mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Saturday is for Saturn
January 16, 2016
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Saturn
The Roman god of agriculture, Saturn, rules Saturday. This is the only day that retains the original Latin in the English name today. For many it is a day of rest, and for some it has religious context. The golden age on earth which is celebrated at Saturnalia was a time when Cronos, the Greek Titan, escaped and ruled from Rome for a time. Cronos ate his own children, and was eventually defeated and expelled from Olympus by his son Zeus. Saturn and Cronos represent the same energy, and modern father time is symbolic of both of them. He frequently has a sickle in his left hand and wheat in his right to show his mastery of planting and harvest. He is said to have brought a golden age to Italy by showing the previously wild population how to grow food.
The holiday Saturnalia began 17 December and lasted for a week. All businesses were closed and slaves were served by the masters during this symbolic restoration of the Alchemy of Consciousness, the golden age. Good will and gifting, banquets and gatherings, all resembled the December festivities of now. Saturn is the judge as well as the treasurer. Saturn bestows wealth and has the ability to dissolve social hierarchy. His powers pertain to limitations. Time is a seriously limiting force, and Saturn reminds us of that fact. When Saturday rolls around every week we are another week older, and accounting is in order for all of us. What have we grown this week? What will be the harvest?
- kindness
- abundance
- organization
- investments in infrastructure
- upgrades to our home environment
- stability
Saturn wants us to build on success with full awareness of all of our limitations.
father time
Friday is for Venus
January 15, 2016
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signs in order
The days of the week are assigned to planets. Friday is the day of Venus, the goddess of love, known to the Greeks as Aphrodite. Since it is the final day of work in most western countries it holds special meaning. Thank God It’s Friday, and Piss Off Early Tomorrow’s Saturday are acronym phrases invented to celebrate the arrival the free time on the weekend. Happy hours, romantic dining, and entertainment beckon to workers as they finish the tasks in front of them. The magic of payday often happens on Friday too. In the ancient world the 40 hour work week was unknown, but the day had meaning as a weekly holiday dedicated to art, beauty and love. Today I like the idea of setting aside time for art, beauty and love. In our home I take time every Friday to follow some small but significant rituals.
- I clean and clear the house of clutter, discarding anything we no longer need
- I care for all my houseplants and do touch up work on the outside garden area
- I cook some special foods. This can vary, but at least one dish is prepared as a treat
- I workout at the gym and take a long steam bath to pamper my body and mind
- I come home early in the day to relax and finish the food preparations
- I watch the PBS Newshour with Shields and Brooks political commentary
- I drink cocktails of my own creation
That is all it takes to make my weekend start with a bang. The clean house and the food treats make home feel like a trip to a resort. Home is where the heart is, gentle reader. What are your Friday rituals?
planet Venus sign
Vampire Archetype, Draining the Life Force
September 30, 2015
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The season of scare is upon us as the month of Halloween arrives. Vampires are popular mythical characters used in costuming, entertaining, and decor during this season. The classic tale of Dracula is the famous story of a vampire most people know and think of when drawing up this archetype. The vampire returns to drain the life from his prey each night until it is depleted.
In a larger sense the vampire can represent the dynamic present in some couples (or even nations). One partner can sustain the psychic or material needs of the other by allowing themselves to be drained. Today this can be seen outwardly in financial situations. Neediness is the bond between the two, and survival of the couple depends on an unspoken and unhealthy agreement. Financial codependence does not resemble sharing. It more closely parodies a horror flick.
The positive result of an encounter with the vampire archetype is an awareness that some person or entity can suck the living daylights out of your soul. The shadow vampire sucks energy from others to maintain approval. Once you recognize this character in yourself and others you can take appropriate steps to protect your own energy. You will then be able to perceive your own dependencies in a new light. Once the light of day has been shed on the entire drama it can be laid to rest.
Day of the Dead
Fors Fortuna, Triple Goddess
June 22, 2015
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June 24th is the special day honoring the fates. Fors, an ancient Roman goddess of luck was merged with Fortuna, the abundance goddess to create Fors Fortuna, the trifecta of luck. In neutral aspect this goddess functions in three distinct ways:
- Lachesis, the youngest, controls the length of the threads of life
- Clotho, the middle sister, spins and weaves a tapestry of each individual life
- Atropos, the eldest, keeps the scissors that cut the treads of life when it ends
These three show shadow aspects when they are not honored. They become the Furies:
- Alecto represents unceasing anger, driving victims to madness
- Tisiphone is the avenger of murder
- Megaera causes jealousy and punishes criminals
The fate sisters, in good moods and bad, share one eye and one existence. The saying blind luck may come from this idea. Fortune, by its very nature, can go either way. If it were stable rather than fickle it would cease to be luck. You may have some rituals or beliefs about good and bad luck that you rarely examine. This year on the 24th of June take some time to contemplate the role of luck in your life. What does the phrase “There but for fortune go you or I.” mean to you?
Fors Fortuna
Mythic Dreams
June 4, 2015
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sky
Symbols in dreams are personal. We dream only of faces we have seen before, even if we are barely familiar with the person. The character, or archetype played by the face depends completely on personal experience. Dream dictionaries and aids to interpret meaning found in dreams can only make references to universal archetypes. To grasp the personal message brought to the dreamer the images themselves must be savored and visited in waking time. Writing in a diary upon awaking before moving or engaging in the activities of the day is helpful. By keeping these notes on a regular basis you may discover themes that you can identify in a personal way.
Sometimes at crossroads in life a person will receive a vivid memorable message during sleep. The images and meaning of mythic dreams are significant beyond the every day way the unconscious communicates. The protagonists in the drama make a deep impression that lasts and speaks to the psyche for a long time. Carl Jung identified seven basic archetypes making appearances in dream time.
- The persona- the mask or personality you present to the public, your image
- The shadow- everything that is hidden in your personality, the unknown you
- The anima/animus- the masculine/feminine nature of your being, your sexuality
- The divine child- you in perfect innocence, uncomplicated childlike self
- The wise woman/man-wizardry and wisdom, a figure of authority and gravitas
- The great mother- the maternal nurturing quality that cares for life, provides
- The trickster- shows the error or the joke at the heart of the matter, points to poor judgement or precarious situations
Loaded images and story lines float through our heads while we sleep. If we have a problem on the mind it is possible to solve it during a dream. Practice and meditation on our own dream images will make clearer the point of the communication. Our subconscious warns us, encourages us, and sometimes tells us we are foolish. It is never straightforward, but over time we can dig more deeply into the messages our dreams deliver on a nightly basis. Have you ever kept a dream diary, gentle reader? Have you ever had a mythic dream that changed your thinking?
desert
Feng Po, Goddess of the Wind
May 26, 2015
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Mistress of the Wind
In China the goddess Feng Po is in charge of wild animals, weather and movement. She must certainly be involved in global warming. She is seen riding a tiger. She holds the wind in a bag over her shoulder on the days when it is calm on earth. She has the power to move and or shake things into place. Her message is integrity. Representing the winds of change, she must discern the most appropriate velocity of wind for each purpose. Her energy can be very refreshing, cleansing and clearing the air for new ventures. Think of how many metaphors there are in English for this breath of fresh air.
Like other gods and humans she has a dark nature that is dangerous. She warns against all false agreements and conditions. Move carefully through your obligations and promises to others. Giving requires a cheerful heart. Quid pro quo, expecting something in return for favors, leads to resentment. Feng Po teaches a healthy balanced approach to the needs of others. If we allow space, time, and understanding into our decision making process we will be authentic. We will say yes only when we genuinely want to engage, and we will discover the beauty of saying no when we are really not into it. Feng Po will support and stay at the back of the sincere sailor on the winds of change. She is known to reek havoc, unleashing stormy gusts of destruction to tear down bonds built from guilt. She is sometimes called Feng Po Po, and even sometimes referred to as a male. She represents the value in conserving and preserving energy, and spending it wisely. On a personal basis she shows us how to say no to time wasting. On a global level she asks us to make some sense of the power balance at work around the world. We need to resist certain larger issues on the world stage in order to survive. It is time to both show power and control it wisely.
Lyssa, Stark Raving Mad
May 23, 2015
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May is mental health month, so I want to pay a tribute to Lyssa, the Greek goddess of rage, rabies, and madness. In Rome she became known as Furor. She is the daughter of Nyx and Erebus, who was ruler of the underworld. She hangs out with other terrifying qualities like death and darkness, but she represents sudden uncontrollable rage and frenzy. Her sisters are vengeance and retribution. This is one very angry family. Lyssa is seen in the company of dogs because of her rabies association. Fits like rabies are attributed to her influence. She is the messenger the gods send to drive a victim into madness.
What does this character have to do with mental health? The acknowledgement that rage, fury, and madness really exist is very good because they do. The pantheon portrayal of mad dogs suggests that this misfortune can befall anyone. In Athenian tragedy she is a figure who has the power to drive humans and dogs suddenly out of their wits. Madness itself is a character that plays central roles in the plays of Aeschylus, Euripides and others. Anger, and repressed anger create illness and depression when left unattended. The sudden and supernatural anger experienced by victims of Lyssa show dark rage as a curse. Tragedy follows angry outbursts in these stories teaching the dangers of explosive fury.
It would be impossible to go through life without anger entirely. Some of us have more than others. Our mental health and well being depend on our relationship with anger. Finding constructive ways to engage in happiness producing activities is a life long search. Learning to control stress and personal need to be right can make the difference between a close relationship with Lyssa and her sisters and a walk in the park. Learn to recognize and avoid this goddess. Here she is dressed in a short hunting skirt, driving dogs mad and causing them to eat their master Actaeon:
Lyssa and Actaeon
If you see her coming run the other way.
Irene, Goddess of Peace and Spring
May 18, 2015
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There are several goddesses involved in different aspects of peace. Spring was a season in ancient Greece associated with military campaigns, therefore a time when peace was hard to achieve. Irene is a daughter of Zeus and Themis, one of the Horai. Along with her sisters she rules natural timing and seasons. Her season is Spring. She is a peace goddess who guards the gates of Mount Olympus. Conscious clear peace is a result of coming into alignment with Divine Time. Peace and harmony are results of staying in tune with natural rhythm and seasonal harvests.
As mistress of timing and peace Irene is a natural diplomat. She has the skills and power to negotiate differences between sides to reach solutions. Her symbols, Herme’s staff, corn and the infant Ploutus, represent wealth and abundance. In times of peace prosperity can flourish and progress can be made. Now, as in ancient times, war is devastating to both civil and economic success. In personal ways we can employ the wisdom of Irene to bring more peace into our existence. Take note of the phases of the moon, the seasonal changes around you, and the longer cycles of global warming and dramatic weather. You don’t have to be a farmer to feel the power of nature’s timekeeping. How do you fit into the seasons, Gentle Reader?
Tethys, Mother of the Sea
May 5, 2015
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Tethys is a Titan goddess, daughter of Gaia and Uranus. Her job title is mother of the sea. She works together with Nyx and Gaia to form the Titan’s world. She and her husband Oceanus have 3000 daughters called Oceanids. Their 3000 sons are fresh water entities called Potamoi. The earth’s constitution of 80% water is similar to that of our bodies’, 80-90%. The tides and waves of deep and constant churning represent the emotions, the realm of feelings. This goddess was mentioned in poetry, but was never worshiped by a cult. Today one of Saturn’s moons is named for her. Saturn III, as it is also known, has a low density because it is made of ice , with very little rock.
To ride the tides of outrageous fortune in life we must handle our own emotions and those of people around us. There may be times the feelings of others threaten to drown us. It can be difficult to distinguish the heart’s desire from the desires of our loved ones and associates. The message Tethys brings us is to allow the energy of emotions to flow freely through us. Stay true to your own heart, and remain open. The open releasing state allows strong waves to flow through without causing damage. Go with the current rather than struggle to defend or retain emotional stuff from others. Your feelings move you to a calm destination when you let go and float on the surface. There may be turmoil, but you can rise above it.
Positively Charged
April 29, 2015
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leap
Ancestral chieftain ritually bound to honor natural forces
Protect the seasons, the directions, the winds over the seas
Passing that mastery to students of physical magical realms
Thunderous laughter is carried and amplified on the breeze
Followed by flashing bolts of lightening, blinding light overwhelms
NaPoWriMo 2015
Read, write, recite poetry this April. Meet new poets to enjoy here.
