Midwinter

I give thanks to the Yule Log:
for seeing us through another year.

I also give thanks to the gods,
for helping me recover.

As the sun dims and lowers in the cold sky.
Winter is at it's darkest and shortest.

Tonight there is going to be a ritual.
I will be present at the rite of Midwinter.

Winter Solstice

Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001)

A review of mine. This rather modern version of the Grimm's fairytale film was made by Hallmark in 2001. Not like the Disney animation with musicals and following the story to the book, this TV version has another slant to the tale.

It's all illusion and nothing is real, as the theme goes. First of all, the parents of Snow White are poor instead of royalty. A woman hopes for a child at the beginning of the film, and her wish results in a daughter being born. However, it also meant paying the price for her own life, and so the mother dies. The father of Snow White falls on hard times and he carries her off into a blizzard, where he wakens a magician by accidently breaking the ice because of a tear. He is granted a wish, for a secure home, a palace, and a queen. There the man is not so much a real king but his wish is granted, and he too would end up paying  a price.

The queen would arrive, and she's the stunning red-haired Elspeth, who is a vicious natured witch. She also does truly look "fair" although that is illusion. Her appearance is glamour, and yet she is so dazzled by it all that she's forgotten how she truly looks. The king, father of Snow White, falls in love with Elspeth only after a shower of glass, using it's magic to capture his heart and it's a love spell. So his love for her isn't real. The gnomes of the palace are all not what we assume either. There is, amongst them, a dwarf who was turned to stone that sits in the garden. We as viewers get to see why this happened. Snow White grows into a young woman and the queen clearly is jealous of her.

The spell is fractured when the queen's greed of wanting the visiting handsome prince Alfred's heart, resenting the king as she cannot feel love herself, only wants others to love her. To do that she uses shards of magic mirror dust. The piece of mirror in the king's eyes falls out after the queen hits him in a rage. She tries to use her tricks again by capturing the love of a prince but it all fails. The prince accidently crushes the chink of enchanted glass but a servant has already fallen for the queen under a spell when another piece of glass enters his vision instead of the prince's. Using glass magic reflected back shows a false unreal love. Here the queen discovers that even her flawed magic is shaking when it's revealed who the true fairest of them all is: Snow White. The queen does not return the love of the servant but uses him in her game to kill Snow White and remove the princess so that she can have the prince.

Now the film gets tricky but for kids it's lovely and colourful.

The servant cannot kill Snow White but he lets her escape but in so doing, betrays the queen. Snow White runs through the night forest and attacked by trees. She's is persued by the handsome prince who becomes a bear, and this frightens Snow White away. The queen also caused that dilemna. Now the queen is exposing her hatred to all. She may have the reflection of looking beautiful, but her very inner self is twisted and vile.

Snow White reached the dwelling of the six characters with the comeback of the long lost seventh dwarf after that spell was broken too. The dwarves consist of days of the week and colours of the spectrum. Not all are pleased by Snow White's arrival at first.

As the film unravels, one can become easily dazzled by what is meant to be real and what isn't. For example, the dwarves control the elements and become rainbows. They also create snow! The prince one wonders if he's a bear or if he's a human. As a bear, he gets locked in a glass snow globe, picked up by a wild wolf, and dropped further up the stream. The illsuion shatters to extreme later and there are some weirdness, when all the gnomes come back to life and the queen shows her true colours. The film is lush in bright technicolour, and the effects of glass and mirrors create a prismic field of fakeness and distortion.  All of it is the queen's own illusion and all live under her false making, cast under her illuminating spells.

The film is also like a combination of other stories, "The Snow Queen" and "Snow White and Rose Red". Is there a werewolf theme to it? The prince in the shape of a bear, the transformation and indication, of shapeshifting by a curse, and imprisonment in more glass. Both father of Snow White and the prince and future husband of Snow White find themselves trapped in glass as Snow White is locked in a case made of ice. Ice resembles glass. Much of this illusion shines on every single fragment of the film's plot. The story expands on the mirror and eyes instead on the apples. The apple in this film looks unreal too, with one half red and poisonous but natural looking, while the other half dipped in white chocolate is purified of poison. It's as though the apple was deadly anyway.

Snow White: Fairest of Them All

Huskies

Huskies are one of my favourite dogs. The husky dog is also called the sled dog.

They can be found in Scandinavia, Siberia, Greenland, Alaska and Canada. These dogs have very thick fur and they usually have really pale blue eyes. Some of them have brown eyes.

Huskies live in cold habitat and snowy regions.

Often used in work, such as rescue operations or commonly as a form of transport for pulling sledges, they can also make quite loyal pets. 

They are becoming very popular as a choice of dog these days.

Is there anything else we know?

Okay. Huskies are one of the oldest breeds of dog.
Huskies don't really bark. They make other sounds like this you hear: Husky dog sounds
Huskies resemble wolves but they are not wolves.
Some of these dogs enjoy digging or running.
The Siberian husky tends to eat flowers and plants.
Unlike many other dog breeds, most huskies can climb up things easily.
Huskies are said to be good with children.

Huskies are a popular trend in Yule celebrations in many towns and city centres. Instead of reindeer, some councils may opt for huskies / sled dogs to pull Santa's sleigh, adding to the midwinter magic of Yule in different angles. The husky tends to be overlooked in myth and fairytales.

Here are some beautiful websites:
Everything Husky
Siberian Husky Club
SHWAUK
Dreamcatcher Huskies
Siberian Huskies
All About Huskies

If I was to choose a dog, a husky would be very helpful and also fascinating. These dogs are trusting and full of inner warmth, regardles sof the cold that they seem to enjoy.

The Winter Wolf

The country freezes in almost Arctic conditions. The snows came in November, and the air was stinging of North Winds. The frosts began, with fogs, and snow followed, leaving a blanket of white beauty across the land. This lovely picturesque landscape, like a traditional card for the festive season, holds many problems. The temperatures are not only chilling and could damage the soil as well as roads, but it's killed and removed vital energy sources from residential homes. People have gone without light, heating or electricity. There is the inability to travel. Snow causes immobility. It freezes everything and shuts down the system. While people try to carry on doing their work and living their lives, or even enjoying the snow (schools closed meant that children had extra time off so that they can play!), the snow has caused a breakdown of traffic and food shortages.

It's a winter unlike other winters on record of the British weather. Since the weather reports began in the 19th Century, the United Kingdom has never been this cold. It's unknown how the temperatures were before these records began (but we did experience drastic temp changes in ancient and pre-historic times).

This is the time of winter and although it can be extremely cold in other places, it has never been so cold here in the UK before. It caught everyone by surprise. This doesn't usually happen, and it could be the thing of whatever comes in future as we may see this from now on. Maybe we'll see more winters like this? Perhaps it's the start of an Ice Age era? Maybe there isn't such a thing as Global Warming but instead Global Cooling. I personally think we're long anticipating some form of catastrophe anywhere in the world, and there is so much chaos in the world that it effects the weather and the earth. I'm sounding frantic here but not because there's been so much snow. It's observation and reports that ring bells.

The white coldness is the symbol of my post: "The Winter Wolf". The Wolf of iciness, with a heart rigid and cruel. It stops time itself. It makes our tools too difficult to use and power supply becomes useless. The Winter Wolf is not an actual wolf of the forests or parks, but a primordial sense like a force of nature, a spirit, divine being. Some might suggest it's the opposite of life, the bringer of death, the destroyer of warmth and love, clouds which cover the sun and moon from us and what makes the land infertile. It's winter itself, but also a glacial period, and a sign that nature is out of harmony. We have winter because of the technical layout of our orbital pattern around the sun and distance it moves from it. However, this does not explain why the fact that the earth is closest to the sun during winter and furthest from the sun during summer. Or why such seasons we have did not occur at the time of the dinosaurs. Look at mythology and even fairy tales. Notice how the symbol of SNOW and WOLVES appear to represent what I've mentioned here.    

These are websites of interest:
Ice Age Now
Climate Cooling
Fimbulvetr

Romasanta The Werewolf Hunt

The 2004 film "Romasanta The Werewolf Hunt" has a very different perspective on the subject of werewolves. The main character Manuel Romasanta (played by Julian Sands) is the werewolf in disguise but against traditional werewolf tales, this werewolf is not so much a man who becomes a wolf at the full moon. He's a wolf who becomes a man! The idea of wolves becoming human isn't much known than it is for humans becoming wolves.

The film begins in a shadowy region of northern Spain during the mid ninenteenth century. Bodies are found torn and bloodied. The story unfolds when certain key characters are introduced. Throughout the film are scenes of dark mountains and forests filled with wolves. The atmosphere of the place is so eerie. You can feel the vulnerability of the people who lived in the villages there. "I have some good news, we are leaving" said the sister of heroine Barbara (Elsa Pataky) to her daughter. However, she didn't want her sister Barabra to go with them so the younger sister returned to the gloomy village on her own. While there on edge out of fear that wolves are lurking, for she'd encountered one in the barn on a previous night, her sister and niece were with the werewolf.

The rest of the film is sad in parts, while full of intrigue. You cannot sympathise or empathise with Romasanta because he's dangerous and he kills for food while in the shape of a wolf. As a man, he surgically cut open his victims to take their fat, which he made into a fine soap. This is what he did for a living. There is something more cold and calculating about him. He pretended to be his victims and wrote letters to their loved ones about never going home to see them again. He kept items such as jewellery that belonged to them. He was a womaniser and he loved his victims before he killed them. As for feeling human, he lacked any compassion at all but he fell in love with Barbara. He said he felt human emotions for the "first time" at that point. He's portrayed as being like a werewolf Dracula as he easily enchants women but his intentions are deadly.

The film is based loosely on true historical events. Manuel Blanco Romasanta and more can be found about this here:
The Wolfman of Allariz

Light Queen of Dark

Light Queen of Dark is my own made up title to discuss Queen Guinevere. Guinevere is indeed a queen of light and yet she hails from the Dark Ages or a mysterious time of myth and legend. She may never have existed either. Shrouded in mists, it leaves her as still one of the most famous lgendary queen's of the ancient British shores.

Guinevere, or Queen Guinevere, is the wife of King Arthur. She plays a significant part in the Arthurian legend when she is the love of Arthur and yet after marrying him, she betrays him. She has a love affair with Lancelot, one of Arthur's knights. Did any of this happen? If not then does the magic behind the myth hold any significance? I'm not hear to discuss whether or not it's true but to talk about the queen as myth.

The name "Guinevere" comes from the Celtic Gwenhwyfar that means "the fair", "shining," "white cloud," "white phantom" and "white Shadow." The name is linked with the English name "Jennifer". There are different variations of Guinevere and it is possible that Queen Guinevere is linked to flowers and brides. She may have origins in Celtic myth lore and be a female spirit, goddess and huntress. She may be an aspect of the triple goddess and an earth goddess.

Arthurian Women
Arthurian Legend

Here is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson about Lancelot and Guinevere: 

LIKE souls that balance joy and pain,
With tears and smiles from heaven again
The maiden Spring upon the plain
Came in a sun-lit fall of rain.
In crystal vapour everywhere
Blue isles of heaven laugh'd between,
And far, in forest-deeps unseen,
The topmost elm-tree gather'd green
From draughts of balmy air.

Sometimes the linnet piped his song:
Sometimes the throstle whistled strong:
Sometimes the sparhawk, wheel'd along,
Hush'd all the groves from fear of wrong:
By grassy capes with fuller sound
In curves the yellowing river ran,
And drooping chestnut-buds began
To spread into the perfect fan,
Above the teeming ground.

Then, in the boyhood of the year,
Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere
Rode thro' the coverts of the deer,
With blissful treble ringing clear.
She seem'd a part of joyous Spring:
A gown of grass-green silk she wore,
Buckled with golden clasps before;
A light-green tuft of plumes she bore
Closed in a golden ring.

Now on some twisted ivy-net,
Now by some tinkling rivulet,
In mosses mixt with violet
Her cream-white mule his pastern set:
And fleeter now she skimm'd the plains
Than she whose elfin prancer springs
By night to eery warblings,
When all the glimmering moorland rings
With jingling bridle-reins.

As she fled fast thro' sun and shade,
The happy winds upon her play'd,
Blowing the ringlet from the braid:
She look'd so lovely, as she sway'd
The rein with dainty finger-tips,
A man had given all other bliss,
And all his worldly worth for this,
To waste his whole heart in one kiss
Upon her perfect lips. 

Many poems like this can be found on various poetry websites. 

Gwenhwyfar: A Cymric Heroine

Early British Kingdoms

Gwynhwfar: the Cloud who Would be Queen

Many actresses have portrayed Guinevere in different unique ways. In the 2004 film King Arthur the Guinevere character was a fierce warrior woman, who was not easily broken. The beautiful 1980's film "Excalibur" has the queen Guinevere played by Cherie Lunghi, who comes across as selfish at first but sorrowful later on. In the BBC television series "Merlin" (with a boyish Merlin) the character Guinevere is portrayed as a black servant girl played by Angel Coulby. IMHO the show is awful and plastic as well as being too PC but that hasn't forever tainted the legend or Guinevere's meaning. There is going to be a new Arthurian legend TV series called "Camelot", starring Tamsin Egerton  who'll be playing Queen Guinevere. I'm looking forward to seeing this!

Le Morte d'Arthur

The above artwork is "Guinevere" by Manon

Wolves of the Stars

It appears that the WOLF does not exist as an zodiac sign or does it? The wolf doesn't seem to be anywhere in astrology. Star lore literature and beliefs may include canines though. I came across few pieces of information that tends to go deeper.

The Moon - Wolves are traditionally linked to the moon, especially the full moon. In Norse myth, a wolf named Hati persues the moon in the final conflict of Ragnarok. The werewolf legends are tied with the moon as the moon is the source of power for the shapeshifting to occur. Silver, the element, is associated with the moon, and is a combat weapon against the werewolf. People suffering lycanthropy look to the moon or moonwards.

The sun - Wolves are not generally linked with the sun although they are mythically involved with the dark sun or the solar eclipse. In Norse myth, Skoll chases after the sun goddess. The purpose of this wolf is to devour Her, which reminds me of the solar eclipse or blackening out of the sun. Both wolves Hati and Skoll are brothers, whose father was the giant wolf Fenrir. The two wolf brothers each chase the sun and moon. There is a Saturn moon called "Skoll" named after the wolf giant from Norse myth.


The Stars - In many stories from diffeent places, the star Sirius is linked to canines. Certain people call it the Star of the Wolf, and others call it the Dog Star.

Astrology - The Wolf appears in the form of a Dog in the Chinese zodiac. It would be the eleventh sign on this calendar. The Native American astrological sign of the Wolf is part of the Animal Zodiac. The Birth Totem for Wolf is 19th February to 20th March.

Timeless Myths: Monsters
God Checker
What's your sign - Animal zodiac
Dog star
Hellhounds
Geri and Freki - wolf gods

So there you have it. Wolves of the stars. The meaning behind them are far greater than we can know as some of these myths and symbols are ancient. Wolves have come to represent death but benign wolves in legends have been forgotten. One exception is Lupa from Roman myths. Lupa is the nurturing mother wolf goddess who adopted human children. In the Americas, various tribes viewed wolves as teachers. Wolves appear on Native American horoscope (birth toems) and medicine wheel. Once upon a time, human beings helped to train the wolf and then domesticated them. Now they are bred as different types of dogs. We look upn them as household pets, our loving dogs who belong to the family. They're helpers, guardians and workers. However, domestic dogs still haven't lost their natural wolf behaviour streaks.

Not all of these wolves in ancient times were looked upon negatively. Their pelts were used for different purposes. Also people admired wolves for their hunting skill. Odin the All-Father had two powerful wolves, Geri and Freki, who could cross through the stars and travel worlds. From the giant wolves who swallow suns to the helpful wolves who bring healing in spiritual quests, the Wolf's starry meaning is quite buried IMO.

Above artwork "Chariot: Hati and Skoll" by Naryu

The Unexplained Kiss

"The Unexplained Kiss"
by Ragna

Asleep in a canopy, sparkling
diamond tipped branches,
Bowing under a fall of rain
that caresses me,
Touching my silken cover
and dampening, damaging in
time, effortlessly, ageing,
Lost in nether.
Closed in dreams.
Whispering to the hearts of
dancing fragrant drifts,
Smoke rises from the hills,
as another, another, temple falls,
Then they, with a stamp of
face valued rulars, charging and
yelling, in darkness and chains.
I sleep, asunder, roaming seas.
The memory of my forefathers and
those kin and line of roses,
all cheat the grasps of that
curse of the overlord.
In a frozen perfumed tear,
a woman opens, anew,
then the hoof beats of stallions,
and war machines rage,
by blood for destiny
not the one given to stone.
What comes, for me to explain,
is all the churning destruction
of the frizzled painted towers
and windows of weeping dead,
A circle, not heard.

Ragna (2010)

The Lamp

"The Lamp"

Shining like a star

A burning firelight so

small, as a fairy's breath,

So warm, like a tired sleeping sun.

It reaches for you,

And you can come then

to drink the essence

To taste the sweetness,

and kiss the sugary cup.

When the moths fly

You and I dance,

With my eternal glowing

and it burns your icy glance.

Red, orange, golden, amber,

it becomes violet and blue.

We turn left and right,

in sacred ground,

heavily the sky is tainted

in the fusion of past, present, future.

(Poem by Ragna Oct 2010)

Dream Wolves

Dream analysis by Ragna.

The wolf:

A Wolf appears in dreams for a variety of reasons, depending on you. Some wolves mean a different thing to one person and an entirely different view to another person. Their dreams of wolves would, as with anything, come to mean different things. A person who adores wolves and spends their life caring for them in a park run by a charity may see a wolf in the dream as a companion. Another person with healing arts may dream that a wolf is trying to tell them something and may appear as a guide. A person who knows little of wolves, and other wild animals and fears wolves anyway will dream that their wolf visitor is trying to get them. Is that how really dreams work? Do they mean different things to everyone individually? I don't claim to have the answers but I will try and consider the possibility a little bit further.

I can interprate dreams and I've done so for other people in the past. I can examine a person's dream and come up with a conclusion for the symbolism. Some dreams are not all symbols. I could also see the person's hopes and fears. I don't see myself as very good with dream studying although I have a sense of things quickly and so strongly that I feel like telling the person who had the dream.

I believe that in general the wolf means ONE thing to everyone. But there is a secondary meaning to the individual dreamer. Then there is more to the dream than just dream symbols. Not all dreams are trying to tell us something. Not all dreams have riddles. Some dreams are reflections of many parts of us, and outside of us. Dreams could be many other things I can't think of even to explain. Let's focus on the WOLF symbol in dreams.

My father dreamt of a wolf a few weeks before he died. When he told me of his dream, he said that he knew it meant his time was coming. I asked how he knew this just by dreaming of a wolf. As my dad was suffering a terminal illness, I assumed that he was imagining his worst fear. He replied saying that "the wolf represents death". I was aware of the frightful Fenris wolf and other big bad legendary wolves. Also I knew of the benign mother wolf Lupa, the faithful wolf friends of other heroic stories, the gentle animals in captivity, wolf spirits that appear to people in order to help/heal, and even the shamanistic visions of wolf guides. Mainly the wolf is known as a wild pack animal who enjoys hunting. 

This made me reconsider the wolf in a different way. I began to look upon the wolf as a far more complex creature than I did before. I studied the wolf a little and read myths and legends.

If you dream of a wolf, depending on who yo are and how you feel, the main message is that the wolf is showing you something indeed. You are looking at a wolf in a dream. This is a predator animal and hunts in a pack, yet is loyal to its own. Generally, the wolf is regarded in both a Positive and a Negative way.

Dream sites:
Dream Moods
Dream Visions

My dream interpretation is that a wolf symbol shows your inner senses and your connection to nature. It will then depend on the wolf, if there were other wolves, if it communicated to you, if it were aggressive, and so on. Then here is the following of the general meanings:

A Wolf - Your natural self. Your instincts and inner being.
An angry wolf - Your aggression.
Being attacked by a wolf - Your sense of insecurity and perhaps you are in a vulnerable position.
A friendly wolf - This would be your controlled side. The ability to calm your anger and temper.
A familiar wolf - Your wolf that you knew and your relationship loyalties.
A spectral wolf - Same as "a wolf" and could be your shadowy self or dark side.
A wolf picture - A still of your relation to nature.
A pack of wolves - Your fears and relations with new people.
Attacked by wolves - Be on your guard, take caution and not to stir waters. Be clear of certain situations and people that you are not sure of. Always be prepared.

Also apart form this basic message for the population, on an individual level, the wolf has a second meaning for you but that is for you (or someone who knows you) to work out. It could be that if a wolf is attacking you in a dream, then it might mean that you are vulnerable. However, the wolf may be WARNING you of something. Perhaps the wolf is you not being honest with yourself, or it could be that you still deeply bad about an incident. The wolf can be a visitor or a guide to show someone things. There are many possibilities.

Cat People (1942)

This is the first film review I've made on this blog She Wolf Night. I haven't done any movie/TV reviews before anywhere either and it's to be my first published one.

"Cat People" made in 1942 is the subject of this day. Starring Simone Simon who plays the lead character, Irena Dubrovna, who is a fashion designer and a shapeshifter. She encounters a charming gentleman Oliver (played by Kent Smith) at the zoo and they hit it off really well. So far the introduction features images of cats or mainly panthers. Irena is at the zoo, drawing a still life panther. They become very close and Oliver is drawn to Irena and she is nocturnal in nature. She enjoys the dark. In her apartment is a statuette of a Medieval king with an impaled cat on his sword. Later Irena witnesses the king appearing to her in a dream about cats. The symbol of impaled cats throughout the film, and linking swords with keys (there is a significant key to the panther's cage at the zoo). Irena tells Oliver about the story of the king and much of this relates to witchcraft. They eventually marry and Irena meets Oliver's best friend and colleague Alice (Jane Randolph) during their wedding. At the wedding dinner reception, a mysterious woman with catlike features approaches Irena and tells her that she is one of them.  

Irena is unable to show affection towards her husband, especially someone she loves, in fear that it may have terrible consequences. For that she denies intimacy and warmth. Oliver seeks a psychiatrist to help Irena and then he spends more time with his friend Alice. The plot begins like a romance story with a tension but soon it becomes clear that something else is going on, and Irena is behaving strange and the viewer cannot identify with her anylonger. She makes nuisance calls to Alice and then begins stalking her husband's friend. One of the most frightening scenes of the film, which I found chilling, was at the swimming pool where Alice is frightened by an unseen creature.

The psychiatrist Dr. Judd (played by Tom Conway) becomes almost a similar figure to Van Helsing. He talks of believing there is more to Irena than just a mere illness. Once things unfold and everyone is aware of the supernatural dangers about a large cat, Dr Judd mentions using "silver" against any attack.

This is one of the best horror films in my list and it's probably one of the classy shapeshifter movies that has been made so far.

More about "Cat People" the original...

Cat People at Filmsite
Film "Cat People" (1942) at Rotten Tomatoes
Classic Horror on "Cat People"

Oh and the name Irena Dubovna was used by Cat Woman character of the comic books.
There is a sequal "Curse of the Cat People" (1944).

Adorned in Blood

The concept of a bride wearing red is unthinkable, horrific and almost kinky. Why would a bride wear such a colour on her wedding day? What kind of a bride would she be? 

Certainly this is the kind of shock reaction most people would think of. I find RED is the most beautiful colour that a bride can wear on her wedding. In fact I love colourful wedding outfits, even black wedding dresses (but for the occasion too funereal). A red coloured gown looks more striking and enhances the woman's beauty both inside and outside. White wedding gowns, traditional in the West, dulls the bride, which is why I found that her bridemaids always looked prettier than her. So when a bride wears red, crimson, blush, mahogany, scarlet, rose, ect. she stands out like the sun and her starlight bridesmaids become faint in the background. The following website shows exactly what I mean:

Red Hot Brides

Why do women still choose to wear white wedding gowns? First of all this tradition goes back as far as Victorian England. Before then, women wore a variety of coloured dresses, some reserved their favourite dresses for their big day. In Scandinavia though, black wedding gowns are the norm.

Red jewellery, especially red gems worn over the skin is another thing that is associated with blood. However, what about the interesting Blood Vial jewels? Most of it contains "fake blood", made of a certain red bloodlike luid, or it's made up of certain red chemicals, or perhaps even a red dye. Some might even be red crushed leaves or even a red rock such as a a garnet. Real blood will not really last long inside a glass or metal without turning into black dust. The the sorceress - queen asking for Snow-White's heart to be placed inside a trinket box is a similar notion of keeping someone else's blood. Retaining or entrapping blood is the symbol of a fiery life force that is kept, or displayed and it also looks somewhat macabre. Blood rituals may occur in the black arts.

Cosmetically, women love wearing red lips. They look enhanced with that, or they feel enhanced as the redder the lips, the healthier they seem. Blood is darker and doesn't glow. Red cheeks are a sign of health, and women brush red rouge or mixed reddish colours on their faces to look shinier and livelier. Red painted nails is a favourite for some women, and it's considered "sexier" than wearing varnish of different colours. When a woman wears entirely red, most people will look at her because she's in a colour that is the loudest and most magnetic. Animals such as the wild bull are attracted to the colour red and it makes them aggressive, apparantly. My grandmother once told me to remove my red coat as we entered a field because it had bulls grazing there and she said I would be attacked by them if they saw my coat. We've heard these stories. It's a myth. The fact is that bulls can't distinguish the colour red.

In most fairy tales, red is a magical colour.It's the colour of life.

Crystal Links "Red"

Red brides would symbolise womanhood, sensuality, love, fertility, strength (of health and mind), good luck, power of fire, the sun, the Sun Goddess, solar magic, sun maidens, intellect, life giving and nurturing.

Unable to find the words...

Empathy is a very interesting subject. I shall explore this in depth another time, but I think some people don't have it. Either they have it and don't understand it or they do have it and recognise it. Or even some recognise it's there but cannot think of it. I guess that sometimes happens. We don't always know how someone else is feeling or we'll be very clever at solving life's mysteries about why someone did this. Also I believe that empathy has been confused with sympathy and also with telepathy. It doesn't mean that those things are the same because they're not. At times people can't find the right words to describe something as intricate as emotions so they end up saying the wrong words. Is it out of pressure to say something? That's when it becomes misleading and this is when people fall out and argue. Always hear anyone complain "That isn't what I meant!" or others being defensive? It's not always (but in some cases it is) about them avoiding the issue. It could be because they didn't explain it very well as they couldn't find the appropriate words. Using words inicates that people are not able to combine their instincts and feelings well enough with complex language. For instance, people say "I love you" when they mean it or they do not. The human brain calculates and deducts the words to use. Some people have a talent.

People don't say what they mean. They act on it and they can't distinguish words and phrases. I've noticed that language is a tool and not an instinct otherwise there wouldn't be defined languages. We learn that as we grow up. Also languages change over lands and time. New words appear. New meanings to words disappear and alter. Certain swear words in the modern English language were once normal words but became twisted and fouled upon over the centuries. Things like that occur mainly because of disputes and warfare. A lot of well known profanities of the English language were, once upon a time, regular Anglo-Saxon words that became swear words since the Norman conquest.

In that sense, people will have a difficult time finding the words. They can't express verbally how they feel. People often go blank in situations. No one knows what to say to someone they don't know how to communicate with. This is a definate sign that either people haven't the ability to combine language and feeling or there are not enough words in the dictionary.

This is why we have problems knowing how the other half is thinking. Or why we feel upset when they don't talk. Some people may not want to because they cannot. It should be considered natural for this to happen instead of a negative moment.

Just quickly, I want to say a special goodbye to someone.

It came as a shock to me when I heard that you were sick. I didn't know. This made me feel quite sad but I assumed that you'll get better as I only hear stories of survivors. So far the only people I knew personally who has had this terminal illness, cancer, all died. Yet, others manage to pull through. I was very upset when my dad passed away many years ago, as he was unable to fight this illness anylonger. You attended the funeral and was good to me. You got on well with my partner. You're a family friend and I've known you since I was about seven years old. You used to be really nice to me when I was a child. Since leaving home I grew distant from relatives, and I suppose from my old friends including friends of the family, for reasons I won't go into. I recently discovered you passed away several weeks ago. Nobody ever told me that until the other day and it shocked me. I have been grieving. I sent your daughters "Sympathy" cards but they must be wondering why on earth I never contacted them before about this. That's because no one said anything to me about it. I live so far away from you all and I haven't seen them for years. I didn't know about it. So sorry I didn't make it to your funeral and I'm finding it impossible to describe how I feel. I'll remember you well, and I miss you.

For Steve, who was an old friend, passed away in August 2010.

Bad Apples

In fairytales and myths, there is a lot of mention about fruit, especially apples. In the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", the apple is poisonous. Earlier stories of Snow White had her die of poisoning and not woken from a coma by a prince. The Grimm brothers sugarised the tale for the wider public. The apple is the cause of her death. In this favourite story, we all know why. The apple itself was dipped in a pot of poison by the wicked queen, who was stepmother to Snow White. The queen had always been vain and ever since she discovered that Snow White was fairer, she wanted to be rid of her. This story is an age old tale of the jealous older woman who feels threatened by the innocence and beauty of a younger maiden, for she's worried about being replaced in some way or other. Feminists that write books sympathise with the stepmother queen and fiction has retold this fairytale where the queen is a misunderstood matriarch who secretly IS the natural mother to Snow White, but became twisted and filled with inner conflict, blaming her own child's development for her own insecurities. I don't quite understand where this all originated from, and if anyone knows this then forgive me for explaining what I believe to be distortions of human psychology.

I believe that this story centres around the apple, the fruit of the earth, and giver of health and healing. This apple in the fairytale is corrupted and deadly though. My take on Snow White is this: the queen is a symbol of the Earth, or nature itself, as nature can be deadly and can take life. The earth gives life, sustains it, nurtures, heals, encourages and inspires. However, the earth, in another moment, can rise up suddenly and furiously and destroys all. The queen wanted a child, gave forth a beautiful daughter, and when the child grows up to womanhood, the force of nature within the queen goes on the attack. But why? Could it be that nature is seen to burdenise women everywhere with pain and physical hardship: menstrual periods and childbirth. These things cause women to have iron deficiencies as the blood loss contributes to the lowering of vital minerals.

The popular English saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is said amongst families even today as apples are, basically, medicinal and have good properties. They offer Vitamin C and can also keep us smiling (although others like myself don't like apples in its raw form, I prefer apple ingrediants in meals). Too much apples, however, isn't necessary. Fruits are IMO a naturally grown medicine and should be eaten in small quantities, not eaten excessively. Too much fruit can result in: "dental decay, osteoporosis, wasting of muscle tissue, inability to maintain a healthy weight, chronic fatigue, skin problems, thinning hair, weakening nails, and excessive irritability." Too much fruit is bad for you health  

Also a recent campaign to get everyone to eat "5 a day" fruit and veggies supposedly reduced cancer. Does it? What about people who don't like eating fruit or vegetables because of the acid and the nasty taste? I suppose not one person can really answer that because most people love fruits and like vegetables apart from myself, as I have a diet plan of my own and cook specific foods such as meat, fish, dairy and bread. In the fairy tale of Snow White, a single apple killed her. The 11th Century poet Skald referred to an apple as "Apples of Hel" meaning fruit of the dead. Apples are basically an introduction to Europe from Asia and those that grew all over in Europe, especially in the north and the British Isles, tasted sour and rotted quickly. Within ancient myths in Europe developed apple legends, such as the Golden Apples of the goddesses and their gardens, the apples of immortality and youth. Some people have Oral Allergy Syndrome

Because of the small chance for a more severe reaction, avoidance of the fresh fruits or vegetables is advised. Many people already avoid the suspect foods since the symptoms are uncomfortable. Usually, the fruits and vegetables are tolerated in cooked, baked and processed forms.

Apple seeds are also poisonous. Bad Seed 

"Five-a-Day" questioned

The artwork is "Apples Kiss" by Azurelle

My beloved berserker

In ancient times, particularly in the North, women daydreamed of being married to warriors. Fierce warriors, such as Vikings. Some women probably sat in their chambers sewing or getting ready for sleep in bed, and thought of such ferocious men. These warriors captivated the hearts of women in many places. Saxon women were at the mercy of angry warlike Norsemen who came upon these English shores. The Viking raiders had their way with the local women. Down in the centuries, women continued to think of this subconsiously. Whenever I see an image of a Viking longship, what conjurs up for me is a group of very dangerous warriors called Berserkers.

Some know who they were. Others don't know and for that I'll offer a description. Berserkers were ancient Norse warriors who wore the pelt of beasts such as bears and wolves, and took on the animal rage in battle.

"The berserker, too, was often said to change into bestial form, or at least to assume the ferocious qualities of the wolf or bear."

The berserker's place in society was limited by the terror and violence that was associated with berserkergang. As superb warriors, they were due admiration. However, their tendency to turn indiscriminately upon their friends while the madness was upon them went squarely against the heroic ethic, which demanded loyalty and fidelity to one's friends. The berserk skirted the classification of niðingr, one who was the lowest of men and the object of hate and scorn. An eleventh-century monument raised in Soderby in Uppland, Sweden in memory of a brother reads: "And Sassur killed him and did the deed of a niðingr --- he betrayed his comrade" (Foote and Wilson, p. 426).

(Source: Viking Anwser Lady - link shown below).

Read more details about the Berserkers here:
Viking Answer Lady: Berserkers 

I have a copy of the erotic romance "The Outlaw Viking" by Sandra Hill. It's about a woman transported into the Dark Ages where she encounters a rugged berserker warrior. Have a look at the title: The Outlaw Viking

The berserkers had a reputation of being able to transform into either wolves or bears. Perhaps there was some near truth to it as they certainly adorned themselves in animal pelts. They were said to become very savage in battle, and much feared by their enemy during their berserker rage. I can picture them. Raging, blood thirsty warriors, skilled in their fighting, who looked like powerful men with muscles, long hair, and also very uncouth when they're at their normal state. This makes some women tremble with a feeling so deep and so dark that it manifests in the things we imagine or create. For others, the berserker reminds most people of either good or bad things. People think of berserkers as savage Norsemen. There are werewolf stories that come from the historic memories of berserkers, and perhaps berserkers themselves were therianthropes? They were definately red-blooded and furious tempered. They loved it. I demand MORE Viking/berserker warrior literature, especially in the romantic genre and also romantic viking films.

Úlfhéðinn (plural Úlfhéðnar) is an Old Norse term for a warrior with attributes parallel to those of a berserker, but with a lupine aspect rather than ursine; both terms refer to a special type of warrior capable of performing feats far beyond the abilities of normal people. Historically, this was attributed to possession by the spirit of an animal. Úlfhéðnar are mentioned in Vatnsdœla saga, Haraldskvæði and the Völsunga saga. The Ulfhednar were said to wear the pelt of a wolf upon their heads when they entered battle, similar to the berserkers use of bear pelts. Source

Interesting links and information about the berserkers:
Berserkers
Wikipedia: Berserkers
Viking Answer Lady
Therianthropes: Berserkers

Berserker and Viking romance authors:
Sandra Hill
Sara Bennett
Catherine Coulter
Helen Kirkman
Johanna Lindsey

The Howling

I've just finished reading the novel "The Howling" by Gary Brandner. This was made into a film and eventually a series of "Howling" films. This blog has never done any book reviews yet or reviews of anything so this post is my first attempt at it.

I found this book very gripping. Although I'm familiar to the film that was made after this book was originally published, I do find that books include things that are left out in films. There are differences here and there to the characters and storyline.

This plot is eerie. I couldn't put the book down. The story begins with a tragedy, set in the Arda Forest in 1583. Mysterious deaths are pinpointed to an entire village. Then the story moves fast forward to the 1970's California. A young married couple, Roy and Karyn, have their perfect lives in suburbia turned upside-down when an intruder comes along to destroy it. After the attack, Karyn becomes traumatised and is persuaded to take some time out in the countryside. Her husband Roy invests in doing up a holiday home in the centre of a forest, and they both leave the city to get away from their troubles. Now where they move to is isolated and shadowy, with a very small community nearby. An unfriendly sheriff is the first person they encounter there. As they both settle in and get to know a couple of shop keepers, more things don't make sense. First of all Karyn wakes up to the sound of howling at night. Then their pet dog vanishes outside. Then Karyn is wondering what has become of her husband, who started behaving oddly since they got there because he was enchanted by the place. Things unfold and it becomes very tense and creepy.

The book was well written and it was almost poetic in style. In the novel are also some references to actual werewolf reports that went on throughout history. A particular book was mentioned called "The Book of Werewolves" by Sabine Baring-Gould and I happen to own that book.

"The Howling" movie cast and characters are slightly different though. Some of the names are changed and the plot isn't exactly true to the book although another film titled "The Howling: The Original Nightmare" was closer to the book. The book is serious and yet the film version is tongue-in-cheek but it was atmospheric and entertaining enough to want to see it again. I think Hollywood should do a remake of "The Howling". Oh btw yes "The Howling Reborn" is in the making right now.       

Gary Brandner
The Howling

Dahlia

The heart of Dahlia
was a palace and a garden
her dreams of him
swollen by rain
as storms brewed in the sky
horses fled
a plague swept
across the land
many dead.

Dahlia was a princess
daughter of a king
Alone and fragmented
her heart twisted by tears
dark trees
ravens by the towers
graves upturned by wind
brave men long gone.

Dahlia wanted to kill
the ones who broke her
and release herself from turmoil
and despite that
she carried her gold-handled knife.
In a gown of white silk
cold and shivering
she, Dahlia, wept and felt
unnerved by her untrained skills.

Fire burned on the hill
and her dream came true.
She put down her knife and drew
deep breaths so as not
to feel afraid.
Now she would not kill
herself
or
her pain.
The man of her wants came
and lifted her away
carrying her to
somewhere clear and full.

Dahlia wanted to know
why all the suffering
what was it for?
Her lover said:
"To build your strength."
In all women are the stones
and metals of anger and rage
but intelligence and bravery
found first in pain
whether it be
childbirth or loss.
Sometimes joy makes it glow.
As always, that is a gift.

(This was a poem I wrote last year.)

Othala

Call of the breeze.
Horses flee.
The sky shouts huge,
thunder new.
Come into view,
an army spread,
fierce and dark
boiling red!!!

Fury swords,
Backs of metal
helmets horned
.. some..
not manufactured!
Made by the hand,
By young and old men.
Gold and silver, running belt
shouting men... wearing pelts.

Dead are burning
smoke riding high
black collumns plough the sky.
The dragons and woodcraft,
gleaming rich,
cooking barley and animal meat.
Hungry, starving, chewing raw
some like it that way
and falling seasonal days.

Night is near,
dreadful start,
look to the West...
watchout for the stars.
They make masters
and lords they do,
taking plenty in rivers
sleep is over for you.

He pulled my hair.
He bit my neck,
the angry lover
of the big broad chest!
You've never seen
so much mean...
vicious warrior men
around the princesses
Vikings came
tearing strength.
I am a Saxon woman,
at their mercy, yes.

My home, my family, my land...
blood, graves, war and children ground,
Its where I belong,
where I belong..
where I die.
In the fire,
follow my dead husband,
at his pyre funeral.
A warrior's sight.
A warriors sigh.
The ravens fly...
They fly.

by
Ragna.

I originally called this "Othala" to talk about land and what it means really. I wrote this a year ago after recovering a severe illness, after having been through a tough period and also when I was at my most vulnerable. I'd been wrong about things. This poem was inspired by little except expression so it's anger or fear.

The wild scent

Wolves have a very sensitive sense of smell. So in folklore tradition, werewolves are said to have a delicate nose and they can smell things more acutely in their transformations than when they are in human form. They despise garlic and they adore the night. There isn't much information about what werewolves do like, only what they don't like. Therianthropy is not the same as the werewolf myth. One of the things female therianthropes love is chocolate, as well as flowers and fragrant things including insense.

To make the woman therianthrope's den into a boudior, it's vital to have fragrant flowers during night. There are flowers that give off perfumes at night time and others that bloom. Nicotiana, Cestrum Nocturnum, Dama de Nocha, Iris and even some species of roses. Bring in night blooming flowers into the room, beside an open window and in a vase filled with fresh water to keep the night with a touch of magic: Moonflowers, Angel's Trumpet, Night Scented Stock and orchid. White flowers tend to shine when it becomes dark. Incense can be used as one of the best to use at night is vanilla. 

Some types of flowers and plants are offensive, such as garlic. There is some history behind it as well as myth. In ancient times garllic was fed upon to increase physical strength and health. It acts also as an insect repellant. Garlic is an old medicinal ingrediant and it reduces cholesterol. Regardless of these benefits, some people just hate garlic with a passion and they avoid touching it. Garlic also wards against evil monsters. Wolfsbane (Aconitum) is a poison that also repels and destroys werewolves. It has links with magic and the occult but the plant is quite dangerous for many.

It's not realy considered when werewolves (particularly females) are self consious about perfume and insense. The therianthrope can like anything from fashionable body sprays to scented candles. As the nose is delicate, let's consider the gentle and sweet aromas that a werewolf can love.

Roses are the most popular scented flower. White roses or "Alba" shine luminous in the evening and they glimmer at night. They look perfect for the garden for nocturnal individuals.  This rose represents purity and innocence. Snow White with the paleness of snow is the symbol of girlish and maidenly innocence and vulnerability. Brides wear white. Virgins are associated with white. It is true that not only is Snow-White as white as snow in the fairytale but her hair is ebony, she has a double in "Snow White and Rose Red". This fairytale features her with blonde hair and she has a dark haired sister called Rose Red. Red roses are linked with love and passion. The scent of a red rose is vibrant and the white rose smells fainter.  

There are far more flowers with perfumed scents that are good for the garden and the lycanthropic! Lavender is one that I have in my garden. Have a look at this page that is informative: The Essential Werewolf's Garden

It might be worth mentioning that the poisonous Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) was used as a cosmetic throughout the centuries but this plant should be avoided. 


"In Norse Mythology, Ithunn was the goddess of the early spring. She was the guardian of the golden apples which the gods would eat to make them youthful again when they felt themselves growing old.

Golden apples and tender apple blossoms touched by sweet honeyed nectar and the faint dew of osmanthus, lilac, and jasmine."

Apple trees blossom in Spring and apple blossoms are white as well as finely scented. It attracts bees when these blossoms are full of honeyed nectar. They should be visible at night also when they blossom. 

Perfume in myths and legends
Wolfbane
Garlic
Snow White and Rose Red
Atropa Belladonna
Night blooming flowers

Dark side of farming

It's a worldwide reported issue that wolves attack livestock. This problem has been going on for centuries since humans became farmers and kept animals. It hurt families and smaller communities when their livestock were killed. Wolves have been lurking near farms and during the absense of people, this is when animals are killed. Wolves have been looked upon as a menace to farmers. The answer has always been to kill wolves on sight but larger communities sought to make drastic measures by destroying any visible wolves as far as possible. Certain wolves disappeared in many locations. The native wolves of Britain and Ireland have been wiped out. Why do wolves attack livestock? It's a simple enough answer, because wolves that don't find enough prey in the wilderness turn hungry so they resort to killing farm animals for food. Humans need food also and have to protect their livestock. Unfortunately the timeless problem of wolves attacking farm animals coincided with horror stories about wolves and werewolves that demonised the wolf. Yet, strangely despite this problem, wolves have been revered as a divine animal in many cultures especially in ancient myths and legends.

It isn't just the wolf. Many other carnivorous wild animals attack livestock. Diseases infect livestock also and in some cases making them a biohazard to all. To protect humans and other animals, all those sick livestock (including non-infected animals of the same breed) have had to be slaughtered. Horror stories and urban legends tend to show during a period of serious livestock disease. An outbreak of illnesses among humans came from them eating infected meat. Apart from wild predators now, another concern is livestock diseases posing a serious threat to to the health of people, other animals and the environment.

Some are worried about eating GM (genetically modified) food and having pesticides in farming. Many are preferring to get their food that comes from organic farms but apparantly they are not perfect. Some say that organic products are dirty and cannot feed everyone. I've noticed that organic food is expensive and not everyone can afford it either.

Humans rely on crops and livestock, vineyards, fresh water wells and fire. Without it we go hungry and cold. Fire burns away any bacteria in meats when cooked properly. Cold pantries, freezers and refrigerators chill food to keep them fresh. Without those we would be struggling like our ancestors again, relying on basics OR going hungry. If we had no farms, then humans would find themselves on the verge of starvation until we learn about hunting and gathering. Human beings (not all of them) feel they are somewhat seperate form nature and the animals. This is not true. Humans are a part of nature and also humans are an animal species.

Surrounding farms is land, much of which is unknown beneath the soil. The farmer deals with the surface. Deep below the ground there could be anything or nothing except soil and rocks. Some farms might be over ancient burial mounds or covered over grounds where ancient battles took place. I know of several farms that are located exactly where manor houses, castles, monestaries, temples and paths used to be. Some farms, including their farm land, is situated on sacred sites, some that are not quite discovered or known. Now we have the farm land phenomena of strange and unsual crop circles.

To the human psyche, farming is a sanctuary and also a place of superstition and the unknown, as well as production of fear. People are afraid of wild animals and the wilderness. People can't live with the wild anymore, only a few individuals choose to or some people in other parts of the globe live as hunter-gatherers. It's human nature to be a hunter gatherer, IMO and it was out of desperation (perhaps during the Ice Age) to spread farming and domestication.           

Links and information:

Grey wolf and info on wolves
Werewolves 
Werewolf Page
Info on livestock animal health and infections
Animal Diseases for Dummies
The Tracing Paper
Negative Effects of Organic
Crop cirlces
Pesticides
GM food

Finding inner peace

This is about my inner turmoils.

Having a severe illness can be crippling, not to mention ruining your days. Imagine if this lasted weeks or even months. An illness you never had before that you don't even know was there. An illness that causes you unecessary problems with everyday life, making you unable to eat or sleep.

I had such an illness but it's classed as one umbrella. It's regarded as "silly" or just downright self pitying but it's far worse and for each woman it can be different, as it depends on who she is and how well she can cope. I could not cope with it.

The illness is called Post Natal Depression or PND. I did not have depression but I suffered the consequences of hormone imbalance. Some women prefer to call it "Baby Blues" where women find themselves feeling sad and weepy. However, I wasn't feeling sad, tearful or depressed. I wouldn't regard it as a Baby Blues syndrome or even a post natal depression but this is the phase I had it and this is what the umbrella illness is called. It's misleading. A lot of women that have it are depressed though but some are not suffering depression, they feel okay but they become ill in other ways. It's just that PND is the tag fixed to the hormonial imbalance. It should be called Post Natal Illness or PNI.

I had a post natal type of illness. PNI is also branched off with different names. What I had was PNI and Post Natal Psychosis or "puerperal psychosis". When I looked into this a year after recovery, I found to my shock how I could identify with what other women suffered having puerperal psychosis.

I will not enter a discussion about my personal experience as it was awful and will take so much time to talk about and also I don't want to think too heavily about it. This is quite a "rare" illness or is it?

Puerperal Psychosis
PNI

The illness resulted in throwing me into complete discord. I found myself out of balance, no settlement and no peace. I was constantly wondeirng about what was going on during my illness and also angry with the reaction I received from people who are supposed to care. Today some women who suffer PND are treated almost like criminals and there is little info on this. Being a mother is wonderful and a new stage in life but no one ever warned me that I could get an illness like puerperal psychosis. The illness can cripple a woman mentally and psychologically if not treated quickly. I started going without food, not realising I was hungry and lost track of time. I felt different in the world but also vulnerable and half-asleep or basically I was not all there.  

It might be worth considering that this is also not entirely an illness but could be regarded as one of women's mysteries, and some of these women are without guidance or sympathetic helpers to assist them on a path to an inner health. Instead women are thrown into wards and given medicines like seroquel and bracketed by others around them as a "nutcase". Some PNI experiences are almost paranormal but it doesn't mean that it is. I believe women suffering that illness are open to all kinds of negative forces and will need protection or to retain their own identity so they would be safe from (or as they imagine) deterioration. Also negative entities may be attracted to a woman suffering PND, especially if she dabbles in the occult without prior knowledge or assistance.

It has been said the illness returns again after another pregnancy but some women can be helped to prevent it from happening again.This can be through a doctor or a registered CPN (community psychiatric nurse). The medical profession are still trying to understand PND and what actually causes it, why, and why most women on the grand scale don't have it, and why others do and why some types and degrees. Doctors have a lot to look for if PNI is really a complex and deep subject, far more deeper than usual human brain activity. What if it is not just a mind imbalance but an impact of the sensitive woman's mind caused by something going on outside?

There is very little info on helping women suffering PND via spiritual groups. There aren't any mystic gurus and witches that have really said anything about it and if there are, do they help women? As a Heathen I found no comfort from those around me who are pagans themselves (they were not sympathetic) but eventually I found help came in an unusual way and this enhanced me in mind and spirit after recovery. I may discuss my illness another time. For now though I posted a couple of links in case you or someone you know might have PND.

I give my thanks to those who helped me (you know who you are).

Anger

Anger is part of nature but on some levels it needs control. Some anger is necessary but other times it is not. Some forms of anger isn't supposed to happen because the person trains themselves into feeling angry when they shouldn't. Anger is born from tensions and also when someone takes an event to heart and feel betrayed, belittled, ridiculed and hurt.

Wolves get angry. Werewolves obviously get very angry. It is my attempt, as a Therianthrope to control the rage, and calm the inner wolf, so that I can live peacefully. Being restless is a form of disharmony and some types of anger is proof of self imbalance.

Anger itself is linked to fire.

Inside everyone is an internal fire.

It can feel like a star, or a flame. It grows intensly and then reduces to smouldering embers and sparkles.

Fire is a positive tool as it helps us to be creative and passionate and enjoy wonderful sex. When we experience the internal fire it can feel like "butterflies" and it alters in different moods. During a heat of passion, we feel this flame grow softly and tingling and then exploding to orgasm.

We also get hot about many things, including writing, painting, forming ideas, going on adventures and even shopping! However, this inner fire can also be tapped into when we're feeling more negative. It creates a build-up of tensions and it may result in us sweating and having burning sensations on the skin that could be linked to going red-faced. Shy people and socially anxious people experience this sensation when they go jittery with nerves, feel embarassed and red, perspiring and twitching muscles. This isn't easy to control as shyness or bashfulness isn't logical but more intuitive.

You can't always control these fires, especially if they are caused by chemicals in your brain and body that associates this mood with that event. You subconsiously train yourself to react to certain patterns. You can channel the fire to alter its temperature, colour and direction, by using visualisation, breathing techniques, change of diet, more excersise, finding outlets to let off steam, other stimuli, doing meditation, getting plenty of sleep, adopting new things, and so on. You won't change it right away as it takes practice until you find something that you are most comfortable with. Anger is used by the inner fire and as I mentioned this angry fire is in everyone. In small children as well as young animals, the inner fire is untamed. This is why they must be disciplined by adults with various techniques, that offer them stimulus and outlets, a way of being creative is a way of channelling aggression. Learning to control your anger is like making your own psychological alchemy. 

It is often important to analyse what you're doing when you feel angry. Understand:
1. WHEN you become angry
2. WHY you are angry
3. Who you are being angry with.

These three things are key answers to solving your anger problems. Once you have established the causes, you can ask yourself what made you think this way. Don't forget that you must never take anything personally. If things are said directly at you personally, why let this matter? It depends on who says it. If you don't know this person, you should feel satisfied knowing you are at an advantage here because you know the truth, you know the answer and you understand who you are. Anyone who says something unpleasant might be "looking" for a fight and don't give them that. If you know the person who upsets you, discover why they are trying to press your buttons and if they don't tell you why, look for the following clues:

Are they happy themselves?
Have they lost something or are they irritable about something besides you?
Do they feel physical pain?
Are they afraid of something large and simply taking it out on others?
Do they seem unable to control the way they are?

If you feel angry, and I bet most of the time when you're angry you don't really want to be, consider all those things before the angry fire takes over you. You must settle and calm down. Take deep breathing excersises and drink fluids, especially cold water. The opposite of fire is water. Find something cold and wet, and symbolically wash yourself down, or do so literally. Think of cold thoughts like the arctic basin or a shimmering waterfall or a deep blue sea. Think of stuff that makes you feel cold "spine chilling" sensations, like the topic of ghosts for instance. Alter your mood. Let this anger fade. Anger happens and it's channeled/controlled by warriors. Turn your anger into calmness.

A self help guide to controlling anger
Advice on anger

Black Widow

Most of what we know about spiders is vague. People are frightened of them. Like the wolf, spiders are associated with the night, death, fear and horror.

I, too, suffer from arachnophobia. This type of phobia is, according to some psychologists, an evolutionary fear instead of a nursery influenced fear. Most people say spiders cannot harm you because they are more afraid of you being of larger size. Some others believe that the spider fear comes from learning about rhymes such as Little Miss Muffet, that is supposed to make a child run away from a spider. Others are beginning to think it's more than that.

Spider fear occurs before the indoctrination of nursery rhymes. The fear of spiders was noticed among small children who knew nothing about Little Miss Muffet yet except the cute cartoon spiders on TV shows and the "Incy Wincy" rhyme. Children are already scared of spiders after they just encounter them. No one has told them to be scared. People think that arachnophobia is a stupid and childish fear that has no logical sense. They believe you must get over it so they suggest councelling to tackle it. I think that arachnophobia is part of natural human intuition of many people to avoid creatures that could be venomous. Although spiders are far smaller than we, some spiders can be poisonous. It may be a genetic fear that comes from our ancestors who met poisonous spiders in early human settlements.

There is a wide belief that British spiders are "safe". A few people have been taken to hospital in critical condition after a spider bite in this country. What caused this was a particular species of British spider called Steatoda or "false black widow". This spider resembles the black widow spider and there are different types of the Steatoda in the UK. They are regarded as the most poisonous spiders found in the British Isles. A bite from such spiders can cause severe burning pain. More info on false black widow bites

There are many spiders to watch out for as they can bite but they don't attack. They like the warm weather and this is when they appear. Women and children are more afraid of spiders than grown men. The effects of many spider bites vary from a burning sensation, flu symptoms, fatigue, nausea and even death. If you have arachnophobia, please don't let other people make you feel ashamed of it but the phobia mustn't take over you.   

False Black Widow
Poisonous spiders

Regardless of the fear of spiders all around us, spiders feature positively in some traditional cultures. Apart from the friendly spider themes in popular kids fiction like Miss Spider, Charlotte's Web, Spider Woman and Spider Man, the spider appears widely in myths and legends. It's well known that the Native Americans believe in The Spider Grandmother who created life. The idea of the "dream catcher" derives from these stories. The Celtic Goddess Arianrhod was said to be a spider goddess, as her name means the "silver wheel" and "queen of the wheel". She has been associated with stars, mainly the Corona Borealis. In Greek mythology goes the tale of a princess named Archne. She was so skilled in her weaving craft that she was challanged by Athena, the Goddess of art. This led to Arachne transforming into a spider. There is little about spiders in Germanic mythology but I personally consider the Norns to be a close connection with the mysticism of weaving and webs. There are three Norns who are demi-goddesses of destiny, named Fate (Urd), Necessity (Verdandi) and Being (Skuld). They are responsible for the destiny of all things in the cosmos and they weave, or spin, the web of wyrd.

The Norns
Wyrd
Arianrhod
Spider Grandmother
Arachne

Not all spiders are scary. Not all of them can make webs or behave in the manner we think they do. There are some very unusual types of spiders. There is Bagheera kiplingi species of vegetarian spider, recently discovered in tropical climates. The Nephila genus includes a species of glamorous spiders called "Golden Orb Weavers" or "Banana Spiders" who spin shining gold webs. In Japanese folklore, this Nephila spider is considered a Joro Spider and "Jorogumo" is an enchanting spider that can transform into a beautiful sensual woman.With unusual spiders there are the Skytodidae or spitting spiders; Then there is Anyphaena californica the transparent "ghost" spider; The Theridion or community gathering of social spiders; The Portia is a mimic spider; The Mimetidae are called Pirate Spiders because they only prey on other spiders and attack other spider's webs. In modern folklore spiders are identified with vampires. 

Arachnology stories
Golden silk spiders
Vegetarian spider
Spiderz Rule

The above artwork is "Spider's Soul - Aracne" by Cris Ortega

Mother wolf

The mother wolf is fascinating as a subject, as such myths circulate around it, and figures appear in memory and imagination. The most well-known being the shewolf mother who nursed Romulus and Remus the twin boys. She is associated with the triple goddess, who goes by many names.

"The Amazons, who worshipped the Triple Goddess, incorporated a tribe called the Neuri, who "turned themselves into wolves" for a few days each year during their main religious festival, presumably by wearing wolf skins and masks. The same story was told of a certain Irish tribe in Ossory, who became wolf-people when attending their yuletide feast, devouring the flesh of cattle as wolves, and afterward regaining their human shape."
(Source):
She Wolf

Mother wolves have been responsible for the upbringing of feral children. These children have been discovered in a wild state, behaving with wolflike characteristics and were raised by wolves from an earlier age, possibly when they were infants. 
Feral children 

The shewolf spends between 60 and 65 days of pregnancy until giving birth. The nursing mother wolf is called a lactating bitch and a shewolf is called a bitch. This is also the same for a female of any of the canid species. Now the fact human females are called this in a derogatory way as a woman was considered similar to a shewolf during heat. It comes from the Old English "bicce" and Old Icelandic "bikkja" meaning a female dog. This is used as a form of insult made at a woman and sexual behaviour. Another word similar to this is when calling a woman a "dog" is said out of insult. This is either made towards a promiscuous woman or an accusation of a woman's behaviour. Since ancient times women have been called canine names as a form of verbal abuse. "Shewolf" has always been titled for women of infamy, aggression, bad temper or blood thirst.       
Bitch

Coming away from the negative side, the shewolf mother is considered nurturing, kind, protective, maternal, warm, loving and comforting. This is how she is to her pups and also the rest of the pack. The mother and grandmother wolves (including aunts, sisters and other shewolves) behave maternal and loving with their young. It is the gentle side of the wolf that most people are unaware of. Study nature in all it's angles and you'll discover how these wild animals behave and coexist in harmony like this, and always guarding their young.

The woman has always been menstruating once a month or every 28 days since the end of her last cycle. Between that period is her ovulation time and there is a peak when she is considered mostly fertile. Also a woman capable of having a child is in her teens, twenties, thirties and forties. There are some who may differ and today with modern science older women can have a child. In nature, normal fertility for a woman starts to wane after the age of thirty. When a woman is pregnant, gestation lasts nine months athough it may be seven, eight or ten months for a few other women.

Many women are finding it difficult to nurse their young as they cannot properly feed their babies or because some have no milk! These women are finding it difficult to cope with the fact they cannot breastfeed their children in the ideal sense as they've been pressured into doing something that everyone tells them is considered "natural" and "proper". There is no information in maternity units about women who are unable to breastfeed and there isn't any support for women who can't breastfeed, except guilt because they cannot. Midwives do tend to support women who find it difficult to feed their newborns. What there is constantly is the slogan "Breast is Best" seen and heard everywhere, adding even more pressure on women. This makes a lot of mothers feel quite depressed if they haven't been succesful at breastfeeding their babies. Hospitals have decided to withdraw information on formula/powder milk and hygiene/sterilising bottles. The breastfeeding campaigners want all women to cease bottlefeeding their young and so they put pressure on the medical profession to encourage mothers to do this, implying it is not "forcing" any woman to feed a particular way. This puts babies at risk who have mothers that cannot simply feed them breastmilk.Some women who can breastfeed choose not to do so in public as they either want to be discreet or use bottled milk (that may include formula). It seems as if there is no such thing as a woman who cannot breastfeed from the way doctors, breastfeeding campaigners and other sources go on. How come I know many women who couldn't breastfeed, including a nurse and also myself? In the past, especially during pre-industrial ages, some women employed wet nurses because they could not feed their own babies. Some women can't get their babies to suckle and babies have even rejected their mothers if hungry. It's one of life's mysteries. Things are not simply black and white.

A site on breastfeeding problems

A woman is not like her earliest ancestors. A domestic dog is not like its earliest ancestors or its wild relatives. There are many physical differences between a modern domestic dog and a wild wolf. The shewolf isn't like a shedog of the house. In captivity the wolf can live 20 years and that's longer than the lifespan of a domestic dog. The bones of the animals are not the same. The howls are not the same (woves don't always bark). The charateristics of behaviour are not the same, not even the eyes. Perhaps it explains why evolution has a reason for why wolves behave this way and not dogs. Or why women behave differently than others, such as being fertile, less fertile, more sexually active, not interested, milk production, no milk, genes for types of diseases, no such genes, ect.