The 1950’s was not a good time to set up a new group and we were getting old, this put pressure on my cousin May and Me but again we felt we did not have the strength and the face of the neighborhood community was changing.
By the mid 1960’s we stopped looking at taking on new candidates as we saw what was happening in the surrounding community that was developing from the so-called "love generation".
Yes we were approached and they were screened BUT what we saw both in the attitudes in the canidates as well as what we saw being put into print, well it nearly made some of us gag. Never read anything by Paul Hudson it was such junk and it only barely touched any aspects of the craft and it was sooo negative.
And by this time Alex Saunders sensational form of witchcraft with it’s nudity was just what the so-called flower children wanted--we were too staid, to formal, too much instruction, too much learning, to much discipline.
No young person wanted to take the time or have the paticents to learn, and if drugs weren't involved forget it they said!
If they couldn't have the power to zap someone right now, forget it!
If it took too long to do, forget it!
If it couldn’t bring free sex slaves and nudity, forget it!
All those lessons and rules to learn and no spell to control some one to my will right now??? Forget it!
Ritual? Honor? Ethics? Worship and respect the God and Goddess??? Respect my fellow human being??? Forget it Man!!! Who care's!! I'm grooving on a power trip Man, send me to Nirvana on some good smoking Shit!!! AND LET ME BE KING OF THE HILL!!!!!!
~~~~~So we said--Forget it~~~~~~~~~~~
So many promising people and no patience. The original ME First Generation.
Well the group began to die off from old age, the first being my Granny. She passed away in 1973 at the age of 93.
Because my Uncle Manuel was a widower, he had moved in with Grandma and Grandpa to take care of them over the years and no one objected. As a matter of fact we all felt better that he was keeping an eye on them. So when Grandpa died he left everything to Grandma. Grandma made out a will and in it she made her bequests.
She privately told my Mother and my Uncle Henry that upon her death everything would be left to Manny, with the exception of her special cabinet and it’s contents---that was to be left to me. They had no objections as they felt that was only right---but she had deliberately not informed her other son, Mike about this arrangement for very special reasons.
Mike had married twice. His first wife, Margaret had joined the group long before she married him. If ever there was a saint on earth it was Margaret, she was a gentle soul with inner class and quiet strength. I liked her from the very beginning and was glad she married my Uncle Mike and Granny was glad to have her as a daughter-in-law.
After she died suddenly from a heart attack some years later, he married a second time to a woman we privately nick-named The Barracuda because of this woman’s greed for money and things
Of all of Granny’s children, only Uncle Mike was the one who didn’t really like what Granny did. But he knew better than to object because Grandpa could knock his head off with one blow and Grandpa approved of what Grandma did, so as far as Grandpa was concerned his sons and daughter had no say in what Granny could or couldn’t do. Grandpa died a couple of years after Uncle Mike married Margaret, but she kept him in line even if he did give that funny, twisted face look of his about the “meetings” but he knew better than to object if he wanted to keep his wife
I never could figure out why he didn’t like what we did and when I asked Granny she said that there are some, who because they don’t want to learn or try to understand, instead hate what they don’t know and feel intimidated by it--reject it.
When Aunt Margaret died that was a real blow to all of us, but Uncle Mike went off the deep end of the pool as Granny would say and started acting a bit strange. Now he met some ladies at the church’s social functions and all of them I would not have minded be coming my Aunt # 2. BUT some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to his door and one of them, he always referred to as “A Honey-Of-A-Redhead”, just simped, simpered and smiled her way in to his house. Well before we knew it he ran off with her to Reno and got married and it was hell after that.
Five years of hell, but after the first year of dealing with that woman’s nonsense, Granny put her foot down and said that if Uncle Mike couldn’t put a curb on that woman (she never did call her by name) then he was going to be cut out from her will and also not be invited to any family function or be permitted to come to her house again.
Well the Barracuda thought that Granny had lots of money and behaved herself, but she always had a face that looked like she sucked too many lemons and was constipated as well and that we were beneath her supposed station in life--what ever station that may be.
Then Granny died---Now up to that moment Uncle Mike had no idea how Granny’s will was made out, until the second day of the funeral ritual {according to old style Catholic ritual it was a three day event with day 1 as the viewing, day 2 as the rosary and then day 3 as the funeral mass, burial and wake}
After the Rosary that evening, some of us returned to Granny’s house to set up tables and chairs because neighbors were bringing over food for the next days wake and Mrs. Washington was going to make sure that everything was set up right the next day. So as Aunt Alice, Mom, Bella (Della had broken her ankle and couldn’t help) Mrs. Washington and I were setting the tables and getting things in place, Dad, Uncle Henry and Uncle Manny were bringing up extra chairs from the basement and from some of the neighbors.
Uncle Mike comes into the house like he’s going to take charge of everything but Mom was in one of her rare “I’m-not-taking-none-of-that-stuff-from-you” moods and said to him that we had it under control and to go home and get some rest for it would be a long day tomorrow (well none of them were getting younger)
The Barracuda went into Grannys bedroom that was just off the kitchen and without so much as a “by-your-leave”, opened the closet door, took out Grannys good coat and said “I can give this to my daughter.” Mom said what do you think your doing? Uncle Mike piped up and said that they were only claiming what was theirs. Uncle Manny got upset and said “Now just a minute there you both do not touch a thing.” He went and got a copy of the will and read it out loud for all to hear.
You could hear the old pin drop. The Barracuda gave me a withering look and glanced at the cabinet and started to leave. Uncle Mike said “We’ll see you tomorrow” and left with her.
The next day after the burial at the cemetery, we all hung around and talked to family and friends, but Uncle Mike and his wife left very quickly. At first I didn’t think much of it, but then I felt this gripping sensation around my heart. Mom and Dad stayed there taking to friends and other family members and would come later with Henry and Alice. My brother would come a bit later with Della and her husband.
But I went over to Uncle Manny where he was talking to Bella and Mrs. Harcorte and said that I felt the need to quickly return to Granny’s house. He didn’t ask questions so all 4 of us piled into his old sedan. I didn’t know a 1948 Buick could fly but this one did, I think Uncle Manny was feeling the same unease as I did.
My worse fears were confirmed when we got back and I saw smoke rising up from the back yard, and before the car stopped Mrs. Washington came running out from the side yard gate and was banging on the car and screaming “They’ve gone crazy!!! I couldn’t stop them!!!” Her screaming got the neighbors attention and they started coming out of their houses. She had tried to stop them from removing the cabinet out of the house and I saw a horrible bruise on her face..”Who hit you?” I asked. That woman did she replied.
We got into the back yard and saw that Uncle Mike and Her were burning everything that was in the cabinet inside the brick circle where we had held so many out door meetings and Uncle Mike was about to break up the cabinet next.
Uncle Manny jumped on him, stopping him but the Barracuda was on his back like a banshees leech and screaming like crazy. We women pulled the @itch off of him while Mrs. Washington got the water hose because the fire had spread to the garage and was beginning to set the walls on fire. The Barracuda threw something at me, and she and I got into a knock down, no holds bar hair pulling match. I remember screaming at them to put the fire out, and they got busy. Uncle Manny and Uncle Mike were doing their own fisticuffs.
Uncle Henry, Aunt Alice and Mom and Dad showed up and Alice ran in the house to call the police and fire department, Uncle Henry ran over to help the ladies, Dad got between my uncles and Mom ran over to me to stop us from fighting, but the Barracuda hit Mom a hard one, so I jumped on her again determined to rip off her ears and break every bone in her skinny, bonney body.
I had this strange sensation that things were moving fast but in slow motion and for some reason I felt I could take everything in. It seemed like the entire neighborhood was back there helping to put out the fire on the garage and because they were all there they all saw what happened next.
The Barracuda broke away from me by tossing dirt into my eyes to blind me. Mom pulled me away and started to shield me from her next attack, but it gave me time to clear my eyes to see the Barracuda pick up the last bottle of oil that I recognized as Banishing Oil from the shape of the bottle
The Barracuda screamed foul words at me saying my Granny was a devil and she hope that Granny was burning in Hellfire and she was glad to burn Granny’s evil tools. She was cursing me and my family and friends to hell and may the “wrath of God” destroy us all. I yelled back at her to be careful what one wishes for because it could bounce back on her and may all the evil things she wished for be returned back to her.
Aunt Alice came out of the house and yelled the police and fire department were coming and the Barracuda said something about let the police come she was going to see all of us in Jail and I heard sirens in the distance approaching. She started to uncork the bottle of oil and that’s when I remembered Granny warning me that the oil could be volatile. I yelled at everyone to get away from the fire and that’s when we all saw it happen.
The Barracuda started to pour the oil just as I yelled and the fire followed the stream of oil up to the bottle and to her hand catching it and her on fire from head to toe. My Uncles threw her to the ground and Bella sprayed her with water to snuff and smother the flaming body. She lived but was disfigured with 2nd and 3rd degree burns and lost her right hand---she never looked like that “Honey-of-a-Redhead” again.
The men who investigated the “accident” told us later after examining the statements, said that she was out of her head rambling over and over again that it was the evil sinners who did it and she had to destroy them all. But with so many eye-witnesses they came to the conclusion that she somehow had a mental breakdown, possibly a small stroke that cause a aberration in her thinking causing her to act in an “unstable” manner to do destruction with disregard to her own personal safety. Mis-adventure brought about by mental breakdown caused by unknown stresses.
The neighbors said it plainer--the evil she did came back to her and Granny marked her forever.
Her Jehovah Witness friends abandoned her saying she sinned by not marrying a member of her group. that was their own personal choice and how they thought over 25 years ago. Maybe today they would have acted differently--or maybe they thought she was too unstable to continue to be a member of their church. But they did what they felt they had to do
But there was one last blow to be dealt by them. One day a few years later they paid a surprise visit to my Mother without realizing I was in the house, and he said vicious and cutting words to her that I over heard. I walked into the room and had the pleasure of
seeing his face turne white. I told him he was insane to say such lies when all his sister my
mother wanted was to re-unite the family. I told him to look at his wife and see what he got and to think of all the evil harmful things that she encourage him to do.---Did he gain anything? No--he lost family, friends and respect. I told them to get out and never come back. He started to speak and I said unless it was to ask for forgiveness he better shut up, he did so I told him “may you never know peace in this life or the next”. When she tried to talk I told her to shut up or I would punch her lights out. I told her “You think you’ve got all his money and you’ll enjoy it--well you won’t and may you have the same as him and
may God reject you from heaven and the Devil deny you hell and may the earth never accept your body.” I saw her eyes go wide with fear and they quickly left. He died two years after that day and she died 18 months after him with complications from a stroke. My words proved prophetic. After he died it was discovered that he never changed his will or his medical benefits. His house and most of his money went to Aunt Margarets surviving sisters as laid out in the old will,
and his medical benefits died with him. The Barracuda had to use what money she had in court costs but had a stroke from all of this. Her daughter put her in a care home where she died. There was very little funds to bury her so her daughter had her cremated but never picked up the ashes. But I had nothing from my Grandmother everything was destroyed with the exception of the cabinet and a couple of statues. I had hoped to copy everything down from her books but never got the chance...she had said that it was to be all mine upon her death...but we hadn’t foreseen the intensity of that woman’s hatred. We made the mistake that they would have been honorable....I’ve never made that mistake again. After these events I continued to act as leader to the group but in time their illnesses and frailties eventually made it hard to hold things together.
So one by one, the others became more old and frail, to be either taken care of by family or in the case of Beth to be placed in a Care Home for the Elderly because no one of her family lived near her. Those of us who could visited her until she passed away. I and Bella, who is in her late 80's are all that's left. The others having passed over. She is being care for by her youngest
daughter and Grand daughter.( Since this writing Bella died in 1998) So I became a Solitary. There is only one young person in my family who may have the ability but she is very young and I'm not sure if
I'll be around to teach her and there is one thing we will not interfere
with, and that is free will. She would have to come seeking me on this course and even then I would have to screen her. And much I had to rebuild from memory because of that horrible event. With the aid of the Internet I've been trying to find any mention of the "Daughters of Anna".
Only in some obscure reference did I come across anything. It seems they died out in Portugal and in Kauai I found a couple of mentions of them
having a meeting to help some needy people and then nothing more. Even the church where they had established themselves in California “Mary, Help of Christians” has no record of them.
There is no memory of them by any one now. So careful were we to preserve our anonominity that we had self erased. I came across one mention in January 1917 in Portugaul of an Obit of one lady, who died and it mentioned her as being the last member of an
obscure religious society. But then in that year the Goddess came back and with such force, Fatima!!! There she made in her last visit, the Sun dance before thousands of people. I had the opportunity to go and hear a surviving member of that crowd of blessed people and he spoke with such conviction and sincerity and as he
described the event, tears came to his eyes and he had a hard time speaking for a minute so overcome was he just remembering what he saw and felt. He said that when he went to see these three young children and to hear of their visions, he was there to witness this miracle of the Sun and at that same time he experienced his own miracle. He was a young man then but he was born with a defective right leg and because it could not be used properly it was withered and could not hold him up without the aid of a cane, he had Doctor’s papers proving that. But after the miracle of the Sun with in hours his leg began to heal and gain strength and in just a few days his leg could hold him up and became normal. The message he gave was of love, through loving one another and working in harmony with one another could we as a world live in peace and we are all
under the Holy Mother's care. It was interesting in that the way he talked he never once referred to God but only to the Holy Mother and her love, her compassion. After the sermon and special service I went to the churches side altar to Good St. Ann and said a prayer. I turned around and he was there as
well, we spoke for a few minutes and I could see the love and light in this old man. He look at the statue of St. Ann and said to me
"She taught the Holy Mother, She prepared her for what was to come, for
She knew it and has the Holy Mother teach it to all of us.” I was taken aback by this pronouncement by him, and I realized he was serious. Then before we could speak any further at great length, he was led
away to met a group of Marian Society members. But before he left me he said “Remember She (nodding to the Good St. Ann statue) taught the Holy Mother everything and the Holy Mother taught it to her Son and she and her son teaches it to all of us.” I felt then that in someways I had come full circle. Our little group was dying out, but now with many people petitioning the Pope to have Mary
referred to as Co-Redeemer, that the Goddess is coming alive again. In a
new way, and I hope that that group succeeds. And that is the history of our group, a shorten version but it gives you the time line, much happened within our group and certain
events also explained some aspects of the group such as the Bullfighting and how it relates to broom flying or jumping to signify the growth of crops. If I am to tell you of how we did our rituals for each part of the 'wheel
of the year' I would have to explain it in the context of events and what
we did as a group and family. Because of technology what we use to do has to be modified to meet the new age of things, but the principles are the same, it is important to
remember why it was done this way and in the time context in which it was done and for what reason. Granny told me that things were done for a speicfic reason,and then would become ritual, but as time goes on the acting out of the ritual continues but the original reason behind ritual becomes forgotten or twisted around Gardener was not fully wrong but neither was he correct and like Leland and Crowley and the others
he added things that were not necessary and in a sense clouded the issue. He added things that suited himself. Or to make it look better. Dress up something that is simple with more mumbo jumbo, Even the charge of the Goddess was written not from old but in the later 1950's early 60's by one of his students--a lovely piece of prose, very symbolic but not ancient--any yet what disturbs me is that it is simply accepted that it is old. Just by rote. Granny always said never accept anything by rote just because everyone else is doing it. Look deep into it, peel aways the layers to find the truth, the heart of it. It's a tale as old as time itself as old as the Moon, Sun and Stars. When my Granny saw in a old National Geographic of the Minoan Bullfighters she
became excited for it proved to her our antecedents and she shared them with the group whose excitement was profound, this was a quarter moon meeting a time for discussion and not magical workings or ritual and it added to our knowledge. It seemed to validate what we had been doing and practicing, it seemed to validate our understanding of our ways. We go many centuries back perhaps even further that 1100 C.E. I saw in an old magazine a picture in a cave in France or Spain of a cave painting it
shows a horned man and a woman within a circle of 11 other persons. Jesus had 12 apostles and he was the 13th. In a court of law there is a jury of 12 of one's peers with the Judge as the 13th to preside (this is the procedure in the United States and in Britain)
There are 13 lunar moons in a year, a baker's dozen is 13. It's all intertwined ~~~ we cannot escape it~~~ and do we want to?? ~~~and now this true tale is told out
~~~there is no ending either happy or sad
~~~for it goes on and on never-ending. Now sit back and relax, and give your head sometime to stop whirling with
this information that I have given you. Please dear Reader understand that this site is still underconstruction. I will be adding to it constantly. I’ll be adding other section to the site to tell you about different things that my Granny talked about. Different rituals, how we did our "Circle of the Seasons", what we used and didn't used in comparison to wicca. Different events and things that I saw my Granny's group do. How we looked upon the use of our abilities, what types of principals and laws we had in place. Our laws, and more. I will also have a section of my writtings on different subjects . A friend of mine who is an anthopological archeologiest (sorry that's not spelled right) told me that it seems the best way for me to relate all of this is in the manner of an ethnography. That is describe it in place and context of events as it happened. It may make things seem long winded to you.
But you the Reader also has to understand how times were when we did things and why. We have become too sterile, too sanitized, too distant from life. And by telling you how we viewed things in the context of our 'craft' as well as how we viewed life in general will give you a more rounded understanding of us and our beliefs. With that in mind you will understand better that in our ways we show that "to everything there is a season." Bright Blessings, Inanna
