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Happy Holidays!

A blanket of snow has settled over our area. Today everything is clean, fresh and pure. May we hold that feeling in our hearts as we enjoy the holiday season with loved ones.

Namaste

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Brigid’s House Open House – Mark your Calendars!

Our open house events are always favorites. This year promises to be no exception…sales prices, extra discounts, your favorite readers and more. Mark your calendars and we will see you then.

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Full Moon Facts

The sky at night: 50 things you never knew about the full moon

So it’s not just a matter of superstition. According to a police study, the lunar event coincides with an increase in hooliganism. Jonathan Brown and Rebecca Bowle shed some light on the celestial phenomenon

1 The full moon is a lunar phase occurring when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun and all three bodies are aligned in a straight line. Viewed from earth, the near side of the moon is fully illuminated by the sun giving it the familiar circular appearance.

2 It is only during a full moon that the dark side of the moon – the hemisphere on the opposite side to the sun – is completely dark.

3 Lunar eclipses – caused by the passage of the earth’s shadow across the illuminated hemisphere – only occur during a full moon. However, because of the angle of tilt of both bodies the moon normally passes either north or south of the earth’s shadow.

4 The chances of being bitten by a dog are twice as high during a full moon, according to a study at Bradford Royal Infirmary, which reviewed 1,621 cases of dog bite between 1997 and 1999. However, a study at the University of Sydney in Australia concluded there was no identifiable relationship between the state of the moon and dog bites.

5 Gervaise of Tilbury, a 13th-century canon lawyer, was the first to link the full moon with the transformation into a werewolf. Writing in his Otia Imperialia he reports cases in the Auvergne, below. The philosopher Gottfried Leibniz described the popular work as a “bagful of foolish old woman’s tales”.

6 The full moon occurs every 29.5 days – the duration of one complete lunar cycle.

7 The female menstrual cycle has long been linked to the full phase of the moon. One theory is that prehistoric men were more likely to go hunting during their womenfolk’s period because of taboos associated with blood. The most profitable time to hunt was during the full moon and the best way to convince the men to return with food was with the prospect of sex.

8 Neo-pagans, including followers of Wicca, hold a monthly ritual based around the full moon called an Esbat. The term has been linked to the writings of the controversial anthropologist Margaret Murray.

9 The second full moon occurring within a calendar month is called a Blue Moon. The latest was seen on 31st May 2007. Far from being a rare event this phenomenon occurs once every three years on average.

10 “Blue Moon”, which was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, became a standard ballad and was recorded by singers such as Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan. The most famous version was recorded by the doo-wapp band the Marcels, above, in 1961, selling more than one million copies.

11 The world’s tidal ranges are at their maximum during the full moon when the sun, earth and moon are in line. Sailors know the effect as the spring tide – a reference to the leap in the water level rather than the season of the year.

12 The only month that can occur without a full moon is February.

13 Farmers refer to the harvest moon, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which normally occurs in September. It is also called the elk calling moon or the wine moon.

14 A full Moon is considered unlucky if it occurs on a Sunday but lucky on Monday or moon day

15 According to superstition a male child is more likely to be conceived at full moon.

16 In October 1939 in Springfield, Missouri, the full moon appeared to fall from the sky. The event was reported in the local newspaper but was later revealed to be a plunging weather balloon.

17 The Gregorian calendar dates Easter as the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon – the first to occur after the vernal equinox. It is also known as the egg moon.

18 The Chinese Lantern Festival, dating back to the Han dynasty, is staged on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month after the new year. Chinese communities celebrate across the world by lighting lanterns and feasting on glutinous rice.

19 The Lunar Society, which included Erasmus Darwin, James Watt and Josiah Wedgewood, took its name from the practice of holding monthly meetings on the Monday nearest to the full moon. Members referred to themselves as the Lunatics.

20 A three-month psychological study of 1,200 inmates at Armley jail in Leeds in 1998 showed a rise in violent incidents in the days either side of a full moon.

21 Scientists have long battled to explain the “moon illusion” – whereby the full moon appears to be larger the closer it is to the horizon. The phenomenon is understood to be caused by human perception rather than the magnifying effect of the earth’s atmosphere.

22 Timber harvests in South America and South-east Asia are avoided during the full moon because it causes the sap to rise in trees, which in turn attracts deathwatch beetles which can devastate crops.

23 Thousands of revellers gather each month on the beach at Koh Phangan in Thailand, below, to celebrate the full moon and dance the night away.

24 The native American Algonquin tribes in New England give each full moon of the year a name such as the beaver moon, the sturgeon moon and the strawberry moon.

25 The next full moon will occur on 30 June 2007.

26 The full moon may appear round, but is actually shaped like an egg with the pointed end facing earth.

27 The dark spots on the full moon that create the nursery-rhyme man in the moon image are actually basins filled up to five miles deep with basalt, a dense mineral. Other facial features are actually “seas” of frozen lava and sharp, rugged mountains.

28 In China, the dark shadows forming the man in the full moon are seen as a toad. The toad is considered one of the five poisons of yin. It is believed that eclipses occur when the toad in the full moon tries to swallow the moon itself.

29 The Moonlight Sonata, by Ludwig von Beethoven, left, is probably the most widely recognised classical work associated with the full moon. The name comes not from the composer but from a critic who compared the piece to the effect of moonlight on Lake Lucerne.

30 The innuit of Greenland believe the full moon is a hungry god, Anningan, who is intent on eating his sister, the sun goddess, Malina. Their cat-and-mouse sibling chase follows the cycle of the day, with Malina rising as Anningan sets and the cycle of the moon, with the chase waning when the moon is full.

31 The RAF used the moon to launch its first successful attack on a German city when planes attacked Lubeck in 1942.

32 Wesak, the most important of the Buddhist festivals, left, is celebrated on the full moon in May. It celebrates the Buddha’s birthday and, for some Buddhists, also marks his birth and death.

33 The full moon is the brightest object in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude of -12.6 compared with the Sun’s of -26.8.

34 The Slovakian psychiatrist Eugen Jonas created a method of birth control and fertility based on the full moon.

35 An analysis of the birthdays of 4,256 babies born in a clinic in France found no relationship between the full moon and fertility.

36 A study by Tübingen University, Germany, claimed that police reports for 50 new and full moon cycles showed that the moon is responsible for binge drinking.

37 A telescopic drawing of the full moon by the English mathematician Thomas Harriot, right, from early August 1609, is the first on record and preceded the Italian physicist Galileo’s study by several months.

38 Renaissance artists traditionally depicted the moon as a crescent rather than in its full phase.

39 The full moon is said to be at perigee when it is full at the same moment its orbit brings it closest to the earth. However, the moon appears imperceptibly brighter at this time.

40 The Great Moon Hoax of 1835, above, was perpetrated by Richard Adams Locke for the New York Sun. His story claimed that the eminent scientist Sir John Hershel had spotted furry winged men resembling bats on the surface of a full moon.

41 The full moon is at its highest altitude from the Earth during the winter seaaon.

42 Some insomnia sufferers claim to sleep worse during a full moon; although others say they sleep more soundly.

43 It is a common misperception that the first Apollo landing occurred during a full moon. This did not occur until more than a week later.

44 The moon is 10 times brighter when it is full than when it is in a quarter phase.

45 Pagans believe the most mystical time at Stonehenge is when the full moon wanes leaving the earth to be reunited with her lover, the sun at dawn.

46 The honeymoon is named after the full moon in June. As it fell between the planting and harvesting of crops this was traditionally the best month to get married.

47 The oldest lunar calendar, showing the full moon was discovered in caves at Lascaux in France. It dates back 15,000 years and marks the phases of the moon, with a series of dots depicting the days in the cycle.

48 In 2001, the first test match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe had to be postponed by one day due to new Siri Lankan government rule, which bans playing sport on a full moon.

49 The Californian grunion only spawns on the three or four nights after the highest tide associated with each full moon. The fish come ashore to lay their eggs.

50 In a study of 1,000 tonsillectomy operations, 82 per cent of post-operative bleeding crises occurred nearer the full moon than the new moon, according to the Journal of the Florida Medical Association.

http://www.independent.co.uk

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The Brownies Among Us

The Brownies Among Us by Anne MacGregor

The north winds are coming and there are Brownies that would like it very much if you were to invite them into your household before the snow flies. As with most spirit beings, interacting with a Brownie is both complicated and simple at the same time. Brownies are often called the Nis, Kobold, Shellycoats or Goblin, depending on the part of northern and western Europe they live. (There are also the Asian cousins, but that is another story.)

Before you invite a Brownie to live with your household, make certain you know how to care for and and behave around a Brownie. First to find a Brownie. In this country, Brownies often live in the hollows at the bases of old trees in cemeteries. When our ancestor immigrants came to this country, the household Brownies boarded the coffin ships with them to sail to their new homes. Unfortunately, in many cases the descendants of the immigrant families forgot about their family spirits, and the brownies were left to wander, or they moved into the hollows of cemetery trees to be near the dead of their adopted families. If you know of an old cemetery, often times referred to an an ‘immigrant’ cemetery, find the oldest part in the cemetery and then find the oldest trees. The open hollows at their bases are many times the Brownie doorways. If anything has collected around the base of the tree – from trash to old leaves, this is often a good clue to a Brownie’s presence, as they like to collet all sorts of stuff. Sit by the tree and very casually, talk out loud about how you would like a Brownie in your household. Describe your house, your household members, any pets you have. Tell them about your kitchen and garden if you have one. Most importantly, talk about the problems you are having with your garden, your house plumbing, cooking, car, computer, or other such things that are happening. Don’t whine about it, just relate the problems. Remember, make it seem as though you are just ‘talking out loud’ and not to them in particular. A very important thing to remember, DO NOT ASK a Brownie to come home with you. No Brownie will take your offer. In fact, they will be quite offend. Another place to look is an old, ruined, abandoned house.

Brownies have rules. So should you come upon such a spirit, and are willing to ‘play by the rules’, the presence of a Brownie in your home is delightful, But be warned, attempt to change the rules, and the Brownie will probably disappear.

As a personage, Brownies are a small and wrinkled. They are often covered with short curly, brownish-red hair. They are both male and female. They wear a brown mantel with hood. Brownies are quit industrious. They will work the land, the garden, household work and work with the domestic animals. Do not ever attempt to bargain, pay, or heaven forbid, bribe a Brownie. If you wish to offer recompense for work done, do so in a genteel, delicate and secret way. Offer a piece of bread, a cup of drink, a new piece of clothing and the Brownie in turn will reject it with a sniff and much stomping of feet as they leave your home. Instead, casually leave a bowl of cream, or fresh honeycomb in a private corner, as if random, and alongside, casually leave the new coat, or coin bag as though you had forgotten it, or it is of no consequence. The Brownie will, in the darkest of night, abscond with the cream and honey, and new new coat or coin bag, and nothing more be said between you and Brownie.

On old rhyme from Scotland is a good reminder:

Gie Brownie coat, gie Brownie sark’
Ye’s get nae mair o’Brownie’s wark.

Brownies prefer to be invisible and only rarely show themselves to the mistress or master of a house. Never attempt to trap a Brownie, nor attempt by any means to make him or her visible to you. This will guarantee no Brownie help will ever come your way.

Be nice, be generous, though no obviously so. Invite them in, by making an inviting home. Talk with them, but expect no reply. You must not mind sounding as though you speak only with your self. Offer no payment or bribe, but leave casually strewn about things they may like. Remember Brownies can have roughish ways about them, and do not take offense. By all means, never have them baptized; shudder the thought of the repercussions you may experience.

So forewarned, good luck!

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IMAGINE…by Jeanne Troge

Imagine shamans from different cultures all over the world, coming together to share and learn from one another. Imagine the coming together of the Eagle of the north, and the Condor of the South, fulfilling ancient prophecy. Imagine a gathering where you are recognized by each person there as a beautiful child of the universe with gifts to share. Imagine drumming into the night, dancing around the fire, under a full moon sky, a multitude of drum beats coming together in unison, creating a heartbeat. Imagine participating in ceremony and ritual that honors the earth and one another. Imagine living in community where hugs and smiles and light shining in each other’s eyes greet you along with helping hands. Imagine being in community where no words are needed, connecting heart to heart, communicating heart to heart. Imagine discussions deep into the night on healing, caring for the earth, living joyfully, and teaching the children.

This was my experience at the Midwest Shamanic Gathering and so much more. There are no words to describe the experience fully. All I can say is that everyone should attend. It is held yearly over labor day weekend. Mark your calendars now!

May your day be filled with heartfelt joy in communion with nature,
Jeanne

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Clothes, New Additions and MORE!

Brigid’s House has expanded! With the amazing response we have had to our new clothing lines…we realized we were bursting at the seams and had to get bigger. So, we closed in the front porch, turned it into our Brigid’s House library and made the back room the Clothing Area.

Please stop by and see, we have bedazzled tops, recycled wool jackets and tops, glitter galore, pus we have Plus Sizes. And we have been told the prices just cannot be believed.

See you soon!

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The Houses…Astrology by Anne Morgan

THE HOUSES

Practical Astrology for an Imperfect World 1.10 by Anne Morgan

Houses 1 through 6 (the bottom hemisphere) are your exports—what you are offering.
Houses 7 through 12 (the upper hemisphere) represent your imports—what you are seeking.

Like countries, people trade and exchange for what they want or need. Ideally, barters take place easily, with each party recognizing and supplying the needs of the other.

In reality, this is not the case. Exchange of resources creates risk. One party may decide that trading is too dangerous. The United States, for example, would not want to trade nuclear secrets with Iran, for doing so would be dangerous for us and our allies. Legal contracts, be they national treaties or marriages, imply that the two parties expect to be stronger, safer, happier when joined.

Another danger inherent in formal exchange is over-closeness and dependence. Loss of autonomy. No entity wants to admit it is weak or incomplete. Normally, a contract specifies the conditions and terms under which the parties will do business. Each side agrees to offer the other certain of his resources. As long as both parties abide by the agreement, things remain pleasant. Both parties know, whether it is spelled out or not, that default means all bets are off, and the arrangement ceases as normal. Countries go to war when one side takes by force what it has been unable to get in trade.

Now, this business-like approach to human relations may seem a bit crass, but we make social contracts with friends, lovers, children, and neighbors. In marriage, each party agrees to be faithful exclusively to the other and to share resources, until death do them part. The penalty for breach of contract is divorce, the splitting and separating of resources. One or both parties has decided that continuing the relationship is more painful than continuing it. Making the marriage bargain cost them, and terminating it costs some more.

A few bad bargains, early in life, usually ending painfully, will sometimes lead a person to decide to never enter into the same sort of bargain. A rejected marriage proposal may lead one to vow to never risk proposing gain. It may lead the rejected party to withdraw and become a spinster, or it may lead one to become cavalier, dating but never again committing.

Successful bargains, on the other hand, enhance our self-esteem. We choose a good marriage partner. Our partnership is beneficial. We take pride in our family, our joint incomes, our lives together.

Are you a natural bargainer? Or have you learned to bargain after some bad experiences?

Astrology can help. Love is represented by the 5th House. The 5th house represents the love you offer. The 11th House describes the love you seek.

We all need and seek love. To get the love we seek, however, we must be willing to offer love in return. Some people require more love than others. They place a greater value on love than other commodities. Other people have a lot of love to give to others.

The more planets in a house, the greater the emphasis—and thus the greater need—perceived by the person. With several planets in the 11th House, for example, the person feels a stronger need for the love of others than a person with no planets in the 11th House.

How the person with multiple planets in the 11th house goes about getting the love he or she needs can be described by the planets inhabiting the 11th house. Mars, for example, in the 11th House would make the person aggressive in pursuing love. Venus would make the person able to wait for it. Neptune in the 11th would view love as something spiritual and idealistic. Saturn would harbor fears that would have to be overcome before he’d allow others to love him.

Look at your 5th and 11th houses. Are there planets in these houses? Think about assets like love, children, vacations, hobbies, what you think of as the ‘good life.’ What brings you enjoyment and happiness? What are your romantic desires and needs?

The 5th-11th House bargain is “Love me and I will love you.” What do you want fromm others regarding love? What do you have to offer? (If your self-image is healthy and in balance, your list of what you have to offer will be longer than your list of wants.)

To be continued…

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The Duluth Expo was Great!

We were honored to have been the official book store for The Edge Expo. It was the first expo presented by The Edge Expos in Duluth and the turnout was wonderful. Next year the expo will be in September and we expect even bigger crowds. Thank you to all the familiar faces who stopped by and welcome to all the new ones. Your support means the world to us!

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The Subjective Houses

Practical Astrology for an Imperfect World. 1.13

The lower hemisphere of a chart, Houses 1 through 6, are the subjective Houses. They represent matters that are personally oriented. Using Robert Jansky’s methodology, they represent what we have to offer (export) to trade for what we want or seek or need. The more planets in a house, the greater the emphasis—and thus the greater the need—perceived by the individual.

The 2nd and 8th houses are the pair of houses that reveal an individual’s need for possessions and the physical sharing of herself with another person. Money is often the commodity that is being exchanged. The bargain? I’ll offer you some asset I possess in exchange for some asset you possess.

These houses also relate to sex. We all have a physical body. This physical asset can be given, bartered, or withheld to get what we need from others. This does not mean that we all prostitute ourselves, but you probably have heard of someone who used sex to get a promotion (more income). People engage in sexual acts hoping their partner will value them, and come to love and support them.

We are attracted to partners whom we believe are capable of providing us with (or helping us get) what we think we need or want.

The 2nd house describes your values, your attitude toward money and possessions, your capacity to earn money—and what you do when you have (or don’t have) it. The sign ruling the 2nd house cusp, and planets in the 2nd house, explain how you give and receive.

The 8th house describes your 7th house partners’ resources. It describes how you handle these resources, and what you are willing or able to do to get them. It reveals if you are likely to receive an inheritance, which brings in the subject of wills, which stem from the matter of death.

Aries ruling the 2nd house indicates you go and get the possessions you want. Single Aries’ 2nd people should pay cash, for they may not naturally have the patience to pay off a credit card or loan. But bring in a Libra partner, and this partner will have to agree to back up the spur-of-the-moment, I-need-this-right-now purchases that Aries makes—in exchange for a partner who makes a decision, rather than endlessly debating the options of couch colors.

Taurus ruling the 2nd House describes an individual who clings to his or her possessions. He is a stable, stick-to-the-job person. Scorpio on the 2nd house cusp means the native prefers to be secretive about his or her income. He manages finances and budgets, and will probably put every penny he inherits towards joint finances; he handles the details internally and may resent a partner’s need to discuss matters.

Gemini ruling the 2nd also means Sagittarius rules the 8th. This person talks about money, writes the checks, and delivers payments. His Sagittarian partner is happy to have these day-to-day necessities done so he can work behind the scenes, focus on deeper issues, and think long-term. Reverse significance for a Sagittarius on the 2nd chart.

Cancer ruling the 2nd House describes a person who values emotional security over material needs. She embraces her partner’s emotional needs, and trades this for the structural security offered by a Capricorn (her 8th house). A Capricorn on the 2nd person would trade his or her organizational skills in finances, possessions and self-worth for an emotionally focused Cancer. Now, the partner could be an emotional dependent, which could lead to an unhealthy relationship. Or the Cancer could be emotionally supportive and aid the strong, tough Capricorn to be in touch with his feelings.

Leo on the 2nd values his possessions and money. He attracts partners who have strong Aquarian natures, for these people are not threatened by Leo’s ego. They can be equally strong minded. Aquarius on the 2nd House indicates a person who shares what he has—as long as those he shares with defer to his vision.

Virgo ruling the 2nd House signifies a person who knows how to shop. He discerns value and hype, and manages his assets to care for those he loves. Pisces in the 8th may be needy and vulnerable, or bring home those who are needy and vulnerable—stray animals or foster children, for example. Pisces on the 2nd can be swayed by circumstance, and seeks a partner who can attend to the details of daily living.

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