AskAngus6: “Pagan girls” with knives, white fairies on dope.

Dear Ask Angus,

Wasted Away Again in Watsonville: What about drugs in ritual?

Dear Wasted,

How about drugs in real life? Same difference. Drugs are the Preview Channel of Ecstasy. They can show you a glimpse of what is possible, but they are not a shortcut. Any drug abused will quickly become a one-man birthday party, wherein the only presents you get are the ones you bring yourself. Drawing Down the Moon as a fully Aware and unpolluted Being is the greatest high of all.

Dear Ask Angus,

Faery Friend: When is the best time to call upon the faeries in magick?

Dear F.F.,

The best time to call the Faery Folk is Tuesdays at 6:45pm. They’re usually home then.

Actually, anytime is good to call upon the the Fey; they are almost always present and are often (but not always!) receptive to sincere petitioning. The trick is being able to receive their end of the exchange. The energy they return is very light and subtle: Effervescent ephemeralities.

So the fulcrum is not so much when to contact them, but more when is the best time for you to be able to hear their replies. The former being their volume knob, the latter, yours. Whenever the static cacophony of the physical plane subsides for you, then RadioGoblin can be more easily tuned in.

You might try your spelling during dawn or dusk when the fey are at their most active, or immediately after these times. Be warned however that their moods may be different from day to night, from dark to light: This mornings’ day gnome might morph into this evenings’ night demon.

A pendulum or other divinatory device is handy for cataloguing your areas’ faery populace. Offerings, particular plants and snack-like items can be employed to attract sympathetic spirits.

Also be aware that fairies have their own interests, responsibilities, timelines and bizarre senses of humor. We are an amusing sideshow to them as much as they are shadows to us. So do not be surprised if they just blow you off completely – or send you a thimble to help you bail your sinking boat.

So there is no clear answer for this – we are all wired differently, and my neighborhood leprechauns will be a whole different set of subspecies than yours.

Check your local listings.

Dear Ask Angus,

Alex: How do you pronounce Athame? With the first syllable as in “Adenoids” and emphasized or with the first syllable soft like “Awwww….” and the second syllable emphasized, as in: “Ah-THAW-may”. Which is it?

Dear Alex,

The answer is Yes. That is how you pronounce that word. Lots of witches out there will point to crumbly texts and/or unbroken lineages as to the sanctity of one pronunciation or the other, but really – each way is fine.

Personally I like the latter way, which has a softer lilt to it, and is also more suitable for speaking in an Outrageous French Accent. But if you really want to score chatter points at cocktail parties refer to your “Anelace” (pronounced ‘anna-loss’) which is an ancient Roman short sword, a bit over 18 inches long.

(Now. Is it ‘Ka-RIB-be-an’, or ‘CARE-ih-be-an’?)

Dear Ask Angus,

Bursting: Is it true what they say about ‘pagan girls’?

Dear Bursting,

Yes, it IS true! Unfortunately it is also true what they say about guys who are asshats.

~Ask Angus

Send your questions to: angusmcmahan@gmail.com

(Top pic was found on my camera after a Beltane rite. Faery tree pic from graeworthington.wordpress.com. Bottom pic I just took right now.)