Pre-AAR Annual Meeting Field Trip

Julie Epona © 2011

L-R: Raina, Egil, Macha, Tim, Mary, Chas, Christine, Nick 

On the Friday before the meetings got into full swing, a caravan of eight (Chas Clifton of Colorado; Egil Asprem, a Norwegian student living in Amsterdam; Mary Hamner, a student from NC; Christine Kraemer of Boston; her friend Nick; Timothy Miller, a professor at the Univ. of Kansas; charioteer Julie O'Ryan; and me) took a field trip through Marin and Sonoma Counties, passing near to many significant places (Druid Heights, Sausalito houseboats, Olompali) on our pilgrimages to three sites.

After picking up Raina Woolfolk O'Ryan-Kelly in Rio Nido, we drove to Isis Oasis in Geyserville, home of Loreon Vigné and her many exotic cats, brilliantly plumaged birds, and other animals.  The weather was damp and gloomy, so after we toured the temples, studio, lodge, and the rest of the retreat center, we gathered in the toasty dining room to share tea and some tasty "occu-pie" the folks at Isis Oasis had made and brought to the locals at Occupy Geyserville.  I bought Loreon's latest book, Lots and Lots of Ocelots.  Loreon is one of the few individuals who has successfully bred ocelots in captivity.  She has also bred servals.  Both ocelots and servals are gorgeous, precious animals whose population is threatened by the encroachment of humans into their native habitats.

After a lunch which took nearly an hour to be served, we drove on up to visit Cat Yronwood and Nagasiva at the Lucky Mojo Curio Co., where Julie's son and Raina's husband, Aidan, works.  I took a few photos that weren't that good, but others took more that I hope to see soon and post when I acquire permission to do so.  In the meantime, here are two shots of Cat's reading room and an altar inside.

By this time some of us were late for appointments in San Francisco; however, instead of returning, we proceeded to the home of Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart to view her spectacular collection of goddess images.  We weren't able to stay long and really immerse ourselves in her collection and hear all her many stories.  Another time, I hope.

 ~~~~~~~

Forgive me, readers.  I had this post looking good, only to discover I'd inadvertently posted it to the California Corrections Crisis blog.  I got all messed up trying to move it to the Broomstick Chronicles.

Death of a Priestess

Last night my friend Tara Webster passed through the veil. My friend Thorn was among those in attendance at her crossing. Here's the first announcement:

With great sorrow I must report that early on the evening of October 8th, Tara Webster - Ishtara, Soror Adessa of the Order of the Golden Dawn, Witch, Mage, Dancer and Healer - has succumbed to brain cancer and passed peacefully beyond the Veil into the next world.

Her husband Sam, along with many witches and magickal folk were with her, surrounding her with love and singing hymns of Hecate to her as she departed. Sam asks for whatever thoughts, prayers, and energy work you can bring to this transition, with focus on the highest chakras, from now until three days after, or up to 49 days.

Prayers and offerings to Hermes, Psychopomp and Lord of Thresholds, and to Tara's matron goddess Hekate, Keeper of the Keys of all the Universe, are particularly appropriate.

E-mails of condolences may be sent to cancellarius@osogd.org and will be forwarded to the family.

- 555

"Term of all that liveth, whose name is Death and inscrutable, be thou favorable to us in thine hour. And unto her, from whose mortal eyes the veil of life hath fallen, grant that there may be the accomplishment of her true Will, should she will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with her chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labor and heroism of incarnation on this planet, or another, of any star, or aught else, unto her may there be the accomplishment of her true Will, yea, the accomplishment of her true Will. AUGMEN."

I knew Tara as a Priestess of Hekate. For many months Corby and attended small New Moon rituals to Hermes and Hekate with Sam and and Tara in their chapel. A graceful bellydancer, Tara wore the mask of Isis* as she danced Her into manifestation at the first incarnation of my goddess masks ritual, part of the Goddess 2000 celebration, at PantheaCon in San Francisco.

Although I knew Sam better than Tara, when Tara and I first met, we discovered we had a lot in common in terms of both approach and praxis. My experiences with my first coven, the Holy Terrors*, paralleled hers in many ways. I spoke of a cartoon published in an East Coast Pagan rag, Harvest (defunct), in the '80s that we Holy Terrors couldn't believe was so like we were. When we HTs first discovered this cartoon, we rolled around laughing. No one we knew subscribed to Harvest (if it even had subscriptions). We treasured our photocopies of the few episodes we'd found; later I found an opportunity to mail away for better copies of a full set. The cartoon was the Death Crones, and Tara was part of the Flaming Crones, the circle from which this cartoon arose!

When I heard she was weakening, I planned to go see her this weekend. I regret I didn't make it in time. I will visit her viewing and offer prayers for her easy transition. My life was enriched by my having known Tara. I will dance with her in Samhain circle. In love may she return again.


* A coven of nine women, Holy Terrors was the first coven to form from classes taught by Witches in what later evolved into Reclaiming Collective, and still later, Reclaiming Tradition Witchcraft. Some day I'll write more about the HTs, maybe even scan the only extant photo of us together.

Another Autobiography

I recently read Loreon Vigné's autobiography, The Goddess Bade Me Do It! Not only is Loreon an accomplished artist in many media, but she's also a Priestess of Isis and a breeder of wild cats (especially ocelots which are very difficult to breed in captivity) and collector of an amazing menagerie that lives at Isis Oasis Sanctuary, a former Bahai retreat that she bought, restored, and has made available for gatherings in Geyserville, California. It's worth a trip to Isis Oasis to see the Temple of Isis, the peacocks and swans, Loreon's stained glass creations that adorn temples and other spaces. In fact, the temple is featured in another excellent recent book, A Visionary State: A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape, by Erik Davis with photographs by Michael Rauner.

Loreon is one of those people who marches to her own drummer. She seems always to have been open to inspiration and opportunity, to have intuitively attuned herself to the songs of her goddess and the universe. A genuine original! I'm so glad that some of our Pagan elders are telling us of their lives.