Tuesday, February 14, 2017

And the winner is.........................

Hail Magistra Ruth Waytz
Radio Free Satan's
Confessions of a Wicked Witch
Wicked Witch of the Year, 2016-2017


Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Last but Never Least

Those who know me know I have a special relartionship with guilt. I need to state that this year, this project, has pretty well left me overflowing with guilt.
  • Did I miss any nominee?
  • Can I do them justice?
  • Will they hate me for writing this/not writing that?
  • Will so and so be upset that hers is longer/shorter/funnier/dryer than other so and so?
  • Is there anyway to do this so no feelings get hurt?
     I'm about at the end of my rope.  These women are the saving grace.  These witches deserve a prize for just being 30,000 times more interesting than any other women alive.  I love them.  You will too.


Sara Josephine



I’m in tears right now.  It isn’t because I’m babysitting and my granddaughter is sick so I’m tired beyond measure, or because the arthritis in my ankle/foot is so bad that I can’t walk.  It isn’t because I am having a meltdown due to my political beliefs.  It isn’t even because my eldest daughter and her family have been devastated by a house fire that has destroyed almost all they own.  All of those things may have worn away at my composure and made me vulnerable, but they didn’t actually knock down the wall.
This did:
I had cats for all of my adult life. They were 19 and 16 when they died within two weeks of one another last September. I am still having a hard time dealing with the immeasurable loss.


Kali went first. She was 16. She was very much my Familiar. Me in cat form, I her in people form. She let out a very uncharacteristic for her loud meow. That was my only warning...we looked into one another's eyes... I saw the lights go out in her eyes as her grip relaxed. I knew what had happened, but was so stunned. I continued to hold her and brush her while I cried for quite some time.


For the next two weeks, I was so concerned about Beast - my 19 year old - that I could not process my grief. He was very much my Demonic. He and Kali had been together all but her first four weeks of life and he just gave up without her. ...The night before he died, I had this terrible feeling while at work that this was the night. ...He did stir happily when he saw me and we curled up to sleep. I woke up, he did not.


As painful as it still is, I take great comfort in having been with each of them until the very end.”


I feel guilty editing that but I want to share with you more than that about Sara Josephine.  It is just that made me cry.  It isn’t that it is so unique or special, it is because the love she shares in that story is so universal. And being able to touch another person in a deep and meaningful way is not always easy.  Sara Josephine, by the way, may be able to share a story in a universal manner, but she herself is not simple.



She works in the Mental Health field, but it is obvious that she has many passion beyond that.  I recently paid a visit to her website www.thestillshow.com  from which Sara Josephine sells her wares.  The site and the products are equally unique.  She has also found writing and using her voice in a project called “Murnau” to be equally gratifying :

Our first album was completed a bit before the end of 2016. I've always wanted to do something with sound. The people I collaborate with are so knowledgable. The entire process is so organic and enjoyable. It's also great to want to write again, as I've been focused on other methods of expression for so long that it was neglected."



This woman is so cool, it defies description.  I was forced to go back into my film memory to call up Boccacio 70, a trinity of Italian comedies in one movie.  One of them stars Sofia Loren.  Another is led by Romy Schneider, but Sara Josephine had mentioned, along with the amazing Hedy Lamar, Anita Eckberg and her character in this film (directed by none other than Fellini) as an idol and inspiration of hers,

Anita Ekberg's character in BOCCACCIO '7O - mischevious, fierce, glamourous, larger than life and absolutely the best representation of a Satanic woman in all of her glimmering facets I've personally ever seen.”

Ever?  Really?  Look in the mirror much?

Jessica Darling





     If there is anyone I am really jealous of this year, at least in terms of things they have spent time doing, it would be Ms. Jessica Darling.  This woman has travelled all over the place in 2016. I don’t know if this is her norm, but damn!  
  • in April I enjoyed my first of three trips to Europe in 2016: first, to Italy/Croatia/Slovenia -
  • In July, my 20th high school reunion took place in upstate New York. I was the person who traveled the farthest to attend, from Portland, Oregon.
  • In September I made my annual trip to Germany, and met my new "god"-daughter who had been born a month before.
  • In November I made my last trip to Europe for the year, spending my birthday in Belgrade, Serbia.
  • In December, after only being home for less than two weeks, I traveled to New Orleans


Me? I went to Walmart.  Stand back!



    Okay, it isn’t quite as bleak as all that, but who wouldn’t be happy to do half of that in double the time?



What is especially cool about this is having started to get to know Jessica I have developed a bit of an understanding.  Like many of us, she did not seem to have the easiest time in her younger days, but it seems that by becoming comfortable with herself and finding her true home, Portland, she became comfortable with (some) others:

I was always a misfit, a "loner," an "introvert." I often used sex appeal to get what I thought I needed, and therefore have had lots of male friends, and issues with other women. This year not only have I built deep, lasting friendships with other women, but I have also realized the joy of having real friends, who are your family, who continue to love and support you despite any minor disagreements, who are not just friends of convenience or proximity, but will make an effort and travel long distances at their own expense just for your sake, who want you to be happy simply because they love you, and I also genuinely enjoyed doing the same for them.”

This is not to say Jessica is all light and joy.  Heaven forbid!  She knows what she has to do to keep her world as she wants it:
me vanquishing my (professional) enemy in my first bloodless coup -- can't say much about it publicly, but let's just say, I'd been confounded and retaliated against for a certain amount of time, and so I replaced the person(s) with myself.”



When a Witch, or ANY woman can say the following, there really isn’t much else needed to be said:


I realized, I have the absolute BEST LIFE of my entire graduating class, which I built myself, without a man to help or finance me. In fact, this year I bought myself all the things (designer handbags, etc) that I usually receive as gifts …”





Renee Anderson


                                                                                                  
    Renee Anderson is a force of nature.  There is nothing this woman can’t do.  As I am typing this on a Sunday morning looking roughly like I escaped from the hospital’s geriatric ward, my husband--who’s most recent claim to a mid-life crisis involves wearing age inappropriate blue jeans--is looking dapper as Hell in a Renee Anderson original shirt.  When, in all that is unholy, did this woman find time to sew, when, evidently, she is running a substantial portion of the world, I don’t know.

    Renee is a dedicated pet owner.
    Renee is a devoted mother.
    Renee is a loving wife.
    Renee is a successful business woman.
    Renee cares for a special needs kitty.
    Renee is amazingly crafty and sells her wares.
    Renee is so involved in local politics that after 2 years as a member she has been elected President of the Magna Town Council.    Now being a public Satanist as a business owner is pretty ballsy.  Being a public Satanic Witch who is a member of the town council is downright heroic.  Being a Satanic Witch who runs for and wins the Presidency of the Town Council in a town that is in Salt Lake County (I fucking looked this shit up, I couldn’t believe it!!!) is like winning some sort of bullet-proof-guts-Lotto.

  
   Icing on the cake?  This Satanic Witch doesn’t do this stuff one at a time, oh no, like some sort of Cosmo article on steroids, she ‘has it all’ at the same time!  The woman is a walking example of Stratification.
    This is impressive stuff.  At Conclave when she and her husband demonstrated how they had made a festival grow I watched an audience of young Satanists being inspired to believing that they CAN do those kinds of things, without giving up their ideals.  I likewise watched nearly every woman at the banquet ask another “Have you seen Renee Anderson’s dress?  She MADE it!”  “No way??!”  “Really!  She did!”  “Holy Shit!”

   And with all this going for her, I was most touched by her answer to who her idol/inspiration is:

“My personal idol is my Husband. He is the hardest working person I've ever known. He always has a positive attitude while never taking any kind of grief from anyone. He's been my biggest supporter in everything that I've wanted to do and has always encouraged growth and change when needed. He's also an incredible Father and Husband. He took on 3 daughters and gave them his last name when it became necessary. He's not a quitter and I find that to be the most attractive quality in him. “


‘Takes one to know one, Renee.




Jessie Twain




  I am not alone when I say that I want Jessie Twains hair.  Her eyes are pretty nice, too.  Yeah, Hair and eyes.  Wait,  she has got some seriously beautiful skin, it borders on porcelain, only dewy.  Yup.  I will take her hair, eyes, and skin.  Then there is her itty bitty waistline.  Damn!  Does the woman eat?  I think she wears roughly the same waist size as my 5 year old granddaughter--but why skimp?  The bitch has a pretty rockin’ bod all the way around.  Now, if the stereotypes are correct, with all that going for her, Jessie Twain should be a real bitch.  ‘not even close.

   First of all she gave one of my all time favorite answers to a question posed to her under the heading of additional insight required.  I asked her to plan a dinner party and invite an actor, an artist, a politician and a musician.  In order she wrote “Robin Williams, Teller, Marcus Aurelius, Chico Marx.”  Now I don;’t give a flying rat’s ass who is supposed to represent what in that little quartet, but I do know I want a seat at that table.
    I also like the way this woman thinks.  While most of the nominees stated one or two EVENTS in 2016 that made their year, I found Jessie’s accomplishment to be ever so reasonable in preparing for her future

To pick one accomplishment I'll say putting the effort in at a new job to make as many people as possible comfortable around me so that I'm never the one to be thrown under the bus.”
 That is Satanic Witchery at its finest!  Candles are nice, fostered relationships are nicer when it comes to winning and losing in the workplace.
    Speaking of the workplace, the younger (and prettier) than me Jessie (who in no way makes me feel inadequate)has her her lovely voice in Satanic podcasts and video and is one of the most popular guests on online Satanic media.  I am particularly hoping (because I like it) and dreading (because, damn!  The bitch is good!) the return of Satanic Story Time.
Jessie also seems to be turning up at many CoS events and I truly believe she is an up and comer who has so much to offer all the citizens of the Infernal Empire!




Witch Troj



pol·y·math
ˈpälēˌmaTH/
noun
  1. a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.
    I suppose that when I've have watched someone grow up from a distance, but with great interest, there should be little in the way of surprises.  Especially, you see, when I realized Witch Troj at around 15 or 16, was about the numeric weight of a 5 year old in IQ points over me.  Still, I admit, there aren’t a lot of people who can trot out vocabulary that has me scratching my head (yes, Bill, you are one of the few, proud and brave)and looking shit up.  Witch Troj does this with alarming regularity.

   It is rather unfair, really.  I know what poly means.  I know what math means, or at least I thought I did (Math: noun 1.  Toxic college subject destined to prevent otherwise intelligent people from gaining rightfully earned degrees.  See: Bullshit,) Therefore I was confused when Troj said she usually admires people who had multiple calculation skills.  I was completely unaware that Mae West and Robin Williams , Jane Goodall and Ray Bradberry shared a predilection for Algebra.  Silly me.  I looked it up.  Troj opened my eyes again.
   When I see this charming and sparkly young lady at CoS events she still, in my eyes, looks to be the too young girl who asked the smartest questions, kept up with the brainiest banterers, and made me jealous of her parents.  The Internet allowed me to “meet” her even before or right around the time she formally joined.  I thought then as I do now, her joining the ranks is a coup for us.  Having someone this intelligent, beautiful and charming become a member of the Church of Satan says nothing but great things about us.
    This year Troj has made huge headway in her chosen profession:
“I successfully completed my internship, have well over 2,000 hours of work under my belt in my field, have resumed work on my fiction writing, and plan to complete my degree by Spring 2017.”
Her field, by the way, isn’t exactly piece of cake material, either!  Troj is a therapist specializing in Clinical Psychology.
    I don’t think I’m spilling the beans when I mention that Troj has a physical disability.  For those who haven’t had the honor of meeting her let me be plain:  In 3 minutes of chatting with her you’ll forget it exists.  But that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t effected her.  I am quite sure that she has had to be tougher, thicker skinned, and more focused and driven than those in her peer groups.  It has provided some interesting insights and opportunities though:
My first job was at a doggie daycare and hotel. That first gig in particular taught me a lot about mammalian psychology, in that I saw just how much people and dogs share in common, and how some of the same training/motivation techniques and social rules-of-thumb work with or apply equally to both. Because my boss only hired people with mental illnesses, physical disabilities, and cognitive impairments, I learned a fair amount about those illnesses and disabilities and how they affect people's lives, and their served to further pique my interest in Psychology.”
     And, of course, anyone with an interest in psychology and Satanism knows the secret to Wicked Witchery:
“I don't see how a Satanist can be a Satanist and not see the inherent power and value in Lesser Magic and various elements and principles of seduction. Even if you don't necessarily use seductive techniques to net mates and dates, the same strategies and principles can be still applied with various people in other kinds of interactions and situations.”


    Neither do I, Witch Troj--and I can even understand that without a dictionary!

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The More I Find Out

the harder it is to choose.
     Each nominee is whispering in my ear as I lie down each night.  Every time I am certain I have a definitive answer, I re-read a questionnaire or, while reading or writing the nominee bio-summary thingy I become more convinced that THIS ONE deserves....aw fuck it.
     The fact is each one of these nominees as well as the two nominees who chose to withdraw are worthy of this "title," and when you consider I made up this title, and I get to choose who gains it, the more important it seems to be to introduce you to these women as individuals.  I am hoping that when you have a need, these women will be foremost in your mind to provide it.
 Do you need more information on Veterans Rights?  Contact Evelyn Eve.
Do you want to understand how to run a large scale festival?  Renee Anderson is your woman!
Hire a stand up comic for your next event?  Heather Height might be available.
    Need a vegan caterer who can do a burlesque striptease while lecturing on animal rights, and demonstrating the 7 deadly sins through music?  Huh?  Enter
Miss Scarlett Black, the Siren of Sin!

     In Washington DC I was treated to a striptease by Scarlett after she came onstage on the arm of the ever fabulous Robert Johnson, the Church of Satan's answer to the Rat Pack (yes, all of them.)  I was bewitched.  She is exquisitely beautiful in an almost Modigliani meets Raphael sort of way.  When she dances, the fact that she is statuesque doesn't hinder her grace but defines it.  There is an element of ballet grace while she bumps and grinds in the old school of  burlesque.  She radiates sensuality and intensity, with eyes that radiate both humor and intelligence.
    Best known in CoS circles as the lady with the raven, named, appropriately enough, Nevermore, Scarlett is not just an animal lover but an animal activist.  She even volunteered to work for an animal rights attorney in California and still considers law school as an option with the intention being to protect and save animals.  Nor is this just lip service.  Scarlet has been a vegetarian for 20+ years and a vegan for 14.
"In the past recent years I have focused on nutrition of plant based diets. I strongly believe in nutrition and health, and I think people are more responsive to information in regards to their own health than they are when faced with the idea of killing an animal for food. So, it is a good way to have people eat better for themselves, but it also moves towards the ideal goal of less animals tortured and murdered."
Unwilling to keep this information to herself she started a vegan bakery this year! "In May I established by own bakery, Raven's Regale. (www.ravensregale.com) I produce aesthetically pleasing, decadent vegan baked goods proving that vegan can be elegant and satisfying."
    As if running her own bakery, performing and modeling weren't enough, Scarlett kindly allows us all to be in awe of her beauty by modeling.  Her Old Nick magazine cover is one of my favorites, and her spread is utterly unique.  So...model, activist, baker, businesswoman.  That should be more than enough for any young women in terms of having enough to do, but no!  On top of starting the bakery, in 2016 "In September I studied with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes (author of Women Who Run With the Wolves) and achieved a certificate in archetypal and cross-cultural Psychology. In October I received a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition,"
When I asked her grouping what 5 songs they would never be bored of hearing, Scarlett's answer stuck out a mile: "Well, I have to give you 7, because I have seven performances based on the Seven Deadly Sins. These songs inspire me deeply and are the ones I have chosen to perform to:
(title - artist - sin)

  • Maneater - The Retrosic - Wrath
  • Omnis Mundis Creatura - Helium Vola - Envy
  • Obsessio - Wumpscut - Sloth
  • Morphosis - Die Form - Greed
  • Complications of the Flesh - Nine Inch Nails - Gluttony
  • Undone - God Module - Lust
  • Ceremony - Wumpscut - Pride"

I live in hope that one fine day I will have the honor of seeing Scarlett perform to these seven compositions.


Shiva Rodriguez
Although I almost never see her any more, I consider Shiva a dear friend who I became close to at a time in my life when I was at my most vulnrable and somewhat chaotic. Shiva has a way about her, a seeming mellowness that belies a drive and a passion that touches everything she does. Her voice is so quiet that around BIG VOICED people like Jim and I, she sometimes is the victim of dozens of "What?"s. Yet, this trait of being quiet and relaxed and seeming almost wraithlike is a mile away from who Shiva really is.
Start with personally fascinating. Most of us can't keep one relationship going for almost two decades. Shiva can. Shiva handles her two men with love and humor and joy. you'dthink she'd be pretty tapped out after all that, but no, She then has to save any feral cats running about, " I think I have a surplus of pets. I do a lot of feral cat rescue and rehabilitation, so as I type this there are about 30 cats in the household. (Yeah, I'm that crazy cat lady who will strap on body armour and catch wild felines to try to domesticate... it just pisses me off that people like to abandon cats in the woods near my place !" And yet, this crazy cat lady, who also enjoys raising and caring for koi (or as like to call them, feral kitty sushi,") has a rather unique dream pet:
"If I were to dare a dream, I'd love to have a marine tank and get a bamboo shark. Or if I want to go beyond the point of being realistic for my house, a marine pond with a hammerhead shark in it." Did I mention this woman is nowhere near as mellow as she seems?
   

Shiva loves horror and film.  When I met her, nearly a decade and a half ago, things that were just in the fantasy stage.  Although her horror/fantasy cosmetic work was part of her job.  Today Shiva, like virtually every other Satanic Witch I have interviewed, is doing what she loves for a living.
She started by doing horror make up for indie films and now she has moved into directing those small indie horror films.  She says  " In 2016 I came to realize that I am in fact "director material" with the first two films I directed winning awards and having a great deal of support rallying behind me to take on another feature project in 2017.

But what I am most proud about is that I am always referred to as a leader, never as a boss. " I am not surprised that means so much to Shiva. It is an organic name of respect, which looms large in Shiva's world. "
I may be a fearsome sight with my black hair, wicked smirk, and signature machete strapped to my side, but those who work on the films I direct tend to have a great deal of respect for me. They know that I will never ask an actor to do anything that I wouldn't do myself (which is why I did a nude cameo in one of my films) and that I will always treat the project as a collaborative medium by considering any suggestions no matter how low down the totem pole they come from."

Shiva holds the rank of Priestess in the CoS, and her view on Witchcraft echoes my own: "I feel that Satanic women practice witchcraft naturally to some extent and likely don't even think about it when they do it. Hell knows that I didn't know I was practising witchcraft for many years until I read a certain book..."

Writing this reminded me how much I miss Shiva (and her two gents, Duckie & Garith.) I miss her sly smile and laughing eyes. I miss bitching and moaning and having her just nod, allowing me to vent without judgment or hypocrisy. Most of all I miss the thing we most share, and that is the sort of people we both admire, " I admire people who have the guts to chase their personal rainbows." ABSOLUTELY!






Hydra M. Star

   
  Not just because I am tired.  Not just because there is so much left that I am overwhelmed.  Not just because I am due a bit of slacking.  None of these things are why I am about to post a bio that was written by someone other than me.  In fact, I'm not exactly sure who the author was, but the piece was provided by the amazingly cool Hydra Star and I am unsure if I can do her better justice than  the following (although I DO intend to try:)

"Hydra M. Star was originally one half of a set of twin fetuses conceived during the holiday season of 1977, but ate her twin prior to birth. Almost from birth, like most children, she had an intense interest in all things mysterious and magical. As she aged, her taste matured and darkened from Disney-esque fairy stories in childhood to Erotic Horror today. Evidence of this personal evolution and perverting of childhood things can most readily be seen in her Little Red Riding Hood inspired novella, Candy, Blood, and Sex as well as her recent contribution to the on going anthology series Fucked Up Fair Tales.
In addition to writing, Hydra designs and hand-burns a line of pyrography items featuring symbols and signs from various occult and magical traditions. She is also the publisher of Infernal Ink Magazine, which she uses as a platform to bring the most twisted and sexually depraved horror and dark fiction she can find to the world. More about Hydra and her work can be found through her website, www.hydramstar.com"
I don't know if Hydra remembers that at the 06/06/06 event we had dinner together with some of the coolest folks in the world. Somehow we had ended up at some restaurant, I think in Burbank.I remember thinking later, after reading tons of posts and essays by her, what a shame it was that I hadn't made more of an effort to speak to her because of how cool she is. It isn't just her amazing productivity that makes her special, either. She has the ability to inspire others, I've seen it repeatedly, most recently by convincing a mutual friend, getting a bit too sorry for himself--almost rightfully so, but still, what good is giving up? Hydra had him back up and running in double time, demanding from him what she demands from herself, the very best they have.
Hydra has generously donated a prize from her amazing wood burning business. When she sent me the pictures of the wood pieces I damned near dropped! These aren't scrawls of a burin on a plaque bought at Joannes or Micheals!! These are unique, elegant pieces. You can see them on her site and shortly on the prize donation page coming very soon.
Although Hydra admits she has a rough year, including losing a business/artistic partner, she is reassured she will overcome. With a friend like Cyrus the Orange, and an idol like HPs Peggy Nadramia how can she go wrong?





Josephine

Even more than Hydra, Jospehine has written something that I cannot top, so after I give you my take on this FUCKING OUTRAGEOUSLY COOL BITCH, I'm going to provide 2 of her answers to the questionnaire and let them speak for themselves.
When I saw Jospehine at DC Conclave she was busy assisting Rev. Robert Merciless. She had this metric shit ton of work--giving out cards and checking IDs and room assignment crap and directions, not to mention the things that will follow. Do you know what she cared about more than all that? Making sure everyone signed and kept the fact on the down-lo, a surprise for her friend Rev. Merciless. This woman was making her first big CoS appearance since all Hell had broken through her personal life, and her attitude was one of joy, giving and love.
When I met Josephine in Las Vegas she was not precisely svelte and that was to be expected. Her Satanic cookbook was a gift given to everyone who attended. She had done some catering, and food, its preparation, its bonding abilities was obviously important to her. I still use that cookbook from time to time.
By the time DC came around the woman looked like she lost over 100 pounds. At first I was concerned that it was a result of being ill, which she had been BUT seeing as she was competing in marathons and triathlons, Jospehine lost this weight with deliberate intensity. If you haven't had the honor, and it is an HONOR, let me introduce JOSEPHINE in her own words:
In 2016 what personal accomplishment, event, or deed do you feel most defines you as a Satanic/Wicked Witch?
Finished chemotherapy for breast cancer in February 2016. after a few months recovery, I had a double radical mastectomy AND breast reconstruction surgery on May 18 2016. Finally got the okay from my plastic surgeon to get into the swimming pool on August 3rd, 2016. Completed my FIFTH triathlon on August 23rd AND shaved two minutes off my previous 2015 time.
Who is your personal idol/inspiration and why?
My personal idol. This is a hard one to answer because I have so many people I admire and look up to for different reasons and for different aspects of my life. If I had to pick one, though, I would pick my daughter. Right after I got separated, her biological father was having dinner with her and started to scream at her in the restaurant. She was stunned and shocked and pretty upset by it. When the time came for him to make his weekend phone call to talk to her, she had told me she didn't want to talk to him. I was letting her make her own decisions but when the phone rang, before I could answer it and make an excuse that she was playing at a friends, she took the phone from me. She looked at the caller ID, saw it was him, and answered the phone. I watched as she said, "Daddy...I do not like the way you spoke to me at dinner the other night. If you cannot speak to me properly, do not speak to me at all." THEN she hung the phone up, handed it to me, and walked away. That was seven years ago. He has not spoken to her since. That blew me away that a young girl had the confidence, self assurance, and balls to demand respect and refuse to engage with anyone that did not show it to her. I told her that day she was my hero and I could learn a lesson from her. And, she still is."
Still to come: Renee Campbell, Jessica Darling, Jessie Twain, TrojZyr & Sara Josephine!!!!!

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