When A Wizard Comes To Call

Oberon Zell stopped over on his walkabout in March.( Okay, I am still a little stunned to hear myself say that.)  Earlier in the year I was reading his Facebook page, and he mentioned that he was making a walkabout to various festivals and appearances and would be needing lodging to make his way more affordable . It would also give him the opportunity to meet people and make new friends.

I have been an admirer of Oberon and Morning Glory's writing for nearly all of my journey through Paganism. They were there in the beginning with the first legally registered Neo-Pagan Church (Church of All Worlds, or CAW). 

Church of All Worlds is a remarkable concept in spirituality which allows for individual spiritual exploration while providing a like-minded community from all over the United States and the World.
I have used texts from CAW and HOME ( Holy Order of Mother Earth) for many years in my own and public rituals and because of their wonderful diversity and viewpoints that have always worked beautifully. Oberon writes in the congenial voice of a beloved elder...which he most certainly is.

Long story short...I PMed him and offered a place to rest and share a few meals on his journey, and much to my surprise, one day he called. During the conversation, and considering that people have all sorts of dietary preferences these days, I asked what he ate. "Oh, food." he replied mischievously. I swear I could see the twinkle in his eye over the phone.

I am not usually star struck because I have worked as a production assistant in the entertainment business for many years. Celebrities are a unique breed of individuals, and their needs ( and demands!) are equally unique. I have become quite unflappable and immune to the wonderful weirdness that spills over from celebrity....but I was totally tongue tied ( and embarrassed to be so) with the Wizard OZ on the phone. I was gobsmacked that he actually called because my little corner of Southwestern Virginia is rather remote. But call he did and we made arrangements for his visit in late March.

As we don't have too many universally accepted elders in our Pagan community, I am quite honored to have shared my home with a man I consider to be the Father of the Neo-Pagan movement. Hopefully I don't sound too gushy, but it was an absolute thrill to have the unique opportunity to share  the evening with such a charming and knowledgeable man. He is truly a scholar, a treasure trove of history and science...a humble and a wonderful conversationalist, a bawdy trickster, with not a pretentious bone in his body. He is kind and appreciative, and throughout dinner ( at which I served some truly awful wine-sorry!) we plumbed the depths of one another's respective intellect through lively, serious and sometimes silly conversation. What did we talk about? Everything! Mermaids and Paganism, people who are mutual acquaintances, his art work, love, aliens, the Grey School,religion, CAW...and Morning Glory.  Out brief conversation about her was especially poignant for me, as I have always held her as the embodiment of the Goddess. How I wish she could have been at the table with us, but actually, in hindsight, she was. I wish I'd set a place for her.

It was a night to remember, at least for me. Not the last, I hope. The Wizard OZ is a rather enchanting fellow. I am pleased to have been able to have given back just a little to one who has contributed so much to the person and spiritual practitioner I have become.

Bright Blessings, my Friend! There is a light in the window for you, and the door is always open.

Good Journey Home: Rosmary Ellen Guiley Dies

So sad to hear of the sudden passing of beloved author Rosemary Ellen Guiley, a pioneer of paranormal exploration and occult subjects. If you aren't familiar with her work (who isn't?) look her up. The author of too many books to mention her, she also wrote several encyclopedias. I cannot fathom what a huge undertaking that must have been for a single encyclopedia, much less several.

Visit her Facebook page for remembrances from around the world. As we grieve her passing there unfolds a certain beauty in knowing that she's finally found the answers to many of the questions she had about the realms of existence in our universe and beyond. Rosemary now knows the Great Unknown Mysteries.

Hail the Traveler and Good Journey to her as she transitions to the next wonderful life in the Summerland.

A Few Words On Sacred Waters

As a Pisces, I am naturally drawn to the element of water. Running water is among my favorite sounds. I have sat mesmerized by a stream watching the water rush over rocks and carrying leaves downstream. I love all manner of water: the a fore mentioned rushing streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans, and rain. The place I'm most drawn to are spots where the water bubbles up through the aquifer to form what many call a "sacred well".

All water originating from a natural source is sacred. There is no need for it to be blessed by anyone- it has been blessed by the Goddess at the moment of Creation. The act of ritual blessing is a reaffirmation of that original sanctification.

We are born from the depths of our mother's womb in water, and before that at our primordial emergence. I won't argue theology or dogma about the subject, because I believe all the creation stories - most featuring the element of water- are true. I believe they come together, as many of our stories do, each contributing an essential part in our history.

There are few places we can drink the water unfiltered and unprocessed. I mourn for the state of our natural waters, particularly the oceans where so many creatures I consider relatives dwell. Humans have done more unintentionally and through outright denial and ignorance to pollute and defile our precious oceans. We continue to do this, through sheer greed and want of financial gain.To be perfectly honest, I don't have an answer about how to really reverse the damage we've done other than to encourage each of us to do what we can to restore this shared habitat.  You do whatever you can, and I will do what I can by actively and  individually working to  hold these places as unique, special and holy. If that means going down to the local stream once a week and picking up trash and debris, or participating in an organization that focuses on environmental issues through protest or monetary donation...do the work. Then bring it to your altar so the gods can see you are doing the work.

Meanwhile, remember that your purification bath is much more than washing away negativity before ritual...it is a blessing, because water is a sacred thing.

Under Attack

For the last several months I've been battling a form of malware called "Widget Server", which redirects my blog when I sign in. Sometimes...like now...I can beat it to open the page and post, other times I'm blocked accessing my own blog.

It's getting rather old. There are ways to remove it, but I haven't been successful, so I'm currently leaving the page up so I can write and post. Blogger seems to offer no solutions, but frankly, I like the format and don't care for the others I've seen, including Word press. I don't want adds on my blog unless I put them there myself ( occasionally I will post in support of a friend's business).

Malwarebites says the fix ix simple, but so far I haven't been able to fix the problem.

Hang in there, gang. I'm not easily beaten.