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    A Bazaar That is Truly Bizarre…


    2008 - 10.29

    All Hallows Eve is now within our sight. Only a few more days until the veil between the spirit realm and the word of the living is at its thinnest. Odd things are bound to happen. Odd people will rear their heads. Madness will reign and the mystical will become normal.

    Perhaps I’m exaggerating a little, but you catch my drift.

    Of all strange and wonderfully bizarre things I have uncovered in my searches across the internet, I recently discovered a store unlike anything I have every laid eyes upon in the past. Indeed, Carnivalia is like no other pagan or occult shop. There is a hint of whimsy, a dash of artistic flair, and more oddities than you could possibly comprehend.

    From originally-designed Ouija boards to bottled ghosts (and they will happily take your unwanted haunted trinkets of you wish), anything and everything any pagan or mystic could possibly want can be found there. Creepy clocks. Disturbing dolls. Potions, books, and clothing. It’s a wild funhouse ride through the insane mind of a pagan sideshow act.

    Best of all, they have many items of a queer nature. And I don’t mean “odd”. The owner and his partner, Storm Faerywolf, do remember their family.

    When you check out the website, be sure to keep an open mind and beware of tongue-in-cheek humor. At times, it’s difficult to discern what is intended to be serious and what is comedy. Judging by the copious text portions and strangely hilarous images, I lean more toward the latter on all accounts. Nevertheless, it’s worth a browse at the very least. Or if you happen to be in the San Francisco area, be sure to swing by North Broadway in Walnut Creek and visit their storefront. If the website is any indication of what awaits, you might not leave for hours.

    Let’s Get Metaphysical…


    2008 - 05.22

    And so tonight, after grabbing a quick bite to eat with Bill, Evelyn and I once more ventured to the weekly meeting at Heavenly Hardware. it has become a pleasant escape from monotony and life’s little insane moments. Best of all, it’s a very fun-loving, welcoming environment… free of harsh opinions and belittling comments. You can honestly speak your mind on any possible topic, and it will only be met with opened ears… and perhaps a little off-the-wall humour.

    We revisited the world of Reiki massage after prolonged introductions (I finally had an opportunity to speak about last week’s odd dream though) and met with a few new faces. Pagans, atheists, and mixed believers alike all enjoyed the diversity. We spent some time meditating while listening to Native American chanting music,which was an unusual experience in itself. And then it was my turn.

    Mike Reikied me. And it felt good.

    He is quite good with his hands, you know.

    If you have never given Reiki a try, I highly recommend it. Perhaps it is merely your subconscious mind at work, but I did feel relieved and relaxed afterward. We each chose a gemstone and waited for the others to finish. I held a pale blue fluorite stone. A blue feather popped into my mind. Though I need to seek out the meaning behind the symbolism still, one other member of the group did find the possible Blue Jay feather to be quite significant, in relation to her departed father.

    Coincidence? Only The Shadow knows

    As is often the case, I left in high spirits. As a teenager, I was intrigued by metaphysics. I had a gigantic collection of gemstones. I explored chakras, psi phenomena, astral projection, and other sundries. I occasionally burnt incense. I felt very much at peace with the world, in the most tumultuous time of my life.

    Perhaps Evelyn is right. Maybe I should reawaken that curious child within myself and begin exploring that often forgotten and belittled aspect of the supernatural world. It may be just a bunch of hocus pocus to some, but but we all have to believe in something to make the world a more tolerable place…

    …don’t we?

    What’s in a Name?


    2008 - 05.16

    Last night was another trip with Evelyn to Heavenly Hardware, the quaint little metaphysical shop in a not-so-quaint neighbourhood. The topic of discussion was spirit guides and angels, and we each gave our two cents on the matter.

    Personally, I believe in the idea of spirit guides. I have had a few peculiar moments in life where I haven’t felt alone or have been saved from harm by something. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn’t be alive. I can think of four separate incidents where my life could have been taken from me, either by fate or my own actions.

    Remember TWA Flight 800? The airplane which exploded on takeoff from New York City all those years ago? I was on that plane… same flight, same time… two months before the accident.

    As for angels and demons, I don’t believe in using those terms. I’ve always been one who felt that attaching a religious connotation to certain supernatural things wasn’t right. I think it’s a matter of what you want to see… or what you need to see. If you believe in stereotypical angels, you will see a winged human. And who says they have to be higher beings anyway? Why can’t an “angel” simply be a living person we know… a spirit guide be your best friend in life… a helpful presence be that of a dead friend or family member lingering around?

    One popular discussion from the night also had to do with me. The leader of the meetings has said several times that she hates calling me by my name, because she feels my name doesn’t fit me. I tend to agree: I’ve always hated my name. So, we ran through a dozen possible names to refer to me. At one point, I said, “Call me Ishmael.” (In reference to the first line of Moby Dick) At various times, I was called James or Robin. Evelyn said she felt compelled to call me Chris when she first met me. So perhaps I should from henceforth be referred to as Christopher Robin James William Ishmael?

    It does have a certain ring to it… and it’s better than Eeyore…

    I Reiki Your Yard, Four Dollar!


    2008 - 04.10

    And another fun night was had at the metaphysical shop. Tonight’s topic: Reiki massage.

    Chris and I arrived a tad bit late because of traffic issues, but that wasn’t a problem. Everyone did a very abbreviated introduction and away we went! A 29-year-old named Mike used us as some extra practice for becoming a third-degree Reiki master. And oh my… he was cute! Maybe 5′7″ tall, shaggy light brown hair, a small goatee… nice smile. I was as giddy as a school girl meeting Jessie McCartney for the first time.

    Of course, Mike didn’t do Reiki on me. I left that to Evelyn. But one of these days, I’d love for him to Reiki me…

    Shut up.

    It was an interesting experience, though it’s the second time I’ve been through it. It’s not your typical massage: it involves movement of energy instead of relaxing muscles. It’s different to say the least. We patiently waited as everyone had their turns while the rest of the group meditated and sent and/or absorbed positive energies… which was a convenient excuse for the four of us to try to make each other burst out laughing. I had some strange mental images passing through my mind of each person dancing in a unique-yet-crazy manner, but I felt the humorous atmosphere would be very positive for everyone. A little laughter or snickering in a light-hearted manner never hurt anyone.

    Then it was off to Big Boy for a late snack and the four of us to catch up on the latest paranormal group cruddy drama… I mean business. Lots of laughter, some at my own expense for my alcohol-fueled irritability the previous weekend. Apparently, I was angry at one point about Gloria Estephan. I have no idea why. But Bill’s constant stream of snide comments were probably the root cause.

    Thankfully, I rarely drink. Otherwise, I’m sure I would be more amusing… and not in a pleasant way.

    It will be a crazy-yet-interesting weekend, going to the banquet dinner for the bowling league tomorrow night, then a concert in Cleveland by the Blazing River Freedom Marching Band, followed by my early birthday dinner at a restaurant.

    Good times, good times…

    Everybody Wants to Get Stoned…


    2008 - 04.04

    With all the excitement yesterday, I completely forgot to post an entry. But oh well, such is life sometimes…

    I did have an interesting evening at a metaphysical shop with Bill and Evie. We attended a little gathering which takes place regularly on Thursdays discussing a variety of topics. There were several interesting people (interesting in a good way, though). We gabbed endlessly until finally approaching the topic for the evening: stones and crystals.

    We each picked a stone from a bag. I picked amber (though from the flat, lightweight shape I pulled out I honestly thought it was accidentally a potato chip) and we all discussed the meanings attached to the stones. We then traded stones with the person next to us to see if we could “sense” anything about the person from holding it. Some people had a lot of success, but I wasn’t too great at it. Then again, much of these things are relative… and meanings can be found in a plethora of symbols and images.

    I’ve always liked rocks and minerals and once had quite a large collection. I sold it off many years ago, though, and have since forgotten the meanings behind many of the stones. It’s still interesting to me, but I’m not quite sure how much belief I put into the power of crystals. I’d have to see these things more to form an opinion of it.

    I did, however, have an uncomfortable moment when the owner of the shop was chatting with us. Her home was investigated by the paranormal group I belong to and we were supposed to return after sorting through the evidence. The owner said that two individuals contacted her, said the photos we thought were definitely paranormal in nature were easily explainable and that there was no worthwhile evidence gathered.

    Interesting, since I never knew anything about it. What an excellent flow of communication we have! Perhaps this is part of the mounting disgust I have with everything lately. When dramatic domineering becomes the main focus of everything, I have a bad habit of becoming apathetic. Then again, it’s not as though my opinions are of any consequence anyway. I’m slowly realizing that instead of getting wrapped up in melodrama, I’d rather concentrate my efforts on worthwhile endeavours with worthwhile people… you know: actually learning things, experiencing life (and death), and engaging in activities which aren’t controlled by the Great Puppetmaster.

    But I digress…

    The two hours flew by before any of us knew it. I’m sure I’ll return out of sheer curiosity… if not just to have more odd conversations with amusing people. It takes all kinds in this world… and sometimes, the oddballs are the best company to be in…