Messages In This Digest (6 Messages)
- 1.
- Thanksgiving Grace From: Silver Fox
- 2.
- Thanksgiving From: Silver Fox
- 3.
- APOLOGIES From: Mike Gleason
- 4.
- BOOK REVIEW - The Darwin Awards Countdown to Extinction From: Mike Gleason
- 5.
- BOOK REVIEW - Afterlife (Novel) From: Mike Gleason
- 6.
- Review Site From: Mike Gleason
Messages
- 1.
-
Thanksgiving Grace
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Nov 22, 2010 7:25 am (PST)
Thanksgiving Grace: What's Right for You? Explore
By Cait Johnson, Assistant Producer, Care2 Healthy Living Channels.
It's the season when dear ones gather at the Thanksgiving table, often bringing with them very different religious and spiritual beliefs. When a moment of thanks is called for, some of us feel awkward with traditional prayers of blessing or grace. What would feel more authentic for you?
Take this simple true-or-false exploration and find out! Answer "true" or "false" to these 7 statements.
1. My family and dear ones share a love and respect for the Earth. If this is true for you, you might want to explore "Earth Prayers," edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon (HarperCollins, 1991) for alternatives. The prayers, poems, and invocations in this book come from many different traditions, including several indigenous groups; all are rooted in honoring the earth. If you are uncomfortable reading a selection aloud yourself, you could ask family members to pass a prayer or poem, with each person reading a few lines.
2. Several of us hate being put on the spot to read or say anything out loud. If this was a "true" for you, you might want to consider simply holding hands around the table and having a moment of silent gratitude for your lives, the abundant food, and your love for each other.
3. We are a musical family; most of us love making or listening to music. If you answered "true" here, you could sing a simple song together, or play a short piece of music on the stereo while you toast each other. If a loved one has a talent for composing, ask them to contribute a short song for the group to learn.
4. Many of us share a love of poetry and the spoken word. If your group likes to write, read, or listen to poetry, "Earth Prayers" mentioned above could work for you, or you could share a piece by one of your favorite poets (I love Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry, for instance, who write very powerfully about the beauty of nature). If you feel creative, you could collaborate on a poem while dinner cooks: pick a theme ("gratitude," for instance) and have each person write a line, then put the lines together. Serendipitous poems like these are often surprisingly beautiful and effective.
5. While our spiritual paths may be different, most of us share a love of art and decor; visuals are important to us. If this is true for you, the setting and decoration of the table and the presentation of the meal may be your way of sharing a blessing. At an artists' Thanksgiving several years ago, we went foraging around the neighborhood for berries and leaves and then used our finds to make a beautiful centerpiece. Making something with our hands can be a very special blessing-way, as most cooks can tell you. The people who make the meal have already blessed it.
6. I don't feel comfortable with any of the suggestions above. If you answered "true" to this one, just being together and offering up a meal is your way of giving thanks. Simple mindfulness of the blessing that life is counts just as much as any poem, prayer, song, or visual display.
Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.
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Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 2.
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Thanksgiving
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Nov 22, 2010 7:27 am (PST)
Thanksgiving
Source: Irish Witch
November already! Where has this year gone? Are you getting ready for the turkey and mashed potatoes? Football games, family, friends, eating too much? I am!
Thanksgiving
We learned in school that Thanksgiving was started by the Pilgrims to thank the Indians for not letting them starve to death the first year they were in America.
Why did they teach us that? It is not true by a long shot! Maybe someone felt guilty about how we treated the Indians and decided to save face. We will never know.
Actually a thanksgiving for the annual harvest is one of the oldest holidays known. The dates vary, but the meaning is the same.
The Romans celebrated Thanksgiving in early October. This holiday was to celebrate the Goddess of the harvest, Ceres. The holiday was named after her, Cerelia
In England the celebration was called "The Harvest Home". This holiday the villagers joined together to bring in the last of the harvest. They shared a merry feast when the work was done.
There are sufficient pagan worship and evidence in the Harvest Home celebration that predated Christianity in England. When the Puritans came to America, they rejected these customs, but the memories of the harvest feast still remained in their memories.
Similar to the Thanksgiving we have today, the Pagan holiday was a time to dine lavishly with family. It marked a time to finish old business, relax and reflections. The great feast, the family, the friends, thanking the Gods for all the food and the ability to provide for our family. I am sure that they even played football. No evidence of that but I believe!
Pagan Symbols of Thanksgiving:
Goose/Turkey: Goose was the main course served for harvest festivals, in America the goose was replaced by the turkey. Both birds represent the Sun God.
Pumpkin: Used as a symbol for the Sun God.
Minced Pie: represents the day of sacrifice. This is the day when the God of Light is defeated by his twin brother, the God of Darkness. It is the time of Year when night conquers day.
Food: Dried fruits, acorns, apples, corn, dried seeds, grains, gourds, horns of plenty and of course wine!
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 3.
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APOLOGIES
Posted by: "Mike Gleason" gleason.mike@comcast.net gleasonm01915
Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:02 pm (PST)
APOLOGIES
To those of you who have been reading my reviews for any length of time, I offer my heartfelt apologies for this year. For a number of reasons, it has been difficult. My reviews have not been posted with the regularity I would like; mailing lists have been forgotten, and it has just, generally, been an inconsistent year all around. I cannot promise a complete turnaround during the remaining month of this calendar year (although I will be making some serious efforts and revisions), but I would like to assure you that 2011 will be a better year.
In an effort to improve my offerings to the reading public, I would like to ask for a little help from you, my readers. There are an awful lot of small publishers cropping up, many of whom I may never hear of, as well as a large number of individuals who are offering their work to the public. If you are a publisher or an author or musician, and would like me to review your work, please contact me via email.
I expect to be moving within the next month or so, so my mailing address will be changing, but I will keep the same email.
I have been taken to task on several occasions for the large number of "101" books I review, but there is a logical reason for that - they make up the majority of books which I encounter. If you know of works which are of a more "advanced" nature, please bring them to my attention. Don't assume I am aware of all the books which are available, I'm only human and, on top of that, I'm not technically proficient.
I am also interested in reviewing more works of fiction - especially those which are specifically Pagan-themed or Pagan friendly, as well as works intended for the younger Pagan (or their parents), so please keep me in mind if you encounter such in your reading.
Finally, I am going to be working very hard on getting a permanent website up which will contain ALL my reviews since I began doing them in 1998 - some of which were strictly for distribution to magazines which were not online. That may take a while since, as I said, I am not technically proficient and there are nearly 800 reviews to post, but be assured that as soon as it happens, I will let folks know.
- 4.
-
BOOK REVIEW - The Darwin Awards Countdown to Extinction
Posted by: "Mike Gleason" gleason.mike@comcast.net gleasonm01915
Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:13 pm (PST)
The Darwin Awards Countdown to Extinction by Wendy Northcutt © 2010 ISBN: 978-0-525-95191-9 Paperback 310 Pages $19.95 (U.S.) $23.00 (Canada) www.DarwinAwards. com
How many ways can you think of to help clean the gene pool? Well, Ms Northcutt and the inspired folks at the Darwin Awards website have probably got you beat by a long margin. This book is their latest assemblage of more than a hundred unique, and interesting, ways to make sure that the "dumb" gene doesn't get passed along.
This is a book for pure entertainment. It consists of a collection of "Doh" moments (ala Homer Simpson). When you read some of the accounts retold you have to ask yourself either "What were they thinking?" or "Didn't their parents teach them not do stupid things?"
If you don't find at least one story in this collection which makes you laugh out loud you may need a humor transplant. While not all the stories could be verified (and they are clearly identified), there are enough true accounts in this edition (one of an entire series of them, with no end in sight) to prove that no matter how outlandish Hollywood comedies may get, truth is far stranger than fiction.
In addition to entertaining the reader with examples of the depths of human stupidity (Albert Einstein's famous quote "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not so sure about the former." adorns the back of the dustcover), there are also "Science Interlude"s which explain some of the more vexing questions facing mankind. So, you not only get entertained, you actually learn something. This is a wonderful combination, and one of the reasons I look forward to reading each new book as it becomes available.
Since most of the accounts are extremely short, this book is ideal for those times when you can't be sure how much time you will have for reading (waiting rooms, on hold, etc.), or when you don;t want to get caught up in something. Keep it handy (on a bedside table, next to your favorite arm chair, in the john) and enjoy being diverted and amused.
- 5.
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BOOK REVIEW - Afterlife (Novel)
Posted by: "Mike Gleason" gleason.mike@comcast.net gleasonm01915
Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:19 pm (PST)
Afterlife by Claudia Gray © 2010 Harper Collins ISBN: 978-0-06-128442-7 Paperback 360 pages $16.99 (U.S.) http://www.harperco llins.com/
Once again I find myself stepping into a series which is already well underway. Considering how many books I read in an average year, I guess it isn't too surprising that I miss some along the way. And, since I tend to gravitate towards smaller publishing enterprises, mainstream publishers are fairly low on my priority list.
Although I missed out on the back-story to a large extent, it was easy enough to immerse myself in the action and reactions. Most of the high points are brought out fairly early in the story, and continue to be developed throughout.
With a cast of characters including wraiths, vampires, run-of-the-mill humans, and vampire hunters, there is a little something for everyone. Then there is Evernight Academy (think Hogwarts for the living-impaired with unaware humans also sprinkled through the population.). The part of Dumbledore will be played by Mrs. Bethany, who has a desire to rid the world (or at least Evernight) of wraiths.
To an extent, this is a very conventional vampire story - although it owes more to Buffy the Vampire Slayer than it does to classic Dracula. There are enough twists and turns, however, to keep it from becoming boring. I'm not sure how long the author intends to run this series, but I have the feeling that she will have a devoted following for as long as she chooses. Her writing is fast-paced, her characters as easy to relate to and, even though the world of vampires and wraiths may seem far removed from our daily existence, it is easy to accept that this "could" happen somewhere in the world today.
The relationships among the various groups, in general, and certain individuals in particular, are...complicated. You would think that the love of a parent for a child would overcome almost any difficulty, but when your child dies and becomes something you have hated for years, that doesn't always work out.
Bianca (the heroine) is forced to make a series of decisions with life-changing consequences throughout the book. The answers aren't always clear-cut, not are the motivations, yet she does her best to make decisions which will result in the best outcomes, even if the decisions are personally painful.
- 6.
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Review Site
Posted by: "Mike Gleason" gleason.mike@comcast.net gleasonm01915
Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:49 pm (PST)
This is my new posting site for all my past reviews. I'm not putting the current year's reviews up there until January, which will be my standard procedure from now on.
https://sites.google.com/ site/reviewsby/
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___________________________________________________________________________
ø¤º°` Earthwise ø¤º°`
<:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::]]======0
The Worldwide Spirit of Paganism
in Australia, America & Worldwide!
Take a Look at Our Huge EBay Store
For all your Magickal & Ritual Supplies
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Astarte-Earthwise
___________________________________________________________________________
This Earthwise Book of Shadows group holds the expectation
that a tolerant, mature and respectful dialogue be strived
for in our communications with each other. Members are
encouraged to challenge anyone not adhering to these
principles and to notify the list owner Astarte if you are
offended by a posting, write to me at
earthwise@bigpond.com
Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________________
Earthwise is a world wide group.
We are based in Western Sydney, NSW. Australia.
Located in the valley before the beautiful Blue Mountains were
we hold sacred rituals, workshops, social events and outings,
for more information see our calendar of events at Witches Meetup
http://witches.meetup.com/1293/
___________________________________________________________________________
Astarte also works full time as a Psychic Counsellor, Medium,
Clairvoyant, Healer and Teacher.
If she can be of assistance to you, please see her home page at
www.earthwise.net.au
___________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU CREATIVE?
Astarte is always sourcing new suppliers of quality pagan
related items, to purchase wholesale or even put on consignment,
she willing to purchase worldwide items for the Earthwise Store.
If you have something of interest please contact Astarte
earthwise@bigpond.com
___________________________________________________________________________
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