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Saturday, September 11, 2010

Some History of Hekate--the Greek Goddess I am named after

HEKATE (or Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.

Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the night with flaming torches. After the mother-daughter reunion became she Persephone's minister and companion in Haides.

Two metamorphosis myths describe the origins of her animal familiars: the black she-dog and the polecat (a mustelid house pet kept to hunt vermin). The bitch was originally the Trojan Queen Hekabe, who leapt into the sea after the fall of Troy and was transformed by the goddess into her familiar. The polecat was originally the witch Gale who was transformed into the beast to punish her for her incontinence. Other say it was Galinthias, the nurse of Alkmene, transformed by the angry Eileithyia, but received by Hekate as her animal.

Hekate was usually depicted in Greek vase painting as a woman holding twin torches. Sometimes she was dressed in a knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting boots, much like Artemis. In statuary Hekate was often depicted in triple form as a goddess of crossroads.

Hekate was identified with a number of other goddesses, including Artemis and Selene (Moon), the Arkadian Despoine, the sea-goddess Krataeis, the goddess of the Taurian Khersonese (of Skythia), the Kolkhian Perseis, and Argive Iphigeneia, the Thracian goddesses Bendis and Kotys, Euboian Maira (the dog-star), Eleusinian Daeira and the Boiotian Nymphe Herkyna.

HE′CATE (Hekatê), a mysterious divinity, who, according to the most common tradition, was a daughter of Persaeus or Perses and Asteria, whence she is called Perseis. (Apollod. i. 2. § 4; Apollon. Rhod. iii. 478.) Others describe her as a daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and state that she was sent out by her father in search of Persephone (Schol. ad Tleocrit. ii. 12); others again make her a daughter of Zeus either by Pheraea or by Hera (Tzetz. ad Lyc. 1175; Schol. ad Theocrit. ii. 36) ; and others, lastly, say that she was a daughter of Leto or Tartarus. (Procl. in Plat. Cratyl. p. 112 ; Orph. Argon. 975.) Homer does not mention her. According to the most genuine traditions, she appears to have been an ancient Thracian divinity, and a Titan, who, from the time of the Titans, ruled in heaven, on the earth, and in the sea, who bestowed on mortals wealth, victory, wisdom, good luck to sailors and hunters, and prosperity to youth and to the flocks of cattle; but all these blessings might at the same time be withheld by her, if mortals did not deserve them. She was the only one among the Titans who retained this power under the rule of Zeus, and she was honoured by all the immortal gods.


She also assisted the gods in their war with the Gigantes, and slew Clytius. (Hes. Theog. 411-452; Apollod. i. 6. § 2.) This extensive power possessed by Hecate was probably the reason that subsequently she was confounded and identified with several other divinities, and at length became a mystic goddess, to whom mysteries were celebrated in Samothrace (Lycoph. 77; Schol. ad Aristoph. Pac. 277) and in Aegina. (Paus. ii. 30. § 2; comp. Plut. de Flum. 5.) For being as it were the queen of all nature, we find her identitied with Demeter, Rhea (Cybele or Brimo); being a huntress and the protector of youth, she is the same as Artemis (Curotrophos); and as a goddess of the moon, she is regarded as the mystic Persephone. (Hom. Hymn. in Cer. 25, with the commentat.; Paus. i. 43, § 1.) She was further connected with the worship of other mystic divinities, such as the Cabeiri and Curetes (Schol. ad Theocrit. ii. 12; Strab. x. p. 472), and also with Apollo and the Muses. (Athen. xiv. p. 645; Strab. x. p. 468.) The ground-work of the above-mentioned confusions and identifications, especially with Demeter and Persephone, is contained in the Homeric hymn to Demeter; for, according to this hymn, she was, besides Helios, the only divinity who, from her cave, observed the abduction of Persephone. With a torch in her hand, she accompanied Demeter in the search after Persephone; and when the latter was found, Hecate remained with her as her attendant and companion. She thus becomes a deity of the lower world; but this notion does not occur till the time of the Greek tragedians, though it is generally current among the later writers. She is described in this capacity as a mighty and formidable divinity, ruling over the souls of the departed ; she is the goddess of purifications and expiations, and is accompanied by Stygian dogs. (Orph. Lith. 48; Schol. ad Theocr l. c. ; Apollon. Rhod. iii. 1211; Lycoph. 1175; Horat. Sat. i. 8. 35; Virg. Aen. vi. 257.) By Phorcos she became the mother of Scylla. (Apollon. Rhod. iv. 829 ; comp. Hom. Od. xii. 124.) There is another very important feature which arose out of the notion of her being an infernal divinity, namely, she was regarded as a spectral being, who at night sent from the lower world all kinds of demons and terrible phantoms, who taught sorcery and witchcraft, who dwelt at places where two roads crossed each other, on tombs, and near the blood of murdered persons. She herself too wanders about with the souls of the dead, and her approach is announced by the whining and howling of dogs. (Apollon. Rhod. iii. 529, 861, iv. 829; Theocrit. l. c. ; Ov. Heroid. xii. 168, Met. xiv. 405; Stat. Theb. iv. 428 ; Virg. Aen. iv. 609; Orph. Lith. 45, 47; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1197, 1887; Diod. iv. 45.) A number of epithets given her by the poets contain allusions to these features of the popular belief, or to her form. She is described as of terrible appearance, either with three bodies or three heads, the one of a horse, the second of a dog, and the third of a lion. (Orph. Argon. 975, &c.; Eustath. ad Hom. pp. 1467, 1714.) In works of art she was some-times represented as a single being, but sometimes also as a three-headed monster. (Paus. ii. 28. § 8. 30. § 2.) Besides Samothrace and Aegina, we find express mention of her worship at Argos (Paus. ii. 30. § 2.) and at Athens, where she had a sanctuary under the name of Epipurgidia, on the acropolis, not far from the temple of Nice. (Paus. ii. 30. § 2.) Small statues or symbolical representations of Hecate (hekataia) were very numerous, especially at Athens, where they stood before or in houses, and on spots where two roads crossed each other; and it would seem that people consulted such Hecataea as oracles. (Aristoph. Vesp. 816, Lysistr. 64; Eurip. Med. 396; Porphyr. de Abstin. ii. 16; Hesych. s. v. Hekataia). At the close of every month dishes with food were set out for her and other averters of evil at the points where two roads crossed each other; and this food was consumed by poor people. (Aristoph. Plot. 596 ; Plut. Synmpos. vii. 6.) The sacrifices offered to her consisted of dogs, honey, and black female lambs. (Plut Quaest. Rom. 49; Schol. ad Theocrit. ii. 12 ; Apollon. Rhod. iii. 1032.)

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Hekate was one of the Titan-gods who allied themselves with Zeus.

Hesiod, Theogony 404 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"Hekate whom Zeus the son of Kronos honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honour also in starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods . . . For as many as were born of Gaia (Earth) and Ouranos (Heaven) [the Titanes] amongst all these she has her due portion. The son of Kronos [Zeus] did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea. Also, because she is an only child, the goddess receives not less honour, but much more still, for Zeus honours her."

For MORE information on the Titan-War see THE TITANES

Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 19 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th - 4th B.C.) :
"Then she [Persephone] cried out shrilly [as she was seized by the god Haides] with her voice, calling upon her father, the Son of Kronos [Zeus], who is most high and excellent. But no one, either of the deathless gods or mortal men, heard her voice, nor yet the olive-trees bearing rich fruit: only tender-hearted Hekate, bright-coiffed, the daughter of Persaios, heard the girl from her cave, and the lord Helios (the Sun) . . .
Then for nine days queenly Deo [Demeter] wandered over the earth with flaming torches in her hands, so grieved that she never tasted ambrosia and the sweet draught of nektaros, nor sprinkled her body with water. But when the tenth enlightening dawn had come, Hekate, with a torch in her hands, met her, and spoke to her and told her news: `Queenly Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of good gifts, what god of heaven or what mortal man has rapt away Persephone and pierced with sorrow your dear heart? For I heard her voice, yet saw not with my eyes who it was. But I tell you truly and shortly all I know.'
So, then, said Hekate. And the daughter of rich-haired Rheia answered her not, but sped swiftly with her, holding flaming torches in her hands. So they came to Helios (the Sun), who is watchman of both gods and men, and stood in front of his horses: and the bright goddess enquired of him."

Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 436 ff :
"[After Persephone was returned from the underworld to Demeter :] Then bright-coiffed Hekate came near to them, and often did she embrace the daughter of holy Demeter: and from that time the lady Hekate was minister and companion to Persephone."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 39. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
[In the following passage, Herkyna, the Warding Dog (eruô, kunos), may be Hekate:]
"[The city Lebadeia, Boiotia] is separated from the grove of [the chthonian oracular daimon] Trophonios by the river Herkyna. They say that here Herkyna, when playing with Kore [Persephone], the daughter of Demeter, held a goose (khên) which against her will she let loose. The bird flew into a hollow cave and hid under a stone; Kore entered and took the bird as it lay under the stone. The water flowed, they say, from the place where Kore took up the stone, and hence the river received the name Herkyna. On the bank of the river there is a temple of Herkyna, in which is a maiden holding a goose in her arms. In the cave are the sources of the river and images standing, and serpents are coiled around their sceptres. One might conjecture the images be of Asklepios and Hygeia, but they might be Trophonios and Herkyna, because they think that serpents are just as much sacred to Trophonios as Asklepios."

For MORE information on Persephone's abduction see RAPE OF PERSEPHONE

Hekate was probably described as the consort of Khthonian (Underworld) Hermes in the cults of Thessalian Pherai and Eleusis. Both gods were leaders of the ghosts of the dead, and were associated with the spring-time return of Persephone.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 38. 7 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"The hero Eleusis, after whom the city [of Eleusis] is named, some assert to be a son of Hermes and of Daeira [Hekate?], daughter of Okeanos."

Propertius, Elegies 2. 29c (trans. Goold) (Roman elegy C1st B.C.) :
"Brimo [Hekate?], who as legend tells, by the waters of Boebeis [in Thessalia] laid her virgin body at Mercurius’ [Hermes’] side."

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 29 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"At Thebes Proitos had a daughter Galinthias. This maiden was playmate and companion of Alkmene, daughter of Elektryon. As the birth throes for Herakles were pressing on Alkmene, the Moirai (Fates) and Eileithyia (Birth-Goddess), as a favour to Hera, kept Alkmene in continuous birth pangs. They remained seated, each keeping their arms crossed. Galinthias, fearing that the pains of her labour would drive Alkmene mad, ran to the Moirai and Eleithyia and announced that by desire of Zeus a boy had been born to Alkmene and that their prerogatives had been abolished.
At all this, consternation of course overcame the Moirai and they immediately let go their arms. Alkmene’s pangs ceased at once and Herakles was born. The Moirai were aggrieved at this and took away the womanly parts of Galinthias since, being but a mortal, she had deceived the gods. They turned her into a deceitful weasel (or polecat), making her live in crannies and gave her a grotesque way of mating. She is mounted through the ears and gives birth by bringing forth her young through the throat. Hekate felt sorry for this transformation of her appearance and appointed her a sacred servant of herself."

Aelian, On Animals 12. 5 (trans. Scholfield) (Greek natural history C2nd A.D.) :
"The inhabitants of Thebes, although Greeks, worship a marten [Galanthis], so I hear, and allege that it was the nurse of Herakles, or if it was not the nurse, yet when Alkmene was in labour and unable to bring her child to birth, the marten ran by her and loosed the bonds of her womb, so that Herakles was delivered and at once began to crawl."

Aelian, On Animals 15. 11 (trans. Scholfield) (Greek natural history C2nd A.D.) :
"I have heard that the land-marten (or polecat) was once a human being. It has also reached my hearing that Gale was her name then; that she was a dealer in spells and a sorceress (Pharmakis); that she was extremely incontinent, and that she was afflicted with abnormal sexual desires. Nor has it escaped my notice that the anger of the goddess Hekate transformed it into this evil creature. May the goddess be gracious to me : fables and their telling I leave to others."

Odysseus received Queen Hekabe as his captive followingr the fall of Troy. During the voyage back to Greece she murdered a Thracian king and was stoned by the locals. The gods then transformed her into a black dog, and she became the animal familiar of the goddess Hekate. In this myth the queen was clearly identified with Bendis, the Thrakian Hekate, who was offered dogs in sacrifice.

Lycophron, Alexandra 1174 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) :
"The maiden daughter of Perseus, Brimo Trimorphos (Three-formed), shall make thee [Queen Hekabe of Troy] her attendant [after her transformed into a dog], terrifying with thy baying in the night all mortals who worship not with torches the images of Zerynthia [Hekate] queen of Strymon [in Thrake], appeasing the goddess of Pherai with sacrifice. And the island spur of Pakhynos [in Sikelia, Sicily] shall hold thine [Hekabe’s] awful cenotaph, piled by the hands of thy master [Odysseus], prompted by dreams when thou hast gotten the rites of death in front of the streams of Heloros. He [Odysseus] shall pour on the shore offerings for thee, unhappy one, fearing the anger of the three-necked goddess [Hekate], for that he shall hurl the first stone at thy [Hekabe's] stoning and begin the dark sacrifice to Haides."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 111 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"When Ulysses was taking into servitude Hecuba, Priam's wife . . . she threw herself into the Hellespont, and is said to have been changed into a dog. the place is called Cyneus (of the Dog) from this."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 14. 430 & 561 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Troy fell and Priam too. His ill-starred wife [Hekabe] lost, after all besides her human shape; her weird new barking terrified the breeze on foreign shores where the long Hellespont contracts in narrows . . . There lie across the strait from Phrygia, where Ilium was, the provinces of Thrace, where Polymestor had his wealthy palace. To him in secret Praim gave in charge his young son Polydorus to be reared . . . When Troy;s fair fortune fell, that wicked king took his sharp sword and slit his charge's throat . . .
Upon the beach cast up she [Hekabe] saw her Polydorus' corpse and the huge wounds the Thracian knives had made . . . Hecuba, rage linked with grief, oblviious of her years . . . made her way to Polymestor, author of that foul murder, and sought an audience . . . She attacked the king and dug her fingers in his eyes, his treacherous eyes, and gouged his eyeballs out . . . Incensed to see their king's calamity, the Thracians started to attack the queen with sticks and stones, but she snaped at the stones, snarling, and whn her lips were set to grame words and she tried to speak, she barked. The place remains today, named from what happened there [Kynossema, or Dog's Barrow]. Then still remembering her ancient ills, she howled in sorrow through the land of Thrace. That fate of hers stirred pity in the hearts of friend and foe, Trojans and Greeks alike, and all the gods as well--all: Juno [Hera] too, Jove's wife and sister, did herself declare the tragic end of Hecuba unfair."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.362 ff :
"Past the tomb of Paris [in the Troad] buried in the shallow sand; the meadowlands that Maera terrified with monstrous barks [N.B. Ovid connects Hekabe or Hekate with the dog-star Seirios or Maira]."

Friday, June 25, 2010

Votum pro Friday--Pro Patientia

Votum pro Friday--Pro Patientia
(Prayer for Friday--For Patience)

(Latin Text)

O Propitius Matris Dea,
EGO sum no ex Vestri viscus
quod Vos teneo mihi melior quam
EGO teneo myself.

Vos agnosco cavum quod preoccupo,
quod sollicitudo.

Succurro mihi, Matris Dea,
tempero illa affectus,
quod succurro mihi converto illa
validus sensus in pacis quod diligo
Plurimus Propitius Dea, Matris of Veneficus.

EGO gratias ago Vos huic donum
quod diligo quod spes
Docui mihi, O Matris Dea,
professio of tolerance quod patientia
quod succurro mihi ut vita problems
fio quoque difficilis perfero.

Sic mote is exsisto.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Are there any conservatives or moderates here?

Blessed be everyone.

I found this conservative blog titled "U.C.A.--United Conservatives of America 2009", and I have to say, I found that blog (and some others) to be rather informative and interesting. Just in case you all would like to check it out, and 'blogroll' it, here is the URL:

http://unitedconservativesofamerica2009.blogspot.com

Anyway, I will be reading this blog over the weekend.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Guess Who's BACK?!?

Blessed be.

Hello everyone. I am back and with some good news and some bad news.

First, the good news--I FINALLY got my new laptop computer from Gateway. It is a blessing to have gotten it. So, now, I will be able to visit my blog and keep it updated more often now, without all the freezing and crashing.

The bad news is--well, I guess I really won't bore you with my problems. So, anyway...

I will be having a yard sale tomorrow (and maybe Wednesday) as well. Need money really bad and things are not going well at Pizza Hut. A lot of people there are getting their hours cut (even management) so, time to break out the 'Yard Sale' signs.

I have really missed you all. And I am really glad to be back. Especially now that I have a decent computer and all. I guess you all thought that I had dropped off the face of the earth. I do apologise for my very long absence and I hope that now I will be able to be online more often.

Everyone have a great week, and look for me to be updating the blog really soon.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

WHO raises pandemic alert level

Blessed be everyone. I wanted to share this story with everyone. I think it is important that we should know what is going on, and what is (or is not) being done
about this potentially dangerous situation. Our health is most important as is the health of our loved ones.

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WHO raises pandemic alert level

The UN's World Health Organization has raised the alert over the spread of swine flu to level five - one short of a full-blown pandemic.

A phase five alert means human-to-human transmission in at least two countries.

The move comes after a 23-month-old Mexican child died in Texas - the first death from swine flu outside Mexico, where the outbreak originated.

In Spain, officials confirmed the first case of swine flu in a person who has not travelled to Mexico.

Announcing the latest alert level after an emergeny WHO meeting in Geneva, Director General Margaret Chan urged all countries to activate their pandemic plans, including heightened surveillance and infection-control measures.


CONFIRMED CASES

Mexico: 159 suspected deaths - seven confirmed cases
US: one death, at least 91 confirmed cases
Canada: 13 confirmed cases
UK: 5 confirmed cases
Spain: 10 confirmed cases
Germany, New Zealand: 3 confirmed cases each
Israel: 2 confirmed cases
Austria: 1 case

She said action should be undertaken with "increased urgency".

She added: "It really is the whole of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic."

The Mexican boy fell ill during a visit to relatives in southern Texas earlier this month.

He was transferred to a hospital in Houston, where he died on Monday night.

Speaking in Washington, President Barack Obama offered his condolences and said the federal government was doing the utmost to contain the virus.

He also urged local public-health bodies to be vigilant and said schools with confirmed cases "should consider closing".

Officials put the number of suspected deaths from swine flu in Mexico at 159.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said closing the US border with Mexico was an option, but added that taking that step now would be "a little premature".

Spanish case

Since the virus emerged last week, it has also spread to Canada, Europe, Israel, and New Zealand.

Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancellled holidays.


SYMPTOMS - WHAT TO DO

Swine flu symptoms are similar to those produced by ordinary seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue
If you have flu symptoms and recently visited affected areas of Mexico, you should seek medical advice
If you suspect you are infected, you should stay at home and take advice by telephone initially, in order to minimise the risk of infection

France will ask the European Union on Thursday to suspend all flights going to Mexico because of the flu outbreak, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said.

In Spain, the government said the first person to contract swine flu without having travelled to Mexico was the boyfriend of a young woman who had recently returned from there.

Spanish Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said such cases were to be expected.

In total, the number of confirmed cases in Spain rose from two to 10 on Wednesday. None of the patients is seriously ill.

In Mexico, the search for the source of the outbreak continues, with the focus on the vicinity of a pig farm in the eastern part of the country.

The Mexican government is urging against jumping to conclusions and is suggesting the possibility remains that the virus originated outside the country.

Schools across Mexico have closed, public gatherings are restricted and archaeological sites have been placed off-limits.



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Story from BBC NEWS

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thought for the Day--"Belongingness"

Our thought for the day today is 'Belongingness'.

"When I diminish another's belongingness in the universe, my belongingness becomes uncertain. Acceptance of all of creation secures my place.'


What does this mean to you? Do you sometimes feel as if your 'belongingness' has been diminished? Or have any of you diminished someone else's belongingness (unintentionally)? Let's face it, we all have (at one point or another) probably done this before, without even meaning to, or knowing that we did it.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Monday, April 13, 2009

Thought for the Day--"Friends"

Today's thought for the day is:

Remember your friends--those who stood behind you when others disappeared...study partners...hanging-out friends...confidants...buddies.

These were--and are--friends.

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How often do we really remember our friends?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Playing Catch-Up



Blessed be and Happy Saturday everyone. Well, so far, my new time management table is working out well for me. I am playing 'catch-up' right now, going through my blog list and trying to catch up on everyone's blogs, and post a comment here and there.

Just wanted to stop by and say hello and wish everyone a happy weekend.

Friday, April 10, 2009

A Wiccan Song/Chant

Blessings everyone. I found another really good video that I would like to share with you all. I hope that you will all enjoy it.

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Blessed be and good morning



Blessings and good morning everyone. Hope everyone has had a great week and that you all have a great weekend as well.

I finished one book that I was writing, and now I have started a new one (before I even send the first one off to be viewed and published). I am now writing a book on my particular brand of Wiccan Tradition.

I bought this book a while back called 'Crafting Wiccan Traditions', and I crafted my own Trad a few years ago, known as Matriarchal (or Matrifocal) Wicca. My Trad focuses on the 'spiritual aspect of Wicca more than the magickal aspect, and relates more to the female aspect of deity, i.e. women's mysteries, cauldron mysteries, etc.

Included in my newest book will be a basic outline of how my personal Book of Shadows is arranged, and my particular way of altar set-up and ritual circle creation.

I will keep you updated on my progress of this book.

Anyway, just wanted to stop by before I leave for work and see how everyone is doing. Hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Easter.

Blessed be.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The Goddess Chant

Blessings everyone. I was searching on YouTube for some videos and ran across this one (and some others) that I posted on my web site. I hope that you will enjoy it. I will also be posting more related videos.

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Well, It's Here--Dogwood Winter




Folklore of the eastern United States tells gardeners not to plant until after the dogwood trees have bloomed. The reason: Dogwood Winter, known regionally as Blackberry Winter. Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton, and this is The Weather Notebook.

Dogwood Winter generally arrives following an extended mid-spring warm spell and brings several days of cold, cloudy, disagreeable weather, often accompanied by frost and perhaps a flurry of snow. It usually occurs during May and coincides with the blooming of dogwood trees and blackberry bushes, from which it derives its popular names.

Dogwood Winter appears to be one of several weather "singularities" -- one time events common to North America, such as Indian Summer and January Thaw, but in a retrograde thermal direction. As someone once described it: "It's spring, then suddenly winter returns."

The American, or flowering, dogwood ranges from Texas to Minnesota eastward to the Atlantic shoreline from Florida to southern New England. This small tree, often as wide as it is tall, favors the well-drained but moist, fertile sites of mixed hardwood forests and pine forest edges.

Many gardeners believe that the safest time to plant cold-sensitive species, such as tomatoes, comes in the returning warm weather following Dogwood Winter. Native Americans also watched for dogwood blossoms as signs to begin planting crops.

The dogwood's beauty and utility have long been celebrated in North America. Early colonists reportedly used every part of the dogwood except "the rustle of its leaves."

Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory. Our support comes from Subaru of America and The National Science Foundation.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Hello and Blessed Be

Hello and blessed be everyone.

I apologise for my even longer absence from the blog, but I have been very busy. I am still working on my books to be published, and have just recently started another one.

I also have some new kittens. My cat, Sweetpea, had 7 baby kittens on March 22, and they will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. They are absolutely beautiful and all of them look like their momma except 1.

I am also working on getting my own home business started. I am going to start a psychic reader shop out of my home to earn some extra money to put toward opening my own Pagan/Wiccan store.

I just finished redecorating my den and am getting ready to start redecorating my office. My home office will be my 'psychic reader room for now. Once I am able to open my own shop, I will perform the readings from there.

I am also working on some new material to start posting on the blog, and I will be updating and re-doing my website soon, as well, and that will most likely take up a lot of my time from the blog for a while, as the website will be tied in with the blog and vice verse.

Also, I will be going out of town soon, and that will mean another absence from the blog and the website, as I am hosting a Wiccan camping trip for my ladies coven. That will last, most likely, for a month, as it is to help us all get back in tune and alligned with Nature and our Goddess. I am not sure when we are taking our trip, yet, though, as we have not decided on a date, but it will be most likely in June or July.

Hope everyone is doing good, and all is well with you all. I am doing much better (physically) and sustained no permanant damage to any nerves or muscles. I am completely well, now, fully recovered, and I feel great!

Everyone have a great week ahead and stay safe. I will be back online soon--I hope.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Blessings Everyone

Good evening everyone. It's been a while since I was on here, I know. I have just been really busy trying to write these 3 books, plus my job. Life has been busy.

I am doing ok, had a cold for a little while but doing better.

I was online doing some research and decided to stop by and say hello and check in with all of you. I hope that everything is ok with you all. I kiss you all and hope to be able to get back on here regularly once I finish these books I am writing.

Everyone have a great weekend and blessed be.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Message from the Goddess Mary Magdalene--Unconditional Love

Today, the Goddess Mary Magdalene has come to share with us this message of unconditional love. It is a practice that we all try very hard to accomplish in our daily lives, but at times, find it hard to do so.

Mary Magdalene's message to us is this:

"Love yourself, others, and every situation--no matter what the outward appearances may be".

Thought for the Day--Feeling Awe

Today, I pulled this particular card to help me see what I should be thinking about.

Our thought for the day is this--

"I have only to look around me to remember the feeling of awe I had as a child".


When I look around me today, and really 'see' the wonder and beauty of the world itself, I see what I have been missing in the last few years, because I was not concentrating on Nature itself, but instead, the mundane actions and reactions of humanity.

It is sometimes better to concentrate on the beauty of Nature, and not the every day activities.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Brightest Blessings

Brightest blessings everyone. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Yule and Christmas, and hope that your New Year was grand.

I am going to try to be online a little more this year. I am working on getting a new computer, as this one has started to give me some problems. It likes to crash at times and I am sick and tired of having to take it to the repair shop, so I am working on getting a new one. Hopefully a laptop this tax season.

As for my health, I am doing better, thank you all for your healing vibrations, and prayers. It was much needed and appreciated.

As for the book I am currently writing, it is keeping me busy, which is another reason for my long absence from the blog and the internet. At least it is enjoyable and relaxing.

I just wanted to stop by and say hello and check in with you all. You all are very dear to me, and you have become sort of an 'online family' for me. I love you all, and I just want you to know that I am still around and have not forgotten you.

Have a blessed day, week, and year.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Slowly Returning to Cyberworld of Blogging

Blessings everyone.
I am sorry for my long absence, I have been very sick. I suffered a mild stroke, with no apparent permanent damage. But I am still a little weak, so I am not sure as to how often I will be on my blog.

I am still trying to write my first book. Although I am now typing it, and not writing it by hand, as I had first begun. I am actually in the process of writing two books, at once. One is a collection of short story essays about things that I have personally experienced, and one is a muder suspense short story.

Anyway, I just wanted to update you all about what is going on with me, and that I have not forgotten about you all or my blog. One way or the other I am going to make it to the blog(s). LOL.

Happy Thanksgiving and Blessed Be to you all. I love you all and miss you, too. :(

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Taking a Break

Blessed be everyone. Sorry I have not been online here lately, I am a little under the weather, and not feeling very well. I just wanted to stop by and say hello and that I will be back online soon (I hope) to update my blog for you all and to catch up on all of your blogs.

I have been having some really bad headaches lately and not feeling too good.

I miss you all and hope to be back online soon.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Thought for the Day--Accomplishments

Today, Samhain, the Pagan New Year, is a time to reflect back on what we have accomplished, and to look toward what we hope to accomplish in the coming year.

Out thought for today about our 'accomplishments' is this:

"Today is an awareness day for what I've accomplished. A celebration is in order".


Celebrate today.

Happy Samhain.

Message from the Goddess Kali--Endings and Beginnings



Blessed be and Happy Samhain. Today's 'message from the Goddess' is just perfect--Endings and Beginnings.

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Today, the Goddess Kali comes to us on this our Blessed Samhain night and Pagan New Year with the message of endings and beginnings. The new year marks the time when we should reflect back on the past experiences and look forward to making new changes. "Out with old--in with the new".

The message that Kali would like to convey with us this night, is this:

"The old must be released so that the new can enter".

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Thought for the Day--Giving Up Expectations

Our thought for the day centers around our expectations from others and ourselves, as well as our expectations of what we may seek for the coming days, etc.

Our thought for today about our expectations is this:

"Expectations are like girdles. We should have given them up long ago. Expectations are premeditated resentments. Cleaning them out frees us".

Have there been times when your expectations were not met and you felt a little bit of resentment toward someone or something because they or it did not 'live up to your expectations'? It happens to us all at some point in our lives, and this thought for the day should be able to help us deal with it better.

Message from the Goddess Ostara--Fertility

Blessings everyone.

Today, the Goddess Ostara comes to us to share with us this message about fertility. Today, the message that She would like to share with us is this:

"It is the perfect time for you to start new projects, access new ideas, and give birth to new conditions".

As it is well known in the Craft, 'fertility' does not always relate to 'sexual reproduction. Fertility can mean the growth of new harvests, and the birth and growth of new ideas, projects, and belief systems.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Thought for the Day--Learning from Discouragement

Good morning and blessed be. Our 'thought for the day' today is about learning from discouragement. There is always a lesson to learn from everything (good or bad) that we do or that comes our way. Even when we get discouraged about something, there is a lesson to be learned from it, if we look deeper into the situation.

Our thought for the day about this is:

"We all get discouraged at times. Just remember that growth is more like a spiral than a straight line. Discouragement is inevitable--and so is rejoicing".

Message from the Goddess White Tara--Sensitivity

Good morning and blessed be everyone. Today, the Goddess White Tara comes to us with a message about sensitivity. The message that She would like to convey to us is this:

"You are becoming increasingly sensitive. Avoid harsh relationships, environments, situations, and chemicals".

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