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12.15.5

The Trickster’s Realm: A Brief Introduction

First column for Tim Binnall’s wonderful site and I’m excited, delighted, pleased and a bit nervous. Here goes.

The title: I came up with “Goblin Universe,” “Goblin Depot,” “Goblin Liminality” and others. (You can see that I am quite fond of goblins.) We finally settled on Trickster’s Realm.

I’ve always liked the term “The Goblin Universe” which brings up images of little hobgoblins, imps, and the Kentucky Hopskinville creatures, within a broader field of all The High Strangeness Everywhere That Surrounds Us. (or at least, seems to surround me much of the time. Is expecting it to surround you invites, and ensures, its’ presence? Hmm, is this a topic for the next column?)

Liminal, from liminality, is a bit of an academic term I suppose, having to do with that betwixt and between state, the transition from the mundane to the sacred, the mythic, the weird. This liminal place seems to be my perpetual state of being, and one that has been with me all my life. While I like the word -- having a background in Folklore -- I agree it’s too clunky.

Besides which, Goblin Liminal sounds like a train depot. Trains, their clanking rumbling whistling carried through the night, crickets, loons, water babbling in streams or waves lapping against the wood of boats, or thudding on shore, rain falling on rooftops and pavement, frogs croaking - - all sounds that have always seemed full of haunted energies to me. Ah, but then my editor Tim Binnall brought up a good point about the title, and suggested that we take Homer Simpson’s advice: a title should be clever at first, but less clever as time goes on. I agree.

So out with Goblin Liminal, and Goblin Realm, and other Goblin forms. Not sure how clever Trickster’s Realm is, but it gives, hopefully, a sense of Trickster like mischievousness. I see Trickster everywhere, and He/It/She pops up in the most unexpected places at times.

I have a blog: UFO Bits, and I write about all that High Strangeness stuff, but with a UFO-only focus. This column allows me the opportunity to write about all kinds of paranormal, high strangeness topics that I am fascinated with: UFOs, ghosts, Paranormal Pundits (I guess I’m one now too!,) and a bit of fun with “skeptoid bashing.” Here in the Trickster’s Realm I hope to write about a larger, and more eclectic, variety of weird topics than I do in my blog; my personal paranormal life included.


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