(IMDb.com)

   Last night I watched the movie Paranormal Activity written and directed by Oren Peli. The movie is a fictitious documentary of a haunted girl Katie and her idiotic boyfriend Micah. First, I'd like to mention that I don't understand why directors/writers feel that in order to make the documentary style film seem more realistic they have to have an annoying character (i.e. Matt Reeves 2008 film Cloverfield). Most films of this sort are overshadowed by this annoying individual, however, Paranormal Activity is defined by it. The film overall was well acted, the camera work fit the genre, and the VG (video graphics) were excellent. The film jumps right into the plot when Micah buys a dinosaur of a video camera to catch evidence of his girlfriend's supposed paranormal activity. Micah approaches the subject with an air of disbelief, intrigue, and blatant disrespect. Even though they are warned by a psychic/ghost hunter that it appeared to be more than a ghost and that they need to not encourage it and get it dealt with professionally (and Katie's pleas as well), Micah makes what appears to be all the wrong choices and decides that his research and experimentation will some how magically deal with the entity. The ending itself was a little far-fetched but still plausible (probably with much more and longer oppression). It's almost as if horror film directors come up with a good idea and don't know how to end it (i.e. Geoffrey Sax's 2005 film White Noise starring Michael Keaton). The film does attempt to share the possibilities of paranormal occurrences but unfortunately will be viewed as a work of fiction to the majority and not a warning. All of that said, this film is worth viewing.

   So what does this movie have to do with my column, The Sentient Sentinel? Well, as some of you are aware I am an Occult Specialist, so I have more than a passing interest on the subject. The problem that the main characters in this film are faced with is who to turn to? The ghost hunter explains that he is not equipped for such a case and recommends a demonologist that they end up not calling until it's too late. However, both of these men are doctors of some sort and therefore are believed to have knowledgeable opinions. However, what most people don't know is that an Exorcism can only be performed by an ordained priest with authority from the Vatican for that particular case, which means, hardly any real exorcisms have taken place. Especially with the skepticism in regards to religion and paranormal activity today, traditional exorcists look for any and all alternatives before requesting such a procedure. Also, thanks to the entertainment industry's recounting of these tales in books and movies, they can and have gone incredibly wrong.

   There are of course others who claim to do exorcisms, but you should be very wary. There's an entire movement of charismatics who perform deliverance on a daily basis. Deliverance is a not so fancy term for an exorcism. Sects of Christianity who are not apart of the Vatican and therefore could not obtain the rites of exorcism thought if they changed the name that it wouldn't count as an actual exorcism, therefore their need for permission was waved and yet they could still 'help' individuals in need. However, most people who perform deliverance believe that demons afflict everyone on a daily basis and "cast out" ridiculous amounts of evil entities from individuals.

   Of course, despite popular belief, Christianity is far from the only religion afflicted by evil spirits. I could write a book on all of the different evil entities, what religion they reside in, and how that particular religion deals with their own source of evil. However, since Witchmoot is a Pagan Blog Community, I will focus on Paganism. Yes, even the happy-go-lucky children of the Earth sometimes run into afflicting spirits. There are many different spells out there that claim to deal with troublesome entities. These spells may only be targeted at ghosts or may encompass or specifically be for a 'demonic' type. Whether a spell or exorcism is used, they're really the same means to an end. The individual's body is infected by a spirit (evil or good irrelevant) and the practitioner attempts to treat the infection.

   So who to turn to if you have trouble with paranormal phenomena? Well, there is surely a plethora of "Ghost Hunters" around your area that dedicate a certain amount of time (professional is a subjective term in paranormal regards) to researching these cases, but if they even offer a solution, it really is not their specialty. A parapsychologist and/or a demonologist are few and far between and really are the most controversial members of the paranormal industry. I have become aware of a couple of supposed Demonologists in Michigan, but I have not checked out their workshops since they charge $35-$40 per lecture, which I refuse to pay. Plus, every demonologist I am aware of are Christian. The head of any religious community may be willing to stop by and bless your person or residence, and often times they offer 'blessed' substances for personal 'blessings.' However, from my experience, religious figures are also unequipped to deal with such occurrences and often times will turn people away due to fear.

   So you have just been rejected by the only place you know to go, what now? Well, luckily, there are a few "Occult Specialists" out there that do 'specialize' in dealing with these sort of things. What makes one an Occult Specialist? Unfortunately there is no dictum for it. Through personal research and experience (and sometimes chance) people become Occult Specialists. Credentials are hard to come by so trusting a supposed Occult Specialist can be difficult, especially since true Occult Specialists tend to be frowned upon by the 'brighter' spiritualists (meant to include religious figures, despite their lack of spirituality at times) due to their darker nature and the subject of their work.

   There, unfortunately, is no listing for Occult Specialists and they can be rather hard to come by. Other than myself, the only people I am aware of that are capable of dealing with such cases are the Strigoi Vii, who have been known to set up websites that provide contact information. Once again, most people frown upon their community, so I present you with the same conflict as myself, how desperate are you? If you are truly afflicted, are you in enough torment to ask for help, even if it is from someone you may fear as much as the entity itself? For more knowledge on the Strigoi Vii, look into the work of Michelle Belanger.

   In summary, Paranormal Activity is worth seeing due to it's realistic portrayal that is often times exaggerated due to Hollywood's demand for cheap thrills and chills. Whether one has an active interest in the paranormal or a passing moment, this film offers entertainment to the full spectrum of adult viewers. And like other movies in it's genre, the fictitious documentary thoroughly draws the audience into the lives of the characters.

I spent last week in bed with the flu; an annoying situation made tolerable by my latest book club delivery. It was a hardcover 2fer, This Witch for Hire (Dead Witch Walking - The Good, the Bad, and the Undead) which is the first two books in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison.

These stories take place in modern day Ohio, in a parallel world where humans and supernatural people live side by side. There is some hostility between the various groups and, of course, there are various law enforcement agencies to deal with their interactions. Our main character, Rachel Morgan, is a Witch (not a human, a different species) and the product of one of these agencies, but she's gone and quit- sure she can do better as an independent bounty hunter/detective- and set up her own agency. And that, boys and girls, is where we our story begins.

While I was thoroughly entertained, I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes while reading these books. They contain all the things that annoy the hell out of me. Supernatural witches annoy me, but the author at least allows humans to be magic-users too, if sub par ones. Friendly vampires are a major turn off, but at least it's not easy for them. Lack of research is my biggest pet peeve, and the character spends half of the first book in the shape of a mink... which the author apparently believes is rodent considerably smaller than a six-inch pixie... a gnawing creature with big incisors... that eats carrots. Come on. Five minutes on Wikipedia could have remedied that. The most annoying thing is the main character. She likes to spend her time whining about her luck and about how she gets no respect while she runs around acting like a fool and treating others like garbage. She is particularly susceptible to vampire charm due to an unusual incident I won't spoil for you. This is an interesting character trait which would have a much bigger impact if she wasn't a total sex pot who seems to view every man she sees as a mindless walking dildo. Even the ones who want to kill her.

I don't like the main character. She's stupid, reckless, disrespectful and way too much of a hardass to feel any sympathy for. Her priorities are also totally twisted. She is so understanding when her friend tries to EAT her, and she finds out she's been lying to her for years, but she's dead set on bringing down the guy who is smuggling drugs that are outlawed because of reasons she herself thinks are stupid and funding (illegal) research that saves peoples' lives??? She causes ridiculous amounts of problems for the people around her and I don't understand why they like her. I wouldn't give her the time of day.

Most books I keep reading because I'm interested to find out what happened to the character. I make a personal connection. These books are like a train wreck. I can't turn away because I have to find out the details I have to know more. I want to know what happened and how it happened and if there are any body parts scattered about. It's morbid, I know, but I'm going to keep reading this series just because. At least when I have nothing better to read. Assuming I can get them cheap.

This isn't literature- it's total fluff. It's like the Harlequin novels I used to snitch from my mom's headboard, except not quite as smutty. (There is some gratuitous sex, just not as much.) It's not quality but it is entertainment. And bonus: it's got funny bits.

Enjoy!

"It's a fat book" My son said defensively when discovered reading Twilight, "So it sucks. I like fat books." I told him I wanted to read it and he looked at me incredulously "Why?"

My son brought home Twilight from the library two weeks ago. Since then we've all read it, with the exception of my husband who values his time much more than the rest of us. My daughter read it because all her friends had. I read it to see the fuss was about. Frankly, I still don't know what the fuss was about.

I haven't read the rest of the series (I probably will because I am told it is better and I'm just the sort of cat that curiosity kills) so I can only discuss Twilight and, frankly, I feel a migraine coming on at the thought. Fat book or no, I read it in two evenings. I tried not to skip too much but, frankly, some of it was just too painful to wallow through. I remember reading comments by Stephen King about this book, he said that while it was entertaining for young folks, the author just "can't write worth a darn." I thought, "Yea, coming from the guy who stuffs 90% of his books with descriptions of Main and 10% with plot." Well, he was right. She can't.

I'm not an editor, so I won't talk too much about grammar, but it would have been nice if someone had edited that book. The characters were shallow and you didn't care one bit what happened to them. About halfway through the book I turned to my daughter (she was reading by day and I was reading by night so we were roughly around the same spot) and said, "You know, she could save this plot if Bella kills Edward in the end." "She won't." she replied sadly. And I knew it was true. It was totally predictable. Every inch of it. Alas.

Many people have compared the Twilight series with the Harry Potter series, including Robert Pattinson who played Edward on Twilight and Cedrick Diggory in the Harry Potter movies (and you can hardly blame him considering). Sorry, no comparison. JK Rowling is brilliant, her stories are creative and her characters are very well developed. This is evident by the fact that so many reviews of her work are emotionally charged based on what happened to the characters rather than on the quality of her work. Think about it, her skill is so developed, that it has ceased to matter in critiquing her work. Meanwhile, Stephanie Meyers is so lacking in skill that it's hard to get past that and figure out exactly what she's trying to say. I suspect she's not really saying anything but instead living out her own white horse fantasies in the written word.

The Twilight character Edward, while shallow, is annoying as hell. If I knew this guy personally, I would have staked him the first day. Bella is pathetic. Not a heroine, a stupid little girl with a martyr complex who needs rescuing every two seconds.

The plot is the most annoying thing about this book. It is not an original plot. It is the same plot of every Victorian romance novel and the hundreds of Harlequin romances my mother used to hide in the headboard of her bed, and I used to steal- till I realized they all had the same plot.

It goes like this:
Girl meets boy. They are irresistibly drawn to each other for no apparent reason except maybe hormones. Boy fights it because of some issue and ends up treating girl like crap. She's miserable. Then, she's in danger and he has to save her life. They get along for awhile, but he still has issues, so he acts like an ass some more. Ultimately, he confesses his issues, she shows him it's not a big deal, he is delighted he's found someone who can accept him even though he sucks, he ceases to be an asshole and they live happily ever after.

I remember in my younger days talking to my mother about these books and trying to explain just what a terrible message they were sending to women and girls who read them.
1. If a man needs to save you, he'll realize how much you mean to him. 2. A man who is a jerk will stop being a jerk once he realizes how much you mean to him. And
3. All you have to do is wait it out, take the abuse, accept whatever issues he has with grace and you will eventually be rewarded with blissful love.
She told me that some women needed that message to stay in their marriages. I was mind boggled. "Maybe," I replied, "those women shouldn't stay in their marriages."

But Twilight's message is even worse. Now, granted Edward is a vampire and vampires don't have to follow human laws of decency, but why exactly is it okay that he snuck into her house and spied on her while she slept? How is that romantic and not just creepy and disgusting? I mean, are there no stalking laws in Forks?

Another thing that really needs to be addressed by society at large is the fact that physical attraction does not equal love. Now I understand that a whirlwind romance is in fact that, romantic and whirlwind-y, but it's not love. Love comes knowing someone and appreciating the good things about them as well as the bad things. Despite Edward's 4000 question game, these two characters don't know each other at all. Hell, we the readers barely know them and we know stuff they don't. And yet they are both willing to throw their lives away for each other? That's not love, that's co-dependency. Both of these manic depressive characters also use threats of suicide and other harm to themselves to control the other; that is not appropriate in a relationship. At all. Ever.

What Twilight does is romanticize a relationship that far too many giant red flag warning signs of future abuse for comfort. He is controlling, he is jealous, he uses threats of suicide and leaving to control her, he spies on her, follows her around without her knowledge or permission and does his very best to convince her that if he didn't, something terrible would happen to her. Likewise he is a big whiny, manipulative baby who coerces her repeatedly into doing things she doesn't want to do and is obviously working very hard to convince her that not only does she need him to keep her from hurting herself, he needs her to keep from killing himself. Oh my.

And doesn't it strike anyone as a little creepy that a 100 year old guy is getting busy with a 17 year old girl? Okay, I know he looks 17, but he's not. It's just gross.

My daughter wondered aloud yesterday why why all of her friends like this book so much with its unoriginal plot, unlikeable characters and uninteresting writing style. I replied "Well, most kids didn't cut their teeth on Shakespeare and Homer." And it's true. We are a family of nerds. Most kids don't know bad literature when they see it and are afraid of good literature. I suspect the popularity of such a crappy book is indicative of the state of our public schools.

I have frequently been amazed at the impact early exposure to good literature has had on my children. I wasn't exposed to it a great deal till I was in college, which happened to be when they were little and that's why they heard classic novels at bedtime instead of storybooks and our puppet shows were based on classic theatre. But I really think this has increased their enjoyment of many things. For example Oh Brother Where Art Thou is much more amusing if you've read the Odyssey. People who are familiar with classical literature have a much more developed sense of symbolism and experience greater enjoyment of visual arts, music, poetry and modern films that utilize it.

But as usual, I digress.

Curiosity sent me to the Christian websites to see their take on Twilight and the jury is mixed. Some, like Ignite your Faith reviewer Stacy Lingle find value in the themes of selfless love, sacrifice, resisting temptation and good triumphing over evil. Others, like the author of this blog see Edward Cullen as an anti-Christ figure, and agree with me that the message it contains is a poor one for today's young girls.

As a Pagan, I find Twilight irritating in many ways and I'm frankly relieved my children hated it and the characters in it. It tells me I must've done something right in raising them (certainly not everything!) I would be interested to hear what other members of the Pagan and magical community think of this series. Please leave comments, even disparaging ones. I am really interested in hearing from people who like the book because as open as I like to think my mind is, I just can't get my brain around it.

Meanwhile, I am going to horrify my son by requesting he check the rest of the series out of the middle school library, because I'm a masochist like that. Not enough of a masochist to pay for them... but they can't be much worse now that they've got the predefined romance plot out of the way... can they?

Gaia's Garden presents ideas for creating a garden space that looks, feels and behaves as if it happened naturally, instead of being planned and groomed by civilized folk. This doesn't mean it looks unkempt, but that each plant within a garden group exists in a relationship with others in a mini ecosystem. This type of planting produces healthier plants and greater yeilds while preserving or improving the health of the soil and reducing the amount of work it takes to maintain established beds. (Though the amount of work it takes to establish them in the first place is not reduced by any means.)

Although I think that the book could have been simpler in its execution (although it promises it won't read like a text book it does in some places) and it digressed a little too often for me (examples are nice, but I got tired of them) I was very pleased with it. It was both informative and inspiring.

I bought this book because I was looking for resources on companion planting to help me decide what plants to use to create guilds. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. While this book does contain information about companion planting, it's only a very small section in a much larger text that is organized into sections of related gardening terms followed by alphabetical listings encyclopedia style. Each heading only has a very small blurb and doesn't go into much detail. While it's a nice reference to have on hand, it is not at all what I was looking for or need and I felt the title was somewhat misleading. Instead of being called Roses Love Garlic: Companion Planting and Other Secrets of Flowers , it should have been called A Laundry List of Gardening Tips with Brief Mention of Companion Planting. In fact, since it didn't have much more mention of companion planting than most other gardening books, I don't see why it was mentioned in the title at all.