You're right. There are good cops who don't treat people like crap. I just worked with so many who did. And, yes, if you are singled out for whatever reason you are in big trouble. I was only arrested once and it was personal for the cop. Not a good situation to be in.

Yep. Ive actually spent some time in county and thats no fun. COs are clearly a different story and they are friggin baby sitters. Very abusive environment.

CO's????

Custody Officers. I just figured it out.

Female officers are harder on female arrestees I think. Was that true in the jail?

Well any time you are searched, it needs to be by a female CO, just like it would be in the field. I was in county which was co-ed. There were male inmates on one half and the females on the other. That caused a lot of problems on its own. Generally I got along with "most" of the COs both male and female but of course you cant be openly friendly with them or someone is bound to take notice and then suddenly you are a rat or snitch. Its just endless drama. No, I never had a female CO treat me any worse than the males.

I was only in for one night in the holding facility at the Sheriff's station. The woman in charge was horrible. She was nicer to me after she found out that I had been a cop. It must have been in the system somewhere and come up because I never told anyone. For the first 6 hours I was there it was pure hell.

Uhh. Yeah its no fun. The entire process is somewhat humiliating but it is designed to be that way. Actually its very good you were not moved. Ya know, they would have had to put you in PC more than likely just for your own safety. Im glad you were released early on.

My mom posted my bail. And then the charges were dropped. I'm sorry you had to go there, too. And, to County no less.

Ahh I asked for it. This was in my 20s and such. The crazy years. I learned my lesson. Plus thats on my record now so it will only go harder on me next time. The best thing is to not create a next time for yourself.

Amen to that!

To get off that depressing topic, remember this song from "Practical Magic" when she is tearing up the floor boards? I love Nick Drake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDnDxvVjBic

I have the movie and the CD. I love that song.

I think (dont quote me on this) but Nick Drake committed suicide. He was bi-polar or suffered from some sort of mental disturbance and back then, they didnt know what to do and you were on your own. Im not certain though. A lot of his music indicates sadness and despair if you listen.

A CO is a Correctional Officer. They work in county facilities and state prisons. Sorry I missed that question. They have a hierarchy in the county facility. Im not sure if its the same in state prisons. Like certain ones report to others etc..It doesnt really matter because inevitably they back one another and its always the con's fault.

I'm currently reading the Chapter on the science of Spellcraft in The Outer Temple book.

It's an extremely good chapter. I imagine that the following chapter "The Art of Spellcraft" will be just as enlightening.

These books of Penczak are truly prefect. He has great style as an author. He cuts to the chase always. He doesn't get bogged down in unnecessary superstitions. He gets right to the point and offers very useful information in very practical ways.

I really can't thank you enough Ruth for point out this author and these books.

I spent $100 on these three books and the accompanying meditation CDs. Although for witchcraft alone only the first two books are needed. The third book is all about shamanic journeys which aren't necessary for spellwork. The shamanism is for personal spiritual growth and psychic communiqué.

I'm glad to also have that third book. But the first two are all that's needed for traditional witchcraft.

This was a hundred bucks that was very well spent! Penczak just covers every topic that I'm interested in learning about, and his knowledge is clear. I'm with him all the way. Everything he says makes perfect sense and resonates with me on an intuitive level.

In the chapter on Spellcraft he explains why it take time for some spells to materialize. He actually explains the 'physics' of it, even though it's psychic. Even the world of the psyche has it's own laws of 'physics' (laws of how it works).

I got these book just in the nick of time to prepare to embark on my journey into witchcraft with the rebirth of the God at the Winter Solstice.

I know that's not required, but it makes for a nice place to start just the same. Especially since I will be following the God as my guide through the year.

The Goddess will be my guide as well. I truly few these as cosmic "parents" working together.

This is why I bought an athame for the God as well as for the Goddess. this was purely intuitive on my part.

I think a lot of witchcraft focuses a little too heavily on the Goddess. They worship the moon cycles and tend to neglect the sun. I mean, it's in the tradition for sure since the solstices and equinoxes are the main holy days. But none the less, they don't seem to focus on the God as much as they do on the Goddess.

I think the reason for this is imply because the moon cycles are monthy whereas the sun cycle is yearly.

But the way I view the big picture is that the God is my guide for the year, and the Goddess is always there to appeal to along that journey.

In any case, the details of how we think of the pantheon is truly unimportant to the actual spellwork. This is why the pantheon can be so abstract and free.

I truly wish that our society had been focused on witchcraft in the style that Penczak presents.

Unfortunately though, even if the tradition of witchcraft had become the major religion it most likely would have been train-wrecked just like the Mediterranean religion was.

I can already see that it has been train-wrecked by many individuals on website who have a totally different idea from what Penczak is presenting.

I really like Penczak's style. He's a very intelligent man.

I'm glad you like his books. I also like his approach to magick. Very straight forward and easy to understand. I always take the KISS approach to magick and find it works much better. (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

I found this and thought it was worth posting. It would appear to be historically accurate from what I have read.

Halloween Witch

Each year they parade her about, the traditional Halloween Witch.
Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, a toothless mouth
Beneath her deformed nose. Gnarled knobby fingers twisted into a
Claw protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on
Wobbly legs. Most think this abject image to be the creation of a
Prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature I disagree, I
Believe this to be how Witches were really seen.

Consider that most Witches were women, were abducted in the night,
And smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness
To be presented by light of day as a confessed Witch. Few if any saw
A frightened normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room
Filled with instruments of torture, to be questioned until she confessed
To anything suggested to her and to give names or what ever would stop
The questions

Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed
Witch.

As the Witch was paraded through town en route to be burned
Hanged, drowned, stoned or disposed of in various other forms of
Christian love all created to free and save her soul from her
Depraved body, the jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of
Torture

The face bruised and broken by countless blows bore a hue of
Sickly green the once warm and loving smile gone replaced by a
Grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leer beneath a battered
Disfigured nose.

The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn
Scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses.
Broken twisted hands clutched the wagon for support, fractured

Fingers with nails torn away locked like groping claws to steady her
Broken body. All semblance of humanity gone this was truly a demon, a
Bride of Satan, a Witch

I revere this Halloween Crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor
Her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of man. Each
Year I shed tears of respect when the mundane exhibit their symbol of
Christian love.

Your reference to the Christian love and how they cold-bloodly dehumanized so many innocent people reminds me of Hypatia.

Hypatia was a mathematician and scientist. She was also a non-Christian (pagan), but not necessarily a witch.

Christians hate anyone who isn't a Christian.

It doesn't matter what they represent.

Hypatia was a brilliant mathmatician and teacher of science at the library of Alexandria in Egypt. But the Chritian bishop hated her because she wasn't a Christian. So he incited a mob to murder her.

She was on her way to the library (which was actually like a college), when the Christian mob grabbed her from her chariot and stripped her naked and tore the flesh from her bones with sharp implements. Then burned her remains.

Christian love, how sweet the sound.

Not.

No religion has been more hateful throughout all of history, and it continues to be hateful right to this present day. The only thing that is preventing Christian fundamentalists from inciting mobs to murder heathens is the law of the state.

Christians have become their Satan.

They couldn't find a real demon, so they became the demon, and in Jesus' name they prey.

Here's a link to the Hypatia story:

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hypati1/a/hypatia.htm

Wow. interesting. I had never heard of her. I will check out that link. Isnt a Hypatia a kind of flower? That name sounds familiar. Anyway, thanks. I've never actually heard that connection made to a brutally beaten person and the caricature of a Halloween Witch before so its possible that it was based in the author's mind.

However, what she was describing was historically accurate and not simply an appeal to emotion. Inquisitioners would come in the middle of the night or early morning hours before dawn and kidnap suspected Witches from their homes. They ripped out fingernails, broke bones, tore out hair etc.. and so after hours of that, a person is going to look repulsive and retched. Its a very plausible scenario to say the least.