The Left Hand Path – Beginnings

I hiked most of the day around the shoreline of Lake Oroville. It was a hot day, and shadows were growing long as the sun dipped lower in the sky. I walked up a narrow deer trail that made its way into a small clearing, a second trail crossing it about half way through. I stopped suddenly, looking around cautiously. Something was out of place. My attention was immediately drawn to a wooden pole set in the ground, atop which was set a deer skull, complete with antlers and bound with what appeared to be a leather cord. What could this be? Why would anyone do such a thing? Some of my answers would soon be answered…

I remember going home after my unexpected find in the dry brown hills surrounding Lake Oroville, the image stuck in my head. Yes it was strange… but why did my thoughts keep returning to it? What was so special about a skull strapped to a piece of wood poked into the ground? Little did I know, it was the event that would crack open the portal and put my feet onto what I have come to refer as the “Left Hand Path.” An event that I am grateful for with all my being, an event I often thank the gods for in moments of quiet reflection.

 I began my research, and what I found after a short period of time in front of the keyboard and monitor mesmorized me. Paganism. Witchcraft. Subjects that had captivated me from my earliest childhood. References to a “godstang” and a variety of otherworldly subjects. An explanation for the strange artifact Robin Artisson’s “Cunning Man” spoke to me on many levels. I was sure I had inadvertantly stumbled upon a coven of witches. To this day I have not been in contact with them, but the power and mystery surrounding them has followed me and infused my life with purpose and clarity.

Should I set my feet upon the path? This was the question I asked myself many times, and I ponder even now the thoughts and fears that spiraled through my mind at that time… With much deliberation, and a smile of course… I did indeed begin my journey. My “Covenstead” was taking form…a place to meet and honor the Old Ones.