XIX. First Circle<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Going Skyclad<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Of course the first thing I want to do<\/p>\n With a naked woman is [seduce] her,<\/p>\n But once that\u2019s out of the way,<\/p>\n The tension dissolved,<\/p>\n We can turn to other work.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n God, if this world were truly human,<\/p>\n We\u2019d all just go to bed together<\/p>\n Whenever we felt like it and wonder<\/p>\n How people could think it normal<\/p>\n To suffer continual raging thirst.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I arrived at Brendan and Megan\u2019s at the appointed hour, carrying a large salad, purchased at Lucky\u2019s, for the potluck. I hadn\u2019t done much cooking since Janet left.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Eddie,\u201d Megan called as I appeared at the door. \u201cCome on in. Stick that out in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Megan,\u201d I replied. I carried the salad into the kitchen and was back in a few seconds, trying not to show how revved up I was.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you looking forward to this?\u201d Megan asked in a casual tone.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect this to be interesting. I\u2019ve read about how a circle is conducted by the Gardnerians, but I\u2019ve no idea what your circle might be like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do just about what Gardnerians or any other Trads might do. It\u2019s the words that are different; Apollo wrote some nice verse for us when we were getting this together. You\u2019ll see. Most of the coven is here already,\u201d Megan said. \u201cLet me introduce you around.\u201d<\/p>\n I had already identified some of the members from hanging around her house for our literary salons or whatever they are. Bill Kennedy, of course, Tom and Helen. . . Megan introduced me to Athena, who was tall, intelligent, and attractive, and to Hermes, who was slim, vivacious, and African-American. Just then two more people arrived, an older woman, roughly my age, and . . . Andrea! She came over and gave me a quick peck on my cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know you\u2019re in this coven,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one would have told you if I didn\u2019t,\u201d she replied. \u201cEddie, this is my mother, Deena.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPleased to meet you,\u201d I said politely.<\/p>\n \u201cThe same,\u201d she said shaking my hand, with a friendly but odd smile.<\/p>\n Megan had been going in and out of the temple room, doing things with candles and various objects on a small table. Finally she announced, \u201cFive minutes to ritual! Time to get naked!\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure how I was going to handle this.<\/p>\n Everyone began stripping off their clothes and piling them in corners, then putting on necklaces, cords, and other paraphernalia. I looked around, hoping for a dressing room, then began taking off my clothes. I tried not to look at Andy, who was even more spectacular with no clothes on.<\/p>\n Everyone began joining into a circle, holding hands. I took care to stand next to Andy. That way I didn\u2019t have to avoid looking at her. It still was work to not look down at her breasts.<\/p>\n The ritual was much like what you can read about in many books now, and describing the differences might infringe on the coven\u2019s privacy. There was a circle dance in the middle of the ritual, whirling about as fast as it could in the available space. Andy kept bumping into me; I could feel her breasts against my arm. There were about a dozen in the circle, but it felt as if there were many more. I kept glancing outside the circle to see who else had come in. In the midst of the singing and dancing it was hard to know what I was or should be perceiving.<\/p>\n Soon a cup was being passed around the circle. Andy presented it to me, saying, \u201cBlessed be.\u201d<\/p>\n I hesitated. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just juice.\u201d Andy said. \u201cDionysos persuaded us to have two cups after he got himself to AA.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, saves my ass too,\u201d I said. I took a sip and passed it on.<\/p>\n While a plate of cookies was being passed around, Megan asked, \u201cIs there any work to be done?\u201d<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t sure I should say anything.<\/p>\n Brendan said, \u201cOur friend Eddie is here tonight because he needs our help with a very serious problem\u2014as well as for other reasons. Eddie?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked around the circle of skyclad bodies and tried to compose myself. \u201cI\u2019m sure you all know that Bob Marlowe was killed, apparently because of the apocryphal gospels he sent to me. You can all have copies of them, if you like, and of our translations. We\u2019re dealing with people who are operating outside the law. From the moment the gospels arrived here there have been efforts\u2014at least four\u2014to steal them. We have no idea why, or who might be behind all this. Megan told me that maybe you could give me a clue.\u201d<\/p>\n Athena looked thoughtful. \u201cThese breakins must have some sort of local connection. If we can pinpoint a location, that might tell us something about who is involved, and from who<\/em> you can sometimes get to why<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n I replied, \u201cThat sounds logical . . . but how do you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n Athena said airily, \u201cWith a piece of string and a lump of lead. Hermes, old buddy, could you hand me the pile of maps? And is the pendulum still there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, here they all are,\u201d he replied, handing them to her.<\/p>\n Athena spread out a large map of the Santa Theresa area, held the pendulum over it, and began letting it swing. Whenever it established a clear pattern, she marked the edges of the map with post-it notes, moved the pendulum, and began again. After a while, she commented, \u201cThis is focusing in on the peninsula area. I\u2019m going to switch maps.\u201d<\/p>\n She unfolded another map, on a much larger scale, and laid it over the first one. She began her routine with the pendulum again, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get this to focus. It\u2019s as if there\u2019s another center of danger, but it\u2019s not local, so it just sort of distorts the reading.\u201d<\/p>\n After a few more minutes, she said, \u201cEddie, I have a clear location, but I don\u2019t know what it is. Do you want to have a look?\u201d<\/p>\n I peered at the spot she was pointing to. \u201cThat\u2019s the University of Santa Theresa. I used to teach there.\u201d<\/p>\n Brendan said, in a brogue like Seamus\u2019s, \u201cSure now, and it\u2019s a Jesuit plot again. We all know them Jesuits is allus up to no good.\u201d This called forth a burst of laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cHow could Jesuits be involved in this? That makes no sense at all,\u201d I said in exasperation.<\/p>\n Athena broke in, \u201cAs carefully as I can plot it, the pendulum is indicating this little cluster of buildings off to the side, over here.\u201d Her finger moved slightly to the right.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! That\u2019s the Aquinas Institute! Maybe that does make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the Aquinas Institute?\u201d Andy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an ultraconservative Catholic think tank,\u201d I replied, not looking at her. \u201cThe head of it, Jerry Fonzarelli, is the local rep for the CDF.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the CDF?\u201d Athena asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. They\u2019re in charge of trying to enforce their version of orthodoxy on all other Catholics. Before Vatican II, it was called the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Apparently they think they can disguise it by changing its name. But they didn\u2019t change any of the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean the Inquisition still exists?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, \u2018fraid it does. Not that long ago, Cardinal Mauzapper tried to get our friend Miriam fired from her job at Holy Spirit, which certainly would have caused her great financial and professional harm. The man has no concept of what American legal rights and religious freedom are all about. So, yeah, the Grand Inquisitor did literally attack a Witch, here, only ten years ago. Anyway, Fonzarelli\u2019s in bed with the CUF, the Right-to-Lifers, the Blue Army, and every other reactionary faction in the American church. They would definitely feel threatened by these gospels. They also have friends in the higher circles in Rome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to do about it?\u201d Tom asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to go confront him tomorrow. See if I can get him to back off,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" XIX. First Circle \u00a0 Going Skyclad Of course the first thing I want to do With a naked woman is [seduce] her, But once that\u2019s out of the way, The tension dissolved, We can turn to other work. \u00a0 God, if this world were truly human, We\u2019d all just go to bed together Whenever we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1098,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pagan","category-paganism","category-theology"],"yoast_head":"\n