The Ancient Whispers Newsletter

Welcome to the Ancient Whispers Newsletter, a multi-cultural newsletter with a little something for everyone of any creed or religion. Here you will find inspiring quotes, irreverent jokes, crafts, and most importantly, historical and/or religious scholarship. Every Wednesday a new edition should appear on this website with reminder emails sent out the night before to those who have opted to join one of the many forums and mailing lists to which I subscribe. If you wish to share this newsletter with others, please keep it intact with the original authors' names on all the articles. Any articles or sections, to which an author or URL is not affixed, were written by Candace (with the exception of the various jokes found herein).

Questions, comments, and topical requests are encouraged and should be posted to the AskCandace open forum at yahoogroups. I'd like to start a help column for the newsletter, so if you'd like to have your problem featured in a newsletter, let me know when you post.

July was named for Julius Caesar who reorganized the previously skewed calendar to what is now called the Julian calendar. Instituted in 26 BC, this was known as the Year of Confusion because of the irritation switching the calendar caused. This was the calendar of the west for the next 1600 years. July is sacred to Apt (or Apet), Athena, Sothis, Spider Woman, and Rosea.

The Irish name for this month was Iúil or an t-Iuchar, the border time. Traditionally during the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, Sirius, the dog star, can be seen in the sky. The Anglo-Saxon name was Aeftera Litha, "after Litha," or sometimes Maedmonat, "meadow month." Hewimanoth, "hay month," was the Frankish name, and the Asatru call it Haymoon.

The first Full Moon is called the Buck Moon. It is also the Blessing or Wort Moon and the Honey Moon, a name it shares with June’s Moon. It is also called the Moon of Claiming, Fallow Moon, Thunder Moon, a name shared with August, and Moon of Blood (due to mosquitoes), a name it share with October.

The sun passes from Cancer to Leo on July 23rd. The birth flower for July is the larkspur. Onyx, sardonyx, carnelian, turquoise or rubies are the stones listed for those born in July. The birthstone of Cancer is the moonstone or pearl, while Leo’s stone is the ruby, onyx, or smoky quartz. Albite, chrysoprase, emerald, green tourmaline, opal, pink tourmaline, and rhodochrosite are also significant to Cancers, and amber, carnelian, chrysocolla, citrine, fire agate, garnet, pink tourmaline, ruby, and topaz are associated with Leo.

Lunar Holy Days

The seventh of the seventh moon is the Chhit Sek or Chilsuk, a Chinese holiday honoring the meeting of the Heavenly Spinning Lady (the star Vega) and her lover, the Cowherd (the star Altair). (See also July 7th)

The last Sunday in July is the Procession of Witches in Beselare, Belgium.

Saut d'Eau

Birth of Set(h)

Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami

birth of Isis

Lu Pan

John Dee

birth of Nephthys

Opet Festival, feast day of Thoth

Adonia

Mayan

Damo

Aten was born

Neptunalia

Festival of the Rise of Sothis-Sirius

Gwyl o Cerridwen

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Humor: Jesus

Late one night a burglar saw an open window and decided to break in. He was sneaking across the lawn when he heard a voice announce, "Jesus is watching you!" He jumped, turned around and around, but saw no one. So he started across the lawn again. "Jesus is watching you!" He heard it again! So really freaked out, he looks in the window and sees a parrot in a cage. Laughing a little, he says, "Did you say that?" The parrot answers, "Yes I did." Curious, the burglar said, "What's your name?" to which the parrot replied, "Clarence." "What kind of stupid idiot would name his parrot Clarence?" asked the annoyed burglar, to which the parrot answered, "The same stupid idiot that named his Rottweiler 'Jesus'."

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Article : The Snake Tribe
from http://www.earthbow.com/native/frames.htm, please visit their site for more Native American lore
Myths of the Cherokee, James Mooney, 1900

The generic name for snakes is indädû'. They are all regarded as anida'wehï, "supernaturals," having an intimate connection with the rain and thunder gods, and possessing a certain influence over the other animal and plant tribes.

It is said that the snakes, the deer, and the ginseng act as allies, so that an injury to one is avenged by all. The feeling toward snakes is one of mingled fear and reverence, and every precaution is taken to avoid killing or offending one, especially the rattlesnake.

He who kills a snake will soon see others; and should he kill a second one, so many will come around him whichever way he may turn that he will become dazed at the sight of their glistening eyes and darting tongues and will go wandering about like a crazy man, unable to find his way out of the woods.

To guard against this misfortune there are certain prayers which the initiated say in order that a snake may not cross their path, and on meeting the first one of the season the hunter humbly begs of him, "Let us not see each other this summer."

Certain smells, as that of the wild parsnip, and certain songs, as those of the Unika'wï or Townhouse dance, are offensive to the snakes and make them angry. For this reason the Unika'wï is held only late in the fall, after they have retired to their dens for the winter.

When one dreams of being bitten by a snake he must be treated the same as for an actual bite, because it is a snake ghost that has. bitten him; otherwise the place will swell and ulcerate in the same way, even though it be years afterwards. For fear of offending them, even in speaking, it is never said that a man has been bitten by a snake, but only that he has been "scratched by a brier." Most of the beliefs and customs in this connection have more special reference to the rattlesnake.

The rattlesnake is called utsa'nätï which may be rendered, "he has a bell," alluding to the rattle. According to a myth given elsewhere, he was once a man, and was transformed to his present shape that he might save the human race from extermination by the Sun, a mission which he accomplished successfully after others had failed.

By the old men he is also spoken of as "the Thunder's necklace" (see the story of Ûñtsaiyï'), and to kill one is to destroy one of the most prized ornaments of the thunder god. In one of the formulas addressed to the Little Men, the sons of the Thunder, they are implored to take the disease snake to themselves, because "it is just what you adorn yourselves with."

For obvious reason the rattlesnake is regarded as the chief of the snake tribe and is feared and respected accordingly. Few Cherokee will venture to kill one except under absolute necessity, and even then the crime must be atoned for by asking pardon of the snake ghost, either in person or through the mediation of a priest, according to a set formula. Otherwise the relatives of the dead snake will send one of their number to track up the offender and bite him so that he will die (see story, "The Rattlesnake's Vengeance").

The only thing of which the rattlesnake is afraid is said to be the plant known as campion, or "rattlesnake's master" (Silene stellata), which is used by the doctors to counteract the effect of the bite, and it is believed that a snake will flee in terror from the hunter who carries a small piece of the root about his person. Chewed linn bark is also applied to the bite, perhaps from the supposed occult connection between the snake and the thunder, as this tree is said to be immune from the lightning stroke.

Notwithstanding the fear of the rattlesnake, his rattles, teeth, flesh, and oil are greatly prized for occult or medical uses, the snakes being killed for this purpose by certain priests who know the necessary rites and formulas for obtaining pardon.

This device for whipping the devil around the stump, and incidentally increasing their own revenues, is a common trick of Indian medicine men. Outsiders desiring to acquire this secret knowledge are discouraged by being told that it is a dangerous thing to learn, for the reason that the new initiate is almost certain to be bitten, in order that the snakes may "try" him to know if he has correctly learned the formula.

When a rattlesnake is killed the head must be cut off and buried an arm's length deep in the ground and the body carefully hidden away in a hollow log. If it is left exposed to the weather, the angry snakes will send such torrents of rain that all the streams will overflow their banks. Moreover, they will tell their friends, the deer, and the ginseng in the mountains, so that these will hide themselves and the hunters will seek them in vain.

The tooth of a rattlesnake which has been killed by the priest with the proper ceremonies while the snake was lying stretched out from east to west is used to scarify patients preliminary to applying the medicine in certain ailments. Before using it the doctor holds it between the thumb and finger of his right hand and addresses it in a prayer, at the end of which the tooth "becomes alive," when it is ready for the operation.

The explanation is that the tense, nervous grasp of the doctor causes his hand to twitch and the tooth to move slightly between his fingers. The rattles are worn on the head, and sometimes a portion of the flesh is eaten by ball players to make them more terrible to their opponents, but it is said to have the bad effect of making them cross to their wives.

From the lower half of the body, thought to be the fattest portion, the oil is extracted and is in as great repute among the Indians for rheumatism and sore joints as among the white mountaineers. The doctor who prepares the oil must also eat the flesh of the snake.

In certain seasons of epidemic a roasted (barbecued) rattlesnake was kept hanging up in the house, and every morning the father of the family bit off a small piece and chewed it, mixing it then with water, which he