'Inspiration' is our magazine featuring articles, information and news on our titles, the topics we publish about and authors, reviews and associated topics. If you have an article or comment you would like considered for inclusion here, do send it in! Low-energy bulb disposal warning - Low-energy bulbs contain a small amount of mercury Disposing of bulbs safely "The Environment Agency has called for more information to be made available on the health and environmental risks posed by low-energy light bulbs. It says because the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, more information about safe recycling is needed. It also wants health warnings printed on packaging and information on how to clear up smashed bulbs in the home." "........Environmental scientist Dr David Spurgeon said: "Because these light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury they could cause a problem if they are disposed of in a normal waste-bin. 'It is possible that the mercury they contain could be released either into the air or from land-fill when they are released into the wider environment. 'That's a concern, because mercury is a well known toxic substance.'" Read the Story from BBC NEWS: Free Range Eggs There has been a lot in the media about free range versus battery produced eggs. Government study shows Salmonella levels over five times higher in intensive egg production than organic. The Soil Association has just released a Press Release revealing that a recent government survey [1] shows that organic laying hens have a significantly lower level of Salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the commonest forms of food poisoning worldwide. [2] The study showed that 23.4 per cent of caged hens tested positive for salmonella compared to 4.4 per cent in organic flocks and 6.5 per cent in free-range flocks. Read the Press Release Here Food For thought: The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. What kills you is speaking English. THE SHAPES OF THINGS TO COME By Sue Phillips If we look at natural things like rocks and trees we may see patterns there that have messages for us. I recently saw the runes Wyn and Sigil in a tree and these seemed to answer a question I had running around in my mind at the time. Later I looked at the same tree and realised that what I had taken for Wyn had now become Thorn with a very different meaning. Had I misinterpreted the sign first time round? No, but things had changed and so had the message by a subtle alteration in my perceptions. In this way I find that I can read the patterns in the web of creation, known in the Northern Tradition as the Web of Wyrd. This web links everything and everyone in creation, past present and future. Everything that happens, every action or even thought will vibrate the web and cause a reaction, changing the pattern woven into the web and subtly altering the future in ways that may appear to have no bearing on the original event. The web's pattern can be seen everywhere: in cloud formations, wind direction and the behaviour of animals. Sometimes we will simply perceive a shape in a branch or on the ground that has meaning for us. Perhaps we find that every traffic light turns red as we come to it, or that almost every vehicle we pass is the same colour. Such things may prove to be significant. Sometimes my attention will be caught by a feather that has fallen upright into the ground. If it is pale, then generally I can expect some news about general day to day life; if black, then there may be a message of a more mystical nature. A line of clouds stretching across the sky like a queue of traffic warned me to allow extra time for an important journey. We set off early in the morning and noticed as the day wore on how the traffic was building up. Had we left home even an hour later, we would have spent a considerable time in traffic queues that had not been expected. The roads were generally not busy at all so late in the year. In a place called Runamo in Sweden there is a phenomenon that may have valuable lessons to teach us. A line of runes ran along veins of quartz that stood out from granite rock faces. These veins were followed by a path and were known as the Lindorn [Earth Dragon]. In the thirteenth century, Saxo Grammaticus described the scene as "a ridge with a path .. dotted over with peculiar written characters. This path can be seen all the way from the sea into the wilderness of Varend, along which two lines extend for a long way, one line being on each side of the path. The space between is narrow and its surface is followed by runic inscriptions. Even though the path sometimes leads across mountains and sometimes leads through the valleys, traces of runic writing can be seen along the entire path." It may seem surprising that the people living then, when knowledge of the runes was fairly widespread, should have difficulties reading the inscriptions but this was the case. And even the greatest experts could make no sense of the inscriptions. According to local lore it recorded the Battle of Bravoll between the armies of Harald Hilditonn and Sigurd Hring around 700 c.e. In 1833 the Royal Society of Denmark set up a committee to investigate and an expedition to the site was led by Funnur Magnusson of Copenhagen University. They recorded runes from 22 metres of rock face and Magnusson then spent 10 months trying to decipher these runes with no success. Just as he was about to give up he noticed what looked like a wend-rune, a method of rune writing between two lines that form a pattern and in which the text may run forwards or backwards depending on its position in the pattern and may contain codes and bindrunes - special patterns formed by runes being inscribed one on top of another. Magnusson described how he wrote down his translation in a trance, deciphering a number of complex bind runes. What appeared was a poem in Old Norse in a classical form called fornyrdislag: Hildekind captured the kingdom Gardar carved the runes Ola took the oath May Odin hallow the magic May King Hring Fall in dust The Elves, the Love-Gods Must leave Ola Odin and Frey And the race of Aesir Must destroy, Destroy, Our enemies Give Harald Great Victory. At first Magnusson was hailed as a genius; but when geologists later examined the site they proclaimed these runes to be simply natural cracks in the rock and not carved at all. Magnusson was derided but clung to his claim. Nigel Pennick makes the point that although the scientists were correct; a fine runic poem still came into being through these strange marks. Magnusson's ability and honesty were never doubted during all of this so it doesn't seem to have been a deliberate hoax but a genuine attempt to decipher what he saw. The fact that it seems to have appeared naturally may make this an even more powerful example of the messages available to those willing to look. Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft Now for some very good news: the Friends of the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft is now a registered charity. The Charity Comission registration became effective from 10th July. The actual registration process was very easy and straightforward; it took about six weeks and went very smoothly. This means that the "Friends" can now really dedicate itself to ensuring that the Museum survives and thrives, and to raising funds to extend the Museum's collection, library and archives, publishing, and education and exhibition work. It also means that all membership fees and donations will be part of the Gift Aid scheme, which means additional funds via the tax system, enabling the Museum grow and develop as a world class resource on witchcraft and folk magic. The Friends will soon be circulating details as to how people can join and become involved in their work. Quote from another happy customer: "...I'm especially delighted with the Anna Franklin book "Magical Incenses and Oils". I recently bought a box of assorted herbs and incenses and was looking for a book in which to concoct my own "recipes"! This book has it all, and the ingredients listed seem to be easily available to buy from my local herbalist. I also like the way the book is set out with the different oils/incenses for Goddesses/Gods and rituals for the year etc. If you see or speak to Anna please congratulate her from me on a wonderful book! I'm really tempted now to buy her "Herbcraft" book! I am also an avid collector/caster of crystals, and have many books on the subject, so did I really need another one? When I received the Gale Hallaran crystal divination book - the answer is yes! She has packed a lot of information in the book which I will find really useful." k.A. On The Importance of Being Sheep by Julia Day It is time to share with the unfortunate human species a few home truths about the importance of our species. Our talented four-footedness, (apart from unfortunate foot infections) has led to our natural groundedness in all matters. Therefore, we feel that it is time to put the human race right and correct about several important matters, namely, the importance of sheep. Truly, the signs have been there for thousands of years, but our natural modesty and the density of the human intuition have led to misconceptions. Now that we have entered the New Millennium, the New Age, the Aquarian Age and anything else that you humans wish to call it, it is time for True Enlightenment. Indeed, our simple philosophy has led to a lack of understanding of our true power. And what is this philosophy? If you cannot eat it, procreate the species with it, bash it down or jump over it to reach one of the other two and don’t need to run away from it, then it probably does not matter. Had humans only adopted this simple philosophy, all could be so much calmer for them. Still, now has come the time for sharing, so I shall. Firstly, the clues are all there. Even in your most sacred writings, dating back hundreds and thousands of years - we appear. OK - the references may be cunningly disguised as many great truths are - but even so - for those in the know - they are there. Take for instance that great book, The Bible. What animal appears throughout it? Yes, the sheep! In the tragic tale of Abraham and Isaac? Yes, a ram. (That noble soul giving his life for that poor boy.) And how may God’s greatest representative on Earth be referred to. Yes, the Lamb of God. And at his Nativity when the Divine comes into human form? Yes - who are there again? Watching the angels in the fields, coming to the stable? Yes, it is sheep again. It is sad to think that had they only had greater representation in the Garden of Eden, human history could well have been so different. Still, people have never really listened to us, until now. The second point to make is about sacred sites. You see them all over the country, mounds and circles and avenues. And what do they contain? No, not tourists. Stones? Y-e-s stones, but something else, something else beginning with an s - yes, SHEEP! Go to a great centre such as Avebury and there you will see them among the stones - the true sacred guardians of the place - quietly shaping and preserving the landscape, stopping it returning to primeval forest, or at least to nasty brambles that will seriously scratch your legs and ruin your clothes when you go to “feel the vibes”. And the small sites too, those less well known, they too have their sheep guardians. Even those too small or too hidden to have stones, they too have sheep. Indeed, wherever you see sheep, a mere human may miss the true and deep Earth energies that the sheep are guarding. The last point that I make, (I could make so many, but perhaps you could add your own) alludes to the reason for a terrible atrocity of modern times. This is something that may cause a great shadow of sorrow within the mind of humanity - but from the sorrow will come the Light of Understanding. It is a fact Druids may under-stand, (they did not build Stonehenge you know - I will leave you to guess the true creators, long before Druids trod the grass) and they may even have taken on the true mantle of the sheep in this - repeating our deeply hidden role, (but forgot the true originators of this role.) Are you ready? It is a great revelation, for.... Sheep hold peace in the land-scape. It is the role of sheep to graze calmly and safely, (“where sheep may safely graze”) and thus to hold and instill the Peace of the Land deeply into the countryside. This matter is understood deeply by those with magical sensibilities and those with a natural love for and respect for sheep. Sadly, it is also under-stood by those of dark and evil intent. And the last few years in the Heartland of Britain have shown this in the most terrible manner. Millions of innocent sheep were sacrificed to this terror, their bodies burnt on sacrificial fires or buried in sacrificial pits. The guardians of peace were removed wholesale from great tracts of the landscape. And what happened? War, of course. Bloody war. The country was turned over into the hands of war mongers and fear merchants and innocent flocks of sheep and goats, scratching a meagre desert living in other countries were bombed. The point is proven beyond doubt. These images are too terrible, but I just had to tell you. You had to know. After all, those who desire blood knew it - it is time you did. Yes, we understand that you eat us. Truly we do - on a great scale, on the scale of that which is “sheep” to which all sheep belong. We understand it as we understand the predator (and run from one for our lives) but this lack of understanding, this crime on so great a scale, so full of lies and evil and fear, we could not pass by without comment. Sheep hold peace in the landscape. Wear our wool. Eat us if you must, we will even give our lives in sacrifice, but not this way. Not what was done. So - we have spoken. Love us, revere us, wear us, eat us, know what we do and what was done in the name of evil. And ask yourself this, now I know this, even if I am a predator, even if I eat the flesh, do I condone what was done? Do I agree to the cover-ups and the lies and the evil? To the “laws” that say this may be done again to any animal, any species on any pretext? Or do I choose respect? Do I choose Peace in the Land? We sheep choose Peace. That is our way. What do you choose? Virus on Trust! We received a virus warning email - “You have just received the Amish virus, we do not use modern technology and work on trust so please delete all your files now. Thank you” On Clutter and Disorder by Jeannie Judd For all those made to feel guilty for having clutter in their lives. Whenever I put something away in a neat and ‘safe’ place, I can rarely find it easily again. This brought me to the following conclusion: some of us are simply born with the kind of mind and personality that sees order in a cluttered environment. Others are born with the kind of mind that sees order only in a neat and tidy environment. Isn’t creation wonder-ful therefore in giving the world such harmonious balance? The Creation of Humans by Julia Day & Sheba The great Goddess Bast who was (of course) perfect created the cat, who was and is, (of course), perfect. And she created mice and small birds, so that they had food and fun chasing them. But later, much later, she also invented the tin. And the tin was wonderful. For it contained tuna and salmon. But, the tin, unlike the cat, was not perfect, for the tin could not be opened with paws. And therefore, Bast created the human. For, the human had paws that could open tins. And the humans also could invent things like central heating and keep it maintained and so Bast smiled and saw that it was good and that humans had their uses. And cats came to smile upon humans also and to love them. And so, they gave them their purrs and their warm furriness and the humans, (at least, the pleasant and intelligent ones) found themselves well pleased. But some humans, (being not cats and therefore not perfect) did not understand this and began to mistake their role in the Universe. And they became misguided and thought that their role was other than to open tins and work central heating. And with that, came a great hole in the understanding of humans, so that they felt hollow and empty and the worst even forgot to worship cats. But we must attempt to forgive them, for being not cats, they are not perfect and cannot help themselves. But most of all, we must learn to avoid the damaged humans. Those that would harm us, for this world does contain impure and imperfect creatures and there are even humans so impure that they would try to hurt a cat. But, there are some who rest between these groups and it is a service to the Universe to train and save them, if possible. We may train these humans by sitting on the laps of those who claim that they do not love us, so that they may realise their terrible error and come at last to a realisation of their True place in this Universe. Especially, we must work upon those men who claim not to like cats, for therein lies the route to many homes and hearts and tins. Once you have passed the threshold of their ignorance, we may educate household after household further. And when we have enslaved the men, so that despite repeating, “I do not like cats”, they find themselves loving us, we may rejoice. For we have brought the light to a poor species, one that lacks fur, whiskers and even a tail and is ridiculous at catching mice and we have made it feel, if only for an instant, what it is like to be Truly loved by the Real Creatress of the Universe. Afterwards, you can of course, totally ignore them. A useful tip If your humans are substandard with the central heating, do implant the thought that a burst water pipe costs far more than the few miserly pounds that heating the house well will cost them in order to avoid trouble. The best time to plant this thought is when they are asleep, or about to go to sleep, for then they are fractionally close to the lower levels below cats’ magical under-standing. It is also a good time to make them get up and switch the heating back on again.