Myths and Legends
Arachne
Arachne was a young woman
from Lydia, sometimes said to be a princess, who
offended Athena and suffered the consequences! Her story helped serve as a
warning to all to take care and not offend the gods!
Arachne was gifted in the art of weaving. Not only were her finished
products
beautiful to look at, but the very act of her weaving was a sight to behold.
It is
said that the nymph's would abandon their frolicking to watch Arachne weave
her magick. So remarkable were her works that some said Arachne must have
been taught the art of weaving by Athena herself, the patron goddess of weaving
Arachne scoffed at this, angry to be put in a position inferior to the goddess,
she
boasted that she could weave better than the goddess ever could.
Athena was very angry with Arachne, but decided to give her a chance
to
redeem herself. Athena then disguised herself as an old woman and warned
Arachne to not offend the gods, lest she incur their wrath! But Arachne would
not listen and offered a challenge to Athena, if Arachne lost she would agree
to
take what punishment the gods offered her. Athena accepted her challenge and
removed the disguise! Arachne though frightened stood her ground. Each went
to their looms. Athena weaved a scene of her contest with Poseidon to win
the
the city of Athens.
Arachne wove a scene portraying all of Zeus's infidelities, Leda with
the Swan,
Europa and the bull. So exquisite was the mortals work that the bull looked
almost lifelike swimming across the tapestry with a real girl on his shoulders!
Even Athena was forced to admit that the girls tapestry was flawless!
Angered at the mortal girl and her choice of scenes, Athena tore the tapestry
to
pieces and destroyed the loom. Then she touched Arachne's forehead, making
sure she felt full guilt for her actions. Arachne was ashamed, but the
guilt was
too much for her and she hanged herself.
Athena took pity on the girl, she brought her back to life but not as a human.
By
sprinkling her with the juices of aconite, Athena transformed the woman into
a
spider, her and her descendants will forever hang from threads and be great
weavers!
Apollo
When the goddess Hera,
the wife of Zeus found out that Zeus had fathered a
child by Leto she was outraged and furious. Seeking revenge Hera forced
Leto
to walk the earth to search for a place to give birth. Since Hera had
forbidden
Leto to stay anywhere on the earth, terra-firma or an island at sea,
the only
place to seek shelter was Delos, being in the center of the Aegean and also
difficult to reach as there were strong undercurrents because it is
said to be a
floating island, therefore not in Hera's domain. There Leto was able
to give
birth to the divine twins of Apollo and Artemis. Before Leto gave birth
to
Apollo the island was surrounded by swans, which is why these beautiful
birds
are sacred to Apollo.
Apollo could also be ruthless
when angered. The mortal Niobe boasted to
Apollo's mother Leto, that she had 14 children and must be far superior
to Leto
who only had 2. Apollo greatly angered by this killed all of her sons
and
Artemis killed Niobe's daughters. So saddened by this, Niobe wept so
much she
turned into a pillar of stone.
Aphrodite
After Aphrodite was born, Zeus was so
afraid that the gods would fight over
her that he married her off to the smith god Hephaestus, the steadiest
of the
gods. He could hardly believe his good luck and used all his skills to make
the
most lavish jewels for her. He made her a girdle of finely wrought gold
and
wove magick into the filigree work. That was not very wise of him for
when she
wore the girdle no man could resist her, and she was already to irresistible
as
it was! Aphrodite on the other hand was not the least bit happy with
the sooty
Hephaestus, she liked gaiety and glamour.
Aphrodite took many lovers both god and mortal alike. Her favorite was
the
mortal Adonis. Her attributes are the dolphin, swan and pomegranate
and
lime trees.
This is my guardian of mythology
Circe! If you would like a guardian for
your pages click on the picture and go to Amanda's Guardians.
The Greek Sphinx
She was a demon of bad luck death and
destruction. She was the child of
Typhon and Echidna. She is sometimes depicted as a winged lion with
a
feminine head, sometimes as a female with the breast, claws and paws of a
lion, a snake tail and bird wings. She sat on a high rock near Thebes
and
posed a riddle to all that passed. The riddle was:
What has four feet
Two feet
and three feet
But one
voice?
Those that could not solve this riddle were strangled by her. Finally
Oedipus
came along and he was the only one who could answer her riddle.
Oedipus
said" The answer is Man, who first crawls on all fours, then walks on his
two
legs, and then when old uses a cane to help him walk!" After hearing
the
correct answer the Sphinx threw herself headlong into the rocks.
Naga's
In Hindu myths Naga's are an
ancient race of serpent-people that play an
important part of their religion. They are half human and half snake
and
are still worshipped as the bringers of fertility especially in southern
India.
They are considered the protector of springs, wells and rivers. They
bring
rain, thus fertility. They are said to also bring floods and drought.
Naga's
are sometimes pictured showing they have a large pearl imbedded in their
foreheads.
Callisto was a nymph, associated with
the goddess of the hunt Artemis.
Young women who were devoted to the goddess hunted with her regularly
and remained virgins like Artemis herself. Callisto upheld these beliefs
faithfull and soon became the favorite to Artemis.
While Callisto spent her days and nights with Artemis"s other followers
she soon caught the eye of Zeus. Knowing that the maiden had taken
the
vows of chastity, Zeus resorted to deception to get at Callisto. He
came to her
disguised as Artemis, the young girl let her guard down, then Zeus raped
her.
Callisto became pregnant, and desperatly tried to hide her condiditon.
One
day during a ritual bath, Callisto had to bathe with the others and she had
already begun to show. Artemis was furious and banished the young wo
man
from her fold. Callisto was forced to have her child alone.
Hera decided it was time to exact her revenge, she grabbed Callisto
by the
hair and threw her onto the ground and she was transformed into a bear.
Zeus was able to hide Callistos new born son, he gave him to Hermes to be
raised by his mother Maia, he was named Arcas meaning "bear"
One day when Arcas was out hunting he came across a bear. The "bear"
was
Callisto, she recognized her son and wanted to get closer to him, but
he of
course could not recognize her and prepared to kill her. Zeus took pity
on his
former victim and placed Callisto in the sky as the constellation
known now
as Ursa Major or the "Great Bear" then Zeus also placed
Arcas in the
heavens with his mother as the constellation Ursa Minor, "Little Bear"
where
the two would be together forever.
http://www.occultopedia.com/occult.htm
Wild Boy of Aveyron
A wild boy captured in the woods near the village
of Lacaune, France,
in 1797. The boy was taken by his captors (local peasants),
kicking
and struggling, to be displayed in the village square.
The wild boy
managed to escape, but a year later (1798) he was caught
again in the
vicinity of Lacaune by three hunters as he was climbing
a tree. He
was then taken to a local widow's house, who fed and
clothed him for
a week. At the first change, the boy again ran away
to the forest.
But the wild boy was now less wary of human company,
and stared
showing up hungry at farmhouse doors.
Eventually, in 1800 with winter at its worst,
the hungry wild boy
wandered near another village, Saint Sernin, and was
captured again,
this time by a a local leather tanner named Vidal. After
that,
Victor, as the boy came to be known, never returned
to the wild.
The boy was dirty and inarticulate, and he moved
on all fours and
grunted like a beast. Brought to Paris — Napoleon's
brother himself,
Lucien Bonaparte, the Minister for the Interior, demanded
that the
boy had to be examined by members of the society —
and exhibited in a
cage, Victor would rock back and forth and appear completely
apathetic. Pioneer psychologist Philippe Pinel examined
the boy and
diagnosed him an incurable idiot, doubting the story
of his wild
origins.
Despite the grim prognosis, a young physician
and teacher of deaf-
mute and retarded children named Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard
took charge
of the boy's education. Victor learned how to read,
say a few words
and to obey simple commands, but he never properly learned
to speak.
He died in 1828.
Goddess Bath
6 drops myrtle to a full bath
Swirl water with your hand to distribute the oil through the
bath water. People with sensitive skin may wish to use fewer drops
and/or add the oil to a small
bottle of water, shake well, and then add to the bath.
Harmony Bath
5 drops geranium
clary sage
Add to deep, hot bath to harmonize emotions and regulate hormones.
Bonding Blend
1 drop Rose Phytol
5 drops Patchouli
1/2 drop Peppermint
1 drop Jasmine Phytol
4drops Frankincense
1 drops Myrrh
1 drop Clary Sage
1 drop Melissa
Blend in 4ozs. of your favorite carrier, let set for 3 days,
Massage yourself or significant other,
hold yourself or other gently, forget the world.
Bubbly Bath
11/2 cups Safflower or Almond oil
1/2 cup glycerin
1cup Ivory Soap
1/4 oz Lavender
1/4 cup Honey
Mix together all ingredients and pour into a clean bottle with a
lid or stopper. To use: Shake Well
and pour 1/4 cup into bath under running water.
Relaxation Bath Blend
10 drops lavender mailetter
3 drops true marjoram
3 drops roman cham
5 drops mandarin petigraine
5 drops sandalwood
2 drops cedarwood atlas
Enough for 3 - 5 baths depending upon your taste.
Orange and Tangerine Bath Soak
1/2 c. Baking soda
1/4 c. Epsom salts
2 drops orange food coloring, (or 1 drop red food coloring and
1 drop yellow food coloring)
25 drops orange/tangerine perfume oil, (or 10 drops each, orange
and tangerine essential oils)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until color is evenly distributed
throughout the mixture.
Transfer the mixture into a food processor and grind into a fine powder.
Spoon into a bottle or
jar.
Morning Shower Soap
To 2 oz unscented liquid soap, add:
5 drops Eucalyptus
3 drops Peppermint
2 drops Rosemary
Evening Shower Soap
To 2 oz unscented liquid soap, add:
6 drops Lavender
2 drops Marjoram
4 drops Clary Sage
Remedies:
Skin Treatment
For skin treatment of dryness and stretch marks:
6 drops Neroli
4 drops Rose
4 drops Frankincense
2 Helichrysum
Dilute in 3 tablespoons carrier oil.
Sinus Blend
2 drops Peppermint
4 drops Eucalyptus
3 drops Lavender
Dilute
in 2 1/2 teaspoons carrier. Massage over top and bottom sinus area.
For Nausea
Sniff Cardamom or Ginger
Cold & Flu blend
1 part Pine / Fir / Spruce
1/3 part Peppermint
1 part Eucalyptus Globulous
1 part Manuka / Revensara
1 part Lemon (optional for airborne use only)
Chest Cold Blend
1 part Frankincense
1 part Narouli
1 part Cedar / Cypress
1 part Eucalyptus
For PMS
15 drops Lavender
20 drops Tangerine
5 drops Rosemary
5 t, inhale deeply through nasal pharynx. Do not
ingest alcohol or operaty machinery while using this blend.