Story of the Day – A to Z

// January 30th, 2007 // No Comments » // Storypeople, humor

Here’s the Story of the Day: A to Z Story (on both sculptures): My mother always told me to finish what I started, but she had no idea of some of the people I’d be dealing with. Addt’l Story (on sculpture with block only – not available as a print, but is available as the ‘Obvious Mistake’ sculpture): Some of the stuff I learned early on was useful, she told me, but most of it was obviously meant for someone who was not me. (When you don’t want the Story of the Day any more, just send us an email at no_more@storypeople.com. Type “Unsubscribe” in the Subject & as soon as we can, we’ll stop them from cluttering your inbox…) Please do not reply to this message. If you have any other questions or comments about our web site or how to order, here’s how to get hold of us: The email address that goes right to the people who can help is: comments@storypeople.com

Copyright 2006, StoryPeople. Click here to send your own e-greeting from www.storypeople.com

New Orleans Really DID Disappear by Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist

// January 29th, 2007 // No Comments » // editorial, nola

posted on Sun, Jan. 28, 2007
New Orleans really did disappear By EUGENE ROBINSON, Washington Post columnist More infuriating than anything George W. Bush said in his State of the Union address last week was what he didn’t say. Congress and the nation heard nothing, zilch, nada, not a single, solitary word about New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and the devastation that remains from the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. A disaster that happened on his watch. How nice that the White House has been able to move beyond the trauma of September 2005 — wind and water, death and destruction, poverty and race, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” Too bad the people of New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish, Pass Christian, Biloxi, Miss., and the rest of the coast will never have the luxury of forgetting. They can’t forget that, days after Hurricane Katrina made its tragic landfall, President Bush stood in New Orleans’ historic Jackson Square, while most of the city still lay beneath brackish floodwaters, and said that nature’s trials “remind us that we’re tied together in this life, in this nation — and that the despair of any touches us all.” Must have been a very light touch. That night, Bush promised that “we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities.” He vowed, “This great city will rise again.” Then, as usual, he acted as if saying something were enough to make it so. Bush said there was “no way to imagine America without New Orleans.” No imagination is needed — the New Orleans that we knew before the flood no longer exists. The remnant of a city that survives between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain has less than half the population of the New Orleans we used to know. Vast neighborhoods are still full of houses abandoned to mold and decay. Hundreds of thousands of residents still have no way to come home — or no home to return to. Vicious hoodlums have returned, however, and are preying on the diehards who never left and the pioneers who are doing the best to help the city rebuild. Yes, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have bought a house in New Orleans and say they will make the city their new home. But they’re likely to have better security than their neighbors. New Orleans was doomed not just by Hurricane Katrina, but by the failure of levees and flood walls that should have provided ample protection. The Army Corps of Engineers has worked day and night to patch the flood-control system, and if Katrina hit again tomorrow, most of the city should stay dry. But if a similar hurricane hit from a different angle — or, heaven forbid, a stronger hurricane hit from any angle — then what’s left of New Orleans likely would be destroyed. The man who inspired Bush’s immortal “Brownie” remark, Michael Brown, will go down in history as the Federal Emergency Management Agency director who botched the federal response to Katrina. But he intends to take others in the White House down with him. Speaking recently to a group of graduate students, Brown claimed he advised that the White House assert federal control of the disaster response in the whole affected area. “Certain people in the White House,” Brown said, wanted to “federalize” the response in Louisiana in order to embarrass Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, but avoid taking any steps in Mississippi that would cast Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, in an unfavorable light. Brown did not name the White House officials who were behind these alleged machinations. A White House spokesman denied Brown’s claims. I’m about as cynical as anyone about George W. Bush and his administration, but what I mostly saw in the days after Katrina was incompetence, not political gamesmanship. The scale of the disaster was almost unimaginable, and even if the federal government had done its job, lives would have been lost and the Gulf Coast left in ruins. What is unconscionable is that a president who fundamentally does not believe in government has allowed market forces to take the lead in the reconstruction effort, which ensures that the New Orleans he promised to rebuild is gone forever. A logjam of insurance claims, construction permits, flood maps and levee projects keeps things from moving forward. Business can’t function without workers; workers can’t come home if they have no place to live. What kind of president can see one of the nation’s greatest, most historic cities ruined, and not make its rebirth his highest priority? What kind of president gives a State of the Union and doesn’t even mention New Orleans? Robinson is a Washington Post columnist.

Dustin Grella art show at Akron's ArtSpace

// January 29th, 2007 // No Comments » // art

Posted on Sun, Jan. 28, 2007
One-man art show intense, expressive `Dustin Arthur Grella’ at Summit Artspace features slate paintings By Dorothy Shinn Beacon Journal art and architecture critic Dustin Grella paints on large pieces of slate given to him by a fellow artist who salvaged them from an old Cleveland schoolhouse she has converted to studios. The blackboard-size pieces are so heavy, he must call on friends to help him lift them into place, usually about waist-high, so he can reach them from his wheelchair. He uses dry and oil pastels to paint on the slates, sometimes creating permanent images, sometimes using their inherently erasable surfaces to create stop-action animations. Two of these animations are in his current show, Dustin Arthur Grella, as are several large paintings on slate, a long wall of letters he’s written to himself, and two vitrines that hold boxes he’s built to contain journals. All are on view at Summit Artspace through March 3. It’s the first one-man show the gallery has ever had, and it certainly sets a high standard for shows to follow. His works are expressive, intense and obsessive, but then an artist whose current hero is Willem de Kooning could hardly be anything else. One of the hallmarks of this exhibit is Grella’s obsessions: He writes a letter to himself every day and mails it, and he can go to his wall of letters, point to one and tell you what happened on that date, even though his letter still sits, sealed, inside the envelope. He gives a stack of 365 cards to selected friends and family members and asks them to write on one card every day for a year, then give them back to him. These are displayed on top of vitrines, sitting in slotted wooden boxes with beautifully handcrafted copper and brass covers to keep the personal musings of his journal keepers private. His paintings consist of layers upon layers of oil pastels over dry pastels, which he has sprayed down, causing them to run and expose the layers underneath, creating beautiful juxtapositions that pulse and shimmer unremittingly as we get closer to the surface of the works. He’s also created straightforward drawings of cityscapes and landscapes, portraits and lyrical abstractions that owe much of their palette (if not their style) to de Kooning. In a side gallery are two looping digital presentations that show images being created, changed, erased and replaced, once again demonstrating the inherent painterly quality of the digital medium when used with sensitivity. One of these presentations features a portrait of Grella’s brother, Devin, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. The work begins with a swirling vortex surrounding a red apple, with the portrait of Devin quickly forming over the apple, resulting in the apple appearing as a vivid image on Devin’s forehead. The story of William Tell comes quickly to mind: a father successfully shooting an apple from his child’s head and then killing the tyrant who forced him to do it. However, this apple isn’t on Devin’s head, it’s behind it, and his portrait collapses on itself and is replaced by a dark heart shape, followed by a radiant star and other exploding shapes. “I wanted to do something for my brother,” Grella said. “He was 21 when he died. He was driving a diesel tanker from Baghdad to Fallujah and his truck was blown up by an IED. “He went to work at Sterling right out of high school, and the recruiters talked to him and he went into the reserves. Then within six months, he had gone over there. He was killed after he had been over there three or four months. He went in June or July and he died on Sept. 6. “I’m not bitter. I had 20 great years with him. I’m glad that I got the time that I did. He was 21 when he died.” Devin took Grella 12 hours to complete. It comprises four of the 11 tests that he did using time-lapse photography. The second presentation, which Grella calls Glimpse, is the culmination of the rest of the tests he completed using the time-lapse procedure. “A lot of this is a personal narrative,” he said, “what I saw that day or that night.” Glimpse shows quickly developed and erased images, one replacing another in a fluid, painterly continuum. “I had been a computer programmer before and I wanted to get into animation. I wanted to know what happened between point A and point B. The computer actually carries out the animation for me, but I wanted to know what happens, and the first four tests helped me figure that out.” Grella set up his camera to take a photograph every 60 seconds, and he would move in and add or erase on the image and try to get out of the frame before the camera clicked off another image. Sometimes he didn’t quite make it, and the viewer can see an occasional flash of his image as he moves quickly off to the side. He borrowed music for the Glimpse presentation from a friend who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. “He gave me about 15 pieces of music, but none of it sounded right until I got to this one,” Grella said. “This one worked right off the bat. I could see a rainstorm, a subway scene, and as you can see, I cut it to change with the bells.” The two drip paintings in the main gallery begin his series of works on original schoolhouse blackboard slate. These have a vibrancy and excitement not seen in the other works, and they constitute a discovery Grella made when he was frustrated with the course a work was taking and began to erase it with a spray bottle of water. “I had started to wipe it off, and I saw what was happening at the bottom of the work, the way the pigments were dripping and streaking. I got really excited and continued it all the way up to the top. Of course, there was a pile of stuff down at the bottom that I scraped off, but in places it looks like those oil eggs that you did for Easter when you were a kid.” Factory is an image that he sees from his studio window in B.F. Goodrich Building No. 4. “I was solely going to do it as a test to see if I could animate factory smoke, but it ended up being something different, a factory scene,” he said. “The original concept was to be a statement on consumerism. “The B.F. Goodrich company at one point was a productive mecca, but there’s only one light in the window now. For me, it’s been everything I’ve needed.” Many of his paintings are directly related to his discovery of de Kooning, the Dutch artist who became one of the bulwarks of the Abstract Expressionist Movement. De Kooning nearly always worked in abstract and figurative modes simultaneously and played them off each other. He often stopped at a point where the viewer can still sense the ongoing struggle for resolution, often through the intensification of colors and fragmentation of the figure. De Kooning often talked of the “frozen glimpse” that would come to him as he worked, and his work often contained separately identified anatomical parts treated as abstract forms. With the exception of the digital presentations, the balance of Grella’s work seems, in comparison to works by de Kooning, more finished, with little of the pentimenti (evidence of changes during the painting process) one would expect to see in work inspired by the AE master. Grella might argue that his Drip paintings are similar in a way to de Kooning’s famous Excavation, and in the fact that the dripping pigments gouge out and reveal earlier layers, this is so. However taken in toto, and looked at from a distance, the Drip paintings seem closer to late paintings by Van Gogh than de Kooning. There’s nothing too terrible about that; we’re still talking famous Dutch artists here. It’s in the wall of letters that we see Grella’s obsessive nature in all its force. The sheer numbers of the letters, and the attention paid to them: matching the stamps to the colors of the envelopes; having a friend draw on their surfaces; finally abandoning envelopes in favor of the older form — a large sheet of paper folded in upon itself to form its own enclosure. Grella buys older stamps and adds them together to get the current total mailing price. This has led to cross words with the post office on occasion because sometimes the symmetry of the stamps doesn’t quite add up to the proper amount, so Grella turns his envelope over and continues adding stamps on the back until he reaches the correct total. One post office clerk became so frustrated with this practice that she dug into postal regulations and the next time Grella showed up with one of his special envelopes, she slapped the rules down on the counter, proving to him he could no longer bring her any envelopes with stamps on the back. Some of the most colorful envelopes come from Central America, where he drove in a van by himself after he finished rehabilitation for a crushed cervical vertebra that left him paralyzed from about the middle of his chest down. Grella’s paralysis is the result of a platform collapsing and its roof falling on top of his head while he was attending a Grateful Dead concert 11 years ago. “There were over 100 people injured when that happened,” Grella recalled. “It was in St. Louis, the second to last show that Jerry Garcia played in. It was the Fourth of July weekend, a big party.” In rehab, he said, the therapists spent a lot of time making him want to be independent when he got out on his own, and that’s why he took off. “Three months after my brother died, I left to go to Central America,” he said indicating the rows upon rows of stamps from various countries. “Nicaragua has by far the most beautiful stamps, and Nicaragua has outstanding art. Costa Rica was terrible.” Then one night at a hostel, he was talking to his roommate, whom he had only recently met, and he said, “You know something? I’m really lonely.” “And that guy said, `Dude, you’ve got to get over the independent thing. You have to let people help you, get close to you.’ “So the whole way home, I had people in the car with me –14 kids and seven wheelchairs. It was a full house.” The last long panel begins with Dec. 1, 2006, and Grella has lined it up so that it will run through the end of the exhibit. He’s installed a portable typewriter in the gallery so visitors can write notes to him. Gallery sitters will put the notes in the envelopes and mail them to him each day of the show. Dorothy Shinn writes about art and architecture for the Akron Beacon Journal. Send information to her at the Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640 or dtgshinn@neo.rr.com.

Artemisia

// January 29th, 2007 // 2 Comments » // herbs, magick

Herbal Etymology Artemesia

Herbs and their uses are some of the most ancient recorded plants cultivated and wild-gathered it also makes sense to wonder about the origin of the name of the herbs or their etymology.So what is in a name anyway? We begin with an herb well known for it’s properties in the making of absinthe, a tincture-like drink that supposedly made people mad. In France, the drink was called la Fée Verte, or the green fairy and it was a much-loved indulgence of artists and writers. This herb was sometimes called cronewort, mugwort, or wormwood. It is known today most commonly as Artemisia.

Artemisia is one of my favorite herbs to discuss herbal etymology about because it has so many names, the origins of the names give us insight into how herbal medicine was practiced historically, and how modern herbalist are trained today.

We shall now break down the herb and its uses. First, consider cronewort. If you have yet to make the connection, herbs are often related to legends about witches or crones. Artemisia was called cronewort- crone now a bit more obvious because it was an herb regularly used for all sorts of ailments from relief of menstrual cramps to grief. Midwives or ‘crones’ used it to ease pain in pregnancy. Wort in the old English use of the word meant herb, or root. So effectively, Artemisia vulgaris could be translated to be called witch root.

The same type of Artemisia vulgaris is also called mugwort. Perhaps this is why the study of herbs is so interesting to explore because it opens windows into words and ideas we use everyday without knowing why we use them – in this case, the word wort has a second meaning, an infusion of malt that ferments into beer or mash, thus mugwort or a fermented herb used for beer- and how do we drink beer? Why yes, in a mug!

Finally, wormwood. Artemisia vulgaris was made into a tonic that was used for-you guessed it- worms, especially worms in goats!

There are at least thirteen or fourteen species of Artemisia that are used by herbalist and herb gardeners. Each Artemisia has a distinct property. For instance, tarragon is Artemisia drancuncula and I am sure there are a number of chefs out there who would love to have their own fresh tarragon for soups, chicken, and fish recipes. I bet some of their recipes may even be – magical? Ok, enough kidding about the first witches, I mean doctors.

What about the relationship of women and herbs? The herb Artemisia gives us some insight into ancient use of herbal medicine and how women who practiced the art of herbal healing were considered. It is true; women were revered and respected, we even had our own goddess.

Review the herbal etymology for this plant, think about the actual name of the herb Artemisia. Incidentally, women who practiced herbal arts usually had a picture of Artemisia painted on their door or growing in the ground near their cottage. Have you guessed yet the name of the venerable goddess of herbalists? Those of you who stopped for a moment and said, “Artemis it must be Artemis!” may now go straight to the head of the etymology class.

So who was this Artemis, anyway? I realize this may be difficult to digest at first, but historically women were powerful not because they could wield a sword or a gun or war on another nation, but because they could heal. How fitting that Artemis is called the Amazonian moon goddess, Goddess of the hunt, Goddess of the wild things, Goddess of the midwife, Goddess of the herbalist, Mother of all Creatures, Ever Virgin, owned by no man. Artemisia the herb named after Artemis the goddess of women healers is an herb for every garden.

For more information about specific varieties of Artemisia please email the editor of herbs or visit http://www.girlfarm.org to purchase plants.

Story of the Day – Saving Up

// January 27th, 2007 // No Comments » // Storypeople

Here’s the Story of the Day: Saving Up saving up a bag full of peak moments she’s going to have someday if she can ever get away from all the same old stuff that’s holding her back & you can pretty well guess how it’s going (When you don’t want the Story of the Day any more, just send us an email at no_more@storypeople.com. Type “Unsubscribe” in the Subject & as soon as we can, we’ll stop them from cluttering your inbox…) Please do not reply to this message. If you have any other questions or comments about our web site or how to order, here’s how to get hold of us: The email address that goes right to the people who can help is: comments@storypeople.com

Copyright 2006, StoryPeople. Click here to send your own e-greeting from www.storypeople.com

Qlippoth

// January 26th, 2007 // No Comments » // Qlippoth

The following comes from the Notes on the Demonic Orders (Adverse Sephiroth) in Magical Correspondences by Bill Heidrick.

[ edit] Thamiel

Thamiel: Duality in God

“Thamiel represents duality whereas Kether represents unity. Thus Thamiel is the division of that which is perfect only in unity. As a demonic order name, the Thamiel were before their ‘revolt’. This signifies ‘Perfection of God’. These angels sought to become more powerful by adding an Aleph to their name. They then became the ‘Duality of God,’ an order of the lesser demons. In the lowest state of their ‘fall’, they become the ‘the Polluted of God.’ The cortex or outer form of the Thamiel is called Cathariel, ‘the Broken’ or ‘Fearful Light of God’.”

Satan : Adversary and King

To Thamiel, “there are two demons that are attributed to stress the view that the demonic opposite of Kether is duality instead of unity and are Satan and Moloch or Malech.”

[ edit] Chaigidel

Chaigidel : Confusion of the Power of God

“These are the confusion of that great power which, as Chokmah, goes forth at the beginning to give the vital energy of creation to the processes of Binah. The cortex of the Chaigidel is called Ghogiel, ‘Those Who Go Forth into the Place Empty of God’.”

Beelzebub: Lord of the Flies and Adam Belial: Wicked Man

To Chaigidel, “both Satan and Beelzebub are attributed as well as Adam Belial. The name Belial is often used separately as a demonic name.”

[ edit] Sathariel

Sathariel : Concealment of God

“Even as Binah is the great revealing one who bestows the structure of the Absolute onto the created, its opposite, the Sathariel, conceal the nature of The Perfect. The cortex or outer form of the Sathariel is called the order of Sheireil, ‘The Hairy Ones of God’.”

Lucifuge: One Who Flees Light

To Sathariel, Lucifuge “is attributed and is probably a name made up to replace the name Lucifer , ‘Light Bearer’.”

[ edit] Gamchicoth

Gamchicoth : Devourers

“Chesed is the source of bounty both in idea and in substance to the lower forms. Gamchicoth is the order of ‘Devourers’ who seek to waste the substance and thought of creation. The outer form is the order of Azariel, ‘The Binding Ones of God’.”

Astaroth: One of the Flock

To Gamchicoth, “ Astaroth is attributed. This is the name of the goddess Astarte, the Ishtar of the Babylonians e="font-family:Times New Roman;"> and perhaps also the Isis of the Egyptians.”

[ edit] Golab

Golab: Burning Bodies

“Geburah is a going forth in power to rule in strength. The order of Golab is composed of those who burn to do destruction — even on themselves. The outer form is the Usiel, ‘The Ruins of God’.”

Asmodeus: The Destroying God

To Golab, Asmodeus is attributed. “This name is half Hebrew and half Latin. Asmodeus is often mentioned in the literature of demonology. The name can also be translated as ‘The one adorned with fire’.”

[ edit] Togaririm

Togaririm (n): Those Who Bellow Grief and Tears

“Tiphereth is the place of great beauty and rejoicing. The Togaririm build ugliness and groan about it. The cortex of the Togaririm is called the Zomiel, ‘The Revolt of God’.”

Belphegor: Lord of the Dead

To Togaririm, “the replacement of Tiphereth, the sphere of the vitalizing Sun, with a place holding Belphegor, the lord of dead bodies, is most striking.”

[ edit] Harab Serapel

Harab Serapel : Ravens of the Burning of God

“Netzach is the openness of natural love. The Harab Serapel are the Ravens of Death who reject even their own. The outer form is Theumiel, ‘The Fouled Substance of God’.”

Baal: Lord and Tubal Cain: Maker of Sharp Weapons

To Harab Serapel, “ Baal is attributed, and is “a word which means Lord , much as Adonai means Lord. The word Baal or ‘Bel’ has become restricted in its usage to signify a ‘Lord of Darkness’.” Also attributed is Tubal Cain.

[ edit] Samael

Samael: The Desolation of God, or The Left Hand

“Hod is the complex working of the will of the Absolute. Samael represents the barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation. The outer form is the Theuniel, ‘The filthy Wailing Ones of God’.”

Adrammelech: Powerful King

To Samael, Adrammelech is attributed. “This name is found in Second Kings: XVII, 29-31: ‘ And the men of Babylo
n made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.”

[ edit] Gamaliel

Gamaliel : Polluted of God

“Yesod is the place of the final forms that become matter in Malkuth. The Gamaliel are the Misshapen and polluted images that produce vile results. The outer form is the order of Ogiel, ‘those Who Flee from God’.”

Lilith: Night Spector

To Gamaliel, Lilith is attributed and “is the grand lady of all demons. The demons are sometimes considered to be the children of Lilith and is said to be the woman who comes to men in their dreams.”

[ edit] Nehemoth

Nehemoth: Whisperers (or Night Spector)

“These are responsible for frightening sounds in strange places. They excite the mind and cause strange desires.” This corresponds with Malkuth as well.

Nehema: Groaning

To Nehemoth, Nehema is attributed, “and is traditionally a demon and the sister of Lilith, possibly a remembrance of the Egyptian Nephthys and Isis. It is conceivable that Nehema is the same as Naamah, the sister of Tubal Cain.”

The following comes from the Notes on the Demonic Orders (Adverse Sephiroth) in Magical Correspondences by Bill Heidrick.

[ edit] Thamiel

Thamiel: Duality in God

“Thamiel represents duality whereas Kether represents unity. Thus Thamiel is the division of that which is perfect only in unity. As a demonic order name, the Thamiel were before their ‘revolt’. This signifies ‘Perfection of God’. These angels sought to become more powerful by adding an Aleph to their name. They then became the ‘Duality of God,’ an order of the lesser demons. In the lowest state of their ‘fall’, they become the ‘the Polluted of God.’ The cortex or outer form of the Thamiel is called Cathariel, ‘the Broken’ or ‘Fearful Light of God’.”

Satan : Adversary and King

To Thamiel, “there are two demons that are attributed to stress the view that the demonic opposite of Kether is duality instead of unity and are Satan and Moloch or Malech.”

[ edit] Chaigidel

Chaigidel : Confusion of the Power of God

“These are the confusion of that great power which, as Chokmah, goes forth at the beginning to give the vital energy of creation to the processes of
Binah. The cortex of the Chaigidel is called Ghogiel, ‘Those Who Go Forth into the Place Empty of God’.”

Beelzebub: Lord of the Flies and Adam Belial: Wicked Man

To Chaigidel, “both Satan and Beelzebub are attributed as well as Adam Belial. The name Belial is often used separately as a demonic name.”

[ edit] Sathariel

Sathariel : Concealment of God

“Even as Binah is the great revealing one who bestows the structure of the Absolute onto the created, its opposite, the Sathariel, conceal the nature of The Perfect. The cortex or outer form of the Sathariel is called the order of Sheireil, ‘The Hairy Ones of God’.”

Lucifuge: One Who Flees Light

To Sathariel, Lucifuge “is attributed and is probably a name made up to replace the name Lucifer , ‘Light Bearer’.”

[ edit] Gamchicoth

Gamchicoth : Devourers

“Chesed is the source of bounty both in idea and in substance to the lower forms. Gamchicoth is the order of ‘Devourers’ who seek to waste the substance and thought of creation. The outer form is the order of Azariel, ‘The Binding Ones of God’.”

Astaroth: One of the Flock

To Gamchicoth, “ Astaroth is attributed. This is the name of the goddess Astarte, the Ishtar of the Babylonians and perhaps also the Isis of the Egyptians.”

[ edit] Golab

Golab: Burning Bodies

“Geburah is a going forth in power to rule in strength. The order of Golab is composed of those who burn to do destruction — even on themselves. The outer form is the Usiel, ‘The Ruins of God’.”

Asmodeus: The Destroying God

To Golab, Asmodeus is attributed. “This name is half Hebrew and half Latin. Asmodeus is often mentioned in the literature of demonology. The name can also be translated as ‘The one adorned with fire’.”

[ edit] Togaririm

Togaririm (n): Those Who Bellow Grief and Tears

“Tiphereth is the place of gr
eat beauty and rejoicing. The Togaririm build ugliness and groan about it. The cortex of the Togaririm is called the Zomiel, ‘The Revolt of God’.”

Belphegor: Lord of the Dead

To Togaririm, “the replacement of Tiphereth, the sphere of the vitalizing Sun, with a place holding Belphegor, the lord of dead bodies, is most striking.”

[ edit] Harab Serapel

Harab Serapel : Ravens of the Burning of God

“Netzach is the openness of natural love. The Harab Serapel are the Ravens of Death who reject even their own. The outer form is Theumiel, ‘The Fouled Substance of God’.”

Baal: Lord and Tubal Cain: Maker of Sharp Weapons

To Harab Serapel, “ Baal is attributed, and is “a word which means Lord , much as Adonai means Lord. The word Baal or ‘Bel’ has become restricted in its usage to signify a ‘Lord of Darkness’.” Also attributed is Tubal Cain.

[ edit] Samael

Samael: The Desolation of God, or The Left Hand

“Hod is the complex working of the will of the Absolute. Samael represents the barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation. The outer form is the Theuniel, ‘The filthy Wailing Ones of God’.”

Adrammelech: Powerful King

To Samael, Adrammelech is attributed. “This name is found in Second Kings: XVII, 29-31: ‘ And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.”

[ edit] Gamaliel

Gamaliel : Polluted of God

“Yesod is the place of the final forms that become matter in Malkuth. The Gamaliel are the Misshapen and polluted images that produce vile results. The outer form is the order of Ogiel, ‘those Who Flee from God’.”

Lilith: Night Spector

To Gamaliel, Lilith is attributed and “is the grand lady of all demons. The demons are sometimes considered to be the children of Lilith and is said to be the woman who comes to men in their dreams.”

[ edit] Nehemoth

Nehemoth: Whisperers (or Night Spector)

“These are responsible for frightening sounds in strange places. They excite the mind and cause strange desires.” This corresponds with Malkuth as well.

Nehema: Groaning

To Nehemoth, Nehema is attributed, “and is traditionally a demon and the sister of Lilith, possibly a remembrance of the Egyptian Nephthys and Isis. It is conceivable that Nehema is the same as Naamah, the sister of Tubal Cain.”

Cues

// January 24th, 2007 // No Comments » // magick, writing

Story cues:

Wurzles, Crittlebums, Kooras, Feather duster parakeets, Bishop fish, Amphisbaena, Marsupials, Opossums, Capybaras, Bilby, Chimerea fish, Black dragon fish, Deep sea anglerfish, Fossa, Fangtooth fish, Shovel nose lobsters, Lizard fish, Umbrella mouth gulper eel, Sea spider, Aye-aye, Dobson fly, Giant squid, Kalibi-Yah manifold, Nefesh

God Character – Bal Tachlis “Bahl Takliss”

Twelve Tribes

• Reuben
• Simeon
• Levi
• Judah
• Dan
• Naphtali
• Gad
• Asher
• Issachar
• Zebulun
• Joseph
• –Manrasseh
• –Ephraim
• Benjamin

Babylon – Babil Province “Gateway to the Gods” wife Amyitis received the Ishtar Gate and Hanging Gardens because she was homesick. King Solomon – Prince Darius

• Nefesh – lower part of the soul. Animal part. Instincts and cravings.
• Ruach – middle soul or spirit. Morality. Sentience. Right/Wrong
• Neshamah – higher soul, intellect.
• Chayyah – part that allows us to perceive Divine existance
• Yahidah – highest place. As full as of a union with God as possible.

Maya – Latin/Central America – Toltecs.

• Quetzacoatl –> Kukulcan = “feathered serpent”
• King ZiBalba –> Prince Zutugil, counselor Coxoh, lady Chol and princess Pipil.
• Nahua
• Zapotecs
• Septs – priest kings
• Hzaes – warriors
• Nahua – mercenaries
• System of the Cross – writing system
• Zotzilaha Chimalman – BAT GOD – a.k.a. Camazotz (Lord of Death and Hell) blocks attempts at heros journey.
• Goddess was a water goddess.

Calabi-Yau manifold

// January 24th, 2007 // No Comments » // Qlippoth, anomoly, magick

Calabi-Yau manifold

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Calabi-Yau manifold (3D projection)

Calabi-Yau manifolds are a special class of manifolds used in some branches of mathematics (such as algebraic geometry) as well as in theoretical physics. For instance, in superstring theory the extra dimensions of spacetime are sometimes conjectured to take the form of a 6-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifold. The precise definition of a Calabi-Yau manifold, given below, builds on a considerable mathematical background. The designation “Calabi-Yau space” for a member of this class was coined by physicists in the 1980s, ^[1] but mathematicians have been studying such manifolds since at least the 1950s.

[edit] Formal definition

A Calabi-Yau manifold is a Kähler manifold with a vanishing first Chern class. A Calabi-Yau manifold of complex dimension n is also called a Calabi-Yau n-fold. The mathematician Eugenio Calabi conjectured in 1957 that all such manifolds admit a Ricci-flat metric (one in each Kähler class), and this conjecture was proved by Shing-Tung Yau (???) in 1977 and became Yau’s theorem. Consequently, a Calabi-Yau manifold can also be defined as a compact Ricci-flat Kähler manifold.

Equivalently one may define a Calabi-Yau n-fold as a manifold with an SU(n) holonomy . Yet another equivalent condition is that the manifold admit a global nowhere vanishing holomorphic (n,0)-form.

The first Chern class vanishes if and only if the canonical bundle is trivial, which in turn is the case if and only if the canonical class is the zero class. While the Chern class fails to be well-defined for singular Calabi-Yau’s, the canonical bundle and canonical class may still be defined and so may be used to extend to definition of a smooth Calabi-Yau manifold to a possibly singular Calabi-Yau variety.

[edit] Examples

In one complex dimension, the only compact examples are family of tori. Note that the Ricci-flat metric on the torus is actually a flat metric, so that the holonomy is the trivial group, for which SU(1) is another name. A one-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifold is also called an elliptic curve over the complex numbers.

In two complex dimensions, the K3 manifolds furnish the only simply connected compact examples. Non simply-connected examples are given by abelian surfaces, Enriques surfaces, and hyperelliptic surfaces. Abelian surfaces are sometimes excluded from the classification of being a Calabi-Yau, as their holonomy (again the trivial group) is a proper subgroup of SU(2), instead of being isomorphic to SU(2). On the other hand, the holonomy group of a K3 surface is the full SU(2), so it may properly be called a Calabi-Yau in 2 dimensions.

In three complex dimensions, classification of the possible Calabi-Yaus is an open problem, although Yau suspects that there are a finite number of families (albeit a much bigger number than his estimate from 20 years ago). One example of a 3 dimensional Calabi-Yau manifold is a non-singular quintic threefold in CP⁴, which is the algebraic variety consisting of all of the zeros of a homogeneous quintic polynomial in the homogeneous coordinates of the CP⁴. Some discrete quotients of the quintic by various Z₅ actions are also Calabi-Yau and have received a lot of attention in the literature. One of these is related to the original quintic by mirror symmetry.

For every n, the set of zeros of a general homogeneous degree n+2 polynomial in the homogeneous coordinates of the complex projective space CPⁿ⁺¹ is a compact Calabi-Yau n-fold, although it is not always a differentiable manifold. The case n=1 describes an elliptic curve, while for n=2 one obtains a K3 surface, one of which is a singular Z₂ quotient of the 4-torus.

[edit] Applications in string theory

Calabi-Yau manifolds are important in superstring theory. In the most conventional superstring models, ten conjectural dimensions in string theory are supposed to come as four of which we are aware, carrying some kind of fibration with fiber dimension six. Compactification on Calabi-Yau n-folds are important because they leave some of the original supersymmetry unbroken. More precisely, in the absence of fluxes, compactification on a Calabi-Yau 3-fold (real dimension 6) leaves one quarter of the original supersymmetry unbroken if the holonomy is the full SU(3).

More generally, a flux-free compactification on an N-manifold with holonomy SU(N) leaves 2^1-N of the original supersymmetry unbroken, corresponding to 2^6-N supercharges in a compactification of type II supergravity or 2^5-N supercharges in a compactification of type I. When fluxes are included the supersymmetry condition instead implies that the compactification manifold be a generalized Calabi-Yau, a notion introduced in 2002 by Nigel Hitchin.^[2] These models are known as flux compactifications.

Essentially, Calabi-Yau manifolds are shapes that satisfy the requirement of space for the six “unseen” spatial dimensions of string theory, which may be smaller than our currently observable lengths as they have not yet been detected. A popular alternative known as large extra dimensions, which often occurs in braneworld models, is that the Calabi-Yau is large but we are confined to a small subset on which it intersects a D-brane.

See also: hyper-Kähler manifold

[edit] Calabi-Yau Manifold in Popular Culture

In the best-selling computer game Half-Life 2, the human “teleportation device” employs the Calabi-Yau model of space to teleport users to different points instantaneously, without passing through the intervening space. At the time of the game, the technology hadn’t been perfected, and the character is transported to several different locations as a result of the holonomy of the model.

[edit] References

1. ^ Candelas, Horowitz, Strominger and Witten (1985). “Vacuum configurations for superstrings”. Nuclear Physics B 258: 46-74. DOI:10.1016/0550-3213(85)90602-9.
2. ^ Hitchin, Nigel (2002). “ Generalized Calabi-Yau Manifolds“.

• Calabi-Yau Homepage is an interactive reference which describes many examples and classes of Calabi-Yau manifolds and also the physical theories in which they appear.
• Dominic D. Joyce Compact Manifolds with Special Holonomy (Oxford Mathematical Monographs) ISBN 0-19-850601-5

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabi-Yau_manifold“

Encyclopedia Mythica; Bestiary

// January 24th, 2007 // No Comments » // Qlippoth, anomoly, inspiration, magick, writing

Amphisbaena
The Amphisbaena is a Greek serpent with two heads and eyes that glow like candles. It has a head at each end of its body. This is how it got its name which means “goes both ways” in Greek. It is also called the “mother of ants”, because it feeds on ants. If it is chopped in half, the two parts will join again. The medical properties of the Amphisbaena were recorded by Pliny. The wearing of a live Amphisbaena is a supposed safeguard in pregnancy. The wearing of a dead one is a remedy for rheumatism. Medieval bestiaries also document the Amphisbaena as a two-headed lizard, and even a two-headed serpent-like fowl.

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Barghest
by Micha F. Lindemans
A monstrous dog with huge teeth and claws from the area around Yorkshire, northern England. It only appears at night. People believe that anyone who sees the dog clearly will die soon after the encounter. In Wales, they have the red-eyed Gwyllgi, the Dog of Darkness. On the Isle of Man it is called Mauthe Dog. (See also: Black Dogs.)

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Basilisk
by Micha F. Lindemans
The mythical king of the serpents. The basilisk, or cockatrice, is a creature that is born from a spherical, yolkless egg, laid during the days of Sirius (the Dog Star) by a seven-year-old rooster and hatched by a toad.

The basilisk could have originated from the horned adder or hooded cobra from India. Pliny the Elder described it simply as a snake with a golden crown. By the Middle Ages, it had become a snake with the head of a cock, and sometimes with the head a human. In art, the basilisk symbolized the devil and the antichrist. To the Protestants, it was a symbol of the papacy.

According to legend, there are two species of the creature. The first kind burns everything it approaches, and the second kind can kill every living thing with a mere glance. Both species are so dreadful that their breath wilts vegetation and shatters stones. It was even believed that if a man on horseback should try to kill it with a spear, the power of the poison conducted through the weapon would not only kill the rider, but the horse as well. The only way to kill a basilisk is by holding a mirror in front of its eyes, while avoiding to look directly at it. The moment the creature sees its own reflection, it will die of fright.

However, even the basilisk has natural enemies. The weasel is immune to its glance and if it gets bitten it withdraws from the fight to eat some rue, the only plant that does not wither, and returns with renewed strength. A more dangerous enemy is the cock for should the basilisk hear it crow, it would die instantly.

The carcass of a basilisk was often hung in houses to keep spiders away. It was also used in the temples of Apollo and Diana, where no swallow ever dared to enter. In heraldry the basilisk is represented as an animal with the head, torso and legs of a cock, the tongue of a snake and the wings of a bat. The snake-like rump ends in an arrowpoint.

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Behemoth
by Micha F. Lindemans
In the Old Testament (Book of Job, verse 40:15), behemoth is the name for a very large animal, like the hippopotamus or crocodile. They both play a part in the Apocalyptic, as monsters that must be killed. In later Christian religion, the behemoth is identified with Satan.

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Bishop-fish
by Matthew Seibert, Clarksville Middle School
The bishop-fish is a European sea-monster. It has the shaved head of a Catholic monk and the body of a huge fish. Its existence has been documented as early as the thirteenth century when one was caught swimming in the Baltic Sea. It was then taken to the King of Poland, who wished to keep it. It was also shown to some Catholic bishops, to whom the bishop-fish gestured, appealing to be released. They granted its wish, at which point it made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the sea. Another was captured in the ocean near Germany in 1531. It refused to eat and died after three days.

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Black Dog
by Micha F. Lindemans
The black dogs are found all over the British Isles, especially on deserted roads. They are roughly the size of a calf and they move in utter silence, except for the clicking of their claws. The chill despondency and despair these dogs cause is the reason why there are no detailed descriptions of their appearance. While a companion is no guarantee for safety — for one might see the dog and the other might not — it offers a better protection than walking alone. It is said that the best companion is a descendant of Ean MacEndroe of Loch Ewe. He rescued a fairy once and in return he and his descendants were given perpetual immunity from the power of the black dogs. (See also Barghest).

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Bolla
by Micha F. Lindemans
In ancient Albanian folklore, Bolla is a snake-like (or dragon-like) creature that sleeps throughout the entire year. On Saint George’s Day, it will open its eyes and look into the world. A human unfortunate enough to be spotted by Bolla will be devoured instantly. At the end of a twelve-year cycle it mutates into another being, called Kulshedra. This creature is a horrible, fire-breathing dragon with nine tongues. Kulshedra is sometimes also represented as an enormous woman with a hairy body and hanging breasts. The monster can cause a shortage of water and it requires human sacrifices to propitiate it. The creature is also known as Bullar in south Albania.

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Boobrie
by Micha F. Lindemans
A fabulous water-bird of Scottish Highland folk belief. The creature haunts lakes and salt wells.

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Broxa
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Jewish folklore the name of a bird believed to suck the milk of goats during the night.

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Bunyip
by Micha F. Lindemans
A bellowing water monster from Aboriginal legend, believed to bring diseases. It lives at the bottom of the water holes, swamps, lakes and rivers of the Australian outback. The creature is roughly the size of a calf and requires calm water to live in. Unless its food sources are interfered with, the bunyip usually leaves human beings alone. However, if necessary it has the strength to pull a person down into the water and drown him. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning “devil” or “spirit”.
Science sees it rather as misrecognized animals like seals, whose voices are mistaken for the cries of bitterns.
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Catoblepas
by Andrew Fowler
In some tales, the catoblepas was a creature that looked like a bull with scales. It was mentioned in a book by Gustave Flaubert, but it was first “sighted” by Pliny on a travel between Ethiopia and Egypt. He said that the locals called it “Catoblepas.”

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Centaurs
by Micha F. Lindemans
The centaurs of Greek mythology are creatures that are part human and part horse. They are usually portrayed with the torso and head of a human, and the body of a horse. Centaurs are the followers of the wine god Dionysus and are well known for drunkenness and carrying off helpless young maidens. They inhabited Mount Pelion in Thessaly, northern Greece. According to one myth, they are the offspring of Ixion, the king of Lapithae (Thessaly), and a cloud. He had arranged a tryst with Hera, but Zeus got wind of it and fashioned a cloud into Hera’s shape. Therefore, the Centaurs are sometimes called Ixionidae.

Notorious is their bestial behavior on the wedding of Pirithous, king of the Lapiths. They violated the female guests and attempted to abduct the bride. What followed was a bloody battle, after which they were driven from Thessaly. An exception was the kind and wise centaur Chiron, the teacher of the Greek heroes Jason and Achilles.

In medieval romances, the centaurs were called “Sagittary.”

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Centipede
by Micha F. Lindemans
A terrifying, man-eating monster the size of a mountain. It lived in the mountains of Japan near Lake Biwa. The dragon king of that particular lake asked the famous hero Hidesato to kill it for him. The hero slew it by shooting an arrow, dipped in his own saliva, into the brain of the monster. The dragon king rewarded Hidesato by giving him a rice-bag; a bag of rice which could not be emptied and it fed his family for centuries.

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Cerberus
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology, the three-headed watchdog who guards the entrance to the lower world, the Hades. It is a child of the giant Typhon and Echidna, a monstrous creature herself, being half woman and half snake.
Originally, the dog was portrayed having fifty or hundred heads but was later pictured with only three heads (and sometimes with the tail of a serpent). Cerberus permitted new spirits to enter the realm of dead, but allowed none of them to leave. Only a few ever managed to sneak past the creature, among which Orpheus, who lulled it to sleep by playing his lyre, and Heracles, who brought it to the land of the living for a while (being the last of his Twelve Labors).

In Roman mythology, the Trojan prince Aeneas and Psyche were able to pacify it with honey cake. (See also: Garm.)
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Ceryneian Hind
by Ron Leadbetter
The fourth labor was to capture the Hind of Cerynaea, the hind was known as Cerynitis. Eurystheus bestowed this task upon Heracles knowing full well that the animal was the sacred property of Artemis, that meant he would be committing impiety against the goddess. Artemis found a small herd of five while out hunting, she captured four to harness to her chariot, but the fifth escaped to Mount Cerynaea which borders Arcadia and Achaea. The animal was larger than a bull, brazen-hoofed also with huge golden horns or antlers of a stag.
With the hind being swift of foot it took Heracles a whole year to get close to the creature. He tracked the hind through Greece and into Thrace, (in some versions it says the chase took Heracles as far as Istria and the northern lands of the Hyperboreans). Never daunted by the long chase, Heracles was waiting for the hind to tire, this was not to be, and the hind seemed to have plenty of stamina and agility left.

Heracles knew he must disable the creature in some way, then by chance the hind stopped to drink at a river. Taking an arrow and removing the blood of the Hydra from the tip, Heracles took aim and hit the hind in the leg, making it lame, this made catching the creature much easier. Heracles bound the wound and then set off on his long journey home. On the way to the palace of Eurystheus he was met by the goddess Artemis and her twin brother Apollo. On seeing the Ceryneian Hind, the huntress accused Heracles of sacrilege. Heracles pleaded with them, saying it was a necessity to return the sacred hind to the court of king Eurystheus, as he was bound by the labor imposed on him. Artemis granted Heracles forgiveness and he was allowed to carry the hind alive to the palace.
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Cherufe
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Cherufe is a enormous lava creature in Chilean mythology who lives in volcanoes and feeds upon young maidens. To protect the local population, the sun god sent his two warrior daughters to guard the Cherufe. With them they brought magical swords which are capable of freezing the creature. But on occasion it will escape and thereby causing volcanic eruptions.

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Chimera
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster, depicted as an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the tail of a dragon (sometimes it has multiple heads). It is a child of Typhon and Echidna. It terrorized Lycia (in Asia Minor), but was eventually killed by the Corinthian hero Bellerophon.

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Cretan Bull
by Ron Leadbetter
The seventh labor took Heracles outside of the Peloponnese to Crete. The task was to capture a savage bull which had extraordinary strength and ferocity. (There are many variations to whether it was the bull that galloped over the waves carrying Europa to the island, or the wonderful beast Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, king of Crete, fell in love with, and with her sired the Minotaur).
When Heracles reached the island of Crete, the king, Minos, gave full approval to Heracles to capture and take the menacing bull back to Eurystheus, since it had caused havoc as it roamed freely throughout his domain. To capture the bull the hero made a lasso, and then chased the great beast until it weakened, throwing the lasso over the bulls head. Then, calming the beast into submission, Heracles leapt on to the bull’s back and rode the creature across the sea to the palace of Eurystheus.

Heracles presented the bull to Eurystheus, who, on seeing the magnificent beast, wanted to sacrifice it to Hera. The goddess who disliked the hero, refused the offering, saying it reflected glory on the deeds of Heracles, so the bull was released to run wild in Greece. Later it reached the plains of Marathon, where it was captured by Theseus. It was said that Theseus took pride in doing deeds in the pattern of his great kinsman.

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Cusith
by Micha F. Lindemans
An enormous hound of the Scottish Highlands. It is said to be a dark green in color, with a long braided tail and the size of a bullock. Whenever his baying was heard on the moors, farmers would quickly lock up their women because the hound’s mission was to round up women and drive them to a fairy mound so they might supply milk for fairy children.

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Dragon
by Graig Bakay
Few creatures of folklore and mythology conjure up the mental images of the dragon. Also known as wurm, wyrm and firedrake, these mercurial creatures pervade almost every pantheon of classical mythology and have become an integral inclusion of an entire genre of fantasy literature.
Descriptions of the beast’s benevolence vary from the playful Puff (of Peter Yarrow’s song) to the sinister Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”. Babylonian legends portray the Queen of Darkness as a multi-headed dragon – Tiamat. Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty features a battle between Prince Phillip and the evil Maleficent and the Germanic myth “Die Nibelungen” climaxes with the battle between Siegfried and the giant Fafnir, who has transformed himself into a wyrm in an effort to become more frightening.

Physical characteristics of dragons also vary but several consistencies are usually present. The beasts are typically depicted as huge lizards, larger than elephants on average. Long fangs are generally accepted as are twin horns of varying length. Western cultures generally include large bat-like wings giving the dragon the capability of flight. But eastern dragons, usually wingless, use a more magical means of flying. As well, eastern dragons tend to be more snake-like in nature, albeit with front and rear legs.
Most dragons will be covered in scales, although there are some with a leathery skin. Coloring ranges the entire gamut of the spectrum but red, green, black and gold appear to be the most common. It is also generally accepted that most dragons are magical creatures in nature and have the ability to breathe fire (as a weapon). Some dragons may have a modification in this breath weapon (frost, lightning, gas) but this appears to be purely a fabrication of fantasy role-playing games and the myths they spawn.

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Each uisge
by Micha F. Lindemans
The each uisge, in Ireland called the Aughisky, is analogous with the Kelpie, but far more dangerous. After he carried the unsuspecting victim into the water, it would tear him apart and devour the entire body except for the liver. As long as the each uisge is ridden in the interior, he is rather harmless. But the merest glimpse or smell of water would mean the end of the rider. The creature assumes human shape, woos maidens, and can be recognized only by the water weeds in his hair.

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Fear Liath More
by Traci Anderson
Fear Liath More, or the Grey Man, is a creature said to have inhabited the vicinity of the summit cairn of Ben MacDhui, one of the six great peaks of the Scottish Cairngorm Mountains, for generations. The Grey Man is identified as a presence encountered both physically and psychically. In its physical form, the Grey Man is most often described as quite large and broad shouldered, standing fully erect and being in excess of 10 feet in height, with long waving arms. He is also reportedly olive complected or, alternatively, covered with short brown hair. Because of this, some tend to associate him with the Bigfoot or Sasquatch of North American fame, or the Yeti of the Himalayas. Footprints found on the summit of Ben MacDhui do closely resemble the “typical” Bigfoot imprint. However, this association is misleading, as the Grey Man has far more interesting identifying characteristics than his physical description alone.
More frequently, the Grey Man is encountered in physical sensation, but without a true physical form. Sensations of this type include vast, dark blurs which obscure the sky, strange crunching noises, echoing footsteps which pursue the listener, an icy feeling in the surrounding atmosphere, as well as a physical feeling of a cold grip on, or brush against, the observer’s flesh. There is also a high pitched humming sound, or the Singing as it is sometimes called, which is associated with Ben MacDhui and the Grey Man.

Additionally, the Grey Man has an extremely powerful psychic effect. Visitors to Ben MacDhui report a feeling of overwhelming negative energy. Occasionally this is described as extreme lethargy and despondency. More often, it is typified by acute fear, apprehension and an overwhelming panic, leading to suicidal thoughts or physical flight from the area. Generally, this fear is accompanied by the physical sound of echoing footsteps chasing the observer, and sometimes the sound of a resonant and yet completely incomprehensible voice which seems to be faintly Gaelic in nature.

Curiously, the Grey Man has a distinct area of influence. At a certain point in their downward flight all observers report that the negative energies and feelings of fear end as abruptly as they began. The Grey Man has most often been encountered within this century by mountaineers climbing in the Cairngorms. He has also been described in several books, including Affleck Gray’s The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui and F.W. Holiday’s, The Goblin Universe.

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Feng-huang
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Chinese phoenix and the personification of the primordial force of the heavens. Feng-huang has the head and the comb of a pheasant and the tail of a peacock.

The name of Feng-huang in traditional Chinese format.

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Fenrir
by Micha F. Lindemans
Fenrir (or Fenris) is a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf. He is the eldest child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods learned of a prophecy which stated that the wolf and his family would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world. They caught the wolf and locked him in a cage. Only the god of war, Tyr, dared to feed and take care of the wolf.
When he was still a pup they had nothing to fear, but when the gods saw one day how he had grown, they decided to render him harmless. However, none of the gods had enough courage to face the gigantic wolf. Instead, they tried to trick him. They said the wolf was weak and could never break free when he was chained. Fenrir accepted the challenge and let the gods chain him. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong that he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs.

After that, the gods saw only one alternative left: a magic chain. They ordered the dwarves to make something so strong that it could hold the wolf. The result was a soft, thin ribbon: Gleipnir. It was incredibly strong, despite what its size and appearance might suggest. The ribbon was fashioned of six strange elements: the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman’s beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird’s spittle.

The gods tried to trick the wolf again, only this time Fenrir was less eager to show his strength. He saw how thin the chain was, and said that was no pride in breaking such a weak chain. Eventually, though, he agreed, thinking that otherwise his strength and courage would be doubted. Suspecting treachery however, he in turn asked the gods for a token of good will: one of them had to put a hand between his jaws. The gods were not overly eager to do this, knowing what they could expect. Finally, only Tyr agreed, and the gods chained the wolf with Gleipnir. No matter how hard Fenrir struggled, he could not break free from this thin ribbon. In revenge, he bit off Tyr’s hand.

Being very pleased with themselves, the gods carried Fenrir off and chained him to a rock (called Gioll) a mile down into the earth. They put a sword between his jaws to prevent him from biting. On the day of Ragnarok, Fenrir will break his chains and join the giants in their battle against the gods. He will seek out Odin and devour him. Vidar, Odin’s son, will avenge his father by killing the wolf.

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Firebird
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian folklore the Firebird (Zshar-ptitsa) is a miraculous bird. Its feathers shine like silver and gold, its eyes sparkle like crystals, and it is usually been seen sitting on a golden perch. At midnight this bird comes to gardens and fields and illuminates the night as brightly as a thousand lights; just one feather from its tail could light up a dark room. The Firebird eats golden apples which give any who eat them youth, beauty and immortality; when the bird sings, pearls would fall from its beak. The Firebird’s chants can heal the sick and return the vision to the blind.

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Gagana
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian folklore Gagana is a miraculous bird with the iron beak and copper claws; it lives on the Booyan island. This bird is often mentioned in incantations.

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Gamayun
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian legends the Gamayun is a miraculous, prophetic bird. It lives on a island which lays in the east, close to Paradise.

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Garafena
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian folklore Garafena is a magical snake. According to the legends, Garafena lies upon a golden artefact on the Booyan island. This snake is called upon in incantations against snake bites.

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Gargouille
by Micha F. Lindemans
The great dragon that lived in the river Seine (France) and which ravaged Rouen. It was slain in the 7th century by the Archbishop of Rouen, St. Romanus.

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Gargoyle
by Micha F. Lindemans
Gargoyles are the grotesque carvings of faces and bodies of humans and animals. Serving originally as water spouts to direct the water clear of a wall, they can often be found on (Gothic) buildings and churches. In medieval times, the function of Gargoyles changed. They became representations of religious events, created for the illiterate population to “read”.

From the fact that Gargoyles are such hideous creatures stems the notion that they were created to avert evil. Placed on the outside of buildings supposedly kept evil out. In later times, most of them became mainly ornamental and served no other purpose than decoration.

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Giant
by Micha F. Lindemans
The giants in mythology are primordial creatures of enormous size, the personifications of the forces of nature. They usually are the enemies of humans and often battle the gods (such as the Greek Titans, the Irish Fomorians and the Norse giants of Jotunheim).
Giants frequently play a significant part in the Creation Myths. They existed long before the gods and humans came. With the appearance of gods there followed a struggle between the two, in which the giants got the worst of it. When a giant was slain by a mighty god, the god would create heaven and earth from the giants body (see: Ymir and Tiamat). Even in the bible there are references to giants. In Genesis it is said that “in those days there were giants in the earth” and of course there is the story of David and Goliath, although the latter can hardly be considered a giant, being only 3 meters (9,8 ft), when compared to the giants in mythology and folklore.

There are many fairy tales in which giants appear. Those giants are usually very stupid, greedy and fond of human flesh. Often a resourceful young man (named Jack) is able to kill or defeat the giant (Jack and the Bean Stalk, Jack the Giant Killer). However, not all the giants are evil; in some tales they are kind beings, who befriend little children.

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Glashtyn
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Manx version of the water horse, the Phooka.

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Gorgoniy
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian folklore the Gorgoniy is a mythical beast who protects Paradise against mortals, similar to Gabriel the Archangel.

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Griffin
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Griffin is a legendary creature with the head, beak and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion and occasionally the tail of a serpent or scorpion. Its origin lies somewhere in the Middle East where it is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians. In Greek mythology, they took gold from the stream Arimaspias and, neighbors of the Hyperboreans, they belonged to Zeus. The later Romans used them for decoration and even in Christian times the Griffin motif often appears. Griffins were frequently used as gargoyles on medieval churches and buildings.

In more recent times, the Griffin only appears in literature and heraldry.

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Hippocampus
by Marissa Montanez, Clarksville Middle School
The hippocampus was a fabled sea animal from Greek mythology. It was found in classical myth. It resembles a horse with the hind parts of a fish or dolphin. The chariot of Poseidon was drawn by a hippocampus. The name comes from the Greek hippos, horse; and kampos, sea monster. ——————————————————————————-
Hippogriff
by Micha F. Lindemans
A legendary animal, half horse and half griffin. Its father was a griffin and its mother was a filly. It is often found in ancient Greek art and appeared largely in medieval legends. It is also a symbol of love (Ariosto: Orlando furioso, iv, 18,19).

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Hydra
by Ron Leadbetter
The Hydra which lived in the swamps near to the ancient city of Lerna in Argolis, was a terrifying monster which like the Nemean lion was the offspring of Echidna (half maiden – half serpent), and Typhon (had 100 heads), other versions think that the Hydra was the offspring of Styx and the Titan Pallas. The Hydra had the body of a serpent and many heads (the number of heads deviates from five up to one hundred there are many versions but generally nine is accepted as standard), of which one could never be harmed by any weapon, and if any of the other heads were severed another would grow in its place (in some versions two would grow). Also the stench from the Hydra’s breath was enough to kill man or beast (in other versions it was a deadly venom). When it emerged from the swamp it would attack herds of cattle and local villagers, devouring them with its numerous heads. It totally terrorized the vicinity for many years.

Heracles journeyed to Lake Lerna in a speedy chariot, and with him he took his nephew and charioteer Iolaus, in search of the dreaded Hydra. When they finally reached the Hydras’ hiding place, Heracles told Iolaus to stay with the horses while he drew the monster from its hole with flaming arrows. This brought out the hideous beast. Heracles courageously attacked the beast, flaying at each head with his sword, (in some versions a scythe) but he soon realized that as one head was severed another grew in its place. Heracles called for help from Iolaus, telling him to bring a flaming torch, and as Heracles cut off the heads one by one from the Hydra, Iolaus cauterized the open wounds with the torch preventing them from growing again. As Heracles fought the writhing monster he was almost stifled by its obnoxious breath, but eventually, with the help of Iolaus, Heracles removed all but one of the Hydras’ heads. The one remaining could not be harmed by any weapon, so, picking up his hefty club Heracles crushed it with one mighty blow, he then tore off the head with his bare hands and quickly buried it deep in the ground, placing a huge boulder on the top. After he had killed the Hydra, Heracles dipped the tips of his arrows into the Hydras’ blood, which was extremely poisonous, making them deadly.

Other versions say that while Heracles fought the Hydra the goddess Hera sent down a giant crab which attacked his feet). This legend comes from a marble relief dating from the 2nd century BCE found at ancient Lerna, showing Heracles attacking the Hydra, and near his feet is a huge crab. Also other legends say that a stray arrow set alight the forest, and it was the burning trunks which Heracles ripped up and used to cauterize the open wounds.

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Indrik the Beast
by Cyril Korolev
In Russian folklore Indrik the beast is a miraculous beast, the lord of animals. He lives on “the saint mountain” and treads there where no other foot may tread. When he stirs, the Earth tremble. This beast has two horns, he rules the water with snakes and crocodiles. According to a legend, Indrik has rescued people from a drought.
His name is a distorted version of the word “unicorn”.

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Intulo
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Zulu tradition, a lizard-like creature with human characteristics.

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Jabberwock
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Jabberwock is the eponymous central figure in a strange, almost gibberish poem by Lewis Carroll, called “The Jabberwocky”, which appeared in Through the Looking-glass. It was represented as a dragon-like creature by Sir John Tenniel, who did the illustrations for Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland.

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Jormungand
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Norse mythology, Jormungand is one of the three children of the god Loki and his wife, the giantess Angrboda. The gods were well aware that this monster was growing fast and that it would one day bring much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to render it harmless. He threw the serpent in the ocean that surrounds the earth, but the monster had grown to such an enormous size that it easily spans the entire world, hence the name Midgard Serpent. It lies deep in the ocean where it bites itself in its tail, and all mankind is caught within his coils.
At the destruction of the universe, Jormungand and Thor will kill each other.

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Kelpie
by Micha F. Lindemans
In old Scotland, the Kelpie is a treacherous water devil who lurks in lakes and rivers. It usually assumes the shape of a young horse. When a tired traveler stops by a lake to rest or to have a drink, he would see a horse, apparently peacefully grazing. When he mounts the horse, the Kelpie dives into the water and drowns its victim. Occasionally is helped millers by keeping the mill-wheel going at night.

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Ki-lin
by Micha F. Lindemans
A mythical being of Chinese mythology, comparable with the western unicorn. Ki-lin personifies all that is good, pure, and peaceful. It lives in paradise and only visits the world at the birth of a wise philosopher. The unicorn, which can become one thousand year old, is portrayed as a deer with one horn, the tail of an ox, the hooves of a horse, and a body covered with the scales of a fish. It is one of the four Ling.

The name of the Ki-lin in traditional Chinese format.

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Kludde
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Belgian folklore, a water spirit which roams the Flemish country side. This creature, called Kludde, hides in the twilight of dawn and sunset and attacks innocent travelers. Warned travelers listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered.

Kludde usually appears in the shape of a monstrous black dog that walks on his hind legs. The faster one walks, the faster this monster follows, often swinging through the trees like a giant snake. No one can ever hope to outrun or escape this creature. The dog is not the only shape in which it can be seen. It can also assume the shape of a huge, hairy, black cat or a horrible black bird.

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Kraken
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Norwegian sea folklore, the Kraken is an enormous sea monster which would sometimes attack ships and feed upon the sailors. It was supposed to be capable of dragging down the largest ships and when submerging could suck down a vessel by the whirlpool it created. It is part octopus and part crab, although others refer to it as a giant squid or cuttlefish. (See also: Sea Serpent.) It was first described by Pontoppidan in his History of Norway (1752).

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Kulshedra
by Micha F. Lindemans
A different name for dragon-like creature Bolla from Albanian folklore.

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Lambton Worm
by Sophia Pacheco
The Lambton ‘Worm’ (old english for ‘dragon’) has long been part of folklore in Durham, England. The ‘worm’ began wreaking havoc in the middle ages, when a young member of the Lambton family caught an eel-like creature while fishing on a Sunday. He threw it down a well, where it grew to an enormous size. When the youth went off to on a crusade, the worm escaped the well and devoured anything that came near. It is said that the worm was long enough to wrap itself around the hill, now called “worm hill”, completely three times, and it slept wound around the hill in this manner.
The young man managed to kill the worm upon his return from the crusades — cutting the worm in three pieces — but only with the help of a witch. His promise to her was that he would kill the first creature he met after his victory. Unfortunately, the first creature he met happened to be his father. Unable to murder his father, the young crusader reneged on his promise to the witch and condemned his family to a curse of untimely deaths that continued for nine generations.

Reader’s Digest, ‘Strange Stories and Amazing Facts’, copyright 1977 Reader’s Digest Association Far East Ltd.

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Leviathan
by Micha F. Lindemans
Literally, “coiled”. In the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, the Leviathan is some sort of chaos animal in the shape of a crocodile or a serpent. In other bible texts it is taken to mean a whale or dolphin, because the animal is there described as living in the sea. Later the Leviathan became a symbol of evil, an anti-divine power (some sort of devil) which will be destroyed on Judgement Day.
The Leviathan appears in more than one religion. In Canaanite mythology and literature, it is a monster called Lotan, ‘the fleeing serpent, the coiling serpent, the powerful with the seven heads’. It was eventually killed by Baal. The Leviathan is also the Ugaritic god of evil.

“This great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.”
– Ps. civ, 25-26

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MakaraJust as the mermaid is half human half fish the Makara is half animal half fish. For example, he is sometimes described as having the head of an elephant and the body of a fish. He is generally large and lives in the ocean rather than in lakes or streams.

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Manticore
by Micha F. Lindemans
A monstrous creature which inhabits the forests in Asia, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia and India. The manticore, considered to be the most dangerous predator in these regions, has the body of a lion and a head with human resemblance. The mouth is filled with three rows of razor-sharp teeth and the scaled tail ends in a ball with poisonous darts. The monster stalks through the forest in search of humans. Upon an encounter with a human, the manticore fires a volley of darts at the victim, who dies immediately. This unfortunate person is devoured completely, even the bones and clothing, as well as the possessions this person carried, vanish. When a villager has completely disappeared, this is considered proof of the presence of a manticore.

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Minotaur
by Micha F. Lindemans
Before he ascended the throne of Crete, Minos struggled with his brothers for the right to rule. Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval by the gods for his reign. He promised to sacrifice the bull as an offering, and as a symbol of subservience. A beautiful white bull rose from the sea, but when Minos saw it, he coveted it for himself. He assumed that Poseidon would not mind, so he kept it and sacrificed the best specimen from his herd instead. When Poseidon learned about the deceit, he made Pasipha, Minos’ wife, fall madly in love with the bull. She had Daedalus, the famous architect, make a wooden cow for her. Pasipha climbed into the decoy and fooled the white bull. The offspring of their lovemaking was a monster called the Minotaur.
The creature had the head and tail of a bull on the body of a man. It caused such terror and destruction on Crete that Daedalus was summoned again, but this time by Minos himself. He ordered the architect to build a gigantic, intricate labyrinth from which escape would be impossible. The Minotaur was captured and locked in the labyrinth. Every year for nine years, seven youths and maidens came as tribute from Athens. These young people were also locked in the labyrinth for the Minotaur to feast upon.

When the Greek hero Theseus reached Athens, he learned of the Minotaur and the sacrifices, and wanted to end this. He volunteered to go to Crete as one of the victims. Upon his arrival in Crete, he met Ariadne, Minos’s daughter, who fell in love with him. She promised she would provide the means to escape from the maze if he agreed to marry her. When Theseus did, she gave him a simple ball of thread, which he was to fasten close to the entrance of the maze. He made his way through the maze, while unwinding the thread, and he stumbled upon the sleeping Minotaur. He beat it to death and led the others back to the entrance by following the thread.

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Moddey Dhoo
by Micha F. Lindemans
A ghostly black spaniel that hunted Peel Castle (Isle of Man) for many years. It used to enter the guard room as soon as the candles were lighted and leave at daybreak. While it was present, the guards would perform their nightly duties but forebore all oaths and profane talk. One night, a drunken guard, from bravado, performed the rounds alone. He lost his speech and died in three days. The dog has never appear again.
In 1871, during excavations, the bones of Simon, Bishop of Sodor and Man (died 1247) were uncovered, with the bones of a dog at his feet.

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Monster of Loch Ness, The
by Micha F. Lindemans
A legendary animal which lives in the depths of Loch Ness, a lake in the Highlands of northern Scotland. The size of this monster, Nessie as it is fondly called, is 12-15 m (40-50 ft) and it has a long, snake-like neck. It is popularly believed to be female.
The sightings date back to 565 CE when the Irish Saint Columba claimed he saw the Niseag (the Celtic name for Nessie) when he attended a burial for a man who had been bitten to death by the monster. While it has been sighted in the subsequent centuries, it was not until the 19th century that the sightings become more frequent. The most famous encounter was perhaps in the summer of 1933. On that day Mr. and Mrs. Spicer, returning from a trip to London, saw a monster cross the road, with an animal in his jaws, and submerge in the lake. This incident drew the attention of the world press and Nessie became an international phenomena. There have been many expeditions since, but none as successful as to prove its existence. Also the many sightings, photos and films have been inconclusive.

Other lakes and monsters
Loch Ness is not the only lake reputed to be inhabited by a monster. In Scotland there is also Loch Morar, where there have been sightings of such a creature. In Ireland there are two Loughs (“lakes”), Lough Ree and Lough Fedda, where there have been glimpses of a peista (meremonster). Also in the Scandinavian countries are many tales about monsters in lakes. In Iceland there is the Skrimsl, also called Lagerfljótsskrímslið, which has been seen in the Lagerfljót Lake and in many other lakes besides. In Norway, in Lake Sudal, lives an animal of great size; the head is as big as a small rowboat. The first encounter with the monster of the Storsjö Lake in Sweden took place in 1839. The farmers who saw it claimed it resembled a great sea-horse: red, with white manes. Faster than other monsters, this one can reach speeds up to 70 km (43 mi.) per hour. Another famous monster is that of Lake Okanagan, Canada. This creature, called Ogopogo or Naitaka, has been regularly sighted since 1854.

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Nahuelito
by Micha F. Lindemans
An Argentinian lake monster. Like its counterpart Nessie, it too is named after the lake it supposedly inhabits, the Nahuel Huapi Lake. Descriptions of the appearance of the creature vary rather, as does those of its size.

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Nemean Lion
by Ron Leadbetter
The first labor for the hero Heracles, was to rid the Nemean plain of the wild, enormous and extremely ferocious beast known as the Nemean Lion. This huge creature was the son of the monsters Typhon (who had 100 heads) and Echidna (half maiden – half serpent), and brother of the Theban Sphinx, in some legends it is said that the Nemean lion was suckled by Selene the goddess of the moon, other versions say that it was nursed by the goddess Hera.
Heracles set out to find the monster, which roamed the land of Argolis. Armed with his bow and arrows, (in some versions usually the Classical period he also had a bronze sword) and his club (made from an olive tree which he tore up from the roots). Hunting through the Nemean forest trying to find the lions lair, he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard a fearsome roar. Heracles turned and saw the huge lion rushing toward him. Quick as a flash Heracles drew his bow and released an arrow, but it failed to harm the lion. As the monster bore down on Heracles he quickly fired another arrow, and again it did no harm, the bronze heads bending as if hitting solid rock; the skin of this creature could not be penetrated by the sharpest of points. The lion pounced, but Heracles smashed his heavy club into the on coming monster, stunning it.

Realizing no weapon could kill this monster he rid himself of them, and fought the monster with his bare hands, with incredible strength, Heracles wrapped his great arms around the lions neck and strangled it to death. Once the huge monster was dead Heracles set about skinning the beast, but the skin was so tough he could neither tear or cut it. Then he tried the enormous claws which were very sharp, this time it penetrated the hide and Heracles removed his trophy. Realizing how impenetrable it was he threw it over himself as a cloak, and pulling the head over his own as a helmet making the pelt into armor which would make him even more powerful. From this time on the skin of the Nemean Lion became one of the attributes of Heracles, and so did the olive-wood club.

In art the hero is usually depicted wearing the Nemean lion skin, its jaws forming the peak of the helmet while its great clawed paws are knotted at his chest forming a hooded cloak, and he is usually leaning on his club, or hanging it on his shoulder.

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Nixes
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Norse folklore, they are water spirits who try to lure people into the water. The males can assume many different shapes, including that of a human, fish, and snake. The females are beautiful women with the tail of a fish. When they are in human forms they can be recognized by the wet hem of their clothes. The Nixes are considered as malignant in some quarters, but as harmless and friendly in others.

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Ogre
by Micha F. Lindemans
In folklore and fairy tales Ogres are creatures of very malignant disposition, who live on human flesh. They are larger and broader than a man but somewhat shorter than a giant. The word was first used (and probably invented) by Perrault in his Histoires ou Contes du temps passé (1697).

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Orc
by Micha F. Lindemans
A sea-monster fabled by Ariosto, Drayton, and Sylvester to devour men and women. According to Pliny, it was a huge creature ‘armed with teeth’.

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Ouzelum Bird
by Micha F. Lindemans
A fabulous bird that flies backwards and thus does not know where it is going, but likes to know where it has been.

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Pegasus
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology, Pegasus is the winged horse that was fathered by Poseidon with Medusa. When her head was cut of by the Greek hero Perseus, the horse sprang forth from her pregnant body. His galloping created the well Hippocrene on the Helicon (a mountain in Boeotia).

When the horse was drinking from the well Pirene on the Acrocotinth, Bellerophon’s fortress, the Corinthian hero was able to capture the horse by using a golden bridle, a gift from Athena. The gods then gave him Pegasus for killing the monster Chimera but when he attempted to mount the horse it threw him off and rose to the heavens, where it became a constellation (north of the ecliptic).

In another version, Bellerophon killed the Chimera while riding on Pegasus, and when he later attempted to ride to the summit of Mount Olympus, Zeus sent a gadfly to sting the horse, and it threw Bellerophon off its back.

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Phoenix
by Micha F. Lindemans
In ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology, the phoenix is a mythical bird and associated with the Egyptian sun-god Re and the Greek Phoibos (Apollo). According to the Greeks the bird lives in Arabia, nearby a cool well. Each morning at dawn, it would bathe in the water and sing such a beautiful song, that the sun-god stops his chariot to listen. There exists only one phoenix at the time.
When it felt its death approaching (every 500 or 1461 years), it would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire, and was consumed by the flames. When it was burned, a new phoenix sprang forth from the pyre. It then embalmed the ashes of its predecessor in an egg of myrrh and flew with it to Heliopolis (“city of the sun”). There it would deposit the egg on the altar of the sun god.

In Egypt is was usually depicted as a heron, but in the classic literature as a peacock, or an eagle. The phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. In that aspect it was often placed on sarcophagi. It is associated with the Egyptian Benu, the Garuda of the Hindus, and the Chinese Feng-huang.

Judaic lore mentions that the phoenix achieved its unique status as an immortal bird because it refrained from bothering the overburdened Noah during the Flood voyage (Sanh. 108b).

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Questing BeastOne day, when King Arthur stopped to rest by a spring, he was surprised by a sound like thirty baying hounds. A strange animal with a snakes head the body of a leopard the back legs of a lion and the hooves of a deer burst through the underbrush, pursued by king Pellinore. Pellinore had hunted the Questing Beast, as the creature was called, all his life but never managed to capture it. Malory describes it as “the strongeste beste that ever he [Arthur] saw or herde of.”
This strange best reappears frequently, beginning with Suite du Merlin and Perlesvaus, in French, Spanish, and Italian romance and in Malory.

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Raicho
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Japanese Thunder-Bird. It looks like a rook, but can make a terrible noise. The creature lives in a pine tree.

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Re’em
by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
Many monsters were created on the Sixth Day, some destroyed during the Flood, some still with us. The re’em is described as a giant even among these strange animals. At any given time, only two exist, one male and one female, because had more of them existed, the world could not support them. No one is certain what the re’em looks like. The sources describe him as fierce, fast, and indomitable. Scholars argue about the number of his horns, some say he has one, like a unicorn or a rhinoceros. Some say two, and he could be related to the giant aurochs (Bos primigenius), a species of a wild ox that became extinct during the sixteenth century. On the other hand, he may be a purely mythological creature, based on the bas-reliefs of the huge Mesopotamian and Egyptian beasts that were unquestionably familiar to the Jews of the Talmudic era.
The re’ems live at the opposite ends of the earth, one in the east, the other in the west, and for seventy years never see each other — until the day of their mating. Finally they meet, mate once, and then the female kills the male with one bite.

The female becomes pregnant, and her pregnancy lasts for twelve years. During the last year she cannot walk, only role from side to side, and she survives only because her saliva waters the earth around her sufficiently to produce enough vegetation for her support. Instead of giving birth, her stomach bursts open and she dies instantly. However, twins are born, one male and one female. They get up immediately and wander away, one to the east, one to the west.

During the flood, when Noah collected all the animals into the arc, the re’ems came to join the procession. However, because of their giant size, they could not fit into the arc. Yet Noah saved them. One version claims he tied them behind the arc, and they followed it by running and later by swimming. Another version tells that the flood happened just as the young re’ems were born, so they were small enough to fit in the arc.

King David had an encounter with a re’em. When David was still a simple shepherd, he saw a sleeping re’em and thought it was a mountain. He started climbing it, and the re’em woke up and lifted David on his gigantic horns. David vowed that if God saved his life, he would build Him a temple, a building as high as the re’em himself. God heard him and sent a lion. As the lion is the king of the beasts, the re’em bowed to him by prostrating himself on the ground, and David could descend from the horns. Then God sent a deer, and the lion started chasing her. So David was saved from both the lion and the re’em.

Sources:
Ginzberg, Louis. Legends of the Jews. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1998 Shepard, Odell. The Lore of the Unicorn. Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1979

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Roc
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Arabian legends, the Roc are gigantic birds, often referred to as ‘the Great’, and capable of carrying off elephants for food. They are found in various stories of ‘The Thousand and One Nights’, and are also mentioned to by Marco Polo on his travels. Their eggs, according to Sinbad the Sailor, could measure up to 50 paces in circumference.
The Rocs are probably based on the Elephant-bird, which lived on Madagascar.

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SafatMaybe the most curious bird of all is the Safat. She is supposed to spend all her time flying and never comes to rest. As she soars, usually high, she lays her eggs which hatch while they are falling through the air. Only the shells reach the ground, and if part of a shell is eaten by an animal, the animal will go mad.

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Sasquatch
by Micha F. Lindemans
North American version of the Abominable Snowman, the Yeti, in the Himalayas. In Canada it is called ‘Sasquatch’, while in the United States they popularly refer to it as Bigfoot.

The word Sasquatch closely resembles and is derived from several native names for the creature used by tribes in the coastal area of the Pacific north west. The creature is supposed to be at least 2,1 m (6,9 ft) tall, but adults can be as tall as 3,5 m (11,5 ft). Its footprints measure somewhere between 40-55 cm (16-20 in). It has long arms, an ape-like face with a flat nose, and thick hairy fur. Sasquatch lives in the caves and hidden valleys of Canada and North America.

It was first seen (by white men) in 1811 and since then there have been hundreds of reports on sightings and encounters. There are several photos and films of the creature, besides casts taken from its footprints, but many of these turned out to be forgeries. There are numerous people who claim they have either seen the creature itself or its tracks. Expeditions set out to search for Bigfoot have never found it, nor is there scientific evidence for its existence.

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Sea Serpent
by Micha F. Lindemans
Imaginary snake-like creatures of monstrous size that inhabit the deep. In the early times of seafaring, but also until more recent times, many sailors mentioned the existence of such creatures, and they were accounted for destroying a great number of ships. These tales were largely exaggerated and probably based on sightings of large amounts of floating seaweed and ordinary marine creatures such as a sea snake and oarfish. A monster such as a sea snake is reputed to exist in Loch Ness.

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Selkie
by Micha F. Lindemans
The shy Selkies are marine creatures in the shape of a seal. They can be found near the islands of Orkney and Shetland. A female can shed her skin and come ashore as a beautiful woman. When a man finds the skin, he can force the Selkie to be a good, if somewhat sad, wife. Should she ever recover the skin, she will immediately return to sea, leaving her husband behind. The male Selkies are responsible for storms and also for the sinking of ships, which is their way of avenging the hunting of seals.

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Simurgh
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Persian legend Simurgh is a gigantic, winged monster in the shape of a bird; a kind of peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. Its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. According to legend, the creature is so old that it has seen the world destroyed three times over. In all that time, Simurgh has learned so much that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all ages.

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Singa
by Micha F. Lindemans
A mythical creature of the Indonesian Batak people who live in the mountains in Sumatra. Although the name means “lion”, it resembles no living creature. Its representation, generally confined to the head, is the synthesis of several superior forms of creation and its appearance varies between the buffalo and a distorted human figures. However, some Singas show clearly identifiable legs beside the face and every form of intermediate between the Singa and the clearly anthropomorphic is to be found. Characteristics are invariable the bilateral symmetry, the lengthened face, and round impressive eyes, occasionally accompanied by highly developed eye-brows (which at time are depicted almost like antlers).
The Singa is the dominant theme of Batak decoration, particularly among the Toba Batak where it is to be found on houses, domestic utensils, wooden coffins, stone sarcophagi, copper jewelry, etc. Its omnipresence would seem to indicate above all a protective role.

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Sphinx
by Micha F. Lindemans
In ancient Egypt, the Sphinx is a male statue of a lion with the head of a human, sometimes with wings. Most sphinxes however represent a king in his appearance as the sun god. The name “sphinx” was applied to the portraits of kings by the Greeks who visited Egypt in later centuries, because of the similarity of these statues to their Sphinx. The best known specimen is the Great Sphinx of Gizeh (on the western bank of the Nile) which is not a sphinx at all but the representation of the head of king Khaf-Ra (Chephren) on the body of a crouching body. It was supposedly built in the 4th dynasty (2723-2563 BCE), although others claim it dates back to the 7th-5th millennium.

The Greek Sphinx was a demon of death and destruction and bad luck. She was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. It was a female creature, sometimes depicted as a winged lion with a feminine head, and sometimes as a female with the breast, paws and claws of a lion, a snake tail and bird wings. She sat on a high rock near Thebes and posed a riddle to all who passed. The riddle was: “What animal is that which in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?” Those who could not solve the riddle were strangled by her. Finally Oedipus came along and he was the only who could answer that it was “Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect, and in old age with the aid of a staff.” The Sphinx was so mortified at the solving of her riddle that she cast herself down from the rock and perished.

The name ‘sphinx’ is derived from the Greek sphingo, which means “to strangle”. In ancient Assyrian myths, the sphinx usually appears as a guardian of temple entrances.

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Tarbh uisge
by Micha F. Lindemans
The water bull, a supernatural creature from the highlands of Scotland.

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Tatzlwurm
by Sophia Pacheco
Also known as the tunnel worm, jumping worm or mountain stump. The tazel worm, a worm-like lizard about two to three feet long with two or four short legs, is said to be so poisonous that even its breath could kill a human. It is also said to be very agressive, attacking anything that moves. Rumored to live in the Alps, some say that it can jump two or three yards in one bound. Its scales are supposedly so thick that blades cannot pierce them.

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Tikbalang
by Micha F. Lindemans
A half-man half-horse creature from Philippine folklore. It lives in secluded areas in swamps. It is said that the knees of the tikbalang rise above its head, hiding its face. The tikbalang is responsible for misleading travelers so that they will get lost. However, a traveler may find his way back by wearing his shirt inside-out. It is also believed that if it rains with the sun fully out, a tikbalang is getting married.

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Troll
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Scandinavian myth, trolls are ugly, malicious creatures and the enemies of mankind. They are much bigger and stronger than humans, and leave their caves only after dark to hunt. If they are exposed to sunlight they will instantly turn to stone. Trolls are very fond of human flesh. In later myths they are roughly the size of humans or elves, and thought to be the owners of buried treasures. They are sometimes, although very rarely, portrayed as friendly, less ugly creatures.

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Unhcegila
by Gerald Musinsky
A land creature often depicted as dragon-like and was the source of mysterious deaths and inexplicable disappearances.
[Plains, Lakota]
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Unicorn
by Micha F. Lindemans
The unicorn is a legendary animal. It is usually portrayed as a slender, white horse with a spiraling horn on its forehead, although its appearance and behavior differs, depending on the location. In the west it was usually considered wild and untamable, while in the Orient it was peaceful, meek and thought to be the bringer of good luck. There it is usually depicted as a goat-like creature, with cloven hooves and a beard. In Japan it is called Kirin, and in China Ki-lin.
The word “unicorn” is based on the Hebrew word re’em (“horn”), in early versions of the Old Testament translated as “monokeros”, meaning “one horn”, which became “unicorn” in English. The creature is possibly based on the rhinoceros or the narwhal, a marine creature with one horn.
In the west it was first mentioned by the Greek historian Ctesias in 398 BCE. According to him they lived in India and he described them as ‘wild asses which are as big as a horse, even bigger. Their bodies are white, their heads dark red and their eyes are deep blue. They have a single horn on their forehead which is approximately half-a-meter long.’ This description was based on the tales of travelers, and is a mixture of an Indian rhinoceros, the Himalayan antelope, and the wild ass.

The horn itself is white at the base, black in the middle and with a sharp, red tip. It is believed to possess healing abilities. Dust filed from the horn was thought to protect against poison, and many diseases. It could even resurrect the dead. Amongst royalty and nobility in the Middle Ages, it became quite fashionable to own a drinking cup made of the horn of an unicorn, not in the least because it was supposed to detect poison.

The belief in the healing abilities of the horn is probably based on a medieval story. In this particular tale, many animals once gathered around a pool in the midst of night. The water was poisoned and they could not drink from it, until a unicorn appeared. He simply dipped his horn in the pool and the water became fresh and clean again.

Another medieval story tells of the capture of a unicorn by a maiden. The unicorn was far too fast and wild for the man that was hunting him. He could only be tamed by a maiden who sat lonely underneath a tree in the woods. Attracted by the scent of purity he would lay his head on her lap and she would rock him to sleep. Then she would cut of his horn, and leave him for the hunter and his dogs.

There have been attempts to give these tales a Christian interpretation. In the first tale the horn symbolizes the cross and the pool the sins of the world. In the second story the maiden was Maria, the unicorn Jesus Christ and the horn a representation of the unity of the Father and the Son. Jesus, embodied in the unicorn, was killed for sake of a sinful world.
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Unwaba
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Zulu tradition, a mythical chameleon that was send by the sky-god to tell humanity they had eternal life. Because the creature was so slow, humans and other species became mortal after all. The color of a chameleon changes from green to brown, this because it mourns the fact that Unwaba was too slow. ——————————————————————————
Vegetable Lamb
by Sophia Pacheco
The tale of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary comes from the Middle Ages, a traveler’s tale from the far east. It’s full name was ‘Planta Tartarica Barometz’ – ‘barometz’ is the Tartar word for ‘lamb’. The fruit of the Vegetable Lamb was cotton, but travelers from Europe knew nothing about cotton in those times. They reasoned that the material was wool – a fabric they did know. The figured that since wool came from sheep, and that the plant was some kind of animal/plant. They thought that the puffs of cotton were tiny sheep attached to the plant by their navel. It is said that the plant bent to let the sheep graze on the grass beneath it, and that when all the grass was gone, the sheep dropped from the plant and ran off, the tree dying.
The myth of the Vegetable Lamb dates back to the 11th century in the Middle and Far East. It is a species of fern. The ‘body’ of the Vegetable Lamb is the root of the plant.

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Vilkacis
by Aldis Putelis
Vilkacis (to be translated literally as “wolf’s eyes”; ‘werewolf’) is usually a malicious creature; a scary being people can turn into. There are particular ways how the people with this curse turn into the wolves and then get their human appearance back. There are particular places, where this is said to have happened. Although mostly malevolent, on occasion it would bring treasures. It belongs to the same lower level of mythological beings as Dievini, Ragana, Pukis and Vadatajs. It is not clear whether Vilkacis it is human flesh or just the soul that transforms, as their are accounts of moving an apparently asleep person whose soul is out “running as a werewolf”, after what the person turns out to be dead, as the soul couldn’t enter the flesh to return.

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Werewolf
by Micha F. Lindemans
In popular folklore, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance under the influence of a full moon. The werewolf is only active at night and during that period, he devours infants and corpses. According to legend, werewolves can be killed by silver objects such as silver arrows and silver bullets. When a werewolf dies he is returned to his human form.
Origin
The word is a contraction of the old-Saxon word wer (which means “man”) and wolf — werwolf, manwolf. A Lycanthrope, a term often used to describe werewolves, however, is someone who suffers from a mental disease and only thinks he has changed into a wolf.

The concept of werewolves, or lycanthropes, is possibly based on the myth of Lycaon. He was the king of Arcadia, and in the time of the ancient Greeks notorious for his cruelty. He tried to buy the favor of Zeus by offering him the flesh of a young child. Zeus punished him for this crime and turned him into a wolf. The legends of werewolves have been told since the ancient Greeks and are known all over the world. In areas where the wolf is not so common, the belief in werewolves is replaced by folklore where men can change themselves in tigers, lions, bears and other fierce animals.

History
In the dark Middle Ages, the Church stigmatized the wolf as the personification of evil and a servant of Satan himself. The Church courts managed to put so much pressure on schizophrenics, epileptics and the mentally disabled, that they testified to be werewolves and admitted to receive their orders directly from Satan. After 1270 it was even considered heretical not to believe in the existence of werewolves.

The charge of being a werewolf disappeared from European courts around the 17th century, but only for the lack of evidence. The belief in werewolves, however, did not completely disappear. In Europe after 1600, it was generally believed that if there were no werewolves, then at least the wolf was a creature of evil. This resulted in an unjustified and negative image of the wolf; an image that most people still have today.

(Greek) lykanthropos – lykos wolf; anthropos human being; Wolfman.

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Wyvern
by Micha F. Lindemans
A creature very similar to a dragon except it only has four limbs (2 wings, 2 hind legs) and is smaller in size. Usually the other aspects are the same, although wyverns are generally not characterized as breathing flame.

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Yali
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Indian legend, the Yali is a creature with the body of a lion and the trunk and tusks of an elephant.

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Yara-ma-yha-who
by Micha F. Lindemans
In aboriginal cultures, there was a vampire-like being, described as a little red man, approximately four feet tall, with a very large head and mouth. It has no teeth and swallowed its food whole. Its most distinguishing features were it hands and feet. It tips of the fingers and toes were shaped like the suckers of an octopus.
The yara-ma-yha-who lived in the tops of fig trees and did not hunt for food, but waited until unsuspecting victims sought shelter under the tree. It then jumped down and placed its hands and feet on the body. It would drain the blood from the victim to the point the person was left weak and helpless, but rarely, to cause the victim to die. The creature would later return and consume its meal. It then drank water and took a nap. When it woke, the undigested portion of its meal would be regurgitated. According to the story, the person regurgitated was still alive, and children were advised to offer no resistance should it be their misfortune to meet a yara-ma-yha-who. Their chances of survival were better if they let the creature swallow them.

People might be captured on several occasions. Each time, they would grow a little shorter until they were the same size as the yara-ma-yha-who. Their skin would first become smooth and then they would begin to grow hair all of their body. Gradually they were changed into one of the mythical little furry creatures of the forest.

The story of the yara-ma-yha-who was told to young children who might wander from the tribe, and to naughty children to scare them that it might come and take them away.

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Yeti
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. In 1951, an expedition found a track on the Menlung Glacier between Tibet and Nepal, at an altitude of 6000 meters. The footprints they saw were 33 cm by 45 cm and were made by a foot which has 5 toes of which the inner toes were larger than the others. The heel was flat and exceptionally broad. The track itself appeared to be fresh so the footprints were not enlarged by melting snow. This was clearly shown by the many photographs they took. Although there were many doubts about these photographs, if they were believed to be true at all. But those who did belief were certain that was not made by any known animal.
Origin
The people of Nepal call it a “rakshasa” which is Sanskrit for “demon”. According to them, stories of its existence date back to the 4th century BCE; references to the Yeti are found in a poem called ‘Rama and Sita’. It has regularly been sighted since 1832. Yeti means “magical creature”. The name ‘The Abominable Snowman’ however, was given to it by western newspapers who wanted to give their readers the feeling of terror which the creature supposedly causes in the valleys, crevices and glaciers of the Himalayas.

According to legends, there are three species: the Rimi (some 2,5 m), the Nyalmot (4,5 m) and the Raksi-Bombo (1,5 m). In spite of differences in size, the species have a general resemblance. The Yeti has reddish hair (although others claim it is gray), smells terrible and it is very strong (it throws boulders as if they were pebbles). It makes an ululating or whistling sound, and is sometimes heard roaring like a lion. The Yeti is rumored to be very fond of strong alcoholic drinks.

There are many uncertainties about its origin, whether it exists or not. Some say that the Yeti is a descendant of a race of giant apes, the ‘gigantophitecus’ who retreated into the Himalayas some 500.000 years ago. Another theory is that the Yetis are descendant of the A-o-re, an ancient people that fled into the mountains to escape their enemies. In the following millennia, they degraded to a race of monstrous creatures. Skeptics say that the tracks were made by ordinary animals like a bear or an ape.

Expeditions
Of the many expeditions set out to find it, was also that of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first ever to climb the Mount Everest. He funded this expedition himself, for he and his guide Tenzing Norgay had seen footprints of a Yeti on a previous expedition. Unfortunately, his expedition was as unsuccessful as those who had gone before. However, he brought back with him a borrowed artifact: the upper half of the skull of a Yeti. This scalp came from the Khumjung Gompa (monastery) in Nepal where it is kept as a relic. It is some 300 years old, 20 cm high and has a circumference of 65 cm. Scientists said it belonged to a serow (mountain goat) which lives in eastern Asia.

There have been many other expeditions, but on none of those they got so much as even a glimpse of the creature. However, just like the 1951 expedition, they found tracks of the Yeti, and made casts of its footprints. The lack of evidence did not keep the government of Nepal from officially declaring the Yeti to exist in 1961. It became their national symbol, and an important source of income. There are even stamps of the creature.
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Yofune-Nushi
by Micha F. Lindemans
A sea-serpent from Japanese mythology. It lived in cave under the rocks of the Oki Island’s cost. Every year on the night of June 13, the serpent had to be offered a fair maiden. If this was refused, the creature would cause storms and destroy the fishing fleet. One year, a young girl, called Tokoyo, volunteered to go as the serpent’s next victim. When the monster approached her, ready to devour her, she pulled a knife and slashed at its eyes, blinding it. When the serpent reared back in pain and confusion, Tokoyo slew it.

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Mike the Headless Wonder Chicken

// January 24th, 2007 // No Comments » // anomoly

For years I have been wondering how our country ( and many of the citizens and the officials running it) have survived without common sense and working agendas. I have LEARNED, my pasty friends. I have learned. It all started with MIKE THE HEADLESS WONDER CHICKEN in the 1940′s. Proof that you do NOT need a head (or a brain) to have a fulfilling life.

NEWS – Prostitutes’ fashion line hits street catwalk

// January 23rd, 2007 // No Comments » // indonesia

Story of the Day – Bones of Light

// January 21st, 2007 // No Comments » // Storypeople

Here’s the Story of the Day: Bones of Light I remember we sat in the swing on the front porch & as the dusk came on us like a song, dark throated & sweet, he told me about the beginning when we had bones of light & hair that burned like the sun & I asked what happened then? & I felt him floating there in the soft dark & finally he said we forgot & I said I never would, but sometimes I do & I understand now why he put his arm around me & said nothing more. (When you don’t want the Story of the Day any more, just send us an email at no_more@storypeople.com. Type “Unsubscribe” in the Subject & as soon as we can, we’ll stop them from cluttering your inbox…) Please do not reply to this message. If you have any other questions or comments about our web site or how to order, here’s how to get hold of us: The email address that goes right to the people who can help is: comments@storypeople.com

Copyright 2006, StoryPeople. Click here to send your own e-greeting from www.storypeople.com

Ritual – Truth Here Dwells (from Horus-Maat Lodge)

// January 18th, 2007 // No Comments » // Great Grey Beast of February, curmudgeon, magick

I needed to air our my soul and personality and character this icy winter day. My heart was hard like my life and my judgements were coming quick and covering all with their stereotypes, and began making statements about the way things are and comparing them to “the way they ought to be”. I was being a curmudgeon. I needed to open myself up to the truth, devoid of ego. Devoid of lust of result. This ritual centers me in that intention. I share it now, with you.

RETURN TO THE LAND THIS IN HONOR AND THANKS AND LOVE RETURN TO THE LAND THAT THE WORDS BE RIGHT THAT THE FEELING BE TRUE THAT THE POWER BE BALANCED RETURN TO THE LAND ALL THAT HINDERS, TWISTS AND BLOCKS ALL RETURNS TO THE LAND

HERE, NOW, PLACE & TIME TRUTH WILL DWELL

CLEAR, CLEAR, CLEAR…EMPTY

THERE IS NO-THING
THIS IS TRUTH
THERE IS NO THOUGHT-WORD-DEED
THIS IS TRUTH-IN-ACTION
IT IS…NOT

ATTACHMENT TO LIFE
ATTACHMENT TO FEELING
ATTACHMENT TO BODY
ATTACHMENT TO THINGS
ATTACHMENT TO EGO

LIES CAST OUT RETURN TO THE LAND
DECEPTIONS CAST OUT RETURN TO THE LAND
UNTRUTHS CAST OUT RETURN TO THE LAND
FALSEHOODS CAST OUT RETURN TO THE LAND

…WORK TO BE DONE RETURN TO THE LAND…

TRUTH FLOWS IN A WIND !
TRUTH FLOWS IN AN EARTHQUAKE!
TRUTH FLOWS IN A FLOOD!
TRUTH FLOWS IN LIGHTENING!
TRUTH POURS IN TRUTH POURS IN TRUTH POURS IN

TRUTH BE HERE
TRUTH BE HERE
TRUTH BE HERE
GROW, FLOWER FLOW WITH POWER
TRUTH BE HERE

Tarot Spread 011707:2217

// January 18th, 2007 // No Comments » // Ohio, anomoly, editorial, life, magick, wisdom, writing

Just did a general tarot read on my current status. This is how it came out!

Q: Card that represents me (I allow the deck to pick it. I don’t select it myself beforehand) High Priestess, reversed. Meaning: False Knowledge/Shallowness/Conceit

2: Cross card. What is currently crossing me or creating obstacles. Luna. Meaning: My “femaleness” is crossing me. “Drowning in this blood” I love being female, but my being female has contributed to my bondage and hindrances.

3: Above Card. What is in near future or higher-powered: The Devil. Meaning: Bondage. Fetters. My femaleness has created fetters on my creativity and magickal life.

4: Below Card. What is in my subconscious or foundation. My id urges. 3 Cups, reversed. Meaning: I have a tendency in my foundation to overindulge and want to escape.

5: Left Card: Past influences and left pillar stuff: Pillar of severity and judgment: 4 Cups. Ennui. Meaning: The sensate world holds little satisfaction for me and I’m not free enough to find that satisfaction at the moment.

6: Right Card: Future influences and right pillar stuff. Pillar of Mercy, Emotion. King of Questing (Wands), reversed. Meaning: Severity, Honesty, Subordination. Acceptance of the fatherly aspect of my life.

7: Inner Consciousness. 5 of swords, reversed. Meaning: I worry about my own bitterness and anger over my own situation. I have concern that my heart will harden if I voice too many of these thoughts. I experience (or fear experiencing) menacing and threat from others as a result of expressing my perspective on the spinelessness of the current generation of men.

8: Outside Influence. Judgment. Death, disillusionment, loss, criticism. Meaning; loss of support. Experience outside criticism. Becoming disillusioned to my own perspective or life?

9:Hopes, Ideals, Desires. King of Cups, reversed. Violence, scandal, injustice, weakness. Meaning: Not sure. I don’t think I hope or desire violence, scandal, injustice or weakness. Not sure how this figures into the spread. I’ll meditate on it later this evening.

10: The sum total of the spread. The Hermit. Meaning: Guidance, contemplation, revelation, integrity, respect.

Put it all together and what do I have? My female experience sometimes has me “drowning in the blood”. Binding me by my own biology, hormones and fertility. My foundation has a tendency for escape and excess. My left pillar of severity is a loss of satisfaction found in the sensate world, my right pillar of mercy and emotion is ironically, the card representing the achievement of the “father”. I think this means that I’ve emotionally and maternally accepted the role of “the father” in my life. My inner concerns are will others perceiving my honest feelings being posted to a blog being countered with treats or menacing. I can’t figure out how the card representing my hopes, ideals and desires being one that represents violence, scandal, injustice and/or weakness, but I’ll meditate on that this evening. And finally the Hermit is my sum card illuminating the guidance and integrity while using introspection to achieve revelation. I am now aware that a moments revelation and honest expression is often just one sliver of the iceberg and that judgments and generalizations can be good to vent, but often need to be reviewed so that they do not harden the heart and close down the mind.

Namaste y’all. We are not saints, but seekers.
China

WOL – Greed

// January 17th, 2007 // No Comments » // warriors of the light, wisdom, writing

Second deadly sin: Greed

Dictionary definition: from the Latin Avaritia, a feminine noun: Excessive fondness for money, stinginess, meanness.

Catholic Church definition: Goes against the Ninth and Tenth Commandments (You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house). Inordinate inclination or desire for pleasure or possessions.

For the philosopher Seneca: The poor always want something, the rich want a lot and the greedy want everything.

A story of Priests of the desert: “Holy man” ? said a novice to the Father Abbot – My heart is full of love for the world and my soul is free of temptations from the Devil. What is my next step?
The abbot asked the disciple to accompany him on a visit to a sick person who needed extreme unction. After comforting the family, the abbot noticed that in one of the corners of the house there was a trunk.
“What is inside it?” he asked.
“Clothes that my uncle never used”, said the sick man’s nephew.” He bought everything, always thinking that the right occasion would arise to wear them, but they ended up rotting inside it”.
“Don’t forget that trunk”, said the Father Abbot to his disciple, when they left. “If you have spiritual treasures in your heart, put them into practice now. Or they will rot away.”

Text commenting on the 1997 Asiatic economic crisis: The brokers bought and sold, convinced that the world would not change, because all they needed to do was to invest more and more and watch their fortunes grow. They didn’t care about the harm they were causing to the currency (Malaysia). Suddenly, 500 billion dollars disappeared out of circulation. When the time came to explain to all those who had lost their savings built up over the years and with much sacrifice, they replied: “it’s the fault of the market.” Actually, they were the market.

Death and Greed: Death and Greed watched the men working feverishly to find diamonds in a river. “I came here to take away some souls,” said Death. “Deliver me a third of these people and I will go away.”
“They belong to me, they are my slaves”, replied Greed. “I have nothing to deliver to you.”
Death then touched the water with his magic rod and poisoned it. Little by little, all who were there began dying.
“Why did you steal all my slaves?” shouted Greed, angrily.
“Because you didn’t want to give me any”, was the answer.

In a speech: because of its inability to produce, the Jewish people are parasites, and their aim is to enslave other peoples. They use greed to manipulate the stupidity of the middle class (Adolf Hitler, preparing the ground for the Holocaust, which cost the lives of six million Jews).

Many centuries before, the Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon used to say: The Lord sent to Man his messengers, called diseases. Eternal Providence put me in charge of caring for their health. Let the love for what I do guide me at every moment. Never let greed, or the thirst for power, or the desire for recognition, blind me and make me forget that a man’s objective is to give the best of what he has to another man.

Advice from the Tao Te King: The five colors blind human eyes. The five notes deafen their ears. The five tastes harm the palate. Races and hunts set off furious and savage passions in the heart.

Goods hard to get cause wounds because of dangerous obstacles. For that reason (…) the wise man rejects the superficial and prefers to dive into the deep.

(next: Lust)

Story of the Day – Broken Down

// January 17th, 2007 // No Comments » // Storypeople, art

Here’s the Story of the Day: Broken Down this is a machine that’s supposed to make people good & true & kind & the funny thing is that it works best when it’s completely broken down so everyone has to stop what they’re doing & get together & figure out how to fix it. (When you don’t want the Story of the Day any more, just send us an email at no_more@storypeople.com. Type “Unsubscribe” in the Subject & as soon as we can, we’ll stop them from cluttering your inbox…) Please do not reply to this message. If you have any other questions or comments about our web site or how to order, here’s how to get hold of us: The email address that goes right to the people who can help is: comments@storypeople.com

Copyright 2006, StoryPeople. Click here to send your own e-greeting from www.storypeople.com

Three Generations of Spineless Men and the "Little Red Hen" Effect

// January 16th, 2007 // 1 Comment » // editorial, life, narcissism, sad, writing

Sometimes I like the idea of having a boyfriend, but the few times I’ve ventured into that arena since my daughter was born, I’ve found I like the idea more than the reality. I know this is a gross generalization and I’m fully prepared for the onslaught of angry men to tell me how crocked this post is, but this is just my perspective and I’m entitled to it. I know there are great guys out there. My stepfather, Bill Michaels, was one of them. He restored my faith that there are good guys out there. This post is just an observation and a personal perspective on why women often choose to “go it alone” into the realm of family foray!

It is my experience that men are an incomplete species. Don’t think so? Name a species in which the males will reproduce by parthenogenesis if there are no females present to copulate with? You can’t! But right now there is a komodo dragon who has never been introduced to a male and she’s pregnant. Read up and it’ll tell you of more than a few species in which the females will reproduce by parthenogenesis if there is more than one generation in which sexual reproduction isn’t possible. When this happens, all of the offspring are male, making it possible to repopulate whole areas. That rocks!!! I think women are slowly creeping towards this option since our men have three generations of selfish and cowardly behavior behind them.

It wasn’t always this way, but the past 40 years have made many men eunuchs in the family arena. This started out as their “choice” when, in the 60′s, when boy and girl would get jiggy together and then unplanned pregnancy would occur it was really the first time that society condoned the man 1) denying that he was the one responsible for the pregnancy and 2) abandoning the woman and going on his merry way, leaving her to hold the bag. I’m sure this wasn’t the first time this happened, but it was the first time it was condoned by the generation and accepted as an option.

In the 70′s, we (meaning feminist women) added to the problem of the selfish men by insisting we didn’t need them and even escorting them out of our lives. Now, not only were they not sticking around to be responsible but we were establishing ourselves into the male-dominated workplace and giving them permission to abandon the children they helped in creating, and we told ourselves that we were capable and better off without a partner that didn’t want to be there.

And we became both mother and father to our children.

Then the 80′s happened and the American world got greedy. It was fashionable to overwork, be material and leave those children to raise themselves, convincing ourselves that we’d done such a good job and we had such complete, level-headed kids who would make good choices.

In the 90′s those kids came of have and were beginning to have children of their own. With greedy, absentee parents we became nihilists and decided to embrace the “live for today, for tomorrow we may die” philosophy. Like our parents we fucked each other and fucked each other over, knowing we could cut-and-run if it went bad or got serious.

In the 2000′s a substantial percentage first births happen to single mothers. After 40 years of spineless men, we are finally getting our stride at doing it all and it is becoming les of a burned that we can’t bear. Fewer of us are in poverty situations with our children.

And now countless men, who insisted their past girlfriends had multiple abortions because they wouldn’t use birth control and they weren’t ready to stop playing with the world, are asking why they can’t get a slice of the family pie?

Men, who have ignored their children for decades or more, can’t figure out why their kids won’t return their phone calls?

Good men, who aren’t flawed by multiple-generations of cowardice by men, don’t know why a woman would choose to go ahead and have and parent a child on her own, rather than wait until he decided he’s ready.

I’ll tell you why.

Women got tired of waiting for men to grow up, to wake up and to become men. So we became men for them. And like the little red hen who planted the corn and watered the seed and tended the sprouts and harvested the wheat and milled the grain and baked the bread…

Now that the hot bread is on the table, the little red hen who did it all says;

“Step the fuck off, because this is the table that I built, in the house that I own and the family that I made…all without your help.”

See if a couple of generations more and I bet we get the hang of that parthenogenesis thing.

Peculiar Aristocratic Titles

// January 15th, 2007 // 1 Comment » // humor

Your Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Most Honourable China the Philomath of Lower HellswickeIndeed it is…indeed it is. The Ninth Circle of Lower Hellswicks, in fact! Get you aristocratic names at: http://www.masquerademaskarts.com/memes/peculiartitle.php

New Orleans residents to march Thursday

// January 11th, 2007 // No Comments » // nola

New Orleans residents to march Thursday
By STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jan 11, 7:15 AM ET

NEW ORLEANS – Just before the New Year, the Hot 8 Brass Band lost its beloved drummer to the spate of recent violence in this struggling city that has already suffered nine deaths in 2007. The loss of Dinerral Shavers, 25, will be deeply felt by his bandmates as they lead a peace march Thursday demanding that the city take action against crime. The drummer was shot to death in front of his family on Dec. 28. City officials and the police announced a plan Tuesday to increase patrols and use checkpoints to crack down on criminals. Authorities made 12 arrests — including six on drug charges and one on a fugitive warrant — at the first traffic checkpoint set up after the plan was implemented.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco met Wednesday behind closed doors with officials of the state police and the National Guard, which have been supplementing New Orleans police patrols since June. “We are certainly all concerned about the implications of this high crime rate, this violent crime rate happening in the city,” Blanco said before the meeting. “It can have the impact of hurting our efforts toward recovery, toward economic recovery, in particular.” She said the plan unveiled by Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Chief Warren Riley was solid.

The mayor’s office said Nagin had no plans to participate in Thursday’s march, which was slated to begin at the foot of Canal Street and end at City Hall. Police said many neighborhood organizations wanted to parade from different parts of the city hit by violence. One group planned to march from the pre-Katrina home of independent filmmaker Helen Hill, who was gunned down with her physician husband in the doorway of the couple’s new home in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood near the French Quarter. But police discouraged separate marches, saying they could pose traffic or security problems. “The NOPD doesn’t have enough officers to keep marchers coming from all over the city safe from traffic, etc.,” said an e-mail from Nadiene Van Dyke, of city councilman James Carter’s office. “They are now anticipating 2,000 to 3,000 people.”

Jennifer Reifert, a resident of the city’s Garden District, said she planned to participate in the march even though crime has been minimal in her section of town, where residents have hired a private security firm to patrol the streets. “This will make people aware that we’re tired of crime and we’re not going to take it anymore,” she said.

Amazing Death Predictor

// January 11th, 2007 // No Comments » // Recovery, humor, life

The Amazing Death Predictor says:

China Krys Darrington: At age 54 you will die in a fiery golf-cart crash, alcohol will be involved.

Whoa…I don’t play golf or drink…so that’s going to be real interesting!

Akron Barbie's

// January 11th, 2007 // No Comments » // Ohio, humor

I live in Akron, Ohio. These are my communities in Akron. These are the Barbie dolls that would live in those communities!

“HudsonBarbie”

This princess Barbie is sold onlyon the square in Hudson. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

“Cuyahoga Falls Barbie” The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

“Goodyear HeightsBarbie”

This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife,a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ..unless you are a cop, then we don’t know what you are talking about.

“BathBarbie”

This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won’t be able to afford any of them.

“Streetsboro Barbie”
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken’s butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

“Ravenna Barbie”
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out ofRavenna Barbie’s house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

“ Highland Square Barbie”
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase twoHighland Square Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon,you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.

“ Kenmore Barbie”

This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

“ Market Avenue Barbie/Ken”
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple snap-on parts.

Perfect Days: Mia's 8th Birthday

// January 10th, 2007 // No Comments » // Medea, Ohio, life

Perfect days: My daughter turned eight two weeks ago. For her birthday her grandmother arranged for us to attend a Playhouse Square event called “My Little Pony: The World’s Biggest Tea Party” which I thought Mia might be too old to enjoy. I was wrong. She sang and danced and participated with vigor and enthusiasm.

After which we had lunch at the Hard Rock Café at Tower City. On the way home we passed “the covered bridge” which Mia was interested in seeing so we parked and walked the little way towards it. As we approached here comes a woman on a horse. Mia, who LOVES horses was thrilled, but not-so-much as when the lady spotted her in her pink cowgirl had and boots and had her get up on her horse and take a ride with her.

Thanks to her and her horse Copper, for making my daughters birthday so memorable! She?ll never forget it!

China Krys Darrington – Creative Internet Designer

:: chinadarrington@sbcglobal.net www.thumbprint.net ::

NOLA & Lord of the Flies (response)

// January 10th, 2007 // No Comments » // china, nola, writing

“We have created a generation without remorse and given them a Mad Max style wasteland to live out their Lord of the Flies fantasies in.”

These are the words of Loki . Recently married gentleman born and raised NOLA-style. He went back to NOLA as soon as possible after Katrina and dedicated himself and his resources to rebuilding. I read his blog “Humid City” every day in digest form by email. Over the past 15 months I’ve heard the futility and the frustration seeping into his words and today his post has spurned me to write.

He quoted another blog: Metroblogging New Orleans: Pondering and proximity, which states about another such poster who also has committed to stay and a “block-by-block” local action for the rebuild. These are intelligent, independent and committed individuals who love NOLA and believe in their heart-of-hearts that she needs to rise again. But I don’t think anyone though it would be this hard.

And it probably wouldn’t…but there is that quote that started this post:

“We have created a generation without remorse and given them a Mad Max style wasteland to live out their Lord of the Flies fantasies in.”

Indeed we have. I lived in New Orleans and love her city. I love her energy, her way of pushing people until they transcended their own humanity or left, or died. I love her music, her coagulation of the creative; artists, singers, performance and theater people. It was a carnival town as well as a carnivale town and all of the members from the side show, to the flying trapeze to the management were in residence in the off season.

New Orleans remains the only place I can say that I live with my heart wide open. No mask. On my two trips back since Katrina, as soon as my feet touched NOLA dirt there was a huge sigh of relief by my soul. It relaxed, and for the duration of my trip, I didn’t need to worry about keeping appearances up so that I would mix in with humanity. NOLA is a place that allows my wings to spread, my teeth to sharpen and my blood to run shimmeringly black. I love New Orleans and I want to protect her, but when I was there and talked she reminded me of a rape victim who wants to hide herself away from further trauma and to try and heal, but in that process something truly went wrong and she’s in this bad relationship with bad people who continue to hurt her.

I live in Ohio now and since 1998 I’ve tried to find an opening for my return to NOLA. I almost had it in 2005…and then the storm happened. Now I can’t find adequate housing for me and my 8 year old, even IF there were schools to educate her and jobs to help pay for it. NOLA is about as far away from being my place of residence as it can be…but it’s still home to my heart.

When I lived there were these sections of the city you just didn’t go. When I got shot, I got nudged into one of them. They were bad places filled with bad people, taught be bad people to be bad. The housing projects were such that they made the projects of Compton, CA look like country club resorts. Poverty was learned as an occupation. Hustling as the side game. I was very glad that I didn’t have to live in one of those places, but that didn’t prevent me from imagining what it was like, as a child to come of age in one of them. It would have been so removed from the American Dream.

When the Katrina fiasco was in full swing I remember hearing about the looting that was happening. Not just food and water, but clothes and entertainment items. It made perfect sense to me. If I had lived a whole life without having those sorts of things, and my mama has lived her whole life without them…and her mama. And all of a sudden the city’s closed down and the power is out and there are not security alarms or guards and the police has other things to worry about, then I would feel pretty damn justified in going and getting myself one of them boxes with a fancy TV. Sure, there isn’t any power, but there will be…and if there isn’t, I have something to sell to someone who has power. Either way, it’s all good by me.

I understand that underdog mentality. Couple that with the testosterone found in the 14-24 males growing up in those parts and you are right; It’s Lord of the Flies. The have found their Promised Land and they are doing what they know.

When I read about the founding of New Orleans I read about pirates and criminals and the miscreants of the New World. They stormed the city and founded it in their image. And it has always remained in the shadow of that foundation. That is one of the reasons it held our heart so tight.

Maybe in the rebuilding of New Orleans , another seizure of the city is happening by the criminals and pirates who would claim the city for their own?

And if that is the case, there are two options. Fight, using their rules, and beat them, then seize the city for your own, or leave the city to them. They will never go willingly. You are right. Most of them know the prison system and they are having too much fun. Once you have been to prison, there is always a part of you that operates on that logic. So…your rebuild efforts may be in vain, because even if you fix up every building to better than its original state, who is going to move there with that element running the outside world? And they have already proven they aren’t afraid to storm your house, kill you and take your shit.

So what is the answer? I don’t have one. I want my old New Orleans back too, but once squeezed out, the toothpaste is damn hard to get back inside to tube. Time is like that too! Things have changed. New Orleans isn’t what she used to be. There is an element that seeks to feed on her wounded body like a carrion bird, picking at her flesh when she is not yet dead. To those who would stay with her, I salute you, but I feel that unless you take the fight to a very visceral and mortal level, you will continue to feel frustrated as you watch them take her away, day by day.

Could a clear, strong, local government who is intolerant of the bullshit that has been happening make a difference? Yes, if supported by the community agencies of sheriff, police, and legal and community action to support those efforts. Right now everything is fragmented, and the vultures smell weakness.

Maybe someone should don a super-suit and a cape and become a modern-day super-hero. That is what I think we need…. A super-hero for lady Babylon!

Rise again lady New Orleans . Let me know what you need from me to aid you in any way. I miss you

Organizing Book of Shadows

// January 10th, 2007 // No Comments » // china, magick

I’m currently making a new BoS for me. With the intention that I’ll pass this down to my child and maybe down further than that. I’ve noted that my own family of birth has given me nothing I wish to pass onto further generations and I’ve noted I do NOT wish to be like that. So with my limited vision and self and resources I’ve begun to design some things that will begin to define what the Darrington family is representative. The BoS will help pass the various accumulation of knowledge of magick and ritual, ceremony and wildernessing. So I’m going through the many dozen of journals that have been filled and marking those entries that should be transfered to a more permanent medium.

I found this on “organizing grimors”

Tarot ATU

// January 9th, 2007 // No Comments » // inspiration, life, magick

I AM A STAR
TAROT affirms the Star that you are.
Affirm in your own mind´s eye, your beautiful and starry qualities.
I AM The FOOL, fresh and fearless;
I AM The MAGUS, talented and magical;
I AM The PRIESTESS, unerring in my intuition;
I AM The EMPRESS, unconditional with my love;
I AM The EMPEROR, builder of my world;
I AM The HIEROPHANT, learner and teacher;
I AM The LOVERS, a co-creative partner;
I AM The CHARIOT, able to achieve anything;
I AM ADJUSTMENT, able to adjust anything;
I AM The HERMIT, self-sufficient and independent;
I AM FORTUNE, a fortune wheel of health and wealth;
I AM LUST, nothing can stop my lust for life;
I AM The HANGED MAN, forgiving and sacrificing;
I AM DEATH, Free;
I AM ART, artful in the way I live;
I AM The DEVIL, playful and humorous;
I AM The TOWER, uncompromising in my self-integrity;
I AM The STAR, a shinning light of beauty and compassion;
I AM The MOON, the past;
I AM The SUN, creator of the present;
I AM The AEON, the future;
I AM The UNIVERSE.(By J.R.R.Abrahão, aka Mad Abe)

Unicorn (for Mia)

// January 9th, 2007 // No Comments » // Medea, magick

Whispers from the Editor

This ritual was written by Lady Cynder DragonWolf and Celestia DragonLove. We both had a very intense experience with this wonderful Ritual, and we both thought it would be a wonderful experience to pass on to all of you for the New Year!

Unicorn Ritual

Purpose: Connecting with the Unicorn and its Energies

Things Needed:

Scrying Bowl

Spring Water

Crystal Point or other special stone

Herbs (optional)

Glitter (optional)

Altar Devotion – Fire and Ice Altar

Normal Opening

Creature of Fire,

I cleanse and consecrate thee in the names of the Ancient Ones.

I cast out all negativity in this world and the world of the phantasms.

Blessings on you now.

So Mote It Be!

Creature of Ice,

I cleanse and consecrate thee in the names of the Ancient Ones.

I cast out all negativity in this world and the world of the phantasms.

Blessings on you now.

So Mote It Be!

Two elements create the balance.

Two elements create the magick.

Two elements combine with power,

To empower this rite at this hour.

Honor is the Law,

Love is the Bond.

Salute to Spirit

Lesser Banishing Ritual (optional)

Circle Cast:

(1^st cast is a golden ribbon, 2^nd cast is a silver ribbon, 3 ^rd cast is weaving the ribbons together)

Golden magick I weave around,

Creating a space for the Unicorn to bound.

As the last eagle flies and the last lion roars,

We will all stare unbelieving at the noble Unicorn.

Silver magick I weave around,

Creating a space for the Unicorn to bound.

As the moon casts over the last star of morn,

The clouds make a path to the majestic Unicorn.

Gold and Silver magick we weave together as One,

It is our will, so it will be done.

A magickal visit of the ancient Unicorn,

Hallowed through us, purity reborn.

So Mote It Be!

Quarter Calls:

North

Ancient beings who live in the Earth,

Creating life as you dance in your mirth.

Spider web dreams we see as we visit your land,

We ask you to join us,

From your magickal land.

Welcome and Merry Meet!

East

Ethereal Faeries whose voices do sing,

While riding owls that spread their dreamlike wings.

Fluttering about your nighttime gardens on midnight butterflies,

We ask you to join us,

Through the Eastern skies.

Welcome and Merry Meet!

South

Fiery beings with shiny amber eyes,

Upon the flickering of flame is where you do fly.

Moving about your fiery kingdom,

We ask you to join us,

And bid you welcome.

Welcome and Merry Meet!

West

Silvery beings reflected in the moonlit waters below,

Your dances are vivid because your skin is aglow.

Flowing throughout your watery world,

We ask you to join us,

Your blessings unfurled.

Welcome and Merry Meet!

Invocations: Unicorn Invocation

We stand here before you silently honoring in our hearts,

We ask you to join us your blessings to impart.

Beautiful being, imbued with mighty power,

Please come before us and bless us this hour.

So Mote It Be!

Working:

Get in a comfy position, holding your stone in your hands. Have a bowl of spring water in front of you that you can gaze into for your unicorn vision. At the end of the vision, ask the Unicorn to touch its horn to the water, and drop your stone into it, to create your Unicorn potion.

Ageless Unicorn come to me now,

Your aide I do ask you to vow.

A vision of beauty, power and love,

Into my life I invite you from above.

Walk with me for just a little while,

I promise your visit will be worthwhile.

I open my heart, my soul and my mind,

To the gentleness, purity and wisdom that you entwine.

Come to me now, I bid you to come,

To talk and to rest your head on my bosom.

Allow the vision to form. Relax in the presence of this powerful being. Allow the Unicorn to share what it will and when you are finished, drop your stone into the water and thank the Unicorn for its blessings. Leave the water on the altar overnight, then bottle and store, using this holy Unicorn water for wisdom, gentleness and strength of mind.

Cakes and Ale

Thanking Deity:

Great Unicorn who came to our side,

Thank you for being our guide.

Upon this world, your presence is needed,

And your advice is well heeded.

Stay if you will, Go if you must.

As always, in perfect love and perfect trust.

So Shall It Be!

Release Quarters

Pull Up Circle

Closing/Benediction

Clean Up

Blessings To You All!!

happy birthday thin white duke

// January 9th, 2007 // No Comments » // china, humor, inspiration, life, reznor

A blog I regularly read informed me that today is David Bowie’s 60th birthday! He made a comment about how Bowie remains cool after all these years. I had to comment.One thing that stands Bowie apart for me is that when I see those icons of greatness of the entertainment variety I usually also see the Faustian bargains they’ve made along the way.

Bowie has always seemed to be able to seduce the damn devil, promising him that tomorrow he will sell the soul, but for tonight, my LightBringer, let us explore the reaches just a bit more

I know he gave me a particular tingle of an exceedingly rare variety when I had the opportunity to meet him because of a friend of mine who was on tour with him. He was casual, cool, polite and when he grasped my hand he broke into a short chorus of “Little China Girl” and for all the famous persons I have met, I felt the single-most starstruck at that moment. School-girl giddy would just about sum it up. I had to turn away I turned so red around the ears.

Incredible weekend

// January 8th, 2007 // No Comments » // Ohio, china, life

Read LOTS. Went to library. Wrote LOTS of pages of stuff that resonates with me as pretty darn good. I’m actually still writing under the theme so I’m not going to post it 3 pages at a time, here. If it turns into something comprehensive I’ll post that. If it peters out…I’ll post the good parts here later!

I’m excited though.

I also want a house in Highland Square. Now I need to find out if I will ever qualify for a mortgage! Blah! Me and my left-handed grip on reality!

banished words

// January 8th, 2007 // No Comments » // language

This was on a writers site dealing with the “2007 list of Banished Phrases” (overused and we’re tired of hearing of them!)

UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN — “If they haven’t followed the law to get here, they are by definition ‘illegal.’ It’s like saying a drug dealer is an ‘undocumented pharmacist.’” — John Varga, Westfield, New Jersey

Story of the Day – Life Machine

// January 8th, 2007 // No Comments » // Storypeople

Here’s the Story of the Day: Life Machine this is a machine that takes your life & does all the hard parts & leaves you all the parts you enjoy & almost everyone discovers they’re not the parts you’d think they were at first glance (When you don’t want the Story of the Day any more, just send us an email at no_more@storypeople.com. Type “Unsubscribe” in the Subject & as soon as we can, we’ll stop them from cluttering your inbox…) Please do not reply to this message. If you have any other questions or comments about our web site or how to order, here’s how to get hold of us: The email address that goes right to the people who can help is: comments@storypeople.com

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