The one concept that I see that is sorely missing from Wicca and other similar religions or spiritual traditions is "evolutionary struggle"; that condition that very few of us are able to avoid in life to any comfortable degree. The struggle doesn't have to be something as overt as, for example, the film 'The Grey'. It could be fighting traffic to get to work, getting beat out've a job to someone for a bad reason (younger/better figure, the bosses friend, a major client's niece, etc.), betrayal, a false rumor, a health issue, someone unexpectedly interfering with your life, a bad neighbor, danger, a bad living condition, more month at the end of the money, the list could go on and on. It has been said that there are two types of people in the world, the predators and the prey. Certainly this would be true of animals and ocean creatures. I think for people, that statement is at least mostly true.
The below text are the words of the Goddess Diana, to her daughter Aradia, sometime prior to sending her to the earth to live as a mortal with a mission to fulfill. This text was translated by Raven Grimassi in 'The Book of the Holy Stega' (1981), from Charles G. Leland's 'Aradia: Gospel of the Witches' (1899). Clearly this would be in regard to the Catholic Church of the 14th century, and it's quite aggressive; some could obviously argue that's it's based on self-defense due to the Church's past actions and present conditions. Regardless of all of that, we all have enemies; there's no escaping it. Only the softest head-in-the-clouds suburbanite could possibly believe that they have no enemies. "Evolutionary" could be used in reference to many different considerations; however, probably chiefly the "evolution of the individual." We all "evolve"; for example, we may cringe a bit when pondering of some long-ago action or words that we offered. The opposames called Capitalists and Socialists frequently brag about "progress" while engaging in their system-approved passive-aggression. "Progress" could be anything that anyone wants it to be. When Capitalists seek to obliterate a beautiful natural area or massively wipe out the view of mountains or a body of water for profit--forever--they would call it "progress." For that reason, I would argue that an individual or small collective keep their translation of the below text to themselves. Personally, I think it could regard numerous different things; along with a couple of personal items. It doesn't matter that much because evolutionary struggle (individual or a larger collective) is applicable to all. However, since this is a folk-based religion/spiritual tradition, it belongs to it's devoted adherents.
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"It is true that you are a spirit, But you were created to become again a mortal; You must go on earth And become a Teacher, To be a teacher to women and men Who will receive your schooling In the ways of witchcraft." "You must not be like the ones of darkness, And to the race that became Wicked, infamous, because of their seed, You shall not go among them." "You shall be the first witch; The first goddess to become a witch on earth. You shall teach the secret knowledge of plants To harm and to heal, And you shall teach the ways of power To bind and to slay the spirit of the oppressor." "And where there is found to be a greedy peasant That has come to wealth in this way, Then you shall teach your witches, your pupils, how To ruin all his harvest With tempest, lightning and with thunder, With hail and wind." "And when a priest shall do you spiritual injury By his benedictions, ye shall do to him Double the harm, and do it in the name of me, Diana, Queen of witches all!" "And when the nobles or priests tell you that you must believe in the Father, Son, and Mary, answer them that serve only devils, and say the true God is not your God, and tell them to instead Diana, The Queen of all witches!" "You shall go on earth to teach this, And to destroy the evil of these people. Your poor people will suffer hunger And work wretchedly, And also suffer prison." "But these are of one soul, One good and true soul And in the Otherworld they Shall be happy But their tormentors on earth shall discover That an ill Fate awaits them in the Otherworld.
Full Snow Moon 2019 Although Tuesday's date is given as being this years Full Snow Moon, for any practical purposes it will occur "Monday evening."
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'Incantation for the Foreboding' Now when Aradia had been taught, taught to work all witchcraft, how to destroy the evil race of oppressors, she imparted it to her pupils and said to them: "When I have departed from this world, Whenever you have need of anything, Once in the month when the moon is full, You shall assemble in some deserted place, Or in a forest all together join and adore the potent spirit of my mother, Diana, and whoever desires to learn all witchcraft but has not won its deepest secrets, my mother will teach all things as yet unknown. And you shall all be free from bondage, And so you shall be free in everything." [from 'The Book of the Holy Strega' and Aradia's words]
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During moments of foreboding, the Christians have the famous prayers of 'Hail Mary' or the 'Prayer to Saint Michael'; what do Neopagans have to this end? After viewing the short Latin prayer of the Scots before the first battle in the film 'Braveheart', I asked myself this question. I would like to encourage Asatruar and other Neopagan traditions to think about this from their point of view. For those of the tradition of Stregheria and/or European witchcraft, I would offer the above prayer-spell. 'Incantation for the Foreboding' essentially means "prayer-spell for fearful apprehension." In other words, a rite summoning courage and strength prior to any explicit or potential danger, conflict, or battle. Also, for hope anytime during a challenging period in the life of an individual, family, or clan.
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Antiquity of Witchcraft "The Craft is an underground spring which has existed for centuries and predates the Judeo-Christian and Muslim faiths, and occasionally rises to the surface in small streams and lakes. The modern craft movement reflects a worldwide rising of this underground spring coming with such force that it cannot be dammed by our enemies. The force behind this tidal wave is the murdered souls of the Witches condemned by the Inquisition! We are back and are going to stay to guide people to truly know what peace and respect for humanity is. Hail to our Goddess and God." -- Leo Martello *************************
[Above: The Twin Peaks or Dragon House, also know as the Ranch House to the owners, the National Park Service]
'A WALK THROUGH DRUID HEIGHTS' Author: Michael Toivonen, Co-founder, Save Druid Heights - Medium.com - March 4, 2018 I gathered a selection of my photographs and wrote what follows with this goal in mind: to make you feel the same fascination for an amazing place, Druid Heights, that I did after my visit there on November 16, 2016. For all of you, and especialy those viewing on your phone, there are 70 photos coming up mixed in with my decriptive text, once you (hopefully!) read through the intro. Enjoy! Of course“Claps” and “Follows” are much appreciated and consider joining the Save Druid Heights Facebook group to fully show your support for preserving the amazing place you are about to pay a “virtual” visit to. 8/29/18 Update: I have put several briefer stories about Druid Heights online since this first one. This is the most complete view. The others can be found by searching Medium using Druid Heights or my name, Michael Toivonen , as your search term. This is how it began for me: One day in early 2016, by mere chance, I recalled a long forgotten name, Druid Heights. It had been 40 years since I first heard it while at high school in nearby Mill Valley, California in the 1970’s. Beyond the name all I knew at that time was that a writer on eastern religion that I had been reading, Alan Watts, was living there when he died and that a woman named Elsa Gidlow who was, maybe, a poet, still lived there. I had been intrigued but I had never learned more. When that unusual place name popped into my head one rainy day 40 years later I had my laptop ready to launch a query. I found some newspaper articles and some images. It seemed there was quite a bit more to Druid Heights than what I had vaguely imagined…. con't....
Krampus: The Demon Of Christmas (Folklore Explained) Mythology & Fiction Explained Today we take a look at Santa's not so friendly helper, Krampus. The origins of the Krampus legend and the traditions that still take place even today.
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Krampus (film) Krampus is a 2015 American dark fantasy horror film based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore, written and directed by Michael Dougherty and co-written by Todd Casey and Zach Shields. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, and Krista Stadler. It was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on December 4, 2015. con't....
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St. Nicholas and his Krampuses (Germany)
The film opens with the doors first opening up on the morning of "Black Friday." Lots of overt aggression and violence, which set the mood for the film's "in your face" style. Soon after, we are introduced to the very dysfunctional Engel family, and their even more dysfunctional in-laws who are visiting for the three-days leading up to Christmas. Numerous extended family members have a flat-out dislike for one-another, which comes especially well into focus on their first holiday supper. Much of the story revolves around their German-speaking grandmother Omi. In general, the main protagonist is her grandson Max, who still believes in Santa Klaus. The mother is played by Toni Collette, who seems a bit prissy but she can get very intense. She reminds me of Paul Giamatti, with a great "character face." Kathy Bates is in it, playing a super-annoying in-law who wasn't expected to be there. This film would be labeled as "comedy-horror."
After being teased about a letter that we was writing to Santa, Max later tears up the letter and tosses it out the window, which seems to set in motion supernatural events. I suppose that he "put it out there to the universe" a message of the family's extreme negativity and mean spiritedness. Shortly thereafter, a power outage amid a snowstorm signals "party time" for horror fans. The daughter goes out to take a walk, and witnesses the ominous arrival of Krampus amid the dark, gloomy sky and weather. He appears on a nearby roof looking like a large, horned, hoofed, claw bearing, super-creepy long-tongued, chain-clad, demonic Santa Klaus. He does her in and turns her into a snowman. Once she's assumed missing, the two father characters go out to find her and are attacked by Krampus, although they manage to make it back to the house. This sets the stage for the rest of the film. Slowly the threat brings the family together, and they start to cooperate. At some point it becomes clear that Omi knows of Krampus, and experienced his wrath when she was a child back in a village in a German-speaking country. Eventually she tells the whole family this story, as well as the reason for this occurrence, which was that they had forgotten the spirit of Christmas and about the sacrifice of giving.
The Badalisc (Val Camonica)
What it boils down to is that the family pulls together and shows love and courage by fighting back against Krampus and his dark elves and other evil helpers. Even Kathy Bates' toxic character took action and became one of the best fighters. Although the film didn't actually state it, the basic theme was "evolutionary struggle." At least in the past, if a clan didn't work together and sacrifice for the extended group, then they could possibly all perish. So the lesson is about love and sacrifice. I think this was the one accurate aspect of the Krampus (or similar Alpine deities) legend in the modern sense. So the war was on, and both sides--the Engels and the Krampus gang--suffered casualties.
Finally the family flees the house, but Omi stays behind to face Krampus. It didn't seem to be clear as to why, but when they met face-to-face she seemed to have perished. It didn't show this, perhaps because it may have been too disturbing for very young viewers. Actually it was a rather violent film, but it didn't actually depict the killing of any humans. As the family flees, the Krampus group attacks and one-by-one pulls them under the snow which meant that they had perished. Max finally comes face-to-face with Krampus, and he gives the boy a dark green steel Christmas tree bulb. Max takes back his negative "wish" aloud and throws the bulb back at him... and it sizzles, sinks into the snow, and forms a large hellfire pit. Krampus throws the remaining girl into it, and then Max as well.
The film ends with Max waking up in this bed on Christmas morning; it was just a dream. Everyone is alive and acting like any loving family; entirely different than they had behaved prior. It was all just a lesson, but there was a small surprise ending which I'll not divulge. Again, I though that this horror film was important to review because of the real Alpine folklore attached to it, Krampus has it's origin in the ancient Horned God of European witchcraft, as well as the legend's lesson. At some point in history it merged with Christian themes, with Krampus usually being one of Santa's helpers. Actually, to be truthful, "Santa's thug"; taking care of the bad boys and girls. Of course, that was the Christian makeover. .
Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
The horror-comedy also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.
Krampus and his mischievous underlings have been created by the combined efforts of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, both renowned for their epic work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and King Kong, among many others.
Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ’r Treat), Krampus is co-written by Zach Shields and Todd Casey and produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Dougherty. The film will be released by Universal Pictures.
In Central European folklore, Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon," who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in several regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy including South Tyrol and the Province of Trento, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins.
In traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), young men dressed as Krampus participate; such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten.
Origins
The history of the Krampus figure has been theorized as stretching back to pre-Christian Alpine traditions. In a brief article discussing the figure, published in 1958, Maurice Bruce wrote:
There seems to be little doubt as to his true identity for, in no other form is the full regalia of the Horned God of the Witches so well preserved. The birch – apart from its phallic significance – may have a connection with the initiation rites of certain witch-covens; rites which entailed binding and scourging as a form of mock-death. The chains could have been introduced in a Christian attempt to 'bind the Devil' but again they could be a remnant of pagan initiation rites.
Discussing his observations in 1975 while in Irdning, a small town in Styria, anthropologist John J. Honigmann wrote that:
The Saint Nicholas festival we are describing incorporates cultural elements widely distributed in Europe, in some cases going back to pre-Christian times. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century. The feast dedicated to this patron of children is only one winter occasion in which children are the objects of special attention, others being Martinmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day. Masked devils acting boisterously and making nuisances of themselves are known in Germany since at least the sixteenth century while animal masked devils combining dreadful-comic (schauriglustig) antics appeared in Medieval church plays.
St. Nicholas, Krampus, and other characters in 1910
A large literature, much of it by European folklorists, bears on these subjects. ... Austrians in the community we studied are quite aware of "heathen" elements being blended with Christian elements in the Saint Nicholas customs and in other traditional winter ceremonies. They believe Krampus derives from a pagan supernatural who was assimilated to the Christian devil.
The Krampus figures persisted, and by the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St. Nicholas.
Countries of the former Habsburg Empire have largely borrowed the tradition of Krampus accompanying St. Nicholas on 5 December from Austria.
Krampus, and his equivalent names in all Alpine countries, is a true ancient Alpine tradition. As covered here in the past, his equivalent in the Val Camonica is called Badalisc from the ancient Camunni language. Obviously this legend has been mixed with Christian themes, as the actual Proto-European god was not to have symbolized "evil," wasn't demonic, etc.. The horns or stags were a symbol of fertility and masculinity. I wanted to review this film (they're actually working on 'Krampus 3' at this point), because when I was watching it for a second time just prior to Christmas, it occurred to me that Krampus had arrived as something of a Christmas film tradition... or as a "Christmas horror film." It ties into pre-Christian tradition, regional Alpine tradition, and from a mostly Christian perception. .
Lunar Fun [From the 2019 Old Farmer's Almanac's Moon Calendar] Although there are exceptions, such as the snowy owl, most owls are nocturnal. At night, owls rely mainly on sound to locate prey, although their large eyes are adapted to receive as much light as possible. some, such as the eastern screech owl, perch higher when hunting in moonlight, while others, like the Eurasian eagle owl, hoot more often.
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English playwright William Shakespeare referred to the Moon several times in his works. For example, in 'Romeo and Juliet', the heroine advises her hero: O, swear not by the Moon, the inconstant Moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
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The beautiful Elizabeth Gale
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A good short reference list of popular Indo-European and Indian gods and goddesses Freya – Norse – Goddess of love and beauty
Loki – Norse – Trickster, joker
Saga – Norse – Goddess of poetry and history
Odin – Norse – The main man of Norse mythology
Apollo – Roman – God of the sun, poetry, music and prophecy
Diana – Roman – Goddess of hunting and the moon
Minerva – Roman – Goddess of wisdom
Neptune – Roman – God of the sea
Venus – Roman – Goddess of beauty and love
Aphrodite – Greek – Goddess of beauty and love
Demeter – Greek – Goddess of corn and the harvest
Helios – Greek – God of the sun
Selene – Greek – Goddess of the moon
Zeus – Greek – Ruler of all the gods
Branwen – Celtic – Goddess of love and beauty
Cerunnos – Celtic – God of fertility, life, animals and the underworld
Lugh – Celtic – God of druids, carpentry and building
Morrigan – Celtic – Goddess of war
Aine – Irish Celtic – Goddess of love and beauty
Dagda – Irish Celtic – God of the Earth
Arianrhod – Welsh Celtic – Goddess of air, reincarnation, full moon and justice
Color Meanings and Psychology Red Color Meaning – The color of passion and drama. This color attracts the most attention and is associated with strong emotions such as love and anger. Red is the color used universally to signify danger, courage, strength, and power. Red is stimulating, vibrant and exciting. Red inspires desire with a strong link to sexuality and increased appetites. In Chinese culture red represents luck and prosperity. Use red when you want to get pulses racing and to inspire action. However, use carefully as red can evoke feelings of aggression and cause visual strain. Lovers of red are passionate with an enthusiasm for life. Orange Color Meaning – The color of encouragement. The combination of yellow and red makes orange convey excitement, warmth and enthusiasm. Social and inviting, this is the color of the extrovert, exuding happiness and joy, releasing inhibitions. Need to be inspired into action or have a positive outlook on life? Orange is a motivating and encouraging color. Orange is appealing to young people. It stimulates the appetite and is associated with healthy good. However, the negative connotations of orange include insincerity, exhibitionism and self indulgence. con't....
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Margaret Bowman
Some have said that she was Ted Bundy's most beautiful victim. There have been a lot of Ted Bundy documentaries lately, as it is 30 years this year since his execution.
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'Scientists find traces of unknown hominid species in THESE people' Luni - Publika.md - October 24, 2018 Traces of long-lost human cousins may be hiding in modern people’s DNA, a new computer analysis suggests. People from Melanesia, a region in the South Pacific encompassing Papua New Guinea and surrounding islands, may carry genetic evidence of a previously unknown extinct hominid species, Ryan Bohlender reported October 20 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. That species is probably not Neandertal or Denisovan, but a different, related hominid group, said Bohlender, a statistical geneticist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “We’re missing a population or we’re misunderstanding something about the relationships,” he said. This mysterious relative was probably from a third branch of the hominid family tree that produced Neandertals and Denisovans, an extinct distant cousin of Neandertals. While many Neandertal fossils have been found in Europe and Asia, Denisovans are known only from DNA from a finger bone and a couple of teeth found in a Siberian cave. Bohlender isn’t the first to suggest that remnants of archaic human relatives may have been preserved in human DNA even though no fossil remains have been found. In 2012, another group of researchers suggested that some people in Africa carry DNA heirlooms from an extinct hominid species. Less than a decade ago, scientists discovered that human ancestors mixed with Neandertals. People outside of Africa still carry a small amount of Neandertal DNA, some of which may cause health problems. Bohlender and colleagues calculate that Europeans and Chinese people carry a similar amount of Neandertal ancestry: about 2.8 percent. Europeans have no hint of Denisovan ancestry, and people in China have a tiny amount — 0.1 percent, according to Bohlender’s calculations. But 2.74 percent of the DNA in people in Papua New Guinea comes from Neandertals, and another 3 to 6 percent stems from Denisovans, Bohlender calculated. When trying to explain that unusually high percentage of extinct ancestry, Bohlender and colleagues came to the conclusion that a third group of hominids may have bred with the ancestors of Melanesians. “Human history is a lot more complicated than we thought it was,” Bohlender said. When trying to explain that unusually high percentage of extinct ancestry, Bohlender and colleagues came to the conclusion that a third group of hominids may have bred with the ancestors of Melanesians. “Human history is a lot more complicated than we thought it was,” Bohlender said. Another group of researchers, led by Eske Willerslev, an evolutionary geneticist at the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, recently came to a similar conclusion. Willerslev’s group examined DNA from 83 aboriginal Australians and 25 people from native populations in the Papua New Guinea highlands. The researchers found Denisovan-like DNA in the study volunteers, the group reported October 13 in Nature. But the DNA is genetically distinct from Denisovans and may be from another extinct hominid. “Who this group is we don’t know,” Willerslev says. They could be Homo erectus or the extinct hominids found in Indonesia known as Hobbits, he speculates.
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The Jeff Healey Band - Angel Eyes joe blevins "Angel Eyes" is a song written by John Hiatt and Fred Koller, and produced by Greg Ladanyi for The Jeff Healey Band's first album See the Light (1988). It was first released as the album's second single in June 1989 (see 1989 in music) and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock Tracks. It was later covered by Australian Idol series one contestant Paulini and became her first No. 1 single in Australia. The song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on June 17, 1989, at No. 85, eventually peaking at No. 5 and spending 22 weeks on the chart. It was the 70th highest selling single in the U.S. for 1989. Hiatt's own version of the song finally appeared on his 1994 live album Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?. A studio version of the song was included on the 1998 album The Best of John Hiatt. "Angel Eyes" was written by the songwriters John Hiatt and Fred Koller, and produced by Greg Ladanyi. It stands as Jeff Healey's only Billboard Top-40 hit; however, considering what a unique character he was, it seems most unfair to dismiss him as a one-hit wonder. Amongst many other things, he was much bigger on the Canada Singles chart; he picked up Juno Awards, got an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Album, and played alongside such talent as Dire Straits, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, ZZ Top, and Eric Clapton. Most fans today know Jeff Healy for the most unique guitar-playing style ever invented: he played sitting down with the guitar flat on his lap, like a piano. But if you know this, you probably also know that this was because he was blind, having been stricken with a rare form of eye cancer at the age of just eight months old. His health was his curse; he also succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 41. Fans of the late Patrick Swayze will recall that this song - as well as the band itself (as the house band for the Double Deuce saloon) - made an appearance in the 1989 film Road House. The artist Paulini covered this song for her debut album One Determined Heart, and the single scored for her on Australia's ARIA Charts as a #1 hit.
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'Road House' has been on TV a lot recently, as this year marks 30 years since its release. It's still very popular; a cult classic that's hard to characterize. I guess it just reminds one of a certain type of rural freedom. It still enjoys small theater showings around Missouri, sort've like a "redneck Rocky Horror." 'Off Topic: A Movie So Bad, It's Good - The Legacy of Road House'
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* The Swayze trifecta
- Road House - Red Dawn - Point Break
-- Frankel, SBNation.com user
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I would add 'The Ousiders', making it a "Swayze Quartet"... then there's Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Next of Kin, just off the top of my head...he make a lot of good and/or catchy films I think 'Point Break" really defines him in my mind; that style and presence he had in that film as "Bodhi" (Buddhist for "freedom from the cycle of life"). Bohdi was like a spiritual-criminal freedom fighter.
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Julie Andrews
Long-time stunt woman from the cast of 'Roadhouse' (she was 18 then), still looks amazing today.
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Amy hears sound for the first time @ 26 years old Catherine Arnold Takes a few minutes but worth the experience. Our niece has been deaf since she was born. She has never heard the sound of her parents voice or her 6 year old son, Blake. Every day for the next several months she will learn how sound works and where it comes from. Update: thank you to everyone that appreciates and feels what a beautiful time this was and continues to be for Amy and our families. She is continuing her hard work of speech and sound therapy to distinguish what sound is. Her pronunciation has improved vastly and she can hear words and especially music! Naturally, after a lifetime of lip reading and signing, it is still necessary for her to rely on that skill to have conversation in a group. Every day is new and sometimes an exhausting experience. She loves the challenge to improve yet more and she is a joy to be around. By the way, Amy has a high school diploma and college degree! This girl never let anything get in her way to be her best! Please don't post ugly or inappropriate comments, we love her very much and if you can't be supportive than keep your twisted thoughts and words to yourself.
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Paul "Wrecking" Crew #22 These jerseys are on sale, especially since the passing of Burt Reynolds. He actually was a very good football player. He played halfback at Florida State, then took up acting rather than try pro football due to an injury. The Florida State team wore his old number for a game apparently, in honor of him. *************************
Johnny Rivers - Poor Side Of Town (HQ Stereo, 1966) gimpus1956 Co-written by Johnny Rivers & Lou Adler, and recorded by Rivers, “Poor Side Of Town” marked a big change of direction for Johnny Rivers, who had grown tired of the upbeat “Go-Go” sound that had given him his early hits. On August 27th 1966, Johnny Rivers performed “Poor Side Of Town” on American Bandstand and two weeks later it entered Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at position #90. For the week ending November 12th, 1966 it peaked at #1, knocking The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” out of that spot. Included on River’s 1966 “Changes” LP, “Poor Side Of Town” would become the only American chart topper for Rivers. It spent 15 weeks in the Top 100 and finished the year in the #9 spot on the Billboard Year End Charts for 1966. Rivers said of the song, “I had this tune I'd been working on, and I kept playing it for Lou. It took me about 6 months to finish. We cut it with Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn and Hal Blaine. I did my vocal performances live with the band. I sat and played my guitar and sang. There weren't any overdubs. So we said it could use some singers and maybe some strings. That's the time we got together with (arranger) Marty Paich. Al Bennett and those guys were goin’ Man. don't start comin’ out with ballads. You're gonna kill your career. You got a good thing goin' with this funky trio rock sound, stay with that.” (Quotes courtesy of www.johnnyrivers.com)
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Many of these late-60s songs enjoyed a second life on certain popular radio stations right up to the early 90s. Therefore, in a sense, a completely different generation was able to appreciate them. Of course, anyone could "discover" and appreciate any music or era, but by being on the radio they could become very relevant to one's daily activities, listening in their cars, etc. "Oldies" now is "late-60s, 70s, and 80s," which must be tough on lovers of the "original oldies".. like the 50s. Elvis is still an extremely popular icon today, and he was active in the late 50s. Elvis performed at the Cow Palace (Bayshore Heights in Daly City) during his last tour in 1977; and Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Jerry Lee Lewis all played at the 23 Club just south of there (in Brisbane) I'm guessing in the 60s or early 70s. That's somewhat significant since that area was much more humble back then. Of course a lot of popular acts played at the Cow Palace during it's heyday, but I was more thinking of those four iconic figures since they were active during the 50s. When I visit my mother during the summer, we sit out on the patio overlooking the rolling hills there and have sort've a "Patsy Cline party" on occasion. I put on a greatest hits cassette tape on the little boom box. Patsy Cline died in a car accident before I was born; however, her music becomes more relevant and meaningful to me based on those little "parties" so to speak.
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Julie Newmar
The original Catwoman
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Alice Krige
Fairly popular actress from mostly the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. She's Afrikaner, but was active in the UK and US. I always like to believe that we can connect more with people in South Africa, Argentina, Australia, etc., not just our Lombard kindred in those places, but with other people of a similar heritage. I always regret years ago, when I was involved in a different endeavor, that I was contacted by some small Afrikaner group that wanted to connect with groups in other countries. Quite frankly, I didn't respond. There were a lot of things going on, and I just really missed the boast on that. As individuals, we can and should try to lead by example. On the contrary, our government is so obsessed with that "US-UK-Israel-Saudi Arabia-Mexico-China paradigm".... banking cartels, cheap labor sources, and oil resources, all working together.. while the leadership of of those concerns basically all hate each other.
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Bridge Over Sylvenstein Lake, Bavarian Alps
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Blondie - One Way Or Another Poedie One way or another (1979) from the album parallel lines
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I often think that videos or footage of a performance takes away from the focus of the music, but this old Blondie footage really fits the music. When music videos "officially" first started in the early 80s, many theorized that future artists would blend the perfect music with the perfect videos.. but that never really happened. Blondie's album 'Parallel Lines' is now 40 years old... scary. *************************
Janis Carter
She was a real Teutonic beauty. Although I can't post it due to the URL, another interesting photo of her can be found here.
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Marchosias In demonology, Marchosias is a great and mighty Marquis of Hell, commanding thirty legions of demons.
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This demon would seem to be literally relevant as relatively frequent victims of possession have identified themselves (the possessing spirit) as "Marchosias." These are in cases where the victim would seem to have no knowledge of the dark occult, much less a specific demon. Of course, some would argue that they "must have heard it somewhere." Another relatively common feature of demonic possessions is the phrase "We are Legion" coming from the mouth of the apparently possessed victim. There are YouTube videos about this particular demon, and even how to invoke it. It's not a good idea to even listen to that; or even to say those names too often. Still then, I believe that by learning about malevolent deities we can better understand the love and trust that we place in our own protector deities and spirits. We place great trust in them, we say their names aloud, we tie our families to them; and that is a powerful trust with great meaning.
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'Marchosias Emerges From Mouth Of The Beast' By James Donahue - (Angels and Demons) The magicians of old said they saw Marchosias, the thirty-fifth spirit, as a wolf "with griffin wings and a serpent's tail" that spits fire from its mouth. They even drew a picture portraying it this way. When raised and drawn in a remote viewing session, however, there was a surprise. It turns out that the spirit is the thing that spews from the mouth of the beast. It is not the beast. The viewer saw: "A horned being with a serpent tail opens a mouth of fire and red light. From the mouth of this being comes an image of Marchosias." The spirit does not appear with much detail in the drawing. That is probably because it stands in the midst of flame and light, making it difficult to be seen clearly. The demon stands in the open maw that is the mouth of a large beast that looks down at you from above the head of Marchosias. It is interesting to note that Johann Wier wrote in 1583 that he did not see fire coming from the mouth of the beast. He said he was unable to determine what it was that was coming out of the mouth. In the first book of The Lesser Key of Solomon, this demon is depicted as a wolf with gryphen's wings and a serpent's tail. It is spewing fire from its mouth. However you look at it, Marchosias is one scary image.
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Rita Hayworth
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Beethoven Moonlight Sonata (Sonata al chiaro di luna) Glank
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Order of the Nine Angles The Order of Nine Angles (ONA; O9A) is a Satanic and Left-Hand Path occult group based in the United Kingdom, but with affiliated groups in various other parts of the world. Claiming to have been established in the 1960s, it rose to public recognition in the early 1980s, attracting attention for its neo-Nazi ideologies and activism. Describing its approach as "Traditional Satanism", it has been identified by academic researchers as also exhibiting Hermetic and Neo-Pagan elements in its beliefs. It has been described as one of the most extreme and dangerous Satanist groups in the world. According to the Order's own account, it was established in the Welsh Marches of Western England during the late 1960s by a woman who had previously been involved in a secretive pre-Christian tradition surviving in the region. This account also states that in 1973 a man named "Anton Long" was initiated into the group, subsequently becoming its Grand Master. Several academic commentators to have studied the ONA express the view that the name "Anton Long" is probably the pseudonym of the British neo-Nazi activist David Myatt, although Myatt has denied that this is the case. From the late 1970s onward, Long authored a number of books and articles propagating the Order's ideas, and in 1988 it began production of its own journal, Fenrir. Through these ventures it established links with other neo-Nazi Satanist groups around the world, furthering its cause through embracing the Internet in the 2000s. The ONA promotes the idea that human history can be divided into a series of Aeons, each of which contain a corresponding human civilization. It expresses the view that the current Aeonic civilization is that of the Western, but claims that the evolution of this society is threatened by the "Magian/Nazarene" influence of Judeo-Christian religion, which the Order seeks to combat in order to establish a militaristic new social order, termed the "Imperium". According to Order teachings, this is necessary in order for a Galactic civilization to form, in which "Aryan" society will colonise the Milky Way. It advocates a spiritual path in which the practitioner is required to break societal taboos by isolating themselves from society, committing crimes, embracing political extremism and violence, and carrying out an act of human sacrifice. ONA members practice magick, believing that they are able to do so through channeling energies into our own "causal" realm from an "acausal" realm where the laws of physics do not apply, with such magical actions designed to aid in the ultimate establishment of the Imperium. The ONA lacks any central authority or structure, instead operating as a broad network of associates – termed the "kollective" – who are inspired by the texts originally authored by Long and other members of the "Inner ONA". The group comprises largely of clandestine cells, termed "nexions", as well as gangs known as Dreccs, artists known as Balobians, and folk mystics known as Rounwytha. With the first nexion based in Shropshire, Western England, the majority of groups have been established in the British Isles and Germany, although others have been formed elsewhere in Europe, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and North America. Academic estimates suggest that the number of individuals broadly associated with the Order falls in the low thousands.
************ The above Wikipedia article is quite long; I've only posted the general outline portion of it. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again; http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/ is such a great way to just take a couple of minutes to make an mp3 of it for your iPod or whatever you listen to. I prefer the "Daisy" voice because it's very normal and clear sounding. I just made an mp3 of the full page, and it ended up being 53 minutes and 36 seconds. Now I can just LISTEN anywhere while doing other things. I'm not a tech savvy person, but this really works for me. If it's very long, then you need to sort've coax it along a bit by moving it forward. This is because the mp3 page must be completed before you can "save page." ************
The Occult: Video 100: Thoughts on the Order of Nine Angles (O9A) Styxhexenhammer666 ************
The Sinister Way (Anton Long; 2013) For the last four decades, the Order of Nine Angles has offered its initiates a traditional system of occult and sinister training that is designed to create Adepts. This system, if correctly followed, brings the initiate into contact with acausal energies and entities that are outside the realm of mundane experience. This is not an easy process, and not for the faint of heart. This volume presents several of the texts related to pathworking and sinister esotericism from the Hostia volumes, and adds to it the entire Sinister Tarot of ONA’s Christos Beest. *************************
Florence Scovel Shinn Florence Scovel Shinn (September 24, 1871 in Camden, New Jersey – October 17, 1940) was an American artist and book illustrator who became a New Thought spiritual teacher and metaphysical writer in her middle years. In New Thought circles, she is best known for her first book, The Game of Life and How to Play It (1925). Shinn expressed her philosophy as: "The invisible forces are ever working for man who is always ‘pulling the strings’ himself, though he does not know it. Owing to the vibratory power of words, whatever man voices, he begins to attract." -- The Game of Life, Florence Scovel Shinn
Excerpts from Your Word is Your Wand by Florence Scovel Shinn Chris Leona Support New Wellness Living and this New Thought Series: Your Word is Your Wand audiobook, Florence Scovel Shinn, New Thought Audiobooks Your Word is Your Wand is a book of affirmations. These affirmations will. This volume of affirmations was written by popular demand. It is a sequel to The Game of Life and How to Play It, where the reader will find the principle more. Book by Florence Scovel Shinn
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There's a ton of info on Florence Scovel Shinn out there. On YT there are full audio books available. "Your word is your wand" means exactly what is says. It's negatively consequential to speak openly using self-depreciating phrases like "It's just MY luck!" Speak--as in spoken words--in the positive.
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Panopticon The Panopticon is a type of institutional building and a system of control designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The scheme of the design is to allow all (pan-) inmates of an institution to be observed (-opticon) by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all the inmates' cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that they are motivated to act as though they are being watched at all times. Thus, they are effectively compelled to regulate their own behaviour. The design consists of a circular structure with an "inspection house" at its centre, from which the manager or staff of the institution is able to watch the inmates. The inmates, who are stationed around the perimeter of the structure, are unable to see into the inspection house. Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to hospitals, schools, sanatoriums, and asylums, but he devoted most of his efforts to developing a design for a Panopticon prison. It is his prison that is now most widely meant by the term "panopticon". Bentham described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example." Elsewhere, in a letter, he described the Panopticon prison as "a mill for grinding rogues honest." The Panopticon is a type of institutional building and a system of control designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The scheme of the design is to allow all (pan-) inmates of an institution to be observed (-opticon) by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all the inmates' cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that they are motivated to act as though they are being watched at all times. Thus, they are effectively compelled to regulate their own behaviour. The design consists of a circular structure with an "inspection house" at its centre, from which the manager or staff of the institution is able to watch the inmates. The inmates, who are stationed around the perimeter of the structure, are unable to see into the inspection house. Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to hospitals, schools, sanatoriums, and asylums, but he devoted most of his efforts to developing a design for a Panopticon prison. It is his prison that is now most widely meant by the term "panopticon". Bentham described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example." Elsewhere, in a letter, he described the Panopticon prison as "a mill for grinding rogues honest."
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'What does the panopticon mean in the age of digital surveillance?' The parallel between Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon and CCTV may be clear, but what happens when you step into the world of data capture? TheGuardian.com he philosopher Jeremy Bentham famously requested in his will that his body be dissected and put on public display. This came to pass, and his skeleton now sits in a glass case at University College London, adorned with a wax head, waistcoat and jacket and sat on a wooden stool, staring out at students from its glass case. Bentham was regarded as the founder of utilitarianism and a leading advocate of the separation of church and state, freedom of expression and individual legal rights. And now, from beyond the grave, his cadaver contains a webcam that records the movements of its spectators and broadcasts them live online, part of UCL’s PanoptiCam project which tests, amonst other things, surveillance algorithms. As I write this, a young couple are walking across the corridor, his hand pressed against the small of her back. Prof Melissa Terras, director of the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities, tells me that the camera is used to learn the best way “to identify and count different people in still images, accurately.” UCL are hoping that it will spark discussion around contemporary surveillance, but it isn’t a coincidence that this webcam is attached to Bentham’s box. The PanoptiCam project is a pun on the “panopticon”, a type of institutional building that has long dominated Bentham’s legacy. he philosopher Jeremy Bentham famously requested in his will that his body be dissected and put on public display. This came to pass, and his skeleton now sits in a glass case at University College London, adorned with a wax head, waistcoat and jacket and sat on a wooden stool, staring out at students from its glass case. Bentham was regarded as the founder of utilitarianism and a leading advocate of the separation of church and state, freedom of expression and individual legal rights. And now, from beyond the grave, his cadaver contains a webcam that records the movements of its spectators and broadcasts them live online, part of UCL’s PanoptiCam project which tests, amonst other things, surveillance algorithms. As I write this, a young couple are walking across the corridor, his hand pressed against the small of her back. Prof Melissa Terras, director of the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities, tells me that the camera is used to learn the best way “to identify and count different people in still images, accurately.” UCL are hoping that it will spark discussion around contemporary surveillance, but it isn’t a coincidence that this webcam is attached to Bentham’s box. The PanoptiCam project is a pun on the “panopticon”, a type of institutional building that has long dominated Bentham’s legacy. con't....
************************* Gloria - Laura Branigan 1982
Just when disco music was considered "dead" by 1982, this song recharged it and got everyone dancing again. This song was not only huge in the clubs, it also went all the way to number TWO on Billboard's Hot100! About a year later, MADONNA appeared and got us all GAGA (huh???) over disco again...hmmm ;-)
RIP Laura...
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This song was originally recorded by a woman from Italy; however, this version really nailed it. It's such an underrated song. The literal meaning of it was rather mundane, but one can attach any meaning to it that they want. To me, there's a concept of personal empowerment to it... the acsension human spirit. Although I like the various video footage of it, somehow I feel it's best listened to by allowing your mind to run free without that.. sometimes. *************************
Truly a quote for every day "Your word is your wand." -- Florence Scovel Shinn
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