An American Werewolf in Indiana

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Sitting around in the late afternoon I had to remove my leg bandages which were extremely painful to do so since some of the scabbing had dried to the dressing and became downright unpleasant to remove.  Which brought me to a place a rarely go.  Howling in EXTREME pain, something I rarely do.  3 broken noses, two broken fingers, a large gash on my forehead from a fight, appendix removal, cutting off a large part of my thumb, and numerous other cuts and bruises never felt nearly as painful as my skin being pulled off my body.

The howling of pain sounded to me exactly like the werewolf in "American Werewolf in London."  Which brings me to yep you guessed it sitting down to watch that film.

John Landis wrote and directed this incredible awesome film but the real star of the film goes to the make-up effects created by Rick Baker for which he won an oscar.

Now all that being said brings me to my original intention.  Call me crazy but the transformation from man to werewolf in this film, while looking extremely painful, looks like something that I would personally love to experience. Call me a masochist if you will but to me such a transformation would be something I would liken to being born.  The tranformation of bone structure, muscle tissue, body and facial features not to mention the transformation of the mind from man to animal would go beyond a pleasurable experience.  

Though many things are possible through projection of the mind and spirit I still find it difficult to comprehend the experience of such a transformation.  There is so much about the human mind that we are unaware of or are afraid to explore.  This fear of the unknown is a barrier that needs to be broken down and overcome. The need to take a risk and go beyond the limits of "normal" behavior as humans can be a great learning experience and give us much inner strength.  Crossing these barriers may seem unpleasant, even painful but doing so allows us to know ourselves and explore the gifts the Gods have given us.

Escaping the Cube

Several years ago a film came out on the SCIFI channel simply called "Cube".  Brilliant film.

I don't want to give away anything to those that who have not seen it but the film asks the question, what is the purpose of THE CUBE?  The answer, THE CUBE's only purpose is to be.  It is now a living, breathing entity that cannot be shut off.  THE CUBE decides whether you live or die and how you will live your life.  There is no escaping from THE CUBE.  Attempting escape will surely mean your demise for THE CUBE is the answer to all.

We have created THE CUBE.  It is not something that we knew we were creating when we had done so because each of us has built a small component of THE CUBE that has allowed it to be.  We manufactured our small piece for monetary, political, or social gain and put it in its place so that it is now a part of THE CUBE.

We feed THE CUBE.  We give it sustenance by our gross materialism.  We have let THE CUBE grow through our mass consumerism of worthless products that THE CUBE tells us that we need.   We oil its jaws daily and then feed it with the blood of our children because THE CUBE promises us protection from the wolves scratching at the door if we do this.

We have allowed THE CUBE to destroy our lands through mass production all in the name of progress, technological advancements and the betterment of society.  For if society is made better so is made THE CUBE.

We have no fear of things going wrong.  THE CUBE will be the answer to all our problems.  The inert mass of people will no longer have to say "someone should do something" or "something must be done".  THE CUBE will have done it already.

Some may decide to try and escape THE CUBE.  This will take immense amounts of strength, initative, strong will power and will be a constant struggle. They will find no one to lead the way or anyone to give them incentives.  There will be a constant calling to return to THE CUBE from those who live inside THE CUBE.  A tactic to create fear within the individual that they cannot live outside of THE CUBE.

We must break free from the restraints of THE CUBE and rise above the politics of THE CUBE that was designed to divide and conquer us. We must break free from the monetary system of THE CUBE that has boxed us in and attempted to enslave us. 

I believe it is time to escape THE CUBE. 

Discern the rhetoric.

Congresswoman Giffords was shot on Saturday and before the 911 call was placed, people left of political center are pointing the finger at Sarah Palin for this tragedy.  Was the woman even in the lower 48 on Saturday. 

Some are saying her comments during the political season long ago (yes 3 months ago in the political world is an eternity) that the Tea Party needs to put people in the crosshairs for defeat and to "lock and load" is the cause of the madman's shooting spree in Arizona is ludicrous.  Its called political rhetoric people and if you aren't mature enough to handle it then maybe you shouldn't be voting. In fact maybe you shouldn't be leaving the house.  After all there is alot of nasty words being thrown about in society today that may cause you to take violent action against your fellow man.

The only thing wrong that Sarah Palin did in saying those words is that she didn't think that some people in this world are STOOPID enough to take those words literally.  Did any leftists howl when Obama said, "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,"  at a rally in Phillie?  Or do people on the left really think that there is a difference?  Can they only decern political satire and tongue and cheek comments when it comes from one of their own?

I have listened to heavy metal music and not committed suicide.  I have listened to rap music and not busted a cap in some pigs ass, nor have I slapped any of my bitches.  I have listened to outlaw country and not thought about lynching, drinking and crying over my dead dog.  Why? Its entertainment.  Its an expression of metaphors, feelings and inner struggles.

I have watched every violent film one could possible imagine. 'I spit on your grave' did not cause me to rape. 'Hostel' did not cause me to torture someone for my own pleasure. 'Heat' and 'The Town' did not cause me to rob banks. 'Tombstone' did not cause me to have a shootout at the OK corral.  'Death Wish' did not cause me to take up a life as a vigilante. Why? Its entertainment and I can discern the difference between make-believe and reality.

I have read 'Mein Kampf' and not thought about killing Jews.  I have read 'Helter Skelter' and countless books on the whitehill chapel murders and not wrote any letters to the authorities signed 'Jack the Ripper' nor did I murder any starlets.  I have read books on Satanism and not sacrificed any children.  I have read books on Witchcraft and not casted any spells of ill will. Why?  Books are made to make the reader think for himself and draw his own conclusions about what the author is writing.

I grow weary of the blame game.  If people cannot handle these things in life then remove yourself from society.  No leftists I don't mean committing suicide.  I mean throw away your television, burn your books, destroy your CD collection, and disconnect your internet connection.  Sit in the center of an empty windowless white room and suck your thumb in the fetal position.  The rest of us will deal with life as it truly is, a cruel and unforgiving place, and yet still find a life to live and enjoy without having to blame others for our misfortunes.

Realizing I have yet again gone off on a tagent I have missed the one important thing I meant to write here.

I pray for congresswoman Giffords to fully recover, that those murdered move on to the next life peacefully and that the Gods see fit to give the shooter (I know his name but will not give him the satisfaction of it being added to history) the justice he so rightly deserves and swiftly at that. 

Defending religion. Mine and Yours. Pagan and Christian.

The relentless criticism of Christianity, religious faith and the existence of a higher power has gone beyond ridiculous.  It has been suggested that Jesus Christ was a schizophrenic.  That people who have religious faith are small minded and of little intelligence.  Wicca is for angsty teenagers who want to rebel against their parents and idiotic future wannabe senators from Delaware.

I have become so desensitized by the comments that I find it difficult to even want to defend religion anymore.  Difficult maybe but I continue to do so.

While Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions do not see eye to eye on many subjects, mainly due to ignorance and intolerance on both sides we have much in common with one another.

Many of my Pagan brothers and sisters greatly admire the story of Jesus Christ and have great respect for his word and teachings.  As Jesus sacrificed himself for redemption, the Pagan God Woden sacrificed himself to himself to gain the knowledge of the Runes by hanging and fasting on the World tree Yggdrasill.  Christ and Woden are both famously mentioned in the "nine herbs charm".  As Woden masters the magic runes of wisdom by hanging on his Cosmic Tree, so Christ creates the magic herbs as He hung on His Tree, the Cross.

We have had our differences certainly.  From the time Charlemagne invaded Saxony and forced baptized my ancestors to the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire beginning with Nero.  Many were slaughtered due to the ignorance of the populace at the time.

Modern times have brought education to the masses.  The idea of Witchcraft as legitimate science (Quantum mind mechanics) is taking a foothold.  Pagans are openly discussing their beliefs without fear of ridicule.  Christians are finding that Pagans want the same things.  To honor their families, tribes and ancestors.  To commune with their deities without fear and be one with the land they live upon.

I would like to see a time where the Christian will defend the Pagans and the Pagan will defend the Christians and put an end to the constant bickering.

Being responsible.

When I was a about 7 or 8 my Father died in a car crash.  This itself was not the tragedy, nor the fact that the women in the car who died alongside him was only 18 and not my mother.  For me the real tragedy was 5 years earlier when my Father decided that being such was not something that he could handle.  For his own selfish reasons he abandoned my Mother and I.  Making matters worse was that he could not do it in person, but left a pathetic letter saying that he had issues that he needed to work out.

This was not something I was made aware of until my early teen years, surely not the best time to be presented with such revelations.  My anger with my Father was beyond comprehension.  My Mother had since remarried a man who was physically and mentally abusive.  Add in his fuel of alcohol and things would progress into something much worse than the mind of a young child can imagine.  All the while my Mother had her own issues to deal with.

Metaphorically speaking, had my Father not died in that car wreck,  I would have plunged six inches of steel into his chest myself for abandoning his responsibilities.  Harsh words perhaps.  Many can relate to experiences of an abusive relationship with a parent, step-parent, sibling or spouse.  Growing up in a time when having a single parent was not socially acceptable made life difficult.  Children from single parent households at that time were shunned and ridiculed.  It may have built strong character and constitution but the physical and emotional pain of dealing with the situation were demons that I could do without.

My wife ran a daycare center for a number of years, and I would see the unfortunate circumstances of fatherless boys and girls everyday.  I could relate to the young boys never knowing the joys of catching a football with their Dad, riding a go-kart, hunting, fishing or working on the car in the garage with their Fathers.  These young children would see me doing things with my son and daughter and the pain in these childrens faces as they wonder where their Father is was quite painful to watch. I feel for these young ones growing up without a Fathers love and guidance.

Some may turn out just fine, but most end up damaged in some way that may take years to recover from.  It took me until this past year to come to terms with the issues with my Father and to be able to say that I am no longer angry with him.  I forgave him for what he had done although it is something that will never be forgotten.  How I came to this is another issue involving my faith in the Gods and the words of others who share similar experiences.

I swore to the Gods many years ago that my children will NEVER be without their Father.  Being a Father may take time from watching the game, going to the races, or raising a pint with the boys down at the pub but I brought these children into this world knowing that at times sacrifices are required.  The Gods expect no less from me.  I say that it is time for many to take responsibility for their actions, they know who they are.  The idea that it is now socially acceptable for a man to walk away from his children because it doesn't fit his agenda is ludicrous.

Choose the path of the deadbeat Father so be it, but always remember to look over your shoulder for someday that young man you so callously left behind may be standing behind you, cold steel in hand.

Metaphorically speaking of course.