Argue amongst yourselves

And who was she in some other incarnation?

Friend,lover,sister,mother or mortal enemy?

Seems strange still you haven't known each other lifetimes

Strange but true

And who

is she now?

Lifesucking vampire?

Bright,sweet muse?

Thorn in your precious side?

Nothing if not constant

Yours for the taking

Yet always out of reach

You say so much in silences

You say too much in silences

Say too much in words and the world falls down

A heart on a sleeve

is just another piece of meat

so fresh and bleeding and bittersweet

Serve it up with fillet of soul

on the heirloom china

with parsely butter and a wedge of lemon

Lay out the priceless silver and the fine linens

Coyote shall dine like a king tonight

Orville and Wilbur Wrong...

Thought this was a bit amusing. Perhaps the journalistic standards of the day were not so very high? And yes, I did shamelessly steal this link from Neil Gaiman's blog, but most likely none of you would have noticed, since you don't read it every day in spite of my ceaseless implorings.

Where's Corbid?

Tending to the sick and to unruly babies. Fear my posting may be anemic for a bit. I'm sure you're all awaiting my return with bated breath...

How did I know this would yield a plethora of links?

The results of a Google search for "Cthulu Christmas." Plus, alternate spelling.

Listening to They Might Be Giants and cleaning up my own Pit Of Chaos from my living room floor right now. Merry December 27th.

Words of 5 year old wisdom...

Maggie says:

Sarah is a good baby, who says "popcorn" all the time. Danny is fun to wrestle with. I love my Care Bears. Cheer Bear is my favorite. I love my Barbie pet shop. Goodbye.

Runes of the Day

Ehwaz is representative of the eight-legged horse ridden by the god Odin. As such, this is the rune of controlled movement and travel, including the pursuit of an objective or station in life. Since some older sources show Odin not as a man riding a horse but as a centaur-like being, this rune can also represent the union of man and nature, or the fusion of two entities in perfect harmony. As this rune is reversed, this could bode poorly for travel or for the vehicle involved. In the more spiritual sense, this rune could represent difficulties in self-improvement or other attempts at advancement. Finally, it may represent a splitting of two or the inability of two to act as one.

Raido means to ride. In this rune, the image is not so much the riding of a horse as in riding in a cart or as cargo. As such Raido may suggest a journey, but is much more indicative of communication. Alternate interpretations based on the use of Raido as a cognate in other words give it the meaning of council, judgment, and moral correctness. Therefore, this rune is the rune of wise advice and good leadership.

mythology

detritus

opinion

Hope your respective Christmases were happy, or at least failed to suck too terribly...

Happy Boxing Day!!!

Our Christmas was rather low key, but nice. Spent it with my husband's family mostly, and were fed and gifted well. Needless to say, all day my girls bounced off the walls in manic rapturous joy. In fine Day After Christmas tradition,Chaos does ensue. There are toys scattered to the four winds, Maggie is wrestling with her dog (telling him "Well, Danny, maybe you're a bad dog and maybe you're a good dog, and maybe you're a bad dog and maybe you're a good dog...yeah, I love you,Danny...") and Sarah is eating the first and last Oreo she will have for quite some time. It is now time for the traditional Ordering Of The Boxing Day Pizza and the Drinking Of Caffeine. I shall need fuel in order to clean up this mess and I still have some post Christmas gifts to make for the game night people. Cthulu Christmas Cards if I can get my printer to work. Otherwise, CD mixes for all. In light of this most stressful of holiday seasons, I am reminded of the year my sister announced she was celebrating Kwanzaa instead of Christmas, because it starts the day after Christmas and you make your own presents and she was feeling kind of cheap that year. My sister used to be really funny, but she's gotten kind of staid and conservative at the ripe old age of 25. May I never grow old, says the pigtailed thirty year old who's eating chocolate for breakfast. Even if I keep getting lumps of coal in my stocking. I shite you not, there were lumps of coal, well candy lumps of coal, anyway. But, alas, I have much to do today besides update my blog and watch the Care Bear Excercise video for the hundreth time this morning.

In the meantime, to assist in your post holiday letdown, here's some McSweeneys links to brighten your rainy day:

Vote "No" On Jesus For President

Postcards From James Joyce in Paris

How To Outsource Your Marriage Proposal

Chrismas

Merry Chrismas from Marauder's Girl and family!!!!!!!!!!!

merry

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Rune Of the Day

Enhaz=movement

Othila=separation

mythology

detritus

opinion

King Wenceslas

From Royaltu.NU:

"Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel."

You're probably familiar with this old Christmas carol. But did you know that Wenceslas was a real person? He was born into the royal Premysl or Przemyslid dynasty of Bohemia (located in what is now the Czech Republic).

According to legend, the original Premysl was a plowman who married a Bohemian princess named Libuse or Libussa during the 8th century. Their descendants eventually united the warring tribes of Bohemia into one duchy. The first known Premysl ruler was Wenceslas's grandfather, Duke Borivoy I, who made Prague Castle the family seat. He married a Slav princess named Ludmila, and both eventually became Christians. Borivoy and Ludmila tried to convert all of Bohemia to Christianity, but failed. When Borivoy died he was succeeded by his sons, Ratislav and Spythinev. Ratislav was Wenceslas's father.

Wenceslas was born around 907 in the castle of Stochov near Prague. The castle is gone now, but there is still an oak tree there that was supposedly planted by Ludmila when Wenceslas was born. His nannies watered the tree with his bath water, which supposedly made the tree strong. The church Wenceslas attended also exists today.

At first Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother, Ludmila. Then, when he was about 13 years old, his father died. Wenceslas succeeded him as duke. But because he was too young to rule, his mother, Drahomira, became regent. Drahomira was opposed to Christianity and used her new power to persecute followers of the religion. She refused to let Wenceslas see Ludmila because she was afraid they would scheme to overthrow her. Not long after Ratislav's death, Ludmila was murdered at Tetin Castle -- strangled, it is said, at Drahomira's command. After her death Ludmila was revered as a saint.

But the loss of his grandmother did not stop Wenceslas from seizing power. At the age of 18 he overthrew his mother's regency, just as she had feared, and began to rule for himself. A stern but fair monarch, he stopped the persecution of priests and tamed the rebellious nobility. He was known for his kindness to the poor, as depicted in later verses of the carol. He was especially charitable to children, helping young orphans and slaves.

Many of the Bohemian nobles resented Wenceslas's attempts to spread Christianity, and were displeased when he swore allegiance to the king of Germany, Henry I. The duke's most deadly enemy proved to be his own brother, Boleslav, who joined the nobles who were plotting his brother's assassination. He invited Wenceslas to a religious festival and then attacked him on his way to mass. As the two were struggling, Boleslav's supporters jumped in and murdered Wenceslas.

"Good King" Wenceslas died on September 20, 929. He was in his early twenties and had ruled Bohemia for five years. Today he is remembered as the patron saint of the Czech Republic.

The words to the carol "Good King Wenceslas" were written by John Mason Neale and first published in 1853. The music is from a 13th century song called "Tempus Adest Floridum," or "Spring Has Unwrapped Her Flowers." The music was first published in written form in Finland in 1582 as part of a collection of songs called Piae Cantiones. It is also used for another carol, "Gentle Mary Laid Her Child." And in case you're wondering, the Feast of Stephen is celebrated on December 26 -- the day after Christmas.

This article was first published at Suite101.com.

� Copyright 2001-2003 by Cinderella.

All rights reserved.

It's Christmas Eve...

And the girls are very excited. For the rest of us, it's really sort of anticlimactic, I guess. The whole holiday season has been way too short this year.


Anyway, Merry Christmas to all and Happy Belated Solstice and Happy Hannukah if anyone ever reads this who celebrates Hannukah.

Forcing myself into the holiday spirit

Trying to get in some sort of mood for Christmas. Playing music and shopping and so forth. There's just been something really off about Christmas this year.

Review of this Christmas Season...

It was too short, everyone's in a crappy mood and overall it bites.

Mythic Historical Figure of the Day: Maud Gonne

Maud Gonne: Yeats' Cathleen N� Houlihan, Ireland's Joan of Arc:



How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true;

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face.



-- From "When You Are Old," William Butler Yeats

Born during an age when women were expected to be nothing more than handsome window-dressing for their husbands, when women were expected to leave the rough and tumble world of politics to men, Maud Gonne rose above that prejudice to leave her mark on Ireland's history. Gonne refused to accept the assignment that society ascribed to women -- she wanted to be more than a helpless cork bobbing on the stream of history. Gonne was determined to be one of those people who helped to direct that current, and she succeeded.



Gonne was born on Dec. 20, 1865, in Aldershot, England; her father was a wealthy British army colonel of Irish descent and her mother was English. Her mother died in 1871 and Maud was educated in France by a governess before moving to Dublin in 1882, when her father was posted there. Maud's father died in 1886 leaving her financially independent. Moving back to France for health reasons after a tubercular hemorrhage, Gonne met and fell in love with French journalist Lucien Millevoye, editor of "La Patrie." The pair agreed to work for both Irish and French nationalist causes.



Maud had been introduced to Fenianism by John O'Leary, a Fenian and veteran of the 1848 Young Irelander uprising. Irish politician Tim Harrington of the National League recognized that this beautiful, intelligent young woman could be an

asset to the nationalist movement. He sent her to Donegal, where mass evictions were taking place. Gonne was successful in organizing the locals in protest against these actions. The fact that she soon had to leave for France to avoid arrest is probably a good measure her success there.



In 1889, John O'Leary would introduce Maud to a man whose infatuation with her would last most of his life: poet William Butler Yeats . Yeats would propose to Gonne in 1891, and be refused; largely through Maud's influence, Yeats would become involved with Irish nationalism, later joining the Irish Republican Brotherhood. In a quotation to which many a man through history might nod in agreement, Yeats would later refer to his meeting with Gonne, saying , "all the trouble of my life began" then.





Wrote Yeats, in his poem, "When You Are Old":



How many loved your movements of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true;

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face.



And bending down beside the glowing bars

Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled.

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.





William Butler Yeats , above right, "Willie" to Maud, found himself bewitched by Gonne's beauty, which one contemporary described as "like the sun when it leaps above the horizon." 'William Butler Yeats, Poet' by John Butler Yeats, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin



Gonne helped Yeats found the National Literary Society of London in 1891, the same year she refused his first marriage proposal; undaunted, Yeats would propose again in the future and even proposed to Maud's daughter by Millevoye, Iseult, also unsuccessfully. Returning to Paris, and to Millevoye, Maud

published a nationalist newsletter called "L'Irelande Libre." She worked tirelessly raising funds for the movement, traveling to the US, Scotland, and England. Gonne would end her relationship with Millevoye in the late 1890s, but not before she had two children by him, Iseult and another that died in infancy.



By now the name of Maud Gonne was well known among Irish nationalists. Returning to Ireland, Gonne co-founded the Transvaal Committee, which supported the Afrikaners in the Boer War, and on Easter Sunday 1900 she co-founded Inghinidhe na h�ireann (Daughters of Erin), a revolutionary women's society. Later she would write many political and feminist articles for the monthly journal of the Inghinidhe, Bean na h�ireann (Women of Erin). Somehow, while doing all this, she found time to star on stage in Yeats play, "Cathleen n� Houlihan," which Yeats had written for her.





Arthur Griffith



In 1900, in Paris, Irish politician Arthur Griffith introduced Maud to Major John MacBride , who had been second in command of the Irish Brigade that fought for the Afrikaner side in the Boer War. In 1903 Maud married MacBride. This marriage would produce a son, Se�n, but it would be short-lived. The couple separated, with MacBride moving to Dublin while Maud, afraid she might lose custody of her son if she returned to Ireland, remained in Paris. Gonne would continue to write political articles for Bean na h�ireann, and in 1910 she helped the Inghinidhe organize a scheme for feeding the poor children of Dublin. She also worked with the Red Cross in France during WWI. She would not return to Ireland until 1917. The Ireland she found on her return was in turmoil after the Easter Rising of 1916 and the execution of the leaders of that rising, including her estranged husband, John MacBride.





Countess Markievicz

Irish Museum, Dublin



Within a year she was jailed by the British for her part in the anti-conscription movement. This was part of the trumped up "German Plot" that the British used to discredit the Irish anti-conscription movement. Gonne was interned at Holloway Jail for six months along with Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, Kathleen Clarke, Countess Markievicz and others. After she was released, she worked for the White Cross for relief of Irish victims during the War of Independence.



When Ireland's Civil War came, Maud supported the anti-treaty side. She and Charlotte Depard founded the Women's Prisoners Defense League to help Republican prisoners and their families. In 1923, she once again found herself imprisoned, this time by the Irish Free State government, without charge. Along with 91 other women, Gonne immediately went on hunger strike. The Free State government had obviously learned a lesson from the actions of the British in similar situations -- she was released after 20 days. For the rest of her life Gonne would continue to support the Republican cause and work for the Women's Prisoners Defense League, which mobilized again in defense of Republican prisoners in 1935.



In 1938, she published "A Servant of the Queen," a biography of her life up to 1903. Gonne died on April 27, 1953, but her influence on Ireland and the world continued after her death through her son, Se�n MacBride. Maud's union with Maj. John MacBride was a short, unhappy one, but the son it produced may have soothed any regrets Gonne had about it. As a young man, Se�n fought on the Republican side in the Civil War and latercarried on his mother's crusade for the fair treatment of political prisoners, not just in Ireland, but all over the world. Se�n was one of the founders of Amnesty International. In 1974, her son was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Maud Gonne MacBride is buried in the Republican plot in Dublin's famous Glasnevin Cemetery, a fitting final tribute to the woman some called Ireland's Joan of Arc. T� s� ar shl� na firinne.

tarot of today

Ace of Cups: Great abundance. Fulfillment. Perfection. Joy. Fertility. Opulence. Productiveness. Beauty and pleasure. Goodness overflowing. Favorable outlook.





Strength: Strength. Courage. Conviction. Energy. Defiance. Action. Confidence. Zeal. Matter over mind or mind over matter.



mythology

detritus

opinion

Baking cookies and Christmas Shopping...

Falalalala...see you back here soon. Hope to make it to the movies too. I'm a busy little elf today.

tarot

Four of Science (Repose): Taking a break from mental activity. Letting go of weighty concerns. Don't fight against the current. In the creative process: Allow new insights to surface by becoming more fluid and letting go of mental demands and pressures.





Ten of Music (Sublimity): "Peace & Plenty & Domestic Happiness is the Source of Sublime Art". Gifts of love. Sharing your deepest feelings with others. Rewards of friendship and social involvements. Recognition of achievement. Finding happiness in hearth, home, and hospitality. Experiencing fulfillment in communal or community involvement. Resonating with others. In the creative process: Combine your efforts with others to create a unified whole greater than the sum of its parts.



mythology

detritus

opinion

Some of the best songwriters in my collection

Ten randomly pulled from the top of my head:

1)John Lennon

2)Townes van Zandt

3)The guy who wrote that "Some Rainy Day You're Down" song...

4)Elvis Costello

5)Lou Reed

6)Bob Dylan

7)Kurt Cobain

8)Shane MacGowan

9)David Bowie

10)Joe Pernice

Pernice Brothers

In case I haven't articulated it properly, Joe Pernice may well be the most eloquent songwriter since Elvis Costello.

Pernice Brothers Online.

Just exactly how subversive are you?

Take the test at The Political Compass for confirmation of what you probably already know to be your belief system. I fell in the quadrant of "Libertarian Left." Surpirse,surprise.

The wrath of Mighty Cthulu extends to the toybox...

If you're less than bookishly minded today, may I suggest a visit to "Tales of the Plush Cthulu," a sort of slide show starring H.P. Lovecraft's famous Cthulu, some fluffy bunnies and a blue stuffed dinosaur. Somewhat suspenseful in bits, but it has a happy ending.

More Silver Sea mixes

Including lots of Bowie, INXS, REM, Nick Cave, Pernice Brothers, and Pagan Holiday.
When I can sit at the computer for more than 10 minutes without being assaulted by an infant, I shall post them.

Courtesy of Mythography



Artemis in Greek Mythology



The goddess Artemis played an intriguing role in Greek mythology and religion. She was known as the "Mistress of Animals" and the protectress of children, but she was also a huntress and the goddess who could bring death with her arrows. Myths such as the one about Niobe show Artemis as a strong willed and powerful goddess, a female who could punish injustices against the gods with ferocious and deadly accuracy.

Artemis was the daughter of Leto and Zeus (the ruler of the Greek gods). Together with her twin brother Apollo she enjoyed the status and privileges of an Olympian. And as an Olympian goddess, Artemis was free to pursue her interests, and was often found frolicking in the forests, accompanied by a band of nymphs.







Myths of the Maiden Goddess



Myths and legends show that the goddess Artemis was aloof and free-spirited, and not constrained by husband or hearth. Her independent nature is further reinforced in a very important way, for in mythology and religion, the goddess remained eternally a virgin. Indeed, those who in some way compromised her strict requirements for chastity were severely punished by the maiden goddess.

There are several tales that describe the swift and terrible retribution of Artemis. One of the most revealing of these stories involves the youth Actaeon. In addition, Artemis was also responsible for punishing the nymph Callisto. In myth, Callisto was at one point a follower of the virgin goddess, but when she became involved in an affair with the god Zeus, Artemis had her revenge on the unfortunate nymph.







The Moon Goddess



In myth, Artemis is sometimes identified with Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon. Indeed, this association between Artemis and the moon is revealed in one of the epithets used to describe the goddess - Phoebe ("the bright one").

The goddess Artemis was known as Diana in Roman mythology.

Why you haven't heard of Jonathan Carroll and why that should be rectified immediately...

Another one for the authors list: Jonathan Carroll. A beautiful and eerie writer whose work is best described as being a darker version of the urban fantasy genre perpetuated by such writers as Charles De Lint and Terri Windling (bit link happy today, aren't I?)


Why have you never heard of him? Because his work is so very difficult to categorize. Deftly toes a line between fantasy and horror, but is far literary to be categorized as genre fiction. More like modern fiction with flexible boundaries. I suspect bookstores just have no idea where to shelve his stuff.


Anyway, if nothing else, read "The Marriage of Sticks", which is exquisitely written and most unnerving, and which I read in a single night when I discovered it a couple of years ago. One of those books that you can't put down at the time, but that does not lend itself well to rereading, as it sort of knocks the wind out of you the first time around.

Van Helsing's got nothing on Lambshead

More about Thackery Lambshead and his fabled guide...

Again, I've joined the Friday Five bandwagon

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays? Um, I live in Arizona

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect? Just being in the same town as my relatives is nice. And I like to bake things, whether anybody eats them or not.

3. Do you do have any holiday traditions? Oranges at the bottom of the stocking for good luck, and the traditional setting off of the smoke alarm at the grandparents' house

4. Do you do anything to help the needy? I am the needy, Just kidding, I might do something if I can afford it.

5. What one gift would you like for yourself? The Thackery T. Lambshead Guide to Eccentric and Discredited Diseases. I keep saying this but no one believes me.

Fangirl gushes over Neil's succinct words of wisdom

From Neil Gaiman's blog, a response to the question "which is more important, the writing style or the content?":


"I think it's like asking which part of a song you like best, the words or the tune, to be honest. In a perfect world, you shouldn't be able to take them apart. I like different styles of writing (and I like writing in different styles), but if the writing's being used in order to tell a story, then I'd rather it didn't get in the way of reading the story. But then, I like to be able to hear the words of songs..."


Why do there need to even be other authors in the world when we already have Neil Gaiman? She says in fawning adoration. And yet I must confess to being a little bit bored with the 1602 comic. Having become accustomed to better. And wait in agony for the new novel, which may yet be a year or two away from publication. Sigh...

William Blake Tarot Cards of the Day

Energy: Invigorated with lust for life and abundance of vitality. Relying on your physical strength and endurance. Honoring your natural instincts. Looking to animal or totem forces as allies to help you. Multiple or multilingual modes of expression. Gentle guidance.



Two of Poetry (Individuality): "Every Mans Wisdom is peculiar to his own Individuality". Making choices based on personal perception. Evaluating the appearances of things. Exploring alternative ways of looking at a situation.. Searching for self-knowledge. Distinguish between the expression of your Self and the expression of your ego.

The Hydra

When Hercules/Herakles killed his family in an insane rage, the oracle of Delphi assigned him a series of labors under the control of Eurystheus his cousin and king of Mycen�. The second labor involved going to Lerna to kill the hideous monster named the Hydra of Lerna.



The Hydra, born of Typhon and Echidna, was an enormous serpent with nine heads. Its den was a marsh near Lerna in Peloponnese. It would issue forth to ravage the herds and crops, its breath moreover was so poisonous that whoever smelt it fell dead.



With the help of Athene/Pallas (goddess of wisdom and prudent warfare), Hercules located the monster's lair. Accompanied by Iolaus, son of his twin brother Iphicles, Hercules arrived at Lerna, found the monster near the spring of Amymone. and forced it to emerge from the marshes by means of flaming arrows.



Hercules struck it with his sword, but even as he parried, a giant crab (Cancer), sent by his enemy, Juno (the jealous and vindictive wife of Jupiter who was Hercules' father), scurried out of the marsh and attacked him, by nipping his feet. Quickly Hercules kicked the crab away and with one almighty blow of his club pounded it to pieces. Every time Hercules struck off one of the Hydra nine heads with his sword two grew in its place.



Iolaus set the neighboring forest on fire. It was Iolaus who suggested burning the stumps before they had a chance to grow back; and with the help of a red-hot brand (torch or club - depending on the version), Iolaus burnt the snake's heads, cauterizing each stump with hot iron torches just as soon as Hercules chopped off each head and before it had a chance to grow back.



With the blood flow stopped, the Hydra's heads ceased to multiply. Hercules cut off the final head and buried it under a rock which can be found to this day on the road from Lerna to Elaeus. Then he soaked his arrows in the Hydra's blood which made them poisonous and deadly. Even a grazing shot from one of those arrows would kill.



While one might be tempted to say "well done", Eurystheus, who had assigned these labors to Hercules, was not satisfied. Hercules had cheated, he said, since he had needed Iolaus' assistance. Upon completing this, which was his second labor, Hercules had acquired all of his famous armor with which he is usually depicted; the lion's skin; the poisoned arrows; and the club that he made from the tree trunk he had used to burn the Hydra's necks.

Coming soon to a downtown near you...

SILVER SEA

jewelry, scents, candles and more…



137 E Congress

Tucson, AZ 85701

(520)745-0417

(On Congress St between Hydra and The OscarWilde Playhouse,

And across from The Chicago Store)

Open Monday through Saturday, 11am to 7pm.

Elizabeth Mead, proprietress

Ogham Reading of the Day

Saille Willow (Intuition)



The situation arose because of many things, of which you know only a part. Perhaps you can see more of them, looking back now- particularly if you use your intuition as well as you conscious mind.



Willow, the Ogham's fourth tree, is closely connected to water, the unconscious, the moon, and thus the feminine. It is symbolic of intuition, the ability to make connections and gain understanding without knowing exactly how or why one knows.



Nuin Ash (Linkages



The situation is a part of a wider whole, and your life is a part of a larger pattern. Remember that your actions are a part of a larger pattern, and affect all the others within it- make your decisions with this in mind.



Ash is a tree of great traditional magical significance. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is an ash, and the ash is the fifth Ogham tree. Ash symbolizes the connection- and movement- between very different places and aspects of reality.

Forgive my lack of postitivity

There were some technical issues as well as some babies sitting on the keyboard issues...

Courtly Love, Courtney Love, it's all the same...

Myth of the Day:

Famous Punk Rock Love Affairs...

Sid and Nancy

Kurt and Courtney

Fred and Patti Smith

Dante,Beatrice and the rules of Courtly Love

In courtly love, a man passionately devoted himself to a woman. Courtly love was chivalrous and beautiful, but was also about misery, rejection and denial. In the Middle Ages love and marriage didn?t necessarily go together. Marriages were usually political arrangements and love was an "extramarital emotion" (Knights). However, if a husband discovered his wife was cheating on him, he was expected to kill his wife and the man she was with. Therefore, men usually chose to admire the object of their affection as unattainable and considered it enough to "chase her with honor" (Knights). There were five main rules of courtly love and Dante seemed to obey them to a tee. The first rule is to suffer for love and worship until it hurts. Dante seemed to be in constant adoration of Beatrice, suffered without her and worshiped her in his poetry. Rule two states that "Marriage is no excuse for not loving someone else"(Knights). Dante was married, as was Beatrice, but this never stopped Dante from loving her. The adorer, according to rule three, is not to hesitate to grovel in song. Dante chose to grovel sorrowfully in poetry, which is a form of song. Rule four states that "Thou shalt in all things be courteous" (Knights). Dante believed that the mark of a true gentleman, other than courage and valor was courtesy. In a social setting it was understood a gentleman would converse "with the ladies in gallant fashion" (Barbi 8). The final rule stated that "Love made public rarely endures"(Knights). Dante wasn?t public with his love of Beatrice until after her death because, "love decreases?if a woman finds that her lover is foolish and indiscreet" (Knights). Dante showed the true meaning of courtly love and was a gentleman throughout his life.

Remebering John Lennon

It was 23 years ago today. Imagine if he'd lived. What would he think of what the world has failed to become?

The pastry recipe I've been meaning to post

"Pasta Frolla" or Kick Ass Italian pie dough

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Ground Anise

1 stick Butter cut into 8-12 pieces

2 Large Eggs, beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract


1)Blend flour,sugar, salt and anise until thoroughly mixed.

2)Cut in butter with your fingers or a pastry blender, unless you have the luxury of a food processor or a heavy duty mixer.

3)Gradually blend in eggs and then vanilla.

4)LIghtly knead into a smooth ball.

5)Chill or set aside 30 minutes. If chilled, let reach room temperature beforerolling out.

6) Roll out to a uniform consistency.

7)Line pie plate with dough and bake as directed for recipe.


Makes a very sweet, tender dough that stands up to very heavy fillings or can be used as an all purpose default recipe. Pretty much foolproof.

Christmas silver sea mix

track list pending, but the Pogues are on there.

Interesting Night...

Most meaningless argument about the nature of god I have ever witnessed. Devolved into a battle of semantics.

Heloise & Abelard

Heloise & Abelard



The French poet Lamartine said that one does not tell the 12th century story of Heloise and Abelard, one sings it. It is a story of passion, revenge, steadfastness, and deep spirituality. Our knowledge of this very private love affair between a monk and a nun is based on their correspondence after many years of silence, triggered when Peter Abelard wrote a letter to console a troubled friend, telling the friend of his own calamitous life. Your problems, he claimed, are nothing compared with what I have suffered, yet God can turn the worst situations to serve His own good. By chance, Heloise saw what Abelard had written, and in the letter extracted here, asked why he did not write to console her as well. The story was hers too, and he had not told it as it really was.

Peter Abelard was born in 1079 in Brittany. Determined to study philosophy, he became a wandering scholar, seeking out teachers wherever he went. Sharp, self-confident, bristling with new ideas and methods, he soon clashed with the teachers he met and began to give classes of his own. Wherever he went, students crowded around to learn from him. In 1115, at the age of 36, his achievements were recognized when he was appointed Master at the great school of Notre Dame in Paris.

One of the canons of Notre Dame cathedral, Fulbert, had an attractive teenage niece named Heloise. She was an orphan who lived in his care and Fulbert took great pride in her. Because she was highly intelligent, he made a bargain with the new scholar of philosophy. Abelard could live at their house in exchange for giving Heloise private lessons. It was Abelard wrote,





"giving a newborn lamb into the care of a hungry wolf."



For Abelard, a cleric in minor orders, the young Heloise was irresistible. In spite of his moral scruples and religious vows, he seduced her and soon became obsessed with Heloise. Neglecting his studies of philosophy, he turned poet, and the songs that he wrote for her were sung throughout the streets of Paris. Heloise, in turn, abandoned herself to her growing love for her tutor, Abelard.

In 1118 she gave birth to a baby boy. Her uncle Fulbert was enraged, and in an effort to atone, Abelard said that he would marry Heloise--providing that it could be kept secret so as not to damage his career. It was not impossible for teachers of philosophy to marry, but it was unusual. Fulbert agreed to the arrangement, but Heloise would have nothing to do with it. She did not want Abelard to take on the burdens of marriage or to distract himself from study. Heloise was willing to make the sacrifice of loneliness and social disgrace for the sake of love, but Abelard insisted they marry. Eventually they were married in secret. Abelard went on teaching, and Heloise stayed at home with her uncle, who, in his anger, told people what had really happened. To save Heloise from further embarrassment, Abelard took her to the community of nuns at the convent at Argenteuil, outside Paris. Fulbert, thinking that Abelard was trying to abandon responsibility for his niece, looked for revenge by hiring some thugs to assault the young scholar. They brutally castrated him. Shamed and unable to face the world, Abelard sought refuge in the monastery of St. Denis.

The lovers, now monk and nun, began to reconstruct their separate lives. Heloise made her way toward becoming an abbess. Abelard resumed both teaching and writing, and proved as brilliant and controversial as ever. Two years later he founded his own religious community, the Paraclete--the Comforter--near Troyes, and began to teach there. Then, in 1125 he was elected abbot of a remote, unruly monastery in his native Brittany, and left the order he had founded. Five years later, he gave the convent of the Paraclete to Heloise and her community. It was soon after this, when his life was endangered by scheming Breton monks, that he wrote to console a troubled friend, reliving events from 16 years before. Seducing Heloise had brought disaster on the lovers, he explained, but out of disaster, God had brought a greater good. They both loved God and had been reconciled to following his will.

When Heloise, entirely by chance, saw his account of their life together--it is not known how it came into her hands--she wrote to Abelard. Perhaps he had willingly embraced a life of penance, she told him, but she had not. Her passionate desires remained painfully unabated. She felt that consolation could come only from Abelard, not from God. She explained in her letter,





"I have as yet done nothing for Him. I should certainly groan about what I have done, but I sigh rather over what I have lost."



In the same letter, she asked Abelard how she could ever learn to be satisfied with the religious life of a nun. Once more Abelard reviewed their past. Heloise had been the greater lover. He had tried to possess her, forcing first marriage and then convent life on her. But her love, though not possessive, was nevertheless misdirected. Earthly love, he argued, pales in the light of the love of God. That was where they must find the fullness of their own love, as man and woman, abbot and abbess, husband and wife. Catastrophe, he explained to her, had saved them from a higher love:





"See then my beloved, see how with the dragnets of his mercy the Lord has fished us up from the depths of the dangerous sea."



Was Heloise persuaded? It seems that she was at least reconciled to the inevitable. From "a grieving heart" she asked Abelard to do something that she knew would make use of his talents as a religious philosopher. She asked him to set down guidelines for herself and her nuns to live by. In considering convent life., Abelard was forced to picture Heloise's daily existence. At least she knew that for a period of time she was always in his thoughts.

In life, they never came together again; but in death they lay together at the convent of the Paraclete, as Abelard had wished. Legend claims that when Heloise was buried in 1164, 22 years after Abelard, he reached out from the grave to embrace her.

A dweeby Christmas elf am I...

Listening to the dorkiest music imaginable out of shameless nostalgia. John Denver Christmas music and Linda Ronstadt. I was making birthday mixes for my Mom out of the soundtrack of my childhood. And I got all wistful and stupid, but so what? I am not ashamed any longer. I am old enough that nostalgic geekdom is precious and not simply laughable. Right? C'mon, what'd you guys listen to at Christmas when you were about four. Bonus points to anyone who'll admit it:)

Runes of the Day

Thurisaz represents a thorn, the most basic of barriers to our boon or our bane. In the case of hedges, thorns protect our encampments from that which skulks towards us from the outlands. In the case of rosebushes, thorns keep us from beauty. Though thorns are passive and have no thoughts, they puncture, tear, and may even be poisonous. Hence, this rune may also represent irrational violence and anger.



Berkana, the birch tree, is representative of rebirth, fertility, and a positive outcome to ventures undertaken. It is also the rune of families. Here the rune is reversed, warning you to be heedful of new beginnings, lest they sour. Rebirth is either delayed, or totally disrupted. There is also a warning of family troubles.





mythology

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opinion

Another word I didn't know...

And such a twistedly fitting one at that! Oh, how oft I have felt this way:


Manque

(adjective)

[mawnKAY]


1. having talents or ambitions that are unrealized or unfulfilled; (used postpositively -- placed after the word it qualifies): "Practical concerns diverted Yunee's talents to programming, but she remained a poet manque at heart."


Origin:

Approximately 1778; borrowed from French, from past participle of 'manquer': to fail; from Italian, 'mancare,' from 'manco': lacking, left-handed; from Latin, 'mancus': having a crippled hand, infirm, probably from 'manus': hand.

BlogReading...

That is sooo not true.. I read your blog :)

-Lizzie

Lovely Little Morning

Got up intending just to take Maggie to school and threw on a long sundress, a sweatshirt and boots. Put Sarah in shorts, rudolph sweatshirt and socks. Ah, but weren't we dressed to the nines?

Dawned on me that it was Thursday, and thus sesame bread day. Went to the bakery. Say a guy outside who looked like the secret love child of Tom Cruise and David Spade with wardrobe by Edgar Allen Poe. Morphed into a happy little bread fairy, basking in the elfin smiles of strangers.

Suddenly awake and rather giddy, I commence toward Trader Joe's but find it isn't open yet, so go next door for breakfast. Eat eggs while Sarah darts madly about the empty dining room. As we leave they offer her a cookie for being "so good and quiet." Next to Trader Joe's where the cutely balding, Dave Attelle-esque cashier guy shamelessly flirts with her and is amazed by the color of her baby eyes.

Also should mention I am freshly hennaed, so that next time I need to touch it up I can check when the last time was. Thus this post shall serve a purpose for a change.

Because, let's face it, nobody really ever reads my blog but me:)

Mandrake

Myth of the Day:

Mandrake Root



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mandrake or mandragora has, in folklore and superstition, always been regarded as a plant with special powers. This idea is based on the shape of the root which is forked and roughly resembles the human figure. It was supposed to grow under the feet of a hanged man and could only be pulled from the ground after performing the necessary rituals. It was advisable to put wax in the ears before one attempted to do this: the mandrake would scream when pulled free and this could cause deafness.

The mandrake root was used for invulnerability, for discovering treasures, and as a charm for pregnancy. When properly prepared it could also be used as an aphrodisiac.



"Mandrake." Encyclopedia Mythica.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mandrake.html

[Accessed December 04th, 2003.]

Rider Waite Tarot

King of Wands: The essence of fire behaving as air, such as lightning: A great and daring leader who inspires others to rise to challenges alongside him. An artist who can take hold of an idea and make it a reality through bold action. One who is forceful, charismatic, and honest, leading by example, but unafraid to invest authority in others. A dashing and magnetic personality, carrying authority naturally, and striking at the world with swiftness and grace.



Seven of Wands (Valor): Standing courageously for your beliefs in the face of adversity. Fear of failure overcome by the will to succeed. Great obstacles met with heroism and determination. Inner strength brought to bear at a critical moment.



mythology

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Random opinionated detritus

DVD review of the week:
Rented "Songcatcher" and it was craptacular.

Quotes from "Last report on the miracles at Little No Horse" by Lousie Erdrich:
"Since the damage was done, she prayed to see her damage again."
"But it was that spirit who taught me that to laugh or to cry was all the same, and who gave me the strength to spit pain in the face and love the world in joy."
"I am sure that a number of mystics would have benefited from a regimen of antidepressants, however, we would all be the poorer."

--

The coolest thing ever...if you're me

Unbelievable to me that my favorite author is currently writing a novel and posting about it online. Giving some sort of insight into the process of writing. Allowing for brief glimpses, perhaps, of what is to come. Oh, dammit, why does there have to be any justification at all? It's just tremendously cool and that's all there is to it. Or perhaps I'm just a bit of an ubergeek.

Placards for the endomorphically endowed? Whatfrigginever.

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award for 2003 has been announced.

The answer is maybe

She said that once and it ruined everything

Said she was drowning

He listened, but didn't send help

He went down beneath the waves instead

to where she waited

and together they descended through the depths

breathless and slowly losing consciousness

sunk into the void

through fevered hallucination

until he awoke

thought better of the thing

and surfaced

as she stayed to drown alone

but stubbornly she

refused to die

and would not disappear

is treading water still

waits beneath the waves

for an answer to this dilemma

would offer her heart to the depths

in order to retrieve her soul

Lies shipwrecked and broken on the stones

but she is growing stronger

and one day yet will rise

From my bleeding heart to yours...

From Amnesty International:


Rebiya Kadeer founded and directed a large trading company in northwestern China, championed the rights of the Uighur ethnic group there, and became one of China's most prominent advocates of women's rights. All these activities came to an abrupt halt in August 1999. As she entered a hotel to discuss human rights with U.S. Congressional staff visiting China, she was arrested. The Chinese government charged Rebiya Kadeer in September 1999 with "providing secret information to foreigners." Authorities tried her in secret and sentenced her in March 2000 to eight years' imprisonment. Amnesty International considers Rebiya Kadeer to be a prisoner of conscience and has appealed for her immediate and unconditional release.Please send an email to your Representative TODAY urging her/him to sign a congressional letter on behalf of Rebiya Kadeer:

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=624826&l=7515


Thank you for your support.

Online Action Center

Amnesty International USA

Contemplations

Alas, but I am weary. Strange omens and portents abound. Its going to be an odd little winter indeed, I think.

William Blake Tarot

Ten of Painting (Delight): Your work or ideal takes on a life of it own. Financial prosperity. Achievement or promotion on the job. Inheriting something of tangible or permanent value. Family gatherings and traditions. Finding your roots. Active involvement in community and societal spheres.



Four of Poetry (Harmony): "Love and harmony combine / And around our souls entwine / While thy branches mix with mine / And our roots together join". Things are coming together beautifully. Giving thanks for an achievement or personal success. Celebrating a harvest, homecoming, or a job well done. Harmonious relationships with friends and family. Working together with a partner or sharing a special experience.



mythology

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I've been browsing a database of Child Ballads at "The Contemplator" , a trove of traditional ballads, both familiar and obscure. Here's a sampling. For more, see the Myth of the Day


The Gypsy Laddie


This ballad is Child Ballad #200 (The Gypsy Laddie).


"An English lord came home one night,

Inquir-ring for his lady,

The servants said on every hand,

She's gone with the Gypsy Laddie.


Go saddle up my milk-white steed,

Go saddle me up my brownie

And I will ride both night and day,

Till I overtake my bonnie.


Oh he rode East and he rode West,

And at last he found her,

She was lying on the green, green grass,

And the Gypsy's arms all around her.


Oh, how can you leave your house and land?

How can you leave our money,

How can your leave your rich young lord,

To be a gypsy's bonnie.


How can you leave your house and land,

How can you leave your baby,

How can you leave your rich young lord,

To be a gypsy's lady.


Oh come go home with me, my dear,

Come home and be my lover,

I'll furnish you with a room so neat,

With a silken bed and covers.


I won't go home with you, kind sir,

Nor will I be your lover,

I care not for your rooms so neat,

Or your silken bed or your cover.


It's I can leave my house and land,

And I can leave my baby,

I'm a-goin' to roam this world around

And be a gypsy's lady.


Oh, soon this lady changed her mind,

Her clothes grew old and faded,

Her hose and shoes came off her feet,

And left them bare and naked.


Just what befell this lady now,

I think it worth relating,

Her gypsy found another lass,

And left her heart a-breaking."


Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low


This ballad was printed in England on numerous broadsides in the 1800s. Printers included J. Catnach who printed between 1813 and 1838. Copies of many of these can be found at the Bodleian Library. This version was collected by George Gardiner in Hampshire and published in 1909.


The name of the hero is variously Edwin, Edmund or Edward, and Emma is also known as Emily.


The ballad was also well-known in Ireland and America. It was collected in Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Vermont, Michigan, North Carolan, Georgia, New York and Kentucky. It was also found in Nova Scotia.


"Come, all you wild, young people

And listen to the song

That I will sing concerning gold,

Which guides so many wrong.

Young Emma was a servant-maid

And loved a sailor bold,

He ploughed the main much gold to gain,

For his Love, as we've been told.


Young Emma she did daily mourn

Since Edwin first did roam;

When seven years were past and gone,

Then Edwin hailed his home.

He went unto young Emma's house

The store of gold to show,

Which he had gained upon the main

Above the Lowlands Low.


Her father kept a public inn,

It stood down by the sea.

Says Emma, 'You can enter in

And there this night can be.

I'll meet you in the morning,

Don't let my parents know,

Your name it is young Edwin

That ploughed the Lowlands Low.'


As Emma she lay sleeping

She had a frightful dream,

She dreamt her Love stood weeping,

His blood poured in a stream.

She rose up in the morning

And to her friends did go,

Because she loved him dearly;

That ploughed the Lowlands Low.


'Oh, mother, where's the stranger lad,

Came here last night to stay?'

'Oh, he is dead, no tales can tell;'

Her father he did say.

'Then father, cruel father,

You will die a public show

For murdering my Edwin,

That ploughed the Lowlands Low.


The fishes of the ocean

Swim o'er my lover's breast,

His body rolls in motion,

I hope his soul at rest,

How cruel were my parents

To prove his overthrow,

And take the gold from one so bold

That ploughed the Lowlands Low.''


The Twa Corbies


This ballad is a variant of The Three Ravens which dates back to 1611 where it appears in Melismata. Musicall Phansies Fitting the Court, Cittie, and Countrey Humours by T. Ravenscroft. Child names this a "cynical version" of the original ballad.


Corbie is another word for raven or crow.


This ballad is a variant of Child Ballad #26 (The Three Ravens).


"As I was walking all alane,

I heard twa corbies making a mane;

The tane unto the t'other say,

'Where sall we gang and dine to-day,

Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'


'In behint yon auld fail dyke,

I wot there lies a new slain knight;

And naebody kens that he lies there,

But his hawk, his honnd, and lady fair,

His hawk, his honnd, and lady fair.


'His hound is to the hunting gane,

His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,

His lady 'a ta'en another mate,

So we may mak our dinner sweet,

We may mak our dinner sweet.


'Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,

And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;

Wi ae lock o his gowden hair

We'll theek our nest when it grows bare,

We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.'


'Mony a one for him makes mane,

But nane sall ken where he is gane;

Oer his white banes, when they are bare,

The wind sail blaw for evennair,

The wind sail blaw for evennair.''

Willow Tree Ballad (American Version)

Myth of the Day:

The Willow Tree (American Version)



This ballad is an American variant of Child Ballad #4 (Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight or The Outlandish Knight). It is also known as The Lonely Willow Tree.



The ballad appears in several collections as May Colvin, the earliest of which is Herd's Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs (1776). The tune is much older. The McNeils (see reference below) place this version in 17th century America.



"There was a youth, a cruel youth,

Who lived beside the sea,

Six little maidens he drowned there

By the lonely willow tree.



As he walked o'er with Sally Brown,

As he walked o'er with she,

And evil thought came to him there,

By the lonely willow tree.



O turn you back to the water's side,

And face the willow tree,

Six little maidens I've drowned here,

And you the seventh shall be.



Take off, take off, your golden crown,

Take off your gown, cried he.

For though I am going to murder you

I would not spoil your finery.



Oh, turn around, you false young man,

Oh turn around, cried she,

For 'tis not meet that such a youth

A naked woman should you see.



He turned around, that false young man,

And faced the the willow tree,

And seizing him boldly in both her arms,

She threw him into the sea.



Lie there, lie there, you false young man,

Lie there, lie there, cried she,

Six little maidens you've drowned here,

Now keep them company!



He sank beneath the icy waves,

He sank down into the sea,

And no living thing wept a tear for him,

Save the lonely willow tree."

Willow Tree Ballad (Irish Version)

Myth of the Day:

The Willow Tree (Irish Version)



Sam Henry collected this in Ireland in 1939 in the Cloyfin district from a man who learned it from his mother who was a native of Ballymena.



that day month = the same day a month later



"The night was dark and the hour late,

Cold blew the winter air,

And as four farmers homeward walked

Down through Lifford Fair,

They thought they heard a cry,

Both sad and sharp it struck their ear,

Although the winds blew high.



They climbed the wall and searched the tombs

That thickly filled the ground,

And, spreading on a new-made grave,

A sorrowful youth they found:

His wild moans filled the chilly air,

For he looked pale and wild,

His loud cries would have pierced your heart,

For he wept like a child.



They roused him from the cold wet earth,

Inviting him away,

He says, Move me not from this sad spot,

For here I mean to stay;

This is my true-love's grassy bed,

And here all night I'll lie,

All by the side of my long-lost bride,

I will remain and die.



In early life we were both joined

In love both fond and true,

There's not a care but touched my heart

But touched my Fanny's too;

The times were bad and I was poor,

It was then I went away,

To make a fortune in strange lands,

I crossed the roaring sea.



Scarce before I went away,

In wedlock's bands we joined,

It was then I left my tender bride,

So lonely, young and fond;

For three long years I stayed away

And I won my fortune in strange lands,

I crossed the roaring sea.



But oh, alas, begins my grief,

My woe it then begun,

When I came home they had her wed

Unto another one,

And with false letters they imposed

All in her heartless ear,

And told her I had died abroad

All in a second year.



It being on a summer evening,

Calm and fragrant was the air

She sat before her father's door

And never looked more fair;

I stood before her suddenly

And when I caught her eye,

She clasped her hands before her face

And gave a piercing cry.



The sudden shock had reached her heart;

The story soon was told:

When I came home her father gave

His hands to ancient gold,

But all the gold that e'er was shown

Did fail to ease her mind,

And like a tender flower crushed,

Away she drooped and pined.



Mark what followed after this--

I need not stop to tell--

In that day month, sure I could hear

The tolling funeral bell.

Now I have done all with this earth,

And it has done with me:

My love lies dead in her cold clay bed

Beneath yon willow tree.



They stopped, but neither force nor word

Could raise him from the ground,

All night he lay on the cold clay,

And the next day was found,

And when they touched him he was dead

And where he lay he died;

They dug his grave and, side by side,

They laid him with his bride."

Willow Tree Ballad (English Version)

Myth of the Day:



The Willow Tree (English Version)



"O take me in your arms, love

For keen doth the wind blow

O take me in your arms, love

For bitter is my deep woe.



She hears me not, she heeds me not

Nor will she listen to me

While here I lie alone

To die beneath the willow tree.



My love hath wealth and beauty

Rich suitors attend her door

My love hath wealth and beauty

She slights me because I am poor.



The ribbon fair that bound her hair

Is all that is left to me

While here I lie alone

To die beneath the willow tree.



I once had gold and silver

I thought them without end

I once had gold and silver

I thought I had a true friend.



My wealth is lost, my friend is false

My love hath he stolen from me

While here I lie alone

To die beneath the willow tree."

Renaissance Tarot Cards Of The Day...

Eight of Cups (Indolence): A moment of surrender to external forces. Capitulation to inner promptings. Giving in to temptation. Giving oneself over to oblivion, to intoxication, to sleep.



Ace of Staves: Creativity. Change. Success in new undertakings. "A breath of fresh air." "New blood." The sanguine temperament of the Ace promotes experiment, reform and appreciation of beauty, both of people and of nature.





mythology

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Track Listing - moody silver sea mix I

Jezebel - 10,000 Maniacs
Return Of The Grievious Angel - Cowboy Junkies
Sour Times - Portishead
Wild Horses - Mazzy Star
Blood Roses - Tori Amos
Jennifers Body - Hole
The Passenger - Siouxsie & the Banshees
Is that all there is - PJ Harvey
Bonny Swans - Loreena McKennitt
Plus profound - Hooverphonic
Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
Persephone - Cocteau Twins
Haunted - Sinead O'Conner w/ the Pogues

Silver Sea on Congress

Is a lovely space indeed. Projected opening date 12/13/03. Be there one and all.

Ogham Reading of the Day

Aspen

Courage and endurance



You will be entering new territory soon, and this may make you nervous. You do have the courage and the tools you will need to thrive; even if things become difficult, persevere and you will benefit.



Aspen, the nineteenth Ogham tree, is (with the birch) one of the first trees to grow in a clearing. Its leaves shiver and tremble in the slightest breeze but the tree remains steadfast, and its wood was used for shields. The aspen, then, symbolizes courage in the face of fear and obstacles, and endurance when such is necessary.



Willow

Intuition



Your intuition will help you understand the situation and what is best to do. Give yourself the time and opportunity you need to allow your subconscious to communicate its knowledge to you.



Willow, the Ogham's fourth tree, is closely connected to water, the unconscious, the moon, and thus the feminine. It is symbolic of intuition, the ability to make connections and gain understanding without knowing exactly how or why one knows.mythology

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Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie

Myth of the Day:

Child Ballad #239:



"Auchanachie Gordon is bonny and braw,

He would tempt any woman that he ever saw;

He would tempt any woman, so has he tempted me,

And I?ll die if I getna my love Auchanachie.?



In came her father, tripping on the floor,

Says, Jeanie, ye?re trying the tricks o? a whore;

Ye?re caring for them that cares little for thee;

Ye must marry Salton, leave Auchanachie.



Auchanachie Gordon, he is but a man;

Altho he be pretty, where lies his free land?

Salton?s lands they lie broad, his towers they stand hie,

Ye must marry Salton, leave Auchanachie.



......

......

?Salton will gar you wear-silk gowns fring?d to thy knee,

But ye?ll never wear that wi your love Auchanachie.?



Wi Auchanachie Gordon I would beg my bread

Before that wi Salton I?d wear gowd on my head,

Wear gowd on my head, or gowns fring?d to the knee;

And I?ll die if I getna my love Auchanachie.



?O Salton?s [a] valley lies low by the sea,

He?s bowed on the back, and thrawin on the knee;?

.....

.....



?O Salton?s a valley lies low by the sea;

Though he?s bowed on the back and thrawin on the knee,

Though he?s bowed on the back and thrawin on the knee,

The bonny rigs of Salton they?re nae thrawin tee?



?O you that are my parents to church may me bring,

But unto Salton I?ll never bear a son;

For son or for daughter, I?ll ne?er bow my knee,

And I?ll die if I getna my love Auchanachie.?



When Jeanie was married, from church was brought hame,

When she wi her maidens sae merry shoud hae been,

When she wi her maidens sae merry shoud hae been,

She?s called for a chamber, to weep there her lane.



?Come to your bed, Jeanie, my honey and my sweet,

For to stile you mistress I do not think it meet:?

?Mistress or Jeanie, it is a? ane to me,

It?s in your bed, Salton, I never will be.?



Then out spake her father, he spake wi reknown;

Some of you that are her maidens, ye?ll loose aff her gown;

Some of you that are her maidens, ye?ll loose aff her gown;

And I?ll mend the marriage wi ten thousand crowns.



Then ane of her maidens they loosed aff her gown,

But bonny Jeanie Gordon she fell in a swoon;

She fell in a swon low down by their knee;

Says, Look on, I die for my love Auchanachie!



That very same day Miss Jeanie did die,

And hame came Auchanachie, hame frae the sea;

Her father and mither welcomd him at the gate;

He said, Where?s Miss Jeanie, that she?s nae here yet?



Then forth came her maidens, all wringing their hands,

Saying, Alas for your staying sae lang frae the land!

Sae lang frae the land, and sae lang on the fleed!

They?ve wedded your Jeanie, and now she is dead.



?Some of you, her maidens, take me by the hand,

And show me the chamber Miss Jeanie died in;?

He kissed her cold lips, which were colder than stane,

And he died in the chamber that Jeanie died in."

Tarots of the Day Friday

The World: Completion. Perfection. Recognition. Honors. Ultimate change. The end result of all efforts. Success. Assurance. Synthesis. Fulfillment. Triumph in undertakings. The rewards that come from hard work. The path of liberation. Eternal life. Admiration of others. Inheritance. This is a very favorable card, especially if surrounded by other favorable cards.

The Devil: Being seduced by the material world and physical pleasures. Lust for and obsession with money and power. Living in fear, domination and bondage. Being caged by an overabundance of luxury. Discretion should be used in personal and business matters.

mythology

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opinion

Bad Santa indeed

Aaarrggh!!! I'd written a post and tried to post a link to a website that counted down the days until Christmas and was gunned down by a flash animation and loud musical rendition of electronic Jingle Bells. Ovewhelmed my browser. Won't share the link as I have no desire to share the agony...

Wanted to mention that it's International Buy Nothing Day and to add the caveat that local businesses and jewelry sellers in the mall, for example don't count as evil corporate entities, so by all means, buy from such merchants as they:)

And learned there's a textbook on blogging. WTF? How self indulgent is that? But I wouldn't mind it for Christmas. Or else this.

Other then that, all you've missed was a pastry recipe and tales of maternal guilt, which I shall expound on at a later date.

Peace out. Or whatever. Hope you had a happy holiday.

Corbid

Words I didn't know, Part II

Exigent

(adjective)

[EK�sah�jahnt]

1. requiring immediate aid or action; urgent; pressing: "I understand that you've driven with faulty brakes for several weeks now without incident, but you don't want to wait for the problem to become any more exigent."

2. requiring significant effort or expense; demanding

adverb form: exigently

Origin:

Approximately 1670; a back formation of English, 'exigency'; from Middle English, 'exigence'; borrowed from Middle French, 'exigence'; from Late Latin, 'exigentia'; from Latin, 'exigentem' (nominative 'exigens'), from 'exigere': to demand.

Wide Eyed Enthusiasm

Saw the constellation of Orion through a belt of lavendar clouds in a clear sky last night. Remembered being a child fascinated with the stars. Want to find a way to get that sense of wonder and awe back into my life.

Tarot Card of the Day

Angel of Music: "Like as an angel glitt'ring in the sky, / In times of innocence and holy joy: / The joyful shepherd stops his grateful song. / To hear the music of an angel's tongue". A surge of passionate emotion. A call for compassion in the situation. A need to rise above a mundane or materialistic milieu. Possibility of being granted a favor or indulgence. An unexpected emotional influence. Emerging impulse to personal transformation. Development of appropriate aesthetic sensibility. Intuitive awareness of public needs or the mass media. In the creative process: An inrush of excitement or appearance of a new factor offers alternative possibilities for your work.

Thetis, Mother of Achilles

Thetis

by James Hunter

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Thetis was one of the Nereids. Zeus desired her, but she rejected his advances. The goddess Themis then revealed that Thetis was fated to bear a son who was mightier than his father; fearing for his dominion, Zeus gave Thetis as bride to a mortal, Peleus, and all the gods attended the wedding.

Thetis bore one son, Achilles, whom she tried unsuccessfully to make immortal. In one version of the story, she anointed the infant's body with ambrosia and then placed it upon a fire in order to burn away the mortal parts; when she was interrupted by the child's horrified father, she deserted their household in a rage. In a later version, she dipped the child in the river Styx holding him by the heel; all the parts that the river touched became invulnerable, but the heel remained dry. Achilles was later killed in the Trojan war.

Related information

Pronunciation

{thee'-tis}

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Celtic Tree Cards of the day...

The Past:

Hawthorn

Patience required

The situation has been frustrating, and you may have reacted somewhat hastily. Examine the past and see if you rushed matters, or too-quickly chose between undesirable alternatives. Time has changed things, and perhaps opened up new options which could benefit you.

Hawthorn is the Ogham's sixth tree, and the first of the second division. Its sharp thorns and beautiful flowers and leaves illustrate its symbolism- duality and potential danger therein. While it is often easy to see extremes, wisdom usually lies in a balance between them.

The Present:

Hazel

Wisdom

Gather information about the situation as the salmon gathers hazelnuts. Wisdom will come from learning as much as you can, and using intuition and logic to understand this knowledge. This insight will lead you to a creative and wise solution.

Many Celtic legends involve the hazel tree, and hazelnuts which give wisdom- especially to the salmon that live in the pool under the tree and eat the nuts. Hazel symbolizes deep wisdom and insight, used to inspire creativity and resolve conflict. The hazel is the ninth tree of the Ogham.

The Future:

Fir

Objectivity

You will be in a good position to view the situation with some objectivity, and to gain some knowledge that will help to resolve it. Take advantage of this opportunity, remembering that some distance can help you for a time, but is most useful when blended with your personal knowledge and involvement.

The fir is the sixteenth Ogham tree and the first of the fourth grouping, ususally considered to be the vowels. (Some scholars consider this tree to be the elm.) The fir is the tallest native tree, and it grows on hills and mountains, which add to its height. This is why the fir symbolizes objectivity and perspective, a distance that aids one in seeing clearly.

detritus

Velvet Underground Lyrics of the day...

I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years...

Maggie wants to show you all...

...that she can type her name all by herself, so here goes:

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

we'll keep working on that :)

I laughed aloud...

...as I watched my friends get eaten and dismembered by Great Cthulu. Played Munchkin last night at game night, and it was pretty damn fun. Who says geeks don't have a sense of humour? Also discussed the pitfalls of retail real estate negotiations. Myself, I have no knowledge. I'm just here for moral support and to distill every statement into a short and clever catchphrase. Diviniations provided upon request.

William Blake Tarot Card of the Day

Ten of Painting (Delight): Your work or ideal takes on a life of it own. Financial prosperity. Achievement or promotion on the job. Inheriting something of tangible or permanent value. Family gatherings and traditions. Finding your roots. Active involvement in community and societal spheres. In the creative process: The success of completion of your project is cause for celebration and an opportunity to honor all the gods and spirits that participated in your benefit.

Cardinal Sins of the Retail Economy

Went to the Barnes and Noble instead of the local indy bookseller again. Because the aisles are wider and they sell coffee in the store instead of three stores away. I'm going to politically incorrect consumer hell, I know. To compound things, I was going to take the girls to a nice little diner for lunch and gave up and went for fast food instead. I truly think most evil corporate empires in the world are fueled by the flat out laziness of the general populace in this country. We don't have time to look for what we want, we want to be told what we want and then have it handed over to us in exchange for a reasonable amount of money. Even if it comes into our greedy little palms by way of sweatshop labor or fraudulent marketing or murdered orphan bunnies or something. We don't want to know how it happens, we just want it and we want it now. I say as I sip my Starbucks/Barnes & Noble Christmas blend cafe au lait. Shame on you if all you can think about after reading that sentence is how good the coffee sounds:)

Peace,Love, and Armchair Revolution,

Corbid Ravenous, Pathetic Marketing Vicitm

21st century girl

Realized we have not yet achieved an elctronic universe yet when it comes to money, at least in some choice locations. Drove all the way downtown then realized I had no change for the friggin parking meters. contemplated finding an ATM machine, then spending some cash somewhere, then said fuck it, I have a sleeping baby in the car and left. Maybe next time...

Friday Five

Email me your answers, c'mon don't be shy:)


List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.

List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.

List five things you'd like to learn how to do.

List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).

List five things you do that help you relax.


My Responses:


1)Teach my older daughter to read,go back to school,Achieve control over my domestic environment, cheer the hell up, volunteer for a political candidate, write something publishable. 2)Lee Mayhew, Andy Morrill, Kelly Monahan, Christine at Intuit, Edwin Moody. 3)Read & write music, Drive stick shift, master HTML and the fundamentals of basic web design, Learn another language or three, learn to be sweeter and more humble. 4)Build happy bedroom retreats for my children, a car for their father,granite countertops for my kitchen, finance the commercial and artistic dream ventures of my friends, finance creative social rebellions...5)Laughing out loud,learning new and useless facts,escapism through reading,baking bread (now that it's finally cold enough outside,)listening to webradio and/or my library of assorted mp3 files.

Unsolicited ramblingness

TV news sucks exponentially. Have decided to start getting the paper again to keep from getting stupid. Also I plan to get and out and see some movies, windowshop the mall and all that other prole weekend crap for a change. That's assuming I wake up before noon tomorrow,though.


Other opinions of no relevance:

1)The West Wing has begun to totally suck.

2)Afraid to go to Casa video as I fear I owe them some money or something.

3)Have discovered the joys of Winamp.

4)Claussen pickles were on sale and I'm in Heaven.

5)Hershey's kisses and a steak sandwich for lunch, because they were there.

6)Lay on the floor and let the baby use me as furniture this morning and she got all blissed out.

7)I get all blissed out myself if people bring me candy.

8)Loving the universal remote.

9)Contemplating a different shade again for my rehenna.

10)Should be using this time to learn more HTML or to preview the Pima course catalog...more later.

The Basquiat Soundtrack

rather rocks, yes it does.

Cell phones...

...are a tool of the devil. Or at the very least, more trouble than they're worth. Gave up trying to revive mine and accomplished about a dozen other things which is so out of character for me and I mean that in a good way. It was as if the little cartoon clouds above my head had parted for a moment, allowing vision and clarity or at least the energy to get up out of my chair and clean the damned refrigerators for a change. It was like an archeological dig, that was. How old does jam have to get before it actually grows mold, I ask you? Quite old indeed. Bought the universal remote I'd been needing since it was ridiculous to have two televisions and still not be able to watch certain channels without aid of the single VCR. Now listening to a used CD I bought about three weeks ago and forgot about: The soundtrack for "Basquiat." Tom Waits is singing "Waltzing Matilda," and though that sounds ridiculous, truly it's fucking gorgeous.

Shakespearean reference of the day: Cordelia...



Youngest daughter of King Lear and most doubted by him, but turns out in the end to have been the most loving and loyal.



In the first scene of the first act of King Lear Cordelia, Lear's youngest daughter, is banished from his sight forever. As per his decree, she does not return to the stage until the end of the drama. Yet Cordelia's actions and attitude reverberate throughout the play, revealing Lear's motivations and conveying Shakespeare's message to the audience. Specifically, her character is used to illustrate the importance of being self-assured. Contrasted with Cordelia's confident perseverance, it becomes clear that Lear's self-doubt is responsible for his inability to rule and his eventual downfall.

Tarot cards of the day

4 of Cups:

Stop dwelling on old memories. A relationship is tested. You are experiencing illogical dissatisfaction with a relationship or job; step back and look at the problem before taking any action.



2 of Swords:

There is tension and indecision in relationships or friendships. You are having difficulty gaining a sense of balance because you have no definite plans as to the direction you want to go. You are faced with having to balance two important things in life without being able to make a firm decision.









Online Dream Dictionary

myth of the day

detritus

A word I didn't know...will wonders never cease...

And a rather fitting one at that. If any of you knew it already, I shall have to disown you. Just kidding. Well,sort of kidding. Here it is:


Recherche:

(adjective) [rahsher'SHAY]


1. rare or exotic, and usually only known to connoisseurs: "I've never had the patience to dig very deep into the music scene, so I rely on Justin to keep me abreast of recherche acts." 2. exquisite; choice. 3. marked by excessive or exaggerated refinement; forced. 4. pretentious.


And on a less refined note...


Courtesy of Lizzie, I have learned that today is World Toilet Day, I shite you not. Oh, that was bad...

Comfort zone

Contemplating becoming a happy little zoloft drop. Eating chocolate ice cream and frozen pizza simultaneously while listening to goth internet radio and watching the baby roll around on the floor. Resolving to banish certain thoughts from my head. I will emerge from this cocoon the stronger for it. Anyone who gets in my way can just friggin' eat me, how's that?

Good for one's troubled soul...or whatever

Do something for the good of mankind today, without even leaving your chair.

Victor oer the oppressive hordes...

Killed all the pop up ads at last! Parasitic bastards! Good noncommercial site for info on this type of menace:http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/. More shortly. But I have rejoined the land of the living anyway. Not quite the Eeyore I've been lately.

Maggie wanted to post something

So here's what she says: Teletubbies are cool. And they have a cool computer game. Get off the computer now,Mom, I want to play!

Myth of the Day #2: Hannibal of Carthage

Hannibal

(HAN-uh-buhl) A general from the ancient city of Carthage. During the second of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, Hannibal took an army of more than 100,000, supported by elephants, from Spain into Italy in an effort to conquer Rome. The army had to cross the Alps, and this troop movement is still regarded as one of the greatest in history. Hannibal won several victories on this campaign but was not able to take Rome.



Hannibal's march into Italy is legendary. The Roman Senate felt secure from land invasion and took too few precautions. Their confidence is understandable. There was Hannibal in Spain. He had to fight his way through a Roman army, cross the Pyrenees (themselves a difficult range of mountains), then fight his way across southern France, for this area was under Roman control, then cross the formidable Alps.



The scope of the accomplishment is sometimes overlooked in survey textbooks. Crossing the Alps was remarkable, but Hannibal did much more than that.



When word came that Hannibal had escaped from Spain, Rome was concerned but not panicked. The Senate sent a second army to hold the bridges at the Rhone River. This river is deep and swift in its lower courses. The Romans were sure they could prevent Hannibal from crossing, then defeat him in their own good time in southern Gaul.



Again Hannibal fooled them. He slipped northward, avoiding Roman sentries, and crossed the river on pontoons and by swimming. The crossing was treacherous; not only was the river in spring flood, but if he were discovered by the Romans during the crossing, his army would have been destroyed on the spot. Most remarkable about the crossing was the elephants. The river was too deep for the elephants to wade, and no pontoon bridge would hold them. So he had bladders filled with air -- elephant water wings -- and floated the beasts across, not without loss.



Once across, Hannibal marched quickly south again and caught the Roman army entirely by surprise. He won a resounding victory, and now nothing stood between him and Italy. Except the Alps.



The crossing of the Alps was a heroic effort. Many classical authors told the story; the account by Livy is as good as any. The mountains themselves were dangerous, of course, but they were made even more dangerous by the fact that local tribes cheerfully fought anyone who entered their mountains, so Hannibal had to fight his way over the mountains. He arrived in Italy with only 26,000 men and about two dozen elephants. So, while it is true that Hannibal brought his elephants across the Alps, he did so only at great loss. Most died either at the Rhone or in the Alps.

Ogham Reading of the Day

Fearn Alder:

You are now in, or about to enter, a time of healing. Different methods may all have their advantages; do not restrict yourself to one too hastily. Seek out the healing you need, and accept it when it comes to you unbidden.

The alder is the fifteenth of the Ogham trees. Both its flowers and its berries are used to make wines, and these wines are considered to have healing properties, as does elder bark. The elder itself heals quickly, and rapidly regrows any parts that are damaged.



Tinne Holly:

You are called upon to act, either to create balance or to preserve it. it is time to act with strength and vigor, but only in the service of justice. And in so doing, you will prevail.

The eighth tree of the Ogham is usually considered holly, although historically cypress is also associated with it. Holly is masculine, symbolizing both fatherhood and the ability and willingness to fight for justice and redress wrongs, renewing balance.



myth of the day

detritus

Shakespeare Play of the Day:Othello(The Moor of Venice)

Plot Summary of Othello

In the opening scene, Iago complains that Othello, his Commander, has passed him over to promote handsome Cassio to be his Lieutenant. He vows to get revenge. Iago first asks his friend Roderigo to tell Desdemona's father Brabantio that his daughter has left to marry Othello, a marriage Brabantio opposes because Othello is a Moor (an African). Brabantio confronts Othello, and they take their argument to the Duke, who has summmoned Othello to ask him to sail to Cyprus to stop a Turkish invasion. Convinced by Othello and Desdemona that they love each other deeply despite their differences, the Duke gives Desdemona permission to travel with Othello. By the time they reach Cyprus the foreign threat is gone.



Iago has Roderigo get Cassio drunk and draw him into a street fight. Iago has his revenge on Cassio when Othello strips Cassio of his rank for misbehavior. Then Iago decides to make Othello believe his wife is unfaithful. He encourages Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona is Cassio's lover. Trusting Iago and mad with jealousy, Othello promotes Iago and asks Iago to help him kill Cassio and Desdemona.



Iago plants Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's room. Cassio gives it to his mistress, Bianca. Othello believes Bianca's possession of the handkerchief is proof that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. He verbally abuses his wife in front of others, who are shocked at the change in the noble and powerful man.



Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio. The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio wounds Roderigo; Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out and thinks Iago has killed him. He returns home, ready to kill Desdemona. Meanwhile, Iago "finds" the wounded Cassio and accuses Bianca of causing Cassio's injury. Iago quietly kills Roderigo and sends Emilia (Iago's wife) to Desdemona with news of what has happened.



Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. Othello kisses her, wakes her, and accuses her again. Over her protests that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her. Emilia enters and Desdemona revives for a moment, declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies, that Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter, and Emilia defends Desdemona's innocence, recognizing that Iago is behind the tragedy. Othello sees the truth and tries to kill Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees; Othello condemns himself and commits suicide. Iago is seized and taken away.

"Deep breath..." That's what I tell everyone I see that's having a bad day. Well, that and, "Go have a smoke." It's usually only my friendly coworkers as I rarely interact with anyone other than them live and in person, except my hubby. Come to think of it, I also tend to say the same two things to him fairly often. Kind of makes me wonder: am I helping or am I the cause? A point to ponder...


Happiness, Love, and Joy to all!

(My new Mantra)

Going slowly insane...

At least telemarketing keeps people in jobs...

I'm being spammed by pop up ads. I'm on a search and destroy mission to find the elusive adware program that has somehow installed itself on my hard drive. I've already deleted/uninstalled about four of them. What the hell?


Funny bit from one of them. It was for a matchmaking service and promised "free matches for a year." How confidence inspiring is that? That if you were single and using their matchmaking service the odds are apparently in favor of your still being unattatched after a year of using the service?


As to the rest of it...well, one of the things about adware is that it supposedly targets ads to your individual tastes, which is a total and utter crock. I don't want to connect to online casinos. I don't need help refining my websearching techniques. I think we've already established that I'm not in need of penis enlargement. Now if they had some Zoloft ads, you'd know they were targeting me,since Zoloft ads seem to follow me everywhere. About the closest thing to an ad I'd be remotely interested in is the ad for the pop up ad blocker. And damned if I'm going to pay to keep from being harrassed by pop up ads. That's just plain extortion, is what it is. Iwill find the damned thing and kill it once and for all, so help me god! Or whatever.

Tarot deck eclectica

Vertigo Tarot (featuring Neil Gaiman's Death)

Milo Manara Tarot (gorgeous but risque)

Art Noveau Tarot(beautiful)

Hello Kitty Tarot(oh,the indignities suffered by Kitty...)

The Rock & Roll Tarot (features David Bowie on The Lovers card)





myth of the day

detritus

Rather lovely tarot cards of the day...

From the William Blake tarot deck (which is what I want for Christmas):



Ace of Poetry (Inspiration): "I come in Self-annihilation & the grandeur of Inspiration / To cast of Rational Demonstration by Faith in the Saviour / To cast off the rotten rags of Memory by Inspiration / To cast aside from Poetry all that is not Inspiration". The kiss of divine inspiration. Receiving an impetus to creative action. Getting in touch with higher consciousness or Spirit. Experiencing a personal vision of truth, beauty, ecstasy. Discovering sexuality as a metaphor for imaginative experience. Sense of being guided by a higher force. The "Yes!" card. A soulful new beginning. In the creative process: Being in contact with the purest and highest part of your being provides the impetus for fresh expressions in both art and life.



Woman of Poetry: "To go forth to the Great Harvest & Vintage of the Nations". Radiating confidence, pride, and self-assurance. Being unafraid to promote yourself or reach for what you really want. Being generous and open-hearted, but also dramatic and assertive. Wanting to inspire others. Creative self-fulfillment. Gathering a rich harvest from the situation. Expressing intuitive knowledge and leadership. Mastery of expression. In the creative process: With complete confidence in your expressive abilities, you serve as a guiding light to inspire growth and confidence in others.



myth of the day

detritus

Coyote

Myth of the Day:

Coyote

by Tamara Kazakova

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The Coyote mythlore is one of the most popular among the Native American. Coyote is a ubiquitous being and can be categorized in many types. In creation myths, Coyote appears as the Creator himself; but he may at the same time be the messenger, the culture hero, the trickster, the fool. He has also the ability of the transformer: in some stories he is a handsome young man; in others he is an animal; yet others present him as just a power, a sacred one.

According to Crow (and other Plains) tradition, Old Man Coyote impersonates the Creator, "Old Man Coyote took up a handful of mud and out of it made people" 1. His creative power is also spread onto words, "Old Man Coyote named buffalo, deer, elk, antelopes, and bear. And all these came into being" 2. In such myths Coyote-Creator is never mentioned as an animal, more, he can meet his animal counterpart, the coyote: they address each other as "elder brother" and "younger brother", and walk and talk together 3. According to A. Hultkranz, the impersonation of Coyote as Creator is a result of a taboo, a mythic substitute to the religious notion of the Great Spirit whose name was too dangerous and/or sacred to use apart from a special ceremony 4.



In Chelan myths, Coyote belongs to the animal people but he is at the same time "a power just like the Creator, the head of all the creatures" 5. Yet his being 'just like the Creator' does not really mean being 'the Creator': it is not seldom that Coyote-Just-Like-Creator is subject to the Creator, Great Chief Above, who can punish him, send him away, take powers away from him, etc. In the Pacific Northwest tradition, Coyote is mostly mentioned as a messenger, or minor power, "Coyote was sent to the camp of the chief of the Cold Wind tribe to deliver a challenge; Coyote traveled around to tell all the people in both tribes about the contest." sup>6 As such, Coyote "was cruelly treated, and his work was never done." 7.



As the culture hero, Coyote appears in various mythic traditions. His major heroic attributes are transformation, traveling, high deeds, power. He is engaged in changing the ways of rivers, standing of mountains, creating new landscapes and getting sacred things for people. Of mention is the tradition of Coyote fighting against monsters. According to Wasco tradition, Coyote was the hero to fight and kill Thunderbird, the killer of people, but he could do that not because of his personal power, but due to the help of the Spirit Chief; Coyote was trying his best, he was fighting hard, and he had to have fasted ten days before the fight, so advised by Spirit Chief 8. In many Wasco myths, Coyote rivals the Raven (Crow) about the same ordeal: in some stories, Multnomah Falls came to be by Coyote's efforts; in others, it is done by Raven.



More often than not Coyote is a trickster, but he is always different. In some stories, he is a noble trickster, "Coyote takes water from the Frog people... because it is not right that one people have all the water." 9. In others, he is mean, "Coyote determined to bring harm to Duck. He took Duck's wife and children, whom he treated badly." 10.