"Witchcraft for the 21st Century"
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In addition, Persian magi are known to have prized agate rings in their work and beliefs. Shi’a Muslims often wear an agate ring on the right hand, the stone engraved with the name of Allah, Ali, or the names of the other eleven Imams. It is known as “aqaq” or “agag” in Persian.
Agates are used to make ornamental objects such as pins and brooches, and items with practical uses such as paper knives, inkstands, and seals. In addition, because of its hardness and ability to resist acids, agate is used to make mortars and pestles to crush and mix chemicals.
Blodeuwedd was created out of flowers by Gwydion to wed Llew Llaw Gyffes. She betrayed Llew, either because she had no soul, being non-human, or because she resented being his chattel, or because the triplet of one woman and two men must play itself out in Welsh myth, and Llew Llaw Gyffes must die. At any rate, she fell in love with Goronwy and, wishing to be rid of Llew, she tricked out of him the clearly supernatural and ritual manner in which only he could be killed: neither by day nor night, indoors nor out of doors, riding nor walking, clothed nor naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made. She asked him to explain this, and he did: he could be killed only if it were twilight, wrapped in a fish net, with one foot on a cauldron and the other on a goat, and if the weapon had been forged during sacred hours when such work was forbidden. Blodeuwedd convinced him to demonstrate how impossible such a position was to achieve by chance, and when he was in it, het lover Goronwy leapt out and struck. Llew was transformed into an eagle and eventually restored to human form, after which he killed Goronwy. Blodeuwedd was transformed into an owl, to haunt the night in loneliness and sorrow, shunned by all other birds.
‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We all develop our own ways of centering our lives on something. In our minds we each have a design of what we think we are capable of being. If we want to be what we think we are capable of being, then we must hold our design firmly in our minds until it is secured as the focal point.
Each life must have that focal point, that center of interest where all phases of life come together. A focal point gives strength and meaning to the smallest details of everyday living.
Dimension and depth belong to the life that is centered. Though it may take many forms we must always have a “home” to return to, knowing that here are the roots, the things that really matter.
There must be a blending of our lives with others. But to be happy with one’s self, that focal point must be steady and true before we can feel contented that “all’s right with the world”.
Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.
Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:
http://www.hifler.comElder’s Meditation of the Day – April 8
“Women. They have the power of generations. Women have the power to have children and not to have children.”
–Cecilia Mitchell, MOHAWK
The Woman is not only the key to life; she is also the key to future generations. An Elder once joked that the Woman only needs the man for one night. We need to look at and respect the power of the Woman. She is special and we need to treat her that way.
Great Spirit, today, let me show the greatest respect to our Women.
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April 8 – Daily Feast
It seems only yesterday when the first cold wind blew in and laid flat the wild rose and turned the canes gray. Leaves turned and dropped. Snows fell and drifted. Winter threatened to last forever. But it didn’t. Spring runs in and out like a child opening and slamming a door just to irritate us. The birds are flirting and meadows abound with baby calves in their first days. It is a time of change – not only in nature but in us. We enjoy that breaking point between late winter and early spring. In our mind’s eye we know where the wild phlox will spread its fragrance and the oxeye daisies will crowd the narrow path. It is with the same eye that we see ourselves blooming with health and prospering beyond our dreams. Only those who walk under a cloud miss the joy of this time, the open meadows and greening hills.
~ Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play….Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day. ~
ANONYMOUS
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Life is great. Live it as it comes.
Life is rich and fulfilling. In every moment, take an active role.
What you put off until later, becomes more difficult and less effective the longer you wait. Now is the time you have, so use it for all it’s worth.
Move beyond your need to make judgments about what has already happened. Peacefully and confidently let go of your fears and anxieties about what may or may not happen.
Fully appreciate all that’s going on in this wondrous world, but don’t just sit back and watch it happen. Jump in, get positively involved, and make life happen in the way you know is best.
Celebrate and participate in the joys along with the challenges, for it all comes together to make life great. Take an active role, and bring your very own greatness to life.
— Ralph Marston
Culling out the Weeds
Mind over Matter
We can improve our overall physical well-being by first starting to notice our thoughts and our reactions to our thoughts.
The power of the mind is a curious thing, because it is so powerful yet so difficult to control sometimes. We find ourselves thinking a certain way, knowing that this thought may be creating trouble for us yet we find it difficult to stop. For example, many people have the experience of getting sick at the same time every year or every time they go on a plane. They may even be aware that their beliefs impact their experiences, so continue to think they will get sick and then they do.
Sometimes we need to get sick in order to process something or move something through our bodies. But often we get sick, or feel exhausted, because we don’t make the effort to galvanize the power of our minds in the service of our physical health, which is one of its most important functions. We really can use it to communicate to our bodies, yet we often regard the two as separate entities that have little to do with one another.
Knowing this, we have the power to create physical health and mental health, simply by paying attention to the tapes running in our minds. Once we hear ourselves, we have the option to let that tape keep running or to make a new recording. We harness the power of the mind in our defense when we choose supportive, healing words that foster good health and high spirits. All we need to do is remember to tend the field of our mind with the attentive and loving hand of a master gardener tending her flower beds, culling out the weeds so that the blossoms may come to fruition.
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| Name: | Sarah |
Age: | Three years old |
| Gender: | Female |
Kind: | Domestic Longhair |
| Home: | Escondido, California, USA |
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This is Sarah, one of our twelve kitties. She is a scrappy little girl who never hesitates to get into a brawl with our older and larger male cats. She pushes her way to any food dish she feels is hers, which appears to be all of them. It doesn’t matter who else is eating there. We are constantly telling her to mind her manners.
We adopted Sarah from the Bonita Animal Shelter when she was two months old. We had unexpectedly lost a fairly young cat and decided to adopt a new one into our family. We ended up taking two kittens so Sarah would have a younger playmate. Sarah-de-Bara, as we often call her, listens for the click of the keyboard so she can join me as I go on-line. She is doing it right now! No matter how many times I remove her from my lap (it’s hard to type over a kitty) she will return. When she finally does get up she explores everything on the desktop and in the top drawer that can move. Pencils, flash drives, pieces of paper, paper clips – even a necklace is not safe when Sarah is around. She likes to push them to the ground and waits to see if you will pick them up. Then the game starts all over again. She also loves to climb up the cat pedestal as fast as she can, frequently slamming it into the wall. Afterwards she hangs upside down from the top and puts on her innocent face. Each morning Sarah waits at the bathroom door for my husband to finish showering. When the door opens she greets him, gets a few pets, and moves on to welcome others. In the evening she likes to sit close by you and will keep meowing until you pet her. If you stop she will pat your hand with her paw and meow until you start again. She also loves to sleep on top of you when you sleep in on weekends. One of Sarah’s favorite things to do at night is to dash out the door through the dog’s legs as we are letting them in. Then we get busy scouring the trees and bushes in the backyard with a flashlight to catch her. She seems to really enjoy the chase and delights in hiding from us. Sarah is our little firecracker. We love her spunk and zest for life. We wouldn’t want her any other way. She joins us in wishing every Happy Easter!  See more images of Sarah! |
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