BOOKS: The Lore of Scotland

 https://www.thenile.com.au/books/sophia-kingshill/the-lore-of-scotland/9780099547167

The Nile is an Australian online bookshop that has many hard to find books in its extensive booklist. I recently purchased this 2009 book, The Lore of Scotland by Westwood and Kingshill, on Scottish folklore and it has an extensive bibliography and reference index. So if like me you love Celtic mythology and folklore then this is a good addition to your collection. The chapters are laid out in regions of Scotland for a quick reference. Might be a good Christmas prezzy for someone special if you are stuck for something to buy.

The Goddess Nike on your hot cross buns and clothing

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_(mythology)

Think of the sports brand Nike when you see that famous tick that we use to mark something as correct, mythology and symbology are very much  strong influences in our world and always will play a role as do the colours used in symbolism and advertising.  Having a powerful effect on our psyche with its own form of branding,  as does religion and astrology influence us on often subtle hidden ways. Nike was the goddess of victory in Greek Mythology . The Nike tick is symbolic of the wings of Nike as in swift victory. She represents victory in music, athletics and military competitions. So this is suggesting a bit of competition for the old Hot Cross Bun in the news article below.  

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/food-drink/supermarkers-risky-hot-cross-bun-move/news-story/a99ed45d4c05f59880c31d0710f2f042 

Basically it's just swapping one myth for another in this news article. The change over from the age of Aries to the age of Pisces symbolically known as a Fish for Christianity, and the cross also represents the earth if you have a circle around it. The cross also represents the four cardinal points; but it also represents spirit becoming physical in mass and matter  metaphysically. As in when a human being comes into being in our world.  The Lamb of Christ /Ram is Aries, the lords are the zodiac houses and the procession of the zodiac which runs anti clockwise in approximately 2000 year cycles. If you go back before the age of the Ram/Lamb it was the worshiping of the Bull as in Taurus.  

We are now leaving the age of Pisces (the 12th house  ruled by Neptune and the sign of Pisces). The 12 house which rules, spirituality, psychic abilities, illusion, deception, seclusion or what is hidden. healing, the subconscious mind, hidden enemies and hidden agendas. It is the last of three houses of endings and is ruled by the element of water. 

The ruling planet Neptune governs All maritime matters, liquids of all kinds, music, movies, the stage, television, glamour, dreams, illusion, delusions, spirituality, ideals, mystical and mysterious, hunches, all things that we take for granted in life without questioning, Neptune also governs fog (water which  comes in three forms, liquid, vapour and ice. Then there is anaesthetics, flattery, the intangible, fragrances, second sight, the love of poetry, colour, and dancing/movement. Drugs, alcohol, addiction, hypochondria, sleep walking, hypnosis, the immaterial and abnormalities. Neptune’s actions are subtle, gradual and sometimes insidious. It is the higher octave of Venus, and the second of the three transcendental planets.

Where you find Neptune is where you deceive yourself and others, it is also where you seek the ideal.

Note: this information comes from the book, The only way to learn astrology (vol 1) by Joan McEvers and Marion March. 

We then move into the age of Aquarius, which is a contested area because most people either don’t agree or actually know when the age of Aquarius actually starts. According to some scholars the new age begins around the 2050’s or else much later in 2100’s.  Studying Astrology, which pointed to it being underway since the 20th century and covers 2100AD to 2800 AD. That's quite a tricky thing but in reading the article it may be something to take into consideration. Nobody can fully predict the  beginning and ending of the age of Aquarius, however the energy can be felt in subtle ways with human behaviour.  

The 11th house of the zodiac is ruled by the cardinal sign of Aquarius and the planet Uranus. Breaking this into what it governs is as follows. The 11th house itself governs, the love you receive from others, goals, hopes and dreams, circumstances beyond your control, friends. Money obtained via your occupation, 

The glyph for Aquarius is two wavy lines like water waves or electrical waves. Aquarius rules science, technology, inventions, it’s humanitarian, progressive, logical and futuristic. It is egotistical and utopian, bohemian  eccentric, intellectual, humanitarian. 

Uranus its ruling planet represents the freedom urge also known as the great discontent. and its key word is the awakener. Uranus rules, inventions, originality, science, magic, the occult, light, law, astrology, psychology, insight into nature's laws, sudden change, revolution, dictators, individualism, ingenuity, rebellion and autonomy. Uranus is a breaker of tradition, its gender neutral and sexless.

Uranus is also renowned for its connection to earthquakes and natural disasters.

Where you find Uranus is where you tend to do the unusual. So this as we can see will usher in a totally different world from what we know. We are already in a totally different world to our grandparents and great-grandparents. So that little tick is a nod that things will change whether people like it or not. Testing the public reaction like an experiment to see the reaction. 

Pre Raphaelite Art Appreciation

 Any fans of Pre-Raphaelite art out there? I really love this old art of the Victorian and early Edwardian era, The colours and subject matter are so romantic and speak to my soul. I have pictures hanging up in my home office and Tarot bags on the theme too. Modern art doesn't speak to me the same way as this art. I visualise an artist studio with plenty sunlight streaming through the windows and a leafy green garden with lush green trees near the window for inspiration. Leadlight glass panes on the windows and a leadlight lamp in the room somewhere. To me these things go together with the era, and I love leadlight windows and lighting.  

I would prefer botanical art in modern paintings or something nature based. But this Pre-Raphaelite art has such a strong pull for me. I do feel a strong pull towards the mythical and whimsical elements of the art of this genre as it moved into the early 20th century. This style of painting is evocative in its beauty, elegance and the mystical  all wrapped in one package. 

 Midsummer's Eve by Robert Hughes and John William Waterhouse's famous Lady of Shallot painting,  are sitting above my computer as I type this. So feminine and a sense of a magical time in art where romance meets esoteric mysticism in a big way. Modern art cannot possibly evoke the same wonder in me like the Pre Raphaelite art does, no disrespect intended here, it’s just my personal preference in art. 

           

                                                                     Midsummer's Eve by Robert Hughes

                                                            The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse

                                               The Accolade by Edmund Blair Leighton 

Ophelia by J W Waterhouse

The vibrant colours of the John Everett Millais version of Ophelia  

The Ophelia paintings come in various versions by different artists.

All of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings are  beautiful, deeply evocative and esoteric, though loved by many for their sheer beauty alone. To me it is a visual mystical poetry of times gone by, by both the artists and the era. The times they depict and  how they make me feel from a modern times standpoint is hard to put in words. These artists were most definitely very privileged individuals not just in talent but from backgrounds that could afford to provide the artists with the means to create these wonders. 

 

The esoteric wisdom that each artist possesses is not unlike those on a metaphysical path that are immersed in the symbolism of the Tarot. But the sheer beauty that an artist creates on canvas is unsurpassed for beauty, wisdom and human experience that most of humanity never gets a chance to experience on a deep personal level. However, they can get a brief glimpse into this amazing transcendental world  by studying the beautiful artworks in a gallery, a book, poster or just on good old Google. 

The more one looks at the images the deeper they speak to the subconscious mind in subtle ways which I feel are beneficial to humans on a spiritual level, not just beautiful art for the sake of it. 

I hope these pictures may spark an interest in someone that is seeing them for the first time. 

There are hundreds of images on Google images if you just type in " Pre Raphaelite art". From there click on the images and read about the individual artists. I do hope that there is someone with a curiosity for this beautiful art that becomes passionate about this genre and benefits from this simple little post. 

Warm and fuzzy hugs,

Alex

 

Has the mystery identity of the Cerne Abbas Giant been solved? Academics claim Dorset's 180ft chalk figure may depict Hercules - after centuries of debate over the landmark

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12916121/academics-reveal-hercules-inspired-cerne-abbas-giant.html

The first thing that comes into my mind is an astrological point of reference. Just by clicking on the news article and seeing the picture. Having been reading metaphysical and mythological literature for 20 years I am very aware of the night sky and the mythological links.

To suggest Oliver Cromwell is utterly ridiculous how the hell can a mythology figure so ancient be connected to Cromwell of the 1600’s?  This is astrological and one needs to study the night sky map to see this and look at the names for each planet, constellation, star, asteroid, moons etc. The ancient scholars studied the night sky thousands of years ago and we are only now discovering how accurate they were thousands of years ago without modern technology to assist them. It was pure mathematics and observation of the night skies. Those astronomers were also astrologers too. These sciences were only separated due to the Catholic Church in modern human history, the 17th century in fact. Astrology is and always will be a science no matter what the Vatican says and does!

Human origins are said to be related to Orion, Sirius, the Dog Star; and the Dogon people of Africa know this from their mythology. The Dog Star or Sirius being very important in human history, mythology and astrology. And regardless of where on this planet you live, the night sky for astronomy and astrology has markers on the ground, such as Newgrange in Ireland, Stonehenge in England, the Giza pyramids aligned to the belt of Orion and Sirius. 

If you have a basic Planisphere (a double sided plastic disc showing both Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere), astrological software or astronomy software you can see the night sky mapped with the diagram of all the mythological creatures and the entire zodiac.  I have this software and I also put a link on my blog to download the Stellarium astronomy map of the night sky for anyone that’s interested. Astronomy is a good hobby to learn without doing the professional astronomer thing. 

There are many places around the world where the ancient people have mapped out the night sky and used it for astronomy as well as astrology for thousands of years. We nowadays have the luxury of technology that is incredibly precise down to seconds in the movement and the planets. These ancient people did it without technology, smart cookies huh. However astrology can warn us of events and how to deal with them as they arise. Hence the use of horary astrology that is favoured by world leaders since astrology was invented. 

https://www.hows.org.uk/personal/hillfigs/mirror/giants2.htm 

The David Chandler Company, Planisphere easily purchased online. 

Happy reading and perhaps you may want to investigate this phenomenon yourself and get a real buzz out of it. It’s informative and very useful to navigate through life with this knowledge. 

The hairy men of Australian mythology and the little people

https://www.cdu.edu.au/launchpad/research-impact/finding-elusive-little-people

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-05/the-story-of-arthur-marrin-and-the-hairy-man/7693462

An interesting post came up on Facebook and I thought that it was a very interesting subject. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as little people in Australian mythology or hairy men. The hairy men are not the same as the infamous Yowie though. The little people spoken of are like elemental beings but rather smelly. I wonder why they smelled so bad, perhaps something dietary and lack of hygiene.