Quoteworthy

"You can always tell gifted and highly intelligent people as they always turn to the past. Any young person who knows anything that happened before 1980, or 1990, or 2000 for that matter, is immediately someone who is intelligent, probably creative, maybe a writer. Nobody who is drawn to the past and learning about the past is not gifted."
-Mike Nichols 1931-2014












Now Playing: "All The Days" by HAERTS

Quoteworthy

"We know little of the things for which we pray."
-Geoffrey Chaucer 1343-1400











Now Playing: "The Letter" by The Box Tops

Go Deep: Who Do You Think You Are? J.K. Rowling

Because of my red hair, green eyes and fair skin, I often get told by strangers that I must be 100% Irish. When people ask what my nationalities are, I never have a confident answer. While there is definitely Irish on my Mother's side of the family, my Father's side is a bit of a mystery. There's some Italian on the family tree but the rest of the branches are up for debate. With the exception of my Mom's proud to be Irish stance, my parents don't really talk about their ancestry. This has lead me to be quite fascinated by genealogy. Because of this fact (in addition to my curiosity and love of history), the show Who Do You Think You Are? is one of my favorites. Someday in the near future, I fully intend to delve deeper into my family tree and turn over some new leafs.

Now Playing: "Darkness" by Du Tonc

ever thine ever mine ever ours

Good morning, on July 7 

Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved. 

ever thine 

ever mine 

ever ours

-Ludwig van Beethoven, Third Letter, Immortal Beloved










Now Playing: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven

Happy Presidents Day

Just a few shots of the Presidents of my lifetime thus far; a handsome Ronald Reagan, a fatherly George H.W. Bush with son George W. & family, a sax-toting Bill Clinton (this one made me laugh!) and a pensive Barack Obama.

“Being President is like being the groundskeeper in a cemetery: there are a lot of people under you, but none of them are listening.” 
-Bill Clinton













Now Playing: "American" by Lana Del Rey

The Times New Tarot: HIGH PRIESTESS

 

The card that I drew for today was the HIGH PRIESTESS: A pure, exalted and gracious influence. Education, knowledge, wisdom, and esoteric teachings. The forces of nature. Intuition, foresight, and spiritual revelation of the most mysterious and arcane sort.

via aecletic:

Basic Tarot Story
Continuing his journey, the Fool comes upon a beautiful and mysterious veiled lady enthroned between two pillars and illuminated by the moon. She is the opposite of the Magician, quiet where he was loquacious, still where he was in motion, sitting while he stood, shrouded in the night where he was out in the bright of day. Sensing that she is a great seer, the Fool lays out his sword, chalice, staff and pentacle before her. "The Magician showed me these, but now I'm in a quandary. There are so many things I could do with them. I can't decide."

The High Priestess doesn't speak. Instead she hands him a pair of ancient scrolls. Seating himself at her feet, the Fool puts his decision-making on hold and reads by the light of her crescent moon.

"I did not know any of this," says the Fool. The scrolls, like a secret manual, have given him insight into his new tools. "This information helps me to narrow things down, but I'm still afraid of making a wrong decision."
The words come to him then, not from without but from within: "What do your instincts tell you?" The Fool reflects on that, and that's when he knows what he should do. Decision made, he rises to leave even though he suspects that the High Priestess has more secrets she could reveal to him--like what lies behind the pomegranate curtain. Right now, however, he is focused and ready to be on his way.

Thanking the High Priestess, he heads off. But as he leaves he hears that inner voice, rising like the waters which spring and flow from beneath her throne: "We'll meet again...when you're ready to travel the most secret path of all."

Basic Tarot Meaning
Once you have an idea, you also have decisions to make. The High Priestess holds scrolls of arcane information in her arms. In addition, the moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see about a job possibility, an investment, love, career, family, etc. But you need some alone time, some quiet time to meditate and reflect.

This is what the card is all about. Seated between two pillars as between two choices, the High Priestess is not about making a decision so much as holding decision-making at bay while you take time to listen to your inner voice. She wants you to gain knowledge before you act: instinctual knowledge, supernatural knowledge, secret knowledge, self-knowledge.

The High Priestess, however, goes beyond even that for those who seek more. Behind her throne is the curtain that leads to the deepest, most esoteric knowledge; the pomegranates that decorate it remind us of Persephone, who was taken down into the land of the dead, ate its fruit and became the only goddess allowed to travel to and from that strange land. The High Priestess is our guide to all that is mysterious and mystical.





Now Playing: "Weekend Wars" by MGMT

Leftovers

Since I'm a lefty, I've always appreciated this little saying. It's actually true; ask a neurologist. I find the way our brains work to be fascinating. Psychology was one of the things I was most interested in studying. My friends and family tell me that I would have made an excellent therapist but I like to listen for free :)

For the most part, being a lefty is nice. It makes me feel a little bit more unique but there are definitely some drawbacks. In school, there were only so many "left-handed seats" (on the ends)... not always convenient when you're interested in getting to know the good-looking guy in the middle of the room. Maybe that's why I only met a few guys during class? Being left-handed can also get annoying when you're writing or drawing as your hand tends to glide over what you have just written/created. Not nice for wet ink or paint. It can also get a bit dangerous in a world where everything is designed for righties. Learning to use a mouse (right side) was a disaster for me. Scissors?!

Some facts about lefties:

About 10% of the general population is left-handed

Males are twice as likely to be left-handed than females

Over the course of history, many left-handed pupils were forced to learn to use their right hands

Of the most recent U.S. Presidents, an astounding 4 have been left-handed (Obama, Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Reagan)

Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain & Jimi Hendrix all played their guitars with their left hands

Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt and Michelangelo's famous brush strokes came from their left hands

H.G. Wells, Lewis Carroll and Mark Twain each penned their works with their left hands

4 of the 5 designers of the original Macintosh computer were left-handed

Studies show that individuals with extremely high and conversely low IQs are more likely to be left-handed

Because the right side of the brain controls creativity, many left-handed individuals retreat to professions such as writing, art, music or theater

International Left Handers Day is August 13th... I'll be celebrating with the help of this. Any excuse ;)






Now Playing: "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star