YAY!
Friday, November 30, 2012
An update from me to you
Hello, everyone. Good news! I have signed a contract with Wild Wolf Publishing for my fantasy series! This means new titles, new series name, new covers and loads of other stuff. I'll therefore be removing links to my work as it is now, all pages, and will also unpublish what is available online at the moment. If you thus come across a link to my work as Tales from the Path of Shades, know it won't work. Forgive the inconvenience, but we'll be back with everything all new! And those links will be posted as they come online.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
History of Thanksgiving
Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful
harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient
farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to
grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops
were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the
farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat
of these spirits.
Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by
the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.
The Greeks
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their
goddess of grains was Demeter who was honored at the
festival of Thesmosphoriaheld each autumn.
On the first day of the festival married women (possibility
connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters
and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted.
On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were
made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's
gratitude would grant them a good harvest.
The Romans
The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia,
which honoredCeres their goddess of grains (from which the
word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and
offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres.
Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving
feast.
The Chinese
The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung
Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month.
This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon
cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was
stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the
Chinese saw on the face of the moon.
The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted
pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that
during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw
them would be rewarded with good fortune.
According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another
special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of
the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no
food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the
invaders.
The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to
every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for
the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated.
Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.
The Hebrews
Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth.
Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.
Sukkoth is know by 2 names - Hag ha Succot -
the Feast of the Tabernacles and Hag ha Asif - the
Feast of Ingathering. Sukkoth begins
on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur the
most solemn day of the Jewish year.
Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the
Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they
reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to
assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.
When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish
people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their
ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches
are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is
spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables,
including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of
Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.
The Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in
honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The
festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptian's harvest season.
The festival of Min featured a parade in which the Pharaoh
took part. After the parade a great feast was held. Music, dancing, and sports
were also part of the celebration.
When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept
and pretended to be grief-stricken. This was to deceive the spirit which they
believed lived in the corn. They feared the spirit would become angry when the
farmers cut down the corn where it lived.
The United States
In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New
World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was
corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat
that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away
for the winter.
The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the
wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming
winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor,
William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all
the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held
after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution
(late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental
Congress.
In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual
custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a
Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of
thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day
proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the
holiday.
Canada
Thanksgiving
in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
Observance of the day began in 1879.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Blind Vulture
The Blind Vulture
(Indian Folktale)
Long ago, there was a hill that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill, there was a tree which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The birds welcomed the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he was old.
(Indian Folktale)
Long ago, there was a hill that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill, there was a tree which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The birds welcomed the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he was old.
When the Blind Vulture saw birds’ concern for him, he was overwhelmed
with gratitude. He thought to himself, “As these birds are being so kind to me,
it has become my duty to protect their young ones when they are away gathering
food”. After this, the Vulture used to get his food from the birds and in
return, he took care of their young ones while they were away. So like this,
all of them were passing their days happily.
One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, “Who is there?” On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got frightened and said to herself, “O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his confidence”.
At once, the Cat replied, “O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you”. The Vulture asked, “Who are you?” The Cat answered, “I am a Cat”. The Vulture shouted, “Go away otherwise I’ll eat you up”. The Cat was clever and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, “Sir, Listen to me first then you can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race”.
The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, “I live on the other side of the river. I don’t eat meat and take bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings”.
She further said, “But, I don’t feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you don’t have any food to offer me, at least you could say something kind to me”. The Old Vulture replied, “How can I trust you since you are carnivorous and young birds reside here”. The Clever Cat was well-versed in tantrums.
She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, “I've read all scriptures and came to know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by killing birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days, the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.
When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by her. When the Birds saw the bones of their young ones, at once they shouted, “The blind Vulture has eaten our innocent kids”.
All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didn’t even get the chance to defend himself.
Moral: Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.
One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, “Who is there?” On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got frightened and said to herself, “O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his confidence”.
At once, the Cat replied, “O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you”. The Vulture asked, “Who are you?” The Cat answered, “I am a Cat”. The Vulture shouted, “Go away otherwise I’ll eat you up”. The Cat was clever and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, “Sir, Listen to me first then you can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race”.
The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, “I live on the other side of the river. I don’t eat meat and take bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings”.
She further said, “But, I don’t feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you don’t have any food to offer me, at least you could say something kind to me”. The Old Vulture replied, “How can I trust you since you are carnivorous and young birds reside here”. The Clever Cat was well-versed in tantrums.
She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, “I've read all scriptures and came to know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by killing birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days, the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.
When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by her. When the Birds saw the bones of their young ones, at once they shouted, “The blind Vulture has eaten our innocent kids”.
All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didn’t even get the chance to defend himself.
Moral: Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Past into future - Updated to include...
A few days ago I posted this:
I wondered at the time of posting, 'what about the present?' And I wasn't alone in this! Friends sent messages asking the same thing.
And then I found this:
Serendipity?
