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.

By our modern calendar, January first is the beginning of the New Year. It is a time filled with new possibilities. January’s guardian, the Roman god Janus, is the two faced divinity of endings and beginnings. He is the male equivalent of one among a host of versions of Juno. As the twin-faced Antevorta and Postvorta, she also looks frontward and back. Modern tradition would have us look forward only and forget the past year like a bad memory. I would advise those who follow this tradition to remember... That which is forgotten is soon repeated.

To the Irish, January is Eanáir or am Faoilleach, the ‘wolf month.’ The full moons of February and December are also sometimes referred to as Wolf Moon. The first Full Moon between Yule and the 25th of January is most often called Disting, and it shares the name Cold Moon with December. It may also be referred to as the Quiet or Chaste Moon, or the Moon of Little Winter.

Capricorn and Aquarius are the signs for January, Aquarius gaining power on or around January 20th. The flower for January is the white carnation. Garnet is the favored stone of this month, though Jacinth appears on some lists. Garnet, along with the ruby, is also the birthstone for Capricorn, while Aquarius lays claim to aquamarine. Other stones associated with Capricorn are amber, amethyst, carnelian, fire agate, green tourmaline, labradorite, peridot, and sapphire. Aquarius also holds sway over chrysoprase, garnet, labradorite, lapis lazuli, and opal.

The most popular Vietnamese holiday begins on the first day of the first full moon. This is the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year, called Tet Nguyen-Dan, “Fete of the First Day,” or Tet Tam Nguyen, “Fete of the Three Firsts” in Vietnam. It last three days. Artifacts associated with this celebration have been dated to an origin sometime around 500 BCE.
Above all else, it is a family celebration. Ancestor and household spirits are honored such as the god of the kitchen, the Craft Creator, and the spirits of the land. Mam Ngu Qua, the five-fruit-tray, is placed on the ancestral altar as a symbol of the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors. According to one theory, the five fruits are symbolic of the five basic elements of oriental philosophy: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Others state that the five fruits are symbols of the five fingers of a man's hand. The simplest explanation is that the five fruits represent the blessings of Heaven and Earth. This is one of the general perceptions of life of the Vietnamese: "When taking fruit, you should think of the grower." Today, the tray may contain five or more fruits, traditionally in the form of a pyramid or some other shape. Peach, Apricot, and kumquat flowers are used for decoration as well as branches of mandarin oranges.
Long ago, humanity and devils cohabitated the earth, but the devils invaded the lands of humanity. Buddha said he would hang his robes on the top of a bamboo and wherever the shadow fell, that land would be given to men. The devils agreed, but were tricked. After planting the bamboo, Buddha flung his robe to the top and made the bamboo higher by means of magic. The whole land was overshadowed, and the devils were chased to the East Sea. They prayed to Buddha for permission to return to the mainland for a three day visit to their ancestors' tombs on the occasion of Tet Tam Nguyen, and for this reason, Neu is often planted at this time. It is a bamboo pole with green leaves, with an eight sign amulet and earthen bells hung from its top. Lime powder is scattered round its base to allow the painting of cross-bows and arrows to chase away the devils or keep them at bay.

The 15th day of the first moon is the 'Chunga Choepa' or the Tibetan Butter Lamp Festival, the climax of their New Year celebrations. Huge 'Tormas' are sculpted from butter in the form of various auspicious symbols and lamps. This was once the highlight of 'Monlam' in Lhasa, the Prayer Festival held from the 4th to the 11th day of the 1st lunar month. The Dalai Lamas would come to the Jokhang Temple and perform the great Buddhist service. The question and answer test for the highest-ranking monk of 'Lharampa Geshe' was held before the Dalai Lama during this festival. These events are now carried out in Dharamsala however where the Dalai Lama's government is in exile.

The Norse Midvintersblot, Midwinter's Offering, or the Old English Tiugunde Day ceremony is held twenty days after Yule (or on the 13th of January) to honor Tiu, the god of the New Year.

The First Monday of January is called Handsel Monday in Scotland. At one time it was more popular than New Year’s Day itself. Handsel means "a small gift given as an omen of prosperity" either from Old English handselen "giving into the hands (of another)" or from Old Norse handsal "an agreement sealed with a handshake." Over time, the meaning changed from "lucky omen" or "auspicious gift" to "initial payment" or "first taste or experience." Eventually, it came to embody the first taste of Monday each year. Small gifts are exchanged at this time. If debts were paid on this day however, many more would be incurred through the rest of the year.

The first Monday after 12th Night is called Plough Monday. Field workers traditionally returned to work at this time and received their pay, definitely an incentive. Farm laborers performed sword dances around the plough. Ploughs were blessed and decorated and dragged around the parish by plough-boys, known as Plough Bullocks or Plough Stots, who demanded food, drink and money. Children would handsel for money and treats from the neighbors while villagers performed Mummers' plays, enacting ritual combat and symbolic death and revival.

The last Tuesday in January is Up Shally A' or Up Helly Aa. This is a Lerwick, Shetland fire festival. A full-sized Viking longboat, complete with shields and oars, is towed to the beach by a torch-bearing procession dressed as Viking warriors. Three cheers are given for the builders of the longship, and after a bugle call, the galley is set alight by 800 blazing torches.

Sekhmet

Hecate

Hogmanay, Hogmannay, Hogmarmay, Hogmena, Hagmena, or Hogg-night; Cake-day

The Fair Folk are quite active at this time

Hestiad

Namahage

Gamelia

Fortuna

whatever you do on New Year's Day, you'll do often in the coming year

Chorti Indians of Southern Guatemala drink water from five sacred coconuts

Thingyan - Akya

Shogatsu Sanganichi

Nativity Eve of Inanna

Sir James Frazer

Day of keeping the things of Osiris

O-shogatsu

Thingyan - Akyat

birth of Inanna

Isis’ discovered the Ark of Osiris and returned to Egypt

South African Carnival

Genshisai

Thingyan - Atet Ney

Edgar Cayce

Those who know where they are going today are not going any where.

Quadrantids

Genshi-Sai

Day of Nut and Raet

Koreion

Wassail Eve

Jeanne Dixon

Twelfth Night and Old Christmas day

According to Frazer, the time between Christmas and Epiphany is a witching time

Dezomeshiki

Joan of Arc

Wassailing

Feast of Ptah and Horus

feast of Sekhmet and Isis, ancient Egypt's New Year's Day

feast of Morrigan

Uzue-matsuri

St. Distaff’s Day, Rock-Day

Nana-kusa

Justitia

Galileo Galilee

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers

Born Violet Mary Firth, Dion Fortune, also a member of the Golden Dawn, died today in 1946.

Festival of Isis, Birth of Aion

There are many types of divination and divination tools. For my list of types of divination, you can visit these pages and you can also check out this very detailed site. Many forms of divination have fallen out of practice, but those that remain fall into four basic groups.

One of the most used forms of divination is scrying. Simply put, scrying means the ability to see and focus upon an object. Anything with a reflective surface can be used for scrying - crystal balls, mirrors, bowls of water, ink, fingernails, etc. Scrying began with pools of water however. Over time, it became possible to build mirrors which were almost like water in their clarity. The early mirrors were made of polished copper, brass, marcasite, tin foil or mercury behind glass, polished silver and obsidian. Mirrors, by their evolution from pools of water are linked to the moon. For this reason, many feel mirrors should be backed with silver. Also for this reason, a round or oval mirror is preferable to a square mirror. Mirror scrying is an evolved form of water or crystal scrying. All types of mirrors may be used for scrying and the size is not important. Most scrying mirrors these days are small, blackened mirrors. John Dee is said to have used a black mirror of obsidian.

There are several systems of divination that grew out of drawing lots. These include runes, cards, and I-ching to name a few. The casting of lots usually does not give clear answers to questions unless you are dealing with yes/no questions. Rather lots reveal the general direction your life is heading and directs you to act accordingly. There are various spreads for ascertaining the future using these systems and entire books have been devoted to the subject.

Other forms of divination rely on being guided by some source, usually from the outside. Those who use ouija, pendulums, dowsing, or practice other forms of mediumship use this type of divination. The practitioner petitions some outside force to answer questions or give guidance. Dowsing and pendulum use is a little different from these other forms in that the practitioner is actively seeking out some physical place. This may be to find water, metals, or lost items, etc. These tools have also sometimes been used to find places where a murder has occurred or where a body has been hidden. Dream reading might also fit into this category if they come from an outside source. They jury is still out on that one. One final type of divination relies on signs and omens. These omens may be apparent at birth through astrology, by certain signs found on the body, or in the world surrounding the observer. The reading of omens requires coincidence to make various connections with what the future may have in store. Superstitions may be seen as a direct descendant of this once well respected form of divination. Beware walking under a ladder (you might get a bucket on your head or at least some paint on you). In some ways, this form of divination is very similar to scrying. You are attempting to see something. You can look up to the clouds and try to find shapes there, or into a cup to read the tealeaves. Someone who has this skill may be able to read palms, marks on your skin, or the general shape of your face and head. The ancients practiced augury by watching the animals around them, most often birds and snakes, and reading signs from their habits. They would also occasionally sacrifice animals like sheep and cows to the gods and read signs found on their organs, usually the liver.

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Quote : Madame de Stael
The more we know the better we forgive. Whoever feels deeply, feels for all who live.

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Craft of the Week: Scrying Mirror

Oval picture frame with glass (not plastic) insert or a clear crystal plate

Black paint of your choice

A scrying mirror can be constructed for less than five dollars. Disassemble the frame, and clean one side of the glass with glass cleaner. Paint this side with thick black paint. You should apply more than one coat (till light will not pass through), and oil based enamel works best. Matte black or gloss black will work, though gloss will be shinier. At this point you can also paint designs or symbols around the edge of the frame if you are artistically inclined. If not there are a variety of frames with designs already on them.

Assemble the frame with the painted side of the glass to the inside. The thicker the plate of glass, the “deeper” the mirror will appear. The frame should stand at a shallow angle to the vertical. Some frames have a leg on the back can be trimmed at the bottom to adjust the angle. You can also use one of the display stands available for collector plates. Varying the size of the stand will increase or decrease the angle of the frame.

If you cannot find a picture frame to your liking, you may construct a scrying mirror from a clear crystal plate. Paint the back of the plate, as you would have for the picture frame glass. You might also wish to covering the painted portion with felt or some other heavy material to protect the paint from being scratched or scuffed off.

When using the black mirror for scrying, you do not want to see your reflection. As you stare at the mirror, it may seem at first that it is all gray; then colors will come and go. With time and practice, you may notice images like still photographs or moving film. Spirits may sometimes look at the scryer, talk to the scryer or even touch the scryer. The visions may even exist outside the mirror and surround the scryer on all sides. It depends upon your natural talent. Not everyone is a scryer.

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Humor : Two Keys
Two keys hung in an undertaker's office: one for the organ in the chapel, the other for one of the cars in the garage. Two small signs hung above the keys read: Hymn and Hearse

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Who's Who in World Mythology : Azazel
For past articles and the bibliography, please go to the
Who's Who Archive.

In Islamic lore, the devil was a djinni called Azazel (Asiel, Azael, Hazazel “god strengthens”). It is said on the day Adam was created, Azazel refused to prostrate himself before God saying, “Why should a son of fire bow down before a son of clay?” He was condemned to death, but gained a respite until the Day of Judgment when he will be destroyed. Instead, he was cast out into Hell and was given the new name of Eblis (Iblis). According to Enoch, Azazel and Aza (Ouza) were chiefs of the two hundred (or one-third) fallen angels.

Azazel taught men how to make swords and shields while women discovered the arts of finery and painting their eyelids. His true form is sometimes described as demonic with seven serpent heads, fourteen faces, and twelve wings. He was father of the Sedim, Assyrian guardian spirits, by Naamah, Lamech’s daughter.

The name Azazel is not only pre-Islamic; it is pre-Jewish. He may have been a god of the early Semites. His origin may lie as a god of the flocks, and he is considered a scapegoat in rabbinical literature.The worship of this god was abhorrent to both the Jewish and Mohammedan communities.

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Quote: James Carswell
Whenever man comes up with a better mousetrap, nature immediately comes up with a better mouse.

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

(Capparis spinosa)

Folk Names: Caperberry, Caperbush, Fabagelle (French), Shafallah (Arabic), Tapana (French)

Description: The caper is a small shrub. Dry heat and intense sunlight make the preferred environment for caper plants. In their native habitat along the Mediterranean where they are treated as weeds, the plants germinate easily among the cracks and crevices of rocks. Mature plants develop large extensive root systems that penetrate deeply into the earth. They are salt-tolerant and flourish along shores within sea-spray zones. It is unusual in that it loses its leaves during the rainy seasons and retains them during the dry season. The leaves are almost round, and the leaf stipules may be formed into spines. The beautiful white or pink-tinted flowers are large and showy and are born on first-year branches. The fruit is a berry, resembling a human testis.

Effects: gentle
Planet: Mars, Venus
Element: water
Associated Deities:

Traditions:
Capers are supposed to have originated on the Isle of Capri, a small island off the cost of Naples, hence their name. Its origins trace back over 7500 years to prehistoric seeds in what is now Iraq. Capers were well known to the ancients. They are mentioned in the Bible and were a condiment used by both ancient Greeks and Romans.

Magic:
Men are told to eat capers to cure impotence. They are added to love and lust mixtures. Cleopatra had dishes spiked with capers served to Caesar, but it is said Cleopatra preferred all her foods pickled as a way to preserve her youth.

Known Combinations:
None noted

Medical Indications: (Caution:) Parts Used:
Capers are said to reduce gas and to be helpful for rheumatism.

Nutrition:
Capers are the immature flower buds of the caper bush. The buds are first pickled in vinegar, then preserved in granular salt. The semi-mature fruits (caperberries) and young shoots with small leaves may also be pickled for use as a condiment. The flavor is described as being similar to that of mustard and black pepper. Capers add piquancy to salads, pizza, canapé, meat gravies, pasta sauces, and fish sauces.

Young shoots, including immature small leaves, may also be eaten as a vegetable. Mature and semi-mature fruits are eaten as a cooked vegetable, though this is a rarity. Ash from burned caper roots has been used as a source of salt.

Mercantile Uses:
Capers are an export herb for the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.

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Cartoon

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Poem : Year’s End
Richard Wilbur (1949)

Now winter downs the dying year,
And night is all a settlement of snow;
From the soft street the rooms of houses show
A gathered light, a shapen atmosphere,
Like frozen-over lakes whose ice is thin
And still allows some stirring down within.

I’ve known the wind by water banks to shake
The late leaves down, which frozen where they fell
And held in ice as dancers in a spell
Fluttered all winter long into a lake;
Graved on the dark in gestures of descent,
They seemed their own most perfect monument.

There was perfection in the death of ferns
Which laid their fragile cheeks against stone
A million years. Great mammoths overthrown
Composedly have made their long sojourns,
Like palaces of patience, in the grey
And changeless lands of ice. And at Pompeii

The little dog lay curled and did not rise
But slept the deeper as the ashes rose
And found the people incomplete, and froze
The random hands, the loose unready eyes
Of men expecting yet another sun
To do the shapely thing they had not done.

These sudden ends of time must give us pause.
We fray into the future, rarely wrought
Save in the tapestries of afterthought.
More time, more time. Barrages of applause
Come muffled from a buried radio.
The New-year bells are wrangling with the snow.

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Quote : Hannibal
We must either find a way or make one.

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

Benitoite, barium titanium silicate, was mistaken for blue sapphire when it was first discovered in 1907 in San Benito County, California. So far it has not been found anywhere else. It is found embedded in white natrolite. There is a pink form, but the occasional colorless variety is not suitable for use as a gemstone. Gems cut from crystals are naturally small as the formations have many flaws with very few clear, facetable areas. For this reason and its rarity, Benitoite is a costly jewel.

Benitoite is said to emit powerful “Lemurian influences.” Once contact has been established, it will enhance contact with “extra-dimensional” beings. It enhances both astral travel and telepathic communications.

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Humor : A collection of Smilies

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A Dreamer's Guide : Moon to Mop

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

The symbolism of the Moon depends upon details, but on the whole it is usually favorable. All interpretations of the moon are intensified if the moon was reflected off water. Very bright moonlight is a forecast of family unity and domestic happiness. Only travel by moonlight or seeing the man or lady of the moon is considered a bad omen, foretelling the loss of happiness through your pursuit of distant mirages. If drifting clouds obscured the moon in anyway, you will need to overcome some obstacles before reaping your rewards.

The new moon seen over your left shoulder predicts a month of luck. The new moon is generally an omen of fortunate business. A bright, waxing moon indicates an exciting new project or change. A full moon is a sign of unusual success in love, and a harvest moon indicates good returns on investitures of time or money. A blood red moon is an indication of strife, and an eclipse augurs reversals.

You will lose money if the moon seemed to fall from the sky. Happiness will be yours if the moon moved toward the sun, but a moon at sunset predicts the death of a prominent person. If you approached the moon, your harbor impossible desires. If the moon was in any ay strange, it is not a good time to pursue anything close to your heart. You will soon marry the one of your choice if you appealed to the moon to know your fate. Two moons mean you will lose your lover by acting too mercenary.

If you were illuminated by the moonshine, some woman will do you a favor. If you saw the moonshine with your love, you face insurmountable obstacles, but viewing it with your spouse is a promise of a devoted family life.

A Moored vessel predicts misfortune in love, but if you moored it yourself, your happiness is assured. Good times lie ahead if you saw others mooring their vessels.

Moorlands are an omen of prosperity. You will have joy and contentment if you walked them alone, and abundance is assured if you walked up a hill in a moor with other people. A large moor is a augury of constant friendship.

A Moose in its natural habitat brings beneficial changes. A lucky break, possibly through travel, is indicated by a baby moose. Family trouble, which has been brewing, will finally boil over if you shot a moose.

Be careful to avoid coming trouble if you dreamt of a Mop. A pleasant hobby or community activity could develop into a profitable venture if you saw a new or clean mop, while an old or dirty mop warns of serious embarrassment due to neglected duties.

If you bought a mop, someone for whom you care will be lucky, and throwing a mop away predicts money. You will advance within your own position if used a mop, but if others used one, you will be unlucky in love. Mopping your room means success in all things, and mopping your apartment indicates others trust you. If you mopped a cellar, you will become entangled in a bad business.

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Quote : Oscar Wilde
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

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