In the esoteric world, scrying is a form of both meditation and divination. Also referred to as “peeping” or the simpler, yet broader view term “seeing,” to scry is to open your third eye to endless possibilities of the metaphysical. Some who scry use crystal balls or mirrors or even water. Some open a self-induced trance. With no real set structure or written order to scrying, it’s an open-ended form of looking into the beyond and reflecting on what you see.

Frequently scrying comes via fire, as TJ and I did on our honeymoon, honoring and raising energy to the divine as a way of thanks for blessing our union. It took a little extra effort and an extra nudge from the fire elementals presided by King Djinn, but we stoked our blaze and took the time to scry and whisper to each other what we believe manifested before our eyes. Fire dancers, salamanders, angelic facades and animal profiles are the most common beings to be found in a bonfire, and we certainly found those, live in within the random shots I snapped.

What do you scry from these pictures, if anything?

–Photos by Ray Van Horn, Jr.

TJ and I did it, deluge be foiled! We want to thank everyone who came out to support our union, even with wet elements to pull off a spectacular wedding. Many traveled from great distance, and you humble us accordingly. We are husband and wife now and can’t overstate our gratitude to all, including the Robins at Tymeless Valley in Manchester, Maryland. for a gorgeous venue.

We have been blessed all week as newlyweds, but we are sooooo deeply touched by this gift from my Metalheads comic creative partner in Kiel, Germany, Dom Valecillo, for his rendition of a favorite shot of our wedding from a longtime friend, Jo. Wir sind sehr berührt, mein freund.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.

The next time I see you all here at Roads Lesser Traveled, I will be a married man. My second marriage and TJ’s third, we both feel destiny put us on our separate paths as long-ago friends running into each other now and then, finally brought together in union two decades later.

We always clicked. We always got each other. We always laughed in each other’s company. Constantly. We always rallied one another, through tough times and in our pursuits as respective writers. She is the pillar of strength who restarted my deadened heart and gave me back my writing mojo. Whatever I’ve brought to the table in this relationship, it’s jived with her, and we are simply meant to be.

We have received early wedding gifts from distant friends who sent us treasures we will honor for our remaining years. The first being a set of hand drawn foxes, our mutual spirit animal, from an ultra-talented artist based in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Debbie. The second is the heart-shaped printed lyrics to our forthcoming first dance song as man and wife, The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.” Complete with our wedding date upon it from our likewise thoughtful friend from Georgia, Angel.

TJ will call me corny for this post later, but there’s a reason we chose the song, going back to our first few weeks of dating. TJ had called the two of us “instant twin flames.” After running into each other at a Panera while I was getting my son lunch, the “it” factor was right there. He was wowed by TJ upon first contact since she could speak his language, many generations removed.

Our romance was instantaneous from the first date the very next day in an Irish pub, nearly closing the place down on a Sunday night. We laughed like lunatics and pledged to keep the train rolling, sealed with a kiss the following evening. We knew what a gift we’d been given, and we weren’t going to let this get away from us.

I especially look forward to recreating this photo from our first getaway together in the western Maryland mountains…

I believe it’s meant to be, darling, I watch you when you are sleeping, you belong to me…

This ain’t no dream.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.

One of my many mementos from writing in the music scene is this glossy photo sent to me by Ron Keel following an interview we did a handful of years after the heavy metal band bearing his name had folded a second time between three stints.

Keel was a second-tier metal band from the 1980s who enjoyed a run of success with albums like Lay Down the Law, The Right to Rock, The Final Frontier and their self-titled Keel record from 1987, the latter gaining them routine play on MTV’s Headbangers Ball of their hit single, “Somebody’s Waiting.” Keel was also known for their covers of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” and Rose Tattoo’s “Rock ‘n Roll Outlaw” from the underground ’80s trash classic, Dudes.

You probably figure with my novel, Revolution Calling, coming out soon, I’m feeling a lot of ’80s nostalgia and you’d be right. I remember playing Lay Down the Law and The Right to Rock in my bedroom, and even though The Final Frontier and Keel softened their sound, those two also got solid play from me back in the day. My dad went to great lengths to score me The Final Frontier for Christmas, much as he’d done with Kiss’ Creatures of the Night years prior.

The controversial album cover of Lay Down the Law had my mother gnawing on her tongue, but otherwise Keel was a straightforward metal-hard rock hybrid who disbanded for part of the 1990s while Ron Keel and guitarist Marc Ferrari kept glued to a dying metal scene from different avenues, Ferrari fielding a gear clinic column for Metal Forces magazine.

Keel took a shot at two reunions, releasing Keel VI: Back in Action in 1998, then Streets of Rock ‘n Roll in 2010. By the time I interviewed Ron Keel before Streets of Rock ‘n Roll was a here-and-gone thing, he’d cropped and teased his headbanger locks and grew a facial pattern as a would-be country singer. A super nice guy when we’d interviewed, he’d obliged me all the talk about the metal days that I wanted, and I know he appreciated my asking how the band got selected for the Dudes soundtrack. I’d done my homework on his country material and gave him solid feedback, since the guy always had nice, clean chops capable of shredding the octaves.

This signed photo from Ron came to me about a week after our interview. Unsolicited, he’d asked his press agent for my forwarding address and personalized the photo. In return, I gave my thanks through our respective channel, but it’s the message Ron left me on that picture that resonated then and even more so today.

Generations come, generations fade. Fads turn innovations by necessity before turning commodities once again. Yet words and music do live forever.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.