TABLE OF CONTENTS - Part 2

Fiction and Poetry:

• The Riva (By Lady Aurora)
• Bethany's Adventures (By Lillyth)
• Two Poems (By Aurora)

Announcements and Reviews:

• Book Review: A History of Pagan Europe (Review by Laren)
• Pagan and Magickal Books (By Pandora)
• Pagan Happenings
• Subscription and Writing Guidelines Information

They came for her in the middle of the night and she was waiting for them. Ever since she had heard the whispered rumours of the Quadrant Superintendent's daughter being ill she knew it had started. Riva knew what others only guessed and had prepared for it, taking her two daughters and son through the tunnels under the city to the East Quadrant to stay with relatives and sold off her little curio shop, she had sent her animals so stay with others except for those who could not be Seen.

She had waited patiently for the Proctors on the porch of her house that night, with her dark cloak pulled snugly around her to keep the October chill out, just waiting.

Now the Hover Carriage made it's way through the streets of the Middle Quadrant. The Proctor who rode in the carriage with her eyed her warily, she suppressed a grin at his fear of her, and wondered what he would do if she touched him. They all feared her people, the Magick users, the pagans, they kept them isolated to small parts of the Quadrants. Accepting their uses in society but fearing what they didn't understand. She sighed, soon there would only be a few of them left on this world, many had already migrated off-world with the hopes of finding a better place to live and many more to go. Only those who carried the Prophecy could not leave, not until it came to pass. She had spent many lifetimes watching and waiting, now it had finally begun.

The Carriage pulled up to a large three story house on the outskirts of the Quadrant. As soon as it stopped the Proctor got up and opened the door, he jumped down and held it open for her. He didn't offer her his hand, as any gentleman would for a lady, but she serenely stepped out of the carriage ignoring the insult. To her surprise the Superintendent was waiting for her at the door.

"Good evening, Lady Riva." he greeted her formally.

"Good evening, sir." she replied as she pulled back the hood of her cloak.

"I'm very happy that you could come at such short notice." he said hesitantly.

She turned her green eyes on him, "Sir, you should have sent for me before now. Your Sharon's illness is quite grave and it might be too late." she shook her head, causing her long wavy red hair to come loose from it's thong, "I will do what I can, that is all that I can promise."

They led her up the stairs to the girl's room. From down the hall she could hear and feel the girl's torment which speeded Riva's steps ahead of the Superintendent. She threw open the bedroom door to see the pale figure of Sharon who had been restrained on her bed. The doctor who had been sitting beside her jumped as she entered and looked at her angrily. Riva could feel theg irl's psychic turmoil, just turned thirteen and couldn't handle what she was experiencing. She wouldn'tknow what kind of damage had been done until she entered the girl's mind.

"Witch!" hissed the doctor maliciously to her.

"Obviously." she smiled.

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Bethany's Adventures
By Lillyth

Beltane Eve, 10:00 pm

Bethany pulled her cloak around her, and threw some more wood on the fire. The wind was COLD; late April in San Francisco was NOT the best time to be hanging around at the beach, especially after sunset. She kicked herself -- she could have been at the warm, well-provisioned public ritual in Berkeley that night, instead of shivering alone at the beach. She just couldn't face being around all those happy horny people, drumming and dancing and flirting and laughing, deciding who was going to go home with who. Not this year. Not if it meant running into Thomas and his new young girlfriend, all blond hair and fertile curves, hanging on his every word...

"Bitch..."

Of course that wasn't fair; Holly was a sweet girl, if a little naive; all of Thomas's female students tended to fall for him, and he never tried too hard to resist them. It wasn't Holly's fault that she was all curves and cuddles, while Bethany was sharp-angled and prickly. It wasn't Holly's fault that between the shows and teaching dance classes, Bethany worked odd hours and wasn't around when Thomas felt like wandering... it wasn't Holly's fault that Thomas was a lying, philandering prick who couldn't keep his dick in his pants if his life depended on it.

He'd always come back before. He'd show up on her front porch, all guilty smiles and those damned puppy dog eyes, swearing that "it didn't mean anything, it just happened, I SWEAR I love you wont you please forgive me?" He came back this time, too. Only THIS time he brought Holly with him. He wanted Holly and Bethany to get to know each other better. He was in love with both Holly and Bethany, and he wanted Holly to move in with them. He wanted them all to be one big happy family, all three of them in Bethany's king sized bed, in Bethany's house, living on Bethany's money --

"But Honey, you KNOW teaching ritual and writing articles doesn't make me much money, and Holly's still in school!! You make more in a month than Holly and I combined do in a year! I'll contribute what I can! We could all be so happy together! Why can't you just be reasonable?"

And she was. She very reasonably called a cab, and very reasonable shoved Holly into it (with a $20 bill -- didn't want to leave her stranded), and very reasonably went back into the house and started throwing dishes at Thomas' head until he very reasonably ran out of the house.

The next day Bethany called Purple Heart and told them that if they sent out a truck and some boxes and a couple of people to pack them, they could have all of Thomas's clothes and furniture. Then she called a locksmith and had him come out and change all the locks. Finally, she had her phone number changed, notified her coven-mates that she and Thomas were no longer together and that she would be out of touch for a couple of weeks, and set out to scrub him out of her system and get on with her life...

"Shit... this is getting me nowhere...."

She stared at the fire, feeling it feed her anger, and tossed a handful of smudge at it, breathing deeply, hoping to cleanse herself of the rage. It didn't work. She looked up at the moon, barely shining through the evening fog, and jumped to her feet, shouting up to Her.

"Why does this keep happening to me! Why am I such a shit magnet! Why can't you send me a decent man for once, one who'll put the seat down when he's done and hold me after we make love? Why can't you send me somebody special, instead of a shit like Thomas!!!!"

A deep breath.

"Get a grip, Bethany, or somebody's going to call the police. I can see the headlines now -- Demented Dance Celebrity Found Shrieking at the Moon!' -- won't THAT do wonders for my career...."

She sat down again, and pulled her pack closer, pulling out a bottle of wine and her bodhran -- maybe a little drumming would calm her down. She popped the cork, and took a good swig, and then another straight from the bottle (the wine glasses went to Purple Heart with the rest of Thomas' stuff), then set the bottle aside in the sand. She picked up the bodhran, took a deep breath, and started to play; pounding and angry at first, then settling into a calming, steady rhythm. She could feel the anger pouring out of her into the sand, leaving her feeling a little hollow, but very peaceful. The drumming slowed even more, and Bethany felt like she could just drift off to sleep...

"Don't stop."

"Huh?!"

Bethany jerked her head around, trying to see who was speaking.

"I said, don't stop. I like your drumming...."

There was somebody standing just outside the circle of firelight. Bethany dropped the drum and scrambled to her feet.

"Look, just stay away from me, okay? I don't have any money, and if you touch me I'm going to scream loud enough to bring the park police running!"

"Relax, Bethany, I'm not going to hurt you. You called me, remember?"

"Waa-- What are you talking about? I'm not kidding, stay away from me!"

"You don't really mean that, do you?"

He stepped closer, into the firelight, and Bethany gasped. He was a tall man, with a deep tan that couldn't have come from a tanning booth; wiry, ropy muscles, very little fat; a leather breech clout that was being wind-whipped in a VERY interesting way.... Long curly brown hair, big brown eyes, and.... HORNS? No, more like antlers... a small rack, but definitely antlers.... Bethany relaxed.

"This is a dream, right? It's Beltane, and I had a little too muc wine, and I fell asleep, and I'm just having a dream..."

"You called me, Bethany. You asked Mom to send you a decent man, one who'd put the seat down when he's done and hold me when we're done making love...' So here I am."

"So, what should I call you? Herne? Kernunnos? My Lord?"

"Please, let's not be so formal. Kery will do... now, why don't you drum for me some more? I really liked it..."

Bethany picked up the bodhran and started drumming again, trying for something livelier.

"I've been working on this for my next show -- what do you think?" Kery's feet kept twitching in time to the drumming, and his head kept bobbing, his firelit antlers throwing shadows on the sand as they swayed with the beat. Finally he reached over and took the drum out of Bethany's hands, pulling her to her feet. The drum kept playing by itself...

"I like it -- dance with me..."

He kept hold of her hand and pulled her with him, dancing in a circle around the fire. He reached over and tugged at her ponytail, breaking the rubber band and letting her long brown hair fly loose in the wind.

"I like your hair down -- it's prettier this way..."

"It's too wild..."

"It's pretty... can't you take a compliment?"

Bethany laughed and bowed deeply to him.

"Why not? Thank you, my Lord..."

Kery dropped her hand and started dancing faster and wilder, leaping back and forth over the bonfire. Bethany matched him leap for leap, surprising herself; it had been years since she'd let go this way. She caught another glimpse of Kery's antlers, and remembered it was a dream, and gave herself up to the dance. It seemed perfectly natural when she leaped over the fire and he caught her in mid air, leaping back over the fire with her in his arms and dropping down on her cloak, gasping for breath. She wiggled around in his arms and reached for the bottle of wine.

"Thirsty?"

She handed the bottle to him with an innocent blue eyed stare, and he took a long pull, then handed it back. She took a sip, giggled, and poured the rest of the wine over his head, laughing as it ran down between his antlers and over his face, neck and chest.

"Guess I'll have to help you clean that up...."

She bent down and ran her tongue down his neck, tasting the wine mixed with the salt of his skin where it puddled in that hollow at the base of his neck. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him. He tightened his arms around her and returned the kiss, rolling over until he was laying on top of her, parting her legs with his knee. Somehow her clothes were gone, and so was his breech clout (huh? Oh yeah, it's a dream...'), and she was wet and he was sliding into her and the drum was still pounding, matching tempo with the waves crashing somewhere behind them...

Bethany's Adventures continue in next month's issue - don't miss it!

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My Holly Tree

From past lives we have come;
Hand in hand, to a world renewed.
As lovers we were once.
But of this we are numb.

My love, my life, my dreams
Are snowing upon my Holly tree.
Will we become again
As how it always seems?

It will always be how it has always been,
With snow falling on my Holly tree.

oooooooo

A Lancelot to her Gwenhwyfar

I will live the life
as chaste, as righteous,
as the mythical Christ.
But only for the king!

Must I renew the flower of life
and forsake the sword,
for righteousness?
Only for the king!

Bonnie, sweet Bonnie.
Down within my deepest soul
I wish,
that you will love and care for him
as befits the Queen of her King.

Vladimir, king of peace,
If not for you,
than for no one.

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A History of Pagan Europe
By Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick
Routledge, 1995
ISBN 0-415-09136-5

"In this book we describe the hidden history of Europe, the persistence of its native religions in various forms from ancient times right up to the present day."

This first line of "A History of Pagan Europe" aptly describes the aims and end result of this book. The main strength of this work, and the element that differeniates it from the vast majority of historical works dealing with this subject, is that it does not look at the Pagan cultures of Europe as mere forerunners to Christian Europe but as valid cultures in and of themselves. Overall, they give a positive portrayal of the Pagan peoples of Europe.

One of the main points that this book and its authors make is that the native religious traditions of Europe are not as dead as many would like to believe. They cite many examples of Pagan survivals in modern European culture, even though they may be repressed by the mainstream or unknowingly incorporated in the mainstream.

Rome and Greece are of course covered, but so to are the Celts, the Baltic Peoples, Russian, and the peoples of the Balkans. The section covering the history of Lithuania is particularly fascinating. The political and religious importance of the 'country' is often overlooked by modern historians. For the Pagan, the fact that Lithuania was offically a Pagan state until well into the 15th century is reason enough for further investigation.

The work does give a narrative of political events but mainly in the context of the religious struggle between Paganism and Christianity. It is sometimes impossible, when reading the work, to seperate the two. The description of the almost year to year struggle for the political and religous control of Rome and its empire and how close Paganism came to victory, make compulsory reading.

The narrative is sometimes disjointed and repetative, not allowing the work to flow as well as it could. It does however, have the positive feature of consulting not only academic sources but also various Pagan journals as well.

I was reading the book while watching a local non-denominational religious program. In a story on an Anglican priest with AIDS, it discussed the Miners Memorial to be erected in the church. The said memorial was to be an etched window. The design was the symbolic Tree of Life which encircled the Sun.

Talk about Pagan survivals!!! With those images fresh in my mind it was hard to argue with the thesis that the authors had put forward and it made the final line of the book even more powerful.

"A new growth needs roots as well as blossoms, and we hope to have cut away some of the undergrowth which has entangled the current rejuvenation of an old and honourable stock."

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As I mentioned in my mailing of a couple of weeks ago, I've made arrangements to order books in bulk from Llewellyn for those of you who are having a hard time finding "alternative" books. I originally ordered 50 books and they're all gone except two copies of "To Ride a Silver Broomstick." (You people read a LOT!) I've ordered another batch, including some of the books Rain One recommends in her Organic Gardening* column.If you're looking for any particular book of Llewellyn's, let me know. I can get any of their titles for you very quickly. I'm down to placing an order every week now.

There is no shipping or handling charge -- since I'm buying in bulk, I get a discount which I use towards shipping to you.

I'm receiving in the next couple of days the following books (among others):

1996 Moon Sign Book $6.95 Lunar planning guide. Weather and earthquake forecasts, economic predictions.

1996 Magical Almanac $6.95 Eclectic treasury of folklore, magical traditions, spells and how-tos. Great resources. This is a *must have.*

*1996 Organic Gardening Almanac $6.95 Gardening by the moon, natural pest control

Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic, Cunningham - $14.95. Learn about the magickal properties of crystals, gems and metal.

*Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs, Cunningham - $14.95. Comprehensive guide to magickal uses of over 400 herbs and plants.

Wicca, Scott Cunningham - $9.95 A guide for the solitary practitioner.

Living Wicca, Scott Cunningham - $12.95. A further guide for the solitary practiioner.

To Ride a Silver Broomstick, Silver RavenWolf - $14.95. New generation witchcraft.

To Stir a Magick Cauldron, Silver RavenWolf, $16.95 A witch's guide to casting and conjuring for all witches, solitaries, eclectics and traditionalists.

Urban Paga, Telesco, $13.00 Magical living in a 9-to-5 world.

For those of you taking part in the Runic Study Group, I've ordered several copies of "The Leaves of Yggdrasil" - $12.95

To order, e-mail me telling me which books to set aside for you. Then send your check or money order in U.S. funds, payable to "Pandora" in the total amount of the books to:

Pandora's
P.O. Box 652601
Miami, FL 33265

Include your name, shipping address and e-mail address with your order. Shipping is free in the continental USA. (If you live outside the USA, please contact me to work out shipping prices.)
Your order will be shipped as soon as your check clears.

For more titles, go to Pandora's Magickal Bookshop. There are instructions for ordering from there. Ignore the the "shipping charges" portion, that doesn't apply to you if you're subscribed to this newsletter.

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August 3-10, 1996
Northern Maryland
"Stories from the Other World - A Sacred Drama"
A weeklong retreat with Starhawk and the Reclaiming Collective.

You are invited to share in a week of earthbased spirituality, environmental consciousness and ritual in an enchanted wooded grove - led by Starhawk and her team of trained facilitators. Attend focus groups in the morning, relax in the afternoons and join the entire camp with ritual and community weaving in the evening. Some scholarships are available. Fees range from $475 to $575, and includes lodging (some private) and meals.

To receive more information:

1. Send SASE to: Summer Intensive '96, 11160 Viers Mill Road, L15-271, Wheaton, MD 20902
2. Visit our web site: http://www.apocalypse.org/pub/u/liz/flyer.html
3. Email: vatalaro@shamhat.hjf.org

Join us for three days, two nights of Pagan unity at the Fourth Annual Midsummer Revel on June 21-23, 1996. Magick and peace surround this grand, wild acreage in central Maine. There'll be music, dance, networking, stories, fire circles, concerts, swimming, boating, hiking, spiritual connecting, merchants, Ritual enactment, stone exchange, and more! Campsites are plentyful, cabin space is limited. Weekend rates $15 adults, $10 children 12-16, $4 children 7-11, Children under 7 free. Spots are available for those wishing to give a workshop or discussion, sell wares at Merchant's Meadow, or entertain.

For more Information, or to regester, please write:

The Northern Grove
PO Box 5363
Portland, Maine 04101

Or call Lorelei at 207-879-7534 Register early to be part of this exciting time.

Third Annual Beltane Festival
Aradia's Children announces
3RD ANNUAL BELTANE FESTIVAL

A local Long Island coven will be hosting their third annual open Beltane festival this Spring. We wish to extend an invitation to all to join in the celebration of the holiday.

When: April 28th @ 3PM (Rain date: May 5th) Where: Southhaven Park, Yaphank NY (Call park @ 516-854-1414 for directions)

Bring 20 feet of 1" ribbon to dance the maypole. If you have an extra maypole lying around, bring it because we may need several. Also bring a contribution to a potluck dinner to be had during the afternoon. Southhaven Park has a ban on alcoholic beverages, so PLEASE do not bring any.

For more info or to RSVP (if possible) e-mail: crjones@ic.sunysb.edu
beeper: 516 361 1376
snail: PO BOX 13 Selden NY 11784

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