Paganism: Legends and Lore of Bees

For those who are interested in Paganism. As Beltane approaches, we become more aware of the signs of Spring. When the flowers bloom, out come the bees. Patti Wigington explains the connections of bees to magick. Enjoy! 

Peace & Love - 

Tater

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Legends and Lore of Bees
By Patti Wigington
About.com Guide

Bees have been the subject of myth and lore for ages.

Image © Martin Rueggner/Getty Images

In the middle of spring, a magical thing begins to happen outside. In addition to the greening of the earth, we notice a change in the local wildlife. Suddenly, squirrels and chipmunks are everywhere. Birds are twittering away madly in the trees, worms are popping up right and left in the soil, and everywhere you look, life has returned. In particular, you'll see bees buzzing around your garden, partaking of the rich pollen in your flowers and herbs. The plants are in full bloom at this time of the spring, and the bees take full advantage, buzzing back and forth, carrying pollen from one blossom to another.

In addition to providing us with honey and wax, bees are known to have magical properties, and they feature extensively in folklore from many different cultures. These are just a few of the legends about bees:

• In some areas of New England and Appalachia, it was believed that once someone died, it was important for the family to "go tell the bees" of the death. Whoever kept the bees for the family would make sure the bees got the news, so that they could spread it around.
• Ancient Egyptian pharaohs used the honeybee as the royal symbol, during the period between 3000 b.c.e. and 350 b.c.e.
• The Greeks believed that a baby whose lips were touched by a bee would become a great poet or speaker.
• If a bee flies into your house, it means that someone is coming to visit. If you kill the bee, the visitor will bring you bad news... Full Article

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News: Superman Renounces U.S. Citizenship

He has not, however, renounced wearing underwear on the outside! Enjoy!

Later!

Tater Scot

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Superman Renounces U.S. Citizenship

By Albert Ching,
Newsarama Staff Writer

Superman has renounced his US citizenship, and for a character long-known for "truth, justice, and the American way," that's big news.

Though DC's promotion of this week's 96-page Action Comics #900 centered around the main story — the conclusion of the year-long "Black Ring" saga starring Lex Luthor — it was a back-up written by David S. Goyer and illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda that's making headlines.

In the story, Superman is scolded by a member of the president's security staff for appearing at a protest in Iran, with the notion that Superman's actions reflect the positions of US government as a whole. As a result, Superman chooses to renounce his US citizenship, rather than have his deeds be construed as a statement of any one entity's policies.

Unsurprisingly, the story has been picked up by several national news outlets since the issue's release on Wednesday. The New York Post called it a "shocking pronouncement," and quoted DC Entertainment co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee as stating, "In a short story in Action Comics #900, Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville."... Full Article

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Paganism: Altar Maypole Centerpiece - Make a Beltane Maypole for Your Altar

For those who are interested in Paganism. Patti Wigington shares a creative way for you to make your own May Pole for Beltane. Enjoy! 

Peace & Love - 

Tater

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Altar Maypole Centerpiece - Make a Beltane Maypole for Your Altar
By Patti Wigington
About.com Guide

Altar Maypole Centerpiece - Step 1

Image © Patti Wigington 2008

For many people, a Maypole Dance is the best way ever to celebrate the fertility holiday of Beltane… but let's face it, you may not have the ability to do that. Not everyone can stick a 20-foot pole in their yard, or you may not even know enough other Pagans (or Pagan-friendly non-Pagans) to have a Maypole Dance in the first place. If that's the case, there's a much smaller alternative. You can easily make a Maypole to put on your Beltane altar.

For this simple craft project, you'll need the following... Full Article

Need advice? Get a personal one-on-one  psychic tarot reading with Tater now!  A real, live reading from the comfort of your own home or office via Skype video. Intuitive and practical, Tater's readings provide wise advise and spiritual guidance. Don't wait!  Click Here! All payments 100% secured by Paypal. Available in person in the Phoenix area for private readings and parties, email me - tater@erealspells.com

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News: Ohio DUI suspect keeps cop waiting at drive-thru

I'm pretty sure this lady wasn't thinking "outside the bun" on this one! Enjoy!

Later!

Tater Scot

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Ohio DUI suspect keeps cop waiting at drive-thru

 
April 28, 2011 (NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio) -- Police in Ohio say a woman insisted on picking up some fast food before she allowed an officer to charge her with drunken driving.

The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland reports police in suburban North Royalton got a call about a car weaving and going off a road at a little after 1 a.m. earlier this month. A patrolman tracked the vehicle to the drive-thru of a Taco Bell restaurant and pulled up alongside.

The police report says the driver had sunglasses on and ... Full Article

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News: Masked marauder preys on golfers' purses

The thief has been unmasked...sort of! Enjoy!

Later!

Tater Scot

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Masked marauder preys on golfers' purses
By Todd Wright
NBCMIAMI.com

Authorities have finally discovered the identity of a thief that is stealing purses at a South Florida golf course, and they didn't have to go far to find the bandit.

He is living right on the golf course — in the bushes.

Groundskeepers at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach say that a raccoon is snatching up women's purses and sneaking into players' bags and stealing golf balls, WPTV.com reports.

The furry bandit was stashing his pilfered goods in the bushes, and when officials found the animal's hideaway, they found two purses, an assortment of golf balls and empty food wrappers.

But catching the animal is proving to be as difficult as getting out of a sand bunker. So far the animal hasn't fallen for the bait of food set in a trap.

Maybe they should try putting a purse in there.

The raccoon was recently spotted by a male golfer sitting on a golf cart and it ran off when it was approached. The golfer looked at his bag and saw that it had been unzipped.

The man said his wallet and a few golf balls, which were inside the bag, were on the ground... Full Article

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Magick: Popping Pills and Magical Practice

For those who are interested in Magick. Does taking prescription pills affect your magick? Deborah goes into her own experience on this subject. Enjoy! 

Peace & Love - 

Tater

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Popping Pills and Magical Practice
By Deborah

Since writing my latest article for WitchVox on Magically Cleansing Your Home, I've been getting the same question over and over:

Do you think that taking medication affects your magical practice?

My short answer would be: No.

For those of you interested in a discussion, I will share my thoughts with you here. Firstly, I'd like to say that I really dislike it when people are made to feel like they need to engage in secrecy and shame. If that happens, something has really gone wrong in my opinion. The fact that apparently a lot of Pagans/Magical Practitioners feel that they can't talk about taking prescription medication -- and need to hide the reality that they do take medications from the community -- makes me really sad. Taking care of your health and taking advantage of modern medicine shouldn't be something you have to feel shame about in spiritual circles.

So let's start kicking down some walls and lay it all out there. I have depression, anxiety, anemia and fibromyalgia. I currently take the following medications to make it so that I am a productive member of society: Prozac, Xanax, Remeron, Savella, Celebrex, Vitamin D, Multi-Vitamin and Birth Control. In the past, I have: gone to therapy and tried Kava and St. John's Wort to help.

The therapy helped immensely, the Kava and St. John's Wort significantly less so. In addition to my medication I use yoga, stress management techniques, japa/self guided meditation, massage, journaling and talking to loved ones to manage my conditions. I see my doctor regularly. She is very tight fisted with all the "fun" meds and I don't think I could get a Vicodin out of her if it meant she could retire on an island of her own. But at the same time, she treats my conditions very aggressively.

Even with good coping mechanisms, good medication and a good support structure, I still have days where I'm anxious and can't sleep and I occasionally have days when I am depressed for no reason. Sometimes my fibromyalgia causes me so much fatigue and pain still that I can't get out of bed... Full Article 

Need advice? Get a personal one-on-one  psychic tarot reading with Tater now!  A real, live reading from the comfort of your own home or office via Skype video. Intuitive and practical, Tater's readings provide wise advise and spiritual guidance. Don't wait!  Click Here! All payments 100% secured by Paypal. Available in person in the Phoenix area for private readings and parties, email me - tater@erealspells.com

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Paganism: Spotlight on Walpurgis Night

For those who are interested in Paganism. On the eve of Beltane is the celebration known as Walpurgis Night or the Night of the Witches. How will you celebrate it? Enjoy! 

Peace & Love - 

Tater

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Spotlight on Walpurgis Night
by Elysia
Llewellyn Unbound

                  
Witches and Wiccans around the Northern Hemisphere are gearing up for Beltane, or May Day, this coming Sunday. Falling on Beltane Eve is a holiday called Walpurgis Night, which has long been regarded as the time witches would gather on a rocky mountain in Germany known as the Brocken. While Walpurgis and Beltane have similar timing and some common themes, Walpurgis Night has traditions, lore, and correspondences all its own, and happily, Llewellyn has just published a book devoted to this interesting topic: Night of the Witches: Folklore, Traditions & Recipes for Celebrating Walpurgis Night. In honor of Walpurgis Night on Saturday, I interviewed the book’s author, Linda Raedisch, to find out more.

First things first – Walpurgis Night falls on April 30, or Beltane Eve. How is it different from Beltane? What is its significance?

The oversimplified answer would be that Beltane is the Celtic observance and Walpurgis Night the Germanic. When you look back into history and prehistory, the line between Celtic and Germanic and even Slavic are not at all clear, especially in Central Europe. It was a long time before the Roman designations caught on and the peoples concerned realized that they were supposed to be different ethnic groups. If you could go back to Roman times, I don’t think you would see so much difference between these peoples’ celebrations of May Eve. Since then, the so-called “Germanic” version has evolved into a night that’s first and foremost about witches. In the Middle Ages it was about driving them out. Now it celebrates them. Among the general public, kids dress up as witches and devils just as American kids do at Halloween, but it’s also about today’s German Witches celebrating their identity. Unlike many holidays, Walpurgisnacht has a geographic epicenter: a mountain called the Brocken in northern Germany. Nowadays, Witches gather there openly, but they were believed to gather there in secret since the time of Charlemagne and probably before.

Night of the Witches is a rather out of the ordinary book for Llewellyn to publish, as it does not deal with modern Wicca in the least! That said, do you think Wiccans will still enjoy it and find something of value in it? Can witches celebrate Walpurgis Night too?

One of my few friends who actually read the book asked me, “Wow, how do you know all that arcane stuff?” For Wiccans it’s not arcane stuff at all. Some of the content is for the general reader who has never heard of runes or besoms or valkyries. But then again, since Wicca is essentially an English religion, Wiccans might find something new in the book’s European slant. It’s possible that some Wiccan readers may not yet have run into an Alraune or a Bilwis or a Drude. And of course, the crafts and recipes are there for everyone. I’ve noticed that modern Witches always seem to be on the lookout for gifts for one another – is it all those Sabbats? You can use some of the craft ideas in the book to make gifts... Full Article

Need advice? Get a personal one-on-one  psychic tarot reading with Tater now!  A real, live reading from the comfort of your own home or office via Skype video. Intuitive and practical, Tater's readings provide wise advise and spiritual guidance. Don't wait!  Click Here! All payments 100% secured by Paypal. Available in person in the Phoenix area for private readings and parties, email me - tater@erealspells.com

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