Notes from Freyashawk

'The Extra Man' is an Instant Favourite

2012-01-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

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Bedeviled by a terrible toothache few nights ago, I sought some distraction in film with little expectation. Much to my surprise, I discovered a true gem AND was able to see it from the beginning. It is a fairly new film entitled 'The Extra Man' and is absolutely brilliant. My only caveat is that the first five minutes are rather dull and off-putting in a way. One could believe 'The Extra Man' to be a rather stilted period film until one discovers that the start of the film is nothing more than an interior fantasy on the part of the protagonist.

Too many comedies nowadays are broad and vulgar, appealing to the lowest common denominator. While 'The Extra Man' has some hilarious physical comedy and truly bizarre situations, it nonetheless is erudite and works on more than one level of perception. In many ways, it is possible that it was intended to be a 21st century version of a short story by a contemporary F. Scott Fitzgerald. The protagonist certainly hints of this more than once. It is social satire at its best but even those who are unfamiliar with the corridors of social power in New York and who would not recognise the sly rendition of Mrs. Brooke Astor with her tiny dog can be entertained by this film.

For those like myself who love the works of Fitzgerald, Anthony Powell and Evelyn Waugh, 'The Extra Man' is a 'comedy of manners' in the best tradition that should prove an absolute delight.

The Lunar Year of the Dragon

2012-01-13T12:30:00.001-08:00

Dragons achieved a rather mystical popularity in the West in the latter quarter of the 20th century and have continued to maintain their status among lovers of fantasy and myth. On 23 January, celebration of the lunar New Year will begin and the coming year is ruled by the Dragon.

The Dragon in Chinese mythology is quite different from its Western counterpart, however. In the West, the Dragon essentially is a winged serpent, although in some cases, it was a gigantic creature who lived in the deeps of the oceans. In old Germanic and Norse Lore, it was called a 'worm'. In some tales, its breath was flame. Some dragons were depicted without wings but for the most part, they had the power to fly. Some were distinctly serpentine, but others had clawed feet similar to those of lizards.

Fossils of dinosaurs sometimes are very similar to the Dragons of the ancient West, giving hints as to the real history of the beast. It is interesting to note that the ancient Chinese referred to fossils as 'dragon bones' as well. In Chinese mythology, however, the dragon is an amalgamation of different creatures and therefore more symbolic than real.

The Dragon of the Sung Dynasty, for example, was depicted as a creature with the head of an ox, the muzzle of a donkey, the eyes of a shrimp, horns of a deer, the body of a serpent, covered in the scales of a fish and with the claws of a phoenix. Each Animal, according to the Chinese zodiac, has specific attributes and powers and thus, the Chinese Dragon combined all the powers of the creatures of earth, sea and sky and therefore was one of the most potent of symbols. It is a positive embodiment of power and good fortune.

One of the reasons why the Western dragon always was perceived as an enemy of mankind probably was the fact that it was based upon racial memories of large animals in the prehistoric eras. In fact, descendants of those creatures still walk the earth in the form of the Kimodo Dragon and the Crocodile. Rather than combining the attributes of all animals, the Western Dragon equivocally possessed the nature of a cold-blooded creature, completely alien to humankind.

Yet, even in the West, the Dragon came to represent Wisdom and a Guardian of hidden treasure and as such, a positive symbol in its fashion. In most ancient tales, however, it is the archetypal enemy of the hero, who must slay it in order to save humanity from extinction.

The Dragon and the Serpent of the most ancient myths of humankind probably are one and the same. In these myths, the Dragon Serpent inhabits the World Tree, usually as its guardian. In the tale of Gilgamesh, there were three inhabitants of the World Tree in Inanna's garden: an Owl spirit named Lilith, a zu bird and a Serpent/Dragon. The Zu bird had a nest and was raising its young at the crown of the tree in its branches. The Owl spirit or Lilith resided in the trunk of the Tree and the Serpent made its home at the root or base.

The hero Gilgamesh was given the task of creating a throne for Inanna from the wood of the World Tree. He smote the Serpent/Dragon, while the zu bird flew with its young to the mountains and the Owl Spirit or Lilith destroyed her home and fled. Thus we see that the Serpent/Dragon is the Sacrifice that is required for the harvest of the Tree and its potency.

This myth was borrowed by the writers of the Bible and became the tale of the tempting of Eve by the Serpent who is Lucifer in another guise. The World Tree remains the Tree of Knowledge and Wisdom but God forbids humankind to eat of its fruit. The Serpent 'tempts' the first Woman, Eve with this fruit and she takes it and shares it with Adam, her male counterpart. Both then are expelled from the Garden of Eden and according to some, Sin entered into the world.

The original myth thus is perverted somewhat and, typical of Biblical philosophy, everything is perceived as Good or Evil, Black or White. The Serpent/Dragon loses its original designation as Sacred Guardian and becomes the epitome of Evil. From this stems the portrait of the Dragon as a wholly destructive force in Western lore.

In Chinese myth, the Dragon often is shown with a pearl in its claw. It is a creature of impressive power and wisdom and, like the ancient Serpent/Dragon who dwelled at the root of the Tree of Life, a guardian of Wisdom and Knowledge. Such power, like the Power of Nature herself, is neither Good nor Evil fundamentally but a force that must be used carefully and responsibly. Evil is but one potential result when a mortal takes the power of the Serpent/Dragon into himself or herself.

Twelfth Night Cake

2012-01-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

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My other Twelfth Night Post this year deals with the Sacred aspects of the Festival. This is devoted to the traditional Cake for the King of the Bean Ritual.

A Twelfth Night Eggnog Pound Cake

Ingredients:

3½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
6 large eggs
1½ cups eggnog

Powdered sugar, for dusting
½ cup chocolate chips, for making stars
½ cup white chocolate chips, for making stars

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugars and butter thoroughly.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture one-third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until smooth.

Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan. Do not overfill! Any remaining batter can be used to make cupcakes. Bake at 325 degrees until it tests done, approximately 1 hour.

Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and allow to rest on the wire rack until completely cool.

When cool, turn cake upside down. Make a slit in the bottom of the cake with a sharp knife and place an uncooked white bean in the opening. If you have the traditional British sterling charms, make slits for them and place them in the cake as well at regular intervals. The traditional charms are: Horseshoe, Coin, Bachelor's Button, Wishbone, Wedding Bell, Thimble.

Turn the cake onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Decorate with chocolate stars, if desired.

To make chocolate stars:

Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or white chocolate chips in a small container. When melted and smooth scrape the chocolate into a small plastic bag and trim 1/4 inch from a lower corner of the bag.

Pipe the soft chocolate in rough star shapes onto a baking sheet or cutting board covered with waxed paper or parchment paper.

After covering the surface with stars, place the stars in the refrigerator for five minutes or so, or until set and firm. Peel the stars from the paper and arrange on and around the cake.

A crown made of gold paper can be set in the centre of the cake, filled with sprigs of live holly, ivy and evergreen.

The person who finds the bean in his/her piece of Cake is crowned 'King/Queen of the Bean' and chooses a consort blindfolded. He/she is the 'Lord/Lady of Misrule' and can make commands for the most absurd acts from those attending. Often a special gift is awarded to the King and the Queen. In some traditions, the King/Queen must give next year's Twelfth Night Party.

The Rites of the Twelfth Night or Epiphany

2012-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

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The Western cultural revolution that swept away the Latin Mass and many old Western traditions of the Yuletide Season as well as other sacred Festivals in the Wheel of the Year has been reversed to some extent, as a new Mass that is translated much more accurately from the Latin is given to parishes and old traditions such as the Blessing of the House on Twelfth Night with Chalk and Holy Water are reinstated.

Blessing of Epiphany Water and Chalk

It is traditional for parish priests to bless water on the eve of Epiphany, which is used for the blessing of homes the next day. Chalk for each family is also blessed so that they may mark the names of the three Magi over their doors, as a witness of their faith and protection against evil. This blessing is from the older version of the Roman Ritual.

The feast of manifestation, or Epiphany, is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas on the 6th of January 6th.

Blessing of the Chalk:

'O Lord God, bless this Thy creature chalk that it may be used for the salvation of the human race. Through the invocation of Thy most Holy Name grant that whoever shall take of this chalk and write with it upon the doors of his house the names of Thy saints, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, may through their merits and intercession receive health of body and protection of soul.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.'

The blessing of water on the vigil of the Epiphany could well be performed with full solemnity before the main altar. If this is not possible and no priest is available, the prayers and hymns might be used as a vigil preparation at home. The full text for the blessing may be found in Volume three of Father Weller's English translation of the Roman Ritual.

Prayer Source: Twelve Days of Christmas, The by Elsa Chaney, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 1955

Blessing of Chalk:

Blessed chalk is distributed to the people in some churches, especially in Europe. The chalk is taken home and is used to mark the year and the initials of the three Magi over the door of the house (e.g.: 20 + C + M + B + 12) to remind all who enter and leave through the main door that they also must be ready to leave all, if necessary, and follow Christ. It might be added also that this is a beautiful act of faith.

Blessing of Bread, Salt and Eggs:

In some places in Europe, bread, eggs and salt are taken to the church on this day to be blessed. In sections of Germany incense is taken also. These things are blessed after the morning service and may be taken home to be eaten with the holiday meals. In Germany, the bread and eggs are given to the poor, the salt is retained at home as a reminder that the people, as Christians, are to be 'the salt of the earth,' and the incense is burned at the family altar to remind the whole family that, just as the house is filled with the odour of the incense, so should charity bind together all of the members of the family with Christ.

Blessing of Gold, Frankincense (and Myrrh): In many churches there is a custom of blessing gold, frankincense and sometimes myrrh on the feast of the Epiphany. The gold is to be offered for sacred vessels in the parish, the incense is taken home to be used as noted above. The blessings of all these things, the chalk, bread, gold, etc., may be found in the Roman Ritual (English translation The Book of Blessings). If these customs are not in practice in your parish, you might ask the priests to introduce them.

Blessing of Water on the Vigil of Epiphany: In some places water is blessed on the Vigil of Epiphany and is then given to the faithful to use in their homes, and also for the sick. Unlike the above blessings, however, this blessing is reserved to the Bishop or to his delegate. It is a beautiful, but rather long ceremony which may be found in the Roman Ritual.

Blessing of the Home on Epiphany

This blessing of the home and inscription of the initials of the three Magi above each door can be performed either by a priest or the head of the family.

On entering the home,

Priest or Head of House, the Leader: Peace be to this house.

All: And to all who dwell herein.

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

All Pray: The Magnificat.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo,
quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies
timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,
dispersit superbos mente cordis sui;
deposuit potentes de sede
et exaltavit humiles;
esurientes implevit bonis
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
recordatus misericordiae,
sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini eius in saecula.

During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. After this is completed:

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Leader: Our Father. . . And lead us not into temptation

All: But deliver us from evil.

Leader: All they from Saba shall come

All: Bringing gold and frankincense.

Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come to You.

Leader: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee—Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendour of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God Almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with Epiphany water and incensed. The initials of the Magi are inscribed upon the doors with the blessed chalk. (The initials, C, M, B, can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase 'Christus mansionem benedicat' which means 'Christ bless this house'.)

Example: 20 + C + M + B + 12

The Green Pickle in the Tree

2011-12-28T13:59:00.001-08:00

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Those who are paid by corporations and businesses to find new ways to part the consumer from his or her hard-won cash always are alert for the possibility of introducing new traditions at Christmas and every other holiday. I was a little skeptical of 'The Pickle in the Tree' tradition originally and felt that it probably was one of those bogus creations of a creative advertising mind. Now, however, I realise that it stems from one of the most ancient traditions of the Winter Season, predating Christianity.

With the acceptance of Paganism as a 'religion' in our time, many ancient traditions and beliefs have resurfaced, often in new guises. The Pickle in the Christmas Tree is one of those.

The religion of the Mother Goddess Cybele and her lover and son, Attis, has at its very centre the Pine Tree. Attis castrated himself beneath a Pine Tree and his spirit entered into the Pine, which then became his symbol. The myths relating to this are complex and obscure, but the essential rites of Attis are very similar to the traditions of the Christmas Tree. A Pine Tree was cut down and borne into a cave or dwelling, wrapped in wool (swaddling clothes) and decorated with violets, symbol of Attis' blood. The image of the god was nailed to the centre of the trunk of the Tree. After three days, the God rose from the Dead and was proclaimed arisen.

There is a myth connected with the Egyptian God Osiris that has at its centre an Evergreen Tree of Lebanon. Osiris was murdered by his brother Set. Set persuaded his brother Osiris to lay down in a coffin and then slammed the lid shut, tossing it into the river.

The coffin drifted to the land of Lebanon where it became enclosed in the centre of a Tree. The Tree was cut and used as a pillar in the King's Great Hall. Here the Goddess Isis found it and returned with it to Egypt. Set found the coffin, however and recognising the God within it, cut the body into fourteen pieces and flung them into the Nile. The Goddess Isis managed to find every piece except that of his manhood which had been consumed by fish. She therefore fashioned his manhood of wood.

There is a ceremony of Osiris described by Firmicus Maternus that resembles the festival of Attis. Each year, a pine tree was cut down, the centre hollowed out and from the wood of the centre, an image of Osiris was made, which then was buried as a corpse in the hollow trunk.

Now consider the green glass Pickle ornament which is, according to tradition, hidden in the Christmas Tree. The children hunt for the Pickle and he/she who finds it will have good fortune for the year and a special gift from Father Christmas. It is not difficult to see in the Pickle a symbol of the manhood of the God Attis or the God Osiris!

I therefore determined to adopt this ancient tradition and to obtain a glass Pickle ornament for my own Christmas Tree. A few years ago, the green Glass Pickle Ornaments were sold in every shop, it seemed, but believing it to be nothing more than a silly fad, I disdained them. Now that I wanted a Pickle Ornament, I could not find one...

Ultimately I was able to find them online, but nowhere else. The prices varied wildly but I finally found a set of a dozen Pickles from a merchant that cost the same as a single Pickle Ornament from other merchants. One of these delicate 'members' now is hanging close to the centre of the trunk of my Christmas Tree. According to tradition, the glass Pickle is the last ornament to be placed on the Tree. Although I did not obtain my Pickles until today, the one that is on my Tree now WAS the last Ornament to be placed!

Many aspects of this tradition reveal its origins. In ancient civilisations that practiced mummification, the organs often were pickled and placed in special receptacles apart from the body. The symbol of the pickled Cucumber therefore represents the preserved manhood of the God. The colour Green is the colour of Life and the colour of an evergreen Tree. The very shape of the Pickle is that of the God's manhood. Many people would be appalled by the true significance of the Pickle ornament but I daresay others who share my interest in ancient traditions and potent magic will rush out to obtain their own Pickle Ornaments!

Flowering Peach Tea and Yuletide Magic

2011-12-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a bitterweet time for many of us, as we recall the past while enjoying the magic of the present and hoping that the future will hold more joy than pain. Whether through the hand of Death or having failed to navigate the dangerous reefs of personal relationships successfully, there is usually a reminder of loss in our memories of Christmases past. If we are firm in faith or balanced philosophically and spiritually, we can distill joy from those memories while refusing to grieve over the loss of loved ones.

My mother is spending her first Christmas without the husband with whom she shared over two-thirds of her life. She told me that she has been creating little altars to his memory with Christmas decorations that somehow evoke him. A pair of white turtledoves given to her... the female had a little flaw that resembled a tear in one eye. A pewter figurine of Father Christmas in a sleigh that reminded her of a poem he wrote two years ago...

For the most part, my mother always has been a forward-looking individual, but every one needs to be able to acclimatise the heart to loss somehow and this is her way of doing so.

For my part, I remembered all the letters to and from Santa in which he played a significant role and my letter this year was addressed obliquely to him, although it contained the usual salutation to Father Christmas.

As a writer, however undisciplined I may be at this point, I perceive every occasion as a memory in the making. Christmas this year will be incorporated into the tapestry of memory next year...

As the priest remarked at Christmas Eve Mass, Christmas is all about Gifts, even though it should not be centred on commercialism. After all, the Sacrifice of the God is His Gift to humanity and the Earth. The sacred birth of the God as a helpless infant is another Gift of Trust and Love. The WInter Solstice is a time of potent magic, and the very movement of the planets and seasons is cause for wonder. Magic and Yuletide for me go hand in hand.

I received a very magical gift this year in the form of a glass dragon vessel in which special tea is brewed. The tea is in the form of a ball that, when the hot water is poured into the vessel, blossoms into an exquisite floral arrangement.

It is a luxury item, pure and simple, but I always rather love that sort of gift, even when there are practical items I need desperately. After all, Christmas is a time of magic and luxury is the magic that gives an individual the illusion of having everything one needs and the heady sensation of being above the reach of dire need, even if it lasts only briefly and one plummets back to earth (and hunger and cold perhaps) with a resounding thud, bruised in body but not in spirit.

There may be gifts I need far more, but the gift of a shining glass canister painted with a golden dragon in which magical flowers take the place of ordinary tea is an amazing one. It is as though I were given a private magic show that I can repeat again and again. There are ten of the magical tea balls in the tea tin. The vessel itself has a lovely box covered in velvet as its home. It is a very elegant gift indeed.

My wish this Christmas is that every one, however rich or however poor, receives a little magic, whether it is a magical cup of tea, the appearance of a rare bird on a tree in the garden or a diamond ring...

If no one performs any magic for you, 'have yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and make certain that you give yourself a gift of magic! In the age of self-empowerment, there is no reason in the world why any one should suffer from the indifference, forgetfulness or cruelty of others. If no one does it for you, do it for yourself, with my blessing. I have spent some Christmas Days alone in the past and I was perfectly miserable until I decided to have a Tree, even if I were the only one to see and enjoy it and to place at least one small gift beneath it, even if I had to buy and wrap it for myself. It may not be the sort of Christmas I would choose, but it is far better than allowing the world to convince you that only people surrounded by families and friends deserve to celebrate Christmas!

Beyond the Tree and the Gifts, our age of technology gives every one the ability to watch films, shows and to listen to music. Good cheer always in a wonderful Christmas film or comedy or in the music of the season, sung or played by a group or artist one particularly likes. Perhaps it is not as personal as carollers at the door, but at least one can have the music at any time, no matter how far one's door is from the beaten path.

A Blessed Yuletide to All!

What does 'Like' Signify on Facebook?

2011-11-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

When Facebook was young and untried and when the majority of its users were even more innocent, one would be rather pleased to see a little notice on the right side of the page extolling the virtues of a band one loved or a philosophy one espoused... It may have been no different then than now except for the proliferation of these adverts and the more aggressive manner in which they target Facebook users.

'Like' signifies many different things on Facebook. First and foremost, it is a shorthand method of telling another user that you have read his/her post. It is a shorthand method of congratulation for an achievement that a user has posted...

Where games are concerned, it is the accepted method of letting all players know that you have taken an item offered on some one's Wall as well as thanking the player who posted it.

What does it signify when one clicks on 'Like' for one of the notices on the right side of the page? Here are some general messages that ask a Facebook user to 'Like' them:

'I love Jesus'.
'God is Good'.
'I have Faith.'
'I love being a Mother.'
'I love my Daughter.'

There was a time when I might have clicked 'Like' for some of these, but no longer. They are adverts, pure and simple, designed to accumulate income for the person or organisation that published them. There is a rather notorious instance where a message asking FB users to 'Like' if they loved being a Parent turned out to have been published by a pedophile.

The following is Facebook's own definition of what 'Like' means and its consequences:

;When you click Like on a Facebook Page, in an advertisement, or on content off of Facebook, you are making a connection. A story about your like will appear on your Wall (timeline) and may also appear in News Feed. You may be displayed on the Page you connected to, in advertisements about that Page, or in social plugins next to the content you like.

'Facebook Pages you like may post updates to your News Feed or send you messages. Your connection to the page may also be shared with apps on the Facebook Platform.'

Any user can add a 'Like' Button to his/her website as well. Here is Facebook's description:

'The Like button lets a user share your content with friends on Facebook. When the user clicks the Like button on your site, a story appears in the user's friends' News Feed with a link back to your website.

'When your Web page represents a real-world entity, things like movies, sports teams, celebrities, and restaurants, use the Open Graph protocol to specify information about the entity. If you include Open Graph tags on your Web page, your page becomes equivalent to a Facebook page. This means when a user clicks a Like button on your page, a connection is made between your page and the user. Your page will appear in the "Likes and Interests" section of the user's profile, and you have the ability to publish updates to the user. Your page will show up in same places that Facebook pages show up around the site (e.g. search), and you can target ads to people who like your content.

'There are two Like button implementations: XFBML and Iframe. The XFBML (also available in HTML5-compliant markup) version is more versatile, but requires use of the JavaScript SDK. The XFBML dynamically re-sizes its height according to whether there are profile pictures to display, gives you the ability (through the Javascript library) to listen for like events so that you know in real time when a user clicks the Like button, and it always gives the user the ability to add an optional comment to the like. If users do add a comment, the story published back to Facebook is given more prominence.'

I am not an expert where anything involving code is concerned, but it is obvious that any one who uses the 'Like' Link in an advert or message on Facebook or on his/her website has access to details about the users who click on it. In other words, information that is published on Facebook by the user, including name, address, telephone number, email address, lists of family and friends and websites. In the case of the pedophile who asked parents to 'Like' the simple statement of being a parent, it gave this person a wealth of information about Facebook users who had children.

The problem is that the user who simply sees the statement and clicks 'Like' has no idea who wrote the statement or why. Furthermore, in many cases, 'clicks' are worth money to the person who sets up the advert. Amazon has a programme through which users are induced to add content to their websites. Whenever any one clicks on the link, Amazon will give the website owner a small payment, usually in the form of credit towards Amazon goods.

Games on Facebook often use something similar. I played a little game designed for children once where one clicked on little bonfires to obtain gold for gameplay. One day, the interface disappeared and I saw that the bonfires actually were 'clicks' for an Amazon payment programme. Obviously the people who create 'free' games played on Facebook have to generate income somehow, but one would like to know what one is supporting when one clicks on something.

The bottom line is that a Facebook user who 'Likes' the statement 'I love God' has no idea what he/she is supporting. It may be some one who simply wishes to publish support of religion or it may be an organisation or individual who perceives the statement as a 'hook' to make personal profit. Furthermore, if it is a commercial venture, you may find a notice on Facebook one day to the effect that you 'Like' Immortal Avocado Face-Lift Cream or whatever, if the statement you espoused was published by a business.

Lowboy: A Brilliant Prose Poem about New York

2011-10-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to find a copy of John Wray's book, 'Lowboy' recently. It left me breathless. It is an extraordinary book, ostensibly about schizophrenia but more generally, as the reader progresses through it, it becomes a very unique prose poem about New York in all of its glory and filth.

In a curious fashion, it reminded me of Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities'. That book was a study of New York from the perspective of some one from high society who takes a wrong turn. 'Lowboy' is a novel about a young schizophrenic whose entire life is based on a map that no one else can read.

In both novels, the 'city that never sleeps' emerges as the protagonist, at turns alluring, even irresistable, but ultimately a force that is as powerful as Kali or Shiva, capable both of destruction and creation.

Tom Wolfe and John Wray are very different in their styles and John Wray probably has not yet reached the peak of his potential as a writer. Nonetheless, 'Lowboy' is a powerful piece and it made me think of another young prose poet, Arthur Rimbaud.

'Lowboy' takes you through the underground system of New York as well as its streets. The underground emerges as the arteries of a powerful being who, like the Colossus of Rhodes, is one of the true Wonders of the World.

Open the book almost anywhere and you will catch a flash of brilliance:

'Already he felt the wave of doubt receing. Sometimes it passed through him hurriedly, haughty and careless, as if to show how little he was worth. Other times it capsized him completely. Not today, however. His eyes followed the tracks into the dark. The empty water-flecked channel where only the trains resided. The acidic yellow of the safety stripe. Behind the third rail a rat was lying splayed on its belly, twitching contentedly, drinking coffee out of a battered paper cup.'

John Wray weaves a poet's tapestry from the disparate threads of American jazz, the history of New York, schizophrenia, codes and ciphers, the subway system and the incredible dynamics of urban city life.

The description of 'Lowboy' as a prose poem about New York is not intended to denigrate the role that schizophrenia plays in this novel. Schizophrenia is a condition that both attracts and terrifies many artists, as it represents creativity in its ultimate potency, beyond reason and safety. It, like cancer, is creativity run amok, but every great artist has wished at least once, for the capacity to SEE reality in an entirely unique fashion. The boundary between schizophrenic vision and the vision of an artist sometimes is blurred. 'Lowboy' captures the essence of schizophrenia and the reader gradually comprehends the price that is paid for the type of 'madness' that transforms everyday life into an epic drama and ultimately one that either ends in tragedy or the 'flatness' that is created by medications given to control the illness.

My Chemical Romance and 'Sing'

2011-08-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

I listened to an interview with Gerard Way recently in which he expressed some surprise that his recent hit, 'Sing' was chosen for a popular television show called 'Glee'. I echo that, actually because, however irresistable the beat and music may be to the general public, the lyrics actually could qualify it to be chosen as the very epitome of punk music and its essential philosophy.

'If the music drowns you out, Raise your voice every single time they try and shut your mouth...'

The irony, of course, is that the music is so infectious that it is possible there are quite a few who ignore these powerful lyrics and their message. It is the hymn of the counterculture and, like the Black Parade, a declaration of unqualified support for the helpless and the disenfranchised. It serves as a manifesto for any human being, whether child, adult or senior citizen, whose footsteps walk to a different beat, whose heart beats to a different rhythm.

I don't watch shows like 'Glee' but as some one who was introduced to punk in London at a point in time when young native Brits felt they were being pushed out of their own civilisation, forced on the dole and given no hope whatsoever by Queen and Country, I immediately comprehended a fashion that declared, 'We take your rejects and wear them proudly. We'll pierce our ears with safety pins instead of gold because gold is a metal that belongs to those who don't give a toss about us.' As is often the case, the look was picked up by the masses and became trendy, but its original significance was a cosmic sneer at all the accepted values of British culture.

(On a personal level, I have to confess that I never ceased to be one of those who prefer gold, although leather and steel studs have their own ineffable charm as well as practical value when you live in an urban environment where a single girl could find herself with her back up against a wall in a split second. Those bracelets saved my life or at least my personal belongings more than once in their time.)

Back to Gerard Way and MCR...

'Sing it out, Boy, they're gonna sell what tomorrow means;
Sing it out, Girl, before they kill what tomorrow brings.'

In song after song, Gerard writes about the corruption of multi-national, capitalist society but at the same time, he makes a very personal statement. From 'Sing' again:

'I am not the singer that you wanted, but a dancer.
I refuse to answer, talk about the past, Sir.
Wrote it for the ones that want to get away.
Keep running...'

The burden of being a cultural icon is a heavy one and can become insufferable at times. You can hear echoes of it in his interviews as well as his songs and even in the title of a live album: 'The Black Parade is Dead!'

The whole point of the Black Parade, of course, is that it ALWAYS was a parade led by the Dead, who no longer can be hurt by the living. Gerard stated a belief that Death came to a person in the form of his/her fondest memory and the nucleus of 'The Black Parade' was a childhood memory of being taken to see a marching band by his father. Like any great artist, however, the universal far transcends the personal in Gerard's work even while his own personal experiences and thoughts remain shimmering threads in a potent tapestry that continues to grow year by year. 'The Black Parade is Dead!' was the public swansong of the performance piece that will live forever in the memories of an entire generation even while Gerard continues to move forward, laying new foundations for new symbols for those who cannot articulate their own deepest feelings or needs.

In many ways, MCR's Black Parade reminded me of Adam Ant and his Highwayman look, with much of the same social philosophy. Adam Ant, however, hid his own personal agony, preferring to keep his music tongue-in-cheek to some extent, a light-hearted romp that epitomised the 'New Romantics' of the 1980s. Both share a charismatic personality and the ability to project an almost ethereal beauty in their dramatic personae. Adam Ant's world came crashing down, but it is not impossible that he will rise once again like the mythological phoenix at some point. On the other hand, perhaps he has no desire to return to the world of music and will move in a different artistic direction.

Meanwhile, Gerard Way has made it clear that public performances are the fuel on which MCR depends for its creative energy, unlike some bands who only perform because it is demanded by their fans. Gerard is a consummate entertainer and I, along with all those who love MCR, have no doubt that the future of the band promises to be as exciting as the past.

Even if 'Glee' bastardises 'Sing' to some extent, it may draw new listeners to MCR.

Lunch-Box Trees and French Bread Trees

2011-07-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

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When I was a little girl, I loved the Oz books written by L. Frank Baum. The actual books bear little resemblance to the Hollywood film (which I never liked at all) and have the advantage of incredibly beautiful illustrations by John R. Neill, 'The Royal Illustrator of Oz'. One of the first books I read was 'Ozma of Oz', a tale that contained detailed information about the Land of Ev, where Lunch-pail trees flourished.

The first description of these marvelous Trees is as follows:

...'Lunch' could be read, in neat raised letters. This tree seemed to bear all the year around, for there were lunch-box blossoms on some of the branches, and on others tiny little lunch-boxes that were as yet quite green, and evidently not fit to eat until they had grown bigger. The leaves of this tree were all paper napkins, and it presented a very pleasing appearance to the hungry little girl.‎'

This tree captured the imagination of a very young girl, but I have discovered that I was not the only child who found the concept of such a tree irresistable. Although I have read all of my favourite Oz books countless times, the magic of them remains fresh and vibrant.

Enter the age of computer games and FarmVille where, much to my delight, a 'French Bread Tree' was released as part of the Bastille Day celebrations. The French Bread Tree is a Level 1 Tree, which means that it is available solely in the Marketplace and as a Limited Edition, soon will be unavailable. If placed in an Orchard, however, one can obtain Mystery Seedlings from it which can be grown into 'Big French Bread Trees'.

As an immature Tree, the bread is not particularly attractive or distinctive. Although it includes diverse shapes, all are unbaked and therefore have the same dough texture. It is when it is ready for harvest that the French Bread Tree is displayed in all of its glory and I feel that L. Frank Baum would have appreciated this variation on the original.

The Uncommon Honeybee

2011-07-19T04:25:00.000-07:00

Years ago, honeybees were common in gardens. Now, they have become rather rare in many areas. I had not seen a real honeybee in the garden for a number of years until today. Early this morning, I went outside before the hideous effects of the current heat wave became too intense, to enjoy a cup of coffee amidst the flowers. It was then that I spied a honeybee flitting from flower to flower. There was only one bee but it made a valiant attempt to pollinate as many flowers as possible. I was struck by its beauty, glossy like silk velvet.

The bee is an ancient symbol of industry. It was popular in ancient Rome as well as medieval and Renaissance Europe. Napoleon took it as his symbol as well. I had a chance to purchase a Roman seal ring with a bee on it a couple of years ago but I resisted the temptation. As with any 'missed' unique item, I regret my temporary strength of will now. I doubt I shall have an opportunity like that again.

As a child, I remember that our garden buzzed with honeybees. It is sad that the bees have departed from so-called 'civilised' environs, but I am delighted to have seen one this morning.

The Etruscans would have believed the sighting to be an omen from the gods. If so, what does it portend for me?

The Dark Poetry of MCR: 'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

2011-07-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

My first experience of My Chemical Romance was 'The Black Parade'. I didn't like ALL of the songs at the start, but a couple of them grabbed me by the throat instantly and it remains one of my favourite albums. Now I have had a similar experience with the song, 'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W' on their more recent album, 'Danger Days'.

'Move your body when the sunlight dies,
Everybody hide your body from the scarecrow
Everybody hide...

Make a wish when your childhood dies
Hear the knock, knock, knock when she cries
We're all alone tonight

Hold your breath when a blackbird flies,
Count to seventeen and close your eyes:
I'll keep you safe inside...

He burns my skin,
Never mind about the shape I'm in:
I'll keep you safe tonight, yeah yeah...

Move your body when the sunlight dies
Everybody hide your body from the Scarecrow
Everybody hide.

Blow a kiss at the methane skies,
See the rust through your playground eyes,
We're all in love tonight
(all in love tonight).
Leave a dream where the fallout lies,
Watch it grow when the tearstains dry...
Just to keep you safe tonight.

Heat burns my skin,
Never mind about the shape I'm in,
I'll keep you safe tonight, yeah yeah...

Move your body when the sunlight dies
Everybody hide your body from the Scarecrow,
Everybody hide.

Move your body when the sunlight dies
Everybody hide your body from the Scarecrow,
Everybody hide.

Love, love, love won't stop this.
(Bomb, Bomb) Love won't stop this.
(Bomb, Bomb) Love wont stop this Bomb.

Run, run, bunny run,
Run, run, bunny run.

Move your body when the sunlight dies
Everybody hide your body from the Scarecrow,
Everybody hide.

Move your body when the sunlight dies
Everybody hide your body from the Scarecrow,
Everybody hide.

Non-Ethical Ethix Marketing

2011-06-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, they were called 'ambulance chasers'. I was rather surprised to see an advert on Facebook about the possibility of obtaining compensation for addiction to a perfectly legal and quite effective painkiller named 'Opana'.

The advert does not give the name of the company who placed it. If you go to the website, you will not see the name of the company immediately either. You will be asked to fill out a form giving your name, address as well as particulars about your 'addiction' or the 'addiction' of a family member to Opana.

In very small print at the bottom of the page is the following:

;By leaving this box checked, I agree that the information viewed is advertising and that you agree to receive future advertisements from Ethix Marketing and/or its partners.
I agree that submitting this form and the information contained therein does not establish an attorney client relationship.
I agree that the information submitted will be reviewed by more than one attorney and/or law firm.
I agree that the information that I will receive in response to the above question is general information and I will not be charged for the information. I further understand that the law for each state may vary, and therefore, I will not rely upon this information as legal advice. Since this matter may require advice regarding my home state, I agree that local counsel may be contacted for referral of this matter.
I understand that I may receive, and am willing to accept, a telephone call from a lawyer/law firm to discuss this submission.'
END OF QUOTE

Well, quite frankly, the 'Ethix' corporation has to be involved in 'ambulance chasing' of the very worst sort. Addiction is such a buzz word in our society that individuals who NEED painkillers for severe pain or other legitimate medical conditions often go through hell before a physician will prescribe them, simply because of the negative social connotations and potential for legal problems.

I cannot agree with a social mentality that seeks to protect individuals from themselves. Adults are supposed to be fully capable of making their own decisions and doing their own research. Physicians should not be made liable when all they are doing is attempting to follow the Hippocratic oath by helping a patient deal with severe pain!

Addiction is not necessarily the worst fate that can befall an individual. Living in conditions of intolerable pain is far worse. Morphine and its derivatives at least are based on organic substances and their use has been documented for thousands of years. To me, synthetic substances that alter brain waves and 'block' messages from the body to the brain are far more dangerous, even though society is quite happy to allow physicians to prescribe those as an alternative to true painkillers, simply because of the possibility of 'addiction' to opiates.

There is something terribly wrong with a society that would prefer to push medications that reduce an individual's humanity by tampering with the messages that the body has developed to alert the brain to the time-honoured medications that simply alleviate pain to some extent. Opiates do not 'kill' severe pain, but they can mitigate the effects to the point where the patient can tolerate it.

While doctors remained terrified of prescribing legitimate opiates to patients, pharmaceutical sales representatives were pushing drugs like celecoxib (Celebrex) that actually killed people as an alternative. Doctors were passing these out like sweeties.

Celecoxib, which is not an opiate, has the following side effects:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; trouble breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody or black, tarry stools; change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; confusion; dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hearing loss; mental or mood changes; numbness of an arm or leg; one-sided weakness; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; ringing in the ears; seizures; severe headache or dizziness; severe or persistent stomach pain or nausea; severe vomiting; shortness of breath; sudden or unexplained weight gain; swelling of hands, legs, or feet; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual joint or muscle pain; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision or speech changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

A few people actually have died from severe GI toxicity caused by celecoxib.

Another 'preferred' alternative to opiates is even more dangerous, in my view. This is the class of drugs known as 'anti-depressants'. Pharmaceutical companies have been recommending that physicians dispense these in lieu of real painkillers, but anti-depressants can have far more negative side-effects than any CNS opiate painkiller. Furthermore, an anti-depressant CHANGES the actual personality and being of the patient where any CNS drug does not have this effect.

One of the most common anti-depressants used to treat severe chronic pain, although it is NOT a painkiller, is Sertraline (Zoloft).

Sertraline is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Sertraline affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression, panic, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

In fact, although they are called 'anti-depressants', this class of drugs often promotes thoughts of suicide in patients on which some have acted to their eternal detriment.

Common side-effects include suicidal behaviour, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, rigid muscles, high fever, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, feeling unsteady, loss of coordination; headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, weakness, confusion, hallucinations, fainting, seizure, shallow breathing or breathing that stops.

Surely common sense would tell a physician that a patient who suffers from severe chronic pain based on a PHYSICAL CONDITION should not be placed in a position where he/she has to deal with MORE serious problems such as those listed above? Why is it better to subject a patient to this than to prescribe a simple opiate?

The answer to this is nothing more than fear generated by the word 'addiction'. Like any propaganda or prolonged brainwashing campaign, the concept of addiction has been manipulated for political and commercial reasons. The spurious 'war on drugs' plays a role in this as well.

Recently, my stepfather died in hospice from a condition which made it impossible to breathe without agony. At the end, they gave him morphine to allow him to die in peace. A member of my own family threw tantrums over this, attempting to remove him from the hospice, screaming that he should not be 'drugged'.

Impending loss of a loved one can cause people to behave irrationally but it is the climate of our society that encourages individuals to consider morphine as an evil rather than a blessing given to us by nature.

It is time to put an end to this nonsense and to rehabilitate opiates into society's good graces, not for entertainment or recreation, but for the purpose of helping individuals deal with intolerable pain. Companies like 'Ethix' are NOT ethical in the least when they continue the witch hunt against legitimate painkillers. Shame on them and shame on a society that allows media-generate hysteria to usurp common sense.

The Raven, Messenger of Death

2011-06-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

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This morning, a huge Raven alighted on the giant Yew in the garden. One sees them in the neighbourhood from time to time, but I never saw one this close to the house. I immediately felt that it came here as a messenger from the Other Realm.

My stepfather died a few days ago after a prolonged and valiant battle with a terminal illness that prevented him from breathing. Despite the agony of fighting for every breath, he endeavoured to lead an active life as long as possible for my mother's sake. I seldom have witnessed a greater love than his for my Mother.

My Mum, although she loved her husband dearly, was not always kind to him. She is an individual who tends to explode when she is frustrated. Sometimes, she would try to apologise to him for one of her outbursts but he would tell her, 'I love you just as you are.' (She never apologised to me for any of her outbursts but I love her all the same, although I would not go as far as my stepfather... I really could wish for NO violent verbal outbursts in my life.)

My Mum married him when I was six years old, so he was a father to me most of my life. Had it not been for my biological father's intense jealousy, I probably would have had an easier time emotionally when my mother remarried. Nonetheless, the best way of perceiving the situation is to accept that I had two fathers and indeed, our society now has become more accepting of families that encompass more than the traditional nuclear unit of mother, father and the children of their union.

Every one deals with the reality of Death differently. Too many people tend to lash out at those who are closest to them. As is often the case, there was far too much drama and negativity at my stepfather's deathbed, but one hopes it will be forgotten and that ultimately, the survivors will draw closer to one another. I believe that it is misplaced anger in any case. People are angry with Death but they cannot confront that power directly, so they unleash their frustration and rage upon their loved ones.

Is it right to be angry with Death? Death is not our Enemy, although our own society views it as such and indeed, tries to market the illusion of immortality and eternal youth through the use of cosmetics, surgical procedures and other artificial aids. I have come to believe that Death is the natural result of a creature 'wearing out'. However much one patches the weak points in the body, sooner or later the spirit reaches a point where it must discard the old shell and move forward.

In literature, the weariness of Immortals has been recognised. What would it be like to live forever, watching loved ones and friends die, finding less and less that is new and exciting as the centuries passed and the antics of life became more and more repetitive? How many times could an Immortal fall in love? How long could an Immortal retain that sense of childlike wonder that is the best part of our psyches? I think eternal life would be a curse to any one other than a God for the Divine One would exist for a far greater purpose than his/her/its own amusement and needs.

To live forever, one would have to become a Sacrifice to the lives of all others, a perpetual servant of the Universe. Is not that what the Divine One is in essence? The creation and maintenance of Life is a task. One could set it in motion and then ignore it, I suppose, but how infinitely dull that would be? I cannot believe that the Divinity would choose Void and Nothingness over Creation, however 'old' the performance of the living became.

Death is a rite of passage, a farewell to this life. It leads to the Great Unknown.

Ravens long have been perceived as the messengers of Death. They were the companions of Odhinn, named Huginn and Munin, Memory and Thought. For the Celts, they were the messengers who traveled between the earth and the Otherworld. one of the ancient kings of the British Isles was Bran the Blessed. 'Bran' can be translated as 'Raven' and his head is believed to have been buried at the site of the Tower of London. The Ravens who live at the Tower are believed to represent the safety of the realm and so long as their presence endures, the land will endure.

The Raven, like the colour Black, originally a bird of great power and mystery, through the centuries acquired negative connotations in the same way that Death became an Event to be dreaded and feared, the Great Enemy of Life.

In fact, originally the Raven acted as a guardian of the Earth to obtain knowledge for the Gods. Death was nothing more than a Portal to the Otherworld and when any creature died, it moved on to another form or sphere of existence. This life and this world were but transitional phases in an existence that possibly might endure forever. It is the body that dies, not the soul.

The Raven is a very intelligent bird who can imitate the calls of other birds as well as the sound of falling water. Ravens have been known to echo songs, whether from a music box or an ice cream vendor.

My stepfather was Celtic and British in his heritage. Although he did not subscribe much to organised religion, he loved mythology and fantasy. He was a very spiritual man, albeit not a religious one in the ordinary Western sense of the word. His religion was Music and Art. He was a gifted tenor and acted as the soloist in a local church for decades. It was through his music that his spirit soared to Heaven, through Music that he communed with the Deity.

In the Silmarillion, Tolkien writes about the creation of Life as a symphony comprised of different voices whose songs are interwoven. The power of the Music is so great that every individual musical contribution can be embraced, however unique or different from the others...

In Lord of the Rings, Pippin and Gandalf have a conversation about Death, while awaiting a battle that could be the end of them.

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.

Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.

Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?

Gandalf: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.

Gandalf: No. (Thoughtfully) No, it isn't.

Tolkien did not perceive the 'Lord of the Rings' as fantasy but rather as the natural weave of the tapestry of Anglo-Saxon tradition and lore had not Christianity come to the British Isles. He therefore incorporated many Celtic and Anglo-Saxon concepts into the work, including that of the 'lands in the West' to which the Elves set sail when they wearied of Middle Earth.

My stepfather loved Tolkien and it seems to me that, if any of the old lore of the journey after Death would hold true for him, it would be that of setting sail in one of the White Ships to 'Tir Na Nog' or the Lands in the West.

It is fitting that a Raven appeared to me today. I am far from the place where my stepfather died but my Mum is going to send me some of his ashes and I shall plant a little tree in the garden in his memory, even though I do not own the land myself. Before I saw the Raven this morning, I was in the garden, considering where I would plant the small tree as well as trying to decide the sort of Tree that would be most appropriate. Blackthorn perhaps, after the Raven's appearance. I have Oak, Ash, Birch, Rowan and Yew in the garden, but do not have Blackthorn. If my stepfather had been of a Mediterranean heritage, I would plant a Cypress for him but as an Irish Celt, he should have a Northern Tree.

These are the lyrics to 'Into the West', the song that ends Peter Jackson's Tolkien trilogy:

Lay down your sweet and weary head,
Night is falling,
You have come to journey's end.

Sleep now and dream of the ones who came before,
They are calling from across the distant shore.

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see,
All of your fears will pass away.

Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping.

What can you see on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea, a pale moon rises,
The ships have come to carry you home.

Dawn will turn to silver glass,
Light on the water, all souls pass...

Hope fades into the world of night
Through shadows falling, out of memory and time.

Don't say we have come now to the end,
White shores are calling.
You and I will meet again.

You'll be here in my arms just sleeping.
What can you see on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea, a pale moon rises,
The ships have come to carry you home.'

And all will turn to silver glass,
Lights on the water, grey ships pass into the West.

In Memoriam

Into the West from Lord of the Rings

There was a time when I wondered at the reference to 'silver glass' but now I think it is a reference to a mirror. After all, Jean Cocteau wrote that 'Mirrors are the doors through which Death comes and goes'.* (This is a line from Orphee, one of my favourite films when I was a child.) The way in which a mirror or looking glass was made was by adding silver to the surface of one side of a piece of glass. Mirrors are magical portals in myth and storybooks. When 'all will turn to silver glass', it is THIS existence on earth that becomes nothing more than a pale reflection of eternity and the world beyond.

*In the original: 'Les miroirs sont les portes par lesquelles la mort vient et va.'

Bath Salts, Intelligence and Personal Liberty

2011-05-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Recently, there has been a flurry of media coverage of the dangers and hazards of 'bath salts'. In my lexicon, 'bath salts' refer to 'Epsom Salts', a perfectly harmless and actually helpful substance taken both externally and internally by people for generations. Poured into a hot bath, they soothe and relax the muscles. Mixed with liquid and consumed, I believe they act as a calming influence on the stomach.

Politicians have made names for themselves recently by calling for a wholesale ban on 'bath salts'. Usually, I would do my own research on the subject, but I happened to recall this when I was at the local chemist. I asked if 'Epsom Salts' were the 'bath salts' that were the topic of recent political interest and activity. The chemist immediately and quite without any hesitation, declared that they were!

I should have known better... Magnesium Sulfate is the chemical foundation of Epsom Salts. The 'Bath Salts' that are the topic of political activity recently are quite different, based on a chemical that acts as a stimulant and are in fact, one of those 'designer drugs' that become popular for a brief time with individuals who are looking for chemical exploration. My poor innocent Epsom Salts have nothing whatsoever to do with designer 'bath salts' although the latter has usurped the term used for generations by the former. The chemical that forms the basis of the synthetic 'bath salts' is methylenedioxypyrovalerone, although newer pyrovalerone derivatives are being made by street chemists. Why did I believe the chemist instead of doing my own research on the subject before I launched into an empassioned defence of 'bath salts'?

In all honesty, however, some of the arguments I made remain valid.

There is an old Latin maxim to the effect that 'Abuse does not negate the value of Use'. 'Abusus non tollit usum'. Why should the government treat us like children? Why shouldn't we be given the benefit of education where the virtues and dangers of substances are concerned without legislation entering into the picture? I personally do not believe that any one has the right to tell me what is best for me. There was a time when governments had very little to do with substances of any kind except to levy taxes upon them. Surely humankind if anything has become MORE educated and more capable of discovering the truth about substances rather than less. With instant communication worldwide, even a villager in the mountains of Nepal can read about 'bath salts' or 'salvia' and decide whether or not he/she wishes to partake of a substance that can prove deadly.

Sad to say, however, it is a general attitude of passivity and insecurity that has made us so willing to allow others to 'protect us'. Whether it is the spurious 'war on terror' or the 'war on drugs', we blindly allow the government to take charge and whittle away our freedoms one by one.

Perhaps the synthetic designer drug known as 'bath salts' has no positive value but does that give the government the right to leap into the fray to render it illegal?

The problem here is that legislation that sounds good usually covers a multitude of sins, giving far more power to the government than people realise. For example, the 'war on terror' is a phrase that drums up general hysteria, allowing governments worldwide to encroach rather badly upon individual freedoms. The 'war on drugs' has made governments rich and placed undue power in the hands of the medical profession and multinational drug companies.

The other side of the coin is that such trust allows both the government and the medical profession to send people to their deaths again and again. Other synthetic substances created in the laboratories of multinational drug companies are given legitimacy by the government and then distributed to doctors who push them on their patients without performing their own research.

More medications with serious, even deadly side-effects are promoted by the medical profession daily than people in general realise. Listen to some of the advertisements on the telly and you will hear the same substance promoted enthusiastically in one breath and warned against in the next for its ability to cause serious injury or death! Simply because the GOVERNMENT has given a licence to the pharmaceutical company and to doctors to dispense the deadly stuff is sufficient. I would far rather take my chances with the natural dangers that the world creates than trust any substance that has become the 'flavour of the day' with the powers that be. A decade later, many of the drugs that are touted as miracle substances by the medical profession and big business will be the subject of class actions for having killed off a number of trusting patients or destroyed their kidneys, livers or other vital organs. How many people have died because of medications prescribed or given for common conditions? Evidently, the general public is supposed to be sophisticated enough to protect itself against risks promoted by multinational drug companies but cannot possibly understand the dangers of concoctions cooked up by a biker somewhere!

Furthermore, there is an old Latin maxim to the effect that 'abusus non tollit usum' or in English, 'abuses do not negate use'. Many substances that governments have taken out of the hands of the general public are time-tested and honoured herbal remedies. Yes, they can be abused, but they have great benefits as well. Although members of the public are not allowed to prepare and use them, the same multi-national drug companies that test new dangerous synthetics on people are allowed to package and market them for profit.

Self-righteous individuals who purport to act for the benefit of our SAFETY are not the friends of the people. We have the right to protect our own safety and to decide how to use the products of nature.

Apart from the specific anger I feel with respect to the efforts of these individuals who take the bit between their teeth with their half-baked notions and legislate supposedly for the benefit of all is a general sense of dismay at the willingness of the public to allow these people to restrict our lives. We are not children to be kept away from sharp instruments and things that COULD possibly be dangerous if misused! As for our children, should not their safety and welfare be the responsibility of their parents and not Big Brother? Education is the key rather than legislation that takes perfectly useful items out of reach!

I always believed that an individual had the right to use or abuse his/her body as he/she chose in any case. Making drugs illegal only benefits organised crime and gangs. It would be far better to educate individuals as to the use or danger of any substance and to offer a firm moral foundation to children than to make the substances themselves illegal. Don't these sanctimonious legislators and Mums against This and That realise that the world is a dangerous place and no matter how many substances you make illegal, a person with a self-destructive instinct or the insatiable curiosity of Curious George is going to find SOMETHING to abuse or try???

The Government should not meddle in affairs of personal morality or even personal safety in cases where behaviour is private and does not endanger others. Drinking or taking drugs or alcohol while driving, for example, is a different matter, as it endangers OTHERS and occurs on public roads and thoroughfares.

Meanwhile, it would be far better for these meddling individuals to embrace a truly worthwhile cause such as enforcement of a ban on cluster bombs that explode and kill children and innocents throughout the world. Weapons, unlike substances, exist solely for the purpose of killing. Although I am not opposed to the ownership and use of firearms per se, I am opposed to the so-called 'weapons of mass destruction' that are being manufactured and used by superpowers to enforce their will throughout the globe. (Let us be quite clear here that I refer to actual weapons of mass destruction as opposed to the fictitious weapons of mass destruction that formed the spurious cause of the illegal invasion of Iraq.)

In conclusion, an individual should be the ultimate guardian of his/her own safety and welfare and be allowed to choose what substances to take or to refuse to take. People should have more faith in their own common sense and ability to educate themselves rather than taking some one else's word on any topic that concerns their own safety and lives.

Numbers Lock

2011-05-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

A relationship with a computer is akin to a relationship with another human being. Lack of complete understanding prevents the full benefit one could derive from interactions. How often in personal relationships does one individual react poorly because he/she has not analysed the other person's motivations? So much time is wasted in petty rows or negative emotional responses when comprehension would prevent all of that!

In similar fashion, if only I knew more about computers, I would not be the victim of my own ignorance in dealing with my laptop.

This morning, my laptop suddenly refused to type the letters I pressed. One side of the keyboard continued to work properly but on the other side, a letter key immediately was translated into a number. I was very distressed by this situation. I thought the machine had begun to malfunction, perhaps on account of its advanced age, rather like a computer version of Alzheimer's disease.

Well, of course, it was nothing more than the Number Locks key which I must have pressed inadvertantly. I did know of the existence of this key on some level but never used it and never explored its ramifications. I had to appeal to some one else when my problem occurred and had to be told how to solve it...

Part of my problem is a reluctance to study new technology. Everything changes and mutates so quickly that it is pointless to delve too deeply into manuals of operation as very soon, the device will be superceded by another.

Remember the days of the zip drive? Superceded now by the flashdrive, with CDs somewhere in between... Storage of information is a fragile business, when storage devices are made obsolete so quickly. It makes one realise that ultimately paper is best if one really has any desire to retrieve the information in the future. After all, when a device becomes obsolete, those who are educated to repair the device quickly move on to the newer technology and within a decade, probably will have neither the knowledge nor the desire to repair the old machines.

I had a gorgeous machine by Panasonic that would record and play both VHS cassettes and CDS. After a couple of years, however, one part of its operation failed. It then refused even to try to operate in other ways. I took it to the local repair shop where the owner vowed to attempt the repair. A year later, I was told that he was unable to buy the parts needed, even from Panasonic...

I have manuscripts of uncompleted novels on devices that cannot be 'read'... Probably worthless stuff, but it would be nice to be able to retrieve the information.

Returning to my initial comparison, however, computers and other technological devices are very much like human beings in their need to be understood and the time required to interact effectively with them. As with a person who throws a temper tantrum, a machine that malfunctions needs to be comprehended and trouble aborted as quickly and efficiently as possible. Rather than becoming distressed and upset, one simply needs to be able to solve the problem quickly and move forward somehow.

As a child, I was deeply upset by adults and persons 'in authority' who shouted and screamed and generally behaved badly and unjustly towards me. When I finally understood WHY they behaved that way and realised it had nothing whatsoever to do with me really, I was able to mitigate the damage to my own psyche somehow. The key to MY mental health was comprehension of the imperfections and flaws in the behaviour of others. I only wish I had the necessary patience and determination to study the technological devices that are so much a part of my daily life now. Alas, I do not possess it and therefore must resign myself to periodical anxiety and distress generated by mechanical malfunctions and my own tactical errors!

The Columbines of May

2011-05-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

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In my very first garden, I planted Columbines. It remains one of my favourite flowers. On the whole, it is wildflowers that I love most.

The Latin name for this wildflower is Aquilegia vulgaris. Aquila in Latin is the word for 'Eagle' and the flower was given this name because its blooms resembled an eagle's spurs.

Columbines are an ancient wildflower, linked to the Goddess Freya in the North and believed at one time to be an aphrodisiac. It was considered poor manners to present a young woman with Columbine flowers because of its sexual potency. Medicinal uses were not limited, however, to impotence but for kidneys, headaches, stomach upset and as an astringent for wounds. It has been used in treatment of cancer as well.

Columbine is a woodland flower that prefers shady areas to direct sunlight, although moisture is more vital than shade. It is a perennial that usually blooms early in Spring. Cultivated varieties can have more than one blooming period, however.

These are photographs of my Columbine plants on the 1st of May, traditionally a day devoted to the Goddess and to fertility.

Immortal Napoleon

2011-05-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Napoleon Bonaparte died on 5 May 1821 on the island of St. Helena and yet he is one of the immortals as he continues to inspire mankind.

Thoughts and quotes about and by the Emperor:

Rémusat: Napoleon 'was fond of everything which inclined towards reverie: the poems of Ossian, subdued light, melancholy music. He loved to listen to the murmur of the wind, spoke with rapture of the roar of the sea; was inclined to believe in ghosts and was generally superstitious....Listening to subdued and slow music, he would fall into a kind of trance which none of us dared interrupt by the slightest movement.’

'He rhapsodises of how he and the Empress will spend his old age ‘in visiting, with my own horses like a plain country couple, every corner of the empire; in receiving complaints, redressing wrongs, in doing good everywhere and by every means!...These were among my dreams!’

At the age of 17, he wrote in his journal as follows:‘Always alone in the midst of men, I go back home that I may give myself up to my lonely dreams and to the waves of my melancholy. Whither will my thoughts tend tonight? Towards death....How far removed human beings are from nature! How base they are and contemptible!...Life has become a burden to me, because the men I live with and probably am doomed to live with in the future are as different from me as moonlight differs from sunshine.’

Colouring Eggs for Easter

2011-04-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

N.B. The Sheep Pen in the screenshots is not mine. I do not own any 'flasher sheep' yet. There is one Ewe in the centre of the bottom row that changes colour. Each screenshot shows it in a different instant as it changes colour rapidly from moment to moment!

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An extremely popular online game known as Farmville recently introduced an 'English Countryside' option as a method of giving players the opportunity to own a second farm and one that specialised in crops grown in England. Some of my favourite flowers are included and the entire theme of the farm is 'British', albeit rather stereotypical in nature. In Harvest Moon fashion, one is asked to restore vitality to a small village by assuming management of a dilapidated farm as well as a failing Pub. One therefore can craft both drinks and pastries, using Crops harvested from the 'English farm'.

A very interesting new twist to the game is the ability to breed sheep, but these are not ordinary Sheep. There are sheep in fantastical colours, ornamented with dots and stars. As with the 'fantasy trees' in Farmville, I initially was put off by the blue sheep with red dots. In the same manner in which I gradually came to appreciate the fantasy trees to the point where I wished to cultivate and produce MORE of them, I became seduced by the fantasy Sheep.

Breeding is not an instantaneous act. It requires special Potions and the presence both of a Ram and an Ewe. When a lamb is born, it must be fed 10 bottles of milk before it will grow into its adult form. One must ask Neighbours both for Love Potions and Bottles. Lambs can become ordinary or extraordinary Rams or Ewes, depending on their bloodlines and chance.

One can become quite obsessed with sheep-breeding. At first, I laughed at my Neighbours who constantly begged for more Bottles but now I have become quite as needy as any of them.

'Easter Egg' is an old gaming term that refers to special, hidden objects or events that can occur or manifest when triggered. The special Sheep that can be raised in Farmville could be considered 'Easter Eggs' in the gaming sense but, beyond that, breeding Sheep is very much like colouring Eggs for Easter. The brightly coloured, decorated Rams and Ewes that emerge when they become adults are very appropriate to the season and actually resemble coloured Eggs. I expect this was deliberate on the part of the developers and it is both clever and appealing.

Although virtual coloured Sheep, however fantastical and extraordinary, cannot take the place of real Easter eggs, the sheep breeding option in Farmville as well as the Crops of traditional Springtide flowers, gladden the heart and spirit.

Mothering Sunday and Simnel Day

2011-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

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The fourth Sunday in Lent is Mothering Sunday, or Mother's Day in England and has been celebrated since the 16th century. Originally, it was a festival day that honoured the blessed Virgin Mary, the role model for all Mothers and indeed, she who is considered to be the mother of us all. It became a day to honour all Mothers. Mothers are given a gift and a card often. Some Churches actually give flowers to the children of the congregation to present to their mothers.

Another aspect of this festival is the visit to the 'Mother Church' which either is the local cathedral or the Church where an individual received his/her baptism. The tradition was known as 'going a mothering'. In previous centuries, those who were in service usually were given the day off to visit their Mothers. Often it was the only day in the year when they were allowed an entire day to visit their families. The housekeeper or cook would allow maids in the household to bake a cake to take home to their mothers. Other special gifts might be a rare flower from the hothouse or fresh eggs.

The special cake baked on Mothering Day was the Simnel Cake and for this reason, Mothering Sunday is known as Simnel Sunday as well.

Robert Herrick wrote:

'I'll to thee a Simnell bring 'gainst thou go'st a mothering,
So that, when she blesseth thee, half that blessing thou'lt give to me.'

A Simnel Cake is a traditional fruit cake frosted with a layer of marzipan with 11 marzipan balls to represent, it is said, the eleven loyal apostles who did not betray Our Lord. The Simnel Cake could not be eaten until Easter as Mothering Sunday always occurred during Lent. It therefore was a cake that would improve with age, as do most heavy fruit cakes.

Nowadays, many people simply make the Simnel Cake on Easter rather than preparing it on Mothering Day during the Lenten Fast, although the Lenten Fast is a practice that is not honoured universally in te 21st century. There was a time, however, when Lenten Fasts actually were enforced by the Church.

A Recipe for a traditional Simnel Cake:

300g or 10 oz. self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon mixed spices
100g or 4 oz. butter
110g or 4 oz. brown sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
350g or 12 oz. of mixed dry fruit
2 eggs
100 ml of milk for mixing

Icing:
700g. Marzipan
2 tablespoons of icing sugar

Oven: 150 C or 325 F

Mix the butter into the flour by hand, then add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the Golden syrup and eggs. Add sufficient milk to form a soft but not liquid mass. Stir well to combine all ingredients, then pour half the mixture into a greased deep round 8 inch tin. Divide the Marzipan into three equal parts.

Roll out one third of the marzipan and place on top of the mixture in the tin. Add the rest of the cake mixture and make the surface smooth, then bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for ten minutes, and turn it out onto a rack. Roll out another third of the marzipan. Mix icing sugar with a little water to form a paste and pour this on the top of the cake, then place the rolled marzipan on top.

Make a little pattern with a fork or other implement round the edges of the marzipan.

Form 11 balls of equal size with the remainder of the marzipan, dip each into the icing sugar mixture, then place on the edges of the cake to form a circle.

If you wish, you can pour the rest of the icing sugar mixture into the very centre of the cake and add ornaments or other decorations such as flowers.

Gaming Exhibit at the Smithsonian

2011-02-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Interactive art is nothing new but recognition of video games as art is long overdue. Finally, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery have decided to acknowledge video games as art as well as the power of games in shaping culture. Members of the general public are invited to vote for their favourite games. A total of eighty games will be featured in the exhibit.

Smithsonian Gaming Exhibition

It is hoped that the exhibit will cover a wide span of games as 'video game' no longer is limited to combat or role-play. Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games are true interactive novels while an online game like Fantasy Kingdoms offers players an opportunity to create their own 'art' in the form of abstracts, patterns or traditional fantasy landscapes.

Genghis by Conn Iggulden

2011-02-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

Reading Conn Iggulden's series of novels about Genghis Khan has been an exhilarating experience. He is a fine writer who is able to recreate the period and the culture of the Mongols while telling the story of one of the great leaders in history. It is annoying to recall that I dismissed this writers series on Julius Caesar because of a negative review by a critic. I usually am not that easily influenced by critics. I am a firm believer in direct communication between an artist and the public.

From the third book, 'Bones of the Hills': 'We are herdsmen, Kachiun. We know how the world truly works and everything else is just an illusion... Even cities prosper only when there are rough men on the walls, willing to stand and die so that others can sleep in peace. With us, we all fight, from the first yell to the last breath. It is the only way to take pride in who we are.... I came to these lands because when a man threatens me and I look away, he has taken something important from me. If I fight and die, all he can take is my life. My courage, my dignityremain. Shall I do less for the nation I have made? Shall I allow them less honour than I claim for myself?' (Genghis Khan to his brother Kachiun)

'I'll be your Mirror'

2011-02-07T08:32:00.001-08:00

My mother thought of Lou Reed as the devil personified while for me, he was a poet who had the ability to translate the darker desires and torments of the soul into music that allowed one somehow to free oneself from the often horrible burden of trying to maintain a happy and courteous disposition in the presence of family and friends irrespective of the anguish that often lay beneath the surface.

It is not only adolescents who experience those 'black nights of the soul', although probably is more difficult for them to deal with it, as experience alone in time teaches us how to cope with tragedy, loss, betrayal and pain. I embraced the music of Lou Reed at a time when I was trying to cope with the rather shocking death of a fiance. In such a situation, one tends to shoulder a self-imposed burden of inadequacy, feeling somehow that one should have been able to change the course of fate to avert death. It may be illogical but it is a common response to the unexpected death of a loved one.

Lou Reed definitely did not speak for me before this loss occurred. The Velvet Underground had been disbanded long before I began to listen to their music. It was only when I experienced the death of a loved one who was my own age that darkness enveloped me and I launched myself on a path of rebellion fueled by despair.
Lou Reed became my voice for the emotions I could not express myself, having been taught that self-loathing, thoughts of suicide and destruction were to be avoided at all costs.

It was during this period that I became enamoured of the 19th Century Decadent and Symbolist Movements as well.

There are those who, with great wisdom, declare that every individual possesses a 'shadow self' and that, coming to terms with the dark side of our nature is the only way to achieve psychic and spiritual balance. My own upbringing was founded on a philosophy of avoidance of darkness in all of its manifestations and a correlation of 'darkness' with 'evil'. Thus my mother's assertion that Lou Reed was the devil personified. Not comprehending or even seeing the deep roots of my pain, she focused on Lou Reed somehow as the bearer of darkness rather than perceiving him correctly as nothing more than a messenger.

Parenthood is not an easy business and I do not hold my Mother responsible for her lack of effective moral support at a time when I desperately needed it. I think the changes in me simply terrified her. Furthermore, how can some one who never allowed herself to see, let alone explore her own shadow self be able to deal with that of her child?

Today, some one posted a link to a performance of 'I'll be your Mirror' on Facebook. The song is by Lou Reed. Nico is the vocalist.

'When you think the night has seen your mind,
And inside you're twisted and unkind;
Let me stand to show that you are blind:
Please put down your hands,
'Cause I see you.'

'I find it hard to believe you don't know
The Beauty that you are:
But if you don't,
Let me be your eyes,
A hand to your darkness,
So you won't be afraid...'

The irony where my Mother's opinion of this is concerned is that she never studied the actual lyrics of any of the songs. 'I'll be your Mirror' actually is a very positive song.

Another great song by Lou Reed:

Sunday morning,
Praise the dawning,
It's just a restless feeling by my side.

Early dawning,
Sunday morning,
It's just the wasted years so close behind.
Watch out, the world's behind you,
There's always some one around you who will call:
'It's nothing at all!'

Sunday morning, and I'm falling,
I've got a feeling I don't want to know.
Early dawning,
Sunday morning,
It's all the streets you crossed not so long ago.
Watch out, the world's behind you,
There's always some one around you who will call:
'It's nothing at all!'

Long before Lou Reed was recognised as a serious American poet, I knew that, however much he might reflect the consciousness of his era, his work would outlast him. Of course, Andy Warhol recognised it instantly and was a patron to the Velvet Underground.

Facebook Schizophrenia

2011-02-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

Even people who never used Facebook know its story now, thanks to a film entitled 'The Social Network'. Like many brilliant concepts, however, and especially those that are brought into existence on the internet, Facebook has morphed into something quite different from a traditional 'social network'.

'Friends and Family' is a concept that is easily defined in ordinary social terms, but where Facebook is concerned, it no longer is valid. With the proliferation of free games on the 'Social Network', Facebook users are urged to 'invite' more people to become Friends and Neighbours, thereby widening the circle of influence of the Network. The games not only encourage this but actually create situations where new options can be unlocked only if the player has a specific number of 'Neighbours' or 'Allies', depending on the type of game.

'Friends and Family' in the traditional sense are not the same as 'Neighbours' or 'Friends' in the context of a specific game. One may be very happy to share private details such as telephone number and address with REAL Family and Friends, but when one extends the range of Family and Friends to include individuals one never has met and is unlikely to meet in the ordinary world, however wonderfully they may behave in the context of the game, problems arise.

Facebook officially now restricts any individual to a single account and demands real details about that individual's current life. A gamer who would prefer to keep his/her personal details separate from gaming is in a difficult situation.

Facebook really should have two separate networks, one for real social contacts and one for gaming contacts. Users should be able to create at least one account for each. In fact, in terms of gaming, why shouldn't users be able to create as many accounts as they wish? The danger in widening the ordinary Facebook circle of 'Family and Friends' to include individuals who ask to be Neighbours or Allies in a game is becoming greater, as Facebook now demands more personal details and issues 'credits' that can be purchased as well through Paypal or via debit or credit card.

That is not to say one can't make REAL friends through games. Some of my dearest friends were introduced to me via Harvest Moon or Rune Factory and I know that I would be happy to meet many of my Facebook gaming 'Neighbours' in real life.

My point is that the standard of acceptance of a person as a 'Friend' on Facebook is different when one is attempting to obtain more Neighbours for the purpose of unlocking options in a game.

I understand why social networks would be wary of individuals who create accounts under other names if the motivation is sexual and predatory, but in the context of gaming, it really does not make ANY sense to restrict players to a single account, especially when all of these games, although free, offer options that require real investment in cash.

I do think, however, that it is time for Facebook to reorganise itself, splitting games and social networking. If this separation were possible, players no longer would need to fear the disclosure of their personal details to true 'Friends and Family' and gamers would be able to interact with fellow gamers without any need to divulge ANY personal details whatsoever.

The internet is a world that constantly needs to be updated and Facebook, in my opinion, has introduced a category of 'social interaction' in the form of gaming that requires drastic changes.

Meditations on Mandalas for the Lunar New Year

2011-02-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

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Some years ago, there was an interactive exhibit at one of the museums in San Francisco whereby visitors could assist in the creation of a sand Mandala with a group of Tibetan Buddhist Monks. Alas, I did not take notes or review the exhibit but having spent some of my childhood in Nepal, the experience took me back to that culture for a very brief moment in time.

There is a rather extraordinary game on Facebook called Fantasy Kingdoms. It could be defined in general terms as a 'farming simulation game' but in fact is far more. It embodies all the magic of childhood fairytales and the elaborate illustrations of 19th century artists with Crops and Items redolent with Symbolist power. It is enchanting, amusing and witty. Beyond that, however, it allows players to participate in an ongoing project of interactive art as well as entering into a magical, ever-changing place 'outside of time and space'.

There is no doubt that the developers of the game are aware of the potency of the images in Fantasy Kingdoms. Elemental energies are utilised to allow players to mix fire with water, air and earth or to concentrate the powers of a single Element in a Kingdom.

Do I exaggerate the power of this game? I do not believe so. I am not the only player who is aware of the magic inherent in the game. It is not a sinister power. Fundamentally, it is the power of Beauty and Creativity but where Fantasy Kingdoms differs from works of art that one can visit in museums is in its interactive nature.

Although I always was aware of the way some players used Crops and objects in Fantasy Kingdoms more as shapes and 'building blocks' than individual Items with unique properties, it is only recently that I began to utilise Items in this manner in my own Kingdoms. I loved the way each Tree cast its own shadow on the ground too much to 'stack' them as some players did to create a pattern.

In terms of the arts, any talent I have always has been in the realm of words and literature rather than the visual arts. Although I come from a family of visual artists, I always felt that my visions so far surpassed any reality I could create with my poor skills that it was not worth pursuing any serious attempt to translate my visual concepts into art. It is only in my dreams that my artistic skills were limitless and I always loved to go to sleep at night, knowing that the intricate and gorgeous landscapes that I experienced were the flowering of visual concepts I could not execute in real life.

When I finally began to experiment with the Crops and Objects as shapes in a colour scheme or pattern, I realised that, when used in this fashion, they become pieces in an ever-changing puzzle or building blocks in an ongoing work of interactive art. Perhaps some woud be horrified by the comparison with a Buddhist sand mandala but for me, an activity such as this can be as superficial or as profound as the spirit, intellect and emotions of the user would like it to be.

In creating landscapes in Fantasy Kingdoms, I felt that I was able to enter into a partnership with artists who actually had the ability and talent to bring my own fantasty visions to the light of day. Working with these exquisite 'building blocks' is a very fulfilling experience for me even though I never could claim to be able to create exceptional landscapes and have encountered many other players whose skills far exceed mine.

One of the things that makes this game unique, I believe is the way one can manipulate Crops by freezing them at various stages of growth and moving them individually. It is this option that made me think of the objects in the game as building blocks or puzzle pieces.

The Chinese Lantern Crops, for example, when first planted resemble tiny gold gems. After freezing them at various stages of growth to landscape the Kingdom, I began to set newly planted Chinese Lanterns on the border of the Kingdom, freezing them at zero percent growth to create a frame of gems. It was then that I was reminded of Nepalese and Tibetan art.

While I worked on this Kingdom to honour the Chinese New Year, I felt that I had created my own version of a Mandala. To my own spirit, the rich tapestry of colour was quietly potent and I experienced a feeling of balance in the landscape I had made. Perhaps it would leave another viewer quite cold, but that is irrelevant to some extent. Although part of the delight of Fantasy Kingdoms is the ability to visit the landscapes (Kingdoms) created by other players, ultimately the most satisfying aspect of the game is creating a Kingdom for oneself.

N.B. The objects in Fantasy Kingdoms when viewed from a distance create one sort of vision but are incredibly detailed and when a player enlarges his/her view, one can see the amazing wealth of creative detail that is to be found in every Crop and every Tree and every other object. This game really is worth an exploration by any one who loves art and/or the great illustrators of fairytales and folktales, whether or not he/she is a gamer!

Screenshot descriptions: The screenshots are intended to show some of the Limited Edition Crops in three different stages of growth. In particular, in the 'Mandala' Kingdom, you can see the Chinese Lanterns when first planted (0% growth), when in the middle of their growth cycle (60% or so) and when fully mature. Chocolate Hearts and Heart Candy for St. Valentine's Day is shown when it is halfway between 50% and 100%). The artwork showing the fully mature Crops is official FK artwork so is far superior!

John Gross, Consummate Man of Letters

2011-01-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

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My dear friend John Gross died two days ago and his loss will be felt deeply by many throughout the world. Many of the best writers in the English language will have something to share about John, but I feel I must honour his memory in some way, however poorly I may articulate my thoughts in comparison to writers such as A.N. Wilson.

Here is his Obituary from the Telegraph:

John Gross, the former editor of the Times Literary Supplement, who died yesterday aged 75, was for more than 40 years one of Britain’s shrewdest and most fair-minded literary critics and men of letters.

Once described as 'the best-read man in Britain', Gross was probably best known among his literary peers for his first book, The Rise and Fall of the Man of Letters: English Literary Life since 1800 (1969), a racily entertaining romp through the history of literary criticism and its practitioners which won the Duff Cooper Prize and established its author’s reputation as a man whose huge erudition was matched by a well-developed sense of humour.

In this, as in other works, what distinguished Gross’s approach was his sympathy for the more obscure and often faintly ridiculous toilers at the literary coal face — men such as the Scottish dissenting minister George Gilfillan (1813-78), a 'McGonagall of criticism' known for his eccentric flowery style and erratic judgments. AN Wilson declared that the book, which he first read as a teenager, had 'undoubtedly determined for me the direction I wanted my life to take... It became my Bible.'

Few could match Gross’s easy familiarity with the highways and byways of the English literary canon or his acute sensitivity to all its nuances. But he was generous with his omniscience. In an article in The Spectator (one of the numerous journals to which Gross contributed) Bevis Hillier recalled an occasion when, stumped for examples (other than Hamlet and Little Lord Fauntleroy) of the 'disputed succession' in literature, he decided to ask Gross for advice: “On the telephone, without recourse to any reference book, he came up with Wilkie Collins’s The Dead Secret (1861); Ibsen’s play The Pretenders (1864); and Trollope’s Is He Popenjoy? (1878). Beat that!”

So in the early 1980s, when Oxford University Press was looking for someone to marshal a new series of literary anthologies, Gross was the obvious choice. He went on to edit several critically acclaimed collections for the imprint, including After Shakespeare (2002), a superb anthology of writings about and inspired by Shakespeare, from Ben Jonson to Ben Okri; and 'Oxford' books of Aphorisms (1983); Comic Verse (1996); English Prose (1998); Essays (2002) and Literary Anecdotes (2006). His last book, The Oxford Book of Parodies (2010), will have provided entertainment for many households over Christmas and the New Year.

Gross proved equally inspired as editor of the TLS, where he was appointed to replace Arthur Crook in 1974. At the time the supplement could still be described by one magazine editor as 'a purely academic periodical, run by Oxford dons and written by anonymous writers analysing learned books'’. Gross set out to broaden its appeal to the general reader by expanding its coverage, increasing the number of poems and pictures and recruiting younger, less established writers to contribute.

Perhaps his most controversial decision was to insist on ending the practice of anonymity and giving his reviewers bylines, on the grounds that the cloak of anonymity had allowed 'the worst critics, Mr Puff and Mr Sneer, to sound like impersonal oracles'. It was not an easy decision. While some contributors, including Lawrence Durrell, were supportive, Nikolaus Pevsner objected that it would make life difficult when his friends wrote bad books. While admitting the balance sheet was complicated, Gross felt it healthier for reviewers to take full responsibility for what they wrote.

When he relinquished the editorship in 1981 after seven years in the chair, a tribute to Gross’s achievements there by Victoria Glendinning appeared in The Sunday Times under the heading 'The high style of an English man of letters'. This seemed a fitting tag for someone quintessentially English and literary, as Gross was; yet in A Double Thread (2001), his memoir of childhood, he revealed that his literary interests – and his sense of what it meant to be English — had developed out of a very different cultural heritage.

Born in the East End of London on March 12 1935, John Jacob Gross was the child and grandchild of Orthodox Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe, all of whom had come to England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

'Being Jewish', Gross wrote, was 'one of the central facts' of his existence, but his Jewishness was almost entirely secular. His father was a GP in Mile End and so came into professional contact with numerous non-Jews; it was thus hard for him to stick to all the rules he had grown up with in eastern Europe. 'Orthodox in principle' but 'semi-orthodox in practice', his parents brought up their son to be responsive to tradition but not constrained by its more rigid disciplines, and thus open to wider influences.

Gross’s retreat from Jewishness was further encouraged by the security and happiness he experienced as he grew up in wartime England. Before the bombs began to fall on the East End, his father sent John, his mother and baby brother to Sussex, and then Egham in Surrey, where he attended Mrs Gittins’s private school, then Egham Grammar School, and imbibed 'a certain idea of England' which included fair play, the King’s English, trial by jury, the Magna Carta – and virtues that would lead South American traders 'to seal their bargains on the word of an Englishman'.

Neither a hearty nor a swot, John happily devoured The Dandy and The Beano, collected stamps and cigarette cards, laughed at his more eccentric teachers, joined the Scouts and had fun with his friends. The war barely impinged, and if there was anti-Semitism in suburban Surrey it seems to have passed him by. 'I never suffered on account of being Jewish,' he recalled, 'never felt that my future was hemmed in, never endured either literal or metaphorical blows.'

Early on Gross made a conscious decision neither to ignore nor overemphasise the anti-Semitism he found in literature, but to consider it in context and to reserve the right to turn a blind eye. It was only later on that he would learn, from books, how lucky he had been as a Jew living in England during the 1930s and 1940s, but the fact of the Holocaust did not alter his fundamentally temperate approach. He felt that historians of the period had skewed the picture, not by inventing anti-Semitism but by playing down its widespread absence. 'The history of non-anti-Semitism remains an unwritten subject,' he reflected.

Gross’s eclectic schooling – after Egham Grammar School, he studied at the Perse School in Cambridge and finally City of London School – seems to have contributed to the development of broad cultural interests which also extended to 1940s cinema, radio programmes and popular songs, to contemporary poetry, to music hall culture and the lore of cricket. But he was equally knowledgeable about politics and current affairs. From the outset, a consistent strand in his writing was his distaste for what he regarded as the hypocrisies and damaging policies of the bien pensant Left.

From City of London School, Gross won a scholarship, aged 17, to read English Literature at Wadham College, Oxford. After graduation he spent a year on a visiting fellowship at Princeton University and worked for two years as an editor for Victor Gollancz before returning to academia as an assistant lecturer in English Literature at Queen Mary College, London University, then at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was a fellow from 1962 to 1965.

Having become dissatisfied with the narrowness of academic life he became, in the 1960s, a regular contributor on cultural and literary topics to various newspapers and journals. After a year as literary editor of the New Statesman and seven years with the TLS, Gross spent a year as an editorial consultant with Weidenfeld. He then served as senior book editor and book critic on the staff of The New York Times from 1983 to 1989. He also became a regular contributor to other American magazines, including the New York Review of Books, Commentary and The New Criterion.

From 1989 to 2005 he was theatre critic for The Sunday Telegraph. Though always mild and generous in his reviews, he did not hesitate to condemn the superficial trendiness of many contemporary plays and productions.

Gross’s other publications include a study of James Joyce in the Modern Masters series (1970) and Shylock: Four Hundred Years in the Life of a Legend (1993), which won high praise from John Gielgud, who wrote that he had read it “straight through twice and enjoyed it more than I can say”.

As well as his literary work, Gross served as a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1977 to 1984; was a member of the English Heritage advisory committee on blue plaques; and served on the Arts and Media Committee advising the British government on the award of public honours. He also served as chairman of the judges of the Booker Prize and was a non-executive independent director of Times Newspaper holdings.

John Gross married, in 1965 (dissolved 1988), Miriam May who, as Miriam Gross, also had a long and distinguished career as a literary editor. They had a son, the journalist and international affairs commentator Tom Gross, and a daughter, Susanna, who is books editor of The Mail.

END OF OBITUARY

It was when I lived in Manhattan that John Gross became a close friend of mine. He told me shortly after we first met that he believed we were 'cut from the same cloth'. We shared a love of a certain vision of English life, fine (but often obscure) literature and the finer things of life in general. John loved words, art and food. He loved gossip about high society as well and I think he always was a little disappointed by my utter indifference to this pursuit. Now that I look back on those years, I realise that the love we shared for social satire in literature in him fostered a keen delight in real social gossip. I know that he always wished to write a social satire himself but was resigned to the idea that he would remain more of a critic and essayist than a novelist. (As a matter of fact, John felt that the essay deserved far more popularity than it received in contemporary culture!) Furthermore, it is a pity that I was not more conscious of my good fortune in being able to meet some of the most famous 'luminaries' of the literary and social world through John.

John grew up in the East End of London and although it was not 'my London', he was delighted to discover that I actually had lived in Tredegar Square for a year or so when I worked in book publishing. Although he loved New York, he never felt entirely at home there and was happy to move back to England ultimately.

Although I had not known John in his youth and more than one generation separated us, he shared some of his earlier history and memories by taking me to Princeton and Yale to see old friends. The United States had a certain glamour for John and through his eyes, I was able to appreciate it far more than I did before I met him. Frequent dinners at the Plaza, the Westbury and the Carlyle Hotels enriched my own experience of Manhattan. We often met for afternoon tea at one of the better hotels and indeed, when I saw John in London, one of the first things we did together was to meet for tea at Brown's. There was something consciously old-fashioned about John that touched a chord in my own heart and soul. That is not to say that he was 'stuffy' in the least. Humour was a vital element in his personality but he somewhat disliked anything that smacked of coarseness or 'lavatory humour'. (He could appreciate silliness, however and we watched 'Fawlty Towers' together more than once.)

John was a person who enjoyed a very 'rich life of the interior'. His existence was multi-faceted and he confessed that he would have been at home in Victorian society with its repressions and excesses. I think he sometimes viewed himself as a character in an ever-unfolding adventure peppered with literary footnotes. We both shared a love of mystery novels and it was he who introduced me to Donald Westlake, a favourite of mine.

As the literary critic for the New York Times, he would receive huge boxes of books at his flat each week for review and he would be amused by my obvious delight in being allowed to open the boxes for him and then choose whatever books took my fancy.
We spoke often of our delight in first opening a new book... not merely the thrill of embarking upon a new journey in literature but the engagement of all the senses, from the feel of the crisp paper to the faint scent of ink and pulp or whatever makes up the perfume of the printed word when bound. John and I both loved a rather old-fashioned elegance in life... deckled writing paper, for example. (Churston Deckle from University days, not something many students had or even wished to use!)

Oddly enough, I was thinking about John over the weekend, remembering a trip we took to the races at Saratoga Springs. Where do people go after they die? Curiously, in one sense, I feel very close to John at this moment in time, as though the physical distance that separated us in the last decade now no longer signifies.

Winter Snow Hieroglyphs in the City

2011-01-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

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A rather severe snowstorm has been predicted today, but this morning, only vestiges of old snow remained on the deck. Although it is the very centre of Centre City in the midst of urban blight, the wildlife that visits is varied and can be rather astonishing. This morning, a Woodpecker was tapping away at the sacred Birch. Squirrels and finches are regular inhabitants but there have been fairly frequent visits recently by Hawks, Peregrines and Ravens. One morning, a Raccoon appeared on the deck rather inexplicably.

As long as wild animals can be found in Cities, there is hope for our planet.

Searching for Wide Open Spaces...

2011-01-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

In virtual reality as much as in the 'real world', the curse of lack of space is one that bedevils me constantly. As some one who is a collector by nature, my own tastes would mandate enormous mansions and acres to landscape according to my heart's desire. One recognises the improbability ever of having enough space in the 'real world', but it came as rather a shock to me initially to discover that lack of sufficient space is a curse even in virtual realities.

First, there is the actual computer or system's limitations in terms of memory or 'space'. If the system has insufficient space for a person's needs, that will restrict the user considerably.

One learned about that as soon as one began to use computers, but it was only when I became involved with games such as Harvest Moon and after that, Second Life and more recently, Lovely Farm, Farmville and Fantasy Kingdoms that I discovered space to be a valuable commodity that often is restricted to the rich.

In Harvest Moon, one had to purchase Refrigerators and Shelves or Cabinets to hold crops, herbs and all inedible items. Sooner or later, a packrat runs out of space, even though each slot or shelf can contain 99 of the same item. In the Rune Factory series, items have 'levels' of quality, which makes space even more limited as a Level 1 Onion, for example, will occupy a different slot from a Level 10 Onion. One saves items usually in order to be able to use them in Recipes in the Kitchen (in Harvest Moon) or in the Kitchen, at the Forge, Workbench or Pharmacy in Rune Factory. There is a point, however, when one must use the items, ship them or otherwise dispose of them because one has purchased the largest storage items and has run out of space.

In Second Life, one can keep a seemingly infinite number of items in the Inventory, which is the equivalent of pockets. One can stash any size of item there, from a tiny gem to a massive citadel or castle. To be able to USE the items effectively, however, one needs land and land requires premium membership, for which one must pay a monthly fee. The land must be purchased as well ordinarily and one easily can become seduced by the prospect of owning more and more land for landscaping and the creation of vast estates. A fair amount of real money can be spent in this pursuit...

In virtual farming games such as Lovely Farm, Farmville and Fantasy Kingdoms, one is not aware of the need for more space in the early stages. It is only as levels of experience increase, more options are unlocked and one acquires more animals, buildings and 'decorations' that one becomes aware of the need to expand. Although it is possible to earn the necessary currency for land expansions (albeit slowly) if one has a large number of Neighbours, a packrat is tempted to spend real money sometimes to acquire space to breathe. In Fantasy Kingdoms in particular, a game that is lavish in release of new creations and Limited Edition Items, with very little storage space, it can be frustrating to find there is no space for proper landscaping.

As in real life, too many objects crammed into too little space is not conducive to beauty or even proper appreciation of the objects themselves. As a doll collector, I discovered this when my shelves were filled and I had to stack the dolls, row upon row... However beautiful they may be and however much one may love to see them, it is far better to store them in boxes, bringing only a few out at a time.

One of the aspects of Fantasy Kingdoms that always delighted me was the exquisite care that was taken with shadows. Each tree had its own shadow and I loved to place them for the effect of their shadows as well as their forms. This detail was lost, however, as my Kingdom became overcrowded with objects.

In Fantasy Kingdoms now, one can have five different kingdoms. Being able to shift items from my initial kingdom to new plots allowed me to rediscover items I had not seen for months! Rather than being forced to search for a vacant space to 'stash' a new item temporarily, I finally can enjoy the art of landscaping again. Apart from lack of space, there is another practical consideration that bedevils me, which is lack of sufficient time...

Happy New Year's Eve!

2010-12-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

As I spent much of my life far from home on New Year's Eve, it never was a favourite holiday of mine. Today I was thinking once again about the wonderful way that free games on Facebook like Farmville and Fantasy Kingdoms allow people who otherwise may not have enjoyed the holidays because of their situations can interact with others and enter into the festive mood of the season wherever they may be.

In Farmville, players are celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with a special item every day to be shared with friends and neighbours. Other activities for the New Year's celebration include a New Year's Eve celebration, complete with a ball that drops at midnight, in a special Party Barn (on the farm, of course) and building a Snowman.

Fantasy Kingdoms has released a new Spell to create special fireworks for the New Year. Gorgeous Winter Solstice and Christmas decorations have been released throughout the holiday season.

In both games, there are special fantasy crops to be grown. Pointsettias, White Pointsettias and Balloons can be grown in Farmville. Holiday Candy and Ornaments can be grown in Fantasy Kingdoms.

Our own family tradition through the years has included Christmas and New Year episodes of various comedies. I uploaded a few clips from my absolute favourite, 'Mother and Son', last year. This year, I thought of sharing Mr. Bean and Absolutely Fabulous... To my delight, I discovered that some one else has done the work of uploading them to YouTube.

Although I posted the clips from 'Mother and Son' last year, the show still deserves first place here:

Here are a couple of our favourite New Year's Eve episodes:

Do It Yourself, Mr. Bean:

Absolutely Fabulous, New Year's Eve:

Only Fools and Horses released a Christmas special every year for decades, I think, and many of them are posted on YouTube. Vicar of Dibley and Father Ted have hilarious holiday episodes as well.

From Vicar of Dibley:

Even if you plan to attend a New Year's Eve party somewhere, these marvelous comedies should make the evening more festive.

The Spirit of Christmas, Fabulous and Free

2010-12-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

(Screenshots of Fantasy Kingdoms, showing special Christmas Quest reward prompt, Traditional Christmas Tree with lit candles and magical Holiday Sweets and Ornaments Crops)
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Christmas or Yuletide should be a time of universal rejoicing, a brilliant Star in the firmament of our lives in the often dreary winter season. In all Northern cultures, even before Christianity, there was a Winter Festival to celebrate the rebirth of life at a season when visible signs of death dominated the landscape. Although the Roman festival of Invictus Sol, or the Ever-Victorious Sun, near the time of the Winter Solstice, was an invention of one of the later Roman emperors, it actually was founded upon more ancient mystery cults.

In contemporary Western 'culture', we are bombarded with the propaganda of desperate consumerism, urging us to BUY, BUY, BUY for Christmas. In fact, the current Christmas episode of the popular television series, 'Family Guy', is a brilliant allegory about the effects of the greed of big businesses AND consumers alike on Christmas. (If one can tolerate or ignore the superfluous vulgarity of the occasional release of unpleasant noises from the human body, it definitely is worth a view or two. That guy really needs a good editor. What could have become a classic is marred by farts and belches from the human 'commentator'...)

At the same time that Christmas is being suffocated by aggressive commercialism, the anti-Christian or 'Atheist' groups are busy making mischief everywhere, protesting against any public demonstrations of faith in the Spirit of Christmas or any decorations that could have religious Christian connotations. It appears to be solely Christianity that is targeted by the atheists, by the way, a fact that strips their 'cause' of any virtue whatsoever.

Jung wrote about universal symbols in the collective unconscious and the fact of the matter is that most 'Christian' symbols of Christmas are replete with significance for EVERY ONE. Whether it is the Holy Family, the Lord adored by Beasts, the Infant King, the Blessed Virgin, the Star of Bethlehem or the Christmas Tree, ALL of these symbols can be found in mythology and folklore throughout the globe throughout the centuries. This, of course, is the source of ANOTHER group of protests from the fundamentalist Christians who declare that Christmas is a Pagan Festival and should be shunned and avoided by all devout Christians!

With all of the anti-Christmas Spirit in the air and the endless assaults by commercial enterprises urging us to BUY, BUY, BUY, it can require almost superhuman efforts not to become depressed during the holiday season, especially if one is poor, alone, ill or disabled. Indeed, Advent Masses almost always include prayers for the poor, the isolated, the ill and the disabled and concerted efforts are made by almost all Churches to deliver food and gifts to members of these groups.

Another source of Christmas spirit is available to those who might not be able to interact with others in the ordinary way. With the blossoming of wireless internet connections and Facebook, there are ways to interact with others in celebrating the blessings and beauty of the Christmas season.

Facebook is a social application that is free to users and was designed primarily to allow friends and family to share information about their lives, whether through photographs, videos or written messages. In the past year or two, however, free games have proliferated on Facebook and some of these are very creative in their efforts to celebrate traditional holidays.

Even though I take a personal interest in games, there is far too little time to explore all of the available options on Facebook. For me, however, it is the 'farming simulation games' that provide the best methods of social interations through gaming as one is encouraged to share with Friends and Neighbours rather than defeating or even killing them!

For sheer, breathtaking beauty, I would recommend Fantasy Kingdoms to every one who loves the visible aspects of the Christmas spirit. From magical Crops that grow Ornaments and Holiday Candy to incredibly exquisite Reindeer and Evergeens, Fantasy Kingdoms is a treasure trove of artistic delights.

Farmville may not be as exquisite as Fantasy Kingdoms but it offers a number of entertaining options, including a Workshop that can be 'harvested' daily for Gifts and a Christmas Tree where Gifts are stored and then traded for special holiday items.

These games are free and user-friendly. You do not have to be a gamer or even a computer expert to enjoy them. Although they do offer special limited items that require currency (Farm Cash or Kingdoms Cash) that is difficult to amass in the course of gameplay and therefore are designed to persuade players to invest real money in the game, there are plenty of items that can be purchased with currency Coins or Mana) earned by playing the game.

Fantasy Kingdoms and Farmville are two of the games offered on Facebook. There are many, many more that celebrate the Yuletide season by offering special items and activities.

Much has been published with respect to the dangers and pitfalls of internet friendships but for all the individuals one 'meets' who are not worth the time of day, there are far more who are wonderful people. Many could be described as 'poor, alone, ill or disabled', in fact, but rather than becoming depressed by their situations and the trials they are forced to endure, they involve themselves with activities that raise their spirits and the spirits of others.

Fantasy Kingdoms for Real People

2010-12-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

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I was enticed onto Facebook initially, as are most people, I suspect, by a friend who wished to share photographs from her own REAL life with me. She was a fan of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory as well as my Guides for a number of years but has become a real friend, and, I must add, one who moved heaven and earth recently to take one of my purebred Himalayan kittens. (In doing so, flying him all the way to Texas, she has earned my eternal gratitude.)

In any event, she set my guide-writing persona upon another path when she asked me to write a Guide for an extremely popular Facebook farming game named Farmville. When I began to play Farmville, I found other farming games such as Lovely Farm and Fantasy Kingdoms that were far more beautiful and I introduced my friend to these... It is rather ironic in a way that she now plays Fantasy Kingdoms rather than Farmville.

Many of the philosophical arguments for and against simulation games can be reserved for another time. Where a game like Fantasy Kingdoms is concerned, however, some very positive values become apparent during holiday seasons. Once upon a time, before the age of technology and computers, people who had no families and those known rather depressingly as 'shut-ins' often would become more painfully aware of their isolation and loneliness during holiday seasons. Those who could not share in the joys of decorating their own home or the appreciation of the decorations outside their homes would be oppressed by the knowledge of their limitations and lack of mobility. Now, however, there is a solution that can be extremely fulfilling in its way.

The online 'farming simulation games' such as Farmville and Fantasy Kingdoms, being based on Facebook, are geared towards expansion of an individual's social network. 'Sharing' is fundamental to all of these games. You are persuaded to add as many 'Neighbours' and 'Friends' to the game as possible. As they are free games, inviting a friend to participate involves no outlay of cash nor even information if the friend chooses not to share real data on Facebook. The way that these free games make money is by offering exclusive items that usually require purchase of a special currency using REAL cash. You can earn this special currency in the course of playing the game but it is a slow process and players often desire the exclusive items enough to invest real money in the game.

Investment of real cash in an online Facebook game might be perceived by many as foolish, but there is a compelling argument in favour of it. Console games and PC Games are not free for the most part and can cost up to 50 dollars in some cases. Free Facebook games on the other hand REQUIRE no purchase. Players reap the benefits of playing the free game, but how can the developers work on new games if there is NO investment in their products? Spending five or ten dollars to purchase exclusive items, when seen in this light, becomes more of an act of patronage of the arts than wanton foolishness.

A few years ago, I became involved in Second Life, a free virtual reality and my greatest pleasure in the game for the most part occurred during the holidays when players would create breathtaking or delightful items, then sell them or give them away or simply allow others to enjoy them. Second Life was based on the premise that the users of the game would create the world themselves. The experience therefore was very uneven. Wastelands or lands filled with rubbish could be found next to amazing wonderlands. Unfortunately, the star of Second Life has waned because of the economic recession... It is possible that as Facebook has become more involved in simulation games, that these games have taken the place of Second Life for some. After all, both on Second Life and Facebook, you can meet real people and interact with them.

Although the items themselves are created by the developers of the games on Facebook, players use them to create their own unique landscapes. Many of the so-called farming simulation games thus are interactive works of art. This is very much the case where Fantasy Kingdoms is concerned. The combination of the exquisite items created by extraordinary artists at SneakyGames and the use made of them by players can be spectacular.

At the heart of all Facebook games is the concept of 'Neighbours'. You are not encouraged to play the game in isolation, although you can do so. Many items and options are 'unlocked' only if you acquire Neighbours. The more Neighbours that you have, the better your gaming experience will be.

Although your gaming 'Friends' and 'Neighbours' may not be people that you know in your real life, interactions with them often do create real relationships. A person's personality is seen in the way that they treat others even in games. Free Gifts are very much a part of online Facebook games. There will be a list of items that can be sent to Friends and Neighbours on a daily basis. Some people never send Free Gifts but others make it a part of their daily Facebook routine. In helping others, the players of course help themselves, as 'Thank You Gifts' are encouraged in return.

For individuals with busy real lives, finding time and energy to experience virtual realities on Facebook can be a challenge, but for those who are isolated or disabled, it can be social salvation, especially during the holidays. After all, even if your 'Kingdom' is a virtual one, you can obtain extraordinary emotional and aesthetic satisfaction by decorating it for the holidays. Receiving virtual Gifts can be very satisfying as well. Knowing that REAL people are thinking about you and will go to the trouble to send you special items is a link with other people, even if the items exist only in a virtual reality.

Farmville may not be as gorgeous visually as Fantasy Kingdoms but it can be a lot of fun during any holiday season. The developers always release new construction projects and there are holiday Quests for Christmas with rewards in the form of special Yuletide items. Farmville has become far more entertaining now that the Crafting option has been included in the game. Although each of these games require a bit of time and energy, I find that I enjoy both Farmville and Fantasy Kingdoms, unlike my friend in Texas.

Many of us cannot afford to spend much money decorating for the holidays this year but in Fantasy Kingdoms, every one is a Prince or Princess with the power to distribute largesse and create a Winter Wonderland.

Note about Screenshots: The three screenshots are taken from Fantasy Kingdoms and feature special Winter items. The Magical Crop for the Winter Season is 'Ornaments'. When first planted, they are coloured glass ornament bulbs scattered on snowy ground. When they are fully mature and ready to be harvested, they are a glorious display of different ornaments, including a Golden Star, Red Ribbons and a Toy Drum. Each Crop in Fantasy Kingdoms has very distinct stages of growth and many players 'freeze' Crops at different stages to create interesting landscapes. For example, the FishTail Fern, when it is newly planted, can be used to create a lovely rock-like path.

The Christmas Tree that displays lit candles when it first is planted will be an undecorated evergreen covered with snow. It is only when it is ready to be harvested that the lit candles and pinecones will appear.

The little Ornament House is a special seasonal Item as is the Candy Cane Lightpost.

Holidays and Online Games

2010-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

On the day when the United States celebrates 'Thanksgiving', Farmville, the popular online game on Facebook, announced a 'double mastery' event that would extend through the holiday weekend, ending Sunday night.

My first reaction was disgust. It was an obvious marketing ploy to entice players away from their family and friends back to their computers at a time when gaming should have been very low on the list of priorities.

'Mastery' for the uninitiated, is a concept that allows one to gain points whenever a specific Crop is harvested. Bushels of the Crop randomly are produced whenever any Crop is harvested and Mastery increases the probability that one will obtain Bushels. In the simplest of terms, Bushels of Crops can be used to craft Items and can be traded to other players for monetary rewards. Giving double Mastery points over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend therefore would encourage players to plant and harvest Crops when they otherwise might have left their fields fallow for four days.

Farmville, a 'free' online game, is owned by Zynga, one of the most aggressive online gaming entities. The object of the enterprise, from Zynga's perspective is to persuade players to bring new players into the game and to encourage them to spend REAL money on it. When you are playing Farmville, you never are allowed to farm in peace. Every couple of seconds, a prompt will appear, telling you of some item your farming efforts have uncovered, and suggesting that you 'share' it with friends and neighbours. Nothing wrong with the concept of sharing, but 'sharing' is the means by which messages from Farmville are posted on players' profiles on Facebook. If you are not careful, your entire Facebook profile can be swamped by Farmville messages, giving outsiders the impression that you spend more time and energy on virtual farming than you do in living.

After my initial disgust at Zynga's blatant strategy to exploit a festival weekend, I began to think of all the people who would spend their holiday alone... I have spent many holidays alone, away from my home, surrounded by strangers on different continents at different times in my life. How much less lonely I would have been if I had the ability to 'join' a virtual community like Facebook, to entertain myself with the illusion that I was planting and harvesting Crops and setting a Table for a feast, sharing the rewards of my labours with 'friends and neighbours' throughout the virtual globe.

I never will find online games more attractive than games created for consoles or handheld systems. I dislike the intrusion of the game creators in my virtual life. 'Free' games require advertising of some kind and marketing to persuade the users to invest in them. There is nothing wrong with that. An individual who is willing to spend twenty to fifty dollars on a DS or Wii game should be willing to invest the same amount in a 'free' game that they play regularly. After all, how can the developers of these games be paid to continue creating new options if no one ever invests in the game? I have a very limited income but I do not expect to receive something for nothing in this world.

It is interesting to visit the farms of other players and to see how every one uses items differently. Some of the landscaping I have seen in games like Fantasy Kingdoms, Lovely Farm and Farmville is incredible. Players have created real works of art in many cases. On the other hand, the vagaries of the internet can be extremely annoying and frustrating. Online games on Facebook often fail to load or lose items or load so slowly that one is in danger of falling asleep (literally) while waiting for a screen to load. These games change constantly, as does Facebook itself and the need to coordinate changes on both sides can bring enormous problems to every one. Nonetheless, it is rather heartening to realise that the whole world truly can be connected in the celebration of a festival even when people are isolated in reality.

Gradual Alienation from Nature in Virtual Farming

2010-09-18T07:47:00.001-07:00

Obviously, games imitate reality to some extent, whether in faithful adherence to real time and space, items and society's interactions or in our emotional responses to events and characters. Virtual Farming, in particular, can be very realistic.

Harvest Moon games are set in a detailed universe filled with diverse Characters and different goals. Facebook Farming Games, one would have thought, are far more simple. The basic goal is to raise experience levels and earn enough money to purchase new Crops and Items.

I became involved with various Facebook Farming games partly at the behest of a friend and partly out of curiosity. I did write 'strategy' guides for a number of these games and over the course of a few weeks, discovered which of them actually had lasting appeal to me.

A Russian game called 'Lovely Farm' is my personal favourite of all the Facebook farming games. The graphics are very Russian, reminiscent of illustrations in old folktales. The crops are luscious and detailed, some of them extraordinary in their beauty. I never realised how beautiful a Watermelon could be until I played Lovely Farm...

Many players complain that the necessity to raise experience levels and earn money means that one never has enough space in these games. One tends to place more Animals and Trees than one would wish aesthetically simply because one needs to earn Coins from them. Experience can be earned by placing an item once, but where Trees and Animals are concerned, the ability to 'harvest' them means that one is best served if one can keep them on the land.

A packrat by nature, I have discovered that I am no different where games are concerned. It is difficult for me to sell items and Animals to make space for new ones. They are too real to me in a way. There is a point, however, where one cannot advance much if one does not begin to sell off Trees and Animals regularly.

Any Farming Simulation game is based primarily on Farming, which translates into tilling the soil, planting Crops, watering them (in some games only) and finally, harvesting them. What is ironic is that, the more experience that you gain, the fewer Crops one tends to grow. As one unlocks more beautiful decorative items, the size of farming land diminishes gradually as squares are needed in order to be able to place luxury items that produce nothing but lend enchantment and beauty to the land.

Each time I transform a tilled square of land into space for a decorative item, I feel a little guilty. More than half of the squares of land on my Lovely Farm now are devoted to decorative items rather than Crops. There was a time when I kept all Animals I received or purchased. Now I am forced to sell some of them in order to reclaim space. On the whole, the Animals, however charming or fetching, are less beautiful than fountains and roses, with the exception of the glorious Peacocks.

What sort of Farmer transforms rich, tillable soil into space for decorations and sells productive Animals in order to place another Gazebo or Marquee on the land? These games are designed to persuade players to invest in beautiful buildings and decorations... and in this, art imitates life. When one is scratching out a bare subsistence from the soil, one is not in any position to think about luxury items, but later, when one has wonderful Milk Cows that yield profitable Milk like clockwork and levels of experience have unlocked some of the most beautiful decorations, one begins to think in terms of aesthetic beauty rather than counting squares and profit margins for each Crop.

In a game like Fantasy Kingdoms, one actually can 'freeze' Crops in any stage of growth. As time passed, and my own energies had to be turned elsewhere, I froze all my Crops. My Kingdom, therefore, now produces no new Crops.

The gradual alienation from Nature and her fertile bounty has occurred in all the Facebook Farming games I play. I still plant Crops daily on my Lovely Farm, but the amount of space devoted to real farming is greatly reduced.

Farming simulation games ordinarily operate in real time and every Crop has a different growth time. Inevitably, as my levels increased, I began to choose Crops on the basis of growth times that were most convenient rather than those that appealed to me most. Crops, however lovely, that matured in two or four hours were less convenient than those that matured in 24 hours or even 2 Days.

The beauty of any of these games is that one can change everything at any point in time. I could sell all the buildings and decorations or place them in storage and reclaim every square of land for farming. Until that day, however, I live in the shadow of guilt, feeling that I am being disloyal to the Farmer's Code somehow by preferring luxury decorations to the honest satisfaction of seeing an enormous field filled with growing Crops.

Success brings its own negative influences as well. When one is striving to attain a level to unlock specific Crops or items, one works diligently and faithfully. When one has attained these goals, one is less excited by the prospect of labour. One does not lose interest entirely, but the flame diminishes slightly and one becomes less dedicated.

One of the most important side-effects of gaming is self-knowledge. One learns about oneself and cannot ignore flaws of character and weaknesses as well as strengths. People who dismiss games as 'time-wasters' do not understand how much gaming can be a true mirror of life.

A Review of the DSi XL

2010-09-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

I write strategy guides for Harvest Moon games made for handheld and console gaming systems. Among them is the Nintendo DS, a system that replaced the old Game Boy. In a couple of years, the DS has been produced in a number of different editions. The original DS and DS Lite allowed a player to play both the old GBA (Game Boy Advance) cartridges as well as the smaller DS cartridges.

More recently, the DSi replaced the original DS system. Vaunted as superior for its internet capabilities, it had one major disadvantage in that it did not support the old GBA games.

Although my DS has been dying slowly, part by part, I was more inclined to think in terms of purchasing a new DS rather than trying to invest in the DSi. Some of my favourite games were made for the Game Boy Advance...

A couple of days ago, becoming irate at the inability of my Character to run because of the demise of the L Button, I looked seriously at the DSi for the first time. In doing so, I discovered another system called the DSi XL.

As the name suggests, the DSi XL is an extra-large version of the DSi. Although I personally love miniature systems because they are portable and lightweight, I have corresponded with many players who, for whatever reason, find it difficult to see details on the tiny screens of the DS.

The screen of the DSi is FAR larger than that of the original DSi. The system is a little heavier but still is lighter than the PSP. Although some purists complain about the deterioration of image quality in the larger screen, players who liked to play their old GBA games via their television screens would find the quality of the images more than satisfactory. The screens, moreover, are brighter and have less glare than the DS.

I tracked down some one who actually owned a DSi XL and begged to borrow it for a day. It is one thing to read descriptions and quite another to experience a system firsthand.

Although many individuals now have cellphones with email capability and links to the internet, I do not. Rather to my delight, I was able to browse the web with the DSi XL and find my own website! I have included a screenshot of the DSi XL and my site.

The DSi XL has two cameras. I would have been very excited by this if either camera had been able to take screenshots of the current game. That would have made sense to me as a guide writer. Neither have this capacity. The camera either can take photographs of the person using the system or a photograph of an object in front of the system. There are all sorts of editing capabilities for these photographs, but it is more like a game than serious photography.

Speaking of which, the DSi XL includes three games, two of which are Brain Age games. There is a link to the Nintendo Shop where one can purchase and download games as well.

This is where the DSi and DSi XL differ significantly from the old DS systems. Like the Wii, the DSi was created partly to allow players to download games. I did not explore the titles at all but it would be interesting to know what games are available. Probably many classics from the old GBA days...

It is the size of the screens that prompted me to write this post as I feel that many players who have eschewed DS games in the past few years because they could not see the details clearly would be thrilled with the DSi XL. Any one who has not touched a handheld system since the demise of the connection between GBA, GB and television screen should invest in the DSi XL.

As the official price dropped by $20. three days ago, the system becomes even more attractive to any one who is not satisfied with the size of the screens on the original DS or DSi.

I have included a screenshot of a Harvest Moon game on the original DS and the DSi XL for comparison purposes. You can see how much larger the screens of the DSi are.
Another photograph shows my website on the DSi XL. When visiting any site, you can enlarge any section of the page as you can see. The third shows a photograph I took of a German Engel-Puppen doll with the DSi XL camera.

Praise for the Mockingjay

2010-09-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

It is seldom that I find a book or series of books that affects me at the core of myself and lives with me forever after. 'The Hunger Games' Trilogy is such a series. I finished 'Mockingjay', the final book in the trilogy, this morning. I would like to thank my friend, Bill Bayer, for recommending the series and sending them on to me after he had finished them.

They are described as 'Young Adult' books but like any book that promises to become a classic, they are books for every age. When compared to the extraordinarily popular Twilight series, the latter dims to the point where one realises it is irrelevant, trivial... The Hunger Games Trilogy embraces all the eternal questions for humanity as well as dealing with the 'coming-of-age' of a young girl. It is brilliant, forceful, unforgettable. There is a little too much death and destruction in the books for me, but not gratuituous by any means. It is a series about the lengths to which governments will go to preserve and maintain their power and the ability of humanity to live with 'bread and circuses' even when their own children are culled for entertainment. Yet, above all, it is about the ability of humanity to make sacrifices to end injustice. The thread that is interwoven into the enormous tapestry of revolution and humanity's survival is a young girl's tortuous path to adulthood and love.

There are many heroes in the Hunger Games trilogy and most of them are ordinary people who, when called upon to choose survival at any price or sacrifice for a higher cause or another, find the courage to embrace a higher purpose. The characters are real people with real flaws and weaknesses, and some are obnoxious or unpleasant, and yet, in accompanying them on their journey, we become emotionally involved with each and every one of them.

I would recommend this series to every one. It will rock your world.

The Seduction of the Beloved Dead

2010-08-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

In Fantasy Kingdoms, a rather gorgeous Facebook Farming Simulation game that consists more in creating idealised landscapes than any deep strategies, there was a Limited Edition for the Beloved Dead or Beloved Undead, depending on the player's own fantasies. It included a Mausoleum and 'My Beloved's Gravestone'. They both are exquisite.

The entire Gothic mentality has enjoyed a tremendous revival lately. Although our official 'culture' attempts to convince us of the hope of living almost forever through Botox, cosmetic surgery and a host of medications, there is a very powerful counter-culture movement that embraces Death in all its manifestations, both Beautiful and Terrifying. It is no accident that vampires are portrayed as the most romantic protagonists of love stories at present. The Goth movement strives towards death in rebellion against the refusal of our culture to treat it realistically in any way, shape or form.

Less than a hundred years ago, family members died in their homes and were laid out in the parlour so that their loved ones could bid them farewell. The bureaucratic nightmare that now encompasses the 'business' of death had not reached insane heights yet. There was a time when it was not a crime to bury a loved one on his/her own land. Now you have to purchase a lot in a village or condominium for the dead...

However our culture deals with Death, human nature is such that we tend to value what we have lost far more than anything we still possess.

It occurred to me today that our Beloved Dead and especially those with whom we had a romantic connection, whether tenuous in life or binding, are the most dangerous lovers we possibly could have, for they allow us to keep our illusions. Their actions have completed for better or worse. In our memories, we can reconstruct the reality to suit our deepest psychic needs. What living being can hope to compete with one who has died and especially if the death were sudden and unexpected?

I lost my fiance while still at University and he cast an enduring shadow over my life that practically destroyed me. I was very young, even younger than most undergraduates and without any emotional and spiritual guidance, should be forgiven for my selfish longing to join my Beloved in death. At that age, I never had been truly intimate with any one physically nor had I lived with any man. My concepts of romance were extremely idealised. I loved him 'beyond reason' but what sort of love was it really? I never had a chance to discover that because of his untimely death.

I therefore cheated the living and myself by clinging to every memory of the one who died and building a spiritual and emotional mausoleum to him, It did not make him more real. In fact, I created a chimera to some extent, based upon my incomplete (but wonderful) knowledge of him. Being dead, he couldn't snap at me when overtired or row with me over some trivial point. He couldn't shoot down any carefully-constructed illusions from his position in the Unknown. He therefore was the symbol of perfect Love. In time, he became a symbol as well of my unwillingness to accept Life and Love as part of the mundane, imperfect fabric of existence.

Fortunately, I did move beyond that little by little but there still is a part of me that longs for that perfect, unspoiled Love. I hope I am becoming wise enough to realise that any real, living human being can offer far more than a dead person, however beloved and even if his offerings might be less than perfect and sometimes even undesirable.

There is an old cliche that 'no man is an island'. How many of us have no family and no friends who would mourn us if we died? Very few, even if some of us find it easier than others to forget this fact.

When we feal anguish over the loss of a loved one, we should think about the anguish and suffering WE would cause if we were to join that individual in the great beyond. It is a very universal sort of suffering after all.

In Memoriam for Adriana

2010-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

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A beautiful, sensitive and very bright friend named Adriana died in Romania a few days ago at the age of 39 rather shockingly after a blood vessel exploded in her brain. I never met her in person, but she had quite an impact on my life in her own way. She sent me a card for Martisor one year and it still is on my bedside table. I always hoped that one day I would be able to accept her invitation to visit her in Romania.

Adriana had a keen spiritual and aesthetic appreciation of life and art. She is sorely missed by many. Like a shooting star, the arc of her life illuminated mine briefly.

Dear Adriana, I hope your spirit is soaring in the heavens now, freed from all the pain, frustration and limitations of this world of ours. May the love and friendship you inspired warm those of us who are left behind.

When I think of Adriana, I think of the Snowdrop, Romanian symbol of Martisor, the festival that celebrates the rebirth and emergence of life in Spring from the frozen grip of Winter. Delicate and exquisite, the Snowdrop is the herald of Spring, often blooming in the snow. Although it dies after a few weeks, its 'death' is an illusion, for the real strength of the plant is underground, where it awaits a new birth in the next Spring. So too is Adriana's death no more than an illusion in a sense, for her soul lives on.

Adriana translated this poem for another, very close friend of hers. I would like to share it as a sort of memorial to her memory.

We Have Time
by Octavian Paler
(Translation by Adriana Papara)

We have time for anything,

To sleep,to run from one place to another,

To regret that we made mistakes, and make others,

To judge others and absolve ourselves.

We have time to read and write,

To correct what we wrote, to regret what we have written,

We have time to make projects and don’t respect them,

We have time to make illusions, to search for them on the ashes later,

We have time for ambitions and diseases,

To blame destiny and the details,

We have time to look at the clouds, at advertising or an accident,

We have time to push away our questions,

To put off the answers,

We have time to break a dream and reinvent it,

We have time to make friends and lose them,

We have time to learn and to forget what we have learned,

We have time to receive gifts and not understand their meaning.

WE HAVE TIME FOR ANYTHING!

There is no time for a little tenderness,

When we do this, we’ll die.

In this life I have learned something that I have to share with you,

I learned that you cannot make someone love you.

All you can do is to be a beloved one,

The rest depends on the others,

I learned that it take years to gain trust,

and only a few seconds are enough to lose it,

I learned that it doesn’t matter WHAT you have in your life,

It matters WHO is in your life,

…

I learned that you have to part from dear ones with sweet words,

It might be the last time you see them!

The Mystery of the Doves

2010-07-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

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The Doves once again built a nest in the old yew and once more, I saw them, half-concealed in the boughs of the tree, protecting their nest night and day.

One morning, a dead fledgling lay on the path beneath the yew. It was a young Dove. I did not think it newborn but perhaps one who tried his wings for the first time and, failing to remember the lesson, plummeted to his death. I could be mistaken. it is possible that newborn Doves are larger than I realised and resemble the adults more than I thought they would.

After that, the Doves sat on the nest no more. It breaks my heart a little whenever a young life is snuffed out but, like Tennyson once wrote:

'Are God and Nature then at strife,
That Nature lends such evil dreams?
So careful of the type she seems,
So careless of the single life;

That I, considering everywhere
Her secret meaning in her deeds,
And finding that of fifty seeds
She often brings but one to bear,

I falter where I firmly trod,
And falling with my weight of cares
Upon the great world's altar-stairs
That slope thro' darkness up to God,

I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope,
And gather dust and chaff, and call
To what I feel is Lord of all,
And faintly trust the larger hope.'

Even gathering dust and chaff, one must trust the 'larger hope'... and it is not only dust and chaff in any case. Each day there is cause for joy as well as pain. When I see one of the Cats chasing a toy, when not-so-little Cupid, my Kitten, licks my face in love, when I see a work of art that inspires me or read a passage in a book that is perfection itself... life is filled with small joys even when the pain and the losses are great.

Strawberries and Illusion in Reality

2010-06-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

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Strawberries in any supermarket are red and luscious in appearance, but in fact are shot through with brilliant red dye in order to make them appealing. In my innocence, I did not realise this initially. I simply thought that Strawberries had degenerated as a Crop and naturally had come somehow to taste like cardboard and to be hard as rocks, even when ripe red.

This morning, I was cutting Strawberries purchased at a local supermarket when I came upon one that was pallid, almost white in spots, as though it had contracted a variety of leprosy special to fruits. Evidently the dye had missed parts of this pathetic fruit. It made me think about reality and illusion and I decided to write about it, taking a photograph of a portion of this Strawberry next to one that had been fully blasted with the brilliant dye.

In fact, it was only when some one purchased Strawberries recently from a farmer's stall in the country and brought them to me that I finally recalled what natural Strawberries WERE. I remembered as a child how, in Nepal, we grew Strawberries on the compound and how they almost dropped from the vines when ripe. The proper method of removing the little green hat they wear was to pinch it between two fingernails and pull it off, thereby wasting none of the fruit. The taste was sweet and the texture succulent. These roadside Strawberries had all these qualities...

Playing Facebook farming simulation games recently in order to compare and review them, I thought of how the Strawberries in a game called Farmville are dull and small unless fertilised by a neighbour. When fertilised, they are large and attractive, causing the player to lust for real strawberries.

Farmville is virtual reality, but how real are the fruits sold at Supermarkets after all? Where is the dividing line between illusion and reality? Consumers are bombarded with marketing devices through the media as well as being deceived visually by the appearance of items in shops. Even when laws require disclosure of ingredients, few consumers actually bother to read the 'fine print'.

Yet, the fruits sold in supermarkets, although they provide some semblance of taste and a small amount of nutrition, are almost as false as the Fruits harvested in Farmville. Sadly, a child who never tasted a fruit that ripened naturally on the vine would believe that these dyed, processed items represent the 'real deal'.

I recall experiences I had with vegetarians who purchased false meat deliberately in order to recreate traditional meals. The 'meat' was made from soy but rather than using it in its natural form, they purchased soy 'turkeys', 'roasts' and soy 'sausages'. These ersatz meats never really looked like the items they were intended to replace but evidently, some people prefer to add a layer of illusion to their lives, especially where food is concerned. After all, most people know that real butter is white, but how many individuals would be happy to spread white butter on their toast?

In many cases, illusions are tools for seduction, whether it is prompted by an advertiser or seller or by oneself. Any illusion that makes an item or a task more attractive is embraced happily by most people. In most cases, there is nothing sinister about these illusions but I am beginning to believe that the effects are cumulative.

I always have been very conscious of the illusions and propaganda that are promoted deliberately by the media where 'news' is concerned and actively fought in the trenches to dispel these falsehoods. It became very discouraging, however, when I realised that the majority of readers or viewers of the news actually do not care whether it is true or false as long as they believe it will not affect them personally. How many people outside of Palestine cared about the Israeli violence against the Flotilla for Justice, a genuine humanitarian effort to deliver necessities to a people in desperate straits? How many Americans actually know where Gaza is? The entire 'war against terror' is based on carefully constructed propaganda designed to promote the interests of the military machine and civilian firms like the notorious Halliburton and KBR who make billions by working with foreign forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere throughout the world... The interests of the Israeli State often are placed above domestic and even international American interests in the U.S. in Congress as well as 'on the street'. The simple mantra taught to the general public to the effect that 'Israel is our friend' is enough to whitewash any number of crimes against international law and humanity. True friendship allows criticism and disapproval but the U.S. 'friendship' with Israel is a one-way street that does not allow even a breath of criticism against ANYTHING that the Israelis do. The most courageous Jews in the U.S. such as Norman Finkelstein, who dare to criticise Israel and its policies are villified regularly in the media for doing so and are defined as 'self-hating Jews' as though Israel and Jewish were one and the same. The Jewish organisation of Neturei Karta is compelling proof that this is NOT the case:
Neturei Karta

For those interested in learning a little more about Norman Finkelstein:
Norman Finkelstein

I try to steer clear of politics in these posts, but it infuriates me to see how easily the general public is manipulated in the name of patriotism to embrace dangerous falsehoods, especially where international affairs are concerned. Education is another venue for propaganda and history textbooks in schools and universities change each decade or so with the tides of political and social propaganda. Students who question the official dogma, even at university level, especially in the area of a topic that is 'sensitive' often run the risk of being punished for doing so. If the student is a child, the official response can be extremely intimidating.

This is far from the topic of dyed Strawberries, however... It saddens me always when I lose friends who cannot countenance political disagreement and I hope this little outburst will not cause me to lose MORE friends. In my view, as previously stated, true friendship allows disagreements, even on matters close to the heart. A friend who will not allow such disagreements basically blackmails his/her friends into silence with the implicit threat that should he/she dare to speak out, the friendship will be terminated.

Real People, Neither Villains nor Heroes

2010-05-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

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Friends and family who never play video games often have no real understanding of the appeal that Harvest Moon and Rune Factory have for me. With the title of 'Hero of Leaf Valley', a non-gamer might be excused for assuming that the game would be a traditional role-playing game (RPG) with narrowly defined Villains and Heroes. Such is not the case, as any one familiar with Harvest Moon would know.

Every Harvest Moon game has a philosphical basis. Some explore the philosophy in more detail and are more profound than others. The basic premise of any Harvest Moon game is the need to live in harmony with Nature and more than that, to understand that the world of plants and animals is OUR world as well. We are not its masters or its creators. We all must work together if the universe is to prosper. It is not how much you sell or how much money you amass but your ability to interact positively with others and with your environment that is the key to a good life.

I often describe the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series as true interactive novels and in fact, the detail and depth of dialogue only has expanded in each new game.

In 'Hero of Leaf Valley', it is the conflict between real estate development and the traditional use of land that is the basis of the tale. A corporation named 'Funland' has purchased the land in Leaf Valley and intends to create an amusement park. Your character must be the 'Hero' by foiling this plan. He has a number of choices as to how this can be achieved. The most straightforward would be to save 50,000G to purchase the land outright from the Corporation. The other methods would be to transform Leaf Valley into a Nature Preserve by finding endangered species and documenting their presence or by transforming Leaf Valley into a desirable tourist destination by encouraging residents who have various talents to explore and perfect those abilities.

As you can see, there is nothing simplistic about the plot. The Characters are fairly complex as well. There are three members of the Funland Corporation in Leaf Valley: Alice, Renton and Charles. Alice is the CEO of the company. Renton is an older man who exhibits some friendliness and sensitivity from the start, but even Alice and Charles, both young and ambitious, are not true 'villains'.

If you bother to interact with them and raise your Friendship levels with them, their dialogues will show their own desire to balance their ambitions with a certain amount of humanity.

Charles will tell you:

Charles: It seems that you misunderstand. I am just doing my job. Would you stop talking about us behind our backs, now?

Charles: I didn't come here to harass the people of Leaf Valley. Isn't it only common sense to want to evict the people who won't leave your property? That's all we're trying to do. I wish you would stop vilifying us.

The residents of Leaf Valley are people who live fairly simple lives. Your own Character is a farmer. There is a local Greengrocer and owners of various small businesses, including a Florist, a General Store and a Carpentry Shop. The Starling Ranch raises Animals. They all represent the traditional way of life. The Funland Corporation, on the other hand, represents technology and development. They believe that change always represents an improvement, that if you do not exploit the land, you are wasting its potential.

Charles: There are a lot of things that I have to do with my job. I don't just walk around town. I'm not the same as people who only have to work when the sun is up.

He is an engineer who develops robots and sophisticated machines. His counterpart in the Valley is Louis who owns an 'Items Shop' but who is an inventor as well. Where Charles works for a large corporation, however, Louis owns a shop where the primary business interactions are performed through a system of barter.

What Harvest Moon always tries to demonstrate is that the old ways can be the best in many ways. At the same time, lack of progress or any stimulus whatsoever is ruinous. At the start of most Harvest Moon games, the village has suffered from the loss of its youth who, perceiving no future there, have moved to larger cities. One of the goals you have is that of infusing your Community with new challenges and a reason for people to return.

Harvest Moon games are very realistic in that farming, animal care, fishing and mining all take time, require patience and much repetition of the same actions. Farming and Animal Care in reality involve repetition for the most part. You must water crops regularly and feed Animals daily. Even fishing and mining require patience. Often, most of the items you catch or find will be nothing more than rubbish. The desirable items cannot be obtained unless you are willing to put in the time and demonstrate patience.

Some players consider this aspect of Harvest Moon 'boring' or 'tedious' but in fact, it is this that creates a sense of reality and places one in a sort of contemplative state that is relaxing and therapeutic. For the most part, hard work and determination will lead to rewards. When you harvest a Crop, it has far more significance to you after all of your labours than it would have if you could throw the seeds on the soil and immediately find ripened Crops in their place. The same is true whenever you find a rare Gem in the Mines or catch a new type of Fish. It is far more exciting and rewarding for all the rubbish you had to find first...

As I write strategy guides for these games, I have to pay even more attention to details and often involve myself in even more repetition than other players. For example, much is revealed in dialogue, but often characters will repeat the same dialogues again and again. The dialogue is randomly generated to some extent in order to provide variation in your encounters. Dialogue can be based on the season, the weather and the level of your friendship with the individual as well.

It was only by finding Charles in his workroom in the basement of the Funland Headquarters and speaking to him again and again relentlessly that I was able to experience the Dialogues I copied above. As I wished to see how many variations in dialogue I could obtain, I kept speaking to him over and over.

After he had repeated himself a few times, he finally turned to me with an appearance of being utterly fed up and cried:

Charles: Oh! I am trying to do some thinking here! Please don't interrupt me!

It may have been coincidental in fact, but how much more realistic could a social interaction in a GAME ever be?

Trifles and Trinkets and Creative Time-Travel

2010-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

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In a time of economic depression or recession, the acquisition of small luxury items, and especially those that have absolutely no practical use, may appear insane. Yet, there are those, including myself, who are drawn towards such objects far more when a general air of privation or gloom pervades the atmosphere.

I find that I enjoy catalogues of such items more when I cannot afford them than during periods when I could have bought them. Sometimes, when my physical pain is almost insupportable, I escape it a little by visiting a site that deals in exquisite antiques, cameos or trinket boxes. I love them always, but they acquire more potency in my psyche when they become temporary shields againt pain. And yes, I probably would buy one now if I could!

One of the simplest of declarations made in a poem, and yet one that is so basic that it never becomes outmoded is:

'A thing of beauty is a joy forever.'

Are some of us born with a keen appreciation of beauty and exquisite art or is a matter of education and training? I know that, as a child, I was surrounded by people who possessed a refined sense of artistic appreciation and indeed, was educated to recognise fine china, silver and paintings at a very young age. On our first trip to the Continent, each night, my sister's godfather commanded us to write about one painting or building that was had seen that day. For most children, that would have been onerous enough. He further dictated that we write our impressions in the form of a perfect sonnet, either in the format of Petrarch or Shakespeare. We grumbled but we did not refuse.

When we returned home, looking back upon that trip, I felt we had been in the clutches of an insane old dictatorial man. Much later, I actually was deeply grateful to him for the experience and even the burdens of being forced to write those awful sonnets.

The appreciation of classical poetry is deepened by the act of creating classical verse, however poor the results. The appreciation of art is based partly upon the knowledge of its foundations and the thread that ties it to history. John's favourite painter was Piero della Francesca. His obsession with the artist led me to a personal dislike of Piero, alas, but at the same time, showed me how an entire trip can become more interesting and a richer experience when it has a theme. When I became an adult, in a similar fashion, I made a 'pilgrimage' to every site with some connection to Ludwig II in Bavaria. In France, I followed the steps of Napolean and of Jean Cocteau (not simultaneously).

A theme gives a plot to a journey and can transform it into an interactive novel. Although any exploration of the unknown or strange is fascinating, when it is connected to a specific historical or even fictional character, it becomes even more enjoyable. Furthermore, it gives one the ability to travel through time to some extent. One begins to perceive contemporary objects through the eyes of some one visiting the future. The landscape that would have been contemporary with the subject of the pilgrimage is viewed differently as well. Changing perspective is one of the great secrets of living without ever become bored.

This, however, has little to do with trinkets or trifles except in one small respect. A luxury item, especially one with some history, brings the world into the home in a small way. A Limoges box, for example, can bring the entire history of the Limoges industry in France as well as its significance in the lives of the French Court into the palm of my hand. One admires the intrinsic beauty of the object but beyond that, one feels a sense of continuity with all those who have patronised the art.

19th century British cameos have drawn my interest only in the past couple of years, after a visit to Pompeii, where cameo factories continue to thrive. Like many people, I had disregarded them previously simply as jewelry beloved of old people. After being almost forced to take a tour of one such factory, although I recognised the items produced by that factory as designed primarily for the tourist trade as well as being over-priced, I began to study antique cameos. I realised that they represented the re-flowering of Northern European fascination with the Classics and therefore a synthesis of Victorian romanticism and the Classical world. The use of natural organic materials such as coral, jet and shell infuses them with additional power. A shell, exquisitely carved with the image of a Roman deity using ancient techniques, then set in a precious metal such as gold, combines the power of Classical mythology with natural beauty and often, the aesthetic appeal that a certain degree of artistic excess can generate. The marvelous Etruscan revival combined with Victorian love of intricate design both lend their styles to cameo art of the 19th century.

The cameo shown here is an example of another Victorian tradition in that it holds the hair of a deceased love one. Macabre perhaps, but what makes it particularly interesting is the design that has been created with the hair itself. It has been fashioned into the form of a feather.

Feathers traditionally represent the freedom of the soul liberated from transient flesh and therefore are a symbol of immortalilty. The flight of a bird is a symbol of human longing for the divine. The obverse of this pin depicts a Bacchante, a follower of Dionysus. Dionysus was the central figure in a Roman mystery religion that resembled Christianity in many respects as a god who was sacrificed and then reborn. The Christian communion ritual of bread and wine was part of the Dionysian traditional as well and indeed, Dionysus was considered the original inventor of wine. The Bacchantes were women who threw off the restraints of civilisation to surrender entirely to the god, running through forests and fields in utter abandon and ecstacy. Their rituals were savage, often terrifying and wholly dedicated to the god. In artistic terms, they are symbols of the naked power of Nature, both creative and destructive and entirely potent beyond any shackles that humanity can devise for Her.

The trinket boxes created by Halcyon Days represent a revival of an 18th century art of enamel on copper. The art was revived in the 1970s by Halcyon Days, with the use of the expertise of Bilston & Battersea Enamels. Having proved quite popular with consumers, the art form was embraced by other British firms such as Crummles. While Crummles focused on storybook scenes, Halcyon Days specialised in limited editions for special occasions, historical places and anniversaries. The box shown above was created for the Metropolitan Opera of New York and depicts the swan of Lohengrin. It therefore has particular significance for lovers of the Metropolitan Opera, of Wagner and specifically of Lohengrin. Incidentally, the Swan had great personal significance to Ludwig and the influence of Wagner permeated much of his life.

Swans in ancient Northern mythology were a form taken by the Valkyrie who were known as 'swan-maidens'. They were the agents of Odhinn, his daughters in fact by mortal women, half-human and half-divine, the choosers of the slain, guides to the chosen heroes. In this, they resemble Mercury or Hermes who also guided the souls of the dead on the road to the afterlife.

Trinket boxes have a particular attraction for me, as they originally did have a practical use in the 18th century, holding patches, snuff and other luxury items for the aristocracy. For me, therefore, a small porcelain or enamel trinket box evokes such dashing heroes as the Scarlet Pimpernel. The charm of the Scarlet Pimpernel was the combination of an outward appearance of total insouciance and moral decadance with the reality of secret moral and ethical resolve and honour. One without the other would not have been half as dynamic or attractive. The fact that he could act the role of fop perfectly while dedicating his life to heroic action was what made him irresistable and memorable in my eyes, even if he WAS on the wrong side politically! It was a little difficult to reconcile my love of Napoleon with my admiration for the Scarlet Pimpernel, albeit one could do so by recognising one as historical fact and the other as a delightful fiction.

I never have viewed any object in monetary terms. Collecting to me always was extremely personal and emotional. When I sold dolls, I was rather appalled by the customers who perceived them as investments, and indeed, the collapse of THAT market was inevitable, given the false expectations that expanded it far beyond its natural radius.

To me, a doll was a link with childhood, whether it was my own childhood, my mother's childhood or a great-grandmother's childhood or simply an intellectual and emotional response to something in the actual doll.

There are strict Muslims who refuse to have dolls or plush toys in their homes because they consider them to be 'idols' and therefore prohibited by religion. I always rather liked 'idols'. Indeed, I do not see them as an impediment to spirituality but an offering to the Divine. 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever' once again... Whenever one sees beauty anywhere, whether it is tangible or intangible, a work of art or an extraordinary concept or exquisite phrase, it is a signpost that directs us towards the Divine. One does not worship Idols. They simply exist to remind us of the ultimate Beauty that is a very small part of the Infinite Divine Being.

Limoges Boxes seldom represent 'great art', but they can be exquisite and to me, they resonate with the entire mood of the 18th century and the French Court. It may be slightly contrary of me to admire both the artistic excesses of the Royalist 18th century partrons of the arts and the French Revolution that created Napoleon but I do. Although politically I always have been and continue to be a revolutionary, some of the greatest art exists only through the patronage of a corrupt aristocracy. Through most of history, it has been the rich ordinarily who have possessed the financial means and the freedom to commission art. Sometimes, it is an organised religion or government but the most creative artists may not have flourished without the patronage of individuals who appreciated or shared in their visions.

Does great art trump political or religious principles? That is a question that has filled tomes and fueled controversy since the dawn of civilisation. I firmly believe that it does. Whatever my religious or political beliefs, they never extend to agreement with the destruction of ANY great expression of human creativity in art. Even where it is art that does not resonate with my own soul, I recognise the validity of it and support the demand of the historian to preserve it for the future. It is not creativity alone that gives art its right to be protected from destruction but its place in history.

My grandfather was an artist and I remember, as a child, his tendency to set up little displays that almost resembled temporary shrines. A few objects in a particular configuration would spark his creativity or remind him of some artistic project or goal. My great-aunt was a talented pianist but beyond that, she was one of the most eccentric and spiritually-enlightened individuals it has been my privilege to know. Her house, before she became a victim of senility, was immaculate and every object has its own place and significance. In her dining room were shelves displaying pieces of china that had particular meaning to her, including three miniature teacups. Those teacups fascinated me as a child. I love anything that is smaller than life, anything that points to another magical reality. They could have been fairy cups, used in magical tea parties, or the tea service of the Borrowers or a group of sentient, civilised animals from 'Wind in the Willows' or a tale by Beatrix Potter.

My mother gave me those tiny cups after my great-aunt died. They hold a position of honour in my cabinet. It is only recently that I have recognised how much Aunt Mimi influenced my own character. As children, we are impatient sometimes of the wisdom of the elderly. Even as a child, however, I always felt that the song that Aunt Mimi would write for me on my birthday was one of the best gifts any child could receive. It made me feel loved and important. It made me feel like a Princess to have songs dedicated to me each year.

My great-aunt always lived 'comfortably'. She was not extremely rich but she certainly wanted for nothing. She lived a fairly modest life in her old age, but she lived in the house commissioned and built for her, probably partly to her own design. In other words, she created her own corner in the universe to her precise specifications and then happily occupied it almost to the moment of her death. The greatest tragedy was senility, when the significance of much that had been important to her was lost or flickered only intermittently in her consciousness. Yet, even to the end, she retained the ability to appreciate moments of beauty in the flight of a bird across the garden and the pattern its movements created with surrounding objects. She had an almost Etruscan sensibility where such matters were concerned.
I recall that she loved to make tea 'properly' because of the patterns found in the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup. She 'read' them, but no so much for any ability to predict the future but as transient images with artistic significance. She was a wonderful woman and I miss her greatly sometimes, even though it was extremely frustrating to care for her when senility made her illogical and difficult.

As usual, my thoughts have wandered far from my initial premise but weblogs excuse even extol the values of such wanderings.

A Note of Gratitude to Philippe Jullian

2010-04-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

(Salome by Gustave Moreau)
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As a young girl, the discovery of a single book was my creative epiphany. 'Dreamers of Decadence' by Philippe Jullian encapsulated all the inchoate visions and desires of my soul. His incredibly rich prose and the tapestry he wove both of literature and the visual arts made his work far more than a simple catalogue or exposition of the Symbolists and Decadents. It is a book quite unlike any other.

It was my 'Bible' as I attempted to grasp my own artistic destiny. Unfortunately, what early promise I may have demonstrated in my writing dwindled to nothing.

It is not too late. Perhaps, having found another copy of my beloved lost 'Dreamers of Decadence', I will be able to forge a new, more balanced sword from the flawed, broken blade of my past.

One of the marvelous quotations incorporated into this work which answers the atheist:

'Beauty and Good are in Heaven. Science is on earth, crawling on the ground.'
Odilon Redon 'A Soi-Meme'

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Amazon Associates Programme

2010-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

I never have allowed any advertising on my sites, nor would I allow ordinary advertising at this point in time. I do not like to be bombarded with advertisements myself and therefore would not subject any readers to it either.

There is a programme, however, that has been developed by Amazon wherein you can add links to items on Amazon to any post or site. As I do review books, games, films and music on my sites, it would make sense to add links to THOSE books, games, films and music to the posts.

I therefore am going to give it a try. I do not think I will become rich nor would that be my motivation, although I definitely could use any additional income that I might generate. What is nice about this is that there is an option to take your 'earnings' in the form of a credit for goods sold by Amazon. As I often cannot afford to buy the books, games and films that I would like to have, any 'referrals' that earn a little income for me would be most welcome. The way the system works is that if some one uses MY link to Amazon to buy the book, film or game in question, I earn a percentage of the sale. As I philosophically am in favour of supporting the arts and buying GOOD games, I will see how it works out. Perhaps NO ONE ever will use one of my links to buy an item on Amazon... but at least it gives me some hope of obtaining a credit for a new book or film... Furthermore, I actually would be providing a service to readers. If they find the book or game I am reviewing of interest, it is easier to use my link than to perform a search themselves. I have used such links in the past to buy a research book on Amazon.

Easter Magic in Miniatures

2010-04-02T15:29:00.001-07:00

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Limoges is a place in France, not a firm, but it is home to a wonderful tradition in fine porcelain that has existed since the early 1700s when kaolin clay was found in the prefecture of Limoges. A number of famous factories, including Royal Limoges, Bernardaud and Haviland, were established in the region. Prior to this, porcelain was imported primarily from China where the method of creation of hard paste porcelain was a trade secret.

Limoges boxes, per se, became popular first in the 18th century. Their popularity endured until the end of the 19th century. During this period, the boxes, despite their elegance and beauty, were made specifically for practical purposes, to enable individuals to carry small items such as medications, needles and snuff with them.

In the 1960s, an importer of Limoges porcelain decided to introduce the tiny boxes into the market again. From that point on, the craze for collecting miniature boxes from Limoges has attracted more than one generation of collectors and has resulted in their production by a number of different factories. In the late 20th and early 21st century, these boxes have been produced by Artoria, Rochard, Chamart and Eximious, among others. Often miniature boxes simply bear a stamp of Limoges, France with a notation of 'Peint Main' which translates to 'Hand-Painted'. Many individuals who are not fluent in French mistake 'Peint Main' for the name of an artist. Sometimes, the name of the artist or his/her initials are included on the box. As far as government regulations are concerned, the only requirement in France is that a box stamped with Limoges must have been made in the city of Limoges.

There are many different styles of Limoges miniatures and some but not all are linked to specific factories. Miniature reproductions of paintings by Fragonard or other 18th century French artists from the same school probably are the most common and have been produced in exquisite form as well as rather crude cheap ware. Firms such as Eximious specialise in tiny boxes shaped like interesting objects often associated with particular hobbies or places. Limoge boxes shaped like telephone kiosks, golf bags, cartons of eggs and even tins of sardines are among the many subjects produced by Eximious. These boxes tend to be hinged with tiny clasps that are made in a form connected with the motif of the box itself. For example, a box that features a cat may sport a gold clasp in the shape of a tiny mouse.

The classical form of the egg is another very popular style that is associated with Limoges boxes. Some of these eggs are hinged.

Another trend that has been extremely popular with collectors is the creation of a box with a secret 'treasure' inside. A porcelain Limoges carton of eggs may have a single egg that can be removed from the box; within a box that depicts a hen sitting on a nest may be a tiny porcelain chick.

Recently, porcelain boxes made in China have been sold as 'Limoges' with a stamp containing the words 'Limoges China'. Some unwary collectors misinterpret this to mean that the boxes are 'Porcelain' rather than having been made in China. The price of the Chinese imitations tends to be far lower than the authentic porcelain created in the Limoges region, although true Limoges porcelain, as it is made by a variety of factories, can be either superior or inferior.

Some of the antique 'hand-painted' Limoges china actually was finished by amateurs. This was quite a passion with young ladies from good families in the 19th century.

Famous factories in Limoges continue to produce dinnerware. At the same time, seasonal boxes and eggs are characteristic of the Limoges miniatures and some firms have developed an international tradition of creating clever and unusual boxes. The Egg cartons and Easter baskets shown here are among contemporary 'collector's pieces'.

Easter Hyacinths and Wicked, Wicked Thorns

2010-04-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

'Spook Country' and the Nature of Reality

2010-03-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

William Gibson probes the nature of reality with far more acumen and style than I ever will possess, and yet, to some extent, we are pilgrims on the same path, venturing forward (and backward) into worlds of perception constructed by ourselves and by others, linked both by illusions and solid edifices, by technology and ritual, by habit and memory.

His primary subject in his fiction always has been technology and it has been said that in a sense, he is the father of 'Second Life', and all shared virtual realities in cyberspace. The seed sprang forth from his imagination perhaps to be caught and nurtured by other minds and finally brought into 'being', as far as anything in cyberspace can make any claim to 'be'.

In a recent work, 'Spook Country', a conceptual artist recreates historical moments at the locations where they occurred. His art exists only through the conduit of cyberspace. The work cannot be experienced unless you have the technology. Among other things, in Hollywood, he has re-created the death of River Phoenix, the heart attack of Fitzgerald... If some one had the technology and the co-ordinates, he or she could embark upon a virtual tour of Hollywood's celebrity trauma histories.

I am not a techie and thus cannot convey all the details, but it involves something akin to a GPS system and, as is the case in most of Gibson's fiction, there is far more to this than meets the eye. It is not a novel simply about the aspirations and accomplishments of an artist but is a rich tapestry where spies and politics are interwoven with Gibson's own musings about the essential nature of reality, a philosophical action novel as it were.

From 'Spook Country':

'The world we walk around in would be channels... and given what broadcast television wound up being, that doesn't sound so good. But think about blogs, how each one is actually trying to describe reality...

'But when you look at blogs, where you're most likely to find the real info is in the links. It's contextual, and not only who the blog's linked to, but who's linked to the blog...'

'We're all doing VR, every time we look at a screen. We have been for decades now. We just do it. We didn't need the goggles, the gloves. It just happened. VR was an even more specific way we had of telling us where we were going. Without scaring us too much, right? The locative, though, lots of us are already doing it. But you can't just do the locative with your nervous system. One day you will. We'll have internalised the interface. It'll have evolved to the point where we will forget about it. Then you'll just walk down the street...'

In another chapter, he describes the altar of a woman who practices Santeria as follows:

'Her altar there was a maze of objects, charged with meaning. Vials of foul water, the half-assembled plastic kit of a Soviet bomber, a soldier's felt shoulder patch in purple and yellow, old bottles with bubbles trapped within their glass, air from days gone a hundred years or more. The things comprised a mesh, Juana said, about which the deiteis were more easily manifest.'

William Gibson appears to have an ongoing fascination with Santeria. The religion has been explored in earlier novels as well. The idea that there are 'two sides to the coin' where these deities are concerned is only part of it. For some reason, this particular religion has grown deep roots in his imagination. I have known Wiccans who became obsessed with Santeria. Raymond Buckland, who originally explored his own Northern pagan heritage became fascinated with Santeria as well.

Originally an African religion, it was imported to the Americas with slaves and there married with Roman Catholicism to create a new synthesis of deities and practices. Perhaps one reason why it appeals to Europeans is the way that it incorporates the symbols of European Catholicism (so influential in our civilisation for 2000 years) into a system of belief that is very primal.

The goddess Ochun adopts the persona of Our Lady of Charity, Le Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, patroness of Cuba.

Ochun has been said to be 'the unseen mother at every gathering'. In the original Yoruba mythology, she was the sole female among the 16 original deities or forces. Without her participation, all attempts at creating the world were fruitless. Cuban tales of Ochun portray her, inter alia, as a woman who was willing to become a prostitute in order to recover her children. She is the primal driving force of fertility and of motherhood. She is the essence of beauty and harmony, mother of Elegba, the Trickster.

As Ochun, Our Lady of Charity assumes the mantle of St. Mary Magdalene to some extent. The sexual aspects of Our Lady in Christianity are suppressed. She is portrayed as the Eternal Virgin, pure and 'undefiled' by human sexual desire or experience. In the Santeria traditions, sexual energy is part of the power of the deity, akin to electricity. In fact, many of the rituals are designed to 'tap into' that energy.

Discussion of Santeria, however, was not my original intention. What interested me most about these two quotes in juxtaposition was the way that religion and magic mirrored the technology of cyberspace and virtual reality. This is a comparison that William Gibson has made in other novels as well.

A truly potent ritual links the believer with a spiritual 'network' that is far more than global in nature as it reaches upward and downward into all other realms, ensnaring the gods and other powers in its links. Or perhaps the Goddess could be perceived as the ever-weaving spider at the very centre of the web, and the believer catches hold of one of the sticky gossamer threads to become part of the construct that distributes power throughout the universe.

In his comment about blogs, he states that the reality contained in them is 'contextual', and that the real information is in the links. In other words, the creation of a post is nothing more than the portal through which writer and reader ultimate connects to the world. Nothing exists in vacuo.

In cyberspace, it is navigation that is the key to power. You can link to the internet and remain ignorant if you cannot find the right links, pinpoint the correct goals. The sheer volume of information in cyberspace can be as much of an obstacle to enlightenment as a blank page might be. The experts are those who possess the power of navigation and at speeds that are dazzling or mind-boggling.

The same is true with respect to magic or religion. Creating a sacred circle or space and conjuring a demon or power within it is only a beginning. Having the ability to control the power or to use it rather than being destroyed by it is the key to success or indeed survival in many cases. One could make a similar analogy with respect to the use of hallucinogenic drugs. Mind-altering experiences, whether drug-induced, ritually-induced or cybernetically-induced can be dangerous to a careless or inexperienced user.

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Easter Traditions

2010-03-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

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It has been said that the Pussy Willow was incorporated into the symbols of Easter in Northern Europe because Palm Trees did not grow there, but in fact, the Pussy Willow, like the Palm, is a symbol that far predates Christianity.

Pussy Willows, like Snowdrops, are among the earliest heralds of Spring in the Northern world. They are connected symbolically with motherhood. To me, because of an irresistable image in an Easter card, they are linked to kittens and cats as well.
In a charming book published in the early 20th century, 'The Rubaiyat of a Persian Kitten' by Oliver Herford, there is both verse and picture:

'Sometimes I think perchance that Allah may,

When he created Cats, have thrown away

The Tails He marred in making, and they grew

To Cat-Tails and to Pussy-Willows grey.'

Pussy Willow is a true Willow and as such, under the power of the Moon, of enchantment and the Goddess. If you take a pussy willow twig and set it in water, it may begin to grow, even if seemingly dead or dry. This may be another reason why the Pussy Willow has become one of the sacred symbols of the Easter season.

An old family tradition of ours for almost every major holiday, was to dress a doll appropriately for the season. We were not given a new doll every Christmas or Birthday but often my Mother would dress a doll for each of us in a new outfit and set her beneath the Christmas Tree.

Even though I am not a child now, I still have the urge to mark any festival occasion by dressing a doll in holiday clothes. I have not acquired any new outfits for my dolls, but one of the photographs shows a vintage bent-knee Wendy doll from the 1950s that I redressed in a 1990s Madame Alexander outfit, 'Sunday Best'.

I do not think it really matters what the tradition or the symbol for any festival is but rather the emotions that it evokes. The old universal practice of 'Spring cleaning' was designed to sweep away the old and to purify the home for a new year or season. If one is unable to perform a thorough 'spring cleaning', the simple act of dressing a doll in a new outfit carries the same symbolism and significance.

Symbols of Spring and Rebirth

2010-03-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

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Spring internationally is a season rich in traditional festivals and traditions. In lands where there are four distinct seasons and Winters are harsh, celebrations of the rebirth of life characterise the Festivals. Although cheap plastic charms and figures are popular now, one still can find folk art expressions of the symbols of Spring.

Wood always was one of the most commonly used materials for carvings throughout the ages. Bone is another, but wood has more of a connection with rebirth and the energy of life. Furthermore, in lands where trees are plentiful, it generally was a more inexpensive medium than others.

Wood carvings can be primitive or sophisticated, elegant or primal. They can reflect any style of art and any cultural artistic traditions. In the West, wood now has become a rather expensive medium and folk arts that once would have been affordable sometimes are extremely costly. This trend is reflected internationally as artists who export their wares or sell to tourists respond to shifting values.

The internet has created an amazing revolution in almost every aspect of life. In the area of folk art, the ability of some one who lives in a fairly inaccessible part of the globe to be able to offer and sell his/her wares to consumers throughout the world is one of the more positive effects of internet communications. Every strata of producer of these goods takes advantage of this new technology obviously, and cheap inferior goods are sold as often as masterpieces. Nonetheless, for the discerning collector, it is possible to research and discover wonderful artists throughout the world.

Even when the products are not masterpieces, however, there is a certain magic in authenticity, especially when the items are part of a living tradition. For example, one year, I was able to buy some handmade wooden eggs and candlesticks from the Ukraine. All the items I purchased were part of the Ukrainian traditions of Easter and thus, to me, rather magical.

Objects carved from wood are far more than the symbols they represent. They actually ARE connected to the trees that provided the material. Every land has its own native trees and one therefore an integral part of some one's native landscape is imported with the object. The birch trees of the Ukraine now reside in my home, side by side with Kokeshi from Japan and Matrioshka from Russia.

Matrioshka, like Kokeshi, have developed significantly in the last century as far as subject matter is concerned. I always prefer Matrioshka painted with scenes from old Russian fairytales and folktales to the modern political figures from various governments, including the U.S. and Soviet Union heads of state. I do have a set of Matrioshka on which characters from the Lord of the Rings have been depicted that I prize. Among other things, I have a set of runes carved from a Rowan tree and a Madonna and Child carved from Oak. I have walking sticks carved from ash, blackthorn, maple, cherry and apple. From Palestine, I have a reproduction of the Mosque of Al-Aqsa carved from Olive wood.

I have included photographs of wooden objects from Japan, Russia and the Ukraine as well as the first Crocus of Spring that appeared in the garden.

In the tiny garden here, I planted birch, oak, ash, rowan and spruce. The owner of the house was not altogether pleased by this but I do believe that trees contain their own unique energies, as well as being incredibly beautiful. In the heart of this area of urban blight, they provide a little privacy as well as protection from the elements.

The Yacoubian Building

2010-03-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

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After a fairly sleepless night, an Egyptian film entitled 'Imarat Ya'coubian' began on the telly early this morning and captured my full attention. I never watch television in the morning, as mornings tend to be the best time of day for me. Watching the telly in the morning would be the ultimate decadence. Yet, hearing Arabic, I was compelled to watch. Usually, my television viewing is flawed nowadays. There was a time when I never would have allowed myself to watch a film if I missed the beginning. Without gaining any prior knowledge of the programming now, I often do miss beginnings. Awakened by pain, I watch the best of whatever I can find. When pain overwhelms, I often miss endings as well. On this occasion, miraculously, the film was beginning, so I missed nothing. Two hours later, I still was watching, moment by moment, the unfolding of different tales and different lives in contemporary Cairo.

'The Yacoubian Building', released in 2006 is based on a best-selling novel by Alaa Al-Aswany. It is an extraordinary film, multi-faceted and revealing. As it deals with various tenants of a single block of flats in Cairo, it involves different tales and yet, all threads are interwoven in a single tapestry. No one is perfect. No one is entirely pure and indeed, many of the characters are unsympathetic and yet, this is life, not a romance. Whether propelled by ambition, desire, laziness, greed or despair, most of the characters in this drama alternately inspire disgust and inspire pity. Oddly, the 'hero' is a man who is portrayed as rather feckless, without a career or a family apart from his cold, selfish sister who holds him in utter contempt. Like many Arabs of his generation, Zaki Bey al Dessouki was utterly seduced by Paris and all things French in his youth and yet, at the foundation of his soul, he possesses an innate love of his homeland.

Is there a moral to these tales? Nothing is quite so simple. The Western influence of France corrupts and yet within the culture of Egypt, corruption exists as well.
'This is the age of deformity!' Zaki declares.

In fact, ultimately, this man IS one of the only characters with honour in a world where the wide gulf between poor and rich is only part of the problem with society. The families of the rich are as capable as the poor of betrayal in the cause of enrichment. It is the story of a building, created in sumptuous beauty and yet one that over the years, degenerates...

Within this microcosm, various controversial issues are addressed: homosexuality, radical Islam, the ancient dichotomy of Egypt that still prevails in the fundamental differences between the North and South as well as the 'escapism' that French culture represents for the rich. For those who have little knowledge of the Arab world, it offers a window into the lives of Egyptians in various strata of society, from the poor who live in 'one-room' tenancies on the rooftops of magnificent but deteriorating luxury flats housing the politicians and newspaper moguls who control society. Between them stand the scheming individuals who own small businesses and seek to 'better' their lives by manipulating those who are less fortunate than they.

In Islam, some of the worst sins are those of the 'Munafiqeen' or 'Hypocrites' and 'The Yacoubian Building' is replete with examples of hypocrisy, of those who profess Islam but who prey upon the helpless and poor. Incidentally, the Copt is no better so the film does not discriminate where religion is concerned.

Most of the 'endings' in the tales of the various tenants are tragic. One of these involves the son of the custodian of the building, Taha al Shazli who, rejected from the police force because of his father's humble occupation, goes to University where, disgusted by the corruption of society and government, becomes involved in the Muslim Brotherhood. At a demonstration against the Zionists, he is arrested, then tortured by the Mukhabarat. Seeking revenge, he is given an opportunity to assassinate the man who ordered his torture. Although successful, he himself as well as his own accomplices die in a hail of gunfire. He too is a man of honour, honest and direct, but his own experience with injustice and cruelty causes him to pursue a different path from Zaki's eternal quest for worldly beauty.

The plots are far more complex than this, however. Drug-dealing, politics and the plight of women who lack social protection for one reason or another all play a part in these tales. Although they pay lip-service to the tenets of religion, very few of the characters have any moral fibre.

Near the end of the film, Zaki, the aging dilettante shouts, 'I am the last respectable man!' He proves it, triumphing over his sister's schemes to take everything from him, including his dignity. In the last moments, he marries the young girl who initially intended to participate in the scheme to rob him but who ultimately succumbed to love. Traditional Arab zaghareet (ululations) join the music of Edith Piaf in an ending that containing the seed of hope, despite everything that has transpired.

In a sense, 'The Yacoubian Building' mirrors the popular humanist, somewhat agnostic views of many older Egyptian intellectuals. Can Egypt find no better solution than the escapism represented by the eternal longing for an idealised Paris? The radical Islamists, while acknowledged as pure in their motivations, are portrayed as doomed to some extent. It is the character of Zaki, member of a obsolete breed, who is assigned the role of 'hero' here. Yet, while promising to take his young wife abroad, the aged Lothario ultimately demonstrates a firm loyalty to his homeland and the building that represents past, present and future for him, rather to the surprise and disappointment of his scheming sister. Like the building itself, he somehow manages to weather his changes in fortune, and like the building, he will endure.

Incidentally, there is a real Yacoubian Building in Cairo at 34 Talaat Harb Street, built in the Art Deco style.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

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Like most popular Festivals in the Wheel of the Year, St. Patrick's Day is based on ancient myths and practices. Its popularity in nations outside Ireland would be rather puzzling were this not the case.

Although Patrick is credited with the wholesale conversion of the Irish to Christianity, the traditions of St. Patrick's Day are pagan. The pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow, the sporting of a green herb or green clothing that represents the new growth of Spring and the four-leaf clover are pagan symbols of life, rebirth, the fecundity of the Earth and the Spring season.

In a legend about St. Patrick, it was claimed that he drove all the 'serpents' of Ireland into the sea. Many scholars have been puzzled by this, as Ireland is not known for any large species of serpents. Some now believe that the 'serpents' represent Pagan cults including the cult of Cromm Cruaich. The serpent universally is the symbol of rebirth and eternity and indeed, the form of the spiral is perceived often as a serpent. The serpent swallowing his own tail is a symbol of eternity.

The original Numina, Powers or Deities in most ancient cultures were represented by enormous standing stones. Often the stones were incised with designs or round depressions known as 'cups'. The primal image of Cromm Cruaich, therefore, probably was a stone. There is a reproduction of a stone that stood in the centre of a circle on the Plain of Prostration or Adoration in Ireland that is believed to be Cromm Cruaich. He may have been the Spirit of the Corn and sacrifices were made to him to insure fertility for the land. It is this worship that by legend was terminated by the actions of Patrick.

The Wheel has turned, however, and Paganism no longer is out of favour, nor are Pagans persecuted by government authorities in every land. Contemporary Pagans celebrate St. Patrick's Day but do so often by wearing charms or talismans that represent serpents. Some create wreaths decorated with serpents.

Hina-matsuri and Kokeshi Dolls in Japan

2010-03-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

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Each year, I have written a post about the Japanese Hina-matsuri Festival that occurs on the 3rd day of March and have included photographs of some of the magnificent Hina displays.

The Hina-matsuri which is a Doll Festival dedicated to good fortune for Girls is known as the Momo-No-Sekku or Peach Blossom Festival as well. Peach blossoms, white rice wine and Hishi-Mochi (special rice cakes) are placed on the stand where the Hina dolls are displayed.

The Hina dolls traditionally are displayed on shelf tiers covered with a red carpet from the end of February until 3 March. When a girl is born, she often will be given a set of Hina dolls by her grandparents or parents, unless she will inherit the Hina dolls that have belonged to her family for generations.

Hina dolls traditionally represent the Emperor and Empress as well as their court. The custom was established during the Edo period in the 17th-18th century and is believed to have its roots in an ancient Chinese ritual wherein paper dolls were floated down a river to banish any evil or illness from the body.

This year, as the Hina-Matsuri Festival occurred a week ago, I decided to write about Kokeshi dolls instead.

Kokeshi Dolls are a traditional form of Japanese folk art but not as old as the Hina doll tradition. They were created originally in the Tohoku region of northern Japan in the early 19th century and sold as toys or souvenirs to visitors of the famed hot springs or onsen of the region. Wooden dolls in general, however, represent a very ancient art form with spiritual significance. In ancient Egypt, wooden or clay figures known as ushabti were buried in tombs, believed to act as servants of the dead. Wooden dolls have been found in Japan from the Yayoi period, circa 300 B.C., demonstrating that carving human figures from wood was an ancient universal practice.
In some cases, these carvings represented figures of deities but in others they were votives offered to the gods with a wish for health or feritility.

Kokeshi dolls are carved traditionally either from cherry wood or a lighter wood named Mizuki. Mizuki translated is 'water tree' and is a moist wood believed to have the power to avert fire. Kokeshi dolls carved from mizuki wood often were kept in homes to protect those houses from fire.

the most traditional Kokeshi dolls are produced only in the six prefectures of Tohoku. They have round heads and cylindrical bodies. Floral and linear patterns to decorate their kimonos were passed down from generation to generation by Kokeshi makers and therefore instantly would provide the viewer with details as to the provenance of the Kokeshi.

Since the Second World War, however, a new Kokeshi tradition, known as 'Creative Kokeshi' developed and inspired a rich variety of wooden Kokeshi dolls. Although they retain the essential limbless form of traditional Kokeshi, they have emerged as highly individual, with carved hair, ornments and even added accoutrements such as umbrellas. Patterns of richly decorated kimonos often are incised into the wood and hair ornaments are common to these dolls. Some Kokeshi have been carved as a group scene, representing the 'spirit' of oysters or clams, for example.

Creative Kokeshi tend to be made in the Gunma prefecture and are created by artists who each have their own style and features. Now an established tradition for over half a century, individual artists famed for their Creative Kokeshi have set their own trends in this style of folk art.

Kokeshi dolls are part of my own childhood memories. I had an elderly great-aunt who had traveled extensively throughout Asia when she was a young woman. She was quite adventurous for her time and brought home many wonderful souvenirs for her three sisters, all of whom cherished these items but who never visited Asia themselves. I am not certain that the Kokeshi of my childhood actually came from this great-aunt but I do recall them vividly. My sister and I incorporated dolls and stuffed animals from many different parts of the globe in our miniature world and the Kokeshi dolls were involved in our doll palaces and townhouses in some capacity.

In some ways, the game Animal Crossing reminds me of my own childhood with its international treasures and toys. Matrioshka from Russia, tiny bisque dolls and cloth dolls from Germany as well as the Kokeshi all resided in or visited my childhood dollhouses.

The photograph at the top of this article shows a traditional Hina-Matsuri display of Emperor and Empress dolls. Below that, the photographs show Creative Kokeshi by Japanese artists Fujikawa Syoei, Okamoto Usaburo and Ogata Ritsuko, the widow of Ogata Michinori, a traditional Naruto Kokeshi artist.

The 'themes' of these Kokeshi are nature-inspired and the dolls have been given names that are evocative of a mood, season or flower. A very popular symbol is that of the 'Camellia' flower and you will see a Camellia Kokeshi named 'Hontsubaki' or 'Red Camellia' next to a photograph of the actual blossom. Other themes shown here are 'Passage' signifying the beauty experienced through travel, 'Omoi' or 'Desire' and 'Bakusyu' or 'Summer', a season known for the ripening of the Wheat and Barley to gold.

Ogata Ritsuko, who paints the Kokeshi created by her husband before his death, incorporates clever practical devices in her dolls, such as the ability to hold a letter inside (and even post it!) or a small charm to attach to a cellphone. Another artist has created bridal Kokeshi wearing a kimono that contains a scroll on which a poem or message to bride, groom or honoured guest can be inscribed.

Any art form based upon very simple stylised elements is fascinating. The way that an artist can change the entire mood of the figure by creating the eyes with a single stroke of a brush or by widening them or add richness to a kimono by incising stalks of grain into the actual texture of the painted garment is the basis of the styles that have made Kokeshi a popular collectible.

1st Snowdrops of March

2010-03-07T14:01:00.001-08:00

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The annual Miracle of late Winter displays its power once again as the first Snowdrops of Spring emerge from the frozen soil. The festival of Martisor celebrated in Eastern Europe nonetheless is very appropriate to this land as well. Its traditional symbol is the Snowdrop.

The festival of Martisor is one of the most ancient in Europe. I have written about it every year and one year retold an ancient legend that explains its symbolism.

It is believed to have been brought to Eastern Europe by the Thracians or Dacians. The month of March is named for the god Mars and is sacred to him. The festival of Martisor probably has its roots in Roman Festivals at the beginning of March. Among the Dacians, the god was Marsyas Silen.

Martisor is both the name of the Festival and the name of the charm that is worn in honour of the Festival. The charm primarily consists of threads of two different colours twisted together. Originally, a small coin was attached to the threads. Traditional good luck symbols including chimney sweeps, shamrocks, and tiny figures often are used instead of coins in contemporary Martisor charms.

It is traditional to give a Martisor to women of all ages. Given often on 1 March, it is pinned to the chest and worn until the advent of Spring is seen either in the form of the first blossom on a tree or the first flight of birds across the sky.

In other traditions, girls and women collect rainwater, snow or dew early in the morning on 1 March (or until 10 March) and wash their faces in it, believing that the water has special purity and potency for beauty.

Although the Martisor has become a personal charm, it originally protected home, land and livestock. Part of the ritual of creating the Martisor involved precise measurement of the doors, house gate and window frames, and the twisted threads would be placed at each location as well for protection. Martisor would be placed on the horns of livestock and on buckets, again for protection against evil.

Earliest Martisors found in archaeological sites in Romania are 8000 years old and consist of rocks painted blue and white, tied together with a cord to be worn round the neck. Later, white and black yarn was twisted to create the talisman. The colours of the Martisor ultimately became white and red. It is said that the white represents snow, purity and the Snowdrop and red symbolises blood, the Sun and life itself. Twisted together, the string assumes the power of the ultimate union between male and female with life-giving potency. This probably is the reason why Martisors have become part of a tradition rather like the Valentine, given by men to the women who are dear to them. Now, however, Martisors can be given to members of either gender and can be a symbol of friendship or of family ties as well as romance

I made a video for Martisor last year. Here is my video:

I thought I would share some one else's video about Martisor as well:

Zen and the Art of Cleaning out Litter Boxes

2010-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

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Originally, this post was intended for my 'Freyashawk's Cats' page but I began to feel that it was far too academic to be posted there.

'Zen' is an Eastern philosophical concept that attained great popularity in the West after the publication of a book entitled 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.
The book was published in 1974, at a point in Western culture where popular psychology still was infused with the examples of numerous famous figures thronging to the East to search for answers that they had not bothered to explore in the roots of their own civilisation. Such disparate figures as Mircea Eliade, Joseph Campbell and the Beatles were among the pilgrims who sought enlightenment in Asia.

It is far from my intention to cast aspersions upon Eastern philosophies but rather to note that the same conclusions HAVE been found in the West at different points in Western history. As is often the case, however, that which is 'strange' or 'unknown' holds far more glamour to us and has more power to seduce. My own philosophy of existence is founded upon the belief that there are many different roads that lead to the same destination of 'enlightenment' or 'Heaven'. In fact, having spent time in India studying Eastern philosophy, both Mircea Eliade and Joseph Campbell came to the same conclusion and were able to trace Eastern tenets of religion and philosophy back through civilisations and time to find their roots everywhere on this planet.

Why do I feel impelled to defend Western culture when, in so many different ways, it has shown itself to be bankrupt at this point in time? However corrupted and however infested with viruses and 'worms', it nonetheless contains the same kernels of Truth and Beauty that inspired the construction of extraordinary bridges, viaducts, temples and amphitheatres throughout the Roman Empire and magnificent Cathedrals, Churches and Palaces throughout Europe. It is the heart of Western civilisation that throbs at the centre of all immortal Western art, whether in paintings, mosaics, poetry, theatre, film or any other mode of artistic expression known to humanity.

Ultimately, there can be no real boundaries between 'East' and 'West' in any case. As far back as prehistory, human beings traded and borrowed and learned from alien cultures. Nonetheless, it is inappropriate and self-defeating for those of us who have inherited the mantle of Western civilisation by virtue of blood and heritage to allow ANY ONE to persuade us that our culture is inferior or somehow tainted. We owe nothing to any one. We cannot be held responsible for putative crimes attributed to our ancestors when in fact whatever crimes may or may not have been committed by these ancestors never were limited to one race or culture or nation.
Enough said.

'Zen' may be an Eastern word but it is not an Eastern concept. It was known and embraced by Christian 'orders' from the inception of Christianity as a religion. Communication and prayer through actions and meditation through ordinary service is part of the foundation of the philosophy of Christian orders of monks and nuns. As usual, however, few truly understand the roots of their own religions, nor do they think about the philosophy that underlies their rituals. People often go to Church or Mosque in order to perform a social obligation far more than to communicate with the Divine.

A friend recently asked me why I would wish to load more duties and work upon myself by having pets when I barely can take care of the necessities demanded by my own life. I searched my soul and found that the answer to this question is: Love and Service.

It often is when we serve others that we come closest to comprehension of the Nature of the Divine. Love is not slavery but service definitely is a component of true Love and that perhaps is why the love of a parent for a child is the purest form of Love. When a human being adopts a Pet, whether it is a Fish or a Chinchilla or a Cat, that human being is 'in loco parentis' to that creature and completely controls its welfare. That sort of responsibility demands a higher degree of Love and Service than any relationship between 'equals' where one party is free to repudiate the relationship or neglect the other person without exercising the power of life and death over him/her. Neglecting or repudiating a Pet, on the other hand, could result in the death of that creature in the same way that neglecting a human child can result in the Death of that child.

When people contemplate possible adoption of a Cat, they think usually of the animal's beauty, sense of mischief and affection. Cats ARE extremely beautiful, intelligent and loving. They have a marvelous sense of curiosity and mischief. Natural hunters, they are possessed of extraordinary grace and agility, making almost movement a delight to watch. They are very clean creatures by nature, grooming themselves when healthy to maintain a beautiful appearance and whenever possible, they will participate in any programme to keep their environment clean. This is why a Cat can be taught easily to use a litter box.

Yet, a Cat cannot clean out a litter box, nor can he/she dispose of the contents. That is where human service is necessary. Many people opt for mechanical litter boxes now that perform most of the labour of keeping the box clean. The ultimate disposal of the contents still is necessary but mechanical devices do much of the daily labour.

A few years ago, I was asked to draw a picture of my own ideal vision of myself and my home for a group project. As I would have done as a child, I drew a picture of a princess with her cat in a castle. I created a wonderful medieval bow window with exquisite windowseat for the cat, but rather than sitting there with my beloved pet, I drew the Princess with a sifting tool in hand, gracefully cleaning out the cat's rather elegant litter box. It was partly intended as humour but there was more than a grain of truth in the vision.

I am not a person who revels in dirt by any means but I always have felt that the act of cleaning out my cats' litter box as much as feeding my cats is one of the ultimate expressions of love. The benefits to the cats are obvious, but it can be an act of great spiritual benefit to oneself as well.

This is where the concept of 'Zen' is applicable. 'Zen gardens' have become popular in recent years. For those who have neither the space nor the money for a real garden, there are miniature gardens where a person can rake sand and place rocks judiciously in an ongoing inspirational process that calms the nerves while allowing an individual to 'meditate' actively.

A litter box is not so very different from a Zen garden. One eliminates the 'rocks' but even so, the act of sifting through the sand can become a form of active meditation. Furthermore, the actual service that is being performed is of great practical value to the animals who use the box.

In ancient Egypt during certain periods in history, cats were recognised as divine creatures, worthy of 'worship'. Some people perceive cats to be 'aloof' and 'above' humanity, but that is NOT what constitutes divinity. One need look only to the examples of Jesus Christ, Inanna, Dionysus and Demeter, to name only a few, to witness the profound interaction with the entire human experience, from pain, suffering and toil to joy and the bond of love that those who have been recognised as Divine have demonstrated.

Jesus Christ even declared himself to be the servant of humanity. The festival of the Saturnalia in ancient Roma was a time when slaves were treated as masters and masters and mistresses acted as their slaves. It was not the slaves who derived the true benefit of this tradition but those who actually held the power of life and death over them. It was a tradition with the most profound sacred significance. Modern Christian traditions of 'washing the feet' of others during Passion Week possess similar significance and spiritual virtue.

I suppose what I am trying to say here is that, although it is the Cats that derive physical benefit from the service of their owners, it is the owners who derive the greatest benefit in spiritual terms. Human beings NEED to be able to express love in concrete ways. Unselfish love that expects no return is the greatest form of love and, although our Pets obviously appreciate our exertions of their behalf when we keep their environment clean, it is not an act that directly inspires their affection. Feeding an Animal or Child, on the other hand, does make the recipient aware of our power to give or withhold life and therefore is not quite so humble and pure an expression of love. Humility is a spiritual virtue. How better to express it than in cleaning out a litter box? Humility when it results in oppression of self or control by another is not a virtue in my view and unfortunately, too often that is its result when one human being behaves humbly towards another. When one expresses humility towards Nature or any of her representatives, on the other hand, that humility is not exploited nor abused. The other side of the coin here is that humility in these circumstances carries with it no practical rewards and therefore remains pure.

There are those who may argue that such service would be better employed towards another human being, especially one who is helpless. Changing bedpans in a hospital or hospice or even at home by caring for a loved one who has become incapable of caring for himself/herself would be far more 'valuable' a service. I would argue that this is fallacious and that we have not done ourselves a spiritual service by persuading ourselves that we are the 'Lords of Creation' and somehow superior to other creatures. Although many religions do include claims to the effect that God or the Divine placed US above all other creatures on this planet, I believe that these declarations were created or interpreted wrongly by humanity to excuse all manner of exploitations. Whatever power we have been given over others or have assumed over others creates a burden of responsibility to protect the welfare of those whose lives are affected by our actions.

The daily act of cleaning litter boxes reminds us of this essential truth. I am certain I am not the first person to make the comparison between Zen garden and litter box. After all, cat owners often tend to be very spiritual individuals who see their own souls mirrored in the profound depths of the eyes of their 'pets'.

I would not wish to impugn the virtue or character of any one who fails to perceive any virtue in having a Cat, yet the arguments they make against this invariably are very selfish. I cannot believe that selfishness is a virtue, nor that instincts of 'self-preservation' should be the primary tenet of our existence. We were given the ability to feel compassion and empathy towards others for a reason. In my view, it is that ability to feel compassion and empathy as well as our desire to serve that we can employ to construct a ladder or bridge to heaven.

Mardi Gras and Fastnachts in February

2010-02-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

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Today is 'Mardi Gras', the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. In the past few years, I have been exposed to a number of new traditions related to this Festival. The first of these is the tradition of the 'Fastnacht.' 'Fastnacht' translated into English strictly speaking is 'Fast Night', but 'Night' in this context means 'Eve'. The word itself translates as the 'Eve before the Fast' but is the name given to the traditional doughnuts made by Pennsylvania Germans for Shrove Tuesday.

The actual name of the Feast Day in German is Fasnachttag, or 'Eve of the Day of Fasting'. It is said that the origin of the tradition of making doughnuts on Shrove Tuesday was to use all the lard before Lent with its rather stringent dietary restrictions.

Fastnachts are NOT ordinary doughnuts and no one should mistake 'fast' for 'fast food'. They are made by hand and contain potatoes as well as flour. It is the addition of the potatoes that makes them unique.

Here is a very traditional recipe for Fastnachts, using yeast:

2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup lard
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten well
1 packet of yeast
7 cups flour

Scald milk, adding mashed potatoes, sugar, salt and lard. (If you do not like lard, you can substitute melted butter but lard would be the MOST traditional ingredient.) Cool mixture until it is lukewarm. Add beaten eggs, then add yeast and sufficient flour to make a soft dough. Knead well and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and allow dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Roll dough to 1/4 thickness, then place it on a cloth. Allow the dough to rise again until it has doubled in size. Use a cutter or knife to shape into round doughnuts or triangles. Fry in hot fat.

For those who do not have the patience to wait for bread to rise as well as those who are not very keen on lard as an ingredient, here is a fairly traditional contemporary Fastnacht Recipe:

2 1/2 cups hot mashed potatoes
1 cup Milk
3 beaten eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
5 cups flour.

Combine all ingredients except for the flour thoroughly, then add the flour slowly. When thoroughly mixed, divide the dough into two parts. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a doughnut cutter, a biscuit cutter or a glass. You can use a knife to cut the dough into triangles as well. Deep fry in oil or hot fat.

Serve with sugar or molasses.

Note from Freyashawk: When I have had Fastnachts, I have made my own mixture of confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, clove and cardamon to dust the surface of the Fastnacht. I usually heat the Fastnacht slightly before dusting the surface with the spiced sugar. The first time I had a Fastnacht, I was not impressed, as I thought of it as a rather heavy doughnut somewhat lacking in sweetness. It was when I had my second Fastnacht that I began to appreciate the unique flavour and texture.
They now have become a part of my own tradition for the season.

I have been told that there is another Pennsylvania Dutch tradition with respect to Fastnachts. The person who awakens last on Shrove Tuesday is called the 'Fastnacht' and there is some derision attached to this appellation.

'Crossroads'

2010-01-22T01:11:00.000-08:00

'Crossroads' is a very interesting little film about novice Jesuits who are sent to an isolated place in the South for 6 weeks. It is a chance to determine whether or not they are suited for their 'calling'. When I saw it for the first time, I was impressed with it, but it was when I watched it a second time that I realised how unique it was.

Things fall apart

2010-01-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

One of the most oft-quoted, oft-used modern poems in the English language. I love Yeats but even those who are unfamiliar with his work for the most part would recognise some of the lines from 'The Second Coming'. It has so many applications, truly. One can see in this poem political prophecy, the vision of the horrible, criminal invasions of Iraq most recently... but it is in its religious and spiritual implications that the poem has the greatest significance.

Yeats was a Wordmaster as well as a visionary and his verses have inspired countless other artists and writers. The Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe wrote a series of books, and the title of the first was taken from Yeats' poem, as 'Things Fall Apart'.

Why do I think of this now? I feel my own life now resonates with the dire atsmosphere of 'The Second Coming.' 'Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold.' Visions of the black expanse of Space where gravity has no power and objects that are torn from a central being revolve endlessly, pointlessly forever in the void. Yet, the centre MUST hold. The centre always must hold.

'Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

'Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?'

On a lighter note, 'mere anarchy' is a lovely turn of phrase. This line perhaps has not received as much attention as some of the others, but it is brilliant. Anarchy historically has been one of the most terrifying spectres to haunt many political factions in our world and yet it is 'mere anarchy' in this vision of the apocalypse.

Finally, there is a certain irony in his statement, 'Surely the Second Coming is at hand'. For history has shown that the centre can fall apart in the 'civilised world' and yet reveal no Second Coming whatsoever. 'The worst are full of passionate intensity' in every era, including this one. It is the 'passionate intensity' of greed that drives the wheels of our world.

A Tribute to 'Mother and Son' for Twelfth Night

2010-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Yuletide season is not complete for me without 'Mother and Son', one of my favourite comedy series. Unfortunately, although it enjoyed great popularity in Australia, it has been terribly underrated internationally. It is virtually impossible to find the Christmas episode anywhere outside of Australia.

From an old recording, here are a few choice moments showing the wonderful Dame Ruth Cracknell as 'Mum' in 'Mother and Son' in the classical Christmas episode.

Later: For those who are familiar with the series, there is a rather wonderful video that shows some of the 'unscripted' moments that were deleted from the final recordings:

Inspiration for the Day

2009-12-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

In Iran, there is a tradition wherein individuals open the collected works of Rumi at random and place a finger on a phrase without looking as a sort of fortune-telling device. As Rumi is considered one of the great poets and philosophers of Iranian culture, one might imagine a similar tradition in the English-speaking world of doing likewise with the collected works of William Shakespeare.

There are those who read a chapter from the Bible or a Surah from Qur'an each morning upon rising, and others who use 'inspirational' books published precisely for this purpose. I never have been fond of commercially-created 'inspirational' books myself, nor do I read newspaper columnists who earn a living by dispensing THEIR homespun wisdom to readers.

Finally, it never would occur to me to use the television as an inspirational device, nor would I watch television in the morning. With game consoles connected to a television screen, however, I must power up the television in order to work on my guides for Animal Parade, the latest Harvest Moon game for the Wii. Having watched a film in the dead of night, the channel still was set for the television rather than the Wii.

Some random film was playing and the first words I heard before the channel changed to the Wii screen were:

'Discipline is not the enemy of enthusiasm.'

Wisdom most profound, acquired accidentally. I did not continue to watch the film. I do not know if it contained any more gems of truth but I rather suspect that the sentence I heard was the best in the entire script.

Somehow, a mistake has been made with respect to the role of discipline in life and it HAS been featured often as the 'enemy of enthusiasm'. Children are allowed to run wild by parents who do not wish to 'squelch their natural creativity'. Yet, how could any one who thinks in logical terms believe that discipline could have a negative effect on the minds or souls of any creature? Discipline should not be defined as corporal punishment or indeed punishment at all. It is a modus operandi rather than a judgement. It allows the smooth running of society really. To say that discipline has no positive value in a person's life would be akin to stating that oil has no value in the running of any machine with gears. Discipline sorts out our lives, places our activities in order and allows smooth, painless interactions with society. Rather than diminishing natural creativity, it should allow it to blossom.

Discipline is what keeps artists and writers at their desks creating, even when they do not 'feel like it', propelling them forward to complete their work.

The Best Clementine

2009-12-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite fruits and one that always has been associated with the Yuletide season for me is the Clementine. Small, sweet and seedless, it is a member of the citrus family that is superior to all others in my view. Clementines are one of the great delights on Christmas morning, slipped into the Stockings with chocolates, nuts, small gifts and other trifles.

I had my first Clementine of the season yesterday. They are sold often in boxes imported from Morocco and Spain. Clementines now are being grown in the States as well, but have not achieved the sweetness of their counterparts.

In any case, the Clementine I chose from the box yesterday was slightly tart and rather disappointing, but it delivered a promise at least that I would be able to enjoy more of its brethren on the morrow.

In fact, I chose another Clementine this morning and ate it, expecting no better from it than its predecessor gave in enjoyment. To my delight, it was perfection. It was so good that I wanted to eat another one immediately. In the past, I have surrendered to greed and done precisely that, only to be disappointed again.

I realised this morning that there is a lesson in this from Nature. No two natural fruits are alike. Each one is different, even from the same tree. One can be sweet and the next sour. One can be tender and the next not so tender. In order to appreciate the perfection of the Clementine I had this morning, I had to STOP THERE. If I had taken another Clementine, it would have superimposed its flavour on the perfection of the first...

A lesson against Greed. Savour one Clementine when it gives perfection rather than desiring to repeat the experience immediately.

Perhaps it is not profound, but it certainly contains some truth.

Ubi Caritas?

2009-12-15T07:56:00.001-08:00

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There is a lovely Roman Catholic hymn that includes the old Latin phrase of 'Ubi Caritas'? 'Where is Love/Compassion?'

As I write strategy guides for games, I spend many hours in alternate universes, befriending a wide variety of characters, both young and old, and often courting an array of Eligible Girls or Bachelors in order to marry and have a child. Harvest Moon and Rune Factory are based on fundamental 'family values', where the ultimate success in life is being a valued and loved member of a social community and creating a thriving environment where your own child can flourish. Lest any one cry 'foul' on this, suspecting that these games are propaganda discouraging individuals from embracing a different lifestyle, such is not the case. Courtship and marriage almost ALWAYS are optional activities both in Harvest Moon and in Rune Factory. The fact of the matter is, though, that they are among the most popular optional goals among players of every age and both genders.

This brings me to the title of this post: Ubi Caritas? A gaming friend of mine noted my current obsession with an Eligible Bachelor named 'the Wizard' in the new Wii title, Animal Parade and sent me an email declaring: 'Now, little red flags should go up in your head when the Wizard talks about being lonely, misundertood, and having no friends. If Hannah were to date a guy like that, I'd try very hard to shoo her away from him, although I admit to liking his braid too.'

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! Some of the worst mistakes in my life occurred because of my tendency to feel compassion for the 'lame ducks' in this world, believing that they somehow could be saved by love or at least made happy. As every one knows, happiness is found within oneself and cannot be offered as a gift by any one else.

Anyway, after being amused by my friend's email, I began to think about my 'first loves' and I realised that they were very much like the Wizard in their natures. Intensely brilliant, but without the ability to socialise successfully...' And yet, what the Wizard possesses, and indeed, ALL the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory Characters is an essential core of love and compassion. It may be hidden when you do not know them well. They may indeed attempt to reject your early attempts to bring them out of their solitary loneliness, but ultimately, they ALL prove to care about others.

Unfortunately, real life is not so balanced in its Characters. Yes, all human beings may possess an essential core of compassion and love somewhere, but it can be blighted easily by life or by the choices they make for whatever reason, usually as a defence against pain.

One of my 'first loves' was a very literal-minded individual. He knew that I had a profound interest in spirituality and embraced what he believed to be my 'religion'. By that time, I was somewhere else and had my own life. I never really thought too much about his new religious 'faith'. In fact, he ultimately became an atheist who subscribed to the philosophy of 'the selfish gene'.

What I see now is that he missed the point as so many do where religion is concerned. In fact, organised religions are so horribly weighed down with rules and regulations that the essential point often is lost in the wealth of triviality created by HUMAN BEINGS, not any Divine Being. So-called 'religious wars' as well never are fought on the principle of the essential CORE of any religion but on the basis of all the manmade rules and regulations.

So where is Truth in Religion? I believe that the truth is that simple maxim, described in a number of different ways and different languages that declares that 'God is Love.'

Love in this sense is Caritas. Caritas is a combination of Love and Compassion and Empathy. It is THAT essential core of the Divine that placed Christ on the Cross and Attis on the Tree. All the great myths in religions are based on Caritas, whether it is a journey to learn how to Love as in the case of the Descent of Inanna and the Sacrifice of Dumuzi or an exaample of Love as in the Passion of Christ and the Eternal Sacrifice of Dionysus. Caritas is the thread that connects us with the Universe, with its creatures and beings, whether Animal, Plant or Mineral. To that extent, I fully subscribe with the philosophy of Animism and the modern Pagans. Human Beings are NOT the only important element of the equation. We are part and parcel of the grand tapestry of Nature and if we lack Caritas, we lack that essential understanding of our Universe and damn our Souls to perdition. Hell, in my view, is being cut off from the rest of the Universe. It is a state of being wherein that thread has become so frayed as to no longer pass any sustenance to the starving soul.

The premise of the 'selfish gene' theory, I believe, is that our fundamental nature pushes us towards that which is best for us. 'Best' is defined here in Darwinian terms rather than according to the ancient philosophy of the soul striving for 'that which is best' ins spiritual terms.

Perhaps there is an element of truth in this, but with an enormous caveat. What intervenes, whether one defines it as 'grace' or 'caritas' is a Divine impulse that fills us with empathy and compassion for others. 'The Grace of God' to me represents this Divine impulse. It is not a matter of 'original sin' but of a need to balance the selfishness that is at the heart of the very natural instinct for self-preservation.

Nor is this 'Grace of God' or 'Caritas' limited to human beings. Every one has seen evidence of the ability of animals of all species to sacrifice their own self-interest for the sake of love whether for a beloved owner, a mate, a child or the community. To argue that this is somehow related to 'self-interest' is spurious logic. It is the Divine spark that causes us to engage our emotions in this fashion, that inspires us to make sacrifices whether of emotion, material goods or life itself for the sake of another.

The Sacrifice of the King or Eternal Sacrifice of the God provides us with the prototype of the ultimate gift. This Sacrifice is NOT for humanity alone, but for the sake of Nature and fertility as well. It is motivated by all-embracing Love for Life itself.

The Great Sacrifice actually is not limited to human sacrifice either. The Tree of Life is sacrificed each Yuletide for the sake of the World and the future. Even the Ash Yggdrasil made constant sacrifices and experienced constant pain to sustain all of life in the Nine Worlds.

Odhinn himself speaks of Yggdrasil as the Tree of Life that sustains all nine worlds as suffering more pain than any one can imagine. As each new shoot appears, the four Harts that nibble on its highest boughs gnaw them. As each new root appears, the dragon Nithhogg tears them off. The trunk decays eternally. Yggdrasil, the World Tree is much like the Goddess of the Dead in this respect. Hel is a creature both of Life and Death, with one side vibrant and beautiful and the other maggot-ridden and rotting.

The Norse myths are extremely complex and have their foundation in many of the ancient world myths from Sumer and India. The Northern people were great warriors and were exposed to world cultures long before the birth of Christ. It therefore is not surprising to find that depictions of the World-Tree from ancient Sumer and Egypt are incorporated into the Edda.

Whether it is a human being who becomes the Tree, is nailed to the Tree or simply the Tree itself who represents the ultimate Sacrifice, the Cross and World-Tree are the symbol of Caritas in action. The sacrifice is made, from life to death and from death to rebirth 'for the sake of All'. Our lives are the compost into which the seeds of the future are planted and nourished and we were born from all who lived in the past.

The point of all this, I suppose is that it is necessary for the soul to be able to connect to others. In love is suffering and if we do not have the courage to take upon ourselves the pain and agony of others, then our souls wither and die. We must maintain that connection, which is why so many mystery religions reenact the Great Sacrifice ritually, and why women beat their breasts for Attis, Adonis and even now for Husayn. The ritual of matam in the Shi'a tradition is the re-affirmation of that connection with Life and with the World. If one cannot weep for Husayn, one is cut off from the Divine. It is not when we weep selfishly for our own pain and loss that our tears have any merit. It is the tears we shed for others that contribute to the great river filled with the Water of Life that nourishes the Universe. In like fashion, the enactments of the Passion of the Christ, whether in the ritual known as the Stations of the Cross or during Passion Week, allows the individual to connect with the rest of humanity and indeed Nature.

The 'selfish Gene' therefore is only one half of the equation. Yes, we were created with the instinct for self-preservation but we were created with the ability to reach out and connect with the rest of life as well. To divorce ourselves from Caritas is to damn ourselves to the real Hell of being alone. The soul that is not nourished by Love dies. It is as simple as that.

I have copied the actual text of the description of Yggadrasil in the Grimnismal poem of the Edda below.

Three roots in three ways run
Beneath the ash Yggdrasil;
Beneath the first lives Hel,
Beneath the second the Hrimthursar (Giants of Frost),
and beneath the last the lands of men.

Ratatosk (the 'Swift-Tusked') is the squirrel who fares
on the roads of Yggdrasil
Bearing the words of the Eagle from the top
To tell to (the dragon) Nithhogg at the root.
Four harts there are
That the highest shoots
Nibble each day with necks arched back:
Dain (the Dead One) and Dvalin (The Unconscious One), Duneyr and Dyrathror.
More serpents there are beneath the Ash
Than an unwise creature would think,
Goin and Moin, Grafvitnir's sons, (Grafvitnir: the gnawing wolf)
Grabak (Greyback) and Grafvolluth ('the one who rules in the ditch' or 'gnawer in the field', the old God Mot), Ofnir (the twisting one or 'one who confuses') and Svafnir (the one who puts to sleep or 'Death-bringer') shall ever, methinks gnaw at the small roots of the tree from below.
Yggdrasil's Ash great agony suffers
Far more than men do know.
The hart bites its top, its trunk forever decaying,
And Nithhogg tears at it beneath.'

Snorri in his Prose Edda, adds a variation to the effect that: 'An eagle sits in the branches of the Ash, very wise; between his eyes sits the hawk who is called Vethrfolnir.'

Hawk Gazing West

2009-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last week, one day when the weather was mild, I sat on the deck and concentrated on the birdsongs. Our lives are so frantic and self-involved sometimes that it is easy to miss something so integral to nature, so utterly rich and beautiful as the sounds that different birds make.

I had not realised how many diverse songs one could hear from the upper deck of an urban row house. The delicate songs are overpowered easily by the grinding of gears, the screech of brakes and the shouts of irate neighbours and strangers, as well as the noise emanating from automobile stereos en passant.

This afternoon, it is bitterly cold and one cannot sit out on the deck but through the window, I heard a piercing high-pitched cry that reminded me a little of the cry of a newborn kitten. It was not a kitten, however. After a moment, I realised it had to be the cry of a bird.

I looked out towards the huge tree northeast of the deck that always appears to draw birds of all kinds as a magnet to its lofty branches. In the distance, I saw two large birds and one smaller one perched some distance above them. The two appeared to be squabbling over something or simply vying for supremacy on the branch.

I heard a different cry now from one of the large birds, and this one sounded vaguely familiar. I ran for my camera, hoping that what couldl not be seen with the naked eye could be captured by the lens. By the time I returned, only one bird remained. Its stance, however indistinct in the distance, made me suspect it was a bird of prey.

Indeed, it was a hawk. I believe it to be a Peregrine in fact. There was a time when a city organisation attempted to persuade a pair of Peregrines to roost in the tallest building. They did so for a couple of years but have not been seen in recent years. I do not know whether the government or the birds themselves terminated the project but I have missed them. As there is a view of that building from the deck, I could watch them ride the thermals sometimes, or circle the building near sunset.

In any event, there is an irony in my great admiration and love of birds of prey, as any kitten in the wilds undoubtedly would be threatened by their presence and I am a cat lover above all else.

The Goddess Freya was reputed to have a hawk cloak that allowed her to assume the form of a bird of prey. Thinking about that, I realised that I always visualised her as retaining human size even in avian form, but falcons are fairly small. The virtue of assuming the form of a hawk would be the bird's vision and speed in flight, not its size or power. Why would a goddess with the ability to shapeshift change the natural size of the creature whose form she took? Far better to blend with the natural landscape...

I do not feel at home in this alien city, nor shall I ever love it as a native might, but I am grateful for the amazing diversity of wild life that manages to brave the urban blight, maintaining a bridge between the destruction and filth developed by human city dwellers and Nature's own indomitable power. The birds continue to use the same flight paths on their journey south that they have used for centuries and until all the trees have been chopped down, they may stop here again and again.

Paying Attention to Nature

2009-11-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

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Long ago, a great-aunt who was a great artist in her own right, with a reputation for eccentricity even in her youth taught me an invaluable lesson. Living in the house next to hers, I had the task of bringing her meals at one point and making certain that all was well with her.

When I arrived with her breakfast one morning, she was filled with enthusiasm. She told me to sit down next to her, as though we were about to watch the premiere of a new film at a cinema.

'Look!' she commanded, directing my attention out the large picture window where a large branch had fallen from one of the trees and lay in the road.

She was not concerned about the impact on any possible traffic but rather had become enraptured by the shape of the branch, the shadow it cast on the road and the way it had fallen, creating a new landscape for a woman who no longer ever left her home.

A talented composer and musician in a very musical family, she had a very profound spiritual connection to life that could not be defined by any organised religion. Although senility made her behave rather irrationally at times in later years, she nonetheless always had some new insight into her world that continued to energise her at a point where the familiar landmarks in life had dimmed for her.

After a difficult night, I went outside this morning to sit in the sun. It is rather cold, but the sun is warm. The juxtaposition of hot with cold reminded me a little of sunbathing in Zermatt in Spring.

I shut my eyes in order to turn my face to the sun, to soak up the sunlight and gradually became aware of the extraordinary wealth of sounds. Surrounded by trees, the birds tend to congregate here, but I never realised how many different varieties of birds there were at any given moment. I began to focus on the sounds, and rather to my surprise, there were even more than I first had noted. As birds came and went in the large tree in a neighbouring garden, the melody would change.

My awareness of the cold diminished as I focused both on the warmth of the sun and the song of the birds. Despite the urban blight in this neighbourhood, despite all the automobiles gunning their motors, the shouts of irate parents or couples, the occasional small aeroplane or helicopter, the song of the birds, when noted, overrode everything else.

What is sad, however, is the way that people in this neighbourhood choose to chop down existing trees that are a natural habitat for birds and other creatures. They claim that falling leaves and berries are a mess, that trees require too much 'maintenance' and end by paving over the soil and grass that once allowed gardens to exist in the middle of a city.

Personally, I tend to subscribe to the ancient animist view that does not restrict a 'soul' to human beings, but recognises that everything in nature has its own unique spirit and power. In the same way that every bird has its own song, every tree has its own breath as well as form.

The ancient Etruscans, like my Aunt Mimi, 'read' the landscape and followed the flight of every bird, the fall of each leaf, creating a discourse with Nature based on her every movement. The Romans inherited this belief to some extent. In Asia, there still are those who practice animist religions. Even within Christianity and Islam, there are traditions of animism, clothed in new guises but nonetheless following ancient beliefs. Sacred springs and wells, whether attached to the lives of saints or to ancient myth, remain sacred through the millenia. The waters of Zamzam, like the waters of Lourdes, continue the ancient promise uniting Earth with the powers of Heaven. The fig tree that sheltered Miriam or the sapling carried by Joseph of Arimathea to England to become the Glastonbury Thorn are but two examples of ancient beliefs woven into tapestries of 'newer' traditions.

Ongoing Correspondence with Jacqueline Lichtenberg

2009-11-12T04:30:00.000-08:00

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I find it very interesting that Jacqueline Lichtenberg has responded once more to a post of mine with respect to her Sime-Gen novels. I shouldn't be surprised, however. It actually is very much 'in character' for her to do so. She always has reached out to her readers and other potential writers alike, not so much in order to promote her own work but to inspire others to write and create, to JOIN her in her creative efforts.

I am copying her response below, but I will answer her question here. I believe in the power of the printed word and if anything, the internet and the technology of the personal computer (and related systems) has empowered writers in a way that hitherto was impossible to all but the rich or those with a source of funding.

Book publishing no longer is monopolised by a few firms who specialise in printing and distribution. ANY ONE can publish a printed book now. 'Printed book' in this context should not conjure forth visions of pages organised in an amateurish binder similar to that created for a thesis at University. I am speaking now of REAL books, with proper bindings, some of which are well-illustrated.

The 'Kindle' is an interesting toy, in my view. Like any other system of its nature, it will become outdated quickly. The owners either will be forced to update frequently or actually buy a new system within a year or two. I have considerable experience with gaming platforms and have seen how the GBA was replaced with the GBA SP, then the DS, the DS Lite and now, the DSI. Nintendo, who created ALL those systems, has had the grace and decency to make them 'backwards-compatible' until now. With the DSI, finally, they have broken with their own tradition, sad to say. Any one who buys the new system will not be able to play old games on it.

Individuals who are not involved with gaming may have had comparable experiences with their IPods or Zunes. Constant updates and 'improvements' force consumers to purchase new versions of these systems.

The Kindle is a transient platform. A book is as permanent a format as we have in our society, apart from carving words on stone or marble.

I worked in the field of book publishing in London and in the States, but writing game guides has taught me something else about contemporary publishing. We who use the internet constantly tend to exaggerate its sphere of influence. Having written over 100 game guides published by IGN (Fox) on the internet, I sometimes lose sight of the limited reach that these guides have. Yes, I have readers from every continent and received hundreds of emails daily from gamers, but these players only represent a percentage of the total number of gamers. That is why printed 'Official Strategy Guides' continue to sell. Furthermore, the printed guides will outlast all of the internet guides I have written unless some one converts my guides to print.

It is easy enough to tell some one to download and print a document from the internet, but that requires a printer, paper, ink AND time. Nonetheless, people tend to prefer printed words to the words displayed on a screen. Furthermore, at the end of the day, I believe that any one who wishes to have a permanent copy of a book would prefer to pay for that book to be bound properly.

That having been said, I know quite a few writers who have published their own books in professional format. Amazon and other outlets actually organise the printing and distribution. The writer simply sends the material in the format desired. I would urge Jacqueline Lichtenberg to consider something of this sort rather than relying upon the Kindle or any internet link that offers a download to prospective readers.

Yes, computers in the home are far more prevalent than they were a decade ago, but a large percentage of those who have computers at home use them only for email or for their accounting. They do not download books. Many of them wouldn't have a clue how to go about it.

As far as the 'next generation' of readers is concerned, computer literacy is taught in every school now, but all of the teenagers I know read printed books and use their computers for IMs or school research. They do not WANT to read books on a screen...

One need only recall the incredible success of the very lengthy Harry Potter novels with readers of ALL ages to realise that printed books STILL are a desirable commodity. Children, teens and adults queued up outside bookshops hours before a new Harry Potter novel was due for release in order to buy a copy on the very first day. They were hardcover, expensive novels and they SOLD. In similar fashion, the 'Twilight' series by Stephenie Meyer and Erin Hunter's 'Warriors' series have sold very well in hardcover form.

Use the internet by all means to promote the Sime-Gen series and network with other writers, but find a way to PRINT the books at a reasonable cost. If you do not wish to organise that aspect of it yourself, I would expect that there are countless writers' groups and small publishers who would be more than pleased to assist in this project if the behemoths of the book-publishing world are too short-sighted to involve themselves. The reputation of any small publishing venture would be enhanced greatly if it were to produce a new edition of these Classics as well as new novels in the series.

Finally, if you could sell a concept for a film based on the Sime-Gen series, the world would be your oyster in terms of re-publishing existing novels as well as publishing new novels. The time really is right for a Sime-Gen film but you should be in charge of the screenplay. Of existing novels, I would recommend 'First Channel' as the book most likely to capture the interest of a general audience. Of course, in writing for the screen, you could combine aspects of more than one novel or even create something entirely new.

In a film, the scientific aspects of the mutation could be explored (as you probably would like them to be!) without becoming tedious to non-scientific minds and at this point in history, technological advances in computer-generated images as well as the ability to create almost ANYTHING in a realistic fashion would allow the mutation to be presented very elegantly on the screen. The Sime tentacles would look REAL and the entire selyn exchange could be intensely erotic and romantic... as well as utterly terrifying when the Gen is unwilling. In fact, the film could begin with a scene of that... quite shocking, attention-grabbing... and then, as the story unwinds, selyn exchange would be shown in its most powerful positive manifestations.
As with the book publishing industry, film no longer is the monopoly of a few. Although I believe you could sell a good screenplay to any of the 'big name' producers, there are a host of talented independent film makers who could do justice to your work as well.

And then, of course, there is the potential for a game based on the series...

Jacqueline Lichtenberg said...
Freyashawk:

Oh, YES we have MUCH new Sime~Gen to present - but where and from whom and in which formats, that's the question.

Freyashawk wrote:
-----------
Had Jacqueline Lichtenberg asked me the question I wished she had posed, I would have answered that I would welcome new novels about the period prior to Zeor's founding, the period when the mutation still had not been studied scientifically, when Simes viewed Gens unconditionally as a source of sustenance and Gens lived in terror of the 'unnatural' Simes. This dynamic, I believe, would appeal strongly to a new generation of teens, the same readership that follows Stephanie Meyer's saga of Edward and Bella with almost obsessive interest.

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Jacqueline Lichtenberg: And that is exactly where 2 new novels and a screenplay are set - WAY before things get technically complex.

On the divided focus between Jean and me, Jean's degree is in English and mine is in Chemistry.

Sime~Gen is an example of the modern breed of "mixed genres" that is emerging, and it is a "universe." My ambition is to have a novel in the S~G Universe that can be identified as belonging to each genre. One unpublished by Jean is a Romance which would today be classed as a Futuristic Romance - maybe a bit on the Paranormal side.

I've completed the novel on the years before the founding of the House of Zeor (when they knew almost nothing and had no customs to speak of). It's got a lot of Paranormal in it at the insistence of the publisher who commissioned it (then went bankrupt owing us tons of money).

The unpublished material is sitting there. We have a number of options available, but would love to know what you and your readers would prefer - paper, ebook, downloadable, fictionwise, amazon Kindle, some other publisher. I hadn't considered CD delivery, so thanks for mentioning that.

Paper is possible, but expensive. What is your price-point for a paper copy?

Collectors drove the price of my Vampire Romance, THOSE OF MY BLOOD and it's companion volume DREAMSPY over $400 before a publisher picked it up for a new Trade paper edition. Collectors have had a copy of just one of the volumes the Mass Market trilogy DUSHAU over $70 - but now you can get it on Kindle. And read free chapters (see http://www.jacquelinelichtenberg.com

I've been watching the Amazon price of the Sime~Gen omnibus THE UNITY TRILOGY climb.

We ought to make a move on this soon, but in which direction? We need input.

And thanks for the flattering comparisons. I actually like TWILIGHT!!!

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
http://www.jacquelinelichtenberg.com

'A Jar of Dirt'

2009-11-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

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To me, as Winter approaches, when the Trees begin to lose their leaves and perennials die in order to sustain hidden life beneath the soil, the presence of a few living plants inside the house is a symbol of hope and life. Once, I would have assumed that every one felt the same, and that the sight of a thriving plant, whether or not it bore flowers, would excite feelings, if not of excitement, at least pleasure.

Plants in the house give benefits to human beings in terms of oxygen. I believe that they clean the air to some extent, recycling it. House plants are recommended by doctors for that reason. And yet, I was shocked to discover that there are those who look at a plant inside the house and simply see 'dirt'. 'Dirt' in this sense is not 'soil' but filth. To me, soil is not filth. It is the foundation of nature and the cradle of plant life.

Fuchsias may not survive a Winter of freezing temperatures. For that reason, I try to bring the Fuchsia into the house before the first frost. This year, I worried about the plants so much that I decided to bring them indoors a little earlier and was rewarded with new blooms. It gladdens my heart to see the flowering plant at a time when most of the plants in the garden are dying.

When I hear any one ranting against the presence of a living plant in the house, I think of Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' with his wonderful speech about his 'jar of dirt'. 'I have a jar of dirt!' he crowed ecstatically... The jar of dirt there was supposed to contain a living, beating heart. Dirt in itself is a living organism, even when not invested with fairytale magical significance. In fact, in times of desperation and starvation, human beings actually have survived temporarily on dirt.

Similarly, although ice and snow in Winter can be bitterly cold and difficult even for humans to survive, without Winter, leaves never would turn colour and fall from the trees. It is the anticipation of dying that lends extraordinary beauty to the Trees. Fallen leaves can be a nuisance in our gardens, but at the same time, they are Nature's exquisite tapestry, a declaration of the incredible variety that exists in plant life.

In Second Life, I often was a little disappointed in the predominance of tropical beaches and palm trees. Yes, warm beaches are lovely and they can give a welcome illusion of Summer to those who are experiencing Winter's grip in the real world, but to me, it is the change of seasons and the variety between the four Seasons that is most magical. The sight of a rocky cliff and evergreens hugging a wild Northern coastline is equally inspiring.

Perception can be a shield against the darkness or it can be a sword turned against the heart. Those who perceives house plants as nothing more than 'dirt' or 'filth', having no right to exist within the home, have chosen somehow to cut themselves off from life. They wage perpetual psychic war against Nature, against anything that threatens their control over the universe. That is what it has to be, the defence of a person who feels impotent all too often and who therefore takes his/her war to every object or entity that he/she has not chosen to allow in his/her world. The same person who raves against house plants is filled with incandescent hatred of squirrels and mice. Any 'rodent' is vermin, just as soil is 'filth'.

I have experienced an invasion of mice in the past that caused terrible havoc with my books and keepsakes but I do not hate them as a species even now. Were all human beings to declare unconditional war against 'rodents', Beatrix Potter never would have created her incredible world. How could one envision a world devoid of Peter Rabbit and Squirrel Nutkins? She had the imagination and love of Nature required to perceive the little 'invaders' into her realm as a source of creative inspiration.
Again, all a matter of perception.

Dionysius as one of the Seven Sleepers

2009-11-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Some refer to individuals with a wide range of interests as 'Renaissance men' (or women?) but others liken us to magpies who collect anything that glitters or shines. I have found my intellectual curiosity to be both a blessing and a curse. It means that I never am bored and always am excited about something new, but in reality it has prevented me from having a single unswerving path that leads to any successful lifelong goal.

Two days from the release of Sunshine Islands means two days basically for me to put my Guides for the game into a coherent and somewhat completed form... and yet, here I am, looking for a verse from the Qur'an in support of my own conviction that human beings are nothing more than 'guardians' of this Earth, having supported my thesis previously with a well-known Latin maxim.

Instead of finding a copy of the Qur'an, I did what many of us do nowadays and searched online for the verse. In the process, I found one of the many sites that publishes 'magic' verses for every conceivable purpose under the Sun, whether it is liberty from false imprisonment or a restoration of spousal affection.

Always fascinated by magic, I began to read through the various spells and found the following:

'It is written in Biharul Anwar that in order to create love between man and wife, write the names of ashab al kahf (the people of the cave) and then the name of your spouse with his or her mother’s or father’s name, then wear it as a ta’wid on the right arm. The names of seven sleepers (followers of Prophet Isa) in Christian books are given as:

Constantine
Dionysius
John
Malchus
Martinian
Maximiam
Serapion

According to Hafiz Farman Ali Sahib the Sleepers were six and the seventh was a dog. Their names are given as:
Kimsilmina
Martunus
Sarnivilus
Ninivanus
Tmlikha'

END OF QUOTE

This spell is intriguing for many reasons, only one of which is the way names are altered or garbled when converted to other languages. To me, however, the most interesting part of this spell and the sole reason that I publish it here is the addition of 'Dionysius' to the list. Admittedly, it could refer to a man named Dionysius, of which there were many in ancient times, but I think it refers to the old pagan God.

The concept of the 'Sleepers' is found in many different myths throughout the world. There are 'Sleepers' in England and in Germany... and I believe there are tales of Sleepers in a Cave in India and China as well. These 'Sleepers', like Sleeping Beauty when pricked by the spindle only appear to be dead but await a fateful moment when they are roused from their long slumbers. Whether by the call of a special horn or other method, their promised future awakening usually is linked to a particularly dire emergency in the land. I don't think any of them have awakened yet, despite historical pestilences, genocides and the unleashing of atomic destruction in this world... Nonetheless, Dionysius somehow was added to the list of 'Sleepers' in the Cave not too far from Makkah or Mecca by some one at some point in the early history of Islam.

A Filly Beats all the Boys in the Classic

2009-11-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

Zenyatta won her 14th consecutive Race today in the Breeders' Cup Classic, running against a field of males. She began the Race on the wrong foot at the very back of the pack, but managed to beat all contenders.

Afterwards, the announcer asked her jockey, Mike Smith: 'Is she Horse of the Year?'

Mike Smith's response: 'She's 'Horse of the Decade'!'

The crowd went wild when she finished first. She had enchanted every one with her little dance steps in the paddock and on the way to the gate. Where other horses might be nervous, she obviously thrived on the attention of her audience and evidently this is always the case where she is concerned. Hundreds of pink placards declaring 'Girl Power!' lined the fence, their bearers cheering her on.

I myself was a little skeptical, although secretly I wanted her to win as well. After all, I am a Girl and I always like to see a female prove herself the equal of any male. In the past, however, far too many horses promoted as the upcoming 'Horse of the Year' before the Breeders' Cup proved to have feet of clay on the course.

It is not the horse alone who wins the race and Mike Smith was a perfect companion for this spirited filly, leading her to victory with consummate skill, but what impressed me most was his obvious affection for his mount.

Zenyatta has proven herself conclusively today at Santa Anita. If she never runs another race, she has claimed a place in the hearts of her audience.

'Camel Jockey' Ahmed Ajtebi wins Breeders' Cup Race

2009-11-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

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Watching Ahmed Ajtebi ride the 'Vale of York' to victory at 30-1 odds a few moments ago, made it worthwhile for me to follow the Breeders' Cup races today. Ahmed Ajtebi is the first Arab jockey ever to win a Breeders' Cup Race. The horse was trained by Saeed bin Suroor and is owned by Godolphin Stables of the ruler of Dubai.

How I always have hated the ethnic slur of 'camel jockey' for more than one reason! For a start, I believe that the camel is one of the noblest, most beautiful and elegant creatures on this planet. Secondly, the art of riding, whether camels or horses, was perfected by the people of the Arab Nation and it is no accident that thoroughbreds are known as 'Arabian thoroughbreds' because of their original ancestors. Finally, Ahmed Ajtebi WAS a true camel jockey in his early youth and his experience with camels only enhanced his ultimate talent and ability on horseback.

From now on, perhaps Americans will have a healthier respect for 'camel jockeys' and it will be known as a title of honour rather than a perjorative ethnic slur.

The Breeders' Cup Races are publicised as 'international' in the number of horses they attract from other nations. I think it is an error on the part of the official announcer to refer to the winner of the Grey Goose race as a 'European', however. The world is not divided, even in horse-racing, between 'Europe' and the 'United States'. Dubai is not part of Europe. Rather than proclaiming 6 winners for the day so far by Europeans, he should have declared 5 European winners and 1 winner from the Arab Nation.

The official Godolphin website declares that: 'Godolphin is the Maktoum family's private horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern thoroughbred.

'His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s love of horses is renowned. Descended from one of the most notable tribes in Arabia, Bani Yas, horses have been part of his life since childhood. His Highness, born on 15 July 1949, is the third son of H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

'Bedouin culture and traditions are central to his heritage. The desert is a challenging, often harsh, environment so the ability to live in harmony with nature is vital to the people of the region. As a boy, Sheikh Mohammed learned to read the desert sands, to identify a single camel’s footprint in a herd of hundreds and to understand the rhythm of nature so as to be at one with the creatures of the desert,'

How does this translate to 'European'? Give credit where credit is due. The Arab Nation won one today with an Arab jockey. Without subscribing to any view of the nobility of Dubai as representative of the Arab Nation as a whole, they nonetheless ARE Arab and the victory on the course today by Ahmed Ajtebi has to be recognised as significant. After all, an individual with enough money from any nation can buy a superb horse and enter it in a Stakes race, but it takes true talent and skill to ride the steed to victory.