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.

In May get a weed-hook, a crotch [fork], and a glove,
And weed out such weeds as the corn do not love.

May is named for Maia Majestas, the Roman goddess of spring who encourages crops to grow. She is the chief goddess of the Seven Sisters or Pleiades. She can be equated with the Irish Queen Medb or Celtic Meave. Hawthorm, her sacred plant, blossoms during this month. Artemis, Diana, Faunus, Flora, and Pan also have dominion over this month.

The Anglo-Saxons called this month Thrimilcmonath, "thrice-milk month." In England, May was also called Sproutkale. Winnemanoth, "joy month," was the Frankish name, and the Asatru name is Merrymoon. The Irish call May Bealtaine or an Ceitean, the first weather of summer. The two weeks before Bealtaine is ceitean earrach, spring May-time, and the two weeks after Bealtaine is ceitean samhradh, summer May-time. Bealtaine, also associated the God Bel, means 'the fires of Bel'.

The first Full Moon of May is called the Flower Moon. It shares the names Planting Moon, Hare Moon, Pink Moon, and Green Grass Moon with April. The May moon is also the Bright Moon, Dryad Moon, the Moon When the Pony Sheds, the Frogs Return Moon, and Sproutkale.

The sun passes from Taurus to Gemini around May 21st. Those born in May have the lilly of the valley for their birth flower. The stone for the month of May, and for Taurus, is the emerald, though agate, chalcedony, and carnelian are sometimes mentioned for May instead, while Gemini lays claim to agate, particularly moss agate, and pearl. Aquamarine, lapis lazuli, kunzite, rose quartz, and sapphire are associated with Taurus, and chrysoprase, sapphire, and topaz are connected to Gemini.

Lunar Holy Days

In the Buddhist tradition, the first Full Moon is celebrated in honor of the enlightenment of Buddha.

The Thursday before the New Moon is the festival of Mjollnir, celebrated in honor of Thor's hammer. During the Middle Ages, this was a good time for ritual contests and trial by combat.

On the third Monday or Tuesday after Easter, the English holiday of Hocktide was celebrated. Ropes were used to "hock" or catch members of the opposite sex.

The seventh Thursday after Easter is the Russian spring festival called Semik.

The first Tuesday of May is the Ffair Ffyliaid, Fools' Fair, in Llanerfyl Wales.

Floralia

May Day, Beltane, La Bealtain, Cedsoman or Ceadamh, May Day, Rood Day, Rudemas, Galan Haf, Walpurgisnacht

The Landing of the Tuatha De Danann

Bona Dea, The Arvales

Tanat or Tanith

Braggi and Iduna

Order of the Illuminati

Floralia

Elena or Helen

annual English fertility festival

Tane Matsuri

Princess Ysahodhara

Bona Dea

Osiris Goes Forth

Bona Dea

Eta Aquarids

Floralia

limit any travel planned for the day

Veneration of the Thorn

prayers to the rain god or goddess

Tango no Sekko

Day of the Living children of Nut

Eyvind Kelve

Church of Aphrodite

Thargelia

The Furry Dance

Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

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Humor: Insurance Slogans

Four insurance companies are in competition. One comes up with the slogan - "Coverage from the cradle to the grave.”

The Second one tries to improve on that with "Coverage from the womb to the tomb.”

Not to be outdone, the third one comes up with "From the sperm to the worm."

The fourth insurance company really thought hard and almost gave up the race, but finally came up with "From the erection to the resurrection.
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Article : Helena Petrovna Blavatsky A Sketch of Her Life and Work
From http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/longseal.htm. Please visit their website for more information on Madame HP Blavatsky and her teachings.

Helena Petrovna von Hahn was born at Ekaterinoslav, a town on the river Dnieper, in Southern Russia, on the 12th of August, 1831. She was the daughter of Colonel Peter von Hahn, and Helena de Fadeyev, a renowned novelist. On her mother’s side, she was the granddaughter of the gifted Princess Helena Dolgorukov, a noted botanist and writer. After the early death of her mother in 1842, Helena was brought up in her maternal grandparents’ house at Saratov, where her grandfather was Civil Governor.

Helena was an exceptional child, and at an early age was aware of being different from those around her. Her possession of certain psychic powers puzzled her family and friends. At once impatient of all authority, yet deeply sensitive, she was gifted in many ways. A clever linguist, a talented pianist and a fine artist, she was yet a fearless rider of half-broken horses, and always in close touch with nature. At a very early age she sensed that she was in some way dedicated to a life of service, and was aware of a special guidance and protection.

When almost eighteen, she married the middle-aged Nikifor V. Blavatsky, Vice-Governor of the Province of Yerivan, in a mood of rebellious independence and possibly with a plan to become free of her surroundings. The marriage, as such, meant nothing to her and was never consummated. In a few months she escaped and travelled widely in Turkey, Egypt, and Greece, on money supplied by her father.

On her twentieth birthday, in 1851, being then in London, she met the individual whom she had known in her psycho-spiritual visions from childhood --- an Eastern Initiate of Rajput birth, the Mahatma Morya or M. as he became known in later years among Theosophists. He told her something of the work that was in store for her, and from that moment she accepted fully his guidance.

Later the same year, Helena embarked for Canada, and after adventurous travels in various parts of the U.S.A., Mexico, South America and the West Indies, went via the Cape and Ceylon to India in 1852. Her first attempt to enter Tibet failed. She returned to England via Java in 1853. In the Summer of 1854, she went to America again, crossing the Rockies with a caravan of emigrants, probably in a covered wagon.

In late 1855, she left for India via Japan and the Straits. On this trip she succeeded in entering Tibet through Kashmir and Ladakh, undergoing part of her occult training with her Master. In 1858 she was in France and Germany, and returned to Russia in the late Fall of the same year, staying a short time with her sister Vera at Pskov. From 1860 to 1865, she lived and travelled through the Caucasus, experiencing a severe physical and psychic crisis which placed her in complete control over her occult powers. She left Russia again in the Fall of 1865, and travelled extensively through the Balkans, Greece, Egypt, Syria and Italy and various other places.

In 1868 she went via India to Tibet. On this trip H.P.B. met the Master Koot Hoomi (K.H.) for the first time and stayed in his house in Little Tibet. In late 1870 she was back in Cyprus and Greece. Embarking for Egypt, she was shipwrecked near the island of Spetsai on July 4, 1871; saved from drowning, she went to Cairo where she tried to form a Societe Spirite which soon failed. After further travels through the Middle East, she returned for a short time to her relatives at Odessa, Russia in July, 1872. In the Spring of 1873, Helena was instructed by her Teacher to go to Paris, and on further direct orders from him, left for New York City where she landed July 7, 1873.

H.P. Blavatsky was then forty-two years old and in controlled possession of her many and most unusual spiritual and occult powers. In the opinion of the Mahatmas, she was the best available instrument for the work they had in mind, namely to offer to the world a new presentation, though only in brief outline of the age-old Theosophia, "The accumulated Wisdom of the ages, tested and verified by generations of Seers...," that body of Truth of which religions, great and small, are but as branches of the parent tree. Her task was to challenge on the one hand the entrenched beliefs and dogmas of Christian Theology and on the other the equally dogmatic materialistic view of the science of her day. A crack, however, had recently appeared in the twofold set of mental fortifications. It was caused by Spiritualism, then sweeping America. To quote Helena’s own words: "I was sent to prove the phenomena and their reality, and to show the fallacy of the spiritualistic theory of spirits."

In October, 1874, H.P.B. was put in touch by her Teachers with Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a man of sterling worth who had acquired considerable renown during the Civil War, had served the U.S. Government with distinction, and was at the time practicing law in New York. She also met William Quan Judge, a young Irish Lawyer, who was to play a unique role in the future Theosophical work.

On September 7, 1875, these three leading figures, together with several others, founded a society which they chose to call The Theosophical Society, as promulgating the ancient teachings of Theosophy, or the Wisdom concerning the Divine which had been the spiritual basis of other great movements of the past, such as Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, and the Mystery-Schools of the Classical world. The Inaugural Address by the President-Founder, Colonel Olcott, was delivered November 17, 1875, a date which is considered to be the official date of the founding of the Society. Starting from a generalized statement of objectives, namely, "to collect and diffuse a knowledge of the laws which govern the Universe," the Founders soon expressed them more specifically. After several minor changes in wording, the Objects stand today as follows:

1. to form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.
2. to encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. to investigate unexplained laws of Nature, and the powers latent in man.

In September 1877, a powerful impact was made upon the reading and thinking public by the publication of H.P. Blavatsky’s first monumental work, Isis Unveiled, which was issued by J.W. Bouton in New York City, the one thousand copies of the first printing being sold within ten days. The New York Herald-Tribune considered the work as one of the "remarkable productions of the century," many other papers and journals speaking in similar terms. Isis Unveiled outlines the history, scope and development of the Occult Sciences, the nature and origin of Magic, the roots of Christianity, the errors of Christian Theology and the fallacies of established orthodox Science, against the backdrop of the secret teachings which run as a golden thread through bygone centuries, coming up to the surface every now and then in the various mystical movements of the last two thousand years or so.

On July 8, 1878, H.P. Blavatsky was naturalized as a U.S. citizen, an event which received publicity in various newspapers. In December of the same year, H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott left for India via England.

Arriving in Bombay in February, 1879, they established their Theosophical Headquarters in that city. Soon after landing, they were contacted by Alfred Percy Sinnett, then Editor of the Government Paper, The Pioneer of Allahabad. This contact soon proved of the utmost importance.

After a tour of northwestern India, the Founders returned to Bombay and started, in October, 1879, their first Theosophical Journal, The Theosophist (still published today), with H.P. Blavatsky as Editor. The society experienced then a rapid growth, and some very remarkable people were attracted to it both in India and elsewhere.

During May-July, 1880 the Founders spent some time in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where Colonel Olcott laid the foundations for his later work to stimulate the revival of Buddhism. They both took "Pancha Sila" or became officially Buddhists.

In September and October, 1880, H.P.B. and Colonel Olcott visited A.P. Sinnett and his wife Patience at Simla in northern India. The serious interest of Sinnett in the teachings and the work of the Theosophical Society prompted H.P. Blavatsky to establish a contact by correspondence between Sinnett and the two Adepts who were sponsoring the Society, Mahatmas K.H. and M. From this correspondence Sinnett wrote The Occult World (1881) and Esoteric Buddhism (1883), both of which had an enormous influence in generating public interest in Theosophy. The replies and explanations given by the Mahatmas to the questions by Sinnett were embodied in their letters from 1880 to 1885 and were published in 1923 as The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett. The original letters from these Teachers are preserved in the British Library where they can be viewed by special permission in the Department of Rare Manuscripts.

In May, 1882, a large estate was bought in southern India at Adyar, near Madras, and the Theosophical Headquarters were moved there at the end of the year. This center became soon the radiating point for a world-wide activity. Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott engaged in trips to various outlying districts, founded Branches, received visitors, conducted an enormous correspondence with inquirers, and filled their Journal with most valuable and scholarly material the main purpose of which was to revitalize the dormant interest on the part of India in the spiritual worth of their own ancient Scriptures.

It is during this period that Colonel Olcott engaged in widespread mesmeric healings until February, 1884, when he left for London to petition the British Government on behalf of the Buddhists of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). H.P. Blavatsky, then in rather poor health, went to Europe with him.

After staying almost five months in Paris and London, H.P.B. visited the Gebhard family in Elberfeld, Germany during the late Summer and early Fall of 1884 and was busily engaged in writing her second work, The Secret Doctrine.

Meanwhile, a vicious attack on her by Alexis and Emma Coulomb (two of her staff members at Adyar) was rapidly building up. She returned to Adyar on December 21, 1884 to learn the details of the situation. She wished to sue the couple, already dismissed from Adyar for their gross libel on her concerning the supposed fraudulent production of psychic phenomena. H.P.B. was, however, overruled by a Committee of leading T.S. members, and in disgust resigned as Corresponding Secretary of the Society. On March 31, 1885, she left for Europe, never to return to Indian soil.

The Coulomb attack, as was later proved, had no solid foundation whatsoever. It was based on forged and partially forged letters, purporting to have been written by H.P. Blavatsky, with instructions to arrange fraudulent psychic phenomena of various kinds. A Christian missionary magazine in Madras published the most incriminating portions of these letters.

Meanwhile, the Society for Psychical Research (London) had appointed a special committee to investigate Madame Blavatsky’s claims. Then, in December, 1884, Richard Hodgson, a member of this S.P.R. committee, arrived in India to inquire into and report on the Coulombs’ allegations. Based upon Hodgson’s findings, the S.P.R. committee in its final report of December, 1885, branded Madame Blavatsky "one of the most accomplished, ingenious and interesting impostors in history." Mr. Hodgson also accused Madame Blavatsky of being a Russian spy. This "S.P.R.-Hodgson" Report has been the basis for most subsequent attacks on H.P. Blavatsky, as to her dishonesty, the non-existence of her Masters, and the worthlessness of Theosophy.

In 1963, Adlai Waterman (pseudonym of Walter A. Carrithers, Jr.) in his definitive work entitled Obituary: The "Hodgson Report" on Madame Blavatsky, analyzed and refuted Hodgson’s contentions against Madame Blavatsky. A more recent refutation of some of Hodgson’s charges against H.P.B. is Vernon Harrison’s book titled H. P. Blavatsky and the SPR: An Examination of the Hodgson Report of 1885.

This vicious attack had a most unfavorable effect on H.P. Blavatsky’s health. Having left India for Europe, she settled first in Italy and then in August, 1885 at Wurzburg, Germany, where she worked on The Secret Doctrine. In July, 1886, she relocated to Ostend, Belgium, and in May of 1887, at the invitation of English Theosophists, she moved to a small house at Upper Norwood, London.

After her arrival in England, Theosophical activities immediately began to move rapidly. The Blavatsky Lodge was formed and started publicizing Theosophical ideas.

As H.P. Blavatsky had virtually lost control of The Theosophist, she founded in September, 1887 Lucifer, a monthly magazine designed, as stated on its title-page, "to bring to light the hidden things of darkness." Also in the same month, H.P.B. moved to 17 Lansdowne Road, Holland Park, London.

H.P.B. continued to write her great work which was finally completed and published in two large volumes in October-December, 1888. Her indefatigable helpers in the transcription and editing of the manuscript were Bertram Keightley and Archibald Keightley, whose financial backing was also of immense assistance.

The Secret Doctrine was the crowning achievement of H.P. Blavatsky’s literary career. Volume I is concerned mainly with the evolution of the Universe. The skeleton of this volume is formed by seven Stanzas, translated from the Book of Dzyan, with commentary and explanations by H.P.B. Also in this volume is an extended elucidation of the fundamental symbols contained in the great religions and mythologies of the world. The second Volume contains a further series of Stanzas from the Book of Dzyan, which describe the evolution of humanity.

Also in October, 1888, Madame Blavatsky formed the Esoteric Section (or School) of the Theosophical Society for the deeper study of the Esoteric Philosophy by dedicated students, and wrote for them her three E. S. Instructions.

In 1889 H.P. Blavatsky published The Key to Theosophy, "a clear Exposition, in the form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics, Science and Philosophy for the study of which the Theosophical Society has been founded," and the devotional mystical gem called The Voice of the Silence, containing selected excerpts translated from an Eastern scripture, The Book of the Golden Precepts, which she had learnt by heart during her training in the East.

In July, 1890, H.P. B. established the European Headquarters of the Theosophical Society at 19 Avenue Road, St. John’s Wood, London. From this address H.P. Blavatsky died on May 8, 1891, during a severe epidemic of flu in England, and her remains were cremated at Woking Crematorium, Surrey.

Against the background of her writings and teachings, her life and character, her mission and occult powers, H.P. Blavatsky is destined to be recognized in time as the greatest Occultist in the history of Western civilization and a direct agent of the Trans-Himalayan Brotherhood of Adepts.

Quote : Thomas Jefferson
In matters of style, swim with the current; In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

Craft of the Week : Glue Art

Bottle of white glue
Wax paper
Felt markers
Thread or yarn
Newspaper to cover table

Make thick masses and shapes in glue on a piece of wax paper in the design you have chosen. Using wax paper will allow you to peel the glue off when your art is done.

Let the glue dry until hard and clear before decorating with markers. Then carefully peel the dry, decorated glue shapes off the wax paper. The shapes can be laced with thread or yarn and hung from the ceiling, worn as jewelry or used as holiday decorations.

Other Ideas: Mix tempera paint into the glue for a colored glue, or sprinkle glitter or salt on the glue before it dries for a sparkling effect. Use a toothpick to make swirls of color or blend if you use paints. Try adding other items such as small stones, shells, or dried flowers. Let your imagination run away with you.

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Humor : Writing

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. Having no faith in his own abilities, he turned to the occult. Oh sure, he wandered endless beaches, searching for that elusive genie’s lamp, but never found one. Finally he decided to sell his soul to a demon, and summoned one up.

In exchange for his soul, he demanded to be a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"

He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
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Who's Who in World Mythology : Arianrhod
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Who's Who Archive.

In Welsh myth, Arianrhod is the sister of Gwydion and Amathaon, all children of Beli and Don. Other children of Don include Govannon, Gilvaethwy, and Nudd. Her uncle Math was the king of Gwynedd. Her name means “Queen of the Wheel,” “Silver Wheel,” or “High Fruitful Mother,” and she was been called the goddess of the starry wheel. She rules the kingdom of Caer Siddi (also called Caer Feddwidd) within the realms of Annwn. The constellation of Corona Borealis and the aurora borealis are both referred to as Caer Arianrhod – Arianrhod’s Castle. The Corona Borealis is also dedicated to Ariadne, her Greek counterpart.

According to the Mabinogion, Math was only able to sleep with his feet held in a virgin’s lap. His nephew Gilvaethwy raped Goewin, the virgin who had normally done this, and it was suggested that Arianrhod take her place. In order to test her purity, she was required to step over Math’s wand. No sooner had she done this, than she gave birth to Llew Llaw Gyffes and Dylan Eil Ton. Dylan leapt into the sea as soon as he was born, and Gwydion immediately took charge of Lleu, hiding him away from his mother in a chest.

For obvious reasons, Arianrhod was not pleased to be a mother. When Gwydion finally showed the boy to his mother after four years, she placed geises on him in revenge for her embarrassment. The first was the he should stay nameless unless she should provide on for him. The next stricture she placed upon her son was that he could have no weapons but ones she provided. Gwydion overcame each restriction, but he could not help but taunt her with his successes. The last was that Llew could have no a mortal wife, a constraint which caused much pain.

Quote : Hector Berlioz
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.

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

Beech (Fagus sylvatica, F grandifolia)

Folk Names: Bog, Bok, Boke, Buche, Buk (Russian), Buke, Common Beech, European Beech, Faggio, Fagos (Greek “to eat”), Faya, Haya, Hetre; F grandifolia - American Beech

Description: The Beech is native to the forests of central Europe. It prefers light soils, well drained and sometimes alkaline. The tree will grow up to 110-150 feet. The dense, spreading crown forms a distinctive oval. The bark is light ash-gray with horizontal bands, and it often has whitish patches due to lichen. The wood is rose-colored. The shiny leaves are oval, elliptical, and entire though slightly toothed. These turn brownish-yellow or red-brown in the autumn and sometimes stay on the tree till the end of winter. The stamens bearing male flowers are grouped in round stalked catkins, while the females grow in pairs within a cupule. The ripe cupule contains two nuts called beech-mast, but the tree will not even bear fruit until its fiftieth year.
The American Beech prefers moist, loamy soils. It only grows from 80 to 115 feet, though it sometimes reaches 130. It can be found from Nova Scotia to Ontario, south to Florida and eastern Texas, and west to Wisconsin and Missouri. The crown is pyramidal and it has a massive trunk with radical suckers. The bark is thin and smooth, light gray to gray-blue. The alternate ovate-oblong leaves are medium sized with a coarsely toothed margin and pointed tip. They may be two and one-half to five and one-half inches long. Each new leaf is hairy at first, then bright bluish-green on the upper side and pale green below. The leaves are both larger and narrower than its European cousin. The yellowish flowers appear April to May, with triangular fruits arriving in September or October. These are covered by reddish pericarp, a one to three inch husk called a cupule which splits into 4 woody lobes covered by long spines. The inside of the cupule is glossy and furred.

Effects: gentle
Planet: Mars, Saturn Zodiac: Sagittarius, Virgo
Element:
Associated Deities: Diana, Fagus, Itchita

Traditions:
The Yakuts of Siberia believe the triple goddess Itchita, descended from the primary goddess, lives within the Beech tree. She is invoked for protection, and acts as a guardian of devas, though she has an affinity for all nature spirits.
A beech grove on the Alban Hills was sacred to Diana.
Beech and apple were once burned in fires maintained on Lent.
The beech corresponds with rune nyd or nauthiz.

Magic:
The wood of beech is excellent for wish-magic. Carve or scratch a wish into a stick and bury it for a simple spell. The Russian name, Buk, is pronounce ‘book.’ Most names for this tree, including its most common name, mean book, and writing tablets were once made from its wood. Carry the wood, leaves, or nuts to increase creativity, or place a leaf between the pages of a book or diary.
The leaves, bark, and powdered wood are used in protective rituals. It is especially protective against lightning and snakes. The wood may also be dried and powdered as an incense to make your garden more receptive to Devas. It is ideal at Midsummer to make contact with the faerie realm.

Known Combinations:
none noted

Medical Indications: (Caution: large doses of nuts may be poisonous)
Parts Used: bark, leaves, root
The beach is astringent and antiseptic. The Rappahannock Indians steeped the bark in salt water for a poison ivy lotion. The bark was also used in ointments for burns, sores, and skin ulcers. A decoction of the root or leaves was proscribed for intermittent fevers, dysentery, and diabetes, and the oil was used for intestinal worms. It has also been used to treat bladder, kidney, and liver problems. In Kentucky, beech sap was used in a syrup for tuberculosis.

Nutrition:
The nuts, raw, dried, roasted, or ground to flour, were once an accepted substitute for coffee beans. In the South, emerging leaves may be used as a potherb. The oil from crushed kernels is used as cooking oil, and as butter in Silesia, while the raw nut is fit for humans and wild life. In times of famine, the inner bark was dried and pulverized to flour or sawdust might be boiled in water and then roasted. These were then mixed with flour for bread to make it stretch farther.

Mercantile Uses:
Beech wood is widely used in carpentry and flooring for its color. Though the wood is short grained and brittle, it is used for furniture, crates, and tool handles, areas where durability and strength are not necessarily the goal. Unfortunately, burrowing beetles seem to prefer the wood. It is therefore not a good wood to have about if you know you have a beetle problem in your area. The wood is also burnt to make charcoal for color manufacturers and gunpowder. It is also an excellent fuel in heating, surpassing most other woods.
Beach is extremely environmentally friendly. The extensive root system assists in the aeration of the soil, and the amount of potash in the leaves preserve the productive capacity of soils in which it is planted. This also leads to the improved growth of any trees planted with them. A live fence of beech is also useful for the gardener as the leaves generally remain on the trees through the winter, screening young plants.
Beechnuts are used in many countries to feed livestock and are especially liked by pigs. In England, the nuts are reserved for the feeding of park deer. Cattle may be feed on the cakes left from nuts pressed for oil. Horses should not be given beechnuts however.

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Cartoon

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Poem : To be Famous Isn’t Decent
Boris Pasternak (1890-1960)

To be famous isn’t decent, there’s
Nothing noble about it.
One shouldn’t start archives.
Tremble over manuscripts.

Creation is self-giving, and not
Success, not sensation.
To be a parable on people’s lips
Is nothing, is shame.

Live without pretenses, live
So that, finally,
You draw towards yourself the love
Of space, hear the future.

And leave gaps in fate, rather
Than have, marking the margins
Of your papers, places and chapters
Of a whole life.

Sink into obscurity,
Hide your steps in it,
As a place hides in fog
When you can’t see a thing.

Others will live their lives inch
By inch, along your path.
But you yourself should not distinguish
Victory from defeat.

And do not, in any thing
Retreat from yourself.
Just be alive, only that, alive,
Alive, and only that, to the end.

Quote : Henry Ward Beecher
Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry.

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

Andalusite may be red, white, violet, gray, pink, red-brown, yellow, or green. Some samples are pleochroic, exhibiting as many as three colors in one stone when exposed to light. Andalusite is a polymorph with two other minerals; kyanite and sillimanite. A polymorph is a mineral that shares the same chemistry but a different crystal structure with another, or other, minerals. A unique variety of andalusite called "chiastolite" contains black or brown clay and/or carbonaceous material inclusioned in the crystal. These inclusions are arranged in regular symmetrical shapes, usually in the form of a cross or X.

Andalusite may be utilized when attempting to view different aspects of your emotional, physical, and intellectual personality. Issues may be examined rationally as andalusite assists you in seeing all the different facets of a problem. Moderation is augmented, while the stone helps you to understand that self-sacrifice is acceptable, but only as an option, not a requirement. Chivalry is also encouraged through andalusite. Recover your balance more easily when life throws you curve balls.

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Humor : God

A young woman brought home her fiancé to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man, so the father invited the fiancé to his study for a drink.

“So what are your plans?” the father queried.

“I am a Torah scholar,” the boy replied confidently.

“A Torah scholar. Hmmm,” the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter?”

“I will study,” the young man answered, “and God will provide.”

“And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.

“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man said, “God will provide for us.”

“And children?” demanded the father. “How will you support children?”

“Don't worry, sir, God will provide,” announced the fiancé.

The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father had a question, the young idealist insisted that God would provide.

Later, after the pair had left, the mother asked, “How did it go, Honey?”

The father replied, “He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I'm God.”
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A Dreamer's Guide : Infant to Insurance

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

A newborn Infant indicates pleasant surprises. If you saw a baby swimming, you will escape from some entanglement.

Infection warns against possible losses through poor advice from friends.

If you had feelings of Inferiority, you can expect to receive recognition for some superior achievement.

A dream of Infidelity on your part is an omen to be more discriminating in your choice of companions.

Your escape from enemies will cause you much worry if you left an Infirmary. (See also Hospitals)

Misfortune in love or business is foretold by suffering Infirmities. Sickness may follow. You will experience various troubles in business if you saw others who were infirm.

To have the feeling that you are being Influenced by outside sources is an indication that someone is plotting against you in the waking world.

An inferior person will offend you if you were Influential in your dream, and unexpected good news will surprise you if you were with other influential people.

Fortune is foretold by having Influenza, and a secret will be disclosed if your family was sick.

If someone showed you Ingratitude, someone will be grateful to you, but if you were ungrateful, your conscience is telling you something.

An Inheritance may be a presage of a legacy to come. You will easily obtain your desires.

Any Initiation ceremony is a forecast of happy social times.

An Injury to your reputation means pleasant recognition for your work, but a physical injury is a warning of hostile forces around you.

A satisfying solution to some problem or situation is promised by spilt Ink, unless it was spilled on your clothes, in which case, you will be the focus of many small and spiteful attacks due to jealousy. Making an ink spot with a pen is an omen of sorrow, and pouring ink into an inkstand predicts unexpected travel. Ink on your fingers is a warning against jealousy, and if it was red ink, you will be involved in trouble of a serious nature. Making ink is a prediction of business of a low or debasing nature, while buying it is a promise of financial gain. Family quarrels are indicated by ink changing colors. Your fondest wishes will be fulfilled if you drank ink

An empty Inkstand means you will narrowly escape public denunciation for some supposed injustice. If it was full, enemies will succeed in defaming your character.

Happiness in the family is foretold if you were an Inmate of a prison, and seeing an inmate generally means happiness among your friends. An inmate being released augurs a small fortune, while a long term inmate indicates a large fortune. If an inmate escaped, you will have plenty.

A nice, well furnished Inn is a prediction of prosperity and pleasure. A badly kept or falling-down inn indicates poor success, sad tasks, and unpleasant journeys.

If you were an Innkeeper, you will have many worries. Fighting with the innkeeper means you will have good business, but not paying one indicates a loss of prestige through gossip.

A dream of being Innocent signifies that you are a very passionate person, and if you knew that you were not innocent of something, you will fall into a new and important position. If an innocent person was found guilty, your fortune is ahead.

Though money will be in short supply, your creditors will be sympathetic and cooperative if you dreamt of receiving an Inoculation.

New but gratifying responsibilities are foretold by an Inquest, but you may be unfortunate in your friendships.

A long run of trouble and great disappointment await you after a dream of an Inquisition. If you were brought before an inquisition, you will be unable to defend yourself from slander.

Insanity is a forerunner of disastrous ill fortune in some newly undertaken work, but if others were insane, you will receive an unpleasant surprise.

Unpleasant communications will follow a dream of an Inscription. You will be upset by dire illness if you saw them on tombs. You will lose a valued friend if you wrote an inscription.

If you were able to kill or get rid of Insects, or if you were not bothered by them, your difficulties will be easier to overcome than you anticipated.

You will progress despite hostile opposition if you saw an Insignia, and if you wore one, you will soon enter an exciting new love affair.

Giving Instructions is a sign that a friend will seek your help, while receiving it means that you will need the sympathy of your friends.

Family quarrels and pain are indicated by medical Instruments, while other types of instruments predict family unity. You will have a great deal of fun for a long while after a dream of musical instruments.

Insults are contrary omens indicating loyalty and esteem from friends and associates. Expect difficulties ahead if you were insulting to others though.

Collecting Insurance signifies a setback, but buying insurance means your plans for the future are sound.

Quote : Pearl Bailey
People see God every day, they just don't recognize him.

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