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http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/2566402/

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:29:32 -0800

�ine's Sticky Note

The Mystery Deepens

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http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/7502291/

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 15:13:25 -0800

And now for something completely different. (Not bragging, just sharing... ok?) :)

16 Jan 07 : Random Act of Vineness Award
11 Jan 07 : Interview: Aine with the Old Fogey

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/6942479/

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 23:01:11 -0800

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/6782985/

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 01:33:57 -0800

"The Reflection"

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/6782951/

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 01:24:41 -0800

"Four Trees"

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/6281564/

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:43:50 -0800

Samhain

Irish Samhain is from Old Irish samain, samuin, samfuin, referring to 1 November (lathe na samna, "samhain day"), and the festival and royal assembly at that date in medieval Ireland (oenaig na samna, "samhain night"). Its meaning is glossed as "summer's end", and the frequent spelling with f suggests analysis by popular etymology as sam "summer" and fuin "sunset, end".

Samhain is also the word for November in the Irish (Gaeilge) language. The Scottish (Gaelic) spelling is Samhuinn. The same word was used for a month in the Celtic calendar, in particular the first three nights of this month, with the festival marking the end of the summer season and the end of the harvest. A modernized version of this festival continues today in some of the traditions of the Catholic All Souls' Day, the secular Halloween, and in folk practices of Samhain itself in the Celtic Nations and the Irish and Scottish diasporas. The name is also used for one of the sabbat feasts in the Wiccan wheel of the year.

Samhain in Celtic Irish legend

The Ulster Cycle is peppered with references to Samhain. Many of the adventures and campaigns undertaken by the characters therein begin at the Samhain Night feast.

One such tale is the Echtrae Nera (Nerai, Nerae) or Adventure of Nera, concerning one Nera from Connacht who undergoes a test of bravery put forth by King Ailill. The prize is the king's own gold-hilted sword. The terms hold that a man must leave the warmth and safety of the hall and pass through the night to a gallows where two prisoners had been hung the day before, tie a twig around one man's ankle, and return. Others had been thwarted by the demons and spirits that harassed them as they attempted the task, quickly coming back to Ailill's hall in shame, and more than a bit of terror. Nera goes on to complete the task and eventually infiltrates the s�dhe (under hill) where he remains trapped until the end of the world. Taking etymology into consideration, it is interesting to note that the word for summer expressed in the Echtrae Nera is samraid (also spelled samraidh).

The Cath Maige Tuireadh (Battle of Mag Tuired [modern: Moytura]) takes place on Samhain. The deities Morr�gan and Dagda meet and have sex before the battle against the Fomorians; in this way the Morr�gan acts as a goddess of sovereignty and gives the victory to The Dagda's people, the Tuatha D� Danaan.

Advanced Reading:

Samhain: Season of Death and Renewal by Alexei Kondratiev

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/4976552/

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:51:12 -0700

Look! This is Love
Poems of Rumi

Come, come, whoever you are.
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.

Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come.

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/4968360/

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 22:23:46 -0700

Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity.
The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death.
Tomorrow, when resurrection comes,
The heart that is not in love will fail the test.

~ Rumi ~
Translator: Shahram Shiva

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/3862087/

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:13:07 -0700

Somebody sent me a tempting journalism opportunity, although the idea of working 80+ hours a week at salary (even telecommuting) seems a bit much, particularly since it would be choosing to put myself on deadline and dealing with others having editorial control. I'm still thinking about it, though... exploring that idea. On the one hand, it would mean regular pay checks, paying taxes, staying on task, etc., and on the other hand, it would mean not having editorial control over what I write, being pushed by deadlines, having to write about things I might not want to, etc. It's a tougher decision than I thought it would be. It's also coming a little bit too early, in terms of having a portfolio to show potential employers, future opportunities and ad revenue, and a whole host of other factors. The publication is progressive, and something I can get behind "ideologically"... but there's a lot of things I have to consider before jumping onboard. Still, I'm very flattered that someone would think enough of my writing to put this on my plate. :)

Currently working on a piece about homosexuality for my column at newsvine, which should be posted sometime later tonight or tomorrow, depending on how much I decide to write.

http://Aine.stumbleupon.com/review/3591169/

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:22:06 -0800

Oh, btw, after making my way outside last night to see that my brother-in-law had snowblown the driveway... I don't care what the weathermen say, we got about 24"-30" of snow in that storm. And this is packed snow, because the wind was compacting it as it fell.