Laurelei Black * Aphrodite's Priestess

55 Questions to Ask Before Opening a New Event

2015-12-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

Event organization is an act of MAGIC!

A friend of mine from the festival community asked me and a few other event organizers what he ought to think about as he plans for a brand new event he is thinking of arranging. I've helped other friends with this, but I'd never made a list of basic questions -- until today.

These are the starting point. You will find others that are particular to your event, your venue, your community, your helpers, your state and its laws, etc.

Start with the venue. Do some fact-finding from your potential locations before you commit so you can get an idea of what your expenses and staffing needs are going to look like.

1. What does their fee structure look like?

2. Do you get any free admissions that you can use for organizing staff or special guests?

3. Do they handle registrations, or do you need to provide staff, cash to start the till, forms, waivers, etc?

4. How is parking handled?

5. Is sanitation included?

6. Who is doing maintenance of the bathrooms/portajohns?

7. Who is doing the maintenance for the showers?

8. Do you need to purchase supplies for bathroom and shower maintenance?

9. How is trash collection handled?

10. Is there a fee for a dumpster pick-up?

11. Is there food available onsite?

12. If not, can food vendors easily set up?

13. Are there grills, campfire rings, or a community kitchen for attendees to prepare their own food?

14. Does the facility charge extra money for vendors?

15. How many vendors can the site hold?

16. What are the accommodations for disabled persons? (This includes ramps, handrails, and electricity for assistive devices, just to name a few.)

17. How are the bonfires handled?

18. Do they provide staff, or are you expected to bring your own firetenders?

19. What about security staff and first aid staff?

20. What are their requirements for people you provide who staff those areas? (special training, certifications, etc)

21. Do you pay a fee for safety personnel, or are is their fee waived?

22. What is included in venue’s overnight facilities? (primitive camping, electric and water, cabins?)

23. What might your attendees need to bring with them?

24. What do the presentation and performance areas provide in terms of space and equipment?

25. Do you need to bring additional tents or structures to accommodate your vision?

26. Are there are features of the venue that might be hazardous?

27. Are pets allowed by the facility?

28. Do you want to allow pets?

29. If so, what are your rules regarding their supervision? (Tags, shots, leashes, poop, behavior)

30. Are children attending?

31. Are they allowed to attend with someone who isn’t their parent/guardian?

32. Do you need wristband or tickets with stubs or badges (some way to identify people)?

33. Does the facility provide those identifiers, or do you need to arrange printing?

The answers to these questions aren't as obvious as they might appear at first glance. You can't assume that anything is included. Joe and I have been responsible for every aspect of the above questions for Babalon Rising at both of our locations. Midian has a certain level of staff that CAN be available, but they can also bugger off if a festival doesn't need them. Chrysalis Moon, for example, came to Midian with all their own staff -- from gate to maintenance to security to first aid and beyond. We had our own people in the kitchen (because that’s how we run it), some of our firetenders stepped in to cover Midian’s basic requirements for fire safety, and we had a couple of Midian directors onsite to be a resource for the festival organizers. Other facilities may handle things differently, and very little is “standard” in this industry.

If you have an idea for an event, there are probably a few things you already know you need to cover. If you've ever presented or performed at an event, a few other logistical concerns will be evident. I'm going to assume that you're starting from scratch, though. You have a vision and a location. Here's what you need to think of next:

34. How many and what sort of performances and workshops do you want?

35. Are you working around a theme or concept?

36. Is there a flow or feel you want?

37. Who is communicating that line-up, flow, and culture/atmosphere to the presenters and performers?

38. Who is communicating those things to the attendees?

39. Are you providing a printed copy of the schedule?

40. Are you providing a mobile version of the schedule?

41. What about maps of the facility highlighting various event locations?

42. Do any of the presenters or performers require payment?

43. Do they need you to provide lodging, food, and travel?

44. Do they have special needs based on their health?

45. What set-up time, assistance, and equipment do they all need?

46. Will they have a point of contact once they're at the event?

47. Do you have someone who can fill in if someone doesn't show? (Someone ALWAYS bails at the last minute.)

48. If children are attending, do you have activities for them?

49. Are you providing supervision for the kids, or are their parents solely responsible for their entertainment and safety?

50. How do you intend to handle children who break the rules of the facility or event?

Most start-up events don't have great methods of receiving feedback from all the stake-holders, but feedback is critical if you intend to hold your event on a recurring basis. It’s better to consider it from the beginning, working it into the fabric of the event, rather than tacking it on as an afterthought after they’ve gone home.

51. What can the performers and presenters help you improve?

52. What did the attendees love and hate in terms of facilities, content, etc?

53. What did you staff notice working well or working poorly?

54. What blind-sided you?

55. What criteria are you using to determine that you were successful?

Most small, first time events consider themselves a rousing success if they stay in the black in the ledger, and that is valid. But maybe you don't care about that. Some folks care more about a particular aspect of the experience. Figure out a way to measure what matters to you.

Call for Beta Readers -- Urban Fantasy (with sneak peek)

2015-12-26T14:29:00.001-05:00

I'm finishing up the first draft of To Call Ye Forth, the first installment in the Witches' Rune series; and I need your help!

Synopsis: Summoning a long-dead Witch King to be a real-world lover and protector was easy for Rose and her covenmates. Overcoming a murderous dark coven while dodging a fanatical minister and his rabid congregation may present more of a challenge.

I am looking for beta-readers for this urban fantasy novel. (It has some paranormal romance features, but the love story isn't the primary focus.)

If you want to beta-read this story for me, please email me laurelei@asteriabooks.com. I'm looking for readers who are fans of this genre, and I would be doubly excited to have readers who are ALSO writers. I'll be looking for feedback, and I'll provide a questionnaire to help you with that. You'll get a PDF copy to work with.

Now for your sneak peek. I've already posted an excerpt at my NaNoWriMo account that you can read. So, how about something different. This is a full chapter (before the mid-way mark):

There are more Pagan and Witches in Indianapolis than you’d think. Hell, there are more in my little bedroom community than you might guess. I know of at least three, not counting Grace and me. She had met several when she worked at the local library before making the move to give Tarot readings in Indy. A library patron would recognize her triskelion necklace or the Goddess charm on her bracelet and ask in hushed tones if she was like them. A Pagan.

The code, before our time, had been to ask, “Are you in the family?” If the person in question looked confused and asked which family you meant, you could always play it off like you thought they were a second cousin you had seen at last year’s reunion. If they knowingly said that yes, yes they were in the family, you both knew you’d found a brother or sister witch. Anyone overhearing this exchange thought nothing about it.

Because witchcraft had come so far into the light of day, into a tentative public acceptance, this custom and the caution it bespoke have been all but lost. Now that we are feeling a little heat again, we are caught midway between the broom closet and the courthouse lawn. Hundreds of us were standing together with local ministers of liberal denominations. Hundreds of us. That was still hundreds less than I saw at our last Pagan Pride Day.

Most of the time you can’t tell a witch from a Baptist or a Catholic or a Mormon by her clothes. We look like soccer moms and dentists and attorneys and telemarketers because that’s exactly what we are. Well, some of us. Others are a little more non-traditional in both profession and appearance. Psychics, herbalists, midwives, life coaches sporting shawls and fringe and patchwork. A few of the “witches” assembled at the courthouse were wearing pointy hats and cloaks, leaning on tall staffs with crystals on the ends. These folks always made me groan a little. I never knew if they were real adherents of the old ways who were also very flamboyant and silly, or if they were mildly delusional, socially awkward coots who simply reveled in being odd.

We had the whole spectrum out for the rally. I was making my way from the table of free coffee to where I saw Robin and Evaline. My progress was slow, as friends I normally only saw once or twice a year at Pagan Pride and the annual charity ball said hello and gave me hugs.

Robin and Evaline were in the thick of the crowd, very near a loud woman in her late-fifties who was directing the show. She was holding a sign that read “Harm None.” Two other women about her age were passing signs out to newcomers. I knew the leader from the local shop I use for hard-to-find spell supplies.

“Alright everyone,” she shouted to the assembled group. “I want to thank all of you for coming out to support the Indy Wiccan Alliance and the Heartland Inter-Faith Ministers Coalition in showing the media and the justice system who we are.”

There was only one news crew on hand today, it seemed. I guess a plea for peace and reason isn’t as newsworthy as a sensational murder.

“We are joined by Allison Sheffield of the Covenant of Solitaires, the group to which Sondra Little belongs,” the rally leader explained. “Together, we can show this city, this state, and this country that Wiccans are peaceful, productive, non-violent members of this and every community in the U.S. The central ethical belief in Wicca is the Rede. It says, ‘An it harm none, do what thou wilt.’ A Wiccan wouldn’t murder. A Wiccan doesn’t do harm. Our local police need to look elsewhere for their murderers. Sondra Little is innocent.”

She started the chant of “harm none” as the assembled crowd pumped their signs in the air. My covenmates, I noticed, did not have signs that echoed the chant, and I knew why. Their sign said, “Free Sondra Little.” I was sign-less.

Evaline and Robin didn’t have “harm none” signs because most traditional witches find the Wiccan Rede to be a little fluffy. It’s a sweet sentiment, and it serves as a good starting point for evaluating your own ethics. We certainly don’t believe, for example, that an ethical witch would actively seek to harm another person for her own personal gain. But we try to be honest with ourselves about the ramifications of all our actions, both magical and mundane. Someone at my old office got a promotion because I was fired. Does that make that person unethical? No, of course not. What if they prayed really hard to get a promotion just before I got fired? I am most certainly harmed by being unemployed, but it isn’t my replacement’s fault. What if, instead of praying, my replacement had done a spell? Since spells are just active prayers, you can’t claim the magic was any more unethical than the prayer.

This example is relatively benign, but you can probably see where it would get tricky with things like prosperity spells that take form by grandma dying and leaving you an inheritance. Most witches of my coven’s ilk see the Rede as an attempt to wash a witch’s hands of responsibility for an unexpected outcome. We generally face our responsibilities head-on by doing some divination to see what sort of sacrifice or exchange is needed for the magic at hand.

All magic comes at a price. Energy moves in waves. There is an ebb and flow to it. A balance. More of something here means less of something there. The universe maintains its own balance, and very often a witch is already in touch with the flow. When she’s not, and she wants to perform a bit of magic that creates a bigger ripple in the pond than was expected, there is a sacrifice to be made. She can make that sacrifice before she does her spell, or the universe can take it from her however it sees fit later. But there is always a price.

Sounds like sacrifice, yes? You’re right, it is. But here’s the caveat about sacrifice: It isn’t a sacrifice if it doesn’t cost you something dear to pay it. You have to feel it. You have to need the thing so badly that you are willing to give up something you value to get it. Your blood is your life force. That is one of the most potent sacrifices you can make. It doesn’t take much, though. A few drops, at most. One drop of blood contains your entire genetic code. You don’t have to spill a bucket. And it has to be yours, given freely. It costs you nothing to spend someone else’s money, nor does a stranger’s blood satisfy the need for sacrifice. Not within witchcraft, at least.

This is why I was so sure that Sondra Little was innocent. For one thing, she probably believed in the Rede so ardently that she wouldn’t have hurt a fly if it meant winning the lottery. For another, being a witch alone meant that she’d probably never even been taught about the need for sacrifice in the books on Wicca she’d purchased from the local shops. The shopkeepers tend to keep their books and wares as non-threatening to the general public as possible. The idea of sacrifice, especially blood sacrifice, has been so misrepresented through the ages that it just isn’t discussed among non-initiates.

The final thing that told me Sondra Little was innocent was the nature of the sacrifice itself. Yes, I know that human sacrifice – the offering up of another person’s life, another person’s blood, another human being’s spark – has happened in the past. Yes, I fully understand that the demon being summoned by the woman in the picture is quite pleased with the killing of that poor homeless man. But it isn’t because she sacrificed in the way witches do. No. It is because she has sacrificed her own purity to do this thing. She has stained herself by cruelly taking his life. She has marred her own soul. That is price she is paying. Sondra Little, the mousy pre-school teach cum solitary witch, doesn’t seem at all capable of paying that price.

Evaline spotted me through the crowd and waved me closer. I’d almost made it to where she and Robin stood when a voice boomed across a loud speaker. Reverend Sewall had arrived on the scene, along with a portable amplifier and microphone, two more news crews, and no less than two hundred of his followers.

“Indianapolis demands justice,” he shouted. His projected voice drowned out the stunned chanters. “You cannot spread your lies and your filth here. We have seen the harm done by witches in the photos the authorities received. We have felt the harm of witchcraft and magic creeping into our children’s lives, their entertainment. You would have our young people buy into your pagan propaganda and get Harry Potter to waive his magic wand to help them with their troubles instead of falling to their knees in prayer and seeking the aid of Jesus Christ.”

I blinked. What?

“The law enforcement personnel of this city have PROOF that it was Sondra Little, a known WITCH, who committed the heinous ritual murder,” Sewall continued, relying more on the passion of his conviction than any rational proof available to the police or anyone else. “Sondra Little and at least two other members of her coven did this, and the good people of Indianapolis won’t sit idly by any longer.”

One man among the rally participants shouted, “But she was a solitary. She wasn’t in a coven.”

Sewall didn’t hear him, or pretended not to hear him. He held up a small stack of papers in his gloved hand. “I have here a petition to the lawmakers of this God-fearing state, signed by no less than two-thousand men and women, demanding the outlaw of witchcraft in the state of Indiana. That’s two-thousand Indianapolis Christians, Jews, and Muslims signing in the last three days who want to see the liberal laws protecting witches repealed immediately. We’re going to be working hard to get that number up to 60,000 in the next couple of weeks. That’s just 1% of our population, folks; but it should be enough to get the repeal of witchcraft protections into the hands of our law-makers. And then we will be free from the pernicious ministrations of diviners and necromancers. Free from the spell-casters who would most certainly harmus, if given the chance. ”

Sewall’s people cheered and shouted.

“But we aren’t stopping there!” he escalated. “No, we mustn’t stop there. It isn’t enough to clap the witches into a jail cell for their deceit and devilry. No. Ones like this Miss Little, ones who have committed horrific murder under the auspices of idolatry and hellish intentions, these harlots of the devil must suffer swift and fearful punishment for their crimes. We must not suffer the witch to live.”

As if in cue, his followers took up the cry “Suffer not the witch!”

Well, holy shit.

Again.

Beware What You Say/Do to the Author

2015-12-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better." -- Anne Lamott

I don't think I can begin to tell you how true this quote is. It's true for me, at least; and it seems to be true for my writing buddies. I wonder, though, if most people who interact with writers think they are immune to the pen.

Every story I've written is full of characters that are based on people I know and interactions I've had with them. "Write what you know," right? Well, I know my best friends, my ex-spouses, my parents, my boss, my "frenemies," junior high bullies, that grouchy lady at the Post Office, and the candid and crazy troupe of folks I have met at festivals and conventions. I know the pain of my recent divorce and the dis-ease that was its herald. I know the impotence of an online fight with a friend, the shock and shame of molestation, and the heart-crushing fear of seeing your child in real pain.

I told my ex-wife (Glaux) recently that I didn't think she was the best candidate to beta-read my main work-in-progress. I know she's eager to see how the story has progressed. I read the first chapter aloud to her just after I wrote it, and that reading evolved into a really steamy moment for us. One of our last steamy moments, actually. Within two months, she left and I filed for divorce. I let the book (To Call Ye Forth, the first in the Witches' Rune series) simmer for a while, and when I picked it up again, I was ready to work through some of the issues that had festered between us before she left. Our break-up isn't a major theme in the book, but it plays a role.

Glaux will undoubtedly have parts (both big and small) in several books, I imagine. One of my back-burnered WIPs (Temple of Beauty) features her in a very loving and compassionate way, while still tackling issues around her bipolar disorder. (In case you're worried, I am not giving away secrets or talking out of turn about her struggle with mental illness. Glaux has long been an advocate for public discussion of all mental illness, as you can see on her blog.) She was a major part of my life for 7 years, and I have feelings both bright and dark related to her and my interactions with her.

"Well, that's understandable," you may say. "You were married."

Yes, true. But it isn't only my interactions with my family and closest friends that are mine to share. Stray interactions with strangers are mine, too. So are random things people say or do at a party. Yeah, you were drunk. No, you weren't talking to me. But you know what? You said that thing right out loud and in public. I heard it. It made me laugh (or made me squirm). It's mine now.

I have a couple of friends right now who are angry with me for posting a snippet of writing on my facebook page. I removed the names and all the identifying features -- so well, in fact that one of the main participants didn't recognize herself in the story. It wasn't until someone else (her partner -- and the only person I confirmed any identities to) said, "Oh, yeah. That was you," that she knew. Once she knew, she went supernova.

And why? I have my theories. The main one is that she is ashamed of her behavior. That's ironic to me, actually, because I saw her as the victim in the scene. I didn't think she'd done anything wrong. Wrong had been done to her, from my perspective Then again, I suppose victims have as much right to despise themselves through outside eyes as much as villains do. Indeed, I would go so far as to speculate that victims are as likely to cover up abuse as their abusers are, and for largely the same reason. Shame.

Here's the rub, though. If you hate seeing what you've said or done in print (and especially when nobody could easily guess that YOU were the one who said or did it), then your real issue is NOT with the person who wrote it down. Your real issue is with yourself.

Holding up a mirror to the ugliness and the beauty, the strength and the weakness, the valor and the villainy within a single person -- that's what a writer does. Writing is therapy for me. I use it to poke at the uncomfortable places and to bring light out of the darkness -- or to remind myself that the brightest of lights casts the darkest of shadows.

I won't stop, either.

If I don't include the intimate moments, the private confessions, the secret struggles, then I haven't written anything of substance. Nobody wants to read the story of a hero and her friends who never screw up, always say the polite thing, and don't have regrets. It's how we deal with the mud that shows us whether we can make (or BE) diamonds.

The only protection you get from the pen (not just mine, but every writer's pen) is that I won't use your name, and I will never again confirm or deny who a character is based on. If you don't know, then it doesn't matter.

On the Subject of Fair Compensation for Authors

2015-12-20T23:11:00.001-05:00

Me showing some Aphrodite-ness
at the LHP Con in Indy 2014.

My friend and peer, Taylor Ellwood, posted this article that I thought several of you might find interesting. (This is the second part of his open letter.) The condensed version is that Taylor has made the choice to respect himself and his work by expecting festival and convention organizers to pay him fair compensation (beyond free entry) for the events where he speaks. He makes the point that he is footing the bill for transportation, lodging, and food in order to present at and market these events. He further encourages event organizers to be clear in their expectations and compensation policies for featured speakers. Finally, he encourages all authors/speakers to take a stand and demand fair compensation, thereby changing the way these Pagan and esoteric events do business. (Please, please read the letters for yourself. I am only hitting the high points here.)

I applaud Taylor's decision as it relates to himself, and I have my own thoughts to share on the topic where my own presenting and event-organizing is concerned.

My Experience as an Author and Speaker

I have to admit, as much as my pride would like for me to seem more grand and in demand, that I have never been paid for an appearance at a Pagan festival or convention. I have never had my travel or lodging covered, either. The best that I have experienced in terms of compensation is free entry to the event and the ability to sell my books at no charge. That is the BEST, but I think it should be the standard minimum.

I'm not sure that I will ever be offered more compensation than this due to the nature of my writing and the somewhat limited audience to which my work appeals. I write about Traditional Witchcraft and Aphrodisian interests. Neither of those has a very broad base within the Pagan world. I'm a pragmatist, though, and I understand the principles of supply and demand when it comes to event organization. Mid-list authors (and actors and artists) just aren't compensated as generously as the "stars" of the genre.

My Observations of the BIG Conventions

I'm talking here about the Comic Cons and genre-cons that pull in 20,000 - 80,000 attendees over the course of a single weekend. You know, those monstrous events with hordes of cosplayers. I've attended a few with my daughter (who loves anime), and I've even worked at one. (I was Naomi Grossman's personal assistant at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in 2014. At the time, she was pretty much only known for her role as Pepper in American Horror Story: Asylum. She had just been signed for AHS: Freak Show, but couldn't announce it yet.)

These conventions, if you haven't been, have a handful of honored and featured guests, a ton of other guests, some panel discussions, some workshops, and lots and lots of shopping. Pagan conventions, if you haven't been, also have a handful of honored and featured guests, lots of mid-list or unknown authors and speakers, lots of workshops, and a little shopping. Both types of events cost about $300 for the weekend (give or take).

I can tell you from up-close experience that the BIG cons generate thousands and thousands (and THOUSANDS) of dollars, and everybody gets paid something. I got paid to be a PA, even! But they have also monetized the ever-loving snot out of every aspect of the experience. The authors and artists and actors who were NOT Carol from The Walking Dead, Cpt. Kirk, or that voice-actor you love from Full-Metal Alchemist made pretty much all their money from autographs and photo ops. The more that people came to see them personally, the more money they earned. And I'm not sure that most of them made anything from the con's ticket sales. They ONLY made money from their fans.

I bring this up because Pagan cons/fests don't have the same dynamic in terms of monetizing the experience. Authors don't charge for book signings, let alone signed photos and other swag. They don't charge you $10 (or more) to take a selfie with you on your own phone. Indeed, you might just find Oberon Zell-Ravenheart sharing mead and telling stories at YOUR campfire. Pagan events have a culture that is relationship-based far more than it is money-based.

My Experience as an Event Organizer

I organize events at Midian Festivals and Events near Bedford, Indiana, USA. I have been an organizer (now Director) of the Babalon Rising Thelemic Festival since 2009, and it is the largest event I help organize. (BR hasn't yet reached max capacity, but we anticipate that being about 500 people total -- including all organizers, presenters, musicians, dancers, volunteers, and paid registrants.) We are not a large event, and we don't particularly aim to be. We are a Thelemic event, and it is our goal to provide a quality festival experience for Thelemites of all ilks, orders, and inclinations.

I'm hesitant to share too much about BR's financial details, but I will share what I think is relevant for this conversation. We are a private, commercial (meaning that we are NOT "non-profit"), small business. Our directors and organizers have never taken a salary, and everyone who has ever had any major hand in the running of the festival has invested a fair chunk of money into its operation. We do it for Love (and certainly for Will) but not at all for money. The festival's main financial goal is to provide an amazing experience in the current year and have some seed money to get started for the following year.

We always offer free entrance to any presenter who provides 2 or more workshops (and only charge $20 -- which is the fee we pay for land usage per person) for 1 workshop. Furthermore, we always offer free vending to ALL attendees, which allows authors the chance to sell books. (Starting in 2015, we also offered all presenters the opportunity to sell their books at our HQ table. This is a free service provided by me and the admin team to help our authors.)

We have only ever been able to cover the transportation, hotel, food, and speaker's fees for ONE (and in some rare years, TWO) authors/speakers at a time. These are our keynotes or guests of special honor. We genuinely wish we could pay every presenter, but to do so would bankrupt us in the first year -- unless we also raised our rates to $300/attendee, but then we know we would see diminished registration (and I'm not sure that even that would give us enough funds to offer more than a token amount). It's a catch-22 for us, you see.

What we end up hoping and needing is to have authors and speakers from the Thelemic community who enjoy the festival and want to share their experience with their fellow attendees. It's an intimate setting, and most of our speakers are long-time attendees and friends of the festival. Is that nepotism at work? Maybe so. But we aren't an exclusive club. We bring in new folks every year, and we offer everyone a seat at the table.

We also do (or make space for) things that you won't see at many other events. Our attendees present their own games, performances, shenanigans, rituals, and impromptu discussions at all hours of the day and night. We are a different sort of event, and I know that even if all mid-list authors/speakers boycotted BR and other events that can't offer compensation, BR would be only minimally affected. I don't mean disrespect to my fellow-authors by saying that. I know this without a doubt, just as I know that BR would continue even if the current organizers -- myself included -- stepped down en mass. (We needed to "take a break" in 2013, and a grass-roots, community-driven campout sprang up in the place of BR for that year! This festival demands to be had.) For us, maybe more than for other events, our attendees are the greatest power behind the festival -- moreso than the authors or the organizers or the musicians.

So, what does this mean for how BR compensates authors?

Well, it means that we would love to offer our speakers more money, but we just aren't always able. When we can, we do. We choose where our funds go based on a few harsh realities: 1) who our attendees ask for, 2) which authors bring in NEW paying attendees, and 3) who has been loyal to the festival. Yeah, I know that last one also smacks of nepotism, but it's a factor. If you've played or presented at BR for years, you're devoted to the cause, and THIS year you might not be able to make it without a little help, we have done what we can. Frankly, even then, we don't have much money to smooth over difficulties. Maybe a little money for gas -- or helping arrange a carpool. (We've done both.) Maybe we pick up your tab in the kitchen or offer you food vouchers up to a certain amount. (Again, we've done that.)

We will continue to offer free admission and vending to our speakers, too. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot on the surface; but like Taylor mentioned, I too have had to pay for the privilege of speaking at an event. In February of 2015, in fact, Taylor and I were both at a well-known convention. Only one of my workshops was accepted for the schedule, so I owed fees upon my arrival. I shared a hotel room with a friend (and OTO Brother), and I carpooled with another friend (and OTO Sister). I packed a picnic basket and cooler full of food, and I ate out only once while I was there. (And my Brother picked up my tab, if I recall correctly.) It was an expensive weekend for me, all in all, but it was a good experience, as well. I got to connect with a couple of my readers, I got to bond with some members of my fraternal order, and I saw a little behind the curtain of how a Pagan Con works.

Here are two things that I did find insulting about that experience. It's not that my food, transportation, and lodging were paid by me. The organizers didn't know me or my work, and it was my first year there. I saw my costs as an investment.

What hurt my pride a bit was that there was no opportunity for me to offer my books for sale. They had a table with a few of the authors' works, which I understand was a courtesy service for a select group. I'm not sure what it took to be part of that group or why I didn't qualify. Other authors paid high fees for merchant space. Neither was an option for me.

And ... I actually ended up presenting THREE workshops, which should have equaled free admission. Another presenter (and friend) couldn't make it due to illness. Her cancellation got lost somewhere along the way, and they still had her on the schedule. I stepped in and presented both of her workshops. I presented them very well, in fact, and I got great feedback on them. But, no, I didn't get anything knocked off my admission. I barely got a "thank you." That stung. I don't need to be paid, but I want to be valued.

In my mind, free admission and table space for book-selling are non-negotiable, and they are very easy to provide. Even if an event can't spare cash for an honorarium, airfare, hotel, or meals, they can at least NOT CHARGE the author and give them a chance to recoup some of their expenses via book sales.

What does this mean for me as an author and speaker?

I'm an A+ speaker. I really am. I get great reviews and feedback. As awesome as I am, I know that I will continue to be undervalued as a con/fest commodity. In all of my presenting, I have never had more than one or two people (per event) say that they registered and paid to see me. I have had it happen, and it is a heady moment when it comes. But I am not bringing an event much money. I'm a "value added" sort of commodity. A "bonus feature."

I'm a mid-lister. Like Naomi Grossman when I sat at her side in Lexington, enough people know me to make it worth my while to show up and give them something of value. (And enough people don't know me to make it worth my while to show up and introduce myself.) I've got to work hard to promote myself and my writing. Fair or unfair, that's the commercial nature of writing and speaking.

Do I hope to some day be a shining star -- a darling of the Pagan/Magical speaking circuit? Hells yeah! The trends will have to shift for that to happen, though. Either Aphrodite or Traditional Witchcraft are going to have to get really popular for enough people to feel passionately about what I offer to make me a commercial draw for an event. For now, it's enough that I have that passion and get to share it from time to time with others.

I'm curious, though ...

What thoughts do you have on this topic? As both an author and an event organizer, I naturally see this topic from a couple of different perspectives. Where are you coming from?

Authors/speakers, do you feel disrespected if you only receive comped attendance to an event? What makes it "worth your while" to present at a fest or con?

Organizers, could your event handle the financial impact of comping, transporting, lodging, feeding, and paying a stipend to more authors? How do you show your authors that you love and respect and appreciate what they provide to your event?

Attendees, how do you feel about possibly paying higher registration prices to ensure more speakers are receiving adequate compensation? Do you enjoy being exposed to new authors and new ideas at events enough to pay higher fees?

Maybe you have a suggestions for compensating authors in a different way? What "outside the box" solutions do you see?

Post in the comments!

Ready ... Go!

Sacred Courtesan Questionnaire

2015-12-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

A little over a year ago, I started collecting information from some of the men and women who serve as "sacred courtesans." I'm still collecting questionnaires and talking with folks who do this work, and I would like to broaden my scope and search a bit. To that end, please pass along this questionnaire to anyone you think might be interested in sharing their experience with me. All responses can be sent to me at laurelei@asteriabooks.com. THANKS!

BACKGROUND: I consider myself a Sacred Courtesan. That service, which has always been linked to Aphrodite for me, has taken on different shapes and textures over the years, though. Lately, I've been more of a Sacred Madame (or a Scared Whore-ganizer), acting in a teacher or facilitator role. As I get more requests for instruction from folks, I realize that I want a broader base of understanding for this very somewhat sprawling topic.

DISCLAIMER: I plan to write about this topic at some point in the near future. I will likely publish a book, and it is entirely possible that experiences recounted in this conversation could appear in print. My *assumption* is going to be that you prefer anonymity, unless you specifically note otherwise. If you want me to use your name (or a chosen pseudonym), you'll need to let me know. (I'll probably send you a release form to sign.) Otherwise, I will make up a simple pseudonym or use no name at all.

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the following questions as fully as you feel that you can. Some questions may not apply, of course. After I have received back your responses, I may have some follow-up questions for you.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about your work and experience.

1) ARE YOU CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN THE WORK OF THE SACRED COURTESAN?

2) WHAT HAS THAT WORK LOOKED LIKE FOR YOU? BE AS SPECIFIC HERE AS YOU CAN ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.

3) DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A PRIEST/ESS OF A PARTICULAR DEITY (OR OTHER ENTITY), AS REGARDS BEING A SACRED COURTESAN? OR, DOES YOUR CALLING COME FROM SOME OTHER DESIRE/SOURCE?

4) HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY TRAINING FROM A MENTOR, EITHER IN PERSON OR VIA CORRESPONDENCE?

5) WHAT RESEARCH HAVE YOU UNDERTAKEN AS A PART OF YOUR WORK? (IE, RELATED BOOKS, CLASSES, OBSERVATIONS, ETC.)

6) HOW OPENLY HAVE YOU PRACTICED YOUR ARTS?

7) WHAT REACTIONS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED FROM OTHERS REGARDING THIS WORK? (FAMILY, FRIENDS, CLIENTS, STRANGERS)

8) WHAT TRAINING OR INFORMATION HAVE YOU FOUND LACKING (VIA BOOKS, WORKSHOPS, ETC) THAT YOU WISH SOMEONE WAS DISCUSSING/TEACHING?

9) WHAT DOES YOUR SUPPORT NETWORK LOOK LIKE, IF YOU HAVE ONE? (DO YOU WORK WITH OTHERS OF A SIMILAR CALLING? DO YOU HAVE/NEED SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS? CAN YOU TALK WITH ANYONE ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES YOU EXPERIENCE?)

10) IN WHAT WAYS, IF ANY, DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE GROWN OR CHANGED BASED ON YOUR WORK AS A SACRED COURTESAN?

Did You Miss the Podcast?

2014-06-24T00:48:00.000-04:00

I've been on two podcasts in the last couple of months. Did you get to catch them?

Scroll of Thoth -- episode 13 "Babalon in Black"
April 9, 2014
"This episode James, Colleen and Shade OfRoses speak with Laurelei and Natalie Black about the Babalon Rising Festival, Liber Qayin, Polyamory, being a priestess of Aphrodite, and the Witches’ goetia."

Voices of the Sacred Feminine -- Sacred Courtesans
June 18, 2014
"Returning to the show we have Laurelei Black, author, independent scholar and practitioner devoted to Aphrodite, sharing with us her findings on Sacred Courtesans, past and present. Laurelei is interested in how we apply the ancient wisdom and service to modern thought and practice. She will give us insight into interviews she's conducted with modern-day courtesans as she's delved into what training they've undergone, what rexources or support they have (and lack) and what their service looks like in a practical sense."

You can catch some podcasts with me from the further past at:
Sept 13, 2012 -- Voices of the Sacred Feminine -- Aphrodite's Symbols
Nov 15, 2012 -- Voices of the Sacred Feminine -- Aphrodite's Clergy Then and Now
May 26, 2010 -- Erotic Awakening -- Priestess of Aphrodite
April 2011 -- Deviant Minds Salon -- Lauralei The Scarlet Woman (have to create a TalkShoe account to hear episode)

Come See Me!

2014-06-24T00:26:00.004-04:00

I have FOUR appearances scheduled over the next month and a half, and I would really love to see you at one (or all) of them.

Southern Indiana Druid and Heathen Event
July 18-20, 2014
Midian Festivals and Events -- Springville, IN

I'm organizing this one, but I am also on schedule to present. If you're into Celtic or Norse spirituality you will LOVE this event, but so will those with no particular ties to the Celtic or Nordic diaspora. We have rituals, workshops, games, and contests to delight and interest everyone.

I'll be presenting Mythic Role Play: The Arthurian Mysteries.

International Left Hand Path Conference
July 25-27, 2014
Marriott East Indianapolis

The line-up for this event is incredible, and I'm excited to be a part of this work. Don't see me as a LHP type? Depends on your definition, I suppose. We'll be getting into that in another blog post. SOON.

I'll be presenting two classes.

Lucifer-Azazel-Qayin: The Devil at the Crossroads -- The scapegoat of God, the bringer of enlightenment, the master of magic and the forge. Join Laurelei Black, co-founder of the American Folkloric Witchcraft tradition, in an exploration of the mythos and symbolism of Lucifer, Azazel, and Qayin. American Folkloric Witchcraft sees these names as three monikers of the same entity. Explore the mark of Qayin and the red thread that links witches to the potent and often misrepresented Man in Black -- the Golden Man, the Red God.

Siren, Succubus, Seductress: The Devil's Bride -- Come close. Closer. Let me whisper a secret in your ear. It's a Mystery, my love. Are you ready? The God of alchemy, of magic, of enlightenment, of witchcraft has a Bride -- and she is the Lady of Love (and sacrifice). She is the golden star from whose iron he crafts the blade. She is the whore to whom he tells his secrets. Of old, she was Venus, Ishtar, Aphrodite -- the Morning and Evening Star. Her daughters are the sexy and seductive women of magic -- witches, succubi, sirens. Enticing, alluring, powerful ... and dangerous. Join me (Laurelei Black) in an exploration of the mythological waters that bore these temptresses and a discussion of the experience and application of being such a woman in the world of magic.

Cunning Folk Faire
August 1-3, 2014
Midian Festivals and Events

Come join a band of witches in the woods of Southern Indiana for a Lammas fest! This is another that I'm organizing and also presenting two classes. We welcome witches from all Traditions to celebrate the Red Day with us, to learn about practical and esoteric magic, and perform transformative rituals in the limestone hills of Southern Indiana.

The Witch's Familiar -- Witches have a long and storied relationship with the Unseen World and with spirits of many types, abilities, and personalities. Those spirits with whom we are most familiar have a special place in our lives and our magic. This discussion will cover historical familiars -- including those found within the Legion and those named during witch trials -- as well as the contact, care, and keeping of familiars for modern witches.

Flying Ointment and Sabbat Wine -- Learn the art of herbal astral travel. Come and discuss with us the historical ways in which the Witches of old flew to the Sabbat at the Mountain, leaving their bodies safe at home -- or how they went out into the night as hares. Laurelei will discuss the theory and history behind the very toxic plant poisons used in the past and also explore some safe (but effective) non-toxic alternatives for modern spirit flight.

Indiana Homesteaders Festival
August 15-17, 2014
Midian Festivals and Events

This is a completely secular -- and very practical -- event designed to educate and inspire folks about homesteading, self-sufficiency, and traditional arts/skills. Whether you just want to learn to rely a little less on the big box stores, reduce your carbon footprint by incorporating alternative energy into your home, or genuinely hope to prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse, this fest is for you!

I'll be presenting two classes -- Basic Quilting Techniques and ... Five Must-Have Herbal Teas for Health.

Babalon Rising Festival, 2014

2014-06-19T05:25:00.000-04:00

Since the Babalon Rising Festival concluded just a few days ago, I've been trying to process all of the energy and awe that I felt. I'm not sure that I am capable of putting into words what I have been feeling, but I will try for fear that all sense of coherence about those days of magic will drift away.

This was the 8th iteration of the festival, and it is probably significant to know that we took a year off last year. It was a hard year. A painful and lonely year. We (the Directors of the fest -- my partners) had a dramatic and public falling out with our event venue and home (Our Haven Nature Sanctuary). I won't go into the details here. I'm healing from those hurts, and dwelling on them only hurts more. That pain is only really relevant in the sense that it provides a backdrop for the Chaos that we experienced during 2013.

So, a lonely, painful, sad, and isolated year.

For those who don't know, Babalon Rising has been working a magical formula for the last nine years. We have been taking the serpent's path up the Tree of Life. Last year coincided with Da'ath, the Abyss. And boy was it!

THIS year, though, brought us out of the Abyss and into Binah, Understanding. It is the City of Pyramids, the Great Sea. It is the sphere of Babalon herself. *sighpurr*

Babalon Rising was the first event to take place at Midian, the event grounds established by my partners and I (and about 10 of our close friends). We closed on the land -- 25 heavily wooded acres in a reclaimed limestone quarry near Bedford, Indiana) on the first weekend in April. We had 8 weeks to take this beautiful but abused piece of land, clean her up, love her up, build her up a little, and open the gates for the festival. In those eight weeks, we:

* picked up around 100 garbage bags full of trash and debris left on the site by partiers and dumpers
* pulled about 80 pounds of broken glass out of the dirt where bottles, tv screens and car windshields had been broken and shot during target practice
* cut roads though the woods
* gravelled said roads
* laid sand for the main fire circle
* painted twenty or so abandoned tires to be used as raised flower beds
* installed electricity
* dug a well (with some of the tastiest water you can imagine!)
* ran plumbing and electricity to needed points
* built a stage on a solid limestone shelf (and broke a jackhammer doing it!)
* poured concrete pads for the kitchen and main event pavilion
* bought a kitchen full of equipment
* cleared over 200 campsites
* built 6 shower stalls and ran hot/cold water to 5 of them
* cleared a 2 acre parking lot
* laid stonework for a patio
* installed raised, stone-ringed flower beds

There's more, I know, but I think this is plenty to mention. On any given work weekend, there were about 20-30 of us on the land, including kids. Everyone worked so hard. We worked right up until the opening of Babalon Rising. We were so excited and nervous.

Attendees started arriving, and the reunions with old friends was like a salve to my soul. Connecting with new friends was exhilarating. We got so much positive feedback!

It rained all day during our set-up, which meant that all the lovely gravel got eaten by mud. So did a couple of cars. Eek. But then the skies cleared and the land drained and dried. (Thanks, rock quarry! You have amazing drainage!)

Workshops and rituals started on Thursday, and I noticed the weirdest thing. Everyone was asleep. BR might have a reputation as a party festival, but it also has some notoriety for being filled with excellent presentations ALL day, on THREE separate tracks, for THREE full days. Our shaded camping, though, lulled our attendees into sweet, long slumber.

The workshops were as amazing as ever. I spent all of my time in my own Scarlet Track. Since 2009, I have helped organize the sacred sexuality and sex magick (Scarlet) track at the festival. This year, I led an introductory talk on Western Sacred Sexuality; a group discussion on boundaries, Will, and consent; and a Sapphic Qadishti Circle (ladies-only sacred touch). All three were wonderful experiences for me. I have to say I particularly loved the Sapphic Qadhisti Circle. It has been a long time since I took a hands-on approach to my work as a Sacred Whore, and I realized at the hands (and lips and nails) of those women how much I missed it. (More on that in another post, I think.)

I also got to attend a workshop on Gender, Misogyny, and Occultism as led by Jason Winslade, which I thought was an excellent exploration of some of the gender issues within the Western esoteric traditions. AND ... my own coven sister, Sara Grey, help temple space in service to Lilith. This year marks the first time since I held Aphrodite temple that such a working has been done at BR. She is a talented priestess and vessel, and my interaction with the Grey Goddess on Friday evening was profound.

Historically, I don't get to attend much of the fire and party at this festival. My duties as Responsible Director Type have me going to bed exhausted and waking up early. Not this year. Don't get me wrong, I was tied. But I needed my dance time, my flirt time, my soak in the fire time. And I took it. I took every minute of it. I think I only got 6 hours of sleep between Wednesday night and Sunday morning. My body started to rebel by the end, but I did something I've never done before: I stayed up until morning Resh on Sunday morning. In the 6 years I've been with the festival, I had yet to say dawn Resh.

The Feast of the Beast ritual was perfect! My own beloved Owlie wrote it (with a little help from me -- but only a little). It drew from Alan Moore's Promethea and Jack Parson's Babalon working. I was one of the four Queens depicted in the Tarot. The Queen of Cups, specifically. I'm interested to see how that plays out for me this year.

My time at the fire sustained me this year. While I was only able to have a little conversation through the day with friends both old and new, I was able to indulge in esoteric (and also some purely flirtatious) conversations and interactions at night. I got the most heavenly back rub I think I've ever had. I participated in a looooong (and frankly badass) chant. I got my feet rubbed by a world-class musician. (Come to think of it, "rubbing Laurelei" seems to have been a theme for me. It's a trend I would love to see continue into Chokmah.) I sat in the sand and talked until dawn. I watched people and loved people and connected with people all weekend.

If I start to say "thank you" to all the people who made my weekend amazing, I think I'll have to name literally everyone there. =) From the Midian directors, to the barter staff, to the presenters and musicians, down to every single attendee -- THANK YOU! You have no idea how meaningful and significant this year's Babalon Rising was for me on a personal level.

Temple of Love -- my first novel (free on Kindle for 3 days)

2014-02-18T15:09:00.001-05:00

I can't even begin to express how happy I am to be re-releasing my first novel, Temple of Love. It is a story of passionate poets and sacred service in honor of love.

AND ... It's available FREE on Kindle from today (Feb 18) through Thursday (Feb 20)! Get it here.
The book follows the life of Sappho, the famous Greek poet from Lesvos.

"This was part of Sappho’s art, to give herself so completely in lust and sweat and satisfaction, to allow herself to be contented and dependent on her lover. … She hadn’t yet learned that this art was a double-edged blade – one that would cut her again and again. It would lend heat to her passion and poetry, and it would eventually break her."

Sappho, the lyric poet whose life and lovers give us our current understanding of the word “Lesbian,” was hailed as the Tenth Muse on her island home of Lesvos and all throughout Classical Greece. Her poems of passion and longing were directed at the men … and women … whom she adored and sometimes envied.

Like most girls of Lesvos, Sappho lived a life among women. After her earliest education, though, she rejects the traditional married life and gives herself in service to the temple of Aphrodite to become a priestess of love, beauty, and sexual ecstasy. Cloistered among the sacred courtesans, she opens her heart and body to love. But when Pittakos the tyrant and Alcaeus the poet vie with each other to be first in her heart, will she lose herself and all that she holds dear?

Read it on Kindle (FREE for a limited time) or in paperback.

After you've read it, will you post a review in the comments? I would be delighted to hear what you think!

Finding a Mystery in a Well-Known Tale

2013-12-27T21:32:00.001-05:00

Sappho and Alcaeus

On a professional writing forum in which I participate, a (romance) author asked the group what type of mystery or suspense we like to include in our stories.

As we all learned in elementary school (and had repeated throughout our formal educations), all stories are propelled by a major conflict and perhaps by a series of lesser ones. You remember: man v. man, man v. nature, man v. society, man v. himself.

The novel I have already written (Temple of Love -- due for re-release in January 2014), as well as the several that I am planning within the same loose series, are all historical fictions based on Greek mythology and history. They are romances, to be sure; but they are also re-tellings or re-imaginings of famous lives or well-known legends.

For me, this means that the conflicts that propel the stories forward are already built in. In most cases, they are well-known conflicts -- Sappho's tempestuous emotional state and numerous lovers, Helen's love triangle that ignites the Trojan War, Psyche's attempts to prove herself to her immortal mother-in-law.

So, in my case, the conflicts were written 2500 years ago, but the "mysteries" are left to me to sort. Providing understandable motivations, fresh interpretations, and characters that are approachable to modern readers -- those are the mysteries my readers get to unlock.

I'm polishing up Sappho's story now -- Temple of Love (excerpts available behind the link). It will be available again VERY SOON, with a big marketing push to bring it into the public eye. After that, I will be continuing my work on Helen's tale -- Temple of Beauty (more excerpts). Beyond that, I'm not sure who will follow. Psyche? Medusa? Pandora? Ariadne?

Big Things are Happening!

2013-10-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted much lately, but that is largely because I have been so incredibly busy for the last few months. HUGE projects are in the works with me, and I'd love to share with you about them.

Liber Qayin -- A New Gospel for Witches

First off, Glaux and I released a book in August called Liber Qayin. It is a channeled work that we received in two sessions. We were told by Tubal Qayin, the Witchfather and deliverer of magic to mortals, that we were to open ourselves up to this work. Then, we each received the words of the Black and White Goddesses. A few days later, I received His message.

Skeptical? I would be, too. I WAS, in fact. I often tread very carefully around folks who claim to be the mouthpiece of the Gods. I tend to be cynical and wonder how much of their own filters are coloring the words. Like a true skeptic, though, I accept that anything is possible.

Reading back over the words that came through Natalie and I, not much seems like a personal agenda of either of ours. Several of the sections challenged both of our perceptions, but ALL of it rings True to us. This is the message of Magic -- and of Love. It is the story of our souls. It is the Genesis of the Craft.

This book is available in print and PDF versions from Asteria Books. (And I want to extend a special thanks to my friend John Birkel for supplying the *gorgeous* cover art!)

The Witches' Key to the Legion: A Guide to Solomonic Sorcery

I have to thank John again for his amazing artwork. He not only created the cover art, but he also illustrated 10 of the spirits described within this work.

The Witches' Key to the Legion is a project that Natalie and I have been working on for a little over a year now. We each work with familiar spirits who hail from within the ranks of the Legion (the spirits that are often collectively called the Goetia). In talking with my familiar, we became increasingly aware of their hatred of spirit abuse as advocated by most of the authors who write about demonic magic. (I've written here before about daemons and the misapprehensions that most people harbor on that topic.)

We were both moved to explore the Legion further -- to discover better ways of working with the spirits listed there and to get a good understanding of who they were. To say that my familiar was enthusiastic in leading us into this research would be an understatement. We (Natalie, my familiar, and I) proceeded to embark on a four-month-long series of talking board sessions in which we discussed each of the 72 spirits, the creation of the Legion, the meanings behind the seals, and the nature of God (and His Adversary). We had now idea how much our worldview would change when we started this project -- or how fierce we would become regarding the treatment of these spirits.

The Witches' Key is about to be released (as soon as I've reviewed the proof) in the next several days. It, too, will be available in paperback and PDF versions. Look for illustrations by John Birkel and Natalie Black as well as alternate sigils for almost all 72 spirits.

Aphrodite's Eyes: A Cowrie Divination System

Some of you will have seen my last blog post in which I share the basics of a divination system which I've been developing over the last year and a half. I posted the basics, and that is certainly enough for interested readers to begin with. However, I am working on writing up a full booklet that will provide some insights into the verses and a few sample readings.

Once it is done it will be available through Asteria Books in (you guessed it) paperback and PDF.

Midian Festival and Event Grounds

On a non-publishing note, my family and a group of close friends have been working like mad to get a new event venue up and running for the 2014 festival season.

Here is the press-release we posted a couple of weeks ago:

Midian, a new festival and event venue located in Lawrence County, Indiana, is currently in preparations to open their gates for their 2014 festival season.

The grounds of Midian cover 21 acres of primitive woodlands in South-Central Indiana. By the time of the venue's first event, scheduled for early/mid June 2014, Midian will feature hot/cold rinse stations, a performance stage, several temporary pavilions, electricity in the main event areas, a bonfire ring, several acres of shaded campsites, and well-maintained restroom facilities.

Midian's owners intend to implement a staged development plan. Such developments will likely include several permanent indoor and outdoor meeting facilities, a fully operational kitchen, a lending library, permanent restroom facilities, and more.

The gates will open to the public in April 2014, with the first event being held June 12-16, 2014.

For more information, or to book your event at Midian, please email admin@campmidian.com.

Aphrodite's Eyes -- a cowrie divination system

2013-08-26T20:58:00.002-04:00

About a year ago, I started developing a diloggun-esque divination system. It's very Aphrodisian in nature, but I started with the 16 cowrie method found in the African system. Aphrodite has guided this adventure -- giving me the names of eye/mouth pattern and the names of the spreads.

I'm sharing a little here with those who are interested. It's still a little rough, and I work it very intuitively. Use your own intuition to guide you, as well.

Eyes = the smooth, rounded sides of the cowries
Mouths = the open, flatter sides of the cowries

Method -- Gather all 16 into your hands. Whisper to them or kiss them, and then toss them on the floor or onto a mat. Make note of their groupings, mentally marking them in four groups of four. Read them generally from left to right and from top to bottom. You will interpret the shells based on the eye/mouth patterns and also based on the "spreads" they form.

The following verses are meant to help you interpret the eye/mouth patterns.

You’re not worthy, and yet you ARE

both earthbound mud and shining star.

Arise and go into the night

to see, to BE the guiding light.

In blood and soil and toil and pain

you’re born into this world again.

From cauldron-womb to mother’s breast,

your journey starts; you cannot rest.

Evening star, the Queen of Heaven,

Passing through the trials, seven.

The Hero or the Fool we are,

rising like the Morning Star.

An ancient and undying Truth:

Each age conceals an inner youth.

Remaining young is not an art.

Hold your youth within your heart.

All roads, all days, all songs must end

to sleep, to breathe, begin again.

A treasure’s hid in sorrowful endings:

the promise of a new beginning.

Justice, with her scales and sword,

measures both your deed and word.

Intents and thoughts she does not weigh.

Be careful what you do and say.

Love of mother, love of son.

Love deeply and love everyone.

Love friends and children and your mate.

Love till there is no room for hate.

Sacred Union – hearts and minds,

bodies, lives, and souls entwined –

Bless each one with joy and pleasure.

Such a gift is priceless treasure.

Safe within a an earthen shield,

unruly seas to harbors yield.

Anchored firmly in this calm

your bark escapes the threat of harm.

Blest accord, cooperation.

No thought of ire or base frustration.

Heads and hearts in loving ease.

Home and self have found some peace.

Dove of Peace, we draw you near.

Take from us both pain and fear,

leaving only your sweet love

to live in peace, O Gentle Dove.

Open waters, clear and bright,

Sky-kissed ocean brings delight.

Dark below, as any tomb.

Mother Ocean, life’s great womb.

Sacrament of love divine,

bliss-filled bodies intertwined.

In best of cases, spirits mesh

while taking joy in earthly flesh.

Silver speech and golden belt

can cause the Will of Man to melt.

Hold convictions, tight and true,

or watch them charmed away from you.

Pleasure, joy, and untamed bliss,

delight and humor, marked by this.

Bubbling font from Spirit’s well.

Laughter in your Soul does dwell.

No light or slim reflection cast.

The door is sealed shut, firm and fast.

Within the blackest pitch of night,

Embrace the Dark and mourn the Light.

The following SPREADS are very loosely based on (or rather, inspired by) geomancy.

A couple of notes to help understand the spreads:

1. The spreads are obviously set up in pairs of opposites. I'm not sure why, but that's how it worked out.

2. Joy and Sorrow are both meant to represent doves -- one soaring, one falling.

3. Gain and Loss are scales.

4. Fate is a horseshoe. Freewill is an overturned bowl or cup.

An example, then, of a reading might go as follows:

From left to right, I would interpret this casting as:

Path -- Sea

Fate -- Queen of Heaven

Female -- Peace

War -- Endings

So, what is all this saying to me? Well, ... ha! One of you lovely readers is getting a reading, but I have no idea who. You are new to the blog, and new to this path, I think. You have felt a calling to the Sea -- perhaps water witchery, in general. But it hasn't occurred to you until now that perhaps Aphrodite (or Astarte or Inanna) has a direct hand in YOUR life. She does, sweetie. You, my lovely lady, have had trouble finding peace with your femininity and with the Divine Feminine in general; but that conflict is about to to come to a close. The sooner you stop fighting yourself, the sooner you will find peace and make the progress you have been hoping for. You're going to shine, sister!

Alrighty, well. Thus concludes the free and easy version. I will continue to work on writing everything up in a way to help folks understand, and I will eventually publish that in a nifty little book (paperback and ebook, I am sure). In the meantime, get yourself some cowries and practice, if this speaks to you. You know what I know, at this point!

Vinalia Rustica 2013

2013-08-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

(Not my photo. Looked like this, though!)

The wildflowers waved sunnily at us from their shaded paths as we carefully picked our way into the woods.

Vinalia Rustica has been one of my favorite of all the Aphrodite festivals for the last several years -- made spacial in large part because I had a shrine that I helped tend on a special piece of land. I've shared those photos (and my love for that place) here over the course of those years. Politics and pain have collided, though, in such a way that I doubt I'll ever that land again in the waking world, and I have left Aphrodite's Shrine there in her own care -- trusting that others will step forward to tend Her.

I had honestly forgotten that today was Vinalia Rustica. I don't have a shrine or a temple to tend for her right now, and it's a sore spot for me. I'm remedying that absence as soon as I am able, and I have plans for a glorious temple in her honor.

So, I wasn't thinking about that when I went with my coven sisters to a place that is about to become special to us. It is a wild place, a free place. It is a place where Indiana limestone and brown-eyed Susans speak clearly. A place where Artemis runs and Pan dances. It is a place where Aphrodite laughs, and her voice echoes off the cliffside!Sirens sing there, along the banks of the cool, deep stream.

There is no temple but the cliff. No shrine but the rocks and groves of walnut and sycamore trees. No offerings but the wildflowers.

And it is PERFECT!

It was the perfect place to honor Aphrodite, and it was the perfect way (in wildness and freedom and celebration with my sisters).

My Little Demon

2013-06-26T01:28:00.000-04:00

I have just recently started talking with folks about the fact that I "meddle with the Goetia." It seems and* daemonic sorceress? Sure! Why not?

this is surprising information for folks -- even for people who know me fairly well. Priestess of Aphrodite *

Natalie and I have both written about familiars, especially spirit (non-coropreal) familiars. As I wrote in one of those posts:

The word "angel" comes from the Greek ἄγγελος pronounced "angelos", which means messenger. "Demon" also comes from the Greek -- δαίμων pronounced daímōn, meaning nothing more or less than "spirit." Neither was inherently benevolent, nor was the other malevolent. Can they be? Sure. I bet you can be nasty, too.

I went on to say that we feel that spirit conjuration (what can rightly be called "demonic conjuration") is a long-standing practice in the sort of sorcerous witchcraft that is practiced by people like us. Check out the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog for a better idea of the Craft we practice.

So, here we are, contacting helpful spirits through our talking board, and specifically getting in touch with the spirits who want to work with us. In a session by myself, I first spoke to the spirit I simply call "S." I learn right away that she is a spirit of the Goetia. I learn relatively soon that this spirit had been with me as a teenager as my beloved cat. I piece together that the spirit I had seen in my living room (and the black ghost cat my entire family and some roommates have seen) is also her. And I learn in the last month or so that she is included in Dee & Kelley's Enochian (angelic magick) tablets as one of the "Daughters of the Daughters of Light" -- listed there simply as S.

She's been with me since I was 17, and I have felt her presence for a very long time. She has taught me so much about Spirit (and about daemons, specifically). She has been a partner to Natalie and I as we undertook a hefty writing project -- The Witches' Key: The Sorcery of Solomonic Magick. This book is "the Goetia on the Goetia." (I'm working on formatting it now, and Natalie is working on illustrations. I'd like to have it done by the end of the summer, but that might be a stretch. Let's say: done by Samhain.)

I'd love to write and talk more about spirits here, for those who are interested. Expect a post or two on the topic as I continue working on this project.

We are fleshy spirits. Spiritual beings having a human experience.

Magical Herbalism Workshops by Laurelei and/or Natalie

2013-06-12T00:35:00.000-04:00

I just added a slew of workshops to my Presentation Catalog, all related to the witch-y side of

Ferula Asfoetida

herbalism. In all cases, Natalie and I can present these classes together or separately. Just give us a shout if you want something awesome and herbal at your event.

The Way of the Woodwose -- The Path of Magical Herbalism
Plants offer so much to humanity -- food, shelter, spice, medicine, clothing, and more. Each of these is magical in itself; however, plants offer something beyond the physical experience, too. They give us a key into the realms of mysticism and magic that are the domain of religion and spirituality. Join Laurelei and Natalie for this introduction to magical herbalism and discuss the many ways in which herbs can transform your inner reality.

Incense Blending
Sacred smoke is one of the quintessential elements of magical and mystical practice. Witches, magicians, seers, monks, and holy people of every religion have used smoke and fume as a method of sending their prayers to the heavens and of gaining inspiration from beyond the veil of the visinble world. In this hands-on workshop, Laurelei and Natalie will discuss the 5 basic ingredients of an excellent incense and then get our hands dirty by making some for a practical application. Everyone will come away from this class with a sample of loose blended incense and copious notes on how to make the best blends for their future needs.

Flying Ointment and Sabbat Wine
Learn the art of herbal astral travel. Come and discuss with us the historical ways in which the Witches of old flew to the Sabbat at the Mountain, leaving their bodies safe at home -- or how they went out into the night as hares. Laurelei and Natalie will discuss the theory and history behind the very toxic plant poisons used in the past and also explore some safe (but effective) non-toxic alternatives for modern spirit flight.

Vision Brews
Certain plants are (in)famous for their vision-inducing abilities -- as well as their deadly side effects. Chat with Laurelei and Natalie about the visionary poisons of old, and then we'll all explore several safe and strong herbs that pack a punch for opening psychic ability and developing seership.

Abramelin and the Formulas of High Magick
Ceremonial Magick concerns itself with alchemy on a number of levels. Transformation happens both within the magician and without. The working of Abramelin the Mage is one of the most famous workings of ceremonial magick, and the oil formula that is created from it is highly prized by magicians. Join Laurelei and Natalie as we explain the preparation of this oil and discuss its history and use in other magical formulations.

Traditional Oils and Waters of the American Folk Magic
Fiery Wall of Protection, Florida Water, Hungary water, Black Cat Oil, Angel Water -- You'll come away from this workshop with your own formulary of potions used in American folk magic. Some are from Hoodoo, some from European folklore, others from the hills of the Ozarks and Appalachia. We'll discuss their uses, how to personalize and prepare them, and we'll even make one so that everyone comes away with a sample.

Gris-Gris, Paquettes, Putzi, and Pouches -- Bundles of Herbal MagicThe magical spell bag, by any other name, would still smell as .... Well, it would smell like magic, and that's the important thing. Magical practitioners of all sorts, on every continent where people live, have put potent items of a like nature together in a bundle to achieve a goal for its bearer. Protection, love, health, sleep, luck. After a thorough discussion on the sorts of dirts, herbs, and other objects usually included in these bundles, Natalie and Laurelei will provide bags to participants and let them choose from available materials to make their own pouches.

The Alraun -- A Plant Familiar
Everyone knows the image of a Witch with a black cat familiar. But how many are aware of the wise woman with her mandrake spirit? The alraun is a carefully tended plant that acts as a spirit guide. Is it the spirit of the plant who offers wisdom and guidance? Or a spirit who inhabits the plant? Join Natalie and Laurelei in this discussion on the history and practical creation & tending of the alraun.

R -- Robin Artisson #paganblogproject

2012-11-15T21:10:00.002-05:00

Robin Goodfellow. Cock Robin. Robin of the Hood. Puck.

The things the Craft community must remember about the contemporary writer who calls himself Robin Artisson is that A) he chose his name quite deliberately, and B) he is a talented worker of Grey Magic, much like the notable Robert Cochrane.

For readers who don't know dear Robin, he is something of a controversial character within the Trad Craft community. Okay, honesty: He is a VERY controversial character. People either love him or loathe him. I've seen him blocked from groups and forums because people are afraid of what he might say or do.

Mind you, I've not witnessed him being hateful -- only thought-provoking (sometimes in the extreme, I'll warrant). But people get testy when he has posted a simple meme or comic post.

Why? What magic does this man weave?

Well, Glaux and I recognize in him something of a genius of contemporary Craft. He is, by our perspective, the heir of the Robert Cochrane legacy. The Modern Magister, if you will. His books are enlightening and relevatory -- they have grown and expanded with his own growth. And YES, thank the Goat!, he pushes people's buttons. He makes you think. He'll take both sides of an argument, tricksy shapeshifter that he is, to make you suss out your true thoughts and feelings -- or to point out your rigid grip on dogmatic schlock.

The name Robin Artisson has a long history, first appearing in the trial of Dame Alice. She, of course, was the first Irish woman tried and convicted of witchcraft, though her maid Petronila was the first to be executed. Dame Alice named Robin Artisson (or Robin, son of Art) as her familiar, her teacher.

Robin, as a spirit name, is associated with Robin Goodfellow, the Horned One himself. We see him as Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he is known in myth and legend as a playful, mischievous, but ultimately wise and insightful spirit of the Unseen Realms. One of the Fey.

His writing is rambling and poetic. I love it. (I tend toward the prosaic and brief in my non-fiction.) You have to work to walk the path of mystery down which he leads you. It is informed by his BA in European History and Anthropology. (He also holds an MA in Poli-Sci and Criminal Justice and another in Family and Marriage Counseling -- both of which give him great insight into the best and worst in human nature.)

On a personal note, Glaux and I are holding out hope of luring Robin to the festival we help run, Babalon Rising, so that we can do awesome Witchcrafts in the Woods. (BR, with a little help from yours truly, will be adding more American Folkloric Magic -- craft and conjure -- to the schedule in 2013.)

Alright, so give his books and website a read. You will be the better for it!

Website: A World Unseen
The Witching Way of Hollow Hill
The Resurrection of the Meadow
The Horn of Evenwood

The Secret of the Wind -- coming in 2013

R - Robert Cohrane #paganblogproject

2012-11-15T20:33:00.001-05:00

Robert Cochrane is the pen name of Roy Bowers, a British Cunning Man who was working his craft around the same time that Gerald Gardner was writing about Wicca. In fact, Cochrane was the one who coined the name "Gardnerism" or "Gardnerianism" for the form of Craft that Gerald was promoting. (The term came up in "The Pentagram" and other sources where Cochrane showed some disdain for the ceremonial-influenced Craft that Gardner was telling the public was "family heritage.")

Cochrane purported himself to be a member of a Craft tradition that had been handed down since the 17th Century, and he resented the false or watered-down version that he felt Gardner was presenting.

Glaux and I have always been drawn to the work and writings of Cochrane. In fact, it was one of the points of attraction for us. She had been trained within a reculed Gardnerian line, and my former HPS had a similar background. However, my HPS went from Gardnerian Wicca in the 60's and 70's to Druidry in the 80's and 90's, and she finally landed in a 1734 offshoot known as Roebuck in the late 90's. I met her in 1998, at a time when she (my HPS) had formed her own Trad that was based on each of these lines of training, along with what we called Dragon Craft. While we always knew that we were "close cousins" to Roebuck/Ancient Keltic Church, it wasn't until I read the book written by the co-founder of that Trad that I realized we were really a sort of daughter coven -- though a bastard, since my HPS hadn't taken her initiation with that group before striking out on her own. (The book is Forge of Tubal Cain by Ann Finnin. I highly recommend it.)

Okay, so back to Robert Cochrane.

He carried on correspondences with several people and wrote several articles that have become something like canon within Trad Craft circles. Doreen Valiente was the Maid of his coven for a period, in her search for authentic craft. That coven is called Clan of Tubal Cain, and it is still functioning today, decades after his death. Shani Oates is the current maid. (You should also read her book, Tubelo's Green Fire, if you have an interest in this type of Craft.)

His work has had a great influence on modern practitioners of Traditional Craft. His correspondence with Joe Wilson was a major influence in Wilson's establishment of the 1734 Tradition, which is an American adaptation of British Family Craft. From there, several Craft Traditions have sprung up, including Roebuck, which I mentioned earlier as a source of my own training.

The Mohsian Tradition, Blue Star, the work of Peter Paddon, Raven Womack, Robin Artisson, and of course American Folkloric Witchcraft are all influenced by Robert Cochrane and the writings that he gave the world.

Cochrane died by his own hand at the Summer Solstice when he was 35. He ingested belladonna -- some believe as an intentional ritual sacrifice.

P - Possession #paganblogproject

2012-11-15T17:00:00.003-05:00

Folks in this modern Craft really dislike the term "possession," but it is nothing more than a descriptor for invocation, channeling, aspecting, being ridden by, or drawing down a Deity/Entity. I have no fearful connotation against this term, so I use it more frequently than the others to point to this act of Craft.

I don't have an issue with the other terms, mind you. They are all perfectly acceptable, and a couple even describe the feeling of possession quite well. So, nope, I find no need to quibble over the terms. I would much rather get down to the nitty gritty of Bonus P Blog Topic -- possession.

When I first began my study of the Craft, I believed that every Witch had possession experiences eventually. I thought that all of us on this path sought to intentionally invoke the spirits of our beloved and honored Gods and Goddesses into our own bodies -- to give them a time within flesh, a voice with which to speak, hands to touch. I thought that learning to achieve this state -- to set myself aside and make room within my body for the Deity -- was part of the training of Witches. Of course, if you let something in, you should be able to let/get it back out, so I figured that was part of the training process, too. All in all, though, I really thought that most Witches underwent this training.

I was wrong. Many -- a very great many -- people who claim Witchcraft as their path openly fear and revile possession.

Possession was most definitely a part of my own training as a Witch, and I have helped my own students and covenmates learn to achieve and release the experience. Each person, in both Traditions of which I have been a part, has had to prove themselves proficient in this area in order to access the Initiation rite that allows them to fully claim the title of Witch. In one Trad, that was at 1*. In American Folkloric Witchcraft, we have only one initiation -- the one that Raises you. But in both cases, we feel that a Witch needs to be capable of this skill in order to have a complete working relationship with Deity and Spirit.

Initiation & Priestesshood via Aphrodite

2012-11-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

Check out part 2 of my conversation with Karen Tate on "Voices of the Sacred Feminine." We continue our discussion of Aphrodite as a Goddess of liminality and explore the way that relates to initiation. We also talk about both the ancient and modern priestesses who serve Aphrodite.

Thanks. Karen, for having me back! It was a wonderful conversation.

Aphrodite's Myths & Symbols - 09/12 by Karen Tate | Blog Talk Radio

2012-09-04T17:09:00.001-04:00

Aphrodite's Myths and Symbols - 09/12 by Karen Tate | Blog Talk Radio

Listen in while Karen and I discuss liminality and initiation in Aphrodite's myths. It's going to be amazing, enlightening, beautiful, inspiring ... all that you could hope in an Aphrodisian initiation.

Q - Quicksilver #paganblogproject

2012-08-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

Quicksilver is more commonly called mercury these days, in honor of the Roman God of the same name. It's Latin (scientific) name is Argentum vivum, meaning living silver.

Oh, how interesting, dear readers! I'm not going to go into details about who did this work and when ('cause it's their work, and I don't need the back-lash), but my sweetie and I have some UPG (unverified personal gnosis) about quicksilver being used in the creation of a very powerful egregore.

An egregore, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is a thoughtform, and as such, it can be created by a magician and then fed power/spirit until it becomes a Spirit itself. If enough people work with a thought/spirit, it exists. This is, by one way of thinking, how Gods are made.

So, say you were making an egregor from quicksilver. What would YOU breathe into that being?

There's a watery-ness to this liquid metal already.

It is heavy and dense -- the heaviest of all the natural liquids on Earth.

It is related to Mercury (and Hermes, Thoth, etc.) -- so communication, travel, technology, computers, writing, magic, alchemy ...

It is as reflective as a mirror.

It is both a poison and a medicine.

Check out this interesting article for lots of cool facts about the strange physical properties of this liquid metal.

Review of In Her Service (first edition of Aphrodit'e Priestess) by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

2012-08-21T09:41:00.001-04:00

Several years ago, this lovely review was made of the first iteration of Aphrodite's Priestess, my very first book and one of premier English-speaking works on the modern worship of Aphrodite. (Because it WAS several years ago, some bibliographic details have changed -- like the book's title, my last name, the publishing house. You know, little things.)

Aphrodite's Priestess
Laurelei Black
Asteria Books, 2009

All you need is Aphrodite by Eva Yaa Asatewaa

Some months ago, Laurelei Dabrielle--High Priestess of Dragon's Eye Coven--sent me an invitation to review her book, In Her Service: Reflections from a Priestess of Aphrodite (Magic Woods Publishing, 2007). I was in the middle of one of the busiest times in both my personal and professional life. It was sent in the form of an e-book, which usually makes me leery--quality being a gamble there. I took a look at the stack of pages emerging from my printer, took a quick flip through ("Chapter 1: Priestess or Prostitute?") and thought, "Right...I'll get around to this someday..."

Someday--coincidentally?--turned out to be July 22, which is the Great Lady Mary Magdalene's day and, as I learned from Dabrielle's text, deep into Hekatombaion, the first month of the Athenian calendar, during which fell the bathing feast known as Aphrodisia. I also discovered that there was much to admire and enjoy in Dabrielle's well-written account of this little-publicized aspect of pagan practice.

Raised a Baptist in the Midwest, Dabrielle began to explore neopagan paths through the Internet and some covens and eventually felt most called to service of the One she calls "the violet-crowned Kyprian" and many other expressive honorifics. She interprets and honors Aphrodite in a way that makes sense to her, and she's not out to convert anyone to her particular approach. She is, by her own admission, a "hodge-podge," and I can certainly identify with her eclecticism and avoidance of dogma. She does not take herself too seriously, and her voice, throughout the book, is conversational even when authoritative.

If you have never considered Aphrodite (a.k.a. Venus) a serious goddess, then read this book, and the scales will fall from your eyes. I remember once hearing someone opine that the reason so many ancient statues of Aphrodite are armless is because they were deliberately ordered de-armed by the testosterone-fueled, but highly threatened, powers that be. I can't say if that's historically accurate, but Dabrielle underscores the formidable power of Aphrodite as more than a beneficent, even lightweight and easily-trivialized, goddess of romance and sensuality. The Lady should be understood as a Great Goddess archetype--Mother Creator, Majestic Harlot and Fierce Avenger. In Her Service relates the interwoven myths that show Aphrodite in all of these powerful roles.

Okay, so what about the nervous-making "prostitution" angle? Dabrielle includes an extensive discussion of the historical practice of "temple prostitution" or "sacred sex" and its problem for modern sensibilities and United States law but argues that "sex is only one aspect of Her service" and, indeed, an aspect that can be omitted if does not suit you. Priestesses did then and do now invoke, contact and often embody the Goddess, enabling supplicants to benefit from Her energy, whether it be through simple, compassionate acts of warmth and kindness or through actual ritual copulation as in the neopagan Great Rite (physically uniting the embodied Goddess and God). While Dabrielle notes the many ways in which Aphrodite worship may be expressed, she has her personal limits and counsels readers to decide what's best for them and respect their own boundaries, too.

"At its essence," she writes, "the force at work is that of Love," and goes on to speak about the priestess (and Goddess) as healer in a way that reminds me of the wonderful role Ann Margaret played in the movie Grumpy Old Men! Really! Rent that very funny movie, and you'll see what I mean!

Besides the personal and historical material, Dabrielle offers examples of ritual procedure, a mytho-history of the Venusian idea, some lovely description of the Three Graces (considered by some to be daughters of Aphrodite and ideal models for us) and the Oreads, mountain nymphs (who gift Aphrodite with unpolished gems and wildflowers, appealing to Her wilder side). She previews a book she's working on which should please potential lesbian and bisexual fans of The Goddess who might otherwise wonder what all of this has to do with them.

Dabrielle also lists and translates numerous names for Aphrodite, breathtaking in their diversity. Some of them are:

Eurynome: Creatress who rose from Chaos and danced all creation into being
Moira: Fate
Ambologera: Postponer of Old Age
Chrysheie: Radiant Like Gold
Euploios: Fair Voyage
Praxis: Action
Epitymbria: She of The Tombs
Callipygos: Beautiful Buttocks

and the inevitable

Porne: Goddess of Lust and Patroness of Prostitutes

The message of Aphrodite meditations and rituals seem always to be thus: Find beauty within oneself and love it fiercely. I certainly can't argue with that!

(c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Q - Qayin (Kain, Cain) #paganblogproject

2012-08-20T11:14:00.000-04:00

All Gods are not one God. The Ancients didn't see it that way, and I am not trying to put forth that claim, either. And yet, there are Gods -- great, ancient spirits (daemons ... δαίμων) who are so closely related in myth and religion that we can't mistake their relation. Just as a Red Thread connects us to the Witchfather who brought the Cunning Fire to humanity, so too does the Red Thread connect many of the beings from whom mankind has sought wisdom.

This is my and Natalie's experience with Azazel (who is called a demon -- literally, a "spirit"-- and an angel -- "messenger"), Qayin/Cain and Tubal Cain, as we've expressed at our American Folkloric Witchcraft blog. Very directly, in our communications with the Witchfather, he uses these names of himself almost interchangeably, and we have come to use them the same way.

There are other sources of information, though, that inform our understanding of Qayin-Azazel, and we'd like to share them.

Melek Taus

"Melek" means "king" or "angel" and "taus" means "peacock." The peacock angel is the central figure, the benevolent and creative demiurge, of the Yezidis. He is seen as repentant after the fall from God's grace, his tears quenching the fires of hell.

Though the Yezidis would disagree, others in the Arabic world (particularly those practicing Islam), equate melek Taus with Lucifer or Satan. Kabbalistically, Yahweh rules in the heavenly/spiritual kingdom of Kether, and Melek Taus (Lucifer/Azazel) rules in the earthly kingdom of Malkuth.

Within the sacred text of the Yezidis, the Black Book, specific reference is made to Azazel, equating the Peacock Angel with Azazel. There are several versions of this book extent from the Middle Ages, copies transcribed online.


Alchemical Symbol for Antimony

Azazel and Alchemy

We have touched on Azazel before, but there are some specific and noteworthy things to share about Azazel's connection to alchemical lore.

Enoch reveals to us that Azazel shares with humanity "all the metals and the art of working them...and the use of antimony." As it turns out, antimony (or stibium), was critical to the alchemical process of creating the Philosopher's Stone. This same element was called kuhl (or kohl) by the ancient Arabs. (You might also recall references to women decorating their eyes with this substance, and that art also being taught by Azazel. This may, in fact, have been a veiled reference to the alchemical process and not to cosmetics at all.)

Sir Roger Bacon tells us that when antimony is processed with vitriol, it is reduced to a "noble red oil" with all of the lesser sulfur having been purified out of it in the process. Red, then, is Azazel's color.

It is doubly his color when we consider that man is made from red clay, according to Middle Eastern tradition, and that Azazel is master of the material world from which man is made.

Lucifer

Oh my Holy Goat, there is so much that needs to be said about Lucifer in relation to the Witchfather. There is so much dross to sift through, so much misinformation that has been propogated about this one figure over the millenia, to reach the golden kernels of wisdom.

For now, let's keep it very simple, shall we?

Lucifer is the "light-bearer." He is Qayin in the East, the Morning Star. He is the torch-bearer of wisdom, inspiration, the Divine Spark, the Cunning Fire.

He is "Prometheus" (literally, "fore-sight"), who rebelled against God (the Gods) to give Fire (the Cunning Fire) to mankind and fell from Divine Grace.

Utu/Shamash

The Nephilim, the "Fallen Angels" or spirits who descended into the material realm to interact with and guide mankind, were first seen as the "Shining Ones" or Gods of Sumerian lore. We've mentioned them before, and we'll write more about them in future posts, but for now, I'd just like to make the connection between Utu/Shamash and Azazel.

It's not a new connection. We're not the first to have made it, by any stretch. You can read this account, for starters. (There's lots of information there about goetic daemons and their counterparts in other lore.)

Utu is the Sumerian name, while Shamash is the Babylonian name for the Sun God of justice,law and salvation. He is linked in a triad with the Nannar-Sin (the Mood God) and Ishtar (the fertility-Earth Goddess, who incidentally is represented by the planet Venus, the Morning and Evening Star).

Ishtar and Shamash are divine twins.

*** This entry is re-posted from an entry I made to the American Folkloric Witchcraft blog. Interested in Qayin? Read more.

Marketplace Policy and New Blade & Broom blog

2012-08-14T09:45:00.001-04:00

I've cooled off a fraction of a degree since my post on patriarchy and policy last week. That tiny bit is enough to re-direct my wrath not so much at the marketplace who hosts my shop (Etsy), but at its proper source, the FDA. The policy changes are top-down mandates from the federal government, and Etsy just happens to be a little over-zealous in their enforcement.

As Moma Sarah of Conjured Cardea has re-iterated, though, you really shouldn't "shit where you eat." Etsy is trying to cover its own rather large tookus, and they are interpreting the FDA's regulations on medical drug claims more stringently than most venues. Okay. I still need a place to sell my goods, and Etsy still seems to be working out well for me in that respect. They (Etsy) don't want trouble with the feds, and I don't want trouble with Etsy.

However, I still have an issue with the feds, and I think the laws are becoming too strict. If my issue is with a higher authority, I need to take it to them.

Is the FDA trying to protect us? Sure. Are they being ridiculous about it? Have you paid attention?

That mighty hand of Justice that moves within me simply doesn't allow me to sit back and let my government make bad choices for me and my neighbors. I paid attention in Civics class. First they come for a stranger; then they come your neighbor; then they come for you.

So, I have an Action Plan:

1. I have already revised all of my listings at Etsy. (I actually did that on day 1, as I didn't want my shop to be closed before I ever figured out what was going on.) The words "health" and "healing" have been removed from all my listings except in the context of "spiritual healing" -- which isn't a medical claim at all. Words like "insomnia" and "migraine" are gone. I've left terms like "wellness" and "relaxation" -- general states of being. In these listings, we've only included the metaphysical/magical properties.

2. I've created a blog specifically for Blade and Broom Botanica. I know some other Witchy, conjure, Pagan retailers combine their personal blogs with their business efforts, but Natalie and I both feel odd about that. Neither of us wants to feel like we are trying to sell our readers flying ointment and wands when you've signed on to read about our magical experience. We're happy to talk about our products, though, as we are uber-proud of them, and they ARE a huge part of our magical experience. At the Blade & Broom blog, we'll give complete product descriptions -- including both physical and metaphysical properties of herbs, gems, etc -- and talk about the crafting/Crafting process. In the event that we have products that completely unavailable at Etsy, we will also have descriptions and purchase information at the blog.

3. I'll be educating myself about the bills before Congress regarding herbalism, "fortune-telling," and anything else that affects the free practice of my religion. Witches have traditionally not just done this work for themselves, but have done it for a living and I find no shame or anything unethical in providing herbal, ritual, divinatory, or other Craft services for my clients. I'd rather not have our society revert to the 1500's, though, where I an my fellows must practice and work in secret, always fearing reprisals from a government that is too heavily infused with conservative religion.

4. The point above means that I'll probably be making a damned nuisance of myself to my elected representatives at the state and national levels. My writing talents will get used in new and interesting ways, yes indeed. (Not that I have already written to elected officials, mind you.) I'll probably end up on some watch list of Militant Hippy Witches, if I'm not already. C'est la vie!

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

2012-08-13T21:56:00.003-04:00

Aw! I'm so schmoopy, giggly, and sparkly right now that I feel like a glitter-bomb just exploded in my lap. Thank you, Elle Hull of Avalon Blessings for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Per the award, as I understand it, I'm proudly displaying this award, sharing 7 (perhaps unknown) tidbits about myself, and nominating another 15 very inspiring bloggers to receive love and admiration on their hard work.

Seven Fun Facts About Laurelei Black

1. I have two children who are currently aged 12 and 9. I sometimes refer to them as Harmonia and Eros -- and have since they were each infants. That's based more on their personalities and proclivities than my relationship with Aphrodite. My daughter is a sensitive and artistic Piscean peacemaker, while my son is sensual little Tauran who shows an early and clear preference for leggy blonds. They are both snuggling, sweet love-bugs -- both smart and beautiful, both creative and happy.

2. My Sun is in Libra, Moon is in Gemini, Ascendent is in Capricorn. Concepts of justice and equality, beauty and harmony, are the order of the day for me. I am very orderly and organized, even within what sometimes seems like chaotic clutter. (It's always a lovely sort of chaos -- very artistic!)

3. I have two partners -- Natalie Black and Joe Black. Natalie and Joe were together for 5 years before I entered the relationship. We have all been together for 4 years now. (Our anniversary is in just a couple of weeks, actually.)

4. None of us are legally named Black. =) I have the closest claim to the name, as my father's biological father was named Black. So, if my dad had been raised by that man, my maiden name would have been Black. However, Dad was adopted, so neither of us ever carried that name.

5. Laurelei is a nickname I got at the age of four. I lived in Germany at the time, where my dad was stationed in the Army. My parents had a friend who called me Laurelei as a play on my given name (Laura) and the spirit of the Rhein (Rhine) River. Later, my college roommate called me Laurelei in honor of Marilyn Monroe's character Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. It was after I took the name for a belly dance stage name that my father said he had wanted to name me Laurelei/Lorelei, but my mother had insisted on Laura (like my grandmother). Practically all my friends call me Laurelei at this point, especially within the Pagan community, and it is an official AKA for me at this point. =)

6. I've named every car I've ever owned. The first one was named Bubbles. My favorite car ever was named Sydney -- after Sydney Biddle Barrows, the Mayflower Madam. (I'm not revealing the current vehicle's true name. Too much power for some folks! *wink*) While one car was named for an actual prostitute, I'm now realizing they ALL sort of sound like hooker names. =) I like that!

7. I'll be 37 years old in a little over a month, and I am happy to say that I live with my parents! My father, (step)mother, both partners, kids and I share a communal, multi-generational home in a bedroom community to the southwest of Indianapolis. We have a total of 4 cats (2 are theirs, 2 are ours), 2 rabbits, and 3 wee fish. We have a garden, a pond, an orchard, and we have plans for chickens and bees. If Natalie and I had our way, there would also be goats, but I don't think anyone else is buying into this plan. We all support each other as best we can, and ours is a family built on Love and Will.

Now, my nominations for 15 Very Inspiring Bloggers!

Natalie Black -- Glaux's Nest -- Total, unabashed bias here. And love. AND she absolutely deserves it because my baby is amazing and inspires me all the time. She is a phenomenal Witch and she is starting on some art that is going to knock everyone socks off!

Vera Melata -- Crocosmia -- I can't say enough beautiful things about this blog or the woman who writes it. She is my soul's sister. She is our coven sister. I may be biased, but like Natalie, she is 100% deserving of nomination because she is a source of inspiration for me every single day. Musician, writer, poet, baker, free spirit! She is my Artemis, and I adore her!

Sarah Lawless -- The Witch of Forest Grove -- I can't say enough about Sarah's talent as a Cunning Woman, artist, writer, poisoner, woodworker, and more. I've been following her work since before I knew it was *her* work. Her path and work is so startling similar to my own (in some respects) that I find myself pushing (myself) to differentiate so that I don't seem like a drooling, copycat fangurl.

Robin Artisson -- Tracks in the Witchwood -- Love him or loathe him, Robin is nothing if not inspirational to the people of Blogland. To be clear, I adore him. Do I agree with every syllable he's every written? Um ... no. The same can be said for anybody on this list. I argue with Natalie all the time. I disagree with Sarah sometimes, but I don't feel the need to attack. People do love to attack the Robin. I have my theories on that -- worthy of their own blog entry, which they will get. My point? Inspiring! (And he makes me giggle.)

Sannion -- The House of Vines -- Sannion's writing was some of the first I read when I was first exploring Hellenismos. He's another somewhat controversial author among certain factions of Hellenic Polytheists (because of strange political and syncretic things that non-Hellenic Recons don't even know exist), but take a wild guess at how much I care? Yep, about that much. He is both reverent and irreverent -- just as you'd expect of a devotee of Dionysos. The maenad in me loves this man!

Cory and Laine -- New World Witchery -- I love this blog. Oh, boy! So much good info about Witchcraft and Magic in the Americas. Because Natalie and I have called our Tradition "American Folkloric Witchcraft," you might have noticed that we have an interest in such things. Cory and Laine do a great job on focusing on what magic and Craft looks like in this hemisphere, and I for one am quite inspired by that!

Jhenah Telyndru -- Seeking the Holy Isle -- Jhenah is an amazing woman. She and the Sisterhood of Avalon were my first introduction to the world of Goddess Spirituality, and I am so, so grateful and honored for the mentorship I found during my time within the SoA. Jhenah's writing is beautiful, compassionate and strong. I hope to lure her to our Women's Goddess Retreat someday very soon.

Daphne -- Lykeion of Apollon -- Daphne is a brilliant artist and devotee of Apollon. Inspirational blogs? The Greek God of art, music, light, and prophecy ... the ring-leader of the Muses, as it were ... lends his very name to this page, and oh, how his hand is upon Daphne! Brilliant -- in every sense!

Ruadhan McElroy -- Of Thespiae -- Rhuadhan is a worshipper of Eros who blogs pretty regularly about Eros, the Erotes, Thespian and Boietian worship, and his own personal relationship all of the aforesaid. I love his personal approach to his practice -- which I find perfectly fitting for those of us drawn to the Gods and Goddesses of Love. =) Of COURSE we're going to get personal with it!! He's a love, and he's done valuable research about non-Athenian Hellenic worship.

Jessica Reynolds -- Shuffling Fate -- Jess is a friend of mine and Nat's locally -- well, "locally" when we lived a little further south. She's a wonderful, witchy, FOXY lady with an open heart and a flowing magical spirit. Her eyes and voice simply sparkle, and I think that translates in her blog on Tarot.

Shannon -- Blue Bird Grove -- Shannon is one of the most talented local artisans I know. She's so crafty and earthy. Her vision and skills are truly inspirational to me. This blog of hers is dedicated to the kitchen craft aspect of her world, which is as fascinating to me as it is foreign. I am many things, but a Kitchen Witch isn't one of them. Kudos to Shannon for embracing it with grace and style!

Moma Sarah -- Conjured Cardea -- I loves me some Hoodoo, mmhmm. And Miss Conjured Cardea, or Moma Sarah, she shore has one of the best shops and blogs related to conjure, rootwork and hoodoo around. I am inspired by her success and proud of the niche that she has carved out for herself.

Mojo -- Treading the Crooked Path -- Such a wonderful blend of Cunning Craft and old school western occultism. I want to seduce Mojo into presenting at Babalon Rising (and I *KNOW* they would be a great fit) and then do amazing Witchcraft rituals in the woods. Nothing less!

Veles -- Adventures in Witchery -- I really enjoy this Traditional Craft blog. I do, I do. And I love that Veles describes himself as a baker, awesomely bearded, and a Texan, in addition to being a Witch. I. myself, am a Baker (well, by genealogy, not by trade), a Texan (originally -- but ask any Texan, and they'll tell you that your citizenship is good for a lifetime), and a Witch. I'm not awesomely bearded, but I like that it's in his description. It pleases me.

Shivian Balaris Morgan -- Shivian -- Shivian's blog is visually stunning, poetic, edgy, and so full of magic that it tells its own tales of American Craft in Chicagoland. I love it. I love what Shiv does -- both as a visual/graphic artist and as a professional Witch!

Okay. Whew! Those are the 15 I picked. No small task. I could have chosen more, for certain. So many talented and inspiring people in my little world -- some who know I'm watching and some who don't. Thanks to you all for showing me why I work, why I make my own contribution. Thanks for giving me the gift of your art, your passion, your magic.