Gabriel Plumlee, who now lives in Chile, has set up a faerie listserv-style Internet mailing list. For those of you unfamiliar with a net mailing list, here's how it works:
1. Subscribe to the faerie list by mailing to
faerie-request@hooked.net
with the single word "subscribe" in the subject line.
2. The posting address, for sending messages to the whole list is:
faerie@hooked.net.
So what are you waiting for? Subscribe now! The more faeries we can get subscribed and using the mailing list, the more interesting, useful, and fun it'll be! Post announcements, theoretical articles, stories, poems, ritual plans, recipes, and dish, dish, dish, dish... Thubthcribe now, thweetieth!
Jeff K. forwarded me a copy of the 6 Oct 1995 Thyber Thithie E-mail. Your upcoming "Drawing Down the Alien" Gathering has sparked a lot of interest among everyone I have shown the info to. This could be the most innovative event concept of the year.
Back in the late 1980s after "Transformation" was published, I had written to Strieber suggesting that we hold a shaman circle at the exact site of his Visitor experiences, but never received a reply from him besides a free copy of the Communion newsletter. While validity is uncertain given the preponderance of hoaxsters, disinformation and gullible conspiracy fanatics that plagues the UFO enthusiast scene, there have been some intriguing reports of Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind (human initiated contact) in relation to the Gulf Breeze sightings in Florida and the crop circles in Britain. This is a worthy experiment -- as well as a damn good idea for a Rave -- and I commend you for having taken the initiative.
Spreading welcome to potential symbionts,
Cary G. Robyn
Founder Terran Consciousness
Tuesday, Halloween Night
5:45 - 7:00 set-up
7:00 - 8:00 casting the circle
8:00 - 10:30 open ritual
The plan is to prepare the space, cast the circle and invoke the directions prior to the arrival of the public. Stationed at the door of the bookstore will be the puppets and three "Sweepers" who will greet the public, purify them and usher them to the downstairs space...sweeping the way for them. When they enter the space an unscripted ritual will already be in progress. This will include drumming, chanting, performances and a variety of "mummers" (people channeling elements, myths,etc..).
For example, one of these roles will be the person who invokes "FIRE" at the casting of the circle. He/she will be responsible for channeling FIRE all night long. This might mean tending the central fire, consecrating people with ashes, doing a fire dance, introducing Fire chants at times that feel appropriate, etc.. it will be up to that person to keep the FIRE energy going. We have defined twenty-two of these roles (including drummers, etc...) so the net result (HOPEFULLY) will be a chaotic but intentional lifting of the veil between the Worlds. There will also be places where people can make offerings to the dead and where they can scry into a mirror while peeling an apple.
Participants are also encouraged to put together little performance pieces that can spontaneously be introduced into the ritual whenever it feels appropriate as well as some signal to others that you are about to begin. For example Cypress wants to do a piece and will signal it by ringing his finger cymbals. Performances pieces can draw the attention of the whole room, occupy some corner of it, or be completely private!
Following is a list of the roles to be filled and the people that we elected to fill them! Since only a few of us were at the meeting we have assigned roles. This is highly flexible but if you want to change roles let Ken or Keisha know so your assigned role can be given to someone else.
DECORATION (5:45 - 7:00PM): Donald and Ken/ we could use a couple more. (Call one or the other if you have things to donate to this or want to help) Trixie can you provide lots of leaves and fall clippings?
CASTING CIRCLE: (7:00 PM): All people facilitating any part of the ritual who can be there. (Ken, Alexandra, Covelo, Keisha and Cypress have all volunteered).
Public admitted from 8:00 PM, we are hoping the following people will fill these stated roles for the duration of the ritual (till 10:30 PM).
SWEEPERS: (Greet, purify, escort): Keisha, Covelo, Delicious
ELEMENTS: (Responsible for channelling and maintaining one of the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water): Finkelstein, Mo Hanan, Halley, Jodi(?) -to be decided who is doing which ones.
DRUMMING: Jodi(?), Cypress, David Finkelstein, Delores(?), Alexandra, Cypress, Ken, Keisha. Plus anyone else we can get! We need lots of drummers to free these other people up for other sorts of madness. Can Donald Gallagher round up more drummers?
TEMPLE WHORES (Getting the sex energy moving): Cypress, Donald, Joseph Mahr - we could use two or three or a dozen more!
ANCESTORS INVOKERS(There will be an altar prepared with offerings for the dead. The The Invokers will be responsible for lifting the veil, inviting the ancestors, maintaining their presence, faciliting others in invocation, and dismissing them at the end of the ritual). Ken, Mitchell, Cypress
GOD (The Lord of Misrule, or is that MISS RULE?)- Brian Canivan(?)
GODDESS (Miss Pomegranite Tit thing): Alexandra
JESTERS: Trixie, We need more jesters, any volunteers?
FEASTING (i.e. Food): Ken and Covolo will facilitate. Everybody is encouraged to bring something to share, especially apples and nuts. Hopefully the store will be providing apple cider.
The ritual needs to wrap up by 10:30 at which point whoever remains will dismiss the directions, the ancestors, anything else they invoked, the circle will be opened and we will clean up and go for tea. Ken, Cypress and Mitchell have volunteered for clean-up.
...To this...uncertainty was added a sense of psychic eeriness, for the at the turn of the year - the old dying, the new still unborn - the Veil was very thin. The doors of the sidhe-mounds were open, and on this night neither human nor fairy needed any magical passwords to come or go. On this night, too, the spirits of dead friends sought the warmth of the Samhain fire and communion with their living kin." - Janet and Stewart Farrar
Ken and Jodi(?) and others who have become interested in the Sidhe will prepare an offering for them. Contact Ken if you are interested.
Cypress will organize a chanting ritual/planning meeting at Pine Bush to make sure that we all know some of the same chants beyond "We all come from the Goddess"
P.S. Starhawk suggests "before leaving home for the ritual, each covener sets out a plate with cakes and drink and a lighted candle, as an offering to their own beloved dead and spends some time recalling the memory of friends and relatives who are gone."