Sangathor’s Hideout

Well it happened. I thought I would never walk down this road again, but never say never I guess.

While doing some research on different Beltane traditions for our then upcoming Sabbat Service for the Goddess Temple that we belong to, I found an interesting custom once honored in what is now Northern Italy. During Beltane, a young man would present flowers to one he wished to wed. If she accepted the flowers, then their engagement would officially began.
So once I finally decided to do it and now I knew when and how, I just needed to add all the details.

For several weeks, I worked on what I would say, and would I would have read at the service. I wanted to write up something for our friend Kathy to read, to describe this giving of flower tradition. I wanted everyone to know about what they were about to see when I did it. We usually have several readings at our services, describing the meanings behind the sabbat. And since Kathy is the one who introduced us a year and a half ago, and since it is not unusual for her to do readings, I knew she would be the perfect choice. But I also needed something for me to say. And right from the beginning, I knew I wanted to lead into my proposal with a poem. But not just a poem I found somewhere, I would need to write one. Not a small undertaking for this very non-poetic person.

While working on all that, I was also frantically looking for a ring. I knew I wanted something with Celtic knot work and a solitaire. But where to find it? I looked around online and found lots of really nice rings. But almost all of them were made in Ireland and I didn’t have much time left. I went to a local Irish Importer. They carry gifts, food and jewelry all straight from Ireland. Unfortunately they don’t stock diamond engagement rings in their little store. I don’t know why I thought they might. And guess where they get their rings from? Yep, same place as everyone else. They called the manufacturer in Dublin and they said there was no way they could do it in less than 4-6 weeks and I was down to three!

So I spent another week of trying to figure out what do to. Then I found another website, based out of New Mexico. http://www.artisanweddingrings.com/index.php While they also said 4-6 weeks on there site, they did say to call if you needed it faster even if it was only a few weeks. Well at that time I was down to 2 weeks to go. I gave them a call and he talked with the artist (they are handmade) and they were just to busy to do anything better than 3 weeks. I was crushed. Do I wait and do it without a ring or do I settle for something I could find in time? It only took me about 30 minutes to decide I wasn’t going to settle for anything this time. It was too important to get what she would really want and I hoped she wouldn’t be too disappointed when they time came and I didn’t have a ring.

So I ordered this:

Then I spent the final two weeks tweeking my speech, poem and Kathy’s reading. The last couple days found me running around buying and hiding things like roses, champagne, goblets, etc.

I also met several times with Kathy and other accomplices from our coven, working out my plans for the big day. Kathy and another friend, Linda, braided a temporary promise ring out of ribbons and I needed to give them all the stuff I needed to have, but couldn’t let Sheila see.

Finally the morning of the service was here. I kept telling people all week that I wasn’t nervous and I really wasn’t. But the closer that it got to the moment of truth the more nervous I got. I had practiced my reading and my poem a thousand times and I could do it without reading and without screwing up most of the time. It shouldn’t be a problem, unless I freeze up at the last second.

When we were getting ready to leave I got a call from Kathy telling me that the Pavilion that we have been using for over 6 months was already taken! It has a fireplace and it secluded and perfect for our rituals. Some group had grabbed it up early for a birthday party and they had all the tables covered with their stuff. We feel connected to that place and we were planning on using an existing tree on the site for our May Pole. All this looked in jeopardy. Not only was the whole pavilion taken but the ford across the river right before the pavilion was washed out and closed. This was not looking good.

While we were trying to figure out where to move the service and how to inform everyone who was going and do it all in the 1 1/2 hours we had until our scheduled start time, I got another call from Kathy saying they talked with the birthday party and they agreed to share half the pavilion with us!! I was thrilled, but jokingly wondered if they knew who they just invited to share their pavilion with.

They next obstacle was finding a detour (cause there were no signs posted) around the ford. And just before I got there the water receded and the ford was opened. Thank you Goddess!

So after a rough start, things were back on track.

We got there and had to stall with starting the service. Sheila and I had both invited our families (I told her my Mom, liked the last service for Ostara, and maybe her family would like to see what we do for Beltane) and they were running late. When everyone arrived, we started the service. First we had eight people walk out to the may pole (tree) and tie a flower to the end of each streamer to weigh it down and hold it out and untangled. Then we walked back and Kathy did her opening blessing and a reading about Beltane. Then when I realized she had gotten to the part that I had wrote for here, I really began to get nervous.

I felt a cold sweat starting and my heart was trying to beat itself free. And then she finished and looked over at me…………..It was on…

I stepped out and said my first line and froze. Uh Oh. I laughed told everyone I had practiced this a lot but would feel better if I held the paper in my hands. I took out a sheet of paper from my back pocket and read the first line again, took a deep breath and folded it up and went on.

I got through mine and Sheila’s introduction, since this was a public service, I wasn’t sure if everyone knew us. I also thanked everyone for being there because it was going to be a very special day. I told everyone that I had written a little poem that I wanted to recite. Here is the poem:

On this day, of long ago
When Beltane fires burned so bright.
The Goddess sang and danced with them,
Her children honored the great rite.
Flowers were presented
For promises given.
Handfastings cemented
With ladies in waiting.
Now comes this day, Beltane once more,
As Mother Earth springs forth anew.
I have come with a gift of roses
and I do have a question for you

As I finished my poem, my daughter and Sheila’s sister stepped out with a dozen roses each to present to her. One with red and the other with white, the colors of beltane. Sheila then burst out in tears. Not just tears, full on crying. I heard several other sniffles in the crowd too. My Mom told me even my stepfather even had a tear in his eye.

I then said a few special words to Sheila telling her what she means to me and how much I truly love her, and then in my black cloak and wreath of leaves on my head, I knelt down and asked her if she would” do the honor of marrying me, and being my Goddess forever”

She didn’t even wait for me to finish the whole sentence when, between sobs, she said yes!

She raised me up and we hugged for a few minutes. Then Kathy came up and pulled the promise ring she had made for her from her pocket and gave it to me. I asked if she would accept it as a promise ring as her actual ring is still being made and won’t arrive for another week. I did have a picture for her to see, though. She loved the ring that was made for her and has kept it with her since I put in on her finger. She never expected an actual ring right away, and is thrilled and surprised that she will have one soon. And she says it’s perfect, just what she always wanted. Yayyyyy!!!!

After all the hugging and congratulations we were crowned King and Queen of May and led the dance around the May Pole, intertwining the red and white ribbons all the way down the trunk of the tree.

It was a perfect day! Sunny, breezy, and just beautiful. She loved the whole thing and I was beyond happy that I pulled it off and it made her happy.

I did get my part on video, but it’s not very good. I gave my phone to my brother, but he wasn’t very close. If you turn up the sound you can here most of what I say. There were other people taping there, I will post those when I see them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxeo4rEu69A

And here a few pics from the day. I will have more later of the two of us, when people send them to me.

Sheila and her Mom

Our Cake

The Ring

Arthur, Kathy and Josh

Our Pavilion

More Pavilion

Pavilion

Guess what?

Sheila’s Aunt

The Happy Couple

Here’s a few videos from the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbjCSN1MjJU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wDviF7rJOU

Well today should be a lot better. Yesterday started out with me getting pulled over on the way to work, on my motorcycle. I was just casually cruising along at 75 in a 50. Oops. At least he didn’t see me 5 minutes before when I was just north of 100.

At least yesterday got better when I got home, my sweetie was there shortly after. We had a good meal and some ever better quality time.

So today is when I do Reiki for a local pagan shop, so it’s gotta be better. All I have to do is survive the next 8 hrs at work and…….Oh crap work, I’m going to be late!

Well after nearly a year of practicing Reiki on myself, my family, my kitties, my softball bat and anyone else I could talk into experiencing it, I have been asked if I wanted to do treatments officially for a local pagan shop. My friend who owns Goddess Blessed, a shop that I frequent quite a bit for drum circles, coven meetings, sabat meditation services and open healing circles has parted ways with her Reiki Master that practiced out of the store. She is now looking for Reiki practitioners who are on more of a pagan path.

I have been attending her Open Healing Circles since December of 2006, where she invites any energy workers to come in and donate their time for anyone who wants to come in, with a food donation for a local soup kitchen, and receive a free treatment. These open circles have been a great opportunity to practice on a wide variety of people. Last week out of the blue, she asked me if I would like to practice out of the store a few nights a week. Needless to say I was floored, honored and very excited. I said yes immediately of course.

So beginning next week I will be there every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 7pm. Taking people by appointments or walk-in traffic. Stop on in if you’re in the neighborhood. I would love to see you.

My profile on her website

I can’t wait! This has really been a good year for me.

MagicMoon (Sheila) and I just got back home from a weekend away for our annual biker party my good friend Bo throws, affectionately called Bo’s Bash. Short version, we had a blast!

Long Version:

Left my house on Friday at about 4:30pm for the usually 3 hour ride to Zanesfield, Ohio (near the Honda plant in Marysville). Since I can’t take all my gear and a passenger at the same time, Sheila followed me in her car. Unfortunately we hit rush hour traffic and got delayed for about 45 minutes. Once we got past Cleveland/Hopkins Airport traffic began to thin and we were able to hit cruising speed. Since I had a chase vehicle with someone who had never been there before, I had to keep it under 100 for most the of the way.

Got to Bo’s at about quarter past 8pm and set up our tent in his yard. This year the Bash was planned to coincide with a local Poker Run to support a scholarship fund in the name of a local rider who was killed 11 years ago, Rob Hayden. A poker run is a all day ride with 5 designated stops. At each stop you get a card and at the end of the day, you make your best poker hand. The top three hands received prizes.

Anyway, after the tent was set up we got on the bike and road down to the camp site where the next day’s poker run was to start at. The campground was about 2 minutes down the rode and several of our friends decided to throw their tents up at that site instead of at Bo’s house, so we went down to join them for a few drinks. It was great to see all my old friends again. We have been doing this party through our Warrior Owners Forum, I( help run a 13,000 member strong forum for people interested in the power cruiser Road Star Warrior - www.rswarrior.com) for the last 4 years and I’ve gotten to know them all quite well. We proceeded to drink several cases of beer and a bottle of Crown Royal and then the fun really began.

MagicMoon and Sangathor at the campground

Warrior Camp

Good friends and good drink

At about one in the morning one of my friends, Terry, a 280 biker from the mean streets of Detroit, tried to sneak off to use the port-o-john, hoping none of us would notice and use it as an opportunity to mess with him. Unfortunately for him, we noticed. After he walked the 100 yards or so and shut the down to the little plastic bathroom, two of our guys got up and ran for it at a full sprint. They both hit the the crapper at full force nearly toppling it over. Then they ran back. But before they could get 20 feet away the door flew open and out came a irritated and slightly damp Terry. Apparently he had just poured a full glass of Crown and Coke and was balancing it on the hand rail next to him. When he came back he we were all laughing it up pretty good at his expense, so he decided to take out of the instigators. He dove at the one guy who he saw running away, and knocked him back out of his chair and on to the ground. Then he got up and did the same to the other guy who helped spill his drink. When I couldn’t stop laughing he asked me if I wanted some. I laughed and said, “Bring it on, Bitch”. He did. He talked me right off the cooler I was sitting on and came down on me like a ton of bricks. I’m still a little bruised up from it.

Later on that night when I thought his drink was empty I got up and acted like I was walking away and turned around and tried to knock him out of his chair. To bad I lost 50 pounds in the past year, cause all I did was bounce off of him. He just sat there and laughed at me. So I put everything I had into another attempt. And this time we both went over backwords. Turns out his drink was pretty much full and when we got up we were both wearing crown royal.

Terry before we spilled two drinks on him, he looks mean, but he’s a teddy bear.

Sheila and I road back to Bo’s at about 4am (we should have walked, I don’t know how I kept that bike upright for the 30 second ride down the road) and went to sleep for a whopping 4 hours.

The next day we registered for the poker run and it kicked off at about 11am. There was at least 250 bikes, fi not more, lined up and ready to go. A poker run is not a race or timed event, so you are free to go at any pace and any route you want. They do give you a map and a recommended route, but it’s really up to the rider. But usually the ride to the first stop is generally a crowded one.

The first stop was about 20 miles away and we all headed out in a great big slow moving procession. As always when riding with a bunch of Harley’s we were forced to go a lot slower than our usual brisk pace. So when we finally got on the highway, we had a chance to open them up and leave all the slow pokes behind. As we rolled on our throttles the line of bikes became a spec in our mirrors. I had the bike up to 115 mph when I noticed the rider in front of me hand-signaling for us to slow down. I didn’t realize why, but there was a state trooper in the median about a 1/4 mile in front of us. I could see he was out of his car and I thought we were screwed. The only time you see them out of the car is when they are shooting you with lasers and checking your speed. I was trying to figure out how we were going to talk our way out of it, when we past the trooper up and I could see that he didn’t have his laser gun in his hands. He was just standing there and making his presence known. We slowly road past him and waved. One tragedy narrowly averted.

Our first stop was at Benny’s Pizza. Instead of drawing a card at each stop they just stamped your registration form at each stop to prove you were there. This is down to prevent people from trading cards with friends to improve their hands. So we got our sheets stamped and sat down to order some food. Sheila and I were hoping for something more breakfast like but all they served was lunch and dinners. We did discover Benny makes a pretty mean quesadilla, though

We ate our lunch and mounted up for the ride to the next stop, the Marion County Speeday. It is a quarter mile drag strip and we had the opportunity to race for a $1 a run, with proceeds going to the scholarship fund. We all got several runs down the strip and had a great time. Two of our guys got the quickest times and fastest speeds of the entire group of riders. Terry Ran 12.50 seconds at 109 mph and Bo made it to 12.56 at 105 mph. It was a lot of fun smoking the Harelys for a buck. I don’t think they liked us all that much. LOL. To bad.

Sangathor at the Drags

Bo and Sangathor lined up for battle.

Me just after smoking up the tire.

Running down the road

After running up and down the drag strip for a while we headed out to stop number 3. The third stop was at a gas station about 25 miles away. Lots of scenic farm country to drive through on the way there. It started to drizzle a little but even with no jackets it wasn’t to bad. Sort of refreshing. Besides they were calling for highs in the mid 90’s, so a little rain in the 80’s was a decent trade-off.

The gas station was placed perfectly in the stop order, since most of us needed to fill up at the time. So Sheila, myself and the rest of the Warrior guys refreshed the bikes and got something to drink ourselves. As we sat there having a beverage and watching all the bikes pull in, we see someone being towed in by another bike with a rope. Apparently, he didn’t quite make it all the way to the gas station. He pulled up to a pump and while chatting away proceeded to fill up his bike. When he finished he went to hang up the hose and realized he just filled up his motorcycle with diesel fuel. Doh!! Not sure what he did to get it out, but we did see him later at the biker games (more on that later)

our bikes across from the gas station (stop 3)

We didn’t at the gas station long, there’s only so much to do and see at a Marathon station deep in the sticks. So off to stop #4 and #5. The last two stops were both at two different bars. We made it to both of them without incidence. Had a frosty beverage at both and then finished up our ride and returned to the campground.

At the campground we got to turn in our stamped registration sheets and draw our five cards. I drew 4 spades to start but wasn’t able to pull off the flush. Sheila as a registered and paid for passenger also got to draw a hand, but also didn’t make anything out of it. Oh well, it was for a good cause, it was a fun ride and we got some new matching t-shirts to wear.

They had a buffet and free beer and drinks waiting for us at the campground. Pulled pork and bbq chicken, mmmmm good. After we ate, Sheila and I checked to see if we won any door prizes with our tickets they gave us, but we came up empty there too.

After dinner they started the biker games. Contest like the slow ride, where the object is to be the last person across the finish line, but you can’t put your feet down to support yourself. There was also the keg push. Where you rode your bike and rolled a keg with your front tire, while keeping the keg within the designated lane and not falling over. But my favorite game was Bite the Weenie. In this amusing game, you have a rider and a passenger. The rider rides the bike under a post with a string and a hot dog hanging from it. Typically, the passenger is female and it is her job to raise up as he rides under and bite the weenie. Got some good action shots of this.

As the biker games concluded it was just before dusk. My friends wanted to see me leave my annual mark, so we decided to do it now, before I drank to many beers. We went out to the road in front of the campground and just before I started I looked up and it seemed like everyone was coming out to see what I was doing. Someone must have made an annoucement over the loud speakers, cause suddenly I had 200 people watching me. My fist thought was, “Oh sh!t, I better not screw up and lay it down” It’s never happened while doing some road art, but if there was a time for it to occur it would be when everyone was watching me.

I started to do one of my smiley faces. I got the main circle done, the mouth and one eye, when someone yelled the cops are here. I looked up and three cars back (we had stopped traffic, too) was a Sheriff! Now if you’ve ever heard my bike you know it’s loud. And when I’m cooking a tire, it’s really loud. Between that, the smoke and my 3/4’s of a smiley, there was no question what I was doing. Someone else yelled to go hide, so I turned the bike around, while everyone kept the road blocked and drove down the driveway to the campground. Everyone parted to let me through, then closed ranks after I passed. I took off down the road and turned behind an RV, killed the engine and tried to non-nonchalantly walk away. While I did the the Sheriff pulled up to my smiley laughed, shook his head and threw his hands up in the air and kept on going. From my hiding spot I could hear people calling for me to come back. I got back on the bike, started it up and rode back out there.

Since I had to take a short break, I couldn’t just come back and do just one eye, so after finishing the face, I decided to put the rest of the body on it and make it a stick man. After several minutes of smoke and flying rubber, I was able to finish without sliding it on the pavement and it seemed to be a crowd pleaser. Later on I heard they were looping the video they shot of it, in the pavilion and people were really digging it. I guess we really do amuse ourselves easily.

I have a video of it, but I have to edit out some of the dead space in it, and set some music to it, but I will upload it soon. For now, here’s a pic of the face before I put the body on it. People had poured beer on it, so it’s kind of hard to see.

Until I can get the new video up, you can watch me doing a 60 foot stick man and blow up my tire last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69IAPuVwxE8#GU5U2spHI_4

So when my work was finally done, it was party time. Sheila had brought along 3 bottles of very good red wine and we proceeded to drink them all; along with some tequilla and beer. Unfortunately, Terry and I had shared the last bit of Crown Royal the night before when I tackled him and dumped it all over us.

After getting a good buzz on we wandered over to the field where they had a bon fire and a decent cover band playing. After a little while someone had made the mistake of leaving their golf cart unattended and with the keys in it. Before anyone knew what happened, one of my friends from North Carolina, ran over and commandeered the golf cart and was riding like a maniac around the bonfire, while hooping and hollering and generally acting like a clown. So what were we to do, but run out there and jump on for the ride.

Sheila and I grabbed on to the back by the canopy and had our feet on the rear fenders. Just as he took off and I felt myself almost lose grip, I thought, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea”, followed by, “I hope Sheila doesn’t fall off”. Just as I thought it, Dwight violently swerved the cart and ejected Sheila. She hit the ground back first then her head whipped back and slammed down pretty hard. I jumped off and ran over to her, asking if she was OK. She had that dazed “where am I and how did I get here” look on her face. I was a little concerned but she finally got up and shook it off.

Instead of getting on the back she traded places with the driver and took the cart out for a spin. She was crazier than the last one, though. She was weaving in and out of the bon fire area (only a few people were out there, since it was already pretty warm) and managed to get the golf cart up on two wheels at least once. After about 10 more minutes of golf cart surfing the owner of it, ran out and took our toy away from us.

The night ended with a 2am run to the Waffle House in the next town over. It was the best drunk food I’ve had in a while and definitely the fastest served. It literally only took 5 minutes or so to cook up and bring our food out to us. Hmmmm, maybe they just wanted us to eat and leave as soon as possible. LOL

We went back to our tent and went to sleep…..eventually. WEG

The next morning it was time to go home. It’s always a sad time to leave these friends of mine, cause I know I won’t see most of them for another 6 months or more when we do our next gathering in the Smokies this spring. But this time parting wasn’t so sorrowful, as I had other things to look forward to. You see the weekend was not only a complete and total good time, but it was extra special because of who I had brought along with me and I didn’t have to say goodbye to her. She really likes my friends and they even pulled me aside to tell me how much they liked her. Not that she needed it, but I told her she got their Warrior Seal of Approval.

The last couple of weeks have been so very good and this weekend away was no exception. I’m still waiting for an anvil to fall out of the sky and hit my on the head. But I’ve been so pleasantly distracted lately, I’ve forgotten to keep looking up for it.

Since I think not all posts should be super serious I thought I would share a little of my sunny Saturday afternoon with you.

We just got home from a little fishing trip on Lake Erie. I’ve been going out every Saturday for the last few weeks with my step-father on our little boat. This week we took along our 12 year old nephew/grandson for his first time on the boat. We got the boat in the water by 9:30 am and it was a beautiful day. Warm, near 80, and sunny.

We put in in Rocky River and by time we got out on the lake it was a little breezy, but still warm and flat. Apparently my nephew was told I am a crazy pilot, so he kept telling me to be careful. :crazy: The boat is an old 1963 Starcraft, all aluminum boat. But we have a spanking new 90 horse Johnson outboard dangling off the back, so it can move pretty good when I want it to. It was so smooth I was able to go wide open throttle to our favorite fishing spot. No waves, so no real complaints on the speed, going there anyway.

Not five minutes after we dropped anchor did the lake kick up. If you’ve never been on Lake Erie, it is big, but relatively shallow. So it can go from flat to whitecaps before you realize it happened. It was still fairly manageable and we were only a mile out and about 3 miles from the mouth of the river, so we decided to stay and fish a bit. There was lots of activity on the fish finder, but they must have already had breakfast cause none of us were getting any action.

After about 30 minutes I finally hooked a white bass (not very good eating), so it was strictly just catch and release. We bobbed around for another 2½ hours and managed to catch a few fish apiece. Caught a bunch of white bass, a sheephead, and a few perch, but no keepers. Which is Ok with me, I hate cleaning them and I don’t even eat them all that much. The main reason I fish is because my step father’s health prohibits him from piloting, docking and trailering the boat and he really loves to fish. Plus I’ve been working on a killer sun tan.

The waves had kicked up to 3 -5 footer which are really a little to big for our little fishing boat, so we pulled anchor and headed in. I had to take it pretty slow on the way back as the waves were hitting up head on and throwing the boat up and down in the water. We were all getting a little wet, but it was still pretty fun, in a slight nail bighting sort of way. When we got closer to the mouth of the river, I increased the throttle a bit and jumped a few waves and soaked everyone on board. Then I throttled back down and headed into the river. I couldn’t disappoint my nephew and not show him a little of that crazy he was warned about. LOL.

So we are safely home now and even though our fish cooler was empty, everyone had a go time.

Next thing on my list is to wash my bike. I’ve parked my truck a month or so ago and have been riding my bike non-stop and haven’t washed it since. I really need to spend some quality time with it this afternoon. Besides I’m probably taking it out tonight.

I joined a new coven at a local shop in my neighborhood. It’s basically a teaching coven and we get together once a month to do ritual and hang out. Usually go out for an extended Cakes and Ale afterwards, as well. Every month we take volunteers to perform different parts during the rit. This month I have volunteered for the goddess invocation. Tonight’s goddess is Persephone, so I’ve been reading up for the last couple of weeks and found a great invocation that I’ve been practicing. It is originally credited to Katlyn Breene. I changed a few words here and there, but is basically the same and is not something I wrote.

I’ve been practicing all week and can do it from memory mostly right most of the time. Hopefully I don’t choke in front of everyone. Haha

So thanks for reading, if you actually made it this far, you must be even more bored than I am. Now where’s that sponge?

Peace out.

So for the last several weeks I’ve been debating with myself on whether or not I should be involved with the Sacrifice of Caring. My very first gut reaction to this topic was that it may be more negative than I would be comfortable with. And no matter the amount of obvious clues and assurances left lying around to the contrary, I was still unsure as to whether I wanted to lend my energy to such a task. All I really wanted to know was what was going to take place, so I could decide for myself. In the last few days there has been quite a bit of posting that has made me question whether I should stand by and watch or take a more active roll.

I have seen countless people that I respect say that they wouldn’t be involved in anything like what was being rumored in the many blog sites across the internet and still I hesitated; and yet they were still on the ritual staff.

Tonight I went to the monthly Reiki Community Gathering at a local pagan shop (Goddess Blessed in Lakewood has been holding them for the last 9 months) and after a night of sharing our experiences and doing a massive energy send to those in need, we retired to the bar to further discuss.

The owner of the shop asked if I was going to Starwood this year. I laughed and said no. Then I went into a night-long diatribe about the Frosts and their twisted view on Wicca and all the other bizarre facts I have learned about. To my surprise, none of the people in my group had every heard of the Frosts, much less their “Wiccan Bible”. Not even Kathy, the owner of GB was familiar with them or any of their “works”. I already knew she didn’t sell any of their books (I checked a long time ago ), but I was surprised she had never heard of them.

Being fairly new to this path, these are people who I have always looked to for support and guidance. To find that none of them even knew the Frost name made me somewhat happy and sad at the same time.

I then went into a 2 hour long rant on their little gem “The Witches Bible” and their distorted and sick take on Wicca. These people where shocked. And my good friend who owns the shop, who I thought might be against all the talk of sacrifice in effigy and who has attended Starwood for the last two years, said “Good for AJ!” She wasn’t planning on going to Starwood this year and hasn’t been pleased with their lack of response to unrelated topics of her membership. Her membership has recently expired and she says she will never renew it. She couldn’t believe that she had never heard of the Frosts and was very thankful that she had not ever stocked any of their books. Even after I told her about the withdrawal of all the Llewellyn authors and the lack of ritual details, she was still adamant that this was a good thing.

Between this and some recent postings by other friends, I have decided I shouldn’t sit by and let this happen without me. I am a father to a bright and beautifu 16 year old girl. Although her Mom and I have been divorced for 7 years, our daughter splits time between both of us and we raise her raise her together. She has shown some interest in what I have been getting into and has joined the “Mother/Daughter Coven at Goddess Blessed, with the owner acting as a surrogate mother. I shudder to think what could have happened if I wasn’t around and she had found the Frost’s book first.

So in short, I apologize, AJ, for not trusting in you from the start. I’ve always been with you on the cause, but wasn’t sure if the method would be right for me. But the more I spread the word about the Frosts, the more I see it needs to be spread.

Although, I’m fortunate enough to say I’ve never been a victim of any kind of abuse, I would be honored to assist you in your Sacrifice of Caring at the Real Witches Ball, 2007, even if it’s just as a drummer.

Please Stand By………….