Triple Goddess Meme - Bridget, Me & Mary Jones.

As Imbolc has just passed, many Celts out there will probably have been thinking about Bridget: Goddess of the Hearth, and attempting to light a fire in the snow.
Doing a little research with a friend, I was pleased to stumble upon a site by Mary Jones, and therein some writing on the Neo-pagan concept of the Triple Goddess - Maiden, Mother, Crone format. (MMC)

Bridget is the classic Celtic triple Goddess, but how does Poetess, Smith and Medical skillsfit into these ages of womanhood...? ..
Would Bride the Poet would be the Muse (maiden), the Smith (mother creator) and the Medical skills or herbalist knowledge (experienced Crone) ? All at once, or as and when ?
Well may be they don't connect...and were never meant to be taken rigidly...personally Im feeling a bit Cronish of late, so at the very least the linear time aspect should be removed from thoughts about this model.


MMC is a neat concept, but also quite restrictive - and Mary Jones sums up why on her well researched website : http://www.maryjones.us/jce/triplegoddess.html

"Personally, I have problems with the "maiden-mother-crone" schema. 

For one, it presumes that women must take on certain roles--that a woman must be a mother, for example. Even if one interprets the word as "mature" or "working", the word is still carries connotations and denotations--mother. 

Whether they realize it or not, the followers of this concept are simply regurgitating the same gender roles which we've been taught for thousands of years. 

And while yes, women usually do become mothers, there is a sense in this schema that one must become a mother, one must become a crone. Conscious or not, it doesn't leave much room for someone who refuses to have children.

Also, there are attributes ascribed to these roles which indicate that they--the attributes--are then lacking in the other figures: the Crone is Wise (but the Mother isn't?), the Maiden is a Muse (but no one else is?), the Mother is a creator (but no one else can create?). 

The reason for this, of course, goes back to the misogyny of Graves' The White Goddess, discussed elsewhere, as well as Gerald Gardner's own ideas. Again, what matters is not whether the follower consciously accepts these ideas; subconsciously, he or she often unconsciously begins to accept these ideas.

Finally, the idea of Trinity--Christian, Hindu or otherwise--is not derived from the Triple Goddess. 

As I and others have shown, the idea of triplet deities is not limited to one sex. 

It is simply the highest number grouping, the highest pattern, that the mind will accept before dividing objects into a new group. 

We don't usually see quadruple gods because our mind divides the number four into two groups of two. Five is divided into groups of three and two, six into three and three (or two, two, and two), etc. The preponderance of the number 3 is found not only in religion or literature, but is everywhere. "

Thanks Mary !

The Four Humors

Diagnose yourself the old fashioned way!

The following excerpt from the 11th c. Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, attributed to John of Milano, give the basic run-down as to the effects of too much of one humor or another:

	If Sanguin humour do too much abound, These signes will be thereof appearing cheefe, The face will swell, the cheeks grow red and round, With staring eies, the pulse beate soft and breefe, The veynes exceed, the belly will be bound, The temples, and the forehead full of griefe, Unquiet sleeps, that so strange dreames will make To cause one blush to tell when he doth wake: Besides the moysture of the mouth and spittle, Will taste too sweet, and seeme the throat to tickle.
	If Choller do exceed, as may sometime, Your eares will ring, and make you to be wakefull, Your tongue will seeme all rough, and oftentimes Cause vomits, unaccustomed and hatefull, Great thirst, your excrements are full of slime, The stomacke squeamish, sustenance ungratefull, Your appetite will seeme in nought delighting, Your heart still greeued with continuall byting, The pulse beate hard and swift, all hot, extreame, Your spittle soure, of fire-worke oft you dreame.
	If Flegme abundance haue due limits past, These signes are here set downe will plainly shew, The mouth will seeme to you quite out of taste, And apt with moisture still to overflow, Your sides will seeme all sore downe to the waist, Your meat wax loathsome, your digestion slow, Your head and stomacke both in so ill taking, One seeming euer griping tother aking: With empty veynes, the pulse beat slow and soft, In sleepe, of seas and ryuers dreaming oft.
	But if that dangerous humour ouer-raigne, Of Melancholy, sometime making mad, These tokens then will be appearing plaine, The pulse beat hard, the colour darke and bad: The water thin, a weake fantasticke braine, False-grounded ioy, or else perpetuall sad, Affrighted oftentimes with dreames like visions, Presenting to the thought ill apparitions, Of bitter belches from the stomacke comming, His eare (the left especiall) euer humming.

Hippocrates (b. ca. 460 B.C.) urged that sine qua non of science: observation. In the course of the studies that merited his becoming known as "the Father of Medicine," he noticed that blood removed from the body separates into four parts: the clear red, a yellowish liquid that rises to the top, the dark liquid that settles to the bottom, and whitish fluid. He and his students, especially his son-in-law, Polybus, took these observations and developed a theory of medicine that was to hold sway in the West and in the Islamic world for thousands of years -- a theory further expounded upon by Galen: that physical and mental health are a matter of a good balance of four liquids ("humors"), all believed to be produced in the liver, but which are found in the veins and are associated with various organs of the body. This theory of bodily humors  -- called "humorism " or "humoralism" -- holds that each person produces all of these humors, but that the preponderance of one relative to the others -- a condition called "dyscrasia" -- brings on illness. Each of these humors was believed to be associated with one of the four elements which, when combined in various proportions, make up all things:   The humor of Blood, associated with the liver and with Air, which is the hot and moist element. A person in whom blood predominates is said to be "sanguine," from the Latin "sanguis" (blood).   The humor of Yellow Bile, associated with the spleen and with Fire, which is the hot and dry element. A person in whom yellow bile predominates is said to be "choleric," from the Greek "khole" (bile).   The humor of Black Bile, associated with the gall bladder and with Earth, which is the cold and dry element. A person in whom black bile predominates is said to be "melancholic," from the Greek "melas" (black) and "khole" (bile).   The humor of Phlegm, associated with the lungs and brain and with Water, which is the cold and moist element. A person in whom phlegm predominates is said to be "phlegmatic," from the Greek "phlegmatikos" (abounding in phlegm) . Foods and the Four Humors      Each one of the Four Humors has certain foods that aggravate it.  Consumption of these foods should be greatly reduced or avoided by those with an excess or aggravation of that humor, whether it be innate and constitutional, or an acquired condition or imbalance.  The main problematic or aggravating foods for each humor are:       Phlegm:  milk, dairy products, fresh cheeses, refined sugar, refined starches and flours, wheat and glutinous foods, cold foods, ice cold drinks; moist, creamy rich foods.      Yellow Bile:  salt and salty foods, fats and cholesterol, fried foods, vinegar, alcohol, excessive sour or fermented foods, aged cheeses, excessive hot spices and chillies, excessive beef and red meat.       Black Bile:  old, dry stale foods: excessive beans, soy, nuts, astringent foods, peanuts, rancid fats, nightshade vegetables - especially tomatoes and eggplant.      Blood:  As blood is the healthiest, most desirable humor, it's good to cultivate it with blood-building foods like spinach, green leafy vegetables, molasses, dark red and blue berries, and various types of meat in moderation.  Excessive meat consumption may produce a lot of blood, but it won't be of very high quality, often being too thick, toxic or acidic; blood circulation is also often compromised.  Therefore, one shouldn't rely exclusively on meat to build the blood.       Excessive consumption of proteins, rich fatty foods and sweets may lead to Sanguine excesses of the blood, like uremia and gout, diabetes or high cholesterol in those so predisposed.  Above all, moderation is needed to avoid the extremes of either overfeeding the body on the one hand or malnourishing it on the other.

BreakingFast

Hugh opts for a Swiss start to the day with this continental take on a classic breakfast recipe on River Cottage

Everyday.   Yellowhammer tried this apple n orange option with muesli and can vouch for it's deliciousness.

A really tasty Summer Porridge.

 

Hugh: "If you've never eaten muesli the Swiss way - soaked in freshly squeezed orange juice and dished up with grated apple and yoghurt - then you've never really given it a chance. It makes a much more exciting breakfast than muesli with just a slosh of milk."

Makes about 12 servings

Ingredients

• 200g porridge oats
• 150g mixed dried fruit of your choice, such as raisins, sultanas, dried apricots, dates, prunes
• 100g nuts of your choice, lightly toasted if you have time
• 100g wheat flakes (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, sesame or flax (optional)

To serve (for 1)

• 1 crisp eating apple
• Juice of 1-2 oranges (or a little milk, if you prefer)
• Sugar or honey (optional)
• Plain yoghurt

METHOD

How to make swiss style muesli

For a serving of muesli, put about 50g of the muesli mix into a bowl. Coarsely grate or finely chop the apple (including the skin) and add this to the muesli. Squeeze the orange(s) and add the juice to the bowl (or use milk, if you like). Stir to blend everything evenly and leave to soak for about 10 minutes. Finally, sprinkle over just a little sugar or trickle over some honey, add a good dollop of yoghurt and serve.

Spirit Molecule

http://www.thespiritmolecule.com/html/media.php?media=Trailer

Spirulina - The Green Goddess

What is Spirulina Algae ?

Well its another 'health food' but quite an interesting one Ive been adding here n there...

Spirulina is a microscopic blue-green algae that exists as a single celled organism turning sunlight into life energy.

It is one of the first life forms designed by nature more than 3.6 billion years ago. 

Spirulina contains billions of years of evolutionary wisdom in its DNA and is an offspring of earth’s first photosynthetic life forms.

Under the microscope, Spirulina is a blue-green color and has the appearance of a spiral of long thin threads. 

Spirulina is exceedingly adaptable and occurs in a wide variety of environments including fresh water, tropical springs, saltwater and saltpans.

Spirulina is full of nutrients and very easily digested. 

Commercially, Spirulina is available as a powder, tablet and capsule or added to foods and health tonics.

There are many forms of valuable algae and in the last 40 years Spirulina has been singled out for its nutritional properties. Long before it became a favorite of the health food industry, Spirulina was eaten regularly by North Africans and Mexicans centuries ago. Now many people around the globe realize that Spirulina is a powerful food with huge potential as a whole food source, medicine and biochemical resource.

A great deal of research has concentrated on the cultivation and harvesting of what is affectionately referred to as ‘the green’. It has been described as ‘probiotic’ and a ‘superfood’.

The cultivation of Spirulina has also brought interest because, as with most micro algae, Spirulina is extremely adaptable, often thriving in extreme conditions. 

With its rich nutritional goodness and ability to grow in adverse conditions, Spirulina has a huge potential to be a food source that will help feed and nourish the worlds population. 

As a plant, Spirulina is incredibly rich containing a balance of nutrients that make it virtually a ‘whole food’ capable of sustaining life without the need for other foods.

Spirulina provides vitamins, many minerals, essential amino acids, carbohydrates and enzymes. Spirulina is at least 60% vegetable protein, which is predigested by the algae, making it a highly digestible food. It is higher in protein than any other food. Its outstanding nutritional profile also includes the essential fatty acids, GLA fatty acid, lipids, the nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), B complex, vitamin C and E and phytochemicals, such as carotenoids, chlorophyll (blood purifier), and phycocyanin (a blue pigment), which is a protein that is known to inhibit cancer.

A breakdown in nutritional terms of a few of the most commonly available supplements reveals an impressive comparison. 

How is it grown?

Spirulina thrives in natural alkaline lakes. Spirulina farming is part of the new era of ecological agriculture. The key component in the production of Spirulina is sunlight and attention is given to measurement of temperature and oxygen levels.

 

Because pesticides and herbicides would kill many microscopic life forms in a pond, algae scientists have learned how to balance pond ecology without the use of these harmful substances.

This form of aquaculture represents one of the solutions needed to produce food while restoring the planet.

Breakfast shake... if you can deal with a green breakfast:

1/2 banana

Other fruit of choice eg.a kiwi (then it would have been green anyway)

Lime juice squeeze

honey drizzle

yoghurt 

Fruit juice eg pineapple

teaspoon milled hemp seeds

teaspoon spirulina 

tablespoon oats.

Whisk it up, drink it and congratulate yourself.

and some music to wash it down: