The Value of Trees

Sorry to have been gone so long, but we had computer issues for a few months. Now Tegwedd has a new computer, which she loves, and sometime today, Stephen is supposed to get his back. It’s ready! Now we’re down to scheduling. Maybe late (after 10) tonight. Stephen goes online with his cell phone. He’s been having loads of fun with his cell phone, which is a spittin’ image of Tegwedd’s, which she’s learning to use. He’s going to try not killing Vox, as he’s killed computers in the past.
This is a group for all you people who love trees. It’s a natural for Druids. Supposedly, we worship trees. We don’t; we just have more respect and love for them as living feeling beings than most people do. The protection of trees has helped Stephen get over this bout of depression. Trees are our major source of oxygen.

This just in: Breaking news from Dylan Cook. Tegwedd was chatting online with him a few days ago, and he said: “I gave up on our groups because we [Stephen, Tegwedd and Dylan] were the only ones posting. I want to tell them to get their ass in gear and post.” So you’ve got it from the man who started the group on Yahoo. Get your asses in gear and post already. Post about your experiences with trees. Anything except spam is welcome.

With more people reading e-books and not as many going for dead tree books, not as much wood pulp will be needed for print books. Of course you can make paper out of hemp. That would save trees like nobody’s business. You can make just about anything out of hemp. Hemp oil or hash oil is a remedy for certain kinds of skin cancer. It heals the lesion, and in many instances has cured the cancer. Cloth can be made out of hemp that is softer to the touch, and wears longer than Egyptian cotton. The homespun that the pioneers who settled this great nation of ours wore was made out of hemp. Hempen yarn would have a very pleasant soft hand [hand--the way a textile feels TS] a lot like bamboo yarn, would wear longer and not require petroleum like acrylic does. You can make biofuel with it. Hemp or hash oil in a tea or in brownies is efficacious for asthma sufferers. Stephen has a hat made of hemp. Tegwedd has two skeins of hemp embroidery floss. You know her and embroidery and crochet.Here endeth the hemp rant.

Many Pagans like to go to different areas and plant trees. Forever Forests up at greenfield Ranch by Ukiah in Mendocino county, California does a tree planting from just after Yule until the new year. You can done money, trees, and/or donate your time and labor. Forever Forests is a trust started by the late great Gwydion Penderwen back in the 70s because he was so concerned with the state of the environment, and that the lumber companies were chopping down all the old growth forests. He decided to do something in his own backyard. You know the motto “Think globally--act locally.” From the pictures Tegwedd has seen of these gatherings, it looks like a good time was had by all. If she could get a ride up there and back, she’d like to participate in one of these jaunts. It’s hard work, but it also looks like fun. Maybe she could work in the kitchen or something else that doesn’t require heavy lifting.

Now for something with teeth. Soon Tree Blood will be on, and we always get inspired by that show. We both inspire True Blood to be a truly inspirational show. It’s something we can really sink our teeth (fangs?) into. It’s the show that inspires people to go out and get a root canal. Really, they’re not as painful as people make them out to be if you drew the right dentist. Tegwedd’s dentist in Santa Clara was an empath, so she didn’t like her patients to feel pain. This meant that she was generous with the Lidocaine. Novacaine is old school. Nobody uses it anymore. If you started to feel something, she’d give you another shot. Tegwedd’s had 5 root canals, so she knows whereof she speaks. However, it must be understood that in many traditions, when you become a vampire, all the teeth that you’ve lost in your life return. Does that include the baby teeth? Tegwedd just asked that question of Stephen, and he said “It mostly includes your adult teeth, but ask our readers out there.” So folks, what do you think? When you become a vampire, do you also get back your baby teeth?

Don’t forget to have a tree for your favorite God or Goddess. Devoting a tree to a deity adds a whole new magickal dimension to your practice and tree hugging. Tegwedd’s been a tree hugger since the summer of ‘66 when she took her first and last motorcycle ride. It scared her so much that when it ended, she staggered over to a tree and hugged it. Tree hugging gives you a tangible experience of embracing a deity. Note the spelling. Tegwedd, a dyed in the wool phonetic, is so sick and tired of seeing people spell deity “diety”.

Our friend Caitlin ni Manannan has people bringing her wood from when they prune their trees in their yards. And we are shortly going to be making rune Rune and Ogham sets. So if you’re local, bring us your branches. They should be at least the thickness of your thumb. If you have woodworking skills yourself, take your favorite piece of wood and carve the sigil of your favorite deity on it, and voila, you have an amulet or talisman. .

Gallery 14 at 3960 60th St. in Sacramento is a “clean well lighted place for art”. It will run its current show “Art by Ninja,” through September 2nd. Don’t wait until the last minute to see this show. You will regret it. Shows start on the 2nd Saturday of the month from May until December.

The 75,000 Verizon workers are on strike, and we stand with them. Solidarnosc! as the Poles would say. Verizon management, all Republicans, have made 100 unreasonable demands, and refuse to negotiate, but are paying scabs to cross the picket lines, and work for them. All the workers want, is to keep what they have, a small cost of living increase in wages, their health care, and their pensions. Management wants them to pay $100 per month for health care, while they get it free. If you were thinking of getting a Verizon phone and account, and do tell them why you aren’t, that you are boycotting them. If you have a Verizon account, close it, and go to another carrier, and tell Verizon why. Tegwedd used to be in favor of management like her father, who was a staunch Republican until he died, until she tried to live on the wages she got as a temp office worker. The she got in with Doc, who was a member of the SEIU Health Workers union. Stephen was a strong union man since he was 20. He’s a member of the IWW (International Workers of the World) aka the Wobblies. Janvier was a little Wobbly when she first started walking. If you want to piss off Stephen, abuse or oppress the workers. A very wise person once told Tegwedd years ago that you know you’ve successfully negotiated when nobody leaves the table happy. Tell Verizon that you refuse to do business with an employer who oppresses its workers.

Soon we may be selling pendants of the lady and the tiger worked in silver. If you reading this are a silversmith please call our toll free number 1-888-611-7982, and we’ll do business. Coming soon--prints of the Lady and the Tiger by Lizet. Rune and Ogham sets worked by Stephen. Tegwedd has started to crochet cellphone holsters of her own design. They are of acrylic yarn, in assorted colors. She is obsessed right now with making holsters for the Pagan Pride Harvest Festival, but she will make you one to order for a reasonable price. She has some right now in assorted colors for just $9.95+S&H. She is working with yarn she has on hand, so a custom one will cost more because she has to obtain the yarn to make yours. It will cost $14.95 + S&H The smallest container for US priority mail is $4.95.

We are offering a new service. For just $19.95, you can have spell-coaching. We will take you through the construction and performance of a spell. It’s very simple. If you want to perform a spell but you don’t think you know what you’re doing, hire us to coach you through it. The fee is payable to our PayPal accounts, to either abbotts_inn@yahoo.com or tezra.reitan@gmail.com .
We will coach you using strong ethics. Tegwedd has a couplet she will teach you which you can add to your spell that will ensure that it is ethical. Abbott’s Inn International School of Magick is over 40 years old, having been founded in 1970 in Berkeley, CA. It went cybernetic almost 9 years ago. Lizet has been helping us put the school on a more commercial footing, and with her inspiration, Tegwedd has started packaging the classes into manageable packets. Ms. Freeman did a 3rd website for us almost a month ago at http://abbottsinn.wordpress.com. From there, by clicking on two of the graphics, you can go to either of the other two sites: http://abbottsinninternational.com/ and http://abbottsinn.com/ . You can also get to our network http://abbottsinn.ning.com/ . With her help, we also salvaged some things from his old website, including the mission statement: The Abbott’s Inn International School of Magick aims to provide a gentle nurturing environment that promotes education in both the atmosphere and the specific tools of magick. Our research arm is called the Magickal Research Institute or MRI, not to be confused with the medical MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Image, which Tegwedd had on her right ankle about 9 months ago. Stephen and Lizet came up with the name almost 9 years ago. The three of us have become a very effective working team. Stephen has his cell phone, and we are both enjoying learning how to use our cell phones. His cell phone number is 916-467-6393. He’ll have access to the Internet on that phone. He says “I’m not very good at texting because of my glaucoma, so please be gentle with me.” Don’t forget to call 888-611-7982 for all your divination, learning class, and research needs.