Tree Medicine, Magic, and Lore: Hawthorn

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

By Ellen Evert Hopman
Illustration by Will Hobbs

“Beware of an oak,
It draws the stroke,
Avoid an ash,
It courts the flash,
Creep under the thorn,
It will save you from harm”

“The fair maid who the first of May
Goes to the field at break of day,
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree
Will ever after handsome be”

–Ancient British Rhymes

Tradition holds that where Oak and Ash and Thorn are seen to grow together one will be likely to see Fairies. All of these trees are valuable medicinals besides being edible and making excellent firewood, (and building materials and wood for tools with the exception of Hawthorn which must never be felled). The Fairies, being highly intelligent, would certainly frequent these trees.

Another tradition holds that a solitary Hawthorn on a hill, and especially if there is a spring or a well nearby, indicates that a doorway to the land of Faery is close at hand. For this reason Hawthorns are sacred to the Goddess Carnea, wife and mother of Janus, God of entrances and exits. People will deliberately avoid or seek out such a place, according to their predispositions.

One of the duties of a Druid, in the days before television, radio, and newspapers, was to keep an eye on the local Hawthorn tree. The day it first blossomed was reckoned as the official start of summer, the festival of Beltaine, or May Day. Hawthorn blossoms were used to decorate the house and May Pole but it was considered very unlucky to bring them in the home, probably because of their attraction to the Fey Folk.

Hawthorn is woven into the crown of leaves worn by the Green Man, a figure dressed in green leaves and ribbons who symbolizes the return of summer’s verdure. He can often seen dancing through the town in a traditional May Day celebration.

Hawthorns are often chosen as sacred trees near Holy Wells. People leave small bits of cloth tied to such a tree to personify their prayers and needs.

At marriage ceremonies on the Greek isle of Delos, singers and dancers were crowned with Oak, Myrtle, and Hawthorn. Hawthorn blossoms, symbols of chastity, were included in the marriage wreath. Athenian brides once wore Hawthorn blossoms and used them to decorate altars sacred to Hymen, the Goddess of marriage. In Ireland and Celtic Britain newly married couples danced around a Hawthorn tree, to receive its blessing.

Hawthorn is a valuable medicinal whose fall-picked berries and spring-gathered new leaves and flowers are tinctured to make an all-purpose cardiac tonic that benefits virtually all heart conditions.

It is said that to cut down a Thorn tree is so unlucky that the offender is bound to lose his house, his children, or a limb.

about the author:

Ellen Evert Hopman is a Druid Priestess, herbalist and author of “Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey”, “A Druids Herbal – Of Sacred Tree Medicine”, “Walking the World in Wonder – A Children’s Herbal” and other volumes. Visit her website for more!











Bibliography
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Baker, Margaret, Discovering The Folklore Of Plants; Shire Publications Ltd., Aylesbury, Bucks, U.K. 1975

Beith, Mary, Healing Threads, Traditional Medicines of the Highlands and Islands; Polygon, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1995

Brunaux, Jean Louis, The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites and Sanctuaries; Seaby, London, 1988

Calder, George (translator), Book of Ballymote: Auraicept Na nEces (The Scholars Primer); Edinburgh, 1917

Carmichael, Alexander, Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incantations; Floris Books, Edinburgh 1992

Cunliffe, Barry, The Celtic World; St. Martin’s Press, New York, New York, 1993

Cunningham, Scott, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs; Llewellyn Publications, St Paul, MN 1986

Ellis, Peter Berresford, Celtic Women; Wm. B. Erdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996

Erichsen-Brown, Charlotte, Medicinal and Other Uses Of North American Plants; Dover Publications Inc., New York, NY 1989

Evans-Wentz, W.Y., The Fairy Faith In Celtic Countries; Citadel Press, New York, NY 1990

Farrar, Janet and Stewart, The Witch’s Goddess; Phoenix Publishing Inc, Custer, WA 98240

Frazier, James G., The Golden Bough, The Roots of Religion And Folklore; Avenel Books, NY 1981

Friedrich, Paul, Proto-Indo-European Trees; The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL 1970

Green, Miranda J., The Celtic World; Routledge, London, 1995

Green, Miranda J., The World of the Druids, Thames and Hudson, London 1997

Grieve, M., A Modern Herbal, Dover Publications Inc., New York, NY 1971

Hoagland, Kathleen, 1,000 Years of Irish Poetry, The Gaelic and the Anglo-Irish Poets From Pagan Times To The Present; The Devin-Adair Company, Old Greenwich, CT 1981

Hopman, Ellen Evert, A Druids Herbal For The Sacred Earth Year; Inner Traditions/Destiny Books, Rochester, VT 1995

Hopman, Ellen Evert, Tree Medicine, Tree Magic; Phoenix Publishers, Custer, WA 1991

Kelly, Fergus, A Guide To Early Irish Law; Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Dublin, 1991

Kondratiev, Alexei, The Apple Branch; The Collins Press, Cork, 1998

Lust, John The Herb Book; Bantam Books, New York, 1974

Markale, Jean, The Druids; Inner Traditions, Rochester, VT, 1999

Matthews, Caitlin & John, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom; Element Books, Rockport, MA 1994

Matthews, John, The Druid Sourcebook; Blanford Press, London, 1996

McNeill, F. Marian, The Silver Bough, Vol. One; William Maclellan, Glasgow, 1977

Meyer, Kuno, Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry; Constable, London, 1959

Moerman, Daniel E., Medicinal Plants Of Native America; University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology Technical Reports, Number 19, Ann Arbor, MI 1986

Mooney, James, History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees; Bright Mountain Books, Ashville, NC 1992

Naddair, Kaledon, Keltic Folk and Faerie Tales; Century Hutchinson Ltd., London, 1987

O’Boyle, Sean, Ogam, the Poet’s Secret; Gilbert Dalton, Dublin, 1980

Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, Celtic Heritage; Thames and Hudson, New York, 1989

Ross, Anne, Pagan Celtic Britain; Columbia University Press, New York, NY 1967

Saintine, X.B., The Myths Of The Rhine; Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland, VT 1967 (Reprint of the 1875 edition)

Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth and Legend; Newcastle Publishing Co. Ltd., USA, 1975

Stone, Merlin, Ancient Mirrors Of Womanhood; Beacon Press, Boston, MA 1984

10 Questions with Ellen Dugan

by Administrator, posted in Interviews, Magic/Occult, Wiccan/Pagan

1. What does it mean to be a “Garden Witch” or to practice “Garden Witchery”?

I define a Garden Witch as: “A practical, down-to-earth type of practitioner. A Witch who is well versed in green magick, herbal knowledge and its uses and who is a magickal gardener.”

2. How does your new book, “Book of Witchery”, differ from your previous release “7 Days of Magic”?

Well, to begin with its more than doubled in size! The 2004 manuscript which was made into 7 Days of Magic was only 34,000 words long. Book of Witchery finished up at over 87,000 words long.

I have been teaching classes all over the country from the information in 7 Days of Magic for years. So when the opportunity arose to re-release the book I told the editors that I wanted to expand the book make it more in depth and to make it bigger.

So Book of Witchery, has all of the basics, that folks have come to expect from me, but I added to the information and went deeper. It also now it features daily mediations, potion and philter recipes, magickal craft projects, a daily ritual, and a new chapter on “Full Moon Witchery”.

The “Full Moon Witchery” chapter goes a step farther than your usual magickal book and explores what magickal energies are in play when the full moon occurs on the different days of the week. For example, what will happen when a full moon occurs on a Monday- which is the day of the week devoted to the moon and lunar magicks….. This final chapter allows you to think outside the box and to learn something new.

3. Why write a book that focuses on the days of the week?

Because knowledge is power! Once you know your daily correspondences you have options and amazing opportunities to personalize your Craft and to advance your own magickal skills all on your own.

It always astounds me when I go to teach a class, and then I’ll ask folks, how many people there know their daily correspondences by heart, how few people actually do.

Adding this practical information to your spell casting repertoire is a smart thing to do. Since once you have that information in your memory, it opens up worlds to you. You won’t have to dive for your reference books and look things up. You will know what works the best, what items and deities compliment each other and work in harmony together- on any day of the week. Allowing you to successfully cast your spells no matter what phase the moon is in, because now you have a deeper knowledge and more spell-casting options.

4. What is your favorite day of the week and why?

I honestly don’t have a favorite day. In truth, each day has its own unique magickal energies and powers. I truly enjoy working with the different planetary energies throughout the entire week. Every day has new options and a different magickal theme- the opportunities and possibilities are endless. It’s fun and exciting, and as a Witch, I never get bored exploring all seven of the days of the bewitching week.

5. What challenges do you see facing the Wiccan/Witchcraft community? How can the community resolve those issues?

We are growing so fast as a community, people from all different backgrounds, experiences and incomes, and I think we all need to be more tolerant of each other and of the various different magickal traditions.

I see people getting into huge debates over silly things, like what a “Hedge Witch” is, and about how to pronounce athame, for Goddess sake. I have seen the self proclaimed “Grand High Pooh-Bahs” sneer at someone else who happily calls themselves self taught or eclectic. And I’ve seen Wiccans treat ceremonial practitioner like they were radio active or something. Its really getting old all of that “My tradition is real and yours is not”, type of thing. All this dissension among the ranks is such a foolish waste of time and magickal energy!

We can be different, and we can have different styles of magick, and different Craft practices and ideas, and still be a community. We do have to stand together and we do have to work together. Is it going to be easy? Probably not, but diversity is a beautiful thing. So embrace it, see what you can learn from other traditions and styles of magick and then grow from the experience.

6. You also wrote “Elements of Witchcraft: Natural Magick for Teens”. Why did you feel it was important to write a book specifically for teenagers?

At the time I wrote the book back in 2002, all of my children were teens.

I wrote a book that was smart, practical and focused on the natural elements, as opposed to fancy and expensive doodads and accessories. Interestingly enough it is just as popular (if not more) with adults. The book does not talk down to the reader. That is important to me, to be respectful to my readers no matter what their age or magickal experience level.

Today, I use the book as required text for my online class, “The Four Elements of Witchcraft” because the information there is solid, basic and accessible to any reader no matter what their actual age. The online classes have been very popular with my adult students and the feedback has been phenomenal.

Bottom line: Natural magick is very user friendly and it’s a great place for anyone to begin their studies when they want to understand, and to learn the Craft and magick on their own.

7. I see you now offer online classes, what can people expect from these?

My classes are affordable, practical, fun, and self paced. I keep my classes reasonably priced ($30.00 to $40.00) because in today’s economy its tough to come up with a few hundred bucks for an online class.

I began offering the online classes because I had so many requests from students all over the country and in the UK who did not have the opportunity to take a “live” class from me. That got me to thinking… and now I offer three on-line classes. With two more classes in the works. The newest class should be up and available for purchase within the next few weeks. The topic of the new class? “Hearth & Home Magick”. And folks are already clamoring for it.

With my online classes, you can expect new spells and charms for you to work on your own. Magickal folklore, deity information, and lessons that will challenge you to think for yourself and to stand strong and grow in your own style of magick and witchery. There are homework assignments, such as: creating different theme altars, working on your own books of shadows, writing your own spells and journaling exercises. There are some pictures in my Myspace albums of student’s altars form the “Four Elements of Witchcraft” class. Check them out if you’d like to see them.

8. As a Llewellyn author I’m curious as to your opinion, if Raven Digitalis and Deborah Blake got into a drunken fist fight who would win?

No Comment.

9. What can my readers expect to see from you in the future?

I am working on my twelfth book for Llewellyn Worldwide. It will be released in early 2011. The topic and working title is a secret- but I will tell you this… its different from my other books, a bit darker and the topic is heavier. Yes, there is still practical magick and humor, (I’m writing it after all.) But it is different. Even the writing process has been different for me this time. So its been an adventure and very exciting to see where it ends up. I love it when I get the chance to learn and to grow myself, as I write a book!

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

One of my books is getting a new cover this fall, Herb Magic for Beginners. The new cover will be available in November. There is a picture of it in my Myspace albums. I love the change, (well its green and has flowering herbs on the cover- so you know I like it.) What do you all think of the new artwork?

I think it’s cute!

About Ellen:
Ellen Dugan, the “Garden Witch,” is an award-winning author, a psychic-clairvoyant and a regular contributor to Llewellyn’s almanacs, datebooks, and calendars. A practicing Witch for over twenty-five years, she is also a certified Master Gardener.

Ellen has written several books, including Garden Witchery, Elements of Witchcraft, Natural Magick for Teens, Cottage Witchery, Autumn Equinox, The Enchanted Cat, Herb Magic for Beginners, Natural Witchery, and How to Enchant a Man. Her Garden Witch’s Herbal, and Book of Witchery was published by Llewellyn in 2009.

When not spending time with her family, Ellen unwinds by working in her perennial gardens at home with her husband. She wholeheartedly encourages everyone to personalize their green spellcraft by getting their hands dirty, discovering the wonder and magic of the natural world, and connecting with the spiritual side of nature. To find out more, visit her website at www.ellendugan.com.(Photo © Mickie Mueller)

A Letter: Part Four

by Administrator, posted in Politics

When I relaunched The Magical Buffet website, I opened up with my letter to then President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, then Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chuck Schumer and then Senator Barack Obama with regards to the situation in Zimbabwe. Despite great appreciation from friends of The Magical Buffet, I received no response, from any of them. A pox on all their houses!

Being the spunky, or some could say annoying, gal that I am, I decided the perfect welcome to the new job gift for now President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be shiny new letters, about how they ignored me even while courting my vote. I went Kucinich, but there was no way they could have known that then. Based on the responses I received he’ll be getting my vote again next Democratic primary because he’s a man who at least knows how to send a form letter, thank you very much. And you know he’ll run, because that’s what he does. That, and have you SEEN his wife?! Holy hot potential first lady Batman! I mean Michelle Obama is beautiful, but Elizabeth Kucinich is beautiful, with a British accent, and a tongue piercing. A TONGUE PIERCING! Wow, where was I? Oh yeah, so I sent our shiny new change bringing President and our feisty new Secretary of State letters that were quite good, if I do say so myself.

To that I received nothing from Secretary Clinton’s office, and I got a wonderful form postcard from the Obama administration. I mean, not even a letter in an envelope, a post card, sent bulk mail I suspect. Seriously? I’ll admit it, I’ve been feeling daunted since then.

Of course since then the situation in Zimbabwe hasn’t necessarily gotten worse, but it sure as heck has gotten more confusing. A few weeks ago the MDC pulled out of the unity government, apparently they had some hang ups about political prisoners not getting released as promised and wide spread violence against MDC supporters. (I believe the personalities over at Fox News would calls those types hippies.) Now, like an abused spouse the MDC has returned giving their violent spouse President Mugabe 15 days to get with Prime Minister Tsvangirai and outline all the deal breaking issues and then that no good Mugabe has 30 days to clean up his act or else the MDC is out the door and presumably moving in with mother. Seriously, it is strange and dangerous days in Zimbabwe, our kinsmen are still in peril. So I’ve decided to find the un for my daunted, get my butt off the couch (despite there still being new episodes of “Castle” in my DVR) and do something.

Obviously, I’ve essentially tapped out the fun of poking my elected officials. I’m not saying I’m done with them, but I needed something suitably large and bizarre to bring a smile to my face.

I considered a letter of support to the Movement for Democratic Change, complete with my husband taking a picture of the postal employee as I asked for postage to Zimbabwe. I also considered a letter to the President of Botswana. Something to the effect of, you guys seem to be a reasonable sort, can’t you do anything? Again, that had the appeal of the confused postal employee when I went to get postage, but then I had a truly inspired idea.

United Nation’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

And when I discovered how hard it is to get an actually letter in the mail to him (just try and find me a mailing address on that U.N. website!) I loved it more. I smile thinking of his Communications Director going, someone, from someplace that isn’t New York City in the state of New York has written a letter to Secretary-General Ban about Zimbabwe?! This has some seriously fun potential. Obviously, I’ve been to this party before, so I’m not actually expecting a response. However I do feel confident that someone over in his office is going to certainly be perplexed. I can feel the Nobel Peace Prize in my grasp.

11/09/09

Dear Secretary-General Ban,

I’m not going to insult your intelligence, or waste your time needlessly. Let me get right to the point, Zimbabwe is in trouble. It’s been in trouble for a very long time now, but you know that, don’t you? I mean, everyone knows that, and you’re the Secretary-General of the United Nations, so you know better than me. Especially after Manfred Nowak, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, was not allowed admittance into the country at the end of October. So, no long explanations as to why I’m concerned, no acting like we’re not on the same page. Of course we’re on the same page. Anyone that is even remotely paying attention to the situation in Zimbabwe is on this page with us.

In July 2008 I wrote a letter that I sent to President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, then Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chuck Schumer and then Senator Barack Obama expressing my concerns and arguing that the United States of America, more than any other country, had an obligation to attempt to help facilitate change. Despite it being an election year, a time when more than ever American politicians endeavor to engage and interact with the American people, I did not receive any response. Not one.

When Senator Hillary Clinton became Secretary Clinton for the U.S. State Department. I wrote her a letter expressing my concerns and told her how I was looking forward to seeing how a fresh administration, one built on diplomacy, would approach the situation. Again, I received no response.

I also wrote what I felt was a compelling letter to now President Barack Obama immediately upon him taking office. Again, concerns were expressed and impassioned pleas were made. I received a response in the form of a post card that did not clearly indicate if anyone within the Obama administration had actually read my letter.

That journey is what brings this letter to your office. I had hoped that America would take note of the situation in Zimbabwe and at least acknowledge that someone in the country cared. I do not feel that has occurred. So now I turn to you, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a leader of the international community. Do you think there is anything to be done to help Zimbabwe? Can you at least take note that there is someone in the United States who is concerned with what is happening in the country?

Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the situation.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Elson

Attachments: 2008 letter, 2009 letter to Secretary Clinton, 2009 letter to President Obama

Stay tuned for any responses or other zany ideas!

Russian Magic

by Administrator, posted in Books, Mythology, Religion, Reviews

It’s not that I never think of Russia, except that honestly I don’t really think about Russia. Nothing against the country, just for some reason, they never really cross my mind. That’s why I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review “Russian Magic: Living Folk Traditions of an Enchanted Landscape” by Cherry Gilchrist. I was hoping that I would come away with a refreshing understanding of a country that I had obviously overlooked. I was right.

“Russian Magic” is everything a book of its type should be, potential authors of folkloric books take note. The book is engaging and covers a surprisingly large swath of Russian traditions, religious practices, folklore traditions, and more. It is well researched but also filled with first hand accounts from the author brushing up against these practices.

There were the “standards” such as Baba Yaga and Matrioshka (those adorable nesting dolls). However I was also introduced to a colorful cast of characters like Father Frost, Mokosh (Damp Earth Mother), and Perun (Lord of Thunder). I learned about various divination practices, dates of unique celebrations, the landscapes, and even the significance of the architecture of the traditional village house! Better still, whereas most books of this type would only look at these things from the perspective of their significance in the past, the author takes all of that history and shows you its influence on modern society in Russia.

I also need to tell you that I couldn’t help but be pleased when the domavoi made an appearance. Some readers may remember that WAY back in 2006 I wrote an article about these helpful and potentially harmful house guests. What I didn’t know then, but do now (thanks to “Russian Magic”) is that the domavoi’s birthday is February 10th! If you have one of these guys in your home, that’s the day to really kiss up to him! And now you know.

And if you’re looking to know more, I highly suggest picking up this entertaining and enlightening book.

The Blog of the Seven Veils

by Administrator, posted in Religion, Symbols

illustrated by Will Hobbs

Veils. Has there ever been such a complex piece of cloth? Essentially a veil is just a piece of fabric that traditionally covers the hair and/or face, and yet it means many things to many people. For some a veil conjures up the image of sensual belly dance, for others an emblem of paying proper respect to their religious faith. Not everyone has taken the time to think about veils and their symbolism, but with such a long and varied history the only thing to be certain of is that everyone can find a veil they like.

According to my favorite anonymous resource, Wikipedia, the first recorded example of women wearing veils is in a legal text from the 13th century BCE, which stated that only Assyrian noble women were allowed to wear veils. Common women and prostitutes were forbidden from wearing them. In fact, the idea of women of higher status wearing veils was also practiced by the ancient Greeks.

In modern times, veils are often pinned to hats worn by widows at funerals and through whatever designated period of mourning is appropriate after the burial. And of course, everyone thinks about the wedding veil that brides wear. The veil is a symbol of purity and, if worn by the bride, when the bride’s face is revealed by the father lifting the veil, it’s a gesture of handing over possession of his daughter to the groom, when lifted by the groom, it signifies what will be taking place in the marriage bed, you know, when the clothing comes off!

Often times, in traditional Catholic or Christian churches, women are encouraged to cover their heads, which means that for many, attending church means wearing a hat or veil. Oddly, men are to remove their hats when attending church. Apparently it has something to do with Corinthians and how man is in the image of God, so he shouldn’t be all ashamed and covered, but woman is the glory of God…which you would think that would be good enough to show your hair, but what do I know? I wouldn’t have even known about Corinthians if it wasn’t for Wikipedia again!

Married Orthodox Jewish women, in compliance with the covering head requirement, related to the modest dress standard called tzeniut, cover their hair by using wigs, hats, and scarves (Which can be awfully veil like, right?). Why do they do it, what does it symbolize? I don’t know. I’m Jewish, but I’m what’s called in theological parlance a “bad Jew”. If any of my Jewish peeps know the skinny on the tzeniut and why Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair, leave an informative comment at the end of the article!

Let’s be honest, the war in Afghanistan has really introduced the concept of Muslim veiled women to the west. In fact, in the Muslim world the ladies rock so many varied veils that I can’t keep the names straight! And that’s why I’m just going to flat out quote the Wikipedia entry here.

“A variety of headdresses worn by Muslim women in accordance with hijab (the principle of dressing modestly) are sometimes referred to as veils. Many of these garments cover the hair, ears and throat, but do not cover the face. The khimar is a type of headscarf. The niqāb and burqa are two kinds of veils that cover most of the face except for a slit or hole for the eyes. The Afghan burqa covers the entire body, obscuring the face completely, except for a grille or netting over the eyes to allow the wearer to see. The boshiya is a veil that may be worn over a headscarf; it covers the entire face and is made of a sheer fabric so the wearer is able to see through it.”

Now if you think I’m a bad Jew, you won’t be amazed to learn that I’m super less than an expert on the Muslim faith, but here’s my stab at talking hijab. Women of Islam were instructed to cover themselves when they go out so that everyone will know they’re women and will be left alone and not harassed. I’ve also been given to believe that the basic concept is that because women are so hot (as in sexually attractive, not in measurable temperature) and that men are so easily distracted, that women being covered when in the presence of men who are not family is just the smart way of doing business. If any readers have the 411 on the practice and perhaps symbolism of this kind of veil, leave a message in the comments section so we can all learn something new!

Obviously these days discussing the veiling of Islamic women is an issue of religion, politics, and civil rights. Guess what I’m not going to do? Stick my head into the middle of all of it. Let me just say, there are days when the idea of not worrying about my clothes, hair, or make-up is appealing, as long as it’s my decision when to cover it up and when to flaunt it.

So what the heck do we have here? A symbol of purity, of mourning, of social status, of marital status, of faith, of sensuality. Now that’s a heck of a lot for one square of fabric!

It’s Movember Again!

by Administrator, posted in Events, Organizations

Last year, thanks to our friend (and cool guy who does our art) Will Hobbs I learned about The Movember Foundation. Although this year he’s not on a fund raising team, I still think Movember is a wonderful organization and that’s why I decided to announce…..Movember is here!

From the Movember United States website:

Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues – specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back. In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health.

A Mo Bro starts Movember – the month formerly known as November – clean shaven, and grows a moustache all month long, garnering support from friends and family in the form of donations. What’s more, a Mo Bro is a walking billboard for the cause as his new look opens the door for him to talk about cancers affecting men – making the moustache a symbol, much like the pink ribbon is for breast cancer. Each Movember culminates in a Gala Partè in major cities around the globe where Mo Bros dress up to match their Mo, channeling the likes of Tom Selleck, Ghandi and Ron Burgandy, vying for the ultimate accolade: Man of Movember.

While growing a Mo is left to the guys, Mo Sistas (women who support their guys) form an important part of Movember by recruiting Mo Bros, helping to raise funds and attending the highly anticipated Gala Partés.

This Movember, the money raised in the U.S. will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:
• the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
• research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

To date, Movember has raised $47 million globally making it the world’s largest charity event for men. Significantly, awareness of men’s health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread important health messages directly to millions of Mo Bros & Sistas around the world.

To register, donate, or learn more, visit The Movember Foundation website.

Thomas Riley Blog Tour

by Administrator, posted in Books, Geek Stuff, Guest Authors

by Nick Valentino

Steampunk is a genre/culture that’s fast becoming a pop culture phenomenon. I wrote the book “Thomas Riley” which is a Steampunk adventure novel, just before the wave of high powered popularity hit which makes it interesting for me to watch it grow. For those that don’t know what Steampunk is, the shortest way I can explain it is Jules Verne meets Indiana Jones with near limitless technology based off of steam and old world power sources.

So why the sudden rise in popularity? Why are people meeting up dressed in top hats, goggles and homemade light up backpacks and machinery? I’m going out on a limb to say that the Steampunk’s popularity is growing as a response to modern day complexities. What I mean by that is the world as we know it is full of technology that’s hard for any of us to really understand. How exactly does a Kindle work? To me it’s a foreign technology from a different world. Steampunk is a hands-on endeavor, where patrons of the culture are able to use their hands and make everything by themselves. It’s the human mind and the spirit of ingenuity that inspires the Steampunk movement. You make your own “weaponry”, you make your own backpacks, watches, art, posters… It’s all DYI and you make it with clockwork, machine parts or whatever you can think of.

In addition to that, the style of steampunk is Victorian dress. Finally you have a reason to dress up while being adventurous at the same time. A big complaint about Steampunk is that it’s strictly a fashion statement. In fact it’s far from that. It’s only a fashion statement when you dress up for the sake of dressing up. The essence of the culture is based around a do it yourself life, one that you can express yourself through your own hand. So go forth! Make you’re your own identity, really the rules are few and far between when it comes to this culture so make it up as you see fit.

In the spirit of do it yourself, and now that you’re obviously curious about Steampunk, you can learn more at www.sirthomasriley.com

For those that are currently hooked, you can buy the book here: http://thomasriley.bigcartel.com/

And for those that want to enlist as a Sky Pirate, go here and you’ll get enlistment papers.
http://www.sirthomasriley.com/recruiting-sky-pirates/

Many thanks and much love to Rebecca for having me today!

First Annual Northern New York Paranormal Expo: The Event

by Administrator, posted in Events, Paranormal

In mid-September I wrote about the then upcoming Northern New York Paranormal Expo. Well, this past Saturday Jim and I hauled it up north to Plattsburgh, NY to see how the first ever paranormal expo presented by the Northern New York Paranormal Research Society and the City of Plattsburgh was going to go down.

There were nearly 30 vendors ranging from psychics, to food, to jewelry, and more! There was a haunted house being run and the screams would echo throughout the gym. They also had speakers giving presentations in two different rooms throughout the day. I attended the welcome given by Merrill McKee, the President of the Northern New York Paranormal Research Society and one of the primary forces behind the expo. He talked about putting together the expo, thanked all the people that helped make the event possible (including an unexpected shout out to yours truly), and took some questions from the audience about the paranormal.

Also, I had the good fortune to hear Gordie Little speak. From what I had been told, he’s a bit of legend in northern New York as a media personality, collecting and sharing ghost lore at sold out ghost tours and writing columns for the Plattsburgh Press Republican newspaper. His first book of collected ghost stories, “Ghosts of Clinton County”, had just released so he spoke at first about how the book came about and then shared all kinds of fun, scary, and sentimental tales of the supernatural with us. He is a charming speaker and his time at the microphone was definitely the best part of the day for me.

I feel it is safe to call the event a success. There was an estimated 900 people who attended the expo. The vendor’s booths always had people crowded around and everyone I spoke to was having a wonderful time, as did I. I’m very proud of my friends at the Northern New York Paranormal Society for their first, of hopefully many, successful events.

The Way of Beauty

by Administrator, posted in Books, Reviews

“Look at it like this – how long do you think you could sing about gold?”

“It’s yellow and it goes chink and you can buy things with it,” said Tomjon experimentally, as they strolled through the crowds on the Plaza of Broken Moons. “Four seconds, I think.”

– Terry Pratchett “Wyrd Sisters”

That snippet from “Wyrd Sisters” is exactly what I thought of when I picked up the copy of “The Way of Beauty: Five Meditations for Spiritual Transformation” by Francois Cheng that Inner Traditions sent me. A book that discusses nothing but beauty? I mean, how long could I discuss beauty? Let’s see, um, flowers are pretty, puppies are cute, and Angelina Jolie is smoking hot. (I just wish she would put a little of her weight back on. Current Skeletor Jolie is considerably less hot than “Gia” Jolie, can I get an amen in here?) Oh, and sunrises, and sunsets, very beautiful. So what am I at, like 20 words if you don’t count my aside about Angelina Jolie’s current weight? Let’s just say I was curious how you manage to fill 116 pages with an examination of beauty and have it not start sounding like “Gold, gold, gold, gold, gold, gold”.

Fortunately beauty, beauty, pretty, beauty, beauty, beautiful, was not how this book read. “The Way of Beauty” is an exquisitely personal discussion of Cheng’s thoughts on beauty and our relationship with it, that, like all great personal works, readers can find themselves in the text. Here’s one of many beautifully crafted excerpts for you:

Formal beauty exists, of course, but it hardly encompasses the entire reality of beauty. That is more strictly a matter of Being, moved by the imperious desire for beauty. True beauty does not reside only in what is already manifest as beauty; it resides almost primarily in the desire and the impulse. It is a becoming, and the dimension of spirit or soul is vital to it.

“The Way of Beauty” uses Western and Taoist thought to make the reader consider beauty in ways that they may not have thought of before. Honestly, it’s nearly impossible to write a “review” of the book. Such a thoughtful, enlightening, and yes, beautiful book defies review in my opinion.

What I can tell you is that it is beautiful. It will make you think. You should read it.

Ghost Hunters of the Finger Lakes: Investigation Summary

by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Paranormal

Submitted by the members of the Ghost Hunters of the Finger Lakes

Our group is made up of family members and a few good friends. We are interested in the paranormal for several reasons, one being our grandmother who was sensitive to “spirits” from the other side. She would tell us ghost stories and how she could communicate with what she referred to as her spirit guides which always left us all amazed and intrigued. We also all have had some experiences when we were younger that led us to become very curious about the paranormal. That is why we decided to form a paranormal group. It was not long before our website was created and we started purchasing equipment which enhanced our ability to investigate some pretty cool places. We started investigating houses, inns, pubs, etc. that had reports of paranormal activity. Now we have stories of our own that we can share with our grandkids. Here is just one of the many places that we have investigated.

This is a summary of an investigation we did in a house built in the 1800’s located in upstate New York. It was converted from a church many years ago and had a lengthy history of paranormal activity. There were three investigators present the night of the investigation using digital cameras and digital voice recorders. We also used several night vision cameras as well as EMF meters and thermometers.

We first heard of this house from a story that was submitted to an online newspaper. There were reports of doors slamming, balls rolling around by themselves and disembodied voices coming from the rooms. It is believed that a man accidently drowned in a well on the property. Other claims were of a man that was pulled off a ladder by some unseen force while working next to the house as well as lights that would come back on by themselves during the night for no apparent reason.

We took many readings with our EMF detectors and thermometers and nothing out of the normal was found. There was also nothing found on our IR video cams taken that night. We did however capture some interesting EVP’s that night.

The first EVP that we captured was while walking upstairs with another investigator, I asked the question “is anyone here with us?” My digital recorder instantly received a reply from an older female sounding voice mimicking my question “is anyone here with us “and then she cursed at me using obscenities. This was the first time I have ever been cursed at by a ghost. The next EVP came from a bedroom upstairs. As soon as we walked in the bedroom I instantly had a headache. It was a sharp pain. I could feel the tense pressure; I felt something was going on. I then put my recorder down in the room and left it there. When I played it back the next day I could not believe what we had recorded. There was a man and a woman arguing in the room. The man sounded angry and there were noises like he was hitting her. She sounded like she was crying and was yelling obscenities back at this man.

The next EVP captured came from the downstairs. We had just come from the attic and discovered a small dead dog there. We were trying to figure out how a dog would have gotten in to the house never mind the attic area. When doing some more EVP work we heard a dog’s faint bark from a distance outside the house and I commented on it. One of our investigators had a digital voice recorder placed on his knee at this time. After reviewing the recording we heard the very loud sound of a dog barking that was coming from right next to the recorder. It was very loud and echoed in the room. The barking sound on the recorder started right after we made the comment about the dog barking off in the distance. It actually seemed to be responding to the barking of the other dog. There were no dogs present inside the house at any time we were there. It seemed odd to think that while we were listening for voices that a “ghost” dog may have been sitting right there with us. Our thoughts lingered back to the deceased dog that we had found in the attic.

While in the kitchen, we noticed a cabinet door was open even though upon our first inspection they had all been closed. We tried the cabinet doors and they closed very tightly. We could not prove this to be paranormal but we knew none of us opened the cabinet door. We wished that we had left an IR camera there to catch any proof of this movement.

What seemed like a fairly quiet night of investigating quickly changed while listening to our digital voice recorders the next day. The quiet house we investigated came alive with voices and even barks from a dog when we played them back.

To learn more about the Ghost Hunters of the Finger Lakes, visit their website.