Melinda - book 5 Ovid

Good Morning...up again around 2:30a.  So, per our homework assignment(s), I just read book 5 of Ovid.  Here is my one sentence summy of book 5 and some pictures to follow.

Sentence:  War broke out, deceit flew, rape was inflicted and punishments were great.

Perseus - war and face of Medusa.  Was the Gorgan and Medusa the same?

               Pegasus
 



Ceres and Proserpina being carried off by Pluto.

Sounds like we are approaching the Middles "chaos".

Melinda - picutres for book 1 Ovid

               The Creation



  Deucalion & Pyrrha


           Io & Jove


Michael was right...the pictures are endless...so I am picking my battles in 3 per book.  Enjoy

Melinda - Rainbow's & Mistletoe?

Not sure if anyone else if having difficulties with the Golden Bough, but I have.  I open it up to random places and can't seem to find "quotes" to comment on or figure out the meaning(s).

So, I cheated and went to the end (almost end) of the book.  I read "The Golden Bough page 812-823.  What I took away the following observations from this chapter of the book.
 
1.  Apparently the Golden Bough is a mistletoe.  It goes on to explain the different myths and legends of mistletoe from different countries around the world.  I would have to write for hours showing all the different myths of mistletoe, but here are the seemingly most commen thought on it:
-  it cannot touch the ground
-  it is hung over doors to prevent the ingress of witches
-  it gets the name Golden Bough from having a fire like or golden rays/color, especially during the midsummer season
- it is sometime compared to the mythical fern-seed for it's golden like glow too
Oddly enough, there is not a single mention of a myth or ledgend that we most commonly associate the mistletoe with....kissing under the mistletoe during X-mas.  Huh?

 

2.  This section also seems to be talking about the myth or ledgends of rainbows.  I liked the wording of this.

"on St. John;s Day fern-seed blooms with golden blossoms that gleam life fire".  Now it is a property of this mythical fern-seed that whoever has it, or will ascend a mountain holding it in his hand on Midsummer Eve, will discover a vein of gold or will see the treasures of the earth shining with a bluish flame. (Frazer 816)

Sunday of the following year; then they strew the seed on the ground where they think a treasure is concealed.  Tyronlese peasants imagine that hidden treasures can be seen glowing like flame on Midsummer Eve, and that the fern-seed, gathered at this mystic season, with the usual precautions, will help to bring the buried gold to the surface. (Frazer 816-817)

Melinda - Can't Sleep

Dream or Nightmare

Good Morning, it was about 2:31am and I just couldn't go back to sleep.  So I got up and started reading and responding to blogs.  My how time passes, it 4:40am now.  I decided to just write my own blog now and start with an early memory or was it a nightmare?

I was about 5 years old and I was spending the night at my grandmothers.  Usually all of us kids spend the night and my 2 sister's and I share a room.  This time I was alone.  My memory, dream or nightmare goes like this.



 



It was time for bed.  I got into bed, my grandmother kissed me goodnight and shut the door.  I never have my door shut.  It was pictue black.  I layed there for a while and then I wanted to get up and open the door a crack.  I started falling.  The floor was gone and I was spiraling into darkness.  Somehow I
found my way back to the bed and waited for my heart to stop pounding with fear.  All of a sudden I felt my moler (tooth) growing.  I felt it...the enamal and it's smoothness.  Then a hard sensation came over me
and the moler was coming in the window and growing larger with every floating step it moved toward me.

I wanted to run, but the floor was gone and I was afraid of falling again in to darkness.  Not sure what happened next, but then it was morning.

http://sallyann44.blogspot.com/

Sally, you are not alone.  I surely lack the art of writing too, but if everyone did everything the same, diversity would be lost.  I liked you blog...keep up the good work and keep the pictures coming :)

Anguish can sometime be the most inspiration feeling.

http://deardirtybozeman.blogspot.com/

From the Dear Dirty Bozeman blog(s).
I really like some of this stuff.  This blog strigger some connections to me and the following.  It was canney the way John state

"For the purpose of this blog however, I will venture into the caverns of my mind, and seek out my first memory." before he started his dream and I just blogged about our Mind's Cave.

 

Also in regards to his blog on his connections with one book to another and the concept of everythings is recycled and symbiotic, I thought of Chief Seattle's letter to the President in 1854:

 

"This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."

 

I use this all the time to help people learn about connectivity and stewardship on this Great Mother Earth. 

http://jameskushmanmythos.blogspot.com/

A Verse From the Golden Bough
James...that was a great verse from the Golden Bough and I truly liked the ending sentence:

So come, my dear Winter, and give me your hand,

   We'll travel together to Summer Land."

 

Wonder is Winter knows his Fate?

http://katiekilwine.blogspot.com/

THE MINDS CAVE

Regarding Katie's blog about Dave's room.  I think we all have our own caves of sort, but I think of our minds as our own personal caves.  I am not as poetic as some of you Lit majors, but using the mind as an analogy for a cave seems to make sense.  My cave is sometime dark, sometimes light.  It is also sometimes full of stuff/clutter and sometime empty.  My cave's filing systems cashes frequently and I have to do continuous restores.  Not all the data is ever retrieved.  My mind likes to take long walks, day or night.  Wondering and meandering though clouds of thought, sometimes forgetting to come back.

Melinda - http://mayansmythblog.blogspot.com/

Regarding your blog Mayan....I want to thank you for all your notes and also make a suggestions on "dreams".  I worked with a dream therapist a while back (very famous one) and he recommended I place a note pad next to my bed.  Everytime I woke from dreaming I was to jot down as much as I could before it was forgotten.  It is amazing the patterns that develope over time.  Once you train your mind, they start getting easier to remember.

I am also in group #2.

Melinda - stuff from class

9/21/10
We finished myth stories from about 6 people.

Vocabulary:
hetrocosm (not sure I spelled that right) = into another world
myth or mythos = story or stories

Line from Wallace Stevens - did not get it all down, announcers spoke to fast...I will look it up and get it
into my next blog or see Kari's blog for details.

"absent of notes creates engagement" mkp (memory)

memory and dreams:
axis mundi = exact center of the world or navel (upper/lower/center)
omphalos = center of the world
trees are a symbol of axis mundi
c.g.jung :)
jung's "house" dream
collective unconcious
super ego, ego, id
id is the personal unconcious
collective unconcious through dreams

helpful in myth - Think in forms of images.  Tell the myth in images, not with explanation.

back then before the fall = womb

books referred:
razor's edge
room

http://p.rhap.com/Tra.2043878   (hold the control key and hit enter to go to link)

here is the link to In My Room  (upstairs at Eric's) from YAZ from the 80's.  When Mr. Sexson memtioned the book Room, I immediately thought of this song.

click on view content, then it should start playing.

http://bridgerbeau.blogspot.com/

When I was reading David's blog, a picture I took on a trip to Gardner with the Yellowstone Earth Science class came to mind.  I don't know the name of this charactor from, I think it was Scream?, but what a likeness within our earth's crust.

I love finding human and non-human faces in our natural landscape.  If I can dig up some more easily, I will continue to post them.  Especially the ones from 2008 around Moab and also in Joshua Tree National Park.

http://4allthingschange.blogspot.com/

When I heard the assignment of reciting a myth by memory, I too panic and got sick to my stomach.  I don't have an issue with speaking in front of people, I do it all the time, but I have to have my notes.  I admire those that have great memories, but I am not one of these people.  Everything I do or need to do is written down.  Here is the creation myth I chose:

Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire - Choctaw people of Tennesee & Mississippi

Basically when the Choctaw people came upon the ground, their greatone had placed them there in a type of cocoon.  Being blind and bound the great spirit took pity on them and tore away the cocoon, unfold their limbs and opened their eyes.  But the eyes saw nothing.  The world had no sun, moon or stars.

Note:  When I speak of the Choctaw people, it includes per their world humans and animals.

Sometime later after eat or be eating had gone on, a voice from the dark spoke.  "I hear there is fire in the east."  Not knowing what fire could be, they decided to go steal some.

Opossum volunteered first.  Once he arrived a the fire he place a piece on his tail (a tail full of the most wonderful hair of all mamals).  Suddenly the tail hair went up in smoke and flames.  Returning without fire, but with a tail of no hair (this is why possums have not hair on their tails), the Buzzard volunteered next.

Arriving a the fire, Buzzard took a piece and placed it on his head.  Instantly his head went up in smoke and flames.  He too returned only with a bald head and no fire (this is why buzzards have not head/face feathers).

Another voice spoke up.  It was Crow.  "I'll go."  So Crow was off to get a piece of fire.  Crow's back then were pure white.  It was a very busy night by the fire that evening.  Then when Crow had a chance, he snuck up to the fire and while trying to figure out how to carry a piece back, the smoke and sut covered her pure white feathers.  Giving up, he also returned with no fire.

Now, while all these volunteers were volunteering, Grandmother Sprider kept asking too, but no one would let her go.  But after 3 failed attemps, she spoke up lound and said, "I"LL GO!"  So they all agreed to let her go fetch a peice of fire.

On the way to the fire, she found a stream with clay.  She used her wonderful legs to mold the clay into a small pot and lid.  She placed a piece of fire into the pot and headed back to the west.

Since no one could see because the world was dark, they thought Grandmother Spider failed.  But she informed them that she had a piece of fire.  Since fire seemed to be dangerous to animals, no one wanted to help her get the fire to a safe place.  Then a small voice came from the village.  "I'll help."  It was a human.  From that point on, Grandmother Spider educated the human on how to use and store the fire.

Now they call her Grandmother Spider Firebringer.

The end.

I found this on a web-site under emergence myths.

http://jki11ah.blogspot.com/

Regarding the blog above...I too noticed that being turned into some kind of bush or tree seemed to be popular.  In my own personal life I have a tendancy to take pictures of dead or weird looking trees in my travels (which is alot).  I thought I would share this one with you from this summer up in North Cascades on a hike going to Rainy Lake.

Melinda - settle for a picture

This is Maggie, my cat.  She, that day sat in front of this ground squirl for 15min.  She is leashed, but the leash is not tied down (she can pull out of it).  I am still working on getting the video up, it is too unreal unless you see it.

There's got to be something mythological in this?

Melinda Peirce - 1st Childhood Memory (s)

1.  this probably has to do with my birth:

I am laying on a medical table, large plain stainless steel table.  There is an older lady (she has grey colored hair) laying on the table,wearing glasses and a purple plaid dress for large people.  The room is grey with just a bright light overhead.

2.  I think I was in kindergarden:

I hear a crash and I run to the door where my mom is standing.  He grabs me an covers my eyes, but I can see between the cracks in her fingers.  A truck has just crashed into our neighbors home.  Right through a small tree and into the living room.  His dead body, bleedding and magled is hanging out of the passengers seat.  I keep asking what has happened and my mom just keeps telling me there was an accident, but not to worry.  Police started showing up soon after this.  Mom closed the door and we went back inside, but I kept trying to peek out the window and see the action.  It facinated me.

Melinda Peirce - Two Books

Although I am making a dent in our reading (required reading) and can't say much for the extra reading.  I was able to get through the first 13 pages of The Golden Bough and stumbled across this paragraph and it reminded me of another paragraph in MOV from book 1.  FYI I am on book 4 currently.

When Epidarus suffered from a dearth, the people, in obedience to an oracle, carded images of Damia and Auxesia out of sacred olive wood, and no sooner had they done so and set them up than the earth bore fruit again.  Moreover, at Troezen itself, and apparently within the precinct of Hippolytus, a curious festival of stone-throwing was held in honour of these maidens, as the Troezenians called them; and it is eary to show that simular customs have been practiced in many lands for the express purpose of ensuring good crops (Frazer 8).

So in the book MOV, an oracle told (I hope these are the right names) Deucalion and Pyrrha to abey the following:

- for, after all, they both were doubtful of the oracle.  But what is wrong in trying.  They set out; they veil their heads, they both ungird their clothes; and they throw stones behind them as they go.  And yes (if those of old did not attest the tale I tell you now, who could accept its truth?), the stones began to lose their hardness; they softened slowly and, in softening, changed form.  Their mass grew greater and their nature more tender; one could see the dim beginning of human forms, still.......(Mandelbaun 18)

Each act ordered by an Oracle and followed through seem to be a theme in alot of this text, but I see simularities in these two paragraphs/statements in regards to creation and continuing or restoying "life" be it human or other.

Melinda Peice - Monster Blogger Notes

Lost time this weekend, but here are part of my notes for 9/9/10.  Should have the rest by Wed along with today's class notes:

Mythology 285

September 9, 2010

-           looking for monster blogger/note takers

-           re-title your blogs sites with your name

-           each day we will pay some attention to blogs

-           Sara's blog "who knew it would be so damn funny"

-           Doug's and Rio dated in order of who last blogged.

-           read the blogs of other people to help you learn how to blog

-           syllabus tells you exactly what to blog about

-           Dustin's blog about hydegar and hisergar

-           dialectical activity, engage in some else blogging, read what they have to say

-           Dustin's - quote from Eliade "living a myth......

-           Seth has terrific blogs

-           Memento - nature of memory, chapter 7 mythologies of ........

-           discussions of creations and origin's

-           movie 8 and half by Federico.......

-           no book is ever read, it's only re-read

-           MOO is a great example of the beginning, middles and ends (chapter 15)

-           classroom warfare

-           dreams (please blog about them)

            "what is a dream if it isn't a personalized myth, and what is a myth if it isn't a             depersonalized dream"  Joseph Campbell

-           means:

                        a dream which you have ends up becoming universal, which is myth

                        when you have a dream it is usually about you

                        we are all narcissist

                        de-personal the dream, and you realize the truth of the that thing that people have                            been saying to you for years, this isn't about you....that's absolutely right...it's                                about everybody, then you are in the world of myth

                        when you start personalizing myth, then you start talking about the nature of                                     dreams

-           the big screen is a great place to go to, to get mythological themes

            see a movie that doesn't seem to be about mythological and then realize that it is

-           it is true that when we look into an ordinary life we find the mythological (truths)

-           Word with Power (23):

                        myth - "they express the human bewilderment about why we are here (a noise                           took out the last part of the quote)

                        and it includes the myth of creation, the fall of exodus and migration, of the                                    destruction of human race and the past, such as in ???(something) for the future of                apocalyptic myths, of redemption and some phase of life, during or after this one,                          such myth outline as broadly as words can do, humanity vision of it nature, it's                                    destiny, it's place in the universe, it sense of ........"

-           this quote really does supply all you need to know about mythology

-           the big questions "who am I?", "why am I here?", "what am I suppose to do?" and "what   is the ultimate meaning and purpose of existence?"

-           end of the last class we ended a part one of the pdf sent - myth the way we were the way     we are

-           the pdf never got to the students...will work on it

-           talking about - Is myth a lie or is it the truth?  Is it that thing we did as children and now                 that we are grown up we get rid of it? 

THE WORDS OF POWER QUOTE IS KIND OF BROKEN UP, SO FOR ANYONE WHO CAN HELP FILL IT IN, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.      

           

http://mythologiesfall2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/creation-story.html

Ashley - your Creation Story reminded me of Cliff Montagne's lecture on Holistic Though and Mangament.  It is amazing how almost every culture uses a circle for thier representation of earth, life cycles, rituals, etc.  The spirals of life.  Cliff showed us these two diagrams hoping we would see the relationship between everyone and everthing, every action and every reaction on our Great Mother Earth. 

Basically if you overlap these two circles you can see the relationship
between our Mother Earth and our need to live sustainably on Her.

It is said that most everyone has a "common good" towards out earth,
but sometimes we lose sight of it.  Your words Ashely from the Creation
Story hit home with this and we should all remember them.

"Now the earth felt nearly complete, but there was no connection between the trees, plants, animals, people, sun, stars, water, wind, and the earth. Then love was created, allowing everything to become one, and to finally feel connected."    Guatemalan Women

Melinda Peirce - Video Issues

You really have to see this video and I will work on getting it into my blog.  My cat Maggie is in the grass, kind of sitting/laying down.  About 6 inches in front of her is a ground squirl eating.  She goes on staring, the squirl goes on eating...she never attack it.  The squirl eventually goes back to where he/she came from and Maggie decides to come in.

She use to catch "mice", but now she just stares at them too.  Maybe my buddhist ways are rubbing off on her. 

Melinda Peirce - Myth or Reality

Here is my first experiment with adding a video.  The myth....cats hunt and kill mice and rodents.  You decide.

http://mythologiesfall2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/creation-story.html

Ashly you blog brought something to my mind from the Sustainability class I had last semester.  I am going to look for it, try to add a picture per Rio's explanation and you will see how it ties to your blog about the braclet story.

http://storud-mythologies.blogspot.com/2010/09/interesting-find.html

I like this information you found on Cultures Learned by Man's Idea.  If you are new to Myth, which I am kind of, you will find alot of Joseph Campbell work fancinating.  When I stumbled upon him some 10 years ago, it changed my world.  I am glad to be in a class with Myth Virins and Myth Scholars.  Beginning, Middles, Ends. 

http://treasuretexts.blogspot.com/2010/09/dreams-reality-and-actuality.html

In Seth blog he states: "if we think it's real then to us, it's real. If we think it's imaginary, than we have already set a limit on that situation and it can not jump to the level of reality. What about deja vu? Wouldn't that feeling of a situation being eerily familiar only belong in a dream? Pay attention to what we conceive as reality. You may be dreaming sooner than you think."

I am a strong believer is dreams, dreams leading our life, deja vu and feelings of situations.  Speak out loud what you want in life and it will show up.  Look, listen and see your dreams and they will come true (Oh..they are true already).  So often in my life my thoughts, dreams, feelings, deja vu's come true.  Sometimes it is really scare, but most the time I let myself trust in them.  We all dream, you just have to become aware.  Keep a note pad next to your bed.  When you dream and wake, try to remember right away, even it its just piece of words, pictures or thought.  You will surprise.

http://bythebloodofnemi.blogspot.com/

The Peruvian Indians - "It seems, basically, that myth is behind everything that's been done. Which is why there's nothing you can do that hasn't already been done, because its all part of a vast mythic pattern.?"          Kari  Bowles

So Kari...does this mean I have already read all the books mention in our class?  This is great :).  I will let you know when I remember doing this other wise like said in class, "a book is never read, it's re-read.

http://mythsofmel.blogspot.com/2010/09/melody-brucks-what-is-reality.html

Melody hits it right on the nail.  If you read her blog, you should read it again.  I liked this part: 

"I find my thoughts completely relevant to mythology because our own cave of reality is no more right or wrong than any other person's cave of reality, so who are we to judge myths and say that they aren't truth and who are we to tell someone not to believe in Santa Clause?! Myths are powerful and meaningful to the person believing and retelling them and we should honor and repect that whether we think they are sane or not, because maybe what we consider "real" is completely off from the actual truth as well."
  Melody Brucks

I get so tired of the world "certain people" stating what "reality" is.  Apparently these persons have not found it.  I also like the comparison of each of us having our own cave "reality" and no one it right or wrong in it.  It's your right or wrong you have to deal with.

http://riosmyths.blogspot.com/2010/09/dream.html

In response to the blog above, "Thanks Charlie  Brown."  I have been a fan of Charlie Brown skits since I was very litte, and for most of you...that was a long time ago and Once Upon a Time.  Even at my elder self, I enjoy all the holiday Charlie Brown skits.  Now, how to convert him into Mythology? Hummmm.....

http://maryshaunsmythologies.blogspot.com/2010/09/wow.html

Thanks shaun for being a Monster Blogger.  I hope between your notes and mine (I have taken on this takse too...it will all make sense and be of use.

Took me a while to get a grip on the blogging stuff....but thanks to Rio....I am getting it.

http://nonamemythsfall2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/roaring-lion-dream.html

In the blog above, I loot have had weird dreams present themselves over and over in my lifetime.  The one dream I can clearly remeber was, and I say was because the dream finally played itself out and I saw and heard the meaning.  The dreams starts off with me wondering.  I come upon a house, it's white.  Then I am inside the house, but I can't find my way out.  Everywhere I look there are bunnies and chickens on the floor in every room.  Most of them were in the kitchen where there was a door appearing to let me out.  I would get close to the door, open it, then a cat would appear and I could not leave.  That was it.  I kept waking at this point.  Because the reality of this dream ended up being personal, I an unable to share the outcome.

Melinda Peirce

"Go now into adulthood, cast out your imagination(s) and you will succeed."

From all the conversations in class about giving up our childhood stories and imaginations, this seemed
like the appropriate response. 

Only take this bit of advice if you really want to live in so called "reality" or the "norms of reality".

Maybe this "reality" is the cause of all things going and gone wrong?

Speaking the Same Truths

The Golden Bough (pg 273)
To preserve the cut hair and nails from injury and from the dangerous uses to which they may be put by
sorerers, it is necessary to deposit them in some safe place.

Letter to the President (1854)
"This we know: man does not belong to the earth, earth belongs to man.  All things are connected like the blood that unites us all.  Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it.  Whatever he does to the web, so he does to himself."  Chief Seattle

Melinda Peirce

Hi everyone...I too am a first time blogger/user.

Just wanted to say a public "Thanks" to Rio for his patience.

Melinda Peirce

Here is my blog site.