Pagan Pride Day...2012...

This past Saturday (September 29, 2012) was the 10^th Annual Savannah Pagan Pride Day Festival. I had been looking forward to it for several weeks, for a few reasons. Firstly, it was an opportunity to meet a blogging friend (Adrianna) face to face. She also lives in Savannah. There had been a previous event (a fundraiser for the festival) that I had planned to attend, but for a couple of reasons I ended up not being able to go.

(Emmet Park)

Second, there were going to be various vendors there selling pagan related items. When I was living in Los Angeles, I frequented a metaphysical shop, “The Psychic Eye”. They sold just about anything you could want or need. They also taught various classes of a metaphysical and pagan nature. It was great. Here in Savannah it’s a different story. Not a metaphysical shop anywhere. I’m kind of stumped as to why there isn’t even one. The vibe/energy of Savannah has a very mystical side. It boasts to be the most haunted city in the United States. There is a very reputable art school here, SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design)…most of the artsy types I have known have been among the section of society that possesses an open mind, and leans more towards things ‘pagan’. I think a shop would do well here. It has been suggested to me that the citizens of a more ‘organized’ mind would probably complain. What a shame.  I feel sorry for them. A closed mind shuts one off from so much that is positive and full of light. That topic is a whole post in itself, so I’m going to move on…

Third, I would be getting out and meeting new people. Many of them with interests/beliefs like mine. For many years now I have considered myself to be Pagan. There is so much about it that makes sense to me. Lots of love and light in Paganism. Maybe I would learn something new.

On the day of the festival, I was pleased that my RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) was giving me a break. The Festival was in Emmet Park, on Bay Street right above one of the main tourist attractions, River Street. I was not looking forward to the prospect of finding a parking space, it being a weekend. I ended up having great parking Karma, and found a space just a couple of blocks down Bay Street. Then I learned that I wouldn’t need the quarters weighing down my purse for parking charges. Apparently, meter parking is free on Saturday’s. My day was starting well.

I arrived at roughly 2:30 PM, and there were a number of people milling around, checking out the wares for sale. It wasn’t packed like other festivals I have been to, but I didn’t figure that it would be. A Pagan festival in the Bible belt…nuff said. As time passed, the crowd did grow a bit. Wielding my “Fourth Eye” (camera), I started checking out the various booths, snapping a picture here and there. All of the vendors were so nice. Very pleasant. The overall energy/atmosphere was so welcome. Right away I felt myself start to decompress. 

A DJ was playing a mix of upbeat music that filled the area. The center of operations was by a war memorial that sat in the center of a fenced in pool of water (didn’t notice which war, but it was definitely of more modern times than “War Between The States” era).

I was there for an hour or so when I noticed a man pushing a young girl in a stroller. I immediately recognized them as I have seen him a few times, and the girl a bunch of times. It was Adriana’s husband, and one of her daughters. (Adriana has a great blog that she has received several blogging awards for. A photographer, she posts a lot of her photos, and writes about her life. She is very talented. Here is a link to her blog page:  http://www.adrianairis.com/  It’s definitely worth checking out.) I approached him saying, “I recognize both of you.” He obviously thought we had met before as he responded in a familiar way. “How have you been”, or something to that effect. I’m sure that he meets a lot of people, as I would learn that Adriana is a busy lady. I explained that I knew Adriana from blogging, but we had yet to meet. She was on a break at that point, so I killed some time until she was back. Killing time was very easy. Chatting here and there; shopping; people watching. I remember looking across the tent covered portion of the park, and thinking how it was the perfect place for the festival. Old Savannah trees fill Emmet Park, creating a thick canopy of limbs and leaves overhead. It was very hot and humid (I love the shirt I wore, but quickly learned it wasn’t the best one for hot weather as the fabric was not the kind to breath), but some breezes would blow up and through from the Savannah river. The shade helped to an extent, too. 4:00 rolled around, so I made my way to the front table by the main entrance.

Adriana is one of the nicest people. I was greeted with a hug and a smile. She radiates so much positive energy. Her whole family is nice. So glad I finally got to meet her. As the program above states, this year was the 10^th anniversary of the festival. Adriana had started the festival ten years ago, and this year she is retiring. Putting something like that together is a lot of work, so I can understand how she’s ready to pass the torch. Hopefully, someone will come forward to take it. It is uncertain as to whether or not there will be a festival next year. It would be a shame for it to stop.

I hadn’t grabbed a program, so Adriana got me one and showed me the list of workshops offered. She showed me where I could catch the end of “The Magic of Healing”, taught by Belladonna Laveau, Archpriestess of the Aquarian Tabernacle church, Intl. It was to be followed by a workshop called, “Defense Against the Dark Arts” (I know…I’ll cover that in just a sec). The healing workshop was wrapping up, so I decided to catch “Defense Against the Dark Arts”. No, neither professor Lupin nor professor Snape arrived to conduct the workshop. The speaker was an extremely nice guy named, Dusty. He would talk about protecting one’s self. He broke things up into two sections. 

The first was about protecting yourself from others, and outside forces. He covered a number of ways to protect your home from negativity. Some I already knew, but I learned a few new ones. The second section was about protecting yourself from YOU. The stronger one gets, the more careful one should be. Whatever you send out will come back at you. All very interesting. Adriana had introduced me as a “newbie” (although pagan, I am not “practicing”…if that makes sense), so Dusty chatted me up a bit before he started. He stopped a little early, so he could get ready for the Ritual they were holding (he was a part of the drum circle).

(Honey Bear)

At the end of his talk, Dusty asked if anyone had any questions for him. After a few moments, a young girl (looked 16-ish) stepped forward to ask him about some recurring dreams she had been having. She was visibly nervous. Dusty has a dog (golden retriever), who had been laying off to his side opposite of where the girl had sat. All of a sudden, Honey Bear (the dog), stood up, calmly walked to the girl, and gently nuzzled her. Dusty said that Honey Bear sensed her nervousness and came over to comfort her. I was blown away. Animals are so amazing in how sensitive and attuned they are. The girl was able to relax, Honey Bear's mission successful.

(Bottom left: Circle Participants; Right: Belladonna Laveau)

Now for the ritual. Although I know what a Circle is, and what ‘Calling the Quarters’ is, I have never been a part of a ritual before. Belladonna Laveau called everyone to the circle, and asked for the four individuals who would be ‘Calling the Quarters’ to take their places. ‘Calling’ involves the four directions (East, South, West, North), and the elements associated with each (Air, Fire, Water, Earth). Wording might differ slightly from caller to caller, but each will say something like this:

• “Guardians of the East, Powers of Air; you who are thought and the wind upon my face.  Winged eagle of the skies who is the morning breeze and the wrath of storms, I call upon and invite your presence to witness this rite.”

The ritual starts with “East” being called, followed by the other directions in the order I stated before. Then at the end of the ritual, it is necessary to 'Dismiss the Quarters', starting with the North and working through the directions in the reverse.

• “Guardians of the North, of Earth, I thank you for your solid presence here tonight. Stay if you will, go if you must. Farewell and Blessed Be.”

Talk about some great energy. Whether you are of the pagan mind or not, there is something very moving and powerful about people coming together like that. The only other experience I have had that comes close is when I attended a “toso” (Buddhist meeting for chanting) with a friend. There were easily 200 to 250 people in attendance. The power in a room filled with all of those people rhythmically chanting ‘Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo’ is indescribable. The Circle at the festival was also powerful.

Following the circle, they called Raffle numbers. I had purchased a ticket, but didn’t get picked. That’s okay. I’m sure the moolah went to a worthy cause. After that a belly dancer performed. I took the opportunity to snap a number of pictures, seeing what sort of shots I could get of a person/object in constant motion. Just an observation, but she was the thinnest belly dancer I have ever seen. Belly dancers always seem to be a bit thicker, bordering on rubenesque.

It was 6:30-ish when I left. A band performance was one of the things happening that night, but I was pooped. The Sun (who I do not get along with on any day) had sapped most of my energy, and my joints were starting to stiffen a bit having been on my feet 85% of the time. After saying Goodbye to Adriana, I headed to my car and home. The end to a great afternoon.

I did make a few small purchases during my visit. A purple fabric scarf with crescent moons on it; handmade candles for Samhain ~ one orange, one black; a silver Hamsa charm ~ shaped like a hand, it is used to ward off the Evil Eye; a small silver pentacle charm; a pair of silver earrings depicting the 'Tree of Life.'

I’m so glad I went. I hope someone takes up Adriana’s mantel for next year. I know the majority of the vendors were from out of town, but it’s nice that the pagan’s who do live here had something geared towards them.

As for next year's festival, que sera sera...

(Upper left: Dusty, in beige shirt)

Houdini...

Prestidigitation...legerdemain...magic. Who is the first person I think of when the subject of magicians and the world of magic comes up in conversation? Houdini. Even now there is a sense of mystery that surrounds his life. The magic of today in some respects transcends the 'tricks' of his time, but 'mystery' isn't much of a force anymore. Yes, I do find what many magicians do quite fascinating and amazing, but there are too many that are quick to divulge the mechanics of their trade. Many of them are well known, too. Then you have the masked magician who has done a series of television specials geared towards giving it all away. Killing the mystery. The fantasy. The wonder. Would Houdini approve? I think not.

The son of a Rabbi, Erik Weiss (Houdini) was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874 (starting around 1907, he would tell reporters that he was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1874). The middle child of seven, he came to the U.S. with his mother in 1878. They lived in Appleton, which is why he picked it as his 'new' birthplace. He worked a number of jobs in his youth, his first public appearance being as a trapeze artist. He called himself, "Erich, the Prince of the Air". Heavily influenced by french magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, he became a professional magician. Houdin is obviously how he came up with his new name. One of his friends told him that adding an "i" to 'Houdin' would mean 'like Houdin' in French...which wasn't true. He claimed that his first name of 'Harry' was an homage to another magician he admired, American Harry Kellar.

He officially started a career in magic in 1891. In the beginning he didn't see much success, mostly performing card tricks in sideshows. He even doubled as "The Wild Man" in a circus. It wasn't long before he began experimenting with escape acts.

Coney Island was the stage for his first meeting with Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner. He was performing as part of "The Houdini Brothers" (Harry and his brother 'Dash'). Bess was also a performer there. Harry and Bess fell in love, and married. She would replace 'Dash' as Harry's performing partner under the act name "The Houdini's". They would appear on stage together for the rest of his career, Bess as his Stage Assistant.

In 1899, Houdini met manager Martin Beck who advised him to concentrate on his escape acts. Beck was impressed by Houdini's handcuff work. Harry quickly made a name for himself on the Vaudeville circuit. 1900 would take him on a European tour that started off cool, but after impressing cops at Scotland Yard with a handcuff escape that left them completely gobsmacked, he got a lengthy gig at the Alhambra Theater.

He became known far and wide as "the Handcuff King", escaping from prisons. cuffs, and shackles through out Europe and Russia. He returned to America a wealthy man.

I think Harry Houdini's feats of magic are known to most people. A few are:

"The Chinese Water Torture Cell" where his feet were secured to the top of a square glass tank filled with water, and he would be lowered into the water head first for his death defying escape. Houdini always referred to this one as the USD, or the "Upside Down".

"The Overboard Box Escape" where he was locked in cuffs and leg irons, and nailed into a wooden crate that was bound with rope and weighed down with 200 pounds of lead before being lowered into water. Onlookers would be awed by the fact that once Houdini had escaped, the crate would be intact with the handcuffs inside.

When I think of Houdini, I immediately picture the "Suspended Strait Jacket Escape". I know it to be one of his more popular escapes, so I'm sure I'm not alone. He would perform this one by being secured in a strait jacket, and being suspended by his ankles from a crane or tall building.

What was his secret? How did he manage to do all of these impressive escapes? I've heard two versions. One is that he would swallow the necessary key prior to his act and vomit the key up at the proper time (not my favorite version). The other is that Bess would always kiss him right before he began...when they kissed, she would pass him the key (definitely more romantic than throwing up).

'Houdini' by Kate Bush
I wait at the table,
And hold hands with weeping strangers,
Wait for you
To join the group.

The tambourine jingle-jangles.
The medium roams and rambles.
Not taken in,
I break the circle.

I want this man
To go away now.

With a kiss
I'd pass the key
And feel your tongue
Teasing and receiving.
With your spit
Still on my lip,
You hit the water.

Him and I in the room
To prove you are with us too.

He's using code that only you and I know.
This is no trick of his.
This is your magic.

I'd catch the cues,
Watching you,
Hoping you'd do something wrong.

Everybody thinks you'll never make it,
But every time,
You escape:

'Rosabel believe,
Not even eternity
Can hold Houdini!'

"Rosabel, believe!"

Through the glass
I'd watch you breathe.
("Not even eternity--")
Bound and drowned,
And paler than you've ever been.
("--will hold Houdini!")

With your life
The only thing in my mind--
We pull you from the water!

(Houdini!)

You ("Hou-di-ni...")
And I
And Rosabel believe.
Interestingly enough, the thing I find the most fascinating about Harry Houdini is not his magic, but the energies he put into debunking purported mediums and psychics after his mother passed away. He was part of a "Scientific American" group that said they would give any spiritualist who came forward and showed authentic psychic talents a monetary prize. The winnings were never collected. Houdini's greatest asset in revealing the fakeries was his magical training. Once he started making a name for himself as a dubunker, he would don a disguise and with a police officer and journalist in tow, would attend seances. He was able to unmask a number of notable psychics of the times. His success destroyed his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who was a staunch believer in the spiritual world and mediums. Doyle actually believed Houdini to be a medium himself, which he thought explained how Houdini performed his escapes. He thought Houdini to have paranormal abilities.

Before Houdini's death, he and Bess agreed that if his spirit came back, he would say a secret code word that would tell her it was him. "Rosabelle believe" was pulled from a play Bess was in when they first met. For ten years after his death, Bess would hold seances on Halloween to see if she would hear those confirming words. She had no success, and after the tenth seance in 1936, she put out the candle she had kept continually burning beside Houdini's Picture. She would later say that "ten years is long enough to wait for any man". Magicians world wide still hold Halloween seances each year hoping to hear Houdini's words from beyond the grave.

The official diagnosis as to Houdini's death was peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix. Documented reports of an eye witness to an incident that was said to have been the catalyst for his death caused rise to speculation. Houdini had always bragged that he could take any blow above the waist without injury. A student, J. Gordon Whitehead, punched Houdini a number of times in the abdomen to test his claims. The following is one of the witness accounts:

"Houdini was reclining on his couch after his performance, having an art student sketch him. When Whitehead came in and asked if it was true that Houdini could take any blow to the stomach, Houdini replied groggily in the affirmative. In this instance, he was hit three times before Houdini could tighten up his stomach muscles to avoid serious injury. Whitehead reportedly continued hitting Houdini several more times and Houdini acted as though he were in some pain."

It was October 24, 1926. Houdini arrived at the Garrick Theater for what was sadly to be his final performance. He had a fever of 104, and was suffering from acute appendicitis. He wasn't going to let it stop him and he took the stage anyway. He was said to have passed out during the performance, was revived, and went on to complete it. Once off stage they rushed him to the hospital. Harry Houdini died on October 26, 1926. He was only 52.

Houdini died 85 years ago, yet his place at the top of the Magician's list is solid. In my book, anyway. Yesterday was his posthumous Birthday...#137.

Truthfully, even if I knew the 'secrets' to all of Houdini's escapes, they are still quite miraculous. I really don't WANT to know how he repeatedly escaped death. Just because he always had an escape plan mapped out doesn't make them any less dangerous. In the world of magic, I choose to be among the unknowing. The ones who watch completely spellbound, wondering all the while 'how did they do that'. Call it...the kid in me.

Happy Birthday, Harry...