The Trickster

                                  “THE GREAT TRICKSTER”

  WHAT OTHER MALADY, SICKNESS, ILLNESS TELLS THE HOST, YOU DON’T HAVE AN ILLNESS? THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR DRINKING, YOUR DRINKING IS NOT HURTING ANY ONE IT TELLS YOU. YOU DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM, ANY WAY YOU CAN STOP ANY TIME YOU WANT TO, CAN’T YOU? THE VOICE REPEATS OVER AND OVER UNTILL ITS MESSAGE IS BELIEVED, UNTILL THE LIE BECOMES THE TRUTH. THEN AT SOME POINT THE HOST CAN’T DISTINGUSH BETWEEN THE TWO. AFTER AWHILE  IT DOESN’T SEEM TO CARE ANY MORE  ABOUT ANYTHING AND ITS ONLY JOB BECOMES TO FEED THE LIE.

WHAT KIND OF THING IS THIS THAT HAS THE POWER TO KILL ITS HOST JUST BY TRICKING IT?  BY LIEING? WHAT KIND OF DISGUISE DOES IT HAVE THAT THE OWNER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ITS POWER TO HOLD HOSTAGE AND TOURTURE TILL SURRENDER OR DEATH HAS COME? WHAT ON EARTH HAS GIVEN THIS TRICKSTER THE POWER TO KILL? THE DISEASE, ALCOHOLISM, THE MALADY, ILLNESS, THE SUBSTANCE DEPENDANCE WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, EVENTUALLY TAKES CONTROL OF THE HOSTS MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT AND POSSESS  IT, CHANGES IT, TOURTURES IT, AND DRIVES IT MERCIFULLY ON TO CAUSE  THE HOSTS AND ITS OWN DESTRUCTION. WHY IS THE DEATH OF ITS HOST AND IT SELF IT’S ULTIMATE AIM? WHAT IS ITS POWER?

WHEN THE HOST DIES, DOES THE DISEASE DIE, OR DOES IT, COULD IT LINGER ON IN THE MIND OF THE OTHER LIVES IT TOUCHED? THE OTHER LIVES IT HELD HOSTAGE WHILE IT WAS ALIVE. THE OTHER LIVES, THE LOVED ONES, THE FRIENDS, IF THERE IS ANY LEFT AT ITS END. DOES IT STILL LIVE ON, CARRYING ON ITS HORROR AND CARNAGE THROUGH THE MEMORIES OF THOES IT LEFT BEHIND? HAVE YOU SEEN ITS FACE, HAVE YOU SEEN THE FACE OF ITS SAD, DESPICABLE VICTIMS? HAVE YOU PASSED THEM BY LYING IN THE GUTTER? HAVE YOU STEPPED OVER THEM SHUTTERING AS YOU GO ON YOUR WAY, THANKFUL IT’S NOT YOU LYING THERE OR MAYBE LAUGHING AT THEIR FOLLY OF DRUNKNESS? HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO LOOK INTO THE EYES, THOSE EMPTY BOTTOMLESS PITS, AND THE WINDOWS TO THEIR TOURCTHED SOULS? HAVE YOU SEEN THE FACE OF ITS VICTIMS, MAYBE THE CHILDREN WITH THEIR SORROW, THEIR BROKEN HEARTS AND TWISTED LIVES.

THE TRICKSTER CAUSED THIS DAMAGE; HE HIDES BEHIND THE ALCOHOL IN ALL ITS FORMS, BEER, WINE, WHISKEY AND MOONSHINE. THE GREAT PRETENDER, THE GREAT ERASER, THE REMOVER OF PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS, ALL IT TOUCHES. IT HIDES, IT LIES, AND IT CAMOUFLAGES ITSELF AS FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT WHILE IT SECRETLY TAKES CONTROL. TRICKS ITS HOST INTO IMBIBING MORE AND MORE AS IT GOES DEEPER INTO HIDING, DEEPER INTO THE VERY SOUL AND SPIRIT OF THE PERSON UNTILL EVEN THE HOST DOES NOT KNOW IT SELF ANY LONGER. UNTILL THE HOST HAS LOST ANY HOPE OF RECOVERING WHAT IT ONCE WAS, WHAT IT HAS A VAGUE MEMORY OF BEING. THE LIVING BREATHING TRICKSTER HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL, IT’S TAKEN ALL IT COULD AND THEN DEMANDS THE ULTIMATE SCARIFIES OF ITS HOST,… IT DEMANDS LIFE AND SPIRIT.. IT LEAVES ONLY CARNAGE IT ITS WAKE AND GOES ON TO SEEK ANOTHER VICTIM FEELING NOTHING, SPEAKING NOTHING ONLY SEEKING WHOM IT CAN DEVOUR.

THE CHINESE or JAPANESE, (I DON’T KNOW WHICH), HAVE A SAYING; FIRST THE MAN TAKES A DRINK, THEN THE DRINK TAKES A DRINK, THEN THE DRINK TAKES THE MAN. THEY UNDERSTOOD THIS TRICKSTER VERY WELL DIDN’T THEY?

IN NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE THE WOLF IS THE GREAT TRICKSTER, THE GREAT DECEIVER. THE WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING THEN IS THE TRICKSTER, HIDING ITS GOAL OF DESTRUCTION IN A PRETTY BOTTLE, A COLORFULL CAN AND A NICE PLEASING AROMA AND PLEASANT TASTE. FOR SOME THE TRICKSTER CAN NOT TOUCH, HE CAN NOT GET A FOOT HOLD IN THEIR MIND, THEIR SPIRIT HE CAN NOT INVADE. FOR OTHERS, NO ONE KNOWS WHY HES ALOUD TO REIN UNCONTROLED, UNSTOPPABLE UNTIL THE ULTIMATE PRICE IS PAID. SOME TIMES A SUPERNATURAL FORCE IS ASKED OR ON ITS OWN ACCORD, STEPS IN TO FIGHT THE TRICKSTER AND DEFEATES HIM FOR A TIME RELIVENG ITS VICTIM OF HIS OBESSION. THIS CAN LAST AWHILE OR A LIFE TIME NO ONE KNOWS WHATS TO BE.  ONLY THE TRICKSTER AND THE FORCE CAN KNOW WHO WINS AND WHO LOOSES.

I KNOW ONE THING IN ALL MY 33 YEARS OF BEING SOBER, HES STILL THERE, I STILL SEE HIM, AND HEAR HIM, TALKING HIS TALK TO ME AND TO OTHERS. HE HASAN’T CHANGED ONE LITTLE BIT, NOT ONE LITTLE BIT, HE CAN’T FOOL ME ANY MORE, I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO HIS LIES ANY LONGER. I REFUSE TO GIVE INTO HIS OBESSION TO CONTROL ME. I’M NOT ALONE ANY LONGER I FOUND THAT SUPERNATURAL FORCE, I LET IT IN AND IT FIGHTS MY BATTLE FOR ME. I’M NO LONGER AFRID OF HIM, THE TRICKESTER, THE WOLF; I HAVE THE GREATEST POWER IN THE UNIVERSE TO FIGHT FOR ME.

I HAVE A LOVING GOD IN MY LIFE. THE ONLY POWER I KNOW THAT CAN DEFEATE THE GREAT DECEIVER, DEFEATE THE TRICKSTER ON HIS OWN BATTLE GROUND…

GOD BLESS THE TRUTH, MAY THE SWORD OF TRUTH PIERCE YOUR TRICKSTER THROUGH ITS HEART…