Welcome to Music for Pagans! We’re glad you could make it! This is a brand new group, so we can’t recommend you consult its clones on other networks. There are no clones. But there will be. We plan to take this group to all the networks, especially the four biggies; PaganSpace.net, WiccanTogether.ning.com, Avalon, and BlessedBeUK.ning.com. As the description says, this group will discuss every kind of music except rap (because we don’t consider it music) and country. There’s a couple country & western singers I personally like, but they’re both dead, so it’s not worth discussing them. Stephen and I will discuss our favorite musical genres, then we’ll ask you to discuss your favorite musical genres.
For me, it pretty much depends upon what kind of mood I’m in, and what I’m currently writing. Right now, I’m watching “Rush in Rio”. Rush is a Canadian group I’ve been curious about for some time now. They are hard rock. They’ve been around at least since the ‘80s. All right, so it sometimes takes me awhile to glom on to a band. Another group I find interesting is Godsmack, especially since the lead vocalist is a Wiccan initiate. I love so-called “New Age” and world beat music. To my mind, this is the music of the future. There is a duo I very much enjoy listening to; Vas is its name. It also fits with much of what I write. When I’m writing, I like the music I play, either on my computer, or on my stereo, to set the mood of the piece I’m writing. I’ll give you an example: I’m presently in the middle of writing a novels about vampires from three different points of view. The mood I want to set is very dark, therefore, I play music I consider to be dark and brooding. It could be depressing, but when I’m writing, I’m too busy to get depressed. At quitting time, I change the mood by changing the music. The Kronos Quartet and Philip Glass do music that exactly fill the bill for what I want. But when I write about combat, I want good fightin’ music, and Wagner’s greatest hits are good for this.
Stephen wants you all to know about the Pagan Radio Network. We’re both members, and enjoy listening to it very much. They play top-notch Pagan music. Google it, or look it up on your browser. Then get the toolbar. It is stellar. You can listen to the music, no matter what else you’re doing on your computer. It’s 24/7 nonstop music. There are forums and online chats. Stephen’s handle is druidmaster. A major show on PRN is “A Darker Shade of Pagan.” The guy who runs this show is Jason, who also runs the site “The Wild Hunt”. He had a great tribute to Isaac Bonewits. PRN may have a rival. Stephen doesn’t know what its name is, but tonight after we’re done here, he’s going to find out. Stephen’s favorite genre of music is Celtic Pagan rock. A great example of this kind of music is Horslips, a band that he managed and was Druid for a number of years. If you have Rhapsody, you can download all their music. You can also join their mailing list at www.horslips.com. Another Pagan Celtic band is Waterboys, and their music is also available at Rhapsody. Still another group is the Wolftones, an Irish band. Now we’re going to ask you: what is your favorite music genre, and what are your favorite groups/performers within that genre? PRN has lots of Pagan bands.
Another genre I like is so-called “ancient” music. The furthest back they can trace it is the middle ages, and I don’t consider them ancient. I also like certain movie soundtracks. Now they are great for setting mood, since they set the moods of the movies they were composed for, so they are great for writing to. We will be watching “Quantum of Solace” tonight. I haven’t started it yet, but the soundtrack sounds pretty good. .The soundtrack was fantastic. It suggested the locales, and set the mood for the scenes. I’ve watched how the composer does it, but it never fails to amaze me how the composer does it.
Right now we’re watching “Beast Legends”, about creating a kraken, the sea creature that took hundreds of ships to the bottom of the sea, and thousands of sailors to their deaths. I’m noticing the background music, how it sets the mood. Don’t forget that the kraken was a major player in the three “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. I have all three soundtracks. I ordered them because of the pirate book I was writing.
Rhapsody is the greatest music service out there. Rhapsody has been showing more and more Pagan music. Also, let’s not forget Pandora. But we both feel that Rhapsody is the superior system. We’re now listening to “A Darker Shade of Pagan”, which is available on MySpace. There is a connection between Abbott’s Inn Bardic Circle and this one, you know. Music magick is a very strong kind of magick. Many Pagans are attracted to certain instruments. The first instrument is of course the harp. After that are all your favorite stringed instruments; the guitar, the lute, and in some cases even the banjo. Then there are the drums with the bodhran leading the pack for the drums. The bodhran is a Celtic drum. Another instrument popular with Pagans is the tin whistle. This brings to mind other popular wind and reed instruments such as the recorder. Add to all these instruments the bagpipes. Then you add your melodic voice. It’s especially effective if you happen to have a Celtic accent; Irish, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Manx or Breton. The more melodic the voice the more you will send your audience into a trance state. In the old tales, Celtic bards were infamous for lulling their audiences to sleep with their melodic dulcet tones. If the bard were unscrupulous, he or she could walk through his or her audience and rob them blind. But for the most part, alas, this did not happen because s/he had both scruples and ethics. My daughter gave me a couple years ago a CD with French Celtic rap on it. I like rap as long as it isn’t in English. There was even a rap about the Druids. The reason for the scruples and ethics on the part of the Bard was the Bard’s high status in Celtic society.
At this point Stephen will describe the status in the form of a tree, with me filling in the gaps. You see this hierarchy as levels or branches on this ancient oak tree. The top of the tree is the Druids, the priests in this society. The next level are the Ovates, the lawgivers, masters of the Brehon law, lawyers and judges. The next level is the is the Bardic branch. They are the entertainers of the Druid tree. They were also keepers of the lore and keepers of the genealogies. They were also keepers of the magickal musical powers and poetry. The harper is a subset of the bards. Stephen is a Celtic Bard, He sings, writes poetry, and is a lore master. He responds well to being this function. His instrument is his voice. The next level down is the artificers. They are the craftsmen. They create Druidic magickal tools, weapons, and anything needed for ritual. They also create the ritual jewelry such as the torcs and the breastplate of the ArchDruid. If you can think of other branches of status, please let us know. The torcs’ metals correspond to their status. The ArchDruid would have a gold torc under him would be the chief bard with the silver torcs, copper torcs would go to the artificers. Steel ones would go to the warriors. What do you think of Stephen’s ranking of the Druids and the torcs? What is your favorite Celtic instrument?
Well, the Jesoids stole our music, so we’re reclaiming our music. The original “Lord of the Dance” was set to an old Shaker hymn, “’Tis a Gift to be Simple”. PRN played a different version of “Lord of the Dance” which takes completely off from that old tune. But I kind of like it set to the old Shaker hymn. I looked through “The Wheel of the Year” songbook three times, and “Lord the Dance” was not on it, despite Stephen’s oaths that it was. His copy of that book is damaged, so he wants a new copy. Can you find him a new one? It was published by Nemeton Press in 1995.
This paragraph is dedicated to the memory of Stephen’s dead friend and frequent business partner Gwydion Penderwen. The old time Pagan community of the San Francisco Bay Area of the late 60s, 70s and early 80s was very small and rather incestuous. I mean that. Everyone knew everyone else, and often in the biblical sense as well. I came into it in 1974, and met quite a few of the leading lights of neo-Paganism. I met Gwydion in either late ’76 or early ’77 at Chandria’s place. Glenn Turner brought him over. I didn’t spend much time with him because they wanted to be alone with him. I had this undeserved reputation of taking people’s lovers away from them. I was very much in awe of Gwydion. I probably would not have slept with him, even if the opportunity had come up. Stephen met Gwydion in 1970, shortly after meeting Robin Goodfellow and Isaac Bonewits. They had a fruitful relationship from 1970 until Gwydion’s premature death in 1982. They produced the Witches’ Ball in 1980 and the Midsummer festival in 1981, which had 600 attendees. Stephen was co-producer of both shows.. Gwydion was co-writer with Isaac of the aborted Hans Holzer ritual, and was a major figure in both bardic circles and the Order of Wizard Lore. Gwydion Penderwen was a major writer of Pagan songs. He built the Mushroom House one Annuvin at Greenfield Ranch in Mendocino county. I’ve been there. It was a great place. It’s been preserved as a shrine to Gwydion.
Stephen has a memory of Gwydion in the back of Rasty Bob’s truck going to Santa Rosa’s Green Day festival in ’79 or ’80 and Stephen asked Gwydion if they should have any tolerance for Christians after everything they’ve done to us, and he said “No.” They had a booth space where they did readings, and Gwydion performed and sold his music.
Gwydion was very disappointed by the showing at the Midsummer Festival, and was inconsolable. He thought there should have been more attendees. This depression could be what led to his death in ’82. It was an auto accident, but his emotional state could’ve had something to do with the accident. Stephen attended Gwydion’s funeral, a Christian affair in Oakland, CA, with a Pagan service following. Gwydion would’ve been nauseated by the Christian service his family of origin held for him. Even in death, they couldn’t accept his true religion. But they did begrudgingly allow a priestess to talk about him. The Pagans held a Pagan ritual for him that same day. They didn’t even let him carry out his final wishes of his ashes being scattered on Annuvin, but buried him in the family plot. Gwydion hit it off well with Jim Lockhart, and was at his birthday party, which Stephen held for him in his east Oakland house. We’ll have more about Gwydion in a future posting for either Music for Pagans or Abbott’s Inn Bardic Circle, because he is too important to Pagan music to just do in one fell swoop.
They took the bus bench away from the sidewalk in front of the Kmart parking lot. Why are the Regional Transit people taking benches away from bus stops when they should be putting more in? It’s yet another way in which ordinary people are being shat upon just because they either aren’t rich enough to afford a car, or choose to take mass transit because they’re environmentally aware, or too old or blind to drive. Where are people supposed to sit whilst they wait for a bus that only comes when it feels like it? I’m lucky because when I start walking and taking the bus again I have my sporty red and black walker, which has a seat on it. So I have a chair wherever I go. I take my walker with me as a protest because I noticed early on that this town is notoriously short on places for people to sit either whilst walking to the shops or waiting for a bus that might or might not come. And now they’ve taken another one away.
A little more than two months ago, I broke my right ankle. It was in a gallstone attack. I went to the bathroom, and was going to go to my room again when I was hit by a wave of pain so severe that I passed out. I must’ve sat on my ankle hard because when I tried to get up, my ankle went crunch! I sank down on my rear again against the door. Stephen and I had a dialogue: ”Are you all right?” he asked.
“No, I’m in a lot of pain.”
“I’m calling 911.”
“Ok.”
He asked me the questions the dispatcher asked him. I answered them. At length they arrived. I took my book and my purse with me. We went to Kaiser Morse hospital. I gave them the address. They knew how to get there. We arrived after a few minutes. They admitted me, and the next morning, my ankle was operated on. Then I spent from then until Wednesday the 7th in the hospital. I came home, and am now in full recovery. Six weeks ago I got into my room, and finally got access to my computer. Will give you updates as we proceed. Update: a month ago I got out of the house. My physical therapist taught me how to hop down the steps using my aluminum walker. I used it to go to the liturgy meeting, and then Sunday I went to our Grove’s Lughnasadh ritual, where I donated a dollar, and offered some whiskey to Miach for my own healing, the healing of my friend Snoodlady, who was in the hospital with a serious sinus infection that gave her double vision and vertigo, and my friend Cherye who has a nasty staph infection in her legs and feet. On two fronts there were immediate results. Snoodlady felt well enough to come home on Monday, and I learned to carry my walker whilst in my wheelchair. My physical therapist taught me some exercises to do in my wheelchair, and I worked myself up to 32 of each. The last one I learned was the wheelchair pushup. I did 32 of them today, for which I am very proud of myself. Stephen thought that you should know. ..
Yes, August 20th was my surgery day. And it happened as I hoped it would. I don’t remember what I dreamed whilst being under anesthesia. I did admitting, answered verifying questions, got something to relax me, and then woke up in Recovery. I was still pretty out of it, and a little sore. I put my clothes on, and Carl caught up with me. I came home, and relaxed. Healing has already starting. I didn’t feel like having much of a supper. I found out, because the nurse weighed me, that I had lost 9 lbs. That was before the surgery, so I don’t know how much my gall bladder weighed, as full of gall stones as it was. Also I’m wearing a fiber glass cast, so I don’t know how much I’ll lose when I lose the cast, and can finally start TAKING SHOWERS!
Today I lost the eboot. I’m walking. I’m no longer using the wheelchair. Soon the Durable Medical Equipment people will come and take it away. I still have a bit of healing to do as far as my bones are concerned, but Dr. Van Voris says that walking will stimulate the bones to regenerate. I am thrilled. Stephen is thrilled too. He no longer has to fetch my dinner or drinks, so he is relieved. Also I can help him with cleaning chores, like vacuuming. I can also get to my medical appointments on the bus, so that is a big load off our friend Carl’s mind. I pushed the wheelchair into the house, up the steps, and over the threshold. Also I have clearance to eat most foods in small amounts to see how I tolerate them, but I’m still restricting my sugar intake severely. I want to lose even more weight.
Stephen got his Vampire deck from Llewellyn today. It’s another late birthday gift to himself. You should see it, it’s gorgeous. I want one, but my money is earmarked for more vitamins.
We need paid readings and donations. Send donations to my Paypal account tezra.reitan@gmail.com and to Stephen’s email account at any of his email addies. If I get $5 donations, I shall send the donor a copy of one of my ebooks. For $20, you can have all five ebooks. This past month, the month of August, was the worst on Keen in the 10 years since Stephen (Frog) has been on the service. He made -$25 on KEEN in August. He owes $1800 in rent, and I owe $800. What does it take to get you to open your pocketbooks?
Remember, if someone from a Ning network asks you to pay, say “No way!” The only way this’ll work is if we all stick together and call the a**holes on their BS. We have to be willing to walk away from our networks, because they are counting on people being scared to walk away from their networks. This guy Jason Rosenthal is a bully, and there’s only one way to deal with a bully, and that is, to stand up to him.
Stephen managed to scrape the $87 together. But it meant cutting into the rent money. He is already $1800 in the hole for the rent, and I am $800 behind, because I can’t afford to pay $500 per month in rent.. You guys have not been doing your part. It’s not as though he’s begging for hand outs. He is willing to return value for value given. And $32 flat for a reading or a class is really a bargain. Ordinarily he charges $32 an hour, so $32 flat is a very good deal. Remember it’s 916-455-2267. Raise me on Windows Live Msgr or AIM and I’ll give you my phone number, and the hours you can call me.
Back before my accident, Stephen was able to scrape $50 together to pay our friend to put our website together, and she’s working on it now. I’m looking forward to seeing it. It should be very impressive. Fear not, we’ll keep you abreast of all developments on this front. Abbott’s Inn International School of Magick will then be on the internet map, so to speak, in a big way.
Inquiring minds want to know: How do we add music to our sites? Please let us know. The person who helps us do that earns a reading on webcam on the popular IM clients. The person who helps us establish ourselves on the Paganspace.net chat client earns a reading. We’re using readings as currency here because we have no other medium to use for an incentive. All the money we make goes for paying the bills of bare-bones living.
We’re in survival mode here, subsistence living.
Stephen is hopping mad right now (appropriate for a frog, no?) because his ex-wife Debbie is taking one of the twins and giving her to a strange woman who lives at their complex. He has grown quite attached emotionally to both of them, and doesn’t like to see the pair split up. I was prepared emotionally a long time ago for this eventuality. I just don’t know why it took Debbie so long to do it. I suspect that she calculated it so as to cause the most hurt to Stephen. Yes, she is that cruel. She claims to be a Wiccan, but doesn’t abide by the Rede at all, and never has a good word to say about anyone. I try not to think about what she says about me, but I shudder at the emotional abuse she piles on their daughter. Stephen was so emotionally distraught that he broke a pair of his glasses accidentally right after she called. Debbie never lifted a hand to care for these animals from the day they were born. Until my accident, we took turns feeding them, then Stephen took it over. It was he who shelled out moneys for food and kitty litter. Debbie has never compensated him in any way for the expenses. She just demands money from him. It was I who arranged for the twins to get spayed. We thought we were getting Frikki back, but the woman is holding onto her.
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