I had a suggestion that I look up and interview Rev. Paul Beyeri, founder of the Rowan Tree Church and the Lothiorien Tradition. I contacted him and he agreed.

Christopher: Could you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your background?

Rev. Paul: I was born at the end of World War II, living on a small dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. At age ten my parents moved into town into a house where they lived for more than 50 years. It was a rural life, even for those of us in the town of under 1,000 population. Raised Roman Catholic, it was the largest Christian denomination which allowed me the opportunity to experience firsthand (I was an altar boy) the old Latin rites in a church dedicated to Mary. The largest statue? That of Mary with the crescent moon at her feet. There were wonderful harvest rituals in those days, a procession deosil around the outside of the church. I was raised as a water dowser when still quite young, divining water with forked willow branches from the family tree (direct descendants of which now grow here in our gardens). During those years I yearned to be a priest, a musician (instrumentalist and composer), a chemist, a publisher, an author, a teacher, and more. And my fantasy was to live near a wooded area in a small cabin with a male partner.

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Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone represent a remarkably large segment of Wiccan history. In 1970 Janet was initiated by Alex Sanders as Maxine Sanders was initiating Stewart Farrar. Stewart would work with her and later become her husband.

Gavin Bone was initiated into Seax-Wicca in 1986 and would meet the Farrars and become friends with them 1989, becoming an important member of the team, working together with them and nursing Stewart during his several strokes.

As I researched them, I found them to be more fascinating. I therefore e-mailed them with a request to interview them and they were kind enough to grant it.

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Interviews come from many places. Sybil is a person I have known online for several years. She belongs to the Welsh Tradition and it is a tradition that has quite a bit of history here in the United States.

I had asked her about the traditions and that was how this interview came to past.

Christopher: First a bit of background. How long have you been in Wicca?

Sybil: I became a solitary practitioner in 1972 but in the suburbs in those days you couldn't find anyone you could ask about covens; it could have meant ostracism from the community just to admit not being Christian.

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It this case it was one of the people on a forum that I visit that requested that I interview Cassandra, who was unknown to me but a very prolific author who has written some 80 books and appeared in a variety of formats including newspapers on both sides of the ocean, as well as some American TV shows as well.

So I e-mailed her and asked if she would do an interview and she was very prompt to get back to me. I appreciate that as it gives me more time to take care of my end of the interview.

Christopher: I gather this was hardly what you were expecting to do with your life when you began your training as an educational psychologist on top of your training as a teacher. So what started you down the path you now follow?

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Assemblies, known as things (ON. þings), were a vital part of the lives and customs of the Germanic and Old Norse people. These gatherings were held at a traditional spot which could accommodate large groups of people coming together such as a field, forest or hill at an agreed upon time. Many of these places retain their names as a meeting place, such as the Icelandic, Þingvellir, which means literally “assembly field.” There are many similar places with the same meaning such as Tingvalla in Sweden and Tynwald on the Isle of Man.

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Drawing Down the Spirits, The Traditions and Techniques of Spirit Possession, by Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera is an exception as not only the authors are people who have been possessed, but they quote many other spirit workers from a variety of traditions and religions.

It is published by Destiny Books of Rochester, Vermont, priced at $18.95 and 335 pages long. ISBN 978-159477269-6

Filan is a Houngan of the Coquille du Mer since March of 2003 following 10 years of solitary service to the Haitian Vadou Iwas, and author of The Haitian Vodou Handbook, and Vodou Love Magic as well as managing editor of newWitch magazine.

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