepted as the coordinating agency for the appointment of Wiccan delegates to the Interfaith Council of Washington (state), and in 1992, Rev. Pete Davis was unanimously elected as the president of the Interfaith Council of Washington. He served two terms, being unanimously reelected at the end of his first term. (So totally unheard of, this has to be a “first” for a Wiccan priest or priestess anywhere in the known universe!)

On April 7th of 1994, the ATC, through its in-house publishing effort then known as Pathfinder Press, issued the first of several mass-produced Pagan tracts (or, more correctly, anti-tracts) intended to educate as well as take some pokes at the fundamentalist Christian tracts published by the Jack T. Chick Publishing Co. of Chino, CA. ATC’s tracts, “The Other People” and “Heathens Idolize School Prayer” were published as parodies of Chick tracts, in the exact same format and appearance as Chick, with the same purpose in mind.

In October of 2001, the first outdoor Circle of tall standing stones was erected within the confines of the Twin Rivers Correctional Facility as a place of Wiccan worship. To our knowledge, there exists no other state sanctioned Wiccan outdoor stone circle intended for inmate worship anywhere in the world.

On April 2nd, 2001 ATC incorporated formally a young people’s nature lore and woodcraft program which had been begun in 1999 only as a local activity for the mother church. Because of the demand for some alternative to the Boy Scouts of America’s gender biased, and in some areas its pervasively fundamentalist Christian programs, “SpiralScouts” was launched as an international organization. SpiralScouts (note it is one word) was developed through an Internet on-line committee of slightly more than 500 participants, presaging its phenomenal acceptance and growth in the Pagan community worldwide. The program was created in such a fashion as to allow its use by any minority faith (or no faith at all) based group as a vehicle to educate children in a particular tradition. The program is adaptable to any non hostile religious community. As of July of 2004, in the months since SpiralScouts “went public,” there are over 100 chartered SpiralScouts groups in the US and Canada. The program continues to grow rapidly. (see WWW.SpiralScouts.org)

Established in April of 1998, the ATC’s Woolston-Steen Wiccan Theological Seminary received authorization from the Washington State Dept. of Higher Education’s Degree Authorization Board to issue academic degrees in Wiccan Ministry in August of 2000 under the agency’s religious exemption regulations. This seminary appears to this writing to be the only Wiccan educational effort to be granted an Internet identifier ending in (dot) edu. (see www.WiccanSeminary.edu).

Chronology: WebCrafter’s Note: The following chronology describes much of Pete’s life and accomplishments, and he expressed his concern over it looking like a “Pete Davis Dog and Pony Show”. It is my contention that without the energy and vision of this one man, the ATC might never have been started in the first place, and certainly would not have grown to the size it is now, or would have accomplished even half as much. The members and clergy of the ATC should look upon this chronology as an example of what a serious minded Pagan can accomplish if he or she puts aside his or her own self-imposed limitations, and just does what is right.

March 22, 1937- Pierre C. “Pete Pathfinder” Davis born in Jersey City, N.J..

August 14, 1974- Davis first initiated into Wicca in New Jersey.

August 1, 1976- Davis and his family relocate to Seattle area from New Jersey

November 1, 1979- Davis starts the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, WA.

September 21, 1983- Davis initiated into the Kingstone tradition of Wicca in Seattle, Wa.

Summer of 1984- Davis and friends build a circle of standing stones in a forest grove.

December 29, 1984- The Moonstone Circle is dedicated in Index, WA. Summer,

1985- The ATC tradition liturgy is formalized and written down.

March, 1985- Davis hired by Washington Attorney General as an expert on Wicca in a federal civil rights court case brought by a prisoner. The prisoner prevails.

March, 1985- ATC’s first Spring Elusinian Mysteries Festival is held.

December, 1985- Wicca is listed as an accepted religion by the Washington Dept. of Corrections’ publication, “Chaplains’ Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices (1985)” in an entry written by Davis.

November 12, 1988- ATC receives IRS Letter of Determination of tax exempt status.

March 1990- ATC appointed the coordinating Agency for Wiccan and Pagan religion members by the Interfaith Council of Washington State.

May, 1991- ATC decides to expand into a nationwide tradition.

December 30, 1991- ATC receives IRS Group Exemption as a Wiccan church tradition.

January, 1992- Davis is first Wiccan Priest ever to be listed in Marquis’ “Who’sWho in Religion.”

March, 1992- Davis unanimously elected president of the Interfaith Council Of Washington State.

November 15, 1993- ATC-Canada receives official registration in Canada.

January 31, 1994- Church Of Wicca of Australia-ATC receives tax exemption in Australia.

March 1994- Davis unanimously reelected president ICOW.

April 7, 1994- ATC published “The Other People,” the first Wiccan anti-tract.

September, 1995- ATC’s Spirit Series of publicly offered Wiccan classes begins.

September, 1996- “Heathens Idolize School Prayer,” the second anti-tract, is released.

April 23, 1997- MoonStone Circle at church is vandalized; attacker confesses but is never prosecuted.

August 27, 1997- ATC is the first Wiccan/Pagan organization to apply to Veterans Administration for approval of the Pentacle as a religious symbol for use on government supplied headstones and markers for deceased veterans, beginning an eight year long battle to have Wicca and Paganism recognized by the VA.

August, 1998- ATC-South Africa is established and recognized.

April, 1998- The Woolston-Steen Wiccan Theological Seminary established.

February 24, 1999- ATC-Eire established by Janet & Stewart Farrar in Ireland.

April 24, 1999- ATC established a presence in religiously hostile France.

February, 2001- Ray Snyder, ATC representative to The Interfaith Association of Snohomish County (WA) was elected president of that organization.

June, 2000- Woolston-Steen Seminary recognized as a degree granting religious college level education institution by the State of Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board.

April 2, 2001- SpiralScouts International established as a Wiccan youth group.

October 1, 2001- ATC-Eire receives notice of official registration as the first tax exempt Wiccan church recognized by the Irish government.

October, 2001- ATC facilitates the construction by Wiccan inmates of the first worship ring of standing stones within the confines of the Washington Twin Rivers Correctional Center prison at Monroe, Washington.

October 31, 2004- the ATC celebrates its 25th anniversary as a public Wiccan church.

March 2005- ATC celebrates the 20th continuous presentation of ATC’s world renowned Spring Mysteries festival, the recreation of the Elusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece.

In the words of Pete Pathfinder Davis, ATC founder & Archpriest: “Never Forget that life is a journey, not a destination. You will never build a reputation on what you are going to do, and unfortunately, it’s never too late to do nothing. Only those who can see the invisible can accomplish the impossible, so go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have, right now! If you can dream it, you can do it, so do the things you think you cannot do. Luck is nothing more than good planning, carefully executed. Wisdom is knowing what comes next, and knowing just when to jump off the swing. You are only young once, but if you don’t pay attention to life’s lessons, you will be immature forever.”

To learn more visit: www.aquatabch.org

Roman Catholic Womenpriests

June 11, 2007August 25, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Christianity/Catholicism, Organizations, Religion

Canon Law 1024, “A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly.” This is from the Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, which was put forth on the feast of Pentecost in 1917, and later revised in 1983. So when I see the statement that only a baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly I feel forced to ask, “Says who?” The answer is a bunch of guys in 1917. Not good enough for me, nor is it good enough for the Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

In 2002, the Danube Seven were ordained. The Danube Seven are a group of seven women from Germany, Austria, and the United States, who were ordained on a boat on the Danube (river that is) by Romulo Antonio Braschi. Although Braschi has since left the Roman Catholic Church, he was at the time a valid Roman Catholic Bishop. Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church viewed this as an extreme violation of Canon Law and when the women refused to repent, they were excommunicated and their ordination was invalidated.

A movement was born that is active to this day thanks to the efforts of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests (http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/index.htm). In fact, on May 27, 2007 in Toronto (that’s in Canada for you kids playing along at home) 5 women and 1 married man were ordained as priests or deacons.
In an article on Canadianchristianity.com (http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/070531priests.html) Father Damian MacPhearson, Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto was quoted as saying, “Since Roman Catholic doctrine forbids the ordination of women, the ordinations are automatically invalid.” This is in response to the RCWP’s assertions that its ordinations are in apostolic succession since they began with ordination by a Roman Catholic Bishop. MacPhearson was quoted in the same article stating, “Whatever happened today had no relationship to the Roman Catholic Church whatsoever, whatever those individuals may say.” In case a church based smack down is not annoying enough, The National Post ran a brief, and I might I mention unattributed, editorial letter in response to the ordinations (http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/editorialsletters/story.html?id=a4bf9bc7-2ab7-4679-b341-8cc2008fb5b0). In this piece, the author encourages the women to “go find another Christian sect” and suggests, “they (the RCWP) are less interested in reforming their faith than in putting on showy feminist stunts.” To that I say, if you’re not man enough to sign your name, your opinion doesn’t matter. I like my critics to have enough conviction to sign their name. (In case you weren’t aware, Rebecca Elson is writing this piece.)

So, just what is the deal with these evil subversive women? I went to their website and found “A Brief Overview of Womenpriests in the History of the Roman Catholic Church” (http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/RCWP_Resource.pdf). It tells me that “In our mission statement we clearly uphold the following: The goal of the group ‘RC Womenpriests’ is to bring about the full equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time we are striving for a new model of Priestly Ministry. The movement ‘RC Womenpriests’ does not perceive itself as a counter-current movement against the Roman Catholic Church. It wants neither a schism nor a break from the Roman Catholic Church, but rather wants to work positively within the Church.” Those vixens! In the same document they mention an equally world destroying opinion, which is “We All are church, not just some.” And that “We reflect the people we serve: married, celibate, domestic partners, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered.” How dare they try to be all-inclusive and adapt to our modern society! I mean, just because it’s largely known that in 1976, the Pontifical Biblical Commission concluded that there is no biblical reason to prohibit women’s ordination, doesn’t give them any justification to feel that can be ordained Roman Catholic Priests! Oh, wait, that is not too bad a justification.

There’s more where that came from too. To see more arguments to their point visit the link to their document. However, just like a paranormal investigator speaking about skeptics, “For a believer there is already enough proof, but for the skeptic there will never be enough.” Neil MacCarthy, a media relations representative for the Archdiocese of Toronto, says in the Canadianchristianity.com article that the Church “doesn’t have the authority to change the rules Jesus established.” Then how and why were the Canon Laws revisited after 1917? Also, I’m not a New Testament girl myself, but I doubt that Jesus said, “Don’t let women be priests.” I could be wrong on that one. Of course, not to worry, both MacPhearson and MacCarthy point out in that article that there have been statements made by recent Popes affirming the role of women.

I read one of the statements in question (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_29061995_women_en.html) and I was not impressed. Don’t get me wrong, those Popes write some beautiful documents, but as a woman, I didn’t find it very satisfying at all. Pope John Paul II thanks women for all the important roles they fill, but in my opinion, the Pope thanks us for being team players, but never offers the indication that he thinks we could ever coach.

After everything I’ve read, I have come to this conclusion, these women are Roman Catholic Priests and Deacons. They are members of the Roman Catholic Church, and that despite what Father Damian MacPhearson says, everything these women do is in relationship of the Roman Catholic Church. To say otherwise is ludicrous. These women were baptized in the Roman Catholic faith and have never stepped off the path of that faith, and in fact were so inspired and moved by the Roman Catholic faith, that they desired to become ordained priests. At what point do you feel they stopped being Roman Catholics? I cannot see it. The role of the Roman Catholic priest is unlike any other role within the Church, and to try to sell people on the idea of settling for a different position is outdated thinking.
It’s 1917 thinking. It’s before the Pope was even televised kind of thinking! Religions need to respect that 1917 is not 2007, and that their followers are not the same people that they were 90 years ago. It is time; in my opinion, it’s well past the time, to allow women and married men the option of becoming priests. I would also say homosexuals, but it’s the Roman Catholic Church, what do I expect, miracles?

I have been in contact with Bridget Mary Meehan, Media Contact with RCWPs. She was kind enough to send me one of her published articles with permission to quote until my little heart was content. It’s a thoughtful piece, and here are some of her thoughts that I would like to share with you.

The Catholic Church teaches that a law must be received by the faithful. Seventy percent of Catholics in the U.S. support women’s ordination. Therefore canon 1024 which states that only a baptized male may receive Holy Orders does not have the force of law because it has not been accepted by the community or sensus fidelum.

In fact, we have a moral obligation to disobey this unjust law. St. Augustine said that an “unjust law is no law at all.” As Cardinal Walter Kasper, the former bishop of Rottenberg-Stuttgar, Germany and current president of the Vatican ‘s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity wrote: "Some situations oblige one to obey God and one’s own conscience, rather than the leaders of the church. Indeed, one may even be obliged to accept excommunication, rather than act against one’s conscience. It is time for an inclusive church, in which all are welcome at the table.”

Amen.

Profile: Pagan Troop Support

May 31, 2007August 25, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Wiccan/Pagan

Article provided by Pagan Troop Support

In efforts to build a stronger global Witch/Pagan community I have founded the organization Pagan Troop Support.

The purpose of Pagan Troop Support is to provide a support system to our Pagan/ Wiccan military men and women who are deployed overseas. Through donations we hope to provide them with the ritual items needed in order to practice their faith and perform ritual wherever they may be and also to provide a networking resource to them as well as their families.

This organization, Pagan Troop Support, is my way of giving back and saying thank you to all those who give to us everyday, and also to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life. I think that often times we take for granted what freedoms we do enjoy in this country, among them the freedom of religion and the ability to practice our faith in the open. I’m very thankful for this freedom, it came with a very high price, not only from our military servicemen and women, but also from those elders in the Witch community that have walked the path before us and fought for that right as well, and so this is my way of giving back to the Witches/ Wiccan/ Pagan community, and serving the greater good.

I have received an overwhelming response to this, and I’m so happy to have all of the supporters that have joined me in my efforts, and would like to thank them all. On the flip side of the coin, there are those few with opposing arguments of “It’s not politically correct”. Well, to those people I say, “We need to put aside our personal views on war and accept the here and now, and what is, because despite our own view, the fact is we are still at war, and there are people that are in need of help and support.” All the while projecting for a swift end to the war and the safe return of our soldiers to their families.

At this time the biggest question I get is “What can I do to help?” The best thing at this time is to spread the word that this resource is available, and if you should know any servicemen or women that are deployed, and may be in need of ritual items let them know we are here. Have them get a hold of us if they are in need of Occult related items. We have received a huge wish list from our Pagan Troops overseas, and at this time we are diligently working on fulfilling as many of these wishes that we can. If you would like to donate items, you can go to our website www.pagantroopsupport.org and click on donate items on the far left and send us an email, we will contact you shortly thereafter. You can also join our forums for discussion whether it be occult related discussion, military related, or just in general, we currently have a growing forum community.

Pagan Troop Support in no way condones War or Violence of any kind, but attempts to make this world a better place by lending a hand to those in need, and assisting the growing Witch/Pagan community.

If you haven’t already, please drop by and visit us at www.pagantroopsupport.org you may also find us on my space by clicking the link to Pagan Troop support on My Space icon at the far left on the website. You can also hear the first Pagan Troop support podcast at http://pagantroopsupport.mypodcast.com/200704_archive.html.

Profile: The Ghost Research Society

April 30, 2007August 24, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Paranormal

Text Provided by The Ghost Research Society

The Ghost Research Society is one of Chicagoland’s oldest and most respected paranormal research groups. It was founded in 1977 by Martin V. Riccardo and was originally called The Ghost Tracker’s Club. At that time, Dale D. Kaczmarek was its Research Director. Its members were from all walks of life but mostly those who just shared an interest in ghost research, hauntings and poltergeist phenomena. In 1982, Dale D. Kaczmarek was given full ownership of the GRS and became its President. Since that time, the Ghost Research Society is legendary within the field of ghost research.

Today, society members actively research and investigate all reports that come their way including private homes and businesses. The society also analyzes alleged spirit photographs, video and audio tapes that they come across from ordinary people or society members. The GRS operates using a number of devices, including air ion counters, cell sensors, electromagnetic field Gaussmeters, electromagnetic field testers, field strength meters, Geiger counters, G.E.I.S.T. (custom designed for the GRS by electronics specialist Stan Suho), magnetic field detectors, negative ion detectors, tri-feld meters, and night vision cameras and monitoring equipment.

The GRS has investigated a number of notorious locations both in the public and in private homes. A very small sampling of locations includes Graveyard X, the Joplin Spooklight, the Polish Museum in Chicago, That Steak Joynt, Rico D’s, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Robinson Woods Cemetery, Rosehill Cemetery, Mineral Springs Hotel, the McPike mansion, the Lemp mansion, and Gettysburg. In March 2006, the Ghost Research Society was the first paranormal group to investigate the haunted Hooter’s restaurant at Wells in Chicago. The GRS is in high demand to research private homes as well and often conducts investigations upon request.

GRS President Dale Kaczmarek is well known within the ghost research field. He has been asked to speak at many conferences and lectures, and is sought out as a trained investigator. Dale is the author of four books, Windy City Ghosts, Windy City Ghosts II, A Field Guide To Spirit Photography, and Illuminating the Darkness: The Mystery of Spooklights. Dale has appeared in numerous publications including the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Dallas Morning News, Detroit News, Fate Magazine, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Dale has also appeared on television several times including the Oprah Winfrey Show, A & E, the Sci-Fi Channel, and Discovery Channel. Further information on Dale can be found at http://www.ghostresearch.org/about/dkbio.html

Today, Dale is the operator and manager of the popular Excursions Into the Unknown tour, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2007. This tour covers Chicago’s and the Chicago suburbs’ most haunted areas. The tour changes every year, so repeat patrons are always guaranteed an interesting and informative evening! There also are specialty tours such as “Murder and Mayhem” and “Tragic Events”. There are several off-stop points where participants can get a good up-close look at many famous haunted locations. All tours are run by Dale himself so riders are ensured an insightful evening with plenty of opportunities for question and answer sessions. The evening has often proved to be quite eventful as ghostly photos are frequently taken by riders on the tour! Tour information can be found at http://www.ghostresearch.org/tours/

In 2004, the Ghost Research Society expanded their goals by creating the Ghost Research Society Press. Authors and GRS members Dale Kaczmarek and Jim Graczyk joined forces to form their own publishing house. The Ghost Research Society Press not only covers books written by GRS members, but has also branched out to local authors such as Tamara Shaffer, writer of Murder Gone Cold: The Mystery of the Grimes Sisters. The GRS Press is always looking for potential new authors with an eye for the paranormal. You can learn more about the Ghost Research Society Press at http://www.ghostresearch.org/press

The GRS is also now sending out free monthly ghostly newsletters. These cover local ghost tales, information on the GRS and the GRS society press, book reviews, and topics in the world of ghosts. Please e-mail Dale at dkaczmarek@ghostresearch.org if you would like to sign up for the newsletter.

Like many ghost groups, the GRS also now has its own CafePress shop. This online boutique offers a number of great items such as calendars of ghostly photographs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, tote bags, caps, mugs, and coasters. The CafePress shop is located at http://www.cafepress.com/ghostly

The GRS is always looking for new members! There are four levels of membership available: Associate, Sustaining, Patron, and Lifetime memberships. Members are invited to attend the bi-monthly meetings, receive copies of The Ghost Trackers Newsletter, attend haunted location investigations, and receive discounts on GRS merchandise and Excursions Into the Unknown tours. We invite you to check out the Ghost Research Society website at http://www.ghostresearch.org/ to learn more about our group. You can contact Dale directly at dkaczmarek@ghostresearch.org

Profile: The Grey School of Wizardry

March 31, 2007August 24, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations

By Susan “Moonwriter” Pesznecker
Dean of Students
Grey School of Wizardry

Once upon a time, actually not that long ago, a Wizard lived in the mythical land of Norcalifia, where he enjoyed spending time with family in a natural setting, working on his art, and studying wizardry. Many other magickal folk visited him on his land. Most of the visitors were adults, but several brought along children who they were raising in the grand tradition of magick. It gave the Wizard pause, and one night he began thinking about how hard it must be for youngsters to study magick in a decidedly “mundane” world. Then and there, he resolved to do something to bring children closer to the wonders of magick and wizardry. His first step was to write a sort of “handbook,” the Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard. As is often the case, one good idea leads to another, and as the Grimoire took shape, it occurred to the Wizard that it might be wonderful to start a school for magickal children, a special place where they could study wizardry, practice magick, and chat about arcane topics in their very own Great Hall.

Sound like a fairy tale? It’s anything but. The Wizard is none other than Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, a noted Pagan elder living in Northern California with his family. The school is the Grey School of Wizardry, an on-line school of magick, arcane lore, and general wizardry that opened on August 1, 2004 with 25 registered students and a handful of faculty. Originally designed as a school for children ages 11-17, the Grey School was surprised not only by the youths who came knocking on the door, but also by the adults who sought entrance. Rather than turn anyone away, adults and children alike were welcomed, and the rest is history. Today’s Grey School accepts students age 11 and older and includes some 700 active students and more than 40 staff and faculty, with enrollments increasing daily. Students and faculty hail from all fifty states, a number of US military bases, two American Embassies, and several countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada (7 provinces), Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Istanbul, Mauritus, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela. The northernmost student lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, while the southernmost resides in Santiago, Chile. Students’ ages range from 10 to 72.

Everything done at the Grey School is driven by the school’s visionary motto—Omnia vivunt, omnia inter se conexa (everything is alive, everything is interconnected)—and its mission statement: “It is the Mission of the Grey School of Wizardry to make available the Wisdom of the Ages to a new Generation and a new Millennium.” New students enter a 7-level program, each level increasing in rigor. Completing one level requires 24 credits, equal to about 8-12 classes, depending on difficulty. Classes are divided among 16 departments. The following section introduces each department and gives an example of an entry-level (Level 1) class and a more challenging class:

Department of Wizardry (Color correspondence: Indigo): Indigo relates to perception, imagination, illusion, and the ability to see patterns. This Department provides a basic introduction to Wizardry and magick.
· Level 1 class: Wizardry 100: Becoming an Apprentice
· Upper level class: Wizards of History 301: Medieval (Level 3)

Department of Nature Studies (Silver): Silver represents the color of the Moon, the secrets of nature, women’s mysteries and magicks, and witchcraft. Nature Studies includes all aspects of natural science and mysticism that relate to nature and its mysteries, plus such practicalities as naturalist studies and outdoor craft.
· Level 1 class: Green Magick 101
· Upper level class: Natural Wonders 606: Geysers and Hot Springs (L6)

Department of Magickal Practice (Gold): Gold represents the color of the Sun, the sign of Leo, adolescence, joy, fruitfulness, and nobility. Magickal Practice includes the practical foundational basics and magickal hardware: theory, tools, regalia, the sanctum sanctorum, principles of correspondences, signs, symbols, spells, and charms.
· Level 1 class: Your Sanctum Sanctorum
· Upper level class: Planetary Correspondences (L4)

Department of Mind Magicks (Aqua): Associated with Friday and the planet Venus, Aqua is an excellent hue for peacefulness and profound reflection. Meditation is the basis of most of the Eastern disciplines of magick and wizardry. This discipline also includes all forms of psychic development, dreamwork, pathworking, and other mind magicks.
· Level 1 class: Core Energy Practices
· Upper level class: Meet the Indigo Children (L4)

Department of Healing (Blue): Blue is the color of emotional work, healing, wisdom, and thoughtfulness. Healing refers to all forms of magickal arts and practices devoted to curing diseases, relieving aches and pains, promoting tissue regeneration, and restoring vitality and wellness.
· Level 1 class: Introduction to the Healing Arts
· Upper level class: Healing Charms and Talismans (L4)

Department of Wortcunning (Green): Green is the color of vegetation, as in gardening; also fertility and prosperity. Wortcunning (an arcane term for herbalism) is the lore and art of knowing and using the magickal, medicinal, and other properties of plants.
· Level 1 class: Kitchen Witchery 101
· Upper level class: Anatomy and Physiology for Herbalists 601: Skin, Muscle, and Bone (L6)

Department of Divination (Yellow): Yellow is associated with mental work; meditation, will, intellect, divination and communication. Divination is the art of foretelling or predicting the future or of discovering things that are lost, hidden, or secret. Although not all seers were Wizards, all Wizards are expected to be seers.
· Level 1 class: Mantic Arts, Divination and Augury
· Upper level class: Tarot 301: Choosing a Deck (L3)

Department of Performance Magick (Orange): Orange is attuned to warmth, friendship, abundance, spirit, will, principles, theory, and alertness. Also called conjury, stage magick, and performance magick, this area deals with illusions and special effects, as well as the bardic arts of music, chants, poetry, singing, and storytelling.
· Level 1 class: Conjury 101: Magic Without the K
· Upper level class: Storytelling 401: Tales of the Fabulists (L4)

Department of Alchemy and Magickal Sciences (Red): Red is the color of fire, inspiration, vitality, pride, anger, bravery, strong emotions, purification, and arid places. Alchemy is the magickal art and science of transformation and transmutation. Aspects of magickal sciences include philosophy, life extension studies, robotics, artificial, and traditional sciences, such as metallurgy, chemistry, and the photographic arts.
· Level 1 class: Principles of Alchemy
· Upper level class: Photography (L5)

Department of Lifeways (Pink): Pink is the color for relationships with other people – especially those involving family, self-awareness, love, intimacy, and romance. Lifeways addresses aspects of personal life, interpersonal relationships, and life cycles.
· Level 1 class: Lifeways 101
· Upper level class: Ethics of Magick 400 (L4)

Department of Beast Mastery (Brown): Brown is the most common color of fur and feathers, and represents all things soft and fuzzy. Beast Mastery concerns everything to do with animals of all kinds, especially animal communication, zoology, and the lore of totems. The lore of magickal animals, such as unicorns and dragons, is also included in this department.
· Level 1 class: Beast Mastery 101
· Upper level class: Paleontology 301: When Dragons Roamed (L3)

Department of Cosmology (Violet): Violet is associated with power, wealth, good fortune, judgment, industry, and religious thought. This department explores the wonders of the Universe: constellations, calendars, the solar system, celestial knowledge and origins, and astrology.
· Level 1 class: Introduction to Cosmology
· Upper level class: Archaeoastronomy 301 (L3)

Department of Mathemagicks (Clear): All creation is suffused with magickal formulae – underlying everything, but invisible to all but the imagination. The Pythagorean Mysteries laid the foundation for all mathematics, particularly arithmetic, geometry, and music. In this department are included sacred geometry, numerology, and chaos theory magicks.
· Level 1 class: Mathemagicks 101: Magick And Number
· Upper level class: Pythagorean Numerology 401 (L4)

Department of Ceremonial Magick (White): The color of purity, white represents friendship, sincerity, divinity, and blessings. Ceremonial Magick is based upon both the Qabalah and the Hermetica, along with Neo-Platonism and Oriental doctrines. This department covers all forms of rites and rituals, for all purposes.
· Level 1 class: About Rituals
· Upper level class: The Celtic Fire Festivals (L6)

Department of Lore Mastery (Grey): Lore means “teachings,” and lore mastery is the primary attribute of the Wizard. In this department, students study the books, teachings, people, and wisdom of the ages, as well as myths, legends, and folktales.
· Level 1 class: Myths and Legends
· Upper level class: The Development of European Magic (L7)

Department of Dark Arts (Black): The Dark Arts include binding, banishing, fortitude, consistency, and protection. Black magick itself is not necessarily evil; ethical Wizards chiefly use the Dark Arts to protect themselves and others from harm.
· Level 1 class: Defense Against the Dark Arts 101: Rose and Thorn
· Upper level class: Identifying Psychic Attack (L4)

As shown in the above list, each department is identified and guided by a corresponding color. Students and faculty use the department-specific colors to craft and wear tabards and other regalia identifying their field of study.

Grey School students—known as apprentices—study at their own pace. Depending on level, each class is completeable in one to three months. A core of basic wizarding skills is covered in a series of required classes; spread among the levels, these “requireds” include such topics as core energy practices, magickal ethics, shielding, spellcraft, and the safe use of herbal preparations.

To graduate, students must finish all seven levels of study and complete at least one Major, which selected upon entering Level 2. Individual academic advisors guide students through the completion of their Major, which represents an intense course of study from one of the sixteen departments. Finishing a Major means completing a wide range of specialized classes and a culminating project known as a “Practicum.” In a Practicum, students work through “lab” and “lecture” sections and showcase their amassed knowledge in a unique and rigorous final project. Students who finish the program are certified as Journeyman Wizards.

Academics are central to the Grey School. Special achievement is recognized through an active Dean’s List and the Student Achievement Award, as well as with bestowal of “Student of the Year” awards to one adult and one youth student. Led by Headmaster Zell-Ravenheart, the Grey School fields a talented, experienced staff and faculty hailing from several countries. Faculty members are selected for expertise in one or more of the sixteen magickal departments, and each prospective faculty candidate passes through a careful selection process. Most have college degrees; a large number have advanced degrees. Among the faculty are high school and college teachers, lawyers, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and professional writers.

As with any school, there is more to the program than just classes! There is also a wonderful, thriving community. Students in the Grey School are sorted into elemental Houses (youths) and Lodges (adults), depending on sun sign. The four Lodges are the Circle of the Standing Stones (Earth), Society of the Four Winds (Air), Order of the Dancing Flames (Fire), and Coterie of the Flowing Waters (Water), while the four Houses are the Gnomes, Sylphs, Salamanders, and Undines Houses, respectively. The four Houses and four Lodges create a “home” for students in the Grey School, and provide a place to talk, share ideas, study, and engage in group challenges and activities. Each House or Lodge is led by a faculty “Head” and a student Prefect. Prefects are selected for their academic excellence and overall example; to be selected Prefect is both an honor and a responsibility. The school also appoints student Captains, akin to traditional boarding school “Head Boy” and “Head Girl” positions. The Captains represent the highest student positions in the school. While a Prefect is responsible for leading one House or Lodge, Captains oversee the entire student body. Both Prefects and Captains undergo special leadership classes to prepare them for their positions; upon completion each receives a metal Prefect badge.

Outside of the Houses and Lodges, a series of interactive forums provides a “Great Hall” setting, where students can meet and get to know each other. Within the Great Hall are a number of forums, including a bardic circle, a book discussion area, and a place for general conversations; staff or faculty members mentor each forum. Students also use the forums to earn merits for their House or Lodge via the spirited competition of regular “challenge” activities. The Grey School hosts a number of student-led clubs in such magickal specialties as animal care, herbology, magickal languages, gardening, and the dark arts. Several departments sponsor departmental awards, including the Dragon Stone Award (Department of Divination), the Seal of the Ouroboros Award (Department of Alchemy), and the Webweaver Award (Lifeways). The School also creates and hosts a number of regular publications, including a Student Handbook, a Course Catalog, and a quarterly student-run newspaper known as Whispering Grey Matters.

Although the Grey School exists in a fully online environment, students have an opportunity for in-person meetings and mentorings. The curriculum includes in-person internship classes for teachers and students who live close, geographically. Some students have likewise arranged meet-ups; in the United States at least two city-based groups of Grey School students meet regularly for magickal events and practice. The Grey School has also begun sponsoring summer Conclaves, camping-style events featuring classes, outdoor activities, workshops, campfire bardic circles, and more. The first Grey School Conclave took place in July 2006 in Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park. Attended by 33 students, it was a tremendous experience for all! To date, Conclaves are planned in California, Washington, Arizona, and New York for the summer of 2007.

One of the most interesting features of the Grey School is its lack of religious alliance. We neither teach nor promote religion in the Grey School, and we have thus been embraced by a multi-faith student body that includes Christians, Pagans, Catholics, Druids, Jews, Wiccans, Buddhists, and more. Rather than focusing on religion, the Grey School teaches Wizardry as a matter of art and science, philosophy and lifestyle. While we do not offer classes on how to join or practice specific religions, we do offer some classes on comparative religions, mythology, history, and the mystic traditions and ceremonies of various spiritual practices as those topics relate to Wizardry. In addition to its position on religion, the Grey School of Wizardry neither discriminates nor benefits members on the basis of race, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation. Rather, we value each student for the unique talents and point of view that they bring to our magickal community. The resulting rich, diverse environment has helped form the school’s bedrock.

Today, Oberon’s vision is alive, the Grey School growing and thriving as it works to bring up a new generation of Wizards. Incorporated as a non-profit educational institution in the State of California in March 2005, the school currently awaits its IRS Determination Letter for 501(c)(3) status. We remain dedicated to the tenets voiced by our motto and mission statement: everything is alive—everything is interconnected. We, members of the Grey School of Wizardry, are a proud part of that wonderful, living web.

Bright blessings!
Prof. Moonwriter
Dean of Students
Grey School of Wizardry

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To find out more about the Grey School of Wizardry, visit www.greyschool.com. The School is proud to offer low, accessible tuitions. For youth students (ages 11-17) entering the school, Level 1 tuition is $20, with tuition increasing by $2 for each subsequent level. For adult students (18 and over), Level 1 tuition is $35, increasing by $5 for each subsequent level. Note: youth students may need parental permission at the time of registration.

Profile: Avalon Center for Druidic Studies

February 28, 2007August 18, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations

Article Provided by Alferian Gwydion MacLir

Avalon Center for Druidic Studies was founded in 2005 as an institution of higher learning based in Druidic philosophy. The Druids were, of old, the judges, wizards, and priests of the ancient Celts and the modern Druidic revival is inspired by the Romantic image of priests of nature, wise men of the oaks and the sacred groves. To the antiquarians of the 18th century, such as William Stukeley, and the Romantic poets, such as William Blake, the ancient Bards and Druids became symbols of a native British spiritual tradition, one in tune with the land itself, not based on worldwide conquest and conversion or notions of orthodoxy and conformity. Today’s druids are inspired by that tradition, creating the modern Druidic philosophy as an earth-based spiritual path, a pagan religion, based in the love of the Earth and the respect for all species. Modern Druid philosophy forms the basis of Avalon Center’s approach to education – a philosophy that acknowledges the validity of both spirit and science.

The Avalon Center takes its name from the Isle of Avalon, so prominent in Welsh myth and the Arthurian legends. Avalon is the Otherworld, the world of the dead and the world of Faerie and for us it signifies the Druid devotion to the Ancestors and to the non-human spirits of Nature. The Center is inspired by the Bardic Colleges of old, where the Welsh, Irish, and Scots bards once learned the complex poetic forms of their language and the mysteries hidden in the poetic triads and visionary verse of such legendary figures as Taliesin and Merlin. The bardic ideal is founded in the idea that knowledge may be pursued through imagination as well as reason. Music, poetry, literature, myth, studio arts, and drama are at the core of Avalon Center’s curriculum. Magical arts, divination, energetic healing, and herbalism coexist as disciplines alongside natural history, philosophy, history, legal studies, and Celtic languages. The Center is embarking on a five year program of course development to create college-level courses in all of these subjects and programs of study that are inspired by the traditional Druidic grades of bard, ovate, and druid. In addition, the Center offers an introductory study program called the Awenydd program, named with the Welsh word meaning “one blessed with inspiration.” The Awen, is one of modern Druidry’s key concepts: the inspiration that links each of us to the Divine Imagination.

Avalon Center is committed to representing Druidry, or draiocht, as it is in Irish Gaelic, as a field of knowledge and practice, not as narrowly defined doctrines of any single “tradition” within paganism or occultism. In Irish draiocht can be translated simply as wizardry or magic, and at Avalon we interpret that in the broadest way, seeking to create a college of Druidry that can include lore from magical traditions across the world. It is the hope of the Governors and Faculty of Avalon that the Western magical tradition will come into open dialog with Eastern traditions and spiritual traditions from all nations. Taoism, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American traditions, African and Oceanic traditions all share common roots with Druidry in the human interconnection to the land, water, sky, and energies of the Earth, and the respect accorded to the spirits of place. These spiritual beings include the various beings commonly referred to as Faerie folk in the British tradition, but known by other names in almost all human cultures. They are beings of the land and of the elements. In modern Druidry such a animistic view is coupled to modern scientific explanations for natural phenomenon, and both ways of seeing are held as equally true in their own ways, not inimical to each other.

Pagan and magical education has been carried on for generations in secret, either in Wiccan covens, Druid orders and groves, or magical lodges. Secrecy has long been a part of this tradition of training and for initiatory orders and covens, this will undoubtedly continue to be the case. However, it is my hope, as Chancellor of Avalon Center, that the pagan community is ready to develop its own institutions of higher learning. Largely excluded from mainstream academia which sees magical philosophy as incompatible with scientific thought, the lore of wizards and witches, magicians and druids, has been forced into the margins, moved underground, and adopted by various counter-cultural movements. Avalon Center is founded in the hope that magical folk and those moved by a spirituality of Nature, can take the next step “out of the broom closet” and out of the margins of our culture.

Of course, there are many among both fundamentalist Christians and orthodox scientists who reject the idea of magic and divination. This is one reason pagans need their own institutions and academic standards applied to areas of knowledge that are typically rejected as superstition or delusion at best, devilry at worst. Because of this, Avalon Center is founded on the principles of religious tolerance and open discourse. Members of the Avalon Center faculty come from all philosophical backgrounds, including skeptics and atheists as well as witches and Druids of various theological opinions – pantheist, polytheist, panentheist, Gnostic, and agnostic. While we do cater to modern pagans, we also offer courses of study that will benefit students of other paths, or who are seeking their path. The Center’s history courses and proposed language and mythology courses will interest students whose principal desire is to discover their Celtic heritage. There is ever-increasing interest among those of Irish, Welsh, and Scottish descent in the study and revival of the native Celtic languages of Gael and Briton. Those not of direct Celtic descent will also find great rewards in the study of this almost lost culture that once dominated Northern Europe and extended from Iberia to Anatolia. A culture very different from that of Rome and Greece, which are so often thought to be the foundations of Western civilization. It might be said, that we represent the “barbarians.” But what is revealed is a complex culture that was rejected by the Romans in the same way that many other tribal cultures were, in the 18th and 19th centuries rejected by European imperialism. In the twentieth century and the twenty-first we have come to understand the value of these so-called “primitive” cultures and the hubris that drove the European empires that inherited the mantle of Rome.

So, one may well ask: What does an academic institution look like that is founded on the culture of barbarians and which embraces non-conformity and free-thought rather than conformity and orthodoxy? The Awenydd program in effect asks and addresses this very question, opening up students to dialogue about the nature of magical philosophy and of the spiritual ideas if the Celts and the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe.

The Center’s advanced study programs go beyond an introduction to magical philosophy and Celtic history. The Magister of Bardic Arts program interprets the role of the modern bard broadly. While revering the training of the ancient bard or filid of Celtica as poet and musician, we recognize that the core of bardic work is Awen, inspiration, and that creative expression and the preservation of myth and lore may take many forms. The required courses of the program focus on history and literature, myth, and lore. Through electives each bard can pursue artistic expression in music, poetry, prose, drama, or studio arts. In addition bards may choose to focus on the magical and divinatory arts.

The Magister of Ovate Studies program includes many electives to permit students to concentrate in areas such as healing, divination, magical arts, or natural history. The ovates of old were seers and diviners, often conducting the blood sacrifices and reading of entrails that were the stock in trade of the Iron Age. In our modern information age, it is the hope of the Center’s governors and Faculty that ovates will bring together such modern forms of augury as statistics and the ancient arts of intuition to follow their professional interests and healers, diviners, mages, or scientists. Avalon Center is unique at the present moment in developing an academic environment in which the intuitive and the empirical sciences can both be studied hand-in-hand.

For students who have achieve one or both of the Magister’s diplomas, further study is available at what is intended to be a doctoral level. The Ollamh of Druidic Studies program provides advanced students with training to become teachers of Ovates and Bards, to assume leadership roles as Druids within their local groves and Druid orders, and also to fulfill the role of pagan clergy, mentors, and counselors. Ollamh is an Irish Gaelic word that refers to non-medical doctors and was more anciently the title given to the highest rank among poets. In addition to courses in leadership and advanced meditation, students are expected to work closely with their dissertation adviser to write a substantial thesis of high scholarly merit on an appropriate topic, approved by the student’s dissertation committee.

At each level of study, the work is treated not as the pursuit of initiatory degrees, as such, but rather as work which can lead to traditional academic degrees. Once its curriculum is fully developed, Avalon Center intends to pursue registration as a college of higher learning in the State of Minnesota and accreditation by the regional accrediting body. This is a long and difficult process and it may prove that a pagan school will never be able to satisfy the standards which have been built up around modern research universities and financially well-endowed private colleges. There is talk among the heads of several pagan schools and seminaries to form a professional association that might further lead to the establishment of an accreditation system within the pagan community.

Now, some modern Pagans find the idea of pagan credentials to be almost a contradiction in terms. Many pursue the path out of a counter-cultural urge to reject both the Christian and the scientific Establishment. The desire to define oneself a pagan comes from a desire for simplicity and authentic living. It is a way of life, a way of living in Nature, not something that can be reduced to degrees and diplomas. Some Wiccans and druids object to the idea just as strenuously even where those traditions acknowledge degrees and titles of initiation. The very real objection lies in the feeling that initiation and esoteric knowledge cannot be measured by academic standards and that academia has, historically, focused on the teaching of dogma. I do not disagree with these objections. However, the Avalon Center is not setting out to issue credentials in Paganism – or for that matter in Druidry or Wicca as religions. Rather it is founded on the ideals of the cutting edge of educational thought today, which seeks to break away from the dogmatism and “correct answers” of the past. It sets out to offer, not a religious eduction, but study programs that are challenging and thorough, and which some individuals may enjoy for the love of learning. The pleasure of pursuing a course of study, carrying on discussions with like-minded (or different-minded) fellow students and teachers, of writing papers and even passing exams in a subject leading at last to a diploma – this is a particular pleasure enjoyed by some and not by others. It is by no means for everyone and it certainly should not imply that one is a “better” person, pagan or otherwise. A diploma merely signifies a certain achievement of serious study and writing or other creative work.

Will Avalon Center diplomas be acknowledged by employers or other institutions? Will they, in short, mean anything to anyone but the students and faculty of Avalon itself? That is something that must unfold naturally in time, as with all institutions that issue diplomas or degrees. Standards are set by a community and within a culture more broadly, and programs are evaluated for their merit. I fully suspect it will be a long time before pagan education is acknowledged outside of the pagan community. The idea of applying an academic model to magical philosophy is new. There might have been philosophical schools and even Druidic or Bardic colleges in the ancient world, but of course they were not structured like modern academia with its departments and disciplines.

Avalon Center does not embrace the modern academic model uncritically and indeed mainstream academia is breaking down the divisions of knowledge into “disciplines” in order to promote trans-disciplinary studies and collaborative work from experts in different fields. From the standpoint of Druidic philosophy, as I see it, the reunion of the sciences and the humanities is crucial, and both must be linked together through an understanding of the integral relationship between Nature and human beings. Unfortunately, as the last sentence illustrates, our separation of “us” and “Nature” is so built into our language that it is hard to even express the connectedness without reinforcing the duality. In Druidic philosophy (if one can generalize), human beings are seen to be part of Nature, not distinct from it. We do not have a god-given right to master and subdue Nature, as is expressed in the Biblical traditions. Rather, we are Nature and in this way Naturalism and Humanism merge, so that human nature and the human soul are the expressions of natural phenomena. The reverse is also true: natural phenomena are not soulless mechanisms which we can objectify and reify into “things” apart from ourselves. Natural phenomena are intimately implicated in the human mind and human imagination at all levels.

Such a philosophy is in keeping with the view of many traditional tribal cultures which have survived the attempts by Christianized Europe to “civilize” and “correct” them. What was a hundred years ago still regarded as “barbarism” is now accepted as a type of culture that is not inferior to European modern civilization, but simply different. Druids today, like many pagans, do not uncritically embrace the ideology of the machine which sees progress and “advancement” in purely technological terms. Increased power over Nature, power to change or tamper with nature is not seen as always “improvement.” Similarly, the notion of a landowner “improving” his or her property is not accepted in the typical sense. Nature does not need improving and it may well be that human beings would be more improved by adapting to Nature’s ways than by seeking to strip and cultivate and exploit the land, water, trees, and animals through technology.

Avalon Center intends to embark on a major fundraising campaign once our tax-exempt status has been secured. This campaign will allow us to acquire farmland in rural Minnesota suitable for residential study. On a small and intimate campus, students will be able to work directly with the land, trees, herbs, animals and their spirits. They will be able to take classes in a physical classroom as well as online, and work with teachers and mentors on their chosen academic quest for knowledge and understanding. We plan to engage in cultural education, showing how our Iron Age and Stone Age ancestors may have lived, as well as open community lectures intended to dispel the myths surrounding the practice of magic and its history. It is worth noting that no one at Avalon considers the practice of magic to be in opposition to the practice of religion. Indeed history suggests that the two expressions of human relatedness to the cosmos have always gone hand-in-hand. On the other hand, one may come to Avalon to study merely the magic of music and drama, history and literature and not pursue the magical arts or divination at all. Magic is essentially wonder, and that takes many forms.

Avalon requires students to seek admission to study with our faculty and the application process is made as painless as possible in order to encourage students of all ages and backgrounds to give it a try. Once enrolled, students are given guidance by an academic advisor as well as by individual instructors. Our goal is to support every student to do their very best and succeed in their studies. Online classes are especially challenging because they require so much self-discipline and time management. Courses taken at a physical campus where you have to show up at a particular time and place each week, provide a good deal of structure that is lost in the environment of cyberspace. However, when the challenge is met, one can engage in stimulating discussions with fellow students and teachers in the online classroom as well as in a material space. In time, we plan to offer both options and a fluid combination of the two, utilizing modern web-based technology. It will be a long and gradual process to build this institution, probably covering generations. No college was ever build entirely overnight. But as we druids say, we are growing at oak-speed.

It is my sincere hope that you will visit Avalon Center at www.avaloncollege.org and look at our cyber-classrooms and message board, which we fondly call AvalOnline. Come join us and contribute to the dream of a magical school, a place truly filled with the wonder we bring to our love of Nature and of Spirit.

Profile: The Universal Light

January 31, 2007August 18, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Religion

Article provided by The Universal Light

If you want to officiate weddings, baptisms, funerals or if you help others or intend to, using massage, herbs or any of the metaphysical or para-psychological modalities, (which include e.s.p.; tarot, Reiki, hypnotherapy etc.). And if you follow any Monotheism or Polytheism belief which include Wicca and Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian belief – for your protection read this.

The AMA is constantly trying to get more and more States, as has Florida, to change their laws to read: ‘You cannot practice healing or health care without a license.’ We have many Ministers in Florida even practicing Reiki without problems. We have Ministers in the US, Canada, England, France, Hong Kong, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Switzerland and the U.K.

The purpose of most ‘religions’, (belief systems) is to grow in membership. Ours is simply to state what it is. Most ‘Churches’ are buildings, ours is not. There are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Wicca and Hindus who already have acknowledged their membership in TUL . We embrace all . Donald A. Rosenthal, ND.; PhD. Executive Director of the American Alternative Medical Association and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners; Dr. Marijah McCain of the Herbal Healer Academy; Dr. Allison Dahlhaus of the Reiki Blessings Academy; and Dr. Gale Kurtz President of the Traditional School of Sacred Arts have acknowledged their membership in and are legally ordained as ministers in TUL. Some of your closest friends or neighbors may have acknowledged their membership as well. By becoming an ordained minister in TUL, your 1st Amendment rights to preach and educate about the benefits of whatever modalities you believe in, are protected. If you are ordained in a different church and its purpose is not for the promotion of healing through natural means (the Creator’s), you may be well advised to transfer your ordination. Remember, by becoming a legally, ordained minister, you separate yourself from State laws regarding religious beliefs and come under the 1st. Amendment.

It was not until well after 250 AD that the business of training Priest and Ministers began. Prior to that, people followed the Spiritual guidance from within – we still uphold that method! Now is the time to make this move. You cannot become a minister to circumvent the law. But you can become a minister to practice your religious beliefs.

To acknowledge your membership in TUL, you become a Deacon,

To protect yourself in your service to others, you become Ordained and use the title Reverend, You also will be able to make additional income by officiating weddings, baptisms and funerals. We have some ministers who simply specialize in weddings. Basic ceremonies are well covered in a very inexpensive book called, The Broadman Minister’s Manual by Franklin M. Segler.

To use Dr. before your name or DD after your name, you become a Doctorate in Divinity.

To more answers to questions NOT COVERED on our web site; www.theuniversallight.com, Simply call TUL 9am -9pm est at 1.513.825.8290 or e-mail at: tulight@cinci.rr.com

Our Mission

Our mission, set forth on January 8th 1970 is to create & function according to scriptural authority in the physical/carnal (unspiritual) world a church. To be known as The Universal Light Church which will be spiritual, (not Spiritualist). It will be without walls and the only one of its kind we believe to truly exist. This church and its members shall be free to believe the truth within themselves and to function accordingly under the protection of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. We, and hopefully you agree, have the basis of all our beliefs, Psalm 118.8 which is in the exact middle of the entire ‘Holy Bible’. We believe everyone and everything in the physical world is a member of this church, even though most do not acknowledge it, others acknowledge and become a Deacon and yet others become Ministers in order to minister to others in a modality or modalities which are their Creator’s -given talents . This church believes in both the Preterist and the Futurist philosophies. We do not conform to the ways of this world. And most importantly, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” We are one in the Spirit.

We believe that the Creator gave everyone free will and to establish any rules, regulations and/or dogma is to deny free will! So we set forth the declaration to follow what you truly believe, (religion), in your heart to be true, is what you should do in order to live to the best of your ability. The Creator gave us guides and directions through the Scriptures in order to find the truth within our self. We believe in individual spirituality rather than religious dogma. We believe in the spirit invested in each and every human being to follow “The Still Small Voice” in their heart. We believe in the Creative power to heal through all forms of natural modalities. We are Spiritual beings which have a mind, emotions and physical body. The mind is not us and is dualistic, both Carnal and Spiritual. Carnal or unnatural, the good is for self and Spiritual or natural, the good is for others. While we do not disbelieve in the medical/drug modality, except for emergencies we believe that other modalities might be a better first choice. All things, as all seasons, have their time and place. In Truth, all modalities are in fact, counsel. Our ministers will give counsel coming from the Spiritual by way of natural (or natures) ways, such as, intuition, healing hands, herbs, astrology, numerology, graphology, tarot cards, palmistry, and any number of other modalities known to be in the Metaphysical and/or Para psychological realms. We believe all things begin in the spirit then to the mind where a decision is made between carnal and spiritual, then to the emotions which then affect the physical. There are numerous books on the market suggesting the emotions cause disease. But the study of cause and effect leads us to the mind which stimulate the emotions. The stronger the spirit the more apt the mind will choose the spiritual mind rather than the carnal and better health should prevail. Even Hippocrates, is known as the “Father of Medicine” was quoted saying … “A physician without knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician.” When there is a lack of harmony, peace, lack of ease in the entity it is called a dis-ease. Should this dis-ease continue for any length of time it will out picture in the physical form in what is called a disease. This is the reason that most modern doctors will admit that the best thing they can do in most cases ….. is to put the body in a position to heal itself.

1 Corinthians 12:13
John 4: 23 — 24 and Matthew 6: 5 — 6
A word we use here to refer to that which is more widely known as, God, Allah, Adonai and hundreds
of others. www.ldolphin.org/names.html
1 Peter 4: 7-11 (N.K.J.)
www.preterist.org/whatispreterism.asp
Romans 12: 2
Psalm 118.8
Romans 12: 2
Romans 12: 6
Webster’s International Dictionary; opinion, advice, direction: instruction in or recommendation esp. It is
given as a result of consultation.

More Scriptural Support

From the New Testament book of Revelation Chapter 22: 1-3 (New King James Version)

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its streets, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The LEAVES of the tree were FOR the HEALING of the nations…. and his servants shall serve him.”
In verse 1 it clearly shows that the river of life, which symbolizes the healing power of God, proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The throne of God symbolizes the authority of God, and the throne of the Lamb symbolizes the authority of the church. The source of natural healing is the creative power of God, and the church shares the authority in dispensing and to mankind.
In verse 3 the writer says: through the help of natural healing which comes from the benefits of the tree of life, the curse of sickness would be lifted and his servants shall serve him”. We believe this means that God wants us to serve him by making natural methods of healing available to people through the gifts He has given to each one of us. As the apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 12: 5-6: There are diversities of ministries, but the same God. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

From the Old Testament the book of Ezekiel 46: 1-12

Our scriptural authority for believing that natural healing and natural medicine is in the domain and under the authority of the church and not in the domain and under the authority of any secular corporate or human government authority is found in our dynamic interpretation of Ezekiel 1-12. Some have called this old method of interpretation the Preterist School of prophetic interpretation.
In verses 8-9 the writer speaks of the same river and clearly shows that the river gives healing in life wherever it goes. This river proceeds from the temple of God which clearly symbolizes the healing power proceeds from the church of God and isn’t restrained by any human corporate or human governmental authority. Natural healing proceeds from the freedom of God and the church which represents Him.
In verse 12 it says, “Along the bank of the river on this sign in that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fall. They will bear fruit every month because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their LEAVES FOR MEDICINE.”

Scripture uses the words heal, healing, and medicine!

Our Background

Finding that the basic beliefs of most religions were thesame and only the dogma of mankind that caused the differences, the Universal Light Church was founded. TUL set out to establish a simple church that would represent as closely as possible what was believed to exist in spirit. (Spirit or energy, is what most followers of religion referred to as God/Allah, Alpha and Omega, I Am That I Am; spiritualist as the Light, Creator, Primal Energy, The Higher Power, or as the physicist referred to it has “the unified field”.) Since the majority of its members were more familiar with the Bible was used for scriptural authority. Also interesting reading is the Torah, the Qur’an and the Dhammapada.

Around 1974 the TUL began The Universal Light Inc., it was incorporated as a non-denominational, non-dogmatic, parapsychological and metaphysical church without walls. It is a 501(c)3 not -for- profit
Corporation. It is has become a legally recognized church with ministers internationally. Often ministers continued to practice their own very dogmatic religion. TUL refers to people whose religious beliefs cause them to put their efforts and energy toward the positive and good of others, “LIGHT WORKERS” and we can and do ordain them they have all legal rights and privileges of any priest, minister or rabbi.

As we work to build the New Paradigm, TUL found a new responsibility; the protection of light workers, since they use various metaphysical and parapsychological methods and tools which may not be understood by the general population. Many Light Workers have learned their art through inspiration, meditation, mentors, angels and other so-called “unorthodox” or “alternative” means. Today in fact, we are seeing many in the traditional healing fields such as medicine blend with those of the metaphysicians and parapsychologist. Remember it was “The Father of Medicine” who was quoted saying, “The physician without knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician.” TUL also certifies Light Workers in ministries of their choosing. Any TUL minister can serve in multiple ministries and be certified in such. If you feel the need of a course or someone to tell you what you should believe, you are not yet ready to be a minister of The Universal Light. TUL also confers an accredited Doctorate in Divinity to those who qualify. It updates its records on each of its ministers annually in order to validate that they are still active with in the church. Update cost is only $25 if paid by October 1st. each year. Most States require a licensed minister to maintain an active ministry in the church it was ordained. Any minister of TUL can be validated from anywhere by phone. The Constitution protects an ordained minister regardless of the state in which they set up their ministry. However to officiate a wedding the laws of each state must be complied with. (A TUL minister can call its headquarters in Cincinnati any time to find their States laws regarding this.)

Just imagine for a moment that if everything that exists from people, trees to stars and planets were melted down into one big spot and nothing else existed including space. This would be in what we call TUL. It is the bases of all that is, in and around everything. Nothing exist without. It would be like “The Force” in Star Wars. Now most believe this created all things. Physicists tell us that everything comes from this unified field in the form of waves, these ways turn in the energy and the energy turns into matter. This could be the FORM of creating. Now some say that it banged (exploded) everything into existence. And some say that it just evolved into the different things. Now some say everything came from intelligent design, so they can call this TUL, intelligence. Do you see where I am going with this? Just indulge me for a moment and let’s change the name TUL to God or Allah or any one of a hundred different names. I think no matter how you want to believe things came about, it’s simply proves there IS some thing, (not necessarily matter or anti-matter — possibly what we call spiritual) which is God/Allah.

To more answers to questions NOT COVERED on our web site; www.theuniversallight.com, Simply call TUL 9am -9pm est at 1.513.825.8290 or e-mail at: tulight@cinci.rr.com

HSI Seance

January 19, 2007August 18, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Events, Organizations, Psychic

“The people at the Holistic Studies Institute were incredibly friendly and a lot of fun. They hold weekly séances (Fridays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 6:00 pm) and I have every intention of visiting them for one of those sooner rather than later.” – Rebecca “A Moveable Feast: HSI” 10/02/06

Well sooner just happened. On Friday January 19, 2007 I headed back to the Holistic Studies Institute in Albany, NY to attend one of their séances. My husband Jim, who has gone with me on every Magical Buffet field trip, was unable to go with me on this one. As a testament to how cool Jim is, it took 3 members of the Northern NY Paranormal Research Society and one of their friends to compensate for his absence! That’s right, I brought together two great groups that go great together, the Holistic Studies Institute and the Northern NY Paranormal Research Society. If you know the NNYPRS, you know they never turn down a chance to check out any paranormal experience!

Just like my first visit to HSI, things were not as anticipated in a very good way. It looked like the renovations on their offices were either complete or very close to it. The space is a wonderful mix of metaphysically homey and professionally officey, is it any wonder why I like these guys? Things there were bustling as people were leaving from the healing circle that just got done and people were showing up for the evening’s séance. In that bustle, Dave (NNYPRS Albany Team Leader), Dan (Team Member), Misty (Team Member), her friend, and myself made our way into the sacred space set up at the back of their offices.

The lights were dimmed and relaxing music was being played. A large group of people started coming in and grabbing chairs that lined the walls of the room. In the center of the room was a small table with two Spirit Trumpets sitting on it, and later a chair was positioned near it so spirits could take a seat there if they chose to. The room is wonderfully multi-functional. That evening it was being used for a séance, but other times it serves as a church, and others a classroom.

Charlene Robbins was leading the séance. The first thing she did was split up our motley group, which might seem a bit odd, but it was done for a reason. Since we all knew each other we could be sharing the same energies, which could confuse the mediums from being able to determine exactly who certain messages were intended. So after we all split up, the séance began.

Charlene first gave us all a little information about HSI and their séances. Someone came around to collect donations. We were all told to put ourselves in an open position, which meant arms down and feet on the floor, a difficult task for a leg crosser like myself! Then all of the lights were turned off and the music was turned up.

We started out with what I will describe as a group guided meditation. Charlene guided all of us to an open and relaxed state. I have to confess, I am notoriously bad at relaxation and meditation, so I was not as relaxed as I probably should have been at the end of the opening. After that, Charlene began getting in contact with spirits.

For obvious reasons, I agreed not to write about messages relayed to people at the séance. These can be of a personal nature, and although I’m not naming everyone there, most people would probably not like me airing their spiritual laundry in a public forum. Here is what I will share with you.

Charlene was the lead medium, but HSI helps people get in touch with their psychic abilities and there were other HSI people there that also acted as mediums. They were encouraged to share impressions they were getting with others. In fact, if anyone felt they were seeing or experiencing anything of note they were encouraged to share with the group. It made for a séance, but also an educational experience for those interested in exploring their possible inclinations towards mediumship.

I wish I could say that I saw some mind blowing physical manifestations, but alas none were to be had. That’s okay though, the Holistic Studies Institute does not endorse the use of any of the tricks that gave Spiritualists of the past a bad name. This means that sometimes there are no big surprises, but what it also means is that if something happens….something actually happens. Also, not being that psychically aware, there could have been spirits forming a cheerleading pyramid in the middle of the room and more than likely I would have been oblivious!

The séance lasted about an hour and a half, and was worth the time for the relaxation practices alone! Just like the last time, the folks at the Albany, NY Holistic Studies Institute were friendly, kind, and just gosh darned likeable!

Just like I mentioned the last time I wrote about HSI, they hold weekly séances (Fridays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 6:00 pm), except on the weekends they hold their psychic fairs. To learn more about the whens and wheres I encourage you to visit: www.holisticstudies.com.

Profile: The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids

December 31, 2006August 17, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Religion

Article Provided by Damh the Bard

The Druid/Pagan world in the early 1960s, when the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) was created, was very different than it is now. Occult exploration was directed very much by ideas and rituals developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Theosophical Society, which, over the course of a very short time, helped to define the Western Mystery Tradition. At this time, ‘Druid’ and ‘Freemason’ were almost the same thing, with the dominant Druid groups being more like ‘Friendly Societies,’ mainly made up of men, and with very little spiritual direction. One of these groups would begin their meetings by placing a Bible on a table, and then banning the mention of religion. This was the Druid world in which Ross Nichols, the founder of the OBOD, began his life-long love of the Druid tradition, and all things Celtic. So how did Druidry get from this to become the dynamic and thriving spirituality we have today?

Ross had become friends with Gerald Gardner (who many now view as the father of modern Wicca) at the utopian Naturist resort of Speilplatz near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and it is probably here that the foundations of the modern Pagan movement were laid. Between them, they set about creating the now familiar ‘Wheel of the Year,’ the cycle of eight seasonal festivals that divided the year up into approximately six-week parts. Each festival celebrated the changes in the agricultural and celestial worlds, which symbolically represented the dance between the Pagan God and Goddess of the Land. At that time, Druids only celebrated the two Equinoxes of Spring and autumn, and the Summer Solstice. Gardner introduced the wheel into his then-fledgling Wicca almost immediately. Druidry, on the other hand, had to wait until Ross formed the OBOD.

In 1964, when Ross was 62, three of the main influences in his spiritual life died. These were Gerald Gardner, the Ancient Druid Order’s Chief Macgregor Reid, and the Archbishop of the Ancient Celtic Church. Ross did not get on with the new Chief of the Ancient Druid Order, so took this opportunity to leave and start a new Order, one whose focus would be on re-introducing spirituality back into modern Druidry. So in 1964, the OBOD was born, and modern Druidry began the first steps that would lead it towards the Druidry practiced today.

Ross spent the next 11 years of his life exploring, developing, and creating. During the years, that Ross spent, as Chief of the OBOD one of his students was a young man named Philip Carr-Gomm. Ross had a great love of the energy of young people, and regularly included them in the open rituals performed by the Order at places like Primrose Hill in London, and Glastonbury Tor. Philip was a keen photographer, and Ross asked him to help create a photographic archive of the Order’s activities. Then, in 1970 at Beltane, Philip was initiated into the OBOD on Glastonbury Tor. At the time, the OBOD was still a small group, and when Ross died suddenly in 1975, the Order almost went with him; for 13 years, it slept. Then, in 1984, during a meditation, Ross appeared to Philip. He told him that the way of the Druid would become more and more important, that the teachings of the Druids would be of great relevance to our future, and that Philip should make them more widely available. So, for the next four years, Philip searched for anything that Ross had written down, finding the original manuscript of the Book of Druidry, much of his teaching material, and through a series of amazing coincidences, managed to piece together enough material to begin to create a teaching program. Continuing Ross’ structure of the three ‘grades’ of Bard, Ovate and Druid, the material was also so divided, which helped people to sustain a focus, and travel through a personal experiential journey. Then, in 1988, Philip was asked to re-form the Order, and to be its Chosen Chief.

It was the teaching program Philip created, and the method chosen to teach it, that would be responsible for the incredible growth of the OBOD in the late 80s and 90s. Now, in 2004, the OBOD is the largest and one of the most dynamic Druid organizations in the world.

The OBOD Now

Core Beliefs:

The OBOD Druid tradition reflects the teachings of the ancient Druids; it helps provide a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Spirits of the Land and our ancestors. It also addresses a driving need to open up our inner creativity – to learn to see the world through the eyes of a poet. It also teaches the arts of seership and divination. There are no ‘thou shalt nots’ within the OBOD teachings. Each member is encouraged to discover their own individual relationship with the Divine, in whatever way it shows its face to them, be that through God, Goddess or Great Spirit. All the time with the knowledge that, although they develop this personal relationship, they have others who walk the Path beside them.

Organization of Groups:
Since the first people joined the Order in 1988, thousands of members have walked this path, creating a network of Druids with over 80 Groves and Seed groups around the world, and providing the basis of a real Druidic community. These groups are autonomous and are individual groups in their own right. However, what links the members of these groups together is the OBOD course – they have all walked a path that has been tread many times before, by many other people. This kinship is a bond between members of the Order. One of the benefits being that it avoids the intrusion of the ego. In the end, all members, if they wish, can move through the grades (or schools), and as each grade teaches different skills, the Bard is not inferior to the Ovate, nor the Ovate inferior to the Druid.

As a part of the natural growth of this community, the OBOD also hold camps and assemblies in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.

Although the OBOD’s structure is divided into ‘grades’, they are more like ‘schools’ – each one teaching different skills, each one building on the other in a journey of spiritual discovery.

To provide a training that works on both the surface and at a far deeper, inner level, members are offered the support of a personal mentor. Members can request a tutor from a network of over 70 worldwide, who they can correspond with about their experiences with the course. The mentor’s role is not to ‘teach’ but to ‘walk the path’ with the member as tutor and friend.

The OBOD course takes its inspiration from the ancient Druids, but for it to be of value to us today, Druidry cannot simply be re-enactment. We need to allow ourselves to look at how the ancient teachings can help us grow and become more at one with the Natural World in our modern age. Druidry is not a ‘revealed’ religion, and therefore has no dogmatic ‘thou shalt nots’ – instead it is a living, breathing, thriving spirituality that the world needs now, more than ever before.

The Bardic Grade

The Bards were the shaman poets of the Druidic caste, and much of the knowledge we have about the ancient Druids comes from the old Bardic tales. One of these tales is the story of Taliesin, the Primary Bard of Britain. The OBOD Bardic grade uses the skill of Bardic teaching through story and poetry; we take the same journey as Gwion Bach (Little Innocent) so that through the experiences of the story, we can gain insight into the Wisdom of the Bards. So often people see spirituality as a way of escaping the world. But the Bardic course helps us become rooted in the Natural World that surrounds us, opening our eyes to the wonders that are there, just waiting to be discovered.

The Ovate Grade

If the Bardic grade teaches us of the wonders of the Natural World, then the Ovate grade takes our hand, and leads us into the deep forest. The Druids and trees are inextricably linked, and it is here, in the Ovate grade, that the work with trees and herbs begins. The Ovates were the Druidic seers, so it is within the safety of the forest that we begin to work with the skills of divination, healing and the magic of the Earth. Exploring our relationship with our ancestors of blood and of spirit; stepping into the dark Grove of Yews to commune with them and learn the wisdom of the night, and of the moon.

The Druid Grade

After the re-enchantment of the Bardic grade, and the deep discovery of the Ovate grade, the Druid grade then guides us towards an exploration of the mysteries of the stones and stars, and of those powers symbolized by the Dragon – deepening our learning and experience of Druid philosophy and magical practice. It will have taken at least two years to reach this point, and we will have journeyed to many places, both within and without. Our experiences will have taught us much and it is here, within the Druid grade, that we might be inspired to step into some form of service to the Druidic tradition.

Holidays:

Like many other paths, the OBOD honors the eight seasonal festivals of our modern Pagan traditions. These being:

The Solar Cycle
Alban Arthan (Winter Solstice): Alban Arthan means the Light of Arthur. Some Druid Orders believe this means the Light of the hero King Arthur Pendragon who is symbolically reborn as the Sun Child (The Mabon) at the time of the Solstice. Others see the Light belonging to the star constellation known as the Great Bear (or the Plough) – Arthur, or Art, being Gaelic for Bear. This constellation shines out in the sky and can symbolize the rebirth of the Sun. At this point, the Sun is at its southernmost point almost disappearing beyond the horizon, and the days are at their shortest. This was a time of dread for the ancient peoples as they saw the days getting shorter and shorter. A great ritual was needed to reverse the course of the sun. This was probably calculated by the great circles of stone and burial grounds, which are aligned to this festival, such as Newgrange in Co. Meath, Eire. Sure enough, the next day the Sun began to move higher into the sky, showing that it had been reborn.

This time of year is very cold and bleak, which is why so many celebrations are needed to help people get through the winter months. It is significant that many civilizations welcomed their Solar Gods at the time of greatest darkness – including Mithras (the bull-headed Warrior God), the Egyptian God Horus and, more recently, Jesus Christ

Alban Eilir (Spring Equinox): Alban Eilir means the Light of the Earth. As the Sun grows warmer, so life begins to show through the soil. Small signs at first – the daffodils and crocuses – then more green as the bluebells and wood anemones spread through the woodland. Plants are seen by some as inanimate greenery with no actual feelings and life force. But Druids see life in all living things, from rocks and stones, to rivers and springs, plants and trees – all life is sacred. Have you ever thought about how you recognize the beginning of spring? Is it the plant life? The weather? How does a plant know when it is time to grow? It cannot tell the time or see a calendar. Yet, it knows. If it has senses then it has consciousness; if it has consciousness then it is more than an inanimate life form. So, it is the return of life to the Earth that is celebrated at Alban Eilir, the time of balance.

One of the inner mysteries of Druidry is the Druid’s egg. Life-giving, it is the egg protected by the hare, which is the symbol of Alban Eilir – still celebrated by the giving of Easter eggs by the Easter Bunny.

Alban Hefin (Summer Solstice): Alban Hefin means the Light of the Shore. Druidry has a great respect and reverence for places that are "in between" worlds. The seashore is one such place, where the three realms of Earth, Sea and Sky meet. There is great power in places such as these. Alban Hefin is the time of greatest light when the Solar God is crowned, by the Goddess, as the King of Summer. It also brings some sadness because from now until Alban Arthan the Sun’s strength is declining and we have entered the waning year. At this time the Dark Twin, or Holly King, is born – he will take his crown at Alban Arthan. Of all the festivals, Druidry is mostly associated with Alban Hefin. The wonderful white-robed figures filmed at the dawn rituals at Stonehenge are testament to this. However, to many Druids it is the turning seasons and the cycle of life, death and rebirth – reflected in the Wheel of the Year in its completeness – which is significant.

Alban Elfed (Autumn Equinox): Alban Elfed means the Light of the Water. The Wheel turns and the time of balance returns. Alban Elfed marks the balance of day and night before the darkness overtakes the light. It is also the time of the second harvest, usually of the fruit, which has stayed on the trees and plants to ripen under the Summer Sun. It is this final harvest, which can take the central theme of the Alban Elfed ceremony. Thanking the Earth, in her full abundance as Mother and Giver, for the great harvest. It is the beginning of autumn.

The Agricultural Cycle

Imbolc: On or around the 1st of February – This is seen in the OBOD as the first of three spring festivals. It is hard sometimes to think of spring in what feels like the depths of winter. But if we look at the ground we can see the first shoots of green beginning to reach towards the Sun. Imbolc can be celebrated on either the 1st or 2nd February, or more naturally when the Snowdrops cover the ground.

Imbolc
by Damh the Bard

As the dark, cold morning gives way to light,
And the world shows its face dazzling in her nakedness,
So the twigs and leaf-bare branches,
Bow to the passing danceOf old Jack Frost.

His crystal breathe on the earth,
And the corners of houses weep icicles of joy.
But where is the Sun’s warmth?
Where is life?

A small flower, delicate and pure-white,
Looks to the earth,
As if talking to the waiting green,
"Not yet," it seems to whisper.
"When I fall, then you can return."

And she nods her head,
as the Lady passes by,
Leaving more flowers in Her wake.

Beltane: On or around the 1st of May – Beltane is the beginning of Summer, or the height of Spring. It is thought that the ancients only recognized two seasons, these being summer and winter. Beltane is the time when the Earth is literally buzzing with fertility. Life springs forth in all of its richness, and the land is covered with beautiful flowers and the freshly opened leaves of the trees are a quality of green that they only show at this time of year. At Beltane, the Lady of the Land takes the hand of the Horned God, and together they walk into the forest. Their cries of love bring all life from the Earth. Some celebrate Beltane on the dates given above, whilst others look to the flowers of the May tree as their signal that Beltane has, at last, arrived.

Lughnasadh: On or around the 1st of August – Lughnasadh is the first of two harvest festivals, the other being Alban Elfed (the Autumn Equinox). At Lughnasadh we see the fields of corn being cut, and for some this is the true time of the festival. In the fields John Barleycorn, who laid with the Lady in the woods at Beltane, has grown old, and now stands bent and bearded with a crocked cane. He looks to the Sun as he has changed from green to gold, and he knows that his time has come. His life will feed the people, and it is this sacrifice that we honour at Lughnasadh.

Samhain: On of around the 31st of October – This is the festival of the dead, a festival of remembrance and honoring of our dear departed friends and relations. It is said that, at Samhain, the veil that separates the worlds is at its thinnest. So our world, the world of Faerie, and that of the dead, blend as one. It is no wonder then that this night has become so wrapped in superstition. It is a night of wonder, and magic. On this night the Cailleach (the Crone) comes to strip the leaves from the trees, to quicken the decay of the flesh of the year, so that it may feed the new life to come. We can also ask Her to take the unwanted aspects of our personal year away, so that this too might be transformed. Yet even on the darkest night of Samhain, whilst our minds ponder our mortality, if you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of a new-born child crying for its Mother’s breast, for shortly it will be Alban Arthan, the Winter solstice, and the Wheel will turn once more.

Oh that I could see to the Other Realm –
that I could learn the magic of the Ancients.
Oh that the secrets of the Druids
could be whispered in my ears
that I might know their beauty and their power –
that I might love again this land
and hear the voices of the Goddess and the God
in the trees and in the rivers.

Reading and Other Resources:
Phillip Carr-Gomm. The Druid Mysteries. Rider 2002
Druidcraft. Thorsons 2003
The Druid Animal Oracle. Connections 1996
Ross Nichols. Book of Druidry: History, Sites and Wisdom. Thorsons 1992.
Emma Restall Orr. Druid Priestess. Harper Collins 2001

To find out more about the OBOD or to contact the Order:
OBOD
PO Box 1333
Lewes, E. Sussex, BN7 1DX.
44-(0)1273-470888
office@druidry.org
www.druidry.org

THE WILD, WITCHY RIDE: How to Create and Conduct Elaborate, Popular, Public Sabbats

November 30, 2006August 17, 2009 by Administrator, posted in Events, Guest Authors, Organizations, Religion, Wiccan/Pagan

By Lady Passion, High Priestess, Coven Oldenwilde, Asheville, NC

Twelve years ago, in 1995, I resolutely determined to reinstitute the olde, free, sacred Sabbats rites entire towns enjoyed for centuries on end. I took a bold (and, in the South, unprecedented) leap of faith in this regard, as I had no roadmap, no guide, no mentor, and no predecessor, for the trail I intended to blaze.

Since then, though, my annual, free, public Witch ritual has become a cherished tradition for Asheville-area townies, families, and tens of thousands of Pagans and Witches nationwide. Indeed, I’ve become infamous for NEVER doing the same rite twice, and each Sabbat’s unique theme has emboldened Witches to do the same in such far away continents as Australia.I’ve done this in the buckle of "the Bible Belt" — the very town where Billy Graham has his international ‘The Cove’ training center. Most audacious of all, I chose to revivify, to re-sacritize, the scariest and most misunderstood Sabbat of all the Witches’ yearly eight — Samhain (what mundanes call Hallow’een).

Make no mistake — creating and conducting huge, free, public Sabbats takes nerves of steel, spiritual vision, media savvy, and a wicked balance between tenacity and flexibility that few folks seem to ever stretch themselves to achieve. Every year when the going gets rough (money’s tight, or committed volunteers seem too few to properly pull it off), my Coven and I loudly vow to never attempt it again. But they are SO worth it, for every year without fail, we see everyone arrive en mass from far reaches, pitch in with all their might, and make things come together so hauntingly beautiful, everyone leaves the rite revivified — passionately invigorated to stop at nothing to somehow top ourselves yet again the next year!

Over the years I’ve learned many secret keys to ensuring a huge, public Sabbats’ success. While many of my tips and past Samhain Sabbats’ info and pix are posted on my web site (www.oldenwilde.org), I feel most urgently that doing these rites is such a crucial component to Wiccans’ public acceptance, our increasing numbers, and Paganism’s religious longevity, that I want to share some of my secrets with you about how to conduct similar rites wherever you may bide.

The first few years a Coven or Craft Community holds a public rite are the hardest, as whoever’s organizing it not only has to manage a million details, but must also educate townies about what Witchcraft is and isn’t, in endless TV, radio, and newspaper interviews. This takes great juggling, aplomb, articulateness, perfected "sound bites", makeup, Witchy dress, and the certainty that you can handle instant interviews by phone at the drop of your Witch hat, while answering e-mail from excited attendees wanting more info on the ritual…

I recommend that you stop debunking typical, negative, Hollywood lucidity, Christian propaganda, and general Witch myths after year 2, and from then on, focus your pre-rite public relations and publicity on the upcoming year’s theme meaning related to whatever Sabbat you’re hosting, and whatever particular publicity "hook" you’re using to drum up enthusiasm for it.

Develop a rather "thick skin" when it comes to self-styled posers, braggarts, and local magical rivals, who are sadly, all-too-often needlessly envious of your success, and are wont to pump themselves up at your expense, making catty remarks or spreading outright, vicious lies about you, your Coven, and your rites. This is a measure of your success at reaching people, and has nothing to do with reality or your personality.

ESSENTIAL TIPS TO ENSURE A GLORIOUS RITETHAT FOLKS WILL REMEMBER FOREVER

* Pick one Sabbat and do it every year on the same date and nighttime. 8 to 10 PM is optimal, for this gives parents time to trick-or-treat with their wee ones, then attend the Sabbat afterwards. You can float your ritual’s venue (where you have the rite) every few years or so, just let folks know the new location.
My daughter-Coven Highlandwilde does Beltane complete with a traditional Maypole dance each year, so folks have at least 2 major Sabbats they can attend every 6 months.

* Visualize your Sabbat from the God/desses’ eye-view. Conceive of your rite in terms of "How will the God/desses see this from above, around, and throughout?” and "How will THEY feel about my plan/design/idea?"
This is why we often feature long processions, intricate mazes, Spiral dances, and light our rites to be pleasing to the eyes and hearts of both human attendees, AND the Gods.

* Think BIG. Don’t drape a cloth or two and call the Sabbat decor "done" — imagine the most elaborate, Witchy rite of your dreams, then work for months to make your vision manifest.
As long as you’re going to do a rite, do it so hundreds and thousands — not a mere handful of folks — can fully participate in it and duly take heart from your magical gathering.
Though the idea of leading thousands in a hand-to-hand dance may seem daunting, doing so touches attendees’ hearts in a very deep way and gives everyone a sense of accomplishment and hope for our religion.

* Save something for the sequel. Don’t put ALL your ideas into one rite — remember that you’re going to be conducting this Sabbat every year for years to come, so save many other aspects and mythos about the Sabbat you’ve chosen to highlight, so you’ll have endless themes to use in following years.
Samhain, for example, has millennia of history to select from, and some themes we’ve used in previous years have been: Bones & Roses, Haunted Woods, Black Masquerade, Gypsy Revel, Dumb Supper, and Creatures of the Night…

* Make land and attendee safety priority one. Don’t make any permanent changes to the land site. Set tiki-torches deeply and shim them at their base with small termite wood stakes to prevent tilt and grass fire. Put tea lights in glass jars purchased cheaply from a local thrift store.
Prominently display a fully stocked med kit on site. Provide water, cups, and candy to help dancers get their sugar level up as needed. Use hundreds of snapstix and glo-bracelets to help light participants’ way. Fill in potholes and remove briars well in advance of the rite.

* Trust no one, but keep everyone "in the loop". Words are cheap, but deeds are dear, so disregard all volunteers’ promises to help you with this or that, for they often flake out. (Musicians are especially prone to promising they’ll come, and then simply don’t show.)Whenever someone actually delivers on his or her promises, hug them hard and thank them profusely. Send out constant e-mails asking for donations of prop items, money to help defray event costs, equipment needed, prep and setup meeting dates, times, and locations, etc.

* Screw pride — when you need something to make the rite successful, ASK FOR IT. Use all your e-contacts and friends or relatives or whomever. Beg them to donate tables, chairs, whatever you need, just for the night, label them with masking tape, and have them pick up their stuff the week after the Sabbat.
Ask that people play parts or roles during the rite. Tell them what you want, how they should dress, and work with them so they get it right, make the Craft look goodly, and please the God/desses.

* Throw everything at it but the kitchen sink. What often looks a tad "trashy" in daylight looks gorgeous in moonlight or torchlight. If it’s black, silver, red, or blue, it’ll be beautiful. Green and orange are alternative colors, but purple doesn’t fare so well by candlelight.

* Use the best ingredients possible. Use real tumbled stones, collected herbs in jars, food coloring, and other Witchy things more than store-bought, plastic Halloween decor.
If you’re super poor, search the Net for easy, cool, Witchy options. For example, we vertically cut black trash bags into one inch strips still connected at the bag’s top, then stretch them out and knot them in places to create fabo fluttery curtains…

* Think outside the box. When we realized during setup this year that we’d have trouble seeing in the dark the double spiral maze 3 football fields long we’d made for adults to trance dance on, we solved the problem by stringing $32.00 worth of metallic red wire garland along the entire route.Years ago we draped bolts of black garden cloth from the ceiling to the floor to create a huge maze in a pavilion. During year one when we wanted to weave a massive dreamcatcher using attendees’ hands, we used undyed cotton clothesline that worked beautifully on site.

* Publicize your Sabbat early and often. Tout your event via every free media outlet or event you can, such as the religion or lifestyle sections in newspapers, radio stations, online events calendars, and annual events like Pagan Pride Day. Include helpful info such as nearby hostels, hotels, or camping sites’ locations and contact info in case attendees want to spend the night before hitting the road home the next day.
Our posting about Samhain 12 this year got 11,000 hits on a rather obscure page on Witchvox.com because we’ve learned how to: link our event to current controversies or news stories; entice attendees with tantalizing promises about what we’re going to provide them at the rite; and all the facts they need to know to travel to it, as well as a map to the site.

* Stay on top of everything, all the time. For us, Samhain starts right after Litha (Summer Solstice). It takes us a full 6 months to gather all components, fix and recycle all materials from previous years, make new stuff, publicize the event widely, do pre-rite interviews, organize volunteers and rite roles, devise the rite itself, burn the music, and a million other details.
The only way we’ve ever seen that works is to make written lists, talk often, share ideas, brain-storm options, locate land venues quickly, and generally, stay on top of all of it from start to frickin’ finish…

* The High Priestess rules. Micro-manage all details yourself. Sabbats like mine are attended by hundreds and thousands and take months of prep to ensure their success.
The High Priestess should consider the merits of all possibilities coming from her High Priest, Initiates, and volunteers, but has the final say in all matters of dispute regarding the ritual.

* Don’t allow vendors, and issue no disclaimers. This keeps the rite spiritually oriented, and won’t be viewed as yet another clever fundraiser in disguise. Allow Pagan businesses to post business cards or pamphlets on a table, but not their products. Insist that diviners charge attendees nothing for reading for them after the main rite.
Don’t be a buzz-kill by posting endless, legalese-type "disclaimers" forbidding drugs, dogs, and such from your rites. No, we don’t allow dogs, but that is the extent of it, and only because they could bite someone. Otherwise, we encourage everything and the free expression of each attendee’s spiritual bliss…

* Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Have backup plans for all rite components. For instance, pray that live musicians DO show up — just know that musicians tend to be a flaky lot, so pre-burn the music you want onto CDs and have a skilled music-spinner play it using amps, etc.
Perform many weather-working spells in advance to ensure the best weather for your outdoor rites (our mantra is "No wind, no rain, no cold, no snow, on Samhain).
Run through the rite often in your mind and ask "What if" this or that happens questions. Think of all conceivable problems and try hard to conceive of things you’d never even consider that could spell the ruin your rite or cause you, the Craft, or your Craft Community any kind of embarrassment. Then, devise contingency plans "just in case", and let everyone know in detail what to do in case such problems arise.

* Insist on your religious rights. Each state’s different, but it’s illegal to disrupt any religious rite in North Carolina, so be prepared to press charges if some fundie makes verbal, "terrorist" threats at attendees.
Oppositely, cops have no right to attend, much less interfere, with Sabbats, but they’re quite adept with spouting excuses for why their presence is "necessary", such as traffic control, etc. Their mere presence often intimidates attendees, so resist them verbally and in Letters to the Editor in newspapers to make your point.

* Have your own internal security armed with walkie-talkies. Deal with trustworthy folks, and have them dressed in costume like every else (not with any obvious "badge" on their breast), roaming from the parking area throughout the rite site acreage, deftly, quietly handling any problems as they arise.Their purpose is to be so goodly, that no one ever knows there was any problem…

* Keep up your strength Witch-wise. Eat early and often, feed your help, take Echinacea before the rite, and slurp up tons of fruit juice throughout preparation time. Take tinctures and such if you’ve a cough or cold.
Wear tons of layers of clothes you can discard as it gets cold or you sweat during the dance. Dress for both comfort AND stunning beauty. Avoid high heels — instead, opt for flat boots with sole traction.

* Protect your Covenstead while you do the God/desses’ work. Everyone knows where you’re gonna’ be during your annual rite, so wire your Covenstead for security if you can, with motion-detecting, night-vision cameras on each floor, VCR recording capability, and put alarms on every door and window.
Failing that, have someone sit on your front porch passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, with a cordless phone nearby to call 911 in case anyone tries to burn the place down.

* Differentiate between when you should stress for success, and when it’s time to revel in the rite itself. Work hard, well, and fast during setup, then quit fussin’ over minor details, change into your costume, and start fairly levitating as you walk, dance, and cavort in the beauty of what you’ve created.

* Welcome attendees who’ve braved much to come from hither and yon to your rite. It’s nice to be welcomed to the rite from the parking lot to the circling site. Do this with torchlight to light pathways, stick incense, glow-sticks color-coordinated to support and set your rite’s theme mood, and props, etc.
Prior to each rite, we station dozens of costumed attendees to line the "admit path", and give them fairy dust to sprinkle on arrivals, feathers to smudge them with incense, roses to sprinkle scented water on them (splurging), and to pass out glo-bracelets or ritual mementos for them to wear. This reduces their nervousness or travel fatigue, and increases their rite anticipation.

* Set a high tone for the event, and all will follow suit. If you’re in the spiritual zone for all to see, no one will be telling tacky jokes or acting undignified.
Your confidence in your ability to pull off the Sabbat with grace and aplomb will radiate and attendees will feel safe, excited, expectant, and reverent.

* Use a wireless, headset mic. Do sound and equipment checks well in advance.When you’re dealing with thousands, wireless mics help all hear you explain the meaning of the Sabbat, the spell’s purpose, and your planned activities.

* Wear clothing or a costume that makes you — the rite leader — easily visible from far away.Sure, we all favor dress blacks and capes, etc., but when everyone wears one, the HPS can blend in and become invisible, causing needless confusion and preventing rite helpers from finding her if need be.
A polished, sparkling silver crown, glo-bracelets at the wrist, and similar items make you stand out, and all know where they are in line in relation to the High Priestess or rite leader.

* Keep ’em moving and mum’s the word. The biggest magical mistake many gathering organizers too often make when planning rites is to have everyone stay overlong, still and freezing or bored, while someone preaches, reads poetry, or does an elaborate altar rite that attendees can’t see well, hear well, or participate in. This is an automatic buzz-kill, and the origin of many a needless complaint about Craft rites.
We avoid this by circling folks hand-to-hand briefly, called Quarters quickly, taking five minutes or so to explain the meaning of the Sabbat and the upcoming rite’s magical purpose. Then we get right to the dance or other plan that gets everyone moving, smiling, and immediately invested in ensuring the rite’s success.

* Assume nothing. If a parent swears blindly their kid is missing, don’t panic and call 911 — you WILL find them — dancing and having the time of their lives!

* Follow the money. If you put a donation bowl out, take steps, like cementing it down on a table or some such with duct tape, to make sure no one runs off with it.

* Delicate "take down" of props after the rite is AS IMPORTANT as setting up fragile, packed props before the rite. Everyone who helped for months, weeks, or days to make the rite a success will be thoroughly exhausted when the rite’s done.
So do yourself a favor ahead of time by insisting that some people do nothing but show up the next day to help you take down the props you used, or they’ll be hopelessly ruined, and unusable next year.

* Don’t reinvent the wheel next year. Recycle all the props you can in creative ways depending on the theme you set next year.Store Sabbat stuff in large plastic bins, and collect donated items throughout the year to use when the time comes for the next year’s Sabbat.

Lady Passion is a co-author of The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells for Modern Problems, a registered nurse, and gifted psychic. She lives with her mate in a rambling 3-story Covenstead in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She may be contacted at: oldenwilde@aol.com or www.oldenwilde.org.

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