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Green Man's Tavern   It has been long, long, long, since I've updated my LiveJournal (or my webpages). I've been slacking. Actually, I haven't been slacking. I've been simply putting more energy into the experience and less into the reflection. Since both are needed as we dance in this world, I will try to find a bit more balance in the year to come. I just got back from Body Tribal. This is a retreat of sorts held yearly at Four Quarters Farm in Pennsylvania. It has been my third experience with Body Tribal. It also has been my third marking of ink. This year I had a symbol placed on my right thigh. The symbol is a unicursal hexagon. To me, it is a symbol of the reality of Deity found within the unity of opposites. The shape is six sided and can be drawn without picking up one's pencil. In the center is a five sided rose that, to me, symbolizes Deity. The two symmetrical sides of the hexagon are those opposites coming together: hate and love, light and dark, pain and ecstasy, doubt and certitude, the macrocosm and the microcosm. The list could go on and on. This whole weekend at Body Tribal was an incarnation of this principle of God/dess manifested in union of opposites. On Friday night, we had a shape shifting ball or dance. I am a pretty vanilla person in appearance and personality (at least on the surface). I dressed in the most gothic manner I could muster. Union of opposites. The main ritual which I was privileged to help with, involved an internal walk in the dark, with a revelation at central altar of Divinity in Pain. And yet the result, in my opinion, was love and light, connection and community, spirit. Union of opposites. I think one of the key epiphanies neo-paganism has for the world, is that rather than separate and polarize reality, there is beauty and truth in allowing those opposites to come together. If we allow such convergence, there is much light (and darkness) to be experienced. And that experience is glorious! I thank all who made Body Tribal 2008 possible. Jack in the Green August 4, 2008 This is the third year I've gone to Ecumenicon in Baltimore and I'm really enjoying it. Ecumenicon is an interfaith fellowship of mostly pagan, Wiccan, mystical, and magical groups. It also includes Christians of the open mind variety. There are a lot of seminars and various speakers who talk about this, that, and the other. There are venders, selling this, that, and the other. Finally, there are many interesting people conversing about this, that, and the other. For me, it is a fun time. I have a room here at the Best Western. After a busy day of learning, and shopping, and talking, I am finally relaxing, playing on my computer, and reading a good book before I turn in. Ecumenicon has been going on for years. It pretty much is Charles Butler's creation. I know he has his faults (as do we all) but he does impress me. Boundless energy and vision. It is a good thing he has created. An opportunity for those on different paths to come together and find their commonalities. For example, of the workshops I went to today, one was done by a Christian minister, one was led a Jewish science fiction writer, and the third focused on the Christian origins of Wicca. I also see members of William Blake Lodge here, my Ceremonial Magick brethren. So it is a wonderfully diverse group, especially for this humble Druid to hang out with. My only complaint is that the bar closes much too early here. But oh well. You can't have everything. I'll try to post again tomorrow night. Jack in the Green Today, March 22, 2008 is the birthday of Mother Gaia. She turns 4,556,274,396 years old. At Cedar Light Grove, in Baltimore, we honor Her birthday. In fact, we are holding a birthday party in Her honor. In celebration of Mother, we tell the story of Her birth. Long, long ago, in what some call the beginning, there was Chaos. Chaos was Lord. But he was Lord only of Himself. There was no other. And Chaos had a stomach ache. It was no ordinary stomach ache. It was a drop down on the ground and groan like a banchee stomach ache. Chaos was not a happy guy. So Chaos sat down on the doorstep outside his apartment. And he brooded. He brooded, and He pondered, and He contemplated His options. It was then that He came up with an idea, a novel idea. It was then that he decided to differentiate. No one had ever done it before. He had never done it before. But when you have a really, really bad stomach ache, sometimes you need to experiment a bit. And so He did. Chaos reached deep into Himself, into His soul of souls, and pulled out just a part. A round, circular, spherical part. And placed it on the door step next to Him. It was Gaia. And She was good and green and alive. But Chaos still had a darkness inside. His inner demons were nagging at him. He wasn't at peace. And worst of all, His stomach still hurt. So once again, he reached deeply into himself, into His soul of souls, and pulled out Tartarus, that which is the most deep and most dark. And he set it down next to Him on the doorstep. There sat Tartarus, dark and distant and brooding. It definitely was helpful to get it out of his gut. He felt better. But still, Chaos wasn't happy. He had pulled out life and light. He had pulled out darkness and destruction. But something still was missing. What could it be? Then he realized, connection. There had to be something that would draw together the diverse pieces that were forming. There had to be a glue, a mortar, a cement, a link. There had to be attraction. So He reached once more, into his soul of souls and pulled out Eros. Love, Finally, Chaos felt better. His side no longer ached. He placed Gaia, Tartaros, and Eros side by side on the step. And then decided to just watch what would happen. And that's when things really got interesting. Dark Tartaros began giving birth to darkness, and Gaia began giving birth to life. And Eros began linking together all the various pieces that were appearing into new and diverse formations. That mixure of dark and light, of life and death, of love and hate, all linked together replicating, growing, in exponential proportions All of it amazed Chaos. What on earth had He started? How would it end? The linking together part, that was His branchild. The experiment wouldn't have been successful if the pieces didn't somehow link themselves together. But there was something going on in that Gaiatic Sphere, that really amazed and surprised Chaos, There was something that kept the process going. There was a love in it that wasn't just the simple attraction of Eros. There was a love of life, a determination to survive, a will to transform, a power to protect. In that Gaiatic Sphere, there was a Mother, and soon She took full ownership of the entire endeavor. It wasn't so much that She didn't need Chaos, for She did. She used Him quite often. But Her's was an Order that became ever more powerful, and more deliberate with each day. She became Queen of Her Domain. And many of Her children honored her. And some did not. It was a divided family. And it still is. There are those who truly seek Her welfare. And there are those, who either out of ignorance, or malice, or stupidity, seek her demise. And so with that in mind, we dedicate this birthday party, to the Mother Gaia, with the prayer that those who have forgotten, or maybe even never knew would remember Her, and give Her the honor and love that She so richly deserves. Happy Birthday, Mom! 
 I believe in freedom of religion with all my heart and soul. I believe in respecting diverse faiths. Tolerance and celebration of diversity, even when one doesn't agree with every thing the other says, is core to my value system. But I am slowly and surely becoming intolerant of the intolerance of radical Muslims who put their beliefs above all others. It is in that spirit of frustration that I post this cartoon. Good old, Bin Laden has once again crawled out of his cave and threatened all of the west because of stupid cartoons. His is a type of fascism that this planet does not need. A cartoon is a cartoon. It doesn't hurt anyone. Pious people of all faiths, dogmatic people of all faiths, and no faith, need to get a grip, a sense of humor, perspective. Life is far too short to get all worked up over a...cartoon. Just my two cents. Does it make sense? Jack in the Green Hi! I wanted to let everyone know about a new burn, and I am part of the planning team for it, so my opinion is biased! The burn is "Wicker Man," to be held Thursday through Monday, Memorial Day weekend; and we have a setup weekend, the weekend before. We are trying to lay the groundwork that will grow into a full-on burn, with an amazing site, roads for art cars, a $4,000 art grant budget and plans for a stupendous effigy. We will be using Four Quarters as our site, which has the rep as one of the most edgy and progressive non-profit camps on the east coast. They have given us their full support for Wicker Man. Four Quarters has a piped water system, hot showers, flush toilets and of course port-a-potties. Buried power lines for their bio-fueled camp generator, a covered stage and three swimming holes. Lots of camping under tall trees and out in the sun too. And 2 miles of gravelled roads. Four Quarters is located 100 miles west of DC and Baltimore, just off I-68. We want to develop a burn that is art focused and will support big art. And one that has a vision of the future of burns that is sustainable, ecologically responsible and leaves behind a small foot print. Thus "Wicker Man;" the old celebration of the Green Man and Green energy. We already have over 20 theme camps and art projects registered, and we are just beginning our announcements. We plan to have three "Theme Towns." "Sound Town," where we can run sound all night long, like the Gaian MInd psytrance festival held at Four Quarters. "Sin City" down along the river, a cure for what ever ails you. And "Center Circle," a place for nature and spirit; held inside the amazing stone circle at Four Quarters. (Yes, there is a circle of standing stones and they are BIG!) And then there is the Man. Planned at 35 feet high our man stands on a round Temple to the Spirit of Fire, a big enough room that you can enter and place your own art and offerings to the burn. The roof of the temple is a deck upon which stands the Man, and people can stand too.. His belly is the Upper Temple, with room for just one person at a time. Each of his arms will hold a flaming fire pot, and we hope, will move as he burns. This is a huge project and we are looking to get as many people involved in his construction as possible. Ground breaking for the Man is Friday, May 9th, and then the next two weekends until he burns. I could go on and on, but our web site is up, with the first design drawings for the Man, pictures of art grant projects and theme camps. We have a list serve / forum too. So visit the web site at wickermanburning.org for much more info. "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Wicker Man Burning, In Fire We Trust." In a Saudi Arabian cell, there sits a prisoner who is has been arrested and tried by the Religious establishment of that country. Her crime is witchcraft. Her punishment will be execution, beheading to be precise. The progressive and rational faith community across the world is beginning to come together to petition the Saudi Government to refrain from such an injustice. Caroline Kenner recently wrote an op ed article for Witch Vox that can be found here: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.ht I encourage you to read the article, and then if so moved to sign the petition. I was actually the 8,000 person to sign it. Looking through the names, there are many people of all faiths and no faith who are joining in this plea for decency. The petition can be found at: http://www.petitiononline.com/AIDFA Jack in the Green Today we had our Grove elections for the Witan. Crystal will be senior druid, Kat will be vice druid, Frog will be liason to the membership, and Renee and I tied for Scribe. My question to anyone in the know is what is the policy or protocol for a tie? Has that happened before in other Groves? Can a Grove have two scribes or is there another direction we should go with it? Just curious what others who might know think.... Jack in the Green At Cedar Light Grove, we honored the changing of the guard from Apollo to Dionysus, in the Hellenic ritual of Lampteria. Renee gets much credit of pulling it together. I think it was a successful ritual. I did the Lore of the Season, which follows here. It is based on a story found here: http://www.winterscapes.com/sannion/dio I do love a good story. The Two Brothers This is the story of two brothers, two half brothers actually, and a holy place, and a conflict. With that introduction I could go a couple dozen directions because conflict between brothers over holy places is as old as time itself. This story involves Delphi which the Gods themselves determined was the very center and navel of the world. It was honored by Mother Gaia and her daughter Themis. It was greedily protected by Phoebe and the Dragon-Serpent she created. Finally, it was opened again to the world by Lord Apollo and his creation of the Pythia as a means of sharing prophecy and wisdom. Apollo is one of the two brothers who ruled over Delphi for generations, for millennia, always leaving the site for a few months in the winter. The other brother was the son of Zeus, Lord Dionysus. Dionysus was touring the world with his retinue of Maenads, Satyrs, and loyal followers. He had just come from India where he had gained a loyal following. He had come to Delphi to pay honor and sacrifice to the Earth Mother, Gaia who had first made it a holy site. It was close to sunset when Dionysus approached the Temple of Delphi. He saw a large throng of priests and worshipers standing around it, looking very sober and serious. “I come to make sacrifice and show honor at the Temple of Delphi” called out Lord Dionysus. A frail woman with a cane walked through the crowd and stood before the God. “We welcome you, but regretfully we must inform you that the Temple is currently closed. It is an unpropitious time for offering sacrifice.” “I regret my bad timing. Just allow me a few minutes to honor the Mother Gaia, and I will be off.” The old woman stood tall before the God, no longer leaning on the cane. A light appeared in her eyes, a strength in her face. “I perhaps am not making myself clear. You are not wanted here, Lord Dionysus. Your ways go against our ways. This is a temple of light, of reason, of noble virtues, and right living. This is a place of inspiration and truth. You embody all that contradicts our faith. You are the drunkard, the reveler, the breaker of morals, the defiler of virtue. To put it bluntly, you are the antithesis of all this place stands for, of all it represents. Be gone, dark one.” A smile crept onto the God's face. "You speak of light, but what is light without darkness? You talk of reason, but what is reason without the intuitive? What is wisdom without the fool? What is noble and right living unless there is choice, and I am part of that choice. And you speak of inspiration. Who has inspired more artists and thinkers than I? I am the one that makes you possible! I am your very foundation!" They stood eye to eye, toe to toe. And the old woman responded, "We do not want you here. Be gone, Dionysus." “So be it” said Lord Dionysus. He picked up his staff and banged it on the ground three times. Then lifting it to the sky he let out a all-consuming scream. The ground began shaking, the thunder roared, the earth shook, pillars fell, statues tumbled. The staff returned to the earth. The noise ended. Eye to eye, toe to toe. Dionysus again raised his staff. Black birds, crows, ravens and all the birds of winter flew through the sky, landing in the temple, tearing tapestry, creating a mess. Eye to eye, toe to toe. Again Dionysus raised his staff. Animals of forest and mountain, plain and valley, approached the temple, bringing with them fear of the untamed, the undomesticated, the wild. Bringing chaos. Eye to eye, toe to toe. The Pythia at this point lost control. She threw herself upon the God. “You are defiling our Temple” she screamed. The God took the priestess and tossed her onto the ground. "Brother, if you wish to deal with me, you best do it yourself and not through your servant.” At that point a second sun appeared in the sky, brighter than the first. It settled on the ground in front of the Temple. It appeared to be a bright chariot, driven by a brighter man, shining with radiance, glory, and splendor. He walked up to Dionysus, once again, eye to eye, toe to toe. “Leave my Temple, Leave this Sacred Spot. Now!” ‘No, I won’t do that.” And so the fight began. Arm to arm, muscle to muscle. Teeth gritted, eyes locked. Apollo was surprised that such an effeminate libertine could fight so well. Hour after hour they fought. Sometimes Apollo seemed to be winning and sometimes Dionysus. What would have been night came and went along with sunrise. Finally what would have been sunset came once again. It was then that Apollo mistepped. He foot rested upon a small white stone, almost a pebble. His balance was lost. He went down with a thud and Dionysus took advantage of the moment locking his head in a firm headlock. “Admit defeat, and I will let you go.” No matter how hard Apollo fought, he could not break free. Apollo then admitted he was beaten. The Gods stood. Eye to eye, toe to toe. “You have won. Have your sacrifice.” “I no longer just want to sacrifice to the Mother.” “What else do you want?” “I want Delphi. I want to officiate here.” “No,” said Apollo. “I can’t give you that. Delphi is mine.” “Brother, I only want her for the short time you are away, in the winter. When you return each year, she will be yours again.” Apollo thought about it. It wasn't ideal, but it was fair. He accepted. A large container of wine appeared in front of them. They drank together to the agreement. Then in a flash of light, the Bright One was gone. Soon the drums began playing, the dancers began dancing, the sacrifice was made, and the wine flowed. Some say it was the greatest party ever given, since the dawn of time, one that would never be equaled. And through the eyes of the Pythia, who did drink and even danced, Apollo saw the joy, the celebration, and the sacrifice, and he approved and even blessed it. And so this evening we honor the two parts of the whole, two aspects of Deity, two sides of humanity. We honor and we celebrate the two brothers. It is so good to have this breather at Thanksgiving. Things get so hectic at times. And there often is one event after another. During the next couple days, I would just like to catch my breath. I'll go by my parents' place tomorrow for Turkey Day. I'm going to the Pagan MeetUp on Friday night. But pretty much, that is all that I have planned. I really need to catch up on my writings for the Dedicant's Program. I have to write about Mabon and Samhain. Mabon I celebrated at Cedar Light Grove. Samhain I celebrated at Four Quarters. It would be good to get those two essays done before Yule. And it is so nice to be able to sleep in. To nurse a cup of coffee and real a book or two at a leisurely pace. It is so good to have just a bit of quiet and peace. Jack in the Green It was such a good event. I only could participate in some of it, because I went home for Lughnassadh at the Grove. But what I participated in was truly excellent. For dinner, a neighboring tribe, I think from Philadelphia, invited me to dinner. They travel first class and had an excellent menu to sample. The first night was the Shape Shifter's Ball (what I think of as the Dead Man's party because of the prominence of that song). It was very good. I had a chance to chat with numerous people, make new friends, dance, drink, dance some more. It was a fun, fun evening. I got to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. I'm sure I woke up a few people doing my bear imitation. The next morning found the tribe breaking into two groups (depending on the card chosen the night before). The two groups would compete in many games throughout the weekend. The games, I missed because of my sojourn back to Baltimore. But I hear the games were very close and a lot of fun (despite the heat). The next evening was a drumming circle and dancing. I stayed up all night, with the help of a new, VERY interesting friend. With dawn arriving, I crashed for a few hours, had breakfast, and then got my second tattoo. I didn't have a camera. I've misplaced (temporarily) my two digital ones. (I'll find them. I always do). But it is a very cool drawing of the Lady Persephone. Actually, it is half Persephone and have the Maiden Kore. Bunny is so very talented. This tattoo means so much to me. She, Persephone, is the deity who guided me into paganism. I have a stronger link with her than almost anyone. The drawing is filled with spirit (in my opinion) and just looking at it connects me with her. I will post a picture as soon as I take one. With the tattoo done, almost immediately, rain began pouring down. I gathered to my tent, and fell asleep for a good 12 hours. I got up early the next morning and headed home. It was such a good weekend. I am grateful to Spirit for allowing me to participate in it. I am grateful to the staff at Four Quarters for putting it together. They should feel very good about the event. Well, I guess that's all for now. I will write somewhere else about the Lughnassadh High Rite at Cedar Light Grove. It also was very powerful. I just don't want to mix stories. Jack in the Green Current mood:  contemplative.Current music: Washing Machine. |
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