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 Neo-Pagan Divination Archive & Occult Divination Archive
http://www.lysator.liu.se/religion/neopagan/tarot.html
This is a directory of mostly Tarot information, but it does have some entries on Runes and on Pendulums.

The Fortuneteller’s Club
http://www.fortunetellersclub.com
While I don’t normally advocate Llewellyn publications, this seem like a cute book series for kids as well as a great divination resource site.

Africa Divination: Mambila and others
http://www.era.anthropology.ac.uk/Era_Resources/Era/Divination
Here is an interesting look at divination practices in Africa.

Ancient Astrology and Divination on the Web
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/astdiv
This site features more than 150 links on the ancient astrology and divination of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

March, named for Mars, was the first month of the Greek and Roman calendar. Mars is god of war but also of fertile soil, equivalent to the Greek Ares and Tiu or Tiwazn an old sky god of Europe. He is also equated with the Celtic Teutates and the Norse Tyr. Mars' original name was Mavors. After Jupiter, he is the chief Roman god, often called Marspater, "Father Mars." He has three aspects, the martial god Gradivus, the rustic god Silvanus, and the patron of the Roman state Quirinus. The wolf and the woodpecker are his sacred animals.

March was called Mi an Mháárta or am Mart in Ireland, the seed time, and Hrethmonath, "Hertha's month," by the Anglo-Saxons, honoring the earth mother Hertha or Nerthus. The Frankish name for March was Lentzinmanoth, "renewal month." The Asatru call it Lenting.

The first Full Moon of this month is called the Worm or Sap Moon. It shares the names Storm Moon with February and Moon of Winds with April. It may also be referred to as the Moon of the Snowbird, the Crow Moon, and Lenting Moon.

Pisces and Aries hold power over March, the Zodiac turning to Aries around March 21st. The flower for those born in March is the daffodil and smaller jonquil. Bloodstone or jasper, or sometimes aquamarine, are the jewels for the month of March. Pisces birthstone is the amethyst, while diamond is the stone for Aries. Albite, amethyst, chrysoprase, fluorite, green tourmaline, labradorite, moonstone, and opal are other stones for Pisces, and Aries also lays claim to amethyst, carnelian, garnet, fire agate, pink tourmaline, and topaz.

Siam and Ibo people of Nigeria

first day of Farvardigan/Ten Days of the Dead

Ishtar/Astarte

Jacques de Molay burned at the stake

Herakles/Hercules

Hypatia

Marduk

planting onions

Stewart Edward White

Sekhmet initiates the End of the World

Diotima

The Ghanaian New Year

Verturius Mamurius

Rhea; River sprites and nymphs

offerings given to Ra, Asar, Horus, Osiris, Horus, Ptah, Sokar and Atum.

Anna Perenna

Libera or Liberalia

Feat of Horus and His Companions

Trefuilnid Treochair

Libera or Liberalia

Higan festival

Edgar Cayce

The Sheilah na Gig; Sheelah’s Day.

Although means of telling the future were employed in Tibet, before the advent of Buddhism, they are not regarded as an alien remnant outside the Buddhist framework that it is occasionally convenient to call upon. Rather, they are used within the sphere of Buddhist concepts, functioning in accordance with Buddhist principles such as karma. There are no references to divination in the collections of sutras, but many can be found in the tantras.

Purpose: By looking into someone's future, the diviner or medium can assess the particular situation and recommend how to respond or deal with it Remedial action, in the form of rituals, evokes positive forces and can result in a change in the person's fortune. Rituals will not change a person's karma, and those requesting and performing a divination are aware of this. However, they can induce latent positive potential to take precedence over that which is perceived as the cause of an impending misfortune.

The efficacy of a ritual involves the patron making offerings of food and money to the monks or adepts performing it. The merit acquired from this gift is used to trigger the forces of latent positive potential in oneself or others. Thus, one is not transferring merit and stepping outside the laws of cause and effect, but merely using merit to awaken the forces of one's own or other's good karma.

If, for example, someone's relative is ill, or his business is deteriorating, an individual may request a qualified practitioner's divination to discover what ritual would be most helpful in setting conditions right. The success of this ritual depends on the strength of one's own karma. However, if the karma or predisposition to be ill is stronger than the latent positive potential in the sick person's continuum, the effects of the disease will not be overcome and the ritual will remain unsuccessful.

Performing divination for the ill is often considered quite tedious. Khamtrul Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama, says, "If you tell a patient to take Tibetan medicine or Western medicine, and I have to conduct a divination for each question. I feel that whatever we do, it is important for us to make the decision ourselves, because there is less cause for regret afterwards. If we are unable to do that, or have tried, but still feel we need someone else's advice, the next step is to seek guidance through divination.

It is said that the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese had been predicted through various means and accordingly many rituals were performed. However, since the Tibetan people's negative karma was too strong to be countered by rituals, they remained ineffectual.

Divination In Tibetan Society: Divination is very much a part of life in Tibet and continues to be so among the exiled community. Major decisions concerning everyday life such as marriage or business agreements are made only after consulting some form of divination. In most cases, people have favorite lamas who they consult. In nomadic areas where the sparse population is subject to the whims of nature, divination, signs and omens are seriously examined. They generally interpret these themselves.

Qualifications needed: When performing a divination, an individual is relying on the power vested in him by a particular deity. This power may have been acquired through a connection with the deity in a past life, and reinforced through retreats involving recitation of a mantra as many as one million times, identifying himself with the deity with clear concentration and the generation of divine pride. There are many ways of performing divination related to the practice of various deities. For example, there are divinations dependent on Manjushri, Tara, Vajrapani, the Five Dakinis, Palden Lhamo, Dorje Yudronma and Tsering Chenga (the Five Long Life Sisters)

The motivation for performing divination must be pure. Although anyone can acquire a relationship with a deity through intensive mantra recitation and consequently acquire certain powers, if they are used for unwholesome purposes, they will eventually rebound and bring about an unfortunate rebirth.

i) Dough ball Divination: This method is practiced mainly in the monasteries or by individual lamas when an important decisions needs to be made, such as in the search for the reincarnation of very high lamas. A number of possible answers to the enquiry, such as the names of likely candidates for a reincarnation, are written on slips of paper. These are then encased in equal sized balls of dough. Great care is taken to weigh the dough balls to ensure that they are exactly the same size. The dough balls are then placed in a bowl, which is carefully sealed and placed in front of a sacred object, such as the Jowo statue in the main temple in Lhasa, images of Dharma protectors or the funerary monuments of great lamas, requesting their inspiration in deciding the outcome. For a period of three days monks remain in the temple reciting prayers day and night. During that time no one is allowed to touch the bowl. On the fourth day, before all those present the cover of the bowl is removed. A prominent lama rolls the dough balls round in the bowl before the sacred object until one of them falls out. That is the ball containing the answer.

ii) Dice Divination: Palden Lhamo dice divination is conducted with three dice with a number from one to six indicated by dots on each face. Divination associated with other deities can be conducted with dice marked with letters. The dice are made of bone, wood or conch shell. Khamtrul Rinpoche described his own procedure for doing dice divination as follows:

For a divination to be successful, it is essential that the diviner should have a pure motivation and the person who came for advice believe in the diviner. It is important that they both pray to the Three Jewels, their root and lineage lamas and their deities, chiefly Palden Lhamo and other Dharma protectors, for a clear answer. If I didn't hear the request clearly, I ask again. Then, I visualise myself as my personal deity Dorje Shonu or Vajra Kilaya and call on Palden Lhamo. Through my long familiarity with her, I can clearly visualize her before me and I request her to give a perfect answer to the person who came for advice. Then 1 throw the dice and according to the numbers indicated on the dice, I refer to a divination book. There are many such hooks written by great lamas and they provide all the possible answers, though once you are familiar with divination techniques reference to texts is no longer necessary".

iii) Divination on a rosary: The person doing the divination prays to the deity he is invoking for the correct answer and recites that deity's mantras. He then holds up the rosary horizontally in front of him, with the fingers of each hand grasping a randomly chosen bead, leaving half the beads of fewer between them. Then the fingers of each hand move towards each other counting three beads at a time. The outcome of the divination depends on the number of beads left. The procedure is repeated three times.

When only one bead remains, the result is called `falcon'. When two beads remain, it is called 'raven'. When three beads remain the result is called 'snow lion'. The outcome on the first attempt indicated the extent of the deities' support and the quality of the divination in general. A falcon at the first attempt would indicate support from protectors, luck in a new enterprise, success in a lawsuit.

A raven on the first try means the protectors are not on your side. There will be no accomplishment, lawsuit will be unsuccessful and there are enemies present. Such a divination would caution against starting on any new enterprise. A snow lion on the first round would indicate support from the deities, slow but stable accomplishments and weakness on the part of enemies. If the question concerned successful business, this would be regarded as a neutral result.

At the second attempt, the outcome indicates conditions to take place in one's immediate environment. The falcon indicates good luck in general, but not much success for those wishing to have children. The risk of thefts and illnesses in general would remain small. The raven indicates serious illness, obstacles to health and a decline in the life force. There will be a tendency for things to get lost or stolen. However, in the case of an ordained person, these negative aspects would be reduced.

On the third occasion, the number of remaining beads gives clues about an expected person arriving from elsewhere. This was a very important aspect of life in Tibet, for people traveled constantly and there was no communication system. A falcon with regard to an expected visitor indicates imminent news or arrival. With regard to illness, it would indicate finding the best way to cure it.

A raven represents a bad indication concerning expected travelers. They are likely to encounter obstacles on the way will not arrive at all or will be robbed. The sick will not be cured and possessions will be lost or stolen. The snow lion indicates that travelers will arrive late, but come to no harm. Problems with health will be few, although there will be difficulties in finding the right treatment.

The best divination would be three consecutive falcons. This would indicate that travelers will arrive quickly, patients will recover and accomplishments will be swift.

iv) Bootstrap Divination: This form of divination is popular among nomads. The flat, one-inch thick bootstraps are folded over each other into squares and suddenly pulled apart. If the bootlace unfolds freely and clearly it indicates positive signs, while a tangle would be negative.

Interpretation of Incidental Signs

When a practitioner is setting up or preparing the yield for a retreat, certain occurrences in his environment can be interpreted as indicative of his future accomplishments. These can be either positive or negative.

Positive signs indicating that the practitioner will receive the Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' blessing include: seeing cranes, geese, ducks, swans, pheasants and other auspicious birds flying overhead or hearing their calls; overhearing the sounds of drums, of stringed instruments, flutes, gongs, bells; people reciting auspicious stanzas including such words as victorious, accomplished, excellent, happiness, success, give it, take it, fruitful, great, numerous and glorious.

Negative signs indicating impending obstacles include: hearing the chatter of monkeys, squeaking of mice howl of wolves, bray of donkeys; low of buffaloes; having one's path crossed by snakes or scorpions; encountering people in mourning, hearing them express words like defeat, decline, die, sick, get rid of something, alas, difficult, unsuccessful and meaningless. In such instances, the practitioner should interrupt his practice and move to another site.

In general, when setting out on a journey or some other enterprise the following would be considered good omens, or signs of success: meeting elaborately dressed men, women and children; pregnant women, cows with their calves properly dressed bhikshus, illustrious people, Brahmins dressed in white, beautiful bejeweled women, young girls playing together, elephants, smart carriages, and people holding religious symbols such as the wheel, vase, garland, lotus, umbrella, or banners.

Signs of failure would be indicated by the following: losing luggage; encountering wicked, frightful, worn out or ragged persons; having one's road blocked; seeing collapsed houses, something catching fire, or having things break.

Dreams

Certain individuals are gifted with clairvoyant dreams which they can use as means of predicting the out-come of future events. These dreams usually take place in the latter part of the night, before dawn, and are characteristically very clear. Like other forms of divination, they usually occur as the result of a special relationship with a deity and use either established symbolism that which is particular to the dreamer and easily recognised by him or her.

For a practitioner, the following are established symbols of high accomplishment: seeing Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, one's personal deities, and receiving teachings from them; dreaming of being enthroned, putting on a crown, taking a bath, being given vajras and other religious implements; dreaming of having become king, of reading scriptures, of being in temples with holy objects, tigers, dragons, lions, garudas, horses, or ascending into the sky close to the sun and moon; rotating the four continents, easily swimming across the sea, seeing the sun or moon rising, plowing a field, eating dairy products, and of sitting on a lotus; dreaming of being respected and praised by the gods, by one's parents, spiritual masters, beautiful ladies, and friends; dreaming of wildflower parks, rain, ripe fruit, kings, ascetics, Brahmins, wealthy people, virtuous masters, geese and other auspicious birds.

Overcoming obstacles is indicated by dreaming of gold, treasure, precious stones, sound weapons, food grains, ornaments, armor, and of killing one's enemy.

The following dreams, although apparently negative, actually indicated good results, and symbolize the surmounting of obstacles: cutting off one's head, eating human flesh, washing one's body in blood, drinking alcohol, shaving off one's hair, burning one's body, immersing oneself in sewage, surrounding the town with one's entrails, and making love during the day.

The following dreams indicated obstacles created by harmful Spirits: meeting tigers, leopards, cats, dogs, pigs, donkeys, mice, scorpions, weasels, snakes, vultures owls, dwarfs, dark, naked thin people, butchers, pale and skinny children, tall naked men, and struggling with any of the above; dreaming of wells becoming dry, of heaps of bones and skulls, and of ruined houses.

In general bad dreams are those including the following indications: being chased by soldiers, applying vegetable oil to one's body, talking with crippled or hunchbacked individuals, seeing the sun or moon going down, climbing mountains of sand or twigs, seeing red flowers or camel's back, passing through narrow passages, wandering in a swamp, running downward, breaking the parts of one's body or of things, being defeated by others and engaging in unwholesome actions. These dreams indicate that an individual has very little merit and will have a short life. In such cases, a lama would advise that the person should accumulate merit, meditate on emptiness, and perform peaceful fire ritual offerings before resuming any activity he or she was engaging in.

Examining Flames

Observing the flames of ritual fire offerings is also a form of divination. First, one invokes the fire god and then observes the flame. A bright, golden, orange color, a smokeless and soundless quality, the flame burning strongly and turning to the right, or burning upward in a single point, the fire lasting long and giving off a pleasant smell are general positive signs, and indicate that whatever questions one had in mind will be answered in a positive way. When the color of the flame is Snow white and the fire burns very gently, it mean that one has been cleansed of imprints left by unwholesome actions. The flame turning yellow means that one will become powerful and wealthy. Its turning bright red signifies success in any undertaking and its becoming a clear, smokeless blue color symbolizes sound health and that one will develop one's lineage.

Signs of illness and other misfortune are indicated by the fire blazing fiercely and the flame turning dark smoky, the color of human flesh, green, that of vegetable oil, dull, pale, having two or three points and a foul smell. When performing a fierce fire offering ritual, though, the above signs are considered to be positive. Signs that are considered to be negative in the case of either peaceful or wrathful rituals are sparks and smoke afflicting the performer of the ritual. Dark flames moving in all directions and blazing in an unsteady way indicate the termination of one's lineage.

Observing a Butter Lamp

The butter lamp used for divination should be faultless and made of gold, silver or another precious metal. It should be thoroughly cleaned. A wick should be made from a dry and odorless piece of wood, which is neither too thick nor too thin, with a height reaching the brim, and placed in the center of the lamp. Barley should be heaped on it, and melted, purified butter poured over it. Then recite: Om ah hum vajra guru dhe vadakki nihum' od' od li sarva ah lo ke praha dhe naye svan bah a hundred times and think of the question you wish to ask.

Then light the butter lamp and observe the shape of the flame. A globular point means safety, a conch shape represents fame, a bright yellow flame indicated no obstacles, a lotus and jewel like flame denotes wealth. A flame with a hook shaped tip means that one will become powerful and one with two points signifies that the person will leave for another place. If the light of the lamp is dim and the flame gutters, it means someone will become one's enemy or that he or she is about to receive a guest from a distant place. The flame separating into two parts indicates separation within one's family. A dark red flame means the eldest son will die, the middle of the flame turning red and smoke coming from the wick indicates loss of property and the lamp going out without apparent reason means death. Spilling of the melted butter stands for the length of an undertaking.

Mirror Divination

Performance of the Dorje Yudronma mirror divination should be done in a quite and peaceful place. The mirror is placed in a container filled with grain, itself standing on top on a clean felt cushion. The diviner then sprinkles vermilion powder (Sindura) and recites the mantras of the ritual. In front of the mirror is placed a small crystal stupa or a piece of crystal, and at the back, a five colored flag (representing the Buddhas of the five families) is attached to an arrow. On the right, is a ritual cake offering decorated with butter ornaments and on the left a red colored cake offering. Around these are arranged offerings of drink, roasted barley flour (tsampa) mixed with butter, incense and various kinds of wood.

In front of himself or herself, the diviner places a vajra, a bell and a damaru (drum), some barley and vermilion powder to sprinkle in the drink, as well as an arrow to which is tied a white scarf. He or she then generates himself or herself as a deity and performs the preliminary ritual for removing obstacles according to the ritual of Tam.

Following this, invocations are made to Dorje Yudronma, one of Tibet's chief protectors, who holds an arrow with the five colors in her right hand and a white silver mirror in her left. The diviner then requests the goddess to give a correct answer to the questions asked.

The minor is not read by the diviner but by a virgin boy or girl no more than 15 years old. The child, who must be clean and well dressed, sits on a cushion under which has been drawn a swastika, symbol of stability. He or she is asked to pick up a stone, wrap it in a pieces of red cloth and place it under his or her knee and is made to drink the orange tinted libation. Blessed ears of barley are placed on the child's head, which is the wrapped with a turban.

The diviner cleans the mirror and lights the butter lamp. The child looks into the mirror and, depending on the type of divination which has been requested, sees either pictures, like sequences in a film or letters. Letters require written questions, which have been given to the diviner. The child describes the visions to the diviner who interprets and explains them in terms of the questions which have been asked. The reader of the mirror has no knowledge of the questions asked and the diviner does not see m the mirror; however, they are complementary and mutually dependent for this type of divination. The child's ability to read the mirror disappears at puberty, and thus the diviner may use different children at different times.

Shoulder-blade Divination

It is said that divining from shoulder blades was first done by brown bears who, after killing weasels and mice took out the shoulder blades and examined the lines on them to know whether they were being pursued by hunters. This was observed by hunters, who noticed that the bears sometimes ate the body of their prey and sometimes abandoned it uneaten with only the shoulder blade extracted. Gradually, this form of divination came into use among hunters themselves, as well as among robbers and thieves. It was also very popular among village people.

The bone used in the divination must be the right shoulder blade of a slaughtered sheep, as opposed to an animal which has died from disease or been lulled by wild animals.

To begin with, the shoulder blade must be cleaned of meat and washed in clean water. The diviner than fumigates it with juniper and holds it up with his or her right band to be reflected in a mirror. Next, he recited 'Ye dharma' three to seven times and invokes the deities requesting them to give a clear answer. The shoulder blade is then burned in a smokeless fire, Out of the sight of strangers.

During the burning, if the shoulder blade makes a rattling sound it means evil spirits are haunting the house. Accompanying clucking sounds would indicate that they are causing harm and discord in the family. The spine of the shoulder blade falling away very quickly would mean that the above troubles could be dispelled with a appropriate rituals.

The shoulder blade is divided into different areas which enable the diviner to make quite detailed predictions. These are: one's protector's, Naga's enemy's and kindred's areas. Between the protector's and the kindred's areas are five sections known as the king's, the lord's, the minister's, one's own and the servant's areas. These should be separated by a distance of one finger's breadth.

Bubbles in one's own area are a good sign, although if they recede the implications are negative. A crack in the lower part of one's own area indicates weakness in that year, and in the middle part, misfortune and regret. however, a rack on the back signifies invincibility in he face of enemies and evil spirits. A rack in the shoulder blade socket indicate loss of property, though its fullness indicates impending wealth. The shoulder remaining white is a positive sign of imminent action, while its turning to an ash color is negative and indicates high winds that year. Black stands for heavy sin and yellow for a warm year.

The shoulder blade's cracking in many lines indicates a loss of path or an unsuccessful future. Generally speaking white cracks are good indications, black ones are bad and slightly dark ones are of middling negativity. White cracks in one's protector's area indicate that the protector is helping you and black ones show the necessity of performing purifying rituals, lamp offerings, incense burning rituals, hoisting prayer flags and chanting prayers of confession.

If the Nags's area or the cracks on it become black one must perform a Naga cake offering beside springs and lakes. A crack appearing in the upper part of one's enemy's area means that he will become powerful and if it is black, it is a bad sign and one must recite sutras and the ritual of the white Umbrella (gdugs dkar), which has the power to clear obstacles. If the kindred area is black one must perform ransom life rituals (Tse sgrub). The division between the king's area and the servant's area are examined in the same way. The shoulder blade's cracking in vertical lines denotes illness and in horizontal lines, that one will be a victim of theft and robbery or that it will take a long time to achieve a goal or accomplish a task.

Hearing Divination

This type of divination is done in the nomadic areas of Tibet and other isolated places, where there may not be a diviner available to consult. Before proceeding with the divination, a piece of juniper is tied to a shoulder blade with wool, white cloth or string. The diviner then places the shoulder blade in the left pocket of his cloak and walks out of his dwelling. The first word he hears outside will indicate the turn of events. If this divination is being performed with regard to someone who is ill, then negative words such as 'long' would suggest a protracted recovery. On the other hand, words such as 'good' will indicate a quick recovery. These words can be applied to any other circumstances about which the diviner is seeking an answer with the word 'good always having a positive connotations while others like 'nothing' having negative significance.

From among the above, Dough ball divination is regarded as the most reliable. But due to the length of the preliminary rituals, it is only conducted in very important occasions. Some lamas are able to make predictions using no overt means of divination, but through direct inspiration from the deity. Though the result is the same, they would not usually claim to be performing divination.

Ameretat is one of the Amshasoends or Amesha Spentas (seven Immortal Holy Ones) who attend Ahura Mazda. She is also called Amardad, Amererat, and Murdad (Persian). Ameretat represents Immortality and is also the guardian spirit of trees and plants. The fifth month is dedicated to her. She is always in the company of Haurvatat (Khurdad), goddess of health and the waters. As Amesha Spentas, they give wealth and herds of cattle. As personifications of bounty, they are opposed by the personifications of Hunger and Thirst respectively. Ameretat’s eternal opponent is the arch-demon of ageing, Zarich.

Description: This is a perennial creeping herb and covered with woolly white hairs, which gives it a grayish appearance. It is found in Europe, Asia, and America to the Arctic regions, often along the coasts. Plants spread from eight to twelve inches with one-inch spatula leaves arranged in rosettes. The deep pink to white flower heads are grouped in umbels and surrounded by woolly bracts on a flower stalk six to twelve inches high. Male and female flowers are produced on separate plants. The male plant has white membranous scales, and the female is rose-colored. Catsfoot will tolerate poor soils, but prefers sandy, infertile soil. Good drainage is essential. They prefer sun to light shade and are drought tolerant. The plant has an astringent taste and a pleasant odor, strongest in the female heads.

Effects: strong
Planet: Sun
Element:
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
The common name refers to the shape of the male flowers, which resemble a cat’s paw. It’s scientific name, Antennaria, refers to the antennae of butterflies.

Magic:
Due to its shape, the catsfoot is thought to contain the power of the cat's nine lives. The soul in many cultures is thought to take on the form of a butterfly. In some places, the word for butterfly and soul is interchangeable. Both these associations make this a good plant to not only to increase your own longevity, but also to seek connections with the spirit world.

Also due to the shape of the flower, the catsfoot would be a good plant to use if you wished to adopt the stealthy habits of the cat or attempt “shapeshifting” (for adopting cat-like qualities, see also catnip).

Known Combinations:
none noted

Medical Indications: Parts Used: herb
Catsfoot increases the appetite, stimulating the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and gastric juices. It is an astringent, aromatic herb with diuretic effects and stimulates the liver and gall bladder.

Nutrition:
none noted

Mercantile Uses:
Catsfoot can be used in rock gardens or at the front of flowerbeds for ground cover.

The soldier asleep is destined to creep
up the dark hidden stairs to the castle of kings
and his captain abed never raises his head
when his stark tale is told by the knell of the rings.

The soldier awakes and shivers and quakes
at the foot of the staircase upreaching, absurd,
for he senses the pain of the kings gone insane
from the prophecies told by the calls of a bird.

Yes, there's mischief afoot in the weight that is put
on the shoulders of armies in quest of a haven,
for no man has seen all the combat between
mad kings as foretold in the cries of the raven.

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Quote : Mark Twain
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.

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

Boleite crystallizes as indigo-blue cubes. It supplies stability during work and can be very useful in opening and using the third eye. Boleite also provides courage in the face of danger or rejection.

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Humor : Tarot Light Bulb Joke

Q: How many Major Arcana does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: All of them: The Fool has already started before anyone else is ready. The Magician assembles an array of objects that might be needed , displays them to best advantage and starts discussing how to go about it. The High Priestess sits in the background, knowing one thing is missing but says nothing. The Empress fusses around making sure it is safe and nobody gets hurt. The Emperor tells everyone he thinks it should be done right now and starts delegating responsibilities. The Hierophant offers advice on the missing part after consulting with the High Priestess. The Lovers umm and ahh about what wattage bulb to put in this time. The Chariot charges in and starts doing it himself regardless of the others' protests. Strength surreptitiously places what's needed into Chariot's hands and gets it done her way. The Hermit suggests a candle in a lamp would provide light in the meantime. The Wheel of Fortune laughs and reminds everyone that the light will need changing again in the future. Justice works out whose turn it is to change the light and whether the division of labor is being delegated fairly. The Hanged Man sits back and contemplates how darkness can change our lives. Death points out mournfully that this was bound to happen and how everything ends. Temperance tells Death to chill out, it all evens up in the end. The Devil tries to blame the Hanged Man for causing the light to blow and creates bad feelings all round. The Tower suddenly starts ripping out the original light fitting so he can create a whole new more basic look. The Star marvels at new beginnings and says how much she's looking forward to having the light working again. The Moon continually offers conflicting advice, confusing everyone until he wanders off to the relief of all. The Sun wants to redesign the whole room around a much brighter light. Judgement examines the globe to see whether it truly was its time to blow and ponders whether the globe can be recycled. The World suggests that any problems with the light are temporary: we had light once, we will have it again, and suggests focussing on the bigger picture. Meanwhile, the Fool has already finished changing the light bulb and is off doing his own thing.

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A Dreamer's Guide : Notary to Nuptials

For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Dreamer's Guide Archive.

A Notary is a warning of some sudden and unexpected demand upon your resources. You might want to try being frugal for the time being. It is a sign of unsatisfied desires and possible lawsuits. It may also indicate the wedding of a friend however. Advice from a notary indicates embarrassment in your business. If you went to one to get papers notarized, your friends are curious. Changes are foretold if you took others with you when you went. If you were a notary in your dream, your earnings will be good.

Trouble and irritations are on their way if you dreamt of writing a Novel. Be careful in business if you dreamt of printing one. Refrain from speculation in the stock market if you bought one. Reading one is an augury of some happy social event, perhaps the wedding of a relative.

November predicts contentment in later life. You will gain financially if you dreamt you were born in November. Your child will be well respected in the science community if you dreamed he or she was born in November.

Using Novocain indicates the solution to some long-standing problem.

Riches and honor is foretold by any Nugget of precious metal. Several nuggets of different metals mean you will receive money very soon. Gold nuggets are a sign of abundance and good luck.

You will receive a considerable fortune if you were a Nuisance to others. Unbelievable news will reach you if your friend was a nuisance. Irritating relatives indicate unhappiness in love, while bothersome creditors are a warning to be more moderate in fulfilling your desires. Troublesome enemies presage complete ruin in your business. You will be deceived if children were proving to be nuisances.

Numbness is a sign of illness or some disturbing condition. Happiness is foretold if your legs were numb, and success is augured if your arm were numb. A friend will pay you a visit if your right hand was numb, but if your left hand was numb, your visitor will be less than desirable.

See this page for any dream pertaining to Numbers.

Nuns are an omen that material joys will interfere with your spirituality. It may also indicate separation from your loved one, possibly through their death, possibly through infidelity. Many nuns mean you are a helpful person. A nun in the company of an abbot means you are very smart. If you dreamed you were a nun, you will be discontent in your current environment.

A dead nun is a sign of unfaithful loved ones and poverty. Peace is foretold by a school nun, but if you saw a nun tending children, jealousy is indicated. If you were helped by nuns, you will receive money. Nuns helping sick people is a sign of contentment. A nun leaving your home means you have many enemies, but if she was living in your home, you will be fortunate. If you saw a nun leave her order, your worldly desires makes you unfit for spiritual callings.

If you dreamt of impending Nuptials, you will soon make new attachments which will provide you with distinction, pleasure, and harmony. If you married someone old and decrepit, with a wrinkled face and gray hair, there will be much trouble and sickness in your life. If your lover passed dressed in black during a ceremony where you were being wed to someone else and gave you a reproachful look, an unsympathetic and cold friend will drive you to distraction. Any unfortunate occurrence at a wedding foretells sickness, distress, or even a death in the family.

You will enjoy yourself immensely if you attended a marriage, especially if the guests were dressed in bright colors and were happy. But if they were dressed in black and were quite solemn, there will be mourning and sorrow. If you were an attendant, business affairs are unusually promising at the moment and you will receive much pleasure through the thoughtfulness of your loved ones.

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Quote : Sacha Guitry
You can pretend to be serious; but you can't pretend to be witty.

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