Northern Michigan Sheriff Department Ignores Wiccans Civil Rights

On October 18, 2006 at approximately 2 am I was stopped by Deputy Justin Revnell. He claimed that I had been weaving as I drove. He approached my vehicle, but refused to tell me why he stopped me. He asked for my driver’s information. I indicated that it was in my purse, which was in the back seat of my car. He told me to get it. I couldn’t reach my purse from the driver’s seat so I attempted to open my door. Revnell angrily slammed it shut. I tried to explain that getting out was the only way to reach my purse. Revnell opened my car door and ordered me to the back of my car. As I complied with his order, he reached in and took my purse out of the back seat. As he walked around, he was riffling through it. I continued to ask why I was stopped and to talk to his supervisor. He asked if there was anything that could hurt or cut him. I told him about my small athame set in the pocket. Without asking for an explanation of why I had them, he hand cuff me and put me in the back seat of his patrol car. I was very confused and very frightened. I didn’t understand why this was happening to me and they refused to give me any information, nor were my right read to me. Revnell and another officer searched my car. I did not consent to search of my purse or car, nor did the deputies give me a breathalyzer test or any other test for driving under the influence. It was quite apparent that I wasn’t impaired, therefore there was no reason for them to detain me.
Neither officer would tell me why I was stopped and subsequently arrested until we were at the jail garage. At that time, Revnell told me that I was stopped for swerving and was charged with Felony concealed weapon. I was taken inside and searched by a male deputy, even though there were female officers available. He then took my information and then searched me again; only this time it was much more personal. When another officer walked around the desk, he immediately stopped and stepped away from me. At all times I was cooperative. I was placed in a hallway. A few minutes later, I started having problems breathing and asked for the prescription inhaler, which was in my purse. The officers denied me access. The asthma attack became increasingly severe and I repeatedly asked for my inhaler; each time I was denied. One deputy stuck his head in the hallway and told me to stop making myself sick. It wasn’t until after I had vomited, urinated on myself, and was to the point of blacking out was I given access to my inhaler. Soon after a deputy who claimed to be a supervisor walked in the hallway, but I still couldn’t breathe well enough to talk. I did the best I could to explain that I couldn’t talk at the moment and asked him to come back. He never did, but Revnell’s supervisor did. I was able to talk and explained that I my athames were not weapons but religious objects and that they were so small that they couldn’t be used for weapons. The supervisor didn’t understand why Revnell arrested me. I told him that I have asthma and hypoglycemia; I was already late eating. He promised me that I would have access to my inhaler and that food would be provided.
I was placed in a holding cell and a sack lunch was given to me with two sandwiches, an apple, a cookie and juice. The bread on the sandwich was dry and stale. The meat was brownish green. The cookie was hard. None of it could be safely eaten. I rationed the juice for the rest of the night to keep my blood sugar from dropping too low. At one point, I sitting with my back against the wall and I got really dizzy. Then, I was waking up face down on the mattress; I don’t know how I got there.
Later, the booking process was finished with the fingerprinting and photographing. Again, I was searched by a male officer. My rights still had not be read to me. Although the deputies allowed me access to my inhaler, it was done reluctantly and only after my repeated requests. However, when breakfast was served, I was excluded.
I went before the magistrate around 9 am. My bond was set at five thousand dollars with ten percent down. I was scheduled to go before the judge at 2 pm. I called my employer for a loan. He agreed and the deputies gave me a contact number to give him. I continued to wait to be released. Lunch was served and I was given food but by that time I was too sick to eat.
The time past and I began to question when I was going before the judge. The deputies told me my paperwork had to be processed. Mid afternoon, access to my inhaler was cut off. One deputy suggested I be taken to the nurse; another one told him to shut up. I kept asking when I was going before the judge and was told my paperwork still wasn’t done.
Late afternoon there was an altercation with another inmate. He was brought in earlier. Both he and the officers had a verbal exchange that including insulting each other mothers. However, once the deputies stopped tormenting him, the inmate sat quietly in the cell with several others. Late in the afternoon, two officers from Cadillac came to transfer him. Once again, they verbally assaulted him. He offered to pay the eighty dollars that he owed; the money was at his home. He offered to have someone bring it to them. They said that was fine as long as they could be at the jail in the next two minute and he couldn’t use the phone to call anyone. He begged to talk to his social worker many times. They laughed at them. He was handcuff and his legs chained. Flanked by four officers who greatly out weighted him, he was taken outside. Moments later, there was shouting and the sounds of a struggle. Three or four more officers ran out. Some of the deputies came back in a few minutes later. One of them was laughing and bragging that he would have beaten his face bloody. After the inmates in the cell next to mine were moved, three deputies carried him back inside and dumped him on the mattress. One of them had his gun pulled with one hand and held the inmate down with the other. The gun was pointed at me in the next cell. I heard that he was no longer going to be transferred but charged with felony destruction of property for breaking a patrol car windshield. I don’t understand how he could have being shackled and surrounded. After the offices left him alone in the cell, he took off his t-shirt. His arms and upper torso were covered in red marks that were rapidly turning into bruises; they badly beat him. He put his shirt back on and unsteadily walked to the mattress. He laid down. I’d never seen anyone fall asleep that fast. I was worried that he was severely hurt.
When things calmed down, I once again asked when I was going before the judge. They still hadn’t done my paperwork but that another inmate and myself would be going before the judge before 5pm. Shortly after I was told that it was too late for the judge to see me but that my bond had been paid. Dinner was served. A short time after I was taken out of my cell and processed. I was able to use the phone to call my employer. He told me that he attempted to pay my bond before noon, but was told that I would be arranged at 2pm and the bond would be lowered. When he hadn’t heard from me by 2:30, he called again and in spite of the deputies assurance that I would be arranged, he paid my bond before 3pm. I was allowed to call a cab. I asked where my car had been towed. Originally, the deputy insisted that my car was exactly where I left it; I knew that to be false. Eventually, he told me the name of the towing service. However, instead of the cash I had, I was given a check that the cab driver wouldn’t accept. I had to use my credit card. The towing company was closed but there was a number to call. The cab driver allowed me to use his cell then left me there. Eventually the owner of the towing company arrived. It cost me $111.00 to get my car back. He wouldn’t take a check and again I had to use my credit card; it put me over my limit. My care was returned with a damaged exhausted system. I didn’t get home until almost eight o’clock.
I went before the judge the next morning. While I was waiting I met two others who had been in the jail the day before. One of them I had worked with briefly. He told me that he heard the deputies laughing how they were teaching me a lesson by withholding my paperwork and keeping me in custody longer than necessary. I went before Judge Thomas Phillips. He was the one and only person who read me my rights. My bond was changed to PR. I asked for a court appointed attorney.
On Friday, I was having difficulty breathing and my fingertips were numb. I went into Urgent care: I was diagnosis with Pleurisy. The doctor thought the numbness was due to breathing problems and should go away when the Pleurisy did. Since then I have been having panic attacks that have lead to asthma attacks and I’m afraid to leave my home.
Also on Friday, I called the District Attorney’s office. I simply didn’t understand why I was arrested. I told the man I talked to that the athames were ceremonial and never meant to be weapons. They were bought for 99 cents on Ebay and didn’t really have a true edge; technically, they were more decorative than anything else. He agreed that my First Amendment rights of freedom of religion would be a good defense. He promised to look into my case and get back to me; but he never did. I also called the Michigan Attorney General. The man I spoke to told me the AG office couldn’t get involved until I filed complains locally with the Sheriff Department and the District Attorney.
Phillip Settles was my court appointed attorney. He took my statement but didn’t want to hear about the religious aspects of the case. He told me the District Attorney offered a plea to the lesser charge of misdemeanor. I refused. During the preliminary hearing, Mr. Settles was able to get Deputy Revnell to contract facts in the police report and to admit that he wasn’t afraid of me. However, he never did go view the actual athames; if he had, he could have proven Revnell lied about the sizes. In the police report, Revnell photocopied my athames, but he didn’t put anything in to give scale or perspective so he was able to enlarge their appearance in the report. Mr. Settles said the size of the athames or their purpose didn’t factor in; they were double-edged and thereby illegal. After the Preliminary Hearing, I asked Mr. Settles how I could file a complaint about Revnell. He told me that it wouldn’t do any good and implied it wouldn’t be safe. Revnell is the Sheriff’s nephew and has a history of getting away with make witnesses disappear. He told me to Google “Justin Revnell” to see what kind of person I was dealing with. Reading the newspapers articles, I realized how lucky I was to have the second deputy arrive.
Eventually Mr. Settles filed two motions. One to dismiss the evidence on the grounds of an illegal search of my purse and on violations of First Amendment Right of freedom of religion. Chief Assistant District Attorney James Pappas answered the motions claiming that I told Revnell they were there without him asking and afterwards I claimed they were for protection. Neither which was true. Just on the common sense level, why would I tell just tell him something like that and if I had wanted them for protection, they wouldn’t have been buried in the bottom of my purse, which was buried in the back seat of my car. In addition, I wear my pentacle openly. I have appeared in the local media on TV 9 & !0, several times in the Record Eagle and on WTCM. It is common knowledge that I am Wiccan. However, Mr. Settles told me that because of Revnell’s family connections, he would automatically be believed and I would be considered a liar.
During the process, the Grand Traverse Sheriff Department has continued to harass me. I have been followed many times for no reason. I have turned off on to side streets just to get away from the main traffic, only to have the patrol car do the same. Several times, I pulled into parking lots and gone into the stores just to make them go away. On November 30, 2006, I was pulled over for illegally beeping my horn. January 4, as I pulled out of the driveway of the small factory I worked at, I noticed headlight further down Park Drive; they were stationary. It was 2 am. On one side of the road is apartments; the rest of the road has businesses, which were closed except for where I worked. As I pulled out, the headlights started to move. Since I have been afraid to drive alone, a coworker, Linda, who lives in the same area, agreed to follow me most of the way home. She pulled out behind me. The headlight sped up and caught up to us at the stop light at South Airport and Park. It kept close behind us all the way to Chums Corners and beyond. I pulled into Glens and watch the GT Sheriff patrol car continue to follow Linda. The next day I called her and learned that he stayed behind her for another couple of miles.
On the day of the motions were to be heard, Mr. Settles spoke to the District Attorney and arranged for the charged to be dropped to a misdemeanor with a delayed sentencing before James Pappas arrived. It was the agreement that instead of daggers the charge would be possession of a switchblade. However, if the judge refused to accept the delayed sentencing than the charges would continue to be dropped until it was accepted. Mr. Settles told me that it was the best I could hope for and if I didn’t I risked receiving the maximum. Although I thought it was wrong, I accepted. Mr. Pappas arrived after the deal was done; he became angry and seemed to take it personal that I was no longer charged with a felony.
I have been sentenced to 180 days probation, five days community service and 490.00 in fines. Overall, it has cost me close to a thousand dollars in fees, lost wages, medical expenses and fines. I’m 48 years old and have never been even accused of a crime before. My record was totally clean. Yet I was guilty until proven innocent. My civil, religious and medical rights have been violated. I still have problems breathing and am afraid to leave my home for more than a short period of time.
The system that was supposed to protect me, victimized me instead. The system no longer works because the police no longer service and protect, but intimidate and harass. They do so with immunity from criminal and civil prosecution. They can do life threatening harm to the public and not be held responsible. This needs to change. I’m looking for an attorney, who will not only help me get financial compensation for the harm they did to me, but to change the law as well. The abusive officers and those that protect them need to be held accountable both civilly and criminally. Until they are, the abuse will only increase in frequency and severity.

Police Abuse:opinion videos of the UCLA police abuse case

Police Abuse: More information on the attack of the UCLA student







For another point of view go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USOu7OHGzRU

Greetings,

Here is the February issue of Messages From the Universe. As always you may share the ezine, but the individual articles remain the sole property of the authors.



You may have to cut and past the link.





http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/MessageFeb07.pdf





Many blessings

Theresa

Prevented from Harassing Wiccans and Pagan
Christians Claim Discrimination
By
Theresa Chaze


On September 23 2006, several friends and myself drove down the Pagan Pride Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The sun was playing peak-a-boo with us all the way down. However, by the time we got to the park the clouds had parted somewhat. It was a beautiful day and we were excited about going to the festival. The parking lot was nearly full. We ended up finding parking spots on opposite ends of the lot for our two vehicles. As we walked to meet each other, we were suddenly confronted by men declaring we were evil and going to hell. Some of them quietly handed out flyers with Christian tracts to pedestrians walking by, but they were also putting them on the windshields. Others weren't so benign. They verbally assaulted people going into the festival, sometimes blocking their path and declaring they were in league with the devil. One man was arrested for using a bullhorn without a permit. Others went around the parking lot, writing down license plate numbers of the cars present. The only reason they would want that information is to harass the vehicle owners later. Granted after a certain point, I stopped being nice to them. I’m a fully dedicate Wiccan Priestess, who goes out of her way to help others and make the world a little better. I resented being called evil and being cursed to damnation by people who knew nothing about me.

We paid our admission with cat food for the local animal rescue group and joined in the festivities. With or without garb, people were enjoying each other’s company, the shopping and the positive energy of the group as a whole. We arrived in time to take a scrying class. After which, our group started breaking off to find our own interests. One of the local animal rescue groups had a few cats and dogs that were available for adoption. Angie commented that they had lost me for a while; she and Kayla went on to shop, while the two others found another class. I talked with the rescue volunteers for a while and scratched a few furry heads before moving on. There was some beautiful hand made crafts, intuitive readers and representatives from some Occult shops in Michigan. I stopped to chat and promote my novels. On the far end was a shop that sold inexpensive daggers and swords; none of them would be really considered weapons, being more decorative than being able to hold a true edge. I found one that was really cute and affordable, so I bought it. One of the SCA groups was teaching the younger children how to fence with patted sparing swords and showing off their own skill with their blades. There were also rituals being performed for the healing of the planet and for the equinox. There were other forms of entertainment, including a magician who did magic along the lines of the Mind Freak.

The atmosphere was relaxed with people laughing, chatting and enjoying the festival. Everyone was having a good time, except for the group of “Christians” who continued to screech how evil we were for not believing in their one true God. If harassing the festival goers in the parking lot was not enough, they were given specific areas in the park where they could spout their bigotry and negativity. Law enforcement kept an obvious presence by standing off to side, close enough to keep the two groups from colliding, but far enough so they wouldn‘t interfere with either group.. Most of the festival patrons ignored the Christians. The more they were disregarded, the louder the Christians became. No one from the festival or from law enforcement made any attempt to silence them. A few people did mock them, but they did not interfere with their free speech. They were able to spew their bigotry and ignorance to their hearts content. As the afternoon passed and the coming storm make its presence more apparent, the Christians disbursed.

You would think that would have been the end of the story, but is not. David Ickes and seven other members of the Worldwide Street Preachers’ Fellowship with the help of the Allied Defense Fun have suited the City of Grand Rapids, claiming their First Amendment Rights were violated by police when they attempted to speak in a public park.

“It is truly disturbing when those charged with upholding the law disregard or do not understand the First Amendment rights of citizens,” said ADF-allied attorney Randall Wenger of the Lancaster, Pa., law firm Clymer & Musser, P.C. “The officers in this situation acted in violation of the Constitution when they chose to silence those who were simply exercising their free speech rights.”

I was there for most of the festival. They were not silenced, just mocked and ignored. They were also prevented from harassing the festival goers by being limited to selected areas in the park. They claim that they did not use amplification equipment, but this is not true. It was the reason the person was arrested.

Ickes and the others claimed they merely wanted to address the festival goers. Their group was able to speak out; they were just prevented from harassing others who walk a different spiritual path. They had the right to speak out. We also had the First Amendment right to mock them and ignore them. They claim their First Amendment right of free speech was violated; however, they were violating our First Amendment right of freedom of religion.

“Religious speech is protected under the First Amendment and cannot be silenced because of a city-imposed permit requirement,” Wenger explained.

This is true, but so is our right not to be Christian and to live our lives free of harassment and intimidation. Ickes and his fellow preachers have the right to believe whatever they wish, but they do not have the right to inflict it on others.

A copy of the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in World Wide Street Preachers’ Fellowship v. The City of Grand Rapids is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/IckesComplaint.pdf. The motion for preliminary injunction may be viewed at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/IckesPIMotion.pdf. The memorandum in support of the motion for preliminary injunction is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/IckesPIMemo.pdf.

Energy Reading for February 2007
By
Theresa Chaze



In February 2007, the emotional and spiritual spring will be coming early for many as they have gone through their dark night and the dawn has appeared on the horizon. Those who have done the work will find that by mid February their rewards and awards will be larger than they anticipated. But they deserve no less, for they were the pioneers who faced the challenges of the unchartered territory and blazoned the path for others to follow.
The energy we are carrying forward from the past is the knight of wands. It is a card of sudden change, rash decisions, and radical changes of paths. Projects and challenges were completed only to find that the results, although expected, are no longer suitable for the current situation. The believes that many held dear were suddenly exposed as half-truths or out right lies, leaving the faithful disillusioned and angry. Yet the challenge they will carry forward is to see that the core belief wasn’t false, but the interpretation that they were given was a distortion. Those in control sought keep power over others by using fear, manipulation and bullying. As the truth is revealed, their power base has begun to erode. The image that comes to mind is the French Revolution as those in the middle start taking back their power from those with extreme views and goals.
February is represented by the Queen of Pentacles. Creativity, independence, and thinking outside the box will become the norm as individuals break away from the corporate world. No longer working in the best interest of the individual, corporations will find their best and brightest leaving to start their own enterprises. Only they will not only be loosing talent individuals, but they will be gaining competitors who know what their weaknesses are. February will be the month that more individuals will be willing to have the courage to find other options and have the courage to follow through. It is a month of breaking away from the herd. Only they will not be running solo for long. As more find their freedom, they will create a new herd based more on equality, honor and equitable distribution of resources.
The energy we will take with us is the Death card. Although it will be a jumping off point for many, this card talks more about the transformation and the radical changes that will be happening both within and without. Just like the sword, which has been shaped and strengthened by the forge, the trial by fire has tempered those who have walked through it, making them stronger, wiser and more capable of standing up for their rights, beliefs and those who are less capable. The death will come as the power shifts and the old guard finally topples. It will not be an easy, peaceful ending, but one of betrayal, lies, dishonor, and pain for many. But their attempts to retain control will only hasten their exposure and defeat.
The energy we will all be challenged with is the Star. In this case, the Star represents courage in spite of the odds, honor when it would be easy to sink to lower levels and faith when there is no reason to have it. By focusing on our goals and the path we have set before us, we will find the strength, courage and wisdom to follow through to the end. As we continue on our individual path, we will soon find that the paths start to merge; we are not alone. Together we are stronger exponentially. Together we can tear down the darkness that subdued us with fear and manipulation. Together we can rebuild and restore the balance that was taken from us by the empty souls who sought power for power sake and selfish who tried filling the emptiness within by stealing the light of others.

Out of the Shadows and Into the Light
Wiccan Wisdom
By
Theresa Chaze
Although Wicca is a modern term, it is based on traditions that reach back to when humans toiled the soil and hunted the forests for food. It is a wisdom, which helps Wiccan and Pagans work in harmony with the rhythms of nature to provide and protect the family or tribe. Most of us today do not grow our own food or hunt in the forest; instead, we work jobs and forage in supermarkets. This doesn’t change the essential nature of our goals, which is to provide for our families and ourselves. By working in harmony with the nature's energy, which surrounds us, we can bring balance, peace and prosperity into our lives. This doesn’t mean our lives will be without challenges, but it does mean with faith in ourselves and the Divine we can weather our challenges to reach our best and highest good.
Wiccans also respect other religions. We do not alter their rituals or prayers as an anti-religion. I have heard of covens, which as part of their initiation require the initiate to say the Lord’s Prayer backward. Wicca is based on spiritual traditions, which began long before Christ walked upon the Earth. We are a positive, loving force in the universe. Only by respecting all paths can we honor ourselves, each other and the Divine life force, no matter what is called, which is in all of us.
In my soon to be published Book of Shadows called, Out of the Shadows and Into the Light, I share some of what I have learned. It is a positive healing magic, meant to help you on your path. If you are looking for rituals to control or harm another, you are looking in the wrong book. Anytime you try to control another’s destiny, it is black magic. Which brings me to the Wiccan Creed “do what ye will, but harm none.” and the “rule of three”. The only exception to these rules is in self-defense. Once you are no longer being attacked, you must stop; otherwise, you become the attacker and the rules apply to you. Both the creed and the rule of three have been hotly debated. Whether you call it the rule of three, karma, or what goes around comes around, your actions do have consequences for good or evil. Harm or manipulate another, no matter what your intentions, and you open yourself to the same at another’s hand. However, random acts of kindness bring help and healing back to you when you need it. It is your choice.
There are two categories of protection. The first is a response to an attack that has already begun. Rituals, which reflect back or bind the other’s negative energy, fall into this section. The second set of rituals are preventative measures, which include cleansing, shields, and reinforcing your own energy. Protection rituals or spells, which reflect back or bind, are specifically for self-defense on a spiritual level. Once you are in a safe spot, you can then turn your attention to preventing further aggression. These protection rituals are solely for self-defense. To follow the attacker and to continue, reverse the roles and you become the attacker. These rituals are specifically designed for self-defense, nothing more.
More than protection, justice rituals are for situations, which are bigger than the individual is, when you want to clear your karma, or break karmic ties with another. They are the best way to release the situation to the wisdom of a higher power. However by doing so you also forfeit your control over the end results. By letting go, you allow the best and highest good to determine the outcome. There are many situations both on the personal level and on the grand scale that would benefit from setting aside the ego and allowing Goddess/God to deal with the challenge.
What would a book of Shadows be without prosperity rituals--a book of other wisdom. But if you are looking for rituals to help you win the lottery or to steal others’ belongings, you need to look elsewhere. There aren’t many rich witches out there who didn’t become so without hard work. That doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen, only that is unlikely that you will win millions. Prosperity is more than the sum total of what is in you bank account, but of who you are and what you have accomplished. That doesn't mean you can set aside the mundane needs of life and go meditate on a hill--even then you have to eat. What it does mean that you need to take responsibility for your decisions and your life. Casting spells and doing rituals can help, but I have yet to meet a rich witch. The best way to insure a successful, prosperous life is to remain in school and get a good education. In doing so, you'll find a source of satisfaction as well as being able to live comfortably.
Most love rituals are in fact black magic. If you try to influence another against their will to love you, even for good reason, it is black magic and eventually you will pay. In the movie, The Craft, the one witch discovered how dangerous it can be. She forced a classmate to love her, but instead of a lover she created a dangerous stalker. Besides wouldn't you prefer to have a love match where you were loved you for yourself instead of forcing someone to love you. How could you ever trust the love between you? Created in trickery and deceit, it could never be a strong bond. Also in doing so, you would create very bad karma and destroy any chance you and any of your true soul mates would have of connecting.
As with the protection rituals, the following are not meant to be the only path to take. If you are physically ill or injured for goodness sake seek medical help. I am not a doctor or a medical professional. Healing rituals are designed to heal from the spiritual down to the physical. Many illnesses, both on the physical and emotional level have their sources in the spiritual. By healing etheric body or the soul, the physical body is restored. There isn't a simple explanation of why illness happens--nor are there any cure all. Frequently illnesses are learning experiences, karmic balancing or the result of emotional trauma. The only way to deal with them is to find the root cause. In doing so, the lesson is learn or the trauma is understood so trapped emotions can be released. This is no guarantee that the physical ailment will just disappear, but it will aid with the healing process.
Wiccan and Paganism are multi-dimensional paths whose main purpose is to be able both live well and in harmony with the universe. You won’t find them on street corners trying to convert others, nor do they actively attack others; it would be against their belief system. Instead, they chose a life’s path in the pursuit of wisdom, honor and harmony. They work their jobs, care for their families, and pay their bills, while trying to make this world a little better for everyone.

Garden City--Tales of Magic Throughout Time



Jamieson, I understand you have a new novel out. Could you tell me about it?



I'd be glad to. Garden City is about magic, people and the lives they live..

GARDEN CITY is a book of collected fiction. The stories actually span my entire writing career and, without really know it, I set all the stories in the same place.

Founded by the Goddess of Time, Garden City is a sprawling city metropolis that is home to more than concrete and glass. Roaming it's streets are ghosts, spirits, Goddesses, the Three Fates and, perhaps most importantly, Magic.

There are 20 fictions collected in GARDEN CITY and in each story, we see a little bit of different lives. There's Owen Wolfe who stumbles upon a grisly murder involving magic. There's Kimberlee, who is claimed as a bride by a statue come to life. Or Nancy, a young woman who meets the Goddess of the Fae in a city park.

But there are others who live in Garden City as well. There is Poppy who is able to turn into a Crow after a mysterious dream. There is Alex who prolongs his life by out running the Three Fates; Hillary who disappears while on assignment for a reality TV show. A woman named Miriam disappeared on the thirteenth floor of Edison Tower.

Magic comes in many forms and can effect lives in so many different ways. GARDEN CITY is like a dozen of lives, all happening at the same time. Look at Garden City like a bouquet of flowers: beautiful, but with sharp thorns.





Who is the main character? What is unique about her or him?



Well, if I had to pick a main character, it would have to be Owen Wolfe. Owen, shows up in Crossroads, Bride, Pandora's Box, Magic Man, Boozehound, and Reunion.

I think what makes Owen unique is his ability to believe in the unbelievable and face it head on. He's able to befriend magic and it changes him for the better as opposed to for the worse. Magic can go to a persons head, you know. *grins*.

I don't want to pump Owen's ego too much as there is a lot of me in Owen; in fact, every time I have a story that is loosely based around real life, Owen seems to be my mouthpiece. It's what makes Garden City so autobiographical; Owen's in a lot of the stories.



Every author has a unique niche or genre that crosses genres. Mine is magical fantasy suspense. How would you describe your genre and who would you compare yourself to?



How would I describe mine...well, I'm not too sure. I write a number of different things. My Hope Falls series would be along the lines of noir/fantasy/thrillers where my other books could be described as urban fantasy/fiction. I try to write stories and novels that don't have one particular genre; I find it appeals to more people that way.



What or who is your target market?


Anyone and everyone, it seems. Anyone who enjoys a good story and likes getting involved the plot twists and characters. I also write for children, so my target market is all over the place. Essentially, though, anyone who enjoys the thrill of story.



Besides the blog tour, what kind of promotions are you doing?



Gosh, what am I NOT doing to promote my book? I've created my very first Book Trailer for GARDEN CITY and you can see it here:

GARDEN CITY: A Book Trailer
http://beta.photoshow.com/watch?sc=fQ3Df7mt&cid=12

I run my own blog entitled I AM THE HUNTER where I post about my writing, what I'm working on, what I'm currently reading or whatever tickles my fancy. You can view my blog here:

I AM THE HUNTER: Blog for Jamieson Wolf
http://www.jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com/

I also run my own newsletter called THE WOLF and it's free! I write about what I'm working on and even provide valuable writing tips to readers looking to try their hand at writing. You can view it here:

THE WOLF: The Newsletter for author Jamieson Wolf
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jamieson_Wolf/







Where can readers buy your novel?


You can purchase Garden City at my web site: http://jamiesonwolf.tripod.com/



What other works have you released and how can they be purchase?



I have a few works available actually: Aside from GARDEN CITY, there are the novels ELECTRIC PINK and ELECTRIC BLUE, the first two novels in my urban fantasy trilogy. I've also written a book called FINDING THE MUSE which teaches others how to write from inspiration.



What is the one thing you would like your readers to take away from your writing? What is the message you are trying to get across?



I don't know that there's any one particular message; There are a few messages that keep popping up in my work, however:

- Good will triumph over Evil
- Be inspired by the life you life
- Magic is all around you. You just have to open your eyes.

Most, if not all, of my stories seem to revolve around those philosophies. But what can writers take away from my work?
A damn good story, I hope!




What author or work inspired you to write and why?



Oddly enough, it's Carol Shields. Carol Shields has always been a favorite author of mine. I had the opportunity to meet her when she came to Ottawa to speak once at the University of Ottawa about the power of narrative. I didn't have the guts to ask her a question after her wonderful talk; all the academics were asking all these big, wordy questions.

At the time, I was working on my poetry and was thinking of writing. So, after the talk, I went up to her with my copy of Swann (a personal fave of mine) and asked her if it was harder writing narrative in poetry or in prose. She asked me why I didn't ask my question at the end of the talk and I said I had been intimidated.

She then told me a few things that have stuck with me for the rest of my life: Never be intimidated by others. There is a writer in all of us, you just have to find him.

She then complimented me on a ring I was wearing, signed my book and sent me on my way. She died shortly after. I always wanted to thank her for what she did; she was responsible for my becoming a writer.

I hope that, where ever she is, she knows the power her words had for me.



How is this person or work reflected in your work?


The impossible exists. :)

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Words the members of the House of Christ live by, and killed by.

Rachel Franklin knew from the first moment she laid eyes on it that the cottage was hers. She felt its pull, could sense the magic within its walls. She was home.

However, the members of the House of Christ church had different ideas. The cottage was evil, the home of a witch, and all good Christians know that witches are evil beings, consorts of the Devil; their houses are evil and should be destroyed.

But, the cottage’s owner, Kevin Mitchellson would not allow that. He forbids any member of the church to set foot on the property left to him by his grandmother, Sarah, and the conflict rages, as Wicca and Christians team up, prepared to do battle with the bigotry and ignorance of the House of Christ fanatics.

Therese Chaze draws her readers in from the first page and refuses to release them until the last word of this fantastic tale of witches, magic, love and betrayal.

Set in the village of Coyote Springs, Dragon Domain is a book of lessons; lessons on love, forgiveness, and above all truth to oneself.

In the grand traditions of Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, Therese Chaze captures the imagination as well as the heart of her readers.

Dragon Domain is an open door to a world of wonder, and from the first page to the last, you will be hard pressed to put it down.



Linda L Rucker
Author of:
Dark Ridge: A Novel

http://lindaruc.tripod.com
What the Heart Wants: A Novel
www.LindaLRucker.com

Blog:

http://llruckerdarkridge.blogspot.com

Sisters Mother Daughters-
The Complicated Relationships Between Women
A free ebook

By
Theresa Chaze

Valkyrie Publishing announces the release of the free ebook by Theresa Chaze, Sisters, Mothers, Daughters. Using the fantasy genre, the short stories explore the complicated and ever changing relationships between women. Other worlds, differing religions, and political view points come together as women explore themselves and their life’s path. Sometimes controversial, sometimes frightening this collection of short stories reveals the multi-dimensional spirit of the every changing woman.

Seize of honor is an other worldly tale of how Kelly O’Dell accidentally killed the children of the natives she is attempting to communicate with them to save her people. It was an accident. She never intended to harm anyone, but natives knew she was responsible. They laid the body of one of the children on her door step and pointed their finger at her. Her comrades didn’t understand why. Kelly knew but she lied. Even after the natives attacked, killing most of their party, she kept silent. She couldn’t tell them the truth. At best they would abandon her to the natives’ justice; at worse they would notify command when the rescue team arrived. Either way, she would be as dead; the only question would be is how long and how painful the end would be. To save herself and her people, she must find a way to restore her honor by making the natives understand it was only an accident.

Resa has died, yet her spirit did not move on. Knowing her birth family would attempt to steal her property from those she had gifted it to and inflict their beliefs on her, she refused to cross over. They had tried every legal means available, but this time, she was ready for them. The everything was iron clad. Her wishes would be obeyed; her sisters of spirit would insure her final desires would be followed down to the last detail. In It’s my Funeral, I’ll Disco If I Want, Resa has prearranged her own funeral according to her Wiccan beliefs. Caroline, her spirit guide to the Summerland and long time friend, arrives to escort her to the other side, only find that Resa refuses to leave until after her funeral. Instead she wants to watch as her frustrated birth family is forced to accept in death what they couldn’t accept about her in life.

Politically relevant and controversial, And Freedom For All, projects into the future what life will be like once the religious right has gained power over the United States. Laws are in acted and interpreted according to their Christian doctrine, leading to the over turn of Roe vs. Wade and to a great division between the states. Pregnant by a man who sees her more as possession than a partner, Daphne asks childhood friend, Melanie to help her to escape to a free state. To retain control over her own body, Daphne leaves nearly everything behind and flees for her freedom. Together they must avoid the Pre-born Police, who arrest women they believe are pregnant to prevent them from leaving the Christian controlled states. Three borders and hundreds of miles to cross stretch between them and freedom as they do their best to avoid detection and capture. As they escape, Melanie and Daphne become part of a movement that will once again divide the country.


These are only examples of the tales told in Sisters Mothers Daughters as women strive to understand themselves and each other. Each of these women must look to their own hearts and ask themselves--am I strong enough?

Sisters Mothers Daughters is available at www.theresachaze.com. In addition, there are excerpts of Theresa Chaze’s novels, Awakening the Dragon and Dragon Domain, and other short works. Valkyrie Publishing distributes a monthly spiritual ezine, Messages From the Universe and the ebook versions of both Ms Chaze’s novels.

Boomer Chick: Musings of an Over the Hill Chick: SPECIAL GUEST: Jamieson Wolf, author of GARDEN CITY

Boomer Chick: Musings of an Over the Hill Chick: SPECIAL GUEST: Jamieson Wolf, author of GARDEN CITY

Police Abuse: video of police beating a suspect

Awakening the Dragon--Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy
a review

Kirk Donaldson says:
Awakening the Dragon is a thought provoking, insightful tale. Theresa Chaze gives us a glimpse into worlds most never see. Rachael is a woman with a plan. With her lottery winnings and a the opportunity to make a dream come true, she moves to Coyote Springs to open a new store and start her new life. Brought uncomfortably close to her childhood home by Fate, she settles in to try and make a normal life for her and her feline children. Her plans for normalcy are interrupted when she finds a new house- the scene of the murder of one of the town's most respected women. Rachael is quickly drawn into the middle of what appears to be a religious war that has been simmering in the town for nearly twenty years. It is up to her to overcome her past and muster her growing abilities and try to bring out a truth hidden in the hearts of the townsfolk.

Suspenseful, thrilling, and imaginative, Theresa Chaze spins a web of plots, tying them neatly to give the reader an entertaining look at faith, tradition, and the hearts of followers of paths old and new.

Triple Goddess-Maiden, Mother, Crone

Selena Fox on VA Pentacle Campaign

Wiccans Sue the Veterans Administration (VA)

The announcement of the legal suit to force the Veterans Administration to acknowledge the pentacle as a religious symbol.

Awakening the Dragon--a shameless self promotional video

Rachael moves to Coyote Springs to follow her dream and build a home, instead she becomes a catalyst in exposing a murder and a target of a violent cult. Where Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley left off and where Harry Potter was afraid to go, Theresa Chaze takes the reader into realms of magic, suspense and horror. Set in Northern Michigan,Awakening the Dragon is a magical novel set in modern times containing working rituals and true magic. (more)

I've updated and cleaned it up a little. If you have a chance please watch it again.

Awakening the Dragon--Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy--a Review

Finally, a book for the average Wiccan reader. I found, Awakening the Dragon, both exciting and thought provoking. You can't help but be drawn into the story as you learn to care about the characters and the trials that they face. I found myself, laughing, crying, and yelling at various parts of the story. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series. I recommend it.

Stephani Hecht

Internet Tarot Readings
By
Theresa Chaze

The internet has opened another option for those who wish to see a glimpse into their future through the Tarot. For decades, readings were done over the telephone; for centuries beyond that, they were done live and in person. However, with the internet and email, tarot readings have gone high tech. It is now possible to ask questions or receive a general reading through email.

Although the in person readings have the advantage of the personal touch, the results of online readings are easier to keep and refer back to at future dates. In addition, by printing up the results, you can create a timeline that tracks your progress toward your goals as well as help you navigate through possible roadblocks. Although everyone has some level of psychic awareness, it always helpful to get a fresh perspective from an unbiased third person. Gifted readers show you how to find all your options and help you to find the best course of action; in doing so, they help you make decisions that are for your best and highest good. The reader is merely a guide to help you find you own path.

Theresa Chaze is a Wiccan Priestess who has twenty years experience reading Tarot. Using her natural born intuitive and empathic gifts, she helps her clients make informed decisions. Her gifts allow her to go beyond the cards to speak to your soul and your guides to get more detailed information. Through her maternal line, she is able to communicate with those who have crossed over; however, she does not guarantee that the dead will be available or willing to speak to the living. Another gift she received from her mother closeness with animals; she is especially intuitive with cats.

Ms. Chaze is available to do online Tarot Readings. Normally she does a double Celtic cross reading, which consist of eight cards plus an over all message card and a timing card. Any additional information she perceives is added, whether she understands it or not. In addition, any cards that jump out of the deck, wanting attention become part of the reading. This general reading gives the questioner whatever information they need the most at the time. She also does a five-card question spread, which focuses on one specific topic. The spread consists of two cards for the past, one for the present and the remaining two speak of the future. Although limited it is beneficial at times when specific information is required. Ms Chaze can bee contacted through her site at http://www.theresachaze.com/.

Valkyrie Publishing: Opens the epublishing Door for Individuals who want to keep control of their work.

Valkyrie Publishing provides a formatting conversion service, which translates word documents into PDF files and creates unique graphics for those who are time and technically challenged. Not only for Ebooks, PDF files can be useful for newsletters, ezines, or any document that will be needed to be easily opened by many computers.

As many have already realized using the free online service to convert their document into a PDF file doesn't always happen easily. Sometimes the formatting process moves paragraphs and chapters so they no longer properly aligned on the page. Valkyrie Publishing checks the placement before returning it to the author for formatting errors. In addition, the documents are ad free. Since the author is hiring a service, all rights are retained by the author. This service will provide a way for more authors to publish their work while maintaining total control over the distribution and sales.

Graphics will be composed using Photoshop by using of both royalty free components as well as original art. The image will be returned in a jpeg format in the best quality possible. From ebook covers to ezines, Valkyrie Publishing will provide unique art that will make your project look professional.

There are also other uses for PDF files. Newsletters and ezines are becoming more technically advanced as they become more popular. By converting to a PDF file, the publisher has the option of either sending the file out in the body of an email or uploading the file onto their server and sending out the address. By doing the later, it increases readership possibilities as it makes the smaller email and removes the need for an attachment. It's a simple and easy way of distributing newsletters and press releases. However, any documents that are going to shared or read on many different computers will benefit from being converted. For more information and for price quotes on profits, please go to www.theresachaze.com

Linda Rucker helps with AIDS relief

I'm pretty sure this picture is copyrighted and I'll probably get in a heap of trouble for using it, but these are just two of the faces of AIDS. I got this picture from PCEM which stands for Program Committee on Education for Mission. You can click on this link to go their website and read how they are working to educate people about this deadly disease.
http://www.ncccusa.org/missioneducation/aids/faces_of_aids.htm
I just wanted everyone out there to see that Gay men are not the only ones affected by this disease. Neither is it limited to adults. The faces of AIDS are many and varied. They could be your son, your daughter, your grandchild, your mother, your father, your sister, your brother. Anyone and everyone can be infected by this and is.


More than twenty years after the first cases of HIV/AIDS was diagnosed in this country, the numbers of infected have skyrocketed to alarming proportions.
From being the so called Gay plague or Gay disease, it has morphed into an equal opportunity infection , knowing no age or gender boundaries.
Now it is infecting our children, our babies, our teens, our adolescents. No one is immune to this disease.

Drugs have been developed that can control AIDS, but there is still, after more than twenty years, no cure, short of a plastic bubble.
No, it's not funny. We can stop the spread of AIDS by making just a couple of smart choices.
We can practice safe sex. Using a condom is an excellent way to prevent the spread of the disease, but it's certainly not foolproof. The surest way is abstinence, but lets face it, how many teenagers are willing to practice abstinence? How many adults? Very few.

So what is the answer? I don't know. I'm no scientist, or doctor.
From what I gather, teens are rapidly becoming the most infected in this country; with young blacks and Hispanics topping the list. But, all teens are at risk, and short of convents and monasteries, is there any way to stop these kids from having sex? No, not really. Remember when you were young?
'Nough said.

The only way to slow the spread of AIDS is through education and example. Practice safe sex, use a condom and try to remember that even condoms are not 100% effective against AIDS.

If you or someone you know even suspects they may have been infected, get tested immediately. Don't wait, go now.
Even if you test negative, further testing is needed at six month intervals to be certain. One can test negative for HIV today and six months later test positive. And in the meantime, how many others have you put at risk? How many other innocent people have you infected by your carelessness?
Don't think that it can't happen to you. I'd be willing to bet you that to a person, everyone in this country infected with HIV said the same thing.
How can you be 100% certain that your partner isn't infected? Because he/she is a doctor, a lawyer, makes no difference. Professional people do have sex, believe me, and for that matter alone they can be infected, and they can spread the disease to you.

Education is the only way to help prevent the spread of AIDS, but even that isn't a magic pill.

You may read up on the disease, know the risks, know how to protect yourself, but does your partner? What if you are in a monogamous relationship for a few years and you are completely comfortable in the knowledge that your partner is HIV free. Okay, so no more condoms, they're awful and time consuming and really not necessary in this relationship. Okay, nine out of ten time, that's perfectly accurate. But, what if your partner strays, just once, a one nighter that meant nothing, and you forgive him/her and resume your condom-less relationship. So what if your significant other's one nighter was infected with HIV and he/she didn't know? Now you both are infected. And who knows how many others?

This disease isn't going to go away by itself. Not without everyone worldwide becoming educated and practicing safe sex. But in reality, we all know that is about as likely as your mother-in-law growing a second head. Okay, bad analogy, but you get the picture.

All you can do is educate yourself and protect yourself and hope and pray that your partner does the same.
For the year 2007, 40% of the sale of every copy of "Dark Ridge" will be donated to AIDS relief. W.H.A.T. is gearing up for a full year of money making events to aid in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Look for e-books in the coming months that chronicle the disease and the real people who have lived with not only the disease, but the stigma of it. All proceeds from the sale of these e-books will go to HIV/AIDS relief.
You may purchase your copy of "Dark Ridge" from www.amazon.com, www.bn.com,
www.pagefreepublishing.com, or order it at any Borders, Hastings or B Dalton Booksellers, or any book retailers nationwide.
You may not think your small purchase will be of any real help in this fight, but believe me, every penny helps to provide medicine for those infected with this deadly disease.

And please remember, babies and small children are dying, and your contribution will help get much needed medicine to these children, and others who can not afford the medicine they need to keep living.
Thank you.

Dead Not Gone
By
Theresa Chaze
The rays of sunset melted into mauves and lavender as it faded into the west beneath the sliver of moon. All around her, Anna could smell the intense sweet of the lilac bushes intertwining with a hint of smoke from a neighbor's bon fire. The first of many, she thought looking across the field. The neighborhood was quiet except for the barking dogs in the distance. Shifting her backpack, she waited hidden among the lilac bushes, watching the burned out remains of house at the top of the hill. She had to be sure. There could be no mistakes. The remaining color paled to gray then darkness; it was time. Saying a prayer of protection to the Goddess, Anna surrounded herself in the Mother Earth's energy to cloak her from what she knew would appear. On the spiritual realm, she would now be as invisible to him as he was to most in the physical world.

It started as a small spark from what was the back of the house, growing intensity as it moved through it and out the front door. On the remains of the porch, it took shape. As in life, he was a large man both in statue and in weight. His hair was dark and well combed. While he was alive, Anna only met him once. He had towered over her; his vacant blue eyes examined her as if she were a piece of meat lying behind a butcher's display case. The encounter had been brief, yet it still had left her drained and ill. It took her several days and a healing from a friend for her to recover. Now looking up at his spirit, her stomach again became queasy. The Writersville police had ended his life when he refused to surrender, choosing instead to shoot at them. A volley of bullets gave cover as the smoke bomb crashed through the front window. The house burst into flames. He refused to leave. Hours later, his chard body was carried out, but Davis was far from being contained.

The night after his remains had been laid to rest, his spirit appeared on the burnt remnants of his porch. His appearance had awakened her from a sound sleep and she watched him wander the neighborhood, search for a vulnerable home. She had quickly thrown up her shields to hide her home from his sight. His passed and found entrance on a ranch further down the street--the home of one of the children he had victimized in life. Moments later, a child’s screams echoed. Lights appeared in the windows. An ambulance arrived soon after. The family never did return to the home. That had been three weeks before. Each night since it had been a different homes and different children screaming. Each time the attacks became more violent. The night before the child nearly died. Anna vowed it would never happen again.

From the porch, his spirit looked down. Most had lights shining behind curtained windows. Families were settling in for the night. Two blocks away, her home also had a light shining as a beacon for her, only it had so much more. Before she left, she set her shields and called her patron dragon to protect her fur-kids. She needed to know they would be protected; it wouldn’t be safe for either if her attention were divided. Now she had to wait. While he was on his home turf, he was to powerful for her to face. He needed to choose his new victim and attack. It was only after he left his power source was he vulnerable. She had no choice but risk another child.

Okay, I'm evil. To read the rest of the story it's going to cost your .49 and a trip to my site at www.theresachaze.com

January Issue of Messages of the Universe
An Ezine of Diversity of Wisdom and View Points
By
Theresa Chaze--Wiccan Writer


Here is the January Messages from the Universe. As always the individual articles remain copyrighted by the authors, but you are more than welcome to share the ezine with others.

You many have to cut and paste the address into your browser.

http://us.share.geocities.com/tirgana/messagesJan07.pdf

Please click the ad at the beginning of the blogs. It'll cost you nothing, but it will help me out a great deal. Even if you do not have an interest in what is being promoted or sold, clicking on it will help me stay on the internet. Thank you so much for your help.
Theresa

Free Wiccan Fantasy Ebook

I'm just testing to see if anyone is actually reading my blog. So I'm offering the first five people who comment to this message a free ebook copy of my novel, Awakening the Dragon. The catch is you have to write a 200 word review for me. Anyone interested? Anyone reading this?

If you enjoy a good magical fantasy in the style of Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey and Harry Potter, you will enjoy Theresa Chaze's novels, Awakening the Dragon and Dragon Domain Filled with magic, suspense and romance, the residents of Coyote Springs will entice and frighten you as they face challenges that come from within and without.

Magic, suspense and romance intertwine in Awakening the Dragon--Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy (ISBN 1-58961-432-3) as Rachael moves to Coyote Springs to follow her dream; instead of finding peace with her new store and new home, she becomes the catalyst in exposing a murderer and the target of a violent cult. To protect herself and her loved ones, Rachael risks everything by awakening her dragon spirit prematurely. As the dragon rises within her, the cult surround her home with the intent on killing the new witch who lives inside and burning the evidence of the murder of the previous owner.

Dragon Domain--Book Two of the Dragon Clan Trilogy (ISBN 1-58961-463-1) picks up the story a few months later as the Dragon Clan begins to reassemble at the safe haven Cheyenne has created on the Northern Michigan farm. Cheyenne was happy until an old love from Celeste‘s past appeared at their door. Rapidly the darkness of the night brought terror as sacrificial blood was shed. Cheyenne tried to warn her. Celeste refused to listen. She let him in. No one was safe from his darkness. Cheyenne called the dragons. They drove him back. Then they joined together in an old evil. Alone Cheyenne was barely able to defeated him, but now with Celeste’s help and knowledge of all her weakness, how could she possibly stop them from stealing her very soul and all those she loves?

It's about power; who has it? Who wants it?

Wiccan Ritual: Uniting Prayer For All Souls of Light
By
Theresa Chaze


In the challenging and divisive times we live in, where politicians and spiritual leaders use fear to gain supremacy, it is time we take back our own power and come together on common grounds. Every faith promotes truth, honor, love and wisdom; it is the dogma that divides us. By returning to the basics, we can again find the true spirituality of the Divine as each of us knows it. Whether you call it a ritual or mass, this prayer/spell was designed to bring our energy together to open our souls and minds to the realization that no one faith holds all the truths; it’s only by coming together and sharing what the Divine has taught each that we can follow the true path of spiritual growth. In addition, by sharing our wisdom, we build bridges of understanding, which fight the fear and bigotry others have cultivated to gain power.
Many have prayed for peace, yet war continues. But like a house that is build on quick sand, peace is only as good as the foundation on which it is built. It is only by praying for wisdom, justice and truth for all can peace be created. They are the strong foundations on which peace and respect between peoples, religions, and cultures will be created.
The following is a ritual to be performed on Winter solstice. Its purpose is to bring all the religions together in one voice. The more participants involved the more energy we will be raised and send out. It can be done online or in person. Souls know no time or space; if the intention is to be together, nothing will keep us apart.
For those who chose to be Guardians of light, your commitment to light a white candle and say the appropriate prayer last a year and a day. After such time, you are release to either recommit or not. For all other, the commitment is as deep as you wish it to be.

Opening Speaker:
Representing the will of each and every one of all
I light this candle to begin the call.

(Light a tall while pillar candle)

As this flame dances becoming a beacon in the night
I call you forth to be Guardians of Light.
In free choice and self determining will
come forth now and allow your spirit to prevail.

As this single candle turns darkness into light,
so may our spirits end the blight.
Where ignorance and hate now prevail
let wisdom, truth and justice be unveiled.

Come now forth to state your claim
to become pillars of the Divine flame.
Calling the Divine as you see
Let their presence come forth now and be.
Ask for their Divine might
to make justice a true right.
As you come forth for this year and a day
you proclaim yourself to be an anchoring ray.
As your wick meets the flame
Call the Divine using a familiar name.

(Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Earth Based or the multitude of the other religions, all are welcome to participate equally and freely. Each religion sends one person to call the primary deity or deities to attend. These representatives agree to light a white candle once a day for a year and one day and say the following prayer.)

In the name of the (Divine name--Jesus, Allah, Goddesses, etc), I do proclaim
that wisdom, truth and justice will remain.
Let this candle be a beacon on the darkness night
to fight back the fear with the hope of light.

(After all the religions, who wish be represented, call forth the Divine as they know it, they turn to those behind them and say in unison.)

From one light comes the hope
that goes beyond any one faith’s scope.
As it was shared with me without limit or shame
I pass it on now for all to claim.

(The second tier, no matter what faith, lights their candle from the nearest pillar candle and repeats)

From one light comes one hope
that goes beyond any one faith’s scope.
As it was shared with me without limit or shame
I pass it on now for all to claim.

(The sharing of the flame and the prayer continues until everyone participated.)

Closing speaker:
As we have to come together to become one
let our voices not be shunned.
Like a home that is build on solid ground,
so shall the Divine wisdom, justice and truth help the path to peace be found.
Releasing our egos and fears to the higher powers
we allow our souls to become spiritual towers.
When the darkness threatens our belief,
we only have to relight the flame to find relief.
For as we have lighted our candles to become one,
so we have touched each other and our separateness is undone.
Flame to flame, soul to soul
so our power has begun to unfold.
As these flames now are extinguished and no longer burn bright,
so we now become the pillars of light.

(The candles are extinguished and taken home to be relit later.)

Even though the ritual has concluded, the energy connection between the participates remains. Just as all the flames came from one, so we all come from the same source of love and wisdom no matter by what name it is called.
This ritual is meant to be freely shared and practiced. It’s in the sharing that creates the connect between us all.

You aint going to believe. Moral to the story, keep your mouth shut and quit while you're ahead.

Police Abuse: Minor Arrested for Holding up a sign
In spite of the First Amendment, a minor was arrested for holding up a sign on a city street. Watch the video and you decide if the police are out of control.

War What is it Good for? Absolutely NOTHING!!!!

Police Abuse: Wiccans Beware--
Your Civil Rights are not guaranteed
By
Theresa Chaze

Police ignoring civil rights has become a harsh reality for not only Wiccans and Pagans, but also every other minority. No longer does the First Amendment provide freedom of religion, speech, to gather and engage in peaceful demonstration. No longer does the Fourth Amendment guarantee your home, car or business will not be searched without a warrant signed by a judge. Instead, there are a growing number of law enforcement officers who believe they are above the law; they see themselves not as public servants, but public masters who should not be questioned or criticized. Instead, they should be blindly and meekly obeyed. To do otherwise is to risk being harassed, physically attacked and jailed with little cause.

Under the banner of self-defense, police have used traffic stops to justify warrant less searches. Such was the case of a northern Michigan Wiccan Priestess. Returning home from work, she was stopped. The Deputy initially refused to disclose why she was pulled over. Instead, he ordered her from her vehicle and searched it without her consent. In the bottom of her purse, he found a small athame set--the largest knife was under three inches, but it had a double edged blade. He arrested her; however, he refused to notify her of the reason for the stop or the arrest until they reached the jail. At that time, she was informed she was stopped for swerving twice in the several miles he had followed her, but she arrested and charged for felony-concealed weapon for having daggers in her purse. She did not threaten him, nor was she given an opportunity to explain why she had the athames. Several attempts were made a paying her bond, however the deputies on duty misrepresented the facts and she was held for over fifteen hours. During such time, she was denied medication for her asthma and proper nutrition for her hypoglycemia. Instead, the wheels of justice rolled over her civil rights. Although she had a clean record and the officer had a history of alcohol abuse, lying on the stand and violence against women, her court appointed attorney informed her that she would not win in spite of the illegal search and her religious path. In Michigan, double edge knifes, no matter what size are illegal. The attorney’s stance was that nothing else was pertinent to the case. Eventually the case was settled and the charges dropped to much lesser charge. But justice was far from being served.

Physically an athame is usually a double edge blade of varying sized, frequently with a black handle and a dull blade. However, its magical definition is ritual knife that is use only for the direction of energy. It is used in ritual for creating protective circles and calling the elements. Using it for a mundane purpose would contaminate it and make it unsuitable for ritual work until it had been cleansed and reblessed. A Boline is used for cutting and all other ritual needs. Kitchen witches are an exception to this rule; they believe that by using their tools daily increases their connection to them. Whether an athame or Boline, neither are to be used as a physical weapon. To do so would destroy their positive spiritual quality and attract the negative aspects of the universe.

In the case of the northern Michigan Priestess, if it hadn’t been for the illegal search of her purse, the athames wouldn’t have been an issue. They could have not been produce or used to threaten the officer or anyone else without destroying their religious power. The District Attorney’s office was informed of their religious significance; initially they agreed she had a defense under the First Amendment, however their stance changed without reason, claiming the Priestess told the officer they were for self-defense. By sheer definition of her spiritual beliefs, it is obvious that statement was untrue and the officer lied. Yet, even though he violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights, his word would carry more weigh by the court even though he had a history of deceit and violence against women.

Every state has their own laws pertaining to the legalities of what is considered a weapon. Before carrying your religious tools make you know what the specific requirements of your state are. In some cases, it would be wise to obtain a concealed weapons permit if you will be traveling with your Athame and Boline. By going to http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm you can find an abridge listing of knife laws by state. It is only a starting point and should not be considered definitive legal advice.

Police Abuse: Simple Guidelines to Protect Yourself
By
Theresa Chaze

With the rapidly increasing occurrence of the police abusing individuals and ignoring their civil rights, everyone needs to be aware of what their rights are and how to protect them. No longer do the First and Fourth Amendments provide the freedoms and protection the founding fathers intended. Freedom of religion, speech, to gather and engage in peaceful demonstrations are no longer protected rights, nor is the right to be safe from unreasonable searches and seizures in our homes, cars, and places of business. The police no longer consider themselves pubic servants, but public masters who are above the laws. Their motto has been perverted from protect and serve to that of harass and intimate.
As in the cases of the UCLA student who was tazered multiple times by the police to the New York City undercover officers who turned a city street into a shooting gallery, these officers excuse their behavior under the banner of self-defense and expect the public to blindly accept their word in spite of valid physical evidence to the contrary. They are arrogant enough to believe that their word will not or should not be questioned. However, when they are confronted and complaints are filed, they harass and threaten their accusers into silence. Those who have the courage to follow through find the complaint system is skewed in the favor of the officers and against the individual. As with a Florida reporter, who exposed several law enforcement departs refusal accept complaints, was subject legal harassment and unlawful arrests, so it is across the country as law enforcement rallies to protect its own. The blue wall is not a myth or an illusion, but a force that protects renegade officers in shrouds of silence and sheer brutality. In addition, complaints are filed with the supervisor of the offender; it's like complaining to Don Corleone about one of his lieutenant’s behavior. The members of the Internal Affairs divisions are chosen by the chiefs or commissioners and answer to him or her not to the public. It is in their best interest to follow the lead set by their supervisors and not muddy the waters by questioning the officers or their departments' ethics. Civil complaint boards are only as effective as their members wish them to be. Going to the media and suing civilly have become the more effective means for victims of police abuse to receive justice. It is only when the public outrages becomes intense that the law enforcement agencies are forced to take appropriate action.
Although the abusive officers are only a small percentage of those on duty, the officers who know about the abuses and do nothing are just as bad. In ignoring, defending or protecting the abusers, they allow the behaviors to continue and to escalate. Their hands are just as bloody as those who do the actual harm. By keeping silent or excusing the abusive behavior, they betray the trust the public has consigned to them and placed themselves in the same category as those who do the harm. It would be in their own selfish best interest to expose the abusers and restore the honor of their departments. In doing so, they would make their jobs easier and safer as they would have the co-operation of the public, instead of the public seeing law enforcement as just another enemy.
The ACLU has released a list of what you should to do or not if you are stopped for questioning by the police. It is not a definitive list, but simple guidelines to help you safely deal with law enforcement.

Police Abuse: What to do if you are stopped while Driving

1. Think carefully. Choose your words and actions with care. Remain calm. Avoid quick movements.

2. Don't get into an argument or loose your temper. Anything you say or do can be held against you.

3. Don't run. Don't touch the officer. It can be used as a reason to arrest you.

4. Don't resist. Even if you are innocent, resisting alone is a reason to arrest you.

5. Don't complain. Making a scene or threatening to file a compliant only makes the situation escalate.

6. Do not make any statements regarding the incident. Ask for a lawyer.

7. Write everything down and remember the officer's name, badge number and patrol car number.

8. Try to find witnesses. Get their name and addresses.

9. If you are injured, document the injuries with medical reports and photographs.

10. If your rights have been violated, file a complaint with the police department’s internal affairs division or civilian complaint board.

If you are stopped in your car:

1. Upon request, show them your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. In certain cases, your car can be searched without a warrant as long as the police have probable cause. To protect yourself later, make it clear that you do not consent to the search. It is not lawful for police to arrest you for simply refusing to consent to a search. (From personal experience, I recommend that you drive with your information readily available. I used to drive with my purse in the back seat. When I was stopped, I told the officer that my information was in the back seat; he told me to get it, but when I tried to open the door, he used it as excuse to harass and arrest me. My purse is now on the passenger seat when I drive and all my information is easily accessible.)

2. If you're given a ticket, you should sign it; otherwise, you can be arrested. You can always fight it in court later.

3. If you are suspected of driving under the influence and refuse to take a blood, urine or breathe test, your driver’s license may be suspended.

If you are arrested and taken to the police station:

1. You have the right to remain silent and to talk to an attorney before you talk to the police. Tell the police nothing except your name and address. Don't give any explanations, excuses or stories. Make your defense later in court based on what you and your lawyer decides is the best course of action.

2. Ask to see a lawyer immediately. If you can't pay for one, you have right to free one and should ask the police how the lawyer can be contacted. Don't say anything without a lawyer.

3. Within a reasonable time after your arrest or booking, you have the right to make a local phone call. The police may not listen to the call to the lawyer.

4. Sometimes you can be released without bail or to have the bail lowered. Have your lawyer ask the judge. You must be taken before the judge on the next court day after the arrest.

If the police come to your home:

1. If the police knock and ask to enter your home, you don't have to admit them unless they have a warrant signed by a judge.

2. The exception is during an emergency situation. For example if a person is screaming for help inside or if the police are chasing someone and they enter.

3. If you are arrested, the police can search you and the area close to you. If you are in a building, close and mean up to the room you are in.

Everyone is entitled to courteous and respectful treatment by the police. If your rights have been violated, don't deal with it at the moment. Talk to a lawyer afterwards or file a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Board or Internal Affairs.

Police Abuse Senior Citizen. No One is safe from the out of control Law enforcement. It is time for the public to take back it's power. They are public servants, not public masters.

PMS--what is it? How do you survive?

Going to Hell---A response

Anti-Christian or speaking the truth. Does the video go to far or does the little girl speak the truths we are too politically correct to say?

You judge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8x14cLGh5o

Wiccan Uniting Ritual For All Souls of Light
By
Theresa Chaze

In the challenging and divisive times we live in, where politicians and spiritual leaders use fear to gain supremacy, it is time we take back our own power and come together on common grounds. Every faith promotes truth, honor, love and wisdom; it is the dogma that divides us. By returning to the basics, we can again find the true spirituality of the Divine as each of us knows it. Whether you call it a ritual or mass, this prayer/spell was designed to bring our energy together to open our souls and minds to the realization that no one faith holds all the truths; it’s only by coming together and sharing what the Divine has taught each that we can follow the true path of spiritual growth. In addition, by sharing our wisdom, we build bridges of understanding, which fight the fear and bigotry others have cultivated to gain power.
Many have prayed for peace, yet war continues. But like a house that is build on quick sand, peace is only as good as the foundation on which it is built. It is only by praying for wisdom, justice and truth for all can peace be created. They are the strong foundations on which peace and respect between peoples, religions, and cultures will be created.
The following is a ritual to be performed on Winter solstice. Its purpose is to bring all the religions together in one voice. The more participants involved the more energy we will be raised and send out. It can be done online or in person. Souls know no time or space; if the intention is to be together, nothing will keep us apart.
For those who chose to be Guardians of light, your commitment to light a white candle and say the appropriate prayer last a year and a day. After such time, you are release to either recommit or not. For all other, the commitment is as deep as you wish it to be.

Opening Speaker:

Representing the will of each and every one of all
I light this candle to begin the call.

(Light a tall while pillar candle)

As this flame dances becoming a beacon in the night
I call you forth to be Guardians of Light.
In free choice and self determining will
come forth now and allow your spirit to prevail.
As this single candle turns darkness into light,
so may our spirits end the blight.
Where ignorance and hate now prevail
let wisdom, truth and justice be unveiled.
Come now forth to state your claim
to become pillars of the Divine flame.
Calling the Divine as you see
Let their presence come forth now and be.
Ask for their Divine might
to make justice a true right.
As you come forth for this year and a day
you proclaim yourself to be an anchoring ray.
As your wick meets the flame
Call the Divine using a familiar name.

(Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Earth Based or the multitude of the other religions, all are welcome to participate equally and freely. Each religion sends one person to call the primary deity or deities to attend. These representatives agree to light a white candle once a day for a year and one day and say the following prayer.)

In the name of the (Divine name--Jesus, Allah, Goddesses, etc), I do proclaim
that wisdom, truth and justice will remain.
Let this candle be a beacon on the darkness night
to fight back the fear with the hope of light.

(After all the religions, who wish be represented, call forth the Divine as they know it, they turn to those behind them and say in unison.)

From one light comes the hope
that goes beyond any one faith’s scope.
As it was shared with me without limit or shame
I pass it on now for all to claim.

(The second tier, no matter what faith, lights their candle from the nearest pillar candle and repeats)

From one light comes one hope
that goes beyond any one faith’s scope.
As it was shared with me without limit or shame
I pass it on now for all to claim.
(The sharing of the flame and the prayer continues until everyone participated.)

Closing speaker:

As we have to come together to become one
let our voices not be shunned.
Like a home that is build on solid ground,
so shall the Divine wisdom, justice and truth help the path to peace be found.
Releasing our egos and fears to the higher powers
we allow our souls to become spiritual to towers.
When the darkness threatens our belief,
we only have to relight the flame to find relief.
For as we have lighted our candles to become one,
so we have touched each other and our separateness is undone.
Flame to flame, soul to soul
so our power has begun to unfold.
As these flames now are extinguished and no longer burn bright,
so we now become the pillars of light.

(The candles are extinguished and taken home to be relit later.)

Even though the ritual has concluded, the energy connection between the participates remains. Just as all the flames came from one, so we all come from the same source of love and wisdom no matter by what name it is called.
This ritual is meant to be freely shared and practiced. It’s in the sharing that creates the connect between us all.

Boomer Chick: Musings of an Over the Hill Chick

Hecate: Nice

Police Abuse:
Holding the Police Responsible for Their Actions
ByTheresa Chaze

The police are no longer harbingers of service and protection, but are a power driven force whose purpose is to intimate and humiliate the masses. Instead of good will and support, they are breeding resentment and anger in those they swore to protect. Increasingly civil rights are being whittled away and totally ignored by the police. They claim their actions are justified in the name of self-defense. It calls into question what came first, the attacks on the police or the brutality against the public? Yet the individual officers are not civilly or criminally held responsible for their actions. They can’t be sued by individuals they have been wrong and rarely are they prosecuted. Instead, the cities, counties and states are financially bearing the brunt of their ego driven rampages, which have caused great harm and sometimes death to individuals.


This needs to change. Officers need to be held responsible for when they have crossed the line. In every state of the union, here are examples of officers brutalizing the public but not being held responsible for their actions. The most recent and widely publicized event happened in New York City. Unarmed Sean Bell and two of his companions were leaving his bachelor party when the police turned a minor traffic accident into a shooting gallery. At least fifty shots were fired by five police officers into the car the three men occupied. Their vehicle was stuck by 21 bullets; Mr. Bell was killed and his companions severely wounded. But they were not the only victims. A neighborhood man had not only his car damaged by three bullets, but a fourth ripped through his front window, breaking a lamp in his living room. Two Port Authority Police Officers were injured by flying glass when a bullet shattered a window at the nearby AirTrain facility. All five officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave. Their names have been withheld as well as have any further details of the shooting. A Grand Jury will be convened to investigated the circumstances of the shootings; but like Patrick Dorismond and Amadou Diallo, can the Bell family expect justice from a system that as given free reign to officers to do as they will without consequences. Doing a Google search on “police abuse of power” brings up over seven million entries. From the Iran-American, Mostafa Tabatabainejad who was tasered by the UCLA police officers for now showing proper ID in the university library to the harassment WFOS TV-CBS reporter Mike Kirsch, who investigated the abuse of citizens who attempted to make complaints against officers, it quite apparent that law enforcement officers are out of control. In spite of witnesses and video evidence, the legal system continues to protect its own by persecuting innocent citizens. There were students in the library that used their cells to document the abuse of Mr. Tabatabainejad. On such video is at http://votesmith.wordpress.com/tag/abuse-of-power/; be warned that it is very graphic. In Kirsch’s case, the Broward County Police Benevolent Association initiated a BOLO, giving out Kirsch personal information including phone number, license numbers and address to officers on a special alert. BOLO stands for “be on the look out.” This section is normally reserved for fugitives from justice and missing persons. Although the listing was temporarily withdrawn, it was back on the site March 17, along with the address and mobile phone number of Gregory Slate, one of the Police Complaint Center's volunteers.

With all the coverage, the abuse isn’t a secret. What is as easily apparent is what is being done. It is foolish for a complaint to have to go to the department that abused her or him to make complaint and expect that justice be done. But that is how the system is now set up. There are very few associations, which have the ability to effectively police the police. In many states, the Attorney General cannot get involved until after the local complaints have been filed, which means if the complaints are not accepted or denied, nothing will be done. Each state and county needs to have an independent association that the pubic can file complaints where they will be seriously investigated without complaint being harassed or intimated. There is a national database where complaints can be registered at http://www.policecomplaint.com/. This site has links to the FBI and Department of Justice tasks forces as well as to a civilian compliant center and the ACLU. It is a good resource, but none of them will prevent the abuse. The only way is insure the officers have personal as well as profession consequences. They can held responsible economically and legally for their actions. The only way this will be possible is for the public to step. As with the students who used their cell phones to document, the public needs to speak out not only on the local level but also on the state. They need to report abuses to the Attorney General of their state and not allow the office to hide behind protocol. Writing letters to the editor, giving details of the abuse will also force the police to obey the civil rights laws. Don’t be afraid to speak up for others; you never know when you will be the one who needs a witness. The more who speak out, the more power the public has to protect itself against police intimation and harassment. Legislation needs to be passed that allows individuals to sue officers. In addition, officers, who are accused of a crime, cannot be investigated by their own department, but by the next level in the chain of command.

Lastly know what your rights and responsibilities are. The ACLU (www.aclu.org) has a list of what to do and not to do when approached by the police. It gives simple specific instructions what your rights are. Knowing what do to, will help you protect yourself and your loved ones.

On Monday December 4, I will be appearing on Missy Brown Writers Jamboree at http://client0.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=161026/ It's an interactive chat about my work and writing in general; you are invited to join to listen or ask questions. Theresa

New Magical Fantasy Author--Theresa Chaze

Theresa Chaze is a fully dedicated Wiccan Priestess who leads her readers to magical realms and others worlds. Her work is based on her philosophy that all peoples can live together in peace as long as we come from respect, not only for ourselves but those who follow different paths or beliefs. Her work has been compared to Marion Zimmer Bradley and Anne McCaffrey with an adult version of Harry Potter mixed in.
Her resume is as diverse as her interests. On the mundane level, she graduated from Michigan State University with Bachelor Degrees in English and Video Production; after which she worked for several years at local TV stations. However the politics in the stations burned her out and she moved on to various jobs finally ending up at a small factory. On a more spiritual level, she is a Tarot Reader and a Reiki Healer. In the summer of 1981, she initiated on the Wiccan path. Samhain of 1997, she fully dedicated to the path of the Goddess. She is a natural born intuitive and empath with an instinctive connection to animals and nature spirits.
Her major works so far include the first two novels of the Dragon Clan Trilogy and a free fantasy ebook called, Sisters, Mother, Daughters. Her screenplay, Never Can Say Good-bye, is one of the 2006 winners of the Gloria Film Festival. Additional non-fiction articles and observations can be found in her newsletter; the link can be found on her site at www.theresachaze.com. Readers are welcome to visit site to download her free ebook and join her newsletter list.

New conversion Service
By
Theresa Chaze

Valkyrie Publishing provides a formatting conversion service, which translates word documents into PDF files and creates unique graphics for those who are time and technically challenged. Not only for Ebooks, PDF files can be useful for newsletters, ezines, or any document that will be needed to be easily opened by many computers.

As many have already realized using the free online service to convert their document into a PDF file doesn't always happen easily. Sometimes the formatting process moves paragraphs and chapters so they no longer properly aligned on the page. Valkyrie Publishing checks the placement before returning it to the author for formatting errors. In addition, the documents are ad free. Since the author is hiring a service, all rights are retained by the author. This service will provide a way for more authors to publish their work while maintaining total control over the distribution and sales.

Graphics will be composed using Photoshop by using of both royalty free components as well as original art. The image will be returned in a jpeg format in the best quality possible. From ebook covers to ezines, Valkyrie Publishing will provide unique art that will make your project look professional.
There are also other uses for PDF files. Newsletters and ezines are becoming more technically advanced as they become more popular. By converting to a PDF file, the publisher has the option of either sending the file out in the body of an email or uploading the file onto their server and sending out the address. By doing the later, it increases readership possibilities as it makes the smaller email and removes the need for an attachment. It's a simple and easy way of distributing newsletters and press releases. However, any documents that are going to shared or read on many different computers will benefit from being converted. For more information go to www.theresachaze.com

Greetings,Here is the December issue of Messages From the Universe. As always the authors maintain copyright to the individual articles, however you are welcome to share the ezine.The address is http://www.geocitie s.com/tirgana/ MessagesDec. pdfYou may have to cut and paste it into your browser.I am always looking for good article with unique wisdom and points of view. If you are interested, email me at Theresa@theresachaz e.com