Zeus~ 10 awesome reasons to admire a passionate hot headed God

Zeus is one of my all time favorite Greek Gods!

I've been waiting for Z and I saved him for last.

What's not to love and hate about Zeus??

1) First, he's like THE KING of all the Greek Gods and the FATHER of all Men!
He drew lots with his two other brothers- Poseidon and Hades- and basically got the straw that said, "Ruler of the Gods and Heavens" instead of "Ruler of the Oceans" or "Ruler of the Underworld". Lucky guy, eh? :)

2) He has the biggest throne on Mount Olympus.

3) He is the God of Sky and thunder and his best attack is to throw thunderbolts when upset! (I mean, really, who among us, when mad, hasn't wished for THAT power??)

4) His mother saved him from being eaten by his father, Cronus (who ate most of his children in an attempt to forgo being overthrown by his children). His mother Rhea, handed Cronus a swaddled rock baby and pawned it off as Zeus, and stupid Cronus ate that instead. (burp).

5) Zeus was either raised by the Earth Mother Gaia...
Or by goats....
Or by nymphs...
and really, if you think about it....any one or all of those possibilities is fecking kewl.

6) Zeus got up in Cronus's face and ordered his father to barf back up the stone that was him at birth and then to barf back up all his brothers and sisters OR Zeus threatened that he would cut open Cronus's stomach and physically remove them.
Zeus owned and reigned over his father in the end.

7) Zeus fucked everything. I swear, if you look him up, you NEED A damn CHART to see who he fathered by whom. And BONUS! He fathered Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Athena, Castor, Pollux, Helen of Troy, and Heracles for starters! He also is said to have fathered Dionysius and Nymphs. He fathered NYMPHS...as most wild fathers do....

 

(And yes...I'd so bang him too....)

 

8) And all the time he messed around behind his jealous wife's back who would hound you or kill your girlfriends or turn them into a heifer or give them snakes for hair. I mean, that guy's got balls.
 (I adore Hera too by the way. She fecking ROCKS! :)

9) He was the God of Oaths and the Punisher of Liars and the Wicked.
(Don't ya love the irony here after so many affairs and his oath to Hera?? He's the God of OATHS and Punisher of LIARS. Wow. Takes one to know one, eh?  :)

10) It is said that Zeus started AND ended the Trojan War...just for FUN...and was personally responsible for casting the Golden Apple of Discord that started the 3 Greek Goddesses and their row over who was the fairest....(hey, just a little fun for the Gods on a slow day in Olympus)

ZEUS.

What a hottie!

What an asshole.

You rocked the Greek world....and you still rock mine.

Z is for Zephyr

Zephyr is:  a light or west wind ...and from Mythology: Zephyrus ~ God of the west wind

As I approach the end of this blogging project (a full year of writing weekly alphabetical posts for the Pagan Blog Project) I used this opportunity to write about things I knew and got out a lot of information to others.
I also used this time to learn about words I did not know about and pass on what I found as well. I have learned much!

Maybe you've read my stuff...maybe this is a first time for you. No matter. I'm glad you are here.

Zephyr is a word that I don't think I've ever said, much less used in my psyche.

Here is what I found out about this new word to me (link research on the end):

"Zephyr was the gentle wind of the west and the interceder between the World of the living and the Underworld. Zephyr was the fresh wind who brought the spring rains that were so valuable for awakening the nature."

"Zephyr was the son of Astraeus and Eos, the goddess of the dawn and he was the father of the spring flowers. His mate was Podarge and together they created the two immortal horses of Achilles, Xanthus and Balius"

"Zephyrus was the wind that guided Aphrodite to the sea of Paphos when she was born and the only wind Odysseus allowed helping him find his way to Ithaca."

"On the British Isles, it was noticed the Western wind brought "small fine rain" in the spring. Hence, one of the magickal traditions from that island attached the essence or element of water to the direction of West.

"The West represents the essence of water, and is the direction of healing. It is the place where the sun sets."

"What does the West Wind symbolize in the famous writing, "Ode to The West Wind?

Answer:

IN The West Wind ,the west wind symbolizes the rejuvenating force of the universe ,at the same time it is the emblem of the eternal dichotomy of creation & destruction that is innate in the continuity of existence.It is the omnipresent force that acts as a "destroyer" to do away the contamination while preserving the dormant potentiality to usher in a rejuvenating future for the whole world-both elemental and human."

Just recently...as in 2 days ago...
at Yule 12/21/12 some folks around the globe were concerned about the "Mayan Prophecy" about the End of the World.
Some of us had "end of the world" parties mingled in with our Yule celebrations.

Ok, Merlyn....What does this all have to do with Zephyr?

Well, there's nothing like a little doomsday prophecy...
or bad news about a person's health...
or the upcoming New Year to blow in.....
to make folks THINK and PONDER about their lives.

It comes to us like a Zephyr. A warm wind. To shiver us and warm us to living, to heal us from our faults, to give us the wafting breeze of OTHER THINGS that are more important. To remember that our sun WILL SET someday. Maybe today. Maybe not today.

We need to live our lives on the Zephyr wind.

Live each day as your last.
Be grateful.
If you have something to say, say it.
If you have good things to do, do them.
If you want to go somewhere, go there.

Why wait?

The Zephyr breeze is a gentle thing, that stirs the soul. We know what it is that we must do.
The Zephyr breeze from the west wind, reminds us that it is time. Time to do, time to change, time to heal.
It cleanses us and the wind whips away the contamination of our hearts and leaves us with a warm feeling in our hearts and souls.

Indeed, Zephyr is a grand rarely used word!

And one that I shall now use more often and with clarity.

Take time today, before the holidays, to ground and let the Zephyr winds put you on the right path with the wind at your back to go into this next new year!

                                 "Zephyr" by Danielle Cavanaugh
***************************************************************************

More research can be found hither:
http://www.greek-gods.info/ancient-greek-gods/anemoi/zephyr/

http://www.jesterbear.com/Wicca/FourEssences.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_West_Wind_symbolize_in_Ode_to_The_West_Wind

Yule~ The end of the dark night....

Yule is the season of the Longest Night and the Shortest Day...which is the tipping point of the days growing longer after that. The earth's tilt is the reason for the season. It brings with it the birth of the Sun King. And in the Christian religions, it brings the birth of the Son King, Jesus.

We are in this season right now, with the nights growing longer and longer....as we approach the Winter Solstice.

Interesting to note, also, is that this coming Yule date: December 21, 2012 is also the date that the Mayans have noted for another big change too. Some folks are thinking it's "The End of the World" as we know it.
(cue song :)

How'ere...you have to admit....that IS noteworthy!

I don't think it's an End, persay....but rather....like the Death Card in Tarot...

it is a Beginning and a time of Transformation.

I would submit to you, that with the Longest Night this year we shall be experiencing the JOY of banishing some darkness and growing into consciousness of Light and Love.

The Darkness will indeed be shrinking in our Consciousness...and the Light will grow in our Love Expressed.

With energies swirling now, I doesn't take much to see that people are indeed, energized with mixed emotions. I say that we just keep LOVE and HOPE in the forefront of our hearts and minds and look forward to the resetting of the calendar as "The Age of Aquarius" and bring the Light into our spirits.

So this Yule...

when you stand by your fire pit this Solstice, please do keep our Earth Mother Goddess in your prayers especially at this time. She is being harmed by our pollution, our audacity, our wars and our noxious emissions.

Also hold Mankind in your prayers that we, as a species, will wake up to the damage we've done, and let's just start loving...paying it forward....do random acts of Kindness...and Attract Good.

I wish you a very Blessed Yule and a Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year 2013!!

The Witch in the Woods....

Last night our StoryBook Club got dressed, loaded our pockets full of white stones and set out for the woods. We followed the story line of Hansel & Gretel and meandered our way through some craggy terrain.

We covered many stoney topics of: issues of trust, food for love, crazy mommies, weak daddies, grand illusion, learning confidence and ingenuity, yes and even touched on darker subjects like abduction, stranger danger and child pornography.

We were brave indeed.

In digging down to the roots of this story though, some research emerged that was bigger than all of these things put together.

SHAMANIC JOURNEY 

Like Joseph Campbell talks of Hero's Journeys...this story is one of a Magickal Path of a Shaman in making.

There are elements that make up a Shaman's journey and all are represented here in this simple (?) childhood fairy tale.

The elements of a Shaman's Journey (like the Native American's "Vision Quests")  include:

1) an experience of separation or isolation from society and culture
2) an encounter with extreme mental & physical suffering (including experiences of being eaten or killed)
3) an encounter with death
4) an experience of nature (through creature/ancestor/spirit/God /element)
5) a return to life (sometimes featuring Celestial/World Tree or bird flight)
6) a return to society as healer

As you can see, from those, the story of Hansel and Gretel is so much more. They are pushed out onto a path by the "evil" (step)mother(witch) and forced to find their way. Hansel, the man-child is full of more courage than his own father in standing up for himself and his sister.

In encountering the illusion of the gingerbread house and the witch's promises, they befall calamity. Or is it? Gretel is now "apprenticed" to the witch. In order to save her brother Hansel, Gretel is forced to cook for and feed her brother, who feigns starvation but gets fat, indeed. (We must all fill our own hunger for our own fulfillment and not for the fulfillment of others- thus prove the "bony finger" of Hansel)
Gretel now feigns ignorance, but deep within, finds her own power and kills the witch by forcing her to accept the same fate she would deliver.
Thus Gretel has "stolen the power" of the witch....
and is now a witch herself.

The "children-witches" now have access to the treasure within, and have also received a new power of speaking to the animals (which they did not have on the original setting out of their journey). They come home to "heal their father." They also find that the "evil step mother-witch" is gone/dead. They have overcome their fears.

Kewl beans, huh?

But while we didn't have beans to eat at our Grand Gingerbread Feast we DID have GOODIES!!

There was crusty bread and decadent garlic oil to dip (bread crumbs for the story and garlic to ward evil :), there was German noodle soup (with a nod to the German roots of the story), an edible Gingerbread house (and yes, we ate from the house as Hansel and Gretel would have :), Celery root with mustard sauce (a tonic and a potion for our strength, no doubt :), Chicken wings in Slathering Sauce (for Hansel's bony fingers and basting), Stuffed Clam shells (Gretel's Moon Goddess dinner), Roasted Veggies (to fatten us up with some veg),

Snicker doodles and Roasted Chestnuts (for our German woodsy dining pleasure) and Hot Cocoa and Rum and Pumpkin Spice Vodka (to give us heart and to ward off the night air chill).
Oh and enough candy and assorted cookies to choke a White Swan.
Lots of fun company!

All in all, a VERY magickal night with brilliant conversation, decadent food and drink, delightful companionship and even some festive Heimlich maneuver and grip of clenched dog face, (to dissuade Monty the dog that clam shells are not good for his colon.)

Well, after this wondrous strong female role model in fairy tale (FINALLY!!)
we thought we'd visit yet another kind next month.

The bitch. The snooty, spoiled, promise breaking little Princess.

That's right, we will undertake the psychological, class division and economical aspects of...

Ribbit.

 
Some research came from this site about the Shaman journey:
www: culturepotion.blogspot.com/2011/05/shamanic-initiations-hidden-theme

the rest is group speculation gathered from many many versions of the Grim fairy tale of Hansel & Gretel.

Keep Reading!!

YES is a Magick word

Well, coming down to the wire here with my last two letters approaching the end of this very fun and informative writing experiment!

I'm getting close to finishing a whole year of writing on this "Letter of the Week" Pagan Blog Project! WOOOT!

My "Y" word of choice today is?
 
YES!

To me, it is an extremely MAGICK word.

When you say YES to the Universe, Yourself and to someone for their Greatest and Highest Good....

Grand things happen!

In acting class you learn your first lesson of Improv with following someone's statement with the words...

"Yes! And..."

it keeps the dialog going forward by being able to add to it.

So doth the word YES do the same in real life.

Try using the word YES more often, if possible.
Or use the phrase, "Yes, and..." build on what you need to, today.

The Universe will bring more good things to you if you are open to receiving them.

So go out there and have a good day!

YES? :)

X Men R Us

"If you could have any Super Power.....what would it be?"  This is one of my favorite questions to ask folks.

In Marvel comics, in the early 1960s, a new breed of Superhero was created.

The X Men. In this story, some kids around the world were found to have unusual powers. "Professor Xavier" wanted to give these special kids (otherwise known as mutants to the general populace) some place to learn about and grow into their talents. Supposedly, these gifted kids had a special gene (the X gene) that they said that most humans lacked... and that is what gave them their Super Powers.

So it was- that a force for good was made- to bolster humans and protect them.
Uber Humans or as we like to call them: Super Heroes were born!

Now, while this story is just a fun romp into the entertainment realm...the idea does have merit and we've enjoyed it in other forms in our culture too.

For instance, J.K.Rowling also featured something like this with her academic institution for Wizards called "Hogwarts" where she brought together many gifted magickal children in a supportive environment so that they could learn and grow together in safety and in seclusion from prying eyes and invasive Muggle culture.

In real life, here in Muggleland, we have public and private schools, and there are all sorts of extra curricular groups and activities provided therein...but I ask you this:

"Where do Magickal people go to be supported with their "Super Powers?"

Surely, we still have them.

I'm quite sure that some of you reading this, are gifted and are more like Wizards or X Men than you think you are. Whether you are a "Sheldon" type with  a photographic memory and a penchant for science...\

Or maybe you are an Empath or a Healer....

Or maybe you are a bit psychic and can pick up on vibes or know who is calling you on the phone before you pick it up.

Or maybe you are a Horse or Animal Whisperer.

We ALL carry some gift that makes us unique from everyone else. It may be our personality, or a special talent (voice/creativity/empathy/ideas/words) but we all are gifted with something.

Some folks even have the gift of bringing chaos to order... and vice versa. The Universe is unknowable and who knows why we are the way we are and why we are given the gifts that we have?

What I'm getting at here is this: While we enjoy being entertained by something like "The X Men", there is really more truth to it than we give it credit for.

So back to my question: "What IS the Super Power that you would ask for?"

Maybe the particular Super Power that we crave is a clue to the ability we may lack and thusly desire in our lives for other reasons.

I once asked a friend this same question (as I said, it's one of my favorite questions :) about what Super Power would he want if he could have any.

His answer was "To control the property of water." The reasoning for his choice was this: "Because if you could control the property of water, you could control the human race, as we are made up of 65% water. You could freeze water or turn it into steam and thus you could stop that person. Any person."

Interesting.

But more interesting than that is to note that this particular friend was out of control himself. He knows it deep within. What he may have been saying (even if he didn't understand it at the time) was that HE needed the control in HIS life.. which is (in my honest opinion) at the time of this writing, he is also at least 65% out of control by his own measurements.

What I'm suggesting here is that our wish to have a specific Super Power is sometimes a way to communicate with our own self.  And that is one way we heal ourselves and thusly, heal the world.

My personal wish for a Super Power? Can I have two? Oh sure. I wish for Invisibility and Teleportation.

The reason for these in particular?
Well, I am mostly an open book....so that's the reason for my need for Invisibility. I want stealth because I feel too "open" sometimes. I want some anonymity. But I probably won't get it, because I'm in the public a lot. But that doesn't mean that I can't wish for an Invisibility Cloak! :)
Teleportation? Oh this is definately my yearning to travel without winning the lottery. I'd like to have a Genie power that (blink) I'm in Paris! (blink) I'm in Greece! (blink) I'm in Venice!

So I ask you again: "If you could have any Super Power.....what would it be?"

Then ponder WHY do you need it.....and WHAT would you and the world gain from it?

"Xtra"sensory Perception~

Alright, so I'm stretching on the "X" part for my word of the week here for the Pagan Blog Project...

But that's ok, because here in my blogspot, I am the Creator and I can do whatever I want.
(I love that part :)

ESP or Extrasensory Perception has been described as MANY things:

Telepathy (mind reading- or transfer of info from person to person)

Clairvoyance (clear vision)

Clairaudience (clear hearing)

Clairsentince (clear feeling/sensing)

Clairalience (clear smelling)

Claircognizance (clear knowing)

Clairgustance (clear tasting- being able to taste something and know it yet not having put it in the mouth to actually taste it)

and the great catchall of "Intuition" or the ever popular... "Gut Feeling".

There have been many tests done on subjects that display these powers and the scientific community is still split on proving whether Extrasensory Perception exists or not.
But if it doesn't exist, then why are people convinced that it takes place?

I personally, get messages to call someone and when I do, they have just thought about me or need me at that moment. I can usually say who's calling on the phone before we answer it....things like that.

What is ESP? Well, I think this is something akin to "Animal Instinct."  Why do birds migrate to a place they've never been to before? And butterflies travel thousands of miles and all wind up at the same place at the same time. Bears shut down their bodies and hibernate for months and wake up at exactly the perfect time in the spring to mate. Isn't that amazing?!

Well, why do we get messages from people or things that come in to us out of the blue? I think it is a version of "Animal Instinct" but only it's "Human Instinct". We, as humans, receive information and are given clues through intuition, clairvoyance or telepathy. But as a species, we are tamping down this gift of awareness with suspicion of it being quackery or fakery. Television also is dulling our senses to perception. It changes up our sensitivities and frequency reception. Our lives are one big To Do list and going off schedule or off the beaten path is foreign to some people. 
Those things in effect, flick a switch and disengage our instinctual gifts.

So today, I only ask that you Tune In to yourself. 

Timothy O'Leary was right about a few things: 

TUNING IN is a choice we make to hear our Intuition. 

TURNING ON to receiving the information is another choice. 

DROPPING OUT is one of the things we also have to do in order to drop out of the mainstream sheep way of thinking in order to become aware of our own instincts.

Be Xtrasensitive to the world around you....and IN YOU today. 

TURN ON your ESP Button!!

Waxing Moon Magick

I first realized that there was more to life when I read the Old Farmer's Almanac and it told me when to plant, when to harvest...hell....it even tells you when is the best time to cut your hair to grow longer or thicker.

This is Moon Magic in a way. Listening to the moon, and judging it's effects with tides and growth seasons and cycles.

Waxing Moon is the moon growing in light density, As I said in my last post about Waning Moons I have a bit of a rhyme for you:

"Light on the Right is Might.....(waxing/growing/increasing)

"Light on the Left is Leaving." (waning/ shrinking/decreasing)

Here's a Waxing Moon, just so you can look at it and remember the rhyme.

And here's a Waxing Gibbous Moon....

Gibbous meaning "Almost Full"

Magic for Waxing Moons consist of anything that builds in intensity....growing... gaining power....building
Such as: Love, Courage, Protection, Money, Luck.

It is a time to increase, draw things to you...it's a growing time.

It's a time of Positive energy.

It's a good time to begin new things, save money, build, create.

Think of it as a snowball that builds and builds as it rolls down the hill....

Say YES to the Universe and keep increasing your energy and attractiveness.
Good things will come to you if you just say YES to it in this time of positive energy.

Waning Moon Magick

"I need a W word for my next Pagan Blog Project word, Got any ideas?" I said to my mate.

"Wane" said Wayne.

The waning moon is the decreasing moon in light. It is the beginning process of going from a full moon back to the dark moon.

This is a time of decreasing other things in your life as well. A good time to banish negativity, lessen addictions, ridding toxic people or activities, removing obstacles, cleaning, ending bad habits or getting rid of debt.

Sometimes getting rid of something can make a big difference in your life.

Saying "No" to certain behaviors or activities can actually free you up for spending your time on more positive things!

Don't know what a waning moon looks like?

Here is my very own rhyme so that when you look at the crescent moon you'll know which is which:

"Light on the LEFT is LEAVING" 
(waning/weakening/shrinking)


"Light on the RIGHT is MIGHT" 
(waxing/strong/growing)

What is something you'd like to diminish in your life?

Is there a person whose negative behavior you'd rather not be around anymore?
Start withdrawing from them. You can love them, but start pulling back from them leaning on you and from your support of them and their needs.

Is there a bad habit that you would like to end in your life?
(smoking/drinking/gossiping/laziness..etc) Start by just committing to just a small step for today.

Remember even small steps will make you go forward. 

So today, I tell you to cast off something unwanted or unneeded so that you may lighten your load and pick up only what is helpful to yourself and others.

Mermaids....and the Emotional "Tackle Box"

Our intrepid StoryBook Club went fishing for .....

Mermaids.

Did we find them? Oh yes we did.
I saw an article online that said:
"Thursday, July 05, 2012
"No Evidence of Mermaids, Says U.S. Government"
 

So why the obvious declaration?

Because there have been sightings for thousands of years, that's why. One of the latest was in the 1980s. That's right.  

Now, if you believe in folklore...(and of course we in the StoryBook Club are always open minded...)

you will see that Mermaids are magickal creatures. They can come in many colors, sizes, shapes and varying degrees of beauty.

We studied many stories of Mermaids...and Mermen...especially the story, "The Little Mermaid".

And I have to conclude that we felt that Disney did society and our culture a disservice to change the ending of The Little Mermaid to a Happy Ending.

Why?
Because the original tale (tail? :) didn't turn out so well for our obsessed little Mermaid.
No.

She depicts the epitome of a person in a Co-Dependant Relationship.

You know that old chestnut....a person experiences "Love at First Sight".
She obsesses.

He falls (into the ocean in the story, but it could be anything he needs rescuing from)

and

She SAVES him.

Well....sort of.

He is a Prince.
She is a Princess.
You'd think that would be a MATCH, right?

Nope. He is sort of an idiot. He can't see what is right in front of him. He has servants that wait on him. And so it is with some people who always need rescuing. She tries to save him, but she gets tangled in the net of love, as it were.

She decides that the only way he will even NOTICE her...is for her to go to the Sea Witch.

Down into the depths she goes...spurred on by Flotsam and Jetsam, the eels of negative thinking.

The Little Mermaid makes a deal with the Sea Witch (or the Devil, as this has a lot of Christian elements of a morality story in it). The Little Mermaid TRADES her beautiful fin tail (her Independence) for legs. And she pays for it with?

Her VOICE.

And really... so do we all, that have lived through a co-dependent relationship.

(A nod goes round the room....)

We trade our independence and our voice...our real SELF...that which makes us UNIQUE to please someone.

Did the Prince fall in love with her? Oh yah, he did.

Did the Prince marry her? Well...NO. Not in the original story.

That's where Disney went awry.

You see, in the REAL world...when someone is involved in a relationship where it is one sided...
and one person loves too much...
and the other person is oblivious to the depth of love....and swims in shallow water...

There can be no happy ending.
It just doesn't happen.
 

In the original folktale, the Prince marries someone else.

The Little Mermaid is then going to die on that sunset evening of his wedding if he didn't marry her.

(and haven't we all felt like we would DIE if something like that occurred?)

Instead, in the original story (instead of Disney's fairy tale happy ending...)
The little mermaid's wonderful sisters try to help her by selling their beautiful hair to the Sea Witch for a magickal sword. They give it to her and say: "If you just take this sword, and KILL the Prince, you can get back your fin tail and come swim with us again!!"

But instead of killing that which she loves (and what is killing her spirit) and thusly claim her independence with the death of the relationship....and get her own life and soul back...
the SILLY Mermaid takes the sword and throws it away!
and....
DIES.

THE END.

Yah. That's the REAL and true ending to Co-dependent relationships.

OH....If she'd only taken the daring move to break the bond!
If only she could've broken the cycle of dependence and degradation that she experienced....
she would LIVE again!!

We in the StoryBook Club think that Disney should've told us THAT ending!

Maybe people would all learn that love like THAT... ISN'T love! 

It's Caretaking. It's a trap and hard to break.

Oh Little Mermaid....Honeygirl....
Love shouldn't have to hurt like walking on razor blades! (or eggshells)

If you trade your unique voice, how will you be able to truly love and express yourself?

That was her sin and her fault. So....she got what she got...
and don't let Disney tell you different!!

You think Mermaids are all sweetness and light?

GUESS AGAIN.

Some of the stories we know of Mermaids tell a different story.
These water babies are VERY dangerous.

They call to you...
and speak to your vanity....

They lure you to the side of the ship....

and make you want to jump into the water....

and then

when you do jump and fall head over heels for them?

They EAT YOU.

                                    

Well....

that fixes that whole Co-dependent thought process, now doesn't it?

Talk about the assertive directive...

No Vanity worshippers there, eh?  

Yah...their victim's face is the FIRST to go!

So much for alluring others with that "under my thumb", bait, eh?

That's one way to stop that love at first sight and co-dependent shite.

 But surely I digress. :)

We had a lovely evening dining at Keith and Ed's home. There was a beautiful table set for us!

There were Mermen and Mermaids, and Sushi and Fish sticks and "Chicken of the Sea" and Tuna salad and Seaweed treats! Goldfish and Blue sea sweets. It was a lovely evening!

We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful fish that Keith and Ed keep so well...
They have 3 tanks filled with beauties...and one tank is a salt water tank too!

"The fish in the bowl is lucky...they in for a different fate..."

Check out the centerpiece!

Handsome and Sexy and Alluring ...MERMEN!

Mmmmmm. I'd have to think twice about not jumping o'er board for them, meself...

Lots of fun....awesome conversations....great thinkers...bawdy banter....and good food!

I LOVE MY STORYBOOK CLUB!!

Next month we decided that we needed to visit a story with a MUCH stronger willed heroine.

SO....

In honor of Christmas and Yule holidays will visit Hansel & Gretel for the season!
I'm sure we'll cook up a LOT of fun and mischief!

 Menu choices may include Gingerbread, Bread Crumbs...and Baked Witch :)

Vixens R Us

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

vix·en

noun \ˈvik-sən\

Definition of VIXEN

1

: a shrewish ill-tempered woman

2

: a female fox

3

: a sexually attractive woman 


I had to laugh when I first read that description!

I guess I am a Vixen.

Ok, so I'm not always "shrewish and ill tempered". But sometimes I can be.

I'm not technically a female "fox". But in someways I AM. 

And somedays I look in the mirror and I do not see a sexually attractive woman in the reflection.

But somedays, I DO.

Vixens have been noted throughout literature and spoken traditions to be confident, sexually attractive and a bit mischievous. Well, I resemble that remark.

Maybe You do too.

And that's OK.

It's high time we just admit that we are who we are, and don't back down, and don't be intimidated, and don't take a back seat if you don't want to sit in the back seat. 

Be a Vixen.

A luscious, creamy skinned, gossimer flowing, hair blown by breezes, sultry smiling, inviting VIXEN.

As a matter of fact... wear that today. 

Wear it when you stand your ground and say what you feel and do what you really need to do for yourself.

Why don't we just combine those two images and put our VIXEN ON?

Strong and Luscious.

V is for Voice

Voice.

It's more than your speaking voice.
It's more than your singing voice.

It's the channel of your authentic self.

And that's something that I've been thinking a lot about lately.

(Insert the chorus of The Who's "Who are You?" here)

I was a precocious child.
I was a survivor.
I was a dutiful parochial student.
I was a normal public school kid.
I was a wild promiscuous teenager.
I was a freedom loving young adult.
I was a exhibitionist free spirit.
I was a pothead.
I was a wise ass.
I was a rocker.
I was a class clown.
I was a wild thing.
I was a sword.
I was a conformist.
I was a wife.
I was a mother.
I was a Sunday School teacher.
I was a Bible thumper.
I was a Camp Fire Leader.
I was a gardener.
I was a homemaker.
I was a stay at home mom.
I was a parent at parent-teacher conferences.
I was a peacemaker.
I was a seeker.
I was a tarot card reader.
I was an untamed soul.
I was a divorced woman.
I was a pagan.
I was a flirt.
I was a mate again.
I was a singer.
I was a performer.
I was a front person.
I was a gypsy.
I was an empty nester.
I was a hoarders wife.
I was a writer.
I was a giver.
I was a bigamist.
I was codependant.
I was a stirrer of a pot.
I was a detective.
I was a filing cabinet.
I was glue.
I was a shredder.
I was set free.

I was.....

all these things.

And now, it's time to find out what all these things are when put together.

That's my voice.

This melting pot of muck and mire and gems and caviar is my authentic self.

It sounds like...... the cry of a banshee singing softly in church.

This is my voice.

Time to let it ring from the rooftops.


What's your voice sound like?

Uroboros~ "To Infinity and BEYOND!" :)

Uroboros

Even if you don't know the word off the top of your head....

You know what I mean- if I describe it as "that symbol of a snake eating his tail."
I'm sure you've seen it on a torque, or some old artwork or maybe a tattoo on someone?

Simplified, it means, recycling, renewal or eternity. It's also got some string theory tangled up in it's worm holes. (Yes, Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory would love to chat with you about this symbol, I'm sure :)

I never knew the actual word for it till now....
That is one of the interesting boons about this Pagan Blog Project that I've been participating in for the past 10 months. I love to learn about interesting things and increase my knowledge base! I'll share with you, k?

So here we go off on an adventure!

Uroboros.
The snake that eats itself ....is ending itself ....while at the same time it's creating itself.

Did you get all that?
The process is ethereal and yet so very deep and also so very ancient in its history!
This symbol has been around for a LOOOONG time. It was seen in Egyptian temples dating back to 1600 b.c.e. It was part of the Gnostic information and also Western Alchemy.

Carl Jung thought it to be an archetype of the human psyche.
Still others say it is Infinity. (can't you just hear Buzz Lightyear say in "Toy Story?" "To Infinity and Beyond!").

And so it is.

Sometimes when we delve into a subject as deep as Time...
OR The Universe...
OR trying to know Ourself...

We often find that the deeper we go, the more we learn... and then we find out how little we know!

Humans need to keep learning in order to grow and evolve and find ourselves, yet here is the irony:
The more we know ourselves...
the bigger the Universe becomes...
and we find ourselves in constant renewal and rebirth.

It's an enigma that leads to a conundrum wrapped up in an ever recycling mystery!

How wonderfully ironic and tantalizing!

Some string theorists have even likened this snake symbol as the Universe. It is ever growing and expanding.  They say that different dimensions are created, when the snake (time and/or space) crosses over itself and a new worm hole is opened up to a new reality.

Again, the more we know the less we know.
We need to learn and grow and be constantly in the state of renewal.

This snake eating itself symbol was often used as the symbol for the Ace of Cups in Tarot decks. That card is about "Emotional and Spiritual Fulfillment." Completion. Knowledge.

It is also found in many cultures and in Creation myths from many traditions.

This symbol is Kundalini energy and the snake is revered as very powerful!

So it is, that when we look within, we keep getting deeper.
We learn things about our own self that may frighten or dismay us.

BUT when we push past that uncomfortable barrier, we soon find out the meaning of WHY we are the way we are. THEN we have compassion for ourselves,  and we can grow to the next step or level, in our own evolution of spiritual and emotional growth. 

When we bite our own tail....and swallow our old self....

We GROW into a new improved version of our own self.

Want to learn more?
Start by surfing hither:

http://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/topics/big-stories-the-new-universe?commentId=5301756%3AComment%3A13816&xg_source=activity


http://aquariumofvulcan.blogspot.com/2010/03/uroboros.html

http://www.mu6.com/uroboros.html

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros

Undines

Undines are Water Elementals.

They are like Fairy beings that live in and around water, in any form.
Some are Oceanic, others are from lakes and rivers, some love waterfalls, and still others live around bogs and wetlands.

Undines maintain and guard water spots. They care for the Earth and Water is their element that they are "in charge of" to protect.

It is said that they are not of wispy nature, but have flesh, can reproduce and have feelings, so they are not technically "spirit"...but more like an immortal being that lives in a different dimension.

Undines LOVE music and are also reported to have beautiful voices of their own.

Some folklore says that if a female Undine falls in love with a human male and marries him, and has his child, then the Undine will gain mortality and start to age.

Evidently, this happened with one beautiful Undine. Her husband promised to love her with every breath he took. However, after she bore him a child, she gained mortality and she started to age. So the story goes it was at this point that he started to lose interest in her.
One day, she heard him snoring in the barn. She went to see him, and found him sleeping in the arms of another maiden after lovemaking. She woke him up and cursed him saying, "I have kept my promise to you, and loved you totally. You promised to be faithful and love me with every waking breath! Now as long as you are awake, you shall live." Of course, as soon as he fell asleep... he DIED.

There is a real medical condition called "Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrom (CCHS).
It is evidently a severe form of sleep apnea which causes the person to lose control of their innate automatic breathing, and if untreated, the person will DIE.
Interestingly enough, this condition has historically been called, "Undine's Curse."
Really, really. Look it up.

It is said that Undines love music, can take a human form if wanted, but that humans have a hard time seeing them, for the most part.

I have seen one though. Was it a blessing? Was it a curse?

We live on a wetland and right on a creek. One day, way back in 1999 or so, my mate, Harry, was duplicating our "Kismet" cd and making some cassettes (yes, cassettes, at the time :) in our kitchen.
In order to do this, he was "high speed dubbing" the music.

Picture if you will, music playing at a dizzying 60 miles an hour. Whirring music, revved up, high pitched chipmunk voices, guitar music that sounded more like a music box on high speed. I think what happened was that it lured with its sound, an Undine into the kitchen from the backyard.

Actually, I am sure of it. At the time, we had a back screen door that didn't always shut tight. Sometimes it stayed open a crack. I think an Undine slipped in very easily from the creek.
I walked into the kitchen and I saw some wee creature that was RED, sitting, with legs crossed and swinging, relaxed on the counter on top of the cassette player. The music player was spewing forth this wild high pitched music. It was just sitting there listening to it, very happily.
Then it saw me, and the look on its face was that it was shocked! It flew to the table and then straight out the back door, the way it came in, as fast as a hummingbird!

I don't know why, but the words "Red Undine" were emblazoned in my mind at that very moment.
I had never even heard that term before. So I went and looked it up. I knew what it was immediately.

I know what I saw.

It looked like a beautiful winged fairy, only it was RED. And FAST. And yet, seemingly, it was pissed that it had to leave the music it was drawn to! I felt bad that I had surprised it so and yet was flattered that it had chosen to listen to the sound of my voice on the tape!

I know you must think I'm totally whacked, delusional....but I swear it's true.

After that, we had a rash of "happenings" in my home that were highly mischievous in nature....and some were slightly malicious in intent. Mostly the things were: missing keys, missing bank passbooks, checks that were uncashed, important documents. All came up missing at different times, under different circumstances.
At one point, I swear I could almost hear the laughter of some wicked little sprite, and I shook my fist in the air and said, "Ok! You win! I've had enough! Stop being so mean! Bring back my stuff. This is NOT funny for me! I won't like you anymore if you don't stop this mischief at once!"

The next day, we had to move out a piece of furniture to get at a plugstrip behind the heavy desk. By the look of the dust bunnies back there, it hadn't been moved in quite awhile.

Guess what we found?
Yup. ALL the checks, every missing bank passbook and all keys and doodads ALL TOGETHER hidden in a place that we couldn't get at, stacked neatly together. We would NEVER have thought to look there.

It was the Undine, I'm sure she was mad at me for seeing her and surprising her that one day. She got even.

But I was grateful that at least she let me find our stuff. I then went into the attic, nailed my grandfather's cavalry iron horseshoes up over our front and back doors immediately. Fairies and sprites do NOT like iron.

The next day, as I was sitting on my porch having coffee, I noticed that my little garden fairy statue on the steps, HAD NO HANDS. Where were they? You would think that if they fell off, not being glued properly or something, that the resin sculptured hands would be laying at the base of the statue, right?

NOPE. Nowhere to be found. Anywhere.

And then I understood.

The horseshoes went up the day before. The fairy statue's missing parts had literally now said "Hands Off" to our house. I thanked them and left some cake and milk in my garden for them.  I love fairies, as I appreciate snakes and bats and spiders... but NOT IN THE HOUSE.

I very much was flattered that the Undine loved my music! It did sound very ethereal with the harmonies and the music going so fast, when I thought about it later. I could see why a being of faster heart rate and speed and movement would like to hear it like that.

And I am very grateful because....well, it could've been a lot worse.

I can sleep at night, without dying, after my magickal run in with an Undine. :)

If you want to read more about Undines, surf here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undine_%28alchemy%29

http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta25.htm

Goblins

Goblins.
Even just saying the word makes you look over your shoulder. Goblins have been in the human culture since someone heard a suspicious noise outside the cave door. "Hey Ug, what's that sound?? Did you see that shape? Kill it with your club...IF you can..." said the cave woman.

Yes, once again it's time for a Story at our StoryBook Club! Last night, we searched for Goblins!

Every month we pick a topic of children's literature and research on our own. Then we bring what we've found back to group and tell tales on the topic ...and EAT, DRINK and be MERRY!
We found out a lot of things, so much information...and much of it was conflicting! Yet the one thing that was consistent was that no matter WHAT goblins looked like (there is no rule...from terrifying Orcs to little Gremlins) the only thing that Goblins shared in common is?

They are mean nasty little shits. Grumpy, angry, malicious, mean spirited little feckers.

Yup. That's the only common denominator.

Their looks run the gamut. But it boils down to this: basically any creature that is unusual, ugly and creepy and jumping out at you and scares the bejesus out of you... COULD be a Goblin.
Usually they are small....but some of the orcs in LOTR are not!

Here are some other interesting tidbits of Goblin Lore:

Goblins ride Wargs.
Goblins eat anything....including PEOPLE.
Goblins sometimes kidnap females to make them (unwillingly so) into Goblin WIVES.
Goblins switch out human babies for Goblin changeling babies.
Goblins can sometimes possess magickal abilities (i.e. Rumplestiltskin was likely a goblin)
Goblins like MONEY.
Goblins do mischief and malice just for fun and because it makes their little black hearts HAPPY.
Keith found a great old Victorian poem called "The Goblin Market" and it seems that there is some underlying and now fading link to Women's Rights, homosexuality and Goblins.
As in, "if a woman becomes "knowledgeable or independant, sexual in any manner...or if she's a woman who lives with another woman, FIE! She has gone over to the "dark side" and the Goblins (i.e. devil) surely has his claws into her!"

Here "The Goblin Market" info and background. CLICK THIS TO READ IT!

Interesting.

So, the message here is: Be afraid of independence ladies! The Goblins will get you if you go out at night! Or have that kiss from that handsome stranger! You will be DOOMED and no amount of wishing you hadn't wished that baby away will save you. And for God's sake, DON'T partake of any Goblin food for you will wither away and pine for it at the same time. (i.e. once you get a taste of sexuality,...you are LOST, sort of Victorian reasoning.)

Heedless of the danger to ourselves....
Our StoryBook Club was UNDAUNTED and we met at Phil & Christine's house and they had it decorated perfectly for our evening's swaree!

 We even caught one Goblin trying to steal our dinner!!

Some of the delightful bounty of the table was:
A cheesy, meaty Goblin dip, Baked Apples,

Goblin Goulash, Goblin Soup (made with cabbage and savory browned bits of Hobbit :)

 gold coins, and Goblin Feet and Goblin Pie!

It was wicked fun!

There were many movies that are out there featuring Goblins! "Legend", "The Spiderwick Chronicles", "Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter" just to name a few!
But our movie of choice was "Labryinth" with David Bowie for our Goblin viewing pleasure.
(That and seeing David Bowie in tights :)
Unfortunately most of us had to get home before the Goblins got us....
and the rest of us fell into a charmed spell of relaxation and started snoring in the comfy chairs there.
Christine shared an interesting tidbit of info on this movie, was that the baby "Toby" in the movie "Labyrinth" is actually Brian Froud's son!

You remember Brian Froud, right? He is the amazing artist who brought goblins and fairies into the forefront of our psyche with his work in "The Dark Crystal" and Jim Henson's Creature Shop! He is really raising his child in the fantasy world right from the get go!

Next month we will set sail into November's month of "if-y" watery travel and dive into the murky fathoms to research mermaids and  "The Little Mermaid", in particular!

Mermaids too....are not the sweet things that Disney would have you believe. I can't wait to hook one and pull it out of the water. I hate taking the hook out though...

Certainly there is more within THIS story than Disney wants us to know.....

So....

Keep Reading and Learning!!