219 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
219 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
|
||
º º
|
||
º The Official Erisian Heresy º
|
||
º Newsletter º
|
||
º Volume 1 of: MANY º
|
||
º º
|
||
ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͹
|
||
º º
|
||
º Editor in Chief: Farrell McGovernº
|
||
º º
|
||
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
|
||
|
||
The Following is an adaptation of an APA (Amateur Press Association)
|
||
Contribution for _The Messenger_ an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada local Pagan APA.
|
||
If you want more info about ^ or about the upcomming publishing of the
|
||
_Principia Discordia Canadiana Eh?_ or to get on the Mailing list of "The
|
||
Official Erisian Heresy Newsletter" send E-Mail to FIDO 163/5, Data/SFnet.
|
||
If you don't have access to E-Mail, then you can reach me via Post Offal and
|
||
U.S. Snail at:
|
||
|
||
Farrell McGovern
|
||
P.O. BOX 11431, Station "H",
|
||
Nepean, Ont.,
|
||
Canada.
|
||
|
||
If you would like to contribute to TOEHN (but only the electronic
|
||
version) drop me a line, or if you feel that your long distance phone bill is
|
||
not big enough, then you can call my board (Data/SFnet) at (613) 726-1100
|
||
after 9 pm till mailtime. Don't Yell for me, since it is an office and I am
|
||
not there after 8 pm!
|
||
|
||
|
||
8704.12
|
||
|
||
I guess I should introduce myself, I am Farrell James McGovern. I
|
||
work with computers, and thus consider myself a techno-Pagan. I have an
|
||
interest things Celtic, and quantum physics. I am an Erisian Priest and thus
|
||
have no authority over anyone. I despise any type of totalitarian structure
|
||
be it government, job, or rigidly stratified priesthood of any
|
||
religion. That was a non-prophet, postage paid, political statement.
|
||
|
||
And now onto more mundane matters...
|
||
|
||
I am 24, male, and prefer females (Sian said that I should state my
|
||
preferences).
|
||
|
||
Besides Paganism and things concerning it, I have two other major
|
||
interests:
|
||
|
||
One of the two major interests is music. I am fairly musically
|
||
oriented, in that I play most types of guitar (except for bass), I fiddle
|
||
with synthesizers (I own a couple including a Sampling Syth), I intend to
|
||
learn Harp, Lute, drums and virtually anything musical that catches my eyes.
|
||
Groups/Artists I like: FM (w/ & wo/ Nash the Slash), Nash the Slash, Rush,
|
||
Pink Floyd, Berlin, Heart, Walter/Wendy Carlos, Queen, Tangerine Dream,
|
||
Tomita, The Monkees, Jethro Tull, Vangelis, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The
|
||
Alan Parsons Project, Styx, Supertramp, Spoons, Klaatu, Martha and the
|
||
Muffins/M+M, Peter Gabrial, and Kate Bush. Have you ever noticed how the
|
||
last two artists always seem to be mentioned in the same breath?
|
||
|
||
The other of my two major interests is Science Fiction/Fantasy. I have
|
||
been attending SF cons for about 8 years now,hitting mainly East Coast cons,
|
||
predominatly in New York City area, and Boston. I have been reading the
|
||
stuff since I was about 5 years old. Started out on a book of SF stories
|
||
that was part of a leather bound hardcover series of childern's books. There
|
||
was a Bolo Story by Keith Laumer, and that is about all that I remember from
|
||
that book. I had a hard time going though school, since I was very
|
||
intellegent (in the top five percentile or some other nonsence like
|
||
that)(and yes, I have still intellegent contrary to popular belief). The
|
||
labeled my "hyper-active" and put me on rittelyn (I don't know the correct
|
||
spelling for it) which acted as a downer. So I spend most of my grade school
|
||
depressed, a habit that I have almost gotten rid of...anyways, back to SF.
|
||
|
||
The first author that I became aware of was Arthur C. Clarke. You see, I
|
||
was very young when I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it had a heavy impact on
|
||
my mind. Since then I have read just about every ACC book that I can get
|
||
my hands on. Fav Authors: ACC, Harlan Ellison (he is shorter than I am!),
|
||
Issac Asimov, David Gerrold, Venor Vinge (not to be confused with Joan
|
||
Vinge, author of the Snow Queen, who I have met and had many conversations
|
||
with, and is a terrific person, but whose books I cannot stand!), Marion
|
||
Zimmer Bradley, Patricia Kenneley, Rudy Rucker, Robert Anton Wilson, and
|
||
about a dozen more...
|
||
|
||
And now, back to the Pagan portion of this contrib...
|
||
|
||
And now, for you entertainment and enjoyment, the story of how I became
|
||
a Pagan.
|
||
|
||
I guess it all started at a con I attended in New York City. It was a
|
||
STrek con of all things, and there I met a girl, her name is Heidi Heyman, a
|
||
person with whom I share 4 common interests, Science Fiction, Star Trek,
|
||
Harlan Ellison, and Supertramp. We fell in love over the phone and though
|
||
letters. The next year I asked what she wanted for Christmas, and she told
|
||
me that she was Jewish. This caused me to rethink my whole universe. I had
|
||
never investigaed religion before, and I started to do so in earnest.
|
||
|
||
About this same time I discovered that there was one area in Physics
|
||
that I was not very knowledgeable, and that was the area of quantum physics.
|
||
So I went to the library and looked up quantum physics. I read stuff like
|
||
_The Dancing Lu Wi Masters_, and such, then in the Science Fiction section I
|
||
found a trilogy called _Schreodenger's Cat_, by Robert Anton Wilson. Then in
|
||
the religion section I came across a copy of _Drawing the Moon_. In it I
|
||
found that Erisians/Discordians really existed! And that was when I became a
|
||
Pagan and a Discordian.
|
||
|
||
***********************
|
||
|
||
|
||
Like the Bards of my Celtic ancestors, I constantly seek truth in all
|
||
that I do and see, but I have seen some hypocrisy in Paganism, and
|
||
specifically in some Craft people that drives me right around the bend
|
||
almost to the point of acquiring a H2O Uzi.
|
||
|
||
Although there are many different Craft laws, and many interpretations
|
||
of them, there is one that is common to almost all Wiccans, and most Pagans
|
||
as well, although the exact words may differ slightly, they are essentially
|
||
the same for all:
|
||
An ye harm none, do as ye will.
|
||
|
||
-from the Code of Ethics of the Covenant of the Goddess, quoted in _Drawing
|
||
Down the Moon_ rev 2., Chap. 5.
|
||
|
||
But there are people, ones who say they follow the above rule, who
|
||
smoke! Not only that, but they insist do doing it when there are other
|
||
people in the room! Talk about a lack of Celtic hospitality or what!
|
||
It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that second hand smoke is a
|
||
health risk to non-smokers, and a it certaintly that it harms the person who
|
||
smokes. Either I have grossly mis-interpreted the meaning and spirit of that
|
||
law, or there are a number of hypocrites in the Craft.
|
||
|
||
To them I ask, do you live your religion, or do you simply adopt the
|
||
parts that you like and skirt the responiblities? I do not intend this as an
|
||
insult to the people I am talking about, but I think it weakens the fabric
|
||
of what we are trying to create; a better world for our children, in harmony
|
||
with the Mother Earth. That is what I see is the goal of Paganism in all of
|
||
it's forms, either that, or I have mistaken what this whole thing is
|
||
about...
|
||
|
||
***********************
|
||
|
||
|
||
_Drawing Down the Moon_ rev 2
|
||
By Margot Adler
|
||
|
||
In March I attended Lunacon, the New York City regional SF con, and had a
|
||
terrific time. A pleasant contrast to Boskone a month prior. As with any
|
||
con there are always hordes of new books, ones that won't hit the stands for
|
||
another few weeks, and it was here that I acquired a copy of the second
|
||
editon of _Drawing Down the Moon_. This is a book I know well, having
|
||
given away one copy, and worn out another through successive lendings
|
||
and readings. But because of it's nature, it was becoming very out
|
||
dated, and archaic. So it has been updated.
|
||
|
||
The first thing that one notices is the size of the book. It has been
|
||
reprinted in standard trade paperback size (it fits nicely beside your trade
|
||
copy of _The Mists of Avalon_), and with the additions, is nearly as large
|
||
as ÿthe previously mentioned book. ÿThe next thing that one notices is ÿthe
|
||
cover, ÿa ÿbeautiful photo of a priestess standing in the center of a circle
|
||
of candles on a beach. ÿShe is faced seaward with her arms upraised in ÿthat
|
||
classic half moon crescent. ÿIt appears to be dawn or dusk, ÿand the photo
|
||
has ÿbeen ÿtaken with a long exposure time, ÿcausing the candles ÿto ÿbe
|
||
over-exposed, ÿÿbut ÿgiving ÿa ÿvividness to the picture ÿthat ÿmight ÿhave
|
||
otherwise been lost. ÿThe lettering is also well down. I ÿmean, ÿtanj this
|
||
cover LOOKS good! ÿThis cannot but help to attract people to the book, ÿto
|
||
either ÿinform or re-awaken them to something that they have either lost ÿof
|
||
forgotten, or are seeking.
|
||
|
||
On the inside there have been some changes, but in the spirit of
|
||
preserving history, most of the book has not been changed, but many
|
||
additions have been made to reflect the current trends in the Pagan movement
|
||
of today.
|
||
|
||
It would be a waste of space to attempt to review _DDtM_, since I hope
|
||
that most of you have read the book, if you haven't, run, don't walk, to
|
||
the Wiccan Rede (we need to support members of our community!), and if they
|
||
don't have it, trundle down to Sunnyside Books (which is not on Sunnyside,
|
||
herein lies a great Erisian Mysteree) and pick up a copy. Then you can see
|
||
what I (and practically every one else who has read the book) has been
|
||
saying about the book.
|
||
|
||
There is now a section on Norse Paganism (have you noticed the number
|
||
of Thor's Hammers around peoples necks lately?) and the various
|
||
contraversies arising around it. The Norse flavour of paganism tends to
|
||
attract the more conservitive element of the people who get involved with
|
||
paganism (if that is true, then I would not like to meet an Odinist from
|
||
this area, they would probably try to shoot me for being a long haired hippy
|
||
type ÿfreak HHO1/2K), ÿand the problems with their image and the ÿinflux ÿof
|
||
undesirables, mainly people who are into Nazism, and the presevation of the
|
||
Great White Way (ie. KKK types).
|
||
|
||
Another new section is a chapter on men's spirituality, something I
|
||
will not go into here since I am planning an article about this in an
|
||
upcomming issue (Watch for it in a FeMail box near you...)
|
||
|
||
Perhaps the greatest gems in this revsion are two of the three
|
||
appendices. The first is based on a 1985 questionnaire that was handed out
|
||
at some Pagan gatherings and was published in a newsletter, Panegyria. One
|
||
hundread and ninety five were handed in. Without going into the results,
|
||
something that could take a who contrib, I will note that the largest
|
||
percentage of the respondants were computer people. Now wether this is an
|
||
indication that computer people like to fill out forms, or that there is
|
||
something more it than that will be dealt with in a later piece about
|
||
techno-paganism.
|
||
|
||
The next appendix is a listing of Pagan Rituals, a carryover form the
|
||
previous edition. It is the final appenix that is the diamond of the trio.
|
||
It is an excellent resource for Pagan newsletters, groups and Festivals.
|
||
Wic-Can Fest, Margot describles it this way: "This has become "the" festival
|
||
in Canada." Nice endorsment, don't you think?
|
||
|
||
Well, I guess it is time to get going, it is 11:29 pm and I have been
|
||
at this contrib for about 4 hours, on and off. The current music is Rodger
|
||
Hodson, ex of Supertramp and I have not had supper yet...so I will leave you
|
||
people to spending more type at something else...
|
||
|
||
ttyl
|
||
Farrell
|
||
|
||
|