Featured Author Interview – Tess Dawson

AM – Our Featured Author for this week is Tess Dawson.  Tess is the author of Whisper of Stone: Natib Qadish, Modern Canaanite Religion and both an editor of and contributor to Anointed: A Devotional Anthology for the Deities of the Near and Middle East.  Thank you for joining us today Tess!

TD – Thank you for the opportunity, Angelique.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

TD – I’ve been a polytheist and a qadish (a practitioner of the religion Natib Qadish) for over twelve years, I lead the largest online Canaanite polytheist groups, teach workshops, and I am a leader in the Near Eastern and Middle Eastern polytheist communities. So far, I’ve appeared on Witchtalk, Andrieh Vitimus’s Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole, and I’ve interviewed with Galina Krasskova. I write for Witches & Pagans, PanGaia, SageWoman, Circle, Pentacle, The Beltane Papers, Patheos, and a few anthologies. My Bachelor of Arts is in anthropology; and I’ve received ordination through ULC. I am the key figure behind the religion of Natib Qadish, a revival of Canaanite polytheist religion.

AM – How did you get started as a writer?

TD – I began writing short stories in the third and fourth grade. Often my teachers wanted us to read our stories aloud to the rest of the class. I wasn’t a popular kid growing up, but the other kids in class really liked to listen to my stories and it motivated me to write more. Around sixth grade, I had written my first theme paper and the teacher liked it so much he had me teach the class for a little bit. Throughout grade school, junior high, and high school, I would win awards for my writing. My favorite award was an all-expenses-paid trip to Cape Canaveral for a science fiction piece I wrote in high school.  I had the opportunity to have lunch with another future author who would later write and publish in the paranormal field, Mac Tonnies, whom I was recently startled to hear had died two years ago.

Since childhood, I’ve enjoyed crafting tales as well as gathering, assembling, and interpreting information. Throughout the years, I’ve valued and practiced this skill and I plan on doing so for a long time to come.

AM – Please tell us more about your first book, Whisper of Stone.  How was your experience working with O-Books?

TD – Whisper of Stone is the first book about practicing Natib Qadish. It covers topics such as the deities, beliefs, ethics, history, holidays, rituals, animals, plants, stones, magic, and even such topics as asherah poles, golems and the Eye (evil eye). I loaded it with footnotes so that my readers know where I got my information, and I made use of over eighty resources, many of which are translations of primary sources from Canaan.

I appreciate O-Books giving me the opportunity to have this book published; they continue to be great at reaching out to new talent. O-Books, at least when I published with them in 2009, had no “right of first refusal” clause in the contract, which can be a benefit for the author. They run much of their business and communications not through email but through a database and it is through this database that authors, editors, marketing, and so on communicate—it’s sometimes difficult to reach someone personally through email, and they do not make phone calls. Sometimes the database is convoluted and difficult to navigate, but it is helpful seeing all of that information available quickly. For authors who would like to publish with them, though, keep your eyes sharp. They actually uploaded the wrong, unedited manuscript of mine to the layout man, and I spent hours and dollars trying to help them work out what was their mistake to begin with. They had an editor read through my manuscript and all the editor did was change my quotation marks to conform with UK standards: that’s it. I would have preferred more editing. I’ve also had difficulties recently when I requested review copies of Whisper sent out to interviewers: O-Books sent the wrong book by the wrong author to my interviewers, and books got there later than desired. I told them to send overnight via overnight mail the correct book to remedy their mistake, and although they’ve sent (hopefully) the right book this time, they did not ship anything express and did not apologize to the interviewers or to me.

AM – Tell us about the Anointed anthology and your experience putting the book together with Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

TD – At first, I didn’t think I’d have enough material for Anointed for it trickled in very slowly. However, I had submissions surging in after the deadline, sometimes well over a month after the deadline. I even had contributions coming to me three months after the deadline. I’ve started a new folder and have collected these pieces in case of creating an “Anointed Part II.”

I loved working with so many talented people—gazing at their artwork, reading their grace-filled poetry, and pouring through their wise and thoughtful essays. I’ve even had the unique pleasure of meeting people who honor the old deities of the Near and Middle East in the Near and Middle East, as well as a few who are taking up other alternative religions like Wicca and Asatru in these areas.  I appreciate the opportunity to bring these deities, ways, and ideas to people who are new to them, and to those who never knew that there were others who felt similarly.

I’ve enjoyed working with Biblotheca Alexandrina. They are a very small press run by an all-volunteer staff who have comported themselves with polish and professionalism. If I need anything or if I have a question or a concern, they answer swiftly and personably, and they work out the problem promptly.

AM – What inspired you to organize and contribute to this anthology?

TD – I am in a unique position amidst the Near and Middle Eastern polytheist communities because I network a great deal. If someone has an interest in Near or Middle Eastern religion, they are often directed to me or find me and I can help them find resources and online communities. I have run into people who honor not just the Canaanite and the Mesopotamian (Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian) pantheons, but also people who honor the Hittite, Hurrian and Arabian (Nabatean and Sabean) pantheons. Just to give a frame of reference, the Arabian pantheons encompass the original polytheistic Allah and the goddess Allat along with other deities. The Hittite and Hurrian pantheons were the original pantheons of the goddess Cybele, known as Kubaba in those ancient times.

There is a wealth of information and modern religious resources for people who honor the deities of Celts, Norse, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and increasingly the Hindu deities and African Orishas; however people who honor the deities of the Near and Middle East often feel like they are alone in their endeavors. It gladdens me that I can connect them with others. And now I have been blessed with the opportunity to know people in the Near and Middle East who are learning about alternative religions.

AM – What can we expect to see from you next?

TD – The Horned Altar: Canaanite Magic will be released through Llewellyn Worldwide sometime 2012-2013. The Horned Altar contains two parts, the first part is on ancient magic and the second part encompasses modern techniques. Overall, the book will include blessings; curses; recipes; amulets; alphabets; symbolism; magic theory; types of magic; life in Canaan; choosing a Canaanite name; the Canaanite concept of the body; and  divination such as reading coffee grounds, rolling dice, and malformed animal fetus divination.

AM – As far as marketing yourself as an author and your books, what strategies have you tried?  Are there any that have worked better than others?

TD – I do a great deal of networking, especially through the internet and systems like Facebook and Yahoo. Although I began by using Yahoo many years ago, Facebook has yielded more results in getting my work better known. I also enjoy organizing and teaching classes, and sometimes I will put together coffee socials. Writing and publishing articles also helps make my work more accessible and better-known. It is through networking and word-of-mouth that I’ve gained interview opportunities which further generate opportunities. I work on building a platform: getting my work better known, and building a base of friends and interested people. It is time-consuming, but worthwhile. Hiring a publicist could be helpful, but if the publicist doesn’t know your audience better than you, you might want to save the money and invest your time instead.

AM – As an author, what do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

TD –  I’m certain every writer has heard the tired old tune of “keep trying,” but it is certainly true. It took me seven years of research and rejection slips before Whisper of Stone got published, and in that time I had to ride out many lows. I am thankful for my husband who acted as my primary cheerleader (even if he refuses to wear the mini-skirt and carry pom-poms). When you receive a contract from a publisher, it helps to have a lawyer look over it, or at the very least research the publisher who makes the offer to ensure that they are not a scam organization—there are many of those which prey on would-be authors. Also, when you are having a book published, prepare yourself as best you can mentally and practically for emergencies that invariably come up: always have a few contingency plans. Understand that getting the manuscript written is only one stage in a long process. If you are fortunate enough to have an editor, work with your editor: they want to help you make the best book you can for the publisher and for you.

AM – Where can we go to learn more about you, Canaanite Paganism, and purchase your books?

TD – I have been moving away from the term Paganism for what I practice, for a variety of reasons.  I prefer the term Natib Qadish for my religion, or Canaanite polytheism, or Canaanite revivalism in the vernacular. As a practitioner of Natib Qadish, I refer to myself as a qadish.

To learn more, please feel free to visit my website Natib Qadish, Canaanite Religion at http://canaanitepath.com/ and  my blog Knaʻani: Impressions of Tess Dawson, Canaanite Polytheist at http://tessdawson.blogspot.com/. I’m also present on Facebook, where Whisper of Stone and Anointed both have fan pages. My books are available through Amazon.com, or you can order them through your local bookstores. Retailers can order Whisper of Stone through National Book Network (NBN), http://www.nbnbooks.com/, and Anointed through Ingram Baker and Taylor at http://www.btol.com/index.cfm

AM – We appreciate you spending some of your time with us Tess!  We wish you continued luck with Whisper of Stone, Anointed, and your other future writing endeavors.

TD – Thanks Angelique, and best wishes for you and your work, and thank you for this opportunity.

Book Blurb – Anointed

Anointed: A Devotional Anthology for the Deities of the Near and Middle East
by Tess Dawson and the Editorial Board of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

You immerse your fingers in the warm sacred oil and sweep the golden liquid across your brow. Pungent myrrh incense billows and the air quivers with the words of an ancient prayer. Oil lamps flood the sanctuary with light and magic of the Near and Middle East.

Anointed is a collection of articles and art, poems and prayers, recipes and rituals inspired by Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Arabia, and the Levant. The Deities honored within include Athirat, Asherah, Baʻal Hadad, Tiamat, Astarte, Yahweh, Ereshkigal, Atargatis, ‘Anat, Inanna, Marduk, Allah, Tanit, Nikkal, Cybele, Attis, Ishtar, El, and more.

Cook a Sumerian dinner. Make a balm for dreams or a set of prayer beads. Celebrate the moon Mesopotamian-style or sing a hymn to a Hurrian Goddess. Learn about the indigenous polytheisms of the Near and Middle East and about their modern revivals. Let the joy of the Deities fill your life.

Anointed is the latest devotional anthology in Neos Alexandria’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina series, a collection of books dedicated to the Gods of Greece, Egypt, Rome, and the surrounding regions.

Book Excerpt – Annointed

Excerpt from “A Ritual State of Mind” by Michele Briere

Getting a ritual together has been a headache. Literally. We need to remember that the old rites were for the temples only, not the general public. The rituals were also a specialized act, each priest had a specific part to which they spent their lives in training and practice. Many of the priest’s functions were passed down in their family, sons taking over for fathers. What few rituals we do have are written as though the reader understood what was happening. Some ritual prayers were written for us, some were not.

The main ritual that has been left to us is the Akitu, the Babylonian New Year Ceremony.¹ I have taken this rite and broken it down to a monthly New Moon rite. From the main New Year Rite to the repair of the temple roof to the re-covering of the temple drum,² which was a major ritual that took the entire temple to complete, each rite contained a great deal of food offerings and thanks to the gods.

The ancient Middle East really didn’t have a calendar as we know it; each city-state had their own rituals which were not necessarily on the same days as other city-states listed them.³ They counted years in the reign of whatever king was currently sitting on the throne. Months were sometimes messy due to the lunar cycle, and the king had the right to order another month put in place if his advisors informed him that more time was needed before the New Year. This straightened out the sometimes uneven years. New Year was twice a year according to our calendar, at the equinoxes. Sumer had two seasons, winter and summer. At the fall equinox, Dumuzi was reborn, released from his time in the underworld. During this time, the fields were sown, the growing plants representing Dumuzi’s return and his fertility in the sheepfold and the fields. At the spring equinox, Dumuzi “died”, returned to the underworld, and his sister, Geshtinanna, was reborn. Her name means Lady of the Vine. Summer was the time of vines.

This period was altered every other year. During the public part of the Akitu, which was a long and loud parade and celebration, the images of the gods were brought into the city, after having been floated down the river on a barge. The main images were of the gods Nabu and Bel, or Marduk. This was Babylonian, so Enki can be substituted for Marduk in the Sumerian rite, although I really don’t see them as being that close in character. I honestly don’t know how the “–ologists” came up with Marduk as a fertility image.

This parade of the gods represented fertility returning to the city. While one city was replanting their fields, the other city was letting their fields rest.

The Akitu spoke very strongly to me, but it took about fifteen days to complete, and needed a full temple of priests. I have altered this ritual for modern use. I first broke down the Akitu into steps, and then I took out the steps that were no longer applicable to modern, Western times, such as removing the role of the king. It can now be used for solitary use or as a group effort. These steps are in the order of the original Akitu festival, only simplified, with repetitive actions removed.

Writing a ritual can be tricky. Rituals can be as simple as being still for a moment and acknowledging the gods in a thank you, or getting out the arts and crafts box and giving a room or yard an overhaul.

Having taken the Akitu apart and separating the outdated material from what can still be used, and keeping the remaining steps in order, I spent an hour outside in our backyard walking through the format of the rite. After scratching my head in frustration, I realized why it wasn’t quite jiving—I was using my housemate’s circle. The temple rites were done in a temple. Duh! So I drew a rectangle in the dirt at the other end of the yard, drew the main altar in the northwest corner and the offering altar in the southeast corner, as stated noted in archaeological excavations. I stepped in from the east, and everything suddenly clicked together.

The main temples stood about seven stories high: mountains in that time period.⁴ At the top of the temple was a smaller penthouse, the gipar, which was the private sanctuary of the temple god, a place where only the high priest or high priestess, called the En, could enter. Steps ran the height of the temple on the east side.  The east was a place of beginning because it was where the sun arose each morning and the moon arose each evening. The west was the entrance to the underworld, the direction where the sun and moon set and presumed to be resting in the underworld. The sun was there daily, but since the moon is sometimes seen in the daylight, the moon only journeyed there once a month, during invisible moon when it was completely dark. New moon began about seven days later when the first crescent appeared.

The gods could be found in both heaven and the underworld. North represents heaven and west represents the underworld so I believe that the main altar should be in the northwest corner. East symbolizes fire, and south corresponds to earth; both fire and earth are transformative properties, so I believe the offering table was in the southeast corner. These are my own reasons, so there is no reference for this other than studying the myths for the cosmology.

The path of the sun was important, so entering the temple from the east seems logical to me. I follow the path of the sun from east to west and continuing around back to the east and I walk to the north, west, south, and back to east. I’m not going to get silly about this and insist that people turn only one way while in ritual, but for the purpose of entering, exiting, cleansing, and smudging, let’s follow the solar course.