- The Moon & Mars Dance, While the Ursids Shower;
- Minute Tech guest Carol Burrows on "What is Needle-craft?"
- Facebook, Tabloids and Baboons - "Baboon Metaphysics".
Go to the Minute Tech iWeb page to subscribe or listen to this podcast: Minute Tech.
Interstitial music by Apple & Bre Pettis
Show Transcript
..Alex.
Showing posts with label Moon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moon. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
December 8th, 2007 - The Cycle Continues
December 8th of this year was the day my mother died. A strong woman, a strong human, until her end. Her strength lives on within us. Her spirit lives on within us.
An end, of course, is also a beginning. Those of us who survive her in the family are reminded of the cyclicality of life on this geothermal speck of dust in the Milky Way galaxy. We're born, we live, we have families, we die, our families hopefully live to continue their own cycles.
This, of course, describes the cycles enjoyed by all living being on this planet, so what makes us so special? Why, that we can blog about it! :-)
The Minute Tech podcast, episode 57, will be a Monday/Tuesday podcast, focusing on the moon and other celestial events. On Sunday I mentioned the Winter Solstice, which occurred at 1:08 am, December 22nd. This whole holiday season revolves, as it were, around the solstice. How does this winter event impact your life? That's probably like asking a skeptic how the Moon affects his or her life...but in reality, all major and minor human cultures celebrate the solstice...so I'm sure it impacts it in some way.
Let me know if it doesn't! :-)
ciao, bella.
..Alex.
An end, of course, is also a beginning. Those of us who survive her in the family are reminded of the cyclicality of life on this geothermal speck of dust in the Milky Way galaxy. We're born, we live, we have families, we die, our families hopefully live to continue their own cycles.
This, of course, describes the cycles enjoyed by all living being on this planet, so what makes us so special? Why, that we can blog about it! :-)
The Minute Tech podcast, episode 57, will be a Monday/Tuesday podcast, focusing on the moon and other celestial events. On Sunday I mentioned the Winter Solstice, which occurred at 1:08 am, December 22nd. This whole holiday season revolves, as it were, around the solstice. How does this winter event impact your life? That's probably like asking a skeptic how the Moon affects his or her life...but in reality, all major and minor human cultures celebrate the solstice...so I'm sure it impacts it in some way.
Let me know if it doesn't! :-)
ciao, bella.
..Alex.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Minute Tech 018: Halloween 2007
A Minute Tech podcast, reading from Ruth Edna Kelley's "The Book of Hallowe'en".
THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN
CHAPTER I
SUN-WORSHIP. THE SOURCES OF HALLOWE'EN
"IF we could ask one of the old-world pagans whom he revered as his greatest gods, he would be sure to name among them the sun-god; calling him Apollo if he were a Greek; if an Egyptian, Horus or Osiris; if of Norway, Sol; if of Peru, Bochica. As the sun in the center of the physical universe, so all primitive peoples made it the hub about which their religion revolved, nearly always believing it a living person to whom they could say prayers and offer sacrifices, who directed their lives and destinies, and could even snatch men from earthly existence to dwell for a time with him, as it draws the water from lakes and seas.
In believing this they followed an instinct of all early peoples, a desire to make persons of the great powers of nature, such as the world of growing things, mountains and water, the sun, moon, and stars; and a wish for these gods they had made to take an interest in and be part of their daily life. The next step was making stories about them to account for what was seen; so arose myths and legends.
The sun has always marked out work-time and rest, divided the year into winter idleness, seed-time, growth, and harvest; it has always been responsible for all the beauty and goodness of the earth; it is itself splendid to look upon. It goes away and stays longer and longer, leaving the land in cold and gloom; it returns bringing the long fair days and resurrection of spring. A Japanese legend tells how the hidden sun was lured out by an image made of a copper plate with saplings radiating from it like sunbeams, and a fire kindled, dancing, and prayers; and round the earth in North America the Cherokees believed they brought the sun back upon its northward path by the same means of rousing its curiosity, so that it would come out to see its counterpart and find out what was going on.
All the more important church festivals are survivals of old rites to the sun. "How many times the Church has decanted the new wine of Christianity into the old bottles of heathendom." Yule-tide, the pagan Christmas, celebrated the sun's turning north, and the old midsummer holiday is still kept in Ireland and on the Continent as St. John's Day by the lighting of bonfires and a dance about them from east to west as the sun appears to move. The pagan Hallowe'en at the end of summer was a time of grief for the decline of the sun's glory, as well as a harvest festival of thanksgiving to him for having ripened the grain and fruit, as we formerly had husking-bees when the ears had been garnered, and now keep our own Thanksgiving by eating of our winter store in praise of God who gives us our increase.
Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, lends us the harvest element of Hallowe'en; the Celtic day of "summer's end" was a time when spirits, mostly evil, were abroad; the gods whom Christ dethroned joined the ill-omened throng; the Church festivals of All Saints' and All Souls' coming at the same time of year--the first of November--contributed the idea of the return of the dead; and the Teutonic May Eve assemblage of witches brought its hags and their attendant beasts to help celebrate the night of October 31st."
Happy Halloween!
Go to my iWeb page to subscribe or listen to this podcast: Minute Tech.
..alex.
THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN
CHAPTER I
SUN-WORSHIP. THE SOURCES OF HALLOWE'EN
"IF we could ask one of the old-world pagans whom he revered as his greatest gods, he would be sure to name among them the sun-god; calling him Apollo if he were a Greek; if an Egyptian, Horus or Osiris; if of Norway, Sol; if of Peru, Bochica. As the sun in the center of the physical universe, so all primitive peoples made it the hub about which their religion revolved, nearly always believing it a living person to whom they could say prayers and offer sacrifices, who directed their lives and destinies, and could even snatch men from earthly existence to dwell for a time with him, as it draws the water from lakes and seas.
In believing this they followed an instinct of all early peoples, a desire to make persons of the great powers of nature, such as the world of growing things, mountains and water, the sun, moon, and stars; and a wish for these gods they had made to take an interest in and be part of their daily life. The next step was making stories about them to account for what was seen; so arose myths and legends.
The sun has always marked out work-time and rest, divided the year into winter idleness, seed-time, growth, and harvest; it has always been responsible for all the beauty and goodness of the earth; it is itself splendid to look upon. It goes away and stays longer and longer, leaving the land in cold and gloom; it returns bringing the long fair days and resurrection of spring. A Japanese legend tells how the hidden sun was lured out by an image made of a copper plate with saplings radiating from it like sunbeams, and a fire kindled, dancing, and prayers; and round the earth in North America the Cherokees believed they brought the sun back upon its northward path by the same means of rousing its curiosity, so that it would come out to see its counterpart and find out what was going on.
All the more important church festivals are survivals of old rites to the sun. "How many times the Church has decanted the new wine of Christianity into the old bottles of heathendom." Yule-tide, the pagan Christmas, celebrated the sun's turning north, and the old midsummer holiday is still kept in Ireland and on the Continent as St. John's Day by the lighting of bonfires and a dance about them from east to west as the sun appears to move. The pagan Hallowe'en at the end of summer was a time of grief for the decline of the sun's glory, as well as a harvest festival of thanksgiving to him for having ripened the grain and fruit, as we formerly had husking-bees when the ears had been garnered, and now keep our own Thanksgiving by eating of our winter store in praise of God who gives us our increase.
Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, lends us the harvest element of Hallowe'en; the Celtic day of "summer's end" was a time when spirits, mostly evil, were abroad; the gods whom Christ dethroned joined the ill-omened throng; the Church festivals of All Saints' and All Souls' coming at the same time of year--the first of November--contributed the idea of the return of the dead; and the Teutonic May Eve assemblage of witches brought its hags and their attendant beasts to help celebrate the night of October 31st."
Happy Halloween!
Go to my iWeb page to subscribe or listen to this podcast: Minute Tech.
..alex.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Minute Tech 006: What is a star?
There are stars...and there are stars.
The outline for today's Minute Tech podcast:
- The celestial dance of the moon with Saturn and Venus;
- What is a Star? The sky and Hollywood both pertain;
- CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks
and related links:
Amanda Bauer's blog "Astropixie - Things and Stuff Astronomy and Life";
Lisa Dale Miller's article about the New Moon in Libra;
Mark Apsolon's site on youtube;
Wikipedia's article on the heavenly version of the star;
Bob McDonald and the Quirks & Quarks radio show.
Go to my iWeb page to subscribe or listen to this podcast: Minute Tech.
..Alex.
The outline for today's Minute Tech podcast:
- The celestial dance of the moon with Saturn and Venus;
- What is a Star? The sky and Hollywood both pertain;
- CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks
and related links:
Amanda Bauer's blog "Astropixie - Things and Stuff Astronomy and Life";
Lisa Dale Miller's article about the New Moon in Libra;
Mark Apsolon's site on youtube;
Wikipedia's article on the heavenly version of the star;
Bob McDonald and the Quirks & Quarks radio show.
Go to my iWeb page to subscribe or listen to this podcast: Minute Tech.
..Alex.
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