In Bavaria, people dress up in native costume and decorate their horses in preparation for a festival in honor of St. Leonard whom they consider the patron of cattle.  There is much singing and cracking of whips as the march in parade through the town.   (Could this date once have been associated with a cattle sacrifice?)

 St. Leonard is venerated by Roman Catholics and Anglicans and November 6th is considered his Feast Day.  He is generally depicted as an abbot holding chains, fetters or lock, or manacles.  And he is considered the patron saint of political prisoners, imprisoned people, prisoners of war, and captives, women in labor as well as horses and cattle.

He was a Frankish noble in the court of Clovis I who was converted at Christmas 496 along with the king.  Leonard asked Clovis I to grant him the right to liberate prisoners who he would find worthy of it.  Although it was his right, he declined the offer of a bishopric and instead entered the monastery of Micy near Orleans.  Eventually he became a hermit in the forest of Limousin where he gathered a few followers.

A legend states that he was honored as the patron of women in childbirth because through his prayers, the queen of the Franks was safely delivered of a male child.  She was with her husband hunting when she went into labor in the woods.  St. Leonard came out of his hermit's cell to pray for her and as stated before she safely delivered her child.  In payment for his good works, the King gave Leonard royal lands at Noblac where he founded an abbey.  A village grew around the Abbey and became known as Saint-Leonard de Noblac.

He is also considered the patron of prisoners and when his name is invoked by those who have been unjustly imprisoned, he brings about their freedom.   A legend states that when his name was invoked by prisoners from the cells, their chains broke before their eyes.  Many of these prisoners would bring their heavy chains and irons and offer them to St. Leonard in homage.  They would stay with him and he gave them forest to clear and work so that they would have a means to live an honest life.

It was not until the 11th Century following the release of Bohemond I of Antioch (a charismatic leader of the First Crusade) in 1103 from a Danishmend prison through the "intercession" of St. Leonard that his fame spread.  Bohemond visited the Abbey of Noblac where he made an offering in gratitude to St. Leonard for his release.  Noblac became a stop on the pilgrimage route towards Santiago de Compostela.

St. Leonard was one of the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages.   It is recorded that he died in 559.

You never know the truth of legends but you can be inspired by the stories.  St. Leonard sounds like a really good soul.  He wanted to help prisoners to be free of their bondage and freely provided land for them to work.  (It is called "Putting your money where your mouth is!")  He came from a wealthy family and could have anything he wanted, including a position as a bishop in the church.  It would appear that he was guided to live a life of simplicity and solitude as a hermit.  It is often much easier to hear God when you are not surrounded constantly by distractions.  As far as the safe birth of a child, I feel that he was in the right place at the right time to pray and keep all concerned from getting upset about their circumstance.  I don't believe the birth was miraculous but the situation was fortuitous.

I would say that I am hearing to be still and listen for the voice of the Creator for guidance.  And to be happy in doing the little things in life which are often "big" things to the receivers of your work.

Namaste

I was talking with my Mom this morning and she said I had changed and was much easier to talk to.  Well, I am here to say that I have grown up quite a bit over the past few years.  I will give credit to Xanga for a good portion of the change since I used this site to vent and work through all the thoughts in my mind.  Scarey huh?  It was a great way to deal with my insanity.  Better than going to a therapist.  Now I can honestly say with a very clear conscience and open heart that my past entries were all a figment of my imagination.  Read into this whatever you want.  But I have cleared a good bit of blockage in my life and feel that I have caught up physically, mentally and spiritually to my physical age.  WooHoo!  I am a Crone!    I am finally a crazy old lady who is enjoying my life.

May you each find your happiness. Namaste.  Zera

"Clearly there's another form of energy that we have not yet understood, for example, there's a form of energy that appears to leave the body when the body dies.."  Dr. Pert

The belief is that the Mind and the brain our two separate things.  The brain is an organ in the body that runs the physical body.  The Mind is etheric and spiritual.  The Mind holds the essence of everything you are, were and could be.  Is it part of the Soul?  I believe the soul is energy.  And it is this energy that leaves the body when you die.  The essence of mind does not stay with the body after it dies for it would be of no use.  Where does the Mind and Soul go after death?  Could the Soul reach a spiritual plane where it meets with other souls?  Sylvia Browne believes in a Heaven or Spiritual Plane similar to earth where you meet up with friends and family.  Then the soul comes back to earth for another incarnation.  This would make reincarnation very personal.  What if the Soul reaches the Spiritual plane and at that point makes an accounting of the experiences of the recent incarnation and receives healing and blessing from the Great Creative Being.  The the Mind and Soul essence is freed and blended into a great Cosmic melting pot from which  particles are gathered for a new soul to enter into the Earth plane with bits and pieces of past Cosmic experiences.  This new Mind and Soul would would be born with a combination of many different life experiences from the Cosmic melting pot.   Well, it is a thought after all.

I am rereading a book, The Odyssey of a New Religion" by Phillip Lucas.  The new religion he has written about is  The Holy Order of MANS, the group that I was a member of for 14 years.  It is a very insightful book about the journey of our order from New Age to Orthodoxy.  Reading this book has reminded me that it is a great part of who I am just as my first marriage of 5 years is a part of me.  Instead of trying to be who I think I  should be it would be better to spend my time accepting me and then being real.

I enjoyed one of the sentences in the Introduction that stated "It also greatly aided my attempt to gain insight into the way members perceived reality."  After all, Reality is only Relative to the Eyes of the Beholder.

I was filled with pride at the Order I joined and the goods works we accomplished.  I did find however that I became angry at the Director General and his secretive move of the Order to Orthodoxy.  I didn't want to be Russian or Greek Orthodox.  I liked being a New Age Christian person of the heretic persuasion so much so that I can honestly say I still am with the addition of eclectic added to the title.  Oh, yes, I have to add Crone to that title as well.

I do not agree with the direction that Andrew took the Order and I was very angry with him.  However, he was the leader of the group and we didn't have to follow.   My family did not follow and left the Order after 14 years of living communally with a group of great but crazy spiritually motivated beings.  I enjoyed most of my experiences and disliked others which is totally normal in life.  I forgive Andrew for changing directions and forgive myself for holding this against him for so long.  I was only hurting myself.

Anyway, if you are into religion, this is a great book to read.  Learning to forgive yourself is a great spiritual lesson for everyone to learn.  Namaste.

The river is high and the water is moving swiftly.  The mist is just beginning to rise off the water.  No geese sleeping on the picnic tables this year.    

My goose friend with the broken wing and beak is still here from last year.    She’s a survivor. 

A gaggle of geese, there must be at least 100, are swimming their way up the river in single file.  They are following the river bank very closely and I could almost touch them but better not.  They move like an army with geese throughout the line quacking orders.  I watch as one goose gets up on the river bank and quacks while a good dozen fellow geese swim by.  Then he hops back into line with the rest.

It isn’t quite 7 am and already people are here – fishermen, joggers, watchers.  Bikers are out on the road.  A couple who were fishing when I arrived is just now leaving. 

I watched a very large dog pull his female owner down the walkway.   There is a young couple kissing over by the cars oblivious to the rest of the world around them.   Well, finally, a sculler is on the river.    The sun will soon burn the mist off this morning and other scullers will be out. 

The area is so trashed.  There are six garbage cans that I can see and for some reason people didn’t use them last night.  I guess it is just so much easier to drop our garbage wherever.  Thank goodness Nature works around us.

I sit here writing and reading and relaxing amongst nature.  Only 2 more hours to go before someone comes to help set up for the picnic today.  Hope they come early because there have been several people here already wanting me to give up this spot. 

This has been the most boring time of my life that I can remember at this moment.  Work is very slow.  I do enjoy working here, though.  I love the people.  Certainly hope things are not going downhill.    The up side is that it provides me with time to write in my journal.

I have been doing alot of reading about women forming circles of communication and spirituality.  This is very exciting informationt o me.  I believe as many others do that it is now time for women to gather together to be one in our effort to save Mother Earth from the patriarchal thinking that has been going on for 2000 years.  I am not advocating that men need to go to another planet.  (That's an interesting idea, though)  Actually, what I am feeling is that women need to let their nurturing, feeling and intuitive selves come forth and with unite to make the changes that are necessary in every country of this world to improve the lives of women and children.  I believe that with education and health care, women will be empowered to take charge with the help of men to make the necessary changes.  I believe it is the right of every woman and child to live a life free of fear.  I am so tired of our society that believes in "My Gun is Bigger than Your Gun" so I can abuse you, kill you or anything that I want to do.

Megalisia:  This is a Phrygian festival in honor of Cybele, the Magna Mother (Great Mother) that was adopted by the Romans.  The story goes that a Sibylline oracle advised the Romans to bring the meteorite which represented Cybele from Phrygia to Rome as a way to end the 2nd Punic War.  In 204 BCE the Cybele was placed in the Temple of Victory.  The following harvest was great and the war ended the next year. 

The Romans celebrated Megalisia on April 3 with a parade in which the image of the Cybele was carried through the streets in a chariot drawn by lions, her animal.  Her priests danced along side her image throwing flowers everywhere and gashing themselves in her honor. 

Lucretius says :with bronze and silver they strew all the paths of her journey...and snow rose blossoms over her."

This is from Rufus, Anneli  The World Holiday Book Harper SF 1994 from The School of the Seasons website. 

As an aside, it is believed that the Phrygians were among those migrating peoples known as :Sea Peoples" who destroyed the Hittite Empire.  They originated in the Danube area and migrated into Thrace.  Later they crossed the Dardanelles settling in and around Troy.  Eventually the spread over western Anatolia.

The Phrygian Kingdom comprised a confederation of peoples which ruled from central Anatolian plateau.  They established themselves as a strong and powerful kingdom around the 8th century BCE when they became a noticeable political and military power.

For your further edification, the Cybele rules fertility, forests, mountain, bees, androgeny, fortresses, turrets, bulwarks, city walls, holy madness, religious ecstasy, untamed nature, single motherhood, building with stone and reproduction of wild plants and animals.  She is the matron of eunuchs, transvestites and the trans-gender community

Her worship is a mystery region that originated in Asia Minor then spread through Europe to North Africa.  Her feast days include June 23, a spring festival from Mar 15 to 27 and April 3.  This info mostly comes from www.open-sesame.com/cybele

Birthday of Washington Irving:  He was born in 1783 in New York City near the end of the Revolutionary War.  His parents, Scottish-English immigrants, were great admirers of General George Washington and named their son after their hero.

Irving had many interests that included writing, architecture, landscape design, traveling and diplomacy.  He is best known as the first American to make a living solely from writing.

In 1809 using the pen name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, he wrote "A History of New York" that describes the lives of the early Dutch settlers of Manhattan.  This where the NYC basketball team got their name, the NY Knicks.

In 1828 the Spanish elected Irving to the Real Academia de la Historia.  And in 1830 he received a gold medal in history from the Royal Society of Literature in London.  In 1842, having been trained as a lawyer, President Tyler appointed him Minister (Ambassador) to Spain.

In 1832 Irving established his home Sunnyside in Tarrytown.  He never married or had children.  Instead he shared his home with his brother, Ebenezer, and his 5 daughters.

On November 28, 1859, on the eve of the civil Ware, Washington Irving died at Sunnyside surrounded by his family.

Information taken from www.hudsonvalley.org

Feast Day of St. Isodoire, Bishop of Seville:  He was born at Cartagena, Spain, about 560 and died April 4, 636.  His two brothers were both bishops and his sister was a saint.

He is the Patron Saint of the Internet because of his compilation called Etymologies, an encyclopedia of all the knowledge ancient as well as modern of his time.  In it many fragments of classical learning are preserved which otherwise would have been hopelessly lost.  Like the Internet, his sources and explanations were not always accurate but his desire to proved the most extensive information was.

At the 4th National Council of Toledo, St. Isidoire influenced the bishops to establish seminaries in their cathedral cities hoping that the resources of education would counteract the growing influence of Gothic barbarism.  The 8th great council of Toledo styles him "the excellent doctor, the late ornament of the Catholic Church, the most learned man, given to enlighten the latter ages, always to be named with reverence."

Artemis the Savior:  This is a Greek lunar festival which takes place on the 6th day of Mounichion which honored Artemis Soteria, Artemis the Savior.

The story is told that an enemy force set out for Magaera during the time of the Persian War.  Knowing themselves to be outnumbered and out armoured, the Megaerans prayed to Artemis for help.  That very day a mysterious woman appeared on the road to Megaera and was captured by the Persians.  She successfully bargained for her life by offering to guide the army through the forested hills during the night so that the Persians could mount a surprise attack.  However, once deep in the woods with paths leading in all directions, the woman disappeared leaving the Persians a full day's march from Megaera and unsure of which way to go.  Aretmis then sent her animals to torment the Persians  causing them to panic and uselessly expend their arrows.  When the Persians finally arrived at Megaera, they were exhausted and out of arrows.  The Megaerans handily routed the enemy.  In gratitude to Artemis, they built a huge temple in her honor.

Here begins my record keeping of celebrations through the year.  I have gathered most of my material from the internet with particular help from The School of the Seasons (http://www.schooloftheseasons.com ).This is a great site to visit if you also have a interest in celebrations.

April 2:   Today is my dear sister's birthday.  She is 54 years young and quite a lady.  Happy Birthday, kid.

St. Urban:  On this day superstitious young women supposedly hung some of their hair before a picture of St. Urban.  They believed that the rest of their hair would grow long and golden.  This interesting tidbit was garnered from Reginal Scot in his The Discovery of Witchcraft written in 1584.  I looked up St. Urban and could find nothing that even remotely addressed hair growing.  The only thing I found today was that he became Pope Urban I and nothing is known of his life prior to being pope.  by the way he reigned as Pope from 220 to 230 AD.   Information on Pope Urban came from Wikipedia.

Sizdah-bedar/Thirteenth Outside:  This is a traditional Persian festival that is celebrated on the 13th day of Norouz (Persian New Year) in the month of Farvardin.  "Sizdah" means 13 and "bedar" means to get rid of.  This day marks the end of the New Year celebrations.  The first 12 days of the new year symbolize order in the work and in the lives of the people.  The 13th day marks the return to ordinary daily life. 

On this day Persians leave their homes before dawn and stay outside all day.  It is believed that joy and laughter clean the mind from all evil thoughts.  This is a full day of mass outdoor picnics.

This is also a special day to ask for rain.  According to the Zoroastrian beliefs, the 13th day of the month of Farvardin belongs to the deity of rain, Tir, which is depicted as a horse.  Therefore, this is also a day for competitive games involving horses.

At the end of day, a ritual of throwing away in a stream or over the garden wall the "Sabzeh" (a dish of sprouted seeds) from the Norouz Haftsin table occurs.  The sabzeh is supposed to have collected all sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of the family though the coming year.  Getting rid of it is said to rid the home of the evil eye and "divs" or demons.

The sprouted seed dishes are similar to gardens of Adonis, an ancient custom still part of Italian Good Friday celebrations.  (I need to research this further.)

The mandated day spent outdoors is similar to other spring holidays where people are encouraged to spend the day in the open air.

Another tradition is the knotting of blades of grass by unmarried girls int he hope of find a companion.  Knotting of grass represents love and bondage of a man and woman.  I don't think I like the use of the word bondage.  Hmmm!  I also garnered most of this information from Wikipedia.

Pesach/Passover/Festival of Unleavened Bread:  This is a Jewish holiday which begins on the 15th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar.  Passover commemorates the exodus and freedom from slavery of the Israelites from ancient Egypt that followed the 10 plagues.  This actually marks the birth of the Children of Israel who became the Jewish nation.

Pesakh means skipping or passing over.  The name comes from the night of the 10th plague when the angel of Death saw blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of the houses of Israel and skipped over them and did not kill their firstborn.  The meal of the Passover Seder commemorates this event.

The feast of the Unleavened Bread refers to the week long period when leaven was removed and unleavened bread or matzo (flatbread) was eaten.  The Israelites hurriedly baked a flat unleavened bread that could be eaten during their hasty departure from Egypt.

In Israel, Passover is a 7 day holiday with the first and last days celebrated as a full festival.  This is one of three pilgrim festivals during which the entire Jewish populace made pilgrimage to Jerusalem when the temple was still standing.  This information again was taken from Wikipedia.

International Children's Book Day:  In 1967 the International Board on Books for Youth chose this day, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, as a day to celebrate children's books around the world and to inspire a love of reading.

Hans Christian Andersen Birthday:  Born in the slums of Odense, Denmark, in 1805.  He was famous for his fairy tales which were meant for both children and adults.  Andersen received little education when he was young.  However, he was encourage by his parent to compose his own fairy tales and arrange puppet theater shows.  His father loved literature and took him often to the playhouse.  When Andersen's father died in 1816, HC was forced to go to work as an apprentice to a weaver and tailor and he also worked at a tobacco factory.  At the age of 14, Andersen moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer, dancer or actor.

In 1822 Jonas Collin, one of the directors of the Royal Theatre, gave Andersen a grant to enter the grammar school at Slagelse.  Then in 1827 a private tuition was arranged for him to attend Copenhagen University where he completed his education.

Andersen's fame rests on his Fairy Tales and Stories written between 1835 and 1872.   Considered the father of the modern fairy tale, his works were original.  Only 12 of his 156 known fair stories drew on folk tales. 

Anderson died in his home in Rolighed on August 4, 1875.  Again my information came from Wikipedia.

Well, so much for April 2.  Hope you found something of interest.

I just spent the last month titrating (getting off slowly) of my Effexor.  Let me tell you that this has been the worst experience of my life.  Honestly.  There are so many other things I would rather do than detox from a heavy drug -- for instance, walk on hot coals, slam my hand in a shutting door, running into a wall, etc.  I was totally off the medicine for 14 days and my poor body hurt all over and I was so depressed and anxious.  However, I am off the Effexor which is a difficult drug to withdraw from and am on Lexapro which is supposed to be a gentler drug.  After a week on the drug I am feeling better than my old self.  Also, I spent a good bit of time shaking off the past and getting rid of that "damn" sin bag I drug along.  Feel like a new person.  Older but newer.

Blessings to all.  zera

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Allegheny, the goddess sent into the world a beautiful baby girl to bring light and joy to the hearts and lives of a family.  These particular Alleghenians were very unusual in that they spent way too much time not loving each other and not doing the things that their souls told them to do.  And the little gift became very sad because she thought that somehow she had done something wrong -- missed a cue -- and had brought great unhappiness to her new family. 

Now the mother was very young, a mere child herself and perhaps too immature to be a mother.  Her own mother did not like her and wanted as little as possible to do with her.  So how did the Goddess expect her to be a mother to this little gift.  She was not happy being married.  Her husband was immature as well and did not bring her security and happiness and love. 

To keep them safe and warm in the hard world, the little girl's grandfather commanded that a small house be built.   The lumber came from his own sawmill.  Grandfather could see the specialness of this little gift.  The young couple would live near his parents on a very large piece of property in the country where the precious gift could be raised close to Mother Nature so that she could be protected from the hardness of the kingdom of Allegheny.  There would be fields to run through and streams to play in.  So many dogs to follow her around.  Grandparents to spoil her by loving her so abundantly.  They kept the specialness alive in the little gift and nurtured this goodness so that she would grow and fulfill her gift to this kingdom. 

However, the little girl's mother was not happy with her new husband and his immaturity which made her very unhappy with being married.  She began to feel tied down.  Perhaps she saw her life slipping away into nothingness.  She had no deep resources to call upon to be the very best wife and mother because her own mother wanted nothing to do with her.  She was never treated as a special gift and did not no how to nurture this specialness in others, especially in her own child.  The precious gift felt and saw the unhappiness of her parents and assumed the responsibility for all their unhappiness.

One day the young mother took her precious gift to her own Mother and asked that the Grandmother keep the baby girl until the young mother could complete some errands she had to take care of.  The Grandmother and Grandfather where so happy to keep the precious baby girl.  There was nothing they would not do or give or say for the happiness of this little child.  A supposedly short visit became a lifetime. 

The young mother ran away from her husband, her home and most importantly, her precious gift.  She was free now to live her life as she saw fit.  But what price she had to pay for this freedom.  And the little girl paid a price as well.  All her life she wondered why the Grandmother did not love her own daughter and nuture the precious gift inside her.  The little girl grew up wondering what the "cue" was that she missed that would have brought such joy and happiness to her family.  

The little girl learned that she could build her own family by allowing people into her life who needed love and wanted to love others.  The little girl would use her special gift of love to help others see their own special gifts so that they could then share their gifts with others. 

To this day the little girl is certain that she missed a goodly number of clues and was unable to ask the right questions like Percival and the Fisher King and the parade of the Holy Grail.  But as long as there is life in the little girl, she would seek out the correct questions so that the blessed gifts may be freed and allowed to grow in a world so needy for healing.