Confessions of an American Witch

This last Sunday (or was it, Saturday), Morning Glory Reader died in hospice early in the morning. Morning Glory was an important influence in my life because she created Herbs and Arts occult shop at Colfax and Race in 1993. Those familiar with my stories about my Denver occult education will recall that I lived my second life in her shop from September 1996 when I entered the open ritual community until 1999 when she sold the store to another owner, and the vibe changed.  Khari ceased to do business with Herbs and Arts when the new owner wanted pottery at a price point cheaper than her loss point. Sad, really, Morning Glory's Herbs and Arts had been the first to accept my wife's pottery to sell in their store. I wish I had photos from the old days. Being braver than Khari, or having been a Public Witch at Work, I had taken full advantage of the classes that teachers had announced at the Open Full Moons. I took several Wicca 101s, and Tarot 101s. From one couple, we went from ...

The other day, I made the mistake of looking at the Great Gherkin's website. To see if he was alive. Because he accounts for a significant amount of my pageviews on my old Gleamings from the Dawn blog. Is he (and his model wife) still selling what I was complaining that they were hawking back in the day? No, the video title was about a mind virus. It seems that the Great Gherkin is selling sci fi in the second era of Trump. Probably with Democrats as the alien invaders. I didn't watch the video.  That wasn't my problem with his page. The Great Gherkin will be the Great Gherkin. No, speaking as a teacher that wrote a piece for the Hermetic Golden Dawn Flying Roll commentary book, my issue is the idea that for less than three hundred US dollars, a student can get access to all lessons of every Grade of the HGD system, just so the Pickle can include GD membership as a bonus material to his current scam. How did I get into this book?!? That the understanding of the Golden Dawn ...

Given my experience as a lodge officer and student of the Hermetic Golden Dawn and its offshoots, occasionally I need to explain (if only to remind myself) why I am not allowed to teach and lead in GD.  A who's who of the Golden Dawn community. I was not selected by a lodge to be a leader, or teacher. No, I accidentally declared myself one when attending my first Open Full Moon in fall 1996. Finding myself in the presence of a hundred-plus Denver witches, all who seemed to be experts in some esoteric field or another, I introduced myself with the only thing that I felt confident in discussing: Hermetic Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Aliester Crowley. It was either that, or talk about being an erotica author, right? Everyone who heard that initial introduction of mine, which included the mention that I was a published writer, no one ever allowed me to move past, or forget that intro. I got rewarded, or punished for it, depending upon the ego of the occultist. A couple of shop owners used...

Some people are born farmer's sons in America; some are the nephew of Gardnerian Wiccans--and imagine that in 1965 Nebraska . . . yeah, I was born demonic. My witchy aunt represented America to me. My aunt, Victoria Josephine Ramalia, declared me, a reincarninated witch, just like herself. She hated children--yet loved me. This mystified my mother. I loved my aunt.  One of my prize possessions, the first thing I made sure to recover the one time I returned home for Christmas after my military escape, was my Red Piggy Bank that she gave me. A ruling question of my childhood was "Why can the Christians have their Ten Commandments at the county courthouse; and not us, our Horned God?"  At age thirteen, I consciously chose the religion of witchcraft . . . in part to be like Vickie. Then in my freshman semester of high school, my aunt got murdered.  And my family, in their grief, blamed it on her religion. I got broom closeted. Satanist. That is what my religion became. And my...

Science fiction fans like to talk about how Star Wars changed their lives.  For me, it was Ghostbusters. The Original. It was my first year of freedom away from evil Mother Lilith, and explained my entire world . . . including the fact that my dead dad was my roommate.  Problem was in my movie, my Ghostbusters, it was Denver that got nuked. And I was the Containment Unit that went critical. You see, by 1984, I already hosted a murder victim, my own aunt. As well as several other ghosts. And then there is Wolfgang--what the fuck is he? Let's just call him, a Demon. Moving on, today, I live with a Ghost Wife. Walnut Hill Alchemy might be owned by ghosts. Long story short: For the newer readers, and the More Beloved Sister who once asked "What happened to my sweet innocent Brother?" Here is maybe an answer, or not. My Theosophic Confederate Nazi spirit medium grandparents, one summer, in that "abandoned tree garden," exposed me to a Demon. Nice people, the Ramses. ...

Given that being Kid Friendly is one of the Landmarks of Walnut Hill Pagan (Wicca) Community Church, perhaps you might want to know why we insist on that policy. Especially given that I was deflocked by Banefire "the Open Full Moon Friday People" for violating community safety standards. They had to create a Safe and Sober anti-marijuana policy to bar me from the Spiritual Centre which they hold their events . . . because Lady Catherine felt unsafe.  Or was it merely the fact that I started to criticize them exactly the same way that my mentor, Maggie Moonstone did? Anyways, for Safe and Sober" scared to crowd, it should be noted that I am a medical marijuana patient. For my back and migraines.  Update: It is not "Safe and Sober" on Capital Hill any more. It's "Do not show up, if you're inebriated." Huh? What?  What the hell has happened at Open Full Moon Fridays since they shoved me out of that burning dumpster fire? Outside of the fact that ...

Great news: We have a functional fire pit for the Open drumming and potluck on Saturday, June 14, 2025.  And not some rusted hole.  An actual functional fire pit. Lucky us. Oh, you laugh.  Upfront drumming area with a brand new fire pit. This is what happens when you leave your fire pit out for several winters . . . Khari. In all fairness, to me and Khari, we do use our fire pit all year around, so we know that it's an tri-annual replacement item (needing replacement every three years or so). We are probably going to convert the old one into a "flower pot." Because we are creative artists. The plan for June 14, 2025  is as follows: Where: 2727 N. Cook St., Denver, Colorado 80205 (North of the Zoo and Golf course) When: Helpers show up at 5 pm; gate opens at 6 pm for the Potluck. Pagan drumming starts at 7 pm in front area; Norse Three Toasts Blot in back area at 7:30. Cost: Free to attend--please bring a dish to the potluck, if you can. And your preferred toasting dr...

When I was exposed to the radioactive horrors of ministry training under other religions, I was taught a basic truth: There is a never a good time to start a project. Or a church.  And I need a ritual. But Khari only wants a drumming.  Still as a minister (with a license--piece of paper signed be Maggie Moonstone--Yule priest) with an art studio's back patio, I have space to do a separate event. Magick! Or treason.  No, seriously, the UU (Unitirian-Univerisalist) Church we were renting space from, had events downstairs, when the Amber Power Twins were doing Runic Circles and drumming upstairs above them. Then, I "the starving college journalist ministry student" would raid the remains of the buffet table. No, not student--never student--kitchen help. No, don't let my library fool you; I was a high school dropout.  Forced by black magick and a business partner into decisions that I did not completely take of my own free will. Oh, this had been the first person in my l...

A core concept that is hard baked into the magick systems of Golden Dawn (whatever the flavor), Thelema, and ceremonial witchcraft is the idea that our rituals happen not only here on Earth, but also on other planes of existence as we perform to empower them. The so-called astral planes.  This idea can be found in our Theosophy ancestor (gag), the Cipher Manuscript, the work of Mathers and Westcott, Crowley and Regardie, as well as modern writers like Cicero and Zalewski. Hence one of my teachers claiming exclusive rights to the idea is CRAZY.  Yeah, I was kicked out of Hermetic Golden Dawn publicly by a Third Order blessed teacher on Facebook in 2016, for not sending ALL MY STUDENTS to Mister Golden Native for his Special Training in Godform Laying and Other Blessed by Secret Chief Teachings. Can I just say that as an actual Third Order member of a Thelemic AA system from the 80s and 90s, I find his claims of being a Hermetic Third Order contact to be insulting? No? Damn. I h...