FeatureOracle Story News From the

Vol 3 Issue 3

March 3, 2023

Hoodoo vs Voodoo

Feature:

Hoodoo vs Voodoo

The Story of Ellen Dugan History of The Werewolf Trials Legend of the Peluda Dragon How to Harvest Herbs 1

13 Sisters of Delphi

13 Sisters of Delphi Elder High Priestess

RavensThorn Morrigan

Elder High Priestess

Gloriana Danu

High Priestess

AdironndaBee

High Priestess

Brittanica Aoibhean

High Priestess in Training Mawu Cardea Thalassadorite Sekmet Morningstar Wings of Tiamat Khaos Branwen Bella Bloodmoon Rhiannon Moon

Members

Amphritrite Namaka Iria Lima

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Lady Atira Terra Gaea Lady Sedna

13 Sisters of Delphi

Feature Story Hoodoo vs Voodoo H aiti. Hood oo, on t h e ot h er hand, is n ot a religion , has no organ izat ion al structu re, an d is prac t ic ed b y individ u als, somet imes cal l e d root d oc t ors or root he al e r s, wh o c laim t o h ave ce rtain magic al powers.

Origins

If y ou a r e i n t o m agic, w i tchc r a f t , a n d / o r fa i th h e a l i n g , y ou’ve und ou b t e d l y r u n acro ss Vo odo o a n d H o o do o . B ut ar e y o u a w a r e t hat the se tw o b e l i e f s y s t e ms are co m pl e t e l y d i f f ere nt fro m e ac h o t h e r e v e n tho ugh th e y m a y, a t t i m e s, l o o k lik e th e s a m e t h ing?

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The m a i n d i f f e r e nce betwe e n Vo o d o o and H oo d o o i s t h a t t he fo rm e r i s an a c t u a l r e l i g io n whil e th e l at t e r i s n o t . Vo o do o h as i ts o w n r i t u a l s, l e ade rs, te ac h e r s , r e p r e s e ntativ e s, and s e r v i c e s , p l us two d i s ti nc t b r a n c h es: the Vo d ou o f N e w Orl e ans and Loui s i a n a , a n d the Vo due o f

Vo o do o arose in Hait i, whe re a s Hood oo arose in Africa. Bot h were origin ally p ractic ed by oppressed p e o p l e in t h ose plac es, and b ot h c ame t o Americ a via sl aves brou gh t in t o t h e co untry d u rin g t h e 17t h , 1 8 th, an d early 1 9 th c en t u ries.

G en erally a Voodo o s er v ic e will be c on d u c t e d in Creole, a Hait ian Fren c h d ialec t . Th ree of Vood oo’ s m o s t import an t f amilies o f spirit s are t h ose b elo ng ing t o Rad a, Pet ro, a nd G ed e. Rad a spirits a r e ben evolen t ; Pet ro s p ir its are an gry, violen t, o r ev il; an d G ed e spirit s a r e tho s e wh o d eal wit h d ea th a nd d ead people.

Vo o do o f ollowers believe in an omn ipot en t an d unknowable Su preme Cre ator n amed Bon d ye. H is name c omes f rom t h e F re nch t erm Bon D ieu , l ite ral ly mean in g “g ood God. ”

Man y G ed e spirit s a r e zombies, in t h e or ig ina l sen se of t h at wor d . In Vood oo, a zombie is a vic t im, n ot a mons ter. H e or sh e is a walking d ea d person wh o mu st g iv e obed ien c e t o t h e p er s o n wh o raised h im o r her f r o m t h e d ead . Bu t t h e y d o n’t ea t t h e brain s of t h e liv ing o r ot h erwise violen tly a tta c k t h em. All t h at is s im p ly f ic t ion al movie hyp e.

Pe r Vood oo belief, Bon d ye do e s n ot d irec t ly in t erc ed e in the lives of h u man b e ings. Con sequ en t ly, Vo o do o priest s an d p rie stesses c all u pon t h e Lo a, spirit s wh o work f or B o ndy e. D if f eren t Loa are re sp o nsible f or variou s asp e ct s of h u man lif e.

Man y people beli ev e tha t t h e id ea of zomb ies c a m e in t o Hait ian Voodo o c u ltu r e as a mean s of exp r es s ing t h e d ead n ess of b eing a slave. I n ot h er w o r d s , zombies an d Voo d o o its elf arose as a spirit u a l f o r c e amon g slaves t o help them en d u re t h eir su f f er ing .

Voodoo Beliefs and Practices

13 Sisters of Delphi

Feature Story Hoodoo vs Voodoo Hoodoo Beliefs and Practices

H oo d o o p r a c t i t i one rs pra ctic e a f o r m o f African fo l k m a g i c , a l t h o ugh the y of te n c a l l u p o n Ro m an C a th ol i c s a i n t s o r b ib l ical char ac t e r s s u c h as M o se s to a i d t h e m i n casting the ir spe l l s . Ac t u a l l y, H o o do o pra ctit i o n e r s g e ne ral l y are th e m s e l v e s C a t h o l ics who beli e v e i n b o t h C atho l ic sai nts a n d Af r i c a n go ds. In th e U n i t e d S tate s, H oo d o o s e s s i o n s are co ndu c t e d i n Engl ish and H oo d o o p r a c t i t i one rs sp e l l th e i r ma g i c “ m ag i c k.” The pr a c t i t i o n e r wil l use suc h t h i n g s a s r o o ts, he rb s, cr y s ta l s , a n i m a l p arts, and some ti m e s e v e n a b o dy flui d, s u c h a s t ears, sal iva, ur i ne, e t c . , b e l onging to th e pe r s o n f o r who m the se s s i o n i s b e i n g co nducte d. A pr ac t i t i o n e r a lso wil l lik e l y u s e t e x t f r o m the bi b l i ca l b o o k o f Psal ms but w i l l n o t c o nduct the se s s i o n i n t h e n am e o f Jes us . R a t h e r, h e o r she ca l l s u p o n t h e s aints o r othe rs t o h e l p g uide the us e o f t h e r o o t s and o the r tali s m a n s u s e d in the cer e m o n y. S i n c e H o o do o i s no t a r e l i g i o n , it has no d oc um e n t s t o p ass do wn. 4

Inste ad, prac t it ion ers pass o n their powers t o t h eir o wn desc en d an t s. M any people of bot h p e rsua sion s believe t h at Vo o do o was t h e origin al re l igion , wit h Hood oo b e co min g a d en omin at ion in m uc h t h e same way as the Met h od ist s, Luthe r an s, Bapt ist s, et al., b e came d en omin at ion s of Pro te st an t Ch rist ian it y. Al tho ugh t h e gen eral p o p ul ac e t en d s t o look up o n bot h Vood oo and H ood oo as mere sup e rst it ion , a rat h er large swath of people, loc at ed mo stl y in t h e Sou t h east ern p art o f t h e U n it ed St at es, adam a n t ly ad h ere t o on e of the se belief syst ems. htt p s : / / w w w.ulc.org/ulc-blog/vood oovs -hood oo-w hat s-t he-d i fferen ce

Th ere is a major d if f er enc e t h at lies bet ween w ha t Hood oo d ef in es, a nd w ha t Vood oo d ef in es. Vo o d o o is t h e religion , or b elief syst em, of man y Af r ic a n Americ an s livin g in the Mississippi Valley. Hood oo, on t h e o ther h an d , is t h e mag ic tha t h as d erived f rom the t eac h in gs of Vood o o , w hic h was origin ally a p a r t o f Vood oo. Hood oo is the c raf t ; t h e prac t ice, w her e Vood oo is t h e mi nd s et an d mon arc h y. Sinc e the n in et een t h c en t u r y, thes e f orms h ave c oales c ed into on e overarc h in g f o r m , b u t t h e d if f eren t iat ion is s till import an t en ou g h t o absorb. New Orlean s Voo d o o is a c u lt u ral st ran d of the Af r o Americ an religions r o o ted in West Af ric an Da ho m eya n Vod u n . Vood oo is a r es u lt of t h is Af ric an d i a s p o r a . Most espec ially a s a r es u lt of t h e slave t rad e, Wes t Af ric an D ah omey a n Vo d u n was f u sed wit h C a tho lic is m an d Fran c oph on e b elief s in t h e Sou t h . Voo d o o espec ially d evelo p ed a lo ng t h e Mississippi in the sou t h , most ly in the la r g er t own s of Lou isian a a nd 13 Sisters of Delphi

Feature Story Hoodoo vs Voodoo M i s s i s s i p p i , a n d o f co urse w i th i t s l a r g e s t infl ue nce fa l l i ng i n t h e t o w n o f Ne w O r l e an s . An a m al gam atio n of Fr e n c h , Cr e o l e and S pani s h i n f l u e n c e , this m e l ti n g p o t o f re l igio n fus i on s i s w h a t bro ught us Vo odo o D o l l s , G ris-gris, M oj o b a g s , a n d so o n. Vo odo o ’s b e l i e f syste m cente r s a r o u n d one d e tac h e d G o d w ho stays at a di s ta n c e , a n d do e s no t i nter fe r e i n a p erso n’s l ife unl e s s c a l l e d . T he sp irits ar e th e o n e s w ho trul y h e l p u s w i t h w h at we ne e d on a d a i l y b a s i s . T he se spi ri tu a l f o r c e s , ho we ve r, ca n b e e i t h e r h el p ful o r m ani p u l a t i v e , which is w h y w e p r o t e c t and guard ours el v e s a g a i n st such o p e n v ulner a b i l i t y u ntil we kno w it is safe. We d o s o u s i n g crystal s, powde r e d c h a r ms and spe l l s , e l i x i r s , d o l l s, and w h a t h a v e yo u. We co nne c t w i t h t h e sp irits ar ound u s t h r o u gh so ng and d a n c e , w r i t ing, candl e spe l l s , s y m b o l i s m, and co nne c t i n g w i t h o ur o wn spi ri tu a l s e l f. T h e use o f sna ke s a s s y m b o l s and lo a (spi r i t f o r m s ) is lik e a c u r r e n t t h at runs 5

thro ugh Vood oo; t h e sn akes symb o lize h ow kn owled ge and a c on n ec t ion t o t h e sp iritu al self c an h eal. How insight an d en ligh t en men t can l ift ou r spirit s away fro m th e d red ges of wh at p ain an d misery h ave t o o ffe r. Th ose wh o prac t ic e Vo o do o t od ay h ope t o infl ue nc e t h e great er good , and th e great er ou t c ome, thro ugh an ever- d eepen in g co nne ct ion wit h mama nature, t h e spirit s t h at co nstan t ly su rrou n d u s, an d o ur an c est ors’ aid . As a sign of respec t t o the sp irit s, we c h oose to co nd u c t ou r rit u als in p rivat e. We sh ow ou r co m mit men t an d in t egrit y whe n we arrive wit h ou t e go . E go on ly st an d s t o distract u s f rom pu re hap p in ess. Wh en we allow o ur e g o t o t ake over, we l o se sigh t of wh at we really care abou t .

we h ave. We f in d o u r s elv es c h ron ic ally d issa tis f ied wit h wh at we alr ea d y possess, an d we f o r g et to f in d h appin ess in w ha t is alread y in f ron t o f u s, lovin g an d u r g ing u s on ward in ou r jou r ney. Somet imes, c lose b elo v ed on es wit h a st rong eg o c a n mess u p ou r jou r ney j u s t as mu c h as we c o u ld , w hen we let t h em in t o o d eep . I t is always impor ta nt to n ot on ly main t ain hea lthy bou n d aries wit h yo u r own ego, bu t wit h tho s e in you r lif e wh o let the ego ru n t h eir lives . L ik e a Tasman ian d evil, the eg o will rip apart wha t yo u ’v e bu ilt , so bu ild u p yo u r prot ec t ion s an d def ens es bef ore you ever let it lo o s e in you r lif e.

We ge t t oo c au gh t u p in the ‘more’ of wh at we want an d lose ou r f oc u s. I t is al ways best t o main t ain tab s o n t h e ego, so as no t to allow it t o mu c k up o ur wat ers of pu rit y. W he n t h e ego is in play, we fin d ou rselves always wantin g more t h an wh at 13 Sisters of Delphi

Feature Story Hoodoo vs Voodoo Voodoo Constructs † Healing

Vo odo o v i e w s i t e m s as ener g e t i c c a r r i e rs. In that, pra cti t i o n e r s f e e l that fi ng e rn a i l s , t e e t h, hair, and any ob j e c t s o w n e d b y a pe rs o n r e p r e s e n t an asp e ct of th e m , e t e r n a ll y. Thi s i s w h y w e c l e anse th e i te m s , s p a c e s, and w h ate v e r w e c o me into co nta c t w i t h f r om a p e rso n. The s p e l l w o r k o f Vo o do o i s fo rmu l a t e d t hro ugh a par ti cu l a r s t r u c ture and fi v e b a s i c i n t e n t io ns. The s e i n c l u d e c uring and cle ans i n g , p r o t e ctio n fro m nega ti v e f o r c e s , l uck and fo rtun e , d i v i n a t io n and i ns i ght , a n d p u nishm e nt. The n, f r o m t h e r e , we d i s cer n o u r i t e ms fo r spe l l s t h r o u g h s ym p athe tic sy m bo l i s m . W h e n we wish to b an i s h , w e u se a cho p p e d ( in h a l f ) a p p l e and b ay le af co v e r i n g i t , to b l o ck and cu t o f f g r o wth. We co u l d , a l s o , use a ba na n a f o r i t s s lip p e ry na tur e , u r g i n g t he i ndi v i d u a l t o s l i p-sl ide o n outta h e r e ! To fo c u s o n o n e asp e ct o f th e fi v e i n t e n t i o ns, whe n w e us e m a g i c k t o he al the 6

affl icted , we d o so in a f ew ste p s. First , we d iagn ose o r disc ern wh at t h e issu e is. We u se part ic u lar it ems ge are d t oward s h elpin g u s in this st at e. We migh t t ry d ivin at ion t o une art h wh et h er a t rou bled indiv id u al is c u rsed or sp iritu ally u n rest ed . We wil l try t o c on f igu re wh o cast th e c u rse, or wh at t h e e xact root of t h e problem is. T hen , we at t empt a cure . Th e c on ju rer, or p ractition er of Vood oo H o o doo, wou ld loc at e an d re m o v e t h e main sou rc e of the p roblem, an d d est roy or co m b a t wh at ever it was.

Healin g prac t it ioner s in the realm of Vood oo d o c o v er a lot of grou n d . T her e a r e t h e root workers w ho s ell h erbal remed ies, w hic h c an t reat a wid e a r r a y o f ph ysic al an d emotio na l d isord ers. Root w o r k er s a r e h erbalist s, basic a lly, a nd are t rain ed in t h e w a y o f plan t lif e an d it s m ed ic ina l u ses. Th en , t h ere a r e f a ith h ealers, wh o c onnec t w ith t h e en erget ic f or c es o f t h e u n iverse, as w ell a s spirit s an d an c esto r s , to gain applic able w is d o m s an d h elp ot h ers f ind s o la c e t h rou gh resu rrec tio n a nd emot ion al rec ognitio n.

F inal l y, we c lean se. We want to make su re t h at we cl ean se ou rselves of any negat ive resid u e, an d inhib it rec u rren c e of t h e issue . Th u s, we may c h oose to p ur su e more aid . Vo o do o is of t en t h ou gh t o f and ref erred t o, in t h e we ste rn world , as a f orm of fo l k p syc h iat ry, f or h ow it addre sses an d h elps t h ose who b elieve in it . Wh ile it s me rit h as been d ispu t ed l e ft, righ t , an d c en t er, it re al l y brin gs resu lt s t o tho se wh o prac t ic e. Plu s, it p ro v id es a livin g f or man y. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Feature Story Hoodoo vs Voodoo Fi nall y, v o o d o o v e ndo rs e xi s t f o r t r i c k s , charm s, spe l l s , a n d t h e pro fit o f g oo d s . T h e y a r e the o ne s cr af ti n g m o j o b a gs, v o o do o d oll s , g r i s - g r i s , charms, and th e l i k e , w i t h the i ntenti o n o f s e l ling to the g rea te r p u b l i c .

Hoodoo

The m a i n i n t e n t io n o f h oo d o o d i f f e r s so m e what fr om v o o d o o . W hil e v oo d o o ’s m a i n g o al is to he a l i t s p r a c t itio ne rs and al l w h o s e e k its w ond e r, h o o d o o is m o re a f or m o f f o l k magic, in h ow i t s m a i n g oal is to i m pro v e p r a c t i t io ne rs’ d ai ly l i v e s t h r o ugh ritual and co n n e c t i o n with super n a t u r a l f o r ce s. H oo d o o o p e r a t e s i nde pe n d e n t l y of go ds o r any tr a p p i n g s o f re l igio us oper at i o n . Co n j u ring sp irits and an c e s t o r s i s p re v al e nt i n hoo d o o , h o w e ve r, as i s co n n e c t i n g w ith the m fo r pe r s o n a l g a in. T his m ani p u l a t i o n i s no t to b e tak e n l i g h t l y, b y any me ans and i s m e a n t t o re sp e ct the la ws o f n a t u r e as w e l l a s a l l l a w s o f the na tur a l u n i v e r s e .

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P ractit ion ers of h ood oo u se m ine ra ls, plan t lif e, h erbs, animal bod y part s ( or cu ri o s) , bod ily f lu id s, and o bjec t s of mean in g in the ir s pells. T he term h ood oo c an be use d a s a n ou n t o ref er to its magic al syst em, as an adjec t ive t o d esc ribe o ne wh o u ses t h e c raf t or an ite m t h ey u se in t h e craft — i.e., a ‘ hoodoo woman’ ; a ‘ hoodoo sp el l ’ — or as a verb t o de scribe t h e ac t of u sin g or co njur in g h ood oo.

good n ess, or sh ow c a s ing it s wort h , as a spir itu a l f orm. I even kn ow o f a f ew you n g poet s wh o s o lely writ e in t h e vood o o ho o d o o vein . Art ist s, sc h o la r s , a nd people of all walk s o f lif e f in d solac e an d so v er eig nty in h ood oo an d vo o d o o t od ay an d make it f it in t o t h eir lives, a nd w o r k f or t h em. htt ps://med i um.com/@ioa nnis .ts iokos / hood oo-vs-vood oo-c 9da 8d5c 193b

Voodoo and Hoodoo Today

Vo o do o h ood oo is an individ u alist prac t ic e, m e aning t h at you c an m ake of it wh at you de sire . Tod ay it is a m e l ting pot of spirit u al signific an c e, wrou gh t wit h no ntra d it ion al mean s, an d m e rge d wit h wic c a an d ne w age min d set s, wh ic h has, in t u rn , f orged n ew b o nds bet ween blac ks an d white s wh o f in d solac e in its gra c e, regard less of cul tural origin . T he form h as evolved in magic al ways f rom its o rig in al root s. N ow, Instag ram is wrou gh t wit h tho se preac h in g of it s 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Hare it’s m ean in g as a t ot em or sp irit g u id e.

Natural History

H are s are mammals wh ic h are re lat ed t o rabbit s an d are in t h e zoologic al ord er Lago morph a. Lagomorph s hav e been c on f u sed wit h ro de nts f or man y c en t u ries b ut are d ist in c t f rom ro de nts in t h at t h ey h ave a se co n d pair of in c isor te e th in t h e u pper man d ible b e hind t h e main pair. The h a r e i s a v e ry p o p ul ar ani m a l s y m b o l in the ne w age a n d p a g a n co mm unity. It’ s co m m o n t o se e many ‘m o o n g a z in g ’ hare statue s , p a i n t i n gs, figure s and e v e r y t h i n g el se yo u can i m agi n e . It ’s b e c o m e m o re and m o r e p o p u l a r, and this y e ar e s p e c i a l l y se e m s to h av e a n e x p l o s i o n o f hare relate d m e r c h a n dise !

So what does the hare represent?

B es i de s t h e h a r e b e ing an e l e g a n t a n d b e autiful ani m a l i t i s a l s o an i m por t a n t p a r t o f o ur cul tur a l h e r i t a g e.

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Thi s p o s t w i l l h e l p yo u le ar n a b o u t t h e hare , the fo l kl or e s u r r o u n ding it and

Al tho u gh similar t o rabbit s, hare s are also remarkably diffe ren t . Th ey are lon gerl im b e d , swif t er t h an t h eir co usin s an d h ave more e l o ngat ed f eat u res. At f u ll sp e e d, h ares c an reac h 354 5 m p h d epen d in g on t h e so urce, makin g t h em t h e faste st lan d mammal in the UK. Euro p ean h ares ( L epus eu ropaeus) , also kn own as b ro wn h ares are wide spread t h rou gh ou t m o st of t h e U K wh ere t h ey we re origin ally in t rod u c ed b y the Roman s abou t 2000 ye ars a go. Th is is also most l ike l y t h e image of t h e h are that you are most f amiliar with. However, t h ere is a sp e cies of h are t h at is actual ly n at ive t o t h e U K:

Th e mou n t ain h a r e ( L e p us timidus) , sometim es kn own as t h e Arc tic ha r e. Hares are h erbivo r es a nd f eed main ly on g r a s s es , h erbs, f u n gi, roots a nd c ereal c rops, t h eir d iet c h an gin g wit h t he s ea s o ns . Th ey are prey t o a nu m b er of an imals in c lu ding b ir d s of prey, st oat s and f o x es . Th eir main f orm o f d ef ens e is t h eir in c red ibl e s p eed , u sin g t wist s an d tu r ns on t h eir powerf u l leg s to ou t ru n t h eir preda to r s . Male h ares are c a lled ‘Jacks’ , wit h f ema les b eing ‘ Jills’ . Th eir c ou r ts hip in volves boxin g a nd this beh aviou r gave r is e to the t erm ‘ mad M arch har e’ . Con t rary t o popu la r b elief, t h is beh aviou r is no t tw o males f igh t in g bu t in f a c t an u n - rec ept ive f em a le ha r e pu sh in g of f a ma le. U n like rabbit s, h a r es n est on t h e su rf a c e in a d epression in t h e g r a s s . T he lit t ers may c on sis t o f thr ee or f ou r you n g ( le v e r e t s ) , wit h h ares prod uc ing u p to t h ree lit t ers a yea r. Th eir breed in g p er io d la s ts f rom J an u ary t o A u g u s t. Brown h ares h av e a typ ic a l 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Hare

lif e s pa n o f t w e l ve ye ars in th e w i l d .

Wi th h e a v i e r f a rm ing ca m e m o r e p r o b l e m s fo r th e h a r e . Ch a n g e s to the h ar e s h a b i t a t d u e to l and bei ng t u r n e d i n t o farm l and ca us ed t h e m t o b e co me oppo rt u n i s t i c f e e de rs ca us i n g d e v a s t a t io n to cr ops . T h e y w e r e hunte d h e av i l y t h r o u g h o ut the l ast centur y a s a p e st sp e cie s ca us i n g t h e i r n um b e rs to d ro p d r a m a t i c a l l y. H ar e c o u r s i n g h as b e e n i l l e g al i n Wa l e s and E ng l an d s i n c e 2 00 4 and th e co n s u m p t i o n o f the ani m a l a s a d i s h has al m o st co m pl e t e l y s t o p pe d. T he re ar e als o n o w v a r io us or g ani z a t i o n s a nd char i ti e s w o r k i ng to co ns er v e t h i s u niq ue and e ni gm a t i c a n i m a l , giv ing th e h a r e a b e t t e r chance th an i t h a s h a d in al mo st th ree c e n t u r i e s .

Hares in Folklore

The h a r e i s a n a nimal w h i ch h a s b e e n cl o ake d in m y s te r i o u s f o r t ho usands of y e a r s . It ’s n o c turnal behavi o r s c a u s e d hum ans to se e v e r y l i t t l e o f it’s hab its and i ts s u d d e n a p p e arance i n s pr i n g m a y h ave b e e n 9

the re a son man y c u lt u res se e the h are as an an imal which c ou ld f reely move b e twe en t h is world and o th ers.

T he hare h as been very cl o se l y assoc iat ed wit h vario u s d eit ies f or an t iqu it y and they were t h ou gh t t o b ring lu c k, posit ive c h an ge, transformat ion an d f ert ilit y. T he y w ere also assoc iat ed with the u n kn own , re b irth an d d eat h . I n Ce l tic myt h ology, h ares are ass oc iat ed wit h t h e Go ddess E ost re, a G od d ess o f the Moon an lif e an d was said to sh apesh if t in t o a hare at eac h f u ll moon . As the h are was a sac red animal t o t h e Celt s, it was tab o o t o eat in t h e Celt ic trib e s of Brit ain , alt h ou gh in so me part s of t h e islan d it was permit able t o h u n t hare s on Belt an e. I t was said in I relan d t h at t o eat a hare was t o ‘ eat ones g r an dmother’ , most l ike l y d u e t o t h e G od d ess b e l ie fs of t h e t ime.

bunny ’ , as h are nes ts ( forms) look rem a r k a b ly like lapwin g n ests . H o w st ran ge it mu st h a v e b een t o f in d ‘ hare eg g s ’ a r o u nd t h e sprin g t ime! Th e h are is very c lo s ely assoc iat ed wit h t he m o o n an d n ot ju st in t he Br itis h I sles. Mu lt iple c ou ntr ies ac ross t h e world ha v e their own version s of h a r e a nd moon myt h s. Wha t w e k no w as ‘ t h e man in t he m o o n’ in West ern c u lt u r e is m o r e c ommon ly kn own a s the ‘ hare ( or rabbit) in the moon’ in Asia, w her e it is d epic t ed wit h a m o r ta r a nd pest le, or pou n d ing a moc h i ( a type o f r i ce cake in Japan).

T he rebirt h aspec t of t h e hare appears t o c ome f rom it’s assoc iat ion wit h Sprin g, the time of lif e an d rebirt h . T he hare is believed t o b e the origin al ‘ Easter 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Hare

H ar e s w e r e c o n side re d to be a nd r o g y n o u s o r ab l e to sh i ft s e x , s o m e t ime s with th e ph a s e s o f t h e m o o n. Thi s s h a p e - s h i f t ing b e l ie f streng t h e n e d t h e b e l ie f that h ar e s w e r e m e s s ange rs o r sy m bo l s o f t h e G o dde ss, pe rhap s e v e n t h e Go dde ss h e rs el f. In t e r e s t ingl y, in the We l s h m y t h o f C e ridwe n and Ta l i e s i n , G w io n B ach tra ns f o r m s i n t o a hare whilst fleeing fr om Ce r i d w e n .

Wi th Ch r i s t i a n i ty and the m e d i e v a l p e r i o d came the i nv er s i o n o f v a r io us o l d paga n s y m b o l s such as the ca t an d t h e h a r e . T he y we re d e m on i z e d a n d se e n to b e w i tche s ’ f a m i l i a r s, o r e ve n w i tche s i n d i s g uise . H are s ar e of t e n o u t g r azing unde r th e l i g h t o f t h e ful l m o o n w h i ch i n t h e t i me was as s o cia t e d w i t h the de vil , lu nac y a n d m a d ne ss and so li ke t h e w o l f, the y we re se e n a s i n c r e d i b l y nega ti v e a n i m a ls. It wa s a c o m m o n b e l ie f i n tha t w i t c h e s c o ul d tra ns f o r m i n t o hare s. Thi s c o u l d b e b e cause the ‘ha re’ s p a r l ia men t ’, an unu s u a l b e h a vio ur in w h i ch a g r o u p o f hare s si t fa c i n g e a c h othe r in 10

a circl e remin d ed t h em o f de pic t ion s of wit c h es co v e ns. Th is beh aviou r also usual l y t akes plac e arou n d the full moon wh en witches were believed t o m e e t an d perf orm rit u als and spells. Th is is also m o st l ikely were t h e symbol o f the moon - gazin g h are co me s f rom. H are ’s f eet were c arried as tal isman again st misf ort u n e o r il l n ess in some part s of B ritain , or even t o h elp acto rs ‘ shift’ t h eir roles. H isto ric ally t h eir gen it als we re also c arried wit h t h e b e l ie f t h at it wou ld preven t infe rtilit y. I n Sc ot lan d a hare ’s f oot f ou n d on a boat was con sid ered a c u rse and e ven men t ion in g a hare at sea was c on sid ered incre dibly u n lu c ky. I n the 1800’ s rec ommen d in g that th e person wh o e nco un t ered t h e an imal t o re p e at a prot ec t ive c h an t sho ul d t h ey see on e.

d elic at e f eat u res the ha r e is of t en port rayed thr o u g h an t h ropomorph ic is m in c h ild ren ’ s books a nd T V sh ows. On e of t h e b es t kn own d epic t ions o f a h are in a book is o f c o u r s e Lewis Caroll’ s ‘Alic e in Wonderland‘ T his magn et ism t o t h e ha r e a s a symbol is n ot a n ew thing eit h er; t h ere are m u ltip le d epic t ion s of h ar es in an c ien t c arvin gs a nd c h u rc h arc h it ec t ur e. On e of t h e most r ec o g niz ed symbols d epic t ing the ha r e is t h e t h ree h are s ym b o l. I t ’ s st ill a myst er y w ha t t h is symbol really m ea ns or wh ere it c ame f r o m . It c an be f ou n d ac r o s s Br ita in an d alt h ou gh is believ ed to be a pagan symbo l, is o f ten f ou n d in c h u rc h e s a nd ot h er Ch rist ian pla c es of worsh ip.

Hares in British Culture

H are s h ave lon g been de p icted in Brit ish art f rom scul p tures t o pain t in gs. Th e m o st popu lar images of t h e hare are most c ert ain ly t h e ‘m ad march hare’ an d the ‘moon gazing hare’ . With it’ s elon gat ed an d 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Hare

In a c i t y v e r y c l o se to my h e ar t, C h e s t e r (bei n g f ro m n e a r b y Mo l d ) the re lies a f l o o r t i l e in the ca th e d r a l d a t e d to aro und 1 4 0 0 w h i c h s h o ws this sy m bo l . In t h e C hristian panth e o n t h e s y mb o l is beli e v e d t o r e p r e se nt the h oly tr i n i t y, t h o u gh no schola r h a s b e e n ab l e to ac cura t e l y d i s c ov e r the true m e ani n g o f t h i s re o ccurring sy m bo l . T h e s y mb o l is no t ju s t re s t r i c t e d t o the B ritish Is le s e i t h e r ; i t has b e e n fo und a l l o v e r Euro p e and A si a .

Hare as A Spiritual Guide

T he ha re asks you t o valu e wh at you h ave in lif e a nd to e nsu re n ot h in g is again st you r person al et h ic s a nd mo ral s. I f you are bein g pressu rized t o d o an y thing yo u don ’ t wan t t o n ow is t h e t ime t o make you r es c a p e. Re m e mber t h at it ’ s you r lif e. H are s are of t en mu ses of art ist s an d ot h er c rea tiv e p e o p l e. I f you are c u rren t ly st ru gglin g c reat ively, the hare can h elp you overc ome you r bloc k an d all o w the e ne rgy t o f low on c e again . Anythin g t h at you are pu t t in g of f righ t n ow c a n b e ne go tiat ed wit h t h e power of h are as you r ally. A llo w things t o ru n t h eir c ou rse an d d on ’ t t ry t o mak e thing s to o complic at ed . Remember t h at by pu t t in g of f thing s yo u are simply allowin g t h in gs t o bu ild u p. I t ’ s b es t to ge t thin gs d on e an d ou t of t h e way! htt ps://spi ri t foxt arot.word press.com/2 0 1 7/0 9 /1 7/an i mal-ora c le s -the -ha re /

H ar e s a r e a n a n imal which repr e s e n t i l l u m inatio n, i ntui ti o n , p r o m i se and ba l anc e . T h e y a r e stro ngl y femi nin e i n t h e i r e ne rgy and of t e n c o m e into yo ur lif e w h e n y o u n ee d to l o o k w i th i n a n d f i g u r e things out. Ti m e t o c a l m do wn and tak e a m o m e n t ! Wi th h a r e i n f l u ence yo ur i ntui ti o n w i l l o fte n re ce iv e a b oo s t a n d y o u m ay bec ome a l o t m o re aware o f si g ns a n d s y m b o l s aro und y ou. I t ’s l i k e l y th at yo u ’r e m i s sing some th i n g i m p ortant! 11

13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Robin W he n you h eed t h e ad vic e, it l e ads t o great er selfactual izat ion an d inne r peac e.

Robin Symbolism & Meaning In The S e c r e t G arde n, Fr ance s H o d g s o n B urne tt w ro te ,

“N o t h in g in t h e wor l d i s q ui t e a s a dor abl y lo ve ly a s a Robi n wh en he s h o w s o ff – an d t h ey a re n e a r l y a l w a ys d o i n g it . ” Ro bi ns a r e n o t shy ab o ut i l l us tr a t i n g t h e i r jo y and bo und l e s s l o v e o f m usic. S ome b e l i e v e i f yo u se e a Ro bi n s i n g i n g t o yo u, it is a me s s a g e f r o m the S p irit Rea l m , s o l i s t e n cl o se l y. In a s im i l a r v e i n , Ro b ins h av e a n a s s o c i a tio n with th e s o u l a n d i t s missio n. Ro bi n c a n b r i n g yo u dire ct co uns e l f r o m t h e Go ds. 12

W he n a Robin visit s you o utdo ors, su c h as by l anding n ear you on a wal k, it mean s good lu c k is co min g you r way. Th e mo re of t en it h appen s, t h e gre ate r t h e seren d ipit y. So m e t imes t h e same Robin re p re s en t s a loved on e who ha s rec en t ly passed o v e r, tellin g you all is f in e and th ere is n ot h in g abou t which t o worry. You r loved o ne is wat c h in g o v e r y ou an d wan t s t o see yo u ha ppy. T he re are man y ot h er sup e rst it ion s abou t t h e Ro b in Red breast in c lu d in g: • It’s u n lu c ky t o kill a Ro bin . • S e e in g a Robin in t h e air go in g t oward you r righ t is an omen of improved fo rtu n e. • A Robin sit t in g on you r ro o f prot ec t s t h e h ome fro m ligh t n in g. • Ro bin s sin gin g n ear a wed d in g brin g love and marit al bliss t o t h e co uple. • W hen Robin s f eed in yo u r gard en , import an t ne ws approac h es.

As a beloved h ar b ing er o f Sprin g, Robin sym b o liz es t h e en d of on e pha s e an d t h e st art of a new on e. Robin d oes no t lo o k bac kward t o t h e ha r s h win t er. I t on ly rev els in the warm embrac e of a new season an d bearing yo u ng . Th e message f rom Ro b in is c lear: f in d wh at g iv es yo u h appin ess an d c o m f o r t her e an d n ow. Live pr es ently. D u rin g mat in g se a s o n, male Robin s d evelo p b la c k f eat h ers on t h eir hea d . T he st ripes d isappear a f ter w a r d . Bot h male an d f em a le b ir d s ret u rn t o t h eir t r a d itio na l n est in g grou n d t o r eu nite wit h t h eir mat e. If the male f rom a prev io u s yea r d oes n ot sh ow u p , then t h e f emale goes l o o k ing f or a n ew paramou r w ho s e f eat h ers an d son g s a p p ea l t o h er. I n Robin s o c iety c ommu n ic at ion , es p ec ia lly melod ic , paves t he w a y f or t h e n ext gen er a tio n. I n h u man realms, yo u c a n align Robin ’ s song w ith mu sic al t h erapy, r itu a l, a nd prayer.

Robin Spirit Animal

Th e Robin Spirit A nim a l is a c h at t y on e. I t h a s a lo t t o say pert in en t to yo u r lif e. Th e f irst me s s a g e 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Robin

Ro bi n b e a r s i s a b o ut yo ur reli g i o u s /s p i r i t u al l ife . S ome t r a n s f o r m atio n is co m i n g , f e e d i n g yo ur so ul . Ke e p y o u r p s y c h ic ante nnae up, a n d Ro b i n w il l fl y yo u th ro ug h t h e p r o c e ss. If y our Ro b i n S p irit Anim al h as f a d e d l o o k i ng fe athe rs, i t i s a f e m a l e Anim al Gui d e . T h e f e m a l e Ro b in repr e s e n t s c a m o ufl age . In na tur e , t h e c o l o rs b e tte r h e l p h e r p r o t e c t the ne st. H e re, y o u r Ro b i n S p irit A ni m a l s u g g e s t s yo u d uc k o u t o f t h e l ime l ight and fo c u s o n h e a rth and h ome . T h e f e m a l e Ro b in nev er l e a v e s h e r yo ung unatte n d e d f o r ove r 10 m i nute s d a i l y ! W h e n a Ro b i n S p irit A ni m a l v i s i t s y o u, o ne of y ou r a n c e s t o rs m ay try to g e t i n t o u ch. B e i t a r e c e n t l y d e p arte d pe rs o n o r s o m e one furthe r ba ck i n y o u r f a mil y tree, t h e r e i s s o me thing h appe n i n g d i r e ctl y af fec ti n g y o u r i n ne r circl e . Pa y at t e n t i o n t o signs, ome ns, a n d d r e am s and lis ten t o Ro b i n ’s so ng fo r clar i fic a t i o n o n th e i r me a n i n g .

13

W he n lif e get s bu sy, it ’ s e asy to f orget t h e power o f gratit u d e. Rememberin g is ano th er lesson f rom yo ur Robin Spirit An imal. B e than kf u l f or even t h e sm al l est of blessin gs in yo ur l if e. I n evit ably you r wo nder of t h e world grows al o ng wit h a person al sen se o f co n t en t men t .

is c on t agiou s. I t ’ s nea r ly impossible t o be g lo o m y wh en you ’ re wit h a Ro b in person . Th ey’ ll f i nd s o m e way of c h eerin g yo u u p .

I f Robin is you r B ir th Tot em, you t reas u r e t ru t h f u ln ess. You’r e g o o d a t seein g t h in gs f ro m v a r io u s perspec t ives an d u s ing yo u r at t u n emen t an d a w a r enes s In p o et ic mu sin g, Robin f or d ec ision making . Yo u r sho ws c ou rage an d h eroism. in sigh t sh in es a l ig ht W he n t h e Robin Spirit on an yt h in g or a nyo ne Animal c omes t o you , it ’ s “ shady ” t oo. time to grou n d f irmly an d Th rou gh ou t you r lif e, yo u e mb rac e you r c on f id en c e. Ev e ryth in g will be ok if you experien c e a gener a l s ens e trust in you rself an d t h e of c on t en t men t . Su r e, ther e p e o p l e wh o love you . You are bu mps an d h ic c o u g hs wil l need pat ien c e, so d on ’ t alon g t h e way, bu t yo u rush the proc ess. always bou n c e ba c k q u ic k ly t o t h e perky pers o n p eo p le F inal l y, t h e Robin Spirit kn ow an d love. Yo u f a c e Animal c ou ld h in t at a n ew every sit u at ion w ith ho p e re l ation sh ip in you r n ot in you r h eart . to o -dist an t f u t u re. Th e re l ation sh ip c an be a frie nd or a n ew love inte re st . Wh en t h e o p p o rt u n it y presen t s itse l f, Robin h elps you co mm un ic at e ef f ec t ively and con n ec t d eeply.

Robin Totem Animal

Pe o p l e born wit h a Robin To te m An imal are amon g the happiest you will ever m e e t. Th eir merrimen t 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Robin

S pe ak i n g o f s i t uatio ns, y ou’ r e n o w a l l f l o we r. W he n y ou ne e d t o a c t , yo u do w i th ou t h e s i t a t i o n. Past nega ti v i t y n e v e r im p e de s curr e n t o p t i o n s . Yo u’re v e ry p a s s i o n a t e , p atie nt, and w i s e i n w h a te v e r o r w h oeve r y o u i n ve st. Yo ur atti tud e i n s p i r e s m any pe ople , e v e n w i t ho ut yo u kno w i n g i t .

Walki n g w i t h Rob in m e ans b e i n g f a mil y-first i n y o u r f o c u s . You want y our c h i l d r e n ( l i t eral or f ig u ra t i v e ) p r ote cte d and s e c u r e . Yo u want yo ur nes t w a r m a n d c o zy and d on’ t t a k e w e l l to anyo ne d i s rup t i n g h o u s e ho l d pe ac e . Pe o p l e s o do ing ge t sh own t h e d o o r right q uick! Ro bi n To t e m M edicine i nc l ud e s a g o o d p o rtio n of l uc k . Yo u ’l l n o tice some ti m e s y o u w istful l y w i s h f o r s o m e t hing and i t m an i f e s t s n o t l o ng th e rea f t e r. U s u a l l y, a wish co m e s t r u e w h e n yo u ne e d some th i n g , b u t eve ry o nce i n a w h i l e a “ w an t ” sho ws up to o m u c h t o yo ur gl e e .

Robin Power Animal

W h e n y o u b e c o me d ownh e a r t e d a nd fe e l yo ur fa i th i s o n t h i n ice , se e k 14

yo ur inn er Robin Power Animal. I t of f ers ren ewed o p timism. I t ’ s like t h e su n final l y c omes ou t f rom b e hind d u ll, gray c lou d s.

As t h e ligh t sh ines o v er the h orizon , it brin g s p r o m is e. So t oo, t h e Robin.

Amon g t h e I roqu o is , Ro b in is a wise bird wh o c a n s ee Yo ur Robin Power An imal t h e f u t u re c learly ( t h e can help you d u rin g t imes white circle ar ound o f cha n ge t oo. Wh en you Robin’ s eye is a n stand at t h e t h resh old , emblem of prop h e t i c sing o ut . Robin en ergies ability) . I t repres ents wrap you in c ou rage an d n ew lif e an d ren ew a l to o . co nfiden c e f or embrac in g Robin Med ic in e ha s a whate ver await s. You gu n g- h o vibrat ion. T heir wil l come ou t of you r red breast is an i c o n f o r e xp e rien c e more self- relian t t h e Fire E lemen t , a nd in and assu red . some st ories, Robin g u a r d s sac red f ires. S p e akin g of sin gin g, t h e Ro b in Power An imal c an Blac kf oot t ribes tell te ach you you r sac red son g u s Robin is t h e bea r er o r m ant ra. E veryon e h as of peac e. I f war w a s unique mu sic imprin t ed in in evit able, seein g o ne the ir DNA. D isc overin g you r mean t t h e village w o u ld canticle is empowerin g. remain saf e. Hopi Use it an yt ime you f eel c on sid ers Robin the yo ur en ergy, st ren gt h , or gu ard ian of t h e s o u ther n ho p e wan in g. c orn er of c reat ion.

Native American Robin Symbolic Meanings

Diffe ren t t ribes asc ribe unique symbolism t o t h e Ro b in, bu t t h ere are so m e c ommon alit ies. T he Robin c on n ec t s wit h the dawn , wit h a yellow b e ak expressin g t h e su n in al l its splen d or. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Animal-Robin

The Om a h a t r i b e s b e l ie v e Ro bi ns c a r r y t h e rising and s e t t i n g s u n o n its w i ngs . T h e y a r e the ulti m a t e s y m b o l o f truth and h o n e s t y.

Robin as a Northwestern Europe Animal Symbol

Thro u g h o u t Br i t ish re gio ns, th e Ro b i n Re d b re ast was a spe ci a l b i r d . L e ge nds say Ro bi n u s e d t o b e b ro wn unti l C h r i s t ’s b l o o d co ve re d i t w h i l e h e w a s o n the cr os s . Ro b i n c a me to sing to C h r i s t , c o m f o rting him i n hi s a g o n y. An al te rnative stor y c l a i m s Ro b in’s re d co l or i n g o c c u r r e d whe n Ro bi n w e n t t o p urgato ry ca rr y i n g w a t e r f o r l o st soul s a n d t h e f i re s fro m the jo ur ne y b u r n e d its fe athe rs fo r ge n e r a t i o n s to co me .

yo ur arms open t o re ce ive blessin gs.

posit ive c h an ges a r e c omin g. Celebrate them .

If the Robin in you r d ream sings t o you , wat c h t o se e its loc at ion . Th ere is so me th in g or someon e he l p fu l n earby you ’ ve misse d. On c e you d isc over it, act qu ic kly!

Robin s f lyin g in yo u r d ream port en d suc c es s in bu sin ess. St op w o r r ying .

M any times a Robin in you r dre ams is a messen ger f rom o the r realms. Th e bird b rings t o you r t h ou gh t s mystical mat t ers you migh t strugg le wit h believin g by the l igh t of d ay. Sho ul d t h e su n be sh in in g b rightly in you r d ream as yo u e nc ou n t er a Robin ,

Robin Symbolic Meanings Key • Con t en t men t • D ivin e or An c e s tr a l Messages • G rat if ic at ion • Happin ess • New Begin n in g s • Opt imism • Reju ven at ion /Renew a l • Self E xpression • Simplic it y • Tru t h

htt ps://w hat i smyspi ri t anim a l.com/ spi ri t-totem-power-an i ma l-m e a nings / bi rd s/robi n -symboli sm- m e a ning/

In reg i o n s l i k e N or th w e s t e r n F r ance , Ro b in i s s ac r e d t o t h e Go d o f Thund e r, T h o r.

Robin Dreams

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W h e n a Ro b i n f l ie s away fr om y o u i n a d r e am, it’s ti m e to l e t g o o f so m e thing i m poss i b l e , o r yo ur d i s i l l u s i o n m e n t fro m the w oul d - h a v e , c o u l d-hav e , sh oul d - h a v e m e ntal ity. Do n’ t l i n g e r i n t he drama. W h e n y o u r e l e a se , it l e av e s

13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Stone-Aquamarine ab o ut t h e Aqu amarin e Crystal swirls arou n d wate r; f rom it s n ame t o it s b e autif u l blu e c olorin gs, and e ven d eeper – righ t do wn to it s very mean in g.

A q uam a r i n e i s a p o p ul ar blue g e m s t o n e . It is a g reeni s h b l u e c ol o r and par t o f t h e h e x ago nal cr y s ta l s y s t e m . A q uam arine h as a v i t r e o u s l uste r and i s a s p e c i m e n o f the b e ryl m i ner a l . I t ’s s h a de can ra nge f r o m v e r y p al e to v i br an t . T h e m e aning of A q u a m a r i n e i s e m oti o n a l c l a r i t y.

The Meaning of the Mermaid Stone

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The m e r m a i d s t one is a song f r o m t h e d ee p and br i ngs w h i s p e r s o f sal tw ater f a b l e s , c l e ansing sw i m s , a n d w a t e r, wate r e v e ry w h e r e . Aq u amarine i s th e o c e a n t u r ne d fro m w ater i n t o s t o n e , b ut it d oes n’t l o s e i t s sp arkl ing se a hu e s , i t s i m m e diate ca l m i n g n a t u r e , and its prec i o u s a n d p ure he al ing pro pe r t i e s . Ev e r ything

It was said t h at sea me rcha n t s wou ld c arry Aq uamarin e in t h eir p o cke ts t o prot ec t t h em fro m th e f ear of d rown in g, T he Gr eeks believed it gav e s af e an d sage passage acro ss st ormy seas, t h e Egyp tian s ad ored t h e blu e hue s an d believed it was a sto ne gif t ed as a symbol of hap p in ess. I t was said by many to be an an t id ot e t o p o iso n, a mermaid s spell, an o rac le, an d a t alisman o r o fferin g t h at h elped t o b ring t h e rain t h u n d erin g do wn upon lan d s of dro ught . It is w rit t en in t o An c ien t Gre e k myt h ology t h at Aq uamarin e wash ed ash ore fro m th e t oppled t reasu re che sts of t h e siren s. Th ose cre atu res f rom t h e Od yssey who wou ld sin g t o t empt me n in t o t h e mu rky wat ers. It was a sac red st on e t o Ne p tune an d c arried wit h it the c all of t h e oc ean al ways . Above all it was b e l ie v ed t o be a beau t if u l he al e r; a c ryst al t h at

c arried t h e su rge o f s tr o ng h ealin g vibes t h a t b r o u g ht great relief t o t he b o d y, min d an d sou l. Aqu amarin e c omes f r o m t h e beryl f amily; it is the blu e version of t his . It c omes f rom t h e r ic h la nd s of Pakist an , t h e s c o r c hed c orn ers of Ken ya , the w hite san d s of Mad aga s c a r, the t u mblin g t ea pla nta tio n vist as of Sri Lan k a , a nd even f rom ic e- bla s ted poc ket s of Ru ssia . T he most prec iou s c uts o f o c ea n brigh t Aqu amarin e c o m e f rom t h e Lat in la nd s c a p e of Brazil. For t h os e w ho seek t o kn ow mo r e a b o u t aqu amarin e mean ing , h ere’ s all you ever w a nted t o kn ow abou t t h e g em of mermaid s…

Aquamarine Healing Properties

Brimmin g wit h am a z ing h ealin g propert ie s , Aqu amarin e c rysta ls s p a r k le wit h t h e sof t sh imm er o f h ealin g vibes. Cons id er ing t h e h u man bod y is m a d e u p of seven t y per c ent wat er, perh aps it c o m es a s n o su rprise t h at this o c ea n brigh t st on e was b o r n t o be in ou r posses s io n. Aqu amarin e f ills u s w ith t h e elixir of lif e, w a s hes away resid u al t ox ic ity, a nd 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Stone-Aquamarine

ke e ps u s f e e l i n g sque aky cle an a n d e v e r r e ady to le t th e c u r r e n t c arry us w h e re v e r w e n e e d to go . Le t’ s t a k e a l o o k at the g l or i o u s h e a l i n g vib e s of th e p a l e b l u e A q uam a r i n e s t o n e .

Physical Healing Properties

A n e xc e l l e n t s t o ne fo r ph y s i c a l h e a l i n g , since the m ome n t i t w a s disco ve re d, A q uam a r i n e h a s b e e n use d as a to o l t o b r i ng we l l ne ss ba ck t o e v e r y c orne r o f the bo d y. As a t h r o at chakra stone , i t i s h u g el y he l p ful i n he l p i n g s o o t he so re th ro at s , b r i n g d own swo l l e n g l and s , a n d h e l p with any ki nd o f t h y r o i d p ro b l e m . It’ s als o a b r i l l i a nt b o o ste r of th e i m m u n e s yste m , e v e r r e a d y t o r e mind the bo d y n o t t o o v e rre act whe n i t co m e s t o h a y fe v e r and othe r s u c h a l l e r g ie s. A rare regul a t o r o f h o rmo ne s, y ou ca n a l w a y s re l y o n A q uam a r i n e t o bal ance yo u out. As s a i l o r s ne e d cl e ar e y e s to w a t c h f or sto rms o n th e h o r i z o n , Aq u amarine is all ab o u t s u p p o rting stro ng e y e s i g h t a n d b r inging l ife , light a n d v i s i o n b ack to ti red e y e s . 17

Mental & Emotional Healing Properties

W he n it c omes t o keepin g yo ur men t al an d emot ion al we l l ness af loat , t h is is whe re Aqu amarin e as on e o f the best h ealin g c ryst als trul y seems t o sh in e. T he b lu e green c olorin g instan t ly promot es c alm, b ringing a wash of relief t o a sco rch ed an d f rayed sou l. S aid to h old t h e pale blu e co l o ring of wh ere t h e sky m e e ts t h e sea, Aqu amarin e ho l ds t h emes of ref lec t ion , inv iting you t o plu n ge in and delve a lit t le d eeper to disc over you r own truths. Th an ks t o it s gen t le jo yo us mood s of balan c in g o ut e mot ion , Aqu amarin e e nsures you r emot ion s do n’t seep in t o overwh elm. It has a powerf u l t en d en c y to ke ep you f eelin g sof t and b alan c ed an d soaked in e m ot ion al c larit y, so you are able t o set asid e all judge men t an d be t oleran t o f yo urself an d ot h ers. If in th e past , you h ave struggled t o keep you r judgmen t al n at u re in c h ec k, Aquamarin e works t o bu ild yo ur un d erst an d in g h igh . B y p il in g on empat h y it inv ite s you t o set you r harde r ed ges asid e an d

makes you a lit t le m o r e malleable bu t in a w a y tha t d oesn ’ t c ompromis e yo u r in t egrit y or leave yo u r a w an d exposed wit h o u t f irm bou n d aries. Th ose wh o h ave a m ind t h at t en d s t o su r g e o u t o f c on t rol, Aqu amar ine b r ing s you bac k t o t h e h er e a nd n ow. I t is an ama z ing s to ne f or t emperin g anx iety a nd t h an ks t o it s su per c hill n at u re, it is of t en u s ed in brin gin g abou t a d eep ly med it at ive st at e. I t is said t o a st one tha t h old s it s own well w ith t h ose wh o h ave a s ens itiv e n at u re. Th an ks to its u n ravelin g of c on f u s io n to get t o t h e t ru t h , it’s a ls o a great st on e f or tho s e seekin g c losu re on c er ta in lif e even t s.

13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Stone-Aquamarine

The A q u a m a r i n e is al so ca l l e d t h e S t o n e o f C o ur a g e , p a y i n g ho m age to the i n n e r s t r e ngth and sof t re s i l i e n c e i t b uil ds i ns i de , n o t t o me ntio n its nurtur i n g a b i l i t y to he l p y ou s t e p o u t o f t he shado ws and i n t o t h e l i g h t. A ny fo r m o f c o mm unicatio n th at b r i n g s y o u fe ar; w h e th e r p u b l i c sp e aking or s i m p l y s t a t i n g yo ur needs t o f r i e n d s and famil y, A q uam a r i n e w o r ks with the th ro at c h a k r a t o ke e p yo ur v oi c e s t e a d y a n d b rings streng t h t o t h e s o ul . It’s h i g h ti m e f o r o ve rwhe l m to be wa s h e d a w a y so yo u can ste p o u t i n t o c l ear-he ade d co m m u n i c a t i o n and start g e tti n g t h e t h i n gs yo u want i n li fe .

Metaphysical Properties

Fi nd y o u r f l o w w ith the sub l i m e s p i r i t u al side o f th e s e a s t o n e . Aq uam arine h as a t o n o f p h ysical and e m o t i o n a l t h ings to te ac h y o u , b u t l ike al l g rea t h e a l i n g c r ystal s i t co m e s w i t h a to uch of s pi r i t u a l i t y t oo . It is sai d to h a v e c l a irv o yant pro pe r t i e s , g r e a t fo r tho se w h o w a n t t o g l i mp se into th e i r f u t u r e a n d de e p e n th e i r r e l a t i o n s h ip with 18

the un iverse. I t is said to b e c on n ec t ed wit h t h e H angin g Man of t h e t arot p ack. A c ard t h at isn ’ t as m acab re as it sou n d s, bu t m o re relat es t o remin d in g us ho w import an t it is t o take time ou t f rom h ec t ic l ive s to allow spac e f or quie t con t emplat ion an d ke e p in g in t ou c h wit h o ur core selves. I n sh ort , Aquamarin e sh arpen s intuition , somet h in g wh ic h we al l kn ow lead s t o bein g wise , bet t er at t u n ed t o e v e ryth in g arou n d u s, an d sitting pret t y in a plac e of p ro p hec y an d peac e.

Zodiac Birthstone

T he b irt h st on e of Marc h , the b l ue green glimmer o f Aq uamarin e is perf ec t fo r Pisc es. Th e st ar sign that is also all abou t wat er with it s symbol bein g t h e fish, Piec es are c reat ive, ge ne rou s an d c an be sup e r emot ive. W hil e t h e expression of e mo tion s is an amazin g thing, somet imes it h elps to have a st on e t o keep it fro m spiralin g an d t h is is where Aqu amarin e ge mston es an d t h eir te m p e rat e mood s c ome in handy. Th e wat ery n at u re o f a Piec es c an also t u rn

t h em in t o sh apeshif ter s , mean in g t h ey mov e f lu id ly wit h t h e c rowd r a ther tha n bec omin g solid a nd s tu c k . Wh ile t h is versat ility is amazin g, it c an a ls o m ea n t h at Piec es st ru g g le to amplif y t h eir voi c e a nd be h eard . Th is is w hy pic kin g a st on e c o nnec ted t o t h e t h roat c h a k r a c a n b e med ic in e f or t h e s o u l. I t may n ot be your birt h st on e, bu t a ll tho s e born u n d er t h e Gem ini s ta r sign , Aqu amarin e m a k es a perf ec t st on e f or yo u to o . Again , it s t h is lig ht a s a ir, go wit h t h e f low nu r tu r ing t h at you n eed . G em ini’s a r e h u gely joyf u l c rea tu r es , b u t somet imes t h eir o v er a c tiv e min d s c an d rag t hem d o w n in t o a wh irlpool. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Stone-Aquamarine the shore so you c an swim to sweet f reed om. From Fe ng Sh u i f abu lou sn ess to the glimmerin g oc ean insp ired gemst on e jewelry, he re a re all t h e ways you can b rin g a blu e d ose of Aquamarin e in t o you r lif e…

Home & Office

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Aquamarin e brin gs it s wate ry won d er t o Fen g S hui, en su rin g t h at it s p e ace fu l presen c e soot h es a ro o m in an in st an t . I t ’ s Thi nk o f Aq u a m arine as a gre a t st on e t o plac e in bei ng t h e i r i d e s ce nt stil l the b e d room f or t h ose w ater s l a p p i n g at the sho re , sl umb erou s sleeps t h at i nv i ti n g y o u t o p l unge in are n’t in t erru pt ed by t h e to c oo l y o u r i n n e r he at and m ind w orkin g a million fi nd fa b u l o u s r e fre shme nt m il e s an h ou r. i n the d e p t h s . Arie s and S co rpio c a n a l s o b e ne fit It can also be plac ed on t h e fr om t h e h e a l i n g e ne rgy o f e ye s for t h ose d ays wh en th i s l i g h t b l u e s to ne . e ne rgy levels are low an d yo u feel in t h e n eed f or Using Aquamarine a quick revival. For t h ose S o ho w d o you br ing t he who feel t h ey n eed a lit t le e xtra h elp in t h e work stone t ha t c a pt u r es t he se a in t o your da ily lif e? de p art men t , Aqu amarin e can b e a great of f ic e t ool to o . T h an ks t o it s abilit y t o H av i ng y o u r o w n p ie ce o f e nco urage t h e best levels A q uam a r i n e i s g uarante e d o f co mmu n ic at ion an d it s to k e e p y o u s o f t, so o the d high l evels of empat h y it and fe e l i n g c l e anse d right can e ff ec t ively c u t ou t all d own t o t h e b o n e . T his that o ff ic e d rama in you r stone i s s u p e r a de p t at l ife . Aqu amarin e is also h e l pi n g g u i d e y o u o ut an amazin g med it at ion of toxi c s i t u a t i ons and to o l as it in vit es t h e min d e nc our a g i n g y o u to l e ave to sink d own d eeper in t o th e ba g g a g e o f t he p ast o n

u n d ist u rbed bliss . L ik e the oc ean it self, Aqu a m a r ine is less abou t wad ing in o r wallowin g, an d m o r e a b o u t get t in g as d eep a s yo u c a n bear t o be.

Jewelry

Prin c ess E u gen ia o f Sp a in is said t o h ave ado r ed Aqu amarin e as a p r ec io u s jewel pressin g ag a ins t her skin . I t is a st u n ning s to ne t o beh old , a beautif u l blu e t h at f ills t h e hea r t wit h c alm. On e o f the b es t ways of u ppin g y o u r inner vibrat ion s is t o c ho o s e gemst on e jewelry. D irec t skin c on t a c t is wit h ou t a d ou bt the best way of soaking u p t h at soot h in g mo o d . Wh et h er pen d an t, r ing o r Aqu amarin e bracelet tha t c on n ec t s d irec t ly to the pu lse, you c an f eed yo u r h eart d irec t ly wi th the h ealin g propert ie s o f this oc ean - bou n d st one. I f you are seekin g c omplemen t ary s to nes tha t h elp raise t h e vib r a tio ns of Aqu amarin e yo u c a n also pair it wit h To p a z , Morgan it e, Tou rma line an d Agat e. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items How to Cleanse Your Aquamarine

Stone-Aquamarine

W h i l e y o u r Aq u a m arine je welr y m a y m a k e the m o st of i ts s h i m m e r i n g o ce an m oo d s , i t a l w a y s he l p s to k e e p y o u r g e msto ne s cle ans e d a n d c l e ar so the y ar e ab l e t o b e r echarge d w i th e n e r g y r e a d y fo r the next r o u n d . U n s urp risingl y, A q uam a r i n e t a k e s to wate r lik e a d u c k . To ke e p i t c l e a n yo u can sub m e r g e i t i n wate r fo r a few ho u r s o r i f yo u want a q ui c ke r c l e a n i n g, use warm soa py w a t e r t o w ash away th e to x i c i t i e s a nd rinse w e l l . En s u r e t h e wate r yo u us e to c l e a n i s n ’t to o ho t as the l a s t t h i n g yo u want i s fo r y o u r b e a u tiful b l uish g reen c r y s t a l t o go into th e rma l s h o c k . Thi s i s a s t o n e t hat al so lo v es t h e r a i n s o if yo u w ant t o g i v e i t its Jo ie De Vi v r e b a c k , y o u can al so le av e i t o u t i n t h e rain th e ne x t t i m e a sp ring o r summ e r s t o r m r o l l s into town. N o t o n l y wil l this cle ans e i t w i t h M o the r N ature ’s t o u c h , b ut it wil l als o i n v i t e a p o te ncy b ack i n a nd u p t h e v ib ratio ns. 20

Geological Properties Chemical Classification

B e ryl grou p min eral Color

B l ue -green t o green ish - blu e Occurrence

B razil , Pakist an , Mad agasc ar, Af gh an ist an , Nig er ia , Zamb ia, Mozambiqu e, an d several ot h er c ou n t r ies . Formation

Fo rm e d by t h e c ryst allizat ion of magma or by hydro t h ermal ac t ivit y. Other characteristics

b l ue -g reen c olor, h ard n ess of 7.5- 8 on Moh s sca le, he xagon al c ryst al st ru c t u re

Final Thoughts on Aquamarine

Aquamarin e is an amazin g st on e f or t h ose wh o a r e drawn t o t h e c lean sin g en ergy of wat er. I t s n am e ev en transl at es t o wat er of t h e sea in An c ien t G reek . W hether l andl o c ked or even if you live c lose t o t h e sea, it’s a sp e cial t h in g t o always h ave t h e su rge of t h e oc ea n cl o se t o you r h eart . We kn ow h ow h ealin g it c a n b e to the b od y, min d an d sou l t o immerse ou rselves in o c ea n m o o ds. I t ’ s wh y we f lee t o t h e beac h es an d f all into a swe e t c alm wh en ever we h ear t h e son g of t h e w a v es . htt ps://t i nyri t uals.co/blogs/t i ny-ri t uals/aquamari n e-mean ing-s tone -gu ide hea ling-prope r tie s

13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Flower-Gladiolus Gladiolus – Sword-like Leaves

The g l a d i o u s f l owe r ( p l u r a l g l a d i ol i ) is as ri c h i n s y m b o l i s m as it is i n c olo r. T h i s b e autiful bul b ( t e c hn i c a ll y a c o rm) f l o w e r c o nve ys a c omp e l l i n g s p iritual m e ani n g . Ad d i t io nal l y, a glad i o l i v e r y w e l l b e a power f u l o m e n in the ri ght c i r c u m s t a nce s.

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W h at m a r k s t h e p re se nce of g l ad i o l i i n y our l ife as si g ni f i c a n t o r n o t is o nl y fo r y o u t o d i s c e r n—did a lo v ed o n e p r o v i d e the m as a g i f t ? Or, p e rhap s yo u w alke d p a s t t h e m o n the street a n d t h e y caught y our e y e ? T h e y are m ighty e y e -c a t c h i n g , a r e n’t the y? M ay b e y o u n o t i ce d the m fo r sale at t h e g r o c e ry sto re ? We l l , f o r w h a t e v e r re aso n, y ou fe e l a s t h o ugh the re m i g h t b e a m e s sage the re .

T he v ery f irst t h in g t h at stands ou t as sign if ic an t whe n in vest igat in g the symbolism of t h e gl adiolu s f lower is t h e name . I n Lat in , t h en n ame “g l a d iolus” mean s “ little swor d” . Wh ile t h e plan t ’ s fl o we rs prot ru d e u pward s in a l on g st em, t h at is n ot why th ey are n amed af t er swo rds . Ac t u ally, t h e plan t ge ts it s n ame f rom t h e l e av e s , wh ic h gen u in ely d o l o o k l it t le Roman sword s. It m ak es perf ec t sen se. In fact , on e of t h e gl adioli’ s c ommon n ames is “sword lily ” .

Gladiolus and Love

S o , wh at c an we d isc ern fro m t h e mean in g of t h e fl o we r’ s n ame? Well, natura lly sword s are we ap on s, d esign ed t o d o harm an d d ef en d f rom harm. However, a message o f v io len c e is n ot really p art o f t h is f lower’ s sp iritual mean in g. Actually, it is qu it e t h e co ntra ry. Th is is bec au se the fl ower is st ron gly asso cia t ed wit h love.

Ho w d o e s th i s p a i r u p w it h i ts a s s o c i a ti o n wi th t h e s wo rd , th o u g h ?

Well, t h e sword - l ik e lea v es are su pposed t o p ier c e the h eart . Bu t , n ot li ter a lly of c ou rse! I n st ea d , they pierc e t h e h eart w ith lo v e. Th eref ore, t h e gi f t o f glad ioli f lowers i s c er ta inly a powerf u l symbo l o f the love bet ween t wo p eo p le.

Symbol of Resurrection and Rebirth

I t is t ypic al f or u s to assoc iat e sprin g f lo w er s wit h rebirt h . Bu t , the glad iolu s is n ot a s p r ing f lower at all. I n f a c t, it c an f lower qu it e la te in the su mmer an d even c o ntinu e in t o t h e au t u mn .

S o , wh y i s th e g l ad iol us a s s o c i a te d wi th r e b ir th e ve n th o u g h i t is not a s p ri n g f l o w e r ? Well, bec au se it g r o w s f rom a c orm. A c o r m is a n u n d ergrou n d st or a g e o r g a n similar t o a bu lb tha t s to r es en ergy wh ile t h e p la nt is d orman t . Th is mea ns tha t, d u rin g t h e win t e r, it m ig ht seem t h at t h e gla d io lu s is c omplet ely gon e a nd d ead . However, w hen the t ime c omes n ew s w o r d - lik e leaves will sprout f r o m the grou n d an d t h e pla nt w ill seemin gly be reb o r n. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Flower-Gladiolus

S o, a s a p e r s o n al m e ssage , y ou ca n t a k e t h e gl adio l us flower a s a r e m inde r th at e v e n w h e n it se e ms as tho u g h s o m e thing i m por t a n t t o y o u is o v e r, th e re i s a l w a y s a stro ng chance t h a t t h i n g can co me ba ck t o l i f e .

40th Wedding Anniversary Flower

And, in t h e same way a f lower is assoc iat ed with ea c h m o nth, eac h wed d in g an n iversary year also h a s a f lo w er asso cia t ed wit h it . I n t h e c ase of t h e glad iolu s , it is the 4 0 th wed d in g an n iversary. htt ps://symbolsan d syn chron i ci ty.com/spi ri t ual-mean i n g-of-the -gla diolu s f lowe r/

Gladiolus, a Symbol of Africa

W h i l e t h e r e a r e gl adio l us spe ci e s n a t i v e t o many par ts o f t h e w o r l d, it is pe rti n e n t t o b e aware th at th e g l a d i o l u s is— or i g i n a l l y — a n African flower. I t s c e n t er o f d i v e rs i t y i s i n S outh Africa. Thi s m e a n s t h a t the fl o we r fi r s t e v o l v e d t h ere . As suc h , w e c a n u s e the g l adi o l u s f l o w e r as a sy m bo l f o r Af r i ca.

August Birth Flower

In th e 1 7 0 0 s , En gl ish ar i s toc r a t M a r y Wo rtl e y M onta g u e c o n c eive d o f “b i rth fl o w e r s”. Like bi r th s t o n e s , e a c h mo nth o f th e y e a r h a s a n asso ciate d flower. A p e r s o n b o rn in th at m o n t h i s t h e n b e l ie v e d to ta ke o n s o m e o f the pro pe r t i e s o f t h a t fl o we r. The g l a d i o l u s f l owe r is the bi r th f l o w e r f o r August.

22

13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Herb-Sorrel T he fl owers are he rm a ph rod it e ( have bot h male and female organs) an d are p o l l ina t ed by Bees, f lies and Cleist ogomy ( selfpol l i nating without fl o w er s ever opening ) . T he Welsh c all t h e sorrel “c r i n che cranche. ”

Edible Uses:

Effects:

Flowers -

he al in g, h ealt h , spirit u al he al in g, af f ec t ion , joy, m ate rnal t en d ern ess

Wood Sorrel

( S p i ra e a Ul m ari a) Folk Names:

A le l uya , Al l e l u i a , Co mm o n Woo d S o r r e l , K azayagi, M ount a i n Wo o d so rre l , S l e e pi n g - b e a u t y, Witte Kl av er z u r i n g Woo d - s o r r e l ( L at i n o x a l i s , wo o d sorrel , f ro m G r e e k , f ro m o x u s, s o u r ) i s o ne o f th e ch a r a c t e r i s t ic e arl y spri ng - f l o w e r i n g p l ants of th e w o o d l a n d fl o o r, along w i t h w o o d ane mo ne , blueb e l l a n d r a m so ns. It i s char a c t e r i s t i c o f o l d w oo d l a n d , n a t i ve o akwo o d, d e m e s n e p l a n t a t io ns and sh ade d h e d g e b anks. Le av e s ba s al, s t a l k e d , w ith 3 he art sh aped l e a f l e t s . 23

Cu rd lin g agen t ; Flo w er s ; Leaves. Leaves -

raw or c ooked . A d elic io u s lemon y f lavou r, t he lea v es make a ref resh in g , thir s tqu en c h in g mu n c h a nd a r e also ad d ed t o sal a d s , s o u p s , sau c es et c . Th is lea f s ho u ld be u sed in mod er a tio n.

Planet:

raw. A d ec orat ive a d d itio n t o salad s. Th e d r ied p la nt c an be u sed as a c u r d ling agen t f or plan t m ilk s

Associated Deities:

Medical Indications:

Ve nus

Fairie s , E lves, Wood lan d S p irits

Magickal Uses:

S o rre l is u sed f or h ealin g. T he dried leaf is said t o b ring lu c k, prot ec t t h e he art from d isease, an d e nab l e on e t o see f airies. F re sh sh amroc ks are p l ace d in t h e sic kroom t o b ring healt h an d h ealin g. S hamroc ks are sc ared t o the triple G od d ess. A f ou rl e afe d sh amroc k brin gs fame , wealt h , f ait h f u l love, and p erf ec t h ealt h . A f ivel e afe d sh amroc k is u n lu c ky. A two -leaf ed on e en ables the wearer t o see t h eir future love.

An od yn e; An t isc o r b u tic ; Ast rin gen t ; D iu re tic ; E mmen agogu e; E xpec t oran t ; Febr if u g e; I rrit an t ; St omac h ic . Sorrel h as sen sit iv e lea v es t h at f old u p at n ig ht an d at t h e t reat o f b a d weat h er. I t s beautif u l wh it e f lowers, veined w ith red , bloom f rom Ma y to J u ly. Cold sorrel tea c a n h elp wit h h eart bu r n a nd liver d isord ers. S teep tw o t easpoon s per c u p o f w a ter f or t wen t y min u tes ; the d ose is a qu art er - c u p f o u r t imes a d ay. Or m a k e a t in c t u re. Take t en to thir ty d rops f ou r t imes a d a y. T he leaves are eat en in s o u p s an d salad s. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Herb-Sorrel

The fr e s h o r d r i ed l e av e s ar e an o d y n e , a ntisco rb utic, as tr i ng e n t , d i u r etic, e m m e n a g o g u e , e xp e cto rant, feb ri f u g e , i r r i t a n t and stoma c h i c . A d e c o ctio n is us ed i n t h e t r e a tme nt o f fev er s , b o t h t o que nch the th i rs t a n d a l l a y the fe v e r.

he l p ful on in sec t bit es, stings, wart s, an d infe cted wou n d s.

E xte rn a l l y, t h e le av e s ar e cr u s h e d a n d ap p l ie d lo c all y t o d i s p e l b o il s and ab s c e s s e s , t he y al so h av e a n a s t r i n g e nt affe ct on w o u n d s . W h en use d i nter n a l l y, s o m e cautio n i s adv i s e d d u e t o the oxali c a c i d c o n t e nt o f th e l e a v e s , t h e p l ant is co ntr a - i n d i c a t e d fo r p e o p l e suf fer i n g f r o m gastritis o r a ca l cul u s c o n d i t i o n.

Sheep sorrel

The l e a v e s o f t he wo o d sor rel a r e u s e d f re sh o r d ri ed, b o i l e d i n wate r fo r fi v e mi n u t e s t o r e duce fev er a n d q u e n ch thirst. The pl a n t a l s o h as diure tic pro pe r t i e s , b u t it sho ul d b e us ed s p a r i n g l y by p e o p l e suf fer i n g f r o m go ut o r rhe uma t i s m a s i t co ntains O xali c s a l t s .

Homeopathic Uses:

H ome o p a t h s u s e O xal is ac e tos e l l a j u i c e o n ca nc e r o u s g r o w ths o f the lip. Th e f r e s h j uice is al so 24

Caution:

p eop le with weak ki d n ey s should av oid sor r el because of high ox a l i c acid content. S he e p ’s Sorrel is h igh in vitamin s A, B c omplex, C, D, K & E wh ic h makes it a gre at ad d it ive t o you r d iet . It al so c on t ain s oxalic ac id , so dium, pot assiu m, iron , m angan ese, ph osph orou s, b e ta ca rot en e.

Also f or blood d is o r d er s , skin c on d it ion s, in f lammat ion , d ia r r hea , exc essive men st r u a tio n. Sh eep sorrel assi s ts the bod y in t h rowin g o f f a ny viral in f ec t ion . Bec au se leaves ar e r ic h in vit amin C,t h e p la nt h ave been u sed a s a n an t isc orbu t ic f or c entu r ies . Th e h igh vit amin C c o ntent is on e reason t h e p la nt h as been c alled one o f the st ron gest an t ioxi d a nt her b s we c an u se.

S he e p Sorrel t ea is gaining popu larit y as an anticanc er agen t & f or its ab ilit y t o break d own & re duc e t u mors. Sh eep so rre l h as also been u sed to tre a t t h e sid e ef f ec t s o f che mot h erapy, t reat in g m o uth & t h roat u lc ers, dige stive d isord ers, he m o r rh oid s, loss of ap p e tit e, f evers, sc u rvy & infe c t ion s. S he e p sorrel leaves h ave b e e n valu ed as a d iu ret ic to re move exc ess f lu id fro m t h e bod y, f or u rin ary & kidn ey c omplain t s & t o stre ng t h en t h e h eart . 13 Sisters of Delphi

Power Items Herb-Sorrel

It he l p s s t r e n g t he n the i m m un e s y s t e m . S o rre l i s ri c h i n i r o n , g r e at fo r trea ti n g c o n s t i p atio n, b l o o d d i s or d e r s , s k i n d ise ase , rhe uma t i s m & i n dige stio n. The ric h c o m b i natio n of v i ta m i n s & mine ral s pro m o t e t h e g l andul ar h e alth o f t h e e n tire b o dy. S h e e p s o r r e l i s a dige stive regul a t o r, m e a n ing that it ca n a c t a s a n a n ti-diarrhe a agent a s w e l l a s a l axativ e , d e pe n d i n g o n t he he al th o f th e d i g e s t i v e t r a ct

O xal ic ac id also seems to p ro mot e f ast er blood co agulat ion t ime, wh ic h m ake s it h elpf u l t o c on t rol he m o r rh ages. I t is also he l p ful f or c h ron ic bowel tro ub l es. Th is h erb c an h elp jaundic e, liver & blad d er p ro b l ems like st on es & grave l. I t is of t en t aken as a sprin g t on ic t ea,as a cl e ans in g agen t & a de toxif ier. It is also great f or cl e ans in g t h e syst em of he avy met als su c h as lead , arse nic & merc u ry. In case of t oot h ac h e h old so rre l leaf over t h e sore to o th un t il pain is gon e. An inf u sion of t h e leaves can b e u sed as a mou t h wash for mou t h u lc ers, or to cl e a n in f ec t ed wou n d s. S he e p ’s Sorrel ju ic e, wit h a l ittl e vin egar, was co nsid ered a c u re fo r ringworm. S he e p ’s Sorrel leaves c an b e mad e in t o a pou lt ic e f or acne pu st u les, boils & ot h er we e p y skin c omplain t s. S he e p sorrel may improve the dry, sc aly & it c h y skin sym p toms of ec zema. Crushed , f resh leaves are ap p l ied as a pou lt ic e t o b o il s & c arbu n c les. Bot h the ro ot & t h e seed were

25

f ormerly est eeme d f o r their ast rin gen t proper ties & were employed to st em h aemorrh ag e.

PRECAUTIONS:

Do no t take s he e p ’ s so rrel if yo u have kidn e y sto n es. Exces s ive us e m ay c ause s o me laxatives t o i n c rease their actio n, do n o t tak e this herb at the sam e ti m e yo u take laxativ es. Large d oses may c a u s e s id e ef f ec t s of st omach u p s et, n au sea & d iarrh oea . Sh eep’ s Sorrel c onta ins oxalat es. People w ith a t en d en c y t o d e v elo p rh eu mat ism, art hr itis , g o u t & h yper- ac id it y o r k id ney st on es sh ou ld av o id it. I n large qu an t it ies , sh eep sorrel c an c a u s e st omac h pain s & r ena l & liver d amage.

MAGIC:

Sh eep’ s Sorrel c a n b e u sed as in c en se to p r o tec t t h e c at t le again s t d is ea s e & worms. I t is al s o s a id t o ward of f lic e. Fo r c lean sin g n egat iv e a r ea s o f d ish armon y & ill. A d d to h ealin g sac h et s & poppet s.

htt ps:/ /www. f a ce b ook. com/29 7 1 7 29 3 3 79 7536 /pos ts /ma gic ka lherb-of-t he-we e k-s or re lwoodsorrelspi raea-ulma r ia f olk-na m e s aleluya-all/954 4 55204735969/

13 Sisters of Delphi

Futhark Runes Gebo

o ccur in t h e lif est yle. Th e final ou t c ome will st ill be m arke d by posit ivit y an d harmo n y; in f ac t , G ebo is o ne o f t h e most posit ive rune s. I t speaks main ly of fre e dom, bu t also of h ope, l o ve , w ish es t h at c ome true , new relat ion sh ips, and ren ewed en t h u siasm fo r l ife. The G e b o r u n e is a w ond e r f u l r u n e that ca n he l p u s w o r k o n o ur e v e ry d a y l i f e w ith fre sh pos i ti v e e n e r g y and high ra d i an t v i b r a t i o ns.

What does the Gebo rune mean? Geb o r u n e m e a ns so cial ity and fr e e d o m . If during d i v i na t i o n , t h e Ge b o rune as s um e s a n i m p ortant pos i ti o n , i t m e a n s that the co ns ul t a n t w i l l r e ce iv e a gi f t t h a t c o u l d b e a h ar bi n g e r o f e t e rnal jo y in th e i m m e d i a t e f u ture . It c an b e a m a r riage , a soli d r e l a t i o n s h ip , a g rea te r d e p t h o f fe e l ing, or th e i m p r o v e me nt o f e co no m i c c o n d i t io ns th ro ug h a c o m p any.

26

H oweve r, s o m e t h ing m ust be s a c r i f i c e d i n the name of all t h i s a n d c h ange s al so

T his ren ewed in t erest in l ife will f avor soc ial an d p e rso nal relat ion sh ips, which f rom t h is momen t on wil l cert ain ly be ric h er an d m o re reward in g. Afte r th e t ran sf ormat ion with Ken az, t h e gif t , G ebo, with c ommu n ic at ion , re l ation sh ips, an d t h e m utual exc h an ge of co nce pt s an d id eas c omes to us. I t is in h alat ion an d e xhal at ion , givin g an d re ce iv in g, meet in g an d se p ara t in g, t h e in t ert win in g o f de stin y su mmarized in the X t h at symbolizes t h is rune : t h e pat h s t h at c ross, the meet in g poin t wh ere the re is n o lon ger an I or yo u, bu t on ly u s.

Before we continue

Wo rking wit h ru n es t akes skil l an d pat ien c e an d isn’t rec ommen d ed in most case s. I provid e t h ese “ do

it y ourself ” artic les f o r ed u c at ion al pu rpo s es , b u t it is st ron gly reco m m end ed t h at you c on su lt a d ivin at ion expert a nd allow t h em t o d o the w o r k f or you .

Elder Futhark Runes Reading

Th e n ame c omes f r o m t h e I n d o- E u ropea n r o o t gh ebh —a t erm t ha t in d ic at es somet h ing passed f rom on e p er s o n t o an ot h er, f rom w hic h t h e E n glish words g iv e, to give, an d gif t als o d er iv e. Th e ru n e is c on sec r a ted t o Vjof n , god d ess o f h armon y, rec on c ilia tio n, brot h erh ood , f riend s hip , solid arit y, an d allia nc e. G ebo is t h e ru n e o f relat ion sh ips, f am ily, f rien d sh ip, an d lo v e, h eld t oget h er by c o ns ta nt mu t u al exc h an ge, no t n ec essarily in a m a ter ia l sen se. Wh et h er a lo o k , a c aress, or a smile , ther e mu st always be a b a la nc e bet ween t h e parties , ot h erwise t h ose w ho rec eive more will s o o ner o r lat er f eel u n c omfo r ta b le, an d t h e same will ha p p en t o t h ose wh o giv e m o r e. Balan c ed exc h ang e m ea ns respec t an d c on s id er a tio n 13 Sisters of Delphi

Futhark Runes of th e f a c t t h a t yo u and I a re t h e s a m e a nd that th e ref o r e w e a r e b o th e xpec t e d t o c o n trib ute e q ua l l y. Re f l e c t ing o n this rune, w e m u s t no t sto p at th e re l a t i o n s h i p s b e twe e n pe ople o r a t m o st b e twe e n pe ople a n d a n i mal s, it is nec e s s a r y t h a t t he re is a b ala n c e a l s o w ith the na tur e t h a t s u r r o unds us, M othe r Ea r t h w ho ho sts us, w h o f e e d s u s , a nd who we too of t e n e x p l o i t.

re surrec t ed , makin g all h er e ffo rts in vain .

righ t balan c e in the n ew bon d .

T he p eac e bet ween t h e t wo divine lin eages, h owever, was b y n ow irremed iably co m p r omised an d t h e c lash was inevit able: Od in led the armies of t h e Ases an d thre w h is javelin at t h e e ne m y f orc es, bu t t h is d id no t p r even t t h e Van i f rom de stro yin g t h e walls of Asgardh r an d c rossin g it s wal l s w it h impu n it y.

Mead is t h e d rin k tha t b es t represen t s G ebo. Onc e t h e f amilies were u nited , all t h e Ases an d Va ni spat in sid e a c au ld r o n to seal t h e n ew pac t. F r o m t h eir saliva was b o r n the wisest c reat u re in the u n iverse, Kvasir, w ho w a s immed iat ely kille d b y t wo d warves.

O ur r e l a t i o n s h i p with the pl ane t r i g h t n o w is no t w or ki n g v e r y w el l and th i s l e a d s u s t o a majo r e nv i r o n m e n t a l disaste r. Just as b e tw e e n t h e two famil ie s of g od s , b e t w e e n the Ase s and th e Va n i , i t is e sse ntial to f i nd b a l a n c e and mutual e xc h an g e t o s t r e ngthe n a bo nd t h a t i s v i t a l fo r us.

In re alit y, t h e st ru ggle al ways seemed t o main t ain a sub st an t ial balan c e an d fo r this reason , t h e t wo factio n s f in ally d ec id ed on a co nferen c e t h at wou ld smo o th ou t t h e d if f eren c es that ha d arisen u p t o that momen t .

The cl a s h b e t w e e n the go ds bega n w h e n a g o dde ss, Gul l v e i g , D r u n k enne ss o f Go l d , o f t h e Va ni l ine age , se t fo o t o n t h e sacre d so il of th e As e s t o b r ing gre e d and co r r u p t i o n . The A s e s g a t h e re d against th i s pl a g u e f o r t he ir pe ople , t r i e d t o kil l the bea rer o f m i s f o r tune s, but th r e e t i m e s she was 27

Gebo

T he foc al poin t of t h is me e ting was t h e exc h an ge o f ho stages t o gu aran t ee mutua l loyalt y: t h e Van i se nt the most in f lu en t ial charact ers of t h eir co m mu n it y t o t h e Ases, nam e l y N jord r an d h is chil dren Freyr an d Freyja, and in exc h an ge, t h e Ases o ffe re d t h em as a pled ge the wise Hoen ir an d M im ir. Th e exc h an ge was b e ne fic ial t o bot h f amilies who sin c e t h en f ou n d t h e

Th ese d warves, div id ing t h e blood in t o t h r ee p a r ts an d mixin g h on ey w ith it, c reat ed t h e d rin k s a c r ed t o t h e god s, mea d . H o ney, a masc u lin e princ ip le, is c ombin ed wit h pu r e s p r ing wat er, a f emin in e p r inc ip le, givin g lif e t o a p er f ec t d rin k t o seal bala nc ed a nd last in g u n ion s.

13 Sisters of Delphi

Futhark Runes A po pu l a r d r i n k thro ugho ut th e an c i e n t w o r ld, m e ad is se rv ed t o k i n g s and he ro e s, ca pab l e o f g u a r a nte e ing i m m or t a l i t y t o t he go ds along w i t h n e c t ar and ra g w e e d . T h e p oe tic i m agi n a t i v e c a p a city can b e ac q ui r e d o n l y b y drinking th e s a c r e d m e a d , the re fo re onl y a s a r e s u l t o f a divine g i ft. M e a d i s t h e drink of th e a f t e r l i f e , o f b ards and d r u i d s , a n d o f wise m e n. Re l a t i o n s hip s are i m por t a n t t o u s , b e twe e n fr i e nd s , b e t w e e n l o ve rs, and be t w e e n p a re nts and ch i l d r e n , i n which ca s e th e r e i s a l w ays an i m poss i b l e d e b t to p ay o ff, th at o f l i f e . N othi n g c a n b e w o rth mo re and th e o n l y w ay to re p ay one ’ s p a r e n t s f o r this gift is to li v e b e t t e r, f u l fil l o ne ’s d e s ti n y, c r e a t e val ue s, and, i f de s i r e d , g i v e a no the r spi ri t t h e o p p o r tunity to rei nca r n a t e a n d b e b o rn.

Gebo meaning if upright

Geb o c a n n o t c o me out up s i d e d o w n . T his char ac t e r i s t i c s ymb o l ize s th e g r e a t e s t g i f t that h as b e e n g i v e n t o m e n: fr e e d o m , f r o m which al l th at i s b e a u t i f u l in l ife d e ri v e s . T h e r e f o re , Ge b o ’s 28

Gebo

me ssag e, u prigh t or u psid e do wn, will always be the same. Th e release of Ge b o mean s t h at a n ew acquain t an c e is bein g e nv isaged t h at c an relat e t o wo rk or f amily, f rien d sh ip, o r co u ple relat ion sh ips. I t wil l b e a key experien c e, ce rtain ly a very posit ive o ne . However, t h e c ross o f Ge bo, t h e arc h et ypal symb o l of su f f erin g, re m ind s u s t h at you c an o nl y rec eive it if you h ave giv e n it : on ly if yo u are gen erou s you can b e repaid . We mu st learn t o ac c ept the gif t s wit h wh ic h we are welc omed by n at u re (d i v i ne or earthly) an d the p eople arou n d u s, bu t we m ust also get u sed t o p utting ou r virt u es t o good use in f avor of ot h ers. Ge b o r emin d s u s t h at f irst o f al l we are in d epen d en t and free bein gs an d that in an y relat ion sh ip (professional, s en t i mental, or fri en dship) , we are h appy o nl y if we kn ow h ow t o maintain ou r in d epen d en c e.

on ly t ru e assoc ia tio n is tha t mad e u p of c omp lete a nd in d epen d en t peop le w ho preserve t h eir ind iv id u a lity even if t h ey u n it e w ith eac h ot h er. Wh at ever t h e level o f t h e relat ion sh ip ( lov e relationships, b us i ne s s matters, or tie s of various kinds) , r em em b er t o let t h e win d s o f H ea v en blow bet ween yo u . T hen t h ere is an ot h er k ind o f assoc iat ion t h at w e m u s t n ow c on sid er, an d tha t is on e t h at c an ma k e yo u d isc over, as it is r ea liz ed , an even great er u nio n— u n ion wit h t h e Ov er s - elf an d u n ion wit h t he Div ine.

It al so warn s you , h owever, that you mu st n ot set t le do wn or c an c el you rself in this u n ion . I n f ac t , t h e 13 Sisters of Delphi

Futhark Runes The fin a l g i f t o f this rune is t h e r e a l izatio n o f th e Div i n e i n e v e rything we d o: Go d i s o n l y in ri ght r e l a t i o n s h ip s.

Gebo meaning in love, work, and health Love:

lo v e i s c e r t a i n l y rec i pr o c a t e d . O n e is attr ac t e d t o a p e rso n who sh ar e s t h e s a m e p assio ns, tas tes , a n d d e s i re s. We m us t t a k e a d v a n tage o f th e pr e s e n t m o me nt and pe rhap s d e c i d e to se rio usl y co ns i d e r t h e p o ssib il ity of m ar r i a g e . Work:

so f ar t h e y h a v e wo rke d h ar d a n d w i t h a l o t o f

Gebo

co mm it men t . N ow t h ey wil l reap t h e reward s of the ir ef f ort s. I f u n expec t ed p o ssib ilit ies open u p, G ebo adv ises t o seize t h em, l e av ing asid e f ears, if the y a re c on vin c ed of t h e p o ssib ilit y of su c c eed in g in the new en t erprise. Health:

yo u ar e in good h ealt h and you mu st en su re t h at it is main t ain ed . I t is t ime to “t r eat y ourself ” to sp e cial c are. Maybe a we e k en d at t h e spa, a change in n u t rit ion to ward s a h ealt h ier d iet , o r a gen eral med ic al c h ec kup . W h en it c omes t o he al th , preven t ion is b e tte r t h an c u re. W he n G ebo is ext rac t ed , the m ean in g of u n ion , b al anc e, an d exc h an ge mu st b e ana lyzed . Spirit u ally, the rune in d ic at es t h at so me th in g wit h in u s h as re co nc iled , t wo opposit es such as good an d evil, mal e a n d f emale, or past and p r esen t . We are read y to re l a t e t o ot h ers, t o join a p e rson in love, t o make a frie nd sh ip, or t o st art a p ro je c t wit h ot h er people.

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This rune cannot be overturned.

I n t h e emot ion al s p her e, it c ou ld in d ic at e a n immin en t marria g e, a n ew relat ion sh ip , d eep er f eelin gs, an d c los er emot ion al t ies. At a n ec on omic level, t her e are improvemen ts , new employmen t c on t r a c ts , new c ompan ies, agree m ents , an d mergers en vis a g ed . I t is n ec essary t o k no w ho w t o ad apt t o c h an g e, no t oppose it , an d t he o u tc o m e will c ert ain ly be p o s itiv e. As f or h ealt h , if yo u ha v e good h ealt h , you j u s t need t o t ake some prec a u tio ns t o main t ain it and d ed ic a te t ime t o you rself, w hile in c ase of illn ess, t h er e w ill be a rapid rec ove r y.

How to work with the energy of the Gebo rune?

• U se it as a love o r f rien d sh ip t ali s m a n • Amazin g t o c o nnec t w ith someon e we lov e • Wear it d u rin g intim a te d at es t o boost yo u r s ex d rive • Powerf u l t alism a n to h on or blessin g s in yo u r lif e an d get ri d o f c u r s es • Brin g it wh en s ig ning a n import an t d oc u m ent 13 Sisters of Delphi

Futhark Runes The special message from Gebo rune to you • • • • • •

Gebo

Li v e t h e m a g ic o f se x M y s t i c a l u n i o n and “sacre d marriage” bet ween part n ers Und e r s t a n d i n g the true me aning of t h e gif t an d bon d Gi v e y o u r s e l f fro m within H ar m o n y b e t w e e n b ro the rs and sist ers an d lovers Fav o r s , c o n t r acts, o b l igatio ns, de bt , an d oat h s

Gebo rune magical uses • • • • • • • •

I t is a s y m b o l o f unio n, frie ndship, love, an d bon d . I t p r o m o t e s o p e nne ss and av ail abilit y t o ot h ers. I t su p p o r t s t he inne r m ystical union an d c on t ac t wit h t h e h igh er self. I t b r i n g s h a r mo ny and p e ace to in t erperson al relat ion sh ips. I t d i s p o s e s t h e so ul to giv e and to rec eive wit h seren it y. I t is u s e d i n se xual magic and myst ic al u n ion s. I ts a m u l e t t a ke s into acco unt avaric e, rigid it y, an d mat erialism. I t b i n d s s p e l l s as we l l as b l e ssings an d c u rses. htt ps://magi ckalspot.com/ge b o-r u ne /

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Famous Witch Ellen Dugan

E llen ’ s popu lar m a g ic k a l books h ave been t ran slat ed in t o ov er ten f oreign lan gu age s . Wh en sh e’ s n ot w o r k ing on h er n ext book p r o j ec t, or keepin g u p wi th her f amily ( the kids a r e out on their own, a nd t h e young est is in G r a d ua t e school) , E llen li k es to u n win d by worki ng in her peren n ial gard en s a t h ome wit h h er h u s b a nd o f 31 years. E llen wh oleh earted ly en c ou rages f olks to r ec la im t h eir person al pow er an d t o person alize their Spell- c raf t .

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E ll e n D u g a n i s t he award-winning au t h or of f if t een bo ok s , a n d i s k no wn as the “Gar d en Witch” .

To go ou t sid e an d c o nnec t wit h t h e spirit u a l s id e of n at u re. To get their h an d s d irt y an d d is c o v er t h e won d er an d ma g ic k of n at u ral world tha t su rrou n d s t h em.

A ps y c h i c - c l a i r v o yant, she has b e e n a prac t ic in g Wit c h fo r o v e r t h i r t y ye ars. We l l kno wn fo r h er c an d or an d h umor, s h e i s a Maste r Garde ne r, an d is t h e High P ri es te s s o f h e r Co ve n in the S t. Lo uis area.

Visit h er popu lar s ynd ic a ted “ B log of Witch er y ” at www.ellen d u gan . b lo g s p o t. c om

E ll e n t e a c h e s c l asse s b o th o nl ine an d ac ross t h e c ou n t ry on Wi t c h e r y, Ps ychic Pro te ctio n, and Magic k. Sh e h as co ntr i b u t e d a r t i cl e s fo r o v e r twe l v e years t o Llewellyn ’ s M agi c a l Al m a n a c, Witche s Date b o o k, Sabbat Alman ac , and Wi t c h e s Ca le ndar.

You c an visit h er w eb s ite a t www.ellen d u gan . c o m htt ps://w w w.llewellyn.com/author. php? author _ id=3188

13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Victim Barbara Zdunk he r l if e in t o t h e h ell an d e nde d it in a t ragic way.

Scary witch or unlucky woman?

A mong t h e t h o u sands o f th ous a n d s o f i n no ce nt pe ople k i l l e d b y the or g ani z a t i o n k n o wn as th e H o l y In q u i s itio n, we re i nnoc e n t m e n a nd wo m e n. Peo pl e w h o s e l i fe sudde nl y star te d t o d e p e n d to the unq ua l i f i e d j u d g e s. O fte n, th e b u n c h o f g o ssip s re l ate d to the w i t c h c r a ft was the rea s on o f t h e p ro ce ss e nde d w i th th e d e a t h se nte nce . O ne o f s u c h a s to rie s bec am e t h e r e a s o n why B a rb ar a Z d u n k h ad to die . S h e w a s b o r n i n 17 6 9 in Res z el n o w i n Po l and, but d u r i n g t h e l ife time of B a r b a r a , i t b e l o nge d to P r u s s i a . H e r l ife was pe rhap s p r e t t y c o m mo n an uni m p r e s s i v e until the bli nd a c c u s a t i o n s change d 32

H e r l if e h as c h an ged whe n in 1806 t h e t raged y to uched h er c it y. I t was the nigh t f rom 16 t o 17 S e p te mber, t h e gran aries we re f u ll. Th e f ire bu rn ed al m o st everyt h in g t o t h e gro und . People t ried t o find th e explan at ion t o t h is trage d y, so t h ey t u rn ed t o the cl osed - min d ed belief ab o ut t h e „ bad witches” . T ho se t imes t h e soc iet y was st ill af raid of women who se lif e was d if f eren t than ot h ers. If the y d id n ’ t h ave a husb an d , c h ild ren or d id n ’ t find any ju st if ic at ion , t h ey we re ju d ged by t h e soc iet y as we ird or d an gerou s. T ho se t imes Z d u n k was a m aid f amou s of h er im p re ssive kn owled ge re l ate d t o magic . People b e l ie ved t h at sh e h ad t o be a witch . B arb ar a f ell in love wit h a m an wh o d id n ’ t sh are he r fe elin gs. His n ame was Jako b Au st er, an d ac c ord in g to so me resou rc es h e was ve ry you n g, maybe even a te e nager, wh en Barbara was 3 8 years old . He wasn ’ t

in t erest ed in t h is w o m a n. Wh en t h e c it y wa s b u r ned , someon e said t h a t Ba r b a r a pu t t h e f ire t o punis h the world f or h er brok en hea r t. Some people c laim ed they h ave seen Barbar a c ha nting t h e spells f u ll of a ng er an d h at e. Th ey believ ed sh e wish ed t h e c itiz ens o f Reszel t o su f f er a s m u c h a s h er h eart . Th ere is an ot h er theo r y sayin g t h at Barba r a w a s a men t ally ill wom a n, w ho c au sed t h e f ire o f the c ity wit h ou t an y awa r enes s wh at h as sh e d on e. However, t h ere is n o evid en c e t o t h is st ory eit h er.

The victim of insane ideas

I n f ac t , Reszelwa s b u r ned by polish sold ier s f r o m t h e army of Napo leo n Bon apart e. Howe v er, the proc ess of Barbar a w a s v er y c omf ort able t o t h e s o ld ier s , n obod y was in t er es ted in t h eir gu ilt s. At t h e same t ime , m a ny people seemed t o b e a w a r e of h er in n oc en c e . T he c a s e of Barbara Zd u n k w a s v er y d if f ic u lt , an d at the end o f t h e proc ess n obod y w a nted t o make t h e f in al s entenc e. 13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Victim Barbara Zdunk

The ref o r e , t h e one who d e ci de d t o e x e c u te he r was ki ng F r e d e r i c k Wil l iam III of P ru s s i a .

W hy d i d he ma ke s u ch a d ec i si o n?

T he resou rc es f rom d if f eren t part s of t h e c on t i nent sugge st t h ere were more women killed d u e t o the s a m e re aso n in t h is period . Alt h ou gh Z d u n k migh t n o t b e the l ast woman wh o d ied in su c h a c irc u mst an c e, s he a p p ea r s as a symbol t h is c ru el period in t h e h ist ory of Eu r o p e. htt p s : / / ww w.slavorum.org/barbara-zd un k-t he-last-executed -slav ic -witc h-by-the i n qui sition-in-pola nd/

D i d he rea d t h e documen t s rela t ed t o t he process? Wa s he awar e t h a t he sen d s t o dea t h t h e in n oc en t wo m a n? B a rb ar a w a s e x ecute d just af te r h i s d e c i s i o n o n August 2 1 , 1 8 1 1 . Ac c o r d ing to the no te s b y t h e w i tne ss o f he r e xec ut i o n , Ba r b ara was suf fo c a t e d t o d e ath b e fo re burni n g h e r a t t he stake .

The last witch?

It i s b e l i e v e d t h at B arb ara w as th e l a s t w i t c h e xe cute d i n E ur o p e . Al t h ough it is nea rly i m p o s s i b l e to find und ou b t f u l c o n cl usio n w h i ch p e r s o n w as the l ast e xec ut e d f o r w i tchcraft, it i s ac ce p t a b l e t h a t he r de ath too k a p l a c e a t t he e nd o f lo ng -la s t i n g m a d ne ss o f ki l l i ng p e o p l e i n the name of I nq u i s i t i o n

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian King James I p anics in t h e lat e 16t h ce ntury an d f irst h alf of the 1 7t h c en t u ry. Wit c h hunting plagu ed E u rope, b e ginnin g in t h e 15t h ce ntury wh en t h e id ea that wit c h es worsh ipped the de vil began t o t ake ho l d. Bu rgu n d y, I t aly, Switzerlan d , G erman y, an d Scandin avia all en d u red o utb reaks of wit c h pan ic s during t h is t ime.

In th e 1 5 9 0 s , K i ng Jam e s I o f S c o t l a n d ’s f e ar o f w i tchc r a f t b e g a n stirring up nat i o n a l p a n ics, res ul ti n g i n t h e to rture and d e a t h o f t h o usands. Duri ng t h e l a t e 15 0 0 s S co tl a n d b e l i e v ed the d e v i l w a s a t w o r k in the la nd . L o c a l s t a l k e d ab o ut h i s ab i l i t y t o r a ise sto rms, ki l l l i v e s t o c k , a nd sp re ad d e adl y i l l n e s s . S atan so ught to und e r m i n e h uman soc i e ty f r o m w i thin and w as r e c r u i t i n g s e cre t age nts to do h i s b i d d i ng. T ho se d i ab ol i c a l a c t o r s we re w i tche s , a n d t h e autho ritie s beli e v e d t h e y h ad to b e e ra d i c a t e d f o r t h e sake o f th e ki n g d o m . S co tl a n d w a s n o t al o ne in fa l l i ng v i c t i m t o witchcraft 34

Afte r t h e Ref ormat ion divide d E u rope in t o Pro te st an t an d Cat h olic in the early 16t h c en t u ry, b o th sid es h u n t ed wit c h es. During t h is period of re l igiou s ref orm, ru lers wante d t o prove t h eir go dl in ess. Th ey perc eived the unh oly an d evil as the so u rc e of u n rest and disord er. Witch- h u n t in g c ou ld be se e n as an ext en sion of the P rot est an t Ref ormat ion as p arish min ist ers an d go v e rnmen t au t h orit ies so ught t o c reat e a “ godly st a t e” in wh ic h everyon e wo rshipped c orrec t ly, an d sin and u n god lin ess were wip e d ou t . I n n u meric al te rms, Sc ot lan d ’ s wit c h hunts were severe.

Bet ween 1590 and 1662, f ive in t en se pan i c s er u p ted ac ross Sc ot lan d : 1590- 91, 1597, 1628- 1631 , 16491650, an d 1661- 62. As a resu lt of t h e s e p a nic s , ou t of a popu lat io n o f rou gh ly a million p eo p le, abou t 2,500 ac c u s ed wit c h es, most of them women , were exe c u ted – f ive t imes t h e a v er a g e E u ropean exec u t io n r a te per c apit a. Sc ot la nd ’s su sc ept ibilit y t o w id es p r ea d pan ic over wit c h es a nd wit c h c raf t was, i n p a r t, d et ermin ed by t h e r o le of on e man : t h e Sc o ttis h ru ler Kin g J ames VI, w ho , f ollowin g t h e d ea th o f E lizabet h I , bec a m e K ing J ames I of E n gland in 1603.

The king’s book

Sc ot t ish Parliame nt ha d c rimin alised wit chc r a f t in 1563, ju st bef ore J a m es ’s birt h . Th e ac t ma d e b eing a wit c h a c apit al of f enc e. Nearly t h ree d eca d es passed bef ore t h e f ir s t major wit c h c raf t p a nic arose in 1590, w hen K ing J ames c ame t o believ e tha t h e an d h is D an ish b r id e, An n e, h ad been per s o na lly t arget ed by wit c hes w ho c on ju red d an gero u s s to r m s 13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian King James I

to tr y t o k i l l t h e ro yal s d ur i ng t h e i r v o yage s acro ss th e N o r t h S e a .

O ne o f t h e f i r s t accuse d i n thi s p a n i c w a s a wo man na m e d G e i l l i s D uncan, fro m Tr ane n t i n Ea s t Lo thian. In l ate 1 5 9 0 h e r e m p l o ye r, Da v i d S e t o n , a c cuse d he r and to r t u r e d h e r into a co nf e s s i o n i n w hich she na m e d s e v e r a l acco mp l ice s. Dunc a n l a t e r r e t racte d he r co nf e s s i o n , b u t b y the n the pani c w a s w e l l unde r way. Ki ng J a m e s s a n ctio ne d w i tch t r i a l s a f t e r an alar m i n g c o n f e s sio n in 1 5 9 1 f r o m a n a c cuse d w i tch, Ag n e s S a mp so n. It wa s r e v e a l e d that 2 0 0 w i tche s — e v e n s ome fro m Denm a r k — h a d sail e d in si e v e s t o t h e c h u rch o f th e co a s t a l t o w n o f No rth B er w i c k o n H a l lo we e n ni ght i n 1 5 9 0 . The re t h e d e v i l p re ache d to the m a n d e n co urage d th e m t o p l o t t h e king’s d e s tru c t i o n . Af t e r he aring th e s e c o n f e s s i o n s, e v e n th oug h t h e y h a d b e e n e xto rt e d b y t o r t ure , Ki ng J a m e s a n d his adv i s e r s c a m e t o b e l ie v e a wi tc h c r a f t c o n sp iracy th rea t e n e d h i s re ign. 35

It mus t h ave been alarmin g, b ut al so grat if yin g, t o h ave the de vil alleged ly say t h at the kin g was h is great est e ne m y on eart h .

at t rac t ed sc h olar ly inter es t in t h e 16t h c en t u r y, a nd t h e kin g’ s book r ef lec ts h ow J ames saw him s elf as an in t ellec t u al.

Ge il l is D u n c an an d Agn es Sam p son were t wo of many pu t t o d eat h d u rin g the fir st great pan ic . Al tho ugh it c an n ot be said with cert ain t y h ow man y susp e ct ed wit c h es were e xe cuted d u rin g t h e No rth Berwic k t rials, mo re th an a h u n d red p e o p l e were implic at ed .

D aemon ologie ex p la ins t h e way t h e d evil o p er a ted in t h e world . He w a s the lead er of f allen a ng els , w ho h ad bec ome d emo ns . T hes e d emon s mad e pac ts w ith people an d gran ted them powers t o work h a r m f u l magic . Ac c ord in g to J a m es ’s book, t h eref ore, w itc hc r a f t was a sec ret c on s p ir a c y bet ween h u man s a nd d emon s, wh o we r e o u t to d o all t h e h arm t hey c o u ld .

Six ye a rs lat er an ot h er p anic broke ou t . On c e again, wit c h es were re p o rt ed t o be c on spirin g against Kin g J ames p e rso n ally. A woman nam e d Margaret Ait ken , the so - c alled great wit c h o f B al w earie, c laimed a sp e cia l power t o d et ec t o the r wit c h es, man y of who m were pu t t o d eat h on he r word alon e. T his pan ic h alt ed abru pt ly whe n Ait ken was exposed as a frau d . Th is in c id en t e m b ar rassed wit c h - h u n t ers gre atl y, an d t h at same ye ar, part ly t o ju st if y t h e re ce nt t rials, Kin g J ames p ub l ish ed h is t reat ise, Dae mon ologie. Wit c h c raf t

13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian King James I

A ga i ns t t h i s c o nsp iracy, th e fa i t h f u l ’s o nl y ho p e w as to a p p e a l t o Go d—and e s pe cia l l y t o t h e Go d-give n power s o f k i n g s l ike Jame s. Later p o l i t i c a l e v e nts sh i fted w i t c h h u n ting away fr om t h e c e n t r a l p l ace i n Jam e s ’s w o r l d v ie w of h i s r o l e a s a d ivine l y or d ai n e d k i n g . Afte r Ja m e s s u c c e e d e d Q ue e n E li z ab e t h I a s s ove re ign o f E ng l an d i n 1 6 0 3, he face d a ne w r e l i g i o u s o p p o ne nt: m i l i ta n t Ca t h o l i cs.

C a th ol i c c o n s p i r acie s th rea t e n e d h i s cl aim o n the E ng l i s h t h r o n e , in m uch th e s a m e w a y t he No rth B er w i c k w i t c h e s thre ate ne d h i m i n S c o t l a n d . Afte r the Gunpo w d e r P l o t o f 16 0 5 — Guy Fa w k e s ’s p l a n to b l o w up Par l i a m e n t a n d kil l the ki ng— J a m e s t u r ne d away fr om h u n t i n g w itche s in fa v our o f r o o t i n g o ut any C a th ol i c c o n s p i r acie s.

From royal to local

E v en t h o u g h K i n g Jam e s’s attenti o n s h a d shifte d, i d e as a b o u t w i t chcraft had pe rme a t e d S c o t tish so cie ty. The no t i o n o f w itche s as a d e m o n i c c o nsp iracy d e s cen d e d t h r o u gh the lo wer l e v e l s o f lo cal 36

go v e rnmen t , makin g t h e witch h u n t s of t h e 17t h ce ntury loc al as well as natio nal af f airs.

c on spirac ies. Ou ts id e t h e pan ic period s , b y c on t rast , t h ere w er e a t ric kle of c ases.

T he re was a geograph ic al p atte rn t h at sh ows t h e state ’s in t erest in root in g o ut wit c h es: Heavy wit c h hunting t ook plac e in areas ne ar th e c en t res of st at e p o we r, su c h as Fif e an d Lo thia n . Fear of t h e d evil was at it s peak whe n t h e st at e was de te rmin ed t o en f orc e re l igiou s u n if ormit y.

Most prac t ic al mea s u r es t o weed ou t wit c hes w er e t aken by t h e loc a l lea d er s of Sc ot t ish soc iet y, the laird s ( local ari s t ocr a t s ) an d min ist ers. Th ey f o r m ed kirk session s ( par i s h committees of t h e church) t o su pe r v is e the people an d t o br ing them t o god lin ess.

M o re th an h alf of all Sco ttish wit c h - h u n t in g to o k plac e d u rin g brief bu t inte nse period s of pan ic . I n o ne l oc alit y af t er an ot h er, the au t h orit ies u n c overed e vide n c e of apparen t wit c h

Kirk session s wer e no t c rimin al c ou rt s, b u t t h ey c ou ld arrest a nd in t errogat e su spec ts an d pass c ases on to the sec u lar au t h orit ies . Mo s t of f en c es t h at kirk s es s io ns d ealt wit h c on c e r ned 13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian e xtr ama r i t a l s e x, which m ay e x p l a i n w h y so m any S co tti s h f e m a l e witche s w e re a c c u s e d o f se x with th e d e v i l .

King James I

W h i l e m a n y o f t he se i nc i d e n t s b e g a n l o cal l y, some p a n i c s i n Sco tl and h ad or i g i n s o v e r se as. T he th i rd n a t i o n w i d e p anic bega n i n 1 6 2 8 a nd p ro b ab l y sprea d t o S c o t l and fro m Ger m a n y, w h i c h al so e xper i e n c e d a h u ge up surge of w i tc h - h u n t i n g in the l ate 1 6 2 0 s a t t h e t i me o f the Thi rty Ye a r s ’ Wa r. The e f f e c t o f s u ch p anics w oul d h a v e b e e n fe l t at the m o s t l o c a l l e v e l : In w e s t e r n S c o t land, i n the p a r i s h c h urch o f Dundo n a l d , f o r e xamp l e , on N o v e m b e r 8 , 1 6 2 9 ,“t h e m i ni s t e r p u b l i c l y ou t o f t he p u l p it . . . d i d i nh i b it a n d d i sc h a r g e a ll sor t s o f c h ar m i n g , a n d r e s o r t in g t o ch a rm e r s , c o n su l t i n g w i th w iz a r ds , sor c er er s, and others of that s o rt , c e r t ify in g a l l a n d s u n dr y w ho d i d s o i n t im e c o mi n g , t he y s ho u l d b e . . . pro sec u t e d w it h d e a th , a s fo r t h e cri m e s o f w it c h c r a ft .” 37

The accused

wh o was u n well, “ that I pray ed ill for yo u, an d now I see that pr ay er hath taken effe c t.” Peasan t s u su ally d id no t wan t t h eir loc al w itc hes exec u t ed . E ven s o , they d id n ’ t objec t wh e n the au t h orit ies exec u ted them .

O nce t h e in it ial su spec t s we re pressed t o n ame acco mplic es, h owever, t h e l atte r were ac c u sed less of harmful magic an d more o f havin g mad e a pac t with the d evil. For women , this usu ally in c lu d ed a se xual relat ion sh ip wit h the male d evil. Th e f ew accusa t ion s again st men o m itted t h e sexu al elemen t . A m an h ad t o d o somet h in g quite spec if ic an d rare in o rde r t o be c h arged wit h witchcraf t . As a resu lt , 85 p e rce nt of t h e c on vic t ed witches were women .

Sc ot t ish wit c h - h u nting w a s part ly abou t loc a l q u a r r els an d part ly abou t the elite’s f ear of t h e d evil, b u t s o m e of it was also abou t m a g ic a l f an t asy. Some pe o p le really believed t ha t they c ou ld c ast spells. H o w ev er, t h ese spells were g ener a lly ben evolen t . Mari o n G ran t , in Aberd eens hir e in 1597, c u red sic k c a ttle by c ast in g sou t h -r u nning wat er on t h em in the n ame of t h e Fat h er, the Son , an d Holy G h o s t, a nd “ Christsonday, ” the na m e of an an gel in f olk b elief. Th e in t errogat or s tho u g ht t h at Ch rist son d ay w a s really t h e d evil, s ho w ing t h e c u lt u re gap betw een the c ommon f olk an d the elite.

T he main st ereot ype of an acc u sed wit c h was an e l d erly, qu arrelsome fe m al e. Of t en t h e in it ial susp e c t s in a pan ic wou ld b e ind ivid u als wh ose ne ighbou rs c omplain ed of the ir harmf u l magic .

Q uarrels were of t en a so urce of ac c u sat ion s. S o m e t imes, villagers did indeed c u rse t h eir ne ighbou rs d u rin g a f eu d , b ut usu ally people sou gh t re co nciliat ion s. Con f ession s and neigh bou rs’ t est imon ies re v e al mu c h abou t qu arrels and curses. Kat h erin e Craigie, t ried in Orkn ey in 1 6 4 0 , t old h er n eigh bou r,

Confessions through torture

Wit c h - h u n t ers u n w itting ly c reat ed evid en c e thr o u g h t ort u re. Pan ic s w er e c reat ed an d f u ele d b y t ort u rin g su spec t s a nd t h en askin g t h em to na m e 13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian King James I

th e i r a c c o m p l i c es. T he pe ople t h u s n a me d co ul d be a rr e s t e d a n d m ade to co nf e s s t o a p a c t with the d e v i l . S o m e c o nfe ssio ns als o i n c l u d e d f antastical e l e m e n t s a n d t ol d o f bi z a rr e e x p e r i e nce s. T he 1 6 4 4 t r i a l o f M argare t Wats o n r e c o r d e d the fo l l ow i n g s t a r t l ing de tail s: “ T h ou ha st conf essed t hat . . . t h ou and the re st of t he w i t c h e s d ug up co r pse s of d e c e a s ed p ersons, fr om w h om y ou took m e mber s t o a c c om pl ish your De vilish d e s i gns; a t your me e t ings y o u b l a sp hemed G od’ s name a nd y o u used to dr ink and d a nc e ; Ma l l ie P a te r son r ode up on a cat, Janet Lockie rod e up on a cock , t hy aunt Ma rg a ret Watson r ode upon a h a w thorn tree, t hou t hy se lf rod e up on a b und le of st r aw, a nd Je a n Lachl an r ode upon a n e l d er tree.”

re al act ivit ies; t h ey are fantasies c on c oc t ed by co nfused , d espairin g, an d te rrified people, searc h in g de sp e r at ely f or t h e answe rs t h at wou ld sat isf y the ir in t errogat ors.

T he re was n o n eed f or su c h susp e c t s t o be c on vic t ed o f harmf u l magic if a pac t with the d evil c ou ld be p ro ve d by a c on f ession . B e cause of t h e perc eived so cie ta l t h reat posed by t h e de vil , t h e c ou rt s ac c ept ed fl imsy evid en c e. I n S co tl an d c on vic t ed wit c h es we re bu rn ed , as in most Euro p ean c ou n t ries. Rat h er than bein g bu rn ed alive, ho we ver, it was t h e c u st om in Scot lan d t o st ran gle susp e c t ed wit c h es at t h e stake f irst .

Loc al pan ic s st ill f la r ed u p f or an ot h er h alf c entu r y o r so. Sc ot lan d ’ s u niq u e c a s e of vigilan t e ju st ic e o c c u r r ed in t h e small f ish ing to w n of Pit t en weem in the ea r ly 1700s. Th is lat e ep is o d e illu st rat es wh at mig ht h appen wh en t h e p o p u la c e h ad been persu ad ed to f ea r wit c h es, bu t t h e a u tho r ities were n o lon ger w illing to exec u t e t h em. Fou r of t h e Pit t en w eem su spec t s c on f esse d to wit c h c raf t , bu t t h en they ret rac t ed t h eir c onf es s io ns . Th e c en t ral au t ho r ities in E d in bu rgh ref u se d to a llo w a t rial, an d t h e s u s p ec ts h ad t o be released .

Panics die down

In the lat e 17t h c en t u ry re l igiou s plu ralism S l e e p d e p r i v a t i o n was the b e came more ac c ept able. m os t c o m m o n me tho d o f Ne w sc ien t if ic id eas tor tur e . Af t e r a bo ut thre e unde rmin ed t h e d ogmat ic d ay s w i t h o u t s l ee p , no t ce rtaint y abou t wit c h c raf t . onl y w o u l d a s usp e ct l o se Co urts ref u sed t o ac c ept th e ab i l i t y t o r e sist the ir co nfe ssion s t h at migh t h ave q ues tio n e r s , b u t the y wo ul d b e e n ext ort ed by t ort u re. als o s t a r t t o h a l l ucinate , Witch-h u n t in g bec ame less le adi n g t o m a n y co nfe ssio ns vital to t h e st at e, an d t h ere th at i n c l u d e d e xo tic de tail s we re n o more n at ion al lik e s a i l i n g i n s ie v e s. T he se p anics af t er 1662. ar e no t s o b e r a c co unts o f 38

13 Sisters of Delphi

Witchtrial Villian King James I

H oweve r, o n J a n uary 30 , 1 7 0 5 , a crowd killed on e of t h e ac c u sed women , J a net C o rnfo o t , b y d r agging he r to the b e ac h , plac in g a d oor on t op of h er, an d piling s to nes onto t h e d o o r u n til she die d. For all t h e g r u e so me ne ss o f its mo b ju st ic e, t h e Pit t en weem c ase wou ld be a m o ng S co tl a n d ’s l a s t w itch p anics. T he l ast exec u t ion of all t ook plac e in D orn oc h in 1727, and i n 1 7 3 6 , t h e B ritish Parl iame nt repealed t h e 1563 wit c h c raf t st at u t e. S i nc e t h e n s o m e smal l m o nume nts have been erec t ed t o t h e vic t ims of wit c h p a nic s i n S c o t l a n d , b u t the re are cal l s fo r a larger, more f ormal mon u men t t o rec og nis e the g rea t i n j u s t i c e p e rp e trate d against t h e t h ou san d s of in n oc en t women an d me n to r tu r ed and ki l l e d d u r i n g the gre at p anics of f ou r c en t u ries ago. https ://w ww.n ati on al ge o g ra p h i c .co.u k / h i s to r y- a n d -civ i li sat i on /2 0 19 /1 0 /royal-obsessi on -black-magi c-st arted-e u rope s -mos tb r uta l-witc h

39

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Maponos

t h em , s i n g i n g o f s u mme r T h e fo re s ts a d o rn e d wi th a c ro wn o f g re e n benea th p l a ys th e Go d , i n t h e g l a d e s o f s u mme r T he h a rp o f M a p o n o s vi b ra te s th e a i r, a nd l a te , i n th e twi l i g h t, st i l l i t’ s s u mme r Maponos, Oengus mac Óc and the Spirit of Poetry

​by Heron

M apo n o s : ‘ t he S on ’ is a G all o - B r y t h o n ic go d o f y outh , h u n t i n g and music. H i s ce n t r e o f w orship was th e ‘lo c u s M a pon i ’: th e C lo c h m a b e n Sto ne in no rthe r n B r i t a i n. In C ul h w c h a n d O l we n, M ab on s o n o f M o dro n ‘M o t h e r ’ , h a s t o b e res c ue d f r o m i mp riso nm e nt i n o rd e r f o r t h e hunt of Twr c h Tr w y t h to be s uc c e s s f u l .

A Hymn to Maponos at Midsummer The sun sai ls h igh in a n everd a rk sky And Mapon os r ides t he t i d e of su m m er Ta ll are t he gr a sses g rown i n t h e f ields the Breez e si ghs t h r o u gh 40

T he Welsh poet , Hen ry Vaughan wrot e t o h is co usin , t h e an t iqu ary J oh n Aub re y, in Oc t ober 1694, in re sp o nse t o a requ est t h at he supply d et ails of an y re mna n t s of t h e d ru id s in Wal e s. He was presu mably l o o kin g f or evid en c e of t h e awe nyd d ion men t ion ed by Giral du s Cambren sis bu t what Vau gh an gives h im is so m e thin g qu it e d if f eren t . H e re is part of Vau gh an ’ s re p l y to Au brey:

“ … t h e a n ti e n t B a rd s … co m m u n i c a te d n o th i n g o f t h e i r k n o wl e d g e , b u tt by wa y o f tra d i ti o n : w hi c h I s u p p o s e to b e t he r e a s o n th a t we h a ve no a c c o u n t l e f t n o r a ny s o rt o f re ma i n s , o r o th e r mo n u me n ts o f t heir l e a rn i n g o r wa y o f liv in g . As to th e l a te r

B a rd s , yo u s h al l h ave a mo s t c u ri o u s Ac c ount of th e m. Th i s ve i n o f p oe tr ie th e y c a l l e d Awe n , w h ic h in th e i r l a n g u a g e sig nifie s ra p tu re , o r a p o e tic fur or e & (i n tru th ) a s m any of th e m a s I h a ve c onve r se d wi th a re (a s I m ay s a y ) g i f te d o r insp ir e d wi th i t. I wa s tol d b y a ve ry s o b e r, k now ing p e rs o n (n o w d e ad ) th at i n h i s ti me , t h e r e w as a yo u n g l a d fath e r l e ss & mo th e rl e s s , soe ve r y p o o r th a t h e was for c e d to b e g ; b u tt a tt l ast w as ta k e n u p b y a r ic h m an, th a t k e p t a g re at stoc k of s h e e p u p o n th e mountains n o t f a r f ro m th e p l ac e wh e re I n o w d w e l l w h o c l o a th e d h i m & se nt h im i n to th e mo u n tains to k e e p h i s s h e e p . Th e r e in S u mme r ti me fol l ow ing th e s h e e p & l o oking to th e i r l a mb s , h e fe l l into a d e e p s l e e p i n w h ic h h e d re a mt, th a t h e saw a b e a u ti f u l l y o ung m an wi th a g a rl a n d of g r e e n l e a f s u p o n h i s he ad , & an h a wk u p o n h i s fist: w ith a q u i ve r f u l l of Ar r ow s a tt h i s b a c k , c om ing 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods towa rd s hi m ( w hist ling se vera l m ea su r es o r tu n es all t he w a y ) a t t l ast let t t he haw k f ly a t t him , w hi c h (h e dr ea m t ) g ot t i n t o hi s m o u t h & inw ard part s, & su ddenly awa k ed i n a gr ea t f ea r & con st ern atio n: bu t t possessed w i th s u ch a v e in , or gi f t o f p o et r ie, that he lef t t he sh eep & we nt a bout t he C o u nt r ey , m aki n g son gs u p o n a ll occas i on s, a n d ca m e t o be t he m ost f amous B a r d in al l the C ou n t rey in h is t i me.”

Maponos

to the I sle of Man wit h a re tinue of bard s wh en “ a fou l -f aced lad ( gillie) ” cal l e d t o t h em f rom t h e sho re as if h e were mad . H e is desc ribed in grot equ e de tail bu t in spit e of h is ap p e aran c e h e is allowed o b o a rd . W he n t h ey reac h t h e I sle of M an th ey are ac c ost ed by an o l d woman poet wh ose whe re abou t s h ave been unkno wn f or some t ime. She challen ges Sen c h án to a rh yme- mat c h in g co m p et it ion bu t h e is unab l e t o mat c h h er rh yme

so t h e lad d oes s o ins tea d . Sh e t ries again , a nd a g a in t h e lad mat c h es her r hym e. Th ey t ake h er ba c k to I relan d wit h t h em a nd t h en see t h at t h e la d is n o lon ger t h e bedr a g g led ‘ monster’ t h at he w a s bu t “ a y oung her o w ith golden- y ellow hair curlier than th e c r o s s trees of small har ps : roy al raiment he wore, and his f o r m was the nobles t that hath been seen o n a human being. ”

Thi s m i g h t n o t te l l us m uc h a b o u t t h e ‘an c i en t b a rd s ’ b u t t h e ide ntity o f th e y o u n g m a n in a garl and of g re e n l e a v e s with the h awk a n d a r r o ws is o f so m e i nter e s t . M a p o n os has b e e n sugges t e d . B u t ev e n if we pref e r t o t h i n k of him as a g e ner a l i s e d ‘ Gr een Man ’ fi gure , t h i s i s a re markab l y spe ci f i c a n d e v ocative w ri tte n r e c o r d o f a p agan spi ri t o f n a t u r e , music and i n s p i r a t i o n . I​ n C o r m a c ’s G l o ssary is a stor y a b o u t a Chie f B ard of I r e l a n d i n t h e se ve nth centur y c a l l e d S e nchán. H e i s e m b a r k i n g f r o m Ire l and 41

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods At thi s p o i n t t h e Irish te xt chang e s t o L a t i n fo r the fo l l ow i n g t w o s ente nce s: “He w e n t r ig ht -h a n d w i se r o u n d S en c h á n a n d h is p e o p l e a n d t he n dis a p p e a r ed . I t i s n o t , t h e r e fo r e, d ou bt fu l t ha t h e w a s t h e S p i r i t o f Poe t r y. ” W h i l e t h e r e a r e p aral l e l s w i th th e s t o r y f ro m Vaug h a n , t h e r e are al so d i ff e re n c e s . If w e can make th e asc r i p t i o n t o O e ngus m ac Óc , t h e g o d he re d oes n o t e n t e r t he yo ung sh e ph e r d a s M a p o no s do e s, but ac t u a l l y a p p e ars in th e g u i s e o f a ‘ g i l l i e’ o f h or ri b l e a p p e a r ance . H i s tru e a p p e a r a nce , w h e n h e a d o p t s it, is o f a nob l e h e r o . H e is no t, as i n Va u g h a n ’s sto ry, a h unte r w i t h a r r o ws and a h awk t h o u g h ( i n a l at er ma n u s c r i pt v e rs i o n ) he h as a s w o r d . If th e S p i r i t o f Po e try is m ani fe s t i n O e ngus in Ir e l and , a n d M ap o no s in B r i tai n a n d G a ul , and if th e s e s e e m t o s h are so me char ac t e r i s t i c s with Ap o l l o ac co rd i n g t o t h e Ro m ans, w e h a v e a l o t t o go o n in d i s cer n i n g t h e n ature o f 42

Maponos

this god . Bu t god s regard ed as ‘equiv alent’ by Roman co mm en t at ors an d by m ythograph ers are of t en m o re elu sive in t h e fo rms t h ey t ake in p articu lar loc at ion s. S o we h ave t h e Welsh e xample of a f igu re c lad in gre e n leaves wit h a qu iver ful l o f arrows an d a h awk, cl e arl y a h u n t er wh o is also ab l e to en t er a sh eph erd and in spire h im t o writ e p o e try, a f igu re we c an asso cia t e wit h Mapon os. And we h ave in I rish a figure wh o is t ran sf ormed fro m all t h at is u gly t o al l that is beau t if u l an d is ide n t if ied as t h e spirit o f p o e t ry. A f igu re we c an asso cia t e wit h Oen gu s m ac Óc .

a n d o ve r th e har p w e r e two b i rd s th a t se e m e d to b e p l a y i n g o n it. He sat b e s i d e me p l e a santl y and p l a ye d h i s s we e t m usic to me , a n d i n t h e e nd h e f o re to l d th i n g s th at p ut d ru n k e n n ess on my wi ts.” Now t h in k of Ma p o no s , or Mabon Son of Mo d r o n, t h e d ivin e son , a nd c on sid er t h at Ma p o no s w a s assoc iat ed wit h A p o llo , tha t Mabon – in Cu lh w c h a nd Olwen - emerged f r o m the d arkn ess in t o t h e lig ht o f lif e. An d c on sid e r ho w g o d id en t it ies migh t s hif t.

Consider Oengus: “ A nd h e wa s a b e a u ti f u l y o u n g ma n , wi th h i g h lo o ks, a n d h i s a p p e a ra n c e w a s mo re b e a u ti f u l th a n a ll b e a u ty , a n d th e re w er e o rn a me n ts o f g o l d o n his d re s s ; i n h i s h a n d he h el d a s i l ve r h a rp wi th st r in g s o f re d g o l d , a n d t he s o u n d o f i ts s tri n g s w a s s we e te r th a n a l l m u s i c u n d e r th e s k y ; 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods S o tha t O e n g u s mac Ó c m i g h t w a l k t h e wo o ds o f Ir e l and i n a s i m il ar guise . A nd i t ’s n o t t h a t he is, or h e i s n ’t a S u n Go d; no t th a t h e i s o r he isn’t a Ve g e t a t i o n G o d ... and th oug h h e i s c e rtainl y the g od th a t p l a y s t h e swe e te st tune . H e i s t h e Awe n, y outh t r a n s f o r ming itse l f to the f u l l n e s s of age b ut remai n i n g e v e r yo ung, th e i n s p i r a t i o n a nd the e xpi r a t i o n o f t h e Muse and h e pl a y s h i s m u sic in what se e m s l i k e a n e ndl e ss day.

Maponus ​by Lorna

M apo n u s i s a g od o f yo uth, m us i c a n d h u n t ing who is kno w n f r o m d e d icatio ns fr om t h e Ro m a n o -B ritish pe ri o d i n t h e N o rth o f B r i tai n a n d G a ul . H is nam e , w h i ch i s G a l l o - Brytho nic, m e ans ‘ t h e s o n .’ O f th e f i v e d e d i catio ns, w h i ch o c c u r i n N or th u m b r i a , Cum b e rl and and h e r e i n L a n c ashire at Ri bc h e s t e r, f o u r e quate M apo n u s w i t h A p o l l o , a Ro m an g o d a s s ociate d with m us i c , h e a l i n g , p ro p he cy, ar che r y a n d t h e sun. In th e P y t h a g o r e an tra d i ti o n , t h e British Isl e s 43

Maponos

we re seen as t h e h ome o f the ‘ H y perborean Ap ol l o, ’ a sign of the l o n gevit y of M ap o n u s’ worsh ip an d re p utat ion h ere.

T he ded ic at ion at Rib chest er, wh ic h c an be fo und in t h e mu seu m, re ads: ‘ To t he h o l y go d Apo l l o M aponu s , an d f o r th e healt h o f o u r Lo r d (i .e . th e E mpe r o r ) an d th e u n i t o f th e Gor dian S ar m ar ti an Ho r s e at Br e m e te n ac u m , Ae l i u s Ant oni u s, c e n tu r i o n o f th e Sixt h Le gi o n , th e Vi c tr i x (V ict r e ss ) f r o m Me l i tan i s (?) pr ae pos i tu s (pr o vo s t) o f th e unit an d th e r e gi o n , wi l l i n gl y and de s e r ve dl y f u l f i l l e d h i s vow .’

d epic t t h e gen iu s lo c i of Ribc h est er ma k ing a n of f erin g t o Belisa m a , the god d ess of t h e R ib b le. An n e Ross believ es t h e f igu res migh t b e Mapon u s’ mot h er Mo d r o n an d a n at ive h u n ter god d ess equ at ed w ith D ian a ( Diana’ s G r e e k counterpart wa s A rtemis, Apollo’ s twin sister) . An n e’ s t h eory st em s f r o m t h e id en t if ic at ion o f Mapon u s wit h M a b o n, s o n of Mod ron in We ls h m yth. Mod ron mean s ‘ mo ther.’ I t is likely sh e wa s k no w n earlier as Mat rona .

Within Ribc h est er’ s mu seu m stands a ped est al, wh ic h is b e l ie ved t o h ave ‘ c arried fo ur figu res in relief . On o ne sid e is Apollo, c lad in a cl oak an d Ph rygian cap , w earin g a qu iver an d re sting on h is lyre. Th e sid e which possibly c arried a re l ie f of Mapon u s h as been de faced . On an ot h er sid e are two f emale f igu res, who se id en t it y an d roles hav e been in t erpret ed diffe ren t ly. N ic k Ford inte rp r et s t h e relief t o 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods A n alt a r f r o m R ib che ste r bea rs a n i n s c r i p tio n to ‘al l t he m o t he r g o d d esses’ ( th e d e a e ma t ron es ) and anothe r, s i m i l a r, has b e e n fo und i n K i r k h a m . M apo n u s h a s s t ro ng as s o cia t i o n s w i t h the v i l l age o f L o c h m ab e n in Dum fr i e s h i r e . A fo l k tal e fr om t h i s a r e a t el l s o f ‘t h e ha rp e r o f L o c h m aben ’ w h o ‘g o e s t o L on d on a n d s t e a l s a w ay K i n g He nry ’ s b r o w n mar e’. C los e t o t h e v i l lage l ie s th e C lo c h m a b e nsto ne , a tri b al g a t h e r i n g p l ace ne ar Gr e tna w h e r e r unaway lo v er s w e r e m a rrie d . It stand s b e s i d e t h e S o l way, clos e t o t h e e s t uary. Anne Ro s s s u g g e s t s t his may hav e been M a p o n u s ’ ‘ fan u m’ ( sh ri ne o r s a cred p rec i nc t ) , w h i c h fe ature s as the ‘ l o c u s Ma p on i ’ of th e Ra v e n n a c o s m o l o gy. The pr o m o n o t o ry at Loc h m a b e n m a y hav e b e e n h i s te m e n o s . Ano the r pl ac e n a m e d a f t e r him is ‘Rua b o n , t h e Hi l l of M a b o n , b e l o w Wr ex h am’ on th e S e v e r n . Guy Ragl and P h i l i ps i d e n t i f i e s ‘Ma p on ’ w i th th e s p i r i t k no wn as th e s o n o f t h e r ocks, at 44

Maponos

B rim ham Roc ks in Yo rksh ire’ .

M o st of t h ese plac es are co nne ct ed wit h wat er an d o r sto n e. A relief f rom W hitl ey c ast le in Cu mbria o f a ‘nativ e radiate god’ sugge st s t h at like Apollo M ap o n u s is c on n ec t ed wit h the sun. Th e assoc iat ion s o f Mapon u s wit h st on e, wate r an d t h e su n rec u r in the story of t h e resc u e of M ab o n in ‘ H ow Culwch won O lwen’ in T he Mabin ogion . In ‘How Culwch won Ol wen’ t h ere are several re fe re n c es t o ‘ the North, ’ sugge st in g some episod es may ha ve origin at ed f rom ‘Th e O ld North, ’ an area which bet ween t h e 5t h and 7t h c overed N ort h ern B ritain an d Sou t h ern Sco tl an d an d was d ivid ed b e twe en a n u mber of p e tty kin gs. M ab o n ’ s resc u e t akes p l ace w it h in t h e c on t ext of Cul wch’ s t ask t o win Olwen b y hunt in g d own t h e Kin g o f B o a rs, Twrc h Trwt h . To hunt t h e boar, Cu lwc h re quires Mabon ’ s aid . H o we ver, Mabon was st olen whe n t h ree n igh t s old f rom

‘ bet ween h is mot her a nd t h e wall… No on e k no w s wh ere h e is, n or w ha t st at e h e’ s in , wh ether d ea d or alive.’ Th e sea r c h f o r Mabon t akes Art h u r ’s m en, via t h e st ory of the ‘ O ld es t A nimals’ ( a bla ck b i r d , stag , owl, eag l e a nd salmon) t h rou gh the presen t d ay Wirr a l, Ch esh ire an d par ts o f Wa les t o G lou c est er on the r iv er Severn . Mabon is f o u nd imprison ed lame nting in a ‘ house of stone.’ Wh ilst Art h u r and his m en 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Maponos

Cum b r ia, Lan c ash ire an d no rthern Ch esh ire. I n on e sto ry U rien Rh eged t ravels to ‘t h e Ford of Barking’ in Ll anf eres, wh ere h e m e e ts Mod ron , ‘ daughter of Avallach’ wash in g in the fo rd . H e sl eeps wit h h er an d she con c eives h is c h ild ren , O we in an d Morf u d d . I n Th e B l ack Book Caermart h en , Mab o n appears as ‘ the son of My rdon the serv ant of Ut her Pendragon’ .

fi ght, C a i t e a r s do wn the w all s a n d r e s c u es Mab o n ab oa rd t h e b a c k o f the salm on . Wi t h t he do g Dr udw y n ( f i e r c e w h i t e) and s t e e d - G w y n M yngddwn ( ‘w h it e d a r k m an e’) w h o i s ‘ s w ift as a wa ve’ M ab on j o i n s t h e hunt fo r Twr ch Tr w t h , r i ding into th e H a f r e n t o t ake the ra z or f r o m b e t we e n the bo ar ’ s e a r s . A num b e r o f t a l es and poems c o n n e c t Mab o n and M odro n t o t h e K ingdo m of Rh e g e d , w h i c h co ve re d 45

Re fe ren c es t o Mabon also ap p e ar in Th e Book of Tal ie sin ( who was Urien Rh ege d’ s B ard) . ‘ Will g r eet Mabon from a n ot her country / A ba t t l e, when Owain d efends the cattle of h i s c ountry. ’ ‘Agains t Mabon wit h ou t co rp ses t h ey wou ld n ot go.’ ‘T he cou n t ry of Mabon is p ie rce d wit h d est ru c t ive sl augh t er.’ ‘ Wh en was cause d t h e bat t le of t h e king, sovereign , prin c e / Ve ry wild will be t h e kin e b e fo re Mabon . However it is unclear wh et h er Mabon is him s elf t akin g part in the b at t le, wh et h er Mabon is b e in g u sed as a t it le fo r O w ain ‘ the son, ’ o r

wh et h er Mabon i s r ef er r ed t o as a loc at ion . I n Brigan t ia, G u y R a g la nd Ph illips men t ion s a ‘ written charm’ f o u nd a t a Farmh ou se at O x enho p e in 1934 begin n in g ‘ Ominas X Laud et X M apon. ’ He t ran s la tes this as ‘ ev ery body p r ais es Mapon. ’ Wh en Ro s s Nic h ols an d G era ld G a r d ner in ven t ed t o t h e pa g a n wh eel of t h e yea r in the 1950’ s t h e au t u m n eq u ino x was d ed ic at ed t o Ma b o n, sh owin g t h e c on tinu ity of h is in f lu en c e i nto the t wen t y f irst c en tu r y. His largest f est iv a l ta k es plac e at Th orn bor o u g h Hen ge . Wit h t h e nu m b er of pagan s in E n g la nd a nd Wales in c reasin g f r o m 42K in 2001 t o 82K in 2011, m y gu ess is t h at t h e f o llo w ing of ou r n at ive god o f yo u th, mu sic an d h appin es s w ill grow an d c on t in ue f o r man y years t o c o m e. htt p://w w w.d un bryt ho n.org/m a ponos . htm l

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Arawn

at first glan c e. He is kn own to b e t all, loomin g, an d sp o rting a grey c loak. He ride s a grey h orse, makin g him an imposin g f igu re t h at o fte n sparks f ear in t h ose he ap proac h es.

A r awn i s a G o d that yie l ds d ar kne s s , s t r i k e s fe ar, and fa s h i o n s a s m o ul de ring cloa k. T h e Ce l t i c Go d o f Dea th h a s o r i g i ns in We l sh m y th o l o g y. H e i s the rul e r of th e r e a l m o f Annwn, kno w n a s t h e O t he rwo rl d o r th e Un d e r w o r l d . H oweve r, i t s e e ms that th e re i s m o r e t o this Ce l tic i co n th a n f i r s t me e ts the e y e . W h i l e s o m e asso ciate A r awn w i t h d a r k inte ntio ns, th e Un d e r w o r l d re p re se nts an ‘i d y l l ic ’ r e s ting p l ace fo r the d e a d .

Who is Arawn? – more than just the Celtic God of Death The C e l t i c G o d o f De ath cer tai n l y m a k e s an im p act 46

It is b elieved t h at t h e name A rawn c omes f rom the H ebrew n ame Aaron , m e aning ‘ exalted’ Arawn ’ s co nne c t ion wit h d eat h an d intim idat in g appearan c e o fte n mean s t h at h e is asso cia t ed wit h evil. H o we ver, h is kin gd om, Annwn , is ac t u ally de p icted as a peac ef u l hav e n of plen t y. Acco rd in g t o Welsh m ythology, Arawn gu ard s o ve r A n n wn as a f air an d just ru ler. Like an y good l e ade r, h e h on ou rs h is p ro m ises bu t also pu n ish es ro gue ry wit h a h eavy h an d . Arawn is of t en d esc ribed within Celt ic f olklore as the Provid er, t h e Virt u ou s, and the G u ard ian of t h e Lo st Sou ls.

Symbolic representation – beyond the terror, death, and decay De sp it e h is warm disp o sit ion , t h e Celt ic Go d o f D eat h of t en

symbolises war, r ev eng e, t error, an d h u n t i ng . T hes e d ark symbols are a ll c on n ot at ion s c los ely tied wit h d eat h . Arawn is of t en as s o c ia ted wit h h is loyal Hou nd s , a s well as h is magica l p ig s . I f you f in d t h e C eltic G o d of D eat h ’ s f asc in a tio n wit h an imals in t r ig u ing , h is assoc iat ion w ith b o th an imals are d et a iled b elo w.

The Hounds of Annwn – Celtic God’s best friend

Welsh f olklore t e lls o f t h e Hou n d s of Annw n o r Cwn An n wn . Th es e a r e the f ait h f u l h ou n d s tha t b elo ng t o Arawn an d res id e in the U n d erworld by his s id e. Similarly t o t h eir m a s ter, t h ey represen t loya lty, gu id an c e, h u n t ing , an d d eat h . D u rin g win t er and a u tu m n, it is said t h at t h e y g o o n t h e Wild Hu n t . They r id e t h rou gh t h e n igh t hu nting evil spirit s an d ter r o r is ing wron gd oers. Th e s o u nd o f t h eir sh rill h owl is b eliev ed t o be t h e omen of d ea th, wh ic h lu re wan der ing spirit s t o t h eir f ina l r es ting plac e in An n wn . 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods In C hr i s t i a n i t y, the H o unds of A nn w n a r e d emo nise d, d e tai le d t o b e S atan’s H ound s o f H e l l . H o we ve r, th i s d i r e c t l y c o n tradicts We l s h m y t h o l o g y’s im age of A nn w n b e i n g a have n o f bli s s a n d y o u t h .

The season of death and decay – The Wild Hunt’s melancholic backdrop

A r awn i s a l s o a sso ciate d w i th th e d e c a y o f autum n and w i n t e r. I t i s al so the ti m e o f y e a r w h ere the C elti c G o d i s m ost activ e , summ o n i n g s p i r its to A nnwn d u r i n g T he Wil d H unt. T h r o u g h o ut autumn, le av es o f t e n c h a nge co l o ur and fa l l , a n d a n im al s reti r e a n d p r e p are fo r the h ar s h n e s s o f w i nte r. T his ti m e o f y e a r r e p re se nts chang e , d e a t h , s l umb e r, and d e c a y.

Arawn

mytho logy. Arawn is men t ion ed in t h e First and Fo u r th B ranch es of t h e Mabin ogion . I n t h e First Bran ch, he e nco unt ers t h e Lord of D yf ed , kn own as Pwyll. Arawn is believed t o h ave pu n ish ed Pwyll, d en ying f o o d to the Hou n d s of An n wn an d in st ead sh owin g fa v o u r to his o wn Hou n d s. For h is d isc ou rt esy, Pwyll was s entenc ed to trade plac es wit h Arawn f or a year an d a d a y. Pw yll p ro v e d h is wort h t h rou gh ou t h is pu n ish men t , e v en b attl ing t h e Celt ic G od of D eat h ’ s great est e ne m y, Hagd an . In the Fou rt h Bran c h of t h e Mabin ogion , t h e re l ation sh ip bet ween Pwyll’ s son Pryd eri an d A r a w n is de scribed . D u rin g t h is t ime, Arawn gif t ed Pryder i w ith many en c h an t in g it ems, in c lu d in g t h e magic al p ig s fro m A n n wn . htt p s ://w w w.i relan d beforeyoud i e.com/araw n -t he-celt i c-god -of-de ath-a nd-the un d erwor ld-expla ine d/

Rega rd i n g o l d a ge , the tra ns i t i o n f r o m autumn to w i nter a l s o s y m b o l ise s the i d e a o f h u m a n maturity and ‘t he e n d’ .

The Mabinogion – the 12 tales of Welsh mythology The M a b i n o g i o n is a co l l e c t i o n o f 1 2 tal e s, se par a t e d i n t o f o ur ‘B ra n c h e s ’ , r e p re se nting th e fun d a m e n t a ls o f We l sh

47

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Ogma

S o m e of t h e st ories give his p ar en t s as E lat h a an d Eithne, alt h ou gh t h ese t wo charac t ers t ake on very diffe ren t roles in ot h er m yths. Carey t h in ks t h at since Elat h a mean s “A rt, Ski l l ” an d t h is version of O gma’ s f amily lin ks h im t o B rigit an d t h e “ three g od s of skill” , all p re sumably d eit ies fav o ur ed by t h e poet s. The I r i s h g o d O g m a co m bin e s a s p e c t s o f M e rc u r y a n d H e rcul e s – h e i s t h e i n v e n t o r o f the ogham w r i t i n g syste m and an or a t o r a n d p oe t, b ut he i s als o t h e c h a mp io n of th e d e i t i e s , t h e ir of fi c i a l w a r r i o r.

Family

O gma w a s o n e o f the Tuatha d e D a n a n n, b ro the r of th e i r l e a d e r, the Dagda. The tw o o f t e n a c t to ge the r i n the m y t h s . H e marrie d E ta i n, d a u g h t e r o f Dian C ec h t t h e d i v i n e he al e r, alth ou g h a c c o r ding to o ne m y th s h e a l s o h ad an affair w i th C ú c h u l a i n n. T he ir two sons w e r e C a i r b re m ac Et h n e t h e s atirist and Tu i r e a n n . 48

O gma was also kn own by the b y - n ames grian eac h , sunny-f ac ed , an d c ermait , ho ne y-mou t h ed . His n ame, ho we ver, mean s “ strong [go d ], champion” and most of t h e sou rc es e mp ha size t h is role.

Ogma: the Irish Champion

Al tho u gh Ogma’ s n ormally im agined as a god of writing an d poet ry, h e had an ot h er sid e: h e was al so the c h ampion of t h e Tuatha d e D an an n . Th e e p ic p oems c alled Th e First B attl e of Magh Tu iread an d T he Sec on d Bat t le of Magh Tuire a d , perh aps bec au se of its subjec t , main ly f eat u res O gma’ s more f orc ef u l sid e. In the First Bat t le, f or e xample, Ogma is at t h e fro nt of t h e f igh t wit h o the rs like Mid ir an d D ian

Cec h t . He was a s er io u s f igh t er, t oo, as t he tex t t ells u s: Th e bat t le f in ishes w ith Ogma, t h e D agd a , A ll a nd D ealbeat h searc h ing f o r the Fir Bolg kin g E oc ha id a f ter h e killed t h eir br o ther, a nd t h e epic bat t le t ha t end s wit h E oc h aid ’ s sur r end er. Ogma, son of E t hliu , m a d e an at t ac k on t h e ho s t, a nd h is t rac k was ma r k ed b y pools of c rimson b lo o d . From t h e east sid e C ir b en t ered t h e f ray a nd m a d e an on slau gh t on the ho s ts , an d t h ree h u n d re d o f the Tu at h a D c f ell bef o r e him . For example, wh en the you n g god Lu gh a r r iv es at t h e f east t h e Tu a tha h old bef ore t h e ba ttle, he of f ers h imself and his m a ny skills t o t h em, on ly to ha v e eac h on e ref u sed b ec a u s e t h e Tu at h a already ha v e someon e wit h t ha t a b ility. J u st t o give you a s a m p le: He said : ‘ Q uestio n me: I am a champio n .’ T he d oorkeeper an sw er ed : ‘ We need thee not. We hav e a champi o n already, ev en Og ma son of Ethliu. ’ 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Lugh g e t s a r o u n d the d oo rk e e p e r b y po inting o ut th at n o o n e p r e s e nt has all th e s k i l l s h e has, and so he h a s t o p r ove to the co m pa n y t h a t h e can b ack up hi s w o r d s : The n t h e d o o r k e e p e r l e ts Lugh p a s s h i m , and he e nter e d t h e f o r t re ss and sat d own i n t h e s a g e ’s se at, fo r h e w a s a s a g e i n e ve ry art. The n t h e g r e a t f l ag-sto ne , to mov e w h i c h re quire d the e ff or t o f f o u r - s c o re yo ke o f oxe n, Og m a h u r l e d thro ugh th e h o u s e , s o t h at it l ay o n th e ou t s i d e o f Tara. Thi s w a s a c h a l le nge to Lugh. Bu t L u g h cast it b ack, so tha t i t l a y i n the ce ntre of th e p a l a c e ; a n d he p ut th e pi e c e w h i c h it had ca rr i e d a w a y i n to the side of th e p a l a c e a nd made it whole. Af te r L u g h d e m onstrate s th at he i n d e e d has the ski l l s h e b o a s t e d o f, the Tuatha ’s c u r r e n t king, N ua d a , s t e p s a s ide fo r him , and Lu g h b e g i n s to p l an out th e i r b a t t l e strate gy. H e as k s e a c h o f the Tuatha w h at t h e i r c o n t r ib utio n w i l l be , a n d O g ma’s answe r sh ows t h a t h e i s stil l the Tuatha ’s s t r o n g m an: 49

Ogma ‘ An d thou, O O gma’ , saith L u gh t o h is c h ampion , ‘wh at is thy power in t h e battle?’ ‘Not hard to say ’ , qu ot h he : ‘r epelling the king an d r epelling three en n eads of his friends, an d capturing the bat t alion up to a third by t h e men of Ireland’ . T he text seems t o say t h at O gma f ell in t h e bat t le, al tho u gh h e appears lat er in the st ory, h elpin g t h e Dagda an d Lu gh resc u e the Dagd a’ s h arper, an d in ano ther in t rigu in g in c id en t inv o l vin g a speakin g sword : In that f igh t , t h en , Ogma the ch ampion f ou n d Orn a the sw ord of Tet h ra, a kin g o f the Fomorian s. Ogma unshe at h ed t h e sword and cl ean sed it . Th en t h e swo rd relat ed wh at soever had b een d on e by it ; fo r it was t h e c u st om of swo rds at t h at t ime, wh en unshe at h ed , t o set f ort h t h e de e ds t h at h ad been d on e b y them.

preserved in swor d s t h en c ef orward . N o w the reason wh y d emons u s ed to speak f rom weapo ns a t tha t t ime was bec au se w ea p o ns were worsh ipped b y hu m a n bein gs at t h at epo c h, a nd t h e weapon s wer e a m o ng t h e saf egu ard s of tha t tim e. I rish lore h as ot h er ta les wh ere a sword sp ea k s , of t en t o t est if y t o the d eed s of it s own er, f or g o o d o r ill. Th e c au se of t h e b a ttle in t h e f irst plac e w a s t h e h ard c on d it ions tha t t h e Fomorian king , Br es , imposed on t h e Tu a tha , wh ic h robbed t h e m o f t h eir d ign it y an d led to the sec on d war.

And theref ore sword s are e ntitl ed t o t h e t ribu t e of cl e ans in g t h em af t er t h ey hav e been u n sh eat h ed . H e nce , also, c h arms are 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Ogma

W h i l e Og m a ’s p articul ar as s i gn m e n t m i g h t se e m to e xploit h i s s t r e ngth, the re m ay b e a d e e p e r me aning: O gma’ s t a s k i s bo th ap t and ab je ct . T h a t t h e Tuatha de Da na n n ’s t r é n f he r, “st r on g m a n ” , m u s t h a u l wo o d i s ba d e n o u g h , but the si g ni f i c a n c e g o e s de e p e r. A lth ou g h t h e s a g a autho r le av es i t u n m e n tio ne d, O gma w a s s a i d to b e the i nv ent o r o f t h e ogham alph ab e t . I n I r i s h the wo rd fo r a l e t t e r o f t h at al p hab e t w as f i d , “ w o o d”, so that i t m ay b e t h a t t he wo o d h e i s f o r c e d t o c arry was i ntend e d t o b e a p aro dy o f th e l e t t e r s h e c re ate d. ( W l l i a ms a l s o poi n t s o u t t h a t t he D agd a, f o rme r ly k i ng of t h e Tu a t h a , i s d o ubl y d e g rad e d b y hav i n g 50

t o d i g ditches and bu i l d ramparts for the Fo m o rian king ’ s fort. A ki n g who does manual l abo ur loses his honour pri ce, and the g reater t h e n umber of ditches an d r amparts around a h i l l fort, the g reater i t s s t atus. The Dag da’ s w o rk robs him of status w h i l e adding to B res’ . )

And God of Writing

T he Sc h olar’ s Primer, o r Aur aic ept n a N - É c es, cre dits Ogma wit h t h e inv e nt ion of t h e I rish al p habet , or ogh am: Wh at are the plac e, t ime, person , and ca u se of t h e in ven t ion o f the Ogh am? I t s plac e t h e isl and of I relan d wh ere we Irish l ive, I n t h e t ime of B re s son of E lat h a kin g of Ire l and it was in ven t ed .

I t s person Ogma s o n’ o f E lat h a son of D e lb a eth brot h er t o Bres, f o r Br es , Ogma an d D elbaeth a r e t h e t h ree son s of Ela tha son of D elbaet h ther e. No w Ogma, a man we ll s k illed in speec h an d in p o etr y, in ven t ed t h e Ogh a m . Th e c au se of it s inv entio n, as a proof of h is ing enu ity, an d t h at t h is speec h s ho u ld belon g t o t h e lea r ned apart , t o t h e exc lu s io n o f ru st ic s an d h erd s m en… Ogh am f rom Ogma w a s f ir s t in ven t ed in respe c t to its sou n d ac c ord in g to m a tter, h owever, ogu m is o g - u a im , perf ec t allit erat io n, w hic h t h e poet s applied to p o etr y by mean s of it , f or b y let t ers G aelic is mea s u r ed by t h e poet s; t h e f a ther o f Ogh am is Ogma, the m o ther of Ogh am is t h e ha nd o r 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Gods Ogma

kni f e o f Og m a . The Prim e r was p art of a larger book c alled Th e Book of Ball ym o te, a nd co v e rs e v e r y t h i ng o gham, fro m the basic let t ers t o t h e man y kin d s of ways t hey c a n b e us ed. O g m a ’s r ol e as fo unde r o f the alph abet lin ks h im t o t h e G au lish god O g m io s , w ho w i l l g e t h i s o w n p o st since he is a fa irly c omplex god .

Ogma, the Dagda and Lugh

The S e c o n d B a t t l e o f M agh Tuire ad, af t er t h e c omin g of Lu gh , of t en sh ows L u g h, th e Da g d a a n d O gma wo rking to ge th er t o win t h e bat t le an d t ie u p t h e loose end s af te rw a r d s ( T hey t eam u p t o res cue the Dag da’ s harper, kidnapped b y t h e Fo mo r i a n s .) T h e Dagda was o nce kin g of I relan d , an d Ogma, as h is brot h er, w o u ld h av e b e e n a t r u ste d adviso r. Lugh was t h e n ew kin g of I relan d , presu mably dr a w ing o n th e i r e x p e r t i s e . The y a r e s o m e t i me s cal l e d the trí dée d án a, t h e t h ree god s of skill, as in The Wo o ing of E ta i n , a l t h o u g h o the r gro up ings of god s also c arry t h at n ame, espec ially t he tr io o f Go i bni u t h e s m ith, Cre idne the b razier an d Lu c h t a t h e c arpen t er. The i r s k i l l s w o u l d have o v e rl ap p e d, an d all t h ree were c lever an d c apable. Og m a m i g h t n o t h a v e b e e n king, b ut as the kin g’ s c h ampion , an d t h e in ven t or of a m etho d o f co m m u n i c a t i o n fo r the e l ite , he wo uld h ave been a welc ome ad d it ion t o t h ei r c o m p a ny. htt ps://eart han d st arryheaven .com/2 018/08/29/ogma /

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses Frigg

Etymology

Th e n ame “ Frigg ” w a s d erived f rom t h e Pr o to G erman ic *f rijaz, m ea ning “ belov ed, dear.” Th e E n glish d ay o f the week “ Friday, ” m a y b e relat ed t o t h e go d d es s b y way of t h e Old E ng lis h word Frīġed æġ, m ea ning “ Frigg’ s day. ”

Attributes

B es t k n o w n a s t he wife o f O di n, F r i g g w a s a rul ing m e m b e r o f t h e Ae sir trib e and th e q u e e n o f al l No rse d e i ti e s . D e s p i t e he r le adi n g s t a t u s , Frigg’s pl ac e i n N o r s e mytho l o gy remai n s u n c e r t a in.

52

S h e w a s r a r e l y d iscusse d i n pr i m a r y s o u r c e s, and h e r pr e c i s e c h a racte ristics and pe r s o n a l i t y re m ain uncle a r. F r i g g h e l d p o we r ov er m a n y a r e a s o f l ife , and w a s a s s o c i a te d with fer ti l i t y, m a r r i a g e and th e h o u s e h o l d , lo v e and se xual i t y, a n d wisdo m and pr o p h e c y. H isto rical l y, m os t s c h o l a r s c onside re d Fr i g g t o b e a n a sp e ct o f Fr e y a, a g o d d e s s o f the Vani r t r i b e , a s he r b asic

charact erist ic s align ed cl o se l y wit h t h ose of Frigg. Like F reya, Frigg was a v ö l va, or prac t it ion er of t h e magica l art of seid r, an d so ught t o d ivin e or alt er the fut u re t h rou gh rit u al. W hil e t h e t wo god d esses we re of t en presen t ed as se p arat e d eit ies, t h ey likely e vo l ved f rom a sin gle de ity wh ose person alit y o scil l at ed violen t ly en ou gh to m e rit separat e id en t it ies. F re ya, f or in st an c e, was known f or sexu al indul gen c e an d p ro misc u it y; Frigg, me anwh ile, was more co nse rvat ive in h er se xual moralit y.

As wif e of Od in , F r ig g w a s t h e u n d ispu t ed qu een o f t h e N orse god s. I n a r t f r o m t h e n in et een t h an d ea r ly t wen t iet h c en t u r ies , F r ig g was of t en d epic t ed s itting on a t h ron e or h old ing a c omman d in g pos e. Frigg d welled in Fens a lir, a wat ery realm tha t lik ely t ook t h e f orm of a b o g , marsh , or wet lan d s . She own ed an ash en b o x c a lled an eski, wh ic h t he g o d d es s Fu lla t ot ed arou nd f o r h er; t h e box’ s c ontents were u n kn own . She w a s also kn own t o h a v e a s et of f alc on plu mes tha t the god s, n ot ably Lok i, u s ed to sh apesh if t in t o bir d f o r m .

Family

Frigg’ s paren t age r em a ins u n kn own . Lat er in lif e, Frigg married Odin, w ith wh om sh e h ad Her m o d a nd 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses B a l d ur, t h e s h i n ing de ity kno w n a s t h e w ise st o f the A es i r g o d s .

Mythology

Fr i g g p l a y e d a p ro mine nt ro l e i n t w o N o r se myths, fea tur e d i n t h e Grím nism ál of th e Po e t i c Edda and the Gy lfa g i n n i n g o f the P ro se E dd a, r e s p e c t i v e l y. B o th tale s p a i n t e d F r igg as b o th a mate r n a l f i g u r e and a rul e r in h e r o w n right.

Frigg in the Grímnismál

Thoug h t h e G r í mnismál , o r th e “B a l l a d o f Gr i mn i r,” c oncer n e d t h e f ate o f G ri mn i r, i t a l s o co ntaine d a fa s cin a t i n g f r am e sto ry. A g na r a n d G e i r rö th wer e t h e y o u n g so ns o f Hr auth u n g , a m ighty king. Th e bo y s w e r e o n a fishing expe d i t i o n o n e d ay whe n the y w e r e c a s t out to se a b y a s udd e n s t o r m . Whe n t h e y c a m e asho re , the pa i r w e r e f o und b y a pea s an t f a r m e r and his wi f e . T h e p e a s a n t te nde d a fter G e i r r ö t h , w hil e his wi f e fo s t e r e d Ag nar. In ti me , t h e p e a s a nt se nt G e i rr ö t h b a c k t o his fathe r ’s k i n g d o m, whe re he di s co v e r e d t h a t his fathe r had d i e d . S e e i n g that G e i rr ö t h h a d r e turne d, the 53

Frigg

p e o p l e proc laimed h im t o b e the n ew kin g.

thinks that too man y o f them come to him.”

O din a n d Frigg, mean wh ile, we re sit t in g in Hlit h skjolf — O din’s t h ron e room—f rom which t h ey c ou ld observe al l wo rld s simu lt an eou sly. To ge th er, kin g an d qu een o b se rved G eirröt h an d Agnar f rom af ar. Th e p e asant an d wif e t h at h ad fo ste red t h e you n g boys we re n o ord in ary mort als; the y w ere, in f ac t , Od in and F rigg ( Odin, at l eas t , was known for s hapeshifting ) .

Od in d isagreed w ith her, an d t h e t wo d ec i d ed to make a wager. Od in w o u ld go t o G eirröt h ’ s c o u r t in d isgu ise, an d t h e g o d s wou ld d isc over t he tr u th o f t h e mat t er. D et er m ined to win , Frigg sen t a m a id en to G eirröt h wit h a mes s a g e: a wizard wou ld soon a r r iv e at G eirröt h ’ s c our t a nd at t empt t o “ bewitc h” t h e kin g.

O din, t h en , h ad f ost ered Ge irröt h , wh ile Frigg h ad fo ste red Agn ar. Nat u rally, O din praised G eirröt h f or his wisd om an d power, b ut sl an d ered Agn ar: “S eest thou A gnar, t h y fosterling, how h e begets children wi t h a giantess in the c ave? B ut Geirröth, my fost erling, is a king, an d now rules ov er h i s l and. ” No t con t en t t o wat c h idl y as h er f ost erlin g was re b uked , Frigg ret ort ed with a c rit iqu e of h er own . S he said of G eirröt h , “ H e i s so miserly that he t or t u res his guests if he

Soon en ou gh , a tr a v eler n amed G rimn ir a r r iv ed in G eirröt h ’ s c ou r t. T he t raveler of f ered h is n ame an d n ot h in g m o r e, so G eirröt h “ had him tortured to mak e him speak, and set him between two fi r es , and he sat the r e eig ht nights. ” E ven t ua lly, G eirröt h ’ s you n ger s o n brou gh t poor G rim nir a h orn of ale. Th e ta le tha t G rimn ir t old wh i le s ip p ing t h is ale f ormed the c o r e o f t h e G rimn ismol, a nd it was h ere t h at t h e f r a m e st ory en d ed . Wh ile Frigg d id no t a g a in appear in t h e t ex t, it w a s c lear t h at sh e h a d w o n t h e wager. I n ou t s m a r ting 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses O di n, s h e p r o v e d he rse l f to b e a f i e r c e f oste r mo the r w h o w a s w i l l i n g to re so rt to to rt u r e i n o r d e r to d e fend h e r f o s t erl ing.

Frigg and the Death of Baldur

O ne o f t h e b e s t kno wn stor i e s i n a l l o f No rse m y th o l o g y, t h e d e ath o f B a l d ur w a s a c o r ne rsto ne of th e G y l f a g i n n ing, p art o f th e I c e l a n d i c s c h o l ar S no rr i S t u r l u s o n’s th i rtee n t h - c e n t ury P ro s e Ed d a . T h e sto ry pro m i n e n t l y f e a ture d F rigg as a g r i e v i n g m othe r who w oul d m o v e m o u ntains to res urr e c t h e r b e l o v e d so n. O ne n i g h t , Ba l d ur had a ni ghtm a r e i n w h ich he fo res a w h i s o w n de ath. W h e n F r i g g d r e a m t the same d r e a m , Odin was co m pe l l e d t o a c t. M ount i n g S l e i p nir, his e i g h t- l e g g e d h o r se , O din ro d e t o H e l , t h e re al m o f th e d e a d , i n s e arch o f an or ac l e t h a t c o u l d de cip he r suc h p o r t e n t o u s dre am s. O di n f o u n d t h e vö l va and, us i ng a m a g i c o f his o wn, res urr e c t e d h e r fro m the d e ad ( T hi s v ö lv a w as li k e l y t h e s a m e on e w h o n a rra t e d t he Völ u s pá). 54

Frigg

Up se t at bein g so ru d ely awake n ed , t h e völva at first ref u sed t o t ell Od in anythin g. Wh en t h e völva e ve ntually d ec id ed t o co o p e r at e, wh at sh e t old O din c on f irmed h is worst fe ars: Bald u r wou ld in d eed die , and t h ose wh o loved him wou ld mou rn .

Bald u r. Not kn ow ing the woman ’ s t ru e id e ntity, F r ig g c on c ed ed t h at she ha d no t d eman d ed t h e oa th f r o m a h u mble sprig of mis tleto e.

U pon h earin g t h is new s , a gleef u l Loki rus hed o f f t o loc at e t h e mis tleto e an d f ash ion a spe a r f r o m it . Wh en h e ret u r ned , he W he n Od in ret u rn s wit h t h e f ou n d t h at t h e god s w er e ne ws, Frigg was d evast at ed . h u rlin g missiles a t Ba ld u r De te rmin ed t o d ef y t h e an d makin g sport o f his p ro p hec y, sh e approac h es in vu ln erabilit y. S c a nning al l things in c reat ion , livin g t h e c rowd , Loki s p ied the and inert , an d mad e t h em blin d god Hod r (m e a ni ng p ro mise n ever t o h arm h er “ slayer” ) . Han d ing him so n: “And Frigg took t h e spear, Loki t old him to oat h s to this purport, t h row it d irec t ly a t Ba ld u r. t h at f ire and water Hod r d id so, an d the s p ea r sh ou ld spare Baldur, st ru c k t ru e, morta lly l i kew ise iron and metal wou n d in g Bald u r. of a l l kinds, stones, ea r t h, trees, sicknesses, bea st s, birds, v enom, ser p ents. ” Frigg t ook o aths f rom everyt h in g, save for an in n oc en t sh ru b o f mist let oe. Unfo rtu n at ely, wic ked Lo ki, t h e impish t ric kst er o f the Norse pan t h eon , e v e ntually d isc overed F rigg’s oversigh t . Disguisin g h imself in t h e fo rm of a woman , Loki ap p ro ac h ed Frigg an d asked he r wh et h er all t h in gs h ad swo rn oat h s n ever t o h arm 13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses N e ar l y o v e r w h e l m e d b y he r sor ro w, F r i g g a sks fo r a v olunt e e r t o t r a ve l to H e l , th e ove r s e e r o f the re al m of th e d e a d , a n d to b e g fo r the r e l e a s e of B al dur. H e rmo d ( h e r les s erk n o w n s o n a nd Bal d u r’s b ro th e r ) v o l u nte e re d and, ri di ng S l e i p n i r, t rave l e d to th e h a l l s o f H e l , whe re he fo und B a l d u r. H e rmo d a s k e d t he go dde ss of d e a t h t o r e l e a se B al dur, clai mi n g t h a t t h e fal l e n go d w as th e m o s t b e l o ve d b e ing i n a l l c r e a t i o n . H e l agre e d to r e l e a s e B a l d ur, b ut o nl y on th e c o n d i t i o n that al l th i ngs w e e p f o r B al dur.

Frigg

cry fo r Bald u r, an d in d oin g so c on d emn ed t h e f a llen g o d to re main in Hel f orever:

‘T h ö k k wi l l we e p wa te rl e s s te a rs Fo r B a l dr ’s b al e f a r e; L i vi n g o r d e a d , I l o ve d n o t th e c h u rl ’s son; L e t H e l h o l d to th a t s h e h a th ! ’ Pop Culture

Co m p a red t o ot h er Norse d eit ies, Frigg h as n ot b een p ro m inen t ly f eat u red in popu lar c u lt u re. I n st e a d , s he ha s m ainl y su rvived as a f igu re of worsh ip in t h e co llec tio n o f Ge r man ic n eopagan belief s c ommon ly kn ow n a s H e athen ry or Heat h en ism. Prac t it ion ers ven era te a nc ient p re -Ch rist ian d eit ies, su c h as Frigg, an d observe p r eChristian belief s, su c h as n at u rism. htt ps://myt hoped i a.com/topic s /f r igg

A s s o o n a s H e r mo d had g i v e n t h e m t h e ne ws, the A es i r s e n t m e s s enge rs th ro ug h o u t t h e kno wn w or l d . T h e y a p p ro ache d h uman s a n d a n i mal s, trees a n d p l a n t s, and e v e n i na ni m a t e o b j e cts such as ro ck s a n d s t o n e s; al l things w e pt f o r B a l d u r. The g o d s w e r e c l o se to e l i ci tin g t e a r s f ro m e ve ry la s t en t i t y i n e x iste nce w h e n t h e y f o u n d an o l d g i ante s s n a m e d T hö kk i n a re m o t e c a v e. T his g i ante s s — w h o was re al l y Lok i i n d i s g u i s e —re fuse d to 55

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses Suadela

Pei tho , p r o n o u n ce d “pi e -T H O ” b y cl assicists and th o s e w h o k no w h ow to u s e G o o g l e , is i d e ntif i e d b y s c h o l ars at th e g o d d e s s o f Pe rsuasio n ( Ro ma n: S ua d el a). Pei tho i s a s s o c i a te d with A phro d i t e a n d s ho ws up i n the Fa l l o f Tr o y with M e nel a u s c h a s i ng his wife , H e l e n, a f t e r a s ucce ssful H or s e R i d e . Pe itho d e m on s t r a t e s h e r ave rsio n to v i o l e n c e b y t u rning he r ba ck o n H e l e n , the face th at la u n c h e d a tho usand sh i ps . Ap p a r e n tl y, Pe itho 56

b e l ie v ed t h at Men elau s was b eyon d persu asion an d giv e n my read of Helen an d Paris, I ’ d t en d t o agree.

god d ess d id n ot ha v e m u c h power, sh e is a f ig u r e of some sign if ic a nc e in Classic al G reec e.

Pe itho plays n ot on ly in myth, bu t in At h en ian p o l itic s provin g t h at p e rsua sion mat t ers in mo re th an love. Th e co m e d ic playwrigh t , Eup o l is, c laimed t h at Pe itho sat u pon t h e lips o f Pe ric les. Peric les is e ste e med as on e of t h e gre ate st lead ers of t h e ancie n t G reek d emoc rac y and some at t ribu t e t h e fail ure of At h en s in t h e Pe l o p on n esian War t o Pe ricl es’ d eat h . N ot on ly was Peric les t h e best and b r igh t est , h e was the o rigin al Gre at Commu n ic at or.

Peit h o, in h er role a s a n at t en d an t or c omp a nio n o f Aph rod it e, was intim a tely c on n ec t ed t o t h e g o d d es s of love an d beau ty. A nc ient art ist s an d poet s ex p lo r ed t h is c on n ec t ion in their works. Th e c on n e c tio n is even d eeper in t he c o ntex t of An c ien t G reek m a r r ia g e bec au se a su it or ha d to n egot iat e wit h t he f a ther of a you n g woma n f o r her h an d in marriage a nd o f f er a brid al pric e in r etu r n f or h er.

T hus, Peit h o is d eeply invo l ved in t h e af f airs of the he art an d t h e af f airs o f state, an in t erest in g co m b inat ion wort h y of furthe r ref lec t ion . In Greek myt h ology, Pe itho ( Ancient Greek: En gl i sh translation: “pers uasion” ) is t h e go dde s s wh o person if ies p e rsuasion an d sed u c t ion . H e r Roman n ame is S uade la. Alt h ou gh t h is

Th e most d esirable w o m en d rew man y prosp ec tiv e su it ors, an d pers u a s iv e skill of t en d et erm ined t h eir su c c ess. Aphr o d ite an d Peit h o were s o m etim es c on f lat ed t o a c e r ta in ext en t , wit h t h e na m e Peit h o appearin g in c on ju n c t ion wit h , o r a s an epit h et of, Ap hr o d ite’s n ame. Th is h elps to d emon st rat e h ow the relat ion sh ip bet w een persu asion an d lo v e ( or desire) was imp o r ta nt in G reek c u lt u re.

htt p://healt hyinf lu e nce .com/ word press/2 0 1 0 /0 1 /0 1 /pe itho-godde s s of-pe rs u a s ion/

13 Sisters of Delphi

Ancient Goddesses Louhi

Wh en c u lt u re bec ame more pa tr ia r c ha l t h ere were more su spic iou s qu a lities c on n ec t ed t o t h e moon an d t ow a r d s women . Lou h i bec ame t h e god d es s o f t h e u n d erworld . Th is also mean t a sh if t in t h e w a ys people saw t h e u n d erworld . I n t h e sh aman ic world view, A linen the u n d erworld was n ot like t h e C hr is tia n h ell. I t was a plac e wh ere spir its w a ited t h eir t u rn t o be reborn . Wh en Fin n ish myt h os got mor e in f lu en c es f rom ot h er c u lt u res a nd lat er on f rom Ch rist ian it y, u n d erworld bec ame a plac e o f a ll misery an d t ort u re.

Louh i ´ s o r i g i n s are m o st l ike l y in the Saami g odd e s s e s w h o we re co nne cte d to l if e, d e ath, p o w e r o f the mo o n and the d ivin e femi nin e . L o u h i is al so kno wn as Lo viat ar. The na m e L o v i a t ar co me s fro m the Fin n ish e xpr e s s i o n l a n g eta l o ve e n which is a st at e w h e re s h a m a n f a l l s into trance . Anot h er or i g i n o f h e r n a me is the o l d F innish word lo v i me a n i n g d oo r, e ntry and v agina . Louh i ´ s m a g i c and co nne ctio n to the moon and w o l v e s r e p r e se nte d the inde p e n d en t na tur e o f w o m e n . In the e arl ie st myt h s of Ur a l i c t r i b e s , the first rul e r o f the und e rw o r l d w a s a m al e wate rb ird. 57

Lou h i was d emon ized an d bec a m e a presen t at ion of t h e Ch rist ian d ev il. She was t u rn ed in t o an old h ag w ho g a v e birt h t o all t h e evil t h in gs t o this w o r ld : sic kn esses, pain an d d eat h . I n L ö nnr o t´ s epic Kalevala Lou h i is port rayed a s the evil wit c h of t h e n ort h . Lou h i sh ared h er f ait h wit h sev er a l ot h er wit c h god d esses arou n d the world . Sh e is t h e god d ess of t he seekers, f ort u n e- t ellin g an d h id d en kn owled ge. Lou h i is c on n ec t ed t o t h e moo n, w inter, n ort h an d h er sac red an imals a r e wolves, sn akes, lizard s an d dr a g o ns . Sh e represen t s f reed om, in d e p end enc e, magic , in t u it ion an d self- t ru st . htt ps://med i um.com/i llumi n at i on s-mi rror/lou hi-witc hgod d ess-i n -fi n n i sh-myt hology-f a 1b e 1dde 7f 7

13 Sisters of Delphi

Moon Magic 1st Quarter Moon find you rself workin g on diffe ren t part s of you rself o r tryin g t o overc ome ce rtain obst ac les.

T he fir st qu art er oc c u rs ab o ut 7 d ays af t er t h e ne w moon . Wh en t h e f irst q uarter is oc c u rrin g, it is the p erf ec t t ime f or you to acknowled ge wh at you r de e p e s t wish es are. The l u n a r c y c l e co nsists o f e i g h t s t a g e s . In the se e ight stages , a d i f f e r e nt p o rtio n of th e m o o n i s i ll uminate d as i t o r b i t s t h e earthd. The e i g h t s t a g e s incl ude th e fo l l o w i n g : ne w mo o n, w axi n g c r e s c e n t , first q ua rte r, w a x i n g gib b o us, ful l m o o n , w a n i ng gib b o us, la s t q u a r t e r, w a ning cr e s ce n t . I t t a k es a to tal of 2 7 d a y s f o r t h e m o o n to g o thr o u g h e a c h o f the se stages a n d c o m p l e te o ne ful l ro t a t i o n a r ound e arth. The s e 2 7 d a y s a re re fe rre d to a s a l u n a r m onth.

Focus On You During the First Quarter

Explaining How You Can Be Working On Yourself During The Third Lunar Phase

Duri ng e a c h p h ase o f the lu nar c y c l e , y o u might 58

D o y o u wa n t a s u c c e s s f u l c a re e r? M a y b e y o u wa n t to h a ve a h a p p y ma rri a g e wi th a b i g f a mi l y? W hatever you f in d t h at you want t h e most , n ow is t h e time to ref lec t on it an d start t o make it h appen . F igure ou t wh at you n eed to do t o get wh at you wan t , and st art c h ec kin g t h in gs o ff the list . T his is also a t ime t o f igu re o ut wh at is in you r way.

W h a t’ s s to p p i n g y o u f r o m g e tti n g wh a t yo u wa n t? H o w c a n y o u o ve rc o me th i s b l o c k a g e ?

You sh ou ld be wo r k ing o n overc omin g t h ese o b s ta c les bec au se you ’ ll n ev er b e able t o h ave your w ild es t d reams c ome t rue if ther e are all of t h ese r o a d b lo c k s . You d on ’ t ju st h a v e to in t ern ally c on n ect w ith you r emot ion s d u r ing this t ime. You c an t ry new f u n t h in gs as well! When yo u ’r e ou t sh oppin g f or thing s you n eed , bu y you r s elf a f ac emask an d a ba thb o m b . Try t h at n ew h air tr ea tm ent you ’ ve been look ing f orward t o. Cook a new rec ipe t h at you ’ ve w a nted t o t ry. You c an d o ph ysic al t h in gs t o help you grow t oo! You h ave probably c a u g ht on t o t h e t ren d a t this poin t , bu t you rea lly need t o be f oc u sin g on yo u d u rin g t h is t ime. Th e f irst qu art er g iv es yo u t h e perf ec t oppor tu nity t o grow an d h eal yo u r s elf f rom all of you r tr o u b les . An d yes, we kn ow yo u c an ’ t f ix all of yo u r problems in ju st a f ew d ays, bu t t akin g the f ir s t f ew st eps t oward s s elfimprovemen t is so import an t . 13 Sisters of Delphi

Moon Magic 1st Quarter Moon

O nce yo u t a k e t h e se first few s t e p s , y o u can start to li ft s o m e o f t h e we ight of f o f y o u r s h o ul de rs. In ti m e , y o u w i l l f ind yo urse l f bec omi n g a b e t t e r ve rsio n of y ou .

fro m c ast in g lu c k an d love sp e l l s d u rin g t h is t ime. F irst, you n eed t o d ec id e what you wan t t o h appen during t h is f irst qu art er.;

Jus t re m e m b e r to drink w ater a n d r e l a x . Yo u can’t fi x e v e r y t h i n g o ve rnight, but w h e n y o u s t art wo rking on y ou r s e l f, h a p p ine ss wil l co m e t o y o u .

The Road Opener Spell.

Spells to Cast During the First Quarter

The Best Spells For You To Try During This Time

S o, y o u m i g h t t h ink that y ou ca n c a s t w h ate v e r sp e l l y ou w a n t a t a n y time and i t’ ll w o r k j u s t g re at. H oweve r, t h a t ’s no t the ca s e . T h e r e a r e ce rtain spe l l s t h a t a r e be tte r to ca s t d u r i n g d i f f e re nt p hase s of th e l u n a r p h ase . For e x a m p l e , i t ’s m o re bene fic i a l t o c a st antistres s s p e l l s d u r ing a w ani n g c r e s c e n t m o o n. T he spe l l c o u l d p o t e ntial l y wo rk at a ny t i m e , b u t yo u wil l g e t th e b e s t r e s ul ts if yo u ca s t i t d u r i n g t h is p hase . Duri ng t h e f i r s t quarte r, y ou’ ll g e t t h e b e st re sul ts 59

If you’re hoping for good luck, try these spells! T his spell is great f or re mo vin g wh at ever o b stacles may be in you r way. As st at ed earlier, the first qu art er is a t ime whe re you sh ou ld be ide ntif yin g t h e obst ac les in the way of you an d you r dre ams. On c e you h ave ide ntif ied t h ese obst ac les, yo u can u se t h is spell t o he l p you remove t h em. To co n d u c t h is spell, yo u’l l n eed t h e f ollowin g ingre d ien t s: water, a wh i t e candle, a cry stal, an d an incense stick. O nce you h ave gat h ered the ingred ien t s, you will be go o d to c on d u c t t h e spell.

you r rit u al. Ru b yo u r ha nd s f or a f ew sec on d s u ntil yo u c an f eel a warm ener g y, visu alize a ball o f ener g y an d h old you r c rys ta l, you are in vokin g the E art h elemen t . Ligh t t h e c an d le to c a ll u pon t h e presen c e o f the Fire elemen t . G en t ly d ip a f in g er in t h e wat er t o f eel the c ompan y of t h e Wa ter elemen t . Wat er r ep r es ents a st at e of f low, a m ir r o r t h at c an open t h e d o o r t o a n ew realit y. T his t ran sf ormin g en e r g y w ill c lear all bloc kages . C ha nt t h e f ollowin g roa d o p ener prayer:

HOW TO DO A ROAD OPENER SPELL

Arrang e you r it ems on the al tar. E ac h elemen t wil l fa c e on e of t h e f ou r dire ction s: Wat er f ac es We st. Air f ac es E ast . E art h face s Nort h . Fire f ac es S o uth. Ligh t t h e in c en se. T he Air elemen t is en t erin g 13 Sisters of Delphi

Moon Magic 1st Quarter Moon

Vi s ual i z e a n e m p ty ro ad. M e d i ta t e f o r a f ew m inute s as y o u s e e y o u r s e l f m o v ing fo rwa r d . L e t t h e candl e burn c o m p l e t e l y and al ways pra ctic e c a n d l e safe ty.

If y ou n e e d t o l e ave the ro om, p u t o u t t he candl e and co n t i n u e b urning it la ter. On c e t h e c andl e is burne d , t o s s a l l re mains awa y w h i l e s a y i ng T hank y ou. Ke e p t h e c r ystal cl o se to y o u . I f y o u n e e d to i nv o ke t h e p o w er o f this spe l l , r u b y o u r h ands and h old i t i n y o u r h ands again. The s e a r e j u s t a fe w go o d lu c k s p e l l s y o u c an try to g e t ri d o f t h a t misfo rtune th at’ s b e e n h a n ging o ve r y our h e a d . I f s o me thing rea l l y i m p o r t a n t is co m ing up a nd y o u n e e d al l o f the lu c k y o u c a n g e t , try the se ! Spell to help you pass your exam.

If y ou a r e a s t u d e nt, chance s a r e t h a t yo u are feeli ng t h e p r e s sure fro m e v e ry a n g l e . Yo u p ro b ab l y h av e f o u r p r o j e c ts, thre e e xa m s , t w o p a p e rs, and w or k t o d o a l l at the same ti m e . S o m e t i m e s, whe n all of t h i s i s g o ing o n, i t’ s ha r d t o f i n d tim e fo r y ou to s t u d y. We’ve al l been t h e r e . It ’s o kay! If 60

yo u’ve been st ru gglin g t o find th e en ergy st u d y an d succe ed , u se t h is spell t o he l p you d o well on you r e xam. You ’ re goin g t o n eed on e y ellow candle, an i n c en se stick, paper, an d a pen. On c e you hav e g at h ered t h ese it ems, go ahead an d f ollow t h e instruct ion s f or t h e spell. H O W TO CAST THE SPE LL

Light t h e in c en se an d t ake 3 de e p breat h s. Relax an d hav e a posit ive at t it u d e. If yo u n eed t o grou n d yo urself, c ast a c irc le or m e ditat e f or a f ew min u t es. Take th e piec e of paper an d draw a n image of t h e su n . De co ra t e it in an y way you want or keep it simple. I t do e sn’t h ave t o be very big. S un sigil t o pass a t est Light t h e yellow c an d le an d chant t h e f ollowin g spell:

Visu alize you r be ing o f Ligh t , or t h e Su n ’s s p ir itu a l en ergy, c omin g t o help yo u . G ivin g you st ren g th, f o c u s an d memory wh en yo u t ake t h e exam. I ma g ine the su n ligh t t ran smitting its ligh t an d c learin g you r min d so you c a n p a s s t h e exam. Med it at e f or a f ew m inu tes or u se t h is t ime to c ha nt a prayer t o a sola r d eity. Wh en you ’ re ready, p u t ou t t h e c an d le ( y ou ca n blow it out) and k eep the d rawin g wit h you. It w ill b e you r lu c ky amu le t d u r ing t h e t est . Now, d on ’ t t h in k tha t yo u c an ju st n ot st u dy b ec a u s e you h ave t h is spell. T his spell will n ot give yo u the an swers f or you r ex a m , b u t in st ead will prov id e yo u wit h t h e f oc u s n e c es s a r y t o d o well. So, m a k e s u r e t h at you ’ re st ill h itting the books bef ore t h e ex a m . Th ese are ju st a f ew g o o d lu c k spells you c a n tr y to get rid of t h at mis f o r tu ne t h at ’ s been h an gi ng o v er you r h ead . I f som ething really import an t is c o m ing u p an d you n eed a ll o f the lu c k you c an get , tr y thes e! 13 Sisters of Delphi

Moon Magic 1st Quarter Moon

Lucky in Love Spells to Cast

Spells You Should Try to Find True Love The Amber Love Magnet Spell.

If y ou f e e l t h a t yo u hav e no t re a l l y b e e n one to attr ac t l o v e , y o u can try th i s s p e l l t o h a ve p e o p l e fa l l i ng f o r y o u l e ft and ri ght! On c e y o u cast this spe l l , p e o p l e w i l l b e gin to se e y o u f o r t h e ge m yo u rea l l y a r e ! Yo u ’re go ing to ne e d a n a m ber st on e a n d a r e d s a c het to b e ab l e to p e r f o r m this sp e l l . O nce yo u g e t t ho se ite m s, y ou ca n f o l l o w th e d i r e c t i o n s HOW TO CAST THE SPELL

Fi nd a n a m b e r sto ne and w as h i t w i t h p l enty o f w ater u n d e r t h e tap (o r u se wa r m s o a py w at er). Wri te o n a p i e c e o f p ap e r a li s t o f t h e q u al itie s that y ou ar e l o o k i n g fo r in y our s o u l m a t e . This p ap e r ca n b e p a r t o f y our B o o k of S h a d o w s o r Bo o k o f M i rr or s . P l a c e t he am b e r stone u n d e r y o u r p il l o w and g o t o s l e e p . The ne x t m o r n i ng, take th e amb e r w i t h yo ur l e ft h and a n d b r i n g it cl o se to y our h e a r t . As y o u do this, w atc h y o u r e m o tio ns. 61

Try to c reat e a d eep f eelin g o f l o v e in sid e of you . Imagin e wh at it f eels like finding you r sou lmat e an d savo r t h is momen t . I f you can visu alize it , pic t u re it as cl e arly as you c an .

goes on , you c an u s e this spell t o t ry an d s tr eng then t h e t ies bet ween yo u a nd you r part n er. You a r e g o ing t o n eed two red r o s es , a glass bottle with a lid , some paper, an d a pen .

It do e sn ’ t h ave t o be a sp e cific person , bu t rat h er the fe elin gs of joy an d hap p iness t h at c ome wit h finding you r t ru e love. P ut the amber in sid e a red sil k b ag or sac h et an d keep it insid e a jac ket poc ket , cl o se t o you r h eart , or ju st carry it wit h you in you r b ag o r pu rse.

As per u su al, on ce yo u h ave grabbed all o f thes e in gred ien t s, you w ill b e able t o perf orm the s p ell.

Fo r the n ext six d ays, re p e at t h is morn in g visual izat ion , an d keep t h e re d b ag wit h t h e amber sto ne un d er you r pillow at nigh t . Keep c arryin g it cl o se t o you r h eart u n t il yo ur l oved on e man if est s.

HOW TO CAST THE SPELL

Fin d t wo red roses a nd p u t t h em in sid e a gla s s b o ttle. Writ e t h e f u ll n a m es o f the t wo people in t h e c o u p le o n a piec e of paper a nd p u t it in sid e t h e bot t le. Sa y t h e f ollowin g spell o u t lou d on c e:

The Endless Desire Spell.

O nce you r relat ion sh ip m o v e s ou t of t h e pu ppy l o ve stage, you migh t st art to wo r ry t h at t h e spark is go ing t o f ad e. D on ’ t pan ic b e caus e you gu ys aren ’ t al l o ver eac h ot h er af t er m o nths of d at in g. Th at is no rmal! However, if you think th at you r relat ion sh ip is ge tt in g weaker as t ime 13 Sisters of Delphi

Moon Magic Morning Tea Spell.

1st Quarter Moon

To co n d u c t t h i s sp e l l , y ou’ r e g o i n g t o ne e d e v e ry t hin g r e qu i r ed t o mak e a c u p of you r f a vo r it e t e a . Thi s s p e l l f o c u s es o n a d i ff e re n t k i n d o f l o ve . Yo u s h o u l d b e c o nducting th i s s p e l l i f y o u ’v e b e e n strug g l i n g t o l o v e yo urse l f. We ’ v e a l l g o n e t hro ugh ro ugh t i m e s , s o it’s re al l y i m por t a n t t h a t w e wo rk to co m e o u t o n t h e o the r side . If y ou n e e d s o m e he l p with th i s , g r a b y o u r fav o rite m ug a n d p e r f o r m this spe l l h e r e . HOW TO CAST THE SPELL

P ut th e k e t t l e o n . Turn o f f a l l p h o n e s and alar m s , f i n d a c o m fo rtab l e chai r. W h i l e y o u wait fo r th e w a t e r t o b o il , take a d e e p b r e a t h a n d re l e ase the ai r w i t h a s o u n d . P l ac e y o u r h a n d s o n yo ur la p a n d e m p t y yo ur mind. O nce t h e w a t e r is b o il ing, add a t e a b a g t o yo ur mug, pour o v e r t h e h ot wate r and s t i r b r i e f l y.

Afte r you perf orm t h e Morn in g Tea Spell, reme m b er tha t yo u’re a beau t if u l person an d d eserve t h e very b es t tha t l ife has t o of f er! W he th er it c omes d own t o you lookin g f or lu c k o r lo v e, the se s pells are great f or you t o u se d u rin g t h e f ir s t q uarter. J u st a lit t le bit of magic c an h elp you to tu r n yo ur l if e arou n d ! T he fir st qu art er is a great t ime f or you t o brin g p o sitivit y in t o you r lif e. Make su re you are wo r k ing to b e the b est version of you rself, bec au se t h is is t h e p er f ec t tim e to leap over obst ac les an d improve you rse lf. Sip yo u r t ea wit h a min d f u l at t it u d e. Foc u s on the ta s te, the te mperat u re, t h e aroma, an d keep observin g yo u r b re athin g an d wh at t h ou gh t s c ome t o you r mind . L et the m g o. O nce you ’ re d on e, give t h an ks f or t h e t ea, an d f o r the day that begin s. htt p s : / /w w w.kelleemai ze.com/post /t he-ult i mate-gui d e-for-fi rst-qu a r te r -moonm a gic

Le t i t s i t f o r 3 minute s. C los e y o u r e y e s and say: 62

13 Sisters of Delphi

History of Werewolf Trials In Ge r man y in 1589, e xe cution ers st rapped accused werewolf Pet er Stum pp t o a c art wh eel, re m o v ed h is skin wit h h ot p inchers an d c h opped of f his he ad bef ore bu rn in g h is b o dy at t h e st ake. St u mpp’ s he ad, at t ac h ed t o a wood en p o l e ca rved in t o t h e l ike ne ss of a wolf, was lat er disp l ayed as a warn in g t o o the rs t empt ed t o c on sort with th e D evil.

Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials

A f e w o f t h e a c c use d m ay h a v e b e e n actual pe d op h i l e s o r s erial kil l e rs, but m a n y w e r e b e ggars, h e rmi t s o r r e c e n t é migré s w h o w e r e t o r t u re d i nto co n f e s s i o n s. S ome 2 0 0 y e a r s b e fo re th e w i t c h t r i a l s in S al e m, M as s a c h u s e t t s , co urts in E uro pe w e r e c o n v icting m e n—a n d s o m e wo m e n— of tra n s f o r m i n g into w e rew o l v e s a n d m util ating and e a t i n g c h i l d re n. The pu n i s h m e n t s we re some ti m e s a s g rue so m e as the a l l e g e d c r im e s. 63

We re wolf t rials t ook p l ace in part s of E u rope thro ugh ou t t h e 15t h , 16t h and 17t h c en t u ries, d riven b y superst it ion , religiou s and p olit ic al c lash es and th e d esire t o f in d scap e g oat s f or harsh c on d it ion s. M any of t h e ac c u sed were b e ggars, h ermit s or rec en t é m igrés t o t h e areas. M any con f essed t o bein g we re w olves an d c ommit t in g he ino u s c rimes, bu t on ly afte r bein g t ort u red . H isto r ian s su spec t some suffe red f rom d elu sion s o r we ren ’ t in t elligen t e no ugh t o kn ow wh at the y were ad mit t in g t o. A fe w may h ave been actual ped oph iles or serial kil l e rs, bu t t h e h ist oric al

rec ord s are f ragm ented an d exaggerat ed . C entu r ies lat er, it ’ s d if f ic u l t to u n t an gle f olklore f r o m r ea l evid en c e or wh at p eo p le believed t o be re a l a t t h e t ime. “ The idea of bein g consumed by a n imals , in this world o r the next, remain ed a popular anxi ety throughout the Mid d le A ges, ” writ es Alek s a nd er Plu skowski, a me d iev a l zooarc h eologist a t the U n iversit y of Rea d ing in t h e 2015 book Werewolf Hist ori es .

Early Werewolf Lore

Th e c on c ept of h u m a ns t ran sf ormin g in t o w o lv es goes bac k millennia . In the E pic of G ilgames h f r o m Mesopot amia in 2100 B.C ., t h e h ero aban d ons a lo v e in t erest wh en h e lea r ns t h at sh e t u rn ed a n ex - lo v er in t o a werewolf. I n G reek myt h olo g y, K ing Lyc aon of Arc ad ia tes ts Zeu s’ s omn ipot enc e b y f eed in g h im d isg u is ed h u man remain s a nd is t u rn ed in t o a wer ew o lf a s pu n ish men t . ( His na m e is the root of th e t e r m lycanthropy—u s e d f or 13 Sisters of Delphi

History of Werewolf Trials b o th c ha n g i ng i n t o a werewolf and the d e l u s i o n o f b ei n g o n e, a rec ogn i ze d p s y ch i at ri c c o n di t i o n f o r se ve ra l c e n t uri es .) We rew o l v e s a l s o figure d i nto th e f o l k l o r e o f the M i d d l e Ag e s , b u t the y we re us uall y b e n i g n c haracte rs w h o s h a p e - s h i f t ed into bea s ts a g a i n s t t he ir wil l and w e r e d e s p e r ate to return t o h u m a n fo rm . C har g e s t h a t r e a l p e o p l e co uld b e m e n a c ing w e rew o l v e s s u r f ace d as par t o f t h e w i t c h trial s th at s w e p t t h r o ugh p arts o f E uro pe i n t h e 1 40 0 s. O f fi c i a l s i n t h e Val ais regi o n o f S w i t z e rl and co ndu c t e d l a r g e -scal e pro s e c u t i o n s , b laming w i tche s f o r c r o p fail ure s, la me n e s s , b l i n d n e ss, i nf e rtil i t y a n d i mp o te nce — as wel l a s a d o p t ing wo l f fo rms a n d m u t i l ating ca ttl e . Ac c o r d i n g to so m e ac co un t s , s e v e r al hundre d m e n a n d w o m e n we re co nv i c t e d a n d b u rne d at th e s ta k e i n Va l a is starting i n 1 4 2 8 , o f t e n with a sack of g un p o w d e r a ro und the ir nec ks . An y l a n d the y o wne d automa t i c a l l y t ransfe rre d 64

to the loc al vassal of t h e K ing, wh ic h may h ave sp urred t h e ac c u sat ion s.

Werewolf Trials: From Papal Inquisitors to Secular Courts

F ro m th e Alps, werewolf p ro se cu t ion s spread to F ranc h e- Comt é, in B urgund y, a d en sely fo re sted area wh ere vil l agers an d livest oc k we re easy prey f or ac t u al wo l ve s. Th ere, as elsewh ere in Eur ope, polit ic al and religiou s u ph eavals he ighten ed t en sion s.

mid n igh t wit c h g a ther ing s an d h u n t in g an d ea ting c h ild ren . Bot h w er e c on vic t ed an d bur ned a t the st ake, alon g wit h a thir d wh o ref u sed t o co nf es s . Su bsequ en t werew o lf tr ia ls of t en f eat u red sim ila r d et ails: men in b la c k , a magic salve, belts o r s k ins t h at t u rn ed t h e a c c u s ed in t o wolves, at t end ing wit c h c eremon ies la te at n igh t an d going o n blood t h irst y ram p a g es .

And Ch rist ian it y was strugglin g t o overc ome re gio nal pagan t rad it ion s, m aking f ert ile grou n d fo r fan c if u l ac c u sat ion s, acco rd in g t o Rolf Sc h u lt e, a Ge rman expert on wit c h and werewolf h u n t s, in h is 2 0 0 9 book Man as Wit c h . In 1 5 21, in qu isit ors ap p o in t ed by t h e Pope p re sided over several t rials o f al l eged werewolf ery. Two sheph erd s, Pierre B urgo t an d Mic h el Verd u n , co nfe ssed t o makin g a p act wit h t h e D evil in e xchange f or f ood : meet in g with a man in blac k wh o gave th em an oin t men t that tu rn ed t h em in t o we re wolves, t h en at t en d in g

13 Sisters of Delphi

History of Werewolf Trials

S uppo s e d e y e w i tne sse s te s ti fie d t o s e e i n g huge , g l owi n g e y e s a nd l o ng, poi nte d t e e t h a n d b e asts runni n g w i t h s up e rhum an spe e d . Co n t e s t i ng the C hur c h ’s a u t h o r ity, the se cul a r Pa r l i a m e nt in Do l e s o o n t o o k charge o f w e rew o l f p r o s e c utio ns, at o ne p o i n t e n co uraging ci ti z en s “ t o a s s em bl e a rm e d w it h c l u bs, ha lb e r ds , p ik es, a rq ueb us e s a nd ot h er cu d gel s . ..t o h u n t d own t he n a m e d w er ewol ves w he re t h e y m ig h t fi n d , ca tch , s h o o t or ki l l t he m, ” a c c o r d ing to an E di ct o f Pa r l i a me nt cite d in S h ulte ’s b o o k .

Doctors Credit Satan With Altering ‘Body Humors’

A pa tr o l i n t h e e aste rn Fr e nc h t o w n o f St. Cl aude tra ck e d d o w n G il l e s Ga rni e r, a n i m migrant liv i ng i n p o v e r t y in the fo res t, a n d a c c u se d him o f m uti la t i n g c h i l dre n ne ar Do l e i n 1 5 7 3 . Af te r t o r t u r e , G arnie r co nf e s s e d t o k i l l ing fo ur chi l d r e n a n d f e e ding the ir bo d i e s t o h i s f a m il y o n a Fr i d ay— a d o u b l e sacril e ge g i v e n t h e Ch u r c h’s e dict aga i ns t e a t i n g me at o n 65

F ridays. G arn ier was b urne d at t h e st ake, d espit e so me dou bt s t h at h e c ou ld have ph ysic ally t raveled 60 kil omet ers away wh ere so me of t h e missin g chil dren lived . St. Cl a u d e’ s G ran d J u d ge, H e nri Bogu et , bec ame co nv in c ed t h at a large gro up of wit c h es an d we re w olves was t errorizin g the commu n it y an d o rde red mu lt iple arrest s and p r osec u t ion s, wit h the charges of t en u sed inte rchan geably. He also autho red t reat ises on v ario u s f orms of d emon s, incl ud in g werewolves, an d in 1 5 98 alon e, pron ou n c ed 17 de at h sen t en c es.

Cou rt s somet ime s c a lled in ph ysic ian s t o t es tif y. A c ommon med ic al v iew w a s t h at c on f essed w er ew o lv es su f f ered f rom me la nc ho lia , a kin d of d epress io n t h at in c lu d ed ma nia a nd d elu sion s. Some d o c to r s gave t h e D evil h is d u e, h owever, an d opined tha t Sat an c ou ld h ave c a u s ed su c h ailmen t s by a lter ing bod y h u mors—” a lin e of reasoning th at w as impossible to d is pr o v e and accepted b y the majority of phy s ic ian s ,” ac c ord in g t o G er m a n med ic al h ist orian Nad in e Met zger.

B ut he h ad t o rec on c ile his l e g al views wit h t h e Church ’ s of f ic ial posit ion that G od alon e c ou ld transform h u man s an d t h e De v il c ou ld on ly c reat e il l usio n s. N ot in g t h at he had seen c on f essed we re w olves sn arlin g and p r an c in g arou n d t h e co urtroom on all f ou rs, B o gue t c on c lu d ed t h ey were cl e arl y u n d er t h e D evil’ s sp e l l an d t h u s equ ally de se rvin g of exec u t ion , acco rdin g t o Sh u lt e. 13 Sisters of Delphi

History of Werewolf Trials

M ode r n m e d i c a l e xp e rts th e or i z e t h a t s o me ac cus e d w e r e w ol v e s co uld h a v e s u f f e re d fro m por ph y r i a , w h i c h cause s se ns i tiv i t y t o l i g ht, re ddish te e th a n d p s y c h o sis; o r h y pe rt r i c h o s i s , a he re ditary co ndi t i o n t h a t m anife sts in e xc e s s i v e h a i r g ro wth.

H e was lat er c on vic t ed of prac t ic in g f olk magic , se nte n c ed t o f loggin g an d ban ish ed f or lif e.

Ly c ant h r o p y — b el ie v ing one s e l f t o b e a w e re wo l f— might have been br oug h t o n b y d e l ib e rate l y or unw i t t i n g l y c o nsum ing h all uc i n o g e n i c he rb s, m us hr o o m s o r fo l k co n c o c t i o n s.

S e v e ra l sc h olarly papers report t h at 30,000 wer e e xe cut ed as werewolves in Fran c e alon e bet we en 1520 and 1 630. Bu t D u t c h h ist orian Willem d e Bléc o u r t tr a c ed the o rigin of t h at f igu re t o a 1611 book by Pie r r e d e Lancre, an ot h er zealou s werewolf prosec u t or, no ting tha t it re fe rred t o all t h e in h abit an t s of t h e Labou r d r eg io n o f F ranc e. Th at ’ s bec au se D e Lan c re believed tha t ev er y famil y prac t ic ed wit c h c raf t in some f orm.

Werewolves Lose Their Bite

De B l éc ou rt c on c lu d es, “ The total number o f p r osecuted werewolv es in Europe probab ly d id n ot e xc eed several h u n d red .”

We rew o l f t r i a l s co ntinue d spor ad i c a l l y i n the 1 7 th centur y i n G e r m any, the N e th e r l a n d s a n d e aste rn E uro pe , p a r t i c u l arl y in i s olate d r u r a l a r e as.

As the t h reat posed by real wolves in E u rope s lo w ly vanished d u e t o in d u st rializat ion an d popu lat io n g r o w th, Me tzger writ es, even t h e d elu sion of bein g a w er ew o lf was grad u ally replac ed by ot h er f orms of psyc h o s is .

Ho w ma n y p e o p l e we re tri e d a n d c o n vi c te d of b e ing we re wo l ve s i n a l l ?

htt ps://w w w.hi story.com/n ews/werewolf-t ri als -e u rope -witc he s

B ut g r a d u a l l y, t he e ducate d and e l i t e s t o p p e d b e l ie v ing i n the D e v i l o r anim al tra ns f o r m a t i o n . In 1 6 9 2 in Li v oni a , S w e d e n, an 8 0 y e ar o l d m a n n a m e d T hie ss w as la u g h e d o u t o f co urt w h e n h e p r o f e s se d to b e ing a wer e w o l f a n d e nte ring H e l l th r e e t i m e s a ye ar to ba ttl e w i t c h e s and de v il s and i n s u r e a g o od harv e st. 66

13 Sisters of Delphi

Tarot Cards Judgement is an ext en sive mou n t ain range , sign if yin g t h e insurmou n t able obst ac les and the impossibilit y of avo idin g ju d gemen t .

Upright

T he Ju d gemen t c ard is cal l ing you t o rise u p an d e mb rac e a h igh er level o f co n sc iou sn ess f or t h e se rv ice of you r High est Go o d. You are experien c in g a sp irit u al awaken in g and realisin g t h at you are de stined f or so mu c h more.

Keywords UPRIGHT:

Jud g e m e n t , r e b irth, inne r ca l l i ng , a b s o l u t io n REVERSED:

S e l f-d o u b t , i n n e r critic, i g no rin g t h e c a ll

DESCRIPTION

The Ju d g e m e n t card sho ws na ke d m e n , w o me n, and chi l d r e n r i s i n g f ro m the ir g ra v e s , a r m s o u tsp re ad and lo o ki n g u p i n t o the sky. A b ov e , Ar c h a n g el Gab rie l – th e M e s s e n g e r o f Go d – blow s h i s t r u mp e t. T he pe ople r e s p o n d to his cal l , rea d y t o b e j u d g e d and to f i nd o u t i f t h e y wil l b e ac cept e d i n t o t h e he ave ns or no t . In t h e b a ckgro und 67

T his is you r c osmic u pl e v e l l in g! You h ear t h e cal l and are read y t o act. Tu n e in t o a h igh er fre quen c y. Let go of you r o l d se lf an d st ep in t o t h is ne we st version of wh o you re al l y are. T he Ju d gemen t c ard of t en indicates t h at you n eed to make a lif e- c h an gin g de cision , bu t u n like tho se a ssoc iat ed wit h t h e l o gical J u st ic e c ard , t h is de cision requ ires a blen d of intuition an d in t ellec t . Yo u may be at a c rossroad s, aware t h at an y c h oic e yo u make will brin g a signific an t c h an ge wit h l o ng-l ast in g ef f ec t s. Tu n e in to you r High er Self, t ru st

you r ju d gemen t a nd k no w you are on t h e ri g ht p a th. I f you st ill n eed c la r ity o n t h e sit u at ion , look to yo u r past an d lif e less o ns to gu id e you . J u d gemen t pops u p in a Tarot read in g wh en yo u are c lose t o reaching a sign if ic an t st age in yo u r jou rn ey. You h ave r ev iew ed an d evalu at ed yo u r p a s t experien c es an d ha v e learn ed f rom t h e m . A ll t h e piec es of t h e p u z z le o f you r lif e are f in a lly c o m ing t oget h er t o f orm o ne, u n if ied pic t u re of yo u r lif e st ory. Th is in t egr a tio n ha s h ealed d eep wou nd s , a nd you are n ow able to p u t the past beh in d you . You h ave f ou n d y o u r absolu t ion , h avin g c lea r ed an y wron gd oin gs o r regret s, an d relea s ing a ny gu ilt or sad n ess a b o u t the past . Th is pu rging p r o c es s will leave you ref r es hed an d read y t o t ake o n a ny n ew c h allen ges. Th e J u d gemen t ca r d su ggest s t h at you m a y f in d c omf ort in sha r ing you r st ru ggles with ot h ers wit h in a g r o u p en viron men t . Ther e will be ot h ers who ha v e 13 Sisters of Delphi

Tarot Cards e xper i e n c e d s o me thing si m i l a r a n d w h o can sho w y ou th e w a y t o f re e do m fr om y o u r t r o u bl e s. Le t th e m g u i d e y o u and he l p y ou - r i s e t o g e t he r.

Reversed

Jud g e m e n t Re v erse d cal l s fo r a p e r i o d o f re fl e ctio n and s e l f- e v a l u a t io n. Thro u g h m e d i t atio n o r q ui et c o n t e m p l a tio n, y ou m a y a r r i v e at a de e p und e rs t a n d i n g o f the uni v e r s a l t h e m e s we aving th ro ug h o u t y o u r l ife and w h at yo u c a n d o o r change to a v o i d t h e s e s ituatio ns.

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Judgement yo u’re worried you are no t re ad y t o st ep in t o a mo re promin en t role an d just wa n t t o play it saf e. Yo u are d oin g you r best t o p re te n d you d id n ’ t rec eive it and are c arryin g on wit h yo ur d aily lif e, h opin g it wil l go away.

an d replac e it with m o r e posit ive message s o f w ha t is possible. htt ps://w w w.bi d d yta rot.com/ta rotcard -mean i n gs /ma jor -a rc a na / ju dge m e nt/

B ut l e t’ s be h on est – t h e ‘c al l ’ n ever goes away; it just get s lou d er an d lou d er until you pay at t en t ion . It’s time t o pu sh past you r inne r f ears an d self- d ou bt , and tru st t h at t h e U n iverse has you r bac k. Th is is hap p e nin g f or a reason .

Yo u m a y h a v e k ep t the m se cr e t o r h i d d e n b e cause y ou fe a r h o w o t he rs may ju d g e y o u . To c le ar the se pas t m i s t a k e s a nd re gre ts, and an y a s s o c i a t e d guil t or s h a m e , w o r k o n yo ur se l f-fo r g i v e n e s s , se l fac cept a n c e , s e l f-l o ve , and rele ase a n d f r e edo m.

So m e t imes, J u d gemen t Re ve rsed in d ic at es you r inne r c rit ic is c omin g thro ugh , lou d an d c lear. Yo u m a y d ou bt you rself o r te l l you rself n egat ive me ssag es. Th is is imped in g yo u b ein g able t o f u lf il yo ur h igh est pot en t ial an d b e yo u r best self.

The Ju d g e m e n t Re v e rse d of te n a p p e a r s w he n the Uni v e r s e i s t r y i n g to se nd y ou a m e s s a g e and inv ite y ou to s o m e t h i n g b igge r, but y o u ’r e n o t l iste ning. M ay b e y o u ’r e a fraid o f the sac ri f i c e y o u w i l l ne e d to m ak e t o h e e d t he cal l , o r

To o v erc ome you r in n er critic, see it as a separat e p art o f you rself ( g ive i t a n ame) , h ear it ou t and ackn owled ge it s f ear, and o ff er assu ran c es that e veryt h in g will be just fin e. Wit h f oc u sed discip lin e, you c an break the cycle of self- c rit ic ism 13 Sisters of Delphi

Oracle Cards The Dream Weaver’s Oracle

Hu man bein gs of t en believe t h ey c r ea te their world t h rou gh t h e power of d et erm ina tio n an d will alon e. Hard work an d ef f or t, s tr iv ing , ambit ion , f oc u s, imagin at ion , an d d es ir e a r e all wort h y c ompon en t s of realit y c r ea tio n, b u t t h ey are n ot t h e on ly on es. To t ru ly be an empowered c o- c reat o r a nd work you r magic in t h e world , you need to remember you are in a part n ersh ip w ith yo u r High er Power. Th is is t h e met aph or o f the D ream Weavers: I t is a remin d er t h a t yo u a r e n ever alon e. Th ere are always d ivine f o r c es a t work on you r beh alf, list en in g t o t he s to r ies in you r min d an d h eart an d ref lec t i ng them in t h e ou t er world . Th ere is an ot h er message h ere about the st ran d s in t h e f abric of realit y t h at a r e c on st an t ly bein g woven . Wh ile t h er e a r e t h in gs you c an n ot c h an ge or c on t ro l, ther e are also t h e t h read s you c h oose t o w ea v e into t h is f abric of lif e, based on t h e elec tr ic f o r c e wit h in you . You d an c e bet ween su rr end er an d c reat ion , f u eled by you r in spired d r ea m s an d in t en t ion s.

LET YOUR DREAMS BE WOVEN TRUE Essential meaning:

th e ca r d o f t h e Dre am We ave rs, co cr e ati o n , p a r t n ership with divine power s , t r u s t i n g yo ur dre ams wil l be i n a l i g n m e n t with yo ur so ul ’s d e s ti n y, s u r r e n d e ring yo ur wil l to a H i g h e r Po w e r 69

Now is n ot t h e t ime f or pu sh in g h ar d er b u t f or allowin g t h in gs t o organ ic ally ta k e their c ou rse. D o you r part , t akin g you r st ep s b u t su rren d erin g t h e rest t o t h e D ivin e. Rem em b er you r job is t o kn ow you r wh y an d ho ld s p a c e f or t h e en ergy of you r d ream. I n wea v ing the sac red essen c e of you r d esire, t h e “ho w ” o f it will be revealed . Weave an d let go, w ea v e a nd release. Let you r d reams be woven tr u e a nd , like magic , t h in gs will seem t o work o u t, ev en wh en you ’ re n ot c on c en t rat in g on t he p a tter n.

13 Sisters of Delphi

Oracle Cards Wisdom of the Oracle

T he re are t h in gs in lif e you will n ever h ave c ontr o l o v er. T he con d it ion s brou gh t on by t h e evolu t ion of the co l l e ctive, by n at u re, an d by you r past experienc es m a y b e fated , preord ain ed by Spirit f or a great er pu r p o s e yo u canno t u n d erst an d in t h is lif et ime. I t may n ot b e in yo u r cards t o u n d erst an d wh y c ert ain even t s oc c u rred , b u t yo u can ac c ept t h e myst ery an d work wit h wh at t ho s e ev ents and you r c u rren t c irc u mst an c es h ave t o t eac h yo u . T his is the wisd om c on t ain ed in t h e Seren it y Prayer. Relationship message:

THE FATES

Essential meanings:

Fate; k a r m a ; a c ce p tance th at th e r e a r e t hings yo u ca nno t c h a n g e a nd kno wing w h at t h o s e t h i n gs are .

O the r people are wh o t h ey are. You c an ’ t c h an g e them . T he ch allen ge is t o ac c ept t h em an d n ot t ry t o m a k e the m ot h erwise t o su it you . Th is is a t ime t o loo k a t ho w yo u att empt t o mold people t o f it you r view of ho w they sho ul d be so you c an remain in t h e relat ion sh ip a nd avo id d isc omf ort . Wh at if wh o t h ey are, an d w ha tev er is hap pen in g bet ween you an d t h em in t h is situ a tio n, is e xactl y perf ec t as it is f rom t h e perspec t ive of Sp ir it? No w is t h e t ime t o ac c ept wh at you c an n ot c h a ng e, ev en if it mean s t h at you h on or you rself, Spirit , an d the o ther p e rso n by movin g on . Love u n c on d it ion ally, f or ea c h o f us is on ou r own jou rn ey an d we c an n ot d irec t tha t o f ano ther. Be aware t h at t h is relat ion sh ip is in d eed f a ted , and you are mean t t o evolve in t o a bet t er vers io n o f yo urself as a resu lt of it . Prosperity message:

Yo ur e xperien c es c on c ern in g prosperit y an d ab u nd a nc e are b e yon d you r person al c on t rol righ t n ow. You a r e b e ing in vit ed t o ac c ept “ what is” u n reserved ly. T his co ul d be a t emporary sit u at ion , seemin gly t h rus t u p o n The Oracle’s Message: yo u b y ou t sid e f orc es, bu t t h ere is an u n d erlying p u r p o s e The S e r e n i t y P r a ye r sums yo u can ’ t see t h at h as been d et ermin ed by t h e Fa tes . up the m e a n i n g o f this It co uld be a sit u at ion you may be u n prepared f o r a nd ca rd: “ G o d, g r a n t m e t h e yo u may n ot u n d erst an d h ow it will ben ef it you in the s e re n it y t o a cc ep t t h e m o me nt . D o n ot f igh t t h e sit u at ion . Rid e it out a nd s ee t hi n g s I c a n n ot c h a n g e, whe re it lead s. Su rren d er t o it , an d t h e seren ity yo u need t he co u r a g e t o c h a n g e to make good c h oic es f rom h ere on ou t will be g iv en to t he t h in g s I c a n , an d yo u. You will in d eed f lou rish . t he w is d o m t o kn ow t h e d i f f e r e n c e .” 13 Sisters of Delphi 70

Oracle Cards The Spirit Animal Oracle STARFISH SPIRIT O p e n to i n f i n i te p o ssib il ity Protection Message:

Wh en c yn ic ism says n o, Sta r f is h Spirit says yes a t h ou sa nd t imes over.

Are yo u wi l l i n g to e nte r tain n e w p o s s i b i l i tie s? Are y o u l i mi ti n g y our g oal s i n o rd e r to b e re a l i stic , and c u tti n g yo u rs e l f o f f fr om th e p o we r o f d re a mi n g b ig ? Let go of you r rigid belief s a b o u t wh at is possible f or you , a nd let St arf ish Spirit in spire y o u to o p en you r h eart an d you r eyes to w ha t Spirit h as available t o y o u . N ow is a t ime t o st ret c h b eyo nd t h e f amiliar an d u n f u rl yo u r s elf, f or you are mean t f or mo r e tha n you are imagin in g f or y o u r s elf. Spirit wan t s t h e best f o r yo u a nd will su pport you in ac h iev ing wh at ever in t en t ion you ho ld d ea r.

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess RavensThorn Morrigan

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess Gloriana Danu

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Mawa Cardea

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Bella Bloodmoon

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess Gloriana Danu

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Mawa Cardea

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess Gloriana Danu

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess RavensThorn Morrigan

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By:

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High Priestess Brittanica Aiobhean

13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Bella Bloodmoon

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess Gloriana Danu

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess RavensThorn Morrigan

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess Gloriana Danu

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: High Priestess Brittanica Abohean

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Bella Bloodmoon

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Mawa Cardea

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Poetry Shared By: Elder High Priestess RavensThorn Morrigan

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Magical Recipes

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13 Sisters of Delphi

How To: Harvest Herbs I f you r t rad it ion d oesn ’ t requ ire t h is, you c an u se an y pair of gard en sn ippers.

W h e th e r y o u ’r e an apa rtme n t d w e l l e r with a f e w s m a l l c o n t aine rs on th e p a t i o , o r a rural g ar d e n e r w i t h a n e ntire patc h o f m a g i c al go o die s to c h o o s e f r o m , harve sting h ome g r o w n h e r b s is a g ra ti fyi n g e x p e r ie nce . Yo u ca n eit h e r h a r v est a fe w bi ts a t a t i m e , as yo u ne e d th e m , a n d u s e t h e m fre sh, or y ou c a n g a t h e r e ntire bunc h e s a t o n c e to dry and pr e s e r v e .

Harvesting Your Magical Herbs A lth ou g h t h e r e ’s no hard and fa s t r u l e a b out what to us e w h e n c u t ting he rb s, some m a g i c a l t r aditio ns rec om m e n d t h e use o f a bo l i ne , o r r i t u a l cutting too l , f o r h e r b h a rv e sting. 90

Keep in min d t h at t h e best t ime t o h arvest you r h erbs is early in t h e day, aft er t h e morn in g d ew has dried away. Harvest in g the m early, bef ore t h e su n has had t ime t o d ry t h em o ut, allows t h e plan t s t o m ainta in t h eir essen t ial o il s, wh ic h is an import an t p art o f h erb u se. Th e oils are what keeps the m f ragran t . Basic cutting:

if yo u’ re on ly goin g t o co l l e ct wh at you n eed f or a ritual or workin g, simply snip o ff t h e leaves or st ems that you ’ re goin g t o u se that day. Some h erbs, like b asil , are easily st ripped of l e av e s ju st by slid in g you r finge rs alon g t h e bran c h . O the rs, like rosemary, h ave a wo o d y st em t h at is easier to snip of f in it s en t iret y.

D u rin g t h e su mm er m o nths , sn ippin g of f leaves a nd st ems will en c ou r a g e new growt h in you r pla nts . I f it ’ s t h e f lowers yo u ’r e af t er, su c h as c h a m o m ile o r lilac s, c ollec t blo o m s a f ter t h ey’ ve d evelope d f u lly a nd open ed u p. I f you ’v e g o t a plan t wh ose seed s a r e the main f oc u s, be sur e to w a it u n t il t h e seed s h a v e f u lly d eveloped an d be g u n to d r y an d t u rn brown on their own . An easy wa y to g a ther seed s, su c h as on the d ill plan t , is t o plac e a p a p er bag over t h e h ea d o f the plan t , an d sh ake it into the bag. An y d ry seed s s ho u ld f all easily in t o yo u r paper sac k. Bunch cutting:

I f you ’ d like t o g a ther en t ire bu n d les of her b s t o h an g u p an d d r y, s nip of f t h e st ems wh er e they bran c h of f f rom the m a in plan t . Th is n ot o nly en c ou rages n ew g r o w th lat er in t h e season, it a ls o makes it easier t o ha ng t h em u p in a bu n c h.

How to Dry Your Magical Herbs Wh en you d ry h er b s , yo u h ave a c ou ple of o p tio ns as t o met h od . A b u nd le o r bu n c h of h erbs c a n b e tied 13 Sisters of Delphi

How To: Harvest Herbs

togeth e r w i t h s t ring–use ab out a d o z e n s te ms tie d togeth e r t o m a k e a nice fat bundl e – a n d h u ng in a dry, ai r y pl a c e . It ’s ge ne ral l y no t a g o o d i d e a to hang th e m i n d i r e c t s u nl ight, bec aus e t h e y c a n b urn and bec ome o v e r - d r y.

Yo u c a n h a n g t h e m fro m a d ry i ng r a c k i n a warm sp o t i n y o u r h o u s e , and l e t the m si t fo r a b o u t t h re e we e ks. Thi s i s u s u a l l y e no ugh time to dry m o s t h e r b s - yo u’l l kno w t h e y ’r e d o ne drying bec aus e t h e l e a ve s wil l cr ac k w h e n y o u p inch the m .

to o v erbake you r h erbs, b e caus e t h ey’ ll be u seless if the y bu rn . If yo u h ave a d eh yd rat or, yo u can u se t h at in a sim il ar man n er as t h e o ve n met h od . Fort u n at ely, a de hyd rat or works at a l o we r t emperat u re t h an yo ur oven , so t h e risk of b urnin g you r leaves is l o we r. Be su re t o c h ec k the m period ic ally t o see if the y’re d on e d ryin g. Again , whe n th e leaves c ru mble to the t ou c h , t h ey’ re read y to go .

wan t t o be su re t o d o . U se c olored glass j a r s , o r c eramic c on t ain e r s w ith a n airt igh t lid t o st o r e yo u r h erbs. Be su re t o la b el ea c h jar wit h t h e h erb ’s na m e on it –an d if it ’ s s o m ething t h at migh t be t ox ic , m a k e su re you in d ic at e this o n t h e label, part ic ula r ly if you h ave c h ild re n in yo u r h ome. Keep you r her b j a r s in a c ool, d ark ar ea ; d o n’t st ore t h em over the s to v e or in an area t h a t is k no w n f or h igh h eat . htt ps://w w w.learnre ligions .com/ harvest i n g-d rying-a nd-s tor ingmagi cal-he r b s -2562025

A ga i n, i f y o u ’r e harve sting th e s e e d s o r b l o sso m s, use th e pa p e r b a g m e tho d. S e cure t h e b a g o v e r the h e ad o f y o u r d r ying b undl e , and as t h e p l a n t drie s, the se e d s a n d f l o w e rs wil l fal l of f i nt o t h e b a g . A nothe r m e t h o d that so me pe ople l i k e t o u se –and it w or ks w e l l i f y ou’re in a h ur ry – i s t o l a y the gathe re d h e rb s f l a t o n a co o kie she e t and pl a c e i t i n t he o v e n at a low t e m p e r a t ure . Thi s w i l l t a k e a fe w ho urs, and i t m a k e s y o u r ho use sm e l l a m a z i n g . B e cautio us, th oug h ; y o u d o n’t want 91

Storing Your Magical Herbs

To sto re you r h erbs, t h ere are a variet y of met h od s yo u can u se. Wh ile a p l astic Z ip- loc bag works we l l to keep air ou t , it do e sn’t keep ou t t h e ligh t , and that ’ s somet h in g you 13 Sisters of Delphi

Dragon Lore Legend of the Peluda Dragon green f u r an d wh at h ad appeared t o be a gian t serpen t was n ow exposed as t h is ext raord in ary an imal’ s h ead an d n ec k!

The re o n t h e b a nk o f the ri v er H u i s n e , a t La Fe rt‚B er na r d i n m e d ie val Fr ance , s o m e t h ing w as de f i n i t e l y mo ving. S udd e n l y, w h a t ap p e are d at f i rs t t o b e t h e he ad and si nuou s b o d y o f a huge v i pe r-l i k e s n a k e e m e rge d fr om a s p h e r i c a l m ass o f br i g h t g r e e n v e g e tatio n, and re a r e d u p w ards ab ov e i t . M ome n t s l a t e r, h o we v e r, th e v e g e t a t i o n i t se l f b e gan to mov e , q u i v e r ing as if i t w e r e a l i v i n g cre ature - whi c h w a s o n l y to b e e xpec t e d , f o r t hat was prec i s e l y w h a t it was.

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W h at h a d s e e m ed to b e no th i n g m o r e t han a cl uste r of ri v e r s i d e f o l i a ge was in rea l i ty t h e r o u n d b o dy o f a huge a n i m a l with shaggy

I t was t h e pelu d a - a t errif yin g amph ibiou s ne o -dragon also kn own as the sh aggy beast ( ‘ la v el u e’) , wh ic h h ad been sp awn ed in early biblic al days a n d was ref u sed en t ry o nto Noah ’ s Ark, yet h ad no ne th eless su rvived t h e Gre at Flood , an d was n ow te rro risin g t h e en viron s of La Fe r t ‚ - Bern ard .

it s immen sely pow er f u l t ail - an d wh en it w a s su f f ic ien t ly an ge r ed , a sin gle blast of f la m e spewed f ort h f rom its c oiled t h roat c ould in c in erat e f ield s f o r miles arou n d .

For a t ime, t h e p elu d a h ad c on t en t ed it s elf w ith raid in g f arms and s ta b les eac h n igh t in sea r c h o f h orses an d ot h er liv es to c k as prey - robbin g the f armers of t h eir liv eliho o d , bu t rarely of t h e ir liv es , u n less t h ey were f o o lis h en ou gh t o c h alleng e it s d epred at ion s.

Oc c asion ally, ma s s ed at t ac ks on t h e bea s t b y brave c ompan ies d r a w n f rom t h e loc al po p u la c e ha d su c c eed ed in d riving it into Its de n se green pelage t h e Hu isn e - bu t the p elu d a p artially h id f ou r h orn y, was of su c h c olos s a l s iz e turtl e - like f eet , an d brist led t h at wh en ever it s u b m er g ed with c ou n t less n u mbers of it self u n d erwat er, the r iv er sp ine -like qu ills - wh ic h immed iat ely over f lo w ed co ntain ed pot en t st in gin g it s ban ks, an d muc h o f ve no m, an d c ou ld be t h e d ist ric t bord er ing o n je ttison ed like poison ou s eit h er sid e was co m p letely jave l ins in t o an yt h in g f lood ed , t h ereby c a u s ing unwary en ou gh t o approac h as mu c h d evast atio n to the to o cl osely. f armers as t h e m o ns ter ’s own on slau gh t s. T his mon st rou s beast co ul d also kill a person More rec en t ly, h ow ev er, the with a migh t y t h wac k of sit u at ion h ad bec o m e ev en 13 Sisters of Delphi

Dragon Lore Legend of the Peluda Dragon

w or s e , f o r t h e p e l uda had la tely e x p a n d e d its die tary sco pe - a d d i n g c hil dre n and d ams e l s t o i t s murde ro us m e nu. S e v e r a l o f the v i l l age ’s f a i r e s t m aide ns h ad be e n d e v o u r e d, and onl y th i s m o r n i ng ye t anothe r h a d b e en am b ushe d and ca r r i e d a w ay - b ut th i s ti m e s h e h a d no t been a l o n e .

p e l uda keeled over an d d ied - f or it s t ail was the o nly p o rtio n of it s bod y vu ln erable t o mort al in ju ry. B ack in La Fert ‚ - Bern ard t h ere was great rejoic ing , a nd the re main s of t h e pelu d a were embalmed . As f o r its co nq ueror, h e was ac c laimed f orever more as a her o , a nd rightl y so - af t er all, h e h ad ac h ieved a f eat t h a t no t ev en the Gr eat Flood h ad been able t o ac c omplish ! htt p s : //karlshuker.blogspot.com/2 0 1 5/0 9 /t he-pelud a-shaggy-survivor -of-noa hs . htm l

H e r v a l i a n t f i a n c é had b e e n nea rb y, a n d h a d witne sse d th e te r r i b l e d e e d . No w he sw or e v e n g e a n c e against h e r a n t e d i l u v i a n attacke r, and h e t o o k u p his trusty sw or d t o d o b a t t l e . P ro te c t e d f r o m t he p e l uda’s d e adl y a r s e n a l of se l fpro pe l l i n g q u i l l s b y his suit of m ail , a n d a d d itio nal l y ar m e d w i t h k n o w l e dge g ai ne d f r o m t h e vil l age ’s w i s e s t s e e r, t h e b o l d yo uth stro d e f o r t h a n d aime d a ter rib l e b l o w w ith his sw or d - b u t n o t at the m ons t e r ’s u n d u l ating ne ck, and no t e v e n a t the he aving bell y c o n c e a l e d b e ne ath its sh aggy f u r. Ins te a d , h e h a c k e d do wn at i ts w r i t h i n g t ail , and se v e re d i t i n t w o with a si ngle s l a s h o f his ke e n blade . I n s t a n t l y, the mighty 93

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Chinese Zodiac Tiger

Yea rs o f t h e Ti g e r incl ude 2 0 2 2 , 2 0 1 0 , 1 9 98 , 1 9 8 6 , 1 9 7 4 , 1 9 6 2 , 1 9 50 , 1 9 3 8 .…. The Ti g e r i s k n o wn as the ki ng o f a l l b e a s ts in China. The z o d i a c s i g n Tige r i s a s ym b o l o f s tre ngth, e xo rc i s i n g e v i l s , and br av en e s s . M a n y Chine se ki d s w e a r h a t s o r sho e s w i th a t i g e r i m age fo r g oo d l u c k . Ti ger p e o p l e , y o u have a d own- t o - e a r t h pe rso nal ity and d o w n - t o - e a rth w or k e t h i c . Wi t h gre at co nf i d e n c e a n d indo m itab l e fo rti tu d e , t h e y can b e co m pe t e n t l e a d ers.

Chinese Zodiac Tiger Years

The Ti g e r r a n k s the third among t h e a n i mal s o f the C hi nese z o d i a c . T he 12 z odi ac a n i m a l s are , in 94

ord er: Rat , Ox, Tiger, Rabbit , D ragon , Sn ake, Horse, G oat , Mon key, Roost er, D og, an d Pig. E ac h year is relat ed t o an an imal sign ac c ord in g t o a 12 -y ear- c yc le. T he most relevan t years o f the Tiger in c lu d e 2022, 20 1 0 , 1998, 1986, 1974, 19 6 2 , 1950, an d 1938. If yo u were born in on e of the ab ove c alen d ar years, yo ur Ch in ese zod iac sign is p ro b ably t h e Tiger, an d in China you wou ld be kn own as a Tiger. H o we ver, t h e Ch in ese zo diac year is u su ally said to st art f rom Ch in ese Ne w Year, wh ic h ran ges fro m l a t e J an u ary t o mid Fe b rua ry. Th eref ore, if yo u were born in J an u ary o r Fe b ru ary in on e of t h e ab o v e years, you migh t be a Tige r, or possibly an Ox. Addition ally, if you were b o rn in J an u ary/Febru ary

in on e of t h e yea r s immed iat ely f ollow ing t h ose above ( 201 1 , 1 9 9 9 , 1987, 1978, etc.) , then you may be a Tig er o r a Rabbit .

Dates for Tiger Years

• 2022 Febru a r y 1, 2022 – J an u ar y 21, 2023 Wat er Tiger • 2010 Febru a r y 14, 2010 – Febru a r y 2, 2011 G old Tiger • 1998 J an u a r y 28, 1998 – Febru a r y 15, 1999 E art h Tig er • 1986 Febru a r y 9, 1986 – J an u ar y 28, 1987 Fire Tiger • 1974 J an u a r y 23, 1974 – Febru a r y 10, 1975 Wood Tig er • 1962 Febru a r y 5, 1962 – J an u ar y 24, 1963 Wat er Tiger • 1950 Febru a r y 17, 1950 – Febru a r y 5, 1951 G old Tiger • 1938 J an u a r y 31, 1938 – Febru a r y 18, 1939 E art h Tig er • 1926 Febru a r y 13, 1926 – Febru a r y 1, 1927 Fire Tiger

What are the lucky things for people born in a year of the Tiger? Lucky numbers:

1, 3, an d 4 an d nu m b er s 13 Sisters of Delphi

Chinese Zodiac co nta i n i n g t h e m (l i ke 13 a n d 4 3) Lucky days:

th e 1 6 t h a n d 2 7 th o f any C hi nese l u n a r mo nth Lucky colors:

blue, g r a y, o r a n g e Lucky flowers:

y e l l ow l i l y, c i n e r aria Luc ky d i r e c t i o n : e ast, no rth, s o u t h Lucky months:

th e 3 r d , 7 t h , a n d 1 0 th C hi nese l u n a r mo nths.

Things that Tigers should avoid: Unlucky numbers:

6 , 7 , a n d 8 a n d numb e rs co nta i n i n g t h e m (l i ke 67 a n d 8 7) Unlucky color:

br own

Unlucky direction:

south w e s t

Unlucky months:

th e 1 s t , 4 t h , 5 t h, and 11 th C hi nese l u n a r mo nths

Tigers Horoscope Predictions in 2023 2 0 2 3 i s a y e a r of the Rab bi t . Ti g e r s , acco rding to C h i n e s e a s t r o l o gy, co m pa r e d w i t h l ast ye ar, y our o v e r a l l f o r t une i s on t h e r i s e , a n d yo u ar e d e s t i n e d t o be v e ry co m fo r t a b l e i n l ife and w o r k .

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In 2 0 2 3 , d u e t o the he l p of no b l e b e n e f a cto rs, Tige r

Tiger

p e o p l e, you will h ave a b e tte r c areer experien c e and ha ve a great er c h an c e o f p ro mot ion an d /or sal ary in c reases. Co m p a red wit h 2022, you r we al th h orosc ope, Tiger p e o p l e, h as a d own ward tre nd in 2023, bu t d u e t o yo ur inc rease in c areer l uck, you r in c ome t h is year wil l in c rease c ompared with the previou s year. In 2 0 23, t h e overall ro m ant ic f orec ast f or you Tige r people d isplays an up war d t ren d . You are set to me et more kin d people, and wit h t h eir h elp, you sho ul d meet man y su it able frie nds of t h e opposit e sex.

h an d ed man n er. T hey a r e au t h orit at ive an d nev er go bac k on wh at they h ave said . Wit h great c on f id enc e a nd in d omit able f ort itu d e, t h ey c an be c ompetent lead ers. Th ey wil l no t m a k e preparat ion s f or a nything , bu t c an h an d le a nything t h at c omes alon g . Wood , Fire, E art h , G o ld , an d Wat er Tigers I n Ch in ese eleme nt t h eory, eac h zod i a c s ig n is assoc iat ed with o ne o f t h e f ive elemen t s : G o ld ( Metal) , Wood , Wa ter, Fire, or E art h . For ex a m p le, a Wat er Tiger c om es o nc e in a 60- year c yc l e.

Zodiac Tiger’s Personality: Brave, Confident...

Pe o p l e born in a year o f the Tiger are brave, co mp et it ive, u n pred ic t able, and con f id en t . Th ey are ve ry ch armin g an d welll ike d by ot h ers. Bu t so m e times t h ey are likely to b e impet u ou s, irrit able, and o verin d u lgen t . With st u bborn person alit ies and tou gh ju d gmen t , Tige rs work ac t ively an d e xp re ss t h emselves bold ly, do ing t h in gs in a h igh -

13 Sisters of Delphi

Chinese Zodiac It i s th e o r i z e d t h at a pe rs o n ’s c h a r a c t e ristics ar e d e c i d e d b y t he ir b irth y e ar ’ s z o d i a c a n imal sign and e l e m e n t . T his m e ans th e re a r e f i v e t yp e s o f Ti ger, e a c h w i t h d i ff e re n t c h a r a c te ristics:

Type of Tiger & Characteristics Wood Tiger

C o m pa s s i o n a t e , e xp ansive , and op e n Fire Tiger

O pti mi s t i c a n d i nde pe n d e n t , w ith p o o r se l f-co n t r o l Earth Tiger

A dv e n t u r o u s a n d re al istic, w i th s t r o n g f a i t h Gold Tiger

Fe m ale s a r e v e r y e nthusi a s t i c ; m a l e s are i nde cis i v e , s t u b bo rn, and femi niz e d Water Tiger

H as a s t r o n g s e n se o f se l fe s te e m a n d l e a r n ing ab il ity

Tigers’ Love Compatibility: Is She/He Compatible with You?

E a ch a n i m a l s i g n has its uni q ue c h a r a c t e ristics. Lov e c o m p a t i b i l ity amo ng C hi nese z o d i a c animal s m os tly t a k e s i n t o acco unt th e g e n e r a l c h a racte ristics of e ac h a n i m a l . O nl y tho se w h os e c h a r a c t e r istics m atch e ac h o t h e r w e l l can b e g oo d p a r t n e r s . 96

Tiger

Best with:

H o rse , D og, or Pig Worst with:

O x, Sn ake, G oat , or Mon key

Best-Suited Careers for Tigers

T he Tiger, c alled “ the ki n g o f the animals” in China, is u su ally t h e c en t er o f atten t ion . Th ey are b o rn w it h lead ersh ip skills and they are respec t ed by o the rs . Tigers are su it ed t o any career as lead ers. T he b est c areers f or Tigers are : ad vert isin g agen t , o ffice man ager, t ravel age nt, ac t or, writ er, art ist , p il o t, fligh t at t en d an t , m usician , c omed ian , and chau f f eu r. H o we ver, in t h eir early ye ars, Tigers’ c areers are no t so smoot h . Af t er t h eir thirties t h ey f in d t h eir dire ction an d gathe r wealt h .

Good Health for Tigers

Tige rs u su ally en joy good he al th. Small illn esses, such a s c old s, c ou gh s, and fe ver, are rarely e xp e rien c ed by Tigers. Th ey are act ive so t h ey like t o d o vario u s sport s. H o we ver, t h ey sh ou ld avo id exc essive st ren u ou s

exerc ise, bec au se s o m e d an gerou s ac t ivities m a y lead t o ph ysic al ha r m . Wh en in volved in o u td o o r exerc ise, t h ey sho u ld p a y part ic u lar at t en t io n to warm- u p exerc ise . A er o b ic exerc ises, su c h a s j o g g ing , are su it able f or k eep ing f it. Tigers are en erge tic a nd h ave great en t h u s ia s m at work. Wh en t hey f eel exh au st ed af t er w o r k ing f o r lon g h ou rs, t h ey need some relaxat ion to ref resh t h emselv es .

How to Build Relationships with Tigers

I n soc ial relat ion s hip s , Tigers always h av e a d omin an t role. D u e t o mist ru st an d ov er c on f id en c e, Tiger s d o no t like t o c ommu n ica te w ith ot h ers so t h ey ar e no t good at c oord in a ting in soc ial c irc les. They a r e in c lin ed t o u se co m m a nd ing mean s t o d eal wi th in t erperson al rela tio ns hip s . E ven t h ou gh t h ey a r e ac qu ain t ed wit h a lo t o f people, t h ey d o n o t f u r ther t h e relat ion sh ips to m a k e c lose f rien d sh ips . U n d erst an d in g, pa tienc e, an d t ac t are n eeded w hen 13 Sisters of Delphi

Chinese Zodiac Tiger

d e ali n g w i t h Ti ge rs. In l o ve re l atio nsh ips, Tigers c an n ot sh ow d eep af f ec t ion to their par tne r s b e c a u s e the y l ack a se nse of roman c e. Part n ers n eed t o be equ ally a c tiv e to ke e p u p w i t h a Tige r’s se nse o f adven t u re.

Famous Tiger Year People • • • •

Q ue e n El i z a b e th II: b o rn o n Ap ril 21, 1926, a Fire Tiger To m C r u i s e : b o rn o n Jul y 3 , 1 9 6 2, a Wat er Tiger Le o n a r d o D i Cap rio : b o rn o n No vember 11, 1974, a Wood Tiger Lad y G a g a : b o rn o n March 2 8 , 1 986, a Fire Tiger htt ps://w w w.chi n ahi ghli ght s.com/t ravelgui d e/chi n ese-zodia c /tige r. htm

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13 Sisters of Delphi

Celtic Tree Ash

A de e r f ed on t h e ash l e ave s an d f rom it s an t lers fl o we d t h e great rivers of the world . A magic al goat graze d by t h e t ree, an d it s udde rs d ispen sed n ot milk b ut mead f or t h e warriors in O din ’ s G reat Hall. Th e go ds h eld t h eir c ou n c ils unde r t h e c an opy of t h eir guardian t ree. O din, t h e f oremost god of the Vikin gs, h u n g h imself o n Ygg d rasil as a sac rif ic ial o rde al, d u rin g wh ic h h e l o st an eye t o raven s. The as h t r e e h a s stro ng links w i t h t h e Vikings b ut als o ha s i t s p l a c e in B ritish fo l kl or e a n d i n G ae l ic i t i s ca l l e d u i n n se ann ( p ro n o un c e d oos h i n ). Y g g d ra s i l , t h e Wo rl d Tre e i n Vi ki n g m y t h ol o gy, gre w on an i s l a n d s u r ro unde d b y th e oc e a n , i n t h e de p ths o f w h i ch t h e Wo r l d Se rp e nt la y. Th i s a s h t r e e ’s trunk rea che d u p t o t h e he av e ns, and i ts b o u g h s sp re ad o ut ov er a l l t h e c o u n trie s o f th e E a r t h . I t s r oo ts re ache d d own i n t o t h e Unde rwo rl d.

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A s q ui r r e l r a n u p and do wn th e tre e c a r r y i n g me ssage s fr om t h e s e r p e n t gnawing at the r o o t s t o t he e agl e i n the c a n o p y, a nd b ack.

Ul timat ely t h ou gh , h e was re ward ed wit h in sigh t s an d wisdo m, n ot ably kn owled ge o f the syst em of t h e Ru n es. B o th h e an d Th or, t h e go d o f t h u n d er, possessed magica l spears mad e of ash wo o d. Mort als’ spear sh af t s we re a lso t ypic ally mad e o f ash ( as were bows, in t h e absence of yew, and arro w shafts) . Th e word s fo r ash an d spear seem t o b e re l a t ed in t h at a poet ic Angl o - Saxon word f or spear was aesc an d t h e Norse wo rd f or ash was ask. T he se word s in f lu en c ed H ighl a n d plac e n ames su c h as Po rt Askaig. Th e Vikin gs we re a lso ref erred t o as t h e

Aesc lin g mean in g ‘ Men of A sh’ . Like t h e Vikin gs, the G a els also t h ou gh t of t he a s h tr ee as prot ec t ive. Of the f iv e legen d ary gu ard ia n tr ees of I relan d , t h ree w er e a s h. Ash is also t h e se c o nd m o s t popu lar t ree grow ing b es id e I rish h oly wells, a nd o n the I sle of Man ash t r ees w er e said t o prot ec t t h e p u r ity o f sprin gs. I n E n gla nd the a s h is t h e c ommon est tr ee a s a plac e n ame element a f ter t h e t h orn . I n Brit ish f olklor e the a s h was c red it ed with a r a ng e of prot ec t ive an d hea ling propert ies. Most o f thes e were relat ed t o child h ealt h . N ewborn b a b ies were popu larly g iv en a t easpoon of ash s a p . Ailin g c h ild ren , e s p ec ia lly t h ose su f f erin g w ith ru pt u re or weak lim b s , wou ld be passed na k ed t h rou gh a c lef t in a n a s h t ree or ash sapling , to c u re t h em. Th e c lef t was of ten m a d e f or t h e pu rpose a nd b o u nd t oget h er again af ter the c eremon y t o h eal o v er a s t h e c h ild also h e a led . So m e f olklore t h en su g g es ted 13 Sisters of Delphi

Celtic Tree Ash

an i nt i m a t e b o n d b e twe e n th e w e l f a r e a n d fate o f the tree a n d p e r s o n . H arm to th e tre e w a s r e f le cte d in th e h e a l e d p e r s o n’s l ife , le adi n g p e o p l e t o b e co me und e rs t a n d a b l y p ro te ctive of ‘t h e ir ’ a s h t re e .

to b e a ble t o go on prod u c in g poles almost in d ef initely. An e ig h t een - f oot - d iamet er st ool in Su f f olk h as b een e stimat ed t o be over a t h ou san d years old .

Thoug h t h e r e d o e s no t appea r t o b e a n y re l igio us rea s on w h y t h i s tre e sh oul d b e a s s o c iate d with A s h We d n e s d a y, the m e re as s o cia t i o n o f t h e wo rds i s ob v i o u s .

In so me areas t h e ‘ log’ was ac t u ally a f aggot , w hic h is a tightly bou n d bu n d le of c oppic ed ash rod s. To this d a y ash is t h e most h igh ly valu ed f irewood , bu rn in g fo r a l on g t ime wit h an in t en se h eat , wh et h er s ea s o ned o r gre en .

T he den sit y of t h e wood also makes it an id eal f u el. T his is re fl ec t ed in it s Lat in spec ies n ame Fraxin u s m ea ning fire l ig h t . On e of t h e t rad it ion al wood s u sed as the Yu le l o g wa s ash .

htt p s://t reesforli fe.org.uk /i nto-t he-forest /t rees-plant s-an i mals /tre e s /a s h/a s hmyt hology-a nd-f olklore /

In par t s o f En g l and chil dre n us ed t o b r i n g a t wig o f blac k- b u d d e d a s h to scho o l on th i s d a y. An y chil d who fa i l e d t o r e m e m b e r this ri s k e d h a v i n g h is o r he r feet s t o m p e d o n b y o the r as h-tw i g - b e a r i n g chil dre n! A s h w o o d i s v e r y stro ng, toug h a n d e l a s t ic, and it i s s ai d t h a t a j o int o f ash w i l l be a r m o r e w e ight than any ot h e r w o o d . Chario t and co a c h a x l e s we re made of as h a s w e r e oars, to o l h and l e s a n d t h e we ap o nry alrea d y m e n t i o ne d. The tr e e c o p p i c e s we l l , g i v i ng s t r o n g s t raight p o l e s fo r b e a n p o l e s a fte r five y e ar s o r o a r s a f te r twe nty. A s h co p p i c e s t o ol s se e m 99

13 Sisters of Delphi

Special Thanks

Special thanks to everyone that helped put this magazine together. 100

13 Sisters of Delphi