Month: February 2012

Lady Of The Lake

Lady Of The Lake

In the Camelot legends, the Lady of the Lake is a mysterious personage. Foster mother to Lancelot, it was said that she raised him beneath the water, grooming him to become the powerful knight he became. She also gifted Arthur with the magickal sword of Excalibur, at the behest of Merlin, and later took it back when it was thrown into the lake. She was one of the three ladies who lead Arthur to Avalon after his death.

Because she is identified as many different women in various texts, it is argued that “Lady of the Lake” may have been a title instead of a name, used to identify a high priestess. It is further suggested that the lady was a water Goddess or a creature from the fairy realm.

Judging by her actions, we can perceive that the Lady of the Lake’s essence was wise and benevolent and tends to function according to intuition.

Water Witch Lore – Merfolk

Water Witch Lore – Merfolk

Whole books have been written about mermaids and mermen. The mermaids are the female version of this race of water beings. They are said to be exceptionally beautiful and have the upper body of a human woman and the lower body of a large fish. Scottish folklore states that human legs are just beneath the fish scales.

Merfolk are usually spotted by fisherman, most often while the merfolk are sunning themselves on rocks. They are said to have enchanting singing voices and have been credited with leading many sailors to their deaths. They are also said to be portents of particularly violent storms.

As members of the fairy realm, merfolk are thought to be soulless. It is a common belief that they can gain a soul by marrying a human and remaining on dry land. Moreover, it is also commonly accepted that to gain a mermaid wife, a human must steal her comb, cap, or mirror and then hide it. If the mermaid cannot find et, she will remain on land. Eventually, she will be overcome with homesickness and slip quietly back into the water.

Merman, in stark contrast to the beautiful females of the species, are said to be ugly. They have green hair, large mouths, snub noses, and green teeth. They reportedly give off a “wild” vibration. They are said to be adversarial and cause storms or large waves unless offerings are made to them. Frequently, the ship’s captain would tend to this by placing any dead bodies with the offerings and then tossing them overboard.

One well-documented merfolk encounter took place in Denmark, in the year 1723. It seems that a royal commission had become so plagued with merfolk tales that they set out to disprove their existence. Along the way, they themselves encountered a merman. He was said to have risen from the water and stared at them. After a few minutes of this, they were so disturbed that they turned the ship around. Once they did, the merman growled at them and dove back into the water.

There are hundreds of accounts from people claiming to have seen a mermaid. Even Christopher Columbus claimed to have encountered mermaids in his voyage to the West Indies.

Some tales of merfolk-type creatures are quite ancient. The Babylonian God Oannes, who was human from the waist up and a fish from the waist down, was popular around the year 300 BC. Oannes was credited with imparting knowledge and culture to humans. Other deities of the merfolk type were worshipped in India, Greece, and Rome.

In Ancient China, around 3322 BC, the deities of Fuxi and his wife, Nu Gua, were thought of as the founders of Chinese civilization, after the great flood. Half-human, half-fish, they created the system of the I Ching.

Water Witch Lore – Rains

Water Witch Lore – Rains

One of the most obscure and most exciting natural phenomena is colored rains. During the evaporation process, the rain sometimes picks up colored pigments in the dust or dirt near an area or in the atmosphere. The result is rain that leaves a colored stain on the ground or on exposed objects. There have been reports of green, yellow, black red, and brown rain in various places all over the world.

In 2001, almost the entire country of India was visited by colored rain. Scientists theorized that it was due to a meteorite stirring up dust in the atmosphere. A few years earlier, Afghanistan was visited by yellow rain, which was thought to be caused by a heavy concentration of pollen in the air.

The red rains have been referred to as “rains of blood” by many and can be quite alarming if one does not know what they are. The red minerals picked up over clay-laden lands can cause this rain to be bright scarlet, exactly like blood. Cases have been investigated for hundreds of years in the southeastern states of the United States. The most amazing part of the blood-rain cases is that man eyewitnesses claimed that actual tissue matter fell along with th rain. Scientists ay this is an exaggeration due to a hysterical reaction to red rain, but other reports speculate that it may possibly have been bird tissue.

The red rains are thought to be more dangerous than the other colors of rain. It has been said that the red rain burned those it fell upon. As red is also the color of anger, this is not at all surprising. but what is surprising is the sudden appearance of swarms of butterflies directly after a red rain.

In parts of the world that boast of extremely high mountains, red and pink snow has been known to fall. This is commonly called “watermelon snow” and has been said to even smell like watermelon. Aristotle mentioned this type of colored snow in one of his works. Other colors of snow include green, yellow, and orange, although they are not as common as watermelon snow.

Special Kitty of the Day for February 13th

Lucky, the Cat of the Day
Name: Lucky
 Age: Three years old
Gender: Male
 Kind: Tabby
Home: Weisbach, Germany
Lucky is a very lovely cat, but three years ago Lucky has a bad time. When he was born, Lucky’s mum had left him and so I gave him potatoes and milk until we could get kitten food. Lucky is grey and black (he looks like a tiger). He loves to play with me, with other cats and to sleep in his basket. When I come home from school, Lucky waits for me and he picks me up from the bus. He is so special because he is simply unique and cuddly.

I love Lucky very much!

Dog-gone Doggies of the Day for Feb. 13

Holly, the Dog of the Day
Name: Holly
 Age: Three year old
Gender: Female Breed: Shetland Sheep Dog
Home: South Florida, USA
I‘m Holly Brown, a three year old Shetland Sheep Dog. In the second picture, I am way up in the mountains at our home in North Carolina, but most of the time I live in South Florida. I am the alpha dog with two other lovely Shelties and we have a wonderful time with our family. They have never had more than one dog at a time and we really keep them going. What fun!

In the pictures below you see me (Blue Merle) with Rosie (Tri-color), who is my age, and Bambi (Sable) who is only one. We have a great time exploring, running, and barking (a lot). Shelties do not like to swim, however our family is teaching us in case one of us might accidentally fall in our pool.

In November, while staying in the mountains, Bambi and I took off exploring the 180 acres adjoining our property. We got lost and everyone on the mountain helped search for us in the rain as night fell. What luck when we were found standing drenched and bewildered. After we had a warm bath, Rosie gave us a lecture on going off on our own. I don’t think we will do that again!

My days are very busy as I am a very friendly dog. My sisters and I go to my dad’s law office and greet the clients. They love all three of us and are disappointed when we are not there. We have a nice pen behind the office with a tree where we love to take a break and Dad sits in a chair and relaxes with us. Then back inside to nap until our next visitor.

My coat is very thick and Mom enjoys brushing me. I am very well behaved and sit still as she carefully grooms me. I especially like to lick people. Oh, and yes, I like to chase the cats that are in our neighborhood. They tease me from the other side of the fence and I run up and down, but never seem to catch one. They are very tricky.

Taking a walk with us is very challenging. My sisters and I like to get tangled up and Mom has to step over our leashes. I wish I had a movie as it would make you laugh. I also like to bark at the vacuum cleaner and the hair dryer when someone is drying their hair.

I have a wonderful life! I am very gentle and little children love to pet and hug me. I like that, too!

We want to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

New Moon Report for February 13 – Mercury in Pisces

New Moon Report for February 13

By Jeff Jawer

Mercury in Pisces

Monday, February 13, 5:38 pm PST, 8:38 pm EST

Minds meander with Mercury moving through Pisces, going off course to places that words cannot adequately describe. This transit serves poets, artists, healers, spiritual seekers and all those who don’t rely on objective evidence to shape reality. Facts may grow fuzzy, but conversations grow tender as intuition becomes the most valuable source of information.

Cosmic Calendar for Monday, Feb. 13th

For the start of a workweek, you cannot use the business-as-usual tag line in any realistic shape or form. As indicated in yesterday’s calendar entry, Mercury is on the move – forming a strong parallel with the Sun (8:11AM PST), a flowing trine to Saturn in air signs (10:45AM PST), entering Pisces (5:39PM PST) as well as uniting with far-out Neptune (10:48PM PST). By early tomorrow, Mercury will unite with Pallas – bringing three celestial bodies into the Zero Point of psychic, mysterious, and go-with-the-flow Pisces. Add on this morning’s Sun-Vesta subtle 30-degree rapport (9:50AM PST) and the presence of intense Scorpio Moon, and knowing which way economic markets are going to shift is a coin toss. Whereas Mercury aligning with both the Sun and Saturn early today suggests a need for pragmatism and logic, the annual Mercury-Neptune conjunction in Pisces as Valentine’s Day approaches is quite a different story. Whenever Mercury merges its essence with Neptune, several of the graphic and fine arts loom prominently on the horizon. Plunge into photography, film and video production, painting, music and dance for inspiration. Say no to addictive behavior in any form. Meditation and soul-searching are definitely back in vogue. Don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to problem-solve and strategize overnight as Mercury contacts Pallas at 3:32AM PST on Tuesday.

Calendar of the Moon for February 13th

Calendar of the Moon
13 Luis/Gamelion

Lenaia Day II

Colors: Purple and green
Element: Water
Altar: A large post is set up behind the altar, draped in robes of purple and green, with a mask of Dionysus upon it, and arms raised upwards made of grapevine and fruit tree branches. The altar is draped in purple and green, and upon it set two purple candles, a wreath of grapevines, two jugs of wine (one white and one red), and a chalice.
Offerings: Dancing. Drumming. Music. Transforming dreams into reality.
Daily Meal: Wine. Goat or lamb. Lentils. Grape leaves. Greek food if possible.

Lenaia Invocation II

Son of Semele! Iakkhos, Giver of Wealth!
Not only wealth of the land,
But wealth of thought,
Creativity of the mind,
Spun out of enchantment
Woven of fascination
Cut through with ecstasy
And the fine threads of madness.
The earth sleeps outside,
But our spirits never sleep,
And always they thirst for your
Inspiration and growth,
Sprouting new thoughts
From the fertile field of nonsense
That we did not expect
And will greet with amazement.
We dance for fertility of mind!
From your body into the Earth,
From the Earth into our feet,
From our feet up through our heads,
You give us your intoxication
And we return it three times over.

(Instead of a particular chant, a drum circle is formed and all dance for at least an hour. Any appropriate chant may be used. After the drum circle is closed, the red wine is passed around and shared, with the worker saying, “Behold the blood of Iakkhos.” The remainder is poured out as a libation. Then the white wine is passed around and shared, with the worker saying, “Behold the dreams of Iakkhos.” The remainder is poured out as a libation.)

Calendar of the Sun for February 13

Calendar of the Sun
13 Solmonath

Parentalia

Color: Blood-red
Element: Fire
Altar: Set with a red cloth, and unlit red candles, and symbols of Mother and Father.
Offerings: Written words of thanks for one’s childhood. Be a parental mentor to someone young.
Daily Meal: Soups or stews, and bread.

Parentalia Invocation

Perhaps you gave us life,
Sowed our seed, gifted us with
Your chromosomes and genes.
Perhaps you birthed us
Or were there to greet us
As we entered the world.
Perhaps you fed us, cleaned us,
Held us when we cried,
Sang us to sleep, taught us
Many skills, or perhaps
You merely led by example.
Perhaps you were tied to us by blood
Or by marriage, or simply came
Into our lives when it was needed.
Perhaps you were a parent to our bodies,
Or to our minds, or to our hearts,
Or to our souls.
However it was, you were there,
And we are grateful,
For the flame you kindled
Has warmed us ever since,
And we will pass it on.

(Each steps forward, lights a candle, and speaks the name of a parent, or one who has parented them, and everyone else calls it back to them, as in “I honor Maria, my stepmother who taught me to read!” “We honor Maria!” The next person lights their candle from the last one, until the ritual is over. At the end, all chant in two-part harmony the names they have spoken.)