Tree Medicine, Magic, and Lore: Birch

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

By Ellen Evert Hopman
Illustration by Will Hobbs

The Birch tree (along with Willow, Aspen, Poplar, and Linden) is one of the quintessentially feminine trees of ancient European culture. Interestingly Birch is also regarded as feminine by Native American nations who have traditionally used her wood for canoes, to make paper, and for carrying bags and prayer baskets.

Birch trees are associated mystically with new beginnings. They are one of the first trees to take hold in an area where the ground has been disturbed and were one of the earliest trees to appear after the retreat of the last Ice Age.

The ancient Indo-European word for Birch is associated with the words; “it shines, glitter, flash, shimmer, brilliance, brightness, white and bright” in several modern languages. Birch has traditionally been known as “the way shower” because of Her bright, white bark. In a dark forest Birch always shows the way.

Birch is generally regarded as a Goddess tree. Use Her energy to put yourself in touch with the feminine aspect of the universe and within yourself. Birch is always practical, clean, and well organized. In some ancient cultures She was regarded as the Cosmic World Tree. Birch trees were used as Shamanic “Sky Ladders” in Lapland and Siberia. With the aid of a trance inducing drum beat one could travel astrally up Her branches into the Sky World.

The Gaelic word for Birch, Beith, is closely related to Bith (existence, enduring, constant) and with Bithe (womanly, feminine). Birch is the traditional wood for the May Pole in Celtic areas and in Wales the May Pole was always made from a living tree.

Birch wood was used in Scandinavia to carve rune sets for divination and in Ireland to carve Ogham inscriptions (the Ogham is the native pre-Roman alphabet whose letters are called by tree names). Twigs of Birch were used to light the sacred Beltaine (May Eve) fires.

Scandinavian couples would celebrate May Day by making love in a Birch forest. Birch forests were sacred to Frigga, Goddess of fertility and love. The legendary Celtic lovers Diarmid and Grainne slept in Birch branch huts as they fled their pursuers. Birch trees and Linden trees were commonly offered as sacrifices in Druidic groves.

Birch leaves taken in tea are laxative as well as healing to mouth sores, kidney and bladder sediment, gout, and rheumatism. A strong brew of the leaves, twigs and bark added to the bath will help eczema, psoriasis, and other moist, skin eruptions. Birch tea is relaxing and sedative. Black and yellow Birch have the best flavor.

Native American herbalists have used a yellow fungus that grows on Birch tops to heal tumors for millennia. Modern medicine has only recently discovered this “wonder drug” for use in cancer treatments.

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

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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

The Halo – That Glow!

by Administrator, posted in Art, Religion, Symbols

by Rebecca
illustrated by Will Hobbs

What is a halo? Well, according to my sources (known as Wikipedia.org), “A halo is an optical phenomenon that appears near or around the Sun or Moon, and sometimes near other strong light sources such as street lights. There are many types of optical halos, but they are mostly caused by ice crystals in cold cirrus clouds located high in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion, similarly to the rainbow.” Let’s face it, although cool, that’s not what any of us think of when we’re asked “What is a halo?”

It’s that gold circle that floats above an angel’s head, duh. However, let’s take a little time to explore how it got there.

If you take a little time to think about it, you’ll realize you’ve seen haloes other places besides atop an angel’s head. Haloes were originally depicted as flat discs behind an individuals head, not floating above like these days. A flat golden disc is a sun, right? You got it, the Egyptian sun god Ra and Mithras, an ancient pre-Christianity sun god, both are depicted with haloes. So here you have a bunch of pre-Christianity/pagan deities running around with haloes, what’s an emerging religion to do?

That’s right, get themselves some haloes. Pagans, including Buddhists and Hindus, worship deities with haloes, so haloes must be part of their divinity. Once determined that a halo symbolizes sanctity, divinity, and light, all kinds of folks were getting them: Jesus, Mary, saints, popes, emperors, anyone who needs to be shown with the glow of the divine, including angels.

That, combined with a trend towards more realistic details in art, created the floating rings of light above the head.

By the way, when the whole body is surrounded in a glowing aura, for example as Jesus is often depicted, that’s not a halo, it’s a mandorla. Many people associate this full body halo as an indication of power, divine or otherwise. Like this, for example…..

See, he’s got the “glow”. Perhaps he’s got his chi working. Although technically that wasn’t a true mandorla. Mandorlas are almond shaped. But I think you’ll agree that was more fun!

If you have a little time, the Wikipedia entry about haloes is an interesting look at religion influencing art influencing religion. Here’s the link.

And for those of you who suddenly find yourself thinking, I should totally watch the movie “The Last Dragon” (where the clip above came from), let me remind you why that’s not really necessary.

Too cheesy…..
Must navigate away from page…..

Summer Solstice & Spiritual Meltdown: How to Keep Your Cool When Life’s Hot!

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Magic/Occult, Wiccan/Pagan

By Lady Passion, HPS, Coven Oldenwilde
(this article also appears in the June issue of Oracle 20/20 magazine, reprinted here with the author’s permission)

I’ve taught magic to folks for 17 years or so, and thus as High Priestess, often born the brunt of pseudo-psychotic rants from those calling themselves sincere Seekers one second, yet who take offense over the flimsiest of pretexts, inexplicably act suspicious, make outlandish, erroneous accusations, and burn the very bridges they previously claimed to want to build with “folks of like mind.”

Although such can happen at any time when people who think they’re mature enough to handle the imbed conditioning or regret that mastering magic provokes in aspirants, I’ve noted that such often happens near or during Litha Sabbat celebrations held every June 21st or 22nd.

Why should this be? Why do tempers flare during a season of freedom, a gathering immersed in natural bliss? Because the Sun’s high in the sky.

Many seem as unaware of the incredible impact that the Sun exerts on their emotions as they are of their prejudices and motivations. Taught as they are that the Earth’s electro magnetic shield protects them from the majority of solar rays, they nonetheless doublethink dismiss their need for ever-higher degrees of sunscreen. They deny the mind blowing might of the Sun’s real exertion, and thus pay it as little heed as they do the sway their birth and rising signs have on their temperament, goals, and actions.

Traditionally, countries wait for winter’s passing to begin or resume war. Heat can make the blood and brain seem to boil. Heat can make you feel crazed, sticky with sweat that seeps unbidden from ever pore, as if your body’s leaking salt tears bemoaning its fate. If enough time passes without relent, flash-point anger can occur, leading to ‘crimes of passion,’ friendship split, or even sparking revolution.

Witches fight an uphill battle to help keep folks sane amidst arbitrary societal demands for money or selfish pursuits. And Covens know that the seasons ebb and flow, sometimes gently, sometimes mutable, even extreme. But other groups may be surprised when the cohesiveness they enjoyed in winter is cast off by one of their number when summer arrives.

When flowers and showers give way to summer doldrums (those ‘dog days’ of steam when the air itself holds its breath and seems too parched to cry out for rain), doubt sets up, begetting recrimination. The group’s work suddenly feels under attack, their accomplishments thrust in jeopardy, and friendships can quickly falter just when folks are supposed to be enjoying Nature again.

Perhaps liberals involved in spiritual groups are particularly vulnerable to letting detractors think what they will — to shrug off insults. And true, if someone nurses their resentments, prefers to not to be disabused of their notions rather than express them in hopes of resolving them, there’s little that truth to the contrary can do to prevent them from crashing in flames.

Of course it’s unfair that a group ever put one person on the hot seat, as such practically guarantees rancor. But private talks often end in traded rants as well, without witnesses as to what was said, and although discussing problems by passing around a talking stick seems egalitarian, things can still deteriorate into focusing on negatives rather than positives.

It’s wise to anticipate arguments, for they will arise. So as summer waxes and tempers threaten to fray, be magically prepared to prevent catastrophic conflict, and use wise ways mitigate their impact.

• When in doubt, don’t. If you feel on the brink of ballistic, enact the Witchy Power to Be Silent. Anger abates with time, and you may end up glad you held your peace, and proud that you didn’t explode over some silly perceived provocation.

• When in doubt, divine. Do a reading and ask the God/desses Pax (peace), Concordia (concord), or Eirene (tranquility) for guidance. Tarot cards and other magical methods may reveal that your ire is baseless, or explain secret stressors responsible for others’.

• Cool down with water and herbs. Bathe in a sachet of lavender buds, chamomile flowers, and basil while imbibing cannabis sativa.

• Promote harmony with food. Serve passionflower tea, apricots, Brazil nuts, ginger, licorice, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, and peas.

• Wear cool colors and gems. Becalming colors include blue, green, and pink. Gentle gemstones include aquamarine, iolite, peridot, jade, blue topaz, and rose quartz. Your gem choice should depend on the message you want to send: To evoke tenderness and elicit sympathy, wear lapis lazuli. For love and loyalty, wear sapphire. For friendship, wear turquoise. To prevent emotional hurt, wear a reflective hematite pendant. To prevent confusion or misunderstanding, don’t don mutable stones such as diamond, alexandrite, or agate.

• Wear a protective talisman. A pentagram can protect your feelings with the power of the five Elements. A Hand of Fatima charm is a similar, but filigreed alternative. The 13 symbol Italian Cimaruta can grant even more protection. To prevent a “circular argument”, don’t wear a spiral or round Amorite fossil amulet.

• Play conducive music. Songs in the major modes of Ionian (Sun, scale C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, to dispel gloom) and Mixolydian (Jupiter, scale G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G, for optimism) or minor Phrygian (Venus, scale E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E, to calm) work wonders.

• Avert fights. Infuse the air with apple or cypress essential oil. Make a bouquet of sky blue aster flowers, pansies, poppies, roses, thyme, tulips, or violets.

• Avoid bickering on Tuesday. Violence is prone on this day sacred to the war God Mars. Foster friendship on Fridays, the day sacred to the love Goddess Venus.

You’ll find a galore of more spiritual solutions in The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells For Modern Problems.

About the Author:
Lady Passion is High Priestess of Coven Oldenwilde in Asheville, N.C. & co-author, The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells For Modern Problems. She may be contacted via: www.wiccans.org and www.oldenwilde.org.

The Spirit of Youth: A Review of “Spirited”

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

Often times when reading a book about magical practices I tend towards reading past the how-to and getting to the magic user themselves. I’ve always been described as a people person, but at the end of the day, I’m just nosey and prefer to learn about magic practicing individuals so much more than about the magic they practice. Try saying that line 5 times fast! With this in mind, I must say I truly enjoyed Gede Parma’s book “Spirited: Taking Paganism Beyond the Circle”.

“Spirited” gives me a perspective that I hadn’t encountered before, and that is one of youth. Parma has been a practicing Witch since he was 12 years-old. If “Spirited” is a reflection of his writing skills and insights now, I cannot wait to see what he has to share 20 years from now. Parma’s book is knowledgeable, insightful, full of personal anecdotes, and laced with a passion and idealism that only comes with youth.

“Spirited” covers any topic you could imagine: dealing with peers and schools, performing rituals, solitary practices verses covencraft, Pagan ethics, and more. The thorough nature of “Spirited” paired with the youth of its author provides a perspective making this book useful not only to other teenagers, but to any adult who wants a better understanding of the youth in the Pagan community. I would say this is a must read to anyone who considers themselves a leader in the Pagan community, or is working towards becoming a High Priest or High Priestess.

The Quest for Fire: Flaming Mojitos in Our Time

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

I can’t clearly recall when the idea struck my husband and I, but at some point we just went, “We should make flaming drinks for our friends.” And thus began our quest for fire.

It only takes about two seconds with Google to see that most flaming drink recipes have one thing in common, you float a little Bacardi 151 on top. To us this seemed to imply that really, you could light any beverage on fire, as long as you float some 151 rum on top. So then, why flame a zombie or mai tai when we could flame rum drinks we truly love, like mojitos and rum and cokes?

Obviously this was going to require field testing. We went out and bought a bottle of Bacardi 151 (Which by the way, has this awesome warning label telling you that no matter what, do not use it for flaming dishes or drinks. Seriously.) and a fire extinguisher that could accommodate liquid based fires. Then we gathered up a few rum drinking buddies to see what would happen.

For those of you unfamiliar with the mojito, you’ve been missing out. It’s a fairly simple mix. Cut up some lime, toss it in the bottom of a glass with some sugar and mint leaves. Then muddle it, which means pound and mush up the ingredients. You can buy a muddler (a mortarless pestle) for the task, we did on clearance at Pottery Barn, or you can use a wooden spoon handle, which is what we used in the past, or you could try the beater of a hand mixer, which is what the folks at Hungry Girl suggest. After you’ve muddled, add one part light, or white, rum and three parts seltzer and ice. Refreshing!

We ended up making two mojitos, a rum and coke, and a vanilla float (root beer with a shot of vanilla vodka). My husband floated some 151 on top and attempted to make flame.

Only one actually lit. We put out the flames on that one. Obviously the next step was to drink. The person whose mojito actually ignited suggested letting it burn out next time because the 151 tasted pretty strong. Obviously this is what I, the other mojito drinker, and the rum and coke guy thought as well. Of course we still drank them, can’t let rum go to waste after all. My husband’s vanilla float went straight into the sink after one sip. I guess none of us were too surprised that root beer, vanilla vodka, and 151 didn’t mix well.

Although not a roaring success, we had proof of concept. You could flame a mojito. We were now treading paths that had never been navigated before.

The next time we gathered we had new thoughts on how to reliably achieve flame. It appeared that the ice broke up the even layer of 151, so this time we made the drinks without ice. And it worked!

Remembering how we needed to let it burn longer we decided to let that one burn out. Um, not the best plan.

Yep, that would be a busted pint glass.

After that we opted to extinguish the flames after a minute or so. Unfortunately the drinks still tasted as if laced with rocket fuel. Maybe there was a reason that you mostly see shots and mixed drinks that are already a heady mix of boozes lit on fire. Perhaps the reason we had gone where no one had seemed to tread before was because, maybe, just maybe, everyone else was a little smarter.

So what did we learn? A mojito is a perfect, refreshing rum drink that needs no embellishment. That Bacardi 151 tastes pretty crappy. And that spending time drinking nasty, half flamed, rum drinks with friends is a wonderful way to kill a Saturday night.

The Wiccan Rede Project: Lisa Mc Sherry

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Religion, Wiccan Rede Project, Wiccan/Pagan

I am a Wiccan, and I don’t really follow the Rede. I’ll pause now for your shocks of horror to pass, and for you to clean up the drink you just spilled.

Better? Good.

Let me explain a bit. The Wiccan Rede isn’t actually for Wiccans, it’s for Witches. Specifically for Witches who practice outside of the coven structure. No, really. No matter what you read in a book, the Rede has a strange history and uncertain origins, but I can tell you that the founder of Wicca — Gardner — did NOT write it as a long-winded poem. What was generally agreed to was only the eight words: An’ it harm none, do what ye will.

Moreover, he never saw it as a Law. For him, and many early witches, it was a guideline, an ethical precept along the same lines as the Christian Golden Rule. Any ethical person lives in such a way as to not cause harm.

But witches had a bum rap. Because of all of the negative stereotypes, witches had to get more than a little strident about the fact that THEY weren’t evil, and it was very easy to be able to point to the rule that we all follow: harm none. See? We’re just good people who wouldn’t hurt a fly much less cast an evil spell or curse your crops.

As increasing numbers of witches were learning their craft outside of the coven structure, the Wiccan Rede became a tool to govern ethical behavior outside of the group dynamic of the coven, where ethics were regulated as a matter of course. (In any group structure the dynamics are usually subtle and serve to align with one another. This is even truer within a magickal group where perfect love and perfect trust must be given freely, and can’t be with a ‘bad apple’ in the group.)

Having said all of this, I am quick to point out that in no way are my ethics ‘bad’ or even ‘loose’. By any standards.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Rede this last month, in preparation for this essay. What I’ve come to is that I normally don’t think about it at all. I live it. Perhaps that is a function of having been a witch for nearly 30 years. Perhaps it’s just that I am a normally ethical person for whom moral decisions never arise — no, that is absolutely not true.

In my mundane job, for example, I’m a manager and an executive of our company. A lot of difficult decisions come across my desk every single day. The office place seems to be a natural place for the white lie, the small dissembling, or the kind statement that was totally unmeant. So I have to think about the consequences of my actions, my decisions all of the time. (In a sense, its what I’m paid to do.)

So, I ‘live the Rede’ in that I am constantly judging and evaluating the consequences — intended and unforeseen — of my actions and decision. I just don’t think of it in terms of the Rede (Harm None). What comes up much more intimately is my own personal system of ethics.

As part of my training I created this nearly ten years ago, and it’s a part of what I give my students every single year. Here it is:

1. Never speak falsehood.
2. Bear in mind that the act of withholding the truth is always potentially a lie, and a significant moral decision is required each and every time you do so.
3. The decision to withhold truth should never be based on personal needs.
4. The decision to withhold truth must always be based upon the needs of the person from whom the truth is being withheld.
5. The assessment of another’s needs is a complex act of responsibility; it can only be executed wisely when one operates with genuine love for the other.
6. This assessment must be undertaken with the fact that we tend to underestimate the capacity of another’s strength.
7. Trust is earned, not given.
8. Treat others with the dignity and respect with which you deserve to be treated.
9. Love yourself before all others.
10. Speak thoughtfully, but openly, and do not worry about what others think — it’s your life to live, not theirs.
11. An it harm none, do what you will.
12. Give back more than you take.
13. Walk upon the earth lightly, honor her as your first ancestor.
14. Value yourself and your services fairly when compensation is involved.
15. When given work to do, do it the best you know how.

It’s a system, but in the decade since I developed it I haven’t wanted/needed it to change, although it has dramatically changed my life. You’ll notice the Rede is in there (#11) but its one of an overall piece, not the focus.

As a guideline I’m all in favor of it, presuming that the person following it has thought it through and is conscious of the larger implications. We’re not saints, we’re not perfect. Every single day brings temptations to just pay a little less attention, to let it slide, just this once. . . But any ethical being won’t let that happen consciously.

At the core, the Rede requires a high level of truth and personal responsibility.

Author’s Bio:
Lisa Mc Sherry is the author of “Magickal Connections” and “The Virtual Pagan” (we even interviewed her!). She’s been the primary leader of JaguarMoon Coven, an eclectic Wiccan cyber coven (jaguarmoon.org) for eight years. She hosts a review site for items of interest to the alternative spirituality community at facingnorth.net. A prolific writer, her essays and articles can be found in a variety of publications, including PanGaia and newWitch. In her spare time she enjoys playing with her dog and longtime partner.

To read more of Lisa’s thoughts on the Wiccan Rede click here.

The Summer of Sovereign

by Administrator, posted in Music, Reviews

Astute Magical Buffet readers will remember that back in December I commented on a music video by Lady Sovereign, who is a British rap artist. Apparently Perez Hilton wasn’t aware that the video was actually paying homage to the movie “The Warriors”, and instead declared it a video with “Dancing Midget Zombies”. By the way, as proof (as if it was required, but still) that the ladies over at Go Fug Yourself kick ass, they are aware of the film “The Warriors” and name checked it appropriately in a post about Christina Aguilera. Take that Perez! Where was I? That’s right, Lady Sovereign. In the December post I commented that I didn’t know when the album with the song “I Got You Dancing” from the music video would be released. Well it’s out now!

I know nothing about the British rap music scene, or the grime scene, which is what Wikipedia tells me, is the classification for Lady Sovereign’s music. Here’s what I do know. Roll down the windows, slide on the sunglasses, because Lady Sovereign’s new album “Jigsaw” is your summer jam.

The single I’ve been hearing off the album is “So Human” that relies heavily on The Cure song “Close to Me”.

I’m only vaguely familiar with Lady Sovereign’s work previous to “Jigsaw”, so I don’t know how typical or atypical this album is when compared to past efforts. It’s filled with catchy songs, bizarre humor, and flip flopping between spoken word and sort of singing. Lady Sovereign’s voice has a wide range so one song, like “Human” will feature a light feminine voice, and another, like “Guitar”, will have low moans. Also, I suffer from that all too common American affliction of just adoring a British accent, so there’s that too.

If you’re looking for a fun album to tap your foot to while driving in the summer sun, this will do nicely.







I Couldn’t Resist Sharing

by Administrator, posted in Art, Messages from Rebecca

Several years ago for my birthday my husband bought me an antique witch’s costume. As in, a Halloween costume from the late 1800s/early 1900s. It was in pretty rough shape, but still beautiful, and I loved it. I had always planned on giving it a proper display treatment, but to my great shame for years it was displayed by having it hang on a wire coat hanger attached to a tack in the wall.

Recently, prompted by a 60% off all framing sale at our local Michael’s, my long standing shame has been transformed into beaming pride.

Behold!

The Arizona Paranormal Research Society: The RMS Queen Mary Investigative Reports

by Administrator, posted in Organizations, Paranormal

Note: This is the text from the reports submitted for this investigation. To see photos and listen to EVP recordings, visit this investigation’s page on their website.

Name: RMS Queen Mary
Location: Long Beach, California
Case# B-216
Date: 01/24-25/09
Weather conditions: Calm and overcast
Outside Temperature:64
Humidity: 32%
Wind: 0-3 mph
Moon: Waning Crescent
EMF Spikes: to 4.5
Geo. storm activity: normal
EMF baseline: 1.2
Time of arrival: 3:30am
Time of departure: 5:45am

Investigators: Frank Madrid, Lori Marshall, Gino Madrid, Randy Arbogast, Todd Bates, Michael Chappell, Brian Simpson and Matt Schulz.

Reason for investigation: Validation of reported Paranormal Activity

General Impressions:
When I walked into the 1rst class swimming pool area with just our team and without the addition of other people, it gave me kind of an eerie feeling as I looked around the room. Maybe it was the low level of light, maybe it was the quietness of the room when no one spoke or maybe it was the way our voices echoed when we did. Either way, the feeling accompanied me where ever I went. The swimming pool must have been a sight in it’s day. The ceramic tile and color scheme was beautiful as was the incredible mosaic tile on the ceiling. The changing room was dark and the stalls were small and intimate. The sound carried different in there and when you stand in a stall being very still and quiet, you begin to get an anxious “you’re not alone” feeling that makes you want to go back to the pool room.

I loved this place and wanted to get to work as we didn’t have much time. All equipment was set up very quickly and we proceeded to investigate. We had our custom made experimental energy emitting equipment and the HVI team had some as well, so it was a brief field testing investigation that we undertook.

What an opportunity we all had and we appreciated every second there.

Frank Madrid

Investigation Report

The Arizona Paranormal Research Society team, along with Todd, Michael, and Brian from Haunted Voices Investigations, and Matt from San Diego Ghost Hunters, arrived in the pool area about approximately 3:30am. We set up the TAzPRS energy emitting devices and turned them on while we finished getting our personal recording devices. Perhaps it was due to the salt water surrounding the ship, or maybe the spirits in that area didn’t need much energy, but within a few minutes I noticed a shadow running around on the upper deck. I turned to say something to the rest of the team, but when I did I saw everyone else looking up and pointing at the upper deck because they were seeing what I was seeing. Frank started an EVP session, so we were all doing our best to be still and quiet, but I couldn’t help myself from going upstairs where I had seen the shadow. After I got upstairs, I looked across the pool to the other side and saw the shadow walking across. I was taking pictures as fast as my flash would allow me, but it seemed that wherever I went, the shadow would be across from me walking across the deck. I called to Randy to come up and we stood shoulder to shoulder snapping pictures in all directions. It was decided to take a break since one of the team had to leave in order to catch his flight home, but before we left, Randy and I placed our video cameras on the ground and left them recording. Unfortunately, my camera, for some reason, didn’t focus properly, so all I got from that was a dark picture. When we got back, we did more EVP sessions, and from that point on I didn’t see the shadow anymore. We investigated for about 2 hours then packed it up and returned to our rooms.

Side notes: During the day, Michael, Brian, Randy and I went exploring. Although the ship has a way of making you feel very small, I didn’t get any feelings of anything paranormal. That is, until we went into a small room that encompassed one of the propellers. The room was added to the side of the ship and there was sea water in it. As soon as we entered that room, my heart started beating really fast and I started shaking. The room was not overly small, and I have never been claustrophobic in the least. Yet there I was, shaking and sweating. It was overwhelming. Randy, Michael, and Brian also reported feeling strange in that room, and Randy even told me to get away from the rail I was leaning on. I asked him why and he said, I don’t know, but I think you should get away from it. I definitely think that room deserves more attention next year.

Also, upon returning to our room, Frank got dizzy and nearly fell on the floor. Luckily he made it to the bed. Randy grabbed the Geiger Counter off of the table in the center of the room and got a reading of 1.5 rads. NEVER, have we gotten a reading on the Geiger Counter before that, and shortly afterwards, it dissipated and Frank started feeling better. Randy and I took Frank out for some air and Lori stayed behind. While the three of us were outside talking to Todd, Lori came out and reported an experience she had in the room while she was talking to what she felt was a woman in the room. She told us that as she was talking, the bed started shaking and that she felt that it was a spirit trying to scare her. Randy and I had enough at that point and we went in to “encourage” the spirit to leave the room for the night. I feel that every spirit has a right to be wherever it likes, but when it attacks one of the team and puts them in danger, I take exception. After capturing it in “the net” we told the spirit that it needed to leave the room for the night and that we would be gone in the morning so it could come back then, but for the time we were there, it needed to find somewhere else to go. Randy held the door open and I turned “the net” off and Randy felt a cold breeze go past him. We had no more trouble for the rest of our stay.

In Closing: I would like to thank Todd Bates of HVRN for inviting us to come along and help with the conference. Meeting him, along with Michael and Brian was a great experience. Special thanks to Matt of SDGH for his professionalism and help during the investigation. Finally, Thank you Pat and Brian of Beyond Investigation Magazine for allowing us to come along, hosting Ghost Fest III, and giving us permission to investigate.

Gino Madrid
T.Az.P.R.S. Adminstrator/Investigator and Assistant Technical Director

We arrived at the Queen Mary on Jan 23, 2009 at 7:30p.m. Upon arriving, we met up with Todd, Mike, and Brian from Haunted Voices Investigations. A little later, we met Matt from San Diego Ghost Hunters. After dinner, we went up to top deck, where we started investigating.

I started getting EMF spikes near a working exhaust vent. After further investigating, we seem to have made contact with the spirit of a little girl by the name of Ellen. We asked several questions and received several answers through our equipment. We then proceeded to the front of the ship where Brian was testing the equipment that he had developed (they worked very well). We worked our way back to the exhaust vent and had asked more yes and no questions. we were still getting answers on the EMF, K-2, TriField EMF meter and TriField Natural EMF meter. We continued this session for a little while longer until our exhaustion set in, so we then decided to call it a night and went back to our room to rest.

Saturday, we got up and had breakfast with Todd and his crew. Gino, Michael and I then proceeded back to the top deck afterward and again made contact with the little girl during the morning, which was awesome.

Afterward, while exploring the ship, we found a small cubby hole behind the main engine room. Gino, Michael, Brian and I started our recorders and asked questions. Michael and I heard a “no” response to one of our questions. Later on, we moved over into the propeller room where instantly Gino felt very strange as did Brian and I. Michael indicated that he obtained an EMF spike as he walked in. I kept getting the feeling as not to get too close to the railing that separated us from the propeller. I could see that Gino was sweating, as if something was really bothering him. About that time, Michael sat his EMF meter down. Brian said “take my picture” as he got a hit on his device. I took the picture at that time but there with nothing paranormal captured in the picture. Soon after, we all felt a breeze go past us. As we journeyed through to the engine room, no EMF spikes or EVP were recorded at that time. We investigated the whole area and decided to take a break afterward that night.

While waiting in our room, Frank felt a dizziness sideways feeling while sitting on the bed in our room, I hurried and gave him some Motrin before he started to pass out. At this time Lori and I knew something was trying to drain him of his energy. Gino and I took him out of the room while Lori stayed in the room. Frank felt better as we got off of the ship. Lori came out after a few minutes. She made sure Frank was alright and told us of what happened after we took Frank out of the room. As she was laying the law down to the spirit that attacked Frank, the bed started to shake. She wasn’t scared but was angry at the spirit and waited for something else to happen. After a bit, the bed stopped shaking and she came out of the room to check on Frank and then told us what happened. It was then that Gino and I went in to regulate!

We turned on our audio recorders and set up three of our experimental devices, but didn’t turn them on just yet. We set up various meters as well, which started to fluctuate as we were asking questions of why it was attacking one of our team members. Gino and I gave it the third degree and then turned on one of the devices, a few seconds later another. We gave it some more hell and told it to leave the room as we turned on the third device. We let the final device do its job for a bit and soon after I went over to the door and opened it. We kept two of the devices on and turned the other one off. Gino said “now leave the room and don’t come back while we were staying there!” After he said that, he turned off the last device (the net) and I soon felt a wisp of cold air blast past me and out the door. We left the room and went to smoke and check on Frank who was feeling back to his old self again.

Todd had asked us to take some people around the ship as he and Frank went on the Ghost Fest tour. We took them up to the top deck to see if we could make contact with the little girl again. We did in fact make contact again and started to ask her questions. I had asked her if she could make all of our hands cold as we all put our hands close together. There was no change in temperature. At one point, one of the people we were showing around said he felt the sensation of hair moving across his hand. I did too, it was a rush! After communicating with “Elle” for a while, we walked to the stern of the ship and asked questions for recording EVP to no avail. After us giving the tour, we went back to the room where we stayed and rested until the next Ghost Fest tour.

We went on the last Ghost Fest tour of the evening and afterward (3am) we had the pool area to ourselves. We did our set up in record time as we didn’t have much time left. Not 5 minutes after turning all of our devices on, we all were seeing shadows on upper area collectively. We conducted an EVP session, asking numerous questions. Just before we went on break, I set up my camera on the upper level aimed down the corridor towards the stern. Upon reviewing the tape, no shadows were recorded but did record on camera audio some weird sounds like clicking and something being dropped near the camera. After break, we asked more questions but the room felt inactive so we turned off the devices and continued to ask more questions.

I had my recorder in a Faraday cage at the “slide” end of pool and audio from my camera as well as another recorder. No conclusive evidence was captured in still photos or video but I did get lots of interactions with the little girl with meter spikes on video.

All in all I would say the ship is haunted.

Randy Arbogast
T.Az.P.R.S. Case Manager/Investigator and Technical Director

The T.Az.P.R.S. team arrived at the RMS Queen Mary around 7:30pm on Friday January 23, 2009. We were anticipating meeting the Haunted Voices Investigation team. Todd Bates and Michael Chappell came down from the ship to the front entrance where we were and there was hand shakes and hugs all around. It was truly incredible meeting them for the first time and our previous phone conversations finally had the faces behind them. Our van was loaded to the ceiling and the Queen Mary staff was very helpful in loading up their carts and taking our equipment to our room.

Later on, we met with HVRN Equipment Developer- Brian Simpson and had a great dinner and later, met with tech manager, investigator and sdGH webmaster- Matt Schulz from San Diego Ghost Hunters. These are a great set of people with backgrounds in the technological and paranormal investigative field and we couldn’t be happier to have met them all.

Todd became ill and was encouraged to set the first round of the speaking engagement out so he rested while the rest of us had dinner and explored the ship. We made our way to the top deck where we laid out our meters on a railing and started having, what seemed to be, interaction with a spirit. This continued for a while and was captured on video. We then proceeded to the bridge side lookouts where Brian’s new equipment items that he had developed were tested and was deemed successful. After such a long drive and staying up late, we were exhausted and decided to call it a night and went back to our room and rested until morning. The next morning, I woke up and noticed that Gino and Randy were gone from the room. Lori was still asleep so I looked out of the portal and there was a fog over the water that looked cool so I started to shoot video. No sooner than when I stopped shooting. I heard a woman’s laugh whispered right in my left ear. I turned to look at Lori but she was still asleep. I thought it was cool and started to get ready for breakfast when Randy and Gino came back in the room. Randy had explained that earlier he had heard a woman’s voice and laughter in the room. We exchanged stories and found it to be quite strange that we both heard a woman in our room very early that morning. Breakfast was indeed a feast. Afterward, we all split up and gave ourselves a walking tour throughout the ship. This was very enjoyable and relaxing for each of us. Soon, it was lunchtime and while in line at the deli, we came across fellow investigators from S.C.O.O.P.S.. It was a pleasure to meet founder Lorraine Sullivan and her team. Lori and I left the ship to purchase supplies for the investigation later that evening, taking in the sights of Long Beach, a city where I had lived as a child. After a couple of hours, we returned to the ship and went to the room where Randy and Gino were resting.

I believe I then experienced a “psychic attack”. I suddenly felt dizzy, nauseous and thought I was going to throw up and pass out. My vision seemed to turn sideways and I started to feel lethargic as well. I fell back onto the bed and if was hard to think of anything. After a bit, Randy and Gino helped me out of the room and off of the ship while Lori stayed behind, angry at whoever was responsible. As she was addressing the spirit in the room, she felt the bed starting to shake to and fro. Lori continued to express herself and after a bit, the bed stopped shaking and she went outside to find out how I was and to relay what had happened in the room. I was feeling much better, as if nothing had happened. Randy and Gino stated that they were going back to the room to take care of the situation. I had asked them to record the event on my recorder that was on the table in the room and there were EVP recorded. They broke out with the equipment that we know is a deterrent to spirits and went to work ridding the room of this negative spirit.

It was reported that at the end of this “session”, the door was opened to the room and the spirit was told to leave and not return until we were gone the next day. A rush of cold air was felt whooshing out of the room.

We never did have any further problems in the room! It was finally time for the “Ghost Fest 3” lectures and tours to begin and I attended the first one while the rest of the team took a small group to the upper deck where they had established electronic communication with a spirit earlier.

Todd was one of the speakers there with Michael chappell assisting him and I had a back stage pass with Pat Wheelock, Brian Patton, Jerry Reynolds and a few others. The lectures were very informative and some basic equipment was handed out to the lecture guests and we were off to the depths of the ship.

The tour was great and I just couldn’t believe the size of the inner belly of this grand vessel. One area of the tour looked vaguely familiar and I remembered a scene from a movie from the ’70’s called “The Poseidon Adventure” where Gene Hackman’s character fell to his demise after hanging from a large valve, turning it off as to let the rest of the passengers continue their journey to be saved. That scene was filmed there aboard the Queen Mary. What a rush! The last part of the tour took us to the swimming pool area where everyone was cut loose to investigate on their own. The swimming pool looked smaller than what I’ve seen on the “Ghosts and Legends of the Queen Mary” web cam but that soon changed after being in there for a few minutes. The area was dimly lit and had an eerie feel to it. The echo was immense but tolerable. We all had a great time listening to Pat tell us all about the area we were in. Afterward we made our way back to the lecture area. On the second tour, we were joined by the rest of the team and once again was off to the innards of the ship. One just can’t get enough of the amazing creation that stands before them on these tours.

On the way back, the T.Az.P.R.S. team along with HVI brought up the rear, watching for lagging guests. We were the last to exit the huge staircase, making our way to the door when I looked up and saw a man standing at the top of the stairs looking down at us, then pull back out of sight. I was going to go up the stairs to get, what I assumed was a stray guest, him back to the group. When I had mentioned that I saw someone up there, everyone that was downstairs indicated that there was no one lagging behind as they were watching everyone in the group ahead of us.

I don’t know who it was I saw standing there in dark clothing, but he was out of sight very quickly. Approximately 3am, the tours were over and it was time to investigate the swimming pool area. We didn’t have time on our side so we hurried back to our room and started getting our necessary equipment together for transport to the swimming pool area. As soon as we arrived to the swimming pool area, (approximately 3:30am), we began running power and setting up our recording devices as well as experimental energy emitting equipment.

We had a new device that our tech director Randy Arbogast had developed and we were anxious to see what results would be obtained from it adding energy to the environment of the pool area. Minutes after all devices were in place and powered up, we were collectively seeing shadows in the upper levels, peeking in at us and darting behind the pillars. There seemed to be one shadow in particular that was getting our attention the most, but unfortunately, they all seemed to escape being caught on camera or video.

We all heard Todd make a “surprised” noise as he stated that he felt hands grab his butt, lifting him to the point of moving him forward. He looked around and the only people near him was Lori, who was 12 feet away to his left sitting in a chair, and Randy, who was 12 feet to his right sitting in a chair as well. It was not humanly possible for anyone to do that to Todd as we all were very still. Lori says “the look on his face was priceless!”

After witnessing all of the shadows collectively, we started an EVP session by the pool’s slide area. We did hear some responses with our own ears collectively and managed to obtain many very good EVP responses to our questions.

One humorous point was when we were seeing the shadows moving in all different areas on the upper area of the pool, Gino went up there to investigate, unnoticed by us all as we were concentrating on the other areas being very quiet. As we all stood by the pool slide looking at the upper deck, Gino quietly steps around one of the pillars and we all saw him at the same time startling us all. It was a hilarious moment, one we won’t forget for some time. We soon took a break, left the recorders run while we were gone and recorded some strange sounds that were not from us. We returned and continued our evp session and investigated throughout the entire pool area until it was starting to break dawn. Once again, the theory of our changing the environmental energy attributes were successful and before too long, it was time to pack up and leave this wonderfully active area. It was a great time all around. Meeting and working with these great people was a fantastic experience that I look forward to doing again. The T.Az.P.R.S. team I could not have been more proud of. Thanks Lori, Gino and Randy. Thanks Todd, Michael, Brian, Matt.

Frank Madrid
President/Founder T.Az.P.R.S
And
Lori Marshall
Vice President/Co-founder Public Relations Mgr. T.Az.P.R.S.

About T.Az.P.S.:
Formerly known as “The Arizona Paranormal Society” (T.Az.P.S.), “The Arizona Paranormal Research Society” is an experienced paranormal investigation organization based out of central Arizona. Since 2006, we have been proud to have served and helped many clients throughout the entire state of Arizona free of charge. We bring to each client our experience, compassion and our understanding of what situation the client may be experiencing in the home.

To learn more visit: www.tazps.com.

Dear Mr. Colbert

by Administrator, posted in Politics, Television

Dear Mr. Colbert,

First I should take a moment to express what a big fan I am of your show “The Colbert Report”. The show’s writing, and your performance, are consistently excellent, and just when I think there can’t possibly be anything you could say or do to surprise me, you manage to do just that.

I will admit that I was saddened when you quit referring to yourself as “Warrior-Poet” in your show’s opening. However, I soon realized that meant that I was free to claim the mantle of America’s Warrior-Poet and have done just that.

I could have written this letter at any point, considering how much I enjoy “The Colbert Report”, but it was during the May 6, 2009 show that I decided that I had a very special thank you note to write you.

Mr. Colbert, thank you for talking about Zimbabwe. Outside of BBC America World News, your show is the only one I’ve seen that addresses the situation with some regularity. Perhaps you do this because as a true American patriot you are touched and moved by the struggle of a country trying to claim the freedoms that we here in the United States enjoy so easily, or it could be you are frustrated that American news agency seem to be ignoring the country altogether, or perhaps it’s just the fact that the name Mugabe is fun to say. Whatever the reason, as someone who can’t seem to get her voice heard with regards to Zimbabwe (form letter from the White House, no response from the State Department), I thank you and applaud you for repeatedly mentioning it to your nationwide audience.

Warm Wishes and With Highest Regards,
Rebecca Elson
Publisher, The Magical Buffet
www.themagicalbuffet.com

The proof is in the pudding!

May 6, 2009

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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Or, April 21, 2009

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word – Stressed Position
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Or how about all the way back to July 14, 2007?

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Bears & Balls – Summer Vacation Edition
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