 Virgo
2004
EditionThe sign of Virgo is represented by the mythical figure of Demeter,
the corn maiden, the virgin goddess of Virgo is meticulous, discriminating, pure, practical, health conscious and hard working. It can also be perfectionist, petty and critical. Virgo’s two favorite words are: appropriate and counter-productive. Speaking of Virgins… Mary, the mother of Jesus, eventually replaced those who previously bore the title Queen of Heaven: Ishtar, Inanna, Nut, etc. Mary is depicted standing over a snake or crescent moon with the 12 stars signifying the Zodiac in her crown. Do any of those symbols sound familiar to the Goddess worshippers out there? The Catholic Church tried to fight the worship of Mary as heresy for centuries but humankind’s need for a mother Goddess is apparently too great to be put aside. Interestingly, the medieval cathedrals, chapels & churches of France were oriented to illustrate the constellation Virgo by their placement. The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke: Q: How many Virgos does it take to change a light bulb? A: Approximately 1.000000 with an error of +/- 1 millionth. Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and I still think it’s as funny as it is insightful!
Inga's Celebration Calendar
August 29th is a Full Moon in Pisces: 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. To learn more about actively using the Moon's energy in your life, see The Moon Through the Signs and Moon Phases. These guides are located in our Library. September 3rd is the First Friday of the month and the Dunthor Open House! Click here to see details below. September 6th is Labor Day: Labor Day is a most appropriate holiday for Virgo. It celebrates service, work and daily routine. There is no record of who proposed it. It marks the beginning of the school year. "Labor Day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." Click here for the US Department of Labor’s official Labor Day site. September 14th is a New Moon in Virgo: 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 new project, a ritual or to ask for a new vision. To learn more about actively using the Moon's energy in your life, see The Moon Through the Signs and Moon Phases. These guides are located in our Library. September 22nd - the Sun enters Libra, the Autumnal Equinox, Mabon. Stone of the Sign - Chrysocholla  Here is a chrysocholla cabochon set in silver with a symmetrical design at the top. Chrysocholla is a native of Arizona, growing as a secondary mineral in copper mines. Chrysocholla relates to the throat chakra and can support effective communication. It resonates with Virgo and Aquarius. Silver is a conductor of energy and is said to aid in communication, it improves the transmission of nerve impulses. According to tradition, it is a good metal for healing purposes because it is in tune with the body. Silver can reduce anxiety and help you to relax when solving problems. It is believed to help conduct the energy of stones into your body and auric field. 65.00 USDClick here to see this item and more in my Jewelry Catalog. To learn more about how to use Gemstones in your
daily life, see "What
Gemstones Should I Wear?" guide in our
Library. Inga's
Space I took a pic of my Mom’s cat Freddy in June. She brought him along when she came out to take care of me after surgery. He handled the plane ride from Orlando to Seattle like a trouper and even adjusted well to the cats, dog and general commotion here at Camp Duncan. He is black like Freya and he doesn’t show up well in most photos but he looked so striking on the kitchen counter that I thought I’d give it a try. Here is Freddy watching Freya and saying to himself, “Yup, it’s a wolf.”
Quotes: Truth is eternal, knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them. -- Madeline L'Engle "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." -- M. Facklam Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær. [There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.] When I was thirteen, my grandma took me to Bisbee, AZ to tour the Copper Queen Mine. I remember the docent describing the hazards to the miners as well as the environmental damage caused by mining. This damage was still quite visible in the crater of the adjacent open pit mine. Mines are still dug in the same way and the pillaging continues, not only in the case of precious stones but also crystals and specimen stones. I have always tried to be careful about the stones and metals I buy but a piece's provenance is often neither provable nor informed. Here is an interesting article about some changes in the jewelry industry from the Rings & Things newsletter. ***** JEWELRY INDUSTRY PUSHES FOR RESPONSIBLE MINING *****Protecting and preserving the environment has always been a major Rings & Things mission. For this reason, we are in full support of a new effort under way - stopping pollution from precious-metal mines. In an effort led by Tiffany & Co., the jewelry industry has begun seeking raw materials only from socially and environmentally friendly mines, according to the Jewelers of America. A recent report by environmental groups showed mining to be the top toxic polluter in the United States, responsible for 96 percent of arsenic emissions and 76 percent of lead emissions. The Dirty Metals campaign, as the effort has been dubbed, has been strongly focused on pollution problems in Rings & Things’ neck of the woods: the Pacific Northwest. In March, Tiffany’s called for the U.S. government to block construction of a copper-and-silver mine environmentalists fear would dump millions of gallons of wastewater per day into the Clark Fork River and subsequently Lake Pend Orielle, both in the Idaho Panhandle. Threatened wildlife species in the area, including bull trout and grizzly bears, are a great concern. The company that would run the mine has a different story. Frank Duval, CEO of Spokane’s Revett Silver Company, told USA Today there was no comparison between old, polluting mining practices and the modern methods his firm will use in Rock Creek Mine. He said the mine's wastewater will be cleaned before entering the Clark Fork River, and that the company will take precautions to protect the bear population. U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey also has said the proposed mine would follow strict controls to protect wildlife and waterways. Conservationists additionally have attacked gold mining, which they call America’s dirtiest industry. While the U.S. gold jewelry market is worth about $16 billion annually, they say one gold ring generates 20 tons of mine waste. The National Mining Association in Washington, D.C., has spoken out in defense. NMA President Jack Gerard told the Associated Press, "The U.S. gold mining industry is the world’s most advanced, using modern technology and stringent environmental safeguards. Scare tactics, outdated and incorrect information should not be used to falsely characterize the fine efforts of these hardworking and knowledgeable men and women." The feud between environmentalists and miners likely won’t end in the foreseeable future. Luckily, some newer metal items are actually engineered to be enviro-friendly, allowing them to bypass this squabble. Art Clay Silver(TM) is a great example, as it contains recycled, pure silver. The silver is recovered from exposed photographic and diagnostic film in Japan! Rings & Things is proud to be a supplier of recycled products like ACS, and hopes the jewelry supplies industry continues endeavoring to keep the earth clean. Read more about this topic: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4607954/ http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2004-04-18-tiffanys-montana_x.htm Letters from our Readers We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions! From Glen: Barbara Walters of 20/20 (USA) did a story on gender roles in Kabul several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked about 5 paces behind their husbands. She returned to Kabul recently and observed that women still walk behind their husbands, but now seem to walk even further back and are happy with the old custom. Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, "Why do you now seem happy with the old custom that you used to try and change?" "Land mines," said the woman From Scott: "All theory, dear friend is gray; but the precious Tree of Life is green/" – Goethe From Teri: The Funeral: A woman was leaving a convenience store with her morning coffee when she noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery. A long black hearse was followed by a second long black hearse about 50 feet behind the first one. Behind the second hearse was a solitary woman walking a pit bull on a leash. Behind her, a short distance back, were about 200 women walking single file. The woman couldn't stand her curiosity. She respectfully approached the woman walking the dog and said, "I am so sorry for your loss, and I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this. Whose funeral is it?" "My husband." "What happened to him?" The woman replied, "My dog attacked and killed him." She inquired further, "Well, who is in the second hearse?" The woman answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my husband when the dog turned on her." A poignant and thoughtful moment of silence passed between the two women. "Can I borrow the dog?" "Get in line." The Monthly Dunthor Open House Please come join in the community that has been created over the years with the friends we've made through our newsletters. You'll find insight, sharing, healing and fellowship and you are most welcome.
Just for fun, we've begun offering an astrological quiz based on the newsletter at our monthly parties. Our first one was for Cancer 2004. Click here to try your hand.
The Duncan
Domain
I've been keeping the webpage I created for Stanky up to date with stories, modifications and photos. Click here if you'd like to read the latest news. One more thing before I sign off. We hope you like the new look of our website. The wonderful artwork on our home page is the work of Trevor Trifiro, graphic designer extraordinaire, and we picked colors from it to create the color scheme. Please let us know if you have feedback for us. Thanks! – Scott Bruce Duncan */:-) New and Updated Pages on our Website E-Commerce stuff! Click here to read past issues of our Newsletter. Subscription information: Distribution via e-mail is free of charge. We feel the Internet is a great way to share knowledge and information and very compatible with the environment. We certainly hope you enjoyed our newsletter. If you are not interested in this information and would like to be removed from this mailing list, please click the e-mail link below and place the word "REMOVE" in the subject line of your message. This message is being sent to you in compliance with the Federal legislation for commercial e-mail (H.R.4176 - Section 101, Paragraph (e)(1)(a)) and Bill s.1618 Title III passed by the 105th US Congress. |
fertility. This makes it the only sign of the zodiac to be represented
by a female. She symbolizes the harvest; the bringing in, winnowing and
finally storing of the summer crop. The corn maiden chooses to use her
creativity for organizing a project rather than supplying the vision for
new projects. 
Freya
and I walked to the library to return a stack of books for Grandma.
The library doesn’t open until 1pm on Sundays and a crowd of kids were
waiting, seated against the wall under the return bins. I didn’t want
her too close to them so I told her to sit and then walked to the bins.
One boy of about 10-12 years of age asked “Is that a wolf?” I said “No,
she is a German Shepherd.” He responded “That’s what they told you?”
Then he nudged his friend and said sagely “It’s a wolf.” 
Click
on this link to visit the Amazon home page.