Between the Ticks

very kewl

2009-10-23T19:14:00.001-05:00

Surfacescapes Demo Walkthrough from Surfacescapes on Vimeo.

Thursday Thirteen - Nano Tips

2009-10-21T22:02:00.002-05:00

13 NANOWRIMO Tips

1. You can't succeed if you don't try. So sign up at www.nanowrimo.org

2. It is both a race and a marathon.

3. You have nine days to prepare at this point so it is time to get to work there is a lot to do.

4. When it is time for NANO there isn't a lot of time for anything that does further the novel might have to be delayed until December

5. Household choirs - These are one of those things that might need to wait until December, so try and get a head of them now before it is to late

6. Social engagements - These are a lot like house hold choirs push them off to December. If you can't pretend to have some catchy illness, this also works well when dealing with work.

7. Food - Stock a lot of your favourite snacks and pre-make meals if you can for the month

8. Check all your computer equipment. Losing everything at the last minute would suck and with a little bit of caution it shouldn't happen. Despite all the warnings you hear stores of it every year.

9. Distractions - We all have things that we use to distract us. You might want to put them away or hand them off to a friend to keep them out of the way.

10. Have extra paper, pencils, pens even if you are writing on a computer this is still important.

11. Buy a USB Key. Store your work on it and take it with you everywhere.

12. As much work as NANO can be it is also a huge amount of fun too.

13. Tell people what your do and that you won't see them much for the next month. If they know in advance it is one less thing to deal with in November

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Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T07:04:00.000-05:00

The Magical Earth Quadcast

2009-10-17T11:25:00.002-05:00

Episode 11 of The Magical Earth Quadcast is now up on the site http:themagicalearth.blogspot.com stop by and give it a listen

QotW Answer #1

2009-10-16T11:35:00.003-05:00

This pass week I am happy to say that the Question of the Week idea has found a new home. I won't be posting any more questions here on my blog instead you can stop by The Modern Pagan every Monday for a new Question. For the first few weeks you might recognize some of the questions as ones that have appeared here but rest assured new questions are already lined up.

You can find the first Question Here Pets/Animals and the Magic

For myself I am going to break this down in to three seperate catagories. First is wild animals, followed by Cats and Dogs, then finally anything else. So to start off lets look at wild animals.

I've been blessed and able to take part in a number of different rituals outdoors sometimes in fields, on beaches and on one memorable ocassion knee deep lake water. Working in the wild always offers an interesting experience. You might come across animals on the way to the ritual, during the ritual, or even on the way home. All of them will have an impact on your experience at the ritual. Keep your eyes open for any animals around your ritual they bring blessings, and perhaps messages from the Divine themselves.

When it comes to household pets like cats I don't try and keep them out of anything or prevent them from going anywhere. It just doesn't work they will find a way to get in to whatever they want. I do pay close attention to them for much the same reason I watch for animals in the wild. We've had one cat for a number of years who loves it when we do ritual work in the house. As soon as we start to set up the alter that cat appears and curls up under it.

My experiences with dogs is very different. Ginger for example was a Border Collie cross so to her in many ways ritual would have been torture. She was a strong believer that everyone should stay where they are and not move around a lot, in her mind once you where in the herd you should stay there. We really had no choice but to put her outside during rituals. My decision to remove Ginger from the circle was made for purely partical reasons.

When it comes to everythign it is kind of up in the air. Animals and pets in cages or tanks I don't really pay to much attention them personally. My fish for example just don't seem to care if we are casting circle.

See you all in a week with another question and another answer

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T07:04:00.000-05:00

These types of toys are normally used to teach a dog to fetch. Why are would anyone be teaching there dog to fetch a Whale or a Penguin?

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Reasons to do NANOWrimo

2009-10-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

13 Reasons to Take
Part in NANOWrimo

1. It a month all about writing what more do you need. Alright you might need more so I'll keep going

2. It turns writing into a team sport so you can do it with friends.

3. It will keep you busy and out of trouble for a whole month, only leaving you 11 more to figure out on your own.

4. Think of all the money you will save write before Yule if you are to busy writing to spend it.

5. Hours spent in front of a keyboard just letting the words flow out your finger tips.

6. The chance to meet a lot of new and interesting people on the forums and through local community events

7. It is the someday that you have always been waiting for to write your novel.

8. It is a month long marathon of writing

9. Everyone reading this likely blogs at some point or another and to one degree or another. Which means you are all writing so do it for real for a month and see how you like it.

10. Writing is normally such a solitary thing for this one month out of the year it isn't.

11. Did I mention it is a month of writing with huge amounts of encouragement from a lot of other people.

12. This month is all about proving you can do it, don't do it and you'll never know. The experience has chance a lot of things in my life.

13. Imagine how great it will feel when you reach that 50k mark or whatever mark it is that you've never made before.

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Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Flash Fiction Fridays - UPDATE

2009-10-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

I found something out this morning while talking with a friend about a new up coming television show. Apparently the show Sanctuary has as a reoccuring character with the name Clara Griffin. She is the granddaughter of Nigel Griffin who I gather is the Invisible Man. Clara the children in B is for Blank has evolved the power as wel. accept in her case she can make things invisible by touch.

Question of the Week - Question #10 - Pagan Pennies

2009-10-05T15:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the delayI've been focusing on a couple of other projects over the past few weeks. Questions of Faith the book is very nearly 2nd draft, and after that it will be in the hands of a few beta readers and then on ward after that. Here is the 10th Question of the Week in which we focus our attention on our Pagan pennies. This can be a tough concept for a lot of people, because it can make them face some personal prejudices that they may not even know that they had. Everyone no matter how rich or poor they might be when it comes to their own personal finances only has so much money to spend. What is important is how they spend it.

Now like with most of the questions I'll be asking there is no right or wrong answer to this one. This one is just about putting some thought in to what you do with your money and making some informed decisions. In my early days as a Wiccan everyone I knew who was on the path was short on cash. Over the course of the past 15 years things have changed a fair amount, but there are still a high number of people at the poverty line or below. Maybe this is more a local thing I'm not sure, how do things look in your area?

People often joke about people of the Jewish being rish or tight fisted with ther pennies. Have you ever wondered where the jokes come from? Think about it for a few minutes, the last time you where at an event hosted by someone from that community where did they get the supplies for it? In my experience they likely will have purchased them from another member of their community. As a community they support growth within the community by purchasing from and encouraging others to purchase from other members of the community. Interesting why to spend your money isn't it? Not to mention a great way to support your community. So what do you do with your Pagan Pennies? Do you make a habit of supporting the small local merchant? Do you buy from the big chain story because it is a little bit cheaper? Or do you fall some where in the middle supporting them when and where you can, but going for the cheaper option when it is there?

One of the things I mentioned in the last paragraph is the idea that people support and encourage others to support a locally owned Pagan Business. In your experience is that what we do with Pagan/Wiccan stores? I've seen it go both ways with communities being hugely supportive of a store and I've seen communities it stores alive as it where. I think in the case of stores it comes down to the owners and what they give back to the community.

As always I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

Flash Fiction Fridays

2009-10-02T15:56:00.008-05:00

In honour of the subject of the story there is a bit of a trick to reading it. If you not
sure what to do I've left instructions at the bottom. Enjoy the story
and feedback and comments are always welcome.

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B is for Blank

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It arrived just as I hit send on my column for the Phoenix Republic. The address wasn’t familiar, other than that it belonged to a free service that anyone could sign up for. It was the first line of the e-mail that grabbed my attention 'I have to set the record straight...' clicking it open I scanned the contents. Someone calling himself Mr. Griffin wanted to meet and wanted me to tell his story, apparently his real story. I would have ignored it if I had anything else planned but the evening was clear and the place he wanted to meet was just around the corner.

At the restaurant I looked around for anyone sitting by themselves waiting. “Do you have a reservation for a Mr. Griffin?”

“Yes, I’ll show you to your table.” She led me to an empty booth at the back with a heavy curtain for privacy. “Anything to drink?”

“Coffee, thanks.” I set my mini-recorder on the table as I sat down. The waitress was back before I’d even consider if I’d been had.

She disappeared behind the curtain leaving the carafe on the table. “Thank you for coming,” a voice from the opposite side of the booth said but there was no one there “I wasn’t sure if you would come. I’m Hawley Griffin, although you likely know me better by that nickname Wells hung on me The Invisible Man. I never even met him you know. All of those lies he wrote about me where based on stories of man who was prejudice.” As he finished his introduction the coffee carafe rocked then floated into the air as he poured us both a cup.

I stared blankly trying not to show my disbelief as I watched cooling ripples form on the coffee from nothingness. “That story was fiction^”

“Yes and no, some of the events where real others made up by him and Kemp, that’s what I want to set straight.”

“Alright,” I said having no idea what I was getting myself into. I pressed the record button “It’s October 2nd 2010 and I’m sitting at a table with the Invisible Man or as he would rather be known Hawley Griffin.”

“H.G. Wells got the opening right; I was a scientist working to bend light rendering something invisible. Filled with the foolishness of youth I tested it on myself, ruining my life. Afterwards I was understandably angry and confused. I did some things I regret when I look back on them. Certainly I wasn’t trying to kill anyone I just wanted help.” There was a deep sadness in his voice as he talked about these events.

“Where did the story come from than?”

“It was Doctor Kemp he was jealous and wanted to claim my formula has his own. So he discredited me through Wells. Later he raised a mob against me in Burdock. I barely escaped catching the next ship to London and hid naked below decks for the journey” He gulped down his coffee and I could see it going down his throat before fading from view. It was enough to make me want to throw-up but I calmed that reflex.

“What happened in London?”

“I tried to get on with my life but it was impossible without cash, which I couldn’t get legally. So I turned to petty crime which in a cash society was easy. A streetwalker offered me assistance believing I was the Holy Ghost and gave herself whole to me. Through her I rented a small loft where she kept house and was the breadwinner when I wasn’t on my sick bed.”

“Was your sickness related to the serum?”

“Partially, London is a retched climate for a man who spends most of his time running through the streets naked.”

“Is that how you ended up in Phoenix?”

“When I was healthy enough I worked on a cure until my vision failed me completely. It had been gradually going since I injected the serum. So no cure, no sight, and nothing holding us to England we moved to better a better climate. America was a lot to get used to, but being a dad even more so. There isn’t a lot to do on an ocean liner as a blind and invisible man so Martha and I kept busy in the cabin.”

So how do you spend your days now?”

“I spend a lot of time with my grandkids and family, they have grown up with my condition and don’t think it is anything special. I also spend a lot time on the internet it is a wonderful thing for a man in my state. You can reinvent yourself as anyone I have a wonderful online relationship with a blind woman in Toledo. I’ve gotten myself a decent job that I do across the internet. I’m having my first taste of a normal life in 100 years.”

Seconds later the curtain opened slightly but no one came in “Are you still here?” I asked tentatively.

“Yes, I am.”

Beside the booth a young man appeared out of nowhere fading slowly into view and fully clothed. “Sorry Grandpa, mom’s calling and wants to know where I am we’ve gotta go. She’ll be pissed if she finds out I helped you with this. You know she doesn’t want it to go public.”

“Too right Justin I’m so sorry.” He sighed “I so wish I could appear and disappear like they do, youth always taking what we give them and pushing it one better. Trevor I’m going to have to cut this short, perhaps you would be willing to join me for dinner another night. I’d be happy to fill in the details we glanced.”

I just stared at the boy in disbelieve it took a moment to realize I was being spoken to again. “Certainly, I’ll e-mail you?” the boy had disappeared again and I was all alone I think.

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If you haven't figured out how to read the story try highlighting

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Flash Fiction Fridays

2009-09-24T23:29:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the first in a new series of Flash Fiction Friday posts. I hope you all enjoy them and I look forward to any feedback. Be sure click on one of the Carpe Arcanum Links at the top of either sidebar. Comments are always welcome there too.

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A is for Archon

I am an overseer, a punisher and a protector or at least I was. In the early days I was part the team that did the whole thing in the place you all call Egypt. Ahhh those where the good old days back when men feared the boss and the boss gave them a reason too. Of course that was back before the new hands off attitude took hold around here. Don’t get me wrong here I’m not being critical of his decisions, how could I by his very nature he has to be right. I mean come on he’s God but that doesn’t mean that a lot of us our uneasy about this whole new change of attitude in the management.

Just the other night the guys got together for a BBQ and a night of poker. It was me, War and Death of the Horsemen, Noah and someone had let it slip to an Angel as well. I think it was Death that fat bastard who told the Angel but of course he denies it. In truth he denies a lot of things that are true mostly because he can I guess. At our level we are allowed a little more leeway with our actions and the Commandments. It was a profitable night for all of us, Angels can’t lie for shit. We had the guy cleaned out by about halfway through the night once his pockets where empty he thanks us for letting him play and then called it a night. The door had barely closed when Noah started.

“They have everything way too easy down there these days and there is no respect for a greater power. Everything in the mind comes down to science. Even the few who do believe have the message so garbled that it barely even resembles His word any more,” he paused and looked up as he referred to God. “What would happen if he told someone he needed to build a boat, he’d end up with a plane or something equally useless I’d bet.”

I could tell Noah was getting angry and this conversation wasn’t really going in a direction any of us liked. “Look Noah we all know what you went through back then. Heck I was flying around making sure that no one was missed. But it’s his call everyone at the table is his to command. If he needs us again he’ll tell us.” I watched as Death reached across the table and dragged the bowl of chips closer to him before stuffing a handful into his mouth and washing them down with dregs of his beer. A roll of flab hung down and swayed as he moved his arm. As I watched I tried hard not to think about my own expanding waistline which had grown considerably over the past thousand years. “He just might not need us any more, I guess. Or maybe he’s holding us in reserve for the end of days? And quit hogging the chips Death.’ I pushed out for the table and headed for the cooler to grab another beer.

“Of course he needs us look at War he must be over worked beyond believe.”

War gave his closely shaved head a shake “Not at all, I haven’t done anything down there since the middle ages. They’re doing it all by themselves.”

“There it is again being more independent not need Gods divine guidance.” Noah jumped right in taking War’s response as proof of his own opinion.

“I’m not sure the fact they can kill each without our help is proof of their dismissal of His will.” I handed the last of the beers to the table.

Death held his hand up in front of the beer “No thanks, I’ve gotta get going the wife made plans for later tonight.”

“How is Famine doing anyways?” I put his beer down in front of me for later.

“Still kinda skinny I guess but that’s how she’s always been,” Death collected his chips and cashed out for the chip box. He paused at the door and looked back to the table “You know who is still busy from the old days don’t you? Conquest and maybe if we hadn’t replaced him with Pestilence we all might still be busy.” With that said he walked out the door.

Everyone around the table was left staring at the door as it swung shut while nodding their heads. I was considering the possibilities and what might have been when Noah broke the silence. “What about this whole 2012 thing I’ve heard those old Mayan’s talking about, you think you guys will be involved in that?”

“That’s not his thing. From what I’ve heard He and some other higher powers more local to the area are still in negotiations about it. But if its end of the world time again I’m sure we’ll get some part in it. I just hate the idea that we might get outsourced to someone else.”

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Be sure to come back next friday for B is for Blank

I'm just testing something

2009-09-24T11:14:00.001-05:00

This is a Test post

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T07:04:00.000-05:00

International Talk like a pirate day

2009-09-19T13:07:00.001-05:00

In honour of International Talk like a pirate day

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-16T07:00:00.002-05:00

This is the last in the graffiti series of Wordless Wednesday's I've been doing. This one was taking by me on the wall of my local gaming store.

This is also the beginning of a series of Wordless Wednesday's that are photo's taken by me..

Life Update

2009-09-15T16:05:00.002-05:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog long enough you might remember some of the challenges that my wife and I faced with our youngest daughter. She turned 18 a year ago this December and graduated a year ago this past June. This past year and a half has been a bit of an adventure in parenting. We realized that there is a little bit of time after graduating when you need to find yourself and discouver what you need to be doing but at the same time you do need to accept certain responsibilities.

Over the course of the year we have been told a lot of things, discouvered a lot of lies, and at times seen some amazing growth on the part of our daughter. After one year of being largely jobless apart from 29 days when she worked at a local daycare and a 2 month period when she took a paid job finding program, she has been without work. We decided that enough was enough and told her in June that she had until September to find a job or she would no longer be able to live with us. She has not found a job, and this past Friday she moved out. At this point she is couch surfing with various friends and keeping in lose contact with us.

Our hope is that this will be an incentive to find her own way and grow up in some of the ways that she really needs to. So fingers crossed, and candles lit that it works out the way we hope for her.

Question of the Week #9 - The Great Rite

2009-09-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

I've decided that I am going to start off each Question of the Week with some important information just to keep us all on the same page. The objective of the questions as a whole is several fold.

1) To encourage people to take a closer look at the own spirituality.
2) To encourage discussion on this blog and on others.
3) To act as a blog prompt giving people something to post about.

So in order for it to do all of these thing please post your answers to your own blog, include a link back to the original question and comment there as well. This will drive more people to your site to read your answers and also show more people the way to this blog so that they can take part in the questions as well.

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This weeks question comes from a discussion I had with a friend the other night. The Great Rite is a beautiful, symbolic or real act in circle and can have great power behind it. But is it something that you do? Lately I've been talking to many pagans as of late and it seems to be less and less common. Is the Great Rite a part of your own spiritual pracitce? Is it something that you do in every circle you hold? Maybe it is something that you reserve for Full moons or the Major holidays?

Regardless of how you work with the Great Rite or if you do at all. How did you come to the decisions you did surrounding it?

enjoy the Question and See you all next week.

Pagan Blogger's Network - Update

2009-09-13T10:52:00.002-05:00

I just finished updating the Pagan Blogger's Network for the past month. We now have over a 150 memebers, I'm a little curious to know how many people are out there who are members who still read my blog. If you are a part of the network and do read this please take a minute and comment.
As I worked through it I felt it was important to remind people that I only update the list every two to four weeks depending on my schedule. It isn't just a matter of clicking approve a comment I need to double check and make sure the image is up and then add the link to two different places. One of which for some reason will only let me update from my home computer. So if you have added the button and you have commented on the site it will get added to the list please just be patient.

I've also been noticing a fair number of people visiting my site through Google as of late. So I decided to do a quick google search using the term Pagan Blogger and Pagan Blog. For Pagan Blogger we are number 1 on the search. For Pagan Blog we are on the second page, not perfect but great results none the less.

Question of the Week #8 - Paying for an Education

2009-09-07T17:38:00.005-05:00

This week I've decided to go with something that in the past has really gotten people talking. In fact money is a subject that will generally get people talking anytime. I've got some pretty strong opinions on this topic so I am very excited to read any responses that come in. Also don't be surprised to if you see me commenting back on this one. So now on to this weeks and struggling to keep my opinions out of it.

There is a line in one of the earliest books on Wicca by Gerald Gardener that basically states you shall not charge for magic. The accepted meaning of this in many circles is that you will not charge to teach Wicca. So assuming this interpretation is correct at what point does something becoming teaching? There are groups of people in classes being held already the world that charge for them, there are even online classes that charge as well. Yet despite all these things charging people still keep bringing up this ideal that you shouldn't charge for Wicca.

This whole thing of not charging is limited to Wicca. All sorts of other organizations and religions charges for there classes. Even the ones that are semi religious in nature still charge. So why shouldn't you be charged for Wicca? Is there anything about Wicca that comes for free? Or do you have to pay for it in some way or another all along the way? So let us say that the lessons are free will they still have the same value to you?

Money is what makes the world go around on so many different levels. Does it make our faith go around as well?

Flash Friday

2009-09-04T08:45:00.003-05:00

There seem to be several different ways of defining the term Flash Fiction. One says that a Flash Fiction should be less then twenty words. Since that is the smallest one that I have heard of I will start with that.

Independence declared and a new micro-nation born. No one cared or noticed except the ruler.

Now on to other writing projects. More flash fiction in a week

Long sad day...

2009-09-03T20:12:00.004-05:00

Went in to work this morning in some discomfort but wanted to try and tough it out and not miss more work. By about 1030ish it go to be to much. I couldn't take it any more even with a T-3. I headed home to drop off somethings before heading to a near by clinic to try and find out why I was still in pain from an operation a week earlier.

At home I discouvered that my dog Ginger was having problems, it had been for several days now. She hadn't been eating all that much since the weekend. Her back legs where shaky and she had a hard time standing up for any length of time. Tamile was very concerned and so was I. I didn't rush off to the clinic for me, I had to look into a few things animal clinics. We noticed more and more wrong with her as we watched her closely. Even after offering some of her favourite treats which she ignored.

We took her in to the Humane Society here in Winnipeg to check her out. She couldn't even get up to go to the door or go outside. The Vet suspected that at some point over the weekend Ginger at the age of 10 years old had a stroke. Apparently has a general rule dogs just don't recouver from them, they might linger for a few days before another stroke. but it will not be a positive experience for the dog or the owners. At that point we decided to have her put down. It was a sad time and both of use cried as the needle went in wishing her well wishes and a happy time in the summer lands.

She was a good animal and we hope that we where able to make her few years with us good ones.

After everything was said and done and Tamile was home I did go to the clinic for myself and the doctor did offer several very good suggestions. Which basically boiled down to sit the heck down and stop pushing yourself.

Thursday Thirteen #2

2009-09-03T08:21:00.002-05:00

Thirteen Things to do in September

1. Finish Nanowrimo project Outline

2. Update blog with some prewritten posts to be ready for the month of November.

3. Help Tamile with her Etsy Shop

4. Work on something to be submitted for Tesseracts Fourteen

5. Journal Nightly

6. Restart Exercise routine on September 10th (2 weeks after operations)

7. Help my youngest daughter move out.

8. Record another episode of the Magical Earth Quadcast

9. Write ahead for Carpe Arcanum so that I don't have to take a break during NANOWrimo

10. Make time to spend it outside and enjoy what little nice weather we are getting.

11. Start working some short stories and getting more submissions out there.

12. Try Writing some Flash Fiction Fridays

13. Seriously start the budgeting plan my Wife and I have been discussing.

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Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T09:15:00.000-05:00