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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE  LIVE GUEST WEBPAGE TUESDAY August 18th 2009
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Dawn of Shades WELCOMES

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Tuesday Night Dawn of Shades with Guests Co-Authors Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera
http://www.kenazfilan.com http://www.ravenkaldera.org
 KENAZ FILAN is the the Co-author of Drawing Down the Spirits, The Traditions and Techniques of Spirit Possession with Co-author Raven Kaldera Join Gia Scott as they discuss her new book Drawing Down the Spirits....

RAVEN KALDERA is the the Co-author of Drawing Down the Spirits, The Traditions and Techniques of Spirit Possession with Co-author Kenaz Filan. Join Gia Scott as they discuss his new book Drawing Down the Spirits.... 
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Drawing Down the Spirits, The Traditions and Techiques of Spiritual Possession Table of Contents Prologue: Wild Horses
Kenaz’s Story
Raven’s Tale
Introduction
Part one
The Past
1 Metaphysics and History: A Long View of Spirit-Possession
2 The Geography of Spirit-Possession
Part two
The Present
Kenaz’s Story
Raven’s Tale
3 Cosmologies
4 Different Riders: Comparing and Contrasting
5 Gathering Culture: When Worlds Collide
Part three
The Spirits
6 On the Nature of Spirits
7 Spirit and Flesh: How Possession Works
8 Hearing Gods: A Guide for the Head Blind
9 Sacred Spaces: Permanent and Ephemeral
Part four
Possession
Kenaz’s Story
Raven’s Tale
10 The Horse: Safety, Sanity, and Consent
11 The Ride: Preparation, Aftercare, and Harmful Possessions
Part five
The Community
Kenaz’s Story
Raven’s Tale
12 Keeping the Community Safe
13 Recognizing Fakes and Frauds
Part six
The Future
14 Touching Gods: The Future of Possession in the Neo-Pagan Community
Raven’s Tale
Appendix: Asphodel’s Ritual Structure for Public
God-Possession
Notes
Index

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Raven Kaldera Published Books Cauldron Farm 12 Simonds Hill Road Hubbardston, MA 01452 cauldronfarm@hotmail.com (978) 928-4198 Hermaphrodeities, by Raven Kaldera Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition! Transgendered people have long been robbed of their own spiritual history, not knowing that there were once times and places where ours was considered a spiritual path in and of itself. This book explores both our spiritual history and our modern predicaments, shaping the outline of a contemporary spiritual path for those of us who don't fit into just one gender box. This revised and expanded edition of Hermaphrodeities features third gender myths, deities, personal and group exercises, community service project suggestions, rituals, and interviews with people from all over both the transgender spectrum. We are all sacred and it is time that the world knew it. (370 pages, 6" x 9") Buy Hermaphrodeities at Lulu. (You can buy the previous edition of Hermaphrodeities at Amazon.) | | The Ethical Psychic Vampire, by Raven Kaldera Revised & Expanded Second Edition! If you've ever felt that your energy or life force was being continually drained by someone - especially if it was someone that you loved - then you probably should have given them this book. This is the definitive guide to psychic vampires, with exercises and advice to help them learn control and compassion, and get their needs met in ethical ways. Far too many books on the subject treat psychic vampires as "those awful people over there who should be avoided"; this book treats them as real human beings who may need a little help coping with a challenging and ambivalent psychic gift. Written by a psychic vampire and shaman, "The Ethical Psychic Vampire" also covers such controversial topics as spirituality, sex magic, and ceremonial blood-drinking. From coping with vampire children to dealing with your vampire lover, this book covers it all in straightforward style. Buy The Ethical Psychic Vampire at Lulu. | The Pathwalker's Guide to the Nine Worlds, by Raven Kaldera The Pathwalker's Guide to the Nine Worlds is the first written exploration of the ancient Norse/Germanic cosmology not by academics and mythologists, but by the experiences of northern-tradition spirit-workers astrally visiting the Cosmos of the World Tree and the Nine Worlds that surround it. Written as a travelogue and etiquette-primer for would-be worldwalkers, and centered around the author's experiences on a nine-day walking tour of the Nine Worlds, this is the first book of its kind ever published. Buy The Pathwalker's Guide at LuLu | | The Jotunbok: Working With The Giants Of The Northern Tradition, by Raven Kaldera The Gods of the Northern Tradition--the religion of the ancient Norse/Germanic/Anglo-Saxon peoples--have been rediscovered in growing numbers in the past years, as have the elves and dwarves that inhabit the Nine Worlds of the Cosmic Tree along with them. However, few have written about the Giants of those worlds and the Gods who number among them-Loki, Hela, Fenris, the World Serpent, and others-until now. The Jotunbok-the first book in the Northern-Tradition Shamanism series-is a collection of the wisdom, ways and tales of the Giants and their Gods, told by those who revere and work with them. Buy The Jotunbok at LuLu | Dark Moon Rising: Pagan BDSM & the Ordeal Path, by Raven Kaldera Throughout history, from the Hindu Kavadi ceremony to the Lakota Sun Dance, the Ordeal Path has been an honored spiritual road to the magic of the flesh, and to touching the Gods. Today many Pagans are discovering this path, by accident or by design. Simultaneously, many practitioners of secular BDSM are finding themselves having spiritual experiences in the middle of their most secular scenes. This book explores the crossover points between both these communities and practices, a cross-section which is growing steadily, baring controversial articles on topics as diverse as sacred pain, bondage, hook suspension, cathartic Pagan ritual, the spirituality of dominance and submission, and being the slave of the Gods. With contributions by noted authors and activists in both communities, and stunning photography by artist and Shibari-Do master Bridgett Harrington, this book is an awe-inspiring gateway into the Realm of the Underworld... and back again. Buy Dark Moon Rising at LuLu or on Amazon. | | Circle of Stars and Stones: Astrology for Witches, Witchcraft for Astrologers, by Raven Kaldera Due out in 2009. Traditionally, magically-oriented astrology has been either Sun-sign-horoscope shallow, or geared toward elaborate and formal practices of ceremonial magic. Circle of Stars and Stones is a detailed reference for both practitioners of magic and professional astrologers, of remedies, spells, rituals and magical prescriptions. These are common features of Vedic and Chinese astrology, and in tribal divination worldwide, but largely absent from Western astrology. This book uses the workings of Western folk-magic practice to explain them to a Western audience, in plain language. Circle of Stars and Stones gives information on building planetary altars, the magic of different planetary energies, and a full reference of Western-style remedies for dealing with difficult transits and making the most of positive ones. | Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts, by Raven Kaldera The term polyamory describes non-monogamous relationships based on honesty and affection. Presenting a fascinating peek inside the polyamorous lifestyle from a Pagan perspective, Raven Kaldera offers practical insight and spiritual depth into a vastly misunderstood way of life. Relating polyamory to astrology and the elements (air, fire, water, earth, and spirit), the author addresses all aspects of the polyamorous life, including family life, sexual ethics, emotional issues, proper etiquette, relationship boundaries, and the pros of cons of this lifestyle. Kaldera also discusses polyamory as a path of spiritual transformation and shares spells, rituals, and ceremonies for affirming one's relationships and spirituality. Buy Pagan Polyamory at Amazon | EarthBound, by Raven Kaldera "EarthBound: Pagan Homesteading" is a guide to rural living, small farming, and self-sufficiency as an earth-centered spiritual discipline. While it has hundreds of tips on simple, practical skills, its greatest gift lies in the words of its contributors - Pagan and Heathen homesteaders across the continent. This book is not only about what we do, it's about how and why we do it, and what that means to our souls. Whether you homestead yourself, or you'd like to someday, or you simply want to drink in the virtual life around many different Pagan homesteads, this book will educate you in many ways. Five different photographers and one artist donated their work to this lavishly illustrated book, and many other folk sent their voices in interviews. One Pagan homesteader turned over ten years' worth of diary entries for contribution to its pages. Other Pagans contributed essays, tips, recipes, and philosophy. Laid out along the months of the Algonquin, Celtic solar, Celtic lunar, and medieval Saxon months, "EarthBound" takes you on an odyssey of the sacredness of the turning year.
Earthbound is available on CD, in Microsoft Word document and PDF formats. The cost per CD is $15, plus $3 shipping and handling (in the US), payable to Raven Kaldera, 12 Simonds Hill Road, Hubbardston, MA 10452 via personal check, money order, or PayPal. Buy EarthBound direct from Cauldron Farm | MythAstrology, by Raven Kaldera In ancient times, priests, poets, and astrologers studied the movements of the planets to understand the cycles of life. Mars, Venus, Neptune - the planets themselves are named after gods and goddesses of civilizations past. MythAstrology is a guide to understanding the expression of planetary energies through the signs of the zodiac. Explore the many myths that you may be living, their lessons, and their rewards and difficulties by discovering your own astrological mythology. All you need is a copy of your astrological birth chart and this book to form a complete astromythological profile of yourself and your friends and family. Deepen your understanding of ancient myth, modern astrology, and your own psyche. Buy MythAstrology at Amazon
| Welcoming Hera's Blessing: Handfasting and Wedding Rituals, by Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein. Cross-culturally, weddings are perhaps the most common rite of passage that adults in our society have in common. It is also the one event that crosses cultures regardless of age, gender, social status or income. Perhaps most interestingly, it is also an event that most people wish to commemorate with some kind of ritual regardless of whether they had a religious or secular upbringing - and whether they do it publicly or privately, brief and cursory or long and elaborate.
Handfasting and Wedding Rituals has everything you need to plan the perfect Pagan wedding. You'll find advice and examples to help you with basic wedding planning, writing vows, and ritual construction, along with practical tips and great ideas about everything from low-cost wedding favors to candle and bonfire safety. Handfasting and Wedding Rituals also includes sixteen full rites honoring a wide variety of Pagan traditions. Rituals in their full form can be used exactly as printed or modified to fit your needs. Each rite is categorized as level one, two, or three depending on their level of overt Pagan content and degree of participation expected from your guests. Handfasting and Wedding Rituals includes multiple interfaith rituals and handparting/divorce rituals, as well as rituals for same sex couples and weddings of more than two. Buy Hera's Blessing at Amazon | Urban Primitive, by Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein. Revised and Updated Second Edition due out in 2009! "When people think of Wicca, say authors Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein, they tend to conjure images of bucolic festivals, dryadic rituals and flower-wreathed maidens. In other words, the public mind associates paganism with the seasons and the countryside. But that's only a part of the picture. In The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle, Kaldera and Schwartzstein contend that modern neo-paganism is actually an urban-based movement, and they offer specific rituals and hints on living in the city. Here, readers will learn how to use magick to find an elusive parking space, understand the symbolic meaning of various body piercings and discover spells for unearthing treasures in a junkyard. There is even a chapter on the magickal properties of urban weeds such as bittersweet, dandelion, kudzu (who knew?) and ragweed." -- Publisher's Weekly Buy Urban Primitive at Amazon
| Best Transgender Erotica edited by Raven Kaldera & Hanne Blank Best Transgender Erotica brings together twenty stories by writers of every gender. The first book to celebrate exclusively gender-bending, -crossing, and -breaking sexuality through erotic fiction, Best Transgender Erotica includes representations of many forms of `trans` identity. Whether blurring the line between masculine and feminine, or making the transition from female to male, or vice versa, these characters (and authors) had to put on their sexiest, most alluring, heart-racing show in order to make the cut. Including selections from Thomas Roche, Saachi Green, Todd Belton, Simon Sheppard, M. Christian, and many more of today`s best-known erotica writers, Best Transgender Erotica follows on the smashing success of Best Bisexual Erotica, which was released in 2000. Buy Best Trans Erotica at Amazon |

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LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
Kenaz Filan Kenaz Filan (Houngan Coquille du Mer) was initiated in Société la Belle Venus in March 2003 after 10 years of solitary service to the Haitian Vodou lwa. The managing editor of newWitch magazine, Filan is the author of The Haitian Vodou Handbook and Vodou Love Magic and lives in New York City. Raven Kaldera Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition Pagan shaman and lives in Massachusetts. Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition shaman, intersex/transgender FTM activist, erotica educator, Ordeal Master, Speaker for the Transgendered Dead, homesteader, diviner, psychic vampire, herbalist, polyamorous parent, and author of many, many books, articles, and short stories. Raven is a builder of bridges between worlds, a crosser of boundaries between communities, a Reweaver of the Web. He is the Dreamer Whose Dreams Come True. This website is dedicated to his activist work in its various forms. 'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Drawing Down the Spirits, The Traditions and Techiques of Spiritual Possession by Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera
About Drawing Down the Spirits An insider’s view of the inner workings and prevalence of spirit possession in our modern world
• Provides practical techniques for preparation, safety, aftercare, and aborting harmful possessions • Reveals the forms of ritual possession present throughout the world--including Uganda, Nepal, Korea, Bali, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia, and France Drawing Down the Spirits presents an insider’s view of the inner workings, sacred traditions, and prevalence of spirit possession existing in our modern world. Spirit possession is an integral part of shamanism as well as many neo-pagan forms of worship that draw down deities or invite spirit possession. However, spirit possession is not for the unprepared. In Drawing Down the Spirits, Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera, both initiated and experienced in shamanic and Vodou traditions, present the practical guidance needed to participate in ritual possession.
Addressing the benefits and the dangers that await the naive, Filan and Kaldera show that there is no such thing as a guaranteed “safe” possession because spirits have their own agenda--and they are much more powerful than we are. The authors provide a variety of techniques to prepare for possession and abort possession and to promote the safety of the possessed as well as the spirits and witnesses present. With a wide-ranging look at the historic forms of ritual possession found throughout the world--including Uganda, Nepal, Korea, Bali, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia, and France--the authors also include numerous firsthand accounts collected from witnesses of modern spirit possession.
Book Excerpt Prologue Wild Horses
Raven’s Tale 1981–1988
At sixteen, it began, and I didn’t know what to call it. I had no history of mental illness, including dissociation--no repressed sexual abuse, no repressed anything, really--so I didn’t understand it when my vision would blur, I would feel as if I was falling, and then I would hear through a fog a distant voice speaking to the friend next to me. It was my voice, or at least it came through my vocal cords, but it didn’t sound like me. When I would come back into myself a minute later, people would be staring at me as if I’d grown horns. Once a friend asked me, “How did you know that?” I didn’t know anything, and I told her. She informed me that I had called her by a name that was known only to herself. I had to come up with some kind of explanation, so I said, “Well, maybe I picked it up from your thoughts. Don’t worry, whatever it was, it’s gone. I don’t remember it. It went right through me.” Apparently I also told her to do something, but she didn’t say what, and I didn’t ask. Even then, I knew that hearing these things was not for me. But I also knew that I hadn’t picked anything up from her thoughts. That was a hastily crafted lie, spoken for both our comfort. That hadn’t been me who had said those things, and I had no idea what had been spoken. Another presence had moved into my body and shoved me aside, and I could only flounder as it used me and moved on. It occurred about every four to six months, just often enough to make me doubt my sanity. I wondered if I’d somehow developed multiple personalities, and I searched my head for them--and found nothing. I wrote notes to myself, pleading with myself, telling whoever was in there to at least write something back, but there didn’t seem to be anyone in my head but me. After a while, I decided that this had to be external, because it felt so very . . . inhuman. Bigger than me, much bigger. I was like a cowering child next to these Presences--and yes, there was more than one of them, which seemed even more worrisome. I started watching Them, observing in the moment before I “went away,” psychically “sniffing” the scent when I came back--and I figured out that one of them, anyway, was the goddess who had been talking to me off and on since my childhood. I didn’t know Her name at the time, but I knew that She was a Death, and that She had some kind of a strong connection to me. Nailing this fact down was both a relief and a greater terror--my body was being borrowed by deities, but why? How? I joined a local Wiccan coven, but the high priestess was young and unsure of what to do about my situation. At first she told me that it was just “drawing down,” although she’d never heard of it happening spontaneously. Then a visiting Pagan from another group mentioned Vodou folk and that they do spirit possession as a matter of course. My head jerked up, and I felt my high priestess’s eyes on me across the room. I didn’t know where to go in order to find any Vodou people, so the information didn’t seem all that useful. However, a week later that visiting Pagan called me up and gave me the contact for an Umbanda House about an hour away from me. At seventeen, I ran away from my parents’ house and began to live on my own, but it was still years before I was able to follow up on that contact. How do you say to a group of colorfully dressed strangers, “I think that gods are borrowing my body, and how do I make it stop?” Because it hadn’t stopped; in fact, it had become more frequent. It felt like a violation, and control freak that I was, it frightened and shamed me. To my surprise, the House Mama was entirely sympathetic, and she turned me over to her assistants to be taught the practicalities of god possession. Drinking salt water, cold water on the back of the neck, nonrhythmic activities--these could put off possessions for a while. The real issue, though, she cautioned me, was that I had to make proper alliances with the spirits who wanted to ride me. It was the first time that I heard the termshorse and ridden . . . and discovered that this gift/curse that had chosen me could not be unchosen.
Most Western spiritual traditions don’t know what to think about the idea of being possessed by a deity, but for the most part it makes them uncomfortable. Possession was something done by evil spirits, like in The Exorcist, right? If they had some knowledge of Afro-Caribbean religious practices, they might associate it with those traditions, but even that seemed rather far-fetched and alien to a modern Western spiritual tradition. The actual deliberate practice of spirit possession for ritual purposes veered between being discouraged and being disbelieved entirely. And so it was pushed aside into oblivion . . . except that people kept getting possessed, sometimes by entities who claimed to be the gods that those people claimed to be worshipping. In the past ten years, spirit possession as a phenomenon has gained new ground. People are becoming more informed about the traditional faiths that practice it, such as the African-diaspora religions. Interest in shamanic traditions is growing, and seekers find that spirit possession is an integral part of many of those practices. In Neo-Pagan communities, possession is growing slowly but steadily, sometimes to the dismay of community leaders who are not sure how to handle the phenomenon safely and sensitively.
 www.kenazfilan.com

www.ravenkaldera.org 
Publication Information
Drawing Down the Spirits The Traditions and Techniques of Spirit Possession By (author) Kenaz Filan By (author) Raven Kaldera ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-269-6 ISBN: 1-59477-269-X Quality Paperback — 4/13/09 Page Count: 352; 6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height) Imprint: Destiny Books
Praise for Drawing Down the Spirits "Are you ready to have your mind blown? Seriously, are you looking for a book that will force you to confront and/or reevaluate your thoughts on the very prospect of God or Gods themselves? . . . Hidden within this informative, straight forward text, is a philosophical discourse that is fascinating. Once you open this book, you'll find it hard to put down." The Magical Buffet, June 2009
Kenaz Filan FORTHCOMING Pagan Astrology Spell-Casting, Love Magic, and Shamanic Stargazing By (author) Raven Kaldera ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-302-0 ISBN: 1-59477-302-5 Quality Paperback — 11/15/09 Page Count: 368; 6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height) 5 b&w illustrations Imprint: Destiny Books Availability: Back ordered. You will not be charged until this item ships. Estimated publication date: 11/15/09. Price: $18.95 
The Haitian Vodou Handbook Protocols for Riding with the Lwa By (author) Kenaz Filan ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-125-5 ISBN: 1-59477-125-1 Quality Paperback — 11/10/06 Page Count: 304; 6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height) 18 b&w illustrations Imprint: Destiny Books Availability: Usually ships within 1-2 business days. Price: $16.95
Vodou Love Magic A Practical Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships By (author) Kenaz Filan ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-248-1 ISBN: 1-59477-248-7 Quality Paperback — 1/26/09 Page Count: 200; 6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height) Includes 8-page color insert and 9 b&w illustrations Imprint: Destiny Books Availability: Usually ships within 1-2 business days. Price: $14.95
FORTHCOMING Vodou Money Magic The Way to Prosperity through the Blessings of the Lwa By (author) Kenaz Filan ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-331-0 ISBN: 1-59477-331-9 Quality Paperback — 3/15/10 Page Count: 232; 6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height) Includes 8-page color insert and 11 b&w illustrations Imprint: Destiny Books Availability: Back ordered. You will not be charged until this item ships. Estimated publication date: 3/15/10. Price: $16.95

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The Dawn of Shades has now also been added to Black Vault Radio's paranormal lineup too! (www.blackvaultradio.com)
We here at Exogeny Network believe in community service and supporting such endeavors. Sometimes our involvement is very personal, involving us donating our time, others its a case of connecting people with each other, sometimes its financial contributions. March 2009 Over the last few months, Gia has been helping a brand new rescue group get its papers in order to continue the work that its creators had already been doing. Animal rescue is its mission, and soon, Metairie Humane will be able to start taking donations. It has already been incorporated, and the paperwork is off to the IRS now to get its official designation as a public charity. Check out its site at www.metairiehumane.org!
On June 3rd, 2008, during the Dawn of Shades, Gia talks about Rob, the Rottweiler wannabe in New Orleans. To help the rescue group that has been helping Rob on his journey to health and a forever home, we are encouraging everyone to take a look at their fund raising effort. This photo doesn't even begin to give this pendant its just dues. Its a very cute pendant, about 1 1/2" long, shaped like a bone with silver colored metal and either clear or pink crystals (your choice) on a black velvet cord. They are being sold at only $10 plus $3.25 shipping and handling, and must be paid for by either check or money order. Email me and I will send you the particulars!

Exogeny Network does not have any official connection with the rescue group "Metairie Humane", the sale of this necklace, etc. We are merely helping this group attempt to raise money to defray some of the expenses it normally faces. We also receive no compensation for our efforts, and all sales will be handled by the rescue group itself.
Sissy's Accident On July 18th, Sissy, one of Gia's dogs, was injured in a dispute with another dog, resulting in a very large bill at an emergency veterinarian clinic in Mississippi, as Gia was traveling with her dogs. Photos of Sissy's injuries, which were mostly to her right hind leg, will be posted soon.
Right now, Sissy is recuperating. She is on restricted exercise, requiring that she is carried outside to do her business. She is taking an oral antibiotic and a pain killer, and has to have her wounds flushed twice a day. She has numerous staples which hold some of the lacerations together. She must wear a "elizabethan" collar (the large cone) around her neck to prevent her from licking her wounds, which means that the tiny crate being used to keep her still and quiet seems even tinier!
After 24 hours, she is eating a few things: some hot dog and a spoonful of ice cream were special treats to coax her appetite. She is drinking, although we would like to see her drink more, she is much happier to be home. The pills have been eaten happily, hidden inside cream cheese or a piece of hot dog. Pill pockets are on the list of things to get though!
She is standing on her leg and will use it some, although we discourage any walking still. The ripped muscles in the upper part of that leg need some time to heal despite sutures. In a few days, we'll relax the no-walking rule a little bit, although her activity will be extremely restricted for the next two weeks. She is obviously extremely stiff and sore, despite the Rimadyl
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