Saturday 30 October 2010

Hercules - What is the Measure of a True Hero?

'Long ago, in the faraway land of ancient Greece, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. And the greatest and strongest of all these heroes was the mighty Hercules. But what is the measure of a true hero? Ah, that is what our story is...'

Fables are fashionable, no doubt about it. On film, the world in the 21st century is saved by super-heroes a few times a day because they have either futuristic technology or astonishing powers.

For me, however, Disney's 'Hercules' is the best movie in this genre ever made : it is their only film based on Greek mythology - these timeless tales about a world of complex interrelations between gods and humans explored the mysteries of life on earth, conveying important lessons to struggling mortals.

The conduct of the royal society on Mount Olympus in those days seems to have been as fallible as today's jet set and in the absence of TV, the stories about their lives and adventures, weaknesses and misdemeanors in ancient Greece apparently were the talk of the town.

As an animated movie first released in 1997, the ancient characters in Walt Disney's 'Hercules' speak a very modern language - Charlton Heston (Narrator), Rip Torn (Zeus, leader of the gods), James Woods (Hades, ruler of the underworld) and Danny DeVito (Phil the Satyr) amongst others have given their voices to a fast-paced, wildly funny and very entertaining film for kids and adults alike.

What is often overlooked though is that the story of Hercules is also a brilliant parable about the human cycle of life on earth - for me, that is he most interesting aspect of the movie. It all starts at the party on Mount Olympus, where right of admission is reserved for Gods, to celebrate the birth of Hercules, son of Zeus and Hera. The host welcomes a new guest:

"Hades, you finally made it. How are things in the underworld?" "Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do?"

The evil Hades plans to overthrow Zeus as chief of the gods in what he calls a 'hostile takeover bid', however, and shortly after the party sends his helpers Pain and Panic to abduct Hercules down to Earth because the Fates predict that he might thwart the coup in 18 years time.

Although pain and fear are still the most effective allies of dark forces today, good help was difficult to find even in those days, and Pain and Panic don't quite manage to infuse the magic potion into Hercules that would make him forget his divine origin.

As a result, Hercules retains super-human strength for his spell on earth - but that doesn't make him very popular: as an impetuous teenager, he breaks whatever he touches and he isn't allowed anywhere near the local pottery store. 'Jerkules' is his nickname at that time and he yearns to be normal, like everyone else.

He just wants to fit in somehow and know where he belongs, setting the scene for the archetypal hero's quest - this is beautifully highlighted in his captivating song 'Go the Distance' : 'I will find my way, I can go the distance; I'll be there some day if I can be strong; I know every mile will be worth my while.'

So when he leaves the home of his foster parents to find his place in the world, his first stop is at the temple of Zeus, a quiet place for reflection, to ask for guidance. There he learns that he has a famous father - and Zeus tells him that he has to prove himself a true hero on earth to restore his status as a god.

How do you become a true hero?

You learn from an expert.

On Zeus' advice, and with the help of Pegasus the flying horse, Hercules seeks out Philictetus, the trainer of heroes. Phil is disillusioned because previous clients like Perseus and Achilles couldn't go the full distance, but he takes Hercules on and shows him all the tricks of the hero-trade. Both make mistakes and get hurt a few times in the process, of course - you teach what you need to learn, and the lines between teacher and student get blurred after a while.

Along the way Hercules also has to rescue Megara, a damsel in distress, and they fall in love - he doesn't know that she has sold her soul to Hades, however, and is committed to help him rearrange the cosmos to take over Mount Olympus. Despite their efforts to get Hercules out of the way before he spoils the loot, he becomes a famous superstar 'From Zero to Hero' in the big city with his own merchandised brand on consumer goods, all the royalties that go with it, and the high life that everyone envies.

But being rich and famous, strong and powerful is not being a true hero, Zeus tells him at another visit to the temple - before Hercules can rejoin the gods he must still do something that he has to discover for himself, something that he can only find by looking inside.

Hades in the meantime is furious and very frustrated with his lack of progress until he finds the only weakness Hercules has - his love for Meg. Hercules eventually agrees to give up his enormous strength for 24 hours to win back Meg's freedom from the clutches of Hades - who immediately launches his attack on the world by unleashing the Titans.

But Meg, Pegasus and Phil are not giving up on Hercules' shattered dreams and help him in his darkest hour. Together with the gods on Mount Olympus, they defeat Hades and his Titans and liberate planet Earth from the underworld's tyranny and oppression - but not without casualties: Meg is dying!

In a desperate attempt to change the course of events, Hercules rushes to see Hades and strikes a deal with him: 'Take me in Meg's place'. He dives after Meg into the River of Death, selflessly offering his life in return for hers, but the Fates cannot cut his thread so that they both emerge alive - the underworld has no power over gods!

Meg and the mighty Hercules are whisked off to Mount Olympus - now he can return home to be reunited with his family. The overjoyed Zeus explains : 'A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength - but by the strength of his heart!'

This is the moment Hercules has always dreamed of, but he realizes that a life without love, even an immortal life, would be empty - and chooses to stay on earth with Meg and his friends: 'I finally know where I belong.'

I just love it!

What if we all remembered that we are powerful beyond measure and have a connection to our divine origin with unlimited support?

What if we knew that we are always exactly where we belong, wherever we are and whatever we do?




"You can be, do and have anything you want" - this is Berend Lange's credo. Under his BLUE CRANE label, he works internationally as a Translator and Copywriter to develop Public Relations with businesses that have something to say - in English and in German, anywhere in the world.

He knows that sustained success in business cannot be achieved without growing as a person, though. After 22 years as a German expatriate in South Africa, Berend has now returned to Europe and settled in Austria. On his KOMPASS Blog he offers encouragement, advice and a fresh perspective on how to overcome the challenges we face in life.

Friday 29 October 2010

Greek Tortoise - The Golden Tortoise


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Under the CITES law, this tortoise is legal to own thus in some countries, registration is still needed. This Greek tortoise are native to Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Turkey, Tunisia, Syria, Spain, Russia, Libya, Morocco, Moldova, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Italy, Greece, France, Egypt, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Algeria and Albania. The color of Greek tortoise is typically brown to dark tan. Greek Tortoise is small with most reaching only about 8" (20 cm), though there are occasional specimens reaching up to 12" (30 cm). Their coloration of is that not overly bright, but it is changing and attractive.

This tortoise is low-maintenance that is why this is one of the excellent pets you may have. Leafy veggies such as Romaine lettuce and kale are their primary diet plan. They may also eat carrot peelings though they favor Romaine best. They will not normally eat spinach and ice berg lettuce. You must have cuttlefish bone at all times. When your tortoise is big and matured enough, it will wander around your yard and will consume as much as weeds it can eat.

These tortoises are still considered as wild caught, that is why they can harbor parasites and have other stress and environment related problems. As they are also tend to have dietary and respiratory illnesses, they are not advisable as for first time keepers as their pets. Greek Tortoises are shy, so provide a secured shelter to give these tortoises a feeling of protection. As shy animals, most tortoises will not have fun being handled. They will often hide into their shells and stay tightly wedged in with their large, scaly legs covering their heads.

Greek tortoise is herbivorous grazers just similar to cows. It's a must too to take them in a bath to four times a week. After bathing them, make sure you have paper towels ready at hand because tortoise poop where they exactly are so always be ready to wipe. When you are done bathing and drying your tortoise, do not forget to wash your hands with warm water and soap because tortoise is a carrier of salmonella. Many of these tortoises are wild-caught, so you need to be worried about parasites and other stress and environment related problems.




Alfred Maginnis is a turtle expert. Do You Want To Know How To Take Care Of Your Pet Turtle? Discover more information about Greek Tortoise, visit http://www.petturtlecaresecrets.com.

Thursday 28 October 2010

Magicians Are Sacred Clowns

Ten years ago I renewed my interest in the magical arts and joined the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. A revitalized appreciation for magic and an opportunity to delve into several intriguing ideas that have, at least for me, a deep and existential meaning are the result. One concept that has special links to my studies in mental and occult activities is that magicians are sacred clowns, and I would like to inspect that thesis in this essay.

A funny thing happened during my magic act at a Society of American Magicians meeting. Using the major arcana of the tarot, I performed a 'find the selected card' routine. My assistant chose a card, showed it to the members, and returned it to the deck while my back was turned. Taking the deck, I looked through it to find the chosen card. Well, it was one of those nights and I couldn't decided which was the card. Embarrassed, I announced my failure to my fellow magicians and then asked my assistant and the other members if I could try again. They agreed and I did, successfully this time. When I displayed the selected card, I noticed a peculiar expression on my assistant's face and then on some of the other members' faces. The same tarot card had been chosen twice. I remarked in a knowing manner, " Isn't this the same card?" I smiled, acting as if I had planned it, and bowed to the applause. But of course I had not planned it nor even thought of doing the routine that way. (Some day I might.) Was it chance or the force? Coincidence or psychic powers? How can we know? All we can say is that it happened this way.

Stage magicians, illusionists, and sleight of hand adepts are similar to sacred clowns and fools in several ways. Although we may picture clowns as circus fun-givers and delightful buffoons, clowns have had an important role in European culture at least since the ancient Greeks. They had dramatic roles in Greek theater, which continued into the Medieval period in mystery plays and traveling minstrels. They frequented Shakespearean drama and became a fixture in theater, including the Punch and Judy puppet shows. The Harlequin came from Italy, and France supplied the white-faced Pierrot. In the Middle Ages court jesters and fools, who offered sage advice that others were too frightened to propose, were earning their keep, though most of the time they provided amusement and entertainment.

In some societies, like the Native American, clowns perform in religious ceremonies and in doing so act as a sacred character. Further, they are more of the mythic trickster and behave in a fashion contrary to conventional norms. Medicine men and women often are viewed in this way, like shamans who become one with their spirit helper.

A few examples from Native American culture can clarify the idea.

The Hopi, a pueblo people living in northern Arizona, have several different sacred clowns. To outsiders the Koshari and the Koyemsi or Mudhead are the most well-known, and they have their counterparts in other pueblos.

Koshari will behave backwards: saying the opposite of what they mean, yes for no and no for yes; climbing down ladders head first; confusing parts of a ceremony or curing rite, often burlesquing or parodying it. Their comments on current events, both in the Hope village or in the world at large, are usually critical and ironic, poking fun at the target, confirming that the Emperor is naked.

If Koshari are more the fools and buffoons, Koyemsi are more involved in linking the sacred and profane and so possess more power and are far more dangerous than Koshari. Actually, the Hopi do not consider Koyemsi to be clowns. Healer and sage-Koyemsi carry messages from the Ancients Ones to the people. Magician and fool-they play games with the onlookers, impressing all with their sacred power. (Interested readers can consult Barton Wright's Clowns of the Hopi for more information.)

Among the Lakota, living on the northern plains, men and women who have a vision of Thunderbird are touched by sacred power and must become a heyoka, a contrary; otherwise, they will get sick and perhaps die. Their behavior is contrary or reverse of the behavior normal in the community. Forwards is backwards: walking or riding backwards and speaking backwards are common practices. Dressed in bizarre clothing, acting silly and ludicrous, a heyoka is all things that a normal member of the community should not be. Although some of the behavior is similar to that of the Koshari, one important difference is that the person acting as a Koshari does so for a specific ceremonial occasion, but a heyoka acts in a strange manner daily, unless released by Thunderbird. Heyoka seems to have power similar to Koyemsi, drawing deeply from the spiritual realm.

The heyoka, Koshari, and Koyemsi partake of the sacred and can be considered holy or medicine people. Anthropologists often employ the term 'shaman' for medicine people and describe them as using the sacred power for healing and bringing other benefits to the community, like rain, fertility, and plentiful supply of game. Clowns in Native American culture are always members of a medicine society, that is, their duties and obligations to the community are to bring benefits.

Among the Algonquian who range from the Atlantic to the Great Plains, members of the Grand Medicine Society are mide (a mystic) and participate in the midewiwin (mystical activities). Such individuals, besides bringing benefits to the community, can perform wondrous feats that appear magical, like animating doll-like figures. The shaking tent event allows the mide to contact the spirit world for divining, healing, finding lost objects or even people. The mide, bound with rope, sitting or lying in a wigwam or tent, calls upon manitos or spirit beings. All sorts of awesome things can happen. Strange noises resound from the wigwam while objects fly about or are thrown out of the tent. Perhaps, the shaking tent is the inspiration for the spirit closet routine so popular in 19th and early twentieth century magic performances.

So how are stage magicians, illusionists, and sleight of hand adepts similar to sacred clowns and fools?

Back in the 18th century when European science was beginning to free itself from the restraints imposed by Christianity, magicians still worried whether they would be charged with witchcraft and other devilish activities. Science finally gained a balance with religion in the second half of the 19th century, and today it has the upper hand in debates about the structure, nature, and origin of the universe. Most Americans maintain a separation of science and religion attitude. Whether this is true in other countries today, I don't know. Magicians performing in the U.S. or countries having such a dichotomy must walk the line and pay the consequences for promoting one side or the other.

Because today real magic-such as flying, talking, hearing, and seeing over distances, and instant fire- can only be accomplished with specific types of technology, magicians break a social taboo when they pretend they are performing real magic. Like clowns, magicians enter worlds or dimensions of reality that ordinary people do not. They can move through the portal of shadows and emerge into the sacred realm, which is the source of real magic. Yet modern magicians are caught in a bind, a paradox. The dominating social idea is that real magic done the ancient or Harry Potter way cannot happen and is only trickery, though believed by the superstitious. Pretending to perform magic, the mage must 'tell' the audience, or at least suggest to it, that the act was only trickery and pleasant entertainment.

When, however, performers of mentalism and other psychic routines allow the audience to believe that magic actually happened, letting the audience believe in those powers if they so desire-these mages are often criticized by their colleagues in the magical arts. Because of the modern taboo about believing in the sacred or spiritual realm, many mages try to enforce the belief on all their colleagues. This taboo is, of course, promoted by modern science, which today appears to be the judge and jury about cosmic existence. Here lies a social conflict, one that has been ongoing for several hundred years: antagonism between science and religion. The fundamentalists of each reject the knowledge and truth of the other-an 'if you're not for us, you're against us' attitude. Yet the clown moves between the two sides easily and quickly, without fear and trembling.

Clowns enact the cosmic drama, which is religious-spiritual and symbolic. Bringing this sacred enactment to their community, they affirm its existence and power, allowing the audience to participate in another reality, one that exists side by side with the ordinary world and for many is interwoven with it. In our modern times the audience is given an opportunity to throw off its pretense of the contemporary scientific view and again as a child experience the sacred, spiritual world, the realm of magic.

Today's mage walks the line between the two sides. If modern science's view is the correct and only true one, then a magic show should only be pleasing entertainment without any attempt at creating mystery, wonder, or awe. To allow the audience to experience these emotions would be deceitful and as harmful as any fortuneteller or other charlatan-taking money to make the audience feel good, playing upon their mistaken desire that these emotions refer to a part of reality, that such things actually exist. Perhaps at the conclusion of the performance the mage should reveal the method of the trick, giving away the secrets. Would not that be the honest thing to do? Up front, directly stating that yes my act was only a trick and you can see that and now do not be fooled! And please come back for another entertaining show. Since the universe is only the one described by science, these emotions, or can we say all emotions, are hallucinatory and illusionary, leading people to superstitious attitudes.

The basic question can now be stated: why bother pretending to perform magic? Why not present a show of the latest props and methods, demonstrating them as in a scientific experiment or laboratory? Or as a manufacturer of tricks and routines, as one might demonstrate new and novel products for clowns? The focus would be on problem-solving and finding marketable ways to sell products. The audience would therefore become consumers of magical equipment. This description is beginning to sound as if it refers to an audience of magicians at a magic conference, yet we all know that the lay audience does not have our interest in purchasing effects. What do they want, can we honestly answer that? Can we give them what they want without condescension or embarrassment?

The primary choice for magicians, then, is whether we should quest for the ideal or only provide pleasing entertainment. The magic ideal is to present the audience with the opportunity to experience awe and wonder, to create a disbelief in conventional thoughts about the universe so that they are pushed aside and mystery fills the performance.

No doubt by now, we are thinking of magicians who in some way are akin to sacred clowns. Cardini performs as a well-dressed and slightly tipsy gentleman who is continuously surprised when cigarettes spontaneously appear and disappear. Houdini displays psychic power with his impossible escapes from dangerous situations as many onlookers, like Arthur Conan Doyle, believe. Stepping outside of time, Jeff McBride with his masks enacts ancient ceremonies. Uri Geller affirms the mind's power over matter by reshaping metal utensils. Overcoming gravity, Norm Nielsen frees musical instruments to float in the air. Once the portal is opened, many more magicians come to mind.

Can magicians like clowns bestow social benefits? Can they participate in a healing process? The way we answer the question will suggest our choice for the magician's goal. Some will choose maintaining a sense of mystery and opposing the view that life and the universe are meaningless and devoid of spirit. For these mages life is the true cosmic mystery and so enhancing any mystery fortifies life. Ancient benefits were healing and using power for other social goods, although power could be utilized for selfish or cruel purposes. Modern science has co-opted magic, and contemporary religion either accepts science's premise that only science-oriented technology provides magic or that any attempt at magic is wicked, against God.

For those who enhance the mystery of life as the purpose of their performance, the healing of mind and body, securing self-integrity, and encouraging self-responsibility are worthwhile social goals. Magic can serve the community.

© 2009 All rights reserved




Visit Ye Olde Consciousness Shoppe at http://westgatehouse.com for other enlightening and engaging writings and images. The first two chapters of Hermes Beckons, my newest book, and the complete edition of my first two books have been posted for your online reading pleasure.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Historical Holidays on Corfu

The chances are that you will want to spend at least part of your holiday relaxing, soaking up a little sun and recharging the batteries, but what then? Maybe you are you one of the increasing numbers of people taking time abroad to discover and explore the mysteries of the ancient (and not so ancient) world? If so, why not travel to and explore the Greek island of Corfu next time? Holidays in Corfu offer a microcosm of Ionian history. Corfu holidays open up a treasure-trove of ancient relics and monuments and are a living witness to thousands of year's worth of endeavor. You don't need to dilute that historical experience by staying in an ultra modern hotel either Villas in Corfu offer all the space, splendor as well as the flexibility that you need to make the most of your visit.

Corfu, possibly the best known of the Greek Ionian islands, lies in the Adriatic sea 100km (63 miles) east of Italy and south west of Albania. The second largest and greenest of the Ionians, its area of around 500 square miles includes all kinds of landscapes. An A1 Mediterranean holiday destination and star of Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals', Corfu is one of the best known Greek islands. In fact the island has been a favourite Mediterranean destination as far back as Victorian times and Corfu is still sharing its sunshine, its warm hospitality and breathtaking scenery with many thousands of British holidaymakers year after year. Some10,000 British ex-patriots have even gone as far as setting up home there.

Corfu has perhaps more history that you might expect. Corfu is a land of heroes, heroines, myths and magic, of ancient gods and legend. Known as Kerkyra in Greek, Corfu derives its name from the close ties to both Poseidon, god of the sea, and the Greek river of Asopos. The favoured tale of where Corfu gets its name, is its link to the nymph Korkyra, who was brought to the island by Poseidon (him of the Hollywood blockbuster adventure!) as part of an abduction.

Corfu's strategic location has seen her fiercely contested over throughout history. Between the 7th Century BC, when the first recorded naval battle in Greek history was fought in her waters, and her liberation from German occupation in 1945 by the 40th Royal Marine Commandos, the French, Russians and Venetians have all taken turns in running the islands and imposing their own unique forms of rule. If you look carefully you will see all manner of fascinating cultural and architectural blends and styles still over the island.

A stay on the island would be incomplete without at least one visit to the capital Corfu Town, now a World Heritage site. Despite severe damage in the Second World War, the town still has two huge and impressive forts as well as the 16th Century church of Áyios Spyrídhon, other delightful French and Venetian architectural splendors as well as art galleries and museums. Around the island there are the ancient monasteries of San Salvador and Peleka that are well worth visiting, as much for the magical Corfu scenery as the locations themselves!

A beautifully, charming island bursting with great places to go and lots of activities to enjoy, Corfu holidays offer a perfect combination of head and heart as well as some of the very best in Mediterranean holiday accommodation.




Mark has experienced various different Corfu holidays for many years. He has stayed in villas in Corfu and different hotels, getting to know the island.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Popular Greek Tattoo Designs

Are you thinking about getting a great Greek tattoo but aren't sure where to begin? Do you want the design to be as dynamic as possible? If so, it will benefit you to know what some of the most popular Greek tattoo designs are and where to find them.

Interestingly, tattoos were a form of punishment in ancient Greece. Today they are a great way to express your heritage or your love of Greek customs and mythology. Greek tattoos are colorful and expressive, turning eyes everywhere.

Greek Key Tattoos

Key pattern tattoos are very popular and one of the simpler designs. In ancient Greek and Roman architecture, the key pattern was used as a decorative border. When incorporated in Greek tattoo designs, the key pattern is considered to be a continuous sign of the circle of life. It is commonly used as a border and works well with Celtic designs also.

Greek Words and Phrases

Greek alphabet symbols are also very popular. They're very are elegant and stylish and are a great way to create many different designs. Most popular are the traditional symbols used in fraternity and sorority names; Alpha, Beta, Delta, Sigma and Phi are the most commonly used.

An interesting way of using these alphabet symbols and words is to combine phrases with other figures such as geckos or dragons. Phrases are also commonly used as armbands or wristbands. A frequently used phrase is "Pistis, elpis, agape" which means Faith, hope, love.

Greek Gods and Goddesses

Greek mythology is full of incredible stories of gods and goddesses that make awesome tattoo designs. You can design tattoos that reflect your favorite story and figure, or possibly reflect what's going on in your life. Zeus and Apollo are some of the more popular gods. Aphrodite and Athena make great goddess designs.

If you're looking for a mythology design it is beneficial to spend a little time researching the characters and settings of ancient myths. That way you can be assured that your design is right for you before you go under the gun!

Keep in mind that tattoo parlors oftentimes have very simple and basis designs available that will get you in and out quickly. Do your research carefully if you want the most unique tattoo for you.




Did you know that 25% of people who get a tattoo are disappointed after the work is done? Don't let that happen to you. Spend some time researching your Greek Tattoo Designs.

The best approach is to find some great printable designs that you can take with you to the parlor. To see more great design ideas and find the best printable designs just take a minute to browse my site at http://www.squidoo.com/Greek-Tattoo.

Monday 25 October 2010

You Can Have a Body Like a Greek God

Professional trainers can be costly, but workout routines are difficult to perform if you aren't familiar with the equipment; so what are your options. Unlike the advanced ones, beginners workout routines are usually easy, simple and less challenging for the body.

Here's the best part of all: These weight loss and strength building workout routines are fun and challenging so you can actually enjoy the process of melting away the fat and getting fitter than you've ever thought possible.

Building muscle can help you not only get stronger, but help your body become more efficient at burning fat. If you want to know about beginner workout routines to lose unwanted fat or to gain muscle mass, this simplistic approach can help you.

These exercises routines provide a healthy way to lose body fat and build muscle. These routines will help to build muscle, burn fat, stretch the body, and importantly enough will also be easy to perform. Discover a relatively easy and simple way to reduce body fat with a body and free weight workout plan that you can do in the privacy of your own home.

Know how to design your workouts to achieve maximum calorie burn and lose fat the most efficient way. And maybe, just maybe... you've struggled because you haven't worked out consistently or because you've been doing the same boring workouts over and over that have done nothing other than lead to a big fat plateau, making it even tougher for you to lose weight.

Researchers were shocked to find that the high intensity interval training groups showed more body fat loss than the continuous cardio training groups, even though almost every weight loss program in the world today recommends long cardio workouts as the exclusive fat burning cardio routine. This workout course will put everything together for you and you will see results with the best interval training workouts.

These are absolutely the best exercises to get your body in any kind of shape you desire. To learn more click on the link below.




Body like a God

Building muscle can help you not only get stronger, but help your body become more efficient at burning fat. If you want to know about beginner workout routines to lose unwanted fat or to gain muscle mass, this simplistic approach can help you. These exercises and workout routines will show anyone on any level how to get a body like a Greek God.

For more information click on the link below:

Click here!

Sunday 24 October 2010

Do You Want to Learn Archery?

Archery has been a mainstay of human civilization for years. Survival skills included hunting for food with a bow and arrow. And when warfare ensued life itself depended mastering archery techniques. The invention of guns and other firearms made the bow and arrow obsolete for war. Today archery has become a sport that many find challenging and rewarding. For a long time competitive archers and bowhunters in the United States used the English-style longbow. But technological research in the U.S. soon resulted in the development of commercially available new types of bows such as the recurve and compound bow.

A person who uses a bow to shoot arrows is called an archer. Throughout history archers have been a part of mythology and legend. Most people have heard or read the story of William Tell. And in Greek mythology, Heracles was usually shown as an archer. And of course, during the Valentines day season we see pictures of the Roman god Cupid with a bow and arrow to cause those who are shot to fall in love.

The main items you need to practice and master archery are the bow and arrow. Bow and arrow technology has evolved through the years. Modern bows and arrows are made from the latest in high-tech materials such fiberglass, metal alloys, and carbon fiber as well as the old standby -- wood.

Linen is a traditional bowstring material, but bowstrings also benefit from new modern materials such as dacron.

There are different kinds of bows -- compound, crossbow, recurve bow, shortbow, longbow, and flatbow to name a few.

The most popular form of competitive archery is called target archery. The objective is hit a target accurately from a given distance. Field archery is a variation of this practiced in America and Europe. The targets are set at different distances in wooded setting. Tournament rules vary from one organization to another, but the International Archery Federation is one such organization. The organization's formal name is Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc and it is known by the initials FITA.

The Olympics has archery competitions and the rules are based on rules from FITA.

There are many different resources available to learn archery -- and many are free!

Bows and arrows are available in many different price ranges. But be cautious about buying the very cheapest equipment. Poorly designed or manufactured equipment can make it more difficult to learn and shoot accurately.

Accessories for archery include quivers, brace (you might call this a wrist protectors), and sights. To keep your equipment in top shape and properly tuned for accuracy there are laser tuning tools.




Mike Furlong

You can find numerous videos and more about archery by visiting Archery Guide

Saturday 23 October 2010

Spring Equinox and The Wheel Of The Year

Welcome to Spring where the Wheel of The Year now rolls through the point of balance for the second time this year as we celebrate the occurrence of the Spring Equinox.

This is a blessed time of the year when the promise of fertility from Imbolc has burst forward into new life. Babies, saplings, sprouts, buds, and blossoms abound as the youthful Masculine energy of the God is complemented and balanced by the graceful, floral Feminine energy of the Goddess.

Light and dark are in equilibrium for a moment before the tilt towards the direction of the Sun. This festival is a solar festival but is equally balanced with Moon lore as well. To our ancient Northern Hemisphere ancestors, this occasion was honored as a 'Holy Day' to the Germanic / Teutonic / Saxon Lunar Goddess Ostara (also spelled Eostara) - the Goddess of Fertility and Spring from where the words East, Easter and Estrogen take their origin.

This was a very special time of the year for our ancient ancestors as the Earth warmed and fresh food became more abundant. Ostara is a time of planting, planning, hatching, birthing and rejoicing the end of the long cold winter. In many ancient traditions, this time was regarded as the start of the New Year.

Our pagan ancestors honored the Goddess Eostara so deeply that their worship of her was unshaken during the burning times. The Christians incorporated her holy day as their own and renamed it Easter! Her symbols were the rabbit or the hare (for fertility and because in ancient times, her worshippers often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon) and the egg (representing creation). Another association of the egg to this Sabbat / Esbat is the symbol of balance with the golden yolk representing the Sun God enveloped in the white representing the Goddess.

The Spring Equinox holidays are dedicated to many great Goddesses around the globe: Ishtar / Astarte the Babylonian Goddess of morning and evening stars, Isis (Egyptian Goddess with the story of life, death and rebirth of her partner Osiris), the Greek Goddess Aphrodite welcomes the return of her lover Adonis in the spring, The Roman Goddess Flora (fertility Goddess) was venerated at this time with the festival Floralia, the Nordic Goddess Freyja (also a fertility Goddess) returns to the Earth after the winter with her beautiful necklace the Brisingamen (representing the fire of life) to restore the beautiful abundance of nature, the Virgin Mary is also honored at this time with her own feast day (The Annunciation) as well as her association at this time with the Christian festival of Easter.

The ancient Greeks celebrated this time as the reunion between the Goddess Demeter and her daughter, Kore (Persephone) the essence of spring, who was kept in the Underworld for half the year and upon her return, life is renewed and the earth once again flourishes with life.

Other names (among many) for this 'holy day' are; Eoastrae, Oestre, Alban Eiler, Esther, Eostre, Ostarun, Nawruz (Persian)and Ladies Day (from the Vernal equinox being associated with the moon and therefore being feminine).

Bunnies, Eggs, Fertility, Blossoming Spring, Hot Cross Buns and Babies... It all abounds this time of year!




For more down to Earth traditions and wise crafts visit www.ecolitecandles.com.au

Dana Harris is a light worker and the owner /creator of http://www.ecolitecandles.com.au. At EcoLite Candles, we are all about people helping each other create more harmonious ways to live with Mother Earth. Stop by for a visit sometime, we'd love to see you!

Friday 22 October 2010

Devil, Dragon Or Serpent Slayer Apocalyptic Messianic Theme in Mythological Tradition

In the Egyptian myth of resurrection of the god Osiris, his body after having been cut into pieces by the usurper Seth was reconstituted by his mother-wife Isis with the help of the Jackal headed god Anubis who embalmed the body. Osiris' afterlife in the embalmed state was in the underworld of the dead where he presided as judge over the dead. Isis, however, bore him a posthumous son Horus, by magical impregnation. She hid the boy from the usurper Seth who took over the throne of Egypt at Osiris' death. Isis hid her son Horus in the marches of the Delta with the help of the cow-goddess Hathor as wet nurse. When Horus grew up, he reclaimed his father's throne from Seth after a violent contest in which Seth plucked out one of Horus' eyes and Horus Seth's genitals.

The myth of the struggle between Horus and Seth is the Egyptian version of a common Afro-Asiatic apocalyptic theme of cosmic struggle between an infant-messiah(as "avenger of blood") and an evil cosmic serpent often pictured as dwelling in the deep. We find this apocalyptic messianic theme in the liturgical hymns of the Davidic cult of YHWH in Psalm 74: 12-14: "God is from old working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy might. Thou didst break the head of the dragon in the water. Thou didst crush the head of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness..."

We find a similar reference to the Devil-Dragon-Serpent of the apocalyptic battle also in Isaiah 27: 1: "In that day YHWH with his hard and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea."

Isaiah associates his vision of God's apocalyptic endtime(mythical time) victory over the Dragon-Serpent of the deep with the vision of a new age: "..in that day Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit."

YHWH's victory over Leviathan is associated with reign of a messianic "son of David," a "Shoot from the stump of Jesse," who will shall, as YHWH's agent in the execution of judgment, "...smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips slay the wicked."

The figure of the apocalyptic endtime(mythical time) messiah as "Son of David" is equivalent to that of the Egyptian Horus as "Avenger of his Father." In the Egyptian legend the infant Horus is represented with a finger on his lower lip, a symbolic representation of his identity as a messianic child-deity sucking at a finger like an infant. The ancient Greeks named the common Afro-Asiatic messianic child-deity Harpokrates. Dragon slaying deities were almost universal in the ancient Near East: The Hittite Sutekh was a dragon slayer. The Greek Heracles fought and killed the monster Hydra. The Norse Thor(son of Odin) at Ragnarok killed the Midgrad serpent. Serpent slayer heroes were pictured in myths as finger or thumb sucking infants. Sigurd, Siegfried and the Celtic Finn mac Coul all sucked at a finger or thumb after slaying the Dragon-Serpent. In the Ancient Egyptian story of the cosmic struggle between Horus and Seth, Seth(as Apep) is represented as a "roaring serpent" and Seth was said to have been confined, after defeat by the sun god Ra, in a cave or hole. In Hittite mythology, we have the monster Typhoon, a half-human, half reptile dragon who dwelt in the subterranean caves and warred against the gods. He was a fire breathing dragon with lightening and flames flashing from his eyes and tempests issuing with his breath. Typhoon was slain in the Hittite myth by Tarku(a form of Sutekh who is a "good" god in Hittite mythology). Tarku is depicted by the Hittites as armed with a hammer(like Thor of the midgrad legend) and with three wriggling flashes of lightening. He is also sometimes shown with a mace and trident or a double axe(like the Yoruba Sango).

Historians detect a fusion of the Horus-as-Seth-slayer identity with the dragon slaying deities of Asia Minor who, in Greek tradition, becomes Harpokrates the child-god sucking at a finger or thumb. The Asiatic deities are associated in mythology with the Norse Thor who slew the Midgard Serpent at the battle of the "Dusk of the Gods"(i.e apocalyptic end or mythical time). Seth is identified with the Apep serpent who lived in the depth of the celestial Nile and was the mythical enemy of Ra in the mythical apocalyptic battle.

Behind the image of the child-messiah sucking stupidly at a finger after slaying the Leviathan dragon is the motif of his acquisition of secret knowledge. He is said to have acquired mastery of the languages of animals(birds, fish and four-footed beasts) after slaying the dragon. In the European story of the mythical hero Siegfried, he roasted the heart of the dragon and after eating it acquired the language of the birds. Sigurd, after slaying fafner thrust his thumb in his mouth.

In Egyptian folktale popular in the nineteenth dynasty, Ahura, after slaying the dragon received the a book of arcane secrets containing spells and enchantments. He learned the language of birds, fishes and animals and could, by spells, enchant the heavens, the earth, mountains and seas. The thumb sucking juvenile imbecility of the child-messiah-hero is therefore only seeming and he maintains a juvenile silence for the good reasons: to conceal his knowledge. The Greeks, therefore, referred to the figure of Horus as Harpokrates "god of eternal silence."

In the Christian tradition Jesus is the child-Messiah hero(the image of the nativity dominates his Horus-Harpokrates identity). The apocalyptic Book of Revelations is replete with references to the Devil as Dragon-serpent and to Jesus as the the Dragon-Serpent Slayer(Revelations 12:9).




The writer JohnThomas Didymus is the author of "Confessions of God: The Gospel According to St. JohnThomas Didymus."( http://www.resurrectionconspiracy.com/ ). If you have found this article interesting please read the related article: OSIRIAN MYSTERIES, DAVIDIC CULT OF YHWH AND THE LITURGICAL BOOK OF PSALMS on his blog: http://johnthomasdidymus.blogspot.com/2010/10/osirian-mysteries-davidic-cult-of-yhwh.html

Thursday 21 October 2010

Couple Fantasy Costuming, Be Trendy, Hot and Greek!

What is more fun than masquerading? Ok, maybe masquerading as a couple! Nevertheless, you need some new ideas because everyone wears the same old costumes every year and this year you want to turn heads and look fabulous. Therefore, a couple costume idea -Dress like a Greek God and Goddess! Remember how popular "300" and "Sparta" were? Nothing says elegance and romance than those amazing Greek outfits that look incredible on almost anybody! Ah, the descriptions from Homer's Odyssey of silver and gold threaded garments, the mythological tales of antiquity, the Muses, the God and Goddesses of Greece, Rome and Olympus! There is a reason why they are still so popular!

You can go online and search out the perfect pair of costumes that will compliment each other but let us look at a few tips and ideas first. Half the fun of Greek costuming is all the cool accessories that pull the basic outfit together. Greek and Roman Deities had not only special names assigned to them but also animals and sacred symbols as well, known as "attributes". For instance Hermes, the cunning God of trade, is often seen with winged sandals. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love was assigned a Dove as her "animal attribute", so you can add all sorts of ultra cool extras to define exactly who your character is by putting "Greek Gods" into a search engine and then picking your favorite after reading a bit about each one.

In addition, each one had a spouse or significant other making them the perfect choice for couples. Moreover, they all had children, or a Muse, or a sidekick, so you can find any combination for two or more in your crowd that want to go as a related team. Have a look at Poseidon, the moody God of the sea; Apollo, the God of the Sun and of Music; Athena, Goddess of the arts; Hades, the malevolent God of the Underworld; and Artemis, the Goddess of the hunt, and that is to name but a few! If you play a musical instrument, check out the Gods and Goddesses of music and display your talents along with your costume.

Even better, Gods and Goddesses existed in all ages and sizes so no matter your years or your girth, you can find one who is your perfect doppelganger! Wigs, makeup, swords, shields, hair wreaths, crowns, and jewelry are also available to make your costume as authentic as possible and put you in award winning mode! Do not get the idea that all those Greeks wore was white either, that is just the color of the statutes! Those elegant gowns, togas, and soldier attire were colorful, comfortable and oh so attractive!

Now you know the key to being trendy, looking hot, feeling comfortable, and upstaging all your friends! Find your favorite ancient hero or heroine and start making memories!




Go out and have fun this year for Halloween. Shop online for greek costumes or spice it up with an greek goddess costume

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Greece Horses in Ancient Greece

Horses were an integral part of life in ancient Greece; they played an active role in warfare, in transportation, and in the games which were such an important and regular feature of Greek society. Athenian enthusiasm for the horse is expressed in numerous ways in the Agora. Here the Athenian cavalry trained, not far from the hipparcheion, headquarters of its commanding officers. Here, too, some of the popular equestrian events of the Panathenaic games were held, and the Panathenaic procession, with its huge contingent of cavalry riders, passed through on its way up to the Acropolis. Many civic buildings and temples were adorned with paintings and sculptures of riders and battle scenes showing cavalry. Honorary statues of generals or statesmen on horseback and monuments commemorating victories in the equestrian events of the games were set up in the Agora, and vases and small objects decorated with pictures of horses were sold in the marketplace in all periods. As with many other aspects of Athenian life, the Agora is an excellent place to develop and illustrate a picture of horses and horsemanship in antiquity.

The horse is a relative latecomer to Greece, probably introduced at the start of the Middle Bronze Age, around 2000 s.c. The first impression made by mounted riders must have been a vivid one, perhaps giving rise to the legend of centaurs. These creatures-half man, half horse-figure prominently in both Greek mythology and art. Theseus, the national hero of Athens, participated in a major battle between Greeks and centaurs that became a favorite theme for Athenian artists in both vase painting and sculpture. Theseus was also successful in repelling the Amazons, fierce warrior women who usually fought from horseback. They are thought to have come from the steppes north of the Black Sea, where it is now believed the horse was first domesticated, in the years around 4000 BC. Like the centaurs, the Amazons were a recurring and popular subject in Greek art throughout the Archaic and Classical periods.

Other mythical beasts also had equine affinities. Most famous, of course, was the winged horse Pegasos, which came from Corinth but was popular among Athenian artists as well. Another flying equine was the hippalektryon, a cross between a horse and a rooster.

Two deities with a special interest in Athens, Athena and her uncle Poseidon, together served as protectors of horses and patrons of horsemanship and equestrian activities. As such, they shared a cult on Kolonos Hippios (Horse Hill), which lay outside the city walls, not far from the Academy. Here was to be found an altar of Poseidon Hippios and Athena Hippia. The patron god of horses and earthquakes, Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and god of the sea. He was worshiped in this latter guise at the southernmost tip of Attica, at Cape Sounion, where he had a handsome marble temple in the Doric order. In Athens itself, he shared a temple on the Acropolis with Athena, and he was depicted on the west pediment of the Parthenon. According to some traditions he was also the father of Theseus. His equine interests are the subject of a chorus in Aristophanes' play The Knights: Dread Poseidon, the horseman's king, you who love the brazen clash and neighing of warlike steeds. Pleased to watch where the purple-beaked trireme sweeps to the oars' long swing ... but especially where bright youths racing in their chariots flash by.

Athena, patron goddess of all Athens, was credited with the invention of the bridle and the use of chariots:

She also revealed racing chariots and war-horses and in this land first of all men the foster-child of the goddess [Erichthonios] yoked a fully equipped chariot with the aid of the goddess and revealed to all the complete art of horsemanship. (Aristeides, Panathenaikos 43)

Remains of actual horses have been found in a rich tholos tomb of the Late Bronze Age in Attica, at Marathon; here two animals were carefully buried facing each other in the entrance passageway (dromos) in the years around 1400 B.C.

The Homeric epics, which reflect this heroic age, especially the Iliad, are full of horses and horsemanship. Horses are used to draw the war chariots which deliver the heroes to the battlefield, and there are several descriptive passages of harnessing and yoking.




If you decide to come to Athens Greece choose among some of the best Athens Hotels such as the Holiday Inn Athens.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

How Your Beliefs Help To Overcome Obstacles To Your Success


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Overcoming Obstacles to Success

It is your duty to be rich.

It is a sin to be poor.

George Bernard Shaw said these words in the early 1900's

Money is the reward that we get for the service that we provide to our fellow man. If we are not receiving adequate money in our lives, then that must mean that we are not providing adequate service.

Our lives are shaped by our beliefs. How many of you believe that the Spirit of Christ lives inside of you? How does this belief effect the way you view the world?

How many of you believe that God wants you to prosper?

Let's look at some of the beliefs about money that may be holding you back from the success you desire.

"I'm not worthy of success"

"I'm not good enough to be successful"

"I have tried and failed"

"Money comes from hard work and I don't want to work that hard"

"All rich pole are crooks"

"There is no honest way to earn $1,000,000"

"I am afraid that my life will change for the worse if I had more money"

And my all time favorite excuse for not being rich:

"Poor people are moor spiritual"

I recently heard a speaker call these people poverts. They take pride in spreading poverty.

But I will ask you this who has more resources to be spiritual rich or poor? Poor people are way too concerned with money to think about spiritual matters.

The only way we can be successful is if we believe we can be successful. Just like I taught in my health class, we must believe that we are healthy to have good health. We must believe that we are prosperous to have prosperity.

Let us now look at how we can change these beliefs:

"I can be a success"

"I am making progress toward my goals"

"God desires me to be successful"

Philippians 4:13

13 I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.

Are there any limits on this promise?

Lets be careful not to take this promise out of context as many like to say who doubt the promises of God. Paul here is talking about opportunities for service. And as we have already established money is what we get in return for service. I invite you to read this whole chapter when you get home and see if you can find any limits God places on his promise.

"I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."

What does he say we can do? Everything.

My friend used to have a poster on her office wall that said: "Doubt your limits."

The belief that we can do "everything" is a core belief in being successful.

Now lets look at 1 John 5:14-15

1 John 5:14-15

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.

If you don't truly believe that you will attain your goal, then it does not matter how hard you work, how persistent you are, or how committed you are. You will fail because you believe you will fail. Your beliefs shape your reality.

Remember the words of Yoda when he was teaching Luke Skywalker how to use the force, Do or do not, there is no try.

If you want to know what your true beliefs are, just take a look around you. What you see is a mirror of your beliefs.

If you believe in beauty, then you will find beauty everywhere you look. If you believe that beauty is rare, you will see ugliness everywhere you look.

If you believe that the earth is a peaceful place, then you will see peace and tranquility all around you. If you believe that the earth is a dangerous place, then you will see terrorists and violence everywhere you look.

Now focus your thoughts on your money situation. Do you see abundance or do you see lack? Do you see prosperity or poverty? Which ever it is you will get more of what you see.

No you may argue that you are in fact a realist and that you only see what is there. You think you see the truth.

But I say to you that all observations are filtered by you beliefs. I saw this demonstrated in my college physics class where we could set up experiments that prove that lights is either a wave or a particle depending on what our theory was at the beginning of the experiment. In other words our beliefs effected the scientific truth.

But I also have very good news for you. We get to choose what we believe.

I choose to believe that God wants me to prosper. I choose to believe that God has already provided the abundant resources that will enable me to meet my goals. I choose to believe that God will support me in manifesting my desires.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Remember the to do list tool I showed you a few weeks ago?

Take a big sheet of paper and divide it into two columns. At the top of one column write My to do list. On the other column, write God's to do list. In your column, write he things that you enjoy doing and that you are good at. Put all the rest in God's column. Add verse 24. He will do it!

Just let God handle his part. Don't start micromanaging him. Let him handle it his way.

2 Corinthians 9:8

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Here is how to create your own reality:

Start by writing down your goals. Less than 3% of the worlds population have written goals. 100% of successful people have clear goals that they focus on daily. Get clear on what you want by writing down your goals and reviewing them daily.

I writ mine down every day. I use a process called scripting. I have a magic notebook where I write down the things I expect to have happen each day.

I write them as if they are happening in the present moment. Like I am having a happy and healthy day. My dog is happy and healthy. I am making at least two new ales today.

I also try to add at least one goal that is a bit of a stretch. Like last week I was inspired one morning to write, I am receiving $100 form and unexpected source. Later that week I received an email out of the blue asking about some race car parts I had left over. When he asked what I wanted for them I immediately thought of my statement. I priced them at $100 and in a few hours time I had an unexpected $100 cash in my hand. I placed that $100 bill on top on my computer to remind me to expect miracles.

One of the most effective tools that you can use to achieve your goals is the process of visualization. That is picturing in your mind what it will be like to accomplish your goal.

Imagine what it will feel like to have or do what ever you desire. Create as much detail as possible. Combine these visualizations with he belief that you are succeeding and your results are guaranteed.

We were taught not to daydream in school and as adults we often think daydreaming is a waste of time. But all successful people use visualization as a tool to achieve their goals.

Put the power of your faith to work for you in creating the life you desire. Just don't get caught up in the how it is gong to be accomplished. This is the biggest mistake I see people make. Including myself. We get caught up in wonder how we can achieve what we desire. The only thing we need to do is tell God what we want and let him figure out how to give it to you. Your job during the waiting time is to expect a miracle and do whatever you can to serve others. Let God handle the details. After all, we don't try to tell out heart how fast to beat, we just know we want the right amount of blood to flow to the right spots to lift our arm. Let God handle your desires for success in the same way.

Here are ten tips on how to be more successful:


  1. Affirm with confidence that God has given me everything I need to be what he wants me to be. I have all the resources of God's creation at my disposal to accomplish my goals.

  2. Remember that God has promised to make a way where there is no way.

  3. Build your own list of scripture verses that boost your courage, faith, confidence and belief. Write them down and carry them with you. Remember the Torah boxes that the Pharisee used?

  4. Ask God for help. Pray the promises of God. Remind yourself of these promises.

  5. Be thankful for what you have. Take inventory of the resources that you have at your disposal. Take time to thank God for them. Focus on what you already have instead of the lack. You will get more of what you focus on. Being thankful makes sure you are focused on what you want more of.

  6. Make a list of character traits that you wish to manifest in your life. Find people who exemplify these trait and emulate them. This is actually what the system of Greek gods was all about. They created legends of people who had the traits that they wanted to identify with in their lives. For example if you want more confidence, think that you are James Bond.

  7. Reframe negative thoughts. Anytime you find yourself thinking about what you don't want, as quickly as possible reframe the thought to be what you do want. For example instead of thinking I don't want to be sick, think I want to be healthy and energetic.

  8. When and obstacle pops up on your path to progress, boldly claim God's power to overcome it. Last weekend, I went Jeeping with some friends. We purposely sought out obstacles that would challenge us. The best way to get over them was to boldly tackle them with just the right line and use the skills and equipment that we had to it maximum ability.

  9. When the demons of doubt and fear attack, rebuke them in the name of Christ. You have the power within you to conquer any fear or doubt that Satan may through at you. Use it.

  10. Remember that God is always with you. Jesus lives in your heart. The Holy Spirit is here to guide you. It is you guide at all times.

Expect success. Accept nothing less than the best life that God has to offer you. Trust God. Ten allow him to take action in your life.

Don't try to achieve success alone. Use the power of Christ within you and let God bless you with success. God wants to bless you but you have to let Him.

When you pray and ask for God's will, you don't have to wonder if God wants you to succeed. The blessings have already been promised in scripture.

When you pray for God's will to be accomplished you are allowing God to do things his way. We often get in the way of God's blessing by thinking that what we desire has to be accomplished in a certain way. God may have a different plan and we have to be open to that possibility.

Hebrews 10:35

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Psalm 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Romans 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You can be successful

You can achieve your goals

You can count on God

God is always with you

As Wayne Dyer says, you will see it when you believe it!




This article was originally presented by Mike in Sunday School Class at North Cleveland Baptist Church.

Mike Strawbridge is the owner of Straw Solutions Performance Improvement Consulting. He enjoys helping people achieve their goals and dreams.

He is also available for personal coaching and speaking to your group. http://coach.mikestrawbridge.com

Monday 18 October 2010

Balancing Mars and Venus in Each of Us

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Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand
and Improve Every Relationship in Your Life
by Kevin B. Burk

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When we think of ourselves first and foremost as human,
we've taken the first step towards regaining our balance.
Gender does not define who we are. Gender is nothing more
than a biological point of view. Once we take 2,500 years of
ego- and fear-based conditioning out of the picture, the
main difference between men and women is whether we have
indoor or outdoor plumbing. We are not our bodies. Our
bodies are nothing more than a suit of clothes worn by our
spirit. The main differences are that our spirits wear our
bodies for longer than our bodies wear our clothes, and our
bodies are harder to dry clean. Men and women do have
different points of view, but what matters is that we are
all human. And every human has equal amounts of masculine
and feminine energy.

It would be easier to embrace this truth if we had a better
understanding of exactly what "masculine" and "feminine"
really mean. Our current definitions are inexorably linked
to gender, sexuality, biology, and the ego-based lie of male
superiority. We have lost touch with many of the qualities
that were once associated with the feminine. In order to
rediscover these qualities, we have to go back more than
2,500 years and explore the culture of Ancient Greece.

The Ancient Greeks were the last civilization to include
reasonably healthy feminine archetypes. Of the twelve Gods
in Olympus, five of them were women. Until very recently,
though, we only embraced three of the feminine archetypes.
Women could be sex objects, in which case they connected
with the archetype of Aphrodite (or Venus, in the Roman
pantheon), the Goddess of Love, Desire and Beauty. Women
could be wives, in which case they connected with the
archetype of Hera, the wife of Zeus and the Goddess of
Marriage--who, despite her tremendous strength and cunning,
was repeatedly forced to be subservient to her philandering
husband. And women could be mothers, in which case they
connected with the archetype of Hestia, the Goddess of the
Hearth and protector of the home. These three archetypes
embodied the sum total of the feminine for more than 2,000
years. The male ego successfully suppressed the powerful
female archetypes of Athena and Artemis, who collectively
embody feminine strength, skill and mastery.

Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, Reason and Purity.
Severing our connection to her archetype was no small feat,
as Athena was one of the most revered and respected of all
of the Olympians. In fact, the city of Athens is named after
her. Athena was fair, just, and an incredibly powerful
warrior. She was the embodiment of feminine strength. While
Ares, the God of War (and the Greek counterpart to Mars, the
Roman God of War) was wantonly destructive, childish,
violent, aggressive, and ultimately a coward, Athena was
proud, strong, and courageous. More importantly, Athena
would only fight in order to defend the city--she would never
initiate any conflicts, and she always preferred diplomacy
to warfare.

Athena is the archetype of the female warrior. Female
warriors are in no way inferior to male warriors: Time and
again, women have proved that they are in every way equal to
men on the battlefield. The difference is that female
warriors do not fight in the same way that male warriors do,
nor do they fight for the same reasons. Male warriors fight
to attack, while female warriors fight to defend. The female
warrior archetype has returned, however. We see it when
Sarah Michelle Gellar beats up vampires and saves the world
(while still maintaining every ounce of her femininity) in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and when Lucy Lawless battles
warlords, gods and monsters alike in Xena, Warrior Princess.
More recently, we see Guinevere portrayed as a warrior in
Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's 2004 film retelling of
King Arthur.

Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, is the archetype of the
female athlete. In every way, she was the equal of her
brother, Apollo. Artemis has returned as a useful archetype
for women today, thanks to the popularity of women's
athletics. Women now have role models and opportunities to
explore their physical strength, and test and improve their
skills through competitive sports.

We have always measured "masculinity" based on strength,
power, and skill, but these qualities are as present in
women as they are in men. Women were supposed to be delicate
flowers who needed men to protect them. The truth, however,
is that while men may have the edge over women in terms of
brute strength, that women often surpass men in skill and
dexterity. Once we take biology and reproduction out of the
equation, men and women are very evenly matched. So what
then, are the truly "masculine" and "feminine" qualities?
The masculine principle is focused, expressive, and direct.
The feminine principle is diffuse, intuitive, and receptive.
The feminine principle provides the container to support the
masculine energy. Masculine energy expands, and feminine
energy contracts. Any action can be "masculine" or
"feminine" in nature, depending on how it is applied.
Warrior energy on its own is neither masculine nor feminine.
It becomes masculine when we attack in order to expand our
borders; it becomes feminine when we fight to defend and
protect our tribe from invasion.

It's true that men tend to be more in touch with the more
"masculine" or yang aspects, while women tend to be more in
touch with the more "feminine" or yin aspects. But not being
aware of or familiar with our complimentary nature doesn't
mean that we can't learn about it and express it. This, in
fact, is the reason that men and women form relationships
with each other. Our partners are our mirrors, and when men
and women relate to each other--whether that relationship is
sexual or not--what we see reflected is our complimentary
nature. We see the parts of ourselves that we haven't
integrated or owned yet. And through our relationships with
the opposite gender, we learn how to connect with and own
these parts of ourselves, and experience true balance. We
need to learn to acknowledge, accept and embrace these two
complimentary natures. We each have both Mars and Venus
within us, and we need to learn how to appreciate and
express them both.




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Kevin B. Burk is the author of The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and Improve Every Relationship in Your Life. Visit http://www.everyrelationship.com for a FREE report on creating AMAZING Relationships.

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Sunday 17 October 2010

Feminine and Beautiful Bird Tattoo Designs For Girls

Bird tattoos can be beautiful and feminine on girls as these creatures are naturally beautiful and fascinating. Birds can be meaningful as they are seen as symbol of the spirit and look upon traditionally as mediators between the gods and men.

There are several kinds of birds that can be used as tattoo designs for girls. Here are some of them and the meaning they represent.

Sparrow in the Old Testament is viewed as the symbol of solitude and loneliness while in the New Testament, it is look upon as a representation of lowliness and insignificance. In Greek mythology however, it is linked to the goddess Aphrodite and is associated with fertility. In Japan, sparrow is seen as a symbol of loyalty because of its sociable nature.

Swallow is a symbol for spring, renewed life and fertility. In Africa, it is seen as a symbol of purity while in China, two swallows represent marital happiness.

Dove represents peace, soul innocence, gentleness and purity. Two doves together are seen as symbol of marital love and fidelity.

Swan can connote trust and submission. In Greek mythology, it is also associated with the goddess Venus.

Stork is seen as the bird delivering the babies. Thus, it is associated with spring and birth.

Parrot symbolizes spring and fertility as well as imitation due to its ability to mimic. In Hinduism, it is associated with Karma, love, prophecy and rainmaking.

Crane is seen in China as a good omen, a messenger of the gods and the bearer of love and happiness. It connotes high status, longevity, spiritual enlightenment and immortality.

So there you go, some tips and ideas for bird tattoos for yourself. All you have to do is to finalize your bird tattoo design and make an appointment with your tattoo artist.




For more amazing ideas for your Bird Tattoos, check out the Tattoo Designs for more tips and ideas.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Paris Hilton and the Holy Temple Prostitutes

The internet was just born and already it has 6 billion websites, one for every person on Earth today. Human beings are obsessed with writing and even more obsessed with Paris Hilton, the number one search on the internet. Lets get to know a little about our modern day Aphrodite aka Venus, the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sex worshipped by the Greek and Roman people 4 thousand years ago. Paris Hilton proves once again that sex sells both hamburgers and religion.

The Greek Goddess Aphrodite Festival is called the Aphrodisiac, which was celebrated all over Greece especially in Athens and Corinth. Christina Onassis was the heiress of Aristotle Onassis the Greek shipping billionaire. We are talking real money here. Christina was Aristotle's only living child, a real heiress, like Jennifer Gates, 9, and Phoebe Gates, 3, the two daughters of the world's richest man, send me the Bill Gates, at $51 billion dollars and counting. Bill and Melinda French of Dallas Texas have given so much money to charity that they have completely eradicated poverty in Africa. Paris Hilton, if she is lucky enough to make it into her grandfather's will will be lucky to inherit one million dollars. The One with the money, Paris' great grandfather Conrad Hilton, (whose son Nicky was the first husband of Elizabeth Taylor), left the grand total of nothing to his 4 children. He married his third wife at 87 and then left his entire fortune to the Catholic Church. Paris' grandfather Barron Hilton went to court to contest the will and he won, becoming the first person ever to defeat the Vatican in court, walking away with a few hundred million. He has 8 kids. They have kids. Paris' slice of the pie could be $200,000, walking around money for the Sultan of Brunei, whose oil fields America is now spending its blood to protect. That is hot - not.

Being an heiress is normally a mirage, as Christina Onassis can testify to. Have you ever noticed how many pop icons cash in on Jesus' story right in their names? It's like people's minds are like search engines responding either positively or negatively to certain keywords like Paris Hilton. Madonna, the Virgin Mary, Christ Ina Aguilera, Britney Spears, I have a pain in my side, said Jesus. Is that a spear in my ribcage or are you just happy to see me? Jesus Christ was a Jewish Rabbi painted by the Greek New Testament writers with the Godlike qualities of the Greek Goddess Eurynome and Bellerophon and his flying horse Pegasus and several other Greek deities. You can read all about it at The Temple of Love. 20 million Christian and Jewish children lost their lives in WW2 aka The War Against the Jews because according to stories which God of Mount Sinai aka Jesus aka Allah aka Elohim Himself endlessly calls man made legends and fairy tales right in the Holy Bibles, the Jewish people killed this half real half fictitious character 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. Humans have a problem separating fact from fiction. At least Paris Hilton is a real person. I've seen her. I've touched her. I've kissed her. Her lips are as candy. Her legs are as ladders.

Sex sells. Paris Hilton was a nobody, an extra in a series of B movies until the videotape of her coiting Rick Salomon in "1 Night in Paris" showed up on the internet last year at the same time that The Simple Life debuted. People are fascinated by infamy. Did you know that the male cat's penis has spines which point backwards? Upon withdrawal of the penis the spikes rake the walls of the female's vagina. The female needs this stimulation for ovulation to begin. Paris Hilton, outraged over the release of the video, raked in $400,000 plus a percentage of the profits of the film which shot her to super stardom. Without that video Paris Hilton is serving cocktails at Studio 54 today instead of dancing on the bar topless with the world's media murdering each other for a snapshot of Paris Hilton half nude.

Paris Whitney Hilton was named after Whitney Houston because her name wasn't famous enough. During the Aphrodite Festival, the Aphrodisiac, in Corinth Greece, the men had intercourse with the Priestesses of Aphrodite. This was considered a method of worshipping Aphrodite. What did you get for Christmas? In the Holy Temple in Jerusalem the Priests lured the people in with The Temple Prostitutes who lived in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. King Solomon who built the Holy Temple had 900 wives, concubines and mistresses. Compared to him Jesus was a mere piker with his Mary Magdalene and a few of her girlfriends. Do you hear what I'm saying girlfriend? At least Paris Hilton is a real person.

Aphrodite was born as an 18 year old Paris Hilton in the Sea off of Cyprus after Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and the elder God's blood and semen dropped on the Sea where they began to foam. Aphrodite rose out of the foam in her 18 year old birthday suit. When did people become so prudish? Going wild over 1 Night in Paris? 4,000 years ago mating with hookers in the Temple was normal. In 1879 William-Adolphe Bouguereau painted the Birth of Venus, (Venus was Aphrodite's Roman name), which showed the full face on nude 18 year old Aphrodite being born rising from the sea foam. How did Hugh Hefner get to be called risqué? And where did all the paintings and likenesses of Jesus come from? There isn't one single word of description of Jesus in the Holy Bible or anywhere else.

Sex sold religion then and it still sells it today. The Las Vegas Hilton boasts the world's largest free standing sign, "Welcome Idiots". The hijackers on 911 fully expected to hit the twin towers then immediately wake up in eternal paradise with 72 virgins and wine with no side effects, because they read it in their Bible. Lot, the only righteous man in sin city, (Tony the Ant came in second) Sodom and Gomorrah was saved by God and rewarded with wine and sex with his two virgin daughters. Oscar Goodman, the mayor of Las Vegas with 85% of the vote was the mob's lawyer who represented Meyer Lansky, Ace Rosenthal, Tony the Ant and corrupt San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock to get the job. He recently said on Television, "Those who deface freeways with graffiti should have their thumbs cut off on Television." Violence sells too. At least Paris Hilton is real.




Karen Fish is a writer currently living in Los Angeles California. http://www.thetempleoflove.com/

Thursday 14 October 2010

Yacht Charter in the Northern Ionian Sea

No look at the Ionian would be complete withouth mention of Homer and the Odyssey. The Odyssey tells the storey of Odysseus and his travels and adventures throughout the Mediterranean in around 800BC. The Trojan War concluded when the Greeks sucseeded into bringing a wooden horse into the city of Troy. Greek soldiers were hidden inside and opened the city gates to the Greek army who sacked the city. Odysseus and the other Greeks could know return to their kingdoms across the sea. To say Odysseus's journey was eventful is rather understating the matter.

On departing Troy in what is now north west Turkey he sails south through the Aegean Sea. On reaching the southern tip of Greece he is blown off course to the lotus eaters in what is thought to be Libya. The it's on to Sicily where he runs into Cyclops. This one eyed giant eats two of the crew before they escape. More trouble in the Laestrygonians - Corsica or Sardinia. Here the fleet is attacked by giants hurling boulders and more of the crews are devoured. Theh survivors head east to Italy and the enchantress Circe. She entertains the sailors and then with a wave of her wand, turns them into swine. Odysseus is protected by the herb that the god Hermes has given him.

At some point in the journey reference is made to the pillars of Hercules. And this is supposed to be the Rock of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa in Morocco. These two mountains sit either side of the straights that are the enterance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. Now he must pass the Sirens whose sweet singing lures sailors to their deaths. Odysseus plugs fills the ears of his crew with wax and then lashes himself to the mast so he cannot steer the ship onto the waiting rocks. Passing through the straits between Sicily and mainland Italy they run into Charybdis, who swallows the sea in a whirlpool, then spits it up again. And Scylla who uses each of her six hands to reach down from her cliff and pluck a sailor from the deck and then promptly, yes you guessed, eats them.

More misfortune as they upset the god Zeus who sends a thunderbolt to destroy the ship. Only Odysseus survives, washed ashore on Malta, the home of the nymph Calypsos who detains him against his will. Zeus, the king of the gods, sends Hermes skimming over the waves on magic sandals with orders for Odysseus's release. But when nearly home again another god, Posiedon, sends a storm to wreck his vessel and he is washed ashore on Corfu several days later. He falls asleep in an olive thicket and is woken to the sound of female laughter. This is the Princess Nausicaa come down to the riverside to wash her wedding dress. Odysseus approaches her and she agrees to help him try and finish his journey home. She introduces him to her father and when he has heard Odysseus's story he orders him sped home to Ithaca.

Once home he finds the island full of suitors for his wife's hand, after such a length of time Odysseus is believed dead. He and an ally fight and win a battle against overwhelming odds with a little help from the gods. And then Athena tells the contending parties to live together in peace down through the years to come.

Weather - The wind is consistent with conditions found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Little wind in the morning but from noon the wind freshens throughout the afternoon reaching perhaps 20 knots. The evening and night sees a return to calm cinditions. During the summer months it blows from the NW and from the SW for the remaining months.

The sailing area from the north

Corfu - . The island receives three times the average amount of rain for the area and as a consequence is a mass of green woodlands, wild pine-covered mountains, lakes and cultivated fields. It also has miles of sandy beaches. The island's capital, Corfu Town is atractivly situated on a promontory on the east coast, dominated by the New Fortress. Visit Sidari to the north to swim in the Canal d'Amour, the legend has it that lovers will stay together for life. 16 km to the south of Corfu Town is the Villa of Achillion, built in Italian Renaissance style and situated at an altitude of 145 m. It has magnificent gardens and attractive panoramic views. Today it is a museum. 3 km further south is the charming fishing village of Benitses and the remains of a Roman villa. Climb to the summit of Mount Pantokrator where you will find an abandoned monastery dating from 1347. The hilltop also provides beautiful views

The main harbour is in Corfu town. Enter the Old Harbour from the eastern end of the breakwater. The entrance into the interior of the harbour is very narrow and a strong northwesterly makes entry difficult. Once inside there is excellent shelter in all weathers. Visitor's berths are behind the windward mole, alongside, two and three deep. Anchoring is not advised, you will almost cetainly get gear tangled. Having berthed you are within walking distance of the town's centre. Adjacent to the harbour you will find chandlers, machine shops, boat engine repair services and others for electrical and electronic gear. Corfu town unquestionably offers the best all-round facilities in the northern Ionian.

3 miles to the NW is Linin Gouvia, a large land locked bay. At it's southern end is Gouvia marina which has become Corfu's centre of yachting. It is home to a Venetian arsenal.The surrounding area has beeen given over to the package holiday and there are more pleasent places to spend time on a yachting holiday.

The north Corfu channel is the stretch of water between Corfu and Albania. Beware the reef just to the north of Agios Stefanos.

Agios Stefanos is a small inlet in the North Corfu Channel. No objection is normally made to anchoring here despite the presence of a nearby military post. Anchor in the middle of the bay in depths of 3 - 6m. The bottom is thick weed and mud which can be difficult to get through. Good shelter from the prevailing NW wind. There is a rough stone mole on the south side of the bay but this is usually taken by local boats. There are numerous tavernas around the shore. Some holiday villas have been built here but the bay retains a calm and a beauty well worth the stop for the night. Limited provisions can be obtained

Agni Bay is immediately south of Kalami in the north east of the island. It is open to the south and and east but offers good shelter from the prevailing NW wind.
There are three taverns, each with it's own private jetty, where you may anchor preferably bow to. If you overnight here it is better to anchor at the northern or southern end of the bay to avoid the large waves created by the ferries that enter and leave during the night.

Paleokastritsa is on the east side of the Island it is an attractive tourist resort dominated by the Monastery of Panayia Theotokos wich perches on a high cliff. A 90 minute hours climb takes you to the ruins of Angelokastro Castle which dates from the 13th century. There are many sea caves in the locality that can be reached by tender or dinghy. It is not easy by day to distinguish the entrance to the bay when approaching from the northwest. However the monastery on the peak of the peninsula is conspicuous. The harbour is situated on the western side of the bay and protected by a quay running north south. Usually full of fishing caiques the only a few available berths are to be found near the head of the quay. Protection is good in all weathers excepting strong southerlies when waves crash over the break water and create a large swell in the harbour. The port has no water. Fuel can be delivered. There are bars, restaurants and a supermarket all within walking distance.

Petriti Village - To the north of the harbour is an old quarry which visible from a distance. There are shallows stretching south of the harbour along the bay and care is needed. Good protection from all weather in the harbour. Head for the new quay towards the land where depths are greater than 2 meters. If you moor hehind the breakwater be aware of the shallows nearby. The taverns ashore usually have fresh fish. There are shops at the village of Argyrades some three km away. Good beaches for swimming nearby

Paxos is 7 miles to the south of Corfu. It is a charming little island, covered with pine trees. It can be explored fully in a few days with a car or motorbike both of which can be rented locally. The architecture of the three main towns, Gaios, Laka, and Logos is typically Ionian with colourful two and three-story homes lining the streets. By contrast the rural landscape is filled with low stone houses surrounded by lush green gardens.

The emblem of Paxos is the trident. It is said that Poseidon, the god of the seas, wanted to create a beautiful, peaceful island apart from the other gods and men and intended to live there with his beloved Amfitriti. So he struck the southern part of Corfu hard and Paxos was formed. However he lost his trident striking the blow which was later found by Paxiots who made it their emblem.

Gaiosis the capital of Paxos. It is a charming port and spreads itself along the waterfront. Enter Gaios from a northerly direction passing two small islands, Panayia and St Nicholas Island. Soak up the atmosphere of this bustling capital in Gaios square. In it's centre is the church of St Apostoli. Gaios harbour and the approaching inlet are very safe overnight moorings with security patrols on both land and water. There are several buildings worth visiting the castle of St Nicholas, the Monastery of Panayia, the Church of Agioi Apostoli and the early Christian church of Agia Marina. Take in the sunset at the Ostries. Ther are fine beaches at loni Gouli, Kamini and Kaki Lagada.

Port Gaios is the principal port of the island. You can moor right in the middle of the busy touristy scenery or choose aquieter berth further down the long quay. If you want a berth in July and August be here early in the afternoon. Excellent shelter in all weathers. Care should be taken when laying your anchor as passing ferries in the narrow channel may foul your chain.

Lakka, in the north of Paxos is set in a gorgeous horseshoe shaped bay and is flanked by high ground covered in cypres trees and olive groves. The bay which nearly landlocked is excellent for swimming and water sports. Holding is good. Some swell may occur dependent on the wind's direction. There are some berths on the quay, limited to around 10 yachts. Fresh water from the local water truck.

Its tiny sister island, just to the south, Anti Paxos is surrounded with crystal clear waters lapping onto some lovely sandy beaches.




Ken Jones runs a Yacht Charter Guide. More information about Yacht Charter in Greece can be found here

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Rings and Significance of Each Finger

What is the significance of each finger for rings? End-to-end in history, people wore rings on exact fingers to be a symbol of romantic bond, religious turn of phrase and social status. At the same time as most people wear a ring on any finger for the interest of style or expressive style, the curiosity in the emblematic association stuck between rings and fingers is still widespread today.

The wedding ring is a tradition that crisscrosses centuries plus cultures. In the majority Western countries, a married being wears a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand. This tradition instigated from the Roman betrothal rite, in which a man gave a ring to his proposed wife all through a ceremony. The Romans positioned the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand as a representation of an enduring promise and love founded upon the faith that the vein in the left ring finger was associated to the heart.

The switch over of rings connecting married people was also a part of the Judeo-Christian marriage in view of the fact that the 7th century. By the 11th century, Christian wedding ceremonial occasion placed the ring on the left ring finger spaced out from in Orthodox Christian countries. For the period of the marriage rite, the priest took the wedding ring in addition to touched the thumb, the index finger and the middle finger as he recited, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," to symbolize the Holy Trinity. When he said, "amen," he positioned the ring on the left ring finger. In an Orthodox wedding, the ring was positioned on the right ring finger.

The signet ring is an additional ordinary ring in Western culture. In Medieval Europe, a dignified man wore signet rings on the fifth finger to recognize his family and position. The ring frequently represented the family coat of arms or else initials. Over the years, signet rings were also assumed by families outdoor of the nobility. These rings are often heirlooms conceded from father to son. Signet rings hang about in style today. A add on with shimmering diamonds can just make it more sophisticated and rare.

Each finger stands a unique connotation and the wearing of rings is precipitous in custom. The untimely notice in hand and finger representation is obvious in folklore. Throughout Medieval times, people alleged that kings had the authority to cure by touch. Outlandishly, it was also supposed that a person possibly will put on curative powers if he cut off the hand of an accomplished criminal while the body hung in the scaffold.

As per the old wives tales, a person's hand as well as fingers can disclose personality traits. These tales incorporated large hands and a thick finger means brawny personality; slender hands and long fingers stands for intelligence and creative; finally small hands and short fingers resemble weak and foolish.

Palmistry, the put into practice of reading the lines in a person's hands to establish character along with wealth, acquaintances the hands and fingers with characteristics of the Greek gods as well as Chinese yin and yang. Whether a being is right-handed or else left-handed settles on which hand is yin or yang. The vigorous hand is forever yin and the amenable hand is yang. For instance, if a being is right-handed, his left hand is the amenable yin and the right hand over is the dynamic yang.

So what is the significance of each finger for rings? Here are the universal metaphysical possessions of fingers and flattering gemstones.

The thumb constitutes self-praise and self-will. It is the merely finger not named later on a Greek god. Prefer thumb rings finished with carnelian, garnet or ruby gemstones. The Index Finger is termed for Jupiter to be a representation of self-possession, management, aspiration, guidance and mysticism. Decide on a ring with lapis lazuli, amethyst or blue topaz stones.

The middle finger, Saturn, positions for sense of balance, evenhandedness, the law, accountability and self-analysis. Comforting stones such as rose quartz, coral and aquamarine are apposite for rings. The ring finger signifies Apollo and represents kinships, originality and the love of loveliness. Admiring gemstones comprise moonstone, jade, amethyst, sapphire and turquoise.

The Little Finger, Mercury dominates the little finger, which endures for cleverness, communiqué, opinion and sixth sense. Pick rings with stones like moonstone, amber or citrine.

These days' public wears rings on any finger they decide. Up till now the left ring finger stays the majority ordinary place for a wedding ring. Knowledge concerning finger symbolism as well as historic ring customs may pressure some shoppers to make more knowledgeable ring choices. It may plea to those who wear rings for religious reasons or expressive style. On the other hand, the average person will almost certainly still put her favorite ring on which ever finger it fits.




Owen Love has been guiding the customers, especially the couples, in right purchasing of engagement rings, diamonds, wedding rings and others. He has been active in jewelry trade and industry and has written many articles to educate the people on jewelry. Please visit DiamondExotica for the details.