• We lost our house. It was foreclosed on and we have until December 1 to get out. We are in the process of packing and getting things settled.
• We have a place to go to. Worse is that there is no place to send the fur-babies, our cats. We won’t turn them lose, nor will we put them in a shelter. The no-kill can’t take them and there isn’t anyone who we know who is willing to take them. We are nearly frantic trying to find someplace for them.
• We have money coming in, just not a lot. Mary is working, I’m doing odd jobs and other things are getting some cash flow, but I still don’t have a permanent job.
• I’ve made arrangements for the site to continue. As long as their is money in my checking account, the site is paid for and bandwidth is paid for. So we won’t be disappearing any time soon, but I probably won’t be able to respond timely or whatever. I ask your indulgence and tolerance.
• I have to give a special “Thank you” to The Witches Voice. Someone over there saw my plight and sent a donation of $500 to us at a VERY critical time. It allowed us to keep the power on for another month. If you are reading this whomever did it (Fritz, Wren or other staff member), thank you very much.

Want to follow the adventures of Daven? I’m on Twitter as davensjournal I am also on LiveJournal as davensjournal as well, but it’s Friend’s only. Leave me a note there and I’ll make a decision as to whether or not I’ll add you back.

As always you can get in touch with me through this site.

I’m also now on a place called 78Friends. It’s a site for Tarot Readers to get readings at. I’ve been there for only a few minutes and I’ve already found three of my friends that I’ve known for a while. Check it out if you are inclined to do so. You can kibitz on other people’s readings.

Now to go pack a few more boxes and listen to Nickleback.

May the Stars Light Your Path and blessings to all of you on this holiday time. Don’t take anything in your life for granted, it can be taken very quickly.

1) I had my “Pagan Basics” lessons taken and used by the ULC church. It’s not their fault, they accepted it in good faith, but Lord Starwalker, whoever that is, is the one who took it. We’ve worked things out and it’s okay now, just saying.
2) Still no permanent job, although I have had SEVERAL interviews.
3) We are totally out of cash and have no prospects of more to come in.
4) We got notice recently about being foreclosed on. Want to buy our house? The auction is October 14.
5) Our health is good, although deteriorating, as it would with anyone who is alive. Nothing really recent to report.
6) I have a part time position teaching at a local community college. It brings in some money, not nearly enough though.
7) The cats are doing well. As is my daughter.

So those of you who feel that this is all what I deserve, and who like to gloat at my misfortune, go ahead. Send your vitriol to feedback@davensjournal.com

I look forward to being entertained by your hatred.

(For those of you not in the know, last time I put up an update like this, I got a gloating email later that day saying that this was what I deserved because I am a bad person. It hurt at the time, but not a lot since the person in question didn’t give me any kind of information to connect their facelessness to someone I supposedly hurt in the past. So whatever.)

So that’s where we are now. This is one reason that I’ve done very little with this site recently. I’m not closing it at all, and as long as I have the $15/month to pay the bill, I plan to keep this site going.

Hopefully things will turn around sometime.

It’s due to a huge combination of factors. Part of it is an evolution of myself, a maturing and a changing into someone else. This does not mean that I’m changing my religion completely, but it does mean that I’m going to be withdrawing from a lot of stuff I have been doing as Druid Daven. Among those is my participation in various online forums, bunnyhunting, active teaching and article writing.

I’m taking a hiatus for a while. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but this site will remain. I might be back as Druid Daven, or Druid Erin, it depends on a lot of things that I have to work out.

I love you too Dad. Thank you for trying to force me to be a narrow minded bigot and driving me away again.

To everyone who reads this, I love you all and I hope that you will take this ride with me and come out the other side. It’s a really deep rabbit hole.

Ya’ll excuse me while I disappear for a day or two to read. (although first glance shows a lot that I agree with, have participated in or had happen to me, or that I could have contributed a lot on. Not that I could have written it better, they did a fantastic job. But lots that I’m seeing are what I would have said, if not how I would have said it.)

Wow, this looks really REALLY good. Too bad I can’t review it since it’s a conflict of interest. But I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Every year about this time you see all kinds of “return to Christ” publicity, to put the Christ back in Christmas and so on. I’m sick of those. Not because my holiday is Yule, but because Christ didn’t go anywhere.

Christmas is the name that the Christ Mass turned into. You never hear about putting the Michael back in Michalemas, do you? Christ is a religious figure, and on Christmas that religious figure is celebrated by those who honor and worship him. They have a feast day, a religious celebration and take time to remember Him and all He did for them.

But the whole “put Christ (etc.)” is silly. It is an attempt to change a secular celebration (X-Mas) into a religious celebration when most of those celebrating X-Mas are not Christian.

And that’s probably the biggest sticking point. It is an attempt of the religious right to enforce a state religion on all of us again. Not just on the “pagans” but also on the Athiests and Hindu and the other established religions. Basically it is one religious group saying that this time of the year is their celebration and ONLY their celebration, no one else can touch it.

For the truly religious, the “put the” movement is able to be ignored. For them their god didn’t go anyplace or leave their celebrations. He is still there for them to worship and honor on this day when his birth is celebrated. And that’s fine. I would never dream of asking Christians to give up that aspect of their religion and their faith. That is what they believe and what they want. But by the same token, I expect to be extended the same courtesy.

So don’t “restore” something that never left. That’s like a movement to restore the sun to the sky because there are clouds up there. The Sun is still there, just waiting for the fog to lift. No “restoration” needed.

Religion In The Workplace

Non-Standard Deities in Traditional Wicca

This is an article that answers a persistant critique I keep getting from those within Seax-Wica. It’s not that I’m trying to cause problems, I’m simply posting this to dispose of the subject.

Truthfully, this is a topic I am more than willing to dispose of. I’m tired of this debate. One would think that if the Founder of Seax-Wica answers this question in the positive, that should be enough for everyone else.

This FINALLY answers the question of “Is Daven Seax-Wican”?

This holiday is about remembering, and therefore I will be taking time to remember what has happened for the last year.

The only honored dead I have this time is a friend who created “Museum Replicas”, Hank Reinhardt. He was a wonderful swordsman, a good person and gave all of us a place that we can go to and get quality weaponry at reasonable prices. I’ve used their blades for years, and my Coven Sword comes from their collection as well.

Last year at this time I was in a job I didn’t like, working for people I couldn’t stand, making money that was ensuring that I would remain in poverty for the rest of my life. I was always upset, stressed out, unhappy. I rarely had fights with my wife and daughter, mainly because I didn’t have energy to fight. I was writing more, I had time for myself occasionally. My wife was relatively healthy.

Now, I’m out of a job, but working in a temporary job which will allow us to catch up. I’m not stressed out anymore. I have many options open to me. I”m going back to school and learning skills which will make me more marketable. If I play my cards right, I might turn this temporary job into a permanent one. I occasionally fight with my wife, but it is because stress gets to her. She is having surgeries done on the charity insurance the state provides, mainly because she has to have them. Once she gets those done, she will be healthier than she has been in 15 years. Chronic problems will be cured. I’m on medication for my Chronic Depression, and it is letting me have a life again.

I’m doing so much better now than I was it is incalculable. Losing my job was a positive step, even if in the short term it was a disaster of unheard of proportions. It has allowed us to grow beyond what we were. And for that I’m very grateful to everyone who had a hand in it. I’ve even stopped hating my former employers.

So now, it is time for the Hunter to move into the picture. He comes and provides for the Mother and Child while they stay warm in the home. He puts his body on the line to provide and to protect Them. And that is how it should be.

If you want, go read last year’s entry too. It has a wonderful cyber ritual. Samhain ritual for the Dead.