I've been thinking about friendships today.
We just got back from PantheaCon. A number of my friends attend that event every year, including people I only get to see rarely or, in some cases, once a year and then only at this convention. That, and an email from a gal pal today reminded me that I feel close to certain people even though I only know them on-line or only see them once a year.
What seems to matter the most in these friendships is:
* Self respect plus respect for each other and our partners.
* Solid ethics and values (even if their lifestyles differ greatly from mine). I admire people who walk their talk.
* Hard workers with common sense who try and handle their resources (time, energy, money, talent & skills) as wisely as they can.
* People who have great sense of humor. I find that I really like people who can laugh at themselves and who know that "Life is too important to take seriously."
* People who show grace under pressure.
* People who love books, learning, music, history, cooking, nature, play, animals and art.
* People with a a long gratitude list. (I've noticed that some of the people who've had the hardest lives have the longest gratitude list).
* Friends who will support each other as we live and grow and change over time. I don't need people to be on my same spiritual or emotional path, but I do need to be around people who are working a Program, Path, or ethical Way of some kind. I can't afford (and don't like) to be around people who are unconscious.
* People who know and love me well enough to call me on my S**t
* People I can really trust: spiritually and emotionally. I'm talking about trust on a real and very practical level. I need to be around people who care more about how they are than how they look to others. I need to be inspired by those seeking their own happiness. I want to work those who concerned about those less fortunate than themselves.
* I love people who treat their own children, their friend's children, and their Inner Child as they wish they had been treated when they were young.
* The people I cherish respect those who know more than they do, and they mentor or offer support and information to others who may have less life experience.
These were some of the grace notes from that weekend:
My friend and colleague Magpy who came up to work our table at the Con. Even dead tired or stressed, she is a hard working and very equal partner in any endeavor. She is also darkly funny, fair minded, willing to compromise, and very tactful. (She would have thrived in the Medici court). She is a great companion in the trenches, deeply well read and loves to share notes on books and movies. I feel lucky to know her. She is the quiet sort and a very deep thinker and some people don't get her because of that (and with so much Fools Gold around at PantheaCon, it's no wonder. But Magpy is a rare jewel, and when she speaks, she's always worth hearing.)
My friend Anne, who runs her own business, has raised some awesome kids (all of whom are very close to her and to each other). She has this wise, amused, tough minded approach to life. She never stops learning and she isn't afraid to make sudden left turns when the spirit calls for her to do that. She is probably the deepest Witch I know and one of the women most in tune with her rightful power.
I was reminded again this weekend how much I like the members in two, different polyamorous families, the Luck family and the good folks at Xcentricities. Both families are full of talented, scary-smart people, who take the time to be gracious, no matter how busy they are. Several times at this con I saw various of their members do kind, supportive or useful acts for others without being asked (and never caring if anyone else saw them doing it). IÂ’ve noticed that they and their partners are a class act, and I take inspiration from being around them. Two gals in particular shared their take on several of the workshops they went to that weekend and gave me some very good food for thought.
My friend Thalassa, who runs the Vendor Room at PantheaCon. She gives a tremendous amount of her time to the Earthwise Community (and works a very demanding job). Nothing is too small for her to handle (even when she is sick or tired) and she is careful and considerate of the hundreds of volunteer staff, attendees and vendors in her charge. That said, she does not suffer fools gladly and will not tolerate bad behavior. She is very stylish, one of the wittiest women I've ever met, and one of the best read.
I also had reason to be glad of Rowan, who has a busy work and social life and who planned on a busy Convention, but who got up early and took the time to come to my 9 o'clock lecture on Sunday morning because she felt I needed the support. (She was right about that). The lecture went well, even though I had to change it's focus due to technology glitches beforehand. About 20 people came, and they were interested, kind and enthusiastic. We sat in a circle and talked about traveling to sacred placed in Italy and Greece. When I got off track a bit (which I tend to do) Rowan got me back on topic. (If you've ever taught a class you'll know how important that was). I admire Rowan because her knowledge goes deep and wide, and because she is honest and intellectually fearless. She is always interesting, because she is always interested; in books, people, travel, life, art and history. She is also very sexy and proud of herself, in the best way. She is a powerful leader and she lives life on her own terms.
And then there were the other sort.... I ran into some people who were still stuck in the same old rut or had gone backwards. The saddest case was one young woman who's fiance had beaten and choked her. He had been arrested by the plice and she has moved out of their place. The last we heard she was with her family. She is now back with him and hanging around the very people who won't support her growth or his (supposed) sobriety. Many people tried to help her and he, too, had help. It's just too sad.
And, of course, the usual whiners and drama addicts were also there. In a crowd of almost 1,800 people that can't be helped. However I also noticed more Solitaries and more Ordinary Pagans (Pagans with jobs, common sense and a "Can do" attitude to life) then I've ever seen there before. I like to think that our work her at Full Circle on advertising this event has helped to get the word out about this event to these very folks.
I also saw lots more kids there this year. All in all, it was a nice group.
The Program was better this year, as well. They have finally started jurying the workshop applications. It made for a much better series of presentations then we've seen in years.
Sia
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Reclaiming Valentine's Day
This holiday can be hard on some people. I posted a link to the article on Reclaiming Valentine's Day over at Spiral Steps this morning. I hope it helps.
I still remember that day in the store....
Sia
I still remember that day in the store....
Sia
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Wit & Ego
Off the Shelf:
Folk of the Air by Peter S. Beagle
Sia's Post
I spent a golden morning in the park with my dog, and then came home and began working with my partner, choosing images for the lecture on Ephesus. The scanner just broke - poor, thing, we use it a lot - and the middle keys on the laptop aren't working, either. Time for a coffee break.
I surfed over to Vox (1) just now and deleted the link to this blog. I found that I was beginning to check my "stats" every day to see how many people were reading it. Not good.
If I start caring about how many people read it, (and, being Vox, they were sending them over in the thousands) then I might start writing these posts to get more and more readers. At that point, I write for approval or, worse yet, I might begin pandering for traffic. I know me well enough to know that I'd stop being honest. I might begin to feel that I need to write every day, even when I have nothing to say. I might write down some sexy Pagan gossip I know (and should not share) to keep their interest. In other words, I would be tap dancing to keep their affection. Very bad.
It's better for my work here if I let these notes be erratic and plain spoken, (some might say "dull") so that the essays I write later will (I hope) avoid all that. It's better to have the odd friend check in now and again if they so choose....or not. Better to let the Hoi Poli skip this blog entirely and read those public blogs of note. I've added a link to one or two public blogs I admire, and I'll add more as I find them. (I just got a note from Fritz about that. We're both addicted to reading the WildHunt Blog; young Jason is going places.)
An acquaintance once asked me why I write under my Craft Name when I'm so out and about as a Pagan in real life. The way they asked the question made it apparent they thought I was hiding something. I told them that I valued my privacy, which is all the truth they would have understood and that I cared to share.
The core truth safely nesting at the center of that statement (the one protected by the "truthieness" in my terse, deflective response) is that I am most concerned to protect my work from my own ego.
When I write as Sia, I have no concerns for what anyone thinks of me as a person. I don't need anyone's approval or applause. Their criticism can't hurt me. More importantly, their criticism can be taken in calmly, used as needed, and then heeded or tossed aside depending on it's worth. I can't do that under my given name and I've learned not to try. What counts is the quality of the work I do, not recognition.
The joy is in the writing, and in reading the writing of others. Rick Moody knows this. Here is a essay of his from The Joy of Reading Series over at NPR. It contains this lovely quote:
"I believe in the absolute and unlimited liberty of reading."
damn right.
As a writer I'm very much like the actor Dustin Hoffman plays in "Tootsie" who realizes that his persona "Dorothy" is actually a lot smarter than he is. The more he lives as Dorothy, the better he gets along with others, because Dorothy is forceful without being combative and tactful without being weak. I feel the same way about "Sia"; she's a much better person than I am in many ways, not least of which because she never forgets that someones soul might be listening.
People always ask me where I got such a beautiful Craft name. If I like them, I say it's because I steal from the best. The name belongs to the lead character in Peter S. Beagle's book The Folk of the Air. If they have read the book, (now sadly and undeservedly out of print) they will see that I'm poking fun at myself. If they haven't, well, I don't intend to explain.
Don't get me wrong, I admire people who can be themselves in public and who use their own names when they write. That's just not how my dysfunctional head works. Publicity is very bad for me. It's always been that way. This then, is my solution.
Speaking of publicity, a friend of mine in England is about to encounter a great deal of it soon, more than even he is used to. I'm not worried. My friend is one of those people who already has wealth and fame and the recognition of his peers, and he has always kept his head (and his manners), and he always will. I wrote this to him today:
The minute the Great Eye perceives you, Aragorn, you will be famous in a way you haven't ever been before. It's a form you haven't tasted yet, and you've had a pretty darn big plate of famous. I don't think that anyone can ever be ready for this. Even so, my money's on you.
I'm told that no one who hasn't gone through our media's form of laser tag can really know what it's like. I heard stories (back in the day) but these came from people who'd been through it all in a mostly medicated state and were just starting to grasp what had happened to them. Among your many skills is the fact that you know a great deal about this beast already, and can stand it's glare stone sober :-) Go get 'em, Tiger.
He'll do fine. And I get to watch.
Well enough of that. I'd better get back to work. I may be able to get these tools fixed in time to do the fancy lecture I envision using the images projected on a large screen via the laptop or it may be time for Plan B which involves giving a more informal talk using photos, books and post cards; rather like showing pictures of your vacation to friends in your living room. This is a problem only for my ego. (That again!)
I like technology and would have enjoyed doing a slide lecture in a dark room using these pictures in a large and dramatic format; something which would elicit gasps and coos. My Inner Teacher just loves that stuff. Oh, well. The pictures are great no matter how they are shown. So, the question becomes: just how many people are going to show up to a lecture on Ephesus at 9 o'clock in the morning, the Sunday after a Saturday night at PantheaCon, hummmmm? (3)
Exactly.
Since I can expect a smaller crowd - if anyone - it won't hurt us to pass a few pictures back and forth. I'll even bring in a few donuts to make it worth their while :-)
Sia
1. Aha! I see that Snakemoon has once again made the cover again with her article "I'm A Pagan, Ask Me About My Sex Holiday!" Good. She wrote that one for our newsletter last year, and after much discussion and fine tuning we published it in January. I usually have to nag her to publish later at Vox (she gets busy and forgets). This time I sent the link directly to Dio, their Editor, so she could read it, and hassle Snakemoon for me. As I thought, Dio was very eager to have it, and they featured it as the lead article, which was smart. It should be very popular.
I see she kept the Dorothy Sayers quote I gave her. Even better.
I'm encouraging Snake to someday publish a book of her collected essays. I will keep on her about that. At this rate, she'll be ready to publish in about a year.
2. Always have a Plan B, C and D. Sacrifice to the Gods of Chaos, and learn how to laugh at yourself.
3. It's easy to get a prime lecture spot at PantheaCon. Just do a lecture on sex. Or offer a panel on "What's wrong with X". So it goes.
Folk of the Air by Peter S. Beagle
Sia's Post
I spent a golden morning in the park with my dog, and then came home and began working with my partner, choosing images for the lecture on Ephesus. The scanner just broke - poor, thing, we use it a lot - and the middle keys on the laptop aren't working, either. Time for a coffee break.
I surfed over to Vox (1) just now and deleted the link to this blog. I found that I was beginning to check my "stats" every day to see how many people were reading it. Not good.
If I start caring about how many people read it, (and, being Vox, they were sending them over in the thousands) then I might start writing these posts to get more and more readers. At that point, I write for approval or, worse yet, I might begin pandering for traffic. I know me well enough to know that I'd stop being honest. I might begin to feel that I need to write every day, even when I have nothing to say. I might write down some sexy Pagan gossip I know (and should not share) to keep their interest. In other words, I would be tap dancing to keep their affection. Very bad.
It's better for my work here if I let these notes be erratic and plain spoken, (some might say "dull") so that the essays I write later will (I hope) avoid all that. It's better to have the odd friend check in now and again if they so choose....or not. Better to let the Hoi Poli skip this blog entirely and read those public blogs of note. I've added a link to one or two public blogs I admire, and I'll add more as I find them. (I just got a note from Fritz about that. We're both addicted to reading the WildHunt Blog; young Jason is going places.)
An acquaintance once asked me why I write under my Craft Name when I'm so out and about as a Pagan in real life. The way they asked the question made it apparent they thought I was hiding something. I told them that I valued my privacy, which is all the truth they would have understood and that I cared to share.
The core truth safely nesting at the center of that statement (the one protected by the "truthieness" in my terse, deflective response) is that I am most concerned to protect my work from my own ego.
When I write as Sia, I have no concerns for what anyone thinks of me as a person. I don't need anyone's approval or applause. Their criticism can't hurt me. More importantly, their criticism can be taken in calmly, used as needed, and then heeded or tossed aside depending on it's worth. I can't do that under my given name and I've learned not to try. What counts is the quality of the work I do, not recognition.
The joy is in the writing, and in reading the writing of others. Rick Moody knows this. Here is a essay of his from The Joy of Reading Series over at NPR. It contains this lovely quote:
"I believe in the absolute and unlimited liberty of reading."
damn right.
As a writer I'm very much like the actor Dustin Hoffman plays in "Tootsie" who realizes that his persona "Dorothy" is actually a lot smarter than he is. The more he lives as Dorothy, the better he gets along with others, because Dorothy is forceful without being combative and tactful without being weak. I feel the same way about "Sia"; she's a much better person than I am in many ways, not least of which because she never forgets that someones soul might be listening.
People always ask me where I got such a beautiful Craft name. If I like them, I say it's because I steal from the best. The name belongs to the lead character in Peter S. Beagle's book The Folk of the Air. If they have read the book, (now sadly and undeservedly out of print) they will see that I'm poking fun at myself. If they haven't, well, I don't intend to explain.
Don't get me wrong, I admire people who can be themselves in public and who use their own names when they write. That's just not how my dysfunctional head works. Publicity is very bad for me. It's always been that way. This then, is my solution.
Speaking of publicity, a friend of mine in England is about to encounter a great deal of it soon, more than even he is used to. I'm not worried. My friend is one of those people who already has wealth and fame and the recognition of his peers, and he has always kept his head (and his manners), and he always will. I wrote this to him today:
The minute the Great Eye perceives you, Aragorn, you will be famous in a way you haven't ever been before. It's a form you haven't tasted yet, and you've had a pretty darn big plate of famous. I don't think that anyone can ever be ready for this. Even so, my money's on you.
I'm told that no one who hasn't gone through our media's form of laser tag can really know what it's like. I heard stories (back in the day) but these came from people who'd been through it all in a mostly medicated state and were just starting to grasp what had happened to them. Among your many skills is the fact that you know a great deal about this beast already, and can stand it's glare stone sober :-) Go get 'em, Tiger.
He'll do fine. And I get to watch.
Well enough of that. I'd better get back to work. I may be able to get these tools fixed in time to do the fancy lecture I envision using the images projected on a large screen via the laptop or it may be time for Plan B which involves giving a more informal talk using photos, books and post cards; rather like showing pictures of your vacation to friends in your living room. This is a problem only for my ego. (That again!)
I like technology and would have enjoyed doing a slide lecture in a dark room using these pictures in a large and dramatic format; something which would elicit gasps and coos. My Inner Teacher just loves that stuff. Oh, well. The pictures are great no matter how they are shown. So, the question becomes: just how many people are going to show up to a lecture on Ephesus at 9 o'clock in the morning, the Sunday after a Saturday night at PantheaCon, hummmmm? (3)
Exactly.
Since I can expect a smaller crowd - if anyone - it won't hurt us to pass a few pictures back and forth. I'll even bring in a few donuts to make it worth their while :-)
Sia
1. Aha! I see that Snakemoon has once again made the cover again with her article "I'm A Pagan, Ask Me About My Sex Holiday!" Good. She wrote that one for our newsletter last year, and after much discussion and fine tuning we published it in January. I usually have to nag her to publish later at Vox (she gets busy and forgets). This time I sent the link directly to Dio, their Editor, so she could read it, and hassle Snakemoon for me. As I thought, Dio was very eager to have it, and they featured it as the lead article, which was smart. It should be very popular.
I see she kept the Dorothy Sayers quote I gave her. Even better.
I'm encouraging Snake to someday publish a book of her collected essays. I will keep on her about that. At this rate, she'll be ready to publish in about a year.
2. Always have a Plan B, C and D. Sacrifice to the Gods of Chaos, and learn how to laugh at yourself.
3. It's easy to get a prime lecture spot at PantheaCon. Just do a lecture on sex. Or offer a panel on "What's wrong with X". So it goes.
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Christians and the Pagans Redux
Lovely day, today. It's sunny and warm; a real Chamber of Commerce kind of day (1).
Hawk and her husband are in town from Boston, visiting friends and family. We played email tag until we could find a time for lunch that suited all parties, (their social calendar filled up very fast once we all knew they were coming). We met today for lunch at the Fresh Choice resteraunt in Sunnyvale. Hawk told me that she couldn't find salad bars like that in the Boston area and that she had missed them. Her husband (let's call him "Joseph") was very happy to be sitting with us in the warm sunshine after the blizzards back home. He told me about a weather condition they call a "bizzardcane" i.e. a snow blizzard with hurricane force winds. I've never experienced a "real" winter in Tahoe, let alone the east coast and I can't even imagine what that's like. However I have lived through several serious earthquakes, not to mention fires and the LA riots, so we had a good time comparing emergency kits and preparedness plans. (Yes, we really are that geeky). Most Californians with any sense know that when The Big One finally hits us, we are going to have to survive between 1 - 3 weeks without any emergency services and very little help. We stock up on food, water medical supplies and such with that in mind. It seems that being snowbound and without power for days at a time can lead to the same needs so we had a fun time trading "What if" scenarios over lunch. (2)
Hawk and Jacob moved to Boston in 2003. Before that, they had worked with us here at Full Circle. Both were active in the gaming community, which is how I first met them. (I'm not a role player myself, but like them as a species, and many of my friends and Full Circle staff are active in that world). Hawk and Joseph joined our Black Light Pagan Bowling league (3) in 2001 and I got to know them at the dinners that followed. Hawk was our Witches' Ball Director for the Bohemian Ball in 2002 and she did a fantastic job. She was on our committee when we planned the Seamstress Guild Discworld Party for Terry Pratchett at ConJose. (I have a ton of pictures from that event. I really need to post those on a webpage). That party was a huge success, and Terry had a great time. Hawk's hard work, common sense, party smarts and fabulous presence (we were all dressed as Victorian courtesans and she made her own, very stunning dress) was a large part of that success.
For the record: Jacob came as Ventinari, and I dressed as Mrs. Palm. Hawk came as our most sought after Seamstress. My friend Quark was Foul O'Ron and my partner made a magnificent and very sexy Greebo (in human form). Sage came in a mirrored dress as the Fairy Godmother, and her sister Artemesia dressed as Ptraci the Temple Dancer. Another gal pal, Kristil, came as Angua. She and a Boston Discworld Fan (great group of people) helped us to guard the door. (The suite they gave us was huge and took up several rooms, but it soon packed with people and we had to have crowd control all night long.) Kristil also help with decorations by helping me find and prepare the ravens & olives, put out the varoius images of death and get out the plastic rats for the infamous "rats onna stick". Other gals came as various Seamstresses (including a lucious "Satine" (different world, but definatly the right dress) and Terry was resplendant as "Our Esteemed Patron" in a velvet smoking jacket. The Con staff ordered special food for the party, which was damn nice of them, and we had about 500 guests, overall . Our Mr. Dibbler (another Boston fan) ran the auction of the Discworld items (brought and signed by Terry) and we raised a good deal of cash for the Orangutan Foundation. The party went so late we finally closed the Con Suite, and took it down into the lobby of the hotel. Great evening.
I wrote about Hawk several years ago in an essay titled "The Christians and the Pagans". Hawk and Jacob are great people and I've learned a lot from working with them. Jacob is one of those amazing managers who always has the right word in any situation. After year's or practice I'm good at this, but Jacob is genius level, (why-aren't-you-writing-a-book-about-this?) good. Whenever I'm in highly flammable situation and find myself stuck for a tactful, clear minded phrasing that people will hear, I go to two people, and Jacob is one of those two.
I enjoyed our visit immensely. I was glad to hear they had found a congregation back east that had the right feel for them; one that focuses on charitable work and ecology; two issues near and dear to their hearts. It isn't easy for these two to find True Tribe, being as they are deeply faithful , evangelical Christians with extensive educations and liberal mindsets. The odds were always better that they would find their place in the Boston area, the land of Ben Franklin and a haven for all Free Thinkers.
People sometimes wonder what I have in common with these two. I think Walter Isaacson, Franklin's biographer, sums it up best:
... an aversion to tyranny; advocacy of an unbridled free press; wry, homespun humor; humility, or at least the appearance of it, in dealing with others; idealism as well as realism in foreign policy; willingness to compromise; and tolerance of contrary views, particularly in religion. Such traits enhance social capital and should "distinguish America...in the messy struggles that confront a new century."
Yep, that sums it up, nicely.
Tonight I will watch the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics with Quark. (4) Nothing speaks to the heart of community like the entrance of the athletes from all nations. It gets to me, every time.
Sia
(1) The kind of day city governments like to take postcards of their mountains, parks and city center beau's they know they'll come out looking gorgeous.
(2) Moving to Oregon doesn't change things. The Pacific Northwest has earthquakes, as well, although the odds are far less that another big one will hit within the next hundred years.
(3) On Saturday nights our local bowling alley would be lit entirely with black lights, lasers and smoke effects, and play nothing but rock and roll music from 6 to midnight. Thus the Pagan Black Light bowling League was born. Alas, they tore down that ally last year and turned the space into a high end shopping mall.
(4) He, in turn, will be attending a role playing game and party in Hawk & Joseph's honor on Saturday night at the home of one of our former council members. He has promised to bring one of his famous homemade desserts: Death by Chocolate.
Hawk and her husband are in town from Boston, visiting friends and family. We played email tag until we could find a time for lunch that suited all parties, (their social calendar filled up very fast once we all knew they were coming). We met today for lunch at the Fresh Choice resteraunt in Sunnyvale. Hawk told me that she couldn't find salad bars like that in the Boston area and that she had missed them. Her husband (let's call him "Joseph") was very happy to be sitting with us in the warm sunshine after the blizzards back home. He told me about a weather condition they call a "bizzardcane" i.e. a snow blizzard with hurricane force winds. I've never experienced a "real" winter in Tahoe, let alone the east coast and I can't even imagine what that's like. However I have lived through several serious earthquakes, not to mention fires and the LA riots, so we had a good time comparing emergency kits and preparedness plans. (Yes, we really are that geeky). Most Californians with any sense know that when The Big One finally hits us, we are going to have to survive between 1 - 3 weeks without any emergency services and very little help. We stock up on food, water medical supplies and such with that in mind. It seems that being snowbound and without power for days at a time can lead to the same needs so we had a fun time trading "What if" scenarios over lunch. (2)
Hawk and Jacob moved to Boston in 2003. Before that, they had worked with us here at Full Circle. Both were active in the gaming community, which is how I first met them. (I'm not a role player myself, but like them as a species, and many of my friends and Full Circle staff are active in that world). Hawk and Joseph joined our Black Light Pagan Bowling league (3) in 2001 and I got to know them at the dinners that followed. Hawk was our Witches' Ball Director for the Bohemian Ball in 2002 and she did a fantastic job. She was on our committee when we planned the Seamstress Guild Discworld Party for Terry Pratchett at ConJose. (I have a ton of pictures from that event. I really need to post those on a webpage). That party was a huge success, and Terry had a great time. Hawk's hard work, common sense, party smarts and fabulous presence (we were all dressed as Victorian courtesans and she made her own, very stunning dress) was a large part of that success.
For the record: Jacob came as Ventinari, and I dressed as Mrs. Palm. Hawk came as our most sought after Seamstress. My friend Quark was Foul O'Ron and my partner made a magnificent and very sexy Greebo (in human form). Sage came in a mirrored dress as the Fairy Godmother, and her sister Artemesia dressed as Ptraci the Temple Dancer. Another gal pal, Kristil, came as Angua. She and a Boston Discworld Fan (great group of people) helped us to guard the door. (The suite they gave us was huge and took up several rooms, but it soon packed with people and we had to have crowd control all night long.) Kristil also help with decorations by helping me find and prepare the ravens & olives, put out the varoius images of death and get out the plastic rats for the infamous "rats onna stick". Other gals came as various Seamstresses (including a lucious "Satine" (different world, but definatly the right dress) and Terry was resplendant as "Our Esteemed Patron" in a velvet smoking jacket. The Con staff ordered special food for the party, which was damn nice of them, and we had about 500 guests, overall . Our Mr. Dibbler (another Boston fan) ran the auction of the Discworld items (brought and signed by Terry) and we raised a good deal of cash for the Orangutan Foundation. The party went so late we finally closed the Con Suite, and took it down into the lobby of the hotel. Great evening.
I wrote about Hawk several years ago in an essay titled "The Christians and the Pagans". Hawk and Jacob are great people and I've learned a lot from working with them. Jacob is one of those amazing managers who always has the right word in any situation. After year's or practice I'm good at this, but Jacob is genius level, (why-aren't-you-writing-a-book-about-this?) good. Whenever I'm in highly flammable situation and find myself stuck for a tactful, clear minded phrasing that people will hear, I go to two people, and Jacob is one of those two.
I enjoyed our visit immensely. I was glad to hear they had found a congregation back east that had the right feel for them; one that focuses on charitable work and ecology; two issues near and dear to their hearts. It isn't easy for these two to find True Tribe, being as they are deeply faithful , evangelical Christians with extensive educations and liberal mindsets. The odds were always better that they would find their place in the Boston area, the land of Ben Franklin and a haven for all Free Thinkers.
People sometimes wonder what I have in common with these two. I think Walter Isaacson, Franklin's biographer, sums it up best:
... an aversion to tyranny; advocacy of an unbridled free press; wry, homespun humor; humility, or at least the appearance of it, in dealing with others; idealism as well as realism in foreign policy; willingness to compromise; and tolerance of contrary views, particularly in religion. Such traits enhance social capital and should "distinguish America...in the messy struggles that confront a new century."
Yep, that sums it up, nicely.
Tonight I will watch the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics with Quark. (4) Nothing speaks to the heart of community like the entrance of the athletes from all nations. It gets to me, every time.
Sia
(1) The kind of day city governments like to take postcards of their mountains, parks and city center beau's they know they'll come out looking gorgeous.
(2) Moving to Oregon doesn't change things. The Pacific Northwest has earthquakes, as well, although the odds are far less that another big one will hit within the next hundred years.
(3) On Saturday nights our local bowling alley would be lit entirely with black lights, lasers and smoke effects, and play nothing but rock and roll music from 6 to midnight. Thus the Pagan Black Light bowling League was born. Alas, they tore down that ally last year and turned the space into a high end shopping mall.
(4) He, in turn, will be attending a role playing game and party in Hawk & Joseph's honor on Saturday night at the home of one of our former council members. He has promised to bring one of his famous homemade desserts: Death by Chocolate.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Rescues, various
I spent yesterday with my business partner, Magpy, shopping at the San Francisco Gift Show. We walked our feet off, but it was worth it. We picked up some wonderful items for our Vendor table at PantheaCon, including some very special Balinese mahogany sculptures of Kuan Yin, (hand carved), and some delightful jade cats (I may have to keep one of those). One of the Balinese figures is a sexy, lush female torso - that one could cause a riot. Her nickname is now "BB" for Balinese Babe.
I spent some free time this morning catching up on correspondence and arranged for a phone counseling session on Sunday for a Pagan family in Alaska. (I don't usually do that, but this person is known to me, and it's a special case).
I received a note from Kerr today at Officers of Avalon about his emergency rescue work and a new book he's got in the works:
I spoke with my publisher at Idyll Arbor a few days ago and he expects that we'll be doing the final editing on my safety book for field workers like nurses and social workers later this month. I'm very excited about this book, "When Helping Hurts".
I'll be flying out to Convocation 2006 in Michigan on 23 February. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be conducting a Warrior Armoring ritual with the help of Chris Penczak, Denessa Smith and some local friends. This is an indoor version of the Armoring that was well received at FPG last November. I will also be teaching the Maori Haka (warrior dance) Ka Mate Haka as part of my Warrior workshop."
That sounds fantastic. I'll let friends in that area know about this.
I've corresponded with Chris P. a few times but I've never met him in person. I am hoping to change that at this year's PantheaCon.
I wrote back to Kerr today. Part of my letter said:
A great many Pagans are involved in companion and wildlife rescue work, as well. (I'm trained in both) Full Circle gave our 2006 Gaia's Guardian Award United Animal Nation for their valiant efforts on behalf of companion animals, farm animals and wildlife after Katrina.
If you ever want a trip out to Southern California (and a chance to go to the original Disneyland), check out this Conference on Animal Rescue given by the Humane Society.
Kerr is a former police detective. He and another friend gave me some advice and support with a situation involving a Pagan pedophile last year. I let Kerr know today that the man in question has been arrested. The case against him is solid. He abused several young girls in various states (who will testify, if needed), a staggering cache of kiddy porn was found on his hard drive (discovered using a warrant, during a legal search) and the police have his own confession on tape. The families involved (some of whom are Pagan) are now in therapy and healing as best they can.
Today seems to have a to have a theme. (Oddly enough, they often do, I just have to pay attention). I got to thinking about rescuing: when it helps and, as Kerr notes, when it hurts, (something we often discuss in Spiral Steps) and when there are times we have to rescue ourselves (or at least be ready to do so). On that note: I sent this note out today to our Senior Editor for inclusion in the newsletter, and cc'd various women friends:
Here is something you should know about: Model Mugging is a good, short, self defense program for women of all ages. This is a practical program. A woman should not have to have a black belt in order to defend herself on the street or in her home.
This course can teach a woman (or a man) enough in 6 weeks to defend themselves in a variety of dangerous situations. In 20 hours women learn how to protect themselves from a single unarmed assailant, armed, and multiple assailants. As their site says, "When taught by certified instructors, Model Mugging is the most advanced and safest program available for women, both physically and emotionally."
My partner is a martial artist and he spent several years as one of their volunteer instructors. These days he studies ditch medicine, volunteers for both human and animal rescue groups, and consults on fight scenes for writer friends. (He helped me fine tune a bar room brawl scene over breakfast the other day. I do like a man with skills.)
We're a bloodthirsty family. Our favorite workshop at any WorldCon is "Maim 'Em Right". (The best one I ever went to was taught by Lisa Freitag and featured Elizabeth Moon on the panel. The workshop description reads: "Accurate maiming, murder and mayhem from an experienced physician and mother." Now who wouldn't want to go to that?
It seems every vacation we end up stopping for a car accident (someone else's) or a wounded and/or lost animal. Last Christmas we went birding in southern Oregon. On the way home we came across an accident involving an elderly couple. They were driving home from a trip to Vegas and were dressed more for the casinos than the ridge line. It was late afternoon on a day with pretty constant snowfall. They drove over a high mountain pass, without chains, skidded on black ice, and ended up overturned, hurt, badly dazed in a snowbank on the far side of the road. A trucker and the cop get the credit for helping these two - we came late to the scene. The trucker saw the accident and used his radio to call in a State Trooper. We came by just as the Trooper got to the upturned car (a little black job, which, given the gloom and the snowfall was quite hard to see). My partner and the officer got the couple out of out of the overturned car, stopped the bleeding and checked them both for injuries. (Thanks to their seat belts they had one concussion, bruises, and only minor cuts between them. The car looked very bad - the roof had caved in and there was glass everywhere, so they got of lightly). We helped the couple keep them warm till the tow trucks, fire trucks and ambulance arrived. It made for quite a party.
The truth is, the trucker probably saved their lives. If no one had seen them, they could well have died from exposure. There are no call boxes in that part of Oregon, cell phone reception is hopeless, and the roads are pretty empty. In fact, they closed the pass just after we left it. Next time you meet a trucker, buy him or her a cup of coffee - they save more lives then we'll ever know.
So many of our vacation pictures involve police, firefighters, paramedics,and forest rangers....One of these days I really should start a scrapbook:-)
I spent some free time this morning catching up on correspondence and arranged for a phone counseling session on Sunday for a Pagan family in Alaska. (I don't usually do that, but this person is known to me, and it's a special case).
I received a note from Kerr today at Officers of Avalon about his emergency rescue work and a new book he's got in the works:
I spoke with my publisher at Idyll Arbor a few days ago and he expects that we'll be doing the final editing on my safety book for field workers like nurses and social workers later this month. I'm very excited about this book, "When Helping Hurts".
I'll be flying out to Convocation 2006 in Michigan on 23 February. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be conducting a Warrior Armoring ritual with the help of Chris Penczak, Denessa Smith and some local friends. This is an indoor version of the Armoring that was well received at FPG last November. I will also be teaching the Maori Haka (warrior dance) Ka Mate Haka as part of my Warrior workshop."
That sounds fantastic. I'll let friends in that area know about this.
I've corresponded with Chris P. a few times but I've never met him in person. I am hoping to change that at this year's PantheaCon.
I wrote back to Kerr today. Part of my letter said:
A great many Pagans are involved in companion and wildlife rescue work, as well. (I'm trained in both) Full Circle gave our 2006 Gaia's Guardian Award United Animal Nation for their valiant efforts on behalf of companion animals, farm animals and wildlife after Katrina.
If you ever want a trip out to Southern California (and a chance to go to the original Disneyland), check out this Conference on Animal Rescue given by the Humane Society.
Kerr is a former police detective. He and another friend gave me some advice and support with a situation involving a Pagan pedophile last year. I let Kerr know today that the man in question has been arrested. The case against him is solid. He abused several young girls in various states (who will testify, if needed), a staggering cache of kiddy porn was found on his hard drive (discovered using a warrant, during a legal search) and the police have his own confession on tape. The families involved (some of whom are Pagan) are now in therapy and healing as best they can.
Today seems to have a to have a theme. (Oddly enough, they often do, I just have to pay attention). I got to thinking about rescuing: when it helps and, as Kerr notes, when it hurts, (something we often discuss in Spiral Steps) and when there are times we have to rescue ourselves (or at least be ready to do so). On that note: I sent this note out today to our Senior Editor for inclusion in the newsletter, and cc'd various women friends:
Here is something you should know about: Model Mugging is a good, short, self defense program for women of all ages. This is a practical program. A woman should not have to have a black belt in order to defend herself on the street or in her home.
This course can teach a woman (or a man) enough in 6 weeks to defend themselves in a variety of dangerous situations. In 20 hours women learn how to protect themselves from a single unarmed assailant, armed, and multiple assailants. As their site says, "When taught by certified instructors, Model Mugging is the most advanced and safest program available for women, both physically and emotionally."
My partner is a martial artist and he spent several years as one of their volunteer instructors. These days he studies ditch medicine, volunteers for both human and animal rescue groups, and consults on fight scenes for writer friends. (He helped me fine tune a bar room brawl scene over breakfast the other day. I do like a man with skills.)
We're a bloodthirsty family. Our favorite workshop at any WorldCon is "Maim 'Em Right". (The best one I ever went to was taught by Lisa Freitag and featured Elizabeth Moon on the panel. The workshop description reads: "Accurate maiming, murder and mayhem from an experienced physician and mother." Now who wouldn't want to go to that?
It seems every vacation we end up stopping for a car accident (someone else's) or a wounded and/or lost animal. Last Christmas we went birding in southern Oregon. On the way home we came across an accident involving an elderly couple. They were driving home from a trip to Vegas and were dressed more for the casinos than the ridge line. It was late afternoon on a day with pretty constant snowfall. They drove over a high mountain pass, without chains, skidded on black ice, and ended up overturned, hurt, badly dazed in a snowbank on the far side of the road. A trucker and the cop get the credit for helping these two - we came late to the scene. The trucker saw the accident and used his radio to call in a State Trooper. We came by just as the Trooper got to the upturned car (a little black job, which, given the gloom and the snowfall was quite hard to see). My partner and the officer got the couple out of out of the overturned car, stopped the bleeding and checked them both for injuries. (Thanks to their seat belts they had one concussion, bruises, and only minor cuts between them. The car looked very bad - the roof had caved in and there was glass everywhere, so they got of lightly). We helped the couple keep them warm till the tow trucks, fire trucks and ambulance arrived. It made for quite a party.
The truth is, the trucker probably saved their lives. If no one had seen them, they could well have died from exposure. There are no call boxes in that part of Oregon, cell phone reception is hopeless, and the roads are pretty empty. In fact, they closed the pass just after we left it. Next time you meet a trucker, buy him or her a cup of coffee - they save more lives then we'll ever know.
So many of our vacation pictures involve police, firefighters, paramedics,and forest rangers....One of these days I really should start a scrapbook:-)
Friday, February 03, 2006
Seeds for the Birds: Old Imbolc
Imbolc celebrations began in our home at sunset on Feb. 1st and resumed again at dawn the next morning. We use fire, seeds, bread, (1) milk, and meditation to celebrate Brigid. This is only the beginning. In our home Imbolc begins on Feb 2 and lasts through the 9th. The actual astronomical midpoint in the year (the cross quarter day) is on Saturday, February 4th.
I don't plant seeds outside for this holiday. That would be silly with winter frosts still on the way. (1) Instead I make sure to keep our seven bird feeders full, as the cold nights can be cruel and the beasties need food to survive. We provide various kinds of seeds for the different species of birds on our property. I also put out a peanut feeder for the squirrels. I love our squirrels, the bloody little thieves. My favorite coffee mug has a picture of a squirrel dressed in a beak mask and blue wings holding a sign that says "Feed the Birds"
Much of the focus of my ritual this year was on Brigid as Healer because my partner was due to go in for surgery that week. He is home now, and doing fine.
Much of my free time is spent reading the thoughts of others about this holiday and keeping my own green journal, as well. A good deal of my "hearth time" this time of year is spent in cleaning and organizing (even more so now that we're moving). I like to clear out the weeds in my garden (both real and metaphorical) and fertilize where needed (in the real world and elsewhere). I look forward to sending a receiving email notes filled with blessings, good wishes, pictures and poetry. Most of these come to me from female friends who, like me, hold Brigid dear.
I took special pleasure this year in reading the Imbolc posting by Jason, a delightful Greenman (and a snazzy writer) who composes the Wildhunt Blog. His section on Brigid (2/1/06) was both lovely and informative. Anne Hill included some wonderful poems by Elien Bass and William Matthews on her blog this year. I sent a note about these to Rowan Fairgrove who, it turns out, has taken her poetry classes out in Santa Cruz. Rowan in turn kindly sent me the link to Ellen's website so I could check out her workshops, and she included a news update on celebrations at Brigid's Well in Ireland.
Some Imbolc sites inspire me. Others make me laugh. Years ago I found an essay on Imbolc that made me groan and giggle. I've since filed it under "Stupid Pagan Tricks." Every now and then I pull it out and give it to good hearted urban types with fantasies about the outdoors.
One year, our Priestess decided/divined that Candlemas/Imbolc was the proper time to Initiate our Dedicants. She also decided/channeled the information from our Guides that the influenza tradition had arisen because we weren't in harmony with nature. Therefore, those desiring Initiation would have to do an all-night Vision Quest outside, and a Sweat Lodge at dawn. Mind you, this was during February in the Northeast....So much of what our ancestors did comes down to the dread of winter and the hope of spring, to seeds and farming and the migration of herds. Tens of thousands of years ago they knew the sea lanes and could track the flights of birds and follow the movements of whales and stars to new lands. Some followed the sea, some followed the deer and the caribou. Those who stayed on land knew how to find water, how to make beer or cheese, and how to help early the lambs be born. They valued woodland and weather lore, coupled their sky watching with common sense and brought their people up from mere survival into abundance, and made our poetry possible.
Such wisdom is worth honoring for it's own sake, as anyone who has ever tried to brew beer, bake bread, make tools or heal the sick can tell us. Is it any wonder then that Her gifts are so very practical? Those of us who watch the natural world take nothing for granted for we know that everything changes. Brigid teaches us the miracle in everyday things, and how to hold beauty in our hearts.
Blessed Imbolc,
Sia
Endnotes:
(1) Gardeners know better than to put seeds in the ground before the winter frosts are done. Most Pagan gardeners plant seeds in greenhouses and seed trays, and transplant these in March. Imbolc is when we order all those seed and gardening catalogs and begin to dream...
(2) I find it baffling that so many people who practice an earthwise spiritual tradition related to the seasons will plan their celebration around a date on their glossy paper calendar and ignore what father sun and mother earth are actually doing. Beltane is a good example of this. Many Pagans have no idea of the history of the calendar changes by the Romans and the Catholic Church, so they don't realize that the astronomical date for Beltane is closer to the 5th, and that certain calendar changes in the Middle Ages cost our ancestors 11 days, which meant that Old Beltane celebrations would have occurred in the middle of an ancient May, when the weather was much warmer. (This is actually the time when you'll see flowers blooming en mass in England and Northern Europe and when there is far less chance of freezing as we frolic in the wo-ods).
I once received an invitation to a full moon ritual from a Wiccan Coven nearby. It was set to occur on a Saturday. The moon had turned full the Wednesday before and was waning on the night in question. Ironically, the ritual was dedicated to abundance and prosperity. When I asked them about this, they said they were too busy to gather that Wednesday. They were nice people, too, just not real clear on the concept. I politely declined the invitation and wished them well. I'm sure the moon mistress who so loves woods and wild things blessed their endeavors as She thought best :-)
Art: Ellen of the Trackways by Ian Lowe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)