Hekatean Dynamics

    The Goddess Hekate, the goddess of crossroads, key bearer and torch bearer with hounds baying at her feet. Mistress of the shadow realms, Goddess of witch craft, and psycho-pomp, fairly impressive resume, wouldn't you say? There are other aspects as well, triple formed goddess of Earth, Sea. and Sky. The Creatrix of Light,The Light in the Darkness. In Greece she was known by many titles, Apotropaia (that turns away/protects)^[1],Chthonia (of the earth/underworld)[2],Enodia (on the way)^[3], Klêidouchos (holding the keys)^[4], Kourotrophos (nurse of children)^[4], Phosphoros (bringing or giving light)^[4], Propolos (who serves/attends)^[4], Propulaia/Propylaia (before the gate)^[5], Soteira (savior)^[6], Trimorphe (three-formed)[4], Triodia/Trioditis (who frequents crossroads)[4], and many others which have probably been forgotten to time. Some believe her to be of Thracian origin while others , such as William Berg believe she may have originated among the Carians of Anatolia. According to Berg Her name was even given to children, "Since children are not called after spooks, it is safe to assume that Carian theophoric names involving hekat- refer to a major deity free from the dark and unsavoury ties to the underworld and to witchcraft associated with the Hecate of classical Athens."^[7] 

    ^{Although Hekate has many aspects, and a rich and varied history, I would like primarily to discuss my personal relationship with her as Hekate Kleiduchos. Since I made a pact with Hekate, the details of which I cannot divulge, many things have happened all at once. First to come to my attention was this project, The Hekatean Prayer Book,   which aligns perfectly with where I am at in life and where I want to go. Then I get a call from a colleague, that opens a door to do some more of the kind of work I want to do. At this point I am not making money, but doors are opening and connections are being made, which what one would expect working with a key bearer. I continue to be amazed by how magickal my life has been in general, but especially lately. It's not just the business opportunities either, everywhere in every aspect the synchronicities are overwhelming. Hekate her self keeps popping up everywhere (true to the law of contagion) even for people who do not consider themselves devotees. I continue to get to know this energy that has been calling me since I first took an oath beneath the oaks on a full moon, some 30 years ago, in many ways both subtle and not so subtle. The crossroads have always been a mark of my magick and my art, as well as keys and torches, but until I acknowledged Hekate as progenitor of all this, everything was flat. Now through my personal relationship with her there is an intimacy and immediacy to my work that allows me to feel the flow. My work and my magick are one and the same, and they have become as natural as breathing.}

    <sup>Due to my increased understanding and confidence with magick in general and Hekatean magick specifically, I have decided to undertake a series of elemental workings. I will chronicle  my efforts and results here as a testimonial and a scientific record. The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down, at least according to a certain social media meme attributed to that guy from Myth Busters. So I will try to be as scientific as possible about a subject most esoteric. So stay tuned to the chronicles of the Hairy Wortcunner from Texas, it will be exciting y'all.

1. Alberta Mildred Franklin, The Lupercalia, Columbia University, 1921, p. 68.
2.Jon D. Mikalson, Athenian Popular Religion, UNC Press, 1987, p. 76.
3.Sarah Iles Johnston, Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece, University of California Press, 1999, pp. 208-209.
4.Liddell-Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon.
5. Sarah Iles Johnston, Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece, University of California Press, 1999, p. 207.
6. Sarah Iles Johnston, Hekate Soteira, Scholars Press, 1990.
7.Berg 1974, p. 129.</sup>      

Out of the Broom Closet

     This will not be  a shock to most of my close friends, and I suspect most of my family already knows, but I have never made a formal declaration. I am a Witch. There now I feel much better about myself and the world around me. I have been on a deep spiritual path, for last couple of years, and one of the tenets of my faith is to maintain integrity. As long as I did not openly own that fact that I consider myself a Witch, I started to feel as if I was living a lie. My reasons are many, but ultimately they were all rationalizations. Well the (black) cat is out of the bag now and I will have to live with the consequences of this declaration, whatever they may be.

      So, before this discussion goes much further let me address a few things; I am a Witch not a Wiccan. I am a Neo-Pagan in the truest since of those words in that I borrow from many different traditions. Chief amongst these are Christianity, Buddhism, Hoodoo, Heathenism, and Hedgewitchery; which is an indigenous European form of Shamanism. Now I know that some of this may confuse some of you, especially the Christian part, but I will do my best to explain it all to you.

     First, let's discuss the difference between religion and spiritual practice. A spiritual practice is any set of actions one undertakes to bring oneself closer to the Divine, whereas religion is a set of belief about how to approach the divine and what manifestation the divine will take. To state another way spiritual practice is self directed action, and religion is a program to align oneself with a particular reality tunnel. In my ongoing pursuit of the divine I have found the self directed path to be the most palatable for me. If you know me you already know how obstinate I can be about doing it my way (cue Frank.) However I also find the thrill of discovery to be a major impetus for my chosen path; that being said I also know Christians and Buddhists who experience the same joy. How can this be, you may ask, well lets dive into that shall we?

     Let me use myself as an example, not very scientific I know, but then again this not a theological paper. Witchcraft or as I prefer to call it Witchery is a label I attach to my set of spiritual practices. My spiritual practices however are designed to lead me to that numinous state of union with the ineffable divine known variously as, gnosis, ecstasy, or mysticism. But William, why not just choose one of those names instead? Why label yourself at all? Why label yourself a Witch? In the words of Ayn Rand, for the very reason it frightens you.Seriously though, I shall explain and hopefully you will understand.

     Historically, no I am not going to start a long discussion of the history of witchcraft that is a an article for another day. Now where was I , oh yes, historically the term witch has been applied to many types of oppressed peoples. In days not so long ago the easiest way to cast out your enemy, was to trump up charges of witchcraft. This was usually not hard if the person was odd in any sort of way; too intelligent, able to cure illness with herbs, had prophetic visions, or was born with a physical deformity. The outcasts, the queer, the freaks and geeks of their day. I consider myself one who is not as others, but strangely enough there are others like me. This the real reason I choose the label of Witch, to align myself with others who use similar techniques in their spiritual practices. a community of support is important no matter what you do. What are these spiritual practices, you may ask. Briefly I will do my best to describe them.

     Let me start by saying that if you really interested in the totality of spiritual practices email me at sasquatchjones@ymail.com or friend me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/tao.jones.716 . If you are a practitioner we can discuss techniques, if you are a mystic of a different tradition, i.e. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Sufism, Hinduism, etc,, we can discuss similarities and differences in our paths, and if you are interested in starting on your own self directed path tell me why I should be your guru. That last part was a bit of a joke, if you want me to be your guru I will give a reading list, a swift kick in the rear and send you on the path of brainwashing yourself into thinking on your own. If you want to Convert me to your way of thinking don't bother I'm a hard top ( non-convertible.) So let me lay out my basic tenets for you; Be Here Now, Maintain Integrity, Go with the Flow, Pronoia, Stay on the Path on LOVE. Nature is my temple, Hedgewitchery is my technique, and LOVE is my religion. May you not stray from your path, keep up the Great Work. I Love You. Namaste.

For The Love of HIPSTERS

"OH GAWD!!! This place used to be cool before the hipsters took over"

If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard that. Still I wonder what's really behind this distrust, the silent loathing of the Hipster. Is it a fear of cultural commercialization? Is it the intrusion upon a place of solace and comfort? Is it the faceless swarming icky masses? YES a resounding yes.Only not in the way you might think. Let's look at each of the above concerns in depth.

Cultural Commodities
On the surface the fear of having ones culture commercialized and turned into just another commodity seems valid enough, but what if what one considers culture is not culture at all? Often when I question people about this their responses tend to be about the places they eat, and drink, or rent videos, perhaps even music they like. None of that is culture. Sure a cuisine can be part of your culture especially if it based on your heritage, but a restaurant does not qualify. A bar may be the focal point of a subculture, but if it can't survive a new influx of people, or even the closing of said establishment then it wasn't much of a subculture in the first place. As for music, the one universal language of the arts (math being science), most bands I know need to make money in order to survive. If you love them do not begrudge the fans willing to put money in their pockets. Basically this not the fear of your culture being commercialized, but the sudden awakening to the fact that what you think of as culture is commercial commodities.

Solace and Comfort
Ah, yes the quiet peaceful repose one finds in a public coffeehouse, or taco joint. Wait, what? Seriously, if your soul feeding stations can only be found in public spaces and now you feel slighted because they have become over run by Hipsters, please read the next sentence very carefully. Get out. Literally go outside, to a park, a garden, your backyard. Find solace in truly quiet spaces, your soul will thank you for it. Even better, get some dirt on you, your immune system needs it and connectivity to the Earth might make you a better person. Enough preaching, let's examine this fear more closely. It seems to me that what's really going on here is elitism. As long as you can slowly introduce your friends and family to this gem of grooviness you found on Eastside, you can be the purveyor of cool. I'm sure the proprietors won't mind, after all they know that eventually your friends will do the same. Guess what happens next? The place is over run by those despicable Hipster and you know whose to blame? YOU. More on that later.

The Faceless Masses
The most amazing thing about Hipsters is their mythological nature. Everyone talks about them, but I can not find one to save my life. This term is used mainly to identify the dreaded "other". I personally can not tolerate labels that are used to divide and conquer no matter how innocent they may sound. This is a slippery slope that leads to ugliness on many levels.(Subject for another post.) I feel this may be an attempt to resist the anonymity of the herd, but instead attacks the fundamental structure of our society. Like it or lump it, we live in a capitalist society. Every day you vote more for the world you want with your dollars, than with any lever you pull in the voting booth. So if the masses are suddenly showing up to buy that single origin grass fed bar be qued brisket flavored with nothing but salt, pepper and water mist, rejoice. You see the Hipsters have with their dollars just cast votes for quality food instead of over processed, drive thru fare. If this infringes on your ability to get what you want, do something to provide more of it to the world, this is how change happens.

So let's review. The mythological hipster, is actually an engine of change helping to direct society towards better things. By confronting our fear of the other, we begin to be more honest with ourselves and others. Awakening to our own consumerist tendencies perhaps we will begin to foster true cultural touchstones like family and tradition. Accepting our role in society increases our responsibility to that society and places upon us an onus of trust to nurture and mature said society. Coming to terms with your inner Hipster will help you grow as a person, a community member and an agent of change. Goddess Bless the Hipsters.

Also if you all Lovely, Beautiful, and Sexy Hipsters could check out these places and cast a few economic votes they would be forever grateful:
http://franklinbarbecue.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wetwhistle
http://www.saltandtime.com/
http://www.jaymaymusic.com/
http://www.redkap.com/
http://drublood.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/freshly-made-bed/

Love and Exploitation

Welcome to my new blog. This is an exploration of themes of LOVE, and how the power of LOVE can conquer all the ugliness of the world. There is no social ill; racism, sexism, ageism, elitism etc., that cannot be cured with LOVE.
With that in my I would like to call your attention to a new malaise infecting our social discourse in America. I am speaking about exploitation websites like Probably Prostitutes, Busted, and Just Mugshots just to name a few. Apparently some lawyer ( probably in need of LOVE) decide that instead of making money as a prosecutor or a defender of people it was easier to exploit them. Let me give you the run down. Your life for whatever reasons has hit a rough spot, and for any variety of reasons you find yourself arrested. Bad enough right? But now this lawyer guy thinks your picture needs to be plastered all over the internet and you should pay him money to remove it.  Innocent or guilty you get the same treatment, as if Mr. Lawyer man has the right to judge you without appearance in a court of law. His justification? Its all legal. Sure but that doesn't make you any less of a DICK.
Think about it, this guy says its okay for him to make money from people down on their luck. Exploiting those poor souls who have social problems or are victims of misfortune or just maladjusted.The sick, the weak, the poor, exploited, or just innocent victims of misunderstanding.(Yes the police arrest innocent people.) What a stand up guy, his mother should be proud.
Let these exploiters of misfortune know just how much you appreciate their ilk, contact them at the numbers below:
800-849-2878
support@justmugshots.com

Here are a few articles to read  the subject:
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/12/mugshot-industry-legal-attack/
http://gizmodo.com/5949333/how-people-profit-from-your-online-mug-shot-and-ruin-your-life-forever

As always, I Love You. LOVE.