The Ancient Whispers Newsletter

These inua were granted enormous respect, as they could direct their host animals either towards or away from a hunter. To offend the inua would doom a hunter and his family to starvation. One of the ways in which respect for the inua was shown was by using beautifully-crafted weapons - the more respect that went into crafting the knife, harpoon-head or other weapon, the more successful the hunter would be.

The hunter could also trick animals or subdue them by enlisting spiritual aid. He made his weapons from materials familiar and comforting to his prey, and he called on spirit-helpers by decorating his hunting equipment with images of his quarry's natural predators. This imparted the predator's strength, power, or swiftness to the hunter or his weapons.(Fitzhugh and Kaplan)

Among the many sources of ivory used by the Eskimo, the most important was, and is, the tusks of the walrus. The difference in the color of the ivory as it ages (over centuries) is dramatic, shifting from creamy white to soft hues of yellow and brown, and later to darker browns and even a blueish tint occasionally. Due to past abuses, the collection of ivory of all types, whether it be new walrus tusks or "fossilized" mastodon tusks, is now closely controlled in Alaska by the Fish & Wildlife Service.

As whalers extended their ranges further and further into the Northern seas through the 18th and 19th Centuries, they of course came into contact with the native peoples, often for extended periods through the winters. Although I've seen scrimshaw described as a distinctly 'white' folk art, it seems more likely that the basics of this artform, with its incredible detail, was learned from the Eskimos during those long winters.

Our knowledge of Bering Sea Eskimo culture at the time of Euro-American contact is fairly extensive. The Smithsonian Institution was able to gather an impressive collection of traditional ivory and other items as a result of the efforts of Edward W. Nelson, who was stationed at St. Michael with the U.S. Army Signal Service from 1877 until 1881. He travelled extensively, and his notes, photographs and collections have been exhibited widely.

Modern ivory carvings can be found in a broad range of styles, and items ranging from accurate reproductions of traditional articles, to those intended for the tourist souvenir market. The majority of Alaska's traditional carvers live in Nome, and the Bering Sea islands of Saint Lawrence, Little Diomede and Nunivak. The works of carvers such as Walter Amos are represented in museums and private collections around the world.

References & Further Reading:
Fitzhugh, William W. and Susan A Kaplan - Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo (Smithsonian, 1983)
Mcmanus, Michael - A Treasury of American Scrimshaw (Penguin Studio, 1997)

Quote : Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility. -The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Craft of the Week : Rolled Beeswax Tapers
From Witch Crafts by Willow Polson

Knife or scissors
light to medium weight wicking
Beeswax sheets, any color or pattern (one per candle)
ruler or straightedge (optional)

Cut the wick about 1 inch longer than the short side of a wax sheet and lay along the edge. Curl the edge carefully over the wick and press into place, then begin rolling the wax sheet into a taper. If you have trouble rolling the sheets and they tend to crack or roll unevenly, the room is too cold. If the pattern crushes to easily or you leave fingerprints, the room is too warm. Test the size in a taper candleholder, cut off any excess, and press the edge firmly to stick it down.

To get a little more creative, roll two different-color sheets together. Using the ruler, cut a sheet at an angle to make a spiral candle. Or experiment with flared edges.

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Humor : Appearances

A big, burly man paid a visit to a pastor’s home. “Sir,” he said, “I wish to draw your attention to the terrible plight of a poor family. The father is unemployed, and the mother can’t work because of the nine children she must raise. They are hungry and soon will be forced onto the streets unless someone pays their $500 rent.”

“How terrible!” exclaimed the preacher. Touched by the concern of a man with such a gruff appearance, he asked, “May I ask who you are?”

The visitor sobbed, “I’m their landlord.”
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Who's Who in World Mythology : Anunaki
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the Who's Who Archive.

In contrast to the Igigi, the Babylonian (Sumerian/Akkadian) spirits of the heavens, the Anunaki (Annunki) were the spirits of the Earth. According to legends, they were created by Anshar and Kishar (or Marduk) and are symbolized by the stars of the northern sky. They were originally chthonic fertility deities, later evolving into seven judges of the underworld who answered only to Kur and Ereskigal.

Modern archeology and mysticism are rewriting the place of such entities as the Anunki and Igigi. To read more, check out these sites:

What About the Anunnaki?
The Legends of the Garden of Eden and The Angels
Origins of the devil...
The Mesopotamian Texts

Quote : Billy Idol
If your world doesn’t allow you to dream, move to one where you can.

The Magi's Garden: Avocado
For past featured foliage and the bibliography, please go to the The Magi's Garden Archive.

Avocado (Persea americana)

Folk Names: Ahuacotl (Aztec - Testicle Tree), Alligator Pear, Avocado Pear, Persea

Description: The avocado tree is a member of the laurel family and is the only tree in the family to produce edible fruit. It is native to Central America, but has spread throughout many tropical and subtropical countries. The erect branching evergreen trees grow up to sixty-five feet. The avocado has elliptical or lanceolate leaves, acuminate with short stalk. They are leathery and strongly veined and remain on the tree for two to three years. Little greenish flowers appear in dense terminal panicles. Depending upon the variety, these flowers will produce a big, fleshy, pear-shaped drupes with green skin which may be smooth or rough. The bipartite seed is large, and also may be pear shaped. An avocado tree will grow in any good, well-drained soil, and need some protection from strong winds.

Effects: gentle
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
Avocado wood is perfect for love, lust, and fertility wands. The earliest record of avocado use came from an archaeological dig in Peru. Avocado seeds were found buried with a mummy and dated back to the 8th Century BCE. One theory is that these early people wanted the seeds buried with them because their aphrodisiac qualities might be useful in the afterlife.

Magic:
The Aztecs ate the avocado for lust. The plant may easily be grown from the pit to bring love to your home, and the pit may also be carried to promote beauty.

Known Combinations:
none noted

Medical Indications: (Note: Unripe avocados are said to be toxic. The leaves of some avocado varieties are also considered toxic.) Parts Used: fruit, leaves
Avocado has the highest fat content of any fruit. It is also a good source of sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, and B2. For this reason, it is an excellent moisturizer. Mashing an avocado and rubbing it into your hair for five minutes after washing will add luster to your hair, and the powdered seeds have been utilized as a dandruff treatment. Make a facial mask of mashed avocado (honey and lime may also be added), and heat it in a double boiler. Apply it to your face while it is still warm (but not hot). Koreans blend them with milk to create a lotion for facial and body massages. Apply avocado oil to your skin to relieve itchy, red, or irritated areas caused by eczema or dermatitis, and oil from the seed has also been applied to skin eruptions.
The skin of the avocado has been used as an antibiotic, to ease dysentery and rid the intestinal tract of parasites. Leaf juices and concoctions have been employed as antibiotics, treatments for hypertension, diarrhea, sore throat, and to regulate menstruation. The seeds may also be roasted and pulverized to create treatments for diarrhea and dysentery.
The leaves may be chewed as a treatment for pyorrhea, and they have been applied as poultices to wounds. Heated, they are placed on the forehead to relieve neuralgia. Juice concoctions have been used for digestive tonics, cough remedies, and abortifacients. Pieces of seed may be placed in tooth cavities as a toothache remedy.

Nutrition:
Around the world, people have found diverse uses for this fruit. In some countries avocados are used in desserts. Brazilians put them into ice cream, and Filipinos puree them with sugar and milk to make a dessert drink. The Taiwanese also eat them with milk and sugar. Jamaicans create cold avocado soup. Nigerians stuff them with cheese, throw them into a batter, and bake them. However, avocados are usually eaten raw because the tannins they contain result in a bitter flavor when cooked over high heat.
Avocados are essential in making guacamole. The word Aztec word for avocado, ahuacatl, was compounded with others, such as ahuacamolli, meaning “avocado soup or sauce.” It was from this word that the Spanish-Mexican word guacamole derives.
In the 1700's English seamen discovered that the avocado could be used as a spread to soften the hardtack they had for meals. The avocado spread soon became known as "midshipman's butter."
There are three main cultivated varieties of avocado. The Mexican variety bears purple or black fruit the size of a plum with a smooth skin and yellow-green flesh. The leaves of this tree have an intense anise flavor, and dried, they are used to season black bean dishes. It is the hardiest of the avocado trees with its fruit harvested in the fall.
The Guatamalan avocados may either be purple, black, or green with a rough skin and are larger than the Mexican ones. They are harvested in the spring or summer. The leaves have a medicinal use.
The West Indian type bears the largest fruit with some avocados weighing over twp pounds. The skin is smooth and usually light green. The leaves have no scent.

Mercantile Uses:
In addition to being a popular plantation tree in Central and South America, it is grown extensively in California.
The Quetzal bird was an important element of early Central American mythology, and Aztec royalty wore headdresses including plumes removed from live-trapped males (which could then be released to grow new feathers with their next molt). Guatemalans so revere the Quetzal that they chose it as the national bird, and even named their monetary unit the "quetzal". The Quetzals rely heavily on the fruit of wild avocados for food. The fruits are swallowed whole, and the large seeds, still viable, are often regurgitated at some distance from the source tree. Because Quetzals are among the only frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds able to eat these large fruits, it is thought that the wild avocados are reliant on them to disperse their seeds.
The Conquistadors discovered a unique use for the avocado seed. The seed yields a milky liquid that becomes red when exposed to air. The Spaniards found they could use this reddish brown or even blackish indelible liquid as ink to be used on documents. Some of these documents are still in existence today. An ointment made from the mashed seed has been used for women's makeup to redden their cheeks.

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Cartoon

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Poem : Dreamer, Say
James Whitcomb Riley

Dreamer, say, will you dream for me
A wild sweet dream of a foreign land,
Whose border sips of a foaming sea
With lips of coral and silver sand;
Where warm winds loll on the shady deeps,
Or lave themselves in the tearful mist
The great wild wave of the breaker weeps
O’er crags of opal and amethyst?

Dreamer, say, will you dream a dream
Of tropic shades in the lands of shine,
Where the lily leans o’er an amber stream
That flows like a rill of wasted wine, -
Where the palm-tree, lifting their shields of green,
Parry the shafts of the Indian sun
Whose splintering vengeance falls between
The reeds below where the waters run?

Dreamer, say, will you dream of love
That lives in a land of sweet perfume,
Where the stars drip down from the skies above
In molten spatters of bud and bloom?
Where never the weary eyes are wet,
And never a sob in the balmy air,
And only the laugh of the paroquette
Breaks the sleep of the silence there?

Quote : Larry King
I never learned anything while I was talking.

The Power of Stones : Actinolite
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the Power of Stones Archive.

Actinolite crystals are long, green or black stones. The Greek word "aktinos means "ray," and Actinolite crystals form somewhat like beams or rays. It is often found with Albite, chlorite and epidoite in green stone. The green variety, nephrite, is similar in properties to jade, though of a more mellow nature. The black variety is used to “wear away” qualities and circumstances which are unwanted. Actinolite is excellent for shielding and combined with obsidian, it provides an accentuated connection to creation.

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Humor : Wise Men

A woman was telling her three boys the story of the Nativity and how the Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the infant Jesus.

Clearly giving it a lot of thought, her six-year old observed, “Mom, a Wise Woman would have brought diapers.”
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A Dreamer's Guide : Grief to Grunting
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the Dreamer's Guide Archive.

If you experienced Grief in a dream, you will soon be rejoicing, but if your enemies were grieving, your happiness is at stake.

Decorative Grillwork indicates you are considering a “back-street” affair. If you dream featured a cooking grill, see Barbeque.

An unexpected but pleasing social invitation is presaged by someone else’s Grin. If you were grinning, you will get away with some tricky idea you’re contemplating.

Grinding any foodstuffs is a forecast of increasing material wealth through prudence. Grinding coffee means trouble at home, and grinding pepper indicates sickness and sorrow. If you ground corn you will be fortunate, and grinding grain means you will be very rich. A limited reward for hard work is intimated by the grinding of any hard materials, and grinding colored stones indicates a loss of hope. Discord within the family is foretold by a dream of grinding dyes.

Give closer attention to details if you wish to succeed if you used a Grindstone. If you used a grindstone to sharpen tools, you will be blessed with a worthy spouse. Selling grindstones indicates a small but honest gain.

Do not repeat questionable rumors or gossip if you found Grit on yourself or in your food.

Financial embarrassment is foretold if you Groaned, and a period of petty annoyances has arrived if someone else groaned. If you groaned in fear, you will be pleasantly surprised by a turn for the better in your affairs. You may look forward to a pleasant visit among friends. You have one loyal friend if your enemy groaned.

Shopping for Groceries is an augury of luck, prosperity, and a life of ease. Important and beneficial events are underway if others bought groceries. Fresh, clean groceries are an indication of ease and comfort.

Hard work awaits you if you saw a Groom, and something of a legal nature will be made known to you. You will have to compete with bullies if you saw several grooms, but the groom of an enemy means things will go as planned.

News of a legal nature is on its way if you dreamt of any animal being Groomed.

If you had to Grope after something, do not despair; your affairs are improving, and if you had to grope your way along, an introduction will give you good cheer. Use caution in your affairs if you groped after something in the dark.

A lightening of your burdens is foretold by a religious Grotto. You will have many friends if you were taken to a grotto, and if you went to eat, you will receive an inheritance. If you were taken to a cave by force, a perilous journey is ahead.

You may be drawn into pastimes which you have abandoned if you dreamt of lying on the Ground. If it was ground on your own property, money and profit are in your future. A long illness is foretold if you lay on the ground floor of your home, and the loss of a friend is augured by the ground floor of an inn.

You will have an interesting and romantic experience if you saw a Groundhog.

If you were aware of nature Growing is an omen of advancement. You will become an important person if you felt you were growing, and seeing yourself as a grownup indicates honor.

Good luck is promised by a dream of Gruel. You will have advantages if you cooked it, and money is on its way if you bought it.

An opportunity to change your job, the kind of work you do, or your life style is augured by the sound of an animal Grunting.

Quote : Elizabeth Potier
It isn’t life that weighs us down – it’s the way we carry it.

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