Dunthor.com - Cancer 2002

About Cancer

On June 20th, the Sun enters the 30-degree portion of the Zodiac we know as Cancer. Cancer is the first astrological sign of Summer, its beginning indicated by the Summer Solstice. The constellation of Cancer is one of the least visible in our time but was one of the first constellations named. The Sun in Cancer indicates a caring and nurturing time of year, a time of involvement with home and family including patriotism, our world and home. We want to focus on home as an inclusive, rather than derisive energy; mot my home vs. your home but Earth as all our home. It is no coincidence that family vacations, reunions, and weddings fill our calendars this time of year.

Cancer is complex and variable in temperament coinciding with the variability in appearance of its ruler, the Moon. This yin, cardinal, water sign is nurturing, protective, tenacious, and emotionally sensitive, with strong roots. It can also be smothering, unwilling to let go, timid and reclusive. The energy of Cancer is often invoked in Real Estate dealings and I think it is important to clarify that Cancer relates to safety, security and long-term investment. It does not relate to risk taking or “Making a killing” in the market.

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

Q. How many Cancerians does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Just one. But it takes a therapist three years to help them through the grieving process.

Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and it just keeps getting funnier!

Inga's Celebration Calendar

The word Solstice is Latin in origin and means, "The Sun stood still.” On June 21, the North Pole is tilted most directly Sunward. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere experience this as the longest day and shortest night of the year. On December 21, the Winter Solstice, the North Pole is pointed away from the Sun giving us in the Northern Hemisphere, our shortest day, and longest night. This tilting of the Earth's rotational axis gives us our seasons. During each Solstice, the Sun appears to both rise and set at the exact same spot on the horizon. This helps to explain how the Solar Calendars like Stonehenge and the Sun Dagger in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico operate.

Litha is a Fire Festival, usually celebrated with a bonfire or community Bar-be-que. Traditionally, there would be mummer's plays and dancing culminating with dancers actually leaping through the flames as the fire burned lower. Amulets or magickal tools that have served their purpose or have broken are added to the fire at this festival. The solstices were know in Babylonian astrology as "the portals" identifying Cancer and Capricorn as the time when the "veil between the worlds" is most permeable. This is the origin of the European tradition of seeing fairies and ghosts or spirits on Midsummer's and Midwinter's Eve'.

Visit the Fremont Fair’s website for art and details.

An informative website by the discoverer of the Chaco Canyon Sun Dagger.

Photos of the Chaco canyon Sun Dagger petroglyphs.

June 24^th is a Full Moon in Capricorn: The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration.

June 30^th is the Alki Sport Bike Show & Food Drive at Alki Beach in Seattle, WA.

July 2nd is the Feast of Expectant Mothers in much of Europe

July 4^th is Independence Day in the USA: In Seattle, THE Fireworks are at Lake Union. The fireworks are launched from the Space Needle at dusk, with choreographed music coming from Gas Works Park. Although nothing officially starts until after sunset, people begin lining up with blankets at Gas Works Park early in the day to reserve a space.

Read Encarta’s article on the Fourth of July.

Read about Fireworks safety at http://www.fireworksafety.com/

July 5^th is the monthly Open House / Get Together for friends and clients of Scott and Inga. (See below for more information.)

July 10^th is a New Moon in Cancer: The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual involving a new project, to ask for new vision.

The 14^th of July celebrates Bastille Day: On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille immediately became a symbol of historical dimension; it was proof that power no longer resided in the King as God's representative, but in the people, in accordance with the theories developed by their philosophers of the eighteenth century. On July 16th, the Revolution had succeeded. The storming of the Bastille symbolizes, for all citizens of France, liberty, democracy and the struggle against all forms of oppression.

Read 14 July -- A National Holiday in France By Tseguereda Mogues of the Atlanta Area Council, BSA.

This website tells about traveling to Paris to celebrate Bastille Day.

June 19^th celebrates Juneteenth:

This holiday commemorates the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery in the US.

Read more history and look up local events here at the official Juneteenth website.

Urban Treasure Hunting

Plantain by Tambrey Griffith of Laughing Rabbit herbal adventures

Most likely you are already familiar with plantain. Perhaps you have appreciated the tenacity of this plant that can thrive even on the margins of a parched and compacted parking lot. Or perhaps you have been enchanted by the delicate ring of flowers that moves slowly up the tip of the fairy-wand stalk. Then again, maybe you have simply been annoyed by this broad-leafed weed in your yard. Plantain has certainly been an object of human attention for a long time. The old Gaelic name is Slan-lus, plant of healing. The ancient Greeks, and later the Romans, used Plantain extensively for food, medicine, and in spells. Shakespeare, and by inference his audience, was familiar with this plant- Romeo recommended Plantain-leaf to Benvolio for an injury to his shin. On this continent, the coastal tribes all used sea plantain and, where it was available, other types were used. In the 1700s, with the Europeans, came the types we are more familiar with- called White-man's Footsteps as the seeds were spread everywhere the Europeans went. The new strains were assimilated into the local cultures as quickly as they took root. Humans are not the only people who are familiar with the healing properties of Plantain. In India, the mongoose has been observed eating the leaves after being bitten by a snake. Supposedly, toads eat the leaves after spider bites. So much history between this plant and people- with good reason! As a food, plantain is highly nutritious, full of vitamins and minerals. The leaf is one of the first greens to appear in spring and is quite tasty while still tender. As the season progresses the leaves become tough (except the coastal varieties) but still make an excellent addition to the stockpot. The seeds can be ground as flour or eaten whole. What plantain is best known for, though, is its ability to draw, sooth, and heal. The leaf can be used fresh or the whole plant may be used dried. It will draw out infection and foreign bodies (such as splinters) and poison (as from insect bites, poison ivy, and supposedly rabid dog and snake bite). Of course, proof as to the real efficacy of plantain is mostly anecdotal. I do know that my family has used it to good effect.

My son, who is fond of going barefoot, got poison ivy several times a summer. He would simply chew a few plantain leaves to a pulp and then pat the paste over the forming blisters then wrap a cloth strip around to hold it in place (a very impressive fashion statement for an eight-to-fourteen-year-old). He changed the paste two or three times a day and it usually took two or three days to clear completely up with no spreading and little itching. A camping friend had a gash on her leg that had quickly become infected, including red streaking up her leg. She dipped fresh leaves in boiling water and then laid them along the streaks and over the gash. As the leaves dry they stick in place. She did not cover them but did change them three times a day and drank plantain tea all day. The next day the streaks had disappeared (if not, she would have gone into town for a doctor); by the third day the gash was healing quite nicely and cleanly. I use plantain frequently to keep gardening garfs from becoming infected and for drawing out sticker-splinters. I do not, however, know anyone who has used plantain to deal with rabies or snakebite; I am curious but have not really wanted to test that theory out! The best testimonial for plantain, though, is the fact that it has continued to be a popular food and remedy for century after century all over the world. So next time you are in need of a band-aide give plantain a try!

Would you like to learn more about plantain? Laughing Rabbit is currently adventuring in the plantain. On this 1-hour adventure we will go plantain hunting and learn how to tell plantain from similar plants. We will make an oil and a simple salve with our finds. And, of course, we will discuss the nutritional and medicinal qualities of this fantastic plant. The cost is $10 plus $10 for supplies.

Call Tambrey at (206) 243-6729 for more information.

Book Review

Time Management for the Creative Person by Lee T. Silber

As terrifying as it may sound some simple time management can free up your life in a way you never thought possible. While the term may evoke fear in those of us with cluttered in-boxes and chaotic working styles, it needn’t because this is time management for the rest of us. As the author, Lee Silber, says: “You need some structure in your life to allow your creativity free rein. Chaos is not creative. But there are all kinds of structures. If you don’t find one you like, build your own.” Then he proceeds to give you ideas to work from to build your own. There is a quiz to see how right brain/left brain you are, some great goal-setting questions I haven’t heard twenty times before and even two chapters on being on time or as he calls it “Being in the Right Place at the Right Time with the Right Stuff”. Here is an agenda variant that I think would be great for Scott: Make three columns on a big white board. Label them Things to Do, Doing and Done, or Calls, Appointments and Things to Do. Then write each task on a separate post-it note and move them around to the appropriate column.

Here is my favorite story from the chapter on memory. “My parents, Annette and Harvey, are both in their early sixties. My mom is always complaining about my father’s selective memory. When my mom noticed they were offering free memory testing as part of an ongoing research program, she signed my dad up. A couple of weeks into the program, I asked my dad how it was going. I knew someone who might also be interested in participating.

So I said, “Hey Dad, what’s the doctor’s name who is running that memory program you’re in?”

He gave me one of those blank stares. “The doctor’s name? Hmmm… I need help with this one. What’s that thing called that you hit the ball over in volleyball?”

“A net?” I replied.

“Yes, that’s it!” he exclaimed. “Hey Annette! What’s the name of that doctor I go to?”

Click here to learn more about purchasing this book from Amazon.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is incense and how is it used?

Incense can be as simple as a sheaf of herbs thrown on a fire to an elaborate mixture of gums, oils, wood, and herbs that burns on its own. The probable origin of incense is that herbs and spices were burned to disguise the odor of burning sacrificial animals. It seems logical that our common use of burning incense or smudging for purification evolved from banishing bad smells and then evolved into banishing negative energy and then finally into attracting positive energy. Another theory from the prayer wheel and church music school of spirituality portrays the smoke as an offering, carrying prayers to the Gods.

Powdered incense is easy to make and your recipes can be adapted to the needs of the moment. Use a coffee grinder or mortar/pestle dedicated to incense because some of the resins will remain in it and likely are not good for you. Grinding your ingredients by machine is more efficient whilst grinding them by hand is certainly more magickal.

A powdered incense recipe that I would recommend for this season of Cancer:

2 parts myrrh
1 part ground dried lemon peel
1 part lavender flowers
A few drops of camphor or benzoin

Grind each ingredient separately and combine them in an airtight container while visualizing the attributes of Cancer you would like to experience more of in your life. This would be burned a pinch at a time on a charcoal block in a fireproof censer.

I prefer to buy Swiftlite charcoal tabs from Monastery Icons. They sell two different sizes of tablets and they sell a lot so it is fresh. The tabs that I have bought over the years from new age shops aren’t as fresh and don’t ignite nearly as well.

The above recipe actually smells good. Many people who have made herbal incense recipes are surprised when they don’t always smell good. Ritual magicians concoct their recipes by tables of intention and correspondences (see Library) and so don’t care what they smell like only what power they can attract. Some resins can smell nasty when they start to char which leads into one of the benefits of a powdered rather than cone incense. You can scrape the nasty bubbling resins off your charcoal and put some fresh powdered incense on. You can’t refresh a burning cone.

To make cone incense you would add the above recipe to a base of sawdust or charcoal, mix in a binder or glue and add saltpeter to help it burn. Here is the recipe I use:

Dissolve 1-tablespoon gum tragacanth in a cup of hot water let it sit so it will get goopy

Mix (wear a mask)

6 parts powdered charcoal or ground Sandalwood, Cedar or Pine
2 parts powdered Benzoin (or Frankincense, Myrrh, etc.)
l part ground Orris root
3 to 5 parts empowered incense mixture

Weigh the combined powdered ingredients and add ten percent potassium nitrate.

Mix, add 6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the incense ingredients) & the gum tragacanth glue, combine again, mold into little cones shaped like witch’s hats and let them dry. It takes about a week and then they'll usually burn. No recipe I've ever tried for cone incense has a better than 80% burn rate. -- Inga >^..^<

The Duncan Domain

I've been thinking about what benefit I gain from interacting with Elementals. As an adult, if this interaction doesn't result in some sort of transformation, then it's nothing more than just a creative exercise for my imagination and intuition. That certainly is beneficial for me but that Virgo sun sign of mine demands that I learn, explore and build holistic systems that yield sustainable, transformative outcomes. As the Summer Solstice came, I wondered what significance it really holds for us and then it hit me -- who really cares about the solstice unless their worldview is expansive enough to include it?

After September 11, 2001, it seems that, more than ever, people are reaffirming their identity by labeling themselves as this or that and it all seems to be geared to differentiate oneself from others who are different vs. building alignment. I sense that it is an attempt to gain a sense of security and to determine our place in the world. Here are some examples:

American vs. any other culture than we don't understand or fear
Men vs. Women
Owning and riding one brand of motorcycle over another
Gay or lesbian vs. hetrosexual
One religious group vs. another
Democrat vs. Republican vs. Libertarian vs. non-participant
Human vs. all other life forms on Earth

Ok, my point is this -- I've tried all the above identity exercises and it doesn't bring me any clearer sense of who I am or why I am here. End of story. What has provided clarity is my interaction with Elementals and my study of Shamanism which, in turn, has transformed my worldview. And as my worldview has expanded, I have become aware of and involved in observing the passing of the Summer Solstice. While I am a white, male Scottish American heterosexual who votes Democratic and rides Honda motorcycles, what makes all that insignificant is that I'm an Earthling.

Earth is my Mother, Spirit is my Father and this small planet in space is my home. One way or another, every life form on it is a fellow Earthling and either a neighbor or family or a friend I haven't met yet. We all chose to be here at this time and we are all connected by Infinite Mind and united by Love. I find brothers and sisters all around me in animals and plants, in the water and the air. I find old friends from previous lifetimes in humans that I just met. I recognize spiritual family members in those I work with. I feel and see the Divine Spark in everyone and everything that I encounter. Do you feel it? Are you an Earthling yet? -- Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

Cancer 2002 Edition

About Cancer	Frequently Asked Questions
Inga's Celebration Calendar	Letters from our Readers
Urban Treasure Hunting	Stone of the Sign
The Monthly IEM Get Together	Book Review
The Duncan Domain