gdp's Comments

Copious Dissent - Your Daily Dose of Liberty : No Global Warming Since 1997

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:46:18 +0000

Are you so ignorant you can't see a STATISTICAL BLIP when you see one? Look at the hundred year trend: http://www.paganchaosmagic.com/pics/Temp.jpg I suppose the Ice Caps melting is all photoshopped?

The Wild Hunt : A Darker Shade of Pagan: Top Ten of 2009

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:12:05 +0000

Eluveitie! Awesome pick! Evocation 1 is also my favorite album. If anyone is interested in their more metal aspect, I recommend their album, "Slania". Looking forward to listening to the top ten selections I am not familiar with. Great work at both the Wild Hunt and A Darker Shade of Pagan! Great to see some of your work acknowledged with the Podcast Awards Nomination. Next year, I predict you take it.

The Wild Hunt : Haunted by the "Third Wave"

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 21:57:02 +0000

Fair enough. I may have missed your point, but that is only because I have always felt that using magic of any sort to attempt to influence major world events is metaphorically pissing into the wind. But I could be wrong. Remember that just because ancient spell commands the spirits to do a specific thing, that doesn't mean that it will work as advertised. However, I am not disputing that you or anyone else can or has made the magic work. I have no experience with it. My magic is more personally transformative than politically transformative. That makes me either very wise or a blind idiot who is missing the bigger picture. I have been accused of both. :)

The Wild Hunt : Haunted by the "Third Wave"

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 20:36:01 +0000

Rufus, I agree with your passion. But a single mage or even a group of mages trying to hold back a mob of fascists idiots will always fail. If spells alone are the only way you have to fight off an attacker, you will perish under a tide of mob violence if you are unlucky in this incarnation. WWII was less than a century ago. Pagans and homosexuals are the new Jews. I will shoot both my wand and my rifle against anyone who comes to put me in a camp because of my religion. I hope you find your end as you wish it. "have to fire a gun, my "spells" will already have failed and I would deserve to be burned. If there's anything to this stuff we believe, and I know there is, then there's no excuse for anyone who has an inkling of how magic works to end up in a situation where they will fall victim to witch burner." You are not thinking there. Some of the finest mages in history (who could make you or me looking like a fluffy bunny) have be overpowered by the tide of human ignorance because they were as arrogant as your statement. Tell me all about how powerful your magic is when the flames come licking up your feet.

The Wild Hunt : Haunted by the "Third Wave"

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:32:40 +0000

The Third Wave is yet another reason I own guns. Sooner or later they will quit praying and start trying to burn people out. Bullets work faster than spells.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:13:52 +0000

But you did do it without frothing and too much emotional content. Thank you. "I too believe that the gods choose who they will, but they are as capable of teaching as they are of choosing. Being chosen by a First Nations god does not grant membership in a First Nations tribe any more than being chosen by the Morrighan gets you an Irish passport." That is some great food for my head. Thanks.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:10:07 +0000

Not unless claims are made that a Native Ceremony is what they are performing. I cannot find anything like this anywhere yet. If you know of some hard data about this fool claiming his ceremony was in any way connected to Native American culture, I will join in condemnation. Too many people here have seen the words "sweat lodge" and "spiritual warrior" and immediately started claiming infringement on Native Culture.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:13:14 +0000

"Him charging people for it and calling it a Mass would be ridiculous to Catholics, if not sacrilegious." It's called Protestantism. "Native ceremonies are sacred. Acting like just anyone can do them is silly and disrespectful. You have a right to be disrespectful." Disrespectful of the asshat who ran the show or of the people who were killed and injured? (No snarkiness intended.)

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:04:27 +0000

I never thought that a sweat lodge was a sauna. When Lindy had questions about the right sort of rocks to use without poisoning herself, so I supplied the information. She mentioned she could not find information about Finnish saunas in English, so I supplied the information.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:21:53 +0000

I respect that opinion, Sir. And since you are senior to me with more experience I will not debate the point. Perhaps I will come to a better understanding of it when I am your age. Thanks for disputing my points without hostility.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:12:15 +0000

"None of the people screaming "IT'S OUR RIGHT" would dare suggest a Gardnerian coven give up their Book of Shadows to you because "Spirit" said so and all knowledge belongs to everyone blah blah blah." First, quit belittling this ladies vision like she has no right to it. THE GODS CHOOSE WHO THEY CHOOSE. Last time I checked, the gods were not the racists, the people are. "It's. Not. About. You. Your privilege is showing." Really? If you took the time to read her posts, you would see she is hardly privileged. Her privilege is not showing...your problem with "other insensitive white Pagans" is showing. And It Is About Her. She has a right to any spiritual quest she was directed to undertake. Your attacks on her questions reveal that you think because she is a white person, the Native gods would not choose her. That is a blatantly racist attitude. You do not comprehend the minds of the gods and goddess any better than any white, asian, latino or any other group. If you start thinking you comprehend the minds of the gods, I recommend a long spiritual pause and some discussion with a spiritual elder you respect...because NO ONE can claim that.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:01:04 +0000

"How does that not refer to all Native Americans everywhere? You say, in effect, A few of you hurt my feelings. I will now threaten to withhold sympathy from _all_ of you. This implies to me that A) To you, the rude ones represent all Natives and B) You believe these thoughts of yours matter to Natives in this thread." Laurel, none of them hurt my feelings. I am perfectly aware that Natives could give a rat's hind end about what I think. You claim of what I said "in effect" is really confused from my perspective. So let me clarify, since my statement seems misconstrued. I was speaking directly to the people what had identified themselves as Native Americans and ALSO declared they had no sympathy for the dead and injured. Other Natives made comments on this thread I took no issue with. If you take the time to read Renee (Copperwoman)'s comment you will see that I was mainly taking issue with her statements. I want to state plainly that ANY group of individuals of ANY stripe, creed or melatonin level who jest about confused and well healed Seekers dying should take a long look in the mirror and remember the Universal Principle of Compassion. Native Americans, Caucasians, Asians, everyone. No one has a moral right to laugh at the dead and I will defend that to my own dying breath. And anyone who does, deserves NO SYMPATHY for ANYTHING that happened to them or their people. Notice I said They deserve no sympathy...not that their people deserve no sympathy. Screw them? OK. But Screw You as well. (Not you Laurel...the people who laugh at the death of seekers).

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:45:46 +0000

Also from the same book: "TESTING THE ROCKS: Exploding rocks are dangerous. Perform a simple test to guarantee their safety. Thoroughly heat a sample for two hours or more. Drop it into a pail of cold water, then look for cracks. When the rock is cool, test it further by hitting it with a hammer or against another rock. If the rock cracks or makes a soft grinding sound when rubbed against another rock, discard it and find another source. If it survives you have a safe sauna rock. A more elaborate test can be made by your local metallurgical laboratory. It costs a few dollars. THE AMOUNT AND SIZE OF THE SAUNA ROCKS: The best sauna rocks are the size of large potatoes. With sufficient heat replenishment, the amount of rocks can be as little as 25-35 kilos (55-75 pounds). Heat storage kiuas, which are only heated once, need at least 120 kilos (264 pounds) of rocks. A savusauna takes anywhere from 250-500 kilos (600-ll00 pounds) of rock depending on the size of the room. Too large or too many rocks take an unnecessary amount of time to heat. Too small or too few rocks will cause the sauna to cool after a few splashes of water. Rocks, in order to heat properly, must not be packed either too tightly or too loosely. HOW HOT SHOULD THE ROCKS BE? 5OO-800 degrees C (950-1500 degrees F). Wood burning kiuas often heat rocks until they turn brilliant red. It's not necessary to measure their temperature. If water thrown on the rocks makes a sharp crack, like the opening of a carbonated drink, and one or two seconds later an invisible loyly fills the room, they are hot enough. Water tossed on tepid rocks will bubble slowly and turn the sauna into a steamy bath."

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:45:04 +0000

Lindy, may I make a suggestion about the rocks you want to use? I am not a Native, but I did pull down some info on the proper rocks to use and English information on Finnish Saunas. "Build Your Own Sauna or Sweatlodge ©1997 Mikkel Aaland All Rights Reserved Sweat, the book, included 50 pages of detailed information on how to build and use your own Finnish Sauna, American Indian sweatlodge, and private sweat bathing cubicle. Unfortunately the book is out of print. However, I've reprinted this Build Your Own section and you can order the reprint by contacting me directly. The cost is $20, plus $3 shipping and handling. (Outside of the US shipping and handling is more.) Either email me for further information or send a check to: Cyberbohemia attention: Mikkel Aaland 539 Greenwich Street San Francisco, CA 94133 An excerpt from the How to Build Section in Sweat COPYRIGHT 1997 MIKKEL AALAND: The Sauna Whether to use an electric, gas, or wood burning stove is the first decision in sauna building. Geographic location may influence your choice. If you live in the country where firewood is plentiful and fires have minimum of environmental impact, the wood burning stove is the best performer and must be considered first choice. Local building codes may also determine the type of sauna you build; for example, ordinances, which vary from community to community, may restrict the use of wood burning stoves. Some times they require specific types of stoves, fire insulation, flues and chimneys. But generally, since most saunas are not used as habitual rooms, building regulations are minimal. After you have chosen a stove begin planning for the following: # Size of the sweat room where the heater will be placed. Size depends on the number of bathers, the capacity of stove and bench arrangement. Specific dimensions are discussed later. # A provision for washing. A separate washing room is preferred, but space or budget limitations may necessitate washing inside the sweat room (a common practice in Finnish countryside saunas.) In either case, plan a means of producing hot water. # A dressing/relaxing room or some protection against the elements. This can be a simple placement of wind breakers or even an open porch adjoining the sweat room. # A clean, simple design using wood. This warm, friendly material inspires quiet socializing, meditation and a retreat from the rigors of the day. # Location. Since a place to cool the body after a session in the sweat room is needed, the ideal place for a sauna is near a lake, river or an ocean. However, a swimming pool or a simple shower will serve well. Be considerate of your neighbors. Locate your cooling area (where you don't want to be hampered by clothes) with discretion. # Orientation. Know the course of the sun and moon and plan your windows, doors and porches to catch their light. This will beautifully enhance the mood of the sauna. Here are a few Finnish words which apply to the sauna and I use throughout the text. They are easy to learn, at least as easy as cappuccino. Kiuas (ke-wus)-sauna's stove or heater. Loyly (lou-lu)-super-heated vapor that hisses off hot sauna rocks. Vihta (veh-ta)-a bunch of broad leafed twigs for flagellation. Sauna (sow-na)-now part of the English language. Often pronounced saw-na in America. KIUAS A perfect sauna depends upon the proper rocks and a source of heat that will make them red hot. The kiuas is the sauna's heart. A good kiuas, be it electric, gas or woodburning, will pour heat evenly all through the sweat room. If hot enough, water will explode off the rocks and fill the room with short bursts of loyly and create the right bathing humidity. Since the beginning of this century, many types of kiuas have been introduced, and all of them use rocks to store and radiate heat. ROCKS Each heating of a sauna rock equals thousands of years of natural erosion. only the strongest rocks can survive constant heating and cooling, and even they will eventually crack and crumble. When this occurs, they lose their capacity to hold heat and in time they disintegrate and clog the kiuas. The best sauna rocks are those least exposed to weather. Certain quarried rocks are therefore the strongest. Glassy rocks of high quartz or iron content are not recommended. Iron is a fast conductor of heat and when water is poured on, it becomes trapped in a shell of vapor and tends to form beads. As the beads slide of the rock a weak loyly is produced. obviously, rocks that produce poisonous gases or offensive odors should not be used. One of the best sauna rocks is peridotite, a quarried Finnish rock that kiuas manufacturers ship across the world. Certain North American rocks work as well. Freshly quarried basalt, black and fine grained, from the Cascade and Sierra ranges, is excellent. So is hornblende, found in many parts of this continent. It's a textured rock which has been re-crystalized at a high temperature making it ideal for the sauna. Locations of these types of rocks can be found on geological surveying maps available from any Bureau of Mines or through the Government Printing office in Washington, D.C."

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:37:24 +0000

"You have to speak the language, and have lived within the culture and with the particular spirits of that culture, usually for generations. It's something that happens over time in family, in community, in a solid system of checks and balances. It's not something an outsider can learn." *sigh* While I, of course, agree with a Native's right to close their ceremonies to anyone they feel like, I am so tired of hearing that line, "It's not something an outsider can learn." If that were so, my pale white friend who was raised in the suburbs would have never been adopted into a Native tribe and taught the ceremonies as he was. "Outsiders will never understand" sounds suspiciously like judgments are being made about other peoples ability to learn, empathize and change their behavior. People from other cultures have proven throughout recorded history that they can adapt, fit into and prosper in completely alien cultures. Some even become their new cultures Holy Men and Women.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:25:07 +0000

"It came to me to build a Sweat Lodge in deep meditation. I immediately drew the lodge as I saw it in my dreams." That sounds like a legitimate spiritual communication. The lady got a message to build the darn thing, will people quit telling her she has no right.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:23:53 +0000

No right to sweat? She was not asking for the ceremonies, she was asking how to properly build a lodge.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:43:05 +0000

"I called you out on your tone, which strikes me as being entitled." What you see as entitled to what? An opinion? Laurel I am a human being and a mage. I have opinions on many things. Any attempt to state I have no right to an opinion will be met with laughter. And tone is remarkably hard to detect from text posts. That is why people invented emoticons. "So how can you learn Native ways if nobody will teach you? Maybe you can't. " I am not trying to learn Native ways. Neither where the people at the retreat. Please re-read the several comments I made about Native Americans not owning a patent on sweat lodges or saunas. But, if you want to bring race into it...if I wanted to learn about Native American spirituality, the cries of the offended bother me not at all. Especially from someone who is not Native. "Maybe Natives have the right to decide who can study these things and who can't." Sure. And others have the right learn the secrets if they can. There was a time that geometry and other advanced sciences were limited to a few priests. The world is arguably a better place (or at least more measurable and predictable) since those occult secrets have been released. This is just a fundamental difference in philosophy, not an attitude problem. "From what I have heard and experienced, white people who demonstrate a real commitment to learning and sharing in a Native community and culture are sometimes accepted into Native communities and religions. Sometimes they aren't." I agree. My wife's ex is whiter than I am and he was officially adopted into a Native American tribe by the tribe, not his fanciful imagination. "We (white people) have a lot of other religious choices after all. As you said, people who find spiritual value in sweating can refrain from abusing Native ways by simply taking a sauna." Please show me were the "ceremony" that this charismatic nutjob was running claimed any association with Native culture. I have been unable to find any evidence of this, but I am willing to believe any good evidence presented. Laurel, I appreciate your passionate defense of Native Americans. I empathize with your feelings on the matter. I am no more for exploiting their culture than I was for the Spanish destroying the South American Native culture during their bloody invasion. In fact, it hurts me deep in my heart that my ancestors had anything to do with either. But my hurt will not prevent me from attempting a dispassionate analysis of the facts. And my comment about fighting harder and being smarter about treaties was a thought experiment. And it was a good parallel, Laurel...even if you decide it is not. To belittle the dead who quested for knowledge is a good way to tell the gods and goddesses that you are ready to die next time you try something spiritually new.

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:21:11 +0000

Lindy, do a google search for "build a sweat lodge" and you will find a lot of answers, some of them by Native Americans. Just because one 'wise person' decided you were not worthy to receive a piece of knowledge does not mean you will never find your answers. Many gurus on the Indian Subcontinent make a practice of refusing any disciple the first few time they ask, just to determine their determination level before accepting them as students. The internet: The Death of Information Hoarding

The Wild Hunt : The New Age Sweat Lodge Death Controversy

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:03:55 +0000

"Expecting individual Natives to represent all Natives of every nation is a racist way of thinking." Please explain where I expected any Native American to be representative of all Natives? Please read my post more carefully and you will see that I was talking to a few specific people. Before you call me out, please develop better reading comprehension skills.