June 02, 2009
Gefjon
Filed under: Folklore NotesA few days ago someone pointed me towards Völsa ţáttr, and when I caught "virgin goddess" in the translated footnotes it was a split second hop, skip and jump to Wiki's entry on Gefjon. (ZOMG, VIRGIN PLOUGHING GODDESS?! WUT?! OH, GREAT AND MIGHT INTRANETZ - TELL ME MOOOOOORE!)
"...the name Gefion, by which early Danes called their female chthonic deity..."
"Davidson further links folk customs recorded in the 19th century involving ploughs in Northern and Eastern Europe to practices involving Gefjon from the heathen period. Davidson points out that in eastern Europe, a custom is recorded in Russia where women with loosened hair and clad in white would assemble and drag a plough three times around their village during serious disease outbreaks."
"Davidson states that in Germanic areas of Europe, traditions also exist of supernatural women who travel about the countryside with a plough, examples including Holde and Holle (from the western and central regions of Germany) and Berchte and Perchte in traditions from upper Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Davidson explains that "they were frequently said to travel with a plough around the countryside, in a way reminiscent of the journey of the fertility goddess to bless the land in pre-Christian times, and on these occasions they might be accompanied by a host of tiny children; it was suggested that these children who died unbaptized, or human offspring replaced by changelings, but another possibility is that they were the souls of the unborn." Davidson details that some local tales feature the plough breaking down, the supernatural woman gaining assistance from a helper, and the supernatural woman giving him wooden chips, only for the chips to later to turn to gold."
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, A //PLOUGHING// VIRGIN GODDESS! (SHE'S the one who PLOUGHS! She's a virgin AND SHE'S THE ONE WHO'S DOING THE PLOUGHING! What a tremendous - BUT POWERFULLY EXCITING - mindfuck. SHE'S the one penetrating the earth, SHE'S the one turning the dirt, SHE'S the who parts the soil. Did I mention that SHE'S THE VIRGIN WHO IS DOING THE PLOUGHING RATHER THAN BEING THE VIRGIN WHO'S GETTING PLOUGHED?)
THAT'S IT, IT'S OFFICIAL AND ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY; I NEED A PLOUGH.
January 29, 2009
Gorse (Ulex Eureopeaus)
Filed under: Folklore NotesI tore this out of a Sunday Times weekend supplement:
On the hillside near where I live, the gorse is in flower. Gorse, Ulex Eureopeaus, although flowering as beautifully as many an expensive garden shrub, is a plant of wild places and the name is from the Old English gorst meaning a "waste" or uncultivated place.
You will sometimes see it referred to locally or an old maps as furze or whin. In the Druidic calendar, it typified the sun at the spring equinox and fires of gorse were lit on the hills to celebrate this. At Midsummer, blazing gorse branches were carried around cattle to ensure their health for the coming year. However, like mistletoe, it was thought unlucky if brought inside the home.
Despite gorse's extreme prickliness, horses, cattle and sheep like to eat the young or crushed growth. It is extremely nutritious for them, so was often collected as winter fodder in the uplands. It was also the preferred fuel for bread ovens as it burns with a fierce heat.
Source: Sunday Times Weekend, January 11th
LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE COLLECTING GORSE FOR MIDSUMMER FIRES, THEN.
(Any reason to burn shit, right?)
November 07, 2008
Völva II
Filed under: Folklore NotesSome Norse stuff that's actually interesting...
"Another notable grave was the Oseberg ship burial in Norway that revealed two women who had received a sumptuous burial. One of the women was most likely a high-ranking lady who knew how to practice the seid, as she had been accompanied with a wand of wood. In the grave, there were also four seeds from the cannabis plant which probably had been in the pillows that supported the corpses. Moreover, additional cannabis seeds were discovered in a small leather pouch. Since the pouch contained too few seeds to have anything to do with the cultivation of cannabis, they were probably used for something else. If the queen who had been buried in Oseberg had smoked these seeds, she would not only have sensed a feeling of weightlessness and happiness, but she would also have had a distorted experience of time and space."
("A DISTORTED EXPERIENCE OF TIME AND SPACE" = FEELING LIKE YOU JUST INGESTED FUCKING RECYCLED MOTOR OIL AND NOW HAVE A SRS CASE OF EMPHYSEMA DUE TO INHALING HARSH FUCKING SMOKE. LOL, I WONDER WHAT THEY DID WITH THE STEMS SINCE SEEDS WERE OBVIOUSLY A DELICACY?)
"...and in a pouch she had the seeds of henbane. If such seeds are thrown into a fire, they produce a hallucinogenic smoke which causes a sense of flying."
(OH, RLY?)
"As early as 1902, an anonymous German scholar (he did not dare publishing in his own name) wrote on how seid was connected with sex. He argued that the wand was an obvious phallic symbol and why should magic otherwise be considered taboo for men."
(LOL, I CAME TO THAT CONCLUSION JUST BEFORE IMBOLC WHEN I WAS WASTED AS FUCK ON MUSHROOMS WITH ITALIC'S COCK IN MY HAND. (YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE MY IMMENSE SENSE OF RELIEF WHEN REALIZING THAT REALIZATION MORE OR LESS EXCUSED ME FROM THE ENTIRE "MAGIC WAND/STAFF" THING. BROOMS, BTW, DON'T COUNT AND I'M GOING TO HAVE A LEAST ONE BILLION. AT LEAST.) FURTHERMORE, I'M WILLING TO PUT MY -NAME- TO THAT CONCLUSION, MR. GERMAN DARE NOT PUBLISHING UNDER HIS OWN NAME SCHOLAR.)
November 06, 2008
Volvas
Filed under: Folklore NotesOh, we bad. (If we aren't handwashing our father-in-laws' underwear for nefarious reasons we're catching innocent victims in our magic snare of sex.)
September 30, 2008
Eternal September
Filed under: LifeI think September just became my favorite month of the year.
(NOW I FINALLY HAVE AN ANSWER TO FILL IN -THAT- QUESTION IN THOSE LIVEJOURNAL MEMES I NEVER DO.)
Click thumbnail for larger image.
September marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church. September begins on the same day of the week as December every year, because there are 91 days separating September and December, which is a multiple of seven (the amount of days in the week).
Events in September:
* It is the start of the academic year in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
* Peter Brock and Steve Irwin, two prominent Australians, both died in September. (LULZ.)
* The equinox named the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the vernal or spring equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 21 September to 24 September (in UTC). In the pagan wheel of the year the spring equinox is the time of Ostara and the autumn equinox is that of Mabon.
* Counterintuitively, the German Oktoberfest and the Chinese August Moon festival (more correctly called the Mid-Autumn Festival) both occur in September.
Miscellanea:
* On Usenet, it is said that September 1993 (Eternal September) never ended.
* September in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to March in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.
September @ Wiki
Eternal September @ Wiki (LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!)
September @ Mystical World Wide Web
August 25, 2008
Working for the Weekend
Filed under: Folklore NotesNotes for both work and self (THANK YOU, WIKI, THANK YOU!):
Cybele:
The most famous rite of Magna Mater introduced by the Romans was the taurobolium, the initiation ceremony in which a candidate took their place in a pit beneath a wooden floor. A bull was sacrificed on the wooden floor so that the blood would run through gaps in the slats and drench the initiate in a symbolic shower of blood. This act was thought to cleanse an initiate of sin as well as signify a 'rebirth' and re-energisation. A cheaper version, known as a criobolium, involved the sacrifice of a ram. The first recorded taurobolium took place at Puteoli in AD 134 in honour of Venus Caelestia. (LIKE IT / FEEL IT ENOUGH FOR WORK?)
Cybele:
The popularity of the Cybele cult in the city of Rome and throughout the empire is thought to have inspired the author of Book of Revelation to allude to her in his portrayal of the mother of harlots who rides the Beast. (I HAVE NAE HEARD THIS ONE!)
Inanna:
Inanna was also associated with rain and storms and with the planet Venus. (LULZ! OR THIS ONE, EITHER! BUT IT FITS -PERFECT-.)
Astarte:
Astarte was connected with fertility, sexuality, and war. Her symbols were the lion, the horse, the sphinx, the dove, and a star within a circle indicating the planet Venus. (WASN'T AWARE OF HORSE OR SPHINX CONNECTION. (ATTRACTED TO HORSES; OFTEN HALLUCINATE BEING SEX/WAR SPHINX WHEN ON MDMA, WEED, & NITROUS.)
August 22, 2008
As #33
Filed under: TarotEarlier today, when speaking about/thinking about tomorrow's appointment I pulled #33 from ma's "Soul Cards" deck. (I believe my reaction - and this is a direct quote - was "JESUS, IT'S NOT THAT BAD!".)
There's a slight discrepancy between the on-line version of the image and the printed card version of the image. For some reason all of the blue featured in the glossy card doesn't pop up on the jpg (it looks more sand blasted on-line - WHO KNOWS, MAYBE MY INTERNET EYES ARE BROKEN?).
The first thing I said/thought (not the VERY FIRST THING, mind you, because that was the "OH JESUS WTF IS THIS BLACK HOLE OF DESPAIR?!" reaction above) was "OKAY, DON'T FREAK OUT BECAUSE YOU CAN -CLEARLY SEE- THAT SHE HAS A PROTECTIVE WHITE HALO/AURA AROUND HER BODY (WHITE = GOOD COLOR, DEATH/REBIRTH) WHICH IS A V. V. V. GOOD SIGN". And then "OH, HEY, WE'RE GETTING MORE BLUE!" (in my card version there's a blue smudge streaked across her face making it seem like the indigo is staining her white skin) and that's V. V. GOOD too because BLUE AND WHITE ARE VERY SPECIAL MAGIC COLORS FOR ME and WE SHOULD BE TURNING BLUE BY NOW, ANYWAY, BECAUSE FALL IS COMING ON.
(Time to ditch the Easter bride virgin thing and do a 180. ANCIENT, PERPETUAL CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH AND ALL OF THAT.)
So, yeah, not bad, you just need to look at it a bit harder. (BESIDES, IT'S ONLY A HERNIA, YOU KNOW. SO, THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE IF IT WAS SOMETHING REALLY BAD, BAD SOMETHING REALLY BAD, BAD WOULD HAVE HAPPENED BY NOW.)
(CAN I PLEASE HAVE ANOTHER RABBIT GRIN? MAYBE ONE MORE JUST BEFORE BED?)
#33 notes:
* Atomic number of arsenic
* This number has the meaning that good will always triumph over evil.
* A significant number in modern numerology, one of the master numbers along with 11 and 22
* A normal human spine has 33 vertebrae when the bones that form the coccyx are counted individually
* The double triangle is another word for, "33."
August 14, 2008
Lady of Shalott
Filed under: Folklore Notes"Some consider "The Lady of Shalott" to be representative of the dilemma that faces artists, writers, and musicians: to create work about and celebrating the world, or to enjoy the world by simply living in it." --Wikipedia
(Too much of one, not enough of the other. But it's okay; I'm working on it.)
August 05, 2008
Solar Eclipse in Leo
Filed under: Heavenly Bodies SayYanked all of the relevant bits from an eclipse article found on AstrologyCom.Com. (OH, INTERNET, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN BE SO GOOD EVEN WHEN YOU'RE SO BAD?)
Eclipse in Leo
This eclipse occurs at 9°32' of Leo the Lion, conjunct Mercury the divine messenger, so, being a Friday, the party vibes will be fabulous! It awakens the nebulous cluster of The Aselli, the Asses, being closely conjunct Asellus Australis, South Asellus (a star of the Sun and Mars), which is considered less than fortunate. It is also conjunct Giansar a star of Saturn and Mars in the tail of Draco, but one which is less aggressive. This star is often symbolized by the Tarot Card "Death", which stands for the sweeping away of old things, to make room for a brand new beginning.
It is traditionally held that the Aselli are generally unfortunate, harbingers of death by fever, fire, hanging, beheading, or violent catastrophe, ruin, disgrace, wounds, hurts to face, eye trouble, blindness, imprisonment – and great changes in society. Hmm, sounds gruesome!
South Asellus in particular is known for military preferment, blindness, eye trouble, shipwreck, mass murder, horrors, and a selfish, uncooperative spirit, but Giansar gives a penetrating mind, bringing travel, friendships and ingenuity into prominence, though it has been known to stimulate robbery and even accidental poisoning. If you are heading for the Beijing Olympics you need to take extra care in these areas (especially diet)!
According to Vehlow, the Chinese gave this group of stars the name The Spirit of the Ancestors and were of the opinion that, if conjunct the Moon, they would produce peculiar experiences with the realms of the dead. Since the eclipse involves both Sun and Moon, it might be an interesting time for a séance! The Aselli are representative of the Sun and Moon, so their prominence in this figure is increased, but the need for caution, especially in travel, business and with fire is emphasized. The Aselli could be seen as fortunate in that they do represent the Lights, but their effects are not always as enjoyable as they could be!
Mars and Mercury
This eclipse does lie in the shadow of the upcoming Mars/Uranus opposition on August 6, suggesting it would be a waste of time to try and coordinate group efforts. This aspect is aggravated by the simultaneous opposition between Mercury and Neptune, which advises us not attempt anything that requires logic and clear thinking! A warning for the organizers of the Beijing Festivities: information and ideas may be illusive, intentionally deceptive, or even quite dangerous. Making a wise decision, or finding out the truth, is well-nigh impossible. It's not that good for travelling over water, photography, business transactions, or spiritual studies and activities.
We must be aware of a need under these aspects to control any tendency to self-pity and despair, or we may suffer personal loss or disappointment. It's a period in which to avoid getting into debt or lending money to others – definitely a time for careful deliberation and cautious behavior. Activities with friends and organizations are likely to be disrupted, but the unstable influence makes it hard to predict the actions you take, or actions that may suddenly be taken against you – especially if this point is activated in your natal chart (as it is in mine, ugh!). It is not the time to act on impulse, or to participate in new and unusual experiences, which may well blow up in your face. Being in the middle of a crowd is unsettling, and the same for personal encounters with strangers. Do not seek to act out or impose egalitarian gestures, as this will raise dangerous hackles. Those who hold a deep bias will not hesitate to attack you, as well as your lofty principles. Tibet protestors beware! Matters will come to a head at the Full Moon, which is of course the Lunar Eclipse on August 16.
Solar eclipses don't often pass over populated areas, but when they do, they appear to have significant disruptive effects on the people and nations concerned (e.g., economic or political crises, civil unrest). My colleague, Ian Thurnwald, points out that Solar Eclipses also seem either to trigger or amplify natural events in the regions they affect (e.g., severe weather, earthquakes). Whether this effect is an astrological one or not, is a moot point, though recent scientific work on the effects of the Moon on earthquakes and other terrestrial phenomena is interesting. No doubt they would hasten to deny any astrological effect! See my article on Moon Wobbles. The eclipse being in Leo means that people with Fixed signs (Aquarius; Leo; Scorpio; Taurus) featured in their birth charts are more likely to be affected. The next eclipse of the Sun will be on January 26, 2009.
July 26, 2008
Perfect Storm
Filed under: Old NotesThe following post ventures into "OLD NOTES" territory. In this particular case it's a copy and paste job from an old livejournal entry from Sept. 21st, 2007.
Showed off unintentional sigil to Italics last night (*), and took spoonful of cough syrup before bed to sleep uninterrupted. Chippy asked for bone while settling down to sleep, talked him down from bone to raw hide treat, but decided, at last second, he wanted chocolate. Shared w/Papa but gave him the silver one (kept gold one for himself). Got praised for sharing, seemed very happy.
Can't remember full details of dream, or any sort of lead-in or explanation to why Italics, Chippy, and I were on triangular (TRIANGLE! MAGIC SHAPE! SHAPE OF FIRE & MASCULINITY! (SHAPE ALSO HEAVILY FEATURED IN SIGIL!)) warship in the middle of ocean. "Perfect storm" storming, all three on deck in middle of huge ship. Gigantic waves crash into massive boat rocking everything. Lightening illuminates otherwise pitch black sky, able to see massive maelstrom heading directly towards. (WHIRLPOOL? OH, GOD, HERE WE GO...) Frozen petrified panic. Bury face deep into Chippy's fur, ask, beg, plead, demand he take control of boat and navigate to safety. (CAPTAIN CHIPPY, LOLOLOLOLOL!) Crush dog toy to body and half will and half wish triangular warship to skim very edges of whirlpool, brave enough to look up just as boat sails through or past swirling vortex.
(Already identified possibility of "fire" (triangle) as "male" and "water" (ocean) as "feminine". Symbolic of balance needed in life? Ocean represents aspect of uncontrollable emotion that can't be navigated? Warning not to be swallowed (Aries/fire/consciousness) by overemotional aspect of life (Pisces/water/emotional unconsciousness)?
"In Scotland, the Cailleach is a blue-faced hag and represents the three months of winter. Her reign is broken by the appearance of Brigit at Imbolc. At Beltaine, the Cailleach hides her staff underneath a holly bush. In the game of Sibyl, which is very similar to the game of Snakes and Ladders that children play today, the Cailleach was the Dragon. This game was played on a seasonal basis and demonstrated the battle which was fought between the Cailleach Bheara and Brigit."
LOL!
(*) FROM LJ ACCOUNT: IT IS MY BELIEF THAT I HAVE V. V. V. RECENTLY CREATED (SEPT. 19TH, 2007) MY FIRST MAGIC SIGIL, EVER, BY ACCIDENT. (<- AND IT LOOKS COOL COOL COOL, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! (OKAY, SO I THINK IT LOOKS COOL AND R SEEMED TO LIKE IT THEREFORE IT HAS TO BE "COOL COOL COOL, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME" TO SOME DEGREE, RIGHT?)) I <3 THESE LITTLE MAGIC "OOPS!" and "LOLS!".
