Category Archives: Words Words Words

Drat Those Celts

From an e-mail conversation:

Me: (in response to a request for an authentic source for some Celtic information) What, if anything, is verifiably authentic when it comes to the Celts? Pesky Celts, doing stuff and not writing it down.

Ceri: And having different names for everything, damn them. They’re worse than people on the internet, misspelling everything.

And if you’ve ever tried to do any sort of Celtic research (and in so doing sought to avoid Llewellyn authors such as Edain McCoy like the plague), you too know this pain…

Real Authors, Real People

Take a look at Laurell K Hamilton’s writing room-slash-office, and know that you are not alone with your sticky notes, stuffed animals, bookcases, and empty cups:

LKH @ Home Gallery

She even has a Gate to Hot Tea.

The Post-It notes wouldn’t last long in a humid area like Montreal, though. No way, nohow. This is why many of us use gigantic bulletin boards instead. (How humid is it in St. Louis, Missouri, anyway, Dear Readers? Anyone?)

Witches Weekly Questions

Witches Weekly Questions, August 13, 2004: Sound

1. Do you enjoy having any type of music or sound during a ritual? If so, what?

Always. My life has a soundtrack, and ritual is no different. The score to the film Fairy Tale was nominated as the Official Ritual Score a few years ago. Nowadays I often use the score to Myst as well. It depends on the tone of the ritual. Worship: Fairy Tale. Working: Myst. And because I’m so tuned to music (no pun intended) I can time my words and energy to the music’s crescendos. It enhances everything so beautifully.

Drummingis marvellous, especially when you have a strong and talented drummer. TO drum, however, you have to accept that you’re not in the heart of the ritual, but managing the energy levels on the side. I can’t do rit and drum simultaneously, so I have to look forward to high ritual when others do it. And it has to be done correctly; so many let the beat falter or meander around. I’ve only met a handful of people who can correctly use drums as ritual tools.

2. Do you have a favorite chant?

Good question. I’ve always love The Earth is our Mother; I can chant Holy Well Sacred Flame for hours in ecstatic meditation; and Air I Am was on the list until near the end of this weekend when the Clan’s chants mistress (a woman whom I love fiercely) taught my dedicants to sing “Sam I am, Sam I am, I won’t eat green eggs and ham” to the tune, thereby endearing her to the Seuss fanatics (everyone) and ruining the chant forever for me. Earth My Body has taken its place in my top three chants after this weekend.

3. What sound tends to move you spiritually the most?

A slow well-built orchestral crescendo; rain; water of any kind; the cello (go figure).

King Arthur

Not much else we could do yeaterday after four hours of sleep, so we went out to lunch (and nearly wept on the waitress’ neck for the quality of food; remember, we were in the US of A for four days) and then caught a movie. We chose to see King Arthur.

My four-word review:

No guts, no heart.

It’s an interesting theory, and I enjoyed the presentation of the three sides to the conflict, but it felt like there should have been documentary narration over it. It was stoics, not stirring. It felt as if there were chunks missing. At least they cut out the whole stupid Lancelot/Guinevere thing. And, I am sad to say, I was so tired that I nodded off during the final battle. (The glass of white wine I had with lunch probably didn’t help.) Best sequence: the ice battle. Best knight: Gawain. Fabulous costumes. Great designs for the native Britons (Woads — honestly, what a dull name).

Excellent music, though. Zimmer’s score is a nice contrast to Goldsmith’s music to First Knight.

We won’t own it, despite our love for all things native Briton, armour, and epic battle sequences.