Category Archives: Hedge Member’s Blog

Insidious- A Witch’s Thoughts

by White Bryony

I saw this recently and thought it was actually very interesting from the perspective of someone who practises witchcraft and sprirtwork so I thought I would review and share it.

Spoiler warning: I do try to refrain from giving too heavy spoilers, and any bad ones will have a nice warning so that you can skip it if you like. I also swear a bit.

Insidious is the story of family whose kid who falls into a coma and then kinky shit starts happening. This is the kind of stuff that makes you relieved to hell and back that these kinds of spirits are seriously goddamn rare. Here’s a link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1YbOMDI59k

I’ll first get the technical non-witchy stuff out of way:

James Wan, your calling is to make/direct ghost stories. I know that you are extremely unlikely to ever read this, but dude, you are awesome at it.

The script is excellent as well. Great pacing, good dialogue- I cannot compliment the guys who made this thing enough. We need more of you in the (horror) film industry today.

The choice to have minimal soundtrack in the first act was a very good one

I also applaud the sparse use of jump scares and how well those that were used were built up and designed to further the plot. Thank you guys for putting in effort.

Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne were fantastic as the parents. Patrick Wilson: I will try to stop seeing you as your character in Hard Candy (though you were pretty good in that too)

Now for the not so good stuff:

I’ve seen The Phantom Menace. If you have too then the big bad demon might be a bit difficult to take seriously. Alternatively this might be a good thing. Nightmare retardant can be so nice.

There was one moment with horribly conspicuous CGI. The rest of the film had been so good about CGI use that I was a little disappointed for those few seconds.

One of the problems in the film probably could have been solved with a decently performed exorcism in the dad’s childhood. More on that later.

Ok, now that’s all done onto why I think a review of this is relevant to this site (SPOILER): ultimately the main plot is otherworld travel. I’m pretty sure that’s what a lot of people here do.

Quite honestly, it could have uses as a warning thing for people who are being an idiots with their path. Watching this can really give a powerful message of don’t cut corners or bad shit will start happening. Sure, it might not be to this extent but sweet Mother it’ll scare you into pausing to think for a moment first. For a pgan the moral of the film could almost be “If you don’t protect yourself demons will crowd around you/start feeding off you/send you into a fucking coma.”

I would almost be enough of an asshole to say to a newbie who doesn’t seem to quite get what the otherworld can potentially entail “Ok look, fine you want to learn this stuff? Awesome. Watch this first. It’s not exactly realistic but it’ll really make you want to use protection. A lot of protection. And maybe a night light.”

If you’re not new to the crooked paths it’s a great watch too. The parts with the otherworld travel were incredibly well executed and you can have a lot of fun (and get scared) at how completely insane everything gets. At one point they call in a spiritworker of some kind whose methodology is certainly interesting and probably a good choice given her line of work… though some it might give you a laugh.

It does surprise me a little bit that I didn’t see this film get more popular among pagans who walk the crooked paths, especially given that astral travel is a huge part of the film. Ok, fine some won’t like horror but it’s so good that I would have thought I’d hear a lot more favourable word of mouth (I heard some people say good things about Paranormal Activity, after all). Is it too close to home? Are you not able to suspend your disbelief? Whatever the reason I”m going to throw a reccomendation out there if you don’t mind watching something creepy.

Now to the fear side of things. This film is very clever with its scares. In the beginning it held back where it needed to, and once shit gets real it still holds back just enough that you don’t quite know what you’re looking at. It is a very creepy film. Insidious only needed one shot to really freak me out. It involves a creepy smiling doll. Holding a shotgun. Somehow this is a horrible combination (I was thinking of trying to find a screenshot of that but it would require me looking at it again for a prolonged period of time. I really don’t want to.) It really cleverly builds suspense and tension so the climax actually ends up being a bit of a relief. The spirits in this are terrifying at times. (Don’t like creepy smiles? There’s a whole family here to freak you out!) but their motivations are pretty believable. Some of them are pretty much just wanting a go in the empty body, a couple are just being assholes.

Ok, there is one problem I mentioned earlier and feel the need to discuss. If you don’t want a pretty major spoiler then skip this paragraph… Why on earth did they not exorcise the dad when he was a kid? Why? Part way through the film we’re told that when he was a child he had a spirit/demon attach itself to him like a parasite because he’s been projecting himself without realising and therefore without protecting himself. They stop him projecting, fine, but they don’t kick the spirit completely off. WHY? You can’t just leave it and hope it will go away- you can see it sneaking closer to him in photos. It is clearly waiting for the chance to do something nasty. His mother goes and speak to a decent spiritworker of some kind so why didn’t they get rid of the damn thing? If anyone else has seen this did they mention why they didn’t? That’s the only major issue I have with this film.

So if anyone wants to get scared one evening watch Insidious. Sure, you might not want to do anything remotely connected to astral travel for a while (Ah. I think I might have answered a few of my questions from earlier….) but it is a really good creepy film.

I almost changed my mind and stuck a picture of the doll here. You can thank me later.

Hedge-riding

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I thought people might be interested to read this blog post I wrote some time ago about my own experiences of the (both literal and metaphorical) hedge.

As I was meditating, knitting and listening to music last night, working my way through the insomnia brought on by discontinuation syndrome from the last lot of failed seizure meds, the term hedgerider came to me as a description for myself. (And I found, upon researching all this, that other witches – mostly those with an English magic or Heathen background – are using the term for themselves.)

I was immediately reminded of friends and colleagues who describe their magical practice and their lives as edgewalking - a term which I’ve felt some identification with but which has never sat comfortably enough for me to claim it for myself. Because of my body and my history and my brain and my inclinations our culture places me in many liminal spaces, some of which I do not identify with and some of which I feel very deeply as mine. In a trance early in my magical practice, perhaps fifteen years ago, I learned that I am meant to be “a go-between”, a role I have embodied in many ways over the years. But even though I may live in or move in and out of or between liminal spaces, that image of edgewalking never felt like my own.

Perhaps it has something to do with one of my disabilities. Being deaf/HoH, I have balance problems. I can’t reliably walk in a straight line down the street. I could never walk on balance beams in Gym at school. To walk the knife’s edge…that’s not a metaphor I can feel in my bones. I don’t know what that feels like, to walk straight on that shining edge.

Riding, though: that I can do. I was put on ponies from the time I was a toddler, grew up riding. Riding the night, the storm, with the hunt: ancient images that speak to my soul.

And I grew up in a land of hedgerows, many of them 700 year old remnants of medieval field patterns. There have been hedgerows in my land since the Neolithic, and they have come and gone since: ancient hedges uprooted for the manorial field system, then returning the coming of the Enclosure Acts only to vanish again in the face of modern agriculture with its vast open fields. Ours were ancient: hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose; holly and elder and the guelder rose that marks truly old hedges, grown through with straggles of brambles. They marked the turning year: the first hazy spring green of the edible bread-and-cheese hawthorn buds, foaming white with may blossom in the early summer, drooping with blackberries come autumn, and in winter bare dark bones between the faded fields.

I used to watch the hedging, learned the ancient words: the snedding, pleachers, brush and heatherings of true South of England style hedgelaying. I always wanted to learn it myself, though now I’ve moved to this hedgeless land I suppose I never will. That is the kind of work I could do happily with my hands, like the coppicing and clearing work I did over the summers, midge-stung and sunburned and rained upon.

And hedgerows aren’t simply a substitute for a fence; they are, as the UK Government advisors on nature conservation, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, point out: ”the most significant wildlife habitat over large stretches of lowland UK and are an essential refuge for a great many woodland and farmland plants and animals.” The English Hedgerow Trust tells us that,

“Hedgerows are the principal habitat for around 50 existing species of conservation concern in the UK, including 13 globally threatened or rapidly declining species (more than for most other key habitats). They are particularly important for butterflies and moths, farmland birds, bats and dormice… Over 600 plant species, 1500 insects, 65 birds and 20 mammals have been recorded at some time living or feeding in hedgerows. Over 100 species of invertebrates can be found in a typical 20-metre section of hedgerow… Hedgerows also act as wildlife corridors for many species, including reptiles and amphibians, allowing movement between other habitats.”<

They are communities, pathways, focii of the land. And they are boundaries: my field from yours, farmland from lanes, the domestic from the wild. The root of the word means enclosure; the hedge is the boundary between the known and the unknown. Like the hedgerow itself, natural growth shaped by human hands, it is a meeting of nature and culture, self and other: a marker of the line between this world and another. And unlike a wall, the hedge is not absolute: it is a permeable membrane through which things both animal and otherworldly pass.

Since at least the 16th century CE it has been associated with the outcast, the poor, the mean, the unwanted. And, of course, it has been associated with witches. Our word hag comes from an Old English term that has been argued to mean ”hedge-rider”. (And I found, upon researching all this, that other witches – mostly those with an English magic or Heathen background – are using the term for themselves.) Associated with witches and ghosts, we may note as well in the perhaps-related Norwegian word tysja (fairy, crippled woman) a perceived link between the otherworldy and another class of being relegated by mainstream culture to the realm of the mean and vile: those of us who are disabled.

Like the bent pleachers of the hedge, meanings knot and twist together, grow into a living, thriving thing of many parts. And if we have the knowledge, we can straddle it with one foot in this world and one foot in that, ride it through the twilight in the smell of hawthorn and wet leaves. It’s not a comfortable ride. The twilight is not necessarily a comfortable place, and the hedge is knotted with thorns, with nettles, with the briar of the rose. But for those who have learned to be a part of the tangled community of the place between, it’s home, and it is beautiful. Unlike the knife’s sharp edge, it may prickle and sting but it will not cut your feet; those of us who cannot walk with balance may still ride, moving together with something growing, changing, and perpetually alive.

The Wheel is all topsy-turvy down here!

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Hello all!

Just wanted to share with you a snippet of the differences of practicing my craft here in the southern hemisphere.

First – I should introduce myself – hi, I’m Niamh! I’m a witch in Australia – I was born here – the only one in my family to be – all my family is from English/Irish stock. My father (having passed before I was born) was a horse man – he raised appaloosas and quarter horses in country Victoria, but I inherited his love for the animals. So I grew up in a house with my older sister, mother and nan. It was a strange household, my mother and grandmother both having significant gifts but choosing to ignore, fear and despise them. Yet there I was bold as brass playing with the Fae in my back yard,talking to the animals, hearing (and being terrified of) the things that wandered around the house at night when all were asleep, and just knowing there was more out there than what was presented in 1980′s suburban Aussie life.

When I was 15 I came across Laurie Cabot’s “Power of the Witch” and so started my journey towards the Hedge. (Without blessings from my family, who thought I was nuts, but that was OK…) That was 21 yrs ago… I now only have my sister left in my family, but have found my Path and am loving every day.

A few things I had to overcome though, were derived from being in the southern hemisphere. When I started, the pagan community here was hidden and so only northern hemisphere material was available for my learning. Thanks that this has since changed (largely to the internet), but for a while there is was VERY confusing.

What do I mean? Well, for starters, the quarters are different here – North = fire (as it points to the equator) and South = earth.And then there’s the biggie – Deosil and Widdershins are reversed! So anti-clockwise casts, and clockwise banishes.

It doesn’t seem like much, but I kept wondering why my magic and rituals left me muddled and with odd results for the longest of times!

Of course, then we have all the sabbats and holidays are at different times of the year also – Samhain for example is where northerners celebrate Beltane, and Yule is in July. Once this was grasped and I stopped “following the books” life made so much more sense.

I am blessed to have found an online community, and also one locally where I can continue to learn and grow, and celebrate and cherish the differences of my journey to that of my ancestors. Funnily enough, though I do everything “topsy-turvy” down here, I feel more connected to my Celtic kin then I ever did.

Hope you enjoyed my lil rambling…

Niamh

My Journey With Lilith (so far)

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Note: This, I’m afraid, will probably be long, rambling and mostly full of my own interpretations (yet also by no means exhaustive on the available information on Lilith). While I will try to put the bulk of the information in as objective a manner as possible so that you can draw your own conclusions I will be stating mine throughout this essay (I also end up sounding very obsessive with regards to historical accuracy…) I hope you stay awake through it.

I’ve encountered many mentions of Lilith in my time (both before and after becoming a witch). In my fluffy days I would never have dreamed of calling on Her (I took a similar view to Kali: leave well alone unless you know what you’re doing. I like to think I had some sense even in the bunny days). Yet earlier this year She came into my life with a bang. It started as just seeing a small reference to her in a book but quickly developed into an intense obsession. It is important to note that I have been practising for a good few years now but had not, until this point, had any deity tap me on the shoulder in this way and say ‘Look at me!’ I work very much without a patron, though there are some gods who are kind enough to listen from time to time. This meant that when Lilith emerged like this it scared the shit out of me. There was suddenly seriously stormy weather (pretty unusual for where I live) and She seemed to appear everywhere. Coincidence? Maybe. But I knuckled down to some research anyway (I like to know what I am getting myself into).

My first step took me to my bookshelf.

From my books I got the basics: Adam’s first wife, Her being a dark goddess and (possible) roots in Sumeria. I also learned that I disagree with the perception of Her as a crone (though more on that later).

My next step was Google and a quick search gave me the obvious results: a wiki page, a few neopagan sites, a Jewish folklore site and links to heavy metal bands. This search did give me some extra bits and pieces to advance my search such as the etymology of Lilith’s name being linked with the Lilitu (Sumerian spirits).

One thing that quickly became apparent to me was the need to differentiate between what I call authentic myth and modern myth (these are my personal terms- there might be more ‘proper’ terminology elsewhere). Authentic myth is what I call the known mythologies of the ancients who actively worshipped these deities and from whose practises we base our own. Modern myth is where information has become distorted to create new mythologies that, while not accurate from a historical point of view, are often perfectly valid today though to say that these were true in the past is just being historically inaccurate. This differentiation is very important when looking into deities like Lilith as a lot of what is presented as being historically accurate (or authentic myth) is not (therefore modern myth).

The biggest difficulty with trying to understand Lilith was finding Her origins. In Sumerian ‘lil’ can mean air or spirit and there are frequent mentions of ‘Lilitu’ in Sumerian documentation. To a point we can use this to suggest that Lilith has origins in Sumerian myth, though the Lilitu are more likely to be general names for spirits. Another common suggestion is that she was involved in the epic of Gilgamesh as a bird or some spirit nesting in a tree Inanna wishes to cut down for a throne. This, however, has been rejected my modern scholars due to that particular translation being outdated and incorrect. However, looking at Lilith’s name, I do not think that you are being wildly inaccurate if you then go on to say that she has connections with spirits and/or the air. In the Akkadian language ‘lulu’ means spirit and ‘lilitu’ or ‘ardat lili’ is mentioned in reference to long haired female spirits who are very similar to later depictions of a demon Lilith (the ability to cause erotic dreams and steal male sexual vitality etc.). We also have a terracotta relief, often called the ‘Queen of the Night’ (pictured below along with a view of how it looked when painted) showing a woman with wings and bird claws. For a time historians suggested that this might be an image of the ancient Mesopotamian Lilith however it is becoming more likely that it shows Inanna, Ishtar or Ereshkigal (a figure who does bear a few similarities to Lilith). This is where we have to differentiate between authentic myth, modern myth and just plain historical inaccuracy: to the people who made this relief it likely represented Inanna/Ishtar or Ereshkigal (just read the descent of Inanna and the similarities become glaring between these goddesses and the figure on the relief) though to some people nowadays it has become an image of Lilith (i.e. It has become a kind of modern myth) but saying that it was Lilith initially is not accurate. My personal conclusion from all this was that yes, Lilith probably does have origins in the ancient middle east though anyone saying that She had any kind of cult in these areas is being extremely inaccurate as there is absolutely no evidence to support it. She started out as a demon/ succubus, not as a goddess who was gradually demonised (apologies to those who like that version of events). The etymology of Her name likely suggests a connection to the air and the natures of these Mesopotamian spirits suggests a connection to storms.

Next we move on to the Abrahamic version of Lilith (where we get even more confused). The story of Lilith as Adam’s first wife comes from a combination of Jewish folklore and a work of medieval satire called the Alphabet of Ben Sira. In Jewish folklore Lilith is, again, a demonic figure. She is there to make trouble at childbirth and prey on children. She is overtly sexual, ready to ruin the restraint of men and force them to succumb to their lusts and desires. The story of Lilith as Adam’s first wife originates (as far as anyone can tell) from the Alphabet of Ben Sira which is… controversial to say the least (I recommend looking it up). The passage about Lilith is what it is most well known for. It begins with the son of King Nebuchadnezzar falling ill and Ben Sira creating an amulet to protect the child with the names of three angels inscribed upon it (in English: Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof). When Nebuchadnezzar asks about the amulet Ben Sira recounts the story of Adam’s creation from dust and his becoming lonely. To combat this God takes more dust and creates Lilith but when Adam and Lilith go to lie with one another they disagree and argue. Adam, who was made first, wishes Lilith to go below so he can assert his superiority. Lilith argues that since they were both made from the same dust they ought to lie together as equals. When she sees that they will never agree Lilith speaks the True Name of God and flies away from Eden. Adam then begs God to bring Lilith back. God sends out three angels to find her and tells Adam that if she agrees to return then everything is ok, but if she does not then she will have to permit a hundred of her children to die every day (it is suggested that when she left she slept with a large number of demons). The angels find Lilith by the Red Sea where the Egyptians drowned in the story of Moses. Lilith refuses to return with the angels so they threaten to drown her in the waters. She tells them to leave her, as her purpose is to cause sickness to infants over whom she has dominion (the boys until the eighth day upon which they are circumcised and the girls for twenty days). She continues to refuse to return to Eden but swears that if she sees the angels’ names upon amulets then she will leave the children alone. Lilith’s name in the Hebrew is also supportive of her as a creature of the night (the root lyl or layil means night). Later texts further credit Lilith as being the serpent in Eden who orchestrated the Fall (also, Lilith’s leaving Eden before the Fall means that she is immortal, unlike Adam and Eve). This story has gradually evolved so that Lilith has become a symbol of feminine power and independence. Both Lilith and Eve are mothers, but while Eve is caring, gentle and submissive, Lilith is the Dark Mother. Her children are demons and she will fight to be considered equal to man and not submit to him. Some interpret the story of Her as the serpent in Eden as meaning that She wished to offer women the chance to be superior to man and be able to assert themselves over him.

This leads us on to the modern sources on Lilith which generally combine all I have said above. There is very little in the way of ritual on Lilith save for one that is somewhat infamous on Christian sites (I will include a link to it at the end of this essay). While I doubt that I will take part in this ritual anytime soon I do like one of the invocations to Lilith particularly its first line: “Dark is she but radiant!” In my opinion you are unlikely to find a sentence that will describe Lilith better. When it comes to modern sources on Lilith I have two main problems: one, the assignment of Her to crone and, two, the lack of historical accuracy. It is extremely unlikely that she ever was a goddess who was demonised. As I said earlier, it is the other way round: she is a demon who has become a goddess.

So who is Lilith to me? She is a fighter, in control of Herself and her own sexuality. As the dark side of the mother figure (if you feel you have to box Her into one of the archetypes) She will not be a gentle cushioning presence. She may show me aspects of my own darker side but if any fighting needs doing I will have to do it myself. I have to hold my own in any relationship with Lilith as allowing the dark to take over entirely is not healthy- balance is required. She is a being of storms; she has wings and talons. My practise as a witch has long had a focus on the wind and air (sylphs really kick started my neopaganism)

My journey with Lilith was put on a hold around two months ago when I really had to start work on my A levels (fingers crossed for results) but I do hope that She will let me continue to have some kind of relationship with Her. Sure, She terrifies me, but it is a kind of awe that not many gods seem to inspire in me (I do not scare easily). Her message to not submit and to fight back if fighting is necessary is one that is a part of my personal philosophy and her nature as a wind/storm deity fits me as my practise with wind and air. Maybe one day She will let me have Her as a matron.

To all of you who managed to bear all of that and stay awake: thank you.

References (sorry for not putting it in Havard but after all this writing I’m feeling lazy):

http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/rituals/lilith-ritual.txt

http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=pomona_theses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alphabet_of_Ben_Sira

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1451708?uid=3738032&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21100924932881

http://gnosis.org/lilith.htm

http://kheph777.tripod.com/lilith.html

http://www.lilitu.com/lilith/

Ode to Lilith by Michele Butot

The Queen of the Night relief is currently on exhibition in the British Museum and, if you can go there, I do recommend checking it out. And the rest of the Mesopotamian exhibition- the winged bulls are beautiful.

Lilith (1892) by John Collier

When you dont conform to the mold

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When you don’t conform into the mold others expect of you it makes them uncomfortable. As a hedge witch/accountant I don’t fit neatly into any category.

I work long hours 10 to 12 hour days are the norm. I wear conservative clothes and dressy shoes. My hours are spent writing government reports, analyzing spreadsheets and attending endless meetings with doctors, lawyers and accountants.How I make my living seems to really upset most of my acquaintances in the wiccan community. According to them I should work in a head shop, wear home dyed caftan and Birkenstocks and of course have a wiccan bumper sticker on my van.

There is no Wiccan bumper sticker on my van. I am by nature a private person and don’t share my faith or personal practices with most people. It has nothing to do with shame or embarrassment – I am proud and happy to be a witch. But unlike some paths I am not compelled to convert or condemn others. It is a very personal path. When most people discover I am a witch I am slightly diminished. I am suddenly not as smart and now there is something odd about me. There have been a couple of times I thought the Salem witch trials had started anew. i was not only verbally attacked I was feared. Fear is a powerful thing. Beware the “born agains”.

My home is cared for by a house-husband. he takes care of the gardens, the house and the dogs. And absolutely pampers me. He maintains the river property for our extended family – taking care of the lawns, the house and the RV and the boats. he does 90% of the cooking – thank the gods. He does work about 8 hours a week at a neighbourhood pub, but that is just so he can hang out with his friends and get a discount of food and drinks. Our household is not typical. This seems to upset the families. the generation above us thinks my quiet bear of a husband is less of a man and I am taken advantage of, because of the roles we choose. Our siblings are less vocal but still grumble – we think they are jealous but dare not admit it.

My house is an almost 100 year old urban cottage with small rooms and plenty of nooks and crannies. There is a church pew on the front porch along with comfy chairs and plants, plants,plants and a few plants. Almost every room has an alter and correspondences related to its use. The centre of the kitchen is a 90 year old stove and a 75 year old table we found and refinished decades ago. My study is overflowing with books (fairy tales, fantasy and witchcraft) as well as cabinets of preserved herbs and a goodly assortment of tools of the trade. Hubby has a workshop in the basement. Our back yard has a dozen raised beds, tables, grills and dog toys. Seems few “get” our home. Some say it is too small and far too old and recommend condos and moving to the ‘burbs”. Some say but it is in the city you must be int he county to know nature.

It seems sometimes that no one “gets” us. But we have wonderful friends and family that love and accept all aspects of who we are. My 90 year old mother demands a tarot reading every visit. My dearest friend is a trial lawyer who recently walked around the court house with a chant I wrote for her.

With all the prejudice in the world it is all the more important for us in the community to remember that witches don’t fit in molds. the next bus driver, tattoo artist or tax attorney you meet might also be a witch.

Written by Donna

Hello All

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Hello All, I am Fayth Riversedge. I am a 53 year old woman living in Kentucky. My husband of 33 years and i share our lives with a Collie and a Beagle. I am an accountant with a large urban hospital. I love working in my garden and spending as much time as possible on our houseboat. I am also a solitary witch and have been working the craft for more than 25 years.

I was always interested in folk lore and had a wonderful teacher in my maternal grandmother, who wove lore into all aspects of her daily country life. There were blessings and rituals associated with every task. Stepping into her home transported me to a mystical place.

While still in college, I became very interested in witchcraft. My husband gave me my first tarot deck when I was about 21. I read volumes of books (no internet in the beginning). and ever so slowly began applying what I read. The tarot came easy and my grandmother’s teachings brought all the spell associations to life. The moment I called myself witch I knew it was the right fit.

I have always been a solitary witch. Never even considered joining a coven. As I’m sure many of you know the path of the solitary witch has some challenges. There are more stops and starts when you are on your own. Staying active in the craft when work and family needs were especially demanding has always been difficult for me. Before I would know it – weeks had past and I hadn’t read the cards, harvested plants, worked a spell or even meditated.

Walking the Hedge provides a guidepost and some darn helpful advice through personal experiences. It is wonderful to see so many others walking the same path from some many places across the earth. I have only recently found the site and already feel more connected. I plan on visiting often and hope to contribute an article or two.