Lunation

The first one's inadvertently awesome because of Antonio's shirt. It looks like a slavering wolf's behind me!
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I thought these turned out cool. The first is Cartoonized, the second is Color Splashed, and the third is Blueprinted:
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Wearing Shewolf's scarf from Bahrain:
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Various moods:
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Erik, me, Antonio, and Jay (LJ user ndn_2spirit_den, the other half of "the boys"):
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Antonio, Erik, and I feelin' the love:
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As we pressed on through the softly falling snow, we noticed many Red-tailed Hawks all around us. None of the pictures came out very well due to the multitude of tree branches camouflaging them. The poor camera would focus on the foliage, and not the fowl. D'oh! Farther along, we spied what had to be two enormous birds in a tree in the distance. We moved forward as cautiously as possible to keep from spooking the birds. One did fly off to an adjacent tree--we couldn't tell if it was a Red-tailed or a Cooper's Hawk. The other bird, to our excitement, was a Bald Eagle! We weren't able to get very close to take pictures, as the area was private property and fenced off. Still, it was a neat surprise:
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A jarring patch of color:
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Seed pods:
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We had to photograph the amount of mud that caked my wheels for posterity's sake:
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A few weeks ago bloody-disgusting.com brought news of a Norwegian horror film arriving later in 2012 that will tell the tale of the "huldra". Aleksander Nordaas' Thale follows a creepy chick with a cow's tale that appears normal from the front, but will appear "hollowed out" from behind (like a tree trunk).

Here's what Wiki says about the lore: "In some traditions, the huldra lures men into the forest to have sexual intercourse with her, rewarding those who satisfy her and often killing those who do not. The Norwegian huldra is a lot less bloodthirsty and may simply kidnap a man or lure him into the underworld. She sometimes steals human infants and replaces them with her own ugly huldrebarn (changeling huldre children). In some cases, the intercourse resulted in a child, being presented to the unknowing father. In some cases, she forces him to marry her."

I can't wait to see this!! >:-D

I first mentioned this film here on November 3rd, 2010. Then I received a FEARnet email about the movie today, along with its trailer. This looks freakin' fantastic! >:-D

Allow me to wax a bit on the recent past, since 2011 is officially winding down.

Just before Halloween I came dizzyingly close to a rather expensive impulse buy. Every year before Halloween the boys and I haunt a local year-round party store called FUN Services. It's a huge building built to look like a castle constructed of gray stones. Great fiberglass dragon sculptures grace the rooftops and one perches near the parking lot. This year they were sporting a new Halloween prop for sale, a werewolf dubbed "Heavy Metal Wolf". It stood perhaps 6 ft. tall, and seemed nicely made at first glance: Digitigrade, fur hand applied, glass eyes, lots of attention given to make the muzzle, teeth, feet, and hands appear real. The sunglasses were a cheesy addition, as was the flimsy rubber mat cut into a guitar shape it brandished. It was on sale for $295. If the gut was padded, I might've snapped and picked it up. As it was, though, it was gaunt for lack of pillows to stuff it's torso with. It would have been impressive fully done up; it's a shame the store faculty didn't present it better. If< it's there again next year, I'm going to inspect it closer and ask the workers about it. If I'm satisfied with the structural integrity of the beast, I'll ask if they'll sell it to me without the sunglasses and the chintzy "guitar".

And now for the titters... well, alright, the full-on guffaws. But first, a caveat: I am not a prolific writer, nor do I send submissions to every venue in existence. I try to admire those who are and do regardless of talent or skill, because at least they're pursuing a dream and trying. To sum it up, it's not my place to poo poo a publishing house, or to chuckle at the glaring lack of proof-reading or editorial skills of the contributors in a given anthology from said publishing company. Remember, here I am, pushing 40, disabled as f-ck and living with my parents--I.E., a sad lonely old nerd that hasn't been published in ages. *Laughs*
That said, let me also state that my tittering is actually good-natured, and I mean the publishing house and its contributors no ill will. They serve an audience and seem to be thriving, so good on them.

Ack, 'tis bedtime. Will finish this on Sunday. Yee-hah!

Be sure to clicky da link: http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/27679

Wow, each of these has my curiosity piqued.

I used to be a member of the bloody disgusting site. Technically I still am, as ferine. Due to the overwhelmingly juvenile comments from the most frequent posters, I haven't logged in for months. I continue to peruse their newsfeed, however. It often has decent information and links.

(all lyrics written 1992 by Jacob Williamson)

I'm Dreaming of a White Werewolf
(Sung to the tune of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas")

The Pack's arriving, the moon is high,
The Alpha male's come to play,
but why do I have to stay
With ebony, tan or grey?
Though many fine wolves are near,
There's but one werewolf I want here...

I'm dreaming of a white werewolf,
Just like the one I used to know--
With fur, soft and pale,
A proud, noble tail,
And eyes with a strange blue glow...

I'm dreaming of a white werewolf,
With every passing full moon night.
Though the pack hierarchy is tight,
May the pelt of the next lone wolf
Be white.


Lobo, The Werewolf
(Sung to the tune of "Frosty, the Snowman")

Lobo, the werewolf, was a rabid soul, of late--
With blood-stained paws, and foam-flecked jaws,
And two eyes that burned with hate.
Lobo, the werewolf, was an old wive's tale, they said--
But the children knew, as did those two
Who would later turn up dead.
Their final hope might have lain in
That silver chain they found...
But those two schmucks put it round his neck,
Then their heads rolled on the ground.
Oh, Lobo, the werewolf, felt a pain of a high grade,
But he couldn't grasp that silver clasp--
It was lodged behind his shoulder blade.
He rampaged through the sleepy town,
Mauling shop after shop, And he only paused a moment to
Dismember a traffic cop.
Oh, Lobo, the werewolf, could have crushed the town that day--
But the townfolk hired a masked guy from
The Lone Ranger one-act play.
Oh, Thump.
(That's it, really. Once the protagonist hits the ground with a thump, you can't go much further, from a poetry point-of-view, can you?)

God Rest ye Merry, Lycanthropes
Sung to the tune of "God rest ye Merry, Gentlemen")

God rest ye merry, lycanthropes
Let nothing bother you--
Remember that the wolvesbane all
Died out in '42.
The werewolf hunter's stuck at home,
Suffering with the flu--

[Refrain]

The world is yours,
When the full moon rises high,
Rises high,
The world's yours when the full moon rises high.

Electrum came in vogue last year--
The silver's almost gone.
The only blessed weapons are on Hock at E-Z Pawn.
In short, there's nothing here to stop
A lycanthropic throng,

[refrain]

Half of mankind is infected--
Werecreatures. One and all.
The rest are used for excercise,
Or mounted to a wall.
It might be fun to sit and watch
Civilization fall

[refrain]

Maybe together humans and
Werewolves could play and run,
Without strife and hostility,
Relating one-on-one.
Living together, happily,
But dammit, that's not fun!

[refrain]

Have Yourself a Slightly Furry Christmas
(Sung to the tune of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas")

Have yourself a slightly furry Christmas,
Let the Moon shine in.
Just make sure you don't
Commit a mortal sin...
Hands extend and turn into paws,
Breaking Nature's laws,
You see

Profound thoughts are revealed quite soon,
Under a full moon,
Running Santa up
A tree...

Chasing off the little
Avon lady
With a rumbling growl.
Joining with your family in a rising howl,
And have Yourself A Slightly furry Christmas,
Now.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
(Sung to the tune of--what else? "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear")

It came upon a midnight clear,
Form framed against the sky,
With glist'ning teeth and dark grey fur,
Perhaps seven feet high.
All of the shepherds rose to see--
Its howls brough them from sleep.
What could we do but stand and watch?
It left with seven sheep.

Days passed, numbering twenty-eight,
We'd not seen that beast since,
Nothing's poorer than shepherds, but
Those sheep belonged to the prince.
And now, we sleep, the night seems safe,
Four weeks since it last came,
And Joe stands guard over the flock,
Watching the bonfire's flame.

And then, of course, the beast came back,
Perhaps some lamb to take.
The sheep stampeded in a herd,
Leaving Joe in their wake.
Not quite a mastiff, almost man,
Fur pelt from head to toe,
Leaving us without sheep or guard--
The huge thing borrowed Joe.

It's been a month since that beast came,
A month since we lost Joe,
But I heard two things howl last night,
I've no sheep left to go. I think that I'll not stay, although
There's nothing shepherds fear--
The prince has asked for his sheep back--
I hear Rome's nice this year...

Oh, Little Town of Lycanthropes
(Sung to the tune of "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem")

Oh, little town of lycanthropes,
Peculiar to mine eye,
For it is bright, this Christmas night,
A full moon in the sky.
There are no merchants vending--
Wherever did they hide?
Perhaps, in fright,
They ran from sight,
And now they're stuck inside?

In truth, there are no merchants,
In this small village fair,
When these folks meet,
They're on four feet,
All covered in wolf hair.
Every man and woman,
Each little boy of two,
Would well and soon spend each full moon
Hunting for caribou.

How silently, how silently,
Timber wolves stalk the town,
And santa's deer have much to fear,
The moment they touch down.
Humans turn and run, when
They meet wolves in the wood,
It must be seen--
Werewolves aren't mean,
They're just misunderstood.

Under a mighty pine tree,
The hunted and the few,
Wolves young and old, quite damp and cold,
The elder and the new.
Why would any werewolf
Stand out there in the sod?
Just to give voice,
With howls rejoice,
In the birth of God.

THE SABBAT OF YULE/WINTER SOLSTICE (December 20 or 21)
© Copyright 2005-2009 Karen Charboneau-Harrison, All Rights Reserved.

Many Christmas customs and much of our Christmas music of any antiquity originated in the Western European Pagan celebrations of Yule. Customs attached to the Yuletide constellation of Saints' Days: Stephen, Basil, Nicholas, Lucia, Barbara, Sylvester and the Epiphany derive almost entirely from Yule. There is a richness of customs concerning food, fires, plants, animals, wild birds, stars, mummers, music, magic, clothing, angels, social roles, gifts, lights, auguries and so on, endlessly. Imagine the figure of baby Dionysos, newborn of Demeter or Persephone (depending on which myths you read), lying swaddled on a bed of straw in a harvest basket on the threshing floor, his head surrounded by a gold nimbus (halo) looking exactly like the Christ-child in the crèche and evoking the same feelings of love and mystery as does the image of the Baby Jesus born in the stables.

The Winter Solstice is the fire-festival of Yule with its Yule-log saved from the previous year's fire to kindle the flames for the new years's celebrations. To the ancient Egyptians it marked the birth of Osiris. To the ancient Persians it celebrated the birth of Mithras, the all-seeing Sun, god of friendship. The Romans knew it as Saturnalia with its feasting and exchanging of roles of masters and slaves. Whatever the name and outward appearance of its festivities, however, Yule's esoteric meaning stayed the same - it noted the shortest day of the year with emphasis on the fact that from this time until the Summer Solstice, the solar forces, both material and spiritual, would be gaining in strength.

The word Yule can be traced to the ancient Celtic word 'hioul' which means wheel. It is the celebration of the return or rebirth of the Sun god, the Lord of Life, the Child of Promise. The rites are solemn yet filled with joy for they solve the paradox of Death and Rebirth. This festival represents the redemption of the world from death and darkness and is a celebration of hope and joy amidst the barrenness of Winter.

Reverence for trees is a part of the Western European Pagan heritage. The decorating of a tree with lights and the burning of the Yule log have their birth in this reverence. At one time in our ancient history it was felt that the sacrifice of a great tree to insure than life would go on was necessary. The burning of the great Yule log would bring good luck and the returning of life force. The fire was lit from a piece of the previous year's Yule log that had been tended all year and saved for this purpose.

This is the time of the Winter Solstice when the sun reaches the southernmost point in its journey across the sky and appears to remain motionless before beginning to re-ascend northward bringing with it light and the promise of springtime, life and warmth. This is the time for the death of the old god of the year, followed by the Goddess giving birth to the new Sun God. Yule is the time to end the period of darkness that has prevailed during Winter and has brought us into the gloom of barren trees and shortened days. It is the time to cast aside those inner doubts which have bound us and to welcome the growing light which shows us the ways of new beginnings.

This is the time of hope born anew.

Make some wonderful smelling incense to burn during the holidays this year! Here's a traditional Yule Incense recipe that we're sure you'll enjoy making and burning:

Mix together 2 tablespoons dried Pine Needles 1 tablespoon Red Sandalwood Chips 1 tablespoon Cedar chips; add 20 drops Frankincense oil 10 drops Myrrh oil 5 drops Cinnamon oil 5 drops Allspice oil 5 drops Pine essential oil, stir together and finish off by mixing in 2 tablespoons Frankincense Resin. Let your incense mixture 'cure' for a day or two before you burn.

© Copyright 2005-2009 Karen Charboneau-Harrison, All Rights Reserved.

I'm sure others are familiar with this British web series. It was uploaded three years ago. However, I just discovered it, and it is great!

Watch the following one first; it sets up the whole series:


Then there's 1-6 of The Girl Who Cried Wolf. The following is #1:


#2:


#3:


#4:


#5:


#6:

... that omegadog showed us awhile ago. I think you'll like it.