Mel Mystery

Episode 12: The Power of Names

- Spring 2015

Personal Names - Family Names - Nicknames - Craft and Magickal Names - True Names - Group Names relating to our Sexual Identity - Gay, Androphile, Queer, Uranian, etc. - Names relating to our Spiritual Path - Pagan, Wiccan, Witch, Warlock, etc. - The Names we call others - Creepy - News Update

Music clips include: The Name Game, Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Christmas is Creepy, and Medieval Minstral Music

Links:

Coph Nia - www.cophnia.org

Gay

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

Queers

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

http://futureisfiction.com/blog/why-reclaim-the-word-queer/

http://www.autostraddle.com/more-than-words-queer-part-1-the-early-years-153356/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nadia-cho/being-queer-means_b_3510828.html

Androphiles

http://www.counter-currents.com/2010/10/jack-malebranches-androphilia-a-manifesto/

http://zagria.blogspot.com/2010/11/jack-donovan-1974-artist-priest.html#.VP9YH01OWmI

Uranians

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

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

Witches and Wiccans

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccaandpaganismbasics/a/WWPDiffs.htm

http://www.spiritedenterprise.com/witchvswiccan.htm

http://www.thevillagewitch.co.uk/im-a-witch-not-a-wiccan/

Warlocks

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/contemporaryissues/a/Warlock.htm

http://faerywolf.com/warlock/

http://reclaimingwarlock.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-i-reclaimed-warlock.html

Creepy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaxKR4CAKf8

http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/is-creep-shaming-real/

http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/26l9cy/one_way_creep_shaming_hurts_men_and_women/

http://thoughtcatalog.com/johanna-de-silentio/2012/07/can-we-stop-calling-guys-creepy/

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f24/creep-shaming-177356/

Episode 11: Coph Nia Review Parts 1 and 2

Episode 11: Coph Nia Review - Part 1

- September 21, 2014

Overview and review of Coph Nia and Four Quarters Campground - Kali Ma Chant led by Erick Dupree - Event Reviews from Coph Nia Attendees - Gaffer that Harp Guy performance of a love tragedy focusing on the forbidden love between a Honeysuckle and a Vine Weed

Episode 11: Coph Nia Review - Part 2

- November 5, 2014

A continuation of my review of Coph Nia from the standpoint of my personal journey with rites of passage and the hero's journey as a background - Earth My Body Chant - Coph Nia Calendar Announcement - Song Dedication: Pagan Moon - Outtakes from the event

Links:

Coph Nia - www.cophnia.org

Coph Nia Calendars --

https://squareup.com/market/ordo-aeternus-vovin/men-of-coph-nia-calendar

Order Aeternus Vovin - www.vovin.org

Four Quarters - www.4qf.org

Temple of Witchcraft / Steve Kenson - www.templeofwitchcraft.org

Erick Dupree - www.erickdupree.com

Gaffer that Harp Guy- www.thatharpguy.com and www.thatharpguy.bandcamp.com

Gays: Guardians of the Gates - www.menweb.org/somegay.htm

The Faggots and Their Friends between the Revolutions - http://faetopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/FaggotsAndFriendsBetweenRevolutions.pdf

Episode 10: Unicorns and Phallic Horns

- May 18, 2014

News - Phallicism and Horned Phallic Gods - Hymn to Herne - Unicorns and Phallicism - Austin Powers as a modern Phallic god?

Episode 9: The Gay Werewolf Connection

- November 12, 2013

The links between homosexuality and werewolves in metaphor and mythology - Werewolf Boyfriend Song - There are two wolves inside each of us.

Episode 8: It's Magic

- June 5, 2013

Letters - Inuit Creation Story of Aakulujjuusi and Uumarnituq featuring a male couple and transgenderism - Review of the Book "Gay Witchcraft" by Christopher Penczak - Review of the Movie "Oz: The Great and Powerful" - Music includes "It's Magic" and "Eskimo Love Song" - Plug for Coph Nia: A Mystical Gatherning for Gay and Bisexual Men August 7-11, 2013 in French Lick, Indiana

Episode 7: "Over" the Rainbow - Part 2

- Early 2010

News - History of the Rainbow Flag - Why some gay men might be over the gay scene - Merits of the gay scene - Creating new scenes

Episode 7: "Over" the Rainbow - Part 1

- Summer 2009

Gay Gods: Freyr - Fairy Facts: Bifrost Bridge and Rainbow Serpent - News -
Book Review: The Trouble with Normal

Links:

Ingvi Freyr in Ancient and Contemporary Heathenism:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin/Paths%20To%20The%20Gods/Freyr%20Article.htm

Alternatives to Marriage Project: http://www.unmarried.org/

Episode 6.5: The Healing Power of the Serpent

-February 2009

This is a shorter mini-episode until I can get back to the swing of things. It's about 33 minutes and includes a review of the 2009 Feast of the Red Dragon, a charity event hosted by the DC Radical Faeries, a talk on the healing power of the serpent in mythology, and a dedication to my Dad.

Below are some photos from the Red Dragon Feast on February 14, 2009.

Update:

Update: I had to take a break from podcasting the past several months. My Dad's health got really bad and he passed away on January 7, 2009. I will resume with new podcasts in the near future.

Episode 6: "Men"torship

-- August 2008

Gay Gods: The Green Man - Letters - Topic: Mentorship - Interview with a Mentor and a Mentoree - Fairy Facts: Green is Gay - David tells us about the "Green Man effect" - Some cool music from emusic.com - Bloopers

Resources and other links:

Green Man photo shoot by Mel Mystery , July 27, 2008 (samples are free, view the entire set for a small fee and also gain access to all my other photos): www.matrixwerx.com

Big Brothers hit for backing gay mentors: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/734167/posts

White Crane Journal article on "Secret Mentorships": http://whitecrane.typepad.com/journal/2006/10/white_crane_70__9.html

Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy's_Hollywood_Screen_Kiss

Next episode: "Over" the Rainbow

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General Updates:

I've taken a break from podcasting for now during the Covid Pandemic. They have always been irregular to begin with, but during the pandemic I've been especially focused on updating my physical surroundings and organizing/decluttering my myriad files. That's in addition to my regular job. I'm still actively involved in planning the Brotherhood by the Bog Pagan Men's Retreat, the Arcadia Camp Out for Queer Pagan Men, and publishing the biannual Mysterious Ways Cyberzine for Queer Pagan Men. I have ideas for future podcasts and hope to resume these (at least sporadically) in the near future.

April 22-25, 2021 -- Join us for the 2021 Virtual Brotherhood by the Bog Pagan Men's Retreat. It's free!!!

October 8-11, 2020
Join the Brotherhood of Arcadia for our 2nd Annual Arcadia Gathering in Amherst, Virginia. Our theme this year is "The Space Between Us -- Making Connections Across the Void." Our patron deity this year is Hermes.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/events/arcadia -- This event has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus. We hope to be back in October 2021.

March 20-22, 2020

Join Hampton Roads Pagan Men and the Tidewater Spirit Coalition Men's Group for the annual Brotherhood by the Bog Pagan Men's Retreat at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA. Our theme this year is “Peering through the Veil: Divination and the Masculine.” -- This event was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. Look for it next Spring about the same time.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/events/brotherhood-by-the-bog-pagan-men-s-retreat

February 1, 2020

Check out the new Mysterious Ways newsletter featuring articles and information for Queer Pagan Men. The theme of the first issue is "Empowering Queer Men's Spirituality."

Mysterious Ways, Winter / Spring 2020

October 9-12, 2019

The first ever Arcadia Gathering will be held the week of October 9-12, 2019 at Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland, Virginia. We are hoping this will become an annual event and that it will fill a void for such gatherings on the East Coast and mid-Atlantic U.S.

The theme of our first gathering is “Discovering Arcadia: Empowering Queer Men’s Spirituality.” Our patron deity this year will be the Greek god, Pan. Pan was one of the primary patrons of ancient Arcadia. He is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, rustic music, and sexuality. Pan is known for chasing both nymphs and shepherds alike.

We are looking for workshop and activity presenters, and for folks interested in helping to plan or staff the event.

For additional information and to register, please visit our website and Facebook pages below:

http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/arcadia-main

https://www.facebook.com/events/631847647255456/

April 11-14, 2019

Join Hampton Roads Pagan Men and the Tidewater Spirit Coalition Men's Group for the annual Brotherhood by the Bog Pagan Men's Retreat at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA. Our theme this year is "Brotherhood Across the Boundaries: Valuing our Diverse Tribes." This year we have Sir Hex Nottingham as our special musical guest.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/events/brotherhood-by-the-bog-pagan-men-s-retreat

March 23, 2019

I will be performing a full moon / spring equinox ritual at Aries Apothecary in Norfolk, VA. Details to be announced.

March 10, 2019

I will be presenting a workshop on the Druid Ogham Divination System at Aries Apothecary in Norfolk, VA. The workshop will introduce the Ogham, their meanings in divination, how to do a basic Ogham reading, and folks will get to make their own Ogham set out of craft sticks.

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/events/2708277689187983/

February 10, 2019

I will be presenting a workshop titled "Dating the Greek Gods" at Aries Apothecary in Norfolk, VA. The workshop will be an exploration of Greek homosexuality and bisexuality, an overview of a number of Greek gods with homosexual and bisexual associations, an overview of Brad Gooch's book "Dating the Greek Gods," an introduction to basic concepts of Greek religion, and learning how to perform a basic Greek ritual to honor a god.

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/events/774120726266145/

March 23-25, 2018

Join me at my local Pagan men's group's annual Spring Retreat in the cabins at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA. The theme will be "Lost Boys and Neverlands: Creating Magickal Connections in a Mundane World." Overall themes will include finding and connecting with your tribe, rediscovering the magick within, and achieving balance between your inner adult and your inner child. We are in talks with Eric Eldritch of the DC Radical Faeries to be our guest presenter for the weekend.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/events/brotherhood-by-the-bog-pagan-men-s-retreat

February 11 through April 15, 2018

I will be presenting a series of nine workshops on Druidry at Mystic Moon of Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday afternoons. The workshop series is titled "Druidology 101."

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/MysticMoonEvents/

January 12-14, 2018

I will be a guest presenter at Marscon in Williamsburg, Virginia. The theme of the weekend is "Werewolves of Marscon". I will be presenting one or more workshops and serving on panels throughout the weekend. Even though it's a mixed sci-fi / fantasy con, they have a precedent for hosting LGBT and adult oriented workshops. Programming is still in the works, but I hope to present my workshop on "LGBTQ Werewolves in Mythology and Folklore" or perhaps "LGBTQ Werewolves in Popular Media."

September 11-16, 2017

I have registered to attend Between the Worlds: A Spiritual Gathering for Men Who Love Men. At this point, I do not intend to host a workshop, but I do plan to have a vendor booth where I can sell copies of my book and some of my photography prints.

June 2017

The theme for my Pagan men's group's next retreat has been announced. The theme will be "Lost Boys and Neverlands: Creating Magickal Connections in a Mundane World." Overall themes will include finding and connecting with your tribe, rediscovering the magick within, and achieving balance between your inner adult and your inner child. We have yet to announce a keynote presenter. The retreat will take place the weekend of March 23-25, 2018.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/index.php/events/brotherhood-by-the-bog-pagan-men-s-retreat

May 2017

I have created a web page for my campground resort project. My hope is to create a campground resort in Virginia within the next 2-5 years. While largely modeled after gay and bi men's campground resorts and primarily aimed toward men, the campground will also cater to the greater LGBTQ community, Pagan community, and various adult communities.

FMI: http://www.olympuscampgroundresort.com/

March 10-12, 2017

My local Pagan men's group held a cabin retreat in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The theme of the weekend was "The Hero's Adventure" and our guest presenter was teacher, writer, and Shaman, Tom Crockett. The event was open to Pagan and Pagan-friendly men of all backgrounds and orientations. To find out more, please visit the retreat website.

January 21, 2017

I attended the Women's March on Washington Sister March in Norfolk, Virginia.

January 14, 2017

I attended Marscon, a sci-fi and fantasy convention, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

June 4, 2016

I will be presenting a workshop on June 4, 2016 at a Midsummer Men's Retreat in Virginia Beach. The workshop is titled: Werewolves, Shapeshifters, and Liminal Bodies.

Werewolves and other shapeshifters are liminal creatures. They are both human and wild beasts. They often live at the outskirts of human society and may be either outcasts or a part of secret religious and warrior cults. Werewolves are typically masculine beings, but they are ruled by feminine lunar forces. Werewolves are also metaphors for liminal times like adolescence and liminal people such as LGBT folks and shamans.

May 28, 2016

I'm going to be featured in an article in my local newspaper in the Norfolk Compass section of the Virginian-Pilot Ledger Star. When I appeared on the cover of the LGBT Hampton Roads book, one of the local writers wanted to do a story on me. I talked about my early days in LGBT activism, about my interest in Paganism, and about my podcast, my book, and some of my other projects. I'm looking forward to seeing the article and will post a scan of the article on this website shortly after the article comes out.

May 21, 2016

Werewolf Book Advance copies of The Gay Guy's Guide to Werewolves and Other Man Beasts (Book 1 in a series of 3) will be available online as of May 21, 2016 at my online bookstore. May 21 is a full moon and a seasonal blue moon.

I was hoping to host an official book launch party this weekend, but given the large number of obligations and competing events I have over the next couple of months, I've decided to delay an official launch party until July. I'll be celebrating with a werewolf masquerade party near the July full moon and hope to do some book signings at both Pagan and LGBT venues in my local community beginning in August.

March 23, 2016

LGBT Hampton Roads Book Speaking of books, my picture made it onto the cover of the book: Images of Modern America LGBT Hampton Roads by Dr. Charles H. Ford and Dr. Jeffrey L. Littlejohn. The photo is of me when I was a college student at a Pride Picnic at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach. The book goes on sale today and can be purchased from Arcadia Publishing.

Mel Mystery Blog Posts

17 June 2021

Episode 12: The Power of Names

Episode 11: Coph Nia Review Parts 1 and 2

Links:

Episode 10: Unicorns and Phallic Horns

- May 18, 2014

Episode 9: The Gay Werewolf Connection

Episode 8: It's Magic

Episode 7: "Over" the Rainbow - Part 2

Episode 7: "Over" the Rainbow - Part 1

Episode 6.5: The Healing Power of the Serpent

Update:

Episode 6: "Men"torship

News