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Queen of Devonshires - On the eve of July 28, three ladies of the Realm, Princess Amberlett Barrett , Lady  Michaela  de Benoit and Athalia Edan were called to  Devonshires at the request of  the  Queen, Victoria.  Just after ten p.m., she was delivered of a healthy baby girl.  Athalia was the attending midwife, with Princess Amberlette assisting while Lady Michaela played the harp to help soothe the mother and child.  We congratulate Queen Victoria and welcome Princess Priscilla Camille Scarlett Montalban.  -- submitted by Athalia Doe

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Regatta Race - The Kingdom of Telarus hosted the Jewel of the Sea, a single mast regatta race, on the 19th.   Heathfield was represented by Captain Joseph Walsh, and two of his crew, Flynn Harkness and Brendan O'Sionna, sailing the sloop, Gypsy Queen.   It was a a close race with the Gypsy Queen out in front until nearly the end.   The Gypsy Queen came in second., following the Despoena from Salaria.  Congratulation to Captain Walsh and crew for a job well done!  -- submitted by Brendan O'Sionna

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Healer's Touch
by Samantha Golden

Basil - Is a key ingredient in pesto - the zesty, immensely popular sauce for pasta. But Basil is no newcomer. It's been a favorite for thousands of years, not only in the kitchen but also in the medicine chest. Basil has been used successfully to treat intestinal parasites and skin infections, particularly acne. It may also stimulate the immune system. Considering basil's current popularity, it's amazing what a contradictory reputation it has had down through the centuries. The the ancient Greeks and Romans, the herb was a symbol of hostility and insanity. They believed that to grow truly fragrant basil, one had to shout and swear angrily while sowing its 

seeds. Even today in French "sowing basil" (semer le basilic) means ranting. Other folk traditions have associated the herb with love. During recent centuries when an Italian woman placed a potted basil plant on her balcony, it signaled she was ready to receive her lover. And in northern Europe, lovers exchanged basil sprigs as signs of faithfulness. In India, basil has long been revered as a sacred herb. The native species is even called Ocimum sanctum, "Holy Basil." It is considered sacred to the gods Vishnu and Krishna and believe to be a protector in life and death. Haitians also believe in basil's protective powers. Shopkeepers sprinkle basis water around their stores to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity.

Intestinal Parasites: Basil oil really does kill intestinal parasites, thus confirming its traditional use in Malaya and lending credence to its age-old use as a stomach soother and treatment for a broad range of intestinal ailments.

Acne: Indian researchers have reported that basil kills bacteria when applied to the skin. They have used basil oil successfully to treat acen.

Immune Stimulant: One animal study shows basil stimulates the immune system by increasing production of disease fighting antibodies by up to 20 percent. This may help explain its supposed effectiveness against bacteria and its traditional uses in treating many infectious illnesses.

Safety Factor: It is regarded as being safe to use for otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who do not have liver disease. Basil is considered safe in amounts typically recommended. Basil should not be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor.   --Taken from The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman

Life Around Here

 Spring melted into summer with the bursting of flowers to dot fields and fill gardens alike. The lake has become the popular spot by day and by night. Days of sweltering heat were best found indoors or in lakes to keep cool. Shops closed in the afternoon for a 'siesta' to combat the excessive heat. In spite of the summer days businesses flourished from the marketplace to the ports. A new invention was put to good use and becoming very popular, a device called a Pulley Fan. Designed much like the clocks using weights to keep the blades moving circulating the air. None other than our Niklas Traugott had come up with the idea. Wedding plans are being made by Devon Winters for her nuptials with Allan Cleary coming up soon in August. deBeauvias await the arrival of their first child. The dog days of summer are coming up even if it has felt like they are already here. A canoe race is being planned so that may help to cool everyone off.  --submitted by Marcy McGuire

Births: None this month. Marriages: None this month.  Engagements: None this month.  Deaths: None this Month. Citizenship: None this month.

OTHER LIFE FORMS

Goblins -- Malicious and grotesque, a single goblin is a nuisance, but in large numbers they can be quite dangerous. Goblins travel in roving bands that scavenge for food and hunt smaller prey. They make their homes in rocky outcroppings, caves, or even in ditches along the sides of roads. Their pranks run from distasteful to depraved. The rare goblin that is mischievous but good-natured is known as a hobgoblin. 

Most goblin species are born without teeth. They must find substitutes, either the teeth of other animals, or sharp objects like glass, rocks or metals other than iron. There are many signs to look for if you suspect goblin folk are in the vicinity. Cats, dogs, and other small domesticated animals go missing is a telltale sign, as goblins will capture and eat them. Nightmares, especially of being chased, are another indication. For some reason, goblins have this effect on humans.

Certain types of goblin species haunt battlefields where many soldiers have fallen. They soak their hats in the blood of the slain and in that of their own victims. Appropriately, they are called redcaps. They are intelligent enough to make crude weapons. Their toad-like body is covered with fleshy polyps and their eyes can move independently of on another. The smaller simple eyes detect body heat. Some have bioluminescent organs on the tips of their tongues. These are used to attract sprites, their favorite food. Goblins have acute hearing and a highly refined sense of smell. As masters of refuse, they will use anything discarded by humans and urinate to mark their property and territory.    -- submitted by Kathleen Frasier - from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide. Everyone should have one!

August

'Lughnassad' means 'the funeral games of Lugh', referring to Lugh, the Irish sun god. However, the funeral is not his own, but the funeral games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother Tailte.  For that reason, the traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean marriages (which last for a year and a day) are celebrated at this time.  As autumn begins, the Sun God enters his old age, but is not yet dead.  It is also a celebration of the first harvest. The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it 'Lammas', meaning 'loaf-mass', a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar.  An alternative date around August 5 (Old Lammas), when the sun reaches 15 degrees Leo, is sometimes employed by Covens.

"August, the eighth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Summer’s rule, derives its name from Augustus (Augustus Caesar).  The traditional birthstone amulets of August are the peridot and the sardonyx; and the gladiolus and the poppy are the month’s traditional flowers.  August is shared by the astrological signs of Leo the Lion and Virgo the Virgin, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Ceres, the Corn Mother, Demeter, John Barleycorn, Lugh, and all goddesses who preside over agriculture.  During the month of August, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Lammas, one of the four Grand Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world."

The Chinese also have a day devoted to love. Qi Qiao Jie, or the seventh eve, is often referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day.  While the annual gift giving commonly associated with St. Valentine's Day doesn't take place, there are several charming customs associated with this romantic day for lovers.  There are two legends surrounding the origins of Chinese Valentine's Day. Both involve the position of the stars on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar (August 11th in the year 2005).  According to the first version, the seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven caught the eye of a Cowherd during one of their visits to earth.  The daughters were bathing in a river and the Cowherd, Niu Lang, decided to have a bit of fun by running off with their clothing. It fell upon the prettiest daughter (who happened to be the seventh born), to ask him to return their clothes.  Of course, since Niu Lang had seen the daughter, Zhi Nu, naked, they had to be married. The couple lived happily for several years. Eventually however, the Goddess of Heaven became fed up with her daughter's absence, and ordered her to return to heaven.  However, the mother took pity on the couple and allowed them to be reunited once a year.  Legend has it that on the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nu to cross to meet her husband. (http://www.egreenway.com/months/monaug.htm)  --submitted by Marcy McGuire

August
by Elizabeth Maua Taylor

August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a match flame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away.

--submitted by Shiloh Frazier

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August's Crown
by Michelle L. Thieme

Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
    Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
    Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.

--submitted by Shiloh Frasier

Thoughts in a Garden
by Andrew Marvell

What wondrous life is this I lead!
Ripe apples drop about my head;
The luscious clusters of the vine
Upon my mouth do crush their wine;
The nectarine and curious peach
Into my hands themselves do reach;
Stumbling on melons, as I pass,
Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass.

--submitted by Marcy McGuire

Did You Know?

Magical Light and Shade - In many cultures throughout the world, the prehistoric builders designed and constructed their sacred monuments with great care to create dramatic lighting effects and shadow formations. Many ancient temples and monuments were not observatories, as early researchers believed, but were constructed in order to incorporate astronomical phenomena into ceremonial activities. Ancient peoples "brought in" light - the power of the sun, moon, and perhaps planets -- to sacred spaces. These spectacular sources of light and shadows cast by them were used not only for ritual purposes but also, it would seem, for sheer sensational effect. A good example of light shows within monuments is found at Burro Flats in the Simi Hills, Los Angeles. The flats contain an array of Chumash Indian rock paintings. The paintings depict centipede-like creatures, winged human forms, concentric rings and handprints, which were a sign of sanctity in ancient times.

The Magic of Sunlight: The paintings at Burro Flats are sheltered by rocks for most of the year. But at midwinter the rising sun shines through a natural split in the rocks surrounding the shrine and unleashes a finger of light that illuminates the paintings. At the time of the winter solstice, the Chumash shaman, who watched the sun and kept the calendar, would retire to the caves to witness the event. This visual phenomenon is thought to have been used, in conjunction with special hallucinogenic substances, to alter the state of consciousness of the shaman and produce a profound spiritual experience. A similar ritual may also have been performed by Anasazi Indians a the great ritual kiva (a circular ceremonial structure) called Casa Rinoconada, at Charco Canyon, New Mexico, which is aligned with the four cardinal directions. At the summer solstice the rising sun pierces a hole in the kiva wall and illuminates one of sixe irregularly spaces niches in the opposite wall. There is some debate about the meaning of this, but it suggested that the kiva might have been used as a ceremonial center. Casa Rinconada was located across Chaco Canyon from Pueblo Bonito, a massive stone apartment complex where up to 60,000 people once lived. Sunlight may also have formed an integral part of the rituals and ceremonial activities that were performed at Isleta Pueblo, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where corn was reportedly blessed by the golden rays of the rising sun admitted at midday into the dark interior of the ceremonial room.

Magical Mounds: It is still uncertain how the great Neolithic chambered mounds of Europe were used, but similar effects occur at some of them, and perhaps most spectacularly at a complex of monuments in the Boyne Valley, Ireland. The most famous of these is the vast burial mound, Newgrange, which dates from around 3000 bc. There, on the winter solstice, the rays of the rising sun pierce an aperture above the entrance to the chamber. This creates a shaft of light that passes through the 60 foot passage and lights up the far end of the chamber. The phenomenon was long discounted as mere folklore, but later witnessed for the first time by an Irish archeologist, Michael O'Kelly, of University College, Cork. The debate as to whether the dramatic lighting effect was accidental was apparently settled by Tom Ray, an astronomer at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, who was able to prove statistically that the burial mound had been deliberately designed so that this light phenomenon occurred only on the winter solstice. Martin Brennan has since made further discoveries. He spent a decade studying the rock artwork of these and other Irish Neolithic monuments. He discovered that the entrance stone at Newgrange had a prominent vertical groove, which he suggested might have been an ancient glyph indicating the alignment of the sun at midwinter. On the opposite side of the tomb Brennan discovered another stone with vertical grooves. Both these stones lie along the line the sunbeam travels through the burial mound at midwinter. In his book The Stars and the Stones, Brennan writes about the lighting effects at Newgrange's companion burial mounds, Knowth and Dwoth. One of the largest mounds of its kind, Knowth ahs to passages facing east and west. The entrance stones at both are marked with vertical grooves. The setting equinoctial sun sends a narrow beam down the west passage, which Brennan has described as "one of the great wonders of the ancient Neolithic world." At Dowth, the setting midwinter sun projects its light into the mound and is reflected off certain stones, producing a stunning light show. Effects like these have led many researches to believe that the mounds were not merely tombs, but major ceremonial centers.  -- submitted by Samantha Golden (taken from the book Earth's Mysterious Places, Reader's Digest)

Dear Readers, Below are a few quotes that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is best to heed this advice above all. I've found great luck, and I hope to see results by next month.

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped. - African proverb

The wise man never loses his temper. - Cicero

RECIPES of the MONTH