I have been a tarot reader professionally for over 15 years, and I am good at it. I can answer a persons question with out being told the question. I scare people some times; others bring their families to me. Why, because I do see more then what is in the cards. I use the cards as my medium. I like doing tarot readings because I can and do help people. However, I do know that there are people using tarot readings to scam people.
I hear the stories all the time. People paying for reading after reading and always being told to come back, “I will see more next time”. I was at a festival doing readings and a lady came to me. I did her reading, not knowing her question, and I told her what she needed to know. She started crying. She had been going to a reader every few weeks for months, paying $100.00 each time, only to be told to come back again in a few weeks. I think it was a scam. I don’t like it when people do things like that. It gives those of us who can do real readings a bad name. So I want tell you how not to be scammed.
If you believe in your reader or the reading then you believe. However there are some ways to make sure you are getting a real reading and not scammed.
1) How many questions are you being asked? Are you being pumped for information that they are going to feed back to you? Even if it is just a casual conversation, what information are they getting from you? Did you have to tell them your question or what area of life you want the reading to be about? Most people who do real readings don’t want information from you. They want to make sure what you say or information you give does not influence the reading. A true reader should not have to ask you questions before doing the reading. Once the reading is done talking about the question can help clarify some of the cards.
2) Once you have your reading, you should not have to come back in a week or two to get a clearer reading. I do need to point out the you have to make sure you are getting the right reading for your question. If it is a short-term reading then it should answer a short-term question about what will happen in a few weeks. If it is a long-term reading it should answer a long-term question. Don’t get a short-term reading for a long-term question or you will be told to come back again. If you have a two-year reading you should not be told to come back in a month or two for another reading about the same question or area of your life. A year to 18 months is a reasonable time to come back for a reading unless some thing big changes or you, not the reader, decides you would like a reading. If you want a reading about a different area of your life, then go ahead; just don’t keep getting readings about the same thing over and over again.
3) Is every thing just what you want to hear? Is it to perfect? This is more for the people who gave a lot of information, are you being feed that information back? Is the reader changing the reading or meaning of the cards when you don’t respond positively either with comments or body language?
I tell every one the same thing, the clearer the question in your mind is the clearer the reading will be. If you have a general question the reading will be general, if you have a focused, specific question then the reading will be focused and specific. You need to have one question in your mind, otherwise the cards will try to answer all the questions and it will lead to a fragmented reading that makes no sense or will only answer one question. However if there is some thing you need to know the cards will tell you, even if it is some thing you don’t want to know. The bottom line is that if you feel that some thing is wrong, the reading is off, that you just don’t feel comfortable with the reader then don’t go back.
Written by: Lori-Lee Craig
Medieval Magic
www.medievalmagic.ca
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
What is a fairy and where did they come from?
I grew up with fairy tails and the image of a benevolent tooth fairy in my head. Fairies were creature of magic and wonder, and the protector of innocent children. As I grew older I found some wonderful books under the Fantasy genre full of fairies. Not all the fairies were good, and not all were bad. My idea of what a fairy was changed from a simplistic tiny beautiful magical woman or girl with wings, to a much more complex creature, so long lived that they don’t think like us, that we are a threat to them, taking away and destroying the nature and magic they need. That good and bad was a much more complex issue with the fey. What may be good in their eyes could be very bad for us.
Fairies can be found in millions of books, short stories, movies, plays, songs, poetry, pictures, all art mediums, and of course in legends. Fairies have a huge modern fan base, be it people who believe the Fey exist, to others who just enjoy the images and stories about fairies and their magic. We cannot help but be drawn to these mystical magical creatures. Every culture through out history has stories of wee folk both as being helpful, or the as a threat. Fairies are also known as fey, fae, faerie, wee folk, good folk, and people of peace.
What is a fairy? Most fairies are based on the fae of medieval Western European folklore and romance. A fairy is thought to be a metaphysical spirit or supernatural being. In folklore the origins of the fae is not clear, it depends on the story or legend. They have been thought to be of the dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity.
Fairies are generally portrayed as human in appearance and very attuned or connected to nature. And are seen as having mystical, magical powers and supernatural abilities such as the ability to fly, cast spells and to influence or foresee the future. Modern fairies are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, females of small stature. Originally they were depicted much differently. Fairies were tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child. Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant. Wings, while common in Victorian artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of birds
Well many people believe in the existence of fairies most do not follow the old ways. They are not worried about harm being done to them or their families by the fae. In legend for the most part you did not wish to come to the attention of fairies. When people got involved with the fae the end usually did not come out so good for them. Today we think of tinker bell and the tooth fairy, small, beautiful and beneficial. That fairies are good and only wish to help. That is not how history or legends show them.
Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don't like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offence by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well. Not quite the charming image we have of them today.
Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature. People enjoy fairy tales, even as adults. There are quite a few books with fairies as characters that are not classified as fairy tales or children’s. They are marketed to the older crowd. It only makes sense; we grew up with fairy tails, why should we give them up when we grow up.
Fairies can be found in millions of books, short stories, movies, plays, songs, poetry, pictures, all art mediums, and of course in legends. Fairies have a huge modern fan base, be it people who believe the Fey exist, to others who just enjoy the images and stories about fairies and their magic. We cannot help but be drawn to these mystical magical creatures. Every culture through out history has stories of wee folk both as being helpful, or the as a threat. Fairies are also known as fey, fae, faerie, wee folk, good folk, and people of peace.
What is a fairy? Most fairies are based on the fae of medieval Western European folklore and romance. A fairy is thought to be a metaphysical spirit or supernatural being. In folklore the origins of the fae is not clear, it depends on the story or legend. They have been thought to be of the dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity.
Fairies are generally portrayed as human in appearance and very attuned or connected to nature. And are seen as having mystical, magical powers and supernatural abilities such as the ability to fly, cast spells and to influence or foresee the future. Modern fairies are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, females of small stature. Originally they were depicted much differently. Fairies were tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child. Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant. Wings, while common in Victorian artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of birds
Well many people believe in the existence of fairies most do not follow the old ways. They are not worried about harm being done to them or their families by the fae. In legend for the most part you did not wish to come to the attention of fairies. When people got involved with the fae the end usually did not come out so good for them. Today we think of tinker bell and the tooth fairy, small, beautiful and beneficial. That fairies are good and only wish to help. That is not how history or legends show them.
Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don't like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offence by shunning locations known to be theirs. In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well. Not quite the charming image we have of them today.
Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature. People enjoy fairy tales, even as adults. There are quite a few books with fairies as characters that are not classified as fairy tales or children’s. They are marketed to the older crowd. It only makes sense; we grew up with fairy tails, why should we give them up when we grow up.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
What to get for a Pagan or Wiccan for a gift when you are not one.
Looking for Pagan or Wiccan gifts for Winter Solstice or Christmas has become easer over the last few years. You no longer have to search for out of the way occult shops. Pagans and Wicca has become more mainstream, and so has the availability of gifts. You can actually go into the mall and find Pagan or Wiccan books, tarot cards, calendars, and other gifts marketed to Pagans and Wiccans.
There are tons of online specialty shops that cater to Pagan and Wicca needs and wants. You can even find quality gifts on web sites that are not seen as being Pagan or Wiccan. It is nice to have the competition online. The availability of Pagan and Wicca products has increased and in some instances quality has gone up and prices have gone down.
So now you have gone from trying to find something, anything to give as a gift to having to figure out what is the best thing to give. Nice change. So how do you know what to get some one now that you have choices? It depends on what the person wants. When it comes to Pagan and Wicca products there are some things people have to buy for themselves. . Not a good idea just to say, “Hey that looks Pagan, I will get that”, because being a Pagan or Wicca is their religion you don’t want to get the wrong thing. It would be like giving a Jewish person a cross or a little jade Buddha. Gift certificates are a good option. It may not be as much fun, but it does let the person find just the right thing for them. This is also the best option if you don’t know the person that well.
Another option is to get the person you are buying for to go to a web store and make a wish list, such as the one on http://www.medievalmagic.ca/. That way people buying gifts for them know what they want and where to get it. This also helps for things like rings, this way not only do you know what they like and you know the size they need. This is some thing you need to talk about with the person. The more you know about what the person wants the easer it is on you. Also if you can get several ideas, i.e. the wish list, then you know what they want and they have no idea of what they are getting.
There are tons of online specialty shops that cater to Pagan and Wicca needs and wants. You can even find quality gifts on web sites that are not seen as being Pagan or Wiccan. It is nice to have the competition online. The availability of Pagan and Wicca products has increased and in some instances quality has gone up and prices have gone down.
So now you have gone from trying to find something, anything to give as a gift to having to figure out what is the best thing to give. Nice change. So how do you know what to get some one now that you have choices? It depends on what the person wants. When it comes to Pagan and Wicca products there are some things people have to buy for themselves. . Not a good idea just to say, “Hey that looks Pagan, I will get that”, because being a Pagan or Wicca is their religion you don’t want to get the wrong thing. It would be like giving a Jewish person a cross or a little jade Buddha. Gift certificates are a good option. It may not be as much fun, but it does let the person find just the right thing for them. This is also the best option if you don’t know the person that well.
Another option is to get the person you are buying for to go to a web store and make a wish list, such as the one on http://www.medievalmagic.ca/. That way people buying gifts for them know what they want and where to get it. This also helps for things like rings, this way not only do you know what they like and you know the size they need. This is some thing you need to talk about with the person. The more you know about what the person wants the easer it is on you. Also if you can get several ideas, i.e. the wish list, then you know what they want and they have no idea of what they are getting.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Western Dragon
There are two types or styles of dragons, the Western and Eastern. Both types are great dragons full of history and magic. I am talking about Western Dragons today.
There are many types or variations of Western Dragons. However most people think of a large lizard type creature with two or four legs, with large wings, jewel like eyes and can breath fire. The skin can be smooth or scaly, one colour or multiple colours. Pretty much once you have the basic form of a Western dragon; any thing goes as far as the way a dragon looks. There are ice dragons, water dragons, fire dragons, wind dragons, and fairy dragons. Most people think of large dragons, but there are stories of small dragons that can sit on your hand, or hid in a flower.
Dragons’ personalities are just as varied as human personalities. They can be good and helpful dragons, wise or knowledgeable dragons we go to for advice, warring dragons, dragons that steal from humans, and ones that eat us. So you can have good or bad dragons, some times both in the same story. In a lot of the early stories dragons would live in a cave with a hoard of gold and jewels. Some one was always attacking them, either to stop them from eating up their animal stock, or people or would be going after the dragons hoard or the dragons’ blood or scales for some magical use. It is kind of understandable why dragons would try to kill these people. It was just defending its home and its life.
In more modern stories and movies the dragon has been portrayed as the antagonizer, the hero, evil, the victim, the helpful sidekick, or companion, or guarding an important gem, jewel or sword so that only the right person can get it. If you can think of a type of character, dragons have been it.
What is important is what western dragons symbolize now. We see them as being strong, long-lived, wise, magical, wealthy, and some times helpful. We have more positive association with dragons now then what people thought around and before the Middle Ages. They saw dragons as magical creatures that would eat your herd animals, and people, destroy homes and towns, some thing to be destroyed.
There are many types or variations of Western Dragons. However most people think of a large lizard type creature with two or four legs, with large wings, jewel like eyes and can breath fire. The skin can be smooth or scaly, one colour or multiple colours. Pretty much once you have the basic form of a Western dragon; any thing goes as far as the way a dragon looks. There are ice dragons, water dragons, fire dragons, wind dragons, and fairy dragons. Most people think of large dragons, but there are stories of small dragons that can sit on your hand, or hid in a flower.
Dragons’ personalities are just as varied as human personalities. They can be good and helpful dragons, wise or knowledgeable dragons we go to for advice, warring dragons, dragons that steal from humans, and ones that eat us. So you can have good or bad dragons, some times both in the same story. In a lot of the early stories dragons would live in a cave with a hoard of gold and jewels. Some one was always attacking them, either to stop them from eating up their animal stock, or people or would be going after the dragons hoard or the dragons’ blood or scales for some magical use. It is kind of understandable why dragons would try to kill these people. It was just defending its home and its life.
In more modern stories and movies the dragon has been portrayed as the antagonizer, the hero, evil, the victim, the helpful sidekick, or companion, or guarding an important gem, jewel or sword so that only the right person can get it. If you can think of a type of character, dragons have been it.
What is important is what western dragons symbolize now. We see them as being strong, long-lived, wise, magical, wealthy, and some times helpful. We have more positive association with dragons now then what people thought around and before the Middle Ages. They saw dragons as magical creatures that would eat your herd animals, and people, destroy homes and towns, some thing to be destroyed.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tarot Reading Rates wake up call
I have been doing Tarot readings for over 15 years and I have kept my rate the same all these years. My husband kept telling me I was way undercharging, as did other readers. For some reason I was still charging what I charged when I started out 15 years ago. It never occurred to me that back then I was only charging that because I was just beginning. That was what the person who brought me into doing readings professionally charged.
I have been asked to do Tarot readings at a Halloween party for 90+ people. It is only for three hours so there is no way I could make a dent in to the 90 people. A lot of people would not get a reading done. Three hours is just not enough time. So I suggested that they add an hour. They suggested that they would like a second reader. So I start calling some of the readers I met at PPD this year to see who was not booked up yet and would they be interested in doing the party and what was their party rate.
This was a big eye opener for me and trust me my rates just went up for my individual readings to reflect my experience and accuracy. Once this party is done, my party rates go up as well. I have been so short changing my skills and experience. I am not making this mistake again. Glad I talked to every one and found out how much other people were charging. I have been doing this for 15 years professionally, its time I charged a professional rate.
I am changing my ads tonight. I bet I was not getting many people because they though I was charging so low because I was only worth that much. This is what I get for finally talking with some other readers, a wake up call. My husband is saying - I have been saying this for years, but you don't listen to me but you will list to a stranger. At least I listened.
I have been asked to do Tarot readings at a Halloween party for 90+ people. It is only for three hours so there is no way I could make a dent in to the 90 people. A lot of people would not get a reading done. Three hours is just not enough time. So I suggested that they add an hour. They suggested that they would like a second reader. So I start calling some of the readers I met at PPD this year to see who was not booked up yet and would they be interested in doing the party and what was their party rate.
This was a big eye opener for me and trust me my rates just went up for my individual readings to reflect my experience and accuracy. Once this party is done, my party rates go up as well. I have been so short changing my skills and experience. I am not making this mistake again. Glad I talked to every one and found out how much other people were charging. I have been doing this for 15 years professionally, its time I charged a professional rate.
I am changing my ads tonight. I bet I was not getting many people because they though I was charging so low because I was only worth that much. This is what I get for finally talking with some other readers, a wake up call. My husband is saying - I have been saying this for years, but you don't listen to me but you will list to a stranger. At least I listened.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and a turkey Pizza recipe
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.
May every one find some thing to be thankful for in their lives!
I am thankful that:
We are in a new home, are healthy and together, with room to actually have guests over.
Our cupboards are full even though our bank account is not.
We survived a long weekend with two big meals, and hyper kids because we had guests over.
The butcher at the grocery story was willing to cut up a turkey so we could buy one of the breasts. That way we could afford to have turkey this year – even though the one breast was $14.00.
The turkey was not over cooked, nor was it dry. It was perfect for the first time.
So what to do with all that left over turkey? Well we came up with a recipe a few years ago for turkey pizza.
You get a shell (or make one)
Use ranch dressing (or tomato sauce if you like) on the shell
Add the leftovers onto the shell then cover with cheese.
I like it with turkey, stuffing and a bit of cranberry sauce, not every one likes it with cranberry sauce though. We some times add whatever vegetables we had left over, though not potatoes.
Most times it ends up ranch dressing, turkey, stuffing and cheese.
We love it so much we would take some of the turkey and stuffing and freeze it so we could make the pizza other times.
May every one find some thing to be thankful for in their lives!
I am thankful that:
We are in a new home, are healthy and together, with room to actually have guests over.
Our cupboards are full even though our bank account is not.
We survived a long weekend with two big meals, and hyper kids because we had guests over.
The butcher at the grocery story was willing to cut up a turkey so we could buy one of the breasts. That way we could afford to have turkey this year – even though the one breast was $14.00.
The turkey was not over cooked, nor was it dry. It was perfect for the first time.
So what to do with all that left over turkey? Well we came up with a recipe a few years ago for turkey pizza.
You get a shell (or make one)
Use ranch dressing (or tomato sauce if you like) on the shell
Add the leftovers onto the shell then cover with cheese.
I like it with turkey, stuffing and a bit of cranberry sauce, not every one likes it with cranberry sauce though. We some times add whatever vegetables we had left over, though not potatoes.
Most times it ends up ranch dressing, turkey, stuffing and cheese.
We love it so much we would take some of the turkey and stuffing and freeze it so we could make the pizza other times.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Magic Cauldron October 2007
The Magic Cauldron
Newsletter of http://www.medievalmagic.ca/
October Newsletter
What is new with Medieval Magic.
All right everyone here it is.
Our “Halloween Spooktacular - All Hollows Eve Celebration”
Look for some great sales and fabulous new items over the next month for Halloween. Costumes, Ornaments, and anything scary we can come up with.
It is time to fright for the scariest ideas of the season. I have some suede left from the festivals and will be making some new items for our costume section. Along with some heavier leather for some scary new accents. We will also be bringing in some items for accessories to go with them. So keep an eye on our Garb and Costume section.
We do have a few custom orders for the holidays, but still have room for a few more.
As our goal is to bring our Customers the highest quality and variety we would be happy to hear from our readers about any items they would like to have available. Please click Here to let us know.
Featured Products
Smoky Black Glass Skull Earrings Smoky Black Glass Skull Earrings. Hypoallergenic earring hooks. Earrings hang 4 cm’s. Skulls are 1.5 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm. Please see our necklaces if you are interested in a matched set, as I have also used this skull for necklaces.
Red Leather Pentagram / Pentacle Necklace
Handcrafted Large Red Waxed Leather Pentagram / Pentacle Necklace. The pendant is drawn, cut burned, painted and waxed by hand. The pendant is 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm x .4 cm. The cord is 19 inches or 48 cm.Like a Christian cross, the pentagram tends to be the religious symbol of the Pagan religions. It encompasses elemental beliefs and is one of the strongest protective amulets ever "designed". The Pentagram dates back thousands of years to pre-Babylonian Sumer, roughly about 3500 BC. Many religions have once used this symbol; the Jewish people saw it as a symbol of the Five Books of Moses, and Christians once used it as a protective amulet. According to Heather Child's Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern, the pentagram is a symbol of the five senses. Also, when the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, the pentagram is a symbol of health. It has been called such things as the Druid's Foot and the Witches' Star. The Druzee, descendents of exiles from Fatimid Dynasty-ruled Egypt also keep a five-colour pentagram as their symbol. The pentagram appears on the shield of Sir Gawain in the 14th Century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem the five lines of the star are given multiple meanings: they represent the five senses, five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys that Mary had of Jesus (the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Assumption), and the five virtues of knighthood which Gawain hopes to embody: frankness, fellowship, purity, courtesy and compassion. It would seem as though the Pentacle is gaining a new meaning in Modern-day Paganism, in that it is seen as a unifying symbol of the Pagan community. In modern day Witch Craft, the Pentacle tends to be used more than the pentagram. Each point of the Pentagram traditionally represents one of the five metaphysical elements of the ancients. The pentagram represents Spirit ruling over the four elements. The Pentacle is simply a pentagram with a circle around it. This symbolizes eternity, totality, and unity. It emphasizes the interconnectivity of all of the elements. The direct and indirect relation of one element to the other. Spirit (At the topmost point) - Represents the All and the Divine Air (East): Intellect, Imagination, Knowledge, Mental Powers, Vision, Psychic Powers, Wisdom (Upper left hand corner) - Represents Intelligence and the Arts Earth (North): Money, Prosperity, Fertility, Healing, Employment, The Body, Foundation, Strength (Lower left hand corner) - Represents Stability and Physical Endurance Fire (South): Will, Vitality, Passion, Lust, Courage, Strength, Exorcism, Protection, Health (Lower right hand corner) - Represents Courage and Daring Water (West): Emotion, Intuition, Compassion, Sleep, Meditation, Purification, Prophetic
Principles Of Wicca - Vivianne Crowley
Wicca is the religion of Witchcraft or Wisecraft. It is based on the spirituality of our ancestors - a worship of Goddess, God and the natural universe - in a form meaningful to women and men today. Wicca is a magical path witch empowers us to grow, change and heal. It is a harmony with the universe, others and ourselves.This introductory guide explains:Witchcraft ancient and modernthe Divine as Goddess and Godveneration of Naturemagic and spellcraftcreating ritualwhere to find out more.
Special Promotions
We have placed all children’s costumes at 50% off. And for the rest of the month keep an eye on our “Sales” category for any others prices that may “drop” dead.
Monthly Coupon
Because we will be doing sales over the next three months for the holidays. We will not be issuing coupons
Contest Winner
Aug.-Sept. Contest - We would like to Congratulate RENEE for winning our Aug.-Sept. Contest. The contest prize was a $10 Certificate to our site.
Our current contest for a $10.00 gift certificate will run from Oct. 1st till October 31st, 2007.You must find this picture to enter. Just tell us the day and what the sku # is.
Festivals
Festival Season is over.
Articles
Pentacle, Pentagram – Anonymous Submission
Like a Christian cross, the pentagram tends to be the religious symbol of the Pagan religions. It encompasses elemental beliefs and is one of the strongest protective amulets ever "designed". The Pentagram dates back thousands of years to pre-Babylonian Sumer, roughly about 3500 BC. Many religions have once used this symbol; the Jewish people saw it as a symbol of the Five Books of Moses, and Christians once used it as a protective amulet. According to Heather Child's Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern, the pentagram is a symbol of the five senses. Also, when the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, the pentagram is a symbol of health. It has been called such things as the Druid's Foot and the Witches' Star. The Druzee, descendents of exiles from Fatimid Dynasty-ruled Egypt also keep a five-colored pentagram as their symbol.
The pentagram appears on the shield of Sir Gawain in the 14th Century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem the five lines of the star are given multiple meanings: they represent the five senses, five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys that Mary had of Jesus (the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Assumption), and the five virtues of knighthood which Gawain hopes to embody: frankness, fellowship, purity, courtesy and compassion. It would seem as though the Pentacle is gaining a new meaning in Modern-day Paganism, in that it is seen as a unifying symbol of the Pagan community. In modern day Witch Craft, the Pentacle tends to be used more than the pentagram.
Each point of the Pentagram traditionally represents one of the five metaphysical elements of the ancients. The pentagram represents Spirit ruling over the four elements. The Pentacle is simply a pentagram with a circle around it. This symbolizes eternity, totality, and unity. It emphasizes the interconnectivity of all of the elements. The direct and indirect relation of one element to the other.
Spirit (At the topmost point) - Represents the All and the Divine
Air (East): Intellect, Imagination, Knowledge, Mental Powers, Vision, Psychic Powers, Wisdom (Upper left hand corner) - Represents Intelligence and the Arts
Earth (North): Money, Prosperity, Fertility, Healing, Employment, The Body, Foundation, Strength (Lower left hand corner) - Represents Stability and Physical Endurance
Fire (South): Will, Vitality, Passion, Lust, Courage, Strength, Exorcism, Protection, Health (Lower right hand corner) - Represents Courage and Daring
Water (West): Emotion, Intuition, Compassion, Sleep, Meditation, Purification, Prophetic Dreams, Healing, Love, Friendships, Fidelity (Upper right hand corner) - Represents Emotions and Intuition.
The Circle (Around the Star) - Represents the God-Goddess it refracts and reflects all Light, bringing to the wearer Intelligence, Universal Wisdom, and Protection.
If you would like to submit an article, question or Business Ad for the newsletter, we welcome your submission. Please see the Newsletter section on our site for submission deadlines and conditions.
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Medieval Magic
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Newsletter of http://www.medievalmagic.ca/
October Newsletter
What is new with Medieval Magic.
All right everyone here it is.
Our “Halloween Spooktacular - All Hollows Eve Celebration”
Look for some great sales and fabulous new items over the next month for Halloween. Costumes, Ornaments, and anything scary we can come up with.
It is time to fright for the scariest ideas of the season. I have some suede left from the festivals and will be making some new items for our costume section. Along with some heavier leather for some scary new accents. We will also be bringing in some items for accessories to go with them. So keep an eye on our Garb and Costume section.
We do have a few custom orders for the holidays, but still have room for a few more.
As our goal is to bring our Customers the highest quality and variety we would be happy to hear from our readers about any items they would like to have available. Please click Here to let us know.
Featured Products
Smoky Black Glass Skull Earrings Smoky Black Glass Skull Earrings. Hypoallergenic earring hooks. Earrings hang 4 cm’s. Skulls are 1.5 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm. Please see our necklaces if you are interested in a matched set, as I have also used this skull for necklaces.
Red Leather Pentagram / Pentacle Necklace
Handcrafted Large Red Waxed Leather Pentagram / Pentacle Necklace. The pendant is drawn, cut burned, painted and waxed by hand. The pendant is 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm x .4 cm. The cord is 19 inches or 48 cm.Like a Christian cross, the pentagram tends to be the religious symbol of the Pagan religions. It encompasses elemental beliefs and is one of the strongest protective amulets ever "designed". The Pentagram dates back thousands of years to pre-Babylonian Sumer, roughly about 3500 BC. Many religions have once used this symbol; the Jewish people saw it as a symbol of the Five Books of Moses, and Christians once used it as a protective amulet. According to Heather Child's Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern, the pentagram is a symbol of the five senses. Also, when the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, the pentagram is a symbol of health. It has been called such things as the Druid's Foot and the Witches' Star. The Druzee, descendents of exiles from Fatimid Dynasty-ruled Egypt also keep a five-colour pentagram as their symbol. The pentagram appears on the shield of Sir Gawain in the 14th Century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem the five lines of the star are given multiple meanings: they represent the five senses, five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys that Mary had of Jesus (the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Assumption), and the five virtues of knighthood which Gawain hopes to embody: frankness, fellowship, purity, courtesy and compassion. It would seem as though the Pentacle is gaining a new meaning in Modern-day Paganism, in that it is seen as a unifying symbol of the Pagan community. In modern day Witch Craft, the Pentacle tends to be used more than the pentagram. Each point of the Pentagram traditionally represents one of the five metaphysical elements of the ancients. The pentagram represents Spirit ruling over the four elements. The Pentacle is simply a pentagram with a circle around it. This symbolizes eternity, totality, and unity. It emphasizes the interconnectivity of all of the elements. The direct and indirect relation of one element to the other. Spirit (At the topmost point) - Represents the All and the Divine Air (East): Intellect, Imagination, Knowledge, Mental Powers, Vision, Psychic Powers, Wisdom (Upper left hand corner) - Represents Intelligence and the Arts Earth (North): Money, Prosperity, Fertility, Healing, Employment, The Body, Foundation, Strength (Lower left hand corner) - Represents Stability and Physical Endurance Fire (South): Will, Vitality, Passion, Lust, Courage, Strength, Exorcism, Protection, Health (Lower right hand corner) - Represents Courage and Daring Water (West): Emotion, Intuition, Compassion, Sleep, Meditation, Purification, Prophetic
Principles Of Wicca - Vivianne Crowley
Wicca is the religion of Witchcraft or Wisecraft. It is based on the spirituality of our ancestors - a worship of Goddess, God and the natural universe - in a form meaningful to women and men today. Wicca is a magical path witch empowers us to grow, change and heal. It is a harmony with the universe, others and ourselves.This introductory guide explains:Witchcraft ancient and modernthe Divine as Goddess and Godveneration of Naturemagic and spellcraftcreating ritualwhere to find out more.
Special Promotions
We have placed all children’s costumes at 50% off. And for the rest of the month keep an eye on our “Sales” category for any others prices that may “drop” dead.
Monthly Coupon
Because we will be doing sales over the next three months for the holidays. We will not be issuing coupons
Contest Winner
Aug.-Sept. Contest - We would like to Congratulate RENEE for winning our Aug.-Sept. Contest. The contest prize was a $10 Certificate to our site.
Our current contest for a $10.00 gift certificate will run from Oct. 1st till October 31st, 2007.You must find this picture to enter. Just tell us the day and what the sku # is.
Festivals
Festival Season is over.
Articles
Pentacle, Pentagram – Anonymous Submission
Like a Christian cross, the pentagram tends to be the religious symbol of the Pagan religions. It encompasses elemental beliefs and is one of the strongest protective amulets ever "designed". The Pentagram dates back thousands of years to pre-Babylonian Sumer, roughly about 3500 BC. Many religions have once used this symbol; the Jewish people saw it as a symbol of the Five Books of Moses, and Christians once used it as a protective amulet. According to Heather Child's Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern, the pentagram is a symbol of the five senses. Also, when the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, the pentagram is a symbol of health. It has been called such things as the Druid's Foot and the Witches' Star. The Druzee, descendents of exiles from Fatimid Dynasty-ruled Egypt also keep a five-colored pentagram as their symbol.
The pentagram appears on the shield of Sir Gawain in the 14th Century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem the five lines of the star are given multiple meanings: they represent the five senses, five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys that Mary had of Jesus (the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Assumption), and the five virtues of knighthood which Gawain hopes to embody: frankness, fellowship, purity, courtesy and compassion. It would seem as though the Pentacle is gaining a new meaning in Modern-day Paganism, in that it is seen as a unifying symbol of the Pagan community. In modern day Witch Craft, the Pentacle tends to be used more than the pentagram.
Each point of the Pentagram traditionally represents one of the five metaphysical elements of the ancients. The pentagram represents Spirit ruling over the four elements. The Pentacle is simply a pentagram with a circle around it. This symbolizes eternity, totality, and unity. It emphasizes the interconnectivity of all of the elements. The direct and indirect relation of one element to the other.
Spirit (At the topmost point) - Represents the All and the Divine
Air (East): Intellect, Imagination, Knowledge, Mental Powers, Vision, Psychic Powers, Wisdom (Upper left hand corner) - Represents Intelligence and the Arts
Earth (North): Money, Prosperity, Fertility, Healing, Employment, The Body, Foundation, Strength (Lower left hand corner) - Represents Stability and Physical Endurance
Fire (South): Will, Vitality, Passion, Lust, Courage, Strength, Exorcism, Protection, Health (Lower right hand corner) - Represents Courage and Daring
Water (West): Emotion, Intuition, Compassion, Sleep, Meditation, Purification, Prophetic Dreams, Healing, Love, Friendships, Fidelity (Upper right hand corner) - Represents Emotions and Intuition.
The Circle (Around the Star) - Represents the God-Goddess it refracts and reflects all Light, bringing to the wearer Intelligence, Universal Wisdom, and Protection.
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Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monsters are everywhere, some hidden in plain sight.
I was part of the SCA for years, however I have not been going to events for about four years. Now I am glad. I found out a few weeks ago a story about some one I knew. This story was confirmed last weekend. So what could this story be?
Well when James moved down here one of the household showed great interest in him, as he was a fighter. He joined the household, the Marines (known as the squids). I had known most of these people for years. Bruce was part of the group. I had known him for about 5 years. When we went to Pensic and camped with them we had some issues. Bruce and James did not get along and this caused us to pull away from the household, but James was still part of it. We came home from Pensic with a very common souvenir, I was pregnant. Once we had our son we found we just could not manage merchanting at events and a baby, so we decided to stop doing events for a bit. Our son is now 4 and we started looking at the SCA again. It turns out that it was a good thing we had stopped going.
It turns out that Bruce is a pedophile. He was preying on children in the SCA and had been doing it for years and years. Kids I knew! The children of people I had known for years. He was charged and is now in jail. My response when I found out was shock, not that he did it, but that he was still living. I knew some of the people hurt by this and the people around them. I have no idea how Bruce made it out alive.
I know that people think I am over protective of my kids, maybe even paranoid some times. Now I don’t think I am. I am glad that I have never let any one take care of my children outside of daycare/pre-school. Why, because this monster was in my home, with my baby. I used to spend time in their home every week and see them at fight practice. His wife offered to baby sit! I cannot think of how I would be feeling now if I had let her baby sit. I think about how I knew this man for years and never much though any thing about him, he was just one of the fighters and an ok guy, friendly but not my type. James disliked him and that is a big reason for why we had stopped hanging around that particular group of people.
There was nothing about this man to put up flags. He was for the most part known as a friendly helpful guy with a bit of a temper but over all a good guy. I never saw him act inappropriately with any one, let alone a child. There was nothing to let any one know who he really was, or what he really was. How can you tell? The reality is that you cannot tell who is the predator, the pedophile, the child molester. How many people do you come in contact every day? Can you tell if some one is a pedophile? I cannot, but I do know that they are out there. I am going to stay over protective of my kids. A pedophile can be behind any face, even one you know.
Well when James moved down here one of the household showed great interest in him, as he was a fighter. He joined the household, the Marines (known as the squids). I had known most of these people for years. Bruce was part of the group. I had known him for about 5 years. When we went to Pensic and camped with them we had some issues. Bruce and James did not get along and this caused us to pull away from the household, but James was still part of it. We came home from Pensic with a very common souvenir, I was pregnant. Once we had our son we found we just could not manage merchanting at events and a baby, so we decided to stop doing events for a bit. Our son is now 4 and we started looking at the SCA again. It turns out that it was a good thing we had stopped going.
It turns out that Bruce is a pedophile. He was preying on children in the SCA and had been doing it for years and years. Kids I knew! The children of people I had known for years. He was charged and is now in jail. My response when I found out was shock, not that he did it, but that he was still living. I knew some of the people hurt by this and the people around them. I have no idea how Bruce made it out alive.
I know that people think I am over protective of my kids, maybe even paranoid some times. Now I don’t think I am. I am glad that I have never let any one take care of my children outside of daycare/pre-school. Why, because this monster was in my home, with my baby. I used to spend time in their home every week and see them at fight practice. His wife offered to baby sit! I cannot think of how I would be feeling now if I had let her baby sit. I think about how I knew this man for years and never much though any thing about him, he was just one of the fighters and an ok guy, friendly but not my type. James disliked him and that is a big reason for why we had stopped hanging around that particular group of people.
There was nothing about this man to put up flags. He was for the most part known as a friendly helpful guy with a bit of a temper but over all a good guy. I never saw him act inappropriately with any one, let alone a child. There was nothing to let any one know who he really was, or what he really was. How can you tell? The reality is that you cannot tell who is the predator, the pedophile, the child molester. How many people do you come in contact every day? Can you tell if some one is a pedophile? I cannot, but I do know that they are out there. I am going to stay over protective of my kids. A pedophile can be behind any face, even one you know.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Hamilton Pagan Pride Day 2007 was an excellent event
The Pagan Harvest Festival 2007 at Gage Park Hamilton, Ontario seems to have gone very well. It looked like a good time was had by all. Even though the day started off very cold and windy, it did warm up enough in the afternoon so we could unbundle and enjoy the day. I love the new layout used for the vendors, bring us all closer together and in the same area was a great idea. From what I could see there was a very nice mix of vendors with lots of unusual and unique product. I could only see so much as I was playing with my kids, as we “looked” at all the vendors. So I did miss out on a lot of the vendors, but I did like what I saw.
From what people were saying the workshops were well done, informative and small enough to still have a lot of individual attention. I never did make it to the kid’s area but I did see kids with their mosaics. The live entertainment was a nice mix of music and dance.
The entertainment was
Heather Dale www.heatherdale.com
Cold Barn Morris Dancers no web site was given
Castalia www.castaliamusic.ca
Jenn Ryan www.myspace.com/jennryanmusic
Tahira Badre and her Desert Gypsies www.tinkerwoman.com
RiverSong no web site was given
They also had an announcement for Hamilton Pagan Pride Day 2008. The featured guest speaker will be Laurie Cabot, also known as the “Official Witch of Salem”. She is an ordained High Priestess descended from Celtic ancestry. Having practiced Witchcraft for over forty years, she founded the Cabot Traditions of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches’ League for Public Awareness, an anti-defamation organization aimed at correcting the many misconceptions about Witchcraft. She is the author of Power of the Witch, Love Magic, Celebrate the Earth, and The Witch in Every Woman. Sound like she would be an interesting addition to next years HPPD.
I look forward to next year.
From what people were saying the workshops were well done, informative and small enough to still have a lot of individual attention. I never did make it to the kid’s area but I did see kids with their mosaics. The live entertainment was a nice mix of music and dance.
The entertainment was
Heather Dale www.heatherdale.com
Cold Barn Morris Dancers no web site was given
Castalia www.castaliamusic.ca
Jenn Ryan www.myspace.com/jennryanmusic
Tahira Badre and her Desert Gypsies www.tinkerwoman.com
RiverSong no web site was given
They also had an announcement for Hamilton Pagan Pride Day 2008. The featured guest speaker will be Laurie Cabot, also known as the “Official Witch of Salem”. She is an ordained High Priestess descended from Celtic ancestry. Having practiced Witchcraft for over forty years, she founded the Cabot Traditions of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches’ League for Public Awareness, an anti-defamation organization aimed at correcting the many misconceptions about Witchcraft. She is the author of Power of the Witch, Love Magic, Celebrate the Earth, and The Witch in Every Woman. Sound like she would be an interesting addition to next years HPPD.
I look forward to next year.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
all about smudging by Cherokee_warrior
Some one sent me a great blog on smudging today, this blog was done by Cherokee_warrior. I just want every one to know that I did not do the work on the blog and that Cherokee_warrior on myspace should get 100% of the credit for such a great job. I am only reprinting it because I think it is great and very informative. Here is the link to the original blog http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=115340380&blogID=308141778
The Smudging CeremonyOur Native elders have taught us that before a person can be healed or heal another, one must be cleansed of any bad feelings, negative thoughts, bad spirits or negative energy - cleansed both physically and spiritually. This helps the healing to come through in a clear way, without being distorted or sidetracked by negative "stuff" in either the healer or the client. The elders say that all ceremonies, tribal or private, must be entered into with a good heart so that we can pray, sing, and walk in a sacred manner, and be helped by the spirits to enter the sacred realm.
Native people throughout the world use herbs to accomplish this. One common ceremony is to burn certain herbs, take the smoke in one's hands and rub or brush it over the body. Today this is commonly called "smudging." In Western North America the three plants most frequently used in smudging are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass.
Sage--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many varieties of sage, and most have been used in smudging. The botanical name for "true" sage is Salvia (e.g. Salvia officinalis, Garden Sage, or Salvia apiana, White Sage). It is interesting to note that Salvia comes from the Latin root salvare, which means "to heal." There are also varieties of sage which are of a species separate from Salvin Artemusia. Included here are sagebrush (e.g. Artemisia californica) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). We have seen both Salvia and Artemisia sub-species used in smudging.
Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out bad spirits, feelings, or influences, and also to keep bad spirits from entering the area where a ceremony takes place. In Plains nations, the floor of the sweat lodge is frequently covered with sage, and participants rub the leaves on their bodies while in the sweat. Sage is also commonly spread on the ground in a lodge or on an altar where the pipe touches the earth. Some nations wrap their pipes in sage when they are placed in pipe-bundles, as sage purifies objects wrapped in it. Sage wreaths are also placed around the head and wrists of Sundancers.
Cedar--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is some potential confusion here about the terms used to name plants, mainly because in some areas, junipers are known as "cedar" - as in the case of Desert White Cedar (Juniperus monosperina). This doesn't mean that J. monosperina wasn't used as a cleansing herb, though; in the Eastern U.S., its relative, Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginia), was used ceremonially. However, in the smudging ceremonies we have seen or conducted ourselves, Western Red Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and California Cedar Incense (Libocedrus descurrens) were used ... not varieties of juniper.
Cedar is burned while praying either aloud or silently. The prayers rise on the cedar smoke and are carried to the Creator. Cedar is also spread along with sage on the floor of the sweat lodges of some tribes. Cedar branches are brushed in the air to cleanse a home during the House Blessing Ceremony of many Northwest Indian nations. In the Pacific Northwest, the people burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage - it drives out negative energy; but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes, and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers.
Sweetgrass--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most sacred plants for the Plains Indians, sweetgrass is a tall wild grass with a reddish bas and perfume-like, musty odor. It grows mainly on the eastern side of the Rockies in Montana and adjacent Alberta, Canada. It also shows up in some small areas of Wyoming and South Dakota. Its botanical name is Hierochloe odorata. Some common names for it are Seneca grass, holy grass and vanilla grass. We have been told that a variety of vanilla grass grows in North Central California. But, how similar it is to the Plains variety we don't know.
On the Plains, sweetgrass is usually braided together in bunches as a person's hair is braided, although friends have said they have seen it simply bunched and wrapped in cloth. Either way, it is usually burned by shaving little bits over hot coals or lighting the end and waving it around, letting the smoke spread through the air. This latter method is how we were taught to burn sweetgrass in the sweat lodge - allowing the purifying smoke to get to all parts of the lodge.
We were taught that it was good to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar had driven out the bad influences. Sweetgrass brings in the good spirits and the good influences. As with cedar, burning sweetgrass while praying sends prayers up to the Creator in the smoke. High Hollow Horn says in the The Sacred Pipe "This smoke from the sweetgrass will rise up to you, and will spread throughout the universe. Its fragrance will be known by the wingeds, the four-leggeds, and the two leggeds, for we understand that we are all relatives; may all our brothers be tame and not fear us!" Sweetgrass is also put in pipe bundles and medicine bundles along with sage to purify and protect sacred objects.
Sweetgrass is very rare today, its territory severely cut by development, cattle-grazing, and wheat fields - and tradition Indians in the northern Plains are trying to protect the last remaining fields. The best way for most folks to get sweetgrass is to buy it at Native American retail outlets. This gives support to Indians who can help the fields from being depleted.
Smudging--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To do a smudging ceremony, burn the clippings of these herbs (dried), rub your hands in the smoke, and then gather the smoke and bring it into your body, or - rub it onto yourself; especially onto any area you feel needs spiritual healing. Keep praying all the while that the unseen powers of the plant will cleanse your spirit. Sometimes, one person will smudge another, or a group of people, using hands - or more often a feather - to lightly brush the smoke over the other person(s). We were taught to look for dark spots in a person's spirit-body. As one California Indian woman told us, she "sees" a person's spirit-body glowing around them, and where there are "dark or foggy parts," she brushes the smoke into these "holes in their spirit-body." This helps to heal the spirit and to "close up" these holes.
Recently we did a "light" house cleansing for a friend. We use the term "light", for this is a relatively simple ceremony as opposed to some that are more lengthy and complicated. Our friend had some serious emotional and relationship problems, and he felt they had left a heavy and dark atmosphere. First, we prayed together to the Creator and to the spirits for help. We then, burned sage, purified ourselves, and took the sage to all the corners, closets, and rooms of the house. We pushed the smoke with our hands to cleanse every bit of space - lingering over dark or cold spots that "felt" uncomfortable.
We used sage first in order to drive out the bad influences. Then we purified ourselves with cedar and, then repeated the cleansing process throughout the house with that. Then sweetgrass was used in the same manner to bring in good influences. All the time we prayed for help in this cleansing. Finally, we took a candle over the whole house and pushed its light into every corner. The People of the Pacific Northwest Coast taught this "lighting-up" of a house to us. We've been doing this type of house cleansing for ten years, and it never fails to "clear the air."
One more note about smudging. It is very popular among many novices to use abalone shells in smudging. There are many Native elders who are pleased to see so many new folds smudging themselves, but - some are concerned that abalone shells are being used when burning the herbs. On the Pacific Northwest Coast, for example, some holy men have said that abalone shells represent Grandmother Ocean, and that they should be used in ceremonies with water, not burning.
We know enough Native elders in the Northwest, the Plains, and California who don't use abalone shells - but instead clay or stone bowls - that we don't personally feel comfortable using a shell.
In any case, smudging is a ceremony that must be done with care. We are entering into a relationship with the unseen powers of these plants, and with the spirits of the ceremony. As with all good relationships, there has to be respect and honor if the relationship is to work.
-cherokee_warrior
The Smudging CeremonyOur Native elders have taught us that before a person can be healed or heal another, one must be cleansed of any bad feelings, negative thoughts, bad spirits or negative energy - cleansed both physically and spiritually. This helps the healing to come through in a clear way, without being distorted or sidetracked by negative "stuff" in either the healer or the client. The elders say that all ceremonies, tribal or private, must be entered into with a good heart so that we can pray, sing, and walk in a sacred manner, and be helped by the spirits to enter the sacred realm.
Native people throughout the world use herbs to accomplish this. One common ceremony is to burn certain herbs, take the smoke in one's hands and rub or brush it over the body. Today this is commonly called "smudging." In Western North America the three plants most frequently used in smudging are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass.
Sage--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many varieties of sage, and most have been used in smudging. The botanical name for "true" sage is Salvia (e.g. Salvia officinalis, Garden Sage, or Salvia apiana, White Sage). It is interesting to note that Salvia comes from the Latin root salvare, which means "to heal." There are also varieties of sage which are of a species separate from Salvin Artemusia. Included here are sagebrush (e.g. Artemisia californica) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). We have seen both Salvia and Artemisia sub-species used in smudging.
Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out bad spirits, feelings, or influences, and also to keep bad spirits from entering the area where a ceremony takes place. In Plains nations, the floor of the sweat lodge is frequently covered with sage, and participants rub the leaves on their bodies while in the sweat. Sage is also commonly spread on the ground in a lodge or on an altar where the pipe touches the earth. Some nations wrap their pipes in sage when they are placed in pipe-bundles, as sage purifies objects wrapped in it. Sage wreaths are also placed around the head and wrists of Sundancers.
Cedar--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is some potential confusion here about the terms used to name plants, mainly because in some areas, junipers are known as "cedar" - as in the case of Desert White Cedar (Juniperus monosperina). This doesn't mean that J. monosperina wasn't used as a cleansing herb, though; in the Eastern U.S., its relative, Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginia), was used ceremonially. However, in the smudging ceremonies we have seen or conducted ourselves, Western Red Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and California Cedar Incense (Libocedrus descurrens) were used ... not varieties of juniper.
Cedar is burned while praying either aloud or silently. The prayers rise on the cedar smoke and are carried to the Creator. Cedar is also spread along with sage on the floor of the sweat lodges of some tribes. Cedar branches are brushed in the air to cleanse a home during the House Blessing Ceremony of many Northwest Indian nations. In the Pacific Northwest, the people burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage - it drives out negative energy; but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes, and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers.
Sweetgrass--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most sacred plants for the Plains Indians, sweetgrass is a tall wild grass with a reddish bas and perfume-like, musty odor. It grows mainly on the eastern side of the Rockies in Montana and adjacent Alberta, Canada. It also shows up in some small areas of Wyoming and South Dakota. Its botanical name is Hierochloe odorata. Some common names for it are Seneca grass, holy grass and vanilla grass. We have been told that a variety of vanilla grass grows in North Central California. But, how similar it is to the Plains variety we don't know.
On the Plains, sweetgrass is usually braided together in bunches as a person's hair is braided, although friends have said they have seen it simply bunched and wrapped in cloth. Either way, it is usually burned by shaving little bits over hot coals or lighting the end and waving it around, letting the smoke spread through the air. This latter method is how we were taught to burn sweetgrass in the sweat lodge - allowing the purifying smoke to get to all parts of the lodge.
We were taught that it was good to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar had driven out the bad influences. Sweetgrass brings in the good spirits and the good influences. As with cedar, burning sweetgrass while praying sends prayers up to the Creator in the smoke. High Hollow Horn says in the The Sacred Pipe "This smoke from the sweetgrass will rise up to you, and will spread throughout the universe. Its fragrance will be known by the wingeds, the four-leggeds, and the two leggeds, for we understand that we are all relatives; may all our brothers be tame and not fear us!" Sweetgrass is also put in pipe bundles and medicine bundles along with sage to purify and protect sacred objects.
Sweetgrass is very rare today, its territory severely cut by development, cattle-grazing, and wheat fields - and tradition Indians in the northern Plains are trying to protect the last remaining fields. The best way for most folks to get sweetgrass is to buy it at Native American retail outlets. This gives support to Indians who can help the fields from being depleted.
Smudging--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To do a smudging ceremony, burn the clippings of these herbs (dried), rub your hands in the smoke, and then gather the smoke and bring it into your body, or - rub it onto yourself; especially onto any area you feel needs spiritual healing. Keep praying all the while that the unseen powers of the plant will cleanse your spirit. Sometimes, one person will smudge another, or a group of people, using hands - or more often a feather - to lightly brush the smoke over the other person(s). We were taught to look for dark spots in a person's spirit-body. As one California Indian woman told us, she "sees" a person's spirit-body glowing around them, and where there are "dark or foggy parts," she brushes the smoke into these "holes in their spirit-body." This helps to heal the spirit and to "close up" these holes.
Recently we did a "light" house cleansing for a friend. We use the term "light", for this is a relatively simple ceremony as opposed to some that are more lengthy and complicated. Our friend had some serious emotional and relationship problems, and he felt they had left a heavy and dark atmosphere. First, we prayed together to the Creator and to the spirits for help. We then, burned sage, purified ourselves, and took the sage to all the corners, closets, and rooms of the house. We pushed the smoke with our hands to cleanse every bit of space - lingering over dark or cold spots that "felt" uncomfortable.
We used sage first in order to drive out the bad influences. Then we purified ourselves with cedar and, then repeated the cleansing process throughout the house with that. Then sweetgrass was used in the same manner to bring in good influences. All the time we prayed for help in this cleansing. Finally, we took a candle over the whole house and pushed its light into every corner. The People of the Pacific Northwest Coast taught this "lighting-up" of a house to us. We've been doing this type of house cleansing for ten years, and it never fails to "clear the air."
One more note about smudging. It is very popular among many novices to use abalone shells in smudging. There are many Native elders who are pleased to see so many new folds smudging themselves, but - some are concerned that abalone shells are being used when burning the herbs. On the Pacific Northwest Coast, for example, some holy men have said that abalone shells represent Grandmother Ocean, and that they should be used in ceremonies with water, not burning.
We know enough Native elders in the Northwest, the Plains, and California who don't use abalone shells - but instead clay or stone bowls - that we don't personally feel comfortable using a shell.
In any case, smudging is a ceremony that must be done with care. We are entering into a relationship with the unseen powers of these plants, and with the spirits of the ceremony. As with all good relationships, there has to be respect and honor if the relationship is to work.
-cherokee_warrior
Thursday, September 6, 2007
It never hurts to ask for advice, even from some one like Sir. Richard Branson
Last week James found an interview with Sir. Richard Branson where he said that if you had a business and wanted some advice to send an email. There was a link so you could send an email. It took James to www.virgin.com, and there was an email address for general and press questions in the “contact us”, “your questions” section, point #3. So James emailed them telling them that we were a small business and that we did not want any thing from them but would very much appreciate it if Sir. Richard Branson would give us some advice on how to improve our business.
Within 7 days we received an email back. One of the Virgin staff actually took the time to look at our website www.medievalmagic.ca and let us know that they liked it and felt that Mr. Branson might be interested as well. And seeing as all we wanted was some advice they will forward the email to him. Wow. Even if he is too busy to respond it is nice to know that some one in his office took the time to look. They actually followed through with his offer for advice; it was not a hollow gesture. Sir. Branson and Virgin are now my hero’s even if we never hear from them again.
I have to say that I would be incredibly grateful if he did find the time, even 10 minutes out of his busy schedule to take a look at our site and email us some advice. As it is it means a great deal to me that they took the time to read the email, respond to it and actually look at our site. They must get millions of emails. This is my way of saying thank you.
Within 7 days we received an email back. One of the Virgin staff actually took the time to look at our website www.medievalmagic.ca and let us know that they liked it and felt that Mr. Branson might be interested as well. And seeing as all we wanted was some advice they will forward the email to him. Wow. Even if he is too busy to respond it is nice to know that some one in his office took the time to look. They actually followed through with his offer for advice; it was not a hollow gesture. Sir. Branson and Virgin are now my hero’s even if we never hear from them again.
I have to say that I would be incredibly grateful if he did find the time, even 10 minutes out of his busy schedule to take a look at our site and email us some advice. As it is it means a great deal to me that they took the time to read the email, respond to it and actually look at our site. They must get millions of emails. This is my way of saying thank you.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Dragon Tarot Card of the Day – King of Cups
KING OF CUPS An emotionally mature man, capable of giving and receiving love.
What I see in this card is a loner, who likes to be on his own a lot, independent but at the same time can still be part of a group. Tends to be a leader not a follower. Likes night, works best at night. Tends to carry other peoples emotions on his back, in other words sensitive and empathetic but at the same times tends to take responsibility or feel responsible for other peoples emotions. They put their emotions to the side to protect others and can be misunderstood and lonely. He has been hurt emotionally by some one who just does not understand him, and that he has such strong emotions - Not the stereotypical male image people have about men and their emotions. Because he is a bit of a loner and a leader, very independent he is often perceived as not having the emotional depth, so people miss it our disregard it. They only see the tip of the ice burg and don’t investigate further.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Dragon Tarot Card of the day Ten of Swords
TEN OF SWORDS Unable to have an effect or change influences going around you. The need to just go along with the flow.
What I see is a person being trapped or boxed in by life and circumstances out side of their control. Every time they see a way out something pulls them back. As much as this person wants to move on this is not under their control. The harder they try to remove themselves the more they are pulled in. The need to stop fighting and avoiding and try to work with the other people involved in this. Some times you need to deal with the issues at hand before you can move on or change things. They also need to understand that some times things are not to be, or at least this is not the time for it, they have other things to deal with first.
The Magic Cauldron Sept 2007
The Magic Cauldron
Newsletter of www.medievalmagic.ca
September Newsletter
What is new with Medieval Magic.
Okay people as we told everyone last month we are moving this month. So here is the scoop.
We are moving on Sept.17. It will be an all day thing so no orders or commissions will be processed till after. We will be taking a couple of days to do inventory to make sure of the quantity and quality of all items. This is to ensure no loss or damage caused by the move. So all orders received will be processed on the 22nd. for shipment on the 24th.
We appoligze at this time for the delay. But you as our customers have come to expect the best we can give and we wish to continue to give it to you all.
We will be adding and producing some great new products for Halloween and Christmas. Look for our new ceramics line as well as some new and unusual supprises. If there is anything you would like or need us to find or make we will be checking e-mail every day.
We do have a few custome orders for the holidays, but still have room for a few more.
If any one wishes to pay with cheque or money order please contact us when you place the order so that we can confirm our new address. This will start the 1st of September. The system will be updated with the new information on the 18th.
Special Promotions
None This Month.
Monthly Coupon
No coupon this month.
Contest Winner
Our courent contest for a $10.00 gift certificate will continue till September 30, 2007 as planned. You must find this picture to enter. Just tell us the day and what the sku # is.
Festivals
Festival Season is over and we wish to thank all our customers for there support this year. We did better in sale this year and received great feedback from you all about the new site and company look.
As our goal is to bring our Customers the highest quality and variety we would be happy to hear from our readers about any items they would like to have available. Please click Here to let us know.
If you would like to submit an article, question or Business Ad for the newsletter, we welcome your submission. Please see the Newsletter section on our site for submission deadlines and conditions.
Owners
Medieval Magic
You have received this Newsletter by subscribing at www.medievalmagic.ca
If you have received this in error please contact us at info@medievalmagic.ca
Newsletter of www.medievalmagic.ca
September Newsletter
What is new with Medieval Magic.
Okay people as we told everyone last month we are moving this month. So here is the scoop.
We are moving on Sept.17. It will be an all day thing so no orders or commissions will be processed till after. We will be taking a couple of days to do inventory to make sure of the quantity and quality of all items. This is to ensure no loss or damage caused by the move. So all orders received will be processed on the 22nd. for shipment on the 24th.
We appoligze at this time for the delay. But you as our customers have come to expect the best we can give and we wish to continue to give it to you all.
We will be adding and producing some great new products for Halloween and Christmas. Look for our new ceramics line as well as some new and unusual supprises. If there is anything you would like or need us to find or make we will be checking e-mail every day.
We do have a few custome orders for the holidays, but still have room for a few more.
If any one wishes to pay with cheque or money order please contact us when you place the order so that we can confirm our new address. This will start the 1st of September. The system will be updated with the new information on the 18th.
Special Promotions
None This Month.
Monthly Coupon
No coupon this month.
Contest Winner
Our courent contest for a $10.00 gift certificate will continue till September 30, 2007 as planned. You must find this picture to enter. Just tell us the day and what the sku # is.
Festivals
Festival Season is over and we wish to thank all our customers for there support this year. We did better in sale this year and received great feedback from you all about the new site and company look.
As our goal is to bring our Customers the highest quality and variety we would be happy to hear from our readers about any items they would like to have available. Please click Here to let us know.
If you would like to submit an article, question or Business Ad for the newsletter, we welcome your submission. Please see the Newsletter section on our site for submission deadlines and conditions.
Owners
Medieval Magic
You have received this Newsletter by subscribing at www.medievalmagic.ca
If you have received this in error please contact us at info@medievalmagic.ca
Monday, September 3, 2007
Dragon Tarot Card of the Day – Reversed The High Priestess
THE HIGH PRIESTESS Be guided by your intuition. R-Superstitious, deluded.
Normally when the card is face up it is for some one who is well grounded, has good insight, and even better instincts. The card was reversed which indicates that this person is more interested in the end results of their actions so they don’t take the time to see what their actions will actually result in. They take leaps of faith with out looking at what they are getting into. This person does not succeed because they don’t put the work into it, they expect instant results and when they don’t get it they think it is some one else’s fault, it is never theirs. They don’t grow or learn from their mistakes because as far as they can see they did not make any. They have bad instincts, poor relations due to a lack of insight. They are disconnected from nature and have no sense of balance in their lives or with in themselves. They use all their energy and well lives on the wrong things, the end result or goal is more important then the life they live today. They miss out on all the things that make today worth living for, because they cannot see it, and if they ever do reach that goal it is empty and hollow and they don’t know why. It is good to have a goal in life, a dream but you still have to live in today. If you know some one like this limit your involvement, as they tend to drag every one around them down, they take and use or blame others around them.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Dragon Tarot Card of the Day
THE HIEROPHANT Power behind the scenes. Also, teachings and teachers entering one’s life. R- Stuck in tradition. Unable to keep up with the times.
This card makes sense seeing as school is starting in the next few days. So a lot of people are going to have teachings and teachers entering their lives, be they the students or the parents.
Today though I see some one who is a manipulator. Some one who can get people to do what they want, and are always behind the scenes. This person in not necessarily a bad person, or trying to get people to do what they want just for the sake of controlling some one. With this person it is more like that they are trying to help some one, trying to steer them in the direction they feel the person should be going. That if some thing needs to be done they can also get it done with out being seen as the one getting it done. They know the right person to say some thing to, who will say some thing to some one else and then the next thing you know it is done. They work behind the scenes. However this person is so used to controlling and manipulating situations and people that they do it with out thinking about what other people need or want. They get so caught up on how they feel things should be that they don’t see what other people want. They just assume that their way is the only way. This is when problems arise.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Dragon Tarot Card of the Day
THREE OF SWORDS Heartbreak, unless you can communicate.
In other words you need to be able to talk about things. If you have a problem, talk about it and try to work things out. If some one else has a problem you need to talk and listen, hear what they are really saying, not just what their words are saying. If you rely on documents, make sure they are clear and accurate; cover you butt by making sure you have every thing on time.
I usually see this card in relationship questions. It is important to talk and hear, not just react to a set of circumstance. It is just as important to express your self clearly as it is to stop to hear what the other person is saying.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Heather Dale then and now or I knew her when
I remember Heather Dale when she was just another SCAer selling her CD’s at events. She was at most of the same events I was. Some times our tables would be side by side. She would discreetly play her CD’s, hiding the CD player with a cloth so it would not bother the period police. I always enjoyed having my table or booth by hers, the music was always wonderful to hear and I would buy CD’s whenever I had the money. I still have some of them. She usually shared her table with a man who did paper making, and bookbinding. He did great work. Heather took the time to record other SCA musicians and sold their CD’s as well. She was the person responsible for making SCA musicians in our area realise how good they were and how far they could go. A lot of people grew as musicians because of her. Most out grew the SCA and started performing elsewhere and busking and doing renfestivals. She let our musicians feel valued and did a lot to strengthen and support our local musicians. Now 8 years latter she is world famous and a headliner. It is funny how things go. If you don’t know her or her music please take the time to look at her website HeatherDale.com.
Heather Dale will be the featured musical performance at Pagan Pride Day in Hamilton Ontario
Heather Dale will be the featured musical performance at Pagan Pride Day in Hamilton Ontario on Sept. 15 2007. For more information here is the PPD link http://www.ppdhamilton.org/index.htm her initial performance will begin at 12 Noon.
Heather Dale:modern folk music with Celtic roots
Heather Dale cheerfully discards the stereotypical limits for both folk singer-songwriters and Celtic balladeers. Tapping into the continuing evolution of Celtic peoples worldwide, this Canadian singer-songwriter offers a new type of Celtic music for the 21st century: a playful, passionate and fearless blend of tradition and innovation. "Her music is powerful stuff, reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan but with a depth and resonance rooted in its mythic sources." (Vancouver Sun)
Heather fuses traditional stories with a healthy mix of Celtic folk, blues, jazz and world music influences. Particularly known for her interpretations of ancient legends, she excels at finding modern themes within old -- and often overlooked -- material. Her songs celebrate honest love and the personal search for meaning, as well as delivering cunning commentary on such modern concerns as self-image, sexual tensions, and even civil disobedience. "Although steeped in Celtic culture, Dale's approach to the music is contemporary; there's nothing faint or wispy about this Celtic folk singer." (K-W Record)
Her innovative live shows with fellow multi-instrumentalist Ben Deschamps feature over a dozen folk instruments, from bodhran drum to mountain dulcimer, along with Heather's rich and evocative voice. The performances feature original songs from Heather's five CDs, along with traditional folk and Celtic material from North America and the UK.
Heather Dale released her 5th solo CD "The Road to Santiago" in 2005. A cosmopolitan album of modern folk songs, Heather co-produced the CD with folk veteran Paul Mills (Stan Rogers, Tanglefoot). With strong vocal performances and tight songwriting, Heather's songs draw their inspiration from many diverse cultures, including New-World Celtic, Irish, Spanish, Caribbean, Greek, and even Canadian Inuit. "Heather Dale soars on this recording, an unabashed and uninhibited romantic who has found her voice and her musical wings." (Toronto Star)
Additional info and sound clips are available at HeatherDale.com.
Heather Dale:modern folk music with Celtic roots
Heather Dale cheerfully discards the stereotypical limits for both folk singer-songwriters and Celtic balladeers. Tapping into the continuing evolution of Celtic peoples worldwide, this Canadian singer-songwriter offers a new type of Celtic music for the 21st century: a playful, passionate and fearless blend of tradition and innovation. "Her music is powerful stuff, reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan but with a depth and resonance rooted in its mythic sources." (Vancouver Sun)
Heather fuses traditional stories with a healthy mix of Celtic folk, blues, jazz and world music influences. Particularly known for her interpretations of ancient legends, she excels at finding modern themes within old -- and often overlooked -- material. Her songs celebrate honest love and the personal search for meaning, as well as delivering cunning commentary on such modern concerns as self-image, sexual tensions, and even civil disobedience. "Although steeped in Celtic culture, Dale's approach to the music is contemporary; there's nothing faint or wispy about this Celtic folk singer." (K-W Record)
Her innovative live shows with fellow multi-instrumentalist Ben Deschamps feature over a dozen folk instruments, from bodhran drum to mountain dulcimer, along with Heather's rich and evocative voice. The performances feature original songs from Heather's five CDs, along with traditional folk and Celtic material from North America and the UK.
Heather Dale released her 5th solo CD "The Road to Santiago" in 2005. A cosmopolitan album of modern folk songs, Heather co-produced the CD with folk veteran Paul Mills (Stan Rogers, Tanglefoot). With strong vocal performances and tight songwriting, Heather's songs draw their inspiration from many diverse cultures, including New-World Celtic, Irish, Spanish, Caribbean, Greek, and even Canadian Inuit. "Heather Dale soars on this recording, an unabashed and uninhibited romantic who has found her voice and her musical wings." (Toronto Star)
Additional info and sound clips are available at HeatherDale.com.
Good Eats in Hamilton Ontario
Today we found a great sandwich place. It is called Extreme Sandwich Plus at 2255 Barton Street East, Hamilton, ON L8H 7T4. The name is dead on. I could not believe the sandwiches we got. We got the small ones and ½ of one filled me up. I had a salami one, on a cheese bun. It had 5 layers of meat. There was a huge choice of sandwich fillings, like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and more. They even had havarti at no extra charge. James got an egg salad sandwich. The man took out a container from the fridge and James thought that it was just the container that they stored the egg salad in. Nope all of it went on the sandwich. It was so big the guy said he would not cut the sandwich because James would not be able the eat it. He also told James to keep the bag on it when eating to keep the egg on the sandwich. (Not to eat the bag, just in case some one takes it that way lol). These were the small sandwiches; I don’t know how big the bigger sandwiches are. The man making the sandwiches was the owner and he did not chinch on any thing. I was very impressed. They even do catering, and I would say based on the sandwiches we got it would be worth having them as caterers.
So if you are in the Hamilton area this is a good place to go. The only thing that would make the place better was some tables to sit and eat at. This is a take out place, but worth going to. We had two extremely large sandwiches, an extra large coffee, and a Fruitopia and it only came to $11.00. Why am I telling every one about this place? Because we find these great places that are a bit out of the way or not in the best locations that are great, but go under because they don’t have enough exposure to build a good customer bass. I would like to see this one stay around. We don’t go out for food very much so it may be a year before we would go back. Just because we don’t have the money to eat out, trust me if we did this place is worth it and we would go again.
Here is the link that will give you the map and phone # if you are interested in finding this place. http://canada411.yellowpages.ca/business/0%2C1/602962.html?what=Extreme%20Sandwich%20Plus&where=Hamilton&how=onlyonefound&pstype=si
So if you are in the Hamilton area this is a good place to go. The only thing that would make the place better was some tables to sit and eat at. This is a take out place, but worth going to. We had two extremely large sandwiches, an extra large coffee, and a Fruitopia and it only came to $11.00. Why am I telling every one about this place? Because we find these great places that are a bit out of the way or not in the best locations that are great, but go under because they don’t have enough exposure to build a good customer bass. I would like to see this one stay around. We don’t go out for food very much so it may be a year before we would go back. Just because we don’t have the money to eat out, trust me if we did this place is worth it and we would go again.
Here is the link that will give you the map and phone # if you are interested in finding this place. http://canada411.yellowpages.ca/business/0%2C1/602962.html?what=Extreme%20Sandwich%20Plus&where=Hamilton&how=onlyonefound&pstype=si
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Winning the lottery
So I was standing in line to check my lotto ticket. The lady in front of me was also checking hers. The music came out of the machine. The casher got kind of excited. The lady had just won second place, over 100,000.00. She looks at the ticket and said, what am I going to do with this. She was in her late 80’s, with no family or friends left and on top of that she had Cancer. She just liked the idea of wining but never expected to win. It was hard not to say, then trade tickets with me, lol. It was nice to actually see some one win, but I wish it had been my ticket. It is always interesting to see who wins. I like it when it is some one who is on welfare or a single parent or a student.
The best one was when this single mom won. Her husband had just left her, signed over his parental rights as he did not want to pay child support. He wanted to live the high life with out his family, but with the new girlfriend soon to be trophy wife. He did have money, but he left them as high and dry as he could. The day after the divorce was final she bought a ticket, using the money from the divorce settlement, and won the big prize, in the millions. We all laughed at the idea of him trying to get back with her.
Then I was working at a temp. job a few years ago. I was told that the person I was covering for had to take some time off for legal matters. Her husband came home one day, and well out of the blue up and left her. Told her it was over. Started divorce proceedings that day. No explanation or any thing. So they divorced, he gave her custody of the kids, signed over his parental rights (see the theme here). He found a nice apartment, new girlfriend, and then almost a year latter found the winning ticket for several million dollars. He cashed it in. His ex found out about it because the papers made a big deal about how this ticket was found just before the year was up, and how lucky the guy was finding it in time to cash it in. It was just days before it would have been to late to claim. Big news. Well, the legal battle started. Why, because it was purchased when they were still married. He had checked the ticket, found out it was the winning one, came home and told her it was over. He figured that if he cashed it after the divorce she would never know about it, and because it was found after the marital assets had been divided, he would get all the money. He knew he had the ticket, spent a lot of money before cashing it in, got a new place, new car, new boat, and new girlfriend. I found this out because the lady called her place of employment to let them know she would not be coming back. The court decided that as the ticket was purchased when they were still married that she got half of it. Then they got into the fraud aspect of it and that he was hiding marital assets. The end result was that the court turned over part of the divorce settlement. Not only did she get a lump sum of half the money, he now had to pay a large alimony, and child support (but did not get to see the kids), so she ended up with more then half, the kids got a good chunk. The girlfriend left him; he lost his wife and kids, most of his friends, and most of the money. All because he was greedy.
It is interesting to see what things happen when people win. Years and years ago I was up north for a camping weekend. On the way there we stopped for coffee, and overheard people talking about how the town was in trouble, and that the pulp mill (paper mill) was closing, and with it went most of the jobs. It was depressing. On the way home, Sunday, we stopped for lunch at the only dinner in the area, same place we had stopped for coffee. It was a different place. We could hear all these people talking about getting together and buying the mill and keeping the town open. We did not know what was going on. Then we found out that a group of guys who worked at the mill had a lotto pool and they had just won about 20 million on the Saturday. I was kicking myself because I had wanted to buy a ticket on Friday when we got into town, but forgot to. So I always think I was that close to buying the winning ticket. Mind you though, I know the right people won that one. Mind you I don’t know if they did buy the paper mill or not. I do know that they told the newspapers that they were going to try to buy it.
I just keep buying my ticket, it only takes one and you cannot win if you don’t buy at least one. Maybe one day I can tell every one I won.
The best one was when this single mom won. Her husband had just left her, signed over his parental rights as he did not want to pay child support. He wanted to live the high life with out his family, but with the new girlfriend soon to be trophy wife. He did have money, but he left them as high and dry as he could. The day after the divorce was final she bought a ticket, using the money from the divorce settlement, and won the big prize, in the millions. We all laughed at the idea of him trying to get back with her.
Then I was working at a temp. job a few years ago. I was told that the person I was covering for had to take some time off for legal matters. Her husband came home one day, and well out of the blue up and left her. Told her it was over. Started divorce proceedings that day. No explanation or any thing. So they divorced, he gave her custody of the kids, signed over his parental rights (see the theme here). He found a nice apartment, new girlfriend, and then almost a year latter found the winning ticket for several million dollars. He cashed it in. His ex found out about it because the papers made a big deal about how this ticket was found just before the year was up, and how lucky the guy was finding it in time to cash it in. It was just days before it would have been to late to claim. Big news. Well, the legal battle started. Why, because it was purchased when they were still married. He had checked the ticket, found out it was the winning one, came home and told her it was over. He figured that if he cashed it after the divorce she would never know about it, and because it was found after the marital assets had been divided, he would get all the money. He knew he had the ticket, spent a lot of money before cashing it in, got a new place, new car, new boat, and new girlfriend. I found this out because the lady called her place of employment to let them know she would not be coming back. The court decided that as the ticket was purchased when they were still married that she got half of it. Then they got into the fraud aspect of it and that he was hiding marital assets. The end result was that the court turned over part of the divorce settlement. Not only did she get a lump sum of half the money, he now had to pay a large alimony, and child support (but did not get to see the kids), so she ended up with more then half, the kids got a good chunk. The girlfriend left him; he lost his wife and kids, most of his friends, and most of the money. All because he was greedy.
It is interesting to see what things happen when people win. Years and years ago I was up north for a camping weekend. On the way there we stopped for coffee, and overheard people talking about how the town was in trouble, and that the pulp mill (paper mill) was closing, and with it went most of the jobs. It was depressing. On the way home, Sunday, we stopped for lunch at the only dinner in the area, same place we had stopped for coffee. It was a different place. We could hear all these people talking about getting together and buying the mill and keeping the town open. We did not know what was going on. Then we found out that a group of guys who worked at the mill had a lotto pool and they had just won about 20 million on the Saturday. I was kicking myself because I had wanted to buy a ticket on Friday when we got into town, but forgot to. So I always think I was that close to buying the winning ticket. Mind you though, I know the right people won that one. Mind you I don’t know if they did buy the paper mill or not. I do know that they told the newspapers that they were going to try to buy it.
I just keep buying my ticket, it only takes one and you cannot win if you don’t buy at least one. Maybe one day I can tell every one I won.
I tried eBay again, what fun
So I decided to try eBay again. Not to sell, never that again, but to buy. I have so far have been ok buying things. I think it has to do with the fact that there is more protection for the buyers then the sellers. So what happens, I buy from two people. I asked for a quote before bidding as they only gave shipping for in the US. Both gave me an ok shipping quote. So I bid and win. The first person, hawkl921 gave me the shipping quote based on the weight and the US postal web site. They told me they would take the item to the post office to make sure the quote was accurate before invoicing me. They came back and let me know that the US post office was going to charge $10.00 more then what the web site had said. They then let me decide if I wanted to pay the extra or not. If not then hawkl921 would not hold me to the bid. I was not able to pay for the extra shipping cost, as it would bring the shipping cost to 3 times more then the item. I found that hawkl921 dealt with the whole situation in a professional manner and I would do business with them again.
Now the second person was a completely different story. They had given me a shipping quote and their ad said that if you bought more then 1 item you only had to pay half the shipping cost for the second item. So that is what I did, I figured out what the shipping cost should be and paid for it. We got an email saying we had short paid, and had to pay another $10.00 (that $10.00 again lol). We looked at the payment and realized I had paid $14.00, not the $18.00 I should have so we owed them $4.00 not another $10.00. We let them know, so they emailed us telling us that we had lied to them about our address and had shown them a US address first when they made the quote. Um, no I showed my address in Canada. What would be to point to get a quote for a different address, one that was not even in my country? Nice try, I kept all the emails and was able to show them that. Then they said that their add only said ½ price shipping on the second item if in the US and they expected us to pay full shipping for both items. Um, no went back and looked, it did not say US only. So we said we would be happy to pay the $4.00 I had accidentally shorted them. Then they came back and said that the original quote was for a different item, that it did not have glass in it and that the ones with glass weigh more so it cost more to ship. Um, no I still had the email threw eBay with the link to the product I was getting the quote on. The difference was the colour of the insert, that was it. At this point we decided we did not wish to do business with these people. We had all the proof we needed to know that yes I had short paid by $4.00 but that was it, and if they would not honour their ad then and quote then they were not professional. I would never do business with them. They are a large seller of jewellery displays, but I cannot see how they expect to stay in business if treat their customers this way.
Now the second person was a completely different story. They had given me a shipping quote and their ad said that if you bought more then 1 item you only had to pay half the shipping cost for the second item. So that is what I did, I figured out what the shipping cost should be and paid for it. We got an email saying we had short paid, and had to pay another $10.00 (that $10.00 again lol). We looked at the payment and realized I had paid $14.00, not the $18.00 I should have so we owed them $4.00 not another $10.00. We let them know, so they emailed us telling us that we had lied to them about our address and had shown them a US address first when they made the quote. Um, no I showed my address in Canada. What would be to point to get a quote for a different address, one that was not even in my country? Nice try, I kept all the emails and was able to show them that. Then they said that their add only said ½ price shipping on the second item if in the US and they expected us to pay full shipping for both items. Um, no went back and looked, it did not say US only. So we said we would be happy to pay the $4.00 I had accidentally shorted them. Then they came back and said that the original quote was for a different item, that it did not have glass in it and that the ones with glass weigh more so it cost more to ship. Um, no I still had the email threw eBay with the link to the product I was getting the quote on. The difference was the colour of the insert, that was it. At this point we decided we did not wish to do business with these people. We had all the proof we needed to know that yes I had short paid by $4.00 but that was it, and if they would not honour their ad then and quote then they were not professional. I would never do business with them. They are a large seller of jewellery displays, but I cannot see how they expect to stay in business if treat their customers this way.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
July contest on Medieval Magic web site
So every month we have a contest on www.medievalmagic.ca to find a picture in our products. It is very easy to do, however only one person has found it so far this month. Please come to www.medievalmagic.ca and see if you can find the picture. The prize is a $15.00 gift certificate for www.medievalmagic.ca.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Looking at Bingo House an online bingo site
I know that this has nothing to do with dragons and such, but I have found that online Bingo is fun. I used to go to the Bingo Hall with my friend and play for a few hours. It cost a lot, but we had fun. It was the socializing I liked the most. We won some, lost some but talked a lot no matter what. Now I tend to play online Bingo. I can play when I feel like it and I don’t have to spend $20.00 or $80.00 like I used to. I just don’t have the money or the time to go to the Bingo Halls any more. With kids at home I don’t want to hire a baby sitter just to go out when I can play at home. I enjoy chatting with people as I play, and making friends.
I have played on about 20 different online bingo sites. I tend to play on two of them all the time. I was just told about a new online Bingo site, http://www.bingohouse.com/. They have all sorts of interesting games. I liked the Blackout Bingo hall, you cannot use bingo bucks, but the prizes look good. I have not signed up yet, but I am thinking about it. Every one gets $30.00 bingo bucks just for signing up. I guess that is so every one can check out the site before spending any real money. If any one has played on this site, let me know what you think.
I have played on about 20 different online bingo sites. I tend to play on two of them all the time. I was just told about a new online Bingo site, http://www.bingohouse.com/. They have all sorts of interesting games. I liked the Blackout Bingo hall, you cannot use bingo bucks, but the prizes look good. I have not signed up yet, but I am thinking about it. Every one gets $30.00 bingo bucks just for signing up. I guess that is so every one can check out the site before spending any real money. If any one has played on this site, let me know what you think.
Monday, July 9, 2007
For every one who reads my blogs I am giving a 15% off coupon for http://www.medievalmagic.ca/ If you find some thing you like on our site, please use the coupon.
Medieval Magic July Coupon
Use this coupon code now till the end of July and receive 15% off all orders over $10.00. One coupon per order. Code - L1XA5W7X When making your payment chose coupon as a payment option and use the above code, it will deduct the % of the coupon from your bill.
Medieval Magic
Medieval Magic July Coupon
Use this coupon code now till the end of July and receive 15% off all orders over $10.00. One coupon per order. Code - L1XA5W7X When making your payment chose coupon as a payment option and use the above code, it will deduct the % of the coupon from your bill.
Medieval Magic
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy Canada Day and 4th of July - Now is the time to give.
I hope every one had a great and safe weekend. This is a great time for family and friends. School is out and summer fun is here. So why did I say now is the time to give? Because every one gives donations to the food banks and shelters at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a long time till then and there are people going hungry now. People don’t think about donations in the summer so food banks run low or even run out. At Christmas stores and banks have ways for you to donate food or money, but now how do you even find a place to donate some food now? One of the best things I saw was a grocery store that instead of a food donation box they had a helping hand. It was a hand cut out of craft paper. If you bought a hand you put your name on it and it got put up on the wall. Most did not have names on them. There were three colours, one for $1.00, one for $5.00 and one for $10.00. The idea is you bought a helping hand and at the end of the month the money was given in gift cards to the local food bank. That way the food bank could either give the cards out or buy what people needed the most. If you know of a local food bank or a local store, or even a bank, tell them about it and see if they would be interested in doing the “Helping Hands” now when the food banks need the donations the most. It’s a small thing, but even a $1.00 helps out when a lot of people give.
The other thing we need to give is blood. It seems that there are more accidents in the summer time, more blood is needed. So if you can give blood, please do so.
The other thing we need to give is blood. It seems that there are more accidents in the summer time, more blood is needed. So if you can give blood, please do so.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Medieval Magic will be merchanting at Its Your Festival this weekend
For any one in the Hamilton area, and who likes our web site Medieval Magic, we will be merchants at It’s Your Festival this weekend. This is going to be the only big festival we do this year. We are going to be located by the greenhouses, in area 34 – see map. Every one keeps saying it is going to be a good festival this year. We are hoping to see lots of our customers face to face over the weekend. We are gong to have a festival sale on our incense, 100 for $5.00 (half off). We will have a sign up sheet to sign up for our monthly newsletter. We usually put a coupon in for 10% off purchases on the web site, or what special we have that month, so it is worth signing up.
For those who know us, you know that what we have on the web site is about 10% of what we actually have, so you will always find more at the festivals then on the web site. I am trying to catch up with the web site, we just end up spending our time making things and not as much time putting them one the web site. Once It’s Your Festival is over I will put some more items out onto the web site.
Hope to see you at It’s Your Festival this weekend
For those who know us, you know that what we have on the web site is about 10% of what we actually have, so you will always find more at the festivals then on the web site. I am trying to catch up with the web site, we just end up spending our time making things and not as much time putting them one the web site. Once It’s Your Festival is over I will put some more items out onto the web site.
Hope to see you at It’s Your Festival this weekend
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Get these free dragon pictures before the site goes down.
I love dragons. I found this great website about a year ago, http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/delany/103/. Now it seems that the domain may be for sale but you can still get to the pictures if you go through the link I just gave and not the link to the home page. If you love dragons I would go to this site and get as many pictures as you can before they are gone. You will get an annoying ad that was not there before. Just close it and get the pictures. We are talking 1000’s of them. I am going to see how many I can get before I loose the chance. There are pictures here I had never seen before and others that I just love. Lots of book covers and such. I hope people can get to the pictures before the site is all gone. I hope I am wrong about the domain and site, but I don’t think so because if you hit the link to dragon resource center it takes you to a page that said this domain may be for sale. It is sad when such a wonderful site goes by by.
I found the link to about 10000 coloured pictures, http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/picard/433/dragon-pictures-07.html. It was hard to find as I kept getting domain may be for sale.
Please let other people know about this site before it is to late to get some of the pictures.
I found the link to about 10000 coloured pictures, http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/picard/433/dragon-pictures-07.html. It was hard to find as I kept getting domain may be for sale.
Please let other people know about this site before it is to late to get some of the pictures.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
News on my Grandmothers ring and Indonesia
Some thing very interesting happened today. Rose from FedEx called. The Indonesian Government has decided to wave the “storage” fees for my Grandmothers ring. Please note, that it was not the Indonesian Customs who decided to wave the fees. It turns out that some of the information Stormy on mySpace gave me helped us big time. Storm gave me a link, that took me to more links, and some how I ended up with the person in charge of Indonesian foreign trade’s email address. I am not sure how I got there, but I used it. Lets just say I used all the email address’s I found. On top of that there was a very nice newspaper story done about my Grandmothers ring, and that has been sent by email all over the place. That helped out a lot. It seems the more people heard our story, they passed it on and more people heard it and so on and so on. So we are not sure how but the story reached the right peoples ears, our blog was mentioned to FedEx as they informed FedEx they would wave the so called “storage” fees. Wow, the power of the Internet and people who will not shut up and just let people, business’s or Governments get away with things.
Now mind you, they did say they would be willing to let us fight over the $330.00 they still want for the original customs fees. However, if we chose to go that route it would take about two years before we would see the ring, and they would charge us storage fees. So we are paying the $330.00 to get the ring back. This time though they said it would take about two weeks before we saw the ring. I will believe it when I have it in my hand. Then I will be happy about it.
Now mind you, they did say they would be willing to let us fight over the $330.00 they still want for the original customs fees. However, if we chose to go that route it would take about two years before we would see the ring, and they would charge us storage fees. So we are paying the $330.00 to get the ring back. This time though they said it would take about two weeks before we saw the ring. I will believe it when I have it in my hand. Then I will be happy about it.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
How I got my Dragon Tarot Cards
I love doing dragon tarot readings. I have an interesting story about how I ended up with my deck. I went to the one and only “occult specialty store” in our town. Why, because back then that was about the only place you could get tarot cards. So in I go, and ask right away where the cards are. The lady behind the counter points to an area of the store. So I go look, there is a glass display filling the wall, I look in, don’t see any cards, look at the shelves around it, no cards. I think ok, and start looking around the whole store. I cannot find any cards. I go back to the lady behind the counter and ask again. She again points to the same area, I look, no cards. I go through the store 3 times more, ask 3 times more. You can tell the lady behind the counter has had it with me. Like, what is my issue, why do I keep bugging her? She points one last time and said, “They are right there”. I go back to the area, still cannot see any cards. However, this time when I look at the bookshelf I see the Dragon Tarot book. I pick it up and know that this is the deck for me. I turn around and that big wall size glass display was full of tarot cards, 100’s of cards. I think that it was a very strange day, but a cool story. Now the one thing that did bug me was as I was paying for my cards I noticed an open binder at the counter, with all the tarot cards in it so people could take a good look at the cards. All that time I was looking the lady at the counter never once said any thing about this binder. That’s life. I still love my deck; I have been using them since the early 90’s. They are so warn now that I had to buy some new ones. Same deck mind you. I ordered them on line this time. It is so much easer to buy tarot cards now.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Mark Cripps did the story on our ring, it is in the news now
Mark Cripps wrote the story about what happened with our ring and eBay and Indonesian customs. To see this story please go here http://www.stoneycreeknews.com/scn/viewpoint/viewpoint_802106.html.
I hope it helps some one else from getting burned.
Please pass this story on so others can hear about it.
I have copied the article here as well.
Please let Mark Cripps know what you think about his story.
Grandmother's ring held ransom
Mark Cripps, Stoney Creek
(Jun 1, 2007)
At least twice a week, I receive an email made to look as if it is coming from eBay suggesting my account is in jeopardy if I don't update my information and report back as soon as possible.
I continue to forward these to the RCMP email fraud centre (info@phonebusters.com), despite the fact it seems almost impossible to control the fraudulent use of eBay and PayPal and other companies involved in the sale and trade of goods over the internet.
Recently, I received an email from a reader scammed a few weeks back by an eBay fraud artist who bilked this woman of a treasured family heirloom.
Needing some extra cash for her family, Lori-Lee Craig decided to sell her grandmother's ring, valued at more than $1,200. On social assistance, Ms. Craig hoped to garner some extra cash to pay off some bills, buy her four-year-old son a nice birthday present and use some of the money for a move to a larger residence.
She received a bid from a buyer who has a 100 per cent rating on eBay (ratings are used on eBay so sellers and buyers can determine who they are dealing with) asking whether the ring can be shipped immediately. The buyer says he wants to give it to his mother for Mother's Day.
After payment from PayPal was confirmed, Ms. Craig shipped the item via FedEx. The buyer was in Indonesia. She borrowed the money for the shipment costs, as the purchaser said he needed the ring immediately.
The next day, she received an email from PayPal saying the funds were being held for investigation into a possible fraud.
Ms. Craig called FedEx and asked them to stop delivery. She was told her shipping fee was not refundable ($116 down the drain) but that a stop shipment order had been processed.
Unfortunately, the item had already cleared customs and was sealed in a container. There was no way to get the item back until it was actually shipped to Indonesia.
Ms. Craig said it was a heartbreaking decision to sell her grandmother's ring, but she was trying to do something for her family, who lives on Ontario Works.
PayPal determined the account of a legitimate individual had been fraudulently accessed. They refunded the money to the owner of the stolen credit card used by the thief in Indonesia.
Expecting the money, Ms. Craig had planned a birthday party for her son and promised him a toy he had his heart set on.
"He does not understand we are $116 short of our monthly budget and now it is just not possible. No party, no money."
They continue to check with FedEx, hoping at the very least they will get the ring back. They find out from FedEx an individual attempted to pick up the ring but did not have the $360 wanted by Indonesian customs officials. He walked away. Indonesian customs now wants Ms. Craig to pay $360 to release the ring. She agreed. As soon as FedEx responded Ms. Craig was willing to pay the $360 to have the ring returned, they decided they wanted $900.
"We were prepared to spend our month's budget for food just to get the ring back," said Ms. Craig.
Through this entire ordeal, neither eBay or PayPal offered any assistance for what was basically a fraud orchestrated through their online services. eBay said it would refund the $1 posting fee they charge to put an item up for auction. How sweet they are.
"eBay and PayPal might as well put up a sign - Thieves Welcome," said a frustrated Ms. Craig.
Knowing she will likely never see her grandmother's ring again, Ms. Craig said she just wants to let others know eBay is becoming a target for scam artists all over the world. She started a blog and has received numerous responses from others who have been scammed.
She said she's learned eBay is being abused by fraud artists in numerous ways:
1. people are cracking the system and eBay is not addressing security concerns.
2. fake eBay emails - don't ever respond!
3. scammers who phone people and say they are calling on behalf of eBay and ask for personal info. Once they get this info, they go into people's personal accounts and change passwords, post fake items and always use Western Union for purchases.
4. letters arriving via pre-paid envelope. Look like they are from eBay or PayPal, ask for updated info.
I contacted eBay's PR firm Environics based in Toronto and they did not provide any comment on this specific case, offering up only basic rules for keeping eBay accounts safe.
"PayPal and eBay have flaws in their security and nothing to protect sellers," said Ms. Craig.
Personally, incidents like this reinforce for me why I will never purchase anything on eBay.
It's swimming with scammers and as long as eBay and PayPal continue to ignore problems, it's only going to get worse.
For those who use eBay, review the following Web site - http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/mrkt_safety.html.
I hope it helps some one else from getting burned.
Please pass this story on so others can hear about it.
I have copied the article here as well.
Please let Mark Cripps know what you think about his story.
Grandmother's ring held ransom
Mark Cripps, Stoney Creek
(Jun 1, 2007)
At least twice a week, I receive an email made to look as if it is coming from eBay suggesting my account is in jeopardy if I don't update my information and report back as soon as possible.
I continue to forward these to the RCMP email fraud centre (info@phonebusters.com), despite the fact it seems almost impossible to control the fraudulent use of eBay and PayPal and other companies involved in the sale and trade of goods over the internet.
Recently, I received an email from a reader scammed a few weeks back by an eBay fraud artist who bilked this woman of a treasured family heirloom.
Needing some extra cash for her family, Lori-Lee Craig decided to sell her grandmother's ring, valued at more than $1,200. On social assistance, Ms. Craig hoped to garner some extra cash to pay off some bills, buy her four-year-old son a nice birthday present and use some of the money for a move to a larger residence.
She received a bid from a buyer who has a 100 per cent rating on eBay (ratings are used on eBay so sellers and buyers can determine who they are dealing with) asking whether the ring can be shipped immediately. The buyer says he wants to give it to his mother for Mother's Day.
After payment from PayPal was confirmed, Ms. Craig shipped the item via FedEx. The buyer was in Indonesia. She borrowed the money for the shipment costs, as the purchaser said he needed the ring immediately.
The next day, she received an email from PayPal saying the funds were being held for investigation into a possible fraud.
Ms. Craig called FedEx and asked them to stop delivery. She was told her shipping fee was not refundable ($116 down the drain) but that a stop shipment order had been processed.
Unfortunately, the item had already cleared customs and was sealed in a container. There was no way to get the item back until it was actually shipped to Indonesia.
Ms. Craig said it was a heartbreaking decision to sell her grandmother's ring, but she was trying to do something for her family, who lives on Ontario Works.
PayPal determined the account of a legitimate individual had been fraudulently accessed. They refunded the money to the owner of the stolen credit card used by the thief in Indonesia.
Expecting the money, Ms. Craig had planned a birthday party for her son and promised him a toy he had his heart set on.
"He does not understand we are $116 short of our monthly budget and now it is just not possible. No party, no money."
They continue to check with FedEx, hoping at the very least they will get the ring back. They find out from FedEx an individual attempted to pick up the ring but did not have the $360 wanted by Indonesian customs officials. He walked away. Indonesian customs now wants Ms. Craig to pay $360 to release the ring. She agreed. As soon as FedEx responded Ms. Craig was willing to pay the $360 to have the ring returned, they decided they wanted $900.
"We were prepared to spend our month's budget for food just to get the ring back," said Ms. Craig.
Through this entire ordeal, neither eBay or PayPal offered any assistance for what was basically a fraud orchestrated through their online services. eBay said it would refund the $1 posting fee they charge to put an item up for auction. How sweet they are.
"eBay and PayPal might as well put up a sign - Thieves Welcome," said a frustrated Ms. Craig.
Knowing she will likely never see her grandmother's ring again, Ms. Craig said she just wants to let others know eBay is becoming a target for scam artists all over the world. She started a blog and has received numerous responses from others who have been scammed.
She said she's learned eBay is being abused by fraud artists in numerous ways:
1. people are cracking the system and eBay is not addressing security concerns.
2. fake eBay emails - don't ever respond!
3. scammers who phone people and say they are calling on behalf of eBay and ask for personal info. Once they get this info, they go into people's personal accounts and change passwords, post fake items and always use Western Union for purchases.
4. letters arriving via pre-paid envelope. Look like they are from eBay or PayPal, ask for updated info.
I contacted eBay's PR firm Environics based in Toronto and they did not provide any comment on this specific case, offering up only basic rules for keeping eBay accounts safe.
"PayPal and eBay have flaws in their security and nothing to protect sellers," said Ms. Craig.
Personally, incidents like this reinforce for me why I will never purchase anything on eBay.
It's swimming with scammers and as long as eBay and PayPal continue to ignore problems, it's only going to get worse.
For those who use eBay, review the following Web site - http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/mrkt_safety.html.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
The mystery dishes
I hate washing dishes! Well it is not that I actually hate doing the dishes; it is more that they never seem to end. You can wash as you go, and still have dishes to do after dinner. You wash them and they are back the next day. God help you if you end up not being able to do the dishes one day, because they multiply. It becomes a mound of dishes in a blink of an eye. It is like every dish in the house is now on the counter waiting to be washed, even ones you don’t remember using. Have you ever found a dish in your cupboard that you don’t remember having and have no idea where it came from? I know what happened, you left some dishes over night and they multiplied, you get an unknown dish out of it. If only that were true, I would have the largest matching dish set in the world. Actually I would end up with the largest unmatched dish set in the world. I wish I had a dishwasher, but then I am sure some thing weird would happen to. Dishes will start vanishing the same way sox do in the dryer. The mystery dishes that show up when you leave them over night have to come from somewhere.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Paypal is back, why did it go down?
Paypal is back up. No explanations yet for what happened that had Paypal down for most of the day. I wonder how many sales were lost, how many websites are now looking for other payment gateways. It is not like there are not 100’s of them out there. What ever caused this has hit Paypal a large blow. People are not going to be so trusting with their money now. It only takes one time not being able to access my funds to make me to start looking around for another payment gateways. Even if it is just a back up so I can continue to do business if Paypal goes down again. At this point most sales at www.medievalmagic.ca are done threw Paypal but now we are going to spend the extra money to get the software so we can use other gateways. I am sure that there are a lot of other companies doing the same thing, not to mention the number of individuals who are going to start questioning using Paypal. I guess it all depends on what explanation they give every one. I doubt that they would tell us if some one hacked in and did this. It would destroy our perception of security. Not that people are not having their accounts broken in all the time, it is just usually because some one gave their information to the wrong people. Darn those scam emails. At this point in time most people feel secure using Paypal. However, I want to know why Paypal was down for so long.
Paypal is down, no one can access their accounts
Does any one know what is going on with Paypal. It’s down. Go ahead; try getting into your account. You can try but you will not be able to access your account. We called customer service; they don’t know what is going on either. Here is their number 1-402-935-2050 (a U.S. telephone number), or their contact page https://www.paypal.com/row/contact-phone. Their techs are trying to fix it, but they don’t know what happened, so they don’t know if they can fix it, or when they can fix it. They keep telling every one it is safe to do transactions and that when some one gets into your account that you must have given the info to some one. There is no way some one can hack in, and now this happens. I don’t know. I hope they can fix this, but we will be looking for new payment options for http://www.medievalmagic.ca/ from now on. Keep trying your account; let us know if you can get in.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Reporter may be doing a story on our ring/eBay nightmare
Good news. One news reporter, Mark Cripps, Managing Editor, HAMILTON COMMUNITY NEWS is looking into doing a story on what happened to us with my Grandmothers ring. This is great because it might help some one else from getting taken on eBay like we were. It will also tell people not to send things to Indonesia unless they know the person they are shipping to. I will let every one know when he has printed his story. If I can I will put a copy of the story on my blog. I must say that I am very great full that he was willing to hear our story, and even more willing to share it.
One thing that has come out of this is the number of people who have been burned on eBay, both as sellers and buys. If you have been burned on eBay and would like some one to hear your story, please email me your story. I am going to start adding them to my blog. We all know it is happening, but no one seems to be doing any thing about it. Maybe if we share our stories people will hear us. If we can save one person from being taken on eBay by these thieves it is worth the time to write out our stories. Please share my blog with others so we can tell people what is going on, and what our stories are, and how we can try to protect ourselves. My email is info@medievalmagic.ca
One thing that has come out of this is the number of people who have been burned on eBay, both as sellers and buys. If you have been burned on eBay and would like some one to hear your story, please email me your story. I am going to start adding them to my blog. We all know it is happening, but no one seems to be doing any thing about it. Maybe if we share our stories people will hear us. If we can save one person from being taken on eBay by these thieves it is worth the time to write out our stories. Please share my blog with others so we can tell people what is going on, and what our stories are, and how we can try to protect ourselves. My email is info@medievalmagic.ca
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Indonesian Customs in now holding my Grandmothers ring hostage for $900.00+
Robbed on eBay and now by Indonesian customs for $900.00+
Indonesian customs uses ring as a hostage to get $900.00+ from us. We are getting robbed twice.
We made the mistake of putting my Grandmothers ring on eBay for $1000.00. Like so many 1000’s of others we were scammed. Some one used another person’s eBay account and Paypal account to buy the ring. Please note that there is no protection for sellers on eBay. At first we thought that we were going to be out just the $116.00 shipping cost as we had contacted FedEx and did a stop shipment. Well things did not work out, and the ring made it to Indonesian customs. The only reason the person did not have my Grandmothers ring is because they would not pay the customs of $330.00, oh and by the way the Indonesian customs will not release the ring until some one pays the $330.00. Indonesian customs does not care that it was not suppose to even make it to them, or that this is a case of theft. Not their problem.
FedEx tells us to pay the $330.00 as Indonesian customs is known to take up to 6 months to resolve a dispute, and they charge you a storage fee. The storage fee is usually more then the customs fee and the chance of them saying, “oh, so sorry to hear about this person stealing from you, we wont charge you the customs fee” is 0. So we would have ended up paying both storage fee and customs fee. So we make arrangements with FedEx to pay the $330.00 and have the ring shipped back. So it was to arrive here yesterday or today. Guess what? No ring! We call FedEx to find out that Indonesian customs has now issued an invoice to FedEx for over $900.00 “custom fee’s” and will not release the ring until we pay it. Indonesian customs has now decided that $330.00 is not enough; they want us to pay over $900.00. They are holding our ring hostage.
All I could think of was “This is not happening”, but it is. They want us to pay $900.00 to get my own ring back. So if I want my ring back I have to pay almost the value of the ring. What is going on here? FedEx has no idea what Indonesian customs is doing or why they are charging so much. They are going to try and fight it, but as I indicated earlier, they will take up to 6 months to resolve the issue and are going to charge a storage fee, and the chance of them letting us win is 0. Their country, they make the rules, why would they let us win?
Please share my story with as many people as you can. I know it is too late for me, or my Grandmothers ring but please let people know about this. Maybe we can stop it from happening to some one else. I did contact the news shows and reporters in my area, but it is happening so often too people that there just is no story in some one being robbed on eBay or by Indonesian customs. So what happens, every one knows its happening but know one reports on it, so it keeps happening. The only way people are going to know about this is if I stand up on a box and yell as lowed and as long as I can. I am doing that but I need your help to let others know. If no one else is willing to tell this story then it is up to me to try and let people know.
Thank You,
James Porth
Lori-Lee Craig
Medieval Magic
info@medievalmagic.ca
www.medievalmagic.ca
Indonesian customs uses ring as a hostage to get $900.00+ from us. We are getting robbed twice.
We made the mistake of putting my Grandmothers ring on eBay for $1000.00. Like so many 1000’s of others we were scammed. Some one used another person’s eBay account and Paypal account to buy the ring. Please note that there is no protection for sellers on eBay. At first we thought that we were going to be out just the $116.00 shipping cost as we had contacted FedEx and did a stop shipment. Well things did not work out, and the ring made it to Indonesian customs. The only reason the person did not have my Grandmothers ring is because they would not pay the customs of $330.00, oh and by the way the Indonesian customs will not release the ring until some one pays the $330.00. Indonesian customs does not care that it was not suppose to even make it to them, or that this is a case of theft. Not their problem.
FedEx tells us to pay the $330.00 as Indonesian customs is known to take up to 6 months to resolve a dispute, and they charge you a storage fee. The storage fee is usually more then the customs fee and the chance of them saying, “oh, so sorry to hear about this person stealing from you, we wont charge you the customs fee” is 0. So we would have ended up paying both storage fee and customs fee. So we make arrangements with FedEx to pay the $330.00 and have the ring shipped back. So it was to arrive here yesterday or today. Guess what? No ring! We call FedEx to find out that Indonesian customs has now issued an invoice to FedEx for over $900.00 “custom fee’s” and will not release the ring until we pay it. Indonesian customs has now decided that $330.00 is not enough; they want us to pay over $900.00. They are holding our ring hostage.
All I could think of was “This is not happening”, but it is. They want us to pay $900.00 to get my own ring back. So if I want my ring back I have to pay almost the value of the ring. What is going on here? FedEx has no idea what Indonesian customs is doing or why they are charging so much. They are going to try and fight it, but as I indicated earlier, they will take up to 6 months to resolve the issue and are going to charge a storage fee, and the chance of them letting us win is 0. Their country, they make the rules, why would they let us win?
Please share my story with as many people as you can. I know it is too late for me, or my Grandmothers ring but please let people know about this. Maybe we can stop it from happening to some one else. I did contact the news shows and reporters in my area, but it is happening so often too people that there just is no story in some one being robbed on eBay or by Indonesian customs. So what happens, every one knows its happening but know one reports on it, so it keeps happening. The only way people are going to know about this is if I stand up on a box and yell as lowed and as long as I can. I am doing that but I need your help to let others know. If no one else is willing to tell this story then it is up to me to try and let people know.
Thank You,
James Porth
Lori-Lee Craig
Medieval Magic
info@medievalmagic.ca
www.medievalmagic.ca
Monday, May 28, 2007
$456.00 lost but getting my Grandmothers ring back
Just an update, the ring is on its way back to us, should be here some time this week. FedEx told us to pay the customs because Indonesian customs is known to take 6 months with any disputes, and they charge you a very large storage fee, so even if you win, you end up paying as much if not more then the original fee. Also, they tend not to let any one win a customs fee dispute, so we would have ended up owing the customs for both the customs fee and storage fee. I am past the crying and anger stages and have reached the acceptance stage. The good thing is that FedEx is going to charge our account for the Indonesian customs fee and then bill us at the end of the month. This will let us budget and figure out a way to pay it off.
I just want others to hear my story so they are more careful then we were and don't ship any thing right away and get burned the same way we did. The sad part is I have been getting email after email from both sellers and buyers, who have been taken for on eBay. We are not going to be selling any thing on eBay again. I could write a "How to use eBay to steal 101" book with all the information I have found out. I may do a blog, not to help thieves but to help people from being taken in by the con-artists. What got me the most is not the number of people who have been taken, but by the fact that there is nothing we can do once it happens. The police cannot help, eBay and Paypal will not help because they can not afford to become responsible for this. There must be some way to protect people, but I don’t know what it is yet. If you have some idea of how to make it harder on thieves please let me know.
I just want others to hear my story so they are more careful then we were and don't ship any thing right away and get burned the same way we did. The sad part is I have been getting email after email from both sellers and buyers, who have been taken for on eBay. We are not going to be selling any thing on eBay again. I could write a "How to use eBay to steal 101" book with all the information I have found out. I may do a blog, not to help thieves but to help people from being taken in by the con-artists. What got me the most is not the number of people who have been taken, but by the fact that there is nothing we can do once it happens. The police cannot help, eBay and Paypal will not help because they can not afford to become responsible for this. There must be some way to protect people, but I don’t know what it is yet. If you have some idea of how to make it harder on thieves please let me know.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Take a look at my latest necklace
I love making new things. I hope people enjoy my work as well. I will be showing off some of my work here. I am trying out a new program we just added to our web site www.medievalmagic.ca, it lets me show off my work as a little add. I think it is interesting, and I will be playing with it for a bit seeing what I can make and how it looks.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
You might as well hang up a sign on eBay, thieves welcome
First I had to go through the hard question, do I sell my Grandmothers ring. I don’t have a lot of hers and I miss her very much. We need the money though, so I think she would understand. It was a hard thing to do but on eBay it goes. Then comes the inquiry could we ship it out right away, rush shipment, some one wants to buy it as a gift. So we go out of our way to make sure we ship the ring as soon as the payment hits Paypal. How far out of our way, we barrow the $116.00 so we can ship it. That is just over ¼ of my budget for the month seeing as I am on Ontario works (welfare) right now.
I have a very hard time sleeping that night. I sold my Grandmothers ring so I am feeling sad, but at the same time I am happy that we will have some money to pay off a few bills. But I cannot sleep, there is just some thing eating away at me. The next day we get an email from Paypal, the transaction was fraudulent – some one just stole my Grandmothers ring. We were out $116.00 for food that month, but at least we were able to contact FedEx and get them to put a stop shipment. Things are going to be hard but at least we are getting the ring back.
Mothers Day, just don’t feel like doing any thing, to upset and I am worried about the ring and how we are going to pay back the $116.00. On top of that the 16th is my sons 4th birthday and I have to explain to him that we cannot get him the gift Mommy and Daddy said he would have for his birthday. He does not understand we are $116.00 short of our budget and now it just is not possible. No party – no money. It is a good thing we had picked up a few small things for him. But it was very hard to have to tell him that he was not bad and that was not why he was not getting his big gift, just some bad things happened. What price do you put on a parents tears when they have to tell this to a child.
We keep checking with FedEx, yes there is a stop shipment order. So why does it show that it is still going? Monday the 14th we find out that FedEx did not stop the shipment. The only reason the person did not have my Grandmothers ring is because they would not pay the customs of $360.00, oh and by the way the Indonesian customs will not release the ring until some one pays the $360.00. So we get robbed twice.
So now the ring is sitting at Indonesian customs and we have to spend our months budget for food just to get it back, or we can just let Indonesian customs confiscate it. So now what. What are we suppose to do, other then cry that is. At this point I start finding out what can be done. Nothing. FedEx does not care that we had a stop shipment on the ring, eBay said we can file a dispute on the dispute console but all that will do is get them to give us back the $1.00 listing fee. It does not matter that some one used some one else’s eBay account to buy the ring, not there problem. Seller protection – none. Every thing is for the buyer. Paypal, well they let us know that there was a problem, and they took all the money back and that way the person who’s account was broken into did not loose any thing, oh the seller, to bad, not our problem.
We thought we were dealing with some one we could trust. The eBay buyer had a good record and looked like they could be trusted. The fact that some one else was using the guy’s account does not matter to eBay. There was no way for us to know this was not a real sale. A week after the sale we got 6 emails from eBay to let us know that the email communications from the eBay buyer could be fraudulent. Thanks, a little to late though, um, we told you. Is eBay going to do any thing for us, no. Same with Paypal. Not their problem. So even though it was the security of eBay and Paypal that was breached we are paying the price. I am not very happy with eBay or Paypal right now. Then FedEx let us down as well. We put a stop shipment return to sender when the ring was in Alaska, why did it get all the way to Indonesia after we were repeatedly reassured over the phone there was a stop shipment and it would not get that far. What do you mean the only reason the thief does not have my ring is because they would not pay the customs, and now I have to pay for it. Oh, and its not your problem. Yah, I am never using FedEx again.
So this one person has devastated my family. First by stealing from us, and having us pay extra to ship it to them. Taking ¼ of my family’s money for the month. Then Paypal and eBay will take no responsibility for the unusual circumstances to help us. Now FedEx lets us down and we have pay another $360.00 or say good by to my Grandmothers ring. So I get to chouse between feeding my family and saving my grandmothers ring. It was hard enough to part with it knowing that the money from it was going to help my family, but to lose it this way is unbelievable. That does not even touch on the emotional hell I have gone threw this last two weeks. Or what it made me feel like to tell my son he could not have some thing I promised him. So much for us moving from a two bed room apartment to a three bed room town house. We were expecting to be able to move in a month or two, have to give that up to after working for a year to get there.
This was not some joke or harmless crime; this has hurt my family in ways this thief does not care about. The icing on the cake is that this thief will never pay any price or consequence for their actions. No one is going to even try to find them, let alone charge them. They just get away with it, and do it again. There is nothing to stop them. Any one can be next. As for eBay and Paypal, not their problem. So what if they lose me as a customer, what do they care? They have millions of people willing to use them. There is no incentive for them to stop this, or help the people this happens to. There is insurance for the buyer but nothing for the seller.
You might as well hang up a sign on eBay, thieves welcome. Come in, use some ones account, and steal from as many as you can, then move on to another account. Get caught, no, you may not get every thing you try to take, but you just move on to the next account. No one is going to try and find you, or make you pay for any thing. No consequences, steal until there is nothing left to take.
I have a very hard time sleeping that night. I sold my Grandmothers ring so I am feeling sad, but at the same time I am happy that we will have some money to pay off a few bills. But I cannot sleep, there is just some thing eating away at me. The next day we get an email from Paypal, the transaction was fraudulent – some one just stole my Grandmothers ring. We were out $116.00 for food that month, but at least we were able to contact FedEx and get them to put a stop shipment. Things are going to be hard but at least we are getting the ring back.
Mothers Day, just don’t feel like doing any thing, to upset and I am worried about the ring and how we are going to pay back the $116.00. On top of that the 16th is my sons 4th birthday and I have to explain to him that we cannot get him the gift Mommy and Daddy said he would have for his birthday. He does not understand we are $116.00 short of our budget and now it just is not possible. No party – no money. It is a good thing we had picked up a few small things for him. But it was very hard to have to tell him that he was not bad and that was not why he was not getting his big gift, just some bad things happened. What price do you put on a parents tears when they have to tell this to a child.
We keep checking with FedEx, yes there is a stop shipment order. So why does it show that it is still going? Monday the 14th we find out that FedEx did not stop the shipment. The only reason the person did not have my Grandmothers ring is because they would not pay the customs of $360.00, oh and by the way the Indonesian customs will not release the ring until some one pays the $360.00. So we get robbed twice.
So now the ring is sitting at Indonesian customs and we have to spend our months budget for food just to get it back, or we can just let Indonesian customs confiscate it. So now what. What are we suppose to do, other then cry that is. At this point I start finding out what can be done. Nothing. FedEx does not care that we had a stop shipment on the ring, eBay said we can file a dispute on the dispute console but all that will do is get them to give us back the $1.00 listing fee. It does not matter that some one used some one else’s eBay account to buy the ring, not there problem. Seller protection – none. Every thing is for the buyer. Paypal, well they let us know that there was a problem, and they took all the money back and that way the person who’s account was broken into did not loose any thing, oh the seller, to bad, not our problem.
We thought we were dealing with some one we could trust. The eBay buyer had a good record and looked like they could be trusted. The fact that some one else was using the guy’s account does not matter to eBay. There was no way for us to know this was not a real sale. A week after the sale we got 6 emails from eBay to let us know that the email communications from the eBay buyer could be fraudulent. Thanks, a little to late though, um, we told you. Is eBay going to do any thing for us, no. Same with Paypal. Not their problem. So even though it was the security of eBay and Paypal that was breached we are paying the price. I am not very happy with eBay or Paypal right now. Then FedEx let us down as well. We put a stop shipment return to sender when the ring was in Alaska, why did it get all the way to Indonesia after we were repeatedly reassured over the phone there was a stop shipment and it would not get that far. What do you mean the only reason the thief does not have my ring is because they would not pay the customs, and now I have to pay for it. Oh, and its not your problem. Yah, I am never using FedEx again.
So this one person has devastated my family. First by stealing from us, and having us pay extra to ship it to them. Taking ¼ of my family’s money for the month. Then Paypal and eBay will take no responsibility for the unusual circumstances to help us. Now FedEx lets us down and we have pay another $360.00 or say good by to my Grandmothers ring. So I get to chouse between feeding my family and saving my grandmothers ring. It was hard enough to part with it knowing that the money from it was going to help my family, but to lose it this way is unbelievable. That does not even touch on the emotional hell I have gone threw this last two weeks. Or what it made me feel like to tell my son he could not have some thing I promised him. So much for us moving from a two bed room apartment to a three bed room town house. We were expecting to be able to move in a month or two, have to give that up to after working for a year to get there.
This was not some joke or harmless crime; this has hurt my family in ways this thief does not care about. The icing on the cake is that this thief will never pay any price or consequence for their actions. No one is going to even try to find them, let alone charge them. They just get away with it, and do it again. There is nothing to stop them. Any one can be next. As for eBay and Paypal, not their problem. So what if they lose me as a customer, what do they care? They have millions of people willing to use them. There is no incentive for them to stop this, or help the people this happens to. There is insurance for the buyer but nothing for the seller.
You might as well hang up a sign on eBay, thieves welcome. Come in, use some ones account, and steal from as many as you can, then move on to another account. Get caught, no, you may not get every thing you try to take, but you just move on to the next account. No one is going to try and find you, or make you pay for any thing. No consequences, steal until there is nothing left to take.
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