Phoenix                         I know I’ve mentioned it before..and I will most likely mention it a thousand more times but, in some myths and/or legends you can truly see that the idea spans several cultures. Werewolves and vampires are but two examples of this. Mermaids is another example and yet a further example is the ever mystic firebird. The one that can never truly die as it is reborn from it’s ashes. That would be none other than the Phoenix. The phoenix mythology spans at least 9 possibly 10 different cultures. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Native America,…

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name wold smell as sweet;”– Juliet to Romeo in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene II The quote above is slightly out of place. It pertains to the fact that Romeo and Juliet are from opposing families. Romeo believes that their lives would be easier if he had a different name. Juliet is pointing out that she loves Romeo for simply being Romeo…not because of his family name or who his family is. In a way much of the same can be applied to Greek figurine Cassandra. All versions of the myth paint her as…

    “Arabian niiiiiiiiights, like arabian daaaaaaaaaaays, More often then not, Are hotter than hot in lots of good ways..”~Arabian Nights Disney’s Aladdin 1992-1993. Aladdin is the first Disney movie that I really, really loved. The Little Mermaid was pretty good…but a little bit too long for my taste at the time, and there were a lot of overtones I didn’t understand. Aladdin however… Aladdin made me laugh. Specfically Genie made me laugh. Hey it was Robin Williams..who wouldn’t laugh? I idolized Genie. I told my mom that I wish I could find a magic lamp and have Genie come out of it and hang out with me. It wasn’t…

Mirrors “Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all?”-Evil Queen from Snow White. Mirrors are one of the most intriguing inventions if you will, of mankind. Why? Mirrors are so intriguing because they allow us to see ourselves as a reflection. What is a mirror exactly? In ancient times a mirror was a still pool of water, either chanced upon in a calm lake or a puddle after the rain, or deliberately collected and used as such. Polished pieces of obsidian (a naturally occuring  volcanic glass) were also used. In some instances a piece of wood was sanded down and polished to a reflective surface. Other things…

The Boogeyman “When I was 6 I always watched the show, The Greatest American Hero. I wanted to prove it wasn’t real, so I began testing his powers vs mine. Things like I would wrap a towel around my neck like a cape and I would try flying in the house. Then when I couldn’t fly in the house, I figured I had to be outside… I climbed on top of the trailer and jumped off. I realized the Greatest American Hero can’t fly. Then came the day I wanted to prove he wasn’t bulletproof, so I gave my friend my bb gun and had him shoot as many times…

If you’re ever in Russia, you might want to be a careful about going into the woods. Even for a little bit. Not only are there animals and weather conditions you would probably not want to deal with…as well as the chance of getting lost, but there’s also Baba Yaga. Who is Baba Yaga? Well..she’s a witch. A witch of Russian folklore actually. She’s not your typical witch fairy tale witch in that she flies on a broom and performs magic, spells and what else. Instead, Baba Yaga has two things.  A moving, living house of which the feet are chicken legs, and a mortar and pestle which she mainly…

Sweet Dreams are made of this, Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas, Everybody’s looking for something…” Sweet Dreams lyrics by Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Album~1983 Have you ever gone to sleep and had the weirdest, craziest experience? Or experienced something so realistic that when your alarm clock goes off you’re disoreinted and confused because what you experiecned was so real you couldn’t possibly have been aslee? Or maybe your dream experiences lead more towards the silly and nonsense. Stuff that makes no sense in the real world but makes perfect sense in the sleep world. Dreams…what are they? Are they…

Samhain I realize that it’s completely the wrong month for a halloween article…but in a way it isn’t. January is the start of the new year for many people. Moved up from April 1st which is now called April Fool’s day. In my family…we have two new years. We have our personal new year which is on Halloween. And then we have the actual New Year on January 1st..  For as long as I could remember…every halloween, my mother has said “Happy Halloween, Happy New Year.” I never understood it until I was older and actually started researching Halloween and the pagan religion. Being a 3rd generation Pagan…it’s been interesting…

“Thunderbolts  and lightning- very, very frigtening me..” Lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen Thunderbolts and lightning. What are they? Are they the same thing or are they different? Better yet why are they important? Thunderbolt…what is it? According to the dictionary a thunderbolt is a flash of lighting with a simultaneous crash of thunder…as  you see the lightning and immediately hear thunder. What’s lighting? It’s a series of electrons that forma chain going from the ground to the sky. The chain is seen as light and has many different shapes. Normally though it’s perceived as a quick flash, like the flash from a camera. Sometimes though during thunderstorms..especially severe ones,…

Rainbows “Somewhere over the rainbow, Way up high, there’s a land That I heard of once In a lullaby…” Somewhere Over The Rainbow as sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. Roy G. Biv. We all know him right? We learned about him in probably second or third grade, earlier or later depending on when, how and where you were taught or lived. Who is is? Well..maybe he’s an artist. Perhaps he’s a painter. It’s also possible that he’s related to the Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain guy. Better yet..both of them, Roy and Richard are mnemonics. A mnemonic is a trick, tool or technique used…