User:RedHeron

About Me
I'm a walking encyclopedia, where certain topics are concerned. However, writing my experiences on Wikipedia is considered OR.

I don't consider myself a reliable source of information. However, I do love Wikipedia and I use it all the time. I do not, however, check all of my watch pages all the time, due to the time constraints imposed by being a religious leader, active parent, freelance writer, and independent researcher on many topics. And while that all sounds mighty impressive, it really just means that I really dig prehistory. And lasers.

I like to write. And I do it well. And while I might not have perfect grammar, "best-written" rarely equates to "best-selling," in my own experience (Stephen King is a great example of that).

I also carry (and maintain) multiple ordinations:

Ordinations
I carry a number of active ordinations. And yes, I serve the communities they are intended for (most say fairly well).

Buddhism
I am an Acharyaof the Mahajrya Buddhist lineage. This equates roughly to the Catholic rank of Bishop. But while the Catholic title might be "Most Reverend," my official title is "Venerable" though I don't require it at all. I accept the need for titles, but that's always done for the benefit of other people.

Christianity
I hold an ordination to Pastor, passed to me by Dr. Jaime Gonzalez in 2001. I maintain this by offering prayer services to those who need them, as well as blessings to those who want them. But I don't maintain a "flock" or congregation: God's people are all of humankind, and so those who need my assistance tend to cross my path. And no, I don't charge for those services... geez.

Hinduism
I do not now, nor have I ever, held any ordination for anything Hindu. However, my first spiritual teacher (under whom I studied for 6 years and 10 days) was in fact a Hindu swami. I don't include a name here out of a desire to avoid too much egoism.

She informed me that I would become a guru at some point. This has happened in spite of my best efforts.

Jediism
I am an ordained Jedi Master in the Esoteric Jediist path. I operate a Facebook group. My group has significantly different viewpoints than lots of other groups out there. But at the end of the day, my aim is to create a great reference that serves the community's interests above those of my own religious views.

If any COI arises, please feel free to send me a message. I check on those from time to time, even if not abundantly.

Neopagan
I am a former H.Pt. of the Three Crows Coven of Denver, as well as former Maestro Dexter in the Hunin's Gaze Coven.

I also am a former lawspeaker for two Asatru kindreds, and a member of the Gothar (though inactive due to politics and a desire to be free from them). I am working on a translation from Old Norse of the collection of stories which Lee Hollander called "The Poetic Edda" (and which are not bound in a single volume, in their original works). For this work, I expect nothing, but feel compelled to complete it. If someone needs help, I help them without question or expectation of payment, to the utmost of my ability to do so. But I'm not going back to kindred life... Asatruar tend to promote waaay too much drama for my liking (though not all of them).

I also peripherally associated with the Order of Our Lady of Salt until 2004.

Taoism
I completed training under a Taoist teacher for only about 8 months, but he said that was sufficient for me to teach with. While not a traditional ordination, I thought it bore mentioning that I've actually studied under someone who knew what they were talking about, since people seem intent on not trusting or believing that I might also have some basis for knowing some things.

Neurodivergence
I have a condition that used to be called Asperger's Syndrome, but which is now (as of the DSM-V) called "Type 1 Autistic Spectrum Disorder". I'm high functioning and not considered disabled, but sometimes it's difficult for me to take social cues. I appreciate directness, though I don't like it when people are rude. Stating a fact is not the same as rubbing someone's nose in it; but being subtle generally won't get through to me.

Also, it seems there's an additional condition known as dyspraxia, diagnosed with a genetic profile. And due to the risk of misinterpreting data as a result, I have self-suspended my edits to WP, limited only to grammar and spelling (and other such minor edits).

Current Projects

 * Untitled Steampunk Novels: As of 2023-07-31: 134,000 words. Late in the Age of Steam (starting in 1910 with the death of Edward VII), a sort of steampunk version of Dresden Files, being a wizard acting the part of a hardboiled detective, but in my case adding elements of Holmes, Mage: The Ascension and actual folklore from England. I hope someday to list these novels on WP.
 * Laser Outfitters Laboratories: Working on a company idea as of 2014-03-14 involving laser products. The flagship product will be a laser tag system. It has, as of 2023-03-31, reached a proof-of-concept stage and I am proceeding with refining that to a presentation-grade proof of concept. The main barrier to progress has always been financial.