Scraps: Wicker Man Reboot

(No image attribution. Please message me if you know who to credit.)

In a Room Full of Reptiles, You Are the One I Love. (And the Weirdness of Entanglement.)

Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus) or Scheltopusik,
the European Legless Lizard or "Glass Snake." 

I Love you like a fan girl. There is no explaining it, so I won't try. 

Arabella, zealot of the White Worm.
illustration from Bram Stoker's
1st ed. Lair of the White Worm.
Image courtesy Wikipedia.

How can you anticipate that when you enter a room full of strange reptiles & arthropods that you will find yourself overcome by a crush that threatens to drive you to plaster pictures of someone -- a legless lizard no less -- on your dressing mirror? 

"This lizard inhabits open country such as short grassland or sparsely wooded hills. The scheltopusik consumes arthropods and small mammals. Snails and slugs appear to be its favorite prey, which may explain why it is particularly active in wet weather, although it prefers a dry habitat.

Due to its size, the scheltopusik tends to respond to harassment by hissing, biting, and musking. It is less likely to drop off its tail than some other species that display caudal autotomy. However, these occasional displays of caudal autotomy are responsible for the name "glass lizard" (or "glass snake"). The released tail may break into pieces, leading to the myth that the lizard can shatter like glass and reassemble itself later..." -- Wikipedia

Who needs the rest of the exhibit, the fair, or the world, when I had you?

But perhaps there is more at work than meets the eye. 
I suspect Weirdness (or Wyrdness). 

***

Lair of the White Worm, 1911.
1st ed. illustration by Pamela Colman Smith
(also illustrator of the Rider-Waite Tarot)

I could not shake the esoteric feeling that this Sheltopusik was recalling to me the White Worm from Bram Stoker's unpopular horror novel, The Lair of the White Worm. I confess that this is a book I still have yet to read, but I do possess it & revisit from to time with a certain ambivalence since my copy is an electronic version & I dislike e-books. However, I have seen Ken Russell's campy film (not his best work -- I am guilty of a wee bit of Russell fan-hood too) which is loosely based on the Stoker book & I always suspected that the book itself might offer a more interesting story.

I decided to look up a synopsis of the Stoker book & discovered that the story is based on the legend of the Lambton Worm, a tale from North East England. The story, as with all oral tradition, changes some with every telling, but the basic plot revolves around a battle with a giant worm, or dragon. Stoker's adaptation involves cult-like mesmerism, vampiric themes & brazenly discards the traditional dragon slaying for a more dramatic & explosive conclusion. 

The personal Weirdness begins to develop with an unexplained reference to Lewis Carrol's Jabberwocky I found in the end notes of the Wikipedia article for the Lair of the White Worm text. Now, Carroll's Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass are books I read during my childhood more times than I can count. The Jabberwocky was the one poem which I loved so dearly that I memorized it in it's entirety & would recite to family members from time to time in order to impress or entertain -- depending upon the person, of course. 

Perhaps you are my Jabberwock, returned to me?

***

This chain of connections would me more nostalgic & less Weird/Wyrd if it weren't for the fact that -- unbeknownst to me -- on the other side of the ocean, another human organism very similar to & yet different from myself was simultaneously being drawn to the very same text, not by way of a captivating reptilian encounter, but by way of a different yet similarly campy 1980's American film. 

And I can't quite wrap my brain around that.

The glass snake as featured in early American iconography.
"Un serpent coupe en deux. Se rejoindre or mourir" or
"Join or Die," by Benjamin Franklin
Image from this article.

Supplemental Weirdness: 

"In 1989, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer wrote a film treatment for The Loathsome Lambton Worm, a direct sequel to his 1973 film The Wicker Man. The sequel would have involved the original film's protagonist, a Scottish police officer, battling the Lambton Worm. However, it was never produced."
-- Wikipedia

The Wicker Man. Quite possibly my favourite film of all time. Wyrd.

Game of Tag

For the most part, I have been avoiding the blogopshere events like blog parties, follow me's, contests, etc. There are two principal reasons for this: 1) Oftentimes, I just cannot relate to the prompts &/or I don't have enough time to think deeply & formulate a response. This is directly related to the more important issue, 2) I do not want to compromise the quality of my posts/blog by pumping out volumes of responses in order to keep up with the herd -- this is the primary reason I opted not to join a very interesting, very popular new blog project in which some of my personal friends are participating. In a way, I feel a bit left out, but I must do this my way. Black sheep. Always.

That said, I have difficulty turning down a personal request & I received two of these blog playground "tags" which I was going to politely decline, but then I reconsidered. Kourtney over at the Multi-Faceted Experience & Maglay over at Pagan Culture both "tagged" me this week, & after reading Maglay's rule-breaking approach, I figured I could oblige them a response in my own fashion.

Let us begin with the rules. I am not fond of such things, especially during playtime, so they're out. We were supposed to begin with 11 random things about ourselves. I am opting to follow the wisdom of my 2nd Grade Language Arts Workbook & Reader entitled, "Seven is Magic." (Funny how some things just stay with you after so many years.) I've decided to take seven things I have said about myself so thus far in this blog. As it happens, I began this project nearly seven short months ago, so I'll venture to take one for each month. It could be interesting (at least to me), so let the exercise in narcissism begin!

• I think more than I can write: "I have scraps of writing littering my bed & bedside; lists of things to investigate later, short reflections on a moment, unfinished thoughts, notations from pages upon pages of books..." from Scraps: Disgust on a 3x5 Card

• I talk to slime moulds: "I would have passed her by, thinking her some kind of human refuse, had she not hailed me as she postured along the creekside like a Las Vegas showgirl... Simultaneously appalled & awestruck, I realized that this was actually something living -- I had heard right, she did holler at me." from Wandering: A Mystery with the Most Vivid Colour

• I have unfulfilled promises on my conscience: "Back in 1992 or 1993 I attended a blót during which I made an oath I did not keep. In my "youthful exuberance" & utter foolishness, I made a vow to Freya..." from Thoughts While Nursing: With Apologies to Freya

• I am envious of those more feral than me: "West Virginia has always been, to my mind, a place of mystery, folklore & strange knowledge tucked away in unfamiliar, dark hills. I had a friend in college who was raised somewhere in that mysterious place... every time she spoke of her childhood in West Virginia, she started turn feral right before your eyes. I was so jealous." from Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 16 (West Virginia)

• I will do anything to get the right shot of a Moonrise: "Me -- muttering to the Moon while neighbors & motorists glance at me askance -- wading through backyards, tripping over snowbanks, clinging to the overpass to capture Her arrival." -- from Full Moon Pie

• I talk to canyons too... everyday, in fact: "The canyon I greet every morning shares the same shades as French toast at this time of day, in this overcast light. I have no name for it -- official or otherwise -- the ravine of my morning ritual, this old & familiar friend... perhaps I shall call it Breakfast Canyon." -- from Liberty, Liberté

• I compulsively question the underlying relationships of everything: "I would argue that this "question-asking" is essential to the pursuit of spiritual development & awareness. It is an avenue, a channel, a path to the mysteries & to the gods. It is not the only way, but it is a vital one." -- from Sciento-Paganism, Entry I: The Mystery of Relationship

As if that wasn't enough, the game goes on (!) with 11 questions, written by the "tagger" to be answered by the "tag" recipient. I decided to play pick-&-choose from Kourtney's (very nice) list of 11 & Maglay's handful of links (she opted not to write an list herself --  & I will be following her example!) I chose seven questions  that I thought could be answered in a thoughtful manner, or might have some relevance to Paganism, spirituality, etc. 

1. Do you have a favorite quote or mantra? What is it? Yes. A line found in a couple of books written by Patricia Geary (Strange Toys & either The Other Canyon or Guru Cigarettes -- not sure which). It is, to me, something of a mantra, or at least an enduring reminder: "Ennui is the death of the only soul worth having." 
2. Name the first word or image that comes to mind. My Mac's desktop homage to Herne: digital artwork created by myself using an personal image of the Moon & a photo of a sculpture created by DeviantArt contributor Jewel-lilet. 



Herne with Lady Luna.

3. What is your favorite spell, if any?  I don't really have a "favourite" but, I am very fond of improv spells such as the one spontaneously created by my Little Lad this past fall. See Children Are Naturals (A Healing for Baby B)
4. What is your favourite smell? The scent of the high desert after a rain.   
5. What is your favorite herb? Desert Sagebrush (Artemesia Tridentata), for being the primary source of the answer to question 4.
6. What is the weirdest movie you have ever seen? Juan Moctezuma's "Mansion de la Locura/Mansion of Madness" which is very loosely based on the Edgar Allen Poe story, The System of Dr. Tarr & Prof. Fether. Moctezuma was a Mexican B-movie director who had an incredible (& incredibly bizarre) imagination. He also created one of one of my favourite films, Alucarda. Both films are rife with pagan themes, although not necessarily flattering in their depictions. That's ok with me because I have a sense of humour. I was going to provide an imbedded trailer for Mansion of Madness here, but it is filled with sexual violence, run-of-the-mill violence, inexplicable weirdness, gratuitous nudity & general mayhem, all terribly out of context. Since I don't have an adult filter on my blog, I don't really want to be responsible for upsetting, offending, disturbing folks... or their children. So, here's a pretty picture instead:   



Image from Mondo Esoterica. Film trailer found here.

7. What is your favorite movie? The Wicker Man (1973). If for no other reason than this scene:

...a stirring adaptation of a poem by Walt Whitman which speaks very directly & personally to my soul.

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self - contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long. 

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the
mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived
thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable, or unhappy over the whole earth. 

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession.

Well, frightening as it might seem, the game continues... but I have had quite enough of the game & myself. With that, I conclude this game of "Tag" & say goodnight. (None of you shall be tagged! I am sparing you all the nonsense & self-indulgence... Although it was thought provoking to read thru the past few months of entries, I think I would be better off sleeping.)

Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": A Comedic Intermission!

Not to offend anyone with language, but I have been bitchy. Bitchy, bitchy, bitchy. This prayer war is crap & the remediation program sometimes makes me crabby, especially when I have a glut of other projects rolling about in my head that I would like to be making happen. It's a backlog that's reaching epic proportions... but I made a commitment & somehow I think honoring the commitment is the personal exercise I needed. 

Instead of grumbling about personal growth & promises made I'll find the joy of being here at the midpoint of the 51 Days 'o Cleanup. I'm sure taking a humorous reprieve from the spiritual seige will be just the medicine I need today. 

The only "remake" of the Wicker Man that is worth watching:

 

Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 8 (Idaho)

Yellowstone buffalo. Photo from Reuters.

Today brought many challenges. While I was able to commit the time to meditate upon the concern at hand & make requests of the land's fungal spirits, I have not had the time to construct the written portion. Brevity of of the utmost necessity tonight, but I must keep my commitments. I present the abridged version of my working:

Idaho is big country. I spent time meditating on this special place & felt it needed a harmoniously robust backer. A large, saprophytic energy-sponge to sop up the muck & rework it. I chose the members of the genus Calvatia. Some species of this group of puffballs can attain astounding sizes, so astounding that they are sometimes confused for sheep. Each puffball (which could easily boast a weight of 10-50 pounds) produces trillions of spores which, when released, produce great, foetid, funk-clouds that stink to high Helen.

May the energies spent in the firestorm-of-questionable-intent be absorbed, digested, transformed & re-released in the form of stinking, green reproductive clouds. In the words of Miss Rose (Wicker Man), "I think that makes a lovely transmutation."

A relatively diminutive specimen.

Probably C. gigantea, C. booniana, or a closely related species.

Wandering: A Mystery with the Most Vivid Colour

"Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colours." 

~ Willow, The Wicker Man

Wandering the Campbell Creek Tract back in June I came across this woodland aberration:

I would have passed her by, thinking her some kind of human refuse, had she not hailed me as she postured along the creekside like a Las Vegas showgirl. Skeptically, I weaved through the exclusion fencing to inspect my questionable caller. Simultaneously appalled & awestruck, I realized that this was actually something living -- I had heard right, she did holler at me. I snapped a hurried handful of photographs, feeling ambivalent, amazed, horrified. Her color was almost synthetic, it was so vivid…
What the Helvella is this parrot of the boreal forest, this freakish fuzz brazenly camped along the water's edge? I don't know. One would think that something this garish would make an easy mark for identification, but not so. In my search, I exhausted all the permutations of 'fuzzy, furry, pink, hot pink, bright pink, mold/mould, slime mold/mould, fungus on ground, soil, near stream, river, in forest, in Alaska' that can be assembled. And it was all for naught.
She (most decidedly a she, or as much a she as a [slime?]mold can be) retains her 'mystery woman' status for now.
Until such time as I discover her true identity (& I welcome suggestions), I dub her Mysterium luridus; Mysterium for being so strange, difficult to explain & inviting much speculation, luridus because she is at the same time, both distasteful & appealing. Wishing I could feature her on a milk carton, hoping for answers I ask: Have you seen her?