St. Patrick

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Who is St. Patrick and why is his day such a partyfest?

The rumor has it that he is the one who drove the snakes out of Ireland. Hey, who wouldn't want to party after that? And yet this doesn't seem to be a big deal since Ireland is an island and has been since before the ice age. That coupled with a cold wet climate means that there were probably relatively few snakes to drive away. I am apt to  believe that the full story of St. Patrick probably had more to do with bringing Christianity to Ireland in place of Paganism.

Here is more on St Patrick than you probably ever would want or need to know. And here is some history from the Catholic Church. All of this should keep you enlightened, engrossed and entertained while you paint your face green, wear as much green clothing as you can find and down a keg or two of beer in celebration.

Shop by Horoscope at Horchow

How's this for a perfect gift -- even for those impossible-to-shop for friends? And it is just right if you're looking for just the right accessory to complete your own personal space.

All you need to know is someone's sun sign and then go to Horchow's Design Directions online shop. There you will find a brief description of the sign. For example the description for Pisces is:

Imaginative, intuitive, emotional; love greens and blues, music and art, silvery finishes, plush textures, oceanic motifs.

Among items suggested for Pisces are birthstone cards, Lalique crystal fish, and "meditation" garden sculpture. My favorite is the glass fish bowl that sits on a coral-motif stand for $140.00.

The only quibble I have is that only six signs are represented (as of this writing): Aquarius, Taurus, Pisces, Gemini, Aries, and Cancer. Hey Horchow, if you need help with the remaining signs, give me a call. I am a big mouth Sadge after all . .

Word of the Day - Necromancy

Another great divining word from Word of the Day:

necromancy (NEK-ruh-man-see) noun

   1. Divination by trying to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

   2. Magic; sorcery; witchcraft.

[From Greek nekros (corpse) + -mancy (divination). Ultimately from
Indo-European root nek- (death) that's also the source of nuisance,
obnoxious, pernicious, innocent, innocuous, nectar, and nectarine.]

Before the word arrived in its current form, it was known as nigromantia
in medieval Latin, from confusion of Greek nekro with Latin niger (black).
Now you know why magic and sorcery are also known as the "black arts".

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=necromancy

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

  "A few years later, [Branaghstein] goes to university to study medical
   science, with a minor in necromancy."
   Desson Howe; Creature Discomforts; The Washington Post; Nov 4, 1994.

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............................................................................
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on
both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. -Maya Angelou,
poet (1928- )

March Moon eclipse

Had to share this fabulous picture of the entire lunar eclipse on March 3-4, 2007. I found it on Flickr. Anyone else have photos of this event?

Lunar eclipse 3-4 March 2007 from Maidstone, England.

How to eclipses impact us? Read more on The Starry Eye website.

Astercast Jewelry

A jewelry company Ten Thousand Things has teamed up with two astrologers "Starsky and Cox" to create zodiac-inspired necklaces using "astercast" charms.

Well it's not the most original idea (I had the same idea years ago) but they are beautiful and terribly expensive (for those Leo-inspired folks who like to show off). Need a planetary oomph? Wander over to Barney's, Marc Jacobs or Colette and see what could be hanging on your chain.