591

{file "Fool" "bos135.htm"}

THE HOLY FOOL:

The Third member of the Triad
-some musings by: the Bard
*
"Remember, the Moon is only half as big as the Earth, but
it's twice as
far away."
-Anonymous

After some time musing on the concept of

Goddess/God that is
common in Wiccan (and most Neo-Pagan groups) and seeing
the common theme
of "things come in threes" in these belief systems, I fell
to wondering
"Why only the God and Goddess? If all things come in
threes, where is
the Third Aspect that should be there?"
So what is this Third Aspect? I feel it is the
Holy Fool; the
Prometheus who is the Trickster, the God (neuter) that
rolls the dice.
This also fills in certain holes in neo-Pagan Theology
that have bothered
me for some time, too.
First, we need to have a quick look at the Holy
Fool in religious
and/or cultural beliefs, both primitive and modern:
American Indian:
Aztec: Ueuecoyotl
Caddo: Coyote
Chinook: Coyote
Coos: Coyote
Haida: Raven
Hopi: Mudhead Kachina, Clown Kachina
Kiowa: Coyote
Navaho: Coyote
Nez Perce: Coyote
Omaha: Coyote, Rabbit, Iktinike, Orphan
Pueblo: Koshare
Sioux: Spider
Tillamook: Coyote
Tinglit: Raven
Winnebago: Rabbit
Zuni: Coyote
African: Spider, Tortoise, Rabbit, Jackal

Graeco/Roman: Pan, Dionysis

Celtic: Phooka and the like (see Irish: Fear Dearg,
and a host of
others. The Fool must love Ireland very
much...He made so
many of Itself there!)
Norse: Loki...-and- Balder
Banks Island: Clat
Micronesia: Nareau
England: Puck, Black Jack Davy
Christianity: "Doubting" Thomas, and The Christ
Himself, in many
ways....and Judas, too.
20th Cent. North American: Bugs Bunny, The Joker,
Mr. Mxyzpltk,
Murphy, ("And Pooh is a
-good- example,
too!" said Eeyore)

592

Isles)
John, &c.

Neo-Paganism: Discordians
18th thru 20th Cent. Appalachian: Jack (from British
18th and 19th Cent. N.A. Black: Br'er Rabbit, Long

German: Tyl Eulenspiegel

Italy: Harlequin (check out Agatha Christie's
stories about
"Harley Quinn." VERY interesting!)
Islamic: Juha, Abu Nawwas, Mullah Nasruddin,
Nasreddin Khoja,
Nasreddin Hodja
Japanese: Fox, Hotei, and the whole concept of
Zen......
And the many, many instances of the Hero figure
and his Friend in
most people's mythology....Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Robin
Hood and Little
John, the Mythic Hollywood Western Hero and his ridiculous
sidekick, Don
Quixote and Sancho Panza.....and many times you see the
recurrent theme of
the Great Betrayal of the Hero, which leads to His
death...and to His
Resurrection!
One immediately sees that the Fool is a universal
constant in
folk belief, just as the Goddess and God are!
(NB: I have not gotten more specific for two
reasons: one, for
limitations of space, and two, to encourage others to do a
little reading
on their own!)

As most things, the Fool is Personified in three

basic Aspects
that (of course) overlap with each other and with the God
and Goddess.
The first is that of the Saviour God, the Prometheus, the
Culture Hero, who
brings Knowledge (and -occasionally- Wisdom) to Mankind.
This Aspect loves
Mankind with all His Being, and only wishes Good. His
Good Intentions
sometimes fall short of His (or Mankind's) expectations,
however.
Thesecond isthat ofthe Clown,the Nerd,the
Jerk,that teaches
by his own mistakes (and who usually comes out ahead
because of His own
Innocence.) This Aspect is mostly neutral, and is how He
seems to mostly
manifest Himself.
Butletus notforget thethird,and
darker,side oftheFool, best
exemplified by Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker in
the film version
of "Batman." Just as the Goddess has Her Dark side (the
Crone, the
Morrigan, &c) and the God has His (Odin as Death-God)
so does the Fool
have a terrifying Aspect (at least, from the human point
of view): Chaos
Personified.
This is not an Aspect to invoke, as It does not
care. Period. It
is the ultimate psychopath, the ultimate Spoiled Brat,
the quintessence
of Ego-centric self-love. In some circles, it could be
quite nicely named
Ahriman, or Shaitan, or Satan, because it fits all
concepts of that
Middle-Eastern deity....except one: It does not care if
Man worships It or
not. It is not in -conflict- with the God and/or Goddess,
It is -not- on
the kind of power-trip that the Judeo-Christian Satan is
represented
as
having, it just -is-. It should be considered as neither
"good" nor
"evil," though it can personify both or either....or
neither! This is
confusing, but with a little thought the concept will
(hopefully) come
clear.

593

(And, just in passing, the film version of "Batman"

is perhaps a very
good metaphor for the eternal struggle between the
Fool-as-Prometheus
(Batman) and the Fool-as-Chaos (the Joker).
Areyou confused? If youare, GOOD! If you arenot,
keep thinking by
not-thinking. (wha-a-a-a-a-t?)
Some of thebest examples ofthe three
Personifications arefound in
the Navaho and Zuni tales of Coyote, or the Br'er Rabbit
tales, or the
older Bugs Bunny cartoons, or even Walt Disney's Goofy.
And, while speaking
of classic animation, if you can see any of the cartoons
of the
Cannibal
Boy and the Mynah Bird, do so! It shows not one, but
TWO Aspects
in
action!
For a look at His more serious (?) side, try J.R.R.
Tolkien's
wonderful evocation of Tom Bombadil.....who is described
as "the oldest."
Prof. Tolkien came very close to the core of the truth
with that one!
The Fool is your slightly daffy Uncle, that comes to
visit at
Christmas and is such fun to be with, but who seems
to have a sadness
about him too, that you found out later, when you were
all grown up, was
his slide into alcoholism. The Fool is the American
sit-com "Daddy" who
never seems to get anything right, but wins out in the
end anyway. The
Fool is the classic scene of Bugs Bunny, floating in
a washtub in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean, happily singing "As Time Goes
By," blissfully
uncaring about his obvious predicament...one which would
send a human into
sheer despair....knowing that something will turn up,
some
scam that he
can pull that will get him out of the washtub and into
clover again. The
Fool is the Tarot's Fool, of course....but He is also the
Hanged Man.
Do -not- invoke the Fool unless you are ready for
literally ANYTHING
to happen! He just might turn you into a Large Green Frog
just to observe
what happens......He is capricious. He is unpredictable.
He is what He is,
and nothing you can do will turn Him from His Purpose,
whatever that may

be at any given moment. He is "Murphy," and whatever can

go wrong, WILL
go wrong...or right. Unless you have an uncommonly
flexible mind, you
-might- not be able to handle it!
He has no Festival, unless it is the Lupercal, or
perhaps April Fool's
Day, or even New Year's Eve, for every day is His, as
He chooses. Some
have
inquired
about the
seeming
overlap
of
functions
in
the
Goddess/God/Fool triad, and this should be addressed here.
The modern
Western mind tends to "pigeonhole" things, and
rigidly excludes other
things
from these pigeonholes. This, I feel, is in some ways an
error in thinking,
especially about the Triad.

594
One cannot and should not "compartmentalize" the
God/Fool/Goddess
into three rigidly separate Beings, but rather think of
them as three
separate sources of ripples in the same Pond: the ripples
interact and
intersect, and act on each other, but move within
the same Source,
whatever
That may be.
-the Bard
at Samhain, 1990
CE
I wish I could list all of my sources, but if I did, it
would add several
pages to this text, and I am trying to keep it short. I
-will- recommend
reading one book, however, that will give a great
insight into the Holy
Fool:
CONTRARIWISE
Zohra Greenhalgh, Ace (paperback) April 1989
0-441-117112-2
(it has a sequel, but I can't remember the title
offhand....)
*
"Rimble, Rimble!"
*

Permission is granted to reprint this article, both in

electronic and in
print. Any copy of this article must include the WHOLE
article, and any
comments should be sent net-mail to "the Bard" at FIDOnet
1:114/29 (602)
439-7080. Copies of any printed reproduction of this
article should be
forwarded to "the Bard" c/o DEUS EX MACHINA BBS, PO Box
35190, PHOENIX, AZ
85069. Thanks!

595

{file "Psychic Self-Defense" "bos136.htm"}

=Carlin=

PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE

by

One of the problems which faces the aspiring witch

or magician is
an increased sensitivity to and awareness of the "unseen"
forces of the
world.
Usually this sensitivity is a delight, but
occasionally it
becomes a nightmare -- in the most literal sense of
the word.
In
particular, this article deals with what spiritualists
and shamans
would refer to as spirit obsession -- a cluster of
"symptoms" that
differ from possession, but that still can destroy the
integrity of the
victims <AND ALSO> gives some background information on
obsession, and
then outlines a few "generic" techniques that will
benefit those
subject to this form of "psychic harassment."
DEFINING OBSESSION
Obsession occurs in every nation and subculture,and
result
every magical subculture has had it's own way of
defining and dealing
with the phenomena involved.
Modern medicine, with the
exception of
Jungian and "New Age" psychiatry/psychology, tends to
dismiss obsession
as either hysteria or budding schizophrenia. The major
religions, for
the most part, now agree with this evaluation. Of
course, the "New
Right" fundamentalists are likely to see a demon in
every corner....
Either of these approaches tends to disempower the
afflicted person by
as a

destroying her/his trust in his own inner processes

making him
dependent on the "expert" who will control the attempt to
cure him/her.
Spiritualists will warn you against psychic attack or
unprotected
dealings with the Dead.
Work <?> will tell you that
the problem is
either openness to astral influences or rebellion within
the psyche <OR
"ALL OF THE ABOVE">. There is more to being human than
the conscious
mind, and unintegrated and unrecognized "complexes"
within the psyche
will sometimes have separate agendas that can lead to
"attack from
within" if those needs are continually ignored.
My
own tendency
<PERHAPS "BIAS" OR "APPROACH" IS A BETTER WORD> is
philosophically
Jungian-to-agnostic,but practically
Shamanic.
I
tend
to view
such"entities" as psychological. However, the
techniques I use are
more effective if the problem is "projected" outward and
treated as if
it were the result of attack by a sentient being.
Even
if obsessions
are caused by "complexes", a truly well established
complex takes on
enough "life" to be regarded as a "secondary personality"
demanding of
respect. If someone is having to live with obsession,
chances are that
the person is more interested in resolving the problem
than debating
metaphysics.
The methodology outlined below is
designed to work,
whether you agree with the philosophy behind it or
not.
These
techniques are "homeopathic" in nature, contrived with
the idea of
strengthening the victIm's "psychic immune system" to the
point where
s/he no longer can be victimized. Without this increase in
inner power,
the person can be temporarily freed from the obsession,
but remains
vulnerable to "evil influence" in the future.
and

596
THE BEGINNINGS OF OBSESSION
Checking a person's personal history, one will
usually find that
obsessions begin during periods where stress,negative
emotions, or

injury have impaired that person's natural selfprotective abilities.

Or where the person
has been unprepared or
confused
and has
intentionally or unintentionally "dropped his/her guard"
around someone
already disturbed. Or where the person has been abused
and degraded
since early childhood and is consequently continually
open to negative
influences<LAST
THREE
SENTENCES
NEED
TO
BE
"SMOOTHER">.
In
psychological terminology, old "complexes" are cathected
during periods
when the ego is foundered in depression, weakening the
"auric shield"
that normally will protect against "outside influences,"
as well as the
physical body. This auric shield can also be "pierced"
during "psychic
attacks," leaving a "hole" through which invading astralorganisms can
pass freely. In the same way, "evil spirits" are
contagious. Emotional,
sexual, or magical intimacy with someone already obsessed
can allow the
entity to pass over to oneself. And an extreme
period of rage or
vengefulness can attract like to like, bringing one to the
attention of
"vengeful creatures" in the "lower astral."
SYMPTOMS OF OBSESSION
Among the most common symptoms of obsession is a
brooding fixation
upon some negative thought or act. The obsessed person
being unable to
"turn off" the voice that urges her/him on to selfdestructive or
vindictive acts. The idea that one is the Messiah or the
rightful ruler
of the universe, or too low to continue to live may
repeatedly intrude
upon consciousness.
To consider much addictive
behavior to be the
result of obsession by "earth-bound spirits" or
elementals<???>. No
longer having physical bodies, the "astral low-lifes"
push susceptible
living humans into overindulging in whatever the
discarnate entity
still craves.
In other cases, the symptoms take other
forms. Sleep
can be disrupted by repeated nightmares or night
terrors.
The
individual may awaken with no memory of the contents of
the dream, but
over time will develop insomnia or a fear of sleep.
Especially in

children,the shadows of night can resolve themselves

into terrifying
images, and there can be an overwhelming sense of
being constantly
watched.
Visual "hallucinations" may force
themselves onto the
physical plane or may manifest themselves solely upon the
"mind's eye."
At times the obsession can be relatively benign. Budding
magicians can
"pick up hitchhikers" during
their initial
workings, and these
"creatures" may well content themselves with acting as
Guardians of its
cases the "entities" will only "act out"when the
magician re-enters
trance or attempts to work on the astral levels<PATCH IT
UP>.
People
who work with divinatory techniques without proper
training and
grounding are especially vulnerable, with the Ouija
board being the
worst offender.
This is one reason that the
traditional religions,
which do
not want
the
general populace
trained
in
magical
techniques,urge people away from divinatory practices.
Obsessions that
strike those not trained to magick are usually not so
courteous. In
the more entrenched cases,physical symptoms other than
insomnia can
manifest. Especially when one is very tired or ill,
the obsession
attempt can escalate and begin to unbalance the
homeostatic mechanisms
of the body.
Constipation,sinusitis and migraine
headaches are the
more usual manifestations, along with extreme pallor,
edema, and mental
confusion and memory loss.
Poltergeist activity is
also sometimes
reported.The obsessing entity can also color the
impressions of others.

597
One can suddenly find oneself being accused of unsavory
attitudes or
persistently misunderstood.
At the same
time,
truly unsavory
characters will be attracted to the new image and will
begin to pop up
out of the woodwork.
THE MAGICAL APPROACH
suspects

There are
that

many

things that

one

can

do if

one

obsession has occurred.

One can treat it as a demon
turn to
spiritual authority for help. One can treat it as
mental illness and
turn to psychiatric explanations.
One can ignore it
as much as
possible, or begin to avoid the activities that call it
forth. One can
also "raise one's energies" using self-help techniques
such as those
outlined in following paragraphs.Any one of the
above reactions
cripples one as a magician, however. From a ceremonial
viewpoint, one
must pass the "Guardian on the Threshold" before one can
pass on to the
next level of development.From a Jungian standpoint, one
must develop
rapport with and "reintegrate" the rejected portion;
from a Shamanic
standpoint, one must "turn" the entity and either dismiss
it or convert
it into a spirit helper<?>.
and

THE INNER DIALOGUE

Step one, using the magical approach, is to become
acquainted with
the "entity" and engage it in dialogue.In some
instances the entity
will turn out to be malevolent, in other's only "immature"
or confused
and angry at being ignored.
Before engaging in this
activity, one is
advised to ground and center, and to shield in whatever
manner one's
tradition suggests. One is also advised to
begin/continue in whatever
other spiritually protective exercises one has faith
in.If there is
someone available to work with the afflicted person, have
that helper
prepare a list of non-leading(Not "are you a demon?,"
but "what are
you?") questions. Then drop into light trance and Then
let the other
person ask the questions while the victim answers with
the first thing
that pops into his/her head.
In effect, s/he will
be voluntarily
"channelling" for the entity's unconscious
and
perhaps "denied"
(officially) circumstances.If there is no other person,
then the victim
must do whatever form of divination or trance work
he/she have
developed to
contact his/her
subconscious.
Those
with vivid
imaginations can simply find a quiet moment and ask "are
you there?,"

personifying the "entity" in the same way that

children create
imaginary friends. Afterwards, no matter what the
technique used, the
obsessed person is to be certain that his/her aura is
closed and that
s/he is grounded and centered. AFTER "CONTACT" At this
point s/he may
have failed to make contact.In which case there is
nothing to him/her
to do but repeat the exercise until either it works or
s/he is sure it
isn't going to work. If real contact does not occur,
then s/he might
attempt to simply banish "it". It is possible that the
entity will not
answer directly, but will begin to up<INCREASE> its
activity level or
bring a string of unusual circumstances into the
obsessed person's
life.

598
It is more likely, however, the<Y> have begun
dialogue.
Sometimes "complexes"are immature parts of our own
personalities that
will calm down and begin to behave themselves once
"they" no longer
feel that they are being ignored.If the obsessing image
is that of an
animal, or even an ugly humanoid being, then it may
simply be time to
intensify one's spiritual quest and face down one's
power animal or
dark side. Frequently, these allies will attempt to come
to the aid of
someone undergoing
psychic attack, and because
of
the general
atmosphere of fear,will be perceived as threats and
turned away
themselves.Eventually,
in either case
the "entity"
can either
be"reintegrated" into the personality, or "kept" as a
spirit-helper by
those with shamanic leanings. If one is ALSO under
psychic attack, the
ally will probably help in the defense once asked
and properly
recognized.
a

"LOST SOULS" AND WORSE

On the other hand, "it" may claim to be a spirit or
other entity
that requires help.
If the request is not ridiculous
<d>o consider

honoring it. The author has personally dealt with a

"poltergeist" who
claimed to be a woman who had died of yellow fever over a
century ago.
When questioned, the "spirit" was confused at first, then
admitted that
she had died in delirium and had not realized that she
was dead until
"awakened" out of her stupor by some young people using a
Ouija board.
When asked what she wanted, the reply was "Pray for
me."
The
poltergeist activity ended as soon as prayers were begun,
and the last
message received from the spirit was "Thank God, I'm
free." Not being
able to make herself understood on the material plane
by any other
means, the "spirit" had resorted to knocking physical
objects around to
attract attention. If someone of "mediumistic" nature
had been about,
she might have obsessed that person instead in her
bid to gain
attention.
The obsession would have become malevolent
only if the
obsessed person repeatedly blocked her out or otherwise
caused her to
<?>become cases of obsession in relatively
"normal"persons will fall
into one of the first few categories.In rare cases, the
obsessed may
have had his/her attempt at contact met with a voice
screaming "DIE,
DIE, DIE."
Or something similar and profane.
This
is where the
spiritual practices suggested in the following
paragraphs will be of
greatest benefit, followed by professional help or even
exorcism, if
necessary.
(Even where an entity seems totally
hostile, it is
sometimes possible to "turn" it through raising
"light"as described
below.)

599
SELF-HELP WITH OBSESSION
Not everyone is a magician and not everyone wishes
open the
"can of worms" of the subconscious.The following
activities are very
useful in "uprooting"spiritual obsession by increasing
"light".
In
cases of "mild" obsession only a few of these
measures,or a simple
to

ritual of dismissal, will be sufficient to be rid of

the problem.In
more entrenched cases, these techniques should be
continued for the
healing period, accompanied by Inner Work, depth
psychology, or other
techniques that promote self-understanding.
Those
suffering from
physical symptoms should also work to strengthen their
immune system
and improve their diet and lifestyle.
If possible,
the severely
afflicted individual should have a counselor,
teacher, or trusted
friend monitor his/her progress "just in case."
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES FOR "RAISING THE
LIGHT"
For a period of three months, the obsessed
should "cleanse"
him/herself daily in whatever manner her/his
spiritual tradition
decrees.
Grounding and centering are excellent
techniques, as is
renewing oneself through visualizing the aura as strong
and untainted.
One can draw pictures of oneself expelling all darkness
or meditate on
the same image.Prayer is useful, as is catching oneself
thinking the
old negative thoughts and declaring that one has "taken
that out of the
Law" or "averted" the consequences.
If the afflicted
has friends who
engage in spiritual pursuits, send him/her mental support
and positive
energy.
The individual is also advised to spend time in
sacred places
where evil is barred from entering, and to refrain from
the company of
persons s/he knows are bad for her/him.If already
attuned to ritual
work, the victim can"cleanse" his/her home or have it
cleansed by
someone trusted.
Those who have faith in Holy Water
should sprinkle
and apply it liberally.
Afterwards, if the obsessed is
truly serious
about being rid of a persistent fixation, s/he can burn
white candles
constantly while awake and at home.
This will act as
a symbol of
the"light" one wishes to draw into one's life.
The
most seriously
affected are advised to surround their beds with a
protective circle
and never to sleep in a darkened room.
Other
religious/protective
symbols can be placed in sight and called upon, and
protective incenses

such as sandalwood may be burned. The important thing is

to keep one's
spiritual goal constantly in mind and the"entity<?> one's
determination
to improve. This may seem like a great deal of effort,
but the effect
will be to "open" the individual to positive influences,
even if s/he
doesn't believe in "demons".The individual will be
"raising his/her
energy" level to the point where something "dark" cannot
even bear to
approach her/him, and keeping the energy "high"for a long
enough period
that "it" will become "discouraged" and fade from
sight.At the end of
the three months, the "entity" should either be weakened
severely from
being "starved" or should be gone.
If it is gone,
then a ritually
adept person can do a rededication wherein the formerly
obsessed is
declared sealed against recurrences. If the problem still
exists, then
the cause may actually be mental illness brought on
by a brain
imbalance or early trauma. In any case, entrenchment of
that degree of
severity is beyond the scope of any self-help article to
deal with. In
every case the author has seen or dealt with however,
vast improvement
over the three month period<?>.

600
DIANISM IN A NUIT-SHELL
Recently, I got back in touch with my
teacherafter nearly two
years and dropped a couple of bombshells on her: I had
changed gender
identity and had come together with two other women to
form a Dianic
coven. When the initial shock wore off, Rita sent me a
complete run of
Protean Synthesis and a solicitation for this article.
Several yearsago I subscribed toseveral
stereotypes regarding
"those peculiar Dianics".
They were thealogically
unbalanced, they
hated men, they denied that men had souls, they were all
lesbians, they
couldn't spell (in the orthographic sense; no one has
yet accused
Dianics of inability to work magick), etc. etc. When I
came together

were

with my covensisters, I realized that these notions

at most
partially true and some cases were patently false.

Ibelieve there are onlythree valid

generalizationsthat can be
made about Dianics:
1) We are all feminists.
2) We all
look to the
Goddess(es) far more than to the God(s).
3) We are
all eclectics.
Note well that there are plenty of non-Dianic
feminist Witches,
non-Dianic
eclectics,
and
non-Dianics
who
are
primarily
Goddess-oriented.
There are also doubtless a good
many feminist,
Goddess-oriented eclectics who do not choose to call
themselves
Dianic.
In my own case I use the "If it quacks
like a duck, it
probably is a duck" argument, as well as the fact that
my HPS learned
the Craft as a Dianic and runs Dianic rituals.
Some of thestereotypical generalizations I can
dismiss out of
hand.
I don't know of a single Dianic who denies that
men have souls.
Even Z Budapest doesn't believe that piece of tripe
anymore!
It is
true that Dianism is particularly attractive to
separatists, and many
separatists actually hate men.
Many Dianics are
lesbians.
Some
misspell words like "woman", women", "egalitarian", and
"holistic" on
purpose.
Not all fit these, however, and I think that
Z Budapest in
her younger, or spiritual bomb-throwing, days represents
an extreme and
a small minority. There are a number of males involved in
Dianism, and
some of those are men [NB: I use the terms "man" and
"woman" to indicate gender identity, that is, how one's
heart, mind,
and/or soul are configured.
I use "male" and "female"
to indicate
physical sex, that is, how one's plumbing is configured.
I hope this
dispels confusion.].
Thealogical and magickalimbalance isnot soeasily
dismissedand
needs to be addressed further, as that is the most valid
objection that
thoughtful Witches have to Dianism. The apparent
imbalance comes from
the Dianic emphasis on Goddess-worship, often to the
complete exclusion
of God-worship. This upsets many Witches' sense of
polarity balance.

The resolution of this apparent imbalance lies in the

consideration of
other polarities than sexual and/or gender as the
primary polarity.
There are indeed many other polarities to consider:
true-false,
life-death,
dark-light,
rational-mystical,
creation-destruction,
order-chaos, and good-evil, to name but a few.
One problem with the masculine-feminine polarity is that
there is a
strong tendency to express all other polarities in terms
of it. The
Chinese were particularly fond of this, and mapped
everything they
liked into the yang side, and everything they disliked
or feared into
the yin side, the patriarchal no-accounts!

601
One thingI have discovered isthat if you
lookhard enough, you
can find goddesses to fit both ends of most
polarities.
Some even
occupy both ends simultaneously. Inanna, my matron
goddess, is a good
case in point. She is the Sumerian goddess of love, war,
wisdom (which
she won in a drinking bout!), adventure, the heavens,
the earth, and
even of death (in the guise of her dark aspect,
Ereshkigal). A very
busy lady indeed is Inanna. At this point it
becomes largely a matter of personal preference
rather than of
polarity, whether one chooses a god or a goddess to occupy
a particular
place in a ritual.
NoDianic I know ofdenies the existence ofthe
Indeed, He
gets mentioned as the consort of the Goddess with some
frequency in Z
Budapest's HOLY BOOK OF WOMEN'S MYSTERIES, which is
close a thing as
there is to a Dianic version of the Gardnerian Book of
Shadows. He is
there, and sometimes we will invoke Him, when it is
appropriate. He
makes His own path, and we follow our own, and
when they cross
naturally we honor Him and do not avoid Him. We also do
not force the
paths to cross simply to lend an artificial balance to a
ritual where
none is really needed.
God.

Now that I have spilled agood deal of ink over

what Dianismis
not, I should now say a few words about what it is: a
movement of
feminist, eclectic, Goddess-oriented Witches.
Feminism: This covers avast multitudeof virtues
andsins. Ido
not think the stereotypical radical lesbian separatist is
as common as
is believed. Moderate to liberal feminism is probably far
more common,
even among Dianics. Certainly my own coven contains no
separatists!
There are too many nice men out there, even though
surveys have shown
that 70% or more of all men are potential rapists. The
nice ones are
found among those who are not in that repulsive majority;
you just have
to look to find them. One of the places you might find
such nice men
is in Dianic covens! Some are mixed groups, at least
some of those of
the branch founded by Morgan McFarland. My
own is something of a mixed up group, I suppose.
While we do not
currently have any men in the coven, two of the three of
us were born
male and still have original-equipment plumbing. The
Goddess and our
HPS accept us unreservedly as women.
Eclecticism: If there isone dictum of Z
Budapest's thatbears
repeating to everyone in the Craft, and which gets
followed by many, it
is "When in doubt, invent."
Dianics tend toward
creative ritual,
drawing from any and all possible sources. I have yet to
see a Dianic
equivalent of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, nor do I
ever hope to see
one.

602
Goddess Orientation: I've discussed this at some
length while
talking about polarity. There are some wags who have said
that Dianics
are nothing but matriarchal monotheists. I tell you
three times: The
Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag!
The Dianic
Goddess is NOT
Jehovah in drag!
The Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in
drag!
A much
closer analogy would be that Dianics have taken the
Classical pantheon

and reclaimed most of the roles. This, too, is

oversimplifying, but it
is not nearly as wide of the mark as the usual
criticism. At some point I may write up a long exegesis
on the Dianic
Goddess, but not here. My own personal involvement with
Her comes from
a great feeling of comfort I do not find elsewhere.
She
feels right.
I have a great deal of difficulty accepting known rapists
(most of the
Olympian males are this, especially Zeus, Hades, and
Pan!) into my
personal pantheon. I also feel a personal vocation from
the Mother; it
is rather incongruous to me to embrace a male deity
wholeheartedly when
the Goddess comes to me and calls me Her daughter. This
goes doubled,
redoubled, in pentacles, and vulnerable for lovers of
women.
Ihope thislittlediscussion ofDianism-in-aNuitshell hasproved
enlightening to you. It is not a path for everyone, but
it is a valid
path for some, and in considering it I hope that you can
now ignore the
garbage that has been put forth in the past as "data"
regarding it.
Inanna Seastar
Birdsnest Coven

603

{file "Divination (RMPJ)" "bos137.htm"}

DIVINATION
This seems like a fairly good time of year to be
talking
about divination. What is it, why do we do it, and what's
in it
for us? Lots of people think it's a way of avoiding
responsibility - if the future is preordained, we might as
well
go back to bed.
Of course, that's not it at all. Divination is
the use of
any one of several methods to obtain information which is
not
directly accessible to the conscious mind of the person
asking
the question. Whether you use cards, crystals, a
pendulum, ink,

lead, dice, the flight of birds or anything else, what you

are

really doing is opening your end of a channel to higher

wisdom.
I consider the "actual" source of that wisdom irrelevant
and
immaterial; it could be one's own subconscious, the
collective
unconscious, the Gods' will, telepathic insight, or a big
computer buried in the Balkans. It's still additional
information which is not as tainted by ego and intellect's
limitations as most.
So what do
with any
other information;
develop a
synthesis that can
easiest
way to analyze the
jello)
example:

we do with it?

The same things we do

add it to what we already know and

help us do our decision-making.

The

process is with a concrete (well, maybe

A young man has been between relationships for

some time.
He wants very much to link up with the great love of his
life,
but is not aware of anyone on the horizon. He is putting
himself
in a position to meet new people, presenting himself as
attractively as he can, and generally taking care of
business,
but no results. He has to decide whether to take a workrelated
course at night or not. It will take a lot of time and
there are
not likely to be any women attending. His progressed
horoscope
is neutral. He gets his cards read. They say:
[PAUSE]
1.Nothing at all about love, but a lot about skilled
craftsmanship and satisfaction through work. He decides to relax
and wait
for a better time, takes the course, and is rewarded with
a
modest promotion which enhances his satisfaction with his
job.
2.A lot about increasing social activities, leading to the

start

of a new romance, leading to great happiness and

satisfaction
after some difficulties are resolved. He does not take
the
course, and meets a really nice interesting lady at a
party given
by a friend (which he couldn't have attended had he taken
the
course).

604
3.That he is overlooking sources of emotional
gratification in
his current situation. Given the information, he starts
looking
around and discovers that one of his quieter friends is a
really
thoughtful and insightful person who helps him learn to
know
himself better, and that a young cousin needs a mentor and
this
relationship gives him a lot of pleasure and fulfillment.
He
begins to feel much more ready for a good relationship,
and much
less impatient to have one start.
These examples illustrate the point made above;
divination
provides you with choices, and you take the consequences,
no
matter what the oracles say. Treat them with respect, not
adoration or blind compliance, and may they always show
you the
truth.
Blessed Be,
The Spinster Aunt

...from RMPJ 12/86

605

{file "Divination (Bibliography)" "bos138.htm"}

Divination Bibliography

TAROT
Butler, Bill.
1975).

Dictionary of the Tarot.

Campbell, Joseph and Richard Roberts.

(Vernal
Equinox Press, 1979).
Case, Paul Foster.
Cavendish, Richard.

The Tarot.

Crowley, Aleister.
Inc. 1984).

Tarot Revelations.

(Maccy Publishing, 1947).

The Tarot.

Connelly, Eileen.
Tarot Apprentice.
(Newcastle Publishing, 1979).

(Schocken Books,

(Harper & Row, 1975).

A

New

The Book of Thoth.

Handbook

for

(Samuel Weiser,

the

TheEgyptian(GoldenDawn)TarotbyTheMaster
Therion.
Douglas, Alfred.
1972).

The Tarot.

Gettings, Fred.
Gray, Eden.
Books, 1970).

(Taplinger Publishing,

The Book of Tarot.

(Triune Books, 1973).

Gray, Eden.

A Complete Guide to the Tarot.

The Tarot Revealed.

Greer, Mary K.
Publishing, 1984).

(Signet Books, 1960).

Tarot for Yourself.

Hargrave, Catherine Perry.

(Dover
Publishing, 1966).
Hutton, Alice.
1983).

(Newcastle

A History of Playing Cards.

The Cards Can't Lie.

Kaplan, Stuart R.
Systems,
1978).
Konraad, Sandor.
1985).

(Bantam

(Hippocrene Books,

The Encyclopedia of Tarot.

Classic Tarot Spreads.

(U.S.Games

(Para Research,

Leland, Charles Godfrey. Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune

Telling.
(University Books, 1962).
* Nichols, Sallie. Jung and Tarot.
(Samuel Weiser Inc.
1980). Good
but lengthy examination of the Jungian aspects of the
Tarot.
Noble, Vicki.

Motherpeace.

(Harper & Row, 1983).

* Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. Part

I: The Major
Arcana. (Aquarian Press, 1980). Excellent
explanation of the
Tarot, using the Rider Waite deck. Highly
recommended.
* Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. Part
II: The
Minor Arcana and Readings. (Aquarian Press, 1980). Good
explanations of various reading methods and extensions.
Roberts, Richard.
1975).

606

Tarot and You.

(Morgan and Morgan,

* Walker, Barbara G. The Secrets of the Tarot. (Harper &

Row, 1984).
Examination of the origins and symbolism of the
Tarot.
Beautifully done.
* Wang, Robert. The Qabalistic Tarot. (Samuel Weiser,
Inc. 1983).
Good reference for the Golden Dawn system of
Tarot.
THE I CHING
Chu, W.K. and W.E. Sherril.
(Routledge
& Kegan Paul, 1976.)
Chu, W.K. and W.E.
(Routledge &
Kegan Paul, 1977.)
Legge, James.
Books, 1964).

Sherril.

The Astrology of the I Ching.

An

Anthology of I

I Ching, Book of Changes.

Ching.

(University

Ni, Hua-Ching. Tao, The Subtle Universal Law and the

Integral Way of
Life. (Shrine of Eternal Breath of Tao, 1979).
Ni, Hua-Ching. The Book of Changes and the Unchanging
Truth. (Shrine
of Eternal Breath of Tao, 1983).
Pattee, Rowena. Moving With Change. (Arkana, 1986).
Interesting
approach to oriental divination. Cards also
available.
Ponce, Charles. The Nature of the I Ching, Its Usage and
Interpretation. (Award Books, 1970).
Trosper, Barry R. and Gin-Hua Leu.
Illustrated Primer.
(KGI Publications, 1986).
Walker, Barbara G.
Row, 1986).

I Ching: The

The I Ching of the Goddess.

Waltham, Clae. I Ching.

of the work
by James Legge.

(Ace Books, 1969).

(Harper &

Adaptation

Wilhelm, R. and C.G. Jung. The Secret of the Golden

Flower.
(Harcourt, Brace and World, 1931).
RUNES
Blum, Ralph.
1982). Set

The Book of Runes.

(St. Martin's Press,

comes with a set of runestones.

Osborn, Marijane and Stella Longland.
(Routledge & Kegan
Paul, Ltd. 1982).

Rune Games.

CARTOUCHE
Hope, Murray. The Way of Cartouche.
1985).
Set comes with cards.

(St. Martin's Press,

607

{file "Exorcism" "bos142.htm"}

OLD MAGIC EXORCISM

Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
Power

of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of

wind have I over thee.

wrath have I over thee.
fire have I over thee.
thunder have I over thee.
lightning have I over thee.
storm have I over thee.
moon have I over thee.
sun have I over thee.
stars have I over thee.
the heaven's and the worlds have I over thee.

(lift sword over head with both hands and chop down.)
Eson! Eson! Emaris!
Garner, Alan;

"The Moon of Gomrath"; Ballantine

614

{file "EcoMagick" "bos143.htm"}

E C O M A G I C
--------------The following is excerpted from an article,
Making Magic For
Planet Earth, written by Selena Fox for Circle Network
News (Box 219,
Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 ) and presented here as being of
public interest to
the pagan community at large. Selena, I didn't have time
to ask your
permission, I presume that by the very nature of your
writings you want

them to be shared with as many people as possible, and

so they are
presented here. This is submitted with this statement
and not to be
edited, by Shadowstar of Boston MA.
"There are many things thatcan be done in spiritual
realmsto help
bring about solutions to the world's problems:
* We can kindle spiritualfriendships with other
lifeforms through
communication with Nature Spirits, who can be
teachers for us and
allies in bringing about planetary healing.
* We can do daily meditations in whichwe creatively
visualize the
spiritual body of the planet glowing with radiant healing
light.
* We can organize and/or take part in ecumenical
planetary prayer
services and rituals with practitioners of other
spiritual paths and
cultures.
* We canhonor Mother Earth as an aspect of the
divine in our solo
and group rituals.
* We can send Mother Earth our love and pray for
planetary health
each time we visit a stone circle, sacred grove,
place of power,
temple, shrine or other sacred site.
* We can do spiritual healing magic for the planet in
our circles.
It is important to reinforce whatever spiritual
work we do with
physical action. There are a variety of ways to do this
and you should
decide on at least one approach and then carry it out.
Here are a few
examples:
* Recycle trash from your household, take paper,
plastics, glass,
aluminum cans, and other recyclables to recycling centers.
*Recycle clothes and no longer needed household
items by donating
them to charities to distribute to the needy.
* Join and actively participate in environmental action
groups.
* Write government officialsand urge them to
takespecific actions

on specific environmental issues, such as stopping all

ocean dumping.
* Write letters and articles for publications about
the need for
environmental preservation.
* Plant trees as part of reforestation efforts.
* Compost food scraps.
* Stop buying and using non-bio-degradable detergents.

615
* Boycott products from companies
destroying the Amazon
rainforest.

that are

* Pick up cigarette butts and other nonbiodegradable litter from

parks and other wilderness areas.
* Donate money to nature preserves.
* Give talks atschools, civic groups, churches andin
other places
in your area about ecological issues.
* Read publications, view films, and attend
presentations inorder
to keep informed about ecological conditions and
learn about
additional ways you can work for planetary healing.

to

* Conserve electricity, water and other resources on a

daily basis.
* Network with others.

616

{file "Fundamentals of Human Ecology" "bos144.htm"}

The Fundamental Laws of Human Ecology

1. We're all in it together. Everything is connected
to everything
else. You can't do just one thing. <Law of
Interrelatedness>
2. The Earth and its resources are finite. or You can't
get something
for nothing. <Law of Conservation of Energy>

3. As energy and other resources

are used, there is
overall
decrease in the amount of usefulness. (Second Law of
Thermodynamics>
an

4. Everything must go somewhere-there is now away. <Law of

Conservation
of Matter>
5. Up to a point, the bigger
point, the bigger
the worse. or To everything
<Brontosaurus
Principle>

the better; beyond that

there is an

optimum size.

6. Everything is becoming something else. <Law of

Continuous Creation>
7. In most cases, the greater the diversity of a
system, the greater
its stability. <The Diversity Principle>
8. Nature frequently but not always "knows" best. Note:
People use
antibiotics to counter nature. <Nature knows best>
9. We shape our buildings <environment> and afterwards our
buildings
<environment> shape us. - Winston Churchhill <Your
Environment is You>
10. As human beings, one of our inalienable rights is the
right to live
in a clean environment. <The Environmental Bill of Rights>
11. Our environment does not belong to us alone. It was
used by our
forefathers, passed on
to us,
and we are
charged with
the
responsibility of passing it undamaged to all future
generations. <the
Rights of the Unborn>
12. All persons must be held responsible for their own
pollution. <the
Responsibility of the Born>
13. All persons are created with an equal right to live in
dignity and
peace and to work out a meaningful existence. Everyone is
entitled to a
fair share of the world's resources-provided one is
carrying one's own
share of the responsibilities for maintaining an orderly
world. <The
Law of Equity>
14. Comfortable living, in harmony
should be each
society's goal. <the Goal of Society>

with

nature,

15. Our dependence on technology is, today, so strong

and widespread,
that we are compelled to use technology as a means for
getting out of
our environmental dilemma. <Technology-Part of the
Problem, Part of the
Solution>
16. No national purpose however urgent, no political
economic
necessity however pressing can possibly justify the risk
of bringing
all human history to an end. <Give Earth a Chance>
or

617

{file "The Postures of Ecstasy" "bos145.htm"}

The Posture of Ecstasy

The nature of ecstatic states of consciousness may be

encoded in their
postures. The types of visions, prophecies or healing
abilities that
accompany ecstatic states may have less to do with
the religious
content surrounding the ceremonies of ecstasy than with
the posture
assumed by the people undergoing the ecstatic experience.
This unusual
hypothesis
is
being
proposed
by
psychological
anthropologist Felicitas D. Goodman, PhD, based on
observation of
people in ecstatic states and her experiments training
people to enter
such states of consciousness. In some of her earlier
re- search, Dr.
Goodman learned that she could induce an ecstatic state
in a subject
through the use of a gourd rattle similar to that
used in many
primitive shamanistic ceremonies. While a subject, alone,
or in a
group, walked in a circle, or simply sat, Dr. Goodman
would shake this
rattle in a steady manner for 15 minutes. The use of
the rattle was
based on the hypothesis that "acoustic driving" affects
the functioning
of the brain, blocking the verbal left hemisphere and
opening access
the intuitive right hemisphere.
Within five minutes,
most subjects
were giving indications of being in an altered state of
consciousness.
At the end of the experiment, their verbal reports
confirmed that they

had been experiencing something resembling an ecstatic

state, including
visions and variations in body image.
Noting that the content of these visions seemed to vary
as a function
of which subjects had remained standing and which had
become seated,
Dr. Goodman ran a series of experiments to specifically
test the effect
of posture.
To obtain experimental postures, she went to ethnographic
resources to
locate either photographs of shamans in ecstasy, or
artistic renditions
of this state. She found five different postural
positions.
In her
subsequent experiments, she would ask her subjects
to assume a
particular posture, commence the rattle playing for 15
minutes, then
obtain their reports. She found that these
reports were highly consistent for a given posture,
but differed
between various postures.
For example, one posture was similar to sitting in
meditation, except
that the legs are both tucked under the body and
turned toward the
right.
Subjects experienced color sensations,
spinning and strong
alterations in mood.
This posture was that assumed by
Nupe Mallam
diviners.
According to the literature, the
divination experience
begins by alterations in moods.

618
In

another posture, subjects stood erect with their

back and
their hands clasped at the abdomen. Subjects reported
warmth, a flow
of energy rising, and a channel opening at the top
of the head.
According to the ethnographic literature, this
posture had been
associated with healing, involving the flow of energy.
In a similar
manner, the other postures tested produced experiences
resembling the
reports of native shamans who assume the posture in their
trance
work.
heads

The author can only speculate concerning the mechanism by

which posture

affects the content of ritualized trances. We know that

posture affect
mood states.
It is perhaps by their effect upon a
wide variety of
psychophysiological variables that posture affects
the course of
ecstasy.
(Source:
"Body
posture and
the
religious
altered state
of
consciousness: An experimental investigation," Journal
of Humanistic
Psychology, Summer, 1986, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 81118.
Author's
address: Cuyamungue Institute, 114 East Duncan St.,
Columbus, OH
43202.)

619