Alaric Mysticknyght's blog

one of my favorite fictional scenes involving ceremonial magicians is from Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni" universe, in a short story called "Healer's Song." Kurtz's Deryni are a race of magic-users, and the tales are essentially medieval sword-and-sorcery. But this particular short story is about the christening of the son of one of the main characters. The ritual framework is like this:

Cast the circle (water, incense, then with a sword or knife)

Close the circle and acknowledge the Deity

Call the quarters-this was particularly lovely. In the tradition of the characters, magic is practiced within a Christian framework, so the Wardens of the Quarters are visualized as Archangels. Four of the group stood in the Quarters and the father of the child went from east-south-west-north with the baby, presenting him to each Warden in turn. Adjust the visualizations to your tradition.

Once the Quarters are called, move forward with the actual work. The rubrics of a Christian baptism aren't all that bad a foundation here, just change the purpose. Christian baptism is to wash away "original sin." Make this a dedication to Lady Goddess and Father God, and we're in business.

Now, for the actual work. Anoint the child with the Four Elements:

Gather the materials to be used (listed below) on the altar and consecrate them to the Goddess. keep this short; remember, you've got a baby in the circle who isn't going to stay still forever. Then anoint the child:

Air: use a censor or perhaps stick incense to circle the child with a pleasant blend.
Fire: burn some sage or other dried herb using a Goddess candle, smudge the child's forehead with the ash.
Water: Sprinkle the child with blessed water using a tuft of greenery, perhaps some of the sage you didn't burn
Earth: Anoint with an essential oil invoking health or wisdom, perhaps something seasonal.

Formally "name" the child, presenting him/her once again to the Wardens of the Quarters as the name is given.

Dedicate the child to the Goddess and God, asking them to watch and guide the child as s/he grows and can make a decision for itself.

Thank the Goddess, God, and the Wardens for their attendance, Break the circle, ground with a simple (or not-so-simple) feast.

If you're going to invite family and friends outside your tradition, possibly chalk out or mark off the circle with string or ribbon, and invite the guests to gather along the edge of the circle. Bring the coven or those assisting you into the circle for the work.

What a lovely time and so much fun could be done with a baby-naming!

Indisches Restaurant Demi Tass
Prinz-Eugen-Straße 28
1040 Wien, Austria
+43 1 5043119   +43 1 6067572 (Fax)
‎ restaurant-demitass.com

I often look for an Indian place in the cities where I'm on my second (or more frequent) trip. After all, there's only so many schnitzels one can eat in Vienna, for example. My basic approach to finding a place is to use Google Maps, search for (in this case) "indian restaurant" and see what comes up. Demi Tass was the highest-rated place in the G-Maps aggregation. It wasn't that far from the metro, so off I went.

Palak Soup. Spinach-cream soup, not too spicy. Good starter.

I had a couple of glasses of the house red with the meal. One of the downsides of my European dining adventures is I often just order the house red or house white, and forget to ask what it actually is. Rarely is the wine bad, and I don't want to spend a fortune when I'm by myself.

Lamb Buhna, rice, and nan.

Lamb in a tomato sauce with lots of green onion in it. Spicy, but not overwhelming. The lamb was tender and tasty. Loved the tomato and onions combined with the meat; it all made for a tasty sauce. The rice was aromatic and flavorful, and the nan cooked up just right.

Being from New Orleans, I always bristle a bit at being charged for bread (like in an Indian or a tapas place, but you gotta do it to get the sauce properly.

"Mango Coup." OK, this was worth the price of admission. Fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream. I'm glad I didn't gorge on the rice and nan!

I'll be back to Demi Tass on my next trip to Vienna.

In New Orleans, Imbolc tends to get under-appreciated.. There are two reasons for this. First, Imbolc is considered to be a mid-winter Sabbat, where we recognize that there's light at the end of the tunnel. We don't really have winter in New Orleans, so it's hard to mark the sun's rebirth like it is in more-northern latitudes.

The second thing is that Imbolc always falls in Carnival time. 2-February is too early to be Mardi Gras, but it's close enough to be in the thick of the celebration. That's one heck of a distraction for anyone, heathen or no.

Still, New Orleans is a very Catholic city. Read that, a very pagan city. Candlemas (and the Feast of St. Blaise) is still a big deal, and that's the Christian-izing of Imbolc.

The big observance (as well as a Sabbat circle) I like to do for Imbolc is to light a bunch of candles around the house at what would usually be sunset in the Summer. Then reflect on what that light offers. This year, I'll be in Denmark for Imbolc, so I'll light one or two candles, within reason, since I don't want to set off the hotel room smoke detector. :-)

The Ten of Wands in most decks indicates a heavy burden, someone who is over-burdened. I don't feel that way, but the ravens give me pause. Ravens tend to be a negative symbol. so I see this as a caution not to take on too much in the way of responsibility.

Even that doesn't resonate with me today, though. I'm seeing the ravens as cautionary, but not quite sure what they're telling me. I may have to do a more-detailed reading to see what comes of this.

What does the 10 of Wands tell you?

The Round Table is the tenth Major Arcana card in the Arthurian Tarot, corresponding to The Wheel of Fortune in standard RW decks. You can see the meshing of the symbolism as the red-and-white "table" hovers above a stone circle, with the Holy Grail above.

Lots of imagery there, lots to ponder! This is an interesting overlap of Christian and Pagan symbolism. The stone circle is an old old old symbol. The wheel is common, arguably universal, and the Grail is represented here as a Christian symbol.

Timeliness...good fortune...cyclic change...

Well, it's a gorgeous day here in New Orleans. I put my firstborn on a plane this morning, headed back to Charleston and his naval career. The cycle of life moves on, he's waxing, I'm waning. Not a depressing thought, just a cyclical thought.

Caitlin's question for the Round Table:

What patters are forming now? What is evolving? What guidances do your experiences give you?

Goodmorning, and Happy New Year to those who reckon such things by the calendar of the Common Era. Since we're in a waxing moon cycle, I'm sticking with the Arthurian deck for a while longer for daily reflection. I'll change on the full, maybe.

Spears are a bit more aggressive than wands, but still very phallic/masculine, and just as easy to work elemental Fire, so the imagery is solid.The open wood with a clear path exudes confidence, expansiveness. Reach out, step out, the path is clear, move forward!

Caitlin's "question" for this card is:

How are your plans creating your path?

Great reflection thought to start the New Year (even if it's a couple of weeks old for those using Yule to mark the start).

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've written an erotic short story/scene, but I needed to clear my head, so what the heck. Story behind the jump as a NSFW firewall. Feel free to comment, or email at mysticknyght at gmail dot com if you prefer.

(Click "read more" below)

Stone Seven, from the Arthurian Tarot.

There's a break in Hadrian's Wall, that border between the Britons and the Picts constructed by the Roman army and their slaves. Arthur was posted to Hadrian's Wall in his youth, as some tell the tale.

Walls are long-term defenses, requiring persistence to maintain. When damaged, they must be repaired.

What are your walls and what must you do to repair them today?

Interesting that this card showed itself this morning. I had some old history on my mind this morning that inspired a story I'm about to start writing. The basic theme is definitely a break in a wall I set up. I think writing the story and releasing the thoughts and energy that way will help rebuild the defenses.

As regal as Aslan! No doubt that's the imagery the artist was shooting for. It works.

Wise, mature...decision-maker...and usually I don't feel like any of those, but I'm often a sounding board for friends when they want to vent/rant/scream/bitch.

Not that I overly relish the role of grown-up, mind you.

Lots of pentacles for me recently. That's comforting and a caution at the same time. Comforting that I'm not stressing too many things, but material goods and needs aren't all that life is about. I want to guard against becoming too grounded.

What does the King of Pentacles say to you?

Right behind the MB building was the "Maison Blanche Budget Annex." The merchandise in the Budget Store was a mix of less-expensive (but nonetheless profitable) items the buyers didn't want to put side-by-side with the regular stock, as well as opened/returned items that could still be sold. I've got a couple of photos from the 1960s where Canal Street employees were given $10 or $20 and told to go buy an outfit for work at the Budget Annex which would fit the employee dress code. They could easily come up with nice stuff.

I remember, back in the 1980s, I had moved on from MB to teaching high school. I was working at Radio Shack, dealing with the whole "blue law" issue. Because the Budget Annex was technically in the French Quarter, it was exempt from the blue law (tourism, etc.) I'm told some of the buyers would move the "good stuff" from Canal Street back to the annex on Sundays in December to boost sales.

The Budget Annex was so popular that the chain expanded the concept as it grew. When the opportunity to open stores in Carrollton and Gentilly Woods shopping centers opened up, the stores on Carrollton and Tulane and Gentilly Road near Elysian Fields were converted to Budget Stores. Same for Airline, after the Clearview store opened.