You know what ever since I saw this (back in the day where I actually watched tv) I have never forgotten it. It’s one of those commercials that you just don’t forget you know?! Today I finally actually went on youtube to look for it and was ecstatic to see that I’m not the only one to find it hilarious. I found the vid straight away and when I played it, I couldn’t help but laugh.

You know that feeling you get when you hear an old song,
and it just makes you feel the way you did when all you did was rinse the song out.
That’s what I also felt when I watched this video.

But for real. It’s kinda genius. =D

(click the image if you’re anxious to see Hester’s butt in it’s full glory)

With just over a minute remaining in Eagles/Bears game Sunday, Bears QB Jay Cutler reached back and fired off a pass to Devin Hester in an effort to gain the crucial first down. The defense was all over Hester and he wasn’t able to corral the ball.

As a personal homage to the success of Twilight’s New Moon domination of the box office, Hester opted to show America the full moon.

For the first and only time in 2009 while the moon becomes full at 11 degrees Gemini on Dec 1^st – 2^nd, no planets are retrograde (from December 1^st to December 20^th  ).  Uranus stations direct at 23 degrees Pisces, twelve hours before this Full Moon reaches its peak, indicating a need for radical change with no hidden agendas.  What you see is what you get, and what you say is what you mean.  It always helps when no planets are in retrograde, as it indicates no hidden stress, tensions or hidden innuendos we need to climb over, in reaching and resolving  our goals and wishes.  Pluto is still trying to force us to restructure our way of life, and if we have already done so, to reevaluate and rethink our goals.  This Full Moon is forcing us as a society and individually, to make a quantum leap into the future, while making radical and revolutionary changes in our thinking and lifestyle.  This is no time, for small steps, but giant and determined steps towards the future.  This is an important and vital moment to rethink, refine and fine tune our desires for the upcoming years.

 “The Sabian symbol for the Moon in 11 degrees of Gemini and for the Sun in 11 degrees of Sagittarius is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Gemini 11  A new path of realism in experience  This is a symbol of the enlarged understanding which comes from a personal and immediate participation in the affairs of an everyday world, and of the continuing rewards which result from trying one and another way of doing things.  Here is self-orientation as a consequence of a persistent weighing of the pros and cons in normal life relations, and a determination of values on the basis of their demonstrated usefulness.  Selfhood is refined through its constant self-analysis.  The keyword is identification.  When positive, the degree is effective mobilization of the self’s practical resources for the role it must play in daily living, and when negative, self-delusion through sheer fantasy.

Sagittarius 11  The lamp of physical enlightenment at the left temple  This is a symbol of the enlarged understanding which comes from an inner and spiritual outreaching, and of the rewards following on a ceaseless experiment with one or another mode of self-expression.  Here is self-orientation through a continual balancing of consequences and meanings in everyday activity and relationship.  The world is seen as a laboratory for the soul, able to provide each individual with the reality he seeks for himself.  The keyword is reconciliation.  When positive, the degree is personal effectiveness through an intelligent capitalization on past achievement, and when negative, witless trial and error leading to an utter confusion of ideas.

What this is teaching us is, that with the Full Moon in Gemini, it is the time for our thinking and actions to be versatile and mutable so that we can immediately switch and adapt to any situation for success.  It is a time to be active in the real world and to identify the problems and situations as they really are.  This is the time to be pragmatic and being one with the pros and cons of the matter, where we can feel the right outcome, because we are one with the Universe and are sensitive to our surroundings.  This is where we give reverence and respect to our thoughts and actions and give them a place in the holy temple of our mind to develop and manifest in the physical world.  In the inner holy sanctum of our subconscious mind is the creation of our hopes and wishes into reality.  When we honor our thoughts, creation begins, and like the sail boat on the calm seas with the beautiful sunshine, there will be smooth sailing ahead. 

Hi, Friends!

I’m really disappointed that I haven’t been blogging much lately, and I’m envious of all those giveaways I’ve missed

I participated in the needlebook exchange for Tiny Treasures Too and my partner turned out to be Nita, who’s the organiser. This was my first needlebook, so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. In the end I decided on a simple pattern with a simple finish. I do hope Nita liked it.

Needlebook: Elizabeth's Designs Full Moon on 32 count Clay belfast

Inside of Needlebook

Needlebook back initialled

And I was the elated recipient of a beautiful needlebook from Renee K, who has also been a previous Fair & Square partner. The photo doesn’t do it justice. Renee, I love your style! Thank you very much:smile:

Needlebook from Renee K - Blackbird Designs on 36 count natural linen

Needlekeep inside - beautiful ticking fabric and winter white felt

gifts included with needlebook: Silkweaver Solo and Starquest fabrics

And as if the needlebook wasn’t enough, Renee added 2 lovely Silkweaver fabrics. Thank you Renee, for these goodies. It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas!

I’ve just finished a Prairie Schooler that I first began over 2 years ago. It’s hanging out to dry now so I can’t show you, but promise to do that next post.

In the meantime, wishing you all Happy Stitching
Pokua

Hold On To Memories

She stands at the window, watches shadows
stretch out across the street and hide the past,
confuse the future, mix them together
until neither is clear any longer.

Eyes flutter shut as she relives his touch.
With the breath of a sigh, she’s reminded
of sensations he tantalized her with –
his whispered caresses and soft kisses.

Wavering between the new moon and full,
her imagination flows with the tide.
The pull in the pit of her belly draws
on the remnants of desire, passion
she hasn’t forgotten, doesn’t want to.
She holds on to memories – and the truth.

Siobhan
11-20-09

Planetary cycles form one of the main and most significant cornerstones in the realm of astrology. They have likely been observed long before any recorded history of telescopes or instruments used in more recent times to map or study them. Astronomically speaking, a cycle may be represented as the period a planet or celestial body makes about another, central body it is orbiting. This can also be the period required for a celestial body to ‘orbit’ about a plane or axis to a central point about which it rotates or revolves (similar to basic definition, but can include, say, our Sun’s ‘orbit’ about the Galactic center, or center of our known galaxy). This motion or orbit is generally of a periodic or recurrent nature; it repeats itself over a period of time.

In astrological terms, the simplest cycle is based on the amount of time any planet, as observed from the Earth (geocentric) or about the Sun (heliocentric), takes to complete its full orbit of the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. Keeping in mind here that this time span is based on a planet’s complete orbit from the same starting point, we have a periodic cycle for any single planet. A single planet’s period or cycle has a symbolic meaning, although not always as obvious as what we derive from the activity or relationship of two planets’ activities representing a more coupled or coordinated cyclic relationship.

Probably, the most widely known cycles, by most people, are those of our Sun, via the four seasons, each of which, respectively, recurs every year or 365 days. The Sun is observed as embracing a particular set of phases, although this is not due to its relationship to other wandering planets, but rather to its position at each of the Seasons. In Spring and Fall, the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, the Sun is seen to rise and set along a line due East or West; whereas at the Summer and Winter Solstices, the Sun is seen to rise and set either to the North or South of due East or West, respectively. In each of these two examples there is a cyclic relationship, in terms of time, by which there is a periodicity or recurrence that is, for the most part, consistent and therefore “predictable”. The celebration of one’s birthday, in general (and for those who do still celebrate it) occurring yearly is representative of another commonly observed cycle.

In the case of paired planets and cycles, the monthly Lunar Cycle, from New Moon, to Full Moon, and back again, as a phenomena easily observed by the naked eye, is perhaps the oldest of observed cycles. although this cycle actually takes place between a star (the Sun) and a satellite (the Moon). Due to the Moon’s orbital period of some 27 1/2 days about the Earth, she goes through different apparent degrees of illumination as she makes her way around the Earth. In turn, she reflects the Sun’s light to the Earth according to her angle she creates in her Sun-Earth relationship, throughout each monthly passage. In early times, amidst more agricultural, agrarian, or Earth-oriented cultures, the Moon was seen to embrace four distinct Phases or Quarters from New to Full and back again.

The planets that can be seen and identified in the skies with the naked eye, can also be observed to come into mutual alignments over periods of time. Since planets have their own orbits about the Sun (from an observer on the Earth), they also appear to travel in different portions north or south of true east or west; and because of this, for the observer they may not always appear to be in precise alignment, in their actual position in the Zodiac (referred to as their longitude positions, or Right Ascension). Since we want to concentrate here on the actual constructs of the cycles themselves, we can keep things simple, and take up the more astronomical elements in another article. For now, our focus will be on the “What” of these cycles, and the “How”, as to the manner by which we can derive valuable information in the different type circumstances that occur within the different cycles and the pairing of planets involved in these cycles.

Cycles can, and usually are, considered as any relationship between two celestial bodies. In order to actually have a cyclic process, the two bodies must be moving at rates or velocities so that one of the bodies is making its way around the same circle (in this case, the 360 degrees of the Zodiac) at a different rate of travel than the other one. I’m perhaps sounding a little simplistic here; but this simple concept becomes important as we start looking at other factors that can occur in cycles. To keep things on track, we’ll use ‘planets’ in place of ‘celestial bodies’ from this point forward.

The Whole Cycle – Beginning and Ending

Each cycle is marked by a beginning, where the two planets are aligned with one another as conjoined or conjunct. This is a ’seed event’ as it represents the germination point of the energies of the two planets. This point in time represents the ‘first breath’ of entire life of any particular cycle; as the combined influences represented by what the two planets are most commonly associated with, in an astrological or symbolic-archetypal sense. The location in the Zodiac according to the sign where the conjunction occurs, also plays into the symbolic or interpretive scheme of how we read the overall “Where” of this event. What proceeds from this germination point will develop or unfold over the time span required for the two planets to return again to another, subsequent conjunction, or new cycle of influence. At this level, we are looking at the whole of the cycle, or the beginning/starting point for the cycle and the end point of the cycle, where another new cycle begins or commences.

Hemi-Cycles – Culmination: Building and Releasing

Just as with the monthly cycle of the Moon, her New Phase begins as a darkening or sliver in appearance, which increases in light to the Full Moon, where she is 180 degrees from the Sun and appearing as full of light. So the first half of her monthly cycle, her observed light is increasing until she becomes Full. Conversely, after the Moon has attained her Fullness, she again begins waning in her light through the last half of the monthly cycle. Taken in this perspective, the first half of the cycle is waxing followed by a waning period through the second half of the cycle. In symbolic terms, the light (or influence) in the first half of the cycle is building (waxing); while the light in the second half of the cycle is releasing (waning). A note for the astrologers in the audience: here I am using the terms ‘building’ and ‘releasing’ respective to the overal cyclic process. The terms ‘building’ and ‘releasing’ can also be used in the understanding of planetary aspects. For this post, we will use these terms as they apply to cycles.

This process is not unlike looking at the ‘natural’ wheel of the Zodiac signs, where the first six (6) signs of the Zodiac ( from Aries through Virgo) represent the developing individual subjective processes, of learning, exploring, and creating, to the end of personal fulfillment, and as a preparation into the social or more objective areas of life experiences. Similarly, the second half of the wheel, or second six signs (from Libra through Pisces), represents the release of what has been developed during the first half of the cycle; in this case the potencies of the subjective realm of development and experience. This process occurs, whether all the potentials of the processes within the first, or building, half of the cycle, have been totally fulfilled or not.

The Full Phase of any cycle, not unlike the Moon at her Full Phase, represents a process of illumination: an awareness of the respective energies of the planets involved in the cycle. This ‘fullness’ also encompasses the nature of the Zodiac signs operating, i.e. their respective symbolism or archetype (element, mode, etc.). This ‘awareness’ can come as the result of some <i<tension due to the Full Phase representing an opposition or need to balance the energies represented by the opposing (Zodiac) signs involved at this phase.

So, in symbolic terms, what does a cycle really represent? Again, to keep things simple, we need only recall the example of the monthly Lunar Cycle. At the New Moon, she aligns or conjoins (conjuncts) the Sun, from our Earth perspective. About a week following the new Moon we see her at her First Quarter.Phase; two weeks from the New Moon, she is at her Full Phase; three weeks from the New Moon, she moves into her Third Quarter; then returns to another New Moon.

We can thus use the four quadrants of the circle to represent a very simplified model of the cyclic process.

Conjunction: Seed point, or beginning of cycle: Emergence.

First Quarter (lower Square): The seed bursts forth seeking roots, foundation, security and inherent self-expression

Full Phase (opposition): The seed impulse reaches maturity and through inherent tension, seeks an equilibrium in recognizing its purpose or design for the process of releasing its potencies and
bearing fruit.

Third Quarter (upper Square): The seed impulse, now at its Zenith, seeking outlet for expressing its design and purpose in a broader collective or social sphere of activity.

These Four phases within all cycles can be interpreted in both the personal and collective, or mundane, spheres of activity. For any given cycle in play, we can also examine the effects of a cycle on the collective level, which sets the ‘tone’ for the overall climate through which the same cycle will express itself at the personal level, accordingly to the area of one’s individual chart in which it is manifesting.

I’ll be going into some additional detail on cycles, in future installments of this topic.

EH

Aloha Everyone,

This is a rather large update. Several new lava photo galleries added from numerous hikes that were previous to the white shelterpod being destroyed by the lava flows.

Also some publishing news that I keep forgetting to mention.

I’ll start with the publishing news since it actually went public back on Sept. 1st. I’m sure most of you have heard of Christian Dior out of Paris, France. They contacted me earlier in 2009 about the need for some lava flow images that would be needed for a composite use for the upcoming worldwide Fahrenheit AD campaign. It was for their updated mens cologne. Parts or most of several of my images were inserted into their images shot when they were here on the Big Island. All active lava to complete what wasn’t available to them at that time of their big shoot. While the base image isn’t mine it’s still an interesting licensing deal as the images are or will be on billboards, packaging, point of purchase displays etc… all over the world.

Any advertisers or companies reading this, I know the lava flows as well or better than anyone and I can deliver excellent results or at the very least be an exceptional consultant/guide for your production or photography crew. This goes for all parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. I have more experience out on the active lava flows than any other professional photographer shooting today. Quality references available by request.

I also have one of my lava flow photos on the current cover of the Big Island Traveler magazine.

Now on to my photos update.

There are a total of 7 new galleries from the new flow that broke out in Oct. 2009. It progressed from high above the pali on the eastern edge of the TEB (Thanksgiving Eve Breakout) flow down through what was left of the eastern part of the long abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision. An entirely new tube system formed and the flow slowly covered most of the existing lava flows on the flats leading to the Waikupanaha ocean entry. It also progressed east into the kipuka’s near the Hawaii county public viewing area. This is the same flow that destroyed the White Shelterpod.

Each of the following galleries will give a brief description of what you will see when viewing them. Some have a large amount of images as I spent quite a bit of time out there. Also, there are several that show a series of images that show a constant progression of the activity. In time I’ll be adding many to my Fine Art gallery.

Remember to use the slide show option when viewing. It can be pause at anytime allowing closer viewing.

10-10-09 Lava

This was more of an exploration hike to within a quarter of a mile of the base of what was once the eastern part of Royal Gardens subdivision to track the advancing new flow. Along the way I stopped at the Waikupanaha ocean entry for sunrise. I met up with some hikers on the way to a very small sulfur lined skylight into the main Waikupanaha lava tube. Lava could be viewed flowing swiftly toward the ocean about 10′ below us. The new lava flow was nearing the base of Royal Gardens. I would return the next morning.

10-11-09 Lava

On this hike I spent the night into the morning at the Waikupanaha ocean entry. It was a nice sunrise. I took along my Tiki Surfer Dude for one last hike. I’ve been collecting images of this trinket for years at several locations on the island and all over the volcano. But, it was beginning to fall apart so it was time for one last wave. I ventured to the base of Royal Gardens to map the current location of the new lava flow. Once again I met up with some hikers. Tiki Surfer Dude caught his last wave.

10-22-09 Lava

A small collection of images showing a film crew in action at the active lava flows. At the time lava was near the last most western section of paved hwy 130 in Kalapana area. The flow would consume this area completely in the following days.

10-28-09

This would be the first of 5 straight days and nights out at the lava flows. Lava was nearing the white shelterpod but, it would move ever so slowly inflating along the way so, I stayed hoping to be there when it finally did consume the structure.  First I checked out the lava flow that was in the forest near the end of the road. I found an interesting cluster of tree molds. Three were right next to each other. From there I visited the ocean entry for sunrise and then to the advancing flow that was nearing the shelterpod. I shot a series of infrared lava flow images and some surface flow shots. It was a great day and sunset. From there I visited the shelterpod for most of the night watching the flow slowly advance towards me.

10-29-30-09 Lava

This was a cool rainy day. I tracked the western lobe of the new flow as it neared the area that would be termed the west Waikupanaha ocean entry. The flow was moving along a previous lava tube. It was filling in cracks along the way. I stayed into the night and found an old Hawaii Volcanoes National Park trail hiker warning sign being covered by the slow-moving flow. I made frequent stops at the shelterpod throughout the night. On the 30th I made a brief stop at the ocean entry and then made my way to the flows near the county viewing area. The lava once again was flowing along the road remnants. Chatted with some tourists and then headed into town to re-stock my supplies for two more days and nights out on the flows. Stopped at a friends and did my laundry too.

10-31-09 Lava

This was a very long and active day at the flows. I was out shooting from 1am until after sunset. The western lobe finally made its way to the ocean over an old bench to the new black sand beach. Images show the flow approaching and then entering the ocean. It drew a small crowd and the lava viewing tour boats. I would venture back to the shelterpod on occasion checking on how close the lava flows were getting to it. Before sunrise and after sunset the nearly full moon lit up the flows real nice.

11-01-09-lava-moon

Another 1am start and the moon lit up the area brightly. Photos of the shelterpod and the advancing flow on all sides and the moon and lava glow on the small bay where the west Waikupanaha ocean entry was flowing. A sunrise visit to the Waikupanaha ocean entry shortly after a very large tube breakout that had extremely large lava bubbles exploding before I could get there. It didn’t last very long. It was a reaction to a small surge in the volume of lava flowing through the tube system. At about 3am a large tube breakout occurred on the lower pali from the new eastern tube system. This flow made its way to the flats in less than half an hour as it channeled very rapidly. Lastly there was a mysterious flame that emitted from the active lava flow only 50′ above the shelterpod. There will be some new Fine art prints from this collection of images. I made my way home this day and returned on Tues. Nov. 3rd just in time for the lava destroying the shelterpod.

I have another venue for my fine art prints. Hawaii’s only 4-D theater at The Shops at Mauna Lani.

New printing options and Adventure based Photo workshops to be announced later this week or early next week.

Aloha,
Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited.

So it was a full moon. I’ve come to dread full moons. A year ago I would have sworn up and down that it was all a wives’ tale at best, or downright superstitious. But now, working as a waitress who every day goes to work thinking she has seen it all but every day is proven wrong, I will swear to you that people change when there are full moons, and strange things happen.

So the full moon was out, and it was a quiet night at the restaurant. The most noise came from a party of 20 celebrating a birthday; otherwise, only a few couples were scattered throughout the rest of the tables. At my table was a well-dressed young black couple, maybe age 28 or so. They seemed normal enough as they ordered. When I brought out the salads and turned to leave, however, the man stopped me and said, “…Aren’t you going to cut them for us?”
“Uh…excuse me?”
“You know, cut them up and season them for us, like what’s that other place, that italian place,” offered the woman.
“Olive Garden?” I asked, still mystified.
“Yeah, them,” returned the man. “They cut up your salads for people.”
“Uh…we don’t do that, I mean we’re kind of short staffed, maybe if we had more people…” I covered.
The man was not satisfied. “Well then who is going to cut up our food when it comes out?”
He had gotten a steak. “Well, sir,” I said, “The reason we don’t do that is because your idea of a bite size might be different from another person’s bite size…you know, its like a–personal preference thing.”

Later, the man was outside talking with my manager, as requested, while I was relating the incident to the hostess who had asked why I was so incredulous. A table of four, well-dressed, overweight older white people was passing us at the hostess’ station on their way out, but they didn’t make it far. The last man in the group stopped and turned back to the dining room, to face the table of 20 already happy, slightly tipsy boisterous young black people and started breakdancing. Pausing, he said to the party, “Bet you didn’t see that coming, did ya?” and proceeded to breakdance a bit more. The entire restaurant erupted in screams of laughter and peals of applause. Only when his wife pulled him away did he stop.

The rest of the night was quiet, but it left me with a fear of new moons and rock-solid confirmation that People. Are. Weird.

Two weeks ago I had a jam packed weekend of ultimate frisbee and hiking. The day after I returned from the Handford Howl Frisbee tournament I headed out to Bagby hot springs with a group of friends to relax my sore muscles. The following day consisted of ultimate frisbee, lunch at a Nicholas Restaurant (a Lebanees and Middle Eastern cuisine) and a hike on Wahkeena trail in the Gorge. About halfway through the hike it got completely dark so it became a night hike.

The photos below are of the stream that feeds Multnomah Falls.

Overlooking the Columbia river and I-84. I think it was a full moon that night or at least pretty close to one.

Speaking of night photography in the Columbia Gorge you should check out this photo taken by Ben Canales, a photographer I found on flickr. Pretty awesome story for how he got the photo.

The NEW Tundra exhibit at the Toronto Zoo

The ArCtiC WoLf

Also called the Polar Wolf, a cousin of the Gray Wolf, you can catch the Arctic Wolf in the new Tundra Trek exhibit at the Toronto Zoo.

OR if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also find him in the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, and the northern part of Greenland. The Arctic Wolf has really thick fur because they can live in SUB-ZERO temperatures and are exposed to the frigid cold for long periods of time—days, months, even years! They can survive up to five months in total darkness! They can also live without food for weeks! They roam around LARGE areas of land, hunting for food. They are the ONLY mammals that can withstand these kinds of conditions. The Arctic Wolf travels in packs from 2 to 20!

Similar to the Grey Wolf, Arctic Wolves are a bit smaller with smaller ears so they can trap in as much body heat as possible.

Did you know?

To keep themselves warm, Arctic Wolves grow a second layer of fur to protect them from the harsh conditions.

Good luck finding one this winter! They are all white so they will blend in easily to the winter snow and are pretty shy around humans.

The Arctic Wolf

Check out this cool You Tube video of wolves HOWLING

Did you know?

Wolves howl because it’s how they keep the pack together. It’s how they communicate and bond with each other.

Photographed by ramesh.rasaiyan

I like this one very much, Hope I can deliver better than this next time.

– License

I have to say I haven’t felt this good to see something in a while. I felt like a kid on Christmas to see someone wearing the Nike savage kicks on the train after my post on it. Small world we live in. So I would like to share the experience with you all from the pictures I took with my iPhone (subliminal plug, I want my check att or apple whichever one reads this first).

FRSHMN Out
B@rs

Like most bars, we have a pool table. Its been ‘loved’ throughout its life, the slate felt-coated surface supporting the badly-shot pool balls above with nary a complaint. The felt has some marks, but no watermarks – amazingly. We aim to keep it that way.

So I’m there, watching over the maelstrom known as “Saturday Night”. I’m not sure what phase the moon was in, but something was inciting the local population to acts of weirdness. I could feel it – some kind of palpable miasma passing through us all, but only affecting the intoxicated.

I’m watching another badly-played pool game, most of them are having fun, some self-appointed ‘experts’ trying to tell their inebriated girlfriends where *exactly* to shoot the ball. (This invariably ends up in a missed shot, and is so deliciously ironic I can’t help but emit a short snort of satisfaction.) After one set, everyone gathers around and leans on the table.

I’m not against leaning, I do it quite a bit myself – doesn’t hurt the pool table, the damn thing is massive. So I don’t say anything. But, as usual, someone takes that permission and leaps over the wall of good sense. One guy plops his ass right on the table, legs over the bumper rail. No, no, no….please. I walk over, tell him that he can lean but not sit. PLEASE. He assents but waves me off with that “yeah, yeah I know” air that I really hate.

Then, as an encore, he puts his pint glass on the felt surface. Another trip to stupid-town, so I can tell him that no glasses can be on the table. He mutters “Sorry”, but I can tell behind his cold, dead eyes that its all pantomime so I don’t get inspired to throw him out. (People, I can tell when you’re not being genuine, just saying.)

As they were gathering their coats heaped on a nearby table, I couldn’t help but think how much more effective it would be if I just called the Pool Table “Grandpa”. Then all my warnings would have some kind of anthropomorphic association.

It would go like this:

Disgusted Bouncer: Please, don’t sit on Grandpa – his wooden bones are fragile, and he’s only made to support those billiard balls.

Patron: Oh god, I’m soooo sorry, did I hurt him?

Okay, perhaps not just like that, but you get the idea. Although some might relish in hurting Grandpa, so I’m split on this decision. Suffice to say, as long as I can – I will defend Grandpa until his time comes. (Getting replaced by a skee-ball machine or some other nonsense.)

Until next time, drink safely and tip well…

Spring Newsletter 1999 – Vernal Equinox Volume X number 2 (vol.X no 1 was Samhain 98 q.v.)

Picts, Kings, Saints, Chronicles

Crescent and V-rod, sun-disk and serpent carved Pictish stone

FOGS Membership feedback. . .

WHITECROSS Equinox

ABERDEEN member Dr Theodore Allan remarks on  the Hill of Whitecross one mile south of Chapel of Garioch at NJ 717 225, visible from the recumbent circle of Balquhain but not from Easter Aquhorthies. His interest is apt at this time of year, as it is a marker hill for sunset on the Feast Day of  Bride (Candlemas, and incidentally at its opposite season, Martinmas). However its derivation as the Hill of the White Cross or Crossing may stem from its sacred point of the moon’s crossing or setting – as seen from Balquhain – at the end of summer, the pagan White season, and the point where the full moon sets once in 19 years at its minor standstill. This should be a hill to watch in the summer of 2014 at the next standstill! The physical crossing of the hill must also have had significance to Bronze Age and Pictish descendants, as anyone who has walked the Netherton of Balquhain road can testify.  Leaving behind in the east the Bronze Age burial cairn on Dilly Hill, NJ 751 224, and walking due west, not only does the outline of the Hill of Whitecross draw the eye but for a mile and a half the traveller’s visiion is filled with the sacred shape of the Mother mountain Bennachie. At Burnside of Balquhain, NJ 730 225, where the road turns sharply north, the walker can clearly see how the old road used to rise directly west to Whitecross, itself topped by a cairn. An added delight for placename enthusiasts is the name of this miniscule valley created by the burn which springs on Whitecross’ lower slopes, flows past Burnside and Mains of Balquhain, turning to join the Urie at Drimmies (which Pictophiles will know has its own symbol stone:  it is the Strathnaterick, valley of the serpent of ancient wisdom. This lonely stretch of road, now mostly used by farm traffic, is an inspiration to walk on a spring evening. Thanks to Dr Allan for his observations.

BLUE MOON

TWO OF our regulars communicate on the phenomenon of this year’s blue moons, first in January and now in March; Griselda Macgregor in Inverurie and Trevor Alcott in Crimond are both interested in lunar activity, although from slightly different angles: Ms Macgregor requests the reason for the use of the term ‘Blue Moon’, i.e. for two full moons in the month, while Mr. Alcott likes to extrapolate grander figures of moons in the Metonic cycle.  We might cover both in a limited way.  First, we find  no-one in any context outside Scotland, and perhaps even outside the  bounds of Aberdeenshire, using the term ‘blue moon’ to mean two full moons in the month [in 1999, January 2: 0250; 31:1607, accompanied by a visible penumbal lunar eclipse at 1619; March 2: 0659; 31: 2249 - all times GMT]. The fact that February this year had no full moon at all is purely a figment of modern man’s calculations, as our forefathers when they spoke of the moon, meant the month, and vice versa.  The arbitrary nature of the ‘phenomenon’ can  be seen, particulary in the second March date, to occur only from Europe west, and not for instance, in Australia, where the second full moon falls within April. While not answering the question, we open the door to any contributions from members who have NE knowledge of folkloric or traditional useage.

LUNAR STANDSTILLS

We have touched on standstill moons before, as the time once every  18.61 years that the moon is seen at its most erratic in the night sky, behaving as if with a ‘wobble’. We receive several calls a year requesting more detail for stone-watchers with astronomical leanings – the latest from a member in Edinburgh who prefers anonymity.

Trevor Alcott puts it simply:

‘Correction for our latitude (57ºN approx) is, according to Reed’s Nautical Almanac, seven minutes. The rule is, when declination is north, subtract from moonrise time and add to moonset time. Reverse applies if declination is south. Our biggest problem is one with which mariners do not have to cope, i.e. the height and distance of the horizon relative to the observer, but I promise, you don’t want to know!  The easiest way is to observe a few full moons, note the times, and correct from the nautical times for that particular observation point.’ 

Sensible man.  So, for those early birds preparing for their next maximum and minimum moonset and moonrise, when the moon’s motion relative to other months  is distinctly wobbly,  may we suggest marking your diary now: 

Next major standstill at the full moon nearest to winter solstice occurs in 2005, when the full moon will rise in midwinter at the most northerly point it ever rises.

Next minor standstill, or full moon nearest to summer solstice, happens in 2014.

If we are spared, we may try for a gathering for wobble watchers at a stone circle to compare notes.
©MCY 1999-2009