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.

Secret Names
http://www.threepennyrev iew.com/samples/mamet_w04.html
You may never have given it serious consideration, but this is an article about our everyday use of names. In some ways, our affixation of names to people and things has become so subconscious, we don’t even think about why we do it any more.

Acrophonology and You
http://miva.zodiacal.com/acro.mv
Have your name analyzed, letter by letter. If you’re considering a craft name, this may help you decide on the one most suited to your personality (or the personality traits you’d like to have).

Names of Power
http://www.geocities.com/sekhe mu/DivineNames.html
If you practice ceremonial magick, this short list of names may prove invaluable to your studies.

The Magick of Word and Name
http://members.aol.com/sabrin1315/word. htm
The usage and dangers of names and the naming of things is clearly described in this essay.

July was named for Julius Caesar who reorganized the previously skewed calendar to what is now called the Julian Calendar. Instituted in 26 BC, this was known as the Year of Confusion because of the irritation switching calendar caused. This was the calendar of the west for the next 1600 years. July is sacred to Apt (or Apet), Athena, Sothis, Spider Woman, and Rosea.

The Irish name for this month was Iúil or an t-Iuchar, the border time. Traditionally during the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, Sirius, the dog star, can be seen in the sky. The Anglo-Saxon name was Aeftera Litha, "after Litha," or sometimes Maedmonat, "meadow month." Hewimanoth, "hay month," was the Frankish name, and the Asatru call it Haymoon.

The first Full Moon is called the Buck Moon. It is also the Blessing or Wort Moon and the Honey Moon, a name it shares with June’s Moon. It is also called the Moon of Claiming, Fallow Moon, Thunder Moon, a name shared with August, and Moon of Blood (due to mosquitoes), a name it share with October.

The sun passes from Cancer to Leo on July 23rd. The birth flower for July is the larkspur. Onyx, sardonyx, carnelian, turquoise or rubies are the stones listed for those born in July. The birthstone of Cancer is the moonstone or pearl, while Leo’s stone is the ruby, onyx, or smoky quartz. Albite, chrysoprase, emerald, green tourmaline, opal, pink tourmaline, and rhodochrosite are also significant to Cancers, and amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, citrine, fire agate, garnet, pink tourmaline, ruby, and topaz are associated with Leo.

Lunar Holy Days

The seventh of the seventh moon is the Chhit Sek or Chilsuk, a Chinese holiday honoring the meeting of the Heavenly Spinning Lady (the star Vega) and her lover, the Cowherd (the star Altair). (See also July 7th)

The last Sunday in July is the Procession of Witches in Beselare, Belgium.

Birthday of Osiris

Reed Dance Day

St. Within's Day

Day of Rauni

Horus was born

Voodoo pilgrims seek healing and good health in the holy waters of the Saut d'Eau

Birthday of Set(h)

Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami, Yamahoko-junko

birth of Isis

Lu Pan

John Dee

birthday of Nephthys

Opet Festival; feast day of Thoth

Adonia

Mayan New Year

Damo

Aten was born

The name we give to something shapes our attitude toward it.
- Katherine Paterson

Without a name who and what would you be? As we use words to define everything from ourselves and the keyboard upon which I type to the words that I type upon it, words and names establish our presence in the world. A name was such powerful evidence of one’s existence in ancient times that if a member of the Egyptian nobility were guilty of a severe enough crime, his or her name was systematically erased from all monuments in an effort to erase that person from the afterlife.

According to the Law of Names*, knowledge of a thing’s “true name” affords a magic user control over it. This works through the law of contagion. Your name is directly connected to who you are, just like a bit of hair, nail clippings, or the clothes you wear. With enough information (enough names), a spell is quite easy to cast. If you look at ancient invocations, they go about defining the thing they call or dismiss, rarely naming the thing(s) described directly. For instance:

I

Destructive storms and evil winds are they,
A storm of evil, presaging the baneful storm,
A storm of evil, forerunner of the baneful storm.
Mighty children, mightv sons are they,
Messengers of Namtar are they,
Throne-bearers of Ereshkigal. [1]
The flood driving through the land are they.
Seven gods of the wide heavens,
Seven gods of the broad earth,
Seven robber-gods are they.
Seven gods of universal sway,
Seven evil gods,
Seven evil demons,
Seven evil and violent demons,
Seven in heaven, seven on earth.

II

Neither male nor female are they.
Destructive whirlwinds they,
Having neither wife nor offspring.
Compassion and mercy they do not know.
Prayer and supplication they do not hear.
Horses reared in the mountains, Hostile to Ea.
Throne-bearers of the gods are they.
Standing on the highway, befouling the street. Evil are they, evil are they,
Seven they are, seven they are, Twice seven they are.

III

The high enclosures, the broad enclosures like a flood they pass through.
From house to house they dash along.
No door can shut them out,
No bolt can turn them back.
Through the door, like a snake, they glide,
Through the hinge, like the wind, they storm.
Tearing the wife from the embrace of the man,
Snatching the child from the knees of a man,
Driving the freedman from his family home.

-R.C. Thompson, The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia, London 1903**

What we name must answer to us; we can shape it if not control it.
- Starhawk, Dreaming of the Dark 1982

In most dismissals as with most summons, it is necessary to invoke the being through detailed definitions as can be seen in the Thompson quote. Obviously you want to get it right. To be as sure as possible that the dismissal will work, it is important to be sure the thing you want gone is present before telling it to get lost. If you can’t accurately identify the thing you’re removing, whatever power you’re calling upon for assistance won’t know either.

A description of a being is a collection of “names” which apply to that being. They help to fine tune a spell to apply only to that being or group of beings. It is still a good idea to have one or more true names of the being you might be trying to spell, but any and all information you possess about the being is good information to have.

Your Most Private Name

You have but to know an object by its proper name for it to lose its dangerous magic.
- Elias Canetti

Application of a proper name to a being is a bit misleading. Any being can have numerous names. Most people are given at least two at birth (a first name and a surname), sometimes three if they’re given a middle name. But some of us have more names besides. What I refer to is a “Craftname.” This is a most private and personal name.

At one time, children had given names that everyone knew, but usually at a certain age, they were given another private name, a name which they might only reveal to family or never, a name which could give any magic user dangerous control over his or her life. Conversely, some cultures bestowed the private name upon a child at birth and used another public name outside of the family. Such practices are found on all the populated continents. Some Inuits take on a new name when they become old, hoping the name will give them renewed strength. The people of Indonesia may change their names after they have suffered some misfortune or have had a serious illness in order to confuse the evil spirits that brought them grief.

Gods and demons also have such names, knowledge of which magic users applied to cause physical phenomena or which the gods used on each other to coerce their peer’s cooperation. This is the basis for modern ceremonial and “high” magic. Knowledge of names is used to both control the world and protect against dangerous forces.

Throughout our lives we acquire more names... nicknames from friends and family, labels from school and work, our own names/words which we apply to ourselves. These are all part of your real name, but they are also part of your public name. If you choose or are given a Craft name, this is equivalent to the private names of ancient cultures. It is a powerful name that should be kept secret to all but those you trust the most, for unscrupulous persons can use it to control your actions or borrow your power. Sharing a name with someone is like giving a promise that you will be there if they are in need, physically or psychically. My public name is the name I was born with, but very few people know my private name nor is it likely anyone is aware of the special meanings I attach to it.

Taking on a new name implies a change of direction. Many magickal and shamanic cultures bestowed a new name upon a person when he or she reached a certain plateau (puberty rituals, marriages, spiritual awakenings). Entry into a religious society also usually implied a new name. In most magickal systems dating from the Middle Ages, names are created for the purpose of secrecy and safety. If your fellow coveners did not know your name, they could not betray you to the Inquisition or witch hunters.

Whether you believe in numerology or the specific vibrations caused by the sound of a word**, when a name is attached to you, certain forces are stimulated. These forces combine to influence who you are and who you may become. In ancient times, names were chosen for the distinction they carried. Many Chinese societies invented names for children, giving each a mixture of sounds and symbols of secret significance. Many African names are based on sound and meaning, blending the parents’ names or choosing a name that affixes a certain personality trait to the child.

You can possess more than one name for different circumstances, but keeping at least one secret is probably the best recourse. If you come under attack through one or more of your names, falling back on a name no one knows can protect you. Through isolation from other names and refusal to share it, it is by definition your one true name. If you define yourself by this unknown name, any spells cast on you via other names from which you have dissociated yourself should fall away.

There are many ways to create a private name for yourself. In some traditions, your teacher chooses a name for you. Many take a name from mythology or fiction, plant lore, gemstones, totem animals, nature, a mystical idea or tool, or a trait they would like to adopt. You can also make up a name, mixing the letters of your current name or another word until you find something you like. Meditation can also hold the key to a new name, allowing your higher self, spirit guides, or patron deities to help you with a word or vision. However, it should be noted that taking the actual name of your god/dess can be more trouble than it’s worth. The deity may either be offended or expect unshared devotion. It is better to utilize part of the name or even rearrange the letters as an anagram. Numerology is an effective way of exploring the changes that your new name will make in your life.

*The Law of Names
In magical systems, a name is the thing named. This is to say that in some way, there is an analogical correspondence between the name and the thing named. There is a connection created by shared structure. To know the true name of a person, place, or thing is to have complete control over it. Of course, you could never command something to do anything that was not in its nature. To know a thing’s true name is to know its nature. What most people consider to be a name is really (in magical sense) only a label. This works because a name is a definition as well as a contagion link, and an association (if you call something by the same name over and over, that name eventually becomes associated with the thing). This also works, because knowing the complete and true name of something or someone means that you have achieved a complete understanding of it's or their nature.

**Charm against the seven evil spirits
Seven are they, seven are they!
In the channel of the deep seven are they!
In the radiance of heaven seven are they!
In the channel of the deep in a palace grew they up.
Male they are not, female they are not.
In the midst of the deep are their paths.
Wife they have not, son they have not.
Order and kindness know they not.
Prayer and supplication hear they not.
The cavern in the mountain they enter.
Unto Hea are they hostile.
The throne-bearers of the gods are they.
Disturbing the lily in the torrents are they set.
Baleful are they, baleful are they.
Seven are they, seven are they, seven twice again are they.
May the spirits of heaven remember, may the spirits of earth remember.

***The Law of Words of Power
There are words (symbols) that are able to change the inner and/or other realities of those using/perceiving them. These words (symbols) do not necessarily need to be consciously understood by those using/perceiving them in order to have their effect. One view is that these words or symbols have accumulated power through use (attention) over thousands of years. Others would say that there is an intrinsic primordial connection (resonance) between these words (symbols) and the forces or concepts they represent that goes beyond human design. Many people believe this about Sanskrit, claiming that it is the original root language of humanity. Many of such words are names, though the meanings may have been lost or forgotten. Many magical tools require words to be inscribed upon them and/or said over them during their construction and/or use.

Because the name is an important symbol representing a person's soul, inscribing a person's name, tying it with a double knot and sealing it within the Ren is an effective protective amulet against malevolent influences. So long as you wear this amulet, harm can be held at bay. It can also be used in other ways, as a pairing symbol for instance, making two Ren and including the name and some token of your loved one to keep them close or even as a binding to prevent someone from doing harm.

• Plastic tubing, 2 1/2 in long x 1/2 in wide with 1/16 in wall
• 1 1/2 in x 2 1/4 in piece of paper
• ink
• electric drill with 1/4 in bit
• pliers
• pot of boiling water
• thread (of appropriate color to the subject or the task)
• toothpick
• jump link

On the paper, write your name, or the name of the person the Ren is being made for. Protective herbs, a lock of your hair (or the hair of the person you are making the Ren for), or anything else that you feel will fit inside the tube can be included. Roll the paper into a tube and tie it with a double knot.

Drop the plastic tubing in the water and boil until it is nearly as soft as al dente spaghetti. Lifting the tubing from the water with the pliers, crimp one edge quickly before the plastic cools and run it under cold water so that it won't open again as it cools.

Using the toothpick, push the rolled paper into the tube, pushing it all the way down to the crimped edge. Carefully holding the tube with the pliers, immerse half the tube in the boiling water again for approximately three minutes.

When the tubing has softened sufficiently, quickly crimp the open end with the pliers, making sure it is sealed, and run it under cold water again. Drill a hole in the tube and attach a jump link to it to be attached to a chain.

Backlum Chaam is a Maya god of male sexuality. He is considered one of the Bacabs and is seen as similar to the Greek god Priapus. Like Priapus, he’s usually depicted with an erect penis.

Description: Chili pepper is a member of the nightshade family. It is a perennial found in tropical America, but grows as an annual outside of the tropics. The three foot, glabrous stem is woody at the bottom and branches near the top. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, entire and petioled. Drooping white to yellow flowers are found alone, in pairs, or threes. Chili pepper blooms from April to September, and the peppers appear in various shades of red to yellow, growing up to four inches long.

Effects: strong
Planet: Mars Zodiac: Aries
Element: fire
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
none noted

Magic:
To keep your mate faithful, buy two large, dried chili peppers, and tie them together with a red (passion) or pink (affection) ribbon. Place this beneath your pillow. It may also be added to love powders for lust.

Scattered around house, the acrid chili pepper is used to break spells. Because of its “bite,” chili pepper is also used to ‘curse’ others.

Known Combinations:
none known

Medical Indications: (Caution: Prolonged application to skin may cause dermatitis. Excessive consumption has been linked to gastroenteritis and kidney damage.) Parts Used: fruit
Chili pepper is an appetizer, digestive, irritant, sialagogue, stimulant, tonic, rubefacient, and antibacterial. The powder or tablet may be used as a general stimulant, but specifically it is good for the heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, spleen, and stomach. It builds up one’s resistance at the beginning of or during a cold, sinus infections, or sore throats, and because it irritates the sinuses, it can help unblock a nose in a matter of minutes.

Chili infusions help stomach and bowel pain or cramp and stops bleeding from ulcers. Small quantities of fresh or powdered chili stimulate the appetite. It is also a sedative extract for epilepsy. It is an Ayurvedic aid for digestion and a cure for paralysis.

Application of a plaster, liniment, or tincture increases circulation to areas afflicted with rheumatism, arthritis, pleuritis, or pericarditis, or muscle strain.

Chili acts as a catalyst for other herbs, and it is especially good with Lobelia for nerves.

Nutrition:
As a cooking spice, Chili has been used since prehistoric times. It is also a preservative. Chili is used dried or fresh for meats, curries, some Chinese and many Mexican dishes. The ground herb is added to beef casseroles, BBQ, shellfish, and other seafood. It is a pickling spice for onions and red cabbage. Tomato and pasta dishes also benefit from its inclusion in recipes. It is eaten in warm areas because it causes the body’s temperature to rise, resulting in perspiration which makes the surroundings seem less warm;

Mercantile Uses:
Grown for its use as an herb.

I was born part of this earth.
My Grandmother Earth.
I was born part of this earth
My Mother, all living beings.
I was born part of this earth.
My Grandfather, the sky.
I was born part of this earth.
My Father, all creatures of the air.
I was born part of this earth.
The eight Grandfathers.
I was born part of this earth.
The four corners of the earth.
I was born part of this earth.
The great wind giant of the North.
I was born part of this earth.
The red road of the dead.
I was born part of this earth.
The blue and black road of destruction.
I was born part of this earth.
The old ones say
the old way’s gone,
the old ones say.
Still,
I was born part of this earth.

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Quote : Maureen Dowd
The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.

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

Butlerite forms octahedra and tabular crystals in rusty shades of orange. It may be used to accept responsibility and enhance performance or management of tasks. This crystal allows users to form a buffer between oneself and the outside, making it ideal for supersensitive individuals or budding empaths. Butlerite also encourages introspection, self-awareness, and self-correction. The second chakra is stimulated and cleansed by this stone, producing more creativity, emotional stability, and adaptability. It opens doors through which one may learn.

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Humor : Voice Activated

A lady bought a new $100,000 Mercedes and proudly drove it off the showroom floor to take home. Halfway home, she attempted to change radio stations and saw what appeared to be only one station. She immediately turned around and headed back to the dealer. Once at the dealer, she found her salesman and began to excitedly explain that her radio was not adequate, and they must replace it. The salesman calmed her down and told her that her car radio was voice-activated, and that she would only need to state aloud the type of music that she wanted and the car would find it. She got into the car and started the engine and then said the word "country." The radio changed to a station playing a George Strait song. She was satisfied and started home. After a while she decided to explore the versatility of the radio and said "rock 'n' roll." The radio station changed and a song by the Rolling Stones came from the speakers. Quite pleased, the woman continued driving. A few blocks from her house, another driver ran a light causing her to slam on her brakes to avoid a collision. The woman angrily exclaimed, "Idiot!" whereupon the radio cut over to Rush Limbaugh's radio program.

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A Dreamer's Guide : Peace to Pecans

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

A dream of world Peace is a forecast of contentment through spiritual inspiration. If you had or made peace however, you will have a quarrel. Loss of money is predicted if you remained calm in a bad situation.

Eating Peaches predicts some personally uplifting pleasure. Peaches in the tree indicate attainment of your hopes, thought picking them may foretell sickness in the home. Earnings will be good if you saw many trees loaded down with fruit. If you ate them with others, you will have worries in love. Enemies will steal from you if you saw dried peaches.

A strutting Peacock is a warning of possible loss of status due to vanity or overconfidence. You are too ambitious if you caught a peacock, while a dead one means your plans will fail. If you saw peacock feathers only, you will have joy, but no profit. A woman who dreams of a circling peacock will marry wealthy, but for a man this is a dream of trouble. If you owned a peacock, you will be deceived by the man who’s love you desire. Hearing it’s harsh voice while looking upon its beautiful plumage means some enticing person will do you harm.

Peanuts are a sign of increasing popularity, though peanut butter is a sign of remorse over some past injustice. You should either confess to it, or forget it; it is a drain on your energies.

A dream of Pearls indicates a dramatic increase in wealth and social standing. If a string of pearls broke or you lost pearls however, expect some reverses before advances. If you managed to find them or restring them, your setbacks will be minor and temporary, though stringing pearls initially means loneliness. You have few assets if you gathered them from the sea, but finding them predicts success through hard work. You will be very happy and have a successful marriage if you received pearls as a gift. Giving a gift of pearls is a sign that you are trying to hard to impress people through gifts.

Canned Pears foretell an unexpected profit, while fresh fruit means you will be privy to some scandalous gossip which will prove useful to your plans. A fruit laden tree indicates expanding opportunities. Your success is assured if you shook them from trees, and picking pears is an omen of amusements. Eating pears augurs dignity, but if they were green, you will suffer damages. Other people eating pears is a dream of temporary troubles. Preserving pears indicates a reverse in philosophy. Baking them is a sign of empty love or friendship.

Opening a can of Peas is a sign of small complications of your own creation. Peas growing on the vine are an omen of irritation over the troubles of a close friend or relative. Shelling peas predicts success in the form of a wealthy benefactor, though it is not so good a sign in love, indicating a braggart lover. You will encounter a contagious disease if you cooked peas. Ambitions will be fulfilled if you planted them. You will acquire large earnings, but in a shady manner if you saw dried peas. Peas only half cooked are a warning to excercise patience in your affairs.

A Peasant signifies a good future ahead of you. You will succeed in having a family if you saw many peasants at work, and good health if you hired them to work. Dismissing peasants is an augury of misery.

Picking up Pebbles is a prediction of a lonely period due to a lost friendship or broken relationship. Don’t mope; new relationships will soon blossom. Tossing pebbles is a warning against indiscriminate gossip. Sitting or walking upon them means you will be presented with the opportunity to repay someone back in kind who took advantage of you. Variously colored pebbles is a warning that you are too proud, but if you sorted pebbles, you will avoid trouble.

Expect an advantageous social invitation if you were eating Pecans. Seeing them growing among the leaves predicts a long, peaceful existence. A decayed pecan is a warning of failure in love or business. If the nut was difficult to crack or small, you will only succeed after much trouble and expense for meager returns.

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Quote : David Lloyd George
Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

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