My five principles Gods and Goddess's of reenacting and how I worship them.

from least to most relevant.

Number 5: ARES Greek God of War, or if you prefer his Roman counterpart Mars
How it is I'm worshipping him: Regardless of what capacity of 19th century life it is I'm immersing my self in, the short and skinny of it focuses on 'there's a war on man' because of the constant lingering War aspect of the reenacting hobby as a whole, Ares is getting his due every time I go out, even if in simple acknowledgement of the hellish realism that is war in the grand sum of human existence.

Number 4: Hephaestus Greek God of the Forge, or if you prefer his Roman counterpart Vulcan
How it is I'm worshipping him: The blacksmithing aspect of the hobby that I'm beginning to take an interest in aside, more over then the Greek God of the forge, he was also widely acknowledged as the Greek God of inventive spark. Every time I go to a reenactment, the necessity for a creative spark is there. Packing a vehicle for a weekend can be a chore if you're taking a large kit, though usually I'm finding new and inventive ways to minimalize what I need to take with me. Then there is the blacksmithing aspect to the hobby. An area which I grow more and more interested in. This is in no small part due to the fact that there are items for my kit that I cannot get shy of being, or knowing a black smith who is willing to make them for me.

Number 3: Apollo Greek (and Roman) God of Music
How it is I'm worshipping him: You may remember in my introductory post to this blog a while back ago, that I am the bugler in training for the Michigan Cavalry Brigade Association. As such, I am a musician. Every time I place my bugle to my lips and blow a bugle call, I am paying homage to Apollo.

Number 2: Artemis Greek Goddess of the Hunt, or if you prefer her Roman counterpart, Diana
How it is I'm worshipping her: This one will probably be deemed by most of you as a bit of a stretch, but truthfully, it's not one at all. Yes Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt (and sports but I'll get to that in a moment.) but one can hunt with out ever drawing a bow. For example, when I go to reenactments, I am hunting for some times the most illusive prey out there. The genuine total immersion into the 1860's (With in considerations of medical/legal necessity) This prey is often illusive because of things that cannot be avoided. The public, the loud speakers that "explain" things (often poorly) to the public during the battles, other reenactors, both 'mainstreamers' (who have 'hidden' very modern coolers in their tents, or off behind the main body of camp covered with blankets. and other modernisms, or 'authentic campaigner' types who pride them selves on the preservation, and presentation of the history as it was lived, but don't think twice in many cases about breaking character (often right in front of Joe public) to correct you on your garb, and what you're talking about (Which when an infantry guy who doesn't study cavalry, or know the first thing about horses tries to correct your hard researched and documented talk to the public about cavalry... it's amusing to say the least.) So every reenactment is a hunt. A hunt for that pure period immersion rush.

Number 1: Athena Greek Goddess of Wisdom, or if you prefer her Roman counterpart, Minerva
How it is I'm worshipping her: Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, both obtaining it, and bestowing it upon others. She was as passionate about learning new things, as she was teach those around her. Her sacred creature was the wise and noble owl, her sacred plant the humble and multi useful olive tree. When I reenact I am actively and constantly taking part in both the obtaining, and sharing of new knowledge, with both the public and other reenactors; and I'm passionately loving every minute of it. Also of notable relevance Athena was also the Greek Goddess of Crafts, and Strategy. I will go threw why these are relevant fields to me as a reenactor starting with Crafts. Most of my gear in the hobby is either currently made by me, or simply something I purchased to get me by until I have gotten to and completed making it's replacement. I am ever trying to improve my kit, with more authentic equipment, and that includes making my own stuff by hand. I eventually intend to make a saber belt, a saber to go on t with sheath, a pistol holster and I'm going to purchase a kit revolver to complete. I plan to make a carbine sling to replace the one I have, a full cavalry uniform. Strategy is a little more subtle. I have to be very strategic about the battles I pick and choose to fight. Some times the drama that will ensue far out weighs any merit to helping some one realize their flaws and assisting them in bettering them selves.

Gods also worthy of honorable mention because they tie into me as a Reenactor one at every event and one only when I dawn a particular uniform.

Poseidon Greek God of the Sea, Earth Quakes, and Horses, or if you prefer his Roman counterpart  Neptune.
Reason for his relevance to me: I will direct your attention to the word Horse. Lord Poseidon, is the Greek God of horses, and I've made just as many Horse friends in this hobby, as I have human ones. I thank him for allowing me the gift I have with bonding with horses, and for my Horse friends Diamond, Denali, Syd, Mack, Doc, Donivan, Caleb, Joey, and Nut. As well as my horse friends I've made out side of the hobby. Casino the first horse I ever rode, Festus, Ringo, St. Patrick (putting a Pagan on a horse named for a man who got his saint hood for their persecution I still don't think was a great Idea.) Slim, and Scooter. Just to name a few.

Hermes Greek God of Medicine, Traveling, and Messengers, or if you prefer his Roman counterpart Mercury.  
Reason for his relevance to me: For the better part of 15 years, I was a hospital steward. It was my duty to maintain the well being of every one under my charge, in some cases as few as twenty, in others as many as ten times that. It was a job I took very seriously, and carried out with great pride. It is one that when I see the need for it, I will at the drop of a hat take on that duty again. It is Hermes symbol of the medical caduceus that I wear every time I act as a hospital steward.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog about what Gods and Goddesses are relevant to me when I reenact.

From the mind of Lord Publius: About the VMA's last night... mmm yep

From the mind of Lord Publius: About the VMA's last night...: I have several thoughts on this one... 1.) Am I the only one that didn't even know the VMA's were on last night? 2.) Who gives a shi..

Jackson Michigan, Civil War Muster/The importance of community

So 24 hours ago, I laid down after a hot and some what long reenactment. In hindsight though it was an important reminder why I very much prefer being in with a tight nit group that accepts me for who I am. This weekend I was a freelancer. Camping was lonely my meals were little more then the intake of nutrition, bed time was the time for sleep not a time to lay in the tent next to your neighbor's and chatting quietly. The event was fun, any time you go to a reenactment was, but having only three members of my immediate reenacting family (My mounted trooper, her sister, my corporal and my first sergeant) and a speckling of a few extended family at the event who in honesty I didn't get to visit with a whole lot. The event was lonely for me.

 

From the strictly pagan prospective the event as with most others didn't have a whole lot to offer me. There was next to no unobstructed nature for me to enjoy. There were two different church services for Christian practitioners, to which I say I'm genuinely happy for them. part of my personal tenants as an ordained priest is that I must respect ALL forms of divinity, even if their practitioners do not extend me the same respect. Divinity is divinity, is divinity, it all comes from the same basic place, it's the interpretation we as the followers take away from it that gets messed up. It is this view that allows even some of my Christian friends to come to me for priestly console. They know I have an understanding of the Christian faith (I used to be one, a very devote one at that.) They know I will not speak for their God, but I will provide advise, or an ear, or just comfort from a place that he'd be ok with. They also know I don't judge them.

 

At any rate part of the problem being in such a small community with in a larger community is that you have no one to gather with and worship with as you see fit. In all of Michigan the number of Pagans that I know who are reenactors, I could count on one hand.

 

I am very lucky when it comes to my unit. Even though non of them are Pagan, they are all accepting of me for being one. It's nice to be surrounded by wonderful people who choose to see the good in me, and inspire me to be more then I was before I joined them. Before I joined the brigade I was shy, timid, anti social to a degree because I did not have the bravery to face other people who might think lowly of me. Now I am not as shy, I'm not timid at all, simply reserved about when it comes time to raise my voice, but when I raise my voice MAN do I raise it, and I'm not anti social any more.

 

The camp site where our unit normally camped this morning was inhabited by "Florida Buffalo Soldiers." Over the course of Saturday their sloppy display of Cavalry got three of their numbers hurt two of them wound up in the hospital. I have no knowledge of what transpired Sunday, to be honest I couldn't bare to watch it for a second day in a row.

 

From the strictly reenactor view of the hobby. The event at Jackson has changed so much over the last twenty years, and not by half for the better. Some things could not be avoided. The city of Jackson wanted to put baseball diamonds in; so sutler row had to be moved. What they lost was location, but what they gained was some notion of shade, where the original sutler row was in a wide open dusty field that was void of it. Then there is the battle field. It has progressively shrunk over the years as the crows got bigger, the various parts of it got gobbled up, by a special impressions section, a band pavilion, a pond, and their moving the general public ever closer to the action. The Ball has been moved several times. First they had it at the school, but because of the actions of another event the weekend after Jacksons Civil War muster one year the school closed it's doors to all special events. Then for a number of years the Ball was in the location where the Urban Fishing Pond and the Gazebo presently are. As of two years ago the ball has been spent out on the driving range near that facilities rest rooms which is close for any one in period camps, but for people from the sutlers, or in modern camp, it's about a half mile walk by the most direct route. The biggest thing though that has changed about Jackson is their numbers. I remember about 15 years ago when there were as many as 5,000 reenactors at it. and it was able to legitimately boast being the third largest event in all of the Mid West. People were traveling from as far as Kansas annually to participate for the weekend. But be it threw things changing so much that those participants just did not care for it any more, or political nonsense with the various units. The some were around 500 reenactors by my best guess this year was a pitiful display of it's once former glory. Which is just as well, the field we have to work with now would be physically incapable of safely supporting the numbers we've had before. It can barely safely support the numbers we have now.

 

 

Not the most complete review ever, but it's what I have for now

Blessed be

Johnny out

A little about my blog

I should start off by cautioning you that this is not one of those reenactor blogs for those who believe that there should be only one form of belief or practice in the civil war reenacting community.

 

The above mentioned cautionary goes for those who hold this belief both in regards to religion, and to those with vested interest in the progressive/mainstream reenacting debate. But I suppose I should stop getting so far ahead of my self. I should introduce my self, and offer a bit of explanation as to just who exactly I am. My name is John Knecht. I'm a thirty four (as of Wednesday so I mine as well start saying that now) year old Pagan, who is an ordained priest threw the Universal Life Church Monastery. My personal belief system uses the parables of the ancient Olympian Gods and Goddesses to offer some insight to the ways of human nature. My belief in nature is two fold because the existence of both can be quantified. The imagery of the ancient Gods and Goddesses are simply what I use to identify with the nature of human society. So while they exist to me, they do so more as representations of what we as humans all have in us, rather then stand alone entities that invisibly dictate our every day actions. That's me as a pagan. As a reenactor, I am the Bugler in training (B.I.T.) for the Michigan Cavalry Brigade Association. We have members all over the lower state of Michigan. Mostly from the Detroit and Grand Rapids area, but there are people like my self in the Lansing area, whom at least on paper are still members of the brigade.

 

I have been a Reenactor my entire life. My late father was a person in the hobby even before I was born, and the dye was cast, that as soon as I could be taken to events, I was. I loved the hobby since before I understood the very basics of what it was I was doing, and have always strived my best to improve my persona. I started out life in the Second Michigan Company B out of Flint Michigan. At the time one of the largest Reenactor organizations in the mitten, it had one of the most formidable assortment of things a person in the hobby could do. We offered a communications unit that dealt with both a Semaphore flag communication tower and actual field post based telegraph system. We had a sprawling first person hospital unit that did medical demonstrations, and carried ice onto the field for the soldiers. Many of our members were trained EMT's We also had a strong first person persona group with such people as Doc Mary Walker, and Sarah Emma Edmonds (AKA Pvt. Franklyn Thompson) On top of these three rather massive undertakings the unit hosted an infantry unit, that at one time had as many as 50 active roster members and we never fielded under 20 when we were at that strength. In the mid 90's when numbers dwindled the Unit went on a short hiatus and focused on refurbishing a cannon barrel that our unit president at the time Jim had found at the Flint County Road Commission land fill. My father and I had gone out to confirm for him that it was in fact what he thought it was. While the Second Michigan was on hiatus from the field, my father and I enjoyed a very brief presence in the 22nd Michigan/8th Arkansas regiment. We enjoyed being part of that unit, but as they hardly ever portrayed Union, and my father and I enjoyed being Union soldiers. coupled with some of the ladies taking issue with me personally and instead of addressing it like adults, they chose to kick my father out of the unit to rid them selves of me. For the next couple of years my father and I were freelancers at events, falling in where ever they'd take a set of extra warm bodies. Then After my fathers passing I found out my former unit that I had just rejoined not too long ago the second Michigan was still going to events, but no longer as infantry, as Artillery. I joined the gun crew and was Part of "Hudson's/MacGregor's Battery" for 8 years until in 2008 the proverbial straw broke the camels back at the scout camp that my father took me to growing up. It was then that I knew I could no longer belong to that unit. As heart breaking as it was. I dragged it out for as long as I could but by 2009 I was back to being a freelance reenactor, participating as a hospital steward and falling in at a brigade level position dragging guys off the field as necessity dictated. The last reenactment of that season intervened with my current posting. A long time friend Dan Norfleet asked me while I was visiting cavalry camp if I know how to play a bugle. I informed him I could mostly do the Kentucky Derby thing and he smiled ear to ear and said I already knew first call. I joined the brigade officially for the 2010 season. I have been with a reenacting family I love and cherish ever since.

 

So that's my reenacting experience. 31 years actively in the hobby, 20 of that actively on the field, and accumulatively 15 of those 20 years was spent dedicated to being a hospital steward to various trusted surgeons who really know their stuff.

 

Now what I should tell you about what you can expect from my blog. I will write reviews from my prospective of the various reenactments that I do each season in the hobby. On top of this I will post project idea's that are relevant to either my practice as a pagan or a reenactor. It maybe a sewing formula for new pants, complete with measurements, or it maybe a cooking receipt for a yummy period correct dish. It may also be about the camper that I intend to build for my pick up truck. It will also offer up the occasional offering of advice for people who are in the hobby that are either like my self a Pagan, or even an Atheist that is surrounded by a sea of conservative Christians.

 

Thanks for reading my blog

Have a wonderful day

and Blessed Be.