ARTICLES Dangerous Looks Into The Mind of Syrus Below you will find random thoughts that I felt I wanted to write about. It should be said up front that I don't even remotely claim to know what I'm talking about. I take what I've learned, mull on it a while, and if it's really worth expressing myself over, I write one of these articles you'll find below. I'll admit, here and in print, that I may be completely wrong about anything and everything. Everything below represents the opinion of a mere human being, who is as much as anyone else subject to the Law Of Ignorance. Read at your own risk!

March 28, 2007 Breathing The Divine The Teachings of Bacchus By Syrus Wyndragon You know, it's funny. I've spent a lot of time since December thinking about my relationship with Dionysus. The gods that I have dealt with in one way or another have their own way of getting my attention. Pan, for instance, shows up most remarkably when I am down at Our Haven, near French Lick, Indiana. His presence is quite powerful! Loki, whom I've only met relatively recently, shows up in other ways. Aphrodite is yet another, as is Priapus! If you don't know who Priapus is . . . well, just look it up! And then there's Dionysus, also known as Bacchus. He has taught me more than any other god or goddess. I do not intend at the moment to give a full description of my experiences with him. I'm only writing to tell you this: he healed me! Yes, in just the same way faithful Christians are "miraculously" healed from their ailments, so I was healed from mine. How do I know? There are several reasons. First of all, it's something I just know. I don't mean that I'm merely sure of it, in some hopeful kind of way. I just know. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the purpose that was being served by my pancreatitis. I was such a devotee to Bacchus, I just couldn't understand why he would want to cut me off from a major aspect of his worship. The message finally got through to me. It turns out that I hadn't been taking Dionysus' sublime mysteries seriously enough. While I gave full lip service to the sacredness of the blessed vine, I had been guilty of taking almost every opportunity to drink alcohol in every way but a sacred one! I was missing out on His deeper mystery. As I pondered this, I also spent time meditating on healing my body. While listening to "New Age" music, I would envision a healing blue light surrounding me, penetrating me, realigning my own body with the energy of the Universe. Yes, I know how all of this sounds. But you must realize that our mind has its own miraculous powers. You can either believe this, or deny it. But if you actually believe it, then you are forced to admit that nearly anything is possible! How else do I know that I'm healed? Because, quite frankly, I'm not dead! When my band played a St. Patrick's Day gig in Bloomfield, Indiana, I took the opportunity to get completely smashed! Had I still had pancreatitis, I would have - in the very least - been visiting a hospital within a week. Believe me, I know all too well the signs of pancreatitis, from the mild hints to the full-blown debilitating pain. It's quite easy to say that I had simply been lucky. But you have to realize, I'm no fool. And I fully intend on living quite a long time - I take my health very seriously. Not only that, but the pain I had experienced before was no picnic, and I have a faily decent pain tolerance. I find it nearly impossible to describe my experience with this. My link with Dionysus hasn't merely been strengthened by this whole ordeal . . . it is complete!!! A word of advice: whichever god or goddesses you follow, make sure you are truly open to the connection you have with them. Read everything you can on them. Meditate on their sacredness. Pay special attention to the mythology pertaining to them. Remember, mythology isn't simply made-up fantasy stories. Our ancestors received their inspiration from the Muses; this is how every divinity has come to be known: from inspiration. And "in-spiration" literally means "to breathe in." So, stop. Relax. Think about your connection to this beautiful Universe. And take a breath! Blessed be, Syrus

January 11, 2007 Farewell To Dionysus A Medical Story By Syrus Wyndragon ACT I: Conversation With A Doctor Doctor: How are you feeling? Syrus: Pretty well today. I haven't had any pain from the pancreatitis in almost three weeks. The itching I was having is much better, but not gone. So I feel pretty good. Doctor: Itching? Syrus: Yeah. It had started about the same time as the abdominal pain, but the pain is what caused my first visit to the ER. I only went to the ER after the itching became completely maddening. They gave me Atarax and steroids, both of which I'm out of. But the itching is about 85% gone. The ER doctor narrowed the cause down to the excessive bilirubins in my blood stream, which of course was caused by the pancreatitis. Doctor: Yeah, it'll do that sometimes. So, I've got your blood lab here. The counts have come way down, and that's very good news. Since the pancreatitis was brought on by alcohol, there's no threat. The levels aren't normal, but they're much better. There's really nothing else we need to do here. Just avoid alcohol. Syrus: Yeah. Actually, that kinda brings up a question I had. Do you mean "avoid alcohol" like, don't binge drink every Saturday? Doctor: No. Never. Syrus: Never again? As in, for the rest of my life? Doctor: That's right. Never. Since you've had the pancreatitis, you're more sensitive to getting it again. Since it was brought on by alcohol, drinking any more is more likely to cause it again. And actually, you experienced a mild case. Syrus: A "mild case?" There was quite a lot of pain involved! Doctor: Yes, of course. But it can get a lot worse. When you eat meat, what your pancreas does, among other things, is produce enzymes that help digest that meat. If you go drinking alcohol with your pancreas the way it is, you could send it into overdrive. Those enzymes, if they start cascading over into the rest of your body, will instantly start digesting your own tissue. You'd need immediate hospitalization, and some scenarios include things like intensive care, where you're allowed no food and have to be fed intravenously. Some cases actually require pulling your organs out to remove dead or digested tissue. It isn't guaranteed, but by drinking you'll be taking those risks. Syrus: Okay. I gues that's all I needed to hear. Thanks. ACT II: Monologue of the Epilogue I walked out of his office, into the hallway and towards the elevator. Already my mind is firing at full speed. I keep gettings stuck on the two words: never again. I try rewording it to make it sound better. Not ever again. No. Not one more good beer buzz for the rest of my life. Too depressing. I really can't remember it all, but I spent quite a bit of time from the elevator until I had started driving trying to find a good phrase, a way to look at it that wasn't so shocking. So . . . final. As I was driving, I thought about how I usually find a silver lining in everything. Okay, so now it's a challenge! I'll never drink and drive again! Well, big whoop. I've been careful about that for many years now. I'll never feel hung over again. Hardly worth mentioning. I'll never be too drunk to experience something again. Hmmmm. There's something. But wait! Now my mind flashes random words from the last two articles I've written. The first, for If Journal (not to be published for a month or two) covered wine; specifically the worship of Bacchus and Dionysus, Divine Ecstacy, and the shamanic uses of mind-altering substances. The second article I posted on my website, called "The Many Paths." This, along with the first article, related how I have had personal, meaninful, valid and powerful experiences when under the influence of alcohol. Of course, every word still stands as true to me now as when I wrote it. But now, I realize that this also means I am losing a path to the Divine that worked quite well for me. Don't get me wrong, most of my drinking experiences were decidedly non-spiritual. There's much to be said for friends getting together, getting a good buzz going, and having a few laughs. I'm all about fun! But, well, that's gone, too. I slip into a sort of internal dialogue, with the characters being the Optimist and the Pessimist. Pessimist: So, what about your spiritual experiences at Our Haven and Whispering Pines? Your gatherings had an aspect that you were singing the praises of just a month ago. An aspect you can no longer experience. Optimist: Well, not every meaningful experience was because of alcohol. Most of what you got spiritually came from the people you were with, the land itself, and the Gods. Pessimist: But you know full well how you've felt when you channeled Pan, or danced and drummed around the sacred fire. You've made clear in your writings that alcohol certainly helped lower barriers and allowed your mind to become fluid enough to go with the experience. Alcohol hinders the rational mind, which is exactly what is needed to fully open up to those powerful moments. Optimist: But you've drummed, and felt the shamanic power of it, without a trace of alcohol in your system! Pessimist: True enough. And that's all you'll ever have again. Optimist: Well, at least you don't need an operation, or any further medical treatment for that matter! What more do you want? If your condition had gotten worse, wouldn't you right now be singing about how you'd gladly give up alcohol for the rest of your life, just to be healthy again!? Pessimist: So this is what we're forced into? Isn't this a little desperate? And a bad cliche? Rich guy loses all his money, but realizes love is more important. You're just mad because you were rooting for one team, and now you're forced to root for the other. Optimist: It's important to me to explore every side of an issue I can. It's unfortunate that health reasons have forced it, but seeing the "dry" side of life is something I'm supposed to experience. Pessimist: You probably pissed off your old buddy Dionysus. You probably thought that everything you've read and experienced gave you a full understanding of ol' Bacchus, eh? Optimist: Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? If Dionysus and Bacchus were the gods of intoxication, don't I need to recognize their other sides? The God of the Vine surely must have something to teach in the RESTRAINT from alcohol as well, shouldn't he? Pessimist: Wonder what you did to piss them off, then? Took them for granted, maybe? And you really think they would teach ABSTINENCE as well? Sure! And the Pope gives classes on proper condom use! Optimist: Then this might point to an even more profound lesson the Gods can teach us. It's not that every one of them deals with a special subject in our lives. Perhaps they come and go as we need them, and not only their arrival, but their departure can impart wisdom! Pessimist: You're getting tricky on me! But I'm not going away anytime soon. I do have a last word, though: karma. You believe in karma, right? That it is what brings balance to our lives, rights our wrongs and awards our good deeds? I want you to spend some time on this question: Why do you deserve this? Or, to put it better: how will this help you to reflect on the past, act in the future? Optimist: Good question. I'll think about that for a while. Probably a very long while! So, taking stock, here's where I'm at. Pain-free? Check! Itch-free? Mostly. Need surgery. Nope! Need constant medications? Nope! Need to alter anything but just alcohol consumption? Nope! Think you can deal with it? I've handled much worse; this is cake by comparison. Still want to bitch and whine about it? Yep! But at least, since the voices had their say, they're quiet. I feel better already. It wasn't until I had almost walked into my door when I got home that another voice in my head, and one which is always welcome, chimed up. It was the Jokester. "Hello, my name is Scott," he says, "and I've been sober since December 16th, 2006." For the first time today, I giggled out loud. Blessed be, Syrus

December 7, 2006 THE MANY PATHS Enjoying The View From The Mountain By Syrus Wyndragon The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth. - Niels Bohr, physicist So what constitutes a Divine experience? Are all the prophets, psychics, oracles, priests, mystics and shamans throughout history just a bunch of delusional freaks? Or is there a chance that each one of them experienced the Divine in their own way? These are the questions I would like to address. The Many Paths, Defined There are countless ways to reach the Divine. I call it, simply, the Many Paths. I like to use the analogy of a mountain. The peak of this mountain represents the Higher Power, the Cosmic Consciousness, the Holy Father, the Buddha, the Gods, the Goddess, or whatever it is we wish to call the Divine. All of humanity begins as any mountain climber does: at the base. In fact, we can start at any point we wish. And just as no two mountain climbers will take the exact same path to the top; neither do we all take the same spiritual path. All of this sounds like so much common sense; you would think I shouldn't have to mention it at all. But wait! You see, this seemingly simple analogy has to be carried to its conclusion. But first, let's knock off some paths that don't really belong here. (Really) Odds And (Loose) Ends Atheists, for one, will tell you that the top of the mountain will give you a great view, and nothing more. Agnostics will tell you that no human can make it to the top, so why try? Buddhists, actually, won't climb the mountain, either. Ask them, and they'll tell you that the mountain is only an illusion meant to trick you into clinging to the physical world and keeping you attached to the cycle of reincarnation. But, since they recognize that the mountain is there - illusion or not - they'll stay with us on our journey. And Satanists. What about Satanists? Well, I haven't met very many. Only a couple, really. I met John and Lily Allee at a convention in Chicago. John Allee, you see, is the founder of the First Church of Satan. An original member of Anton LeVey's Church of Satan, "Reverend John" felt Satanism had lost its way from LeVey's original vision, which I assume was laid out in his notorious Satanic Bible. I've read it, and it seems that the Rev. John is being true to that vision. What is pertinent here, for those of you (which I assume is almost everyone) who is not familiar with what Satanism really is, is what they don't stand for. On our spiritual mountain, you'd probably guess that they'd all grab shovels, or find the nearest cave to make their way under the mountain. Here, you'd be wrong. You see, Satanism, as I understand it, is simply a glorified and narcissistic form of humanism. Yes, there are token prayers to the Biblical anti-god, but no real worship. You'll notice I call them Satanists, not Satan worshippers. So, in our fun analogy, they'll simply look at the mountain and assume that they are already the god of it, and everything else. We can also neatly dispose of the monotheistic religions which claim that there is only one true path to the top, and that the Divinity residing there can only be found by following them. They certainly belong on this mountain, rest assured. But since, by nature, they claim all other paths as false, they don't apply to the global vision, the Many Paths worldview, our mountain provides. Calling (Out) All Hypocrites So then, back to the view. Here we are left with everyone who believes that there are many valid paths to the Divine. This is most common in the Pagan community, but is also found to varying degrees in Hinduism as well. Now, if all of the people we have left agree that there are many valid paths, why am I even writing this article? To call out the hypocrites. Remember, I told you that this analogy has to be taken to its logical conclusion. Now, within the Pagan community, it is widely recognized that shamanic techniques are true and valid ways to get in touch with the Divine. Drumming and dancing are obvious ones. So are meditations and mantras. But what about intoxication? Ah, here we have touched a sore spot. You see, there are actually nay-sayers in the Pagan community who believe that any chemical used in a ritual environment creates an experience which is "fake," or "not authentic." The idea actually makes sense at first glance. After all, if someone is "tripping," it is obvious that they're just hallucinating, and not experiencing anything "real." History - Back To The "Stoned" Age Or . . . . are they? What about the age-old worldwide use of mushrooms, hemp, and other intoxicants used by shamans in tribal cultures? What about the notorious Mysteries of Dionysus, god of the vine? Or his Roman counterpart, Bacchus, whose worshippers (called Maenads) abandoned themselves in intoxicated divine ecstasy? Are we to believe that all of these countless people throughout the millennia were subject to delusions? This is the equivalent of throwing in with the monotheists, who have elected themselves rulers over which paths up this mountain are valid or not. It also neglects an obstacle which will never be overcome by neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, religion or physics: Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Actually, physics proves this. It boils down to personal experience. I'll break it down for you. Many Paths In Action According to quantum mechanics, there is not a single human being who can tell you what objective reality consists of. Want to know why? It's because reality cannot be said to exist outside of human observation! This may sound like we're saying, in essence, that without humans, there is no universe. That's close, but no cigar. Without humans, there is no human experience of the universe. You see, human experience is all we have. And, it's all subjective. Which is to say, the only reality we can know is the one we know from our own perspective. So, keeping with our mountain analogy, science has proven - on the most fundamental level - that the Many Paths view is the only one encompassing the whole truth. Or, at least what can be roughly called truth. You see, any abstract idea of "truth" is rather meaningless in a world ruled by experience. If, say, I'm standing in the woods, and I feel the presence of the god Pan, then guess what? I have experienced the Divine! If my buddy next to me says he felt nothing, it doesn't invalidate my experience. It goes to show the Many Paths in action! The Seeds Of Intolerance It's natural to look to others to validate our metaphysical experiences. Even psychics with years of experience love to have their visions validated by others. This just reflects another of our human needs: to share our reality with others. It's easy for a group of us to get together and all say that a lemon is yellow, or that natural gas smells awful. Or that Neil Young isn't really that great at singing. But this desperate need to validate our reality with others can lead to judgment and intolerance. Just witness the millions killed throughout history in the name of some proclaimed religious truth, and you'll see just how ugly it can get. Enjoy The View! To be in the Many Paths state of mind, you have to admit that anything is possible. And is that so bad? Is it horrible to think that Magick may really work? Or that the Divine can speak to you directly? Or that trees really listen when you speak to them? Or that stones can "feel" alive? Or that the vision you had in the drumming circle wasn't just your imagination? What if the world really can be called an illusion, and certain mind-altering chemicals actually free us to explore more than our rational mind censors out? Modern consciousness research has proven that we are so distracted by our normal, mundane senses that we lose a lot of information from our environment - most of it, in fact! And isn't it an accepted fact that we drum, dance, sing and meditate precisely to reach an altered state of mind? So who can say? Who can really say that any form of Divine intoxication is an illusion, or "fake," or "not authentic"? Who can say which of the Many Paths don't reach the top? Only someone who's not willing to stop everyone now and then, and just enjoy the view. Blessed be, Syrus

July 4, 2006 The Time Traveller's Guide To Choice Making A Splash In The Ocean Of Life By Syrus Wyndragon When are you? No, I didn't say where are you or who are you, I said when? There have been countless stories and movies made on the idea of time control. Time travellers, people who get to right past wrongs, people who discover lost civilizations or experience vast unknown futures. We're all enthralled by these stories, but why? Why is it we wonder about how things could have been if only we'd done something different, said the right things, turned left when we should have turned right? Be Careful What You Wish For Movies based on the idea of time travellers reveals a basic human weakness we all share: we all wish to go back in time with the knowledge we have now. But this idea negates something more important. We are who we are - our morals, our faith, our relationships - because of time. We earned who we are with every second we've spent. How many lifetimes do you think it would take to make every possible human mistake? 10? 100? 1000? Eternity? We are so great at making mistakes that we are all able to imagine a life where we knew every wrong decision to make, and would correct it accordingly. But we've only come by this knowledge by earning it, by living it. To ask for a life where you had all the answers from the beginning is to ask for a life devoid of meaning altogether. That's the point of life: making mistakes and learning from them. Why do you think elderly people are so revered for their wisdom? They've lived long enough to make more mistakes than we have! Even this is a display of our insistence on learning our own lessons. How many of us avoided something because our parents warned us? How many of us have really wished - dare I say believed - that our children won't make the same mistakes we have? Let's say you were granted permission to start life as a toddler knowing everything you know now. You'd impress your parents with your wisdom, shoot straight through school, probably find a wonderful mate. But you'd reach a point where you're you - only wise up to this point in life; a point where the learning stopped, and you'd have to continue learning the lessons of life, no matter where you left off. Certainty Is A Dish Best Served Later Well, okay, let's say you've learned those. What now? Go back and start over again? How long can this go on? How many lifetimes do you want to live before you think you've got everything perfect? If you were granted that many lifetimes, I say you have ceased to be human. You have become a god. (For nitpickers who have read my other articles, I must clarify that we are already gods. But this is a point you must read about elsewhere.) In fact, most of the popular thoughts on reincarnation center around this idea. According to some, we live a certain number of lifetimes to experience all the pain and sorrow, all the joy and pleasure, all the highs and lows of what it is to be human. How well we learn from all of this determines when we step off of this wheel of life and into eternal bliss. What would be the point of being born into a human existence if everything there was to know, learn, appreciate and despise was already known? The point of being human encompasses the sense of wonder, the urge to question, the curiosity to explore, all the doubts and certainties earned that make people who they are. In short, being human means experiencing a lifetime of mistakes. Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Certainty can give us great comfort, but it can also blind us from learning anything new. Certainty is a line drawn in the sand where we say, "This far, and no further." How many lives have been destroyed out of one man's certainty, out of one nation's egotistical notion that some "truth" had been found? How many people have been burned at the stake, tortured by steel, coerced into believing in something they weren't given the chance to learn? And that takes us back to what it is to be human. Perhaps everything that makes up a human life - joy and sorrow, love and pain, laughter and depression - perhaps these are the things worth living for. We are driven to protect others from what we see as mistakes. We want others to avoid the wrong drugs, the wrong lifestyles, the wrong relationships, the wrong religion. But when we do this, we're assuming that we know every pitfall, every moral angle of a situation we've only explored from one viewpoint - our own. How To Spend Eternity On A Modest Budget We've all done it. We sit there, thinking about some past experience and how we'd change what we've done. We'd tell the waiter that the meal was rotten, we'd tell our boss that a fifty cent raise was pointless, we'd tell a past lover how we really felt, we'd stop ourselves from doing whatever it was that hurt someone we love. If only we could go back and do all these things, life would be so much better, wouldn't it? But we are who we are because of every experience we've ever had, for better or worse. Our thoughts - our values, our desires, our fears - we have spent our entire lives accumulating. Imagine another life, if you will. But you have to remember: to live another life, you have to give up this one. Whether we could go back and change the past is not nearly as important as the fact that we've learned. And learning comes from mistakes. That's why we have to forgive ourselves for each and every mistake we've made. We have to allow ourselves to be human! Before you seriously wish for the ability to time-travel, consider everything your wish will grant you. You'll be wishing for a life you've never lived. For every hard lesson you've learned in this life, do you think there aren't 100 others waiting to be learned the hard way? You could spend eternity wishing to be someone else, searching in vain for some perfect life to live. Let me ask you something: What have you learned so far in life? Could you write every important thing down for someone else to learn? There is no such thing as a life more perfect than yours. All you need to realize is that you have something no one else in the history of the world can claim: no one has ever been you. Make A Splash And Change The World No one has ever lived your life. Only you get to do that. No matter who you've loved, what you've said or where you've been, there's not another person in the entire history of the human race that can say they've done everything, seen everything, felt everything that you have. Oh sure, if we only had enough money, if we only had enough time, if only more people would listen, we'd make a difference in this world. Make all the differences you want, you still have to be you. The biggest difference you can make, the biggest impact on the world every human is capable of, is realizing how much control over your own life you do have - and start to live it! You may never know how vast the ocean is that carries the waves you make. The best you can do is hope that someone, somewhere, feels a ripple . . . and smiles. Live. Learn. But above all: be yourself. It's something no one else can ever do. If that's not worth living for, then what is? Blessed be, Syrus

May 30, 2006 Think Like A Universe Realizing Where Divine Truth Can Be Found By Syrus Wyndragon So I'm sitting down, writing my reviews of the latest books I've read. As part of my routine, I flip through a book, looking at passages I've highlighted, chapter titles, stuff like that. Tonight, as I was preparing to write my review of the Selected Satires Of Lucian, one of my highlights caught my eye. I didn't dwell on it too much, being that I had four other books to write reviews for. After I finished updating my website, a whisper in my mind said, "Lucian. Page 322." I swear I have no idea how I could have remembered that, so I flipped in the book to that page. Sure enough, that passage was right there. Man: Just what is eternity? Heraclitus: A child at play. With checkers. Making combinations. Unmaking combinations. Man: What are men? Heraclitus: Mortal gods. Man: What are gods? Heraclitus: Immortal men. It's so short. So simple. But to me, those few words might contain a truth higher than we take the time to understand. Let me explain. What The Bleep Can We Know? The entire universe is simply too much for any of us humans to ever fully understand. There's just too much going on, too much time to fathom. All in all, it would take an impossible number of human lifetimes to try to learn and understand everything. We want to, but we simply can't. So we have to set our priorities. For some, the priorities are simply the things that get us through life - earning a living, cooking supper, loving our children, paying the bills. Even self-titled "spiritual" people often accept a sort of Cliff's Notes version of a religion. You know, just to cover the bases and fit in with society. For these kinds of people, it's enough for them that other people have thought the situation through and have come to such-and-such conclusion or another. Most of these people make the mistake of assuming that the ones who "thought it through" are smarter or at least have more "facts" than they do. This can be true in some important cases. I'd rather have a surgeon remove my appendix than a florist. I'd rather learn about the composition of a star from a physicist than a lawyer. Come to think of it, I don't really want to learn anything from a lawyer. Maybe the surgeon can tell me why they're all assholes. (After all, it's kind of an anatomy question, isn't it?) But its too easy to assume that this is the way everything works. And it also prevents us from realizing our own potential. But really, why should brains matter more than spirit when it comes to the big questions? Do you actually believe that, if there is a higher intelligent power in the universe, it would prefer to allow only the smart ones to get the answers? Well, that's just nuts! That would be Darwinian religion: survival of the smartest. But religion isn't just about survival, any more than it is just about death. It's about the universe. I mean, the universe contains everything we can know, isn't that enough? And we can't set out to try to understand it all. If we dwell on the impossible questions, we'll simply spend our time avoiding the ones we can answer. And yes, we can answer them! Everything Moves Forever So what is eternity? "It's a child at play. With checkers. Making combinations. Unmaking combinations." It's not that Lucian gave us the answer in the dialogue. He gave us something to think about - for ourselves. The universe and eternity go hand in hand, so something that applies to one also applies to the other. We know that time only exists because the universe exists, so we can say that the universe is a child at play. Nothing we know of is completely static; everything, down at the atomic level, is moving quite rapidly. And this lasts for eternity! As long as there is a universe for stuff to move around in, stuff will move around. See? No Harvard doctoral thesis involved here. No quantum equations. Everything moves forever. Three simple words. What are men, and what are gods? "Men are mortal gods." "Gods are immortal men." Again, not an obvious answer, just something to shove you in the right direction. Simplify it, and you realize what lies underneath. We are the gods, and the gods are us. If history is any guide, saying something like that in public will have people either (a) tying you up and burning you alive, (b) tying you up, sticking you in a padded round room, and telling you that you can come out when you find a corner, or (c) generally ignoring you, and more specifically, avoiding you at all costs. The Illusion Of Separateness But why is it so difficult to grasp? Well, it's only difficult to grasp . . . for us. We in the Western World have grown up being told that we are just sophisticated animals, and that there's a Higher Power way up in the sky. In other words, we're supposed to believe we are separate from the divine. But why do we believe it? Is it because some people who had bigger brains than us thought long and hard on the matter, and they must be right? Well then, tell me this. Why can't men be mortal gods, and gods be immortal men? Perhaps a skeptic who reads this will set his Philosophy Phaser to "kill" and take confident aim at the question. Ah, but wait! Didn't we establish that no human could ever know and understand the universe completely? And what do we really know of the gods? For that matter, how well do we really understand ourselves? In a world where countless years of medical science still can't explain why I get the hiccups, or why I dream, I'm willing to hold on to the possibility that, if there is a higher power that has any dealings with humanity whatsoever, then we are intimately connected to it. Because we are so limited, as humans, in our ability to understand our world, we have developed a system of categorizing everything. Here's my finger, here's my hand, here's my forearm and elbow. That's actually a pretty handy way of making our communication clear to each other. If we agree on what's called what, we can just use a word ("fingers") to convey our meaning instead of having to explain it ("those things I'm using to point with"). Think Like A Universe But it's not necessarily the way the universe works. As far as the universe is concerned, I am a whole being going about my world doing what it is that I do. The universe welcomes me just as much as someone who has no word for "finger," or even someone who has no fingers, for that matter. To the universe, everything is somewhere doing something. Everything moves forever. Remember? And the universe knows that I'm not just a being, but knows how my life fits in with every single life, every power, every atom in existence. And we don't have to buy the idea that little precious gems of Truth are stored away in the vaults of the More Educated, or the Official Spokesmen Of God, or any other place. We don't just live in the universe, we are the universe. There's as much Truth in your little toe as there is in all the universities in the world. You'll find as much wisdom in an acorn as you'll find in any "sacred" text. And the universe has yet to promote anyone to Knower Of All Truth, so you have as much claim to the title as anyone who has ever lived. So why do we have to think that the gods are separate from us? Many of us humans have learned to think that way. We like to think that for every thing in the universe, there's a definite spot where it stops being itself and becomes something else. But do you think the universe cares for such distinctions? Where in a rainbow does yellow end and orange begin? At what spot does a creek become a river? At what point does hot become cold? When does pain become pleasure? At what point do we stop being divinely created and start being simply . . . divine? Since the universe won't object, I'm comfortable saying that we are already divine. There is no separation between us and the gods, unless we create one. So let's choose not to. After all, we are mortal gods! Maybe, if we really want to know the gods, all we have to do is look within. The Truth is everywhere, all you've got to do is see it. And remember what the universe is. It's just a child at play. Blessed be, Syrus

May 14, 2006 Beltane A Small Tribute To My Experience At Our Haven By Syrus Wyndragon I will soon find time to properly sit down and write some thoughts on my Beltane experience at Our Haven this year. I hardly know where to begin, and so you can be sure this writing will be updated in the coming days. I'm grateful to too many people to try to list them all here. For now, I will say that my connections with people - on spiritual, personal and emotional levels - have all grown deeper and more meaningful to me. I'm thankful to those who share a part of their life with me, not just at Beltane, but for eternity. I must say that, because of my experiences over that weekend, what was formerly my "faith" has become my "certainty." I no longer believe in the gods - I know them. While I try to figure out how to explain this better, I will leave you with a poem that I've read dozens of times. But it's not just a poem, it's a hymn written by Aleister Crowley in honor of the god Pan. I've read many mythologies: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, Norse, Celtic, American Indian, Chinese, Russian, etc. Yet, I've always felt a strange bond with two deities: the god Pan, and the goddess Hecate (pronounced "heh-KAH-tay"). Perhaps my next article will explain why I'm drawn to these two particular deities. The truth is, I don't think I've chosen them, but rather they chose me. I've heard people use phrases like that before, but I never truly understood what that meant until this year. My connection to Pan was incredibly deepened at Beltane, but the goddess works in mysterious ways, as well. A woman named Persephone gave a workshop on "The Dark Goddess." She covered the many so-called "dark" goddesses, and among them was . . . you guessed it . . . Hecate. There's only so many 10,000 watt neon signs the gods can place on your spiritual path before you have to finally say, "Hey, that's kinda strange. Should I pay attention to that?" So here I am. And in honor to Pan, I'm providing you - dear reader - with a hymn that deserves more than one reading. Don't skip, even if something doesn't make sense. You may find, one day, that we don't have to make sense of the gods. Maybe, just maybe, it's them who are trying to make sense of us! HYMN TO PAN Thrill with lissome lust of the light, O man ! My man ! Come careering out of the night Of Pan ! Io Pan . Io Pan ! Io Pan ! Come over the sea From Sicily and from Arcady! Roaming as Bacchus, with fauns and pards And nymphs and satyrs for thy guards, On a milk-white ass, come over the sea To me, to me, Come with Apollo in bridal dress (Spheperdess and pythoness) Come with Artemis, silken shod, And wash thy white thigh, beautiful God, In the moon, of the woods, on the marble mount, The dimpled dawn of of the amber fount ! Dip the purple of passionate prayer In the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare, The soul that startles in eyes of blue To watch thy wantoness weeping through The tangled grove, the gnarled bole Of the living tree that is spirit and soul And body and brain -come over the sea, (Io Pan ! Io Pan !) Devil or god, to me, to me, My man ! my man ! Come with trumpets sounding shrill Over the hill ! Come with drums low muttering From the spring ! Come with flute and come with pipe ! Am I not ripe ? I, who wait and writhe and wrestle With air that hath no boughs to nestle My body, weary of empty clasp, Strong as a lion, and sharp as an asp Come, O come ! I am numb With the lonely lust of devildom. Thrust the sword through the galling fetter, All devourer, all begetter; Give me the sign of the Open Eye And the token erect of thorny thigh And the word of madness and mystery, O pan ! Io Pan ! Io Pan ! Io Pan ! Pan Pan ! Pan, I am a man: Do as thou wilt, as a great god can, O Pan ! Io Pan ! Io pan ! Io Pan Pan ! I am awake In the grip of the snake. The eagle slashes with beak and claw; The gods withdraw: The great beasts come, Io Pan ! I am borne To death on the horn Of the Unicorn. I am Pan ! Io Pan ! Io Pan Pan ! Pan ! I am thy mate, I am thy man, Goat of thy flock, I am gold , I am god, Flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod. With hoofs of steel I race on the rocks Through solstice stubborn to equinox. And I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend Everlasting, world without end. Mannequin, maiden, maenad, man, In the might of Pan. Io Pan ! Io Pan Pan ! Pan ! Io Pan ! I'm grateful that a wonderful friend of mine (and fellow musician) named Brent Miedema sent me an ".mp3" of this poem being read by Wallace Shawn. (If you don't know him by name, you'll know his voice the second you hear it!) Click here to listen. And be patient for the download - it's worth it! Blessed be, Syrus [Much thanks to Starr for correcting my spelling and Mr. Shawn's name. I'm "greatful"!]

February 4, 2006 Confronting Our Demons Where The Power Truly Lies By Syrus Wyndragon Every day our minds are occupied by constant thoughts. We devote an overwhelming amount of our time, even when we're working, to thinking through our life's challenges. Everyone's concerns differ, from the mundane ("Did I pay the gas bill?") to the deep ("Does my deity care about my troubles?"). Some people climb so far into their mind that they come to believe that their mind controls them, instead of the other way around. For example, have you ever had trouble falling asleep because you can't seem to "shut your mind off"? This is a perfect example of letting your mind control you, instead of vice-versa. Am I here with an answer to this dilemma? I'm sorry, but no. What I'm here to present is a way of thinking - a point of view you might consider the next time you think your mind has broken its leash. Recognizing the Demons The point of this article, really, is to address this demon we call our "mind." Too long has our society fallen into the trap of feeling that we're the victims of our feelings, our society, our genetics, our upbringing, our addictions - anything but us. Such an attitude may free our conscience, but it does nothing to provide us with a way out, a way of actually taking control of our lives. I'll provide my own life as an example. Right now, my life is filled with more concerns than I really have time to consider. I've got two mortgages to pay, which creates pressure to earn more money, which doesn't seem to follow through. In fact, in desperation, I've lowered the asking price of my other house to an amount that will actually require me to come up with (somehow) $6000 just to cover costs, in case someone becomes interested. It's been on the market for nearly a year, with one showing, and that was to another realtor. Then there are the other areas of my life. Let's take my interest in the nation's political affairs. After my run for Congress in 2000, I actually had to enter therapy. I was overwhelmed with frustration and at a total loss to explain to myself how the country could ignore (generally) the issues I felt so strongly about. As a matter of fact, since 2002 (which included a half-hearted run for State Legislature), I've actually avoided reading newspapers to keep that part of my life under control. Then there's the more personal affairs: How do I deal with my concerns with my family, my emotions, my wants, my creative outlets, the way my ideals clash so harshly with those whom I care about the most? Am I making the difference in the world, in anyone's life, that fulfills my own life? Am I really wasting my time thinking about these things? Should I just try to be more selfish and worry about my own life, other people's happiness be damned? This is just wrong, by any standards other than the self-serving power-hungry megalomaniac! And what can I even begin to say of the deepest demons? The ones who shout with confidence against the most established and commonly accepted idea of "normal"? We all talk of "skeletons in the closet," don't we? These are the parts of us that we're convinced beyond doubt that run against what is commonly accepted as "normal" in our society - the parts of ourselves that we may never even share with the most trusted of our friends, let alone admit to ourselves. How on earth are we to deal with these demons? But are these really so strange? Or are these things simply those areas of our lives that we've come to believe are taboo topics? Who's in control here: us or our society? 'Maxim' is More Than A Baudy Men's Magazine The fact is, what we believe as a collective society and what we feel as individuals can be completely different. The challenge comes in fitting these two seemingly incompatible pieces together. This is, in essence, an exercise in the old maxim: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." There's more wisdom in that than more people recognize. The first step that really changed my life is to really recognize the things I cannot change. This is the most important step in getting control of that pesky demon in your head. In that three-part maxim, I'm here to preach (for lack of a better word) the first step of it. Take a look at your life: your needs, your wants, your wishes, your hatred, your love, your desires. If you're a magickal person, think about your intent, your will. What are you really wanting to change? The first question to ask is . . . can you??? Let's suppose you can change this undesired situation. Should you change it? What ripples of effect will this send through the rest of your life? The idea of karma maintains that for every action there is a reaction. The problem is, karma doesn't guarantee what the reaction will be. That's one of life's little mysteries: figuring out what to do in order to make your life better. Guess what? There's not a soul who is alive today - indeed, anyone who ever lived - who can tell you which choices are right and which are wrong. The Meaning of Life And that is the meaning of life. Do you need me to state it in a clearer way? Okay. You are born into this life to discover for yourself what's important, what's worth pursuing, and what's worth avoiding; and no sacred text or deity is here to give you that answer. Yes, in a way, you're on your own. But who would want it otherwise? Would you rather be some robot pre-determined to make certain choices and end up a certain somewhere? Where's the fun in that? And doesn't nearly every religion agree that free will is one of the most fundamental human traits? So I'm not here with answers. I'm here with a challenge. I am saying to you: Find your truth, find your answers. Any other human who pretends to tell you he/she has your answers is a snake-oil salesman looking for a dupe. No human who ever lived was any more human than you are. Trust yourself. Trust in your beliefs. If you don't, change them. If you don't trust in yourself, change you. What most religions don't want you to know is that the power is, and has always been, with you. Dare to ask your god or goddess for guidance, be bold enough to trust what they tell you. Don't look for words, look for feelings. Moses was bold enough to present his own revelations to an entire society; can't you at least accept the revelations you might encounter, even if there's not another soul alive on this earth who shared it? "Real" is what you encounter, not what other people have to validate by experiencing the same exact thing. Realize that!!! Don't waste that power. You are God. You are Goddess. You are Divine. All you have to do is realize it!!! Blessed be, Syrus

December 7, 2005 It Is A Laughing Matter On Having A Spiritual Sense of Humor By Syrus Wyndragon So, you've finally found the right spiritual belief for yourself. It fits all of your ideas of the soul, the afterlife and the universe. It could very well determine the desiny of your soul. Better take it seriously, right? Well, not exactly. Religious Humor - A Contradiction? Let's talk about the goal of nearly every religion: Joy. Some religions promote joy here in this life, others promise joy in the afterlife, some even allow for both. Now, the most obvious sign of joy is laughter. Sure, a smile will get you by, but a genuine gut-busting laugh is a sign of that uncontrollable happiness - a sign that joy has literally consumed you, if only for the moment. Now, the proven antidote for all of this joy is the tried and true method called Taking Life Too Seriously. You know the type. These are the people who like to dictate when and where it is okay for you to experience joy. Part of this comes from their distrust of other people's motives. They question the person, not the action itself. "Is he laughing at me?" "Is she mocking me?" "Are their jokes just a schoolyard bully's attempt to ridicule others so they'll feel better about their own shortcomings?" I've been accused of that last one myself! Taking Life Too Seriously is even ingrained in some religions, such as orthodox Christianity. It teaches that we are to suffer through life to attain an eternal joy in heaven. Basically, everything you find pleasurable is sinful, and therefore bad. You are given the supreme ultimatum, happiness now or happiness in the afterlife, you choose! On the flip side, Wicca enshrines a totally opposite tenet. "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals," the Goddess says. Humor From A Wiccan Perspective Let's examine that for a moment. Acts of love are pretty straightforward: caring for those around you, helping those in need, opening your heart to those who need it, and even those who don't. Love is something everyone understands. Acts of pleasure covers a wide array of experiences. If we follow another important rule in Wicca - Harm None - we ensure that no act of pleasure is to be considered bad, or to use a term regularly used to describe our practices, "sinful." This of course includes anything that brings you pleasure and joy: enjoying music, dancing, participating in festivals, reading books, having sex. And, oh yes, humor! As long as our intent is positive (another Wiccan tenet), we can joke about literally anything! And, of course, the purpose of a joke is to invoke laughter, a wonderful joy in itself. We can even joke about others' beliefs. Intent determines whether we're being intolerant or simply light-hearted. For example, I recently saw a comic on Comedy Central talking about superheroes. "And what's with this Batman?" he said. "A man running around in a rubber suit with a boy. You don't have to be genius to know what's going on there. I didn't know he was Catholic!" His intent was obviously the light-hearted kind. Hell Yes It's Funny! If a Catholic was offended by this, then they're simply one of our Taking Life Too Seriously folks. I find, too, that when some people take offense to an obvious joke, it's really a sign of their own insecurities. But the truth is, we can't help these people. How do you teach someone to how take a joke? It's a skill too few people have these days, when more joy is needed in the world. When you look at the suicide bombers in the Middle East, you can see how taking one's beliefs too seriously can be quite hazardous. But incorporating humor in our lives has so many benefits, I'm surprised it's not actually prescribed by doctors. Clinical studies show that laughing induces muscle relaxation, reduces stress hormones (such as epinephrine and cortisol), strengthens the immune system, and helps lower blood pressure. Laughter truly is the best medicine. Learning to lighten up will help cure any insecurities you have regarding your beliefs. You don't think I know how crazy my beliefs may seem to others? When they laugh at my beliefs, I laugh with them! And you know what? I sleep awfully well every night knowing I can do that. Knowing I don't have to make anyone understand me is my divine right, and yours too! And if in their misunderstanding someone calls you malicious, or far from their designated spiritual goal, or "evil," you would do well to simply accept that they obviously haven't taken the trouble to learn enough about you to even make that judgement. And since that is their fault and not yours, you can laugh at that too! See how beautifully having a sense of humor can help us even in our spirituality? The Power Of Non-Conformity We don't have much control over how people view us. And here's the cool part: we don't have to! Just because some people may question our behavior, doesn't mean there's an answer to that question that will satisfy them, except perhaps to conform to their ways. To conform means to be like someone else. Now, in some ways this can be beneficial, such as using the same currency as those around you, speaking the same language, and certainly driving on the right side of the road! But there are very important ways you can be a non-conformist and live a happier life. And a great step down that road is learning to laugh, bringing a sense of humor into your life, and letting even insults be glanced aside by your personal joy. You'll not only find a greater sense of happiness, but your postive energies just may infect those around you who Take Life Too Seriously! But if it doesn't, you can always laugh at them! Blessed Be, Syrus Thanks to Quill Mastercraft for the inspiration.

November 27, 2005 Debate With An Author . . . Version 2.2 Syrus Removes the Words of Author Quill Mastercraft This article replaces one that was not just moved, but deleted. It was removed because Quill expressed concern that I had posted her e-mails without asking permission. The discussion centered on the use of language. Her stance is (or was?) that we should all abandon language. I called for a stay of excecution, if you will. But let me explain this further. What's The Debate About? I have personally met and talked with Quill, and found her to be a very nice and interesting person. After I read her book, we exchanged a few e-mails concerning the concepts she put into language in her book. Those two words are italicized for a reason. You see, she calls for abandoning concepts and language altogether. Having, as you might guess, been rather perplexed by this paradox (being that it was a concept she had put into language), I wished to learn how this made sense, let alone understand how this could be a positive step for anyone looking for spiritual fulfillment. Perhaps I am not the sharpest marble in the bag, but I couldn't get over the paradox itself. But let's take it a step further and call it what it is: a contradiction. I dare not call it hypocrisy, for I feel the word is too harsh for someone who my gut tells me is actually a good person. And before you think I'm trying to slander Quill, or even attempt to cast her in any negative light, read on. Anyway, I was getting dizzy from all the answers I was getting, seeing how they seemed to keep doing circles around my questions. I had asked, as a "for instance," how talking about sex takes anything away from the experience. The answer was that language is a poor substitute! Clever avoidance of a direct answer, but I'm gonna have to pop another Dramamine! I propose language as a tool to enhance an experience, and the answer assumes substitution. Seeking Clarity But I was determined to understand Quill's position, whether I agreed with it or not. When she threw in the towel, I was left dry as a Saltine cracker in Egypt. We were discussing the most important skill mankind has ever developed - language! I wanted to say, "Hey! Where ya goin'?" In hindsight, her "abandoning" our conversation might possibly have been a brilliant example of someone taking their own advice. But, still seeking to clarify the importance of communication in our lives, I vented more thoughts on my website. To bring the vast mass of my website visitors up to speed (which is to say, all three of them), I posted what Quill had to say, and what I had to say. Where our conversation abruptly and unsatisfyingly ended, I picked up in monologue. The Bomb Drops Much to my surprise, Quill experienced whatever reaction it is that caused her to request that I remove her comments, threatening "further action" if necessary. Some would call this "taking offense." By request, I am not. But . . . whew! How'd we get here? I'm aware that private e-mails are considered just that, but we weren't exchanging Swedish bank account numbers, or personal medical histories on toe fungus, or the location of Jimmy Hoffa's bones (and I can't say it enough: Quit asking me! You know who you are.). What I had posted was an author's commentary on her own subject matter. In what I had apparently mislabled "common sense," I had assumed that Quill would agree with the public knowing how she felt about her own book. Apparently, she doesn't. Or, to be certain, what she had to say to me about it, in any event. I didn't remove our conversation from my website because I feared "further action." I mean, has anyone ever taken that vague, empty "further action" warning seriously? No, I removed it because of what this tells me concerning our conversation. I've realized in talking with many devout Christians (again, all three of them), that when you start asking questions about their belief, many aren't really prepared - or even willing - to answer. They turn colder than an Alaskan prostitute in January (please don't ask how I know that). What This Was About I'm just saying that it is the easiest thing in the world to put forth any idea you like, and say, "This is how it is." Thank the gods we can do that in this day and age with near-absolute freedom! But no idea is immune from scrutiny. In my own mind, at least, it should stand or fall on its own merits. I've found that most people really don't challenge their own beliefs. But without questions, where are the answers? I'm assuming, of course, that I am addressing people who want answers. I've found that the average person isn't even interested in testing their belief. In fact, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! I try to let everyone know, that when I have challenged them to question their belief, that it really is okay to believe anything, no matter for what reason. There truly is nothing more sacred than a person's spiritual beliefs. Don't let anyone tell you differently. We're all trying to find our place in this world. Unfortunately for Evangelists, bin Laden, and Spongebob Squarepants (does no one else see the evil in this character?), every person on this Earth really can find their own truth without being spoonfed from a dirty bowl. And as long as people are willing to let me challenge them, I will. You may think I'm out to prove the whole world wrong. Unfortunately, I have to say here that, yes, you're wrong. So Why Do I Challenge Anyone? What I'm actually doing is applying the most important lesson I've ever learned in my spiritual life: Question Everything. Don't be afraid, don't run away from it. Face it. You'll learn from it, and change for the better; I guarantee it, or your money back! Ignorance has only successfully served two people in the history of mankind, and one them thankfully can't be reelected as president in 2008! If we've learned anything from history, it is that we should suspect every person who says, "Hey! Getting together and discussing stuff is bad!" That's why the best stories in human history begin with, "They met in secret one dark stormy night . . . " Personally, I'm thankful that Plato, Martin Luther, Thomas Jefferson, Gerald Gardner, and Hugh Hefner never "abandoned language." For me, the list is actually quite extensive, but a quick scan down my Reading List might give you an idea. And now you see why I'm doing my part to save language from extinction. If we don't talk about it, we don't learn. Whether it's spirituality, or human rights, or how to take the wrapping and stickers off of a DVD without saying the word "shit" at least once, we need to know it's okay to talk about whatever is on our minds. That's why it's called mankind, we're kinda like eachother; and if we work together, maybe we can make life more bearable not only for ourselves, but for our fellow humans. Okay, everyone except country song writers. You lost your girl, I get it! Would ya stop already? Blessed Be, Syrus

March 1, 2005 ANCIENT ORIGINS Is the older religion always better? By Syrus Wyndragon "You must heed these words, friend," the man told me. "Why?" I asked. "Because it has always been so. Here, see these ancient words? You must do it because it has always been this way!" It seems no matter where you turn, someone is saying that their way is better because it is the way it has always been. These people will give you a hundred reasons why the first humans who walked the Earth believed exactly what they do, and that's why you must believe it too. But does anyone really question the reasoning behind this? Let's address two myths concerning any religion's claim to "ancient origins." Myth #1: Just because a religion is older makes it right. Or, when comparing two religions, the older one must always be the better one. This is exactly why the newer religion of Christianity adopted the older Jewish writings. They wanted to establish the claim that theirs was the most ancient of religions. This is why the writers of what became known as the "New Testament" took their cues from what they now called the "Old Testament" to form their religion. What this established is that there was, indeed, something new - a dying and resurrected godman named Jesus; but this also allowed Christianity to claim the ancient heritage of the Jews - the story of Genesis, Moses, Abraham, and a lineage of kings which the Christians claimed Jesus was genetically related to, and thus worthy of royalty. If Judaism predicted a King would come to save Israel, Christianity provided him. By demonstrating a direct lineage from the beginning of the world, Christians could prove that their religion was superior to Judaism (who still maintain that their Messiah has not yet come, certainly not in the form of a man who is executed along side of and in the same manner as two common criminals) and, more importantly, superior to the Paganism which had long dominated Greece and Rome. By putting these Testaments together and calling it one piece of divine work (The Bible), they created an all-encompassing history to legitimize their belief. This claim to ancient origins did indeed sway many of the common folk, and with the military backing of Emperor Constantine, Christianity was firmly established in the 4th century CE. Some in the circles of modern Wicca/Witchcraft have fallen into the same trap. By stressing the "necessity" of proving ancient origins of our Craft, they insinuate that without this claim, our heritage is worthless. This is, in fact, committing the same mistake as our successors. "Uther" (a member of Pagan Nation) comments, "Many of the concepts of Wiccan religion are - as I understand - derived from older practices but not exactly duplicated. For example, I recall reading/hearing from more than one source that there isn't any culture that reveres specifically one Male and one Female Divine figures. There are many faiths that seem to be divided between gods of both genders and some may even have a ruling god and goddess, but not exclusively just the two." This is all true, and is no less true of modern Wicca/Witchcraft itself. It would be extremely difficult to exactly duplicate the religious festivals, rites and ceremonies of the ancients. While the basis of their Mysteries are the same as what we strive for - namely, perfection of the soul and attunement with Nature - they do not apply in the same way to us as it did to them. We do not generally live or die by agriculture, nor do we depend heavily on a pastoral (i.e. livestock) culture. We have 21st Century wants and needs that didn't exist 3000 years ago. Also, we do not limit ourselves to one specific god and one specific goddess. And as Uther points out, neither did any known ancient civilization. Rather than condemning the "ancient roots" argument of modern Wicca, this actually is in keeping with it. Our predecessors did not call upon one single god, nor one single goddess, but worshipped them in whatever aspect was called for - by their many names. This is what we still do today. Myth #2: The terms used when describing something are all that matters - if the ancients didn't have "Wicca" 5000 years ago, then how can Wicca be ancient? As A.J. Drew (author and host of Pagan Nation) points out, "Is Wicca ancient? Is anything ancient? Is Wicca modern? Is anything modern? Most of what folk have done to argue these isues is to trace the use of the word. The reality of the situation is that it is just a word / term like: Soda Pop. Now if I were the first person to use the term, would I have invented 'Soda Pop'?" Here A.J. has hit upon the crux of the argument. Scholar Ronal Hutton, in his book on the recent history of Witchcraft, Triumph of the Moon, points out the use of the word "witch," shows that the word itself originated in medieval times, and then uses this argument to apparently discredit the "ancient origins" claim of modern Witchcraft. But Hutton cannot help but acknowledge a never-ending line of "folk-healers" and "cunning-folk" who, he is forced to admit, have been around since man first gazed at the moon or wondered what effects a plant might have on the human body, utilizing herbology, invoking helpful spirit-guides, and integrating astrological and moon cycles into their healing practice. Who could argue that modern day Wiccans don't fit neatly into this category? Perhaps they've been called many things by many cultures, but the dramatic similarities of the actual practice is, according to everyone, ancient. Cunning-folk, faeries, witches, shamen, high priestesses, oracles, Vestal virgins. "A rose by any other name . . ." Besides this fact, Merlin Stone, in When God Was A Woman, successfully demonstrated that goddess-worshippers once were a significant (if not dominant) societal norm. Or, as A.J. says of goddess-worshippers, there is a "pile of scripture to state that they are [numerous], there are statues, temples, and written records of ancient goddess worship." How do these myths affect our spiritual lives? 1) The most seasoned and sceptical of scholars must resort to deconstructing the name itself ("Wicca" or "Witchcraft") to claim that such a religion is of modern origins, even though the practices themselves are as ancient as written history. This, in itself, proves that modern Witches have not just simply revived some ancient practice. 2) And perhaps more importantly, in my opinion at least, is this: Whether a religion or idea is new or ancient, if it's worth following, it's valid. We used to "bleed" people to cure their ills, but modern medicine has learned how to medicate and operate to conquer illness. We used to house mentally- or physically-challenged people in Institutions for the Feeble-Minded, but now we address their conditions and do what we can to integrate them into our society. What have we learned? When Christianity came along, the popular religion of Paganism said, "What do you have that is new? We've provided dying and resurrected godmen who have saved mankind for ages!" The Church retorts, "The Devil knew that Jesus would come, and supplied many imitations in advance so the Christ would be taken as 'just another spin-off.'" But this antagonism doesn't really help us humans in our journey towards divine truth. This chicken-and-the-egg struggle accompishes only one thing - bitterness and intolerance between differing religious beliefs. Older does not always mean better. That we can change, learn from our mistakes, find better ways to help humanity and ourselves - these are the traits of true wisdom. We understand the physics of the world around us better than the ancients did, yes. But am I any closer to solving the Divine Mysteries than an ancient Greek, or Hindu, or Indian or Egyptian? I can't say that I am. It's the search for this truth - the looking within - that constitutes the oldest journey known to mankind. The fact is, Wicca is as old as the first human's dream of what the lights in the sky mean to our existence. And it is as new as the next person's discovery of how to know one's self and become a better person. This is why the Craft has really survived, and will survive, for countless generations. It has, after all, always been this way, hasn't it? Blessed be, Syrus

©Copyright 2006 Syrus Wyndragon