Tarot Tuesday

I have a little Yahoo widget on my  computer desktop that randomly pops up a new picture from my photo's folder ever fifteen minutes. I was sitting at my desk the other day...staring off into space and musing absent mindedly when the Four of Pentacles  (from my Deviant Moon Tarot)  popped up in the top left of my screen. I glanced at it, looking at the figures on the card when my eyes suddenly zeroed in on the little clock on a chain around the demon-looking creature's neck.

I've drawn this card and written about it a couple of times but I was struck by a sudden insight  as I have been lately with any card from this deck...There is a time issue here, slightly reminescent of the character Ebeneezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol". The Four of Pentacles is typically the card of the miser. Thoughts of material possessions fill his head, leaving no room for anything else. He is not free to do anything with his life... he can't go anywhere because he is too busy holding on to his coins.

 In the Deviant Moon Four of Pentacles, we can see this demon-looking creature linking arms with a rather frightened looking man (clinging pathetically to his Pentacles) and it appears to be pulling him from an empty street into a doorway filled with flames.  The frightened man is looking behind him as if  seeing his life in retrospect and realizing much too late that all his worldly possessions mean nothing and his whole life was for naught.

There is a lesson here...many people catch on but many do not...Life is too short, too precious to get caught up in possessions and greed,  worrying about how to get more, to keep what you have to the exclusion of all else, forgetting that which is of real importance. People are important, loved ones, family, time well spent...kind words that need to be spoken, acts of random kindness perpetuated...where are the areas in which you have been miserly...? How often do you make the time that you can spend with those you love and create wonderful memories?

Just Another Mundane Monday...

Mundane: Not magical, not Pagan; mainstream. Some people use this simply to distinguish between different aspects of their lives.

Many people, upon hearing the word pagan or wiccan, immediately conjure up images of magic. Magic is an integral part of pagan life but the magic that people think of related to those who use it is sometimes a far cry from what it really is. With all of the flying around on broomsticks and turning people into toads, we often find ourselves explain just why physics doesn't work that way and (as much as I would love to turn a select few into toads) much of the tales of magic is far from the truth and sadly often misunderstood.

Most pagans and wiccans will tell you that mundane referrs to the everyday activities of life, you know, picking up the dry cleaning, running to the local market to get a few groceries and even the never ending chore of laundry, vaccuuming and picking up the kids after school or dropping a letter off at the post office but how many of us actually see the magical inside all the mundane activities we perform daily?

What about watching  a beautiful sunset and listening to the gulls sing their song... or even watching crocus' and hyacinth's poke their little heads above a crust of snow... this is magical... everyday (mundane) life can be magical. Playing with our children at the local park and swinging right along with them... seeing the joy on their faces as they learn to float for the first time at swimming lessons... this is magicical. When we  perform magic to attain our greater good, this is our personal magic, we use it as a vehicle  for our prayers.  When we do  ritual magic, we bend and shape ourselves and our perspectives about the mundane world and our place in it.

We should focus not on  the separation of mundane and magical but how to synthesize them into a wonderful mixture that enriches our daily lives!

Serenity Sunday

Something very frightening was recently brought to my attention...there is/are pagans out there that are willing to speak publically that global warming is a myth. I cannot begin to express how this hurts my heart...The evidence is all around us yet there are individuals have jumped on the big business bandwagon and have chosen to denounce that Mother Earth could quite likely be in peril. I nearly wanted to hang my head in shame to hear someone "profess" to be pagan and so blatently turn a blind eye to Gaia.

We are all stewards of this big blue planet and we share the responsibility to care for it  because our very lives indeed depend upon it. Hiding our heads in the sand can only prove detrimental.
(there was originally a lot more to this post but I did not want to appear a raving lunatic)

                                             My List:

1.) My kids

2.) Recycling

3.) Great friends

4.) Truth

6.) Organic food

7.) Knowlege

8.) Stewardship

9.) Harmony

10.) Lime Jell-o

Saturday Silliness

I was raised way out in a rural area and my favorite part of growing up was to help my grandfather each morning (4 AM) collect the chicken eggs and muck out the coop. I was a strange child and even had a "pet" chicken named Blackie...long story...but not to get off my purpose, I was watching the local news yesterday when this story caught my eye....

Murder most fowl: Three hens and cockerel named Dude peck fox to death after it breaks into coop

By Luke Salkeld

Last updated at 10:24 AM on 03rd March 2010

Being chickens, they probably didn't put too much thought into it.  But somehow a flock of four birds managed to kill a fox that had slunk into their pen hoping to gobble them up.

Their owner Michelle Cordell, 43, had the shock of her life when she went to collect the eggs on the weekend and instead found a heavily pecked pile of fur lying dead in the corner.She said: 'I was shocked. When I opened up the door, the chickens came running out, happy as anything.


'I went inside and the fox was laying there. I've never heard of anything like this before. It's like revenge of the chickens.' The family, of Basildon, Essex, have in the past lost a hen and a cockerel to foxes, so are well aware of the danger the animals pose. And so, it seems, are their chickens This time, the marauder was a relatively young fox - and no match for the new cockerel Dude and his hens Izzy, Pongo and Pecky. Miss Cordell has no doubt it is Dude who was the ringleader in the murder. She said she had shut the sliding door of the coop when she put the chickens to bed on Friday night, but the fox must have nosed his way under. When she went out on Saturday morning, the door was still shut.

The little table in the corner of the coop, which It appeared to have fallen on him and knocked him out, leaving him an easy target for the beaks of the chickens. Miss Cordell said she thinks they finished off the young fox with pecking as 'it had little blood marks on its legs. It had not been dead long'. The table falling down could have been part of an elaborate plot hatched by the brood - but was more likely the lucky result of frantic squawking,flapping and running about.

Miss Cordell, who lives with partner Gary Howell, 45, and daughters They lost their first two before Christmas, and were left with just Dude and Izzy, both a speckled variety. Pongo and Pecky, both Rhode Island Reds, joined them a month ago. 'The fox was not a cub but it was only a young one and Dude and Izzy are big birds,' she said.  'It looks like the fox bit off more than he could chew this time. 'I reared Dude from a tiny little chick and he has become very protective of the others. 'He thinks he is human and chases our dogs around the garden, pecking them. 'Now he is a murderer.'



So the next time you go out to gather eggs or feed you chickens....remember this story...(theme from "Jaws" playing...)

I Know, I Know...I'm A Little Early...

Peeps are deceptively simple looking, with their fluffy interiors and brightly colored sugary coatings. They're starting to hatch in grocery stores all over...in a wide variety of colors and shapes! At first glance, it doesn’t seem as though there is much more that you could do with a little marshmallow chicken or bunny rather than eat it. It turns out that there is a lot more that you can do with the leftover Easter peeps that you will soon have on your hands....even a wonderful ambrosia salad for Ostara...which will be here in no time!

Ingredients:

•1 pkg of 12 marshmallow Peeps (chicks or bunnies)


•2 cans mandarin oranges


•2 cans pineapple tidbits


•1 jar maraschino cherries


•2 chopped bananas


•2 C. shredded coconut flakes (optional)


•4 oz. sour cream


•1 12-oz tub of Cool Whip or other dessert topping

Dice the Peeps into small pieces. Drain the juices from all the fruit. Mix all ingredients together, and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Serve as dessert following your Ostara celebration.

Do You Have A Potty Mouth?

How many times have you found yourself substituting these words for the ones that almost came tumbling out of your mouth.....


~  Monkey Flunker                              ~  Son of a biscuit eater

~ Huzzah                                         ~  What the Fish

~ What the CrabCakes?                     ~ Brattycakes           

~ Holy Shibblets                                ~  Blimey

~ Gobb Dash it
                                                      
~ Shang-a-lang 

Cursing, they say, is universally human.... Every language, dialect or non standard term ever studied... living or dead, turns out to have its share of forbidden speech.... some variation on comedian George Carlin's famous list of the seven dirty words that are not supposed to be uttered on radio or television.

Profanity and spoken indecencies have existed since the birth of language. Across history and cultures, gestures, phrases, and single words have stirred controversy. Even today, such "bad language" is under continual scrutiny for censorship by governments and groups. Most would agree that they themselves or other people in general, only utter expletives under extreme circumstances... for example, pain, surprise, fear, anger, etc. Others use curse words as part of everyday speech, which may be common practice in the region they live or environment they work.

As British lexicographer Jonathon Green notes, "In medieval England, all the popular swear words were a form of blasphemy. Around 1700, sex and defecation were the genesis for profanity." These days, the most offensive words are racist, sexist, and homophobic terms, while curses involving body parts and functions are common today... their shock value has lessened.

 The notorious "f-word" dates back to the 1500's and it's been impolite ever since. But the familiar "s-word" simply began as a term for diarrhea. More vulgar usages developed over time, with some of the most colorful invented in the 20th century. How did the evolution (or devolution as some might say) of such words happen? Very slowly. Invasions and immigration mixed English and other languages, and this helped word meanings change. Much like the definition of obscenity, swearing has changed over time, and a word's usage can vary from place to place.

So, the next time you find those socially taboo words just about to slip past your tongue...Take a deep breath and just walk away....(it works in theory...)

  

"What Is....?" Wednesday

Hoodoo

Briefly, "Hoodoo" is an Afro-derived mystical system of personal and psychological empowerment, through the specialized use of roots, herbs, minerals in a beneficial or sometimes not so benificial manner to obtain a desired result...for example, protection, healing, wealth, justice and  victory over enemies. Its extensive body of esoteric knowledge, spirit of the culture, native customs, and universal folk beliefs, are traditionally passed down (usually in families) from generation to generation.

Is Hoodoo a type of magic...?  Not how the term "magic" is defined and perceived in Western culture. However, "Hoodoo" is indeed an African mystical tradition, known by various names, that is practiced all over Africa, and has been for thousands of years. It is perhaps the first tangible application of the supernatural, based upon the Africans intimate relationship with the phenomena of Spirits who taught and assisted them in surviving the powerfully rich, but yet untamed environment in which they found themselves.

For example, in the West African  Diaspora Mami Wata Vodoun tradition, the forest spirits, known as "Azzizas," were the most evolved guardians of the forest, who first presented themselves to the African hunters, and planters. They taught them the esoteric, medicinal (ahame) use and alchemical properties inherent in the abundance of herbs, trees, roots, minerals and life forms thriving in their mists.

It was the Azzizas who also taught the African how to make poisons, potions, medicines, and Gbo, "ebo"" and "boicho/bo."( known today as "mojo, amulets, talisman, ouangas"). Joined with the Azzizas, was the divinity later to be identified as "Legba," the great messenger of the gods, who also taught the Africans the use of Gbo and transported their prepared requests to the respective divinities.

The first practical and most extensive use of herbs, amulets and talismans in the forest was for protection from accidents, tropical disease, dangerous animals, repairing injuries, as well as to assure success in their hunt. However, their esoteric use was mainly for protection from jealously, envy, and death by other hunters, as well as protection from the angry spirits of those animals which were killed for food, or by accident during the course of the hunt.

 From these primary ancestors, eventually evolved a group of specialized priests and priestess known in Dahomey as Bokonons, (geomancers), Azondoto, Zokas, Garbara, Akpases (socerers), and Botonons. It was this knowledge that the Africans brought to the New World with them, and later incorporated and adapted with the indigenous Indian, and some European folklore, which came to be known as "Hoodoo".

Tarot Tuesday

Today I drew from my new deck, The Deviant Moon Tarot and the Nine of Swords came up. On this card we can see a rather distraught woman sitting up in their bed with a little imp-like creature gnawing on her shoulder. The Nine of Swords is usually interpreted as depression, nightmares, worry, hopelessness but in this deck I feel it implies more of an anxiety feeling.

I'm sure that everyone can identify with those dreams that we can have that are fraught with anxiety and worry (and that can sometimes wake us from a deep sleep) only to have their worries stick with us for quite some time. When I look at this card, I get the impression that her worry may not be well founded and the little imp creature is her nagging fears that may stem from a  "making mountains out of mole hills" mindset.  

This card  indicates the paralyzing nature of our fears and negative expectations. If we allow ourselves to be bound by fear of the future,  we may eventually create a negative reality for ourselves by virtue of our expectations. We must take a wider perspective of the circumstances and not let ourselves be overcome by the negative feelings we are experiencing. 

Shameless Self Promotion

Yay! I finally got it all together today and opened my Etsy shop where I'll be selling two types of tea....Sunset Spice and Sweet Dreams tea. I hope to add more later and I do take requests. It's really kinda scary doing all this, but making loose leaf tea is what I love to do...besides the tarot deck hang-up thing but that's a little TMI...giggle! I hope you can drop in and peruse the shop and have a terrific day!

And while you at it...Please check out Fire Lyte's Cafe Press shop, He has some terriffic swag that anyone would be proud to own!

March Madness

Strange and just plain funny days in March:

1st . . . . .National Pig Day and Peanut Butter Lover's Day

2nd . . . . Old Stuff Day

3rd. . . . . I Want You To Be Happy Day

4th. . . . . Holy Experiment Day
5th. . . . . Multiple Personalities Day and Cheese Doodle Day
6th. . . . . National Frozen Food Day
7th. . . . . National Crown Roast Of Pork Day
8th. . . . . Be Nasty Day
9th. . . . . Panic Day
10th. . . . Festival Of Life In The Cracks Day
11th. . . . Johnny Appleseed Day and Worship of Tools Day
12th. . . . Alfred Hitchcock Day
13th. . . . Jewel Day
14th. . . . National Potato Chip Day
15th. . . . Buzzard's Day and Everything You Think Is Wrong Day
16th. . . . Everything You Do Is Right Day
17th. . . . Submarine Day
18th. . . . Supreme Sacrifice Day

19th. . . . Poultry Day
20th. . . . Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
21th. . . . Fragrance Day
22th. . . . National Goof-off Day
23rd. . . . National Chip and Dip Day
24th. . . . National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
25th. . . . Pecan Day and Waffle Day
26th. . . . Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
27th. . . . National "Joe" Day
28th. . . . Something On A Stick Day
29th. . . . Festival Of Smoke and Mirrors Day
30th. . . . I Am In Control Day
31st. . . . Bunsen Burner Day

A hearty CONGRATULATIONS on your  hockey gold metal... to all my Canadian viewers!