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Fort Hood Open Circle

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Fort Hood Open Circle

The Official Fort Hood Open Circle page You can find us in the education annex Rm B106.

FHOC is a non-denominational Pagan congregation operating under the sponsorship of the Post and Circle Sanctuary. We hold general education classes every Wednesday night from 7:30 - 9pm at The Spirit of Fort Hood Chapel located on 31St and Tank Destroyer, main post. We celebrate Sabbats and Esbats on the nearest Sat at our Circle on Camp Finlayson on West Fort Hood. In case of inclement weather, we move to our Wednesday night location.

02/03/2025

We've been quiet for a bit now, more to come on that because yes, we need community now more than ever.
But for tonight this is coming from a trusted source...
Feels like good advice. From an employee at VA.

"For all my Veteran friends who get their care through the VA:

Download your medical records now. Or go to the medical records office and request them printed out or on a disc. Also, download your benefits letters. ASAP.

We don't know what is happening at the highest levels of OPM right now. But it isn't good. Prepare yourself. Spread the word."

08/29/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! Sorry for the break in content. Life has a way of interrupting things! But we are back! We are still discussing the Magical Beings of China. Our entry today is Jingwei. This creature began as a young girl, the daughter of the Flame Thearch, Yandi, who drowned in the Eastern Sea. She metamorphosed into Jingwei, a bird with a mission. Jingwei was going to fill up the sea. She will constantly carry pebbles or twigs to drop into the sea. She appears as a crow with a patterned head, white beak and red feet. She is so named as that is the sound she makes. The sea has scoffed at her attempts to fill it up, telling Jingwei she will never do so in a million year. Jingwei responded that even if it took one hundred million years she would fill the sea to prevent others from perishing as she did.

08/01/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are still exploring the magical creatures of China! A lot of these magical beings we have been discussing can be found in multiple Asian cultures. This is true of our creature today, the Kalavinka. Found in Burma, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, the Kalavinka is an immortal creature from Buddhism with a human head, bird's torso, and long flowing tail. It dwells in the Western Pure Land and preaches the Dharma with a beautiful voice. While still in it's egg, it is said to sing. The voice is a descriptor of the Buddha's voice. Usually in Chinese art, it is portrayed as dancing and playing music.

07/25/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! Today we are examining the Fenghuang. The Fenghuang is also known as the Chinese Phoenix. It is said to have the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hind quarters of a stag, and the tail of a fish. Though more modern representations describe it as being the composite of many birds, such as the golden pheasant, mandarin duck, peacock, crane, parrot and swallow. The creature's body, being made of many parts, symbolizes the celestial bodies with its head the sky, eyes the sun, back the moon, wings the wind, feet the earth, and tail the planets. It was born of the sun and will only appear in places that are blessed with utmost peach and prosperity. It is said to live atop the Kunlun Mountains in Northern China. It is commonly depicted as attacking snakes with its talons, its wings spread. The five colors of the Fenghuang were meant to represent the five virtues of Confucius: Black, for Ren, benevolence; White for Yi, honesty; Red for Zhi, knowledge; Green for Xin, faithfulness; and Yellow for Li, propriety. It is also a combination of male and female, symbolizing the yin and yang union. Its image has been found on vases, tapestries, and even hairpins for centuries.

07/18/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! I know we have had a few missed Mondays and I apologize. I have had some health issues which have given me some issues but your favorite Creature Feature is back! We are still exploring China and the interesting beings that dwell in its folklore. Today we are examining Tiangou or Heavenly Dog. This is a black dog that can sometimes resemble a meteor and is known to eat the sun or moon during an eclipse. The creature was once a good spirit, a white-headed fox that brought peace and tranquility. But it had a bad spirit side, one of a black dog. Legend speaks that Houyi, an interpreter of lunar eclipses, who shot down nine suns and was gifted a pill that was to make him immortal by Wangmu Niang Niang. His wife, Chang Er, ate it before he could, hoping to stay young. Instead, made her lighter and lighter until she flew away. She had a black dog and it saw her fly away and rushed to her room and licked up what was left of the pill. It got bigger and bigger. Change Er hid on the moon, afraid. The dog then ate the moon, and her along with it. Wangmu Niang Niang saw this and caught the dog. Seeing it was Houyi's dog, she set it to guard the gates of heaven as a Tiangou. It spit up Chang Er and the moon. Which I suppose was nice of it. Chang Er decided she liked the moon and stayed there. Now during the eclipse, the now Tiangou, will eat the moon as it once did and spit it back out. Perhaps that's its idea of fetch.

06/27/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are still exploring the creatures of China and today we have another of the children of the Dragon King, Denglong. Denglong was the messenger of Heaven and Earth, bringing the will of heaven to humans and the conditions of the people to heaven. Sometimes, Avalkitesvara, one of the aspects of Buddha, rode Denglong. It is a very fierce creature that can hover in mid-air and is known to eat the brains of dragons. It has horns like a deer, the head of a camel, ears of a cat, eyes of a shrimp, mouth of a snake, belly like a Shen, scales like a koi, front claws of an eagle, and rear paws like a tiger. Denglong resides in the center of the universe and was known to help kings distinguish between the righteous and evil, ensuring the country prospered. It also helped the Emperor commune with the dead so as to aid them into their next reincarnation.

06/20/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! Today's creature from China is the Xiezhi. It resembles an ox or goat, with bright eyes, thick hair, and a single horn on its forehead. It is very intelligent and can speak to humans as well as understand them. It is known as a symbol of justice, likely because of its innate ability to determine right from wrong. When it senses that it is being deceived, it will ram the offender with its horn and devour them. Similar creatures can be found in the mythology of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

06/06/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are continuing our exploration of the magical and mythical creatures of China. Today we are examining the Baku, which is found in both Japanese and Chinese folklore. The Baku looks a lot like a Malayan Tapir, a mammal with a body like a pig, round ears and a short trunk, like an elephant. The Baku's appearance is a bit more exaggerat4ed with an elephant's head, tusks and trunk, horns, and tiger's claws. It was said it was made from the parts left over when the gods made all the other animals. Terrifying perhaps, but the Baku was mostly benevolent in nature. But it was not herbaceous like that tapir. No, it eats bad dreams. Children were told, if they awoke from a bad dream, to call out to the Baku and it would come and eat the bad dream and protect the child through the night. In fact, many children keep Baku talismans at their bedside. So if you find yourself struggling to sleep, or afraid you may have bad dreams, call on the Baku and let it protect and eat your bad dreams.

05/30/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are still in the early part of our expedition through China, discovering it's magical and mythical creatures. Today's entry is the Aoyin. The Aoyin is found in the mountains of China and is said to look like a multi horned ox or cow with straw-like fur. Doesn't sound exactly scary, unless you've ever been on the bad side of a charging bull. However, this creature was not content to just wander the mountains eating grass. No. It liked human flesh. Yes, the Aoyin is a massive carnivorous ox! Why is there a carnivorous ox in the mythology of the mountains of China? Why to frighten children of course. Like many cryptids, boogie men, things that go bump in the night, or fearsome critters, the Aoyin began as something to scare children off from wandering dangerous areas of the mountains or to convince them to behave. Eventually the Aoyin began to appear in stories as well, as something the tale's hero would have to defeat or overcome, cementing its status as a force of good over evil.

05/23/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are moving from our examination of Japan to China! There actually is quite a bit of overlap in certain beliefs and creatures between the two Asian Nations. Creatures like the great Azure Dragon can be found in both countries. Today, however, we are going to talk about Bixi, Bi Xi, which is strictly of Chinese origin. One of the 9 sons of the dragon king, which is featured heavily in Chinese mythology, Bixi is depicted as a dragon with the shell of a turtle. At one point in time, there was a great tortoise in Chinese mythology named Ao that was chopped up to help with the creation of the world and eventually became Bixi. Stone sculptures can be found all over china used as plinths for tablets ar commemorative steles, most commonly in funeral complexes for emperors. These great tortoises and turtles were known for their luck and how they could swim and carry large loads. Indeed, the tortoise Ao that would eventually become Bixi, was said to hold islands on its back. So of course, only such a noble creature would be entrusted to carry the deeds of the celebrated dead upon it's back.

05/09/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are still exploring Japan and it's rich culture and wealth of magical creatures. Today we look at the legend of the Japanese Giant Salamander. Now, this is an actual creature. Giant salamanders are found in the rivers of Japan where it is cool and clear. They are endangered, slow moving and don't typically surface much. So how is this a magical creature? The giant salamander features strong in mythology and folklore of Japan, often depicted as a demon. In fact, it may even be the inspiration for the Kappa, which we have already explored. It was said, in some of these tales, that the impish creature would steal unruly children from their beds to the deep watery dens in the rivers. This is likely because they are nocturnal and only seen at night. They have been depicted in art, battling samurai, and even celebrated. Every August, Minawa City honors the Giant Salamander with a great festival.

05/02/2022

Good Magical Creature Monday! We are still exploring the magical and mythical creatures of Japan! Some legendary creatures come about as an explanation for natura occurrences. This can be in the form of a deity or monster. Throughout the world one can find cultural explanations for why the thunder rolls, or the seas surge. So too is true of the Japanese with their explanation of earthquakes. The belief is a giant catfish lives inside the earth or just beneath the surface in mud. This namazu, as it is called, was first mentioned in the Lake Biwa area around the 16th century. Eventually it was said that the god Takemikazuchi restrains the catfish underneath a foundation stone. When he is not paying attention, the namazu thrashes about causing violent earthquakes. Why a catfish though? Why this particular creature? Prior to the 1855 Edo earthquake, eel fishermen reportedly spotted catfish being unusually active in the rivers. Soon after, the earthquake struck. Indeed, even since, seismologists have observed catfish being agitated several hours before an earthquake occurred, often with 80% accuracy. It isn't hard to imagine that this observation was made by 16th century Japanese fishermen which gave rise to the legendary namazu shaking the earth to be free of it's prison.

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