The Wiser Customer Weblog

GRIGORY EFIMOVICH NOVYKH (RASPUTIN):

‘Hail, Hail, Ras-putin’. This man’s story has intrigued me for all of my life. His daughter’s book was the most rewarding insight I have read in matters corporeal but it is the issues of his knowledge to heal and how he died, that she makes evident, which deserve further explanation. When first I read how Rasputin had been taught in a monastery – I wondered. How is it that Christian ‘brothers’ or friars are able to practice these shamanic arts? In Nicholas and Alexandra, I saw more of the political aspects as well as the stupidity of the Czar and his wife who depended so heavily on Rasputin. Of course, there are reasons and sciences which I have continued to study and find. These studies are able to explain what happened and how these things can be. For example, he did not heal the young son Alexei of haemophilia because the child actually had Aplastic Crisis and it naturally settles itself when the red blood cells are replenished. But he knew or sensed this, whereas the doctors did not.

The one aspect of his prophecy in writing about his death that I regard with awe is that his daughter reports he absolutely knew he went to meet death on the night he died. I can see how he would decree the end of the Romanovs if one of their relatives were involved in his murder. I can even imagine as I read her story about his death that he enjoyed and was fully up to the challenge of cheating death or the poisons used upon him. He died of drowning after being poisoned, shot, beaten and stabbed to be thought dead many times over. His prophecy about the end of the Russian Empire was fulfilled because one member of the Royal family was the murderer who led the conspirators. They cut a whole in the ice and dropped his body wrapped inside a carpet into the river. He apparently never learned to apply ethics or RIGHT THOUGHT in his studies but that is also true of the monks or Christians he learned from.

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com

The first thing that you will notice about Linux Red Hat (using the Gnome Interface) is that it looks a lot like Windows 95/98/NT. But that’s where the similarity ends. Linux requires a whole new set of commands as well as a new way of thinking about things.

For instance, in Windows 95/98 you can adjust monitor or screen properties by just a few key strokes. With Linux, however, in order to adjust the monitor settings, you have to run a program called Xconfigurator. And there is no information anywhere as to how to do this. It is one of these secret things that Linux users don’t worry about because “everyone knows how to do it”. Those of us changing from Windows to Linux have a need to know these things.

Let me tell you the secret: You have to be logged in as “Root” then you exit to the terminal. Now this looks like a DOS shell, so Windows users don’t get too confused. Then at the # prompt type in Xconfigurator. Then you are taken to a configuration program that requires you know a lot about your monitor and your video card. Most of that information is found in the users manual for the hardware, or from the manufacturer. You will need to know the name, model number and manufacturer of the video card and the monitor and you will need to know the refresh rate and vertical and horizontal frequency of the monitor. Be sure that you have this information before you start. After that, you just fill out the form and follow the instructions, it’s that simple from there on.

Another well kept secret is that you need to exit to the terminal in order to run any program that does not have an icon on the desktop. That’s anything that doesn’t specifically come with Red Hat. Some programs will set themselves up with an icon if they are installed in the right desktop interface. Linux has several different desktop interfaces, which is really cool. Gnome is a very Windows like one. The only draw back to Gnome is that some programs like StarOffice won’t put an icon on the Gnome interface. So the user gets to do it.

The first thing you need to do is find the executable file for StarOffice, this would be a file called “soffice”. The best way to find it is to use the File Manager to locate it. Then make a note of the path and go to Panel and then New Launcher.

Type in the name of the program, e.g. Star Office in the Name field. Then in Comment field put in the text that will appear when the mouse hovers on the icon. Next in Command field type the full path to the program, e.g. /home/jerry/Office51/bin/soffice. Last, choose an icon by clicking on the “No Icon Button”, or leave it with no icon. Click on OK and the icon appears on your panel (which resembles the taskbar in Windows).

Linux is not as hard as it would appear at first. Although, they try to tell you that it’s really easy, that’s not entirely true either. If you know Unix, it’s easy. If you know Windows, it’s a little hard at first, but then it makes sense. If you are new to computers then Linux is a good program to learn first, because it is so configurable and versatile. There is no end to the possibilities with Linux.

Arlene Mason is a technical writer living in Dallas, Texas. She had been writing on various subjects for many years and says that writing keeps her sane. Most people agree. Please visit http://www.angelfire.com/tx/ElectronicAlchemy for information about her current projects and other news.

The Christian Scriptures strongly imply the Age of man ends 6,000 years from Adam. In Genesis, man was created on the sixth day. The number of man is six; imperfect and incomplete. The number of divinity, perfection, and completion is seven as the days of our week. The number of the beast is six deified, 666 = me, myself and I, an unholy trinity. As mankind transitions from the Age of Man into the Kingdom Age, in his struggle to dominate, he cannot succeed. It is only a reflex action in a long history of struggle.

When we read of the end of the Age of Man in the Scriptures, we find a time comes when the prudent action is to run and hide. 11 September, 2001, servants of God destroyed the two chief symbols of Mystery Babylon the Great. The servants did not destroy the power of Mystery Babylon, only the symbols. The world is warned. The foolish ignore the warning. The wise retreat and prepare to survive the greatest upheaval since Noah’s flood.

End time Scripture points to a global population reduction of two thirds. This is good news for all who are sure we are too many today. They will not be required to decide who lives and who dies. Millions believe they will be removed a safe distance from these events because they have been deceived. Hence, there is no reason for them to prepare for Armageddon. I have long seen the story of the Three Little Pigs as the story of prophetic fulfillment. Except I do not believe for a moment, that many survivors will survive in comfort. Only the best prepared are likely to do so.

There is and never will be such a thing as national security. Men at war will say peace and safety and many will take comfort in their words even as they intuitively know the promise to be false. Scriptures are clear. There is only personal security. A man of personal wealth might provide survival security for a hundred or a thousand for a year or two and what then happens if provision is required for six or seven years as it was in Egypt? Where will you turn for security and comfort? This is not a time for risk taking. This is THE time for minimizing risks. What are we willing to do without over the next twenty two years?

The recent U.S. election is portrayed as a great polarization of the people and it is a distraction from the global polarization. The fundamentalists of every faith know truly that the world is divided between the servants of God or the servants of the oppressed and the servants of Mammon or Mystery Babylon the Great alternatively known as corporate power – global trade, etc. In spite of this truth, fundamentalists cannot decide which they serve, God or Mammon. As a result they fight one another, they kill their prophets, discount or ignore their prophecies. Believe whatever you like and you will pay the price of that belief. If most people cannot see this polarization, it is only because they had their choice made for them and they are content with it, come hell and high water. For the rest of us, time is short for choosing.

It does not require a great imagination to see how difficult life will be when trade ceases and money buys nothing. A farmer with no fuel for his tractors will not produce much food and would be a fool to plant crops for the market, forsaking the needs of his own family and neighbors, if he even has any seed to plant. No one will work in a factory producing toilet paper when no one can pay for it or transport it to a market that no longer exists. Shouldn’t we begin thinking like squirrels, storing supplies for an especially long and difficult winter? In spite of all we are facing in the years ahead, life is currently good for the one third of the people who will bear witness to the violent end of the Age of (violent) Man. This is the ideal time to stock up on things we do not wish to do without, one, five, twenty years from now. The Boy Scout motto is Be Prepared. Those who value this motto should suffer the least of survivors. Those who simply go with the flow or fight the shadows of evil will find themselves seeking Boy Scouts who learned their lessons.

My mother would tell me she has been hearing about the end of the world since she was a girl and now she is old and probably could not care less if it does end. My guess is that most folks feel the same way and will not concern their selves with the matter. They won’t be warning anyone that time is short or trade will stop.

If you are one who might want to survive the four horsemen of the apocalypse, you would do well to begin your exit from corporate Babylon. Such is not an act, but a process. The ready alternative is what used to be called the black market. Today it is known as the free market, the underground economy, or the cash economy. Though trade in this economy is also likely to grind to a halt, corporate trade will stop first. Familiarity with your local free market could buy you some time to stock up on supplies no longer available in the Babylonian markets. It could also provide you with funds to buy corporate supplies after your corporate job disappear. If you are like the wise pig who withstands the wolf by means of foresight, you might save the lives of many neighbors by carefully storing survival supplies. Basics like seed, clean water, water purification equipment, nuts and grains, fuel, electrical generators, lamps and the many things we take for granted until we go hunting or camping. Fact is, the near future will be like camping. The better your equipment, the more comfortable you will be. If we are not at this point on the divine timeline, we have lost nothing by caring and preparing. I’d like to close with a paraphrase of the Serenity Prayer: Lord grant us the courage to change what we should, to accept the things we should not change and the wisdom to know the difference.

About the Author

Freelance writer published on many websites and newspapers.

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edhowes@hotmail.com

You’ve decided you want to exercise at home. There are hundreds of pieces of home cardio equipment available. The most popular are treadmills and exercise bikes. In deciding between the two, you should compare long-term sustainability, the effectiveness of the workouts, and safety.

Overcoming Boredom

The biggest obstacle to a home exercise routine is sticking with it. You don’t have to drive to a gym, so your home fitness equipment is more convenient. The problem is that other distractions are just as convenient at home. The key is to make your routine fun. You want to look forward to your daily workout. You have to be realistic. Playing with the heart rate monitor or watching the calorie counter go up will only be fun the first couple of times you exercise.

Treadmill vs. Boredom

On a treadmill, you walk. Walking isn’t that fun. You can walk at different speeds, but that isn’t really much more fun. If you get a treadmill that offers an incline, that keeps it a bit more interesting. Walking uphill isn’t exactly fun, but it’s different. It presents a challenge.

You can’t really read on a treadmill because you are bouncing up and down. You can’t keep your eyes on the same sentence, and you usually end up with a headache. Basically, the only thing fun to do on a treadmill is watch television or movies. If you are really into TV or movies and are able to put your treadmill in front of a television, you can probably keep your treadmill workout from becoming too boring. Problems consist of commercials, the noise coming from the machine, and again, the bouncing.

Exercise Bikes vs. Boredom

Exercise bikes are unique in that many of them come programmed with various biking routines. You simulate different courses that require you to sprint, pedal uphill, and perform at different levels within one workout without having to keep pressing buttons and changing everything. You can even select random programs so you don’t know what’s coming, which really keeps you on your toes. Some exercise bikes can even be plugged into televisions and video games to let you interactively pedal through visual courses.

On upright exercise bikes, you run into some of the same problems as treadmills as far as reading is concerned. Recumbent bikes, however, allow your hands to be free to hold a book or magazine, video game controller, or phone. Multi-tasking during an exercise bike workout keeps it from becoming boring and allows your workout to more easily fit into a busy schedule.

Defeating boredom to successfully keep up a long-term exercise routine is much easier with an exercise bike than a treadmill.

The Calorie Factor

In a study conducted by Nordic Track, young, healthy people used various exercise machines and did cardio workouts. Although they felt they used the same intensity on all machines, they burned the most calories on treadmills and ski machines.

On average, most people burn about 750 calories per hour on a treadmill. The same people are likely to burn about 550 calories per hour on an exercise bike. So it’s a no-brainer, right? You should get a treadmill because they burn more calories.

Well, not exactly. You can’t get so caught up in which machine burns the most calories. You have to take a lot of other factors into consideration. How likely are you to sustain a treadmill routine as opposed to an exercise bike routine?

Because exercise bikes are usually more fun than treadmills, you are much more likely to stick with it long-term. This means that even though you can burn more calories on a treadmill, you are also more likely to stop using it altogether.

You might also find it difficult to use it long enough per workout session to get the full benefits. Most people find it easier to workout for 20 minutes on an exercise bike than 20 minutes on a treadmill. You have to think about that. If you are likely to only do 10 minutes on a treadmill but can easily do 20 minutes on an exercise bike, you will burn more calories per session on an exercise bike.

So just going strictly by the numbers, treadmills burn more calories. If you easily get bored or have tried and failed to stick with exercise routines in the past, you might want to consider burning less calories per hour in favor of a sustainable long-term exercise bike regimen.

Your Safety

The biggest difference between exercise bikes and treadmills is overall safety to your body.

The first case of safety is the most basic. You can fall off of a treadmill. It’s very difficult, however, to fall off of an exercise bike. In fact, you would probably have to try to fall when riding an exercise bike. While you might be thinking you’d have to be pretty clumsy to fall while walking, it happens more than you’d think. People get involved with watching television or the beat of music. One wrong step and you can seriously injure yourself. It’s also possible to spill water or sweat on the treadmill track, causing a safety hazard you might not notice until after you’ve slipped.

Another safety hazard is injury from the activity itself. A treadmill puts quite a bit of stress on your joints, especially your knees and ankles. Even if you invest in a treadmill with some degree of shock absorption, when you eventually get to a jogging or running point, you can put severe orthopedic stress on your body, even up to three times your body weight. People with existing conditions such as arthritis will find a treadmill painful at times due to this stress. Otherwise healthy individuals can sustain injury and possible long-term damage over time.

Exercise bikes put much less stress on your joints. A properly positioned exercise bike supports your weight and still allows you to receive the benefits of a higher impact cardio workout. Upright bikes can sometimes stress your back in the way you have to bend to reach the handlebars. Recumbent exercise bikes, however, can actually improve existing back pain by forcing proper posture and giving support as you exercise. On any exercise bike properly used, your knees and ankles are not stressed as they are on a treadmill.

The less you stress joints, the less likely you are to sustain an injury during your workout. You are also less likely to be sore afterwards. Most importantly, a non-workout injury doesn’t always have to halt your exercise routine on an exercise bike. If you hurt your back or neck, you will find the support of a recumbent exercise bike will keep you from having to stop your exercise regimen altogether. Let’s face it – if you have to stop, you are less likely to start again.

An Exercise Bike is Better for Your Health than a Treadmill

As you can see, both pieces of home fitness equipment have advantages. While the treadmill continues to be the most popular piece of home gym equipment, most people are more likely to faithfully use an exercise bike. This means you’re more likely to have to dust a treadmill until it gets the garage sale sticker.

Michael Walker is a freelance author providing useful information about exercise bikes, recumbent exercise bike and www.all-in-exercise-bikes.com/10001-home-fitness-equipment.htm“>home fitness equipment. His numerous articles offer comprehensive tips and solutions for the fitness enthusiast.

A trained lawyer, Marcos was convicted of assassinating a political opponent of his father in 1939 and, from his condemned cell, argued his case up to the Philippine Surpreme Court, where he won an acquittal.
During the Second World War, Marcos collaborated with the Japanese who occupied the Philippines – though he later claimed to have led the Filipino resistance, a fiction in which the United States colluded, awarding him medals. He emerged from the war a wealthy man and served in the Philippine House of Representatives and the senate, switching parties when it suited him.

Elected president in 1965, he won a second term in 1969. But in 1972, he declared martial law, imprisoned his political opponents, dissolved congress, suspended habeas corpus and used the army as his private police force. He then wrote a new constitution giving himself considerably more power. His wife, Imelda, and other family members were given lucrative government posts. While the Filipino people lived in abject poverty, the Marcos flaunted their extravagant lifestyle, Imelda becoming world-renowned for her huge collection of shoes. (While the acquisition of shoes may no doubt be a laudable enterprise, especially from a shoe manufacturer’s point of view, it is perhaps questionable whether it merits keeping an entire population in misery.)

In 1981, Marcos ended martial law, but continued to rule by decree. Opposition leader Benigno Aquino, who had gone into exile after being imprisoned for eight years by Marcos, returned in 1983, but was shot dead on the orders of Imelda if front of a plane full of journalists after he had landed at Manila. This sparked riots. An official enquiry blamed a high ranking general Fabian Ver. A family friend of Marcoses, Ver was acquitted when the case went to court.

Information about Ferdinand Marcos

Written by Vassil Dimitroff

A picky, colicky tot is no pleasure at all. Being the parent through this period can be extremely stressful and depressing. Fortunately, nowadays there are hundreds of manufactured goods that can be acquired by the modern parent to help keep your infant satisfied when they are awake. Newborn babies are used to continuous movement whilst in the parents’ womb and when their little ones get unhappy, a lot of parents are delighted to depend on the support of a baby bouncer to help imitate this gentle environment. Despite this, knowing what to acquire can as a matter of fact be fairly perplexing, however here’s a list of guidelines to help you make your choice. Find a huge selection of baby and child products including; baby bouncers, silvercross prams and babywear from leading brands online.

Basic Features: Without a doubt, a bouncer should provide the bounce factor. When a father is unable rock and soothe their baby, then it is great to have a dependable alternative available. Generally most bouncers come with a soft seat that is fixed to a U shaped base. When the child moves, the seat has a spring like reaction thus calming the toddler. The most uncomplicated baby bouncer choices on sale have just these essentials and can be attained for as little as 15 pounds. Though, there are hundreds of additional features on offer if you spend a little more cash. A great number of baby bouncers these days are battery controlled & can operate even when your toddler is not moving. There are also seats that can switch between rocking & bouncing, for additional choices. Lastly, it’s quite typical to get a toy bar on a bouncer. This allows you to hang up an selection of toys just in front of your baby for distraction and amusement. Products with extra preferences can cost between 50-150 pounds.

Find Your Own Style: Although it’s been common for some time to find toddler products that are delightful, it is not always to the taste of the parents. Your style might be considerably cleaner or more modern and therefore you would want your home decor, which consists of your baby products, to show that. After all, you’re the one that has to lug the bag & look at the items each and every day. You should like your bouncer! Luckily, whilst there are still masses of pleasant baby prints on the market at this point in time, you can if you look properly find clean lines & plain styling. Both Bloom & BabaBing manufactures make a fantastic example of a up-to-date, but handy, baby bouncer.

When your kid is howling and needs relaxing, you just need a bouncer that does the job. Finding this in a bouncer is not a nightmare. Even the basic level models will probably get the job done. For extra options you can pay a bit more money for added ease. Lastly, with numerous new baby bouncers on the market today, you don’t have to be trapped with the same old bouncer. Let your decor reverberate your own unique style.

When you are buying pushchairs & prams, it is essential to remember to think about both your kid’s demands & your very own specific lifestyle. Pushchairs nowadays are on sale in numerous different forms and price costs, & without assessing the many different options before you shop; the selections can easily become out of control.

First, you should examine your child’s precise needs. For a newborn infant, you will require a pushchair with a lie back capability or a pushchair/carrycot combination. If you would like you could perhaps acquire a pushchair that contains a reversible seat, which lets your kid to face you whilst you’re pushing them. You are also advised to contemplate where your kid will primarily sleep: a crib, carrycot, or Moses basket. If you are going to buy a carrycot, then you might perhaps want to also get a pushchair/carrycot combination as this will help to reduce the total amount of kit you will have to acquire as a consequence. Find a range of baby and child products including; puschairs, silvercross prams and baby bouncers from leading brands online.

Next, you are recommended to contemplate your specific way of life. If you plan transporting the pushchair in a vehicle, measure your boot to make sure that the collapsed pushchair will go in without problems. If you purchase one that is too big, you’ll spend numerous frustrating minutes each time attempting to pack it in the vehicles boot. Otherwise, you may well think about a multi function system, which merges a toddler car seat and pushchair. This multi function ability will make it a great deal easier for you to transfer your baby in the vehicle, then use the pushchair when you are parked, therefore reducing the number of accessories you will have to cart around with your baby.

For parents who walk considerably, it is essential that you purchase a tough model that comes with lockable wheels. What’s more, also think about the type of environment you will be pushing your child over. For instance, if you elect on swivel wheels, then the pram will be some what easier to manoeuvre in tight locations, while fixed wheels will travel easier over bumpy ground. You can also buy a pushchair that come with both fixed wheel & swivel wheel options, letting you adjust the wheels when needed throughout your travels. Regardless of what choice you choose ensure that the handle is set at the right height. If you and your partner are fairly different heights, try to obtain a pushchair with an adjustable handle height.

My dear old Mom won’t let anybody buy her flowers. She says she can’t stand to watch them die.

Which is probably a bit like saying she wouldn’t own a puppy because she doesn’t want to see it grow old, or read a book because she can’t stand that it will end, or better yet, eat a chocolate because then it would all be gone and all she’d have left to remind her of the wonderful experience is the foil wrapper.

Whether you believe in the divine creator or the Big Bang theory, there’s something to be said for whoever (or whatever!) created flowers.

I ask you. . . who is not awed by the beauty of a spring rose, fresh with dew, or the fresh appeal of a yellow buttercup, or the fiesta of colors in a bunch of gerberas (beautiful flowers, awful name!)

We’ve come to associate the germination and birth of a flower with life itself. We talk about children “blossoming”, the “rosy red glow” of a pregnant woman or “happy as a rosebud in June”. At the end of its brief but impressive life, most flowers return to the ground from whence they came, in much the same way as we humans do. Well, most of us.

And flowers have a special language all their own. Of course, the big one is roses, the traditional symbol of love. But don’t be fooled into thinking a bunch of flowers from your partner is a sign of his undying affection.

According to the Victorians, who first assigned a special language to flowers, giving Candytuft means indifference, and Cyclamen represents goodbye, while the poor old orange Lily means dislike and dissatisfaction.

Pity the poor fellow who presents a prettily wrapped bouquet of flowers to his lady-love. The flowery language of love he’s trying to send may need translation!

Olivia Morrow is a freelance journalist and author and is the Editor of Savvy Women Magazine, an online lifestyle magazine for women who want to KNOW…the latest fashion news, women’s health issues, beauty, movie and book reviews, travel and lots more. Visit Olivia’s website at www.savvy-women-magazine.com.

I Don’t Know… Find Something Green!

Purchasing shower gifts without foreknowledge of the baby’s gender:
There are some things we take for granted in today’s world. Day in and day out we know the sun is going to rise in the morning and set at night, the freeway is going to be jam packed with traffic every Friday afternoon from about three pm until six or seven, and people who are having a baby shower will be able to tell us whether the cute blue sailor suit or the pretty pink dress will be an appropriate gift. Until, of course, we learn that the drive home on Friday was smooth sailing and the expectant mother whose shower we’re attending has no idea what the gender of her baby is. Eyeing the sun superstitiously, we head to the mall and try to figure out what sort of shower gift to buy when we have no idea whether we’re buying for little Jerry or little Elaine.

Interestingly, we forget that its only been about twenty-five years or so since we even had the option of knowing in advance whether the new arrivals in our lives would one day use the “his” towel or the “hers” towel and shower gifts were always either androgynous or delivered with a store receipt included. Because we now take the medical technology of an ultrasound for granted we forget that purchasing shower gifts without the advance knowledge of the combination of X and Y chromosomes included in the pending package was once the rule rather than the exception.

A great many people today either choose not to know the sex of their babies before delivery (“Don’t point anything out to me on that weather map, doc”) or, for whatever reason are unable to know (“Is that my son, Doc?” “No, Mr. Jones… that’s the umbilical cord.”). For these reasons gifts are still readily available in “unisex” varieties, making them equally appropriate for baby girls or baby boys.

Purchasing unisex gifts is easier than many people may think. The first rule is to simply avoid anything that is decidedly pink or blue. Those two colors will forever have the gender bias unmistakably attached to them. Pale blues may be appropriate for either gender, but there’s no getting away with putting any shade of pink on a baby boy. We’ve just not come that far yet. Whites, reds (dark reds, crimsons, and scarlet hues, no fuchsias), and greens work fine. If it’s on the flag of Mexico or Italy, run with it. Clothing items can be avoided altogether in favor of nicely androgynous layette sets with white onesies, white socks (no “frillies”), and completely asexual spit-up towels or some similar purchase.

Of course, if you prefer, it is still acceptable to purchase a gender specific gift for the expectant mother who does not know the sex of her unborn child… just remember to save your receipt.

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Folklore includes a traditional trickster figure, the subject of many stories in a cycle. Trickster tales are in the animal tales genre, with the trickster himself — he seems always to be male — identified with a particular animal. These include the fox in Japan, mouse deer in Southeast Asia, the coyote and the spider among the Native Americans, the tortoise and spider in West Africa, and the mantis in Southern Africa.

These tales feature a trickster-hero who may be regarded as both creator god and innocent fool, evil destroyer and childlike prankster.

Tricksters are usually small in size next to the large, strong animals that appear in the same folktales. Tricksters survive by their wits, but they do more than just survive. They constantly play tricks on the animals around them, outwitting and mistreating their powerful neighbours even when these larger animals haven’t done anything to deserve it. Occasionally he overreaches himself and finds that he’s been too clever for his own good.

It’s the Trickster who points out the flaws in our carefully managed societies. He rebels against authority, pokes fun at the overly serious, creates complex schemes and generally plays with the Laws of the Universe. He constantly questions the rules, and causes us to question these same rules. The Trickster appears when a way of thinking becomes outmoded, when old ways need to be changed.

The Trickster is a creator, a joker, a truth teller, a story teller, a transformer. We are most accessible to the gifts of the Trickster when we ourselves are at, or near, boundaries – when we are experiencing transition states. As an archetype, the Trickster, the boundary dweller, finds expression through human imagination and experience.

Trickster tales are great favourites in many cultures. They represent the underdog who uses skill and cunning to outwit a superior. West African trickster animals have a significant presence in the New World, when they travelled as part of the folklore of enslaved Africans. The rabbit is best known as Br’er Rabbit in the folktales documented by Joel Chandler Harris in the USA. We also find him in his modern avatar, Bugs Bunny !

The spider is best known as Anansi, and you find him throughout the former English and French colonies of the West Indies.

The role of the slave trickster tales was an important one giving a sense of pride and hope for the future. They showed that the weak could conquer the strong. The tales were devices that taught helplessness can triumph over virtue and mischievousness is better than malice. For the slaves, trickster folklore was also a weapon by which they were able to take subtle revenge on their masters.

Susanna Duffy is a Civil Celebrant, grief counsellor and mythologist. She creates ceremonies and Rites of Passage for individual and civic functions, and specialises in celebrations for women. http://celebrant.yarralink.com