Hello! Goodbye! (And where we go from here)

Two years ago today, I uploaded a little thing called Inciting An Inaugural Riot. It was 17 minutes long. It was horribly edited. Its word of the day was 'inhere.' It was the first episode in what would become one of the most inciting new pagan podcasts on the interwebs. The show - and, by extension, me - has never been the most liked or the most listened to, but I dare say that it has been one of the most interesting.

I began listening to podcasts around 2007, in the time the Wigglian Way was just finding its wiggle and deo was becoming a Shadow of our podling past. While every show is unique, and while - since then - there have been dozens of shows start up, get going, and burn out, there have been a few that have stuck around. Why? Well, a lot of reasons. Some people don't know when to shut up. (Hey, this isn't a paid gig, and anybody with an internet connection, some free software, and a mic can podcast to their heart's content.) Some people enjoy it as a periodic hobby. And others...well...they see it as the new media.  A new voice for the community.

Those are the ones that hang around.

October (so far) In Pictures

From what's in my yard to what's on my mantle to what's at the farmer's market, here's my October (so far) in pictures. How's YOUR October looking?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Movie Review: The Education of Shelby Knox

Netflix has been tapping my computer screen for some time now, trying to convince me to watch the movie The Education of Shelby Knox. Today, whilst washing my dishes, I set my laptop up in the kitchen and watched The Education of Shelby Knox. (Thank you, Netflix streaming.)

When presented with a little bit of pressure, or when faced with a news story that shows a Christian somewhere doing something bad, it is really easy to fall back into the old jokes.

I have a new baby!

Like many of you, I have a longing to give of myself. To take care of others. This is why Partner and I have our dog Kika and our cat Bella. We love them, and they, in turn, show us love.

Well, today, we finally stopped talking about it and actually made a new addition to our family. We both have been wanting to do this for some time, but it can really be a matter of time and money more than anything. Anytime you add to your life, it takes an investment. Now, though, that our new bundle is home and all settled in I thought I'd share!

Meet the new addition to the Riot household...

Riot-O-Thon Update: The Swag!

Remember at the beginning of the month where I announced the month long Riot-O-Thon? Remember how I said that I'd be teasing you with swag later on in the month? Well, today is the first tease! I'm revealing the Grand Prize Package!

For those Rioters that give at least $20 (or a $5/month subscription), I think they should get the opportunity to get a little bit more back. My way of showing gratitude. And, I have to say, with the Riot-O-Thon halfway over, there are quite a few very generous Rioters who are in this category. I thank you in advance!

(THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU)

The Grand Prize Package includes:

Episode 61: Inciting An Apocalyptic Riot

Episode 61 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting An Apocalyptic Riot. My special guest today is Robert Kroese, author of the books Mercury Falls, Mercury Swings, and the newest in the series: Mercury Rises.

The book debuted at #2 on Amazon’s Science Fiction list, beaten only by book 1 in the series: Mercury Falls. (The paperback is less than $9 and the Kindle edition is less than $3!) You can purchase the book here:

The Plumber/Heart Surgeon Argument

Watching the Republican CNN Debate last night has gotten me a little worried. Over the past few years, it has become a very cool thing for a candidate to eschew any and all semblances of a political career - especially in Washington, D.C.. "I am not a politician! I have never held national political office!" have become battle cries from candidates like Herman Cain and Mitt Romney. They're trying very hard to make you believe one thing: in order to fix the problems in our political system, you need an outsider to do the job.

Episode 60: Inciting A Scientific Riot

Episode 60 of Inciting A Riot: the Podcast finds us Inciting A Scientific Riot. We’ve got 4 very smart, very educated, very pagan guests today to discuss some of the bigger questions about faith and community from a scientific perspective. These pagan podkin each have advanced degrees in their fields. This is possibly in my top 3 favorite shows of all time, and I’m so glad it can coincide with my 2 year podiversary!

Our guest smartypants were:

Male Cheerleader Kisses Guy (People Somehow Shocked)

This lovely story found its way to my attention this evening. A male cheerleader at a high school in Alice, Texas was recently kicked off his school's cheer squad because he was seen in the band hall kissing another guy. After the school officials spent time scoping him out on the security camera. And, you know, you can't kiss guys in Texas and also be a cheerleader.

Because, of course, it must have been a shock to learn that the male cheerleader was gay.

The Apple-Eyed Monster & Popcorn Brain

The past 48 hours saw me, a usually even-minded individual, turning into a seriously foul monster. The source of my truculence and asinine behavior was my iPhone. Well, I take that back. It wasn't my iPhone so much as it was the fact that my iPhone was supposed to be getting this magical new iOS 5 update. Ok... So it got the update, but then there were problems.

Like, a lot of problems.

Spiritual Mission Statement

Before I go any further, I feel obligated to wave, bat my eyes, and welcome back Effy Wild (formerly Feithline Stuart of Spiritscast and Fey from Dark Side of Fey). She's podcasting again with a show that is as mellow and delightful as ever: Under One Moon. It's good to hear her voice again. Her new show is about the place where creativity and spirituality meet, an endeavor I've spent much of 2011 undertaking. You can subscribe to it through iTunes or stream it live from her site. Do that.

Occupy: The Financial Crisis & Jobs Not Taken

Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Wall Street! OCCUPY WALL STREET!

This is the cry we've been seeing sweeping first New York - where the eponymous Wall Street exists - and then the news media and then the country. Folks, THIS is my kinda Riot!

Book Review: Where's My Wand by Eric Poole

If ever there were a book that described my life in excruciating detail, it is Where's My Wand? by Eric Poole. I discovered it at one of the final days of the Border's going out of business sale, a sale I was both delighted by and quite despondent over, but didn't open the cover until this week. The only reason it took me 3 days to read the book is because I realized after the first night of reading I had finished almost 3/5 of the book and wanted to slow down to savor the moment.

Really.

It's that good.

Growing up, I did a number of academically inclined speaking contests. One of which included literary readings - poetry, specifically. Meaning that I have a deep and almost disgusting love of the written word, of stories, of Story, and of the guts it takes to tell yours. But, the best stories, the ones that stay with me, are the ones where you get to the end and you realize you have tears in your eyes. You're not sure how long they've been there, and you can't say for sure whether it was from laughing so hard you almost vomited or because Chapter 11 punched you right in the gut.

Where's My Wand? is a book just exactly like that. 

It is the story of Eric Poole, a guy you haven't heard of, but whom, if you were anything like me growing up, you will fall deeply in love. The book starts when Poole is a child, a future gay growing up in a time when Bewitched was putting out new episodes and shag carpeting had to be raked. Although he is, naturally, quite fabulous, the other kids at school don't seem to quite glom on to the sheer fierceness of his personality. Thus, of course, he takes matters into his own hands with a little help from Endora. Yes, as in Bewitched. 

See, as a child, Eric believed in magic, that magic worked just like he saw it on TV. Therefore, he employed it in his everyday life by donning a bedspread in his basement, waving his arms, and visualizing the change he wanted. (Sound familiar, robed pagan folk?) First, he absolutely believes that every single magical act results in perfectly carried out magical wishes, but as he gets older, and the things he uses his magic for become bigger, he realizes the world might be a little more real than he'd originally been led to believe by primetime programming. 

We see Eric go from 6 to 16, exploring what it means to be a begrudging member of a family you don't quite understand - nor do they quite understand you - but everyone still, somehow, loves one another. We watch him learn the purest lessons one can learn in life: What it means to die, what it means to make real friends, what it means to love and accept yourself, and what it means to clean wood furniture until the lacquer has come off. (I love his mother.)

The book is poignant without being preachy, gut-bustingly funny without being crass, and makes you want to call up your buddy from middle school. You know, the one that Facebooked you 2 years ago because Facebook said you two might know each other because you went to the same school 17 years ago and thus must still be interested in the same exact things, and, you know...talk about New Kids on the Block and how awesome it is not to have braces anymore.

It is nostalgic, opulent, and gracious, and made be believe - not that it had waned - even more in magic. 

Buy.

This.

Book.

(Seriously, the hardback is less than $10.)

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

_______________________________________________

Please remember that all month is the Riot-O-Thon! If you have either the ability or the spare change, please donate $1, $5, or whatever you can until October 31. It helps keep the site ad-free, the podcast uninterrupted, the swag coming, and will hopefully allow me to make a few upgrades to software and even pay it forward to some wonderful charities. As a thank you, I have a wonderful selection of swag that several of you can win, include a truly Riotous grand prize package. Special thanks to this month's sponsor: Eliora! Visit her Etsy shop & Facebook page to get some gorgeous and magical decor for your altar or...garden shed or something. Thank you for sticking with the Riot the past two years! 

Guess what time it is?!

It's SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR THE RIOT time!

October is the month where a few things happen. Namely: All the costs of the Riot come a-callin'. So, I turn to you, my dear Rioters, to hold my hand out and say "Pretty, pretty please!"

Here's the thing. Inciting A Riot is a labor of love, and I am humbled and pleased to say that it has gotten bigger than I ever anticipated. I've increased the bandwidth on the Podbean account so that downloads aren't interrupted. We give away swag every month via the site. There are guests and co-hosts and guest writers and Project Pagan Enough and...well...a whole host of Riots being incited all over the interwebs.

So, we'z be havin a Riot-o-thon this month. Until October 31 we are in full-blown shmooze mode. But, of course, where there are donations...there is SWAG!

What kind of swag, you ask? Let me just say I have an overwhelming stack of SHWAG! We're talking primo stuff. You have the opportunity to win either books, artwork, or some astoundingly BEAUTIFUL creations from the Riot's newest sponsor: Eliora!

Every few days, I'll upload new pics to tease a buck or 3 out of your Starbuck's fund and into helping move the Riot forward into 2012. There are a couple ways to donate:

1. A one time donation. Any amount. Large, small, or somewhere in between. Perhaps you forego a delicious pumpkin spice latte. Hmm... Wait... That's tantamount to sinning. Ok, skip a chai tttteeeeaaa...... Yeah, ok... Skip digging through the $5 movie bin. Do that. And then donate that to the Riot. 
• A one time donation gets you an entry into winning one of several amazing prizes.
2. A subscription donation! Sign up to give $1 or $5 (possibly more?) on a monthly basis. Subscription donations make it immensely easier to guarantee I can keep up with getting new swag and doing amazing things for you, the Rioters!
• A subscription donation gets you 3 entries into winning some SHWAG!

Remember! There are three prizes that will be drawn!

Now, folks, there is a GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE that includes prizes from all 3 categories as a way to say Thank You to those Rioters that really go out of their way to support the Riot. A book, a piece of art, AND multiple GORGEOUS items from the Riot's newest sponsor, Eliora. To enter to win the GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE - and be named Most Radical Rioter - submit a one-time donation of at least $20 or a $5 subscription for at least 5 months. 

As I said before, pictures of each of these swag items will be up throughout the month. Click that PayPal donate button on the side and support the Riot! I'm hoping to not just pay to keep up the costs of the Riot and set some aside for swag, but to also give to charities and organizations doing good work around the world. With your help, the Riot can become even better in 2012!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

That's not God. That's Crazy.

One of the biggest questions I have to folks in the pagan community who are part of the 'Woo woo I see spirits everywhere and the dead chat with me over my morning coffee' segment of the pagan populace is this:

Is that really a spirit/the Goddess, or might you need medical attention?

That's a question that Aldo Bianchini might have wanted to ask well before he went to church this past Sunday. The 46 year old man was in the middle of a church service at St. Andrea's in Viareggio when a voice told him it would be a good idea to tear his own eyes out. And guess what he did. 

Go ahead... Guess.

In front of 300 people, and God I suppose, he tore his own eyes out with his bare hands. Because a voice from the beyond told him to. 

When first responders showed up to the scene, they found Bianchini calm and lucid. Just in case you wanted to know, while they found his eyeballs, they were not able to reattach them. 

Gino Barbacci, the doctor who treated Bianchini, said it would have taken superhuman strength for a person to gouge their own eyes out and added he had never seen anything like it in 26 years of medical practice.

This guy is not a pagan. He's a Christian. But, this story highlights some dirty laundry of our community. I realize that as pagans we're supposed to be completely ok when somebody tells you that the Ronald McDonald statue came to life and gave you the secret ingredient to the Special Sauce. We're supposed to be just fine and dandy when you claim to be in constant contact with your great great great great great great great great great great grand pappy from the old world who tells you how to go about your daily life. I am - as a proud pagan folk in 2011 - supposed to be accepting and supportive when Lady Merryweather Picklebum talks about how she went camping in the woods and the trees spoke to her and she had sex with an elf.

But, I am told I am not a good pagan, that I don't have enough - or the right kind of - faith, that I am just plain overstepping my boundaries when I suggest that that same person might want to seek professional help. 

There is a difference between a chemical imbalance and spiritual experience. And, no, I do not believe we should encourage folks to speak to the voices they're hearing or give credence to what those voices are saying until they have been checked out by a licensed therapist. 

Do I believe that the dead can communicate, that the Divine can give us messages, that there are nature spirits and they might actually want to chat on occasion? Sure. I believe in a whole mess of stuff. But I also firmly believe that when God tells you to kill your children (there's at least half a dozen cases in the last 10 years of that) or rip out your own eyes or burn things...that's not God. That's not any God. It's not a demon or an angel or a Super Mega One-of-a-Kind Faerie Dude. It's a cry for help. A need for medication and therapy.  

You might not think it's harmful if the voices only tell you that you look skinny in those jeans or that your new haircut looks amazing. But, what happens when that same, trusting voice starts to veer into a realm of the dangerous? 

Why does that make me a bad pagan? And why is the pagan community so willing to go along with the crazy, because we have to accept everybody and everything? It's absolutely time that we stood up for sanity. 

Here's my proposal: If you think you're speaking to the Great Ravioli Monster in the Sky, do me a favor. Go to a therapist. Tell them what you're experiencing. Let them check you out and make sure that you're not crazy, or at least that your brand of crazy doesn't make you a danger to yourself or others. Then, keep talking to whatever it is you're talking to. 

What do YOU think about people hearing voices?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Book Review: Mercury Rises by Robert Kroese

Rarely do I get as excited about a book or an author as I have in recently reading Mercury Rises by Robert Kroese. My favorite type of book is the kind that is both hysterically funny and somehow still deals with big questions and big answers in a way that takes nothing from their importance. Kroese's sequel to his first book - Mercury Falls - is just that story.

From the first chapter I was reminded of Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff (Christ's childhood pal) by Christopher Moore. It is sarcastic, irreverent, and full of heart.

Imagine, if you will, that Heaven isn't so much a resting place for the valorous or the saved, but more like the local DMV. There are long lines and elevators and Briefcases containing Important Papers that need to be pushed...importantly. Angels aren't really sitting on clouds playing harps or saving old women from burning buildings in the guise of hunky firemen. They're making sure that form 10-52 is filed with the Apocalypse Bureau's Chief Auditor while making sure it's stamped by the Weather Deparment's secretary of accounting and signed off on by someone in the High Office of Really Important Secrets. It's a bureaucracy, which is wonderful and appropriate, given how much of the world has turned spiritual belief into a governing system.

There are several characters throughout the book, each taking up equal time. There is the eponymous Mercury, an angel whose destiny seems to be far greater than what he'd like - and what he would like seems to be an eternity of snide joking and half-ass job performance. Christine, the human who characterizes the best of humanity. The good guys, the bad guys, and some interesting guys who don't seem to pick a side. And that's what I loved about this book.

This is a story that defies the convention of good v. evil. It scoffs at the idea that angels are good, demons are bad, and humans are the Greatest Creation ever. It's as much an adventure is it is a coming of age story, even though that age might be 6,000.

Kroese - a church deacon and honer of badass irony - has melded ideas of the human condition, asking the big questions (Who are we? Why are we here? Why are there no girl angels?), and whether the Harry Potter books Charlie Nyx books might possibly be bringing about the end of the world into a delightful read.

I was lucky enough to have read this book before it hits shelves later this month, but I assure you that you'll most definitely want to hit your local bookstore or click on to Amazon on October 18. You'll be looking at $15 for a paperback or just $8 for an e-book.

Critics seem to love this book, but that means little to me. However, I have to say, this book is abso-friggin-lutely a 5 torcher from this Rioter.

Get. This. Book.

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

My Love of TV & New Shows!

It is both true and incredibly sad to say I love TV. I do. I love television. Movies are nice and all, but television is just about incredible. That being said, there are very few things on TV that I like to watch. Fat guy/skinny wife? Seen it. Ungodly attractive people living in dream worlds of luxury? Boring and not relatable. (Seriously, some financial experts looked at Carrie's life in Sex & the City and realized that not only could she not have actually afforded her life, but she couldn't have even afforded 1/4 of her life as depicted.) Since getting a criminal justice degree, I just can't enjoy the hundreds of shows on TV about the judicial process. (Don't even get me started on how unrealistic CSI is...my rant about tire tread lasts for hours...)

Thus, I am pretty picky when it comes to shows. Now, there are a few things that TV can give me that will make me a bit lenient on whether a show is worthy of my DVR. Namely: magic. Sci-fi is nice and makes my television-watching senses tingle, but I am a total sucker for a chick with a book and some special effects.

Enter The Secret Circle. Can I just say....

O M Gs

I don't just get one girl with one book, but there are 4 girls and 2 boys and at least 2 books that we know of and sets of parents and grandparents and then strangers out of the blue popping up that are all witches. THEY'RE ALL WITCHES!!! Now, there have been detractors of the series. And, honestly, I can see where they're coming from. It's on the CW, so it is automatically based off of the "Way too many gorgeous teenagers per capita at a high school full of unbelievably gorgeous teenagers out in the middle of nowhere where - for some reason - the fate of the world is destined to be decided, because that's the kind of thing that happens in towns that nobody has ever heard of"thing that the CW is pretty famous for doing. 

Did I mention that EVERYONE is a witch? Yeah...it's pretty effing awesome. It's cheesy. It's juvenile. It's a guilty pleasure, and it's so much fun. A preview is right here for your pleasure:

Also, Steven Spielberg is giving me Sci Fi joy in the form of Terra Nova. It's like Jurassic Park meets Avatar meets the Terminator - minus the time traveling robot. There's been one 2-hour episode, the series premiere, that you can actually download for free right now on iTunes. It's not such a guilty pleasure, because there is good acting and solid storytelling. While the plot is a liiiiitle on the flimsy side, it seems as though both the mystery and the sci-fi action bits are going to continue to get ramped up in the next show. With a $4 million per show budget, it better.




A few honorable mentions in this fall's new lineup: Death Valley on MTV, The New Girl on Fox, Alphas on SyFy, Charlie's Angels on ABS, and Ringer on the CW. All really great shows in their own way. (I'm really loving Ringer & Charlie's Angels. Such cheese. Such guilt. I feel like I should cover my face while watching to hide my shame from the Gods. LOL)

What are YOUR favorite new shows for the Fall?

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte

Craft Fair & Vampire Ball

TODAY is my very first craft fair!!! I'll be at Witchy Wearables in Midlothian, IL all day today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) with original paintings, prints, photos, and my bright shining face. Stop by to say hi, pick up some art, and take a look at some of the other amazing artisans - and shop my favorite witchy shop in all of Chicagoland!

Oh, and did I mention that SCARLET of Lakefront Pagan Voice is going to be sharing a table with me?! Yep! I get to squee over a fellow podkin all day long. You may come squee as well. The official flier for the Hocus Pocus Craft Fair (and 8th anniversary celebration) is right here:

Also! Witchy Wearbles is hosting a Vampire Ball Halloween/Samhain extravaganza on Friday, October 28th at the Raday Lodge in Midlothian, IL. Details are right here:

If you're in the area and looking for a fun time, or you just REALLY like Vampires, sign up! This weekend, if you get your tickets during the craft fair, you'll receive a special discount. 

I really hope to see you all there! It's my first craft fair, and I would love to see some Rioters in attendance!

Love and Lyte,

Fire Lyte