Perseid
meteor shower
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 other 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.
Some Sites of Interest
Evolving The Spirit With Affirmations
Affirmations for Shifting Light
Daily Inspirational Thoughts
Affirmations Can Change Your Life
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This Pagan Week : August
Humor : Famous Man
Article : Axioms of Magic: I Law of World
Views
Quote : William James
Craft of the Week : Application of the Law
of Worldviews
Humor : All the Same
Who's Who in World Mythology : Badb
Quote : Sigmund Freud
The Magi's Garden :Chinchona
Cartoon
Poem : Birds Nest in My Arms
Quote : Jean De La Bruyere
The Power of Stones : Cafarsite
Humor : Snow White’s Camera
A Dreamer's Guide : Pepper to Perspiring
Quote :Anonymous
Previous Newsletters
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Some Sites of Interest
Evolving The Spirit With Affirmations
http://www.paganspath.com/meta/affirms
.htm
A guide to changing the patterns of your life.
Affirmations for Shifting Light
http://www.lightshift.com/Prayers/affirm.
html
Meditation for raising consciousness and causing change.
Daily Inspirational Thoughts
http://www.geocities.com/p
athways2eden/affirmations.html
Thoughts have great power... like seeds you plant in your mind.
Affirmations Can Change Your Life
http://www.folksonline.com
/folks/hh/tours/2000/affirm.htm
A collection of affirmations for everyday use.
The Pagan Month of August
can be found in its entirety Here. For more
detailed entries, please visit the full calendar.
August was named for the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar (September 23, 63 BC - August 29, 14 BC). Demeter or Ceres is the tutelary goddess of August.
The Anglo-Saxon name for this month was Weodmonath, "vegetation month." Aranmanoth, "corn ears month," was the Frankish name. The Asatru call it Harvest. The Irish name this month Lunasa or an Lunasdal. It comes from the early Irish Lughnassadh, the festival of Lugh.
The first Full Moon is called the Sturgeon or Corn or Barley Moon, names it shares with September. August’s moon is also referred to as the Dispute Moon and the Moon When Cherries Turn Black. It shares the name Thunder Moon with July.
Leo gives way to Virgo around August 23rd as the sun passes from the constellation of Leo. Gladiolas are the flowers for people born in this month. August’s stone is carnelian, sardonyx, moonstone, topaz, alexandrite, or peridot. The birthstones of Leo are onyx, ruby, and smoky quartz, while Virgo claims the sapphire. Other stones associated with Leo are amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, citrine, fire agate, garnet, pink tourmaline, ruby, and topaz. Virgo is connected to amazonite, amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, and citrine.
Lunar Holy Days
*The second Friday of August is the celebration of the Burryman in the town of Queensferry, Scotland. The Burryman is matted head to toe with burrs with a hat made from 70 roses and one dahlia. He walks around the edge of town slowly, speaking to no one. The respectful townspeople offer donations. Some theories consider him a forgotten fertility god of fishing. Other theories state he may represent a scapegoat figure, carrying off the town's guilt in his burrs.
Perseid
meteor shower
Lychnapsia
or Lignapsia
Felicitas
the
universe began
Hecate;
birthday of Diana
Camenae
Isis gained
the Horns of Hathor
Church
of Wicca
Day of
Peace between Horus and Set
Dog Days
end
Festival of
Candles or Torches
Tailte's Day
feast of
Diana as huntress
first day of
Odin's Ordeal
Amenartus
Hungry
Ghost Festival
second day
of Odin's Ordeal
Rustic
Vinalia
third day of
Odin's Ordeal
Procession
of Horus to Neith
Day of
Inanna
fourth day
of Odin's Ordeal
healing of
the eye of Horus
Birthday
of HP Lovecraft
Hercules
fifth day of
Odin's Ordeal
Aedesia
sixth day of
Odin's Ordeal
Feast of
Montu
Nemesea;
Vertumnalia
seventh day
of Odin's Ordeal
Mania
eighth day
of Odin's Ordeal
last day of
Odin's Ordeal
The
Opeconsiva
Paryushana
Parva
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| Humor: Famous Man |
|---|
| One day at kindergarten a teacher said to the class of 5-year- olds, "I'll give $2 to the child
who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived."
An Irish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Patrick." The teacher said, "Sorry Sean, that's not correct." Then a Scottish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Andrew." The teacher replied, "I'm sorry, Hamish, that's not right either." Finally, a Jewish boy raised his hand and said, "It was Jesus Christ." The teacher said, "That's absolutely right, Marvin, come up here and I'll give you the $2." As the teacher was giving Marvin his money, she said, "You know Marvin, since you're Jewish, I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ." Marvin replied, "Yeah. In my heart I knew it was Moses, but business is business..." |
Article : Axioms of Magic: I Law of World
Views
by Candace
The Law of Worldviews:
The world we perceive is actually a mixture of the nominal world (the Tao, the objective reality that is unknowable but which underlies all that we think we know) and ourselves (the subjective). Changing your worldview does not change the eternal, real world, but it does change the world you perceive. That is, changing your worldview makes real changes in the world which is real to us. Because there are an infinite number of ways to perceive the world, there are also an infinite number of worlds we may assemble without awareness.The true underlying reality is unknowable to us as long as we retain our worldview of separateness and self. You can become one with the universe but you cannot step back and observe it, because you are in it. You cannot observe a phenomenon without altering it by your mode of perception. There is no such thing as an independent observer. You participate in creating the world by perceiving it.
The Law of Personal Universes Every sentient being lives in and quite possibly creates a unique universe which can never be 100% identical to that lived in by another. So- called "reality" is a matter of consensus opinions.
The Law of Infinite Universes The total number of universes into which all possible combinations of existing phenomena could be organized is infinite. Anything is possible, though some things are more probable than others and so are easier to enact.
According to this law of magick, we live in a world of our own creation as well as an underlying or “real” world. Both worlds are real in as much as both affect us and our well-being, but the world you create through your perceptions is constantly changing based upon both the real world and your perception of it. Only your own personal world may be altered willfully. A good example of this is the use of positive affirmations. By convincing yourself of the possibility of change, you bring that change into being.
If you should manage to dissolve the illusion of separation from the nominal universe, you lose the ability to observe or alter because you have acknowledged you part in it. Attempting to alter reality immediately removes the observer to the mutable universe of perception and creation. It is only in the universes of our finite perception that changes may be put into effect because they are mutable, warped copies of the underlying universe which exists independent of our thoughts and perceptions.
Because the number of possibilities in any individual universe are infinite, so to are the types of phenomena you can cause through the application of will. However, since some phenomena are more probable than others, some will require less energy should you attempt to put them into effect. For instance, it would be easier to create a pig than a flying pig.
It is also difficult though not impossible for two (or more) people to agree upon the same phenomena. Creation of phenomena is easier with one observer (the self) and becomes successively more difficult the more (outside) observers are included. Should you manage to obtain the cooperation of other observers however, either in suspending their expectations or in focusing their wills on a joint project (through agreed upon symbolism), the bending of reality to the Will becomes easier than with only one observer/magi.
The Law of Worldviews is a valuable tool toward understanding the nominal universe and affecting the subjective universes of individuals. Application of this Law allows the creation or dispersal of energy in the form of phenomena through our selective perceptions and acceptance of possibility. If you believe you can see and communicate with fairies, angels, spirits, etc, then you will be able to by application of that worldview. If others share that worldview, they will be able to function partially within your world, and you within theirs. Shared perception creates a shared world through which you may affect each other. The shared world will become more real based upon the number of believers in that world. Thus if three out of four people believe enough in the presence of a spirit, they may be able to empower that entity to appear or cause phenomena the fourth non-believer may experience. It is not that we create a non-human entity (though it is possible to do so), but that we allow ourselves the option of perceiving it where others may prefer not to allow it into their personal worldview.
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| Quote: William James |
|---|
and your belief will help create the fact. |
Craft of the Week: Application of the Law of Worldviews
It should be possible through the application of this Law to affect your general environment. First you must ask yourself what phenomena you wish to experience. What senses are you most comfortable experiencing? Of all the senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell- which do you favor? Perception entails all the senses, including the psychic ones, so the phenomena you shoot for does not necessarily have to be visual or clairvoyant. You can try for clairaudient phenomena, taste, touch... whatever appeals to you.
Start with phenomena you are comfortable with and move on from there. Start small. Like meditation, control and mastery of this Law will take time and patience. Meditation is in fact a very useful skill in correlation with any application of Magickal Law and should be mastered before attempting focus the will on a particular goal.
Try not to force your reality to capitulate so much as anticipate the phenomena you attempt to manifest. Trying to force a change, attempting to dominate your reality, forms a subconscious belief resistence to your will that really does not exist. If you try to force change, you are saying you expect the universe to resist your attempts, but if you just expect something to happen, it will as matter of course.
The application of this Law is limited only by your imagination.
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| Humor :All The Same |
|---|
| A Chinese man and his Jewish friend were walking along one day when the Jewish man
whirled and slugged the Chinese man and knocked him down.
“What was that for?!” the Chinese man asked. ”That was for Pearl Harbor!” the Jewish man said. ”Pearl Harbor? That was the Japanese! I'm Chinese.” ”Chinese, Japanese, you are all the same!” “Oh!” said his friend, clearly upset, but they continued walking and after a while the Chinese man whirled and knocked the Jewish man to the ground. “What was that for?” the Jewish man asked. “That was for the Titanic!” “The Titanic? That was an iceberg.” “Iceberg, Goldberg, you are all the same.” |
Who's Who in World Mythology : Badb
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Who's
Who Archive.
Badb (Badhbh or Bodb) is a Celtic war goddess. In Gaul she was known as Cathubodua (Badb Catha) or Bauth Bodva “Battle Raven.” Her name translates to ‘crow’ or ‘raven’ of battle, and the battlefield is known as the “land of Badb.” Though she is most often depicted as a crow or raven, she is also associated with the bear, wolf, and cow. Some see her as an incarnation of three-fold Morrighan (along with Macha and Nemhain), but in other stories she has degenerated into little more than a bean sidhe. She may appear in gigantic proportions, as a foul hag, or a beautiful young woman.
At the legendary battle of Mag Tured (Magh Tuiredh) and the battle of Contarf in 1014, she decided the outcome. After the battle of Mag Tured, when the Tuatha de Danann fought the Formorians, Badb recounted the events and prophesied doom. She confronted Cuchulainn on his way to his last battle in the form of the “washer at the ford,” an incarnation of the bean sidhe, and also appeared as a death omen to King Cormac. Any warrior might encounter her before battle as an omen that he would die that day.
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| Quote: Sigmund Freud |
|---|
I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature. |
The Magi's Garden: Chinchona
For past featured foliage and the bibliography, please go to the
The
Magi's Garden Archive.
Chinchona ledgeriana or C. succirubra
Description: The Chinchona is an evergreen tree native to Peru and Ecuador, though it is now more widely grown in tropical America, India, and the Orient. The branches bear opposite, elliptic-obovate leaves and fragrant, rose or purple flowers like lilac blossoms. The bark is different colored according to species and may be removed in strips without harm to the tree. It is spongy, with a very slight odor, while the taste is bitter and astringent.
Effects:
Planet:
Element:
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
During the 1600s, Spanish Jesuits in Lima, Peru learned that bark extracts from a local
tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) called "quina" (Cinchona officinalis) could cure malaria.
Later it was discovered that this "extract" contained the quinoline alkaloid called quinine. They
successfully used this extract on Countess Chinchon, for whom the tree is now named. Today,
quinine trees are grown in plantations. Although many synthetic antimalarial drugs have been
developed, some strains are resistant to the synthetic forms and so naturally derived quinine is
still developed.
Magic:
The bark may be carried for luck and protection from bodily harm and evil.
Known Combinations:
none known
Medical Indications: (Caution:do not use during pregnancy unless delivery is late) Parts
Used: bark
Chinchona contains quinine, effective against malarial infections, as well as a treatment
for headaches, leg cramps and colds. It is an astringent, febrifuge, oxytocic, and tonic. Small
doses relieve fever and indigestion, and it may be used as a mouthwash and gargle for mouth and
throat problems.
Because it stimulates uterine contractions, it should not be used by pregnant women unless it is to induce labor in a delayed birth.
Nutrition:
none
Mercantile Uses:
The trees are grown in plantations as a source of quinine.
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Cartoon
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Poem :Birds Nest in my Arms
Gloria Fuertes
Birds nest in my arms,
on my shoulders, behind my knees,
between my breasts there are quails,
they must think I’m a tree.
The swans think I’m a fountain,
they all come down and drink when I talk.
When sheep pass, they pass over me,
and perched on my fingers the sparrows eat,
the ants think I’m the earth,
and men think I’m nothing.
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| Quote : Jean De La Bruyere |
|---|
his gift to men of wealth, money, position and other worldly goods, than the way he distributes these, and the sort of men who are most amply provided with them. |
The Power of Stones: Cafarsite
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Power of
Stones Archive.
Cafarsite is a cubic crystal yellow brown to deep brown in color. It emphasizes group dynamics and the ability to work together by decrease prejudice and judgmental tendencies. This crystal also helps recognize and dispel negative characteristics. Using this stone will help one break free of emotional or intellectual confinement.
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| Humor : Snow White’s Camera |
|---|
| Snow White received a camera as a gift. Joyfully she took many pictures of the Dwarves,
the forest, the animals, etc, quickly finishing her first roll. Immediately, she took the film into
town to be developed.
"How long before they're ready?" Snow asked the clerk, and he informed her it would be at least six days, as they had to send it to the Big City to be processed. After a week, she went to get the finished photos, but the clerk told her they were not yet back from the processor. "Come back next week", he said to her. Of course, as the story goes, she returned the following week for her 4x6 glossies, but they still had not returned! Snow White was so distraught that she started to sob right there at the counter. The clerk, trying to console her, (and wanting to relax the other customers, who were already starting to shift uncomfortably) said kindly, "Don't worry, Dear... Someday your prints will come." |
A Dreamer's Guide : Pepper to Perspiring
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Dreamer's
Guide Archive.
Pepper indicates you are satisfied with the amount of food you have. If you bought any, you will receive good news, but grinding it ensures bad news will reach you. Eating pepper means people are gossiping about you, and if it burned your tongue, their words may cause you injury. Your love will last if you sprinkled it on your food. Sneezing from pepper predicts talented family members.
You will have a thrifty and independent partner if you saw red pepper growing. You will aggressively maintain your rights if you saw many harvested red peppers. Grinding black pepper means you may be victimized by con-people.
You are proud of your children or accomplishments if you dreamt of Peppermint. You will reach your goal if you ate it, but receiving it from others means you have deceitful companions. You friends will come to your rescue if you need them if you gave anyone peppermint. Make sure of your plans however if you gave peppermint to children. Seeing it growing indicates a pleasant encounter with a dash of romance. Peppermint flavored drinks also suggest a romantic meeting.
Dreaming of a Perch means a high position is in store for you. If you climbed to one, you will have success in business, but if it was at the top of a tree, do not do anything to alter your friendships. Others climbing to perch in a tree foretells disaster for your hopes. There is danger in love if your enemies climbed trees.
A new Percolator predicts a change of residence for the better, while an old one suggests you will make improvements to your present living conditions.
You attach too much importance to your appearance if you dreamt of Performing, but seeing others perform indicates you will overcome your enemies. Performing with others or watching children perform predicts happiness. Watching enemies perform is an omen of an uncertain future.
Selling Perfume foretells happiness, but smelling it augurs the loss of something which brings you pleasure. Beware people looking for love if you smelled a man’s perfume, and smelling it on children means they are doing something wrong. The odor of perfume in a house indicates frivolous behavior. If you found the smell of perfume to be oppressive, excessive joy will impair your judgement. You will find a new love if you bought any, but buying cheap perfume is a sign of corruption, while expensive perfume suggests jealous friends. Your friends will abuse your trust if you thought you had none.
If you broke a little bottle of perfume, your fondest hopes will come to nothing, and spilling it foretells loss of something you value. Losing a bottle means loss of your lover. You will make new friends if you received perfume as a gift. Stealing one however, suggests your sweetheart will find someone new. If you used perfume on anyone you know, you have a strong attachment to this person. Making perfume or mixing them suggests you will receive good news from friends, and giving it to friends presages good news of money. Perfuming yourself or your clothes means you will seek and obtain praise.
You will be in disgrace if you dreamt of Peril, and being in peril means many obstacles lie before you. If you escaped unscathed, your plans will successfully come to fruition. Children in peril foretell unhappiness, friends in peril omen loss of money, and even enemies in danger are a sign of bankruptcy.
A Periscope augers surprising news from a distance.
Misfortune will follow you if you committed Perjury, though if you thought you had done it in the past, business endeavors will only be postponed. Loss of friendship is presaged by others committing perjury, but if they did so against you, your business will prosper. A husband or wife committing perjury against the other is a sign of pending divorce or separation.
Your pain will soon leave you if you sought a Permit, but if you were refused, there will be a delay in your plans. Obtaining a permit augurs prosperity. You will have many children if you obtained permission to marry, but a permit to build suggests you will do business with an ungrateful woman.
You have a clear conscience if you were Persecuted, though being persecuted falsely may foretell the loss of a friend. Unhappiness with in the family is indicated if you were harassed by your family. Beware treacherous friends if you were abused by a representative of the law. Contentment is foretold if you persecuted anyone yourself.
A Persian represents laziness. Be careful in your business dealings if you thought you were one. Your plans will come to nought if you saw many Persian people, but being in their company means a marriage will soon take place.
You will reunite with a past friend or associate if you ate a Persimmon, though if the fruit was sour, the meeting will not be pleasant.
Great effort on your part will be necessary if you dreamt of Perspiring. If you perspired because of medication however, your health will improve. The smell of sweat suggests deceitful friends. A small fortune lies ahead of you if you had to wipe your forehead. Wiping sweat away from any other part of the body may indicate a partnership proposal soon. You will succeed in all of your undertakings if you saw children perspiring. Loss of money is foretold if you saw any enemies sweating. Perspiring relatives suggest efforts will be rewarded.
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| Quote : Anonymous |
|---|
Ancient Whispers Newsletter Archive