Saturday of Music and Ritual

Saturday, I dropped by my friend Lew's home. He was kind enough to share his huge music collection with me. I must have sampled fifty cds. I hopped through them findng sounds I like. Some, I simply rejected after 15 seconds. I am hoping to find some ritual music for Pan and Dionysus rites. More on Pan in a bit. Thanks to Lew and his lovely wife for their hospitality. I am hoping I can drive down in another month for round two. Maybe I can buy them a pizza for dinner.


Speaking of music, I found some interesting sites some of you may be interested in. The first is LastFM. Here you play something from the band you like and then play 'their' radio station. You are then treated to similar bands. What a great way to discover new music. The service is free. The second is called Pandora. This is similar except they have what they call the "Music Genome Project". They classify the music by all sorts of things and then link what you're playing to similar music. This is also free. If you're a music fan or want to be, check these out.


Next, we drove over to WitchDoctorJoe's for their rite. I'm not Wiccan. However, if he and his lovely wife were Christians, I'd likely still go. What they do is flat out awesome. I've never seen two people work so hard to show their kids how much they love them, even when they are angry. They are teaching their kids to live a magickal life at such a young age. How lucky they are! I'm always impressed and feel priviledged to be there.


I was speaking to Joe about the research and design of a Dionysus rite for Fresno's Pagan Pride Day next October. Officially, it won't be PPD but they don't have a new name yet. He said he's noted some serious changes. First, he was shocked that I, of all people, would be doing a pubic ritual. As a rule, I shun them. As a rule, I find the energy icky. Yet, here I am. Secondly, after I pointed out his dogs were crawling all over me, something they haven't done in the past, he said it isn't just the dogs. I feel different. Something is changed. Then he hit me with a bomb shell. He said, I grabbed him with both hands by the shirt, pulled him close and said, "If Pan wants something, you'll never sleep until he gets it." Then I smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. He said I was very intense. I do remember him coming to my room to drop something off. I do not remember that at all. My Gal pointed out that at the Morrison ritual, I kissed quite a few of the women. I only remember one. Before any one gets upset, I had permission. I was appropriatley drunk at said ritual but not black out drunk. I'd assume I was black out drunk except for three things. That has only happened once in my life, I didn't have that much alcohol and when the Joe incident happened, I was three days sober.

I'm doing a lot of research on Pan right now and enjoying every minute of it. I am doing some artistic things as well with equal enjoyment. Things changed the weekend of Pantheacon.

I feel like crap. My back has been very painful for two weeks now and I've had too many pain killers. So, even when it doesn't hurt, I feel the lingering effects as my body detoxes. I'm not even 'clean' before it hurts again the cycle repeats. This suck but the rest of life is great!