[Cauldron and Candle Illo]

 

 
Cauldron and Candle
Issue #93 -- October 2008

A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
message board: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/

 

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C A U L D R O N   A N D   C A N D L E #93 -- October 2008

           A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
                website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
          message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/
             newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/
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In this Issue:

[00] Editorial Notes
[01] Cauldron News
   * Message Board Outages
   * New Server for the Message Board
[02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions
   * Which Came First Your Religion, or Your Magic?
   * Outdoor Rituals?
   * Worst Spell Poetry
   * Designing or adapting spells by yourself
   * Books on "Celtic Spirituality"
   * Desk Shrines/Altars
   * Academic Books vs Non-Academic Books?
   * What Do You Want From Your God(s)?
   * Wicca Books with a Little More Depth?
   * Consequences of Following your Path?
   * How to Learn Working with Energy?
   * Music in Rituals and Magic
   * How Do You Celebrate the Full Moon?
   * Chaos Magic Group Work
   * Personal Tenets
[03] Flamekeeping: Prejudice and Postjudice
[04] Article: Halloween: The Past in the Present
[05] Support The Cauldron
[06] Newsletter Information
(Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe)

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[00]
=========
========= EDITORIAL NOTES
=========

I ended the August 2008 editorial with this note on the message
board outage of early July: "I'm almost afraid to send this
newsletter out for fear another outage will follow. LOL. But its
going out anyway."

While the message board did not go down again immediately as it
had after the June newsletter, we have had a number of message
board ups and down since early July. It turned out that Bob's 10
year old server was simply dying of old age. Our message board is
not on a new server -- but it is no longer free.  More on this in
the Cauldron News Section following the editorial.

As you can tell, the newsletter is still not back on its regular
monthly schedule -- and I'm beginning to think it may never be.
In the year since LyricFox was diagnosed with oral cancer, my
life and schedule has changed so much that I am beginning to
doubt that I will ever have as much spare time as I used to have.
Nevertheless, I will try to get this newsletter published as
often as possible. That looks to be about every two months.

Randall Sapphire
Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle
Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

[01]
=========
========= CAULDRON NEWS
========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff
=========

=====
===== MESSAGE BOARD OUTAGES
=====

The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board has suffered a number
of sudden outages over the last couple of months. The Backup
Board has seen more use in the last three months than it has it
years. Gods willing, things should be more stable now. See the
next news item for why.

=====
===== MESSAGE BOARD MOVED TO A NEW VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVER
=====

Bob (BOBTHESANE) has been kind enough to provide The Cauldron's
message board a free home on his personal server for the past 4
years -- since we moved off of Delphiforums in April 2004.
Unfortunately, his personal server is no longer in the same city
he is and is ten years old. It is sick and dying and that is what
has been causing all the outages we've been having since July of
this year.

It was time for TC to move to a new server. While we looked
around for a free or low cost solution that could support an
active message board like ours, we really could not find one. Our
members were not interested in living with the limitations of the
free board we use as a backup board. This left us one real
choice, getting a decent sized server of our own -- even though
they are not cheap.

As of Thursday, October 9th, The Cauldron's message board is on a
powerful virtual private server (on a 4 CPU XEN host with a
maximum of 14 other users and with 1024 megs of RAM reserved for
our use). Most members are finding the board faster and more
reliable on this new server. However, we've only been on the new
server 3 days as I write this.

Not much has changed from the users point-of-view -- at least not
yet. You'll still find our message board at:

        http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/

And the message board works pretty much the way it has for the
past year. The major change is that we now need over US$60 in
donations every month to keep the server online. No donations, no
server. No server, no message board. Well, not really "no message
board" as there is always the free backup board, but the
limitations of the free backup board drive staff and many members
nuts. TC's nearly free lunch is over, we'll now see if there is
enough membership support to keep TC going in the manner our
members wish it to.

Your donations are needed to keep The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's
message board up. While with hope to have a formal donation
system with a donation meter up soon -- so everyone will know how
were doing each month, but we don't have one yet. Fortunately,
our members have been very generous during the transition to the
new board, so we are not desperately counting the days to
November 1st when our next server payment is due. However, it is
ALWAYS better to have extra money for emergencies, so if you want
to donate to our server fund, we would be very happy to have your
donation. You may make a donation via Paypal (no Paypal account
needed) via our Paypal donation page:

        http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php


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[02]
=========
========= INTERESTING RECENT CAULDRON DISCUSSIONS
========= Recent Discussion Topics on our Message Board
=========

In an average month, over 200 new discussion topics are started
on The Cauldron's message board. Here are a few of the more
interesting recent discussions. It's not too late to join in.

Thanks to Feedburner, you can now receive an email every night on
days we post new site news items to the main page of The
Cauldron's web site. These emails contain a link to the new item
and the first couple of lines of the news text. You can sign up
for Feedburner's free news delivery via the form at the end of
the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web
page.

=====
===== Which Came First Your Religion, or Your Magic?
=====

Did you practice magic before you found/developed your religious
path? Or did you already have your religious leanings before you
began to delve into magic?

In your own personal view of things, is the one in direct
correlation with the other? Or do you view them as completely
separate things? Why?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7037.0

=====
===== Outdoor Rituals?
=====

With Samhain approaching, I'm feeling very compelled to have my
ritual outdoors. Something I've never done before, but have
always wanted to do. I have a really nice chimnea and thought
about building a huge fire there and making that the center of my
circle. Other than that, I'm not sure what I need. Is it
customary to still have candles at the corners? Should I
construct an actual circle with stones? What about the incense?
Things that are easy to do inside, but in the dark, and with the
wind, and no real altar might be difficult, you know?

I always get this (albeit stereotypical maybe) image in my head
of happy witches just dancing around a big fire, and that's kind
of what I'm going for. Simple, but I still want to be respectful
and "proper".

Any suggestions?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7034.0

=====
===== Worst Spell Poetry
=====

You can give us all a laugh with cheesy love spells out of your
teenage BOS? Any abysmal spell drafts in your paper bucket?

Or you've written some bad examples just for fun?

Maybe you want to nominate any spells from the net, books,
serials or movies which weren't according to your lyrical taste??

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7007.0

=====
===== Designing or adapting spells by yourself
=====

Any general advice what to watch out for? Are there specific
phrases to avoid? Or specific contents necessary to include?

Do you self-design spells? (Which kind of or which kind not?)
How do you usually go about it? Are there specific steps you
take? Things you prepare or consider first?
Do you work on them over a longer time period? Do you experiment
and improve?
Have you ever spontaneously designed a spell?

Do you feel more secure with self designed spells or with ones
from a book/teacher/other source?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6975.0

=====
===== Books on "Celtic Spirituality"
=====

Over the last however many years, I've read pretty much all of
the academic books on the market about Celtic/Irish mythology,
archeology, art, etc. I think I have about as good a grasp on
what we know about ancient Celtic religious practice as most lay
people have, and, frankly, I'm bored with the histories. I'm
tired of reading dry descriptions of archeological artifacts and
stuff like that. It's important and provides a critical
foundation, but enough is enough.

However, I still feel that I need to keep moving forward and
developing my own spirituality or it will stagnate. I think that
spirituality is a work in constant progress that is always
evolving.

So, with complete understanding that nobody knows how the ancient
Celts practiced their religion, I've bought a couple of the more
recent books that purport to help the reader to understand
"Celtic sprituality", whatever that is.

I'm starting with The Mist-Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles,
Wanderers, and Seekers, by Frank MacEowen, and Fire in the Head:
Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit, by Tom Cowan. I'm hoping that
these books might help me move my thinking forward in much the
same way that deep discussion here at TC does -- by stimulating
critical and creative thinking about my own beliefs, ideas, and
spirituality.

I'm wondering if anyone else has read these or any other similar
books, and if you have any thoughts about them.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6933.0

=====
===== Desk Shrines/Altars
=====

We've had threads before dealing with altars in small spaces,
portable altars, altars at college, etc., but just now I'm
specifically curious about what people have going on at work. I
know I've heard of people having small unobtrusive altars or
shrines set up in their workspace. Do you have something like
that? If so, how is it set up?

I have a little sun-shrine: a Sun tarot card that Hubby picked up
for me at Comicon, a printout of more or less the same graphic I
use as my avatar here (but minus the flames in the center), a
couple of health-cause-related lapel pins, and a copy of this are
pinned to my cubicle wall, and an LED pillar candle sits below
them.

At one point I also had made an attempt to put up elemental
representations on the four walls of my cube--fire is kind of
obvious, I think, and then I had an enamel butterfly pin for air
and a sticker with the Japanese kanji for "water" that I used
for... er, water. I can't remember what I used for earth. I think
I did that more for the hell of it than for any particular
religious/magical purpose, though, since I haven't done much
elemental work for quite a while, and as I've rearranged things
most of those representations have gotten shoved into one big
group of "personal decorations" (family photos, cartoons, etc.)
on one wall. So I guess they don't so much count...

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6916.0

=====
===== Academic Books vs Non-Academic Books?
=====

This thread hit me just now, thinking about the Familiars fiasco
about Academic vs Non-academic sources. Is there a time and a
place for a Non-Academic source? What should be classed as a non-
academic source? (well besides things like Wikipedia)

Myself personally I think academic sources are either direct
sources (such as myths, legends, things like that) and indirect
sources (writings by scholars on the primary sources). These are
useful when discussing general relgious terms and the like.

Then Non-academic sources is either UPG, or perhaps some one
writing a book on the source though their profession isn't
directly related to it. I think these are useful for when talking
about practices, and in the case of UPG, when talking about
personal practices. I don't believe they are mutually exclusive
either, I think both are needed to have a well founded base.

So what are y'alls thoughts on the matter?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6910.0

=====
===== What Do You Want From Your God(s)?
=====

There are many characteristics that are attributed to the Gods.
Often a God or a Goddess is said to be a God of Love, of War, of
Poetry, of Healing. The list is endless.

The novel that I am currently reading, Avalon by Anya Seton, is
set in England in approx. 900 CE and it has gotten me thinking
about what it is that people actually want from a God. For
instance, one character who is a Norseman and has lived in
(mostly) Christian southern England has become frustrated with
the worship of a God in a religion that is, to quote, "fit only
for silly women and puling monks." He goes on to say that he now
worships "Thor- The Thunderer." Evidently it is a God of stregth
and power that he wishes to worship, and this is shown by his
transformation from a manservant, to a warrior.

Consequently this shows that he wishes to worship a God which he
relates to. In one respect, he has chosen his God in image of
himself. Is this something that many of us are guilty of, do you
think?

What is it that you want from your God(s)? Is there any
particular quality that, for you, is important for a God to have?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6858.0

=====
===== Wicca Books with a Little More Depth?
=====

During the last four years that I've had this interest in Wicca,
I've read a few beginner books about it. Not nearly as many as I
would have wanted to read, however. I began with reading
Cunningham's "Guide for the solitary practitioner", and "Living
Wicca". I've also read Buckland's "Complete book of Witchcraft",
as well as a minor smattering of other books on related subjects
such as Tarot, divination, magic and the like.

Those books were all mostly good. They were very interesting. But
there was very little depth. Being a scientifically oriented
person (I'm a programmer by profession), I need something more...
convincing. I mean no offense to anyone, but I'm not going to
believe that there are actual deities (God and Goddess) just
because Cunningham tells me so. I'm not saying there aren't, I
believe that there could very well be, but I want to read
something with a little more depth about the subject. I want to
read a theoretical discussion on the nature of these deities -
are they actual sentient beings, or just symbols of natural
archetypes? I guess you could argue that "this can't be proven
either way, it's a matter of faith". Fine. But then I need way
more information before I decide where to put my faith.
Cunningham and Buckland provides very little in this direction.

Also, this thing about magic is very confusing to me, given my
"scientific" nature. But things I've read about quantum physics
lately, and how little of it science understands, who knows what
could be possible? I'm sure there are books that deal with this
issue from a neutral point of view as well.

So, given what I've said above, can anyone recommend some books
or other resources that might help me along?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6766.0

=====
===== Consequences of Following your Path?
=====

As an uncommitted newbie I'm curious to hear about what the more
experienced members have to tell about spiritual and 'real-life'
consequences of choosing their paths or making specific
commitments. Also I'd like to hear from those who are at the
beginning of a path or commitment, what they think the
consequences will be and how that affects their choice.

* Have you ever faced any difficulties or pain for following your
path?
* When you choose your path/ choose to make your commitment, what
did you think about the consequences and how did it affect your
choice
* Have you ever been afraid of the consequences for choosing a
specific path or making a specific commitment?

Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6816.0

=====
===== How to Learn Working with Energy?
=====

When I read about Wicca and spiritualism in general, I often come
across the notion of "energy", and how you're supposed to be able
to work with it an feel it. You sometimes read thins like "walk
around the room, feeling where the energy is strongest". Well, I
don't feel a damn thing. I fear I may be utterly untalented in
this field.

How do I go about improving my non-existent abilities with energy
work? Are there books I should read, or web sites, or perhaps
even some simple exercises I could do? Or should I just go back
to being a mundane computer programmer where I do have talent.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6783.0

=====
===== Music in Rituals and Magic
=====

My practice focuses around music (or at least does at the
moment), so I was wondering: How important is the origin of the
music one uses in rituals? Does a piece of music carry the
composer's intent with it even if the musician associates it with
something completely different? For example, could a piece
originally written in honor of someone (like a monarch or family
member) be used as a love song, as long as it sounds like a love
song to you? And of course, there's the question of whether it's
appropriate to use Christian music (or music from any other
religion) in a Pagan ritual.

I guess if you say music is just a tool for the witch or whoever
is doing the ritual to go into trance, meditate, or to carry the
spell, then it doesn't matter what it was originally intended to
be. But, on the other hand, if you consider magic to be part of
the music itself, then it would matter. If that is the case, what
would you do with music whose origins aren't known?

So, is magic a property of music, or is music whatever you make
of it?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6647.0

=====
===== How Do You Celebrate the Full Moon?
=====

I find myself, over the past few months, celebrating the full
moon with a group of like minded individuals. We have been doing
simple pagan based activities and rituals. It's been a very nice
experience for me thus far. Now I find myself in charge of our
next get together. What we have done so far has been very nice,
but there is still a lot of experimentation going on, and we
aren't yet ready to do the same thing every time.

So I'm wondering, what do you do to celebrate the full moon?

What types of ceremonies and magic do you think the full moon is
best for?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6636.0

=====
===== Chaos Magic Group Work
=====

I have never come across a "Chaos Coven". I loosely define myself
as a Chaos Magician, and I enjoy group work from time to time.
What's a Chaote to do? While I can certainly perform Chaos
inspired rituals and magic on my own, there are certain
activities that just require a group. For example, it's pretty
difficult to perform a multi-part chant in the round by yourself.
So, what do I do? Personally I've chosen to join and work with
more conventionally Pagan groups because that's what exists in my
area. This doesn't conflict with my beliefs, and for the most
part it doesn't seem to bother the people I work with. (The
exception being idealogical disagreements.)

So, to my fellow Chaotes, are you willing to work with non-chaos
groups, or do you choose to go it alone?

For non-chaotes, does the idea of a Chaos Magician in your circle
bother you? Or do you find it acceptable?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6600.0

=====
===== Personal Tenets
=====

I've been reading Isaac Bonewits' Essential Druidry and it got me
thinking about what my tenets were.

1. Don't believe or do things unless you know why - and "because
we've always done it" or "because X does it" is not a reason.

2. Beliefs are not set in stone - experiences or talking with
other people may change them.

3. Other people's beliefs may be different from mine. This does
not necessarily mean they're wrong.

4. Don't convert people.

5. Scholarship is the backbone of my practice. However, if the
scholarship is not used, it is useless.

6. Paganism is not just something to be done at the weekends,
it's part of my life.

7. If you don't know the answer, either go away and think about
it and then come back to the person who asked the question and
answer them or tell them you don't know.

What are your tenets?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6571.0


[03]
=========
========= FLAMEKEEPING
========= PREJUDICE AND POSTJUDICE
========= by HeartShadow
=========

HeartShadow is following her own religious path. She calls it
FlameKeeping. This regular column will present articles on
FlameKeeping, many taken from HeartShadow's FlameKeeping blog at:

http://flamekeeping.blogspot.com/

=====
===== Prejudice and Postjudice
=====

There are a lot of questions about judging. About what are
appropriate and inappropriate things to judge on, about what
judgment even means. While I don't have cosmic answers, I do have
some insights into the question.

The biggest question that I see is the difference between pre-
judging and judging based on actual information. Pre-judging
involves things like skin color, sex, clothing, and other things.
Of those, I think the only ones one has any right to judge on are
those that are clearly chosen (like clothing) and even there one
must be careful. While someone choosing to pick a certain
clothing outlook may well want to be seen a certain way, that
doesn't make that perception accurate.

Judging based on actual information, however, is not only
acceptable but necessary. We cannot simply claim to not judge and
walk through life with our head in blinders. For one thing, it is
a lie no matter how much we claim to value being non-judgmental.
It is impossible to not judge as we go, to not evaluate the worth
of the people around us and what we think of their choices, their
actions. For another, it is actively harmful to ourselves and
those we care for when we don't evaluate the people around us to
make accurate decisions.

So what do we do? We do our best to make certain our judgment
criteria are worthwhile ones, that what we worry about are things
that are meaningful instead of superficial. It's perfectly
reasonable to worry about what people are doing around you and
how that effects you. We judge if the person is someone we want
to spend any time around, if this person is someone safe to
associate with, if this is even someone we enjoy the company of.
When we don't do this, we find ourselves spending a lot of time
with people we don't like.

Prejudice simply blinds ourselves to the possibilities that
exist, and belittles people into superficial categories. True
judgment frees us to treat people as they are instead of as
generic groups.

=====
===== Questions:
=====

  * Why do we judge? When shouldn't we?

  * What do you think are appropriate things to judge on?

  * In what way do you want to be judged? What characteristics do
    you want people to see? What ones offend you when you're
    judged on them?


[04]
=========
========= ARTICLE: HALLOWEEN: THE PAST IN THE PRESENT
========= By Elspeth Sapphire
=========

The days are shortening and dark comes early. There is a certain
crispness to the air as we stroll the streets. Before long, the
leaves are turning bright colors, only to slowly drift down to
cover yards and streets.

Yes, autumn is here.

And with autumn comes a holiday enjoyed by both old and
young...Halloween.

What is the appeal of this night? Why do we find people ranging
from infants to grandparents donning costumes and for one night
forgetting the mundane?

Halloween, or Samhain to the Pagans, has caught the imagination
of people throughout the ages. From the ancient rituals honoring
the dead to our modern custom of trick or treating, this one
night is our time to put aside any fear of the dark and embrace
any that walk there as welcome.

The ancients chose this time of year to celebrate the dead. The
harvests were done and the fields laid empty. The days of sun
were at a end and the days of dark were beginning. What better
time to celebrate the powers of darkness.

This was not a celebration of fear; not always has darkness
equaled fear. Instead for those who believed in rebirth, it was a
time to reach and touch those beliefs. Just as the fields now
laid bare, they would flower again in the spring. And so it was
with us, dying only to be reborn.

Picture of a Jack-o-Lantern So many of our Halloween customs can
be traced to the past and the habits of our ancestors. Each time
I look at the jack-o- lanterns shining with devilish grins, I can
picture the original lanterns. Turnips were hollowed out and
candles placed inside to protect them from the wind. These
lanterns were placed on window sills to guide the dead back to
their kin.

Since the apple harvest was celebrated at this same time, apples
often played an important place in the festivals. When you bob
for apples or dangle apples on strings, you are walking in the
footsteps of other people and other times.

Picture of Trick-or-Treaters What would Halloween be without
costumes and masks? Yet, have many of us wondered why we so
enjoying the wearing of costumes? Dressing up frees us from the
ties of our everyday life. For a brief moment of time, we become
a princess or an Indian or a cartoon character. This gives us a
freedom of action that we normally wouldn't have.

Masks have also long been associated with death and the gods. Was
early man trying to understand death when he put on a mask of a
dead one? Perhaps, donning a mask could put us in touch with the
gods themselves.

Picture of a Black Cat The black cat, familiar to many a
storybook witch, was priced because cats could sense the dead.
They could be used as a kind of early warning system. Why black
cats? What better color for this time when the darkness rules?

Every where I look, I come face to face with the stereotyped
image of the witch. Wicked or not, they all looked alike:
greenish skin, a wart, misshapened face, dressed all in black. In
these days of striving for the politically correct, many are
trying to remove this image from Halloween celebrations. I guess
they don't see what I do. I look at the Halloween witches and
remember pictures of the dark Goddess, dressed in black and with
her high pointed hat. She would wait at the crossroads to guide
the dead to their rest until the time of rebirth. Evil? I don't
believe so, anymore than I believe death is evil. Instead it is
one more symbol that has passed down through the years to spice
October 31st.

Just look around. We are surrounded by symbols of the past that
we take for granted. The brooms the witches rode. The cauldrons
that bubbled with potions vile. Even trick or treating could be
traced back to Celts who went house to house collecting treats of
apples.

It has been truly said that there is nothing new under the sun.
However, this doesn't have to hinder our enjoyment. On Halloween
night, you can find me walking the night. Without fear, I will
travel, listening to the laughter of the children, as I go back
to another time and place.


[05]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON BY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP
=========

The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum was founded in December 1997 to
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=====
===== Have Questions or Suggestions?
=====

If you have specific questions, proposals or other ideas we
haven't mentioned here, please email them to
rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFEME.com. (Unfortunately, Randall
has to answer general "Tell me more?" type questions with a
request for a more specific question. He's not trying to be rude,
he just can't think of anything general and useful to say that
isn't said here.)


[06]
=========
========= NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe)
=========

Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A
Pagan Forum. The Cauldron intends to publish this newsletter once
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This issue of Cauldron and Candle as a whole is copyright (c)
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=====
===== SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
=====

Don't forget that your suggestions for this newsletter are always
welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to
LyricFox (lyricfox01@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall
Sapphire (rssapphire01@.ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com). Typos are, as
usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

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