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This ::::> http://nobodyscores.loosenutstudio.com/index.php?id=511 <::: is my new favoritest and bestest comic EVAR! lol Surrealy ;-)
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Thursday, 09 July 2009
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WCFQ #9: Luck... she's a quirky mistress
Yeah, I do, and if you've got any extra, send it my way. I could definitely use some.
Luck, I believe is akin to synchronicity and equally hard to control, though some people seem to have all the luck to the extent that they are seemingly born lucky. Luck, like synchronicity, is something you seldom see coming.
But really, it's all in perception. Even people who have "no luck at all" are not completely luckless. After all, they're still alive and kicking, even if they might be gruesomely and grotesquely disfigured and skulking about in the shadows to hide the deformities of their miraculous survival. Oh, wait, miraculous survival... so they were lucky after all. Just, you know, not quite lucky enough.
The thing is, everyone is lucky in their own way in their own time. Ever almost fall down a flight of stairs? or almost hit an animal in the road? or almost say the wrong thing to someone with a lot of muscle and little inclination to control their baser instincts? That, my friends, was luck. (Yes, common sense is a form of luck, just the rarest of the rare forms.)
Now if we could only harvest luck. Imagine the resale value. Yes, my friends, luck... in aerosol form.. Hmmm, I believe Axe bodyspray would have us believe they've acquired a very specific form of luck. I wonder if it works in casinos...
Everyone is lucky, except when they're not. You really can't pick and choose when you'll be lucky; you just have to hope that you will have it when the time is right. If it came down to it, I'd be happier if I was luckier in the face of my immanent destruction over winning the lottery. On the other hand, who's to say that good luck is always good. Sometimes the worst luck comes from having been "lucky." Many people who win the lottery end up colossal jerks in the end and no one loves them, except if there's money in it for them. Some people who seemingly defied the odds and survived a horrific and tragic accident might feel as if they'd been better off dead.
One man's luck is another man's accident waiting to happen.July 9thNo holy days for today.
Wednesday, 08 July 2009
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WCFQ #7: Hell No
WCFQ #7:
Do you believe in Hell?
SeriousSideofSatanicSquirrelsNope.
The thing about Hell is... it only exists for those who think it exists. If you don't believe in it, it just isn't there. Essentially, no one can send you there but you. It's just that simple.
People have built up a whole mythology of hell and hellishness, and on some plane it must exist because people believe it does. If people are willing to lend energy to an idea, they can create it. So I choose not to believe in the Christian hell or lend energy to its maintenance. The only way you could ever end up in such a place is if you honestly felt you deserved it, or if others convinced you that you did.
The myth of hell is based on a variety of sources, but it once had a physical location in Gehenna. This was the waste place where trash and criminals were disposed of outside the walls of Jerusalem. In another life, I was stoned by people who didn't like what I had to say, dragged to Gehenna and set on fire. I refuse to think of myself as trash or a criminal, and I don't think anyone belongs in a place that was based on what equates to the city dump.
People will continue to believe in a place where people are punished and call it hell, but before the Judeo-Christian concept, there was no such place. There is an underworld, a place of the dead, in nearly every belief system, but it is not hellish. It is not a place explicitly for punishment.
Hell is for those who believe in it, and will continue to exist for those who believe in it until they learn to believe otherwise. So long as people continue to fear death, they will fear a hell. So long as people are told that they are bad for no good reason, there will be a hell because they will come to believe through the words of others that they belong there.
Confused? I don't believe in hell, but others do. Belief, as an extension of the Will, creates. If you choose to will hell into existence, then for you, it exists. Yay for you... I guess. o.OJuly 8thThe feast of St. Sunniva was a medieval version of Sunna, the Norse solar maiden.
This is the second day of the Nonae Caprotinae honoring Juno.
Tuesday, 07 July 2009
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WCFQ #6: If you're not part of the solution...
WCFQ #6:
Have you ever been jealous of someone?
magdaaaxoI'm jealous, and yet I'm not, of people who live life so blithely that they are completely unaware of what is going on outside their own little narcissistic reality. I'm jealous because it must be nice to have that cushion of unreality, to not be aware enough of the dangers of the world to plan against problems that might arise tomorrow or the day after. These are the people who say global warming isn't real and that nature can take care of itself, but they'll sure be surprised as heck when they wake up in the future and the oceans are dead from overfishing and pollution. We're in the middle of an extinction level event, losing species practically every day, and these people continue to use their aerosol, buy imported items, and support the mismanagement of our world's resources through their lifestyle choices.
But I'm also not jealous of them. Because when the $h17 hits the fan, they're going to be overwhelmed. They're not going to know what to do. They're creating the problem and will go on creating the problem until the problem backs up to their doorstep, and then they won't know how to live. I wouldn't want to be one of these people who don't really know how to live unless the tv tells them how to do it. I don't want my life to revolve around the latest fashion, newest gourmand treat, or my next QVC purchase. I'm not really jealous of them, just wistful for their blissful ignorance. It must be nice to be so numb to the wailing of the world. It must be nice not to think.
They say that the higher your IQ, the less happy you are. The smarter you are, the more you think about things. The more you think, the more you realize all the things that people do which are wrong and how that's going to affect your life and the lives of your future family and of people you don't even know yet but who you will love. Think of all the people who have developed cancer from exposure to asbestos and how many years the people who allowed them to be exposed knew about the toxic effects of exposure and preferred to do nothing because it was cheaper. Think about the fact that it's okay to sell poison like cigarettes and alcohol in stores, provided they have warning labels. In the end, I'd rather be someone who thinks and is unhappy than one those people who is blissfully unaware of the harm they cause, whether they come by their ignorance naturally or through the medication that the tv tells them they should have. I want to think and know and strive for a better world. I don't want to be part of the problem.July 7thDuring Hashi Matsuri or Tanabata, Japanese families mark the reunion of two celestial lovers. Called the Tanabata lovers, they are the stars Vega and Aquila, separated by the Milky Way, the "celestrial river." Vega represents the weaver maiden Zhi Nu and Aquila is the cowherd. Children's writing samples and personal pleas are affixed to bamboo fronds. Prayers will be answered and the children's writing will improve.
The Roman festival of Consualia honored Consus, god of harvests. The Feriae Ancillarum was the Festival of the Handmaids during which maids were beyond the control of their mistresses. The second festival of Parilia honors the Pales. A special feast, called the Nonae Caprotinae (Nones of the Wild Fig), was celebrated in honor of Juno on the Nones of Quintilis (7th of July). Female servants went in procession to a fig tree, carrying on all kinds of sports. Maidservants had charade fights with stones and engaged in other competitions. A feast was enjoyed at the tree, followed by a day of thanksgiving on the 8th.
Monday, 06 July 2009
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All my friends...
There is a protected post up. Just so you know. I'm sure you all know what that means....July 6Julian the Blessed (331-363 BC) was a learned philosopher and Roman emperor who restored pagan religions to Rome.
Sunday, 05 July 2009
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Writer's Choice Challenge #1
Writer's Challenge #1:
What's that thing under your bed?
(If your bed is on the floor,
what's in your closet or other random place
where you tend to accumulate "junk.")
Reach in there and pull out one random thing.
Then write a short story or poem about it.
Be as factual or fantastical as you like.
wily rabbit warriors
rampant on fields of gray
I smell your musty odor
before the attack
on my sinuses
hiding in the pages
magazines collected
against a day of crafty need
coating the vibrant colors
with your dusty prints
your warren undone
with the flip of a mattress
the roar of a man-made cyclone
run rabbit run
No holy days today
Saturday, 04 July 2009
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WCFQ #5: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
By our habits and personality, there are some things which are more probable than others. If this is fate or destiny, then yes, I believe in it. You can defeat fate by changing your habits. Recognizing an unhealthy habit or characteristic is the first step to changing your fate. Some things you can't change.
For instance, I read about a recent study on nicotine addiction. Basically, the more melanin you have in your skin, the stronger your addiction to nicotine because the melanin cells actually store the nicotine. This does not just extend to dark skinned people, though I would assume that your best bet concerning nicotine if you happen to have darker skin is to just never start smoking! Apparently though, if you tan regularly as part of your job (roofing, landscaping, etc) or recreationally, you are also more prone to this nicotine storage problem. So get as little sun as possible and don't ever try smoking and maybe you can deter fate from making you a smoke stack.
Bottom line, if you know you have a predisposition to something... either through awareness of family history or by observing your own personal habits... you have the tools to avert fate. If you know that heart attack runs in the family and that you're probably going to have one too at some point, change your diet and get regular exercise. If you know that skin cancer runs in the family, get as little sun as possible and get regular check ups for those funky moles you got on your back. If you know aneurysms runs in your family, well... not much you can do about that. Apparently we're all born with weak vessels in our brains that are just going to give up the ghost at some point. Sorry. I don't know if there are any preventative measures you can take against stroke that aren't going to make you out to be a hypochondriac.
Ideally, we should all be examining ourselves, our habits and our physical health, on a regular basis. Which is not what most people do. Most people are more concerned with outward appearances and what other people are doing than what's going on in their own bodies, but a healthy person, and by this I mean physically and mentally, should indulge in self examination at least once in a while. What is the measurement of "a while," I couldn't say, but self awareness is the key to a long life. The fates can still slip a fast one in there. You could be driving home from work and a deer could attack your car, but if you've made the effort to ensure that you should be on the road at all (good eyesight, reflexes, no reading, eating, or hygiene engaged in while the peddle is to the metal), then chances are, you'll survive.July 4thThe Athenian festival to honor Athena was called the Panathenaea. On the sixth day, the goddess' statue was dressed in a new robe. This was also a holy day of the Roman Goddess Pax, goddess of peace.
Friday, 03 July 2009
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WCFQ #4: Icky
For the record, I have never had sex. Yes, I know... I'm a 35 year old virgin. It's a fact that really only impresses you sexual types. I, fortunately (or unfortunately from your perspective) am an asexual. Which means, I have no sex drive. I'm simply not interested in sex for sex's sake. I suppose if I ever met someone who I loved and had a rapport with that I would try it, but since I have never met anyone with whom I felt that specific kind of attraction, I'm just not inclined to go out and do it for the sake of finding out what it's like. I've never been someone who gives into peer pressure and this societal urge to have sex, from television and music to jokes and fashion, is just not something I feel I have to agree with to be happy.
Maybe this gives me a unique perspective in terms of what I can observe in how people and society treat sex. Which is to say, younger people seem to think having sex will cure something, yes, fill a void in their lives. Make them adults? Make them fit in better because "all their friends are doing it?" Who knows. According to various family members, I was never "young." Older people seem to think sex creates a corrupt society. Sex itself is an act that invites immorality into one's life. Pornography. Prostitution. And the people in between? It's mixed bag, ranging from the belief that having sex will "fix something" to the idea that sex is an unclean activity which only degenerates crave.
See now sex is just a physical act so far as I'm concerned, and each individual attaches their own significance to it. For some, it is nothing more than a physical exercise. For others, it is a way to get closer to their significant other, to share something intimated of oneself with the one who you trust explicitly. Still others see it as a holy act which should only, ever be engaged in with someone you love for the purpose of procreation. Others label it in derogatory terms, as a dirty thing that is kept private because it is a necessary evil.
Whether sex fills a void or creates one all descends from personal perspective. It both fills and creates a void and at the same time has nothing to do with such notions. Sex is a physical act which creates life. It is a way for two people to share each other with each other. It is a way for people to hurt each other. It is a dirty thing that should be kept behind closed doors or maybe even be replaced by modern science with cloning, splicing, and artificial insemination... It is a way for new souls to enter this existence. It is a means to an end. It is an amusing past time. Sex is the subject of many jokes. According to comedians, people make funny faces during sex. Apparently it is awkward and icky and makes a mess and/or babies. Sex is just something animals do in order to perpetuate the species.
Sex got me a cute little nephew and another niece/nephew on the way.July 3rdThe New Year of the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida begins on this date, and is celebrated with an annual Green Corn Dance honoring the new corn crop. Eating the first corn marks the start of a new year.
The Festival of Cerridwen honors the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, plenty, and pigs.
In Italy, this day is sacred to the Witch of Gaeta; while in Greece, the goddess Athena is honored.
Sothis begins in Egypt, honoring the rise of Sirius.
The Dog Days of Summer officially begin. According to Hellenic traditions, the rising of the Dog Star heralded the hottest part of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The Dog Days of Summer, as calculated by the Greater or Lesser Dog Star (Sirius or Procyon), may continue from 30 to 54 days. A generally accepted period is from July 3 to August 15.
The Greeks referred to the Dog Stars as Maera and Hecuba, and the Romans called them Canicula and Sycamine. It was called Isis Hathor by the Egyptians and symbolized by the form of a cow with disc and horns or as a cow recumbent in a boat with head surmounted by a star appearing from behind the western hills. In the earlier temple service of Denderah, Sirius was Isis Sothis and at Philae Isis Sati or Satit. Sirius, Canis Major, was Al Shi'ra or Al Si'ra in Arabic parts of the world, and Canis Minor was called Al Jummaiza or Al Ghumaisa, "the Dim" from the fact that her light was dimmer than that of her sister Al Shi'ra. They were also called Al Aliawat al Suhail, the Sisters of Canopus. The Norse called Sirius Loki's Brand.
Thursday, 02 July 2009
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WCFQ #3: Lessons
Everyone has a personal reality and everyone therefore has their own personal truths. No two realities are exactly the same, even with twins. From the moment a being begins to perceive their surroundings, interpreting the data on a personal level and differentiating between "me" and "not me," a personal reality is created wherein truth is based on perception.
There is no difference between reality and truth. You may listen (or read) as someone expounds on their personal truth, and from your own experiences you may discover truth in the other person's words. But this may not be the truth they intended to share and it may only be a temporary sharing of realities... you may decide after you have more experiences under your belt that the truth shared with you from someone else's perspective is no longer your truth. You have the power and right to differ with the truths of others.
Truth is entirely subjective and cannot exist without experience. Experience is dependent upon how your reality agrees or disagrees with your expectations. It is through interpretation of your expectations that you arrive at your personal truth. When reality agrees with your expectations, it validates your truth. When you disagree with the circumstances, you may discover a new truth about your environment. It depends upon you however, whether you will perceive this new facet of reality or not and incorporate it into your world view, your reality. There are plenty of people in the world who are so wrapped up in their expectations that they rewrite the circumstances of their experiences, creating a personal reality which others perceive to be unhealthy. Their personal truths create this reality and this reality reinforces their personal truths. It's a vicious cycle of misery begetting more misery.
In essences, we gather from our reality the lessons which agree with our world view or alter it. Either way, we arrive at a truth which is valid until we choose not to find validity in it. If we perceive ourselves to be victims, then that is what we are. It was true when I was a child that I was a victim because I let myself be a victim. I am no longer a victim because I choose to see the truth in my reality that all experiences contain the potential to teach a lesson. What lesson I choose to learn from my reality is dependent upon my perception of "me" and "not me." If I choose to see everyone and everything as one thing, then I cannot be harmed by others. I can only harm myself with my expectations. If I perceive a slight from someone, then it is entirely on me whether or not I allow that perception to alter my reality or not. In the end, it is my reality and my truth that is most important, and it is easier to forgive that which is "not me" and move on than become the victim of my own perceptions.July 2ndThe Italian Il Palio in Siena is a festival of medieval games.
In ancient times, the citizens of Rome celebrated the Feast of Expectant Mothers. At temples throughout the city, all pregnant women gathered to receive blessings and honor Bona Dea, Carmenta, Lucina, and other goddesses associated with birth and fertility.
Wednesday, 01 July 2009
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July
The Julian calendar was instituted in 26 BC and caused so much bureaucratic irritation that it was called the Year of Confusion. Until 44 BC however, the month of July was called Quintilis or Quinctilis, the fifth month. (The Romans were not very creative people and in fact, the Romans were not even Romans. They were Etruscan and adopted the Roman culture in its entirety to the point of obscuring their own past.) July was renamed for the murdered Julius Caesar who was born on the 12th. This was the calendar of the west for the next 1600 years. July is sacred to Apt (or Apet), Athena, Sothis, Spider Woman, and Rosea.
The Irish name for this month was Iuil or an t-Iuchar, the border time. Traditionally during the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, Sirius, the dog star, can be seen in the sky. The Anglo-Saxon name was Aeftera Litha, "after Litha," or sometimes Maedmonat, "meadow month." Hewimanoth, "hay month," was the Frankish name, and the Asatru call it Haymoon.
The first Full Moon is called the Buck Moon. It is also the Blessing or Wort Moon and the Honey Moon, a name it shares with June's Moon. It is also called the Moon of Claiming, Fallow Moon, Thunder Moon, a name shared with August, and Moon of Blood (due to mosquitoes), a name it share with October. It is sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.
The sun passes from Cancer to Leo on July 23rd. The birth flower for July is the larkspur. Onyx, sardonyx, carnelian, turquoise or rubies are the stones listed for those born in July. The birthstone of Cancer is the moonstone or pearl, while Leo's stone is the ruby, onyx, or smoky quartz. Albite, chrysoprase, emerald, green tourmaline, opal, pink tourmaline, and rhodochrosite are also significant to Cancers, and amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, citrine, fire agate, garnet, pink tourmaline, ruby, and topaz are associated with Leo.July 1stThe people of India and Nepal honor a promise given by the Nagas, snake deities, with the Naga Panchami. Nagas control weather, especially water, and they can also cure or cause disease, bring good luck or bad, and prevent or cause death by snake bite. According to legend, a farmer once accidentally killed three baby snakes while farming. The angry mother snake entered his house and killed all but the daughter who put a bowl of milk in front of herself for the snake. The snake not only spared her life but offered her anything she wished. The girl wished for her family to be restored and for the snake to refrain from killing anyone else that day. This was granted and the snake slithered away. Snake images are displayed on religious altars, and offerings of milk, grain, and food are placed at the mouth of snake holes. Live serpents are carried through town or pulled around in pots on carts. Plowing and digging are forbidden.
In Japan, this day is sacred to Fuji, the ancient Japanese goddess of fire. Fuji is also regarded as the grandmother of Japan, and on this special day (which also marks the start of Mount Fuji Climbing Season) she is honored with prayers and burnt offerings.
Rain today meant rainy weather for the next four weeks.
In the Zoroastrian religion, Tir Jashan honors the spirits of rain.
Nostradamus died today in 1566.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
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WCFQ #2: The Beat
WCFQ #2:What kind of drum
do you march to,
or do you?
NanLou4
Run or skip,
bound or bounce...
Drums are made to set the beat,
but I prefer a bit more treble with my bass.
Music is not made with drumming alone.
It takes all kinds
to make the melody sweet.
Life isn't orderly.
It has its ups and downs.
It swells and becomes somber by turns.
No one marches to the beat
of just one drum for long.June 30thAestas, the ancient Roman corn-goddess of Summer is honored each year on this sacred day. Corn bread is traditionally served at Wiccan gatherings.
This day is sacred to the Pagan and North American goddesses Ceres, Changing Woman, Chicomecoatl, the Corn Mothers, Demeter, Gaia, Ge, Hestia, Iatiku, Oraea, Pachamama, Spider Woman, and Tonantzin.
Monday, 29 June 2009
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WCFQ#1: Brainiac or Superman
I'm gonna go gets me some super powers....
All knowing, all powerful, or ever present...?
Frankly, I'd go for the first. Knowledge is power after all. If you're just all powerful, you can make mistakes. If you're always around, everyone will always be bugging you to do stuff for them. The best of the three choices is being all knowing. Then you can be at the right place at the right time with the proper tools to get the job done before quietly slipping away before anyone notices you just averted disaster.
Think about it. If you're all knowing, you can help people dodge the bullet without them ever knowing that their lives were in danger. You can influence society without them ever knowing it wasn't their own idea to include airbags in cars. The right word in the right ear, and the future is golden. Even if the ear is little Billy when he's five so one day he grows up to be president and brings world peace.
I can dream...
But regardless of what I could do with omniscience, it seems the most useful of the three abilities. Being all powerful could get you into a bit of trouble if you get mad and punch a wall or almost hit someone. Superman must have the patience of a saint, but Lex Luther would be dead meat if he got in my face. Same goes for any of the superhero/villain pairings. The temptation just to put some creep out of everyone's misery is the biggest drawback to being all powerful. The temptation is just too great.
And I already pointed out the problem with being anywhere people expect you to be. It doesn't let you get any work done, let alone leave you any time to rest. I speak from retail experience....
I suppose though that even being all knowing can be corrupting. Taking the Superman analogy a little further, Brainiac is the character who continually seeks to be all knowing, and look at the trouble he gets into. Albeit, his programing appears to be corrupt. Is it really necessary to destroy everything once you've learned everything there is to know about it? Is it really that arduous to share? Actually, I can come up with only one plausible reason why Brainiac might want to destroy everything after he's learned everything and that's so he doesn't get tied up in the minutiae of every culture he comes into contact with. In other words, he kills them off so he can move on and learn something somewhere else without having to worry about missing something when he leaves. Perfectly reasonable, if a bit selfish. Me, I wouldn't care if people came up with something new after I've moved on since I'm assuming being all knowing, I'd pretty much be immortal and able to come back later for a refresher. Regardless, Shakespeare says there's nothing new under the sun, so history, unfortunately, is bound to repeat no matter what culture you encounter. Really not necessary to destroy a culture when the next one may have parallel development.June 29thThe Bawming of the Thorn is celebrated in Appleton, England. An ancient hawthorn tree is bedecked with flowers, flags, and ribbons by all the adults of the town before the children are permitted to dance beneath its branches.
This day honored Petosiris of Hermopolis (300 BC), an Egyptian astrologer and high priest of Thoth. After his death and canonization, his tomb became the site of pilgrimages.
This is the best day to harvest herbs in the East Anglian tradition.
This is a sacred day to Papa Legba, a powerful loa in the Voodoo religion. Originally a Dahomean sun god, Papa Legba is worshiped as the spirit-master of pathways and cross roads, and is the most important deity of the Vodoun pantheon.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
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WCFQ 52d: A Synthesis of Nature and Utility
If you had an unlimited human resource and a choice limited only to 'civil engineering project' what would you get built and why?
ChristianHiltonHmmm.... I would want to build something functional but which could be seen from space. I would want it to represent some aspect of humanity which could be idealized, but at the same time, I wouldn't want the project to be something which simply sat there after completion like a useless lump to be admired but not used in any way.
If I had unlimited resources and labor, I would want to create a work of art which people could appreciate no matter their culture. I would want to make something that could be a cultural center as well as something which could inspire pride and a spirit of cooperation.
So let's start with a building, or complex rather, since it would have to cover a large area to be seen from space. I would want it to be a place where people could and did gather to exchange ideas and grow, so I suppose it would be a school of some kind.
Imagine, if you will, a face formed of buildings and topography. It would need to be near water because the water would provide energy and be a ribbon in the face's hair. The hair would be formed of hills and trees. The face itself would be formed from some very wily architecture. I suppose I would have to find some architectural geniuses on the level of Frank Lloyd Wright coupled with the work of modern sculptors like Andy Goldsworthy who is my personal artistic hero. He makes my brain go mew. I want to crawl into his works and not come out. One of the effects I would hope to obtain would be a changing face, something that was always recognizable as a face, but whose character changed from season to season or even from day to night (perhaps with lights at night?) And this of course would be visible from space.
Should there be a museum on the premises? Maybe, but I think I would prefer a school where people could come to learn things which pertain to the earth... art like Goldsworthy's, environmental cooperation, interfaith studies, cultural studies.... things of that nature. I think to live, learn, and exist in such a beautiful space could only be inspirational to everyone who came there.June 28thEvery year on this day, the birth of Hemera (the ancient Greek goddess of day) is celebrated. Festivals in her honor begin at sunrise and last until the setting of the sun.
On this date in the year 1916, Reformed Alexandrian Witch and author Stewart Farrar was born in Highams Park, Essex, England.
Ra Goes forth to propitiate Nun on the 15th day of Mesore.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
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WCFQ 52c: Knickknacks and Brickabrack
I can't say why others collect things. I collect things for various reasons. I find that some collections are symbolic. When I was a child, I collected unicorns. Horses were the first thing I learned to draw well, and unicorns in particular were my favorite doodle for a long time. It was something that people knew they could get for me, and let me tell you, I got some pretty ugly unicorns in my day. They were symbolic of what I saw as my separation from the rest of humanity... my "purity." The idea that I was better than other people was a defense mechanism to how I was being treated at the time, and unicorns were my symbol of perfection. I empathized with the unicorn as something which could transmute poison and be free. I didn't handle my anger well. I disassociated with it, which got me into trouble later on.
Because later on, it was dragons, and still is. Dragons were my anger. They're my fiery temper, my rage. Dragons tear things up, but they also hoard things, and I was filling up on books. I still hoard books, but I don't hoard my anger. In Western mythology, dragons are hoarders. In Eastern mythology, they are teachers and protectors. The second thing I learned to draw well were dragons. Now people buy me dragons instead of unicorns. I've received some pretty ugly dragons. The unicorns have mostly moved on through various yard sales. I still have some of the better pictures I drew.
Books are my biggest addiction. I collect all kinds of books, from comic books and fiction to books on history, mythology, religion, and philosophy. I call my comic book collection my retirement fund. I learned to read on Tolkien, so my love of fantasy was a foregone conclusion. It's in my dragon nature to hoard these treasuries of words. I started reading the nonfiction as a child because even as early as eight or so, I knew I wanted to write. There were other things I wanted to do, but I felt that a proper frame of reference would only serve to make me a better writer.
So I don't know why other people collect the things they do. I'm sure everyone has their own reason for collecting, but I imagine it all boils down to feeling something. Their collections make them feel... something. I collect some things because they have a personal meaning to me. I collect other things because I like them and some day they may be valuable. I collect other things for their ability to inspire. I think that covers all the bases. I don't imagine there are any other reasons to collect things....June 27thThe Sun Dance is performed by many Plains Indian tribes to honor the summer sun. A special crow totem may be adorned with feathers. Held by the relative of a victim of murder, it will indicate the identity of the killer.
The Initium Aestatis was the Roman festival of the beginning of summer. It honored Aestas, the tutelary goddess of summer.
Julian the Blessed, champion of pagan religions, died in 363.
Rain today meant rainy weather for the next seven weeks.
On this date in the year 1956, prolific Wiccan author Scott Cunningham was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was initiated into Wicca in 1973 and the Ancient Pictish Gaelic Way in 1981.
Friday, 26 June 2009
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WCFQ 52b: Life is glorious
I had to think about this because I don't think anything haunts me, not really, not like it used to. I got better.
Which is not to say that I am not still influenced by my childhood, but that I am no longer victimized by it. I don't think about it much. I worked through it. I talk (blog) about things that happened, and they still make me angry to a degree, but they're more referential moments to explain my development than they are sore spots that still give me pain.
So when I talk about my great grandmother who abused me because I reminded her of my father, of being lynched in junior high school and other attacks, of being neglected by my family, or various other childhood traumas, its more a point of reference for me and a disclosure to you. If it still hurt me as much now as it did then, I probably wouldn't be able to discuss it at all. But my grandmother got old and senile and by the time she died, she wasn't even in her right mind. I can't be angry with someone who wasn't even there any more. The people who hurt me in school grew up and hopefully grew wiser. And being neglected by my family maybe gave me the opportunity to be my own person, develop at my own rate in my own time and to the beat of my own drummer.
By the same token, I can't think of any single moment that delights me... stolen moments when I was alone in the woods, the sun shining brightly on a patch of silt in a sparkling stream, turning it to gold. Beauty, natural unasked for beauty in particular, delights me, always. Human manufactured art may amuse or surprise me, but to say that "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree," is no understatement. Anything human wrought pales by comparison to the wonders of nature, and they shaped me in my youth as surely as the misery inflicted on me by my peers and family. I still catch my breath at birds dancing in the air and the light on water. I look for shapes in the clouds and run my bare toes over the grass, wet with morning dew. I rub my fingers in pollen and marvel at its grainy, golden texture. I stop to smell the roses in front of the house as I leave in the morning. I examine leaves and caress them and wonder at their shape and life. I'm alive, and they're alive, and we're all alive together. Everything has its own presence and purpose. There is nothing that is worthless, no experience or thing, no matter how much it seems out of place. Everything is just waiting to teach us its lesson.June 26thThe real Pied Piper is said to have visited the German town of Hamelin in 1284. Leading the children to their deaths in a sealed cave with the beauty of his music, he had previously solved the towns unfortunate rodent problem with the same melodies.
This is the Green Corn festival of the Iroquois.
On the 13th day of Mesore, a Holiday was held by the Shemsu (followers) of Horus.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
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The Viral Menace
Life as we know it would be impossible without them. They are what separate us from the animals. They allow us to function as a unit despite our individual needs. They reproduce in our brain and are passed on to our children.
Just by reading this essay, you may have picked up a few. and they are impossible to excise from the host animal.What the heck am I talking about?!?!?!?!
Memes... they're viral and they're everywhere.
A meme (according Wikipedia... itself a major vehicle of the great mnemonic migration that is the internet) is a unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices from the Greek word mimema for "something imitated." Memes are transmitted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena (like blogging). Many consider memes an analogue to genes, self-replicating and responding to selective (environmental) pressures. Richard Dawkins first introduced the word in The Selfish Gene (1976), applying evolutionary principles in the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena.
Like genes, memes evolve by natural selection through the processes of variation, mutation, competition, and inheritance influencing an individual meme's reproductive success. Memes spread through the behaviors that they generate in their hosts. Memes that propagate less prolifically may become extinct, while others may survive, spread, and (for better or for worse) mutate. Theorists point out that memes which replicate the most effectively spread best, and some memes may replicate effectively even when they prove detrimental to the welfare of their hosts. An example of a very profligate meme is religion, particularly the Judeo-Christian-Islamic branch, which has proven both beneficial and detrimental to their hosts and other competing memes. The Christian meme almost wiped out the Pagan meme, but it rallied and is now competing in an altered environment.
Memes are viral. Like the first single celled organism which adapted by uniting with other single celled organisms, keeping the best qualities to pass on to their offspring, our memes pick up or pass over other memes all the time, adapting, changing, and synthesizing offspring which can sometimes, but not always be traced back to their origins. We can say the concepts which evolved into our ideas concerning modern law came from Hammurabi, but we know that before his tablets, there were laws which governed human behavior. His laws, by our standards are quite barbaric, but through the process of mnemonic evolution, our thoughts concerning justice have evolved.
Though the existence of memes is only speculative, by studying the past, we begin to see a pattern of intellectual, cultural, and emotional evolution which has nothing to do with physical evolution. The human animal has not evolved in millennia, but our thought processes continue to change even on a day to day basis. We clothe ourselves in memes. We use them like fire to light our way in the darkness of our own ignorance. Without them, we would only be animals, scurrying around in the dark, three meals away from barbarism (Thank you Plato). Without memes, we would have no recourse but to descend into anarchy, unable and ill inclined to pass our a-ha moments on to the next generation. It is through memes we communicate, sharing the concepts that grip us like an unwashed hand (eeww, gross! lol Germs...). Memes spread and cannot be stopped, no matter how hard any regime tries to sterilize our thought processes. Ideas change, memes seek new outlets. Like society, they can stagnate and turn on their hosts. Look at the Inquisition and witch trials.
Genes and memes both have a biological imperative to spread. It's impossible for any human being not to interact and seek to share with others their experiences in life. We learn in childhood to keep some things private, but memes, like genes, seek expression. In terms of evolution, nothing exists without purpose. Even the appendix has been found to be part of the immune system. Memes serve a function, even if, like the appendix, it is not clearly understood yet what that function is.
June 25thThe Feast of Aine, once part of the Midsummer rites, honors an Irish fire and cattle goddess. Trips to holy wells was another feature of this holy day. In a procession, torches were waved over the fields for fertility.
A law was introduced in Germany in 1233 discouraging the burning of heretics in favor of conversion.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
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WCFQ 52a: When all else fails... kill a meme
Bringing up Dred Scott Tyler's installation art "What is the Proper way to Display an American Flag?", what are your views on desecrating the American flag? Does the American flag itself, a physical object, truly deserve the reverence that some Americans give it?
light_khaki
The American flag is a physical object, but it is also a symbol. The moment something becomes a symbol, the ways in which that symbol can be used are limited to good taste. That is, if you are a compassionate person, you will consider how your depiction will affect others who understand the meaning of the symbol.
So, how do you feel about America? This limits and liberates the ways in which the flag may be treated. If you respect America and/or the ideals upon which it is based, then the ways in which you might depict the flag are limited to good taste. You don't wipe your butt with it or set it on fire. On the other hand, if you respect the ideals of America, but you feel that others are dragging America through the dirt, then the way in which you depict the flag becomes a political statement.
When you take a symbol which is as widespread as a flag (of any country) and depict it in a way which is not acceptable, it is both a personal statement and a political one. It is an action approaching sacrilege, as with some of the art pieces depicting the cross in various unflattering ways. The depiction becomes the message. What was the "artist" trying to say and why did they feel they had to resort to such drastic tactics?
Is it Disney or the Church being criticized here?
Only the artist knows for sure.
When I was a child, my mother had a large flag pinned up in the hall, and taped to it was a picture of Frank Zappa (on the crapper). At its most basic, the juxtaposition of Zappa and the flag was a reaffirmation of freedom of speech, and that is really what is at stake in any disrespectful depiction of the flag. When someone "disrespects" the American flag, what they are really saying is, "I do not think that our leaders respect the ideals of this nation, but they haven't taken away my right to freedom of speech (yet) and I'm damn well going to sensationalize my disgust and disappointment with the current regime by destroying this symbol in the hope that my message will reach as large an audience as possible." But I paraphrase.
In the end, destroying a flag in any way is not art; it is a political statement. Altering any symbol in a less than respectful way is a political statement. Either way, our freedom to make such a statement is protected by the same institution that we attempt to criticize through the act of desecration. The old adage stands true: Actions speak louder than words. Most people who resort to flag burning have had their concerns about the state of our country and the direction in which it is going ignored or dismissed by those in a position of power, so they resorted to the attention-getting tactic of desecration of the symbol of the country they feel has let them down. Would burning an elephant or donkey in effigy have had the impact of destroying a flag? I think not. The flag as a symbol is a meme, and any attempt to destroy a meme will strike at the core of any human being. Memes are the framework to which we tie our understanding of reality. To destroy or damage a meme is to peel back a bit of the human psyche to the slavering thing underneath... and that thing tends to lash out in the light of day. It's why we keep the human beast well-insulated in a blanket of meme-enforced civility.June 24thSt. John's Day, as an adaptation of the solstice festivals, was also celebrated with bonfires on hilltops to commemorate the high point of the year.
Fors Fortuna, Lady Luck, had this as one of her holy days. This day was dedicated to her by King Servius Tullius who set aside a temple to Fors Fortuna beside the Tiber.
The Peruvian Incas once held a festival known as Inti Raymi in honor of the sun god. The future was divined from the entrails of a freshly killed llama. The Aztecs also honored the sun with a feast day.
Janet Farrer was born today.
The Egyptian Festival of the Burning of the Lamps was held at Sais. This is the third great festival in Sais to Athena (Isis-Neith). In an under-chapel beneath the temple, lamps were carried in procession around the coffin of Osiris. It was by the power of light, symbolizing the life-giving power of the Moon, that Isis rekindled life in her dead husband.
Ishtar and Tammuz were honored today, as were Astarte, Aphrodite, Venus and Adonis.
In Scandinavia, the ceremonies normally associated with Beltaine or Whitsuntide take place at Midsummer. A Midsummer Bride is chosen and she selects for herself a Bridegroom. A collection is made for the pair who are looked upon as man and wife for the day.
Currently
Personal Effects: Dark Art
By J.C. Hutchins, Jordan Weisman
see related
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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WCFQ 51d: A Lasting Impression
I admire weird people. I like people who do their own thing, who find their own way of getting the job done. I admire cultural, political, and religious rebels. I admire people who aren't afraid to upset the applecart. Most of the people I admire are dead.... Several of them were murdered. They fall into two categories, creators and leaders.
Creators I admire... Isaac Asimov, Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Tolkien, Guillermo del Toro
Leaders I admire... Gandhi, Aleister Crowley, Vlad Tepes, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc
It's varied list. The first group, I think, is self explanatory. All artists in their field, which is writing. Any writer who can't come up with a list of writers they admire shouldn't be writing IMO. No one develops in a vacuum, so no writer can possibly write without reading and emulating other writers. I can't imagine anyone who wants to write not falling in love with the written word first. You get bit by the bug of writing. You start out a reader.
The second list requires more explanation. I mean, I have Gandhi and Vlad Tepes together? Am I nuts?
Well, the answer is yes, of course. lol But not because of my choice of heroes. The leaders I admire, like the writers I admire, are people of vision. Despite incredible odds against them, they all followed the beat of their inner drummer. Gandhi chose the road of peaceful protest. Crowley shook up the applecart. Dracula was just trying to protect his people through the only means available to him, intimidation. And Alexander the Great wanted to unify the world, albeit under his own banner. Joan of Arc was so determined to save her country, she pretended to be a man.
These are the people I admire, people who see things others don't. People who are willing to work towards their goals and won't give up, no matter what. Some might say that their goals were unrealistic, but they are still remembered today for the contributions they made to history.
Some day, I'd like to be on someone's list.June 23rdSt. John's Eve was a traditional time for meditation while waiting for sunrise. Whatever their origin, the Midsummer fires were held from Ireland to Russia, and from Norway and Sweden to Spain and Greece. According to a medieval writer, the three great features of the Midsummer celebration were the bonfires, the procession with torches round the fields, and the custom of rolling a wheel (representing the sun). In Portugal, the spirits of the dead roam free on Saint John's Eve.
At one time, two hills near Lough Gur were the focus of sacred rites in honor of the Fairy Goddesses, Aine and Fennel (or Finnen). One, about three miles southwest of the lake, is called Knock Aine, Aine or Ane. Aine is an ancient Irish goddess and member of the Sidhe, whose name is derived from An, meaning bright. Every St. John's Night, the peasantry would gather to watch the moon. In this way, Aine seems to have been a moon goddess like Diana. With torches of straw or hay tied on poles, they would march from the hill and then run through cultivated fields and among the cattle. This was to expel all evil spirits from the land so that there would be good harvests.
Ishtar and Tammuz were honored today, as were Astarte, Aphrodite, Venus and Adonis.
Monday, 22 June 2009
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WCFQ 51c: Music is like air... who can live without it?
I like almost all musical genres, and even those which I'm not fond of have exceptions. As a general rule, I prefer alternative music, not because it conforms to a standard that makes it alternative but because it's a form of music which tends to borrow sounds from a variety of sources. There is alternative that is more metal and some that is more folk and some that is country and some that is rap. The word "alternative" has come to represent a catchall label for any music which does not easily fit into a more established category.
More specifically, I like classical music, particularly chamber music and chant. I like rock, classic and alternative. I like some country, mostly Johnny Cash. I like rap, especially Black Eyed Peas. I like some folk, some jazz, some industrial, some dance, New Age, etc, etc, etc. I like music from other cultures, even if I can't understand the lyrics. I like music that mixes genres and finds new sounds. I like music with strong lyrics or a focus on a unique sound. I don't mind music that is heretical, rebellious, or accusatory, though I prefer music without cursing. I can forgive it if the sound is unique. I like music I can sing along to. I like music that moves me.
I like so many different kinds of music that when I have to travel with someone, I prefer they select the music on the off chance that I'll get to hear something new.
June 22ndThe final witchcraft law in England was repealed in 1951.
The 8th day of Mesore is the Summer Solstice and a Ceremony to Wadjet.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
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Writers Choice Featured Questions Week 52
Writing prompts for discerning writers with more to say
than Xanga's Featured Questions gives them credit for.Announcement!!
I've decided the WCFQ will be moving to its own blog. I think perhaps it gets overshadowed by my holy day posts (certain kinds of folk may be offended by them) and the length of my other posts (yeah, I'm verbose), so I've decided to create a separate WCFQ blog which will only post passed over featured questions. Also, since Xanga has made it possible to post things in advance, the WQFC will be switching to a Monday through Friday update schedule, rather than everything all together on Sunday. So there will still be five questions, but each will have its own day. Over the weekend, I think I'll try something a little different. While the regular questions are essays, the weekend post will be a creative writing prompt called Writer's Challenge. It can fiction, poetry, whatever you choose. I'll post a scenario or a a bunch of images or instructions, and you can do whatever you like with them. What do you think?This week's final five questions are below.
Next week will start the new site.
Bringing up Dred Scott Tyler's installation art "What is the Proper way to Display an American Flag?", what are your views on desecrating the American flag? Does the American flag itself, a physical object, truly deserve the reverence that some Americans give it?
light_khaki
What childhood memory haunts or delights you?
wherever_we_go
Why do people collect things? What does it do for them?
johnjihoonchang
If you had an unlimited human resource and a choice limited only to 'civil engineering project' what would you get built and why?
ChristianHilton
What's the worst pain you've ever felt?
Seargent_PeppersJune 21stOraea is the Goddess of Summer honored in Greece at the Solstice.
Pope Paul III issued the Licet Ab Initio, making the Inquisition the central authority on heretics in Rome in 1542.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
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Midsummer's Eve
"Solstice" is derived from "sol," meaning sun, and "sistere," to stand still. As the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day, but on the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount compared to the day before, and so it is said to stand still. In some languages solstices and equinoxes begin or separate the seasons; in others, they are the center points. This is so with the Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer. The exact date and time of the Summer solstice varies every year, occurring on or about the 21st of June when the Sun enters zero degrees Cancer. This year solstice occurs today (June 21st) at 12:45 AM EST. Due to the Celtic tradition of counting days from sundown to sundown, it is customary to begin feasting the night before the holiday. In the Christian religion, June 23rd is St John's Eve, commemorating the birthday of St John the Baptist. He is the only saint remembered for his birth day rather than the day of his death, but this date was adopted by early Christian clergy in an effort to attract more parishioners just as the date of Christmas was adopted to detract from Yule.
Summer Solstice or Midsummer's Eve is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. There are many other names for this holy day however. Midsummer's Eve is only one of the most common. The name of Litha is a fairly recent appellation based on a Saxon word simply meaning opposite Yule. Alban Hefin, Alben Heruin "Light of the Shore", All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feill-sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Mean Samhraidh, Sonnwend, and Thing-Tide are other names. In Spain, this night is called "Night of the Verbena (vervain)."
In England, large bonfires are lit after sundown which serve the double purpose of illuminating the revelers and warding off evil sprites. Next to Samhain, Midsummer's Eve is one of the favored times of the "Other Folk." One can assume that the bonfires, also called the "Fire's of Heaven," were originally meant to strengthen the sun, whose time in the sky begins to diminish now as the days pass. Such bonfires are also referred to as Need-Fire, Living-Fire, and Wild-Fire. Kindled with fern and pine needles, a combination of nine woods combine to make the fire. These include hazel, oak, apple, alder, birch, holly, willow, aspen, and ash. Other traditions like the flaming wheel and swinging a burning tar barrel may also be seen as an attempt to strengthen the dying sun.
The practice of lighting the Midsummer's Eve bonfires was referred to as "setting the watch," and people would leap over the flames for luck. In many cultures, it is customary to burn a straw effigy over the fires. This may be emblematic of the funerary rights held for Balder and other dying gods of the season. In Norway, the bonfires were called Balder's Balefires. Herds of cattle are driven through the ashes to bless them and keep them free from harm. Later, the cold ashes from the bonfires were scattered over the fields to ensure their continued health and future productivity. A procession of people known as the "marching watch" carrying cressets (pivoting lanterns atop poles) and accompanied by Morris Dancers, six hobby horse riders, and other players dressed as a unicorn and a dragon would wind from bonfire to bonfire.
At this time of year, it is customary to gather certain herbs for drying. Many can benefit from being dried over the Midsummer's Eve bonfire or at least being passed through its smoke. Birch, fennel, St John's wort, and white lilies are traditional decorations used in the warding of the home against evil, and they are best hung over the door. Five plants are thought to be most powerful if gathered Midsummer's Eve. These are roses, rue, St John's wort, vervain, and trefoil. Mistletoe is also of special import at this time. As the instrument of Baldur's death, the Norse god of summer, Mistletoe is most powerful at Midsummer, the day of his death. Other powerful herbs are chamomile, chickweed, chicory, cinquefoil, figwort, heartsease, hemp, lavender, meadowsweet, and mugwort. It was typical to dry nine herbs over the Midsummer's Eve fires, and these could be selected from the herbs above.
This is also one of the best times of the year to collect a variety of magickal paraphernalia. The June full moon is called the Honey Moon because this is one of the most appropriate times to collect the bees' gold. Sound familiar? June is named for Juno, goddess of weddings (among other things). The Honey Moon was typically the time for newly weds to celebrate, drinking mead as an aphrodisiac. Mead is brewed from the collected honey at this time (about 10 days before the solstice) and drunk during the celebration. Honey can also be kept on the alter during June rituals, and you may use it to dip your cakes.
Birds of all sort, especially water birds, are sacred as solar symbols, as are stags, oxen, and horses. Water as a healing elixir is also a solar symbol, carrying the energy of the sun for those who need it. In ancient times, offerings of glass, pottery, coins, stones, wooden figures, and gold charms were given at sacred springs, lakes, and wells, and their accompanying sacred trees were decorated with flowers and ribbons while people danced and feasted. These sacred waters were used for divination as well as healing, and the water was gathered to sprinkle over the fields and gardens for the blessing of rain and health. If you don't have access to sacred springs, ocean water is one source of magickal water which can be used on your altar. Rain water can be collected if you are not near the sea. The more electrical energy in the storm, the more powerful the water will be. (NOTE -Keep your water in a glass or porcelain jar (avoid metal), and store it on a shelf. Keeping it on the floor will ground it and make it useless for your purposes.) Adding shells, rocks from the sea, and other non-perishable sea items will keep the energy in the water higher longer.
Spells to divine your future mate are typical for Midsummer's Night. One of the simplest spells involves wearing goldenrod during the waxing of the June moon. You will glimpse your future love the following day. To divine more about your future lover, you might try twisting off the stem of an apple while reciting the alphabet. When the stem finally breaks, the letter you end on is the first letter of your true love's name. Dipping an article of clothing in "fair water" (very clear or rose water) is another way to receive a vision of your future mate. Turn it inside out and lay it on a chair in front of a fire. Place some wine and a bit of salt near the fireplace. If you remain silent, eventually the image of your true love will appear to turn your clothes around and drink a toast to you. Men, don't feel left out. At midnight, a man may go to a churchyard or holy place with a sword. Circling the area nine times (presumably clockwise though my references don't specify), he must say, "Here's the sword; where's the sheath?" On the ninth turn, his beloved is said to appear and steal a kiss.
Another tradition at this time of year was to attempt to make vigil for this, the shortest night of the year. Success was a mixed blessing. Death was one possibility, madness another, but poetic inspiration was the ultimate goal, some might say a form of divine madness all its own. Keeping vigil in an ancient stone ring was often recommended for such an undertaking, but drawing a circle to sit in could work as well.
Snakes were particularly active at this time. In ancient Britain, it was said that as they gathered to mate, they would roll themselves into a tight ball, and a ball of hardened foam was the result. Called the glain naidr "serpent's glass," "serpent's egg," or "druid's egg," it is very powerful, allowing its owner to gain access to kings and win lawsuits. In the reign of Claudius Caesar, a Roman citizen was put to death for carrying such a charm to court. Obtaining the charm was no easy matter however. The snakes did not give it willingly. As they writhed, they would throw the ball into the air. The prepared observer could catch the ball in his cloak before it had a chance to shatter, but he had to be fleet of feet. The snakes would quickly turn on him. Only running water would bar their path. Pliny described the serpent's egg as about the size of an apple, "with cartilaginous skin covered with discs." Many folklorists and scholars consider this a fossil echinus (sea urchin), which has been found in many Gaelic tombs and which may indicate a snake cult of some kind. Rings or beads of glass found in Wales, Cornwall, and the Highlands have also been called "serpent's glass" and were thought to have been formed in the same way. These along with ancient spindle-whorls called "adder stones" were said to have the ability to ward off snake attacks.
Along with snakes, the fay folk were very active on this night. In order to see them, you could gather fern seed (pollen) at midnight to rub on your eyelids. Rue carried in your pocket would protect you from their tricks and being "pixie-led." Turning your jacket inside out was another way to protect yourself. Keeping to the ley lines or crossing living (running) water also protected against malevolent spirits. In Norway, a type of toadstool was thrown into the bonfires by the spectators in order to protect against trolls. If any trolls are nearby, the toadstools will reveal them.
June 20thOn Midsummer's Eve, there is feasting, fires, songs, and dances. Bonfires are kindled on high hills to commemorate the high point of the year. The barrier between the living and the dead is very thin at this time. Fire was used to ward off evil spirits and St.John's wort would also drive evil specters away. Fern seeds protected from evil witchcraft, but also allowed young women to divine their future mates. Scattering the seeds at midnight, a woman was instructed to peek over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of her future husband.
This is the longest day of the year and a time of sanctity. Alban Hefin is sacred to the Mother Goddess, personified as Cerridwen. The Litha celebration includes fires lit to allow the smoke to waft over everything it is meant to bless. Burning sunwheels, blazing brands spun in circles from chains, and flaming tar barrels sent down the hill were once common before the introduction of fire works. Burning torches can be carried around buildings, gardens, and fields to endure their good fortune.
Among the Asatru, Balder the beautiful and Thor and his wife Sif are honored on the solstice.
The eve of the summer's solstice also marks the martyrdom of Iron Skegge. He was tortured on the orders of the Christian king Olaf Tryggvason but refused to give up his faith in the gods.
The solstice is known as Geshi in Japan. Prayers are offered as protection and purification from the heat and disease of Summer.
The day of All Heras honors women's mysteries. It honors those who have achieved full communion with the Mother of All Things. A hera was often the guardian of a Temple, community, or village.
True
Lifetime
Tattoo
the webnovel so far...
Chapter 1:
Blood is Thicker
In which nerdliness does not make one infallible
Chapter 2:
A Farewell to Arms
In which many mistakes are made
Chapter 3:
Small Sacrifices
In which Glory is a hero despite herself
Chapter 4:
The Shape of Things to Come
In which preconceived notions are much abused by modern medicine
Chapter 5:
Of Mice and Men and Other Things
in which the Jersey Devil does not make an appearance
Chapter 6: (current)
The Endless Knot
Chapter 6.1
in which a butler would be nice
Chapter 6.2
in which Glory resorts to bribery, twice
Chapter 6.3
in which there is much childishness
Chapter 6.4
in which knots are not allowed
Chapter 6.5
in which Glory does not welcome Cadfael's attentions
Chapter 6.6
in which Glory eavesdrops
Chapter 6.7
in which Carys tells her tale
Chapter 6.8
in which someone approaches the door to Caer Wydr
Chapter 6.9
the hunt
Chapter 6.10
Is it possible to die of embarrassment in the land of the dead?
-
I make no apologies for my feelings and thoughts. As an individual, I am entitled to them.
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