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.

September acquired its name as the seventh month of the old Roman calendar. Pomona, patroness of fruit and fruit-trees, was tutelary goddess of this month in which autumn begins.

September was Meán Fómhair in Ireland or an t-Sultainn, the fat time. All these names refer to the ripening harvest. The September moon is gealach an abachaidh, moon of ripening. Haligmonath, "holy month," was the month of September among the Anglo-Saxons. The Franks called this month Witumanoth, "wood month," for this when the majority of wood was gathered for the coming cold months. September is Shedding among the Asatru.

The first Full Moon is called the Fruit or Grain Moon, a name it shares with August. It shares the name Harvest Moon with October and Sturgeon Moon with August. It has been called the Singing, Wine Moon, and the Moon When Deer Paw the Earth.

Libra takes over from Virgo around September 23rd. Those born this month have the aster for their birth flower. The stone for Virgo and those born in September is the sapphire. Chrysolite and sardonyx are also listed as stones for those born in Septmeber. Libra’s birthstone is opal or tourmaline, and Libra is also linked to aquamarine, emerald, kunzite, moonstone, opal, peridot, and pink tourmaline. Amazonite, amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, citrine, and sapphire are other stones associated with Virgo

Lunar Holy Days

The Chinese Moon festival, Chung-Ch'iu, falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon of the Chinese lunar calendar. The climax of the growing season, it is a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. Rites are carried out by the women of each family in their courtyards. A picture or a figurine of the Moon Hare (who is supposed to inhabit the moon is placed on a special altar. When moonlight fills the courtyard, the ceremony begins. Offerings are set on the altar, five platters of different fruit and thirteen mooncakes, small spicy circular cakes. In northern China, mooncakes have two fillings—a sugar paste or a date paste. In southern China, the fillings are more varied—they include ham, preserved apricots, sweet bean puree, walnuts, and watermelon seeds. Yellow beans may also be offered. Incense is lit and women approach the altar one by one. The picture of the hare is then burned to release its soul.

During China's Choyo-no-Sekku or the Kiku no Sekku, Chrysanthemum Day, chrysanthemum wine is drunk on the ninth day of the ninth moon to ensure long life. At the Chrysanthemum Doll Fete, lifelike clay figures are dressed in robes made of fresh chrysanthemums and arranged as parts of legendary and historical scenes. The celebration is also held to honor the poet T'ao Yuan-Ming who flavored the flower which only blooms in the autumn. After his death, he became the god of the flower.

In Staffordshire England, the Horndance begins at dawn on the first Monday after Wake Sunday (the first Sunday after September 4th). At one time, it was held two weeks before the autumnal equinox. Costumed dancers gather and wander through the village and the country-side, performing their dance periodically. The final dance is held in the center of the village before the antlers are returned to the church for storage. The Dancers are all male. They include a fool, a Robin Hood on a hobbyhorse, a Maid Marion, a bowman, two musicians, and six deer wearing wooden replicas of reindeer antlers. It has been considered a tradition honoring the Horned God, commonly known as Cernunnos.

Akwambo

The Apache Sunrise ceremony

Ganesha Chaturthi, Day of Nanda Devi

Ceremony of Raising the Djed Pillar

Situa

Theosophical Society

Zarathustra

Durga Puja

Neith Goes forth to Atum

Weather today or tomorrow determines for the next forty days

Pinnhut festival

Asclepigenia

Nichiren

Enkutatash

Silver RavenWolf.

Megaliths are large stone structures or groups of standing stones which are located at sites in various parts of the would and believed to have religious significance. The term "megalith" means "great stone" which is derived from the Greek words "megas" ('great') and "lithos" ('stone'). However, the general meaning of megaliths includes any structure composed of large stones which includes tombs and circular standing structures. Such structures have been found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America.

Their origins and purposes have tantalized experts and ordinary people for centuries. There is a general consensus that many were built in the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages.

Those found in India date from the first centuries of the Christian era. The megaliths on Easter Island, in the South Pacific, probably are contemporary with the Medieval period of Europe.

The general speculation as to their purposes is that megaliths were used for religious activities, burial sites, and astronomical observatories for the sun and other celestial bodies. Some megaliths are said to possess supernatural or electromagnetic forces. Megaliths are classed in two general categories: "dolmens" and "menhirs." Dolmens, also called "chamber tombs," usually contain one or more chambers or rooms in which the dead were buried. Some dolmens also contain long, stone chambers or halls which connect different rooms. These long chambers also are referred to as "Long tombs" and "passage-graves." Long tombs are prevalent in Wales, Scotland, and England; while passage-graves are mostly found in Ireland and western parts of Britain. Tombs which are covered with earth to form mounds are called "tumuli" (the plural for "tumulus").

There is evidence that dolmens were used for other purposes besides burying the dead because remains of bodies have not been found in all of them. Therefore, some dolmens may have served only as temples for the dead. However, there are signs that ritual sacrifices and even cannibalism occurred within some dolmens. It is thought prehistoric man believed the spirit resided in the head, therefore, breaking open the head might have been an attempt to free the spirit. If some dolmens served as temples then most likely religious activities and gatherings occurred within them too.

Menhirs are large standing stones, or groups of standing stones, arranged in circles, or cromlechs, and henges. A bank or ditch that surrounds the circular henges which distinguishes them. There is always one or more entrance to them.

Standing stones, especially those containing holes, were thought to have supernatural or magical powers to heal or hurt. Ill people would crawl through the holes hoping to restore their health. Sick children were passed through the holes hoping the magic of the stone would heal them. Women desiring to become pregnant, or seeking other wishes, would hug the stones, and even crawl through their holes at times.

The stones' reputation for having supernatural forces have over the centuries made them desired gathering places for witches. During the trial of the Aberdeen witches of Scotland, in 1596, the accused confessed to dancing around a gray stone at the foot of Craigleauch hill. The Lancaster witches were said to have met at the Hoar Stones in Britain's Pendle Forest during the 17th. century. Another meeting site was the Bambury Stone of Bredon Hill.

Fairies were said to reside in some of the stones, and some people left them gifts to gain their favor. Some menhirs have devil and others legends associated with them. Among these are the Rollright Stones of the Cotsworlds in England were witches met until the middle of the 20th. century.

Some menhirs are believed to have 'earth energy' emanating from them. Photographs have shown this energy as light radiating from the stones. Some researchers believe the stones' creators imbued this energy within them for sacred and psychic purposes. Some psychics do not want to be around the menhirs at night because of their abnormal powers. Researchers have reported when placing their hands on the stones they received electric shocks strong enough to knock then down.

The greatest and oldest of all megaliths still exist on Carnac, in the countryside of Britiany. Of the estimated original 11,000 only 3,000 still stand arranged in avenues, dolmens, mounds and cromlechs. One dolmen, covered with a tumulus, has been dated back to 4700 B.C.

The Huichol Indians of Mexico and the Aymara Indians of Bolivia weave brightly colored threads on a simple frame of crossed sticks to make a design called "Ojo de Dios" or "Eye of God." Originally, the central eye was made when a child was born. Each year, a bit of yarn was added until the child turned five at which point the Ojo is complete. God's Eyes were made to be placed on an altar so that the gods could watch over the praying people and protect them.

embroidery silks or yarn in several colors (multicolored yarn can save you the effort of tying a new color to the end of the old one) (this craft is great for yarn scraps)
lollypop, craft sticks, or relatively straight twigs gathered outdoors
Glue (optional)
Scissors

While you can hold your two sticks together and tie your string to them to begin weaving, gluing the two sticks together in the shape of a cross before hand can make the first few moves less awkward. Tie one colored strand of wool or embroidery thread at the spot where the two sticks intersect and wrap it over and around one stick, then over and around the next, over and around the next, and so on. Keep doing that until the color is used up. Pull the yarn tight each time and push it toward the center. Tie a different color onto the end of the previous one with a secure knot, and continue your weaving. Keep weaving the "God's Eye" until you are about 1/2 inch from the ends of the sticks. Cut the yarn, leaving approximately a seven to eight inch tail. Tie the tail in a knot in back. Take a piece of wool or thread and make a hanging loop for your God's Eye. You can also make a tassel and attach it to the bottom of the god’s eye or attach small bells to each arm.

You can make a larger, more complicated decoration with multiple God's Eyes by crossing two larger sticks (one foot or longer) and then crossing a short stick at the end of each long one. Weave the center God's Eye first. Then weave each of the four smaller Eyes using the same method. Weave out only about two to three inches from the center of the shorter sticks, farther on the longer ones. You are really just making five single God's Eyes the way you did above.

You can use smaller sticks, even toothpicks if you’re adept at your weaving, to make mini God’s Eyes. Add a pin with glue to make a lovely pin or add a loop to make a necklace or ornament. Follow the directions for the larger God’s Eye.

In Egyptian myth, the creator god Aten (Aton, Adon, Eton) was never represented in human or animal form. Originally, his solar disk sported wings and arms, but it was eventually refined to a solar disk embellished with the uraeus sporting thin arms like the rays of the sun, each ending with a human hand. When depicted near a royal personage, each hand pointing in their direction held a small ankh.

The pharaoh Akhenaten (originally Amenhotep IV) attempted to steer his nation to monotheistic worship of Aten. Though Aten was worshipped prior to the rein of Akhenaten, the height of Aten worship lasted only through his reign (1372-1355 BC). Most believe his endorsement of the god was a political move against the priesthood of Amun, rather than due to any religious feeling on Akhenaten’s part. At the same time Akhenaten encouraged the worship of Aten, he suppressed worship of Amun-Re.

Akhenaten first built a sanctuary dedicated to Aten adjacent to one honoring Amun at the Karnak complex of Thebes. The main cult was north of Thebes however on the east bank of the Nile at Tell el-Amarna where a huge open-roofed sanctuary was constructed. Here the main ceremonies took place at dawn, and here it was that Akhenaten and Nefertiti, herself a passionate devotee of Aten, relocated for the remainder of his reign to rule from Tell el-Amarna. The following hymn is ascribed directly to Akhenaten:

Thy rising is beautiful in the horizon of heaven,
O thou Aten, who hadst thine existence in primeval times.
When thou riseth in the eastern horizon thou fillest ever land with thy beauties,
Thou art beautiful to see, and art great, and art like crystal, and art high above the earth.
Thy beams of light embrace the land, even every land which thou hast made.
Thou art as Ra, and thou bringest (thyself) unto each of them, and thou bindest them with thy love.
Thou art remote, by thy beams are upon the earth.

It is impossible to piece together precise information on the worship of Aten due to the destruction of his cultural centers following the death of Akhenaten, but it is clear that incense was offered several times a day, accompanied by hymns and the playing of harps and other instruments. Offerings were made of fruits and flowers, and there was no animal sacrifice.

The priests of Amun later destroyed all the temples to Aten and most of the iconography at the end of Akhenaten’s reign. It is believed Akhenaten and Nefertiti were most likely murdered, and the reign of Tutankhaten (later called Tutankhamen “living image of Amen”) directly followed Akhenaten.

Description: Boxwood is of the rather small family of Euphorbia. It prefers well-drained soils. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree four to fifteen feet tall. The twigs are dense with small opposite, elliptic to ovate, leaves one inch long. They are dark green on top and pale green underneath. The bark of the trunk is rugged and grayish while the branches are yellowish. Clusters of small inconspicuous yellow-green flowers appear from April to June, producing horned capsules full of shiny black seeds which burst at maturity. The wood is dense, durable, and finely grained.

Effects:
Planet:
Element:
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
Boxwood has been a favored hedge for formal gardens for many years, and William Penn chose it for his estate in Colonial Williamsburg.

The wood has been used since ancient times to make decorative boxes, hence the name.

Magic:
In Sweden, an extract of boxwood was used to cure premature baldness, but the user was warned to be careful not to get it on the face or neck, presumably because you’d then have a hairy neck or face as well as a hairy head. Of course, I wonder how you’d get it on your head at all without your hands getting hairy.

Boxwood was considered protective of domestic animals, especial those that roam out doors.

Known Combinations:
none noted

Medical Indications: (Caution: leaves contain poisons) Parts used:
While boxwood was once considered a cure for epilepsy, leprosy, toothache, and at one time, rabies, it is not wise to ingest this plant as the leaves contain poisons.

Nutrition:
none noted

Mercantile Uses:
The wood is valued, though small, for its density and hardness, being the hardest and heaviest of all European woods. has been used for decorative boxes, flutes and other musical instruments, chess pieces, inlay and ornamental work. The leaves and sawdust, boiled in lye, was once used as an auburn hair dye.

A curse! Joy! Writing!
Words move like mountains!
While I, like a butterfly,
flutter among the lines.

Only yesterday, skirting
unbelief and sadness,
did I not dumbly squirm
like a stranded fish.

And now each little stream
chatters like a goldfinch.
The river flows – its speech,
a warble at my cheek.

And in my weak, woman’s throat
(Goldfinch! Cuckoo! Starling!)
The breeze of the universe
wanders among the lines.

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Quote : Kenneth Patton
By the choices and acts of our lives, we create the person that we are and the faces that we wear.

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

Artinite grows in needle-like crystals and fibrous masses. The color is white, but the stone may be vitreous, silky, and/or transparent. It is a somewhat rare carbonate mineral, forming as a crust of acicular to fibrous crystal masses sometimes collected into tight perfectly spherical balls. It is always associated with ultra-basic igneous and metamorphic rocks such as serpentine.

Smooth over disagreements and petty jealousies and wear down abrasiveness with artinite. It helps the user stay alert to their surroundings and situations requiring crucial decisions. Creative and artistic pursuits are augmented. Artinite is also helpful for groups, instilling diplomacy and cooperation.

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Humor : Praying for the Deer
The Wednesday-night church service coincided with the last day of hunting season, and the pastor asked who had bagged a deer, but no one raised a hand. Puzzled, the pastor said, "I don't get it. Last Sunday many of you said you were missing because of hunting season. I had the whole congregation pray for your deer." One hunter groaned, "Well, it worked. They're all safe."

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A Dreamer's Guide : Lime to Llama

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

A residue of Lime predicts an upturn in matters of money after a period of despair. A small property will soon be left to you if you saw a large heap of lime, and buying it indicates advancement in your job. People will put your feelings to the test if you handled lime powder, but be on your guard against enemies if you handled it as part of your work. If you saw a lime-kiln, your immediate future holds no hope in love or business.

Eating Limes foretells sickness and adversity. Drinking the juice indicates approaching money.

A small worry will confront you unexpectedly if you had a small Limp. Hard work awaits you if you had to rest due to a limp. If others limped, you will be offended by the conduct of a friend.

A Linden tree is a sign of good news, but if it was dead or dry, an enemy is seeking your downfall. There is danger in love if you cut one down.

Linen augurs prosperity and enjoyment. A person dressed in linen means you will shortly be the recipient of good news, possibly an inheritance. If you were dressed in fine, clean linen, your fortune and enjoyment of life is assured, but if it was dirty, sorrow and bad luck will mingle with the good.

Lining materials indicates vanity. If you took the lining out of a dress, beware of rivals, while removing it from a man’s suit predicts an argument. If you bought material for lining, you will receive an unexpected guest.

A kindly friend will keep your extravagances in check if you dreamt of Linseed Oil.

You must exercise prudence if you saw a large amount of Lint. Wrapping a wound in lint is a warning to be forgiving or you may regret it. If you saw others wrapping wounds in lint, prosperity lies ahead, and buying it for wound care indicates a protected life.

Important changes are augured by a Lintel. If you found yourself under one, you may soon move to a larger home.

A Lion is a symbol of social distinction and business leadership. You will be victorious in any engagement if you subdued a lion, but if you were overcome, you will be prey to the successful attacks of enemies. Riding one means courage and persistence in difficult times, but being chased by one indicates disgrace. Caged lions you’re your success depends upon your ability to overcome opposition. To see a lion tamer or someone controlling lions is an indication of great business success and mental power. Hearing a lion means you will probably have to cope with jealousy from someone close to you. A friendly cub is a forecast of a new and valuable friendship or enterprises. A lion’s hide or skeleton denotes a rise in fortune and happiness.

A Lioness is a sign of the family fortune. If she was with lion cubs, you will have joy and happiness. A lioness eating meat means you will have much wealth. If she fought a lion, there will be sickness, and if she killed him, beware of jealous friends. A running lioness augurs serious illness. If the lioness died while giving birth, you will receive money. You will have many helpful friends if she was at a circus. You will have a marriage proposal if you kept one as a pet, and you will live a long life if you were attacked.

Thin or cruel Lips are a warning against hasty judgments. Beautiful lips predict happiness in love and success in sex. Thick, overly sensual lips or ugly ones are an omen of disappointment in love, though they do indicate success in business. Chapped, dry or cracked lips indicate a loss in status or business reverses. The lips of children or babies are a sign of true friendship.

Wearing Lipstick warns of false friends. Buying it indicates frivolity.

Buying Liquor denotes selfish control of property upon which you have no legal claim. If you sold it, you will be criticized for stingy kindness. If you drank it, you will come into doubtful possession of wealth, but you generosity will draw genial friends. Liquor in barrels denotes prosperity, but overindulgence in the finer things in life. Bottled liquor means your fortune will appear in a very tangible form.

If you heard someone speak with a Lips, be cautious of rivals. If it was more than one person, your friends may not be sincere. Lisping children mean your friends are trying to cheat you.

If you dreamt that someone was Listening to you, don’t let people get the best of you. If you listened to someone’s advice, you may be heading for poverty, but if the advice was from someone important, you would do well to listen to any advice given.

Dreaming of a Litter of baby animals means you have a fine family. A litter of puppies means trouble will soon pass, and a litter of piglets predicts the approach of money.

If you were Little, you will have plenty of affection. If you weight was very little, you should look to your health.

Liver trouble is a sign of improvement. Eating, cooking, or serving liver is an omen of improved health. Taking or giving liver oil is a sign of passing but pleasant romance.

Having a Liveried servant predicts great success. The livery servants of enemies indicates danger in love, while the livery servants of friends mean success.

A Lizard is a warning of false friends. Keeping one in a cage means your reputation is protected. Killing a lizard means you will regain your lost reputation, while a dead lizard foretells your success in preserving your reputation. Any item made from lizard skin predicts an increase in income.

A Llama or cloth made from its wool is an omen of great success in your current undertakings.

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Quote : Tao Te Ching
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

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