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By Tracy Rocelyn
1949 - Denny Albee, Oklahoma City OK, actor (Dr Janssen-One Life to Live)
1488 - Johannes Magnus, last Catholic Archbishop of Sweden (d. 1544)
1503 - Benedetto Varchi, Ital humanist/historian (Storia Fiorentina)
1952 - Warren Lees, NZ cricket wicket-keeper (late 70's)
1952 - Harvey Weinstein, American film producer
1953 - Billy Sheehan, rocker (Mr Big-Lean Into It)
1604 - Johan IV, composer/king of Portugal (1640-56)
1953 - Ricky Wilson, Athens Ga, rock guitarist (B-52's-Love Shack)
1909 - Attilio Demaria, Argentinian footballer (d. 1990)
1910 - Sergei Nikolayevich Anokhin, cosmonaut
1910 - Joseph F. Carroll, US Air Force Lt. Gen. and Founding Director, Defense Intelligence Agency (d. 1991)
1956 - Alina Castro, Havanna Cuba, daughter of Fidel
1721 - Tobias Smollett, Scottish writer, baptized
1912 - Russ Case, Hamburg Iowa, orch leader (Julius La Rosa Show)
1913 - William Chatterton, cricketer (48 in only Test for England 1892)
1914 - J Jay Berwanger, 1st Heisman Trophy winner (1935)
1914 - Patricia Morison, actress (Peyton Place, Dressed to Kill)
1740 - Joseph F Weigl, German/Austrian(?), violin cellist
1742 - Zacharias H Alewijn, Dutch literary/poet
1964 - Yoko Kanno, Japanese composer
1916 - Irving Wallace, author (People's Almanac, The Man) [or Mar 18]
1916 - Eric Christmas, British actor (d. 2000)
1752 - Jose Mauricio, composer
1966 - James "Big Jim" Wright, American record producer
1967 - Vladimir Konstantinov, Russian ice hockey player
1920 - Tige Andrews, American actor (d. 2007)
1785 - Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, composer
1921 - Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedy magician (d. 1984)
1969 - Arjan Vermeulen, soccer player (Vitesse)
1816 - Johannes Josephus Hermanus Verhulst, composer
1817 - Lewis Henry Little, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1862
1924 - Mary Wimbush, British actress (d. 2005)
1925 - Brent Scowcroft, Ogden Utah, Lt Gen (USAF)/National Security Council
1821 - Richard Burton, explorer/translator (Arabian Nights)
1928 - Clive Van Ryneveld, cricketer (South African all-rounder 1951-58)
1970 - Rick Mirer, NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears)
1970 - Sean Fleming, CFL kicker (Edmonton Eskimos)
1929 - Herman van San, composer
1827 - Alexander Shaler, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1911
1829 - Carl Frederik Tietgen, Danish financier and industrialist (d. 1901)
1971 - Marty Moore, NFL inside linebacker (NE Patriots)
1932 - Gay Robert Brewer, Middletwon OH, PGA golfer (1972 Canadian)
1933 - Philip Roth, Newark, novelist (Goodbye Columbus, Portnoy's Complaint)
1933 - Rene Taylor, American actress
1934 - Borge Andersen, Denmark, Danish Chess Champion (1967, 68)
1972 - Maria Maunder, St John's New Foundland, rower (Olympics-96)
1973 - John Michels, NFL tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1973 - Simmone Jade Mackinnon, Australian actress
1974 - Jennifer Lynn Drayton, Saginaw Michigan, Miss America-Michigan (1997)
1974 - John Coppinger, El Paso TX, pitcher (Baltimore Orioles)
1936 - Birthe Wilke, Danish singer
1865 - William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist, myrmecologist, pioneer in ethology (d. 1937)
1871 - Joseph McGinnity, Rock Island Ill, baseball pitcher (NY Giants)
1975 - Brann Dailor, American drummer
1939 - Joe Kapp, NFL QB (Minn Vikings, Boston Patriots, Houston Oilers)
1873 - Max Reger, Brand Bavaria, composer/pianist/prof (Leipzig Univ)
1976 - Alessandro Nesta, Italian footballer
1879 - Joseph Haas, German (opera)composer (Tobias Wunderlich)
1977 - Jorma Taccone, American writer and comedian
1942 - Ross Valory, rocker (Journey)
1943 - Mario J. Molina, Mexican chemist, Nobel laureate
1888 - Josef Albers, German/US graphic artist/painter/writer (Bauhaus)
1943 - Vern Schuppan, Australian racing driver
1944 - Joseph Celli, composer
1891 - Earl Warren, Ca, (Gov-R-Ca)/14th supreme court chief justice (1953-69)
1944 - Myung-Wha Chung, Seoul Korea, cellist (Chung Sisters)
1981 - Kolo Tour, Ivorian footballer
1944 - Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian-born assassin
1894 - Jackie "Moms" Mabley, Brevard SC, comedienne (Merv Griffin Show)
1897 - Betty Compson, Beaver UT, actress (Millionaire Kid, Mad Youth)
1946 - Bigas Luna, director/writer (Anguish)
1983 - Ana Rezende, Brazilian film director and musician (CSS)
1900 - [Jean] Frederic Joliot-Curie, French physicist (Nobel 1935)
1984 - Tanushree Dutta, Indian actress
1985 - Ernesto Viso, Venezuelan racing driver
1903 - Benjamin M Telders, president of Dutch Liberal States Party
1992 - Henry & Angus Bernsen, twin sons of Corbin Bernsen & Amanda Pays
1947 - Vince Martino, Schenectady NY, WLAF offensive asst (Barcelona Dragons)
1999 - Tatum McCann, American actress
1948 - Vintcent Van der Bijl, Natal cricket bowler (superb 2m of 70's he hands over control to Jerry Falwell.
1989 - The Egyptian Flag is raised on Taba, Egypt announcing the end of the Israeli occupation after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the peace negotiations in 1979.
1990 - The ethnic clashes of Trgu Mures begin four days after the anniversary of the Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas.
2002 - Zimbabwe is suspended from the Commonwealth on charges of human rights abuses and of electoral fraud, following a turbulent presidential election.
2003 - United States President George W. Bush orders the start of war against Iraq.
2004 - Konginkangas bus disaster: A semi-trailer truck and a bus crash head-on in nekoski, Finland. 24 people are killed and 13 injured.
2004 - A Swedish DC-3 shot down by a Russian MiG-15 in 1952 over the Baltic Sea is finally recovered after years of work. The remains of the three crewmen are left in place, pending further investigations.
2004 - 3-19 Shooting Incident: Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian is shot just before the country's presidential election on March 20.
2008 - GRB 080319B: A cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the naked eye is briefly observed.
2011 - The moon makes its closest approach to earth by nearly 30,000 miles in the last 18 years, thus dubbing it supermoon.
2011 - Libyan Uprising: A coalition of countries intervene and commence military action in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
About the Author:
Popular Birthdays On March 19 - Check Out march 19 astrology and march 19 horoscope
Tags: heptarchy insomnia overcoming therapy therapy yoga yoga voodoo black magic spells digest number the firstborn is dead ritual magick
"I'm one with the Goddess
and open to Her Wisdom."
12th Day of the 12th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Hera
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Ngetal/Reed
Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Ruis/Elder
Moon Phase: waxing Half
Moon sets: 1:49AM EST
Moon rises: 1:49PM EST
Moon in the Cardinal Fire Sign of Aries
Rhiannon's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: The ancestral memories of your body.
Sun in Sagittarius
Sunrise: 7:19AM EST
Sunset: 4:55PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: "What new idea is seeding itself within you this Winter?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Quarter of the Year
November 27th, 2009
Well for this big shopping day after Thanksgiving we have a waxing moon in the Fiery sign of Aries bringing with those energies intense activity, reaching out with emotional surges and impulsivness.. should a busy day for dedicated shoppers. Since I come from the Buy Nothing Day side of the street I won't be participating in this Aries buying frenzy day. But Aries also brings the energy of new beginnings. It may seem like a little late in this lunar cycle to be contemplating 'new beginnings' but there could thoughts going towards a new kind of Full Moon ritual and making plans for that. Let's see the Full Moon this cycle will be on December 2nd, Woden's Day in the Mutable Air Sign of Gemini..
Or maybe I need to make new beginnings in practices that I do like my meditations.
Today - Freya's Day brings us Major magickal energies for rites/spells to develop our Talents. Sometimes it is difficult to consider what your talents are. Frequently we find criticizing ourselves easier than acknowledging our talents. If you ask a close friend you might be surprised at the list they have to give you of your 'gifts'. I have been at times.
Instead of occupying your time with gift buying and the hustle and bustle of holiday frenzy - you may want to make a new beginning this time around with thinking ahead to the Winter Solstice - Yule - and what it means to those who connecting the Divine and the seasons... How will you observe Yule this year. Make it more of a priority for yourself rather than the celebration of Christmas. Remember, Yule, Winter Solstice is the turning of the Earth back towards the Sun. Think of the miracle of that instead - this has been occurring for how many millions of years and yet most people take it for granted.
Origin: http://pagan-magic.blogspot.com
Imagine Thomas Jefferson wanting to stay anonymous when the U.S. was founded. What if he chose to only talk with those who agreed with him instead of drawing attention to himself and risked his livelihood by becoming a figurehead of the revolutionary effort? What would the United States look like today without the ability to point to Jefferson and his ideas?
That is the very problem plaguing Christians in who fight in the war of worldviews. The Barna organization reports that the influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives has become largely invisible. It's not that there is no influence, it's simply that no one realizes how much Christianity matters to society. Christians are buying the lie that they should keep their faith as a private matter, and it weakens the moral and spiritual principles upon which our society runs.
In this short clip, listen in as I note the threat to our modern way of life when Christians become invisible in culture.
REFERENCES
Image courtesy Leo Reynolds and licenced via the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Tags: creating keys for remembrance icarus the myth winter solstice warrior women invocation of diana more on ancient hebrew steps to turn around
Worldwide Pagan Wicca Witch Paganism
MESSAGES IN THIS DIGEST (4 MESSAGES)
1.1. Hello From: Fee 1.2. Re: Hello From: Teresa Meyer 2a. Re: Pagan Children
interest in Wicca..Would there be a book or website etc explaining things to
me? Apologies for sounding very novice, as I am. Thanks for taking the time
to read.
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Messages in this topic (79) 1.2.
RE: HELLO
POSTED BY: "TERESA MEYER" DARKMORESNIGHT@YAHOO.COM DARKMORESNIGHT
Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:21 pm (PDT)
Hi Fiona
My name is Tricia I live in Houston Texas in the USA. I have been studying for a number of years Witchcraft and other para-normal fields. I do know of several great
Hi everyone. I am new to the group and would like to say hello. My name is Fiona, I am from Queensland, Australia. I have had an interest in all things spiritual for a long time but have never really done anything about it. I found the group while searching Yahoo Groups and felt drawn to join. I am hoping I can find some kind of guidance along the way on how to kickstart my interest in Wicca..Would there be a book or website etc explaining things to me? Apologies for sounding very novice, as I am. Thanks for taking the time to read.
Fiona.
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Messages in this topic (79) 2a.
RE: PAGAN CHILDREN
> Many of these are easily available at the library.
>
> Bright Blessings!
> Ellen
>
> - In EarthwiseBOS@yahoogroups.com, "David" wrote:
> >
> > Hi Bronwyn and Alexandra. Thank you both for your ideas. I'll look at these. I'm kinda swamped at the moment with my business and selling my
> > > exercises and teaches the basics.
> > >
> > > My first little workbook of Wicca - which is a colouring in and exercise book by
> > > Velvet Rieth. Its designed for about a 5 year old and teaches the alphabet but
> > > it's like A is for Athame and contains a song The Wheel of the Year.
> > >
> > > and the other is A Witches Primer: Grade One by Lorin Manderly.
> > >
> > > Hope that helps..
> > >
> > > BB
> > > Bronnie
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "> > > From: Alexandra Dogariu
> > > To: EarthwiseBOS@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Sat, 9 July, 2011 9:44:11 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [Earthwise] Digest Number 2646
> > >
> > > ^A
> > > Hi David,
> > >
> > > I am not sure. I have the same problem with my 8 year old daughter. I know she
> > > tried to read Dancing in the Flames, but she found it a bit too hard to
> > > understand... Once she read the Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, and she nicely
> > > marked what she thought she needs, mainly protection spells. As much as i am
> > > aware, there are not many child friendly pagan
> > > "> > >
> > > This Earthwise Book of Shadows group holds the expectation
> > > that a tolerant, mature and respectful dialogue be strived
> > > for in our communications with each other. Members are
> > > encouraged to challenge anyone not adhering to these
> > > principles and to notify the list owner Astarte if you are
> > > offended by a posting, write to me at
> > > earthwise@
> > > Thank you.
> > > "> > >
> > > Earthwise is a world wide group.
> > > We are based in Western Sydney, NSW. Australia.
> > > Located in the valley before the beautiful Blue Mountains were
> > > we hold sacred rituals, workshops, social events and outings,
> > > for more information see our calendar of events at Witches Meetup
> > >
> > > she willing to purchase worldwide items for the Earthwise Store.
> > > If you have something of interest please contact Astarte
> > > earthwise@
> > > "> > >
> > > Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
> > > Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Individual Switch format to
> > > Traditional
> > >
> > > Visit Your Group Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use Unsubscribe
> > >
> >
>
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Messages in this topic (5) 3.1.
MERRY MEET
POSTED BY: "CATHY MITCHELL" N2MYHEART@YAHOO.COM N2MYHEART
Thu Jul 14, 2011 4:25 pm (PDT)
I am currently trying to find resources for a group of inmates struggling to practice their craft with no reading material or supplies as well. Any advice, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
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Tags: lucid dream induction voodo love spells information about gods and goddesses woodchuck baby woodchuck picture how to make voodoo dolls leaders of vision unity
In preparation for tonight's Hecate Ritual, I have through reading another's blogger's wonderful post, strewn small bowls of Apple Cider throughout my home. I just finished cleansing my home a couple of days ago but still had some clutter to depart with, finishing laundry, filling out long overdue Thank You cards, and preparing for my ritual.
This is actually important to me as not only is this my first Hecate Ritual, I feel it is also my first *Offical* (and what I mean by that is that I have intent and focus, something hard for me at times) Spellworking to rid myself of negativity in all forms in order to start on a clean slate and begin the new Year with Fresh Light~
Listening to Reiki and Meditation Music right now and throughout the day in prepping my Soul to sit and speak with the Dark Goddess in asking for strength, Guidence and Light. The two most important things I will be focusing on is negative beliefs in relationship to money (managing it more than wanting to bring it in, since if I learn to manage better, my relatinship to money will help in bringing more in, I believe.) The negativity I hold for a certain individual I feel is very necessary to let go of to continue on my path to enlightment and magick. How can one live a Magickal Life if you're holding onto old ugly thoughts, so I plan on sending out Love and Light to this person and wish them happiness as long as it's far away from me!~
Well, off to finish preparing and to cook and bake some shortbread!~
Origin: http://healing-magic.blogspot.com
courtesy of Marie's Freebies blog
It has been a busy month and the rest of the summer looks to be the same. This week I am at the shop three days caring for the crystals and advising in my capacity as "Resident Witch" - I love my job! It seems like we were just honoring the Dark of the Moon and now, here is the Full Rose Moon, a moon I love celebrating! This is so much a women's moon, for me and mine anyway.
There are quite a few names for July's Full Moon, in fact Rose Moon may apply to June as well. In June I celebrate The Moon of Fruit and Flowering, which is a celebration I created myself. Here are For our celebration of July, the main theme is the Rose Moon, but adding Claiming and Blessing as well. The altar is dressed with roses, both fresh and dried petals and buds. Rosewater to cleanse with and a special rose blend oil for anointing are also included. We invoke the Goddesses with a calling out of Their names and the energies we associate with Them and claim our power and worth with a prayer for affirmation of self-worth. Offerings, a libation and divination are included among other things.
As our coven is dedicated to Hekate, we naturally honor Her, but include other Goddesses as well, such as:Aphrodite, Persephone, Selene, Hestia, Sulis, Rosmerta, Lilith, The Fates and Ananka. Yes, this is mixing our cultures certainly, but for this ritual, we honor ALL Goddesses, of all cultures and all women. For us, it's our Dianic/Feminist thing!
I hope you are blessed by the feminine power of the rose this full moon.
courtesy of The Graphics Fairy
Blessings nine!
Source: http://my-spiritual-path.blogspot.com
TOOLS ETC.
This was originally a post by Song Bird in the Herbalism echo. I thought it was interesting enough to cross-post it to some of the magical echos.
Note to all: I apologize for the exceedingly lengthy nature of this post. My thought was that unless you, dear reader, have been following the posts on this topic, an edited response would be really obscure. And thank you, Song Bird, for this post to which I am responding. Gave me pause for thought, for sure! Bless you!
SH> It is much easier for the student to concentrate on their true value if they already know that they can work the magic without the tools.
PW> I approve! Bravo! I tend to agree with the folks I know who insist that you're not much of a magician if you depend on something outside of yourself for your magic. Not that tools aren't useful! I tend to feel that learning energy movement through your own mind and body is the foremost important thing in beginning.
SB> Hallo. I'm aware that this conversation is mostly directed towards Wiccan workings (correct me if I'm wrong), but if I may I'd like to insert a though into it.
Wiccan, ceremonial magic and generic Neo-pagan, yes...
SB>Being that there are many forms of magic, and some of them religious, how do you respond when challenged that there are some forms of magic that are integral to ritual. Without the ritual and it's working tools of power, the end result of the magic is less well worked.
I suppose I would say that theoretically any magic that can be worked with ritual and/or tools can also be done without. The caveat with this is that most of us (self included) don't have the skills, knowledge and/or power to do without the ritual/tools for certain complicated powerful working, IMHO. Though perhaps if we worked without tools or ritual more often we'd get better at it... ;) Seriously, though, I'm not advocating dropping the tools or ritual - they're useful. And I think it's better to do what's useful than to work until you're ninety before you finally get good at it!
SB>Tools sometimes mean much more than just a focus, more than just a way to get to where you are going. Oft times the tools themselves are invested of the very life necessary to work the magic.
You're speaking here of tools which carry energy or intelligence, I assume? I was referring to tools which are made by the worker or by another worker for the purpose of someone else using them. In my understanding tools are more useful if they carry energy or intelligence. If they do, it's because the worker put it there.
I differentiate these from tools which acquire energy or intelligence through a process other than human intervention.
SB>Shamanistic paths use tools in this way, as an example of one. There is soul invested in the very wood and in the nature of the stones, and in the casting of the light, and in the movement of shadow, and in the rippling shudder of sing- song rhythm. Without these, with only a wo/man alone and reft of surroundings, how much are we depriving ourselves of?
It sounds to me like in that circumstance we are depriving ourselves of the opportunity to work with another intelligence. When you use the word "soul" I presume you mean "entity" as well, to which I attribute some level of intelligence.
SB>Any tradition that believes in the vesting of power down through the centuries, in the passing of knowledge, known or unknown, unto it's heirs, fits into your definition of the use of tools to enhance personal power.
Not tools. The vesting of power and passing of knowledge is through (as I comprehend it currently) the partnership of human and deity. As I see it, the process of initiation (which many workers use, including all of the shamanistic paths that I know anything about) does several things:
1) charters the individual with membership in the group with all the rights and responsibilities involved ther.
2) Passes power or knowledge from the initiator to the initiate (sometimes the power or knowledge is seen as coming from elsewhere, such as a deity).
3) Formally introduces the initiate to the energy and/or deities of the tradition.
4) Creates a new personality for the initiate which sometimes supplants the old one.
I'm sure there are points I've missed and not all initiations do all these things.
SB>What is this personal power you use? Certainly that power is from within, utilizing nothing from without, if you deny the use of tools.
Not necessarily or entirely; I don't consider the ambient power of the universe a
"tool" per se. I differentiate between energy and a tool.
SB>What, precisely, is a tool?
Good question! Does this fall into the same kind of discussion as "what is a witch", perhaps? :) IMHO a tool must be an object, either physical or an astral representation of a physical object. If it's not an object, if it's an entity, energy, intelligence, spirit, or whatever, it's not a tool, it's a partner (or servant in some circles).
SB>What, precisely, is personal power?
I think of personal power as the ability to exercise one's abilities. To whatever degree you have the energy, skill and knowledge to do so, you have personal power. This includes the energy, skill and knowledge to draw on power from outside your physical/ astral/whatever being.
SB>Are the gods a tool, or power, and can we cast without them?
The gods I deal with are real entities with minds, thoughts, feelings, histories and agendas of their own. They aren't psychological constructs, or sheer power, or tools. If by "cast" you mean what I mean by "work", I say yes.
SB>Is inherented knowledge passed through the centuries personal power, or a tool, and can we cast without it?
I think of power as energy, but perhaps the power passed by initiation is both information and energy (thus including knowledge). I conceive of the power of an inititiatory line (of whatever flavor) as a stream, a line of connection to which all members of that line, living and dead, connect. We can draw on the knowledge and energy of the line, or we can work without it. I don't think of it as exactly personal, as it belongs to everyone in the line.
SB>Are the spirits that surrounds us a part of us and a power to be used, or some separate entity and a tool to be cast aside?
Spirits are entities, as near as I can figure, and that makes them neither powers nor tools. There's a difference, for example, between drawing on the energy of the moon and making a connection with the spirit of the moon.
SB>At times, the definitions of tools and power become too intermixed to separate. Perhaps, we are nothing without our tools. Perhaps, there really are no tools. Perhaps, we are the tool. I challenge that what we are comes from without and that there is nothing that we do today or any other that will increase or refine our power one wit *unless* we reach outwards. What we become will pass to the generations. What has been is within and a tool as surely as any other.
I have real difficulty accepting that all I am comes from without. That makes me too much defined by that which surrounds me, and binds me to be what the outside (parents, friends, society) says I am. I don't believe I am a tool, even of my deities. I do agree that without input from that which surrounds us, we don't have any opportunity for growth and development. That is where connections are so important, and why it is so important for us to connect with that which nourishes us, rather than that which stunts or devours us. What we pass to the generations depends on the quality of our lives and works.
SB>And when an oak is dead or felled to earth
By one to whom a tree is but a tree,
Where is this treasury of loveliness?
I think it passes to another birth.
The rugged pine that overlooks the sea
May know the charm the desert palms confess.
-Grace Brown
This was too gorgeous to omit. :) - Phoenix
Reference: http://master-of-tarot.blogspot.com
Book review...
"Examined Lives": The secret lives of philosophers"
A new book looks at the personal stories behind some of history's best-known thinkers, with fascinating results
by
A. C. Grayling
January 24th, 2011
Salon
Plato has Socrates say, in the "Apology," that the unexamined life is not worth living. Many of Socrates' successors took this saying to heart, regarding the examination of life as definitive of their calling. With "Examined Lives," a set of beautifully written and richly informative mini-biographies of a dozen philosophers, James Miller explores what this meant to each of them. His conclusion is a negative one: the combination of wisdom, self-understanding and self-possession that Socrates' successors took to be the gold standard for the philosophical life proved impossible for most of them to attain, and, in some cases, what they preached and what they practiced fell widely apart.
The implication is that where they failed, we cannot expect to succeed; the Socratic ambition, Miller says, represents "an unending quest, with no firm goal and no certain reward, apart from experiencing, however briefly, a yearning for wisdom and a desire to live a life in harmony with that yearning - come what may."
There are two reasons for disagreeing with this conclusion. One might point out that a demand to seek self-understanding (in obedience to the Delphic oracle's "Know Thyself") and to reflect on one's choices and values, is not quite the same thing as a demand to succeed in living accordingly. As the clich'e has it - no less truly for being a clich'e - it is the journey not the arrival that matters. Socrates put his point in the negative ("the unconsidered life is not worth living") for a reason: Giving no thought to how one should live is by default to let chance or others decide one's fate. So life can be worth living if we reflect and try to choose, even if we do not always succeed in acting as we should. Frailty or ill-luck (both of them common barriers, as Aristotle saw, to moral achievement) might get in the way; yet we honor people as much, if not more, for what they sincerely endeavor to do and be, as for what they achieve; and this is often more than enough.
Miller therefore need not have deduced so negative a conclusion from his 12 life studies, for one thing his subjects show is that they had the desire for, and an understanding of, the good and well-lived life, even if most of them failed to live fully up to their ambition for it. At least they strove to know, which is more than many so much as attempt; as Bertrand Russell said, "Most people would rather die than think, and most people do."
The second reason is that Miller's conclusion might have been different if he had chosen a different set of philosophers. The 12 he writes about (and Miller expresses the regretful inevitability that they are all men) are Socrates, Plato, Diogenes, Aristotle, Seneca, Augustine, Montaigne, Descartes, Rousseau, Kant, Emerson and Nietzsche. Nearly half of them do not figure in the canon of philosophy as studied in contemporary universities, these being Diogenes, Seneca, Augustine, Montaigne and Emerson. Socrates is not studied at all, being taken as the mouthpiece of Plato in the latter's dialogues (no doubt the method, and some of the doctrines, are genuinely Socratic, but it is impossible to peel the master and pupil apart). The closest Rousseau gets to philosophy is political science, cultural history and literature. Nietzsche is certainly studied in philosophy departments, but as something sui generis; unlike the remaining four fully paid-up members of the standard curriculum, he does not fit into the orthodox mold on epistemology or metaphysics, logic or ethics.
Now, Miller has a good point to make with this choice, which is that the selective nature of the philosophy curriculum in contemporary universities is not representative of the philosophical tradition itself. In classical and post-classical antiquity, a philosopher was someone who sought to live a reason-guided, ethically consistent life based on self-knowledge and a clear understanding of the world's false blandishments. There was a compelling reason for this: The brevity and insecurity of life required counsels of fortitude, designed to help the ancient philosophers achieve "ataraxia" - peace of mind - in the midst of the chances, changes and dangers of an uncertain world. Cicero summed up the quest by saying that to learn to philosophize is to learn how to die, for when one has lost one's fear of death, one has truly liberated oneself to live well.
One can and should accept Miller's point here, therefore; as philosophy was in its Socratic origins a quest to know how to live, this emphasis is worth reemphasizing. But also one can and should point out that a different choice of figures would have led Miller to a different conclusion. Examples of philosophers who succeeded in living the Stoic or ataraxic life, philosophers who were martyred for their principles, philosophers who lived and died courageously, philosophers who stuck by their principles, can be found to illustrate the thesis that the power of reflection gives what the Socratic injunction asks for. So Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, Giordano Bruno and Spinoza, Hume and Hazlitt, could have been among Miller's partly offbeat choices, and they would all have been models of consistency and principle - unlike Seneca and Rousseau, who easily represent the great gulf between principle and practice that gives the lie to the Socratic ideal. Though to be fair to Seneca, he certainly died like a philosopher. Rousseau, who abandoned a series of his bastard newborns on the doorstep of a foundling hospital, never even began to live like one.
On the other hand, Miller could have made his portrait of philosophy's failure to achieve the Socratic ideal even more dramatic: to the madness of Nietzsche he could have added Althusser's strangling his wife, Russell's philandering, Heidegger's Nazism and Sartre's Communism, Wittgenstein's gratitude for war, and, if the definition of philosopher is extended further, a lot worse besides.
None of this matters. True, Miller presents his 12 mini-biographies as responses to Foucault's remarks about "the problem of the philosophical life," namely, the question of the relevance of philosophy to the questions of what one can know, and do, and hope for, given the conquests of science and the fragmented and competing voices of religions. But one need not take the essays as endeavors to see if philosophy still has a role in helping us identify the meanings of life. Each of them is a little gem in its own right as the portrait of an independently interesting individual and his thought. Miller is careful as well as eloquent, so we get penetrating vignettes of intensely interesting people who were moved in their several ways to contemplate the big questions, exploring themselves and others to achieve the kind of enlightenment that liberates, whatever form the truth appeared to them to take.
It is especially welcome to find Montaigne and Emerson included, as they properly should be, among philosophers worthy of the name. There is considerably more enrichment to be had from their writings on the question of what it is to be human than in, say, Descartes or Kant, great minds as these (and especially the latter) are. I think Miller might have profited us more by replacing Diogenes with Epictetus or Cicero, the latter not least because of the great influence he had over the European mind from Erasmus (who thought he should be called St. Cicero) to Hume (who vastly preferred him to the Bible). And whereas Augustine is a name to excite theologians, the reversion to an orthodoxy that is the end point of his intellectual quest makes for a less interesting story than the others.
The two best of an excellent sequence of essays are those on Emerson and Nietzsche, and most especially this last. Because of his strange and tormented genius, Nietzsche has been much biographied of late, and rather well; but Miller's account is so well crafted that it illuminates him with wonderful clarity, like a sharp engraving on metal. His physical frailty, even femininity, and its contrast to his aggressively ambitious mind, are subtly sketched, and the harbingers of lunacy in his late works are made salient. Readers of this portrait will see Nietzsche from a slightly shifted perspective accordingly.
Miller gives us a fine read, and much to chew profitably upon. With luck we might get another dozen portraits from his pen; and with them, perhaps, a less pessimistic assessment of the profit philosophy offers.
Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche
by
James Miller
ISBN-13: 9780374150853
ISBN: 0374150850
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Herewith the first dispatch from The Continuum's newly appointed Antipodean correspondent, our already well-known commentator, Sandra McColl:
At the end of this month, two events will occur in the Anglican Church of Australia by which it will begin to catch up with The Episcopal Church and will forge 'ahead' of the Church of England. The two events will be two purported consecrations of women to the episcopate.
The announcements were made last month, when first the Archbishop of Perth announced the appointment of the Melbourne-trained Kay Goldsworthy, currently serving in Perth as Archdeacon, and then the Archbishop of Melbourne announced the appointment of Barbara Darling, originally from Sydney, both of them from the original vintage of priestesses of 1992.
The announcements were snapped up by the mainstream media, with the shattering of the stained-glass ceiling as a recurring theme. Now, it just happens that the strangely named National Gallery of Victoria has a Great Hall, built some time at the end of the 60s or beginning of the 70s (I don't remember exactly when, but I know I was still at school at the time), which has a stained-glass roof. It's actually rather a marvellous thing, and it became very fashionable to lie on the floor in order to admire it. But the Great Hall is not a place of worship, and places of worship don't have stained glass roofs or ceilings. Australian church buildings have ceilings of stone, timber, plaster - the same materials as are used the world over. Indeed, I have yet to see in one of them so much as a stained-glass skylight.
In an article in The Age, entitled "The stained-glass ceiling has been shattered", Muriel Porter, who has been in the vanguard of the campaign for the ordination of women for at least 25 years, celebrated the Melbourne announcement and compared it with another recent announcement, that of the appointment of a woman as the next Governor-General. Why a woman becoming Governor-General should be so remarkable is a bit of a mystery, since women have been State Governors already, and, after all, the job of the Governor-General is to represent the Queen. (A bishop, on the other hand, represents... oh, never mind, I give up.)
As might have been appropriate for an article in a secular newspaper, Dr Porter's article was cast entirely in the language and images of the secular equal rights struggle. This was indeed largely how the battle had been fought. Perhaps knowing that most ordinary sheep in the pews wouldn't easily buy into God the Mother, the innovators fed them a pur'eed and spiced version of that doctrine, so-called "inclusive" language, and concentrated on the skills needed to do what was perceived to be a priest's, or a bishop's, job.
The use of the secular women's rights argument had been highlighted by Bishop Harry Entwistle of the Australian branch of the TAC, who wrote on The Messenger Journal website that:
the proponents of women's ordination did not argue their case on theological grounds, many of which are difficult for Anglican laity and some clergy to untangle. They argued from the perspective of justice, equality and women's rights and status, which laity understands only too readily. They managed to turn it from a religious argument concerning creation, incarnation, salvation and the nature of the Church to one of human rights.
They gambled on the general ignorance of the Anglican laity in matters of scriptural knowledge, Church order and tradition and found they were on a winning streak, aided and abetted by the secular Western culture. This is not to say that Dr Porter did not use scriptural language or images. She referred to the Diocese of Sydney, which had 'hardened its heart' against women's ordination. Now, I'm no fan of the Diocese of Sydney, with its Cathedral Holy Table with wheels (what would Ezekiel say about that?), its lay-presidency movement and its view of ordained ministry which is all about preaching, teaching and headship and doesn't appear to have any sacramental sense at all. But the image of hardening of heart does not do justice to bishops and their people who have sought to maintain a principled stand against theological novelty.
The Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia ("ACA"-just to be confusing) begins thus, with three Fundamental Declarations:
1. The Anglican Church of Australia, being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, holds the Christian Faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed.
2. This Church receives all the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.
3. This Church will ever obey the commands of Christ, teach His doctrine, administer His sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, follow and uphold His discipline and preserve the three orders of bishops, priests and deacons in the sacred ministry.
Over the years, better legal and theological minds than mine have determined that the ordination of women is not consistent with any of the above. I prefer not to trouble myself with the details of the deliberations of the Appellate Tribunal over the years, but it would appear that the ACA's peak legal body has merely reflected an increasingly administrative view of holy orders, and the episcopate in particular, that has developed in the ACA generally.
The bishops of the ACA have met and worked out a protocol for dealing with women in the episcopate. It contains some statements about making appropriate episcopal ministry available to those who can't accept the innovation. There are also recommendations that at every consecration, at least three of the consecrating bishops should be male. They just don't get it. How can they provide alternative pastoral provisions for people whose misgivings they simply do not comprehend?
I do not know where Ms Goldsworthy is going to be working after her "consecration". Miss Darling, however, will be given the position of Director of Diocesan Ministries. Do you really need to be a bishop to do that job? Perhaps it shows just how far the sacramental literacy of the Diocese of Melbourne has fallen in the past 20 or so years. Another sign of this is found in a recent Ad Clerum from the Archbishop of Melbourne, who gave directions to his clergy as to the proper way of using unfermented grape juice in separate glasses for Holy Communion. Gluten-free wafers are also requested to be provided for those who require them.
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Pic is: Gilbert Adrian: The Tigress Evening Ensemble ~ brooklynmuseum.org ~
In honor of my Tigress heroine, Kytaira... but, so yes! The Kougaress would adore wearing this evening ensemble... say, to a high fashion Halloween Costume Party. Ah dreams...
Late night maows, my purr-fect and most precious Big Cats... a long, draining day of hunt-shopping for the Kougaress... beautiful blue skies, warmish weather... just a lovely day... but still, no rain... well, this Big Cat made it into town and back... gosh-yowls, the stress of remembering everything, trying to decide what to purchase given the inflation, and the hyper inflation down the road... buy everything you can afford now because prices on food, especially, are likely to skyrocket, my darlings.
For this week ~ love is in the autumn air... yes, my beautiful Pussycats, think love, feel love. There is a sparkly radiant vibration all around us now - a new love vibration for all of us. Drench yourself in this radiance, and look around. Love is waiting to happen. All facets and expressions of love... of course.
Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano
Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...
Angelic Forecast ~ #161
For the following week, a strange chaos of events is likely to occur across the planet. This will be in the political and social arena, involve the war theaters - and also include UFO sightings, and At the same time, the brutal money monopoly that has been placed over humanity, worldwide, is being tightened, and a militaristic regime is being introduced incrementally. Any manner of catastrophe, natural or not, will be used as an excuse to implement this 'papers, please' regime.
There is an interesting dichotomy occurring at this moment in history. Fear as the great controller of populations is being used and heightened to the 'nth' degree by the corrupt powers that be. Simultaneously, FEAR is losing it's grip on many who see through the constant, intense manipulation. Thus, 'fear' is now fueling a great opposition against those who wield it like a horrific weapon.
On a personal level this week, and for the month of October, know action-packed days are likely ahead. This means much can and will be accomplished. However, you must seek times of rest or risk becoming burned out. This month is also a wonderful period of time to establish enduring relationships.
From this point forward, the Aquarian desire for true freedom and the ancient 'magick' of Arthurian legend, will join hands. This will be for the purpose of liberating humanity, and bringing forth the divine race. That is, our highest selves now emerge, and we become who we truly are spiritually.
Trendwise, love is in the autumn air. Now is the perfect time to enjoy all aspects of love. Also, romantic love is taking on a new life - leaping to a higher level of expression. This is because a new vision is emerging, one that is being reflected in romance novels, and other creative, artistic endeavors.
It becomes more and more important to watch your backside, and to watch over those you care the most for - all the 'beloveds' in your life.
Angelic blessings from Volcano color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">
MORE...Volcano's Angelic Forecast for this week ~ siren
Cliff and Tom, the Hanson brothers, scratched their heads and frowned. Any other time the trophy buck in the bed of their truck would have drawn a crowd. Especially in a backwoods town like Talbot's Peak, Montana. This far off the interstate, the place must be chocked full of hunters. People should be oogling their kill's rack or grumbling with envy.
Kasey, the Hanson sister, didn't give two hoots about hunter adoration. She hugged herself against the morning chill and eyed the coffee shop across the street with longing.
Big Cat by-the-numbers ~
12:12 am... 2:22 am... All Power to the People...
The most powerful weapon is the human soul on fire. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
~ Happy Spooky October ~
~ MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH ~
And, May you live the dreams of your heart, not in interesting times...
'love is in the autumn air' kisses from the Kougar...
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Back in the early days of European medical science obtaining cadavers for dissection was illegal. As medical schools began to realize that working on human rather than animal bodies was essential to education and research, a new criminal profession emerged - that of the so-called resurrectionist. The term did not describe the practice of bringing the dead back to life, but rather that of professional grave-robbing. Resurrectionists would keep an eye out for newly dug graves, secretly exhume the bodies, and sell them to medical schools and researchers. Today in Africa a similar profession has emerged, but the resurrectionists there do not work for scientists. Instead, the body parts they procure are sold to traditional magical practitioners for use in spells. Five people were recently arrested in Cameroon attempting to deliver a human head to a buyer in Yaounde.
Authorities in Cameroon have arrested five people suspected of trafficking in body parts after they were discovered at a checkpoint carrying a severed human head, state radio and wildlife conservationists said on Tuesday.
Body parts of humans and rare animals are prized by some in central Africa for their supposed supernatural powers, and used in occult ceremonies.
Traffickers often get human remains from grave-robbers, but a recent spate of killings has also been linked to the gruesome trade.
Cameroon's state-owned broadcaster CRTV said the suspects had been transporting the body parts in a bag along with elephant meat from Djoum, a small town about 280 km (170 miles)south of the capital Yaounde, when they were stopped at a checkpoint.
Those arrested told the authorities that they had been promised 10 million CFA francs in exchange for the head. As it was in Europe, the African trade in body parts appears to be profitable enough that an effective crackdown will likely prove quite difficult. The original resurrectionists were not stopped by increased law enforcement, though many cities did enact measures intended to shut them down. Instead, the development of legal methods for medical schools and universities to obtain bodies rendered the grave-robbing trade obsolete. Its hard to see how something similar could work in places like Cameroon, as I can't imagine very many people wanting to donate their bodies to sorcery rather than science.
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Title: Enchanted Fairy Ring ~ Image copyright (c) Rainbow Tree (aka Kandice Thompson)
From time to time the Fairy folk feel a need to speak a message for those that want to listen. Each week I do an Oracle Reading with the Fairies to ask their guidance and opinions on life in general. I do this for myself and anyone else who wants to listen or read.
The message received this week encourages us to be honest with all aspects of life and ones inner thoughts. The direct message is "Be Honest with yourself".
Have you felt ill lately? Angy, depressed or irritable even? All of these are symptoms that arise within our core of existence when we are dishonest with ourselves. The fairies feel you are hiding your true emotions and feelings about a situation or important topic. You are urged to admit your true feelings to yourself. The fairies are not asking you to make life altering decisions or changes. They are not even requesting, nor do they wish to see any form of confrontation with another person. However, the fairies are urging you to admit your true feelings to yourself so you may find the ease and relief you seek.
An easy way to get in touch with your true feelings and inner self is by going outside and being in the elements of nature. Go outside and engage in a quiet conversation with the fairy realm that resides in the trees, tall grasses, flowers and near water. Many folks can not yet see or hear the fairies and their realm. Even if you don't experience their existence during this time, they are still there listening to your conversation and thoughts you are projecting. Ask the fairies to assist you with getting in touch with your deepest feelings. The fairies are more than capable and enjoy showing us humans a mirror of our true reflection and feelings. They can see the truth in all things.
The fairies feel you should write or verbally aloud repeat the following affirmation daily:
I am safe to be honest with myself an all others. I speak truth with love and gratitude.
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Hey there, Dorothy - are you a Good Witch or a Bad Witch? Is your friend acting like a bitch? Answer these five questions from Samantha's Twisted Book of Shadows and find out which witch is which?
1. These days I ride:
a) side-saddle
b) a broom
c) a vibrator
d) a vacuum cleaner
e) the bus home alone
2. My familiar is:
a) a dog named Toto
b) a flying monkey I conjured up the other day in my cauldron
c) Sailor Moon
d) several black cats
e) a gay friend
3. My idea of a good time is:
a) baking cupcakes for the poor
b) stealing food and reselling it outside the food bank
c) dressing up like Vampira and going to fetish night
d) doing impressions of Margaret Hamilton to amuse my friends
e) being alone so nobody hurts my feelings.
4. My favorite television witch is:
a) Martha Stewart
b) Endora from Bewitched
c) Sabrina the Teenage Witch
d) Heather Locklear
e) Kathie Lee Gifford.
5. My favorite witch movie is:
a) Practical Magic
b) The Craft
c) Rosemary's Baby
d) Mommie Dearest
e) The Wizard of Oz.
Now analyze your answers below to find out what kind of witch you are!
A) GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH
If your answers were all "a", you are a modern Glinda the Good Witch. You visualize all your troubles surrounded in a bubble and floating away from you, and it works. Congratulations.
1. You're probably a real tree-hugger and into horses and nature and all that.
2. You're just like Dorothy, who, if you'll recall, was Glinda the Good Witch's prot'eg'ee in The Wizard of Oz.
3. You know that all the goodness that you do comes back to you three by three by three.
4. You love the way Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing" at the end of every segment.
5. You love the idea of a bunch of modern witches mixing up potions from their kitchen cupboards, wearing headscarves and dancing to music by Stevie Nicks.
B) A WICKED WITCH
If your answers were all "b", you are just plain eeevil.
1. If you get on a broom and your feet actually lift off the ground, that is truly creepy.
2. A monkey with wings is a dead giveaway.
3. To steal from the poor is pretty unspeakably evil.
4. Endora's a wicked old crone just like you - only a little prettier.
5. You kind of like that Fairuza kid... you wish you had a daughter just like her.
C) YOU'RE A WITCH WANNABE
If your answers are all "c", you're just a wannabe. You've bought one of those do-it-yourself witchcraft
4. Statistics in The Toronto Sun recently cited that witchcraft is the No. 1 interest of teenage girls, so if you're a wannabe, chances are that this is your favorite show.
5. So far you've been practicing witchcraft all by yourself. Wouldn't it be nice to belong to a real coven like Rosemary's friends?
D) SURPRISE... YOU'RE NOT A WITCH BUT A GAY MAN!
If your answers are all "d", you're gay! I know it's confusing, but it's true. Gay males love a good wicked female archetype more than life itself.
1. You like to clean; that means you're gay!
2. Cats are considered to be "gay children".
3. You also like to do the occasional impression of Joan Crawford.
4. She's a Goddess in the Office! You wanna be Evil Scheming Manipulative Heather Locklear!
5. You love the scene where Joan beats little Christina with the hanger.
E) YOU'RE A WITCH'S VICTIM
If your answers are all "e", the only kind of spell you know is a fainting spell. You're more the kind of person prone to be the victim of witches because you refuse to acknowledge that magic exists. You wouldn't know what an athame was if you were lying on a slab and it was plunged into your heart (not that there's anything wrong with that).
1. Witches have cast spells so they get all the men and all the rides home.
2. All the straight males have been bewitched by real witches, so you're stuck with this gay friend.
3. You are the victim of the many psychic attacks practiced by amateur witchlets out there.
4. You don't really like Kathie Lee Gifford but for some reason every time she's on the TV you just can't stop watching her... it's like you're under her spell or something.
6. The Wizard of Oz is the only movie you've seen with a real witch in it.
* Editorial Note: This is our beloved Samantha exercising her funny bone; athames are never meant to touch blood and are not used in any form of sacrifice. No Victims were harmed or sacrificed in the writing of this article. J (David)
Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several
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