January, 1995

Vol 2, Number 1

My goodness, what a whirlwind month December was! We have now been open two whole months, and our circle of acquaintances and friends just keeps on growing - as we hope it always will. One of the comments we hear fairly often is, "I'm so glad you opened up in Everett. Now I won't have to go to Seattle every time I want something." Also, we're meeting people who were convinced they were alone in their beliefs and lifestyles in the north end.

One of our goals is to promote a sense of community up here. You can help us do this by keeping us up to date on events and happenings of interest, as well as introducing us and our community to people, events and information. If you've read a book you think we'd like to hear about or one you'd like us to carry, bring us all the information you have on it to help us track it down. We'd also like to hear from anyone putting out alternative publications and those who give seminars or would like to lead discussion groups or study groups. We know that the alternative community out there has a lot to share with each other and we would like to facilitate that sharing to everyone's benefit.

PERIODICALS: Be sure to stop in each month for free copies of SGN and Magickal Times, as well as The New Taste of Everett, Little Nickel and other area periodicals

Our classes are dependent on you. We have many ideas on what we could do with the space we have available, but instead of pushing our own ideas on you, we would like to do things that you want to see. If you have suggestions on topics to discuss in a group or things you have always wanted to learn, but couldn't find a teacher for, let us know, and we will use our sources to find what you want. That's why we are here after all.

Another thing we would like to bring up is this: Although we have classroom space available to us, we need access to one or two long tables and folding chairs that we could leave in the location for other people to use when we are not. Our search for these items has not been successful yet, and we need your help in finding them. If you know where we can find some folding chairs and a long table or two, please let us know so we can get them, and get started with the classes and seminars.

As always, we try to bring you word on the new items you can find in our gift displays.

Although most of the items we get are from formal businesses and suppliers, every once in a while someone comes in with neat things they make themselves and would like to sell. For those of you not familiar with this, it's called consignment. It's our way of encouraging people to be creative in their spare time.

On consignment this month are new jewelry pieces, dreamcatchers made of natural wood, and pendulums made with semi-precious stones. Come and see the hand-crafted merchandise that comes in almost daily.

Are your cookbooks getting food all over them as you throw flour and spices from across the kitchen trying to get that fantastic dish finished while the family is patiently waiting? Keep your books in good condition by covering them with our decorative plastic sheets.

Semi-precious stones are great for focusing on certain goals. We have the stones and small leather bags to keep them in. Each bag has a different symbol for different types of focusing. Come find your own special symbol.

Do your bookshelves look boring? Maybe you need some bookends that display some personality. We have horseheads and harps, and a big catalog of other shapes in all sizes. We also have other brass items like calendars and sundials for those upcoming sunny spring and summer days, as well as sculptures of unicorns, eagles, lions, foxes, and dragons. Come find the brass sculpture you have been looking for at a good price.

If you haven't seen our collection of greeting cards, you are missing out on some very beautiful artwork. Most of these cards are blank, allowing you to personalize it with your own message. Don't send just any card for that special occasion, send something they will appreciate and remember.

Many people that come in ask for charcoal incense, and we searched high and low for a supplier. We found one, and got our first shipment in just before Christmas. (See the article on the History of Incense Burning for information on what these scents can do for you.) From the same source, we also received brass mortar and pestles, a new source for incense sticks, dream pillows that create a great scent for a good nights sleep.

We have also had requests for a special type of Incense called Nag Champa. This is strong incense meant to be used on alters in Temples. Our first shipment should be in the first week in January. Please come in and make your requests for other items you would like to be able to find.

Historical
Review:

From Mystic Temple Incense Company:

Incense is as ancient as our use of fire. For as we learned to control fire, we learned that certain roots, flowers, resins, and fragrant woods, when burned, would produce enticing and hypnotic aromas & magical effects. So it was, that these herbs, of which your incenses have been compounded, became part of ancient rituals, offerings & appeasement's to the deities controlling the heavens, earth, seasons, natural & supernatural worlds. It was believed that as the smoke rose upward, your prayers would be heard by higher beings. Since ancient times, as shamans, temple priests and priestesses emerged, formulas were developed and records kept of their powerful magickal effects. The smoke of your oils and herbs, when burned, anointed the bodies of shamans to induce visions, heighten the senses, aid in concentration & meditation, aid in the ability to see past, present & future, and to consecrate the alter.

Learn more about the history of our world in our reference section and from our historical books. Ask about a time period and let us show you what you can learn from the lessons of history.

It's time to hear from the third partner here at Orion at Twilight. My name is Chad Lupkes, and I am known in the store and in the SCA and Conventions as Calador. Unlike the other two owners, I was born here in Washington. My hobbies are Computers, Comic Books, Genealogy, Science Fiction and getting in touch with people.

I have a very hard time writing columns like this because I constantly have things going in my head that don't seem appropriate to what I'm writing. I hear horror stories from the kids at the local High School about how bad the educational system is, and I feel like I should rally everyone into making "BIG SWEEPING CHANGES," or some such. I see movies like "JFK" or "Dave" and I start feeling like I should run for an office somewhere so I can fix the problems. But all I can really do is what little I find available to me. Everyone needs to do their share to improve things, and create a better place for our children to grow up in.

As part of my share, I'm selling a program called EZMath. I found it at a seminar from Financial Freedom in Tacoma, and I was really impressed. If you have ever tried helping your children with their math homework, you know how difficult the schools make it out to be, and it's frustrating when you think that you used to be able to do all these fancy things with numbers. EZMath is a program for your youngsters and yourself, designed to take these mathematical concepts that the school books play with as symbols and turn them into concrete objects, shapes and colors that really make sense. I'm going to start seminars and classes with this program starting next month, or as soon as we find a long table or two and some folding chairs for our classroom. I am also willing to come to your home for private tutoring sessions. I'm working to get information on the Washington State Home-study programs so I can become a licensed tutor with the state. I love working with kids, and I'd like to show them how to make schoolwork fun. If you would like to learn more about the program or my goals for the future, stop in and talk to me.

Hello again, and Happy New Year to all of you who are running a few months behind.... :>) If you missed our special on the 26th of December, we had a coupon for anyone who purchased more than $20 for a complimentary Tarot Reading that met with some success. We will be bringing it back again on the 23rd of January, for anyone who purchases more than $25, so hope to see you then. Other places out and about to catch a glimpse of the future (Pun intended) are the Psychic Fair in Edmonds and Ursalmas, both of which I will be in attendance at. Check our calendar for more info on these upcoming events. Also, starting this month, I will have a sign-up sheet in the store for people wishing a tarot reading. You can either stop in and sign up or call in and make an appointment. Hope to see you soon.

Blessed Be! 

Kyros

Our last newsletter received several letters of response, of which the following is one:

To: Orion At Twilight

In an article published in your newsletter titled, The Sorcerer's Apprentice Writes... 'Judge Ye Not, Lest Ye Be--' You mention the existence of an office supply company that refused your business because your store is a 'metaphysical shop'. This writer stated "Finally, he bluntly stated that his was 'a Christian business' and that O.A.T. should take its trade elsewhere." The author also states that "No names mentioned---they know who they are, and there's no point in public recriminations." I find in impossible to state how strongly I disagree with that statement. Business men and women are in business for one primary reason, to make money. As I understand it, Pagan money is the same color as Christian money. For the last several hundred years Christians have been claiming every Pagan coin they could get there fingers on. Why would one change now?

There is only one way to show this company that customers are more important to them who the customer is. That is to give us the name of the company. I for one buy a lot of things at various office supply stores throughout town, and I want to know who. My anger at this will be expressed by not purchasing from their business in the future. I don't want to make waves, I just want to be able not to pay for their bigotry.

I am sorry if I seem a bit reactionary, however we have seen Christian tolerance before. The single best known example is Hypatia. But I won't go into that, thanks for your time.

StarChild

EDITOR: There might have been a better way of putting that. Although we agree with your position on a personal level, due to legal considerations we must decline to publish the name of the business in our newsletter. Legality being what it is, the company in question may be able to find a way to use our statement against us and accuse us of slander or some other fancy term. We chose not to take the risk involved, and kept the name to ourselves. Discrimination is a two edged sword in all cases, so it is always best not to use it in any form. Please send us information about Hypatia so we can include it in our next History Lesson.

We would like to thank the people who responded in writing to our newsletter. If you have any comments on articles in this or last issue, if you have subjects of interest that you would like us to cover in future issues, or if you have questions we or someone else in our readership may be able to answer, please write to us at oath@chadlupkes.com.

Another item we would like to mention is the higher cost of postage for the newsletter, which started this issue. We are hoping for your assistance in reducing our costs with this by coming by the store to pick up your next newsletter. If you think you will have the time to do this on a regular basis, please let us know and we will hold it for you by name. As our mailing list grows, this will make it easier on us to mail our newsletter to places like Kentucky, Arizona, Illinois, South Carolina, Oregon, and California.

The Sorceress' 
Apprentice Writes:

This column is prompted by renewed interest in a legal case from several years ago. It saw an Olympia-area family torn apart by accusations straight out of the Burning Times, and the setting of dangerous legal precedents, all of direct concern to Pagans and their families.

You may or may not recall the name of Paul Ingram. By outward appearances, he was an upstanding family man and community member in the Olympia area during the Seventies and Eighties. A seemingly solid marriage, a respected position with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, family involvement with the Pentecostal Church - all this contributed to a spotless public perception of the Ingrams.

It all began to unravel in 1988. Ingram's daughters accused him of sexual abuse, based upon memories 'recovered' with the prompting of a church-camp counselor and the assistant pastor of the Ingram family's church. Before the whole mess was over, Paul Ingram 'confessed' to crimes ranging from child abuse to infanticide, all of it connected to Satanic rituals. Despite the findings of social psychologist Dr. Richard Ofshe (UC Berkeley) that Ingram's 'memories' were in fact coerced fantasies, he was charged with nine counts of third-degree rape and sentenced to twenty years in prison. (The entire case is detailed in the book Remembering Satan, A Case of Recovered Memory and The Shattering of an American Family by Lawrence Wright, published in 1994, by Knopf, available from Random House (ISBN 0679431551). A two-part condensation was published by THE NEW YORKER magazines of May 17 and May 24 of the previous year.

I bring this to your attention for several reasons. First, the same sorts of accusations leveled at Paul Ingram (and two co-defendants, charges against whom were dropped) are a frequent tactic in divorces and child-custody cases concerning Pagans. Psychological testimony by unqualified persons should not be permitted in courts of law; this case constitutes an excellent example of why guidelines defining who is qualified are sorely needed. There, but for fortune, could have gone a whole lot of us...

Second: Paul Ingrams case attracted a whole herd of 'professional' analysts and investigators into supposed Satanic goings-on (translation: hustlers and publicity-seekers). The more noise made about the Ingram case, the more scrutiny can be brought to bear on these people. It's high time that the same people who have generated so much unfounded fear of the Pagan community were put under the searchlights.

Third, and pertaining to this installment's title: Pagans, in all of our sub-genres and collectively, tends to see ourselves as having compassion for the abused and persecuted. Whatever one thinks of Paul Ingram's politics or religion, it's clear from all available evidence that the man was a victim of the same irrationality which led to the Witch-burnings. People just like Ingram perished along with our predecessors on the Path, and did so in the millions. The least we can do for this one person is to write a few words in his favor to, say, the Governor and/or the Attorney General. Or, failing that, at least look up the information on Ingrm's case. It's never a bad idea to have some extra information in reserve after all.

'The lies have been told, it's time for the truth' - Scott Cunningham.

One of our most interesting sections of books is the herbal and health care area. While all of them are of value, this month I'd like to tell you about some of the more specialized ones:

Male Herbal; Health Care for Men and Boys, by James Green. A rare and welcome addition to the herbal lore shelf. For some reason, this subject hasn't been covered until now. The bibliography, resources and glossary are thorough. The two largest sections are, appropriately, Specific Male Problems and The Male Herbal, opposite accesses to the same information. Recommended.

Natural Medicine for Children: Drug-free Health Care for Children From Birth to Age Twelve; a practical, comprehensive guide to herbs, homeopathy, massage and other alternative remedies, by Julian Scott, Ph.D. This covers developing health in children, natural therapies, and an extensive, cross-referenced section on treating childhood ailments, divided into Respiration, Childhood Diseases, Digestion, and Skin Problems and Injuries. I found especially useful the Home Natural Medicine Chest.

The First Comprehensive Family Guide for the Preteen to Young Adult Years: Teenage Health Care, by Gail Slap, MD. This is a guide for parents, teachers and others who interact with adolescents and for the teens themselves. It's becoming more and more apparent that the seeds of a person's health in life are sown in the adolescent years - from pre-teens through the early twenties. This book covers health issues medical, emotional, developmental and preventative. It includes an extensive section of further resources and a glossary. Published in 1994, this is an up-to-date reference that is also very readable.

Menopause Without Medicine, by Linda Ojeda, Ph.D. and Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way; Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90, by Susan Weed. The first book contains a wealth of information, all clearly presented and accessible. It is actually a tool kit for a woman to take control of her own health. Basically, it is a medical response to menopause. Highly recommended. The second book is the one I own. It deals with menopause from a natural perspective and treats the woman as a whole person, not a defective machine. Recommended especially for the Goddess-friendly woman.

Pocket Herbal Reference Guide, by Debra Nuzzi. A marvelous little book! User-friendly and concise, it provides therapeutic uses for 140 medicinal plants, natural remedies for over 100 common health problems, various forms of herbal preparations, 60 sample formulas, a glossary of therapeutic terms, and natural therapies such as poultices, packs, plasters and steams! Whew! All that in 145 small pages! You've got to check this one out for yourself.

Two others I'd recommend to you are An Elders' Herbal; Natural Techniques for Promoting Health and Vitality, by David Hoffman, and Wise Woman Herbal: Healing Wise, by Susan Weed. And this just scratches the surface of our collection and the subject. Please come in and browse this section, and recommend other books to us that you've read or own.

Tradition! Punctuated thus, it brings to mind a strutting Tevye, celebrating his past and his trust in Jehovah God. He didn't want to know the whys of many of the traditions he followed. He just knew they brought him a sense of comfort and safety in an otherwise uncomfortable and dangerous time.

Things haven't changed that much since the days of the Russian revolution, have they? We still cling to those wonderful traditions we remember from childhood, never daring to ask ... why????

From such mundane ones as putting flour in the cornbread batter because Mom always did, to making the Sign of the Cross or facing Mecca to pray, I challenge your intelligence to do what Tevye dared not do - ask why.

Why do you put flour in the batter? Answer - early on, corn meal was more expensive than flour and a little flour stretched it. During hard times, it was a valid act. But is it still? All right, you say it doesn't taste the same without it. That's a valid reason to continue, but suppose flour suddenly became too expensive and cornmeal was quite cheap? Many would do without, adding the precious substance only on holidays and other special occasions. Presto! Another tradition is born for future generations to follow and perhaps challenge in their own time.

Think of some others: wearing white at weddings, or black at funerals, pink for girls, blue for boys, having only one spouse and that one only of the opposite sex (!?) Can you think of others? Are some just regional or from a particular ethnic background? What about Christmas Trees? Jack-o-Lanterns?

Admittedly, some have evolved into superstitions, i.e., throwing salt over your shoulder (a throwback to an ancient purification ritual), black cats, the horned figure of Satan - do some research on that one!

The point is ... if the tradition has a valid foundation, one that is still true, then to not continue would be wrong. If the reason no longer holds true, but you wish to keep it, then do so, but in the spirit of understanding of the reasons behind it. But don't accept with blind faith, just because "grandma always did it that way," unless you happen to know grandma's motivations.

We've just passed the 'traditional' holiday season. How about some of the traditions we've become accustomed to over the years? Did you ever think to question why you follow some of them? Mistletoe? (A decidedly Pagan tradition if there ever was one.) I dare say, however, that many, many Christians don't even know it! They accept without question, without thought, sometimes. (But that's next month's topic.) I remember the first year I chose not to put up a Christmas Tree. With several kittens in the house, I was looking for an alternative that feline youngsters couldn't destroy. So ... I fell back upon an earlier 'tradition' and literally 'decked the halls with boughs of holly'. We put evergreen boughs all around the mantle over the fireplace (which wasn't in use). Then, we decorated with homemade ornaments and strung tiny white lights through them. The presents were stacked on the hearth and a large brass goblet was placed in the center of the greenery. It was a bit strange at first, but that was five years ago. Now I wouldn't have it any other way. I think I've started a new tradition!

Traditions can and should be a source of comfort. But maybe it's time to throw some of those old moth-eaten things out and get new ones. They might even provide more comfort than the old ones did.

Something to think about isn't it.

Blessed Be, Happy New Year and Merry Solstice! (Did I leave anything out?)

Robin White

DISCRIMINATION: "To act with prejudice." Well, that didn't tell me anything. I know, I'll look up 'prejudice'.

PREJUDICE: "A basis for or against something formed without sufficient basis. Irrational intolerance of or hostility toward members of a certain race, religion or group. Detriment, especially to one's legal rights."

I'll bet you didn't know cats could read. Don't spread it around. I'll bet you didn't know there was discrimination in the feline universe. Hint: have you ever been to an all-breed cat show?

I would hate to be the organizer who had to be sure not to put the Persians next to the Siamese, or the Manx next to the Rex. Purebred cats are some of the snobbiest creatures on this earth! There's a pedigreed Persian down the street who continually looks down his nose at me because I'm only part Persian, as if that mattered. And speaking of noses ... his looks as if he ran into a tree head-first. Where does he get off calling me different?

One of my acquaintances, an un-owned cat who lives in the swamp behind my house, told me of an Abyssian he'd met that constantly condemned him because he didn't venerate the Goddess Bast! Well, there are other deities in the Feline Pantheon you know. All cats were created equal with the freedom to follow whatever Goddess (or God) they chose. I do enjoy comparing my beliefs with other cats from time to time but will cheerfully withdraw from the conversation when those types of arguments arise. We should all be tolerant of each other's personal beliefs whether we share them or not. That's my philosophy.

They say that politics and religion are subjects best left alone. Maybe next month we'll discuss politics in the Feline Sphere. Let's see now; if cats could vote ...

Meow for Now!

Wendy Tiger

Editor's Note: Wendy likes to get letters from other literate cats. If you have an intelligent feline friend that would like to write to Wendy, please help by putting his or her words on paper. We would love to get a good conversation going between them.