Who We Are - Delica-m

Transcription

Who We Are
ShadowLore is a network whose sole purpose
is to place adults of like minds and interests in
contact with one another, both online and in
person.
Branches, headed by individuals with similar
interests and concerns, can be found in cities
and states across the United States, Canada,
and Europe.
The role of each branch head and co-head is to
offer a safe social setting where those of like
minds can meet and interact, to guide those searching for answers to the
appropriate information, and to offer assistance and support. We are not naive
enough to believe our efforts will unite anyone. Rather, we strive to promote
tolerance for those with differing ideas and views.
http://www.shadowlore.net
In such a noble quest, unity with the greater kindred community will be
achieved by each on their own terms.
ShadowLore publishes "The Shadow Tymes" for the Kindred community.
The Tymes includes articles; editorials; short stories; poetry; book, movie, and
music reviews; local ShadowLore branch information; and noteworthy news and
events for the Kindred community. Local ShadowLore branches freely
distribute the printed edition of "The Shadow Tymes" into communities across
North America and Western Europe.
For those with internet access, the official Shadow Tymes website archives past
and present Tymes features as well as real time event information and news for
the Kindred. http://www.shadowtymes.net/
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ShadowLore Links……………..
ShadowLore Branch Info…… ...
ShadowLore Chat Info…………
Moon Phases……………………
Calendars………………………
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Words Of Lore : Articles, Essays
and Stories
The Ancient Ankh………………. .. 8
Coming Out Of The Coffin…….. 9-11
Labels, A Short Article On Vampyre 12
Half Dragons In Mytholgy…… 13-14
Homeless Pagan Shelter Needs A
Home…………………… ……..
15-16
Ancient Beauty Secrets……… …... 17
Some Words With A Mummy ….. 18-22
Poetic Musings……………
Shadow Tymes Staff:
Mairi - Founder of ShadowLore and Chief
Advisor
Jasmine Nyte - Editor
Acacia-Co - Editor
Sanguinarius - Contributing Editor
Grim - Webmaster
Submissions:
Comments, questions, suggestions and
opinions write to:
[email protected]
Articles, essays, poetry, prose, short
stories, art write to:
[email protected]
The contents of this newsletter are the property of
ShadowLore and the contributing authors, and
may not be reproduced in any fashion except by
express permission.
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Dark Distractions: Entertainment
and Events
Movie Review: Batman Begins…... 24
Book: Embracing The Darkness …..25-26
Event: Michigan Camping Trip…… 26
Music: Delica and The Chemical Rift... 27
The opinions expressed in the article with this
newsletter ate solely those of the individual
author and does not necessarily represent the
views of Shadow Tymes, its employees or the
whole of ShadowLore
A special thanks to Grim for all his hard work on
the Shadow Tymes website.
SL emblem on page 2 by Acacia
“Druid Tree” on page 6 by Cari Buzisk
Back Cover - Shadowlore Cross image ©
ShadowLore
Shadow Tymes Banner by Jasmine Nyte
ShadowLore
This is the main discussion group for ShadowLore.
ShadowLore is a network whose sole purpose is to put adults of like minds and interests in touch with one
another, both online and off. We welcome all Kindred, whether Angelic, Crystal, Fae, Elf, Donor, Dragon,
Indigo, Starseed, Therian (werecreatures), Vampire, or Witch..Everyone is Welcome! It's about learning to
accept each other as individuals and not for what we claim to be. It's about learning to tolerate our
differences while still holding on to our individual
beliefs. This is not a role-playing group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore/
ShadowLore Official Website
http://www.shadowlore.net/
ShadowLore Message Board
http://shadowlore.proboards27.com/
ShadowLore_Teen Group
ShadowLore Teen is a discussion and support group for teenagers 13 thru 17.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Teen/
ShadowLore Group at MySpace.com
http://groups.myspace.com/Shadowlore
Eagle’s Mere Gathering
Information about the Eagle's Mere Spring and Fall Gathering, pictures of the Lodge and surrounding
areas.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/eaglesmeregathering/
Kindred Nations
A sister group of ShadowLore, is a resource for kindred seeking to come together. A league of Nations:
Angelkin, Elf, Fae, Dragons,Therians(WereCreatures),Vampires, and other Kin bound together in a
mutual understanding that even though we are diverse we are still Kindred. And as Kindred, there is much
we can teach each other.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KindredNations/
Kindred Magick
A sister group of ShadowLore, is a resource for kindred who practice any form of magick. Our purpose is to
encourage spiritual development and joint participation among the kindred in magickal pursuits. This
group welcomes all kindred, whether angelic, crystal, fae, indigo, neopagan, pagan, starseed, therian,
vampire, witch, etc. Our desire is to be a haven for all magick workers.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kindred_magick/
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U.S.A.
Alabama/Georgia/Mississippi/
* ShadowLore_Southeast
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Southeast/
Branch Head: Onyx Email: [email protected]
Branch Affiliate: ScarletFaer Email: [email protected]
Branch Affiliate: Desserette Email:[email protected]
DC (District of Columbia)
* ShadowLore_DC-Maryland
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_DC-Maryland/
Branch Head: Mairi LaPier Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: Don Email: [email protected]
Florida
* Shadows of Florida
www.shadowsofflorida.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shadows_of_Florida/
Branch Head: Damien Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: Red Rose Email: [email protected]
Indiana/Illinois
* ShadowLore_Indiana
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Indiana-Illinois/
Branch Head(Indiana): Jasmine Email: [email protected]
Branch Head(Illinois): Elix Email: [email protected]
Branch Affiliate(Indiana): Patrick Email: wired_wolf_66@yahoo.
com
Kansas
* ShadowLore Kansas
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Kansas-Missouri/
Branch Head: Sanguinarius Email: shadowlore-ks@sanguinarius.
org
Branch Affiliate: EvilWolf Email: [email protected]
Kentucky/Tennessee
* ShadowLore Kentucky/Tennessee
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Kentucky-Tennessee/
Branch Affiliate: ScarletFaer Email: [email protected]
Louisiana
* ShadowLore Louisiana
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Louisiana/
Branch Affiliate: Jasmine Email: [email protected]
Branch Affiliate: Lady Amethyst Email: ladyamethyst1st@excite.
com
Maryland
* ShadowLore Maryland
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_DC-Maryland/
Massachusetts/Rhode Island
* ShadowLore Massachusetts-RI
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Massachusetts-RI/
Branch Head: Reign Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: Pope - Email: [email protected]
Missouri
* ShadowLore Missouri
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Kansas-Missouri/
Branch Head: Samael Email: [email protected]
New York
* ShadowLore NewYork
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_NewYork/
Branch Head: Seven Email: [email protected]
Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey
* ShadowLore Pennsylvania
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Pennsylvania/
http://www.geocities.com/grim_reaper_666_999/ShadowLore.html
Branch Head (Pittsburgh): Grim Email: [email protected]
Branch Head (Delaware): Gabrielle Email: [email protected]
Branch Head (Philadelphia):Acacia Email: acacia_phoenix2002@yahoo.
com
Co Head:(Pittsburgh) Patty - [email protected]
Co-Head (Pittsburgh): Vampy Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: (Mansfield): Fallen (Kat) Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: (Mansfield): Grimm - [email protected]
Branch Affiliate:(Delaware)Scaythe - [email protected]
Branch Affiliate: (New Jersey) Jeff - [email protected]
Oklahoma/Texas
* ShadowLore OK-Texas
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_OK-Texas/
Branch Head: Dread Email: [email protected]
Branch Affiliate: Damien [email protected]
Virginia
* ShadowLore Virginia
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Virginia/
North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota/Wisconsin
* ShadowLore NorthWest
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_NorthWest/
West Virginia
ShadowLore West Virginia
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Virginia/
Branch Head: Alloria Dark Email: [email protected]
CANADA
Manitoba
* The ShadowLore branch for those in Manitoba.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowLore_Canada/
Branch Head: Alex Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: Sid Email: [email protected]
Nova Scotia
* The ShadowLore branch for those in Nova Scotia.
Branch Head: Elizabeta Email: [email protected]
Ontario
* The ShadowLore branch for those in Ontario.
Branch Head: Fuill Conreeaght Email: [email protected]
Co-Head: Gray Heart Email: [email protected]
EUROPE
Scotland
Branch Head: Dark Soulreaver Email: [email protected]
Scotland Affiliate: Wolfrider Email: [email protected]
ShadowLore Affiliates
California Affiliate: Lupey Email: [email protected]
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ShadowLore Chat Room
Chat live with members of ShadowLore ShadowLore is a network whose sole purpose is
to put adults of like minds and interests in touch with one another, both online and off. We
welcome all Kindred, whether Angelic, Crystal, Fae, Elf, Donor, Dragon, Goth, Indigo,
Pagan, Starseed, Therian(werecreatures), Vampire, or Witch………Everyone is Welcome!
http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.pl?id=6010
(All times are Eastern Standard, subtract one hour for Central , subtract two hours for
Mountain Time, and three hours for Pacific Time.)
*8:00pm est ~ FirstTuesday of every month is ShadowLore Chat for and about
Vampires.
*9:00pm est ~ Second Wednesday of every month is ShadowLore Chat about Starseeds,
Indigos, Crystals, and Rainbows.
*9:00pm est ~ Third Sunday of every month is ShadowLore Chat about Witchcraft.
*9:00pm est ~ Fourth Thursday of every month is ShadowLore Chat for Therians and
Moon Phases
July 2005 ~ The Seventh Month
The month begins with Venus and Mercury still very close together, in Cancer, low in the west at dusk.
They continue their eye-catching side-by-side performance until the 10th, after dangling beneath the
crescent Moon on the 8th. Venus crosses into Leo at midmonth and is near its main star Regulus on the
22nd. Saturn has slipped behind the Sun and can not be seen, while Jupiter is low in the southwest at dusk
and visible until midnight. The real news is Mars, now seriously brightening to magnitude zero as it slips
into Pisces after nipping a corner of the lesser-known constellation Cetus. Rising by 1:00 a.m., it
dominates the wee hours. Moon phase times are based on Eastern Time.
New Moon: 6th day, 8th hour, 2nd minute
First Quarter: 14th day, 11th hour, 20th minute
Full Moon: 21st day, 7th hour, 0 minute
Last Quarter: 27th day, 23rd hour, 19th minute
August 2005 ~ The Eighth Month
Mercury, returning to the predawn east at midmonth as a morning star, dangles just below Saturn, which
has reemerged in its new home of Cancer; the pair is best seen from the 20th to the 27th. As evening
twilight fades, Venus brightens and is now conspicuous, if low; it closely meets the Moon on the 7th.
Jupiter sinks farther into the west and is near the Moon on the 9th. Venus approaches Jupiter the final
week of August and hangs out spectacularly close to it on the 31st. Mars doubles in brightness as it clips
Cetus en route into Aries. The year's best meteor shower, the Perseids, will be wonderful on the night of
August 11 12, especially after midnight. Moon phase times are based on Eastern Time.
New Moon: 4th day, 23rd hour, 5th minute
First Quarter: 12th day, 22nd hour, 38th minute
Full Moon: 19th day, 13th hour, 53rd minute
Last Quarter: 26th day, 11th hour, 18th minute
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SUN
MON
(All times are
EST )
TUE
WED
THU
ShadowLore Chat Room
http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.pl?id=6010 6
FRI
SAT
1
Canada Day
2
3
4
Fourth of July
5 8:00 pm
Vampire Chat
6
New Moon
7
8
9
10
11
12
1320 9:00 pm
Starseed Chat
14
First Quarter
15
16
17 9:00 pm
Witchcraft
Chat
18
19
21
Full Moon
22
23
24
Parents Day
25
26
28 9:00 pm
Therian Chat
29
30
27
Last Quarter
31
SUN
MON
1
Lammas
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
2 8:00 pm
Vampire Chat
3
4
New Moon
5
6
7
8
9
10 9:00 pm
Starseed Chat
11
12
First Quarter
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Full Moon
20
21 9:00 pm
Witchcraft
Chat
22
23
24
25 9:00 pm
Therian Chat
26
Last Quarter
27
28
29
30
31
ShadowLore Message Board
http://shadowlore.proboards27.com
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Articles, Essays And Stories
The Ancient Ankh, Symbol of Life
The Ankh was, for the ancient Egyptians, the symbol (the actual Hieroglyphic sign) of life
but it is an enduring icon that remains with us even today as a Christian cross. It is one of
the most potent symbols represented in Egyptian art, often forming a part of decorative
motifs.
The ankh seems at least to be an evolved form of, or associated with the Egyptian glyph for
magical protection, sa. However, what the sign itself represents is often disputed. For
example, Sir Alan Gardiner thought that it showed a sandal strap with the loop at the top
forming the strap, but if so, the symbolism is obscure and so his theory has found little real
favor early on. However, this interpretation seems to have received some acceptance among modern writers. It
would seem that the ancient Egyptians called that part of the sandal 'nkh (exact pronunciation unknown). Because
this word was composed of the same consonants as the word "life", the sign to represent that particular part of the
sandal, was also used to write the word "life".
Another theory holds that the ankh was symbolic of the sunrise, with the loop representing the Sun rising above
the horizon, which is represented by the crossbar. The vertical section below the crossbar would then be the path of
the sun .
Wolfhart Westendorf felt it was associated with the tyet emblem, or the "knot of Isis". He thought both were ties
for ceremonial girdles. Winfried Barta connected the ankh with the royal cartouche in which the king's name was
written, while others have even identified it as a penis sheath. The presence of a design resembling a pubic triangle
on one ankh of the New kingdom seems to allow for the idea that the sign may be a specifically sexual symbol. In
fact, guides in Egypt today like to tell tourists that the circle at the top represents the female sexual organ, while the
stump at the bottom the male organ and the crossed line, the children of the union. However, while this
interpretation may have a long tradition, there is no scholarly research that would suggest such an exact meaning.
The ankh, on some temple walls in Upper Egypt, could also symbolize water in rituals of purification. Here, the king
would stand between two gods, one of whom was usually Thoth, as they poured over him a stream of libations
represented by ankhs.
The ancient gods of Egypt are often depicted as carrying ankh signs. We find Anqet, Ptah, Satet, Sobek, Tefnut,
Osiris, Ra, Isis, Hathor, Anibus and many other gods often holding the ankh sign, along with a scepter, and in
various tomb and temple reliefs, placing it in front of the king's face to symbolize the breath of eternal life. During
the Amarna period, the ankh sign was depicted being offered to Akhenaten and Nefertiti by the hands at the end of
the rays descending from the sun disk, Aten. Therefore, the ankh sign is not only a symbol of worldly life, but of life
in the netherworld. Therefore, we also find the dead being referred to as ankhu, and a term for a sarcophagus was
neb-ankh, meaning possessor of life.
It is at least interesting that the ankh word was used for mirrors from at least the Middle Kingdom onward, and
that indeed, many mirrors were shaped in the form of an ankh sign. Life and death mirror each other, and in any
number of ancient religions, mirrors were used for purposes of divination.
In fact, the ankh sign in ancient Egypt seems to have transcended illiteracy, being comprehensible to even those who
could not read. Hence, we even find it as a craftsman's mark on pottery vessels.
As the Christian era eclipsed Egypt's pharaonic pagan religion, the sign was adapted by the Coptic church as their
unique form of a cross, known as the crux ansata.
Taylor Ray Ellison http://touregypt.net/
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Coming Out Of The Coffin
By Michelle Belanger
When I started publishing articles on psychic vampirism in magazines and on the Web many years ago,
I took a risk that few people were willing to do: with all my writings and interviews, I used my real name.
Don’t get me wrong writing so openly about vampirism was not a comfortable thing, especially not at
first. I knew I was sticking my neck out and could expect censure from friends, family members, and even
strangers on the street. More than that, I knew that there were whole aspects of my future that such a
public outing of myself made null and void.
First and foremost, I was giving up any chance I might have at any “normal” career in the
mainstream world. As a National Merit Scholar and magna cum laude graduate of a prestigious private
university, this was no small thing. With my scholastic credentials and my writing skills, I think it’s fair
to say that I was brimming with potential. And yet at the juncture of my emergence into the hallowed
halls of academia, I found that it was more important to me to apply all that talent, creativity, and
potential toward helping people understand vampires and vampirism. Certainly I could have gone on to a
prestigious career at some time-honored college or university but for me, that life would have been
personally empty. Even looking down that path now, knowing what I let slip away, I do not regret the
choice I made to write about something so reviled and so obscure.
For me, this is all about basic human rights, and I often turn to the human rights movement when I
need inspiration. Fifty years ago, it was a terrible thing to be gay. As the homosexual marriage debate
continues to divide whole countries in two, I think it’s fair to say that it’s still pretty tough to be gay, but
forward motion has been made. Gay marriage is a reality in several areas of the world, and in the United
States, many States are adopting partner benefits and laws that prevent workplaces from discriminating
against employees based on their sexual orientation. Fifty years ago, however, homosexuality was still
considered not only an aberration against God and nature, but it was also one of many “mental illnesses”
treated with electroshock therapy.
Compare that to vampirism today. Most people, if you tell them that you’re a vampire, are going
to assume that you’re crazy. I can bet dollars to donuts that if you tell your doctor or therapist about your
vampirism, they will treat you for some mental illness. If, on some odd chance, the person you out yourself
to doesn’t assume that you’re a sadly deluded psychopath, they are still highly likely to react to you with
fear and suspicion. Pagans, Wiccans, New Agers, and other occultists who actually believe in the
existence of psychic vampires almost universally despise them. Vampirism is truly the homosexuality of
the magickal world: most “normal” magickal workers view it as an aberration, and I’ve actually heard
Wiccans describe the act of vampirism as an unnatural act against the Goddess.
Consider the following, taken from a 1996 publication by Konstantinos called vampires: the Occult
Truth. The chapter is devoted to "Intentional Psychic vampires" and begins with these words:
These are the darkest creatures ...
intentional psychic vampires
can become monsters in every sense of the word ...
the psychic
vampires dealt with here freely choose to become what they are.
(italics mine)
Konstantinos does not have a very high opinion of us. His book, which professes to be the first
which contains a tried and true method of protecting oneself from psychic vampire attacks, is one of
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the only books out on the market which addresses vampirism as a real occult phenomenon. This is a sad
fact, because although Konstantinos has some legitimate insight into the nature and function of psychic
vampirism, his view of the phenomenon is terribly one-sided. Throughout the text, vampires are presented
as nothing but a threat to magickal workers and other innocent people. He uses negative language
throughout to describe vampires and the act of vampirism, and his overall message is that vampires are out
there and intent upon victimizing anyone they can. To return to the gay analogy, Konstantinos winds up
sounding a lot like those religious fanatics who denounce homosexuality as the greatest corruption of our
age and who feel that the very presence of a homosexual in a community is a threat to every straight
person in that community. Vampirism, in Konstantinos's mind, is an insidious evil that no one is safe
from -- unless, of course, they use his technique of psychic protection.
If Konstantinos were an isolated case, his book would hardly upset me as much as it does. And yet
wherever I go in the Pagan and Wiccan community, I encounter sentiments similar to his. A hew years
ago, there was a convention in Seattle called Northwest Con that featured among its lectures a panel
devoted to the issue of vampires. A friend of mine attended the panel discussion, eager to hear other
peoples' opinions on the phenomenon. Those leading the panel claimed to hold positions of importance and
respect within the local Pagan and Wiccan community. And to my friend's disappointment, all they had
to offer were the same misconceptions and alarmist beliefs about vampires. According to the panel
speakers, vampires were everywhere, and good Pagans and magickal workers had to be prepared to protect
themselves from the evil of vampiric attack.
At best, energy workers view vampires as sick and in need of healing. A very close friend of mine
from Modesto, California, is an excellent example of this. He is a first generation American, his family
having come from China. His family runs a chi-healing institute and shrine in Modesto. My friend,
whom we'll call K.C. for short, was instructed in his particular form of chi-healing by his father. K.C. is
very gifted at this technique, and he is always willing to share his gifts to help friends, acquaintances, and
even perfect strangers.
I met K.C. at a convention in 1995 and he immediately took an interest in me. Apparently, the
technique he used for diagnosing a person's wellness made me stand out in his eyes. He wasn't certain
what was wrong with me as he had never encountered anything quite like it before, but he was too curious
not to pursue me in order to figure out what was up. We had a long conversation about our beliefs and
practices and compared the way in which we both perceived and manipulated energy. He accepted what I
was without judgment, although he was surprised to have encountered a legitimate one. He had, to his
knowledge, never run into a "real" vampire before, although now that he knew what to look for, he was
curious to check out a few people he knew back home.
We exchanged energy, mostly because he wanted to see just how much I could take. His technique,
much like Reiki, taps him into a universal and virtually unlimited flow of energy. After several hours of
this experiment, we decided to call it a draw, although he was amazed at my capacity to devour energy as
much as I was amazed at his capacity to produce a seemingly endless supply.
K.C. offered several times to try and help me, although he was certain it was beyond his capacity to
heal what he perceived to be a great big hole in my energy body right around the Hara or Sacral Center. In
the years that followed, K.C. and I have maintained contact and swapped techniques and experiences. He
has been trying to perfect a technique which might restore what he considers a defect in my energy body
and has consulted some teachers on the possibility of constructing a replacement Hara. He admits the
technique is a long-shot, but for him it's a fascinating puzzle to be solved. I just haven't had the heart to
tell him that I doubt I would want to be "fixed" even if he could fix me.
K.C. is a unique case. Many of the energy workers I have encountered who have actually
recognized my unique spiritual state are not nearly so benign in their attempts to "fix" me. I had one
fanatical healer at a New Age convention practically try and throw me onto her massotherapy couch in
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order to heal what she considered a life-threatening defect. When I quietly explained to her that I was
both aware of the defect and did not consider it a problem, she grew patronizing. She told me that I
only believed such nonsense because I had grown accustomed to the problem and, having been
abnormal for so long, had come to mistake my state for spiritual normalcy. My belief that the
condition helped me in any way was only a delusional compensation for the spiritual deficiency I
suffered from.
Later in the convention, I found her following me around, trying to heal me from afar. She went
so far as to "accidentally" brush up against me in a crowd, trying to sneak in a quick laying-on of hands
in the process. Needless to say, she gave me the creeps. It was like knowing that someone,
somewhere, is sticking pins in a voodoo doll they've made for you or that little old ladies are crouching
over their rosary beads in a church somewhere, praying for the salvation of your soul.
Yet it is almost impossible to escape such judgment. Mainstream culture does not believe in us
at all, and the magickal workers who know otherwise only want to fix us or wipe us out entirely.
Vampirism, because it is so distrusted and misunderstood carries with it a stigma as heavy as
homosexuality. It is our secret, and our greatest burden. As a writer, I am always aware that my
secret cannot get out. If my more mainstream publishers were to learn what I believed myself to be, I
fully expect that they would drop me from their companies. Vampirism is a stain in their eyes. It is
either indicative of a severe mental disorder or it is patently evil. Admitting to being a vampire
invalidates all the other good qualities you have. Everything becomes tainted by association. No
matter what your other qualities as a person, no matter how valuable the work you do might be, the
stigma of vampirism would overshadow everything. Just consider poor Oscar Wilde.
Oscar Wilde was a poet and revered playwright from the late nineteenth century. During his
lifetime, Wilde's homosexuality became public knowledge through a lawsuit levied against him by the
father of one of his lovers. Wilde was not only incarcerated for this. His wife and children left the
country and assumed a different name so as not to be associated with his stigma. His sons were never
told much about their father, and it was many, many years before they learned the dark secret that
landed their father in the labor camp that ultimately killed him. His plays, consistent hits on the
London stage, were dropped when news of his orientation spread. His writings were condemned, and
even the mention of his name in anything but a negative light was enough to bring the speaker under
suspicion of homosexuality himself. Oscar spent his last days as a virtual vagabond in Europe, a
ragged pauper broken in body and spirit. He never wrote again. What use was it to write? He knew
that his talent was of no value to the public eye -- not when viewed in contrast with his hideous sexual
orientation.
I am painfully aware of Wilde's position. It is the position I find myself in, especially now that I
have released The Psychic Vampire Codex to the general market. In outing my vampirism, I am
inviting the scorn and condemnation of hundreds of readers. The Pagans and the Religious Right may
be diametrically opposed to one another in all other things, but they share common ground in their
condemnation of vampires. And yet I have faith that what I have chosen to do with my life and my
talent is something very necessary. Just as gays began making inroads into modern culture by telling
their stories, fighting for acceptance in a world that held them guilty simply for existing, someone has
to make the first case for the vampire. Who else is going to get the information about us out there so
everyone can find it? How else can we dispel all the negative myths and rumors except to publish our
truths?
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Labels - A Short Article On Vampyre
By Lady Onyx Raven
Vampyre, vampire, nosferatu, devil's spawn, etc. ... I have heard these terms over and over again during
the course of my awakening and even before hand. The illusions that Hollywood and novelists have
created regarding the very presence of blood sucking, morphism, and supernatural powers has amazed me
and has provided the general population with misguided information. There have been countless articles
and forums that have tried to explain the essence of vampirism to those who are seeking to truly
understand. Even with all the information that is out on various websites, forums, publications, events,
etc. there are still those who are seeking the romantic, fictional characters that have been portrayed for
decades.
When someone approaches me with a willingness to learn and to understand, I try to avoid the use of
vampyre as a description of myself. I try to focus on the spiritual side and the ethics and codes by which I
live my life. I, by nature, feed from human blood.
I do not hide in the shadows, ashamed that I need this form of energy, but have come to embrace what I
truly am and what I truly
desire in my life.
There are so many out there who seek to understand and yet the doors have been closed around their
questions, because so many of us have become skeptical to their intentions and to their true identities. In
order to understand what vampyrism truly is, one must be willing to overlook the skepticism that we all
have. One must understand that for many of us, we are quite comfortable living in the shadows of public
eye. We do not seek unneeded attention, as many of us must hold normal, mundane jobs, we must be able
to function and move about freely in our community. Not the ever-growing vampyric community, but our
physical community. Many of us have children, who have not been made aware the true nature of their
parent or parents. We are guarding their innocence until they reach an age where they too can seek to
understand.
The above terminology is merely that. They are words that have been used to describe what society
believes to be vampyres. What it does not do is to allow those who seek to understand that not all feed off
of blood. Some feed off of prana, some feed off of their psychic abilities, and others do not feed at all, but
merely follow similar codes and ethics that have been handed down from House to House, from person to
person, and from communion with others of like mindedness.
Despite what term you use to describe yourself, be prepared for society to warp that description. Be
prepared to face animosity amongst those who do not believe as you do, or do not accept that which you
are. We are all uniquely beautiful. We are all different and yet share many characteristics. As I have
traveled from place to place, I have found the greater vampyric community to be filled with various walks
of life. The myths that only those involved in the Goth scene can truly be vampyres has been debunked.
There are doctors, lawyers, judges, accountants, etc. ... who are indeed vampyres. It is time that we realize
we cannot change what we truly are, nor can we wish to be something other than what we are.
Always seek to understand those different from yourself, always learn… Always seek knowledge beyond
what you think you already know. We are never completely awakened because there will always be
someone who has experienced something other than your experiences. Embrace life, and live to the
fullest ... Remember, labels are simply that ... Words that someone thinks will injure. You can choose to be
labeled or you can choose to create your own label.
Lady Onyx Raven
ShadowLore_Southeast Branch Head
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowlore_southeast
12
Half-dragons in Mythology
By Rathryn Ramos
This article is written for the use of other people doing research on dragons and half-dragons, I hope it can be a
guide to those that have lost their way, or a tutor to those that want to learn more.
The Drakaina
According to the ancient Greeks there was a race of superhuman creatures called the Drakaina, these
creatures were horrifying, evil and half-serpent, half-human. I will name a few in this article to give you an idea
of who and what they were and what they were capable of.
Ekhidna
Ekhidna was an immortal Drakaina and is said to have dwelled in the Korykian cave, whether it reffers to
the one in the Anatolian region of Kilikia or the oracular cave at Delphoi is unknown.
She is probable the same as the monstrous she-serpent Python that was slain by Apollon at Delphoi where
she protected the oracle, so that would suggest she lived in the the cave near Delphoi.
She was born of Keto, a sea-goddess that personified the terrors and dangers of the sea, in a hollow cave. She
was said to have the face and head of nymph, but the body of a serpent, a giant contrast of beauty and beast.
It is said that Typhaon fell in love with her nymph eyes and face and she bore him several hard-tempered
children.
Presumably born from this were creatures such as the Khimaira, the Sphinx and Kerberos. Her unnamed son,
only known as Ekhidna’s Son, even fought on the side of the Titanes in the war between them and the Gods of
Olympus.
Another accounts her of being the child of Tartaros, the first born god, the opposite of the Khaos, and Gaia,
or Ge Mother Earth, who was second only to Khaos, the sky.
This shows the paradox with which a lot of dragons seem to have to cope, she guarded the oracle, but was a
hideous creature, she had the head and face of a nymph, but the body of a drakon.
Ekhidna’s Son
Ekhidna’s son was a serpent-footed giant that fought on the side of the Titanes in their war against the
Gods of Olympus, he was slain by Ares, God of War.
Apparently both him and his mother were capable of producing poison and spitting it towards others,
infecting them.
Kampe
Kampe was a guard, no more than that and no less. She was appointed to guard the Hekatonkheires and the
Kyklopes in Tartaros by Kronos. But Zeus slew her and freed the Giants so that they would be able to aid him
in his battle against the Titanes.
Kampe had the body of a scaly drakon, on top of which sat a body of a serpentine-haired woman. Her feet
consisted of a thousand vipers and her body was adorned with the heads of fifty wild beasts - boars and lions
for instance - and above her head she raised a scorpion’s tail. Black wings sprouted from her shoulders.
Though she seems irrelevant to this article due to her physical form, she is in fact a half-dragon. One with a
sense of duty, she did not leave her post until she was slain by Zeus.
Python
Python was presumably the same as Ekhidna and therefore I will appoint you to her entry instead of reading
this one.
Skylla
Skylla had the lower body of a sea-serpent and the upper body of a woman. She also had the foreparts of six
dogs sprouting from her serpent’s chest, so that she could use them for legs.
She was killed by Heracles nonetheless, only to be restored to life by her father Phorkys, who branded her
wounds.
When she meets Odysseus however, she has six heads on grisly long necks, each head armed with a triple
row of sharp teeth.
Odysseus was advised to quickly row past her cave so that she could only carry away six of his men, if he
would stop to attack the monster he would surely lose all of them, including himself, for she was an immortal
monster. Which contests the Skylla Herakles had battled.
The Argonauts also encountered them and also had to choose between the raging maelstrom of Kharybdis
and Skylla’s attacking heads, though they were advised to stay in between the two staying just out of reach
between them.
13
Another tale tells us that she started out as a nymph and that Circe poisoned the water she bathed in, so that
she turned into a monster too hideous for Glaucus too love, for both were in love with him. As retaliation
Skylla then stole some of Odysseus’ men as they sailed past. Glaudus after that thought that Cire had been
too cruel and Skylla was now to hideous, so neither of them got him in the end. This suggests that being
Drakaina can be either a curse by the Gods or the result either of jealousy or as punishment.
Skythia
Skythia was the first ruler of the same-named land, Skythia. Instead of a lower body she had two tails of a
drakon, one for a leg on each side. She stole Herakles’ mares and cattle and demanded that he mate with her to
get his cattle back.
Herakles agreed and had intercourse with her, she bore him three sons, the youngest of which later produced
the entire line of rulers for Skythia, the rest was sent out of the country.
Yet even after Herakles had fulfilled the requirements he still did not get his horses back instantly, because
Skythia wanted to stall his leaving.
This probably could be boiled down to the fact that dragons are indeed very capable of love, although they
seem to have some problems expressing it properly.
Naga, human-headed dragons
Naga’s come from India where they worked with the Gods, their name comes from Sanskrit in which it
means ‘serpent’.
Naga is also used in terms such as Initiate and Adept and even as far as away as South and Central
America the word has positive meanings, there it stands for someone who is wise.
The race looks like two-legged dragons with human heads, they do not possess wings, though.
They are also revered in places such as Egypt, where they changed into King-Initiates, in China, who’s people
originated from them and where they are depicted as dragons, and even in Mexico they revere them, although
there they are referred to as nagal, not naga. The only problem is, that this is viewed from an Indian point of
view so it is probably heavily biased.
The serpent in Genesis is also supposed to be a naga that instructed the child of humanity on good and evil,
although I do not know what to make of this myself.
They are thought to reside in Patala, a watery region underground. This clearly shows the good side of
dragons and even their presumed divinity, though more on that in the next part.
Dragon-Emperors
In the Eastern countries the dragon has been revered long before people could write down that they revered
them. It is even said that emperors and other great rulers are descendants of dragons. The Japanese Emperor
Hirohito supposedly even traced his ancestry back 125 generations to Princess Fruitful Jewel, daughter of a
Dragon King of the Sea.and in the same country the emperor was hidden behind a bamboo screen for a long
time, because they could change themselves into dragons.
Anyone that peered behind the screen while the emperor was present was sentenced to death. And even
though it may sound like an insult, calling an emperor a “dragon-face” was the greatest compliment an emperor
could get in that time.
Then again the entire palace was divided into dragon-objects and phoenix-objects. For instance: dragonthrone, dragon-robe, dragon-bed and dragon-boat. Although the latter is not entirely a part of the palace,
another thing clearly showing the divinity of dragons.
http://www.house-eclipse.org/
This article is copyright © its original author. Please do not redistribute or reproduce without the expressed
permission of the author.
14
Homeless Pagan Shelter Needs a Home
No Pagan faith-based charities in this country? Tell that to the thousands of people that have been fed,
helped, or sheltered by Robin’s Hood CommUNITY Center (RHCC) in the 2 ½ years since it opened
its doors. The play on the name? Robin's Hood is a Pagan run community shelter that accepts what the
wealthy doesn’t need and distributes it to the poor who are in need -- without red tape.
Founded by the Reverend Bonnie Campaniello, an Eclectic Pagan with an Egyptian focus, the center is a
landmark model of Pagans helping people in need. It serves a tri-state region of Ohio, Kentucky, and
Indiana residents. Located in Covington, KY across from the Cincinnati/Dayton, OH area, it welcomes
all who come through the doors.
In 2001, Campaniello turned an inheritance from her grandfather into the initial endowment for this
center to help people struggling with their day-to-day needs. When asked why she decided to do this with
her money of all the things she could have brought herself, she shrugged it off and said, “No one else was
doing it.” This energetic High Priestess is too busy helping others to spend much time talking about
herself.
Bonnie is quick to credit all those who help her with this entity. Many of the volunteers that help staff
the center are also members of the coven “Not quite a Coven of the Fainting Goats” and also includes
some members of the Pagan Community Council of Ohio (PCCO) .
Volunteer supporter Jill Medicine Heart says of RHCC, “Rev. Bonnie has a tireless heart and spirit for
her community. Her dream and vision of Robin's Hood CommUNITY Center is a notable one. She is a
Helper of People and a Helper of Spirit. Bonnie needs to keep RHCC running to continue helping the
homeless and the hungry in Covington. There are just too many instances that without a resource to come
to, the homeless are being beaten and killed on the streets or freezing in the cold frigid temperatures. There
is a continued need for the help and support."
The center is having a crisis right now which we could easily turn into a blessing: Robin’s Hood had to
suspend their operations in January. The aging building they rented had the insurance cancelled and
RHCC had to vacate. Here, in the Cincinnati, OH suburbs, Robin’s Hood needs a building that is both
affordable and chunks of the ceiling don’t fall down.
Recently, Bonnie found a perfect building but needs the help of the national community to make it
happen. The new building can serve more people and has a kitchen, multiple baths, a laundry room and
other useful amenities. Best of all, the building comes with an option to purchase after a year of leasing! If
able to purchase a building, the center stands a much better chance to establish itself for a long time in the
area. See www.robinshood.org for updates on the building search and more information.
When they were up and running, the numbers of people they helped were impressive, particularly for a
privately-funded volunteer organization. In three months, they helped 300+ people. Last fall, 51 children
were outfitted with school supplies. On Thanksgiving Day, 225 people were fed a good holiday meal. All
together, thousands of people have been warmed, fed, helped, and sheltered.
Need has no holidays. Bonnie and her crew helped two families whose duplex burned down during the
solstice holidays. With the recent Florida hurricanes and tsunami disaster, the world’s attention and aid is
being funneled into places that make the news. While aid to all is important, the point is that when
national / international charities are overburdened, regional helping places such as Robin’s Hood become
even more important to help the everyday lives of Americans in need.
Robin’s Hood can (and has) meant the difference between life and death. Local homeless people often
sleep on the banks of the Ohio River during cold winter nights which dip into single-digit and sub-zero
temperatures. Over the winter, the center expanded its operations to allow more people to “loiter” indoors
overnight to avoid the bitter weather.
15
There’s a mixed reaction to the new kid in town. Campaniello once received pancake syrup in commercial sizes
(too large to give to families) . Knowing a local church served a weekly pancake breakfast to those in need,
Bonnie donated the supplies to them. She found the syrup returned on her doorstep with a note explaining that
their church worked only with other Christian organizations.
Fortunately, other local agencies understand that human needs transcend religious labels. They understand
that basic human needs are immediate red tape doesn’t feed a hungry person. Since Robins’ Hood doesn’t
receive federal or state funds, it is not bound by extensive regulations which require proof of income, ID, drug
testing, and other criteria before people are helped. So, when other local agencies cannot help people due to their
own bureaucratic criteria, they send them to Bonnie.
While we often think of only the homeless as being in need, Campaniello explains that aid is necessary to keep
many families in their homes. “The majority of Americans are two paychecks away from being homeless, ” she
explains, “any calamity an extended sickness, car trouble, loss of a job -- and a family can lose their home.”
Once turned out of a home, families have no place to keep their stuff so they lose everything. If they regain
housing, they are faced with the additional expense of furnishing a home again! Keeping people in their homes
by supplementing needs is a smart preventative step to preventing homelessness in the first place.
Food stamps and other public aid can help feed people but do not buy other numerous and necessary items.
Diapers, toilet paper and other household goods are provided by the center. “If someone gets $10 worth of stuff
from us for free, they can put that $10 towards the light bill or rent, ” she explains.
Bonnie and her coven have the know-how and the drive and the supplies to continue with the shelter. With all
her inheritance invested in the initial start-up, she now needs a chunk of change to reopen Robin’s Hood a
security deposit, a few month’s rent and some start-up money to get a roof over its head again. Bonnie needs a
minimum of $700 to secure the new building she has her eye on.
Robin’s Hood would also appreciate some regular sponsors to help with operation costs. While the workforce
is all volunteer (no staffing costs) , the effort still needs to generate money regularly for utilities and basic
operational/ office supplies. We need the national community to help with this regional effort that helps so
many.
All donations are welcome. If you can only afford $5, donate that with a blessing as you send the money. If you
are a well-heeled Pagan (and there are many) who have been looking for a credible Pagan charity to sponsor,
please help us support this worthy cause so that it may continue to grow! Robin’s Hood is a 5013 (C)
organization, makes financial statements public, and donations are tax-deductible.
While money is the most useful immediate commodity for the center to receive, there are many ways to help.
The center accepts non-perishable food and household items in good shape. They could use help from local
volunteers to help with daily operations. For more information, call Bonnie at (859) 743-6454.
To learn more and/or to donate via credit card / paypal directly and securely, visit Robin’s Hood website:
www.robinshood.org. If you prefer to send a check or money order, make payable to “Robin’s Hood” and mail to:
1211 Highway Avenue, Covington, KY 41011.
Another way to help is by attending various benefits sponsored by Robin’s Hood such as the Faerie Fest
Family Festival (www.geocities.com/faeriefest05) , Qadishti Fest Adult Festival (www.geocities.com/
qadishtifest05) and the Cincinnati Witches Ball in October.
While the focus of the shelter is to help people regardless of their religious paths, this center is important to
the Pagan movement for additional reasons. As a developing spiritual movement, having such organizations
that identify as pagan-based or with public Pagan founders show us and others that Pagans are now reaching
out beyond our own to address universal needs. When we work with local governmental and civic organizations
for the same causes, we help to show others the good heart of Paganism.
Blessings on Rev. Bonnie, this feisty, loving and determined High Priestess with a vision! With your
determined service to others, you are truly an inspiration for all of us. Blessings on the regional Pagan
community who have donated their time and energy to keep this vision alive! Here’s more proof that the Pagan
community is maturing into a sustainable culture that attends to the physical as well as the spiritual needs of
humanity.
Peace, Charlene Suggs
16
Website: http://robinshood.org
Ancient Beauty Secrets
Tutankhamun's Perfume
One quarter cup coconut oil
6 drops of essential oil of spikenard
6 drops of essential oil of frankincense
For blending purposes, the oil should be liquid. If the oil has solidified, place one-quarter cup
of the solid oil in the top of a double boiler and warm gently. (If you don't have a double boiler,
improvise by creating a water bath. Put the oil in a container and place it within a pot of water. Warm the water gently
on the stove, under constant supervision. The oil must not actually be in the water.) When the oil is liquid, blend in the
essential oils. Place in a container and allow to harden at room temperature again. Perhaps instead of a historically
accurate texture, you'd like to avail yourself of some of spikenard's therapeutic gifts. Beyond their evocative fragrances,
both spikenard and frankincense are considered especially beneficial for mature skin, minimizing wrinkles and delaying
the signs of aging. To reap those benefits instead, substitute a thinner vegetable oil, less inclined to clog pores than
coconut, perhaps grapeseed or jojoba. These oils will not solidify but will remain liquid. There is no need to heat the oil;
merely add the essential oils. Massage a little into your face before retiring in the evening. (Both oils also have
reputations as romance-enhancers, so the possibilities are endless.)
Ancient Egyptian Anti-Wrinkle Cream Updated
One Teaspoon Sweet Almond Oil
Two Drops of Essential oil of Frankincense
Apply to the cleansed face nightly with a gentle massage.
Scalp and Hair Stimulation Oil
One Teaspoon Sweet Almond Oil
One Teaspoon Castor Oil
10 Drops Essential Oil of Fir Needle (Abies spp)
OR Essential Oil of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Mix the Sweet Almond Oil together with the Castor Oil in a small bowl and then add no more than 10 drops of
Essential Oil. Mix with your fingers and then rub vigorously into your scalp, concentrating on areas where hair is
thinning.
Henna Paste
(This is a basic recipe for creating henna paste. It is only one among millions: in some regions every family has a
closely guarded secret recipe, including various add-ins guaranteed to improve the hue and longevity. Take this one
and experiment: you can add espresso, rose petals, saffron or hibiscus flowers.)
One teaspoon powdered and sifted henna powder
Two teaspoons strong black tea
5 drops of essential oil of eucalyptus
1.
In a glass mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.
2.
Mix, stirring in one direction to eliminate any lumps. The texture should be akin to toothpaste or stiff cake
frosting: add extra powder or liquid, a little at a time, to achieve this consistency.
3.
Once the paste is smooth, cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit overnight in a warm place before using.
You can also reap the benefits of henna without the color: neutral (colorless) henna powder may also be used to
condition the nails. Neutral henna powder is usually sold as a hair-care product. All polish must be off your nails for
this treatment to be effective. Add half a teaspoon of the neutral powder to one half cup of warmed spring water. You
may also add a teaspoon of yogurt (full fat for best effect) and one or two drops of essential oil of chamomile for extra
conditioning. Mix the ingredients in a glass bowl, creating a paste. Gently place a lump of the paste on your nails and
cuticles; allow it to remain for about fifteen minutes and then remove. Excepts © Judith Illes and Tour
Egypt http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/egypt/index.html
17
SOME WORDS WITH A MUMMY
by Edgar Allan Poe
(1850)
THE SYMPOSIUM of the preceding evening had been a little too much for my nerves. I
had a wretched headache, and was desperately drowsy. Instead of going out therefore to spend
the evening as I had proposed, it occurred to me that I could not do a wiser thing than just eat a
mouthful of supper and go immediately to bed.
A light supper of course. I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at once,
however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection to two. And really between two and three,
there is merely a single unit of difference. I ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five;- but, clearly, she has
confounded two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely, it has reference to bottles
of Brown Stout, without which, in the way of condiment, Welsh rabbit is to be eschewed.
Having thus concluded a frugal meal, and donned my night-cap, with the serene hope of enjoying it till noon the next day, I
placed my head upon the pillow, and, through the aid of a capital conscience, fell into a profound slumber forthwith.
But when were the hopes of humanity fulfilled? I could not have completed my third snore when there came a furious ringing at
the street-door bell, and then an impatient thumping at the knocker, which awakened me at once. In a minute afterward, and
while I was still rubbing my eyes, my wife thrust in my face a note, from my old friend, Doctor Ponnonner. It ran thus:
Come to me, by all means, my dear good friend, as soon as you receive this. Come and help us to rejoice. At last, by long
persevering diplomacy, I have gained the assent of the Directors of the City Museum, to my examination of the Mummy- you
know the one I mean. I have permission to unswathe it and open it, if desirable. A few friends only will be present- you, of
course. The Mummy is now at my house, and we shall begin to unroll it at eleven to-night.
Yours, ever, PONNONNER.
By the time I had reached the "Ponnonner," it struck me that I was as wide awake as a man need be. I leaped out of bed in an
ecstacy, overthrowing all in my way; dressed myself with a rapidity truly marvellous; and set off, at the top of my speed, for the
doctor's.
There I found a very eager company assembled. They had been awaiting me with much impatience; the Mummy was extended
upon the dining-table; and the moment I entered its examination was commenced.
It was one of a pair brought, several years previously, by Captain Arthur Sabretash, a cousin of Ponnonner's from a tomb near
Eleithias, in the Lybian mountains, a considerable distance above Thebes on the Nile. The grottoes at this point, although less
magnificent than the Theban sepulchres, are of higher interest, on account of affording more numerous illustrations of the
private life of the Egyptians. The chamber from which our specimen was taken, was said to be very rich in such illustrations; the
walls being completely covered with fresco paintings and bas-reliefs, while statues, vases, and Mosaic work of rich patterns,
indicated the vast wealth of the deceased.
The treasure had been deposited in the Museum precisely in the same condition in which Captain Sabretash had found it;that is to say, the coffin had not been disturbed. For eight years it had thus stood, subject only externally to public inspection.
We had now, therefore, the complete Mummy at our disposal; and to those who are aware how very rarely the unransacked
antique reaches our shores, it will be evident, at once that we had great reason to congratulate ourselves upon our good fortune.
Approaching the table, I saw on it a large box, or case, nearly seven feet long, and perhaps three feet wide, by two feet and a
half deep. It was oblong- not coffin-shaped. The material was at first supposed to be the wood of the sycamore (platanus), but,
upon cutting into it, we found it to be pasteboard, or, more properly, papier mache, composed of papyrus. It was thickly
ornamented with paintings, representing funeral scenes, and other mournful subjects- interspersed among which, in every
variety of position, were certain series of hieroglyphical characters, intended, no doubt, for the name of the departed. By good
luck, Mr. Gliddon formed one of our party; and he had no difficulty in translating the letters, which were simply phonetic, and
represented the word Allamistakeo.
We had some difficulty in getting this case open without injury; but having at length accomplished the task, we came to a
second, coffin-shaped, and very considerably less in size than the exterior one, but resembling it precisely in every other respect.
The interval between the two was filled with resin, which had, in some degree, defaced the colors of the interior box.
Upon opening this latter (which we did quite easily), we arrived at a third case, also coffin-shaped, and varying from the
second one in no particular, except in that of its material, which was cedar, and still emitted the peculiar and highly aromatic
odor of that wood. Between the second and the third case there was no interval- the one fitting accurately within the other.
Removing the third case, we discovered and took out the body itself. We had expected to find it, as usual, enveloped in
frequent rolls, or bandages, of linen; but, in place of these, we found a sort of sheath, made of papyrus, and coated with a layer of
plaster, thickly gilt and painted. The paintings represented subjects connected with the various supposed duties of the soul, and
its presentation to different divinities, with numerous identical human figures, intended, very probably, as portraits of the
persons embalmed. Extending from head to foot was a columnar, or perpendicular, inscription, in phonetic hieroglyphics, giving
again his name and titles, and the names and titles of his relations.
Around the neck thus ensheathed, was a collar of cylindrical glass beads, diverse in color, and so arranged as to form images of
deities, of the scarabaeus, etc, with the winged globe. Around the small of the waist was a similar collar or belt.
Stripping off the papyrus, we found the flesh in excellent preservation, with no perceptible odor. The color was reddish. The
skin was hard, smooth, and glossy. The teeth and hair were in good condition. The eyes (it seemed) had been removed, and glass
ones substituted, which were very beautiful and wonderfully life-like, with the exception of somewhat too determined a stare.
The fingers and the nails were brilliantly gilded.
Mr. Gliddon was of opinion, from the redness of the epidermis, that the embalmment had been effected altogether by
asphaltum; but, on scraping the surface with a steel instrument, and throwing into the fire some of the powder thus obtained,
the flavor of camphor and other sweet-scented gums became apparent.
We searched the corpse very carefully for the usual openings through which the entrails are extracted, but, to our surprise, we
could discover none. No member of the party was at that period aware that entire or unopened mummies are not infrequently
met. The brain it was customary to withdraw through the nose; the intestines through an incision in the side; the body was
then shaved, washed, and salted; then laid aside for several weeks, when the operation of embalming, properly so called,
18
began.
As no trace of an opening could be found, Doctor Ponnonner was preparing his instruments for dissection, when I observed
that it was then past two o'clock. Hereupon it was agreed to postpone the internal examination until the next evening; and we
were about to separate for the present, when some one suggested an experiment or two with the Voltaic pile.
The application of electricity to a mummy three or four thousand years old at the least, was an idea, if not very sage, still
sufficiently original, and we all caught it at once. About one-tenth in earnest and nine-tenths in jest, we arranged a battery in
the Doctor's study, and conveyed thither the Egyptian.
It was only after much trouble that we succeeded in laying bare some portions of the temporal muscle which appeared of less
stony rigidity than other parts of the frame, but which, as we had anticipated, of course, gave no indication of galvanic
susceptibility when brought in contact with the wire. This, the first trial, indeed, seemed decisive, and, with a hearty laugh at
our own absurdity, we were bidding each other good night, when my eyes, happening to fall upon those of the Mummy, were
there immediately riveted in amazement. My brief glance, in fact, had sufficed to assure me that the orbs which we had all
supposed to be glass, and which were originally noticeable for a certain wild stare, were now so far covered by the lids, that only
a small portion of the tunica albuginea remained visible.
With a shout I called attention to the fact, and it became immediately obvious to all.
I cannot say that I was alarmed at the phenomenon, because "alarmed" is, in my case, not exactly the word. It is possible,
however, that, but for the Brown Stout, I might have been a little nervous. As for the rest of the company, they really made no
attempt at concealing the downright fright which possessed them. Doctor Ponnonner was a man to be pitied. Mr. Gliddon, by
some peculiar process, rendered himself invisible. Mr. Silk Buckingham, I fancy, will scarcely be so bold as to deny that he made
his way, upon all fours, under the table.
After the first shock of astonishment, however, we resolved, as a matter of course, upon further experiment forthwith. Our
operations were now directed against the great toe of the right foot. We made an incision over the outside of the exterior os
sesamoideum pollicis pedis, and thus got at the root of the abductor muscle. Readjusting the battery, we now applied the fluid
to the bisected nerves- when, with a movement of exceeding life-likeness, the Mummy first drew up its right knee so as to bring
it nearly in contact with the abdomen, and then, straightening the limb with inconceivable force, bestowed a kick upon Doctor
Ponnonner, which had the effect of discharging that gentleman, like an arrow from a catapult, through a window into the street
below.
We rushed out en masse to bring in the mangled remains of the victim, but had the happiness to meet him upon the staircase,
coming up in an unaccountable hurry, brimful of the most ardent philosophy, and more than ever impressed with the necessity of
prosecuting our experiment with vigor and with zeal.
It was by his advice, accordingly, that we made, upon the spot, a profound incision into the tip of the subject's nose, while the
Doctor himself, laying violent hands upon it, pulled it into vehement contact with the wire.
Morally and physically- figuratively and literally- was the effect electric. In the first place, the corpse opened its eyes and
winked very rapidly for several minutes, as does Mr. Barnes in the pantomime, in the second place, it sneezed; in the third, it sat
upon end; in the fourth, it shook its fist in Doctor Ponnonner's face; in the fifth, turning to Messieurs Gliddon and Buckingham,
it addressed them, in very capital Egyptian, thus:
"I must say, gentlemen, that I am as much surprised as I am mortified at your behaviour. Of Doctor Ponnonner nothing better
was to be expected. He is a poor little fat fool who knows no better. I pity and forgive him. But you, Mr. Gliddon- and you, Silkwho have travelled and resided in Egypt until one might imagine you to the manner born- you, I say who have been so much
among us that you speak Egyptian fully as well, I think, as you write your mother tongue- you, whom I have always been led to
regard as the firm friend of the mummies- I really did anticipate more gentlemanly conduct from you. What am I to think of your
standing quietly by and seeing me thus unhandsomely used? What am I to suppose by your permitting Tom, Dick, and Harry to
strip me of my coffins, and my clothes, in this wretchedly cold climate? In what light (to come to the point) am I to regard your
aiding and abetting that miserable little villain, Doctor Ponnonner, in pulling me by the nose?"
It will be taken for granted, no doubt, that upon hearing this speech under the circumstances, we all either made for the door, or
fell into violent hysterics, or went off in a general swoon. One of these three things was, I say, to be expected. Indeed each and
all of these lines of conduct might have been very plausibly pursued. And, upon my word, I am at a loss to know how or why it
was that we pursued neither the one nor the other. But, perhaps, the true reason is to be sought in the spirit of the age, which
proceeds by the rule of contraries altogether, and is now usually admitted as the solution of every thing in the way of paradox
and impossibility. Or, perhaps, after all, it was only the Mummy's exceedingly natural and matter-of-course air that divested
his words of the terrible. However this may be, the facts are clear, and no member of our party betrayed any very particular
trepidation, or seemed to consider that any thing had gone very especially wrong.
For my part I was convinced it was all right, and merely stepped aside, out of the range of the Egyptian's fist. Doctor
Ponnonner thrust his hands into his breeches' pockets, looked hard at the Mummy, and grew excessively red in the face. Mr.
Glidden stroked his whiskers and drew up the collar of his shirt. Mr. Buckingham hung down his head, and put his right thumb
into the left corner of his mouth.
The Egyptian regarded him with a severe countenance for some minutes and at length, with a sneer, said:
"Why don't you speak, Mr. Buckingham? Did you hear what I asked you, or not? Do take your thumb out of your mouth!"
Mr. Buckingham, hereupon, gave a slight start, took his right thumb out of the left corner of his mouth, and, by way of
indemnification inserted his left thumb in the right corner of the aperture above-mentioned.
Not being able to get an answer from Mr. B., the figure turned peevishly to Mr. Gliddon, and, in a peremptory tone,
demanded in general terms what we all meant.
Mr. Gliddon replied at great length, in phonetics; and but for the deficiency of American printing-offices in hieroglyphical
type, it would afford me much pleasure to record here, in the original, the whole of his very excellent speech.
I may as well take this occasion to remark, that all the subsequent conversation in which the Mummy took a part, was carried
on in primitive Egyptian, through the medium (so far as concerned myself and other untravelled members of the company)through the medium, I say, of Messieurs Gliddon and Buckingham, as interpreters. These gentlemen spoke the mother tongue
of the Mummy with inimitable fluency and grace; but I could not help observing that (owing, no doubt, to the introduction of
images entirely modern, and, of course, entirely novel to the stranger) the two travellers were reduced, occasionally, to the
employment of sensible forms for the purpose of conveying a particular meaning. Mr. Gliddon, at one period, for example, could
not make the Egyptian comprehend the term "politics," until he sketched upon the wall, with a bit of charcoal a little carbunclenosed gentleman, out at elbows, standing upon a stump, with his left leg drawn back, right arm thrown forward, with his fist
shut, the eyes rolled up toward Heaven, and the mouth open at an angle of ninety degrees. Just in the same way Mr.
Buckingham failed to convey the absolutely modern idea "wig," until (at Doctor Ponnonner's suggestion) he grew very pale in
the face, and consented to take off his own.
It will be readily understood that Mr. Gliddon's discourse turned chiefly upon the vast benefits accruing to science from
19
the unrolling and disembowelling of mummies; apologizing, upon this score, for any disturbance that might have been
occasioned him, in particular, the individual Mummy called Allamistakeo; and concluding with a mere hint (for it could scarcely
be considered more) that, as these little matters were now explained, it might be as well to proceed with the investigation
intended. Here Doctor Ponnonner made ready his instruments.
In regard to the latter suggestions of the orator, it appears that Allamistakeo had certain scruples of conscience, the nature of
which I did not distinctly learn; but he expressed himself satisfied with the apologies tendered, and, getting down from the
table, shook hands with the company all round.
When this ceremony was at an end, we immediately busied ourselves in repairing the damages which our subject had
sustained from the scalpel. We sewed up the wound in his temple, bandaged his foot, and applied a square inch of black plaster
to the tip of his nose.
It was now observed that the Count (this was the title, it seems, of Allamistakeo) had a slight fit of shivering- no doubt from
the cold. The Doctor immediately repaired to his wardrobe, and soon returned with a black dress coat, made in Jennings' best
manner, a pair of sky-blue plaid pantaloons with straps, a pink gingham chemise, a flapped vest of brocade, a white sack
overcoat, a walking cane with a hook, a hat with no brim, patent-leather boots, straw-colored kid gloves, an eye-glass, a pair of
whiskers, and a waterfall cravat. Owing to the disparity of size between the Count and the doctor (the proportion being as two
to one), there was some little difficulty in adjusting these habiliments upon the person of the Egyptian; but when all was
arranged, he might have been said to be dressed. Mr. Gliddon, therefore, gave him his arm, and led him to a comfortable chair by
the fire, while the Doctor rang the bell upon the spot and ordered a supply of cigars and wine.
The conversation soon grew animated. Much curiosity was, of course, expressed in regard to the somewhat remarkable fact of
Allamistakeo's still remaining alive.
"I should have thought," observed Mr. Buckingham, "that it is high time you were dead."
"Why," replied the Count, very much astonished, "I am little more than seven hundred years old! My father lived a thousand,
and was by no means in his dotage when he died."
Here ensued a brisk series of questions and computations, by means of which it became evident that the antiquity of the
Mummy had been grossly misjudged. It had been five thousand and fifty years and some months since he had been consigned to
the catacombs at Eleithias.
"But my remark," resumed Mr. Buckingham, "had no reference to your age at the period of interment (I am willing to grant, in
fact, that you are still a young man), and my illusion was to the immensity of time during which, by your own showing, you
must have been done up in asphaltum."
"In what?" said the Count.
"In asphaltum," persisted Mr. B.
"Ah, yes; I have some faint notion of what you mean; it might be made to answer, no doubt- but in my time we employed
scarcely any thing else than the Bichloride of Mercury."
"But what we are especially at a loss to understand," said Doctor Ponnonner, "is how it happens that, having been dead and
buried in Egypt five thousand years ago, you are here to-day all alive and looking so delightfully well."
"Had I been, as you say, dead," replied the Count, "it is more than probable that dead, I should still be; for I perceive you are
yet in the infancy of Calvanism, and cannot accomplish with it what was a common thing among us in the old days. But the
fact is, I fell into catalepsy, and it was considered by my best friends that I was either dead or should be; they accordingly
embalmed me at once- I presume you are aware of the chief principle of the embalming process?"
"Why not altogether."
"Why, I perceive- a deplorable condition of ignorance! Well I cannot enter into details just now: but it is necessary to explain
that to embalm (properly speaking), in Egypt, was to arrest indefinitely all the animal functions subjected to the process. I use
the word 'animal' in its widest sense, as including the physical not more than the moral and vital being. I repeat that the leading
principle of embalmment consisted, with us, in the immediately arresting, and holding in perpetual abeyance, all the animal
functions subjected to the process. To be brief, in whatever condition the individual was, at the period of embalmment, in that
condition he remained. Now, as it is my good fortune to be of the blood of the Scarabaeus, I was embalmed alive, as you see me
at present."
"The blood of the Scarabaeus!" exclaimed Doctor Ponnonner.
"Yes. The Scarabaeus was the insignium or the 'arms,' of a very distinguished and very rare patrician family. To be 'of the
blood of the Scarabaeus,' is merely to be one of that family of which the Scarabaeus is the insignium. I speak figuratively."
"But what has this to do with you being alive?"
"Why, it is the general custom in Egypt to deprive a corpse, before embalmment, of its bowels and brains; the race of the
Scarabaei alone did not coincide with the custom. Had I not been a Scarabeus, therefore, I should have been without bowels and
brains; and without either it is inconvenient to live."
"I perceive that," said Mr. Buckingham, "and I presume that all the entire mummies that come to hand are of the race of
Scarabaei."
"Beyond doubt."
"I thought," said Mr. Gliddon, very meekly, "that the Scarabaeus was one of the Egyptian gods."
"One of the Egyptian what?" exclaimed the Mummy, starting to its feet.
"Gods!" repeated the traveller.
"Mr. Gliddon, I really am astonished to hear you talk in this style," said the Count, resuming his chair. "No nation upon the
face of the earth has ever acknowledged more than one god. The Scarabaeus, the Ibis, etc., were with us (as similar creatures
have been with others) the symbols, or media, through which we offered worship to the Creator too august to be more directly
approached."
There was here a pause. At length the colloquy was renewed by Doctor Ponnonner.
"It is not improbable, then, from what you have explained," said he, "that among the catacombs near the Nile there may exist
other mummies of the Scarabaeus tribe, in a condition of vitality?"
"There can be no question of it," replied the Count; "all the Scarabaei embalmed accidentally while alive, are alive now. Even
some of those purposely so embalmed, may have been overlooked by their executors, and still remain in the tomb."
"Will you be kind enough to explain," I said, "what you mean by 'purposely so embalmed'?"
"With great pleasure!" answered the Mummy, after surveying me leisurely through his eye-glass- for it was the first time I had
ventured to address him a direct question.
"With great pleasure," he said. "The usual duration of man's life, in my time, was about eight hundred years. Few men died,
unless by most extraordinary accident, before the age of six hundred; few lived longer than a decade of centuries; but eight were
considered the natural term. After the discovery of the embalming principle, as I have already described it to you, it occurred to
our philosophers that a laudable curiosity might be gratified, and, at the same time, the interests of science much advanced,
20
by living this natural term in installments. In the case of history, indeed, experience demonstrated that something of this kind
was indispensable. An historian, for example, having attained the age of five hundred, would write a book with great labor and
then get himself carefully embalmed; leaving instructions to his executors pro tem., that they should cause him to be revivified
after the lapse of a certain period- say five or six hundred years. Resuming existence at the expiration of this time, he would
invariably find his great work converted into a species of hap-hazard note-book- that is to say, into a kind of literary arena for the
conflicting guesses, riddles, and personal squabbles of whole herds of exasperated commentators. These guesses, etc., which
passed under the name of annotations, or emendations, were found so completely to have enveloped, distorted, and overwhelmed
the text, that the author had to go about with a lantern to discover his own book. When discovered, it was never worth the
trouble of the search. After re-writing it throughout, it was regarded as the bounden duty of the historian to set himself to work
immediately in correcting, from his own private knowledge and experience, the traditions of the day concerning the epoch at
which he had originally lived. Now this process of re-scription and personal rectification, pursued by various individual sages
from time to time, had the effect of preventing our history from degenerating into absolute fable."
"I beg your pardon," said Doctor Ponnonner at this point, laying his hand gently upon the arm of the Egyptian- "I beg your
pardon, sir, but may I presume to interrupt you for one moment?"
"By all means, sir," replied the Count, drawing up.
"I merely wished to ask you a question," said the Doctor. "You mentioned the historian's personal correction of traditions
respecting his own epoch. Pray, sir, upon an average what proportion of these Kabbala were usually found to be right?"
"The Kabbala, as you properly term them, sir, were generally discovered to be precisely on a par with the facts recorded in the
un-re-written histories themselves;- that is to say, not one individual iota of either was ever known, under any circumstances, to
be not totally and radically wrong."
"But since it is quite clear," resumed the Doctor, "that at least five thousand years have elapsed since your entombment, I take
it for granted that your histories at that period, if not your traditions were sufficiently explicit on that one topic of universal
interest, the Creation, which took place, as I presume you are aware, only about ten centuries before."
"Sir!" said the Count Allamistakeo.
The Doctor repeated his remarks, but it was only after much additional explanation that the foreigner could be made to
comprehend them. The latter at length said, hesitatingly:
"The ideas you have suggested are to me, I confess, utterly novel. During my time I never knew any one to entertain so
singular a fancy as that the universe (or this world if you will have it so) ever had a beginning at all. I remember once, and once
only, hearing something remotely hinted, by a man of many speculations, concerning the origin of the human race; and by this
individual, the very word Adam (or Red Earth), which you make use of, was employed. He employed it, however, in a generical
sense, with reference to the spontaneous germination from rank soil (just as a thousand of the lower genera of creatures are
germinated)- the spontaneous germination, I say, of five vast hordes of men, simultaneously upspringing in five distinct and
nearly equal divisions of the globe."
Here, in general, the company shrugged their shoulders, and one or two of us touched our foreheads with a very significant air.
Mr. Silk Buckingham, first glancing slightly at the occiput and then at the sinciput of Allamistakeo, spoke as follows:
"The long duration of human life in your time, together with the occasional practice of passing it, as you have explained, in
installments, must have had, indeed, a strong tendency to the general development and conglomeration of knowledge. I
presume, therefore, that we are to attribute the marked inferiority of the old Egyptians in all particulars of science, when
compared with the moderns, and more especially with the Yankees, altogether to the superior solidity of the Egyptian skull."
"I confess again," replied the Count, with much suavity, "that I am somewhat at a loss to comprehend you; pray, to what
particulars of science do you allude?"
Here our whole party, joining voices, detailed, at great length, the assumptions of phrenology and the marvels of animal
magnetism.
Having heard us to an end, the Count proceeded to relate a few anecdotes, which rendered it evident that prototypes of Gall
and Spurzheim had flourished and faded in Egypt so long ago as to have been nearly forgotten, and that the manoeuvres of
Mesmer were really very contemptible tricks when put in collation with the positive miracles of the Theban savans, who created
lice and a great many other similar things.
I here asked the Count if his people were able to calculate eclipses. He smiled rather contemptuously, and said they were.
This put me a little out, but I began to make other inquiries in regard to his astronomical knowledge, when a member of the
company, who had never as yet opened his mouth, whispered in my ear, that for information on this head, I had better consult
Ptolemy (whoever Ptolemy is), as well as one Plutarch de facie lunae.
I then questioned the Mummy about burning-glasses and lenses, and, in general, about the manufacture of glass; but I had not
made an end of my queries before the silent member again touched me quietly on the elbow, and begged me for God's sake to
take a peep at Diodorus Siculus. As for the Count, he merely asked me, in the way of reply, if we moderns possessed any such
microscopes as would enable us to cut cameos in the style of the Egyptians. While I was thinking how I should answer this
question, little Doctor Ponnonner committed himself in a very extraordinary way.
"Look at our architecture!" he exclaimed, greatly to the indignation of both the travellers, who pinched him black and blue to no
purpose.
"Look," he cried with enthusiasm, "at the Bowling-Green Fountain in New York! or if this be too vast a contemplation, regard
for a moment the Capitol at Washington, D. C.!"- and the good little medical man went on to detail very minutely, the
proportions of the fabric to which he referred. He explained that the portico alone was adorned with no less than four and
twenty columns, five feet in diameter, and ten feet apart.
The Count said that he regretted not being able to remember, just at that moment, the precise dimensions of any one of the
principal buildings of the city of Aznac, whose foundations were laid in the night of Time, but the ruins of which were still
standing, at the epoch of his entombment, in a vast plain of sand to the westward of Thebes. He recollected, however, (talking
of the porticoes,) that one affixed to an inferior palace in a kind of suburb called Carnac, consisted of a hundred and forty-four
columns, thirty-seven feet in circumference, and twenty-five feet apart. The approach to this portico, from the Nile, was through
an avenue two miles long, composed of sphynxes, statues, and obelisks, twenty, sixty, and a hundred feet in height. The palace
itself (as well as he could remember) was, in one direction, two miles long, and might have been altogether about seven in circuit.
Its walls were richly painted all over, within and without, with hieroglyphics. He would not pretend to assert that even fifty or
sixty of the Doctor's Capitols might have been built within these walls, but he was by no means sure that two or three hundred
of them might not have been squeezed in with some trouble. That palace at Carnac was an insignificant little building after all.
He (the Count), however, could not conscientiously refuse to admit the ingenuity, magnificence, and superiority of the Fountain
at the Bowling Green, as described by the Doctor. Nothing like it, he was forced to allow, had ever been seen in Egypt or
elsewhere.
I here asked the Count what he had to say to our railroads.
21
not be compared, of course, with the vast, level, direct, iron-grooved causeways upon which the Egyptians conveyed entire
temples and solid obelisks of a hundred and fifty feet in altitude.
I spoke of our gigantic mechanical forces.
He agreed that we knew something in that way, but inquired how I should have gone to work in getting up the imposts on the
lintels of even the little palace at Carnac.
This question I concluded not to hear, and demanded if he had any idea of Artesian wells; but he simply raised his eyebrows;
while Mr. Gliddon winked at me very hard and said, in a low tone, that one had been recently discovered by the engineers
employed to bore for water in the Great Oasis.
I then mentioned our steel; but the foreigner elevated his nose, and asked me if our steel could have executed the
This disconcerted us so greatly that we thought it advisable to vary the attack to Metaphysics. We sent for a copy of a book
called the "Dial," and read out of it a chapter or two about something that is not very clear, but which the Bostonians call the
Great Movement of Progress.
The Count merely said that Great Movements were awfully common things in his day, and as for Progress, it was at one
time quite a nuisance, but it never progressed.
We then spoke of the great beauty and importance of Democracy, and were at much trouble in impressing the Count with a
due sense of the advantages we enjoyed in living where there was suffrage ad libitum, and no king.
He listened with marked interest, and in fact seemed not a little amused. When we had done, he said that, a great while ago,
there had occurred something of a very similar sort. Thirteen Egyptian provinces determined all at once to be free, and to set a
magnificent example to the rest of mankind. They assembled their wise men, and concocted the most ingenious constitution it is
possible to conceive. For a while they managed remarkably well; only their habit of bragging was prodigious. The thing ended,
however, in the consolidation of the thirteen states, with some fifteen or twenty others, in the most odious and insupportable
despotism that was ever heard of upon the face of the Earth.
I asked what was the name of the usurping tyrant.
As well as the Count could recollect, it was Mob.
Not knowing what to say to this, I raised my voice, and deplored the Egyptian ignorance of steam.
The Count looked at me with much astonishment, but made no answer. The silent gentleman, however, gave me a violent
nudge in the ribs with his elbows- told me I had sufficiently exposed myself for once- and demanded if I was really such a fool as
not to know that the modern steam-engine is derived from the invention of Hero, through Solomon de Caus.
We were now in imminent danger of being discomfited; but, as good luck would have it, Doctor Ponnonner, having rallied,
returned to our rescue, and inquired if the people of Egypt would seriously pretend to rival the moderns in the all- important
particular of dress.
The Count, at this, glanced downward to the straps of his pantaloons, and then taking hold of the end of one of his coat-tails,
held it up close to his eyes for some minutes. Letting it fall, at last, his mouth extended itself very gradually from ear to ear; but
I do not remember that he said any thing in the way of reply.
Hereupon we recovered our spirits, and the Doctor, approaching the Mummy with great dignity, desired it to say candidly,
upon its honor as a gentleman, if the Egyptians had comprehended, at any period, the manufacture of either Ponnonner's
lozenges or Brandreth's pills.
We looked, with profound anxiety, for an answer- but in vain. It was not forthcoming. The Egyptian blushed and hung down
his head. Never was triumph more consummate; never was defeat borne with so ill a grace. Indeed, I could not endure the
spectacle of the poor Mummy's mortification. I reached my hat, bowed to him stiffly, and took leave.
Upon getting home I found it past four o'clock, and went immediately to bed. It is now ten A.M. I have been up since seven,
penning these memoranda for the benefit of my family and of mankind. The former I shall behold no more. My wife is a shrew.
The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that every thing is going
wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be President in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I
shall just step over to Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years. ~The End~
-- THE END --
Can You Hear Me
Freedom
How I long to be free
To soar high above the clouds
But you see, who am I?
That is the question
Changes that are trapped.
Straining against the chains
Needing to be freed.
Is it darkness within me?
I feel so empty, cold, alone.
I yearn for a lover’s touch
To feel warmth where cold once was
What bliss that would be.
My sadness knows no bounds
Today it is strong enough
Even to bring tears with just one word
Why do I feel unworthy?
Is there an end in sight to this pain?
Only time will tell...until I am free
By Acacia
23
Can you hear me?
O master of pain...
Your chains bind me in darkness
I reach for the light I cannot see
Can you hear me?
Sobs echoing around me
Whimpers of pain in the blackness
Can you hear me?
Broken by a past false love
Deception arisen from the very bowels
Can you hear me?
Drowning in a cesspool of lies
I tread the waters to a better way
Can you hear me?
Save me...please…
By Acacia
Entertainment and Events
Movie Review: Batman Begins
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary
Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: David S. Goyer
Running Time: 140 minutes
Rating: PG-13
In Batman Begins we go back to the beginning of the Batman legend and see how Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale)
becomes the Dark Knight. Guilt ridden and still angry over the death of his parents Wayne travels to Asia where he
explores the criminal underworld. In the depths of that underworld he is lured by the League of Shadows, a mysterious
band of ninjas bent on eradicating crime. He receives tutelage and training from Ducard (Liam Neeson) and courted by
the League's enigmatic leader Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe). In time he returns to Gotham, a city ruled by crime and
corruption, with the strength and training he will soon need. Now in his crusade he is joined by his butler Alfred
(Michael Caine) and mechanical genius Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), who supplies him with his gadgets and
weaponry. But just as he returns to save Gotham as Batman he finds a new evil ready to destroy it. Secretly pulling the
strings of the cities' mobsters is the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) who with a deadly gas invokes one's greatest fears.
Batman now lures new allies to face this evil,
the cities lone clean cop Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) who is now a
determined DA who won't back down. He will need the help for little does he know that the Scarecrow is only a pawn
and the true threat to the city is none other then his old mentor, Ra's Al Ghul.
Finally we have a movie worthy of the Dark Knight. Come on lets face it none of the previous Batman movies were
really that good. The original one was cool for the time but even that one wasn't all that great. I personally was never
satisfied with any of the previous actors, including Michael Keaton, who wore the mask and felt none of them truly
captured the spirit of Bruce Wayne / Batman. The same can be said for the villains of the previous films. With the
exception of Jack Nicholson as the Joker I feel that all other villains of those films were either poorly cast, or poorly
written and as whole made out to be just to corny.
This time in almost all accounts they got it right. Christian Bale is the Bruce Wayne/ Batman we have long been
waiting for. He truly captures the dark nature of the character and brings to the role an intensity unmatched by any of
his predecessors. At the same time he is even convincing in pushing the carefree, playboy attitude of Bruce Wayne
which we realize is actually just a facade and the actual disguise he puts forth to hide his alter ego.
You will get no complaints from me about the villains of this film either. Cillian Murphy is truly wicked as the
demented Dr. Jonathan Crane who secretly dons the persona of the Scarecrow. Ken Watanabe, who is a fine actor in
his own right, as Ra's Al Ghul unfortunately plays a rather minimal role. The slack, however, is picked up by Liam
Neeson, Ra's Al Ghul's right hand man. We actually see a fairly raw, grim and vindictive persona of Nesson, who is
more accustomed to playing more noble good guys, that we rarely get the chance to
see.
Along with these great performances we are treated to an all star cast who all do remarkably well. Caine as Alfred
and Oldman as Gordon seem like naturals for those parts. Even young Katie Holmes shines and holds her own along
side the veteran cast.
The action in this film is fast and extreme. Seeing how Bruce Wayne acquires and develops all of his bat gadgets
makes it that much cooler when we see him use them for the first time. The Batmobiles in the previous films were for
the most part just gaudy and even kind of silly. The black armored tumbler that becomes the new Batmobile this time is
simply bad ass.
The story itself is well written. We get to see the origins of the Dark Knight from the beginning. Unlike the simple
flash backs of the previous films we are witness to everything. We see the murder of his parents as well as the after
math. A good portion of the film is devoted to his time in Asia training and later building the necessary equipment. All
this only intensifies the moment he becomes Batman for the first time. The movie flows nicely and is never boring.
It should be noted that one should not consider this a prequel to the previous films. Batman Begins does not led up to
the days of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney. This is a whole new beginning and a whole new
franchise for the Dark Knight. Bale is signed for at least one more film so I am all for them continuing this new saga.
Now that Batman has truly been reborn let's go ahead and see them bring back some of those classic Batman villains as
well and this time let's get them right. Hell I'm even done with them revamping and resurrecting the Joker for whom else
do we truly want to see rival this new Batman in this new franchise then his old arch enemy. If they are able to continue
what they started with Batman Begins and not make the same mistakes as the old franchise I am all for it.
I give Batman Begins ^^^^1/2 out of a possible ^^^^^Fangs
Damien
FL Branch Head of ShadowLore, Shadows_of_Florida,
24
Embracing The Darkness
Understanding Dark Subcultures
Embracing the Darkness is an in-depth look into the aspects of various dark
subcultures of the Goths, Witchcraft, Satanists, BDSM/Fetishists, and
Vampyres, incorporating interviews and conversations with well-known and
everyday individuals, as well as taking a psychological and historical look at the
similarities between these groups. From the Knights Templar and Vlad Tepes,
during the Gothic and Renaissance periods, to the modern day renewed interest
in Vampires, from a variety of movies and television shows to the
commercialization of Witchcraft; from the various stereotypes surrounding devil
worship to the truth about true Satanism; this work delves into the darkness with
a stark and unyielding offering of cold, hard realities. Time has still not granted a
favorable view on dark aspects of art, music, or religious paths. Many of these
groups have been secretly whispered about and confused with one another. This
book attempts to enlighten readers about some of the more positive aspects within
the dark culture, and to dispel the notion that the dark is “evil.”
Author Corvis Nocturnum, a 34 year old author, artist, and business owner, brings you an unprecedented collection
of Satanists, vampires, modern primitives, dark pagans, and gothic artists, all speaking to you in their own words.
These are people who have taken something most others find frightening or destructive, and woven it into amazing
acts of creativity and spiritual vision. Corvis, who has been writing and painting since he was a small child, is a
dark artist and visionary, and so it is with the eye of a kindred spirit that he has sought these people out to share
their stories with you.
I wrote the book Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures because I thought that the world
needed to be awakened to the positive aspects of the so called "dark" subcultures. Nothing like it existed. I felt
it needed written not just for myself as therapy but also to reach out to others and shine some light on the
lifestyles that we lead. I wanted to give a voice for so many like minded people. One of my favorite quotes is
from Carl G. Jung; "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the
darkness conscious."
For years I had an unshakable feeling that prompted me to write Embracing The Darkness. I knew I wasn't
alone in my feelings, opinions or way of life. My writings, especially the chapter "Devil's Due", existed prior to
the publishing of the book ever becoming a reality. I vented often in small articles and wanted to know if other
people shared my way of thinking. Talking to my closest friends (and new ones that I've made in creating this
book) inspired, if not challenged, me to write out my own path. Some of my inspiration came from books like
Goth Chic by Gavin Baddeley, the Psychic Vampire Codex by Michelle Belanger, Out of the Shadows by
John J. Coughlin, and a few others. These books all touched upon various aspects of many subcultures I felt
drawn to. However, I felt the need to explore these subcultures, and myself, more fully and discover the
histories of such as well as how present day has evolved into what it is. The more I wrote the more I discovered
how so many of these subcultures overlapped each other in their philosophies and ideals. I felt more at peace
knowing I didn't have to choose one part of myself over another and that they could easily all be a part of
everything that I am.
A dear friend of mine (thank you Danny) mentioned while reading a rough draft of the book that it was good
but too impersonal. It was lacking information on my reasons for being part of the work. He said, "You live it,
not just report it. I feel cheated somehow. Your readers will identify with you more if you explain why you did
this." So, I started a 2nd draft where I included more aspects of my own life such as various experiences in
public where I was ridiculed for being "different". Being judged by how one appears and feeling ostracized no
matter how creative or intelligent you might really be has a deep effect on a person. These incidents stoked the
fires of my creativity. I vented on canvas and in writing. It was a stepping stone for me to seek out others like
myself and prove that if I were such a freak there were others out there like me and we could make a motley
crew.
In my business I often come across people who feel the same as I did. Especially the younger generation who in
their teen years find it the hardest to cope with such matters. They find it appealing that someone older than
themselves takes the time to reach out to them and really find out what they're thinking and feeling and can
actually relate to it. That they don't have to "sell out" as they "grow up" and get older. They truly can continue
to be themselves even in everyday society outside of high school. Other prominent individuals such as the two
owners of Monolith Graphics, Don "The Vampire" Henrie, Fashion Designer Kambriel, author Michelle
Belanger are all successful because of who and what they are, not in spite of it.
25
Through writing this book I have come to know, accept and heal myself using all of the aspects contain herein.
It is because of this cathartic writing and the friends I have made along the way that I am who I am today and I
could be no more proud.
__Corvis Nocturnum
Corvis Nocturnum has received wonderful reviews from John J. Coughlin (author of Out of the Shadows), Dark
Realms Magazine, and many others within these communities. His artwork has been displayed at various local
businesses as well as events. He plans on attending more events around the Midwest to spread the word and has
plans to go on tour with the band URN this fall.
“Embracing the Darkness is a great bridge where the darkness meetsthe light. A great tool to understanding the
misunderstood.” - Dragan Dracul, Father of Clutch Arcane.
“It’s nice to see such a broad spectrum of perceptions covered.” - John J. Coughlin, author of Out of the Shadows
“A poignant and introspective voyage into dark subcultures with a humanistic
approach... a must-have for anyone who has ever wondered what draws us to the
darkside.” - Dark Realms Magazine
Online orders can be made at: http://www.angelfire.com/goth2/
embracingthedarkness
Orders can also be sent snail mail to:
Eric Vernor
P.O. Box 11496
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46858-1496
Corvis will be doing appearances in Fort Wayne, Indiana during the month of
June. July 8th he will be at Alchemy Arts; 1203 W. Bryanmawr in Chicago,
Illinois He will also be appearing at the Endless Nights Festival in New Orleans, LA in October. More
appearances will be added to the website as the information becomes available.
Michigan Camping Trip 2005, July 4
Greetings one and all,
I would like to send out an open invite to our 5th annual Michigan camp out.
Five years ago, a small group of us got together and formed an alliance called the New Dawn of the Middle Ages,
NDMA. It was a small Midwestern group who shared the love of medieval and fantasy.
We had our first official meeting up in Remus, MI, just outside of Mount Pleasant, MI., during the cold, cold month of
April, where we ended up in 3ft of snow the following morning. Our fearless leader, His Imperial Majesty Wulfgarr
Aman Rahh, opened his home and heart to us all, including his wine cellar to me!!
We decided at that time to refer to our meet as the Council of Remus and we should meet annually to discuss the
direction of the group. Wulfgarr, requested instead of April perhaps we could meet in May, but that didn't work, June was
out of the question, so we chose July, and what better weekend than the 4th of July weekend. Since the 2nd year, we have
met over the 4th of July weekend, setting camp in the backyard of His Majesty's castle. Drinking Elderberry wine from
Dusk till Dawn, signing and dancing, laughing and sparring. Last year, His Majesty moved to another location where he
owns about 10 acres of woods. This was a wonderful and perfect place for us to camp. Our tents set deep within the tree
line, away from the campfires below.
Normally this trip is reserved to members of the NDMA, but due to the lack of interest in medieval meddling, I have
opened the invitation to anyone who would like to come up for a good old fashion camp out in the middle of nowhere with
none of the modern amenities. No electricity, no water, your bathroom is the tree over yonder, and should you need to play
bear in the woods, we have a shovel.
The camping trip is held in Remus, MI. The main group will be arriving on Friday July 1. The camping trip will last thru
July 5th. There will be a medieval demo held on Saturday July 2. If you are interested in participating please let me know
ASAP! If any are interested, please contact [email protected] for more information. This event is
‘Free’.
26
Delica and The Chemical Rift
By Darq Angel
“A lot of our songs are very personal. Experience is important because you
need that emotional honesty.”- Herm, Delica.
If Delica is anything, it’s emotionally charged. The Toronto-based band is
riding high on the release of their third CD, “The Chemical Rift”, an album
filled with 80s-tinged synthpop, introspective musings, and mesmerizing beats.
While most local bands come and go, Delica has thrived in Toronto’s gothic
music scene. In fact, they have steadily earned a devoted fan base which
extends well beyond Canada. That's no small feat for a local band.
And the popularity is well warranted. In their five years of making music (first
under the name “The Deal”) Delica has not only developed a distinct sound,
but they create music that moves the listener both physically and emotionally.
Delica’s songs are powerful, passionate, intelligent and atmospheric, all
intertwined to create an incredible musical experience. And “The Chemical
Photo by Michelle O'Hara,
Rift” is the perfect example of this.
Shadows on Film www.
“I think musically we've matured, with subject matter that's less about
shadowsonfilm.com
hopelessness and anger,” explains Delica’s vocalist Herm. “It’s really a full
Clothing provided by Minx
Clothing www.minxclothing.com spectrum of emotions.”
“The Chemical Rift” definitely covers that spectrum. From the strength in
the title track “Succumb” and “Millisecond,” the vulnerability in “Pretend”, to a quiet lament in “Once a
Stranger,” the listener is in for a powerful roller coaster ride. Musically it’s a beautiful and progressive
album. Herm’s voice is at once smooth and haunting, melding deliciously with the electronic/synthpop
sound.
But hearing Delica’s beats blaring through your speakers is nothing like hearing the band in concert.
They have a strong live show and Herm has got an amazing presence, bringing each song to life with his
performance. Delica has already given concert-goers a little taste of “The Chemical Rift.” During the
three years it took to cut the album, Delica tried out some of the new material in their live shows. And if
these preliminary performances are any indication, this album was definitely made for the live concert
experience.
Overall, “The Chemical Rift” is a symbiosis of gothic darkness and ethereal synthpop. Right from the
start of the CD, you really will Succumb to Delica.
The band is comprised of 3 members:
Name: Herm
Role: Vocals and keys
Musical background: self-taught from a young age
Influences: Nitzer Ebb, Depeche Mode, Sister of Mercy, Assemblage 23, Apoptygma
Berserk
Thoughts on the current scene: "The best music comes from within, not from an
algorithm."
Favourite food: Curry anything
Hobbies: Girls, Star Trek
Name: Rich
Role: Guitar
Musical background: player since high school
Influences: Belle & Sebastian, Yo La Tengo
Thoughts on the current scene: "What's old will be new again."
Pastimes: Faithfully goes to the Toronto International Film Festival every year.
Passions: Vegan cuisine
Name: SteveRole: Stunt keyboards
Influences: Download, Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, Autechre, Front 242,
Haujobb, Covenant, Einsturzende Neubauten
Thoughts on the current scene: "Record companies are now obsolete... LONG LIVE
THE NEW FLESH!"
Other projects: Cathode Hum
Pets: Hedgehogs, geckos, a cat

Who We Are - Delica-m

Transcription

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