This Goddess combines two of the most powerful Archetypes of our time representing Clarity, Communion and Spiritual Truth. Her form originated in the Nile River Delta from 8,000 years ago and echoes throughout the Goddess cultures from Greece to China, from Africa to Peru. This image is the Goddess who guards the Soul’s Journey between Earth and Heaven and back into rebirth and as such She is the oldest form of the Guardian Angel. Her arms are uplifted calling down the power of the silver Moonlight at night and the radiant Rainbow by day, mingling these energies she awakens our inner divine spirit.
Rock paintings from ancient Africa
This Goddess arises from a Crystal Cluster. Crystal formations have been recognized by humanity for their intrinsic beauty and magical powers as long as we have been human. Crystals come from the very heart of the Earth Mother and have been prized as her tears. They grow in Her caverns and grace our temples and holy places. Their pizo-electric properties focus our energies, cleansing and healing our auras. In fact, crystals were prized for opening channels of communication for ages before they were used in making the first “crystal radios.”
Unfortunately, our modern love affair with crystals has put some caves and sacred sites at risk from over harvesting. No caves had to die to create this Crystal Goddess. She comes to us courtesy of techno-magic and is made of optically pure, poured lucite. This material, like amber, is a resin that conducts both energy and light waves. Our Crystal base reflects and disperses light better and more beautifully than the original quartz matrix from which this one was cast!
Her form is as ancient as the pyramids; her current incarnation is as modern as a silicon chip, Her message is timeless and clear as a drop of water: Love to All Beings. Journey with the Crystal Goddess in the dark and womb-like comfort of your own bedroom. Cast off the cares of the day and let your mind and body relax as you watch Her transform into the Lady of the Living Rainbow. Let Her changing colors wash over your soul, healing and transforming you as you meditate with her. Allow her gentle patterns to lead you into the crystal cave of wonder that leads to lucid dreaming. Open your Third Eye and allow the Visions to come forth: Behold there is Magic all around you!
~Morning Glory Zell
This figure of the Crystal Goddess is cast in crystal clear lucite from an original sculpture by the internationally-recognized artist, visionary, speaker and author Oberon Zell. Invoking ancient myths and legends, Oberon’s sculptures, writings and lectures inspire reverence for our living Earth. This and other designs in the Mythic Images Collection began as an outgrowth of Goddess historian Morning Glory Zell’s workshops on Goddess lore and culture. https://www.themillennialgaia.com/
A Wizard in Space
OZ Walkabout heads to the Moon!
March 3, 2021
On February 27, 2017, SpaceX made the following announcement:
SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. … Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. … NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provided most of the funding for Dragon 2 development, is a key enabler for this mission.
In 1954, the Science-Fiction Book Club (a division of the Doubleday Book Club) issued “Moon Tour
Reservation” tickets as a promotion. The ticket states that the holder’s “name and address is being held on file in Science-Fiction Book Club archives,” and “will be turned over to the first company making commercial moon voyages.” The bearer is instructed to “present this card to the Moon-Tour Reservations Clerk” after the “official announcement of voyages” has been made. That “official announcement” was made by SpaceX on Feb. 27, 2017. I have managed to hold onto this ticket for 65 years!
Fig. 1. Moon Tour Reservation ticket issued in 1954 to “Timothy Thompson Zell—aka Oberon Zell
On April 27, 2017, I wrote to both the Science Fiction Book Club and Elon Musk:
For 62 years, I’ve held onto my certified “Moon Tour Reservation” card, issued by the Science-Fiction
Book Club in 1954, when I was 11 years old. At that time, my parents thought I was crazy for believing
that humans would ever fly to the moon! But my faith was vindicated on July 20, 1969, when Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle module on the Lunar surface. Sadly, after only five more
Lunar landings, further manned explorations of the moon—and any other manned deep space
voyages—were terminated after 1972. Now Elon Musk of SpaceX has announced a return to the
moon—carrying commercial passengers on a circumlunar voyage. And after waiting 62 years, I’m ready to redeem my reservation with SpaceX!
But despite SpaceX’s announcement of pending commercial moon voyages, and the SciFi Book Club’s promise that my “name and address is being held on file in Science-Fiction Book Club archives,” and “will be turned over to the first company making commercial moon voyages,” I received no response to my letters from either Elon Musk or the SciFi Book club. I sent follow-up letters on Sept. 18, 2018, but still nothing. It’s now been 65 years, and I’m still waiting.
Now, on March 2, 2021—just three years after SpaceX’s original announcement of pending commercial moon voyages, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has announced that his dearMoon project, which aims to fly the “first civilian mission to the moon,” is now looking for eight crewmembers to fly to and around the moon and back on SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft: https://www.space.com/yusaku-maezawa-dearmoon-contest-seeking-crewmembers?utm
The project was first announced in 2018, with the original intent to bring a crew of artists to the moon. In this latest release, Maezawa calls for applicants to make up a crew of eight individuals from around the world for the week-long lunar trip. I have applied to be a member of that “crew of artists.” Will I finally be able to redeem my ticket? Stay tuned!
Fig. 2. Oz’s confirmation of registration with dearMoon.
This is the last day before the dawn of the 2020s—the next Cultural Renaissance of the 60-yer cycle I’ve traced all the way back to the Italian Renaissance of the1480s. Here’s my outline of these:
Decade Popular Names
1480s The Italian (Florentine) Renaissance
1540s The Reformation; The Age of Exploration
1600s The Golden Age; The English Renaissance (Elizabeth I’s reign 1558-1603; Shakespeare’s plays 1589-1613)
1660s The Scientific Revolution (Royal Society founded 1660)
1720s The Great Awakening
1780s The Enlightenment; The Age of Reason (American Revolution 1773-1794; French Revolution 1789-1799)
1840s The Transcendentalist Awakening
1900s The Golden Dawn; fin de siècle (1886-1908)
1960s The New Age; The Consciousness Revolution (1960-1974))
Yes, it’s been awhile since my last Journal entry. I’ll try to catch up…
As I mentioned in my last entry, over the weekend of Dec. 21-22 (Winter Solstice), I participated in the Seattle Psychics Association’s Big Psychic Fair in Seattle, WA. This was put on by Belladona LeVeau, Dusty Dionne, and others of the ATC (Aquarian Tabernacle Church), with whom I was staying at the ATC HQ in Index. Around a dozen psychics were set up around the room to do readings, and ATC and I also had vending tables. We had very few customers, so we all did readings for each other.
Pic: OZ as the Holly King
The highlight for me was aspecting Santa as the Holly King, all dressed up in beautiful green velvet robes with white fur trim. I was fairly popular, and people took a lot of photos. I really do believe in Santa!
On Tiwesday the 24th, my friend and CAW Minister Ed Fish picked me up at ATC and drove me to the Longhouse in Redmond, WA, for a delightful evening with my old friend Ron Peterson (Nirav), who is Head of the Venusian Church. This is a beautiful retreat center, on about 25 acres, with an awesome stone circle and a number of dwellings and residents. As 35 years before, I received a warm invitation to move in. Ah, but just as then, I have other plans…
Pic: OZ & Aphrodite at the Longhouse.
The last time I’d visited there was at Samhain of 1985, when Ron brought me up to testify on their behalf in a court case regarding their IRS exemption for tax-deductible donations. I brought Gordon Melton, who did the actual testifying, as Founder/Director of ISAR (Institute for the Study of American Religion). Unfortunately, they hadn’t incorporated with a 501(c)(3), as CAW is, so they didn’t qualify for such exemptions.
Way back then, I had a fabulous time at the Longhouse (they have a clothing-optional pool and hot tub!), and connected with a lovely lady named Linda, who became a significant lover in my life. She eventually came to teach at the Grey School, and she was on my list of old sweethearts to look up on my Walkabout. She was there this time as well, and we had a sweet reunion after these many years. When it came time to distribute the “white elephant” presents, folks insisted I wear my red Santa suit. Merry Xmas!
Pic: SantaOZ & Linda
On Xmas day a few of us went to the theater to see the final Star Wars movie, “The Last Jedi.” We all loved it, and thought it a fine conclusion to the long saga, with many old friends making their encore appearances.
After the movie, I drove to Olympia to visit another old sweetheart for a few days, then returned to the Longhouse on Saturnday the 28th for a great Solstice ritual, feast and party with about 50 members of Our Lady of the Earth and Sky (OLOTEAS). I gave a talk on the origins of CAW, modern Paganism, and the 60-years cycle from the 1960s to now. Long deep conversations in the hot tub, and another sweet companion for the night…
Pic: The Longhouse pool & hot tub
Heading back south towards Califia, I stopped off to spend a few days with Mitch and Lori Stargrove, in Hillsboro, OR, 200 miles and 3½ hours from Redmond. They have a beautiful home in the forest, with a nice comfortable guest room and hot tub. Turns out we have many friends in common—from just about everyone in my Vegas Vortex community and Firedance Family to old friends from Eugene and the Oregon Country Fair, Grateful Dead, Merry Pranksters, TOAD, etc. Mutual friends include Nikki Scully, Samina, Jeff, Abby, Merrill, Gary, Barefoot Steve, Bob & Norma, Badger, Morganne & Ivy, the Flying Karamazov Bros.…and so many others!
Naturopaths and Acupuncturist, Mitch and Lori are deeply into various esoteric studies and groups: Gaiastar Temple, Blue Lotus Mystery School, Thelema, Gnosticism, Ma’atian, and shamanic natural medicines on all scales. Mitch has been turning me onto some amazing music on Youtube by people he knows. One that perfectly speaks to the 2020 Vision is called “Dark as Night,” with the recurrent meme: “I believe in the good things coming.” By Nakho Bear (Medicine for the People). Another amazing video is his “Aloha ke Akua.” Check these out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsgP8LkEopM
Tomorrow 2:00 Mitch and Lori are hosting a gathering of the Gaiastar Temple at their home. It promises to be quite a gathering!
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
Brightest Blessings for the New Year—and the New Decade!
A joyous Yule to everyone who sees this! May all Blessings come to you as we turn the Wheel into the 2020s…
Jon, Amy and OZ in front of the Yule Tree
I stayed with Amy and Jonathan/Jeannie from Dec. 9-15. We got along great, enjoying good meals and good company. I caught up on some of my favorite TV series (The Mandalorian; Strange Angel; His Dark Materials; The Watchmen), and then on Sunday the 15th I drove 230 miles (4 hours!) up to the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, WA, northeast of Seattle. Archpriestess Belladonna LeVeau and Archpriest Dusty Dionne of ATC have welcomed me warmly and hosted me graciously, with a nice room and office I can work in, including a field golden retriever named “Honeybear” and two lovable cats to lay on my bed and keyboard.
As I described in my previous Journal entry, I drove on up to Camano Island on Monday the 16th to meet with Serious Israel, returning to ATC the next day. A marvelous meeting of two old Wizards!
Back here at ATC HQ, Belladonna, Dusty and I have been having deep conversations around the huge kitchen table, in the car driving to gigs, and soaking in the hot tub. ATC and CAW have been allied groups since the late ‘70s, when I got to know ATC Founder Pete Pathfinder Davis (1937-2014), and shared our CAW founding documents with him as he was designing the legal structure of ATC in 1978-‘79. Currently, my Grey School of Wizardry is a “sister school” with ATC’s Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary (WiccanSeminary.Edu).
Bella is a member of the Grey Council, and the absolute Matriarch of the ATC—which is set up as a Corporation Sole, with an impressive 35-40 affiliated organizations chartered under their umbrella group exemption. They conduct an extravagant “Spring Mysteries Festival” event every year over Easter weekend, drawing primarily from the Greater and Lesser Mysteries of Eleusis, but also a bit from the Descent of Inanna. I attended this a few years ago, and I highly recommend it!
Right now, my own main project and concern is “2020 Vision: The Awakening” (http://2020visionawakening.com/). I am reaching out to Pagan leaders, Elders, publishers, festival organizers, members of the Grey Council, and just, well, everybody—to promote a massive Pagan voter registration drive and adopt “2020 Vision: The Awakening” as a major theme for events in the coming year. Please forward this link to everyone you know!
Everyone I’m talking to—including Bella and Dusty—is enthusiastic and eager to get onboard with this. This could be bigger than the Harmonic Convergence of Aug. 16-17, 1987, when millions of people joined in a global meditation for world peace and the end of the Cold War.
At that time Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev led a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party he called perestroika (“restructuring”), with a policy of glasnost (“transparency”) political reform. Perestroika precipitated the Revolutions of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989 marked the fallingof the Iron Curtain. The fallof the inner German border took place shortly afterwards. And thus ended the 40-year Cold War. Just like magick!
The 2020 Vision project includes an invitation to come to the website and enter your own Vision for the 2020s. The more we can envision the coming decade according to our brightest hopes rather than our darkest fears, the greater the probability of manifestation (i.e. the collapse of the probability field; magick meets quantum physics!)
Pic: OZ with Dawn, owner of Mystic Sanctuary
Wed. evening the 18th I did a talk and book-signing at Mystic Sanctuary, in University Place, WA 98466. This was an hour and 45 min. from Index, so we had a lot of time to talk in the car. At my talk, a lovely woman showed up who I thought looked somehow familiar. Afterwards she came up and let me know she was Jezebel Blessing, who had lived with our Ravenheart Family at Shady Grove in the early 2000s. I couldn’t believe how different she looked today, having lost a lot of weight! It was good to see her, and we reminisced a bit over the great parties we used to throw—particularly our annual Addams Family Reunion Party.
Pic: Jezebel Blessing with OZ at Mystic Sanctuary
Last night (Thurs. the 19th) I did another talk and book-signing at Edge of the Circle Books in Seattle, WA 98105, only an hour from ATC. And this weekend I’ll be appearing at the Seattle Psychics Association’s Big Psychic Fair in Seattle, I’ll be doing Tarot readings in my usual Wizardly regalia, but from 2pm-6pm I’ll be wearing a beautiful green and white crushed velvet Santa suit, as the Holly King—giving out authentic Norwegian paper heart baskets with Yuletide blessings, and posing with people for photos.
My business partner Jay has been adding clothing and mugs to our Mythic Images website in time for holiday shopping. We have a lot more designs to add, but there is a nice selection of Millennial Gaia items already available. https://www.themillennialgaia.com/product-category/clothing/
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
This has been a long and busy stretch since my last entry in this Journal. I just haven’t had the time to sit and write, as I’ve been either driving, doing gigs, or visiting with friends. Right now I’m visiting with Jonathan/Jeannie & Amy Jonas, in Gresham, OR, on the SE side of Portland. They moved into this nice suburban neighborhood just a month ago, and are still unpacking. Jon is a serious Lego fanatic (AFOL=Adult Fan of Lego), and a member of the Portland Lego Aficionado Group. The house is full of large totes, bins and boxes full of every kind of Lego imaginable—and some really fantastic Lego constructions—some motorized.
Last night we were invited to a neighbor’s for a get-acquainted social. Straight out of “Pleasantville.” All very nice, friendly, smiling, straight people; at least some of whom were Mormons. With our non-alcoholic drinks and high-carb hors d’oeuvres, we all took turns introducing ourselves and saying a bit about what we are into. One woman proudly proclaimed that she was a great-great grandmother, with 9 kids and 27 grandchildren! I said I was an author, an artist, and a Wizard—with a School of Wizardry. And that I used to raise Unicorns in the 1980s. They all smiled politely, probably thinking I was crazy. But today the host posted a link to an article about me and my Unicorns, saying:
By the way, as an aside, you’ll remember our new neighbors, Jon and Amy Jonas, brought along an out-of-town guest Oberon Zell, who introduced himself as a real wizard and that he had once raised unicorns for the circus. Many of you may have wondered if he was teasing or was he for real.
Saturnday, Nov. 30 was my 77th birthday. My Godson Zack and his lovely lady Brianna took me over to Bodega Bay on the coast for a seafood feast. We had to check out some of the filming locations for the 1963 Hitchcock movie, “The Birds.” Synchronistically, I had just watched the movie a few nights before with Gail, Joe & Alessa!
Pic: The schoolhouse in Bodega Bay, featured in “The Birds.”
The next day I drove 150 miles up to Redway, CA, to visit my old friend Darryl Cherney. We had met in 1987, at Annwfn, where Darryl conceived the idea of “Redwood Summer in 1990.” That was when he and Judi Bari were blown up with a car bomb under the driver’s seat of the car Judy was driving. The FBI immediately arrested them, charging them with transporting explosives! Her pelvis destroyed, Judy died a few years later. But Darryl eventually won a lawsuit against the FBI, receiving $4 million in damages. He used the money to produce a fine documentary film, “Who Bombed Judi Bari?”
Pic. Darryl’s 10-room house, with trees growing through it.
And he bought a nice chunk of land with a crazy hand-built 10-room house on it. His 7-year-old daughter Alli was off with her mother, to be returning the day after I left. Darryl was building a nice outhouse for them, and he asked me to paint a Unicorn on the inside of the door. I’ll see her next month as I return that way; I hope she likes it!
Pic. OZ paints a Unicorn on a little girl’s outhouse
On the 3rd, I drove 5 hours to Central Point, OR, to visit Cat Gina Cole and her husband Mike. We totally hit it off, and I recommended Cat to teach at the Grey School, introducing her to Ambika Devi, our Dean of Faculty, at the GSW Admin meeting on Zoom the next day. Phaedra Bonewits and a couple of members of Cat’s coven came for dinner, and we talked late into the night—muchly about Isaac, who we loved and missed. Cat got out her Ouija board, and Phaedra and I tried to use it to contact Isaac. But all we got was gibberish.
Pic. Dinner at Oberon’s Tavern in Ashland. L-R: Rose Jacobs, Cat Gina Cole, OZ, Phaedra Bonewits.
On Thursday the 5th Rose Jacobs and Phaedra joined us for dinner at Oberon’s Tavern in Ashland (yes, I showed them my ID; but I couldn’t get a free beer). After dinner I went home with Rose to Veneta, OR—another 3-hour drive. She has a large property there, with Pagan neighbors. One of them is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he looks like my twin!
Pic. Dinner with the gang at Old Nick’s in Eugene
On Friday the 6th Rose had arranged a big dinner gathering at a Pagan-owned tavern called Old Nick’s in Eugene. The proprietor, Emily Nyman, joined us at our table. A cool thing they had was a hand-made replica of the Throne of Swords from “Game of Thrones.” Of course, I had to sit in it! I think I’m seeing a pattern here—many Pagan groups around the country are patronizing favorite local taverns for “Pagan Night Out” dinners, live music, and other events. How traditional! And what a delightful privilege to be taken to so many of them on my journey!
Pic. OZ on the Throne of Swords at Old Nick’s.
After dinner, a few of us retired to Rose and Dustin’s house, where we stayed up late into the night discussing “the whichness of what, and how to unscrew the inscrutable”—as Lance used to say. Among this company were an enthusiastic young man named Buffalo, his friend Bobbie, and Fenwick Kaidevis Rysen—a dear and brilliant old friend from Annwyn. Buffalo gave me a bottle of his homemade apple cider, which we all enjoyed.
Pic. OZ and Buffalo
Saturday morning the 6th I drove another two hours to Tigard, OR, for a talk at “If the Broom Fits,” owned by Debbie Bailey. A couple of years ago she’d had me up there for a Witches & Wizards High Tea, which was utterly charming.
After the talk, I drove another half hour to visit Jay & Jadzia DeForest, in Oregon City, OR. Jay is my business partner in Mythic Images, and recently completed production of a beautiful 14” version of my Millennial Gaia altar statue. Next we’ll be working on a lifesize garden version!
Jay has been adding clothing and mugs to our Mythic Images website in time for holiday shopping. We have a lot more of the other designs to add, but there is a nice selection of Millennial Gaia items already available. https://www.themillennialgaia.com/product-category/clothing/
On Sunday the 8th, Jay had booked a Meet & Greet cocktails/dinner event at McMenamin’s Chapel Pub in Portland: A Casual Evening with Oberon Zell. We had a private room for a dozen of us, and we all had a good time.
And Monday the 9th, I drove a short distance to visit Jonathan, Jeannie & Amy Jonas, in Gresham, where I’m now writing this.
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
I’m back with my kids in Santa Rosa, CA for Thanksgiving. My 77th birthday is Saturday, after which I’ll be back on the road for another month, traveling north through Oregon and Washington as Winter begins in the Pacific Northwest. Today I’d just like to share with you my Thanksgiving ruminations from 15 years ago. I still feel the same way—and I still have much to be grateful for!
Thanksgiving Ruminations
By Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Thanksgiving, 2004
On Thanksgiving morning, I was contacted by a local radio show for another one of those “Pagan Origins of the Holiday” interviews that I am often called upon to give. I explained that Thanksgiving is the most ancient of all festivals, dating back to the dawn of agriculture, as it is the celebration of the good harvest. In the United Kingdom, the festival of “Harvest Home” is held in churches across the country on a relevant Sunday to mark the end of the local harvest. Other countries, such as Germany, also have harvest-thanks (Erntedank) celebrations, which are mostly rural holidays.
In modern Pagan tradition, there are actually three harvest festivals: Lughnasadh, or First Harvest, is celebrated on August 1, when the grains are cut and the first bread is baked—hence the Christian name of Lammas, or “loaf-mass.” Another name for this time is Bron Trogain, “Harvest’s Beginning.”
Next comes the Autumn Equinox, around Sept. 21, known among modern Pagans as Mabon, after the Welsh god of the harvest. It is also called Harvest Home, Ingathering, and Harvest’s Height, and is the most widely-celebrated time of thanksgiving. Where I live in NorCalifia, this is the time of the Grape Harvest.
And finally comes Samhain (“Summer’s End”), popularly known as Hallowe’en, the festival of the dead. It is also called Third Harvest or Winter’s Beginning, as it is the final harvest before the cold grip of barren Winter settles over the land. Apples and pumpkins are brought in from orchards and fields.
In the US, Thanksgivings were celebrated by different colonies and states on dates ranging from September through December. The first official Thanksgiving in the US was held in the Virginia Colony on Dec. 4, 1619—a really late harvest! The Plymouth Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate immediately after their first harvest, in 1621. At the time, harvest festivals were parts of English and Wampanoag tradition alike. It was only in 1863 that President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be a national holiday of Thanksgiving.
This year’s Thanksgiving was the first with our new granddaughter, Alessandra Pauline, born this past July. And the first without my beloved mother-in-law, Polly Love, who died last February. We come, we go; and the Wheel turns. And this year—particularly following the recent elections—we have much to be grateful for!
Thanksgiving 2014. The first without Morning Glory. L-R: Alessa, OZ, Gary, Joe, Gail
As our extended family gathered around the groaning tables for our annual feast of gratitude, it struck me that our new granddaughter is the culmination of bloodlines and cultural heritages of many diverse peoples from all over the globe. Members of our family descend from ancestors who were Irish, Scottish, English, German, Swiss, Norwegian, Filipino, and Choctaw. Probably more I’ve missed. And each new generation will certainly add even more threads to this rich tapestry. The dishes served were from old and new family recipes…some going back centuries; others brand-new and experimental.
And on the hour-long drive back home from our kids’ home in Oakland to ours in Cotati, I thought of the terrible strife in other parts of the globe. Elsewhere, neighbors are pitted against neighbors, nations against nations, even various sects of the same religion at each other’s throats in an eternal escalation of bloody vengeance, like some mad perpetual replay of the Hatfields and the McCoys.
And I got to thinking—how had the Roman and British Empires managed to hold it together to enjoy the internal relative peace of the Pax Romana and the Pax Brittanica? It was the universal custom in those days of intermarriage between the princes and princesses of different countries, so that all the royal houses throughout Europe were related by blood and marriage. For one nation to war against another would mean war between brothers, sisters, and in-laws. Not that this didn’t happen, of course, but the family relationships were a significant mitigating factor.
So here’s my proposal for world peace: 1. Encourage and support intercultural dating and intermarriages; and 2. Have the United nations declare Thanksgiving a universal holiday, celebrated by everyone, everywhere, like Christmas. That way, at least once a year, people would have to sit down together with inlaws and distant relations, break bread, propose toasts, and remember all the things they have to be grateful for—not the least of which is that they are all together, well-met in peace and joy—and not shooting at each other from behind barricades.
An attitude of gratitude is the guidance of the Gaia-dance.
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
As I near the end of my Walkabout and Quest (only a couple more months to go), and Thanksgiving with my kids only a few days away, I am drawn to reflect over my long journey, and the wondrous hospitality I have received all over the Western Hemisphere. So many people have generously taken me into their homes and lives; have fed me, entertained me, provided soft beds (and sometimes warm love). I have been taken to dinners, barbeques, movies, concerts, plays, rides, rituals, celebrations, weddings, drum circles, book-signings, grand adventures and long hikes in the wilderness to beautiful vistas. People have come to hear me talk, and bought my books, statues, posters and jewelry.
Some have been old friends and lovers, going back decades. Some have been family members I rarely see. But many more have been new friends to whom I was a virtual stranger when I arrived on their doorsteps; but a dear member of the family when I departed. All have become precious to me, and I carry them all in my heart.
The sacred nature of hospitality was universal in the ancient world. In one of my favorite stories from ancient Greece (as told by Ovid, who used the Roman names, Jupiter and Mercury), Zeus and Hermes disguised themselves as beggars and went among humans, asking the people of the town for a place to sleep that night.
They had been rejected by all, when at last they came to a simple little cottage in a marsh, the rustic home of Baucis and Philemon, who welcomed the strangers graciously. Though the elderly couple were poor, and their fare meager, their generosity far surpassed that of their rich neighbors, among whom the gods had found “doors bolted and no word of kindness.”
After serving the two guests food and wine Baucis noticed that, although she had refilled her guest’s cups many times, the pitcher was still full. Realizing then that their guests were gods, she and her husband “raised their hands in supplication and implored indulgence for their simple home and fare.”
Illo: Baucis and Philomen unknowingly host gods. (-Rubens, 1630-‘32)
Baucis thought of killing the goose that guarded their house and making it into a meal, but when she attempted to catch it, the goose ran to safety in Zeus’s lap. Zeus told them to spare the goose and leave the town immediately, because he was going to destroy all those who had not provided due hospitality. He told them to climb the mountain and not look back until they reached the top.
After climbing to the summit, Baucis and Philemon looked back and saw that their town had been destroyed by a flood and their humble cottage transformed into an ornate temple. The kindly couple’s wish to be guardians of the temple was granted. They also asked that when their time came, they would both die together. Upon their death, the two were changed into an intertwining pair of trees, an oak and a linden, which were pointed out to generations of pilgrims to their temple.
Hospitality was a primary virtue among the Norse as well. A similar story is told of Odin and Loki walking disguised among humans to test their hospitality. Odin, in fact, was famous for wandering the Earth in the guise of a simple one-eyed beggar.
The virtue of hospitality is often cited in the Bible:
In Genesis 19:1, after Lot and his wife had feasted them, two strangers were revealed as Angels. Like the story of Baucis and Philemon, Lot and his family were told to flee to the mountains and not look back, before God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Recalling this story, Hebrews 13:2 reads “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Job 31:32: “But no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler…”
Illo: Jesus as a beggar knocking on door
Matthew 225:35: “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in.”
Isaiah 58:6-9: 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousnesswill go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: “Here am I.”
And so it is. Treat everyone well because you never know when you’ll find yourself in the presence of a god! For, as Jesus said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Psalm 62:6; John 10:34)
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
Wodensday evening I was picked up by Jan and Stephanie for an intimate Kava ceremony at the home of Ian and Alison. The other participants were Jason and Heather. This was a new experience for me. Jan is Filipino and Viking, and amazingly knowledgeable regarding Polynesian mythology, customs, culture and history. He prepared the kava in a big wooden bowl, and served it around the circle in cocoanut halves. We emptied two bowls, with a smoking break between. And after the kava ceremony, I did a CAW-style water-sharing ceremony.
Pic: OZ with Jan & Stephanie at Kava Ceremony
The overall effect was one of peaceful relaxed harmony and familial companionship. Jan told us that in the Islands, when a war was about to break out, the rival chiefs would sit down and have a kava ceremony; after which no one wanted to fight. I wish we could introduce this into Congress!
Pic: OZ & Samina dining at the Grand Lux
On Thorsday we took Samina’s giant dog, Jester, for a long walk in the park, and then had lunch at the Sunrise Coffee House. In the afternoon I packed for my return to Califia. Then in the evening we went down to the Strip for dinner at the Grand Lux Café in the Venetian (where Samina works as a singing Gondolier), followed by a show at the Palazzo (“place”). Dinner and a show; after all, I’m dating a Vegas showgirl!
Pic: OZ & Samina in the Love sign at the Venetian
The show was “The Atomic Saloon,” a raunchy Western-themed production in a theatre that looked like a fancy Old West saloon, dance hall and bordello. The main circular stage was in the center, and was able to rotate for some of the acts. Of course, I couldn’t take any pics during the performance. The performers were amazing—dancers, singers, gymnasts, aerialists, hula-hoopers, comedians. And all of them—male and female—almost preternaturally beautiful as well as talented. Samina said they’re all Russians.
Pic: The Atomic Saloon
Friday morning Samina drove me to the airport for my return trip to San Francisco, where I’ll be staying with new friends for another 10 days, until I go up to Santa Rosa for Thanksgiving with my kids.
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
Samina and I had a blast today! We did the “Avengers: Damage Control” virtual reality experience at The Void in the Venetian Casino in Vegas. Wow—was that ever awesome! It’s designed for a group of 4; we chose our suit colors, then got outfitted with vests and helmets. When we looked at each other in VR, we were all completely suited as Wakandan Avengers! We could even see our hands and manipulate objects. Our suits allowed us to absorb energy from attackers, and then blast it out from our palms. During the course of the adventure, we encountered Dr. Strange, Spiderman, Ant-Man and Wasp; and battled Ultron alongside Thor, the Hulk, and other Avengers. What a rush!
Dinner party before Pagan Pride
I flew from San Francisco to Vegas last Thursday the 7th, for Pagan Pride Day. Friday evening was a welcoming dinner at the local UU church, which often hosts Pagan activities. I was delighted to see Selena Fox of Circle as another out-of-town guest. But sadly, Belladona Leveau of ATC, who was also booked, was stuck in Salem, MA and unable to make it.
OZ & Samina at Pagan Pride Day in Vegas
Las Vegas Pagan Pride was held all day Saturday at Paradise Park. I believe around 300-400 people showed up, I gave a talk on my “2020 Vision: Awakening” project, and sold a lot of statues, jewelry, books and posters at my vending table, which I shared with Samina. Selena presented several talks and rituals. There was drumming, belly dancing, and illusion magic (this is, after all, Vegas, baby!). Afterwards the core groups of about 15 of us commandeered the favorite pub for dinner and drinks.
Morganne & Ivy’s wedding
Sunday evening was the long-awaited wedding of my dear friends Morganne Baum and Marjorie Ivy, in the Garden Room of Rainbow Gardens. I think it was the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever attended. The Priestess conducted a lovely Pagan handfasting ceremony, and the vows moved us all to tears. Both sets of proud parents were there, and the fathers walked their daughters down the isle.
Wizard of Oz table centerpiece
Afterwards we were all directed for the dinner to our assigned tables, each with a fairytale theme and centerpieces (all crafted by Morganne). I, of course, was seated at “The Wizard of Oz” table, with all the Vegas stage magicians. Michael Round demonstrated several cool tricks with cards and balloons, and we had a marvelous time.
Michael Round making me a motorcycle balloon
Last night I was a guest on the “Lunatic Monday” Podcast with Laura Gonzalez. We’d met this past July at Circle’s Pagan Spirit Gathering, and really hit it off. She does a trilingual show in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Oz & Laura Gonzalez
Tonight we’re having a barbeque dinner at Samina’s with George, Jessica, and Haleigh Isbill. Haleigh is an editor, and she’s working with me on several of my books that are mostly written, but need final editing.
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
Yes, it’s been awhile since my last entry in this Journal. As you’ll see, things have been a bit intense over the past 11 days! At the moment, I am happily ensconced in a sweet attic apartment at the home of Krista Taylor, in Vallejo, CA. I got here yesterday evening, and we and her boyfriend John sat before the fire in lively conversation until 1:30am. I’ll be for a few days, and on Thorsday I’m flying off to Vegas for Pagan Pride Day, and a week with Samina.
So let me catch you all up:
On Thorsday Oct. 24, Maureen flew in from Atlanta. We had plans to go through my 3 storage units in Santa Rosa and attempt to consolidate stuff into just one unit—as well as locate and pull out important business files of CAW and GSW that Maureen needs for her financial accounting, etc. We also wanted to pull out all the boxes of old issues of Green Egg and ship them to Atlanta to be scanned and made available for purchase. However, as John Steinbeck said, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley” (-Of Mice and Men, 1937).
Pic: OZ with hosts on “Creature Features” TV show. L-R: OZ, Mr. Livingston, Tangella, & Vincent Van Dahl.
Thorsday evening I was the guest of honor on a TV show, “Creature Features,” with hosts Glen, Raven and Ali. It’s one of those shows where they run an old spooky movie (in this case, “The Bat”—1959—starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead), and have Gothy hosts and interesting guests during the breaks. Here’s from the show’s website, https://creaturefeatures.tv/:
Vincent, Tangella and Mr. Livingston host the 21st-century version of Creature Features, the classic San Francisco Bay Area horror-host program made famous by Bob Wilkins in the 70’s and John Stanley in the 80’s. Host Vincent Van Dahl, former frontman for 90’s metal band “Prince of Darkness” retired from music a few years back to pursue a quiet life in Bodega Bay at his newly-acquired home, The Poulter Manor. From this haunted mansion, he is joined by his peculiar housemate Tangella and his loyal valet Mr. Livingston to deliver the best guests and the worst movies to the entire Bay Area and around the world.
Pic: OZ with Tangella in the Manor.
Crowhaven Studios—with the fabulous huge set of a haunted mansion in the style of the Addams Family—was in Windsor. We had a great time, totally hitting it off—and afterwards went out to dinner at their favorite pub. The show will be aired later this month.
Then two days later, on Sat. the 26th, the terrible Kincade Fire broke out; We had evacuate from Gail & Joe’s house, initially to a hotel in Fountaingrove. The next morning Fountaingrove too was under mandatory evacuation orders. We fled down to San Rafael and visited with Judith Fenley’s family for the afternoon, then drove on down to San Francisco looking for a room. Around 200,000 people were evacuated from Sonoma County, all heading south!
Pic: Kincade Fire in Geyserville, CA, Oct. 24.
We were blessed to find a room at the Travel Lodge on Lombard St. in SF, and there we stayed for the rest of the week, glued to the news. We were particularly concerned for Isis Oasis in Geyserville, where MG’s Goddess Collection is housed; Windsor, where the Crowhaven TV studio is; and of course, Gail & Joe’s Coffey Park neighborhood, which had burned two years ago. But while the fire raged close to all those places, with “Diablo Winds” up to 85 mph, they all remained unscathed.
The Kincade Fire eventually consumed 77,758 Acres—twice the size of the horrific Tubbs Fire in the same area exactly two years ago. 374 structures were destroyed, with four injuries of firefighters. But fortunately, no loss of life.
Maureen and I spent our days working on business, writing, and websites. A particular focus was my exciting new “2020 Vision: Awakening!” project, at http://2020visionawakening.com/ Check it out!
Pic: OZ, Maureen, Estelle and Jerry Cimino at The Grotto.
Tuesday the 29th we got together with Maureen’s old friends, Jerry Cimino & Estelle for a fabulous seafood dinner at The Grotto on the Wharf. In 2006, Maureen and Jerry had co-founded the iconic Beat Museum, at 540 Broadway, across the street from City Lights Books.
The Beats, as in beaten down and beatific, were a collective of writers, artists, and thinkers that congregated in 1950s San Francisco. The Beat Museum is home to an extensive collection of Beat memorabilia, including original manuscripts, rare books, letters, personal effects, and cultural ephemera. Located in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, we occupy the same ground that was once the epicenter for Beat activity during the 1950s.
Pic: OZ & Jay Wiseman at Kui Shin Bo Japanese restaurant
On Wed. the 30th, I was scheduled for an appearance on Today Extra, Channel 9–Australia’s breakfast TV program. But news of the CA fires pre-empted the show, and my interview was cancelled. Maureen wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed in the hotel, and I went next door for dinner at a Japanese restaurant with my old friend Jay Wiseman. He’s an extraordinary person, deeply engaged in several overlapping communities, and we never get tired of talking about our many mutual interests
Pic: Maureen & Jerry (chicken wire) at Ripley’s.
Thursday the 31st was Halloween, and we were in San Francisco, where Halloween is the major event. But we were just too run down and dispirited to go out and participate in the many festivities. So instead, Maureen and I enjoyed a fun tour of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum.
Pic: OZ with Vampire Woman at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum.
The weekend of Nov. 1-3 was scheduled for our great CAW Samhain at our sacred Land of Annwfn, near Redwood Valley in Mendocino County. With months of planning, it was to be quite a spectacular event, and the Dumb Supper and Walpurgisnacht were to be the Clergy qualifying rituals for a Minister (Morgan) and a Priestess (Seasons). We also had an ordination scheduled for Diana Morningstar, our cherished Caretaker. In addition to honoring our Beloved Dead (including, of course, Morning Glory, who is buried on the Land) a key element of CAW’s Samhain is the ritual death of the May King, and Brad Lee, our King this year, was really ready to lay down the Crown.
Sadly, while the fires fortunately stayed a safe distance from Annwfn, the closure of Highway 101 through Santa Rosa, the consequent shortages of gas and groceries, PG&E’s electrical shutoffs, and the evacuations had such overwhelming impact on everyone that our Samhain had to be cancelled for the first time in 40 years.
A few people did gather there for a minimal daytime ritual on Saturnday, but the full event could not transpire. By that time, I was over 125 miles away, and I just couldn’t handle trying to drive all the way up there, and then leave before dark…as the Ranch requested. I doubt that I will ever be back for Samhain at Annwfn, as my future plans are now looking to the East…
So Friday evening Maureen and I had dinner with Jay at Tommy’s Joint. The next morning we checked out of the hotel, and Maureen headed down to Santa Cruz to take care of other business. I spent the day and night with Dawn Davidson in San Mateo. I turned her on to one of my favorite movies—“Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical”—and we enjoyed a welcome soak in her hot tub. Sunday we got together with Jay for lunch and conversation, and afterwards I drove up to Vallejo, where I am now staying with Krista for a few days.
Jay, Dawn & OZ
For previous Journal entries and more, be sure to check out my personal website: www.OberonZell.com. There are links there where you can buy my books, statues, jewelry, posters and more.
