The Ancient Whispers Newsletter

Welcome to the Ancient Whispers Newsletter, a multi-cultural newsletter with a little something for everyone of any creed or religion. Here you will find inspiring quotes, irreverent jokes, crafts, and most importantly, historical and/or religious scholarship. Every Wednesday a new edition should appear on this website with reminder emails sent out the night before to those who have opted to join one of the many forums and mailing lists to which I subscribe. If you wish to share this newsletter with others, please keep it intact with the original authors' names on all the articles. Any articles or sections, to which an author or URL is not affixed, were written by Candace (with the exception of the various jokes found herein).

Questions, comments, and topical requests are encouraged and should be posted to the AskCandace open forum at yahoogroups. I'd like to start a help column for the newsletter, so if you'd like to have your problem featured in a newsletter, let me know when you post.

The Pagan Month of February
can be found in its entirety Here. For more detailed entries, please visit the full calendar.

February was named for the Roman goddess Februa, mother of Mars. As patroness of passion, she was also known as Juno Februa and St. Febronia from febris, the fever of love. Her orgiastic rites were held on February 14th, St.Valentine's Day. In Norse traditions, she is equated with Sjofn.

The Irish called this month Feabhra or an Gearran, the gelding or horse. The horse was used to draw the plough, but Gearran also means 'to cut' and 'Gearran' can be used to describe the 'cutting' Spring winds. To the Anglo-Saxons, this was Solmonath, "sun month," in honor of the gradual return of the light after the darkness of winter. According to Franking and Asatru traditions, this month is Horning, from horn, the turn of the year.

The first full moon of Febraury is called the Snow Moon in America.

With the new crescent moon, the Hopi and the Pueblo people hold their Powamu festival. Beans are planted in kivas, large buildings used for religious rituals. As many as two hundred kachina dancers will perform rituals while the beans grow to ensure a good crop. Children between the ages of six and ten are initiated into their kachina societies, receiving gifts from the dancers.

The 19th day of the first moon is the Rats' Wedding in China. The day honors household rats in order to propitiate them.

The 1st day of the 2nd moon is called Yungdeung Mama, a wind festival in Korea.

The first Sunday in February is called Hamstrom in Switzerland.

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Reading with Silver Raven Kat: Forever by Pete Hamill

My good friend Silver Raven Kat has the unbelievable good fortune of working as an assistant manager in a bookstore. So I asked her if she might like to do a book review now and again as time permits (since she gets to read many, many more books for free than I can afford to buy lol). So here is her choice for this week’s newsletter.

The premise: An Irishman becomes immortal with a catch. To stay immortal he has to live only in Manhattan.

This mystical journey begins in Ireland during the great famine of 1741. The story begins at the tail end of the Williamite wars and the enforcement of the penal laws against Catholics. The setting foreshadows the inner turmoil of Cormac O'Conner's family. Born to a Jewish mother and a pagan father, Cormac fits in neither world until his father brings him to a grove to learn the old ways. The living in different worlds is the thread that twines throughout this tale. With the murder of his family, Cormac sets out to avenge his family's deaths. On the ship to New York, he befriends an African shaman that later gives him immortality. Immortality with a catch; he has to stay and live in Manhattan. He is admonished to really live life and this theme resonates to the reader's own journey and walk through life. I found myself asking, " Do I really live my life to the fullest?;" "What would I do if I found myself suddenly immortal?" Surprisingly enough, Cormac's life does not transverse the path one may think. We become privy to the underbelly of history, though, one that shines with a humanitarian bent. Love, sex, and scandal- all the makings of an entertaining read. Replete with historical vignettes, this tale has all the makings of a classic.

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Humor: Deductions

A little boy wanted $100 badly and prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, USA, they decided to send it to President Bush. The President was so impressed, touched, and amused that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $5.00 bill. President Bush thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy. The little boy was delighted with the $5.00 and sat down to write a thank you note to God, which read:

Dear God, Thank you very much for sending the money, however, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington D.C. and, as usual, those crooks deducted $95.00.
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Article : Lemuria and Atlantis
from http://home.earthlink.net/~muniz1/tara.htm

by Tara Mata

A STRIKING proof of the truth of the cyclic nature of man's progress and decadence, and of the presence on this earth of high civilizations tens of thousands of years ago, has been offered during recent years by geological and archaeological evidence of the existence and culture of the sunken continents of Lemuria and Atlantis. Colonel James Churchward's three scholarly books on Mu (Lemuria) point out that Lemuria was the "mother of the world" and that her civilization was vastly more ancient than that of Atlantis. The latter was colonized by emigrants from Lemuria.

Churchward advances many interesting reasons to support his belief that Lemurians brought their civilization to ancient Egypt, Greece and other parts of the world. The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a sacred memorial to the Lemurian forefathers of the Egyptians who perished when Mu sank under the blue waters of the Pacific. Churchward translates the Egyptian hieroglyphic name of this book, Per-m-hru, as "Mu has gone forth from the day." The relation of the ancient Greeks to Mu is shown forth by the construction of the Greek alphabet which, as Churchward proves, "is composed of Cara-Maya vocables forming an epic that relates the destruction of Mu."

This theory, that colonists from Lemuria, and later from Atlantis, spread their civilization all over the ancient world, is not accepted by many scholars, but it must be admitted that it is the only explanation that satisfactorily accounts for the otherwise puzzling similarities to be found in the ancient architecture, art, language, religion, traditions and customs of widely separated lands, such as Central America and Mexico on one side of the world, and Egypt and Babylonia on the other.

The story of Atlantis is better known, because it is more recent than that of Lemuria. The famous Republic of Plato (370 B.C.) was largely inspired by Greek traditions founded on memories of the great civilization of Atlantis, and in two other books, the Timaeus and Critias, Plato gives vivid descriptions of the lost continent and its people. Other ancient Greeks wrote about Atlantis as the "blessed," "happy" or "fortunate" land, the Edenic garden of the world in a long-past Golden Age, remote even to the Greeks of Plato's time. Roman writers of the same period referred to the vast sea between Europe and America as Maris Atlantici, the Atlantic Ocean, thus indicating their belief that these waters covered the Atlantean continent.

The Atlanteans are described by Plato and others as having been in possession of marvelous scientific knowledge and power. Particularly notable was their conquest of space by the use of airplaines1 and through television. Churchward believes that the Lemurians and Atlanteans spread the knowledge of aerial travel over all the ancient world. He writes, in his fascinating book, The Children of Mu:

"These are the most detailed accounts I have found about the airships of the Hindus 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, except one which is a drawing and instructions for the construction of the airship and her machinery, power, engine, etc. The power is taken from the atmosphere in a very simple inexpensive manner. The engine is somewhat like our present-day turbine in that it works from one chamber into another until finally exhausted. When the engine is once started it never stops until turned off. It will continue on if allowed to do so until the bearings are worn out. These ships could keep circling around the earth without ever once coming down until the machinery wore out. The power is unlimited, or rather limited only by what metals will stand. I find various flights spoken of which according to our maps would run from 1000 to 3000 miles. All records relating to these airships distinctly state that they were self-moving, they propelled themselves; in other words, they generated their own power as they flew along. They were independent of all fuel. It seems to me, in the face of this, and with all our boasting, we are about 15,000 to 20,000 years behind the times . . . There are many Chinese records of about the same date regarding these ancient flying machines." It is noteworthy that recent excavations in Crete have brought to light records which mention Cretan airplanes.

Though Plato's account of Atlantis met with slight credence from scientists up until recent times, the discoveries of Dr. Henry Schliemann, eminent archeologist, have placed the existence of that land beyond doubt. "When in 1873," writes Dr. Schliemann, "I made the excavation of the ruins of Troy at Hissarlik and discovered in the second city the famous treasures of Priam, I found among that treasure a peculiar bronze vase of great size . . . engraved in Phoenician hieroglyphics with a sentence which reads: 'From the King Chronos of Atlantis' . . . Among a collection of objects from Tiahaunaco, South America, is another vase identically the same as I found among the treasures of Priam."

The significance of the Phoenician hieroglyphics is explained by Professor Nicola Russo, in The Atlantis Quarterly: "The Phoenician alphabet, which is the first of all the European alphabets, is derived from the Atlantean alphabet, which was taught to the Maya of Central America . . . Atlantis was the home of the Aryan or indo-European, and of the semitic, not excluding the Turanian, peoples . . . The male and female divinities of the ancient Greeks, of the Phoenicians, of the Indians, and of the Scandinavians, were kings, queens and heroes of Atlantis, and the acts of heroism which mythology attributes to them are none other than a confused record of historical happenings . . . Atlantis perished in a terrible convulsion of nature, in which the entire island was submerged, with the loss of all the population. Those few who had time to escape from the general disaster on boats and on rafts carried the account of the event to the people who were in the East and West—a tradition that has come down to our days with the legend of the universal Deluge . . . That Atlantis before the time of Plato was known in sacred traditions and legends is proved by the fact that Homer and Hesiod were already acquainted with the legend of Atlas, condemned by Jove to bear the heavens on his shoulders. Herodotus also, in the fourth book of his History, mentions the Atlanteans, and Diodorus, in his Library of History, tells of the Atlanteans, a people more civilized than the people of these countries, and inhabiting a rich land containing many cities."

Lewis Spence, the learned scientist whose researches have thrown important light on the vanished civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria, points out that Suidas claimed that both Homer and Hesiod were Atlanteans. In the Homeric epics, the blind bard "sings of his country, the country of the gods, Atlantis".

The vases found by Schliemann establishes the fact that there was a King Chronus of Atlantis, and in this connection it is of interest to note that the ancient Greeks preserved traditions of their Golden Age, which they made coincident with the reign of a King Chronos, who may well have been the ruler over the Atlantean forefathers of the Greeks.

A group of survivors of the Atlantean cataclysm settled in northwest Africa, and were known as "Atlanteans" to Greek and Roman writers, who named the Atlas Mountains, in that region, in their honor—Atlas being the Latin singular form of Atlantes.

Scientists of the Carnegie Institution, recently excavating at Chichen Itza, in Yucatan, found, among the imposing ruins of the Pyramid of the Warriors, a Temple dedicated to the Atlanteans.

The Antilles group of islands in the West Indies, and the Azore and Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa, are believed by competent scholars to constitute veritable remnants of Atlantis, and to indicate roughly the extent of her western and eastern boundaries. All these island groups are situated on an ocean ridge which is subject to great earthquakes, and this region, according to Scott-Elliott, "has been the scene of volcanic disturbance on a gigantic scale, and that within a quite measurable period of geologic time."

An article in The Atlantis Quarterly for September, 1932, refers to a recent discovery by the archeologist, Nicolas de Ascanio, on Teneriffe, largest island of the Canaries, of vases and pottery "of exquisite proportions and workmanship. . . M. de Ascanio does not hesitate to assert that the pottery and mortar in question are, 'with the exception of arms, the most ancient products of human industry actually known'. That we are here in the presence of remains of an advanced civilization that existed long before the present race of aboriginals inhabited the islands cannot be doubted. . . The conclusion that the beautiful examples of ceramic art under discussion are veritable relics of Atlantean craftsmanship is, we think, established, and constitutes one of the most remarkable corroborations of Plato's history of Atlantis."

Professor Russo, in an article in the same issue of the magazine above referred to, stresses the importance of the results of a scientific expedition in the ship Meteor around the Azores. "The mythical island, which has been the object of so many studious investigations, according to the testimony of a recent German scientific expedition, must have been located where the Azores now lie, and the peaks of the Azores must be the tops of the mountains of the submerged Atlantis. . . The contour of the upper submarine plane of the Azores sounded by the ship Meteor is indicated to us exactly by the situation and the conformation of Atlantis, in accordance with what is left to us in their writings by Plato and the geographers of antiquity. This is the reason why the learned Germans maintain the submersion of Atlantis must be calculated as 9,500 years B.C., a period during which the earth penetrated into the moon't ray of action. Under the magnetic influence of this satellite, the waters of the ocean rose to the point of overwhelming Atlantis, so that only the tops of the highest mountains remained. The communications of these scholars come opportunely to throw light upon the darkness of so many mysteries that enwrap the Edenic Island, they serve as a link connecting Egypt and South America, and exhibit the similarities of the characteristics of their civilizations."

Lewis Spence believes that continental Atlantis was destroyed at the end of the Tertiary period (Miocene times), leaving two large islands. One of these, the largest, was the only Atlantis with which the ancient Greek and Roman writers were acquainted. Most of this island was finally submerged by a cataclysm of nature at a date which geological, historical and traditional evidence agrees on as about 9,500 B.C.

Plutarch tells us that Solon, the Athenian law-giver and ancestor of Plato, visited Egypt in 600 B.C., and that "Souchis, a priest of Sais, and Psenophis, a priest of Heliopolis, told him that 9000 years before, the relations of the Egyptians with the lands of the west had been interrupted because of the mud which had made the sea impassable after the destruction of Atlantis."

"When Atlantis was first submerged," Churchward writes, "she only went down deep enough to be awash at low tide so that at low tide mud banks appeared with masses of seaweed which made the northern Atlantic impassable to shipping." This was the real reason why the ancient Greeks never ventured to sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar). Later on, Atlantis sank to her present depth, and ships could move freely over her burial place.

Some ancient writers refer to Atlantis as Poseidon. "An Egyptian papyrus states that Poseidon was the first king of Atlantis and that he was followed by a long line of Poseidons, thus forming a Poseidon Dynasty" (Churchward).

The Platonic story tells us that "Atlantis was the center of civilization and conquered the whole world." Dr. Schliemann makes the following observations on the connection of Egypt with Atlantis: "In the Museum at St. Petersburg, Russia, there is a papyrus roll, one of the oldest known. It was written in the reign of Pharoah Sent of the Second Dynasty. The papyrus relates that 'Pharoah Sent sent out an expedition to the west in search of traces of the Land of Atlantis from whence, 3350 years before, the ancestors of the Egyptians arrived, carrying with themselves all of the wisdom of their native land. The expedition returned after five years with the report that they had found neither people nor objects which could give them a clue to the vanished land.' Another papyrus in the same Museum by Manetho, the Egyptian priest-historian, gives a reference of a period of 13,900 years as the reign of the Sages of Atlantis. This papyrus places the height of the civilization of Atlantis at the very beginning of Egyptian history, approximately 16,000 years ago."

Spence tells us that the modern Basques who dwell in the Pyrenees "have not hesitated to announce themselves as the last branch of the Atlantean race—and perhaps not without reason, for it is within the bounds of probability that they are descended from the Cro-Magnon race which would seem to have reached Iberian soil from an oceanic area."

Brasseur de Bourbourg, a writer of the last century, traced the etymology of the word Atlantic in the following way: The words Atlas and Atlantic have no satisfactory etymology in any language known to Europe. They are not Greek, and cannot be referred to any known language of the Old World. But in the Nahu-atlan language (peculiar to the Toltec tribes of ancient Mexico) we find immediately the radical a, atl, which signifies water, war, and the top of the head. From this comes a series of words, such as atlan, or the border of or amid the water; from which we have the adjective Atlantic. . . A city named Atlan existed when the continent was discovered by Columbus, at the entrance of the Gulf of Uraha." Another city, existing today, with a similar name, is Mazatlan, on the west coast of Mexico. It is an interesting fact, mentioned by some of the early European voyagers to this country, that certain Indian tribes called the whole continent of America by the name of Atlanta. The Nahuatlan language, as its name implies, is similar to and derived from the Atlantean language, for the ancient Maya and Toltec civilizations, so similar in many ways to that of Egypt, were brought to Mexico and Yucatan from Atlantis, who in turn was a colony of Lemuria, "mother of the world."

The subject of Atlantis, her magnificent civilization and her dramatic end, has exercised a fascination for modern as well as ancient authors. Besides the scholarly works, published in the last fifty years, by such scientists as Ignatius Donally, Schliemann, Spence, Russo and Churchward, many imaginative novels have been written around Atlantis. "A Dweller on Two Planets" by Phylos, is stimulating reading. A romance, "L'Atlantide," by Benoit, has recently been produced in France as a motion picture. "The Coming Race" by Bulwer-Lytton, very popular with a previous generation, was based on Atlantean traditions. Recently two French writers have compiled a Bibliography of Atlantis, giving over 1700 references. "Societies for Atlantean Studies" now exist in France, Italy and other European lands.

Francis Bacon, "father of experimental philosophy," wrote a stirring book in the 17th century, outlining a great plan for the development of scientific learning which was to remold the institutions of the world on a fairer basis. The founding of the Royal Society of London in 1662 was a direct result of Lord Bacon's inspiring work, which was named "The New Atlantis".

Quote : Eddie Cantor
Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast -- you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

Craft of the Week : Shaman Sage Staff
From Witch Crafts by Willow Polson

Staffs can be used for many purposes, from simply walking aids to ceremonial centerpieces. This staff reflects the male energies and wisdom of the Sage, the male counterparts of the Crone.

Drill with a bit slightly smaller than the diameter of the threaded rod
1 large staff, cut to length
1 deer antler
Epoxy
3-inch double threaded rod
Assorted wing feathers
Sewing needle and thread
Embroidery floss, perle cotton, other interesting thin fibers
Assorted beads
Tacky craft glue or glue gun and glue sticks
8X10 inch piece thin suede or similar scraps
2X10 inch strip of white rabbit fur

Drill a hole into the end of the staff and another hole into the antler, each hole deep enough to accept half the threaded rod. Squirt a bit of epoxy into each hole, and screw the rod into place securely. To make the bundle of feathers, bunch them together as desired and run a needle and thread through the shafts to help secure them. Drill a small hole in the top of the staff and thread with floss, or wrap some floss around the antler tines, and then thread some interesting beads on the floss. Attach the feather bundle at the end of the bead strand and wrap the feathers with embroidery floss or other fibers.

Use the craft glue to attach and wrap the suede around the grip area of the staff, adding contrasting scraps as desired. Wrap the leather grip with strands of floss or other strong fibers in whatever patterns you like. Glue the strip of rabbit fur to the top of the grip area.

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Humor : Email

One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out. When the angel returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth: 95% are misbehaving and 5% are not." God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God sent another angel to Earth. When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, the Earth is in decline: 95% are misbehaving and 5% are being good."

God was not pleased. So God decided to E-mail the 5% that were good because he wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that E-mail said? No? I didn't get one either.
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Who's Who in World Mythology : Apet
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the Who's Who Archive.

Apet or Opet is the hippopotamus goddess of Thebes. She is a form of Taueret or Taurt, a goddess of fertility, domestic interests, and childbirth. The literal interpretation of Taueret is “the great fat one,” though she is more usually referred to as the “Mighty One.” In the book of the dead, she is portrayed as a protector of the dead, though she is sometimes depicted as the female counterpart to Set. Taueret is in turn identified as a variant of Hathor. Apet is also identified with Mut, “the mother,” and wife to Amon.

Apet or Taurt is usually shown as a female hippopotamus with large udders. She stands upright on her hind legs with her left paw resting on a Sa, a symbol of protection represented by a stylized life preserver made of papyrus and worn by river travelers. In some paintings, she had the legs of a lion and the tail of a crocodile. Sometimes she held a torch to ward off nightmares and demons. She is also known as Rert, Rertu, and in Greece, Thoueris.

It is believed Thebes is derived from a variation of Apet’s name. A female article, T, was placed before her name, Ape, to form Tap or Tape. This was pronounced Thebai by the Greeks. The people of Thebes often named their children after her and decorated their homes, cribs, and tombs with her images.

Quote : Krishnamurti
Meditation is to find out if there is a field which is not already contaminated by the known.

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

Balm of Gilead (Commiphora opobalsamum)

Folk Names: Balessan, Balsam Tree, Balsumodendron, Baume de la Gileadensis (or Gileadensis), Bechan, Dossemo, Mecca Balsam (Balsamum Meccae), Protium Gileadense

Description: Balm of Gilead grows in countries on both sides of the Red Sea, but it is quite rare and difficult to cultivate. The tree stands from ten to twelve feet high, with wand-like, spreading branches. The bark is a rich brown. The few, small leaves are trifoliate, and the tiny flowers are unisexual and reddish. The fruit is reddish-gray, the size of a small pea, with an agreeable and aromatic taste. Seeds are solitary, yellow, and grooved down one side.

In the heat of summer, the tree’s resinous sap spontaneously exudes from the trunk. The expression of the resin may be facilitated by incisions in the trunk. The more humid the air, the more resin may be collected. The oil is extracted from the resin via secret methods, but the yields only 1/10 the amount of juice. An inferior oil is obtained by boiling the leaves and wood with water.

Effects: gentle
Planet: Venus Zodiac: Taurus
Element: water
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
The name balm, baulm, or bawm is contracted from the word balsam, a word possibly derived from the Hebrew bot smin, meaning “chief of oils,” or basam “balm,” or besem “sweet smell.” instructed David to begin attack on Philistines Balm of Gilead was taken from Arabia to Judea by the Queen of Sheba as a present for Solomon. There is was cultivated for its juice, particularly at Mt Gilead where it acquired its name.

Magic:
According to tradition, the (P candicans) buds may be carried to mend a broken heart or attract a new love. They may also be steeped in red wine for love potion.
Though the buds (P candicans) may be used in incense for spirit summoning, they are also carried for protection from the evil eye, curses, and hexes.
Balm of Gilead may be used in all healing spells, and the oil can be used to dress candles in healing rituals. The buds (P candicans) may be added to the bath to purify, and will also beautify skin.

Known Combinations:
Populus candicans is also called Balm of Gilead, as is P Nigra and P balsamifera. See Aspen for a description.

Medical Indications: Parts Used: oil
The odorous liquid balm is a thick, turbid grayish-white substance. It quickly becomes solid upon exposure to the air. Though it has been used to treat urinary tracts, it is said to possess no medicinal properties not found in other balms.

Nutrition:
The fruit is edible.

Mercantile Uses:
This tree is so valued by the Turks that its importation is prohibited.

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Cartoon

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Poem : Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Blow, blow, though winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Quote : Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
Familiar things happen, and mankind does not bother about them. It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.

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

The name aegirine comes from the Teutonic god of the sea, Aegir, and was given when the first specimens of the mineral were discovered in Norway. Aegirine is difficult to distinguish from its close cousin augite. Under normal circumstances, the steep pyramids of aegirine are the only point of differentiation. Sometimes called acmite, from the Greek word for point, the steeply inclined pyramid on top of the prismatic crystals is very characteristic of aegirine. It forms tall, opaque or translucent, monument-like crystals that jut majestically out from their host rocks. These may be green to black to brownish-black in color.

Aegirine can assist in augmenting personal convictions and morals in order to do what is required. At its most basic, it will allow you to be yourself, dispensing with group pressures to conform. Emotional blockages are released to allow personal attitudes and opinions to surface.

Aegirine is also helpful in concentrating positive energy in an area, providing revitalization and mental stimulation, and focusing the energies of other minerals for unification, especially in healing.

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Humor : 50 Dollars

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that airplane."

Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that airplane ride costs 50 dollars, and 50 dollars is 50 dollars."

One year Morris and Esther went to the fair and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that airplane I might never get another chance."

Esther replied, "Morris, that airplane ride costs 50 dollars, and 50 is dollars is 50 dollars."

The pilot overheard them and said, "Folks, I'll make you a deal. I'll take you both up for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say one word, I won't charge you; but if you say one word it's 50 dollars."

Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.

The pilot did all kinds of twists and turns, rolls and dives, but not a word was heard. He did all his tricks over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, "By golly, I did everything I could think of to get you to yell out, but you didn't."

Morris replied, "Well, I was gonna say something when Esther fell out, but 50 dollars is 50 dollars."
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A Dreamer's Guide : Ham to Happiness
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the Dreamer's Guide Archive.

Hams are a warning that you are in danger of being used toward treacherous ends. A prosperous year lies ahead if it was smoked or being smoked, and baking it indicates your current difficulties will result ultimately in good fortune. You will successfully meet all opposition if you cut large slices, and dressing a ham means others will treat you with lenience.

Good health and prosperity are foretold if you sold hams, while buying it means you will incur debts. You will lose something of great value if you ate ham, while smelling it means you will benefit by the enterprises of others. Family quarrels are foretold if you served ham to others.

A Hamlet (village) indicates a long and happy life. New interests and surroundings are foretold by reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but seeing it in the theater means someone will steal your sweetheart.

Seeing a Hammer being used is fortunate, and using it yourself predicts satisfying achievement. Avoid rivals if you used it on wood, and a lover will jilt you if you hammered on plaster. You have one loyal friend if you heard a hammer being used, and many hammers being used indicates happiness in love.

Minor loss is foretold by an empty Hammock, and if you sat in it alone, you are being warned that selfishness in your personal affairs could drive a friend away. If you were with someone of the opposite sex, expect a pleasant improvement in your social life. Do not take your love for granted if you fell out of a hammock.

An empty laundry Hamper symbolizes emotional upset, but a full one indicates progress. Taking linen from a hamper to wash means triumph over your enemies. A picnic or food hamper is a sign of family unity.

Dirty or somehow unpleasant Hands are a warning to guard against behavior which may have a poor impact upon your social standing, but bent or gnarled hands show and easing of financial worries. Swollen hands are a prediction of unexpected gain, and hairy hands are a forecast of business luck. Beautiful, clean hands indicate success, and busy or skilled hands predict well-earned rewards. The right hand predicts carefree joy and the left means irritations and minor difficulties. Very small hands pertain to infidelity, while very large ones are signs of sexual satisfaction.

Separations are signified by waving hands, but sincere love is indicated by caressing hands. Shaking hands indicates reconciliation or a renewed friendship, but holding hands means you may be enticed into illicit relations. Bloody hands mean family quarrels, and if you washed your hands, you should make an effort to rectify some past injustice. A broken or lost hand is a warning to pay closer attention to your own personal affairs, while a bandaged hand signifies temporary setbacks. Children’s hands are signs of happiness. A disembodied hand indicates a solitary life because people will fail to understand your views and feelings. Burning hands means you are overreaching yourself and will lose in your struggle for fame and wealth, but if you handled fire without being burned, you will rise to a high rank.

The hands of a watch or clock are a sign of some big unhappiness.

Losing a Handbag is an obstacle dream, and the outcome depends upon whether or not you managed to find it. You will gain if you found a bag which was empty, and a full bag represents loss. If you or someone else rummaged through a handbag, new doors are opening in your life. Buying one means moderate gain.

A blue handbag indicates happiness, and black one means unhappiness. Your affairs will go well if it was a red handbag, and white one means success in your undertakings.

A long period of ups and downs followed by success is indicated by a Handball.

Contentions and possible lawsuits are foretold by distributing Handbills. Printing them means you will hear unfavorable news.

SeeingHandcuffs means you will face sickness and danger. If you were handcuffed, you will be released from worry. If others were handcuffed, you will be secure and protected, and putting them on someone means you will have an unexpected improvement. If you broke handcuffs, you will escape the plans of your enemies.

Expect humiliation through your own selfish behavior if you threw a Hand Grenade. Any other act involving a hand grenade is a warning against being persuaded to act in opposition to your nature.

A dirty or bloodstained Handkerchief indicates a quarrel, and a torn kerchief means a business embarrassment. Washing a hankie is a warning against extravagance. If you lost one, you will lose a friend, and buying one is a warning against new ventures or gambling. Receiving one predicts a happy surprise. Your social status will improve if you blew your nose, and wiping your face or forehead means your responsibilities will lighten. If you waved a handkerchief around, you will have an interesting new friendship. Tying a handkerchief around your neck is a warning of enemies.

A cotton hankie means you would benefit from asserting yourself more, while a linen one is a warning of hidden hostility. A silk handkerchief is a good omen for your general interests. Pure white handkerchiefs in large lots mean you will resist the flattery of some unscrupulous person, while colored kerchiefs indicate that, while your actions may not be entirely moral, you will approach them so carefully that you will escape persecution. You are prone to conceit if you saw an embroidered handkerchief.

You will be a flatterer if you thought you were Handsome in a dream, and if others were handsome, you will enjoy the confidences of powerful people.

Seeing and recognizing your own Handwriting means that some enemy will use your own expressed opinion to foil your plans. You will make excuses if you saw handwriting on paper, and seeing it on the wall means you will find out the truth.

Illness is augured if you Hang something up. Control your passions if you hung up clothes, but if it was children’s clothes, beware rivals. A change in environment is foretold if you hung up visitors clothes.

An empty Hangar indicates disappointment, but if it was full of planes, expect a steady rise in status.

Freedom from care is augured by placing anything on a Hanger.

A season of good luck will follow a dream of being Hanged or seeing someone else hanged. If you performed the functions of a hangman however, be wary of criticism lest you find yourself criticized. Seeing many people gathered for a hanging means that many enemies are joining to bring about your downfall.

Relief from family worries is foretold by a Hangover if you are married, but if you are single, do not engage in promiscuous sex.

A normal degree of Happiness is a good omen, while excess is not. Success is augured by a happy married couple or happy children, while happy relatives mean your worries will be smoothed away. A false friend is near if your friends were happy, but happy employees indicate happy social activities.

Quote : Friedrich Nietzsche
Everything which coexists in time and space has but a relative existence ... Each thing exists through and for another one like it, which is to say through and for an equally relative one ... The whole nature of reality lies wholly in its acts and ... for it there is no other sort of being.

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