tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79316661113967248282024-02-21T05:28:11.512-05:00Tree of Life MeaningThe Sacred Tree of Life Since the Beginning of Time Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-4075714946900861242015-03-17T16:04:00.001-04:002015-03-18T12:30:39.398-04:00Our Trip to the Butterfly Conservatory at the Boston Museum of Science<h3>
I Finally Got to Visit a Living Butterfly Conservatory</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T8-5d_DVFbfONZSaMjSMTM_pFzxTdILKhQDctgfpZS59fQC4kJjIZVj0U2w-SnoMp8j0wgHA4xvkTQx84AbltjkEZU400tcT9MXvHuIawU0TOQI6TxcOMqwszDTAYcBUftG1LsYpmcc/s1600/9739311_f260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T8-5d_DVFbfONZSaMjSMTM_pFzxTdILKhQDctgfpZS59fQC4kJjIZVj0U2w-SnoMp8j0wgHA4xvkTQx84AbltjkEZU400tcT9MXvHuIawU0TOQI6TxcOMqwszDTAYcBUftG1LsYpmcc/s1600/9739311_f260.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren <br />
One of the butterflies was content to let me get very<br />
close to take this picture. It's a great shot of its<br />
proboscis ("tongue").</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yesterday was so wonderful! I finally got to visit a butterfly conservatory at the Boston Museum of Science.<br />
<br />
I've always wanted to visit one of these living butterfly pavilions since they started popping up at various natural history, science museums and zoos.<br />
<br />
I worked at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. years ago. However, at the time the butterfly pavilion at the <a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/exhibitions/insectzoo.html" target="_blank">Insect Zoo</a> was not open. After all these years, I'm thrilled that I finally had this opportunity.<br />
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I am also thrilled because yesterday was Mother's Day, and it was my son who took me to the Museum of Science (along with the help of his father, my husband). He's eleven and in 5th grade. How awesome it is to have a young son take you to a museum! -and a science museum no less!<br />
<br />
I am sharing my/our experience in hopes you will be inspired to visit a butterfly conservatory near you. This is a very fun learning activity for children, and it is also very fun for all ages. At least it was for us, and I highly recommend it.<br />
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<h3>
Arriving at the Museum of Science - We've got our tickets and are getting ready to go in.</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L10WkkLXpZaFD08jM1SWtEAcaTZr4XjxaSCEttSuXSic3iok90r3cw_eAYdKGHGu4Vd4dUaQr3q5UaF46jmYPM3tPhy3VomMjjXJJcD0M1uqp5sxDe7a2Cc857PynOXrnLM6nUNMGas/s1600/butterfly+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L10WkkLXpZaFD08jM1SWtEAcaTZr4XjxaSCEttSuXSic3iok90r3cw_eAYdKGHGu4Vd4dUaQr3q5UaF46jmYPM3tPhy3VomMjjXJJcD0M1uqp5sxDe7a2Cc857PynOXrnLM6nUNMGas/s1600/butterfly+wall.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren of the outside<br />
mural display of the butterfly conservatory.You can <br />
see there are 4 videos playing too. These are <br />
educational videos depicting interesting living <br />
aspects of butterflies and caterpillars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I like being spontaneous when I'm out on an adventure. Therefore, I don't brief myself with a place's potential activity or on goings. I like to go and be surprised at what I find. For example, when I was in Italy, I didn't make plans ahead of time of where I wanted to visit or places I wanted to see. So, without knowing much about the area, I headed out in the morning.<br />
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I found myself walking down the street and low and behold, out of no where, I was standing in front of Christopher Columbus's home of when he was a child! It was a small modest home with no tourists poking around. It was as if everyone had seen it a thousand times, and it wasn't a big deal any longer. There was just a small plaque in front of the house that I almost missed. Needless to say, when I read the plaque, it was pretty cool to discover where I was.<br />
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I have lots of stories and experiences like this, including what I discovered at the museum yesterday. Ahead of time, I intentionally did not look online for the museum's website. I just wanted to simply go and have wonderful discoveries all day long. I had a big surprise waiting for me! We arrived, and I discovered that there was this butterfly conservatory!!<br />
<br />
Well, the very first thing we did was purchase our tickets for the butterfly conservatory and eagerly headed there.<br />
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<h3>
I've Always Had a Dream of Seeing a Live Blue Morpho Butterfly<br />
- waiting to go in...</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cVSpj3BTVyH8CZEBEYOJOYQDbiloIi_0iq6oFojurFCWE4cXJihKEKLofQ8E3ucpECEeBle-T-Lllv2i2VTX8LvLwTCAmgnDBA5MtsWA1OM2M9OaNjlHq0w_NwpJBEi3P7IitnJdu4c/s1600/butterflies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cVSpj3BTVyH8CZEBEYOJOYQDbiloIi_0iq6oFojurFCWE4cXJihKEKLofQ8E3ucpECEeBle-T-Lllv2i2VTX8LvLwTCAmgnDBA5MtsWA1OM2M9OaNjlHq0w_NwpJBEi3P7IitnJdu4c/s1600/butterflies.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - both images by melaniekaren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Only a limited number of people are allowed entry into the conservatory at the same time. After we watched the videos on the outside and marveled at the wall mural, we were waiting for our turn to go in. It was nice, because there was no crowd and we were the first in line with no one behind us yet.<br />
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While I tried to wait patiently for our turn, I immediately noticed the mounted butterflies at the entrance. Above are two photographs of the mounted displays. I like these displays very much, as I have made several myself. I pinned butterflies and other insects when I worked at the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, and I also made my own mounted displays a few years back when I was a mineral and fossil dealer. The patience, skill, and stillness required to spread butterflies is very high!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWVS4PE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LWVS4PE&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=WEUVKLVVAIBTO7ZS" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00LWVS4PE&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click image to see on Amazon<br />
Your own <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">raise and release butterfly </span>pavilion<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWVS4PE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LWVS4PE&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=WEUVKLVVAIBTO7ZS">Insect Lore Giant Butterfly Garden</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LWVS4PE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LWVS4PE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
Now, notice the photograph above. Honestly, these aren't the best specimens, and this is not a really great photo. However, I took the photo anyway because these are all common blue morpho butterflies! They are different species, but are all the of the same genus. (My exact favorite is Morpho dideus.)<br />
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Blue Morpho butterflies in general are my favorite. They are iridescent and are very unusual compared to all other butterflies. I write about my experience of seeing these for the first time (only mounted) when I was a young teenager. If you'd like to read about it, you can do so here. I wrote of my experience in my article <a href="http://melaniekaren.hubpages.com/hub/fashion-forward-monarch-butterfly-dress-by-luly-yang" target="_blank">Fashion Forward Monarch Butterfly Dress</a>.<br />
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<h3>
We Tour the Conservatory - We're in!</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS3jVX6GAa6Bxfu5vjfGsKa3BwvJV6u8v0cxultF4SrnkdI7jeIFosveeJWk424PeIQA8paRnIBxUeHjJ_w4eu1P-M_RCrgvBEh16nWkzKkz71NoVlMwZWIRuDC5LTVoB78ipR-sx4J8/s1600/butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS3jVX6GAa6Bxfu5vjfGsKa3BwvJV6u8v0cxultF4SrnkdI7jeIFosveeJWk424PeIQA8paRnIBxUeHjJ_w4eu1P-M_RCrgvBEh16nWkzKkz71NoVlMwZWIRuDC5LTVoB78ipR-sx4J8/s1600/butterfly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A polite gentleman came out to greet us and let us enter the conservatory. We happily and quietly entered. Immediately, we had many butterflies flying around us. It was fantastic!<br />
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First, we walked the length of the butterfly garden. The conservatory itself is fairly small, and it's not like you are in a greenhouse. It is part of the science museum just as any other part is. However, the whole one side is covered with windows that overlook the river.<br />
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Exotic plants and small gardens line the walls. Overhead is fluorescent lighting that helps simulate natural sunlight. It's long with many flowering plants and small gardens and, the butterflies have fresh fruits and water given to them by the staff. It's a happy butterfly home (and now, I want one in my house! :) ).<br />
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After we walked around for a bit marveling at the butterflies, I began to take photographs. The photograph pictured here is the first photo I took.<br />
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<h3>
Here are a couple more of my photos: </h3>
At this point, I decided to put my camera away for a bit. Sometimes, I can get so carried away with getting pictures to the point that I don't stop to actually take in all that is around me. (I do the same thing at the beach. My feet are always walking, and my head is always down looking intently for treasures. Do you do this?)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVx8bD-rJ0rwHjLE7aALCpkAlxHGJgVduY09ckpq2gHmrRy3cxfx3y7j-TBOhaua4BnkNo_ogpDNLNiLDAp9c4dQHq9skJEXLBNtTettLlt8QQK2GMA_sKAiiNlFhUHh0OIfUf4is7C8/s1600/butterfly+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVx8bD-rJ0rwHjLE7aALCpkAlxHGJgVduY09ckpq2gHmrRy3cxfx3y7j-TBOhaua4BnkNo_ogpDNLNiLDAp9c4dQHq9skJEXLBNtTettLlt8QQK2GMA_sKAiiNlFhUHh0OIfUf4is7C8/s1600/butterfly+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8266000747681px; line-height: 13.0092601776123px;">image credit - both photos by melaniekaren</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I ended up quickly taking my camera out a few minutes later. I saw something flutter by that had not made it's appearance yet. My heart jumped, and I knew what it was!!<br />
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<h3>
A Blue Morpho Butterfly Flutters By - My dream comes true!</h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJF6ijaRxU-vOD7PY0mQUlI1Lndb5CWnnCu9WrstbR8L1y7tVi6eEJum70fGVkUt2ciGd3R85OV3m9UB-03ogQWKB061ivAuD_vKFbA4S6niPJNjYU1R7UZplOtIAHGR2upYS-PYXU9A/s1600/morpho+fly+by.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJF6ijaRxU-vOD7PY0mQUlI1Lndb5CWnnCu9WrstbR8L1y7tVi6eEJum70fGVkUt2ciGd3R85OV3m9UB-03ogQWKB061ivAuD_vKFbA4S6niPJNjYU1R7UZplOtIAHGR2upYS-PYXU9A/s1600/morpho+fly+by.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8266000747681px; line-height: 13.0092601776123px;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you guessed that my dream of seeing my favorite butterfly in real living life, you guessed correctly. :)<br />
<br />
I recognized that electric iridescent blue, grabbed my camera, and took that photo pictured here all in one crazy fast motion! It must have been quite comical, particularly since I am more of a quiet person and not very animated. Well, now, I was animated!<br />
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Not only did I not expect to be in a butterfly conservatory this day, I did not in a million years believe that blue morphos would be in one too. To me, they have always been very exotic, and I imagined one would have to go to a South American rainforest to get a glimpse.<br />
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Obviously, the butterfly is completely out of focus. However, I really like this photo, and I thought you'd enjoy it too. Look at that color!<br />
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Below are two more photos, and they are silly.<br />
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<h3>
Still Trying to Get a Photo...</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2Y-2PvcC0PfPYdGxSquZvEvi5LGTZ20SdRshPzl9fd15kKuA_u-PcnpG8Jzm2xEvw47gxee1nolm36yboICbHJjSGyMU6w8HaQM3C_cFhLDqktsUrvSCNLX7KfRnJSxQKfsTfSp8xqU/s1600/draft_lens21045861module167620592photo_1368568438_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2Y-2PvcC0PfPYdGxSquZvEvi5LGTZ20SdRshPzl9fd15kKuA_u-PcnpG8Jzm2xEvw47gxee1nolm36yboICbHJjSGyMU6w8HaQM3C_cFhLDqktsUrvSCNLX7KfRnJSxQKfsTfSp8xqU/s1600/draft_lens21045861module167620592photo_1368568438_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credits - photos by melaniekaren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
At this point, I'm just clicking away in hopes of getting even a glimpse on film of my encounter with one of these truly beautiful butterflies. I really wanted a tangible memory.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I must say that I do like these two photos though, as they make me laugh. I think the blue and black coloring of the butterfly compliments my black and white Converse very well. It looks like a new wave greeting card or a vinyl album cover straight out of the 80's.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At any rate, have a laugh at my expense. :)</div>
<div>
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<div>
All of the other butterflies are so easy to photograph, but these blue guys are so difficult. One of my immediate observations is that they don't fly like the others. Their flying is more chaotic, similar to that of a bats. They just won't land with wings spread and be still ............ until we are almost ready to leave the conservatory.</div>
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<div>
Our time in the conservatory is finished. It was great. We are about ready to walk out when I look down. Below are two photos of what I saw! :)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjRard9ljvLkq1_pf3IwZRD2C2zEPWr_5wgIA1O8FjYYzS0kATfEVQP6bzo2BUK8BDMeq8YZWFJ1zX7yUgzLeH7rooCH11gfyUdFAJqKuJ2y1cSIegSEnVP9WHGBWEoXdZZYjE-mWdl4/s1600/morpho+landing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjRard9ljvLkq1_pf3IwZRD2C2zEPWr_5wgIA1O8FjYYzS0kATfEVQP6bzo2BUK8BDMeq8YZWFJ1zX7yUgzLeH7rooCH11gfyUdFAJqKuJ2y1cSIegSEnVP9WHGBWEoXdZZYjE-mWdl4/s1600/morpho+landing+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I finally get up close and personal with a living common blue morpho butterfly. -a cherished gift I will never forget.</div>
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<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://vegetarianismandsustainability.com/how-to-take-care-of-a-venus-flytrap-a-carnivorous-plant/" target="_blank">Want to see what we got at the gift shop? - Another Goodie I always wanted!</a> </h3>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-57739716928386048552015-03-17T08:30:00.004-04:002015-03-17T20:33:01.140-04:00Celebrate Easter and Ostara by Giving Gifts of Eggs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U8LkCFYzKySfNh3W0IN4Zdi9FCKkCaxg47Jgkr6AgsJmd0ywO8KBzP3UxhKW4aaUb6nAszjNSeBwuEn_T8gn1Mt4h9YFfFTddBbKyXUaHaVhRwiHK0lUS13fBRpmOdvAsPgq99b8msY/s1600/easster+egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U8LkCFYzKySfNh3W0IN4Zdi9FCKkCaxg47Jgkr6AgsJmd0ywO8KBzP3UxhKW4aaUb6nAszjNSeBwuEn_T8gn1Mt4h9YFfFTddBbKyXUaHaVhRwiHK0lUS13fBRpmOdvAsPgq99b8msY/s1600/easster+egg.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8266000747681px; line-height: 13.0092601776123px;">image credit -photo by MnGyver, taken in<br />
Covent Garden, London, England as part<br />
of an Egg Hunt Celebration featuring<br />
giant-sized Faberge-style eggs.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
"Omne vivum ex ovo" - All Life Comes From an Egg. So, Let's Celebrate the Symbolism of Easter Eggs.</h3>
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Easter falls on April 5th and Ostara falls on March 20th this year, and with it comes the Spring Equinox and the celebration of The Resurrection of Christ. The symbolism of the egg is ancient and has remained through the millennia. The egg is the ultimate symbol of life, as an old Latin proverb is written, "Omne vivum ex ovo," meaning "All life comes from an egg."<br />
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Today, the most common use of Easter eggs is within Christianity, where the egg symbolizes the embodiment of Christ, or the tomb of Christ. In the earliest Christian practices and still in today's Orthodox Christian religion, eggs are dyed the color red to symbolize the blood of Christ, as shed on the cross. The egg is not a symbolism of death, however, as Christ was resurrected.<br />
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Now, we paint Easter eggs all wonderful, pretty colors and decorate them beautifully. I remember as a child being very excited to start decorating the Easter eggs, and every year I would get a few in my basket from the Easter Bunny. It was great fun. Today, as an adult, I still love decorating Easter eggs. Also, as an adult, I now know just how ancient and important the meaning of the egg is. I love all symbolism, particularly pictorial ones, and the egg is a favorite!<br />
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I can't think of a nicer way to celebrate Easter than with giving the gift of eggs to your dear-ones. I've taken quite a bit of time of picking out eggs I think you'll like below. Happy Egg Giving! :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTpsrgomum-CErVN8wMEV8b2PWKN5mbUzuJkOP0MXWESoYdyt8Ru-xYGLY_e28ar2EpHMnFnOLlkhyYn1R4Yd5PBkxgd8hzzcb7L0paGx0NPDzSL9TK2f0Fu5IFdbVv87PcpPebiSZb8/s1600/celebrate+easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTpsrgomum-CErVN8wMEV8b2PWKN5mbUzuJkOP0MXWESoYdyt8Ru-xYGLY_e28ar2EpHMnFnOLlkhyYn1R4Yd5PBkxgd8hzzcb7L0paGx0NPDzSL9TK2f0Fu5IFdbVv87PcpPebiSZb8/s1600/celebrate+easter.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by David Bone</td></tr>
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<h3>
Origin of Easter and the Easter Egg Tradition<br />
Colored eggs were placed at the site of graves</h3>
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Every year Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the Spring Equinox. The date on which Easter falls may have been adapted by Pagan religions that celebrate holidays according to the coming and going of seasons.<br />
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The Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the first day of Spring, which correlates with the pagan holiday Ostara, also known as Eastre, Eostre, Oestre. You can see the similarity of these names with the term Easter.<br />
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Ostara, in pagan beliefs, was the Goddess of fertility and the renewal of life. She was celebrated and worshiped on the Spring Equinox. As an offering to Ostara, people would leave colored eggs at the site of their loved-ones graves, symbolizing rebirth. Today, pagans and wiccans alike continue to celebrate Ostara, and Christo-pagans celebrate both the christian Easter and Ostara.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoruWizd5EsBaQlH5FtBszxbb0CfS6stFWMiq0PZV8PCku8FiYzHSnobIj17jntzVMcnQVmLxmA2tZX0euqIJNpayQWgEXpwOO8dtCu5StJ-3_Le1ECsjqSfM0Pvh8uI2QQ-6-U2g0KWs/s1600/faberge+egg+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoruWizd5EsBaQlH5FtBszxbb0CfS6stFWMiq0PZV8PCku8FiYzHSnobIj17jntzVMcnQVmLxmA2tZX0euqIJNpayQWgEXpwOO8dtCu5StJ-3_Le1ECsjqSfM0Pvh8uI2QQ-6-U2g0KWs/s1600/faberge+egg+tree.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "Faberge Tree" by Mauro Luna taken at an exhibit in the Houston Museum of Natural<br />
Science from the "Faberge: Imperial Jeweler to the Tsars,"</td></tr>
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<h3>
Objet D'Art Vintage Faberge Egg</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009W2VO9S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009W2VO9S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=N7K55TIPMLUTXQD4" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009W2VO9S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click image to see on Amazon</td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009W2VO9S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
Faberge eggs are highly collectible jeweled eggs that were made at the turn at the 20th century at the House of Faberge in St. Petersburg, Imperial Russia. They were made to give as Easter gifts and were worn on a chain around the neck.</div>
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Today, they continue to be highly sought after. Many are on exhibit in various museums, and patrons are delighted by their beauty.</div>
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Most Faberge eggs are replicas of the originals (like the one below), as the originals are prized collectibles and very expensive.<br />
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The Faberge egg pictured to the left is a gorgeous, available collectible that doubles as a music box, playing "Here Comes the Sun" by George Harrison. Find it here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009W2VO9S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009W2VO9S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=N7K55TIPMLUTXQD4">Electric Green Musical Faberge Egg Box " Here Comes the Sun" Paykoc QZ40058</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009W2VO9S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv6Vs5Kz-ZfypjPJdDF3H9o4360Fxz6ps-ZQE9MVAtFz7UAHU-f98gqJeiFku-1IKOOZ2anT2vqjrd4xO47joSM1abtDwi6iZZJ38nXd2Hwt5UChgcF9qgZKepiRwahAtBYaX18ywFIg/s1600/cloisonne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv6Vs5Kz-ZfypjPJdDF3H9o4360Fxz6ps-ZQE9MVAtFz7UAHU-f98gqJeiFku-1IKOOZ2anT2vqjrd4xO47joSM1abtDwi6iZZJ38nXd2Hwt5UChgcF9qgZKepiRwahAtBYaX18ywFIg/s1600/cloisonne.jpg" height="193" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Big<br />
Bead Little Bead of a<br />
cloisonne bead</td></tr>
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<h3>
The Art of Cloisonne</h3>
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Cloisonne is an ancient art of decorating metal dating as far back as early Egypt. The techniques are tedious and labor-some and those who make cloisonne art are highly skilled. Today, most cloisonne comes out of the Far East.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LYABJ0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000LYABJ0&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=4D7ZYYYAGRMHA4HL" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000LYABJ0&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click image to see on Amazon</td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LYABJ0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
The techniques used in cloisonne are complicated, and the designs have become more detailed as different techniques have been developed. Generally, outlined metal sections (or cloisonne ) are added to the base metal, and then, enamel paste is painted on the base metal within the sections. In early days, gems or bits of glass were used to decorate each section. As you can see, from the photo I've selected, that it is an intricate detailed process.</div>
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Like the Faberge eggs, Cloisonne pieces are also sought after collectible pieces. Cloisonne pieces range from ring and other jewelry items to plates, vases, trinket boxes, and also, the egg.</div>
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<h3>
.999 Silver Collectible Cloisonne Egg Coin - Intrinsic Art Value with Monetary Value as well</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OKIG1LA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00OKIG1LA&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=GIQMNERTXQGIILS7" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00OKIG1LA&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" height="200" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click image to see on Amazon</td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OKIG1LA" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
I think this is a really neat idea to give as a gift!<br />
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These are real, uncirculated coins from the Cook Islands. Each has a face value of $5.00.</div>
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We've all heard, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." These coins are another way to collect assets.</div>
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These are getting hard to come by. Only 2,500 were minted. There are other colors and patterns available too. Click the egg coin image to see more. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eA0JvDMixL2csld01BJKSq-OMOY7PP8VQzKBlPuIGJOOyMJk5j9JsVaKN1TxDFo8mrItPIesJg5q9fRCnHSretvTQAjCt3YUapANBw9q5FEqMoJB0MywxX7_-AdlLpIBizK4NoUVHEU/s1600/murano+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eA0JvDMixL2csld01BJKSq-OMOY7PP8VQzKBlPuIGJOOyMJk5j9JsVaKN1TxDFo8mrItPIesJg5q9fRCnHSretvTQAjCt3YUapANBw9q5FEqMoJB0MywxX7_-AdlLpIBizK4NoUVHEU/s1600/murano+glass.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Spiros K. showing a<br />
glass factory on Murano Island. -pretty cool!</td></tr>
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<h3>
Murano Glass - Glass Art from the Island of Murano, Italy</h3>
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Murano glass has been made by skilled glass artisans since the 9th century. While the art-form technique is done elsewhere, true Murano glass comes only from the island of Murano, an Island off of Venice, Italy.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTafew_c3uYUL23wvPdRg-B2kWamY71VgTG9xAfoITRdRco2OoPj_Jd0uX0P2l6dyJ6FSU5ocCf3_ATDuY7Hrm8BlJJCDupXn2RR1aLIyWXao07K8RQq3oU4woNHKZfYGsP6bfrKwa88/s1600/murano+glass+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTafew_c3uYUL23wvPdRg-B2kWamY71VgTG9xAfoITRdRco2OoPj_Jd0uX0P2l6dyJ6FSU5ocCf3_ATDuY7Hrm8BlJJCDupXn2RR1aLIyWXao07K8RQq3oU4woNHKZfYGsP6bfrKwa88/s1600/murano+glass+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Philip showing an amazing Murano glass sculpture on display on Murano Island.</td></tr>
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<h3>
Available Museum Quality, Collectible, Murano Easter Eggs:</h3>
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There's only one of each. Be share to get them while they last.</div>
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<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZLL75S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZLL75S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=BVDVNZL3ULYOA3HZ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00IZLL75S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZLL75S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZLJIN6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZLJIN6&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=5XT4FRCSDGTGIR52"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00IZLJIN6&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZLJIN6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZJKN7S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZJKN7S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=EKW7A7A3EQLUUSRK"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00IZJKN7S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZJKN7S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZLL75S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZLL75S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=BVDVNZL3ULYOA3HZ">Ivory Murano Glass Easter Egg</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZLL75S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZLJIN6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZLJIN6&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=5XT4FRCSDGTGIR52">Emerald Murano Glass Easter Egg</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZLJIN6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZJKN7S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZJKN7S&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=EKW7A7A3EQLUUSRK">Murano Glass Easter Egg</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IZJKN7S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td> </tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-59272503031632436502015-01-15T18:55:00.002-05:002015-02-24T15:56:09.097-05:00Beautiful Glass Art Creations to Protect Us at Home - Bottle Trees, Evil Eyes and Witch Balls-article by melaniekaren<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzBsCaD2T1G0zWtmnG1LgldQvc-CEfiYl3nExjCb0O1c9SqkYLh15qhT0vQabp-dQib370TSPMdahvovHUd1Tu_q4Dt7F_SIrTvoABHBTWBvtsc5U-drB38uhMQnC5XBmTiMzawbVnQw/s1600/bottle+tree+morgefile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzBsCaD2T1G0zWtmnG1LgldQvc-CEfiYl3nExjCb0O1c9SqkYLh15qhT0vQabp-dQib370TSPMdahvovHUd1Tu_q4Dt7F_SIrTvoABHBTWBvtsc5U-drB38uhMQnC5XBmTiMzawbVnQw/s1600/bottle+tree+morgefile.jpg" height="328" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/127192" target="_blank">image credit</a> - "Bottle Tree Light" by chelle</td></tr>
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As I write about the <a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/p/tree-worship.html" target="_blank">history of tree worship</a> and the <a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/p/tree-of-life-defined.html" target="_blank">introduction of a <i>Tree of Life</i></a> from the dawn of Mesopotamian civilization, I am inspired to stop and briefly talk about some of the beauty of how trees are decorated in different places and cultures. <br />
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The reason why trees are sometimes adorned with special items is for protection of the home and family within. Furthermore, coupled with the protection, is the result of some really nice decorated trees. If you love trees and glass art, you may very well like these three ideas.<br />
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We have bottle trees, evil-eye trees and witch balls. The witch balls are not hung on trees historically. However, I do hang some of mine outside on trees. They look beautiful hanging from trees, and I am sure I am not alone in doing so. <br />
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<h3>
What are Bottle Trees? </h3>
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Bottle trees are trees decorated with glass bottles, literally. Bottles are either placed on the branches of existing trees, or the whole tree is made with a main support beam (trunk), branches and glass bottles placed on the ends of the branches. When colored glass is used, both are quite beautiful to look at.<br />
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<h4>
Bottle Tree Origin:</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EOW86BA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00EOW86BA&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=FRAD5WXMWFJRYMAL" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00EOW86BA&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful Tree Bottles - set of 6<br />
Click photo to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00EOW86BA" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
Bottle trees were first thought to appear in 9th century Africa, although, we now know that bottle trees originated much earlier and go as far back as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, as early as 1600 B.C.E. when hollowed, colored glass was invented. The use of the bottle trees in Africa and ancient civilization, however, is the same, and this is also where we see the first concept of a "genie in a bottle." <br />
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The "djinn," Arabic for "genie," and other spirits thought to be evil, could be captured in the bottles. The idea is that the evil spirits would become mesmerized by the beauty of the glass. They would then slip inside and become trapped in the bottles. Therefore, the bottles were simply traps. Consequently, upon the morning light of the sun, the evil spirits were destroyed. Therefore, the bottles kept the family protected. <br />
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<h4>
Beauty of Bottle Trees:</h4>
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Enjoy a couple more photos of bottle trees before we move onto evil-eye trees. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORgV66u6pRclho9nxrFN5zH-O1xVqJle1UEj80ZVlprbeZbhqr5CLlZfPFbKZcQQ-vFn9q_ilBifkel5APnWo8cDFoC7ezpfbpKsaVpWEowp9-M9bmvgVRep1lIUgEzlTF3T6hNlqS8k/s1600/bottle+tree+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORgV66u6pRclho9nxrFN5zH-O1xVqJle1UEj80ZVlprbeZbhqr5CLlZfPFbKZcQQ-vFn9q_ilBifkel5APnWo8cDFoC7ezpfbpKsaVpWEowp9-M9bmvgVRep1lIUgEzlTF3T6hNlqS8k/s1600/bottle+tree+2.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/aTJfee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - photo of a bottle tree by redagainPatti </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNIyYF7kOJdJ2W0eLWJxVggRT5IZd9eQkXfpP39mhU2yQalBVTTi8GgEzKQI7ivLvz47hmhfySbnsk9hYYbDs3-TXgidNtbBzs48l_pN5NAieOexhMeml0ZpZiT2cInO83RSQo4Zlqek/s1600/bottle+tree+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNIyYF7kOJdJ2W0eLWJxVggRT5IZd9eQkXfpP39mhU2yQalBVTTi8GgEzKQI7ivLvz47hmhfySbnsk9hYYbDs3-TXgidNtbBzs48l_pN5NAieOexhMeml0ZpZiT2cInO83RSQo4Zlqek/s1600/bottle+tree+3.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/c1369f" target="_blank">image credit</a> - "Blue Bottle Tree" by Ingrid Taylar<br />
This bottle tree includes other adornments: beaded wire-wrappings, other art glass pieces and wind chimes. One can really get creative with bottle trees.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNunEE7NUhFFr33VM7JMm2RbqQeK1UhUHgUqNNffC-xAdDdRZChvSPgyQuO3Pn2iUpyhPm8msJEXnm3HmzT_Hi24BLQozyciHLpCXUp2ybykUbnvZIxRV6I3RY6igYu240Ujpgzv-RGo/s1600/baobob+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNunEE7NUhFFr33VM7JMm2RbqQeK1UhUHgUqNNffC-xAdDdRZChvSPgyQuO3Pn2iUpyhPm8msJEXnm3HmzT_Hi24BLQozyciHLpCXUp2ybykUbnvZIxRV6I3RY6igYu240Ujpgzv-RGo/s1600/baobob+tree.jpg" height="200" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia#mediaviewer/File:Adansonia_grandidieri04.jpg" target="_blank">image credit</a> - photo titled <br />
"Grandidier's Baobab"<br />
by Bernard Gagnon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Please note that the baobab tree is commonly referred to as The Bottle Tree too. While we will be most definitely discussing the baobab tree soon since it is the African Savannah Tree of Life, it is obviously different that the bottle trees we are learning about here. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>There are also two other bottle trees in Australia, both of which also have swollen, water-filled trunks. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
What are Evil-eye Trees?</h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk6kxk0hUpMl0r-PfUcb4p0zlHghTYQhD5IKMyY6BSSAKvmTqSe6-QQjyiwDHgk4Sj-CqhVsyoTnxZgNxGMluxD_sv8zabo18Nxnbcul-c-q4DE7NEpDQV3oUDrOdzzwExJMUO1QYGuY/s1600/evil+eye+pin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk6kxk0hUpMl0r-PfUcb4p0zlHghTYQhD5IKMyY6BSSAKvmTqSe6-QQjyiwDHgk4Sj-CqhVsyoTnxZgNxGMluxD_sv8zabo18Nxnbcul-c-q4DE7NEpDQV3oUDrOdzzwExJMUO1QYGuY/s1600/evil+eye+pin.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></div>
Evil-eye trees are trees where the traditional blue, glass evil-eye hangs on a tree by up to the hundreds or even thousands. The overall use is similar to bottle trees and witch balls in that he decorated tree is meant to provide protection for the property, family and home. The difference is that it is not meant as protection from an evil spirit or entity.<br />
<br />
The evil-eye is meant to protect from "the evil eye of envy" of a person or persons. An envious eye is one that looks as if it would cause harm to get what another has and the owner of the envious eye wants. So, it is much more (worse than) jealousy. (In fact, "envy" makes it to the top dead cardinal sins list where "jealousy" does not. There's a difference.*) You can think of an evil eye as being similar to a gargoyle. A gargoyle also protects. It's fighting against evil with evil.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Origin of the Evil Eye:</h3>
<br />
The origin of the evil eye centers around ancient classical Greece, Rome and the whole surrounding Mediterranean area.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LSP976/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004LSP976&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=LKG6FEXD77XOBNGC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004LSP976&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click pic to see on Amazon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LSP976" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
Evil eyes continued to move into Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It is also common to see evil eyes through Central and South America. We are finally seeing more and more evil eyes here in the United States, although, most protective pieces are that of those found in jewelry.<br />
<br />
* The terms "envy" and "jealousy" are often used interchangeably as synonyms. However, they are not. They are very different. If someone is envious of something, he or she may want it so much so that he or she wishes harm to the person who has what is wanted. Jealousy is wishing you had what someone else has, but it stops there. No harm is wished upon the owner.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSD61f0wliSwoPh7NrprUzCLN2Wt7_XwQczAq15qP_2hVMx-jvGUr51l7V_pdp0OJDAeNcGh7VQ_pDVjsx-Xf9exC-cawoA0CfF1iG5wJnf3mSpj0yVAr-haV6xoxa637meSci2UHq8k/s1600/evil+eye+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSD61f0wliSwoPh7NrprUzCLN2Wt7_XwQczAq15qP_2hVMx-jvGUr51l7V_pdp0OJDAeNcGh7VQ_pDVjsx-Xf9exC-cawoA0CfF1iG5wJnf3mSpj0yVAr-haV6xoxa637meSci2UHq8k/s1600/evil+eye+tree.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo from pixabay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
What are Witch Balls? </h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaFRDg8yWa_SIbrBKUUd3w-coN2Xyt83Efui_WICzPzSTrYvYE31rfdIPe2NTr0ziKzxjs7aFKW8qFbjdWsLjBFWoKCDZZjmwrUKhF7ISGBuABivt1EpGtkjAWeiKdwyKZVA_r4Ycibk/s1600/witch+balls+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaFRDg8yWa_SIbrBKUUd3w-coN2Xyt83Efui_WICzPzSTrYvYE31rfdIPe2NTr0ziKzxjs7aFKW8qFbjdWsLjBFWoKCDZZjmwrUKhF7ISGBuABivt1EpGtkjAWeiKdwyKZVA_r4Ycibk/s1600/witch+balls+1.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/55Em8k" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - photo titled Glass-blown Balls"<br />
by Kayla Sawyer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And now we come to one my personal favorites, hanging witch balls. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=kitras%20witch%20ball&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Akitras%20witch%20ball&tag=melaonhubp-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=3BE2E2W44D5N7RQW" target="_blank">Witch balls</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> are hanging glass balls with glass filaments within. They are meant to work as the bottles of bottle trees do. That is, to capture evil entities. Evil spirits are attracted to the beauty of the orb. Inside are long glass filaments. The evil entity becomes absorbed into the orb and is then, therefore, trapped within the filaments. <br />
<br />
<h4>
Origin of Witch Balls:</h4>
<br />
Hanging glass witch balls originate in 18th century England. It was common to see countryside homes with witch balls hanging in doorways and in windows. The idea most likely stems from the origins of the bottles of bottle trees. <br />
<br />
I find it important to note that sometimes people think a "witch ball" is designed to keep a "witch" away. This is untrue. A witch is not thought of as an evil entity, quite the opposite.<br />
<br />
The term "witch" in 18th century England simply meant "country dweller." It was in the countryside where most still hung onto their earth-friendly, pagan roots. The word witch also has word origins connected to "wise-women." That is, a witch was the healer of various cultures. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHpzJy9W5HEekeid3gl6cbE7IXrUIlW6wpJ5n3-3orfv1py6ZwfrZEAfBJkh2YTbIHL3HID7_1GUCzKxU53JsAB8Iv86jrOL4MYD0-mSPQrobSjG37mmJGiPsf0-D_YcqR1qjVn35xkY/s1600/witch+ball+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHpzJy9W5HEekeid3gl6cbE7IXrUIlW6wpJ5n3-3orfv1py6ZwfrZEAfBJkh2YTbIHL3HID7_1GUCzKxU53JsAB8Iv86jrOL4MYD0-mSPQrobSjG37mmJGiPsf0-D_YcqR1qjVn35xkY/s1600/witch+ball+2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/65Zj1q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - photo by Random Michelle titled "Witch Ball"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<br />
</h3>
<h3>
Similar Articles You May Like:</h3>
<div>
<a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-protective-evil-eye-what-is.html">What is the Protective Evil Eye? What is the Evil Eye of Envy?</a><br />
<a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/2015/01/josh-simpson-art-glass-planets-tribute.html">Josh Simpson Art Glass Planets - A Tribute to an Artist</a><br />
<a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/2015/01/tree-of-enchantment-hanging-glass-ball.html">Tree of Enchantment Hanging Glass Ball for Winter - Love it!</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-511604950911667002015-01-10T20:06:00.000-05:002015-02-01T11:27:58.500-05:00Tree of Enchantment Hanging Glass Ball for Winter - Love it!-article by melaniekaren<br />
<br />
I came across Tree of Life hanging orbs years back. I love them. I have started to collect them, and I like to give them as gifts too.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFhhQoEM0arDMZ0x3H7JjFcZTWCFciAI5LyNvQdG2htA4AgA0cdCtAhqOWLMs_15Jt41CTlV7nNSas7r2zDVtrUrAQyEzxggQAl4tipt2N8Zz0tPgmHwJ1A41ERO8dXnAGjtfLmizi78/s1600/peddlers+village+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFhhQoEM0arDMZ0x3H7JjFcZTWCFciAI5LyNvQdG2htA4AgA0cdCtAhqOWLMs_15Jt41CTlV7nNSas7r2zDVtrUrAQyEzxggQAl4tipt2N8Zz0tPgmHwJ1A41ERO8dXnAGjtfLmizi78/s1600/peddlers+village+tree.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/migulski/2251714238/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - photo by Bogdan Migulski of a decorated tree at Peddler's<br />
Village. I'v been to the village many times during the holiday season. They<br />
have the best holiday light display I have even seen. The larger red "apple"<br />
lights remind me of "witch balls."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
I am Reminded of the Old World Witch Balls</h3>
<br />
These remind me of old 18th century witch balls. Years ago, I was browsing around <a href="http://www.peddlersvillage.com/" target="_blank">Peddler's Village</a> in Lahaska, PA in Bucks County. There was a shop that featured mostly gorgeous, hand-made pottery collections and other functional art pieces. In a large front window were at least a dozen of similar hand-blown spheres all hanging in various sizes. It was such a sight of beauty that I didn't forget them. Oh, how I wished I could have this delight in my own home! Each had a tag. They were called "witch balls." (Unfortunately, the shop has since closed :( It was one of my most favorite shops ever.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
What are Witch Balls? </h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuh2UiDCsuF4N2cJXsQPxfqZj1vhxpy4Ok0fso1Zyv9iLzptCBFpK6UCMsoRJ7wH_MJC8BpgFIkTPts4hbfb3-RwtQvmPN63I3jGVSgb30Yb3vxD4N2aO3NDwEbwY49MUyGnILqDrn2c/s1600/witch+balls+by+laura+gllmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuh2UiDCsuF4N2cJXsQPxfqZj1vhxpy4Ok0fso1Zyv9iLzptCBFpK6UCMsoRJ7wH_MJC8BpgFIkTPts4hbfb3-RwtQvmPN63I3jGVSgb30Yb3vxD4N2aO3NDwEbwY49MUyGnILqDrn2c/s1600/witch+balls+by+laura+gllmore.jpg" height="640" width="511" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/8mjx1e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - "Witch Ball" by Laura Gillmore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Witch balls are glass colored orbs with threads of glass-work inside. It is said that evil entities approaching a house would get sidetracked by the mesmerizing beauty of the hanging orb. The entity would then get absorbed into the ball and then be forever trapped by the glass filaments within. If you've heard of a bottle tree, it is the same idea. (If not, I'll be writing about those soon too :) )<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMDNJDQhIeiBinZUHobBwqVpTZNYsv2DKrcGZxPCJV43asH9fyQtN8pIYHkklZrKUGDYgq4xwzxaNOCl2ZNlJzKe6sH2EZQwd77l9EBcygmNjPBdJViPKjtRfzUhKUB5FS7R6X4bWmuw/s1600/inside+a+witch+ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMDNJDQhIeiBinZUHobBwqVpTZNYsv2DKrcGZxPCJV43asH9fyQtN8pIYHkklZrKUGDYgq4xwzxaNOCl2ZNlJzKe6sH2EZQwd77l9EBcygmNjPBdJViPKjtRfzUhKUB5FS7R6X4bWmuw/s1600/inside+a+witch+ball.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Ian Mackenzle titled "Witches Ball"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here is a closeup photo of the inside of a true witch ball. You can clearly see the glass filaments.<br />
<br />
<h4>
An Important Note:</h4>
<br />
Sometimes I see witch balls with a description that states that the balls are meant to keep away witches. This is not true and can be confusing for some. <br />
<br />
Over time (and I'll simply leave it at that for now), witches have gained a bad rep. The term "witch" means "country dweller" in its truest definition. <br />
<br />
Eighteenth century English country dwellers tended to be mostly the peasants of the time. These country folk held onto pagan beliefs, loved the earth and did no evil.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Now, Onto My New Favorite Witch Ball Find</h3>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Y07PDY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002Y07PDY&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=PJ6EPVYDZYMZI2GQ" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002Y07PDY&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002Y07PDY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
This is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Y07PDY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002Y07PDY&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=PJ6EPVYDZYMZI2GQ">Kitras 10-Inch Tree of Enchantment, Winter</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002Y07PDY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> colossal-sized witch ball. It is beautiful! I don't have mine yet, but it is coming. <br />
<br />
I gave a large 10" size Kitras glass ball to my sister, titled "Sisters." (Yes, they make a variety of themed glass balls.) It's huge, and I think the extra large size makes them even more beautiful for hanging outside. <br />
<br />
But! The biggest reason why I love this one so much is that it is for winter, a time when trees are sleeping. I think the color choices of relaxing blues coupled with magical purple are perfect. I can already picture how beautiful a backdrop of snow and gray naked trees will be for this winter orb. -a true tree of enchantment! <br />
<br />
I'll be hanging mine in the back under the arbor on the stone patio. I'll be sharing a photo of two I'm sure. <br />
<br />
If you like the idea of seasonal themed hanging glass balls, others are available. Kitras Art Glass makes one for summer, spring and autumn. So, be sure to browse around and take a look at them all if you like. They are regularly listed on Amazon. They also have other themed Tree of Enchantment orbs, Tree of Life orbs and even true witch balls. Happy collecting and gazing. :)<br />
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You may also like my article about the <a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/2015/01/tree-of-christmas-enchantment-glass.html">Tree of Christmas Enchantment</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-89413593340398596032015-01-03T21:08:00.002-05:002015-02-01T11:52:43.910-05:00By Oak Ash and Thorn – Celtic Modern Shamanism – A Book Review-article by melaniekaren<br />
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I really like this book, and therefore, I am sharing it with you. It is both interesting and useful -at least it is for me -hope so for you too.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqzJM9qDG73UrKY0ogEj19EH7LimpeiifpqL76lYuA1WfuHPZpygErL70-xtJpMKbYUwW3NVumPkQAibDRoUwTFeMn1oudO-PIqRLcKmoA3Nb93jjMsJoaO0VpYH_2csuxnRbP6rpPCc/s1600/by+oak+ash+and+thorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqzJM9qDG73UrKY0ogEj19EH7LimpeiifpqL76lYuA1WfuHPZpygErL70-xtJpMKbYUwW3NVumPkQAibDRoUwTFeMn1oudO-PIqRLcKmoA3Nb93jjMsJoaO0VpYH_2csuxnRbP6rpPCc/s1600/by+oak+ash+and+thorn.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit – courtesy of Amazon</td></tr>
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<h3>
On Celtic Shamanism – By Oak Ash and Thorn: Celtic Modern Shamanism by D.J. Conway</h3>
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<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156718166X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=156718166X&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=RAQOFD4BX4ELQEQO">By Oak, Ash, & Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=156718166X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
by noted author D. J. Conway is a book I often find myself re-reading in its entirety or browsing through again and again at least once per year.</div>
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For me, it is a sort of comfort to immerse myself in once the earth begins to warm herself in spring or cool herself in fall. It marks a transitional period for me between the long, cold winter to the pleasant warmth of the summer sun. The book is filled with Nature, and the reading material makes me want to get out of the house and take part in Nature.</div>
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<div>
By Oak, Ash, and Thorn is a book about Celtic Shamanism. When I first saw this book, I was intrigued, as I thought the Celts had their own sect of teachers, philosophers and religious heads, the Druids. D. J. Conway provides a history showing that the common Celts practiced shamanism.</div>
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<div>
This is a very positive book by a well-loved author that focuses on alternative methods of self-healing and healing others. It is really about spiritual growth and development and helps us re-connect with Nature. It is fabulous reading material for anyone seeking or curious about spiritual enlightenment.</div>
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<b>A Note on the Cover Before we Get Started</b> – The cover of the book is a marvelous work of art by Anna-Marie Ferguson depicting the Celtic God Cernunnos, the God of Nature, also called The Horned God of fertility. Ms. Ferguson’s expression of Cernunnos is very well done, as he is often depicted with antlers of the stag and a horned serpent. All of the details of this cover image are in line with Celtic mythology and Celtic shamanism.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6rt4hkkypNgtEAyhqI8Vef23KerIJbqjNilRcF_QoSVuGyWvpU5VGn8MniqhRa_td13bKHu_VxVmXPcQqGYrM8e9r5v0ztkoYu89DxLVTOcaE7j-_I8z2-016z6LcO6IVJHozCT0Axo/s1600/by+oak+ash+and+thorn+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6rt4hkkypNgtEAyhqI8Vef23KerIJbqjNilRcF_QoSVuGyWvpU5VGn8MniqhRa_td13bKHu_VxVmXPcQqGYrM8e9r5v0ztkoYu89DxLVTOcaE7j-_I8z2-016z6LcO6IVJHozCT0Axo/s1600/by+oak+ash+and+thorn+2.jpg" height="320" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo I took of one of the beautiful <br />
illustrations by Anna-Marie Ferguson <br />
found on page 49 showing Rhiannon, <br />
the Celtic Goddess of Birds and Horses, <br />
who may be associated with the Roman <br />
Goddess Epona. Additional <br />
illustrations throughout the book <br />
are by Tom Grewe and the author <br />
herself, D.J. Conway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
A Thorough examination of Celtic Shamanism</h3>
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<div>
One of the things I like most about this book is that it is a very thorough examination of Celtic Shamanism and shamanism in general.</div>
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<div>
The author first introduces the reader to shamanism in general. Shamanism is defined and reasons for why shamanism of the Celts versus other shaman practices found in other cultures may be appealing for the reader. For me, I find Celtic shamanism is appealing simply because my ancestors were once Celts, as I have an English, Irish, and French ancestral heritage.</div>
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<div>
Ms. Conway also explains to us why shamanism must be modernized and not stay stagnant through time. Most of all, the reader is taught that shamanism is about healing oneself first and then healing others. The ethics that go with the role of a shaman are deeply discussed.</div>
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<div>
The beginning of the book is rich in Celtic history explained through legends and stories of old. The Celts mostly did not write things down. They partook in an oral tradition of passing down their culture to the younger generations. Most stories and histories that were written by the Celts were destroyed. So, any written history saved in books, such as this one, is welcomed.</div>
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Along with all the wonderful legends and history, the book is also filled with practical teachings of how to become a shaman. The one theme that stands out throughout the book is the importance of healing oneself and the role of healing others. It really is a beautifully well put together kind of self-help book. For example, there are meditative traveling teachings and guides on how to retrieve shattered parts of a soul, and another about how to re-align your energy light centers (chakras). There are many more. I use these two examples because they personally appealed and were helpful for me.</div>
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<h3>
The book is divided into three main sections: Oak, Ash and Thorn</h3>
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The book is divided into three primary sections of which are Part One: Oak, Part Two: Ash, and Part Three: Thorn. Trees were very sacred to the Celts. One could not discuss or practice Celtic Shamanism without talking about trees. Each tree had its special meaning.</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li>The oak symbolizes healing and protection along with prosperity and luck. The ash tree represents prophecy, prosperity, and protection and is also recognized as The World Tree for the Celts.</li>
<li>The Thorn tree, which is the Hawthorn tree, symbolizes fertility and growth. It is associated with happiness and thought to be sacred to fairies.</li>
<li>The hawthorn tree is thought to help us experience spirituality and encounters with elemental beings. I think it’s clever that the book was organized in this way. Below, we will take a closer look at each section of the book.</li>
</ul>
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</div>
<h3>
Part One: by Oak</h3>
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<div>
Very little has been unified into one solid resource about the Celts and their shamanic practices. If one is interested in Celtic history, she will often become acquainted with topics about the Druids and Bards, but not of the common Celts. D.J. Conway begins her book with this notion.</div>
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<div>
She shows through legends and the remaining written history that the common people also experienced spiritual enlightenment and practiced shamanism. Because very little of this is written and published today, she set out to write her book feeling that those of us with a Celtic ancestral background may be more inclined to connect with our ancestors’ spiritual growth and practices. This works for me!</div>
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With my Celtic heritage, my interest was surely sparked. After the reader is introduced to legend and history and what it means to be a shaman, the reader is then introduced to practical exercises in meditation, working with our light centers (chakras) and the beginnings of Otherworld journeys. D.J. Conway teaches us through meditation and then with literal journeys to the Celtic Otherworlds. It’s actually quite fascinating and vivid. By Oak gives us a glimpse of the Upperworld, the Middleworld and the Underworld.</div>
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<h3>
Part Two: by Ash</h3>
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Part two gets into the real heart of shamanic training. The Celtic shamanic worlds are examined further. The author shows us through meditation exercises and real journeys within to travel to the Celtic Otherworlds, the Upperworld, Middleworld and Underworld.</div>
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The meditation exercises and journeys are very relaxing and filled with positive energy. Personally, I believe these exercises take you to the most beautiful places one could ever find.</div>
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D.J. Conway then gives a thorough portrayal of shamanic tools that are both needed and helpful to the shaman during Otherworld journeys. Each tool is taken from Celtic history, and the importance of each tool is explained. As tools usually are, the shamanic tools all have a practical, helpful use. For example, a rug to lay or sit on while in meditation offers a tangible connection between the physical realm and an Otherworld. Also, a crane bag worn around the waist provides storage for tangible items that are used or found in the Otherworld. One more example is a natural hide drum or a CD of pleasant drumming music, a tool to help the shaman journey into meditation or the Otherworld.</div>
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In Part Two we also learn about the labyrinth. I have completely walked a labyrinth once. It was a simple labyrinth created using white spray-paint on grass. I was at a peace fair. I had never been to one. So, I was curious and wanted to check the fair out. I noticed a person or two here and there walking the labyrinth. I decided to try it. I was amazed at how long it actually took to spiral all the way in and then spiral all the way out. It was a neat experience, and I recommend trying it for yourself. One really does go into a meditative mode while walking the labyrinth.</div>
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Lastly, in part two, the reader learns about Otherworld beings and is taken on a vision quest. By Oak ends with learning about the Shadow Self and the shattered soul. These two aspects are wonderful for self-help spiritual growth and healing.</div>
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<h3>
Part Three: by Thorn</h3>
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<div>
By Thorn delves into many practical training topics. A lot of useful information is brought forth in section 3. Now, that we understand what it is to be a shaman and have taken our first journeys into the Otherworlds, the reader is now ready to be introduced to the details of Celtic magick and what it all means.</div>
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<div>
In this part of the book, we learn about Celtic divination through stones and the Celtic Ogam alphabet. We learn about the elements, their meanings, and how to incorporate them into our work. We also learn about the importance of trees and animals and how to connect with them.</div>
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<div>
Just as with the other two sections of this book, section three is again filled with meditation exercises. This is one of the reasons why I like this book so much. First we are given the education and then immediately, we are asked to participate and use the material right away. It’s really sort of a workbook without the blank lined pages where you write as one does in a workbook.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156718166X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=156718166X&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=RAQOFD4BX4ELQEQO" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=156718166X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click on image to view<br />
on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=156718166X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<h3>
About the Author D.J. Conway</h3>
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Author D.J. Conway is from Oregon and has an Irish-North, Germanic-Native American ancestral heritage. She has been studying paganism and the occult for well over 30 years. She is also the author of several other books dealing with spiritual development through pagan traditions.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-14024913718746193792015-01-03T20:16:00.001-05:002015-02-01T12:11:06.939-05:00The Rose of Jericho Resurrection Plant<h3>
<i>Selaginella lepidophylla</i></h3>
-article by melaniekaren<br />
<br />
<h3>
I Discovered this Wildly Exotic Plant, The Rose of Jericho</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08XWncjbHNn0nSBQf3bmEw-hDTE2kNNnHQDZkmk1VMjcWtc6EdQe3RFbDRVha8HC8kDeGvb2BdG_egokwmvAwW5swzwWWnxcjsDMULAgbxtVx0gDjSpify30gt3L9l2S4SUUMys1oYE0/s1600/jericho+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08XWncjbHNn0nSBQf3bmEw-hDTE2kNNnHQDZkmk1VMjcWtc6EdQe3RFbDRVha8HC8kDeGvb2BdG_egokwmvAwW5swzwWWnxcjsDMULAgbxtVx0gDjSpify30gt3L9l2S4SUUMys1oYE0/s1600/jericho+rose.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren<br />
This is how the Rose of Jericho looks closed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I cannot express enough how excited I am to discover this plant.</div>
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It is commonly called the Rose of Jericho, and its scientific name is <i>Selaginella lepidophylla</i>. It also goes by other names, such as The Resurrection Plant, Mary’s Plant and The Dinosaur Plant.</div>
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Perhaps you’ve heard of it? I had not, and I am excited to share my experience of this plant with you. It is amazing and extremely unusual. With all of my past botany classes and general interest in plants, I am surprised I had not come across it until now.</div>
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I was visiting Salem, Massachusetts about a week ago. It was a quiet Sunday early afternoon, and I was enjoying browsing around several of the shops. In one of the shops, an employee kindly approached me and asked if I would like to see a really neat, cool item that they had just received. I could tell he was excited. So, of course I said yes. I’m thrilled he showed me this plant. For me, it is wildly unique. It’s ancient, but one could almost believe it to be an evolutionary, advanced organism.</div>
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Pictured above is exactly how I purchased my Jericho rose. It’s all dried and appears to have died. I had taken this photo immediately upon returning home from Salem. This plant is amazing because that plant pictured is alive.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024FQ2WY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0024FQ2WY&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=674FYD5ZETTCFW6X" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0024FQ2WY&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click pic to see on AMAZON<br />
-six of them for under $25 makes<br />
these a great gift!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0024FQ2WY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<b>Why is the Rose of Jericho So Wildly Exciting and Exotic?</b> <br />
-because it seems to come back from the dead! That’s why!</div>
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<div>
After I got home from Salem and took the photo of the plant closed, I followed the instructions per the employee of what to do with my Jericho plant. I was already excited about knowing what was to come next and that it can happen over and over as many times as you like for decades and decades. However, as I started following the instructions, my excitement grew.</div>
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I filled a shallow dish with water and placed the Jericho rose within. I knew that it would spring to life, as this was already explained to me. Patience is not something I’m always good with when I’m excited for something to happen. So, I decided to just try to forget about it and go on with my day. I had simply assumed that this re-opening and coming back to life of the plant would take several days. Well, not 20 minutes later, the plant caught my eye.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrT5_UMUQ81N6iRTaT5VioksbbHBoQN6JvTOrROAev0lXwTilLB_D8tnflFKzenohegn5kz01z16PDnT0ggh02p0YGaF3SbmjeVNJ9SvOscoeJDGBaeaOaNMx9KtyOUNM3u1wg_-p9cac/s1600/jericho+rose+opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrT5_UMUQ81N6iRTaT5VioksbbHBoQN6JvTOrROAev0lXwTilLB_D8tnflFKzenohegn5kz01z16PDnT0ggh02p0YGaF3SbmjeVNJ9SvOscoeJDGBaeaOaNMx9KtyOUNM3u1wg_-p9cac/s1600/jericho+rose+opening.jpg" height="320" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren<br />
Now, look at this little monster opening up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Now this picture is the plant at only 20 minutes of being placed in water. As you can see, it is uncurling and appearing to come alive. It’s like watching a plant move, and there is something eerie about it. I was in shock and called my son to come over quickly. (He’s just turned 12.) As my excitement grew, his excitement grew. We both stood there watching this plant open while having a nice drink of water. All I could think is that this little monster must have been really thirsty.</div>
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I was not expecting it to open this quickly at all, and don’t you think my photo looks like a little monster plant? I know it’s commonly called the Jericho of Rose Resurrection Plant, but to me, until I get used to this little plant readily opening and closing, it will be my zombie plant.</div>
</div>
<div>
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<h3>
Within Only Hours, My Jericho Rose is Green and Flourishing:</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-s535I1vh1gwflM6ydN6ASWn7X-geCtNo9MfzMV-tA9hhZTfgWIkwLkPzZxt9i1AUe5s7j00ZXM0qH2XhtGwuT9zZ_DGyf5j50WJIM9dywNn4NBpydxcF2I2A02ytinL9gRGUsyo1dw/s1600/jericho+rose+fully+opened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-s535I1vh1gwflM6ydN6ASWn7X-geCtNo9MfzMV-tA9hhZTfgWIkwLkPzZxt9i1AUe5s7j00ZXM0qH2XhtGwuT9zZ_DGyf5j50WJIM9dywNn4NBpydxcF2I2A02ytinL9gRGUsyo1dw/s1600/jericho+rose+fully+opened.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-65560195279205542282015-01-03T17:15:00.002-05:002015-02-01T12:14:59.891-05:00Josh Simpson Art Glass Planets - A Tribute to an Artist-article by melaniekaren<br />
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<h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08kNEvoxvSChH4fwUOXGafK4iylvpUluSeAAldZt2zr1J1g02UjYI4e_jwQQSiFjQzKZ8yhslugdvHT9RkpvgRj70bbXJH14_R6oz_pIxg-DtPbSHw-b8bqSHmNQo2nyuB4jyLaHpbtg/s1600/josh+simpson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08kNEvoxvSChH4fwUOXGafK4iylvpUluSeAAldZt2zr1J1g02UjYI4e_jwQQSiFjQzKZ8yhslugdvHT9RkpvgRj70bbXJH14_R6oz_pIxg-DtPbSHw-b8bqSHmNQo2nyuB4jyLaHpbtg/s1600/josh+simpson.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren<br />
A photo of one of my "uninhabited planet"<br />
made by glass artist Josh Simpson. <br />
It was given to me as a gift, and I love it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
World-wide Renowned Glass Artist Josh Simpson and His Planets</h3>
<br />
I was introduced to a planet collection of Josh Simpson's over twenty years ago. I was immediately enthralled with these little balls of amazing artistry, creativity, and imagination. Each one is whimsical and unique. No two are alike, and they are all wonderful and magical to gaze into.<br />
<br />
If you like and appreciate glass work and sculpture, you are surely to like Josh Simpsons work and personal story.<br />
<br />
Josh Simpson is a self taught artist. He began in 1972, and at an early age, he developed a very strong passion for working with glass, molten glass specifically. He was very driven, working long hours every day of the week for years perfecting his craftsmanship, techniques, and overall artistry. He began with teaching himself how to blow matching pairs of wine goblets. Throughout his career, he has made many vases, glass bowls, large serving dishes, and other glass art pieces. He still makes these today, and they are exquisite. However, what he is most known for is his planets.<br />
<br />
Today, he is probably the most respected and loved glass artist of our time. His story is one of inspiration, and I hope you like it as much as I.<br />
<br />
<h3>
There are Three Categories of Planets</h3>
<br />
This was one of the things that I really liked about the planets when learning about them for the first time. The concept was simple, yet brilliant, and it lent itself to the wonderful whimsical quality of the planets.<br />
<br />
You really begin to use your imagination in identifying all of the objects within these worlds. Is there water? Is there an atmosphere? Look! I think that's a satellite!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1893164098/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1893164098&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=3ENJJ2RGUEXYE3EE" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1893164098&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh Simpson Glass Artist<br />
Click image to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The following definitions of the three types of planet categories are as follows.</b><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1893164098" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Uninhabited Planets</b> - The uninhabited planets are usually rather small, and they have no obvious atmosphere. Without an atmosphere, of course the planet is uninhabited. The photo of my planet above is an example of an uninhabited planet. To me, it seems to be primarily an uninhabited water world.<br />
<br />
<b>Possibly Inhabited Planets</b> - These are not as easy to identify. You're looking for signs of life and a possible atmosphere. If you notice something that represents to you a satellite or something that may be in space toward the surface of the sphere above an apparent atmosphere, chances are the planet is definitely inhabited and not possibly inhabited. See! Isn't this fun.<br />
<br />
<b>Inhabited Planets</b> - These are probably the most loved since there is so much going on in the inhabited planets. With the inhabited planets, you will definitely see what seems to be an atmosphere and even items within the atmosphere, such as clouds, other gases, or objects in a sky. It's up to you what you see. The world I have pictured here to the left is an inhabited planet, and for me, it is a water world filled with coral reefs. I see it as teeming with life with a very obvious atmosphere. In fact, I would say, it's a sunny day.<br />
<br />
The planets came in three sizes when they were originally introduced. As their popularity increased, "Mega-planets" became readily available for purchase. These are large and very fun. You can surely become lost in these little "mega" worlds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY_jNWQlcWcCn6hU2jSGxiIYmbnKfBRt70smFdAAKK18QE6MrGpPhRRFdY2EYj_aZoKJfQb2C0Tn8RKjx09r359mDs4mZuXoQVXSfKesbsaxmldam-QUYSAWz3Hmrp5cnoMtZBKHg3M8/s1600/josh+simpson+mega+planet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY_jNWQlcWcCn6hU2jSGxiIYmbnKfBRt70smFdAAKK18QE6MrGpPhRRFdY2EYj_aZoKJfQb2C0Tn8RKjx09r359mDs4mZuXoQVXSfKesbsaxmldam-QUYSAWz3Hmrp5cnoMtZBKHg3M8/s1600/josh+simpson+mega+planet.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Victorian_lady of one of Mr. Simpson's fully inhabited planets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCV0pBIhsl1NWRP-36bmbnLeWewYYOr9orTecHP2vrVc-reBHxdk4IhUY9sIOdDOha3HdkcAgLedKzvazJFpk7MBZFGZyrLJBIFTKKRU4getXXHcMQki2-d9CYlX1T0TCWFiwBJ1iO44/s1600/josh+simpson+artglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCV0pBIhsl1NWRP-36bmbnLeWewYYOr9orTecHP2vrVc-reBHxdk4IhUY9sIOdDOha3HdkcAgLedKzvazJFpk7MBZFGZyrLJBIFTKKRU4getXXHcMQki2-d9CYlX1T0TCWFiwBJ1iO44/s1600/josh+simpson+artglass.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Beth titled "Ruined Castle, <br />
Kweskwam Complex, Gondar" that reads, "as part of the <br />
Josh Simpson infinity project, a small marble planet was <br />
left here in memory of Jonathan"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Josh Simpsons Infinity Project</h3>
<h4>
hiding of the planets</h4>
In 2000, Josh Simpson began his Infinity Project. For some time prior to 2000 he has started hiding his planets in interesting places around the globe. He thought he would leave his little spheres in places for archeologists to find. How he came up with the idea is a fun, great story, and I highly recommend you to watch at least one of the two videos I have listed below.<br />
<br />
His Infinity Project quickly caught on, and now, there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of his small planets hidden around the globe. They have been tossed into volcanoes, taken to the North Pole, thrown into motes around castles, and even taken into space. If you visit his website at www.joshsimpson.com, you may read more about the Infinity Project and even request a planet to hide in a special place. If your idea resonates with him, he will send you two planets, one to keep and one to hide. He is awesome like that!<br />
<br />
<h4>
Meet Mr. Simpson. He's an Incredibly Great Speaker. Enjoy!</h4>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hx6aNlY2svw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-13446172516246131622015-01-03T17:03:00.001-05:002015-03-17T21:01:38.884-04:00An Ancient Widow Mite Coin May be a Perfect Unique Gift for Easter or Other Holiday-article by melaniekaren<br />
<h3>
One Easter I Gave Everyone an Authentic Widow's Mite Coin</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgb2t_Vh1IoJs1bPPZS0TKQzDKCRxeQWEuZl1XHJ5xz-k8MdfKfDJhdsMDuzysW-DJzxLeWiW8Zxmy7XCJTtY5cxT76r-1C7dCCcAuGPh1wdq49vLyc9w6218fcaUgVC8hyRqC7SCf6Q/s1600/widow+mite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgb2t_Vh1IoJs1bPPZS0TKQzDKCRxeQWEuZl1XHJ5xz-k8MdfKfDJhdsMDuzysW-DJzxLeWiW8Zxmy7XCJTtY5cxT76r-1C7dCCcAuGPh1wdq49vLyc9w6218fcaUgVC8hyRqC7SCf6Q/s1600/widow+mite.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - Widow's Mite<br />
Ancient Roman Bronze Coins by Royce Bair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Years ago on one Easter I gave everyone in my close, immediate family an authentic widow's might coin. We were all gathered around my Aunt Rosemary's dining room table getting ready to sit down for Easter dinner. I had placed a tiny Easter basket at each place setting with a unique gift nestled inside.<br />
<br />
Once everyone opened the tiny package and learned what they were holding, It absolutely blew their minds. This unique Easter gift idea was a truly magnificent hit. I had given each person his or her very own widow's mite coin.<br />
<br />
Everyone one kept looking at the tiny coin in the palm of their hands. They could hardly believe that they were holding one, and not one person realized these existed to this day. Each person's widow's mite immediately held a sentimental value for that person. Each person became kinda smiley and excited once he or she realized what he or she was holding was an ancient, real coin that Christ himself could have actually held also. I was thrilled to have thought of such a gift and was happy everyone liked their little coin so much.<br />
<br />
<h3>
A Biblical Coin from the Time of Christ</h3>
<br />
<h4>
A Prutah Coin, A Lepton</h4>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Bk2GeNEKw1xTfn5ISVPdGVTQSFZQ7tA0ZLb_BOi-Ki-KS8VyCLvbDbq9gO22VvnGJkSMMfXMzGcCdaamGIzy0dmQW7q88Y7LktyPgk0gyyph0LUy5X_fqPAGnZKtjXjIeaTYEYF3_RE/s1600/widow+mite+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Bk2GeNEKw1xTfn5ISVPdGVTQSFZQ7tA0ZLb_BOi-Ki-KS8VyCLvbDbq9gO22VvnGJkSMMfXMzGcCdaamGIzy0dmQW7q88Y7LktyPgk0gyyph0LUy5X_fqPAGnZKtjXjIeaTYEYF3_RE/s1600/widow+mite+4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.0092601776123px;">image sources - Wikimedia cc</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The two mites in the biblical story of the poor widow refers to two coins. A mite was one of the prutah coins minted under King Alexander Jannaeus, a king of Judea from 103BC to 76BC. The word prutah means "a coin of smaller value."<br />
<br />
A lepton, meaning "small" or "thin" was the name of the actual prutah coin denomination. A lepton was the smallest denomination of currency. Therefore, think of it as today's penny or cent.<br />
<br />
The common lepton minted under King Alexander Jannaeus is the lepton most offered to collectors today. It has the anchor on one side and a star (or sun) wheel with 8 spokes.<br />
<br />
The lepton coin was still in circulation at the time of Christ and is, therefore, one of the "bible coins." In the story of the poor widow, the woman gave her last two leptons to the church.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Painting Titled "The Widow's Mite" by João Zeferino da Costa from 1876</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rykJH_pFKkcinF4ihdFEGcqPxac0VyITbI7fmAFndfhQhT0whsyou1Ie1Q-MavDRoaYxRp046HQL0Y0EFY7kOGdXF6U-Sza8MznMzkrh2SMng-Glt_iAoBivx4JIz9KRc1bUsx7rjHw/s1600/widow+mite+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rykJH_pFKkcinF4ihdFEGcqPxac0VyITbI7fmAFndfhQhT0whsyou1Ie1Q-MavDRoaYxRp046HQL0Y0EFY7kOGdXF6U-Sza8MznMzkrh2SMng-Glt_iAoBivx4JIz9KRc1bUsx7rjHw/s1600/widow+mite+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jo%C3%A3o_Zeferino_da_Costa_-_O_%C3%B3bolo_da_vi%C3%BAva,_1876.jpg" target="_blank">image source</a> - The Widow's Mite - In this beautiful painting we see the widow giving her last two mites to the right. In the center of the painting, we see Christ acknowledging the widow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KdYNAVEkyNiHP9omfdHkmye9VCZL4BtFdxY5WUem-l2Zf45hatafZ6N02euwc6aM7D-oJmcYcyXWozdMVFT2d2V9v5fbj1XcLQNLBSWT_gpO2cfmlM6kPNbKthyphenhyphenmPef7AmN0WuxLQ6g/s1600/widow+mite+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KdYNAVEkyNiHP9omfdHkmye9VCZL4BtFdxY5WUem-l2Zf45hatafZ6N02euwc6aM7D-oJmcYcyXWozdMVFT2d2V9v5fbj1XcLQNLBSWT_gpO2cfmlM6kPNbKthyphenhyphenmPef7AmN0WuxLQ6g/s1600/widow+mite+3.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - Opfer der armen Witwe depicting the <br />
widow placing her 2 mites in the collection box</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Widow and the Two Mites</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Lesson of the Widow's Mite</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do you know the story, " The Widow and the Two Mites?" I remember learning about it more than once in Sunday school a long time ago. It was always told to us in a way so that we understood it as a lesson to always carry with us.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The story of the poor widow is found in the New Testament of the Bible. It is found in Mark 12 versus 41 - 44 and also in Luke 21 versus 21 - 24.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The story goes something like this. Jesus and his disciples are at a temple in Jerusalem. Jesus notices an older woman casting her last two coins into the collection box. Jesus calls his disciples over and tells them his observation, the story. Jesus explains that others have also donated to the temple, of whom many were rich. Those with wealth and abundance gave more monetary value to the temple, but the widow gave more, because she gave all she had.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The lesson of the widow's mite teaches that the sacrifices of the poor, which may seem minuscule or insignificant, are most meaningful to God.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OR7JPJ4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00OR7JPJ4&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=BQBODSDJKHQ2QNTU" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00OR7JPJ4&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OR7JPJ4" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<h3>
Widow's Mites For Sale</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Much like our coins today, there were different styles of lepton coins during their circulation. This kind, featuring the sun and anchor is one of the more common varieties.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On one side King Alexander is written in Hebrew, and on the reverse side, there is the sun wheel design with 8 spokes.<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, widow mite coins for sale are not difficult to find. You can easily find authentic coins alone or nestled in jewelry pieces. In my opinion, the best place to find just the coins is eBay. Every time I've searched eBay for any coin, I always had a great deal to see and choose from.<br />
<br />
The pendant pictured right is currently available on Amazon by TBJE Ancient Coins. It's my top pick I'm sharing with you: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OR7JPJ4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00OR7JPJ4&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=QNYC4U5UFGU22ZJW">Sterling Silver & Bronze Antiqued Widows Mite Coin Pendant</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OR7JPJ4" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Please note that there are reproductions for sale. It is not necessary to buy the reproductions! The authentic real coins can be found for a great price (currently on eBay though and not Amazon. What Amazon does have are a few really nice jewelry pieces with mites. - I check regularly.)</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<br />
<h3>
And of course, here is part of the story taken directly from the Bible:</h3>
<br />
" ...Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
~ taken from Mark12, 43 and 44<br />
<br />
Again, eBay is probably the best place to find individual, authentic, widow's mite coins (or leptons). Here are <a href="http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=9&pub=5575045376&toolid=10001&campid=5337665336&customid=1&icep_uq=widow%27s+mite&icep_sellerId=&icep_ex_kw=&icep_sortBy=12&icep_catId=11116&icep_minPrice=&icep_maxPrice=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg" target="_blank">Widow's Mites on eBay</a><img src="http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=9&pub=5575045376&toolid=10001&campid=5337665336&customid=1&uq=widow%27s+mite&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]" style="border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: none;" /><br />
<br />
<h3>
A Few Excellent Amazon Picks:</h3>
<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LYVMEOO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LYVMEOO&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=PYRWGODZPWFTFTDB"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00LYVMEOO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q2M5PFA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00Q2M5PFA&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=SBFX4OM5MK6FVZM5"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00Q2M5PFA&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00Q2M5PFA" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<tr> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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</td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J6GBU76/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00J6GBU76&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=OGBDGJZYSEATBNCM">Widows Mite Gold-Tone (Brown/Bronze) Pendant with 24" Chain Engraved with Bible Scripture Luke 21:1-4, "I tell you the truth the poor widow gave more than all those rich people. She gave all she had to live on,..." Minted of Hand-Cast Bronze 100-60 BC</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00J6GBU76" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-24893306543477355682015-01-03T13:06:00.002-05:002015-02-01T12:49:49.456-05:00Tarot Spells by Author Janina Renee - A Beautifully Positive Book for All Faiths-article my melaniekaren<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmCM7pDyJhyphenhyphenIqRU0Ej7HFAsTSX8e0vjnd5PiY-yS5dInwdWq93Pncpmf6iv8KEMBw5TF4K4ic1Hb4SRwrl31S0zngTUdbkJlQrgTry48un0v4tGN5bSSg81HNaErenmGC4qstsH_Zbak/s1600/tarot+spells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmCM7pDyJhyphenhyphenIqRU0Ej7HFAsTSX8e0vjnd5PiY-yS5dInwdWq93Pncpmf6iv8KEMBw5TF4K4ic1Hb4SRwrl31S0zngTUdbkJlQrgTry48un0v4tGN5bSSg81HNaErenmGC4qstsH_Zbak/s1600/tarot+spells.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren -part of the cover taken from my copy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
Yes! For All Faiths, and what a beautiful notion that is.</h4>
<br />
If you're looking to bring positive, uplifting change into your life through beautiful pictorial imagery and positive affirmations, this book is for you.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I traveled to Salem, Massachusetts. As many of you know the area is steeped in history. After all, it is the place within the United States where "The Burning Times" took place. Today, the town has so much to offer for everyone. It's very diverse and openly friendly to all walks of life. I enjoy the town immensely, and I love all of the unique shops.<br />
<br />
While I was visiting one of the shops, this book jumped out at me. It's titled, "Tarot Spells." The title was intriguing. I'm familiar with the tarot, and I'm also familiar with spell-crafting. However, I had never thought to put the two together. I was completely drawn to the beauty of the cover image. Isn't it gorgeous? The delicate beauty, symbolism, and imagery of just the cover and title were enough for me to purchase this book. I know. "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover," went down the drain with this book. The whole book is so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, I couldn't help it. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875426700/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0875426700&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=CTEGFMRLRZYFUT2I" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0875426700&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click on pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0875426700" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
After observing the visual beauty of the book, I saw that the book was by the respected and well-known author, Janine Renee and that it was published by Llewellyn Publications, a favorite publisher of mine, I knew I was in for a treat and had found my next book.<br />
<br />
It's a highly liked book with over 140,000 copies sold. It's been a big hit for Llewellyn because it appeals to and is for those of all religions and faiths. Tarot is mostly associated with pagan religions, modern day Wiccan religion, and new age spirituality. Many don't know that the first tarot decks were actually designed by those of the Christian faith in 14th century, Rome. At least, that is as far back as we can trace the first deck with certainty. For me, this has always been obvious, as there is much Christian symbolism throughout tarot decks. More and more tarot decks today are filled with all kinds of symbols relating to many religious and spiritual paths.<br />
<br />
The book is a very easy, comfortable read. There is no feeling of "Oh goodness! I need to study tarot before I can even begin to use this book" feeling. Janina Renee takes you step by step through easy instruction of how to perform each tarot spell, and there are a lot of them. The book has over 70 tarot spells meant to help you live a happy, more productive love-filled life.<br />
<br />
I'm eager for others to read this book. It's beautiful. I can't emphasize that enough. The pages are filled from front to back with beautiful visualization exercises and positive affirmations. Janina Renee has really captured the essence of life and understands what we all need to be happy. Her book is wonderfully positive, and I believe can it be life-changing for many.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Now, I will take you on a journey of one of the Tarot Spells:</h4>
<br />
I'll give you the imagery and explain how I set the tarot spell up for myself. Then I'll give you a sampling of the spell and the affirmation associated with it. If you are curious about the whole spell and all that Ms. Renee has to explain and offer, you'll have to get a hold of a copy of the book for yourself, as I cannot give it fully here for obvious copyright infringement.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iEsceVY73FQUTdLAMys3N2EiGPiLadljKs2bugoOiq8CLRKN8H6N0Mo3sqBeXWCFKsnNtyDac9e2rkhFMJZI5VODHSdx3QOhDOQTzQ9BeQW3xlbot5Ex6a7a9bwOvr6vzsCTovcvcLQ/s1600/tarot+spells+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iEsceVY73FQUTdLAMys3N2EiGPiLadljKs2bugoOiq8CLRKN8H6N0Mo3sqBeXWCFKsnNtyDac9e2rkhFMJZI5VODHSdx3QOhDOQTzQ9BeQW3xlbot5Ex6a7a9bwOvr6vzsCTovcvcLQ/s1600/tarot+spells+2.jpg" height="400" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
A Tarot Spell for Self-improvement and Self-transformation</h4>
<br />
Tarot Spells utilize the symbolism and imagery of tarot cards along with positive affirmations for specific things we all need help with from time to time. For example, in the photo I have here, I have taken my own Robin Wood tarot deck and laid out the cards for the "Self-Improvement" spell found on page 255. The imagery shows a wheel with 7 of the major arcana cards. Starting with the top and then clockwise and finishing in the middle, we have Judgement, The World, Temperance, The Chariot, Strength, The High Priestess, and finally, The Magician. You don't even have had to study tarot to begin to understand how these words, or rather the title and the meaning of each card, are connected to self-improvement and self-transformation.<br />
<br />
So, in the photo I've laid the cards as illustrated within the book. Notice also that I have placed some things around the cards. These items are meant to strengthen my imagery and my spell. You may do the same, or you may choose not to. It's up to you, and this is also the beauty of the book. You do what's right for you. For me, I've added a small chalice of water with a yellow flower. Flowers are pretty, and the color yellow is associated with cheerfulness. It simply makes me feel better. I've also added a cloth with lots of butterflies. Butterflies are associated with transformation, and the color blue is calming. I've spread out a handful of quartz crystals, 5 based on sacred geometry and one crystal skull that symbolizes death and rebirth. I have one larger white candle for purity and several small candles in a variety of colors to symbolize a rainbow as close to it as I could get with the colors of candles I have. Again, you may do whatever you wish. I'm simply sharing what I've done as an example. As you can see, the lay-out is very visually pleasing. It's all positive and already gets one in a self-improvement mode.<br />
<br />
Next, I light the candles and begin a meditation and visualization as outlined by Ms. Renee. After I have performed the meditation and visualization, I say aloud the written affirmation with book in hand. Know that it is not necessary to memorize anything. You may have your book with you as a reference at all times. After the affirmation is said aloud, I take the time to think about all I've just completed and quietly extinguish the candles.<br />
<br />
Here is part of the affirmation: It begins with, " I am the best person that I can be! I take control of the circumstances that affect me." It ends with, "I live in balance with the world around me And my world reflects my inner harmony."<br />
<br />
You see, it's not difficult and the words are easy.<br />
<br />
Lastly, I leave you with another part of the book I find helpful, the Appendices. Within the appendices you are taught on how to choose a Significator for the spells. This is immensely helpful because the significator is a card that represents either the situation or you personally. It is not as easy as one might think. Janina Renee shows you how over 50 individual cards of a standard 78 deck can be Significators. This is more than helpful since most books on tarot only have you choose from the 16 court cards.<br />
<br />
The appendices also have descriptions and charts for colors and their meaning in color therapy, how to prepare for spells and the rituals associated with spells, a thorough look at spell accessories. These are things like candles, cloths, flowers, crystals, herbs, incense among others. There's an appendix for crystal and gemstone meanings as well as one for responses to commonly asked questions. It's a very well organized, thorough book.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875428940/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0875428940&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=KQAUCGDQHWGEOSIR" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0875428940&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click on pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0875428940" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<h4>
The Robin Wood Tarot</h4>
* Janina Renee uses this Robin Wood Tarot deck throughout her Tarot Spell book.<br />
<br />
* It's an excellent choice. The artwork by Robin Wood is gorgeous. You can see examples of some of the cards in the photo gallery below.<br />
<br />
* It's not necessary to use Robin Woods deck in order to work with this book. You may use one of your favorite decks if you'd like. I started to do this, but the beauty of the cards got to me after reading through the book. So, I therefore ended up purchasing this deck. I'm glad I did. It surely makes a nice addition to my collection.<br />
<br />
<b>I know many of you don't see how a Tarot Spell book may fit into all Faiths. It may seem as a complete conflict with what various Faiths and religions teach. However, if you open your mind and browse through this book, you will see immediately that it is all positive with only beauty within. Again, this is the author's intention, and she accomplishes it wonderfully. </b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-7896732468367535582015-01-03T11:10:00.003-05:002015-01-03T11:22:28.893-05:00What is the Protective Evil Eye? What is the Evil Eye of Envy?-article by melaniekaren<br />
<br />
<h4>
Protection Against the Evil Eye - The Evil Eye of Envy</h4>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27KkZQqmxll5e_3V5EUZABTwqv0ye9yVkWv8BFxevWfN6e9UjNXumQQMnxFaCH2p9aLH-eEJQQ7aXg10P8AbQq_k2kuZasTEuPTuHNl3yHlwFxJpYvFfPa7yZhFC8bX2rAoQH3zyXp_Q/s1600/evil+eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27KkZQqmxll5e_3V5EUZABTwqv0ye9yVkWv8BFxevWfN6e9UjNXumQQMnxFaCH2p9aLH-eEJQQ7aXg10P8AbQq_k2kuZasTEuPTuHNl3yHlwFxJpYvFfPa7yZhFC8bX2rAoQH3zyXp_Q/s1600/evil+eye.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/4r33us" target="_blank">image credit</a> - a photo of an evil eye tree in Turkey by "Curious Expeditions" -<br />
A evil eye tree is said to protect one's home and land. In Asia, particularly with Feng Shui, an evil eye tree<br />
is an evil eye "money" tree, bringing protection from harm, good luck, and good fortune.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The Evil Eye for many is misunderstood, particularly here in the United States. Many believe an evil eye represented in a piece of jewelry, charm, amulet or other representation in itself is negative - or evil. However, this is untrue, and in fact, it is quite the opposite.<br />
<br />
When you see someone with an evil eye ring, for example, that evil eye is meant as protection against the "evil eye look" of another person, that is the evil eye of envy. The eye, when envious, has a particularly unique evil look to it. You've seen it. We all have. Someone may be spying on something of yours that he or she wants or is envious of. The evil eye in one's ring, necklace or other ornamental expression is meant to ward off that envious eye.<br />
<br />
Today, those who wear or have an evil eye protective item may not necessarily believe in the literal beliefs surrounding the origin of the evil eye. Heck, many aren't even aware of its origin but still like to wear an evil eye. Some just simply like the positive aspects of protecting themselves and loved ones. It's a nice gesture and feeling. Others, may simply just really like symbolic jewelry based on ancient symbolism. Whatever brought you to this article, I hope you are enjoying learning about the Evil Eye and its meaning and origin.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q35CGXA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00Q35CGXA&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=3VNGUAZNSRUIUOWT" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00Q35CGXA&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00Q35CGXA" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<h3>
A Beautiful Evil Eye Pendant</h3>
<b>An Example of a Traditional Evil Eye </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Pictured right is my first top pick in jewelry, a gorgeous <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q35CGXA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00Q35CGXA&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=3VNGUAZNSRUIUOWT">Greek Key Theme Double Sided Evil Eye Pendant In Sterling Silver -18 Karat Gold Overlay</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00Q35CGXA" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> protective evil eye. It looks expensive, but it is not! If you prefer the look of silver, it's available in that too.<br />
<br />
With a continuous rise and interest in bringing the esoteric into light, ancient jewelry with meaning is becoming more common to find.<br />
<br />
Many of the jewelry pieces are very well designed. In fact, it was in the late 90's when I discovered that the evil eye was getting a lot of attention by several higher-end jewelry designers. Evil eye fine jewelry was becoming available, and there was a market for it. The pieces were unique and symbolic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaimeO-92oFSQqXTv3_ElgTyZGvI5Q_zwuj1WoQzzVgsfI5VkLsOpwKNv4tguDC8rG5eoQJ5vdDyiKnSg0DaWo458MFGDn0NZLVMHiQU5i1JDY30-zLSEdw5VC8gxpiecBFZ4QltAVa0/s1600/evil+eye+of+envy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaimeO-92oFSQqXTv3_ElgTyZGvI5Q_zwuj1WoQzzVgsfI5VkLsOpwKNv4tguDC8rG5eoQJ5vdDyiKnSg0DaWo458MFGDn0NZLVMHiQU5i1JDY30-zLSEdw5VC8gxpiecBFZ4QltAVa0/s1600/evil+eye+of+envy.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Gary Jungling titled, "Evil Eye"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
What is the Evil Eye? -an evil eye of envy</h4>
<br />
The evil eye is not the amulet or charm itself. The evil eye is a look of envy from someone who admires something you have that they want even to the point of causing harm to get it. People believed (and some to this day) that the person who caste an envious eye had the magical powers to covet their source of envy. Thus, the evil eye of protection protected the victim even if the victim wasn't aware. The protective evil eye was aware.<br />
<br />
The original or traditional evil eyes are blue. This is simply due to the fact that most people from cultures centered around the Mediterranean and into the South and East commonly had brown eyes. Blues eyes (and green eyes) were uncommon. Blue eyes were feared. Thus, an evil blue eye charm fought back against an evil blue eye. An example of this you might already be aware of is with the notion of gargoyles. It's a kind of fighting evil with evil. Of course, today, we now know that blue and green eyes are just pretty to look at and can be quite lovely.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Origin of the Evil Eye - An Evil Eye History</h4>
<br />
The notion of warding off the evil eye of envy with a protective evil eye charm dates back to the ancient Greeks, and it continued into the Roman Empire and can be seen in various classical writings of the time. At a time when it was generally believed one could cause harm to another by way of spell casting or other meta-physical means, protecting oneself was important. It continued to be important through the centuries as beliefs in the magical negative powers of the evil eye stare continued to grow and branch-out across Europe, down into Africa, across into Asia, and eventually into the Americas.<br />
<br />
To this day, the concept of the evil eye with its original beliefs is still strong within the Middle East and other parts centered around the Mediterranean.<br />
<br />
Again, the evil eye symbolized "envy," and envy to this day, is a human emotion we all try to suppress. You've heard of the seven deadly sins. Envy is number 6.<br />
<br />
Hopefully now, you have a better understanding of the Evil Eye. Thank you for reading, and enjoy your day. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-62780253526400630912015-01-02T19:06:00.002-05:002015-01-03T21:53:05.002-05:00Celebrate Spring and the Return of Summer this May Day-article by melaniekaren<br />
<br />
<h4>
Much of the World Celebrates May 1st as May Day Based Around Ancient Traditions</h4>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIwql8okPUWUsaa7UPVHfjpqHjB6NtgdBVJy85uZjKclt1iBAsO3z10oPwmLl0j8REH0mln6iP-CYX1MqvQ8egw94NxgPjiDBRGZjCscFAn-4l3ONe6O82-iZ_rUgFnP8_4a4CFAeryE/s1600/maypole+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIwql8okPUWUsaa7UPVHfjpqHjB6NtgdBVJy85uZjKclt1iBAsO3z10oPwmLl0j8REH0mln6iP-CYX1MqvQ8egw94NxgPjiDBRGZjCscFAn-4l3ONe6O82-iZ_rUgFnP8_4a4CFAeryE/s1600/maypole+girls.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "Petal Girls" by Pete Ashton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
May Day is a Spring holiday celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere around the world. It is a very ancient Spring time tradition celebrated by many cultures going all the way back to the ancient Romans, Celts. and Germanic peoples of central and northern Europe.<br />
<br />
May 1st was the first day of Summer for these folk. It's date landed precisely half way through the year from their first day of Winter, November 1st, also their New Year. Some traditions began the holiday festivities on the eve of May 1st, particularly those who celebrated with the lighting of bonfires.<br />
<br />
With the Summer warmth returning in full-swing, people had much to be happy about. The harshness of Winter was gone, and even the days of a potential cold March and April had passed. May 1st marked a joyous day, and it marked one of the rights of passage through the turning wheel of seasons through the year.<br />
<br />
Today, May Day is still celebrated around the world. There are different ways in which it is celebrated, however, the theme is all alike. Celebrating with flowers, dancing with intertwining ribbons around a maypole, and the lighting of bonfires are common throughout. It's a big party!<br />
<br />
Please note that May 1st is also the date of other May Day holidays of more current times revolving around work, labor, and bank holidays. These are nice holidays, but we will not be covering these holidays in this article, as they are completely different in origin and history.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Origin of May Day Traditions</h4>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBMFX2c0nRUTKAEaXsCZbJJ1qaLonqmHB-46_e2-plaU6K_ogFA_m91BYQsDt2n-TGizR02J0C2vWiYlkyXFoZBuWpHBnJCCkk8stcYQYEQeCOlHTc5vEfZR3k_AFROMivVf2GxqhK4s/s1600/maypoll+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBMFX2c0nRUTKAEaXsCZbJJ1qaLonqmHB-46_e2-plaU6K_ogFA_m91BYQsDt2n-TGizR02J0C2vWiYlkyXFoZBuWpHBnJCCkk8stcYQYEQeCOlHTc5vEfZR3k_AFROMivVf2GxqhK4s/s1600/maypoll+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - by Roberto Rizzato depicting<br />
Bartolomeo Veneto's <br />
"Flora, the Goddess of Spring"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first people to celebrate May Day were the pre-Christian Romans, Celts and Germanic peoples of central and northern Europe. May Day festivities centered around Pagan rituals and beliefs.<br />
<br />
Romans celebrated "Flora" as May Day after the Roman Goddess of Flowers. Flora was a goddess of fertility, flowers, fruit-bearing vines and trees, and grains. Her appearance is first seen in Ancient Greece, when she was known as "Chloris."<br />
<br />
The Germanic people called their May Day "Walpurgis Night," a night celebration of bonfires similar to the nightly Beltane festivals of the Celts. Walpurgis Night was a celebration of Fertility and the upcoming Summer.<br />
<br />
For the Celts, it was their festival of Beltane, and celebrated with the lighting of bonfires. Today, Neo-pagans, Wiccans, Christo-pagans continue to celebrate May Day as Beltane, incorporating bonfires, dance, maypoles, and flowers into their festivals.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Traditional Ways to Celebrate May Day Today</h4>
<br />
<b>- from Europe to the British Isles to the Americas</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4GKATXB1BL0wKmiFkO5zIPcbkB8Sp9IR2GggZaW0L0xV9dSbLFOVHjq5e5zY1VyqpjNxsotQNdb3wIoNxVj-hkzGVbk0w7dlhpcgea6Mz3Aoy2E1VnW2L_AKcm81yPrnz5UHbvbvTM/s1600/maypoll3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4GKATXB1BL0wKmiFkO5zIPcbkB8Sp9IR2GggZaW0L0xV9dSbLFOVHjq5e5zY1VyqpjNxsotQNdb3wIoNxVj-hkzGVbk0w7dlhpcgea6Mz3Aoy2E1VnW2L_AKcm81yPrnz5UHbvbvTM/s1600/maypoll3.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "Maypole Dancer" by Michael Zupon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today, many spring holidays and spring festivals are centered around May Day.<br />
<br />
<b>In the British Isles</b>, May Day celebrations most commonly involve traditional May flowers, a Crowning of the May Queen, and dancing around the Maypole. The May Queen wears a long white dress symbolizing purity and a white tiara placed upon her head. Often she is also adorned in white flowers. As May Queen, she leads the May Day celebrations and festivities. Dancing around a maypole is performed by different age groups in the style of Morris Dancing and symbolizes fertility.<br />
<br />
<b>In Ireland</b>, most old pagan traditions of lighting bonfires have long gone with the wide-spread increase of Christianity. Today, the Irish celebrate May Day as "Mary's Day." If you see a portrait of Mary with Spring and Summer flowers, this is a depiction of Mary's Day." It should be noted, however that, with the increase in understanding and appreciation of old ways and with a rise in neo-paganism, some folk do celebrate the traditions of Beltane on May Day or May Day's Eve with lighting of bonfires to symbolize the upcoming welcomed longer Summer days.<br />
<br />
<b>In France</b>, the Lily of the Valley flower is the symbol of May Day. It is small white bell-shaped flower that grows naturally and in abundance around late April into Early May. Christians say it is a symbol of the tears Mary cried during her son's crucifixion. For others, it is simple a gesture of Springtime and good luck. It is customary for people to give others a Lily of the Valley flower on this day.<br />
<br />
<b>In Germany, Finland, and Sweden</b>, May Day is celebrated similarly, although in Germany, the traditions are more elaborate. In Finland and Sweden there are street festivals and bonfires of the old Walpurgis Night tradition. In Germany there are also the bonfires of Walpurgis Night, however, there is also dancing around the Maypole.<br />
<br />
As I said, in Germany the festivities are a bit more elaborate. Anytime secret romantic love is involved, things tend to get more elaborate. Perhaps a better word is a sarcastic "complicated." In theory though, it sounds lovely, as it is a time for secret admirers to leave their secret anonymous message for their heart's desire. A man might carry a maypole to the home of the woman he secretly admires, and a women, conversely, might place roses or rice in the shape of a heart outside the home of her secret admirer. Whether or not they tell their secret love's it is a romantic gesture from themselves is completely up to each individual.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>In the Americas, May Day is also celebrated.</b></h4>
<br />
<b>In Canada</b>, the day is celebrated further into the month and typically only within British Columbia. May 1st is a time that can still be pretty cold in Canada. They wait for more warmth and Spring-like days! The style of celebration is that of Great Britain.<br />
<br />
<b>In Hawaii</b>, May Day is traditional known as Lei Day. Yes, this is when we see many beautiful Lei necklaces with all the interwoven flowers the season has to offer. In Hawaii, May Day celebrations focus primarily on the island's culture and history of it's peoples.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ56SejoXyGqQUVYcDcAjinxuvZEzhbeyowroFycFTlRy-ngwZ2XA6tmtz153gwXejbaM3SDE5H18gLExAwPzW6BuASe8oR3om3fweSumTjYV9AIt3QWKQCKDNSBykK2UKyAW_3BDjlA/s1600/maypole4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ56SejoXyGqQUVYcDcAjinxuvZEzhbeyowroFycFTlRy-ngwZ2XA6tmtz153gwXejbaM3SDE5H18gLExAwPzW6BuASe8oR3om3fweSumTjYV9AIt3QWKQCKDNSBykK2UKyAW_3BDjlA/s1600/maypole4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "Maypole" by Konrad Glogowski depicting the maypole <br />
at the Music Garden in Toronto, Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
The May Day Maypole - What is a Maypole?</h4>
<br />
The Maypole is a pole that is erected on May Day during many of the May Day Celebrations. The most common custom is to dance around the maypole with ribbons. The dance choreography allows the ribbons to be interwoven as they spiral down the pole. Many maypoles are also beautifully decorated with flowers, while others are painted with vibrant colors.<br />
<br />
Maypole symbolism includes fertility, celebration of sacred trees, and they may have been symbols of the world's axis, a connection between two worlds (i.e. Heaven and Earth).<br />
<br />
Spring and Summer are the months of mating. That's for sure. You can feel it in the air and animals get kind of wacky and bees pollinate. I know particularly well that "wolf call" are in high numbers during the first warm days of Spring. So yes, the maypole is often a symbol of fertility with young maidens dancing around the maypole. It is a symbol of fertility among people, but it is also one in that people are dancing and hoping that the growing season will be a bountiful harvest come Autumn.<br />
<br />
Many maypole's represent sacred trees. The "World Tree" is one of these sacred trees. The maypole is a symbol of the World Tree's reaching upward into the universe, being here with humanity on Earth, and the roots reaching down into the Under World or our ancestor's resting place. Two other sacred trees represented by a maypole are "Thor's Tree," a sacred Ash, and "Yggdrasil," a tree that cradled the whole Universe.<br />
<br />
The World's Axis, heard sometimes in Latin as "Axis Mundi," goes back to early Christianity and has "pagan roots." This axis connects all that is above with all that is below. It is the central focal point of the Universe connecting the Heavens and Earth.<br />
<br />
I wrote another article that is dedicated to celebrating the World Tree, also known well as the "Tree of Life." titled "<a href="http://treeoflifemeaning22.blogspot.com/2014/12/celebrate-spring-with-tree-of-life.html">Celebrate Spring with the Tree of Life</a>."<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Children Performing the Maypole Dance</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdH4rrSVcumDrWMRoyuR0zCYhoGu0LUTNE6jCEAu93Muyn9k9kGtFgpR9ArddZQvWkmqKyWn9cU8kHBSzHdyHs4DIzKNV0o1ITzbd-C62GYZ3sL2XfMYDiL2QHixOh1Yd3ef8b_96scQ/s1600/maypole5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdH4rrSVcumDrWMRoyuR0zCYhoGu0LUTNE6jCEAu93Muyn9k9kGtFgpR9ArddZQvWkmqKyWn9cU8kHBSzHdyHs4DIzKNV0o1ITzbd-C62GYZ3sL2XfMYDiL2QHixOh1Yd3ef8b_96scQ/s1600/maypole5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "Children Perform the Maypole Dance" by Anguskirk - Today, Maypole dancing is<br />
often performed by lovely little girls dressed in their best whites. It's a celebration of children.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGAK3aF8ymJEu4muRDUW69JhMs4PweGetlAJtgOyYsbow5tS6c17Nfm3YabvQhebYkWaoW1QlNwozTe0sVpekuW8ouh9Jm821eU3lwytB6q_UzRWKqH23Rlakuz9AeLbsBmqjYXWwiB4/s1600/maypole6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGAK3aF8ymJEu4muRDUW69JhMs4PweGetlAJtgOyYsbow5tS6c17Nfm3YabvQhebYkWaoW1QlNwozTe0sVpekuW8ouh9Jm821eU3lwytB6q_UzRWKqH23Rlakuz9AeLbsBmqjYXWwiB4/s1600/maypole6.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - "May Flowers on the Door Knob" by Alyss</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
May Day Flower Baskets and Bouquets</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
It is also customary to make May Day flower baskets and bouquets in many May Day traditions. Of course the flowers making up the baskets and bouquets are all the beautiful indigenous flowers of April and May.<br />
<br />
The flower arrangements are quite lovely. In many traditions, the flower baskets and bouquets are left in secret at neighbors' door steps. It's a community day of giving and receiving flowers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBPqBNGCwmI0L7qn6LUutzemYuY688MhLcoq4LyzcsHamMBIXbLcxu-JOYO8iGIDuifk9YsCov93PpqK86zaOPMxgyaOFIncwMrhgr7rGx7-7MlWt5JkpEL9O-rorgWtVTgWYMuMfumQ/s1600/maypole7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBPqBNGCwmI0L7qn6LUutzemYuY688MhLcoq4LyzcsHamMBIXbLcxu-JOYO8iGIDuifk9YsCov93PpqK86zaOPMxgyaOFIncwMrhgr7rGx7-7MlWt5JkpEL9O-rorgWtVTgWYMuMfumQ/s1600/maypole7.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by Susan Reimer of May Day flowers in Annapolis, Md</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1858945593/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1858945593&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=QRZCLHW7HPZORDY2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1858945593&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a><br />
<h4>
Learn More About May Day</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1858945593/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1858945593&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=QRZCLHW7HPZORDY2">Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey Through the English Ritual Year</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1858945593" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by author Sara Hannant is a loved, well-received book filled with photography, information and humor.<br />
<br />
It's in hardcover with 256 pages. It's surely a book for the coffee table.<br />
<h4>
Share Your May Day Stories</h4>
<br />
If your May Day tradition is not listed here, you can share it with us below in the comments. Feel free to share your May Day personal stories and traditions here below in the comments too. I would love to hear all about it, and I am sure others would as well. So, share. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-7086385762502530102015-01-01T22:09:00.004-05:002015-01-03T21:53:36.226-05:00Tree of Christmas Enchantment Glass Ball Ornament - An Heirloom Idea with Meaning<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
-article by melaniekaren</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JU7W3Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003JU7W3Q&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=ITUVUZ2ATBCMW3VO" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B003JU7W3Q&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click pic to see on AMAZON</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003JU7W3Q" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />I love these hanging ornamental orbs. They are hand-blown, and each is a one-of-kind amazing art piece. They are offered in different sizes ranging from 2" to 10." A combination of sizes and designs hanging together look fantastic.<br />
<br />
The 2" to 3" designs are perfect for most Christmas trees, and thus, can be used for tree ornaments. The 4" and 6" could work well on a colossal tree. I've seen a few of those colossal sized trees in a few residential homes, and wow! is all I can say.<br />
<br />
I recently gave my sister a 10" sized "Sisters" themed orb, and she loved it. It was truly huge and stunning.<br />
<br />
These orbs also look lovely hanging anywhere in your home, and they are durable for hanging outside too. I think you'd be surprised at just how durable they are.<br />
<br />
Being of hand-blown glass, they remind me of the years long ago when my sister, and I were able to pick out just one special hand-blown glass ornament for the Christmas tree.
My first pick as a Christmas ornament for the tree is one of these hand-blown glass orbs. They are amazing, and each one comes with a special meaning or positive intent.<br />
<br />
These orbs were originally intended to be outside. They are designed after witch balls that were used in 18th century England. People would hang them outside of their homes to ward off evil spirits from coming into the home. The idea was that an unwanted spirit would become mesmerized by the beauty of the orbs, thus becoming trapped.<br />
<br />
There are many to chose from for all seasons and special occasions. You may get bit by the bug and have to start collecting and gifting them as I have. :)<br />
<br />
<h4>
An Heirloom Idea with Meaning - a small personal story</h4>
<br />
For three years in a row starting when I was eleven and my sister was eight, we would go to our grandparent's cottage in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We would go twice a year off season in April and then at the end of September. It was often a hit or miss on what the weather would be like at those two times of year. I would say it was freezing cold at least half of the times. Therefore, we would gallivant around to whatever we could find to keep warm indoors during the day instead of spending long hours on the beach.<br />
<br />
One day, we traveled into the town of Manteo and found the best Christmas shop I've seen to date. The place seems endless as you make your way through a maze of multitude rooms, each with a different Christmas theme and feel. During our first time there, we decided to start a collection. Together, we would choose one hand-blown glass ornament.
We ended up only having the chance to collect two of these ornaments from Manteo, as a hurricane took the cottage, and we no longer continued to visit the Outer Banks.<br />
<br />
Years later for one Christmas, my sister and I were given one of the glass ornaments. She got the deer, and I got the porpoise. Every year upon decorating the tree, I bring out my porpoise and my thoughts linger back to those family vacations in the Outer Banks.
I like the idea of special heirloom items with meaning a lot. My little porpoise is the only heirloom piece I believe I will ever receive. My family just hasn't passed other items down as "heirlooms" or anything else for that matter for the last few generations. Anything prior was lost, or at least lost to our side of the family. So, it stops with me. I keep special treasures with meaning, and I plan to hand down each one to my son as an heirloom.
<br />
<br />
<b>Side Notes -</b> This article was originally published on Squidoo and then HubPages, two writing sites, by Melanie Wilcox (aka melaniekaren). Now, it resides here.<br />
<br />
Below are previous comments received. Readers took the time to comment. Therefore, I felt the comments should remain with the article. Please feel free to leave your own comments and thoughts below. <br />
<br />
kenneth avery from Hamilton, Alabama -
Melanie,
Oh, what sweet memories you have brought up about my childhood. Truthfully, my dad sharecropped, and mom was a homemaker. My sister married young leaving me with mom and dad. Our Christmas tree was real and due to low income, we had few ornaments, but there were three ornaments on our tree along with two strings of those huge bulbs. I would spend hours sitting in the floor admiring our tree. But the one ornament that I loved was so similar to this one.
Oh, how I loved that ornament.<br />
<br />
takkhisa -
A wonderful art piece! I guess we need this as a new decor item :) <br />
<br />
Mishael -
Those are beautiful! I love hand-blown glass. :-)<br />
<br />
noner -
Those balls are AMAZING!<br />
<br />
PaigSr - I worked at a Renascence fair one year. There was a glass blower there that made their own ornaments. Seeing your lens brought back some great memories. Thanks.<br />
<br />
RebeccaRubia -
Beautiful<br />
<br />
Craftypicks from Las Vegas -
Wow, these are truly beautiful!<br />
<br />
JoanieMRuppel54 from Keller, Texas - I love your story behind the orb.<br />
<br />
Merrci from Oregon's Southern Coast -
These are beautiful. Enjoyed reading your lens too! Very nicely done.<br />
<br />
esmonaco
esmonaco from Lakewood New York -
The ornaments are beautiful! and no I have never seen them before this. We always have our special ornaments that we've had for years to hang on our tree. Very nice story and lens. Thanks<br />
<br />
DebW07 -
Beautiful!<br />
<br />
marvins -
Wow Seriously this glass ball ornaments are great. I am sharing this lens to my friend :)
<br />
<br />
Max Globe -
Thanks you for a nice article! These hand-blown tree ornaments are really masterpieces!<br />
<br />
<h4>
Kindly Sign and Share below. </h4>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-63768632064826716012015-01-01T20:34:00.001-05:002015-01-02T19:15:56.947-05:00From Core to Cosmos - Circles Make Our World Go Round<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">-article by melaniekaren</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
Symbolism and Spirituality and the Meaning of Circles </h4>
<div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAj4fTfXSw3aaQxD1XAhWwXJhuf1VshrEQEWDNhhV_IZu9VjHmFAuD4Q_F7xjjhmgvR3hzDHOxOYa5ORRn9JIWn0dbG8zkXr9dZR-A46So7fJqe_w9TQwCYgu2WdvfbI5IDUzt8gJyMQ/s1600/quartz+sphere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAj4fTfXSw3aaQxD1XAhWwXJhuf1VshrEQEWDNhhV_IZu9VjHmFAuD4Q_F7xjjhmgvR3hzDHOxOYa5ORRn9JIWn0dbG8zkXr9dZR-A46So7fJqe_w9TQwCYgu2WdvfbI5IDUzt8gJyMQ/s1600/quartz+sphere.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren of a quartz<br />
sphere in grass -looks like a mini world</td></tr>
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<b>Circles are Everywhere</b><br />
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One cannot get very far in this life without being mesmerized or have a connected feeling to a circle. You may simply just walk outside and gaze up at the full moon to experience it.
Circles are everywhere, and they hold a lot of dear symbolism.<br />
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I am drawn to pictorial symbols all of the time, and I always have been.
While squares and cubes, pentagons and tetrahedrons, and triangles and pyramids are connected to symbolism and spirituality, in my opinion circles and spheres take the cake. From the core of all radiating out energies to the whole of the planets and galaxies, all people of all time have experienced the sacred meaning of circles.
Today, you can see the circle used for this symbolism. A popular example is the logo for the Olympics, five interconnecting circles showing the unification of countries. You may have not have thought of this, but this is the thinking behind that instantly recognizable logo.<br />
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<h4>
Circles Symbolize Unity and Wholeness </h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEgm3NbPgP3lo_INsAJKoefuULzTqlRSN0IQY8Yl6fCw-V1GhB7YnE_Q99AxiQVoLDzVyTCRqes6rk5IJ8dkAX0TZMD0nTPO70dZve1GFQAjpv73bYY_JlPnakVRoXNVsFxxLDMUfVCM/s1600/celtic+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEgm3NbPgP3lo_INsAJKoefuULzTqlRSN0IQY8Yl6fCw-V1GhB7YnE_Q99AxiQVoLDzVyTCRqes6rk5IJ8dkAX0TZMD0nTPO70dZve1GFQAjpv73bYY_JlPnakVRoXNVsFxxLDMUfVCM/s1600/celtic+cross.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren -on of my<br />
Celtic crosses -You can see a circle connecting<br />
four arms.</td></tr>
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Circles symbolize unity and wholeness. I've already given the example of the unified five circles for the Olympics logo, but there are many other examples. Intersecting circles are often used in info-graphics where the overlapping section shows a whole or a bringing together of two or more ideas or concepts.<br />
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The picture I have here is of a Celtic cross. A cross with a circle is a symbol that reaches far back into antiquity. For the ancient Celts, a cross with its four dissected parts marked the four distinct seasons of the year. With an added circle, the four distinct seasons became unified and made the whole of the year. A cross with a circle is the simplified Wheel of the Year. For people who believed that they were directly apart and in-tune with Nature, the Wheel of the Year symbol was sacred. It still is for many today.<br />
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Today, in modern times after the introduction of Christianity, the Celtic cross is still held as a sacred symbol. The circle connecting the four arms of the cross is a reminder of God's eternal love for us all. It also represents a halo, which is often shown in images of Christ.<br />
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Another example of unity and wholeness dates back to early Jewish mysticism. All of creation can be pictorially drawn using only the circle to symbolize all life. You start with the Seed of Life and work your way up to the Flower of Life by adding circles each step of the way.<br />
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We begin with a spinning 3 dimensional octahedron. It's very complex and it's complexity symbolizes the spark of life, a spark of life from a creator - something we cannot define or understand. Then we begin with the Seed of Life, a symbol of one circle. With each day of Creation, a circle is added until we reach the sixth day, The Flower of Life.
The Seed of Life to Flower of Life is really a beautiful notion, and it's one of my favorite symbolism subjects. You can see this in the diagram below. What gets really neat about it is that once you become introduced to this pattern, you'll start to see it everywhere in Nature. It's a pattern that repeats itself over and over.<br />
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<b>Creation as Depicted in Sacred Geometry Using Circles</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_2Qm7RqOxwBNaT1GUPpKVi78ob7g7ItrJIM4-6qflGDy-4Ys8PSLyIHvVGuvgdpHl3rUXrv2szRZUmFvAcdIHxfnBMN6xCEX5JWTblEP-8PqovKTOsDXm69JgjmRA-Qr41ivROaVaQs/s1600/799px-Seed_Of_Life_Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_2Qm7RqOxwBNaT1GUPpKVi78ob7g7ItrJIM4-6qflGDy-4Ys8PSLyIHvVGuvgdpHl3rUXrv2szRZUmFvAcdIHxfnBMN6xCEX5JWTblEP-8PqovKTOsDXm69JgjmRA-Qr41ivROaVaQs/s1600/799px-Seed_Of_Life_Stages.jpg" height="94" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891824171/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1891824171&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=DPJ2VVTMS63CBF6S" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1891824171&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" height="200" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
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on AMAZON</td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1891824171" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>Flower of Life Further Reading Suggestions</b><br />
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A two-volume collection beautifully written about the Flower of Life and Sacred Geometry combining spirituality and physics by author Drunvalo Melchizedek. <br />
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Shown here is the first volume. When you master it, you can get volume two. :) In volume one you embark on a journey and discovery of the Flower of Life from our ancient spiritual past and watch it connect and unfold to modern day physics.<br />
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It is a really cool book set that is highly rated and reviewed.<br />
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<h4>
Circles are Symbols of Protection and Comfort </h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q3be_Vb81j5oUPWw-lmlYrL0zc9o2AgKEU1V9CPrGBPch1DlEDIp4b2T5zZYlMWhbnIeA7jBUBDybhmwXta7rl0DauT34muaT1Q5cwZ5m2vpPqPcPjdprN7CPUUJ4sz2kY-N7E6k1ls/s1600/pentacle+plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q3be_Vb81j5oUPWw-lmlYrL0zc9o2AgKEU1V9CPrGBPch1DlEDIp4b2T5zZYlMWhbnIeA7jBUBDybhmwXta7rl0DauT34muaT1Q5cwZ5m2vpPqPcPjdprN7CPUUJ4sz2kY-N7E6k1ls/s1600/pentacle+plate.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
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Circles symbolize protection and comfort. Just think about when you're holding a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. You cup that round mug or teacup into your hands. It's a perfect fit, and it feels nice and comforting from all the warmth radiating out from the center.<br />
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Photographed here I have a pentacle. Not only is it a symbol of unifying all of the elements with spirit, but it is considered the strongest amulet of protection one could have in many ancient and modern day pagan traditions and cultures. It's a very positive caring symbol of comfort and protection. Unfortunately, however, it is an often misunderstood symbol of which I'm sure you are already aware. The five pointed star represents the four elements - earth, air, fire, and water. The top point represents mind, soul, or Gaia. A circle unifies all five points.<br />
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If you're not directly familiar with a circle of protection, you surely have read about it in books or have seen it on TV or in a movie. Circles are often created with pure intent of casting a circle in ritual practices or are drawn around a person for protection. Drawing a circle with laying salt or red brick dust are two more common examples.
Also, don't forget about that warm comforting protective hug you share with your dear ones.<br />
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<h4>
Circles Symbolize Infinity </h4>
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<b>You've heard of the Circle of Life? </b><br />
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With no end and no beginning, a circle is also a symbol of infinity. It reminds us that the cycles of life are without end. The pagan Wheel of Life and the Indian Wheel of Dharma are both examples of circles representing cycles without end.<br />
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The Circle of Life is the notion that life continues even through death. In death, there is re-birth. Depending on your religious and/or spiritual beliefs, this concept may be difficult to understand or grasp. However, it is a common concept found in all cultures.<br />
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Another example of life rising from death is the phoenix rising from the ashes.
What I have pictured here may shock you simply due to its age and rarity to find in a modern day collection. I mean one walks into my living room, and there it is hanging on the wall. I think it's a really interesting artifact to own, and I'm thrilled to have it. I'm happy to share it with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aXwefg8ngoS8_oB7YxLxdZd85UkHnMoqMskL1Z5LqOYDCikeNkIhfC190k7I8cpINzT260901OolQG-jcAtDcGGnJ3B-w1MKGPc9GDV6wM6cclAEPjaCgjfgmBxM6aflXX1EzI0bHVw/s1600/celtic+bracelet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aXwefg8ngoS8_oB7YxLxdZd85UkHnMoqMskL1Z5LqOYDCikeNkIhfC190k7I8cpINzT260901OolQG-jcAtDcGGnJ3B-w1MKGPc9GDV6wM6cclAEPjaCgjfgmBxM6aflXX1EzI0bHVw/s1600/celtic+bracelet.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren -bronze Celtic<br />
bracelet from 200-500 BC</td></tr>
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This is a bracelet from 200 to 500 B.C. Yes, B.C.!
It's a genuine authentic Celtic bronze bracelet. Over time, you can see that it has weathered and now the patina is a light mint green. It's the real thing, and it was made specifically for a deceased person to wear in burial. The bracelet would ensure the wearer would have something of value to help them in his or her next life.<br />
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I have to say that there is one down side to having this though. I cannot help but think that it was taken from a grave, as, unfortunately, so many ancient antiquities are. It was given to me as a gift, and I appreciate it and respect it greatly.<br />
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<b>A Closer Look at My Celtic Bronze Bracelet </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1WVnFQ9PW2ci7jqMvL59OGO9ujbRgBTqk7GIxvOZ9lxW996zhrqBYDPNJuqTMsnowKwjkuIla_SPVNKKpaLt89T2K-Tb05PdGbxo7ILJNr0KPxrtzNxAbUeCXi1iX7C_wII4deZvXMg/s1600/celtic+bracelet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1WVnFQ9PW2ci7jqMvL59OGO9ujbRgBTqk7GIxvOZ9lxW996zhrqBYDPNJuqTMsnowKwjkuIla_SPVNKKpaLt89T2K-Tb05PdGbxo7ILJNr0KPxrtzNxAbUeCXi1iX7C_wII4deZvXMg/s1600/celtic+bracelet+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image credit - photo by melaniekaren</td></tr>
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Here is another photo of my Celtic bronze bracelet. It is under glass and has a picture underneath of an archaeological dig. If you look closely, you can see one of these bracelets on the wrist of the skeleton.<br />
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<b>Side Notes -</b> This article was originally published on two writing sites, Squidoo and then HubPages by Melanie Wilcox, aka melaniekaren. On Squidoo it won an accolade. Squidoo members were asked to participate in a quest for fun. The topic was "circles." One could write about anything as long as it had to do with a circle (hula hoops, cakes, etc.). This article was featured and selected to receive an award. Now, the article rests permanently here. Below are comments that were received on Squidoo. People took the time to share. So, I thought it was appropriate that the comments stayed with the article.<br />
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ecogranny from San Francisco - I don't know if it's because I'm enjoying a hot cup of tea as I read this, or because the circle has such deep meaning for all of us, but reading this page has been as comforting and refreshing as a meditation. I'm especially drawn to the seed-of-life to flower-of-life images as well as to the series in "Creation as Depicted in Sacred Geometry Using Circles," both of which remind me distinctly of molecules, and appropriately so, wouldn't you say?
Thank you. I am about to fix a quick, light supper for us, and I know this calm will remain with me as I work. Blessed be.<br />
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DebMartin -
Your bracelet is beautiful, Melanie. My favorite circles are the ones made by the water droplets off my canoe paddle in the lake on a very calm day.<br />
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SteveKaye from Placentia, CA, - I thought our Universe was all a matter of dots. If we assume that dots are round, then here we are, in a world of circles where we can put whatever we want inside the circles.
Deny
Status:<br />
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hmommers - One of the themes in my ceramics is spheres. I love circles and round forms!<br />
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<b>Please kindly share your thoughts below.</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7931666111396724828.post-11752167215151994722015-01-01T12:13:00.001-05:002015-02-04T15:03:10.565-05:00Music of Trees - What Tree Rings Sound Like - It's Eerily Beautiful!<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">-article by melaniekaren</span></h4>
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<h4>
Tree Rings Played as a Record on a Turntable (and Birds on the Wires)</h4>
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This is incredible. Thank you Bartholomäus Traubeck for being creative, curious and taking the time to do this. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LEeXYLpvR0Wj-RRgyzuyVbrXAmtiBwBdN3eX6oEP_0075PcJf6ny3q_7EqsKAt18s75h_bMucTOb9EVJduTQDj4SRW5tyUt5xnx0QvZSW4RY5JKzw5V1yWPq7EYHE6gXtf75eKE_Qxs/s1600/tree+rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LEeXYLpvR0Wj-RRgyzuyVbrXAmtiBwBdN3eX6oEP_0075PcJf6ny3q_7EqsKAt18s75h_bMucTOb9EVJduTQDj4SRW5tyUt5xnx0QvZSW4RY5JKzw5V1yWPq7EYHE6gXtf75eKE_Qxs/s1600/tree+rings.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/en/wood-annual-rings-tree-log-strains-178223/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">image credit</a> - tree rings</td></tr>
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We all know that tree rings can give us a lot of information about the tree itself as well as environmental factors of old and new, plus each ring represents a year of growth. Botanist have been studying tree rings for a long time. <br />
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Mr. Traubeck came up with a wonderful, creative idea. He got curious and wanted to how tree rings would sound. Surely, a cross- section slice could play as a record on a turntable if adjustments were made. It did. <br />
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Without further ado, here is the music of a tree. Enjoy! :)</h3>
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What you are listening to is the end result of feeding tree ring sounds played on a turntable into a computer. The "needle" is designed to pick up information from the rings, such as texture and color. The needle is a sensor and not a literal needle scratching into wood. Music notes are assigned as algorithms to the various ring variations. The piano notes you hear are the result, and it's quite nice!<br />
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Bartholomäus Traubeck released an album titled "Years." On the album, he features the<br />
sounds of beech trees, walnut trees, maple trees, oak trees and others.<br />
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You can learn more about the process and find out how to get your own copy of "Years" at Bartholomäus Traubeck's website at <a href="http://traubeck.com/">traubeck.com</a>. If you enjoyed the sounds of tree rings, then you are sure to love this next one too! I cannot help but share it, as it is also one of my absolute favorites. <br />
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Birds on the Wires</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HJIIQU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007HJIIQU&linkCode=as2&tag=melaonhubp-20&linkId=ZSKD535F6YPO6OOE" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B007HJIIQU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=melaonhubp-20" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click photo to see on AMAZON<br />
and download <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">for free! </span></td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melaonhubp-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007HJIIQU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Musician Jarbas Agnelli happened to notice one day that the birds perched on electric wires looked similar to musical notes. So, he decided to play it. He wrote a full composition. It sounds amazingly beautiful.<br />
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Below is a sampling of his masterpiece. Enjoy (and I dare you not to watch it more than once, twice,.... I always find myself coming back to this one. -pure beauty.) <br />
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The Birds on the Wires single is available for free on Amazon if you have "prime," or 99 cents otherwise. You may learn more about at his website on About.me <a href="http://jarbasagnelli.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01079593572461331697noreply@blogger.com0