Rose Anderson's Blog, page 40
February 18, 2014
A humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit
I started the week with numbers, those mind-bending symbols that not only take mankind deeply into inner contemplation but out into the galaxy as well. I have a little more today.
Throughout the world of mankind, words are symbols for thoughts and numbers are symbols for concepts. Before I go further, it’s interesting to note the ancient Greeks didn’t have a separate number set, instead each letter of their alphabet was a symbol for a corresponding number.
Anyway…there’s a type of numerological study that calculates the numerical equivalence of letters and words (or phrases in a particular texts). This study is called Gematria or reckoning by numbers. Gematria is used to gain insight into interrelating concepts and to understand how those words and concepts correspond to one another.
My first exposure to gematria came in the fourth grade. My teacher, a woman of the Jewish faith, gave each of us a dreidel. The four-sided top has four Hebrew letters with number associations, one on each side. I’ve read the toy comes from the time of Antiochus but several Syrian kings were named Antiochus and a Greek king as well, so I don’t have a clear date to give here. The dreidel is a great example to get the gist of gematria. These four letters not only have number associations they have word associations too. Aside from number points to tally in the game, they stand for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, meaning A great miracle happened there.
The building blocks of all reality
I’ve read that many of the Greek temples such as Apollo’s temple at Didyma and official buildings such as the Parthenon, were constructed with the use of gematria. It’s curious to note how perfect the geometry is in those ancient structures. (The words gematria and geometry share common roots, by the way.) The Ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (I mentioned him yesterday) believed that numbers were the building blocks of all reality. He concluded that all material objects in the universe resulted from the inherent nature of numbers. I can’t help but wonder about this.
Science says math is the language of the universe. In Pathagoras’ mind, numbers were like the atoms we understand today. They combine to form everything else. To understand this, was to understand the deeper intention of the divine. He wasn’t alone is his thinking. Symbolic numbers were a prominent feature of the Talmudic, Cabalistic, and Midrashic literature of Judaism. Students delved through pages of text looking for the meaning between the lines they were sure they’d find. The idea of mystical numbers also appears in Christian philosophy. One I can think of off the top of my head is the Christian faith’s 666 association for the devil. That also happens to be the number association with the Tree of Life. Hmm…an example of colliding philosophies?
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.
~Albert Einstein
My personal belief constructs say any path to a higher power is a good one, so I’m not endorsing any one doctrine with this link. This site gives a working example in several historical modes so you can see how gematria comes up with numbers for words. Type in your name and see what you get.
Gematria-calculator
Are you interested in what your numerology numbers are? Maybe you’ll win the $16 lottery too!
To get your birth number, do this:
Write out your full birth date
Example: 11/15/1952
Add those numbers together
Example: 1+1+1+5+1+9+5+2=25
Add those numbers together and do this until you have a single number.
Example: 2+5=7
This is the numerological symbol of your birth — your birth number.
Now see what that number means.
http://numerologycalculator.org/numerology-meanings-chart.html
I can’t see how they possibly mean anything, but then I admit to having “a frail and feeble mind.” Frail and feeble it may be, but it’s not closed. Perhaps I’ve yet to grasp it. 
Tomorrow ~ moving on…
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 52 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Amandation (noun 1656-1755)
act of sending away or dismissing
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Oh writer’s block, thou art a wretched thing. Where is spring when you need it? A short while ago, I stumbled across a great group of writers on Facebook and they have weekly memes to write for. I like memes and writing *small* is good exercise for me.
Today is Tantalizing Tuesday.
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
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It’s a day to be tickled on the Exquisite Quills blog! In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novels, authors gather to share a snippet that will bring you a smile, incite a giggle, or make you laugh out loud.
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests.
Free to join each week
Wash Line Monday 
Tickle Us Tuesday
First Kiss Wednesday
Set the Scene in Six
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Today we have guest Author Carly Phillips.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
You’ll LOVE Reading Rose !
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Coming soon~
February 17, 2014
Wherever there is number, there is beauty
For the past week my husband has been drawing attention to the fact spring is just a round the corner. I’m starting to think it wishful thinking on his part.
We’re expecting another 3 to 6 inches of snow to fall today and the weather report says thunder snow is possible. A rare thunder snowstorm. To that I say, Come on! Enough already!
۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞<<<<۞
Weather aside, it’s a new week and I’m taking another direction in the symbol series. I’m talking numbers.
In a previous post I mentioned that we’re all 8′s in my family — the number figures prominently in our births with three 8th day birthdays and a 24. That’s a multiple of eight. In numerology the number 8 works out for all four of us as well. I mentioned before that 8 was the family’s lucky number because we played 8′s once in the lottery and won $16. Come to think, if it were truly lucky, that would have been 16 million! Hmm…
Luck and 8′s It makes me think of a Magic 8 Ball. The first time I saw one, I was in grade school. Someone brought their gadget to 
class and we all took turns asking it questions. In case you don’t know, the Magic 8 Ball is fortune-telling toy circa 1950 that resembles the black billiard ball. Flat on one end that sports a small window, it’s filled with water that floats an icosahedron (20-sided sphere). How the toy tells your fortune depends upon what yes or no question you ask. You flip the ball over and look in the mysterious window and whatever is printed on one of the icosahedron’s twenty sides is your answer. There are ten yes answers, five no, and five that say try again, so you have twenty from which to gain your insight. I’ve read the probability of seeing them all takes something like 70+ turns.
That’s an example of a 5am pre-coffee mind cascade. lol
Back to the real topic today ~ numbers.
Wherever there is number, there is beauty. This, therefore, is Mathematics: She reminds you of the invisible forms of the soul; she gives life to her own discoveries; she awakens the mind and purifies the intellect; she brings to light our intrinsic ideas; she abolishes oblivion and ignorance which are ours by birth.
~Diadochus Proclus
When you think about it, numbers are more than handy symbols for quantity, they’re an astoundingly profound symbol of philosophy. As a tallying device they’re remarkable. They take what we can relate to on our fingers and toes and run on infinitely. The reason we have digital numbers today is because we have digits! After you used up your twenty fingers and toes, you’d need other things to count with. The early Greeks and Romans were known to use tokens as in a one of these for one of those representation. The first tokens were pebbles of limestone called calculi. It’s clear where calculus gets its name.
The first place value numerical systems show up in Egypt and Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago. People were starting to think of counting in abstract. Around the same time, the Sumerians dreamed up the abacus that implemented its own form of calculi except the pebbles were all on one place and where they were on the device corresponded to a numeric value. It’s said the ancient Babylonians might have toyed with this next idea, but India was first to formalize arithmetic operations with it. It was later taken up in the Arab world to become what we know today. The symbol I’m referring to that took numbers beyond the digits and pebbles is 0 – zero. Think about that. A symbolic representation for the concept of nothing.
Armed with the zero, the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras took numbers to a whole new level. Not only did he give us his theorem ( in geometry, long story), he essentially made mathematics a religion. His followers were big on the idea that numbers were mystical. Attributed to the divine, they were as endless and as vast as the power held by any deity. And the Pythagoreans weren’t alone. Numbers are precision tools. Wielded by the right hands and by the right minds, they unlock the secrets of the universe.
I have another vet trip for my old puppy so I’ll leave you with this clip to capture your imagination. Notice the spirals. Spirals and math. If that isn’t the mind of the Universe, I don’t know what is.
Tomorrow ~ more!
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 53 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Affictitious (adjective 1656)
feigned; counterfeit
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Wash Line Monday!
Over on the Exquisite Quills blog it’s a day dedicated to clothing. In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novel, authors can describe what a character is wearing. Come join us today!
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/Exquisite Quills Yahoo Group
Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests.
Free to join each week
Wash Line Monday
Tickle Us Tuesday
First Kiss Wednesday
Set the Scene in Six
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Today is Author Jean Hart Stewart ‘s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 16, 2014
Funday Happenings
That’s not a typo.
To have one less mentally-busy day and still have a good time on this blog, I’ve decided Sundays will be all about wonder and smiles. In honor of mentally kicking back once in a while, Sundays will be Fun Days! Each Sunday, I’ll post a short, fun or unusual something here. I’m a nerd with a complex sense of humor and absurd wit. It literally could be anything. lol
Today you won’t believe your eyes. It floored me the first time I saw it.
Interesting huh? This one is slightly different. Pay attention!
Tomorrow ~ The symbol series continues.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 54 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Palintocy (noun 1693-1847)
repayment of interest paid on a loan
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I’m all over the web with satellite blogs this weekend. If two things are listed for one blog, that’s one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Scroll back to see what you’ve missed.
Seductive Studs & Sirens & MFRW Valentine Hop
& Weekend Writing Warriors
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/
Saturday’s After Dark Moments & Sneak Peek Sunday
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Set the Scene in Six – Promo opportunity for romance authors.
Stop by my group blog and leave your six!
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
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Today is guest Mageela Troche.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 15, 2014
All love begins and ends there
Though my peek at ancient symbols could go on for a bit longer, my cabin fever restlessness bids me move on. Before I delve into other symbols in the series, I have to touch upon Mom.
“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”
~Robert Browning
You might know Mom by her other names. Gaia or Earth Mother are just two that come off the top of my head. Throughout ancient beliefs, and on into today’s neopaganism, this one female is the personification of all life. It makes sense that a mother figure would be revered given the role women play in perpetuating the species. Up until a little more than 2000 years ago she was worshiped without question and consequently a woman’s place was beside man, rather than so many steps behind.
The storyteller I am can clearly see she never really left the scene. Donning the clothes of each region, she simply modernized and became the Goddesses worshiped in ancient civilizations. These are aspects of the goddess — the enormity of all life condensed into human form. I can’t speak for those deities who gained their divinity through gifts like Medea in the Greek myths who was born mortal but became a goddess. And I’m not referring to those assorted females of old like Muses and Furies. I’m talking about the Earth Mother wearing her various hats. Think of the hats you wear in your life — husband/wife/brother/sister/father/mother/employee/scout leader/homemaker/breadwinner/etc. You’re you, but you wear a lot of hats.
Allow me to set up a thought. In much of life as we know it, plant life included, there is duality — two halves of the one. In our case the male and female duality of Homo Sapiens. This duality of life consists of male and female across species: man/woman, ram/ewe, cob/pen, buck/doe etc. Now imagine the four seasons. Each season is an aspect of earth as a whole. The earth has phases. Think of Earth Mother goddess aspects as personalities in season form — hats if you will. Aspects of the Earth Mother are her phases, her seasons, her personalities.
In Celtic beliefs these personalities show up as three phases of womanhood girl/woman/old woman a.k.a. maiden, mother, and crone. To give an example, I’ll stick with a few from the Greek myths because so many of their goddesses are known for specific things and illustrate exactly what I’m talking about.
Athena ~ personified these Earth Mother attributes: strength, wisdom, and domestic crafts.
Artemis ~ the hunt, nature and birth.
Demeter ~ the growing, preserving and harvesting of grain.
Hestia ~ the hearth and home.
Rhea ~fertility of the soil, women, and motherhood.
Themis ~ divine justice, order, and customs.
There you have it — many faces of woman, and not just any woman, the Magna Mater — The Great Mother. 
Stepping back in time~
The Great Mother shows up in paleolithic and neolithic sites as symbolic triangles or almond shapes, both a stylized nod to female sexuality. When I imagine a primordial goddess, the first image that comes to mind is the Venus of Willendorf. Plumped by plenty and filled with fecundity, her wide hips and bountiful breasts declare her fertility and suggest her sustenance.
To date, hundreds of similar figures made of stone and bone and clay have been discovered all over the world. Unfortunately, we can only speculate on their exact purpose. It’s interesting to note that the earliest Mother symbols are faceless. Such anonymity suggests she was beyond personification. Many wear the scars of motherhood on hips, belly, and breasts in acknowledgement of cycles – the cycles of life and birth – an undeniable symbol of the earth itself.
These Great Mothers, reverently called the Venus figures, span both Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. Some, like the Hohle Fels mammoth-ivory Venus, date back more 30,000 years. Older still are those triangles, ovals, chevrons (zigzags, M, or V patterns) in 40,000-year-old Neanderthal artworks. Even more ancient, the 70,000 year old symbols found in Africa. All represent woman and they’re often depicted beside the wavy lines symbol for water. The birth waters.
~ Other information worth your time ~
Individual images with descriptions
http://donsmaps.com/venus.html
A terrific poster
http://goddesstimeline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/MainTimeline.jpg
An interesting conversation with Constance Tippet regarding the Magna Mater and women in society.
http://goddesstimeline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Constance_Tippett_BlogTalkRadio_Interview.mp3
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 54 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
celeripedean (adjective 1623-1656)
swift-footed
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I’m all over the web with satellite blogs this weekend. If two things are listed for one blog, that’s one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Scroll back to see what you’ve missed.
Seductive Studs & Sirens & MFRW Valentine Hop
& Weekend Writing Warriors
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/
Saturday’s After Dark Moments & Sneak Peek Sunday
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Set the Scene in Six – Promo opportunity for romance authors.
Stop by my group blog and leave your six!
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
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Today is Author Fran Lee’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 14, 2014
Farewell auspicious nod to good fortune
Last night, my husband watched the Indiana Jones movie where Sean Connery plays the father. The little bit I saw showed Indiana Jones in the catacombs of Venice. I’ve seen this movie perhaps a half dozen times or more. For the first time it hit me — there were no catacombs in Venice. How could there be ancient tunnels? It’s a city built on marsh and flooding is a constant problem. I guess if you need a boat chase scene for your movie, the canals there will do it up nicely. Never mind the resultant churning water undermines the city. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Before I go off on a historic preservation tear, I’ll leave that thought hang.
Anyway…I noticed the symbols on the catacomb walls and crypts. It occurred to me that any one symbol can have multiple associations. That’s very true. There are symbols around the world whose meanings we understand today but those same symbols held far different meanings in centuries past. Take the Greek letter Γ. Known as the gamma, this letter of the Greek alphabet is the main construction piece in the symbol known as the gammadion. It’s thought the gammadion represents the auspicious fours — the four winds, the two solstices/two equinox, the four elements, the four divine guardians of the world.
The gammadion has a long assorted history as a religious emblem around the world. It first shows up around 10,000 BCE. As one of the most widely distributed sacred signs attributed to goddess ornamentation, it shows up in Ancient Rome, Troy, Crete, Cyprus, Rhodes, and Greece. It graces the coins of Macedon, Lycia, Corinth, Crete, and the Etruscans, as well as appears across Italy in various forms.
It was a popular motif in central Europe, especially to the Gauls and Ancient Britains. To the Gauls, this was a tetrascele, the L-shaped arms presented as the curving bodies of animals. Often seen with four horse heads, it represents the four fiery steeds of the sun god Helios. It has also been found embedded in the earth square, the design on the shield often held to the chest of the Celtic nature deity known as Cernunnos the Horned God. It’s seen all across Asia from Libya to China, from India to Japan. It frequently shows up on ancient Buddha figures. It even shows up on ancient Christian catacombs and tombs.
On ancient Scandinavian graves, there are runic versions of the gammadion used to symbolize man’s re-absorption into the mother earth — part of a magical regeneration. From burial mounds of the ancient Native American Mississippian culture a version depicts the heads of the Sunbird to form the Γ. In gnostic teachings, this symbol is presented on end to suggest movement as an emblem of the inexorable passage of time.
In the Vehmic courts, those medieval courts of Austria and Germany, the gammadion doubled its gammas and became associated with the Inquisition. From there, it was stripped of its extra gamma’s and reversed. Today this symbol, once revered by so many and steeped in auspicious nods to good fortune, is instantly recognized as a symbol of hatred. We call it the swastika.
What a way to ruin a perfectly good symbol.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 55 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Cagastric (adjective 1662-1753)
of diseases, originating under an ill star
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Oh writer’s block, thou art a wretched thing. Where is spring when you need it? In an attempt to keep writing beyond the blogging, I’ve been dabbling in flash fiction with word limits. It doesn’t come easy to the Wordie I am, but it’s very good practice for my future plan of writing a book of short stories.
A week or so ago, I stumbled across a great group of writers on Facebook and they have weekly memes to write for. Today is Flasher Fiction Friday.
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
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Today is Author Marianne Stephens’ blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 13, 2014
The spiral beyond our DNA
It’s curious the way man uses symbols. As you’ve seen through this blog, they’re practically endless. I’m made to wonder who started it all. What was the impetus, the spark that inspired someone to say this means that? Some of the oldest symbols found are universal, that is, found on all inhabited continents. Again, when you have a symbol that spans the globe, it tells you just how ancient it is.
As I write this post, a handful of ancient symbols float through my mind’s eye. Take water for instance. Who decided a few wavy lines stacked on top of each other would represent water? Did the first person to peck that into stone explain to everyone else that from that day forward those lines would represent water? Or did people make the connection at a glance? Then I’m left to wonder the reason. Was it a marker stating water could be found there? A warning perhaps? A map? A symbolic nod to the birth process? A clan totem? I’m an author, I could go on. 
Those wavy lines are pretty obvious if you think about it. But what about those ancient symbols completely in abstract? When did the Δ become a representation of male if depicted right side up, and female upside down? In more modern reference, to alchemists and those following Eastern or Kabbalistic spiritual paths, the triangles together form a 6-pointed star. Composed of two triangles pointing in opposite directions, this hexagram relates to duality — the union of opposites (back to the male and female symbols). It references the union of the spiritual and the physical — spiritual reality reaching downward and physical reality stretching upward. In Hermetics this is the “As above, so below” line of thought. The upward pointing triangle signifying matter rising into spirit. The downward triangle representing the spirit descending into manifestation.
This last sentence is lifted from my magnum opus. Scroll to previous posts to learn about my long-running project.
Spirals are a favorite of mine. They’re all over the place from the whorl in a baby’s hair to the galaxies we see in the night sky. Even our DNA has a spiral stretched out along the strand. It’s so intrinsic and mathematically pure, I can’t help but see spirals as divine code.
The interesting thing about man made spirals is they basically spring up out of nowhere thousands of years ago. The spiral is found throughout remains of the ancient world, and spiral petroglyphs were carved (or painted) in abundance during the Neolithic period. You can see the abstract similarities between those wavy lines and water. You can see the phallic and vulvic suggestion in the triangles. But what is a spiral?
I have a theory that peeks into anthropology and ethnography. Could spirals be phosphenes? Phosphenes in this case are shapes seen in the mind.
There are tremendous variations in traditional spiritual beliefs around the world, and many holy people (or shaman) walking spiritual paths particular to their cultures and spiritual beliefs. Indigenous cultures, many just a hop skip and jump out of the stone age, offer keys to understanding the ancient beliefs because traditions often pass from one initiate to another through time. In essence, aspects of traditional shamanism could be as ancient as the neolithic spirals.
From the records of ethnographers, traditional shaman used trance experiences to take them to other planes of consciousness. Would it be then if peoples so recently out of the stone age were doing it,was it likely the shaman of old did the same? They got to their altered state of consciousness through various ways: Ordeals of pain or other stressors on the body such as fasting or going without sleep. Prolonged chanting or prayer. Drumming or ecstatic dance. These are just several I can think of right now. I’m sure there are more. Ingesting toxins or alkaloids for example. And this is where the phosphenes might enter the picture.
From the ayahuasca drinkers of Peru to the Amanita muscaria mushroom eaters of Siberia, and everything else used similarly around the world, potent concoctions brought the shaman’s mind closer to the divine. People entering these drug-induced trances often see geometric shapes, and science says these shapes are formed entirely within the eye itself with no outside stimulus –in the mind’s eye. Scientists call these shapes phosphenes. You can drum up some (mechanical) phosphenes yourself by rubbing your eyes as if you have a case of eye strain. You’ll generally *see* images behind your closed eyelids. Try it. I see lines of light, dots, and triangles. Some people see diamond shapes, circles, spirals etc.
Once indigenous peoples led science to a possible path of understanding, all sorts of trance-induced symbols revealed themselves on rock surfaces and decorations on pottery and more. From African symbols cut approximately 70,000 years ago, to the “modern” spirals of Ireland’s neolithic treasure, New Grange, the shapes of ancient trances were everywhere. Below find two images. The first are the spirals of New Grange.
This second image is a test. Stare at it for a moment. What do you feel? I feel a pull between my eyes.
Did spirals offer a way to retrace those steps to altered consciousness? That’s my theory.
But then, I write romance.
I have work to do so that’s enough to think on for now. Tomorrow ~ more!
Oh, just a bit more. The Witchy Wolf and the
Wendigo story (books 1&2) concerns an ancient Native American shaman. Like most of the true details in the books I write, readers will find the rituals depicted in the saga steeped in fact. I’m nothing if not a detail person. As anyone stopping by my blog can attest!
Scroll down to see how you can read the first and second chapters for free.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 56 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Brochity (noun common 1623-1678)
projecting or crooked quality of teeth
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Oh writer’s block, thou art a wretched thing. Where is spring when you need it? In an attempt to keep writing beyond the blogging, I’ve been dabbling in flash fiction with word limits. It doesn’t come easy to the Wordie I am, but it’s very good practice for my future plan of writing a book of short stories.
A week or so ago, I stumbled across a great group of writers on Facebook and they have weekly memes to write for. Today is Thursday Taster.
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
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Today is Author Cindy Spencer Pape’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 12, 2014
Shamanic undertakings
It’s funny sometimes, the twists and turns on the path of life. If I could go back in time (with better health) to take one of the many forks in the road, who knows where I might be now. At various times in my life I’ve wanted to *be* very particular things. That is, to have particular careers. My earliest memory of wanting to be something was inspired by the old 1960′s TV show about a dolphin named Flipper. I wanted to be an oceanographer. In lieu of that, I wanted to train dolphins at the zoo!
A year or so later, I read of a fossil field found about two hours from my home. I already wanted to be an archeologist. You can’t grow up with all the renown museums of Chicago in your backyard and not have something rub off on you. Just knowing dinosaur fossils were so close made me want to be a paleontologist too. I pleaded with my dad to take me to Braidwood Illinois so I could see the discoveries there, and I held onto the newspaper clipping for years on the outside chance he’d change his mind.
My parents were never on board with this precocious kid’s science interests beyond many trips to the museums. Art, music, teaching or nursing were the open doors for girls back then. That was common. All in all there are very few Jane Goodalls and Maxine Singers out there today. Blatant or subtle, the paths for girls of my generation were narrow except in extraordinary circumstances or where sheer force of personality said otherwise. I was far too meek and shy for the latter.
The sciences always called to me, even as I grew and my interests changed and evolved. Empirical method still speaks to this info hound. I may have never walked the paths that forked off my main road, but I’m forever feeding those old interests by keeping up on new innovations, discoveries, and information. And that’s good enough. What’s more, I married a man with a somewhat similar mind and our grown children are just like me in that they have sweeping interests of their own. Our discussions around the dinner table are amazing, and now that they’re grown with lives of their own, all too infrequent and precious. Through my interests I also enhanced curriculum taught to my students — boys and girls alike.
Anyway…I’m especially keen on the study of anthropology that deals with the paleolithic and neolithic eras. This science has it all — a little history, a little archaeology, and more than a little symbolism. For example: the spiral shows up all over the world. I’ll cover that in depth tomorrow.
Today I’m looking at spirit animals.
It was in the 1940′s when 17 -year-old 
Marcel Ravidat and three of his companions stumbled upon one of the greatest paleolithic finds in the world — The cave of Lascaux.
In the decades following WWII, the Lascaux cave was modified and opened to the public. It closed in 1963 after it was determined the carbon dioxide of thousands of breaths had created an environment of mold, bacteria, and fungi that were eating away at the precious artworks.
The well-respected archaeologist Abbé Henri Breuil was one of the first to study the site in those early days. Along with bone fragments, oil lamps, and other artifacts, he found nearly 2000 artworks — paintings done with mineral pigments and engraved images of horses, bison, aurochs, mammoths, ibex, deer, bears, lions, and wolves. It’s believed such images served spiritual needs or ceremonial purpose. That’s so easy to imagine.
The symbolic representation of wildlife clearly shows those early peoples’ relationship to their environment. Given the age, we’ll never know the true meaning or purpose, but we can compare them to artworks done by primitive peoples discovered in the historical era and get a general idea beyond a good guess. Was capturing the spirit the point as in aboriginal rock art in other parts of the world? Did they call upon the spirits of those animals to bring good fortune to the hunt? Or were these paintings shamanic undertakings; a pictorial record of experience(s) of having drawn the essence of the creatures into oneself that enabled you to walk among the animals in the spirit realm? I’ve taken shamanic journeys. My imagination just flies with this.
Research puts most of the artwork done in Lascaux cave at around 15,000 ago. The oldest such paleolithic cave paintings are found at Chauvet cave in France. Discovered in 1994, these works were painted at least 32,000 years ago. Wow.
A fun side note: The artworks of Lascaux so tickled my fancy, that many years ago I recreated this cave scene on the walls of a small room in my home. Just another layer of creatively from a fanciful mind.
Take the virtual tour.
http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/fr/00.xml
Then stop at Chauvet cave.
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/
For $2.99 watch The Cave of Forgotten Dreams on youtube
It’ll blow your mind.
https://www.youtube.com/movie?v=l7XTERdQZf8
Tomorrow ~ spirals
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 57 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Brabeum (noun common 1675)
reward or prize
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It’s Wednesday and time for Hump Day happenings.
Hump Day Hook
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Books Hooks
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Horny Hump Day
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/
First Kiss Wednesday
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
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First Kiss Wednesday!
Over on the Exquisite Quills blog it’s a day dedicated to kisses. In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novels, authors share their best smackeroos.
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Exquisite Quills Yahoo Group
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking early summer now.
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Today is Author Gemma Juliana’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 11, 2014
The ultimate expression
For the next few days I plan to venture in another direction with symbols, but I’ll return to luck and prognostication before the series is done. I must have a subconscious vault of these things in my head. I’ve read a lot in my lifetime but never consciously addressed them all. Every time I think I’m near the end, I think of more. I could devote another month to luck and divination alone.
Something different~
I write my blog each morning with a cup of coffee and a fresh mind. My daughter spent the night and was sitting across from me for a little while this morning before she left for work. When she was still living at home, she’d read me headlines and funny things to start the day with. She did so today. This morning she read a response to a particularly ugly and ignorant restaurant owner in Oklahoma who has decided who can and can’t come into his establishment. It all came to light with a disabled man in a wheel chair being ousted from the place because he was a moocher on the system with his disability payments. The owner says he Won’t Serve “Freaks,” “Faggots,” or the Disabled. I can’t see how this is legal. This is one more instance where I am sincerely embarrassed by what goes on in my country. Jeeze it’s 2014 for crying out loud.
Anyway, the internet backlash has been grand and his hatred will either do what it did for Chick fil A where both sides on an issue make a public show of support, or shut him down. I know what I’d prefer. I would love to see less hatred in the world. This incident got me thinking about actions.
I really enjoy parades. The whole thing — the marching cub scouts and Brownies, the fire trucks, the beauty queens, the veterans, the horse riders’ club, and the Shriners on their flying carpet go-carts. Even the classic cars filled with politicians no one knows adds to the charm. I admit there have been times in the past where marching bands have made me weepy with emotion.
Is that a snicker I hear?
When I was a child growing up in Chicago, many neighborhoods had their own small parades. We had two in mine — one to honor veterans and the 4th of July parade. When the marching color guard bearing the flags of the nation, the state, and the city, started off the parade, everyone stood. As the American flag marched by, hands were placed over our hearts and hats were removed in an observance that conveyed respect. That type of symbol is called symbolic action.
Life in society is filled with examples of symbolic action both large and small, and we often see it playing in the background of our lives. The actions of the aforementioned bigot say he believes he’s exercising his personal freedom yet he’s actually showing the world a symbol of his astounding ignorance.
Here are a few more: Men shaking hands firmly is a show of vitality and strength. Men opening car and restaurant doors for their female counterparts is a display of regard. A parishioner who takes communion symbolically takes their faith’s iteration of god into themselves (religions of all faiths are loaded with symbolic actions). Offering one’s seat to the elderly on public transportation is a symbolic action of respect. Bending to your knee to propose marriage is a symbolic action that offers fealty, the roots of which are buried in knighthood. Even your man saying here, let me open that stubborn jar for you is a symbolic action of strength under the general kindness.
There are other symbolic actions that speak louder than words. Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Rosa Parks took her seat on the bus. Ghandi employed nonviolent civil disobedience to change the face of India. Protest marches and sit-ins speak of strength in numbers and often have the power to change things a single person cannot do alone. The weighty power of consumer protest can stop things like cruel animal testing, worker injustices, discrimination, or environmental travesty. Flag burning loudly proclaims disrespect or downright hatred for a country. Burning effigies often say the same. Hunger strikes declare the issue at hand is more important than the individual. I remember when the Buddhist monk horrifically set himself on fire in 1963 to protest the war in Vietnam. A larger symbolic action doesn’t exist.
We occasionally see symbolic action presented in what people wear 
and decorate with — flag pins for national pride, red ribbons for AIDS and pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness, and yellow ribbons tied around trees for solider come home. Not to mention those large cheese hats for Green Bay Packers’ pride. And that’s just the modern stuff.
I’ll leave you with this well-known annual symbolic action.
You can learn more about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night here.
Wearing a Guy Fawkes mask is now a symbol of modern protest in other parts of the world.
Tomorrow ~ a peek at ancient shamanism.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 58 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Amarulence (noun common 1731-1755)
bitterness; spite
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Oh writer’s block, thou art a wretched thing. Where is spring when you need it? In an attempt to keep writing beyond the blogging, I’ve been dabbling in flash fiction with word limits. It doesn’t come easy to the Wordie I am, but it’s very good practice for my future plan of a book of short stories.
A week or so ago, I stumbled across a great group of writers on Facebook and they have weekly memes to write for. Today is Tantalizing Tuesday.
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
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It’s a day to be tickled on the Exquisite Quills blog! In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novels, authors gather to share a snippet that will bring you a smile, incite a giggle, or make you laugh out loud.
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
Free to join us each week
Wash Line Monday
Tickle Us Tuesday
First Kiss Wednesday
Set the Scene in Six
Click on the
tab at the top of the screen for more info.
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Today we have guest Marliss Melton.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 10, 2014
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe
I think I’ll step away from divination for a few days. Just because there are so many methods of auguring and I’m feeling restless. A world of symbols beckons! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m referring to auguring or reading signs as part of my symbol series. I’ve covered many different symbols from body language to tarot. Do scroll back and enjoy.
I’ve been singing a lot lately. Humming, chanting, outright singing, you name it, I’m vocalizing. (perhaps the polar vortex and snow are making me batty!) Today with music on my mind, I’m talking about notes.
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”
~Lao Tzu
Many kids growing up in 1950s-60s America had piano lessons as part of our lives. So were the Lawrence Welk and Sing Along with Mitch TV shows. Nothing interfered with those programs coming into our house. My dad enjoyed them and so did I. I don’t need to follow that bouncing ball when the Blue Skirt Waltz or Battle Hymn of the Republic comes to mind. lol
My sister played piano with skill, she still does. I had my favorites and I’d ask her to play them –Favorite Things from The Sound of Music, or the theme song from the movie Exodus. My two sisters together could play Heart and Soul. While they got into it, piano just wasn’t the instrument for me. The very pinnacle of my career as a pianist was being able to play Down in the Valley. I kept losing my place on the sheet music and my left hand took issue with harmoniously working with the right. I tried because it was expected, but I never really wanted to play the piano. I wanted to play the fiddle!
If anything is a symbolic representation of emotion, it’s musical notation. The earliest form of musical notation was found on a cuneiform tablet in Iraq dating from about 2000 BCE. It showed a basic 8-note instruction for playing a tune on the lyre. The ancient Greeks went further; their notation added pitch and duration. Several complete compositions from that time show symbols above text. The first sheet music. A different notation shows up in the Arab world in the mid-1200′s as geometric representation on a graph. It took the monks of 8th century Europe to devise the ancestor of the familiar musical notation we know today. By the 16th century, the common 5-line staff was in play. The concept blossomed in France, and spread from there. That’s the history of musical notation in a nutshell.
But it doesn’t stop there. From my background in living history, I know a little bit more that takes these music symbols to a whole new level. In the United States of 1801, a new form of musical notation developed to teach music reading for singing at a glance. It was called Shape Note, and under that umbrella, another form called Sacred Harp.
This method replaced the standard notes with these distinct shapes. Each shape corresponded to the Do Re Mi of pitch. The song was first sung through using the Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do instead of the lyrics to set the tune. After, it was sung again with lyrics. People who do this professionally say sight reading the music comes instantly for nearly everyone who tries it. I can’t possibly explain it better than this:
Learn more here: http://fasola.org/
I’ve recently discovered a group that regularly meets to sing Shape Note style. My husband is game so we’re going to try it. We often sing together — a tenor and an alto tenor. There’s a gathering tomorrow night and it’s a long drive to get there, but Chicago‘s lax response to the mountains of snow makes it impossible to park anywhere in the city. Next month we’ll give it a try. Hopefully winter will be on it’s way out by then. I sure hope so.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 59 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Alabandical (adjective common 1656-1775)
barbarous; stupefied from drink
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Wash Line Monday!
Over on the Exquisite Quills blog it’s a day dedicated to clothing. In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novel, authors can describe what a character is wearing. Come join us today!
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
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Today is Author R. Ann Siracusa’s blog day..
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on Romance Books ’4′ Us and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
February 9, 2014
Funday Happenings
That’s not a typo.
To have one less mentally-busy day and still have a good time on this blog, I’ve decided Sundays will be all about wonder and smiles. In honor of mentally kicking back once in a while, Sundays will be Fun Days! Each Sunday, I’ll post a short, fun or unusual something here. I’m a nerd with a complex sense of humor and absurd wit. It literally could be anything. lol
Ok, one for fun. I find it mesmerizing and it makes me wonder if such a thing could actually be played.
…and one for what the heck?? This answers so many questions. lol
Tomorrow ~ the symbol series continues.
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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 60 entries to come.
Here’s one for today:
Fallaciloquence (noun common 1656 -1761)
deceitful speech
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I’m all over the web with satellite blogs this weekend. If two things are listed for one blog, that’s one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Scroll back to see what you’ve missed.
Seductive Studs & Sirens & Weekend Writing Warriors http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/
Sneak Peek Sunday
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Set the Scene in Six on Sunday
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
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Today is Melissa Keir’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
The February contest is on, on Romance Books ’4′ Us, and it’s all about Cupid. Find the little cherub hidden all across the site to win. This month’s contest will have 2 winners who’ll each receive a $50 gift card for Amazon/B&N, then split the remaining prizes (randomly chosen by RB4U). Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.
Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.
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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971
Sample my love stories for free!
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Coming soon~
